Designing Experiential Learning Projects for Teaching Marketing Courses

Business schools are putting more emphasis on the improvement of teaching and learning methods to better prepare their graduates and meet the industry demands. This improvement has been sought through the use of face to face teaching approach blended with industry projects and experiential exercises. This study reports on a similar effort initiated in teaching the international marketing course in an undergraduate business program. An experiment is conducted in which a combination of face to face classroom and experiential learning project is used. Through this experiment, the author describes a semester-long, international marketing project that is structured to elicit active student engagement with international marketing course material and promote hands-on, real-world experience. Students learning enhanced tremendously as reflected in their papers and reports. The managers of the participating firms also appreciated the students’ efforts. The participating firms benefited by getting objective views of some of their international marketing problems and issues

Using the Scanning Fluid Dynamic Gauging Device to Understand the Cleaning of Baked Lard Soiling Layers.

Extended or repeated heating of food fats promotes polymerisation reactions that produce difficult-to-remove soil layers. Cleaning of these baked-on/burnt-on fat deposits was investigated using model layers generated by baking lard on 316 stainless steel discs. Rigorous characterisation of the layer material was difficult, as it was insoluble in most solvents. Cleaning was studied using the scanning fluid dynamic gauging technique developed by Gordon et al. (Meas Sci Technol 21:85-103, 2010), which provides non-contact in situ measurement of layer thickness at several sites on a sample in real time. Tests at 50 [Formula: see text]C with alkali (sodium hydroxide, pH 10.4-11) and three surfactant solutions indicated two removal mechanisms, related to the (1) roll-up and (2) dispersion mechanisms reported for oily oils, namely (1) penetration of solvent at the soil-liquid interface, resulting in detachment of the soil layer as a coherent film, observed with linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acid (LAS) and Triton X-100 and aqueous sodium hydroxide at pH 10.4-11; and (2) the breakdown promoted by the agent penetrating through the layer, observed with cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), in which CTAB antagonised the cleaning action of LAS.An EPSRC studentship for AA and project support from Procter and Gamble Ltd is gratefully acknowledged.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11743-015-1737-

Targeting the Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Receptor in Ewing's Sarcoma: Reality and Expectations

Ewing's sarcoma family of tumours comprises a group of very aggressive diseases that are potentially curable with multimodality treatment. Despite the undoubted success of current treatment, approximately 30% of patients will relapse and ultimately die of disease. The insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) has been implicated in the genesis, growth, proliferation, and the development of metastatic disease in Ewing's sarcoma. In addition, IGF1-R has been validated, both in vitro and in vivo, as a potential therapeutic target in Ewing's sarcoma. Phase I studies of IGF-1R monoclonal antibodies reported several radiological and clinical responses in Ewing's sarcoma patients, and initial reports of several Phase II studies suggest that about a fourth of the patients would benefit from IGF-1R monoclonal antibodies as single therapy, with approximately 10% of patients achieving objective responses. Furthermore, these therapies are well tolerated, and thus far severe toxicity has been rare. Other studies assessing IGF-1R monoclonal antibodies in combination with traditional cytotoxics or other targeted therapies are expected. Despite, the initial promising results, not all patients benefit from IGF-1R inhibition, and consequently, there is an urgent need for the identification of predictive markers of response

Protocol for development of a core outcome set for clinical trials in melasma

INTRODUCTION: Melasma is a pigmentation disorder of the skin. Characterised by brown to gray-brown patches on the face and neck, the condition predominantly affects women and has been associated with pregnancy, hormonal variation and sun exposure. Melasma can be disfiguring and anxiety-provoking, and quality of life is often adversely impacted. Management includes sun protection, laser and energy device therapy, topical and oral skin-bleaching agents and chemical peels. While clinical trials of melasma exist, there is a lack of consistency in reported outcomes, which has been a barrier to the aggregation of data in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. This protocol describes a planned process for development of a minimum set of outcomes (ie, \u27core outcome set\u27) that should be measured in all clinical trials of melasma. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: An exhaustive list of potential outcomes will be extracted from four sources: (1) systematic literature review of outcomes in clinical trials; (2) semistructured patient interviews; (3) brochures, pamphlets, clinical trial registries, and other published and unpublished sources and documentation; and (4) interviews with non-patient, non-physician stakeholders, including federal regulators, industry scientists and non-physician providers. An international two-round Delphi process will then be performed to identify the outcomes deemed most important to patients and physicians. Subsequently, a consensus meeting will be convened to review and process the results, and to vote on a final set of core outcomes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval was provided by the Northwestern University Institutional Review Board (protocol ID: STU00201637). This study is registered with both the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials and Cochrane Skin-Core Outcome Set Initiative initiatives, and this protocol is in accordance with the guidelines for protocol development of both groups. All findings from the study described in this protocol will be disseminated to all stakeholders involved in the development process and will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020214189

Smooth muscle cells affect differential nanoparticle accumulation in disturbed blood flow-induced murine atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a lipid-driven chronic inflammatory disease that leads to the formation of plaques in the inner lining of arteries. Plaques form over a range of phenotypes, the most severe of which is vulnerable to rupture and causes most of the clinically significant events. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of nanoparticles (NPs) to differentiate between two plaque phenotypes based on accumulation kinetics in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. This model uses a perivascular cuff to induce two regions of disturbed wall shear stress (WSS) on the inner lining of the instrumented artery, low (upstream) and multidirectional (downstream), which, in turn, cause the development of an unstable and stable plaque phenotype, respectively. To evaluate the influence of each WSS condition, in addition to the final plaque phenotype, in determining NP uptake, mice were injected with NPs at intermediate and fully developed stages of plaque growth. The kinetics of artery wall uptake were assessed in vivo using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. At the intermediate stage, there was no difference in NP uptake between the two WSS conditions, although both were different from the control arteries. At the fully-developed stage, however, NP uptake was reduced in plaques induced by low WSS, but not multidirectional WSS. Histological evaluation of plaques induced by low WSS revealed a significant inverse correlation between the presence of smooth muscle cells and NP accumulation, particularly at the plaque-lumen interface, which did not exist with other constituents (lipid and collagen) and was not present in plaques induced by multidirectional WSS. These findings demonstrate that NP accumulation can be used to differentiate between unstable and stable murine atherosclerosis, but accumulation kinetics are not directly influenced by the WSS condition. This tool could be used as a diagnostic to evaluate the efficacy of experimental therapeutics for atherosclerosis

Linked randomised controlled trials of face-to-face and electronic brief intervention methods to prevent alcohol related harm in young people aged 14–17 years presenting to Emergency Departments (SIPS junior)

Background: Alcohol is a major global threat to public health. Although the main burden of chronic alcohol-related disease is in adults, its foundations often lie in adolescence. Alcohol consumption and related harm increase steeply from the age of 12 until 20 years. Several trials focusing upon young people have reported significant positive effects of brief interventions on a range of alcohol consumption outcomes. A recent review of reviews also suggests that electronic brief interventions (eBIs) using internet and smartphone technologies may markedly reduce alcohol consumption compared with minimal or no intervention controls. Interventions that target non-drinking youth are known to delay the onset of drinking behaviours. Web based alcohol interventions for adolescents also demonstrate significantly greater reductions in consumption and harm among ‘high-risk’ drinkers; however changes in risk status at follow-up for non-drinkers or low-risk drinkers have not been assessed in controlled trials of brief alcohol interventions

ACCESS: A Visual to Near-infrared Spectrum of the Hot Jupiter WASP-43b with Evidence of H2O\rm H_2O, but no evidence of Na or K

We present a new ground-based visual transmission spectrum of the hot Jupiter WASP-43b, obtained as part of the ACCESS Survey. The spectrum was derived from four transits observed between 2015 and 2018, with combined wavelength coverage between 5,300 \r{A}-9,000 \r{A} and an average photometric precision of 708 ppm in 230 \r{A} bins. We perform an atmospheric retrieval of our transmission spectrum combined with literature HST/WFC3 observations to search for the presence of clouds/hazes as well as Na, K, H$\alpha$, and $\rm H_2O$ planetary absorption and stellar spot contamination over a combined spectral range of 5,318 \r{A}-16,420 \r{A}. We do not detect a statistically significant presence of Na I or K I alkali lines, or H$\alpha$ in the atmosphere of WASP-43b. We find that the observed transmission spectrum can be best explained by a combination of heterogeneities on the photosphere of the host star and a clear planetary atmosphere with $\rm H_2O$. This model yields a log-evidence of $8.26\pm0.42$ higher than a flat (featureless) spectrum. In particular, the observations marginally favor the presence of large, low-contrast spots over the four ACCESS transit epochs with an average covering fraction $f_\text{het} = 0.27^{+0.42}_{-0.16}$ and temperature contrast $\Delta T = 132\text{ K} \pm 132\text{ K}$. Within the planet's atmosphere, we recover a log $\rm H_2O$ volume mixing ratio of $-2.78^{+1.38}_{-1.47}$, which is consistent with previous $\rm H_2O$ abundance determinations for this planet.Comment: 27 pages, 18 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in AJ. Updated affiliation

Effect of a reduction in glomerular filtration rate after nephrectomy on arterial stiffness and central hemodynamics: rationale and design of the EARNEST study

Background: There is strong evidence of an association between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease. To date, however, proof that a reduction in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a causative factor in cardiovascular disease is lacking. Kidney donors comprise a highly screened population without risk factors such as diabetes and inflammation, which invariably confound the association between CKD and cardiovascular disease. There is strong evidence that increased arterial stiffness and left ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis, rather than atherosclerotic disease, mediate the adverse cardiovascular effects of CKD. The expanding practice of live kidney donation provides a unique opportunity to study the cardiovascular effects of an isolated reduction in GFR in a prospective fashion. At the same time, the proposed study will address ongoing safety concerns that persist because most longitudinal outcome studies have been undertaken at single centers and compared donor cohorts with an inappropriately selected control group.<p></p> Hypotheses: The reduction in GFR accompanying uninephrectomy causes (1) a pressure-independent increase in aortic stiffness (aortic pulse wave velocity) and (2) an increase in peripheral and central blood pressure.<p></p> Methods: This is a prospective, multicenter, longitudinal, parallel group study of 440 living kidney donors and 440 healthy controls. All controls will be eligible for living kidney donation using current UK transplant criteria. Investigations will be performed at baseline and repeated at 12 months in the first instance. These include measurement of arterial stiffness using applanation tonometry to determine pulse wave velocity and pulse wave analysis, office blood pressure, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and a series of biomarkers for cardiovascular and bone mineral disease.<p></p> Conclusions: These data will prove valuable by characterizing the direction of causality between cardiovascular and renal disease. This should help inform whether targeting reduced GFR alongside more traditional cardiovascular risk factors is warranted. In addition, this study will contribute important safety data on living kidney donors by providing a longitudinal assessment of well-validated surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease, namely, blood pressure and arterial stiffness. If any adverse effects are detected, these may be potentially reversed with the early introduction of targeted therapy. This should ensure that kidney donors do not come to long-term harm and thereby preserve the ongoing expansion of the living donor transplant program.<p></p&gt