Creative Destruction and Cycles in the US Capital Market: Evidence from Fortune 500 Firms

The paper analyzes the relationship between creative destruction and cycles in the US capital market. Creative destruction in a year is measured by the number of new firms in the Fortune 500 list. Creative destruction is found to be positively associated with smoothed annual returns based on the Dow Jones Index (DJI), signifying that new entries in Fortune 500 tend to be more during boom than during recession years. Easier financing of innovative ideas during boom is hypothesized as a reason behind such positive association.Creative Destruction, Business Cycle.

Creative Destruction and Cycles in the US Capital Market: Evidence from Fortune 500 Firms

The paper analyzes the relationship between creative destruction and cycles in the US capital market. Creative destruction in a year is measured by the number of new firms in the Fortune 500 list. Creative destruction is found to be positively associated with smoothed annual returns based on the Dow Jones Index (DJI), signifying that new entries in Fortune 500 tend to be more during boom than during recession years. Easier financing of innovative ideas during boom is hypothesized as a reason behind such positive association

Creative Destruction and Cycles in the US Capital Market: Evidence from Fortune 500 Firms

The paper analyzes the relationship between creative destruction and cycles in the US capital market. Creative destruction in a year is measured by the number of new firms in the Fortune 500 list. Creative destruction is found to be positively associated with smoothed annual returns based on the Dow Jones Index (DJI), signifying that new entries in Fortune 500 tend to be more during boom than during recession years. Easier financing of innovative ideas during boom is hypothesized as a reason behind such positive association

Functional Traits of Boreal Species and Adaptation to Local Conditions

Species continuity under the harsh climatic conditions of the boreal forest requires trees to ensure the functioning of two main life processes, namely growth and reproduction. However, species survival becomes a challenge when environmental conditions become unstable and reach the taxa’s ecological tolerance limit. Survival in an unstable environment is possible through the concurring processes of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation; each process has its advantages and shortcomings. Local adaptation allows attaining the best possible fitness under conditions of limited gene flow and strong directional selection, leading to specific adaptations to the local environment; however, there is a risk of maladaptation when conditions suddenly change. In turn, phenotypic plasticity provides trees an advantage when weather events change rapidly and enables a response expressed by the production of different phenotypes by the same genotype. However, this process is expensive in terms of costs in maintenance and causes developmental instability within the individual. Boreal trees utilize both processes as reflected in variations in their functional traits within the same species. In this chapter, we address the main life processes, presenting the variability of functional traits of flowering and seed production, xylem conductivity, bud and cambium phenology, as well as transpiration and photosynthesis, as a consequence of the interaction of genotype and environment. We describe the practical consequences of a variation in functional traits, as expressed in chemical and mechanical wood properties. Finally, we outline applications and perspectives for managing boreal forests in a context of heterogeneous and changing environmental conditions.Peer reviewe

Comparative study between the effect of dexmedetomidine and lidocaine infusion on intraoperative analgesic requirement and hemodynamics during craniotomy

Background: Nowadays, anesthesiologists are evaluating several analgesic adjuncts to minimize opioid use during craniotomy. Some studies have evaluated the analgesic-sparing effect of intravenous infusion of dexmedetomidine and lidocaine on intraoperative hemodynamics and post-operative analgesia. There is a paucity of studies focussing on the intraoperative analgesic requirement. Aims and Objectives: The present study compared dexmedetomidine and lidocaine infusion primarily for their effects on intraoperative fentanyl requirements during craniotomy. Materials and Methods: This study was done on 70 patients aged 18–80 years, the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I–II, having Glasgow Coma Scale 15, undergoing craniotomies. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either dexmedetomidine (group A, n=35) at a dose of 0.6 mcg/kg bolus over 10 min followed by 0.6 mcg/kg/h infusion or lidocaine (group B, n=35) at a dose of 1.5 mg/kg bolus over 10 min, followed by 1.5 mg/kg/h infusion till the end of skin suture, respectively. Study drugs were started 10 min before the start of surgery. Intraoperative total fentanyl and propofol consumption, intraoperative hemodynamics, recovery from hypnosis, and time to extubation were recorded. Results: The use of dexmedetomidine resulted in considerably less total fentanyl requirement (245.1 vs. 300.7 mcg, P<0.0001) and total propofol requirement (172.7 vs. 236.7 mg, P<0.0001) compared with lidocaine. Comparatively better hemodynamics were observed with the use of dexmedetomidine at all the points of observation. Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine as an analgesic adjunct can be a better alternative to lidocaine in terms of reduced fentanyl consumption, reduced propofol use and favorable hemodynamics, and early recovery from anesthesia

Non-Native Forest Tree Species in Europe: The Question of Seed Origin in Afforestation

Non-native forest tree species have been introduced in Europe since the 16th century, but only in the second half of the 20th century the significance of the seed source origin for their economic use was recognized, resulting in the establishment of numerous provenance trials at a national, regional, European and International level, as those led by IUFRO. Breeding programs have also been launched in the continent for the most economically important species. Aim of this work is the formulation of provenance recommendations for planting of five non-native tree species in Europe (Douglas fir, grand fir, Sitka spruce, lodgepole pine and black locust), based on the information obtained from twenty countries, in the frame of the EU FP-1403 NNEXT Cost Action. The survey revealed that official and non-official national recommendations, based on provenance research results, have been elaborated and followed at a different level and extend for the above five species, but only for Douglas fir recommendations exist in almost all the participating to the survey countries. The compilation of provenance recommendations across Europe for each species is presented in the current work. Besides the recommended introduced seed sources, European seed sources are also preferred for planting, due to ease of access and high availability of forest reproductive material. European breeding programs yielding genetic material of high productivity and quality constitute currently the seed source of choice for several species and countries. Consolidation of trial data obtained across countries will allow the joint analysis that is urgently needed to draw solid conclusions, and will facilitate the development of ‘Universal-Response-Functions’ for the species of interest, rendering possible the identification of the genetic material suitable for global change. New provenance trial series that will test seed sources from the entire climatic range of the species, established in sites falling within and outside the environmental envelopes of their natural ranges, are urgently needed to pinpoint and understand the species-specific climate constraints, as well as to correlate functional traits to the seed origin and the environmental conditions of the test sites, so that the selection of suitable forest reproductive material of non-native tree species in the face of climate change can be feasible.publishedVersio

Systematic dissection of long non coding RNAs involved in the regulation of embryonic stem cell pluripotency

Living organisms portray diverse patterns of growth and developmental regulation. The entire process, beginning from a single cell to the formation of tissues and organ systems and the final culmination in a form that characterizes a fully grown organism is closely guarded by numerous molecular pathways. Like a master conductor, the genetic material of the cell which is stored in its DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), determines the fate of each individual cell and demarcates its developmental direction. Although in an organism, this genetic material is normally identical in every cell, there are differences in the ways cells respond to them. For example, skin cells behave differently from muscle cells and their developmental processes are highly variable in space and time. It is now known that based on intrinsic or extrinsic environmental cues, the information passed on from DNA is converted into a functional protein product through an RNA (ribonucleic acid) intermediate. Thus, different genes fire at different times leading to diverse patterns of developmental regulation among cells. However, there exists a stark contrast between the size of the genome (DNA), the transcriptome (transcribed RNAs) and the proteome (functional protein products) inside a cell. While there are abundant RNA molecules that are transcribed from the DNA, only few give rise to proteins. The search for function of RNAs that do not code for proteins is a relatively new topic in molecular biology. With advancements in sequencing methodologies, there is a rapid surge in the discovery of such molecules but due to the nonavailability of systematic tools to study them, the functional characterization of these RNAs has been relatively slow. Even among the non coding RNAs, there exists small and long varieties of which the long non coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have more heterogenous functional attributes. The roles that these lncRNAs play in development is only recently emerging, especially in the field of embryonic stem (ES) cell biology. ES cells are of particular interest to researchers due to their properties of replicating indefinitely in culture and giving rise to all the germ layers that eventually constitute an organism. These unique abilities make them perfect models to study essential cellular developmental processes and also contribute to the understanding of the molecular pathways that ultimately lead to diseases like like other processes, is orchestrated by a host of different factors in which lncRNAs are slowly emerging as important players. Although there are thousands of lncRNAs identified, only a few have been implicated in pluripotency. I reasoned that there should be more such candidates and to study them one needs to develop a strategy to functionally investigate several lncRNAs simultaneously. Loss-of-function screens have been extremely successful for dissecting the functions of protein coding genes. Among the triggers for conducting such screens, endoribonuclease-prepared small interfering RNAs (esiRNAs) have been demonstrated as effective mRNA depletion agents with minimum silencing of non-intended targets. Since these RNA interference (RNAi) agents had not been comprehensively tested on lncRNAs, I used them for conducting a screen to discover lncRNAs involved in pluripotency. Using a combination of RNAi and localization strategies, I here report the discovery of a novel lncRNA called Panct1 which through interaction with other factors takes part in the ES cell pluripotency programme. In the process of characterization of Panct1, I have also identified and partially characterized a potential DNA binding protein called CXORF23 which might emerge as an important player in the determination of stem cell fate. These discoveries hint towards the presence of more such lncRNA protein interactions and further widen our understanding of stem cell biology

Systematic dissection of long non coding RNAs involved in the regulation of embryonic stem cell pluripotency

Living organisms portray diverse patterns of growth and developmental regulation. The entire process, beginning from a single cell to the formation of tissues and organ systems and the final culmination in a form that characterizes a fully grown organism is closely guarded by numerous molecular pathways. Like a master conductor, the genetic material of the cell which is stored in its DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), determines the fate of each individual cell and demarcates its developmental direction. Although in an organism, this genetic material is normally identical in every cell, there are differences in the ways cells respond to them. For example, skin cells behave differently from muscle cells and their developmental processes are highly variable in space and time. It is now known that based on intrinsic or extrinsic environmental cues, the information passed on from DNA is converted into a functional protein product through an RNA (ribonucleic acid) intermediate. Thus, different genes fire at different times leading to diverse patterns of developmental regulation among cells. However, there exists a stark contrast between the size of the genome (DNA), the transcriptome (transcribed RNAs) and the proteome (functional protein products) inside a cell. While there are abundant RNA molecules that are transcribed from the DNA, only few give rise to proteins. The search for function of RNAs that do not code for proteins is a relatively new topic in molecular biology. With advancements in sequencing methodologies, there is a rapid surge in the discovery of such molecules but due to the nonavailability of systematic tools to study them, the functional characterization of these RNAs has been relatively slow. Even among the non coding RNAs, there exists small and long varieties of which the long non coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have more heterogenous functional attributes. The roles that these lncRNAs play in development is only recently emerging, especially in the field of embryonic stem (ES) cell biology. ES cells are of particular interest to researchers due to their properties of replicating indefinitely in culture and giving rise to all the germ layers that eventually constitute an organism. These unique abilities make them perfect models to study essential cellular developmental processes and also contribute to the understanding of the molecular pathways that ultimately lead to diseases like like other processes, is orchestrated by a host of different factors in which lncRNAs are slowly emerging as important players. Although there are thousands of lncRNAs identified, only a few have been implicated in pluripotency. I reasoned that there should be more such candidates and to study them one needs to develop a strategy to functionally investigate several lncRNAs simultaneously. Loss-of-function screens have been extremely successful for dissecting the functions of protein coding genes. Among the triggers for conducting such screens, endoribonuclease-prepared small interfering RNAs (esiRNAs) have been demonstrated as effective mRNA depletion agents with minimum silencing of non-intended targets. Since these RNA interference (RNAi) agents had not been comprehensively tested on lncRNAs, I used them for conducting a screen to discover lncRNAs involved in pluripotency. Using a combination of RNAi and localization strategies, I here report the discovery of a novel lncRNA called Panct1 which through interaction with other factors takes part in the ES cell pluripotency programme. In the process of characterization of Panct1, I have also identified and partially characterized a potential DNA binding protein called CXORF23 which might emerge as an important player in the determination of stem cell fate. These discoveries hint towards the presence of more such lncRNA protein interactions and further widen our understanding of stem cell biology

Small holder’s carbon forestry project in Haryana India: issues and challenges

Carbon sequestration, Clean development mechanism, Kyoto Protocol,

Systematic dissection of long non coding RNAs involved in the regulation of embryonic stem cell pluripotency

Living organisms portray diverse patterns of growth and developmental regulation. The entire process, beginning from a single cell to the formation of tissues and organ systems and the final culmination in a form that characterizes a fully grown organism is closely guarded by numerous molecular pathways. Like a master conductor, the genetic material of the cell which is stored in its DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), determines the fate of each individual cell and demarcates its developmental direction. Although in an organism, this genetic material is normally identical in every cell, there are differences in the ways cells respond to them. For example, skin cells behave differently from muscle cells and their developmental processes are highly variable in space and time. It is now known that based on intrinsic or extrinsic environmental cues, the information passed on from DNA is converted into a functional protein product through an RNA (ribonucleic acid) intermediate. Thus, different genes fire at different times leading to diverse patterns of developmental regulation among cells. However, there exists a stark contrast between the size of the genome (DNA), the transcriptome (transcribed RNAs) and the proteome (functional protein products) inside a cell. While there are abundant RNA molecules that are transcribed from the DNA, only few give rise to proteins. The search for function of RNAs that do not code for proteins is a relatively new topic in molecular biology. With advancements in sequencing methodologies, there is a rapid surge in the discovery of such molecules but due to the nonavailability of systematic tools to study them, the functional characterization of these RNAs has been relatively slow. Even among the non coding RNAs, there exists small and long varieties of which the long non coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have more heterogenous functional attributes. The roles that these lncRNAs play in development is only recently emerging, especially in the field of embryonic stem (ES) cell biology. ES cells are of particular interest to researchers due to their properties of replicating indefinitely in culture and giving rise to all the germ layers that eventually constitute an organism. These unique abilities make them perfect models to study essential cellular developmental processes and also contribute to the understanding of the molecular pathways that ultimately lead to diseases like like other processes, is orchestrated by a host of different factors in which lncRNAs are slowly emerging as important players. Although there are thousands of lncRNAs identified, only a few have been implicated in pluripotency. I reasoned that there should be more such candidates and to study them one needs to develop a strategy to functionally investigate several lncRNAs simultaneously. Loss-of-function screens have been extremely successful for dissecting the functions of protein coding genes. Among the triggers for conducting such screens, endoribonuclease-prepared small interfering RNAs (esiRNAs) have been demonstrated as effective mRNA depletion agents with minimum silencing of non-intended targets. Since these RNA interference (RNAi) agents had not been comprehensively tested on lncRNAs, I used them for conducting a screen to discover lncRNAs involved in pluripotency. Using a combination of RNAi and localization strategies, I here report the discovery of a novel lncRNA called Panct1 which through interaction with other factors takes part in the ES cell pluripotency programme. In the process of characterization of Panct1, I have also identified and partially characterized a potential DNA binding protein called CXORF23 which might emerge as an important player in the determination of stem cell fate. These discoveries hint towards the presence of more such lncRNA protein interactions and further widen our understanding of stem cell biology