Impact of investment policies on German direct investment in developing countries : an empirical investigation

By using better data on German foreign direct investment (FDI) than previous studies, the author found that: (i) developing countries might attract more FDI flows by easing investment restrictions or implementing incentives - but the effect of incentives could be modest and does not justify costly subsidies; (ii) a source country's policy instrument (public garantees) is an important determinant of German FDI outflows to developing countries - a factor that has been overlooked in the past, and (iii) industrial countries can substantially encourage their companies to invest in developing countries by offering public garantees. The case of Germany has shown that the actual costs involved are very low, as defaults are rare. Thus once it is decided that public support should be used to direct more FDI to developing countries, source countries'policies might be more effective than host countries'policies especially if the latter involve high foregone tax revenues.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Foreign Direct Investment,ICT Policy and Strategies,Poverty Assessment

Foreign direct investment in developing countries : the case of Germany.

Direktinvestition; Entwicklungsländer; Deutschland;

A Telemarketing Supervisor\u27s Reference Manual to Humanistic Skills

This thesis will focus on the study of telemarketing management and the need for a telemarketing management guide. A reference manual will be developed to help a supervisor understand the skills needed to be an effective supervisor. This manual will also be a reference to help the supervisor evaluate their skills and give them the information needed to increase their skills as well as develop new skills. Telemarketing Supervisor training usually consists of how to give evaluations and explaining company goals. Supervisors are not usually given an overview of the proactive humanistic skills needed; communication, interpersonal leadership, etc. The humanistic, motivating skills are the skills most needed to be an effective supervisor. If a telemarketing supervisor is expected to carry out the goals and objectives of the company, he or she needs the people skills to do so. Technical knowledge alone won\u27t help the employee deal with people. The purpose of this study is to show that interpersonal leadership, communication, problem solving, motivating, listening and knowing how to learn are necessary for a telemarketing supervisor to be effective in today\u27s work environment. The reference manual will not be a teaching manual . This manual will be divided into sections that focus on each of the needed skills. Roleplaying won\u27t teach a person the humanistic skills but it helps the person learn the steps to develop those skills. As the telemarketing supervisor\u27s skill increases, the more effective they become. Research provided considerable evidence that these skills are needed

Untersuchung zur Genauigkeit von scanbaren Bissnahmematerialien bei Verwendung mit dem Cerec 3D-System

Bei der Herstellung von Restaurationen mit dem Cerec 3D®-System (Sirona Dental Systems GmbH, Bensheim) besteht die Möglichkeit, die antagonistischen Kauflächen in die Konstruktion über den Scan eines Bissregistrats mit einzubeziehen. Durch Berücksichtigung der Informationen des Registrats bei der Herstellung der vollkeramischen Restauration sollen umfangreiche Einschleifmaßnahmen am Patienten entfallen. Die vorgestellte Untersuchung hat das Ziel festzustellen, mit welcher Präzision das Registrat Informationen an das Cerec 3D®-System übergibt. Untersucht wurde die Genauigkeit für die simulierte klinische Situation im Mund sowie die Labor-Situation am Gipsmodell. Es wurden neun scanbare Materialien verschiedener Hersteller im Vergleich untereinander bzw. im Vergleich zu einem primär nicht-scanbaren Material, dessen Oberflächen konditioniert wurde, vermessen. Die Registratherstellung erfolgte an stilisierten antagonistischen Teil-Kiefermodellen, die zur Simulation der Mundsituation in einem Artikulator montiert wurden. Diese Modelle wurden zunächst mechanisch vermessen. Zur Beurteilung der Registrate dienten die Cerec®-internen Höhenangaben, aus denen mit einem eigens dafür entwickelten Algorithmus die Wiedergabegenauigkeit durch Vergleich mit den mechanisch gewonnenen Daten berechnet wurde. Es wurden verschiedene Vorgehensweisen bei der Herstellung und Vermessung der Registrate durchgeführt. Das präziseste Vorgehen bei der Simulation der chairside-Behandlung ist durch möglichst geringe Manipulationen am Registrat charakterisiert. Das Einkürzen des Registrats auf Randleistenlänge sollte ohne Abnahme des Registrats von den Zähnen erfolgen. Das Konditionieren der Nachbarzähne mittels Scanspray wird in einem Arbeitsschritt auch auf die Registratoberfläche ausgeweitet. Dann betragen die Abweichungen zur Oberfläche des Originalmodells im Mittel 1 bis 14 µm, je nach Material. Die Abweichungen beim Umsetzen der Registrate auf ein Gipsmodell liegen hingegen im Mittel zwischen 36 und 98 µm

Distribution of mRNA encoding the inwardly rectifying K+ channel, BIR1 in rat tissues

AbstractThe distribution of mRNA encoding the inwardly rectifying K+ channel, BIR1 [1] was investigated in rat tissues, and a comparison made with the expression of related genes rcKATP and GIRK1 using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This showed BIR1 to be expressed in all areas of the brain examined, in the eye but not in any other peripheral tissue. This pattern was distinct from rcKATP and GIRK1. Additional in situ hybridisation studies of the central expression of BIR1 demonstrated high levels of BIR1 mRNA in the hippocampus dentate gyrus, taenia tecta and cerebellum and at lower levels in the cortex, habenular nucleus, olfactory bulb, primary olfactory cortex, thalamus, pontine nucleus and amygdaloid nucleus

FUS-SMN Protein Interactions Link the Motor Neuron Diseases ALS and SMA

SummaryMutations in the RNA binding protein FUS cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal adult motor neuron disease. Decreased expression of SMN causes the fatal childhood motor neuron disorder spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The SMN complex localizes in both the cytoplasm and nuclear Gems, and loss of Gems is a cellular hallmark of fibroblasts in patients with SMA. Here, we report that FUS associates with the SMN complex, mediated by U1 snRNP and by direct interactions between FUS and SMN. Functionally, we show that FUS is required for Gem formation in HeLa cells, and expression of FUS containing a severe ALS-causing mutation (R495X) also results in Gem loss. Strikingly, a reduction in Gems is observed in ALS patient fibroblasts expressing either mutant FUS or TDP-43, another ALS-causing protein that interacts with FUS. The physical and functional interactions among SMN, FUS, TDP-43, and Gems indicate that ALS and SMA share a biochemical pathway, providing strong support for the view that these motor neuron diseases are related

A novel cell immunoassay to measure survival of motor neurons protein in blood cells

BACKGROUND: The motor neuron degenerative disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the leading genetic cause of infant mortality and is caused by mutations in the survival of motor neurons (SMN) gene that reduce the expression levels of the SMN protein. A major goal of current therapeutic approaches is to increase SMN levels in SMA patients. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable assay to measure SMN protein levels from peripheral blood samples. METHODS: We developed a novel cell immunoassay to quantitatively measure SMN levels from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using a single anti-SMN antibody. RESULTS: SMN levels determined by the cell immunoassay are comparable to levels determined by Western blot, but in contrast, the immunoassay does not involve cell lysis, requires a small amount of patient material, and can be done on a large number of samples simultaneously. SMN levels from PBMCs are not influenced by cell type heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: SMN levels measured from total PBMCs provide an important snapshot of SMN protein expression, which should be a useful aid in SMA diagnosis, and a surrogate marker of efficacy of treatment in SMA clinical trials

Functional mammalian spliceosomal complex E contains SMN complex proteins in addition to U1 and U2 snRNPs

Copyright @ 2011 The Authors. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Spliceosomes remove introns from primary gene transcripts. They assemble de novo on each intron through a series of steps that involve the incorporation of five snRNP particles and multiple non-snRNP proteins. In mammals, all the intermediate complexes have been characterized on one transcript (MINX), with the exception of the very first, complex E. We have purified this complex by two independent procedures using antibodies to either U1-A or PRPF40A proteins, which are known to associate at an early stage of assembly. We demonstrate that the purified complexes are functional in splicing using commitment assays. These complexes contain components expected to be in the E complex and a number of previously unrecognized factors, including survival of motor neurons (SMN) and proteins of the SMN-associated complex. Depletion of the SMN complex proteins from nuclear extracts inhibits formation of the E complex and causes non-productive complexes to accumulate. This suggests that the SMN complex stabilizes the association of U1 and U2 snRNPs with pre-mRNA. In addition, the antibody to PRPF40A precipitated U2 snRNPs from nuclear extracts, indicating that PRPF40A associates with U2 snRNPs

Adenosine receptor expression and function in rat striatal cholinergic interneurons

1. Cholinergic neurons were identified in rat striatal slices by their size, membrane properties, sensitivity to the NK(1) receptor agonist (Sar(9), Met(O(2))(11)) Substance P, and expression of choline acetyltransferase mRNA. A(1) receptor mRNA was detected in 60% of the neurons analysed, and A(2A) receptor mRNA in 67% (n=15). 2. The A(1) receptor agonist R-N(6)-(2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (R-PIA) hyperpolarized cholinergic neurons in a concentration dependent manner sensitive to the A(1) antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX, 100 nM). 3. In dual stimulus experiments, the A(2A) receptor antagonist 8-(3-chlorostyryl)caffeine (CSC, 500 nM) decreased release of [(3)H]-acetylcholine from striatal slices (S2/S1 0.78±0.07 versus 0.95±0.05 in control), as did adenosine deaminase (S2/S1 ratio 0.69±0.05), whereas the A(1) receptor antagonist DPCPX (100 nM) had no effect (S2/S1 1.05±0.14). 4. In the presence of adenosine deaminase the adenosine A(2A) receptor agonist 2-p-((carboxyethyl)phenylethylamino)-5′-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (CGS21680, 10 nM) increased release (S2/S1 ratio 1.03±0.05 versus 0.88±0.05 in control), an effect blocked by the antagonist CSC (500 nM, S2/S1 0.68±0.05, versus 0.73±0.08 with CSC alone). The combined superfusion of bicuculline (10 μM), saclofen (1 μM) and naloxone (10 μM) had no effect on the stimulation by CGS21680 (S2/S1 ratio 0.99±0.04). 5. The A(1) receptor agonist R-PIA (100 nM) inhibited the release of [(3)H]-acetylcholine (S2/S1 ratio 0.70±0.03), an effect blocked by DPCPX (S2/S1 ratio 1.06±0.07). 6. It is concluded that both A(1) and A(2A) receptors are expressed on striatal cholinergic neurons where they are functionally active