Institutional and technological determinants of civil e-Participation: Solo or duet?

AbstractDo current advances in ICT actually encourage civil e-Participation and foster new governance? This research questions an enduring controversy among scholars on the crucial factors that promote active civil participation through ICT and pursues the attributes and implications of recent high civil e-Participation in many countries. By using data gathered from 125 countries worldwide, the technological and institutional conditions under which active civil e-Participation induces are analyzed. This research verifies that the level of political institutionalization and the degree of technological development interact to affect the level of participation through ICT, and that the magnitude of this effect is different for countries with different types of online populations and different forms of political institutionalization. This implies that e-Participation has a higher probability of increase when institutions and technology act in conjunction; efforts to realize e-democracy through ICT will fail if only a technological infrastructure is considered in countries. In other words, high e-Participation could be a menace for democracy in the long run in conditions where the ICT level is high yet lacking political institutionalization

Micro and macro approaches to tough polymers for composites

The progress to date on the development of techniques to toughen continuous thermoplastic composites is summarized. The work, using the approach of toughening the polycarbonate composite matrix with rubber particles, has focused on determining the differences between Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) samples molded inhouse and those molded by NASA. Specifically, an effort was made to account for the differences in fracture toughness observed between the various specimens. In addition, preliminary results of tensile dilatometry tests are described; these tests suggest that processes leading to increased volume and enhanced shear banding are occurring within the rubber toughened system. The results of the effort using another approach, the preparation of random block copolycarbonates, are presented. The synthetic route to these species was modified so that higher molecular weights of these materials can be obtained. In addition, an attempt is being made to determine the exact block length or the number of functional groups in the oligomers since this procedure also should lead to high molecular weight materials. Dynamic mechanical analysis of the copolymer prepared so far indicates that the scale of cooperative molecular motion of the PBA polycarbonate at sub-Tg temperatures is larger than five monomer units. Efforts to find a suitable rubber-toughener for a thermoset system (bismaleimides) is also discussed. Included is a description of the various tougheners intended for use or currently being used

Whole Genome Analysis of the Red-Crowned Crane Provides Insight into Avian Longevity

The red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) is an endangered, large-bodied crane native to East Asia. It is a traditional symbol of longevity and its long lifespan has been confirmed both in captivity and in the wild. Lifespan in birds is known to be positively correlated with body size and negatively correlated with metabolic rate, though the genetic mechanisms for the red-crowned crane's long lifespan have not previously been investigated. Using whole genome sequencing and comparative evolutionary analyses against the grey-crowned crane and other avian genomes, including the long-lived common ostrich, we identified red-crowned crane candidate genes with known associations with longevity. Among these are positively selected genes in metabolism and immunity pathways (NDUFA5, NDUFA8, NUDT12, SOD3, CTH, RPA1, PHAX, HNMT, HS2ST1, PPCDC, PSTK CD8B, GP9, IL-9R, and PTPRC). Our analyses provide genetic evidence for low metabolic rate and longevity, accompanied by possible convergent adaptation signatures among distantly related large and long-lived birds. Finally, we identified low genetic diversity in the red-crowned crane, consistent with its listing as an endangered species, and this genome should provide a useful genetic resource for future conservation studies of this rare and iconic species

Primary Biliary Lymphoma Mimicking Cholangiocarcinoma: A Characteristic Feature of Discrepant CT and Direct Cholangiography Findings

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma arising from the bile duct is extremely rare and the reported imaging features do not differ from those of cholangiocarcinoma of the bile duct. We report a case of a patient with extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), who presented with obstructive jaundice and describe the distinctive radiologic features that may suggest the correct preoperative diagnosis of primary lymphoma of the bile duct. Primary MALT lymphoma of the extrahepatic bile duct should be considered in the differential diagnosis when there is a mismatch in imaging findings on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and cholangiography

Liposomal Packaging Generates Wnt Protein with In Vivo Biological Activity

Wnt signals exercise strong cell-biological and regenerative effects of considerable therapeutic value. There are, however, no specific Wnt agonists and no method for in vivo delivery of purified Wnt proteins. Wnts contain lipid adducts that are required for activity and we exploited this lipophilicity by packaging purified Wnt3a protein into lipid vesicles. Rather than being encapsulated, Wnts are tethered to the liposomal surface, where they enhance and sustain Wnt signaling in vitro. Molecules that effectively antagonize soluble Wnt3a protein but are ineffective against the Wnt3a signal presented by a cell in a paracrine or autocrine manner are also unable to block liposomal Wnt3a activity, suggesting that liposomal packaging mimics the biological state of active Wnts. When delivered subcutaneously, Wnt3a liposomes induce hair follicle neogenesis, demonstrating their robust biological activity in a regenerative context

Heavy Tails and Dependence with Applications in Insurance

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Asymptotic super(sub)additivity of the value-at-risk of regularly varying random variables

If risks are extremely heavy-tailed, it is essential to find the lower bound of a given risk measure. In this paper, we examine the asymptotic super(sub)additivity of the value-at-risk measure when losses are regularly varying but not necessarily independent.22 page(s

Epitaxial Relationships between Calcium Carbonate and Inorganic Substrates

The polymorph-selective crystallization of calcium carbonate has been studied in terms of epitaxial relationship between the inorganic substrates and the aragonite/calcite polymorphs with implication in bioinspired mineralization. EpiCalc software was employed to assess the previously published experimental results on two different groups of inorganic substrates: aragonitic carbonate crystals (SrCO3, PbCO3, and BaCO3) and a hexagonal crystal family (α-Al2O3, α-SiO2, and LiNbO3). The maximum size of the overlayer (aragonite or calcite) was calculated for each substrate based on a threshold value of the dimensionless potential to estimate the relative nucleation preference of the polymorphs of calcium carbonate. The results were in good agreement with previous experimental observations, although stereochemical effects between the overlayer and substrate should be separately considered when existed. In assessing the polymorph-selective nucleation, the current method appeared to provide a better tool than the oversimplified mismatch parameters without invoking time-consuming molecular simulation

Mechanical Properties of Polyetheretherketone Composites with Surface-Modified Hydroxyapatite Nanofibers and Carbon Fibers

Though carbon fiber (CF)-reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has gained attention as an alternative to metallic orthopedic implant materials by virtue of its good biocompatibility and favorable mechanical properties, its applications are limited due to its bioinertness and hydrophobicity. Hydroxyapatite (HA) incorporated to address the issue has appeared to lower the mechanical strength, often severely, due to the aggregation of HA in the composites. This study aimed to develop a PEEK composite with HA and CF whose mechanical properties are comparable to those of human cortical bone. We synthesized and incorporated HA nanofibers (HANF) to improve the mechanical properties of the composite to take advantage of the high aspect ratio and bridging effect of the fibers. In addition, the HANF and CF were modified with a silane coupling agent to enhance their interfacial adhesion with the PEEK matrix. The results showed that incorporating the modified HANF (m-HANF) and the modified CF (m-CF) effectively improved the mechanical properties compared to those of neat PEEK and composites with unmodified fillers. Mechanical properties comparable to those of the cortical bone were observed in PEEK/m-HANF/m-CF composites of various compositions. The improved dispersion of the HANF and enhanced interfacial adhesion of m-HANF and m-CF with the PEEK matrix were also observed in the X-ray tomography microscope system (XRM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results. This unique PEEK/m-HANF/m-CF composite can yield an effective design strategy for developing high-performance PEEK biocomposites.N