Japan's silver market: creating a new industry under uncertainty

It has often been asked whether today´s Japan will be able to move into new and promising industries, or whether it is locked into an innovation system with an inherent inability to give birth to new industries. One argument reasons that the thick institutional complementarities among labour, innovation, and finance among its enterprises and the public sector favour industrial development in sectors of intermediate uncertainty, while it is difficult to move into areas of major uncertainty. In this paper, we present the case of the silver industry or, somewhat more prosaically, the 60+ or even 50+ industry, for which most would agree that Japan has indeed become a lead market and lead producer on the global market. For an institutional economist, the case of the silver industry is particularly interesting, because Japan´s success is based on the cooperation of existing actors, the enterprise and public sector in particular, which helped overcome the information uncertainties and asymmetries involved in the new market by relying on several established mechanisms developed well before. In that sense, Japan´s silver industry presents a case of of what we propose to call successful institutional path activation with the effect of an innovative market creation, instead of the problematic lockin effects that are usually associated with the term path dependence

Protein kinase D enzymes are dispensable for proliferation, survival and antigen receptor-regulated NFκB activity in vertebrate B-cells

To investigate the importance of protein kinase D (PKD) enzymes we generated a PKD-null DT40 B-lymphocyte cell line. Previously we have shown that PKDs have an essential role in regulating class II histone deacetylases in DT40 B-cells [Matthews, S.A., Liu, P., Spitaler, M., Olson, E.N., McKinsey, T.A., Cantrell, D.A. and Scharenberg, A.M. (2006) Essential role for protein kinase D family kinases in the regulation of class II histone deacetylases in B lymphocytes. Mol. Cell Biol. 26, 1569–1577]. We now show that PKDs are also required to regulate HSP27 phosphorylation in DT40 B-cells. However, in contrast to previous observations in other cell types, PKD enzymes do not regulate basic cellular processes such as proliferation or survival responses, nor NFκB transcriptional activity downstream of the B cell antigen receptor. Thus, PKDs have a selective role in DT40 B-cell biology

Leveraging the Grid to Provide a Global Platform for Ubiquitous Computing Research

The requirement for distributed systems support for Ubicomp has led to the development of numerous platforms, each addressing a subset of the overall requirements of ubiquitous systems. In contrast, many other scientific disciplines have embraced the vision of a global distributed computing platform, i.e. the Grid. We believe that the Grid has the potential to evolve into an ideal platform for building ubiquitous computing applications. In this paper we explore in detail the areas of synergy between Grid computing and ubiquitous computing and highlight a series of research challenges in this space

Allometry of Workers of the Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta

The relationship between worker body size and the shape of their body parts was explored in the polymorphic ant, Solenopsis invicta. The data consisted of 20 measurements of body parts as well as sums of some of these measurements. Size-free shape variables were created by taking the ratios of relevant measures. After log-transformation, these ratios were regressed against the logarithm of total body length, or against the log of the size of the parent part. Slopes of zero indicated that shape did not change with size, and non-zero slopes signaled a size-related change of shape. Across the range of worker sizes, the head length retained a constant proportion to body length, but relative headwidth increased such that head shape changed from a barrel-profile to a somewhat heart-shaped profile. Antennae became relatively smaller, with the club contributing more to this decline than the other parts. The alinotum became relatively shorter and higher (more humped), and the gaster increased in both relative width and length, and therefore in volume. All three pairs of legs were isometric to body length. The component parts of the legs, with one exception, were isometric to their own total leg length. The body of S. invicta Abbreviation: / HL: head length BL: body length HW1: width across the eyes HW2: width above the eyes HW3: width below the eye

Achieving a wide field near infrared camera for the Calar Alto 3.5m telescope

The ongoing development of large infrared array detectors has enabled wide field, deep surveys to be undertaken. There are, however, a number of challenges in building an infrared instrument which has both excellent optical quality and high sensitivity over a wide field. We discuss these problems in the context of building a wide field imaging camera for the 3.5m telescope at Calar Alto with the new 2K*2K HgCdTe HAWAII-2 focal plane array. Our final design is a prime focus camera with a 15' field-of-view, called Omega 2000. To achieve excellent optical quality over the whole field, we have had to dispense with the reimaging optics and cold Lyot stop. We show that creative baffling schemes, including the use of undersized baffles, can compensate for the lost K band sensitivity. A moving baffle will be employed in Omega 2000 to allow full transmission in the non-thermal J and H bands.Comment: To appear in the SPIE proceedings of ``Optical and IR Telescope Instrumentation and Detectors'', Munich, March 200

Sleep-dependent memory consolidation in children with self-limited focal epilepsies

Objective Children with self-limited focal epilepsies of childhood (SLFE) are known to show impaired memory functions, particularly in the verbal domain. Interictal epileptiform discharges (IED) in these epilepsies are more pronounced in nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Nonrapid eye movement sleep is crucial for consolidation of newly-encoded memories. Therefore, we hypothesize that sleep-dependent memory consolidation is altered in relation to IED in children with SLFE. Methods We conducted a prospective case–control study. We applied a verbal (word pair) and a visuospatial (two-dimensional [2D] object location) learning task, both previously shown to benefit from sleep in terms of memory consolidation. Learning took place in the evening, and retrieval was tested in the morning after a night of sleep. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded across night. After sleep-stage scoring, the spike–wave index (SWI) was assessed at the beginning and the end of sleep. Fourteen patients with SLFE (age: 5.5 to 11.6 years) were compared with 15 healthy controls (age: 6.8 to 9.1 years) examined in a previous study. Results In contrast to healthy controls (mean: +12.9% recalled word pairs, p = .003, standard deviation (SD) = 12.4%), patients did not show overnight performance gains in the verbal memory task (mean: +6.4% recalled word pairs, p > .05, SD = 17.3) Neither patients nor controls showed significant overnight changes in visuospatial task performance. Spike–wave index was negatively correlated with recall performance in the verbal but not in the visuospatial task. Significance We found evidence for impaired overnight improvement of performance in children with SLFE in a verbal learning task, with high SWI rates predicting low recall performance. We speculate that spike–waves hamper long-term memory consolidation by interfering with NREM sleep

You can do anything: intimate partner violence and the 2016 US presidential election

Olivia Storz explores the ways in which political rhetoric during the 2016 US presidential election impacted intimate partner violence and highlights the opportunities for women, peace and security scholars to explore the relationship between elections and everyday violence in peacetime. Content warning: This post discusses experiences with IPV and law enforcement

Neurological disorders in rural Tanzania

Neurological disorders, especially those of infectious origin, seem to be more frequent in low-income countries like sub-Saharan Africa. But not only the prevalence estimates seem to be higher in low-income countries, mortality rates tend to be higher compared to high-income countries, too. Seizures as well as meningitis are often reported as one of the leading causes for neurological disorders in patients in sub-Saharan Africa. As shown in our studies, symptoms and signs of neurological diseases like febrile seizures (FSs) and meningitis can appear very similar and render an exact diagnosis difficult, as they often include impairment of consciousness, for example. Several African studies reported that neurological diseases, especially epileptic seizures, FSs and meningitis/meningoencephalitis as leading causes of impairment of consciousness, are often accompanied with adverse outcome such as neurological sequelae and especially infectious diseases such as meningitis may contribute to the high mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The lack of appropriate diagnostic methods and imaging modalities as well as unqualified workers and the often late presentation at medical services and, last but not least, the lack of appropriate vaccination coverage in rural areas complicate the detection of the exact diagnosis and concomitant diseases and the exclusion of important differential diagnoses, and thus impede an appropriate patient management. The studies of the present thesis were performed from 2002 to 2004 in the United Republic of Tanzania and more specifically at Haydom, Mbulu district; Wasso, Ngorongoro district and Mahenge, Ulanga district. The prevalence and characteristics of FSs were assessed in three community-based door-to-door studies in the catchment area of the Haydom Lutheran Hospital (HLH), Wasso Hospital and Mahenge Hospital, complemented with retrospectively collected data from main hospitals and Mother and Child Health Centers (MCHs) of the study area by using screening questionnaires. In a hospital based study (Haydom Lutheran Hospital), we identified patients with meningitis in order to describe their clinical characteristics including laboratory and clinical aspects. Patients with neurological symptoms and/or signs were examined by a neurologist and clinical as well as laboratory data were collected. Our study found a prevalence rate of 20.5/1,000 (95% CI: 17.5-23.9/1,000) FSs in children between 2 months and 7 years at the time of the interview and is in line with other studies about FSs, however, it does not confirm the assumption of a higher prevalence in low-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Reasons for this are varied and include superstitious beliefs, higher mortality rates or inaccurate recollection of events in the past. However, our study confirms a trend of a higher proportion of complex FSs in low-income countries. This is important, as complex FSs have been discussed as possible risk factors for the development of later neurological sequelae like epilepsy. In patients with meningitis, fever, meningism and impairment of consciousness represented the most important clinical warning symptoms. Our findings show that bacterial pathogens like Haemophilus influenza (H. influenza), Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) and Neisseria meningitides (N. meningitides) were, in this order, the most frequent pathogens, especially in pediatric patients. Mycobacterial meningitis prevailed in elderly patients. Compared to other regions, the proportion of patients with meningitis caused by H. influenzae in our study population is disproportionally high, which may be due to the lack of appropriate vaccination coverage in rural and remote areas. This is in line with other study results and demonstrates that the causative pathogens vary a lot regarding the age range, region or pre-existing concomitant diseases. Our study underlines the importance of access to health services for populations of rural areas of low-income countries where appropriate and adapted diagnostic and treatment facilities are available. Beside the detection of the causative organisms, the diagnosis of concomitant diseases like HIV and the exclusion of differential diagnoses like cerebral malaria are indispensable methods to ensure the best treatment. In addition, childhood vaccination coverage needs to be assured, especially in remote and vulnerable populations. The current thesis intends to underline prevalence and characteristics of neurological disorders like FSs and meningitis in low-income countries like sub-Saharan Africa, especially with regard to their infectious etiology. In conclusion, further reliable studies are necessary to ascertain the prevalence, burden and mortality rates as well as appropriate treatment strategies of neurological and psychiatric disorders. In fact, in 2015 the United Nations launched the sustainable development goals to which almost all nations agreed and which also draws attention to Global Mental Health. In that sense, the current thesis seems more than timely and underlines the need for further research as well as education for both health care personnel and patients, in Global Mental Health.Neurologische Erkrankungen, insbesondere infektiösen Ursprungs, scheinen häufiger in Entwicklungsländern wie Subsahara-Afrika vorzukommen. Neben der Prävalenz scheint auch die Mortalität in Entwicklungsländern erhöht zu sein. Epileptische Anfälle und Meningitis werden dabei häufig als führende neurologische Erkrankungen in afrikanischen Patienten angegeben. Wie wir in unseren Studien zeigen konnten, äußern sich neurologische Erkrankungen oft mit relativ ähnlichen und unspezifischen Symptomen wie beispielsweise Bewusstseinsverlust. Dies erschwert häufig eine exakte und rasche Diagnosefindung. Verschiedene afrikanische Studien zeigten, dass neurologische Erkrankungen, insbesondere epileptische Anfälle, Fieberkrämpfe und Meningoenzephalitiden, oft Ursache von Bewusstseinsverlust darstellen und häufig mit einer ungünstigen Prognose, wie beispielsweise neurologischen Folgeschäden, einhergehen. Insbesondere infektiöse neurologische Erkrankungen scheinen zu einer höheren Mortalität in Subsahara-Afrika beizutragen. Der Mangel an adäquaten diagnostischen Methoden oder bildgebender Verfahren, unqualifiziertes medizinisches Personal und die oftmals erst späte Vorstellung der Patienten in medizinischen Einrichtungen sowie auch das Fehlen von entsprechendem Impfschutz, insbesondere in abgelegenen Regionen, erschweren die Diagnostik und somit eine angemessene Therapie. Darüber hinaus behindern diese Faktoren auch die Feststellung von relevanten Begleiterkrankungen sowie den Ausschluss anderer wichtiger Differentialdiagnosen. Die Studien, auf denen die vorliegende Arbeit basiert, wurden von 2002 bis 2004 in der Vereinigten Republik Tansania, genauer in Haydom, Mbulu Distrikt, Wasso, Ngorongoro Distrikt und Mahenge, Ulanga district durchgeführt. Informationen zur Berechnung der Prävalenz und Charakteristika von Fieberkrämpfen wurden mithilfe von Screening-Fragebögen in drei Tür-zu-Tür Studien im Einzugsgebiet des Haydom Lutheran Hospital (HLH), Mahenge Hospital und Wasso Hospital gesammelt und durch retrospektiv gesammelte Daten aus den Hauptkrankenhäusern der entsprechenden Distrikte sowie deren Mutter-und-Kind Gesundheitszentren (MCH) ergänzt. In einer krankenhausbasierten Studie (Haydom Lutheran Hospital) identifizierten wir Patienten mit Meningitis und sammelten Informationen über die laborchemischen und klinischen Eigenschaften. Patienten, die aufgrund neurologischer Auffälligkeiten im Krankenhaus aufgenommen wurden, wurden durch einen Neurologen untersucht und die klinischen und laborchemischen Untersuchungsergebnisse zusammengetragen. In unserer Studie ermittelten wir eine Prävalenz von 20.5/1,000 (95% CI: 17.5-23.9/1,000) bei Kindern, die zum Zeitpunkt der Befragung zwischen 2 Monaten und 7 Jahren alt waren. Dieses Ergebnis steht im Einklang mit vielen anderen Studien über Fieberkrämpfe, bestätigt jedoch nicht die Annahme, dass Fieberkrämpfe im Allgemeinen in Entwicklungsländern wie Subsahara Afrika häufiger vorkommen. Aberglaube, eine höhere Mortalität oder Vorfälle, die in der Zwischenzeit in Vergessenheit geraten sind, können Ursachen für die Unterschätzung der Prävalenz in unserer Studie darstellen. Der erhöhte Anteil komplexer Fieberkrämpfe in unserer Studie bestärkt jedoch die Annahme, dass diese häufiger in Entwicklungsländern vorkommen. Dies steht möglicherweise in Verbindung mit einer oftmals ermittelten höheren Prävalenz von Epilepsien in dieser Region, da komplexe Anfälle unter anderem als Risikofaktoren für spätere neurologische Schäden wie Epilepsie bekannt sind. Fieber, Meningismus und Bewusstseinsverlust stellen die wichtigsten Warnsymptome bei Patienten mit Meningitis dar. In unserer Studie konnten wir feststellen, dass bakterielle Erreger wie Haemophilus influenzae (H. influenzae), Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) und Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis), in absteigender Reihenfolge, die häufigsten Erreger für Meningitis, insbesondere bei pädiatrischen Patienten darstellten. Mykobakterielle Meningitiden traten häufiger in älteren Patienten auf. Im Vergleich zu anderen Studien zeigt sich der Anteil der Patienten mit H. influenzae Meningitiden in unserer Studienpopulation unverhältnismäßig hoch, möglicherweise ist dies das Resultat eines fehlenden Impfschutzes, insbesondere in abgelegenen Regionen. Diese Ergebnisse fanden sich auch in vielen weiteren Studien und zeigen, dass die ursächlichen Erreger je nach Altersgruppe, Region oder Vorerkrankung stark variieren können. Neben der Feststellung der ursächlichen Erreger sind die Diagnosen von Vorerkrankungen wie HIV sowie der Ausschluss von Differentialdiagnosen, wie die der zerebralen Malaria, unerlässliche Methoden, um eine adäquate Behandlung zu gewährleisten. Zusätzlich muss eine Durchimpfungsrate im Kindesalter gewährleistet sein, insbesondere in schwer erreichbaren, abgelegenen und gefährdeten Populationen. Die vorliegende Dissertation hebt die Bedeutung der Prävalenz und klinischer Charakteristika neurologischer Erkrankungen wie Fieberkrämpfe und Meningitis in Entwicklungsländern wie Subsahara Afrika hervor. Weitere Forschungsstudien über die Prävalenz und Mortalität neurologischer Erkrankungen sowie den Zusammenhang mit Infektionskrankheiten wie Meningitis, Fieberkrämpfen und die Entwicklung einer späteren Epilepsie in Entwicklungsländern können dazu beitragen, Erkrankungen in diesen Regionen besser zu verstehen und zu verhindern. In der Tat führten im Jahre 2015 die Vereinten Nationen die sogenannten „Sustainable Development Goals“ ein, die u.a. für ein erhöhtes Bewusstsein der globalen mentalen Gesundheit werben. In diesem Sinne ist die vorliegende Dissertation absolut zeitgemäß, da sie ein höchst aktuelles Thema, die globale mentale Gesundheit, unter unterschiedlichen Gesichtspunkten beleuchtet

Becoming an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program: Perspectives of Teachers, Students, and Administrators.

As an urban middle school begins to implement the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program, this study explores the process of experiencing a curricular change from the perspective of the teachers and students themselves. Through the use of a mixed methods approach, key administrators, teachers, and students were interviewed in the first year of implementation. During the second year, teachers were surveyed as a means of tracking the change over time that teachers may have been experiencing. Themes emerged in the areas of instructional practice, professional experiences, and student experiences. Most interestingly and not expected was a theme related to whether IB was a good fit for the students in this particular school. Participants\u27 ability to highlight the successes and challenges inherent in a change process is discussed in light of future planning