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Latter Problem (latter + problem)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting33%

Selected Abstracts

Antireflux stents for palliation of malignant esophagocardial stenosis

DISEASES OF THE ESOPHAGUS, Issue 2 2007
K. Schoppmeyer
SUMMARY., Placement of self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) for palliation of malignant stenoses at the gastroesophageal junction is often associated with stent migration and reflux symptoms. SEMS with an antireflux mechanism have been developed to overcome the latter problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of antireflux Z-stents. Patients with advanced squamous cell or adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus or cardia suffering from dysphagia received an antireflux Z-stent. Technical success, complications of the procedure, clinical symptoms before and after stent placement, reinterventions and survival were recorded. Follow-up was accomplished by patient interviews and a standardized questionnaire for primary care physicians. Eighteen consecutive patients received an antireflux Z-stent. Seventeen of 18 stents were placed technically successful in a single endoscopic procedure. Mean dysphagia score improved from 2.2 to 0.6. Four patients (22%) had permanent reflux symptoms, an additional nine (50%) were taking proton pump inhibitors on a regular basis. In 10 patients, a re-intervention was necessary mainly due to dislocation of the stent. To ensure adequate nutrition three and two patients received a percutaneous gastrostomy and a jejunostomy, respectively. Median survival from stent insertion was 54 days (range, 3,201). Although placement of an antireflux Z-stent is technically feasible, its application is hampered by frequent stent migration and insufficient prevention of gastroesophageal reflux. Further technical improvements of stents or alternative methods like brachytherapy are required for satisfactory palliation of malignant gastroesophageal stenosis. [source]

The Myth of International Delegation: Limits to and Suggestions for Democratic Theory in the Context of the European Union1

GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION, Issue 1 2007
Hans Agné
This paper presents an argument as to why democratic states are unable to delegate authority to international organizations. Influential attempts to justify democratically such international bodies as the European Union by means of delegation are found to be untenable. At a more general level of theorization, it argues that the theory of delegation as involving the recoverability of delegated authority leaves us unable to identify democratic reforms for international organizations. As a remedy to the latter problem, the article proposes an alternative theory of democratic ,delegation', one that applies equally well to national and to international politics. [source]

The Impact of Training Intensity on Establishment Productivity

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 1 2006
Article first published online: 23 DEC 200, THOMAS ZWICK
The empirical literature on productivity effects of continuing training is constantly increasing. However, the results on this subject differ widely. Explanations for this worrying diversity seem to lie in differences between countries, labor market institutions, and data generation on one hand, and in differences between the underlying estimation techniques on the other (Bartel, 2000). This paper concentrates on the latter problem and shows how results vary with different estimation techniques. [source]

Quasi-wavelet solution of diffusion problems

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 12 2004
Tang Jiashi
Abstract A new method, quasi-wavelet method, is introduced for solving partial differential equations of diffusion which are important to chemical and mechanical engineering. A new scheme for the extension of boundary conditions is proposed. The quasi-wavelet method is utilized to discretize the spatial derivatives, while the Runge,Kutta scheme is employed for the time advancing. The problems of particle diffusion in the electrochemistry reaction and temperature diffusion in plates are studied. Quasi-wavelet solution of the former problem is compared with those of a finite difference method. Solution of the latter problem is calibrated by analytical solution. Numerical results indicate that the quasi-wavelet approach is very robust and efficient for diffusion problems. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Presidential Address: Sophisticated Investors and Market Efficiency

THE JOURNAL OF FINANCE, Issue 4 2009
JEREMY C. STEIN
ABSTRACT Stock-market trading is increasingly dominated by sophisticated professionals, as opposed to individual investors. Will this trend ultimately lead to greater market efficiency? I consider two complicating factors. The first is crowding,the fact that, for a wide range of "unanchored" strategies, an arbitrageur cannot know how many of his peers are simultaneously entering the same trade. The second is leverage,when an arbitrageur chooses a privately optimal leverage ratio, he may create a fire-sale externality that raises the likelihood of a severe crash. In some cases, capital regulation may be helpful in dealing with the latter problem. [source]

Missing link in firefly bioluminescence revealed: NO regulation of photocyte respiration

BIOESSAYS, Issue 11 2001
Michael D. Greenfield
Sexual communication in most species of fireflies is a male,female dialogue of precisely timed flashes of bioluminescent light. The biochemical reactions underlying firefly bioluminescence have been known for 30 years and are now exploited in biomedical assays and other commercial applications. Several aspects of flash regulation are also understood: flash rhythm is controlled by a central pattern generator, and individual flashes are neurally triggered, with octopamine serving as the transmitter. The molecular oxygen needed by the biochemical reactants is delivered by a network of tracheal arborizations extending throughout the light organ (lantern). However, the actual means by which oxygen quickly reaches the reactants packaged within specialized photocytes and the specific event(s) triggered by neural action have not been identified; termination of axons away from the photocytes has exacerbated the latter problem. A recent paper(1) by a consortium of cell and evolutionary biologists, however, reports that nitric oxide (NO), manufactured and released in response to neuronal discharge, is the missing link by which neural action in the firefly lantern yields a sudden flash of light. BioEssays 23:992,995, 2001. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source]