Background
The first dermatology‐specific proxy health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument for children 0–4 years old with skin diseases, the Infants and Toddlers Dermatology Quality of Life ...(InToDermQoL), was recently developed. In order to avoid the problem of cross‐cultural inequivalence focus groups work and pilot tests were organized simultaneously in all national centres of the project. The InToDermQoL showed good comprehensibility, clarity and acceptance.
Objective
To validate the InToDermQoL questionnaire during international field tests.
Methods
Internal consistency, test–retest reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the InToDermQoL questionnaire were checked during international field tests.
Results
Parents of 473 children with skin diseases filled in the national language versions of the InToDermQoL questionnaire. All three age‐specific versions of the InToDermQoL questionnaire with 10, 12 and 15 items, respectively, showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α 0.90–0.93), good test–retest reliability (correlation coefficients > 0.9), significant correlations with the most widely used atopic dermatitis‐specific proxy instrument, the Infants Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (correlation coefficients 0.68–0.79). The InToDermQoL versions for children <3 years old well correlated with the atopic dermatis severity measure Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (correlation coefficients 0.66 and 0.86 for 10 and 12 items versions, respectively). The InToDermQoL questionnaire discriminated well among different diagnoses and disease severity levels.
Conclusion
Our field tests confirmed internal consistency, test–retest reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the InToDermQoL questionnaire. Development and validation of the InToDermQoL questionnaire make it possible to assess dermatology‐specific aspects of HRQoL in youngest children with skin diseases. There are many reasons to assess HRQoL in dermatologic clinical practice, and we hope that our new instrument will be used internationally in paediatric dermatology for research and practical needs.
We employed our recent model of the cosmic-ray (CR) halo to compute the Galactic spectra of stable and unstable secondary nuclei. In this model, confinement of the Galactic CRs is entirely determined ...by the self-generated Alfvénic turbulence whose spectrum is controlled by nonlinear Landau damping. We analyzed the physical parameters affecting propagation characteristics of CRs and estimated the best set of free parameters providing accurate description of available observational data. We also show that agreement with observations at lower energies may be further improved by taking into account the effect of ion-neutral damping that operates near the Galactic disk.
Abstract
A flux of cosmic rays (CRs) propagating through a diffuse ionized gas can excite MHD waves, thus generating magnetic disturbances. We propose a generic model of CR penetration into molecular ...clouds through their diffuse envelopes, and identify the leading physical processes controlling their transport on the way from a highly ionized interstellar medium to the dense interior of the cloud. The model allows us to describe a transition between a free streaming of CRs and their diffusive propagation, determined by the scattering on the self-generated disturbances. A self-consistent set of equations, governing the diffusive transport regime in an envelope and the MHD turbulence generated by the modulated CR flux, is characterized by two dimensionless numbers. We demonstrate a remarkable mutual complementarity of different mechanisms leading to the onset of the diffusive regime, which results in a universal energy spectrum of the modulated CRs. In conclusion, we briefly discuss implications of our results for several fundamental astrophysical problems, such as the spatial distribution of CRs in the Galaxy as well as the ionization, heating, and chemistry in dense molecular clouds.
We analyze the processes governing cosmic-ray (CR) penetration into molecular clouds and the resulting generation of gamma-ray emission. The density of CRs inside a cloud is depleted at lower ...energies due to the self-excited MHD turbulence. The depletion depends on the effective gas column density ("size") of the cloud. We consider two different environments where the depletion effect is expected to be observed. For the central molecular zone, the expected range of CR energy depletion is E 10 GeV, leading to the depletion of gamma-ray flux below Eγ 2 GeV. This effect can be important for the interpretation of the GeV gamma-ray excess in the Galactic Center, which has been revealed from the standard model of CR propagation (assuming the CR spectrum inside a cloud to be equal to the interstellar spectrum). Furthermore, recent observations of some local molecular clouds suggest the depletion of the gamma-ray emission, indicating possible self-modulation of the penetrating low-energy CRs.
We study the spatial structure of a polarization jet/Sub‐Auroral Ion Drift (PJ/SAID) based on data from the NorSat‐1 and Swarm satellites during a geomagnetic storm. Observations of plasma parameters ...inside the PJ/SAID are obtained with NorSat‐1 using a system of Langmuir probes with a nominal sampling rate of up to 1 kHz, which allowed measurements with such a high temporal resolution for the first time. A comparative analysis of plasma parameters and electron density spectra inside PJ according to the data from both satellites is presented. Our results show that fluctuations of plasma parameters inside the PJ increase at all scales with increasing geomagnetic activity. Small‐scale irregularities in the PJ are measured in situ down to hundreds of meters. The role of large‐scale effects in the PJ increases in comparison with the small‐scale ones during high geomagnetic activity. The PJ consists of structures ∼0.2° latitude in size within which small‐scale irregularities are present.
Plain Language Summary
Polarization jet (PJ), also known as Sub‐Auroral Ion Drift (SAID), events are fast westward plasma drifts with a narrow latitudinal extent, occurring at subauroral latitudes in the Earth's ionosphere. The decrease in the density of the ionospheric plasma inside PJ/SAID significantly affects the conditions for the propagation of shortwave radio waves, which indicates the practical importance of studying this phenomenon. Despite the importance of using a variety of ground‐based observation facilities for studying and analyzing PJ/SAID properties, as well as developing analytical models and numerical modeling, in situ observations are the most valuable. Such in situ observations can be obtained only with satellites flying through a developing PJ/SAID. Large‐scale features of PJ/SAID are currently well understood, but small‐scale processes within PJ/SAID are practically not studied, and many open questions remain. In this work, we study the small‐scale structures in PJ/SAID during a geomagnetic storm of 20 April 2018, using multi‐instrumental approach involving low‐Earth orbit.
Key Points
Fluctuations of plasma parameters inside the polarization jet (PJ) increase at all scales during higher geomagnetic activity
Small‐scale irregularities inside the PJ are measured in situ down to hundreds of meters
The role of large‐scale effects in the PJ increases in comparison with small‐scale ones with geomagnetic activity
Active ionospheric experiments using high-power, high-frequency transmitters, “heaters”, to study plasma processes in the ionosphere and magnetosphere continue to provide new insights into ...understanding plasma and geophysical proceses. This review describes the heating facilities, past and present, and discusses scientific results from these facilities and associated space missions. Phenomena that have been observed with these facilities are reviewed along with theoretical explanations that have been proposed or are commonly accepted. Gaps or uncertainties in understanding of heating-initiated phenomena are discussed together with proposed science questions to be addressed in the future. Suggestions for improvements and additions to existing facilities are presented including important satellite missions which are necessary to answer the outstanding questions in this field.
Antiferroelectrics are essential ingredients for the widely applied piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials: the most common ferroelectric, lead zirconate titanate is an alloy of the ferroelectric ...lead titanate and the antiferroelectric lead zirconate. Antiferroelectrics themselves are useful in large digital displacement transducers and energy-storage capacitors. Despite their technological importance, the reason why materials become antiferroelectric has remained allusive since their first discovery. Here we report the results of a study on the lattice dynamics of the antiferroelectric lead zirconate using inelastic and diffuse X-ray scattering techniques and the Brillouin light scattering. The analysis of the results reveals that the antiferroelectric state is a 'missed' incommensurate phase, and that the paraelectric to antiferroelectric phase transition is driven by the softening of a single lattice mode via flexoelectric coupling. These findings resolve the mystery of the origin of antiferroelectricity in lead zirconate and suggest an approach to the treatment of complex phase transitions in ferroics.
The sign reversal of both magnetization and exchange bias field was studied in the polycrystalline Ni5.33Ta0.67B2O10. The crystal structure of Ni5.33Ta0.67B2O10 is quasi–low dimensional due to ...NiO6/TaO6 octahedra forming two dimensional infinite layers. The antiferromagnetic/ferrimagnetic phase transition was observed at TN = 165 K. The negative exchange bias effect was found in the 30–90 K temperature range, whereas the positive exchange bias effect was observed at temperatures below 30 K. We assume that the exchange bias effect is due to different types of magnetic ordering of Ni2+ magnetic moments in two layers.
Aims
This study aimed to evaluate lysis of Escherichia coli stationary cell cultures induced by the combined action of bacteriophage T5 endolysin (l‐alanyl‐d‐glutamate peptidase) and low doses of ...various cationic agents permeabilizing the outer membrane of Gram‐negative bacteria (polymyxin B, gramicidin D, poly‐l‐lysine, chlorhexidine and miramistin).
Methods and Results
The enzyme activity was assayed with the turbidimetric method. Antimicrobial activity was assessed through the number of colony‐forming units (CFUs); the results of calculation were represented as logarithmic units. The optical microscopy examination of bacterial cells was conducted in the phase‐contrast mode. The use of bacteriophage T5 endolysin in combination with polymyxin B (0·4 μg ml−1) or chlorhexidine (0·5 μg ml−1) made it possible to reduce the number of CFUs by five orders of magnitude; and in combination with poly‐l‐lysine (80 μg ml−1) by four orders, as compared to control. The endolysin was found to be a thermostable protein: it retained ~65% of its initial activity after heating for 30 min at 90°C. Examining the curves of its thermal denaturation revealed the half‐transition temperature to be 56·3 ± 1·0°C. Circular dichroism spectra showed that after recooling the protein restored up to 80% of its native structure.
Conclusions
A substantial synergistic effect of the bacteriophage T5 endolysin and membrane‐permeabilizing compounds was demonstrated.
Significance and Impact of the Study
The study of thermal stability of the bacteriophage T5 endolysin and the quantified assessment of its antimicrobial activity have been done for the first time. The approach examined lays foundations for designing a two‐component preparation which would effectively lyse cells of Gram‐negative pathogens from outside.
Bullying in persons with skin diseases Chernyshov, P. V.; Tomas‐Aragones, L.; Manolache, L. ...
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology,
April 2024, 2024-Apr, 2024-04-00, 20240401, Letnik:
38, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Background
There are few studies on bullying in skin diseases. Persons with skin diseases are especially prone to bullying.
Objectives
This component of the project ‘Bullying among Dermatologic ...Patients’ aimed to study the prevalence and nature of bullying in patients with skin diseases from different countries and age groups.
Methods
Data were collected from participants of international social media groups for patients with skin diseases, in‐patients and out‐patients with skin diseases, and parents of children with skin diseases from six European countries. School and university students from Poland and Ukraine were asked to answer the question: Have you been bullied because of skin problems?
Results
Bullying was reported in 1016 patients with 36 different skin diseases. Prevalence of self‐reported and parental‐reported bullying was quite heterogeneous among different countries In total, self‐reported bullying was noted by 25.6% of patients with skin diseases during face‐to‐face consultations, by 63.7% of respondents from international patients' groups and by 12.2% of school and university students. Parental‐reported bullying was detected in 34.5% of 3–4 years old children with skin diseases. The peak of bullying prevalence occurred between the ages of 13 and 15. The most prevalent forms of bullying were verbal abuse and social isolation. Physical abuse was the least often reported form of bullying. Only 33.2% of participants talked to anyone about being bullied. Negative long‐term effects of bullying were reported by 63% of respondents.
Conclusions
Skin disease‐related bullying was reported by patients in all centres of the project. The main manifestations of bullying were similar in different countries and among patients with different skin diseases. International activities aimed to decrease or prevent skin disease‐related bullying in different age groups are needed. These activities should be multidirectional and target teachers, parents of classmates and classmates of children with skin diseases, patients' parents and patients themselves.
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