The research presented in the thesis is a'case-study of a 'socially-directed' technology policy, formulated and implemented by the Greater London Council (GLC) whilst in office, between 1981 and 1986. The GLC attempted to make a direct link between technological innovation and social needs by creating the facilities, in the form of five 'Technology Networks'. for user involvement in socially-useful product design and development. The research is important for an exploration of technology issues. First, it represents an attempt to influence the politics of technological development. Second. it addresses issues of the content of technology and the social organisation of the innovation process. The Technology Networks comprised the focal points of the research. The objectives were the identification of the factors, both locally and nationally, which affected the policy implementation process. For the GLC, the national economic and political context proved crucial to policy developments: it resulted in their abolition in 1986. The Technology Networks remained in operation, but were increasingly plagued by funding difficulties. Findings from the study suggest that the access of a different range of social groups of users and producers to the early stages of the innovation process. may be a valuable exercise in itself. but is problematic as a base for an alternative technology policy. Other major constraints on the development of socially-useful technologies are manufacturing and market opportunities. The conclusions are concerned to explore the potential of a local authority as an agent of technological change, in terms of their role in design and technology education and the creation of an alternative technological hegemony.

No description available.

Le sulfure d'hydrogène (H2S) est un métabolite bactérien produit notamment par les bactéries sulfato-réductrices du côlon à partir des acides aminés soufrés, des sulfates/sulfites alimentaires et des sulfomucines. A fortes concentrations, le H2S est un gaz toxique, de par sa capacité à inhiber la cytochome c oxydase, et par conséquent, la respiration mitochondriale. A l'inverse, notre travail montre qu'à faibles concentrations, le H2S induit une énergisation mitochondriale des cellules épithéliales coliques humaines HT 29 Glc-/+ lui conférant aussi un rôle de substrat minéral énergétique. Dans ce travail, nous avons déterminé les concentrations de H2S permettant l'oxydation/détoxication de H2S par les cellules HT 29 Glc-/+ et celles provoquant une inhibition de la consommation d'oxygène. L'oxydation du H2S nécessite la coopération entre la « sulfide oxidation unit » et la chaîne respiratoire. La capacité des cellules HT29 Glc-/+ à oxyder le H2S est associée à la présence des transcrits codant les enzymes constituant la « sulfide oxidation unit » : la sulfure d'hydrogène quinone reductase (SQR), la dioxygenase ETHE1 et la thiosulfate transferase (TST). Nous avons démontré la priorité de l'oxydation du H2S sur les substrats carbonés . En effet, nos résultats suggèrent que les électrons venant de la SQR sont transférés au pool d'ubiquinone aux dépens de ceux venant du complexe I. Nos résultats démontrent que la SQR joue un rôle déterminant pour l'oxydation de H2S. De plus, la détoxication du H2S par les cellules HT29 Glc-/+ augmente au cours de la différenciation spontanée ou induite par un traitement au butyrate. L'augmentation de la détoxication de H2S au cours de la différenciation est associée à une augmentation de la réserve respiratoire soulignant l'importance de la chaîne respiratoire comme composante de la fonction de détoxication du H2S. En situation d'inhibition de la cytochrome c oxydase, la grande capacité des cellules coliques humaines à détoxiquer le H2S pourrait être en partie due à la présence d'un transfert réverse des électrons issus de l'oxydation de H2S de la SQR vers le complexe I. Outre le butyrate, le zinc un autre composé de la lumière colique, exerce un effet protecteur contre la toxicité cellulaire du H2S. Enfin, notre travail a mis en évidence une diminution de l'expression d'un gène codant pour une enzyme de la « sulfide oxidation unit » (la TST) dans le rectum comparée à différents segments du côlon, ce qui pourrait correspondre à des capacités de détoxication du H2S différente en fonctions des segments du gros intestin humain. / Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a metabolite produced notably by colonic sulphate-reducing bacteria from alimentary sulphur-containing amino acids, sulfates / sulfites and sulfomucines. At high concentrations, H2S is a toxic gas due to its ability to inhibit cytochome c oxidase, and therefore mitochondrial respiration. In contrast, our study shows that at low concentrations, H2S induces mitochondrial energization in human colonic epithelial cells HT-29 Glc -/+ assigning it a role as the first inorganic oxidative substrate in human cells. In this work, we have determined sulphide concentrations allowing sulphide oxidation/detoxification by HT-29 cells and those which inhibit oxygen consumption. The oxidation of H2S requires cooperation between the “sulphide oxidation unit” and the respiratory chain. The capacity of HT-29 Glc -/+ to oxidize H2S is associated with the presence of transcripts encoding the enzymes constituting the “sulfide oxidation unit”: the sulphide quinine reductase (SQR), the sulphur dioxygenase or Ethylmalonic encephalopathy 1 (ETHE1) and the thiosulfate sulphur transferase (TST). We demonstrate that the oxidation of H2S takes precedence over the oxidation of carbon substrates. Indeed, our results suggest that electrons from SQR are transferred to the ubiquinone pool at the expense of those originating from the complex I. Our results point out that SQR represents a determinanat factor in the oxidation of H2S. In addition, the detoxification of H2S by HT-29 Glc -/+ cells increases during spontaneous differentiation and differentiation induced by treatment with butyrate. The increase in the detoxification of H2S during the differentiation is associated with an increase of the respiratory reserve pointing out the importance of the respiratory chain as a component of the detoxification function of H2S. In situations of inhibition of cytochrome c oxidase, the capacity of human colon cells to detoxify H2S could be due in part to the presence of a reverse transfer of electrons from the oxidation of H2S to the SQR complex I. In addition to butyrate, zinc, another compound of the colonic lumen has a protective effect against cell toxicity associated with H2S. Lastly, we have shown a decreased expression of the gene encoding an enzyme of the “sulfide oxidation unit” (TST) in the rectum compared to the other segments of human colon. This observation may correspond to different detoxification capacities towards H2S according to the different parts of the human large intestine.

No description available.

This thesis presents an interpretive case study of a Malaysian Government-linked Company (GLC) namely Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) which has recently implemented a business reengineering programme. This change programme was imposed by MAHB's parent company as part of a wider government reform agenda to address GLCs' 'underperformance' post-privatisation. Since long-term business value has become an increasingly important goal, MAHB has attempted to enhance its performance through various change initiatives which have led to institutional change. The thesis analyses the role of situational logics in the context of this institutional change, drawing on the situated logics perspective developed by ter Bogt and Scapens (2014), together with insights from the institutional logics and practice variations literature. Using semi-structured interviews, documentary analysis and observation, the study provides a comparative analysis of three subsidiaries and their relationship with the Finance Division's accounting change. The thesis recognises there are diverse situational logics that different groups of organisational actors apply in their day-to-day activities and change initiatives, emerging from a complex interplay of contextual and historical forces. This recognition enables us to understand how the three subsidiaries and the Finance Division of MAHB have differently interpreted the notion of performance improvement by applying these diverse situational logics. It sheds light on the issue of how accounting change can give rise to different responses. While the different responses present a theoretical puzzle-why there are different responses to accounting change-this thesis delineates how situational logics shape organisational responses by relating them to the underlying taken-for-granted assumptions of different groups of organisational actors. The thesis shows that the existence of diverse (or rather multiple) situational logics has led to multiple responses from different groups of organisational actors in the different parts of MAHB. The thesis also shows how multiple situational logics can co-exist or conflict and how this is contingent upon the compatibility and/or incompatibility of different interests at the intra-organisational level. Issues concerning multiple changes and multiple responses to institutional pressures, competing interests between public service and profitability, and the interplay of acceptance and resistance are all discussed in the thesis. Using the situational logics perspective, the thesis contributes to understanding the complexity of the ongoing processes of both the organisational change and accounting change at the intra-organisational level. This perspective enables us to understand the different courses of action and practices within the different parts of MAHB due to their situated functionalities. The thesis concludes by discussing the implications of the research findings and possible directions for future research.

The concept of strategic entrepreneurship has received increased attention over the past ten years. Viewed as the intersection of entrepreneurship and strategy, this field of research is populated by conceptual studies which focus mainly on the nature and perceived benefits of strategic entrepreneurship. Similarly, the study of entrepreneurship in a public sector context has gained increasing support in recent years, but also remains underexplored. To address these gaps, this thesis considers: What are the underlying elements and financial implications of strategic entrepreneurship in New Zealand’s state-owned enterprises [SOEs]? New Zealand’s SOE sector, comprising 17 government-owned, commercially focused organisations, is considered to be a prime subject for this research. Well known for their implementation of new public management [NPM], many New Zealand SOEs have also been publicly recognised as both innovative and entrepreneurial. The research question is addressed by first developing a preliminary framework of strategic entrepreneurship from literature on entrepreneurship and strategy. This framework is then examined in the context of case studies on activity which is entrepreneurial and/or strategic within 12 of the 17 SOEs operating in New Zealand as at 2006. Transcripts from a series of interviews, and publicly available documents are analysed thematically. SOEs’ financial statements over a five year period are also analysed. The thesis contributes in two broad areas. First, much-needed empirical support is lent to the concept of strategic entrepreneurship. Key elements of strategic entrepreneurship identified include opportunity identification, innovation, acceptance of risk, flexibility, vision, growth, and leveraging from core skills and resources such that existing knowledge and skills are transferred and applied to create new products, services, and markets. Important supporting elements identified include an open, flexible, and progressive culture, operational excellence, and cost minimisation. The nature of each of these elements is also investigated. A detailed understanding of the relationship between strategic entrepreneurship and wealth creation reveals various internal and external factors which may influence the nature and strength of the relationship. These factors include changes within the organisation, as well as changes in the economic and political environment, and are important influences on the resulting returns realised. Second, this thesis offers valuable evidence in support of emerging change in the public sector towards the adoption of strategic entrepreneurship. Support for the value of NPM is provided, with clear evidence of financial returns from New Zealand’s SOE sector. Further, a key finding is the structured and systematic approach to entrepreneurial activity within the context of NPM in several New Zealand SOEs. Such behaviour is referred to in this thesis as new public entrepreneurship. This form of activity offers the potential for competitive advantage and financial gain traditionally associated with entrepreneurial activity, but also limits the respective risks through its structured, systematic approach.

Fins el present treball es creia que el sistema glc estava implicat únicament en la capacitat de creixement a expenses de glicolat com a font externa de carboni i energia. S'ha pogut comprovar, però, que aquest juga un paper molt important en el control de la concentració del metabolit intermediari glioxilat. En el locus glc, situat al minut 64.5 del cromosoma d'Escherichia coli, s'han localitzat i seqüenciat un total de sis gens. Entre ells es troben els que codifiquen les subunitats de la glicolat oxidasa (glcD, glcE, glcF), l'activador transcripcional dels gens estructurals del sistema (glcC), una proteïna de funció encara per determinar (glcG) i el possible gen del transport del glicolat (glcT).La glicolat oxidasa (enzim localitzat a la membrana citoplasmàtica que catalitza l'oxidació de glicolat per formar glioxilat) ha resultat ser un enzim heteroligomèric, format per tres subunitats catalítiques: dues subunitats (els productes gènics de glcD i glcE) semblen formar el nucli catalític de l'enzim, mentre que la tercera (producte gènic de glcF) sembla ser una subunitat ferrosulfürada a la qual es transfereixen els electrons provinents de l'oxidació de glicolat a glioxilat. La possible implicació del producte gènic de glcG en l'anclatge de les subunitats catalítiques a k membrana citoplasmàtica i el paper del producte gènic de glcT en el transport de glicolat i altres molècules estructuralment relacionades no han pogut ser definitivament determinades.Els gens del locus glc estan organitzats en una unitat transcripcional que engloba tots els gens estructurals (glcDEFGBT) i que es troba sota el control del producte gènic de glc (GlcC), que es transcriu divergentment als gens estructurals i comparteix amb ells zona promotora. Els gens estructurals del locus glc tenen una estructura gènica d'opero: existeix un únic promotor funcional situat en posició 5' del gen glcD que regula l'expressió simultània de tots ells (glcDEFGBT). L'expressió dels gens estructurals és totalment dependent del regulador específic del sistema, GlcC, que és una proteïna amb funció dual: és activador transcripcional de glcDEFGBT i repressor de glcC.L'expressió del promotor de glcDEFGBT és induïble per diferents fonts de carboni, principalment glicolat i en menor grau glioxilat (per se o per la formació intracel.lular de glicolat en una reacció de reducció catalitzada per l'enzim constitutiu glioxilat reductasa). Altres molècules estructuralment relacionades amb el glicolat (p.e. D-lactat, glicerat, acetat) són capaces d'induir l'expressió de l'operó glc. En creixements en glucosa l'operó glc està reprimit, tot i que la seva expressió no és nul.la. La repressió exercida en creixements en glucosa no és reversible per l'addició d'AMP cíclic (cAMP) al medi de cultiu, indicant que aquesta no està mediada pel complex CRP-cAMP (Catabolite Repressor Protein).S'ha demostrat que existeixen diferents factors de transcripció globals que regulen l'expressió dels gens estructurals del sistema glc. D'una banda, s'ha pogut comprovar que l'expressió de glcDEFGBT és totalment dependent del factor de transcripció IHF (Integration Host Factor). Tant experiments in vivo com in vitro han mostrat la completa dependència en IHF per la formació del correcte complexe nucleoproteic capaç d'iniciar la transcripció, i l'anàlisi in silico de la seqüència del promotor ha permès identificar possibles seqüències consens d'unió d'IHF. D'altra banda, s'ha demostrat que la repressió anaeròbica del locus glc està mediada a nivell transcripcional pel sistema de dos components ArcB/ArcA. En el promotor de glcDEFGBT s'han pogut localitzar les seqüències consens d'unió del regulador transcripcional ArcA. En relació a l'estudi de la unió d'ArcA als seus promotors diana, s'han dut a terme experiments de mutagènesi dirigida de la seqüència consens per ArcA del promotor d'un altre gen relacionat amb el sistema glc: el gen aldA. El promotor d'aquest gen mostra una seqüència conservada 10/10 respecte al consens per ArcA. S'ha pogut demostrar, tant in vivo com in Vitro, la validesa d'aquest consens, que havia estat proposat i establert anteriorment en base a estudis in vitro de diferents sistemes diana d'ArcA.Existeix una inducció creuada entre els sistemes glc i ace (que codifica els enzims del cicle del glioxilat, entre ells la malat sintasa A, isoenzim de malat sintasa G, necessaris pel creixement d'Escherichia coli en acetat). Sobre tots dos sistemes, els factors IHF i ArcA exerceixen una regukció del mateix signe. El sistema glc està induït en creixements en acetat i s'ha comprovat per l'anàlisi de mutants dels dos sistemes que cadascuna de les dues malat sintases pot suplir la funció de l'altra.El fet que els enzims glicolat oxidasa i malat sintasa G es sintetitzin conjuntament, l'observació que la seva expressió mai no és completament nul·la i que mutants glicokt oxidasa (que són incapaços de transformar glicolat en glioxilat) sobreexpressen el sistema, pot respondre a un mecanisme de seguretat enfront k toxicitat del glioxilat. Quan es sintetitza glicolat oxidasa es sintetitza malat sintasa G, la qual cosa assegura l'eliminació de I'aldehid tòxic per formació de malat. El glioxilat es forma a nivell intracel.lular per oxidació de glicolat, degradació de purines, creixements en acetat i en hidrolitzat de caseina. Aquest serà ràpidament metabolitzat per acció de la glioxilat reductasa, dels enzims de la via del D-glicerat, per la malat sintasa G i per la malat sintasa A. Per tant, la importància del sistema glc va més enllà de la capacitat de creixement en presència de glicolat i es situa a nivell de les modulacions en les concentracions de l'intermediari metabòlic glioxilat, ja que codifica enzims que intervenen en la seva formación (glicolat oxidasa) i en el seu metabolisme (malat sintasa G).

The concept of strategic entrepreneurship has received increased attention over the past ten years. Viewed as the intersection of entrepreneurship and strategy, this field of research is populated by conceptual studies which focus mainly on the nature and perceived benefits of strategic entrepreneurship. Similarly, the study of entrepreneurship in a public sector context has gained increasing support in recent years, but also remains underexplored. To address these gaps, this thesis considers: What are the underlying elements and financial implications of strategic entrepreneurship in New Zealand’s state-owned enterprises [SOEs]? New Zealand’s SOE sector, comprising 17 government-owned, commercially focused organisations, is considered to be a prime subject for this research. Well known for their implementation of new public management [NPM], many New Zealand SOEs have also been publicly recognised as both innovative and entrepreneurial. The research question is addressed by first developing a preliminary framework of strategic entrepreneurship from literature on entrepreneurship and strategy. This framework is then examined in the context of case studies on activity which is entrepreneurial and/or strategic within 12 of the 17 SOEs operating in New Zealand as at 2006. Transcripts from a series of interviews, and publicly available documents are analysed thematically. SOEs’ financial statements over a five year period are also analysed. The thesis contributes in two broad areas. First, much-needed empirical support is lent to the concept of strategic entrepreneurship. Key elements of strategic entrepreneurship identified include opportunity identification, innovation, acceptance of risk, flexibility, vision, growth, and leveraging from core skills and resources such that existing knowledge and skills are transferred and applied to create new products, services, and markets. Important supporting elements identified include an open, flexible, and progressive culture, operational excellence, and cost minimisation. The nature of each of these elements is also investigated. A detailed understanding of the relationship between strategic entrepreneurship and wealth creation reveals various internal and external factors which may influence the nature and strength of the relationship. These factors include changes within the organisation, as well as changes in the economic and political environment, and are important influences on the resulting returns realised. Second, this thesis offers valuable evidence in support of emerging change in the public sector towards the adoption of strategic entrepreneurship. Support for the value of NPM is provided, with clear evidence of financial returns from New Zealand’s SOE sector. Further, a key finding is the structured and systematic approach to entrepreneurial activity within the context of NPM in several New Zealand SOEs. Such behaviour is referred to in this thesis as new public entrepreneurship. This form of activity offers the potential for competitive advantage and financial gain traditionally associated with entrepreneurial activity, but also limits the respective risks through its structured, systematic approach.

Le sulfure d'hydrogène (H2S) est un métabolite bactérien produit notamment par les bactéries sulfato-réductrices du côlon à partir des acides aminés soufrés, des sulfates/sulfites alimentaires et des sulfomucines. A fortes concentrations, le H2S est un gaz toxique, de par sa capacité à inhiber la cytochome c oxydase, et par conséquent, la respiration mitochondriale. A l'inverse, notre travail montre qu'à faibles concentrations, le H2S induit une énergisation mitochondriale des cellules épithéliales coliques humaines HT 29 Glc-/+ lui conférant aussi un rôle de substrat minéral énergétique. Dans ce travail, nous avons déterminé les concentrations de H2S permettant l'oxydation/détoxication de H2S par les cellules HT 29 Glc-/+ et celles provoquant une inhibition de la consommation d'oxygène. L'oxydation du H2S nécessite la coopération entre la " sulfide oxidation unit " et la chaîne respiratoire. La capacité des cellules HT29 Glc-/+ à oxyder le H2S est associée à la présence des transcrits codant les enzymes constituant la " sulfide oxidation unit " : la sulfure d'hydrogène quinone reductase (SQR), la dioxygenase ETHE1 et la thiosulfate transferase (TST). Nous avons démontré la priorité de l'oxydation du H2S sur les substrats carbonés . En effet, nos résultats suggèrent que les électrons venant de la SQR sont transférés au pool d'ubiquinone aux dépens de ceux venant du complexe I. Nos résultats démontrent que la SQR joue un rôle déterminant pour l'oxydation de H2S. De plus, la détoxication du H2S par les cellules HT29 Glc-/+ augmente au cours de la différenciation spontanée ou induite par un traitement au butyrate. L'augmentation de la détoxication de H2S au cours de la différenciation est associée à une augmentation de la réserve respiratoire soulignant l'importance de la chaîne respiratoire comme composante de la fonction de détoxication du H2S. En situation d'inhibition de la cytochrome c oxydase, la grande capacité des cellules coliques humaines à détoxiquer le H2S pourrait être en partie due à la présence d'un transfert réverse des électrons issus de l'oxydation de H2S de la SQR vers le complexe I. Outre le butyrate, le zinc un autre composé de la lumière colique, exerce un effet protecteur contre la toxicité cellulaire du H2S. Enfin, notre travail a mis en évidence une diminution de l'expression d'un gène codant pour une enzyme de la " sulfide oxidation unit " (la TST) dans le rectum comparée à différents segments du côlon, ce qui pourrait correspondre à des capacités de détoxication du H2S différente en fonctions des segments du gros intestin humain.

Semantic parsing is the process of mapping a natural-language sentence into a machine-readable, formal representation of its meaning. The LSTM Encoder-Decoder is a neural architecture with the ability to map a source language into a target one. We are interested in the problem of mapping natural language into SPARQL queries, and we seek to contribute with strategies that do not rely on handcrafted rules, high-quality lexicons, manually-built templates or other handmade complex structures. In this context, we present two contributions to the problem of semantic parsing departing from the LSTM encoder-decoder. While natural language has well defined vector representation methods that use a very large volume of texts, formal languages, like SPARQL queries, suffer from lack of suitable methods for vector representation. In the first contribution we improve the representation of SPARQL vectors. We start by obtaining an alignment matrix between the two vocabularies, natural language and SPARQL terms, which allows us to refine a vectorial representation of SPARQL items. With this refinement we obtained better results in the posterior training for the semantic parsing model. In the second contribution we propose a neural architecture, that we call Encoder CFG-Decoder, whose output conforms to a given context-free grammar. Unlike the traditional LSTM encoder-decoder, our model provides a grammatical guarantee for the mapping process, which is particularly important for practical cases where grammatical errors can cause critical failures. Results confirm that any output generated by our model obeys the given CFG, and we observe a translation accuracy improvement when compared with other results from the literature. / A análise semântica é o processo de mapear uma sentença em linguagem natural para uma representação formal, interpretável por máquina, do seu significado. O LSTM Encoder-Decoder é uma arquitetura de rede neural com a capacidade de mapear uma sequência de origem para uma sequência de destino. Estamos interessados no problema de mapear a linguagem natural em consultas SPARQL e procuramos contribuir com estratégias que não dependam de regras artesanais, léxico de alta qualidade, modelos construídos manualmente ou outras estruturas complexas feitas à mão. Neste contexto, apresentamos duas contribuições para o problema de análise semântica partindo da arquitetura LSTM Encoder-Decoder. Enquanto para a linguagem natural existem métodos de representação vetorial bem definidos que usam um volume muito grande de textos, as linguagens formais, como as consultas SPARQL, sofrem com a falta de métodos adequados para representação vetorial. Na primeira contribuição, melhoramos a representação dos vetores SPARQL. Começamos obtendo uma matriz de alinhamento entre os dois vocabulários, linguagem natural e termos SPARQL, o que nos permite refinar uma representação vetorial dos termos SPARQL. Com esse refinamento, obtivemos melhores resultados no treinamento posterior para o modelo de análise semântica. Na segunda contribuição, propomos uma arquitetura neural, que chamamos de Encoder CFG-Decoder, cuja saída está de acordo com uma determinada gramática livre de contexto. Ao contrário do modelo tradicional LSTM Encoder-Decoder, nosso modelo fornece uma garantia gramatical para o processo de mapeamento, o que é particularmente importante para casos práticos nos quais erros gramaticais podem causar falhas críticas em um compilador ou interpretador. Os resultados confirmam que qualquer resultado gerado pelo nosso modelo obedece à CFG dada, e observamos uma melhora na precisão da tradução quando comparada com outros resultados da literatura.