Loan availability and investment: Can innovative companies better cope with loan denials?

This study examines the consequences of loan denials for the investment performance of small and medium-sized German enterprises. As a consequence of a loan denial, innovative companies experience a smaller drop in the share of actual to planned investment than non-innovative companies. The non-randomness of loan denials is controlled for with a selection equation employing the intensity of banking competition at the district level as an exclusion restriction. We can explain the better performance of innovative companies by their ability to increase the use of external equity financing, such as venture capital or mezzanine capital, when facing a loan denial. --Investment,loan availability,innovation,private equity

Encoding information structure in Yucatec Maya : on the Interplay of prosody and syntax

The aim of this paper is to outline the means for encoding information structure in Yucatec Maya. Yucatec Maya is a tone language, displaying a three-fold opposition in the tonal realization of syllables. From the morpho-syntactic point of view, the grammar of Yucatec Maya contains morphological (topic affixes, morphological marking of out-of-focus predicates) and syntactic (designated positions) means to uniquely specify syntactic constructions for their information structure. After a descriptive overview of these phenomena, we present experimental evidence which reveals the impact of the nonavailability of prosodic alternatives on the choice of syntactic constructions in language production

#3 - Generation of SULT4A1 Gene Mutations in SH-SY5Y Cells

The cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULT) are a superfamily of enzymes that catalyze the metabolism of various substrates throughout the body. One member, SULT4A1, has no known substrates and is highly conserved among all vertebrates which is not a shared characteristic among the SULT family. Also unique among the SULTs, SULT4A1 localizes with mitochondria of neurons. Recent reports have suggested that this protein is believed play a protective role against oxidative stress. The goal of this project was to generate a SH-SY5Y cell line with a SULT4A1 gene deletion using CRISPR gene-editing technology. These neuroblastoma cells were used because of their ease of culture in the laboratory and their similarity to neurons. CRISPR uses DNA-cutting enzymes to target genes for a variety of mutations and modifications. These enzymes limit the amount of errors made by previous gene modifying techniques in the past, and they also take less time than previous techniques. A circular piece of DNA (plasmid) was designed to include coding for the gene-editing endonuclease, the target sequence for the gene, and puromycin resistance. The plasmid was introduced to the cells via electroporation, a technique in which an electric shock is used to disrupt the cell membranes and allow entry of the plasmid. Plasmid uptake was verified by selection with puromycin for 24 hours. This ensured that all surviving cells had taken up the plasmid and were expressing the puromycin resistance. Future experiments with these mutant cell lines will elucidate not only the function of SULT4A1 but also why it is highly conserved amongst vertebrate species

Post-Fordist Production and Urban Industrial Land Use Patterns

Economic restructuring of the 21st century is changing the production methods and location requirements of most industries. Mass production on the outskirts of cities, as was common in 20th century Fordism, is largely being replaced by an economic model characterised by a multitude of networked small and medium-sized production sites as well as logistics facilities. In this article, we want to examine if this also creates the opportunity to combine some of the smaller industrial areas with the city as a whole and to initiate a transformation of these areas in favour of redensification and mixed use. Examining the case of Kassel, Germany, we take a closer look at the transformation processes from Fordism to post-Fordism and the possibilities for a smarter land use. In this largely industrially shaped region, younger companies such as the solar panel producer SMA are using new approaches in terms of urban planning and land use by building their low emission-factories on greyfields in an urban environment rather than on suburban greenfields. In our article, we survey selected industrial areas in Kassel and discuss their recent change as part of a broader development from Fordism to post-Fordism. Firstly, the study contains a theoretical discussion of commercial and industrial land-use patterns in both socio-economic models. Subsequently, an on-site analysis is carried out to determine the extent to which both economic models have influenced the use and shape of industrial areas in Kassel. Based on this analysis, we finally show criteria for how urban planning can help to ensure that this change is combined with an improvement in the spatial and design quality of the industrial areas and is meaningfully integrated into the sustainable development of the city region

Loan availability and investment : can innovative companies better cope with loan denials?

This study examines the consequences of loan denials for the investment performance of small and medium-sized German enterprises. As a consequence of a loan denial, innovative companies experience a smaller drop in the share of actual to planned investment than non-innovative companies. The non-randomness of loan denials is controlled for with a selection equation employing the intensity of banking competition at the district level as an exclusion restriction. We can explain the better performance of innovative companies by their ability to increase the use of external equity financing, such as venture capital or mezzanine capital, when facing a loan denial

Quality of Life in Teduglutide-Treated Patients with Short Bowel Syndrome Intestinal Failure—A Nested Matched Pair Real-World Study

Background: Quality of life (QoL) data of chronic intestinal failure (cIF) patients treated with the GLP-2 analogue teduglutide are scarce. This study aims to analyze QoL changes over time in teduglutide-treated patients and compare the results to a matched non-treated cIF control group in a real-world setting. Methods: QoL data (SF-36 and SBS-QoL(TM)) were obtained from adult cIF patients being treated with teduglutide and compared to previously collected QoL data from a PNLiver trial (DRKS00010993), during which patients had been therapy naive. The dataset was then extended by a pairwise matched control group (non-teduglutide-treated PNLiver trial patients) and follow-up data from this group were collected accordingly. Results: Median teduglutide treatment duration and the follow-up period of controls were both 4.3 years. SBS-QoL(TM) subscales and the SBS-QoL(TM) sum score showed significant improvements over time in teduglutide-treated patients, as well as for the SF-36 physical and mental component summary scores (all p < 0.02), while non-treated patients showed no significant changes in any of the mentioned scores. Significant differences of QoL changes between treated and non-treated patients were seen for both SF-36 summary scores (p = 0.031 and 0.012). Conclusions: We herein demonstrate for the first time that QoL significantly improved during teduglutide treatment in SBS-cIF patients in a real-world setting compared to individually matched non-treated SBS-cIF patients, indicating relevant clinical benefits

Nosocomial methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia - epidemiology and trends based on data of a network of 586 German ICUs (2005-2009)

The epidemiology of MRSA pneumonia varies across countries. One of the most import risk factors for the development of nosocomial MRSA pneumonia is mechanical ventilation. Methicillin resistance in S. aureus ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) ranged between 37% in German, 54% in the US American and 78% in Asian and Latin American ICUs. In 2009, the incidence density of nosocomial VAP caused by MRSA was 0.28 per 1000 ventilation days in a network of 586 German ICUs. Incidences peaked in neurological and neurosurgical ICUs. Crude hospital mortality in studies performed after 2005 lay between 27% and 59% and attributable MRSA pneumonia mortality at 40%. Since 2005, US American and German data indicate decreasing trends for MRSA pneumonia. Measures to reduce MRSA pneumonia or to control the spread of MRSA include hand hygiene, standard and contact precautions, oral contamination with chlor hexidine, skin decontamination with antiseptics, screening, and (possibly) patient isolation in a single room

Telerehabilitation for aphasia – protocol of a pragmatic, exploratory, pilot randomized controlled trial

Background The Cochrane review on the effectiveness of speech and language therapy for aphasia following stroke suggests intensity of therapy is a key predictor for outcome. Current aphasia services cannot provide intervention at the intensity observed within trial contexts because of resource limitations. Telerehabilitation could widen access to speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in geographically remote contexts and reduce the time spent on travel by the therapist and patient. The current academic literature within this field is in its infancy, with few trials of speech and language therapy (SLT) delivered by videoconference. Our pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) will explore feasibility aspects and effectiveness of telerehabilitation for aphasia in addition to standard SLT. Method/design Our study is a pragmatic, exploratory, pilot randomized controlled trial, where participants will be randomized to a telerehabilitation group or a control group. Both groups receive standard SLT (usual care) but the telerehabilitation group receives an additional 5 h of telerehabilitation per week over 4 weeks through videoconference. This additional telerehabilitation focuses on spoken language with an emphasis on word naming. We aim to include 40 patients in each group, with inclusion criteria being aphasia any time post stroke. Participants will be assessed blindly at pre-randomization (baseline), and 4 weeks and 4 months after randomization. The primary endpoint is naming ability 3 months after the completed intervention, measured by the Norwegian Basic Aphasia Assessment (NGA) naming subtest. Secondary endpoints include other subtests of the NGA, the VAST (Verb and Sentence Test) subtest sentence production, Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI) and the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life scale (SAQOL-39). Experiences of patients and SLPs with telerehabilitation are assessed using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Statistical between group comparisons will be in line with an intention-to-treat analysis. Discussion This pilot RCT of intensive language training by videoconference will contribute new scientific evidence to the field of aphasia telerehabilitation. Here, we describe our trial which will explore the feasibility of telerehabilitation for aphasia as an intervention, our choice of primary and secondary outcome measures and proposed analyses. Our trial will provide information for the development and delivery of future definitive RCTs. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02768922 . Registered on 11 May 2016. Last updated on 17 November 2017