Secretary of State Byrnes, the US East European policy and the Moscow Conference of December 1945

The compromise in Moscow essentially followed the lines roughed out by the State Secretary. Even if he was aware of the magnitude of the concessions he had to make, especially in Eastern Europe, he was equally convinced that the end result – the restoration of US-Soviet relations – was to be perceived, even by his critics at home as a great breakthrough. Byrnes greatly overestimated his ability to generate a consensus in support of the Moscow agreements. The issues of Eastern Europe and the extended Middle East, exactly those where he took a step back or chose to neglect, would in the following months lead to a consensus, only not the one he was seeking

The relationship of subsurface bubble plumes to wind speed and sea state in the open ocean

When winds blow over the ocean, surface waves grow as energy and momentum are transferred from the air to the sea surface. The waves steepen as energy is added and may eventually break, generating turbulence and plumes of bubbles in the near-surface ocean. This thesis focuses on measurements made during a six-week research trip in the North Atlantic Ocean, in a wide range of wind speeds (8–30 m/s). The complex effects of wind speed, wave age, wind sea wave height and subsurface turbulence on the structure, penetration depth, duration and production rate of bubble plumes are investigated in this thesis. The major data set used here was collected using an upward-pointing sonar during three separate four-day deployments. Individual bubble plumes were detected using an algorithm based on simultaneous sonar and resonator acoustic signals from subsurface bubbles. The acoustical backscattering caused by bubble plumes decays approximately exponentially with depth. The decay constant is related to the bubble entrainment in the water column. The entrainment of a larger void fraction may lead to a lower backscattering decay constant due to the possibility of multiple scattering. Higher wind speed induces younger, rougher waves and higher turbulence, which generate deeper bubble entrainment that promotes longer-lasting plumes (> 100 seconds). The plume production rate is amplified by low-medium wind speeds ( 20 m/s), the plume production rate is significantly reduced to only 8 plumes per hour in the presence of younger less developed seas. The duration variation of these plumes is associated with large scatter. The wave height was found to influence the bubble-plume activity only in a sea state where swell does not contaminate the wind-driven waves. Given the complex and often chaotic sea state in the open ocean, wind speed remains the main factor that controls the bubble plume structure. During the persistent storms, it is difficult to directly assess the effect of individual breaking waves on subsurface bubble plumes because the upper ocean may become supersaturated with gas, and plumes are often advected from a side into the sonar sample volume. In supersaturated seas (at wind speeds > 20 m/s), the plumes become continuous fields of bubbles persisting for very long times (minutes or tens of minutes), without a clear separation between individual events. The total backscatter distribution along the water column (0–8 metres, which was the distance from the sonar to the sea surface) varies with plume penetration depth. Most of the backscatter signal (over 90%) is contained in the upper one metre when the plume is shallow and dense, spreading down the water column more evenly as the plume deepens and becomes more acoustically transparen

Positive evolution in economic forecasting. Case study: the evolution of a company’s capital

For the economic sciences, mainly for the planning and organization disciplines, the models display a range of varieties.  For the last decades, though, the mathematics-based models seem to be the trend, partly because of their ability to rigorously concentrate the essentials and also to be programmed via the computer-based techniques, thus creating together an unheard of instrument of scientific investigation, a resourceful ‚extension’ of human intelligence.The article herein presents certain medium-term prognosis, via the dynamic modelling, elements of bifurcation theory and the Xpp software.  The case study has been the object of a research contract with the business environment. 

Primary Headaches and their Relationship with the Autonomic Nervous System

Headache disorders, described as early as 3000 BC, represent both a treatment challenge and a serious public health concern, with impact on the individual and society. Existing research in primary headache syndromes (not being caused by any underlying problem) focuses mainly on pain mechanisms. However, the painful symptomatology is the main encounter for the decreased quality of life and discomfort, the vegetative manifestations that frequently accompany the cephalalgic syndromes represent an important source of distress. Despite the advancement of the understanding of the molecular basis of headache disorders and neurovascular complex interactions, there is still lack of a cohesive understanding of the neurovegetative modulation in different types of primary cephalalgic syndromes. The aim of this chapter is to present an overview of the neurochemical mechanisms and pathways, which subtend dysautonomic manifestations in headache

Cardiac autonomic modulation in drug-resistant epilepsy patients after vagus nerve stimulation therapy

The positive effect of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy is considered to be mediated by the afferent pathways of the vagus nerve, but the efferent pathways may influence the cardiac autonomic activity.Aim of the study. To assess the effects of VNS on cardiac autonomic modulation in epilepsy patients, over three months of neurostimulation.Clinical rationale for the study. Linear and non-linear heart rate variability (HRV) analysis can provide information on the sympathovagal balance and reveal particularities of the central control of the autonomic cardiovascular function.Materials and Methods. Using Biopac Acquisition System, we analysed HRV parameters in resting condition and during sympathetic and parasympathetic activation tests in five patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, who underwent VNS procedure.Results. During the sympathetic and vagal activation tests, all five patients presented normal responses of cardiac autonomic activity, reflected in RMSSD, HFnu and LF/HF dynamics in both HRV evaluations. No bradycardia, cardiac arrhythmia or orthostatic hypotension was registered during the two evaluations.Conclusions. Our results indicate that VNS appears not to alter the cardiac autonomic function after three months of neurostimulation. HRV analysis is a useful tool for evaluating cardiac autonomic modulation in epilepsy patients during VNS therapy.Clinical Implications. Patients with decreased HRV should be periodically monitored. Cardiac changes in patients with epilepsy are important because of the additional risk of arrhythmias mediated through the autonomic dysfunction

The possibilities of using an outline crash sketch in modelling and simulation of accidents

The paper underpins the reconstruction and analysis of a vehicle - motorcycle-biker-assembly collision type by means of a graphical method. The virtual modeling of the traffic accident reconstruction was achieved by complying the traces and the distances identified; hence it was imported and developed the accident scene sketch. Following the numerical processing of the simulation, the vehicles speed during the pre-collision, collision and post-collision phases was determined in graphical form, generating speed and space variation diagrams.This work is published under NOCC (the "Licence"). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the Licence

Anterior prostatic tumours are difficult to diagnose without MRI

It is often uncertain whether a repeat biopsy is necessary in patients with at least one previous negative prostate biopsy but persistent suspicion of prostate cancer. Here we present the use of multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) to successfully detect and localize a prostate cancer and we suggest that MRI can be useful in optimising repeat biopsy procedures of the prostate in patients with clinically significant carcinoma

Comparison of 10-year overall survival between patients with G1 and G2 grade Ta bladder tumors

To compare long-term overall survival (OS) in patients with G1 and G2 grade Ta bladder cancer after transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBTs). Secondary aim was to investigate clinical and pathologic prognostic factors for OS of Ta patients, except G3/high grade (HG). A total of 243 patients, retrospectively selected, with Ta nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) underwent TURBT between January 2006 and December 2008 (median follow-up 109 months). Inclusion criteria were: Ta at first manifestation, G1 or G2 grade with no associated carcinoma in situ (CIS). Seventy-nine patients were excluded due to concomitant CIS (1), G3/HG tumors (47), and lost to follow-up (31). Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Committee of the Mures County Hospital. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 11.0. Following inclusion criteria, 164 patients with primary G1 or G2 Ta tumors, were enrolled. Recurrence was observed in 26 (15.8%) and progression in 5 (3%) patients. Ten-year survival in G1 patients was 67.8% (CI 54.3-78.1) and in G2 patients 59% (CI 49-67.3) (P=.31). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis underlined that advanced age at diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR] 1.10) and no Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment (HR 0.24 and 0.29) were independent predictors for death at 10 years after diagnosis. Long-term analysis confirms that patients with well differentiated (G1) and moderately well differentiated (G2) Ta tumors have similar OS. A longer OS was even reported in those who underwent BCG adjuvant therapy

Salvage radical prostatectomy after external beam radiation therapy: A systematic review of current approaches

Background: Radical external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is a standard treatment for prostate cancer patients. Despite this, the rate of intraprostatic relapses after primary EBRT is still not negligible. There is no consensus on the most appropriate management of these patients after EBRT failure. For these patients, local salvage therapy such as radical prostatectomy, cryotherapy, and brachytherapy may be indicated. Objective: The objectives of this review were to analyze the eligibility criteria for careful selection of appropriate patients and to evaluate the oncological results and complications for each method. Methods: A review of the literature was performed to identify studies of local salvage therapy for patients who had failed primary EBRT for localized prostate cancer. Results: Most studies demonstrated that local salvage therapy after EBRT may provide long-term local control in appropriately selected patients, although toxicity is often significant. Conclusions: Our results suggest that for localized prostate cancer recurrence after EBRT, the selection of a local treatment modality should be made on a patient-by-patient basis. An improvement in selection criteria and an integrated definition of biochemical failure for all salvage methods are required to determine which provides the best oncological outcome and least comorbidity