Op18/stathmin (Op18) is a phosphorylation-regulated microtubule destabilizer that is frequently overexpressed in tumors. The importance of Op18 in malignancy was recently suggested by identification of a somatic Q18-->E mutation of Op18 in an adenocarcinoma. We addressed the functional consequences of aberrant Op18 expression in leukemias by analyzing the cell cycle of K562 cells either deplete...

We describe various computing techniques for tackling chessboard domination problems and apply these to the determination of domination and irredundance numbers for queens’ and kings’ graphs. In particular we show that γ(Q15) = γ(Q16) = 9, confirm that γ(Q17) = γ(Q18) = 9, show that γ(Q19) = 10, show that i(Q18) = 10, improve the bound for i(Q19) to 10 ≤ i(Q19) ≤ 11, show that ir(Qn) = γ(Qn) fo...

OBJECTIVES To assess sensitivity and specificity of a questionnaire designed to detect neurotoxic symptoms in workers exposed to solvents and in patients with a psycho-organic syndrome. METHODS The Swedish Q16 is a self administered questionnaire for neurotoxic symptoms. The modified German version consists of 18 questions. The results were analysed from 1166 questionnaires which were complet...

This paper aims to address two key issues in the agricultural economics of transition economies: (i) what do we understand about the process of agricultural transformation in transition economies with respect to the distribution of collective and state farm assets and why is this process so important; and (ii) why the Joint Stock Company model of agricultural privatisation in transition economi...

Main purpose of our study was to examine whether painters with long-term exposure to mixtures of organic solvents show slight dysfunctions in color vision ability. The study population consisted of 140 men with chronic exposure to organic solvents from paint and thinners (mean duration of exposure: 26 years). We used the Lanthony Desaturated Panel-D-15 (LDP-D15) to test color vision and calcula...

Many developing countries use food price subsidies or price controls to improve the nutrition of the poor. However, subsidizing goods on which households spend a high proportion of their budget can create large wealth effects. Consumers may then substitute towards foods with higher non-nutritional attributes like taste, but lower nutritional content per unit currency, weakening or perhaps even ...

Producer Protection Legislation and Termination Damages in the Presence of Contracting Frictions This study models producer protection legislation that would grant growers the right to claim damages (PPLD) if their contracts are prematurely terminated. In the absence of contracting frictions that prevent contractors from redesigning contracts to accommodate exogenous policy changes, PPLD would ...

This paper analyses the role barriers to trade in the form of high transaction costs have on market participation and supply response in rural food markets in developing countries. We present an empirical application on a sample of households in the Tanzanian region of Kagera. Exploiting the availability of a long term panel dataset to develop an error components switching regression model we c...

This paper surveys the status of food security in the South Asian countries, particularly India. Particular attention has been paid to small landholders (those households owning less than 2 hectares of land). Using NSS data from 1993–94 and 2004–05 the paper shows that small landholders are an increasing proportion of i) total rural households, ii) rural households who are poor, and iii) rural ...