[Transiting species, phenologies and their trends]

[In order to contribute to the knowledge of the spatio-temporal progression of post-nuptial migration of birds across the Italian Alps, we present in detail the results of the analysis carried out for 69 species (4 non-Passeriformes; 65 Passeriformes) of the 191 ringed within the Progetto Alpi. Data were collected in 40 ringing stations located in different habitats and at different altitudes (mountain passes, slopes and valley floors) and active in the post-breeding migratory period (1 August - 30 November). Among these, those (n=15) with continuous activity (at least one month) and known sampling effort (daily capture effort described as product of net area in square meters by operating time in hours) were selected. Data from the 6 stations that operated continuously over the years (2001-2017) and with standardised capture effort were used for trend analyses. Species covered refer to those with more than 100 birds ringed within the first eight hours after sunrise (excluding local retraps). Species accounts contain detailed data from datasets from all stations participating in the Alps Project (1997-2017)]. [Article in Italian]

Performance of Undergraduate Medical Students in Formative and Summative Evaluations in Community Medicine in a Medical College in India

Background: Assessment and evaluation should be a continuous activity associated with curriculum development. Continuous formative examinations are the stepping stone for good learning and better performance in summative examination. However, the correlation or predictability of formative examinations has not been quantified in the Community Medicine subject in the bachelor of surgery (MBBS) course in India. Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore the correlation of performance in continuous assessments and final summative evaluation in third-year professional MBBS students in Community Medicine and the predictability of formative scores for the final examination marks. Methods: An institution-based retrospective longitudinal study was conducted in the Medical College of Kolkata, India. A total of 237 undergraduate medical students were followed up for two years to track their results in three successive examinations. The scores obtained in formative and summative evaluations in third-year professional MBBS students in Community Medicine were analyzed to find out the correlation between them, and multiple linear regression was also performed in SPSS. Results: The strong and significant correlation (0.64) between the sixth semester and internal examination results suggests the importance of the sixth semester examination for the preparation of finals. The third semester examination, although conducted two years prior to the finals, still had significant correlation with the finals, but the correlation was weak (0.17). Conclusions: Formative examination in Community Medicine, which spans for overall three and half years, plays an essential role in the preparation of students for the finals, more so for achieving good scores. Performance in these two examinations can only explain more than one fourth of the variability of the performance in the finals.

Research on the Debt Default Risk of Guangyi Technology

In the process of production and operation, the funds held by enterprises often do not meet the needs of the expanding production scale, so enterprises usually obtain the required funds by borrowing. However, the financing mode of enterprises is not only limited to borrowing from banks or other financial institutions. With the rapid economic development and the continuous activity of the capital market, the bond market has gradually become an important channel for enterprise financing [1]. In order to improve the layout of the industrial chain, Guangyi Technology has carried out continuous mergers and acquisitions (M&A) since 2013. Due to its limited funds, Guangyi Technology acquired a large amount of funds required for M&A by means of equity pledge. However, the copyright cloud project invested in M&A in the early stage did not achieve the expected results, leading to a frequent breach of equity pledge, which evolved into debt defaults. Therefore, this article takes Guangyi Technology as the research subject and puts forward relevant avoidance suggestions through the evaluation of its debt default risk.

Cluster Headache Pathophysiology—A Disorder of Network Excitability?

Patients’ accounts of cluster headache attacks, ictal restlessness, and electrophysiological studies suggest that the pathophysiology involves Aδ-fibre nociceptors and the network processing their input. Continuous activity of the trigeminal autonomic reflex throughout the in-bout period results in central sensitization of these networks in many patients. It is likely that several factors force circadian rhythmicity upon the disease. In addition to sensitization, circadian changes in pain perception and autonomic innervation might influence the excitability of the trigeminal cervical complex. Summation of several factors influencing pain perception might render neurons vulnerable to spontaneous depolarization, particularly at the beginning of rapid drops of the pain threshold (“summation headache”). In light of studies suggesting an impairment of short-term synaptic plasticity in CH patients, we suggest that the physiologic basis of CH attacks might be network overactivity—similarly to epileptic seizures. Case reports documenting cluster-like attacks support the idea of distinct factors being transiently able to induce attacks and being relevant in the pathophysiology of the disorder. A sustained and recurring proneness to attacks likely requires changes in the activity of other structures among which the hypothalamus is the most probable candidate.

Discovering Composite Lifestyle Biomarkers With Artificial Intelligence From Clinical Studies to Enable Smart eHealth and Digital Therapeutic Services

Discovery of biomarkers is a continuous activity of the research community in the clinical domain that recently shifted its focus toward digital, non-traditional biomarkers that often use physiological, psychological, social, and environmental data to derive an intermediate biomarker. Such biomarkers, by triggering smart services, can be used in a clinical trial framework and eHealth or digital therapeutic services. In this work, we discuss the APACHE trial for determining the quality of life (QoL) of cervical cancer patients and demonstrate how we are discovering a biomarker for this therapeutic area that predicts significant QoL variations. To this extent, we present how real-world data can unfold a big potential for detecting the cervical cancer QoL biomarker and how it can be used for novel treatments. The presented methodology, derived in APACHE, is introduced by Healthentia eClinical solution, and it is beginning to be used in several clinical studies.

YOUTH SECURITY CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY RISKS

In this paper, the authors consider the position of young people in the context of the impact of contemporary security risks and in this regard analyze the situation regarding the security culture of young people. In modern conditions, young people are exposed to various risks, some of which can be considered traditional because they have always existed, in all times and societies, they only change the modalities of manifestation, unlike the risks that have arisen in modern times as a result of changes in society. Tackling challenges and risks presupposes a developed security culture, so in that sense the authors consider the existing strategic-normative framework in the Republic of Serbia, which is the basis for improving this important segment of risk control when it comes to young people. The authors point out the problem of misperception of certain security risks, which is the result of a distorted media image of the problem that leads to the creation of misconceptions and stereotypical images that do not correspond to reality. In this regard, the authors emphasize the phenomenon of pedophilia as a specific risk that affects young people, pointing to the many problems that exist in understanding the characteristics and size of this phenomenon. In the end, the authors conclude that coordinated and continuous activity of all actors involved in improving the position of young people, especially families and schools, is necessary, with the inevitable active participation of young people who develop their capacity to counter security risks and contribute to improving security in society.

The Defensive Activation Theory: REM Sleep as a Mechanism to Prevent Takeover of the Visual Cortex

Regions of the brain maintain their territory with continuous activity: if activity slows or stops (e.g., because of blindness), the territory tends to be taken over by its neighbors. A surprise in recent years has been the speed of takeover, which is measurable within an hour. These findings lead us to a new hypothesis on the origin of REM sleep. We hypothesize that the circuitry underlying REM sleep serves to amplify the visual system’s activity periodically throughout the night, allowing it to defend its territory against takeover from other senses. We find that measures of plasticity across 25 species of primates correlate positively with the proportion of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We further find that plasticity and REM sleep increase in lockstep with evolutionary recency to humans. Finally, our hypothesis is consistent with the decrease in REM sleep and parallel decrease in neuroplasticity with aging.

Strategies for Collection Development in Academic Libraries

This study discusses the importance of collection development in libraries. Various factors have to be taken into consideration while developing a qualitative collection for the benefit of the users. These factors include policies, principles, techniques and procedures, problems associated with collection/ development and weeding out as well. It is equally important to evaluate the collections to assess its use and moreover the usefulness of collection development in electronic environment. Authors conclude that, library professionals need to take utmost care in developing a balanced collection, which enhances the quality of the library. The study is attempted on the basis of experience. Selection policies and practices play fundamental role in developing a strong collection. Collection development involves a number of activities by which a library acquires materials of all types by implementing the selection policy and the plans for document acquisition. Collection development is a dynamic and continuous activity. It involves the users, the library staff, and the subject experts on the selection team. It is not an end in itself, but a means to develop a need-based, up-to-date, and balanced collection fit to meet the document and information needs of the users.