Frequent land-use changes in urban areas require an efficient and dynamic approach to reform and update detailed plans by re-arrangement of surrounding land-uses in case of change in one or several urban land-uses. However, re-arrangement of land-uses is problematic, since a variety of conflicting criteria must be considered and satisfied. This paper proposes and examines a two-step approach to re

We study the finite-size scaling of moments of the magnetization in the low-temperature phase of the two-dimensional Is Ising model.

Background Reliable epidemiological data for portal vein thrombosis are lacking. Aims To investigate the incidence, prevalence and survival rates for patients with portal vein thrombosis. Methods Retrospective multicentre study of all patients registered with the diagnosis of portal vein thrombosis between 1995 and 2004. Results A total of 173 patients (median age 57 years, 93 men) with portal vei

We investigated inflammatory biomarkers in plasma and in circulating monocytes obtained from patients with Crohn's disease and healthy individuals. Additionally, we assessed the effects of atorvastatin, 10 μM, ex vivo on monocytes cultured for 18 hours from the same subjects. Plasma and blood monocytes from eight patients with active Crohn's disease and eight healthy individuals were analyzed by e

Objective: To investigate the ability of statins to activate the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) in primary human monocytes in culture. Materials and methods: Human peripheral monocytes were incubated with atorvastatin (0.1-10 μmol/1) for up to 24 hours. PPAR-γ expression was analysed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Pro-inflammatory cytokines wer

There is experimental evidence that pravastatin, which is designed to inhibit the rate-limiting enzyme of cholesterol synthesis, can affect cell metabolism and proliferation. We therefore studied the effects of pravastatin on the generation of inflammatory mediators in non-stimulated and stimulated primary human monocytes in vitro. In our experimental model, pravastatin induced a dose-dependent in

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be at increased risk of having venous thromboembolism. Methods: Medical records from 1253 IBD patients attending hospital care during the years 1987-97 were studied. These patients were recruited from a population of 340,000 inhabitants. Patients with verified venous thrombosis were characterized clinically, and blood samples were exam

Background and Aim: An abnormal immune response to intestinal bacteria has been observed in Crohn's disease (CD). Clostridium difficile infection incidence and severity are increased in CD, but reports on the humoral response have provided conflicting results. We aimed to shed light on the possible role of C. difficile in CD pathogenesis by paying attention to the influence of immunomodulatory tre

The essay focuses on the workers’ privacy, as regulated in art. 4 of the Italian labour protection act (St. lav.) and in the new EU GDPR. The A. analyses the links between the two sets of rules and their combined effect. A specific attention is dedicated to the sanctions against the infringement of the provisions of the abovementioned art. 4. This topic is especially studied with regard to the pos

In this work, we focus on the film Winter Sleep (2014) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan,whose works place special emphasis on various aspects of boredom. As one of the main figures in slow cinema, Ceylan, in this influential work of art, enable us to explore boredom through three main characters: Aydın (Haluk Bilginer), Nihal (Melisa Sözen) and Necla (Demet Akbağ). By taking a closer look at the film, we anal

Open Innovation (OI) has gained significant attention since the term was introduced in 2003. However, little is known whether general software testing processes are well suited for OI. An exploratory case study on the Acceptance Test Harness (ATH) is conducted to investigate OI testing activities of Jenkins. As far as the research methodology is concerned, we extracted the change log data of ATH f

In recent years Open Innovation (OI) has gained much attention and made firms aware that they need to consider the open environment surrounding them. To facilitate this shift Requirements Engineering (RE) needs to be adapted in order to manage the increase and complexity of new requirements sources as well as networks of stakeholders. In response we build on and advance an earlier proposed softwar

In the wake of the deterioration of relations between modern Russia and Poland, the Katyn memorial has become a scene for the contestation of historical memory. In order to play down the 1940 executions of Polish military officers in Katyn, the Russian government has granted belated official recognition to 8,000 victims of Stalinism in the Smolensk region. After being brushed under the carpet in t

Results of angle-resolved electron spectroscopy of near-threshold photoionization of Ne atoms by combined femtosecond extreme ultraviolet and near infrared fields are presented. The dressed-electron spectra show an energetic distribution into so-called sidebands, being separated by the photon energy of the dressing laser. Surprisingly, for the low kinetic energy (few eV) sidebands, the photoelectr

The Python Module Coupler (PyMoC) is a tool for co-simulation of Aspen Plus Dynamics modules that together make up an overall process flowsheet. The tool requires only user input in the form of file paths to Aspen Plus Dynamics modules, and it is able to automatically make the required connections there between, and keep track of the simulation whilst updating the streams regularly. This contribut

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate levels of perceived family cohesion during childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood in cancer-bereaved youths compared with non-bereaved peers.METHODS: In this nationwide, population-based study, 622 (73%) young adults (aged 18-26) who had lost a parent to cancer 6 to 9 years previously, when they were teenagers (aged 13-16), and 330 (78%) n

In this experimental study the influence of fissuring orientation and confinement pressure on the mechanical behaviour of natural clays is investigated. The tested material, the scaly clay from Santa Croce di Magliano (south of Italy), is characterised by an intense network of pre-existing fissures of single orientation. Several plane strain compression tests have been conducted, under different c

Diabetes prone biobreeding rats display several abnormalites in T cell numbers, T cell function and T cell surface phenotype which are associated with the onset of spontaneous disease. One of the most pronounced abnormalities in these animals is a marked T cell lymphopenia which is evident in both CD4+ and CD8+ peripheral T cell subsets. To gain a better understanding as to the nature of T cell re