HFSP Journal

Title	The need for new approaches to trade cooperation in light of the forces that are currently re-shaping international business
Paper ID	PlZXw
Keywords	international business, currently re-shaping, trade policy, public choice, liberalism, protectionism. \n\ninternational business, currently re-shaping, trade policy, public choice, liberalism, protectionism. \n\ninternational business, currently re-shapin
Abstract	Read More... Due to technical progress and to the growth of economic ties between particular countries, participants in the world economy, the benefits resulting from liberalised international trade and from the freedom of movement of foreign direct investments become bigger not only for the industrialised countries but also for the so-called “emerging markets”, that is, the countries that find themselves on the stage of the accelerated development. It must be emphasized that there are the need for new approaches to trade cooperation in light of the forces that are currently re-shaping international business. It suggests that the multilateral trading system will need to adjust to developments in trade and in the trading environment. The key of trade developments within the broader socio-economic context is especially the rise of global supply chains, the general shift of trade power away from the West towards Asia.\n What indicates the importance and innovativeness of the research is the presentation of the new models of the foreign trade policy and trade interests. First of all it must underline that in the new theoretical terms in the demand for trade policy very important is factor specificity. The low specificity of factors means that factor returns are equalized throughout a region’s economy. On the other hand some factors are stuck in their present uses; therefore, factor returns are not equalized throughout a region’s economy, but are industry specific. The main objective of the research task is to give a comprehensive analysis of the models of foreign trade policy, trade interests indicated by export orientation and import sensitivity, protectionistic pressures in different political system and different types of authoritarian regimes, the level of protectionistic pressures, the rise of qualitatively new politics in north-south relations like bilateral tendencies. It should be stressed that free trade in itself is not responsible for economic growth, but more significant are the determining macroeconomic stability and increasing investment.
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Title	Comparison of efficacy and toxicity of carboplatin or cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy treatment among elderly locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.
Paper ID	JEiDY
Keywords	Platinum based therapy, Elderly lung cancer patients
Abstract	Read More... PURPOSE\nConcurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is the standard management for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC), but the definite choice of Carboplatin or Cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy as a treatment for elderly patients with LA-NSCLC has not yet been defined. In this study, we compared the efficacy and toxicity of Carboplatin vs. Cisplatin-based (CCRT) for elderly patients with LA-NSCLC. \nPATIENTS AND METHODS\nA study was conducted on 50 elderly patients (> 65 years) where 25 patients received Carboplatin (area under the curve[AUC] 2) and Paclitaxel (45 mg/m2) administered on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 28, and 35 over a 6-week period; concurrent thoracic radiotherapy (RT) followed by 2 cycles of Paclitaxel 200 mg/m2 and Carboplatin AUC 6. The other 25 patients received 50 mg/m2 of Cisplatin administered on days 1, 8, 29, and 36, and 50 mg/m2/day of Etoposide delivered on days 1–5 and 29–33; concurrent thoracic RT followed by Cisplatin 50 mg/m2 and Etoposide 50 mg/m2 for two additional cycles. Both groups received thoracic RT dose ranged from 60 Gy to 70 Gy in 2 Gy per fraction, five fractions a week over 6 to 7 weeks.\n \nRESULTS\nOverall survival for Carboplatin and Cisplatin-based regimens was 45.5% and 35.1% respectively as showed by Kaplan–Meier analysis with no significant differences and also the Cox regression analysis showed no significant differences (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.27- 1.53) for patients treated with Carboplatin compared to Cisplatin-based treatment. Toxicities as anemia (OR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.06-1.06), leucopenia (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.16-0.92), thrombocytopenia (OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.10-1.09), nausea & vomiting (OR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.11-0.75) and renal toxicity (OR: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.02-1.29) was significantly less in the Carboplatin group while other toxicities were the same in both groups. \n\nCONCLUSION\nBoth Carboplatin and Cisplatin-based regimens had the similar overall survival but the Carboplatin is less toxic when combined with RT in elderly LA-NSCLC treated patients.
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Title	Behavior of Concrete beams reinforced with hybrid steel and FRP composites
Paper ID	kLCSX
Keywords	concrete beam; hybrid; steel reinforcement; FRP reinforcement; flexure; finite element analysis; cracking; crushing
Abstract	Read More... This paper presents a nonlinear finite element model to investigate the behavior of hybrid Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) and steel reinforcement. Different types of FRP; CFRP and GFRP; were used along with steel rebars in concrete beams. The study was conducted using the finite element program \"ANSYS\". Nonlinear material models for the components of the concrete beam were used in the three dimensional finite element models. The outcomes got from finite element analysis were confirmed against experimental results. A broad parametric study was conducted to explore the effect of replacing steel reinforcement by different types of FRP bars. The study showed the contribution of steel rebars to FRP rebars in concrete beams improved beam ductility and eliminated the unfavorable brittle failure of the concrete beam
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