Regional myocardial wall thinning at multidetector computed tomography correlates to arrhythmogenic substrate in postinfarction ventricular tachycardia: assessment of structural and electrical substrate

BACKGROUND A majority of patients undergoing ablation of ventricular tachycardia have implanted devices precluding substrate imaging with delayed-enhancement MRI. Contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) can depict myocardial wall thickness with submillimetric resolution. We evaluated the relationship between regional myocardial wall thinning (WT) imaged by MDCT and arrhythmogenic substrate in postinfarction ventricular tachycardia. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 13 consecutive postinfarction patients undergoing MDCT before ablation. MDCT data were integrated with high-density 3-dimensional electroanatomic maps acquired during sinus rhythm (endocardium, 509±291 points/map; epicardium, 716±323 points/map). Low-voltage areas (<1.5 mV) and local abnormal ventricular activities (LAVA) during sinus rhythm were assessed with regard to the WT. A significant correlation was found between the areas of WT <5 mm and endocardial low voltage (correlation-R=0.82; P=0.001), but no such correlation was found in the epicardium. The WT <5 mm area was smaller than the endocardial low-voltage area (54 cm(2) [Q1-Q3, 46-92] versus 71 cm(2) [Q1-Q3, 59-124]; P=0.001). Among a total of 13 060 electrograms reviewed in the whole study population, 538 LAVA were detected and analyzed. LAVA were located within the WT <5 mm (469/538 [87%]) or at its border (100% within 23 mm). Very late LAVA (>100 ms after QRS complex) were almost exclusively detected within the thinnest area (93% in the WT<3 mm). CONCLUSIONS Regional myocardial WT correlates to low-voltage regions and distribution of LAVA critical for the generation and maintenance of postinfarction ventricular tachycardia. The integration of MDCT WT with 3-dimensional electroanatomic maps can help focus mapping and ablation on the culprit regions, even when MRI is precluded by the presence of implanted devices.

Perceived Competition Explains Regional Differences in the Stereotype Content of Immigrant Groups

This research investigates differences in the stereotype content of immigrant groups between linguistic regions. We expected that immigrant groups who speak the local language of a specific linguistic region would be perceived as more competitive within this region than in another linguistic region. Further, we expected these differences would underlie regional differences in stereotype content, albeit only for the warmth dimension. Predictions were tested in the two largest linguistic regions of Switzerland. As expected, in the German-speaking region, locals perceived German immigrants as more competitive and thus as less warm, whereas in the French-speaking region, locals perceived French immigrants as more competitive and, consequently, as less warm. So, paradoxically, immigrants with strong integration potential are particularly disliked because they are regarded as direct competitors.

Evaluation of Swiss slaughterhouse data for integration in a syndromic surveillance system

BACKGROUND: We evaluated Swiss slaughterhouse data for integration in a national syndromic surveillance system for the early detection of emerging diseases in production animals. We analysed meat inspection data for cattle, pigs and small ruminants slaughtered between 2007 and 2012 (including emergency slaughters of sick/injured animals); investigating patterns in the number of animals slaughtered and condemned; the reasons invoked for whole carcass condemnations; reporting biases and regional effects. RESULTS: Whole carcass condemnation rates were fairly uniform (1-2‰) over time and between the different types of production animals. Condemnation rates were much higher and less uniform following emergency slaughters. The number of condemnations peaked in December for both cattle and pigs, a time when individuals of lower quality are sent to slaughter when hay and food are limited and when certain diseases are more prevalent. Each type of production animal was associated with a different profile of condemnation reasons. The most commonly reported one was "severe lesions" for cattle, "abscesses" for pigs and "pronounced weight loss" for small ruminants. These reasons could constitute valuable syndromic indicators as they are unspecific clinical manifestations of a large range of animal diseases (as well as potential indicators of animal welfare). Differences were detected in the rate of carcass condemnation between cantons and between large and small slaughterhouses. A large percentage (>60% for all three animal categories) of slaughterhouses operating never reported a condemnation between 2007 and 2012, a potential indicator of widespread non-reporting bias in our database. CONCLUSIONS: The current system offers simultaneous coverage of cattle, pigs and small ruminants for the whole of Switzerland; and traceability of each condemnation to its farm of origin. The number of condemnations was significantly linked to the number of slaughters, meaning that the former should be always be offset by the later in analyses. Because this denominator is only communicated at the end of the month, condemnations may currently only be monitored on a monthly basis. Coupled with the lack of timeliness (30-60 days delay between condemnation and notification), this limits the use of the data for early-detection.

Making the most of world natural heritage - linking conservation and sustainable regional development?

Today, more than 1000 World Heritage (WH) sites are inscribed on UNESCO’s list, 228 of which are natural and mixed heritage sites. Once focused primarily on conservation, World Natural Heritage (WNH) sites are increasingly seen as promoters of sustainable regional development. Sustainability-oriented regions, it is assumed, are safeguards for conservation and positively influence local conservation goals. Within UNESCO, discussions regarding the integration of sustainable development in official policies have recently gained momentum. In this article, we investigate the extent to which WNH sites trigger sustainability-oriented approaches in surrounding regions, and how such approaches in turn influence the WNH site and its protection. The results of the study are on the one hand based on a global survey with more than 60% of the WNH sites listed in 2011, and on the other hand on a complementary literature research. Furthermore, we analyze the policy framework necessary to support WNH sites in this endeavor. We conclude that a regional approach to WNH management is necessary to ensure that WNH sites support sustainable regional development effectively, but that the core focus of WNH status must remain environmental conservation.

Impacto del modelo interamericano de derechos humanos en la integración regional

El Sistema Interamericano de Protección de Derechos Humanos impone a los Estados la implementación de todo tipo de medidas, entre ellas, acuerdos regionales de integración que tienden a garantizar el respeto de los derechos humanos. En el trabajo se fundamenta la idea de que el Sistema lnteramericano de Protección de Derechos Humanos constituye un aporte esencial en la integración latinoamericana, la que se produce a través de la enseñanza del derecho, de la jurisprudencia compartida, de la doctrina de los más destacados autores, del compromiso mutuo de todos estos países, que integran a aproximadamente 500 millones de personas que son regidas por este sistema en cuanto a la defensa de los derechos humanos.

Nuevo enlace ferrovial interprovincial Santa Fe-Entre Ríos : Una oportunidad de escala regional

La provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina, se encuentra en una localización estratégica. La potencialidad de la Hidrovía Paraná-Paraguay, los corredores bioceánicos viales y la red existente de trazados ferroviarios le confieren gran dinamismo a su integración económica, social, cultural y política, no sólo hacia el interior del propio territorio, sino también en relación a las demás provincias y más allá de los confines nacionales. La región capital, cuyo núcleo es la ciudad de Santa Fe, se encuentra caracterizada por factores realmente dinámicos: el riesgo hídrico que es intrínseco del área, la intensificación de los flujos económicos pasantes, los procesos de concentración demográfica y la creciente interdependencia entre ciudades, como es el casode Santa Fe y Paraná (capital de la vecina provincia de Entre Ríos), bajo un progresivo proceso de metropolización binuclear. Estos factores, sumados a la escasa cantidad de conexiones físicas sobre el sistema fluvial del río Paraná, han instalado la creciente necesidad de contar con un nuevo enlace interprovincial, adaptado a una hipótesis de reactivación ferroviaria. El proyecto se encuentra en fase preliminar. La cuestión principal gira en torno a la decisión de su localización específica, que deberá considerar el profundo efecto transformador propio de una obra civil de gran calibre, tanto en relación a la plataforma natural como al sistema de asentamientos humanos. También sus alcances territoriales y el impacto potencial en la micro, meso y macroescala. El propósito de la investigación reside en profundizar sobre las dimensiones involucradas por el proyecto (técnica, social, económica, ambiental, de movilidad), en la búsqueda de una toma de posición que permita echar luz sobre los escenarios más beneficiosos y/o menos desfavorables, en relación a las numerosas propuestas de localización que se encuentran actualmente en discusión. El resultado es una matriz analítica basada en variables cuantitativas y cualitativas, que permite una evaluación integral de las propuestas en función de considerar, en síntesis, el grado de impacto sobre la plataforma natural sustentante, sus capacidades para revertir las problemáticas territoriales actuales, y finalmente sus posibilidades para generar nuevos ejes de desarrollo en la región o bien potenciar los existentes. Se concluye que análisis preliminares de tipo pluridimensional son necesarios para someter a discusión, como instancia previa a estudios específicos de factibilidad y viabilidad, puesto que permiten una visualización integral de las variables intervinientes, marcando el camino hacia su adecuada ponderación. Palabras clave: enlace, multimodalidad, región, transformaciones

Nuevo enlace ferrovial interprovincial Santa Fe-Entre Ríos : Una oportunidad de escala regional

La provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina, se encuentra en una localización estratégica. La potencialidad de la Hidrovía Paraná-Paraguay, los corredores bioceánicos viales y la red existente de trazados ferroviarios le confieren gran dinamismo a su integración económica, social, cultural y política, no sólo hacia el interior del propio territorio, sino también en relación a las demás provincias y más allá de los confines nacionales. La región capital, cuyo núcleo es la ciudad de Santa Fe, se encuentra caracterizada por factores realmente dinámicos: el riesgo hídrico que es intrínseco del área, la intensificación de los flujos económicos pasantes, los procesos de concentración demográfica y la creciente interdependencia entre ciudades, como es el casode Santa Fe y Paraná (capital de la vecina provincia de Entre Ríos), bajo un progresivo proceso de metropolización binuclear. Estos factores, sumados a la escasa cantidad de conexiones físicas sobre el sistema fluvial del río Paraná, han instalado la creciente necesidad de contar con un nuevo enlace interprovincial, adaptado a una hipótesis de reactivación ferroviaria. El proyecto se encuentra en fase preliminar. La cuestión principal gira en torno a la decisión de su localización específica, que deberá considerar el profundo efecto transformador propio de una obra civil de gran calibre, tanto en relación a la plataforma natural como al sistema de asentamientos humanos. También sus alcances territoriales y el impacto potencial en la micro, meso y macroescala. El propósito de la investigación reside en profundizar sobre las dimensiones involucradas por el proyecto (técnica, social, económica, ambiental, de movilidad), en la búsqueda de una toma de posición que permita echar luz sobre los escenarios más beneficiosos y/o menos desfavorables, en relación a las numerosas propuestas de localización que se encuentran actualmente en discusión. El resultado es una matriz analítica basada en variables cuantitativas y cualitativas, que permite una evaluación integral de las propuestas en función de considerar, en síntesis, el grado de impacto sobre la plataforma natural sustentante, sus capacidades para revertir las problemáticas territoriales actuales, y finalmente sus posibilidades para generar nuevos ejes de desarrollo en la región o bien potenciar los existentes. Se concluye que análisis preliminares de tipo pluridimensional son necesarios para someter a discusión, como instancia previa a estudios específicos de factibilidad y viabilidad, puesto que permiten una visualización integral de las variables intervinientes, marcando el camino hacia su adecuada ponderación. Palabras clave: enlace, multimodalidad, región, transformaciones

Nuevo enlace ferrovial interprovincial Santa Fe-Entre Ríos : Una oportunidad de escala regional

La provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina, se encuentra en una localización estratégica. La potencialidad de la Hidrovía Paraná-Paraguay, los corredores bioceánicos viales y la red existente de trazados ferroviarios le confieren gran dinamismo a su integración económica, social, cultural y política, no sólo hacia el interior del propio territorio, sino también en relación a las demás provincias y más allá de los confines nacionales. La región capital, cuyo núcleo es la ciudad de Santa Fe, se encuentra caracterizada por factores realmente dinámicos: el riesgo hídrico que es intrínseco del área, la intensificación de los flujos económicos pasantes, los procesos de concentración demográfica y la creciente interdependencia entre ciudades, como es el casode Santa Fe y Paraná (capital de la vecina provincia de Entre Ríos), bajo un progresivo proceso de metropolización binuclear. Estos factores, sumados a la escasa cantidad de conexiones físicas sobre el sistema fluvial del río Paraná, han instalado la creciente necesidad de contar con un nuevo enlace interprovincial, adaptado a una hipótesis de reactivación ferroviaria. El proyecto se encuentra en fase preliminar. La cuestión principal gira en torno a la decisión de su localización específica, que deberá considerar el profundo efecto transformador propio de una obra civil de gran calibre, tanto en relación a la plataforma natural como al sistema de asentamientos humanos. También sus alcances territoriales y el impacto potencial en la micro, meso y macroescala. El propósito de la investigación reside en profundizar sobre las dimensiones involucradas por el proyecto (técnica, social, económica, ambiental, de movilidad), en la búsqueda de una toma de posición que permita echar luz sobre los escenarios más beneficiosos y/o menos desfavorables, en relación a las numerosas propuestas de localización que se encuentran actualmente en discusión. El resultado es una matriz analítica basada en variables cuantitativas y cualitativas, que permite una evaluación integral de las propuestas en función de considerar, en síntesis, el grado de impacto sobre la plataforma natural sustentante, sus capacidades para revertir las problemáticas territoriales actuales, y finalmente sus posibilidades para generar nuevos ejes de desarrollo en la región o bien potenciar los existentes. Se concluye que análisis preliminares de tipo pluridimensional son necesarios para someter a discusión, como instancia previa a estudios específicos de factibilidad y viabilidad, puesto que permiten una visualización integral de las variables intervinientes, marcando el camino hacia su adecuada ponderación. Palabras clave: enlace, multimodalidad, región, transformaciones

Integration under 'One Country, Two Systems' - The Case of Mainland China and Hong Kong-

Ever since the handover of the territory in 1997, Hong Kong has had its own unique law and its own economic system and international legal personality, and has not been integrated with Mainland China. The Basic Law guarantees the uniqueness of the Hong Kong SAR until 2047. But close economic ties between Hong Kong and the Mainland will promote closer economic integration. The Basic Law limits only a customs union and the introduction of a single currency, but not the formation of a Free Trade Agreement (hereafter FTA) and monetary union. FTA has already been realized in the form of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (hereafter CEPA). The Hong Kong SAR government, including the bureaucrat as well as the Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa, was opposed to, and hesitant towards, the formation of a regional trade agreement with the Mainland, but the business community made them to adopt a positive attitude towards the CEPA. It is unclear how much integration can been deepened, but it can be argued that the current policy of the Hong Kong SAR is too supportive of business, and an excessive degree of economic integration may threaten the uniqueness of Hong Kong. But if Hong Kong achieves democracy and enjoys complete autonomy, it will be easy for economic integration to co-exist with the 'One Country, Two Systems' approach, in the interests of the business community and of the citizens of the SAR.

Intra-regional trade between China, Japan, and Korea : before and after the financial crisis

East Asian economies have been heavily dependent on the U.S. and EU markets, especially for the export of final goods. Therefore, once the financial crisis hit Western economies hard, the East Asian economies lost their major markets.Their production networks then worked to the region's disadvantage and stifled industrial development.This reflects the vulnerability of the East Asian economies which have adopted an export-led growth strategy. Such vulnerability needs to be addressed to prevent future economic crises, as well as to sustain economic growth. This paper examines the trade structure of the three countries-China, Japan, and Korea-before and after the Lehman Shock, and discusses how the three countries should cooperate in addressing imbalances in the trade structure.

Chapter 6 Economic integration and changes in industrial location in Vietnam

Vietnam has been praised for its achievements in economic growth and success in poverty reduction over the last two decades. The incidence of poverty reportedly fell from 58.1% in 1993 to 19.5% in 2004 (VASS [2006, 13]). The country is also considered to have only a moderate level of aggregate economic inequality by international comparisons. As of the early 2000s, Vietnam’s consumption-based Gini coefficient is found to be comparable to that of other countries with similar levels of per capita GDP. The Gini index did increase between 1993 and 2004, but rather slowly, from 0.34 to 0.37 (VASS [2006, 13]). Yet, as the country moves on with its market oriented reforms, the question of inequality has been highlighted in policy and academic discourses. In particular, it is pointed out that socio-economic inequalities between regions (or provinces) are significant and have been widening behind aggregate figures (NCSSH [2001], Mekong Economics [2005], VASS [2006]). Between 1993 and 2004, while real per capita expenditure increased in all regions, it grew fastest in those regions with the highest per capita expenditures and vice versa, resulting in greater regional disparities (VASS [2006, 37]). A major contributing factor to such regional inequalities is the uneven distribution of industry within the country. According to the Statistical Yearbook of Vietnam, of the country's gross industrial output in 2007, over 50% belongs to the South East region, close to 25% to the Red River Delta, and about 10% to the Mekong River Delta. All remaining regions share some 10% of the country's gross industrial output. At a quick glance, the South East increased its share of the total industrial gross output in the 1990s, while the Red River Delta started to gain ground in more recent years. How can the government deal with regional disparities is a valid question. In order to offer an answer, it is necessary in the first place to grasp the trend of disparities as well as its background. To that end, this paper is a preparatory endeavor. Regional disparities in industrial activities can essentially be seen as a result of the location decisions of enterprises. While the General Statistics Office (GSO) of Vietnam has conducted one enterprise census (followed by annual enterprise surveys) and two stages of establishment censuses since 2000, sectorally and geographically disaggregated data are not readily available. Therefore, for the moment, we will draw on earlier studies of industrial location and the determinants of enterprises’ location decisions in Vietnam. The remainder of this paper is structured as follows. The following two sections deal with the country context. Section 2 will outline some major developments in Vietnam’s international economic relations that may affect sub-national location of industry. According to the theory of spatial economics, economic integration is seen as a major driver of changes in industrial location, both between and within countries (Nishikimi [2008]). Section 3, on the other hand, will consider some possible factors affecting geographic distribution of industry in the domestic sphere. In Section 4, existing literature on industrial and firm location will be examined, and Section 5 will briefly summarize the findings and suggest some areas for future research.

Non-conventional provisions in regional trade agreements : do they enhance international trade?

The scope of recent regional trade agreements (RTAs) is becoming much wider in terms of including several provisions such as competition policy or intellectual property. This paper empirically examines how far advanced, non-conventional provisions in RTAs increase trade values among RTA member countries, by estimating the gravity equation with more disaggregated indicators for RTAs. As a result, we find that the provision on competition policy has the largest impacts on trade values, following that on government procurement. Our further analysis reveals that the more significant roles of these two provisions can be also observed in the impacts on the intensive and extensive margins.

Economic integration, location of industries, and frontier regions : evidence from Cambodia

We examine changes in the location of economic activity in Cambodia between 1998 and 2008 in terms of employment growth. During this period, Cambodia joined ASEAN and increased trade with neighboring countries. Drawing on the predictions of the new economic geography, we focus on frontier regions such as border regions and international port cities. We examine the changing state of manufacturing in Cambodia from its initial concentration in Greater Phnom Penh to its growth in the frontier regions. The results suggest that economic integration and concomitant trade linkages may lead to the industrial development of frontier regions as well as the metropolitan areas in Cambodia.

Understanding traders' regional arbitage : the case of rice traders in Antananarivo, Madagascar

Many studies find that agricultural markets in developing countries are poorly integrated spatially. Traders' regional arbitrage plays a key role in integrating markets across space. We investigate the performance of regional arbitrage and the associated obstacles for rice traders in Antananarivo, Madagascar. On the basis of a trader-level biweekly survey spanning 2012–2013, we find that traders are not fully exploiting the regional arbitrage opportunities: most of them fail to purchase from the cheapest district and are paying higher prices than those in the cheapest district. One apparent obstacle is obtaining price information from many different regions. To reduce search costs, we provided regional price information via SMS to randomly selected traders, but found that this had a null-effect on improving arbitrage performance. Traders tend to concentrate on trading with a few fixed districts, even if they are informed about cheaper prices in other new districts, because they worry about quality uncertainty and the trustworthiness of new partners. These findings suggest that not only transmission of price information but also issues related to produce quality and matching prevent the performance of arbitrage and market integration.