Approaches of prosperity in the globalization era

Into the 21st century, the meaning of prosperity has gone beyond material wealth. Many of the economists asks themselves what prosperity really means, as it is a problem studied from many years and it does not have an unique and general accepted definition. As Indira Gandhi said: „Freedom is indivisible …peace is indivisible …economic prosperity is indivisible”, we can say that the issue is still of interest and in the same time it is controversial. Starting from such aspects, this paper aims to emphasize some different approaches of the concept of prosperity.economy, prosperity, growth, progress, wellbeing.

Biomedical Image Registration by means of Bacterial Foraging Paradigm

Image registration (IR) is the process of geometric overlaying or alignment f two or more 2D/3D images of the same scene (unimodal registration), taken r not at different time slots, from different angles, and/or by different image acquisition ystems (multimodal registration). Technically, image registration implies  complex optimization of different parameters, performed at local or/and global evel. Local optimization methods often fail because functions of the involved metrics ith respect to transformation parameters are generally nonconvex and irregular, and lobal methods are required, at least at the beginning of the procedure. This paper resents a new evolutionary and bio-inspired robust approach for IR, Bacterial Foraging ptimization Algorithm (BFOA), which is adapted for PET-CT multimodal nd magnetic resonance image rigid registration. Results of optimizing the normalized utual information and normalized cross correlation similarity metrics validated he efficacy and precision of the proposed method by using a freely available medical mage database

BIOCHEMICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF DELTAMETHRIN EXPOSURE ON THE GILLS OF CARASSIUS AURATUS GIBELIO (Pisces Cyprinidae)

This study investigated the alterations in the activities of several antioxidant enzymesin the gills of the freshwater fish Carassius auratus gibelio exposed to deltamethrin.To get this goal, groups of 10 individuals were exposed for one, two, three, sevenand fourteen days to sublethal concentration of deltamethrin (2 g/L). Anothergroup was used as control. The activities of catalase, gluthatione peroxidase andgluthatione reductase were significantly decreased, while the glutathione-Stransferasewas up-regulated. All fish, exposed to 2glL deltamethrin revealed gillsmorphological alterations after 48h of exposure which were accentuated after 14days. In the gills hyperemia, fusion of secondary lamellae, epithelial layer ruptureand chloride cells proliferation were observed. These results suggest that animmediate adaptive response to the oxidative stress appeared, demonstratingalterations in the antoxidant defense mechanism in the gills of deltamethrinintoxicated fish

Оценка рентгенологических изменений легких у детей с COVID-19

The article presents the evaluation of radiological changes of the chest in children with COVID-19 infection correlated with age. The study sample includes the following periods February-May 2021 and is divided into 5 groups, withthe age: 0-1 month, 1-12 months, 1-3 years, 3-7 years,> 7 years. Radiological changes were analyzed in children withCovid-19 infection during the onset and condition, more frequently is detected the interstitial inflammation ”ground-glassopacity”. It has a frequency of about 60% in all study groups, with maximum enrollment in children up to one year 66.7%:95% CI, 34.9-90.1 and in preschool children 57.1%: 95 % Cl, 38.6-90.9, χ2 = 0.9, p> 0.05. The study did not plan toevaluate postCOVID changes remotely to find more serious complications in these children.În articol au fost evaluate modificările radiologice ale cutiei toracice la copiii cu infecția COVID-19 în raport cu vârsta. Perioada estimată a cuprins lunile februarie-mai 2021. Eșantionul de studiu a fost repartizat în 5 loturi, cu vârsta: 0-1lună, 1-12 luni, 1-3 ani, 3-7 ani, >7 ani. Au fost analizate modificările radiologice la copiii cu infecția Covid-19 în perioada de debut și de stare, mai frecvent depistată fiind inflamația interstițială de tip ”sticlă mată”. Aceasta a avut o frecvențăde 60% în toate loturile de studiu, maximal la copiii sub un an 66,7%:95%CI, 34,9-90,1 și la antepreșcolari 57,1%:95%CI,38,6-90,9, χ2=0,9,p>0,05. Studiul n-a preconizat evaluarea modificărilor postCOVID la distanță.В статье оценивались рентгенологические изменения грудной клетки у детей с инфекцией COVID-19 в зависимости от возраста. Расчетный период - февраль-май 2021 года. Выборка была разделена на 5 групп по возрасту:0-1 месяц, 1-12 месяцев, 1-3 года, 3-7 лет, > 7 лет. Рентгенологические изменения были проанализированы у детейс инфекцией Covid-19 в начале заболевания и в период разгара, где чаще всего выявлялись признаки интерстициального воспаления по типу «матового стекла». Оно имело частоту около 60% во всех исследуемых группах,с максимальным охватом детей до одного года 66,7%: 95% ИД, 34,9-90,1 и у детей дошкольного возраста 57,1%:95% ИД, 38,6-90,9, χ2 = 0,9, р> 0,05. В исследовании не планировалось оценивать отдаленные изменения послеCOVID для выявления осложнений

Beyond the Global Brain Differences:Intraindividual Variability Differences in 1q21.1 Distal and 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 Deletion Carriers

BACKGROUND: Carriers of the 1q21.1 distal and 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 copy number variants exhibit regional and globalbrain differences compared with noncarriers. However, interpreting regional differences is challenging if a globaldifference drives the regional brain differences. Intraindividual variability measures can be used to test for regionaldifferences beyond global differences in brain structure.METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging data were used to obtain regional brain values for 1q21.1 distal deletion (n =30) and duplication (n = 27) and 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 deletion (n = 170) and duplication (n = 243) carriers and matchednoncarriers (n = 2350). Regional intra-deviation scores, i.e., the standardized difference between an individual’sregional difference and global difference, were used to test for regional differences that diverge from the globaldifference.RESULTS: For the 1q21.1 distal deletion carriers, cortical surface area for regions in the medial visual cortex, posterior cingulate, and temporal pole differed less and regions in the prefrontal and superior temporal cortex differedmore than the global difference in cortical surface area. For the 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 deletion carriers, cortical thicknessin regions in the medial visual cortex, auditory cortex, and temporal pole differed less and the prefrontal andsomatosensory cortex differed more than the global difference in cortical thickness.CONCLUSIONS: We find evidence for regional effects beyond differences in global brain measures in 1q21.1 distaland 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 copy number variants. The results provide new insight into brain profiling of the 1q21.1 distaland 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 copy number variants, with the potential to increase understanding of the mechanismsinvolved in altered neurodevelopment

Frequency drift in MR spectroscopy at 3T

Purpose: Heating of gradient coils and passive shim components is a common cause of instability in the B-0 field, especially when gradient intensive sequences are used. The aim of the study was to set a benchmark for typical drift encountered during MR spectroscopy (MRS) to assess the need for real-time field-frequency locking on MRI scanners by comparing field drift data from a large number of sites.Method: A standardized protocol was developed for 80 participating sites using 99 3T MR scanners from 3 major vendors. Phantom water signals were acquired before and after an EPI sequence. The protocol consisted of: minimal preparatory imaging; a short pre-fMRI PRESS; a ten-minute fMRI acquisition; and a long post-fMRI PRESS acquisition. Both pre- and post-fMRI PRESS were non-water suppressed. Real-time frequency stabilization/adjustment was switched off when appropriate. Sixty scanners repeated the protocol for a second dataset. In addition, a three-hour post-fMRI MRS acquisition was performed at one site to observe change of gradient temperature and drift rate. Spectral analysis was performed using MATLAB. Frequency drift in pre-fMRI PRESS data were compared with the first 5:20 minutes and the full 30:00 minutes of data after fMRI. Median (interquartile range) drifts were measured and showed in violin plot. Paired t-tests were performed to compare frequency drift pre- and post-fMRI. A simulated in vivo spectrum was generated using FID-A to visualize the effect of the observed frequency drifts. The simulated spectrum was convolved with the frequency trace for the most extreme cases. Impacts of frequency drifts on NAA and GABA were also simulated as a function of linear drift. Data from the repeated protocol were compared with the corresponding first dataset using Pearson's and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).Results: Of the data collected from 99 scanners, 4 were excluded due to various reasons. Thus, data from 95 scanners were ultimately analyzed. For the first 5:20 min (64 transients), median (interquartile range) drift was 0.44 (1.29) Hz before fMRI and 0.83 (1.29) Hz after. This increased to 3.15 (4.02) Hz for the full 30 min (360 transients) run. Average drift rates were 0.29 Hz/min before fMRI and 0.43 Hz/min after. Paired t-tests indicated that drift increased after fMRI, as expected (p &lt; 0.05). Simulated spectra convolved with the frequency drift showed that the intensity of the NAA singlet was reduced by up to 26%, 44 % and 18% for GE, Philips and Siemens scanners after fMRI, respectively. ICCs indicated good agreement between datasets acquired on separate days. The single site long acquisition showed drift rate was reduced to 0.03 Hz/min approximately three hours after fMRI.Discussion: This study analyzed frequency drift data from 95 3T MRI scanners. Median levels of drift were relatively low (5-min average under 1 Hz), but the most extreme cases suffered from higher levels of drift. The extent of drift varied across scanners which both linear and nonlinear drifts were observed.</p

Challenges in Education in Today's Society

We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education. The broad education will, therefore, transmikt to one not only the accumulated knowledge of the race but also the accumulated experience of social living." Starting from these words of Martin Luther King the paper explores the challenges of nowadays education considering the constraints and shift in values and principles that globalization generates in today's society.education system, globalization, moral society

A Serious Gaming Approach for Crowdsensing in Urban Water Infrastructure with Blockchain Support

This paper presents the current state of the gaming industry, which provides an important background for an effective serious game implementation in mobile crowdsensing. An overview of existing solutions, scientific studies and market research highlights the current trends and the potential applications for citizen-centric platforms in the context of Cyber–Physical–Social systems. The proposed solution focuses on serious games applied in urban water management from the perspective of mobile crowdsensing, with a reward-driven mechanism defined for the crowdsensing tasks. The serious game is designed to provide entertainment value by means of gamified interaction with the environment, while the crowdsensing component involves a set of roles for finding, solving and validating water-related issues. The mathematical model of distance-constrained multi-depot vehicle routing problem with heterogeneous fleet capacity is evaluated in the context of the proposed scenario, with random initial conditions given by the location of players, while the Vickrey–Clarke–Groves auction model provides an alternative to the centralized task allocation strategy, subject to the same evaluation method. A blockchain component based on the Hyperledger Fabric architecture provides the level of trust required for achieving overall platform utility for different stakeholders in mobile crowdsensing

Advanced Strategies for Monitoring Water Consumption Patterns in Households Based on IoT and Machine Learning

Water resource management represents a fundamental aspect of a modern society. Urban areas present multiple challenges requiring complex solutions, which include multidomain approaches related to the integration of advanced technologies. Water consumption monitoring applications play a significant role in increasing awareness, while machine learning has been proven for the design of intelligent solutions in this field. This paper presents an approach for monitoring and predicting water consumption from the most important water outlets in a household based on a proposed IoT solution. Data processing pipelines were defined, including K-means clustering and evaluation metrics, extracting consumption events, and training classification methods for predicting consumption sources. Continuous water consumption monitoring offers multiple benefits toward improving decision support by combining modern processing techniques, algorithms, and methods