The U.S.-Japan automotive bilateral 1994 trade deficit

Automotive Parts Advisory Committee, Washington, D.C.Tenneco Corporation, Houston, Tex.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/924/2/81084.0001.001.pd

Finding the familiar in the strange: transcultural learning as rihla رحلة at an Australian university

© 2020, © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Diverse university campuses present an ideal context for fostering transcultural learning. Despite the potential that this diversity presents, universities in Australia have yet to make use of this opportunity. The pilot study described here investigates an informal learning experience created by the hosting of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) funded Arab Film Festival Australia (AFFA) on an Australian university campus. By imagining and exploring new ways in which universities can encourage transcultural learning and bring students and academics together, this pilot project identified the potential of informal learning to facilitate transcultural understanding and challenge assumptions about Arab cultures. The strategic adoption of informal learning activities to immerse diverse members of the university community temporarily in Arab cultures and contexts via carefully curated film screenings and other related events show potential to facilitate transcultural learning on university campuses. We found that such strategies have the potential to deeply engage members of the university community in transcultural dialogue and learning with themselves and others

Competition in the 1990s

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154101/1/cole-competition1994.pd

Crosswalks to prosperity: new product market opportunities for Genesee manufacturers

Industrial Technology Institute, Ann Arbor, Mich.Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Flint, Mich.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/875/2/79554.0001.001.pd

Michigan: still the automotive state? State policy and the automotive industry in Michigan

Michigan Department of Commerce, Lansinghttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/986/2/83985.0001.001.pd

The changing structure of the U.S. automotive parts industry

Commerce Department, Economic Development Administration, Washington, D.C.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/1002/2/84234.0001.001.pd

Vision in high-level football officials

YesOfficiating in football depends, at least to some extent, upon adequate visual function. However, there is no vision standard for football officiating and the nature of the relationship between officiating performance and level of vision is unknown. As a first step in characterising this relationship, we report on the clinically-measured vision and on the perceived level of vision in elite-level, Portuguese football officials. Seventy-one referees (R) and assistant referees (AR) participated in the study, representing 92% of the total population of elite level football officials in Portugal in the 2013/2014 season. Nine of the 22 Rs (40.9%) and ten of the 49 ARs (20.4%) were international-level. Information about visual history was also gathered. Perceived vision was assessed using the preference-values-assigned-to-global-visual-status (PVVS) and the Quality-of-Vision (QoV) questionnaire. Standard clinical vision measures (including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and stereopsis) were gathered in a subset (n = 44, 62%) of the participants. Data were analysed according to the type (R/AR) and level (international/national) of official, and Bonferroni corrections were applied to reduce the risk of type I errors. Adopting criterion for statistical significance of p<0.01, PVVS scores did not differ between R and AR (p = 0.88), or between national- and international-level officials (p = 0.66). Similarly, QoV scores did not differ between R and AR in frequency (p = 0.50), severity (p = 0.71) or bothersomeness (p = 0.81) of symptoms, or between international-level vs national-level officials for frequency (p = 0.03) or bothersomeness (p = 0.07) of symptoms. However, international-level officials reported less severe symptoms than their national-level counterparts (p<0.01). Overall, 18.3% of officials had either never had an eye examination or if they had, it was more than 3 years previously. Regarding refractive correction, 4.2% had undergone refractive surgery and 23.9% wear contact lenses when officiating. Clinical vision measures in the football officials were similar to published normative values for young, adult populations and similar between R and AR. Clinically-measured vision did not differ according to officiating level. Visual acuity measured with and without a pinhole disc indicated that around one quarter of participants may be capable of better vision when officiating, as evidenced by better acuity (≥1 line of letters) using the pinhole. Amongst the clinical visual tests we used, we did not find evidence for above-average performance in elite-level football officials. Although the impact of uncorrected mild to moderate refractive error upon officiating performance is unknown, with a greater uptake of eye examinations, visual acuity may be improved in around a quarter of officials.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2013

Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 inhibition attenuates human airway smooth muscle growth and migration in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

© 2018 The Author(s). Increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass is observed in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is correlated with disease severity and negatively affects lung function in these patients. Thus, there is clear unmet clinical need for finding new therapies which can target airway remodeling and disease progression in COPD. Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is a ubiquitously expressed mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase kinase (MAP3K) activated by various stress stimuli, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and is known to regulate cell proliferation. ASM cells from COPD patients are hyperproliferative to mitogens in vitro. However, the role of ASK1 in ASM growth is not established. Here, we aim to determine the effects of ASK1 inhibition on ASM growth and pro-mitogenic signaling using ASM cells from COPD patients. We found greater expression of ASK1 in ASM bundles of COPD lung when compared with non-COPD. Pre-treatment of ASM cells with highly selective ASK1 inhibitor, TC ASK 10 resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in mitogen (FBS, PDGF, and EGF; 72 h)-induced ASM growth as measured by CyQUANT assay. Further, molecular targetting of ASK1 using siRNA in ASM cells prevented mitogen-induced cell growth. In addition, to anti-mitogenic potential, ASK1 inhibitor also prevented TGFβ1-induced migration of ASM cells in vitro. Immunoblotting revealed that anti-mitogenic effects are mediated by C-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38MAP kinase-signaling pathways as evident by reduced phosphorylation of downstream effectors JNK1/2 and p38MAP kinases, respectively, with no effect on extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 (ERK1/2). Collectively, these findings establish the anti-mitogenic effect of ASK1 inhibition and identify a novel pathway that can be targetted to reduce or prevent excessive ASM mass in COPD

Electron exchange model potential: Application to positronium-helium scattering

The formulation of a suitable nonlocal model potential for electron exchange is presented, checked with electron-hydrogen and electron-helium scattering, and applied to the study of elastic and inelastic scattering and ionization of ortho positronium (Ps) by helium. The elastic scattering and the $n = 2$ excitations of Ps are investigated using a three-Ps-state close-coupling approximation. The higher ($n\ge 3$) excitations and ionization of Ps atom are treated in the framework of Born approximation with present exchange. Calculations are reported of phase shifts, and elastic, Ps-excitation, and total cross sections. The present target elastic total cross section agrees well with experimental results at thermal to medium energies.Comment: 16 latex pages, 7 postscript figure