THE CAMBODIAN ECONOMY: READY FOR TAKE-OFF?

Cambodia is facing the familiar problem of achieving sustained rates of economic growth that could help it alleviate widespread poverty. Against the background of some encouraging developments, and quite a few that are not equally reassuring, we argue that any push for development needs to consider both agriculture and industry. This is so as both labour absorption, primarily in secondary sector activities, and productivity growth in agriculture are necessary to lift large segments of the population out of the poverty associated with subsistence agriculture, landlessness and informal sector activities. Given that the major success story of the past decade, the garments and textile industry, is under threat, we conclude that Cambodia is yet to achieve an economic take off.Cambodia; economic development; agriculture; industry

Poverty in Rural Cambodia: The Differentiated Impact of Linkages, Inputs and Access to Land

Cambodia has been growing rapidly over the past few years but still remains one of the poorest countries in East Asia. In particular, poverty is widespread in rural Cambodia. This paper examines rural poverty in Cambodia with a view to furthering our understanding of the factors that might explain its occurrence and persistence. Setting out from the existing literature, it appears that reduced rural poverty in Cambodia would have to rest on two pillars. Firstly, improvements in agricultural productivity are necessary. Secondly, other income earning opportunities for the rural population have to be established. Using the 2004 Cambodian Socio-Economic Survey, and focusing on the binding constraints to development and poverty alleviation, we add detail to this picture. Our econometric results show that the main causes to poverty differ between landowners and landless and between different regions. Inputs to agriculture are critical to the landowning poor whereas linkages with the rest of the economy, while also essential to landowners, are of vital importance to the landless poor if their lot is to be improved.Asia; Cambodia; Poverty; Rural; Agriculture; Linkages

A Measurement Based Shadow Fading Model for Vehicle-to-Vehicle Network Simulations

The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) propagation channel has significant implications on the design and performance of novel communication protocols for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). Extensive research efforts have been made to develop V2V channel models to be implemented in advanced VANET system simulators for performance evaluation. The impact of shadowing caused by other vehicles has, however, largely been neglected in most of the models, as well as in the system simulations. In this paper we present a shadow fading model targeting system simulations based on real measurements performed in urban and highway scenarios. The measurement data is separated into three categories, line-of-sight (LOS), obstructed line-of-sight (OLOS) by vehicles, and non line-of-sight due to buildings, with the help of video information recorded during the measurements. It is observed that vehicles obstructing the LOS induce an additional average attenuation of about 10 dB in the received signal power. An approach to incorporate the LOS/OLOS model into existing VANET simulators is also provided. Finally, system level VANET simulation results are presented, showing the difference between the LOS/OLOS model and a channel model based on Nakagami-m fading.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Hindawi International Journal of Antennas and Propagatio

The effect of pre-clearing on the economical, ecological and social values of the forest

I dagens skogsbruk gallras ungefär dubbelt så stor areal årligen jämfört med arealen slutavverkning. Innan en gallring kan en förröjning utföras för att höja beståndets medelstamsvolym och förbättra sikten för skördarföraren. Tidigare studier visar på att även om produktiviteten förbättras med en utförd förröjning är det inte ekonomiskt försvarbart att utföra en förröjning om ekonomin analyseras vid gallringstillfället. Rapportens syfte är därför att undersöka hur ett bestånds nuvärde påverkas över en hel omloppstid där med och utan en utförd förröjning tas i beaktning. Även hur de sociala och ekologiska aspekterna påverkas av en förröjning undersöks i rapporten. Studien gjordes i programvaran Heureka Planvis med indata från Riksskogstaxeringens ytor från hela Sverige. Underlaget delades upp efter trädslag, ståndortsindex och landsända (södra eller norra Sverige) där sedan simuleringar utfördes med och utan förröjning. Utöver detta gjordes litteraturstudier med avseende på sociala och ekologiska aspekter. Resultatet visade att brytpunkten för när det är lönsamt att utföra en förröjning varierade mellan södra och norra Sverige för tall och att den kommer tidigare för gran än för tall. För gran är brytpunkten mellan G22 och G26 för både södra och norra Sverige. För tall är brytpunkten mellan T22 och T26 för södra Sverige och i norra Sverige visade resultaten att det aldrig var lönsamt att utföra en förröjning. De ekonomiska resultaten kan ifrågasättas på grund av Heureka Planvis hantering av förröjning. För de ekologiska aspekterna visade sig förröjning vara enbart negativt oberoende av vad källorna behandlade för område. Sett ur social synvinkel fanns en större varians i hur förröjning kunde påverka värdet.In Swedish forestry, thinning is a common practice. Before thinning, pre-clearing is sometimes performed to generate higher piece sizes and to increase sightlines for the harvester operator. Earlier studies have shown that although harvester productivity increases with pre-clearing, it’s not financially justifiable to pre-clear if the economics are analyzed at the time of thinning. The purpose of this study is to examine how pre-clearing affects a stand’s net present value over a rotation period. The study also examines how the forest’s social and ecological values are affected by pre-clearing. The study was made using the stand growth simulator Heureka Planvis with data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory. The data was sorted by species, site index and geography (north or south of Sweden) and simulations were made with and without pre-cleaning. Beyond this modelling, literature studies were made regarding how pre-clearing affects social and ecological values. The study showed that the breakeven point for pre-clearing’s profitability varied between northern and southern Sweden for pine. For spruce, the breaking point was between site index G22 and G26 in both southern and northern Sweden. For pine, the breaking point was between site index T22 and T26 for southern Sweden; meanwhile, in northern Sweden, it was never profitable to pre-clear. However, because of Heureka’s modelling limitations, the results probably overestimate pre-clearing’s profitability. Every source we looked at showed that pre-clearing has a negative effect on the ecological values. From a social point of view, there is a bigger difference in how pre-clearing affects the forest’s social values

A preliminary investigation of the subcutaneous tissue reaction to a 3D printed polydioxanone device in horses

BackgroundA 3D printed self-locking device made of polydioxanone (PDO) was developed to facilitate a standardized ligation technique. The subcutaneous tissue reaction to the device was evaluated after implantation in ten horses of mixed age, sex and breed and compared to loops of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). In two of the horses, the implants were removed before closing the skin. The appearance of the implants and surrounding tissue was followed over time using ultrasonography. Implants were removed after 10 and 27 (± 1) days for histologic examination.ResultsOn macroscopic inspection at day 10, the PDO-device was fragmented and the surrounding tissue was oedematous. On ultrasonographic examination, the device was seen as a hyperechoic structure with strong acoustic shadowing that could be detected 4 months post-implantation, but not at 7 months. Histology revealed a transient granulomatous inflammation, i.e., a foreign body reaction, which surrounded both PDO and PLGA implants. The type and intensity of the inflammation varied between individuals and tissue category.ConclusionsThe 3D printed PDO-device caused a transient inflammatory reaction in the subcutaneous tissue and complete resorption occurred between 4 and 7 months. Considering the intended use as a ligation device the early fragmentation warrants further adjustments of both material and the 3D printing process before the device can be used in a clinical setting

Evaluating topical opioid gel on donor site pain: A small randomised double blind controlled trial

AbstractBackgroundAutologous donor skin harvested for transplantation is a common procedure in patients with burns, and patients often feel more pain at the donor site than is justified by the extent of trauma. Topical morphine gels have been thought to have an effect on peripheral opioid receptors by creating antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects, which could potentially reduce the systemic use of morphine-like substances and their adverse effects.MethodsWe therefore did a paired, randomised, double-blind placebo study to investigate the effect of morphine gel and placebo on dual donor sites that had been harvested in 13 patients. Pain was measured on a visual analogue scale (VAS) 15 times in a total of 5 days.ResultsThe mean (SD) VAS was 1.6 (2.3) for all sites, 1.5 (2.2) for morphine, and 2.0 (2.5) for placebo. The pain relieving effects of morphine gel were not significantly better than placebo.ConclusionThe assessment of pain at donor sites is subjective, and more systematic and objective studies are needed

Comparing ambient, air-convection, and fluid-convection heating techniques in treating hypothermic burn patients, a clinical RCT

Background: Hypothermia in burns is common and increases morbidity and mortality. Several methods are available to reach and maintain normal core body temperature, but have not yet been evaluated in critical care for burned patients. Our units ordinary technique for controlling body temperature (Bair Hugger®+ radiator ceiling + bed warmer + Hotline®) has many drawbacks e.g.; slow and the working environment is hampered.The aim of this study was to compare our ordinary heating technique with newly-developed methods: the Allon™2001 Thermowrap (a temperature regulating water-mattress), and Warmcloud (a temperature regulating air-mattress).Methods: Ten consecutive burned patients (andgt; 20% total burned surface area and a core temperature andlt; 36.0C) were included in this prospective, randomised, comparative study. Patients were randomly exposed to 3 heating methods. Each treatment/measuring-cycle lasted for 6 hours. Each heating method was assessed for 2 hours according to a randomised timetable. Core temperature was measured using an indwelling (bladder) thermistor. Paired t-tests were used to assess the significance of differences between the treatments within the patients. ANOVA was used to assess the differences in temperature from the first to the last measurement among all treatments. Three-way ANOVA with the Tukey HSD post hoc test and a repeated measures ANOVA was used in the same manner, but included information about patients and treatment/measuring-cycles to control for potential confounding. Data are presented as mean (SD) and (range). Probabilities of less than 0.05 were accepted as significant.Results: The mean increase, 1.4 (SD 0.6C; range 0.6-2.6C) in core temperature/treatment/measuring-cycle highly significantly favoured the Allon™2001 Thermowrap in contrast to the conventional method 0.2 (0.6)C (range -1.2 to 1.5C) and the Warmcloud 0.3 (0.4)C (range -0.4 to 0.9C). The procedures for using the Allon™2001 Thermowrap were experienced to be more comfortable and straightforward than the conventional method or the Warmcloud.Conclusions: The Allon™2001 Thermowrap was more effective than the Warmcloud or the conventional method in controlling patients temperatures. © 2011 Kjellman et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

К вопросу об актуальности изучения иностранных языков в современном обществе

Introduction Microvascular changes in the skin due to pharmacological and physiological provocations can be used as a marker for vascular function. While laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) has been used extensively for measurement of skin microvascular responses, Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI) and Tissue Viability Imaging (TiVi) are novel imaging techniques. TiVi measures red blood cell concentration, while LDF and LSCI measure perfusion. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare responses to provocations in the skin using these different techniques. Method Changes in skin microcirculation were measured in healthy subjects during (1) iontophoresis of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and noradrenaline (NA), (2) local heating and (3) post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH) using LDF, LSCI and TiVi. Results Iontophoresis of SNP increased perfusion (LSCI: baseline 40.9 +/- 6.2 PU; 10-min 100 +/- 25 PU; pless than0.001) and RBC concentration (TiVi: baseline 119 +/- 18; 10-min 150 +/- 41 AU; p = 0.011). No change in perfusion (LSCI) was observed after iontophoresis of NA (baseline 38.0 +/- 4.4 PU; 10-min 38.9 +/- 5.0 PU; p = 0.64), while RBC concentration decreased (TiVi: baseline 59.6 +/- 11.8 AU; 10-min 54.4 +/- 13.3 AU; p = 0.021). Local heating increased perfusion (LDF: baseline 8.8 +/- 3.6 PU; max 112 +/- 55 PU; pless than0.001, LSCI: baseline 50.8 +/- 8.0 PU; max 151 +/- 22 PU; pless than0.001) and RBC concentration (TiVi: baseline 49.2 +/- 32.9 AU; max 99.3 +/- 28.3 AU; pless than0.001). After 5 minutes of forearm occlusion with prior exsanguination, a decrease was seen in perfusion (LDF: p = 0.027; LSCI: pless than0.001) and in RBC concentration (p = 0.045). Only LSCI showed a significant decrease in perfusion after 5 minutes of occlusion without prior exsanguination (pless than0.001). Coefficients of variation were lower for LSCI and TiVi compared to LDF for most responses. Conclusion LSCI is more sensitive than TiVi for measuring microvascular changes during SNP-induced vasodilatation and forearm occlusion. TiVi is more sensitive to noradrenaline-induced vasoconstriction. LSCI and TiVi show lower inter-subject variability than LDF. These findings are important to consider when choosing measurement techniques for studying skin microvascular responses

Привлечение банков к венчурному финансированию в Республике Беларусь

Материалы XIII Междунар. науч.-техн. конф. студентов, магистрантов и молодых ученых, Гомель, 25–26 апр. 2013 г