Ultrastructural alterations in skeletal muscle fibers of rats after exercise

Ultrastructural alterations in skeletal muscle fibers were electron microscopically studied in rats forced to run on the treadmill until all-out. When they were mild and limited to relatively small areas, the reconstruction of filaments ensued within 10 days without infiltration of cells. When they were severe and extensive, phagocytes infiltrated in the lesions and removed degenerative sacroplasmic debris from muscle fibers. A little later, myoblasts appeared and regeneration was accomplished in 30 days in much the same manner as in myogenesis

The illusion of community participation: experience in the irregular settlements of Bogotá

The study focuses on community participation among the poor of Bogotá, Colombia. It explores the changing relationships between poor communities, local politicians and the city government before and after the institutional reforms and changing approach to development that occurred during the 1990s. The case studies were conducted in six irregular settlements, all developed in contravention of the city’s planning regulations. Data were collected using a sample household survey and in-depth interviews with community leaders, local inhabitants and the representatives of outside organisations. In the 1990s, clientelistic practices became less effective to push the regularisation process. City programmes toward irregular settlements became more holistic and benefited from better coordination between the different public entities. As a result, the inhabitants became more discriminating in identifying the most effective strategies for obtaining the services and infrastructure that they required. Competent government intervention was ultimately the most important factor in furthering the regularisation process. However, regularisation could not be achieved without community participation. Community involvement was important both before and after a settlement was recognised. The community had to find the money to put down a deposit before the service agencies would install services. This required not only a minimum level of economic resources but also firm community leadership. The study also shows that apparently contradictory decisions made by the different communities were highly rational. Whether the inhabitants were willing to pay for services depended on the benefit they expected in return. Their criteria changed through the consolidation process because their most urgent needs changed. Today, after the pricing system of public services changed, access to services depends mostly on users’ purchasing power and not on the collective negotiation led by the JAC leaders. In the 1990s, under the new constitution with its laws protecting citizen’s rights, ‘participation’ of citizens in the political arena as well as their right to obtain basic services was clearly recognised. Under this legal framework, community participation gives the poor a voice with which they can present claims as well as criticise the negligence of public administration. However, the protests of the inhabitants against increased public service charges show that the community-based organisations sometimes still have reason, and the ability, to mobilise the local people as a final resort

What does it take to get ahead? Investigating boundary conditions in the relationships among career-related psychological needs, ingratiation and promotability

Ingratiation, which is defined as "an attempt by individuals to increase their attractiveness in the eyes of others" (Liden & Mitchell, 1988, p. 572), can be used as a career influence tactic that enables career-motivated employees to achieve career-related benefits, such as positive performance evaluations, pay increases, and promotions (King, 2004). However, past research has disproportionately examined, predominantly separately, main-effect relationships between antecedents and ingratiation (Kacmar, Carlson & Bratton, 2004), and ingratiation and career-related outcomes (Wayne & Liden, 1995). Further, past studies that examined main-effect associations have been inconsistent at best (Ayree, Wyatt & Stone, 1996; Kacmar et al., 2004; Thacker & Wayne, 1995). Hence, what is currently missing from the literature on ingratiation is an understanding of the more complex processes involved in the performance of ingratiatory behaviours. These include (a) what contributes to one's conscious decision to ingratiate, and (b) what contributes to one's efficacy to ingratiate successfully (Liden & Mitchell, 1988). Accordingly, this thesis draws on a functional approach to motivation (Snyder, 1993) as a domain-specific theory to explain how ingratiation may serve as an intermediary mechanism in the relationship between career-related psychological needs (i.e., need for achievement, need for power) and promotability. This thesis also draws on Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory (SCT) as an overarching theory to identify relevant boundary conditions that help explain inconsistent findings shown by past research. In particular, organisation-based self-esteem (OBSE) and political skill are identified as relevant boundary conditions. Finally, this thesis draws on an attribution theory (Kelley, 1967) as an additional domain-specific theory to help explain how OBSE and political skill may contribute to the effectiveness of ingratiatory behaviours exercised by employees in an attempt to achieve higher promotability ratings. This thesis consists of two empirical studies. The first study, using 120 matched supervisor-subordinate dyads from Thailand, examines the independent first-stage and second-stage moderating impacts of OBSE on the conditional indirect effect of need for achievement on promotability through ingratiation. By testing the hypothesised moderated-mediation relationships, Study 1 generally finds that the conditional indirect effect is significant only when OBSE is high either at the first-stage or at the second-stage moderation. The second study, using 200 matched subordinate-peer-supervisor triads from Thailand, builds on Study 1 in three main ways. First, it incorporates need for power as an additional predictor of ingratiation, and political skill as an additional boundary condition. Second, it tests the interactive effects of OBSE and political skill on the conditional indirect effects of the two career-related psychological needs (i.e., need for achievement and need for power). And third, it constructively replicates the findings obtained from Study 1. One emerging pattern can be identified from the results obtained in Study 2. The conditional indirect effects became significant and strongest only when political skill and OBSE were taken into consideration at the second-stage moderation. These results suggest that ingratiation would serve as an intermediary mechanism only to the extent that the behaviour is being exercised effectively, which is contingent on relevant boundary conditions

Correlation between projection of the ear, the inferior crus, and the antihelical body: Analysis based on computed tomography

This is a preprint of an article whose final and definitive form has been published in the SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY AND HAND SURGERY © 2007 copyright Taylor & Francis; SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY AND HAND SURGERY is available online at: http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&PISSN=0284-4311&volume=41&issue=6&spage=288ArticleSCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY AND HAND SURGERY. 41(6): 288-292 (2007)journal articl