Transformational changes and sustainability : from the perspective of identity, trust, commitment, and withdrawal

Drawing upon the psychology of sustainability, effective organizations can create a sense of belongingness for people, and successfully facilitate growth and development activities for both individuals as well as the organization itself. Extending the recommendations of Zappala, Toscano, and Licciardello, the current study considers a range of variables. The role of overall justice judgements and change favorableness are taken as predictors of affective commitment to change and exit-based withdrawal. The relationship is mediated by organizational identification and moderated by trust in organization. Overall, the results support the hypothesized relationships. Specifically, findings showed that both change favorableness and overall justice judgements are positively related to affective commitment to change and negatively related to exit-based withdrawal. Organizational identification mediates the relationships between overall justice judgements−affective commitment to change, change favorableness−affective commitment to change, and change favorableness−exit-based withdrawal, whilst trust in organizations moderated the direct relationship between overall justice judgements−affective commitment to change, and change favorableness−exit-based withdrawal. Furthermore, the indirect effect of trust in organizations positively moderated the relationship of overall justice judgements and change favorableness with affective commitment to change, and at the same time, it negatively moderated the relationship between change favorableness and exit-based withdrawal via organizational identification. Crucially, for practitioners, this brings trust of employees as a key factor that should be managed to ensure sustainable change. Both trust and identity appear important in improving commitment and lowering the exit-based withdrawal behavior of employees. Future recommendations, implications, and limitations are discussed

Determination of some significant batch culture conditions affecting acetyl-xylan esterase production by Penicillium notatum NRRL-1249

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acetyl-xylan esterase (AXE, <it>EC 3.1.1.72</it>) hydrolyses acetate group from the linear chain of xylopyranose residues bound by β-1,4-linkage. The enzyme finds commercial applications in bio-bleaching of wood pulp, treating animal feed to increase digestibility, processing food to increase clarification and converting lignocellulosics to feedstock and fuel. In the present study, we report on the production of an extracellular AXE from <it>Penicillium notatum </it>NRRL-1249 by solid state fermentation (SSF).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Wheat bran at a level of 10 g (with 4 cm bed height) was optimized as the basal substrate for AXE production. An increase in enzyme activity was observed when 7.5 ml of mineral salt solution (MSS) containing 0.1% KH₂PO₄, 0.05% KCl, 0.05% MgSO₄.7H₂O, 0.3% NaNO₃, 0.001% FeSO₄.2H₂O and 0.1% (v/w) Tween-80 as an initial moisture content was used. Various nitrogen sources including ammonium sulphate, urea, peptone and yeast extract were compared for enzyme production. Maximal enzyme activity of 760 U/g was accomplished which was found to be highly significant (p ≤ 0.05). A noticeable enhancement in enzyme activity was observed when the process parameters including incubation period (48 h), initial pH (5), 0.2% (w/w) urea as nitrogen source and 0.5% (v/w) Tween-80 as a stimulator were further optimized using a 2-factorial Plackett-Burman design.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>From the results it is clear that an overall improvement of more than 35% in terms of net enzyme activity was achieved compared to previously reported studies. This is perhaps the first report dealing with the use of <it>P. notatum </it>for AXE production under batch culture SSF. The Plackett-Burman model terms were found highly significant (<it>HS</it>), suggesting the potential commercial utility of the culture used (df = 3, LSD = 0.126).</p

Flow-Aware Elephant Flow Detection for Software-Defined Networks

Software-defined networking (SDN) separates the network control plane from the packet forwarding plane, which provides comprehensive network-state visibility for better network management and resilience. Traffic classification, particularly for elephant flow detection, can lead to improved flow control and resource provisioning in SDN networks. Existing elephant flow detection techniques use pre-set thresholds that cannot scale with the changes in the traffic concept and distribution. This paper proposes a flow-aware elephant flow detection applied to SDN. The proposed technique employs two classifiers, each respectively on SDN switches and controller, to achieve accurate elephant flow detection efficiently. Moreover, this technique allows sharing the elephant flow classification tasks between the controller and switches. Hence, most mice flows can be filtered in the switches, thus avoiding the need to send large numbers of classification requests and signaling messages to the controller. Experimental findings reveal that the proposed technique outperforms contemporary methods in terms of the running time, accuracy, F-measure, and recall

Prevalence and Exposure Assessment of Aflatoxins Through Black Tea Consumption in the Multan City of Pakistan and the Impact of Tea Making Process on Aflatoxins

Aflatoxins are the highly toxic secondary metabolites of certain fungi, being mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxins are classified as group 1 category carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). A large number of food commodities are reported to be contaminated with aflatoxins. Tea is the world’s second most consumed beverage and the consumption of tea is increasing day by day. Besides being a source of several health promoting substances, tea leaves are also reported to be contaminated with aflatoxins. However, not a single study is reported from Pakistan regarding the level of aflatoxins in commercially available black tea samples. The current study aimed to quantify the level of aflatoxins in commercially available branded and non-branded black tea samples. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of aflatoxins through branded and non-branded black tea consumption and the health risk assessment based on margin of exposure (MOE) approach was assessed. Furthermore, the impact of local tea making processes on the concentration of aflatoxins in tea beverage (filtrate) was also investigated

Synthesis of N'-Substituted-2-(5-(4-Chlorophenyl)-1,3,4- oxadiazol-2-ylthio)acetohydrazide Derivatives as Suitable Antibacterial Agents

Purpose: To evaluate antibacterial activity of a series of molecules bearing 1,3,4-oxadiazole and azomethine moieties.Methods: The 4-chlorobenzoic acid (1) was precursor to N'-substituted-2-(5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,3,4- oxadiazol-2-ylthio)acetohydrazide, 8a-p, through a multistep synthesis of corresponding ester, 2, hydrazide, 3 and 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 4. The molecule, 4, was subjected to electrophilic substitution by ethyl-2-bromoacetate to yield 5 which was stepped to 2-(5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2- ylthio)acetohydrazide (6). The target molecules, 8a-p, were synthesized by nucleophilic addition of 6 to arylaldehydes, 7a-p. The proposed structures of all the synthesized molecules were elucidated by Infra Red (IR), Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR) and Electron Impact Mass Spectrometry (EIMS) spectral data. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by the principle that microbial growth is in a log phase of growth and so results in increased absorbance of broth medium which is observed.Results: The molecule, 8b, was active against S. aureus and 8c against S. typhi only. The molecule, 8p, was the most active against S. typhi with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 10.04 ± 1.25 μM while 8e was active against E. coli with MIC of 9.45 ± 1.00 μM, both relative to the reference standard, ciprofloxacin, which displayed MIC of 9.13 ± 2.00 and 8.90 ± 1.65 μM, respectively.Conclusion: Most of the synthesized molecules exhibit 50 % antibacterial activity relative to the reference. Molecules 8b and 8c are the least active compounds.Keywords: 1,3,4-Oxadiazole, 4-Chlorobenzoic acid, Antibacterial activity, Azomethin

The Role Of Allylanisole In Metallocene-Catalyzed Propylene Polymerization And Synthesis Of End-Capped Oligomers

Propylene was copolymerized with allylanisole (AA) using Me2Si(Ind)(2)ZrCl2 and Et(Ind)(2)ZrCl2, and the methylaluminoxane MAO cocatalyst at 70 degrees C and a cocatalyst to catalyst (Al:Zr) molar ratio of 1000. It was fed at 8.5 bar(g). The weight-average molecular weight, (M) over bar (w), for both metallocenes decreased as the AA feed concentration increased. Therefore, allylanisole acted as an in situ chain transfer agent. The chain transfer constants, k(tr)/k(P), of AA for Et(Ind)(2)ZrCI2 and Me2Si(Ind)(2)ZrCl2 turned out to be 0.33 and 0.40, respectively. The characterization of the resulting products by (HNMR)-H-1 demonstrated that AA end-capped the isotactic poly(propylene) chains which showed to be low molecular weight oligomers; 4.96 x 10(3) <= (M) over bar (w) <= 9.80 x 10(3). An appropriate chain transfer mechanism for AA has been proposed

Evaluation of Antihypertensive Effect of Aqueous Methanol Extract of Caralluma tuberculata N.E.Br in Sprauge Dawley Rats

Purpose: To evaluate the phytochemical profile and antihypertensive effect of Caralluma tuberculata N.E.Br (AMECT).Methods: The antihypertensive effect of the aqueous methanol extract of (AMECT) was evaluated in both normotensive and hypertensive rats. In normotensive rats, various doses (100, 300 and 500 mg/kg body weight, p.o.) were administered at 0, 1, 3 and 6 hr intervals. Anti-hypertensive activity of the crude extract was investigated in three experimental hypertensive models, viz, egg-fed diet, glucose-induced and cadmium-induced hypertensive rats. Cardiovascular parameters, including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean blood pressure (MBP) and heart rate (HR) were measured by tail cuff method using non-invasive blood pressure apparatus (NIBP) attached. AMECT was also investigated for its phytochemical profile.Results: The results indicate that AMECT produced a dose-dependent, significant (p &lt; 0.05) decrease in SBP, DBP, MBP, and HR (p &lt; 0.01) of normotensive rats, when compared to control groups, at all test doses. The 500 mg/kg dose produced a highly significant effect (mm Hg, p &lt; 0.001) in SBP (85.9 ± 7.2), DBP (71.86 ± 12.1), MBP (75.1 ± 11.7) and HR (238.08 ± 8.3 beats/min), in comparison to 100 and 300 mg/kg doses; therefore, 500 mg/kg was selected for antihypertensive test in egg-fed, glucose-induced and cadmium-treated hypertensive rats. Significant (p &lt; 0.05) antihypertensive and negative chronotropic effects were observed in hypertensive models compared to their respective normal controls. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of tannins, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, cardiac glycosides and flavonoids.Conclusion: The findings indicate that Caralluma tuberculata possesses significant anti-hypentensive activity in rats.Keywords: Phytochemical profile, Antihypertensive, Cardiovascular, Caralluma tuberculata N.E.Br, Blood pressur

Synthesis and Evaluation of some New 5-Substituted-1,3,4- oxadiazol-2yl-4-(morpholin-4yl Sulfonyl)benzyl Sulfides as Antibacterial Agent

Purpose: To synthesise a new series of 5-substituted-1,3,4-Oxadiazol-2yl-4-(morpholin-4yl sulfonyl)benzyl sulfide and evaluate their antibacterial activity.Methods: Different organic acids were converted consecutively into corresponding esters, hydrazides and 5-substituted-1,3,4-Oxadiazol-2-thiols (4a-e). The targets, 6a-e were synthesized by stirring 4a-e with 4-(4-(bromomethyl)phenylsulfonyl) morpholine (5) in the presence of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and sodium hydride (NaH). All the structures were elucidated by modern spectroscopic techniques and screened against bacteria using standard procedure and ciprofloxacin drug as positive control.Results: The yield of the synthesized compounds (4a-e and 6a-e) were moderate (65 - 90 %). Compounds 6a-e had antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillis subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus while some had activity against the other bacteria used. One of the compounds, 6b, exhibited significant activity against all the bacterial strains, i.e., S. typhi (-), E. coli (-), K. pneumoniae (-), P. aeruginosa (-), B. subtilis (+) and S. aureus (+) with  MIC (μM) values of 11.01 ± 0.31, 15.37 ± 3.33, 16.11 ± 1.14, 9.70 ± 1.96, 10.01 ± 2.70 and 9.15 ± 0.29, respectively. However, none of the compounds had any inhibitory activity against any bacteria as high as that of ciprofloxacin.Conclusion: Five new compounds with antibacterial activities have been synthesized. Their potential as therapeutic agents is, however, yet to be evaluated.Keywords: 1,3,4-Oxadiazole, Benzyl sulfide, 4-(4-(bromomethyl)phenylsulfonyl)morpholine, Spectral analysis, Antibacterial activit

Antihypertensive Activity of Aqueous-Methanol Extract of Berberis Orthobotrys Bien Ex Aitch in Rats

Purpose: To investigate the hypotensive potential of Berberis orthobotrys Bien Ex Aitch (Family: Berberidaceae) in both normotensive and hypertensive rats.Methods: Aqueous-methanol (70:30) extract of Berberis orthobotrys at doses of 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/kg was evaluated for its effect on blood pressure and heart rate using non-invasive blood pressure measuring apparatus. After initial screening, 100 mg/kg dose that produced a maximum effect was selected for the antihypertensive study. Median lethal dose (LD50) and sub-chronic toxicity of the extract were also determined. Various biochemical parameters and organ weight were measured usingstandard procedures.Results: The extract produced a significant (p &lt; 0.01) decrease in systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean blood pressure (MBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate of normotensive rats at all test doses with maximum effect at 100 mg/kg. Similarly, a significant antihypertensive and negative chronotropic effect was observed in both hypertensive models. LD50 of the extract was 200 mg/kg in mice. The extract also exhibited a reduction (p &lt; 0.05) in serum alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), triglycerides and low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels while a significant (p &lt; 0.05) increase in high density lipoproteins (HDL) level was observed.Conclusion: It seems that the aqueous-methanol extract of Berberis orthobotrys possesses active compounds which may be responsible for the antihypertensive and negative chronotropic effects in rats.Keywords: Berberis orthobotrys, Antihypertensive, Egg feed diet, Blood lipid

Supported ((BuCP)-Bu-N)(2)ZrCl(2)Catalysts: Effects Of Selected Lewis Acid Organotin Silica Surface Modifiers On Ethylene Polymerization

This study investigated the effects of several organotin silica surface modifiers on the ethylene polymerization performance of ((BUCP)-B-n)(2)ZrCl2-based supported catalysts in which MAO and metallocene were sequentially loaded. Each organotin compound acted as a spacer, increasing the catalyst activity. However, the catalyst activity and (M) over bar of the resulting polyethylenes varied as follows: Activity and fractional Sn+ charge: (BuSn)-Bu-n(OH)(2)Cl > MeSnCl3 > (BuSnCl3)-Bu-n > Reference catalyst; and, (M) over bar (w) : Reference catalyst > (BuSnCl3)-Bu-n > MeSnCl3 > (BuSn)-Bu-n(OH)(2)Cl. The above catalyst activity rating was explained considering the influence of the Lewis acidity, that is, the fractional Sn+ charge of the organotin modifiers on the generation, concentration, and electron density at the active [((BUCP)-B-n)(2)ZrMe](+) cation. All the catalysts showed fairly stable kinetic profiles and produced narrow molecular weight distribution resins; 2.8 <= PDI <= 3