Foreign ownership and productivity dynamics

In analyzing the distinctive contribution of foreign subsidiaries and domestic firms to productivity growth in aggregate Belgian manufacturing, this paper shows that foreign ownership is an important source of firm heterogeneity affecting productivity dynamics. Foreign firms have contributed disproportionately large to aggregate productivity growth, but more importantly reallocation processes differ significantly between the groups of foreign subsidiaries and domestic firms.Multinational firms, productivity, firm heterogeneity

Does foreign direct investment crowd out domestic entrepreneurship?

In analyzing firm entry and exit across Belgian manufacturing industries, this paper presents evidence that import competition and foreign direct investment discourage entry and stimulate exit of domestic entrepreneurs. These results are in line with theoretical occupational choice models that predict foreign direct investment would crowd out domestic entrepreneurs through their selections in product and labor markets. However, the empirical results also suggest that this crowding out effect may be moderated or even reversed in the long-run due to the long term positive effects of FDI on domestic entrpreneurship as a result of learning, demonstration, networking and linkage effects between foreign and domestic firms.FDI, entrepreneurship, entry/exit

The influence of material anisotropy and spiral welding on tensile strain capacity of spiral welded pipes

The longitudinal strain capacity of spiral welded pipelines displays to some extents unexplained behaviour. Therefore, they are not (yet) used extensively in offshore applications and harsh conditions, demanding a strain based design. An important factor that influences the tensile strain capacity is the quantity of anisotropy in terms of strength and toughness. Starting from an anisotropic hot rolled highstrength steel skelp, the process of helical forming and post-treating of the pipe adds heterogeneity and changes the level of anisotropy of the product. A parameter that should be examined with respect to anisotropy is the crack driving force, a measure for the toughness of the pipeline steel. Additional to the mode I loading (opening of the crack), the mode III component drives the in-plane shear motion of a crack in the spiral weld when the pipe is subjected to longitudinal deformation. This action, not present in longitudinal welded pipes, shows a decreasing contribution with increasing plasticity. FE simulations have demonstrated a rise of crack driving force in anisotropic cases with respect to an isotropic reference. However, exact data and variation of various parameters, along with experimental testing need to be conducted. The outcome analysis of such simulations and tests can validate existing models, or help create a better understanding of anisotropic and heterogenic influences on the tensile strain capacity of spiral welded pipes

Foreign ownership and productivity dynamics

In analyzing the distinctive contribution of foreign subsidiaries and domestic firms to productivity growth in aggregate Belgian manufacturing, this paper shows that foreign ownership is an important source of firm heterogeneity affecting productivity dynamics. Foreign firms have contributed disproportionately large to aggregate productivity growth, but more importantly reallocation processes differ significantly between the groups of foreign subsidiaries and domestic firms

The influence of natural pulmonary surfactant on the efficacy of siRNA-loaded dextran nanogels

Aim: Topical administration of siRNA nanocarriers is a promising approach in the treatment of pulmonary disorders. Pulmonary surfactant, covering the entire alveolar surface of mammalian lungs, will be one of the first interfaces that siRNA nanocarriers encounter upon inhalation therapy. Therefore, it is of outstanding importance to evaluate the impact of pulmonary surfactant on the performance of siRNA nanocarriers. Materials & methods: The effect of natural lung-derived surfactants on the siRNA delivery capacity of dextran nanogels (DEX-NGs) was evaluated in vitro using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Results: Although the interaction with pulmonary surfactant decreases the cellular internalization of siRNA-loaded DEX-NGs significantly, the gene silencing potential of siRNA-loaded DEX-NGs was maintained. On the other hand, cationic lipid-based siRNA nanocarriers (Lipofectamine (TM) RNAiMAX) were incompatible with pulmonary surfactants. Conclusion: Our data suggest that pulmonary surfactant can enhance the intracellular siRNA delivery by DEX-NGs, thereby possibly providing new therapeutic opportunities

Bio-inspired pulmonary surfactant-modified nanogels : a promising siRNA delivery system

Inhalation therapy with small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a promising approach in the treatment of pulmonary disorders. However, clinical translation is severely limited by the lack of suitable delivery platforms. In this study, we aim to address this limitation by designing a novel bioinspired hybrid nanoparticle with a core-shell nanoarchitecture, consisting of a siRNA-loaded dextran nanogel (siNG) core and a pulmonary surfactant (Curosurf (R)) outer shell. The decoration of siNGs with a surfactant shell enhances the colloidal stability and prevents siRNA release in the presence of competing polyanions, which are abundantly present in biofluids. Additionally, the impact of the surfactant shell on the biological efficacy of the siNGs is determined in lung cancer cells. The presence of the surfactants substantially reduces the cellular uptake of siNGs. Remarkably, the lowered intracellular dose does not impede the gene silencing effect, suggesting a crucial role of the pulmonary surfactant in the intracellular processing of the nanoparticles. In order to surmount the observed reduction in cellular dose, folate is incorporated as a targeting ligand in the pulmonary surfactant shell to incite receptor-mediated endocytosis. The latter substantially enhances both cellular uptake and gene silencing potential, achieving efficient knockdown at siRNA concentrations in the low nanomolar range. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The relation of ambulatory heart rate with all-cause mortality among middle-aged men : a prospective cohort study

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between average 24-hour ambulatory heart rate and all-cause mortality, while adjusting for resting clinical heart rate, cardiorespiratory fitness, occupational and leisure time physical activity as well as classical risk factors. A group of 439 middle-aged male workers free of baseline coronary heart disease from the Belgian Physical Fitness Study was included in the analysis. Data were collected by questionnaires and clinical examinations from 1976 to 1978. All-cause mortality was collected from the national mortality registration with a mean follow-up period of 16.5 years, with a total of 48 events. After adjustment for all before mentioned confounders in a Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, a significant increased risk for all-cause mortality was found among the tertile of workers with highest average ambulatory heart rate compared to the tertile with lowest ambulatory heart rate (Hazard ratio = 3.21, 95% confidence interval: 1.22-8.44). No significant independent association was found between resting clinic heart rate and all-cause mortality. The study indicates that average 24-hour ambulatory heart rate is a strong predictor of all-cause mortality independent from resting clinic heart rate, cardiorespiratory fitness, occupational and leisure time physical activity and other classical risk factors among healthy middle-aged workers.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Nanocarrier lipid composition modulates the impact of pulmonary surfactant protein B (SP-B) on cellular delivery of siRNA

Two decades since the discovery of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, we are now witnessing the approval of the first RNAi-based treatments with small interfering RNA (siRNA) drugs. Nevertheless, the widespread use of siRNA is limited by various extra- and intracellular barriers, requiring its encapsulation in a suitable (nanosized) delivery system. On the intracellular level, the endosomal membrane is a major barrier following endocytosis of siRNA-loaded nanoparticles in target cells and innovative materials to promote cytosolic siRNA delivery are highly sought after. We previously identified the endogenous lung surfactant protein B (SP-B) as siRNA delivery enhancer when reconstituted in (proteo) lipid-coated nanogels. It is known that the surface-active function of SP-B in the lung is influenced by the lipid composition of the lung surfactant. Here, we investigated the role of the lipid component on the siRNA delivery-promoting activity of SP-B proteolipid-coated nanogels in more detail. Our results clearly indicate that SP-B prefers fluid membranes with cholesterol not exceeding physiological levels. In addition, SP-B retains its activity in the presence of different classes of anionic lipids. In contrast, comparable fractions of SP-B did not promote the siRNA delivery potential of DOTAP:DOPE cationic liposomes. Finally, we demonstrate that the beneficial effect of lung surfactant on siRNA delivery is not limited to lung-related cell types, providing broader therapeutic opportunities in other tissues as well

The relationship between level of education and household income in the justification of political violence in the EU: the moderating effect of poverty at the country level

Several studies show that political violence justification (PVJ) is associated with unfavourable social and economic characteristics such as poor education, low income, and poverty at the national level. However, the mechanisms by which these factors interact remain unclear. This study aims to find out whether poverty at the country level (contextual poverty) moderates the relationship between individuals’ educational level and household income, and PVJ in the European Union (EU). We perform an analysis using a dataset of 15.347 individuals from twelve EU countries who participated in the European Values Survey, 2017. Logistic regressions models with interaction terms were used to analyze factors related to PVJ. Our findings are twofold. First, we find no evidence of educational level and PVJ's relationship in countries with medium levels of contextual poverty. In contrast, in countries with low levels of contextual poverty, individuals with medium educational level were associated with higher PVJ. Second, individuals living in countries with lower levels of contextual poverty and higher household income were associated with higher PVJ. We conclude that more individuals tend to justify political violence in countries with lower contextual poverty levels - individuals with medium educational level and higher household income. To our knowledge, this is the first study to find evidence that education and socioeconomic status may amplify PVJ in the EU