Essays on international market entry:Strategic alliance governance and product segment entry

This dissertation consists of three empirical studies on the entry and evolution of foreign firms in a new market. The common thread through these three essays is a focus on the scope of the foreign firm in a host country, and on how this scope is shaped by local firms and environments. The first essay examines the effect of the technology capability of the local Indian firm on the choice between contractual and equity governance modes in strategic alliances between Indian and foreign firms. The second and third essays study the entry behaviour of foreign firms into various segments of the US automobile industry focusing on how these entry decisions are shaped by competition and mutualism from other firms in the segment. Across the three essays, the thesis thus examines the scope of the foreign firm both in terms of its economic boundaries – what it ‘makes’ and what it ‘buys’-, as well as in terms of its product-market footprint – the product segments it occupies in the host country.

The Phenotype of the Food-Allergic Patient

Food allergy\u27s increasing prevalence across the globe has initiated research into risk factors associated with the disease and coexistence with other allergic diseases. Longitudinal birth cohorts have identified food allergy phenotypes of patients based on genetic background, racial diversity, and environmental factors. Identifying food sensitization patterns and coexistence of other allergic diseases allows physicians to provide appropriate care for food allergy and personalized anticipatory guidance for the appearance of other allergic diseases. The authors seek to detail key findings of 4 longitudinal allergy birth cohorts that investigate food allergy and other allergic diseases to further characterize food allergy phenotypes

Study and modification of the reactivity of carbon fibers

The reactivity to air of polyactylonitrile-based carbon fiber cloth was enhanced by the addition of metals to the cloth. The cloth was oxidized in 54 wt% nitric acid in order to increase the surface area of the cloth and to add carbonyl groups to the surface. Metal addition was then achieved by soaking the cloth in metal acetate solution to effect exchange between the metal carbon and hydrogen on the carbonyl groups. The addition of potassium, sodium, calcium and barium enhanced fiber cloth reactivity to air at 573 K. Extended studies using potassium addition showed that success in enhancing fiber cloth reactivity to air depends on: extent of cloth oxidation in nitric acid, time of exchange in potassium acetate solution and the thoroughness of removing metal acetate from the fiber pore structure following exchange. Cloth reactivity increases essentially linearly with increase in potassium addition via exchange

Transition to school for children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review.

AIM: To identify factors that promote a positive start to school for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: Web of Science, MEDLINE, Scopus, and PsychINFO searches were conducted to identify literature published after 1991 and relevant to school transition processes in children with ASD. Twenty studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. These studies evaluated a range of factors including school readiness, parent and teacher perspectives on transition practices, characteristics of children with ASD that are associated with successful transition to school and the impact of school based intervention programs. RESULTS: A review of these studies showed that children with ASD are less school ready emotionally than their peers and those children with ASD appear to have more externalising behaviours and self-regulation difficulties that affect their school engagement and their relationships with their teachers. There was a paucity of research looking at interventions targeting school readiness. However, school-based behavioural interventions appear to improve cognitive, language and daily living skills, but have less impact on socialisation and peer inclusion. CONCLUSION: Children with ASD face more challenges transitioning to school, particularly with social interaction. Further development and implementation of specific school-based interventions is needed in order to assist children with autism to maximise their success in starting school

Direct regeneration protocols of five Capsicum annuum L. varieties

The bud induction obtained is a simple and efficient protocol developed for in vitro propagation of five varieties of cultivars. Seeds of Capsicum annuum L. of five varieties red, yellow, green, purple and white were decontaminated and placed in a culture bottle containing a Murashige and Skoog medium, supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP, 5 mg/l) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA, 1 mg/l) or indole-3- acetic acid (IAA, 0.5 mg/l) and then were incubated in the dark for 10 - 12 days for germination. Leaf explants excised from 4 weeks -old aseptic seedlings were cultured on a MS medium supplemented with hormones BAP, kinetin (Kin), the combination of BAP + Kin, BAP with NAA (0.1 or 0.01 mg/l) and BAP with IAA (0.5 mg/l). The 2.0 mg/l BAP with 0.1 mg/l NAA media was observed to be more suitable for callus formation. The highest number of regenerated shoot buds was obtained when shoot explants were cultured on a MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/l BAP and 0.5 mg/l IAA. The mean number of shoot per explants was obtained in red (6.3), yellow (3.6), purple (3.3), and white (3.0) variety of C. annuum whereas 3.0 mg/l BAP and 0.5 mg/l IAA were observed to be more suitable for green (6.6) variety of C. annuum. Plantlets were successfully acclimatized in greenhouse.Keywords: Capsicum, auxin, cytokinin, micropropagation, organogenesis, sweet pepperAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol. 13(2), pp. 307-312, 8 January, 201

A systematic review of the prevalence of parental concerns measured by the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) indicating developmental risk

© 2014 Woolfenden et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. Background: Parental concerns about their children's development can be used as an indicator of developmental risk. We undertook a systematic review of the prevalence of parents' concerns as an indicator of developmental risk, measured by the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) and associated risk factors. Methods: Electronic databases, bibliographies and websites were searched and experts contacted. Studies were screened for eligibility and study characteristics were extracted independently by two authors. A summary estimate for prevalence was derived. Meta-regression examined the impact of study characteristics and quality. Meta-analysis was used to derive pooled estimates of the impact of biological and psychosocial risk factors on the odds of parental concerns indicating high developmental risk. Results: Thirty seven studies were identified with a total of 210,242 subjects. Overall 13.8% (95% CI 10.9 -16.8%) of parents had concerns indicating their child was at high developmental risk and 19.8% (95% CI 16.7-22.9%) had concerns indicating their child was at moderate developmental risk. Male gender, low birth weight, poor/fair child health rating, poor maternal mental health, lower socioeconomic status (SES), minority ethnicity, not being read to, a lack of access to health care and not having health insurance were significantly associated with parental concerns indicating a high developmental risk. Conclusions: The prevalence of parental concerns measured with the PEDS indicating developmental risk is substantial. There is increased prevalence associated with biological and psychosocial adversity. Trial Registration: PROSPERO Registration: CRD42012003215

Oral Food Challenge Failures Among Foods Restricted Due to Atopic Dermatitis

BACKGROUND Recent studies have suggested that removing foods from the diet to manage atopic dermatitis (AD), based on positive allergy tests, may lead to immediate allergic reactions on reintroduction of that food. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of oral food challenge (OFC) failures among foods removed from the diet as suspected AD triggers, focusing on the five major food allergens in the US. METHODS OFCs to egg, milk, peanut, soy, and wheat, performed from 2008-14, at a children's hospital's allergy clinics, were reviewed. OFCs were offered based on history and laboratory values. Reasons for food avoidance were classified as food allergy (IgE-mediated reaction occurring within two hours); sensitization only (lack of introduction due to positive test results); and removal due to test results during AD evaluation. RESULTS There were 442 OFCs performed, with 89 failures (20.1%). Reasons for OFCs included a history of food allergy (320/442; 72.4%); food sensitization without any introduction (77/442; 17.4%); and AD (45/442; 10.2%). OFC failures among those who had food allergy (70/320; 21.9%); sensitization only (13/77; 16.9%); and suspected AD trigger (6/45; 13.3%) did not significantly differ (p=0.63). Wheat was more likely to be avoided than the other four foods for AD concerns (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION The frequency of OFC failure among those who removed foods suspected as AD triggers was 13.3%, indicating a loss of tolerance. Restriction of foods to manage AD must be done with caution and close monitoring

Plasma von Willebrand factor levels predict in-hospital survival in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Circulating levels of von Willebrand factor (vWF) predict mortality in patients with cirrhosis. We hypothesized that systemic inflammation in acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) will stimulate endothelium, increase vWF levels, and promote platelet microthrombi causing organ failure. METHODS: In this prospective study, we correlated plasma vWF levels with organ failure, liver disease severity, sepsis, and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and also analyzed if vWF levels predicted in-hospital composite poor outcome (i.e. death/discharged in terminal condition/liver transplantation) in consecutive ACLF patients. RESULTS: Twenty-one of the 50 ACLF patients studied had composite poor outcome. ACLF patients had markedly elevated vWF antigen and activity (sevenfold and fivefold median increase, respectively) on days 1 and 3. Median ratio of vWF to a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS13) activity on day 1 was significantly higher in ACLF patients (11.2) compared to 20 compensated cirrhosis patients (3.3) and healthy volunteers (0.9). On day 1, area under ROC curve (AUROC) to predict composite poor outcome of hospital stay for ACLF patients for vWF antigen, vWF activity, and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score were 0.63, 0.68, and 0.74, respectively. vWF activity correlated better with liver disease severity (MELD score, ACLF grade) and organ failure (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment [SOFA] score) than vWF antigen; in contrast, neither vWF antigen nor activity correlated with platelet count, sepsis, or SIRS. CONCLUSIONS: vWF levels are markedly elevated, correlate with organ failure, and predict in-hospital survival in ACLF patients. This data provides a mechanistic basis for postulating that vWF-reducing treatments such as plasma exchange may benefit ACLF patients