The catching-up economies are unable to obtain the same power and financial status as that of the developed countries are primarily due to the less technological advancement. The research integrates the related facts and models on the development on high-tech of those of catching-up economies. A feasible strategic analysis structure is proposed serving as recommended guideline for the high-tech industries in those catching-up economies. Utilizing the CD/DVDs, semi-conductors and biological technology industries, all from Taiwan, as examples, to illustrate how the catching-up economies may structure the high-tech industries as well as how to develop strategies for the development of those three types of industries in Taiwan. The developed countries have accumulated the ability and resources from the past centuries to build the ability of R&D innovation, processing innovation, and assembly innovation in sequence. The catching-up economies must initially proceed with the method of reverse engineering. The step initiates with creating the assembly innovation and ends with research pertinent to the utilization of intensive brain-power. The research studies categorizes and divides the internal development of industry into four periods: the emerging period, the growing period, the expanding period, and the maturing period. The catching-up economies must overcome the various difficulties in order to reach the maturing period; and ultimately be able to obtain the same status as those industries of developed countries.

A continuous service innovation such as Cloud Computing is highly attractive in the business-to-business world because it brings the service provider both billions of dollars in profits and superior competitive advantage. The success of such an innovation is strongly tied to a consumer’s adoption decision. When dealing with a continuous service innovation, the consumer’s decision process becomes complicated. Not only do consumers need to consider two different decisions of both whether to adopt and how long to adopt (contract length), but also the increasing trend of the service-related technological improvements invokes a forward-looking behavior in consumer’s decision process. Moreover, consumers have to balance the benefits and costs of adoption when evaluating decision alternatives. Consumer adoption decisions come with the desire to have the latest technology and the fear of the adopted technology becoming obsolete. Non-adoption prevents consumers from being locked-in by the service provider, but buying that technology may be costly. Being bound to a longer contract forfeits the opportunity to capitalize on the technological revolution. Frequently signing shorter contracts increases the non-physical efforts such as learning, training and negotiating costs. Targeting the right consumers at the right time with the right service offer in the business-to-business context requires an efficient strategy of sales resource allocation. This is a “mission impossible” for service providers if they do not know how consumers make decisions regarding service innovation. In order to guide the resource allocation decisions, we propose a complex model that integrates the structural, dynamic, and learning approaches to understand the consumer’s decision process on both whether or not to adopt, and how long to adopt a continuously updating service innovation in a B2B context.

El medio interestelar (MIE) no sólo no es homogéneo sino que además posee una compleja topología que se manifiesta por la presencia de una variedad de estructuras tales como arcos, gusanos, cáscaras y supercáscaras. En particular, las supercáscaras se encuentran entre los objetos más enigmáticos e interesantes del MIE de una galaxia. Las mismas se detectan mayoritariamente en la emisión de la distribución de hidrógeno neutro (HI) como mínimos en la emisión de HI rodeados, total o parcialmente, por ”paredes” de mayor emisión. Las supercáscaras pueden expandirse a velocidades de varias decenas de kilómetros por segundo. Con tiempos dinámicos de vida del orden de decenas de millones de años, las supercáscaras sobrevivirían a las estrellas de gran masa que pudieran haberle dado origen (si ese hubiese sido el mecanismo que las originó), por lo que las mismas podrían ser usadas como registros fósiles para estudiar los efectos de formación estelar en la Vía Láctea. En esta Tesis se ha realizado un nuevo catálogo de candidatas a supercáscaras utilizando una combinación de un método automático de detección más uno visual. Una particularidad que tiene nuestro algoritmo de búsqueda automática es que es capaz de detectar estructuras que no están completamente cerradas, o sea, que no están completamente rodeadas por paredes de emisión de HI. Este hecho permitió estudiar el porcentaje de estructuras que tienen su lado ”abierto” hacia al halo de la Galaxia, lo cual convertiría a estas estructuras en candidatas a objetos identificados como ”chimeneas” galácticas. Se han detectado un total de 575 estructuras en la parte externa de la Galaxia a las cuales se les han determinado algunos parámetros físicos como por ejemplo: las distancias, dimensiones, edades dinámicas, velocidades radiales de los centroides, rangos de velocidades donde se detectan. A cada estructura se le ajustó una elipse la cual tiene como parámetros los semiejes mayor y menor y el ángulo de inclinación del semieje mayor con respecto al plano de la Galaxia. Se ha determinado la distribución de las supercáscaras en la Vía Láctea, así como también las principales propiedades estadísticas de los parámetros (tamaños lineales, velocidades de expansión, distancias galactocéntricas, dimensiones, edades dinámicas) encontrados para las mismas. Se ha comparado el catálogo obtenido con catálogos similares realizados por otros autores. También se ha analizado la posible presencia, en el interior de las estructuras, de objetos estelares que pudieron haberle dado origen. Por último se estudió en detalle una de las estructuras catalogadas, GS 100-02-41, la cual presenta evidencia de formación estelar inducida.

No description available.

Transcription factor (TF) binding has been studied extensively in relation to binding site affinity and chromosome modifications; however, the relationship between genome spatial organisation and transcription factor binding is not well studied. Using the recently available high resolution Hi-C contact map of human GM12878 lymphoblastoid cells, we investigated computationally the genome-wide spatial co-localization of transcription factor binding sites, for both within the same type and between different types. First, we observed a strong positive correlation between site occupancy and homotypic TF co-localization based on Hi-C contacts, consistent with our predictions from biophysical simulations of TF target search. This trend is more prominent in binding sites with weak binding sequences and within enhancers, suggesting genome spatial organisation plays an essential role in determining binding site occupancy, especially for weak regulatory elements. Furthermore, when investigating spatial co-localization between different TFs, we discovered two distinct co-localization networks of TFs in lymphoblastoid cells, one of which is enriched in lymphocyte specific pathways and distal enhancer binding. These two TF networks have strong biases for either the A1 or A2 chromosome subcompartment, but nonetheless are still preserved within each, indicating a potential causal link between cell-type-specific transcription factor binding and chromosome subcompartment segregation. We called 40 pairs of significantly co-localized TFs according to the genome wide Hi-C contact map, which are enriched in previously reported, physical interactions, thus linking TF spatial network to co-functioning. In addition to the above main project, I also worked on a side project to find compute-efficient ways in scaling binding site strength across different TFs based on Position-Weight-Matrices (PWM). While common bioinformatics tools produce scores that can reflect the binding strength between a specific TF and the DNA, these scores are not directly comparable between different TFs. We provided two approaches in estimating a scaling parameter $\lambda$ to the PWM score for different TFs. The first approach uses a PWM and background genomic sequence as input to estimate $\lambda$ for a specific TF, which we applied to show that $\lambda$ distributions for different TF families correspond with their DNA binding properties. Our second method can reliably convert $\lambda$ between different PWMs of the same TF, which allows us to directly compare PWMs that were generated by different approaches.

This thesis is an attempt to bridge some research gaps in the area of behavioural finance and investment through adopting the three essays scheme of PhD dissertations. There is a widespread belief that the traditional finance theory failed to provide a sufficient and plausible explanation for (1) what motivates individual investors to trade, (2) the pattern of their trading and the formation of their portfolios, (3) the determinants of cross section of expected returns other than risk. Behavioural Finance, however, offers more realistic assumptions based on two building blocks; behavioural biases of irrational investors and the limits of arbitrage that prevent the arbitrageurs from correcting mispricing and pushing prices back to fundamental values. This dissertation is structured as follows: In the first essay, the disposition effect is defined as the propensity of investors to realize gains too early while being loath to realize losses. Capital gains overhang is a measure of unrealized capital gains and losses that is associated with the disposition effect and the trading activities of behaviourally biased investors. We discover that firm characteristics can play a role in explaining variations in the capital gains overhang that is consistent with the activities of behaviourally biased and disposition investors. Specifically, we find that capital gains overhang is increasing in firm attributes that attract behaviourally biased investors, namely, earnings per share, leverage, growth and size. Capital gains overhang is also declining in market liquidity, possibly because liquidity allows behaviourally biased investors to excessively trade shares and beta and corporate earnings, probably because when high risk and inefficient firms experience losses, disposition investors experience capital losses that they are reluctant to realize. In the second essay, quantile regressions are employed to analyse the relationship between the unrealized capital gains overhang and expected returns. The ability of the disposition effect to generate momentum is also considered for the extreme expected return regions (0.05th) and (0.95th) quantiles. To do so, 450,617 observations belonging to 5176 US firms are employed, covering a time span from January 1998 to June 2015. Following the methodology of Grinblatt and Han (2005), the findings show significant differences across various quantiles in terms of signs and magnitudes. These findings indicate a nonlinear relationship between capital gains overhang and expected returns since the impact of capital gains overhang as a proxy for disposition effect on expected returns vary across the expected return distribution. More precisely, the coefficients of capital gains overhang are significantly positive and decline as the expected returns quantiles increase from the lowest to the median expected return quantiles. However, they become significantly negative and rise with the increase in expected returns quantiles above median expected returns quantiles. The findings also suggest that the disposition effect is not a good noisy proxy for momentum at the lowest expected return quantile (0.05th). However, interestingly it seems to generate contrarian in returns at the highest expected returns quantile (0.95th). In the third essays, we try to discover systematic disagreements in momentum, asymmetric volatility and the idiosyncratic risk momentum return relationship between high-tech stocks and low-tech stocks. We develop several hypotheses that suggest greater momentum profits, fainter asymmetric volatility and weaker idiosyncratic risk-momentum return relation in the high-tech stocks relative to the low tech stocks. To this end, we divide 5795 stocks that are listed in the Russell 3000 index from January 1995 to December 2015 into two samples SIC code and analysed them using the Fama French with GJR-GARCH-M term. The results show that the high-tech stocks provide greater momentum profits especially for portfolios that have holding and ranking periods of less than 12 months. In most cases momentum returns in the high-tech stocks explain a symmetric response to good and bad news while the momentum returns in the low-tech stocks show an asymmetric response. Finally, the idiosyncratic risk-momentum return relation is insignificant for high-tech stocks while it is significant and negative for low-tech stocks. That is, as idiosyncratic risk increases, momentum decreases for low-tech stocks. These findings are robust to different momentum strategies and to different breakpoints.

O espectro no núcleo da galáxia Seyfert 1 NGC 7469 apresenta linhas de emissão intensas e largas, com assimetria para o vermelho no caso das linhas de Balmer do HI, e para o azul no caso de linhas proibidas. / The nuclear spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469 exhibits intense and broad emission lines: the HI Balmer lines areasymmetric to the blue.

A hipóxia-isquemia neonatal (HI) faz parte da etiologia de diversas patologias neurológicas e é causa de graves sequelas. Os mecanismos patofisiológicos dessa lesão começam com o insulto imediato após a HI e se estendem por dias ou semanas, pelo aumento da liberação de espécies reativas de oxigênio associada a redução da defesas anti-oxidantes e reação glial, sendo a lesão secundária parte crucial no processo que culmina no dano final. A acetilcolina (ACh) é um neurotransmissor do sistema nervoso central (SNC) que parece ter uma importante ação neuroprotetora após a HI. A acetilcolinaesterase (AChE) é responsável pela degradação da ACh, inibidores dessa enzima vêm sendo utilizados para o tratamento de danos neurológicos. Sua ação positiva sobre a HI foi demonstrada em estudos realizados em nosso laboratório, onde a administração do extrato de Huperzia quadrifariata (inibidor de AChE) reduziu os déficits cognitivos e histológicos causados por essa lesão Para avaliar os efeitos das administrações pré e pós-hipóxia de galantamina, inibidor da AChE, no modelo de HI perinatal, ratos Wistar no 7º dia de vida pós-natal (DPN7) foram submetidos à combinação da oclusão unilateral da artéria carótida direita e exposição a uma atmosfera hipóxica (8% de O2) durante 60 minutos. Foram aplicadas injeções intraperitoniais de salina para os grupos Sham e HI+Salina (HIS) e de galantamina nos grupos HI+Galantamina 5 mg/kg pré-hipóxia (HIG5-Pré), HI+Galantamina 10 mg/kg pré-hipóxia (HIG10-Pré), HI+Galantamina 5 mg/kg pós-hipóxia (HIG5-Pós) e HI+Galantamina 10 mg/kg pós-hipóxia (HIG10-Pós). Os grupos Pré receberam galantamina imediatamente antes da hipóxia e os grupos Pós nos intervalos de 1, 24, 48 e 72 horas após a cirurgia. No DPN45 foi feita a análise do volume das estruturas encefálicas que demonstrou a redução do volume do hipocampo do grupo HIS em relação ao Sham e uma prevenção desse efeito no grupo HIG10-Pré, mas não nos demais grupos. Análises bioquímicas foram feitas no hipocampo ipsilesional 24 horas após a lesão e revelaram: através da citometria de fluxo uma redução na sobrevivência de neurônios no grupo HIS em relação ao Sham que foi prevenida no grupo HIG10-Pré; através de ELISA uma hipertrofia dos astrócitos no grupo HIS que foi revertida no grupo HIG10-Pré e um aumento na atividade da enzima anti-oxidante catalase. O tratamento pré-hipóxia com galantamina foi capaz de prevenir os déficits histológicos, aumentar a sobrevivência celular, reduzir a reação astrocitária e aumentar a atividade anti-oxidante em ratos submetidos à HI. / Neonatal hypoxia ischemia (HI) has a role in etiology of several neurological pathologies and causes severe sequelae. The pathophysiological mechanisms of this lesion start immediately after HI and last for days or weeks, with the secondary injury being a crucial part the process that culminates in the final damage. Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neurotransmitter of the central nervous system that seems to have an important neuroprotective action after HI. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) degradates ACh and inhibitors of this enzyme have been used to treat neurological damage. Its positive action on HI has been demonstrated in studies performed in our laboratory, where the administration of the alkaloid extract of Huperzia quadrifariata (An inhibitor of AChE) reduced the cognitive and histological deficits caused by this lesion. To evaluate the effects of the pre and post-hypoxia administrations of galantamine, a cholinesterase inhibitor, in the model oh perinatal HI, Wistar rats in the post-natal day 7 (PND7) were subjected to a combination of unilateral occlusion of the right charotid artery and of exposure to a hypoxic exposure (8% O2) for 60 minutes. Intraperitoneal injections of saline in the groups Sham anf HI+Saline (HIS) and of galantamine in the groups HI+Galantamine 5 mg/kg pre-hypoxia (HIG5-Pre), HI+Galantamine 10 mg/kg pre-hypoxia (HIG10-Pre), HI+Galantamine 5 mg/kg post-hypoxia (HIG5-Post) and HI+Galantamine 10 mg/kg post-hypoxia (HIG5-Post). The Pre groups received galantamine immediately before hypoxia and the Post groups in the intervals of 1, 24, 48 and 72 hours after HI. On PND45 the analysis of the volume of brain structures showed a reduction of the volume of the ipsilesional hippocampus in the HIS group when compared to the sham and a prevention of this effect in the HIG10-Pre, but not in any other group. Biochemical analysis was performed in the ipsilesional hippocampus 24 hours after the lesion and revealed: a reduction of the number of surviving neurons in the HIS group when compared to the Sham that was prevented in the HIG10-Pre; a hypertrophy of the astrocytes in the HIS group that was prevented in the HIG10-Pre group and an increase in the activity of the anti-oxidant enzyme catalase in the HIG10-Pre group. The treatment with galantamine was able to prevent the histological deficits, increase the survival of neurons, reduce astrocytic reaction and increase the anti-oxidant activity in rats submitted to HI.

Within every human cell, approximately two meters of DNA must be compacted into a nucleus with a diameter of around ten micrometers. Alongside this daunting storage problem, the 3D organisation of the genome also helps determine which genes are up- or down-regulated, which in turn effects the functionality of the cell itself. While the organisational structure of the genome can be revealed using experimental techniques such as chromosome conformation capture and its high-throughput variant Hi-C, the mechanisms driving this organisation are still unclear. The first two results chapters of this thesis use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the effect of a potential organisational mechanisms for DNA known as the "bridging-induced attraction". This mechanism involves multivalent DNA-binding proteins bridging genomically distant regions of DNA, which in turn promotes further binding of proteins and compaction of the DNA. In chapter 2 (the first results chapter) we look at a model where proteins can bind non-specifically to DNA, leading to cluster formation for suitable protein-DNA interaction strengths. We also show the effects of protein concentration on the DNA, with a collapse from a swollen to a globular phase observed for suitably high protein concentrations. Chapter 3 develops this model further, using genomic data from the ENCODE project to simulate the "specific binding" of proteins to either active (euchromatin) or inactive (heterochromatin) regions. We were then able to compare contact maps for specific simulated chromosomes with the experimental Hi-C data, with our model reproducing well the topologically associated domains (TADs) seen in Hi-C contact maps. In chapter 4 of the thesis we use numerical methods to study a model for the coupling between DNA topology (in particular, supercoiling in DNA and chromatin) and transcription in a genome. We present details of this model, where supercoiling flux is induced by gene transcription, and can diffuse along the DNA. The probability of transcription is also related to supercoiling, as regions of DNA which are negatively supercoiled have a greater likelihood of being transcribed. By changing the magnitude of supercoiling flux, we see a transition between a regime where transcription is random and a regime where transcription is highly correlated. We also find that divergent gene pairs show increased transcriptional activity, along with transcriptional waves and bursts in the highly correlated regime { all these features are associated with genomes of living organisms.

O espectro no núcleo da galáxia Seyfert 1 NGC 7469 apresenta linhas de emissão intensas e largas, com assimetria para o vermelho no caso das linhas de Balmer do HI, e para o azul no caso de linhas proibidas. / The nuclear spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469 exhibits intense and broad emission lines: the HI Balmer lines areasymmetric to the blue.