Explaining sme participation and success in public procurement using a capability-based model of tendering

This paper develops and tests a model for explaining small and medium-size enterprise (SME) participation and success in public procurement. The model is informed by a capability-based view of public sector tendering that includes relational and procedural dimensions. To test the model a survey was carried out on firms competing for contracts with Irish public sector organizations (n = 3010). The survey was repeated one year later to demonstrate reliability (n = 3092). Overall, the results lend support to the model. Procedural capability is associated with frequency of tendering and typical value of contract sought. Relational capability is not. Procedural and relational capabilities are each significant in accounting for success rates in contract competitions and commercial orientation towards the public sector. Practitioner implications as well as directions for future research are discussed within

Hierarchical Zoning, Incompatible Uses and Price Discounts

This study examines an aspect of hierarchical zoning. Hierarchical zoning, unlike mutually exclusive zoning, is uni-directional in that it protects upper-level residential uses from nonconforming, non-residential uses but not "vice versa." The result is that the lower-level zones can be a mixture of several nonconforming, incompatible uses. This unique attribute of hierarchical zoning offers a window of opportunity for choices for affordable housing at affordable locations. Using hedonic analysis, empirical evidence shows that huge price discounts (over 15%) are associated with apartments that are situated in nonconforming zones. Arguments here support more flexible zoning. Copyright American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association.

Using historical data in fluvial geomorphology

Research on the use of historical sources conducted within the REFORM collaborative project funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement 282656 has contributed greatly to the revision of this chapter

In Vitro and In Vivo Interactions of DNA Ligase IV with a Subunit of the Condensin Complex

Several findings have revealed a likely role for DNA ligase IV, and interacting protein XRCC4, in the final steps of mammalian DNA double-strand break repair. Recent evidence suggests that the human DNA ligase IV protein plays a critical role in the maintenance of genomic stability. To identify protein–protein interactions that may shed further light on the molecular mechanisms of DSB repair and the biological roles of human DNA ligase IV, we have used the yeast two-hybrid system in conjunction with traditional biochemical methods. These efforts have resulted in the identification of a physical association between the DNA ligase IV polypeptide and the human condensin subunit known as hCAP-E. The hCAP-E polypeptide, a member of the Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) super-family of proteins, coimmunoprecipitates from cell extracts with DNA ligase IV. Immunofluorescence studies reveal colocalization of DNA ligase IV and hCAP-E in the interphase nucleus, whereas mitotic cells display colocalization of both polypeptides on mitotic chromosomes. Strikingly, the XRCC4 protein is excluded from the area of mitotic chromosomes, suggesting the formation of specialized DNA ligase IV complexes subject to cell cycle regulation. We discuss our findings in light of known and hypothesized roles for ligase IV and the condensin complex