Heterogeneous Capital, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Organization

We outline an Austrian approach to economic organization based on the entrepreneur and the Austrian idea of capital as heterogeneous and time-dimensioned, tow themes associated with Israel Kirzner's contributions. We provide a novel interpretation of capital heterogeneity based on the notion of attributes, argue that attributes are costly to measure and that this links directly to the theory of economic organization. In particular, we develop insights in economic organization based on the notion that entrepreneurs will often have to experiment with capital assets to gauge the value of these assets when deployed in production.Austrian Economics, capital, knowledge

Prediction of ‘Nules Clementine’ mandarin susceptibility to rind breakdown disorder using Vis/NIR spectroscopy

The use of diffuse reflectance visible and near infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy was explored as a non-destructive technique to predict ‘Nules Clementine’ mandarin fruit susceptibility to rind breakdown (RBD) disorder by detecting rind physico-chemical properties of 80 intact fruit harvested from different canopy positions. Vis/NIR spectra were obtained using a LabSpec® spectrophotometer. Reference physico-chemical data of the fruit were obtained after 8 weeks of storage at 8 °C using conventional methods and included RBD, hue angle, colour index, mass loss, rind dry matter, as well as carbohydrates (sucrose, glucose, fructose, total carbohydrates), and total phenolic acid concentrations. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to analyse spectral data to identify clusters in the PCA score plots and outliers. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was applied to spectral data after PCA to develop prediction models for each quality attribute. The spectra were subjected to a test set validation by dividing the data into calibration (n = 48) and test validation (n = 32) sets. An extra set of 40 fruit harvested from a different part of the orchard was used for external validation. PLS-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were developed to sort fruit based on canopy position and RBD susceptibility. Fruit position within the canopy had a significant influence on rind biochemical properties. Outside fruit had higher rind carbohydrates, phenolic acids and dry matter content and lower RBD index than inside fruit. The data distribution in the PCA and PLS-DA models displayed four clusters that could easily be identified. These clusters allowed distinction between fruit from different preharvest treatments. NIR calibration and validation results demonstrated that colour index, dry matter, total carbohydrates and mass loss were predicted with significant accuracy, with residual predictive deviation (RPD) for prediction of 3.83, 3.58, 3.15 and 2.61, respectively. The good correlation between spectral information and carbohydrate content demonstrated the potential of Vis/NIR as a non-destructive tool to predict fruit susceptibility to RBD

The dissolution of synthetic Na-boltwoodite in sodium carbonate solutions

Uranyl silicates such as uranophane and Na-boltwoodite appear to control the solubility of uranium in certain contaminated sediments at the US Department of Energy Hanford site [Liu, C., Zachara, J.M., Qafoku, O., McKinley, J.P., Heald, S.M., Wang, Z. 2004. Dissolution of uranyl microprecipitates in subsurface sediments at Hanford Site, USA. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 68, 4519– 4537.]. Consequently, the solubility of synthetic Na-boltwoodite, Na(UO2)(SiO3OH) • 1.5H2O, was determined over a wide range of bicarbonate concentrations, from circumneutral to alkaline pH, that are representative of porewater and groundwater compositions at the Hanford site and calcareous environments generally. Experiments were open to air. Results show that Na-boltwoodite dissolution was nearly congruent and its solubility and dissolution kinetics increased with increasing bicarbonate concentration and pH. A consistent set of solubility constants were determined from circumneutral pH (0 added bicarbonate) to alkaline pH (50 mM added bicarbonate). Average log Kosp = 5:86 ± 0.24 or 5.85 ± 0.0.26; using the Pitzer ion-interaction model or Davies equation, respectively. These values are close to the one determined by [Nguyen, S.N., Silva, R.J., Weed, H.C., Andrews, Jr., J.E., 1992. Standard Gibbs free energies of formation at the temperature 303.15 K of four uranyl silicates: soddyite, uranophane, sodium boltwoodite, and sodium weeksite. J. Chem. Thermodynamics 24, 359–376.] under very different conditions (pH 4.5, Ar atmosphere)

Mucisphaera calidilacus gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel planctomycete of the class Phycisphaerae isolated in the shallow sea hydrothermal system of the Lipari Islands

For extending the current collection of axenic cultures of planctomycetes, we describe in this study the isolation and characterisation of strain Pan265(T) obtained from a red biofilm in the hydrothermal vent system close to the Lipari Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, north of Sicily, Italy. The strain forms light pink colonies on solid medium and grows as a viscous colloid in liquid culture, likely as the result of formation of a dense extracellular matrix observed during electron microscopy. Cells of the novel isolate are spherical, motile and divide by binary fission. Strain Pan265(T) is mesophilic (temperature optimum 30–33 °C), neutrophilic (pH optimum 7.0–8.0), aerobic and heterotrophic. The strain has a genome size of 3.49 Mb and a DNA G + C content of 63.9%. Phylogenetically, the strain belongs to the family Phycisphaeraceae, order Phycisphaerales, class Phycisphaerae. Our polyphasic analysis supports the delineation of strain Pan265(T) from the known genera in this family. Therefore, we conclude to assign strain Pan265(T) to a novel species within a novel genus, for which we propose the name Mucisphaera calidilacus gen. nov., sp. nov. The novel species is the type species of the novel genus and is represented by strain Pan265(T) (= DSM 100697(T) = CECT 30425(T)) as type strain

Description of Polystyrenella longa gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from polystyrene particles incubated in the Baltic Sea

Planctomycetes occur in almost all aquatic ecosystems on earth. They have a remarkable cell biology, and members of the orders Planctomycetales and Pirellulales feature cell division by polar budding, perform a lifestyle switch from sessile to motile cells and have an enlarged periplasmic space. Here, we characterise a novel planctomycetal strain, Pla110$^{τ}$, isolated from the surface of polystyrene particles incubated in the Baltic Sea. After phylogenetic analysis, the strain could be placed in the family Planctomycetaceae. Strain Pla110$^{τ}$ performs cell division by budding, has crateriform structures and grows in aggregates or rosettes. The strain is a chemoheterotroph, grows under mesophilic and neutrophilic conditions, and exhibited a doubling time of 21 h. Based on our phylogenetic and morphological characterisation, strain Pla110$^{τ}$ (DSM 103387$^{τ}$ = LMG 29693$^{τ}$) is concluded to represent a novel species belonging to a novel genus, for which we propose the name Polystyrenella longa gen. nov., sp. nov

Tautonia plasticadhaerens sp. nov., a novel species in the family Isosphaeraceae isolated from an alga in a hydrothermal area of the Eolian Archipelago

A novel planctomycetal strain, designated ElP$^{T}$, was isolated from an alga in the shallow hydrothermal vent system close to Panarea Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Cells of strain ElP$^{T}$ are spherical, form pink colonies and display typical planctomycetal characteristics including division by budding and presence of crateriform structures. Strain ElP$^{T}$ has a mesophilic (optimum at 30 °C) and neutrophilic (optimum at pH 7.5) growth profile, is aerobic and heterotrophic. It reaches a generation time of 29 h (μ$_{max}$ = 0.024 h$^{-1}$). The strain has a genome size of 9.40 Mb with a G + C content of 71.1% and harbours five plasmids, the highest number observed in the phylumPlanctomycetes thus far. Phylogenetically, the strain represents a novel species of the recently described genus Tautonia in the family Isosphaeraceae. A characteristic feature of the strain is ist tendency to attach strongly to a range of plastic surfaces. We thus propose the name Tautonia plasticadhaerens sp. nov. for the novel species, represented by the type strain ElP$^{T}$ (DSM 101012$^{T}$ = LMG 29141$^{T}$)

Heterogeneous capital, entrepreneurship, and economic Organization

We outline an Austrian approach to economic organization based on the entrepreneur and the Austrian idea of capital as heterogeneous and time-dimensioned, tow themes associated with Israel Kirzner's contributions. We provide a novel interpretation of capital heterogeneity based on the notion of attributes, argue that attributes are costly to measure and that this links directly to the theory of economic organization. In particular, we develop insights in economic organization based on the notion that entrepreneurs will often have to experiment with capital assets to gauge the value of these assets when deployed in production

Austrian Capital Theory and the Link Between Entrepreneurship and the Theory of the Firm

Several writers link entrepreneurship to asset ownership, trying to incorporate the theory of entrepreneurship into the theory of the firm. The critical link, we argue, is capital heterogeneity. Transaction cost, property rights, and resourcebased approaches to the firm assume that assets, both tangible and intangible, are heterogeneous; arranging these assets to minimize contractual hazards, to provide efficient investment incentives, or to exploit competitive advantage is conceived as the prime task of economic organization. None of these approaches, however, is based on a systematic theory of capital heterogeneity. In this paper we outline the approach to capital developed by the Austrian school of economics and integrate it into an entrepreneurial theory of the firm. We refine Austrian capital theory by defining capital heterogeneity in terms of subjectively perceived attributes, that is, the functions, characteristics, and uses of capital assets. Such attributes are not given, but have to be discovered by means of entrepreneurial action. Thinking of entrepreneurship as the organization of heterogeneous capital provides new insights into the emergence, boundaries, and internal organization of the firm, and it suggests testable implications about how and where entrepreneurship is manifested. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, heterogeneous assets, judgment, ownership, firm boundaries, internal organization. JEL Codes: B53, D23, L

The impact of a physician-staffed helicopter on outcome in patients admitted to a stroke unit: a prospective observational study

Patient characteristics, patients admitted to the stroke unit and diagnosed with stroke. GEMS: ground emergency medical services; HEMS: helicopter emergency medical services; IQR: interquartile range; AMI: acute myocardial infarction. Co-morbidity was defined as having at least one of the following conditions: diabetes, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, previous myocardial infarction, previous stroke. (DOCX 20 kb