Does Nation Building Spur Economic Growth?

Nation building, the simultaneous allocation of economic and military aid in con- ict environments, has cost the world trillions of dollars over the last half century. Yet few attempts have been made to quantify the potential growth eects for the recip- ient country from the provision of this aid. Using a forty-ve year panel dataset, we construct a measure of nation building using a three-way interaction term between military assistance, economic aid, and conict regime. We nd that spending on na- tion building has a positive eect on economic growth. Once conict ceases, however, continued military operations coupled with economic aid harms growth.

Anti-predator responses of a group of black lion tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) in reaction to a terrestrial and an aerial predator

Anti-predator training was conducted on a free-ranging group of black lion tamarins at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, in July 2007. The study aimed to investigate the anti-predator behaviours exhibited in response to different predators, and determine if a predatory threat in the morning influenced behaviour later in the day. The tamarins were exposed to three treatments; a terrestrial predator, an aerial predator, and the aerial predator coupled with an adverse tamarin scream. The tamarins gave alarm calls and exhibited piloerection in response to both predators. A stronger reaction was perceived in response to the aerial threat; however this may have been influenced by the lack of previous experience. Vigilance was significantly altered towards the predator and remained changed throughout the day, showing a high state of awareness for all treatments. The results indicated that there was no significant change in behaviour over the day. This is a positive outcome, as it shows that the captive-bred tamarins are able to recover quickly from a predator threat. In the wild this would be essential, due to the high costs involved with anti-predator behaviour

Hydroxyapatite nanoparticle injectable hydrogel scaffold to support osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

Bone loss associated with degenerative disease and trauma is a clinical problem increasing with the aging population. Thus, effective bone augmentation strategies are required; however, many have the disadvantages that they require invasive surgery and often the addition of expensive growth factors to induce osteoblast differentiation. Here, we investigated a Laponite crosslinked, pNIPAMDMAc copolymer (L-pNIPAM-co-DMAc) hydrogel with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HAPna), which can be maintained as a liquid ex vivo, injected via narrowgauge needle into affected bone, followed by in situ gelation to deliver and induce osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC). L-pNIPAMco-DMAc hydrogels were synthesised and HAPna added post polymerisation. Commercial hMSCs from one donor (Lonza) were incorporated in liquid hydrogel, the mixture solidified and cultured for up to 6 weeks. Viability of hMSCs was maintained within hydrogel constructs containing 0.5 mg/mL HAPna. SEM analysis demonstrated matrix deposition in cellular hydrogels which were absent in acellular controls. A significant increase in storage modulus (G’) was observed in cellular hydrogels with 0.5 mg/mL HAPna. Semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry and histological analysis demonstrated that bone differentiation markers and collagen deposition was induced within 48 h, with increased calcium deposition with time. The thermally triggered hydrogel system, described here, was sufficient without the need of additional growth factors or osteogenic media to induce osteogenic differentiation of commercial hMSCs. Preliminary data presented here will be expanded on multiple patient samples to ensure differentiation is seen in these samples. This system could potentially reduce treatment costs and simplify the tre

The effect of (Ti + Al): V ratio on the structure and oxidation behaviour of TiAlN/VN nano-scale multilayer coatings

Nano-scaled multilayered TiAlN/VN coatings have been grown on stainless steel and M2 high speed steel substrates at U-B = - 85 V in an industrial, four target, Hauzer HTC 1000 coater using combined cathodic steered arc etching/unbalanced magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has been used to investigate the effects of process parameters (Target Power) on texture evolution (using texture parameter T*), development of residual stress (sin(2) psi method) and nano-scale multilayer period. The composition of the coating was determined using energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The thermal behaviour of the coatings in air was studied using thermo-gravimetric analysis, XRD and scanning electron microscopy. The bi-layer period varied between 2.8 and 3.1 nm and in all cases a {1 1 0} texture developed with a maximum value T* = 4.9. The residual stress varied between -5.2 and -7.4 GPa. The onset of rapid oxidation occurred between 628 and 645 degreesC depending on the (Ti+Al):V ratio. After oxidation in air at 550 degreesC AlVO4, TiO2 and V2O5 Phases were identified by XRD with the AlVO4, TiO2 being the major phases. The formation of AlVO4 appears to disrupt the formation of Al2O3 which imparts oxidation resistance to TiAlN based coatings. Increasing the temperature to 600 and 640 degreesC led to a dramatic increase in the formation of V2O5 which was highly oriented (0 0 1) with a plate-like morphology. At 640 degreesC there was no evidence of the coating on XRD. Increasing the temperature to 670 degreesC led to further formation of AlVO4 and a dramatic reduction in V2O5. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

EFFECT OF SALINITY ON THE LARVAL DEVELOPMENT OF ECHINASTER ECHINOPHORUS (LAMARCK 1816) (ECHINODERMATA: ASTEROIDEA)

Amostras de Echinaster echinophorus (Lamarck 1816) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) foram coletadas na região de Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Os animais foram induzidos a desova em laboratório. Sucesso no crescimento, desenvolvimento, assentamento larval e metamorfose foram observados após os ovos terem sido submetidos a diferentes salinidades decrescendo de 34psu a 10psu. Quanto menor a salinidade, menor o desenvolvimento larval e a taxa de sobrevivência. O desenvolvimento completo é possível em salinidades de até 25psu. Um maior período de permanência no plâncton pode implicar em maiores chances de predação e menor sucesso no recrutamento.Samples of Echinaster echinophorus (Lamarck 1816) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) were collected in Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Animals were induced to spawn in the laboratory. Success in larval growth, development, settlement and metamorphosis were observed after exposing eggs to different salinities ranging from 34psu to 10psu. As salinity decreased the development was retarded, and survival rate was reduced. Full development was possible in salinities as low as 25psu. The longer period spent in the plankton may result in higher chances of suffering predation and less success in recruitment

Continuous authentication for IoT smart home environments

The diverse range of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in smart homes results in users having to deal with a variety of technologies with different and incompatible user authentication methods. Continuous authentication offers an intelligent solution to this problem, although its application within IoT is currently in its infancy, and the limitations of sensors, power and processing capabilities present challenges when compared to traditional user devices

Adapting the Finetech-Brindley Sacral Anterior Root Stimulator for Bioelectronic Medicine*

The Finetech-Brindley Sacral Anterior Root Stimulator (SARS) is a low cost and reliable system. The architecture has been used for various bioelectric treatments, including several thousand implanted systems for restoring bladder function following spinal cord injury (SCI). Extending the operational frequency range would expand the capability of the system; enabling, for example, the exploration of eliminating the rhizotomy through an electrical nerve block. The distributed architecture of the SARS system enables stimulation parameters to be adjusted without modifying the implant design or manufacturing. To explore the design degrees-of-freedom, a circuit simulation was created and validated using a modified SARS system that supported stimulation frequencies up to 600 Hz. The simulation was also used to explore high frequency (up to 30kHz) behaviour, and to determine the constraints on charge delivered at the higher rates. A key constraint found was the DC blocking capacitors, designed originally for low frequency operation, not fully discharging within a shortened stimulation period. Within these current implant constraints, we demonstrate the potential capability for higher frequency operation that is consistent with presynaptic stimulation block, and also define targeted circuit improvements for future extension of stimulation capability

Safety of tattoos in persons undergoing MRI

In 330 persons who had one to seven tattoos, only one mild tattoo-related adverse reaction was detected during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These results suggest a low risk among persons with tattoos when MRI is performed under these specific study conditions