Relation between Serum Apelin Level and CAE

Relation between Serum Apelin Level and CAE Decreased Apelin Levels in Isolated Coronary Artery Ectasia M.Zihni Bilik, M.Ata Akal, Halit Acet, Abdulkadir Yaldaz, Murat Yà ¼ksel, Nihat Polat, Mesut Aydan, Mustafa Oylumlu, Sait Alan ,Faruk Ertaâ„ ¢Ã‚ ¹  ¹Department of Cardiology, Medicine Faculty, Dicle University, Diyarbakr, Turkey  Ã‚   Abstract Introduction: Etiopathogenesis of coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is completely unknown. Most of CAE develop with atherosclerosis. Association of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and apelin has been examined in previous studies. In isolated coronary artery ectasia the role of plasma apelin has not been studied yet. Aim: In this study, we investigated the relation between plasma apelin levels and coronary artery ectasia. Material and methods: Study population included totally 54 patients. 26 patients with isolated CAE (53.6 ±8.1 years ); 28 patients as control group with normal coronary arteries (51.6 ± 8.8 years) and with similar risk factors and demographic properties . Apelin levels were measured using an enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) . Results: Apelin levels in CAE group were significantly lower [apelin= 0.116ng/ml (0.086-0.319) ] than those in control group [0.689ng/ml (0.077-1.067) ] (P =0.033).Glucose, creatinine,total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, HDL-C levels were not significantly different between groups (P >0.05). Conclusions: In this study we showed that patients with isolated CAE have decreased plasma apelin levels. Therefore there may be an association between decreased plasma apelin level and isolated CAE. Key words: apelin, coronary artery ectasia, atherosclerosis Introduction: Apelin is an adipocytokine and endogenous ligand for the angiotensin-like 1 receptor (APJ). The function of apelin is not clear in the cardiovascular system. Apelin may play an opposite role to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system as a compensatory mechanism. It is reduced in patients with heart failure.[1] Increased apelin expression has been found in coronary vessels, cardiomyocytes, large conduit vessels [2] vascular smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells.[3] Some functions of apelin have been described, such as positive inotropism [4] ,endothelium-dependent vasodilation [5],cardiac contractility,[6] and the reduction of vascular wall inflammation. CAE has been defined as abnormal dilatation of a segment of coronary artery that 1.5 times larger than the diameter of adjacent normal segments of artery.[7] The incidence of CAE has been reported to account for 0.3% to 4.9% in patients underwent coronary angiography. [8] Although the exact mechanisms leading to CAE are not clear up to now, atherothrombosis, endothelial dysfunction and vasculit have been suggested as possible responsible factors. CAE has also been reported in association with various conditions such as congenital coronary anomalies, connective tissue diseases, and vasculitis and failed smooth muscle cells. [9,10] Apelin has a role in endothelium-dependent vasodilation. CAE may dependent to endothelium-dependent vasodilation mechanism. [5] So there may be relation between apelin and CAE. In our knowledge there is not any study in the literature about apelin and CAE. Aim: In this study we aimed to examine the relation between serum apelin level and CAE. Material and methods: Study population included totally 54 patients that were admitted to Cardiology Department of Dicle University. Twenty six patients with isolated CAE ( 53.6 ±8.1 years ) as CAE group and 28 patients as control group with normal coronary arteries that proven angiographically (51.6 ± 8.8 years) with similar risk factors and demographic properties to CAE group were included . Cases who had malignancy, heart failure ,acute coronary syndrome, renal disease, collagen tissue diseases, vasculitis,coronary artery disease were excluded from the study. The study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee and informed consent was obtained from each patient. Study design: All patients underwent detailed physical examination. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight divided by square of height. Clinical laboratory analyses were performed in Dicle University Biochemistry Laboratories (Diyarbakar, Turkey). Biochemical tests were performed by Abbott C16000 (USA) biochemical autoanalyzer with original kits and hematological counts were measured by an automated hematology analyzer (Abbott Cell-Dyn 3700; Abboott Laboratory, Abbott Park, IL) in peripheral venous blood samples . Standart methods were used to measure total and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL),triglycerides and fasting glucose. Serum obtained by centrifuge was stored at −80 °C until analysis for apelin measurement. These were studied at the Biochemistry Laboratory of Dicle University .Apelin levels were measured using an enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) (Phoenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., California,USA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and expressed as ng/ml. Evaluation of coronary artery ectasia by coronary angiography Coronary angiography was routinely performed using the Allura Xper FD10 (Philips, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) through femoral artery by Judkins technique without use of nitroglycerine. The contrast agent was Iopamiro 370 (Bracco, Milan, Italy) that used in all patients. Each angiogram was evaluated concurrently by two interventional cardiologists who were blinded to the study and to each other. Angiographically CAE was accepted when diameter of dilated segment of coronary artery was 1.5 times larger than adjacent normal segments. Statistical analysis Data were analyzed with SPSS software version 18.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Illinois). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to verify that continuous variables were normally distributed. Continuous variables are listed as mean  ± standard deviation, categorical variables are listed as percentages. The independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U test was used for continuous variables and the chi-square test for categorical variables. Statistical significance was defined as p Results: The study was included a total of 54 patients. CAE group included 26 patients with coronary ectasia (mean age 53.6 ±8.1 years) and %73.1 (n=19) of patients were male. Control group included 28 control patients with normal coronary arteries (mean age 51.6 ± 8.8 years) and 64.3% (n =18) of patients were male. There was no difference between two groups regarding basal demographical data (P>0.05). Demographic characteristics of the groups are presented in Table 1. We found apelin levels in CAE group significantly lower [apelin= 0.116ng/ml (0.086-0.319) ] than those in control group [0.689ng/ml (0.077-1.067) ] (P =0.033). Glucose, creatinine,total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, HDL-C levels were not significantly different between groups (P >0.05). Table 1: Baseline characteristics of the study population Ectasia Grup (n=26) Control Grup (n=28) P value Age (years) 53.6 ±8.1 51.6 ± 8.8 0.38 Male n(% ) 19 (%73.1) 18(%64.3) 0.49 Hypertension n(%) 15 (%58) 12(%43) 0.18 Diabetes Mellitus n(%) 4 (%15) 6 (%21) 0.57 BMI (kg/m ²) 28.1 ± 4 26.7  ±4.2 0.24 Smoking n(%) 13 (%50) 12 (%46) 0.79 Glucose mg/dl 106 ±20 124 ±53 0.1 Creatinine mg/dl 0.86 ±0.2 0.82 ±0.1 0.38 Total cholesterol mg/dl 196 ±47 195 ±37 0.98 LDL mg/dl 128 ±42 113 ±33 0.14 HDL mg/dl 41 ±10 40 ±10 0.92 Triglyseride mg/dl 145 ±77 184 ±115 0.15 Apelin ng/ml 0.116 (0.086-0.319)* 0.689 (0.077-1.067)* 0.033 *Median and interquartile range used. BMI:Body mass index ; LDL: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL: High density lipoprotein cholesterol Figure-1: Comparison of the plasma apelin level between CAE and control group. P=0.033 Discussion : CAE has been defined as abnormal dilatation of a segment of coronary artery that 1.5 times larger than the diameter of adjacent normal segments of artery. [7] The etiology of CAE is not fully understood. Various mechanisms are thought to be the reason of CAE. Approximately a half of CAE is due to atherosclerosis of coronary artery. Atheromatous ulcerations in coronary artery or significant stenosis has been described in patients with ectasia.[11,12] Cardiovascular system is the main target of apelin and its receptor APJ . In regulation of cardiovascular homeostasis, apelin may have an important role.[13] Positive inotropism, vasodilation, decreased blood pressure and diuresis are some effects of apelin on cardiovascular system . Therefore apelin may have an antagonistic effect to the renin-angiotensin-aldosteron system .It is reduced in patients with heart failure.[1] Relation between apelin and coronary artery disease especially atherosclerosis is known. Kadoglou et al. showed that apelin concentrations are lower in CAD patients and it is negatively correlated with severity of CAD. [14]. Additionally, decreased apelin levels are observed in subjects with stable angina. Plasma apelin may have a role in the progression and destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques.[15]. Attenuation of the vessel wall has been shown by Rath et al. in nonatherosclerotic forms of CAE .In their study vessel media degeneration and smooth muscle cell replacement by hyalinized collagen with intact vessel intima has been demonstrated.[16] In the pathogenesis of CAE, loss of the musculoelastic components of the vessel media have an important effect. [12,17] Several factors other than atherosclerosis have a role in development of CAE such as endothelial dysfunction, vasculitis, congenital coronary anomalies, connective tissue diseases [9,10], oxidative stres, vascular smooth muscle proliferation, abnormal collagen synthesis and increased inflammatory response. [18] Li L. et al. showed that apelin have a regulatory effect on proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cell and nitric oxide production.[19] Nitric oxide is a potent vasodilator and plays important roles in protecting the cardiac vascular system against myocardial damage. It inhibits leukocyte adhesion ,platelet aggregation and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. [18] In some studies there was a relation between apelin and nitric oxide. It is demonstrated that in the rat model, myocardial damage significantly reduces by oxidative injury reduction and enhancement of nitric oxide production when rats treated with apelin in postinfarct period.[20] Tatemoto K., et al. reported that apelin may be present in the endothelium and reduce blood pressure via nitric oxide dependent mechanism.[21] Additionally polymorphism in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene has been explored in several studies in patients with CAE. [22] According to this ,impaired nitric oxide dependent vasodilation mechanism may consist to be the reason of ectasia. Malyszko et al. reported that in patients with transplanted kidneys apelin level is correlated with intracellular adhesion molecule, adiponectin and the presence of coronary arery disease in patients with transplanted kidneys. [23] Apelin is a member of adipocytokin like adiponectin. Dagli N. et al. examined a negative correlation between coronary artery ectasia diameter and plasma adiponectin level .[24] Also in our study we obtained similar results that plasma apelin level in isolated CAE patients is significantly lower than in controls. According to recent data adiponectin and apelin have cardioprotective effects . Despite exact mechanism is not clear it seems that, both of them protect vessel from atherosclerosis and ectasia. However, further studies are required to show the role of apelin in development of CAE. Conclusion : In this study we showed that patients with isolated coronary artery ectasia have decreased plasma apelin level compared with normal coronary arteries. According to these data we suggest that apelin may have a role in developing CAE. Limitations of the study Because isolated CAE is rare entity ,the number of cases were limited. our study have a small population. Additionally, it is an important limitation on the part of the study that intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was not conducted in the diagnosis of patients, as IVUS and autopsy can demonstrate atherosclerotic plaques in a wide area of the vessel lumen in patients whose coro-nary angiography is normal Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. References 1.Chandrasekaran B, Dar O, McDonagh T. The role of apelin in cardiovascular function and heart failure. European journal of heart failure 2008;10:725-732 2.Kleinz MJ, Davenport AP. Emerging roles of apelin in biology and medicine. Pharmacology therapeutics 2005;107:198-211 3.Ronkainen VP, Ronkainen JJ, Hanninen SL, et al. Hypoxia inducible factor regulates the cardiac expression and secretion of apelin. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 2007;21:1821-1830 4.Hashimoto T, Kihara M, Ishida J, et al. Apelin stimulates myosin light chain phosphorylation in vascular smooth muscle cells. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology 2006;26:1267-1272 5.Malyszko J, Malyszko JS, Pawlak K, Mysliwiec M. Visfatin and apelin, new adipocytokines, and their relation to endothelial function in patients with chronic renal failure. Advances in medical sciences 2008;53:32-36 6.Farkasfalvi K, Stagg MA, Coppen SR, et al. Direct effects of apelin on cardiomyocyte contractility and electrophysiology. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2007;357:889-895 7.Hartnell GG, Parnell BM, Pridie RB. Coronary artery ectasia. Its prevalence and clinical significance in 4993 patients. British heart journal 1985;54:392-395 8.Yamanaka O, Hobbs RE. Coronary artery anomalies in 126,595 patients undergoing coronary arteriography. Catheterization and cardiovascular diagnosis 1990;21:28-40 9.Seabra-Gomes R, Somerville J, Ross DN, et al. Congenital coronary artery aneurysms. British heart journal 1974;36:329-335 10.Di Mario C, Zanchetta M, Maiolino P. Coronary aneurysms in a case of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Japanese heart journal 1988;29:491-496 11.Cross SJ, Lee HS, Kenmure AC, Jennings KP. Coronary artery ectasia: is it associated with myocardial ischaemia and infarction? Scottish medical journal 1993;38:28-29 12.Befeler B, Aranda MJ, Embi A, et al. Coronary artery aneurysms: study of the etiology, clinical course and effect on left ventricular function and prognosis. The American journal of medicine 1977;62:597-607 13.Lee DK, Cheng R, Nguyen T, et al. Characterization of apelin, the ligand for the APJ receptor. Journal of neurochemistry 2000;74:34-41 14.Kadoglou NP, Lampropoulos S, Kapelouzou A, et al. Serum levels of apelin and ghrelin in patients with acute coronary syndromes and established coronary artery diseaseKOZANI STUDY. Translational research : the journal of laboratory and clinical medicine 2010;155:238-246 15.Li Z, Bai Y, Hu J. Reduced apelin levels in stable angina. Internal medicine 2008;47:1951-1955 16.Rath S, Har-Zahav Y, Battler A, et al. Fate of nonobstructive aneurysmatic coronary artery disease: angiographic and clinical follow-up report. American heart journal 1985;109:785-791 17.Markis JE, Joffe CD, Cohn PF, et al. Clinical significance of coronary arterial ectasia. The American journal of cardiology 1976;37:217-222 18.Calvert JW. Cardioprotective effects of nitrite during exercise. Cardiovascular research 2011;89:499-506 19.Li L, Li L, Xie F, et al. Jagged-1/Notch3 signaling transduction pathway is involved in apelin-13-induced vascular smooth muscle cells proliferation. Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica 2013;45:875-881 20.Azizi Y, Faghihi M, Imani A, Roghani M, Nazari A. Post-infarct treatment with [Pyr1]-apelin-13 reduces myocardial damage through reduction of oxidative injury and nitric oxide enhancement in the rat model of myocardial infarction. Peptides 2013;46:76-82 21.Tatemoto K, Takayama K, Zou MX, et al. The novel peptide apelin lowers blood pressure via a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism. Regulatory peptides 2001;99:87-92 22.Arif Yalcin A, Faruk Akturk I, Celik O, et al. Coronary Artery Ectasia Is Associated with the c.894G>T (Glu298Asp) Polymorphism of the Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene. The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine 2014;232:137-144 23.Malyszko J, Malyszko JS, Pawlak K, Wolczynski S, Mysliwiec M. Apelin, a novel adipocytokine, in relation to endothelial function and inflammation in kidney allograft recipients. Transplantation proceedings 2008;40:3466-3469 24.Dagli N, Ozturk U, Karaca I, et al. Adiponectin levels in coronary artery ectasia. Heart and vessels 2009;24:84-89 Table 1: Baseline characteristics of the study population Grup 1 (n=26) Grup 2 (n=28) P value Age (years) 53.6 ±8.1 51.6 ± 8.8 P>0,05 0,38 Male % 19 (%73,1) 18(%64,3) P>0,05 Hypertension % 15 (%58) 12(%43) P>0,05 Diabetes Mellitus % 4 (%15) 6 (%21) p>0,05 BMI (kg/m ²) 28.1 ± 4 26.7  ±4.2 P>0,05 Smoking % 13 (%50) 12 (%46) P> 0,05 Glucose mg/dl 106 ±20 124 ±53 0.1 Creatinine mg/dl 0,86 ±0,2 0,82 ±0,1 0.38 Total cholesterol mg/dl 196 ±47 195 ±37 0.98 LDL mg/dl 128 ±42 113 ±33 0.14 HDL mg/dl 41 ±10 40 ±10 0.92 Triglyseride mg/dl 145 ±77 184 ±115 0.15

Microsofts .Net architecture :: essays research papers

BY NOW YOU'VE read and heard plenty about .NET, Microsoft's new enterprise application strategy. A nuts-and-bolts rundown of .NET's features may leave you asking, "Does this have anything to do with me?" If you run Windows on desktops, .NET's impact will be minimal, and if you operate Windows servers, .NET could require making a few changes. But if you specify, design, develop, or implement enterprise software or Web applications, keep in mind that .NET drastically changes Windows' profile. You can't use the old rules to determine Windows' suitability for an enterprise task. The assumptions, design models, and development techniques that have worked since Windows NT 3.51 will soon be obsolete. In contrast to the poorly defined Windows DNA (Distributed interNet Architecture), .NET is a tangible and easily defined software product. It is an application framework, meaning that it provides applications with the system and network services they require. The .NET services range from displaying graphical user interfaces to communicating with other servers and applications in the enterprise. It replaces Windows COM (Component Object Model) with a much simpler object model that is implemented consistently across programming languages. This makes sharing data among applications, even via the Internet, easy and transparent. .NET also substantially improves application scalability and reliability, with portability being a stated but not yet realized objective. These are clear benefits demonstrated by the pre-beta edition of .NET. We've been testing the .NET pre-beta (now downloadable from msdn.microsoft.com/net) for several weeks. Attendees of Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2000 in Orlando,Fla., ourselves among them, received a stack of CDs with the .NET preview, plus a good deal of software not yet released. The combination of the .NET components adds up to a strikingly complete picture of what .NET will be on its release. With an uncharacteristically stable and feature-rich pre-beta, relationships already in place with third-party tools suppliers, and even books on .NET topics, Microsoft could drive .NET to market with head-spinning speed. But until Microsoft publishes its schedule for .NET's release, it's best to plan for a debut that's months rather than years awayWe've been testing the .NET pre-beta (now downloadable from msdn.microsoft.com/net) for several weeks. Attendees of Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2000 in Orlando,Fla., ourselves among them, received a stack of CDs with the .

Examine How Market Equilibrium Is Determined and Explain

Market Equilibrium- Asifa Kwong Examine how market equilibrium is determined and explain why governments intervene in markets. Use diagrams to illustrate your answer. Equilibrium refers to the idea that there is no tendency to change, and market equilibrium is a situation where the price and the quantity supplied and the quantity demanded of a particular good are equal. The interaction between demand and supply can change the price mechanism which determines the prices and quantity of the goods and services that will be bought and sold in the market.When there’s no tendency to change in price or quantity, it means that there’s no surplus or shortage of goods and services in the market (diagram 1). If there’s any mismatch in supply and demand, it will be balanced by changes in price and quantity demanded or supplied. When there’s a surplus of goods and services, there will be a decrease in demand, where supply will be greater than demand, price will fall wh ere firms cut prices to sell surplus and there will be a contraction of supply and an extension of demand.When there’s a shortage of goods and services, consumers bid up prices competing for the available quantity supplied of goods and series, where there’s an extension of supply and a contraction of demand ad there will be a re-established equilibrium price at a higher rate. Increase in demand will lead to a shift in the demand curve to the right where it will raise both equilibrium price and quantity. When there’s a decrease in demand, the demand will shift to the left where price will drop and there will be an extension in demand and a contraction in supply.An increase in supply will shift supply to the right, it will lower the equilibrium price and raises the equilibrium quantity. There will be an extension in demand and a contraction in supply. A decrease in supply will shift supply to the right where there will be a raise in the equilibrium price and lower s the equilibrium quantity. When the market prices for goods and services in the product markets is considered to be too high or too low, market failure may occur where the price mechanism may take account of private benefits and costs of production but doesn’t take into account social cost and benefits.This is when the government intervenes in the market. When the government feels that the market determined price for some goods and services is too high or too low, the government may intervene in the marketplace in order to make changes to these goods and services. Governments impose price ceiling and floor prices in order to intervene the market prices. Price ceiling is the maximum price that can be charged for a good or service. For example, the petrol prices in the market maybe too high so the government would set a ceiling price that it can’t be higher than a particular amount.Floor price refers to the minimum price that can be charged for a particular good or serv ices, it is established below market equilibrium. For example, the government may think that the market price for wheat is too low, so it may impose a floor price which will lead to an increase in the price of wheat and the market will be in disequilibrium. There are often failure of private sector to provide goods and services. The government may intervene in order to encourage the provision of merit goods like public education that have positive externalities, through subsidies to consumers to lower prices and increases consumption.Provision of public good, e. g. public road and police services, are not provided by individual firms at all, so the government intervenes to supply these public goods and finances them with its tax revenue. Protection of the environmental goods like air, water is intervening by the government where government may set taxes like the carbon tax to control the pollution level. In a government influence market, we would have pure competition in the marketp lace where there’s no government intervention at all.This shows that no one in the market has the power to influence the market outcomes directly. The prices of the market will be determined by its supply and demand in the market system. With a regulated market where there’s government intervention, the price mechanism can be changed depending on the government influence. Therefore, a regulated market can be controlled so that it can be more secured and safe where the price of goods and services is at a rage that people in the economy can effort so that our standard of living can increase.

Vigencia de la visa americana y cuándo ya no es válida

Vigencia de la visa americana y cundo ya no es vlida Pocos asuntos migratorios causan ms confusià ³n que entender cul es la vigencia de la visa americana y cul es el significado exacto de la la fecha de vencimiento. Para evitar graves errores que pueden costar muy caro en este artà ­culo se explican la vigencia de 3 situaciones: la visa de inmigrantela situacià ³n de los que pueden ingresar como turistas o para negocios sin visa a Estados Unidos visas no inmigrante, como, por ejemplo, las de turista, trabajo temporal, intercambio o estudiante. En el caso de las visas no inmigrantes se informa, adems, de cà ³mo es posible estar legalmente en Estados Unidos con la visa expirada y tambià ©n el caso contrario: cuando a pesar de tener una visa sin vencer se est en el paà ­s en situacià ³n irregular, lo que puede dar lugar a consecuencias serias como cancelacià ³n de la visa, expulsià ³n inmediata o deportacià ³n. Finalmente, para el caso de las visas no inmigrante en la categorà ­a de turista y/o negocios, tambià ©n conocidas como B1y B2, se especifica por cunto tiempo mximo pueden ser emitidas y cuntos ingresos a Estados Unidos estn permitidos Vigencia de la visa de inmigrante Esta visa se aprueba en los consulados o embajadas de los Estados Unidos y permiten ingresar a los extranjeros a los Estados Unidos como residentes permanentes legales. En otras palabras, como titulares de una green card. Cuando se aprueba esta visa su titular tiene un plazo de 6 meses para ingresar a Estados Unidos. Y es precisamente en el momento en que ingresa en el que se convierte en residente. Su visa estampada en el pasaporte y sellada en un control migratorio se convierte automticamente en una green card. Unas semanas ms tarde el nuevo residente recibir la tarjeta de plstico por correo. Adems, las tarjetas de residencia tienen una vigencia de 10 aà ±os, pero su titular puede perder ese estatus si no reside habitualmente dentro de Estados Unidos. Vigencia de estadà ­a legal para los que ingresan sin visa Los ciudadanos de 38 paà ­ses pueden ingresar a Estados Unidos sin visa cuando el objetivo de su viaje es negocios o turismo en aplicacià ³n del Programa de Exencià ³n de visas (VWP, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). A esta regla general aplica una excepcià ³n: cuando se llega en un avià ³n o barco privado a un puesto migratorio aà ©reo o marà ­timo es imprescindible presentar una visa de turista o de negocios regular, no admitià ©ndose viajar sin visa. Cuando los ciudadanos de un paà ­s integrado en el VWP ingresan a Estados Unidos por avià ³n o por barco es necesario solicitar previamente y por internet una Autorizacià ³n que se conoce con el nombre de ESTA. El tiempo que dura la ESTA es de un mximo de 90 dà ­as y no  es posible extender la permanencia. En otras palabras, si se ingresa sin visa, no se puede pedir una extensià ³n porque, precisamente, no se tiene visa. No existe excepcià ³n a esta regla y quedarse ms tiempo de esos 90 dà ­as significa quedarse ilegalmente en el paà ­s y perder el privilegio de volver a ingresar sin haber pedido previamente una visa a un consulado o embajada americano. Vigencia y vencimiento de las visas no inmigrantes La fecha de caducidad de la  visa americana indica el dà ­a mximo que se puede solicitar el ingreso a Estados Unidos al llegar a una aduana. Pero hay ms, ya que es posible estar legalmente en USA con la visa caducada y al revà ©s: estar ilegalmente con el visa sin haber alcanzado su fecha de expiracià ³n. Para evitar problemas, como que  cancelen la visa o incluso que te prohiban regresar a Estados Unidos por tres o diez aà ±os, es necesario saber quà © realmente significa la fecha de caducidad en un visado americano. En este artà ­culo, adems, se explica quà © hacer cuando se tiene el pasaporte vencido pero la visa no y tambià ©n cundo hay que sacarse una nueva, aunque no està © expirada. Adems, destacar que en el caso de las visas lser, tambià ©n conocidas como tarjetas de cruce local, aplican reglas especiales que nada tienen que ver con las de las visas de turista normales. La fecha de caducidad de la visa americana no inmigrante La fecha de caducidad quiere decir, con carcter general, que ese dà ­a es el à ºltimo en que una persona extranjera puede  presentarse en un aeropuerto, puerto marà ­timo o puesto terrestre fronterizo de los Estados Unidos y solicitar el ingreso al paà ­s. Sin embargo, hay excepciones. Y es que lo dicho en el prrafo anterior aplica a las visas de entrada mà ºltiple. Es decir, las que estn seà ±aladas con la letra M en el apartado de Entradas. Sin embargo, en algunos paà ­ses las visas de turistas y de negocios se dan para un solo ingreso o un nà ºmero  limitado. En el caso de los paà ­ses hispanoparlantes, en la actualidad lo habitual para todos los paà ­ses es que las visas de turista y de negocios y la combinacià ³n de ambas se den por 10 aà ±os por entradas mà ºltiples. La excepcià ³n es Cuba donde se aprueban con una validez de 6 meses para una sola entrada o, en ocasiones y solamente para las visas B-2, por 5 aà ±os con entradas mà ºltiples. Por à ºltimo, en el caso de las antiguas visas indefinidas, tambià ©n conocidas como Burrough, decir que dejaron de ser vlidas el 1 de abril de 2004. Por lo tanto, las personas que tienen estos visados y desean ingresar a Estados Unidos deben solicitar una nueva visa. En contra de lo que muchas personas creen, la fecha de vencimiento de la visa no quiere decir que un extranjero puede permanecer legalmente en Estados Unidos mientras no se llega a ese dà ­a. Cà ³mo saber dà ­a fecha tope de permanencia legal en EE.UU. Si se llega  con una visa de turista o de negocios, es muy comà ºn que te conceda 180 dà ­as, pero puede establecer menos dà ­as.  En el I-94 queda registrada esa fecha. Adems, en la pgina oficial de la CBP para este formulario se puede obtener informacià ³n interesante sobre, por ejemplo, el historial de ingresos y salidas y se puede obtener una copia del mismo. Los extranjeros con visas temporales de inversià ³n, tipo E-2, reciben visados vlidos por 2 aà ±os que pueden renovarse todas las veces que se quiera, siempre que se cumplan las condiciones de la visa. En el caso de visas temporales de trabajo, cada categorà ­a tiene su propio tiempo de duracià ³n de la validez. Por ejemplo, la H-1B, popular entre profesionales, se aprueba por un mximo de 3 aà ±os renovable por otros 3. Adems, los extranjeros que llegan con visa visa temporal de estudios, intercambio, etc vern que junto al sello que marca su ingreso a los Estados Unidos se escriben las letras D/S. Y significa que se puede permanecer en el paà ­s mientras sigue en activo el programa en el que se participa. El tema de cunto se puede permanecer legalmente es fundamental. Ya que no entenderlo puede crear problemas migratorios muy serios. Por ello es importante entender  los tiempos y los periodos de gracia, segà ºn el tipo de visa. Tambià ©n es importante conocer cules son las consecuencias de no respetar los là ­mites de permanencia legal y, en el caso de los turistas, con cunta frecuencia se puede ingresar sin arriesgarse a ser parado en las aduanas y enviado de vuelta al paà ­s de origen. La visa sin expirar,  ¿garantiza el ingreso a Estados Unidos? No, la visa sin expirar es solo uno de los requisitos para solicitar con à ©xito en ingreso a Estados Unidos una vez que se llega a uno de sus puertos de entrada (aeropuerto, puerto o frontera terrestre). Las à ºnicas excepciones a la necesidad de presentar una visa sin vencimiento son: ciudadanos americanosresidentes permanentes legales, que deben presentar la green card y sus pasaportesturistas y personas de negocios de un paà ­s del Programa de Exencià ³n de VisasY personas en situaciones excepcionales a los que se le concede el ingreso sin visa, lo que se conoce como parole, como por ejemplos las personas que pueden solicitar asilo y el oficial de migracià ³n cree que hay una razà ³n mà ­nima para creerle y que el proceso sobre si se le concede o no se decida ms tarde, ya en Estados Unidos. Todos los extranjeros que no se encuentran en las situaciones mencionadas necesitan una visa sin expirar y, adems, que: no sean inelegibles, en el caso de visas temporales y personas en el Programa de exencià ³n de visadosno sean inadmisibles, aplicando esto incluso a los residentesque la visa no haya sido cancelada o revocaday que el ingreso a los Estados Unidos se busque para el fin especà ­fico de la visa. Este à ºltimo punto es muy importante porque puede dar lugar a muchos problemas. Por ejemplo, si se pretende ingresar con una visa de turista pero la intencià ³n es casarse. Otro ejemplo, es cuando se viene a estudiar con visa de turista o se sospecha que se viene a trabajar sin visa de ese tipo. Corresponde al oficial migratorio decidir si permite a un extranjero la entrada o, por el contrario, si lo envà ­a de regreso a su lugar de procedencia. En el puesto fronterizo pueden suceder distintas situaciones. Es importante entender cul realmente tuvo lugar para intentar luego resolver el problema. Por ejemplo, no es lo mismo una expulsià ³n inmediata que una situacià ³n de I-275. Visa expirada pero estancia legal o no problemtica Esto es posible en diferentes situaciones. Por ejemplo, para el caso de los turistas si la fecha de vencimiento del visa llega antes que el dà ­a seà ±alado en el I-94. Por ejemplo, si la fecha de expiracià ³n de la visa era el 24 de septiembre de 2011, pero el I-94 seà ±alaba como fecha mxima de duracià ³n de la estancia como el 24 de noviembre de 2011, se ha estado en situacià ³n regular hasta ese à ºltimo dà ­a. Incluso si tanto la fecha de expiracià ³n de la visa americana como la del I-94 ya han vencido es posible conservar el estatus migratorio legal siempre y cuando antes de su vencimiento se haya pedido una extensià ³n de la visa a tiempo y de buena fe e Inmigracià ³n la apruebe. Si bien si finalmente no se aprueba la extensià ³n hay que salir inmediatamente de EEUU y puede haber problemas precisamente por haber estado irregularmente. Esto tambià ©n ocurre en caso en los que se solicita un cambio de visa siguiendo todos los requisitos.     Por à ºltimo, otro ejemplo de visa expirada pero estancia no problemtica es en los casos de ajuste de estatus (como por ejemplo, en los casos de matrimonio con un ciudadano estadounidense). En estos casos tener muy en cuenta que si se quiere salir de los Estados Unidos mientras se est tramitando el ajuste es necesario pedir un advance parole. El no pedirlo puede dar lugar a problemas como que no permitan el regreso a Estados Unidos mientras no finalizan todos los trmites. Visa no expirada pero estancia irregular Por el contrario, es posible estar en situacià ³n irregular en Estados Unidos (lo que se conoce en inglà ©s como out of status) aunque la visa tenga una fecha de expiracià ³n que todavà ­a no haya llegado. Por ejemplo; si la fecha I-94 llega antes que la de la expiracià ³n de la visa, se debe salir del paà ­s cuando lo dice el I-94 y no la visa. Sà ³lo en casos excepcionales se permite restaurar el estatus.cuando se violan las condiciones del visado. Por ejemplo, un estudiante con visa F-1 que deja de acudir a clases por varios meses est invalidando, con su conducta, su visado. Estas son las violaciones migratorias por las que se puede producir una deportacià ³n o una expulsià ³n.O si tienes una visa de trabajo temporal y eres despedido. Debes abandonar Estados Unidos en el plazo seà ±alado para cada tipo de visa, pero es incorrecto pensar que puede permanecer en EEUU porque la fecha de expiracià ³n de su visado queda a varios meses, o aà ±os, vista. Pasaporte vencido, visa sin expirar Puede suceder que la fecha de vencimiento del pasaporte sea anterior a la del visado. En este casos no se debe solicitar una nueva. Simplemente viajar a los Estados Unidos con los dos pasaportes: el nuevo sin expirar y el viejo expirado donde est la visa, que todavà ­a tiene fecha vlida. Al llegar al punto de control migratorio mostrar los dos pasaportes. El oficial de Inmigracià ³n escribir las letras VIOPP junto al sello que marca el ingreso al paà ­s. Son las iniciales en inglà ©s de la frase Visa in other passport. Lo que nunca debe hacerse es arrancar la visa del pasaporte expirado e intentar pegarla en el nuevo. Esto produce siempre la anulacià ³n de la visa y no ser posible utilizarla. Necesario solicitar nueva visa aunque actual no est expirada Un caso completamente distinto al anterior es cuando se extravà ­a un pasaporte con una visa americana o cuando à ©ste es robado. En estos supuestos es importante seguir el procedimiento adecuado para reportar el hecho y sacar una nueva visa. Tambià ©n se tiene que solicitar de nuevo la visa en los casos en los que, por la razà ³n que sea, à ©sta se daà ±a, mutila, etc. El caso especial de la revalidacià ³n automtica de la visa En casos muy concretos, es posible viajar al extranjero con la visa expirada y volver a entrar en EEUU, lo cual es contrario a la regla general de funcionamiento de los visados. Es lo que se conoce como revalidacià ³n automtica de las visas, pero est sujeto a condiciones muy especà ­ficas: Tener una visa no inmigrante que ha expiradovisitar desde EE.UU. Canad, Mà ©xico o islas adyacentes, como por ejemplo, Bahamasvisita en esos paà ­ses inferior a 30 dà ­asTener un I-94 vlido, registro de entrada y de salida Deben darse TODOS los requisitos. Consejos a tener en cuenta Millones de extranjeros ingresan cada aà ±o a Estados Unidos por los puertos de entrada al paà ­s. La inmensa mayorà ­a no tiene problemas o son mà ­nimos, como por ejemplo, tener que pasar por una segunda inspeccià ³n. Para evitar problemas es importante respetar siempre las leyes del paà ­s, como por ejemplo pagar las multas de trnsito, conocer los aspectos fundamentales de la visa que se tiene, tener en cuenta que las aduanas de los Estados Unidos tienen un sistema muy completo de informacià ³n y que mentir aun oficial migratorio es un fraude de ley, lo cual puede tener consecuencias serias. Por à ºltimo, antes de poner en peligro la visa es altamente recomendable consultar con un abogado.   Adquirir conocimientos bsicos con test Se recomienda tomar este test de respuestas mà ºltiples o quiz de visa de turista. Son 19 preguntas. Conocer las respuestas sirve para evitar problemas y malentendidos a la hora de solicitar la visa, conservarla y renovarla. Muchos de los problemas tienen su origen en la ignorancia. Y à ©sta se vence con conocimiento. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal para ningà ºn caso concreto.

Stuck in the Middle Essays - English-language Films, Films

Stuck in the Middle Essays - English-language Films, Films Stuck in the Middle Films Stuck in the Middle Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty were a duo known as Stealers Wheel when they recorded a Dylanesque pop hit, "Stuck in the Middle With You", in April of 1974. The single reached number five on the charts - little did they know that eighteen years later it would become a cult favorite. In 1992 Quentin Tarantino, a little known writer/director, took the Cannes film festival and the world by surprise with his motion picture Reservoir Dogs. The movie is about the difficulties that occur when five "master" criminals are hired by a crime king pin named Joe to pull off the biggest diamond heist of the century. Stuck right in the middle of the movie, the Egan/Rafferty hit is played as a introduction to one of the best or worst torture seens ever in the history of movies. It depends on how you look at it. I'll set-up the scene in the movie where it is being played, try and follow me... The five criminals hired go by color-coded names . During the heist the cops show and things got out of control. Two of the robbers were shot and killed after Mr. Blonde, the "on the edge" gangster started shooting up the place when an employee triggered the alarm. Mr. White and Mr. Orange (an undercover cop) escaped the scene and headed for the hideout where all the men were supposed to meet. On the way to the hideout Mr. Orange was shot, he was bleeding severely but the injury was not life threatening. Shortly after their arrival, Mr. Pink met with them and they all anxiousley waited for Mr. Blonde. Mr. Blonde, acting cool and unaffected by the mornings events, made his entrance. After being questioned by Mr. White about why he went psycho in the store, Mr. Blonde called them out to see a "surprise" he had in his trunk. Mr. Blonde in an effort to find out how the police heard about the robbery in advance had kidnapped a police officer. They carried the man into the warehouse and after tying him to a chair Mr. White and Mr. Pink commenced beating the hell out of him. They Asked him to tell how the police knew of the heist, he said he knew nothing and after beating on him some more, Nice Guy Eddie came in. He was Joe's son and told Mr. White and Mr. Pink that they would have to come with him to ditch the cars. Mr. Blonde was told to stay and keep an eye on the cop and the injured Mr. Orange. My idea is that the following scene was written by Director Tarantino choreographed to the song by Stealers Wheel. Rather than the norm where a scene is written and the music is picked thereafter. As I describe the scene I will give the lyrics to the song and show how they correspond to the characters actions in the scene. Mr. Blonde starts talking to the cop, who still insists he knows nothing. The lyrics to the song begin; keep in mind that I am suggesting that the words are what the cop is thinking. Well I don't know why I came here tonight. I got the feeling that something ain't right. I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair, and I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs. Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right... Here I am stuck in the middle with you. The words being sung tell us that the cop is wondering how he got into this situation, he knows something is up, and he is scared that he may not be able to make it through the rest of this torturous interrogation alive. The clowns are his fellow officers who allowed the situation to get so out of control, and the jokers are Mr. White and Mr. Pink. And now he is stuck in the middle of this whole ordeal with the most cynical, evil, and hardest criminal of the bunch....Mr. Blonde. Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you and I'm wondering what it is I should do It's so hard to keep this smile from my face cause I'm and I'm all over the place (chorus) These are the lines that justify what I am saying the most. He is wondering what he should do, he knows that Mr. Orange is a cop and if he were to mention it to Mr. Blonde it may save his life. It is an internal conflict

Agriculture in Africa Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Agriculture in Africa - Research Paper Example This growth is mainly attributed to the cultivation of more land, although there has been little improvement in the yields. In addition, the production techniques have not been improved, and this has further slowed down agricultural production. Climate has also been a major determinant of agricultural performance in Africa. Only a small portion of land is currently under irrigation, with only 6% of the cultivated land being under irrigation (Blein, et al, 19). Despite the growth in this sector across the continent, the demands of the growing population have not been fully met. Most of the agriculture is Africa is family dominated, where most farms depend of family farm labor. With every generation, the farms are tending to shrink. This explains why despite the growth, agriculture does not supply the needs of the population. In order to understand agriculture in Africa, this paper examines agriculture in Sudan, Congo and Ethiopia. Sudan has vast resources that give it the potential to significantly contribute to food security in Africa. These resources include arable land, water and animal resources. This sector contributes about 45% of the total GDP and nearly 80% of the labor force is employed by the agricultural sector (Omer, 3). However, in recent years, agricultural growth has generally deteriorated. Agriculture in this country is mainly comprised three major farming systems: traditional rain-fed, mechanized rain-fed and irrigated sectors. Nearly 60% of the total cultivated land has been occupied by the traditional rain-fed (Omer, 5). This sector is however characterized by low productivity. This is attributed to the poor farming techniques practiced. Cotton has been the main agricultural export commodity, although its production has generally reduced. Other major cash crops include peanuts`, sugarcane, dates, mangoes, coffee, tobacco and citrus fruits. Animal rearing is another important aspect of agric ulture in Sudan. Better veterinary

Forget the rhetoric. Look at the reality. The UK is as much an EU Essay

Forget the rhetoric. Look at the reality. The UK is as much an EU member state as any other. Discuss - Essay Example Despite the rhetoric, it is essential to note that the UK is an integral part of the EU and its proposed exit would not be as easy as it seems. This country has over the years developed so many ties with the EU that it would be impossible to imagine it existing outside the Union, especially when one considers the influence that it has within it. This paper seeks to show that the UK is as much a member state of the EU as any other and that its ties with the latter are so deep that they cannot be severed. The United Kingdom is one of the founder members of the EU and it is for this reason that this country has invested so much in it. The UK has been a member of this entity since 1973 and as such can be considered to be among the states that form the core of the EU (European Commission, n.d). The result of this membership is that the UK has since 1973 worked towards ensuring that its economy has become integrated with that of other EU member states and this has made it possible for the country to develop at a much faster rate. Following the massive dent that the Second World War had put on the UK’s economy, its joining the EU can be considered to have been a boon because it allowed for the faster development of the economy and this helped towards its recovery. As a founding member, the UK has a voice in the decision making of the EU and this has helped in ensuring that it retains its influence on the European continent; a factor that would not have been possible had it not been a member state. Moreover, the UK has developed strong political ties with other EU member states and this has ensured that negotiations concerning different issues take place easily and makes it possible for better cooperation between them (Schà ¼tze, 2012). The UK, like other EU members, has benefitted a lot from being a member because the Union has made it possible for the peaceful settlement of disputes that might have risen as a result of extreme nationalism and