Characteristics of new cases of infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis in patients having HIV infection with multidrug resistance of the pathogen according to multi-layer spiral computed tomography

Background. Identification of the characteristics of the pulmonary tuberculosis process using multi-layer spiral computed tomography (MSCT) in patients with tuberculosis and HIV infection is important in the diagnosis of tuberculosis, determining the dissemination of the process and its dynamics during treatment. The aim. To determine the initial characteristics and dynamics of infiltrative tuberculosis according to MSCT in patients with and without HIV infection, with and without multidrug resistance (MDR) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis who were treated in a hospital. Materials and methods. 126 patients aged 19–59 years with tuberculosis, combined with HIV infection and without HIV infection were examined. For statistical processing, we used MS Excel (Microsoft Corp., USA) software package. Results. Patients with tuberculosis and HIV infection in comparison with patients with tuberculosis and without HIV had more expressed intoxication syndrome and respiratory impairement in the clinical picture (p < 0.00001). Patients with coinfection were more likely to suffer from alcohol (p  <  0.05) and drug addiction (p < 0.001). According to MSCT, the pathological process in HIV-positive patients with pulmonary tuberculosis was more disseminated (p < 0.05), included severe intrathoracic lymphadenopathy (p < 0.0001), more common pleural lesions (p < 0.005), less common destructive changes (cavities) (p < 0.001) and outcomes in form of fibro-cavernous tuberculosis (p < 0.01). Process regression was slower in patients with tuberculosis and HIV (p < 0.005). According to MSCT, extensive lung damage, intrathoracic lymphadenopathy were  more often found in patients with MDR in coinfection (p  <  0.05). Cavities and fibro-cavernous tuberculosis outcomes were more common in patients with tuberculosis without HIV infection and with MDR (p < 0.05). Conclusion. MSCT provides detailed information about the pathological process in the lungs and its dynamics under the treatment of tuberculosis and HIV infection

On the Relationships between Decision Management and Performance Measurement

Decision management is of utmost importance for the achievement of strategic and operational goals in any organisational context. Therefore, decisions should be considered as first-class citizens that need to be modelled, analysed, monitored to track their performance, and redesigned if necessary. Up to now, existing literature that studies decisions in the context of business processes has focused on the analysis of the definition of decisions themselves, in terms of accuracy, certainty, consistency, covering and correctness. However, to the best of our knowledge, no prior work exists that analyses the relationship between decisions and performance measurement. This paper identifies and analyses this relationship from three different perspectives, namely: the impact of decisions on process performance, the performance measurement of decisions, and the use of performance indicators in the definition of decisions. Furthermore, we also introduce solutions for the representation of these relationships based, amongst others, on the DMN standard.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad BELI (TIN2015-70560-R)Junta de Andalucía P12-TIC-1867Junta de Andalucía P10-TIC-590

Zirconium Micro-Arc Oxidation as a Method for Producing Heat Insulation Elements in Spacecraft

Application of coatings on the surface of materials as well as their composition and structure control in the near-surface layer enables us to use properties of base material and modified layers in the most rational and profitable way and save expensive and rare metals and alloys.The space telescope of T-170M will be the main tool of the international space observatory "Spektr-UF".It is being understood that the main mirror shade, which is in the outer space and has a considerable height will act as a radiator cooling a unit (cage) of the main mirror. Therefore it is necessary to create heat insulation between the shade of the main mirror and the frame of the main mirror unit. From the thermal calculations a detail to provide heat insulation must possess thermal conductivity, at most, 2,5 and a conditional limit of fluidity for compression, at least, 125 MPas to ensure that the shade diaphragms position of the main mirror is stable with respect to the optical system of telescope.Considering that oxide of zirconium possesses one of the lowest thermal conductivities among oxides of metals, it is offered to use zirconium, as a material of base, and to put the MAO-covering (micro-arc oxide) on its surface.As a result of studying the features of MAO-coverings on zirconium it is:1) found that the composite material consisting of zirconium and MAO-covering on it, has low thermal conductivity (less than 2 ), and thus, because of small oxide layer thickness against the thickness of base material, possesses the mechanical properties which are slightly different from the pure zirconium ones;2) found that the composite material possesses the low gas release, allowing its use in the outer space conditions; the material processed in two electrolytes i.e. phosphate and acid ones has the lowest gas release;3) found that with growing thickness of MAO-covering its porosity decreases, thus the average pore diameter grows thereby leading to increasing thermal conductivity of MAO-covering. Therefore it is inexpedient to use thick MAO-coverings. Besides, adhesion between the covering and the base decreases;4) advisable to use a stack of thin washers in case it is necessary to apply the heat insulation of considerable thickness.</p