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Over the past two decades, high-dose salvage re-irradiation (re-RT) has been used increasingly in the multimodality management of adults with recurrent/progressive diffuse glioma. Several factors that determine outcomes following re-RT have been incorporated into prognostic models to guide patient selection. We aimed to develop a novel four-tiered prognostic model incorporating relevant molecular markers from our single-institutional cohort of patients treated with high-dose salvage re-RT for recurrent/progressive diffuse glioma.Various patient, disease, and treatment-related factors impacting upon survival following salvage re-RT were identified through univariate analysis. Each of these prognostic factors was further subdivided and assigned scores of 0 (low-risk), 1 (intermediate-risk), or 2 (high-risk). Scores from individual prognostic factors were added to derive the cumulative score (ranging from 0 to 16), with increasing scores indicating worsening prognosis.A total of 111 adults with recurrent/progressive diffuse glioma treated with salvage high-dose re-RT were included. We could assign patients into four prognostic subgroups (A=15 patients, score 0-3); (B=50 patients, score 4-7); (C=33 patients, score 8-10); and (D=13 patients, score 11-16) with completely non-overlapping survival curves suggesting the good discriminatory ability. Post-re-RT survival was significantly higher in Group A compared to groups B, C, and D, respectively (stratified log-rank p-value0.0001).There exists a lack of universally acceptable 'standard-of-care' salvage therapy for recurrent/progressive diffuse glioma. A novel four-tiered prognostic scoring system incorporating traditional factors as well as relevant molecular markers is proposed for selecting patients appropriately for high-dose salvage re-RT that warrants validation in a non-overlapping cohort.

To carry out a comprehensive critical appraisal of image-guided intensity-modulated proton therapy practice for craniospinal irradiation (CSI).An image-guided intensity-modulated proton therapy database of 45 consecutive paediatric patients with central nervous system embryonal malignancies treated between January 2019 and April 2022 were critically appraised for demography, diagnosis, treatment planning strategy and treatment delivery accuracy.Most patients (median age: 7.5 years; male:female ratio: 34:11) had medulloblastoma (56%), followed by recurrent ependymoma (19%), pinealoblastoma (5%), germ cell (5%) and others (15%). The dose to the planning target volume-craniospinal (PTV-CS; length 39.06-79.59 cm) varied from 21 to 35 GyRBE, whereas the combined median dose to craniospinal and boost was 54 GyRBE. In all patients, the 95% isodose line covered the cribriform plate completely and optic nerves mostly, with a median V95% of 100% and 82.96%, keeping Dmax to the lens3.9 GyRBE. In skeletally immature patients (88.38%), the anterior vertebral body was completely covered in 18.18% and underdosed in 70.15% of the cases, resulting in a median Dmean of 10.11 GyRBE to the oesophagus. Lateral spine coverage was maintained on the edges of the vertebral body in 52.2%, whereas it extended beyond in 48.8%. The median V98% for clinical target volumes and V95% for PTVs of the brain, spine and craniospinal were97%, with excellent conformity (0.89) and homogeneity (0.07) indices for PTV-CS. All neurological organs at risk received a median Dmax ranging from 36 to 44 GyRBE from the combined CSI and boost regimens. Analysis of patient-specific quality assurance results revealed that 545 (97.67%) planar dosage verification had gamma (3% at 3 mm) values95%. The online patient set-up verification showed translational and rotational deviation within 2 mm and 0.5° in 88-94% and 97% of the cases. Systematic and random error were within 0.90 mm and 1.71 mm in translation and 0.1° and 0.2° in rotation.A change in practice pattern was observed. The findings from our comprehensive critical appraisal add to the growing library of CSI practice and may serve as a reference for inter-institutional comparison.

This paper aims to identify a monetary policy framework suitable for a small open economy characterized by financial vulnerability, a high exchange rate pass-through, a procyclical fiscal policy, and terms of trade volatility. Based on a New Keynesian DSGE model adapted to include these characteristics, we compare policy evaluations of two different monetary policy regimes (standard inflation targeting and real exchange rage targeting) to find out which policy regime is superior in terms of welfare loss and macroeconomic stability. Model parameters are estimated through Bayesian methods using quarterly data for the Iranian economy during 1990–2017 period. It is found that under the above setting, inclusion of real exchange rate in a broader inflation-targeting framework is the superior policy arrangement, particularly when fiscal policy is procyclical. We explain why under the presence of financial vulnerability departure from free floating is the appropriate policy and reaction to real exchange rate movements is warranted based on welfare and stability criteria, hence the “fear of floating” is rationalized. It is also shown that implementation of a fiscal rule to control procyclicality presents the monetary authority a less-costly policy trade-off.

In this study, the interaction of Tetranitrocarbazole (TNC) with six various carbon-based nanostructures including carbon nanotubes, graphene, carbon nanocones and three fullerenes (C20, C24 and C60) was investigated by Density functional theory (DFT). The calculated adsorption energies, Gibbs free energy changes, enthalpy variations and thermodynamic equilibrium constants revealed that the adsorption of TNC is exothermic process, spontaneous, one-sided, non-equilibrium and experimentally feasible on the surface of all of the studied nano-adsorbents except carbon nanotube. The increasing of N–O and C–NO2 bond lengths after reacting with nano-substituents proved that the energetic and explosive properties of TNC has defused significantly. The computed density values substantiated the detonation pressure and explosive velocity of TNC have improved after adsorbing on the surface of C20.Some frontier molecular orbital parameters such as band gap, chemical hardness, electrophilicity, chemical potential and charge capacity were also studied and the results showed that C20 is an ideal candidate for being used as a sensing material in the construction of TNC conductometric sensor. Graphenecould also be utilized as an electroactive sensing material in the development of TNC selective potentiometric electrodes.

The efficient use of water should involve decisions for balancing green water (GW) and blue water (BW) use for sustainable development. More specifically, the focus of irrigation water management should be redirected from a BW perspective toward considering the full water balance, including GW flow. This study presents a modelling approach in a system dynamic platform for minimizing the BW to GW ratio in a water basin while maximizing total agricultural profit. The paper considers the compromise between any reduction in the GW to BW ratio and the possible changes in the economic achievement of the region through varying land use and cropping patterns. This paper explores and presents the possibilities of reducing the BW to GW ratio in the Zarrinehrud River-basin for moderate, dry, and wet years using the water footprint concept. Results show that under all combinations of economic objective and BW to GW ratio addressed by water footprint measures, the hydro-economic performance of the river basin may substantially be improved as compared with the current practice. Either weights may systematically be changed or multiple objective optimization algorithms may be employed if a more precise tradeoff between the objectives is needed.

In the present work, experimental and simulation investigations have been conducted on the pressurized ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization (UAOD) of kerosene using a direct probe sonicator system. The effects of various operating parameters including pressure, ultrasonic power, and sonication time on the performance of UAOD process have been examined. The Box– Behnken design as a subset of the response surface methodology (RSM) has been employed to find the optimum conditions and to analyze the effects of different operating parameters on the performance of UAOD process. 96% sulfur removal of kerosene was achieved using operating pressure of 0.03 barg, ultrasound power of 390 W, and sonication time of 22 min followed by liquid–liquid extraction. In addition, calorimetric tests have been carried out to determine the acoustic pressure amplitude at the tip of the probe. Pressure distribution and velocity magnitude of the system obtained by computational fluid dynamic (CFD) was in agreement with the calorimetric and experimental analysis results.

In this contribution, we present a review of scientific research results that address seismo-hydromechanically coupled processes relevant for the development of a sustainable heat exchanger in low-permeability crystalline rock and introduce the design of the In situ Stimulation and Circulation (ISC) experiment at the Grimsel Test Site dedicated to studying such processes under controlled conditions. The review shows that research on reservoir stimulation for deep geothermal energy exploitation has been largely based on laboratory observations, large-scale projects and numerical models. Observations of full-scale reservoir stimulations have yielded important results. However, the limited access to the reservoir and limitations in the control on the experimental conditions during deep reservoir stimulations is insufficient to resolve the details of the hydromechanical processes that would enhance process understanding in a way that aids future stimulation design. Small-scale laboratory experiments provide fundamental insights into various processes relevant for enhanced geothermal energy, but suffer from (1) difficulties and uncertainties in upscaling the results to the field scale and (2) relatively homogeneous material and stress conditions that lead to an oversimplistic fracture flow and/or hydraulic fracture propagation behavior that is not representative of a heterogeneous reservoir. Thus, there is a need for intermediate-scale hydraulic stimulation experiments with high experimental control that bridge the various scales and for which access to the target rock mass with a comprehensive monitoring system is possible. The ISC experiment is designed to address open research questions in a naturally fractured and faulted crystalline rock mass at the Grimsel Test Site (Switzerland). Two hydraulic injection phases were executed to enhance the permeability of the rock mass. During the injection phases the rock mass deformation across fractures and within intact rock, the pore pressure distribution and propagation, and the microseismic response were monitored at a high spatial and temporal resolution.

This paper presents a verified model of weakly non-linear wave sloshing in shallow basins, based on level I Green–Naghdi (GN) mass and momentum equations derived for mild-sloped beds. The model is verified for sloshing of an initially sinusoidal free surface perturbation in a square tank with a horizontal bed. The model is also used to investigate free surface sloshing of an initial Gaussian hump in closed square basins, over horizontal and non-uniform bed topographies. Analysis of the free surface slosh motions demonstrates that the model gives predictions in satisfactory agreement with the analytical solution of linearised shallow water theory obtained by Lamb. Discrepancies between GN predictions and linear analytical solutions arise from the effect of wave non-linearities arising from the wave amplitude itself and wave–wave interactions.

In the present work, ultrasound assisted oxidative desulfurization (UAOD) of gas oil as the feedstock with sulfur content of 2210 ppmw was investigated using a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and formic acid as the oxidant and catalyst, respectively. The influences of main process variables such as sonication time (2–30 min), oxidation temperature (40–70 °C), hydrogen peroxide to sulfur molar ratio (10–50), formic acid to oxidant molar ratio (2–4), ultrasound power per gas oil volume (5.56–8.89 W/mL), and number of extraction stages (1–4) on the sulfur removal of gas oil were investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box–Behnken design (BBD) and single-factor experiments were employed. The best performance of UAOD process for gas oil was achieved at 50 °C of reaction temperature, oxidant to sulfur molar ratio of 46.36, formic acid to oxidant molar ratio of 3.22, sonication time of 19.81 min, and 7.78 W/mL as the ultrasound power per gas oil volume. The sulfur removal of UAOD process was evaluated after oxidation under the abovementioned conditions followed by (a) one stage extraction and (b) four stages extraction using acetonitrile as solvent. The observed sulfur removal was 87 for case (a) and 96.2% for case (b). The UAOD process was also compared with conventional ODS process. Considerable improvement on the sulfur removal was observed specially in lower reaction time in the case of using ultrasound irradiation in comparison with conventional mixing.

Floods have various impacts, including loss of life and damage to property. Flood- management reservoirs can help mitigate floods, but their operation can also worsen flood impacts. This paper presents a novel forensic engineering approach to assess the role of reservoir operation on flood control. Fourteen criteria are employed for assessing forecast-based prereleases of water from reservoir storage to reduce the impact of flooding. The proposed approach is applied for forensic assessment of the system performance of reservoirs during the large flood of 2019 in southwestern Iran (the Great Karun Basin). The two main study areas are in the sub-basins of Karun and Dez. Results concerning two key performance criteria (the peak discharge reduction (PDR) and flood volume reduction (FVR)) show the PDR criterion in the Karun sub-basin multi-reservoir system reached about 79% (where 100% is the theoretically best performance) under historic operations (actual operating conditions in 2019), and improved from 8 to 19% if various prerelease operations were made. The FVR achieved about 33% in the historical situation and improved from 20 to 59% under prerelease operations scenarios, respectively. The PDR criterion achieved 26% under the historical scenario, but with better operation could exceed 55% in the Dez sub-basin multi-reservoir system, whereas FVR was as low as 11% in 2019 but could be raised to between 15 and 25% under prerelease operations. This forensic work’s assessments establish that improved reservoir operation could be achieved by applying specialized operation approaches.

Background: Adjuvant trastuzumab has improved overall survival in women with HER2 receptor positive breast cancer. However, only a small fraction (4%) of eligible patients in resource constrained settings have access to this drug. A patient assistance program of 12 weeks of adjuvant or neoadjuvant trastuzumab was thus started for those who did not have any access to trastuzumab due to financial constraints. We undertook a retrospective analysis of outcomes in women who were enrolled between January 2011 to December 2012 in this patient assistance program. Methods: Patients received four cycles of anthracycline based chemotherapy (AC/CAF/ EC/CEF) and 12 doses of weekly paclitaxel (80mg/m2) with trastuzumab (4mg/kg loading followed by 2mg/kg) in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting in either sequence (anthracycline followed by taxane trastuzumab or taxane trastuzumab followed by anthracycline). Patients received adjuvant hormonal therapy depending on the hormone receptor status. The primary endpoint of this analysis was disease free survival (DFS). Results: A total of 103 patients with HER2 receptor positive breast cancer were analysed. The median age was 46 (24-65) years, 50% were premenopausal, 60.7% had stage III disease (86.8% had node positive disease) and 37% patients had ER and or PR positive disease. Forty patients (38.8%) had breast conserving surgery while the rest had modified radical mastectomy. At a median follow-up of 34 (7-46) months the 3-year DFS and overall survival was 77.2% and 82.7% respectively. Among patients who developed recurrence one had only local recurrence, 4 had both local and distant recurrence and 11 had distant metastasis alone. Of the 15 patients who developed distant metastasis 7 had brain involvement . Symptomatic cardiac dysfunction developed in four patients, two of whom died while in the other 2 ejection fraction recovered. The results are summarised in the table. Patient Characteristic and outcome with 12 weks of adjuvant or neoadjuvant TrastuzumabNumber of PatientsNode Positive (%)Hormone Positive (%)DFS at 3 yearsOS at 3 yearsBrain Mets(%)Grade 3/4 Cardiac Toxicity(%)10386.83777.282.76.83.9 Conclusions: These results suggest that 12 weeks of neoadjuvant or adjuvant trastuzumab is an acceptable alternative in patients who lack access to full 1 year of trastuzumab. Citation Format: Ghosh J, Joy Phillip DS, Ghosh J, Gupta S, Bajpai J, Gulia S, Parmar V, Nair N, Budrukkar AN, Jalali R, Desai SB, Sawant S, Dhir AA, Kembhavi S, Hawaldar R, Banavali SD, Badwe RA. Outcome with use of 12 weeks of adjuvant or neoadjuvant trastuzumab in a resource constrained setting. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-14-07.

Purpose: To assess the selection of the minimal vertex beam angle for the avoidance of organs at risk (OARs) in radiotherapy planning of braintumors.Methods: Seventy patients with intracranial tumors were studied. Three field conformal plans with co‐planar or non co‐planar beam arrangements with an anterior vertex beam were used. Two methods were studied for determining the vertex angle for avoidance of eye as organ at risk. In the standard technique, the beam's eye view (BEV) was used to determine need of vertex beam. For the vertex beam, the angle was approximated to avoid eyes. In the second method, the angle from the baseplate to the posterior surface of the head and the angle from the posterior surface of the head to the inferior‐most extent of the head were measured from sagital view. The minimum vertex angle required was calculated as the complement of the sum of these angles. The dose volume histogram parameters were maintained. Results: Depending on the spatial location of the planning target volume with reference to the eyes, patients were classified into 4 types: no overlap; overlap with eye anteriorly; overlap with eye posteriorly, overlap with eye anteriorly and posteriorly. No additional angulation, positive vertex and negative vertex angles were needed for type 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The angle subtended by the isocenter to the neck rest apex was the required vertex angle for type 4. Of the 36 type 2, 3 and 4 patients the planned vertex angle was more than the calculated vertex angle by over 5 degrees in 10 patients, and less by over 5 degrees in 4 patients. Conclusions: A simple method for deriving the minimal vertex beam angle for OAR avoidance in radiotherapy planning of intracranial tumors was described and validated.

Increases in greenhouse gases emissions have encouraged the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. This paper investigates the potential of wind energy as a renewable resource for producing agricultural water in Eghlid city, Iran. The purpose of the optimization model herein considered is to maximize the net benefit from crop production by selecting an optimal cropping pattern. This paper’s results demonstrate that wind energy can be efficiently applied to provide irrigation water and optimize cropping patterns. Specifically, the application of wind energy to withdraw irrigation water increases agricultural production benefits in the amount of 1,254 million Rials (US$45,000).

This study identifies multiple copies of the AML1 gene on a duplicated chromosome 21, dup(21), as a recurrent abnormality in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Clusters of AML1 signals were visible at interphase by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). In metaphase, they appeared tandemly duplicated on marker chromosomes of five distinct morphological types: large or small acrocentrics, metacentrics, submetacentrics or rings. The markers comprised only chromosome 21 material. Karyotypes were near-diploid and, besides dup(21), no other established chromosomal changes were observed. A total of 20 patients, 1.5 and

The Ramey (1993) method (label here “Blocked Effect Approach”) is widely used in the empirical papers on monetary policy transmission mechanism channels. Its broad application is due to the relatively simple way, providing a criteria for identifying monetary transmission channels. In doing so it imposes too many restrictions on the parameters of the underlying VAR system, typically used for this type of empirical analysis. However, “blocked effect approach” may not coincide with the theoretical restrictions required by a proper definition of a monetary transmission channel. In this paper an attempt is made to define a statistical procedure to remedy certain shortcomings of this method. This modification also relaxes the unnecessary restriction and direct to a more precise measurement of channel strength. Finally we apply this method to credit channel of monetary policy transmission in the US economy. The modified blocked effect can distinguish channel strength between different variables in different sub-sample periods. Our empirical results show that it is an active channel of monetary policy; it effect output in the short-run and inflation with 12 quarters lag.

CLIN-NEURO-COGNITIVE NC-02. ASSESSING NEURO-COGNITIVE STATUS IN NEWLY PRESENTING PATIENTS WITH SUPRATENTORIAL INTRACRANIAL TUMOURS. Jennifer L. Scotland1, Ian R. Whittle1, and Ian J. Deary2; University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Dept. of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom INTRODUCTION: Neurocognitive endpoints are increasingly included in clinical trials in neuro-oncological settings (Meyers & Brown, 2006). There is a need to identify short, repeatable measures of cognition that are sensitive to impairment in this group. Previous authors have proposed such batteries. METHODS: Newly presenting patients with a radiological diagnosis of any intracranial tumour (n 1⁄4 118) were assessed, prior to any surgical intervention, on a number of standardised cognitive and other measures as part of a larger study (Scotland et al., 2012). Their performance was compared with that of patients admitted for elective spinal surgery (n 1⁄4 85) and a healthy control group (n 1⁄4 80). RESULTS: Analysis of covariance compared the performance of the three groups. Age, sex, and National Adult Reading Test score (used to assess premorbid function) were the covariates. Patients with intracranial tumours performed significantly worse on the majority of the tests. The intracranial tumour cohort had significantly lower scores than did the spinal surgery and healthy control groups on the following measures: immediate and delayed memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, RAVLT; p , 0.001); Trail Making Test Part B (p , 0.001); digit-symbol coding (p , 0.001); and verbal fluency (Controlled Oral Word Association Test, COWAT; p 1⁄4 0.002 and p , 0.001, respectively). There was a moderate-to-large effect size in the participant group for all tests. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: The RAVLT, Trail Making Test Part B, and COWAT are sensitive measures of cognitive impairment in patients with brain tumours and support Meyers & Brown’s (2006) proposal for the inclusion of these tests in clinical trials that have neurocognitive endpoints. The verbal fluency test, in particular, has a number of potential advantages for use in neuro-oncological settings, given that it can be completed by patients with focal motor deficits and is available in alternate forms to reduce practice effects. NC-03. A STANDARD NEUROLINGUISTIC APPROACH TO

Groundwater aquifers are key sources of water in arid and semiarid regions. Fossil fuels are commonly used to power water-well pumps. The adverse effects of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use have led to the search for alternative clean energy sources to extract groundwater. A key factor in assessing the viability of wind energy use in groundwater extraction is the safe yield of groundwater production that can be derived by using windmills to power water wells. This paper presents and tests simulation and optimization models developed to estimate the safe yield of groundwater production derivable from the joint application of wind energy to water extraction and water storage for irrigation.

Valve and pump shut-off in water pipeline systems lead to transient flow. This flow is a complex phenomenon and is potentially a very serious problem causing extra dynamic pressure in the system. Within the last few decades, the evolutionary and meta-heuristic algorithms, such as genetic algorithms, simulated annealing. More recently, however, ant-colony optimization algorithms have received considerable attention. In this paper the procedure and application of the ant-colony optimization algorithm to the design of a water supply pipeline system, considering dynamic pressures arising from valve closure, is presented. A simulation–optimization interaction loop (SOIL) is defined that cycles between the steady-state and transient flow modules to describe the hydraulics of the pipeline and ant colony optimization algorithm. A hydraulic simulation module is coupled with the ant colony optimization algorithm to form an efficient and powerful software program which locates the pumping stations at any possible or predefined locations while optimizing their specifications, along with pipe diameters, at each decision point. The model may equally regard or disregard the dynamic pressures. Two examples are provided to illustrate the proposed methodology which is limited to the solution of any gravity and/or forced water supply pipeline which is typical for water supply systems.

Multi-objective optimization using heuristic methods has been established as a subdiscipline that combines the fields of heuristic computation and classical multiple criteria decision making. This article presents the Non-dominated Archiving Ant Colony Optimization (NA-ACO), which benefits from the concept of a multi-colony ant algorithm and incorporates a new information-exchange policy. In the proposed information-exchange policy, after a given number of iterations, different colonies exchange information on the assigned objective, resulting in a set of non-dominated solutions. The non-dominated solutions are moved into an offline archive for further pheromone updating. Performance of the NA-ACO is tested employing two well-known mathematical multi-objective benchmark problems. The results are promising and compare well with those of well-known NSGA-II algorithms used in real-world multi-objective-optimization problems. In addition, the optimization of reservoir operating policy with multiple objectives...

Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithms are basically developed for discrete optimization and hence their application to continuous optimization problems require the transformation of a continuous search space to a discrete one by discretization of the continuous decision variables. Thus, the allowable continuous range of decision variables is usually discretized into a discrete set of allowable values and a search is then conducted over the resulting discrete search space for the optimum solution. Due to the discretization of the search space on the decision variable, the performance of the ACO algorithms in continuous problems is poor. In this paper a special version of multi-colony algorithm is proposed which helps to generate a non-homogeneous and more or less random mesh in entire search space to minimize the possibility of loosing global optimum domain. The proposed multi-colony algorithm presents a new scheme which is quite different from those used in multi criteria and multi objective problems and parallelization schemes. The proposed algorithm can efficiently handle the combination of discrete and continuous decision variables. To investigate the performance of the proposed algorithm, the well-known multimodal, continuous, nonseparable, nonlinear, and illegal (CNNI) Fletcher–Powell function and complex 10-reservoir problem operation optimization have been considered. It is concluded that the proposed algorithm provides promising and comparable solutions with known global optimum results.

The crude oil price exhibits a high degree of volatility which varies significantly over time. Such characteristics imply that the oil market is a promising area for testing volatility models. Testing and predicting volatility using ARCH and GARCH models have grown in the literature. A useful application of the volatility models is in the formulation of hedging strategies. In this paper we compare the optimal hedge ratio for the crude oil using the classical minimum risk approach and use ARCH to incorporate the effect of heteroskedasticity in the residuals on the hedge ratio. In addition, we test for the existence of a variable risk premium in the crude oil market. We find that, assuming rational expectations, there is a non-zero risk premium. We test for the variability of the risk premia and find evidence in its support when we employed a multivariate GARCH model.

Maintaining a sustainable and relatively high economic growth rate is a major shortand long-term challenge facing Iran. To keep up the growth momentum, Iran not only must replace and upgrade its aging capital equipment in both the oil and non-oil sectors, but also needs to invest heavily in new industries, technology, human capital, and infrastructure. Higher growth is a socially desirable objective since it raises per-capita income, at least in par with middle-income countries, and it provides the material resources for reducing poverty and promoting sustainable human development. Moreover, due to demographic and gender factors, the rate of growth of labor supply in the next decade is expected to be fairly high and a relatively high rate of economic growth is necessary to boost the demand for labor. A rapid population growth at the rate of 2.6 percent per annum increased the population from 26 million in 1966 to nearly 66 million in 2002. Population growth has recently slowed down and is estimated at 1.65 percent for the next decade. Yet, the growth rate of the working-age population will be significantly higher, about 2.6 percent. According to World Bank estimates, by 2010 total population will be 75.9 million. Working-age population will be 51 million compared to an estimated 43 million at the end of 2002. Aside from the population factor, an expected rise in the female labor-force participation rate will significantly increase the number of people looking for work in the near future. Failure to achieve a reasonably robust growth rate can result in higher rates of unemployment and increased incidence of poverty, particularly amongst the younger population, with unpleasant social consequences. While Iran has the economic resources for above-average economic growth rates and the potential to join the rank of high-middle countries like South Korea, it faces many obstacles in reaching this goal. The foundation for social and economic progress is the recognition that individuals have a set of basic social and economic rights which must be acknowledged and protected by legal codes and the justice system. The main policy and governance challenges are the creation of institutions and implementation of measures to reduce uncertainty and transaction costs to promote efficiency and induce greater participation by non-governmental entities. Macroeconomic policies friendly to economic

Conduziu-se o presente trabalho com o objetivo de caracterizar física e quimicamente os frutos da mangaba quando estão "de caída" ou "de vez" e estudar o efeito de diferentes temperaturas de armazenamento sobre a conservação pós-colheita desse fruto. Os frutos foram selecionados e armazenados em câmaras frias nas temperaturas de 6, 18 e 25 ± 2ºC. Durante o período de armazenamento, foram retiradas amostras a cada 1, 3, 5, 7 e 9 dias, para determinações dos teores de vitamina C, pH, acidez titulável e sólidos solúveis (ºBrix), atividade de água, condutividade, resistividade e difusividade. Verificou-se que mangabas de caída apresentaram teores de vitamina C e sólidos solúveis superiores aos frutos "de vez". O armazenamento a 6ºC foi eficiente na manutenção das características físico-químicas de mangabas "de vez", ao passo que, para mangabas "de caída", as características físico-químicas foram mantidas por um período de até três dias, quando submetidas às temperaturas de 18ºC e 25ºC. Observaram-se diminuição da atividade de água e aumento da condutividade térmica da mangaba durante o período de armazenamento refrigerado. Assim, a condutividade térmica, a resistividade e a atividade de água podem ser utilizadas como parâmetros de acompanhamento pós-colheita dos frutos de mangaba, quando armazenados sob refrigeração.The present work had the objective of characterizing physico-chemical parameters of the mangaba fruits, either "fallen" or "of the time", and to study the effect of the storage of mangaba (Hancornia speciosa Gomes) at different temperatures on its postharvest conservation. The fruits were selected and stored in cold chambers at 6, 18 and 25 ± 2ºC. During storage, samples were removed at 3, 5, 7 and 9 days, for determination of vitamin C content, pH, total acidity and soluble solids (ºBrix) content, water activity, conductivity, resistivity and difusivity. It was verified that "fallen" mangabas presented vitamin C and solid soluble contents superior to the "of the time" fruits. The storage at 6ºC was efficient in keeping the physico-chemical properties of "of the time" mangabas, whereas for "fallen" mangabas the physico-chemical properties were maintained for a period of up to three days when submitted to temperatures of 25 and 18ºC. A fall of the water activity and increase of the thermal condutivity of mangaba during the period of cold storage was observed. Thus, the thermal conductivity, the resistivity and the water activity can be used as parameters to follow postharvest fruits of mangaba when stored under refrigeration.

Conduziu-se o presente trabalho com o objetivo de caracterizar física e quimicamente os frutos da mangaba quando estão "de caída" ou "de vez" e estudar o efeito de diferentes temperaturas de armazenamento sobre a conservação pós-colheita desse fruto. Os frutos foram selecionados e armazenados em câmaras frias nas temperaturas de 6, 18 e 25 ± 2ºC. Durante o período de armazenamento, foram retiradas amostras a cada 1, 3, 5, 7 e 9 dias, para determinações dos teores de vitamina C, pH, acidez titulável e sólidos solúveis (ºBrix), atividade de água, condutividade, resistividade e difusividade. Verificou-se que mangabas de caída apresentaram teores de vitamina C e sólidos solúveis superiores aos frutos "de vez". O armazenamento a 6ºC foi eficiente na manutenção das características físico-químicas de mangabas "de vez", ao passo que, para mangabas "de caída", as características físico-químicas foram mantidas por um período de até três dias, quando submetidas às temperaturas de 18ºC e 25ºC. Observaram-se diminuição da atividade de água e aumento da condutividade térmica da mangaba durante o período de armazenamento refrigerado. Assim, a condutividade térmica, a resistividade e a atividade de água podem ser utilizadas como parâmetros de acompanhamento pós-colheita dos frutos de mangaba, quando armazenados sob refrigeração. The present work had the objective of characterizing physico-chemical parameters of the mangaba fruits, either "fallen" or "of the time", and to study the effect of the storage of mangaba (Hancornia speciosa Gomes) at different temperatures on its postharvest conservation. The fruits were selected and stored in cold chambers at 6, 18 and 25 ± 2ºC. During storage, samples were removed at 3, 5, 7 and 9 days, for determination of vitamin C content, pH, total acidity and soluble solids (ºBrix) content, water activity, conductivity, resistivity and difusivity. It was verified that "fallen" mangabas presented vitamin C and solid soluble contents superior to the "of the time" fruits. The storage at 6ºC was efficient in keeping the physico-chemical properties of "of the time" mangabas, whereas for "fallen" mangabas the physico-chemical properties were maintained for a period of up to three days when submitted to temperatures of 25 and 18ºC. A fall of the water activity and increase of the thermal condutivity of mangaba during the period of cold storage was observed. Thus, the thermal conductivity, the resistivity and the water activity can be used as parameters to follow postharvest fruits of mangaba when stored under refrigeration.

Oil prices behave differently over different time-horizons. For the short run, we examine the pattern of movements in crude oil prices over business cycles and test whether price increases influence global output and/or are influenced by economic cycles. For the long run, we focus on whether “shocks” to crude oil prices are persistent or not. Our findings indicate that the price of crude oil exhibits substantial cyclical behaviour, as verified by several tests carried out in this paper. The VAR analysis indicates that the price of oil is a pro-cyclical variable. Moreover, the results show that, while, during the 1972–2003 period (when OPEC exerted more influence in the oil market), the oil market experienced substantial fluctuations in price, the price cycles were mean-reverting and not shock-persistent. This could indicate that OPEC market power can have stabilising effects.