Congener specific organic carbon normalized soil and sediment-water partitioning coefficients for the C1 through C8 perfluorinated alkylsulfonic and alkylcarboxylic acids

Organic carbon normalized soil and sediment-water partitioning (Koc) coefficients were estimated for all C1 through C8 perfluorinated alkylsulfonic acid (PFSA) and alkylcarboxylic acids (PFCA) congeners. The limited experimental Koc dataset for the straight chain C7 through C10 PFCAs and C8 and C10 PFSAs was correlated to SPARC and ALOGPS computationally estimated octanol-water partitioning constants and used to predict Koc values for both branched and linear C1 through C8 isomers. All branched and linear congeners in this homologue range are expected to have Koc values>1, leading to their accumulation in organic matter on sediments and soils, retardation during ground and pore water flow, and the preferential association with dissolved organic matter in aquatic systems. Both increasing perfluoroalkyl chain length and linearity increase Koc values with substantial intra- and inter-homologue variation and interhomologue mixing. Variability in Koc values among the PFCA and PFSA congeners will likely lead to an enrichment of more linear and longer chain isomers in organic matter fractions, resulting in aqueous phases fractionated towards shorter chain branched congeners. The expected magnitude of fractionation will require inclusion in source apportionment models and risk assessments. A comparison of representative established quantitative structure property relationships for estimated Koc values from octanol-water partitioning constants suggests that equilibrium partitioning frameworks may be applicable towards modeling PFCA and PFSA environmental fate processes and warrants further study using other partitioning coefficients for which suitable experimental data is available

Expression of KOC, S100P, mesothelin and MUC1 in pancreatico-biliary adenocarcinomas: development and utility of a potential diagnostic immunohistochemistry panel

<b>Background</b> Pancreatico-biliary adenocarcinomas (PBA) have a poor prognosis. Diagnosis is usually achieved by imaging and/or endoscopy with confirmatory cytology. Cytological interpretation can be difficult especially in the setting of chronic pancreatitis/cholangitis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) biomarkers could act as an adjunct to cytology to improve the diagnosis. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis and selected KOC, S100P, mesothelin and MUC1 for further validation in PBA resection specimens.<p></p> <b>Methods</b> Tissue microarrays containing tumour and normal cores in a ratio of 3:2, from 99 surgically resected PBA patients, were used for IHC. IHC was performed on an automated platform using antibodies against KOC, S100P, mesothelin and MUC1. Tissue cores were scored for staining intensity and proportion of tissue stained using a Histoscore method (range, 0–300). Sensitivity and specificity for individual biomarkers, as well as biomarker panels, were determined with different cut-offs for positivity and compared by summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.<p></p> <b>Results</b> The expression of all four biomarkers was high in PBA versus normal ducts, with a mean Histoscore of 150 vs. 0.4 for KOC, 165 vs. 0.3 for S100P, 115 vs. 0.5 for mesothelin and 200 vs. 14 for MUC1 (p < .0001 for all comparisons). Five cut-offs were carefully chosen for sensitivity/specificity analysis. Four of these cut-offs, namely 5%, 10% or 20% positive cells and Histoscore 20 were identified using ROC curve analysis and the fifth cut-off was moderate-strong staining intensity. Using 20% positive cells as a cut-off achieved higher sensitivity/specificity values: KOC 84%/100%; S100P 83%/100%; mesothelin 88%/92%; and MUC1 89%/63%. Analysis of a panel of KOC, S100P and mesothelin achieved 100% sensitivity and 99% specificity if at least 2 biomarkers were positive for 10% cut-off; and 100% sensitivity and specificity for 20% cut-off.<p></p> <b>Conclusion</b> A biomarker panel of KOC, S100P and mesothelin with at least 2 biomarkers positive was found to be an optimum panel with both 10% and 20% cut-offs in resection specimens from patients with PBA.<p></p&gt

Corporate governance of NOCs: the case of Korean Olympic Committee

This study identifies the characteristics of seven key principles of good/corporate governance at three levels: as notions that originated in business; in their applications to sport through systematic review; and in relation to the interpretations given to them in the Olympic Movement. The aims of this study are, thus, to establish and utilise the IOC s definitions/interpretations and operationalisations of corporate and/or good governance developed in a western framework and apply to a non-western NOC, the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC). This study adopts critical realist assumptions which give rise to the hypothesis that both the regularities of the Korean society and its unobservable social structures have an impact on the corporate governance of the KOC. It also uses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine each interviewee s discourse in order to identify the knowledge embraced by it and to interpret social practice(s) and the exercise of power. CDA is employed in relation to four selected events follows: the KOC/KSC merger, budgetary planning, the recruitment of staff in terms of gender and disability equity and the processes used for selecting the KOC President and the Chef de Mission. The unobservable deep structure is shown to be real domain in Korean society by the social practices exhibited in the four events. The government and, in particular, the State President represent the highest and most influential authority in decision-making on Korean sports policy. That power relationship coupled with the pre-existing structure of the KOC/KSC s financial dependency on the government has resulted in a situation where the government has been able to interfere greatly in the KOC/KSC s overall decision-making on sports policy including the election of the President of the KOC. The KOC/KSC President is the most influential stakeholder in the decision-making within the organisation including the selection of Chef de Mission. As the pre-existing structure of cultural expectations determines that women should usually quit their jobs after marriage and that people with disabilities are incapable of working, the strongly male with abilities-dominated organisational culture has resulted in a social phenomenon whereby few females or people with impairments have succeeded in being promoted to senior positions. From the macro-level perspective, the first KOC/KSC merger accomplished on the orders of the State President shows the dominance of economic power as suggested in Marxist influenced forms of analysis. The incumbent KOC President, who is at the pinnacle of the business elite, contributed to the KOC/KSC merger, which illustrates the aspect of elitism. In connection with the budgetary process, this may be viewed as evidence of the existence of a neo-corporatist structure in which the state plays a central role and acts in a unitary way with the involvement of a limited number of actors. With respect to the meso-level perspective, the aspect of clientelism is exhibited since the government habitually appoints its political aides to be the heads of various sporting organisations. Concerning political governance, it becomes obvious that the government has direct control over KOC/KSC s policy. In terms of systemic governance, the relations among the domestic stakeholders of the KOC are more likely to follow a hierarchical type of governance, as the government has adopted the highest position and the National Federations are under the control of the KOC/KSC. With reference to Lukes (1974) second dimension of power this can be evidenced in the context of the non-decision making roles of women and the disabled. The IOC s interpretations of the key principles of corporate governance in a western framework are applied to the KOC. Accountability, responsibility, transparency and democracy are established but the KOC s governance practices are not equivalent, while effectiveness and efficiency are interpreted as the same ways of the IOC s. In general, power centralisation is apparent throughout the Korean cultural context. The KOC s power structure and organisational culture is likely to be concentrated to the KOC President within the organisation and broadly, the Korean government enjoys its power centralisation decision-making in the Korean context which gives rise to a peculiarly Korean way of interpreting and applying the principles of corporate governance. In such circumstances, nevertheless, where the KOC is making an effort to align its practices with the IOC s recommendations as much as possible, the indication is that the KOC is on course to reflect the IOC s governance practices

Efficient energy management system at Kuwait Oil Company, Kuwait, a case study

Effective energy management involves making decisions that lead to the conservation of energy and the efficient use of resources for sustainable future. Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), is involved in exploration, drilling and production of oil and gas. KOC is fully committed towards energy management, energy efficiency and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions reduction, which may help in minimizing energy costs and mitigating environmental effects. In order to meet national and international standards ISO 50001 Energy Management System (EnMS), KOC undertaken a pilot study for developing an effective energy management program for KOC representative process units and main buildings. The objective of the program was to create an energy baseline and identify the potential improvement areas and provide inputs for the implementation of ISO 50001 for certification. KOC has established the Energy Performance Indicators (EnPIs) for each of the process units and specific KPIs has been identified to monitor and control the energy performance. Furthermore, the study highlights the major achievements towards energy management, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions reduction in order to help in minimizing energy costs and mitigating environmental effects

Vehbi Koc Legacy

Vehbi Koç was a visionary who began his business career running a single grocery store and went on to build one of the largest conglomerates in the world, comprising 113 companies, 90,000 employees, and 14,000 dealer agencies. These statistics alone represent the monumental accomplishment of Koç’s life and work. His approach was generative and impactful in part because Koç was ahead of his time in conceptualizing and implementing a number of strategies for which successful modern-day businesses are often lauded: human capital development, diversification, sustainability, strategic resource allocation, talent identification and support, collaborative innovation, strategic partnerships, and corporate social responsibility to create and harness social and economic impact. This case study brings Vehbi Koç’s key undertakings to light and reveals how his forward-thinking, innovative strategic legacy continues through the work of the Koç Foundation today. The case study utilizes theories of Human Capital Development, Stakeholder Capitalism, and Corporate Social Responsibility to analyze the work of Koç Foundation in Turkey

Deposition of David Koch

Deposition of David Koc

Deconstructing Adsorption Variability: Investigating Controls on Pesticide Adsorption in Soil and Modelling Koc

Due to potential environmental risks of pesticides, it is important that the fate of pesticides is known and that safer pesticides are developed in the future. This thesis focused on identifying controls on the Koc of pesticides in soil based on their structural parameters. This thesis also developed quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models to predict the environmental fate of new pesticides. To understand the controls on Koc, a range of multivariate statistical techniques were used including; principal component analysis, and analysis of variance. Predictive models were created using logistic regression, and multiple linear regression. The study found adsorption of pesticides in soil is controlled by a combination of size and solubility parameters. Logistic regression models were able to predict the adsorption potential of metabolites, relative to their parent based on metabolite structures. This study found that adsorption behaviour of pesticides was fairly specific to different chemical groups. A QSAR model for Koc was constructed for a group of early stage compounds and could predict Koc to just over an order of magnitude. The results of this study have implications for the pesticide development process. If developed further to include a wider range of chemical groups then the models have the potential to reduce the dependence on laboratory tests in the early stages of the development process. However, this study also questions the use of Koc as a predictive parameter and offers alternative solutions to predicting environmental fate of pesticides