Cultural and Media Identity Among Latvian Migrants in Germany

This chapter explores how transnational media and culture impacts on the identity formation of recent Latvian migrants in Germany. In the context of the EU, Germany opened its labour market to the new EU countries rather late, when compared to other ‘old’ EU countries. This has had an effect on the composition of the group of Latvian migrants going to Germany, and their identities. In the light of this, this chapter examines how Latvian migrants in Germany feel and experience their belonging to Latvia and its culture. It analyses the social and communicative practices crucial for the development of belonging, including the rootedness in the country where they live and the cultural references that are important for them. The evidence for the analysis in this chapter comes from in-depth interviews, open media diaries and network maps of Latvian migrants in Germany. The chapter situates the description of evidence in the framework of cultural identity concepts and discusses the role of culture and media in the process of building migrant identity. The chapter argues that culture is shaping the transnational self-perception of Latvian migrants in Germany – as it provides collective narratives of imagined common frames of references, and confirms feelings of belonging and distinction

Fit between humanitarian professionals and project requirements: hybrid group decision procedure to reduce uncertainty in decision-making

Choosing the right professional that has to meet indeterminate requirements is a critical aspect in humanitarian development and implementation projects. This paper proposes a hybrid evaluation methodology for some non-governmental organizations enabling them to select the most competent expert who can properly and adequately develop and implement humanitarian projects. This methodology accommodates various stakeholders’ perspectives in satisfying the unique requirements of humanitarian projects that are capable of handling a range of uncertain issues from both stakeholders and project requirements. The criteria weights are calculated using a two-step multi-criteria decision-making method: (1) Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process for the evaluation of the decision maker weights coupled with (2) Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to rank the alternatives which provide the ability to take into account both quantitative and qualitative evaluations. Sensitivity analysis have been developed and discussed by means of a real case of expert selection problem for a non-profit organisation. The results show that the approach allows a decrease in the uncertainty associated with decision-making, which proves that the approach provides robust solutions in terms of sensitivity analysis

Assessment of ovarian reserve with anti-Mullerian hormone in women following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

Introduction: Severe ovarian failure and persistent infertility have could be seen in females following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT.) In this study, the authors aimed to determine the effectiveness of AMH on assessment of ovarian reserve in long-term survivors after allo-HCT. Material and Methods: Female patients, who underwent allo-HCT between August 2009 and February 2016, were retrospectively evaluated for ovarian capacity in long-term follow-up. Twenty-one female patients with a median age of 34 (22-45) years were included in the study. The serum levels of estrogen (E2), follicle stimulated hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and AMH were analysed. Results: The median duration of post-transplant follow-up was 37 (12-84) months. Primary ovarian failure (POF) was detected in eight (38,1%) and 19 (90,4%) cases in the pre-transplant and post-transplant period, respectively. It was found that no menstruation cycles were observed in 18 cases with low AMH levels. Discussion: Regular menstrual cycles may not guarantee the fertilization in the post-transplant period. Combined analysis of hormonal investigations, antral follicle count by vaginal USG, and evaluation of serum AMH levels may be preferred to demonstrate the presence of POF

Comparison of four different techniques for performing an osteotomy A BIOMECHANICAL, RADIOLOGICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL STUDY ON RABBITS TIBIAS

This animal study compares different methods of performing an osteotomy, including using an Erbium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet laser, histologically, radiologically and biomechanically. A total of 24 New Zealand rabbits were divided into four groups (Group I: multihole-drilling; Group II: Gigli saw; Group III: electrical saw blade and Group IV: laser). A proximal transverse diaphyseal osteotomy was performed on the right tibias of the rabbits after the application of a circular external fixator. The rabbits were killed six weeks after the procedure, the operated tibias were resected and radiographs taken

Novel Furochromone Derivatives: Synthesis and Anticancer Activity Studies

Medicinal plant extracts have been used for medical purposes throughout human history. In this study, khellin, having furochromone structure, which is obtained from a well-known traditional medicinal plant, was selected. A series of furochromonyl compounds (K1-K14) were synthesized for their anticancer activities. Furochromonyl compounds (K1-K14) were synthesized by Knoevenagel reaction of substituted 2,4-thiazolidinediones (Ia-j)/rhodanines (Ik-n) with khellin-2-carboxaldehyde (V), and their cytotoxicity was investigated in 22 cancer cell lines, which were originated from tissues such as the liver, breast, colon, and cervix. As the first step, two hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines Huh7 and PLC/PRF/5 (Alexander cells) were treated with 10 mu M of each compound for 72 h, and then sulforhodamine B assay was performed to analyze their anti-growth activities. Ethyl 2-(5-((4,9-dimethoxy-5-oxo-5H-furo[3,2-g]chromen-7-yl)methylene)-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)acetate (K11) was found as the most cytotoxic compound of primary screening. Afterwards, 12 hepatocellular carcinoma, seven breast cancer, two colon cancer, and a cervical cancer cell lines were selected to test K11 for 72 h at multiple concentrations to determine 50% effective doses. Results showed that the 14 cell lines were affected by K11 quantities lower than 10 mu M. The structure of K11, which is particularly effective on breast cancers, can be used to slow down the progression of tumors. Furthermore, the discovery of more effective compounds can be carried out on the basis of this structure