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Explosion
Kinds of Explosion Selected AbstractsTHE IMPORTANCE OF PREADAPTED GENOMES IN THE ORIGIN OF THE ANIMAL BODYPLANS AND THE CAMBRIAN EXPLOSIONEVOLUTION, Issue 5 2010Charles R. Marshall The genomes of taxa whose stem lineages branched early in metazoan history, and of allied protistan groups, provide a tantalizing outline of the morphological and genomic changes that accompanied the origin and early diversifications of animals. Genome comparisons show that the early clades increasingly contain genes that mediate development of complex features only seen in later metazoan branches. Peak additions of protein-coding regulatory genes occurred deep in the metazoan tree, evidently within stem groups of metazoans and eumetazoans. However, the bodyplans of these early-branching clades are relatively simple. The existence of major elements of the bilaterian developmental toolkit in these simpler organisms implies that these components evolved for functions other than the production of complex morphology, preadapting the genome for the morphological differentiation that occurred higher in metazoan phylogeny. Stem lineages of the bilaterian phyla apparently required few additional genes beyond their diploblastic ancestors. As disparate bodyplans appeared and diversified during the Cambrian explosion, increasing complexity was accommodated largely through changes in cis -regulatory networks, accompanied by some additional gene novelties. Subsequently, protein-coding genic richness appears to have essentially plateaued. Some genomic evidence suggests that similar stages of genomic evolution may have accompanied the rise of land plants. [source] Review of: Explosion and Blast Reported Injuries, 1st editionJOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 1 2009James R. Gill M.D. No abstract is available for this article. [source] Evaluating the Audit ExplosionLAW & POLICY, Issue 3 2003Michael Power This paper reviews the claim that there has been an audit explosion in recent years and seeks to refine the argument in terms of its institutional and behavioral effects and its underlying causes and consequences. A framework for greater comparative sensitivity is suggested, both in cross-national and cross-sectoral terms, which focuses on variation in the knowledge base, formal organization, and operational dimensions of auditing. Finally, a preliminary framework for evaluating the design of auditing practices is developed that could inform a post-Enron critical discussion of the problems and the potential for auditing in the future. [source] Book review: The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civilizations Accelerated Human EvolutionAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Milford H. Wolpoff No abstract is available for this article. [source] The Decomposition of some RDX and HMX Based Materials in the One Dimensional Time to Explosion Apparatus.PROPELLANTS, EXPLOSIVES, PYROTECHNICS, Issue 1 2007Part 2. Abstract Various methods of assessment have been applied to the One Dimensional Time to Explosion (ODTX) apparatus and experiments with the aim of allowing an estimate of the comparative violence of the explosion event to be made. Non-mechanical methods used were a simple visual inspection, measuring the increase in the void volume of the anvils following an explosion and measuring the velocity of the sound produced by the explosion over 1 metre. Mechanical methods used included monitoring piezo-electric devices inserted in the frame of the machine and measuring the rotational velocity of a rotating bar placed on the top of the anvils after it had been displaced by the shock wave. This last method, which resembles original Hopkinson Bar experiments, seemed the easiest to apply and analyse, giving relative rankings of violence and the possibility of the calculation of a "detonation" pressure. [source] The Production of Commons and the "Explosion" of the Middle ClassANTIPODE, Issue 4 2010Massimo De Angelis Abstract:, This paper builds on the author's previous theoretical work on the role of processes such as enclosures, market discipline and governance. It discusses the middle class in terms of a stratified field of subjectivity within the planetary wage hierarchy produced by these processes. It discusses the thesis that the middle class, qua middle class, will never be able to contribute to bring about a fundamental change in the capitalist system of livelihood reproduction. The production in common centered on middle class values,however historically and culturally specific they are,is always production in common within the system. Our common action as middle class action, whether as consumers, workers, or citizens, reproduces the system of value and value hierarchy that is the benchmark, the referent point for our cooperation. The paper then discusses some of the implications of the conundrum faced by those who seek alternatives: there will be no "beginning of history" without the middle class, nor there will be one with the middle class. [source] Das Kambrium: Als das Leben ,explodierte" und eine völlig neue Welt entstandBIOLOGIE IN UNSERER ZEIT (BIUZ), Issue 6 2003Olaf Elicki Dr. Das Kambrium repräsentiert den frühesten Zeitabschnitt der Erdgeschichte, welcher uns durch die Überlieferung von Fossilien eine detaillierte Rekonstruktion der damaligen Lebens- und Sedimentationsräume ermöglicht. Nach oberproterozoischen Vereisungsphasen stellte sich mit dem Kambrium ein ,warm house"-Klima ein; bedeutende globale Meeresspiegelanstiege und paläogeographische Veränderungen schufen den Rahmen für die ,Kambrische Explosion". Während dieser innovativsten Phase der Evolution erschienen innerhalb eines geologische relativ kurzen Zeitraumes alle heute bekannten (zuzüglich kurz darauf wieder erloschener) tierischen Baupläne , einschließlich der ersten Chordaten. Diese explosionsartige Diversifizierung der Lebewelt führte zu grundlegenden Neustrukturierungen globaler Stoffkreisläufe und veränderte die Sphären unseres Planeten nachhaltig. Mit dem Einsetzen des Kambriums entstanden die uns heute noch vertrauten Grundmuster ökologischer Zusammenhänge sowie , mit der Räuber-Beute-Beziehung , ein neuer hocheffizienter Evolutionsmotor. [source] ChemInform Abstract: Thermal Explosion in Al,Ni System: Influence of Mechanical Activation.CHEMINFORM, Issue 8 2010Jeremiah D. E. White Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a "Full Text" option. The original article is trackable via the "References" option. [source] Methylone and mCPP, two new drugs of abuse?ADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2005M. Bossong Recently, two new ecstasy-like substances, methylone and mCPP, were found in street drugs in the Netherlands by the Drugs Information and Monitoring System (DIMS). Methylone (3,4-methylenedioxymethcathinone) is the main ingredient of a new liquid designer drug that appeared on the Dutch drug market, called ,Explosion'. mCPP (meta-chlorophenylpiperazine) is a substance often used as a probe for the serotonin function in psychiatric research, and has now been found in street drugs, both in tablets and powders. Methylone as well as mCPP act on monoaminergic systems, resembling MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), with mCPP mainly affecting the serotonin system. The subjective effects of both new substances exhibit subtle differences with those of MDMA. Only little is known about the harmfulness of both methylone and mCPP. However, because of similarities between these substances and MDMA, risks common to MDMA cannot be excluded. [source] Metal Objects Mapping After Small Charge Explosions.JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 3 2006A Study on AISI 304Cu Steel with Two Different Grain Sizes ABSTRACT: Evidence of exposure of a metal component to a small charge explosion can be detected by observing microstructural modifications; they may be present even if the piece does not show noticeable overall plastic deformations. Particularly, if an austenitic stainless steel (or another metal having a face-centered cubic structure and a low stacking fault energy) is exposed to an explosive shock wave, high-speed deformation induces primarily mechanical twinning, whereas, in nonexplosive events, a lower velocity plastic deformation first induces slip. The occurrence of mechanical twins can be detected even if the surface is damaged or oxidized in successive events. In the present research, optical metallography (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) were used to detect microstructural modifications caused on AISI 304Cu steel disks by small-charge explosions. Spherical charges of 54.5 or 109 g TNT equivalent mass were used at explosive-to-target distances from 6.5 to 81.5 cm, achieving peak pressures from 160 to 0.5 MPa. Explosions induced limited or no macro-deformation. Two alloy grain sizes were tested. Surface OM and SEM evidenced partial surface melting, zones with recrystallization phenomena, and intense mechanical twinning, which was also detected by STM and X-ray diffraction. In the samples' interior, only twins were seen, up to some distance from the explosion impinged surface and again, at the shortest charge-to-sample distances, in a thin layer around the reflecting surface. For forensic science locating purposes after explosions, the maximum charge-to-target distance at which the phenomena disappear was singled out for each charge or grain size and related to the critical resolved shear stress for twinning. [source] Explosionstypen und ihre Zuordnung zu Rechtsvorschriften,CHEMIE-INGENIEUR-TECHNIK (CIT), Issue 7 2004B. Reimer Prof. Abstract Schadensexplosionen werden durch einen spontanen und erheblichen Druckaufbau verursacht, der auf chemische Reaktionen oder physikalische Prozesse zurückzuführen ist. Explosionsfähige Reaktionssysteme können in der Gasphase, aber auch im festen oder flüssigen Zustand bzw. in Mischphasen auftreten. Für die sicherheitstechnische Charakterisierung derartiger Systeme stehen anerkannte Untersuchungsmethoden zur Verfügung. In der Stoff wandelnden Industrie sind solche physikalischen Explosionen von Bedeutung, bei denen der Druckaufbau durch einen spontanen Stoffübergang vom flüssigen in den gasförmigen Zustand hervorgerufen wird. Ausführliche Rechtsvorschriften, ergänzt durch technische Regeln, existieren bezüglich der Brennstoff/Luft-Gemische, die unter atmosphärischen Bedingungen auftreten. Auch der Umgang mit explosionsgefährlichen Stoffen ist im Sprengstoffgesetz und den diesbezüglichen Verordnungen detailliert geregelt. Die anderen explosionsfähigen Reaktionssysteme fallen in den Geltungsbereich der Gefahrstoffverordnung, wenn eine kritische Mengenschwelle überschritten wird, in den der Störfallverordnung. Die konstruktiven Anforderungen, die Arbeitsmittel bezüglich des Explosionsschutzes zu erfüllen haben, sind in Verordnungen zum Geräte- und Produktsicherheitsgesetz geregelt. Types of Explosions and their Relations to Legislative Regulations Explosions in industrial plants and equipments are the result of chemical reactions or physical processes which are connected with a pressure build-up. Chemical explosions are caused by exothermic reactions in the gas phase, the condensed phase or in hybrid phases. In the chemical industry such physical explosions are of importance, due to a spontaneous transition of matter from the liquid to the gas phase. There are some legislative regulations which concern the explosion prevention and protection. The most important are the Equipment Safety Act and the Explosivs Act with their ordinances; the Ordinance on Dangerous Substances and the Hazardous Incident Ordinances. Important for the protection against explosive atmospheres is the "Betriebssicherheitsverordnung". [source] A Constructive Graphical Model Approach for Knowledge-Based Systems: A Vehicle Monitoring Case StudyCOMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 3 2003Y. Xiang Graphical models have been widely applied to uncertain reasoning in knowledge-based systems. For many of the problems tackled, a single graphical model is constructed before individual cases are presented and the model is used to reason about each new case. In this work, we consider a class of problems whose solution requires inference over a very large number of models that are impractical to construct a priori. We conduct a case study in the domain of vehicle monitoring and then generalize the approach taken. We show that the previously held negative belief on the applicability of graphical models to such problems is unjustified. We propose a set of techniques based on domain decomposition, model separation, model approximation, model compilation, and re-analysis to meet the computational challenges imposed by the combinatorial explosion. Experimental results on vehicle monitoring demonstrated good performance at near-real-time. [source] A kaleidoscope as a cyberworld and its animation: linear architecture and modeling based on an incrementally modular abstraction hierarchyCOMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 3-4 2006Tosiyasu L. Kunii Abstract An incrementally modular abstraction hierarchy is known to effectively linearize cyberworlds and virtual worlds, which are combinatorially exploding and hardly managed. It climbs down from general level to specific model preserving the higher level modules as invariants. It not only prevents the combinatorial explosion but also benefits the reuse, development, testing and validation of cyberworld resources. By applying this incrementally modular abstraction hierarchy to a kaleidoscope animation, its architecture and modeling is also specified in this paper as a typical case of cyberworlds. In particular, a homotopy lifting property and a homotopy extension property, which satisfy a duality relation, are also described to show how a kaleidoscope world is systematically created top-down from the whole system and bottom-up from the components. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Structural Model Updating and Health Monitoring with Incomplete Modal Data Using Gibbs SamplerCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2006Jianye Ching It is based on the Gibbs sampler, a stochastic simulation method that decomposes the uncertain model parameters into three groups, so that the direct sampling from any one group is possible when conditional on the other groups and the incomplete modal data. This means that even if the number of uncertain parameters is large, the effective dimension for the Gibbs sampler is always three and so high-dimensional parameter spaces that are fatal to most sampling techniques are handled by the method, making it more practical for health monitoring of real structures. The approach also inherits the advantages of Bayesian techniques: it not only updates the optimal estimate of the structural parameters but also updates the associated uncertainties. The approach is illustrated by applying it to two examples of structural health monitoring problems, in which the goal is to detect and quantify any damage using incomplete modal data obtained from small-amplitude vibrations measured before and after a severe loading event, such as an earthquake or explosion. [source] A practical method to analyze workflow logic modelsCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 1 2008Yu Huang Abstract The analysis of workflow is crucial to the correctness of workflow applications. This paper introduces a simple and practical method for analyzing workflow logic models. Firstly, some definitions of the models and some properties, such as throughness, no-redundant-transition and boundedness, are presented. Then, we propose an approach based on synchronized reachability graphs (SRGs) to verify these properties. The SRG uses the characteristics of synchronizers in workflow logic models and mitigates the state explosion by constructing synchronized occurrence sequences rather than interleaving occurrence sequences. This paper also proposes some refined and feasible reduction rules which can preserve vital properties of workflow logic models. Using these two techniques, the SRG-based verification method can achieve higher efficiency. Furthermore, this research also develops a verification tool based on the method, presents the analysis results of some practical cases and compares our method with others. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Infertility and assisted reproductive technologies: Bright and dark sidesCONGENITAL ANOMALIES, Issue 3 2001Kaoru Suzumori ABSTRACT, Infertility is defined as a couples failure to conceive following 2 years of unprotected sexual intercourse, affects 10% of reproductive age couples in Japan. There are 3 main causes: (1) ovarian failure-anovulation (29%); (2) tubal factor-anatomic defects of the female genital tract (36%); (3) male factor-abnormal spermatogenesis (31%). The goal of the infertility evaluation are to determine the probable cause of infertility regarding prognosis and to provide guidance regarding options for treatment In the event an obstruction of the fallopian tubes is discovered or spermatogenesis cannot be improved, assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as gamete intrafallopian tube transfer (GIFT) and in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer (IVF-ET) are recommended. Since the successful birth of Louise Brown by this IVF-ET, an explosion of ART has occurred all over the world in the last decade. In this review we discuss the revolution brought about by ART focusing on results in Japan, and clarify ethical issues that must be resolved. [source] BNP Consensus Panel 2004: A Clinical Approach for the Diagnostic, Prognostic, Screening, Treatment Monitoring, and Therapeutic Roles of Natriuretic Peptides in Cardiovascular DiseasesCONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, Issue 2004Marc A. Silver MD Among the most exciting developments in the field of heart failure in recent times has been the rediscovery of the natriuretic peptide system and its pleuripotent effects on cardiac structure and function. This is particularly true of its natriuretic and hemodynamic effects. There has been an explosion of the knowledge base seeking to understand the wide range of homeostatic, regulatory, and counter-regulatory functions in which the natriuretic peptide system participates. Additional interest has been stimulated by advances in technology such as point-of-care and core laboratory BNP assays and the use of the recombinant B-type natriuretic peptide nesiritide as a treatment option. Despite this recent interest, the available literature lacks a comprehensive expert review of the current science and roles of natriuretic peptides for diagnostic, prognostic, screening, treatment monitoring, and therapeutic purposes. More importantly, a summary updating and guiding the clinician on most of these advances was lacking. An expert Consensus Panel with basic, methodological, and clinical expertise was convened to summarize current knowledge in these areas and the findings and consensus statements are contained herein. [source] Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation of Tungsten Wire in Wire-Array Z PinchCONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 2 2010D.-K. Kim Abstract The magnetohydrodynamic behavior of tungsten wire ablating in wire-array Z pinch discharge on MAGPIE is simulated in a two-dimensional fine-grid domain using the GORGON code. A nonideal resistivity model has been implemented in the simulation to obtain plasma transport coefficients in the high density regime along with a screened hydrogenic model to calculate the radiative cooling. Starting from the initial state of warm dense plasma, the evolution of ablated wire is demonstrated to show its explosion and implosion dynamics as a function of discharge time and then the computed profile of electron density is compared with the contour lines reproduced from the measurement by a laser interferometer during the early stage of discharge. The comparison overall shows a fair agreement in terms of the magnitude and the profile shape while some discrepancies can be attributed to the simplified description of the internal wire core physics (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Guest Lecture 9.00,9.45 Wednesday 17 September 2003CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 2003Peter A. Hall MD PhD FRCPath The past decades have seen an explosion in our knowledge of the molecular events underpinning the pathogenesis of many disease processes. Furthermore, there have been enormous technical advances with the ability to identify, clone and sequence genes and to characterize their protein products now being common place in research settings. However, despite many claims as to the utility of molecular and biochemical methods in pathology only very few laboratories employ such methods in a clinical setting. Indeed the impact of molecular medicine has been more talked about than real. Why is this? The goal of this presentation is to address this question and present some perspectives on the future of Molecular Pathology. I shall overview, for the BSCC, the current state of the technology available for gene analysis and to explore the developments needed before the mirage of molecular pathology becomes a clinical reality. [source] Measurement Equivalence Using Generalizability Theory: An Examination of Manufacturing Flexibility DimensionsDECISION SCIENCES, Issue 4 2008Manoj K. Malhotra ABSTRACT As the field of decision sciences in general and operations management in particular has matured from theory building to theory testing over the past two decades, it has witnessed an explosion in empirical research. Much of this work is anchored in survey-based methodologies in which data are collected from the field in the form of scale items that are then analyzed to measure latent unobservable constructs. It is important to assess the invariance of scales across groups in order to reach valid, scientifically sound conclusions. Because studies have often been conducted in the field of decision sciences with small sample sizes, it further exacerbates the problem of reaching incorrect conclusions. Generalizability theory can more effectively test for measurement equivalence in the presence of small sample sizes than the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tests that have been conventionally used for assessing measurement equivalency across groups. Consequently, we introduce and explain the generalizability theory (G-theory) in this article to examine measurement equivalence of 24 manufacturing flexibility dimension scales that have been published in prior literature and also compare and contrast G-theory with CFA. We show that all the manufacturing flexibility scales tested in this study were invariant across the three industry SIC groups from which data were collected. We strongly recommend that G-theory should always be used for determining measurement equivalence in empirical survey-based studies. In addition, because using G-theory alone does not always reveal the complete picture, CFA techniques for establishing measurement equivalence should also be invoked when sample sizes are large enough to do so. Implications of G-theory for practice and its future use in operations management and decision sciences research are also presented. [source] From age correction to genome-wide associationACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2009S. Cohen-Woods Objective:, Eric Strömgren was one of the pioneers of psychiatric genetics and family studies. There has now been an explosion of interest in this field and research progress, including linkage and association studies, whole genome genotyping, copy number variants and epigenetics is reviewed here. Method:, An overview of this area of psychiatric research is presented and discussed based on the relevant literature aiming at giving a recent status of the progress. Results:, Broadly speaking linkage and association are complementary approaches used to locate genes contributing to the genetic aetiology of psychopathology. Linkage can be detected over comparatively large distances, however power is problematic when searching for quantitative trait loci with small effect sizes. In contrast, association studies can detect small effects but only over very small distances. Therefore, while several genome-wide linkage studies in psychiatric disorders have been performed, the majority of association studies have investigated specific functional candidate genes. Conclusion:, Due to very recent technological advancements, genome-wide association studies have now become possible and have identified some completely novel susceptibility loci. Other recent advances include the discovery of epigenetic phenomena and copy number variants. [source] Genome duplication, subfunction partitioning, and lineage divergence: Sox9 in stickleback and zebrafishDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 3 2003William A. Cresko Abstract Teleosts are the most species-rich group of vertebrates, and a genome duplication (tetraploidization) event in ray-fin fish appears to have preceded this remarkable explosion of biodiversity. What is the relationship of the ray-fin genome duplication to the teleost radiation? Genome duplication may have facilitated lineage divergence by partitioning different ancestral gene subfunctions among co-orthologs of tetrapod genes in different teleost lineages. To test this hypothesis, we investigated gene expression patterns for Sox9 gene duplicates in stickleback and zebrafish, teleosts whose lineages diverged early in Euteleost evolution. Most expression domains appear to have been partitioned between Sox9a and Sox9b before the divergence of stickleback and zebrafish lineages, but some ancestral expression domains were distributed differentially in each lineage. We conclude that some gene subfunctions, as represented by lineage-specific expression domains, may have assorted differently in separate lineages and that these may have contributed to lineage diversification during teleost evolution. Developmental Dynamics, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Elusive '68: The Challenge to PedagogyDIE UNTERRICHTSPRAXIS/TEACHING GERMAN, Issue 2 2008William Collins Donahue Teaching ,68 presents pedagogical challenges far greater than assembling a set of workable classroom materials. Divisive controversies that were the hallmark of the time,e.g., the debate over the nature and appropriate use of violence,are with us still, though in a somewhat different form. Further, the instructor,s own politics and positionality can hardly be ignored,as they will certainly not be overlooked by our students. Additionally, this essay argues that fundamental terms (such as who qualifies as a ,68er) remain problematic; that the instrumentalization of the Holocaust by the German New Left continues to affect political decisions down to the present; that our investment as teachers in poststructuralist literary theory may,perhaps inadvertently,affect the way we view and therefore teach ,68; and, finally, that there is a pressing need, despite a recent explosion in Germany of publications celebrating the fortieth anniversary of ,68, for a didacticized reader designed for the North American German Studies classroom. [source] Rapid detection and identification of counterfeit of adulterated products of synthetic phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors with an atmospheric solids analysis probeDRUG TESTING AND ANALYSIS, Issue 2 2010Marian Twohig Abstract The market success of the three approved synthetic phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors for the treatment of erectile dysfunction has led to an explosion in counterfeit versions of these drugs. In parallel a large market has developed for herbal products claimed to be natural alternatives to these synthetic drugs. The herbal products are heavily advertised on the internet and are freely available to purchase without prescription. Furthermore, adulteration of these supposed natural medicines is a very common and serious phenomenon. Recent reports have shown that the adulteration has extended to the analogues of the three approved synthetic PDE-5 inhibitors. An Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe (ASAP) was used for the direct analysis of the counterfeit pharmaceuticals and herbal products. Using the ASAP combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF MS) it was possible to detect fraudulent counterfeit tablets. The physical appearance of the pills resembled the pills from the original manufacturer but contained the wrong active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Detecting adulteration for five herbal supplements marketed as natural alternatives to PDE-5 inhibitors was also possible using the ASAP. Three types of adulteration were found in the five samples: adulteration with tadalafil or sildenafil, mixed adulteration (tadalafil and sildenafil), and adulteration with analogues of these drugs. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] APPLYING NORTH'S LAWS OF MOTION TO THE EDGE OF THE WESTECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 2 2009Saad Azmat This paper uses Douglass North's theories of institutional economics to explain progress in Muslim Spain. It argues that it was efficient economic institutions in the guise of a free-market economy where the property rights of different strata of society were well protected, which ensured lasting prosperity. This paper postulates that while a population explosion could have been responsible for the initial growth in Spain, it was an efficient formal,informal institutional matrix that ensured a high level of long-term growth. [source] Hybrid Branch Plants: Japanese Lean Production in Poland's Automobile IndustryECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2008Tomasz Majek Abstract This article examines hybrid branch plants created by an interaction of the routines and conventions of the parent company with those of local institutions. We argue that hybridization is a search for an appropriate mix of practices that ensure viability in local circumstances, rather than necessarily the transfer of established "best" (parent-company) practices. Conceptually, hybridization is interpreted as learning-based (and bargaining) processes that are inherent in the evolution (internationalization) of firms in which alternative trajectories are possible. Empirically, the article examines the recent transfer of lean production to Poland's automobile industry and comparatively and qualitatively analyzes four hybrid branch plants in terms of six dimensions of shop-floor and factory management. Given the explosion of Japanese foreign direct investment in recent decades, its competitive strengths, and the importance that Japanese firms attach to learning processes, lean production is an important case study for hybridization. The four cases illustrate different types of hybrid behavior with different consequences for corporate and local performance. [source] A Critical Review of the Electrocatalysis Reported at C60 Modified ElectrodesELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 14 2008Sebastian Griese Abstract Electrodes modified with C60 have been reported to be electrocatalytic for a range of analytical targets. In this review we critically overview the recent explosion of interest in C60 modified electrodes. [source] Vertical double-gate MOSFET device technologyELECTRONICS & COMMUNICATIONS IN JAPAN, Issue 1 2008Meishoku Masahara Abstract Silicon device technology is facing several difficulties. Especially, explosion of power consumption due to short-channel effects (SCEs) becomes the biggest issue in further device scaling down. Fortunately, double-gate (DG) MOSFETs have promising potential to overcome this obstacle. The DG-MOSFET is recognized to be the most scalable MOSFET for its high SCE immunity. In addition, independent DG-MOSFET (4T-DG-MOSFET) has great advantage to enable the threshold voltage control for the flexible power management. Through this work, we have realized ideal DG-MOSFETs using newly developed vertical DG-MOSFET device technology. This article examines the effectiveness of the vertical DG-MOSFETs in future high-performance and ultralow-power CMOS circuits. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 91(1): 46, 51, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.10021 [source] Liriomyza huidobrensis in Yunnan, China: current distribution and genetic structure of a recently established populationENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 3 2002Liping He Abstract Liriomyza huidobrensis Blanchard (Diptera: Agromyzidae) is a very serious and economically important pest around the world. Liriomyza huidobrensis in China was first reported from Kunming of Yunnan province in 1993. We report here that this pest has recently expanded its distribution, along with a host plant range extension and population explosion. The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II gene was sequenced for eight populations from Yunnan. All individuals were identical: no genetic variation was observed between populations either from different geographical localities or from different host plants. The phylogenetic analysis shows that the Yunnan population is grouped into the South American clade, which also includes other recently introduced Asian populations. Together with ecological data and colonization history of this pest, our results suggest that Yunnan population might have an ultimate, albeit not immediate, origin from South American populations. [source] Analytical ecological epidemiology: exposure,response relations in spatially stratified time seriesENVIRONMETRICS, Issue 6 2009Hagen Scherb Abstract An important task of environmental research is the investigation of a possible causal relationship between exposure and the frequency of a biologic trait. Major industrial accidents provide examples where the exposure status of large populations may change considerably within relatively short time intervals of days or weeks (e.g. Seveso herbicide plant explosion, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant catastrophe). Therefore, purely temporal change-points may be tested in time series of appropriate public health indicators (e.g. mortality, morbidity, sex ratio at birth). If, in addition, the spatial contamination is strong and variable enough and can be identified with sufficient precision at the level of regional units (e.g. districts), then a spatial-temporal approach makes sense. This essentially means that a global time trend model is adjusted for region-specific trend functions, allowing for local or global temporal jumps or broken sticks (change-points) at certain points in time. The local jump heights may be tested for associations with local exposure (exposure,response relation), and all other characteristics in the data that vary with locality and in time are automatically accounted for, thus minimizing confounding. Spatial-temporal approaches may help to strengthen the evidence of possible causal relationships. As an example, the human sex ratio at birth in several European countries before and after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident was investigated. A long-term chronic impact of radioactive fallout on the secondary sex ratio has been found. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||