Many elderly patients visiting the emergency department for minor injuries are not assessed for functional status and experience functional decline 6 months post injury. Identifying such high-risk patients can allow for interventions to prevent or minimize adverse health outcomes including loss of independence. For the purpose of a planned clinical decision rule to identify elderly patients at high risk of functional decline a survey of physicians was conducted. A random sample of 534 Canadian geriatricians, emergency and family physicians was selected with half randomly selected to receive an incentive. A response rate of 57.0% was obtained with 90% of physicians considering a drop in function of at least 2 points on the 28-point OARS ADL scale as clinically significant. A sensitivity of 90% would meet or exceed 90% of physicians' requirements for a clinical decision rule to identify injured seniors at high risk of functional decline 6 months post injury.

Carnivorous plants perform as both producers and consumers. Botanical carnivory has evolved in sunny, moist, nutrient-poor environments, and the primary nutrient supplied by prey is proposed to be nitrogen. There is a trade-off between carnivorous and photosynthetic structures which corresponds to degree of carnivory expression and available nutrients. This study was conducted on the hooded pitcher plant, Sarracenia minor, which is a facultative wetland plant and Florida-threatened species. Sarracenia minor is considered a specialist myrmecophage and ants characterize the majority of attracted and captured prey. Ants not only provide nutritional benefit, but also protection against herbivory. A natural population of S. minor in northeast Florida was selected to test response to prey and fertilizer nitrogen in a press-experimental design. Introduced fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) and ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) were used as prey and fertilizer nitrogen sources, respectively. Treatments included: 1) ant addition; 2) fertilizer addition; 3) ant addition/fertilizer addition; 4) no ants/no fertilizer; 5) control. Treatments were administered biweekly and morphological characteristics and herbivory were measured monthly from April-November 2012. Results indicated no significant treatment effects on plant performance and morphological characteristics, except for a significantly greater number of flowers displayed by the nutrient-deprived group (p < .005). Herbivory by Exyra semicrocea also showed a marginally significant negative effect on the tallest pitchers per ramet. Since nitrogen is primarily stored by pitchers and allocated to new growth in the following growing season, the predictive power of this study may be limited. However, increased flowering rate in the nutrient-deprived group suggests that plants were induced to flower from nutrient stress. Also, a burn at the beginning of the study likely influenced nutrient availability and plant response to experimental treatments. In conclusion, stress may have occurred from both fire and nutrients, and S. minor showed resistance and poor response to nitrogen addition.

China's role in Western music is ever-expanding. Echoing the growth of classical music in China is the importance of Chinese musicians in the global music world. However, it is easy to forget that Western classical music is a foreign import to China, one that has been resisted for most of its history. The intent of this study is to evaluate the role of Chinese music in the Western classical world. This includes Western education, Western repertoire, and also a historical exploration into the mutual influence of the two styles. One Chinese composition in particular, Huang An-lun's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 57, is selected to analyze the Western and Chinese elements present in the work. This analysis will shed light on the relationship of the two styles and how they amalgamate in modern Chinese music. Although Western classical music today has a strong foothold in China, Chinese contributions to piano literature are largely unknown to the West. China possesses one of the richest musical histories in the world, one which until the twentieth century has largely remained unaffected by Western elements. Its musical heritage extends over thousands of years, deeply rooted in tradition and nationalism. Over the last century, Chinese composition began to incorporate Western musical ideas while still holding on to its own heritage and traditions. This synthesis of Western and Chinese musical elements created a new compositional sound founded on Chinese roots. Huang An-lun, one of China's most prominent living composers, embodies this style in his compositions. Chinese composition is no longer something that is exotic or alien to Western music. Instead, it integrates many Western ideas while still being founded in Chinese heritage, creating a new style that has much to offer the Western classical world.

The recordings of the legendary pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski are a valuable documentation of his piano performance style. Knowledge of late-Romantic performance practices gleaned from Paderewski's recordings suggest ways of approaching the performance of his Sonata in E-Flat Minor, Op. 21. This Sonata, composed in 1903 near the end of his compositional career, is a work of the highest caliber, deserving a permanent place in the concert pianist's repertoire. The purpose of this paper is to provide performance suggestions based on Paderewski's performance style which will produce a performance closer to the spirit of the times in which it was written. This study provides an overview of the project in Chapter 1, and a background of Paderewski's life as pianist, composer, and statesman in Chapter 2. A time-line chart of his complete works is included for reference. Chapter 3 analyzes Sonata, Op. 21 in regards to form, sound, melody, harmony, and rhythm. Following the analysis, the Sonata is compared compositionally to sonatas that appear alongside Sonata, Op. 21 on Paderewski's programs, including those by Chopin, Beethoven, and Liszt. Graphs summarize the form and dynamic density of the Sonata, and examples illustrate Paderewski's craft at thematic transformation. Chapter 4 examines Paderewski's performance style documented in recordings of his own compositions and of works by Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Beethoven. Consideration is given to various aspects of interpretation, including counterpoint, asynchrony, tempo rubato, rhythmic variance, and pedaling. Each of these aspects of Paderewski's performance style is illustrated with transcriptions of excerpts from Paderewski's recordings. The author proposes examples of application of these aspects to Paderewski's Sonata, Op. 21. Chapter 5 provides a summary of the project. Appendix A contains an analysis of the rhythmic grouping that performers may find useful, and Appendix B contains the recital programs required for the degree program.

Pavuková, S.:Vinca minor L. alkaloids and their biological activity II. Diploma thesis, Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Hradec Králové 2020. Vinca minor L. is a species of species of flowering plant, native mainly to central and southern Europe, which containst more than 50 indole alkaloids. During screening of potential plant inhibitors against human acetylcholinesterase (hAChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (HBChE) at our department, an alkaloidal extract from dried aerial parts of Vinca minor demonstrated strong and selective hBChE inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 13.60 ± 0.83 μg/mL, however, against hAChE was inactive (IC50 value >100 μg/mL). The fraction VM 323 - 327 (4,72 g) was separated by column chromatography on silica gel again with stepwise elution by using chloroform and ethanol and overall 7 joined fractions were obtained.Subsequently, repeated preparative TLC on silica gel led to isolation of three compounds; the newly isolated substance SP-1, (-)-picrinine (SP-2) and deacetylakuammiline (SP-3). Their structures were elucidated with mass spectrometry (ESI), NMR and optical rotation. Isolated alkaloids were tested on ability to inhibit AChE, BuChE, POP a GSK-3β, which are enzymes playing an important role in...

The aim of this thesis is to design an air conditioning system of a flat unit in two variants of piping. The piping system of the first floor is installed into the floor in one variant, in the other it is in the ceiling. Data received from measurements within the experiment have been used for the design. The result of the measurement are minor loss coefficient implemented for bending pipes and pressure losses caused by rubbing. These values are used for dimensioning piping variants. Both types of piping are described in the theoretical part and the method of how the experiment had been processed.

INTRODUCCIÓN: la revisión de la literatura científica evidencia controversia con respecto a la relación entre el estado de sobrepeso/obesidad materna (S/O) y el estado de sobrepeso/obesidad (S/O) en sus hijos adolescentes. OBJETIVO: determinar si existe relación entre el antecedente de sobrepeso/obesidad de la madre durante la primera infancia del niño y el desarrollo de la sobrepeso/obesidad en la adolescencia, considerando el potencial rol de variables confusoras (como, edad, sexo, nivel socioeconómico, nivel educativo de la madre, actividad física del niño y tipo de migración). MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Análisis de base de datos secundaria de una cohorte proveniente de un estudio longitudinal multinacional ("base de datos Young Lives -YL"), específicamente de Perú compuesta por 1431 adolescentes, a quienes se evaluó el antecedente de sobrepeso/obesidad de la madre (1ra ronda), estado de sobrepeso/obesidad en la adolescencia (5ta ronda y las variables confusoras: sexo (1ra ronda), edad, nivel socioeconómico, nivel educativo de la madre, actividad física del niño y tipo de migración (5ta ronda) a través del modelo estadístico Regresión de Poisson. RESULTADOS: La prevalencia del estado de sobrepeso/obesidad en las madres y adolescentes fue 42,4% y 25% respectivamente; tanto el análisis de Poisson simple y múltiple, mostraron asociación entre el estado materno S/O y ​​el estado S/O en la descendencia adolescente (RRc= 1,3; IC al 95%: 1,1 al 1,5; p <0,001 y RRa= 1,2; IC al 95%: 1,1 al 1,4; p = 0,031, respectivamente). CONCLUSIONES: se encontró una relación significativa entre el estado materno S/O y el estado S/O del adolescente en la población estudiada después del ajuste por terceras variables como edad, sexo, nivel socioeconómico, nivel educativo de la madre, actividad física adolescente y tipo de migración. / Does maternal overweight/obesity status during offspring´s early childhood influence in the development of overweight/obesity status at an adolescence age?, results of the analysis of the younger cohort (2002-2016) of Young Lives, in Peru / Tesis

This paper deals with the problem of monitoring the occurrence of the minority events in thermodynamic systems by using thermodynamic sensors based on the principle of balance equilibrium. The basis of this work is to find new sensor arrangement of thermodynamic sensors that allows work in a wide range of workloads of monitored system while maintaining the required sensitivity. Newly designed balance circuit for the sensor arrangement with four active sensors allows active setup of the default balance equilibrium and power matching of the sensor to its immediate surroundings in the system. By designing and optimization of balance circuit was achieved measuring the output response and its conversion to digital format. This enabled numerical analysis of output signal, algorithmic processing of the results and generate a feedback control signal to adjust the equilibrium conditions.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in South Africa is predicted to increase substantially in the next decades if the necessary preventative measures are not taken. The two most common NCDs associated with rapid mortality increase are diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN). Both of these diseases, i.e DM and HTN, can be a result of a combination of modifiable risk factors (behavioral) and non-modifiable risk factors (genetic, physiological, and environmental). New strategies implemented to manage these diseases should include addressing both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for patients with NCDs. The aim of this study was to contribute to the reduction of incidence of uncontrolled T2DM among patients taking metformin as a first-line anti-diabetic drug, through the development of individualized therapy for this drug. When implemented, this could be one of the healthcare strategies to address non-modifiable risk factors for patients with T2DM as an important NCD. The first objective of the study was to explore the prevalence and risk factors of DM and HTN in South Africa, especially within the economically disadvantaged population.

Mouse polyomavirus is a member and model virus of Polyomaviridae family. In order to infect cells and produce viral progeny, the viral chromosome must be transported to the nucleus. Several studies suggest that virions are transporeted to the endoplasmic reticulum, from which they are transferred to the cytosol with assistace of host proteins. Two of these proteins are the chaperon, BiP (binding immunoglobulin protein) and the cochaperone, DNAJ B14. Polyomaviruses probably enter the nucleus through nuclear pores with the assistence of importins. These processes were mainly studied with SV40. In this work, we show that MPyV infection induces a change in distribution of the DNAJ B14 protein, which became clustered into foci, where it co-localizes with the viral capsid protein, VP1. The occurrence of foci varies during infection. With use of proximity ligation assay, we have shown that during an early fase of MPyV infection, DNAJ B14 and BiP get in the close proximity with VP1. It is suggested that negatively charged amino acids at the N-terminus of the minor capsid protein, VP2, are required for targeting virions to translocon and proteins associated with ERAD. We created MPyV with VP2 mutated in these amino acids. The negatively charged amino acid at position 17 is not necessary for successful...