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BACKGROUND: Behavioral problems and cognitive impairment are common in children with epilepsy (CWE). In sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about these comorbidities particularly their relationships with socioeconomic features. The goal of this study was to identify clinical and socioeconomic factors associated with behavioral problems and cognitive impairment in CWE of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo). METHODS: This cross-sectional hospital-based study had included 104 CWE aged 6 to 17years. Behavioral problems were assessed by the child behavior checklist. The Wechsler nonverbal scale of ability was used to assess cognitive impairment. RESULTS: At least one behavioral problem was found in 34.6% of CWE. Internalized problems were increasing with father's age (p=0.034). Externalized problems were increasing with the decreased of mother's age (p=0.009) and with a previous antiepileptic treatment (p=0.032). Total behavioral problems were increasing with a previous antiepileptic treatment (p=0.029). Cognitive impairment was present in 73.3% of CWE. It was more common in boys (p=0.013), and it was increasing with a low household daily expenses (p=0.034), with a previous antiepileptic treatment (p=0.041), with an early onset of epileptic seizures (p=0.042), and with a high frequency of epileptic seizures (p=0.011). CONCLUSION: Behavioral problems and cognitive impairment are common in CWE. Multivariate analysis has shown that behavioral problems were associated with socioeconomic features only. Contrariwise, cognitive impairment was associated with both socioeconomic factors and clinical features. There is a need of more studies to improve knowledge of these comorbidities in the sub-Saharan Africa context.

peer-reviewed ; Background: General practice (GP) has historically been central to the prevention and treatment of childhood illnesses. In Ireland, this role has recently expanded with the introduction of free GP care for children aged under six years in 2015. The Republic of Ireland has the only health system in the European Union which does not offer universal coverage for primary care. This study aims to analyse general practice records to investigate the effect of point of care consultation fees on childhood attendances. Methods: GPs affiliated to the medical school (n = 72) were invited to participate. 100 children aged 1 to 14 years were randomly sampled from each. Data was collected on service utilisation in the previous 12 months, specifically: age, gender, eligibility for free care and whether they had consulted their GP in the 12 month period. Results: Sixty-four practices participated, producing data on 6007 eligible children. The median age of children was seven years; 3688(62%) were 'fee-paying'. GMS patients aged under six years had a median of three consultations/ year, with a quarter attending six times a year or more, while fee paying patients had a median of two consultations/ year with a quarter attending four times a year or more. Conclusions: Children eligible for free care attend more often with a subgroup attending very frequently. This study provides important information on the possible impact of fees on healthcare utilisation for countries considering copayment.

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), since the past decades, has been making conscious efforts to reach out to the unreached with its diverse, need-based and affordable, Open and Distance learning (ODL) programmes and has been experimenting with various innovative ideas and methods to cater to the diverse needs of its prospective learners. The University, realizing its mandate to reach out to the unreached, ventured into educational intervention behind bars in its attempt to empower this marginalised section of the population. This intervention caters to the learning needs of both literate and semi-literate prisoners and is aimed at reformation of under trials as well as convicted prisoners; all expenditure under this initiative being borne by the University. IGNOU's approach, of imparting education to the imprisoned, falls in line with its vision and mission and with the objectives of democratizing higher education; which is the need of time.This paper details the operationalization aspects and status of this initiative of IGNOU. The paper tries to identify the driving forces behind this noble initiative of the University while discussing on the impact of educational intervention of the imprisoned. The paper while discussing on the special/unique skills needed by educators who act as counsellors for jail inmates, stresses on the need for training of such academic counsellors. As rightly said by Skorton and Altschuler, 2013; "Education, offers a humane and effective alternative to the discipline and punish approach, that all too often breeds only hopelessness and recidivismâ€.

Ключевые слова: евразийская интеграция; Евразийский экономический союз; Евразийское экономическое сообщество; институциональный дизайн; исторический институционализм; контекстуальный анализ; постсоветское пространство; региональная политика Европейского союза; реинтеграция; Содружество Независимых Государств; Союзное государство Беларуси и России; стереотипы. = Keywords: Commonwealth of Independent States; contextual analysis; Eurasian Economic Community; Eurasian Economic Union; Eurasian integration; European Union regional policy; historical institutionalism; institutional design; post-Soviet space; reintegration; stereotypes; Union State of Russia and Belarus. ; Статья посвящена проблеме генезиса евразийских интеграционных проектов, таких как СНГ, Союзное государство и ЕврАзЭС. Поставлены вопросы соотношения интеграционных и дезинтеграционных тенденций на постсоветском пространстве, а также сущностной характеристики европейской региональной политики. Опираясь на методы исторического институционализма и контекстуального анализа, автор рассматривает создание региональных организаций в связи с внутренним институциональным дизайном основных стран — участниц евразийской интеграции. Таким образом, не отделяя внутренние политические процессы от региональных, автор выделил основные факторы, обусловившие евразийскую региональную интеграцию. ; The article is devoted to the problem of the genesis of Eurasian integration projects such as the CIS, the Union State and EurAsEC. Raised questions: the issue of integration and disintegration trends in the post-Soviet space, as well as the essential characteristics of European regional policy. Based on the methods of historical institutionalism and analysis of the context, the author considers the creation of regional organizations in connection with the internal institutional design of the main participating countries in Eurasian integration. Therefore, without separating internal political processes from the regional ones, the author pointed out the main factors that determined the Eurasian regional integration.

Titre original : Economie et Statistique n° 500-501-502 ; Comprend : Introduction - Housing: A space-time good / Alain Trannoy - Building a typology of housing systems to inform policies in OECD and EU member States / Christophe André, Thomas Chalaux - Comment - On building typologies of housing systems in the OECD / Christine M. E. Whitehead - Does issuing building permits reduce the cost of land? An estimation based on the demand for building land in France / Jean-Sauveur Ay, Jean Cavailhès, Mohamed Hilal, Julie Le Gallo - New or old, why would housing price indices differ? An analysis for France / Thomas Balcone, Anne Laferrère - Accessibility, local pollution and housing prices. Evidence from Nantes Métropole, France / Dorothée Brécard, Rémy Le Boennec, Frédéric Salladarré - Rising inequalities in access to home ownership among young households in France, 1973-2013 / Carole Bonnet, Bertrand Garbinti, Sébastien Grobon - The dynamisation and subsequent vulnerability of the Dutch owner-occupied sector. An analysis of 1986-2012 / Kees Dol, Harry van der Heijden - Consumption, household portfolios and the housing market in France / Valérie Chauvin, John Muellbauer - The impact of the 2014 increase in the real estate transfer taxes on the French housing market / Guillaume Bérard, Alain Trannoy - Does information to buyers affect the sales price of a property? Mandatory disclosure and the hedonic price model - A test on French data / Amélie Mauroux - An evaluation of the methods used by European countries to compute their official house price indices / Robert J. Hill, Michael Scholz, Chihiro Shimizu, Miriam Steurer ; Appartient à l'ensemble documentaire : BnSP000

The concept of 'resilience' has recently gained traction in a range of contexts. Its various interpretations and framings are now used to examine a variety of issues, particularly relating to the human dimensions of global change. This can pose challenges to scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers seeking to develop focused research programmes, design targeted interventions, and communicate across disciplinary boundaries. The concept of resilience is widely used in Aotearoa-New Zealand, where it informs both government policy and research programmes. Resilience is particularly relevant in this small developed nation, which is heavily reliant on primary production in rural areas and affected by a range of geological and climatic hazards. To understand the range and extent of application of resilience in the rural context, we use systematic review methods to identify, characterise, and synthesise this knowledge base. Currently, research applying the concept of resilience in the rural context is limited in areal extent, largely quantitative in nature, and led by a small number of researchers. There is limited evidence of collaboration. Research has focused on a small number of hazards, failing to capture the diversity of risks and hazards in addition to their impacts. The results of our analysis and methodology offer important insights for meta-analyses of risk and hazard scholarship. The findings provide a baseline to track the future progress and effectiveness of resilience interventions and help inform current and future research priorities targeting persistent vulnerabilities in rural New Zealand and elsewhere. ; Peer Reviewed

Vor dem Hintergrund der fortdauernden Diskussion zu adäquaten Formen der Auftragsvergabe im Schienenpersonenverkehr, untersucht die vorliegende Studie den Zusammenhang zwischen der Form der Auftragsvergabe und dem Umfang, den Kosten sowie der Qualität öffentlicher Verkehrsdienstleistungen. Eine solche Analyse trägt insofern zu aktuellen Debatten der Verkehrspolitik bei, als zur Zeit kein systematischer, internationaler Vergleich zur Frage dieses Zusammenhangs im Schienenpersonenverkehr vorliegt. Ein solcher Vergleich soll dabei helfen, die Effektivität und Brauchbarkeit unterschiedlicher Vergabemodi in Europa sowie ihre Folgen auf die Entwicklung des öffentlich finanzierten Personenverkehrs besser abschätzen zu können. Zu diesem Zweck werden im Rahmen der Studie aktuell relevante theoretische und empirische Beiträge überblicksartig diskutiert. Ein wesentliches Resümee dieser Zusammenschau zur aktuellen wissenschaftlichen Literatur ist dabei, dass zu den Folgen einer stärkeren Markt- und Wettbewerbsorientierung im Rahmen der Auftragsvergabe weder eindeutige theoretische Argumente noch schlagende empirische Befunde vorliegen. Vielmehr ist die zeitgenössische Literatur durch sich widersprechende theoretische und empirische Argumente gekennzeichnet, die keine eindeutigen Schlüsse hinsichtlich den Auswirkungen einer erhöhten Marktorientierung zulassen. Um zur Schließung dieser Forschungslücke beizutragen entwickelt die vorliegende Studie abschließend einen eigenen empirischen Ansatz um die Folgen und Effekte einer stärkeren Marktorientierung im internationalen Vergleich und mit quantitativen Methoden zu untersuchen. Zu diesem Zwecke wurden Daten unterschiedlicher Quellen kombiniert um inhärente und teils drastische Limitationen in bestehenden Datenbeständen zumindest teilweise zu kompensieren. Die Ergebnisse der hieraus resultierenden statistischen Analysen zeigen, dass eine größere Markt- und Wettbewerbsorientierung im internationalen Mittel in einem negativen Zusammenhang mit dem erbrachten Leistungsvolumen und der damit verbundenen Leistungsqualität steht. Diese Schätzergebnisse sind dabei zwar statistisch signifikant, zeigen aber nur geringe Effektgrößen - ein Umstand, der als Indiz dafür verstanden werden kann, dass der Grad der Markt- und Wettbewerbsorientierung in der Auftragsvergabe für die effektive Performance des Eisenbahnwesens nur von nachrangiger Bedeutung ist. Darüber hinaus legen die in dieser Studie präsentierten Ergebnisse nahe, dass eine größere Marktorientierung im Eisenbahnsektor nicht notwendigerweise zu einer Reduktion der Aufwendungen der öffentlichen Hand führt. In Kombination mit den Ergebnissen des Literaturüberblicks muss vielmehr angenommen werden, dass die Determinanten eines effizienten und leistungsfähigen Eisenbahnwesens weniger in der jeweils gewählten Vergabeform als in der kontextadäquaten und professionellen Umsetzung dieser jeweiligen Vergabeformen zu finden sind. Insofern bieten diese Ergebnisse Anlass, bestehende Reformbemühungen in Europa, die auf eine Stärkung der Marktorientierung im Eisenbahnwesen abzielen, kritisch zu reflektieren, obgleich die vorliegenden Ergebnisse sicher nicht als abschließend bezeichnet werden können: Weiterführende Analysen scheinen für eine abschließende Beurteilung dabei mindestens ebenso notwendig wie eine (massive) Verbesserung der verfügbaren Datenbestände, deren grundlegende Limitationen auch in der vorliegenden Arbeit nur teilweise überwunden werden können.

Twitter se ha convertido en un instrumento ineludible en la estrategia comunicativa de los actores políticos durante las campañas electorales. Sin embargo, es necesario profundizar en el conocimiento sobre su uso. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar el empleo que los cuatro principales candidatos hacen de la interactividad en Twitter durante las elecciones generales españolas de 2016. La metodología es un análisis de contenido aplicado a los 2339 tweets publicados durante la campaña. Los principales resultados son los siguientes: 1) los candidatos no interaccionan con los ciudadanos, sino que prima el carácter autorreferencial; 2) se constata un uso estratégico de la hibridación entre nuevos medios y medios convencionales; 3) no se perciben dos modelos de gestión de Twitter claramente diferenciados entre viejos y nuevos partidos. Twitter has become an essential instrument in the communication strategies of political actors during electoral campaigns. However, it is necessary to improve the knowledge about its use. The aim of this piece of research is to analyse the interaction in the usage of Twitter by the four main candidates in Spanish 2016 general elections. The research method is a content analysis of 2, 339 tweets published during the electoral campaign. The results show: 1) candidates do not interact with citizens, but their main use of Twitter is self-referential; 2) the strategic use of hybridization between new media and conventional media is patent; 3) a clear distinction between old and new parties is not possible regarding the management of Twitter accounts.

Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) have been successfully used in order to promote and pursue the goals of UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Meeting these goals, however, require significant efforts on public policy development, adequate planning and implementation, as well as qualified human resources working at every level of government, public administration and institutions. This paper presents a first quantitative analysis originated from Electronic Government-related training sessions that took place on all five Portuguese Speaking African Countries, and in Timor-Leste along 2017. The results focus on (i) the availability of higher education institutions offering courses related to EGOV on each of those countries; (ii) the qualification of the professionals attending those sessions; and (iii) how availability of local higher education courses translates into qualifications of local professionals serving at public administration level. This paper also discusses some perceptions gathered from the field, both from participants and lecturer teams, framing additional challenges that EGOV-related courses must take into account in those particular settings. It concludes by pointing out some of the works already taking place, which provides a deeper understanding of the workforce competencies in EGOV for each of those countries. ; This paper is a result of the project SmartEGOV: Harnessing EGOV for Smart Governance (Foundations, Methods, Tools) NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000037, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund ...

Die Luftfahrt ist seit vielen Jahrzehnten ein wesentlicher und stetig wachsender Bestandteil des Transportsektors, sowohl für den Transport von Personen, als auch für den Transport von Fracht. Der Blick in die Vergangenheit zeigt, dass weder wirtschaftliche noch politische Krisen das kontinuierliche Wachstum im Luftverkehr nennenswert abschwächen. Der Luftverkehr und damit auch die Flugzeugindustrie hat dabei schon heute, aber viel mehr noch zukünftig mit Herausforderungen zu kämpfen, die im aktuellen "status quo" der Flugzeugtechnik begründet liegen. Diese sind im wesentlichen erstens die Abhängigkeit von billigem, erdölbasiertem Kraftstoff, zweitens der Ausstoß klimaaktiver Emissionen in ungünstigen Atmosphärenhöhen und drittens erhebliche Lärmemissionen der Flugzeuge bei Start und Landung, sowie bei An- und Abflug. Ein wesentlicher Teil der Lösung dieser Probleme wird die evolutionäre Weiterentwicklung der bestehenden Technik darstellen. Doch um die politisch gesetzten Zukunftsziele, zum Beispiel das europäische Zukunftsbild für die Luftfahrt Flight Path 2050, zu erreichen, sind zusätzlich auch ganz neue und deutlich radikalere Ansätze nötig. Zu diesen neuen Ansätzen gehört der Einsatz von elektrischen Primärantrieben in Luftfahrzeugen, denn diese bieten neue Möglichkeiten Energiebedarf, Schadstoff- und Lärmemissionen signifikant zu reduzieren. Dies gelingt zum einen durch den hohen möglichen Wirkungsgrad der elektrischen Maschinen an sich, zum anderen werden durch geringe volumetrische und gravimetrische Dichte der Motoren neue Flugzeug- und Antriebskonfigurationen realisierbar, die Vorteile in Bezug auf den Luftwiderstand und damit einen geringeren Energiebedarf versprechen. Im Rahmen der vorliegende Arbeit wurde erstmals am Beispiel eines Kleinflugzeugs der komplette Weg einer Flugzeugentwicklung, vom Entwurf bis zur Flugerprobung, beschritten, um die grundsätzliche Machbarkeit, das mögliche Potential und auch die Einsatzreife des elektrischen Fliegens mit einem speziell dafür ausgelegten Flugzeug zu erforschen. Mit den Methoden des Flugzeugvorentwurfs wird dabei untersucht, welche Einflussfaktoren durch elektrische Antriebe und die dadurch neuen Konfigurationen zu Gunsten der neuen Technik deutlich verbessert werden können, um den Energiebedarf eines Flugzeugs zu reduzieren. Am Beispiel des zweisitzigen, batterieelektrischen Flugzeugs e-Genius wird die Umsetzung der Vorentwurfsergebnisse in einen konkreten Flugzeugentwurf sowie dessen praktische Realisierung nachgezeichnet. Ziel war es, dabei eine Flugzeugplattform zu erhalten, mit der zum einen reale Messergebnisse für die neue Konfiguration erzeugt werden können, gleichzeitig aber auch die Einsatzreife im Alltag zu erproben. Die im Rahmen der Flugerprobung gewonnenen Erkenntnisse bezüglich Flugverhalten und Flugleistung werden analysiert und die Messdaten mit den Werten des Vorentwurfs verglichen, um die dort getätigten Annahmen zu bestätigen. Dafür wurden auch Flugversuche mit demontiertem Propeller durchgeführt, um den Leistungsbedarf der Flugzeugzelle ohne Antriebsstrang zu bestimmen. Es zeigt sich dabei, dass durch den elektrischen Antrieb, ohne Abstriche bei Flugverhalten und Zuladung auch in der Praxis eine deutliche Verringerung des Energiebedarfs nachgewiesen werden kann und die Annahmen aus dem Vorentwurf grundsätzlich zutreffen.

Background: Genitourinary fistula is a debilitating condition affecting women globally with high incidences in developing countries. It remains an indicator of the quality of health care delivery women are offered. Objective: To present the experiences of genitourinary fistulas (GUF) at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Rivers State. Methods: From January 2002 to December 2012, 104 consecutive patients with genitourinary fistulas were admitted for evaluation, treatment (surgical) and thereafter followed up. Demographic and clinical data were collected. The patients were re-evaluated 3 months after surgery. Results: Among the 67 patients treated surgically, 75% were aged between 18 and 36 years; 46 (44.2%) had vaginal repairs while 21 (20.1%) had abdominal repairs. The fistulas were caused majorly by prolonged obstructed labour (72.4%) with only 6 non obstetric causes. 37 of these patients are yet to be repaired after an initial examination under anaesthesia that was performed for every patient. These admissions do not represent or reflect the incidence of genitourinary fistulas in this centre. These characteristics provide data towards the development of an obstetric fistula prevention program in Rivers State as one presently does not exist. Conclusion: There is an increasing incidence of GUF in this environment basically due to poor obstetric care despite different strategies proposed by different studies to the government to prevent and eradicate GUF. It also demonstrates the ability of repair or cure to restore the dignity of our women if proper training and retraining of residents and specialists, funding and making health care and facilities available to these women

The article analyzes the trends of the development of contemporary journalistic investigation in the context of the new media development. The methodology for researching the topic of the paper includes such methods: analysis, generalization, classification, comparison. The study results in the statement that the journalistic investigation is a synthetic genre, because of combining the elements of interviewing, analysis, synthesis, chronicle, reporting. The main purpose of the investigative journalist is to provide the community with facts that are important but not well-researched, social, political, and economic issues that have not previously been made public and can affect a large number of people. The process of transforming the journalistic investigation takes place through a multimedia platform and contemporary forms of information provision. Journalists of "Bigus. Info" are outside of the traditional media and provide information to interact with interactive maps, video evidence, long rides and thus increase the audience. Multimedia is a prerequisite for the promotion of the original content of «Bigus. Info». Also it contributes to a wide resonance. The fact of setting material in social networks as well as blogs contributes to its personalization, and gives the reader the opportunity not only to follow the course of events and their results, but also to suggest the topic itself for investigation. The scientific novelty is in the fact that multimedia platforms help journalists make their research more interactive. The practical significance is implemented in the possibility to consider the peculiarities of the genre of journalistic investigation in the conditions of modern technology development.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that children with anxiety disorders (ADs) present impaired family functioning and quality of life. We aimed to evaluate family functioning and quality of life among children with AD and healthy controls. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study (survey) at two centers in Turkey. METHODS: The study group comprised 42 children diagnosed with AD and 55 controls. The Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire was filled out by their parents to measure the severity of anxiety symptoms. Family functioning among the children was assessed using the Family Assessment Device (FAD) and Parental Attitude Research Instrument (PARI). The children's quality of life was assessed through the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). RESULTS: The children's average age was 10.00 ± 0.21 years in the AD group and 9.98 ± 1.53 years among the controls. There were higher scores on all FAD subscales in the AD group (2.15 ± 0.52; 2.29 ± 0.44; 2.44 ± 0.55; 2.10 ± 0.61; 2.56 ± 0.40; 2.32 ± 0.33; and 2.29 ± 0.47). On PARI subscales, there were significant differences favoring the AD group (p < 0.05), except for democratic attitude. All PedsQL subscales differed significantly between the groups, favoring the AD group. A statistically significant relationship was found between all PedsQL subscales and SCARED scores in the AD group. CONCLUSION: We found that both family functioning and quality of life among children with AD were negatively affected. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are required to reach stronger conclusions.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that children with anxiety disorders (ADs) present impaired family functioning and quality of life. We aimed to evaluate family functioning and quality of life among children with AD and healthy controls. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study (survey) at two centers in Turkey. METHODS: The study group comprised 42 children diagnosed with AD and 55 controls. The Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire was filled out by their parents to measure the severity of anxiety symptoms. Family functioning among the children was assessed using the Family Assessment Device (FAD) and Parental Attitude Research Instrument (PARI). The children's quality of life was assessed through the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). RESULTS: The children's average age was 10.00 ± 0.21 years in the AD group and 9.98 ± 1.53 years among the controls. There were higher scores on all FAD subscales in the AD group (2.15 ± 0.52; 2.29 ± 0.44; 2.44 ± 0.55; 2.10 ± 0.61; 2.56 ± 0.40; 2.32 ± 0.33; and 2.29 ± 0.47). On PARI subscales, there were significant differences favoring the AD group (p < 0.05), except for democratic attitude. All PedsQL subscales differed significantly between the groups, favoring the AD group. A statistically significant relationship was found between all PedsQL subscales and SCARED scores in the AD group. CONCLUSION: We found that both family functioning and quality of life among children with AD were negatively affected. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are required to reach stronger conclusions.

Resumen: La innovación tecnológica puede aportar valor a las organizaciones, gracias a innovaciones radicales e incrementales de productos y procesos, impactando positivamente a unidades productivas; sobre todo aquellas con un sistema de producción artesanal. El objetivo de este artículo es identificar los impactos generados al adoptar estrategias de innovación en una empresa productora de vino artesanal. Usando una encuesta bajo los lineamientos del Manual de Oslo se recolectaron datos primarios, que luego de ser analizados con métodos cualitativos, se pudo entender e identificar los factores que han llevado a la unidad productiva al éxito. Los principales resultados muestran que los esfuerzos en innovación tecnológica permitieron fortalecer y apalancar comercialmente a la empresa estudiada, aumentando niveles de productividad y eficiencia, sin recurrir en inversión de tecnologías avanzadas. ; //Abstract: Technological innovation can bring value to organizations, thanks to radical innovations and incremen-tal of products and processes, positively impacting productive units, especially those with a system of artisanal production. The objective of this work was to identify the impacts generated by adopting innovation strategies in an artisan wine producing company. Using a survey under the guidelines of the Oslo Manual to collect primary data, and analyzed with qualitative methods, it was possible to understand and identify the factors that have led the productive unit to success. The main results show that the efforts in technological innovation allowed the company studied to be strengthened and commercially leveraged, increasing productivity and efficiency levels without resorting to investment in advanced technologies.