Modernizing National Numbering Plan on NGN Platform - Hungarian Case Study

The intensive technological development of the last years brought the overall acceptance of an IP based network and services vision based on the NGN. The realization of the NGN vision, the decision on the migration to NGN sets regulatory tasks, especially in the area of numbering and addressing. The utilization of the opportunities provided by the NGN platform requires the use of IP addresses and names in the core network, the role of the E.164 numbers is taken over by IP addresses. However in case of voice services the identification of end-user access points will remain by the use of E.164 numbers. Migration to NGN doesn't require directly the change of the subscribers' phone number; however the NGN enables among others the implementation of national number portability for fixed telephone service. The opportunities can be realized by using uniform domestic number length and dialling method, practically closed numbering. The introduction of a 9-digit uniform, closed domestic numbering provides a consistent solution for the deficiencies of the present Hungarian numbering plan, too. Recently it can be reached in single step so that the present 9-digit domestic numbers and the short codes remain unchanged, the 8-digit domestic numbers are completed to 9-digit by the insertion of an appropriate digit, as well as the present and new numbering schemes can be in operation simultaneously. --

Net neutrality under usage-based pricing: A game-theoretic analysis with user loyalty

Network neutrality issue has been recently received a great attention from the research community, the industry and the network regulators alike. From the European perspectives, the net neutrality issue is increasingly important because it is also part of the Digital Agenda 2020 recently approved by the European Commission [1, 2]. Until now, usage-based pricing and network neutrality have been considered as two different research problems and very few network neutrality researchers examine usage-based pricing as a main consideration. In addition, the user behaviour such as user loyalty issue should be seriously taken into consideration because users will have an increasingly more important role in the operation and management of the network. In this paper, we address the net neutrality issue by investigating the usage-based pricing in presence of user loyalty from the game-theoretic perspective. The contributions of the paper are twofold. First, we provide game-theoretic models for the interaction among the stakeholders under usage-based pricing under the presence of customer loyalty. Based on the models, we compute the Nash equilibrium prices of the pricing games and discuss the consequences and the impact on net neutrality. Results show both positive and negative impacts of usage-based pricing on net neutrality. From the user perspective, the usage-based pricing does not show advantage over simple flat-rate pricing. On the positive side, our results also suggest that under certain circumstances cooperation between broadband providers can make the network be more profitable and yet sustainable. Based on the results, we discuss the practical feasibility of applying usage-based pricing for net neutrality under the presence of user loyalty

Modernizing National Numbering Plan on NGN Platform - Hungarian Case Study

The intensive technological development of the last years brought the overall acceptance of an IP based network and services vision based on the NGN. The realization of the NGN vision, the decision on the migration to NGN sets regulatory tasks, especially in the area of numbering and addressing. The utilization of the opportunities provided by the NGN platform requires the use of IP addresses and names in the core network, the role of the E.164 numbers is taken over by IP addresses. However in case of voice services the identification of end-user access points will remain by the use of E.164 numbers. Migration to NGN doesn't require directly the change of the subscribers' phone number; however the NGN enables among others the implementation of national number portability for fixed telephone service. The opportunities can be realized by using uniform domestic number length and dialling method, practically closed numbering. The introduction of a 9-digit uniform, closed domestic numbering provides a consistent solution for the deficiencies of the present Hungarian numbering plan, too. Recently it can be reached in single step so that the present 9-digit domestic numbers and the short codes remain unchanged, the 8-digit domestic numbers are completed to 9-digit by the insertion of an appropriate digit, as well as the present and new numbering schemes can be in operation simultaneously

Rainbow trout CK9, a CCL25-like ancient chemokine that attracts and regulates B cells and macrophages, the main antigen presenting cells in fish

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors want to thank Dr. Oriol Sunyer for the anti-IgT and Dr. Uwe Fischer for the anti-CD8 antibodies used in this study. We also want to acknowledge Lucía González Torres for technical assistance. GRANT SUPPORT This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant 2011 280469), by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) of the European Union (Grant Agreement 311993 TARGETFISH) and by project AGL2011-29676 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO). C. Aquilino was supported by a MINECO PhD student fellowshipPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Treatment outcomes of new tuberculosis patients hospitalized in Kampala, Uganda: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In most resource limited settings, new tuberculosis (TB) patients are usually treated as outpatients. We sought to investigate the reasons for hospitalisation and the predictors of poor treatment outcomes and mortality in a cohort of hospitalized new TB patients in Kampala, Uganda. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Ninety-six new TB patients hospitalised between 2003 and 2006 were enrolled and followed for two years. Thirty two were HIV-uninfected and 64 were HIV-infected. Among the HIV-uninfected, the commonest reasons for hospitalization were low Karnofsky score (47%) and need for diagnostic evaluation (25%). HIV-infected patients were commonly hospitalized due to low Karnofsky score (72%), concurrent illness (16%) and diagnostic evaluation (14%). Eleven HIV uninfected patients died (mortality rate 19.7 per 100 person-years) while 41 deaths occurred among the HIV-infected patients (mortality rate 46.9 per 100 person years). In all patients an unsuccessful treatment outcome (treatment failure, death during the treatment period or an unknown outcome) was associated with duration of TB symptoms, with the odds of an unsuccessful outcome decreasing with increasing duration. Among HIV-infected patients, an unsuccessful treatment outcome was also associated with male sex (P = 0.004) and age (P = 0.034). Low Karnofsky score (aHR = 8.93, 95% CI 1.88 - 42.40, P = 0.001) was the only factor significantly associated with mortality among the HIV-uninfected. Mortality among the HIV-infected was associated with the composite variable of CD4 and ART use, with patients with baseline CD4 below 200 cells/µL who were not on ART at a greater risk of death than those who were on ART, and low Karnofsky score (aHR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.02 - 4.01, P = 0.045). CONCLUSION: Poor health status is a common cause of hospitalisation for new TB patients. Mortality in this study was very high and associated with advanced HIV Disease and no use of ART

Distinct modes of action of CD40L and adaptive cytokines IL-2, IL-4/13, IL-10 and IL-21 on rainbow trout IgM+ B cells

Acknowledgements This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 725061) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (project AGL2017-85494-C2-1-R).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

HOBE+, a case study: a virtual community of practice to support innovation in primary care in Basque Public Health Service

BACKGROUND: A virtual professional community of practice (VCoP), HOBE+, has been set up to foster and facilitate innovation in primary care. It is aimed at all primary care professionals of the Basque Public Health Service (Osakidetza) in the provinces of Biscay and Araba. HOBE + is a VCoP that incorporates innovation management from the generation of ideas to their implementation in primary care practice. METHODS: We used a case study method, based on the data provided by the technology platform that supports the VCoP, and from a survey completed by HOBE + users. The target population was all primary care staff (including all professional categories) from Araba and Biscay provinces of the Basque Country (Spain), who represent the target users of the VCoP. RESULTS: From a total of 5190 professionals across all the professional categories invited to join, 1627 (31.3%) actually registered in the VCoP and, during the study period, 90 (5.5% of the registered users) participated actively in some way. The total number of ideas proposed by the registered users was 133. Of these, 23 ideas (17.2%) are being implemented. Finally, 80% of the users who answered the satisfaction survey about their experience with HOBE + considered the initiative useful in order to achieve continuous improvement and real innovation in clinical and managerial processes. CONCLUSIONS: The experience shows that it is possible to create a virtual CoP for innovation in primary care where professionals from different professional categories propose ideas for innovation that are ultimately implemented. This manuscript objectives are to assess the process of developing and implementing a VCoP open to all primary care professionals in Osakidetza, including the take-up, participation and use of this VCoP in the first 15 months after its launch in October 2011. In addition, the usefulness of the VCoP was assessed through a survey gathering the opinions of the professionals involved

Analysis of educational leadership at rural early-childhood and primary schools: a case study in Teruel (Aragon, Spain)

Rural schools are a distinctive feature in the autonomous community of Aragon, as state-run rural schools are the main cultural institution in small towns. This research was conducted in four grouped rural schools (hereafter referred to by their Spanish acronym, CRAs) in the province of Teruel in 2017. Our objectives included analising the views of management team members and teachers on educational leadership with a special emphasis on the rural school’s differentiating elements. Four CRAs were chosen in the province of Teruel. Three teachers and six members of management teams participated and the study data were collected using a qualitative interview. The content analysis of the interview was conducted using the NVivo program and was organised into two fundamental areas: views of educational leadership and the skills this leadership includes. The general perception of management teams and teachers is positive; they value the effort put into performing the work and understand that both management and CRAs are complex. They also appreciate the management teams’ organisation of training and its contents. This analysis suggests a set of conditions that provides a qualitative insight into management possibilities and limitations in the CRA model

Programa de formación para profesionales de enfermería sobre la utilización del VAC en úlceras por pie diabético

Introducción: El sistema VAC® (cierre asistido por vacío) es un procedimiento terapéutico oclusivo y no invasivo que mediante la utilización de presión negativa sobre una herida elimina el exceso de exudados, favorece la formación del tejido de granulación y la perfusión y ofrece un entorno de cicatrización húmedo y cerrado; supone un logro terapéutico para la cicatrización de heridas agudas de difícil resolución y para heridas crónicas como el pie diabético, que suponen un elevado consumo de recursos, hospitalización, y tiempo de trabajo para profesionales sanitarios.<br /

Los derechos sociales en la Constitución Española. Reflexión general y apuntes para el debate

A través del presente trabajo se intenta mostrar el desarrollo constitucional de los derechos sociales desde la aprobación de la Constitución hasta la actualidad y el impacto que la crisis económica ha tenido sobre ellos