Situation Scenarios Research Articles

Rapid response strategies to sanitary and epidemiological emergencies in Russian Federation regions considering particular epidemiological scenarios (in case of cholera outbreaks)

Relevance. Currently, cholera poses a serious external infection risk for the Russia. Any region of Russia is at risk of cholera infestation/importation, while importation events shall be considered as a real threat to the sanitary and epidemiological wellbeing of the population. Every Russian region is characterized by a set of individual factors and conditions affecting cholera infection risks, as well as preparedness of medical and testing lab capacities. In such environment, every region of Russia is in critical need of region-specific stochastic epidemiological forecasting is critically demanded in the case of cholera infestation importation. Ability to select a most efficient rapid response strategy in every forecasted scenario is no less relevant.The study objective is to use the developed epidemiological risk assessment score for cholera infestation/importation in individual regions of Russia to eventually establish the probability for each of the three potential epidemiological scenarios, as well as to guide scenario-specific rapid response strategies.Methodology. Epidemic risk assessment score for cholera infestation/importation in Russia was developed based on region-specific quantitative evaluation of the potential epidemiological risk at public mass events and the overall epidemiological capacity in case of cholera exposure. Modifications included ranking the sets of assessment score indicators by cholera epidemiological risk exposure with a few extra sets of indicators, such as region-specific product output, economic factors, emergency incidence rate and scope of consequences. Stochastic scenarios are based on retrospective data analyzing the links between the initial epidemiological risk factors, preparedness of medical and laboratory services, and real country specific data regarding the development of the epidemiological situation amid cholera outbreaks.Results and discussion. The study develops a region-specific epidemiological risk assessment score for cholera infestation/importation for Russian Federation regions to provide an insight into the impacts of epidemiological risk factors and counter-epidemic preparedness capacities of every region, considering the implementation of each of the three potential epidemiological situation scenarios (negative, limited spreading, and favorable). The paper elaborates strategies and solutions to provide efficient rapid response in case of either scenario.Conclusion. The developed epidemiological risk assessment score for cholera infestation/importation in individual regions of Russia allows to evaluate the probability for each of the three epidemiological scenarios in a particular region depending on the total score, as well as to select most efficient scenario-specific rapid response strategies.

Sustainability assessment of low-impact development methods for urban stormwater management: A multi-criteria decision-making approach

Low-impact development (LID) methods are used in urban areas as sustainable stormwater management solutions. However, previous studies often lack situational scenario-based assessments and cover a limited range of criteria and indices, overlooking key factors, especially in developing countries facing significant sustainability challenges. This study addresses these gaps by assessing the sustainability of four LID alternatives, including novel combinations of rain barrels (RBs), rain gardens (RGs), permeable pavements (PPs), infiltration trenches (ITs), and vegetative swales (VSs), for inside and outside the house in a case study located in Tehran, Iran. In addition, 22 quantitative/qualitative indices were selected across environmental, social, economic, and technical criteria. The three-phase indices evaluation involved 1) simulating the study area by the stormwater management model (SWMM), 2) collecting quantitative data, and 3) scoring qualitative indices through questionnaires. A modified analytical hierarchy process model was employed to rank LID alternatives in difficult, poor, transition, satisfied, and ideal scenarios. Considering situational scenarios, the results showed that IT and VS for outside the house consistently performed best, adding novel contributions. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of this finding despite changing criteria weights. This study provides a new framework for urban decision-makers in developing countries to adopt resilient stormwater solutions.

Fostering Creativity in Order to Develop Mental Model Templates for Planning in National Emergencies

National Emergencies set the need for quick responses and actions from all institutions that are responsible for national security and/or citizens’ health. Course of action development as part of mitigation planning in such situations, is a complex and difficult procedure because of the uncertainty of the future events, the risk associated with decisions for human actions and the time pressure because of the emergency. This means that planning for addressing national emergencies is not a common and simple task. Moreover, because emergencies appear seldom, most of the stakeholders have lack of experience. Thus, they need more time to assimilate the incoming information into their mission planning process and finally to propose the appropriate courses of actions. An antidote to the above difficulties can be the appropriate training in combination with the enhancement of the creativity of the stakeholders. In order to address that, we propose a novel methodology of creating mind map templates, based on creativity techniques, for specific operations that can be applied to national emergencies. Our methodology, called “MEMOS”, was developed according to the relative theoretical frameworks and then tested with a case study, including hypothetical security scenarios in national emergency situations. The proposed templates can be used as inspiration tools or idea tanks in order to guide and speed up the process of course of action development in mitigation planning for similar future security operations.

Forecast of emergency situations with the spillage of liquid rocket fuel components in the territory for the disposal of chemically hazardous substances

Introduction. Liquid fuel includes two main components – fuel and oxidizer. Common liquid rocket fuels components are highly toxic compounds – heptyl (asymmetric dimethylhydrazine) and amyl (nitrogen tetraoxide). The calculation of emergency scenarios with the spill of liquid rocket fuel components on the terrain is intended for operational forecasting of the scale of pollution, optimization of work in the zone of chemical contamination and the development of a system for providing medical care to the population in case of an extreme situation. Material and methods. The article presents scenarios of emergency situations with the spill of liquid rocket fuel components on the territory of chemically hazardous facilities and during transportation. Results. The calculation of the distribution of approximate concentrations at spills in an open area of nitrogen tetroxide (NT) and asymmetric dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) is investigated. The received scenarios of emergency situations indicate the possibility of distribution of toxic concentrations: at the level of CL50 within 1 km at the UDMH spill from 0.5 to 10 tons, NT – from 0.1 to 5 tons; at the level of 1/10 CL50 – threshold toxodose (concentration) at a distance of 0.5–0.7 km at the UDMH spill 0.5–1.0 t, and NT – up to 1 t. Limitations. When studying emergency scenarios with the spillage of liquid rocket fuel components in the territory, an assessment was made of the distribution of approximate concentrations of components according to the regulatory document on the methodology for predicting the extent of contamination of highly toxic substances in accidents (destruction) at chemically hazardous facilities and transportation. Conclusion. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the population living within a radius of more than 2 km from the accident site may suffer from the spread of liquid rocket fuel components, which depends on the volume of the spill, the type of emergency hazardous chemicals and the wind direction in the chemical damage zone.

Advancing Military Medical Planning in Large Scale Combat Operations: Insights From Computer Simulation and Experimentation in NATO's Vigorous Warrior Exercise 2024.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine from Russian invasion presents a critical challenge to medical planning in the context of multi-domain battle against a peer adversary deploying conventional weapon systems. The potential escalation of preventable morbidity and mortality, reaching a scale unprecedented since World War II, underscores the paramount importance of effective phases of care from Point of Injury (PoI)/Point of Wounding (PoW) or Point of Exposure (PoE) to Role 1 (R1) and Role 2 (R2) echelons of care.The NATO Vigorous Warrior (VW) Live Exercise (LIVEX) serves as a strategic platform for NATO and its partners, providing an opportunity to challenge operational concepts, experiment, innovate life-saving systems, and foster best practices across the Alliance. This study delineates the strategic application of the VW LIVEX platform for the adaptation of the computational simulation software Simulation for the Assessment and Optimization of Medical Disaster Management (SIMEDIS) within the context of Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO). The SIMEDIS computer simulator plays a pivotal role by furnishing real-time insights into the evolving injury patterns of patients, employing an all-hazards approach. This simulator facilitates the examination of temporal shifts in medical timelines and the ramifications of resource scarcity against both morbidity and mortality outcomes. The VW LIVEX provides a unique opportunity for systematic validation to evaluate the results of the computer simulator in a realistic setting and identify gaps for future concepts of operations. We report the process and methodologies to be evaluated at the VW LIVEX in far forward and retrospective medical support operations. Using the SIMEDIS simulator, we can define battlefield scenarios for varied situations including artillery, drone strikes, and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and explosive (CBRNe) attacks. Casualty health progressions versus time are dependent on each threat. Mortality is computed based on the concepts found in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) of "self-aid"/"buddy-aid" factoring in the application or absence of definitive traumatic hemorrhage control and on the distribution policy of victims to medical treatment facilities through appropriate Command and Control (C2) ("Scoop and Run" versus "Stay and Play"). The number of medical supplies available along with the number of transport resources and personnel are set and are scalable, with their effect on both morbidity and mortality quantified.Concept of Medical Operations can be optimized and interoperability enhanced when shared data are provided to C2 for prospective medical planning with retrospective data. The SIMEDIS simulator determines best practices of medical management for a myriad of injury types and tactical/operational situations relevant to policy making and battlefield medical planning for LSCO. The VW LIVEX provides a Concept Development and Experimentation platform for SIMEDIS refinement and conclusive insights into medical planning to reduce preventable morbidity and mortality. Recommending further iterations of similar methodologies at other NATO LIVEXs for validation is crucial, as is information sharing across the Alliance and partners to ensure best practice standards are met.

BEHIND THE COMPUTER SCREEN: PERSPECTIVES ON INFORMATION ETHICS AMONG MUSIC EDUCATION STUDENTS

This study aims to understand the views and attitudes of students in the Music Education department at Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University Faculty of Education regarding informatics ethics. This research was conducted using a general survey model quantitative research design. The universe of the study comprised students in the Music Education department at Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University Faculty of Education. The selected sample, consisting of 73 students who volunteered to participate during the 2023-2024 Academic Year, was used for data collection. An information form created by the researchers and the "Real-Life Situation Scenarios with Informatics Ethics" (RLSSIE) Scale were employed in the data collection process. Overall, the students were found to have moderate views and attitudes toward information ethics. Demographic factors such as gender, age, and class level were observed to have a significant impact on ethical evaluations. Additionally, evaluations based on different scenarios revealed that participants were generally sensitive to ethical values. The influence of factors like residence and income perception on ethical views and attitudes was limited. Notably, participants who connected to the internet via mobile phones had higher ethical views and attitude scores compared to those using computers and tablets. However, the study observed that internet usage quotas did not have a significant impact on general ethical attitudes. The findings indicate that information ethics topics play a crucial role in overall ethical evaluations and suggest that individuals have a broad perspective.

Optimal Sizing of Electric Vehicle Charging Stacks Considering a Multiscenario Strategy and User Satisfaction

The rapid growth of EVs relies on the development of supporting infrastructure, e.g., charging stations (CSs). The sizing problem of a CS typically involves minimizing the investment costs. Therefore, a flexible and precise sizing strategy is crucial. However, the existing methods suffer from the following issues: (1) they do not consider charging station deployments based on the charging stack; (2) existing sizing strategies based on smart charging technology consider a single scenario and fail to meet the demand for flexible operation under multiple scenarios in real-life situations. This paper proposes a novel CS sizing framework specific for charging stacks to overcome these challenges. Specifically, it first addresses the charging-stack-based CS sizing problem, and then it proposes the corresponding multiscenario constraints, i.e., exclusive and shared, for capacity-setting optimization. In addition, a novel quality of service (QoS) formulation is also proposed to better relate the user QoS levels to the CS sizing problem. Finally, it also explores the relationship between the investment costs and the total power of the needed charging stack under three business models. Extensive experiments show that the proposed framework can offer valuable guidance to CS operators in competitive environments.

Leadership in times of natural crises-a systematic literature review

The topic of leadership comes with many elements of situational scenarios, one particular of interest is during times of natural crisis. Natural crisis affects businesses and people worldwide with varying effects. It is notable that leadership styles and other factors can lead a business either to success or failure based on their proactivity. To explore the area of leadership studies in times of natural crises, a systematic literature review was undertaken. The review of studies from past fifteen years revealed that there were a lot of studies on the topic of leadership. Out of those, only 34 articles published from 2005 to 2020 were found relevant to the topic under study. These were presented in the form of a systematic literature review of “Leadership in Times of Natural Crises”. The systematic literature review was done using PRISMA framework which is the most widely known method of conducting review. The main link between these articles, although each focusing on different areas of research, was the relationship between leadership styles and impact on organizational management during natural crises. The review of the 34 articles from Scopus database explored different leadership styles and theories with their impact on organizations. The resources grew substantially in relation to COVID-19 in 2020, which also highlights the importance of this topic as there were limited resources available in the last twenty years when exploring papers that studied the impact of leadership impact during SARS outbreak in 2003. The finding of this article highlights the gap in research on leadership studies, and particularly in relation to pandemics, or for a broader term, natural crises.

Application of a text mining method in navigation and communication for enhancing maritime safety.

This paper introduces a model for the translation of natural language into ontology and vice versa in an autonomous navigation system of a sea-going vessel. The system comprehensively executes communication tasks at sea. The authors use machine learning methods in the field of text mining and basic and additional properties of ontologies. The newly developed ontology is applicable in shipping. The key elements of the prototype are the sequence of communication commands given from the ship's bridge, decomposition, extraction of the communication sequence and the rule base. The presented model has been implemented and verified in selected scenarios of collision situations at sea. The test results confirm that the assumptions, the designed system architecture and the algorithms in the prototype are correct.

Economic assessment of ecological damage to surface waters as a result of emergency situation

The purpose of the present research is the analysis of emergence of the most probable emergency situations on the hydrotechnical object which is long time in operation, and also economic assessment of effects of surface water pollution of emergence of the emergency situation which resulted on hydrotechnical construction on the example of Raychikhinsky state district power plant. Hydrodynamic accidents happen because of design errors, constructive defects of constructions, violations of the rules of operation, discrepancy of spillways and spillovers of water through dams more often. Besides, it is impossible to miss possibility of acts of sabotage and blows to such constructions. Hydrodynamic accidents are consequence of failure of hydrotechnical constructions therefore the uncontrollable, powerful flow of huge mass of water with high speed floods extensive territories, bearing destructions and death of people. In the provided article the main characteristics of hydrotechnical constructions of Raychikhinsky state district power plant are in detail considered, the main dangers to the population at accidents on these constructions are defined, scenarios of possible accidents and emergency situations of natural and technogenic character are considered, economic assessment of the ecological damage caused to surface waters is provided. Safety of the population and steady functioning of the main objects of economy is provided with minimizing of probability of emergence and minimization of damage from the listed dangers.

Evidential propositions as situational scenarios

Abstract This study examines the interpretation of evidential propositions using insights from the Lexical Constructional Model (LCM), including its recent classification of situational scenarios (cognitive models) into three sub-types: descriptive, attitudinal and regulatory. The aim is to show that processing the meaning of an evidential proposition can require profiling parts of all three types of situational scenarios– a process that is activated (at the lexical-constructional, discourse and implicational levels) by such cognitive operations as echoing, contrast and metonymy. This is consistent with the principles of Relevance according to which the contextual information required for interpreting the speaker’s explicit/implicit meaning (i.e., explicating/implicating it) is not limited to a particular knowledge type or source (encyclopaedic, socio-cultural, religious and so on). The study, thus, complements work on evidentiality by going beyond its features, markers and behaviour in discourse to focus on the interpretation of evidential propositions in connection with cognitive models and operations.

Integrating Immersive Scenes and Interactive Contextual Clue Scaffolding Into Decision-Making Analysis Ability Training Game

In the post-pandemic era, distance education and training modes without space constraints are gradually becoming a new trend in training. Game-based training combined with situational simulations is a potential approach. This study used a simulation company scenario and a decision-making analysis task of promotion assessment as the game context, and proposed an innovative game mechanism integrating the simulation situation scenario and the interactive contextual clue scaffolding as a guide to enhance learning effectiveness. This study used the Gather Town platform to design a simulation office scenario, and Google Forms to design interactive contextual clue scaffolding. This study conducted empirical research to evaluate this mechanism, with a total of 60 participants divided into an experimental group that conducted game activities and a control group that was only provided with document files as scaffolding for comparative analysis. The results of the study revealed that the proposed exploration guidance mechanism of integrating immersive scenes and interactive contextual clue scaffolding could allow learners to experience a high level of game fidelity and increase the discovery rate and usefulness of the scaffolding. It also reduced learning anxiety, maintained learning motivation and high flow, and resulted in significantly higher learning effectiveness than the control group approach.

Machine Learning and Conventional Methods for Reference Evapotranspiration Estimation Using Limited-Climatic-Data Scenarios

Reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is one important agrometeorological parameter for hydrological studies and climate risk zoning. ET0 calculation by the FAO Penman–Monteith method requires several input data. However, the availability of climate data has been a problem in many places around the world, so the study of scenarios with different combinations of climate data has become essential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of artificial neural network (ANN), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and multiple linear regression (MLR) approaches to estimate monthly mean ET0 with different input data combinations and scenarios. Three scenarios were evaluated: at the state level, where all climatological stations were used (Scenario I–SI), and at the regional level, where the Minas Gerais state was divided according to the climatic classifications of Thornthwaite (Scenario II–SII) and Köppen (Scenario III–SIII). ANN and RF performed better in ET0 estimation among the models evaluated in the SI, SII, and SIII scenarios with the following data combinations: (i) latitude, longitude, altitude, month, mean, maximum and minimum temperature, and relative humidity and (ii) latitude, longitude, altitude, month, mean temperature, and relative humidity. SVM and MLR models are recommended for all scenarios in situations with limited climatic data where only air temperature and relative humidity data are available. The results and information presented in this study are important for the agricultural chain and water resources in Minas Gerais state.

Energy systems modeling for maximizing renewable energy share in fossil fuel dominated Mediterranean climate

AbstractIncreasing energy production and consumption and the need to save and increase its efficiency will lead us to manage the energy system on both supply and demand sides with higher accuracy. This study presents a new model scheme for Mediterranean climate areas' energy systems due to the importance of energy modeling to meet energy systems' needs. This model aims to provide an interactive energy system for two short and medium‐term time horizons (2025 and 2030, respectively) by targeting three main objectives: total primary energy supply, greenhouse gas emissions, and system cost. North Khorasan province in northeastern Iran has been selected for the case study as an example of mountainous and Mediterranean climates. EnergyPLAN has been used as a modeling tool. Accordingly, after examining the study area's current state, its future needs are forecasted using the support vector machine algorithm. The study area's optimal energy system is modeled within the desired time horizons by applying and comparing four different scenarios, including business as usual (BAU), power plant optimization, and demand response with wind or solar power plants. The results show that the part of the energy demand provided by wind scenario's situation is favorable and can meet the study area's future demands. This scenario will reduce CO2 emissions in 2025 and 2030 by 93.87 and 227.78 kilotonnes per year, respectively, compared to the BAU scenario. It is also estimated that this scenario's implementation will save the total annual cost of 8.27 and 156.06 million euros compared to the BAU scenario in 2025 and 2030.

Mega Sporting Event Scenario Analysis and Drone Camera Surveillance Impacts on Command-and-Control Centre Situational Awareness for Dynamic Decision-Making

Mega sports events may encounter safety and security challenges related to risk management issues such as overcrowding, disorderly behavior, assaults, and security breaches. An incident during the Champions League Final in France in 2022 serves as an example of such challenges. Therefore, this study focuses specifically on the Champions League Final in France, 2022, and presents a situational scenario analysis for safety and security professionals. The objective is to enhance situational awareness and improve risk management strategies for similar events. The study commences by investigating the awareness among security and safety professionals regarding the potential consequences of mega sporting events, utilizing a post-hoc damage evaluation of France ’22. It then compares the effectiveness of fixed and drone cameras in surveillance imaging, aiming to identify ways to enhance situational analysis for improved risk management. The findings indicate that safety and security professionals acknowledged the negative outcomes of adverse events and demonstrated higher situational awareness when using drone surveillance as opposed to relying solely on fixed cameras. They also expressed positive attitudes towards the adoption of surveillance for mega sporting events. Moreover, the study introduces a model for drone surveillance scenario analysis, designed for dynamic decision-making. This model has been developed and aligned to effectively integrate drone surveillance and enhance situational awareness, not only for mega sports events but also for similar applications in various contexts. This research contributes to the understanding of risk management and situational awareness in the realm of mega sports events. It underscores the significance of drone surveillance and proposes strategies to enhance security professionals’ ability to respond effectively to potential threats, ensuring the safety of participants and spectators.

Requirements for Test Series for Relative Humidity Measurements to Calibrate Drying Time Simulation Model

Abstract There is a great need for an easy-to-use tool to simulate drying of concrete floors. In order to model practical situations, the tool should take into account changing conditions, especially wetting at worksite, but also temperature. For this purpose, a simulation program was developed for drying time estimations for concrete floors, which was published in 2021 and is named as the “by2020 Concrete drying time estimate”. This study presents the results of the laboratory test series conducted to calibrate the drying time estimations of the by2020 software. As all possible scenarios for practical situations were not possible to study in the test series, results from the literature were partly used for calibration and validation of the tool. A methodology for test series for calibration of the drying time estimation model is proposed based on this study. It was found that a model suitable for practical applications can be implemented based on relative humidity measurements only. However, the tests series of relative humidity measurements should take into account the influence of various factors such as wetting period and different temperature conditions.

SPRING: Situated Conversation Agent Pretrained with Multimodal Questions from Incremental Layout Graph

Existing multimodal conversation agents have shown impressive abilities to locate absolute positions or retrieve attributes in simple scenarios, but they fail to perform well when complex relative positions and information alignments are involved, which poses a bottleneck in response quality. In this paper, we propose a Situated Conversation Agent Pretrained with Multimodal Questions from Incremental Layout Graph (SPRING) with abilities of reasoning multi-hops spatial relations and connecting them with visual attributes in crowded situated scenarios. Specifically, we design two types of Multimodal Question Answering (MQA) tasks to pretrain the agent. All QA pairs utilized during pretraining are generated from novel Increment Layout Graphs (ILG). QA pair difficulty labels automatically annotated by ILG are used to promote MQA-based Curriculum Learning. Experimental results verify the SPRING's effectiveness, showing that it significantly outperforms state-of-the-art approaches on both SIMMC 1.0 and SIMMC 2.0 datasets. We release our code and data at https://github.com/LYX0501/SPRING.

Региональная безопасность в Центральной Азии в условиях возвращения талибов к власти: вызовы и угрозы, сценарии развития

Introduction. The article focuses on reconstructing the major parameters of the complex of challenges and threats to post-Soviet Central Asia regional security that has emerged in the wake of or in direct connection with the radical change of the situation in Afghanistan after August 2021. These challenges and threats have developed across several functional and territorial dimensions and require a comprehensive analysis followed by the building of scenarios for their evolution. Methods and materials. The research relies on the regional security complex theory developed by Barry Buzan and Ole Waever. The methodological toolkit includes external indirect observation, political descriptive and historical genetic methods, scenario building. The research materials include official statements, news briefs, expert opinions, periodicals, academic papers. Analysis. The authors have analyzed the geostrategic, regional-strategic, regional-economic, and regional-societal dimensions of the challenges and threats to Central Asian regional security generated by the changes in Afghanistan and have built scenarios of their evolution. The major geostrategic challenge is the exacerbation of U.S. – Chinese contradictions centered on the influence of the Taliban factions. The key regional-strategic threat is the risk of the Afghan conflict spilling over into Tajikistan or Turkmenistan. The regional-economic challenges include the risks of blocking trans-Afghan transport, pipeline, and electricity transmission projects. The regional-societal risks consist of the dissemination of radical Islamist ideologies from Afghanistan throughout Central Asia. The two basic scenarios of the regional security evolution are inertia or a resumption of a full-scale civil war in Afghanistan. Results. The authors have worked out sets of recommendations for regional policymakers and the intergovernmental bodies whose functions include maintaining security and stability in Central Asia. Authors’ contribution. A.E. Dzhorobekova has developed the general concept of the article and organized the research. E.F. Troitskiy has focused on the analysis of threats and challenges to regional security. S.M. Yun has developed scenarios for regional security situations. A.G. Timoshenko has formulated the relevant recommendations.

Toward an integrative socio-cognitive approach in autism spectrum disorder: NEAR method adaptation-study protocol.

BackgroundThe cognitive impairments exhibited by people with ASD, threaten the development of social skills that are essential for establishing and maintaining harmonious social relationships. Cognitive remediation and social skills training are now considered as crucial therapeutic approaches in the management of these disorders. Several programs have already been validated and have shown improvements in social skills or cognitive performance. However, the effects of these training methods seem to be difficult to generalize to other everyday life. The aim of our study is to alleviate cognitive and social deficiencies by using a socio-cognitive framework to adapt the Neuropsychological Educational Approach to Remediation (NEAR) method for adolescents with ASD.Methods/designAdolescents meeting the DSM-5 criteria for ASD, older than 13 years, and following a regular school curriculum will be recruited from clinical population at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Razi University Hospital-Manouba- Tunisia. Our study is an open and non-randomized controlled trial including 30 patients: NEAR group / control group. The NEAR method combines computerized cognitive exercises and bridging groups inspired from cognitive behavioral therapy. NEAR group will be divided into three groups of five patients each. The duration of the sessions will vary according to the capacities of the participants and the exchanges between them (about 60–120 min). In our study, bridging groups will be amended by adding other tasks including planning role plays and scenarios of problematic social situations in autism, taking into account cultural particularities in order to promote social skills. Computerized exercises will be enriched by adding other tasks aiming to improve the recognition and expression of facial emotions by using digital videos and photographs expressing the six basic emotions. The duration of the program will be about 6 months. All selected patients will have an assessment of cognitive function: social cognition, neurocognition and pragmatic skills, social skills, self-esteem and global functioning at baseline, 1 week after the end of the NEAR program and 6 months later.ConclusionThis adaptive program is a promising socio-cognitive intervention that create new perspectives for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Evaluation of Knowledge and Practice of Resident Dentists in Iasi, Romania in the Management of Traumatic Dental Injuries: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Dentists play an essential role in the treatment of dental and periodontal traumatic injuries by providing early and correct treatment. The purpose of the present study was to assess the level of knowledge of dental residents regarding dental trauma. The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Dental Medicine within the "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi, Romania on a sample of 366 residents in General Dentistry, Pediatric Dentistry and Periodontology. To assess their knowledge, a questionnaire was created containing 18 questions about the clinical signs and therapy of dental trauma, with a focus on tooth avulsion. A very low level of knowledge (<25%) was found only for the type of splinting required to maintain an avulsed tooth on the arch. The highest number of correct answers was provided by the residents in Periodontology. Physiological serum as storage medium was recognized by a percentage of 75.9-80% of the subjects, and 60-77% of them recognized pulp necrosis as complication of dental avulsion. The study underlines the need to introduce in the curriculum of all categories of residents additional information, not only in the already existent theoretical form, but also as possible scenarios of various clinical situations.