Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Alternative Way (alternative + way)
Selected AbstractsAn Alternative Way of Characterizing the Bonding in Compounds Featuring Main-Group Elements and with the Potential for Multiple Bonding: On the Dissociation of Binary Main-Group Hydrides.CHEMINFORM, Issue 18 2003Hans-Joerg Himmel No abstract is available for this article. [source] Special focus: Cell and protein manipulationBIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009Article first published online: 18 FEB 200 Synthetic biotechnology: The challenge Screening tool for induced pluripotent stem cells Method to limit oncogene expression to stem cells Intravital two-photon microscopy to solve meningitis mystery Electrostatic forces involved in a packaging motor Simulated Raman scattering microscopy offers high sensitivity in real-time imaging Alternative way to save brain cells after stroke or head trauma [source] Recruitment, Training, and Career ConcernsJOURNAL OF ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT STRATEGY, Issue 4 2008Heski Bar-Isaac We examine training and recruitment policies in a two-period model that nests two forms of production, "routine" work where ability and effort are substitutes and "creative" work where they are complements. Alternative ways of improving average ability have opposite implications for agents' career concerns. Although teaching to the top (training complementary to ability) or identifying star performers increases agents' career concerns, teaching to the bottom has the opposite effect. The paper also makes more general comments relating to models of reputation. [source] Gazing at the Hand: A Foucaultian View of the Teaching of Manipulative Skills to Introductory Chemistry Students in the United States and the Potential for Transforming Laboratory InstructionCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 3 2005STEPHEN DEMEO ABSTRACT Many studies of chemistry have described the rise of the academic chemical laboratory and laboratory skills in the United States as a result of famous men, important discoveries, and international influences. What is lacking is a perspective of the manifestations of the balances of power and knowledge between teacher and student. A Foucaultian analysis of the teaching of manipulative skills to the introductory student in high school and college in the United States during the later half of the 19th and into the 20th century has provided such a perspective. The analysis focuses on the body, specifically students' hands, and how this body has been redescribed in terms of time, space, activity, and their combinations. It is argued in the first part of this article that the teaching of manipulative skills in the chemistry laboratory can be characterized by effects of differential forms of power and knowledge, such as those provided by Foucault's ideas of hierarchical observation, normalization, and the examination. Moreover, it is evident that disciplinary techniques primarily focused on the physical hands of the student have been recast to include a new cognitive-physiological space in which the teaching of manipulative skills currently takes place. In the second part of this article, the author describes his own professional development as a laboratory instructor through a series of reflective statements that are critiqued from a Foucaultian perspective. The personal narratives are presented in order to pro- vide science educators with an alternative way for their students to think about the relationship between one's manipulative skills and the quality of their data. The pedagogical approach is related to the maturation process of the chemist and contextualized in the current paradigm of laboratory practice, inquiry-based science education. [source] A finite element analysis of tidal deformation of the entire earth with a discontinuous outer layerGEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2007H. L. Xing SUMMARY Tidal deformation of the Earth is normally calculated using the analytical solution with some simplified assumptions, such as the Earth is a perfect sphere of continuous media. This paper proposes an alternative way, in which the Earth crust is discontinuous along its boundaries, to calculate the tidal deformation using a finite element method. An in-house finite element code is firstly introduced in brief and then extended here to calculate the tidal deformation. The tidal deformation of the Earth due to the Moon was calculated for an geophysical earth model with the discontinuous outer layer and compared with the continuous case. The preliminary results indicate that the discontinuity could have different effects on the tidal deformation in the local zone around the fault, but almost no effects on both the locations far from the fault and the global deformation amplitude of the Earth. The localized deformation amplitude seems to depend much on the relative orientation between the fault strike direction and the loading direction (i.e. the location of the Moon) and the physical property of the fault. [source] Crystal Structure of an EMAP-II-Like Cytokine Released from a Human tRNA SynthetaseHELVETICA CHIMICA ACTA, Issue 4 2003Xiang-Lei Yang Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases catalyze the first step of protein synthesis by aminoacylation of tRNAs. Remarkably, biological fragments of two human enzymes , tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS) and tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase , are active cytokines produced by proteolysis or alternative splicing. One is a C-terminal fragment of TyrRS (C-TyrRS) that has potent activity for chemotaxis of leukocytes and monocytes and for stimulating production of other cytokines. Significantly, the cytokine activity of C-TyrRS is absent in the context of the full-length native protein. Unknown is the mechanism by which domain-release from the dimeric native protein activates the cytokine. Here, the crystal structure of C-TyrRS is presented at 2.2,Å resolution. This structure is similar to that of endothelial monocyte-activating protein II (EMAP-II), with critical residues of a heptapeptide element important for chemotaxis activity exposed on the first strand of a , -barrel of the monomeric unit. In contrast, the same residues of C-TyrRS are buried in an operational model for native TyrRS. Importantly, C-TyrRS is shown here to be monomeric when released from dimeric native TyrRS. Further analysis suggests that the critical residues are exposed when tRNA is bound. Thus, tRNA binding to native TyrRS may be an additional or alternative way to activate cytokine signaling. [source] Transformative Education and its Potential for Changing the Lives of Children in Disempowering ContextsIDS BULLETIN, Issue 1 2009Felix Bivens For millions of children around the world, disempowerment is not just a part of life , it becomes their life, to the point where any alternative way of living may be unimaginable to them. Intergenerational transmission (IGT) of inequality is deeply embedded, even where education is available; this leads us to question whether many forms of education, experienced by children who are already disempowered, may further entrench that condition by reproducing the norms, values and drivers within society that have brought about this disempowerment in the first place. In this article we explore the extent to which access to good-quality, transformative education has a key role to play in overcoming IGT of marginalised children and their communities, with positive outcomes not only for the individuals themselves but also for wider social processes. [source] Zero Shrinkage of LTCC by Self-Constrained SinteringINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2005Torsten Rabe Low shrinkage in x and y direction and low tolerances of shrinkage are an indispensable precondition for high-density component configuration. Therefore, zero shrinkage sintering technologies as pressure-assisted sintering and sacrificial tapes have been introduced in the low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) production by different manufacturers. Disadvantages of these methods are high costs of sintering equipment and an additional process step to remove the sacrificial tapes. In this article, newly developed self-constrained sintering methods are presented. The new technology, HeraLock®, delivers LTCC modules with a sintering shrinkage in x and y direction of less than 0.2% and with a shrinkage tolerance of ±0.02% without sacrificial layers and external pressure. Each tape is self-constrained by integration of a layer showing no shrinkage in the sintering temperature range of the LTCC. Large area metallization, integration of channels, cavities and passive electronic components are possible without waviness and camber. Self-constrained laminates are an alternative way to produce zero shrinkage LTCC. They consist of tapes sintering at different temperature intervals. Precondition for a successful production of a self-constrained LTCC laminate is the development of well-adapted material and tapes, respectively. This task is very challenging, because sintering range, high-temperature reactivity and thermal expansion coefficient have to be matched and each tape has to fulfill specific functions in the final component, which requires the tailoring of many properties as permittivity, dielectric loss, mechanical strength, and roughness. A self-constrained laminate is introduced in this article. It consists of inner tapes sintering at especially low-temperature range between 650°C and 720°C and outer tapes with an as-fired surface suitable for thin-film processes. [source] Urban community in China: service, participation and developmentINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE, Issue 3 2006Qingwen Xu With the rapid urbanisation and population growth in the cities, the People's Republic of China has recognised the importance of community development based on an ever-increasing demand for social services. In 1994, the Chinese government adopted community service as an alternative way of providing the supplemental safety net in urban areas. Along with this top-down approach, resident-initiated activities, participation and grassroots organisations at the community level are growing at an incredible pace. Using a case study, this study explores the context and aspects of community services, participation and community development in a Chinese urban community. Results indicate that China's reformed market economy and welfare system presses ordinary urban people to reconnect to the local community to ensure welfare security and quality of life. Community participation in China has rediscovered the path of community development and re-interpreted the top-down and bottom-up approaches in the context of community services. [source] God and Some Recent Public TheologiesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Philip Ziegler This article addresses the ,ever widening' circle of theological writing concerned with the public character of theology. Specifically, it examines the work of two ,public theologians,: Linell Cady and Max Stackhouse, and it does so by focusing on the concept of God ingredient in their programmes for contemporary public theology. The article is an inquiry into the sort of theology such public theologies might be. It argues that an account of the identity and agency of God is of decisive significance for an account of the public character of theology. In keeping with its exploratory nature, it concludes with a series of questions regarding the work of Cady and Stackhouse and suggests an alternative way forward for public theology. It suggests a re-orientation of public theology ,on the basis of a more robust account of divine identity and divine agency cognizant of the possibilities afforded by the prevenient publicity of the God of the Christian gospel,. [source] Transformative Spirituality for a Transformed World: Contributions from the Indigenous PerspectiveINTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MISSION, Issue 2 2009María Chávez Quispe A Transformative Spirituality from the perspective of indigenous peoples should be rooted in the life experience, cultural values and spirituality of the indigenous peoples. From the identity and history of the indigenous relationship with Christianity, the article presents some experiences and voices of indigenous peoples and concludes with some suggestions to think about the theme. In this perspective Transformative Spirituality is a proposal of an alternative way of life to the current one which is marked by financial crisis and hopelessness in the face of the future. Pachamama as the Mother Earth, origin and end of life, is the main symbol of this spirituality. [source] Spectra of wavelet scale coefficients from process acoustic measurements as input for PLS modelling of pulp quality,JOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 8-10 2002Anders Björk Abstract Acoustic and vibration signals are captured by simple standard accelerometers. These can often be mounted directly on operative process equipment, creating a completely non-invasive measurement system. The signals from the accelerometer are then amplified, digitized by an analogue-to-digital converter and stored in some suitable format in a PC. The method most often used for signal processing of acoustic data has been to apply variants of fast Fourier transform (FFT) on sampled data to produce a frequency domain representation. An alternative way tried here is to use the fast wavelet transform (FWT) in combination with FFT. The FWT has the advantage that it produces time-resolved representations and, on each time scale, different features can be extracted. However, in this case, time resolution has no meaning, since the starting points for data acquisitions were not fixed. The wavelet step can be seen as a series of pre-filters and it is here followed by FFT on coefficients at each wavelet scale. The results are compared to those obtained after FFT on the complete time series. We have used spectra of wavelet scale coefficients in an attempt to model pulp quality with PLS. In this case the number of points in the resulting wavelet multiresolution spectrum (WT-MRS) can be limited to a low number, e.g. 255 compared to 1025 with direct FFT on the time series. In the PLS modelling step the advantage is that the first two components describe Y much better than when using the conventional approach, e.g. 72% explained Y variance compared to 40%. A second advantage is that the model requires fewer coefficients. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF WATER EXTRACTS FROM PARCHING GREEN TEAJOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2010SHENG-DUN LIN ABSTRACT Cold and hot water extracts (2, 6 and 10%) were prepared from parching green tea and its antioxidant properties studied and potential antioxidant components determined. Yields of hot water extracts (17.53,28.63%) were significantly higher than those of cold water extracts (13.34,16.14%). The half maximal effective concentration (EC50) values in antioxidant activity and reducing power were 2.17,2.75 and 0.22,0.30 mg/mL, respectively. Scavenging abilities on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals were comparable. EC50 values in scavenging ability on hydroxyl radicals and chelating ability on ferrous ions were 3.31,4.54 and 1.63,3.09 mg/mL, respectively. Contents of total phenols were 220.52,339.83 mg/g whereas those of total catechins in cold and hot water extracts were 130.22,146.28 mg/g and 136.40,191.33 mg/g, respectively. Based on the results obtained, hot water extracts were more effective in antioxidant activity, reducing power and scavenging ability on hydroxyl radicals but less effective in chelating ability on ferrous ions. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Tea is one of popular drinks in the world. The consumption of green tea is especially popular in Asia, mainly for its health benefits. Parched tea is a Chinese style green tea, which is different from the Japanese style steamed tea. Recently, the tea prepared by brewing tea leaves in cold water has become a new choice in Taiwan in addition to traditionally hot water-brewed tea. Results from this research, the cold and hot water extracts of green tea are good antioxidant. Besides, green tea is also reported to reduce serum cholesterol levels and inhibit hypertension, mutagenesis, and tumourigenesis in several experiments in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, the extract of green tea has the potential to be developed into new health foods, and the cold brewing would be a new alternative way to make a tea. [source] Indirect laser-induced fluorescence detection of diuretics separated by capillary electrophoresisJOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 5 2006Xiuhan Yang Abstract Indirect LIF detection was applied to the detection of four acidic diuretics separated by CZE. Semiconductor laser was employed to provide the stable excitation of 473 nm. With an optimized electrophoretic buffer system which contained 5 mM of triethylamine, 0.1 ,M of fluorescein, and 5% of n -butanol, fast separation of four diuretics (ethacrynic acid, chlorthalidone, bendroflumethiazide, and bumetanide) can be performed within 3 min with the detection limits of 0.2,2 ,g/mL. The impacts of buffer components including the concentrations of the electrolytes, fluorescence probe, and the organic additives were demonstrated. The method was applied for the detection of diuretics in urine. As an alternative way for the fast analysis of diuretics, this indirect detection method provided the technical support for future microchip performances, in which diuretics may be detected in the microchip by the common LIF detector without derivatization. [source] Diamond thermal expansion measurement using transmitted X-ray back-diffractionJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 3 2005Cris Adriano The linear thermal expansion coefficient of diamond has been measured using forward-diffracted profiles in X-ray backscattering. This experimental technique is presented as an alternative way of measuring thermal expansion coefficients of solids in the high-resolution Bragg backscattering geometry without the intrinsic difficulty of detecting the reflected beam. The temperature dependence of the lattice parameter is obtained from the high sensitivity of the transmitted profiles to the Bragg angle variation with temperature. The large angular width of the backscattering profiles allows the application of this technique to mosaic crystals with high resolution. As an application of this technique the thermal expansion coefficient of a synthetic type-Ib diamond (110) single crystal was measured from 10 to 300,K. Extremely low values (of the order of 1 × 10,7± 5 × 10,7) for the linear thermal expansion coefficient in the temperature range from 30 to 90,K are in good agreement with other reported measurements. [source] Casaubon's ghosts: the haunting of legal scholarshipLEGAL STUDIES, Issue 1 2001Allan C Hutchinson Much academic work continues to operate within the cramping and pervasive spirit of a black-letter mentality that encourages scholars and jurists to maintain legal study as an inward-looking and self-contained discipline. There is still a marked tendency to treat law as somehow a world of its own that is separate from the society within which it operates and purports to serve. This is a disheartening and disabling state of affairs. Accordingly, this article will offer both a critique of the present situation and suggest an alternative way of proceeding. The writer recommends a shift from philosophy to democracy so that legal academics will be less obsessed with abstraction and formalism and more concerned with relevance and practicality. In contrast to the hubristic and occasionally mystical aspirations of mainstream scholars, it presents a more humble depiction of the worth and efficacy of the jurisprudential and scholarly project in which ,usefulness' is given pride of place. Of course, these fundamental charges are not applicable to all legal scholars. Many scholars are engaged in work that not only challenges the prevailing paradigm of legal scholarship, but also explores exciting new directions for legal study. It will be part of the essay to acknowledge those contributions. [source] Diffusion measurements free of motion artifacts using intermolecular dipole-dipole interactionsMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 1 2004Scott D. Kennedy Abstract Diffusion encoding, or diffusion weighting, is commonly achieved by applying a pair of balanced pulsed-field gradients during spin evolution. An alternative way to obtain diffusion measurements is to select dipolar correlation distances using the distant dipolar field (DDF) in systems with abundant spin density, such as water in tissues. Diffusion weighting using this effect is unique in that the refocusing "gradient" is carried within the sample, and thus the macroscopic motion of the sample is not expected to interfere with signal formation. The experiments presented here demonstrate that in moving phantoms, the phase shift of the signal due to linear motion is minimal in diffusion-weighted (DW) DDF measurements, and that motion artifacts in images of moving phantoms and the abdomen of live mice are small compared to standard pulsed-field-gradient methods. The technique may facilitate the use of DWI in typically motion-prone regions such as the abdomen, lungs, and heart. Magn Reson Med 52:1,6, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] "LONG LIVE THE WEEDS AND THE WILDERNESS YET": REFLECTIONS ON A SECULAR AGEMODERN THEOLOGY, Issue 3 2010STANLEY HAUERWAS While we are deeply appreciative of Taylor's A Secular Age, we nonetheless worry that his use of the immanent/transcendent duality may introduce a certain kind of Christian Constantinianism that he wants to disavow. In particular, we worry that the immanent/transcendent duality is far too formal in its character. In order to develop this concern, we draw on Talal Asad's account of the secular to suggest how liturgy may provide an alternative way of understanding as well as challenging Taylor's worries about "the immanent frame." [source] Learning through the bodyNEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT & CONTINUING EDUCATION, Issue 119 2008Tammy J. Freiler Learning through the body is discussed in this chapter as a valued, alternative way of knowing that reconnects the mind and body. [source] Trade costs in empirical New Economic GeographyPAPERS IN REGIONAL SCIENCE, Issue 3 2010Maarten Bosker Trade costs; New Economic Geography; market access Abstract Trade costs are a crucial element of New Economic Geography (NEG) models. Without trade costs there is no role for geography. In empirical NEG studies the unavailability of direct trade cost data calls for the need to approximate these trade costs by introducing a trade cost function. In doing so, hardly any attention is paid to the (implicit) assumptions and empirical consequences of the particular trade cost function used. Based on a meta-analysis of NEG market access studies as well as on the results of estimating the NEG wage equation for a uniform sample while using different trade costs functions, we show that the relevance of the key NEG variable, market access, depends nontrivially on the choice of trade cost function. Next, we propose an alternative way to approximate trade costs that does not require the specification of a trade cost function, the so called implied trade costs approach. Overall, our results stress that the specification of trade costs can matter a lot for the conclusions reached in any empirical NEG study. We therefore call for a much more careful treatment of trade costs in future empirical NEG studies. Resumen Los costos de comercio son un elemento crucial de los modelos de la Nueva Geografía Económica (NEG, siglas en inglés). Sin los costos de comercio no hay un rol para la geografía. En estudios empíricos de NEG, la falta de disponibilidad de datos de costos directos de comercio directo crea la necesidad de estimar estos costos de comercio mediante la introducción de una función de costos de comercio. Al hacer esto, apenas se presta atención a las suposiciones (implícitas) y consecuencias empíricas de la función de costo utilizada en particular. Basado en un meta análisis de estudios de acceso de mercado de NEG, así como en los resultados de estimar la ecuación salarial de NEG para una muestra uniforme al tiempo que utilizando diferentes funciones de costos de comercio, mostramos que la relevancia de la variable clave para la NEG, acceso a mercados, depende considerablemente de la elección de la función de costos de comercio. A continuación, proponemos una alternativa para estimar costos de comercio que no requiere especificar una función de costos de comercio, el llamado enfoque de costos de comercio implícitos. En resumen, nuestros resultados insisten en que el especificar los costos de comercio puede tener mucha importancia para las conclusiones alcanzadas en cualquier estudio empírico de NEG. Pedimos por tanto un tratamiento mucho más cuidadoso de los costos de comercio en futuros estudios empíricos de NEG. [source] Longitudinal and transverse incremental permeability of Co19.35Fe53.28Hf7.92O19.35 filmsPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 12 2007Anh-Tuan Le Abstract We present here, the results of a thorough study of the longitudinal permeability ratio (LPR) and transverse permeability ratio (TPR) in sputtered Co19.35Fe53.28Hf7.92O19.35 films with varying thicknesses (t = 1, 1.5, 1.8 and 2.4 µm) in the frequency range of 100 - 1000 MHz. It is found that for all samples investigated, the LPR/TPR first increases with increasing frequency, reaches a maximum at 710 MHz, and then decreases at higher frequencies. This is related to the ferromagnetic resonance. The LPR and TPR profiles measured along the easy axis of the film show a single-peak feature, whereas those measured along the hard axis of the film show a double-peak one. This indicates an existence of magnetic anisotropy and its dispersion in the films. It reveals that the study of LPR and TPR spectra provides an alternative way for the evaluation of the high-frequency magnetic softness of film-type materials. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Radiative properties of dislocations generated around oxygen precipitates in SiPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 7 2007E. A. Steinman Abstract Generation of dislocations during the growth of oxygen precipitates has been used as an alternative way of introduction of dislocation-related luminescence centers. For this purpose a multistep annealing of Cz Si samples with different initial concentrations of oxygen has been carried out. The analysis of defect density and structure was performed by optical microscopy (OM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The dislocation-related luminescence (DRL) appeared only after a growth stage, while its intensity strongly depended on the duration of the preliminary nucleation treatment. The duration of growth annealing had a strong influence on the spectral distribution of the DRL intensity. No correlation has been found between a particular defect density, defined by TEM, and the shape of luminescence bands. Therefore, it was concluded that the cause of the gradual DRL transformation is redistribution of oxygen, collected near dislocations. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Multiscale simulation of polycrystal mechanics of textured ,-Ti alloys using ab initio and crystal-based finite element methodsPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 12 2008D. Ma Abstract Crystal-based finite element methods (FEM) are versatile continuum approaches for predicting mechanical properties and deformation-induced crystallographic textures. They can be applied to both, elastic,plastic and elastic problems. The methodology is based on (i) a detailed understanding of the underlying crystal deformation mechanisms and (ii) a number of constitutive material parameters that are often difficult to measure. First principle calculations, that take into account the discrete nature of matter at the atomic scale, are an alternative way to study mechanical properties of single crystals without using empirical parameters. In this study we demonstrate how to combine these two well-established modeling tools, viz., ab initio modeling and crystal mechanical FEM, for an improved approach to design of polycrystalline materials. The combination is based on (i) the determination of basic thermodynamic and elastic parameter trends in metallurgical alloy design using density-functional (DFT) calculations (P. Hohenberg and W. Kohn, Phys. Rev. 136, B864 (1964), W. Kohn and L. J. Sham, Phys. Rev. 140, A1133 (1965) [1, 2], respectively) and (ii) the up-scale transfer of these results into crystal-based finite element simulations which take into account the anisotropic nature of the elastic,plastic deformation of metals. The method is applied to three body-centered cubic (bcc, ,) Ti,Nb alloys for bio-medical applications. The study addresses two technological processes, namely, the prediction of texture evolution during cold rolling (elastic-plastic problem) and elastic bending of textured polycrystals (elastic problem). (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Conditional Lifetime Data Analysis Using the Limited Expected Value FunctionQUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2004John Quigley Abstract Much failure, and other event, data are commonly highly censored. Consequently this limits the efficacy of many statistical analysis techniques. The limited expected value (LEV) function presents an alternative way of characterizing lifetime distributions. In essence the LEV provides a means of calculating a truncated mean time to failure (MTTF) (or mean time before failure (MTBF) if appropriate) that is adjusted at each of the censoring times and so appears potentially suitable for dealing with censored data structures. In theory, the LEV has been defined for many standard distributions, however its practical use is not well developed. This paper aims to extend the theory of LEV for typical censoring structures to develop procedures that will assist in model identification as well as parameter estimation. Applications to typical event data will be presented and the use of LEV in comparison with a selection of existing lifetime distributional analysis will be made based on some preliminary research. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] China's regional income disparity An alternative way to think of the sources and causes1THE ECONOMICS OF TRANSITION, Issue 1 2008Ding Lu Factor mobility; regional income inequality; China Abstract Using data on China's provincial economies for the period 1978,2005, we decomposed the causes and factors that have contributed to inter-regional per capita income disparity. Variance in capital per employee and variance in capital elasticity are found to be the two main sources of income disparity while the employment,labour force ratio is shown to be an important factor in containing the rise of income disparity. An analysis on inter-regional factor reallocation effects reveals their relatively small and insignificant contributions to overall growth performance. It is also discovered that capital has in most years flowed in the right direction to pursue higher marginal productivity across provincial economies. Inter-provincial labour movement, on the other hand, had not displayed significant equilibrating effects until institutional reforms started to allow freer inter-regional labour mobility in later years. Generally, we conclude that market-oriented factor mobility has played a crucial role in equalizing factor returns as well as enhancing growth efficiency across regions. [source] Making Place in BangaloreARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, Issue 5 2005Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi Abstract In the city of Bangalore in southern India, the predominant architectural language is that of conventional global commerce. ,Bland high-rise developments' jostle with shanties and urban sprawl. Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi, AIA, explores an alternative way, by Shilpa Sindoor Architects and Planners. The practice invests in a sense of place, but also uses a knowledge of the local construction market and materials to its economic advantage. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Strategy of Circulatory Support with Percutaneous Cardiopulmonary SupportARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 8 2000Mitsumasa Hata Abstract: We evaluated the efficacy and problems of circulatory support with percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) for severe cardiogenic shock and discussed our strategy of mechanical circulatory assist for severe cardiopulmonary failure. We also described the effects of an alternative way of PCPS as venoarterial (VA) bypass from the right atrium (RA) to the ascending aorta (Ao), which was used recently in 3 patients. Over the past 9 years, 30 patients (20 men and 10 women; mean age: 61 years) received perioperative PCPS at our institution. Indications of PCPS were cardiopulmonary bypass weaning in 13 patients, postoperative low output syndrome (LOS) in 14 patients, and preoperative cardiogenic shock in 3 patients. Approaches of the PCPS system were the femoral artery to the femoral vein (F-F) in 21 patients, the RA to the femoral artery (RA-FA) in 5 patients, the RA to the Ao (RA-Ao) in 3 patients, and the right and left atrium to the Ao in 1 patient. Seventeen (56.7%) patients were weaned from mechanical circulatory support (Group 1) and the remaining 13 patients were not (Group 2). In Group 1, PCPS running time was 33.1 ± 13.6 h, which was significantly shorter than that of Group 2 (70.6 ± 44.4 h). Left ventricular ejection fraction was improved from 34.8 ± 12.0% at the pump to 42.5 ± 4.6% after 24 h support in Group 1, which was significantly better than that of Group 2 (21.6 ± 3.5%). In particular, it was 48.6 ± 5.7% in the patients with RA-Ao, which was further improved. Two of 3 patients with RA-Ao were discharged. Thrombectomy was carried out for ischemic complication of the lower extremity in 5 patients with F-F and 1 patient with RA-FA. One patient with F-F needed amputation of the leg due to necrosis. Thirteen patients (43.3%) were discharged. Hospital mortality indicated 17 patients (56.7%). Fifteen patients died with multiple organ failure. In conclusion, our alternate strategy of assisted circulation for severe cardiac failure is as follows. In patients with postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock or LOS, PCPS should be applied first under intraaortic balloon pumping (IABP) assist for a maximum of 2 or 3 days. In older aged patients particularly, the RA-Ao approach of PCPS is superior to control flow rate easily, with less of the left ventricular afterload and ischemic complications of the lower extremity. If native cardiac function does not recover and longer support is necessary, several types of ventricular assist devices should be introduced, according to end-organ function and the expected support period. [source] RISK DETECTION IN INDIVIDUAL HEALTH CARE: ANY LIMITS?BIOETHICS, Issue 8 2010GER PALMBOOM ABSTRACT Background: Biomedical science is producing an avalanche of data about risk factors, often with a small predictive value, associated with a broad diversity of diseases. Prevention and screening are increasingly moving from public health into the clinic. Therefore, the question of which risk factors to investigate and disclose in the individual patient, becomes ethically increasingly urgent. In line with Wilson and Jungner's public health-related 10 principles for screening, it seems crucial to distinguish important from unimportant health risks. Aim: to explore the ways in which clinicians distinguish important from unimportant health risks. Methods: We interviewed 36 respondents (gastroenterologists and gynaecologists/obstetrics) in 5 focus group interviews and 15 open in-depth interviews on their interpretation of what makes a health risk important. Results: Physicians primarily interpreted importance as the severity of the possible harm, less often its probability. Possibilities of prevention or reassurance strongly influenced their judgment on importance. Discussion: It is not likely that interpreting ,important' as ,severe' will help in differentiating meaningful from meaningless risk knowledge. A more fundamental change in our ways of dealing with risk may be called for. We discuss existing literature on resilience as an alternative way to deal with risk. Balancing prevention and risk reduction with resilience could be a fruitful direction. [source] Designing spatial-based news presentation as a simple and powerful alternative way of reading the earthBRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Shesen Guo First page of article [source] Filtering and Counting of Extended Connectivity Fingerprint Features Maximizes Compound Recall and the Structural Diversity of HitsCHEMICAL BIOLOGY & DRUG DESIGN, Issue 1 2009Ye Hu Extended connectivity fingerprints produce variable numbers of structural features for molecules and quantitative comparison of feature ensembles is typically carried out as a measure of molecular similarity. As an alternative way to utilize the information content of extended connectivity fingerprint features, we have introduced a compound class-directed feature filtering technique. In combination with a simple feature counting protocol, feature filtering significantly improves the performance of extended connectivity fingerprint similarity searching compared with state-of-the-art fingerprint search methods. Subsets of extended connectivity fingerprint features that are unique to active compounds are found to be responsible for high compound recall. Moreover, feature filtering and counting is shown to result in significantly higher scaffold hopping potential than data fusion or fingerprint averaging methods. Extended connectivity fingerprint feature filtering and counting represents one of the simplest similarity search methods introduced to date, yet it produces top compound recall and maximizes the scaffold diversity of hits, which is a longstanding goal of similarity searching. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||