Assessment of the condition of Balsam poplar trees (Populus balsamifera L.) in a residental area of Bratsk

In this study, we investigated the health status of balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.) trees in a residential area of the city of Bratsk (Irkutsk Oblast, Russia). Visual and instrumental assessment of the health status of pruned and unpruned trees was performed. The identified internal defects in the tree were analyzed with a Resistograph device, which enabled the extent of decayed wood to be determined. Visual analysis revealed various types of damage: dried branches, brittle crowns, frost cracks, mechanical damage, curvature of trunks, decay and inclusions of foreign bodies. We compared trees with and without canopy pruning. We found that pruned trees were significantly more damaged than non-pruned trees. Decomposing wood at different stages of development was found in all the trees studied. A tree passport combining the visual and instrumental assessment data was compiled for each tree. The results of the research were used to formulate conclusions and recommendations for improving the management of urban trees in order to restore their ecological and aesthetic functions.

Clinical and instrumental assessment of fat and skeletal muscle mass in patients with back pain of various age groups

Цель: оценить состояние жировой и спинальной мышечной массы с помощью магнитно-резонансной томографии (МРТ), его взаимосвязь с дегенеративным поражением позвоночника (ДПП) у пациентов пожилого, среднего, молодого возрастов с болью в спине (БС).

MA’ÂYIR AL-ADAWÂT AL-TAQWÎMIYAH LI AL-KITÂB AL-MADRASÎ LI AL-LUGHAH AL-‘ARABIYAH LI AL-INDÛNÎSIYÎN : DIRÂSAH BINÂIYAH TAKÂMULIYAH

There are several problems regarding textbooks in Indonesia, especially Arabic textbooks. First, the procurement stage, such as the process of writing, obtaining texts, evaluating, and publishing. Second, the distribution stage such as access to textbooks, and purchasing power of textbooks. Third, the stage of the use of books which covers the confusion of teachers in using textbooks and the period of use of school books. The aspects of the evaluation of textbooks will be important in the future. Therefore, this research aims to construct instrumental assessment of arabic teaching books from national and international perspectives. This is important to do as an effort to obtain quality Arabic textbooks with international insight. This research uses a Research and Development (R & D) approach and content analysis. The results of this study show that the Arabic textbook assessment instrument made by the National Education Standards Agency (BSNP) and the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is still lacking because it does not accommodate all the points and basic elements contained in a Arabic textbooks as a Foreign language. So, the construction of a comprehensive integrated integrative Arabic textbook assessment instrument is absolutely necessary in order to obtain good and quality Arabic textbooks.

White Paper by the European Society for Swallowing Disorders: Screening and Non-instrumental Assessment for Dysphagia in Adults

This White Paper by the European Society for Swallowing Disorders (ESSD) reports on the current state of screening and non-instrumental assessment for dysphagia in adults. An overview is provided on the measures that are available, and how to select screening tools and assessments. Emphasis is placed on different types of screening, patient-reported measures, assessment of anatomy and physiology of the swallowing act, and clinical swallowing evaluation. Many screening and non-instrumental assessments are available for evaluating dysphagia in adults; however, their use may not be warranted due to poor diagnostic performance or lacking robust psychometric properties. This white paper provides recommendations on how to select best evidence-based screening tools and non-instrumental assessments for use in clinical practice targeting different constructs, target populations and respondents, based on criteria for diagnostic performance, psychometric properties (reliability, validity, and responsiveness), and feasibility. In addition, gaps in research that need to be addressed in future studies are discussed. The following recommendations are made: (1) discontinue the use of non-validated dysphagia screening tools and assessments; (2) implement screening using tools that have optimal diagnostic performance in selected populations that are at risk of dysphagia, such as stroke patients, frail older persons, patients with progressive neurological diseases, persons with cerebral palsy, and patients with head and neck cancer; (3) implement measures that demonstrate robust psychometric properties; and (4) provide quality training in dysphagia screening and assessment to all clinicians involved in the care and management of persons with dysphagia.

An Instrumental Assessment of Touch'n Go eWallet Mobile App

<p>This study assessed the instrumentality of Touch ’n Go eWallet mobile app at selected areas in University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) and Politeknik Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin (PTSS) Perlis, Malaysia, in July and August 2019. Fifteen staff from the two institutions was selected as participants. The purpose of the test was to assess the usability of the app and get user feedback to improve the instrumental quality of the application in order to meet user satisfaction and their experience. This report contains the participants’ feedbacks, task completion rates, ease or difficulty of task completion, time on task, errors, and recommendations for improvements. This study used 4 tasks to assess the instrumental quality of Touch ‘n Go eWallet mobile app. Overall, the outcome of the study revealed that the app is generally usable and instrumental to assisting users accomplish their electronic wallet goals. There is however some observed issues in the app that require fixing to enhance the instrumental quality of app.</p>

Functional State of Workers Data Analysis in the Labor Process

It is shown that the state of working people, determined using the WAM technique, (well-being, activity, mood) has statistically significant correlation with the results of instrumental measurements in terms of changes in the physiological state of the same workers. It is proposed to use the WAM test as an independent method for determining the functional state of workers. The purpose of this work was to determine the ratio of the functional state of workers according to the instrumental assessment, on the one hand, and self-assessment of their state, on the other.

Casuistics of primary metastatic ovarian cancer in pregnancy

Malignancies during pregnancy are usually treated similarly to the malignancies in non-pregnant patients. Results of controlled therapeutic trials are typically not available. However, registered studies associated with some of the most common malignancies exist. In case of ovarian cancer, due to its rarity – especially with the primary metastatic cases – only individual case reports are available. The article presents a case with par aortal abdominal, thoracic and cervical lymph node metastasis in a 33-years-old pregnant female. She was treated with primary systemic chemotherapy since early pregnancy. At 32 weeks of gestation, the patient gave birth to a girl (1460g) by caesarean section. Subsequently, the patient received 3 more cycles of chemotherapy with carboplatin/paclitaxel and bevacizumab for 30 months as well as letrozole maintenance therapy. Three years after the initial diagnosis, complete instrumental assessment showed unremarkable results without tumour recurrence.