Independent Procedure Research Articles

Novel, Low-cost Ear Elevation Splint for Auricular Construction.

Modern approaches to autogenous auricular reconstruction involve a multistage approach where ear elevation is an independent procedure. The goal is to project the reconstructed ear at an anatomically accurate and symmetric auriculocephalic angle, but postoperative scar contraction may adversely affect the long-term outcomes. An ear elevation splint was developed to provide rigid support for the auricle during the acute healing period to promote lasting elevation. The splint is low cost, made from commonly used orthotic materials, and can be conveniently customized for each patient in less than 15 minutes.

Понятие и признаки стадий административной процедуры государственной аккредитации в сфере высшего образования

The article is devoted to defining the structure of state accreditation of educational activities in the field of higher education as an independent administrative procedure. A theoretical definition of its stage formulated as a relatively independent set of procedural actions performed within the timeframe and in the sequence determined by regulatory acts in order to assess the compliance of the implementation of a specific educational program by an educational organization of higher education with the established accreditation indicators. Based on the consideration of theoretical views and provisions of regulatory legal acts, the author outlines the structure of the administrative procedure of state accreditation of educational activities in the field of higher education. It is proposed to understand it as a set of mandatory stages — initiation of an accreditation case, consideration of an accreditation case and decision-making on it, provision of the result of a state service for state accreditation of educational activities, accreditation monitoring, as well as an optional stage, which is the correction of typos and (or) errors in the information contained in the register.

Clinical and cost-effectiveness of spironolactone in treating persistent facial acne in women: SAFA double-blinded RCT.

Acne is common, can cause significant impact on quality of life and is a frequent reason for long-term antibiotic use. Spironolactone has been prescribed for acne in women for many years, but robust evidence is lacking. To evaluate whether spironolactone is clinically effective and cost-effective in treating acne in women. Pragmatic, parallel, double-blind, randomised superiority trial. Primary and secondary healthcare and community settings (community and social media advertising). Women aged 18 years and older with facial acne persisting for at least 6 months, judged to potentially warrant oral antibiotic treatment. Participants were randomised 1:1, using an independent web-based procedure, to either 50 mg/day spironolactone or matched placebo until week 6, increasing to 100 mg/day spironolactone or matched placebo until week 24. Participants continued usual topical treatment. Primary outcome was the adjusted mean difference in Acne-Specific Quality of Life symptom subscale score at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included Acne-Specific Quality of Life total and subscales; participant self-assessed improvement; Investigator's Global Assessment; Participant's Global Assessment; satisfaction; adverse effects and cost-effectiveness. Of 1267 women assessed for eligibility, 410 were randomised (201 intervention, 209 control), 342 in the primary analysis (176 intervention, 166 control). Mean age was 29.2 years (standard deviation 7.2) and 7.9% (28/356) were from non-white backgrounds. At baseline, Investigator's Global Assessment classified acne as mild in 46%, moderate in 40% and severe in 13%. At baseline, 82.9% were using topical treatments. Over 95% of participants in both groups tolerated the treatment and increased their dose. Mean baseline Acne-Specific Quality of Life symptom subscale was 13.0 (standard deviation 4.7) across both groups. Mean scores at week 12 were 19.2 (standard deviation 6.1) for spironolactone and 17.8 (standard deviation 5.6) for placebo [difference favouring spironolactone 1.27 (95% confidence interval 0.07 to 2.46) adjusting for baseline variables]. Mean scores at week 24 were 21.2 (standard deviation 5.9) in spironolactone group and 17.4 (standard deviation 5.8) in placebo group [adjusted difference 3.77 (95% confidence interval 2.50 to 5.03) adjusted]. Secondary outcomes also favoured spironolactone at 12 weeks with greater differences at 24 weeks. Participants taking spironolactone were more likely than those taking placebo to report overall acne improvement at 12 weeks {72.2% vs. 67.9% [adjusted odds ratio 1.16 (95% confidence interval 0.70 to 1.91)]} and at 24 weeks {81.9% vs. 63.3% [adjusted odds ratio 2.72 (95% confidence interval1.50 to 4.93)]}. Investigator'sGlobalAssessment was judged successful at week 12 for 31/201 (18.5%) taking spironolactone and 9/209 (5.6%) taking placebo [adjusted odds ratio 5.18 (95% confidence interval 2.18 to 12.28)]. Satisfaction with treatment improved in 70.6% of participants taking spironolactone compared with 43.1% taking placebo [adjusted odds ratio 3.12 (95% confidence interval 1.80 to 5.41)]. Adverse reactions were similar between groups, but headaches were reported more commonly on spironolactone (20.4% vs. 12.0%). No serious adverse reactions were reported. Taking account for missing data through multiple imputation gave an incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year of £27,879 (adjusted) compared to placebo or £2683 per quality-adjusted life-year compared to oral antibiotics. Spironolactone resulted in better participant-reported and investigator-reported outcomes than placebo, with greater differences at week 24 than week 12. This trial is registered as ISRCTN12892056 and EudraCT (2018-003630-33). This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme (NIHR award ref: 16/13/02) and is published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 28, No. 56. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

Atrial fibrillation cryoablation guided by pressure waveform: a prospective multicentre registry

Abstract Background Cryoballoon ablation (CA) procedures require optimal occlusion of the pulmonary veins (PV), which is conventionally evaluated by iodine contrast injection through the catheter tip. This technique has some weaknesses such as risk of allergic reactions, nephrotoxicity, requirement of fluoroscopy (sometimes at high doses), requirement of a second operator, among others. PV pressure waveform assessment is an alternative method for confirming occlusion, however, multicentre assessment of periprocedural efficacy and safety is lacking. Purpose To describe the intra-procedural performance and safety of routine pressure-based CA. Methods In this independent prospective multicentre observational study, baseline and procedure data from consecutive pressure-guided CB ablations were collected. Operators were not required to have experience in pressure-guided CA for participating in the registry. They were asked to classify the pressure waveform curves into type 1 (presence of "a-wave" and/or symmetric "v-wave", meaning incomplete PV occlusion) and type 2 (absence of "a-wave" and asymmetric "v-wave", meaning complete PV occlusion), Figure 1. The primary endpoint was PV isolation in all veins without use of contrast. Procedure performance and adverse events were also analyzed. Results A total of 150 patients (mean age: 61 ± 10 y.) with paroxysmal (62%) or persistent AF (38%) were included and underwent pressure-guided CA in 9 centres from Spain. Complete PV isolation was achieved in 148 patients (98%). The operators switched to contrast use in 14 cases (9%), mainly to double check the occlusion. Total procedure and fluoroscopy time were 97 ± 39 and 19 ± 10 min respectively. There were 7 (4.7%) procedure related adverse events: 4 phrenic nerve palsy (3 of them were transient), 1 transient coronary ST elevation (before ablation), 1 gastroparesis and 1 femoral pseudoaneurysm. Most relevant results are summarized in Figure 2. Conclusion In this multicentre and multi-brand assessment, CA guided by pressure waveforms provided outstanding procedural outcomes, which were equivalent to those reported with the conventional approach. All operators could easily obtain and identify the waveform without a specific learning curve, avoiding the use of iodine contrast in most cases. The long-term efficacy of this approach will be presented in future analyses.Pressure waveforms types in cryoablationProcedural data

Novice providers’ success in performing lumbar puncture: a randomized controlled phantom study between a conventional spinal needle and a novel bioimpedance needle

BackgroundLumbar puncture (LP) is an important yet difficult skill in medical practice. In recent years, the number of LPs in clinical practice has steadily decreased, which reduces residents’ clinical exposure and may compromise their skills and attitude towards LP. Our study aims to assess whether the novel bioimpedance needle is of assistance to a novice provider and thus compensates for this emerging knowledge gap.MethodsThis randomized controlled study, employing a partly blinded design, involved 60 s- and third-year medical students with no prior LP experience. The students were randomly assigned to two groups consisting of 30 students each. They performed LP on an anatomical lumbar model either with the conventional spinal needle or the bioimpedance needle. Success in LP was analysed using the independent samples proportion procedure. Additionally, the usability of the needles was evaluated with pertinent questions.ResultsWith the conventional spinal needle, 40% succeeded in performing the LP procedure, whereas with the bioimpedance needle, 90% were successful (p < 0.001). The procedures were successful at the first attempt in 5 (16.7%) and 15 (50%) cases (p = 0.006), respectively. Providers found the bioimpedance needle more useful and felt more confident using it.ConclusionsThe bioimpedance needle was beneficial in training medical students since it significantly facilitated the novice provider in performing LP on a lumbar phantom. Further research is needed to show whether the observed findings translate into clinical skills and benefits in hospital settings.

Analysis of quality of life in patients with clinically severe obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy - a 12-month prospective observational study.

&lt;b&gt;Introduction:&lt;/b&gt; Due to a short history of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) as an independent bariatric procedure, we stilllack studies providing analysis of the quality of life (QoL) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2).&lt;b&gt;Aim:&lt;/b&gt; We aimed to assess the influence of LSG on QoL in obese patients with DM2.&lt;b&gt;Material and Methods:&lt;/b&gt; Prospective, observational study included patients with: morbid obesity, body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m and ≤ 50 kg/m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, DM2 shorter than 10 years, qualified for LSG. Bariatric Analysis and Reporting Outcome System (BAROS) that included the Moorehead-Ardelt Quality of Life Questionnaire II (MA-QoLQII) score, and the SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire were used for repetitive assessment of QoL before LSG and after one and 12 months following surgery. Selected clinical and biochemical parameters were also repeatedly measured.&lt;b&gt;Results:&lt;/b&gt; Thirty-three patients were included in the study (23 females). Patients' mean age was 45 10 years. BAROS significantly increased before LSG, one month, and one year after surgery (0.63 1.12, 2.94 1.90, and 4.97 2.08, respectively). The MA-QoLQII score significantly rose with an increase of excess body mass index loss (EBMIL) (P = 0.002) and remission of DM2 (P = 0.049), while inversely correlated with Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance index (HOMA-IR) (P = 0.003). Degenerative joint disease (P = 0.025) and average time of low glucose concentration in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) (P = 0.005) had an inverse correlation with SF-36 Physical Component Summaries (PCS), standardized for cardiovascular comorbidity, EBMIL and HOMA-IR (P = 0.839; P = 0.086; P = 0.571, respectively). EBMIL (P = 0.003), remission of DM2 (P &lt; 0.001) had a positive correlation with Mental Component Summaries (MCS), while HOMA-IR (P &lt; 0.001) and count of low glucose concentration events (P = 0.022) had an inverse correlation with MCS, while standardized for average glucose concentration in CGM after 12 months (P = 0.586).&lt;b&gt;Discussion:&lt;/b&gt; Significant improvement in QoL was observed in patients with DM2 after LSG. Remission of DM2, higher EBMIL, lower HOMA-IR, fewer and shorter low glucose concentration events in CGM after 12 months were factors that increased selected QoL scores.

Digital Image Correlation Structural Strain Analysis of S235 Fillet-Welded Joints under Low-Cycle Fatigue Loadings

The main objectives of the present study were the application and validation of the newly proposed Digital Image Correlation equivalent structural strain approach for assessing the low-cycle fatigue life of S235 welded joints. Low-cycle fatigue tests were performed at a displacement ratio of minus one. Experimental tests were performed using two different ways of controlling the displacement amplitude: applying traditional low-cycle fatigue tests at a constant amplitude and stepwise succession tests at increasing amplitudes. A comprehensive, independent experimental procedure, proposed by the authors and not yet validated for steel welded joints, was applied to assess the equivalent structural strain range using the Digital Image Correlation technique for the traditional low-cycle fatigue tests and stepwise succession tests at increasing amplitudes. It is noteworthy that the values of the DIC equivalent structural strain (ΔEs from the DIC), calculated on the external sides of the samples, were utilized to predict fatigue life in correlation with the ASME mean curve and fall within the ±3σ scatter bands (external bands). In particular, most of the tests lie within the ±2σ boundary of the design curves except for some tests at low applied displacements. Moreover, it was shown that this method is applicable to stepwise succession tests with increasing displacement amplitudes, leading to significant time savings compared to conventional experimental tests.

Addition of an Independent Injunction Procedure to the Codification of the Code of Civil Procedure

This paper discusses the establishment of an independent injunction procedure in the codification of civil procedure law. Civil procedure law is an important guarantee for the effective implementation of the substantive law civil code, so the codification of civil procedure law is an important way to build a legal system, promote the rule of law in civil procedure, and improve the level of the rule of law. However, in response to the infringement of personality rights, the civil code provides for a system of preventive claims, the traditional civil procedure cannot effectively meet the needs of personality rights protection, and behavioral preservation procedures cannot meet the urgent need for right holders to immediately stop the infringement, to restore the rights of the original state of the demand for the establishment of an independent injunction procedure to deal with. Constructing an independent injunction procedure, should be based on the principle of procedural proportionality and the generalized procedural theory, combined with the views of the academic community and practical experience, to ensure that the injunction procedure is fast and effective.

Theoretical and legal mechanism for evaluating the results of regulatory influence in the agricultural sector

The article examines specific issues of the effectiveness of legislative regulation of evaluating the results of regulatory influence as an important element of state regulatory policy in the field of agricultural activity in the context of the existence of a tendency to increase the number of legislative and by-laws as state regulatory instruments. The expediency of assessing the possible consequences of active law-making activities, in particular their impact on the economic efficiency of the agricultural sector, is determined. It is proposed to define the assessment of the regulatory impact in the agricultural sector as an impact aimed at improving the legal regulation of agrarian-economic relations, as well as administrative relations between regulatory bodies or other state authorities and subjects of agrarian management, and the purpose of such an assessment is defined. The expediency of including the studied term in the Law of Ukraine «On the principles of state regulatory policy in the field of economic activity» is substantiated. Based on the analysis of foreign experience in assessing the results of regulatory influence, it is proposed in the science of domestic administrative law to separate such an assessment into an independent procedure related to the process of development, justification and adoption of normative legal acts in the state policy system. It is proposed to shift the assessment emphasis to the deregulation of relations in the economic sphere with the mandatory consideration of the needs of small, medium and large subjects of the agrarian sector, as well as the determination of the related advantages for various social groups of the rural population. A number of proposals of a theoretical and methodological nature regarding the improvement of the regulatory impact assessment procedure have been provided.

Continuous burned area monitoring using bi-temporal spectral index time series analysis

Extreme wildfires are a major agent of disturbance in present-day forest ecosystems and, have serious impacts on society in terms of human casualties and economic losses. Prioritizing and implementing relief and recovery measures after fires require explicit spatial information on the disaster extent. Information for detecting and monitoring ecosystem disturbance due to wildfires is obtainable using time series analysis of remote sensing data. However, the accuracy of this information depends on many factors, such as the input spectral features and the scene characteristics. In this study, we appraise the use of three spectral indices for continuous burned area monitoring in mainland Greece using the Breaks For Additive Seasonal and Trend (BFAST) Monitor unsupervised algorithm. In addition to the commonly employed Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) we evaluated the use of differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) and Relativized Burn Ratio (RBR) generated from a 16-day Landsat-8 time series. The spatiotemporal Overall Accuracy (OA) is assessed using Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service (EMS) grading products and an independent visual interpretation procedure. The latter approach suggests that the using the dNBR (OA = 87.0 %) and RBR (OA = 86.9 %) indices is more efficient than using the NBR time series (OA = 66.4 %). Copernicus EMS validation data show that the RBR-based approach attains a higher OA (80.5 %) -higher than either dNBR (OA = 75.0 %) or NBR (OA = 72.1 %). Evaluating the temporal agreement with Copernicus EMS products, bi-temporal indices achieved mean time lags of 0.023 (dNBR), 0.019 (RBR) and −0.015 (NBR) years. Overall, RBR usage provides the most reliable input for consistent continuous burned area monitoring.

Quasi-periodic oscillation detected in γ-rays in blazar PKS 0346−27

Aims. We present a variability study of the blazar PKS 0346−27 conducted between December 2018 and January 2022 using archival γ-ray observations from Fermi-LAT. Methods. We used Lomb–Scargle periodogram and weighted wavelet transform methods to detect the presence of periodicity or quasi-periodicity and localize this feature in time and frequency space. We estimated the significance of the periodicity feature using a Monte Carlo simulation approach. We also determined the global significance of the periodicity to test the robustness of our claim. To explore the most probable scenario, we modeled the light curve with both a straight-jet and a curved-jet model. Results. We detect a periodicity feature of ∼100 days in the entire period of observation with a statistical significance of 3σ, which amounts to a 99.7% confidence level. The global significance of this feature is found to be 96.96%. Based on the Akaike information criterion, the most probable explanation is that the observed emission is enhanced due to the helical motion of a blob within a curved jet. Conclusions. The origin of this quasi-periodic oscillation is very likely a region of enhanced emission moving helically inside a curved jet. This work presents strong evidence for jet curvature in the source and an independent (albeit a little serendipitous) procedure to estimate the curvature in blazar jets.

Routine breast milk monitoring using automated molecular assay system reduced postnatal CMV infection in preterm infants.

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) transmitted through breast milk poses fatal risks to preterm infants. However, current molecular assay systems often do not accommodate breast milk samples. In this study, we evaluated the analytical and clinical performance of the measurement procedure of CMV load in breast milk utilizing the Cobas CMV test on the Cobas 6,800 system. This was enabled by incorporating a simple independent sample preparation procedure before the application of samples on the automated assay system. Clinical data from electronic medical records were retrospectively analyzed. Breast milk samples from mothers of preterm infants born before 33 weeks of gestation were screened for CMV using the automated assay system. CMV positivity rates in breast milk and neonatal samples and the CMV transmission rate were calculated. Furthermore, to validate the analytical accuracy of the overall measurement procedure with newly obtained residual breast milk samples, the linearity of the measurement procedure was assessed, and a simplified sample preparation method was validated against a conventional method. The CMV positivity rates in maternal breast milk and neonatal samples were 57.8 and 5.2%, respectively. The CMV transmission rate through breast milk was 7.7%. No significant differences in gestational age or birth weight were found between the CMV-negative and CMV-positive neonates. The linearity of the procedure was observed within a range of 1.87-4.73 log IU/mL. The simplified sample preparation method had an equivalent or even improved CMV detection sensitivity than the conventional method. Incorporating a simple independent sample preparation procedure effectively resolved any potential issues regarding the application of breast milk on the automated assay system. Our approach contributed to reduced vertical transmission of CMV by providing a convenient and reliable method for the monitoring of breast milk CMV positivity for clinicians.

Training for Awake, Office-Based Laryngeal Procedures-The Laryngology Fellow's Perspective.

The aim was to explore recent laryngology graduates' perspectives on their experience, competency, and challenges learning office-based procedures during fellowship training in the United States and Canada. Anonymous 22-item questionnaire survey was distributed electronically to fellowship-trained laryngologists having completed fellowship within past 5 years. Ninety fellowship-trained laryngologists between 2018 and 2022 were surveyed. Response rate was 48.9% (n = 44), 1 declined participation, with 20 different fellowship programs represented. Fellows were frequently provided the opportunity to act as primary surgeon for most procedures, except for laryngeal botulinum toxin injection, diagnostic laryngeal electromyography, trans-nasal esophagoscopy, secondary tracheoesophageal puncture, and high-resolution pharyngeal manometry. A majority reported high (n = 27, 62.8%) or moderate (n = 12, 27.9%) confidence with vocal fold injection augmentation. Various techniques were taught: transoral (74.4%), cricothyroid (74.4%), thyrohyoid (69.8%), transcartilagenous (14.0%), and catheter-needle (25.6%). Numerous statistically significant associations with independent procedure involvement and competence were identified. Laryngeal botulinum toxin injection was a procedure performed with high frequency but low volume of independent fellow involvement, and the procedure with which fellows reported wanting more practice learning. Most common training barriers included patient being awake, patient consenting to trainee performing the procedure, and the technical challenge/complexity of the procedure. Teaching methods/tools largely focused on informal debriefing (97.3%) and case by case troubleshooting (81.1%). Laryngology fellows are well trained with favorable perceived levels of competence for numerous office-based procedures, particularly vocal fold injection augmentation. Procedures for which fellows reported a low level of independent participation trended towards lower perceived competency. 5 Laryngoscope, 134:873-881, 2024.

Institutionalization of mediation for the settlement of disputes in the field of intellectual property laws

The proposed article is devoted to the study of the institution of mediation as an independent procedure for the settlement of disputes in the field of intellectual property law. The author notes that the rather rapid stage of the development of the information society, IT technologies, the emergence of new objects of civil rights, including objects of intellectual property rights, pose a number of tasks to the legislator that require their urgent solution, in particular, the task of proper legal regulation of social relations, which, already today, take place in the state and society in general. In addition, taking the integration course of Ukraine into the EU also sets before our state the conditions for improving the legal regulation of intellectual property in accordance with international legal norms, in particular, the improvement of those legal provisions of national legislation related to the resolution of disputes in the field of intellectual property law, which are increasingly happening in reality. Therefore, the legislator adopts a number of legal acts regarding the improvement of legal regulation of relations arising in the field of intellectual property law, an example of which is the adoption of the Law of Ukraine «On Mediation». After all, mediation occupies a special place among the conciliation procedures for the settlement of disputes among alternatives to court proceedings for the resolution of disputes related to violations of intellectual property rights.Based on the results of the research, the author comes to the conclusion that mediation in the field of intellectual property can be used in the following cases: – when settling disputes arising in connection with the use of objects intellectual property without the consent of the right holder (author, creator, inventor or the person who owns intellectual property rights in accordance with the contract or law); – disputes arising in the event of violations of intellectual property rights; – disputes arising during licensing and transfer of intellectual property rights property; – disputes arising in connection with the conclusion and performance of contracts in in the field of intellectual property, in particular, contracts on the disposition of property rights of intellectual property; – disputes arising from the use of intellectual property objects, which are transferred to third parties.

Результаты проведения в 2020–2022 гг. независимой оценки качества условий осуществления образовательной деятельности организациями, осуществляющими образовательную деятельность по образовательным программам высшего образования и дополнительным профессиональным программам

The article summarizes the results of the 2020–2022 independent assessment of the quality of the conditions for the provision of services in relation to educational organizations that carry out educational activities on educational programs of higher education and additional professional programs. The dynamics of the number of participants in the independent assessment procedure and their distribution among the main administrators of federal budget funds are presented. The results of the analysis of the final quality assessment for all organizations, as well as in the context of individual criteria and indicators are given. The authors noted the rather high quality of the conditions for the implementation of educational activities provided by the participating organizations of the procedure and a clear improvement in the quality of these conditions in the period from 2020 to 2022, and also made a conclusion about the effectiveness of the IQC procedure, about its stimulating, and not just controlling effect.

Review on Concept of Pharmacovigilance

In order for clinical practise, public health efforts, and effective drug regulatory systems to function effectively, pharmacovigilance—the term used to describe the processes for recording and analysing adverse drug reactions—must be implemented. A high level of skill is required to grasp pharmacovigilance in order to swiftly identify pharmacological dangers and to defend the product against an unjustified withdrawal. The volume of data handled has increased as a result of the reporting of number of the adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The present global network of pharmacovigilance centres, which is supervised by the Uppsala Monitoring Center, would be strengthened by an independent review procedure. This would consider disputed and important pharmaceutical safety problems that might have a detrimental effect on public health across international borders. Recently, the main goal of pharmacovigilance has been to identify previously unrecognised or poorly understood adverse drug reactions. Clinical research must include pharmacovigilance, which is becoming more and more popular in many countries. To improve drug safety and monitoring, pharmacovigilance faces significant obstacles at the turn of the millennium. Currently, a number of pharmacovigilance centres are engaged in this global effort to monitor the safety of pharmaceuticals. We'll discuss medication safety, the role of worldwide pharmacovigilance centres, the benefits and downsides of pharmacovigilance, and how the healthcare sector can employ it in the future in this review. (4) Pharmacovigilance encourages the correct and safe use of drugs. Adverse drug responses (ADRs) must be reported spontaneously, and this is a crucial part of pharmacovigilance. ADRs are, nonetheless, considerably underreported. In developing nations, adverse medication responses are now a significant issue. Understanding pharmacovigilance could serve as the foundation for actions meant to increase reporting rates and lower ADRs. (1).

Validation of seismic hazard curves using a calibrated 14 ka lacustrine record in the Eastern Alps, Austria

Seismic hazard maps are crucial for earthquake mitigation and mostly rely on probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). However, the practise and value of PSHA are under debate because objective testing procedures for seismic hazard maps are scarce. We present a lacustrine turbidite record revealing 44 earthquakes over the last ~ 14 ka and use it to test seismic hazard curves in southern Austria. We derive local seismic intensities for paleo-earthquakes by applying scaling relationships between the sedimentary imprint and seismic intensity of well-documented historical earthquakes. The last ~ 2.8 ka of the record agree with a Poissonian recurrence behaviour and therefore a constant hazard rate, which is the modelling choice for standard PSHA. The lacustrine data are consistent with the intensity-frequency relationship of the local seismic hazard curve, confirming the current PSHA approach for this part of Austria. On longer timescales, distinct phases of enhanced regional seismicity occurred, indicating a potential increase of seismic hazard after large earthquakes—a factor hitherto disregarded in the PSHA of the Eastern Alps. Our new method forms an independent procedure to test hazard maps in any setting where suitable lake systems are available.

Assessment of teacher competence within the context of their professional development: Analysis of international theory and practice

Introduction. The paper is concerned with the solution of an important research problem – the construction of a methodology for the development of procedures and tools for evaluating teachers within the framework of an independent assessment of their competencies based on the analysis of Russian and international theory and practice. The purpose of the article is to identify conceptual approaches and evaluation models widespread in the international theory and best practice of evaluating teacher performance which can be used in building a national system of independent evaluation of teacher professionalism. Materials and Methods. Competence and system-activity approaches became the methodological basis of the study. A comparative and problem analyses of the evolution of models for assessing teachers’ professionalism were implemented by means of general research methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, systematization, and historical periodization. The sources included international publications from more than 30 countries, covering the period of the last 25 years. The sources were analyzed from the point of view of the expediency and possibility of using these approaches in building up a national system of independent assessment of teacher professionalism as a tool which would ensure both professional development of individual teachers and enhancing professional growth of educators all around the country. Results. The results of the analysis indicate the impossibility of direct transfer of international concepts and experience of teacher evaluation to the national system of independent assessment of teacher professionalism but allow the authors to make suggestions to the developers of the content and format of such inventories. Evaluation of proficiency in the subject taught may be deemed appropriate only at the theoretical part of the professional exam. Analysis of international models of teacher evaluation shows that Russian professional standards should be improved in terms of specifying labor functions and labor actions in such a way that they allow to fix clearly and unambiguously criteria that are understandable to all the stakeholders and can serve as a basis for independent assessment of professionalism as well as for identifying professional difficulties of teachers. It is important that identical assessment tools can be used to achieve the goals mentioned, but the ways of interpreting the assessment results should differ, since the same tools are designed in one case to carry out an administrative (summative) assessment, and in the other to serve the purposes of a formative assessment to compensate for the teacher's professional deficits. The developers should provide for the possibility of specifying criteria by clarifying the context of activities to consider the priorities of educational policy, regional specifics, and the specifics of educational institutions. Developers must also comply with the requirements for assessment tools, ensuring their ability to assess qualifications objectively, validly, and reliably for compliance with agreed criteria. The requirements of informing the objects about the evaluation objectives and procedure in advance, the need for special training of experts to conduct the evaluation procedure and summarize its results, and special measures aimed at ensuring the acceptance of the evaluation procedure by all the stakeholders are also relevant. Conclusions. Conclusions contain recommendations for the developers of the independent assessment procedure of teacher professionalism based on the findings of the analysis conducted.

ABSENTEE PROCEEDINGS IN THE CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS OF RUSSIA

The article analyzes the concept of absentee proceedings used in Russian criminal proceedings. A brief description of the stages of formation and development of the institution under study is given, starting with the Charter of Criminal Procedure of 1864. The conclusion is made about the independence of the absentee procedure for the consideration of a criminal case and its difference from other types of consideration of a criminal case in the absence of the defendant. Taking into account the positions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, depending on the category of crimes, two types of absentee order are distinguished, provided for in Part 4 and Part 5 of Art. 247 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation. The conclusion is made about the expediency of preserving in criminal proceedings the possibility of enacting a sentence (determination) of a court issued in absentia. The characteristic of each model of absentee order is given. From the position of ensuring the rights of participants in criminal proceedings, proposals were made on the mandatory holding of a preliminary hearing to resolve the petition of the accused to consider a criminal case on a crime of small and medium gravity in the absence of the defendant, as well as the possibility of making such a petition already at the stage of familiarization of the accused with the materials of the criminal case at the preliminary stage investigation. It is concluded that the absentee procedure for considering a criminal case cannot be singled out as an independent simplified procedure, since it does not show the uniqueness of the legal relations regulated by the norms of the alleged proceedings. The absentee procedure of trial does not have a material and legal basis that objectively requires differences in legislative regulation, there are no significant differences compared to the usual procedure for proceedings.

Equilibrium (Fixed) Vector of a Markov and Absorbing Markov Chains

Owing to evolve the technological and scientific requirements, reliability plays an essential part in mathematical and Statistical disciplines. The method of independent trials has been the focus of most contemporary probability assessments. These operations are the cornerstone of classical probability and a large part of statistics. The “Law of Large Numbers” and the “Central Limit Theorem” were two of the primary theorems for such processes that were studied. We demonstrated that the general outcome occurs when a series of chance tests create an independent testing procedure.