Ali Akbaş’ın Şiirlerini Makedoncaya Çevirmem (Промоција на книгата „Птичја софра“ на Али Акбаш во превод на Марија Леонтиќ во галеријата „Остен“ - Скопје во организација на турскиот културен центар „Јунус Емре“ - Скопје)

Промоцијата на книгата „Птичја софра“ на Али Акбаш во превод на Марија Леонтиќ се одржа во галеријата „Остен“ - Скопје во организација на турскиот културен центар „Јунус Емре“ - Скопје. Оваа презентација беше наменета за сите љубители на поезијата на турскиот поет Али Акбаш. Во презентацијата се изложи процесот на препевање на песните на Али Акбаш на македонски

Short and long-term forecasting by the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB): science, witchcraft, or practical tool for policy?

This paper discusses five different types of forecasts by CPB: forecasts for next year, forecasts for next period of government, analyses of the sustainability of public finance, long-term scenarios and long-term effects of election platforms. CPB forecasts for next year and for the next period of government should be seen as well-motivated estimates based on all recent information, plausible assumptions and expected trends. The more distant the look into the future, the more uncertain are the forecasts. For such long-term analyses, the CPB employs scenarios, extended sensitivity analyses and identification of major political choices. Policy making is like sailing in fog. The regular set of CPB forecasts helps to look forward and to monitor whether a change of course is necessary. Despite fundamental uncertainty about the future, the CPB forecasts provide a good base for political discussions and decision making, like a coalition agreement, budget and wage rate negotiations and defining a long-term policy strategy. These forecasts inform Dutch society, reduce transaction costs in economic and political decision making, and foster consensus on economic and fiscal policy

Datainsamling för bränsleförbrukning i fordon och maskiner : En studie om utmaningar och strategiska möjligheter för byggbranschen

Energy utilization in Sweden has been on a rise since the 1980’s and the industrial sector has been its highest consumer. The construction industry plays a central role in building and developing cities for a population which is increasing rapidly year by year. Environmental awareness has given incentives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and to make operations more sustainable. The construction industry faces three main challenges in regards to sustainability which are, material usage, vehicle fleets, and machine parks. Vehicles and machines are integral parts within the construction industry, however, how to reduce their environmental impact is a relatively new research area with many challenges. The conclusion that carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced is one that has been reached by the construction industry in Sweden. One way to study this aspect is by collecting and managing data on their fuel consumption since the vehicles and machines operate almost exclusively on fossil fuels. Data collection on fuel consumption by vehicles and machinery will give insight to what factors increase or decrease it. Analyzing these factors will allow for reductions to be made in terms ofcarbon dioxide emissions and costs. The aim of this report is therefore to investigate the aspect of data collection and management on fuel consumption in vehicles and machinery. The report is the result of work conducted in cooperation with the Nordic construction and development company NCC. NCC has set a goal for reducing climate impacts from direct operations by 50% between the years 2015 and 2020. In order for this to be achieved, carbon dioxide emissions resulting from fuel consumption have to be accounted for. As this is a new research area, this report is to serve as a baseline for NCC to get an overview of what challenges and possibilities there are with efficient data collection and management on fuel consumption. The study is initiated by analyzing the three main aspects which are taken into consideration within this study. The first aspect is authoritative requirements which are demands from authorities such as municipalities or the Swedish Transport Administration. The second is the contractors such as NCC which have to meet these requirements. The final aspect is the suppliers who contractors hire for projects. Furthermore, interviews are carried out to gain insight on experiences of persons within the field and the challenges they have faced. A study on Norrtälje Harbor, an old industrial harbor turning into a new city district, is also conducted as there is available data from the vehicles and machines in this project. Finally, a gap-analysis is constructed in order to gain an overview of NCC’s present standings, future goals, andlimitations in terms of data collection and management from vehicles and machinery. The findings of this report conclude that a lack of standard is the biggest challenge which theindustry is facing. Authorities face challenges on how to set standards while the lack of standardsleads to different methods of data collection from contractors and suppliers. It is possible tocollect data from vehicles and machines but calculations are currently based on patterns and donot give a true view of the fuel consumption. Factors, such as driving habits and environment can affect the fuel consumption, therefore the data collected should take all these factors into consideration. Benefits that a company may gain by having this data include increase incompetitiveness due to environmental awareness and transparency as well as also lower costsas less fuel will be purchased. Reducing fuel consumption will ultimately reduce carbon dioxideemissions, which is the industry’s and NCC overall goal.Energianvändningen i Sverige har stigit sedan 1980-talet och industrisektorn har bidragit mest till detta. Byggbranschen står för utformningen av städer för en snabbt växande befolkning. Miljömedvetenhet har gett organisationer incitament att minska koldioxidutsläppen ochutveckla mer hållbara verksamheter. Materialanvändning, fordonsflottor och maskinparker utgör de tre största utmaningarna inom byggbranschens klimatarbete. Fordon och maskiner är grundläggande delar inom byggbranschens verksamhet, men minskningen av denna miljöpåverkan är ett relativt nytt forskningsområde med många utmaningar. Aktörerna inom byggbranschen har utvecklat klimatstrategier för att minska koldioxidutsläppen där man bland annat vill samla in data om bränsleförbrukningen hos fordon och maskiner. Fordon och maskiner drivs huvudsakligen med fossila bränslen och genom att kartlägga denna förbrukning kan koldioxidutsläppen minskas. Datainsamling om fordon och maskiners bränsleförbrukning ger förståelse gällande vilka faktorersom ökar eller minskar förbrukningen. Genom att analysera dessa faktorer är det möjligt att minska koldioxidutsläpp och kostnader. Syftet med denna rapport är därför att undersöka datainsamling och hantering angående bränsleförbrukning för fordon och maskiner. Rapporten är resultatet av ett arbete som bedrivits i samarbete med det Nordiska bygg- och utvecklingsbolaget NCC. NCC har satt upp ett mål för att minska klimatpåverkan fråndirektverksamheten med 50% mellan åren 2015 och 2020. För att detta ska kunna uppnås måstekoldioxidutsläpp från bränsleförbrukningen redovisas. Eftersom detta är ett nyttforskningsområde, är rapport en utgångspunkt för att NCC ska få en överblick över vilka utmaningar och möjligheter det finns med effektiv datainsamling och hantering avbränsleförbrukning. Studien initieras genom att analysera de tre huvudaspekter som måste beaktas inom detta ämnesområde. Första aspekten är kraven som ställs av myndigheter som kommuner och Trafikverket. Den andra aspekten är NCC entreprenörer som måste uppfylla dessa krav. Sista aspekten är leverantörerna som anställs av entreprenörerna inom projekt. Det övergripandesynsättet i studien är därför att analysera varje aspekt separat för en djupare förståelse för derasrespektive samband inom detta ämne. Vidare genomförs intervjuer för att få insikt omerfarenheter från personer inom studieområdet och de utmaningar de har mött. En studie av Norrtälje hamn, en gammal industrihamn som omvandlas till ett nytt stadsdelsområde,genomförs, eftersom det finns tillgängliga data från fordon och maskiner i detta projekt. Slutligen konstrueras en gapanalys för att få en överblick över NCC:s nuvarande läge, framtidamål och begränsningar när det gäller datainsamling och hantering från fordon och maskiner. Slutsatsen som dras är att brist på standard är den största utmaningen som industrin står inför. Myndigheterna står inför utmaningar om hur man kan ställa krav, medan bristen på dem leder till olika metoder för datainsamling från entreprenörer och leverantörer. Det går att samla in data från fordon och maskiner, men beräkningarna är för närvarande baserade på schabloner och ger inte en sann bild av bränsleförbrukningen. Faktorer som körvanor och miljö kan påverka bränsleförbrukningen, därför bör de insamlade uppgifterna ta hänsyn till alla dessa faktorer. Fördelarna med att ha dessa data tillgängliga är att det öka konkurrensen på grund avmiljömedvetenhet och öppenhet, samt minska kostnader för inköp av bränsle. Att minska bränsleförbrukningen kommer i slutändan att minska koldioxidutsläppen, vilket är branschens och NCC:s övergripande mål

Biogas Production in Abu Dhabi : An Evaluation based on Energy and Economy (Comparison of two plant designs)

Abu Dhabi, which is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, is known for its fast and advanced development in a short period of time. The city however generates a large amount of waste on a daily basis and a large amount of this is dumped or landfilled. Landfilling of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and circa 80 % of the OFMSW is landfilled in Abu Dhabi. However, Abu Dhabi has shown its commitment to reducing GHG emissions by aiming to generate 7% renewable energy by 2030, improving waste management, and developing a strategy for green economy. In this study the approach evaluated is the waste-to-biogas system which utilizes anaerobic digestion of the OFMSW. Modules based on the Aikan® and REnescience® plant designs were simulated using SuperPro Designer® where energy and economic values were obtained and used for the evaluations. Excel was used to make a cash-flow analysis for both modules. A SWOT analysis was conducted to compare the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats between both modules. Energy Returned on Investment is an approach that calculates the efficiency of a fuel by dividing the energy acquired by the energy required in a process. Both modules give an energy returned on investment (EROI) ratio for biogas of slightly below 2:1, in regards to electricity which is considered relatively low when compared to other fuels. Three methods were used for calculating the profitability of the modules, internal rate of return, pay-back period and net present value (NPV). However the net present value (NPV) was found most reliable and showed an NPV of $500 000 and$3 000 000 for module one and two respectively and calculations show that module one has more risks while module two could result in a bigger risk monetarily. The results show that implementing such a system will have a minimal contribution to the city’s aim of 7 % renewable energy generation. However, it will contribute to the city’s target of reducing GHG emission, improve waste management, and lead to a green economy. Abu Dhabi, huvudstaden för Förenade Arab Emiraten, är kända för deras snabba utveckling under en kort period. Staden generar mycket avfall dagligen och detta deponeras oftast. Den organiska delen av hushållsavfall som deponeras bidrar till utsläpp av växthusgaser och cirka 80 % av detta organiska avfall deponeras i Abu Dhabi. Staten i Abu Dhabi har visat engagemang för att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser genom att försöka generera 7 % förnybar energi, förbättra avfallshanteringen, och utveckla en strategi för "grön ekonomi". I denna studie undersöks biogassystemet som utnyttjar rötning av den organiska delen av hushållsavfall för sin produktion av biogas. Moduler baserade på två olika kraftanläggningar, Aikan® och REnescience®, simulerades med hjälp av programvaran SuperPro Designer®. Värden för energiåtgång och ekonomiska storheter erhölls och användes för beräkningar i arbetet. Energikvot är ett begrepp som används för att beräkna hur effektiv ett bränsle är genom att dividera energin som ges med energin som behövs i en process. De två olika modulerna ger energikvot (EROI) värden för elektricitet som nästan fördubblas i båda fallen. Tre metoder användes för att beräkna lönsamheten av modulernas lönsamhet, ”internal rate of return, pay- back period ” och Nuvärdesmetoden ”NPV”. Nuvärdesmetoden ansågs vara mest pålitlig och en NPV av 500 000 $respektive 3 000 000$ ficks för modulerna. Dessa resultat visar att genomförandet av ett biogassystem kommer ge ett mycket litet bidrag för att uppnå Abu Dhabis mål på 7 % förnybar energi till och med år 2030. Däremot minskas utsläpp av växthusgaser, avfallshanteringen förbättras samt bidrar till en grönare ekonomi.

Using a Madurella mycetomatis-specific PCR on grains obtained via non-invasive fine-needle aspirated material is more accurate than cytology

Background: Eumycetoma is a chronic subcutaneous inflammatory fungal infection most often caused by the fungus Madurella mycetomatis. Using a species-specific PCR on DNA directly isolated from grains is currently the most reliable method for species identification. However, so far, PCR has been performed on grains obtained through deep-seated surgical biopsies, which are invasive procedures. Grains can also be obtained via ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (US-FNA). Here we determined the diagnostic performance of species-specific PCRs performed on samples obtained through US-FNA. Methods: From 63 patients, US-FNA was performed to obtain eumycetoma grains; 34 patients also underwent a deep-seated biopsy. From the grains, DNA was isolated, and one pan-fungal and two M. mycetomatis-specific PCRs were performed. The sensitivity and specificity were determined. Results: Of the 63 patients who underwent US-FNA, 78% (49/63) had evidence of eumycetoma based on cytology and 93.7% (59/63) based on species-specific PCRs. In the 34 patients for whom surgical biopsies were performed as well, 31 patients had a positive PCR for M. mycetomatis when DNA was isolated from the deep-seated biopsy, and 30 had a positive PCR when DNA was obtained from the US-FNA material. This resulted in a 96.8% sensitivity, and 100% specificity with 97.1% diagnostic accuracy for PCR performed on US-FNA. Conclusion: PCR performed on the US-FNA material has a similar sensitivity and specificity as PCR performed on deep-seated biopsies. Therefore, when using PCR, a deep-seated biopsy may not be necessary to obtain grains

Staphylococcus aureus causing primary foot botryomycosis mimicking actinomycetoma: a case report from Sudan

Objectives: Botryomycosis is a rare chronic granulomatous inflammatory disease of bacterial origin. Two forms of the disease exist; the cutaneous and the visceral form. The subcutaneous form mimics actinomycetoma clinically and histologically; however, the treatment is different. In this communication, we report on a Sudanese male patient who presented with foot botryomycosis. Design: Case report. Results: The patient was initially diagnosed with actinomycetoma by the presence of Streptomyces somaliensis like-grains in the histological slides. The patient was treated with a combination of co-trimoxazole and amikacin sulfate and shifted after 1 year to co-trimoxazole, amoxicillin, and clavulanic acid. Despite treatment, the infection progressed, and the bone was invaded. The infected limb was amputated. The histopathological report of the surgical biopsy showed gram-positive cocci inside the grain. The 16S sequence identified these cocci as Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusion: This is the first reported botryomycosis case from Sudan, and it highlights why molecular identification is vital in diagnosis

Comparing the performance of the common used eumycetoma diagnostic tests

Objectives: Mycetoma is a neglected tropical implantation disease caused by 70 different infectious agents. Identifying the causative organism to the species level is essential for appropriate patient management. Ultrasound, histopathology, culture and two species-specific PCRs are most the commonly used methods for species identification in endemic regions. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of these commonly used assays using sequencing of barcoding genes as the gold standard. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Mycetoma Research Centre, University of Khartoum, Sudan. It included 222 patients suspected of fungal mycetoma caused by Madurella mycetomatis. Results: 154 (69.3%) were correctly identified by ultrasound, histology, culture and both species-specific PCRs. In 60 patients, at least one of the diagnostic tests failed to identify M. mycetomatis. Five patients had no evidence of eumycetoma, and for three, only the ultrasound was indicative of mycetoma. The two species-specific PCRs were the most sensitive and specific methods, followed by culture and histology. Ultrasound was the least specific as it only allowed differentiation between actinomycetoma and eumycetoma. The time to result was 9.38 minutes for ultrasound, 3.76 hours for PCR, 8.5 days for histopathology and 21 days for grain culturing. Conclusion: Currently, PCR directly on DNA isolated from grains is the most rapid and reliable diagnostic tool to identify M. mycetomatis eumycetoma

Clinical phenotyping and genetic diagnosis of a large cohort of Sudanese families with hereditary spinocerebellar degenerations.

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to the genotyping and sequencing core facility of the Brain Institute (ICM, Paris, France) and the Pitié-Salpêtrière Post-Genomic Platform (P3S, Paris, France) for doing the next-generation sequencing and array genotyping, respectively. We thank Nicolas Auger, Claire-Sophie Davoine, Mélanie Papin and Lena Guillot-Noel for their advice and Prof. Michel Koenig, Dr. Marine Guillaud-Bataille, and Dr. Guillaume Banneau for their help in nucleotide repeat expansion detection.Funder: The Association Connaitre les Syndromes Cérébelleux ASL-HSP-France patient association Ministry of Higher Education, Sudan French Embassy, SudanFunder: The Ministry of Higher Education, Sudan and the French Embassy, SudanHereditary spinocerebellar degenerations (SCDs) is an umbrella term that covers a group of monogenic conditions that share common pathogenic mechanisms and include hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), cerebellar ataxia, and spinocerebellar ataxia. They are often complicated with axonal neuropathy and/or intellectual impairment and overlap with many neurological conditions, including neurodevelopmental disorders. More than 200 genes and loci inherited through all modes of Mendelian inheritance are known. Autosomal recessive inheritance predominates in consanguineous communities; however, autosomal dominant and X-linked inheritance can also occur. Sudan is inhabited by genetically diverse populations, yet it has high consanguinity rates. We used next-generation sequencing, genotyping, bioinformatics analysis, and candidate gene approaches to study 90 affected patients from 38 unrelated Sudanese families segregating multiple forms of SCDs. The age-at-onset in our cohort ranged from birth to 35 years; however, most patients manifested childhood-onset diseases (the mean and median ages at onset were 7.5 and 3 years, respectively). We reached the genetic diagnosis in 63% and possibly up to 73% of the studied families when considering variants of unknown significance. Combining the present data with our previous analysis of 25 Sudanese HSP families, the success rate reached 52-59% (31-35/59 families). In this article we report candidate variants in genes previously known to be associated with SCDs or other phenotypically related monogenic disorders. We also highlight the genetic and clinical heterogeneity of SCDs in Sudan, as we did not identify a major causative gene in our cohort, and the potential for discovering novel SCD genes in this population