The determinants of changes in the organization of production: Evidence from Spanish plant-level data

In this paper we empirically examine the determinants of changes in the organization of production using detailed information on a data set from a new plant-level survey of 1003 plants covering the full range of manufacturing industries in Spain. In particular, and among many other things, survey respondents were asked how service outsourcing practices had changed in the last three years. The answer to this question is indicative of the changes in the importance of backward integration for each of the plants studied. Using other information provided in the survey, we relate the reported changes in outsourcing to changes in other relevant dimensions as possible determinants of the boundaries of the firm. These dimensions are: plant size, downstream market power, cost of inputs, price and quality of the final good and technological progress. Our findings show that outsourcing increases are strongly positively correlated with increases in market share and in market competition. We also find that outsourcing increases when plants face simultaneous increases in product quality and product prices and that it decreases when plants face simultaneous increases in market share and market competition. Finally, we find that multi-plant and one-plant firms adjust their outsourcing practices differently to outside changes. Since neither TCE nor PRT theories of vertical integration fully explain the patterns found in our data, we close this paper by following Adam Smith's claim that the extent of the market seems to be the only factor consistently limiting the degree of specialization in our setting.outsourcing; vertical integration; competition; manufacturing plants;

Continuous infusion of an agonist of the tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 in the spinal cord improves recovery after traumatic contusive injury.

AimThe activation of the TNFR2 receptor is beneficial in several pathologies of the central nervous system, and this study examines whether it can ameliorate the recovery process following spinal cord injury.MethodsEHD2-sc-mTNFR2 , an agonist specific for TNFR2, was used to treat neurons exposed to high levels of glutamate in vitro. In vivo, it was infused directly to the spinal cord via osmotic pumps immediately after a contusion to the cord at the T9 level. Locomotion behavior was assessed for 6 weeks, and the tissue was analyzed (lesion size, RNA and protein expression, cell death) after injury. Somatosensory evoked potentials were also measured in response to hindlimb stimulation.ResultsThe activation of TNFR2 protected neurons from glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity through the activation of phosphoinositide-3 kinase gamma in vitro and improved the locomotion of animals following spinal cord injury. The extent of the injury was not affected by infusing EHD2-sc-mTNFR2 , but higher levels of neurofilament H and 2', 3'-cyclic-nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase were observed 6 weeks after the injury. Finally, the activation of TNFR2 after injury increased the neural response recorded in the cortex following hindlimb stimulation.ConclusionThe activation of TNFR2 in the spinal cord following contusive injury leads to enhanced locomotion and better cortical responses to hindlimb stimulation

A Recursive Approach For Calculating The Effective Yield On Bonds When Settlement And/Or Expected Maturity Is Other Than An Interest Payment Date.

Standard spreadsheet functions cannot compute bond yields if both the settlement and maturity dates fall on other than an interest payment date. Using reciprocal cell references, the RATE function is enhanced to overcome this limitation. An appendix extends the enhancement procedure to the IRR function. The procedure demonstrated has applications to a wide variety of financial transactions which are structured around an initial cash flow followed by an annuity and a lump sum, for example, a single advance loan with an odd first and/or last payment period and a terminal balloon payment

The Myth Of The Educated Manager Revisited

In this work, we examine critical components of traditional education that seem to be the basis for the failure of management development. We differentiate teaching from learning and contend that effective management development should focus much more closely on experiential learning. Guidelines for identifying effective learning programs are provided.  “The business schools seem to have forgotten the age-old definition of management—getting things done through people, not through analyses, not through probabilistic statistics, not through econometrics. Through people”. (McGill, 1988, p. 167

Evolving protein interaction networks through gene duplication

The topology of the proteome map revealed by recent large-scale hybridization methods has shown that the distribution of protein–protein interactions is highly heterogeneous, with many proteins having few edges while a few of them are heavily connected. This particular topology is shared by other cellular networks, such as metabolic pathways, and it has been suggested to be responsible for the high mutational homeostasis displayed by the genome of some organisms. In this paper we explore a recent model of proteome evolution that has been shown to reproduce many of the features displayed by its real counterparts. The model is based on gene duplication plus re-wiring of the newly created genes. The statistical features displayed by the proteome of well-known organisms are reproduced and suggest that the overall topology of the protein maps naturally emerges from the two leading mechanisms considered by the model.Preprin

Insights into the structure and dynamics of lysyl oxidase propeptide, a flexible protein with numerous partners

Lysyl oxidase (LOX) catalyzes the oxidative deamination of lysine and hydroxylysine residues in collagens and elastin, which is the first step of the cross-linking of these extracellular matrix proteins. It is secreted as a proenzyme activated by bone morphogenetic protein-1, which releases the LOX catalytic domain and its bioactive N-terminal propeptide. We characterized the recombinant human propeptide by circular dichroism, dynamic light scattering, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and showed that it is elongated, monomeric, disordered and flexible (Dmax: 11.7 nm, Rg: 3.7 nm). We generated 3D models of the propeptide by coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations restrained by SAXS data, which were used for docking experiments. Furthermore, we have identified 17 new binding partners of the propeptide by label-free assays. They include four glycosaminoglycans (hyaluronan, chondroitin, dermatan and heparan sulfate), collagen I, cross-linking and proteolytic enzymes (lysyl oxidase-like 2, transglutaminase-2, matrix metalloproteinase-2), a proteoglycan (fibromodulin), one growth factor (Epidermal Growth Factor, EGF), and one membrane protein (tumor endothelial marker-8). This suggests new roles for the propeptide in EGF signaling pathway

Understanding the Barriers to Using Locally Grown Wood in the Forest Products Industry

Given the popularity of buy local agricultural campaigns, there might be opportunities for Extension to promote the local attribute of wood products. Unfortunately, there is little available literature exploring wood-products manufacturers\u27 attitudes and opinions regarding local wood. In fall 2012, 38 in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals representing a range of firm sizes and final products. Participants provided a definition for what they considered to be local wood and identified four major barriers to the inclusion of Connecticut-grown and -processed wood in their manufacturing: high expense, low visibility, limited demand, and limited availability