Testing goodwill: Conflict and co-operation in new product development networks

Network forms are often seen as models of organisational flexibility, promoting the building of trust and exchange of information between different business functions while offering both cost savings and reductions in the uncertainties usually associated with innovation. Both internal and external networks have been identified as key elements in the collaborative development of new products. The actual process of network building and ongoing network management is not well researched, although the existing literature highlights difficulties for organisations attempting to maintain active product development networks. This article examines the development and management of such a network in the defence industry and focuses on network building processes in terms of the interactions between the individuals involved. This network has endured and evolved over many years despite a series of conflicts. One of the key findings is that the effective functioning of the overall network is closely allied to established processes within the two participating firms

The calcium isotopic composition of carbonate hardground cements: A new record of changes in ocean chemistry?

Reconstructing changes in the calcium isotopic composition (δ44Ca) of the ocean over Earth history has been challenging. This difficulty is due to the large range of calcium isotope fractionation factors during mineral precipitation and the potential for overwriting the initial δ44Ca of minerals during shallow marine diagenesis. We present a new δ44Ca record measured in carbonate hardground cements, an inorganic carbonate-mineral precipitate that rapidly forms at or near the sediment-water interface. The range in the δ44Ca for any particular carbonate hardground cements is between 0.05 and 0.56‰. In some cases, the progressive increase in the δ44Ca during precipitation can be observed, consistent with precipitation in a ‘closed-system’. Our data show an average calcium isotope fractionation during carbonate hardground cement precipitation that is −0.57 ± 0.27‰, similar to the calcium isotope fractionation factor for inorganic calcite precipitates in previous laboratory and modelling studies, and closer to what is considered a kinetic end member calcium isotope fractionation than growth at equilibrium. This is consistent with the rapid carbonate mineral precipitation expected for carbonate hardground cements. Our δ44Ca record over the Phanerozoic is similar to other calcium-bearing mineral records over the same time interval, with average δ44Ca becoming lower going back in time by about 0.5 to 0.7‰. Our results add further support for the evolution of seawater δ44Ca over time, and we discuss the possible causes of these changes with suggestions for future studies

COVID-19 disruption reveals mass-tourism pressure on nearshore sea turtle distributions and access to optima breeding habitat

Quantifying the extent to which animals detect and respond to human presence allows us to identify pressure (disturbance) and inform conservation management objectively; however, obtaining baselines against which to compare human impact is hindered in areas where human activities are already well established. For example, Zakynthos Island (Greece, Mediterranean) receives around 850,000 visitors each summer, while supporting an important loggerhead sea turtle rookery (~300 individuals/season). The coronavirus (COVID-19)-driven absence of tourism in May–June 2020 provided an opportunity to evaluate the distribution dynamics of this population in the absence (2020) vs. presence (2018 and 2019) of visitors using programmed unmanned aerial system (UAS) surveys. Ambient sea temperature transitioned from suboptimal for breeding in May to optimal in late June, with turtle distribution appearing to shift from shallow (to benefit from waters 3–5°C above ambient) to deeper waters in 2018 and 2019, but not 2020. The 2020 data set demonstrated that increased tourism pressure, not temperature, drives turtles offshore. Specifically, >50% of turtles remained within 100 m of shore at densities of 25–50 visitors/km, even when sea temperature rose, with 2018 and 2019 data supporting this trend. Reduced access to warmer, nearshore waters by tourism could delay the onset of nesting and increase the length of the egg maturation period between nesting events (internesting interval) at this site. A coastal refuge zone could be delimited in May–June where touristic infrastructure is minimal, but also where turtles frequently aggregate. In conclusion, sea turtles appear capable of perceiving changes in the level of human pressure at fine spatial and temporal scales and adjusting their distribution accordingly

Fate and transport of volatile organic compounds in glacial till and groundwater at an industrial site in Northern Ireland

Volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination of subsurface geological material and groundwater was discovered on the Nortel Monkstown industrial site, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The objectives of this study were to (1) investigate the characteristics of the geological material and its influences on contaminated groundwater flow across the site using borehole logs and hydrological evaluations, and (2) identify the contaminants and examine their distribution in the subsurface geological material and groundwater using chemical analysis. This report focuses on the eastern car park (ECP) which was a former storage area associated with trichloroethene (TCE) degreasing operations. This is where the greatest amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particularly TCE, were detected. The study site is on a complex deposit of clayey glacial till with discontinuous coarser grained lenses, mainly silts, sands and gravel, which occur at 0.45-7.82 m below ground level (bgl). The lenses overall form an elongated formation that acts as a small unconfined shallow aquifer. There is a continuous low permeable stiff clayey till layer beneath the lenses that performs as an aquitard to the groundwater. Highest concentrations of VOCs, mainly TCE, in the geological material and groundwater are in these coarser lenses at similar to 4.5-7 m bgl. Highest TCE measurements at 390,000 mu g L-1 for groundwater and at 39,000 mu g kg(-1) at 5.7 m for geological material were in borehole GA19 in the coarse lens zone. It is assumed that TCE gained entrance to the subsurface near this borehole where the clayey till was thin to absent above coarse lenses which provided little retardation to the vertical migration of this dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) into the groundwater. However, TCE is present in low concentrations in the geological material overlying the coarse lens zone. Additionally, VOCs appear to be associated with poorly drained layers and in peat < 3.0 m bgl in the ECP. Some indication of natural attenuation as VOCs degradation products vinyl chloride (VC) and dichloromethane (DCM) also occur on the site

Coastal clustering of HEV; Cornwall, UK.

PublishedBACKGROUND AND AIMS: Autochthonous hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a porcine zoonosis and increasingly recognized in developed countries. In most cases the route of infection is uncertain. A previous study showed that HEV was associated geographically with pig farms and coastal areas. AIM: The aim of the present research was to study the geographical, environmental and social factors in autochthonous HEV infection. METHODS: Cases of HEV genotype 3 infection and controls were identified from 2047 consecutive patients attending a rapid-access hepatology clinic. For each case/control the following were recorded: distance from home to nearest pig farm, distance from home to coast, rainfall levels during the 8 weeks before presentation, and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: A total of 36 acute hepatitis E cases, 170 age/sex-matched controls and 53 hepatitis controls were identified. The geographical spread of hepatitis E cases was not even when compared with both control groups. Cases were more likely to live within 2000 m of the coast (odds ratio=2.32, 95% confidence interval=1.08-5.19, P=0.03). There was no regional difference in the incidence of cases and controls between west and central Cornwall. There was no difference between cases and controls in terms of distance from the nearest pig farm, socioeconomic status or rainfall during the 8 weeks before disease presentation. CONCLUSION: Cases of HEV infection in Cornwall are associated with coastal residence. The reason for this observation is uncertain, but might be related to recreational exposure to beach areas exposed to HEV-contaminated 'run-off' from pig farms. This hypothesis merits further study.The European Centre for the Environment and Human Health (part of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry which is a joint entity of the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the NHS in the South West) is supported by investment from the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund Convergence Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Prediction of photoperiodic regulators from quantitative gene circuit models

Photoperiod sensors allow physiological adaptation to the changing seasons. The external coincidence hypothesis postulates that a light-responsive regulator is modulated by a circadian rhythm. Sufficient data are available to test this quantitatively in plants, though not yet in animals. In Arabidopsis, the clock-regulated genes CONSTANS (CO) and FLAVIN, KELCH, F-BOX (FKF1) and their lightsensitive proteins are thought to form an external coincidence sensor. We use 40 timeseries of molecular data to model the integration of light and timing information by CO, its target gene FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), and the circadian clock. Among other predictions, the models show that FKF1 activates FT. We demonstrate experimentally that this effect is independent of the known activation of CO by FKF1, thus we locate a major, novel controller of photoperiodism. External coincidence is part of a complex photoperiod sensor: modelling makes this complexity explicit and may thus contribute to crop improvement

Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in cerebral amyloid angiopathy

BACKGROUND: There is limited data on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in sporadic amyloid-β (Aβ) cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). OBJECTIVE: To determine the profile of biomarkers relevant to neurodegenerative disease in the CSF of patients with CAA. METHODS: We performed a detailed comparison of CSF markers, comparing patients with CAA, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and control (CS) participants, recruited from the Biomarkers and Outcomes in CAA (BOCAA) study, and a Specialist Cognitive Disorders Service. RESULTS: We included 10 CAA, 20 AD, and 10 CS participants (mean age 68.6, 62.5, and 62.2 years, respectively). In unadjusted analyses, CAA patients had a distinctive CSF biomarker profile, with significantly lower (p < 0.01) median concentrations of Aβ_{38}, Aβ_{40}, Aβ_{42}, sAβPPα, and sAβPPβ. CAA patients had higher levels of neurofilament light (NFL) than the CS group (p < 0.01), but there were no significant differences in CSF total tau, phospho-tau, soluble TREM2 (sTREM2), or neurogranin concentrations. AD patients had higher total tau, phospho-tau and neurogranin than CS and CAA groups. In age-adjusted analyses, differences for the CAA group remained for Aβ_{38}, Aβ_{40}, Aβ_{42}, and sAβPPβ. Comparing CAA patients with amyloid-PET positive (n = 5) and negative (n = 5) scans, PET positive individuals had lower (p < 0.05) concentrations of CSF Aβ_{42}, and higher total tau, phospho-tau, NFL, and neurogranin concentrations, consistent with an “AD-like” profile. CONCLUSION: CAA has a characteristic biomarker profile, suggestive of a global, rather than selective, accumulation of amyloid species; we also provide evidence of different phenotypes according to amyloid-PET positivity. Further replication and validation of these preliminary findings in larger cohorts is needed

Immunodetection of nmt55/p54(nrb) isoforms in human breast cancer

BACKGROUND: We previously identified and characterized a novel 55 kDa nuclear protein, termed nmt55/p54(nrb), whose expression was decreased in a subset of human breast tumors. The objective of this study was to determine if this reduced expression in human breast tumors was attributed to the regulation of mRNA transcription or the presence of altered forms of this protein. RESULTS: Northern blot analysis and ribonuclease protection assay indicated that nmt55/p54(nrb) mRNA is expressed at varying levels in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and estrogen receptor negative (ER-) human breast tumors suggesting that reduced expression of nmt55/p54(nrb) protein in ER- tumors was not due to transcriptional regulation. To determine if multiple protein isoforms are expressed in breast cancer, we utilized Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses, which revealed the expression of an nmt55/p54(nrb) protein isoform in a subset of ER+ tumors. This subset of ER+ human breast tumors expressed an altered form of nmt55/p54(nrb) that was undetectable with an amino-terminal specific antibody suggesting that this isoform contains alterations or modifications within the amino terminal domain. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that nmt55/p54(nrb) protein is post-transcriptionally regulated in human breast tumors leading to reduced expression in ER- tumors and the expression of an amino terminal altered isoform in a subset of ER+ tumors. The potential involvement of nmt55/p54(nrb) in RNA binding and pre-mRNA splicing may be important for normal cell growth and function; thus, loss or alteration of protein structure may contribute to tumor growth and progression

Digital Quantum Simulation of the Statistical Mechanics of a Frustrated Magnet

Many interesting problems in physics, chemistry, and computer science are equivalent to problems of interacting spins. However, most of these problems require computational resources that are out of reach by classical computers. A promising solution to overcome this challenge is to exploit the laws of quantum mechanics to perform simulation. Several "analog" quantum simulations of interacting spin systems have been realized experimentally. However, relying on adiabatic techniques, these simulations are limited to preparing ground states only. Here we report the first experimental results on a "digital" quantum simulation on thermal states; we simulated a three-spin frustrated magnet, a building block of spin ice, with an NMR quantum information processor, and we are able to explore the phase diagram of the system at any simulated temperature and external field. These results serve as a guide for identifying the challenges for performing quantum simulation on physical systems at finite temperatures, and pave the way towards large scale experimental simulations of open quantum systems in condensed matter physics and chemistry.Comment: 7 pages for the main text plus 6 pages for the supplementary material

Relative Impact of Pain and Fatigue on Work Productivity in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis from the RA-BEAM Baricitinib Trial

Introduction To explore the relationship of pain and fatigue with daily activity and work productivity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from the baricitinib clinical trial, RA-BEAM. Methods In RA-BEAM, a double-blind phase 3 study, patients were randomized 3:3:2 to placebo (n = 488), baricitinib 4 mg once daily (n = 487), or adalimumab 40 mg biweekly (n = 330) with background methotrexate. The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) measured fatigue and the pain visual analog scale (0–100 mm) assessed pain. Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire-RA measured daily activity and work productivity. At weeks 12 and 24, pain was assessed using pain reduction (< 30%, 30% to < 50%, ≥ 50%) and overall pain score; clinically relevant FACIT-F changes were assessed by values < 3.56 and ≥ 3.56 and the FACIT-F normative value score (< 40.1, ≥ 40.1). Pairwise comparisons between pain/fatigue reduction groups were assessed using ANCOVA with pooled data on daily activity and work productivity. A mediator analysis with pain, fatigue, and disease activity measured their contribution to daily activity and work productivity. Data were pooled from all patients for most analyses, and baricitinib-treated patients were assessed as a sensitivity analysis. Results Reductions in pain (≥ 50%) and fatigue (≥ 3.56) had significant (p ≤ 0.001) effects on daily activity and work productivity improvement at weeks 12 and 24. Reductions in pain, fatigue, and disease activity accounted for most of the improvements in daily activity and work productivity. At the lowest levels of remaining pain (≤ 10 mm) at weeks 12 and 24, however, fatigue did not appear to impact work productivity. Similar trends were observed with baricitinib-treated patients. Conclusions Reductions in pain and fatigue were associated with improved daily activity and work productivity for all RA patients and for baricitinib-treated patients in RA-BEAM