155 research outputs found
Dynamics of social trust and human capital in the learning process: The case of the Japan garment cluster in the period 1968-2005
No full textThis paper examined how and the extent to which human capital and social trust are associated with the learning process of a manager in making operations decisions through experience. To this end, using a data set originally and purposively constructed by the author, I investigate the development and transformation of the garment industry cluster region of Kojima, Japan. The major findings through statistical estimations are as follows. (1) In the cluster development stage, the social trust of an enterprise and its manager’s experiences in firm operations could be regarded as forming a complimentary association. (2) In the stage following cluster development, however, a manager’s human capital as accumulated through schooling and personal experience becomes complimentary instead of social trust.Social trust, Human capital, Bayesian learning
Planetary stewardship in an urbanizing world: beyond city limits
No full textCities are rapidly increasing in importance as a major factor shaping the Earth system, and as such must take corresponding responsibility. With currently over half of the world population, cities are supported by resources originating from primarily rural regions that are often located around the world far distant from the urban loci of use. The multiple and complex environmental and social challenges the world faces require interconnected solutions and a coordinated governance approach to planetary stewardship. There is a new opportunity to conceptualize a key component of planetary stewardship as a global system of cities that develop sustainable processes and policies in concert with its non-urban areas. The potential for cities to cooperate as a system and with rural connectivity could not only increase their capacity to effect change and foster stewardship at the planetary scale but also increase their resource security
Epidemiological characteristics of deaths related to surgical emergencies in Sub-Saharan Africa: case of Parakou, Benin
No full textBackground: Emergency and resuscitation departments, often on the front lines of the hospital care system, are sadly the site of many deaths. Author aim to study the epidemiological characteristics of deaths related to surgical emergencies at Parakou Teaching Hospital in Benin.Methods: This was a prospective, descriptive study covering 6 months from January 1st to June 31st 2016. It focused on patients admitted to the emergency department and hospitalized in general surgery or resuscitation department during the study period. Three criteria were defined: admission for a surgical emergency, clinical classification of emergency patients (known as CCMU: Classification Clinique des Malades aux Urgences) between 1 and 5 and evolution marked by death.Results: A total of 54 deaths were recorded out of 379 surgical emergencies (14.2%). The sex-ratio was 2.2. The average age was 31±18.8 years old. The average admission time was 75.7±95.2 hours. The CCMU 4 and 5 were the most numerous (77. 7%). Traumatic emergencies were the most likely cause of death (56.6%), with cranio-encephalic trauma being the leading cause (38.9%). for non-traumatic emergencies (44.4%), acute generalized peritonitis is the leading cause of death (18.5%). The average time to surgical management was 87.4 hours, mainly related to the indigence of patients.Conclusions: The reduction of deaths related to surgical emergencies requires the adapted equipment of the different services involved in the care, the continuous training of staff and the creation of a health insurance.</jats:p
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No full textMicrotubule dynamics and polarity stem from the polymerization of αβ-tubulin heterodimers. Five conserved tubulin cofactors/chaperones and the Arl2 GTPase regulate α- and β-tubulin assembly into heterodimers and maintain the soluble tubulin pool in the cytoplasm, but their physical mechanisms are unknown. Here, we reconstitute a core tubulin chaperone consisting of tubulin cofactors TBCD, TBCE, and Arl2, and reveal a cage-like structure for regulating αβ-tubulin. Biochemical assays and electron microscopy structures of multiple intermediates show the sequential binding of αβ-tubulin dimer followed by tubulin cofactor TBCC onto this chaperone, forming a ternary complex in which Arl2 GTP hydrolysis is activated to alter αβ-tubulin conformation. A GTP-state locked Arl2 mutant inhibits ternary complex dissociation in vitro and causes severe defects in microtubule dynamics in vivo. Our studies suggest a revised paradigm for tubulin cofactors and Arl2 functions as a catalytic chaperone that regulates soluble αβ-tubulin assembly and maintenance to support microtubule dynamics
Accelerated Growth Plate Mineralization and Foreshortened Proximal Limb Bones in Fetuin-A Knockout Mice
No full textPMCID: PMC3473050This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
The global issue 'mega-urbanization': An unsolvable challenge for stakeholders, researchers and residents?
No full textThis study aims at discussing the complex, multi-dimensional issue of the global phenomenon of urbanization. Based on a
theoretical review and discussion on the situation of cities, the causes, dimensions and consequences of urban growth the idea is to raise the main questions for future activities to meet this challenge. For it a pragmatic and holistic framework is proposed to systematize the manifold approaches and to stimulate discussions on this issue addressing inter- and transdisciplinary thinking
COMPARISON OF NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL APPROACHES FOR REDUCTION OF ROTATIONAL AND VIBRATION-ROTATIONAL SPECTRA OF DIATOMIC MOLECULES TO PARAMETERS OF RADIAL FUNCTIONS
No full textJ. A. Coxon and M. Molski, Phys. Chem. Comm. 2001, 21 1; J. A. Coxon and M. Molski, Spectrochim. Acta A 2002, submitted for publication. J. A. Coxon and P. G. Hajigeorgiou, J. Mol. Spectrosc., 1991, 150, 1; J. A. Coxon, J. Mol. Spectrosc., 1992, 152, 274. J. M. Campbell, M. Dulick, D. Klapstein, J. B. White and P. F. Bernath, J. Chem. Phys., 1993, 99, 8379; H. G. Hedderich, M. Dulick and P. F. Bernath, J. Chem. Phys., 1993, 99, 8363; M. Dulick, K. Q. Zhang, B. Guo and P. F. Bernath, J. Mol. Spectrosc., 1998, 188, 14. J. Y. Seto, R. J. Le Roy, J. Verges and C. Amiot, J. Chem. Phys., 2000, 113, 3067. J. F. Ogilvie, J. Phys. B, 1994, 27, 47; J. F. Ogilvie, The Vibrational and Rotational Spectrometry of Diatomic Molecules, Academic Press, London, 1998. M. Molski, J. Phys. Chem., 1999, 103, 5269; M. Molski, Chem. Phys. Lett., 1999, 306, 88. M. Molski, Chem. Phys. Lett. 2001, 342, 293.Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University; Theoretical Chemistry Department, A. Mickiewicz UniversityThe talk presents a numerical of the three most popular methods used for direct inversion of the highly resolved IR and MW spectra of diatomic systems: (A) the numerical techniques such as those described by , , Le and their co-workers, (B) the analytical approach of , implemented in the computer program Radiatom, and (C) its improved version, called deformational self-consistent procedure (DS-cP), proposed by . The test calculations show that the Ogilvie's Radiatom program does not produce sufficiently accurate radial parameters and energy term values for their export to other utilities employed in the spectral analysis of diatomic systems
Enhanced electrical and optical properties of room temperature deposited Aluminium doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) thin films by excimer laser annealing
No full textHigh quality transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) often require a high thermal budget fabrication process. In this study, Excimer Laser Annealing (ELA) at a wavelength of 248 nm has been explored as a processing mechanism to facilitate low thermal budget fabrication of high quality aluminium doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films. 180 nm thick AZO films were prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature on fused silica substrates. The effects of the applied RF power and the sputtering pressure on the outcome of ELA at different laser energy densities and number of pulses have been investigated. AZO films deposited with no intentional heating at 180 W, and at 2 mTorr of 0.2% oxygen in argon were selected as the optimum as-deposited films in this work, with a resistivity of 1×10−3 Ω.cm, and an average visible transmission of 85%. ELA was found to result in noticeably reduced resistivity of 5×10−4 Ω.cm, and enhancing the average visible transmission to 90% when AZO is processed with 5 pulses at 125 mJ/cm2. Therefore, the combination of RF magnetron sputtering and ELA, both low thermal budget and scalable techniques, can provide a viable fabrication route of high quality AZO films for use as transparent electrodes
Networking and innovation: a systematic review of the evidence
No full textPorter and Ketels' (2003) study of British competitiveness emphasised the importance of business networking for innovativeness. Until recently insights into the dynamics of this relationship have been fragmented. This paper presents a systematic review of research linking the networking behaviour of firms with their innovative capacity. We find that the principal benefits of networking as identified in the literature include, risk sharing; obtaining access to new markets and technologies; speeding products to market; pooling complementary skills; safeguarding property rights when complete or contingent contracts are not possible; and acting as a key vehicle for obtaining access to external knowledge. The evidence also illustrates that those firms which do not cooperate and which do not formally or informally exchange knowledge limit their knowledge base on a long-term basis and ultimately reduce their ability to enter into exchange relationships. At an institutional level, national systems of innovation play an important role in the diffusion of innovations in terms of the way in which they shape networking activity. The paper provides evidence suggesting that network relationships with suppliers, customers, and intermediaries such as professional and trade associations are important factors affecting innovation performance and productivity. Where networks fail it is due to inter-firm conflict, displacement, lack of scale, external disruption and lack of infrastructure. The review identifies several gaps in the literature that need to be filled. For instance, there is a need for further exploration of the relationship between networking and different forms of innovation, such as, process and organisational innovation. Similarly, we need better understanding of network dynamics and network configurations, as well as the role of third parties such as professional and trade associations. Our study highlights the need for inter-disciplinary research in these areas
Locking in positive climate responses in cities
No full text\ua9 2018 The Author(s) Well-intended climate actions are confounding each other. Cities must take a strategic and integrated approach to lock into a climate-resilient and low-emission future
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