bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Egypt and the investment development path
Authors: Bonaglia Federico , Goldstein Andrea 
Published: July 2006

PurposeAims to analyze the process of internationalization of multinational corporations from emerging economies, and more broadly test the investment development path (IDP) hypothesis for Egypt.Design/methodology/approachA combination of data analysis and company case studies to assess to what extent and how Egyptian companies are internationalizing. The theoretical background is the IDP hypothesis, according to which the net outward investment position of a country depends on its level of development.FindingsThe paper highlights how poor investment climate and broader geopolitical motives receive limited foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, while outward FDI limited in size and scope. Despite this climate, the two multinational corporations have successfully expanded abroad, following different strategies.Research limitations/implicationsData limitations and the limited size of outward FDI prevent a statistical testing of the IDP hypothesis, for example, by regressing the net FDI position on GDP, utilizing a quadratic specification to allow for the non‐linearity in the relationship.Practical implicationsThe paper concludes by pointing to the importance of promoting corporate internationalization throughout an active policy to make the business environment more conducive to risk‐taking, instead of rent‐seeking, behaviours.Originality/valueThis paper covers Egypt, an under‐researched country in an under‐researched area (North Africa).
Venture capital as a method of financing enterprise development in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Klonowski Darek 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe paper aims to increase the understanding of the venture capital industry in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) by examining the venture capital industry in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia between 1998 and 2003. Even though the number of academic studies focusing on the venture capital activities in the CEE region has been increasing in recent years, the coverage of this industry is relatively weak and not well understood by individuals, businesses, and academics.Design/methodology/approachThe study focuses on the analysis of secondary data available from the European Venture Capital Association on venture capital activities in the CEE region. The paper examines three key statistics that best describe the venture capital process, namely fundraising, investing, and exiting activities.FindingsThe study has three conclusions. First, venture capital financing continues to be a major source of capital to the developing firms in the region. Second, Poland is the market leader in the region in the venture capital activities as described by key statistics. Third, the countries of CEE cannot be treated as a homogeneous block.Originality/valueThe study is important for two reasons. First, the study focuses on longitudinal data between 1998 and 2003, the most important period in the development of the industry. Shifts in trends in these key statistics can only be observed by analyzing longer‐term data series. Second, the evolution of the venture capital industry in the analyzed countries could be used as a blueprint for venture capital development in other countries in the region.
The tropical waste dilemma: waste management in Panama
Authors: Linowes Richard , Brown Hupert Mollie 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe Panamanian Government wants to spur economic development along the shores of the Panama Canal, but inadequate waste disposal capabilities discourage substantial investment. Squatters and scavengers now also live on the largest landfill in the area and their living conditions pose serious public health risks to the entire region. Unchecked trash disposal actually threatens the physical operation of the Panama Canal, essential to the country's and world economy, because clogged rivers and streams prevent the flow of water required to move ships through this passageway connecting Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. A governmental task force is charged with addressing these problems and they have summoned a team of American consultants to recommend an action plan for modernizing and improving the waste management system of the entire inter‐oceanic region. This paper aims to examine this.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through field research.FindingsIn their research, the IDG consultants found that the typical urban Panamanian had a casual attitude towards waste. Littering was common practice. The waste management industry all over the world seemed to have its share of shady deals, corruption and scavenger activity coupled with atrocious living conditions. The Panamanian situation was no different. The IDG team struggled with the issues and their recommendations for recycling and waste management along the Panama Canal. The four Panamanian governmental representatives would have ultimate authority in deciding whether to implement their recommended course of action.Practical implicationsThis field‐based case study explores the range of public and private institutions that might play a role in resolving the waste management problems of the country.Originality/valueThe paper is case study of environmental issues in an emerging market.
Application of a simulation algorithm to a specific liquid propellant engine with experimental verification
Authors: Karimi Hassan , Nassirharand Amir 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to apply a new systematic simulation approach to an existing liquid propellant engine.Design/methodology/approachThe simulation approach is based on following the liquids (oxidizer and fuel) in their respective paths. The nonlinear dynamic model of the engine is composed of implicit nonlinear algebraic equations coupled with a set of differential equations. The model is solved by placing the implicit nonlinear algebraic equations in a set of nested Newton‐Raphson loops followed by numerical integration of the differential equations using a first‐order Euler technique.FindingsIt is found that the simulation algorithm may successfully be applied to an operating point model to predict the steady‐state values with errors under 10 percent. These results indicate that such engine models may be used to design reiable robust engine control systems because a robust control system design would allow for about 20 percent discrepancy between the model and the actual case.Research limitations/implicationsAt present, the research is limited to liquid propellant engines that are modeled by a set of implicit nonlinear algebraic equations coupled with a set of differential equations; engine models that are entirely modeled by differential equations are subject of future research.Practical implicationsThe major outcome of this research is that verifies liquid engines may be simulated by the novel idea of following the engine liquids in their respective paths.Originality/valueThis is the first paper that adapts an existing simulation algorithm for simulation of the specific liquid engine under study with experimental verification.
Matters for judgement: some thoughts on method in management history
Authors: Lamond David 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThis paper reflects on some aspects of method in management history and the importance of the self‐reflection on their world‐view that must accompany authors' endeavours, in order to be articulated in the matters they proffer for the reader's judgement.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the insights proffered by Evans about how to study, research, write about and read history, this paper offers some thoughts on the importance of giving due consideration to method in management history.FindingsThomas Hobbes observed that “Out of our conception of the past, we make a future.” It behoves us then, as managers and management scholars, to be satisfied that our conceptions of the past are developed in ways that, as far as possible, avoid the problems that would make them less than useful in creating that future. This paper identifies some of the issues of which those seeking to create the future must be cognisant.Originality/valueIf knowing accurately the history of management thought is of importance to scholars and practitioners, then this paper alerts practitioners and commentators to the need for a sound method in producing, and learning from, the lessons of management history.
Fadotomy – anatomy of the transformation of a fad into a management paradigm
Authors: Towill Denis R. 
Published: July 2006

PurposeTo provide a methodology for determining how and when a management fad has become an established paradigm.Design/methodology/approachThe penticulation approach compares the outputs from the five separate research sources of horizontal surveys, experiential rules‐of‐thumb, theoretical models, quick scan audits, and vertical case studies.FindingsThe total cycle time compression (TCTC) paradigm is supported both individually and collectively by the five data sources which can be related to Kuhnsian requirements.Research limitations/implicationsPenticulation is a unique approach to establishing if a paradigm actually exists. However, this is its first known application.Practical implicationsIt is manifest that TCTC can be used as both a business process engineering objective, and subsequently as a prime performance metric.Originality/valueThe output is twofold. Penticulation is a new approach to paradigm testing, and our understanding of the TCTC principle has been further strengthened.
Allergen, bradykinin, and capsaicin increase outward but not inward macromolecular permeability of guinea‐pig tracheobronchial mucosa
Authors: ERJEFÄLT I. , PERSSON C. G. A. 
Published: July 2006

SummaryWhen inflammatory stimuli are applied on the airway mucosa, plasma is promptly extravasated from the subepithelial microvessels. The plasma exudate distributes in the lamina propria and much of it is soon transmitted across the epithelial lining. The rapid luminal entry of large plasma solutes must reflect a dramatic change in mucosal permeability. Previously it has been thought that such a perviousness of the mucosal barrier would be bidirectional in nature. This study in anaesthetized guinea‐pigs examines whether absorption across the mucosa is increased (above control) during, and immediately after, the plasma exudation process. An oral catheter, introduced into the tracheal lumen, was used to superfuse the lower airways with 0.04 ml of a solution containing the absorption tracer 131I‐albumin and a selected dose of a provocating agent: allergen, 3 pmol (ovalbumin in IgE‐sensitized animals); bradykinin. 5 nmol; capsaicin, 0.4 nmol; or carbachol, 8 nmol. The superfusate had a desired distribution on the tracheobronchial mucosa so that specific airway and not bronchoalveolar exudation: absorption ratios could be determined. In separate experiments it was confirmed that the present provocations, except carbachol (P > 0.05), moved significant amounts of plasma into the airway lumen (P < 0.001). This was distinctly an increase in the outward mucosal permeability because the absorption of luminal 131I‐albumin into circulating plasma was not significantly different from control with any of the provocations (P > 0.05). The present data support our notion that unfiltered plasma exudates can operate on the mucosal surface, in first‐line defence reactions, without compromising the integrity of the epithelial lining as a barrier to luminal material.
Obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Barber T. M. , McCarthy M. I. , Wass J. A. H. , Franks S. 
Published: July 2006

SummaryThe aetiology of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is complex and multifactorial. There is much evidence, however, to suggest that adipose tissue plays an important role in the development and maintenance of PCOS pathology. There is a close correlation between adiposity and symptom severity in women with PCOS, and even modest reductions in weight generally translate into significant improvements in menstrual regularity, fertility and hyperandrogenic features. This review article considers the various mechanisms that might underlie this link between excess adiposity and PCOS – including the effects of differential insulin sensitivity, abnormal steroid hormone metabolism and adipocytokine secretion. Greater attention to the therapeutic options available to reduce the impact of excess adiposity on ovarian and metabolic function is essential to the management of PCOS.
Stocks and dynamics of SOC in relation to soil redistribution by water and tillage erosion
Authors: ZHANG JIANHUI , QUINE TIMOTHY A. , NI SHIJUN , GE FANGLONG 
Published: July 2006

AbstractSoil organic carbon (SOC) displaced by soil erosion is the subject of much current research and the fundamental question, whether accelerated soil erosion is a source or sink of atmospheric CO2, remains unresolved. A toposequence of terraced fields as well as a long slope was selected from hilly areas of the Sichuan Basin, China to determine effects of soil redistribution rates and processes on SOC stocks and dynamics. Soil samples for the determination of caesium‐137 (137Cs), SOC, total N and soil particle size fractions were collected at 5 m intervals along a transect down the two toposequences.137Cs data showed that along the long slope transect soil erosion occurred in upper and middle slope positions and soil deposition appeared in the lower part of the slope. Along the terraced transect, soil was lost over the upper parts of the slopes and deposition occurred towards the downslope boundary on each terrace, resulting in very abrupt changes in soil redistribution over short distances either side of terrace boundaries that run parallel with the contour on the steep slopes. These data reflect a difference in erosion process; along the long slope transect, water erosion is the dominant process, while in the terraced landscape soil distribution is mainly the result of tillage erosion. SOC inventories (mass per unit area) show a similar pattern to the137Cs inventory, with relatively low SOC content in the erosional sites and high SOC content in depositional areas. However, in the terraced field landscape C/N ratios were highest in the depositional areas, while along the long slope transect, C/N ratios were highest in the erosional areas. When the samples are subdivided based on137Cs‐derived erosion and deposition data, it is found that the erosional areas have similar C/N ratios for both toposequences, while the C/N ratios in depositional areas are significantly different from each other. These differences are attributed to the difference in soil erosion processes; tillage erosion is mainly responsible for high‐SOC inventories at depositional positions on terraced fields, whereas water erosion plays a primary role in SOC storage at depositional positions on the long slope. These data support the theory that water erosion may cause a loss of SOC due to selective removal of the most labile fraction of SOC, while on the other hand tillage erosion only transports the soil over short distances with less effect on the total SOC stock.
Susceptibility of marine fish species to a megalocytivirus, turbot iridovirus, isolated from turbot, Psetta maximus (L.)
Authors: Oh M‐J , Kitamura S‐I , Kim W‐S , Park M‐K , Jung S‐J , Miyadai T , Ohtani M 
Published: July 2006

AbstractTurbot iridovirus (TBIV), a member of the genus Megalocytivirus in the family Iridoviridae, was isolated from diseased turbot, Psetta maximus (L.), in Korea in 2003. In this study, experimental infection of turbot, Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus (Temminck & Schlegel), and rock bream, Oplegnathus fasciatus (Temminck & Schlegel), with TBIV was performed to evaluate the viral susceptibility of these fish species. After virus exposure, the mortalities of turbot reared at 22 and 25 °C were 60% and 100%, respectively, suggesting that TBIV is the causative agent of the mass mortality of turbot that occurred in Korea in 2003. Moreover, TBIV was detected in Japanese flounder and rock bream by polymerase chain reaction after experimental infection (26 days post‐inoculation) despite no viral pathogenicity in these fish, suggesting that these two fish species are also susceptible to the virus. It is possible that horizontal transmission of TBIV occurs among these three fish species because turbot is routinely cultured with Japanese flounder and rock bream in Korea.
Worms and allergy
Authors: CARVALHO E. M. , BASTOS L. S. , ARAÚJO M. I. 
Published: July 2006

SUMMARY Worms and asthma are associated with a type 2 immune response, but evidence has accumulated that helminth infection is negatively associated with atopy, prevalence of allergic diseases and severity of asthma. One important difference between these polarized type 2 responses is that in allergy modulation of the immunological response is not appropriate, whereas in infection with helminths, several host mechanisms down‐regulate the host immune response. As a result, patients infected with worms have a decrease in both type 1 and type 2 responses. The main mechanism involved in this down‐modulation is increased production of IL‐10, but expansion of regulatory T cells and NKT cells may also participate. Regarding the interaction between worms and allergy, a few variables need to be taken in account: phase (acute or chronic) of helminth infection, parasite load and species of helminth. In animals and humans, acute helminth infection may increase manifestations of allergy, whereas chronic infection with parasites decreases atopy. The modulation of the immune response by helminths is dependent on having an adequate parasite load. Moreover, although several helminth species have been shown to modulate immune responses, most in vitro and in vivo studies have focused on the importance of Schistosoma mansoni in down‐modulating allergic reactions.
CD62L is Required for the Priming of Encephalitogenic T Cells but does not Play a Major Role in the Effector Phase of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Authors: Li O. , Liu J.‐Q. , Zhang H. , Zheng P. , Liu Y. , Bai X.‐F. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractCD62L (l‐selectin, mel 14) regulates naïve T cell homing into lymph nodes and the migration of leucocytes to sites of inflammation. The requirement of CD62L in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis, has been demonstrated previously. However, it remains controversial as to whether CD62L is required for the induction or the effector phase of EAE. It is also unclear whether other non‐T effector cells need CD62L to enter the central nervous system (CNS) parenchyma and exert their damaging effects on myelin. We report that mice with a targeted mutation of CD62L are resistant to Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide‐induced EAE. CD62L‐deficient mice had no peptide‐specific T cell responses in the draining lymph nodes and had lower levels of peptide‐specific T cell responses in spleens at a later time point. Adoptive transfer studies showed that CD62L‐deficient mice were fully susceptible to adoptive transfer EAE induced by either wildtype or CD62L‐deficient T cells. Moreover, CD62L‐deficient, F4/80+ macrophages can be efficiently recruited into the CNS parenchyma. These data suggest that CD62L is required for the induction of encephalitogenic T cells during EAE development, but is not required by T and non‐T effector cells to attack the CNS parenchyma.
Oestrogen receptor evaluation in Pomeranian dogs with hair cycle arrest (alopecia X) on melatonin supplementation
Authors: Frank Linda A. , Donnell Robert L. , Kania Stephen A. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe role of oestrogen receptors in dogs with hair cycle arrest (alopecia X) was investigated by immunohistochemistry. The purpose of this study was to determine if hair regrowth in dogs with hair cycle arrest treated with melatonin was associated with a decrease in follicular oestrogen receptors. Fifteen Pomeranians (excluding intact females) with hair cycle arrest were enrolled. Two biopsies were obtained from alopecic areas of the trunk before and after 3 months on melatonin. Haematoxylin and eosin‐stained tissues were examined and oestrogen receptor‐α was demonstrated immunohistochemically. Common histopathological findings included hyperkeratosis, follicular keratosis, excessive tricholemmal keratinization (flame follicles), thin epidermis, few small anagen bulbs, epidermal pigmentation and melanin aggregates within follicular keratin. Melanin aggregates within basal cells and hair were an occasional finding. After 3 months, 40% (six) dogs had mild to moderate hair regrowth. Biopsies from six dogs showed histological evidence of an increase in anagen hairs and eight dogs had a decrease in epidermal pigmentation. Moderate to marked staining intensity of oestrogen receptor‐α was noted in all sebaceous gland basal cells, all small hair bulbs and follicular epithelium of telogen hairs. There was no oestrogen receptor‐α staining of nuclei within the epidermis, apocrine glands or dermal fibroblasts. Large anagen hair bulbs had minimal to no oestrogen receptor staining. Hair regrowth was not associated with a change in oestrogen receptor‐α staining.
Efficacy of imiquimod 5% cream in the treatment of equine sarcoids: a pilot study
Authors: Nogueira Sandra A. F. , Torres Sheila M. F. , Malone Erin D. , Diaz Sandra F. , Jessen Carl , Gilbert Sophie 
Published: July 2006

AbstractImiquimod is an immune response modifier with potent antiviral and antitumour activity. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of an imiquimod 5% cream (Aldara™: 3M, Saint Paul, MN, USA) as a topical treatment for equine sarcoids. Fifteen horses with a total of 19 tumours were enrolled, including mixed (7), fibroblastic (5), flat (3), verrucous (2), and nodular (2) types. Baseline data included history, physical examination, tumour location, measurement and digital photography. Imiquimod was applied by the owners three times a week until complete resolution of the tumour or 32 weeks, whichever occurred first. Tumours were measured and photographed every 4 weeks. Treatment efficacy was defined as 75% or greater reduction of tumour size by the end of the trial. Four sarcoids were withdrawn from the study. Twelve of the remaining 15 tumours (80%) showed more than 75% reduction in size and nine (60%) totally resolved between 8 and 32 weeks. The most common adverse effects of exudation, erythema, erosions, depigmentation and alopecia were limited to the tumour and adjacent areas. The results suggest that topical imiquimod is a therapeutic option for the treatment of equine sarcoids, although more detailed studies are required to corroborate these initial findings.