Export-Led Growth in East Asia: Lessons for Europe's Transition Economies

This paper summarizes some East Asian experiences of export led growth and export promotion policies, and discusses possible lessons for today's European transition economies. It is argued that the East Asian developments identify a potentially important role for public support to infrastructure development and provision of various business development services (such as insurance and trade finance, information, and marketing skills) to small and medium sized exporters. These policies should be neutral across sectors rather than selective. The Asian experiences also point to the importance of maintaining competitive exchange rates, which, however, may be hard to achieve in those transition economies that aim to fulfill the Maastricht criteria regarding price and exchange rate stability

Expression of a human cartilage procollagen gene (COL2A1) in mouse 3T3 cells.

Expression in a recombinant system has been difficult to obtain for any of the major fibrillar collagens that require processing by eight or more post-translational enzymes. Here, two DNA constructs were designed so that the promoter region of the gene for the pro-alpha 1(I) chain of human type I procollagen drove expression of the human type II procollagen gene in mouse NIH 3T3 cells, a culture line that normally synthesizes type I procollagen but not any cartilage-specific protein such as type II procollagen. Both constructs were expressed as both mRNA and protein. In clones expressing the construct at high levels, the steady-state levels of mRNA and the production of type II procollagen were comparable to the mRNA levels and production of type I procollagen from the endogenous mouse genes. Comparison of clones containing the two constructs demonstrated that sequences extending 80 base pairs beyond the major polyadenylation signal of the gene are not in themselves sufficient for correct termination and 3\u27 processing of RNA transcripts. The results strongly suggest that specific sequences present in a downstream 3.5-kilobase SphI/SphI fragment determine the termination of the transcription. Of special importance is that the system will make it possible to examine the consequences of mutations in the human type II procollagen gene on the processing of RNA transcripts and on the functional properties of the protein simply by using the genomic DNA from leukocytes or other non-cartilaginous sources

Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra of magnesium diboride

Using the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbitals method, the soft x-ray fluorescence K-emission spectra of boron in MgB_2, excited close to the absorption edge, are estimated. In the calculations the angle of incidence between the direction of the incoming photon and the hexagonal axis of the specimen is 60 degrees and 75 degrees. Comparison with experiment is possible in the former case where good agreement is found. Furthermore, another resonant feature below the Fermi energy is predicted for the larger angle. This feature can be related to the excitations to the antibonding B pi-band in the neighbourhood of the L-H line in the Brillouin zone.Comment: 4 pages with 4 figure

First-principles investigations of the magnetic phase diagram of Gd1−x_{1-x}Cax_{x}MnO3_{3}

We studied for the first time the magnetic phase diagram of the rare-earth manganites series Gd$_{1-x}$Ca$_{x}$MnO$_{3}$ (GCMO) over the full concentration range based on density functional theory. GCMO has been shown to form solid solutions. We take into account this disordered character by adapting special quasi random structures at different concentration steps. The magnetic phase diagram is mainly described by means of the magnetic exchange interactions between the Mn sites and Monte Carlo simulations were performed to estimate the corresponding transition temperatures. They agree very well with recent experiments. The hole doped region $x<0.5$ shows a strong ferromagnetic ground state, which competes with A-type antiferromagnetism at higher Ca concentrations $x>0.6$.Comment: Submitted to PR

Social learning by mate‐choice copying increases dispersal and reduces local adaptation

In heterogeneous environments, dispersal may be hampered not only by direct costs, but also because immigrants may be locally maladapted. While maladaptation affects both sexes, this cost may be modulated in females if they express mate preferences that are either adaptive or maladaptive in the new local population. Dispersal costs under local adaptation may be mitigated if it is possible to switch to expressing traits of locally adapted residents. In a sexual selection context, immigrant females may learn to mate with locally favoured males. Mate‐choice copying is a type of social learning, where individuals, usually females, update their mating preferences after observing others mate. If it allows immigrant females to switch from maladapted to locally adapted preferences, their dispersal costs are mitigated as mate choice helps them create locally adapted offspring. To study if copying can promote the evolution of dispersal, we created an individual‐based model to simulate the coevolution of four traits: copying, dispersal, a trait relevant for local adaptation, and female preference. We contrast two scenarios with copying—either unconditional or conditional such that only dispersers copy—with a control scenario that lacks any copying. We show copying to lead to higher dispersal, especially if copying is conditionally expressed. This leads to an increase in gene flow between patches and, consequently, a decrease in local adaptation and trait‐preference correlations. While our study is phrased with female preference as the learned trait, one may generally expect social learning to mitigate dispersal costs, with consequent feedback effects on the spatial dynamics of adaptation.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Mechanisms driving phenological and range change in migratory species

Many migratory systems are changing rapidly in space and time, and these changes present challenges for conservation. Changes in local abundance and site occupancy across species’ ranges have raised concerns over the efficacy of existing protected area networks, while changes in phenology can potentially create mismatches in the timing of annual events with the availability of key resources. These changes could arise either through individuals shifting in space and time or through generational shifts in the frequency of individuals using different locations or on differing migratory schedules. Using a long-term study of a migratory shorebird in which individuals have been tracked through a period of range expansion and phenological change, we show that these changes occur through generational shifts in spatial and phenological distributions, and that individuals are highly consistent in space and time. Predictions of future rates of changes in range size and phenology, and their implications for species conservation, will require an understanding of the processes that can drive generational shifts. We therefore explore the developmental, demographic and environmental processes that could influence generational shifts in phenology and distribution, and the studies that will be needed to distinguish among these mechanisms of change

Non-universality of elastic exponents in random bond-bending networks

We numerically investigate the rigidity percolation transition in two-dimensional flexible, random rod networks with freely rotating cross-links. Near the transition, networks are dominated by bending modes and the elastic modulii vanish with an exponent f=3.0\pm0.2, in contrast with central force percolation which shares the same geometric exponents. This indicates that universality for geometric quantities does not imply universality for elastic ones. The implications of this result for actin-fiber networks is discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, minor clarifications and amendments. To appear in PRE Rap. Com

Reasons for large annual yield fluctuations in wild arctic bramble (Rubus arcticus subsp arcticus) in Finland

Fluctuations in the yield of wild berries are markedly influenced by weather conditions. However, the cause-effect relationship is often poorly understood. Based on data spanning a 20-year period in Finland, we made an effort to elucidate the influence of different weather conditions on the yield of arctic bramble (Rubus arcticus L). We analyzed the regression coefficients of various weather conditions in several regression models using the elaboration approach. Temperature accumulated in July had a positive effect on yield. Yield was negatively influenced by temperature accumulated during the previous summer, rainfall in the October of the previous year, and temperature accumulated in May of the same year. It is notable that the same weather conditions had a positive influence on yield of the same year whereas these conditions had a negative effect on the yield potential of the following year. Compared with traditional analysis methods, the elaboration approach provided a better understanding of the relationship between weather parameters and yield. The rarity of a good yield could be explained by the particular vulnerability of arctic bramble to the negative effects of weather conditions. Some of these factors could be controlled in field conditions when cultivating arctic bramble.Peer reviewe

Enteraalisen Duodopa-hoidon toteutus PEG-J -letkun kautta ja siihen liittyvät ongelmat

Tiivistelmä. Kyseessä on havainnoiva retrospektiivinen tutkimus, jonka tarkoituksena oli selvittää OYS:n Duodopa-hoitoihin ja PEG-J -asennuksiin liittyviä komplikaatioita, niiden esiintyvyyttä ja mahdollisia altistavia tekijöitä. Lisäksi selvitettiin hoidon keskeytymisen yleisyys ja sen syyt. Tutkimuksessa verrattiin potilasmateriaalia kirjallisuuteen ja arvioitiin potilasvalinnan sekä hoidon tulosten onnistuvuutta. Aineisto koostuu 28 potilaasta, joille on aloitettu PEG-J -letkun kautta suoleen annosteltava Duodopa-lääkehoito OYS:ssa vuosina 2006–2016. Aineiston keräämistä varten määritimme kymmeniä eri muuttujia, alkaen potilaan iästä ja sukupuolesta. Aineisto kerättiin vuonna 2017. Seuranta-aika on keskimäärin 56 kk. Aineisto analysoitiin IBM SPSS Statistics -ohjelmalla. Aineiston käsittelyssä käytettiin ristiintaulukointitoimintoa, koska muuttujat olivat luokkamuuttujia. Selvitettiin altistavatko potilaiden perussairaudet, yli- tai alipaino, korkea ikä tai tupakointi jollekin kirurgiselle komplikaatiolle, letkusto-ongelmille, hoidon lopettamiselle tai kuolleisuudelle. P-arvojen laskemisessa käytin khiin neliö -testiä ja Exact-testiä aineiston pienen koon vuoksi. SPSS-ohjelmalla laadittiin myös Kaplan-Meier-kuvaajia eri komplikaatioiden ilmaantuvuudesta ajan suhteen. Aineistosta nähdään, että OYS:ssa Duodopa-hoitoon valikoituu hieman vanhempia ihmisiä, joiden Parkinsonin tauti on kestänyt kauemmin ja joille Duodopa-hoito aloitetaan pidemmän sairastamisajan jälkeen. Kognition alenemaa esiintyi 25 prosentilla, joka on yhtä paljon kuin kirjallisuudessa. Vajaaravitsemusta esiintyi 14,3 %, joka kannattaa huomioida hoidon aloitusta suunniteltaessa. Vajaaravitsemuksen ja sisäletkun vaihtotarpeen välillä huomattiin tilastollinen yhteys. Potilaiden Duodopa-annos oli keskimäärin samaa luokkaa, kuin kirjallisuudessa. Duodopan lisäksi muita Parkinson-lääkkeitä tarvitsi meillä harvempi potilas kuin kirjallisuudessa. Pneumoperitoneumin esiintyvyys oli yleisempää (14,3 %), kuin muissa tutkimuksissa. Toimenpiteen jälkeistä vatsakalvon tulehdusta ei tutkimusaineistossa esiintynyt. Vain yksi potilas tarvitsi jatkoleikkauksen toimenpiteen jälkeen. Postoperatiivinen vatsakipu on yleistä (32,1 %), jonka perusteella kivunhoidossa on kehittämistä. Kudosnesteen tai märän erittely PEG- letkun tyvestä on yleistä, (35,7 % koko seuranta-aikana) ja havaittiin tilastollinen yhteys ihoinfektioiden sekä erittelyn välillä. Letkun juuren ihon hoito ja PEG:n sopiva kireys on tärkeä osa jälkihoitoa. Lisäksi granulaatiokudoksen muodostuminen letkun juureen oli yleistä (46,4 %), PEG:n sisäletkuun liittyvät ongelmat olivat yleisiä, kuten kirjallisuudessakin. Sisäletkun tukoksia ja ulosliukumisia esiintyi molempia 46,4 % potilaista, ja näille altisti hoidon aloittamisesta kulunut aika. Sisäletku vaihdettiin seurannassa puolelle potilaista. Letkustoon liittyviä jatkotoimenpiteitä tehtiin potilaille yhteensä 60kpl, yleisin toimenpide oli sisäletkun vaihto (41kpl). Yleisin indikaatio toimenpiteelle oli letkun liukuminen tai dislokoituminen ohutsuolesta mahalaukkuun. 75 % oli tyytyväisiä hoitoon, vähintään 50 % paranema motorisissa UPDRS-pisteissä oli yhteydessä hoitotyytyväisyyteen. Alaraajojen polyneuropatiaa ilmaantui kahdelle potilaalle. Lääkehaittojen esiintyvyydessä ei ollut merkittävää eroa. Hoidon keskeytti 39,3 % eli se oli yleisempää, kuin kirjallisuudessa. Yleisin syy keskeyttämiselle oli tyytymättömyys hoitoon/huono vaste, vaikka testijakson aikana hoito oli koettu riittävän hyväksi. Dementia oli myös yleinen syy keskeytymiselle

Chikungunya virus infections in Finnish travellers 2009-2019 : Infection Ecology & Epidemiology

ABSTRACT The mosquito-borne chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes an acute febrile illness with rash, joint and muscle pain.A realtime RT-PCR assay for CHIKV detecting non-structural protein (nsP2; CHIKV nsP2-RT-qPCR) was set up. All the serodiagnosed CHIKV cases detected during 2009-2019 in Finland were screened with the assay, followed by isolations attempts and sequencing using Sanger and next generation sequencing (NGS). To validate the assay external and in-house quality control samples were used and all were correctly identified. Specificity of the assay was 100%. Assay was sensitive to detect CHIKV RNA in dilution of 10-8.During years 2009-2019 34 patients were diagnosed for acute CHIKV infection. Twelve out of 34 cases were positive by CHIKV nsP2-RT-qPCR.Two CHIKV isolations succeeded from two individuals infected originally in Thailand, 2019. From 12 CHIKV nsP2-RT-qPCR positive samples, five (42%) CHIKVs were successfully sequenced. In this study, CHIKVs from year 2019 clustered with CHIKV ECSA-lineage forming sub-cluster with strains from ones detected in Bangladesh 2017, and the ones from Jamaica (2014) within Asian lineage showing highest similarity to strains detected in Caribbean outbreak 2013-15.  Majority of the CHIKV infections detected in Finland originates from Asia and virus lineages reflect the global circulation of the pathogen.Peer reviewe