Matter of Strategic Mis-fit: Management Myopia and Value Destruction

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between three forms of management myopia (spatial, temporal and hubris) and value destruction, incorporating industry context as a moderating influence. Spatial myopia, temporal myopia and hubris are operationalized in terms of variables from three research perspectives---managerial cognitions, top management team (TMT) characteristics, and financial behavior. Value destruction was measured in terms of below average sales, net income and return-on-asset changes. The study involved 103 firms from 10 different industries. Approximately half of the firms were from higher growth industries and half from lower growth industries. Relationships were evaluated with regression analysis. The results of the study support the relevance of TMT characteristics and managerial cognitions; however, variables from the different research perspectives yielded inconsistent and even conflicting relationships with firm outcome variables. The lack of agreement suggests that the influence of TMT characteristics and managerial cognitions may be more complex, and less direct than theory suggests. Consistent with theory, the moderating influence of industry growth rate was supported. Relationships between a number of TMT and cognitive variables and ROA change differed between high growth and low growth industries. The results also indicate that hubris (e.g., media praise) may encourage higher sales growth, but depress profitability. This finding is consistent with the results of prior studies addressing value-destroying strategic decisions of highly praised CEOs (e.g., Hayward & Hambrick, 1997).Department of Managemen

A new hazelnut development program in the Lake States

Paper presented at the 12th North American Agroforesty Conference, which was held June 4-9, 2011 in Athens, Georgia.In Ashton, S. F., S.W. Workman, W.G. Hubbard and D.J. Moorhead, eds. Agroforestry: A Profitable Land Use. Proceedings, 12th North American Agroforestry Conference, Athens, GA, June 4-9, 2011.Hazelnut is an intriguing new crop for the Lake States, suited for use as an oilseed and as an edible nut. Several researchers and hobby breeders have attempted to develop this crop for the Lake States with some current small-scale commercial adoption; however, the crop is still in its infancy. A group of researchers, extension specialists and growers are assisting in the development of a hazelnut industry in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Activities include 1) aiding farmers in selecting plant material from existing plantings of seed origin hybrids for their use or broader adoption, 2) screening wild American hazelnut for high-performing plantsfor use by breeders or as potential crop plants, 3) developing clonal propagation methods and 4) providing outreach activities to those currently growing and those interested in growing hazelnuts. We plan to discuss our results to date emphasizing clonal propagation research and the protocols and results of the schreening program for wild American hazelnuts.Mike Demchik (1), Brent McCown (2), Jason Fischbach (3), Anthony Kern (4) and Eric Zeldin (5) ; 1. College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. 2. Horticulture, University of Wisconsin Madison. 3. University of Wisconsin Extension. 4. Northland College. 5. University of Wisconsin.Includes bibliographical references

Sex Differences in Measures of Wave Reflection and Aortic Arterial Stiffness in Response to Weight Machine Resistance Exercise

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(2): 1190-1201, 2022. While it has been demonstrated that acute resistance exercise (RE) alters measures of wave reflection and aortic arterial stiffness in young, healthy individuals, limited research has evaluated sex differences. Accordingly, we recruited moderately active, resistance-trained men (Age: 22 ± 3yrs, n=12) and women (23 ± 3yrs, n=10) to perform two randomized conditions consisting of an acute bout of weight machine RE or a quiet control (CON). Measures of aortic wave reflection and aortic stiffness were taken at baseline and 15 minutes following the RE (Recovery). At baseline, women had significantly higher heart rate (p = 0.05) and lower brachial systolic blood pressure (p = 0.009) compared to men. There were no significant three-way interactions for any variable. Significant condition by time interactions were noted for heart rate (Baseline: 65 ± 10bpm, Recovery: 87 ± 13bpm, p = 0.001), brachial systolic blood pressure (Baseline: 116 ± 9mmHg, Recovery: 123 ± 10mmHg, p = 0.014), and the augmentation index (AIx) normalized at 75bpm (Baseline: 7.7 ± 12.8%, Recovery: 15.5 ± 9.5%, p = 0.002) such that Recovery was augmented compared to Baseline following RE but not CON. There was also a significant main effect of time for augmentation pressure (Baseline: 4.1 ± 4.0mmHg, Recovery: 4.0 ± 3.6mmHg, p = 0.04) such that it decreased from Baseline to Recovery following RE but not the CON. There were no significant effects of sex, condition, or time on aortic arterial stiffness. Men and women have similar responses in measures of aortic wave reflection and aortic arterial stiffness following acute RE using weight machines

Influence of Mature Overstory Trees on Adjacent 12-Year Regeneration and the Woody Understory: Aggregated Retention versus Intact Forest

Retention harvesting, an approach that intentionally retains legacy features such as mature overstory trees, provides options for achieving ecological objectives. At the same time, retained overstory trees may compete with the nearby recovering understory for resources, and much remains to be learned about potential trade-offs with regeneration objectives, particularly over extended time periods. We assessed the influence of aggregated retention (reserved mature overstory and understory patches) versus intact forest on structure and productivity (standing biomass) of the adjacent woody understory and regeneration 12 years after harvest in northern Minnesota, USA. Each site was dominated by Populus tremuloides Michx., a species that regenerates prolifically via root sprouts following disturbance. Overall, fewer differences than expected occurred between the effects of intact forest and aggregated retention on regeneration, despite the small size (0.1 ha) of aggregates. Instead, harvest status and distance from harvest edge had a greater influence on structure and standing woody biomass. Proximity to aggregates reduced large sapling biomass (all species, combined) relative to open conditions, but only up to 5 m into harvested areas. This suggests the trade-off for achieving productivity objectives might be minimal if managers use retention aggregates in this region to achieve ecological objectives and meet management guidelines

Characterisation of CD154+ T cells following ex vivo allergen stimulation illustrates distinct T cell responses to seasonal and perennial allergens in allergic and non-allergic individuals

Background Allergic sensitisation has been ascribed to a dysregulated relationship between allergen-specific Th1, Th2 and regulatory T cells. We sought to utilise our short-term CD154 detection method to further analyse the relationship between these T cell subsets and investigate differences between seasonal and perennial allergens. Using peripheral blood samples from grass-allergic, cat-allergic and healthy non-atopic subjects, we compared the frequencies and phenotype of CD154-positive T helper cells following stimulation with seasonal (grass) and perennial (cat dander) allergens. Results We identified a higher frequency of CD154+ T cells in grass-allergic individuals compared to healthy controls; this difference was not evident following stimulation with cat allergen. Activated Th1, Th2 and Tr1-like cells, that co-express IFNγ, IL4 and IL10, respectively, were identified in varying proportions in grass-allergic, cat-allergic and non-allergic individuals. We confirmed a close correlation between Th1, Th2 and Tr1-like cell frequency in non-allergic volunteers, such that the three parameters increased together to maintain a low Th2: Th1 ratio. This relationship was dysregulated in grass-allergic individuals with no correlation between the T cell subsets and a higher Th2: Th1 ratio. We confirmed previous reports of a late-differentiated T cell phenotype in response to seasonal allergens compared to early-differentiated T cell responses to perennial allergens. Conclusions The findings confirm our existing work illustrating an important balance between Th1, Th2 and Tr1-like responses to allergens in health, where Th2 responses are frequently observed, but balanced by Th1 and regulatory responses. We confirm previous tetramer-based reports of phenotypic differences in T cells responding to seasonal and perennial allergens

Improved remote sensing methods to detect northern wild rice (Zizania palustris L.)

Declining populations of Zizania palustris L. (northern wildrice, or wildrice) during the last century drives the demand for new and innovative techniques to support monitoring of this culturally and ecologically significant crop wild relative. We trained three wildrice detection models in R and Google Earth Engine using data from annual aquatic vegetation surveys in northern Minnesota. Three di erent training datasets, varying in the definition of wildrice presence, were combined with Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Sentinel-1 C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery to map wildrice in 2015 using random forests. Spectral predictors were derived from phenologically important time periods of emergence (June–July) and peak harvest (August–September). The range of the Vertical Vertical (VV) polarization between the two time periods was consistently the top predictor. Model outputs were evaluated using both point and area-based validation (polygon). While all models performed well in the point validation with percent correctly classified ranging from 83.8% to 91.1%, we found polygon validation necessary to comprehensively assess wildrice detection accuracy. Our practical approach highlights a variety of applications that can be applied to guide field excursions and estimate the extent of occurrence at landscape scales. Further testing and validation of the methods we present may support multiyear monitoring which is foundational for the preservation of wildrice for future generations

CD25+CD4+ Regulatory T Cells from the Peripheral Blood of Asymptomatic HIV-infected Individuals Regulate CD4+ and CD8+ HIV-specific T Cell Immune Responses In Vitro and Are Associated with Favorable Clinical Markers of Disease Status

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease is associated with loss of CD4+ T cells, chronic immune activation, and progressive immune dysfunction. HIV-specific responses, particularly those of CD4+ T cells, become impaired early after infection, before the loss of responses directed against other antigens; the basis for this diminution has not been elucidated fully. The potential role of CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells (T reg cells), previously shown to inhibit immune responses directed against numerous pathogens, as suppressors of HIV-specific T cell responses was investigated. In the majority of healthy HIV-infected individuals, CD25+CD4+ T cells significantly suppressed cellular proliferation and cytokine production by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in response to HIV antigens/peptides in vitro; these effects were cell contact dependent and IL-10 and TGF-β independent. Individuals with strong HIV-specific CD25+ T reg cell function in vitro had significantly lower levels of plasma viremia and higher CD4+: CD8+ T cell ratios than did those individuals in whom this activity could not be detected. These in vitro data suggest that CD25+CD4+ T reg cells may contribute to the diminution of HIV-specific T cell immune responses in vivo in the early stages of HIV disease

Biomarker Discovery in Serum from Patients with Carotid Atherosclerosis

www.karger.com/cee This is an Open Access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License (www.karger.com/OA-license), applicable to the online version of the article only. Distribution for non-commercial purposes only

Diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis and host RNA expression in Africa

Improved diagnostic tests for tuberculosis in children are needed. We hypothesized that transcriptional signatures of host blood could be used to distinguish tuberculosis from other diseases in African children who either were or were not infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV

Challenges facing gap-based silviculture and possible solutions for mesic northern forests in North America

Gap-based silvicultural systems were developed under the assumption that richness, and diversity of tree species and other biota positively respond to variation in size of harvest-created canopy gaps. However, varying gap size alone often does not meet diversity objectives and broader goals to address contemporary forest conditions. Recent research highlights the need to consider site factors and history, natural disturbance models, within-gap structure and recruitment requirements in addition to light resources for desired tree diversity. This synthesis brings together silvicultural developments and ecological literature on gap-based management, highlighting interactions with other factors such as microsite conditions, non-tree vegetation and more. We pose a revised concept for managers and researchers to use in prescriptions and studies focused on integrated overstory and understory manipulations that increase structural complexity within and around canopy openings