OBJECTIVES: To evaluate serum creatinine (s-creatinine) and serum cystatin C (s-cystatin C) levels and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at different time points as predictors for mortality in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).METHODS: A total of 1638 patients undergoing elective CABG were studied prospectively over a median follow-up of 3.5 years (range, 2.0-5.0

In order to maximize their fitness, individuals aim at choosing territories offering the most appropriate combination of resources. As population size fluctuates in time, the frequency of breeding territory occupancy reflects territory quality. We investigated the relationships between the frequency of territory occupancy (2002-2009) vs. habitat characteristics, prey abundance, reproductive succes

Using synchrotron radiation based spectroscopic methods we have investigated the surface modifications of Ga1-x Mnx As layers due to post growth annealing under amorphous arsenic capping layers. It is established that there is a clear increase of the Mn concentration at the surface after annealing. This is ascribed to a reaction between diffusing Mn interstitials and the As capping. The reacted su

Closed-form solutions for the plastic response of a symmetric double-lap joint are presented. The adherents are assumed to behave linear elastically in pure tension, whereas the adhesive is assumed to be in a state of pure shear. The shear stress-strain behavior of the adhesive is approximated by a bilinear curve, and both hardening plasticity approximating ductile adhesive behavior, and softening

Reduction in traffic-induced ground vibrations by the use of barriers is investigated. The traffic load characteristics were measured for motorway traffic. The effects of parameters on various types of barriers were examined by the use of a finite element model that was calibrated to green-field measurements. The model involved a layered soil and bedrock. The depth of a trench and the elastic modu

The concrete discs with water-cement ratios 0.4 and 0.7 were preconditioned at their early age by drying at 50`C for 2 to 4 days, followed by storage in a Laboratory atmosphere till an age of 28 or S6 days. The moisture distributions in the specimens were determined by measuring relative humidity and capillary saturation degree, and the air permeability was determined according to the Cembureau me

This introductory chapter provides a non-technical presentation of conceptual spaces as a representational framework for modeling different kinds of similarity relations in various cognitive domains. Moreover, we briefly summarize each chapter in this volume.

Research Highlights and Abstract: This article provides A 'zeitgeist' analysis of how the Coalition leadership tried to make the most of Britain's 'big year' of 2012, particularly in terms of the government's 'prosperity agenda'; Rich empirical data about high profile, government-wide trends in British promotional strategies and practices in the context of austerity; Analysis of the consequences o

Soft power is an increasingly important concept that attempts to explain how states and organisations shape shared interests across national borders and between political, economic, social and cultural spaces. However, many of the theoretical and methodological flaws identified by scholars engaging with the term are familiar to Media & Communications research, and particularly to the sub-field

Secret diplomacy may at first glance appear to be the antinomy of public diplomacy. Diplomats have traditionally been discouraged from participation in the domestic or foreign politics of the state in which they exercise their functions, and their official communications are, according to Articles 12 and 13 of the Havana Convention (1928), to be channelled through the host Foreign Ministry. By con

This chapter analyses relations and interactions among civil society organisations active at the European Union level in the prostitution policy area, which is characterised by opposite frames regarding prostitution as work, sex or violence. The study draws on the theoretical perspective of Strategic Action Fields, focuses on the International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe (ICRS