The ship recycling conundrum: an econometric analysis of market dynamics and industry trends

Ship recycling has received considerable attention during the last two decades for a variety of reasons and the industry is currently under a thorough scrutiny with the likelihood of the adoption of a new multilateral convention under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This study applies econometric modeling to a unique dataset to provide a holistic insight into the dynamics of the ship recycling market. The dataset contains information on 51,112 ships over 100 gt and includes 748,621 events over a period of 29 years. The binary logistic regression models used provide insights for a shipping-related sector that has received scant scholarly attention in the past. It is expected that these contributions will provide empirical support for the ongoing IMO discussions in this important field.

Gewenning aan nieuwe texturen bij kinderen tussen 8 en 9 maanden

De grootte van de stukjes in potjes babyvoeding laat geen verschil zien op de kauwvaardigheid bij geprakt voedsel gedurende de interventieperiode (leeftijd 8-9 maanden) maar beïnvloedde wel de kauwvaardigheid bij een stukje gekookte aardappel en - wortel, als dat voor de eerste keer werd aangeboden op een leeftijd van 9 maanden

Ward managers view on the strategies for successful learning experiences for ELTDP nursing students in acute clinical practice setting in Finland

Ward managers play crucial roles in creating conducive learning environment for nursing students during their clinical practice. The purpose of our final project was to explore ward managers’ view of the strategies for successful learning experiences for ELTDP (English Language Taught Degree Programme) nursing students in acute clinical practice settings in Finland. The study question was: What are the strategies that will enhance ELTDP nursing students clinical practice experience in acute settings in Finland? To answer these questions, five ward managers were interviewed and the data was analyzed through content analysis. The findings were summarized into three themes:(i)language; (ii)cultural competence; (iii) cooperation between educational institutions and clinical placements. Both ELTDP students' and tutor nurses' language skills need improvement for students to achieve successful learning outcomes; cultural competence was not well-discussed and formal training on this topic was missing in the wards; Cooperation between educational institutions and clinical placement need to be intensified to achieve successful clinical practice experience.Osastonhoitajilla on keskeinen rooli sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden kliinisen harjoittelujakson opiskeluympäristön luomisessa. Opinnäytetyömme tarkoitus oli selvittää osastonhoitajien näkemyksiä strategioista, jotka johtaisivat onnistuneeseen opiskelukokemukseen englanninkielellä opiskeleville sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoille (ELTDP) heidän kliinisessä harjoittelussa akuuteilla klinikoilla. Tutkimuskysymys oli: Mitkä ovat ne strategiat, jotka edistävät ELTDP sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden kliinisen harjoittelun kokemuksia akuuteilla klinikoilla Suomessa? Tutkimusasetelma oli laadullinen. Aineisto kerättiin haastattelemalla viittä osastonhoitajaa; tulokset analysoitiin sisällön analyysillä. Tulokset ryhmiteltiin kolmeen teemaa: (i) kieli; (ii) kulttuurinen kompetenssi; (iii) koulun sekä harjoittelupaikan yhteistyö. ELTDP opiskelijoiden ja ohjaavien sairaanhoitajien kielitaito tulisi parantua sekä yhteistyötä koulun sekä klinikoiden välillä tulisi kehittää, jotta opiskelijat saavuttaisivat onnistuneita opiskelukokemuksia. Monikulttuurisuus ei ylipäänsä ole usein keskusteltu asia ja siihen liittyvä koulutus puuttuu osastoilta

The ship recycling conundrum: an econometric analysis of market dynamics and industry trends

Ship recycling has received considerable attention during the last two decades for a variety of reasons and the industry is currently under a thorough scrutiny with the likelihood of the adoption of a new multilateral convention under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This study applies econometric modeling to a unique dataset to provide a holistic insight into the dynamics of the ship recycling market. The dataset contains information on 51,112 ships over 100 gt and includes 748,621 events over a period of 29 years. The binary logistic regression models used provide insights for a shipping-related sector that has received scant scholarly attention in the past. It is expected that these contributions will provide empirical support for the ongoing IMO discussions in this important field

Platelet-fibrin(ogen) interactions in flowing blood

Fibrinogen plays a major role in haemostatic plug formation, not only as the precursor of fibrin and as a mediator in platelet thrombus formation, but also as an adhesive molecule for platelets. Insight in the process underlying thrombosis and haemostasis is of importance in the development of therapeutic anti-thrombotic agents. In vivo, these processes are strongly dependent upon the presence of flowing blood. Therefore, in the present thesis the interactions between platelets and fibrinogen/fibrin during the formation and degradation of a platelet-fibrin(ogen) plug have been investigated under well-defined physiological flow conditions. In Chapter 2 the contribution of fibrinogen in the formation and packing of a platelet thrombus has been investigated under flow conditions. A perfusion model is developed to study thrombus growth and stability in real-time. For this study, blood was used from a patient suffering from congenital afibrinogenemia. Chapter 3 describes the genetic characterization of the fibrinogen disorder underlying the haemorrhagic condition of this patient. In Chapter 4 the role of ADP was examined in platelet adhesion to fibrinogen and in thrombus formation on collagen. Fibrinogen contains a fibrin-specific region (?312-322), which becomes exposed upon polymerization to fibrin. The participation of this epitope in platelet adhesion to immobilized fibrinogen has been investigated under conditions of flow in Chapter 5. Adhesion of platelets to a fibrin network during fibrinolysis is compared to neutrophil adhesion in Chapter 6. In Chapter 7 a newly developed model is described to study the dynamics of fibrin formation and deposition of flow. Using this model the binding of fibrin was studied to proteins present in the extracellular matrix. In Chapter 8, the findings of the studies described in this thesis are integrated and discussed in broader context and future prospects are presente

Active versus passive listening to auditory streaming stimuli: a near-infrared spectroscopy study.

金沢大学人間社会研究域人間科学系We use near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to assess listeners\u27 cortical responses to a 10-s series of pure tones separated in frequency. Listeners are instructed to either judge the rhythm of these "streaming" stimuli (active-response listening) or to listen to the stimuli passively. Experiment 1 shows that active-response listening causes increases in oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) in response to all stimuli, generally over the (pre)motor cortices. The oxy-Hb increases are significantly larger over the right hemisphere than over the left for the final 5 s of the stimulus. Hemodynamic levels do not vary with changes in the frequency separation between the tones and corresponding changes in perceived rhythm ("gallop," "streaming," or "ambiguous"). Experiment 2 shows that hemodynamic levels are strongly influenced by listening mode. For the majority of time windows, active-response listening causes significantly larger oxy-Hb increases than passive listening, significantly over the left hemisphere during the stimulus and over both hemispheres after the stimulus. This difference cannot be attributed to physical motor activity and preparation related to button pressing after stimulus end, because this is required in both listening modes

Production of ceramics from coal fly ash

Dense ceramics are produced from fly ash from REK Bitola, Republic of Macedonia. Four types of fly ash from electro filters and one from the collected zone with particles < 0.063 mm were the subject of this research. Consolidation was achieved by pressing (P= 133 MPa) and sintering (950, 1000, 1050 and 11000C and heating rates of 3 and 100/min). Densification was realized by liquid phase sintering and solid state reaction where diopside [Ca(Mg,Al)(Si,Al)2O6] was formed. Ceramics with optimal properties (porosity 2.96±0.5%, bending strength - 47.01±2 MPa, compressive strength - 170 ±5 MPa) was produced at 1100ºC using the heating rate of 10ºC/min

Pharmacological treatment of Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome

Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is a very rare antibody-mediated autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction. Therapy can be divided in symptomatic treatment and immunosuppressive treatment. Symptomatic treatment with amifampridine is the only therapy currently authorized for use in LEMS patients. In the Netherlands the first choice drug is amifampridine base in an extended release formulation instead of the currently authorized amifampridine phosphate. This formulation has lower costs and is possibly safer due to lower peak concentrations. Other therapy used in LEMS patients is prescribed off-label and is based on experience in patients with myasthenia gravis. In many cases pyridostigmine is added as symptomatic treatment. In almost half of patients immunosuppressive therapy is started, mostly corticosteroids with or without azathioprine. Intravenous immunoglobulins and plasma exchange are used as emergency treatment. Currently no randomized clinical trials with new therapies are ongoing or announced in patients with LEMS, although multiple new therapies for myasthenia gravis are being investigated. These future therapies can be differentiated in symptomatic and immunomodulating drugs. The immunomodulating drugs can be further differentiated in early stage drugs which target the B-cell, later stage drugs which target the circulating antibodies and targeted therapy which have a disease-specific target. Some early and later stage immunomodulating drugs show promising results in myasthenia gravis although high cost and uncertain long term safety may be limiting for incorporating these drugs in LEMS treatment guidelines. Clinical trials in LEMS patients are lacking due to the rarity of the disease and we suggest the following requirements for future trials of potential new treatments: Sufficient power by performing multicenter or n-of-1 trials when appropriate, a cross-over design to reduce the number of patients and using a LEMS-specific quantitative primary outcome measure like the 3TUG score

Multiple case study to describe influencing factors on effectiveness of an interdisciplinary in-patient intervention for feeding problems in children

In children with chronic feeding problems diagnoses and physical, cognitive and behavioral impairments vary enormous. In addition to these variables, we hypothesize that personal and environmental factors also contribute to the success of intervention for feeding problems. This exploratory study describes the effectiveness and influencing factors of an intensive, multidisciplinary child and parent centered intervention on calorie intake and solid food consumption. The intervention included a behavioral program, oral motor training, parental coaching and dietary support. The children participating in the intervention could be separated into three groups: tube-fed (n=12), selective food refusal by texture (n=6) and unpredictable food refusal (n=11). For each group we present a descriptive representative case study. Outcome measures were calorie intake and amount of solid food consumed. The average duration of the in-patient feeding intervention was 4.3 weeks (SD 1.4 weeks). Three months after discharge, 50% of the children receiving tube feeding had complete oral intake. Children with selective food refusal by texture made small progresses during the intervention but solid food intake had increased at follow-up. Children with unpredictable food refusal increased their oral intake already during the intervention and maintained these gains at home. The intensive interdisciplinary intervention showed increased calorie and oral intake in most children and reduced tube feeding, but was less successful in children with metabolic dysfunction. Recovery time was longest in the tube feeding group but results varied considerably per child. Successful feeding intervention in children needs to take into account a child's underlying physical and behavioral and environmental factors