Equilibrium structures in vertical oligopoly

The central purpose of this paper is to examine vertical integration as an equilibrium phenomenon. We model it as integration between Cournot oligopolists in both the upstream and the downstream stages. We consider the issue of private profitability versus collective profitability and show that under several situations the equilibrium outcomes may result in a Prisoner's dilemma. The analysis is extended to consider equilibrium outcomes in a dynamic setting, where we find no integration to be a relatively common outcome.

Employee Training and Development: What Trade-offs for the Public Sector in Ghana?

The purpose of the study is to explore, examine and analyze the factors that account for the inability of the trained employees of the MMDAs to apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired from training and development programmes to their job and its effect on organizational performance and effectiveness. It also seeks to identify problems limiting professional development and to propose pragmatic systematic training and development models .To achieve this objective, a descriptive survey design was employed. A stratified and simple random sampling methods were employed to obtain a sample size (n) of 100 eligible respondents from a population (N) of 125 employees. The sample size was made up of 6 senior level employees, 26 middle level employees and 68 operational level employees. Self-administered questionnaires were used to gather primary data, while books, journals, and articles were used for the secondary data. .A total of 95 responses, representing 95 percent of the sample were judged good enough and was used for the analysis. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the questionnaire and the results were presented in percentages, tables and cross-tabulations. Selected independent variables such as identification of training needs, training content, facilitation process, skills acquired, utilization of skills and changes in employee performance were related to organizational performance and effectiveness, the dependent variable. This was based on the assumption that training and development of employees enhance organizational performance and effectiveness. Keywords: Organisational performance, training and development, training needs Assessment, transfer of learning.

公認5kmのロードランニングイベントを多数開催することを可能とした米国陸上競技連盟(USATF)の取り組み

departmental bulletin pape

ZASTOSOWANIE WYŁADOWANIA ELEKTRYCZNEGO DO OZONOWANIA GLEBY

In this study, influence of ozone treatment on physical properties of soil was investigated. We used a quartz container for ozone treatment of soil. The amount of soil used for treatment was 100 g. Treating time was 90 minutes. Flow rate of ozone gas was 1.5 L/min. We measured characteristics of soil such as inorganic nutrient (NO3-N, NO2-N, and NH4-N), pH(H2O), fungi, DNA of soil, and exchangeable bases (Ca, K, Fe, and Al) before and after ozone treatment.W niniejszym opracowaniu, opisano badania wpływu obróbki ozonem na własności fizyczne gleby. Do ozonowania gleby wykorzystaliśmy pojemnik kwarcowy. Ilość gleby poddanej działaniu ozonu wynosiła 100g, a czas oddziaływania 90 minut. Przepływ ozonu wyniósł 1.5l/min. Mierzono właściwości gleby, takie jak nieorganiczne składniki odżywcze (NO3-N, NO2-N i NH4-N), pH(H2O), grzyby, DNA w glebie i zasady wymienne (Ca, K, Fe i Al) przed i po poddaniu jej działaniu ozonu

ZASTOSOWANIE WYŁADOWANIA ELEKTRYCZNEGO DO OZONOWANIA GLEBY

In this study, influence of ozone treatment on physical properties of soil was investigated. We used a quartz container for ozone treatment of soil. The amount of soil used for treatment was 100 g. Treating time was 90 minutes. Flow rate of ozone gas was 1.5 L/min. We measured characteristics of soil such as inorganic nutrient (NO3-N, NO2-N, and NH4-N), pH(H2O), fungi, DNA of soil, and exchangeable bases (Ca, K, Fe, and Al) before and after ozone treatment.W niniejszym opracowaniu, opisano badania wpływu obróbki ozonem na własności fizyczne gleby. Do ozonowania gleby wykorzystaliśmy pojemnik kwarcowy. Ilość gleby poddanej działaniu ozonu wynosiła 100g, a czas oddziaływania 90 minut. Przepływ ozonu wyniósł 1.5l/min. Mierzono właściwości gleby, takie jak nieorganiczne składniki odżywcze (NO3-N, NO2-N i NH4-N), pH(H2O), grzyby, DNA w glebie i zasady wymienne (Ca, K, Fe i Al) przed i po poddaniu jej działaniu ozonu

Renal impairment with sublethal tubular cell injury in a chronic liver disease mouse model

The pathogenesis of renal impairment in chronic liver diseases (CLDs) has been primarily studied in the advanced stages of hepatic injury. Meanwhile, the pathology of renal impairment in the early phase of CLDs is poorly understood, and animal models to elucidate its mechanisms are needed. Thus, we investigated whether an existing mouse model of CLD induced by 3, 5-diethoxycarbonyl-1, 4-dihydrocollidine (DDC) shows renal impairment in the early phase. Renal injury markers, renal histology (including immunohistochemistry for tubular injury markers and transmission electron microscopy), autophagy, and oxidative stress were studied longitudinally in DDC- and standard diet-fed BALB/c mice. Slight but significant renal dysfunction was evident in DDC-fed mice from the early phase. Meanwhile, histological examinations of the kidneys with routine light microscopy did not show definitive morphological findings, and electron microscopic analyses were required to detect limited injuries such as loss of brush border microvilli and mitochondrial deformities. Limited injuries have been recently designated as sublethal tubular cell injury. As humans with renal impairment, either with or without CLD, often show almost normal tubules, sublethal injury has been of particular interest. In this study, the injuries were associated with mitochondrial aberrations and oxidative stress, a possible mechanism for sublethal injury. Intriguingly, two defense mechanisms were associated with this injury that prevent it from progressing to apparent cell death: autophagy and single-cell extrusion with regeneration. Furthermore, the renal impairment of this model progressed to chronic kidney disease with interstitial fibrosis after long-term DDC feeding. These findings indicated that DDC induces renal impairment with sublethal tubular cell injury from the early phase, leading to chronic kidney disease. Importantly, this CLD mouse model could be useful for studying the pathophysiological mechanisms of sublethal tubular cell injury

Mitochondrial fission in hepatocytes as a potential therapeutic target for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

[Aim] The mitochondria are highly plastic and dynamic organelles; mitochondrial dysfunction has been reported to play causative roles in diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the relationship between mitochondrial fission and NAFLD pathogenesis remains unknown. We aimed to investigate whether alterations in mitochondrial fission could play a role in the progression of NAFLD. [Methods] Mice were fed a standard diet or choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined (CDAA) diet with vehicle or mitochondrial division inhibitor-1. [Results] Substantial enhancement of mitochondrial fission in hepatocytes was triggered by 4 weeks of feeding and was associated with changes reflecting the early stage of human nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), steatotic change with liver inflammation, and hepatocyte ballooning. Excessive mitochondrial fission inhibition in hepatocytes and lipid metabolism dysregulation in adipose tissue attenuated liver inflammation and fibrogenesis but not steatosis and the systemic pathological changes in the early and chronic fibrotic NASH stages (4- and 12-week CDAA feeding). These beneficial changes due to the suppression of mitochondrial fission against the liver and systemic injuries were associated with decreased autophagic responses and endoplasmic reticulum stress in hepatocytes. Injuries to other liver cells, such as endothelial cells, Kupffer cells, and hepatic stellate cells, were also attenuated by the inhibition of mitochondrial fission in hepatocytes. [Conclusions] Taken together, these findings suggest that excessive mitochondrial fission in hepatocytes could play a causative role in NAFLD progression by liver inflammation and fibrogenesis through altered cell cross-talk. This study provides a potential therapeutic target for NAFLD

Review Article Immunogenetic Heterogeneity of Type 1 Diabetes in Japan

Type 1 diabetes is an organ-specific autoimmune disease characterized by T-cell mediated destruction of pancreatic ﾎｲ-cells . In Japanese population, the incidence of type 1 diabetes in children is very low compared to European countries. However, there are more patients with type 1 diabetes in adults, including latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). A variety of environmental and genetic factors are involved in the development of the disease. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II genes (termed IDDM1) are the major genes associated with susceptibility to type 1 diabetes. HLA-DRB1*0405-DQB1*0401, HLA-DRB1* 0901-DQB1*0303 and HLA-DRB1*0802-DQB1*0302 are three major haplotypes in Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes. Other genetic factors reported in Japanese type 1 diabetes include the polymorphisms in insulin gene (IDDM2), CTLA-4 gene (IDDM12), MICA gene, Neuro D/Beta 2 gene, and IL-10 gene. The circulating autoantibodies to multiple islet autoantigens including GAD, insulin, and IA-2 are the important immunological features of type 1 diabetes. The prevalences of anti-islet autoantibodies in patients with Japanese type 1 diabetes are 60-70% for GAD autoantibodies, 45-50% for insulin autoantibodies (IAA), and 60-65% for IA-2 autoantibodies at disease onset, which are similar to those reported in Caucasian patients. With combinatorial analysis of these autoantibodies ninety percent of patients express at least one of these autoantibodies and are classified as immune-mediated type 1 diabetes. Although the majority of patients with type 1 diabetes are young, lean, and ketosisprone, there are number of patients with type 1 diabetes initially diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes at disease onset. These slow-onset diabetic patients with anti-islet autoantibodies often progress toward insulin-deficient state within several years after diagnosis. High level of GAD autoantibodies has a high predictive value for future insulin deficiency in slow-onset patients with type 1 diabetes. In conclusion, Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes are clinically heterogenous and the determination of immunological and genetic features are helpful to clarify the characteristics of the Japanese type 1 diabetic syndrome

Differences in the Contribution of the CTLA4 Gene to Susceptibility to Fulminant and Type 1A Diabetes in Japanese Patients

OBJECTIVE—To examine the contribution of the CTLA4 gene in the susceptibility to fulminant type 1 diabetes and compare it with classic type 1A diabetes