633 research outputs found
Is India becoming a waste haven of metal scrap?
India is one of the largest importers of waste in the world with metallic scrap constituting the bulk of the waste imports. While relatively weak environmental standards in developing countries is often seen to be a key factor in the emergence of waste havens in cross-country studies, little attention has been given to examine the pattern of waste trade in a developing country over time. This paper analyzes factors determining metallic waste import in India from different source countries during 1996 through 2012. We empirically test the presence of waste haven effect in metallic scrap import by India after controlling for technology and home market demand. We find that the escalating domestic demand for metal and use of relatively labor-intensive technology are significant factors behind India’s import of metallic wastes from different source countries. We find no empirical evidence of waste haven effect
Observational Study Design in Veterinary Pathology, Part 1: Study Design
Observational studies are the basis for much of our knowledge of veterinary pathology and are highly relevant to the daily practice of pathology. However, recommendations for conducting pathology-based observational studies are not readily available. In part 1 of this series, we offer advice on planning and conducting an observational study with examples from the veterinary pathology literature. Investigators should recognize the importance of creativity, insight, and innovation in devising studies that solve problems and fill important gaps in knowledge. Studies should focus on specific and testable hypotheses, questions, or objectives. The methodology is developed to support these goals. We consider the merits and limitations of different types of analytic and descriptive studies, as well as of prospective vs retrospective enrollment. Investigators should define clear inclusion and exclusion criteria and select adequate numbers of study subjects, including careful selection of the most appropriate controls. Studies of causality must consider the temporal relationships between variables and the advantages of measuring incident cases rather than prevalent cases. Investigators must consider unique aspects of studies based on archived laboratory case material and take particular care to consider and mitigate the potential for selection bias and information bias. We close by discussing approaches to adding value and impact to observational studies. Part 2 of the series focuses on methodology and validation of methods
Drug resistance and viral tropism in HIV-1 subtype C-infected patients in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: implications for future treatment options
Article approval pendingDrug resistance poses a significant challenge for the successful application of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) globally. Furthermore, emergence of HIV-1 isolates that preferentially use CXCR4 as a coreceptor for cell entry, either as a consequence of natural viral evolution or HAART use, may compromise the efficacy of CCR5 antagonists as alternative antiviral therapy
Recombination rate and selection strength in HIV intra-patient evolution
The evolutionary dynamics of HIV during the chronic phase of infection is
driven by the host immune response and by selective pressures exerted through
drug treatment. To understand and model the evolution of HIV quantitatively,
the parameters governing genetic diversification and the strength of selection
need to be known. While mutation rates can be measured in single replication
cycles, the relevant effective recombination rate depends on the probability of
coinfection of a cell with more than one virus and can only be inferred from
population data. However, most population genetic estimators for recombination
rates assume absence of selection and are hence of limited applicability to
HIV, since positive and purifying selection are important in HIV evolution.
Here, we estimate the rate of recombination and the distribution of selection
coefficients from time-resolved sequence data tracking the evolution of HIV
within single patients. By examining temporal changes in the genetic
composition of the population, we estimate the effective recombination to be
r=1.4e-5 recombinations per site and generation. Furthermore, we provide
evidence that selection coefficients of at least 15% of the observed
non-synonymous polymorphisms exceed 0.8% per generation. These results provide
a basis for a more detailed understanding of the evolution of HIV. A
particularly interesting case is evolution in response to drug treatment, where
recombination can facilitate the rapid acquisition of multiple resistance
mutations. With the methods developed here, more precise and more detailed
studies will be possible, as soon as data with higher time resolution and
greater sample sizes is available.Comment: to appear in PLoS Computational Biolog
Spin-transfer in an open ferromagnetic layer: from negative damping to effective temperature
Spin-transfer is a typical spintronics effect that allows a ferromagnetic
layer to be switched by spin-injection. Most of the experimental results about
spin transfer are described on the basis of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert
equation of the magnetization, in which additional current-dependent damping
factors are added, and can be positive or negative. The origin of the damping
can be investigated further by performing stochastic experiments, like one shot
relaxation experiments under spin-injection in the activation regime of the
magnetization. In this regime, the N\'eel-Brown activation law is observed
which leads to the introduction of a current-dependent effective temperature.
In order to justify the introduction of these counterintuitive parameters
(effective temperature and negative damping), a detailed thermokinetic analysis
of the different sub-systems involved is performed. We propose a thermokinetic
description of the different forms of energy exchanged between the electric and
the ferromagnetic sub-systems at a Normal/Ferromagnetic junction. The
corresponding Fokker Planck equations, including relaxations, are derived. The
damping coefficients are studied in terms of Onsager-Casimir transport
coefficients, with the help of the reciprocity relations. The effective
temperature is deduced in the activation regime.Comment: 65 pages, 10 figure
Enterotropism of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N8 from the 2016/2017 epidemic in some wild bird species
In 2016/2017, H5N8 highly pathogenic avian infuenza (HPAI) virus of the Goose/Guangdong lineage spread from Asia
to Europe, causing the biggest and most widespread HPAI epidemic on record in wild and domestic birds in Europe.
We hypothesized that the wide dissemination of the 2016 H5N8 virus resulted at least partly from a change in tissue
tropism from the respiratory tract, as in older HPAIV viruses, to the intestinal tract, as in low pathogenic avian infuenza
(LPAI) viruses, allowing more efcient faecal-oral transmission. Therefore, we determined the tissue tropism and associated lesions in wild birds found dead during the 2016 H5N8 epidemic, as well as the pattern of attachment of 2016
H5N8 virus to respiratory and intestinal tissues of four key wild duck species. We found that, out of 39 H5N8-infected
wild birds of 12 species, four species expressed virus antigen in both respiratory and intestinal epithelium, one species
only in res
Optical control of 4f orbital state in rare-earth metals
Information technology demands continuous increase of data-storage density.
In high-density magnetic recording media, the large magneto-crystalline
anisotropy (MCA) stabilizes the stored information against decay through
thermal fluctuations. In the latest generation storage media, MCA is so large
that magnetic order needs to be transiently destroyed by heat to enable bit
writing. Here we show an alternative approach to control high-anisotropy
magnets: With ultrashort laser pulses the anisotropy itself can be manipulated
via electronic state excitations. In rare-earth materials like terbium metal,
magnetic moment and high MCA both originate from the 4f electronic state.
Following infrared laser excitation 5d-4f electron-electron scattering
processes lead to selective orbital excitations that change the 4f orbital
occupation and significantly alter the MCA. Besides these excitations within
the 4f multiplet, 5d-4f electron transfer causes a transient change of the 4f
occupation number, which, too, strongly alters the MCA. Such MCA change cannot
be achieved by heating: The material would rather be damaged than the 4f
configuration modified. Our results show a way to overcome this limitation for
a new type of efficient magnetic storage medium. Besides potential
technological relevance, the observation of MCA-changing excitations also has
implications for a general understanding of magnetic dynamics processes on
ultrashort time scales, where the 4f electronic state affects the angular
momentum transfer between spin system and lattice.Comment: Manuscript (14 pages, 3 figures) and Supplementary Information (22
pages, 9 figures
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