A technológiai fejlődés hatása a tartós eszközök gazdasági értékcsökkenésére (The effect of technological progress on economic depreciation of durable assets)

A cikk a tartós eszközök gazdasági értékcsökkenésének elméleti hátterét vizsgálja az eszközökben megtestesülő szolgálatok felemésztődése szempontjából. Ezt a felemésztődést az eszközök kimerülésén és elhasználódásán túl, a gazdasági környezetben megjelenő testet öltő és testet nem öltő technológiai fejlődés következtében fellépő avulás is befolyásolja, mely avulás hatását a cikk részletesen tárgyalja. A technológiai fejlődés következtében fellépő avulásnak igen fontos szerepe van az eszközökhöz, és azok használati módjához legjobban illeszkedő értékcsökkenési minta kirajzolásában, amely alapján meghatározott értékcsökkenés központi eleme a vállalkozások jövedelmének, valamint a vállalkozási output egységköltségének, ami az output árazásának fontos tényezője. Ezáltal az értékcsökkenés meghatározásánál figyelembe vett avulás hatással van a vállalkozás termék és tőkepiaci versenyképességére. ___________ The paper examines the theoretical background of durable asset’s economic depreciation, from the embodied services consumption point of view. This consumption is affected by the exhaustion and deterioration beyond obsolescence which is due to embodied and disembodied technological progress that appears in the economic environment. The effect of obsolescence on the economic depreciation is examined in this paper in detail. The obsolescence due to technological progress has an important role in determining the best fit depreciation pattern to the durable asset and its usage. The economic depreciation is a central component of the company’s income, as well as the unit cost of the company’s output, which is an important element of the output pricing process. Thereby the obsolescence recognised by determining economic depreciation influences the company’s competitiveness on the product and capital markets.

The effect of poser race on the happy categorization advantage depends on stimulus type, set size, and presentation duration

The question as to whether poser race affects the happy categorization advantage, the faster categorization of happy than of negative emotional expressions, has been answered inconsistently. Hugenberg (2005) found the happy categorization advantage only for own race faces whereas faster categorization of angry expressions was evident for other race faces. Kubota and Ito (2007) found a happy categorization advantage for both own race and other race faces. These results have vastly different implications for understanding the influence of race cues on the processing of emotional expressions. The current study replicates the results of both prior studies and indicates that face type (computer-generated vs. photographic), presentation duration, and especially stimulus set size influence the happy categorization advantage as well as the moderating effect of poser race.

The process of technological innovations in small enterprises: the Indian way

This paper probes how two small foundries in Belgaum, Karnataka State, India, have achieved technological innovations successfully based on their technological capability and customer needs, enabling them to sail through the competitive environment. This study brought out that technically qualified entrepreneurs of both the foundries have carried out technological innovations, mainly due to their self-motivation and self-efforts. Changing product designs, as desired or directed by the customers, cost reduction, quality improvement and import substitution through reverse engineering are the characteristics of these technological innovations. These incremental innovations have enabled the entrepreneurs of the two foundries to enhance competitiveness, grow in the domestic market and penetrate the international market and grow in size over time.

The process of technological innovations in small enterprises: the Indian way

This paper probes how two small foundries in Belgaum, Karnataka State, India, have achieved technological innovations successfully based on their technological capability and customer needs, enabling them to sail through the competitive environment. This study brought out that technically qualified entrepreneurs of both the foundries have carried out technological innovations, mainly due to their self-motivation and self-efforts. Changing product designs, as desired or directed by the customers, cost reduction, quality improvement and import substitution through reverse engineering are the characteristics of these technological innovations. These incremental innovations have enabled the entrepreneurs of the two foundries to enhance competitiveness, grow in the domestic market and penetrate the international market and grow in size over time.

Computational framework to integrate the effect of antigen recognition on disease epidemiology outcome: multi-scale approach

Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) plays an important role, in presenting foreign pathogens to our immune system, there by eliciting early immune responses. HLA genes are highly polymorphic, giving rise to diverse antigen presentation capability. An important factor contributing to enormous variations in individual responses to diseases is differences in their HLA profiles. The heterogeneity in allele specific disease responses decides the overall disease epidemiological outcome. Here we propose an agent based computational framework, capable of incorporating allele specific information, to analyze disease epidemiology. This framework assumes a SIR model to estimate average disease transmission and recovery rate. Using epitope prediction tool, it performs sequence based epitope detection for a given the pathogenic genome and derives an allele specific disease susceptibility index depending on the epitope detection efficiency. The allele specific disease transmission rate, that follows, is then fed to the agent based epidemiology model, to analyze the disease outcome. The methodology presented here has a potential use in understanding how a disease spreads and effective measures to control the disease.

Adoption of technological innovations in the m-commerce industry

The banking industry has globalised as a result of the many technology innovations created by the internet. The electronic commerce (e-commerce) industry is a result of these technological innovations that have revolutionised the way both consumers and businesses conduct business. In the past decade, banks have encouraged the use of e-commerce and most people are now comfortable conducting their banking online. More recently, mobile commerce (m-commerce) has started to gain momentum and an increasing amount of people are conducting their banking on mobile phone devices instead of through the internet. Mobile banking is a technological innovation that people adopt in different ways depending on internal and external environmental influences. In this paper, a social cognitive theoretical framework is adopted to understand an individual’s intention to adopt mobile banking. A conceptual model is proposed, which helps to explain how environmental influences affect an individual’s intention to adopt mobile banking. Implications for mobile banking and m-commerce industry are stated along with suggestions for future research on technological innovations.

Effect of seed addition on SnO2-based varistors for low voltage application

The effect of seed addition on the microstructure and non-ohmic properties of the SnO2 + 1%CoO + 0.05%Nb2O5 ceramic-based system was analyzed. Two classes of seeds were prepared: 99% SnO2 + 1%CuO and 99% SnO2 + 1%CoO (mol%); both classes were added to the ceramic-based system in the amount of 1%, 5%, and 10%. The two systems containing 1% of seeds resulted in a larger grain size and a lower breakdown voltage. The addition of 1% copper seeds produces a breakdown voltage (V b) of ∼ 37 V and a leakage current (fic) of 29 μA. On the other hand, the addition of 1% cobalt seeds produced a breakdown voltage of 57 V and a leakage current of 70 μA. Both systems are of great technological interest for low voltage varistor applications, by means of appropriate strategies to reduce the leakage current. Using larger amounts of seeds was not effective since the values of breakdown voltage in both cases are close to a system without seeds. To our knowledge, there are no reports in the literature regarding the use of seeds in the SnO2 system for low voltage applications. A potential barrier model which illustrates the formation of oxygen species (O′2(ads), O′ads, and O″ads) at the expense of clusters near the interface between grains is proposed. © 2012 The American Ceramic Society.

Effect of tank colour on larval performance of the Amazon River prawn Macrobrachium amazonicum

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

EFFECT OF THERMAL TREATMENT ON THE CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WOOD FROM Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden UNDER DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS

Thermal treatment (thermal rectification) is a process in which technological properties of wood are modified using thermal energy, the result of Which is often value-added wood. Thermally treated wood takes on similar color shades to tropical woods and offers considerable resistance to destructive microorganisms and climate action, in addition to having high dimensional stability and low hygroscopicity. Wood samples of Eucalyptus grandis were subjected to various thermal treatments, as performed in presence (140 degrees C; 160 degrees C; 180 degrees C) or in absence of oxygen (160 degrees C; 180 degrees C; 200 degrees C) inside a thermal treatment chamber, and then studied as to their chemical characteristics. Increasing the maximum treatment temperatures led to a reduction in the holocellulose content of samples as a result of the degradation and volatilization of hemicelluloses, also leading to an increase in the relative lignin content. Except for glucose, all monosaccharide levels were found to decrease in samples after the thermal treatment at a maximum temperature of 200 degrees C. The thermal treatment above 160 degrees C led to increased levels of total extractives in the wood samples, probably ascribed to the emergence of low molecular weight substances as a result of thermal degradation. Overall, it was not possible to clearly determine the effect of presence or absence of oxygen in the air during thermal treatment on the chemical characteristics of the relevant wood samples.

Effect of N-acetylcysteine on pulmonary cell death in a controlled hemorrhagic shock model in rats

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) combined with fluid resuscitation on pulmonary cell death in rats induced with controlled hemorrhagic shock (HS). METHODS: Two arteries (MAP calculation and exsanguination) and one vein (treatments) were catheterized in 22 anesthetized rats. Two groups of male albino rats were induced with controlled HS at 35mmHg MAP for 60 min. After this period, the RL group was resuscitated with Ringer's lactate and the RL+NAC group was resuscitated with Ringer's lactate combined with 150mg/Kg NAC. The control group animals were cannulated only. The animals were euthanized after 120 min of fluid resuscitation. Lung tissue samples were collected to evaluate the following: histopathology, TUNEL and imunohistochemical expression of caspase 3. RESULTS: RL showed a greater number of cells stained by TUNEL than RL + NAC, but there was no change in caspase 3 expression in any group. CONCLUSION: N-acetylcysteine associate to fluid resuscitation, after hemorrhagic shock, decreased cell death attenuating lung injury.

Effect of a video on developing skills in undergraduate nursing students for the management of totally implantable central venous access ports

Background: Handling Totally Implantable Access Ports (TIAP) is a nursing procedure that requires skill and knowledge to avoid adverse events. No studies addressing this procedure with undergraduate students were identified prior to this study. Communication technologies, such as videos, have been increasingly adopted in the teaching of nursing and have contributed to the acquisition of competencies for clinical performance. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a video on the puncture and heparinization of TIAP in the development of cognitive and technical competencies of undergraduate nursing students. Method: Quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. Results: 24 individuals participated in the study. Anxiety scores were kept at levels 1 and 2 in the pretest and posttest. In relation to cognitive knowledge concerning the procedure, the proportion of correct answers in the pretest was 0.14 (SD=0.12) and 0.90 in the posttest (SD=0.05). After watching the video, the average score obtained by the participants in the mock session was 27.20. Conclusion: The use of an educational video with a simulation of puncture and heparinization of TIAP proved to be a strategy that increased both cognitive and technical knowledge. This strategy is viable in the teaching-learning process and is useful as a support tool for professors and for the development of undergraduate nursing students. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New insight into the mechanisms associated with the rapid effect of T-3 on AT1R expression

The angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) is involved in the development of cardiac hypertrophy promoted by thyroid hormone. Recently, we demonstrated that triiodothyronine (T-3) rapidly increases AT1R mRNA and protein levels in cardiomyocyte cultures. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for these rapid events are not yet known. In this study, we investigated the T-3 effect on AT1R mRNA polyadenylation in cultured cardiomyocytes as well as on the expression of microRNA-350 (miR-350), which targets AT1R mRNA. The transcriptional and translational actions mediated by T-3 on AT1R levels were also assessed. The total content of ubiquitinated proteins in cardiomyocytes treated with T-3 was investigated. Our data confirmed that T-3 rapidly raised AT1R mRNA and protein levels, as assessed by real-time PCR and western blotting respectively. The use of inhibitors of mRNA and protein synthesis prevented the rapid increase in AT1R protein levels mediated by T-3. In addition, T-3 rapidly increased the poly-A tail length of the AT1R mRNA, as determined by rapid amplification of cDNA ends poly-A test, and decreased the content of ubiquitinated proteins in cardiomyocytes. On the other hand, T-3 treatment increased miR-350 expression. In parallel with its transcriptional and translational effects on the AT1R, T-3 exerted a rapid posttranscriptional action on AT1R mRNA polyadenylation, which might be contributing to increase transcript stability, as well as on translational efficiency, resulting to the rapid increase in AT1R mRNA expression and protein levels. Finally, these results show, for the first time, that T-3 rapidly triggers distinct mechanisms, which might contribute to the regulation of AT1R levels in cardiomyocytes. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology (2012) 49, 11-20