Corporate Organizational Reform and Corporate Performance: Empirical analysis based on interviews with Tokyo-area firms (Japanese)

In tandem with the advance of IT usage in the economy and society, it is becoming more widely recognized that for greater IT usage to lead to higher productivity it is essential not only to increase the amount of IT equipment, but also for corporate organizations and human resources to correspond with new technological innovation of the kind represented by the enhanced use of IT. Based on this perception, in this paper we emulate the company interviews conducted by Bloom and Van Reenen (2007) by carrying out an independent interview-based survey of firms' organizational management and human resource management. Using the results of those interviews, we then quantify them by awarding higher scores when organizational goals are more diffused between the upper echelons and the workplace, when organizational reforms have been implemented in recent years, and also when companies have human resource management that respond quickly to individuals' job performances. Our survey covers 151 Tokyo-based firms in four industries in the manufacturing sector (electrical machinery, equipment and supplies manufacturing; information and communications electronics equipment manufacturing; motor vehicles, parts and accessories manufacturing; and precision instruments and machinery manufacturing) and three in the service sector (video picture and sound information production, information services, and retailing), and the results of this survey show that the largest number of companies have scores that are close to the overall median. Broken down by industry, in the manufacturing industry there are numerous companies that have high scores with respect to organization, but with regard to human resources there are also many companies that are conservative. In the retailing industry, meanwhile, there are numerous companies that are flexible with regard to human resources. Examining the relationship between these scores and corporate performance, we find that estimates based only on the arithmetic average of the scores produce no significant results. Nevertheless, significant results are achieved with regard to cross terms between scores and a dummy at two years after organizational reform. This is the same when taking the main components and regarding them as explained variables. Given this, simply having transparency in an organization and flexibility in its personnel management system will not lead to greater productivity; if the degree of transparency of an organization is higher at least two years after it undergoes reforms, and the human resources management is made flexible, its impact will be to enhance productivity.

Fatigue behavior and crack initiation of CAD/CAM resin composite molar crowns

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term fatigue behavior using an in vitro step-stress accelerated life test (SSALT), and to determine the crack initiation point using in silico finite element analysis for computer-aided designed and manufactured (CAD/CAM) molar crowns fabricated from three commercial CAD/CAM resin composite blocks: Cerasmart (CS; GC, Tokyo, Japan), Katana Avencia Block (KA; Kuraray Noritake Dental, Niigata, Japan), and Shofu Block HC (HC; Shofu, Kyoto, Japan). Methods: Fifty-one mandibular first molar crowns luted on a resin core die were embedded in acrylic resin and covered with a polyvinyl chloride tube. Single compressive tests were performed for five crowns. SSALT was conducted for 36 crowns using three profiles and reliabilities at 120,000 cycles, and a Weibull analysis was conducted. The maximum principal strain of each CAD/CAM resin composite crown model was analyzed by three-dimensional finite element analysis. Results: Fracture loads of CS and KA (3784 ± 144 N and 3915 ± 313 N) were significantly greater than that of HC (2767 ± 227 N) (p < 0.05). Fracture probabilities at 120,000 cycles were 24.6% (CS), 13.7% (KA), and 14.0% (HC). Maximum principal strain was observed around the mesiolingual cusps of CS and KA and the distobuccal cusp of HC. Significance: CAD/CAM resin composite molar crowns containing nano-fillers with a higher fraction of resin matrix exhibited higher fracture loads and greater longevity, suggesting that these crowns could be used as an alternative to ceramic crowns in terms of fatigue behavior.Yamaguchi S., Kani R., Kawakami K., et al. Fatigue behavior and crack initiation of CAD/CAM resin composite molar crowns. Dental Materials 34, 1578 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2018.07.002

キギョウナイ ソシキ カイカク ト キギョウ パフォーマンス トウキョウ チク キギョウ インタビュー ニヨル ジッショウ ブンセキ

経済社会でのIT 化が進むにつれて，IT 化を生産性向上に結びつけるためには，IT 設備だけを増加させればよいのではなく，組織や人材がIT 化に代表される新しい技術革新に対応したものでなくてはならないという認識が広まっている。本論文では，こうした問題意識のもとに，Bloom and Van Reenen (2007) が実施した企業インタビューにならって，企業の組織運営及び人事制度について独自のインタビュー調査を行った。そしてこのインタビュー結果を利用して，組織目標が上部組織から現場にまで浸透しており，近年組織改革を行っているほど高い得点がつき，業績に応じて素早い対応をとる人事制度を有しているほど高い得点になるよう定量化を行った。製造業4 業種（電気機械器具製造業，情報通信機械器具製造業，自動車・同付属品製造業，精密機械器具製造業），サービス業3 業種（映像・音声情報制作業，情報サービス業，小売業）で東京地区に本社のある151 社に対する調査結果をみると，全体的には中央値に近い値のスコアをとる企業が最も多い結果となった。これを業種別に見ると，製造業では組織面では高得点の企業が多くなるが，人事面では保守的な企業も多く見られた。一方小売業では，人事面で柔軟な企業が多く見られる。このスコアと企業のパフォーマンスとの関係を調べると，スコアの単純平均値だけの推計では，有意な結果は見られなかった。ただ，スコアと組織改革後2 年を経たダミーとの交差項については有意な結果を得た。これは主成分をとりそれを説明変数とした場合についても同様である。このことから単に組織の透明度や人事制度の柔軟性を有しているだけでは生産性向上につながっておらず，改革から2 年以上を経て組織の透明度を高め，人事制度を柔軟にした場合について，生産性を向上させる効果がある

Stability Study of mRNA-Lipid Nanoparticles Exposed to Various Conditions Based on the Evaluation between Physicochemical Properties and Their Relation with Protein Expression Ability

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are currently in the spotlight as delivery systems for mRNA therapeutics and have been used in the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. mRNA-LNP formulations have been indicated to require strict control, including maintenance at fairly low temperatures during their transport and storage. Since it is a new pharmaceutical modality, there is a lack of information on the systematic investigation of how storage and handling conditions affect the physicochemical properties of mRNA-LNPs and their protein expression ability. In this study, using the mRNA-LNPs with standard composition, we evaluated the effects of temperature, cryoprotectants, vibration, light exposure, and syringe aspiration from the vials on the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles in relation to their in vitro/in vivo protein expression ability. Among these factors, storage at &minus;80 &deg;C without a cryoprotectant caused a decrease in protein expression, which may be attributed to particle aggregation. Exposure to vibration and light also caused similar changes under certain conditions. Exposure to these factors can occur during laboratory and hospital handling. It is essential to have sufficient knowledge of the stability of mRNA-LNPs in terms of their physical properties and protein expression ability at an early stage to ensure reproducible research and development and medical care

Periodontal Tissue Regeneration by Transplantation of Autologous Adipose Tissue-Derived Multi-Lineage Progenitor Cells With Carbonate Apatite

We have developed an autologous transplantation method using adipose tissue-derived multi-lineage progenitor cells (ADMPCs) as a method of periodontal tissue regeneration that can be adapted to severe periodontal disease. Our previous clinical study confirmed the safety of autologous transplantation of ADMPCs and demonstrated its usefulness in the treatment of severe periodontal disease. However, in the same clinical study, we found that the fibrin gel used as the scaffold material might have caused gingival recession and impaired tissue regeneration in some patients. Carbonate apatite has a high space-making capacity and has been approved in Japan for periodontal tissue regeneration. In this study, we selected carbonate apatite as a candidate scaffold material for ADMPCs and conducted an in vitro examination of its effect on the cellular function of ADMPCs. We further performed autologous ADMPC transplantation with carbonate apatite as the scaffold material in a model of one-wall bone defects in beagles and then analyzed the effect on periodontal tissue regeneration. The findings showed that carbonate apatite did not affect the cell morphology of ADMPCs and that it promoted proliferation. Moreover, no effect on secretor factor transcription was found. The results of the in vivo analysis confirmed the space-making capacity of carbonate apatite, and the acquisition of significant new attachment was observed in the group involving ADMPC transplantation with carbonate apatite compared with the group involving carbonate apatite application alone. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of carbonate apatite as a scaffold material for ADMPC transplantation

Stability Study of mRNA-Lipid Nanoparticles Exposed to Various Conditions Based on the Evaluation between Physicochemical Properties and Their Relation with Protein Expression Ability

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are currently in the spotlight as delivery systems for mRNA therapeutics and have been used in the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. mRNA-LNP formulations have been indicated to require strict control, including maintenance at fairly low temperatures during their transport and storage. Since it is a new pharmaceutical modality, there is a lack of information on the systematic investigation of how storage and handling conditions affect the physicochemical properties of mRNA-LNPs and their protein expression ability. In this study, using the mRNA-LNPs with standard composition, we evaluated the effects of temperature, cryoprotectants, vibration, light exposure, and syringe aspiration from the vials on the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles in relation to their in vitro/in vivo protein expression ability. Among these factors, storage at −80 °C without a cryoprotectant caused a decrease in protein expression, which may be attributed to particle aggregation. Exposure to vibration and light also caused similar changes under certain conditions. Exposure to these factors can occur during laboratory and hospital handling. It is essential to have sufficient knowledge of the stability of mRNA-LNPs in terms of their physical properties and protein expression ability at an early stage to ensure reproducible research and development and medical care.Pharmaceutics, 14(11), art. no. 2357; 202