Structural variants of biodegradable polyesterurethane in vivo evoke a cellular and angiogenic response that is dictated by architecture

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2008 Acta Materialia Inc.The aim of this study was to investigate an in vivo tissue response to a biodegradable polyesterurethane, specifically the cellular and angiogenic response evoked by varying implant architectures in a subcutaneous rabbit implant model. A synthetic biodegradable polyesterurethane was synthesized and processed into three different configurations: a non-porous film, a porous mesh and a porous membrane. Glutaraldehyde cross-linked bovine pericardium was used as a control. Sterile polyesterurethane and control samples were implanted subcutaneously in six rabbits (n = 12). The rabbits were killed at 21 and 63 days and the implant sites were sectioned and histologically stained using haemotoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson’s trichrome, picosirius red and immunostain CD31. The tissue–implant interface thickness was measured from the H&E slides. Stereological techniques were used to quantify the tissue reaction at each time point that included volume fraction of inflammatory cells, fibroblasts, fibrocytes, collagen and the degree of vascularization. Stereological analysis inferred that porous scaffolds with regular topography are better tolerated in vivo compared to non-porous scaffolds, while increasing scaffold porosity promotes angiogenesis and cellular infiltration. The results suggest that this biodegradable polyesterurethane is better tolerated in vivo than the control and that structural variants of biodegradable polyesterurethane in vivo evoke a cellular and angiogenic response that is dictated by architecture.Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology: funded by the National Development Plan. Enterprise Ireland: Research Innovation Partnership

Labor Supply, Employment, and Sustainable Development in Mauritius

The interconnections between a country's labor supply, employment, and its economic development have been extensively investigated in development literature. These interconnections are particularly crucial to small countries with limited capital and natural resources. This paper reviews recent trends in Mauritius' labor supply and employment levels and their implications for the future sustainable development of the island. Labor has played an important role in Mauritius' development since the establishment of sugar cane plantations and the imports of indentured laborers from India in the early 1800s. The thrust towards export-oriented manufacturing that began in the 1970s was also based upon the availability of a large labor pool. Changes in the labor force and employment composition currently underway suggest that the future economic development of Mauritius will have to adjust to a lower supply of labor and a leveling off of manufacturing jobs. Some policy suggestions related to the labor force are offered

Multiscaling in Models of Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence

From a direct numerical simulation of the MHD equations we show, for the first time, that velocity and magnetic-field structure functions exhibit multiscaling, extended self similarity (ESS), and generalized extended self similarity (GESS). We also propose a new shell model for homogeneous and isotropic MHD turbulence, which preserves all the invariants of ideal MHD, reduces to a well-known shell model for fluid turbulence for zero magnetic field, has no adjustable parameters apart from Reynolds numbers, and exhibits the same multiscaling, ESS, and GESS as the MHD equations. We also study dissipation-range asymptotics and the inertial- to dissipation-range crossover.Comment: 5 pages, REVTEX, 4 figures (eps

Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions in a Driven Sandpile Model

We construct a driven sandpile slope model and study it by numerical simulations in one dimension. The model is specified by a threshold slope \sigma_c\/, a parameter \alpha\/, governing the local current-slope relation (beyond threshold), and $j_{\rm in}$, the mean input current of sand. A nonequilibrium phase diagram is obtained in the \alpha\, -\, j_{\rm in}\/ plane. We find an infinity of phases, characterized by different mean slopes and separated by continuous or first-order boundaries, some of which we obtain analytically. Extensions to two dimensions are discussed.Comment: 11 pages, RevTeX (preprint format), 4 figures available upon requs

EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH IN INDIAN BANKING

This paper attempts to examine technical efficiency and productivity performance of Indian scheduled commercial banks, for the period 1979-2008. We model a multiple output/multiple input technology production frontier using semiparametric estimation methods. The endogenity of multiple outputs is addressed by semi parametric estimates in part by introducing multivariate kernel estimators for the joint distribution of the multiple outputs and correlated random effects. Output is measured as the rupee value of total loans and total investments at the end of the year. The estimates provide robust inferences of the productivity and efficiency gains due to economic reforms.Banking, Frontier efficiency, Productivity

Dyadic Cantor set and its kinetic and stochastic counterpart

Firstly, we propose and investigate a dyadic Cantor set (DCS) and its kinetic counterpart where a generator divides an interval into two equal parts and removes one with probability $(1-p)$. The generator is then applied at each step to all the existing intervals in the case of DCS and to only one interval, picked with probability according to interval size, in the case of kinetic DCS. Secondly, we propose a stochastic DCS in which, unlike the kinetic DCS, the generator divides an interval randomly instead of equally into two parts. Finally, the models are solved analytically; an exact expression for fractal dimension in each case is presented and the relationship between fractal dimension and the corresponding conserved quantity is pointed out. Besides, we show that the interval size distribution function in both variants of DCS exhibits dynamic scaling and we verify it numerically using the idea of data-collapse.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, To appear in Chaos, Solitons & Fractal