The determinants of innovation: What is the role of risk?

Because of its importance in understanding and explaining growth, the topic of innovation has received a huge attention in the economic literature. However, our knowledge of the factors that inuence in- novation and its related activities is not as exhaustive as it could be. The present study aims at contributing to analyse the determinants of innovation, with a special focus on rm risk. Employing a rich sample of Italian manufacturing rms, we tested for the impact on innovation of the riskiness of the rm, as proxied by the probability of default. We found that riskiness of enterprise reduces the tendency to innovate for the rms. The main channel through which rm risk aects innovation capability appears to be that of innovation nancing.Technological Change; Financial Risk and Risk Management

A new class of Fermionic Projectors: M{\o}ller operators and mass oscillation properties

Recently, a new functional analytic construction of quasi-free states for a self-dual CAR algebra has been presented in \cite{Felix2}. This method relies on the so-called strong mass oscillation property. We provide an example where this requirement is not satisfied, due to the nonvanishing trace of the solutions of the Dirac equation on the horizon of Rindler space, and we propose a modification of the construction in order to weaken this condition. Finally, a connection between the two approaches is built.Comment: 21 pages, accepted for publication in Letters in Mathematical Physics ( 998

mRNA diffusion explains protein gradients in Drosophila early development

We propose a new model describing the production and the establishment of the stable gradient of the Bicoid protein along the antero-posterior axis of the embryo of _Drosophila_. In this model, we consider that _bicoid_ mRNA diffuses along the antero-posterior axis of the embryo and the protein is produced in the ribosomes localized near the syncytial nuclei. Bicoid protein stays localized near the syncytial nuclei as observed in experiments.We calibrate the parameters of the mathematical model with experimental data taken during the cleavage stages 11 to 14 of the developing embryo of _Drosophila_. We obtain good agreement between the experimental and the model gradients, with relative errors in the range 5-8%. The inferred diffusion coefficient of _bicoid_ mRNA is in the range 4.6 x 10^-12^ - 1.5 x10^-11^ m^2^s^-1^, in agreement with the theoretical predictions and experimental measurements for the diffusion of macromolecules in the cytoplasm. We show that the model based on the mRNA diffusion hypothesis is consistent with the known observational data, supporting the recent experimental findings of the gradient of _bicoid_ mRNA in _Drosophila_ [Spirov _et al._ (2009) _Development_ 136:605-614]

Feeding the cities through urban agriculture the community esteem value

The growth of global urban population produces an increase in food demand. With the aim of facing this demand, mainly concentrated in large urban areas, urban agriculture should be fostered to integrate traditional agriculture production, no longer considered sustainable. After suggesting the implementation of integrated systems of urban agriculture, in order to measure their social appreciation expressed by the community, the paper proposes the Community Esteem Value, obtained with a deliberative appraisal procedure

Toward Integrated Urban Agricolture Systems: Economic and Valuation Aspects

The Paper defines an integrated urban agriculture system (A-URBIS), outlining the complications associated with its launching and implementation, and a methodological guidelines for the valuation of an A-URBIS, taking into account the inclusive and qualitative impacts on the community. Finally the Paper proposes a Direct Deliberative Monetary Valuation procedure which derives from the combination of a participatory deliberative process, which is necessary to develop instruments of direct democracy, and Stated Preference Techniques, which are essential to capture the value related to inclusive use

The Fermionic Signature Operator and Quantum States in Rindler Space-Time

The fermionic signature operator is constructed in Rindler space-time. It is shown to be an unbounded self-adjoint operator on the Hilbert space of solutions of the massive Dirac equation. In two-dimensional Rindler space-time, we prove that the resulting fermionic projector state coincides with the Fulling-Rindler vacuum. Moreover, the fermionic signature operator gives a covariant construction of general thermal states, in particular of the Unruh state. The fermionic signature operator is shown to be well-defined in asymptotically Rindler space-times. In four-dimensional Rindler space-time, our construction gives rise to new quantum states.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX, more details on self-adjoint extension (published version

Kunnossapitosuunnitelma

Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli kehittää kunnossapidon toimintaa ja tehdä kunnossapitosuunnitelma Länsirannikon Koulutus Oy Winnova:lle. Kunnossapitosuunnitelmalla pyritään rakentamaan pohja oppilaitoksen kunnossapidolle ja kunnonvalvonnalle sekä näiden organisointiin ja seurannalle. Kehittämistyö pohjautuu Winnovan ISO9001 laadunhallinnan sertifiointiprosessiin, joka kuuluu osaksi Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriön ammatillisen koulutuksen laatustrategiaa 2011 – 2020. Kunnossapidon kehittäminen on tärkeää laitekannan käyttövarmuuden parantamiseksi ja opetuksen laadun turvaamiseksi. Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli rakentaa kunnossapidon järjestelmä, jota voidaan soveltaa eri koulutusaloilla kunnossapidon toiminnan pyörittämiseen ja tiedon hallintaan sekä käyttövarmuuden parantamiseen ja opetuksen tukena. Opinnäytetyö käsittelee kunnossapidon teoriaa ja käsitteitä, joiden pohjalta kunnossapitosuunnitelman runko on rakennettu. Suunnitelma sisältää kuvaukset kunnossapito-ohjelman laatimisesta koulutusalaoille, toiminnanohjausjärjestelmän laaja-alaisesta käytöstä kunnossapito-organisaation ja käyttöhenkilöstön kunnossapitotöiden tiedon hallintaan, sekä opiskelijoiden oppimisen työkaluna.The purpose of this thesis was to develop maintenance and make a maintenance plan to Länsirannikon Koulutus Oy Winnova. The goal with the plan is to build foundation for organizing and managing maintenance and condition monitoring. Development is based on Winnova’s ISO 9001 quality management certification process that accedes to the 2011 - 2020 quality strategy of occupational education of the Ministry of Education and culture. Developing maintenance is important for improving reliability of the hardware and to guarantee the quality of education. The goal of this thesis was to build a maintenance system that can be applied in different branches of education to control and run the maintenance, improve dependability and to support the education. Thesis convers the theory and concepts of maintenance by which the maintenance plan is build. The plan contains description of preparing the maintenance program for the branches of education, a wide range use of enterprise resources planning system as a tool of managing maintenance and information for maintenance organisation and operating personnel and as a tool for learning

Do Firm-Bank `Odd Couples' Exacerbate Credit Rationing?

We start considering an optimal matching of opaque (transparent) borrowing firrms with relational (transactional) lending main banks. Next we contemplate the possibility that firm-bank "odd couples" materialize where opaque (transparent) firrms end up matched with transactional (re- lational) main banks. We conjecture the "odd couples" emerge either since the bank's lending technology is not perfectly observable to the rm or because riskier firrms - even though opaque - strategically select transac- tional banks in the hope of being classified as lower risks. Our econometric results show the probability of rationing is larger when firrms and banks match in "odd couples".Relationship Banking, Credit Rationing and Asymmetric Information

Ownership structure, governance, and innovation: Evidence from Italy

-Ownership, Agency problems, Technological change

An Examination of Hip Muscle Activation in those with Hip-Related Groin Pain during Single-Legged and Double-Legged Squats

Approximately 60% of young adults who present with chronic hip pain suffer from hip-related groin pain (HRGP). HRGP causes individuals to experience pain, dysfunction, and have a lower quality of life when compared to healthy individuals. The most severe symptoms in these individuals occur during activities that cause the hip to go through a large range of motion, such as a squat. Hip muscle activation during this task may be altered in these individuals, yet we know little about its role in the disease process and pain level in those with HRGP. Current treatment for these individuals includes surgical and non-surgical interventions; however, the effects of both treatments are not effective, and individuals tend to experience symptoms again within 2 years. Understanding muscle activation during squatting tasks may help us to develop a more effective and long-term solution when treating these patients. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine bilateral hip muscle activity of the tensor fascia latae, rectus femoris, gluteus medius, and gluteus maximus during single- and double-legged squats in individuals with HRGP. Specific Aims 1 and 2 were to compare bilateral differences in hip muscle activation during the double-legged and single-legged squats, respectively. Specific Aim 3 examined differences in muscle activation on the symptomatic side between the double-legged and single-legged squats. Methods: Seven individuals (2M/5F, age: 25.83 3.37yrs, BMI: 25.92 4.83kg/m2) with unilateral HRGP were recruited to participate. Following informed consent, surface EMG sensors were placed bilaterally on the four hip muscles. Individuals were asked to perform maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVICs) for each muscle. Subsequently, two sets of five double-legged squats and five individual single-legged squats were performed. Average RMS value of each muscle (expressed as %MVIC) during the squats were determined. T-tests were performed to compare between the affected and healthy legs (Specific Aims 1 and 2) or between tasks (Specific Aim 3) when the data were normally distributed. Mann-Whitney U tests were performed when the assumptions of normality were violated. The alpha value for all statistical tests was 0.05. Results/Conclusions: No significant differences in hip muscle activation were found bilaterally during double- and single-legged squats for any of the muscles (p\u3e0.05). However, when comparing the symptomatic side muscle activation between squat tasks, the gluteus maximus had higher activation during the single-legged squat (single-legged: 25.0 ± 13.5 %MVIC, double-legged: 12.6 ± 7.3 %MVIC,