Productivity growth and biased technological change : Credit banks in Japan

This paper investigates the productivity change of Japanese credit banks with a Malmquist index and the input technological bias during 2000-2006. Our results indicate that the traditional growth accounting method, which assumes Hicks neutral technological change, is not appropriate for analyzing changes in productivity. Our analysis unambiguously shows that management of Shinkin banks has to be improved. These must be based on the improvement of technical efficiency and/or technological change, emulating the procedures of the best-practice banks, i.e., those banks with Malmquist productivity scores higher than one and simultaneously with technical efficiency and technological change higher than one.

Kaukainen rakkaus : Saavuttamattomuuden semantiikka Kaija Saariahon oopperassa

L Amour de loin: The semantics of the unattainable in Kaija Saariaho s opera Kaija Saariaho (born 1952) is one of the most internationally successful Finnish composers there has ever been. Her first opera L Amour de loin (Love from afar, 1999-2000) has been staged all over the world and has won a number of important prizes. The libretto written for L Amour de loin by Amin Malouf (born 1949) sets the work firmly in the culture of courtly love and the troubadours, which flourished in Occitania in the South of France during the Middle Ages. The male lead in the opera is the troubadour Jaufré Rudel, who lived in the twelfth century and is known to have taken part in the Second Crusade in 1147-1148. This doctoral thesis L Amour de loin: The semantics of the unattainable in Kaija Saariaho s opera, which comes within the field of musicology and opera research, examines the dimensions of meaning contained in Kaija Saariaho s opera L Amour de loin. This hermeneutic-semiotic study is the first doctoral thesis dealing with Saariaho to be completed at the University of Helsinki. It is also the first thesis-level study of Saariaho s opera to be completed anywhere in the world. The study focuses on the libretto and music of the opera, that is to say the dramatic text (L Amour de loin 1980), and examines on the one hand the dimensions of meaning produced by the dramatic text and on the other, the way in which they fix the dramatic text in a historical and cultural context. Thus the study helps to answer questions about the dimensions of meaning contained in the dramatic text of the opera and how they can be interpreted. The most important procedural viewpoint is Lawrence Kramer s hermeneutic window (1990), supplemented by Raymond Monelle s semiotic theory of musical topics (2000, 2006) and the philosophical concept of Emmanuel Levinas (1996, 2002) in which the latter acts as an instrument for semantic interpretation to build up an analysis. The analytical section of the study is built around the three characters in the opera, Jaufré Rudel, Clémence the Countess of Tripoli, and the Pilgrim. The study shows that the music of Saariaho, who belongs to the third generation of Finnish modernists, has become distanced from the post-serial aesthetic towards a more diatonic form of expression. There is diatonicity, for instance, in the sonorous individuality of the male lead, which is based on the actual melodies of the historical Jaufré Rudel. The use of outside material in this context is exceptional in the work of Saariaho. At the same time, Saariaho s opera contains a wealth of expressive devices she has used in her earlier work. It became apparent during the study that, as a piece of music, L Amour de loin is a many layered and multi-dimensional work that does not unambiguously represent any single stylistic trend or aesthetic. Despite the composer s post-serial background and its abrasive relationship with opera, L Amour de loin is firmly attached to the tradition of western opera. The analysis based on the theory of musical topics that was carried out in the study, shows that topics referring to death and resurrection, used in opera since the seventeenth century, appear in L Amour de loin. The troubadour topic, mainly identified with the harp, also emerges in the work. The study also shows that the work is firmly attached to the tradition of western opera in other aspects, too, such as the travesti or trouser role played by the Pilgrim, and the idea of deus ex machina derived from Ancient Greek theatre. The study shows that the concept of love based on the medieval practices of courtly love, and the associated longing for another defined by almost 1,000 years of western culture, are both manifested in the semantics of Kaija Saariaho s opera which takes its place in the contemporary music genre.

Individualized immunosuppression after renal transplantation in childhood

Pediatric renal transplantation (TX) has evolved greatly during the past few decades, and today TX is considered the standard care for children with end-stage renal disease. In Finland, 191 children had received renal transplants by October 2007, and 42% of them have already reached adulthood. Improvements in treatment of end-stage renal disease, surgical techniques, intensive care medicine, and in immunosuppressive therapy have paved the way to the current highly successful outcomes of pediatric transplantation. In children, the transplanted graft should last for decades, and normal growth and development should be guaranteed. These objectives set considerable requirements in optimizing and fine-tuning the post-operative therapy. Careful optimization of immunosuppressive therapy is crucial in protecting the graft against rejection, but also in protecting the patient against adverse effects of the medication. In the present study, the results of a retrospective investigation into individualized dosing of immunosuppresive medication, based on pharmacokinetic profiles, therapeutic drug monitoring, graft function and histology studies, and glucocorticoid biological activity determinations, are reported. Subgroups of a total of 178 patients, who received renal transplants in 1988 2006 were included in the study. The mean age at TX was 6.5 years, and approximately 26% of the patients were <2 years of age. The most common diagnosis leading to renal TX was congenital nephrosis of the Finnish type (NPHS1). Pediatric patients in Finland receive standard triple immunosuppression consisting of cyclosporine A (CsA), methylprednisolone (MP) and azathioprine (AZA) after renal TX. Optimal dosing of these agents is important to prevent rejections and preserve graft function in one hand, and to avoid the potentially serious adverse effects on the other hand. CsA has a narrow therapeutic window and individually variable pharmacokinetics. Therapeutic monitoring of CsA is, therefore, mandatory. Traditionally, CsA monitoring has been based on pre-dose trough levels (C0), but recent pharmacokinetic and clinical studies have revealed that the immunosuppressive effect may be related to diurnal CsA exposure and blood CsA concentration 0-4 hours after dosing. The two-hour post-dose concentration (C2) has proved a reliable surrogate marker of CsA exposure. Individual starting doses of CsA were analyzed in 65 patients. A recommended dose based on a pre-TX pharmacokinetic study was calculated for each patient by the pre-TX protocol. The predicted dose was clearly higher in the youngest children than in the older ones (22.9±10.4 and 10.5±5.1 mg/kg/d in patients <2 and >8 years of age, respectively). The actually administered oral doses of CsA were collected for three weeks after TX and compared to the pharmacokinetically predicted dose. After the TX, dosing of CsA was adjusted according to clinical parameters and blood CsA trough concentration. The pharmacokinetically predicted dose and patient age were the two significant parameters explaining post-TX doses of CsA. Accordingly, young children received significantly higher oral doses of CsA than the older ones. The correlation to the actually administered doses after TX was best in those patients, who had a predicted dose clearly higher or lower (> ±25%) than the average in their age-group. Due to the great individual variation in pharmacokinetics standardized dosing of CsA (based on body mass or surface area) may not be adequate. Pre-Tx profiles are helpful in determining suitable initial CsA doses. CsA monitoring based on trough and C2 concentrations was analyzed in 47 patients, who received renal transplants in 2001 2006. C0, C2 and experienced acute rejections were collected during the post-TX hospitalization, and also three months after TX when the first protocol core biopsy was obtained. The patients who remained rejection free had slightly higher C2 concentrations, especially very early after TX. However, after the first two weeks also the trough level was higher in the rejection-free patients than in those with acute rejections. Three months after TX the trough level was higher in patients with normal histology than in those with rejection changes in the routine biopsy. Monitoring of both the trough level and C2 may thus be warranted to guarantee sufficient peak concentration and baseline immunosuppression on one hand and to avoid over-exposure on the other hand. Controlling of rejection in the early months after transplantation is crucial as it may contribute to the development of long-term allograft nephropathy. Recently, it has become evident that immunoactivation fulfilling the histological criteria of acute rejection is possible in a well functioning graft with no clinical sings or laboratory perturbations. The influence of treatment of subclinical rejection, diagnosed in 3-month protocol biopsy, to graft function and histology 18 months after TX was analyzed in 22 patients and compared to 35 historical control patients. The incidence of subclinical rejection at three months was 43%, and the patients received a standard rejection treatment (a course of increased MP) and/or increased baseline immunosuppression, depending on the severity of rejection and graft function. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at 18 months was significantly better in the patients who were screened and treated for subclinical rejection in comparison to the historical patients (86.7±22.5 vs. 67.9±31.9 ml/min/1.73m2, respectively). The improvement was most remarkable in the youngest (<2 years) age group (94.1±11.0 vs. 67.9±26.8 ml/min/1.73m2). Histological findings of chronic allograft nephropathy were also more common in the historical patients in the 18-month protocol biopsy. All pediatric renal TX patients receive MP as a part of the baseline immunosuppression. Although the maintenance dose of MP is very low in the majority of the patients, the well-known steroid-related adverse affects are not uncommon. It has been shown in a previous study in Finnish pediatric TX patients that steroid exposure, measured as area under concentration-time curve (AUC), rather than the dose correlates with the adverse effects. In the present study, MP AUC was measured in sixteen stable maintenance patients, and a correlation with excess weight gain during 12 months after TX as well as with height deficit was found. A novel bioassay measuring the activation of glucocorticoid receptor dependent transcription cascade was also employed to assess the biological effect of MP. Glucocorticoid bioactivity was found to be related to the adverse effects, although the relationship was not as apparent as that with serum MP concentration. The findings in this study support individualized monitoring and adjustment of immunosuppression based on pharmacokinetics, graft function and histology. Pharmacokinetic profiles are helpful in estimating drug exposure and thus identifying the patients who might be at risk for excessive or insufficient immunosuppression. Individualized doses and monitoring of blood concentrations should definitely be employed with CsA, but possibly also with steroids. As an alternative to complete steroid withdrawal, individualized dosing based on drug exposure monitoring might help in avoiding the adverse effects. Early screening and treatment of subclinical immunoactivation is beneficial as it improves the prospects of good long-term graft function.

Stable atmospheric methane in the 2000s: key-role of emissions from natural wetlands

Two atmospheric inversions (one fine-resolved and one process-discriminating) and a process-based model for land surface exchanges are brought together to analyse the variations of methane emissions from 1990 to 2009. A focus is put on the role of natural wetlands and on the years 2000-2006, a period of stable atmospheric concentrations. From 1990 to 2000, the top-down and bottom-up visions agree on the time-phasing of global total and wetland emission anomalies. The process-discriminating inversion indicates that wetlands dominate the time-variability of methane emissions (90% of the total variability). The contribution of tropical wetlands to the anomalies is found to be large, especially during the post-Pinatubo years (global negative anomalies with minima between -41 and -19 Tg yr(-1) in 1992) and during the alternate 1997-1998 El-Nino/1998-1999 La-Nina (maximal anomalies in tropical regions between +16 and +22 Tg yr(-1) for the inversions and anomalies due to tropical wetlands between +12 and +17 Tg yr(-1) for the process-based model). Between 2000 and 2006, during the stagnation of methane concentrations in the atmosphere, the top-down and bottom-up approaches agree on the fact that South America is the main region contributing to anomalies in natural wetland emissions, but they disagree on the sign and magnitude of the flux trend in the Amazon basin. A negative trend (-3.9 +/- 1.3 Tg yr(-1)) is inferred by the process-discriminating inversion whereas a positive trend (+1.3 +/- 0.3 Tg yr(-1)) is found by the process model. Although processed-based models have their own caveats and may not take into account all processes, the positive trend found by the B-U approach is considered more likely because it is a robust feature of the process-based model, consistent with analysed precipitations and the satellite-derived extent of inundated areas. On the contrary, the surface-data based inversions lack constraints for South America. This result suggests the need for a re-interpretation of the large increase found in anthropogenic methane inventories after 2000.

Frequency limitation in the calibration of microwave test fixtures

The problem of frequency limitation arising from the calibration of asymmetric and symmetric test fixtures has been investigated. For asymmetric test fixtures, a new algorithm based on the thru-short-match (TSM) method is outlined. It is found that the conventional TSM method does not have any inherent frequency limitation, but using the same procedure with an unknown match may lead to the said problem. This limitation can be avoided by using a different algorithm. The various calibration methods for symmetric test fixtures using known standards are also discussed and the origin of the frequency limitation is identified. Several ways in avoiding the problem are proposed. There is good agreement between the theories and experimental data.

Industrial development and land use/cover change and their effects on local environment: a case study of Changshu in eastern coastal China

The interactions among industrial development, land use/cover change (LUCC), and environmental effects in Changshu in the eastern coastal China were analyzed using high-resolution Landsat TM data in 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2006, socio-economic data and water environmental quality monitoring data from research institutes and governmental departments. Three phases of industrial development in Changshu were examined (i.e., the three periods of 1990 to 1995, 1995 to 2000, and 2000 to 2006). Besides industrial development and rapid urbanization, land use/cover in Changshu had changed drastically from 1990 to 2006. This change was characterized by major replacements of farmland by urban and rural settlements, artificial ponds, forested and constructed land. Industrialization, urbanization, agricultural structure adjustment, and rural housing construction were the major socio-economic driving forces of LUCC in Changshu. In addition, the annual value of ecosystem services in Changshu decreased slightly during 1990-2000, but increased significantly during 2000-2006. Nevertheless, the local environmental quality in Changshu, especially in rural areas, has not yet been improved significantly. Thus, this paper suggests an increased attention to fully realize the role of land supply in adjustment of environment-friendly industrial structure and urban-rural spatial restructuring, and translating the land management and environmental protection policies into an optimized industrial distribution and land-use pattern.

Analysis of arable land loss and its impact on rural sustainability in Southern Jiangsu Province of China

Rapid urbanization and industrialization in southern Jiangsu Province have consumed a huge amount of arable land. Through comparative analysis of land cover maps derived from TM images in 1990, 2000 and 2006, we identified the trend of arable land loss. It is found that most arable land is lost to urbanization and rural settlements development. Urban settlements, rural settlements, and industrial park-mine-transport land increased, respectively, by 87 997 ha (174.65%), 81 041 ha (104.52%), and 12 692 ha (397.99%) from 1990 to 2006. Most of the source (e.g., change from) land covers are rice paddy fields and dryland. These two covers contributed to newly urbanized areas by 37.12% and 73.52% during 1990-2000, and 46.39% and 38.86% during 2000-2006. However, the loss of arable land is weakly correlated with ecological service value, per capita net income of farmers, but positively with grain yield for some counties. Most areas in the study site have a low arable land depletion rate and a high potential for sustainable development. More attention should be directed at those counties that have a high depletion rate but a low potential for sustainable development. Rural settlements should be controlled and rationalized through legislative measures to achieve harmonious development between urban and rural areas, and sustainable development for rural areas with a minimal impact on the ecoenvironment. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

贵阳市中心城区大气中不同形态汞的研究

汞，是一种人体非必需的有毒重金属元素，一种全球性污染物，其全球生物地球化学循环演化规律的研究是目前环境科学领域的热点问题。汞在大气中的行为对其全球生物地球化学循环起着极其重要的控制作用。因此，关于大气汞循环演化规律的研究已经成为目前汞全球生物地球化学研究的热点问题。大气中的汞主要分为三类，即气态单质汞（GEM）、活性气态汞（RGM）和颗粒态汞（TPM）。各种形态汞的物理化学性质不同，在大气中的行为存在显著的差异。研究大气中不同形态汞的分布特征，对于正确认识汞在大气中的循环演化规律意义重大。目前中国是全球人为活动向大气释汞最多的国家，而城市区域是人为活动的中心地带，城市大气汞污染形势严峻。因此，开展城市大气中不同形态汞的研究对于评价与预测城市环境汞污染特征以及正确认识大气汞的局地、区域、全球循环演化规律具有重要的理论与实际意义。 本论文选取贵州省省会贵阳市的中心城区作为研究区域。贵阳市（东经106º07´~107º17´，北纬26º11´~27º22´）位于中国西南地区正好处在环太平洋汞矿化带中，能源消耗以煤炭为主，大气环境污染属煤烟型污染，常年影响大气环境质量的主要污染物是二氧化硫和可吸入颗粒物。本论文的研究工作包括：⑴2004年4月～12月在中国科学院地球化学研究所建立与完善了大气中气态总汞（TGM）、GEM、RGM、TPM的采集与分析方法，并测定了大气和雨水中不同形态汞的含量，对大气汞的干、湿沉降通量进行了估算；⑵2005年4月～2006年1月在贵阳市中心城区的居民区、商业区、工业区、游览区4个功能区各设1个研究点，农村设1个对照点，按春、夏、冬3个季节研究了大气中GEM、RGM、TPM的分布特征，估算了贵阳市中心城区大气汞的干沉降通量，并利用高分辨透射电子显微镜（HR–TEM）分析技术对冬季各采样点TPM的来源作了定性识别；⑶测量了中心城区表层土壤和某些植物的总汞（THg）含量，探讨了大气汞对中心城区地表生态系统的污染效应。通过本论文的研究，得出以下主要结论： 1.在国内外研究基础上，建立了金捕汞管–冷原子荧光光谱法（CVAFS）测定大气中TGM的方法、微型捕集管–CVAFS测定大气中TPM的方法、镀KCl直形扩散管–金捕汞管串联采集RGM与GEM的方法。每种形态汞的测量技术水平都在pg•m-3量级。并在国内首次实现了对城市大气中GEM、RGM、TPM的同步测量。 2.2005 ~ 2006年间贵阳市中心城区大气中GEM、RGM、TPM的平均浓度分别是9.11 ng•m-3、132.4 pg•m-3、1.02 ng•m-3，均为对照点的1.5倍，都显著高于全球背景参考值1.5 ~ 2.0 ng·m-3、< 10 pg•m-3、1 ~ 86 pg•m-3。3种形态汞的季节、昼夜与空间分布特征如下：⑴GEM：①季节平均浓度表现为冬季＞夏季＞春季，居民采暖燃煤释放是造成冬季GEM浓度高的主要原因。②春、夏非采暖季受释放源及其排放方式、自身物理化学性质与气候条件等因素的影响一般是夜间高于白天；冬季则受居民白天采暖燃煤影响主要表现为白天高于夜间。③年平均浓度，工业区＞居民区＞商业区＞游览区＞对照点。⑵RGM：①季节平均浓度表现为春季＞夏季＞冬季，气候条件对RGM的影响较大。②受白天释放源、自身物理化学性质、大气氧化强度与气候条件等因素的影响，春、夏、冬3季一般都为白天高于夜间。③年平均浓度，商业区＞工业区、居民区＞游览区、对照点。⑶TPM：①季节平均浓度表现为冬季＞夏季＞春季，居民采暖燃煤释放是造成冬季TPM浓度高的主要原因。②受释放源及其排放方式、自身物理化学性质与气候条件等因素的影响，春、夏、冬3季一般都为夜间高于白天。③年平均浓度，工业区＞居民区＞商业区＞对照点＞游览区。④TPM受局地释放源的影响显著，而燃煤释放是其冬季的普遍来源。 3.2005 ~ 2006年间不同形态汞在贵阳市中心城区大气中的含量分布为GEM（89.8 %）> TPM（8.8 %）> RGM（1.5 %），其中（RGM + TPM）占大气总汞（TAM）的比例略高于对照点的10.0 %，但显著高于全球背景参考值1 ~ 5 %，说明贵阳市中心城区大气汞向地表生态系统的沉降通量相对背景区较大。因为尽管RGM、TPM在大气中的含量很低，但正是它们控制了大气汞向地表生态系统的沉降速率。 4.2005 ~ 2006年间贵阳市中心城区各功能区及对照点大气中不同形态汞日均浓度的相关关系大多数都表现为不显著，表明在贵阳市中心城区及对照点大气中不同形态汞的来源可能是多元化的。 5.2005 ~ 2006年间贵阳市中心城区大气中GEM、RGM、TPM的干沉降通量平均值分别为28.7 μg•m-2•yr-1、10.4 μg•m-2•yr-1、160.9 μg•m-2•yr-1，均为对照点的1.5倍，其中TPM控制了大气汞向地表生态系统的干沉降通量；TAM干沉降通量平均值为200.1 μg•m-2•yr-1，其时空差异表现为冬季＞春季＞夏季和工业区＞居民区＞商业区＞对照点＞游览区。 6.经估算，2005 ~ 2006年间在贵阳市中心城区面积范围内大气汞干、湿沉降总量为54.7 kg•yr-1，它仅占燃煤向大气排汞量（以2003年为例，贵阳市中心城区燃煤向大气排汞量为334 kg•yr-1）的16.4 %，说明贵阳市中心城区的大部分大气汞仍然停留在大气中，最终将经由大气进行长距离迁移，散布到更广的区域。 7.在中国科学院地球化学研究所，2000 ~ 2006年间的大气TGM污染程度呈逐年递增趋势；2004年大气汞的干沉降通量为16.5 ng•m-2•h-1，高于湿沉降通量12.2 ng•m-2•h-1。 8.贵阳市中心城区及对照点不同类型土壤THg含量的几何平均值分别是0.370和0.276 mg•kg -1，都高于贵阳市土壤汞背景值0.201 mg•kg -1。土壤释汞是贵阳市大气气态总汞的一个重要自然源，而土壤THg含量是土壤释汞的最主要影响因子。因此，为了提高城乡居民的生活环境质量，更为了保护城乡居民的健康，非常有必要采取防治措施来降低贵阳市中心城区及对照点的土壤汞污染。 9.贵阳市中心城区苔藓THg平均含量为0.258 mg•kg -1，为对照点的1.5倍；中心城区某些常见的木本植物叶片THg含量范围是 0.068 ~ 0.181 mg•kg -1，木本植物叶片吸收大气汞的能力表现为落叶植物＞常绿植物。苔藓、梧桐叶片中的THg含量与其生长时期的大气汞浓度密切相关，能够指示区域大气汞的污染现状与空间分布规律。

Atividade microbiana e mineralização de nitrogênio em solo suplementado com lodo de esgoto.

Uma das alternativas para se dispor do lodo de esgoto é utilizá-lo como fertilizante orgânico, de modo que seus nutrientes possam ser reciclados no sistema solo-planta. Em geral, os lodos são ricos em nitrogênio, o que significa que eles apresentam um alto potencial como fertilizantes nitrogenados. Em decorrência das inúmeras perdas a que está sujeito o nitrogênio no solo, em detrimento do ambiente, a quantidade de lodo a ser aplicada, não deverá exceder, em muito, as necessidades da cultura.

Implicações do uso de lodo de esgoto como fertilizante em culturas anuais: nitrato de solo.

Um aspecto importante do uso agrícola do lodo de esgoto, ainda pouco investigado em solos tropicais, refere-se à possibilidade de contaminação do lençol freático e cursos de água com nitrato resultante da mineralização do N orgânico do lodo. Os trabalhos de pesquisa existentes sobre o assunto, a maior parte dos quais realizados em casade- vegetação ou em laboratório, indicam que quantidades expressivas de nitrato podem se deslocar para camadas subjacentes à zona de exploração das raízes de culturas anuais, configurando um quadro de risco de contaminação ambiental com esse ânion.

Organismos bentônicos bioindicadores da qualidade das águas da bacia do médio São Francisco.

2000

Controle de bolor verde em pós-colheita de citros com produtos alternativos.

Dessa forma, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo estudar a eficiência de produtos alternativos aos fungicidas, como: microrganismos antagônicos, extratos de plantas, aditivos de alimentos, produtos alimentares e resíduos da produção de alimentos no controle do bolor verde (Penicillium digitatum Sacc.) em pós-colheita de frutos de laranja 'Pêra'.

Estabilidade de agregados em latossolo vermelho-escuro da área experimental da Embrapa Meio Ambiente: subsídios aos estudos de avaliação do comportamento físico do solo na presença de lodo de esgoto.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal avaliar o comportamento de agregados de um Latossolo Vermelho-Escuro da área experimental da Embrapa Meio Ambiente durante três anos, período em que serão aplicados dois tipos de lodo de esgoto em diferentes dosagens.

Lanternim: função e construção.

2000

Comedouros para suínos em crescimento e terminação.

2000