The Impact of Ownership Reform in Chinese Industry, 1995-2001

During the 1980s, the restructuring of Chinese industry was driven principally by the entry of new enterprises into the enterprise system and by the restructuring of managerial incentives. In 1993, China’s leadership formally inaugurated the shareholding experiment. This paper examines the impact on eight performance measures of the conversion of both state- and collective-owned enterprises to shareholding enterprises. The analysis distinguishes between the direct effect of conversion and the induced effect, involving the attraction of non-state investment, which reduces the proportion of state assets and state control rights. We find evidence for SOEs that both conversion and a decline in the share of state-owned assets motivate rising productivity and R&D intensity. While rising proportions of non-state assets motive lower employment and rising wages, the initial conversion effect is associated with higher employment and lower wages. These latter impacts may result from agreements with workers as part of the conversion process. The SOE conversion process exhibits selection bias in which SOEs with high rates of capital productivity and profitability, high tax burdens, and comparatively low wages and smaller labor forces are more likely to be selected for conversion. No similar selection bias is evident in the collective sector.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39927/3/wp542.pd

The Impact of Ownership Reform in Chinese Industry, 1995-2001

During the 1980s, the restructuring of Chinese industry was driven principally by the entry of new enterprises into the enterprise system and by the restructuring of managerial incentives. In 1993, China’s leadership formally inaugurated the shareholding experiment. This paper examines the impact on eight performance measures of the conversion of both state- and collective-owned enterprises to shareholding enterprises. The analysis distinguishes between the direct effect of conversion and the induced effect, involving the attraction of non-state investment, which reduces the proportion of state assets and state control rights. We find evidence for SOEs that both conversion and a decline in the share of state-owned assets motivate rising productivity and R&D intensity. While rising proportions of non-state assets motive lower employment and rising wages, the initial conversion effect is associated with higher employment and lower wages. These latter impacts may result from agreements with workers as part of the conversion process. The SOE conversion process exhibits selection bias in which SOEs with high rates of capital productivity and profitability, high tax burdens, and comparatively low wages and smaller labor forces are more likely to be selected for conversion. No similar selection bias is evident in the collective sector.

Factorizing Numbers with the Gauss Sum Technique: NMR Implementations

Several physics-based algorithms for factorizing large number were recently published. A notable recent one by Schleich et al. uses Gauss sums for distinguishing between factors and non-factors. We demonstrate two NMR techniques that evaluate Gauss sums and thus implement their algorithm. The first one is based on differential excitation of a single spin magnetization by a cascade of RF pulses. The second method is based on spatial averaging and selective refocusing of magnetization for Gauss sums corresponding to factors. All factors of 16637 and 52882363 are successfully obtained.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; Abstract and Conclusion are slightly modified. References added and formatted with Bibte

Experimental Demonstration of Quantum State Multi-meter and One-qubit Fingerprinting in a Single Quantum Device

We experimentally demonstrate in NMR a quantum interferometric multi-meter for extracting certain properties of unknown quantum states without resource to quantum tomography. It can perform direct state determinations, eigenvalue/eigenvector estimations, purity tests of a quantum system, as well as the overlap of any two unknown quantum states. Using the same device, we also demonstrate one-qubit quantum fingerprinting

An AFLP marker linked to turnip mosaic virus resistance gene in pak-choi

Pak-choi is one of the most important vegetable crops in China. Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) is one of its main pathogen. Screening the molecular marker linked to the TuMV resistance gene is an efficient method to improve pak-choi breeding. In this paper, a dominant gene, TuRBCH01, has been mapped. 180 F2 individuals were inoculated with TuMV-C5 and tested by direct ELISA. The 3:1 ratio of F2 hybrids segregation proved a single dominant allele for TuMV resistance. Amplified fragment lengthpolymorphism (AFLP) technique and bulked segregant analysis (BSA) method were used to study the F2 population. An AFLP marker (EccMctt3) linked to TuMV resistance gene with 7.8cM map distance was identified

Comparative Study of Long-and Short-Pulsed Electric Fields for Treating Melanoma in an In Vivo Mouse Model

A mouse melanoma model was set up with green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression in vivo. With the same energy, long- (1 ms) and short- (300 ns) pulsed electric fields were delivered to two melanomas injected into the same mouse. The tumor growth and green fluorescence were followed up to compare the different treatment efficacy of long and short pulses. After two days post treatment, short pulse-treated tumors showed a significantly lower tumor volume compared with long pulse-treated tumors (n=8,

Apoptosis Initiation and Angiogenesis Inhibition: Melanoma Targets for Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields

Many effective anti-cancer strategies target apoptosis and angiogenesis mechanisms. Applications of non-ionizing, nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) induce apoptosis in vitro and eliminate cancer in vivo; however in vivo mechanisms require closer analysis. These studies investigate nsPEF-induced apoptosis and anti-angiogenesis examined by fluorescent microscopy, immunoblots, and morphology. Six hours after treatment with one hundred 300 ns pulses at 40 kV/cm, cells transiently expressed active caspases indicating that caspase-mediated mechanisms. Three hours after treatment transient peaks in Histone 2AX phosphorylation coincided with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling positive cells and pyknotic nuclei, suggesting caspase-independent mechanisms on nuclei/DNA. Large DNA fragments, but not 180 bp fragmentation ladders, were observed, suggesting incomplete apoptosis. Nevertheless, tumor weight and volume decreased and tumors disappeared. One week after treatment, vessel numbers, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF), CD31, CD35 and CD105 were decreased, indicating anti-angiogenesis. The nsPEFs activate multiple melanoma therapeutic targets, which is consistent with successes of nsPEF applications for tumor treatment in vivo as a new cancer therapeutic modality

A Two-Study Comparison of Clinical and MRI Markers of Transition from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer's Disease

A published predictor model in a single-site cohort study (questionable dementia, QD) that contained episodic verbal memory (SRT total recall), informant report of function (FAQ), and MRI measures was tested using logistic regression and ROC analyses with comparable measures in a second multisite cohort study (Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, ADNI). There were 126 patients in QD and 282 patients in ADNI with MCI followed for 3 years. Within each sample, the differences in AUCs between the statistical models were very similar. Adding hippocampal and entorhinal cortex volumes to the model containing AVLT/SRT, FAQ, age and MMSE increased the area under the curve (AUC) in ADNI but not QD, with sensitivity increasing by 2% in ADNI and 2% in QD for a fixed specificity of 80%. Conversely, adding episodic verbal memory (SRT/AVLT) and FAQ to the model containing age, Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE), hippocampal and entorhinal cortex volumes increased the AUC in ADNI and QD, with sensitivity increasing by 17% in ADNI and 10% in QD for 80% specificity. The predictor models showed similar differences from each other in both studies, supporting independent validation. MRI hippocampal and entorhinal cortex volumes showed limited added predictive utility to memory and function measures

Comparing temporal patterns in body condition of ringed seals living within their core geographic range with those living at the edge

Ecological theory suggests that demographic responses by populations to environmental change vary depending on whether individuals inhabit central or peripheral regions within the species’ geographic range. Here, we tested this prediction by comparing a population of ringed seals Pusa hispida located at high latitudes as part of their core range (core) with a population located at the southern extremity of their range (peripheral). First, we compared the two regions’ environmental trends in timing of sea-ice breakup and freeze-up, open-water duration and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). We found that the core region shifted to progressively warmer conditions in the early 1990s; whereas, in the peripheral region, the warming trend shifted in 1999 to one with no warming trend but high inter-annual variability. Next, we examined how body condition, inferred from blubber depth, responded to temporal changes in sea-ice and climatic variables – variables that have been shown to influence ringed seal demography. Core seals displayed minimal seasonal changes in body condition; whereas peripheral seals displayed a 20–60% amplitude seasonal change in body condition with a phase shift to earlier initiation of fat accumulation and loss. Finally, we tested for interannual differences and found that both core and peripheral seals responded similarly with decreased body condition following more positive NAO. Environmental variables influenced body condition in opposite directions between the two regions with core seals declining in body condition with later spring breakup and shorter open-water duration, whereas peripheral seals showed opposite relationships. Seals living at the core likely benefit from an evolved match between adaptation and environmental variation resulting in dampened seasonal and interannual fluctuations in body condition. Knowledge of how different populations respond to environmental change depending on geographic location within a species range can assist in anticipating population specific responses to climate warming