Penrose Revisited: A Re-Appraisal of the Resource Perspective

This paper presents a revision and re-structuring of the Resources/Capabilities/Competences (RCC) perspective, arguably the most important research program in strategy, based on a thorough epistemological analysis and a re-interpretation of Edith Penrose’s 1959 classic. Three distinct schools of thought are identified and differentiated according to a set of dimensions spanning the epistemological, methodological and conceptual domains. The three schools are: 1) The rational-equilibrium school; 2) the behavioral-evolutionary school; 3) the constructionist school. For each school, the pertinent literature is briefly reviewed followed by an in-depth analysis of the underlying theoretical framework. Important implications are drawn for scientific progress in the field.Epistemology, Resource Based View, Core Competences, Dynamic Capabilities, Strategy

Entreprenörskap, industriell dynamik och ekonomisk tillväxt

Huvudtesen i denna studie är att innovationer driver den ekonomiska utvecklingen, att innovationer skapas i teknologiska system och omvandlas till ekonomisk verksamhet i kompetensblock, och att industriell dynamik uppstår i konfrontationen mellan utbudssidan (teknologiska system) och efterfrågesidan (kompetensblock). Institutionella förhållanden påverkar såväl teknologiska system och kompetensblock som deras interaktion. För stabil långsiktig tillväxt på makronivå krävs kontinuerlig industriell dynamik, dvs. experimentering och stark turbulens, på mikronivå. Entreprenörskap används här som en samlande term för innovativ verksamhet. Uppsatsen disponeras på följande sätt. Först görs en kort översikt av existerande teorier om sambandet mellan entreprenörskap och ekonomisk tillväxt. Därefter presenteras och diskuteras teknologiska system, kompetensblock och industriell dynamik som de centrala byggstenarna i en ny och mera omfattande teori. I det avslutande avsnittet diskuteras på vilka sätt entreprenörskap skapar industriell dynamik och ekonomisk tillväxt.entrepreneurship; industrial dynamics; economic growth; technological innovation systems

Economy in replace fossil energy with renewable energy at a piglet producer : a study of solar, wood chips and biogas

Syftet med detta arbete är att i en fallstudie utreda lönsamheten för en smågrisproducent som vill ersätta sin fossiloljebaserade uppvärmning med flis, solceller resp. biogas. Arbete bygger på en litteraturstudie där vi samlat information från många olika källor för att få en så bra överblick som möjligt över de olika energikällorna. Denna information ligger sedan till grund för investeringskalkyler i en fallstudie för varje energislag där vi undersöker vilket energislag som är mest ekonomiskt i dagsläget. Energifrågan inom lantbruket är en viktig del att lösa då oljeberoendet inte är hållbart i längden. Gården som ligger till grund för fallstudien i detta arbete är Lida gård i Sörmland som i dagsläget bedriver smågrisproduktion. De olika energislagen valdes eftersom de passar in på gården. Gården har stora takytor som lämpar sig för solceller, stora mängder gödsel som kan utnyttjas till biogas samt tillgång till egen skog där man kan använda flis till förbränning. I dagsläget när energipriserna är relativt låga visar kalkylerna att det inte är lönsamt att byta ut befintliga energisystem bestående av olja och direktverkande el till något av de genomgångna energislagen. Fliseldning har tappat sin konkurrenskraft de senaste åren då man inte längre får investeringsstöd för denna typ av investering. Gården hade ett för lågt uppvärmningsbehov för att kalkylen skulle gå ihop. Solceller är en dyr investering i förhållande till effekten man får ut men har stora fördelar om man räknas som mikroproducent då man får en merbetalning för sin sålda el plus en skattereduktion. Biogas har en väletablerad politisk förankring med höga stödnivåer men det kräver mest arbete i form av projektering och förarbete innan byggstart av de nämnda energislagen. Denna investering är störst då man utgått från mängden gödsel och inte energibehovet. För att underlätta satsningar på nya biogasanläggningar kommer under hösten 2015 nya investeringsstöd på 40 % att gälla vilket kortar avskrivningstiden. Om förslaget om minskad reduktion av koldioxidskatten för eldningsolja går igenom kommer lönsamheten att öka i de alternativa energislagen. De ovan nämnda politiska åtgärderna är något som på sikt syftar till att öka investeringarna i förnybar energi. Avsaknaden av långa politiska beslut gör dock att investeringar i nuläget blir osäkra samt att en svängande energimarknad med många olika faktorer som påverkar priset gör investeringen till en ren spekulation.The purpose of this work is to investigate in a case study the profitability of a piglet producer who wants to replace the fossil oil-based heating with wood chips, solar cells or biogas. The work is based on a literature study where we gathered information from many different sources to get as good a view as possible of the various energy sources. This information then forms the basis for investment calculations in a case study for each energy type where we investigate which type of energy that is most economic for the present situation. We believe that the energy issue in agriculture is an important part to solve when our dependence on oil is not sustainable in the long turn. The farm we have chosen to base our case study on is Lida gård in Sörmland where they have a piglet production. We have chosen the various forms of energy because they fit into the farm. The farm has large roof surfaces suitable for solar cells, large amounts of manure that can be utilized for biogas and access to their own forest where they can use wood chips for incineration. In the current situation, when energy prices are so low, we have found that it is not profitable to replace its existing energy system consisting of oil and direct electricity to one of the alternative sources of energy. Wood chips have lost its competitiveness in recent years since they no longer receive support from the government. The farm we counted on had a low heating demand for this calculation to get together. Photovoltaics is an expensive investment in relation to the effect you get out of it, but has great advantages if one counts as micro producer when you get a more payments for the sold electricity plus a tax credit. Biogas has a well-established political support with high intensities, but it requires the most work in the form of planning and preparatory work before the start of construction. This investment is the greatest for us because it´s based on the amount of manure and not energy required for the farm. To favour investment in new biogas plants, there will be a new investment support from the government in autumn 2015, which means that they pay up to 40% of the investment, which shortens the amortization period. If the proposal on reduced reduction of the carbon tax goes through it will increase the profitability of alternative energy. The above mention political statement is something that in the long term aims to increase investment in renewable energy. The lack of long-term political decision-making makes the investment in the current situation uncertain. The changing energy market is affected of many different factors that sets the price and makes the investment to a pure speculation

FOXC2 Is a Winged Helix Gene that Counteracts Obesity, Hypertriglyceridemia, and Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance

AbstractObesity, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance are common forerunners of type 2 diabetes mellitus. We have identified the human winged helix/forkhead transcription factor gene FOXC2 as a key regulator of adipocyte metabolism. Increased FOXC2 expression, in adipocytes, has a pleiotropic effect on gene expression, which leads to a lean and insulin sensitive phenotype. FOXC2 affects adipocyte metabolism by increasing the sensitivity of the β-adrenergic-cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway through alteration of adipocyte PKA holoenzyme composition. Increased FOXC2 levels, induced by high fat diet, seem to counteract most of the symptoms associated with obesity, including hypertriglyceridemia and diet-induced insulin resistance—a likely consequence hereof would be protection against type 2 diabetes

Peak oxygen uptake in relation to total heart volume discriminates heart failure patients from healthy volunteers and athletes

Background: An early sign of heart failure (HF) is a decreased cardiac reserve or inability to adequately increase cardiac output during exercise. Under normal circumstances maximal cardiac output is closely related to peak oxygen uptake (VO(2)peak) which has previously been shown to be closely related to total heart volume (THV). Thus, the aim of this study was to derive a VO(2)peak/THV ratio and to test the hypothesis that this ratio can be used to distinguish patients with HF from healthy volunteers and endurance athletes. Thirty-one patients with HF of different etiologies were retrospectively included and 131 control subjects (60 healthy volunteers and 71 athletes) were prospectively enrolled. Peak oxygen uptake was determined by maximal exercise test and THV was determined by cardiovascular magnetic resonance. The VO(2)peak/THV ratio was then derived and tested. Results: Peak oxygen uptake was strongly correlated to THV (r(2) = 0.74, p < 0.001) in the control subjects, but not for the patients (r(2) = 0.0002, p = 0.95). The VO(2)peak/THV ratio differed significantly between control subjects and patients, even in patients with normal ejection fraction and after normalizing for hemoglobin levels (p < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis the VO(2)peak/THV ratio was the only independent predictor of presence of HF (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The VO(2)peak/THV ratio can be used to distinguish patients with clinically diagnosed HF from healthy volunteers and athletes, even in patients with preserved systolic left ventricular function and after normalizing for hemoglobin levels

Production of functional human fetal hemoglobin in Nicotiana benthamiana for development of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers

Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers have long been pursued to meet clinical needs by using native hemoglobin (Hb) from human or animal blood, or recombinantly produced Hb, but the development has been impeded by safety and toxicity issues. Herewith we report the successful production of human fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in Nicotiana benthamiana through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient expression. HbF is a heterotetrameric protein composed of two identical alpha- and two identical gamma-subunits, held together by hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds, and salt bridges. In our study, the alpha- and gamma-subunits of HbF were fused in order to stabilize the alpha-subunits and facilitate balanced expression of alpha- and gamma-subunits in N. benthamiana. Efficient extraction and purification methods enabled production of the recombinantly fused endotoxin-free HbF (rfHbF) in high quantity and quality. The transiently expressed rfHbF protein was identified by SDS-PAGE, Western blot and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses. The purified rfHbF possessed structural and functional properties similar to native HbF, which were confirmed by biophysical, biochemical, and in vivo animal studies. The results demonstrate a high potential of plant expression systems in producing Hb products for use as blood substitutes

The association between selected mid-trimester amniotic fluid candidate proteins and spontaneous preterm delivery

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore inflammatory response and identify early potential biomarkers in mid-trimester amniotic fluid associated with subsequent spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD). Methods: A cohort study was performed at Sahlgrenska University Hospital/ 6stra, Gothenburg, Sweden, between 2008 and 2010. Amniotic fluid was collected from consecutive women undergoing mid-trimester transabdominal genetic amniocentesis at 14–19 gestational weeks. Clinical data and delivery outcome variables were obtained from medical records. The analysis included 19 women with spontaneous PTD and 118 women who delivered at term. A panel of 26 candidate proteins was analyzed using Luminex xMAP technology. Candidate protein concentrations were analyzed with ANCOVA and adjusted for plate effects. Results: The median gestational age at delivery was 35 + 3 weeks in women with spontaneous PTD and 40 + 0 weeks in women who delivered at term. Nominally significantly lower amniotic fluid levels of adiponectin (PTD: median 130,695 pg/mL (IQR 71,852–199,414) vs term: median 185,329 pg/mL (IQR (135,815–290,532)), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (PTD: median 137 pg/mL (IQR 74–156) vs term: median 176 pg/mL (IQR 111–262)), and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (PTD: median 3025 pg/mL (IQR 1885–3891) vs term: median 3400 pg/mL (IQR 2181–5231)) were observed in the spontaneous PTD group, compared with the term delivery group, after adjusting for plate effects. No significant differences remained after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Conclusions: Our results are important in the process of determining the etiology behind spontaneous PTD but due to the non-significance after Bonferroni correction, the results should be interpreted with caution. Further analyses of larger sample size will be required to determine whether these results are cogent and to examine whether microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity or intra-amniotic inflammation occurs in asymptomatic women in the mid-trimester with subsequent spontaneous PTD