Corporate Law or the Law of Business?: Stakeholders and Corporate Governance at the End of History

Surely, corporate managers themselves, who must operate within the broader law of business, are aware of the legally imposed duties to protect workders, consumers, and larger communities. Perhaps it is time corporate lawyers caught up to this reality

En analys av SCA Skog AB's metod för egenuppföljning av gallringar

A high quality is highly requested in today's thinnings, since these are the base for continued value development of the forests. Thinning quality often means a minimization of damages on soil, stems and roots during the cutting. One way to reach a high quality is to set up goals that will be followed up after the cutting is made. Self-checking gives information of the machine drivers work and guarantees the customers a good quality of work. This has become a useful method in order to keep up in the competition with other companies about the desirable wood raw material. The purpose of the study was to analyze the effectiveness in SCA's new instruction for self-checking of thinning. The study was devided into three different parts: 1) A following-up of thinnings in the form of a fieldwork with 23 stands that had been chosen by sampling. First thinnings with a pine proportion > 50 % were selected. In this part a statistical comparison was made between the data that the machine drivers collected and the data that was collected during the thinning following-up study. 2) Interviews to explore the machine drivers opinions about self-checking. In this part 13 machine drivers took part, of which seven were entrepreneurs and the rest were employees to entrepreneurs or employees from one of SCA's own thinning teams. 3) Interviews with five production leaders and one district manager to explore their opinions about the efficiency of the self-checking. The study showed that the new and highly simplified method for self-checking of thinning within SCA works well. The basal area after thinning was overestimated with 1,3 m2/ha (8 %) by the drivers. Average diameter (6 %), average height (11 %), damage proportion (one percent unit), strip road width (4 %) and strip road proportion (four percent units) were underestimated. The strip road distance was the same at self-checking as that measured in this study. The strip road width was broader than the norm for SCA and the damage proportion exceeded in some cases 5 %. The study indicated that drivers considering themselves to be careful with self-checking had better results than those considering themselves more careless with their measurements. The machine drivers had a positive attitude towards the new instruction. They said that the method involved a simplification and saved time, because many measurements could be done directly from the machine. They also had a positive attitude towards self-checking as a tool to calibrate themselves, but lacked appreciation and encouragement from the company. The production leaders have started to see a certain improvement of the machine drivers submitting the self-checking records since the new instruction was taken in operation. The study shows that there is a possibility to further improve the self-checking and make it more efficient. Within the area of data- and map management there are improvement possibilities, for example in developing a digital self-checking record.En hög kvalitet efterfrågas i gallringar, eftersom dessa ligger till grund för skogens fortsatta värdeutveckling. En bra gallringskvalitet kännetecknas bl.a. av ett bra stamval och en minimering av skador som uppstår på mark, stammar och rötter under själva avverkningen. Ett sätt att nå en hög kvalitet är att sätta upp mål som sedan ska följas upp. Egenuppföljning ger information om maskinlagens arbete samt ger kunden garanti för ett bra arbete. Detta har blivit en metod för att stå sig i konkurrensen om den åtråvärda virkesråvaran. Syftet med denna studie var att analysera effektiviteten i SCA’s nya instruktion för egenuppföljning av gallring. Studien var uppbyggd i tre delar: 1) En fältarbetesdel med 23 utlottade förstagallringsbestånd med tall (>50 % tall). I denna del jämfördes en kontrollmätning som först bearbetats statistiskt med maskinförarnas egenuppföljning. 2) Intervjuer för att utreda hur maskinförarna själva uppfattade egenuppföljningen. I denna deltog 13 maskinförare, varav sju var egna företagare och övriga var anställda av entreprenörer eller SCA. 3) Intervjuer med fem produktionsledare och en distriktschef för att utröna deras uppfattningar om egenuppföljningens effektivitet. Studien visade att den nya och kraftigt förenklade metoden för egenuppföljning av gallring i stort fungerar. Grundytan efter gallring överskattades generellt med 1,3 m2/ha (8 %) av förarna. Medeldiameter (6 %), medelhöjd (11 %), skadeandel (en procentenhet), stickvägsbredd (4 %) och stickvägsandel (fyra procentenheter) underskattades generellt. Stickvägsavståndet uppvisade samma resultat för egenuppföljning som för gallringsuppföljning. Stickvägarna var bredare än företagets norm och skadeandelen överskred i några fall 5 %. Studien indikerade att de förare som ansåg sig vara noggranna med egenuppföljning ofta hade ett bättre resultat än de som ansåg att de var slarvigare med sina mätningar. Maskinförarna var positiva till den nya instruktionen. De menade att metoden innebar förenkling och tidsbesparing, mycket tack vara att många mätningar går att göra direkt från maskinen. De var välvilligt inställda till egenuppföljning för att kalibrera sig själva, men saknade uppskattning och uppmuntran från företagets sida. Produktionsledarna anade en viss förbättring av inlämnandet av protokoll sedan den nya instruktionen togs i drift. Studien visar på möjligheten att ytterligare förbättra och effektivisera egenuppföljningen. Inom data- och kartområdet finns förbättringsmöjligheter, bl.a. att utveckla en digital egenuppföljningsblankett

Systemic galectin-3 in smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic bronchitis: The impact of exacerbations

Purpose: The carbohydrate-binding protein Galectin-3 is increased in several inflammatory diseases and has recently been forwarded as a systemic biomarker in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this longitudinal study, we characterized the level of systemic Galectin-3 using blood from smokers with a history of COPD and chronic bronchitis (COPD-CB), during stable clinical conditions and exacerbations. Patients and Methods: The study population comprised 56 long-term smokers with COPD-CB, 10 long-term smokers without lung disease (LTS) and 10 clinically healthy never-smokers (HNS). Blood samples were analyzed for levels of Galectin-3, leukocyte populations and C-reactive protein (CRP). In addition, sputum samples from the COPD-CB group were analyzed for bacterial growth. Results: When comparing stable clinical conditions and exacerbations in the COPD-CB group, we found that the level of Galectin-3, just like that of CRP, leukocytes and neutrophils, respectively, was increased during exacerbations. However, this exacerbation-associated increase of Galectin-3 was modest. During stable clinical conditions of COPD-CB, the level of Galectin-3 was not elevated in comparison with HNS or LTS. Nor did this level of Galectin-3 distinguish patients that remained in a clinically stable condition throughout the study to those that developed an exacerbation. In addition, neither during stable clinical conditions nor during exacerbations, did the presence of bacterial growth in sputum alter Galectin-3 levels. In contrast to Galectin-3, the level of CRP, leukocytes and neutrophils, respectively, were increased during clinical stable conditions in the COPD-CB group compared with the other groups and were further enhanced during exacerbations. Conclusion: Systemic Galectin-3 is increased in a reproducible but modest manner during exacerbations in smokers with COPD-CB. During stable clinical conditions, the level of systemic Galectin-3 does not distinguish patients that remain clinically stable from those that develop exacerbations. This makes it less likely that systemic Galectin-3 may become a clinically useful biomarker in the current setting

Posthuman Data Production in Classroom Studies – A Research Machine put to Work

This paper describes a methodological inquiry that explores ways of performing classroom studies, where posthuman theory and data production are plugged in to each other from the very outset of this effort. Posthuman theory insists on research practices that demand attention to materialities, research practices that seek to detach the investigations from human concerns and positionality, research practices that consider how data and researcher(s) are entangled producing each other and by that try to operationalize the ‘unself’ of the researcher(s). Hence, a research machine was constructed and put to work in one Physics classroom in an upper secondary school. Five researchers focused on various multiparty interactions, whilst attempting to background the interpersonal interactions. Subsequently, the research machine was plugged into different concepts and turned into workshops where changes in configurations became significant for emergences in the classroom. In this process the concept affraction emerged as an effort to map how material-semiotic processes become observable in classrooms. The work of the research machine points to possible ways of avoiding commonly privileged perspectives in classroom observations. This attempt to deconstruct boundaries between human and non-human and the human as a bounded non-porous subject may affect possibilities to produce research that aids what otherwise might be shadowed actions in classrooms

Glycan analysis of human neutrophil granules implicates a maturation-dependent glycosylation machinery

Protein glycosylation is essential to trafficking and immune functions of human neutrophils. During granulopoiesis in the bone marrow, distinct neutrophil granules are successively formed. Distinct receptors and effector proteins, many of which are glycosylated, are targeted to each type of granule according to their time of expression, a process called "targeting by timing." Therefore, these granules are time capsules reflecting different times of maturation that can be used to understand the glycosylation process during granulopoiesis. Herein, neutrophil subcellular granules were fractionated by Percoll density gradient centrifugation, andN- andO-glycans present in each compartment were analyzed by LC-MS. We found abundant paucimannosidicN-glycans and lack ofO-glycans in the early-formed azurophil granules, whereas the later-formed specific and gelatinase granules and secretory vesicles contained complexN-andO-glycans with remarkably elongatedN-acetyllactosamine repeats with Lewis epitopes. Immunoblotting and histochemical analysis confirmed the expression of Lewis X and sialyl-Lewis X in the intracellular granules and on the cell surface, respectively. Many glycans identified are unique to neutrophils, and their complexity increased progressively from azurophil granules to specific granules and then to gelatinase granules, suggesting temporal changes in the glycosylation machinery indicative of "glycosylation by timing" during granulopoiesis. In summary, this comprehensive neutrophil granule glycome map, the first of its kind, highlights novel granule-specific glycosylation features and is a crucial first step toward a better understanding of the mechanisms regulating protein glycosylation during neutrophil granulopoiesis and a more detailed understanding of neutrophil biology and function

Substantial Decrease in Comorbidity 5 Years After Gastric Bypass : A Population-based Study From the Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Registry

OBJECTIVE:: To evaluate effect on comorbid disease and weight loss 5 years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery for morbid obesity in a large nationwide cohort. BACKGROUND:: The number patients having surgical procedures to treat obesity and obesity-related disease are increasing. Yet, population-based, long-term outcome studies are few. METHODS:: Data on 26,119 individuals [75.8% women, 41.0 years, and body mass index (BMI) 42.8?kg/m] undergoing primary RYGB between May 1, 2007 and June 30, 2012, were collected from 2 Swedish quality registries: Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Registry and the Prescribed Drug Registry. Weight, remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, depression, and sleep apnea, and changes in corresponding laboratory data were studied. Five-year follow-up was 100% (9774 eligible individuals) for comorbid diseases. RESULTS:: BMI decreased from 42.8?±?5.5 to 31.2?±?5.5?kg/m at 5 years, corresponding to 27.7% reduction in total body weight. Prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (15.5%–5.9%), hypertension (29.7%–19.5%), dyslipidemia (14.0%–6.8%), and sleep apnea (9.6%–2.6%) was reduced. Greater weight loss was a positive prognostic factor, whereas increasing age or BMI at baseline was a negative prognostic factor for remission. The use of antidepressants increased (24.1%–27.5%). Laboratory status was improved, for example, fasting glucose and glycated hemoglobin decreased from 6.1 to 5.4?mmol/mol and 41.8% to 37.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:: In this nationwide study, gastric bypass resulted in large improvements in obesity-related comorbid disease and sustained weight loss over a 5-year period. The increased use of antidepressants warrants further investigation

Mice Chronically Fed High-Fat Diet Have Increased Mortality and Disturbed Immune Response in Sepsis

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a potentially deadly disease that often is caused by gram-positive bacteria, in particular Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). As there are few effective therapies for sepsis, increased basic knowledge about factors predisposing is needed. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The purpose of this study was to study the effect of Western diet on mortality induced by intravenous S. aureus inoculation and the immune functions before and after bacterial inoculation. Here we show that C57Bl/6 mice on high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks, like genetically obese Ob/Ob mice on low-fat diet (LFD), have increased mortality during S. aureus-induced sepsis compared with LFD-fed C57Bl/6 controls. Bacterial load in the kidneys 5-7 days after inoculation was increased 10-fold in HFD-fed compared with LFD-fed mice. At that time, HFD-fed mice had increased serum levels and fat mRNA expression of the immune suppressing cytokines interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) and IL-10 compared with LFD-fed mice. In addition, HFD-fed mice had increased serum levels of the pro-inflammatory IL-1beta. Also, HFD-fed mice with and without infection had increased levels of macrophages in fat. The proportion and function of phagocytosing granulocytes, and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by peritoneal lavage cells were decreased in HFD-fed compared with LFD-fed mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings imply that chronic HFD disturb several innate immune functions in mice, and impairs the ability to clear S. aureus and survive sepsis

Glycoproteome remodeling and organelle-specific N-glycosylation accompany neutrophil granulopoiesis

Neutrophils store microbicidal glycoproteins in cytosolic granules to fight intruding pathogens, but their granule distribution and formation mechanism(s) during granulopoiesis remain unmapped. Herein, we comprehensively profile the neutrophil N-glycoproteome with spatiotemporal resolution by analyzing four key types of intracellular organelles isolated from blood-derived neutrophils and during their maturation from bone marrow–derived progenitors using a glycomics-guided glycoproteomics approach. Interestingly, the organelles of resting neutrophils exhibited distinctive glycophenotypes including, most strikingly, highly truncated N-glycans low in α2,6-sialylation and Lewis fucosylation decorating a diverse set of microbicidal proteins (e.g., myeloperoxidase, azurocidin, neutrophil elastase) in the azurophilic granules. Excitingly, proteomics and transcriptomics data from discrete myeloid progenitor stages revealed that profound glycoproteome remodeling underpins the promyelocytic-to-metamyelocyte transition and that the glycophenotypic differences are driven primarily by dynamic changes in protein expression and less by changes within the glycosylation machinery. Notable exceptions were the oligosaccharyltransferase subunits responsible for initiation of N-glycoprotein biosynthesis that were strongly expressed in early myeloid progenitors correlating with relatively high levels of glycosylation of the microbicidal proteins in the azurophilic granules. Our study provides spatiotemporal insights into the complex neutrophil N-glycoproteome featuring intriguing organelle-specific N-glycosylation patterns formed by dynamic glycoproteome remodeling during the early maturation stages of the myeloid progenitors

Low-density granulocytes are related to shorter pregnancy duration but not to interferon alpha protein blood levels in systemic lupus erythematosus

BACKGROUND: An increased risk of pregnancy complications is seen in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but the specific immunopathological drivers are still unclear. Hallmarks of SLE are granulocyte activation, type I interferon (IFN) overproduction, and autoantibodies. Here we examined whether low-density granulocytes (LDG) and granulocyte activation increase during pregnancy, and related the results to IFNα protein levels, autoantibody profile, and gestational age at birth. METHODS: Repeated blood samples were collected during pregnancy in trimesters one, two, and three from 69 women with SLE and 27 healthy pregnant women (HC). Nineteen of the SLE women were also sampled late postpartum. LDG proportions and granulocyte activation (CD62L shedding) were measured by flow cytometry. Plasma IFNα protein concentrations were quantified by single molecule array (Simoa) immune assay. Clinical data were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: Women with SLE had higher LDG proportions and increased IFNα protein levels compared to HC throughout pregnancy, but neither LDG fractions nor IFNα levels differed during pregnancy compared to postpartum in SLE. Granulocyte activation status was higher in SLE relative to HC pregnancies, and it was increased during pregnancy compared to after pregnancy in SLE. Higher LDG proportions in SLE were associated with antiphospholipid positivity but not to IFNα protein levels. Finally, higher LDG proportions in trimester three correlated independently with lower gestational age at birth in SLE. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that SLE pregnancy results in increased peripheral granulocyte priming, and that higher LDG proportions late in pregnancy are related to shorter pregnancy duration but not to IFNα blood levels in SLE

Fostering Interdisciplinary Boundary Spanning in Health Communication: A Call for a Paradigm Shift

Scholarship in the field of health communication is broad, with interdisciplinary contributions from researchers trained in a variety of fields including communication, nursing, medicine, pharmacy, public health, and social work. In this paper, we explore the role of “health communication boundary spanners” (HCBS), individuals whose scholarly work and academic appointment reflect dual citizenship in both the communication discipline and the health professions or public health. Using a process of critical reflective inquiry, we elucidate opportunities and challenges associated with HCBS across the spectrum of health communication in order to provide guidance for individuals pursuing boundary spanning roles and those who supervise and mentor them. This dual citizen role suggests that HCBS have unique skills, identities, perspectives, and practices that contribute new ways of being and knowing that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. The health communication field is evolving in response to the need to address significant healthcare and policy problems. No one discipline has the ability to single-handedly fix our current healthcare systems. Narrative data from this study illustrate the importance of seeing HCBS work beyond simply being informed by disciplinary knowledge. Rather, we suggest that adapting ways of knowing and definitions of expertise is an integral part of the solution to solving persistent health problems