Literatura científica selecionada sobre o tema "Ballon captif"

Background: Coronary artery perforation (CAP) is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) due to the risk of cardiac tamponade. Strikingly, in contrast to numerous analyses of CAP predictors, only few studies were focused on the predictors of tamponade after PCI, once iatrogenic CAP has occurred. Our aim was to search for clinical and periprocedural characteristics, including the coronary artery involved, associated with the development of acute cardiac tamponade among patients experiencing CAP. Methods: From the medical records of nine centers of invasive cardiology in southern Poland, we retrospectively selected 81 patients (80% with acute myocardial infarction) who had iatrogenic CAP with a visible extravasation jet during angiography (corresponding to type III CAP by the Ellis classification, CAPIII) over a 15-year period (2005–2019). Clinical, angiographic and periprocedural characteristics were compared between the patients who developed acute cardiac tamponade requiring urgent pericardiocentesis in the cathlab (n = 21) and those with CAPIII and without tamponade (n = 60). Results: CAPIII were situated in the left anterior descending artery (LAD) or its diagonal branches (51%, n = 41), right coronary artery (RCA) (24%, n = 19), left circumflex coronary artery (LCx) (16%, n = 13), its obtuse marginal branches (7%, n = 6) and left main coronary artery (2%, n = 2). Acute cardiac tamponade occurred in 24% (10 of 41), 21% (4 of 19) and 37% (7 of 19) patients who experienced CAPIII in the territory of LAD, RCA and LCx, respectively. There were no significant differences in the need for urgent pericardiocentesis (37%) in patients with CAPIII in LCx territory (i.e., the LCx or its obtuse marginal branches) compared to CAPIII in the remaining coronary arteries (23%) (p = 0.24). However, when CAPIII in the LCx were separated from CAPIII in obtuse marginal branches, urgent pericardiocentesis was more frequently performed in patients with CAPIII in the LCx (54%, 7 of 13) compared to subjects with CAPIII in an artery other than the LCx (21%, 14 of 68) (p = 0.03). The direction of this tendency remained consistent regardless of CAP management: prolonged balloon inflation only (n = 26, 67% vs. 13%, p = 0.08) or balloon inflation with subsequent stent implantation (n = 55, 50% vs. 24%, p = 0.13). Besides LCx involvement, no significant differences in other characteristics were observed between patients according to the need of urgent pericardiocentesis. Conclusions: CAPIII in the LCx appears to lead to a higher risk of acute cardiac tamponade compared to perforations involving other coronary arteries. This association may possibly be linked to distinct features of LCx anatomy and/or well-recognized delays in diagnosis and management of LCx-related acute coronary syndromes.

In the past 50 years, a striking stylized fact has been the downward—or flat—trend of intra-African trade as a share of Africa’s total trade, while official development assistance (ODA) has experienced a noticeable expansion. During the same period, economic growth performances have not been consistent and robust enough to put a dent in the poverty level across the African continent in general and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in particular. Using a two-stage least square (TSLS) estimation technique, this paper finds out that intra-ECOWAS trade stimulates per capita income growth substantially more than foreign aid, which rather constitutes an impediment to that growth in most specifications. Additionally, comparable results are obtained when the scope of the study is expanded to include trade of ECOWAS members with the rest of the world. As a result, it becomes appropriate to suggest policy recommendations encouraging increased cooperation among member states in an attempt to (i) expand and build new cross-states infrastructures, aimed at boosting communications and telecommunications networks, (ii) accelerate the trade facilitation process by addressing administrative red tapes that balloon both transaction costs and delays in the flows of goods across borders, seaports, and airports, and (iii) develop and diversify the industrial base in member states.

Konvergencija predstavlja jedan od ključnih prioriteta europske ekonomske integracije, sa ciljem smanjivanja razvojnih razlika između regija. Problem istraživanja proizlazi iz gospodarskih, političkih, društvenih i ostalih ograničenja u zemljama Zapadnoga Balkana, a koje usporavaju njihov napredak te ostvarenje punopravnoga članstva u EU, a što predstavlja njihov ključni dugoročni strateški cilj. Cilj istraživanje je znanstveno utemeljeno analizirati i prezentirati teorijske temelje konvergencijskih procesa te provesti analizu dosadašnjega ostvarenja realne konvergencije u zemljama Zapadnoga Balkana. Provedenim istraživanjem su utvrđena pozitivna kretanja u promatranim zemljama u vidu povećanja BDP-a per capita, dinamike gospodarskoga rasta te sve veća orijentacija na suvremene pokretače gospodarskog rasta. Ipak, u ovim zemljama još uvijek dominiraju problemi vezani za tržište rada, životni standard i ostvarenje produktivnosti. Postojeća situacija predstavlja izazov za nositelje gospodarske i političke moći u definiranju sveobuhvatnih politika i strukturnih reformi u cilju osiguranja uvjeta za ostvarenje konvergencije prema razvijenim zemljama članicama EU.

The United States is the largest single-country importer of fresh bananas. With a per capita consumption of about 25 pounds, the banana market appears to be saturated, but consumption of organic bananas in the United States is increasing. Any expansion of the banana production in the United States should focus on the niche market for organic bananas and specialty varieties as Florida growers do. This 10-page fact sheet provides an overview of the world and US markets for fresh bananas, with special reference to the US market for organic bananas. Written by Edward Evans and Fredy Ballen, and published by the UF Department of Food and Resource Economics, February 2012. FE901/FE901: Banana Market (ufl.edu)

AbstractThis paper examines if politicians react to events they cannot control to avoid political blame and if voters hold politicians accountable for functions beyond their office. I focus on the response of mayors and voters to a farmland tax implemented by the Italian central government. I investigate how the municipalities affected by the new policy adjust to it and study if the election odds of the incumbent mayor's party in towns subject to the tax are affected. Mayors increase spending in municipalities where the tax is implemented. Average spending grows by 1.38 euro (about a 1% increase) and it is financed by increased borrowing which expands by 0.64 euro per capita, on average. Voters do not seem to punish the local incumbent for a policy decided by the national government. Two factors may have contributed to offsetting the electoral impact. The first is greater spending in those municipalities where the incumbent is on the ballot. The second is a media account of the policy which was factual and not biased against the local incumbent. Overall, these findings suggest politicians react to policies that are fully out of their hands, potentially to avoid electoral punishment.

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a preventable valve disease following acute rheumatic fever. It results in >300,000 deaths annually worldwide (1). While commonly encountered in the developing world, the prevalence in Australia remains high with over 6000 patients currently living with RHD (2). This disease is over-represented in Northern Australia among the indigenous community with Aboriginal and Torres-strait Islander people accounting for over 80% of cases (2). Purpose This audit will evaluate the contribution of RHD to valve surgeries in Far North Queensland (FNQ) and the effect this has on procedure type and patient demographics. Methods We analysed a cohort of 200 consecutive patients from a regional centre in FNQ referred for valve surgery. We recorded age, gender, indigenous status, valve aetiology, ejection fraction (EF), surgery type, and procedure urgency. This data was then compared to the latest European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) registry report (3). Results 136 male and 64 female patients underwent 162 elective and 38 emergent valve procedures. The surgeries performed were bioprosthetic AVR (119), mechanical AVR (12), bioprosthetic MVR (14), mechanical MVR (11), TAVR (17), mitral valve repair (25), tricuspid valve repair (6) and balloon valvuloplasty (5) with combined CABG (33) and aortic root surgery (20). Average age at surgery was 64.2 years (range 21 – 89) which is significantly younger than the EACTS age at aortic, mitral and combined valve/CABG procedures. Notably, the average age at surgery reaches 75 years in European countries with a gross national income of $70,000 per capita. However, this is not evident in FNQ. 27 of the 200 procedures were for RHD and the average age of these patients was 45.4 years which explains this discrepancy. Indigenous patients accounted for 16.5% of total, and 77.8% of rheumatic valve surgeries. Mechanical prostheses comprised 15% and 48% of total and rheumatic valve replacements respectively which contrasts with 30-40% in the EACTS registry. RHD also accounted for almost the entirety of tricuspid valve surgeries and balloon valvuloplasties. The EACTS report suggested higher EF’s in Asian countries due to higher prevalence of RHD. This was not observed in our data with no statistically significant difference in EF between RHD patients and the overall cohort. Unfortunately, there is a lack of valve pathology data in the EACTS registry which limits further comparisons. Conclusion RHD is responsible for a significant proportion of valve surgery in FNQ. The indigenous population accounts for a vast majority of these patients. This has caused a shift towards lower age at surgery, higher proportions of mechanical valve replacements, valvuloplasties and tricuspid valve replacements. EF did not significantly differ in patients with rheumatic valve pathology. More data surrounding valve pathology is needed to draw similar conclusions in the EACTS cohorts.

Le brouillard est un phénomène difficile à prévoir en raison de sa faible extension verticale et de l’équilibre complexe des processus radiatifs, microphysiques, turbulents et dynamiques régissant son cycle de vie. Malgré une évolution croissante des moyens de mesure par télédétection, les propriétés microphysiques de la structure verticale du brouillard demeurent peu documentées. L’objectif de cette thèse est de caractériser l’évolution du profil vertical des propriétés microphysiques du brouillard et les principaux processus qui les pilotent durant son cycle de vie à partir d’un jeu de données unique.La campagne SOFOG3D s’est déroulée dans le sud-ouest de la France durant l’hiver 2019/2020, avec un dispositif instrumental inédit combinant mesures par télédétection (radiomètre micro-ondes et radar nuage) et mesures in situ au sol et sous ballon captif. Sur les trente épisodes de brouillard échantillonnés au super-site, majoritairement de type radiatif et radiatif-advectif, 18 épisodes ont été validés à partir des mesures de visibilité. L’analyse de leurs propriétés microphysiques au sol a montré de faibles concentrations de gouttelettes (médiane entre 20 et 40 cm-3) . De plus, les distributions dimensionnelles des gouttelettes, majoritairement bimodales, présentent des diamètres élevés, en particulier pour les épisodes radiatifs-advectifs.Les observations in situ sous ballon captif ont permis de mettre en évidence l’évolution conjointe des propriétés microphysiques et thermodynamiques sur la verticale, à partir de 140 profils verticaux collectés dans 8 épisodes de brouillards fins (épaisseur &lt; 50 m) et 4 brouillards développés. Après la formation du brouillard, lorsqu’il est optiquement fin, i.e., transparent au rayonnement infrarouge, les conditions thermiques stables sont associées à un profil de contenu en eau liquide inversé, présentant des valeurs maximales au sol et décroissantes avec l’altitude. Après la transition en brouillard optiquement épais, lorsqu’elle se produit, des caractéristiques quasi-adiabatiques sont observées (profils d’eau liquide croissants avec l’altitude et de température légèrement instables). Ces observations in situ ont été confrontées à l’adiabaticité équivalente, dérivée du modèle conceptuel de Toledo et al. (2021), alimenté par des mesures par télédétection et d’observations en surface. La comparaison montre un accord satisfaisant entre les deux approches, sauf pour les brouillards les plus fins, où l’adiabaticité équivalente est sous-estimée par rapport à l’adiabaticité locale dérivée des mesures in situ par une méthode originale de régression.Les profils décroissants d’eau liquide dans les brouillards optiquement fins sont associés à une diminution du diamètre des gouttelettes avec l’altitude, une concentration faible et un mode de larges gouttelettes dominant près du sol. Pour les brouillards optiquement très fins (&lt;20 m), le maximum de concentration est à l’inverse observé près du sol, traduisant une production de gouttelettes prépondérante en surface, consécutive au refroidissement nocturne. Pour les brouillards optiquement épais, contenu et concentration de gouttelettes augmentent avec l’altitude, soulignant le rôle de la croissance par condensation. De plus on met en évidence des zones de concentrations de petites gouttelettes plus élevées proche du sommet résultant probablement du processus d’activation des aérosols. Ces gouttelettes sédimentent ensuite vers les couches inférieures et grossissent par collision-coalescence, conduisant à la formation de larges gouttelettes (&gt; 30 µm) au sol, associée à une distribution bimodale. Enfin, la distribution devient monomodale lorsque le brouillard se dissipe en stratus. Ces nouvelles connaissances sur l’évolution des propriétés microphysiques du brouillard au cours de son cycle de vie vont ainsi permettre d’évaluer et améliorer les schémas microphysiques des modèles numériques<br>Fog is a difficult phenomenon to forecast due to its limited vertical extent and the complex interactions between radiative, microphysical, turbulent and dynamic processes driving its life cycle. Despite increasing developments in remote sensing techniques, the microphysical properties of the fog vertical structure remain poorly documented. This thesis aims to characterize the evolution of the vertical profile of the fog microphysical properties and the main processes driving its life cycle, using a unique data set.The SOFOG3D campaign was conducted in southwest France during the winter of 2019/2020, with an innovative instrumental set-up, combining remote sensing measurements (microwave radiometer and cloud radar) and in situ measurements at ground level and under a tethered balloon. Of the 30 fog episodes sampled at the super-site, mainly radiative and radiative-advective fogs, 18 episodes were validated on the basis of visibility measurements. Analysis of their microphysical properties at ground level revealed low droplet concentrations (median between 20 and 40 cm-3). In addition, the droplet size distributions were mostly bimodal, with large diameters, particularly for radiative-advective episodes.In situ observations collected under a tethered balloon highlighted a combined evolution of the vertical microphysical and thermodynamic properties, based on 140 vertical profiles collected during 8 thin fog episodes (thickness &lt; 50 m) and 4 thick fogs. After fog formation, when it is optically thin, i.e. transparent to infrared radiation, thermally stable conditions are associated with a reversed profile of liquid water content, with maximum values at ground level decreasing with height. After the transition to optically thick fog, when it occurs, quasi-adiabatic features are observed (liquid water profiles increasing with height and slightly unstable temperature profiles).These in situ observations were compared with the equivalent adiabaticity, derived from the conceptual model of Toledo et al (2021), based on remote sensing measurements and surface observations. The comparison shows satisfactory agreement between the two approaches, with the exception of very thin fogs, where the equivalent adiabaticity is underestimated compared with local adiabaticity, derived from in situ measurements, using an original regression method.Decreasing liquid water profiles in optically thin fogs are associated with decreasing droplet diameters with height, low concentrations and a dominant mode of large droplets near the ground. For optically very thin fogs (&lt;20 m), maximum concentrations are observed near the ground, indicating a predominant droplet production at the surface, following radiative cooling. In optically thick fogs, droplet content and concentration increase with height, illustrating the importance of condensation growth. In addition, we find areas of higher concentration of small droplets near the top, resulting probably from aerosol activation. These droplets then settle towards the lower layers and grow by collision-coalescence, leading to the formation of large droplets (&gt; 30 µm) at ground level, associated with a bimodal distribution. Finally, the distribution becomes monomodal when the fog dissipates into stratus. This new knowledge of the evolution of the fog microphysical properties during its life cycle make it possible to evaluate and improve the microphysical schemes in numerical models

Partant du constat d’une diversification des comportements des personnes incarcérées, ce travail de thèse se propose de modéliser les processus de socialisation se déployant au sein de la configuration carcérale. En effet, au regard des vies qu’ils ont vécues, les prisonniers adoptent des postures et des pratiques inédites. Mais, en réalité, l’ampleur des effets empiriquement observables de ces dynamiques contredit l’espoir de pouvoir décrire ces dernières en abordant de front le phénomène de la diversification. Comment les prisonniers sont-ils socialement amenés à adopter les pratiques qu’ils adoptent ? Embrassant une démarche indistinctement diachronique et indicielle, l’analyse se dote d’un outil sociologique à même de révéler les mouvements agitant la vie des gens en prison : Le recours au religieux<br>Based on the premise of a diversification in inmates’ behaviors, this thesis proposes to model socializing processes within a carceral configuration. Indeed, considering the lives they lived, inmates adopt unprecedentedpostures and practices. But, in reality, the extent of empirically observable effects of those dynamics contradicts the hope of being able to describe those latter in addressing the diversification phenomenon head-on. How are prisoners socially brought to adopt the practices they embrace ? Using an approach both diachronic and semiological, this analysis provides itself with a sociological tool able to reveal the motions agitating peoples’ lives in prison: the fallback on religion

Abstract There has emerged on the rapidly changing face of our planet a pattern of an increasing number of animal and plant species reduced in distribution, populations and numbers. Species relatively numerous in total numbers are being fragmented into small isolates with no exchange between them. Small populations face genetic, demographic and environmental risks as a result of their small size and isolation (Ralls, Brugger &amp; Ballou 1979; Ralls &amp; Ballou 1983; Soule 1987). In the extreme case a species is reduced to one population, oscillating and shrinking in numbers, losing genetic diversity and subject to abrupt reductions or extinction through the random whims of natural events or man (Franklin 1980; Gilpin &amp; Soule 1986; Lacy 1987; Goodman 1987).

The next day was quiet in the morning, except for the faint sound of firing to the northward, in the direction of Los Hatos. Captain Mitchell had listened to it from his balcony anxiously. The phrase, “In my delicate position as the only consular...

The roots of the “Sweet Thing” scheme reach back to sixteenth-century Scotland and England. One of the main branches of this lineage crosses the Atlantic as a penitent broadside ballad castigating Captain William Kidd, a pirate sent to the gallows in London in 1701. Chapter 1 concerns the history of this branch: the long journey of a stanzaic structure from ancient Scottish popular song through English broadside balladry, from the transatlantic broadside “Captain Kidd” through the fervent folk hymnody of the Great Awakening, and from nineteenth-century popular song and urban revivalism to twentieth-century gospel music. Throughout this span, the distinctive rhythmic and textual attributes of the form are apparent in all of the genres that it crosses. In both broadsides and folk hymns we can observe or reconstruct certain melodic characteristics that accompany the form, and in the folk hymns we can also see some general harmonic attributes.

The Homily оf the arrested Eutropios (Homilia de capto Eutropio; CPG 4528), which may be ascribed to St John Chrysostom, has come down to us in more than 40 Greek copies of the 10th – 17th centuries. According to the Clavis patrum graecorum the Slavonic translation of the Homily is preserved in the November volume of the Great Reading Menaea of Makarij. However, the Slavonic text is attested in numerous manuscripts. There are Middle Bulgarian (e. g. Russian National Library, Hilferding collection № 35; only the beginning is preserved), East Slavonic (e. g. Russian State Library, Collection of the Trinity Monastery № 167) as well as Serbian (e. g. Vienna, Slav. № 131) copies. No copy is older than the 14th century. On the basis of some linguistic features (e. g. confusion of the nasal vowels) one can assume that the translation originated in the 13th or 14th century in Bulgaria. The Slavonic translation of the Homily has never been investigated before. The present paper gives a description of the language of the oldest copies and tries to establish their textological relationship.

The aim of this chapter is to examine the impact of investment in research and development on economic growth, as well as the nature of the impact of trade openness and foreign direct investment on extended Balkan Silk Road economies. The authors used the general econometric specification of the regression panel model and for the period from 2002 to 2018. The results showed that expenditures on research and development and trade openness have a significant positive effect on the gross domestic product of the countries with lower GDP per capita, while foreign direct investment in these countries has a neutral and nonsignificant impact on gross domestic product. For the countries with higher GDP per capita, expenditures on research and development have a marginally negative effect on the gross domestic product. Trade openness is significantly positive, while foreign direct investments have a significant but neutral effect on the gross domestic product. The main limitations of the research are the use of data on total R&amp;D investment and foreign trade relations instead of sectoral.

Abstract Francisco Pizarro was a conquistador, one of the warrior class that emerged in Spain during the wars between the Christians and Moors. After the Christians came to power in 1492, Spain was lucky enough to almost immediately sponsor Christopher Columbus, whose discovery (from the European perspective) of the Americas led to Spain being the most powerful nation on earth. Pizarro was a soldier in the expedition ofVasco Nufiez de Balboa to Panama in the 1520s, but found himselflittle richer for the experience. Hearing rumors of a land to the south with immense wealth and, like all conquistadors, fired by the stories of the success of Hernan Cortes in Mexico, Pizarro formed a partnership with three other men to explore the west coast of South America. His confederates were Diego de Almagro, Fernando Luque (the vicar of Panama), and Pedrarias Davila (the governor of Panama). All were in their fifties by this time, and, if they were going to be rich, they needed to do something soon. Pizarro was more the soldier; Almagro, the supplier; and Luque, the diplomat. They entered into a contract with Bartolome Ruiz, an experienced ship captain, to sail along the coast and find what they may.

"Cafer Tayyar (Eğilmez) Pasha graduated from the War Academy on January 4, 1904 with the rank of Staff Captain. He spent his internship in the units of the III Army, headquartered in Thessaloniki. He served on various fronts during the Balkan War and World War I. In World War I, he participated in the Çanakkale Battles as the commander of the 1st Division of the 1st Corps. He stood out with the importance he attached to fortification at the front. Afterwards, he served on the Caucasus Front as the commander of the 1st Division of the 2nd Army and then on the Iraq Front, where he was appointed as the commander of the 18th Corps, until mid-1918. At the end of the war, he was appointed as the Commander of the 1st Corps. While trying to organize the National Struggle in Thrace as the Commander of the 1st Corps, Cafer Tayyar Bey was dismissed by the Istanbul Government and given the titles of Commander of Rumelia General by the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) and National Commander of Thrace by the Thrace-Paşaeli Association for Defence of National Rights, but he preferred to use the latter title. In July 1920, Cafer Tayyar Bey was captured during the occupation of Eastern Thrace by the Greek Army and returned to Türkiye on April 1, 1923. Cafer Tayyar Bey was appointed as the Commander of the 7th Corps in Diyarbakır on August 12, 1923. He successfully suppressed the Nestorian rebellion that took place in the region of the corps. During this period when the Mosul issue was on the agenda, he always kept the 7th Corps ready for war. Cafer Tayyar Bey, who was also interested in politics since his youth, took part in the organization process as an active member of the Skopje branch of the Committee of Union and Progress. He served as a deputy of Edirne in the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye in the first and second terms."

This paper investigates the level of development in Balkan coun­tries through comparison of the common development indicators. A start­ing point is the perception of the level of economic development by a group of first year economics students at the Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism in Split, Croatia. With the students typically not being aware (fa­miliar) of how rich (poor) their country is, this study provides a deeper inves­tigation of the level of development of Croatia and compares it with sever­al countries from the neighborhood. The investigation employs commonly used indicators of economic development – GNI (Gross national income) per capita as usually reported by the World Bank, but also takes into account additional indicators like HDI (Human development index) and life satisfac­tion indicator. Overall, the study provides an interesting review and compar­isons between countries and resolves some misperceptions that are typical­ly present in general public.

Greenhouse tomatoes are divided into early, medium and late-maturing. The days from seedling germination to the first harvest are taken into account. Tomato has a huge potential for heterosis in terms of precocity, overall yield, signs of resistance and uniformity. The preferred agricultural method is hydroponics, which allows you to grow plants without using soil, only using mineral nutrient solutions in water. The cultivation of tomato plants on the " Fitopyramida " will allow to sell their products in the periods with the highest realized prices. An experiment on variety testing of 11 tomato hybrids of different product groups that differ in precocity allowed us to select the most adapted to the conditions of the " Fitopyramida " technology, including the indeterminate beef Ruddy ball F1, cherry hybrids Elf F1 and orange-fruited cherry Magic harp F1. the determinant hybrid Captain F1 showed Good results.

ABSTRACT Despite the global setbacks, in recent times Africa's economy has generally managed to grow, with an average GDP increase of about 5%. Africa's economic growth prospects have been the talking point in recent economic fora. This growth however, has been inhibited due to the insufficient access to reliable electricity for most of Africa. The future outlook for this yet looks set to change dramatically, with African countries diversifying their energy portfolio. A good case in point is in Kenya. As of March 2015, Kenya's effective installed electricity capacity was 2177.1 MW, with supply primarily being sourced from hydroelectric and thermal sources. With connectivity to the national grid at just 28%. As of 8th June 2016, Kenya was the 4th largest geothermal energy developer in the world, possessing the largest geothermal plant in the world, capable of providing almost 20% of the nation's total power capacity (280MW Olkaria plant). Geothermal is just the tip of the iceberg, for years wind energy has contributed just 5.1MW to the national grid, but with the construction of the lake Turkana power project set to come online by July 2017 injecting 310MW or about 18% of current installed electricity generating capacity, a different ball game is about to commence. With Kenya's innovation and IT scene making waves worldwide, the incorporation of this into the energy scene has been quite successful with the M-Kopa model the latest crown jewel. Solar century and London distillers have held engagements to build the largest solar roof project in East Africa, almost 1 MWp. Kenya is currently the world leader in number of solar power systems installed per capita. With the Lamu coal power plant set to add 981.5 MW to the grid and Kenya aiming to replace some fossil fuel, electricity capacity, with nuclear energy (it is currently evaluating its grid system before considering the generation options). These are key stepping stones for an energy boom with an unequivocal industrial and economic boom. Considering the major infrastructural projects of rail, road and pipeline being undertaken with these energy prospects, the future is only brighter. The fact that most of the developed world economies are slowing down only serves to fuel the fact that Kenya and Africa's economic revolution is inevitable. A key indication that the next decades belong to Africa, at least from an economic stand point.

Four countries in the Western Balkan region (Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Montenegro) are in the top ten countries with the most foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) per capita. The political will to repatriate FTFs remains strong, at least in the Western Balkans, despite delays in 2020 due to COVID-19. In other parts of the world, especially high-income countries, political will to repatriate is considerably lower. COVID-19 has further constrained nations in their efforts to repatriate law-abiding citizens, which is less controversial than FTF families. Based on discussions with government officials and security officers in the Western Balkans as well as international experts and donors, this policy note provides operational recommendations to move forward with repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of returnees building on lessons from repatriations in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. It urges governments globally to double down on repatriation efforts and to call on experience from governments in the Balkans to bring back their FTFs now. The recommendations in this policy note are relevant to any country where political will to repatriate FTFs can be generated.