On cardiac asthma

Thesis (M.D.)—Boston Universit

On the Existence of Radiation Gauges in Petrov type II spacetimes

The radiation gauges used by Chrzanowski (his IRG/ORG) for metric reconstruction in the Kerr spacetime seem to be over-specified. Their specification consists of five conditions: four, which we treat here as valid gauge conditions, plus an additional condition on the trace of the metric perturbation. In this work, we utilize a newly developed form of the perturbed Einstein equations to establish a condition -- on a particular tetrad component of the stress-energy tensor -- under which the full IRG/ORG can be imposed. Using gauge freedom, we are able to impose the full IRG for Petrov type II and type D backgrounds, using a different tetrad for each case. As a specific example, we work through the process of imposing the IRG in a Schwarzschild background, using a more traditional approach. Implications for metric reconstruction using the Teukolsky curvature perturbations in type D spacetimes are briefly discussed.Comment: 21 pages, uses iop style files. v2: proved a stronger result for type II backgrounds, added a subsection on remaining gauge freedom in the full IRG and improved calrity and readability throughout due to insightful referee comments; published as Class. Quantum Grav. 24 (2007) 2367-238

Quota restrictions and intra-firm reallocations: evidence from Chinese exports to the US

We study how Chinese textile and clothing firms adjusted the product structure of their exports to the US, as triggered by the termination of Multifiber Arrangement (MFA) quotas. We find that the removal of MFA quotas induced firms to expand their product scope while reducing the concentration on their core product. These effects are strong for domestic and foreign privately-owned firms, but insignificant for state-owned firms

Two-pulse interference and superluminality

We examine how the interference of a coherent light-pulse with its slightly time-delayed copy may generate a pulse nearly identical to the original one and ahead of it. The simplicity of this 2-pulse system enabled us to obtain exact analytic expressions of the pulse distortion, valid for a wide class of pulse shapes. Explicit results are given for the pulses usually considered (gaussian, hyperbolic secant) but also for more realistic pulses of strictly limited duration. We finally show that the efficiency of the 2-pulse system is comparable to that of the other superluminal systems, at least for the pulse advancements actually demonstrated in the optical experiments

Coincident Tick Infestations in the Nostrils of Wild Chimpanzees and a Human in Uganda

Ticks in the nostrils of humans visiting equatorial African forests have been reported sporadically for decades, but their taxonomy and natural history have remained obscure. We report human infestation with a nostril tick in Kibale National Park, Uganda, coincident with infestation of chimpanzees in the same location with nostril ticks, as shown by high-resolution digital photography. The human-derived nostril tick was identified morphologically and genetically as a nymph of the genus Amblyomma, but the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA or the nuclear intergenic transcribed spacer 2 DNA sequences of the specimen were not represented in GenBank. These ticks may represent a previously uncharacterized species that is adapted to infesting chimpanzee nostrils as a defense against grooming. Ticks that feed upon apes and humans may facilitate cross-species transmission of pathogens, and the risk of exposure is likely elevated for persons who frequent ape habitats.Human Evolutionary BiologyLibraries/Museum

Alpenloopings in Heimatklänge : Jodeln als Globalisierungsbewegung zwischen Tradition und Experiment

The subject of my contribution is the functioning and effect of yodeling as an experimental form of vocals and singing as presented in Stefan Schwieterts documentary Heimatklänge [Sounds of home] (CH/D 2007); a recursive figure that co-constitutes what is identified as home and forges a sense of identity. Yodeling enables two home »loops« of a special kind: first, the recursive calling-singing in the Swiss Alps, which returns to inside the body as a result of a specific geographic location and its echo, and second, a worldwide sounds network, which through the art of the three Swiss vocal artists Erika Stucky, Noldi Alder, and Christian Zehnder, forms an acoustic bridge from Switzerland via Mongolia to the USA. The essay follows the associative structure of the ilm, which describes a circular movement that seeks to locate the concept of home while alternating in sounds and images between region and global, own and alien, traditional and experimental. With its description of the hypothesis of the origin of yodeling the study begins with a musicological perspective; next, it present an in-depth film analysis of Heimatklänges presentation of yodeling; finally, it formulates a globalization hypothesis in the context of culture studies, which in conjunction with the film endeavours to rethink the relationship between mountain landscape and people

North-South technology transfer in unionised multinationals

We study how incentives for North-South technology transfers in multinational enterprises are affected by labour market institutions. If workers are collectively organised, incentives for technology transfers are partly governed by .rms. desire to curb trade union power. This will affect not only the extent but also the type of technology transfer. While skill upgrading of southern workers benefits these workers at the expense of northern worker welfare, quality upgrading of products produced in the South may harm not only northern but also southern workers. A minimum wage policy to raise the wage levels of southern workers may spur technology transfer, possibly to the extent that the utility of northern workers decline. These conclusions are reached in a setting where a unionised multinational multiproduct firm produces two vertically differentiated products in northern and southern subsidiaries, respectively.FEDERQRENCOMPETEFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Job Creation and Trade in Manufactures: Industry-Level Analysis Across Countries

This paper examines industry-level responses of manufacturing employment in the context of globalization using a large sample of developed, developing, and transition economies. We find that developing countries need atypically high rates of value-added growth (about 10 %) to increase manufacturing employment appreciably (about 4 %). The employment benefits of export orientation are also modest even in “comparative advantage” industries of developing countries. However, diversifying the export basket contributes significantly to employment growth, particularly in the medium- and high-technology industries. Import competition does not undermine employment growth in low-technology industries of developing countries while it displaces jobs in the same industries in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and transition economies. For developing countries, import-induced job losses are higher in the more capital-intensive medium-technology industries. Jobs in high-technology industries are less sensitive to imports with positive relationships observed in the OECD. Investment also complements job creation in low-technology industries of developing countries that have yet to industrialize

Does the engagement of clinicians and organisations in research improve healthcare performance: a three-stage review

Objective: There is a widely held assumption that engagement by clinicians and healthcare organisations in research improves healthcare performance at various levels, but little direct empirical evidence has previously been collated. The objective of this study was to address the question: Does research engagement (by clinicians and organizations) improve healthcare performance? Methods: An hourglass-shaped review was developed, consisting of three stages: (1) a planning and mapping stage; (2) a focused review concentrating on the core question of whether or not research engagement improves healthcare performance; and (3) a wider (but less systematic) review of papers identified during the two earlier stages, focusing on mechanisms. Results: Of the 33 papers included in the focused review, 28 identified improvements in health services performance. Seven out of these papers reported some improvement in health outcomes, with others reporting improved processes of care. The wider review demonstrated that mechanisms such as collaborative and action research can encourage some progress along the pathway from research engagement towards improved healthcare performance. Organisations that have deliberately integrated the research function into organisational structures demonstrate how research engagement can, among other factors, contribute to improved healthcare performance. Conclusions: Current evidence suggests that there is an association between the engagement of individuals and healthcare organisations in research and improvements in healthcare performance. The mechanisms through which research engagement might improve healthcare performance overlap and rarely act in isolation, and their effectiveness often depends on the context in which they operate. Strengths and limitations of this study • This review brings together for the first time a diverse body of literature addressing whether engaging clinicians and healthcare organisations in research is the likely to improve healthcare performance • It also explores the mechanisms through which improvement is achieved to try and understand how any improvements might come about • However, it relies on the quality and coverage of the existing literature • It is an extremely complex topic, but nonetheless one worthy of further exploration, particularly given the pressure to justify research spending in healthcare systems, and to encourage its implementation.UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) programme ( project number HS&DR- 10/1012/09