Aggregation of human salivary Ca-proteinates in the presence of simple carbohydrates in vitro

The effect of 8 polyols and 14 aldoses or ketoses on the spontaneous aggregation of Ca-proteinates was followed spectrophotometrically in supernatants and filtrates of human mixed saliva. Each carbohydrate was added to the saliva samples at 37°C and the precipitated material was analyzed for protein, total carbohydrate and Ca. Based on their effect on aggregation, the carbohydrates could be divided into three groups: 1) those that showed no effect on aggregation: D-xylose, D-ribose and i-erythritol, 2) those that inhibited aggregation strongly: xylitol, Dsorbitol and D-mannitoi, and 3) those that inhibited aggregation moderately: glucose, fructose and sucrose. The inhibitory effect of the above polyols on the aggregation of Ca-proteinates varied greatly among the saliva donors, and correlated positively with the turbidity of the saliva and its protein content more than with the Ca-concentration or the pH of the saliva sample. It is suggested that inhibition of aggregation shown the most clearly for xylitol, sorbitol and mannitol manifests itself as a retardation of the final, irreversible aggregation of those glycoproteins that already exist in a precipitated form and which are responsible for the turbidity of saliva.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75574/1/j.1600-0722.1986.tb01376.x.pd

Developing a local framework for quality in an online learning environment: a case study

This paper describes a quality framework for the development of a set of online learning resources, namely worked examples with audio enhancement and simulations, used to improve the offering of a level one business mathematics course at Central Queensland University. The framework centres around five criteria that emerged as the resources were developed. They were a primary reference determining the quality of the learning environment created

Antecedents and consequences of effectuation and causation in the international new venture creation process

The selection of the entry mode in an international market is of key importance for the venture. A process-based perspective on entry mode selection can add to the International Business and International Entrepreneurship literature. Framing the international market entry as an entrepreneurial process, this paper analyzes the antecedents and consequences of causation and effectuation in the entry mode selection. For the analysis, regression-based techniques were used on a sample of 65 gazelles. The results indicate that experienced entrepreneurs tend to apply effectuation rather than causation, while uncertainty does not have a systematic influence. Entrepreneurs using causation-based international new venture creation processes tend to engage in export-type entry modes, while effectuation-based international new venture creation processes do not predetermine the entry mod

Entrepreneurship, export orientation and economic growth

In this paper the relationship between a country’s prevalence of new ventures and its rate of economic growth is investigated, while taking into account new ventures’ export orientation. It is generally acknowledged that new venture creation as well as export activity may both be important strategies for achieving national economic growth. However, to our knowledge no attempt has been made to investigate empirically the role of export-driven new ventures in economic growth. We focus on the national level and use data for a sample of 34 countries over the period 2002–2008. Our results suggest that, on top of a positive relation between entrepreneurial activity in general and subsequent macroeconomic growth, there is an additional positive effect of export-oriented early-stage entrepreneurship in higher-income countries. However, there is no such additional effect in lower-income countries

International entrepreneurship in SMEs: a study of influencing factors in the textile industry

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11365-012-0242-3International entrepreneurship is an incipient research area with a rapidly increasing body of knowledge and contributions. An important part of this literature has focused on the analysis of the contributing factors to IE development. From these studies, this work attempts to analyse and validate through an integrative model the effect on this construct in SME of some of the main factors proposed by the literature such as Skills and Competences, Attitude and Proactiveness, Creativity and Innovation, Networking, Employees and Activity. To proceed with this aim, we conducted an empirical research focused on 174 textile SME in Spain. The results obtained confirm a positive relationship between the studied factors and the IE development. 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3D laser nano-printing on fibre paves the way for super-focusing of multimode laser radiation

Multimode high-power laser diodes suffer from inefficient beam focusing, leading to a focal spot 10–100 times greater than the diffraction limit. This inevitably restricts their wider use in ‘direct-diode’ applications in materials processing and biomedical photonics. We report here a ‘super-focusing’ characteristic for laser diodes, where the exploitation of self-interference of modes enables a significant reduction of the focal spot size. This is achieved by employing a conical microlens fabricated on the tip of a multimode optical fibre using 3D laser nano-printing (also known as multi-photon lithography). When refracted by the conical surface, the modes of the fibre-coupled laser beam self-interfere and form an elongated narrow focus, usually referred to as a ‘needle’ beam. The multiphoton lithography technique allows the realisation of almost any optical element on a fibre tip, thus providing the most suitable interface for free-space applications of multimode fibre-delivered laser beams. In addition, we demonstrate the optical trapping of microscopic objects with a super-focused multimode laser diode beam thus rising new opportunities within the applications sector where lab-on-chip configurations can be exploited. Most importantly, the demonstrated super-focusing approach opens up new avenues for the ‘direct-diode’ applications in material processing and 3D printing, where both high power and tight focusing is required

Evidence and Policy in Aid-Dependent Settings

This chapter examines how the political dynamics of aid relationships can affect the use of evidence within health policymaking. Empirical examples from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Ghana illustrate how relationships between national governments and donor agencies influence the ways in which evidence is generated, selected, or utilised to inform policymaking. We particularly consider how relationships with donors influence the underlying systems and processes of evidence use. We find a number of issues affecting which bodies or forms of evidence are taken to be policy relevant, including: levels of local technical capacity to utilise or synthesise evidence; differing stakeholder framing of issues; and the influence of non-state actors on sector-wide systems of agenda setting. The chapter also reflects on some of the key governance implications of these arrangements in which global actors promote forms of evidence use – often under a banner of technical efficiency – with limited consideration for local representation or accountability

How does export compliance influence the internationalization of firms:Is it a thread or an opportunity?

Internationalization is a complex process, in which firms face various challenges that may lead to opportunities or threads. One of these challenges is export compliance. The objective of this paper is to disentangle the nature of export compliance and its function in international entrepreneurship. This study outlines a perspective on the export control system, discusses the most relative legislation, reveals the consequences of non-compliance and provides a case study and finally explains the function of export compliance in the international activities of firms

Exercise and cognitive function: a hypothesis for the association of type II diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease from an evolutionary perspective

The association of type II diabetes mellitus (DM2) with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has received considerable attention in recent years. In the present paper, a hypothesis for this association from an evolutionary perspective, with emphasis on the close interplay between exercise and cognitive function, will be advanced in order to provide a biological rationale for the notion that the fundamental metabolic features of DM2 act in the brain over a protracted time span to induce the neuropathological characteristics of Alzheimer's disease thereby producing cognitive impairment. It is hoped that this hypothesis puts the association of DM2 and AD on firm conceptual grounds from a biological perspective and offers directions for further research