University of Luxembourg

About: University of Luxembourg is a education organization based out in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & European union. The organization has 4744 authors who have published 22175 publications receiving 381824 citations.

Financing patterns of European SMEs – an empirical taxonomy

Abstract: This EIF Working Paper takes a holistic approach to investigate SME financing patterns in Europe by performing a cluster analysis including 12,726 SMEs in 28 European countries. The results reveal that SME financing in Europe is not homogenous but that different financing patterns exist. The cluster analysis identifies six distinct SME financing types: mixed-financed SMEs, state-subsidised SMEs, debt-financed SMEs, flexible-debt-financed SMEs, trade-financed SMEs and internally-financed SMEs. These SME financing types differ according to the number of financing instruments used and the combinations thereof. Furthermore, the SME financing types can be profiled according to their firm-, product-, industry- and country-specific characteristics. Our findings can support policy makers in assessing the impact of policy changes on SME financing and in designing financing programs tailored to the specific needs of SMEs.

An efficient computational approach for control of nonlinear transient responses of smart piezoelectric composite plates

Abstract: An efficient computational approach based on a generalized unconstrained approach in conjunction with isogeometric analysis (IGA) are proposed for dynamic control of smart piezoelectric composite plates. In composite plates, the mechanical displacement field is approximated according to the proposal model using isogeometric elements and the nonlinear transient formulation for plates is formed in the total Lagrange approach based on the von Karman strains and solved by Newmark time integration. Through the thickness of each piezoelectric layer, the electric potential is assumed linearly. For active control of the piezoelectric composite plates, a close-loop system is used. An optimization procedure using genetic algorithm (GA) is considered to search optimal design for actuator input voltages. Various numerical examples are investigated to show high accuracy and reliability of the proposed method.

Standardizing chromatin research: a simple and universal method for ChIP-seq

Abstract: Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by next generation sequencing (ChIP-seq) is a key technique in chromatin research. Although heavily applied, existing ChIP-seq protocols are often highly fine-tuned workflows, optimized for specific experimental requirements. Especially the initial steps of ChIP-seq, particularly chromatin shearing, are deemed to be exceedingly cell-type-specific, thus impeding any protocol standardization efforts. Here we demonstrate that harmonization of ChIP-seq workflows across cell types and conditions is possible when obtaining chromatin from properly isolated nuclei. We established an ultrasound-based nuclei extraction method (NEXSON: Nuclei EXtraction by SONication) that is highly effective across various organisms, cell types and cell numbers. The described method has the potential to replace complex cell-type-specific, but largely ineffective, nuclei isolation protocols. By including NEXSON in ChIP-seq workflows, we completely eliminate the need for extensive optimization and sample-dependent adjustments. Apart from this significant simplification, our approach also provides the basis for a fully standardized ChIP-seq and yields highly reproducible transcription factor and histone modifications maps for a wide range of different cell types. Even small cell numbers (∼10,000 cells per ChIP) can be easily processed without application of modified chromatin or library preparation protocols.

Pak1 as a Novel Therapeutic Target for Antihypertrophic Treatment in the Heart

Abstract: Background—Stress-induced hypertrophic remodeling is a critical pathogenetic process leading to heart failure. Although many signal transduction cascades are demonstrated as important regulators to facilitate the induction of cardiac hypertrophy, the signaling pathways for suppressing hypertrophic remodeling remain largely unexplored. In this study, we identified p21-activated kinase 1 (Pak1) as a novel signaling regulator that antagonizes cardiac hypertrophy. Methods and Results—Hypertrophic stress applied to primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) or murine hearts caused the activation of Pak1. Analysis of NRCMs expressing constitutively active Pak1 or in which Pak1 was silenced disclosed that Pak1 played an antihypertrophic role. To investigate the in vivo role of Pak1 in the heart, we generated mice with a cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of Pak1 (Pak1cko). When subjected to 2 weeks of pressure overload, Pak1cko mice developed greater cardiac hypertrophy with attendant blunting of JNK activation co...