Towards the attainment of self-sustaining growth: Ghana and the Ivory Coast

Ghana and the Ivory Coast are two neighbouring states of the West Coast of Africa so similar in size, geography, resource endowment, stage of economic development in terms of per capita income and capacity to develop at the date of independence (Ghana 1957 and Ivory Coast 1960), that a comparison of the results of the economic policies adopted and the political orientation followed by each of them has ever been a big challenge. While Ghana had at the time of independence almost twice the population of Ivory Coast, the agricultural sector had similar importance accounting for more than 40 percent of GDP, the industrial sector for less than 10 percent. The principal agricultural export crops were the same: cocoa, coffee and wood and the importance of external trade was also similar, amounting to about 30 percent of GDP in each country in 1960 (table 1). But while in Ghana cocoa was by far the most important export product it was coffee in the case of Ivory Coast.

The Andean Group: An answer to some problems of LAFTA

Regional economic integration is considered as an efficient mean to accelerate economic development of the participating states. It is therefore one of the major themes of the next UNCTAD conference. One famous example of integration between developing countries is LAFTA (Latin American Free Trade Association). LAFTA failed, however, in so far as the smaller members were not able to achieve the gains in industrial development they had hoped for. This seems to have been due to the fact that LAFTA mainly concentrated on trade liberalization. An answer to these shortcomings is the Andean Group, formed by Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The Group tries to solve the problems through implementation of sectorial programs of industrial development and a harmonized investment policy. The Andean Group is therefore a unique example where trial and error lead to a new and possibly more adequate form of economic integration. --

Lateral Flow Assays for the Diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillosis: Current Status.

Purpose of reviewDiagnosis during early stages of invasive aspergillosis (IA) and targeted antifungal treatment has the potential to improve survival significantly. Despite advances in the diagnostic arsenal, invasive mold infections remain difficult to diagnose-especially at early stages before typical radiological signs develop. Varying availability and time-to-results are important limitations of current approved biomarkers and molecular assays for diagnosis of IA. Here, we will give an update on the Aspergillus-specific lateral-flow device (LFD) test. We further review promising findings on feasibility of point-of-care (POC) detection of urinary excreted fungal galactomannan-like antigens.Recent findingsPOC LFD assays for detection of Aspergillus antigens are currently in development. The Aspergillus-specific LFD test, which is based on the JF5 antibody (Ab), detects an extracellular glycoprotein antigen secreted during active growth of Aspergillus spp. The test has shown promising results in various studies. In addition, a monoclonal Ab476-based LFD for POC detection of urinary excreted fungal galactomannan-like antigens has been developed but needs further validation.SummaryImportant advances have been made in the development of LFD assays for IA. Most promising is the Aspergillus-specific LFD test; commercial availability is still pending, however. The search for reliable POC tests for other molds, including mucorales, continues

Mixing Times of Markov Chains on Degree Constrained Orientations of Planar Graphs

We study Markov chains for $\alpha$-orientations of plane graphs, these are orientations where the outdegree of each vertex is prescribed by the value of a given function $\alpha$. The set of $\alpha$-orientations of a plane graph has a natural distributive lattice structure. The moves of the up-down Markov chain on this distributive lattice corresponds to reversals of directed facial cycles in the $\alpha$-orientation. We have a positive and several negative results regarding the mixing time of such Markov chains. A 2-orientation of a plane quadrangulation is an orientation where every inner vertex has outdegree 2. We show that there is a class of plane quadrangulations such that the up-down Markov chain on the 2-orientations of these quadrangulations is slowly mixing. On the other hand the chain is rapidly mixing on 2-orientations of quadrangulations with maximum degree at most 4. Regarding examples for slow mixing we also revisit the case of 3-orientations of triangulations which has been studied before by Miracle et al.. Our examples for slow mixing are simpler and have a smaller maximum degree, Finally we present the first example of a function $\alpha$ and a class of plane triangulations of constant maximum degree such that the up-down Markov chain on the $\alpha$-orientations of these graphs is slowly mixing

Regulatory Taking: A Contract Approach

This Article begins by defining the parameters of the fifth amendment\u27s taking clause. The Article then reviews the various tests used in determining whether governmental action constitutes a taking, and discusses the recent Supreme Court decisions within the framework of case law as it has evolved since the Court\u27s 1922 landmark decision, Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon. Finally, the Article suggests a formula based on well-established contract principles for analyzing the impact of land use regulation on private property interests

His master’s voice : Musik und Fiktionalitätsebenen in 'The Truman Show'

'The Truman Show' bietet jede Menge an großen und ernsten Themen und Lesarten: Kritik am Reality–TV und an den modernen Massenmedien allgemein, sowohl an den Machern wie am Publikum, eine religiöse Allegorie oder eine auf Vater–Sohn–Beziehungen, eine Reflexion über das Verhältnis von Autor und fiktionaler Figur oder eine über die soziale und institutionelle Kontrolle unseres alltäglichen Lebens… Aber es ist auch ein Film über die Freude am Spiel mit filmischen Strukturen, in diesem Falle das Spiel mit den Strukturen filmischer Erzählung resp. mit den Ebenen von Fiktionalität, die jedem fiktionalen Text inhärent sind. Beide Elemente, thematischer Ernst und formales Spiel, sind dicht ineinander verwoben