The role of trust in the adoption of cooperative arrangement types in e-credentials markets

The interest in digital identities has increased considerably in academia and practice in recent years. This can be seen by the many electronic identity projects worldwide and the numerous published studies that provide insightful narratives and descriptive case findings about success factors and barriers to the adoption of national authentication infrastructures. In this paper, we take a closer look to the role of trust on the design and implementation of a nation-wide e-credential market. We argue that trust in political and economic institutions can be an important factor to explain differences in the chosen cooperative arrangement which can range from monopolistic, purely state-controlled e-credential markets, to polypolistic, decentralized e-credential markets where also private vendors offer state recognized e-ID on their own or in partnership with the government. Following an inductive reasoning process, we develop three testable propositions which may inspire further empirical research and offer practitioners a new angle to rethink e-credential markets in the light of citizen trust in political and economic institutions

Generic frames and tonality: Mapping a polarizing issue in a multifaceted context

This study explores the feasibility and usefulness of five generic frames (conflict, responsibility, economic consequences, human interest and morality) in analysing framing practices in a multifaceted journalistic field over time. We show that supplementing generic frames through the tonality expressed in news stories enhances analytical quality. Mapping Swiss media outlets by how they frame a highly polarizing policy, we identify different framing practices in covering the issue. Using multiple correspondence analyses, the results first show that, while cultural background and media partisanship lead to heterogeneity in how the issue is initially framed, the state’s involvement homogenizes framing practices over time. Second, unlike previous research, our study provides empirical evidence that both conflict frame and attribution of responsibility frame can measure the same underlying construct. Third, we find evidence that these two frames are strongly associated with a negative tone. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed

Potentiation effect of the AMPK activator A-769662 on cardiac myocytes metabolism and survival

Abstract 286 van Poster session 2 Frontiers in CardioVascular Biology, London 30th March – 1st April 2012 Second Congress of the ESC Council on Basic Cardiovascular Science

A new role of AMP-activated protein kinase in regulating proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells

Purpose: Natriuretic peptides (NPs) administered during early reperfusion are protective in models of myocardial infarction. A previous study examining the endogenous components of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) protection of reperfused myocardium, implicated both sarcolemmal (s) KATP and mitochondrial (m) KATP channels. The indirect evidence characterising the relationship between BNP signalling and KATP was obtained using sulphonylurea receptor inhibitors in a rat isolated heart model of ischaemia-reperfusion injury. Here we seek to further examine the relationship between NPs and sKATP openings using single channel electrophysiology. Given our previous findings and the overarching consensus that cardioprotective autacoids open KATP channels, it was hypothesised that NPs elicit sKATP opening. Methods: Cardiomyocyte isolation. Left ventricular cardiomyocytes were isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rat hearts subjected to enzymatic digestion with Liberase Blendzyme DL. Cardiomyocytes were cultured overnight in Medium 199, prior to patch clamp. Single channel patch clamp. Single channel recordings at room temperature (22°C) were made from cell attached patches bathed in Na+ Locke, pH 7.2. The recording pipette contained high KCl (140 mM), pH 7.2. Recordings (45 sec) were made over a range of patch potentials (0, -30, -60, -90, -120 mV), in the absence (control) and in the presence of bath applied BNP (10, 100 nM and 1 µM), pinacidil (200 µM) or pinacidil vehicle (DMSO, 0.25%). Recordings were also made with BNP and pinacidil applied concomitantly. Data are mean ± S.E.M. Results: The current voltage relationship of sKATP under control conditions was linear at –ve patch potentials, the mean conductance being 52.9 ± 1.8 pS (n = 18 hearts, n = 35 cells). Pinacidil caused a four fold increase in sKATP open probability compared to control. Mean channel conductance in the presence of pinacidil was 59.9 ± 1.9 pS (n = 16 hearts, n = 44 cells). Interestingly BNP at all concentrations had negligible effects on sKATP open probability and unitary conductance. However, BNP at all concentrations and patch potentials inhibited pinacidil induced sKATP openings, restoring channel open probability to baseline. Conclusion: These data illustrate the inhibitory effect of NP signalling on sKATP function in the cardiomyocyte under normoxia. They are concordant with the inhibitory effect of atrial NP on KATP in the pancreatic beta cell, but are in apparent conflict with the current cardioprotection paradigm. However, differential effects on sKATP and mKATP and the effects of hypoxia-reoxygenation require further exploration