Temporary Means Research Articles

Of Bondage: Debt, Property and Personhood in Early Modern England by Amanda Bailey (review)

Amanda Bailey. Of Bondage: Debt, Property and Personhood in Early Modern England. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013. Pp. x + 209 pages. $55.00; 36.00 [pounds sterling]. Among the brave buildyngs rare enumerated by Isabella Whitney in her 1573 verse testament London are the city's famous prisons. (1) poet first praises the Counter, debtor's prison, which she bequeaths those whose coyne is thin 0.196). Prison will offer them a certayne hole, / and little ease (1.197-8). Newgate and the Fleet follow and then, as she approaches another debtors' prison, Ludgate, Whitney becomes jokingly coy. Accusing her readers of laughing at her, the testator rebukes them with mock solemnity--here is no place of jest (1.228). We infer the cause: the impecunious poet who has the temerity be wandering freely and making bequests of all of London's luxury goods and consumer services is nothing but bankrupt, who should herself be in bondage, stowed away in prison. Whitney disarmingly acknowledges this. Indeed, she says, she had reserved place in Ludgate for herself, if only she ever came in credit so / debtor for bee: When dayes of did approch, I thither ment flee. To shroude my selfe amongst the rest, that chuse dye in debt: ... Yet cause I feele my selfe so weake that none mee credit dare: I heere reuoke: and doo it leave, some Banckrupts his share (11.233-424). Whitney's will and testament, predicated on the fiction of dying of poverty (the author, very weake in Purse [1.52], departs from London/this life because she never achieved sufficient credit for food and clothing), thus oddly imagines the debtor's prison as space of living death which nevertheless represents London's only possibility of temporary agency and means. It is diseased hole shroud, which yet signifies privilege beyond the reach of the dying speaker--the privilege of being able conjure up the credit that would make London life possible--at the least until days of paiment approach. Amanda Bailey's elegant and quietly devastating book, Of Bondage: Debt, Property and Personhood in Early Modern England, does not, understandably, mention Isabella Whitney. Yet Bailey's argument--which centers on the social implications of debt, and specifically, of the penal debt bond--is as illuminating of the imagined topography and temporality of Whitney's Testament as it is of the city comedies and tragicomedies that form its principle subject. It is mark, perhaps, of the maturing of the subfields of legal and economic literary criticism, that Bailey's exposition of the social life of single monetary instrument can have such explanatory and literary critical power. Though clearly drawing on Luke Wilson's ground-breaking analysis of assumpsit, Bailey's book is both original and surprisingly accessible in the way in which it unpacks the practical workings of the debt bond as both form of writing and form of money. Economically inflected literary criticism has tended be preoccupied either with the figure of the usurer or with the emergence of mercantilist writings about money. While usury has important moral and imaginative consequences, the debt bond emerges as far more central the logics of dramatic narrative because of its capacity conjure an evanescent wealth and agency at the expense of future bondage, or civil death. Rather than illegally charging for the use of money and time, the creditor who loaned on sealed bond might legally, if the borrower defaulted and was unable meet the penal condition, lay claim the debtor's person. The bond's innovation as Bailey summarises it, was to construe human flesh ... as vehicle of promise (7). This means, in turn, that bonded human flesh functioned as money: the peculiarly conditional temporality of the bond, given material form as written signature, could magically conjure up spending power. …

Use of External Fixation as an Adjunct in the Reduction and Fixation of Displaced Intra-Articular Calcaneus Fractures

The treatment of displaced, intra-articular calcaneus fractures is controversial. Complications are associated with both closed and open treatment methods. Various forms of external fixation have been used, including a definitive means of fixation and temporary postoperative means of preventing collapse as a supplement to internal fixation. We propose the adjunctive, intraoperative use of external fixation to manipulate the calcaneal tuberosity allowing for reduction and assisting in percutaneous or limited internal fixation of these fractures to decrease the complications associated with more invasive open reduction and internal fixation techniques, while still achieving anatomic reduction and stable fixation.

New approach for routing in mobile ad‐hoc networks based on ant colony optimisation with global positioning system

The field of mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) has gained an important part of the interest of researchers and become very popular in past few years. MANETs can be used to set up a temporary mean of communication by having nodes behave as hosts and routers, with packets hopping between nodes to reach the destination node. This makes MANET suitable for rapid deployment, but because of the dynamic changes in network configurations, quickly finding the optimum route is difficult. In this study, the authors propose a biology-inspired ant routing protocol based on ant colony optimisation called as optimised antnet global positioning system, which is based on GPS and mobile software agents modelled on ants for routing in ad-hoc networks. The authors compare the performance of the authors protocol with Antnet, ad-hoc on-demand distance vector, Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) and Ad-hoc On Demand Multipath Distance Vector (AOMDV) protocols with respect to end-to-end delay, average throughput, packet delivery ratio and route cost.

Robust Results From Climate Model Simulations of Geoengineering

AbstractSolar geoengineering has been proposed as a temporary means of alleviating some of the consequences of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Single‐model studies characterizing the resulting climate effects often used different greenhouse gas concentration profiles and different amounts of geoengineering, making intercomparison difficult. The Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) created a framework of four core simulations, designed to reveal robust features and key uncertainties of climate model responses to geoengineering (B. Kravitz et al., The Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP), Atmospheric Science Letters, 12(2), 162–167, doi:10.1002/asl.316, 2011). These experiments simulate solar geoengineering via uniform solar reduction or creation of stratospheric sulfate aerosol layers using state‐of‐the‐art climate models.

Strategic poverty: How social and cultural capital shapes low-income life

We investigate how material poverty functions as a cultural space, specifically addressing when it becomes a strategy, that is, when an individual with cultural and social capital adopts a life of low income in order to form other social identities. We examine two groups that use low income to further other goals but differ in their temporal lens: (1) “transitional bourgeoisie,” graduate students and artists who frame their economic deprivation as a temporary means to prospective identities, such as a professorship or success in art; (2) “embedded activists,” committed adults rooted in political and religious organizations who see low income as a permanent strategy to bolster their anti-consumerist desires. Relying on 37 in-depth interviews with informants we ask, how do people in strategic poverty construct satisfying lives? What cultural tools and skill-sets do informants draw upon to negotiate their economic circumstances and middle-class backgrounds?

Blocking porcine sialoadhesin improves extracorporeal porcine liver xenoperfusion with human blood.

Patients in fulminant hepatic failure currently do not have a temporary means of support while awaiting liver transplantation. A potential therapeutic approach for such patients is the use of extracorporeal perfusion with porcine livers as a form of "liver dialysis". During a 72-h extracorporeal perfusion of porcine livers with human blood, porcine Kupffer cells bind to and phagocytose human red blood cells (hRBC) causing the hematocrit to decrease to 2.5% of the original value. Our laboratory has identified porcine sialoadhesin expressed on Kupffer cells as the lectin responsible for binding N-acetylneuraminic acid on the surface of the hRBC. We evaluated whether blocking porcine sialoadhesin prevents the recognition and subsequent destruction of hRBCs seen during extracorporeal porcine liver xenoperfusion. Ex vivo studies were performed using wild type pig livers perfused with isolated hRBCs for 72-h in the presence of an anti-porcine sialoadhesin antibody or isotype control. The addition of an anti-porcine sialoadhesin antibody to an extracorporeal porcine liver xenoperfusion model reduces the loss of hRBC over a 72-h period. Sustained liver function was demonstrated throughout the perfusion. This study illustrates the role of sialoadhesin in mediating the destruction of hRBCs in an extracorporeal porcine liver xenoperfusion model.

Design of Cervical Brace for Trauma Patients

Design of Cervical Brace for Trauma Patients

PURCHASING POWER PARITY IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES: FURTHER EVIDENCE FROM FOURIER UNIT ROOT TESTS BASED ON LINEAR AND NONLINEAR MODELS

AbstractThis paper examines the validity of purchasing power parity hypothesis for 33 African countries using recently developed Fourier unit root tests by Christopoulos and León‐Ledesma that account for the existence of multiple breaks in the real exchange rates. The results support the evidence of the PPP in 20 countries, showing that most of the real exchange rates in the selected countries are characterised by linear or nonlinear stationary around multiple temporary mean changes.

Depressive symptoms are a vulnerability factor for heavy episodic drinking: A short-term, four-wave longitudinal study of undergraduate women

Heavy episodic drinking is increasingly common among undergraduate women. Cross-sectional research suggests that depressive symptoms and heavy episodic drinking are related. Nonetheless, surprisingly little is known about whether depressive symptoms are an antecedent of heavy episodic drinking, a consequence of heavy episodic drinking, or both. Such knowledge is essential to the accurate conceptualization of heavy episodic drinking, depressive symptoms, and their interrelations. In the present short-term longitudinal study, depressive symptoms and heavy episodic drinking were proposed to reciprocally influence each other over time, with depressive symptoms predicting changes in heavy episodic drinking over 1week and vice versa. This reciprocal relations model was tested in 200 undergraduate women using a 4-wave, 4-week longitudinal design. Structural equation modeling was used to conduct cross-lagged analyses testing reciprocal relations between depressive symptoms and heavy episodic drinking. Consistent with hypotheses, both depressive symptoms and heavy episodic drinking were temporally stable, and depressive symptoms predicted changes in heavy episodic drinking over 1week. Contrary to hypotheses, heavy episodic drinking did not predict changes in depressive symptoms over 1week. Results are consistent with a vulnerability model suggesting depressive symptoms leave undergraduate women vulnerable to heavy episodic drinking. For undergraduate women who are struggling with feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and hopelessness, heavy episodic drinking may provide a temporary yet maladaptive means of avoiding or alleviating depressive symptoms.

Blocking Porcine Sialoadhesin Improves Extracorporeal Porcine Liver Xenoperfusion

Background: Patients in fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) currently do not have a temporary means of support while awaiting liver transplantation. A potential therapeutic approach for patients in FHF is the use of extracorporeal perfusion with porcine livers as a form of “liver dialysis”. During a 72 hour extracorporeal perfusion of porcine livers with human blood, porcine Kupffer cells (KC) bind to and phagocytose human red blood cells (hRBC) causing the hematocrit to decrease to 2.5% of the original value. Our laboratory has identified sialoadhesin (Sn) on the surface of porcine KC as the lectin responsible for binding N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) on the surface of the hRBC. In order for extracorporeal porcine liver perfusion to be used as a therapy for patients in liver failure, all forms of anti-human rejection must be resolved. We evaluated whether targeting Sn prevents the recognition and subsequent destruction of hRBCs seen during extracorporeal porcine liver xenoperfusion. Methods:In vitro experiments were performed wherein cultured porcine macrophages (pMΦ) were pretreated with the anti-porcine Sn monoclonal antibody, 1F1. pMΦ were subsequently assayed for their ability to bind hRBC. Next, ex vivo experiments were performed wherein six wild type pig livers were perfused with isolated hRBCs for 72 hours. In one group, three livers were treated with 1F1. As a control group, three livers were treated with an antibody of the same isotype but with no known specificity for Sn. Results: We have shown that treatment of cultured pMΦ with 10ug/ml of 1F1 abolishes the ability of the pMΦ to bind hRBC (p < 0.001). Additionally, we have shown that the addition of 1F1 to an extracorporeal porcine liver xenoperfusion model significantly reduces the loss of hRBC over a 72 hour period (p < 0.01). Sustained liver function was demonstrated by continued bile production and other markers. Conclusions: This study suggests that the destruction of human erythrocytes in an extracorporeal porcine liver xenoperfusion model is, in part, mediated by Sn expressed on the surface of porcine KC. Furthermore, this data illustrates that the addition of anti-Sn antibody to the circulation of a pig-to-human xenoperfusion may inhibit the destruction of human erythrocytes by porcine KC. Future studies should be conducted utilizing livers derived from Sn deficient pigs.

A novel bipolar electric fence for excluding white-tailed deer from stored livestock feed1

Where cattle (Bos taurus) and free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) coexist, they frequently share space and resources, potentially resulting in damage to stores of livestock feed and risk of interspecies disease transmission. Preventing use of stored feed by deer can be an important objective in farm management, depending on amount of damage experienced and perceived risk of disease transmission. Woven wire fences (2.4 to 3.0 m high) are generally considered to be the most effective means for excluding deer. However, rapidly deployable temporary means of excluding deer could be useful, especially during late winter when deer are most physiologically stressed and motivated to consume feed meant for cattle. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate a novel 1.2-m-tall electric fence consisting of 4 strands of bipolar tape (not requiring separate ground wires or animal contact with ground) for excluding deer from artificially established feed piles during late winter 2008 in northwestern Minnesota. To induce deer to pause, investigate the fence, and receive negative stimuli before attempting to jump the fence, the bipolar tape was baited with a viscous fluid attractive to deer. The fence was estimated to be >80% effective at reducing deer presence at feed piles (10 treatment sites and 11 control sites) given the late winter to early spring conditions. Despite the efficacy, using the fence as a primary means of protecting stored feed from deer in areas with known disease transmission risk (e.g., presence of bovine tuberculosis) is not recommended because risk could remain unacceptably high if even low numbers of deer access stored feed. Yet, the fence could be effective as immediate protection of stored feed in winter before a more permanent and effective deterrence strategy, such as woven-wire fencing, could be installed during the subsequent summer. The fence would also be effective for reducing deer depredation of stored feed, as well as gardens, small orchards, or other localized or seasonal resources.

Comparative Advantage and Risk Premia in Labor Markets

Using the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) we estimate quarterly labor earnings risk across 21 industries of the US economy. We document a significant and positive association between earnings risk (both permanent and transitory) and average log-earnings across industries. The Finance sector is 50% riskier than Government which implies a mean earnings premium of 20%. We develop an equilibrium framework to analyze the interplay between volatility in labor earnings and comparative advantage in determining the level of earnings across industries. We use the model to decompose how much of the empirical correlation represents compensation for risk and how much represents selection. The positive association between permanent risk and earnings is compensation for risk, but selection is responsible for the observed relationship between temporary risk and mean earnings.

An assessment of the potential livelihood opportunity in sachet water vending in Jalingo Metropolis, Taraba State, Nigeria

The production and sales of sachet water presently plays a major role in the provision of drinkable water and employment opportunities to many different people in different parts of Nigeria. Most studies on sachet water dwells on the quality aspect and the menace of poor disposal of sachet water bags. This study dwells on the livelihood aspect of sachet water vending in urban areas of Nigeria with special reference to Jalingo Metropolis and ways that can improve the services offered by sachet-water vendors that can enable the entrepreneurs to positively contribute to national goals of self-reliance and reduction of poverty. The survey design method which involves the use of interview schedule was used in collecting data for the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data collected. The study reveals that the average income from sachet water vending is about N19,500 (US$130) monthly which is above the national minimum wage of N18,500 (US$123.3) recently approved by the Nigerian Government. The result of the study shows that sachet water vending provides very important livelihood opportunities that have been neglected in the study area especially by majority of the unemployed adults. Most of those engaged in sachet water vending are young people who are less than 18 years of age. The study findings shows that most of those engaged in sachet water vending have been able to accomplish meaningful welfare projects for themselves ranging from payment of marriage dowries, building of houses, purchase of motorcycles among other things. This study recommends the need to develop cheap water treatment instruments that will help to improve the quality of sachet water. Also, young unemployed adults should be encouraged to take to sachet water vending even as a temporary means of earning a living instead of staying idle, searching for white collar jobs that do not exist.

Problems and complications in VEPTR-based treatment.

Early-onset scoliosis with co-existing thoracic deformity is particularly difficult to treat, with early surgery usually being the only rational solution. Operative correction of the deformed spine and rib cage employs techniques enabling further growth of the structures, an example of which is the Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib (VEPTR), designed to provide dynamic stabilization of the spinal column and the thoracic cage. Our study aimed to present difficulties and complications related to VEPTR-based operative reduction of the spinal and thoracic deformities in the youngest child. Twelve children aged 3 to 9 years (a mean age of 5.25 years) underwent sequential VEPTR-based surgery the Department of Paediatric Orthopaedics of the Medical University of Lublin. The subjects were qualified for the procedure on account of multiple congenital spine deformities (3 children), early-onset progressive neuromuscular scoliosis (4 children) and kyphosis secondary to a myelomeningocele (5 children). The number of procedures per child ranged from 4 to 10 and the follow-up was 10 months to 4 years (with a mean of 2.5 years). Treatment failures and complications comprised rib fractures (4 cases), perforation of the iliac ala by the ala hook (5 cases), pulmonary oedema (2 cases), hip joint destabilization (1 case), tissue reaction to the metal (4 cases), breakage of the implant (2 cases). The specific character of the method makes it liable to a variety of difficulties and complications that may sometimes affect the outcome. Both the authors' experience and published data prove the clinical effectiveness of VEPTR. Nevertheless, it is only a temporary means that cannot disturb the strategic anatomical elements of the spine which are to be involved in subsequent conventional operative procedures. An awareness of the limitations and possible difficulties connected with VEPTR allows for some modifications with which the technique continues to be the most effective sequential treatment of thoracic and spinal deformities in the youngest child.

Environmental Impact of Pyrolysis of Mixed WEEE Plastics Part 2: Life Cycle Assessment

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) contains up to 25% plastics. Extraction of higher quality fractions for recycling leaves a mix of plastic types contaminated with other materials, requiring the least environmentally harmful disposal route. Data from trials of pyrolysis, described in part 1 of this paper set, were used in a life cycle assessment of the treatment of WEEE plastics. Various levels of recycling of the sorted fraction were considered, and pyrolysis was compared with incineration (with energy recovery) and landfill for disposal of the remainder. Increased recycling gave reduced environmental impact in almost all categories considered, although inefficient recycling decreased that benefit. Significant differences between pyrolysis, incineration and landfill were seen in climate change impacts, carbon sent to landfill, resources saved, and radiation. There was no overall "best" option. Landfill had the least short-term impact on climate change so could be a temporary means of sequestering carbon. Incineration left almost no carbon to landfill, but produced the most greenhouse gases. Pyrolysis or incineration saved most resources, with the balance depending on the source of electricity replaced by incineration. Pyrolysis emerged as a strong compromise candidate since the gases and oils produced could be used as fuels and so provided significant resource saving without high impact on climate change or landfill space.

Effects of black bear relocation on elk calf recruitment at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

AbstractPrevious research from 2001 to 2006 on an experimentally released elk (Cervus elaphus) population at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP or Park) indicated that calf recruitment (i.e., calves reaching 1 yr of age per adult female elk) was low (0.306, total SE = 0.090) resulting in low or negative population growth (λ = 0.996, 95% CI = 0.945–1.047). Black bear (Ursus americanus) predation was the primary calf mortality factor. From 2006 to 2008, we trapped and relocated 49 bears (30 of which were radiocollared) from the primary calving areas in the Park and radiomonitored 67 (28 M:39 F) adult elk and 42 calves to compare vital rates and population growth with the earlier study. A model with annual calf recruitment rate correlating with the number of bears relocated each year was supported (ΔAICc = 0.000; β = 0.070, 95% CI = 0.028–0.112) and a model with annual calf recruitment differing from before to during bear relocation revealed an increase to 0.544 (total SE = 0.098; β = −1.092, 95% CI = −1.180 to −0.375). Using vital rates and estimates of process standard errors observed during our study, 25‐yr simulations maintained a mean positive growth rate in 100% of the stochastic trials with λ averaging 1.118 (95% CI = 1.096–1.140), an increase compared with rates before bear relocation. A life table response experiment revealed that increases in population growth were mostly (67.1%) due to changes in calf recruitment. We speculate that behavioral adaptation of the elk since release also contributed to the observed increases in recruitment and population growth. Our results suggest that managers interested in elk reintroduction within bear range should consider bear relocation as a temporary means of increasing calf recruitment. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.

MANAGERS’ ABILITY TO COPE WITH STRESS IN THE WORK SETTINGS

The article analyses the type of expression of manager professional stress. The main features of professional stress are discussed taking into consideration the problems, which can arise due to stress at work. Impact of long-lasting stress suffered at work is displayed through the changes in managers‘ behaviour, which reduces management effectiveness, causes health problems and pathological changes in the organism systems. By means of a standardized test, stress management skills of managers of Lithuanian small and medium-size business companies are disclosed: elimination of stress factors, resistance to stress, temporary means of coping with stress. The most relevant reasons, which cause managers’ stress at work, are identified. The results of survey show that managers’ ability to cope with stress in the work settings is insufficient: the best developed stress management skill amongst the respondents is ability to eliminate stress factors; while resistance to stress is poorly developed, the skill in applying temporary means of relaxation is also subject to improving. In order to develop stress management skills, managers are recommended to use a strategy for elimination of stress factors: to plan time, strengthen resistance to stress by developing emotional intellect, by creating cooperating teams of employees, delegating authority, developing competencies of communication and work reorganization. For individual development of resistance to stress it is recommended to maintain healthy lifestyle and apply temporary means of relaxation when the need arises.

Community based assessment on household management of waste and hygiene practices in Kersa Woreda, Eastern Ethiopia

Background: Improper waste management may have health and environmental hazards. Studies showed the relationship of many diseases to improper waste management.Objective: This study aimed to assess the status of waste management and hygiene practices in Kersa Woreda, Eastern Ethiopia.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Kersa Demographic Surveillance and Health Research Centre (KDS-HRC) project site in April 2008. The study subjects were randomly selected 444 households. Data were collected through interview and observation.Results: The majority of the households, (66%) disposed solid wastes in open dumps and only 6.9% of the households had temporary storage means for solid waste. About 98.4 % of the respondents revealed that the responsibility of waste management is left for women and girls. Only 36.4% households had latrines and almost all were simple unsanitary traditional pits. From those households with latrine the habit of hand-washing after defecation was reported to be only about 5.1%. The habit of hand washing after defecation is significantly associated with the educational status of the respondents (P

Expression analysis suggests a potential cytoprotective role of Birc5 in the inner ear

Hearing impairment is a worldwide health problem. Employing semi-quantitative immunological detection methods, we found that the apoptosis inhibitor protein Birc5 is expressed in cell types critical for hearing perception. In the guinea pig model, moderate noise exposure causing only a temporary mean hearing impairment of 33 dB significantly enhanced Birc5 expression in the spiral ligament, nerve fibers and the organ of Corti. In contrast, intratympanic gentamicin injection inducing permanent cell damage and mean hearing loss of 24 dB correlated with a significant Birc5 downregulation in the ligament, nerve fibers and the organ of Corti. The cytoprotective activity of the guinea pig and human Birc5 protein was confirmed by cloning of the gene and by subsequent ectopic expression and challenging studies against the ototoxin gentamicin in epithelial and auditory cell models. As the mammalian cochlea is unable to regenerate upon damage, these data suggest that modulation of Birc5 expression may represent a novel physiological mechanism to protect the inner ear against stress-induced cell damage. Hence, the targeted modulation of Birc5 levels may lead to novel otoprotective therapeutic strategies.

Smooth breaks and non-linear mean reversion: Post-Bretton Woods real exchange rates

The recent literature on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) has emphasized the role of two phenomena that may lead to the rejection of the PPP hypothesis: structural breaks and non-linear adjustment induced by transaction costs. These two hypotheses are analyzed separately in the literature. We develop tests for unit roots that account jointly for structural breaks and non-linear adjustment. Structural breaks are modeled by means of a Fourier function that allows for infrequent smooth temporary mean changes and is hence compatible with long-run PPP. Nonlinear adjustment is modeled by means of an ESTAR model. Our tests present good finite sample properties. The tests are applied to a set of 15 OECD countries' RERs and are able to reject the null of a unit root in 14 cases. The breaks are usually associated with the great appreciation and later depreciation of the dollar in the 1980s and the ESTAR adjustment appears to play an important role.