Vessel-level productivity in Commonwealth fisheries

The total factor productivity of the Commonwealth Trawl Sector of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery is estimated for the period 1996–97 to 2008–09 using vessel-level data and a traditional approach that captures the production decisions of fishers. The paper develops a replicable methodology and calculates benchmark productivity estimates by which future estimates for other Commonwealth fisheries can be evaluated. Productivity estimates presented in this paper are based on vessel-level financial and catch data collected by ABARES in its annual survey of the fishery and the application of the Fisher index method. The analysis of trends in productivity offers important new information to decision-makers. Changes in the way in which fishers organise the transformation of inputs into outputs have a direct impact on firm-level economic performance. Changes in productivity at the vessel level illustrate the response of the fleet to policy settings in the fishery and, more broadly, to environmental factors. This is of particular value for fishery managers when they consider policy instruments—such as fish stocks, technology and fleet structure—that might affect the drivers of productivity growth in fisheries.Agribusiness, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Design Practice in the UK Car Industry: How Coventry University is Addressing the Needs

This paper considers the needs of the UK car industry and identifies specific situations that have serious implications upon design practice. The response at Coventry University to these needs is discussed and our PAKTS model for Design Education introduced

The effect of extracellular Hsp90β and TGF-β1 on colon cancer biology

The TGF-β signaling pathway is known to be one of the most commonly mutated pathways in human cancers, while Hsp90 is a bone fide drug target that is involved in regulating the conformation and activity of many oncoproteins. The role of intracellular Hsp90 in cancer has thus far been established and there is a growing link between extracellular Hsp90 and cancer metastasis, as well as the role of TGF-β in metastasis. This study aimed to analyse the interaction between Hsp90 (both intracellular and extracellular) and the TGF-β machinery in cancer cells, as well as to determine the effect of these proteins on cellular responses on the biology of cancer cells. This was achieved by studying the expression of Hsp90; TGF-βRII and TGF-β1 in cancer cell lines of various origins using flow cytometry, ELISA, and western blot analysis. The genetically paired SW480 and SW620 colon cancer cell lines, derived from a primary tumour and lymph node metastasis, respectively, were selected for further study due to differences in expression levels and activation of the TGF-β1 pathway. SW480 cells expressed double the level of TGF-βRII compared to SW620 cells, while SW620 expressed two times more extracellular TGF-β1 than SW480 cells. A direct interaction between TGF-β1 and Hsp90β was determined in vitro, and confirmed in vivo in SW620 cells. Growth, adhesion and migration were analysed in SW480 and SW620 cells. SW480 cells adhered significantly faster than SW620 cells, while SW620 cells had a greater rate of migration. Inhibiting the TGF-β pathway, specifically TGF-βRI, using SB 431542, as well as inhibiting Hsp90 with novobiocin, caused an increase in migration in SW480 cells. Only the addition of TGF-β1 in combination with Hsp90 as well as SB 431542 caused an increase in migration in SW620 cells. The canonical TGF-β1/TGF-βRI/TGF-βRII pathway may be constitutively active in SW620 cells and the inhibition of TGF-βRI may suggest an alternate pathway or receptor in both SW480 and SW620 cells