Determinanten van bedrijfsinterne handel: Een analyse van Nederland’s grootste niet-financiële ondernemingen

Een groot deel van de Nederlandse internationale handel blijkt te bestaan uit bedrijfsinterne handel: internationale handel tussen groeps- en zustermaatschappijen. Deze handel kan een teken zijn van verticale specialisatie: intermediaire producten worden ingevoerd naar Nederland (of uitgevoerd naar andere locaties) om vervolgens verder te worden gebruikt in productie. Maar omdat de Nederlandse handel vooral plaatsvindt met andere ontwikkelde landen, zoals Duitsland, andere Europese landen en de Verenigde Staten, en omdat ook de groothandel en detailhandel een belangrijke rol spelen in het bepalen van bedrijfsinterne handel (samen telden zij in 2005 voor 44 procent van alle bedrijfsinterne exporten en 27 procent van alle bedrijfsinterne importen), is het grote aandeel bedrijfsinterne handel ook een teken van horizontale bedrijfsinterne uitwisseling van goederen (en diensten). Niet alle ondernemingen zijn even actief wat betreft bedrijfsinterne handel. Zo is de grootte van een onderneming van belang, met name bij bedrijfsinterne uitvoer: hoe groter een onderneming, hoe groter het bedrijfsinterne aandeel van diens totale uitvoer. Daarnaast blijken buitenlandse ondernemingen hogere percentages bedrijfsinterne handel te hebben. De functie van Nederland als doorvoerhaven, toegangspoort tot Europa en vestigingsplaats voor regionale hoofdkwartieren van ondernemingen buiten de Europese Unie wordt duidelijk uit de cijfers voor bedrijfsinterne handel van met name Japanse, en in mindere mate Britse of Amerikaanse ondernemingen in Nederland: met name de bedrijfsinterne importen nemen een groot deel van de totale invoer in, voor Japanse ondernemingen zelfs tot 83 procent in 2005

Institutional determinants of power sector reform in Pakistan

The electricity supply sector in Pakistan has performed poorly in recent years. Reforms were introduced in the mid-1990s to improve the sector, but progressed slowly with no significant impacts on pre-reform performance. This study uses new institutional economics as a theoretical basis to elucidate reasons for the failure of power sector reforms in Pakistan to make improvements. Interviews with 23 experts using Q-methodology generated 215 statements that were used as a Q concourse. Of these, 51 statements were selected for the Q sample and ranked by 34 respondents depending on their importance. Analysis revealed four important discourses on the determinants of power sector reform failure in Pakistan. These included weak governance structure, country and sectoral endowments, inefficient regulator and unspecified political institutions or unfriendly political contexts. The study recommends establishment of institutions that support a market based power supply sector and improvements to the contractual arrangements between stakeholders to reduce opportunistic behaviour

The Pristine Inner Galaxy Survey (PIGS) VII: a discovery of the first inner Galaxy CEMP-r/s star

Well-studied very metal-poor (VMP, [Fe/H] < -2 ) stars in the inner Galaxy are few in number, and they are of special interest because they are expected to be among the oldest stars in the MilkyWay. We present high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up of the carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) star Pristine_184237.56-260624.5 (hereafter Pr184237) identified in the Pristine Inner Galaxy Survey. This star has an apocentre of about 2 kpc. Its atmospheric parameters (Teff = 5100 K, log g = 2.0, [Fe/H] = -2.60) were derived based on the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) line formation. We determined abundances for 32 elements, including 15 heavy elements beyond the iron group. The NLTE abundances were calculated for 13 elements from Na to Pb. Pr184237 is strongly enhanced in C, N, O, and both s- and r-process elements from Ba to Pb; it reveals a low carbon isotope ratio of 12C/13C = 7. The element abundance pattern in the Na-Zn range is typical of halo stars. With [Ba/Eu] = 0.32, Pr184237 is the first star of the CEMP-r/s subclass identified in the inner Galaxy. Variations in radial velocity suggest binarity. We tested whether a pollution by the s- or i-process material produced in the more massive and evolved companion can form the observed abundance pattern and find that an i-process in the asymptotic giant branch star with a progenitor mass of 1.0-2.0 Msun can be the solution.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, 5 tables, MNRAS, accepte

The Pristine survey - XV. A CFHT ESPaDOnS view on the Milky Way halo and disc populations

We present a one-dimensional, local thermodynamic equilibrium homogeneous analysis of 132 stars observed at high resolution with ESPaDOnS. This represents the largest sample observed at high resolution (R ∼40 000) from the Pristine survey. This sample is based on the first version of the Pristine catalogue and covers the full range of metallicities from [Fe/H] ∼-3 to ∼+0.25, with nearly half of our sample (58 stars) composed of very metal-poor (VMP) stars ([Fe/H] ≤ -2). This wide range of metallicities provides the opportunity of a new detailed study of the Milky Way stellar population. Because it includes both dwarf and giant stars, it also enables the analysis of any potential bias induced by the Pristine selection process. Based on Gaia EDR3, the orbital analysis of this Pristine-ESPaDOnS sample shows that it is composed of 65 halo stars and 67 disc stars. After a general assessment of the sample chemical properties with the α-elements Mg and Ca, we focus on the abundance of carbon and the neutron capture elements Ba and Sr. While most of our VMP subsample is carbon normal, we also find that 14 stars out of the 38 stars with [Fe/H] ≤ -2 and measured carbon abundances turn out to be carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. We show that these CEMP stars are nearly exclusively (i.e. 12 stars out of 14) in the regime of low luminosity, unevolved, dwarf stars, which we interpret as the consequence of bias of the Pristine filter against C-rich giants. Among the VMP stars, we identify two CEMP stars with no enhancement in neutron-capture process elements and another one enriched in s-process element. Finally, one VMP star is found with a very low [Sr/Fe] abundance ratio for its metallicity, as expected if it had been accreted from an ultra-faint dwarf galaxy

Molecular targets for the protodynamic action of cis-urocanic acid in human bladder carcinoma cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>cis-urocanic acid (cis-UCA) is an endogenous amino acid metabolite capable of transporting protons from the mildly acidic extracellular medium into the cell cytosol. The resulting intracellular acidification suppresses many cellular activities. The current study was aimed at characterizing the molecular mechanisms underlying cis-UCA-mediated cytotoxicity in cultured cancer cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>5367 bladder carcinoma cells were left untreated or treated with cis-UCA. Cell death was assessed by measuring caspase-3 activity, mitochondrial membrane polarization, formation and release of cytoplasmic histone-associated DNA fragments, and cellular permeabilization. Cell viability and metabolic activity were monitored by colorimetric assays. Nuclear labelling was used to quantify the effects of cis-UCA on cell cycle. The activity of the ERK and JNK signalling pathways was studied by immunoblotting with specific antibodies. Phosphatase activity in cis-UCA-treated cells was determined by assay kits measuring absorbance resulting from the dephosphorylation of an artificial substrate. All statistical analyses were performed using the two-way Student's t-test (p < 0.05).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we report that treatment of the 5637 human bladder carcinoma cells with 2% cis-UCA induces both apoptotic and necrotic cell death. In addition, metabolic activity of the 5637 cells is rapidly impaired, and the cells arrest in cell cycle in response to cis-UCA. Importantly, we show that cis-UCA promotes the ERK and JNK signalling pathways by efficiently inhibiting the activity of serine/threonine and tyrosine phosphatases.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our studies elucidate how cis-UCA modulates several cellular processes, thereby inhibiting the proliferation and survival of bladder carcinoma cells. These anti-cancer effects make cis-UCA a potential candidate for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder carcinoma.</p

Experimental rat bladder urothelial cell carcinoma models

Bladder cancer is a major public health problem. Currently available therapeutic options seem to be unable to prevent bladder cancer recurrence and progression. To enable preclinical testing of new intravesical therapeutic agents, a suitable bladder tumor model that resembles human disease is highly desirable. The aim of this topic paper was to discuss the problems associated with current in vivo animal bladder tumor models, focusing on the orthotopic syngeneic rat bladder tumor model. In the second part of the paper the development of a potential new orthotopic rat bladder tumor model is described