Heteroclinic cycles and chaos in a system of four identical phase oscillators with global biharmonic coupling

We study a system of four identical globally coupled phase oscillators with biharmonic coupling function. Its dimension and the type of coupling make it the minimal system of Kuramoto-type (both in the sense of the phase space's dimension and the number of harmonics) that supports chaotic dynamics. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is still no numerical evidence for the existence of chaos in this system. The dynamics of such systems is tightly connected with the action of the symmetry group on its phase space. The presence of symmetries might lead to an emergence of chaos due to scenarios involving specific heteroclinic cycles. We suggest an approach for searching such heteroclinic cycles and showcase first examples of chaos in this system found by using this approach.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figure

A pandemic recap : lessons we have learned

On January 2020, the WHO Director General declared that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The world has faced a worldwide spread crisis and is still dealing with it. The present paper represents a white paper concerning the tough lessons we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, an international and heterogenous multidisciplinary panel of very differentiated people would like to share global experiences and lessons with all interested and especially those responsible for future healthcare decision making. With the present paper, international and heterogenous multidisciplinary panel of very differentiated people would like to share global experiences and lessons with all interested and especially those responsible for future healthcare decision making.Non peer reviewe

Correction to: Two years later: Is the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still having an impact on emergency surgery? An international cross-sectional survey among WSES members

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is still ongoing and a major challenge for health care services worldwide. In the first WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey, a strong negative impact on emergency surgery (ES) had been described already early in the pandemic situation. However, the knowledge is limited about current effects of the pandemic on patient flow through emergency rooms, daily routine and decision making in ES as well as their changes over time during the last two pandemic years. This second WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey investigates the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on ES during the course of the pandemic. Methods: A web survey had been distributed to medical specialists in ES during a four-week period from January 2022, investigating the impact of the pandemic on patients and septic diseases both requiring ES, structural problems due to the pandemic and time-to-intervention in ES routine. Results: 367 collaborators from 59 countries responded to the survey. The majority indicated that the pandemic still significantly impacts on treatment and outcome of surgical emergency patients (83.1% and 78.5%, respectively). As reasons, the collaborators reported decreased case load in ES (44.7%), but patients presenting with more prolonged and severe diseases, especially concerning perforated appendicitis (62.1%) and diverticulitis (57.5%). Otherwise, approximately 50% of the participants still observe a delay in time-to-intervention in ES compared with the situation before the pandemic. Relevant causes leading to enlarged time-to-intervention in ES during the pandemic are persistent problems with in-hospital logistics, lacks in medical staff as well as operating room and intensive care capacities during the pandemic. This leads not only to the need for triage or transferring of ES patients to other hospitals, reported by 64.0% and 48.8% of the collaborators, respectively, but also to paradigm shifts in treatment modalities to non-operative approaches reported by 67.3% of the participants, especially in uncomplicated appendicitis, cholecystitis and multiple-recurrent diverticulitis. Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still significantly impacts on care and outcome of patients in ES. Well-known problems with in-hospital logistics are not sufficiently resolved by now; however, medical staff shortages and reduced capacities have been dramatically aggravated over last two pandemic years

The Institutional Foundations of the Digital Economy in the 21st Century/ Elena G. Popkova, Artem Krivtsov, Aleksei V. Bogoviz.

In English.The development of the Digital Economy has been a landmark breakthrough for economic systems in the 21st century, as it opens up opportunities for the full-scale implementation of new digital technologies and the optimization of economic activities. While the conceptual essence and specific features of the digital economy are described in detail in the existing literature, the practical foundations of its formation are poorly studied. In this book, the digital economy is studied from the perspective of neo-institutional economic theory. This allows for the tracking of the process of formation (institutionalization) of the digital economy, determining the basic institutions that are necessary for its formation and that exist in modern economic practice, and analyzing scenarios for the future development of the digital economy in the 21st century.Frontmatter -- Contents -- Digital Economy in the 21 Century: An Introduction to the Institutional Approach -- Part I: The Scientific Concept of the Digital Economy in the 21st Century -- 1 Digital Economy as a Modern Type of Economic System -- 2 “Digitalization”- Overcoming Institutional Barriers -- 3 Development of the Information Technologies Sector in Latvia under Globalization -- 4 The Principles of Functioning and Priorities of Development of the Digital Economy -- 5 Classification of Breakthrough Digital Technologies and the Perspectives of Their Application in Economy -- Part II: The Process of Digital Economy Institutionalization in the 21st Century -- 6 The Essence and Logic of the Process of Sectorial Markets' Digital Transformation -- 7 The Current Tendencies of Economy Digitalization in Developed and Developing Countries -- 8 The Main Stages of the Digital Modernization of Economy -- 9 Implementation of Cluster Initiatives in the Digital Sphere as a Tool of Digital Entrepreneurship's Institutionalization -- 10 Institutions of Support for Digital Entrepreneurship: Special Economic Zones, Innovative Networks and Technological Parks -- Part III: Meso-Level Institutions of the Digital Economy in the 21st Century -- 11 Digitalization of Regional Economy: Problems and Perspectives -- 12 The Institutional Model of the Digital Economy Creation in a Modern Region -- 13 Managing a Modern Region Based on Digital Technologies -- Part IV: Macro-Level Institutions of the Digital Economy in the 21st Century -- 14 State Institutional Regulation of Economy Digital Modernization -- 15 The Role of Financial Institutions in Supporting the Digital Economy -- 16 Digital Economy of the 21st Century: A View from the Positions of Developed and Developing Countries -- Part V: The Global Institutions of the Digital Economy in the 21st Century -- 17 International Trade in the Digital Sphere: Barriers and Prospects for Development -- 18 The Existing and Perspective International Institutions for Supporting Digital Transformation of Economy -- 19 The Scientific and Methodological Approach to Provision and Evaluation of the Digital Economy's Global Competitiveness -- 20 The Strategy of Optimal Development of the Digital Economy: A View from the Positions of Game Theory -- 21 The Institutional Model of Well-Balanced and Sustainable Digital Economy -- 22 The Institutional Mechanism of Managing the Digital Economy's Development -- Part VI: Case Studies of Institutions of the Digital Economy in the 21st Century -- 23 Problems and Prospects of Economic Cooperation Between Russia and Mexico -- 24 Innovative Critical Success Factors for Public - Private Partnerships (PPP) in Infrastructure Projects of Developing Countries. A Case of Zambia -- 25 Prediction Mechanism of the Territorial Socio-Economic Processes in Formation of the Information Systems -- 26 Specific Economic Security Regulations in the Context of Pathological Crises of Digital Transformation of Agricultural Organizations -- Conclusion: Institutional Perspectives of the Digital Economy's Development in the 21st Century -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Index.1 online resource (XI, 258 p.)

A pandemic recap: lessons we have learned

On January 2020, the WHO Director General declared that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The world has faced a worldwide spread crisis and is still dealing with it. The present paper represents a white paper concerning the tough lessons we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, an international and heterogenous multidisciplinary panel of very differentiated people would like to share global experiences and lessons with all interested and especially those responsible for future healthcare decision making. With the present paper, international and heterogenous multidisciplinary panel of very differentiated people would like to share global experiences and lessons with all interested and especially those responsible for future healthcare decision making

Time for a paradigm shift in shared decision-making in trauma and emergency surgery? Results from an international survey

Background Shared decision-making (SDM) between clinicians and patients is one of the pillars of the modern patient-centric philosophy of care. This study aims to explore SDM in the discipline of trauma and emergency surgery, investigating its interpretation as well as the barriers and facilitators for its implementation among surgeons. Methods Grounding on the literature on the topics of the understanding, barriers, and facilitators of SDM in trauma and emergency surgery, a survey was created by a multidisciplinary committee and endorsed by the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES). The survey was sent to all 917 WSES members, advertised through the society’s website, and shared on the society’s Twitter profile. Results A total of 650 trauma and emergency surgeons from 71 countries in five continents participated in the initiative. Less than half of the surgeons understood SDM, and 30% still saw the value in exclusively engaging multidisciplinary provider teams without involving the patient. Several barriers to effectively partnering with the patient in the decision-making process were identified, such as the lack of time and the need to concentrate on making medical teams work smoothly. Discussion Our investigation underlines how only a minority of trauma and emergency surgeons understand SDM, and perhaps, the value of SDM is not fully accepted in trauma and emergency situations. The inclusion of SDM practices in clinical guidelines may represent the most feasible and advocated solutions