Search

Cannabidiol (CBD), a major non-psychotropic cannabinoid found in the Cannabis plant, has been shown to exert anti-nociceptive, anti-psychotic, and anti-convulsant effects and to also influence the cardiovascular system. In this study, the effects of CBD on major ion currents were investigated using the patch-clamp technique in rabbit ventricular myocytes. CBD inhibited voltage-gated Na+ and Ca2+ channels with IC50 values of 5.4 and 4.8 µM, respectively. In addition, CBD, at lower concentrations, suppressed ion currents mediated by rapidly and slowly activated delayed rectifier K+ channels with IC50 of 2.4 and 2.1 µM, respectively. CBD, up to 10 μM, did not have any significant effect on inward rectifier IK1 and transient outward Ito currents. The effects of CBD on these currents developed gradually, reaching steady-state levels within 5–8 min, and recoveries were usually slow and partial. Hill coefficients higher than unity in concentration-inhibition curves suggested multiple CBD binding sites on these channels. These findings indicate that CBD affects cardiac electrophysiology by acting on a diverse range of ion channels and suggest that caution should be exercised when CBD is administered to carriers of cardiac channelopathies or to individuals using drugs known to affect the rhythm or the contractility of the heart.

This study examines the development of a novel FPGA-based RMF stirrer system. The system has been designed as a 3-phase system, with each phase being fed by PWM voltage with a phase difference of 120°. In case the system is driven at a 100 % duty cycle, the force acting on the magnetic fish remains continuous and constant until the subsequent phase changes. In such a case, at speeds under 400 rpm, the speed of the magnetic fish fails to be synchronized with the phase change speed. The magnetic fish, therefore, rotates more than 120° and the force is observed to cause a braking effect. Both fluid logic control (FLC) and virtual model control (VMC) were utilised to enable the system to be driven at a different duty cycle. The energy efficiency of the system for fluids with different viscosities has been attempted to be thereby improved with a lower current and shorter excitation time. With FLC and VMC control, the energy consumed by the system is reduced and the efficiency is increased, and approximately 95 % energy gain is obtained for liquids with viscosity up to 1.03 Pa·s. It has been experimentally proven that a lower limit value of the duty cycle of the PWM signal applied to the drive circuit of the system depends on the viscosity of the mixed liquid and a lower limit value increases with increasing viscosity. It has also been found that controlling the system with FLC and VMC does not have a great effect on the energy gain.

Context and background The Our World Heritage Foundation was created in 2020 as a global network to include different stakeholders in the review of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, in its 50th anniversary. The Convention is in urgent need for a scientific-based participatory policy review, as it does not respond to the current global and regional challenges. With the world in crisis, threats from pandemics to economic depression, resource exploitation to politics, conflict to climate, development, disasters and more, today strain the very core of this treaty. Goal and Objectives: World Heritage is a medium to achieve our transformation into more locally empowered, just and resilient societies. The aim of this research is to generate scientific evidence with a participatory approach for policy recommendations for the UNESCO World Heritage Convention to adapt to the current challenges, threats, trends and strengths of World Heritage in general and African heritage in particular. Methodology: The paper focuses on the work and findings of the OWH Sustainability team in the 10 African World Heritage Sites selected, analysed and discussed within a global participatory process. The methodology involved self-assessment forms with a set of sustainability criteria and indicators, the parametrization of the data in a global barometer of the sustainable management of World Heritage for data analysis and visualization, a focus group discussion with 10 African case study proponents, and a series of public debates with 109 international stakeholders. Results: Slow implementation processes in the management of African World Heritage is hindering sustainable development, due to the high urban development pressure, pollution, illegal hunting, poaching of wild life, logging, mining, population pressure, and climate change among other impacts on environmental sustainability of our African World heritage. However, inherent strengths of African culture could become key strategies to safeguard heritage, advance towards sustainable development and keep heritage alive, for which we provide recommendations.

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Vigil-Colet ve diğerleri (2008) tarafından geliştirilmiş istatistik kaygı ölçeğinin Türkçe versiyonunun psikometrik özelliklerinin incelenmesidir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda sosyal bilimler alanındaki bir lisans diploma programında istatistik dersi almış ve sınavına girmiş öğrencilerden anket yoluyla veri toplanmıştır. Bu kapsamda çalışmaya gönüllülük esasına göre 350 öğrenci katılmış ve toplanan veri kümesinden hareketle; açıklayıcı faktör analizi, korelasyon ve güvenilirlik analizleri uygulanmıştır. Uygulanan açıklayıcı faktör analizi neticesinde keşfedilen faktör yapısının ölçeğin orijinal faktör yapısıyla uyumlu olduğu saptanmıştır. Dolayısıyla literatürdeki haliyle istatistik kaygısının alt faktörleri; sınav kaygısı, yardım isteme kaygısı ve yorumlama kaygısı olarak adlandırılmıştır. Söz konusu bulgularla, çalışmada toplanan veri kümesinin geçerlilik özelliğine sahip olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır. Çalışma kapsamında güvenilirlik analizi için içsel tutarlılığı göstermek üzere Cronbach alfa katsayısı hesaplanmıştır. Bu bağlamda, her bir faktör için hesaplanan Cronbach alfa katsayısı ise güvenilirlik özelliği açısından bulgu oluşturmuştur. Dolayısıyla istatistik kaygı ölçeğinin Türkçe versiyonunun geçerlilik ve güvenilirlik özelliklerine sahip olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.

Expectations of inflation play a critical role in the process of price setting in the market. Central banks closely follow developments in inflation expectations to implement a successful monetary policy. The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) conducts a survey of experts and decision makers in the financial and real sectors to reveal market expectations and predictions of current and future inflation. The survey is conducted every month. This paper examines the accuracy of these survey predictions using forecast evaluation techniques. We focus on both point and sign accuracy of the predictions. Although point predictions from CBRT surveys are compared with those of autoregressive models, sign predictions are evaluated on their value to a user. We also test the predictions for bias. Unlike the empirical evidence from other economies, our results show that autoregressive models outperform most of inflation expectations in forecasting inflation. This indicates that inflation expectations have poor point forecast accuracies. However, we show that sign predictions for all inflation expectations have value to a user.

Multiple rice body formation is an uncommon inflammatory process. Sometimes it leads to a big mass in unusual locations. Although sometimes associated with bursitis and systemic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, the pathophysiology of this rare entity is still obscure. We present a 29-year-old woman with multiple rice body mass formation in the trochanteric bursa of the left hip. She was operated, and had no recurrence at 18 months after the surgery.