Hypercompetition in biomedical research evaluation and its impact on young scientist careers

Recent years have seen tremendous changes in the modes of publication and dissemination of biomedical information, with the introduction of countless new publishers and publishing models, as well as alternative modes of research evaluation. In parallel, we are witnessing an unsustainable explosion in the amount of information generated by each individual scientist, at the same time as many countries’ shrinking research budgets are greatly increasing the competition for research funding. In such a hypercompetitive environment, how does one measure excellence? This contribution will provide an overview of some of the ongoing changes in authorship practices in the biomedical sciences, and also the consequences of hypercompetition to the careers of young scientists, from the perspective of a tenured young faculty member in the biomedical sciences. It will also provide some suggestions as to alternate dissemination and evaluation practices that could reverse current trends. [Int Microbiol 18(4):253-261 (2015)]Keywords: biomedical publications · excellence evaluation· research competition · young scientists careers · information overloa

Theoretical modelling of epigenetically modified DNA sequences

We report herein a set of calculations designed to examine the effects of epigenetic modifications on the structure of DNA. The incorporation of methyl, hydroxymethyl, formyl and carboxy substituents at the 5-position of cytosine is shown to hardly affect the geometry of CG base pairs, but to result in rather larger changes to hydrogen-bond and stacking binding energies, as predicted by dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT) methods. The same modifications within double-stranded GCG and ACA trimers exhibit rather larger structural effects, when including the sugar-phosphate backbone as well as sodium counterions and implicit aqueous solvation. In particular, changes are observed in the buckle and propeller angles within base pairs and the slide and roll values of base pair steps, but these leave the overall helical shape of DNA essentially intact. The structures so obtained are useful as a benchmark of faster methods, including molecular mechanics (MM) and hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods. We show that previously developed MM parameters satisfactorily reproduce the trimer structures, as do QM/MM calculations which treat bases with dispersion-corrected DFT and the sugar-phosphate backbone with AMBER. The latter are improved by inclusion of all six bases in the QM region, since a truncated model including only the central CG base pair in the QM region is considerably further from the DFT structure. This QM/MM method is then applied to a set of double-stranded DNA heptamers derived from a recent X-ray crystallographic study, whose size puts a DFT study beyond our current computational resources. These data show that still larger structural changes are observed than in base pairs or trimers, leading us to conclude that it is important to model epigenetic modifications within realistic molecular contexts

Market research in the Finnish food industry

This study introduces the important factors of market research and its significancewhen aiming at new foreign markets. Understanding the cultural differences, the consumers and the market itself with the competitors’ actions among other factors, the organization has a better chance to succeed in entering new markets. The case company is a Belgian food industry company which is interested in the Finnish market environment with its consumers and competitors. Currently they are operating in Central European countries with a little market share. An interview was conducted in order to better understand their current situation and expectations on new markets. The company’s products are sold in specialty stores and in bigger hypermarkets due to their higher image which they would like to obtain in Finland. As a small country Finland can not offer big markets but this is no obstacle for the case company since they are not looking to challenge the market leader or even the followers. Instead they are looking for a small market share as in other countries that they already operate in. By using selective distribution focused on the biggest city areas the product availability is guaranteed to the majority of the Finnish population. The thesis emphasizes the different business chains - the different types of stores and their product variety as well as competitors and their product pricing. Among this, the importance of product visibility will be shown as the case company wishes to enter the markets with as little marketing as possible. Regulations on labelling are studied as well as there are little differences from organizations’ home markets. The study also introduces a Finnish importing company that could possibly cooperate with the customer when aiming at the Finnish markets.Tutkimus esittelee markkinatutkimuksen tärkeimmät osa-alueet sekä sen merkityksen tavoiteltaessa uusia markkinoita. Kulttuurillisten eroavaisuuksien, kuluttajien sekä itse markkinoiden ymmärtäminen kilpailijoineen edesauttaa yrityksen menestymistä uudella markkina-alueella. Asiakasyritys on Belgialainen elintarvikeyritys joka kiinnostui Suomen markkinaympäristöstä, kuluttajista sekä kilpailijoista. Tällä hetkellä he toimivat Keski-Euroopan markkinoilla pienin markkinaosuuksin. Haastattelu suoritettiin jotta saataisiin selville heidän nykytilanteensa sekä tulevaisuuden näkymät uusista markkinoista. Yrityksen tuotteet ovat myynnissä erikoisliikkeissä sekä suurimmissa marketeissa korkean imagon vuoksi ja näin he toivoisivat myös tapahtuvan Suomessa. Suomessa ei ole tarjolla suuria markkinoita jo pelkästään maan koon vuoksi. Tämä ei ole kuitenkaan este asiakasyritykselle sillä he eivät lähde haastamaan markkinajohtajaa tai seuraajia, vaan tyytyvät pieneen markkinaosuuteen aivan kuten muillakin markkinoilla. Selektiivisellä tuotejakelulla, keskittyen Suomen suurimpiin kaupunkialueisiin, taataan tuotteiden saatavuus suurimmalle osalle väestöstä. Tutkimus painottuu eri liikeketjuihin, Suomen kauppatyyppeihin ja niiden tuotevalikoiman suuruuteen sekä kilpailijoihin ja heidän tuotehinnoitteluun. Tämän lisäksi tuotteiden näkyvyyden tärkeys osoitetaan, sillä asiakasyritys toivoisi markkinoille tuloa vähäisin markkinointitoiminnoin. Pakkausmerkintäsäännökset tulevat myös esille sillä ne eroavat hieman yrityksen kotimarkkinoiden säännöksistä. Tutkimus esittelee myös suomalaisen maahantuontiyrityksen, joka voisi mahdollisesti toimia asiakasyrityksen yhteistyökumppanina Suomen markkinoille pyrittäessä

Exploring Spirituality in Teaching Within a Christian School Context Through Collaborative Action Research

This article reports on a collaborative action research project conducted in New Zealand, during 2012, exploring spirituality in teaching within a Christian school context. The experienced primary school teacher participant chose to take action around the issue of personal fear and insecurity which were believed to be hindering professional growth and relationships. Through self-directed inquiry, critical reflective journaling, Bible study, fellowship and prayer with trusted friends, the teacher experienced a renewed sense of peace and freedom in Christ. This personal transformation was believed to be influential on subsequent professional practice, assisting the teacher to become more relational, responsive and compassionate. The findings provide a rich description of the participant’s spirituality, the lived reality of a person’s spiritual life. This report will be of interest to teachers, teacher-leaders and teacher-educators who desire to explore Christian spirituality through practitioner-led inquiry

The Alkaline Hydrolysis of Sulfonate Esters: Challenges in Interpreting Experimental and Theoretical Data

Sulfonate ester hydrolysis has been the subject of recent debate, with experimental evidence interpreted in terms of both stepwise and concerted mechanisms. In particular, a recent study of the alkaline hydrolysis of a series of benzene arylsulfonates (Babtie et al., Org. Biomol. Chem. 10, 2012, 8095) presented a nonlinear Brønsted plot, which was explained in terms of a change from a stepwise mechanism involving a pentavalent intermediate for poorer leaving groups to a fully concerted mechanism for good leaving groups and supported by a theoretical study. In the present work, we have performed a detailed computational study of the hydrolysis of these compounds and find no computational evidence for a thermodynamically stable intermediate for any of these compounds. Additionally, we have extended the experimental data to include pyridine-3-yl benzene sulfonate and its N-oxide and N-methylpyridinium derivatives. Inclusion of these compounds converts the Brønsted plot to a moderately scattered but linear correlation and gives a very good Hammett correlation. These data suggest a concerted pathway for this reaction that proceeds via an early transition state with little bond cleavage to the leaving group, highlighting the care that needs to be taken with the interpretation of experimental and especially theoretical data

Where are the female science professors? A personal perspective [version 1; referees: 2 approved]

The first woman to earn a Professorship at a University in Europe was Laura Maria Caterina Bassi, who earned a professorship in physics at the University of Bologna in 1732. Almost 300 years and three waves of feminism later, in 2016, women typically still only comprise 20% (or less) of the number of full professors in Europe. This opinion article will discuss the experiences of being a female academic today and the factors contributing to the academic gender gap from the perspective of a “young” natural scientist, as well as providing constructive suggestions for strategies to empower women in the academic world