195 research outputs found
Influences on academics' approaches to development: voices from below
The purpose of this qualitative case study research was to explore faculty-based academicsâ views on what influences their behaviours and attitudes towards their development. Informed by critical realist ontology, the data collection was carried out through narrative interviews with academics in two contrasting English Universities. Findings, or areas for reflection, have emerged about the constraints and enablements academics perceive in respect of their professional development. In particular, themes such as the significance of professional status; misaligned initiatives and priorities; the influence of supportive networks; and emergent personal, individual concerns have surfaced. The conclusion is drawn that the significance of agency raises the importance of responding to the âvoices from belowâ
Appraising empirical applications of Structuration Theory in management and organization studies
There is an increasing interest in the application of Structuration Theory in the fields of management and organization studies. Based upon a thorough literature review, we have come up with a data-set to assess how Structuration Theory has been used in empirical research. We use three key concepts of this theory (duality of structure, knowledgeability, and time-space) as sensitizing concepts for our analysis. We conclude that the greatest potential of Structuration Theory for management and organization studies is to view it as a process theory that offers a distinct building block for explaining intra and interorganizational change, as exemplified through concepts such as routine, script, genre, practice, and discourse
Predictors of plasma DDT and DDE concentrations among women exposed to indoor residual spraying for malaria control in the South African Study of Women and Babies (SOWB)
BACKGROUND : Few studies have examined predictors of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)
and DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene) levels among residents in homes sprayed with DDT
for malaria control with the aim of identifying exposure-reduction strategies.
METHODS : The present analysis included 381 women enrolled in the Study of Women and Babies
(SOWB) during 2010â2011, from eight South African villages in the Limpopo Province, South
Africa. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) occurred in half of the villages. Questionnaires regarding
various demographic and medical factors were administered and blood samples were obtained. We
classified the women into three exposure groups by type of residence: unsprayed village (n = 175),
IRS village in household with a low likelihood of DDT use (non-DDT IRS household, n = 106),
IRS village in household with a high likelihood of DDT use (DDT IRS household, n = 100). We
used multivariable models of natural log-transformed DDT plasma levels (in micrograms per liter)
and DDE (in micrograms per liter) to identify predictors for each group.
RESULTS : Median levels of DDT and DDE among women in unsprayed villages were 0.3 [interquartile
range (IQR): 0.1â0.9] and 1.7 (IQR: 0.7â5.5), respectively. Median levels of DDT and
DDE among women in DDT IRS households were 2.6 (IQR: 1.1â6.6) and 8.5 (IQR: 4.7â18.0),
respectively. In unsprayed villages, women with water piped to the yard, rather than a public tap,
had 73% lower DDT (95% CI: â83, â57%) and 61% lower DDE (95% CI: â74, â40%) levels. In
DDT IRS households, women who reported taking more than six actions to prepare their home
before IRS (e.g., covering water and food) had 40% lower DDT levels (95% CI: â63, â0.3%) than
women who took fewer than four actions.
CONCLUSION : The predictors of DDT and DDE plasma levels identified in the present study may
inform interventions aimed at decreasing exposure. Among households where DDT is likely to be
used for IRS, education regarding home preparations may provide an interventional target.http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/hb201
Compostos nitrogenados e açĂșcares solĂșveis em tecidos de alface orgĂąnica, hidropĂŽnica e convencional
Weber and church governance: religious practice and economic activity
The debate about the relationship between religion and economic activity in the wake of Weber has been cast largely in terms of belief and values. This article suggests an alternative focus on practice. It argues that taken for granted practices of church governance formed to-hand resources for the organization of economic activity. The argument is developed through an examination of the historical development of church governance practices in the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, with particular emphasis on the way in which theological belief gave rise to practices of accountability and record keeping. In turn such practices contributed to a âculture of organizationâ which had implications for economic activity. A focus on governance practices can help to illuminate enduring patterns of difference in the organization of economic activity
Discursos de adolescentes sobre a vida profissional e familiar: entre o sonho e a realidade
Patterns of ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) colonization in mountain grasslands: the importance of management practices
International audienceWoody colonization of grasslands is often associated with changes in abiotic or biotic conditions or a combination of both. Widely used as fodder and litter in the past traditional agro-pastoral system, ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) has now become a colonizing species of mountain grasslands in the French Pyrenees. Its present distribution is dependent on past human activities and it is locally controlled by propagule pressure and abiotic conditions. However, even when all favourable conditions are met, all the potentially colonizable grasslands are not invaded. We hypothesize that management practices should play a crucial role in the control of ash colonization. From empirical field surveys we have compared the botanical composition of a set of grasslands (present and former) differing in management practices and level of ash colonization. We have displayed a kind of successional gradient positively linked to both ash cover and height but not to the age of trees. We have tested the relationships between ash presence in grassland and management types i.e. cutting and/or grazing, management intensity and some grassland communities' features i.e. total and local specific richness and species heterogeneity. Mixed use (cutting and grazing) is negatively linked to ash presence in grassland whereas grazing alone positively. Mixed use and high grazing intensity are directly preventing ash seedlings establishment, when low grazing intensity is allowing ash seedlings establishment indirectly through herbaceous vegetation neglected by livestock. Our results show the existence of a limit between grasslands with and without established ashes corresponding to a threshold in the intensity of use. Under this threshold, when ash is established, the colonization process seems to become irreversible. Ash possesses the ability of compensatory growth and therefore under a high grazing intensity develops a subterranean vegetative reproduction. However the question remains at which stage of seedling development and grazing intensity these strategies could occur
Comment on Spracklandus Hoser, 2009 (Reptilia, Serpentes, ELAPIDAE): request for confirmation of the availability of the generic name and for the nomenclatural validation of the journal in which it was published
Genotoxic effect induced by hydrogen peroxide in human hepatoma cells using comet assay
Background: Hydrogen peroxide is a common reactive oxygen intermediate generated by variousforms of oxidative stress. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the DNA damage capacity ofH2O2 in HepG2 cells. Methods: Cells were treated with H2O2 at concentrations of 25 ÎŒM or 50 ÎŒM for5 min, 30 min, 40 min, 1 h or 24 h in parallel. The extent of DNA damage was assessed by the cometassay. Results: Compared to the control, DNA damage by 25 ÎŒM and 50 ÎŒM H2O2 increasedsignificantly with increasing incubation time up to 1 h, but it was not increased at 24 h. Conclusions:Our Findings confirm that H2O2 is a typical DNA damage inducing agent and thus is a good modelsystem to study the effects of oxidative stress. DNA damage in HepG2 cells increased significantlywith H2O2 concentration and time of incubation but later decreased likely due to DNA repairmechanisms and antioxidant enzyme
The MLL recombinome of acute leukemias in 2017
Chromosomal rearrangements of the human MLL/KMT2A gene are associated with infant, pediatric, adult and therapy-induced acute leukemias. Here we present the data obtained from 2345 acute leukemia patients. Genomic breakpoints within the MLL gene and the involved translocation partner genes (TPGs) were determined and 11 novel TPGs were identified. Thus, a total of 135 different MLL rearrangements have been identified so far, of which 94 TPGs are now characterized at the molecular level. In all, 35 out of these 94 TPGs occur recurrently, but only 9 specific gene fusions account for more than 90% of all illegitimate recombinations of the MLL gene. We observed an age-dependent breakpoint shift with breakpoints localizing within MLL intron 11 associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and younger patients, while breakpoints in MLL intron 9 predominate in AML or older patients. The molecular characterization of MLL breakpoints suggests different etiologies in the different age groups and allows the correlation of functional domains of the MLL gene with clinical outcome. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the MLL recombinome in acute leukemia and demonstrates that the establishment of patient-specific chromosomal fusion sites allows the design of specific PCR primers for minimal residual disease analyses for all patients
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