1,188 research outputs found
Leading Virtual Teams.
Virtual teams, whose members are geographically dispersed and cross-functional yet work on highly interdependent tasks, present unique leadership challenges. Based on our observations, interviews,..
Pharmacological strategies to reduce anthracycline-associated cardiotoxicity in cancer patients.
INTRODUCTION: Anthracycline chemotherapeutic agents are widely used in the treatment of hematological and solid tumors, working principally through DNA intercalation and topoisomerase II inhibition. However, they are also well known to have cardiotoxic sequelae, commonly denoted as a reduction in ejection fraction. Drug-associated cardiotoxicity remains a significant limiting factor in the use of anthracyclines. AREAS COVERED: In this review, we explore the potential mechanisms of anthracycline-associated cardiotoxicity, identifying high-risk cohorts and approaches to cardiovascular monitoring. The mechanisms through which cardiotoxicity occurs are complex and diverse, ultimately leading to increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and subsequent cellular apoptosis. Many of the cardiotoxic effects of anthracyclines exhibit a dose-dependent cumulative relationship and are more apparent in patients with previously existing cardiovascular risk factors. Long-term cardiovascular monitoring and optimization of risk factors, prior to commencing treatment as well as beyond the time of treatment, is therefore essential. EXPERT OPINION: We discuss some of the pharmacological strategies proposed to mitigate anthracycline-associated cardiotoxicity as well as prevention strategies to reduce the burden of coexisting cardiovascular risk factors. We highlight methods of early detection of patient cohorts who are at increased risk of developing anthracycline-associated cardiotoxicity and identify potential avenues for further research
Phase Transitions of Charged Scalars at Finite Temperature and Chemical Potential
We calculate the grand canonical partition function at the one-loop level for
scalar quantum electrodynamics at finite temperature and chemical potential. A
classical background charge density with a charge opposite that of the scalars
ensures the neutrality of the system. For low density systems we find evidence
of a first order phase transition. We find upper and lower bounds on the
transition temperature below which the charged scalars form a condensate. A
first order phase transition may have consequences for helium-core white dwarf
stars in which it has been argued that such a condensate of charged helium-4
nuclei could exist.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures. Version accepted for publication in JHE
THE IMPACT OF TEAM EMPOWERMENT ON VIRTUAL TEAM PERFORMANCE: THE MODERATING ROLE OF FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION.
We investigated the relationship between team empowerment and virtual team performance and the moderating role of the extent of face-to-face interaction using 35 sales and service virtual teams in a high-technology organization. Team empowerment was positively related to two independent assessments of virtual team performance--process improvement and customer satisfaction. Further, the number of face-to-face meetings moderated the relationship between team empowerment and process improvement: team empowerment was a stronger predictor for teams that met face-to-face less, rather than more, frequently
A multilevel study of leadership, empowerment, and performance in teams.
A multilevel model of leadership, empowerment, and performance was tested using a sample of 62 teams, 445 individual members, 62 team leaders, and 31 external managers from 31 stores of a Fortune 500 company. Leader-member exchange and leadership climate related differently to individual and team empowerment and interacted to influence individual empowerment. Also, several relationships were supported in more but not in less interdependent teams. Specifically, leader-member exchange related to individual performance partially through individual empowerment; leadership climate related to team performance partially through team empowerment; team empowerment moderated the relationship between individual empowerment and performance; and individual performance was positively related to team performance. Contributions to team leadership theory, research, and practices are discussed. Keywords: teams, leadership, motivation, multilevel, performance As a result of the widespread move to team-based organizations in industry, managers are often asked to lead and motivate not only individuals but also teams as a whole Perhaps owing to these same trends in industry, researchers have primarily focused their efforts at the team level of analysis without considering important individual-level processes in team contexts Accordingly, the main purpose of our study was to extend previous research and answer these theoretically and practically relevant calls for multilevel team leadership and motivation research. We do so by examining team leader behaviors and employee motivation simultaneously at both the individual and team levels of analysis. In particular, we develop and test a multilevel model of leadership and motivation through the lens of employee empowerment, a motivational concept that, over the last two de
Spatially extended K I 7699 emission in the nebula of VY CMa: Kinematics and geometry
Long-slit echelle spectra reveal bright extended emission from the K I
lambda7699 resonance line in the reflection nebula surrounding the extreme red
supergiant VY Canis Majoris. The central star has long been known for its
unusually-bright K I emission lines, but this is the first report of intrinsic
emission from K I in the nebula. The extended emission is not just a reflected
spectrum of the star, but is due to resonant scattering by K atoms in the outer
nebula itself, and is therefore a valuable probe of the kinematics and geometry
of VY CMa's circumstellar environment. Dramatic velocity structure is seen in
the long-slit spectra, and most lines of sight intersect multiple distinct
velocity components. A faint ``halo'' at large distances from the star does
appear to show a reflected spectrum, however, and suggests a systemic velocity
of +40 km/s with respect to the Sun. The most striking feature is blueshifted
emission from the filled interior of a large shell seen in images; the
kinematic structure is reminiscent of a Hubble flow, and provides strong
evidence for asymmetric and episodic mass loss due to localized eruptions on
the star's surface.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Accepted MNRAS. Updated version with minor
change
Thermodynamics of Non-Topological Solitons
In theories with low energy supersymmetry breaking, the effective potential
for squarks and sleptons has generically nearly flat directions, V(phi) ~ M^4
(log(phi/M))^n. This guarantees the existence of stable non-topological
solitons, Q-balls, that carry large baryon number, B >> (M/m_p)^4, where m_p is
the proton mass. We study the behaviour of these objects in a high temperature
plasma. We show that in an infinitely extended system with a finite density of
the baryon charge, the equilibrium state is not homogeneous and contains
Q-balls at any temperature. In a system with a finite volume, Q-balls evaporate
at a volume dependent temperature. In the cosmological context, we formulate
the conditions under which Q-balls, produced in the Early Universe, survive
till the present time. Finally, we estimate the baryon to cold dark matter
ratio in a cosmological scenario in which Q-balls are responsible for both the
net baryon number of the Universe and its dark matter. We find out naturally
the correct orders of magnitude for M ~ 1...10 TeV: \eta ~ 10^{-10}
(M/TeV)^{-2} (B/10^{26})^{-1/2}.Comment: 31 pages, 5 figure
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Cardiovascular disease: The effect of erectile dysfunction on adherence to cardiovascular disease medication
Due to their similar aetiologies, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and erectile dysfunction (ED) are closely linked, with the prevalence of ED being approximately 75% for individuals at high risk of CVD. ED can have a detrimental effect on quality of life not only for the individual but also his sexual partner which in turn impacts upon their intimate relationship. Some CVD medications have been found to have a negative effect on erectile function and therefore act as an influential factor for the cessation of important CVD medication. Low adherence to CVD medication has been linked to increased health costs, hospitalizations and importantly, a higher risk of mortality. Research has shown that men find it difficult to seek medical help in relation to ED which is also compounded by the notion that health care providers do not address sexual issues adequately. Patients' beliefs about CVD medication are modifiable and therefore an opportunity exists not only for health care providers to facilitate discussions in relation to ED and medication adherence but also encompass an opportunity to increase adherence to CVD medication through intervention
Q-ball dynamics from atomic Bose-Einstein condensates
Relativistic scalar field theories with a conserved global charge Q possess
often (meta)stable spherically symmetric soliton solutions, called Q-balls. We
elaborate on the perfect formal analogy which exists between Q-balls, and
spherically symmetric solitons in certain non-relativistic atomic Bose-Einstein
condensates, for which the dominant interatomic interaction can be tuned
attractive. In a harmonic trap, present in existing experiments, the Q-ball
solution is modified in an essential way. If the trap is significantly
prolongated in one direction, however, then genuine solitons do appear, and
actual experimental data can be obtained for some of the Q-ball properties
studied numerically in the relativistic cosmological context, such as their
formation and collisions. We also suggest conditions under which the same
cosmologically relevant analogies could be extended to the fully
three-dimensional case.Comment: 16 pages. v2: clarifications and references adde
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