SpAds: political sherpas bridging minister and civil servant

This paper examines how opinion-shaping political and civil service stakeholders view the role and contribution of Special Political Advisers (SpAds) within the Westminster system of government. The literature only recently paid considered attention to this role, partly due to the recent reforms that spawned the emergence of SpAds, but also because political advisers still only represent a small population within the government community. It is acknowledged that each country’s institutional and administrative traditions greatly influence SpAds’ tasks; arrangements with the UK being no exception. Recognising that SpAds take on the role of “temporary civil servants” whose duties vary according to ministerial direction, the study reported in this paper concludes that SpAds can make an invaluable contribution to policy delivery by acting as a bridge between Secretary of State and Permanent Secretary. The capability to bridge the tensions between ministerial urgency to realise policy goals and civil servant realism to accurately assess the “fracture points” to be overcome in the process of policy delivery is reported as particularly valued by the public official. This paper concludes that the SpAd’s relentless pursuit of the Minister’s agenda is distinctly counterproductive for both Minister and civil servant, but adopting the function of bridging across contrasting interests enhances policy delivery effectiveness

Market Orientation of Theatres in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Market orientation has lately become one of the major research issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina, mainly because of the country transition to market economy. This process requires essential changes in business behavior of organizations which need to become market oriented. Our study measures the level of market orientation of theaters in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We tried to find out up to which level theaters in Bosnia and Herzegovina implement activities known as intelligence generation, intelligence dissemination and responsiveness. Research results show that the level of market orientation is, according to three MARKOR subscales, low. Theaters collect information from their environments and they have a certain process of organizational communication which results in the level of functional compatibility of (re)actions aimed to the market. Nevertheless, the conclusion is that all the analyzed activities are in their early stages of development.market orientation, business behavior

Game of regional environmental policy: Europe and US

We analyse a different timing implementation of environmental regulation and compare the effects on the markets from a policy innovation perspective. The paper addresses the question: Should a regulator try to commit to a policy (ex-ante regulation) or rather adapt its policy to a firm's decisions (ex-post)? The findings are of interest towards improving regulatory effectiveness and economics efficiencies, e.g. for the transatlantic regional relationship between EU and USA. Our findings highlight differences in policy timing between markets may be harmful. The transatlantic regulators should consider the timing of the policy innovation for the achievement of mutual benefits

CSR: the co-evolution of grocery multiples in the UK (2005-2010)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate if CSR is balanced between firm and wider society interests. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative interpretive hermeneutic approach is used to analyse a variety of publically published secondary sources on the CSR of Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons and Co-operative in the UK grocery multiple sector (2005-2010). Findings – CSR strategic outcomes currently favour the firm more than society interests. A multilayered framework in the form of Social Responsibility of the Corporation (SRC) is designed and offered in support of balancing the business-society relationship more evenly. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to firms originating from within the UK grocery multiple sector. Asda could not be included in the study as it does not publish CSR reports annually in the UK after becoming part of Walmart group. Practical implications – A framework for multi-level standardised definition of CSR in the form of SRC is offered. The inclusion of employees and members of the public on CSR/SRC boards is recommended to foster wider collaboration. The SRC framework promotes standardisation at global level while respecting diversity and firm heterogeneity at firm level. The findings may further contribute to GRI; UN Global Compact; WEF dialogues. Social implications – Recommendations are made to extend CSR board diversity for improved dialogue with communities. The SRC framework may be applied at global; national; industry and firm level. The framework can be applied internationally or locally. Future studies may offer quantitative attributes for balancing CSR/SRC. Originality/value – A globally unique and universally applicable framework for evaluating CSR activities is proposed. Future studies may extend the authors' framework to other industries, national environments or globally in the pursuit of balance between firm and society. Furthermore, firms may also adopt the framework to support CSR activities

Hepatic Macrosteatosis Is Partially Converted to Microsteatosis by Melatonin Supplementation in ob/ob Mice Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Obesity is a common risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Currently, there are no specific treatments against NAFLD. Thus, examining any molecule with potential benefits against this condition emerged melatonin as a molecule that influences metabolic dysfunctions. The aim of this study was to determine whether melatonin would function against NAFDL, studying morphological, ultrastuctural and metabolic markers that characterize the liver of ob/ob mice

Gendered and Racialised Border Security: Displaced People and the Politics of Fear

This article examines the dynamics of constructing current migration from the so-called Global South in ‘risk’, ‘crisis’ and ‘fear’ terms that translate into xenophobic, racialised and gendered processes of ‘othering’ people who are displaced. This is done within the framework of a ‘coloniality of power’ (Quijano 2000b) perspective, understood as the ‘colonial power matrix’ (Grosfoguel 2011. This is how the location from which the current racialised and gendered politics of fear is being constructed. The notion of racialised security leads to racialised masculinity of the ‘Other’, while stigmatising migrant men. These colonial narratives that have created ‘knowledge’ about other masculinities have been invoked and re-articulated within the current racialised processes of securitisation of migration. They have supported construction of the sexual assault of ‘our’ women as the public security concern. Consequently, racially marked rape becomes an important part of State security, linked to national territory and border control

EPS-SJ exopolisaccharide produced by the strain Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei BGSJ2-8 is involved in adhesion to epithelial intestinal cells and decrease on E. coli association to Caco-2 cells

The aim of this study was to determine the role of an exopolysaccharide produced by natural dairy isolate Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei BGSJ2-8, in the adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells and a decrease in Escherichia coli's association with Caco-2 cells. Annotation of the BGSJ2-8 genome showed the presence of a gene cluster, epsSJ, which encodes the biosynthesis of the strain-specific exopolysaccharide EPS-SJ, detected as two fractions (P1 and P2) by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled with multi-angle laser light scattering (MALLS) detection. SEC-MALLS analysis revealed that an EPS-SJ- mutant (EPS7, obtained by insertion mutagenesis of the glps_2198 gene encoding primary glycosyltransferase) does not produce the P2 fraction of EPS-SJ. Transmission electron microscopy showed that EPS7 mutant has a thinner cell wall compared to the EPS-SJ strain BGSJ2-83 (a plasmid free-derivative of BGSJ2-8). Interestingly, strain BGSJ2-83 showed higher adhesion to Caco-2 epithelial intestinal cell line than the EPS7 mutant. Accordingly, BGSJ2-83 effectively reduced E. coli ATCC25922's association with Caco-2 cells, while EPS7 did not show statistically significant differences. In addition, the effect of EPS-SJ on the proliferation of lymphocytes in gastrointestinal associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) was tested and the results showed that the reduction of GALT lymphocyte proliferation was higher by BGSJ2-83 than by the mutant. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report indicating that the presence of EPS (EPS-SJ) on the surface of lactobacilli can improve communication between bacteria and intestinal epithelium*Implying its possible role in gut colonization.Peer Reviewe

Key stories : tales on geographies, maps, and methodologies of bordering

Ésta es una historia en tránsito. Un collage que reúne viñetas de mis experiencias de viaje, signadas por mis encuentros con procesos cotidianos de demarcación de límites. Este artículo da cuenta, en clave personal, de la multidimensionalidad de dichos límites y así explora las categorías, rótulos y significados que ellos producen. Por ello es que tiempos y lugares se desplazan en el texto, armando un rompecabezas de sentido y entendimiento vinculado a mi experiencia de viaje

Frost resistance of grapevine cultivars of different origin

The tests of resistance to low temperature which included a large number of grapevine cultivars showed that the cultivars bore sign of their ecological-geographical and genetic origins with respect to the resistance to low temperature. The tests, conducted over several years, consisted of exposing cuttings of annual shoots to low temperature in a cold chamber. The tests were repeated three times each winter, following the uniform method and time, in order to be able to distinguish relative differences in the degree of resistance between the cultivars tested. Most cultivars from Western Europe (occidentalis NEGR., gallica NEM.) had a high degree of resistance to low temperature. They tended to reach the peak of the resistance in mid winter. The cultivars from the continental part of the Balkans (pontica NEGR, balcanica NEGR.) were unanimously sensitive to low temperature. The cultivars from the warm Mediterranean climate of Southern Europe (pontica NEGR., balcanica NEGR and occidentalis NEGR, iberica NEM.) were still more sensitive than the cultivars in the previously mentioned group. The wine cultivars developed from interspecific crosses of European grapevines and American species exhibited a high degree of resistance in the middle and at the end of winter while the hybrids vinifera x amurensis were highly resistant at the beginning and in the middle of winter. Both groups can be used as donors of resistance to low temperature in programs of breeding cold hardy grapevine cultivars. The tested table cultivars were found to be sensitive to low temperature, with the exception of the well-known cultivars Muscat Hamburg and Chasselas and the new cultivars Strugurash and Moldova