Impact of Knowledge Management on Organizational Learning in Telecom Sector of Pakistan

This study aims to investigate the emerging trend of Knowledge Management (KM) system on organizational learning in telecommunication industry.KM is the propagating issue of concern for management, it’s the outcome of practice and research and it’s still emerging as an essential concept. This paper is going to address KM concerns related to human capital and ICT in the telecom sector. It would help the telecom sector to have a good insight at KM discipline in order to prioritize KM practices by facilitating its adoption. Academicians can employ the outcomes of this study to fabricate replica models and it would further aid to inflate the KM realm. This research is significantly the foremost to steadily establish the importance of knowledge management in the Telecommunication industry of Pakistan. It proffers a favorable reserve of salient information to the telecom sector as it is still sheathing far behind in application of Knowledge Management Tools and practices. Keywords: Organizational Learning , Knowledge management, Telecom Sector, Pakistan

Study of effects of antiepileptic therapy on various biochemical and hematological parameters patients suffering of epilepsy

Background: Low therapeutic index of established antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) coupled with better understanding of the pathophysiology of seizure has encouraged the development of several novel AEDs. The conventional antiepileptics like phenytoin, phenobarbitone, valproate and carbamazepine and newer antiepileptics like levetiracetam, lamotrigine and topiramate etc. are used for epilepsy. AEDs induce potentially toxic effects over a period of time which remains undetermined over very long time. Earlier studies in this regard, states uneven results about biochemical (i.e. blood sugar level, lipid profile) and hematological (Hb%, blood cell count etc.) toxicity of AEDs. Aims: To unveil the toxic effects of AEDs when given singly or as combinations.Methods: Adult epileptics of either sex taking antiepileptic monotherapy or combination therapy for ≥ six months were enrolled. Biochemical and hematological parameters studied were compared with their age and sex matched controls, baseline and amongst groups. Statistical Analysis Used: Student’s ‘t’-test & One way ANOVA followed by posthoc Tukey HSD test for pair wise comparison; p0.05). Monotherapy and conventional combination therapy caused significant reduction in platelet count (p<0.01), but conventional combination therapy was found more toxic in this regard (p<0.05).Conclusions: Monotherapy found less toxic with no significant effects on lipid profile, Hb%, RBC count and O2 carrying capacity and less impact on platelets while combination therapy did not show any advantage over monotherapy and its use must be reserved only for refractory cases.

Research and Development Aspects on Chemical Preparation Techniques of Photoanodes for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

The importance of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as a low-cost and environmentally friendly photovoltaic (PV) technology has prompted many researchers to improve its efficiency and durability. The realization of these goals is impossible without taking into account the importance of the materials in DSSCs, so the focus on the preparation/deposition methods is essential. These methods can be either chemical or physical. In this study, the chemical applied methods that utilize chemical reaction to synthesize and deposit the materials are covered and categorized according to their gas phase and liquid phase precursors. Film processing techniques that can be used to enhance the materials' properties postpreparation are also included for further evaluation in this study. However, there is a variety of consideration, and certain criteria must be taken into account when selecting a specific deposition method, due to the fact that the fabrication conditions vary and are unoptimized

Permeation and Gating in CaV3.1 (α1G) T-type Calcium Channels Effects of Ca2+, Ba2+, Mg2+, and Na+

We examined the concentration dependence of currents through CaV3.1 T-type calcium channels, varying Ca2+ and Ba2+ over a wide concentration range (100 nM to 110 mM) while recording whole-cell currents over a wide voltage range from channels stably expressed in HEK 293 cells. To isolate effects on permeation, instantaneous current–voltage relationships (IIV) were obtained following strong, brief depolarizations to activate channels with minimal inactivation. Reversal potentials were described by PCa/PNa = 87 and PCa/PBa = 2, based on Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz theory. However, analysis of chord conductances found that apparent Kd values were similar for Ca2+ and Ba2+, both for block of currents carried by Na+ (3 μM for Ca2+ vs. 4 μM for Ba2+, at −30 mV; weaker at more positive or negative voltages) and for permeation (3.3 mM for Ca2+ vs. 2.5 mM for Ba2+; nearly voltage independent). Block by 3–10 μM Ca2+ was time dependent, described by bimolecular kinetics with binding at ∼3 × 108 M−1s−1 and voltage-dependent exit. Ca2+o, Ba2+o, and Mg2+o also affected channel gating, primarily by shifting channel activation, consistent with screening a surface charge of 1 e− per 98 Å2 from Gouy-Chapman theory. Additionally, inward currents inactivated ∼35% faster in Ba2+o (vs. Ca2+o or Na+o). The accelerated inactivation in Ba2+o correlated with the transition from Na+ to Ba2+ permeation, suggesting that Ba2+o speeds inactivation by occupying the pore. We conclude that the selectivity of the “surface charge” among divalent cations differs between calcium channel families, implying that the surface charge is channel specific. Voltage strongly affects the concentration dependence of block, but not of permeation, for Ca2+ or Ba2+

Exploring for HPLC-MS/MS profiles and biological activities of different extracts from Allium lycaonicum Siehe ex Hayek from Turkey flora

The present study was designed to determine the phenolic constituents, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibition activities of aerial parts and bulbs of Allium lycaonicum (family Amaryllidaceae). Extracts were prepared by maceration and Soxhlet/infusion using hexane, methanol, and water as extraction solvents. Generally, extracts from the aerial parts showed higher total phenolic and individual components and antioxidant activity than their respective bulb extracts. Maceration with water was the best to extract total phenolic content from the aerial parts (29.00 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g), while the Soxhlet extraction with hexane (22.29 mg GAE/g) was the best for the bulb. Maceration with methanol recovered the highest total flavonoid content from both the aerial parts (41.95 mg (rutin equivalents (RE)/g) and bulb (1.83 mg RE/g). Polar extracts of aerial parts were characterized by higher abundance of kaempferol-3-glucoside (≤20,624.27 μg/mg), hyperoside (≤19,722.76 μg/g), isoquercitrin (≤17,270.70 μg/g), delphindin-3,5-diglucoside (≤14,625.21 μg/g), and rutin (≤10,901.61 μg/g) than the bulb. Aerial parts’ aqueous extract, prepared by maceration, exerted the highest anti-ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical activity (64.09 mg trolox equivalents (TE)/g), Cu++ (83.03 mg TE/g) and Fe+++ (63.03 mg TE/g) reducing capacity while that prepared by infusion recorded the highest anti-DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical (31.70 mg TE/g) and metal chelating (27.66 mg EDTAE/g) activities. The highest total antioxidant activity (1.46 mmol TE/g) was obtained by maceration of the bulb with water. Extracts obtained by organic solvents showed remarkable enzyme inhibition properties against the tested enzymes. Soxhlet extraction of the bulb with hexane and methanol recorded the highest acetylcholinesterase inhibition (4.75 mg galanthamine equivalents (GALAE)/g) and tyrosinase inhibition (139.95 mg kojic acid equivalents/g) activities, respectively. Extracts obtained by maceration of the bulb with methanol and the aerial parts with hexane exerted the highest glucosidase inhibition (3.25 mmol acarbose equivalents/g) and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition (20.99 mg GALAE/g) activities, respectively. These data indicated that A. lycaonicum is a source of bioactive molecules with potential antioxidant and enzyme inhibition properties. Nonetheless, the extracts obtained through various solvents and extraction techniques showed variations in their phytoconstituent composition and biological properties

Fresh Versus Frozen Engineered Bone–Ligament–Bone Grafts for Sheep Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair

Surgical intervention is often required to restore knee instability in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The most commonly used grafts for ACL reconstruction are tendon autografts or allografts. These current options, however, have shown failure rates requiring revision and continued instability in the long term. The mismatched biomechanical properties of the current tendon grafts compared with native ACL tissue are thought to contribute to these poor outcomes and potential risk of early onset osteoarthritis. As a possible solution to these issues, our laboratory has fabricated tissue-engineered ligament constructs that exhibit structural and functional properties similar to those of native ACL tissue after 6 months implantation. In addition, these tissue-engineered grafts achieve vascular and neural development that exceeds those of patellar tendon grafts. However, the utility of our tissue-engineered grafts is limited by the labor-intensive method required to produce the constructs and the need to use the constructs fresh, directly from the cell culturing system. Ideally, these constructs would be fabricated and stored until needed. Thus, in this study, we investigated the efficacy of freezing our tissue-engineered constructs as a method of preservation before use for ACL reconstruction. We hypothesized that frozen constructs would have similar histological and biomechanical outcomes compared with our fresh model. Our results showed that 6 months postimplantation as an ACL replacement graft, both our tissue-engineered fresh and frozen grafts demonstrated similar mechanical and histological outcomes, indicating that freezing is a suitable method for preserving and storing our graft before ACL reconstruction. The ability to use frozen constructs significantly increases the versatility of our graft technology expanding the clinical utility of our graft.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140250/1/ten.tec.2014.0542.pd

Differential effect of obesity on bone mineral density in White, Hispanic and African American women: a cross sectional study

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem with low bone mass affecting nearly half the women aged 50 years or older. Evidence from various studies has shown that higher body mass index (BMI) is a protective factor for bone mineral density (BMD). Most of the evidence, however, is from studies with Caucasian women and it is unclear to what extent ethnicity plays a role in modifying the effect of BMI on BMD. A cross sectional study was performed in which records of postmenopausal women who presented for screening for osteoporosis at 2 urban medical centres were reviewed. Using logistic regression, we examined the interaction of race and BMI after adjusting for age, family history of osteoporosis, maternal fracture, smoking, and sedentary lifestyle on BMD. Low BMD was defined as T-score at the lumbar spine < -1. Among 3,206 patients identified, the mean age of the study population was 58.3 ± 0.24 (Years ± SEM) and the BMI was 30.6 kg/m(2). 2,417 (75.4%) were African Americans (AA), 441(13.6%) were Whites and 348 (10.9%) were Hispanics. The AA women had lower odds of having low BMD compared to Whites [Odds ratio (OR) = 0.079 (0.03–0.24) (95% CI), p < 0.01]. The odds ratio of low BMD was not statistically significant between White and Hispanic women. We examined the interaction between race and BMD. For White women; as the BMI increases by unity, the odds of low BMD decreases [OR = 0.9 (0.87–0.94), p < 0.01; for every unit increase in BMI]. AA women had slightly but significantly higher odds of low BMD compared to Whites [OR 1.015 (1.007–1.14), p <0.01 for every unit increase in BMI]. This effect was not observed when Hispanic women were compared to Whites. There is thus a race-dependent effect of BMI on BMD. With each unit increase in BMI, BMD increases for White women, while a slight but significant decrease in BMD occurs in African American women

Fish Oil-Derived Fatty Acids in Pregnancy and Wheeze and Asthma in Offspring

© 2016 Massachusetts Medical Society. Bisgaard, H., Stokholm, J., Chawes, B. L., Vissing, N. H., Bjarnadóttir, E., Schoos, A.-M. M., … Bønnelykke, K. (2016). Fish Oil–Derived Fatty Acids in Pregnancy and Wheeze and Asthma in Offspring. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(26), 2530–2539. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1503734BACKGROUND Reduced intake of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) may be a contributing factor to the increasing prevalence of wheezing disorders. We assessed the effect of supplementation with n-3 LCPUFAs in pregnant women on the risk of persistent wheeze and asthma in their offspring. METHODS We randomly assigned 736 pregnant women at 24 weeks of gestation to receive 2.4 g of n-3 LCPUFA (fish oil) or placebo (olive oil) per day. Their children formed the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood 2010 (COPSAC 2010) cohort and were followed prospectively with extensive clinical phenotyping. Neither the investigators nor the participants were aware of group assignments during follow-up for the first 3 years of the children's lives, after which there was a 2-year follow-up period during which only the investigators were unaware of group assignments. The primary end point was persistent wheeze or asthma, and the secondary end points included lower respiratory tract infections, asthma exacerbations, eczema, and allergic sensitization. RESULTS A total of 695 children were included in the trial, and 95.5% completed the 3-year, double-blind follow-up period. The risk of persistent wheeze or asthma in the treatment group was 16.9%, versus 23.7% in the control group (hazard ratio, 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49 to 0.97; P=0.035), corresponding to a relative reduction of 30.7%. Prespecified subgroup analyses suggested that the effect was strongest in the children of women whose blood levels of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were in the lowest third of the trial population at randomization: 17.5% versus 34.1% (hazard ratio, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.25 to 0.83; P=0.011). Analyses of secondary end points showed that supplementation with n-3 LCPUFA was associated with a reduced risk of infections of the lower respiratory tract (31.7% vs. 39.1%; hazard ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.98; P=0.033), but there was no statistically significant association between supplementation and asthma exacerbations, eczema, or allergic sensitization. CONCLUSIONS Supplementation with n-3 LCPUFA in the third trimester of pregnancy reduced the absolute risk of persistent wheeze or asthma and infections of the lower respiratory tract in offspring by approximately 7 percentage points, or one third. (Funded by the Lund-beck Foundation and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00798226.)Lundbeck Foundatio