A multi-ingredient nutritional supplement enhances exercise training-related reductions in markers of systemic inflammation in healthy older men

We evaluated whether twice daily consumption of a multi-ingredient nutritional supplement (SUPP) would reduce systemic inflammatory markers following 6wk of supplementation alone (Phase 1), and the subsequent addition of 12wk exercise training (Phase 2) in healthy older men, in comparison to a carbohydrate-based control (CON). Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentrations were progressively reduced (P-time<0.05) SUPP group. No change in TNF-α or IL-6 concentrations was observed in the CON group

Embedding knowledge and value of a brand into sustainability for differentiation

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in the Journal of World Business (under the provisional title "Embedding sustainability into brand knowledge and brand value for brand differentiation"). The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier B.V.Organisations offer products to consumers, buyers often question if the product or its production process are linked to the environmental, social or economic challenges being faced by mankind. Inquisitiveness of customers in this direction points towards an opportunity for marketers to create differentiation based on the concerns of brand towards overall issue of sustainability. The authors have synthesized knowledge from various domains with a positivistic approach to understand sustainability from the perspective of branding. Using empirical knowledge this study recommends embedding sustainability into brand knowledge and brand value for creating a differentiation for the brand in a competitive market

Analysis of prognostic factors and efficacy of surgical treatment for non-small cell lung cancer: department of surgery NTLDRI (1998-1999)

Introduction: Surgical resection is the mainstay of curative treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. Material and methods: A retrospective analysis of the efficacy of this treatment, based on 431 patients operated from 1998 to 1999 in the Department of Surgery of the National Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Research Institute, was accomplished. In 218 cases (51%) lobectomy was performed, in 21 cases (5%) - bilobectomy, in 188 cases (44%) - pneumonectomy and in 4 cases (1%) - wedge resection. The pIA stage was diagnosed in 70 cases (16%), pIB - in 112 (26%), pIIA - in 22 (5%), pIIB - in 110 (26%), pIIIA - in 88 (20%), pIIIB - in 13 (3%) and pIV - in 16 (4%). Results: The five-year survival rate for the whole group was 49.1%. Statistical analysis revealed better survival in patients younger than 50 (p = 0.03), in women (p = 0.01, HR = 0.63) and in cases with less extensive surgery, i.e. lobectomy, (p < 0.05). Long-term survival was significantly dependent on the disease stage (p < 0.005). Five-year survival of patients in stage IA was 81.7%, IB - 62.2%, IIA - 59.1%, IIB - 38%, IIIA - 21.3%, IIIB - 8.3% and IV - 8.3%. Tumour status (p < 0.005) and histological subtype (p < 0.005) had a significant influence on long-term survival. Five-year survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma was 53.4%, with adenocarcinoma - 38.3%, with large cell carcinoma - 37.5%, with carcinoid - 94.7% and with other types of cancer - 39.1%. The decreased preoperative Hb level (p < 0.005, HR = 1.52), as well as blood transfusion in postoperative period (p = 0.03), were negative prognostic factors. Significantly worse prognosis was observed in the cases of R1 or R2 categories (p = 0.01) and M1 category (p < 0.005). Additionally, in multivariate Cox analysis, a decreased FEV1 lower than 80% (HR = 1.46) was a negative prognostic factor, and lack of symptoms, except cough (HR = 0.73), was a positive one. Conclusions: Univariate analysis revealed several factors worsening prognosis: male sex, age older than 50 years, lowered preoperative Hb concentration, extended surgery, advanced stage, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma, T status, N status, R status, M status and blood transfusion in postoperative period. In multivariate Cox analysis lowered preoperative Hb concentration, decreased FEV1 lower than 80% pred., extended surgery (pneumonectomy), advanced stage and adenocarcinoma were negative prognostic factors. Female sex and lack of symptoms, except coughing were positive prognostic factors.Wprowadzenie: Postępowanie chirurgiczne stanowi podstawową metodę leczenia niedrobnokomórkowego raka płuca.Materiał i metody: W pracy przeprowadzono retrospektywną analizę skuteczności tego leczenia w grupie 431 chorych operowanych w Klinice Chirurgii Instytutu Gruźlicy i Chorób Płuc w Warszawie w latach 1998-1999. W 218 (50%) przypadkach wykonano lobektomię, w 21 (5%) - bilobektomię, w 188 (44%) - pneumonektomię, a w 4 (1%) - resekcję klinową. U 70 (16%) chorych rozpoznano stadium zaawansowania pIA, u 112 (26%) - pIB, u 22 (5%) - pIIA, u 110 (26%) - pIIB, u 88 (20%) - pIIIA, u 13 (3%) - pIIIB i u 16 (4%) - pIV. Wyniki: Wskaźnik 5-letniego przeżycia dla całej grupy wynosił 49,1%. Analiza statystyczna wykazała wyższy odsetek odległych przeżyć w grupie wiekowej do 50. rż. (p = 0,03), u płci żeńskiej (p = 0,01, HR = 0,63), w przypadku mniej rozległego zabiegu (lobektomia) (p < 0,005). Wskaźniki odległych przeżyć wykazywały znamienną zależność od stadium zaawansowania choroby nowotworowej (p < 0,005). Pięcioletnie przeżycie pacjentów w stadium IA wynosiło 81,7%, IB - 62,2%, IIA - 59,1%, IIB - 38%, IIIA - 21,3%, IIIB - 8,3% oraz IV - 8,3%. Typ histopatologiczny miał również znamienny wpływ na odległe przeżycia chorych (p < 0,005). Pięcioletnie przeżycie chorych na raka płaskonabłonkowego wynosiło 53,4%, na raka gruczołowego - 38,3%, na raka wielkokomórkowego - 37,5%, na rakowiaka - 94,7%, a na pozostałe typy raka - 39,1%. Wskaźnik odległego przeżycia zależał znamiennie od cechy T (p < 0,005). Obniżone wyjściowe stężenie hemoglobiny (p < 0,005, HR = 1,52) oraz przetoczenie masy erytrocytarnej w okresie pooperacyjnym (p = 0,03) były niekorzystnymi czynnikami rokowniczymi. Znamiennie gorsze rokowanie wykazano w przypadku cechy R1 lub R2 (p = 0,01) oraz cechy M1 (p < 0,005). Dodatkowo, w analizie wielowymiarowej Coxa wartość FEV1 poniżej 80% (HR = 1,46) była zmienną negatywnie wpływającą na odległe przeżycie, a brak objawów klinicznych choroby, z wyjątkiem kaszlu (HR = 0,73) - zmienną wpływającą korzystnie. Wnioski: W analizie jednowymiarowej wyłoniono następujące czynniki ryzyka: płeć męska, wiek powyżej 50. rż., obniżone stężenie Hb, zabieg operacyjny o poszerzonym zakresie, zaawansowane stadium, utkanie raka gruczołowego i wielkokomórkowego, cecha T, N, R i M oraz przetoczenie ME w okresie pooperacyjnym. Analiza wielowymiarowa Coxa wykazała następujące negatywne czynniki prognostyczne: obniżone wyjściowe stężenie Hb, wartość FEV1 poniżej 80%, zabieg operacyjny o poszerzonym zakresie (pneumonektomia), zaawansowane stadium raka, utkanie raka gruczołowego oraz następujące korzystne rokowniczo czynniki: płeć żeńska i brak objawów klinicznych, z wyjątkiem kaszlu

Sustainability as corporate culture of a brand for superior performance

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in the Journal of World Business. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier B.V.Sustainability research highlights new challenges and opportunities for businesses. This paper reviews the literature to understand the ability of sustainable green initiatives when practiced as a corporate culture to individually create new opportunities for operations, management and marketing. According to current research, business opportunities exclusively available to different functions of a firm can drive its performance. The role of marketing in the achievement of superior performance by virtue of sustainability practices is also explained by the existing literature. Branding literature, however, fails to explain the influence of a brand on sustainability-driven opportunities available to a firm for superior performance. The objective of this study is to explore if a brand can strengthen the ability of sustainability-based green initiatives of managers to drive opportunities available to a firm for superior performance. A conceptual framework grounded in the triple bottom line theory is presented based on the assumption that brand as a stimulating factor can accelerate the conversion of opportunities available to a business into superior performance. Academic and managerial perspectives have been used to draw upon the implications of the model. Both practitioners and academic researchers will benefit from future research on this topic

A Dichotomy of Sport Sponsorships: Does the Nature of Competition Among Sponsors Matter?

In this paper, we argue that the firm value implications of sport sponsorships for sponsors may depend on the competitive environment during the bidding process for different types of sponsorships. More specifically, we contend that the bidding environment for professional football (soccer) kit sponsorships represents a form of common value auction, while the bidding environment for corporate logo sponsorships on teams’ shirts does not. As common value auctions are prone to winner’s curse, the firm value implications should be different for kit sponsorship announcements than for shirt sponsorship announcements. Our results suggest that shareholders indeed perceive the value derived from kit and shirt sponsorships differently, resulting in the predicted distinction in their impact on sponsors’ firm value. This study sheds light on conflicting results on firm value implications of sport sponsorships in the prior literature and provides rich areas for future research

Training alters the distribution of perilipin proteins in muscle following acute free fatty acid exposure.

KEY POINTS: The lipid droplet (LD)-associated perilipin (PLIN) proteins promote intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG) storage, although whether the abundance and association of the PLIN proteins with LDs is related to the diverse lipid storage in muscle between trained and sedentary individuals is unknown. We show that lipid infusion augments IMTG content in type I fibres of both trained and sedentary individuals. Most importantly, despite there being no change in PLIN protein content, lipid infusion did increase the number of LDs connected with PLIN proteins in trained individuals only. We conclude that trained individuals are able to redistribute the pre-existing pool of PLIN proteins to an expanded LD pool during lipid infusion and, via this adaptation, may support the storage of fatty acids in IMTG. ABSTRACT: Because the lipid droplet (LD)-associated perilipin (PLIN) proteins promote intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG) storage, we investigated the hypothesis that differential protein content of PLINs and their distribution with LDs may be linked to the diverse lipid storage in muscle between trained and sedentary individuals. Trained (n = 11) and sedentary (n = 10) subjects, matched for age, sex and body mass index, received either a 6 h lipid or glycerol infusion in the setting of a concurrent hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp. Sequential muscle biopsies (0, 2 and 6 h) were analysed using confocal immunofluorescence microscopy for fibre type-specific IMTG content and PLIN associations with LDs. In both groups, lipid infusion increased IMTG content in type I fibres (trained: +62%, sedentary: +79%; P < 0.05) but did not affect PLIN protein content. At baseline, PLIN2 (+65%), PLIN3 (+105%) and PLIN5 (+53%; all P < 0.05) protein content was higher in trained compared to sedentary individuals. In trained individuals, lipid infusion increased the number of LDs associated with PLIN2 (+27%), PLIN3 (+73%) and PLIN5 (+40%; all P < 0.05) in type I fibres. By contrast, in sedentary individuals, lipid infusion only increased the number of LDs not associated with PLIN proteins. Acute free fatty acid elevation therefore induces a redistribution of PLIN proteins to an expanded LD pool in trained individuals only and this may be part of the mechanism that enables fatty acids to be stored in IMTG

A bibliometric study of the literature on technological innovation: an analysis of 60 international academic journals

This paper aims to contribute to the debate on technological innovation, organization and work. Although technological innovation remained a debated topic in the academic literature during the past years, its implications for organizational processes seem still not sufficiently theorized and empirically investigated. By using two complementary journals’ rankings a search in the ISI Web of Science platform from 1985 through 2013 was performed. To analyze the 998 scientific retrieved contributions a bibliometric analysis has been conducted, adopting also Social Network Analysis tools. Our results reveal a significant growth of the technological innovation literature over the investigated period, the multidisciplinarity of the field and, particularly, the relevance of management and business & economics contributions. Overall, this study offers a broad overview of the literature on technological innovation and emphasizes the opportunity to investigate the role of technological innovation within the organizational life.This paper aims to contribute to the debate on technological innovation, organization and work. Although technological innovation remained a debated topic in the academic literature during the past years, its implications for organizational processes seem still not sufficiently theorized and empirically investigated. By using two complementary journals’ rankings a search in the ISI Web of Science platform from 1985 through 2013 was performed. To analyze the 998 scientific retrieved contributions a bibliometric analysis has been conducted, adopting also Social Network Analysis tools. Our results reveal a significant growth of the technological innovation literature over the investigated period, the multidisciplinarity of the field and, particularly, the relevance of management and business & economics contributions. Overall, this study offers a broad overview of the literature on technological innovation and emphasizes the opportunity to investigate the role of technological innovation within the organizational life.Monograph's chapter

Making intangibles tangible : antecedents and consequences of marketing equity

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, 2007Includes bibliographical references (pages 131-157

Characterisation and OSL dating of modern fluvial sediments in the lower Vistula River: testing the zeroing assumption

In this study recent sediments of the lower Vistula River were investigated to determine the relationship between the structure and texture specific features and the possibility of their zeroing. The samples of recent fluvial deposits were collected from the lower Vistula River at two sites in Toruń and Ciechocinek. Sand bars newly emerged from the river were selected for testing. The coarse quartz grains were separated for OSL measurements. The single-aliquot regenerative (SAR) technique was applied for measuring equivalent doses from multigrain aliquots. The obtained dose estimates were found to be very low, proving the reliability of OSL zeroing assumption. The dose rates were estimated by gamma-ray spectrometry, demonstrating homogeneity of the radiation field. These results related to fossil sediments of that type confirm their suitability for the OSL dating method