Border Expansion Research Articles

Geographic Atrophy Natural History Versus Treatment: Time to Fovea.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved treatments of geographic atrophy (GA). Our study aims to quantify the time for a lesion to reach the central fovea based on reduction of GA growth rates from therapeutics compared to the natural history. A previously published study calculates local border expansion rate of GA lesions at varying retinal eccentricities. In this study, we use these rates to model GA expansion toward the fovea and the effects of treatments that reduce growth in GA area by 15% to 45% on lesions of varying sizes with posterior margin 250, 500, 750, 1000, 1250, 1500, and 3000 µm from the fovea. Lesions with an area 8 mm2 and posterior edge 500 µm from the fovea will reach the fovea in 5.08 years with no treatment, but the same lesions will reach the fovea in 5.85, 6.52, 7.36, and 8.46 years with a treatment that reduces growth in GA area by 15%, 25%, 35%, and 45%, respectively. Distance of the posterior edge of the lesion was the primary factor in GA growth toward the fovea, and lesion size only minimally affects growth rates of GA. Based on the efficacy of current and future therapeutics and distance of GA to the fovea, our study provides the marginal time benefit of treatment to guide patients and clinicians, placing both the natural history of GA and the effects of current and future treatments into clinical context. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2024;55:XX-XX.].

Quantifying urban expansion and its driving forces in Chengdu, western China

Understanding urban sprawl and its drivers is crucial for sustainable urban development. Most studies on Chinese urbanization have focused on coastal areas, paying little attention to urban centers in western China. This study examines urban expansion based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE), remotely sensed image, urban expansion model, and analysis of buffer and quadrant location in the Geographic Information System (GIS). Additionally, driving forces of urban expansion are examined based on the principle component analysis (PCA). Results indicate that urban land area increased more than 5.60 times, reaching 124,723 ha, an increase of over 400 % during 1990–2020. The urban expansion rate and intensity significantly increased and exhibited spatio-temporal heterogeneity. We identified that urban spatial expansion patterns changed from patch filling to patch border expansion, and urban expansion direction was mainly in the southern, northeastern, southwestern, and northwestern regions, extending along the traffic corridor, ring road, and adjacent cities. We suggest that economic development, population, and urbanization have become the driving factors of urban expansion. The GEE provides a new geographic processing algorithm based on massive image datasets, facilitating remote sensing processing. The results revealed that Chengdu is following trends witnessed in coastal cities of China; however, the significance of various drivers of urban expansion in these cities differs from that of the eastern cities. This study will help formulate policies for better urban land management and sustainable land development.

Factors Influencing Recurrence Rates and Surgical Outcomes in Lumbar Microdiscectomy: A Retrospective Study of 130 Patients in Turkey.

BACKGROUND Lumbar disc herniation surgery, specifically lumbar microdiscectomy, shows recurrence in 3-24% of patients, necessitating potential re-operations. This study focuses on the outcomes and recurrence causes in 130 cases of lumbar disc herniations. These cases were managed by a single surgeon at a single center, offering a unique perspective on a common issue in neurosurgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study involved 130 patients treated for lumbar disc herniations. Analysis considered various factors: age, sex, symptoms, surgical level, complications, pre- and postoperative pain levels, and quality of life indices. RESULTS Of the 130 cases analyzed, all underwent initial surgery by the same surgeon or sought treatment from this surgeon after recurrence. Inclusion criteria were based on radiologic and clinical indications for re-operation. The demographic split was 76 males (56.4%) and 54 females (43.6%). A notable finding was a higher recurrence rate in males and patients under 45 years, although the sex difference was not statistically significant. The average age was 47.5 years. Significant changes were noted in the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) levels during follow-ups (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study underscores the effectiveness of lumbar microsurgery in treating recurrent lumbar disc herniations. Techniques such as medial facet utilization and laminectomy border expansion show promise. However, determining instability rates requires long-term patient follow-up. Our findings contribute valuable insights into surgical approaches and patient outcomes in recurrent lumbar disc herniation cases.

“More Creative Energy”: Senses and Functions of Creative Space in the Industrial Town (the Case of Naberezhnye Chelny)

The possibilities of post-Soviet industrial cities represent a vast potential for repurposing territories and reprogramming the original semantic codes. The article considers an attempt to repurpose through the creation of a creative space on the territory of one of the industrial enterprises in Naberezhnye Chelny, and the expression of the right to the city among urban activists.This article discusses various strategies for understanding the meanings of the formation of a creative urban space among activists. These strategies are considered on the example of the formation of a creative space in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny.The first strategy should be designated as a "creative city within a city". This strategy is conditioned by the understanding that the creative space in the city is considered as a certain historical symbol, as a symbol of the identity of the city, but at the same time created by analgia with the spaces of other cities and, therefore, associated with the organization of various cultural events and breaks in the context of everyday life; at the same time, the space itself is considered as a static and immobile object, developed according to certain scenarios.The second strategy considered in the study is the "border expansion strategy". In this situation, the creative space itself is a birthplace of new ideas and networks, represented by a hub, and in this case, the place itself contributes to the development of people involved in working in it.Thus, in the study, based on the consideration of a specific case, we analyzed how city activists build strategies for the transformation and development of the creative space of the territory of the former ZYAB plant and what meanings they invest in the development of this territory, how they position their right to the city.

Lo común y lo público en el avance de las fronteras territoriales: controversias entre territorialidad quilombola y estructuras logísticas en Maranhão

This analysis of territorial border expansion resulting from the installation of logistics structures to ship commodities in the Santa Rosa dos Pretos quilombo community highlights notions of public and common, moving between discursive spaces that institutionalize truths and places for affirming principles generated from local practices. We pay attention to enunciative possibilities within ontological disputes in an effort that may help reverse hierarchical divisions in these discussions, in these spaces for discourse, while also critically analyzing the use of violence.elocation-id: e2230113Received: 11.15.2021 • Accepted: 04.06.2022 • Published: 05.20.2022Original article / Blind peer review / Open access

Local Progression Kinetics of Geographic Atrophy Depends Upon the Border Location.

PurposeTo assess the influence of lesion morphology and location on geographic atrophy (GA) growth rate.MethodsWe manually delineated GA on color fundus photographs of 237 eyes in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. We calculated local border expansion rate (BER) as the linear distance that a point on the GA border traveled over 1 year based on a Euclidean distance map. Eye-specific BER was defined as the mean local BER of all points on the GA border in an eye. The percentage area affected by GA was defined as the GA area divided by the total retinal area in the region.ResultsGA enlarged 1.51 ± 1.96 mm2 in area and 0.13 ± 0.11 mm in distance over 1 year. The GA area growth rate (mm2/y) was associated with the baseline GA area (P < 0.001), perimeter (P < 0.001), lesion number (P < 0.001), and circularity index (P < 0.001); in contrast, eye-specific BER (mm/y) was not significantly associated with any of these factors. As the retinal eccentricity increased from 0 to 3.5 mm, the local BER increased from 0.10 to 0.24 mm/y (P < 0.001); in contrast, the percentage of area affected by GA decreased from 49.3% to 2.3%.ConclusionsUsing distance-based measurements allows GA progression evaluation without significant confounding effects from baseline GA morphology. Local GA progression rates increased as a function of retinal eccentricity within the macula which is opposite of the trend for GA distribution, suggesting that GA initiation and enlargement may be mediated by different biological processes.

IMPLEMENTATION OF MULTICULTURAL IDEAS IN THE EDUCATIONAL SPACE OF HIGHER EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS

The article emphasizes that the study of processes and phenomena that occur in the modern educational and cultural space are the most important pedagogical and cultural issues. The authors point out that the globalization processes which take place in the modern world community determine the formation of new systemic phenomena and events in society. Such innovative phenomena in the educational space include multicultural education, which since the beginning of the XXI century has acquired special significance becoming one of the priority trends in the cultural and educational development of civilization.It is noted that the leading ideas of multiculturalism become especially relevant and important for the educational community in connection with the developent of migration processes, urbanization and border expansion. Therefore, for a young person, the knowledge of several languages, history and culture of other nations is urgent, as it characterizes their role in society and determines their place in the educational space.The purpose of the article is to reveal the specifics of the implementation of the ideas of multiculturalism in the modern educational space of higher educational establishments on the basis of a profound content analysis of the scientific literature, the study of practical experience of higher educational establishments. The authors state that the multicultural component of the educational space of the higher educational establishments is determined by the mutual influence of many cultural components, the direct carriers of which are students from different regions of Ukraine and abroad. Under these circumstances, the importance of multicultural education and upbringing in the formation of young people is increasing. Depending on historical, political, socio-cultural factors, the components of the educational space, the educational and cultural traditions of a region, various models of multicultural education are built, which determine the priorities of readiness of a growing individual to live in a multicultural society.

Taxonomic implications of seed morphology in Melocactus (Cactaceae) from Cuba

Although Melocactus is the second-most diverse cactus genus in Cuba, there is still no consensus regarding species circumscription. Seed morphology has not been used for classifying species in this group in Cuba, despite the taxonomically useful data obtained in some other genera of Cactaceae. In this study, seeds were evaluated for all Melocactus taxa known from Cuba, and seed morphological variability was analysed. Seed descriptions for each studied taxon (or localities) are presented here. We analysed 10 quantitative, and 19 qualitative characters in 50 seeds of 14 accessions. Seeds of the native species of Melocactus of Cuba are small to medium-sized, which place them among the smaller in the Cactoideae, and their shape is circular to broadly oval. Our results show that seven quantitative and six qualitative characters evaluated were suitable to distinguish among taxa. Such characters allowed establishing a general seed pattern for the M. matanzanus and M. curvispinus group, however, seeds in the M. harlowii group were less distinguishable using these characters. Colliculate relief characterized seeds of the M. matanzanus group with the testa border not expanded, while the M. curvispinus group seeds were identified by their ventro-apical keel. The most useful characters for species delimitation in the M. curvispinus group were seed length, and hilum-micropylar region characters. Significant characters that reveal differences within the M. harlowii group are lustre, seed relief and testa border expansion. Citation: Lemus-Barrios H., Barrios D., Garcia-Beltran J. A., Arias S. & Majure L. C. 2021: Taxonomic implications of seed morphology in Melocactus (Cactaceae) from Cuba. – Willdenowia 51: 91–113. Version of record first published online on 5 April 2021 ahead of inclusion in April 2021 issue.

Identification and analysis of urban Shrinkage risk based on residential property values

With the adjustment of the economic structures and the slowdown of development, urban shrinkage has become a common phenomenon, especially in developed countries. In contrast, for developing cities, there is a special phenomenon of urban shrinkage, that is, border expansion and space shrinkage coexist. In view of this situation, it is difficult to effectively identify the signs and trends of urban degradation and space shrinkage by only studying the macro scale of urban space. The purpose of this paper is to build an evaluation model of urban space shrinkage risk, which can be run for the whole process of urban space development. It can also be applied to diverse scales of urban space and identify the mechanism of the transformation and diffusion of the space shrinkage risk on the time scale and the space scale. This study took Jinan City in China, a typical second-tier city, as a sample of urban shrinkage and took the urban residential property values as the key index to evaluate the shrinkage risk. The results show the risk of urban space shrinkage on the micro-scale. This paper analyzes the transfer and spillover effects of the urban space shrinkage risk by using Moran's spatial correlation tools and transfers this micro space shrinkage risk to the macro level to analyze the characteristics and trends of the typical urban shrinkage in China from the macro level. According to the Moran’s Index, the urban space was divided into four types: collapsed areas, emerging areas, blocking areas, and revitalized areas. Based on this classification, the back-propagation neural network and decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (BP-DEMATEL) model was used to analyze the influencing factors for each spatial type. It measured the degree of cause and centrality of each influencing factor and identified the contribution and function of the influencing factors of the spatial risk for the whole urban spatial system. It identified the basic, characteristic factors of the shrinkage risk for each type of urban space and analyzed the core reasons for the shrinkage risk of various types of urban space. The main conclusion of this paper is that the sparse distributions of the economic and population densities will lead to the fracturing and isolation of the urban space and increase the risk of urban space shrinkage. The shrinkage risk of the urban interior space presents different modes and driving mechanisms.

Impacts of climatic warming on cropping system borders of China and potential adaptation strategies for regional agriculture development

Climate warming and its corresponding impacts on agriculture system increasingly attach great attentions. Earlier studies more concerned the impacts of the cultivated area expansion under climate change. Yet limited knowledge is about the impacts of climate warming on the cropping index change with the shifts of cropping system border. In this study, we used climatic data (1961–2015) to firstly investigate impacts of warming temperature on potential cropping system border expansion of China, and further used agricultural statistical data and satellite-based land use data to analyze the response of current land system to potential cropping system border expansion. Results of this study indicated that obviously advanced SDT10 and prolonged EDT10 contributed to the 88.4% regions of increased AAT10 at the past half century. Moreover, the northward expansion of the suitable cultivated areas in different cropping systems provided advantages for potential multiple cropping index (PMCI) improvement. Unfortunately, this study found that a significantly declined multiple cropping index (MCI) was observed in the peri-urban regions and the provinces with large out-migration of agriculture labor. The evidently increased MCI was only greatly observed in Xinjiang province. Besides, the potential increment of multiple cropping index (PIMCI) for different cropping system border expansion regions presented a rising trend and reached 53.6% in 2015 due to warming climate. Particularly, the significantly increased PIMCI was observed in the Loess Plateau, the Inner Mongolia, the Middle-lower Yangtze Plain, Northeast China Plain, Southern China and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Region. However, the response of current land system to the changes of PMCI and PIMCI was not timely. Based on the findings of our study, some potential agriculture development strategies were suggested by comprehensively considering regional natural conditions, agricultural production conditions and socioeconomic conditions. We hope these findings of this study could provide some valuable information for agricultural development policy decision-making.

Remaking the border: the proposed border expansion of Canberra in the 1960–70s revisited in the planning and development context of the 21st century

ABSTRACT In the 1960–70s, there was a proposal to expand the administrative border of Canberra into the neighbouring state New South Wales to accommodate long-term population growth and urban development. However, this attempt failed ultimately. This study investigates this ‘remaking’ of the border, and revisits the same issue in the planning and development context of the twenty-first century. It employs three conceptual constructs – ‘bordering’, ‘debording’, and ‘rebordering’ – to draw insights into the nexus between the border’s (re)making, dominant planning thinking, and emerging development process. It uses a mix of primary and secondary sources of data and information collected from the National Archives of Australia, newspaper clippings of The Canberra Times, interviews with planners involved, Australian Census data, and planning literature. It finds that the border expansion proposal was driven by a political advocacy out of a modernist technocratic planning vision for a linear city, and was based on an over-optimistic and mechanical population projection. However, as a highly political initiative, its failure was doomed by political strains and changes, and local community’s concerns. Knowing this history contributes to tackling a similar issue in today’s paradox of a planning paradigm for compactness and sustainability and an emerging development expansion onto the border.

The Challenges of Full-Service Restaurant Brand Internationalization: A United States/Canada Perspective

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this research is to identify the challenges faced by full-service restaurant brands internationalizing across the border between the United States and Canada. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 54 senior executives across the US and Canada. The results show differences in the challenges faced by U.S. versus Canadian full-service restaurant brands when they are expanding across the border based upon the context of the full-service restaurant and how they are internationalizing. This is the first empirical study about cross border expansion challenges for U.S. and Canadian full-service restaurant brands.

Европа как регион и как концепт: к методологии вопроса

&lt;p&gt;В статье обсуждается место России в Европе и осуществляется историческое рассмотрение изменений регионального состава Европы за период XVII–XXI вв.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Показано значение термина «Европа» как региона и как концепта, характеризующего ее основные ценности. Под этим углом зрения характеризуется история Европы, отражающая ее географические параметры и ее сущность в разные исторические времена — Европа после Вестфальского договора (после 1648 г.), в эпоху Гете (вторая половина XVIII в. — первая треть XIX в.), XIX и XX вв. (после Первой и Второй мировых войн, после распада СССР) и XXI в. (с началом глобализации). Показан особый интерес к России в Европе после реформ Петра I.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Утверждается необоснованная претензия Европейского Союза говорить сегодня от имени Европы. Ставится вопрос о России как о Европе. Евразийское географическое пространство России и наличие многообразных этносов и культур не отменяет гражданской идентичности России как европейской и значимости европейских ценностей для нашей страны. Но для России важен мультикультурализм, который сегодня официально отменен в ЕС.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;В статье рассматривается расширение границ модернизированной Европы. Показывается сближение концепций модернизации этого региона с национальными моделями модернизации в период новой фазы современности — третьего модерна, открывшего сегодня новое Новое время для незападных стран. Опыт рассмотрения Европы как региона и как концепта дает методологические основания восприятия России как региона и как концепта.&lt;/p&gt;

Changing the Donor Site Selection Concept of Facial Skin Expansion from Pure Healthy Tissue to Defect and Healthy Tissue Combination.

Facial defect reconstruction is a challenge for plastic surgeons due to unique esthetic and functional properties of the region. Facial tissue expansion provides an ideal reconstruction resource. However, the donor site is limited in the facial region. Thus, a cost-effective expansion management is crucial for an efficient reconstruction. In this article, the evolution of our donor site preference for tissue expansion from pure healthy tissue to a defect-healthy tissue combination is presented. Fifteen patients underwent skin reconstruction with local tissue expansion for facial and cervical defects. The full facial or cervical region including the defect and healthy tissue combination was determined as the donor expansion site. The donor site was not limited only to pure healthy tissue. The largest size rectangular expander suitable for the combined expandable donor site size was placed under the defect and healthy tissue border, paying attention to carry the expander far beneath the defect site. The defect site and most adjacent healthy tissue were expanded simultaneously. Major complications such as infection, hematoma, rupture, or flap necrosis were not observed. The expansion of defect-healthy tissue border presented successful reconstruction results with acceptable scars. In the traditional tissue expansion concept, using a large size expander to provide more abundant flap gain does not comply with the limited size of healthy donor site in the face. Expanding the whole facial region, without restriction of the defect, supplies excess donor tissue area for larger size expander use. Eventually, defect-healthy tissue border expansion with large expanders results in minimum final scar and less tissue loss in flap relocation and enables optimal flap gain. This method can easily be adapted to any tissue expansion site of the body. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

High-resolution, low-altitude aerial photography in physical geography

Intertidal landscapes are highly complex and dynamic habitats that exhibit variability over a range of spatial and temporal scales. The spatial arrangement of structure-forming biogenic features such as seagrasses and bivalves influences ecosystem function and the provision of important ecosystem services, though quantification and monitoring of intertidal landscape structure has been hindered by challenges collecting spatial data in the coastal zone. In this study, an intertidal landscape mosaic of eelgrass ( Zostera marina) and blue mussels ( Mytilus edulis) was observed using low-altitude aerial photography from a balloon-mounted digital camera platform. Imagery representing seagrass-bivalve landscape structure was classified and analysed using multiple metrics of landscape composition and configuration at the patch scale and the landscape scale. Patch-scale imagery was compared to a previously collected dataset in order to track temporal changes in seagrass patch metrics over a 26-month period. Seagrass and bivalve patches exhibited distinct spatial patterning at different spatial scales. At the patch scale, the change in seagrass metrics was consistent with patch border expansion at the expense of patch density and integrity. These methods demonstrate a novel approach for collecting high-resolution spatial data that could also be valuable to physical geographers dealing with similar fine-scale landscapes. The application of spatial metrics at multiple spatial scales quantified elements of the configuration and composition of a seagrass-bivalve habitat mosaic and allowed for the tracking of patch metrics through time to depict landscape change. Continued development of landscape metrics within intertidal habitats will increase understanding of the ecological function of these areas with benefits to management and monitoring of ecosystem health.

The Integration of Western Balkan Economies in Global Economic Flows

In the last decade of the twentieth century, the process of internationalization of production and trade has been intensified. It is a process of opening of national markets in terms of free flow of goods, capital and labor. Moreover, it contributes to sustainable development by offering better conditions under which goods are produced and traded. From the moment of independence countries of Western Balkan have chosen to become democratic societies followed by other advanced transition countries. All countries of the Western Balkan (WB) have accepted the market economy as the basic orientation and long-term perspective of their social and economic development. This fact constant of the new economic reality in the WB region had certain significance to their further development. The main objective of this paper is to show the effects of globalization on the level of integration of the WB in the global economic flows. This paper uses a cross-country comparison methodology and examines the following aspects: progress made with capital account liberalization on the economy of Western Balkan region, what are the changes in the structure of trade, as well as the involvement of these countries in the global financial system. The process of trade and capital-account liberalization enabled transitional countries to gradually integrate into international trade and financial flows at the end of the 1990s. The effects of such processes have been demonstrated in increased inflow of foreign direct investments, increasing international trade and increasing foreign exchange reserves.The paper is divided into five sections. Section 2 deals with the impact of capital flows on the economy of Western Balkan countries. Section 3 analyzes trends in Trade reorientation of economies of Western Balkan. Section 4 analyzes trends in foreign direct investment (FDI) flows.The findings and discussion presented in previous sections of this article ends with conclusions that the WB countries achieved significant progress in the reorientation of trade and start the process of reintegration into the international financial flows. From an economic point of view, the past decade has shown that all the WB countries largely depend on their cooperation with the EU, either through foreign direct investment, loans or grants. Effect of geographic proximity is an important factor that influenced on high level trade exchanges with the EU gave companies from EU a major competitive advantage in initiating the international expansion of their activities in neighboring countries (WB region). Thanks to the reforms and the promising economic outlook region of WB become a place where investors with regional ambitions had the greatest potential for cross border expansion. This is especially important in the context of the region's aspiration to join the EU.

FLUIDEZ TERRITORIAL NAS ÁREAS DE EXPANSÃO DA FRONTEIRA AGRÍCOLA NO PERÍODO DA GLOBALIZAÇÃO

In the agricultural border expansion process, new circulation dynamics appear in the Brazilian territory, many of them carrying elements related to the technical-scientific-informational period. Assuming that the advance of agricultural frontier acted as a “welding” territorial dynamic between the North and Center-West regions and the rest of Brazil, the main proposal of this work lies on the analysis of a flow structure network in the Manaus-Belém-Distrito Federal/Goiânia-Porto Velho “quadrilateral”, whose territorial shape is permeated by bearer elements of technosphere and psychosphere. This network structures the connection between the regions above and the other parts of the country, enabling the domestic market integration, even the most remote and/or isolated municipalities. The transport system which gravitates around the suggested network, therefore, elucidates the relationships that can explain the meaning of the current frontier and show the different temporalities which enables the understanding of who is and who isn’t hegemonic in the society forces.

Expansão da fronteira, megaprojetos de infraestrutura e integração sul-americana

As análises da relação entre políticas desenvolvimentistas e as dinâmicas socioterritoriais na Amazônia têm se voltado para a dimensão nacional. Este artigo procura revelar o aumento do interesse pela exploração dos recursos naturais da região para além de suas fronteiras políticas, tornando-se a Pan-Amazônia um espaco central na geopolítica brasileira. Os Planos de Aceleração do Crescimento (PAC I e II) e a Iniciativa para a Integração da Infraestrutura da América do Sul (IIRSA) assumem a mesma orientação de integração competitiva, adotando um modelo de modernização com base em megaprojetos de investimentos. A IIRSA, no âmbito sul-americano, como bloco regional, e o PAC, em âmbito nacional, são programas voltados para a logística de transporte, energia e comunicação. No plano continental, expressam dinâmicas socioterritoriais irreverersíveis e representam interesses comuns do Brasil e dos demais países, via modelo dominante de expansão da fronteira amazônica a partir dos anos 70 do século XX.

Clinico-Pathologic Conference: Case 6

Clinical PresentationA 36 year old Caucasian male visited his family dentist fora routine annual examination. Periapical radiographs oflong-impacted mandibular third molars showed radiolu-cencies associated with the crowns of each. An orthopan-tomograph taken at the time confirmed bilateral pericoronalradiolucencies, with the right lesion larger than the left(Fig. 1). There was no obvious cortical expansion, nooverlying mucosal changes and no symptoms or history ofposterior mandibular pain. The patient was not aware ofany systemic diseases, nor was he aware of any otherfamily members with similar jaw radiolucencies.Differential DiagnosisVery few radiographic disorders can be definitively diag-nosed without microscopic evaluation; nevertheless, a greatdeal of information can be gleaned from a thorough reviewof the radiographic features of a particular case. In truth,the more changes one can describe, the better the differ-ential diagnosis becomes and, of course, the more logicalthe management plan. The present case is especiallyinteresting because of the wealth of features visible withinone cone beam CT scan (CBCT). It also points out agrowing problem with CBCT images, namely, that we lackthe extensive experience needed to properly interpret them[1]. With routine dental radiographs, despite the tremen-dous imaging artifacts associated with them, health pro-fessionals long ago developed confidence in theirinterpretation of images. Someday, undoubtedly, we willhave the same confidence in our interpretation of CBCT—but we are not there yet.At first glance (Fig. 1), this case is a simple one ofbilateral, pericoronal, unilocular radiolucencies withoutcalcifications and with well demarcated borders. The sharpborders and mild sclerotic rimming around the lesionsprovide strong assurance that their biological behavior isthat of benign, slowly enlarging entities. These signs alsopoint out a lack of salient infection or inflammation in thearea, as does the asymptomatic nature of the lesion and thefact that overlying soft tissues show no clinical signs ofinflammation. Moreover, in the pantographic view (Fig. 1)there is no evidence of cortical or inferior border expan-sion, cortical perforation or root resorption, although theright lesion seems to demonstrate destruction of at least aportion of the lamina dura on the adjacent erupted molar.The left side lesion is small enough to strongly suggesteither a hyperplastic follicle or early dentigerous cyst [1–3]. Much less likely, and based primarily on the pericoronallocation and unilocular appearance, would be odontogenicfibroma, odontogenic keratocyst (keratinizing odontogenictumor), orthokeratinized odontogenic cyst, unicystic ame-loblastoma or adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT) [2].Age, alone, would tend to rule out unicystic ameloblas-toma, and the posterior mandibular location speaks againstthe AOT. Of course, the dentigerous cyst is the mostcommon bilateral pericoronal lesion and it must be kept inmind that all bilateral cystic odontogenic lesions suggestinvolvement with the nevoid basal cell carcinoma

Information Sharing and Cross-Border Entry in European Banking

Information asymmetries can severely limit cross-border border expansion of banks. When a bank enters a new market, it has incomplete information about potential new clients. Such asymmetries are reduced by credit registers, which distribute financial data on bank clients. We investigate the interaction of credit registers and bank entry modes (in form of branching and M&A) by using a new set of time series cross-section data for the EU-27 countries. We study how the presence of public and private credit registers and the type of information exchanged aect bank entry modes during the period 1990-2007. Our analysis shows that the existence of both types of registers increases the share of branching in the overall entries. Additionally, the establishment of public registers reduces concentration ratios, and some banking competition indicators (such as overhead costs/assets). The introduction of a private credit bureau, on the other hand, has no eect on concentration ratios, but positively contributes to competition (by decreasing interest rate margins). This suggests that credit registers facilitate direct entry through a reduction of information asymmetries, which in turn intensifies competition.