The installed capacity of a large scale wind power plant will be up to a number of hundreds MW, and the wind power is transmitted to load centers through long distance transmission lines with 220 kV, 500 kV, or 750 kV...The installed capacity of a large scale wind power plant will be up to a number of hundreds MW, and the wind power is transmitted to load centers through long distance transmission lines with 220 kV, 500 kV, or 750 kV. Therefore, it is necessary not only considering the power transmission line between a wind power plant and the first connection node of the power network, but also the power network among the group of those wind power plants in a wind power base, the integration network from the base to the existed grids, as well as the distribution and consumption of the wind power generation by loads. Meanwhile, the impact of wind power stochastic fluctuation on power systems must be studied. In recent years, wind power prediction technology has been studied by the utilities and wind power plants. As a matter of fact, some European countries have used this prediction technology as a tool in national power dispatch centers and wind power companies.展开更多
A physiological sequence called autophagy qualitatively determines cellular viability by removing protein aggregates and damaged cyto-plasmic constituents, and contributes significantly to the degree of myocardial isc...A physiological sequence called autophagy qualitatively determines cellular viability by removing protein aggregates and damaged cyto-plasmic constituents, and contributes significantly to the degree of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion （I/R） injury. This tightly orchestrated cata-bolic cellular‘housekeeping’ process provides cells with a new source of energy to adapt to stressful conditions. This process was first described as a pro-survival mechanism, but increasing evidence suggests that it can also lead to the demise of the cell. Autophagy has been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple cardiac conditions including myocardial I/R injury. However, a debate persists as to whether autophagy acts as a protec-tive mechanism or contributes to the injurious effects of I/R injury in the heart. This controversy may stem from several factors including the va-riability in the experimental models and species, and the methodology used to assess autophagy. This review provides updated knowledge on the modulation and role of autophagy in isolated cardiac cells subjected to I/R, and the growing interest towards manipulating autophagy to increase the survival of cardiac myocytes under conditions of stress-most notably being I/R injury. Perturbation of this evolutionarily conserved intracellular cleansing autophagy mechanism, by targeted modulation through, among others, mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） inhibitors, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK） modulators, calcium lowering agents, resveratrol, longevinex, sirtuin activators, the proapoptotic gene Bnip3, IP3 and lysosome inhibitors, may confer resistance to heart cells against I/R induced cell death. Thus, therapeutic ma-nipulation of autophagy in the challenged myocardium may benefit post-infarction cardiac healing and remodeling.展开更多
Objective:This study aimed to examine the effects of mindfulness meditation on trait mindfulness,perceived stress,emotion regulation,and quality of life in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis.Meth...Objective:This study aimed to examine the effects of mindfulness meditation on trait mindfulness,perceived stress,emotion regulation,and quality of life in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis.Methods:An experimental study with repeated measures design was conducted among a sample of 74 end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis between January and May 2021 in the dialysis center at Jahra hospital,Kuwait.The patients were randomly assigned to the experimental(n?37)and control groups(n?37).The experimental group participated in 30-min mindfulness meditation sessions(three sessions a week for five weeks)held during their hemodialysis sessions;the participants in the control group were instructed to sit with their eyes closed and relaxed for 30 min three times a week for five weeks during hemodialysis sessions.The dependent variables of both groups were measured at baseline(T0),middle of intervention(T1),and end of intervention(T2)using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale(MAAS),Perceived Stress Scale(PSS),Emotion Regulation Questionnaire(ERQ),and Kidney Disease Quality of Life(KDQOL-36)questionnaire.The study was registered in the ClinicalTrial.gov(Identifier:NCT05176730).Results:The repeated measures ANOVA(within-subject)results for the experimental group showed that mindfulness meditation had significantly decreased perceived stress by the end of the intervention.Also,mindfulness meditation improved mindfulness,emotion regulation,and kidney disease-related quality of life in the experimental group,and this improvement occurred significantly at both T1 and T2.The repeated measures ANOVA(within and between-subject)results showed that the experimental group,as compared to the control group,had lower perceived stress,higher trait mindfulness,higher emotional regulation,and higher kidney disease-related quality of life over time.Conclusions:The positive findings of this study offer health policy-makers and hospital administrators a promising tool to use with patients undergoing hemodialysis as a way to manage stress and improve quality of life.However,this study should be replicated in multiple settings with follow-up assessments.展开更多
War is arguably the most extreme scenario for the exertion of violence. All warring parties suffer in one way or another but those who suffer most are usually those who least deserve it--the common folk. The paper wil...War is arguably the most extreme scenario for the exertion of violence. All warring parties suffer in one way or another but those who suffer most are usually those who least deserve it--the common folk. The paper will take as a case study one of the epic Mediterranean battles in the ongoing Christian versus Muslim conflict of the Early Modem Age. Happening in 1565, though micro in scale, the four-month engagement known as the Great Siege of Malta which was fought between the Ottoman Turkish troops and their Barbary Coast partners on the one side and the Hospitallers of the Order of St. John and their European and Maltese allies on the other side, was macro in its significance. This fierce clash left its destructive mark not only on the warring adversaries but the more so on the Maltese inhabitants who found themselves immersed in a war which was not strictly theirs but of which they were forced to endure the hardships, participate in the ongoing combat, and face the daily extreme psychological pressure and physical cruelty which are generally meted out to the defenceless and the most vulnerable in the war zone. No brutality was spared and extreme violence was the order of the day.展开更多
A vast number of researches and studies have been conducted on narcissism, since the term was used to explain a psychological phenomenon in 1898. However, the discussions about narcissists as organization members or l...A vast number of researches and studies have been conducted on narcissism, since the term was used to explain a psychological phenomenon in 1898. However, the discussions about narcissists as organization members or leaders have recently become a research topic in the organizational sciences. In this scope, the recent research on narcissism indicates that narcissistic leaders can either cause organizational tragedies or contribute to organizational success by their great vision. In addition to narcissism, another popular leadership feature is political skill which has attracted considerable attentions in recent years, and become one of the important topics of management studies. Moreover, political skill has been asserted to be a positive characteristic which is related to develop vision and team insight as well as to increase in members＇ trust and support; whereas narcissism has both harmful and beneficial effects on organizations. In this study, the relationships between the dimensions of narcissism and political skill are examined via the 16-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory （NPI） and the 18-item Political Skill Inventory. Analysis has shown that the authority, which is the adaptive dimension of narcissism, correlates positively with social astuteness and networking ability dimensions of political skill. Accordingly entitlement, which is one of the maladaptive dimensions of narcissism, correlates significantly and negatively with the networking ability, interpersonal influence and apparent sincerity dimensions of political skill. When political skill is considered as a composite score, the findings indicate that the authority dimension of narcissism has a positive effect whereas, the entitlement dimension has a negative effect on political skill. Besides, implications for future studies are discussed展开更多
Objective Congestive heart failure （CHF） is the final common pathway of various heart diseases.Calcineurin,a calcium/calmodulindependent phosphatase consisting of a catalytic subanit A （CnA） and a regulatory calci...Objective Congestive heart failure （CHF） is the final common pathway of various heart diseases.Calcineurin,a calcium/calmodulindependent phosphatase consisting of a catalytic subanit A （CnA） and a regulatory calcium-binding subunit B （CnB）,is activated in heart failure.This study aimed to investigate the relationship between mRNA level of calcineurin in circulating T-lymphocyte and that in myocardium in patients with CHF. Methods A total of 38 patients with CHF （aged from 29 to 62 years） were included in this study.The mRNA levels of alpha-and beta-isoform of CnA in left ventricular anterior papillary muscle and peripheral lymphocytes were determined by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.Pearson linear correlation analysis was performed,and difference was considered statistically significant at a P value 〈0.05. Results Calcineurin mRNA levels in lymphocytes were positively correlated with those in myocardium （for CnA-alpha mRNA,r=0.820;for CnA-beta mRNA,r=0.875;both P〈0.01）.CnA-beta mRNA levels in both circulating lymphocytes and myocardium increased significantly with increasing NYHA class （r=0.877 for peripheral blood and r=0.805 for cardiac muscle;both P〈0.01）. Conclusions The mRNA level of CnA-beta in circulating lymphocytes is positively correlated with that in myocardium and is a promising marker for the severity of cardiac dysfunction in patients with CHF.展开更多
Elderly patients over 65, especially those over 75 years are more vulnerable to being prescribed inappropriate medications because of the high incidence of co-medication in this population resulting from the presence ...Elderly patients over 65, especially those over 75 years are more vulnerable to being prescribed inappropriate medications because of the high incidence of co-medication in this population resulting from the presence of multiple chronic diseases and also age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The aim at this study was to explore the habits of taking medications without recommendation fracture among older patients, to determine which medications are most often used without prescription, and if there is difference in this habits considering gender and age of respondents. Methods： A cross-sectional study was conducted by interviewing all patients 〉 65 years that have arrived from 01.10. to 15.12.2015 in one ambulance of the Health Center of Mostar using the adapted questionnaire made out for the research. 90 questionnaires were properly filled for analysis, 60.0% were women and 40.0% of them were men. There was 45.6% respondents between 65 and 75 years, and 54.4% 76 years and above. Resaults： 15.6% of respondents said that they don＇t take their therapy regularly. Women compared to men, significantly more often use non-prescription drugs （P = 0.007）. Analgesics and sedatives are more often used as non-prescription drugs, compare to supplements （P = 0.002）. Conclusion： This study, although conducted on a small sample should be an alarm for general practitioners. They should think more about adverse effects of drugs on the aged, and use Beers criteria in every day practice. In addition, pharmacists should respect the legislation and not sell drugs without doctor＇s prescription to which it applies.展开更多
文摘The installed capacity of a large scale wind power plant will be up to a number of hundreds MW, and the wind power is transmitted to load centers through long distance transmission lines with 220 kV, 500 kV, or 750 kV. Therefore, it is necessary not only considering the power transmission line between a wind power plant and the first connection node of the power network, but also the power network among the group of those wind power plants in a wind power base, the integration network from the base to the existed grids, as well as the distribution and consumption of the wind power generation by loads. Meanwhile, the impact of wind power stochastic fluctuation on power systems must be studied. In recent years, wind power prediction technology has been studied by the utilities and wind power plants. As a matter of fact, some European countries have used this prediction technology as a tool in national power dispatch centers and wind power companies.
文摘A physiological sequence called autophagy qualitatively determines cellular viability by removing protein aggregates and damaged cyto-plasmic constituents, and contributes significantly to the degree of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion （I/R） injury. This tightly orchestrated cata-bolic cellular‘housekeeping’ process provides cells with a new source of energy to adapt to stressful conditions. This process was first described as a pro-survival mechanism, but increasing evidence suggests that it can also lead to the demise of the cell. Autophagy has been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple cardiac conditions including myocardial I/R injury. However, a debate persists as to whether autophagy acts as a protec-tive mechanism or contributes to the injurious effects of I/R injury in the heart. This controversy may stem from several factors including the va-riability in the experimental models and species, and the methodology used to assess autophagy. This review provides updated knowledge on the modulation and role of autophagy in isolated cardiac cells subjected to I/R, and the growing interest towards manipulating autophagy to increase the survival of cardiac myocytes under conditions of stress-most notably being I/R injury. Perturbation of this evolutionarily conserved intracellular cleansing autophagy mechanism, by targeted modulation through, among others, mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） inhibitors, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK） modulators, calcium lowering agents, resveratrol, longevinex, sirtuin activators, the proapoptotic gene Bnip3, IP3 and lysosome inhibitors, may confer resistance to heart cells against I/R induced cell death. Thus, therapeutic ma-nipulation of autophagy in the challenged myocardium may benefit post-infarction cardiac healing and remodeling.
基金funding from Jordan University of Science and Technology,Deanship of Research.
文摘Objective:This study aimed to examine the effects of mindfulness meditation on trait mindfulness,perceived stress,emotion regulation,and quality of life in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis.Methods:An experimental study with repeated measures design was conducted among a sample of 74 end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis between January and May 2021 in the dialysis center at Jahra hospital,Kuwait.The patients were randomly assigned to the experimental(n?37)and control groups(n?37).The experimental group participated in 30-min mindfulness meditation sessions(three sessions a week for five weeks)held during their hemodialysis sessions;the participants in the control group were instructed to sit with their eyes closed and relaxed for 30 min three times a week for five weeks during hemodialysis sessions.The dependent variables of both groups were measured at baseline(T0),middle of intervention(T1),and end of intervention(T2)using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale(MAAS),Perceived Stress Scale(PSS),Emotion Regulation Questionnaire(ERQ),and Kidney Disease Quality of Life(KDQOL-36)questionnaire.The study was registered in the ClinicalTrial.gov(Identifier:NCT05176730).Results:The repeated measures ANOVA(within-subject)results for the experimental group showed that mindfulness meditation had significantly decreased perceived stress by the end of the intervention.Also,mindfulness meditation improved mindfulness,emotion regulation,and kidney disease-related quality of life in the experimental group,and this improvement occurred significantly at both T1 and T2.The repeated measures ANOVA(within and between-subject)results showed that the experimental group,as compared to the control group,had lower perceived stress,higher trait mindfulness,higher emotional regulation,and higher kidney disease-related quality of life over time.Conclusions:The positive findings of this study offer health policy-makers and hospital administrators a promising tool to use with patients undergoing hemodialysis as a way to manage stress and improve quality of life.However,this study should be replicated in multiple settings with follow-up assessments.
文摘War is arguably the most extreme scenario for the exertion of violence. All warring parties suffer in one way or another but those who suffer most are usually those who least deserve it--the common folk. The paper will take as a case study one of the epic Mediterranean battles in the ongoing Christian versus Muslim conflict of the Early Modem Age. Happening in 1565, though micro in scale, the four-month engagement known as the Great Siege of Malta which was fought between the Ottoman Turkish troops and their Barbary Coast partners on the one side and the Hospitallers of the Order of St. John and their European and Maltese allies on the other side, was macro in its significance. This fierce clash left its destructive mark not only on the warring adversaries but the more so on the Maltese inhabitants who found themselves immersed in a war which was not strictly theirs but of which they were forced to endure the hardships, participate in the ongoing combat, and face the daily extreme psychological pressure and physical cruelty which are generally meted out to the defenceless and the most vulnerable in the war zone. No brutality was spared and extreme violence was the order of the day.
文摘A vast number of researches and studies have been conducted on narcissism, since the term was used to explain a psychological phenomenon in 1898. However, the discussions about narcissists as organization members or leaders have recently become a research topic in the organizational sciences. In this scope, the recent research on narcissism indicates that narcissistic leaders can either cause organizational tragedies or contribute to organizational success by their great vision. In addition to narcissism, another popular leadership feature is political skill which has attracted considerable attentions in recent years, and become one of the important topics of management studies. Moreover, political skill has been asserted to be a positive characteristic which is related to develop vision and team insight as well as to increase in members＇ trust and support; whereas narcissism has both harmful and beneficial effects on organizations. In this study, the relationships between the dimensions of narcissism and political skill are examined via the 16-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory （NPI） and the 18-item Political Skill Inventory. Analysis has shown that the authority, which is the adaptive dimension of narcissism, correlates positively with social astuteness and networking ability dimensions of political skill. Accordingly entitlement, which is one of the maladaptive dimensions of narcissism, correlates significantly and negatively with the networking ability, interpersonal influence and apparent sincerity dimensions of political skill. When political skill is considered as a composite score, the findings indicate that the authority dimension of narcissism has a positive effect whereas, the entitlement dimension has a negative effect on political skill. Besides, implications for future studies are discussed
文摘Objective Congestive heart failure （CHF） is the final common pathway of various heart diseases.Calcineurin,a calcium/calmodulindependent phosphatase consisting of a catalytic subanit A （CnA） and a regulatory calcium-binding subunit B （CnB）,is activated in heart failure.This study aimed to investigate the relationship between mRNA level of calcineurin in circulating T-lymphocyte and that in myocardium in patients with CHF. Methods A total of 38 patients with CHF （aged from 29 to 62 years） were included in this study.The mRNA levels of alpha-and beta-isoform of CnA in left ventricular anterior papillary muscle and peripheral lymphocytes were determined by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.Pearson linear correlation analysis was performed,and difference was considered statistically significant at a P value 〈0.05. Results Calcineurin mRNA levels in lymphocytes were positively correlated with those in myocardium （for CnA-alpha mRNA,r=0.820;for CnA-beta mRNA,r=0.875;both P〈0.01）.CnA-beta mRNA levels in both circulating lymphocytes and myocardium increased significantly with increasing NYHA class （r=0.877 for peripheral blood and r=0.805 for cardiac muscle;both P〈0.01）. Conclusions The mRNA level of CnA-beta in circulating lymphocytes is positively correlated with that in myocardium and is a promising marker for the severity of cardiac dysfunction in patients with CHF.
文摘Elderly patients over 65, especially those over 75 years are more vulnerable to being prescribed inappropriate medications because of the high incidence of co-medication in this population resulting from the presence of multiple chronic diseases and also age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The aim at this study was to explore the habits of taking medications without recommendation fracture among older patients, to determine which medications are most often used without prescription, and if there is difference in this habits considering gender and age of respondents. Methods： A cross-sectional study was conducted by interviewing all patients 〉 65 years that have arrived from 01.10. to 15.12.2015 in one ambulance of the Health Center of Mostar using the adapted questionnaire made out for the research. 90 questionnaires were properly filled for analysis, 60.0% were women and 40.0% of them were men. There was 45.6% respondents between 65 and 75 years, and 54.4% 76 years and above. Resaults： 15.6% of respondents said that they don＇t take their therapy regularly. Women compared to men, significantly more often use non-prescription drugs （P = 0.007）. Analgesics and sedatives are more often used as non-prescription drugs, compare to supplements （P = 0.002）. Conclusion： This study, although conducted on a small sample should be an alarm for general practitioners. They should think more about adverse effects of drugs on the aged, and use Beers criteria in every day practice. In addition, pharmacists should respect the legislation and not sell drugs without doctor＇s prescription to which it applies.
