Electronic information sharing in local government authorities: Factors influencing the decision-making process

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in International Journal of Information Management. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2013 Elsevier B.V.Local Government Authorities (LGAs) are mainly characterised as information-intensive organisations. To satisfy their information requirements, effective information sharing within and among LGAs is necessary. Nevertheless, the dilemma of Inter-Organisational Information Sharing (IOIS) has been regarded as an inevitable issue for the public sector. Despite a decade of active research and practice, the field lacks a comprehensive framework to examine the factors influencing Electronic Information Sharing (EIS) among LGAs. The research presented in this paper contributes towards resolving this problem by developing a conceptual framework of factors influencing EIS in Government-to-Government (G2G) collaboration. By presenting this model, we attempt to clarify that EIS in LGAs is affected by a combination of environmental, organisational, business process, and technological factors and that it should not be scrutinised merely from a technical perspective. To validate the conceptual rationale, multiple case study based research strategy was selected. From an analysis of the empirical data from two case organisations, this paper exemplifies the importance (i.e. prioritisation) of these factors in influencing EIS by utilising the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. The intent herein is to offer LGA decision-makers with a systematic decision-making process in realising the importance (i.e. from most important to least important) of EIS influential factors. This systematic process will also assist LGA decision-makers in better interpreting EIS and its underlying problems. The research reported herein should be of interest to both academics and practitioners who are involved in IOIS, in general, and collaborative e-Government, in particular

The Changes in Status of Antioxidant Defence System on Temporary Cerebral Ischemia and the Protective Effect of Vitamin E and C

Time-dependent changes in antioxidant defence system and the effect ofvitamin C and E supplementation on temporary cerebral ischemia wasinvestigated in this study. This study was performed in 140 male Wistaralbino rats weighting 300-400g. Before 30 minutes cerebral ischemiavitamin E (α-tocopherol) 10 mg/kg/day and vitamin C 30 mg/kg/day wereapplied intraperitoneally for a week period. Animals were sacrifiedfollowing 24 h and 72 h ischemia and the brain was removed as quick aspossible. Brain water content, süperoxide dismutase (SOD) ) and catalase(CAT) activities and the level of nonenzymatic antioxidant, reduced vitaminC and α-tocopherol levels were measured. Moreover the level ofmalondialdehyde (MDA) as an indicator of lipid peroxidation wasdetermined. At 24 h of reperfusion superoxide dismutase (SOD) andcatalase (CAT) activities, vitamin C and E level decreased significantly inischemic brain area (p<0.05, p<0.05, p<0.01 and p<0.01 respectively). After72 h of reperfusion SOD and CAT activities surpassed the pre-ischemiclevel (p<0.01 and p<0.05 respectively). The level of vitamin C and Eincreased significantly at 72 hours after ischemia but, did not reach preischemiclevels (p<0.01 and p<0.01 respectively). Administration of vitaminC and E a week before cerebral ischemia prevented the decrease in SODand CAT activities after 24 hours of reperfusion (p<0.01 and p<0.01respectively). Furthermore, the increase in ischemia induced lipidperoxidation and cerebral edema were decreased significantly byadministration of these vitamins (p<0.01 and p<0.01 respectively). Invitamins applied groups, increase in SOD and catalase activities at 72 hoursafter ischemia was similar to control. The results indicated that there isnegative correlation between vitamin C or E level and lipid peroxidation orcerebral edema. Similar relationship was found between SOD or CATactivitiy and lipid peroxidation or cerebral edama.Temporary cerebral ischemia changed the state of anti-oxidant defencesystem and these changes were significantly prevented by treatment with Cand E vitamins before ischemia

Epidemiologic data of trauma-related lower limb amputees: A single center 10-year experience

WOS: 000396914100021PubMed ID: 28038786Objective: The aim of this study is three fold: 1) to introduce epidemiologic data of patients with traumarelated amputations as a 10-year experience of a rehabitation center; 2) to determine comorbidities and secondary conditions of lower limb loss; 3) to determine the rehospitalization reasons for lower limb amputee patients. Materials and methods: This retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary rehabilitation center in Turkey. Clinical and demographic data of amputees including sex, age, employment status, time since amputation, time after amputation to first hospitalization, length of hospitalization, how many times the patient was hospitalized, reason for hospitalization, stump complications, comorbid conditions, amputation level and K classifacation were documented. Results: Three hundred ninetynine patients with a mean age of 23,48 + 6,04 (4-74) years were included in this study. Mean duration after amputation was 119,71 +/- 68,86 months. Patients were 3,43 +/- 2,53 times hospitalized. Landmine explosion was the most common etiology of amputation with 370 patients (92.7%). Below knee amputation was the most common amputation level with 230 (50,77%) amputations. 399 patients were hospitalized 1369 times and the most common hospitalization reason were stump complications (356 times, 26,00%). Spur formation (202 times) was the most common stump complications. Pyscologic disorders were the most common comorbidity with 68 patient (37,56%). Conclusion: Patients with traumatic limb amputations are likely to experience several complications and comorbidities. Prevention of secondary conditions affecting those living with the loss of a limb is an important part of amputee rehabilitation and may prevent rehospitalization

Influence of coumarin and some coumarin derivatives on serum lipid profiles in carbontetrachloride-exposed rats

In the present study, coumarin and some coumarin derivatives (esculetin, scoparone, and 4-methylumbelliferone) were investigated for their lipid-lowering effect in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (150-200 g) were divided into six groups and each group comprised of five rats. Hepatic injury-dependent hyperlipidemia was induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4, 1.25 ml/kg). Coumarin and coumarin derivatives esculetin (35 mg/kg), scoparone (35 mg/kg), 4-methylumbelliferone (35 mg/kg), or coumarin (30 mg/kg) were administered to experimental groups at 12-h intervals. Animals received the derivatives esculetin, scoparone or 4-methylumbelliferone prior to the administration of a single toxic dose of CCl4. Serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels significantly increased in CCl4-treated group (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.01, and p < 0.05, respectively), while levels of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased (p < 0.01). 4-Methylumbelliferone had no recovery effects on serum TC levels, however, significantly prevented CCl4-induced hyperlipidemia by reducing TG and VLDL-C levels (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05, respectively). In addition, coumarin had no recovery effect on any of the serum lipid parameters against CCl4-induced hyperlipidemia. Among the coumarin derivatives only esculetin and scoparone significantly prevented serum HDL-C in CCl4-induced dyslipidemia. The results from this study indicate that the chemical structure of coumarins plays an important role on the regulation of serum lipid profiles

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field