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The coronavirus disease first identified in mid-December 2019 in Wuhan, China is an ongoing pandemic and the virus has spread around the world. As of 13 March 2020, the number of new cases started to increase significantly in Europe, and Europe was considered as the new center of the Covid-19 pandemic as announced by the WHO. Confirmed case rate (CCR), computed from the numbers of confirmed cases over numbers of tests of the countries can be used to confirm the quality of the numbers, and to detect the manipulation for health surveillance systems of the countries for managing the situation by testing -whether or notfollow Benford's Law (BL). The main aim of this study is to test CCRs of the countries in Europe by BL to detect the data qualities and to monitor the manipulations, which can help to take precautions for the health surveillance systems of the countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Explicit screening tools and implicit evaluation methods have been developed to assist healthcare professionals in the management of pharmacotherapy in older adults. As prescribing habits and locally available medications vary considerably between countries, guides tailored to the needs of specific regions may be required. We aimed to report the results of the international Delphi validation study for the Turkish Inappropriate Medication use in the Elderly (TIME) criteria set, which aims to detect inappropriate prescribing in older adults in Eastern Europe. Methods: The study was conducted between June 2019 and March 2020. Delphi rounds were conducted by the TIME international working group, which included 11 internationally recognized experts in geriatric pharmacotherapy as Delphi panelists. They were asked to indicate to what extent they agreed or disagreed with each TIME criterion, taking into account both the available evidence and their own experience. We used a five-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) and an online software program (SurveyMonkey®) to grade the level of agreement. Criteria with a median value of 1 or 2 and a 75th centile value of 1 or 2 were accepted, and criteria with a median value > 2 were rejected. Those with a median value of 1 or 2 but a 75th centile value > 2 were retained, to be assessed in the following round. The initial list of Delphi criteria comprised 153 TIME items. Results: After three Delphi rounds, 134 criteria were accepted and seven criteria were rejected, while 12 criteria did not achieve consensus, and so were not included in the final validated set of TIME criteria. Conclusion: We developed the internationally validated TIME criteria set based on a Delphi process involving international experts. The validation study suggests that the TIME criteria set can be applied in both central and Eastern European settings. Further studies are needed to assess the utility and benefit of the TIME criteria in reducing inappropriate drug use and improving clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of selected west-European countries into a single market has caused concerns about U.S. exporters' access to the new European market. This article examines strategic export planning for the European market of small U.S. exporters in manufacturing industries on the basis of the strategic market planning framework developed by Abell and Hammond (1979). The proposed model incorporates market attractiveness as a predictor variable in addition to more traditional company background variables in examining export planning status of small U.S. exporters. Findings of a survey conducted in a Midwestern state among active exporters of manufactured goods demonstrate how company characteristics and market attractiveness are related to export planning status. Most exporting manufacturers have responded actively to changes in the European market by completing and enacting strategic export plans. Factors that influence exporters' strategic export planning behavior are entry barriers, changes in European market characteristics, company size, exporting experience, and primary export target markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to determine attitudes towards the advertising of certain controversial products/services and reasons for being offensive across four different countries, Malaysia, New Zealand, Turkey and the UK. Design/methodology/approach - This was achieved by analyzing the responses to a questionnaire that was distributed to a convenience sample of university students in the four countries. A total of 954 were sampled for this study. The results indicated that geography is not a major determinant of attitudes, and that religious and historical factors play a very important role. Findings - Of the 17 products presented, 11 resulted in similar answers for New Zealand and the UK, and seven were similar for Malaysia and Turkey. However, it was apparent that the two countries mostly populated by Muslims had some differences as Malaysia has a multicultural society that must make some allowances for other ethnic groups. It also appears that racism and racist images are of concern to all those sampled. Originality/value - The opening up of regional markets and the development of regional and global media, such as satellite television and the internet, will mean that marketers will try to take advantage of the associated benefits of a standardized approach to advertising and promotional activities. For those involved in international marketing, it is important that they are aware of possible differences and cultural sensitivities when entering a new market or undertaking a standardized mass-media campaign across a region, whether it be Australasia or Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes solar thermal technologies for the solution of long term Europe`s energy problem with better reliability. A short overview about solar energy is explained with a basic energy analysis. This report also includes some evaluations and discussions of solar energy systems in the following pages. The general purpose of the article is to understand how efficiently solar thermal systems generates energy, and solve the Europe`s increasing energy demand in our century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this age of confrontation, the secular Turkish model has been seen as a bridge between Islam and the West as well as the link between Europe and Asia. Now that model faces the most severe test in its history. How the current crisis is settled will frame future relations between Islam and the West no less than the events of 9/11. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome that indicates homeostenosis and increased risk of disability and mortality. It is amenable to intervention when detected. Hence, screening frailty is of utmost importance to preserve quality-of-life and function in older age. Simpler Modified Fried Frailty Scale is a very practical frailty screening tool that has recently been introduced and has rooted from the original Fried Scale. It is developed in Turkish and has been shown to predict mortality in nursing home residents. Considering the variety of languages in Europe, it seems valid to adapt and validate this tool in different European languages. Thereby, it is expected that clinicians will have the possibility to screen for frailty more quickly and easily in their practice across many countries. This report is written to explain the details of the final consensus methodology suggested for Simpler Modified Fried Frailty Scale validation in order to guide and help the research teams in their studies. • Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome that increases disability and mortality. • Screening frailty is of utmost importance to preserve quality-of-life and function. • Simpler Modified Fried Frailty Scale is a very practical and rapid screening tool. • Simpler Modified Fried Frailty Scale predicted mortality in nursing home residents. • Simpler Modified Fried Frailty Scale validation will guide the research teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Wind power, as a renewable source of energy, produces no emissions and is an excellent alternative in environmental terms to conventional electricity production based on fuels such as oil, coal or natural gas. At present, the vast majority of wind power is generated from onshore wind farms. However, their growth is limited by the lack of inexpensive land near major population centers and the visual pollution caused by large wind turbines. Comparing with onshore wind power, offshore winds tend to flow at higher speeds than onshore winds, thus it allows turbines to produce more electricity. Estimates predict a huge increase in wind energy development over the next 20 years. Much of this development will be offshore wind energy. This implies that great investment will be done in offshore wind farms over the next decades. For this reason, offshore wind farms promise to become an important source of energy in the near future. In this study, history, current status, investment cost, employment, industry and installation of offshore wind energy in Europe are investigated in detail, and also compared to its onshore counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A multicenter European Registry, SEARCH-MI, was instituted in the year 2002 in order to assess patients' outcomes and ICD interventions in patients with a previous MI and depressed LV function, treated with an ICD according to MADIT II results. In this analysis, we evaluate the influence of the time elapsed between last myocardial infarction (MI) and prophylactic cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implant on device activations., Methods: 643 patients with left ventricular dysfunction (mean LVEF 26 ± 5%) and NYHA class I-III were prospectively followed for 1.8 ± 1.2 years in a multicenter registry. The population was divided into 3 groups according to the time between last MI and ICD implant: [1] from 40 days to less than 1.5 years; [2] from 1.5 to less than 7 years and [3] at least 7 years., Results: The cumulative incidence of ventricular tachyarrhymias and appropriate device therapy (ATP or shock) were higher in patients implanted longer time from last MI (Gray's Test p=0.002 and p=0.013 respectively). No significant differences were seen in all cause mortality (Gray's Test p=0.618) or sudden cardiac death across the MI stratification groups (Gray's Test p=0.663)., Conclusions: Patients implanted with an ICD longer after the MI have a higher chance of presenting ventricular tachyarrhythmias and appropriate ICD therapy, while no differences were seen in overall mortality. These observations may be important for improving patient targeting in sudden death prevention.

Aims: To evaluate clinical and arrhythmic outcomes in post-infarction cardiomyopathy patients implanted with a defibrillator (ICD) for primary prevention of sudden death., Methods and Results: The SEARCH-MI registry is a European multi-centre, prospective, observational study enrolling patients after myocardial infarction, chronic left ventricular dysfunction and an ICD implanted for primary prevention of sudden death. Data on 556 patients with at least one recorded follow-up are presented. Survey to Evaluate Arrhythmia Rate in High-risk MI (SEARCH-MI) patients were sicker than those enrolled in MADIT-II with higher New York Heart Association class and left bundle branch block. Total mortality was 10.4%. Close to one-third (30%) of patients experienced episodes of sustained ventricular arrhythmia. One-quarter (23%) received at least one appropriate therapy and 10% inappropriate therapy. Gender (25% males vs. 5% females, P = 0.0009) and history of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (24% with vs. 18% without P = 0.037) were predictive of appropriate ventricular therapy., Conclusion: SEARCH-MI represents the current clinical management of post-MI patients with left ventricular dysfunction indicated to defibrillator implant for primary prevention. European routine clinical practice was influenced by landmark trials and guidelines which impacted on the implantation of cardiac resynchronization therapy in over 25% of such patients. Non-sustained ventricular tachycardia identifies subjects with a higher incidence of appropriate ICD therapy.

Aims: Several clinical studies have shown that, in patients with intact atrioventricular (AV) conduction, unnecessary chronic right ventricular (RV) pacing can be detrimental. The managed ventricular pacing (MVP) algorithm is designed to give preference to spontaneous AV conduction, thus minimizing RV pacing. The clinical outcomes of MVP are being studied in several ongoing trials in patients undergoing a first device implantation, but it is unknown to what extent MVP is beneficial in patients with a history of ventricular pacing. The purpose of the Prefer for Elective Replacement MVP (PreFER MVP) study is to assess the superiority of the MVP algorithm to conventional pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator programming in terms of freedom from hospitalization for cardiovascular causes in a population of patients exposed to long periods of ventricular pacing., Methods and Results: PreFER MVP is a prospective, 1:1 parallel, randomized (MVP ON/MVP OFF), single-blinded multi-centre trial. The study population consists of patients with more than 40% ventricular pacing documented with their previous device. Approximately, 600 patients will be randomized and followed for at least 24 months. The primary endpoint comprises cardiovascular hospitalization., Conclusion: The PreFER MVP trial is the first large prospective randomized clinical trial evaluating the effect of MVP in patients with a history of RV pacing.