Exploring the patterns and determinants of U.S. antidumping actions against Latin American imports, 1980-2004

Includes bibliography

The transformation of the North American apparel industry: is NAFTA a curse or a blessing?

Includes bibliography

The migration of health care workers in the Western Hemisphere: issues and impacts

Includes bibliography

Reflections on the use of labour market indicators in designing policies with a gender-based approach

Includes bibliography

The evolution of structural adjustment and stabilization policy in Jamaica

Includes bibliography

Effect of green machining on distortion and surface finishing in advanced ceramic

An alternative for grinding of sintered ceramic is the machining on the green state of the ceramic, which presents easy cutting without the introduction of harmful defects to its mechanical resistance. However, after sintering there are invariably distortions caused by the heterogeneous distribution of density gradients, which are located in the most outlying portions of the compacted workpiece. In order to minimize these density gradients, this study examined the influence of different allowance values and their corresponding influence in distortion after sintering alumina specimens with 99.8 % purity by turning operation using cemented carbide tool. Besides distortion, other output variables were analyzed, such as tool wear, cutting force and surface roughness of green and sintered ceramics. Results showed a distortion reduction up to 81.4%. Green machining is beneficial for reducing surface roughness in both green and sintered states. Cutting tool wear has a direct influence on surface roughness and cutting force.

The challenge of industrial competitiveness

Includes bibliography

Price elasticity of Central American agricultural exports

Includes bibliography

The modernization of bank supervision

Includes bibliography

The privatization of public water utilities

Includes bibliography

The strategies of multinational companies in 1990s Argentina

Includes bibliography

Use of algorithms for semi-automatic quantification of pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema

Obtaining a semi-automatic quantification of pathologies found in the lung, through images of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT), is of great importance to aid in medical diagnosis. Paraccocidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic disease that affects the lung and even after effective treatment leaves sequels such as pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. It is very important to the area of tropical diseases that the lung injury be quantified more accurately. In this stud, we propose the development of algorithms in computational environment Matlab® able to objectively quantify lung diseases such as fibrosis and emphysema. The program consists in selecting the region of interest (ROI), and through the use of density masks and filters, obtaining the lesion area quantification in relation to the healthy area of the lung. The proposed method was tested on 15 exams of HRCT of patients with confirmed PCM. To prove the validity and effectiveness of the method, we used a virtual phantom, also developed in this research. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.

An analysis of maritime transport and its costs for the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Long term growth in the Caribbean: a balance of payments constraint approach

Includes bibliography

Economic and Social Panorama of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, 2013

Foreword by Alicia Bárcena.