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BACKGROUND Differentiation between cerebellar medulloblastoma and brainstem glioma is necessary for certain clinical circumstances. We aimed to evaluate the function of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics in the differentiation between cerebellar medulloblastomas and brainstem gliomas in children. PROCEDURE The institutional review board approved this prospective study. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including DTI, was assessed in 40 patients, who were divided into two groups: a medulloblastoma group (group 1, n = 25) and a brainstem glioma group (group 2, n = 15). The Mann-Whitney U test was utilized to compare tumoral fractional anisotropy (FA) and diffusivity (MD) values and tumor-to-parenchyma ratios for these values (rFA and rMD, respectively) between the two groups. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the Youden index were exploited to calculate the cutoff value, along with the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS The FA value for medulloblastomas was significantly higher than that for brainstem gliomas (P

Since obtaining membership to the Asia‐Pacific Economic Cooperation in 1998, Vietnamese fishery product exports, particularly frozen catfish fillets, to the USA have increased significantly, supported by a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between the two countries signed in December 2001. With similarities in texture and taste, but of lower price, catfish imports from Vietnam were a concern for US catfish producers. To protect its catfish sector, the US Congress passed a labelling law in November 2002 restricting the use of the word ‘catfish’ to only those fish of the Ictaluridae family, which is farmed popularly in southern states of the USA. Antidumping measures, a trade policy permitted by the World Trade Organization, were also issued by the USA in 2003 leading to tariffs ranging from 44.66% to 63.88% levied on frozen fillet catfish imported from Vietnam. This paper uses selected econometric models to examine the effects of the US laws and policy on prices and trade flows, as a part of a comparative case study of primary production. The models show that the antidumping tariff raised the US domestic price of processed catfish and lowered the Vietnamese export price. The fall in the price of Vietnamese catfish caused by the US tariff raised market demand outside the USA and consequently boosted the Vietnamese export volume of catfish. Empirical models with monthly data from January 1999 to December 2005 examined the effects of the BTA, the US antidumping and the labelling laws on the price and trade flow of frozen catfish fillets. Although the BTA benefited US consumers, the antidumping measures were not favourable to them or to US farmers. The labelling law in reality harmed the US catfish industry.

There is a growing awareness of the importance of food fish production on human nutrition, employment, poverty, and recreation. However, the role of aquaculture in livelihoods of fish farmers has not been considered rigorously. With 120 farmers interviewed in a field survey and a cumulative logistic model, this study identifies some determinants of subjective well-being of small-scale fish farmers in Vietnam and examines the role of earnings from fish production in generating their happiness. The results confirm that the farmers receive satisfaction from their farm working. Subjective well-being of the farmers increases with their job satisfaction and cash earnings from fish farming. A doubling in cash returns from fish culture relative to household income raises a farmer’s happiness probability by an estimated 10.6%. Education also affects farmers’ life satisfaction. For better educated farmers, when their satisfaction from fish culture increases by one level, happiness probability is estimated to increase by 0.23%. Wild fish plays an important role in Vietnamese farmers as a doubling in relative income from wild fish captures raises their estimated probability of happiness by 139%.

A novel macrocyclic spermidine alkaloid, albizzine A has been isolated from bark of Albizzia myriophylla. The structure was established on the basis of spectral evidence.