Model prediction of subendocardial perfusion of the coronary circulation in the presence of an epicardial coronary artery stenosis

The subendocardium is most vulnerable to ischemia, which is ameliorated by relaxation during diastole and increased coronary pressure. Recent clinical techniques permit the measuring of subendocardial perfusion and it is therefore important to gain insight into how measurements depend on perfusion conditions of the heart. Using data from microsphere experiments a layered model of the myocardial wall was developed. Myocardial perfusion distribution during hyperemia was predicted for different degrees of coronary stenosis and at different levels of Diastolic Time Fraction (DTF). At the reference DTF, perfusion was rather evenly distributed over the layers and the effect of the stenosis was homogenous. However, at shorter or longer DTF, the subendocardium was the first or last to suffer from shortage of perfusion. It is therefore concluded that the possible occurrence of subendocardial ischemia at exercise is underestimated when heart rate is increased and DTF is lower

Political geography of panregions

Examines 1930s German geopolitical writers' proposed model of a tripartite division of the world into large panregions of American, European and Japanese hegemony. Imperialism in German geopolitics; Panidea of Eurafrica; Diplomatic missions from Western countries to Africa in 1965; African states' membership in intergovernmental organizations; Air linkages; Military connections

Federalism and multilevel governance

Federalism and multilevel governance both emphasize polycentricity in governing arrangements. With their different intellectual pedigrees, these concepts are discussed in two separate sections. Fragments are now increasingly mixed up in hybrid forms of governance that also encompass originally unitary governments. All this results in a drift toward more substate regional authorities and the emergence of more informal, less state-dominated regulatory mechanisms. Accompanying processes of politicization and issues of legitimacy are explored. The EU and its predecessors are introduced as a site where federalism and multilevel governance have been proposed and turned down in spirited, politically charged discourse, using arguments made in the context of various social science disciplines

Toward an urban geography of diplomacy: lessons from The Hague

This article examines the microgeography of diplomacy, particularly its localized embodiment in a corps diplomatique and international governmental organizations. Drawing on the case of The Hague, we map embassies and consider the locations of organizations engaged with interstate and transnational relations. The article raises questions about diplomatic form and function, whereby urban, economic, and political geographies intersect around issues of diplomacy, representation, and security. Our case study has implications for the study of other diplomatic centers and poses research questions about diplomacy as a spatial practice pertaining to diplomatic buildings, diplomatic clusters, para-diplomacy, and securitization