Entrepreneurial orientation among arts managers in Western Australia

As a region, Western Australia is the largest and most isolated state in Australia, and supports a community of vibrant Arts Organisations. The Arts is widely recognised for its creativity and innovation, but what about the managers of these organisations, are they equally innovative, or entrepreneurial? Rusak (2016) explored this question and found that their Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) matched the three core dimensions of Innovativeness, Pro-activeness, and Risk-taking, but the study did not include the other two EO dimensions of Autonomy and Competitive Aggressiveness. It did however observe that arts companies don’t generally try to take offensive postures or aggressive responses to competitive threats and rather work collaboratively, as this sample shows . This assertion was not the focus of the article, nor was it explored in any depth in that paper. There are at least two possibilities here: it could be a passive aversion to competitive aggression, or a more deliberate counter-behaviour of collaboration. Either of these would appear to contradict the EO construct, in particular the expectation that all EO dimensions covary, which makes it interesting from a theory perspective. This paper explores this challenge to the EO theory in some detail, using software-aided analysis to tease out the finer nuances in this dimension of Competitive Aggressiveness. While the sample size and its geographical confines limit the generalisations that can be made, there is solid evidence that in this sample of Arts Managers, the Arts acts as a powerful contextual modifier to the expectations of EO theory. The dimension of Competitive Aggressiveness has not simply been altered or toned-down by this context, it has been replaced by a polar opposite

Cannabinoid receptors expression in bone marrow trephine biopsy of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients treated with purine analogues

Background: Cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 are part the endocannabinoid system that plays an important role in the process of proliferation and apoptosis of different neoplastic cells. B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is one of the diseases in which these processes are altered. Aim: The aim of our study was the assessment of cannabinoid receptor expression on the B-lymphocytes in bone marrow trephine biopsy from leukaemic patients at diagnosis and after purine analogue treatment. Methods: The biopsy was taken routinely and standard immunohistochemical staining procedure for paraffin embedded sections was applied. The cannabinoid receptors were detected using specific primary polyclonal antibody anti-CB1 and anti-CB2. Additionally, an existence of cannabinoid receptors was confirmed by flow cytometry. Results: The results showed that the expression of CB1 receptor on the surface of neoplastic cells was lower than that of CB2 (17.0 ± 3.1% and 92.1 ± 1.7% respectively, p < 0.001). Nine of the patients responded to applied treatment with a reduction in leukaemic infiltration (77.2 ± 6.9% to 30.2 ± 6.5%, p = 0.007) and CB1 receptor expression (24.4 ± 4.8% to 8.6 ± 2.9%, p = 0.01), but there was no change in CB2 expression (91.7 ± 2.7% vs 90.9 ± 2.8%, p = 0.69). Four patients without remission expressed even greater number of the receptors. In all of the cases both cannabinoid receptor types antibodies gave positive reaction. Furthermore, the existence of cannabinoid receptors on neoplastic lymphocytes was confirmed by flow cytometry. Conclusion: The study provides original evidence for the existence of cannabinoid receptors on B-lymphocytes in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients. The receptors are thought to be a new structure that can modify the course of the disease and may be considered as a new target in leukaemia treatment.Обоснование: рецепторы каннабиноидов CB1 и CB2 яв ляются частью системы эндоканнабиноидов, которая играет важную роль в процессах пролиферации и апоптоза различных неопластических клеток. Одним из заболеваний, при которых происходит нарушение этих процессов, является В-клеточный хронический лимфлейкоз. Цель: оценка экспрессии рецепторов каннабиноидов на В-лимфоцитах в трепанобиоптатах у больных лейкозом до и после проведения лечения с использованием пуриновых аналогов. Методы: биоптаты получили рутинными методами; иммуногистохимическое исследование депарафинизированных срезов проводили по стандартной процедуре. Рецепторы каннабиноидов определяли с использованием специфических моноклональных антител анти-CB1 и анти-CB2. Кроме того, наличие рецепторов подтверждено при по- мощи проточной цитофлуориметрии. Результаты: показано, что экспрессия рецептора CB1 на поверхности опухолевых клеток ниже, чем экспрессия CB2 (17,0  ± 3,1% и 92,1 1,7% твенно, p < 0,001). После проведенного лечения у 9 пациентов отмечалось уменьшение лейкозного инфильтрата (77,2 6,9% до 30,2 6,5%, p = 0,007) и снижение экспрессии рецептора CB1 (24,4 4,8% до 8,6 2,9%, p = 0,01), однако различий в экспрессии CB2 не отмечали (91,7 2,7% против 90,9 2,8%, p = 0,69). У 4 пациентов, у которых не удалось достичь ремиссии, определяли даже повышение экспрессии рецепторов. Во всех случаях маркировки антителами к обоим типам рецепторов каннабиноидов отмечали поло- жительную реакцию. Более того, присутствие рецепторов каннабиноидов на злокачественных клетках подтверждали при помощи проточной цитометрии. Выводы: в ходе исследования показано изначальное наличие рецепторов каннабиноидов на В-лимфоцитах у больных хроническим лимфолейкозом. Указанные рецепторы могут быть новой структурой, которая может быть модифицирована в течение болезни, и могут считаться новой мишенью при лечении больных лейкозом

Determining the probability of cyanobacterial blooms: the application of Bayesian networks in multiple lake systems

A Bayesian network model was developed to assess the combined influence of nutrient conditions and climate on the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms within lakes of diverse hydrology and nutrient supply. Physicochemical, biological, and meteorological observations were collated from 20 lakes located at different latitudes and characterized by a range of sizes and trophic states. Using these data, we built a Bayesian network to (1) analyze the sensitivity of cyanobacterial bloom development to different environmental factors and (2) determine the probability that cyanobacterial blooms would occur. Blooms were classified in three categories of hazard (low, moderate, and high) based on cell abundances. The most important factors determining cyanobacterial bloom occurrence were water temperature, nutrient availability, and the ratio of mixing depth to euphotic depth. The probability of cyanobacterial blooms was evaluated under different combinations of total phosphorus and water temperature. The Bayesian network was then applied to quantify the probability of blooms under a future climate warming scenario. The probability of the "high hazardous" category of cyanobacterial blooms increased 5% in response to either an increase in water temperature of 0.8°C (initial water temperature above 24°C) or an increase in total phosphorus from 0.01 mg/L to 0.02 mg/L. Mesotrophic lakes were particularly vulnerable to warming. Reducing nutrient concentrations counteracts the increased cyanobacterial risk associated with higher temperatures

Evidence for a general species time arearelationship

The species-area relationship (SAR) plays a central role in biodiversity research, and recent work has increased awareness of its temporal analog, the species-time relationship (STR). Here we provide evidence for a general species-time-area-relationship (STAR), in which species number is a function of the area and time span of sampling, as well as their interaction. For eight assemblages ranging from lake zooplankton to desert rodents, this model outperformed a sampling-based model and two simpler models in which area and time had independent effects. In every case the interaction term was negative, meaning that rates of species accumulation in space decreased with the time span of sampling, while species accumulation rates in time decreased with area sampled. Although questions remain about its precise functional form, the STAR provides a tool for scaling species richness across time and space, for comparing the relative rates of species turnover in space and time at different scales of sampling, and for rigorous testing of mechanisms proposed to drive community dynamics. Our results show that the SAR and STR are not separate relationships but two dimensions of one unified pattern. Keywords: community dynamics, spatiotemporal scaling, species diversity, turnover, speciesarea relationship, species-time relationshi

Lake surface temperature [in “State of the Climate in 2017”]

Observed lake surface water temperature anomalies in 2017 are placed in the context of the recent warming observed in global surface air temperature by collating long-term in situ lake surface temperature observations from some of the world’s best-studied lakes and a satellite-derived global lake surface water temperature dataset. The period 1996–2015, 20 years for which satellite-derived lake temperatures are available, is used as the base period for all lake temperature anomaly calculations

Forest defoliator outbreaks alter nutrient cycling in northern waters.

Insect defoliators alter biogeochemical cycles from land into receiving waters by consuming terrestrial biomass and releasing biolabile frass. Here, we related insect outbreaks to water chemistry across 12 boreal lake catchments over 32-years. We report, on average, 27% lower dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and 112% higher dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations in lake waters when defoliators covered entire catchments and reduced leaf area. DOC reductions reached 32% when deciduous stands dominated. Within-year changes in DOC from insect outbreaks exceeded 86% of between-year trends across a larger dataset of 266 boreal and north temperate lakes from 1990 to 2016. Similarly, within-year increases in DIN from insect outbreaks exceeded local, between-year changes in DIN by 12-times, on average. As insect defoliator outbreaks occur at least every 5 years across a wider 439,661 km2 boreal ecozone of Ontario, we suggest they are an underappreciated driver of biogeochemical cycles in forest catchments of this region.Natural Environment Research Council (NE/L006561/1) Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE/27649) Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC/509182-17

Wind and trophic status explain within and among‐lake variability of algal biomass

Phytoplankton biomass and production regulates key aspects of freshwater ecosystems yet its variability and subsequent predictability is poorly understood. We estimated within‐lake variation in biomass using high‐frequency chlorophyll fluorescence data from 18 globally distributed lakes. We tested how variation in fluorescence at monthly, daily, and hourly scales was related to high‐frequency variability of wind, water temperature, and radiation within lakes as well as productivity and physical attributes among lakes. Within lakes, monthly variation dominated, but combined daily and hourly variation were equivalent to that expressed monthly. Among lakes, biomass variability increased with trophic status while, within‐lake biomass variation increased with increasing variability in wind speed. Our results highlight the benefits of high‐frequency chlorophyll monitoring and suggest that predicted changes associated with climate, as well as ongoing cultural eutrophication, are likely to substantially increase the temporal variability of algal biomass and thus the predictability of the services it provides

Wound healing and hyper-hydration - a counter intuitive model

Winters seminal work in the 1960s relating to providing an optimal level of moisture to aid wound healing (granulation and re-epithelialisation) has been the single most effective advance in wound care over many decades. As such the development of advanced wound dressings that manage the fluidic wound environment have provided significant benefits in terms of healing to both patient and clinician. Although moist wound healing provides the guiding management principle confusion may arise between what is deemed to be an adequate level of tissue hydration and the risk of developing maceration. In addition, the counter-intuitive model ‘hyper-hydration’ of tissue appears to frustrate the moist wound healing approach and advocate a course of intervention whereby tissue is hydrated beyond what is a normally acceptable therapeutic level. This paper discusses tissue hydration, the cause and effect of maceration and distinguishes these from hyper-hydration of tissue. The rationale is to provide the clinician with a knowledge base that allows optimisation of treatment and outcomes and explains the reasoning behind wound healing using hyper-hydration

Impact of extreme weather events frequency and intensity in shaping phytoplankton communities

Lake habitats and communities can often be correlated with general morphometric and geographic characteristics such as depth, latitude, altitude, or watershed area. Further, communities are typically correlated with average environmental conditions such as seasonal temperature and nutrient levels. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events (rain and wind) are typically not encompassed by average environmental descriptors, yet, can modify the physical habitats of lakes, significantly influencing phytoplankton growth and survival. We tested the hypothesis that lakes with a higher frequency and intensity of extreme weather events have a functionally different phytoplankton assemblage from lakes with a lower frequency of extreme weather events. We compiled long-term (mean = 20±13 years, range 0.6-44 years) phytoplankton datasets for 22 lakes across a wide gradient of altitude, latitude, depth, and trophic state. We classified the phytoplankton genera into morpho-functional groups and C-S-R strategists, and compared among lake phytoplankton assemblages’ characteristics across the gradient of wind and rain conditions experienced by the lakes. We discuss how the frequency of extreme weather events can affect phytoplankton functional groups, the dominance of differing life history strategies and ultimately community structure. The frequency and intensity of extreme events is expected to increase with climate change, with the potential to drive shifts in phytoplankton composition