Dynamic externalities and regional manufacturing development: An exploration of the Polish experience before and after 1989

The impact of localization and urbanization economies on regional manufacturing development in Poland 1976-96 is assessed in terms of employment and the regional convergence or divergence of the economy. We examine current research on the role of dynamic production externalities in regional manufacturing development, starting with a review of recent literature on the nature of such externalities in manufacturing location, and how positive externalities may influence the spatial clustering of manufacturing industries. While much of the current literature is focussed on US experience, we analyse manufacturing employment data for Poland, in order to explore to what extent conclusions drawn from US experience may illuminate a regional economy in transition. The analysis also pays attention to the integration of a number of different methods from differing traditions, from economic geography, regional science, and new economic geography, including location quotients, Gini indices, shift-share, analysis of variance, Poisson regression, and Poisson regression for panel data. We find that radical changes have occurred in patterns of Polish regional manufacturing employment, both with regard to sectors and regions. Transition is refocussing the regional economy on strong regional centres, and on sectors regarded with little favour in the planned economy, such as food processing and wood products, including furniture.

Efficacy and Safety of Epratuzumab in Moderately to Severely Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: results From Two Phase III Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trials

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Growth assessment methods for Helicobacter pylori in liquid medium

Helicobacter pylori is known to be associated with chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. The lack of physiological data has hampered the uncover of mechanisms associated with H. pylori infection and consequently, many aspects related with the appearance of diseases remain unclear. It is well known that H. pylori can change cell morphology from spiral to coccoid form when exposed to adverse conditions. Some authors have reported the existence of a viable but nonculturable state of this bacterium. The development of robust methods to grow this bacterium and reliable methods for the assessment of growth are needed for a better characterization of its physiology. As such, the purpose of this work was to study H. pylori growth in a chemically defined medium, compare different methods to assess the growth and observe the changes of morphology. Cultures were grown at 37ºC under controlled conditions in Ham´s F-12 medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum. Samples were collected until 72 hours. For growth assessment, the following methods were used and compared: optical density, cultivable cell counts, total cell counts using DAPI staining, evaluation of viability with the Live/Dead viability kit and a PNA FISH probe which evaluates the content of stable rRNA. Cell counts and analysis of cell morphology were assessed using an epifluorescence microscope. Under the conditions of atmospheric oxygen 6.5%, pH 7, and shaking speed 110 rpm, H. pylori was in exponential growth from 0 to 4 hours. In comparison to total counts, PNA FISH displayed, in general, lower counts, particularly after cells have reached the stationary phase. Changes in morphology and viability were observed. After 60 hours of culture cells were mainly coccoid and nonviable

Surface and Bulk Modification of Synthetic Textiles to Improve Dyeability

Synthetic fibers, mainly polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA), polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polypropylene (PP), are the most widely used polymers in the textile industry. These fibers surpass the production of natural fibers with a market share of 54.4%. The advantages of these fibers are their high modulus and strength, stiffness, stretch or elasticity, wrinkle and abrasion resistances, relatively low cost, convenient processing, tailorable performance and easy recycling. The downside to synthetic fibers use are reduced wearing comfort, build-up of electrostatic charge, the tendency to pill, difficulties in finishing, poor soil release properties and low dyeability. These disadvantages are largely associated with their hydrophobic nature. To render their surfaces hydrophilic, various physical, chemical and bulk modification methods are employed to mimic the advantageous properties of their natural counterparts. This review is focused on the application of recent methods for the modification of synthetic textiles using physical methods (corona discharge, plasma, laser, electron beam and neutron irradiations), chemical methods (ozone-gas treatment, supercritical carbon dioxide technique, vapor deposition, surface grafting, enzymatic modification, sol-gel technique, layer-by-layer deposition of nano-materials, micro-encapsulation method and treatment with different reagents) and bulk modification methods by blending polymers with different compounds in extrusion to absorb different colorants. Nowadays, the bulk and surface functionalization of synthetic fibers for various applications is considered as one of the best methods for modern textile finishing processes (Tomasino, 1992). This last stage of textile processing has employed new routes to demonstrate the great potential of nano-science and technology for this industry (Lewin, 2007). Combination of physical technologies and nano-science enhances the durability of textile materials against washing, ultraviolet radiation, friction, abrasion, tension and fading (Kirk–Othmer, 1998). European methods for application of new functional finishing materials must meet high ethical demands for environmental-friendly processing (Fourne, 1999). For this purpose the process of textile finishing is optimized by different researchers in new findings (Elices & Llorca, 2002). Application of inorganic and organic nano-particles have enhanced synthetic fibers attributes, such as softness, durability, breathability, water repellency, fire retardancy and antimicrobial properties (Franz, 2003; McIntyre, 2005; Xanthos, 2005). This review article gives an application overview of various physical and chemical methods of inorganic and organic structured material as potential modifying agents of textiles with emphasis on dyeability enhancements. The composition of synthetic fibers includes polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamides (PA) or polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Synthetic fibers already hold a 54% market share in the fiber market. Of this market share, PET alone accounts for almost 50% of all fiber materials in 2008 (Gubitz & Cavaco-Paulo, 2008). Polypropylene, a major component for the nonwovens market accounts for 10% of the market share of both natural and synthetic fibers worldwide (INDA, 2008 and Aizenshtein, 2008). It is apparent that synthetic polymers have unique properties, such as high uniformity, mechanical strength and resistance to chemicals or abrasion. However, high hydrophobicity, the build-up of static charges, poor breathability, and resistant to finishing are undesirable properties of synthetic materials (Gubitz & Cavaco-Paulo, 2008). Synthetic textile fibers typically undergo a variety of pre-treatments before dyeing and printing is feasible. Compared to their cotton counterparts, fabrics made from synthetic fibers undergo mild scouring before dyeing. Nonetheless, these treatments still create undesirable process conditions w

Form follows experience: the revitalization of postindustrial sites by carnivalesque

Recent decades are the times for intense socio-economic changes that have significantly influenced the forms of modern shaped public spaces. Freed brownfield sites, prior to transformation are spatial barriers by not integrated communication systems and are deprived of the existing functionality. This brings a risk of devastation and escalation of difficulties with the implementation of the new use. Over the years we have grown accustomed to the program that changes in the areas abandoned by the industry mainly due to the preferences and priorities of their managers and is a consequence of property rights. Models of revitalization strategy are based on the designation of the subject who rules, establishing core groups of beneficiaries to form planning regulations that are less strict than usual1. Significantly, this has a direct impact on the style of architectural intervention, the type of key investments and their functional program.Peer Reviewe

Boundary work in value co-creation practices: the mediating role of cognitive assistants

PurposeHow to improve healthcare for the ageing population is attracting academia attention. Emerging technologies (i.e. robots and intelligent agents) look relevant. This paper aims to analyze the role of cognitive assistants as boundary objects in value co-creation practices. We include the perceptions of the main actors – patients, (in)formal caregivers, healthcare professionals – for a fuller network perspective to understand the potential overlap between boundary work and value co-creation practices.Design/methodology/approachWe adopted a grounded approach to gain a contextual understanding design to effectively interpret context and meanings related to human–robot interactions. The study context concerns 21 health solutions that had embedded the Watson cognitive platform and its adoption by the youngest cohort (50–64-year-olds) of the ageing population.FindingsThe cognitive assistant acts as a boundary object by bridging actors, resources and activities. It enacts the boundary work of actors (both ageing and professional, caregivers, families) consisting of four main actions (automated dialoguing, augmented sharing, connected learning and multilayered trusting) that elicit two ageing value co-creation practices: empowering ageing actors in medical care and engaging ageing actors in a healthy lifestyle.Originality/valueWe frame the role of cognitive assistants as boundary objects enabling the boundary work of ageing actors for value co-creation. A cognitive assistant is an "object of activity" that mediates in actors' boundary work by offering novel resource interfaces and widening resource access and resourceness. The boundary work of ageing actors lies in a smarter resource integration that yields broader applications for augmented agency

Minimal phrase composition revealed by intracranial recordings

The ability to comprehend phrases is an essential integrative property of the brain. Here we evaluate the neural processes that enable the transition from single word processing to a minimal compositional scheme. Previous research has reported conflicting timing effects of composition, and disagreement persists with respect to inferior frontal and posterior temporal contributions. To address these issues, 19 patients (10 male, 19 female) implanted with penetrating depth or surface subdural intracranial electrodes heard auditory recordings of adjective-noun, pseudoword-noun and adjective-pseudoword phrases and judged whether the phrase matched a picture. Stimulus-dependent alterations in broadband gamma activity, low frequency power and phase-locking values across the language-dominant left hemisphere were derived. This revealed a mosaic located on the lower bank of the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), in which closely neighboring cortical sites displayed exclusive sensitivity to either lexicality or phrase structure, but not both. Distinct timings were found for effects of phrase composition (210–300 ms) and pseudoword processing (approximately 300–700 ms), and these were localized to neighboring electrodes in pSTS. The pars triangularis and temporal pole encoded anticipation of composition in broadband low frequencies, and both regions exhibited greater functional connectivity with pSTS during phrase composition. Our results suggest that the pSTS is a highly specialized region comprised of sparsely interwoven heterogeneous constituents that encodes both lower and higher level linguistic features. This hub in pSTS for minimal phrase processing may form the neural basis for the human-specific computational capacity for forming hierarchically organized linguistic structures