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Rural restructuring became a frame definition to describe the changing circumstances of rurality within modernization and post-modernization processes. When it comes to modernization, differentiation mostly denotes an increasing urban lifestyle, higher level of mobility and flexibility and dynamic society of the rural. However, a brief overview on rural spaces proved, that in many cases the new challenges of modernization or post-modern values indicate a fragmentation in societies. The approach to reach a higher level of mobility due to the centralized spatial structure of workplaces results in a distinction between social groups; what is more, demographic decline intensifies because of the relatively high mobility of certain rural groups. This paper focuses on those social groups, which have a relatively low level of mobility, therefore they get isolated in a rural locality. The settlements, where most of the local society lacks mobility, could cause the perforation of the settlement system, thus the isolation of some rural social groups leads to a dysfunctional settlement structure. In these terms, perforation means a process, in which a settlement loses connections with local centres or other communities due to the low mobility of residents. Therefore, perforation refers to the lack of local networks, an immobile society, and a set of problems, like unemployment, deprivation, or deviant behaviour. According to the author's presumptions, the mobility of residents could express the volume of perforation as the more isolated the residents are, the less network functions in a rural settlement system can be found. For this reason, this research measures the mobility level of residents in a Hungarian rural locality named Baranyai-Hegyhát, located in the Southern-Transdanubia Region. According to survey data, a mathematical model can describe mobility patterns in this area, which is used as a method to find isolating settlements in a disabled space. The theoretical concept of perforation is supposed to be an experimental approach to interpret complex isolation processes in rural spaces, as such, in this paper, we are to test our theory with the method of the Corrected Mobility Index.

A tanulmány a nemzetközi szakirodalom fontosabb diverzitási indexeinek tipizálásával, a köztük levő logikai kapcsolatok feltárásával és a nevezéktan egységesítésével foglalkozik. Az indexek aszerint csoportosíthatók, hogy a diverzitás mely formáját mérik (a fragmentációt vagy a polarizációt), illetve hogy alkalmaznak-e valamilyen súlytényezőt vagy sem. Az elemzés Schaeffer nyomán megoldási javaslattal él az értékrendbeli különbségek – mint kulturális távolságok – integrálására a súlyozott indexek képleteibe. Egy hipotetikus település ezer darab, véletlenszerűen generált etnikai összetételét összevetve az elemzés rávilágít a diverzitási indexek működési elvére és egymáshoz való viszonyára. Bár az indexek közötti korrelációs együtthatók magasak, közepes és magas értékeknél a ponthalmazok szóródása mindenütt nagy. A leglátványosabban ez a súlyozatlan és a súlyozott fragmentációs indexek esetében jelentkezett, hiszen azonos százalékos arányokhoz azonos súlyozatlan értékek, de jelentősen eltérő súlyozott értékek társulhatnak annak függvényében, hogy attitűdben és értékrendben hasonló vagy nagyon különböző csoportok élnek együtt. A diverzitási indexek alkalmazása különösen a dinamikus vizsgálatok esetében elengedhetetlen, hiszen a heterogenizálódás vagy homogenizálódás irányának és sebességének mérésére csak ezek kínálnak egzakt megoldást. Az indexértékek két időpont között különböző mértékben és esetenként különböző irányba is változhatnak, és ennek fontos jelentésmegkülönböztető szerepe lehet a diverzifikálódás hatásainak értékelésekor. Az optimális index kiválasztása a kutatási kontextuson múlik, de számos egyéb körülményt is mérlegelni kell. E tanulmány a választás megkönnyítéséhez igyekszik hozzájárulni azzal, hogy a magyar szakirodalomban elsőként számba veszi a diverzitási indexek alkalmazási lehetőségeit az etnicitáskutatásban.

This paper provides an overview of the relevant theoretical frameworks of well- being and migration and the links between the two concepts. The article is part of the theoretical preparatory work for the MIGWELL project. We argue that increasing it at the individual level is a universal human desire. From this perspective, migration - if it is truly voluntary - may be a tool to reach the desired outcome of increasing well-being. In general, micro-level approaches are more suitable for linking subjective well-being and migration. In particular, the "new economics and sociology of migration", the "network theory" and the "capabilities approach" offer the implicit or explicit possibility to do so. Regarding well-being, we apply a hybrid approach, inspired by both the OECD and the WeD concepts. Finally, in this paper we propose a research design that may be suitable (with some limitations) to capture the two-way relationship between the two concepts: the impact of subjective well-being on migration intention and the effect of migration on subjective well-being [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to evaluate the implication of the credit crash for urban regeneration in Riga. Examples of project development in urban brownfields and the implication of the economic downturn on them are analyzed in this study. GDP increment rate of Latvia was the highest among the European Union member states during the rapid growth of economy. It was mostly determined by rapid development of the construction and real estate sectors. High demand for dwellings caused one of the highest rates of price rise for real estate properties in the world. As a reaction to rapid increase in demand, development of real estate projects increased as well. Significant number of them was developed in Riga - the most important economic centre in Latvia and the biggest city in the Baltic states. Riga as a post-industrial city has significant proportion of brownfields, which are used ineffectively. The structures of these former industrial territories were formed mostly at the end of the 19th century and during the Soviet occupation period. Nowadays they are undergoing regeneration in order to construct new dwellings and commercial premises, because an advantage of these territories is their location close to the city centre. Latvia has experienced a rapid economic downturn, which has affected all economic sectors in Latvia negatively. Banking sector has faced problems as well, resulting in unavailability of the credits. Overproduction of dwellings and decreasing purchasing ability has caused the highest rate of price decrease in the world. It has resulted in rapid decline in construction sector, and the regeneration of brownfields in Riga is affected negatively, too. Several regeneration projects are suspended, but some have not been started. Many companies have faced bankruptcy, but, despite unfavorable economic conditions, some urban regeneration projects are in progress because of the decreasing implementation costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The concentrations of asymmetric dimethy-larginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase are increased in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). An elevated concentration of ADMA in the plasma and pericardial fluid (PF) is an independent predictor of worse cardiovascular events in patients undergoing coronary revascularization. We aimed to investigate the changes of pericardial and plasma ADMA levels in patients with CAD, who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft (CAbG) surgery. Patients and Methods: 64 patients who underwent PCI or CABG surgery were enrolled in this study (65.5 ± 8.2 years). 52 patients who underwent the valve replacement (VR) served as control subjects (59 ± 6.9 years). Exercise stress test was performed on a treadmill according to the Bruce protocol. ADMA levels were determined by using liquid chromatography -- tandem mass spectrometry. Furthermore L-arginine and ADMA concentrations were determined in plasma and PF of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, n=28) or valve replacement (VR, n=25). Results: Patients in the CAD group had significantly elevated plasma concentrations of ADMA at rest, compared to the control group (0.59 ± 0.02 µM/l vs. 0.46 ± 0.03 µM/l; p<0.01). ADMA decreased immediately after stent implantation in the PCI group. There was no discernible increase in ADMA in the off-pump CABG group. In contrast, the levels of ADMA were significantly elevated in the group of patients who underwent cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (F=0.416, p<0.685 and F=14.751, p<0.001 for the off-pump and CPB groups, respectively). Similarly, a significant increase in ADMA was observed in the peripheral blood (F=30.738, p<0.001) during CPB, while during the off-pump CABG surgery, ADMA remained largely unchanged. The L-arginine/ ADMA ratio of both plasma (125.4±10.7 vs.76.7±8.7) and PF (110.4±7.2 vs. 80.8±6.04) were significantly higher in the CABG group compared to the VR group. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between plasma and pericardial L-arginine levels in the CABG group. The PF ADMA was higher in the VR than CABG group. Conclusion: This clinical study highlights the importance of the investigation of both plasma and pericardial ADMA levels in patients with CAD. Changes of ADMA, and L-arginine/ADMA ratio are reliable, as well as the feasible markers of ischemia-reperfusion injury occurring in patients who underwent coronary revascularization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common diseases worldwide. They are responsible for one third of global deaths and they are the leading cause of disability, too. The usage of different levels of prevention in combination with effective risk assessment improved these statistical data. Risk assessment based on classic risk factors has recently been supported with several new markers, such as asymmetric dimethylarginine, which is an endogenous competitive inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. Elevated levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine have been reported in obese, smoker, hypercholesterolemic, hypertensive and diabetic patients. According to previous studies, asymmetric dimethylarginine is a suitable indicator of endothelial dysfunction, which is held to be the preceding condition before atherosclerosis. Several researches found positive correlation between higher levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine and coronary artery disease onset, or progression of existing coronary disease. According to a study involving 3000 patients, asymmetric dimethylarginine is an independent risk factor of cardiovascular mortality in patients with coronary artery disease. This article summarizes the role of asymmetric dimethylarginine in prediction of cardiovascular diseases, and underlines its importance in cardiovascular prevention.

Background/aim: Nitric oxide (NO) pathway plays a major role in the development and advancement of inflammation. We aimed to design a study and investigate its feasibility to show the changes of L-arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), which are important regulators of the NO pathway., Patients and Methods: Concentrations of L-arginine, ADMA and SDMA were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Seventeen septic survival patients were enrolled and blood samples were obtained on the first, third and fifth day after the diagnosis of sepsis. Sixteen non-septic matched controls were recruited., Results: ADMA levels on admission correlated well with sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score. During the follow-up, L-arginine/ADMA ratio increased significantly from day 1 to day 3 (p=0.005), then decreased from day 3 to day 5 (p=0.023)., Conclusion: This study design seems feasible to investigate changes of L-Arginine, ADMA and SDMA in sepsis survival patients., (Copyright © 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)