High modal number and triple trisomies are highly correlated favorable factors in childhood B-cell precursor high hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated according to the NOPHO ALL 1992/2000 protocols.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files. This article is open access.Between 1992 and 2008, 713 high hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemias in children aged 1-15 years were diagnosed and treated according to the Nordic Society for Pediatric Hematology and Oncology acute lymphoblastic leukemia 1992/2000 protocols. Twenty (2.8%) harbored t(1;19), t(9;22), der(11q23), or t(12;21). The median age of patients with "classic" high hyperdiploidy was lower than that of patients with translocation-positive high hyperdiploidy (P53/55 (P=0.020/0.024). In multivariate analyses, modal number and triple trisomies were significantly associated with superior event-free survival in separate analyses with age and white blood cell counts. When including both modal numbers and triple trisomies, only low white blood cell counts were significantly associated with superior event-free survival (P=0.009). We conclude that high modal chromosome numbers and triple trisomies are highly correlated prognostic factors and that these two parameters identify the same subgroup of patients characterized by a particularly favorable outcome.Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation Swedish Cancer Society Swedish Research Counci

Approximation of the critical buckling factor for composite panels

This article is concerned with the approximation of the critical buckling factor for thin composite plates. A new method to improve the approximation of this critical factor is applied based on its behavior with respect to lamination parameters and loading conditions. This method allows accurate approximation of the critical buckling factor for non-orthotropic laminates under complex combined loadings (including shear loading). The influence of the stacking sequence and loading conditions is extensively studied as well as properties of the critical buckling factor behavior (e.g concavity over tensor D or out-of-plane lamination parameters). Moreover, the critical buckling factor is numerically shown to be piecewise linear for orthotropic laminates under combined loading whenever shear remains low and it is also shown to be piecewise continuous in the general case. Based on the numerically observed behavior, a new scheme for the approximation is applied that separates each buckling mode and builds linear, polynomial or rational regressions for each mode. Results of this approach and applications to structural optimization are presented

A terminal assessment of stages theory : introducing a dynamic states approach to entrepreneurship

Stages of Growth models were the most frequent theoretical approach to understanding entrepreneurial business growth from 1962 to 2006; they built on the growth imperative and developmental models of that time. An analysis of the universe of such models (N=104) published in the management literature shows no consensus on basic constructs of the approach, nor is there any empirical confirmations of stages theory. However, by changing two propositions of the stages models, a new dynamic states approach is derived. The dynamic states approach has far greater explanatory power than its precursor, and is compatible with leading edge research in entrepreneurship

Systematic bioinformatic analysis of expression levels of 17,330 human genes across 9,783 samples from 175 types of healthy and pathological tissues

Our knowledge on tissue- and disease-specific functions of human genes is rather limited and highly context-specific. Here, we have developed a method for the comparison of mRNA expression levels of most human genes across 9,783 Affymetrix gene expression array experiments representing 43 normal human tissue types, 68 cancer types, and 64 other diseases. This database of gene expression patterns in normal human tissues and pathological conditions covers 113 million datapoints and is available from the GeneSapiens website

Varieties of export-oriented entrepreneurship in Asia

This paper explores differences in the proportion of export-oriented early-stage entrepreneurial activity in 12 Asian countries. Drawing on varieties of capitalism theory, we find that Asian countries with high quality institutions are more likely to have higher proportions of young export-oriented firms. However, analysis on a 51 country data set indicates that Asian countries have significantly fewer young export-oriented firms than do non-Asian countries. Furthermore, the multi-country study reveals that countries with higher proportions of export-oriented entrepreneurial activity tend to have flexible industrial relations, high quality vocational training, and confrontational labor-employer relations, however the proportion of export-oriented new ventures is not related to the quality of corporate governance and inter-firm relations

The Occurrence and Spreading of Paranasal Sinus Changes among Critically Ill Patients Undergoing Invasive Ventilation : An Observational Cohort Study

AbstractBackground: The development of ventilator-associated pneumonia could be prevented in the nasotracheally intubated patients by a systematic search for and treatment of nosocomial sinusitis. However, the spreading of paranasal sinus changes with time is poorly defined.Purpose: To evaluate the occurrence and spreading of paranasal sinus changes among critically ill patients undergoing invasive ventilation in order to evaluate the association between paranasal changes and Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-related outcomes.Material and methods: This prospective, observational, single-center cohort study was conducted in a single tertiary-level teaching hospital in Finland during 2014–2015. All invasively ventilated adult patients referred for head computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans from October 2014 to June 2015 were eligible for enrolment and monitored daily until discharge from the ICU or death. Results: During the study period, 6.8% (5.7 per 1,000 patient days) of patients had major findings in their maxillary, 20.3% (18.5 per 1,000 patient days) in sphenoidal, 6.8% (5.7 per 1,000 patient days) in ethmoidal, and 3.4% (2.9 per 1,000 patient days) in frontal sinuses. The spreading of paranasal sinus changes doubled in time. In addition, radiographically proved accumulation of fluid was within 39.0%, 35.6%, and 8.6% of maxillary, sphenoidal, and frontal sinuses, respectively. We found no association between ICU-related outcomes and paranasal sinus changes.Conclusion: Paranasal sinus changes were common and progressive among critically ill patients undergoing invasive ventilation, without unfavourable impact on ICU-related outcomes. Abstract Background: The development of ventilator-associated pneumonia could be prevented in the nasotracheally intubated patients by a systematic search for and treatment of nosocomial sinusitis. However, the spreading of paranasal sinus changes with time is poorly defined. Purpose: To evaluate the occurrence and spreading of paranasal sinus changes among critically ill patients undergoing invasive ventilation in order to evaluate the association between paranasal changes and Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-related outcomes. Material and methods: This prospective, observational, single-center cohort study was conducted in a single tertiary-level teaching hospital in Finland during 2014–2015. All invasively ventilated adult patients referred for head computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans from October 2014 to June 2015 were eligible for enrolment and monitored daily until discharge from the ICU or death. Results: During the study period, 6.8% (5.7 per 1,000 patient days) of patients had major findings in their maxillary, 20.3% (18.5 per 1,000 patient days) in sphenoidal, 6.8% (5.7 per 1,000 patient days) in ethmoidal, and 3.4% (2.9 per 1,000 patient days) in frontal sinuses. The spreading of paranasal sinus changes doubled in time. In addition, radiographically proved accumulation of fluid was within 39.0%, 35.6%, and 8.6% of maxillary, sphenoidal, and frontal sinuses, respectively. We found no association between ICU-related outcomes and paranasal sinus changes. Conclusion: Paranasal sinus changes were common and progressive among critically ill patients undergoing invasive ventilation, without unfavourable impact on ICU-related outcomes

Innovation Practices in Emerging Economies: Do University Partnerships Matter?

Enterprises’ resources and capabilities determine their ability to achieve competitive advantage. In this regard, the key innovation challenges that enterprises face are liabilities associated with their age and size, and the entry barriers imposed on them. In this line, a growing number of enterprises are starting to implement innovation practices in which they employ both internal/external flows of knowledge in order to explore/exploit innovation in collaboration with commercial or scientific agents. Within this context, universities play a significant role providing fertile knowledge-intensive environments to support the exploration and exploitation of innovative and entrepreneurial ideas, especially in emerging economies, where governments have created subsidies to promote enterprise innovation through compulsory university partnerships. Based on these ideas, the purpose of this exploratory research is to provide a better understanding about the role of universities on enterprises’ innovation practices in emerging economies. More concretely, in the context of Mexico, we explored the enterprises’ motivations to collaborate with universities in terms of innovation purposes (exploration and exploitation) or alternatives to access to public funds (compulsory requirement of being involved in a university partnership). Using a sample of 10,167 Mexican enterprises in the 2012 Research and Technological Development Survey collected by the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography, we tested a multinomial regression model. Our results provide insights about the relevant role of universities inside enterprises’ exploratory innovation practices, as well as, in the access of R&D research subsidies

Looking inside the spiky bits : a critical review and conceptualisation of entrepreneurial ecosystems

The authors wish to thank the Organisational for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for funding their original research on entrepreneurial ecosystems.The concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems has quickly established itself as one of the latest ‘fads’ in entrepreneurship research. At face value, this kind of systemic approach to entrepreneurship offers a new and distinctive path for scholars and policy makers to help understand and foster growth-oriented entrepreneurship. However, its lack of specification and conceptual limitations has undoubtedly hindered our understanding of these complex organisms. Indeed, the rapid adoption of the concept has tended to overlook the heterogeneous nature of ecosystems. This paper provides a critical review and conceptualisation of the ecosystems concept: it unpacks the dynamics of the concept; outlines its theoretical limitations; measurement approaches and use in policy-making. It sets out a preliminary taxonomy of different archetypal ecosystems. The paper concludes that entrepreneurial ecosystems are a highly variegated, multi-actor and multi-scalar phenomenon, requiring bespoke policy interventions.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Encouraging female entrepreneurship in Jordan: environmental factors, obstacles and challenges

The number of female entrepreneurs and their contribution to the economy is steadily rising. Yet research suggests that female entrepreneurs face more challenges and barriers than their male counterparts. This is expected to be even more prevalent in Islamic contexts, which are characterised by conservative and patriarchal societies. In this research, 254 female business students from a private and a public university responded to a questionnaire that gauges their perceptions about potential barriers to entrepreneurship in Jordan and whether the business education they are receiving helps to prepare them for future entrepreneurial activity. Our results help to form a basis on which a deeper understanding of the phenomena can be achieved through more in depth future research. Among the main environmental factors that worry potential female entrepreneurs are the weakness of Jordanian economy, lack of finance, fear of risk, gender inequality and inability to maintain a work and private life balance. Our results also show that students are really not aware of the opportunities available to them and are unable to make a proper assessment. We call on both universities and the Jordanian government to put more emphasis on practical entrepreneurial education and encouraging women to play a much more active role within the workforce