Service selection and transactional management for web service composition

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Passivierung und Charakterisierung von Defekten in Siliziumsolarzellen

In dieser Arbeit wurden chemische und elektrochemische Reaktionen zum Oxidieren und Ätzen von Silizium untersucht um Möglichkeiten zu finden, definierte Bereiche auf Solar-zellen (SZ)zu bearbeiten. Hier standen zwei Fragen bezüglich der Effizienz von SZn im Fordergrund: 1- wie und warum die inhomogene Verteilung von Defekten in multikris. Si-SZn den Wirkungsgrad reduziert; 2- wie Rand-"Shunts" effektiv passiviert werden können. Für die erste Frage wurden schlechte Bereiche auf multikris. Si-SZn durch Einbringen einer Trennfuge vom Rest der SZ separiert. Durch die Abtrennung von solchen Bereichen auf einer multkris.Si-SZ wurde der relative Wirkungsgrad um etwa 35% verbessert. Für die zweite Frage, wurde eine einfache, effektive und billige Passivierungsmethode für die Rand-"Shunts" in Si-SZn entwickelt. Die Methode kann entweder präventiv oder selektiv benutzt werden. Selektiv heißt sowohl für fertige schlechte SZn (z.B. niedrige Rsh)als auch für solche, die ein ohmsches Temperaturverhalten des Leckstroms zeigen. Durch diese Arbeit konnte das Verst-ändnis um die Physik der SZn erweitert werden

Hygiene Behavior and Hygiene-Related Facilities among School Adolescents in Palestine

Introduction: Although, the importance of personal hygiene in reducing the infection cannot be underestimated; but it is not enough when other hygienic resources and facilities are inadequate or unavailable. Purpose: To determine the prevalence of hand-washing behaviors and hygienic facilities among school adolescents in Tarqumia , Palestine. Methods: A descriptive Cross-sectional study was conducted, and data was collected on hand-washing behavior and hygienic facilities from 720 seventh- through eleventh-grade students in 4 schools in Tarrqumia by anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Results: Overall, only 6.25% of the sample never or rarely washed their hands before eating during the past 30 days; 8.06 % never or rarely washed their hands after using the toilet or latrine. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the prevalence of proper hand washing was very high among the school adolescents. Lack of adequate hygienic facilities in schools in Tarqumia prevents students from adopting proper hygienic behavior and impedes health promotion efforts.The authors of this paper would like to thank the Department of Community Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia. As well as, the authors would like to thank both the all participants of this study and the Palestinian Ministry of Education Board committee for their assistance during this study

Training and its Impact on the Performance of Employees at Jordanian Universities from the Perspective of Employees: The Case of Yarmouk University

The objective of this paper is to examine the attitudes of administrative leaders and administrative employees concerning the training courses provided, as well as the impact of training on employee job performance at Yarmouk University in Jordan. The study is carried at a Malaysian small and medium enterprise (SME). Findings indicated that training courses are related to the training needs of the employees to a medium degree, and that there are several conditions which determine selecting eligible employees for training. Results indicated also that there is relationship between effective training and employees’ job performance. Based on the results of the study, several recommendations were provided. Key terms: Training, Performance of Employees.

Associations of cigarette smoking with subclinical inflammation and atherosclerosis : ELSA-Brasil (The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health)

Background-—There is a need to identify sensitive biomarkers of early tobacco-related cardiovascular disease. We examined the association of smoking status, burden, time since quitting, and intensity, with markers of inflammation and subclinical atherosclerosis. Methods and Results-—We studied 14 103 participants without clinical cardiovascular disease in ELSA-Brasil (Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health). We evaluated baseline cross-sectional associations between smoking parameters and inflammation (highsensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP]) and measures of subclinical atherosclerosis (carotid intima–media thickness, ankle-brachial index, and coronary artery calcium [CAC]). The cohort included 1844 current smokers, 4121 former smokers, and 8138 never smokers. Mean age was 51.7 8.9 years; 44.8% were male. After multivariable adjustment, compared with never smokers, current smokers had significantly higher levels of hsCRP (b=0.24, 0.19–0.29 mg/L; P0 (odds ratio: 1.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.46–2.30; P0 were lower with increasing time since quitting (P0 (P=0.03) after adjusting for duration of smoking. Conclusions-—Strong associations were observed between smoking status, burden, and intensity with inflammation (hsCRP) and subclinical atherosclerosis (carotid intima–media thickness, ankle-brachial index, CAC). These markers of early cardiovascular disease injury may be used for the further study and regulation of traditional and novel tobacco products

High prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors amongst young adults in the United Arab Emirates: the UAE Healthy Future Study

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the world. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it accounts for 40% of mortality. CVD is caused by multiple cardiometabolic risk factors (CRFs) including obesity, dysglycemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension and central obesity. However, there are limited studies focusing on the CVD risk burden among young Emirati adults. This study investigates the burden of CRFs in a sample of young Emiratis, and estimates the distribution in relation to sociodemographic and behavioral determinants.MethodsData was used from the baseline data of the UAE Healthy Future Study volunteers. The study participants were aged 18 to 40 years. The study analysis was based on self-reported questionnaires, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements, as well as blood analysis.ResultsA total of 5167 participants were included in the analysis; 62% were males and the mean age of the sample was 25.7 years. The age-adjusted prevalence was 26.5% for obesity, 11.7% for dysglycemia, 62.7% for dyslipidemia, 22.4% for hypertension and 22.5% for central obesity. The CRFs were distributed differently when compared within social and behavioral groups. For example, obesity, dyslipidemia and central obesity in men were found higher among smokers than non-smokers (p \u3c 0.05). And among women with lower education, all CRFs were reported significantly higher than those with higher education, except for hypertension. Most CRFs were significantly higher among men and women with positive family history of common non-communicable diseases.ConclusionsCRFs are highly prevalent in the young Emirati adults of the UAE Healthy Future Study. The difference in CRF distribution among social and behavioral groups can be taken into account to target group-specific prevention measures

The interrelationship and accumulation of cardiometabolic risk factors amongst young adults in the United Arab Emirates: The UAE Healthy Future Study.

INTRODUCTION: Similar to other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), people who develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) typically have more than one risk factor. The clustering of cardiovascular risk factors begins in youth, early adulthood, and middle age. The presence of multiple risk factors simultaneously has been shown to increase the risk for atherosclerosis development in young and middle-aged adults and risk of CVD in middle age. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to address the interrelationship of CVD risk factors and their accumulation in a large sample of young adults in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). METHODS: Baseline data was drawn from the UAE Healthy Future Study (UAEHFS), a volunteer-based multicenter study that recruits Emirati nationals. Data of participants aged 18 to 40 years was used for cross-sectional analysis. Demographic and health information was collected through self-reported questionnaires. Anthropometric data and blood pressure were measured, and blood samples were collected. RESULTS: A total of 5126 participants were included in the analysis. Comorbidity analyses showed that dyslipidemia and obesity co-existed with other cardiometabolic risk factors (CRFs) more than 70% and 50% of the time, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the risk factors with age and gender showed that all risk factors were highly associated with each other. The strongest relationship was found with obesity; it was associated with four-fold increase in the odds of having central obesity [adjusted OR 4.70 (95% CI (4.04-5.46)], and almost three-fold increase odds of having abnormal glycemic status [AOR 2.98 (95% (CI 2.49-3.55))], hypertension (AOR 3.03 (95% CI (2.61-3.52))] and dyslipidemia [AOR 2.71 (95% CI (2.32-3.15)]. Forty percent of the population accumulated more than 2 risk factors, and the burden increased with age. CONCLUSION: In this young population, cardiometabolic risk factors are highly prevalent and are associated with each other, therefore creating a heavy burden of risk factors. This forecasts an increase in the burden of CVD in the UAE. The robust longitudinal design of the UAEHFS will enable researchers to understand how risk factors cluster before disease develops. This knowledge will offer a novel approach to design group-specific preventive measures for CVD development

Claudin-1, A Double-Edged Sword in Cancer.

Claudins, a group of membrane proteins involved in the formation of tight junctions, are mainly found in endothelial or epithelial cells. These proteins have attracted much attention in recent years and have been implicated and studied in a multitude of diseases. Claudins not only regulate paracellular transepithelial/transendothelial transport but are also critical for cell growth and differentiation. Not only tissue-specific but the differential expression in malignant tumors is also the focus of claudin-related research. In addition to up- or down-regulation, claudin proteins also undergo delocalization, which plays a vital role in tumor invasion and aggressiveness. Claudin (CLDN)-1 is the most-studied claudin in cancers and to date, its role as either a tumor promoter or suppressor (or both) is not established. In some cancers, lower expression of CLDN-1 is shown to be associated with cancer progression and invasion, while in others, loss of CLDN-1 improves the patient survival. Another topic of discussion regarding the significance of CLDN-1 is its localization (nuclear or cytoplasmic vs perijunctional) in diseased states. This article reviews the evidence regarding CLDN-1 in cancers either as a tumor promoter or suppressor from the literature and we also review the literature regarding the pattern of CLDN-1 distribution in different cancers, focusing on whether this localization is associated with tumor aggressiveness. Furthermore, we utilized expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to investigate the association between CLDN-1 expression and overall survival (OS) in different cancer types. We also used TCGA data to compare CLDN-1 expression in normal and tumor tissues. Additionally, a pathway interaction analysis was performed to investigate the interaction of CLDN-1 with other proteins and as a future therapeutic target

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe