The influence of learning styles on knowledge acquisition in public sector management

This research note outlines a project designed to investigate the role of training institutions in providing effective training and development programmes for managers. The investigation is being carried out in the light of recent criticisms levelled against the nature of formal learning environments prevalent in most institutional settings. The traditional role of trainers and developers as the providers of knowledge and skills for the development of competent managers runs contrary to recent findings, which suggest that managers learn more effectively in informal settings, rather than the formal settings evident in many development programmes. The idea that explicitly extracted competencies are the target every manager should aim for to improve their effectiveness is also challenged because competencies alone are no longer regarded as a sufficient criterion for success. Recent research has attached greater importance to the need for helping managers to see knowledge as a social phenomenon, and one factor that might distinguish successful managers from others is tacit knowledge (Wagner & Sternberg, 1987; Argyris, 1999). A major focus of this study is to explore the possibility that the level and content of tacit knowledge acquired by managers may be influenced by their individual learning styles, and the degree to which their dominant styles are matched with the context of their work environment

Neural regulation of cancer: from mechanobiology to inflammation

Despite recent progress in cancer research, the exact nature of malignant transformation and its progression is still not fully understood. Particularly metastasis, which accounts for most cancer death, is a very complex process, and new treatment strategies require a more comprehensive understanding of underlying regulatory mechanisms. Recently, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) has been implicated in cancer progression and beta-blockers have been identified as a novel strategy to limit metastasis. This review discusses evidence that SNS signaling regulates metastasis by modulating the physical characteristics of tumor cells, tumor-associated immune cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Altered mechanotype is an emerging hallmark of cancer cells that is linked to invasive phenotype and treatment resistance. Mechanotype also influences crosstalk between tumor cells and their environment, and may thus have a critical role in cancer progression. First, we discuss how neural signaling regulates metastasis and how SNS signaling regulates both biochemical and mechanical properties of tumor cells, immune cells and the ECM. We then review our current knowledge of the mechanobiology of cancer with a focus on metastasis. Next, we discuss links between SNS activity and tumor-associated inflammation, the mechanical properties of immune cells, and how the physical properties of the ECM regulate cancer and metastasis. Finally, we discuss the potential for clinical translation of our knowledge of cancer mechanobiology to improve diagnosis and treatment