Os vasos de fino calibre apresentam maior risco para reestenose e revascularização da lesão alvo. Limitações relacionadas com a navegabilidade dos sistemas de dilatação por balão e menor capacidade de acomodação da neoíntima podem contribuir para isto. O stent autoexpansível de nitinol Sparrow® dedicado a vaso de calibre < 2,75 mm, resultou num conjunto com perfil de um fio-guia 0,014\". Testado na forma de stent de metal puro no estudo CARE I, revelou-se seguro e eficaz em vasos de fino calibre. Este estudo avaliou, de forma pioneira, o despenho de um stent autoexpansível farmacológico neste cenário. O objetivo primário foi comparar a perda luminal tardia no vaso-alvo pela angiografia coronária quantitativa ao final de oito meses, entre os stents Sparrow® farmacológico e não farmacológico, em coronárias com diâmetro de referência < 2,75 mm. Casuística e métodos: Os pacientes foram randomizados de forma prospectiva em dois grupos para procedimento de angioplastia: um grupo com o emprego o stent Sparrow® farmacológico (sirolimus), e ou outro grupo com o stent Sparrow® na versão não farmacológica. Análise pela angiografia coronária quantitativa foi realizada imediatamente antes e após o procedimento e aos oito meses, com seguimento clínico de 24 meses. Foi utilizado o programa IBM SPSS Statistics® para análise estatística e foi considerado nível de significância de 5% e poder de 80% para o cálculo do tamanho da amostra. Resultados: 24 pacientes foram randomizados, 12 no grupo com stent farmacológico Sparrow® e 12 no grupo com a versão não farmacológica. Na avaliação angiográfica aos oito meses verificou-se significativa redução de perda luminal tardia no grupo com o stent farmacológico Sparrow® em comparação com grupo com a versão não farmacológica (0,25 + 0,16 mm versus 0,97 + 0,76 mm, p = 0,008, IC 95% de -1,19 ; -0,22). No seguimento clínico de 12 meses, não foram observados eventos cardíacos adversos maiores (morte, infarto ou necessidade de revascularização do vaso alvo) no grupo com stent farmacológico. Não ocorreu trombose intrastent. Conclusão: Em pacientes submetidos à angioplastia transluminal percutânea em artérias coronárias com diâmetro de referência < 2,75 mm, o emprego do stent farmacológico autoexpansível Sparrow®, em comparação com a versão não farmacológica do mesmo stent, resultou em significativa redução de perda luminal tardia, sem ocorrência de eventos clínicos que deponham contra a segurança do dispositivo pesquisado. / Small vessels represent a group with high risk for restenosis and target lesion revascularization. Limitations associated with navigability of balloon dilation systems and less accommodating of the neointima may contribute to this. The self-expanding Sparrow® stent system dedicated to the vessel size <2.75 mm resulted in a profile similar to a 0.014\" guide wire angioplasty. Tested as bare metal stent in the CARE trial I, the Sparrow® stent system has proved to be safe and effective in small vessels. This study evaluated, for the first time, the performance of a self-expanding drug eluting stent in this scenario. The primary objective was to compare the in-stent late lumen loss by quantitative coronary angiography at the end of eight months between the Sparrow® drug-elutig stent and Sparrow® bare metal stent in coronary arteries with reference diameter <=2.75 mm. Materials and methods: Patients were prospectively randomized (1:1) Analysis by quantitative coronary angiography was performed immediately before and after the procedure and at eight months with clinical follow-up to 12 months. We used the IBM® SPSS for statistical analysis and was considered a significance level of 5% and 80% power for the calculation of sample size. Results: 24 patients were randomized, 12 in each group. At Eight months follow-up there was significant reduction in late lumen loss in the Sparrow® drug-eluting stent group compared to the Sparrow® bare metal stent group (0.25 ± 0.16 mm vs. 0.97 + 0.76 mm, p = 0.008, 95% CI -1.19 to -0.22). Up to 12 months of clinical follow-up there no cases of death, myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization Of note, there was no stent thrombosis. Conclusion: In patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in coronary arteries with reference diameter <= 2.75 mm, the use of Sparrow® drug-eluting stent, compared to the Sparrow® bare metal stent, resulted in significant less late loss without occurrence of clinical events that weigh against the security of device.

Acredita-se que o alinhamento postural interfira no controle postural. Entretanto, a literatura científica a respeito desta interação é escassa e controversa. Alguns autores relataram baixa ou nenhuma correlação entre alinhamento e controle postural enquanto outros autores relataram alta correlação. Esta questão foi abordada através da avaliação da estabilidade postural em indivíduos portadores de hiperextensão dos joelhos, uma alteração do alinhamento postural predominantemente do plano sagital e que, portanto, deve interferir principalmente no deslocamento ântero-posterior do centro de pressão (CP). Além disto, esta condição postural pode ter implicações funcionais e está relacionada a um maior risco de lesões do joelho. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar os efeitos do desalinhamento postural do joelho sobre a estabilidade postural através de parâmetros do centro de pressão e os efeitos da perturbação visual e proprioceptiva sobre o alinhamento postural dos joelhos durante a postura bípede quieta. Dados cinemáticos foram adquiridos a partir do lado direito de 23 mulheres adultas, jovens e saudáveis enquanto permaneciam em postura bípede quieta sobre uma plataforma de força modelo AMTI. Três tentativas de 30 segundos foram efetuadas em cada uma de quatro condições sensoriais nas quais os sujeitos permaneciam de pé diretamente sobre a plataforma de força (PLAT) ou sobre uma placa de espuma posicionada sobre a plataforma de força (ESPUMA) com os olhos abertos (OA) ou fechados (OF). Os sujeitos foram enquadrados nos grupos Sujeito- Hiperestendido (n=14) e Sujeito-Alinhado (n=9) de acordo com o alinhamento dos joelhos na avaliação postural tradicional e a análise dos dados cinemáticos foi efetuada. Uma vez que o ângulo dos joelhos variou através das tentativas em condições com distúrbios sensoriais, uma nova classificação dos grupos baseada no ângulo dos joelhos de cada tentativa foi efetuada para a análise dos dados cinéticos. Três grupos foram utilizados nesta análise: Grupo Tentativa-Alinhada, Grupo Tentativa-Hiperestendida e Grupo Tentativa-Ajustada, este último compreendendo as tentativas em que o ângulo do joelho permanecia o tempo todo inferior a 180o, mas de sujeitos inicialmente classificados como tendo joelhos hiperestendidos. Os resultados mostram que o Grupo Sujeito-Hiperestendido teve uma clara tendência a flexionar e aumentar a amplitude de movimento dos joelhos a medida que o desafio ao equilíbrio aumentou. A comparação dos dados cinéticos entre os grupos mostrou diferenças significativas na velocidade média de deslocamento do CP nas condições PLAT/OA e ESPUMA/OF. Conclui-se que os indivíduos com hiperextensão dos joelhos respondem aos distúrbios sensoriais com flexão e aumento da amplitude de movimento dos joelhos. E, mesmo quando apresentam ângulos dos joelhos similares aos dos sujeitos com joelhos alinhados, apresentam maior atividade regulatória da postura representada pela maior velocidade média do CP. / Postural alignment is thought to affect postural control. Data describing the relationships between postural alignment and stance stability are scarce and controversial. Some authors reported no correlation or low correlation between postural alignment and stance stability while others reported high correlations. This matter was approached by evaluating stance stability in individuals with hyperextended knees which is a condition with functional implications and related to an increased risk of knee injuries. Also, this condition is mainly a sagittal plane misalignment that might affect predominantly the center of pressure displacement in anterior-posterior axis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of postural misalignment of knees in stance stability and the effects of sensorial disturbances on knee postural alignment. Kinematic data were collected from the right side of 23 healthy female adults while quietly standing on an AMTI force plate. Three trials of 30 seconds were performed in each of four conditions when subjects stood directly on the force plate (PLATE) or on a slab of foam (FOAM) with eyes open (EO) or eyes closed (EC). Subjects were classified into Aligned-Subjects Group (n=9) and Hyperextended-Subjects Group (n=14) based on traditional postural evaluation, and kinematic analysis was performed. Because knee angles changed throughout trials in conditions with sensorial disturbances, a new classification of groups based on knee angles in each trial was needed in order to analyze kinetic variables. Three groups were used in this analysis: Aligned-Trials Group, Hyperextended-Trials Group and Adjusted-Trials Group. The latter contained the trials in which knee angles were lower than 180o of subjects that showed initially hyperextended knees. Results show that the hyperextended group had a clear tendency to flex their knees and to increase knee motion as balance challenge increased. Comparison of center of pressure (COP) variables among the groups showed differences in mean velocity in the PLATE/EO and FOAM/EC conditions. It was concluded that subjects with knee hyperextension exhibited a motor strategy by flexing their knees in challenging conditions and even when showing knee angles similar to those of aligned subjects, their stance stability showed a higher mean velocity of COP

This study aims to examine the differences and similarities between the propaganda used by the United states and the Nazis during the second world war. The object for the analysis are movies, and what expressions of propaganda that can be seen and deciphered. This study will also try to explain why there are similarities and differences between the two countries propaganda. The tool for the analysis of the movies is based on Ralph Donald’s method to interpret propaganda used in Hollywood movies. I have made some modifications to his method in order to apply it on Nazi movies as well. The movies used in this study are the American The Great Dictator and the German Die Rothschild’s. I have narrowed it down to two movies because of the time limit of this study. Furthermore, I have presented a small, but crucial part of the previous research in the field of propaganda to suit and to strengthen my arguments and conclusions in the analysis of the movies. The reason why the research is narrow is because of the immense field of propaganda. The results from this study shows that there are similarities and also differences between the propaganda used by the Americans and the Nazis, and that this in part can be explained by the propagandas purpose to dehumanize the enemy. It can also be explained by the fact that propaganda is used to boost the morale of the Homefront during wartime.

The purpose of this study was to investigate if any linguistic differences between the sexes can be found in Swedish students’ compositions in English. My aim was also to investigate what features students perceive to be typically male or female. By studying a number of Swedish students’ English compositions, I was able to detect differences between boys’ and girls’ language and also compare my discoveries with earlier research. I investigated both the features that separate the genders in their writing and also what students identified as female and male language use. In my investigation, I found some linguistic differences between the sexes which were more distinct than others; for example their use of stative and dynamic verbs. But, on the other hand, I found no noticeable difference between boys’ and girls’ use of adjectives; words which are often said to be more commonly used by girls.

This study aims to compare British war poetry of the First World War with Iraqi poetry from the mid-20th century with special reference to Iraqi war poetry of the 1980’s Iraq-Iran War and the period that followed it. It will also investigate the influence of the designated British war poetry on the chosen body of Iraqi poetry. Through the comparison of sample poems the study presents, firstly, the direct influence of the British poetry of the Great War and its translation which formed the seeds of a more radical movement in Iraqi poetry during the 1980’s Iran/Iraq War and the period that followed it. The study also presents a comparison of the works of British and Iraqi civilian poets during and after the war time and their contribution in setting the ground for the younger generation to create more subversive poetic forms with special reference to women as influential characters and inspirations in their works. The moment of the 1980’s war marks the break with the clear direct influence of British war poetry and starts another phase of the comparison of a universal bond of similar reactions, conscious and unconscious expression reflecting the lives of the combatant group of men first and then of poets sharing a devastating war reality. The study reveals a remarkable, more radical change of poetic forms in Iraqi poetry between the time of the first seeds planted by the influence of translations from European poetry until the time of the Iran/Iraq war and the Gulf War in 1991 and the rise of the new nihilistic generation of the 1990s subverting war, politics and cultural life through their innovation in prose poem writing and its significance as an alternative space for their political and social subversion.

Ownership is an innate perception of individuals which could manifest in their possessive behaviours. Owners of property are inclined to extend a sense of self to their possessions, demand a right to control them and use them as a tool with which to interact or negotiate with other people. Clarifying ownership of knowledge is difficult in terms of whether the knowledge in question should belong to an individual following privacy rights or it should belong to an organisation following intellectual property rights (IPR). Furthermore, conflicts occur between developed countries which have a stronger culture for the IPR than developing countries do. Studying knowledge ownership helps to understand these differing viewpoints. Previous works found that knowledge ownership influences the intentions to share knowledge. Nevertheless, little research has been done to explore the knowledge ownership concept particularly in a cross-cultural context. This thesis suggests that cross-cultural research is an appropriate approach to conduct a study on knowledge ownership because ownership perceptions vary from cultures to cultures. The work of Ekweozor (2008) is extended in this study to include a comparative study between the UK and Thailand to validate previous findings. Furthermore, knowledge ownership concept, its influencing factors and its relationship with knowledge sharing intentions are examined. Secondary data in the UK context were adopted from Ekweozor (2008)'s work. The Thai version questionnaires translated from her English version were distributed to collect data in the Thai context. The results show that knowledge sharing intentions vary according to types of ownership perception which include individual, organisational and collaborative ownership. Employees who perceive organisational ownership tend to have more intention to share knowledge than the others. In contrast, employees who perceive individual ownership tend to have less intention to share knowledge than the others. In addition, the results reveal that contextual factors including nationality and sector, and conditional factors including types of knowledge, the work environment and personal characteristics, influence what individuals believe about knowledge ownership. Moreover, apart from the mediating role, it is found that knowledge ownership also has a moderating role between the work environment and knowledge sharing intentions. It should be noted that the study was conducted only in the UK and Thailand thus it may not be able to generalise to other countries. Despite this limitation, this study emphasises that knowledge ownership perception is a crucial factor that influences knowledge sharing intentions in organisations. In addition, knowledge ownership could mediate and moderate the relationship between the work environment and knowledge sharing intentions. It is also recommended that contextual factors should be considered when conducting a study on knowledge ownership perceptions because each context differs in many respects such as cultures, regulations and the work environment. Therefore, in order to strengthen and validate research findings in this area, cross-cultural research is an important strategy. Overall, this study theoretically and practically contributes to and advances knowledge of knowledge ownership by providing empirical evidences and implications for researchers and practitioners in a cross-cultural context.

Objetivo: El objetivo del estudio es determinar la concordancia entre las escalas PROCAM (Prospective Cardiovascular Münster) y Framingham en pacientes receptores de Tratamiento Antirretroviral de Gran Actividad (TARGA). Método: Estudio transversal analítico en población masculina VIH positiva receptora de TARGA dentro de un hospital de referencia nacional ubicado en Lima, Perú. Para evaluar la concordancia entre ambas escalas se empleó el método gráfico de Bland y Altman, correlación con el coeficiente de Pearson y acuerdo entre pruebas mediante el coeficiente de Kappa. Resultados: Enrolamos 111 personas, con edad promedio de 47,0 años. El 76,6% presentó dislipidemia. Los triglicéridos evidenciaron una media de 265,0 mg/dL. La distribución de pacientes en riesgo cardiovascular bajo, moderado y alto fue de 81,2%, 13,6% y 5,4%, según PROCAM y de 71,2%, 25,2% y 3,6% según Framingham respectivamente. Según el método de Bland y Altman, la concordancia fue adecuada en valores bajos y se fue perdiendo en riesgos altos. El coeficiente de Pearson mostró fuerte correlación (r=0,87 y P<0,05) y el coeficiente de Kappa fue de 0,56 (p<0,001). Conclusiones: La concordancia existente a riesgos bajos se va perdiendo a medida que el riesgo se va incrementando. Existe fuerte correlación entre ambas escalas. Se recomienda realizar más estudios que permitan conocer qué escala es la más óptima para ser utilizada en población adulta VIH positiva receptora de TARGA. / Objective: The aim of the study is to determine the concordance between the PROCAM (Prospective Cardiovascular Münster) and Framingham scales in patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Method: A cross sectional study was conducted in HIV-positive male population who use HAART in a national reference hospital located in Lima, Peru. To evaluate the concordance between the two scales the graphic method of Bland and Altman was used, for the evaluation of the correlation we used the Pearson coefficient and to measure the agreement we use the kappa coefficient. Results: 111 patients were enrolled, with an average age of 47.0 years. The 76.6% had dyslipidemia. Triglycerides showed an average of 265.0 mg/dL. The distribution of patients according to the risk was low, moderate and high, 81.2%, 13.6% and 5.4% respectively for PROCAM and 71.2%, 25.2% and 3.6% for Framingham. According to the graphic method of Bland and Altman, the concordance was adequate in low values and was lost as the risk score increased. Pearson's test found a strong correlation (r = 0.87 and P <0.05) and the kappa coefficient was 0.56 (p<0,001). Conclusions: The agreement we found at low risk decreases as the risk increases. Strong correlation was found between the two scales. We recommend further studies in order to know which scale of cardiovascular risk is the most optimal scale for clinical practice among HIV population who receive HAART.

Systems for implementing the Structural Funds have always been crucial to the impact of the Cohesion policy. At the heart of all programs of the Structural Funds are the systems for apprising and selecting projects, determining the efficiency and effectiveness of the program implementation. The aim of this paper is to examine the implementation of the Structural Funds in the 2007-2013 period in the Czech Republic in terms of effective resource allocation through grant projects. The examination focuses on the responsibilities and methods in the project appraisal and selection used under the Operational Program Education for Competitiveness and compares them to similar procedures applied by the European Commission in management of the community Life Long Learning Program in the current financial period. Based on discussion of the respective systems, the paper highlights the main differences between the systems and proposes for consideration several changes to the project selection under the Operational Program Education for Competitiveness to increase its effectiveness and transparency of the system.

La protection pénale des ressources pétrolières est en outre un sujet incontestablement pluridisciplinaire. Nous avons vu que le sujet concerne les deux grands ordres juridiques que sont le droit privé et le droit public. Dans le cadre de cette pluridisciplinarité, on remarque que le pétrole s'intègre dans de très nombreuses matières. En tant qu’activité d'intérêt général, le pétrole répond à la mission des services publics, à ses mutations impulsées par l'Etat notamment celles relatives aux lois spéciales qui règlent les ressources pétrolières dans le volet pénal et qui permettent d'atteindre une protection adéquate pour l'investissement de ces ressources. A ce titre, ces considérations se trouvent très liées au droit pénal, qui joue un rôle considérable dans la régulation du pétrole et à plus forte raison dans la stratégie de sécurité pétrolière. L'implantation des structures et infrastructures afférentes aux pétrole font également intervenir le droit pénal. A cela s'ajoute un certain nombre de sujets spécifiques, tel que le domaine pétrolier, suffisamment dense et endogène pour constituer une matière à part entière. / The criminal protection of oil resources is undoubtedly a multidisciplinary subject. This subjectconcerns the two major legal systems that are private law and public law. In the context of thismultidisciplinary approach, oil is integrated into a great many objects. As an activity of generalinterest, the oil responds to the mission of the public services, to its changes impelled by theState especially those relating to the special laws which regulate the oil resources in the criminalaspect that achieve an adequate protection for the investment of these resources. As such, theseconsiderations are closely linked to the criminal law, which plays a considerable role in theregulation of oil, and even more so in the strategy on oil security. The establishment ofstructures and infrastructure related to oil also involve criminal law. To this is added a numberof specific topics, such as the oil field, which is sufficiently endogenous to constitute a separatesubject.

Background. Virtual reality (VR) technology has evolved to a stage where affordable consumer devices are available. Still, there are limitations to technology which causes compromises to be made. One of the big problems in VR is locomotion, especially regarding immersion and comfort. There are two common ways for locomotion in VR, Teleportation and smooth continuous locomotion. Smooth locomotion is often considered superior for immersion but commonly causes simulation sickness.Objectives. This paper is comparing two different methods of smooth locomotion, one based on head orientation and the other based on controller orientation. The objective is to determine which method is preferred regarding comfort, immersion and ease of use.Methods. To identify the strength and weaknesses of each method, a VR experiment was designed which simulates tasks common in video games. A comparative study was made with fifteen subjects.The fifteen participants performed tasks involving exploring a VR environment and using the VR controller to shoot at targets. After using each of the methods the subjects then answered questionnaires about the usability and the simulations sickness caused by the method. Other data was collected on how well the task was performed such as number of targets hit.Results. The users ranked controller orientation locomotion higher for perceived naturalness and likeability and was ranked lower for items relating to restrictiveness and difficulty. No significant difference was found regarding simulator sickness and performance.Conclusion. Controller orientation locomotion ranked at least as good or better than head orientation locomotion in all categories. This shows that it is the preferred orientation method in this use case where the application is similar to a first person shooter game.