Music Collaboration in an Online Environment: Technologies, Roles and Creativity

Collaboration has played a key role in the music production process throughout history. The emergence of the internet and internet-based technologies, in conjunction with the constantly-evolving practice of record production, has opened up new ways to engage with collaborators around the globe. This thesis studies the creative practices present within the art of record production in a collaborative online environment, exploring how technologies and professional roles impact the creative process. The practice-led approach of this project, aided by phenomenological and autoethnographic methods, looks at the various contributions of collaborators, as well as their thoughts, feelings, and reflections on the online-based creative process. A series of interviews with the participants enables the examination of individual experiences as perceived by the persons involved. Contained within is a review of current research into the art of record production, focusing on areas of creativity, online collaboration, and professional roles. The text then analyses the data collected through the interview process, firstly examining the participants, their roles, and resulting expectations, followed by an inspection of individual musical projects developed throughout the course of the study. These findings are then discussed and situated within the context of relevant existent research. The text concludes with a commentary on the practices of music collaboration in an online environment and offers advice for future projects in this field

Ocena wartości rokowniczej wybranych parametrów ergospirometrycznych u chorych z przewlekłą skurczową niewydolnością serca kwalifikowanych wstępnie do transplantacji serca, w obserwacji 12-miesięcznej

Introduction. Despite recent advances in diagnosis and pharmacological treatment of cardiovascular diseases, chronic heart failure (HF) carries a poor prognosis. The identification of patients at highest risk for early death from HF is of special importance. Ergospirometric test is known to be useful in predicting survival and oxygen consumption (maximal/peak VO2) and minute ventilation-carbon dioxide production relationship (VE/VCO2slope) are the most frequently analyzed cardiopulmonary exercise test parameters. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of peak VO2 and VE/VCO2slope to predict cardiac-related mortality and cardiac-related hospitalization (MACE, major adverse cardiac event) in patients with chronic systolic HF, pre-qualified for heart transplantation. Material and methods. Forty-five patients (38 men; age 50 ± 8 years) with stable chronic HF (21 coronary artery disease, 24 dilated cardiomyopathy), in New York Heart Association functional class II (n. 16)–III (n. 29), with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) below 35% (mean LVEF = 22.7 ± 5.1%), underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing between 2006 and 2012 year. Results. At the end of follow-up, 5 (11%) patients had died and 17 (38%) had a hospitalization due to CHF exacerbation. Peak VO2 was 14.5 ± 5.7 mL/kg/min, VE/VCO2 slope was 35.1 ± 6.1. MACE(+) group had a lower peak VO2 (13.9 ± 6.9 mL/kg/min vs 15.1 ± 4.3, p = NS) and higher VE/VCO2slope (37.2 + 6.0 vs. 33.1 ± 5.6, p = 0.021) than MACE(–) group. MACE(+) death group had a lower peak VO2 than MACE(–) group (10.9 ± 1.3 vs. 15.1 ± 4.3, p = 0.045). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for predicting MACE at 1 year were 0.68 for peak VO2 and 0.70 for VE/VCO2slope. The results of Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a 1-year MACE free survival of 33% in patients with VE/VCO2slope > 34.9 and 67% in those with VE/VCO2slope 11.9 mL/kg/min (p = 0.0085). Conclusions. Both VO2 and VE/VCO2slope, are good prognostic parameters for serious cardiovascular events and improve the risk stratification of chronic HF patients.Wstęp. Mimo ostatnich osiągnięć w diagnostyce i terapii chorób układu sercowo-naczyniowego rokowanie w niewydolności serca (HF) pozostaje niezadowalające, dlatego identyfikacja chorych z grupy najwyższego ryzyka wczesnego zgonu ma szczególne znaczenie. Wysiłkowy test ergospirometryczny jest uznanym badaniem w diagnostyce HF, a szczytowe/maksymalne zużycie tlenu (VO2peak/VO2max) oraz ekwiwalent wentylacyjny dwutlenku węgla (VE/VCO2slope) to najczęściej oceniane parametry. Celem pracy była prospektywna, roczna ocena wpływu parametrów ergospirometrycznych (VO2peak/max oraz VE/VCO2slope) na wystąpienie punktu końcowego (MACE), definiowanego jako zgon z przyczyn sercowo-naczyniowych lub hospitalizacja z powodu zaostrzenia HF u chorych z przewlekłą skurczową HF, kwalifikowanych wstępnie do transplantacji serca. Materiał i metody. Prospektywnej obserwacji poddano 45 pacjentów (38 mężczyzn, średni wiek 50 ± 8 lat) z rozpoznaną skurczową niewydolnością serca (u 21 osób etiologia niedokrwienna, u 24 osób nieniedokrwienna) w II (n = 16) i III (n = 29) klasie według New York Heart Association, ze zredukowaną frakcją wyrzutową lewej komory (LVEF) poniżej 35% (średnia LVEF = 22,7 ± 5,1%). U każdego pacjenta wyjściowo wykonano badanie ergospirometryczne z oceną VO2 i VE/VCO2slope. Wyniki. W okresie 12 miesięcy u 22 (49,0%) pacjentów obserwowano wystąpienie złożonego punktu końcowego (MACE+), w tym u 17 (38,0%) wystąpiło zaostrzenie HF, a 5 (11,0%) pacjentów zmarło. Szczytowe/maksymalne VO2 wyniosło 14,5 ± 5,7 ml/kg mc./min, zaś VE/VCO2slope 35,1 ± 6,1. W grupie MACE(+) obserwowano niższe wartości VO2 (13,9 ± 6,9 ml/kg mc./min v. 15,1 ± 4,3; p = NS) i wyższy VE/VCO2slope (37,2 + 6,0 v. 33,1 ± 5,6; p = 0,021) niż w grupie MACE(–). Podgrupa MACE(+) zgon miała istotnie statystycznie niższą wartość VO2 niż MACE(–) (10,9 ± 1,3 v. 15,1 ± 4,3; p = 0,045). Na podstawie analizy krzywych ROC wyznaczono dla VO2 i VE/VCO2slope pole pod krzywą, odpowiednio, 0,68 i 0,70; p < 0,05). Oszacowana metodą Kaplana-Meiera funkcja przeżycia wykazała roczne przeżycie wolne od wystąpienia MACE u 33% pacjentów z VE/VCO2slope ponad 34,9 i 67% u tych z VE/VCO2slope poniżej 34,9 (p = 0,0562) oraz u 20% pacjentów z VO2 poniżej 11,6 ml/kg mc./min i 67% u tych z VO2 ponad 11.9 ml/kg/min (p = 0,0085). Wnioski. Zarówno VO2 jak i VE/VCO2slope są istotnymi czynnikami rokowniczymi wystąpienia zgonu z przyczyn sercowych bądź hospitalizacji z powodu zaostrzenia HF. Wartość rokownicza obu parametrów okazuje się porównywalna z niewielką przewagą VE/VCO2slope. Analiza połączonych parametrów ergospirometrycznych ma większą wartość prognostyczną niż osobna ocena VO2 oraz VE/VCO2slope

Turystyczny wizerunek Polski w percepcji uczestników programu Erasmus+

Celem opracowania jest ukazanie wizerunku turystycznego Polski w percepcji studentów biorących udział w programie Erasmus+. Badaniem ankietowym objęto 140 respondentów. Wyniki przeprowadzonych analiz pozwoliły na sformułowanie kilku wniosków. Wśród najważniejszych wymienić można: głównym powodem wyboru Polski na kraj realizacji programu Erasmus+ były atrakcyjne ceny; zagraniczni studenci podczas pobytu w Polsce najczęściej wyjeżdżali w celach krajoznawczych, a podczas wyboru destynacji kierowali się obecnymi tam walorami turystycznymi. Wizerunek turystyczny Polski w percepcji studentów Erasmus+ był pozytywny i czuli się tu dobrze, o czym świadczy fakt, że prawie 95% z nich chciałoby ponownie odwiedzić ten kraj.The study aims to present the tourist image of Poland as perceived by students participating in the Erasmus+ program. 140 respondents were included in the survey and the results of the research gave rise to the formulation of several conclusions. The most important, attractive prices, was the main reason for choosing Poland as a country on the Erasmus+ program. During their stay in Poland, foreign students most often undertook sightseeing trips, and when selecting a destination, they were guided by the tourist value of those locations. The tourist image of Poland as perceived by Erasmus+ students was positive, and they felt good here, as evidenced by the fact that almost 95% of them would like to revisit the country

Update on the role of Rifaximin in digestive diseases

© Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.Various environmental factors affecting the human microbiota may lead to gut microbial imbalance and to the development of pathologies. Alterations of gut microbiota have been firmly implicated in digestive diseases such as hepatic encephalopathy, irritable bowel syndrome and diverticular disease. However, while these three conditions may all be related to dysfunction of the gut-liver-brain axis, the precise pathophysiology appears to differ somewhat for each. Herein, current knowledge on the pathophysiology of hepatic encephalopathy, irritable bowel syndrome, and diverticular disease are reviewed, with a special focus on the gut microbiota modulation associated with these disorders during therapy with rifaximin. In general, the evidence for the efficacy of rifaximin in hepatic encephalopathy appears to be well consolidated, although it is less supported for irritable bowel syndrome and diverticular disease. We reviewed current clinical practice for the management of these clinical conditions and underlined the desirability of more real-world studies to fully understand the potential of rifaximin in these clinical situations and obtain even more precise indications for the use of the drug.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Design and implementation of a seismic Newtonian-noise cancellation system for the Virgo gravitational-wave detector

Terrestrial gravity perturbations caused by seismic fields produce the so-called Newtonian noise in gravitational-wave detectors, which is predicted to limit their sensitivity in the upcoming observing runs. In the past, this noise was seen as an infrastructural limitation, i.e., something that cannot be overcome without major investments to improve a detector's infrastructure. However, it is possible to have at least an indirect estimate of this noise by using the data from a large number of seismometers deployed around a detector's suspended test masses. The noise estimate can be subtracted from the gravitational-wave data; a process called Newtonian-noise cancellation (NNC). In this article, we present the design and implementation of the first NNC system at the Virgo detector as part of its AdV+ upgrade. It uses data from 110 vertical geophones deployed inside the Virgo buildings in optimized array configurations. We use a separate tiltmeter channel to test the pipeline in a proof-of-principle. The system has been running with good performance over months

Update on the Role of Rifaximin in Digestive Diseases

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.Various environmental factors affecting the human microbiota may lead to gut microbial imbalance and to the development of pathologies. Alterations of gut microbiota have been firmly implicated in digestive diseases such as hepatic encephalopathy, irritable bowel syndrome and diverticular disease. However, while these three conditions may all be related to dysfunction of the gut-liver-brain axis, the precise pathophysiology appears to differ somewhat for each. Herein, current knowledge on the pathophysiology of hepatic encephalopathy, irritable bowel syndrome, and diverticular disease are reviewed, with a special focus on the gut microbiota modulation associated with these disorders during therapy with rifaximin. In general, the evidence for the efficacy of rifaximin in hepatic encephalopathy appears to be well consolidated, although it is less supported for irritable bowel syndrome and diverticular disease. We reviewed current clinical practice for the management of these clinical conditions and underlined the desirability of more real-world studies to fully understand the potential of rifaximin in these clinical situations and obtain even more precise indications for the use of the drug.Peer reviewe

Administracja, zarządzanie i handel zagraniczny w warunkach integracji. Materiały konferencyjne - zarządzanie

Ze wstępu: "Partnerstwo jest rodzajem związku między władzami lokalnymi a innymi organizacjami; strony zachowują wolność działania, ale zgadzają się współpracować dla osiągnięcia wspólnych celów. Istnieje szeroka gama efektywnego wykorzystania partnerstwa przy rozwiązywaniu zagadnień zrównoważonego rozwoju, takich jak odnowa wewnętrzna obszarów miast, przekształcanie i rewitalizacja śródmieść, ochrona terenów turystycznych, dynamizacja mieszkalnictwa itp."(...

Expression of the chemokine receptor CCR5 in psoriasis and results of a randomized placebo controlled trial with a CCR5 inhibitor

Several reports have indicated that the chemokine receptor CCR5 and its ligands, especially CCL5 (formerly known as RANTES), may play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the expression of CCR5 and its ligands in chronic plaque psoriasis and to evaluate the clinical and immunohistochemical effect of a CCR5 receptor inhibitor. Immunohistochemical analysis showed low but significant increased total numbers of CCR5 positive cells in epidermis and dermis of lesional skin in comparison to non-lesional skin. However, relative expression of CCR5 proportional to the cells observed revealed that the difference between lesional and non-lesional skin was only statistically significant in the epidermis for CD3 positive cells and in the dermis for CD68 positive cells. Quantification of mRNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction only showed an increased expression of CCL5 (RANTES) in lesional skin. A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial in 32 psoriasis patients revealed no significant clinical effect and no changes at the immunohistochemical level comparing patients treated with placebo or a CCR5 inhibitor SCH351125. We conclude that although CCR5 expression is increased in psoriatic lesions, this receptor does not play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis