Tobacco smoking cessation management: integrating varenicline in current practice

Tobacco smoking is widespread and is one of the world’s most prevalent modifiable risk factors for morbidity and mortality. It is important to facilitate smoking cessation better in order to reduce the health consequences of tobacco use. The most effective approach assisting smokers in their quit attempts combines both pharmacotherapy and nonpharmacological interventions. This review summarizes the latest international epidemiological data available on tobacco use, considers the associated effects on health, and reviews existing policies against tobacco use. Among the interventions for smoking cessation, the three major pharmacotherapies (which have demonstrated efficacy when combined with behavioral support) are discussed: nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), bupropion, and varenicline. As the newest pharmacotherapy made available in this area, particular consideration is given to varenicline, and a review of our clinical experience is offered

Project InTERSECT CT Badge Facilitator’s Guide

This guide supports STEM teacher educators who would like to offer the 8-week Project InTERSECT CT badge course (15 hours) to a small group of elementary pre-service or practicing teachers. The facilitator’s guide describes the structure of the Canvas course, editable text for weekly announcements, and suggested feedback statements to support weekly activity completion and reflection.https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/computational_thinking/1000/thumbnail.jp

When words matter: narratives and strategies in the Italian Jobs Act (2014–2016)

With the reforms of the so-called \u2018Jobs Act\u2019 (JA), Italy aimed to structurally reform its labour market and income-support system, through recalibration (i.e. a mix of both expansionary and retrenching measures) for old social policy risks, and some expansionary measures to face new social risks. The JA also became the symbol of opposite views about the Italian welfare state, being itself a reason for ideolo- gical conflict and coalition reshuffling in the Italian left. Ultimately, its increasing personalization around Renzi\u2019s divisive figure detracted from its functional and substantive matter. Hence, the JA reform provides an unparalleled vantage point to investigate the role of narrative stories in shaping policy contents and reforms. The paper aims to contribute to the literature on social policy reforms by com- bining a focus on narrative stories with the analytical perspective of the Multiple Stream Framework. Through qualitative analysis of offi- cial documents, of more than 500 newspaper articles and of selected in-depth interviews to key informants, this paper reconstructs the narratives about the JA reform, considering both the supporters and the challengers. Building on the Multiple Stream Framework, the paper focuses in particular on whether and how policy entrepreneurs took advantage of windows of opportunity by shaping the narrative stories. Results are twofold. First, the paper shows the variations of social policy reform narratives across actors. Second, it demonstrates the crucial role of policy entrepreneurs in shaping narrative stories as a strategy to couple the streams of problem, policy and politics

SUSY searches with Opposite Sign Dileptons at CMS

A full simulation study with the detector CMS is presented. The Leptons + Jets + Missing Energy (l = e,$\mu$) final state for SUSY events is investigated at mSUGRA benchmark point LM1. The end point in the dilepton pair invariant mass distribution is reconstructed and a scan of the $\left(m_{0},\, m_{1/2}\right)$ plane is performed in order to determine the observability reach

Astrophysical hints of axion-like particles

After reviewing three astrophysical hints of the existence of axionlike particles (ALPs), we describe in more detail a new similar hint involving flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs). Detection of FSRQs above about 20GeV pose a challenge to very-high-energy (VHE) astrophysics, because at those energies the ultraviolet emission from their broad line region should prevent photons produced by the central engine to leave the source. Although a few astrophysical explanations have been put forward, they are totally ad hoc. We show that a natural explanation instead arises within the conventional models of FSRQs provided that photon-ALP oscillations occur inside the source. Our analysis takes the FSRQ PKR 1222+206 as an example, and it looks tantalizing that basically the same choice of the free model parameters adopted in this case is consistent with those that provide the other three hints of the existence of ALPs

Cocirculation of Hajj and non-Hajj strains among serogroup W meningococci in Italy, 2000 to 2016

In Italy, B and C are the predominant serogroups among meningococci causing invasive diseases. Nevertheless, in the period from 2013 to 2016, an increase in serogroup W Neisseria meningitidis (MenW) was observed. This study intends to define the main characteristics of 63 MenW isolates responsible of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Italy from 2000 to 2016. We performed whole genome sequencing on bacterial isolates or single gene sequencing on culturenegative samples to evaluate molecular heterogeneity. Our main finding was the cocirculation of the Hajj and the South American sublineages belonging to MenW/ clonal complex (cc)11, which gradually surpassed the MenW/cc22 in Italy. All MenW/cc11 isolates were fully susceptible to cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, penicillin G and rifampicin. We identified the fulllength NadA protein variant 2/3, present in all the MenW/cc11. We also identified the fHbp variant 1, which we found exclusively in the MenW/cc11/Hajj sublineage. Concern about the epidemic potential of MenW/cc11 has increased worldwide since the year 2000. Continued surveillance, supported by genomic characterisation, allows high-resolution tracking of pathogen dissemination and the detection of epidemicassociated strains