Refugee Crisis and the European Union: Do the Failed Migration and Asylum Policies Indicate a Political and Structural Crisis of European Integration?

This paper deals with the refugee crisis and its impact on the European Union. The absence of a common immigration policy, even the existence of diametrically opposed attitudes and different practices of individual member states in the regulation of the refugee wave, caused a complete failure of European Union migration and asylum policies. It has, on the one hand, deepened the refugee crisis and, on the other hand, pointed to the structural and political crisis of the European Union, since they have brought into question the fundamental values of European integration, in particular human rights, unity, cooperation, solidarity, freedom and democracy. Similarly, the conflict of supranational and national interests and policies very pronouncedly came to light. The refugee crisis has also become a serious test for not only migration and asylum policies, which have proved unsuccessful, but has brought to the fore the structural and political weaknesses of European integration. Consequently, they have raised the issue of redefining the modalities of cooperation and institutional structure, especially relations of the European Commission and nation states, as well as relations among member states, particularly big and small ones

Assistència veterinària a espècies en sobrepoblació als centres de recuperació de fauna silvestre

Treball presentat a l'assignatura de Deontologia i Veterinària Legal (21223

Establishing an Institutional Framework for an E-learning Implementation – Experiences from the University of Rijeka, Croatia

Faced with the need of transforming the university structure, processes, and programs according to the Bologna reform, and in order to become more flexible and more responsive to the environment, the University of Rijeka management decided to enable e-learning implementation as an institutional, strategically planned operation. The manuscript describes the three years long process of building an implementation framework for the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching and learning in the form of blended e-learning - combined classroom and online learning via e-learning platform (or learning management system, LMS). The implementation started practically from ground zero, with the goal of preparing the infrastructure and the environment for the implementation, while also building a community of educated practitioners. A few points for getting support and networking have been established within the university infrastructure: faculty e-learning teams and/or representatives taking care of the institutional promotion and deployment of e-learning and connected to the university Committee for e-learning as a policy making body, the e-learning centre, which provides e-learning platform (LMS) maintenance, development, and technical user’s support, and the IT Academy which assures delivery and development of education from general ICT to specialized e-learning programs. All the processes and activities within the network are assured for quality control. Two years after the deployment, the platform hosts more than 400 e-courses with 15,000 estudents. The survey among teachers using e-learning to perform blended courses revealed satisfaction and general acceptance, indicating the increase in effectiveness of teaching and learning processes

Negacionismo e o papel dos fatores políticos para a mortalidade por Covid-19 no Brasil

In a national context marked by a denialist position of the federal government in the fight against the pandemic, Brazil is among the countries most affected by Covid-19. The present study analyzes, along with other socioeconomic, health and demographic factors, how the political orientation of municipalities is related to the mortality rate. In order to analyze two different transmission channels between political factors and mortality, two other econometric models were estimated on the mobility of people and the vaccination rate. One of the most striking results concerns the “Bolsonaro effect”: mortality rates are higher in the municipalities where the president had a more expressive vote in the 2018 elections. The results regarding population mobility seem to confirm that this is one of the main mechanisms of disease transmission. Nevertheless, the political denialist position does not seem to compromise, at least for the first months of the late immunization process in Brazil, the complete vaccination.O Brasil está entre os países mais atingidos pela Covid-19, em um contexto nacional marcado por um posicionamento negacionista do governo federal no combate à pandemia. O presente estudo analisa, juntamente com outros fatores socioeconômicos, sanitários e demográficos, como a orientação política dos municípios está relacionada com a taxa de mortalidade da Covid-19. Também se procedeu à testagem econométrica de dois diferentes canais de transmissão entre os fatores políticos e a mortalidade: a mobilidade das pessoas e a vacinação. O resultado mais contundente diz respeito ao que foi denominado “efeito Bolsonaro”: nos municípios com votação mais expressiva no presidente em 2018, as taxas de mortalidade são maiores. Os resultados referentes à mobilidade da população confirmam ser este um dos principais mecanismos de transmissão da doença. Já o posicionamento negacionista parece não comprometer, nessa fase inicial da tardia campanha de imunização no país, a taxa de vacinação completa

Comparison of a human acellular dermal matrix and a polypropylene mesh for pelvic floor reconstruction : a randomized trial study in a rabbit model

Non-absorbable polypropylene (PP) meshes have been widely used in surgical reconstruction of the pelvic floor disorders. However, they are associated with serious complications. Human acellular dermal matrices (hADM) have demonstrated safety and efficacy in reconstructive medicine, but their suitability and efficacy at vaginal level is not known. This study compares the biological performance of PP mesh and a newly developed hADM. 20 rabbits were randomized to receive the hADM graft or the PP mesh. Grafts were surgically implanted in the abdominal wall and vagina. After 180 days, grafts were explanted and evaluated. The vaginal mesh extrusion rate was higher in the PP group (33% vs. 0%, p = 0.015). Full integration of the vaginal grafts was more frequent in the hADM group, where 35% of the grafts were difficult to recognize. In the PP group, the vaginal mesh was identified in 100% of the animals (p = 0.014). In PP group, the infiltrates had a focal distribution and were mostly located in the internal part of the epithelium, while in the hADM group, the infiltrates had a diffuse distribution. Additionally, the hADM group also presented more B-lymphocytes and less T-lymphocytes. Biomechanical analysis showed that hADM had lower resistance to stress. Moreover, PP mesh stiffness and elasticity were higher. Then, hADM is associated with fewer clinical complications, as well as better tissue integration. However, it shows greater incorporation into the surrounding native tissue, especially in the vaginal location, undergoing a reduction in its biomechanical properties 6 months after implantation

A machine-learning based bio-psycho-social model for the prediction of non-obstructive and obstructive coronary artery disease

Background: Mechanisms of myocardial ischemia in obstructive and non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), and the interplay between clinical, functional, biological and psycho-social features, are still far to be fully elucidated. Objectives: To develop a machine-learning (ML) model for the supervised prediction of obstructive versus non-obstructive CAD. Methods: From the EVA study, we analysed adults hospitalized for IHD undergoing conventional coronary angiography (CCA). Non-obstructive CAD was defined by a stenosis < 50% in one or more vessels. Baseline clinical and psycho-socio-cultural characteristics were used for computing a Rockwood and Mitnitski frailty index, and a gender score according to GENESIS-PRAXY methodology. Serum concentration of inflammatory cytokines was measured with a multiplex flow cytometry assay. Through an XGBoost classifier combined with an explainable artificial intelligence tool (SHAP), we identified the most influential features in discriminating obstructive versus non-obstructive CAD. Results: Among the overall EVA cohort (n = 509), 311 individuals (mean age 67 ± 11 years, 38% females; 67% obstructive CAD) with complete data were analysed. The ML-based model (83% accuracy and 87% precision) showed that while obstructive CAD was associated with higher frailty index, older age and a cytokine signature characterized by IL-1β, IL-12p70 and IL-33, non-obstructive CAD was associated with a higher gender score (i.e., social characteristics traditionally ascribed to women) and with a cytokine signature characterized by IL-18, IL-8, IL-23. Conclusions: Integrating clinical, biological, and psycho-social features, we have optimized a sex- and gender-unbiased model that discriminates obstructive and non-obstructive CAD. Further mechanistic studies will shed light on the biological plausibility of these associations. Clinical trial registration: NCT02737982

The Sex-Specific Detrimental Effect of Diabetes and Gender-Related Factors on Pre-admission Medication Adherence Among Patients Hospitalized for Ischemic Heart Disease: Insights From EVA Study

Background: Sex and gender-related factors have been under-investigated as relevant determinants of health outcomes across non-communicable chronic diseases. Poor medication adherence results in adverse clinical outcomes and sex differences have been reported among patients at high cardiovascular risk, such as diabetics. The effect of diabetes and gender-related factors on medication adherence among women and men at high risk for ischemic heart disease (IHD) has not yet been fully investigated.Aim: To explore the role of sex, gender-related factors, and diabetes in pre-admission medication adherence among patients hospitalized for IHD.Materials and Methods: Data were obtained from the Endocrine Vascular disease Approach (EVA) (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02737982), a prospective cohort of patients admitted for IHD. We selected patients with baseline information regarding the presence of diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors, and gender-related variables (i.e., gender identity, gender role, gender relations, institutionalized gender). Our primary outcome was the proportion of pre-admission medication adherence defined through a self-reported questionnaire. We performed a sex-stratified analysis of clinical and gender-related factors associated with pre-admission medication adherence.Results: Two-hundred eighty patients admitted for IHD (35% women, mean age 70), were included. Around one-fourth of the patients were low-adherent to therapy before hospitalization, regardless of sex. Low-adherent patients were more likely diabetic (40%) and employed (40%). Sex-stratified analysis showed that low-adherent men were more likely to be employed (58 vs. 33%) and not primary earners (73 vs. 54%), with more masculine traits of personality, as compared with medium-high adherent men. Interestingly, women reporting medication low-adherence were similar for clinical and gender-related factors to those with medium-high adherence, except for diabetes (42 vs. 20%, p = 0.004). In a multivariate adjusted model only employed status was associated with poor medication adherence (OR 0.55, 95%CI 0.31–0.97). However, in the sex-stratified analysis, diabetes was independently associated with medication adherence only in women (OR 0.36; 95%CI 0.13–0.96), whereas a higher masculine BSRI was the only factor associated with medication adherence in men (OR 0.59, 95%CI 0.35–0.99).Conclusion: Pre-admission medication adherence is common in patients hospitalized for IHD, regardless of sex. However, patient-related factors such as diabetes, employment, and personality traits are associated with adherence in a sex-specific manner

CITY BRANDING BERBASIS KEARIFAN LOKAL

ABSTRACT Currently, many regions are trying to image themselves as best they can by implementing the right brand strategy in order to provide many benefits and advantages. Location, geographic location, locale, products and personal figures from an area are used as references to create a brand by communicating its identity and various uniqueness within it. This phenomenon has resulted in many cities, provinces and even countries actively campaigning through various promotional media. Initially, branding was a science that was applied to goods and services, but in its development the brand concept expanded to various objects, including cities. In contrast to the product, a city is a complex entity because it is related to nature, people, objects and the artificial environment. Branding is indeed not seen as a way to manage a city, but rather as a tool to convey a positive image with the aim of increasing the perception of various stakeholders where branding cannot change a city but can help increase its overall competitiveness. the formation of city branding can affect the mental map of how visitors perceive a city in their minds, this happens because the image is a reflection or description of the condition of the elements that a city has in a relatively long period of time. Keyword: City Branding, Kearifan Lokal, pemasaran ABSTRAK Saat ini banyak daerah berusaha mencitrakan dirinya sebaik mungkin dengan menerapkan brand strategy yang tepat agar memberikan banyak manfaat dan keuntungan. Lokasi, letak geografis, kelokalan, produk dan sosok personal dari suatu daerah dijadikan acuan untuk membuat brand dengan mengkomunikasikan identitas dan beragam keunikan di dalamnya. Fenomena ini mengakibatkan banyak kota, provinsi bahkan negara aktif mengkampanyekan diri melalui berbagai media promosi. randing awalnya merupakan keilmuan yang diterapkan pada produk barang dan jasa, namun dalam perkembangannya konsep brand meluas ke berbagai objek termasuk kota. Berbeda dengan produk, sebuah kota merupakan entitas yang kompleks karena berkaitan dengan alam, manusia, benda dan lingkungan buatan. Branding memang tidak dipandang sebagai cara untuk mengelola suatu kota, melainkan sebagai alat untuk menyampaikan citra positif dengan tujuan meningkatkan persepsi yang dimiliki berbagai pemangku kepentingan di mana branding tidak dapat mengubah suatu kota tetapi dapat membantu meningkatkan daya saing secara keseluruhan. pembentukan branding kota dapat mempengaruhi peta mental bagaimana pengunjung mempersepsikan sebuah kota di benak mereka, ini terjadi karena citra merupakan cerminan atau gambaran kondisi dari unsur-unsur yang dimiliki suatu kota pada kurun waktu yang relatif lama. Kata Kunci: Directory,Medicine, Traditional Medicin

Investigating on electric consumptions for residential buildings ventilation in different Italian climates

Design strategies, policies and energy certification protocols often suggest (or prescribe), in an undifferentiated way, to provide mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems in order to improve energy performance in residential buildings. However, the electric fans mounted on these systems consume energy and the benefits due to heat recovery, under some boundary conditions, may not be so effective to make this strategy convenient, resulting in a waste of electric energy. In this paper, a small sample housing unit provided with an autonomous ventilation system with heat recovery was simulated in different Italian climates. Then, for different airflow rates, the power absorbed by the fans and the actual heat recovery efficiency were properly evaluated, taking into account temperature differences occurring on an hourly-based simulation. Finally, overall yearly energy balances for the mechanical ventilation system under different boundary conditions were calculated and compared to the one resulting by assuming natural ventilation, while assessing energy and environmental performance