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A sensitive and reproducible enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using two monoclonal antibodies directed against a synthetic peptide with an amino-acid sequence related to the C-terminus of bovine myoglobin and the whole molecule of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-denatured bovine myoglobin was adapted for detecting bovine myoglobin in contaminated feeds. The ELISA employed bovine meat extract of a known myoglobin concentration as a calibration standard and had an limit of detection (LOD) of 3.54 ng/ml and an limit of quantification (LOQ) of 11.0 ng/ml corresponding to 0.022% and 0.067% (wt/wt) bovine meat-and-bone-meal (MBM) mixed in 20-fold-diluted feed extracts, respectively. A cut-off threshold of 20.6 ng/ml bovine myoglobin was set to simplify ELISA and facilitate quick assessment of test results without a tedious calibration process. The ELISA was able to detect bovine MBM in artificially prepared model feeds, mixed botanical feeds, mixed botanical feeds with skimmed milk, fish meal, pork meal and pork/chicken meal at 0.1% (wt/wt). It was also able to detect sheep MBM in test feeds, but showed no reactivity to swine MBM, chicken MBM, skimmed milk or gelatine of bovine origin. The advantages of this method are the quick and easy extraction protocol of proteins from test feeds, using 100 mM sodium sulphide and 0.6% sodium dodecyl sulphate in the extraction solution and the effective detection of bovine and sheep MBM at 0.1% (wt/wt).

本論文は，日本のスタートアップ（新規開業）企業を対象とする独自の継続アンケート調査に基づいて，創業後の雇用の成長と構成変化の要因について実証的に分析する。企業の成長と雇用創出について多くの研究が行われてきたが，研究開発型のスタートアップ企業ついては，十分な研究の蓄積があるとは言えない。また，雇用の量的変化だけでなく，スタートアップ企業がどのような雇用（正規雇用等の就業形態）を生み出すかも重要であるが，雇用の構成変化（質の変化）についての実証研究は乏しい。そこで本論文は，研究開発型企業とそれ以外の企業を比較し，雇用の量的拡大と質的変化の要因を明らかにする。回帰分析の結果，創業者の人的資本は雇用成長には影響しないが，正規職員の比率上昇に対して斯業経験と経営経験が有意な正の効果を持つことと，研究開発型企業の開業時における公的補助金が雇用の成長のみならず正規雇用の相対的な拡大をもたらすことが明らかになった。, (特集 企業ダイナミクスとマクロ経済 : 細野薫財務総合政策研究所総括主任研究官責任編集)

Background: The goal of this study was to retrospectively compare the initial success rate and rate of intraoperative and late complications between the femoral and subclavian vein approaches used to implant venous access ports without guidance in lung cancer patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of total 163 lung cancer patients who underwent implantations of a central venous access port for chemotherapy. 95 patients received the ports by the femoral vein blind-puncture technique and 68patients had the port implanted via the subclavian vein blind-puncture technique. The initial success rate of port implantation and the frequency of occurrence of complications were calculated. Results: The primary success rate of venous port implantation was 93.7% for femoral approach and 88.2% for the subclavian approach respectively (p < 0.05). Intraoperative complications developed in two patients (2.1%) in the femoral approach group and in five patients (7.4%) in the subclavian approach group. Although a higher intraoperative complication ratio for the subclavian approach was encountered compared to that for the femoral vein approach, there was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.103). Nor was there any statistically significant difference in terms of the occurrence of late complications. Conclusions: Venous access port implantation via the femoral vein approach is safe, and its success rate is very high, with the equal complication rates comparable to the subclavian approach. This approach avoids many of the intraoperative complications. Thus, the femoral vein approach for implanting a venous access port in lung cancer patients should be considered a valid, and safe technique.

論説

論説

In this paper, we focus on multiobjective linear fractional programming problems with block angular structure. By considering the vague nature of human judgments, we assume that the decision maker may have a fuzzy goal for each of the objective functions. Having elicited the corresponding membership functions including nonlinear ones, if the decision maker specifies the reference membership values, the corresponding Pareto optimal solution can be obtained by solving the minimax problems for which the Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition method and Ritter's partitioning procedure are applicable. Then a linear programming-based interactive fuzzy satisficing method with decomposition procedures for deriving a satisficing solution for the decision maker efficiently from a Pareto optimal solution set is presented. An illustrative numerical example is provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.

Using establishment-level data in Japan, we examine the effects of new business entries on the probability of incumbents exiting the market. In particular, we estimate how the effects vary depending on the size of both the entrants and incumbents, which has not been explored in the literature. We find that while new business entries increase the probability that incumbents will exit, the effect differs significantly across sectors and depends on entrant and incumbent size. Although small establishments are the most likely to be driven out by new entries in all sectors, large incumbents are not always the most competitive, and, in the case of the tradable services sector, medium-sized establishments are the least likely to be affected by new entries. Moreover, our simple regression analysis shows a positive relationship between entry rates and employment growth in a region. New entries may promote resource reallocation and stimulate regional economies, possibly resulting in regional employment growth.

Using a sample from an original questionnaire survey in Japan, this paper explores whether and how founders’ human capital affects innovation outcomes by start-ups. The results provide evidence that founders with greater human capital are more likely to yield innovation outcome. However, because certain types of founders’ human capital may boost R&D investment, which possibly results in innovation outcomes, we estimate the determinants of innovation outcomes by an instrumental variable probit model taking into account the endogeneity of R&D investment. Our findings suggest that specific human capital for innovation, such as founders’ prior innovation experience, is directly associated with innovation outcomes after start-up, while generic human capital, such as founders’ educational background, indirectly affects innovation outcomes through R&D investment.

How does the establishment of new university educational programs promote university-industry joint research? To study this question for the fields of life sciences and biotechnology, we first compile the data on the establishment of new undergraduate and graduate programs in these fields in Japanese universities since the 1950s. We then analyze statistically whether and how such establishment contributed to the occurrence and frequency of university-industry joint research in biotechnology. The results suggest that, first, the expansion of such university programs in fact contributed to the promotion of university-industry joint research and, second, these collaborations increased following the 1998 legislation to promote technology transfer from universities (the so-called TLO Act) and the 1999 legislation to allow universities to retain rights on their inventions made with government research funds (the so-called Japanese Bayh-Dole Act).

This paper explores heterogeneous exits-bankruptcy, voluntary liquidation, and merger-by focusing on new firms. Using a sample of approximately 16,000 firms founded in Japan during 1997-2004, we examine the determinants of new-firm exit according to forms of exit. Regarding industry-specific characteristics, our findings indicate that new firms in capital-intensive and R&D-intensive industries are less likely to go bankrupt. In industries characterized by large amounts of capital and low price-cost margins, new firms are more likely to exit through voluntary liquidation and merger. Region-specific characteristics, such as regional agglomeration and unemployment rate, have significant effects on the hazards of exit, and their effects vary across different forms of exit. Moreover, we provide evidence that firm-specific characteristics, such as the number of employees, and entrepreneur-specific characteristics, such as educational background and age, play significantly different roles in determining each form of exit.

This paper explores research and development (R&D) financing of start-up firms. Using a sample from an original survey conducted in 2008, we identify whether initial funds and founder-specific characteristics relate to R&D investment of start-up firms in Japan. It is found that internal finance is positively associated with R&D investment. It is also found that founders with higher educational background, prior innovation output and academic affiliation tend to raise more funds for R&D. On the other hand, we provide evidence that the effects of founders' human capital are mediated by investment opportunities, which would indicate that R&D investment of start-up firms depends heavily on investment opportunities.

This paper explores the determinants of R&D cooperation in Japanese hightech start-ups. Using a sample from an original survey conducted in 2008, we examine the effects of founder-, firm-, and industry-specific characteristics on R&D cooperation by the type of partners. Our findings indicate that founder-specific characteristics, such as educational background, academic affiliation, and prior innovation output, are fairly important in determining R&D cooperation with universities and public research institutes. We also provide evidence that founders' work experience and prior innovation output have positive and significant effects on R&D cooperation with business partners. With respect to firm-specific characteristics, it is found that firms investing more in R&D tend to engage in R&D cooperation, regardless of the type of partners. Furthermore, it is found that independent firms are less likely to cooperate on R&D with universities and public research institutes, than subsidiaries and affiliated firms.

This paper examines productivity analysis - using firm and business level data, which has rapidly become popular in recent years - from the perspective of three influential factors, namely, entry and exit, globalization, and innovation and systemic reform. It also examines technical aspects, such as the methods for estimating productivity and the availability of data, and summarizes issues for future research, in light of past research developments. It specifically identifies four points as issues for future research: (1) The need for research into the impact of systemic reforms, such as regulatory reform and the liberalization of imports, on entry, exit, and productivity; (2) Improvements in research into the impact of direct inward investment in Japan; (3) Research into the impact on cross-industrial regulations; and (4) Improvements in the environment for the availability of data about companies and businesses.

In response to the attention to the innovation which planned economic growth, the government of each country has announced successively the innovation strategy in recent years. The policymaker is asked for arguing regarding the innovation policy which can be equal to globalization currently accelerated. In order to contribute to planning of an innovation policy, this paper surveys an international policy trend and academic research on various issues, and examines what kind of element is considered as important as a policy instrument. Based on the survey analysis, we consider the following three points as a conclusion as a point which Japan should note; (1) opening up of national innovation system to world, (2) planning of an objective based on "needs", (3) planning of the integrated innovation policy containing broad ranges, such as not only a R&D promotion policy but an education policy, a market policy, etc.

21世紀COEプログラム = 21st-Century COE Program