Foreign aid, debt and growth in Zambia

This study first discusses the structural problems of Zambia and the policies of adjustment that have been tried. It then uses a computable general equilibrium model to analyse the impact of various strategies with regard to external resource transfers. It compares the impacts of foreign loans or grants to the private and the public sectors, as well as the impact of a turnaround of the country's fortunes with regard to its external terms of trade. The results of the policy analysis show that the scope for growth is highly dependent on the tightness of the external resource constraint

Fósturvöxtur íslenskra einbura

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn Skoða/Opna(view/open)To describe patterns and limits of intrauterine growth in the Icelandic population a longitudinal ultrasound study was carried out in 94 healthy women, all with regular 28±2day cycles and able to securely date the first'day of their last menstrual period. A total of 3795 measurements, with a mean of eight per woman, were obtained every three weeks during the second and third trimester. Biparietal, occipitofrontal, abdominal transverse and anteroposterior diameters (combined into mean abdominal diameter), as well as femur and humerus length were measured. The data were computerised and grouped into 12 two-week periods for each of which the mean examination day was calculated. Multiple regression analysis was applied to fit the data to mathematical equations. Third degree polynomials showed optimal fit to the bone measurements, but second degree to the abdominal measures. The equations gave values for the bone measurements very similar to those previously described from other Nordic countries, but because of larger size of the material and less accurate cycle dating, the dispersion of values was larger. Mean abdominal values were systematically about 7% lower, which probably was due to differences in measurement technique. This must be accounted for by use of an appropriate correction factor when the measurements are used to estimate fetal weight. Comparative data on fetal growth in the Nordic countries and nomograms for growth of Icelandic fetuses are presented.Framvirk athugun á fósturvexti íslenskra einbura var gerð með mælingum í 94 heilbrigðum konum á öðrum og þriðja meðgönguþriðjungi. Allar konurnar gátu dagsett fyrsta dag síðustu tíða nákvæmlega og höfðu reglubundinn tíðahring. Mælingar voru gerðar á þriggja vikna fresti á höfuðmálum, 1) þvermáli (biparietal diameter (BPD)) og 2) fram-aftur máli (occipito-frontal diameter (OFD)), lengd lærleggjar og upparmsleggjar og tveimur þvermálum búks. Meðalbúkþvermál var einnig reiknað. Heildarfjöldi mælinga var 3795 og hver kona kom að meðaltali í átta mælingar. Mælingarnar voru tölvufærðar og flokkaðar til úrvinnslu í 12 tveggja-vikna flokka. Fjölþátta aðhvarfsjöfnur voru reiknaðar og jafnan sem sýndi besta aðlögun að mælingunum fyrir hvert mál valin samkvæmt hæsta ákvörðunarstuðlinum (r2) og minnsta meðalfráviki (SD) aðhvarfslínunnar. Þriðju gráðu aðhvarfsjöfnur lýstu best gildum fyrir beinamælingarnar, en annarrar gráðu jöfnur hæfðu búkmælingunum. Aðhvarfslínur meðalgilda og tveggja meðalfrávika voru færðar á flæðirit. Meðalgildi fyrir BPD og meðalbúkmælingar samkvæmt jöfnum frá öðrum Norðurlöndum voru borin saman við mælingar úr þessari athugun. Mælingar fyrir beinvöxt eru mjög svipaðar á Íslandi og annarsstaðar. Búkmælingarnar sýndu kerfisbundinn mun á þann veg að íslensku gildin voru að meðaltali um 7% lægri en sænskar tölur. Þetta byggist sennilega á mismunandi mælingaaðferðum. Við mat á fósturþyngd út frá erlendum töflum eða jöfnum þarf að gera ráð fyrir þessum mun og nota viðeigandi leiðréttingu

Impact of closely-coupled triple-pilot and conventional double-pilot injection strategies in a LD diesel engine

Three injection strategies are compared in a light-duty (LD) diesel engine at a medium load point. One strategy, representative of a Euro 6 LD injection strategy, has a double-pilot/main/single-post sequence. There is a modest temporal spacing after the first pilot and second pilot. Additional strategies add a third pilot and greatly reduce the spacing after the pilots. These pilots are referred to as being “closely-coupled” to each other and the main injection. For the double-pilot strategy, there is significant undulation of the cylinder pressure around TDC. In contrast, the closely-coupled triple-pilot strategies show notably smaller undulations in their pressure traces. Despite increases in peak pressure rise rate, combustion noise is reduced in both triple-pilot strategies. An analysis of each strategy’s heat release rate (HRR) trace shows that the close spacing of the pilot injections drastically reduces the drop in HRR between each subsequent local peak in combustion from each injection. A new metric is developed in order toquantify these drops, called the Ratio of Reduced Heat Release (RRHR). It is found that in order to reduce combustion noise, the RRHR should be minimized. Further analysis into the combustion noise shows that the occurrence frequency of the local HRR peaks matches strong frequencies responsible for combustion noise, and furthermore that the reduction in combustion noise is not due to the geometry of the combustion chamber. The modification of the HRR trace by implementing closely-coupled triple-pilot injection strategies allows combustion to be phased earlier, improving efficiency while also reducing combustion noise

Optical Investigation on the Combustion Process Differences between Double-Pilot and Closely-Coupled Triple-Pilot Injection Strategies in a LD Diesel Engine

The combustion processes of three injection strategies in a light-duty (LD) diesel engine at a medium load point are captured with a high speed video camera. A double-pilot/main/single-post injection strategy representative of a LD Euro 6 calibration is considered as the reference. There is a modest temporal spacing (dwell) after the first pilot (P1) and second pilot (P2). A second strategy, "A," adds a third pilot (P3). The dwell after both P2 and P3 are several times shorter than in the reference strategy. A third strategy, "B," further reduces all dwells. Each injection has its own associated local peak in the heat release rate (HRR) following some ignition delay. Between these peaks lie local minima, or dips. In all three cases, the fuel from P1 combusts as a propagating premixed flame. For all strategies, the ignition of P2 primarily occurs at its interface with the existing combustion regions. Extinguishing of the prevailing combustion by the fuel jets of later injections is noted in all strategies. This phenomenon is confirmed by comparing the timing of each fuel injection with the dips in the HRR and spatial luminescence over time. These dips after each injection are larger than would be expected by the cooling effect of the injected fuel alone. Furthermore, not all dips in the HRR are the result of this extinguishing, and it would not have been possible to determine if the dips are due to this extinguishing or a simple exhaustion of available fuel without this optical investigation. Even if the precise hydraulic injection timing can be known, knowledge of the spatial relationship of the injected fuel and prevailing combustion is necessary

Chemical changes in organic matter after fungal colonization in a nitrogen fertilized and unfertilized Norway spruce forest

Background and aims: Decomposition and transformation of organic matter (OM) in forest soils are conducted by the concomitant action of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi. Here, we examine chemical changes in OM after fungal colonization in nitrogen fertilized and unfertilized soils from a Norway spruce forest. Methods: Sand-filled bags amended with composted maize leaves were placed in the forest soil and harvested after 17 months. Infrared and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopies were used to study the chemical changes in the OM. Fungal community composition of the bags was also evaluated. Results: The proportion of ectomycorrhizal fungi declined in the fertilized plots, but the overall fungal community composition was similar between N treatments. Decomposition of the OM was, independently of the N level or soil horizon, accompanied by an increase of C/N ratio of the mesh-bag content. Moreover, the proportions of carboxylic compounds in the incubated OM increased in the mineral horizon, while heterocyclic-N compounds decreased, especially in unfertilized plots with higher N demand from the trees. Conclusions: Our results indicate that more oxidized organic C and less heterocyclic-N proportions in the OM remain after fungal colonization in the mineral layers, and suggest that ectomycorrhizal fungi transfer less heterocyclic-N from the mesh bags to the host trees under high N levels

The retinoblastoma gene undergoes rearrangements in BRCA1-deficient basal-like breast cancer.

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field.Breast tumors from BRCA1 germ line mutation carriers typically exhibit features of the basal-like molecular subtype. However, the specific genes recurrently mutated as a consequence of BRCA1 dysfunction have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we used gene expression profiling to molecularly subtype 577 breast tumors, including 73 breast tumors from BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Focusing on the RB1 locus, we analyzed 33 BRCA1-mutated, 36 BRCA2-mutated, and 48 non-BRCA1/2-mutated breast tumors using a custom-designed high-density oligomicroarray covering the RB1 gene. We found a strong association between the basal-like subtype and BRCA1-mutated breast tumors and the luminal B subtype and BRCA2-mutated breast tumors. RB1 was identified as a major target for genomic disruption in tumors arising in BRCA1 mutation carriers and in sporadic tumors with BRCA1 promoter methylation but rarely in other breast cancers. Homozygous deletions, intragenic breaks, or microdeletions were found in 33% of BRCA1-mutant tumors, 36% of BRCA1 promoter-methylated basal-like tumors, 13% of non-BRCA1-deficient basal-like tumors, and 3% of BRCA2-mutated tumors. In conclusion, RB1 was frequently inactivated by gross gene disruption in BRCA1 hereditary breast cancer and BRCA1-methylated sporadic basal-like breast cancer but rarely in BRCA2 hereditary breast cancer and non-BRCA1-deficient sporadic breast cancers. Together, our findings show the existence of genetic heterogeneity within the basal-like breast cancer subtype that is based upon BRCA1 status.Swedish Cancer Society Knut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation Foundation for Strategic Research through the Lund Centre for Translational Cancer Research (CREATE Health) Mrs. Berta Kamprad Foundation American Cancer Society Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Foundation Swedish Research Council Lund University Hospital Research Funds IngaBritt and Arne Lundberg Foundation Icelandic Research Fund Landspitali University Hospital Research Fund Walking Together Research Fund Nordic Cancer Union Helsinki University Central Hospital Research Fund Sigrid Juselius Foundation Finnish Cancer Society Academy of Finland 132473 European Community's Seventh Framework Programme 223175 (HEALTH-F2-2009-223175