SOME DATA OF THE EPIDEMICS IN BULGARIAN LANDS DURING 12th AND 13th CENTURY

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New Species of \u3ci\u3eProctophyllodes\u3c/i\u3e from Bulgaria (\u3ci\u3eSarcoptiformes, Analgoidea\u3c/i\u3e)

Two new species of feather mites are described: Proctophyllodes tenericaulus from Turdus viscivorus L. (Turdidae) and Galerida cristata (L.) (Alaudidae) and Proctophyllodes emberizae from Emberiza melanocephala Scopoli and E. hortulana (L.) (Fringillidae)

Long-term condition self-management support in online communities. A meta-synthesis of qualitative papers

Background: Recent years have seen an exponential increase in people with a long-term condition (LTC) using the internet for information and support. Prior research has examined support for LTC self-management (SM) through the provision of illness, every day and emotional work in the context of traditional offline communities. However, less is known about how communities hosted in digital spaces contribute through the creation of social ties and the mobilisation of an online illness ‘workforce’. Objectives: To understand the negotiation of LTC illness work in patient online communities and how such work may assist the SM of LTCs in daily life. Methods: A systematic search of qualitative papers was undertaken using AMED, CINAHL, Cochrane Database, Delphis, Embase, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Medline, PsychInfo, Scopus, Sociological Abstracts and Web of Science for papers published since 2004. 21 papers met the inclusion criteria of using qualitative methods and examined the use of peer-led online communities in those with a LTC. A qualitative meta-synthesis was undertaken and the review followed a line of argument synthesis. Results: The main themes identified in relation to the negotiation of Self-Management Support (SMS) were: 1) Redressing offline experiential information and knowledge deficits; 2) The influence of modelling and learning behaviours from others on SM; 3) Engagement which validates illness and negates offline frustrations; 4) Tie formation and community building; 5) Narrative expression and cathartic release; 6) Dissociative anonymity and invisibility. These translated into a line of argument synthesis in which four network mechanisms for SMS in patient online communities were identified. These were collective knowledge and identification through lived experience; support, information and engagement through readily accessible gifting relationships; sociability that extends beyond illness; and online disinhibition as a facilitator in the negotiation of SMS. Conclusion: Social ties forged in online spaces provide the bases for performing relevant SM work that can improve an individual’s illness experience, tackling aspects of SM that are particularly difficult to meet offline. Membership of online groups can provide those living with a LTC with ready access to a SMS illness ‘workforce’ and illness and emotional support. The substitutability of offline illness work may be particularly important to those whose access to support offline is either limited or absent. Furthermore, such resources require little negotiation online, since information and support is seemingly gifted to the community by its members. <br/

Flux-free conductance modulation in a helical Aharonov-Bohm interferometer

A novel conductance oscillation in a twisted quantum ring composed of a helical atomic configuration is theoretically predicted. Internal torsion of the ring is found to cause a quantum phase shift in the wavefunction that describes the electron's motion along the ring. The resulting conductance oscillation is free from magnetic flux penetrating inside the ring, which is in complete contrast with the ordinary Aharonov-Bohm effect observed in untwisted quantum rings.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Assessing the implementability of telehealth interventions for self-management support: a realist review.

BACKGROUND: There is a substantial and continually growing literature on the effectiveness and implementation of discrete telehealth interventions for health condition management. However, it is difficult to predict which technologies are likely to work and be used in practice. In this context, identifying the core mechanisms associated with successful telehealth implementation is relevant to consolidating the likely elements for ensuring a priori optimal design and deployment of telehealth interventions for supporting patients with long-term conditions (LTCs). METHODS: We adopted a two-stage realist synthesis approach to identify the core mechanisms underpinning telehealth interventions. In the second stage of the review, we tested inductively and refined our understanding of the mechanisms. We reviewed qualitative papers focused on COPD, heart failure, diabetes, and behaviours and complications associated with these conditions. The review included 15 papers published 2009 to 2014. RESULTS: Three concepts were identified, which suggested how telehealth worked to engage and support health-related work. Whether or not and how a telehealth intervention enables or limits the possibility for relationships with professionals and/or peers. Telehealth has the potential to reshape and extend existing relationships, acting as a partial substitute for the role of health professionals. The second concept is fit: successful telehealth interventions are those that can be well integrated into everyday life and health care routines and the need to be easy to use, compatible with patients' existing environment, skills, and capacity, and that do not significantly disrupt patients' lives and routines. The third concept is visibility: visualisation of symptoms and feedback has the capacity to improve knowledge, motivation, and a sense of empowerment; engage network members; and reinforce positive behaviour change, prompts for action and surveillance. CONCLUSIONS: Upfront consideration should be given to the mechanisms that are most likely to ensure the successful development and implementation of telehealth interventions. These include considerations about whether and how the telehealth intervention enables or limits the possibility for relationships with professionals and peers, how it fits with existing environment and capacities to self-manage, and visibility-enabling-enhanced awareness to self and others