The development, evaluation and use of freshly isolated renal proxinal tubule systems in the fischer rat

The investigation of renal pathophysiology and toxicology has traditionally been advanced by the development of increasingly defined and refined in vitro preparations. This study has sought to develop and evaluate various methods of producing pure samples of renal proximal tubules (PTs) from the Fischer rat. The introduction summarised the most common in vitro preparations together with the parameters used to monitor viability - particularly with regard to toxic events. The most prevalent isolation methods have involved the use of collagenase to produce dissociation of the cortex. However, the present study has shown that even the mildest collagenase treatment caused significant structural damage which resulted in a longevity of only 3hr in suspension. An alternative mechanical isolation technique has been developed in this study that consists of perfusion loading the renal glomeruli with Fe304 followed by disruption of the cortex by homogenisation and sequential sieving. The glomeruli are removed magnetically and the PTs then harvested by a 64μM sieve. PTs isolated in this way showed a vastly superior structural preservation over their collagenase isolated counterparts; also oxygen consumption and enzyme leakage measurements showed a longevity in excess of 6hr when incubated in a very basic medium. Attempts were then made to measure the cytosolic calcium levels in both mechanical and collagenase isolated PTs using the fluorescent calcium indicator Fura. However results were inconclusive due to significant binding of the Fura to the external PT surfaces. In conclusion, PTs prepared by the present mechanical isolation technique exhibit superior preservation and longevity compared with even the mildest collagenase isolation technique and hence appear to offer potential advantages over collagenase isolation as an in vitro renal system.

Internet financial reporting in Saudi Arabia: users' perceptions and disclosures

This thesis investigates corporate financial disclosure practices on Web sites and their impact. This is done, first by examining the views of various Saudi user groups (institutional investors, financial analysts and private investors) on disclosure of financial reporting on the Internet and assessing differences, if any, in perceptions of the groups. Over 303 individuals from three groups responded to a questionnaire. Views were elicited regarding: users attitude to the Internet infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, users information sources about companies in Saudi Arabia, respondents perception about the advantages and disadvantages in Internet financial reporting (IFR), respondents attitude to the quality of IFR provided by Saudi public companies and the impact of IFR on users information needs. Overall, it was found professional groups (Institutional investors, financial analysts) hold similar views in relation to many issues, while the opinions of private investors differ considerably. Second, the thesis examines the use of the Internet for the disclosure of financial and investor-related information by Saudi public companies (113 companies) and look to identify reasons for the differences in the online disclosure practices of companies by testing the association between eight firm-specific factors and the level of online disclosure. The financial disclosure index (167 items) is used to measure public company disclosure in Saudi Arabia. The descriptive part of the study reveals that 95 (84%) of the Saudi public companies in the sample had a website and 51 (45%) had a financial information section of some description. Furthermore, none of the sample companies provided 100% of the 167 index items applicable to the company. Results of multivariate analysis show that firm size and stock market listing are significant explanatory variables for the amount of information disclosed on corporate Web sites. The thesis finds a significant and negative relationship between the proportion of institutional ownership of a companys shares and the level of IFR.

Typical case behaviour of spin systems in random graph and composite ensembles

This thesis includes analysis of disordered spin ensembles corresponding to Exact Cover, a multi-access channel problem, and composite models combining sparse and dense interactions. The satisfiability problem in Exact Cover is addressed using a statistical analysis of a simple branch and bound algorithm. The algorithm can be formulated in the large system limit as a branching process, for which critical properties can be analysed. Far from the critical point a set of differential equations may be used to model the process, and these are solved by numerical integration and exact bounding methods. The multi-access channel problem is formulated as an equilibrium statistical physics problem for the case of bit transmission on a channel with power control and synchronisation. A sparse code division multiple access method is considered and the optimal detection properties are examined in typical case by use of the replica method, and compared to detection performance achieved by interactive decoding methods. These codes are found to have phenomena closely resembling the well-understood dense codes. The composite model is introduced as an abstraction of canonical sparse and dense disordered spin models. The model includes couplings due to both dense and sparse topologies simultaneously. The new type of codes are shown to outperform sparse and dense codes in some regimes both in optimal performance, and in performance achieved by iterative detection methods in finite systems.

Changing employment relation systems in Japan:cases of the Mitsubishi Chemical Group and the Federation of Shinkin Banks

Over the past decade or so a number of changes have been observed in traditional Japanese employment relations (ERs) systems such as an increase in non-regular workers, a move towards performance-based systems and a continuous decline in union membership. There is a large body of Anglo-Saxon and Japanese literature providing evidence that national factors such as national institutions, national culture, and the business and economic environment have significantly influenced what were hitherto three ‘sacred’ aspects of Japanese ERs systems (ERSs). However, no research has been undertaken until now at the firm level regarding the extent to which changes in national factors influence ERSs across firms. This article develops a model to examine the impact of national factors on ER systems; and analyses the impact of national factors at the firm level ER systems. Based on information collected from two different groups of companies, namely Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG) and Federation of Shinkin Bank (FSB) the research finds that except for a few similarities, the impact of national factors is different on Japanese ER systems at the firm level. This indicates that the impact of national factors varies in the implementation of employment relations factors. In the case of MCG, national culture has less to do with seniority-based system. Study also reveals that the national culture factors have also less influence on an enterprise-based system in the case of FSB. This analysis is useful for domestic and international organizations as it helps to better understand the role of national factors in determining Japanese ERSs.

Future research on human resource management systems in Asia

Re-emphasizing the need to examine human resource management (HRM) in context, this article builds around four themes. First, it analyses the main issues discussed in the existing literature regarding HRM in the Asian context. Second, it highlights the critical challenges facing HRM function in the region. Third, along with the analysis, it presents an agenda for future research. Fourth, it presents a framework useful for highlighting the context specific nature of Asian HRM functions and the main determinants of HRM policies and practices from a cross-national comparative perspective.

Process improvement and quality management systems in the financial services industry:the case for the OPEX quality management system and framework

DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

The evolution of logistics service providers and the role of Internet-based applications in facilitating global operations

The need for global logistics services has increased dramatically and become extremely complex and dynamic as a result of a number of changes in manufacturing and in industrial production. In response, the logistics industry is changing in a variety of ways, including mergers to form integrated transportation service providers, outsourcing and increased use of information technology. The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the evolution and the most important trends in the logistics services provider (LSP) industry. Specific emphasis will be given to the role of Internet-based applications. Within this context, the chapter will also present the role of logistics e-marketplaces. In particular, based on the secondary research of currently existing logistics on-line marketplaces, an analysis and classification of them is provided with the aim of identifying service gaps. The analysis reveals that logistics electronic marketplaces, despite the increased range of services currently offered, still face limitations with reference to integrated customs links or translation services, which both reduce the efficiency of global operations.

Comparison of a preferred and actual method of selecting and implementing computerised control systems in a manufacturing environment

DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

Experimental and theoretical studies on six-membered ring hydrogen bond systems in crystalline drug substances

DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT