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We propose a novel methodological approach to disentangle the main structural shocks affecting the US labor share of income. We motivate an SVAR model to derive four structural shocks: aggregate demand, labor supply, shocks to wages, and productivity; and quantify the dynamic responses of the labor share to each structural shock. We find substantial differences between the immediate post-war era and the neoliberal period. In order of magnitude, the labor share responded mainly to productivity, aggregate demand, and shocks to wages during the immediate post-war era; whereas shocks to wages, productivity, and to aggregate demand mattered most during the neoliberal era. These effects are statistically significantly different across the two periods only for wage and productivity shocks. Increased (decreased) sensitivity to wage (productivity) shocks during the neoliberal period suggests that the decline in the labor share is mainly driven by the factors that govern wage setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of electric vehicle technologies and renewable energy storage will increasingly depend on lithium-ion batteries. Current lithium extraction operations are far from the environmentally and socially compliant operations desired by the 'clean-tech' industry. However, an innovative and more compliant lithium extraction process has emerged. Several companies are actively working on scrubbing lithium from lithium-enriched brines by purifying wastewater from oil and gas operations or through standalone extraction facilities. This paper examines the legal considerations and risks associated with the development of a novel lithium brine extraction industry in Western Canada, primarily focused on Alberta as a traditional oil and gas jurisdiction. Our analysis of Alberta's subsurface regimes identifies and discusses ambiguities that the Alberta government may need to address for this emerging subsurface industry. Similarly, we identify unique contractual considerations for counsel to contemplate when advising parties involved in this new industry. We conclude that the current legal landscape in Alberta, from both a regulatory and a contractual perspective, needs further clarification in order to attract a large-scale and viable industry. Nevertheless, we emphasise that Western Canada is ripe with opportunity to commercialise on a new lithium extraction industry and take note of the increased governmental interest in the development of this emerging industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-density linkage map was constructed for mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) genotyping by sequencing (GBS) and a segregating population developed using accessions from the East Cape region of New Zealand. Parental maps were constructed using 1140 and 1509 SNPs markers grouped into 11 linkage groups for both parents spanning a total of 1242.8 and 1616.2 cM, respectively. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was performed for tree height. In total, 10 QTLs were detected after the measured variable was adjusted for the block effect in the field. The significant QTLs were inherited from both parents (five each) and were located on LG2, 3, 6, 7, 9 and 10. This is the first high-density linkage map constructed using thousands of genetic markers obtained by GBS, the first QTL reported for a New Zealand native tree species, which represents a model for future genetic analysis of indigenous New Zealand species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper puts forth a Neo-Kaleckian open economy model of two countries in order to investigate adjustment of US–China external imbalances. First, a stylized fixed mark-up model is presented, and discussed based on graphical analysis. Second, we present estimates of bilateral income and price elasticities of imports. Third, we employ the model for simulation analysis. Specifically, we randomly distribute expenditure change across government, investment and imports and calculate the exchange rate change necessary to lead to an equal change in the bilateral external imbalance. Doing so repeatedly allows us to estimate probability distributions of endogenous variable changes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Intraspinal navigation with catheters and fiberscopes has shown feasible results for diagnosis and treatment of intraspinal and intracranial lesions. The most common approach, lumbar puncture, has allowed access to the spinal cord, however, coming with the difficulties of fiberscope damage and decreased torque for guidance. Our objective in this study is to allow an alternate access, the sacral hiatus, with guide wire assistance into the subarachnoid and intracranial structures, while easing the angle of entry and increasing torque. Methods: We advanced catheters with guide wire and fluoroscopy assistance into the sacral hiatus of three cadavers. After entry, the thecal sac was punctured and the catheter with guide wire was advanced rostrally until positioned in the basal cisterns of the brain. We confirmed catheter placement with contrast injection, autopsy, and dissection. Results: In our study, the sacral hiatus was easily accessed, but resistance was found when attempting to puncture the thecal sac. The advancement of the catheter with guide wire assistance glided easily rostrally until some mild resistance was discovered at entry into the foramen magnum. With redirection, all catheters passed with ease into the basal cisterns. Positioning was confirmed with contrast injection with fluoroscopy evidence, autopsy, and dissection. There was no macroscopic or microscopic evidence of damage to the spinal roots, spinal cord, or cranial nerves. Conclusion: The sacral hiatus with guide wire assistance is an accessible conduit for uncomplicated entry into the subarachnoid and basal cistern space without damaging surrounding structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study compares whether counselling style prior to insertion of subdermal implants (SDIs) affects continuation rates at one-year post-insertion. Two senior doctors in a North London Integrated Sexual Health Clinic counselled patients in different ways. Method This was a study involving 50 patients. Of these 25 received ''cautious' counselling: they were advised to think carefully about having a SDI inserted and the counsellor emphasised the risks and relative inconvenience of inserting and removing the implant. The second group of 25 women received ''just-try-it'' counselling; this consisted of encouraging the patients to have a SDI inserted and emphasising the reversibility of the method. Results Continuation rates were 92%% (23/25) for the ''cautious' approach and 80%% (20/25) for the ''just-try-it'' approach. More SDI acceptors in the ''just-try-it'' group (5/25) first learned about the existence of this contraceptive method during the same consultation in which the implant was inserted than in the ''cautious' group (1/25). All six of these immediate acceptors kept their implant for at least a year. Conclusion Continuation rates did not differ much between the two counselling styles and approaches were compatible with high continuation rates. Lowering the barriers to SDI use can benefit patients and reduce costs to the health economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a series of crown ether-based liquid crystals was synthesised. The effect of different crown ether ring sizes, terminal groups and complexed salts on the mesomorphic properties was investigated. The first example of [12]crown-4 as the central core of a discotic liquid crystal is described. Columnar hexagonal phases were found for the [12]crown-4-ethers carrying o-terphenyl (1) and triphenylene (2) groups. The [24]crown-8 ethers showed columnar hexagonal phases when substituted with o-terphenyl groups (7) while no mesophases could be detected in the case of the triphenylene substituted derivatives 8. It was found that an increase in the size of the macrocycle leads to a decrease in the clearing points and phase stabilities. Depending on the size of the crown ether, uptake of suitable cations can lead to drastic increases in the clearing temperatures and phase stabilities due to structural rearrangements or ion pair formation, as deduced from 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roma/Gypsies have rarely figured in mainstream social theory; they have, rather, been a topic of 'specialist' interest. The aim of this feature is, in some small way, to address the issue of Roma culture and society in a mainstream context. More than considering a neglected group, it suggests that there is something positive and constructive to be learned from the Roma and their experiences-something to be learned from a people who have invariably been considered as problematical. Roma have a distinctive significance in the context of a changing Europe, and they also merit serious consideration in urban theory. Yet they have never figured in mainstream spatial politics. They have never received spatial justice. Through the assembling of a broad range of contributions, mostly concerning the eastern side of Europe, I have sought to bring out something of the broad range of perspectives and discourses concerning Roma culture. The aim has been to make an argument by way of a montage, and, moreover, to make the argument through ways of telling that expand the definition of 'academic'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes muscle atrophy, which is particularly severe, due to inability to perform tetanic contractions, when lower motor neurons (LMN) are involved. We performed a longitudinal study in 25 Europeans suffering from complete conus cauda syndrome from 0·7 to 8·7 years comparing functional and structural thigh muscle properties before and after 2 years of home-based daily training by functional electrical stimulation (FES). The mid-term results after 1 year and preliminary muscle biopsy observations at project end-point from a subset of subjects are here reported. Methods: Muscles were electrically stimulated at home by means of large surface electrodes and a custom-designed stimulator. The poor excitability of the LMN denervated muscles was first improved by twitch-contraction training. Then, tetanic contractions against progressively increased loading were elicited. Finally, standing-up exercises were daily performed. The bulk of thigh muscle was estimated by transverse computer tomography (CT) scan and force measurements. Needle biopsies of vastus lateralis were harvested before and after 2 years of FES. Results: The 1 year home-based daily FES training induced: (1) very similar increases in muscle excitability and contractility in right and left legs; (2) feasibility to elicit tetanic contractions by means of train-stimulation with about ten times improvement of muscle force; (3) increase in the 26% of muscle bulk, as shown by CT scan analyses, improving appearance of limbs and muscle cushioning; (4) myofiber size increase (+94%) in a small series of muscle biopsies obtained after 2 years of FES. None of the subjects that performed 1 year home-based daily FES training (20 persons) had worsened their functional class, while 20% (4/20) improved to functional class 4, that is, the ability to stand. Discussion: The European Union (EU) Project Rise shows that 'home-based daily FES training' is a safe and effective therapy that may maintain life-long physical exercise by active muscle contraction (FES is the only option for denervated muscle) as a procedure to recover the early-lost tetanic contractility of denervated muscle, and to counteract muscle atrophy in order to prevent clinical complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nearest neighbour oxygen octahedron about copper functional centres in metal oxides has been systematically studied by means of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In particular, the determined g∥,zz and [image omitted] spin-Hamiltonian parameters were analysed, finding linear dependences as a function of chemical bonding and local distortion of the oxygen octahedron. Moreover, through the introduction of a dimensionless coordination parameter ξ, different defect structures with respect to the number of coordinated oxygen vacancies may be distinguished. This allows for a distinct assignment of defect complexes between the copper functional centre with one or two oxygen vacancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background aims Labeling of stem cells is crucial to allow tracking of stem cell homing and engraftment after transplantation. In this study we evaluated the influence of cell labeling procedures using clinically approved small particles of iron oxide (SPIO) with or without transfection reagents (TA) on functional parameters of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Methods The study was approved by the institutional review board of the University of Tubingen, Germany. Seven populations of bone marrow (BM)-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) were labeled with SPIO alone or in combination with various TA. Directly after labeling and two passages after labeling migration assays, quantification of colony-forming units and quantitative evaluation of the differentiation potential were performed. Quantification of the cellular total iron load (TIL), determination of the cellular viability and electron microscopy were also performed. Results Labeling of mesenchymal stem cells with SPIO with or without TA did not affect cell viability and differentiation potential significantly. SPIO in combination with TA coated the cellular surface directly after labeling but was incorporated into the cells after two passages. Labeling of mesenchymal stem cells with TA led to a significant decrease of migration capacity. This effect was abolished after two passages. Labeling with and without TA led to a significant decrease in colony formation ability. This effect could also be observed after two passages. Conclusions The observed decrease of migration capacity and colony-formation ability was not associated with either TIL or localization of particles of iron oxide. SPIO labeling with and without TA had functional effects on human mesenchymal stem cells by decreasing the migration capacity and colony-formation ability of the stem cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By utilizing multi-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, the manganese functional-centre site in manganese-modified polycrystalline lead titanate (PbTiO3) was studied. Isovalent Mn4+ ions were identified as substituting for Ti4+ at the B-site of the perovskite ABO3 lattice. Based on Newman superposition-model calculations, it could be shown that the value of the experimentally obtained fine-structure (FS) parameter B20 is only consistent with a microstructure in which the MnxTi functional center follows the TixTi cooperative displacement in the ferroelectric phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates issues related to industrial restructuring in Russia. Based on extensive sectoral data it examines, more particularly, levels and changes in labour productivity, unit labour costs and revealed comparative advantages for a large number of Russian industrial sectors. The main findings are the following. First, impressive increases in labour productivity have been achieved since 1997, especially during the post-crisis period. Second, this has been true for all major sectors, with the exception of those which are still predominantly state-controlled or which suffer from strong state interference. Third, there have been significant relative adjustments within the industrial sector, as labour productivity increased more in less productive sectors. Since the crisis, relative unit labour costs have also adjusted considerably, as less competitive sectors experienced larger labour force reductions. Fourth, international competitiveness — as measured by revealed comparative advantage — remains limited to a small number of sectors that mainly produce primary commodities (particularly hydrocarbons) and energy-intensive basic goods. And finally, there has been a tendency for further specialisation in resource-based exports in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an in-depth analysis of Russia's post-crisis growth, with a view to understanding the prospects for its continuation. It examines in detail the chief drivers of growth, as well as the main developments and policies that have been underlying it. A key finding is that the role of the oil sector, and particularly privately owned oil companies, has been vastly more important in driving economic growth from 2001 to 2004 than thus far recognised. The oil sector's contribution to growth has hitherto been severely underestimated because official data do not account for transfer pricing and thus fail to fully reflect the importance of the hydrocarbon sector in the Russian economy. In the light of this finding, this article also assesses the economic impact of the ‘Yukos affair’. Looking forward, it is reasoned that—given its economic structure—Russia is bound to remain a heavily resource-dependent economy for some time to come. The article further argues that, given good macroeconomic management and the avoidance of gross policy errors, Russia could realistically hope to sustain high growth rates over the medium term. However, given current tendencies for greater state involvement in key sectors of the economy, such an outcome is not by any means guaranteed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the dependence of the Russian economy and its post-2000 growth on natural resources, especially hydrocarbons. The rich natural resource endowments of Russia is sometimes viewed as a "curse" that hampers development. The challenges posed by Russia's resource dependence are grave and needs to be overcome. Russia had a resource-based development in recent years. But the last twenty years has shown natural resources as a hurdle to successful development. A priority on good macro-economic management has been placed by Russia's resource dependence.

Categorical comparisons of neuroimaging data suggest that religious experience is cognitively mediated. Cognition involves coordinated integration of large-scale networks. The aim of this study was to distinguish neural networks mediating religious experience. A principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to cerebral blood flow data of a Christian religious experience and a happy emotion. Differences in variance patterns (PCs) were assessed. The religious experience and the emotion were distinguished by PC9, a neural network that evidenced two forms of expression: One involved prefrontal structures, which participate in social-relational cognition and which were shown previously to correlate with the religious state. Another involved cortical areas important for emotion-related language processing, reward, and action preparation. The results suggest that an essential dimension of religious experience involves social-relational cognition, mediated by a specific neocortical network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the proposals for reform in the natural gas industry in Russia. Increase transparency in the sector and transfer regulatory functions performed by Gazprom to the state; Continuation of increases in domestic gas tariff; Importance of cost-effective pricing of gas on the domestic market in securing the industry's future.

Using a panel of 77 Russian regions we investigate the reasons behind large differences in regional growth performance for the period from the start of transition to the 1998 crisis. We consider politico-institutional characteristics, indicators of regional economic reform and initial conditions (including economic, geographical and structural features). Surprisingly, differences in institutional characteristics or economic reform explain relatively little of the observed difference in regional growth performance. For example, we find no evidence that a region's economic performance has been influenced by the political orientation of its leaders, or the political preferences of the population. In contrast, a region's initial industrial structure, as well as its natural and human resource endowments, had a large impact on its economic growth performance during the 1990s. It is important to note that our findings should not be interpreted as saying that reform in transition countries is generally less important than initial conditions, nor that reform in Russia was not or is not needed. Our focus on Russian regions captures only the aspects of reform that have (or have not) been initiated in the regions, and thus does not take into account the large—and arguably more important — part of the changes that have been undertaken at the national level. However, our study shows that regional differences in reform played a minor role in determining the relative economic performance of Russian regions in the 1990s, especially when compared with the impact of the initial conditions in which regions found themselves at the beginning of the transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive immune signaling can be coupled to stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK)/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and NF-κB activation by the hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a mammalian hematopoiesis-specific Ste20 kinase. To gain insight into the regulation of leukocyte signal transduction, we investigated the molecular details of HPK1 activation. Here we demonstrate the capacity of the Src family kinase Lck and the SLP-76 family adaptor protein Clnk (cytokine-dependent hematopoietic cell linker) to induce HPK1 tyrosine phosphorylation and relocation to the plasma membrane, which in lymphocytes results in recruitment of HPK1 to the contact site of antigen-presenting cell (APC)-T-cell conjugates. Relocation and clustering of HPK1 cause its enzymatic activation, which is accompanied by phosphorylation of regulatory sites in the HPK1 kinase activation loop. We show that full activation of HPK1 is dependent on autophosphorylation of threonine 165 and phosphorylation of serine 171, which is a target site for protein kinase D (PKD) in vitro. Upon T-cell receptor stimulation, PKD robustly augments HPK1 kinase activity in Jurkat T cells and enhances HPK1-driven SAPK/JNK and NF-κB activation; conversely, antisense down-regulation of PKD results in reduced HPK1 activity. Thus, activation of major lymphocyte signaling pathways via HPK1 involves (i) relocation, (ii) autophosphorylation, and (iii) transphosphorylation of HPK1 by PKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two series of dicopper(II) complexes derived from bis( N- salicylidine)dicarboxylic acid dihydrazides (H 4 L n ) of general formula [Cu 2 (L n )· x H 2 O]· y H 2 O and [Cu 2 (H 2 L n )Cl 2 · x H 2 O]· y H 2 O have been synthesized and characterized, where n refers to the number of carbon atoms in the aliphatic spacer between the two N- salicylideneacylhydrazine units. Magnetic susceptibility measurements for neutral dicopper(II) complexes [Cu 2 (L n )· x H 2 O]· y H 2 O indicate significant antiferromagnetic coupling between copper(II) centers. The -2 J values obtained from the Bleany-Bowers equation are within the range 121-223 cm -1 , suggesting association of the coordinated copper(II) units Cu(ONO) via phenoxy bridges. This leads to a polynuclear structure in which the dimeric units are connected with the aliphatic spacer. From the best-fit values of the mole fraction of paramagnetic uncoupled copper(II) centers ( ρ ), the degree of association in these polynuclear copper(II) complexes has been estimated. The chloro dicopper(II) complexes [Cu 2 (H 2 L n )Cl 2 · x H 2 O]· y H 2 O with n = 0, 2 and 3 also show strong antiferromagnetic exchange coupling (-2 J = 215-423 cm -1 ), suggesting a polynuclear structure in which the copper(II) is in a distorted square-pyramidal environment, bound in the equatorial plane with a monoanionic ONO tridentate acylhydrazone unit and the μ-phenoxy oxygen and the axial site occupied by a chloride. The dicopper(II) complexes with n = 1 and 4 show weak antiferromagnetic exchange coupling (-2 J = 16-20 cm -1 ). In these complexes the chloride ion may occupy the fourth equatorial site while the μ-phenoxy is in the apical position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we investigate the role both the old large enterprises sector and the new SME sector have played during transition in Romania. In the first part, based on micro data for the large SOE sector, we document how heavily loss-making enterprises have been able to survive for a decade, through initially direct and later increasingly indirect subsidies from the state. We show concretely how the 'survival of the unfittest' has led to the emergence of pervasive chains of arrears in the economy, with large negative consequences not only for the budget and state-owned energy suppliers but also for general economic efficiency. We thus show that the lagging privatisation of large SOEs has had negative systemic effects on the Romanian economy, well beyond the question of increased enterprise efficiency. In the second part we show that--in spite of the drain of resources from the large SOEs and a difficult business climate--a sector of SMEs has emerged that has been the main contributor to employment and export growth in recent years. However, the development of the SME sector has been severely constrained by the aforementioned negative forces, as documented by its underdevelopment in comparison with those of other Eastern European transition countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactions of 2-hydroxyimino-1-methylpropylidene (acetyl-) and (benzoylhydrazine) with copper(II) chloride, nitrate and acetate were studied. Three types of copper(II) complexes of general formula [Cu(H[sub 2]L)C1[sub 2]], [{Cu(HL)}[sub 2]]-2NO[sub 3].nH[sub 2]0 and [{Cu(L)}[sub 2]], where H[sub 2]L, HL, and L refer, respectively, to the neutral, monoanionic and dianionic ONN tridentate acylhydrazoneoxime ligands, were isolated and characterized. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements for [Cu(H[sub 2]L)C1[sub 2]] suggest Curie Weiss behavior. Both [{Cu(HL)}[sub 2]].2NO[sub 3].nH[sub 2]0 and [{Cu(L)}[sub 2]] show strong antiferromagnetic exchange coupling with 2J values of 898 934 and 718 757cm ⊃1 respectively, indication dimeric structures with oximate bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the new environmental policy instruments in Germany as of March 2003. Pros and cons of tradable permits debated by environmental economists in the country; Institutional structures of the German environmental policy; Description of the environmental regulatory style.

Discusses the evolution of new environmental policy instruments (NEPI), as of March 2003. Factors associated with the traditional regulation of NEPI; Influence of the European Union on the introduction of NEPI; Reasons for the growth of domestic political support for environmental policy.

Focuses on the adoption of new environmental policy instruments (NEPI) in Great Britain as of March 2003. Description of the environmental policy structures; Reasons for the adoption of NEPI; Discussion on policy contents.

Presents a study which dealt with the adoption of new environmental policy instruments (NEPI) in Austria. Structures of the Austrian environmental policy; Characterization of the environmental regulatory style; Reasons for the adoption of NEPI.

Discusses the creation of environmental policy instruments (NEPI), including eco-taxes, voluntary agreements and informational devices. Popularity of NEPI; Types of publication that dominated literature on comparative politics; Discussion on the perceived strengths of NEPI.

Presents a study which examined the new environmental policy instruments (NEPI) in the Netherlands. Integration of various regulations and license specification in the legal framework of the environmental policy; Factors that influenced the adoption of NEPI.

Examines Germans' confidence in the core institutions of the democratic state and the rule of law a decade into Germany's unification. Three models of institutional trust examined; Survey results on the meaning of institutional trust; Correlation of the level of trust in the East with views about Germany's existing constitution; Overview of citizens' socialist ideals, their post-material values and their religiosity; Multivariate analysis of factors influencing institutional trust.

Discusses the use of evidence in the 18th century to explore the reliability and validity of statements in science and philosophy. Two ways to obtain evidence; Details on the theory of evidence.

The Commission's Auto - Oil I Programme was initially hailed as a model for future environmental legislation. It constituted a departure from previous European Union car emission policy - making based on the incremental tightening of car emission limits in line with the advancement of the best available technology. The Auto - Oil I Programme was developed within a 'tripartite dialogue' between the Commission and the automobile and oil industries. It aimed at achieving environmental quality objectives through the adoption of the most cost - effective regulation. This article explains why the Commission's 'new approach' was rejected by the Environmental Council and the European Parliament which adopted significantly more stringent standards within the codecision procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consider a joint quantum state of a system and its environment. A measurement on the environment induces a decomposition of the system state. Using algorithmic information theory, we define the preparation information of a pure or mixed state in a given decomposition. We then define an optimal decomposition as a decomposition for which the average preparation information is minimal. The average preparation information for an optimal decomposition characterizes the system-environment correlations. We discuss properties and applications of the concepts introduced above and give several examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses an under-researched outcome of occupational stress, namely the frequency of accidents at work and car accidents. A large, random sample of 778 vets and their auxiliary personnel was assessed in relation to socio-demographic variables, work perception and accident involvement. The study, involving veterinary practices in Germany, revealed that work-related injuries/accidents experienced during the previous 12-month period were significantly related to individual differences in job-related stress and job satisfaction. The average yearly number of car accidents was predicted by age, working climate and job satisfaction. Furthermore, driving accidents going to or from work during the previous year were calculated against distance travelled. Vets working in excess of 48 h/week displayed significantly more driving accidents when visiting clients. Results indicate heterogeneous correlations both between and within the two categories of car and work accidents, suggesting that these are different phenomena, each with its own associated personal and work factors. Results also suggest that work perceptions may act as intermediary influences on accident rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a general method for constructing pure-product-state representations for density operators of N quantum bits. If such a representation has non-negative expansion coefficients, it provides an explicit separable ensemble for the density operator. We derive the condition for separability of a mixture of the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state with the maximally mixed state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a theoretical and empirical reassessment of supermultiplier theory. First, we show that, as a result of the passive role it assigns to investment, the Sraffian supermultiplier predicts that the rate of utilization leads the investment share in a dampened cycle or equivalently that a convergent cyclical motion in the utilization-investment share plane would be counter-clockwise. Second, impulse response functions from standard recursive Vector Autoregressions for post-war US samples strongly indicate that the investment share leads the rate of utilization, or that these cycles are clockwise. These results raise questions about the key mechanism underlying supermultiplier theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our article on ‘The Sraffian supermultiplier and cycles’ provides evidence that aggregate investment in the post-war US leads the cycle. Summa, Petrini and Texeira's reply shows that only residential investment leads, whereas business investment lags the cycle. Their results could be interpreted to support supermultiplier theory. In this rejoinder, we argue that key problems and questions remain, chief among them excessively strong assumptions. Residential investment cannot plausibly be seen as autonomous, and business investment cannot plausibly be seen as fully induced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the colonization of New Zealand from Great Britain in the early 1700s. Reference to the publication on the second volume of `Voyage autour du monde...sur la corvette La Coquille by Rene-Primevers Lesson; Detailed information on the story of the Scottish gentleman who migrated to New Zealand in 1782; Information on Lesson's accounts of his visit to New Zealand in 1824, which was edited by Andrew Sharp.

Focuses on the concentration of melatonin before and after transfer of cells to cyst-inducing photoperiodic and temperature conditions. Identification of the metabolites 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MT); Maintenance of the circadian rhythmicity of melatonin; Measurement of the concentrations of 5-MT.

Profiles Field Marshal Gunther von Kluge. His relationship with Hitler; Reason his leadership qualities and operational talent were undisputed; Career.

This article presents information related to opening up trade with Mexico. Both the United States and Mexico would benefit greatly from immediate liberalization of trade between the two countries. They have tended to regard the opening up of trade with Mexico as a threat. But they have failed to see the advantages of Mexico as a market. There is already proof of these advantages. Over the past three years, Mexico has unilaterally liberalized trade with the United States. As a result, the exports have risen sharply over the last two years, increasing by $l0 billion. For Mexico, an ambitious trade deal could become the lever for the return of as much as $50 billion in flight capital that is sitting in Miami, Brownsville and Switzerland eagerly awaiting the final signal to go home. A trade pact could also create jobs and bring in needed foreign exchange that has been limited by our barriers to Mexico's exports. A trade pact could also create jobs and bring in needed foreign exchange that has been limited by the barriers to Mexico's exports.

Mexico's new president, Carlos Salinas, and his economic team face a formidable challenge. They have to move the country on a narrow path to restore growth without reigniting inflation and risking financial instability. The degree of financial instability is greater than anything Mexico has experienced in the postwar period. After six years of crisis and adjustment, the room for mistakes has become very small. The budget has been revised in a significant shift toward conservative economic policy that recognizes the precariousness of the situation. Two key policy issues present themselves today: (1) how to shift from a program of incomes policy to a more market-oriented policy without risk of renewed exchange crises; and (2) how to make debt service and growth compatible. Keeping inflation in check depends critically on the budget. The strong budget improvement of the past few years solves the most difficult problem for stabilization based on incomes policy. The debt and growth issue centers on the fact that large net resource transfers outward have been the rule in recent years and they have come at the expense of growth.

The article discusses the economic crisis of Peru and the reforms introduced to overcome the crisis. The deterioration of economic performance with declining per-capita incomes, explosive inflation, and real wage cutting makes Peru ungovernable. During 1950s and 1960s, Peru experienced significant growth of real per-capita income and moderate inflation. The most widely noted measure of the Alan Gracia, Peruvian president is the limitation of external debt service to 10 percent of exports. The quality of Peruvian debt, has steadily declined since 1985. The immediate priority for the Garcia Administration was to introduce a "heterodox" program of stabilization, inflation reduction via income policy combined with a massive reactivation of the economy. Inflation was also a result of the massive increase in the budget deficit, the policy of subsidies, and the extraordinary decline in real tax collection increased the budget deficit. The Peruvian economy is expected to move in three directions. The first possibility is a draconian stabilization, the second possibility is a gradual stabilization, supported by increased tax compliance, exchange rate reform, and external support from improved export prices, and the third way, is a gradual but accelerating disintegration of the Peruvian economy.

There is a striking difference in European and U.S. employment performance. Since 1976, European employment has been flat or even falling, while employment in the U.S. is on the rise. Surely the 1979-1982 period of slack caused employment to stagnate, but since then the steady rise has resumed. The growth in employment has a counterpart in the behavior of unemployment rates- European unemployment averaged 4 percent during 1969-1979, 8.8 percent in 1980-84, and now stands at 11 percent. The U.S., too, has experienced deterioration in the performance of unemployment, though to a much lesser extent. The rate averaged 5.9 percent during 1969-79, employment, which between 1980 and 1985 increased from 14 to 22 percent of the youth labor force. In the U.S. by contrast, the youth unemployment rate declined over this period. Thus, despite a much larger increase in the labor force, the U.S. has done significantly better at keeping unemployment down. Three basic hypotheses have been advanced to explain the poor European employment performance and the rise in unemployment. They are: classical unemployment resulting from excessive real wages; deterioration in nonwage contract terms; and Keynesian unemployment resulting from lack of aggregate demand.

The article presents information on the economic conditions in Argentina. The author says that Argentina's economy has been going downhill for decades. There have been 40 Central Bank Presidents in the past 40 years, countless finance ministers and even more stabilization programs than military coups. Income per capita today is less than it was 15 years ago and educated people are emigrating at an alarming rate. Another $3 billion tinder the mattress. Argentina demonstrates that when bad economics is practiced too long it actuality puts into question the ability of a country's political and social institutions to survive. Raul Alfonsin was elected in Fall 1983 in a landslide vote for stability. Until June the government had tried to stabilize the economy using gradualism. But high real interest rates provoked a sharp slide in industrial production and did not restrain accelerating inflation. The loss of confidence in a gradualist policy, and an unwillingness to accept International Monetary Fund (IMF) austerity per se, led to the conception of the Austral Plan in 1985. The plan strikes an ingenious balance between the fundamentals of monetary and fiscal austerity, and the pragmatism that is absent from IMF-style programs.

The article discusses the international debt problem with a special focus on Latin American countries. According to the author, the U.S. has been muddling through spawned siege economies, depression, and resentment. U.S. needs to import Latin American goods, cut interest costs on their debt, and push for exchange rates that aid real growth. He gives several reasons for caution. First, U.S. macroeconomic policies continue to aggravate the debt problems. Second, U.S. commercial policies and Latin American economic concerns about the debtors' policies are entirely inconsistent with a satisfactory solution to the debt problem. Third, International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies in some countries, notably Brazil, have been poor; they have moved that nation into deeper economic trouble and further from a medium-term ability to service its debt under conditions of social and economic stability. Fourth, it is not in the Latin America's interest to seek the full payment of bank debt. The United States has strongly supported the stability programs for Latin America led by the IMF. These programs have mostly emphasized monetary and fiscal tightening, not taking into account economic institutions. INSET: The Latin American Debt Problem in Historical Perspective.