Information security: Listening to the perspective of organisational insiders

Aligned with the strategy-as-practice research tradition, this article investigates how organisational insiders understand and perceive their surrounding information security practices, how they interpret them, and how they turn such interpretations into strategic actions. The study takes a qualitative case study approach, and participants are employees at the Research & Development department of a multinational original brand manufacturer. The article makes an important contribution to organisational information security management. It addresses the behaviour of organisational insiders – a group whose role in the prevention, response and mitigation of information security incidents is critical. The article identifies a set of organisational insiders’ perceived components of effective information security practices (organisational mission statement; common understanding of information security; awareness of threats; knowledge of information security incidents, routines and policy; relationships between employees; circulation of stories; role of punishment provisions; and training), based on which more successful information security strategies can be developed

Parasite assemblages distinguish populations of a migratory passerine on its breeding grounds

Abstract We attempted to establish migratory connectivity patterns for American redstarts Setophaga ruticilla between their breeding and wintering grounds by characterizing the composition of their haematozoan parasite assemblages in different parts of their range. We detected significant but limited geographic structuring of haematozoan parasite lineages across the breeding range of the redstart. We found that redstarts from the south-eastern (SE) region of the breeding range had a significantly different haematozoan parasite assemblage compared with populations sampled throughout the rest of the breeding range. Evidence using stable isotopes from feathers previously demonstrated that redstarts from the SE of the breeding range also have a unique and separate wintering range. Thus, although two methods of estimating migratory connectivity have now both shown the SE US breeding sub-population of redstarts to be distinct from other populations on both the breeding and wintering grounds, conclusive migratory connectivity for this species as a whole could not be established

Protection of early phase hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury by cholinergic agonists

BACKGROUND: Cytokine production is critical in ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. Acetylcholine binds to macrophages and inhibits cytokine synthesis, through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. This study examined the role of the cholinergic pathway in cytokine production and hepatic IR- injury. METHODS: Adult male mice underwent 90-min of partial liver ischemia followed by reperfusion. The AChR agonists (1,1-dimethyl-4-phenyl-L-pioperazinium-iodide [DMPP], and nicotine) or saline-vehicle were administered i.p. before ischemia. Plasma cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, macrophage inflammatory protein-2, and Interleukin-6 were measured. Liver injury was assessed by plasma alanine transaminase (ALT) and liver histopathology. RESULTS: A reperfusion time-dependent hepatocellular injury occurred as was indicated by increased plasma-ALT and histopathology. The injury was associated with marked elevation of plasma cytokines/chemokines. Pre-ischemic treatment of mice with DMPP or nicotine significantly decreased plasma-ALT and cytokines after 3 h of reperfusion. After 6 h of reperfusion, the protective effect of DMPP decreased and reached a negligible level by 24 h of reperfusion, despite significantly low levels of plasma cytokines. Histopathology showed markedly diminished hepatocellular injury in DMPP- and nicotine-pretreated mice during the early-phase of hepatic-IR, which reached a level comparable to saline-treated mice at late-phase of IR. CONCLUSION: Pharmacological modulation of the cholinergic pathway provides a means to modulate cytokine production and to delay IR-induced heaptocellular injury

Targeting neuroinflammation for therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative pathologies: A role for the peptide analogue of thymulin (PAT)

Introduction: Inflammation has a vital task in protecting the organism, but when deregulated, it can have serious pathological consequences. The central nervous system (CNS) is capable of mounting immune and inflammatory responses, albeit different from that observed in the periphery. Neuroinflammation, however, can be a major contributor to neurodegenerative diseases and constitute a major challenge for medicine and basic research. Areas covered: Both innate and adaptive immune responses normally play an important role in homeostasis within the CNS. Microglia, astrocytes and neuronal cells express a wide array of toll-like receptors (TLR) that can be upregulated by infection, trauma, injuries and various exogenic or endogenic factors. Chronic hyper activation of brain immune cells can result in neurotoxic actions due to excessive production of several pro-inflammatory mediators. Several studies have recently described an important role for targeting receptors such as nicotinic receptors located on cells in the CNS or in other tissues for the control of inflammation. Expert opinion: Thymulin and its synthetic peptide analogue (PAT) appear to exert potent anti-inflammatory effects at the level of peripheral tissues as well as at the level of the brain. This effect involves, at least partially, the activation of cholinergic mechanisms. © 2012 Informa UK, Ltd

ВПЛИВ МАГНІТНОГО ПОЛЯ НА СИЛИ ОСЦИЛЯТОРІВ МІЖЗОННИХ КВАНТОВИХ ПЕРЕХОДІВ У ДВОЯМНІЙ СФЕРИЧНІЙ КВАНТОВІЙ ТОЧЦІ

In the frame of effective masses and finite rectangular potential barriers there are calculated the energy spectra and densities of the electron and the hole in the semiconductor spherical quantum dotquantum well (QDQW) in magnetic field. The investigations are performed using the method of quasiparticles wave functions (WFs) expansion on the basis of WFs in the QDQW without the magnetic field. The effect of magnetic field on the energy spectra and the densities of electron and hole is studied for the nanosystem CdSe/ZnS/CdSe/ZnS. The dependences of quasi-particles energy spectra on the magnetic field induction are obtained. It is shown that under the influence of magnetic field the quasiparticles in the ground state can tunnel through potential barrier from the outer potential well into the inner one. For the electron and hole that phenomenon takes place at different values of the induction of magnetic field which in turn depicts on the oscillator strengths of the interband quantum transitions. The dependences of the oscillator strengths of interband quantum transition between the ground states of the electron and the hole in the QDQWs with different sizes of the inner potential well on magnetic field induction are calculated. Different character of obtained dependences are caused by various localization of the quasi-particles in the nanosystem layers.В приближении эффективных масс и модели конечных прямоугольных потенциальных барьеров выполнены расчеты энергетических спектров и распределений вероятностей нахождения электрона и дырки в сферической полупроводниковой квантовой-точке-квантовой-яме (КТКЯ), помещенной в однородное магнитное поле. Исследования выполнены методом разложения волновых функций квазичастиц на базисе волновых функций в КТКЯ без магнитного поля. Исследовано влияние магнитного поля на энергетический спектр и локализацию электрона и дырки в наносистеме CdSe/ZnS/CdSe/ZnS. Построены зависимости энергетических спектров квазичастиц от индукции магнитного поля. Показано, что под влиянием магнитного поля квазичастицы в основном состоянии могут туннелировать через маломощный потенциальный барьер с внешней потенциальной ямы во внутреннюю, причем для электрона и дырки это происходит при различных значениях индукции магнитного поля, что отражается на силах осцилляторов междузонных квантовых переходов. Рассчитано зависимости сил осцилляторов межзонного квантового перехода между основными состояниями электрона и дырки от индукции магнитного поля в наносистемах с различными размерами внутренней потенциальной ямы. Разный характер полученных зависимостей обусловлен различным расположениями квазичастиц в слоях наносистемы.У наближенні ефективних мас та моделі скінченних прямокутних потенціальних бар’єрів виконано розрахунки енергетичних спектрів та розподілів ймовірностей знаходження електрона та дірки в сферичній напівпровідниковій квантовій-точці-квантовій-ямі (КТКЯ), поміщеній в однорідне магнітне поле. Дослідження виконані методом розкладу хвильових функцій (ХФ) квазічастинок на базисі ХФ в КТКЯ без магнітного поля.Досліджено вплив магнітного поля на енергетичний спектр і локалізацію електрона та дірки в наносистемі CdSe/ZnS/CdSe/ZnS. Побудовано залежності енергетичних спектрів квазічастинок від індукції магнітного поля. Показано, що під впливом магнітного поля квазічастинки в основному стані можуть тунелювати крізь малопотужний потенціальний бар’єр із зовнішньої потенціальної ями у внутрішню, при чому для електрона та дірки це відбувається при різних значеннях індукції магнітного поля, що відображається на силах осциляторів міжзонних квантових переходів.Розраховано залежності сил осциляторів міжзонного квантового переходу між основними станами електрона та дірки від індукції магнітного поля в наносистемах з різними розмірами внутрішньої потенціальної ями. Різний характер отриманих залежностей обумовлений різним розташуванням квазічастинок у шарах наносистеми

Clonal Vegetation Patterns Mediate Shoreline Erosion

Understanding processes governing coastal erosion is becoming increasingly urgent because highly valued ecosystems like salt marshes are being lost at accelerating rates. Here we examine the role of biotic interactions in mediating marsh shoreline erosion under wind wave forces. We parameterized analytical and cellular automata models with field data to assess how soil heterogeneity among clonal patches of an ecosystem engineer mediates spatiotemporal patterns of marsh shoreline erosion. We found that spatial heterogeneity accelerates erosion, especially when it is organized in patches of intermediate size. Patch size also mediated interannual variability in erosion and strongly controlled shoreline roughness. Our results indicate that shoreline roughness can be diagnostic of internal biological structure and spatiotemporal variability in erosion. Hence, measures of shoreline roughness may inform the timeframe and spatial extent needed to accurately monitor erosion. These findings highlight how the physical response of marsh shorelines to wind wave erosion is a function of landscape ecology