Effect of dietary virgin olive oil on infarct volume and brain ceramide, cerebroside and phosphatidylcholine levels in rat stroke model

زمینه و هدف: سکته مغزی سومین عامل مرگ و میر در کشورهای صنعتی بعد از بیماری های قلبی- عروقی و سرطان است. این مطالعه با هدف بررسی ارتباط بین اثر روغن زیتون بکر بر سطح لیپیدهای مغزی و کاهش حجم سکته مغزی در مدل سکته مغزی موش صحرایی انجام گرفت. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه تجربی از 5 گروه 12 تایی موش صحرایی نر استفاده شد. این گروه ها شامل کنترل، شم و سه گروه آزمایشی بودند که دوزهای 25/0، 5/0 و 75/0 میلی لیتر بر کیلوگرم وزن بدن روغن زیتون بکر را به صورت خوراکی از طریق گاواژ به مدت 30 روز دریافت نمودند. دو گروه کنترل و شم آب مقطر دریافت کردند. دو ساعت بعد از آخرین دوز گاواژ شده هر گروه 12 تایی به دو زیر گروه تقسیم شدند. زیر گروه (middle cerebral artery occlusion)MCAO، به منظور اندازه گیری حجم سکته مغزی و زیر گروه دیگر برای آنالیز لیپیدهای مغزی استفاده شد. داده ها با استفاده از آزمون های ANOVA و تست تعقیبی LSDو آزمون ضریب همبستگی پیرسون تجزیه و تحلیل شدند. یافته ها: پیش تیمار با روغن زیتون بکر خوراکی با دوز 5/0 و 75/0 میلی لیتر بر کیلوگرم در روز باعث افزایش سطح فسفاتیدیل کولین بافت مغز گردید (05/0

Relationship between dietary virgin olive oil on brain cholesterol, cholesteryl ester and triglyceride levels and blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability in a rat stroke model

Introduction: Recent studies suggest that dietary virgin olive oil (VOO) reduces hypoxia-re oxygenation injury in rat brain. We have attempted to determine the effect of dietary virgin olive oil on brain lipidomics and its relationship with brain edema in a rat stroke model. Methods: Five groups, each consisting of 6 male Wistar rats, were studied. The first and second groups (control and sham) received distilled water, while three treatment groups received oral VOO for 30 days (0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 ml/kg/day, respectively). Two hours after the last dose, each main group was subdivided into middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-operated and intact subgroups for assessment of neuropathology (blood brain barrier permeability) and brain lipid analysis. Results: VOO increased the brain cholesteryl ester and cholesterol levels in doses of 0.5 and 0.75 ml/kg/day. VOO in all three doses increased the brain triglyceride levels (p<0.05). Oral administration of VOO reduces infarct volume, brain edema, blood brain barrier permeability, after transient MCAO in rats. Conclusion: Although further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms of ischemic tolerance, VOO is partly associated with increased levels of brain cholesteryl ester, cholesterol and triglyceride in rats

Network positioning and risk perception in servitization:evidence from the UK road transport industry

For manufacturing firms, the integration of advanced services into their customer offerings has become a crucial decision. Such commercial decisions require weighting the risks and rewards of implementing a business model based on advanced services. While academic experts acknowledge uncertainty of returns on investment despite potential advantages, research generally fails to address the challenge of calculating the actual risks involved in ‘servitization’. This paper seeks better understanding of managers’ risk perception and of servitization implications for strategic partnerships and network positioning, while considering the impact of factors such as entry barriers, technological knowledge and position in the supply chain (SC). Qualitative evidence is drawn from an industrial case study involving firms in the UK’s road transport industry: fourteen in-depth interviews with senior executives from seven companies (manufacturers, operators, technology providers). During interviews, a payment card exercise measured risk perception and willingness to take strategic ‘make-or-buy’ decisions. Results suggest that implementing advanced services is perceived as a high-risk strategy, especially when firms lack in-house technological knowledge. However, collaborative strategic partnerships within supply chain networks can mitigate this risk and prove crucial to building entry barriers against external competitors. Based on these findings, implications for network positioning are developed

Servitization and competitive advantage:the importance of organizational structure and value chain position

Servitization represents a business-model change and organizational transformation from selling goods to selling an integrated combination of goods and services. Competitive advantage is one outcome of this shift. During servitization, companies follow stages to realize services as an opportunity to differentiate from goods and achieve higher customer satisfaction. This study analyzes this transition from base, intermediate, and advanced services by presenting results from 102 senior executives in multinational companies. Our results suggest increasing interest in service-led strategies in manufacturing companies. The results also show that increasing differentiation and high customer satisfaction are fundamental to achieving competitive advantage and superior performance with services. The analysis also indicates the importance of a company’s position in the value chain and the organizational structure it selects to support services in successful servitization

Organisational change towards servitization:a theoretical framework

Purpose: The need for a holistic framework for studying organisational transformation towards Servitization is implicit. This is particularly relevant as Servitization demands consideration of both business model and organisational change. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to provide an integrative framework that systematically captures and evaluate existing literature on Servitization. Design/methodology/approach: The aim of the paper has been achieved through three main objectives; comprehensively examine the literature in organisational change management that would assist with the selection of the most effective evaluation framework, classify previous studies against the proposed framework through a systematic literature review methodology and analyse the selected papers and propose research questions/propositions based on the identified gaps. Findings: Results indicate that there are two somewhat macro opportunities for the Servitization community, namely, stronger infusion of generic theory into the Servitization debate and exploring Servitization in action through the lens of the theoretical framework. Practical implications: The findings of the paper demonstrate the gaps in the Servitization literature, which indeed require further theoretical/empirical research. Originality/value: It is discussed the usefulness and practicality of viewing research contributions that are setting out to be either “descriptive” or “prescriptive”. Consequently, the authors have proposed several avenues for future research based on these two viewpoints

Social Achievement Goal Theory in Education: A Validity and Reliability Study

The objective of this study was to validate the Iranian version of the Social Achievement Goal Orientation Scale and test the Social Achievement Goal Orientation theory in the context of Iranian students. A total of 403 Iranian high school students completed a Social Achievement Goal Orientation Scale and an Achievement Goal Questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the hypothesized model of social achievement goals. The fit of the proposed three-factor model was promising and moderate support for the three factor structure of social goal orientation was found using scores from an abbreviated 13-item SAGOS. Graded Response Model showed an information function that was peaked at the upper end of the scale, indicating that severe social goal orientation is measured with most precision. Convergent validity for the new measure of social achievement goals was established. Findings generally supported the trichotomous framework of the social achievement goal orientation theory with Iranian students. Consistent with the academic goal orientation theory, findings indicated that social mastery and performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals had positive relationships with academic goals

Synthesis of imine congeners of resveratrol and evaluation of their anti-platelet activity

Resveratrol (3,5,4\u2032-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a cardioprotective phytochemical occurring in many plant products. In this study, a new series of imine congeners of resveratrol has been synthesized in which the imine moiety replaced the double bond in the structure of resveratrol. In addition, the in vitro antiplatelet activity of these resveratrol derivatives has been evaluated against adenosine diphosphate (ADP), arachidonic acid (AA), and collagen as platelet aggregation inducers. In general, the synthesized compounds were active as antiplatelet agents, and, therefore, the imine functional group may be considered as an effective replacement for a double bond in resveratrol for developing new and promising antiplatelet drugs

Servitization:revisiting the state-of-the-art and research priorities

Purpose – This paper consolidates the servitization knowledge base from an organisational change perspective, identifying developed, developing and undeveloped topics to provide a platform that directs future research. Design/methodology/approach – This paper addresses three objectives : a) it comprehensively examines organisational change management literature for selection of a theoretical framework, b) it classifies extant studies within the framework through a systemic literature review, and (c) it analyses 232 selected papers and proposes a research agenda. Findings – Analysis suggests increasing global awareness of the importance of services to manufacturers. However, some topics, especially related to servitization transformation, remain undeveloped. Research limitations/implications – Although the authors tried to include all publications relevant to servitization, some might not have been captured. Evaluation and interpretation relied on the research team and subsequent research workshops. Practical implications - One of the most significant challenges for practitioners of servitization is how to transform a manufacturing organisation to exploit the opportunity. This paper consolidates literature regarding servitization, identifying progress concerning key research topics and contributing a platform for future research. The goal is to inform research to result eventually in a roadmap for practitioners seeking to servitize. Originality/value - Although extant reviews of servitization identify themes that are examined well, they struggle to identify unanswered questions. This paper addresses this gap by focusing on servitization as a process of organisational change

Finite temperature calculations for the bulk properties of strange star using a many-body approach

We have considered a hot strange star matter, just after the collapse of a supernova, as a composition of strange, up and down quarks to calculate the bulk properties of this system at finite temperature with the density dependent bag constant. To parameterize the density dependent bag constant, we use our results for the lowest order constrained variational (LOCV) calculations of asymmetric nuclear matter. Our calculations for the structure properties of the strange star at different temperatures indicate that its maximum mass decreases by increasing the temperature. We have also compared our results with those of a fixed value of the bag constant. It can be seen that the density dependent bag constant leads to higher values of the maximum mass and radius for the strange star.Comment: 21 pages, 2 tables, 12 figures Astrophys. (2011) accepte