Dilettante, Venturesome, Tory and Crafts: Drivers of Performance Among Taxonomic Groups

Empirical research has failed to cumulate into a coherent taxonomy of small firms. This may be because the method adapted from biology by Bill McKelvey has almost never been adopted. His approach calls for extensive variables and a focused sample of organizations, contrary to most empirical studies, which are specialized. Comparing general and special purpose approaches, we find some of the latter have more explanatory power than others and that general purpose taxonomies have the greatest explanatory power. Examining performance, we find the types do not display significantly different levels of performance but they display highly varied drivers of performance

Investigation of a Novel Mitophagy Regulatory Pathway and Chemical Inducer

Mitochondria are vital organelles that coordinate cellular energy homeostasis and also have important roles in cell death. Therefore, the removal of damaged or excessive mitochondria through autophagy, a process called mitophagy, is critical for maintaining proper cellular function. Much of the research elucidating the mechanism and regulation of autophagy was performed in yeast cells, so there is still a lot of mystery surrounding how mitophagy is promoted and regulated in mammals in general and in different tissues. The most well understood mechanism involved in mitophagy is the PINK1-PARKN pathway. However, studies often rely on severe mitochondrial damage using CCCP that is considered non-physiological. To find novel regulators of mitophagy in mammalian cells, we used a previously published screen for autophagy regulators to identify the MEKK3-MEK5-ERK5 pathway as a potential regulator of mitophagy in the absence of exogenous damage. Here, I provide evidence that genetic or pharmacological inhibition of the MEKK3-MEK5-ERK5 pathway increases mitochondrial content by reducing lysosome-mediated degradation of mitochondria under basal conditions. I confirm that the MEKK3-MEK5-ERK5 pathway is not required for non-selective bulk autophagy, damage-induced mitophagy, or restraint of mitochondrial biogenesis, confirming a selective role in basal mitochondrial degradation. Furthermore, inhibition of MEK5 or ERK5 in erythrocytes leads to defective mitochondrial elimination and impaired erythrocyte differentiation. In addition to finding a novel mitophagy promoting pathway, we also worked to discover a novel mitophagy inducing compound. There are several different mechanisms for mitophagy induction, so there is considerable interest in the field in identifying novel chemical modulators that promote the efficient removal of mitochondria through different pathways

Ringworm : notes and comments on 45 cases

I have at length outgrown in my experience of ringworm treatment the feeling which used to possess me in reading enthusiastic accounts of various drugs by their special advocates, that my previous treatment had lacked the one essential, or had been characterised by some special error. The question of shaving and washing instances this well. I had had all my cases shaved; and they were scrubbed each morning for some time,but on reading Mr. Malcolm Morris's denunciation of this, I began to wonder if the disease had thereby been extended, and I ceased to shave and wash with such ardour.Again, I was influenced by the high praise of chrysarobin by Unna and Morris, and instituted this treatment at the cost of staining much bed linen and ^zany garments, the sacrifice of which I reckoned as nothing, compared to the inestimable advantages which were to ensue from its use.Its results, however, did not come up to my expectations, though I do not deny its value. I found it a much less dangerous remedy than I had supposed. The children's fps were often stained a deep purplish colour but I can recall no regrettable incident except the damage to clothing i in connection with its use. If the ointment actually got inside the eye, Conjunctivitis was produced., but this very rarely happened/and was not serious

The Fungal Connection: Characterizing the Ectomycorrhizal Community and Belowground Response to Restoration Treatments in Northern Mississippi.

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are symbionts on the roots of woody plant species throughout the world. These fungi provide plants with nutrients and are important drivers of ecosystem processes. ECM fungi vary in their effect on host plants and host-specificity, making them important considerations in restoration projects seeking to restore target tree species. Restoration strategies such as burning and thinning may have strong impacts on ECM fungi, and given the that ECM are important in structuring aboveground communities and maintaining certain dominant plant taxa, knowledge of ECM fungal response is needed to ensure restoration efforts succeed. Using molecular methods, this research aimed to identify the ECM fungal community in a restoration project in northern Mississippi, comparing the belowground fungal community on plant roots between replicated control and treatment plots. We also measured abiotic factors that may structure the ECM fungal community, including litter depth, canopy openness, burn regimen, and soil compaction. Results indicate that the ECM fungal community is very diverse with 175 operational taxon units recovered from sequence data, 106 OTUs only found once. The fungal species had high site fidelity, with site being the factor explaining the most variation in community structure. Taxa in the family Russulaceae represented the most abundant fungi found on roots, folloby Thelephoraceae. The abiotic factors measured accounted for only 10% of the variation in community structure, indicating that other unmeasured variables may account for the remaining variation in ECM community distribution. Spatial autocorrelation was found at one of the six plots, indicating similar ECM fungal species composition at scales greater than in the other 5 sites. This plot also had the greatest canopy openness and oak regeneration, suggesting that this greater spatial autocorrelation could be related to oak seedling facilitation. The restoration treatments did not have a strong impact on fungal community structure except in the Tallahatchie plots, where there was a strong difference between treatment and control plots. This study was the first assessment of belowground ECM fungal diversity in Mississippi, and will serve as a starting point for further investigation into shifts in the fungal community as a result of restoration

Creating a Poverty Map for Azerbaijan

"Poverty maps"-that is, graphic representations of spatially disaggregated estimates of welfare-are being increasingly used to geographically target scarce resources. But the development of detailed poverty maps in many low resource settings is hampered because of data constraints. Data on income or consumption are often unavailable and, where they are, direct survey estimates for small areas are likely to yield unacceptably large standard errors due to limited sample sizes. Census data offer the required level of coverage but do not generally contain the appropriate information. This has led to the development of a range of alternative methods aimed either at combining survey data with unit record data from the census to produce estimates of income or expenditure for small areas or at developing alternative welfare rankings, such as asset indices, using existing census data. This paper develops a set of poverty maps for Azerbaijan that can be used by different users. Two alternative approaches to the measurement and mapping of welfare are adopted. First, a map is derived using imputed household consumption. This involves combining information from the 2002 Household Budget Survey (HBS) with 1999 census data. Second, an alternative map is constructed using an asset index based on data from the 1999 census to produce estimates of welfare at the rayon level. This provides a unique opportunity to compare the welfare rankings obtained at the regional level under the two alternative approaches. In order to visually present the spatially disgaggregated estimates of welfare in Azerbaijan, this paper has also produced a digital census map of Azerbaijan. This involved matching the census enumeration areas to a digital settlement map of Azerbaijan. Therefore, it is now possible for the State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan to display graphically the results of the 1999 census of Azerbaijan along with other data.Rural Poverty Reduction,Economic Theory&Research,Poverty Lines,Poverty Diagnostics,Technology Industry

Replacement of dichloromethane within chromatographic purification : a guide to alternative solvents

Replacement of dichloromethane as the bulk medium within chromatographic purification has been evaluated with a broad range of molecules containing functionality common within Medicinal Chemistry programmes. Analysis of the data set has generated a set of general guidelines to assist in the selection of alternative solvents for CH2Cl2 as the bulk media in these ubiquitously employed processes

Mortality in young adults following in utero and childhood exposure to arsenic in drinking water.

BackgroundBeginning in 1958, the city of Antofagasta in northern Chile was exposed to high arsenic concentrations (870 µg/L) when it switched water sources. The exposure abruptly stopped in 1970 when an arsenic-removal plant commenced operations. A unique exposure scenario like this--with an abrupt start, clear end, and large population (125,000 in 1970), all with essentially the same exposure--is rare in environmental epidemiology. Evidence of increased mortality from lung cancer, bronchiectasis, myocardial infarction, and kidney cancer has been reported among young adults who were in utero or children during the high-exposure period.ObjectiveWe investigated other causes of mortality in Antofagasta among 30- to 49-year-old adults who were in utero or ≤ 18 years of age during the high-exposure period.MethodsWe compared mortality data between Antofagasta and the rest of Chile for people 30-49 years of age during 1989-2000. We estimated expected deaths from mortality rates in all of Chile, excluding Region II where Antofagasta is located, and calculated standardized mortality ratios (SMRs).ResultsWe found evidence of increased mortality from bladder cancer [SMR = 18.1; 95% confidence interval (CI): 11.3, 27.4], laryngeal cancer (SMR = 8.1; 95% CI: 3.5, 16.0), liver cancer (SMR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.6, 3.7), and chronic renal disease (SMR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.5, 2.8).ConclusionsTaking together our findings in the present study and previous evidence of increased mortality from other causes of death, we conclude that arsenic in Antofagasta drinking water has resulted in the greatest increases in mortality in adults < 50 years of age ever associated with early-life environmental exposure

Fit, Simplicity and Risk: Multiple Paths to Strategic IT Change

The dominant rational approach to IT-centered strategic change derives from the positioning literature in business strategy. It assumes a single best path to successful organizational transformation. Three cases are used to show that,inpractice,therearemultiplealternativepaths. ThestrategicITandbusinessstrategyliteraturesarecritiqued in terms of the process of fit so as to explain why these alternative paths are successful. Two distinctive characteristics of the fit process -- the search for simplicity and differential risk management profiles -- are identified. Their roles in successful paths are discussed