The Importance of Attributional Trust to Corporate Reputation

This article proposes the simplified trust-reputation model that relates attributional trust and issue resolution to corporate reputation. In effect, individuals on a project are very forgiving of supply chain members with regard to issues because of concern for their company's reputation. Hence, while trust may vary, there was no breakdown in trust because this would affect their company's reputation as a good partner. Furthermore, although there was a reported variance in trust by the project managers, it did not affect the project's outcome, but it did affect the ease of doing business

Naturally Occurring Missense MRGPRX2 Variants Display Loss of Function Phenotype for Mast Cell Degranulation in Response to Substance P, Hemokinin-1, Human B-Defensin-3, and Icatibant

Human mast cells (MCs) express a novel G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) known as Mas-related GPCR X2 (MRGPRX2). Activation of this receptor by a diverse group of cationic ligands such as neuropeptides, host defense peptides, and Food and Drug Administration–approved drugs contributes to chronic inflammatory diseases and pseudoallergic drug reactions. For most GPCRs, the extracellular (ECL) domains and their associated transmembrane (TM) domains display the greatest structural diversity and are responsible for binding different ligands. The goal of the current study was to determine if naturally occurring missense variants within MRGPRX2’s ECL/TM domains contribute to gain or loss of function phenotype for MC degranulation in response to neuropeptides (substance P and hemokinin-1), a host defense peptide (human b-defensin-3) and a Food and Drug Administration–approved cationic drug (bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist, icatibant). We have identified eight missense variants within MRGPRX2’s ECL/TM domains from publicly available exome-sequencing databases. We investigated the ability of MRGPRX2 ligands to induce degranulation in rat basophilic leukemia–2H3 cells individually expressing these naturally occurring MRGPRX2 missense variants. Using stable and transient transfections, we found that all variants express in rat basophilic leukemia cells. However, four natural MRGPRX2 variants, G165E (rs141744602), D184H (rs372988289), W243R (rs150365137), and H259Y (rs140862085) failed to respond to any of the ligands tested. Thus, diverse MRGPRX2 ligands use common sites on the receptor to induce MC degranulation. These findings have important clinical implications for MRGPRX2 and MC-mediated pseudoallergy and chronic inflammatory diseases. Copyright © 2018 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc

Aquaculture technologies in Bangladesh: an assessment of technical and economic performance and producer behavior

This study evaluates the performance of a wide range of aquaculture systems in Bangladesh. It is by far the largest of its kind attempted to date. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the most important production systems, rather than to provide a nationally representative overview of the entire aquaculture sector of Bangladesh. As such, the study yields a huge amount of new information on production technologies that have never been thoroughly researched before. The study reveals an extremely diverse array of specialized, dynamic and rapidly evolving production technologies, adapted to a variety of market niches and local environmental conditions. This is a testament to the innovativeness of farmers and other value chain actors who have been the principal drivers of this development in Bangladesh. Data was collected from six geographical hubs. This survey was conducted from November 2011 to June 2012. Technological performance in terms of detailed input and output information, fish management practices, credit and marketing, and social and environmental issues were captured by the survey questionnaire, which had both open and closed format questions. The study generated insights that enable better understanding of aquaculture development in Bangladesh

Needleless electrospinning with linear spinnerets

Electrospinning is the most effective method to produce nanofibres for various applications. The conventional electrospinning technique uses a single needle or multi-needle to produce nanofibres with limited throughput and hassles in controlling and operating. Different methods of needleless electrospinning, such as rotating cylinder, spiral coil, wire, ring, disc, dish and slot, have been established to scale up the production rate of nanofibres. However, stable and trustable, effective needleless electrospinning with the controllable capability to produce high-quality nanofibres is still of great challenge. The aim of this study is to establish new methods of electrospinning from linear spinnerets with lower electricity consumption and higher effectiveness than conventional needle electrospinning. A literature review was conducted to understand the evolvement of spinneret in electrospinning. As a linear spinneret, a convex needle with a split in its tip was demonstrated to generate multiple polymer jets from a limited free surface in needle-based electrospinning. Another novel spinneret from a single wire loop embedded in a tube was then used as the spinneret for needleless electrospinning with precise controlling. The controllability and efficiency of both spinnerets were compared with needle electrospinning. Furthermore, the linear spinneret from a spiral wire entrenched in a tube was used to perform nanofibrous coating on textiles. Compared to needle electrospinning, electrospinning from a convex needle showed 2-3 times higher flow rate with multiple jet and finer nanofibres under an applied voltage of 19 kV. Besides, the wire loop spinneret generated multiple jets with a larger spinnable area due to its special geometrical structure under a high applied voltage of 28 kV. The resultant nanofibres from this spinneret were slightly coarser compared to the needle electrospinning. Nevertheless, it has achieved a higher production rate of 0.48 g/h than needle electrospinning. Both convex needle and wire loop spinnerets generated a stronger electric field compared to needle as per the electric field modelling. The linear spinneret was demonstrated to generate nanofibrous coating on cotton fabrics, and the coated PVA nanofibrous membrane showed versatile protection with comfort after a dip coating of polydimethylsiloxane-trimethylated silica (PDMS-TMS). The linear spinnerets can be adopted to produce nanofibres with high throughput and controllability. The limited free surface in the spinneret tip allows the generation of strong electric field intensity under a low applied voltage (19-28 kV) with little solvent evaporation. Additionally, the linear spinnerets are also efficient in preforming nanofibrous coating. Overall, the linear spinnerets are stable, effective, and capable of fabricating high quality nanofibres for various practical implications

Acarbose versus orlistat in weight management of infertile women with polycystic ovarian syndrome: a prospective randomized controlled trial

Background: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) affects about 4 to 12% of women worldwide. PCOS is the most common cause of anavulation in infertile women. The endocrine dysfunction of PCOS is aggravated by obesity. Weight management is the first line treatment of this condition. In this study, we tried to compare acarbose versus orlistat in weight management of infertile women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of acarbose and orlistat in weight management of infertile polycystic ovarian syndrome women.Methods: This open label randomized controlled trial study was conducted in the Department of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, BSMMU, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The study period was 1 year from July 2019 to June 2020. A total of 32 obese infertile women with PCOS were included in the study and randomized to two treatment arms: acarbose 100 mg tds for 3 months and orlistat 120 mg tds for 3-months.Results: The response of adequate (>10%) weight reduction with acarbose was 67% of that with orlistat. The side effects with acarbose were 15% of that with orlistat. Acanthosis nigricans was reduced in 18.8% (n=3/16) of those receiving acarbose.Menstrual cycle regularized in 37.5% (n=6/16) in experimental (acarbose) group and in 18.8% (n=3/16) in control (orlistat) group.Conclusions: The therapeutic potential of acarbose in reducing weight was relatively less than orlistat in obese infertile PCOS women