Purpose. One of the major challenges facing local administration is the extension of the electronic services provided. This requires reengineering of existing processes as well as applying ...methodologies and technological tools to develop e-Government. The main objective of the present study is based on a survey to reveal the problems and opportunities for the municipalities to expand the process electronization and the development of the provided services. Methods. To achieve this goal, different methods are used, such as the basic method of an empirical survey among a sample of municipalities. Results. The results obtained are in the direction of studying the characteristics of the ongoing municipal processes and the search for opportunities for their electronization. Conclusions. The analytical part of the study is directed towards the formulation of basic conclusions and the search for development opportunities.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
PURPOSE: Information technologies occupy an important place in modern education. This is necessitated both by digitalization processes and by increased public expectations and the labor market. ...Creating and improving young people's digital skills is a key priority of the education system. In this context, the development aims to systematize some of the main problems facing information technology education. METHODS: The applied methods are related to: literature review; survey to identify the problems in information technology training, analysis of possible technological solutions for conducting information technology training. RESULTS: The main results are aimed at systematizing the main problems of information technology education. CONCLUSIONS: The conclusions are in the direction of identifying the main problems in information technology education in the high school stage of secondary schools.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
In sexually reproducing species, increased homozygosity often causes a decline in fitness, called inbreeding depression. Recently, researchers started describing the functional genomic changes that ...occur during inbreeding, both in benign conditions and under environmental stress. To further this aim, we have performed a genome‐wide gene expression study of inbreeding depression, manifesting as cold sensitivity and conditional lethality. Our focus was to describe general patterns of gene expression during inbreeding depression and to identify specific processes affected in our line. There was a clear difference in gene expression between the stressful restrictive environment and the benign permissive environment in both the affected inbred line and the inbred control line. We noted a strong inbreeding‐by‐environment interaction, whereby virtually all transcriptional differences between lines were found in the restrictive environment. Functional annotation showed enrichment of transcripts coding for serine proteases and their inhibitors (serpins and BPTI/Kunitz family), which indicates activation of the innate immune response. These genes have previously been shown to respond transcriptionally to cold stress, suggesting the conditional lethal effect is associated with an exaggerated cold stress response. The set of differentially expressed genes significantly overlapped with those found in three other studies of inbreeding depression, demonstrating that it is possible to detect a common signature across different genetic backgrounds.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
To determine the reduction of prostate motion during a typical radiotherapy (RT) fraction from a bowel regimen comprising an antiflatulent diet and daily milk of magnesia.
Forty-two patients with ...T1c-T2c prostate cancer voided the bladder and rectum before three cinematic magnetic resonance imaging scans obtained every 9 s for 9 min in a vacuum immobilization device. The MRIs were at baseline without bowel regimen (MRI-BL), before CT planning with bowel regimen (MRI-CT), and before a randomly assigned RT fraction (1-42) with bowel regimen (MRI-RT). A single observer tracked displacement of the posterior midpoint (PM) of the prostate. The primary endpoints were comparisons of the proportion of time that the PM was displaced >3 mm (PTPM3) from its initial position, and the secondary endpoints were comparisons of the reduction of initial rectal area, with and without the bowel regimen.
The mean rectal area was: 13.5 cm(2) at MRI-BL, 12.7 cm(2) at MRI-CT, and 12.3 cm(2) at MRI-RT (MRI-BL vs. MRI-CT, p = 0.11; MRI-BL vs. MRI-CT, p = 0.07). Moving rectal gas alone (56%) and moving gas and stool (18%) caused 74% of intrafraction prostate motion. The PTPM3 was 11.3% at MRI-BL, 4.8% at MRI-CT, and 12.0% at MRI-RT (MRI-BL vs. MRI-CT, p = 0.12; MRI-BL vs. MRI-RT, p = 0.89).
For subjects voiding their rectum before imaging, an antiflatulent diet and milk of magnesia laxative did not significantly reduce initial rectal area or intrafraction prostate motion.
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GEOZS, IJS, NUK, OILJ, UL, UM, UPUK
Purpose. Electronic services are one of the essential components of e-government building and the achievement of digital administration. The main objective of the present study is based on the ...available empirical data to analyze the main problems, challenges and opportunities for improving and expanding the electronic services in the Republic of Bulgaria. This is an important prerequisite for creating a digital administration, which is a strategic goal. Methods. To achieve this goal, different scientific and statistical methods are applied to available empirical data. Results. The results of the development of this problem are in the direction of clarifying additional aspects of electronic services and the possibilities for their improvement. Conclusions. The analytical part of the study is aimed at formulating key findings and defining leading trends in the field of digital administration.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Current National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) guidelines recommend treating patients with a 10-year fracture risk (FRAX) of ≥3% for hip fractures or ≥20% for major osteoporotic fractures to reduce ...the future fracture risk. The present study investigated the distribution of the women in the groups with a FRAX score for major osteoporotic fractures below 20% and for hip fractures below 3%, as well as a FRAX score for major osteoporotic fractures ≥20% and for hip fractures ≥3%. We found that women with a fracture risk corresponding to a FRAX score for major osteoporotic fractures ≥20% and with a FRAX score for hip fractures ≥3% were significantly older (p = 0.000) and had significantly lower weight and height (p = 0.000) compared to women with FRAX score for major osteoporotic fractures below 20% and with a FRAX score for hip fractures below 3%. Regarding the risk factors studied, women with a history of rheumatoid arthritis who currently use corticosteroids have the highest risk of fractures with a FRAX score for major osteoporotic fractures ≥20% and a FRAX score for hip fractures ≥3%.
Retroperitoneal tumors, as well as traumatic lesions and occlusions of the bifurcation of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and the common iliac veins may require venous vascular reconstruction. We ...present a method for inferior vena caval bifurcation reconstruction which employs the advantages of a large size straight expanded polytetrafluorethylene (ePTFE) graft in this position after a new IVC bifurcation has been created by uniting the stumps of both common iliac veins, and construction of an arteriovenous (A-V) fistula with controlled flow to decrease the rethrombosis rate of the graft, and still not cause heart failure. This method was used in a case of recurrent rhabdomyosarcoma in an 8 year old child encroaching upon the bifurcation of the IVC as well as on both common iliac veins. The situation was managed by radical resection of the tumor and by creating a new caval bifurcation of the common iliac veins, followed by interposition of a straight ePTFE graft. An A-V fistula was created between the left femoral vein and left femoral artery using the left greater saphenous vein in controlled fashion. The arterial defect of the right common iliac artery was reconstructed by interposition of a PTFE graft end-to-end.
SCREENING OF OSTEOPOROSIS IN MEN Kirilova, E.; Nikolov, Nikolay Georgiev; Kirilov, N. ...
Rheumatology (Bulgaria),
08/2022, Volume:
30, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Underestimation of the disease osteoporosis in men is a serious problem, as osteoporotic fractures among men are frequent and they are accompanied by serious complications. Conducting DXA scans in ...men in Bulgaria is important to determine the state of their bone health.
The aim of the study was to assess the bone mineral density (BMD) and T-score of the lumbar spine and of the hip through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in men and to compare their values in different age groups.
Object of the study. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI) were assessed in 359 men with a mean age of 56 years (yrs.) ± 14 yrs., BMD and T-score of the lumbar spine and femoral neck were also examined.
Methodology. Men are divided into the following age decades: 20-29 yrs., 30-39 yrs., 40-49 yrs., 50-59 yrs., 60-69 yrs., 70-79 yrs. and ≥80 yrs. Statistical program SPSS version 19.0 was used to access the data. The ANOVA test analyzes was applied to investigate if there are any statistically significant differences in BMD and T-score of the lumbar spine and femoral neck between the different age decades.
Results and conclusions. 264 men were evaluated for total BMD of the lumbar spine and 95 men had results for BMD of the femoral neck. The mean total BMD of the lumbar spine differed significantly between the individual age decades in men (p = 0.000). The mean BMD values of the femoral neck did not differ significantly in the different age decades in men (p = 0.07). 34 of 264 men (12.9%) were diagnosed with lumbar spine osteoporosis and 13 out of 93 men (14%) were diagnosed with femoral neck osteoporosis. The data obtained show a widespread prevalence of osteoporosis among men with a predominance of low values of BMD on the axial skeleton in the age range between 60 and 79 years.
In this paper we study the ability of machine learning or convolutional neural networks in particular to be trained to classify dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry images of the spine and hip. For this ...purpose we create models which could differentiate images with healthy bone from images with pathology.
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