Cardiac Specific Gene Expression Changes in Long Term Culture of Murine Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Murine MSCs are a readily available source of adult stem cells enabling extensive in vitro study of this cell population. MSCs have been described as multipotent, and have been proven capable of differentiation into several connective tissue types. Furthermore some studies have suggested an ability to differentiate into non-connective tissue cell types such as the cardiomyocyte. The aim of this study was to differentiate murine MSCs toward cardiac lineage with the commonly used method of culture with 5’ Azacytidine. Critically, baseline analysis of gene expression of passage four MSCs demonstrated expression of key cardiac markers including cardiac troponin T and I, and the ryanodine receptor. Furthermore, expression analysis of these genes changed with time in culture and passage number. However, there was no significant alteration when cells were subjected to a differentiation protocol. This study therefore highlights the importance of analyzing baseline cells extensively, and indicates the limitations in extrapolating data for comparison between species. Furthermore this data brings into question the efficacy of cardiac differentiation using MSCs

Value creation and change in social structures: the role of entrepreneurial innovation from an emergence perspective

Aim: Our aim is to develop a more complete understanding of how processes that entrepreneurs perform interact with wider society and the causal effects of society on entrepreneurial behaviour and vice versa. We aim to show how entrepreneurial agency is put into effect in relation to the disruption of social structure and social change. This has implications for innovation and entrepreneurship policy and practice, and for entrepreneurship theory. We also investigate the role of ‘value’ in these processes. Contribution to the literature Our central argument is that emergent forms (or ‘emergents’) may be short lived (ephemeral) but have causal power on the performance of the actors in the system of inter-relationships in the innovation ecosystem. The emphasis on inter-related social processes and ontological stratification provides theoretical development of extant entrepreneurship theory on new venture creation (by explaining process), effectuation (by linking individualism and holism) and opportunity recognition (by deconstructing opportunity into anticipation, ontology and process). Methodology The paper takes an 'emergence' perspective as a way to understand entrepreneurial processes that give rise to innovation. The anticipation of value and the inter-relationship with social and organisational structures are fundamental to this perspective. A longitudinal analysis of a case study of the development of a new business model within an entrepreneurial firm is described. The case is followed through seven phases in which the relationship between process and emergent ontological status is shown to have destabilising and stabilising effects which produce emergent properties. Results and Implications One methodological contribution is framing how to conceptualise the empirical evidence. Emergents have causal effects on the anticipations of value inherent in their particular system of innovation. This causality is manifest as the attraction of resource in the firm; the stabilisation of the emergent constitutes strategy in the enterprise. A key role of the entrepreneurs in our case study was the creation and maintenance of evolving ontological materiality, as meaningful to themselves and to those with whom they interacted. In simple terms, they made things meaningful to people who mattered

Poverty, caring and older age

Due to the high incidence of disability amongst their contemporaries, older people are likely to be involved in informal caring relationships. Due to the limited nature of post-retirement incomes, such carers are also likely to be relatively poor. In spite of this, little attention has been given to the role of older carers of disabled people or to the influence of poverty upon this role. It is therefore the purpose of this paper to help to redress this neglect by examining the influence of material circumstances on the role of older carers aged over sixty. With this aim in mind a sample of 34 older co-resident carers were asked a series of questions relating to their access to resources and their caring role

The psychological perspective on religious experience

It might be expected that those concerned with psychology and religion would have a lot in common: both are concerned with understanding human life and finding how to live it better. However, it turns out that each side knows very little about the other, and what they think they know is often wrong. Some kinds of psychology in the past have been definitely anti-religious, as in the case of ‘behaviourism', which is now extinct since all psychologists now recognise the importance of cognitive processes and even consciousness. There is also the fear that psychology will try to explain religion away in entirely human terms

Person centred dementia care: problems and possibilities

Purpose Dementia care is an issue of increasing policy focus, with person centred approaches becoming synonymous with quality provision in this area. However, the implementation and efficacy of this approach is difficult to measure and there are still huge variations in working practices, with task centred approaches traditionally predominating over more holistic forms of care. In order to address these issues the procedure of dementia care mapping has been developed, which aims to assess the wellbeing of people with dementia and other vulnerable groups through the observation of communal activities. This article aims to critically assess the implementation of a person centred approach. Design/methodology/approach – With the use of dementia care mapping, this article assesses the implementation of a person centred approach with a group of care home residents. All were female, their ages ranged from 77 to 92. Findings – It is shown that while participants potentially experienced many benefits from person centred approaches and the social engagement and integration that derived from this, its efficacy and impact was undermined by contextual factors such as staff shortages. Originality/value – In order that contextual factors are recognised and addressed, practice should transcend its focus on the promotion of individual wellbeing and address the wider group and social contexts which can facilitate or prevent its fulfilment

Statistical analysis of child growth data

The study of child growth is complex. There are many clinical questions to answer but not necessarily the statistical methodology to deal with these questions. Human growth begins at conception and continues into adult life. In chapter 1 we discuss the characteristics of the growth process from conception to maturity and the purpose of growth monitoring. In chapter 2 we summarise the mathematical approaches to growth data. In chapter 3 we summarise the approaches that have been used to detect growth faltering. In this chapter we introduce the conditional gain Z-score. The data set analysed within this thesis is from the Newcastle growth and development study. In infancy we have routine weights of 3415 term infants. A sub-sample of these infants were followed-up at 7-9 years as part of a research study. These children belonged to three subgroups: cases were children that were defined as failing to thrive in infancy, controls were matched to cases and a 20% systematic sample. The school entry data of the sub-sample followed at 7-9 years were retrieved from school health records. In chapter 4 we carry out a preliminary analysis of the routine infancy weight Z-scores. The infancy data provided the opportunity to generate the correlation structure of routine weight Z-scores in infancy. In chapter 5 we develop a model for this correlation structure. In chapter 7 we explore patterns in the conditional weight gain Z-scores and also suggest some alternative criteria for identifying growth faltering in infancy. In chapters 6, 8 and 9 we analyse the anthropometric data obtained at follow-up and school entry. In childhood, the conditional gain Z-score is used to contrast height with mid-parental height and height at follow-up with height at school entry. The anthropometric data of the case and control children will be compared