Nuclear effects in positive pion electroproduction on the deuteron near threshold

Positive pion electroproduction from the deuteron near threshold has been considered within an approach based on the unitary transformation method. The gauge independence of the treatment is provided by using an explicitly gauge independent expression for the reaction amplitude. The results of calculations for kinematics of the experiments on forward-angle $\pi^+$ meson electroproduction accomplished at Saclay and Jefferson Laboratory are discussed and compared with those given by the impulse approximation. It is shown that the observed behaviour of the cross sections is in accordance with the calculations based on the pion-nucleon dynamics. In particular, the pion production rate suppression in the $^2H(e,e'\pi^+)nn$ reaction compared to that for the $^1H(e,e'\pi^+)n$ one can be due to such ``nuclear medium'' effects as nucleon motion and binding along with Pauli blocking in the final $nn$ state.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure

Damage Due to Spot Cavitation on Hemisperical Cylindrical Body (Comparison Between Isolated Cavity and Parallel Cavities)

When the Reynolds number is larger than the critical value or laminar separation is eliminated by a trip installed on a hemispherical cylindrical body, attached spot cavitation is observed occasionally. It occurs at fixed place in the vicinity of the minimum mean pressure and grows into a triangular wedge. In the present investigation, isolated and parallel spot cavitation is artificially generated on the hemispherical body adn the behavior of the cavitation is observed by instantaneous photographs. The frequency of damaging blows in the range of the flow speed of 25 to 50 m/s is obtained by counting the number of damaged pits on an aluminum specimen. When spot cavitation occurs adjacently, the cavity become rather stable. The pitting rate at the maximum damage zone by the parallel spot cavitation is much smaller than that by the isolated spot cavitation. The total pitting rates at the maximum damage zone by the isolated and parallel spot cavitation vary roughly 5th power of the flow speed for the both cases

Making Sense of China’s Economic Transformation

China’s sustained rapid economic growth over the post-1978 reform era, which is also the era of globalisation, is of worldwide importance. This growth experience has been based mainly on China’s internal dynamics. In the first half of the era, economic growth was propelled by improvement in both allocative efficiency and productive efficiency. From the early 1990s until the present time, however, economic growth has been increasingly based on dynamic increasing returns associated with a growth path that is characterised by capital deepening. In both periods, the growth paths and their associated long-term-oriented institutions contradict principles of the free market economy – i.e., doctrines of globalisation. In the form of an analytical overview, this article seeks to explain and interpret the historical background, logic of evolution, and developmental and social implications of China’s economic transformation. The analytics draws on a range of relevant economic theories including Marxian theory of economic growth, Post-Keynesian theory of demand determination, and Neo-Schumpeterian theory of innovation. It is posited that these alternative theoretical perspectives offer better insights than mainstream neoclassical economics in explaining and interpreting China’s economic transformation

Dendritic-Cell (DC)-Based Immunotherapy: Tumor Endothelial Marker 8 (TEM8) Gene Expression of DC Vaccines Correlates with Clinical Outcome

ABSTRACT\ud Previous studies have shown that tumor-endothelial markers (TEMs) are upregulated in immunosuppressive, pro-angiogenic dendritic cells (DCs) found in tumor microenvironments. \ud We reported that pro-angiogenic monocyte-derived DCs (Mo-DCs), utilized for therapeutic vaccination of cancer patients upon maturation, markedly differ in their ability to up-regulate tumor-endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) gene\ud expression. A DC vaccination trial of 17 advanced cancer patients (13 melanoma and 4 renal cell carcinoma), carried out at the Cancer Institute of Romagna (I.R.S.T.) in Meldola, highlighted a significant correlation between delayed-type hypersensitivity test (DTH) and overall survival (OS). In the study, relative TEM8 mRNA and protein expression levels (mature (m) vs. immature (i) DCs), in DCs obtained for therapeutic vaccines were evaluated by quantitative real-time RT-PCR and cytofluorimetric analysis, respectively. mDCs from six healthy donors were included for comparison purposes. Eight non-progressing patients, all DTH-positive, had a mean fold increase\ud (mfi) of 1.97 in TEM8 expression. Similarly, a TEM8 mRNA mfi = 2.7 was found in healthy donor mDCs. Conversely, mDCs from nine progressing patients, all but one with negative DTH, had a TEM8 mRNA mfi of 12.88. Thus, mDC TEM8 expression levels would seem to identify (p = 0.0018) patients who could benefit from DC therapeutic vaccination

Images of Rurality: Commodification and Place Promotion

It is argued that rural areas and landscapes can increasingly be regarded as places of consumption rather than production. This is reflected in the emphasis which appears to be placed on attracting visitors to rural localities. While some rural locations are long-standing tourist attractions, others are increasingly endeavouring to promote themselves through the ‘marketing’ of local uniqueness. An emphasis on local heritage frequently underpins these attempts and landscapes, local individuals or families, events, traditions, building styles are amongst the ‘resources’ put into the service of place promotion. The use of local heritage as a mechanism to promote rural places opens up a series of issues including those of authenticity, romanticisation, sanitisation, contestation and dissonance. These place promotional trends are reflected in the importance attaching to tourism in rural development strategies pursued at a local level. In this way development funding and the various local strategies devised by local partnerships appear to increasingly emphasise the importance of attracting visitors. This apparent commodification of the countryside appears to be motivated by a number of concerns. While the desire to generate revenue is clearly one of these, social and cultural factors may also play a role. In turn, these place promotional initiatives affect both visitors’ and local residents’ perceptions of place. This paper explores aspects of the historic and contemporary promotion of rural places

Using pattern languages to mediate theory–praxis conversations in design for networked learning

Educational design for networked learning is becoming more complex but also more inclusive, with teachers and learners playing more active roles in the design of tasks and of the learning environment. This paper connects emerging research on the use of design patterns and pattern languages with a conception of educational design as a conversation between theory and praxis. We illustrate the argument by drawing on recent empirical research and literature reviews from the field of networked learning