Investing in Czechoslovakia

Students once asked the famous British Professor John Maynard Keynes about the long-term effects of his regulatory policies. His answer was that in the long run, we are all dead. We have quite a different philosophy. In the long run, we want to be all better off. And we understand that to be better off, it means the introduction of a market economy and a free, democratic society. Converting the rigid, centrally planned economies of Central and Eastern Europe into flexible, efficient, motivated, market-oriented economies and societies may affect your future. In fact, it will affect Europe and the world at large, and it will touch the welfare and prosperity of us all. There is no historical experience from which to learn in this process. Some of the measures that we take now in Czechoslovakia will later prove to be inadequate or even outright mistakes, but our basic orientation is that the government must introduce a market economy and do so as soon as possible

Retention of mouth-to-mouth, mouth-to-mask and mouth-to-face shield ventilation

Background: Retention of mouth-to-mouth, mouth-to-mask and mouth-to-face shield ventilation techniques is poorly understood.Methods: A prospective randomised clinical trial was undertaken in January 2004 in 70 candidates randomly assigned to training in mouth-to-mouth, mouth-to-mask or mouth-to-face shield ventilation. Each candidate was trained for 10 min, after which tidal volume, respiratory rate, minute volume, peak airway pressure and the presence or absence of stomach inflation were measured. 58 subjects were reassessed 1 year later and study parameters were recorded again. Data were analysed with ANOVA, \textgreekq2 and McNemar tests.Results: Tidal volume, minute volume, peak airway pressure, ventilation rate and stomach inflation rate increased significantly at reassessment with all ventilation techniques compared with the initial assessment. However, at reassessment, mean (SD) tidal volume (960 (446) vs 1008 (366) vs 1402 (302) ml; p<0.05), minute volume (12 (5) vs 13 (7) vs 18 (3) l/min; p<0.05), peak airway pressure (14 (8) vs 17 (13) vs 25 (8) cm H2O; p<0.05) and stomach inflation rate (63% vs 58% vs 100%; p<0.05) were significantly lower with mouth-to-mask and mouth-to-face shield ventilation than with mouth-to-mouth ventilation. The ventilation rate at reassessment did not differ significantly between the ventilation techniques.Conclusions: One year after a single episode of ventilation training, lay persons tended to hyperventilate; however, the degree of hyperventilation and resulting stomach inflation were lower when a mouth-to-mask or a face shield device was employed. Regular training is therefore required to retain ventilation skills; retention of skills may be better with ventilation devices

Measuring Customer\u27s Satisfaction on Bus Transportation

The purpose of the study is to examine the factors measuring customers’ satisfaction, especially the impact of service quality on customers’ satisfaction in public transportation industry in the university town of Sintok located in Kedah province of Malaysia. In order to assess the relationships between service quality and customer satisfaction survey http://www.scientificjournals.org/journals2007/articles/1003.htm data were collected from 300 Bus commuters. All hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlations, controlling for the background variables of gender, marital status, ethnicity and education. The results indicate that hypotheses 1 through 5 were supported. Using multiple regressions as a basis for causal paths, a model was developed that examined the influence of all five dimensions of service quality on customers’ satisfaction. The model explained 26.9% of the variance which indicates that 26.9% of the changes in the dependent variable are explained by the independent variables. Altogether, independent variables explained 26.9% of the variations

Measuring customers satisfaction on bus transportation

The purpose of the study is to examine the factors measuring customers’ satisfaction, especially the impact of service quality on customers’ satisfaction in public transportation industry in the university town of Sintok located in Kedah province of Malaysia.In order to assess the relationships between service quality and customer satisfaction survey http://www.scientificjournals.org/journals2007/articles/1003.htmdata were collected from 300 Bus commuters.All hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlations, controlling for the background variables of gender, marital status, ethnicity and education. The results indicate that hypotheses 1 through 5 were supported. Using multiple regressions as a basis for causal paths, a model was developed that examined the influence of all five dimensions of service quality on customers’ satisfaction.The model explained 26.9% of the variance which indicates that 26.9% of the changes in the dependent variable are explained by the independent variables.Altogether, independent variables explained 26.9% of the variations

Effects of exercise intensity on clot microstructure and mechanical properties in healthy individuals

BackgroundExercise is well established to lead to exercise-induced hypercoagulability, as demonstrated by kinetic coagulation markers. It remains unclear as to whether exercise-induces changes lead in clot development and increased polymerisation. Fractal dimension (df) has been shown to act as a marker of clot microstructure and mechanical properties, and may provide a more meaningful method of determining the relationship between exercise-induced hypercoagulability and potential clot development.Methodsdf was measured in 24 healthy individuals prior to, after 5 min of submaximal exercise, following maximal exercise, 45 min of passive recovery and following 60 min of recovery. Results were compared with conventional markers of coagulation, fibrinolysis and SEM images.ResultsSignificantly increased df was observed following exercise, returning to resting values following 60 min of recovery. The relationship between df and mature clot microstructure was confirmed by SEM: higher df was associated with dense clots formed of smaller fibrin fibres immediately following exercise compared to at rest. Conventional markers of coagulation confirmed findings of previous studies.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that df is a sensitive technique which quantifies the structure and properties of blood clots following exercise. In healthy individuals, the haemostatic balance between coagulation and fibrinolysis is maintained in equilibrium following exercise. In individuals with underlying vascular damage who participate in exercise, this equilibrium may be displaced and lead to enhanced clot formation and a prothrombotic state. df may therefore have the potential to not only quantify hypercoagulability, but may also be useful in screening these individuals

Impact of thermal-electric networks on the usability of EVs based on a study with a C-segment car

One of the major concerns of contemporary Fully Electric Vehicles (FEV) is the high dependency of the maximum range on ambient temperature conditions. In some cases the range of an EV can drop by more than 50%. One of the main reasons for this behaviour is the energy demand required by the thermal conditioning of the passenger compartment. Within this paper a comprehensive approach will be presented to reuse the waste heat energy of the powertrain components combined with a thermal storage for conditioning the car’s cabin. To evaluate the influence of the ambient temperature on the vehicle range, an electro-thermal simulation of a C-segment car, including the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) and the cooling system was performed. The following components/systems were considered: battery, thermal energy storage, thermal insulation as well as heat pump and thermal preconditioning due to an inductive charger. It will be shown that, despite a low amount of waste heat from the high voltage components, the combination of the heat pump with the thermal energy storage (using advanced control strategies) leads to a remarkable range improvement. This research is based on the integration of new electro-thermal system components including novel control algorithms into the thermal system layout. In this article modern control approaches for heat-pump subsystem as well as overall control strategies for complete electro-thermal networks will be discussed. Model-based development has been proven to be an efficient way of control algorithms and software design, including advanced control techniques like MPC and virtual sensors. To validate the simulation results the system will be integrated in a demonstrator car (Mercedes Benz B-Class)

Climatic Effects on Phosphorus Fractions of Native and Cultivated North American Grassland Soils

The climatic regime influences the turnover of P in soils, resulting in shifts in P fractions of different bonding forms. Here, we aimed at (i) identifying possible changes in P fractions as related to mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP), as well as (ii) elucidating how these patterns change under long-term agriculture. We analyzed different P fractions after sequential extraction according to the Hedley procedure from the top 10 cm of 18 native grassland sites and adjacent long-term agricultural fields along a temperature and precipitation transect from central Saskatoon to south Texas. The analyses were performed on bulk soils and clay fractions. The results showed that total P (Ptot) concentrations decreased with increasing MAT but were not clearly related to MAP. The contributions of total inorganic P (Pitot) and total organic P (Potot) to Ptot did neither change with MAT nor with MAP. The proportions of individual soil fractions were shifted from the labile and easily extractable P bonding forms to the more stable, residual P fractions with increasing annual temperature. Arable cropping induced loss of organic P (Po). The relationships to the climatic factors were sustained for the arable soil, but better reflected in the clay fractions than in the bulk soil. We conclude that there is a gross pattern of soil P distribution related to the climate, likely reflecting the increased biological processing as well as and progressing weathering and neoformation of secondary mineral phases as annual temperatures rise

Factors impacting on the activation and approach times of helicopter emergency medical services in four Alpine countries

Abstract Background The outcome of severely injured or ill patients can be time dependent. Short activation and approach times for emergency medical service (EMS) units are widely recognized to be important quality indicators. The use of a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) can significantly shorten rescue missions especially in mountainous areas. We aimed to analyze the HEMS characteristics that influence the activation and approach times. Methods In a multi-centre retrospective study, we analyzed 6121 rescue missions from nine HEMS bases situated in mountainous regions of four European countries. Results We found large differences in mean activation and approach times among HEMS bases. The shortest mean activation time was 2.9 minutes; the longest 17.0 minutes. The shortest mean approach time was 10.4 minutes; the longest 45.0 minutes. Short times are linked (p Conclusions An improvement in HEMS activation and approach times is possible. We found 17 factors associated with shorter times.</p