Ideologies as theoretical models: a new approach towards morphological analysis

In this paper, I develop on the concerns specified by Maynard (2013) regarding ‘inter-approach ignorance’ in the study of ideologies as being exhibited to the detriment of morphological analysis. First, I provide an overview of this approach, I then identify an important ‘blindspot’ and detail on its significance – the case of grassroots movements and the initial ’decontestation’. Finally, I advance the view of ideologies as personal theoretical models to offer a starting point for resolving that drawback of morphological analysis, and present an overarching account that would satisfy the conceptual needs of both political theorists and political scientists

Attention allocation in information-rich environments:the case of news aggregators

News aggregators have emerged as an important component of digital content ecosystems, attracting traffic by hosting curated collections of links to third party content, but also inciting conflict with content producers. Aggregators provide titles and short summaries (snippets) of articles they link to. Content producers claim that their presence deprives them of traffic that would otherwise flow to their sites. In light of this controversy, we conduct a series of field experiments whose objective is to provide insight with respect to how readers allocate their attention between a news aggregator and the original articles it links to. Our experiments are based on manipulating elements of the user interface of a Swiss mobile news aggregator. We examine how key design parameters, such as the length of the text snippet that an aggregator displays about articles, the presence of associated images, and the number of related articles on the same story, affect a reader’s propensity to visit the content producer's site and read the full article. Our findings suggest the presence of a substitution relationship between the amount of information that aggregators offer about articles and the probability that readers will opt to read the full articles at the content producer sites. Interestingly, however, when several related article outlines compete for user attention, a longer snippet and the inclusion of an image increase the probability that an article will be chosen over its competitors

A rare complication in a Covid-19 positive patient with sigmoid colon cancer-hemoperitoneum due to gallbladder necrosis following micro-thrombosis

Covid-19, also known as acute respiratory syndrome 2019-nCoV, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) 2, and Wuhan pneumonia, is a viral respiratory disease caused by a SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The most serious complications of Covid-19 are due to the development of micro-thrombosis in various organs and systems as a result of the high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1 and 6) which initiate the activation of coagulation and the generation of thrombin. Several studies demonstrated the poor outcome of Covid-19-infected patients who underwent surgery, suggesting that surgery may accelerate and exacerbate Covid-19 progression. We report the case of an 81-year-old patient admitted as an emergency with Covid-19 pneumonia, hemoperitoneum, ischemic acute cholecystitis and obstructive sigmoid cancer. Cholecystectomy, pneumoperitoneal lavage, and Hartmann operation were performed under combined epidural-spinal anesthesia. This technique has some advantages compared to spinal and epidural techniques, such as: rapid onset of analgesia and the possibility of obtaining the desired sensory level, control of the anesthetic block, and ensuring postoperative analgesia. The unfavorable outcome of this case is due to the occurrence of the cytokine storm and coagulation disorders, with the change in the related biological constants, both from a biochemical and systemic point of view

The Value of Competing in Virtual Communities: Use and Exchange Value Creation in Online Auctioning

In this paper, we set out to examine how individual and organizational benefits are created in virtual communities characterized by competitive relationships. Drawing insights from value theory, we argue that individual benefits arise from the use value/satisfaction that users gain from their participation in such communities, whereas organizational benefits are derived from the aggregate monetary value that is created through competition among users, also understood as exchange value. Moreover, we hypothesize that the ways in which users compete and the level of rivalry among users influence the aforementioned types of value creation. We test our hypotheses in the context of a self-developed mobile application that serves as an auctioning platform for hotel rooms. A preliminary analysis grants initial support to our hypotheses. Our research contributes to the relevant literature by highlighting the diverse benefits that competitive relationships can bring and paves the way for further research on alternative community models

Helicobacter pylori: types of diseases, diagnosis, treatment and causes of therapeutic failure

Acute upper gastrointestinal lesions have a multifactorial etiology but, regardless of the cause, they are related to mucosal barrier destruction. Since Helicobacter pylori induces a superficial chronic gastritis with the infiltration of neutrophils in the mucosa, it was speculated that Helicobacter pylori infection could also cause bleeding lesions. The diagnosis, the proper treatment and the revaluation of its effectiveness actually represent the prophylaxis of some diseases such as peptic ulcer, gastric lymphoma or mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) and gastric cancer. These diseases and their severe complications are life-threatening for the patient. Periodic renewal of the treatment and knowing the real causes of Helicobacter pylori resistance to various antibiotics must always be understood by the clinician. Although Helicobacter pylori treatment fails in about 20% of cases, moral support of the patient by the clinician, information about possible evolutional complications of Helicobacter pylori infection, and periodic evaluation of the patient during therapy, are important tools on which the therapeutic success depends

MEASURES TO CONTROL ECOLOGICAL WEEDS IN VINEYARDS

ABSTRACTGrapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is a widespread and highly valuable horticultural crop that has been cultivated for centuries as a source of fresh fruit, wine, juice and raisins. (Amelia Martins Delgado et al 2017., Matthew A. Jenks et al 2011., Stephen Skelton, 2007, Rombough, 2002).  Romania has one of the oldest wine making traditions in the world, its viticulture dating back more than 2000 years. Weed control is an important practice in vineyard management. Traditionally, the primary objectives for controlling weeds are to conserve soil moisture and reduce the competition for essential mineral nutrients required by the grapevines. Organic viticulture involves growing grapes without the use of industrially manufactured fertilizers (sometimes called, chemical fertilizers) and herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides for weed, pest and disease control

Economic stratification - The remedy and demise of humanity

The paper shows that the world economic stratification, as well as that of all natural, social and political systems is a natural law and a prerequisite for progress. Stratification itself may mean, however, both the remedy, but also the demise of systems, by exacerbating social inequalities. The database includes the evolution of gross domestic product per capita for different time frames at European level and worldwide. The main methods employed in processing database are the indices method and expectation values of position (quartile values) used to assess the structure of Europe and world countries according to the size of the gross domestic product. In Europe, for a century, stratification has increased visibly. If in 1913, the richest country in Europe achieved a GDP per capita of 3.94 times higher compared to the poorest country, in 2013 the ratio is 13.82 to one. The status of key statistical indicators that characterize the polarization of the world by size of gross domestic product, demonstrates that stratification is less pronounced inside continents, becoming however severe, worldwide. In this regard, it is alarming that in 1994, 75% of world countries were making only 7% of the GDP per capita in the richest country (Monaco). Given that information has now become increasingly more fluid, one can include among beneficiaries, the least developed countries. Circulation of information is, however, under the command of polarizing forces, belonging to the same great powers of the world. In this way, by means of more refined methods, the benefits of progress preserve world hierarchies

Influence of nucleation centers upon solvothermal growth of silver nano/microcrystals

Silver nano/microcrystals were obtained at medium pressure in a microwave field by using the solvothermal synthesis. In order to evaluate the nucleation centers’ influence upon the formed crystals’ morphology, investigations were conducted using scaffolds to stimulate their heterogeneous nucleation. Therefore, besides the silver and chloride nanocrystals used as nucleation centers, SiOx type spheres were used. The results indicate that the presence of the heterogeneous nucleation centers on the SiOx scaffolds plays a crucial role in the silver nano/microcrystals morphology

THE INFLUENCE OF STEAM ON SOME CHEMICAL SOIL PROPERTIES - REVIEW

Soil forms a thing mantle over the Eart¢s surface and acts as the interface between the atmosphere and lithosphere, the outermost shell of the Earth. It is a multiphase system, consisting of mineral material, plant roots, water and gases, and organic matter at various stages of decay (Bardgett R., 2005,). Soil temperature influence plant nutrients uptake through a multitude of chemical, physical and biological processes that intercat over wide range of spatial and temporal scales (BassiriRad H, 2005) Steaming is traditionally used in glasshouses to sterilise the soil and control both weeds and diseases prior to crop establishment. Steam is applied under pressure beneath metal pans forced down onto freshly formed beds for periods of 3-8 minutes. The steam raises the soil temperature to 70-100 °C killing most weed seeds to a depth of at least 10 cm. The increase in inorganic substances in soil due to steaming means an increased fertility as more nutrients become available for the plant (Bond et al., 2003