The Market for Organic Cotton in Germany and the United States

This market research paper has been prepared under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Veit of Cologne University of Applied Sciences and Prof. Dr. Carol Scovotti of University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the course of the inter-university cross-border collaboration student research project “Export Opportunity Surveys (EOS)”. This study explores organic cotton export opportunities to the German and US markets

Syndesome therapeutics for enhancing diabetic wound healing

Chronic wounds represent a major healthcare and economic problem worldwide. Advanced wound dressings that incorporate bioactive compounds have great potential for improving outcomes in patients with chronic wounds but significant challenges in designing treatments that are effective in long-standing, non-healing wounds. Here, we developed an optimized wound healing gel that delivers syndecan-4 proteoliposomes (“syndesomes”) with FGF-2 to enhance diabetic wound healing. In vitro studies demonstrated that syndesomes markedly increased migration of keratinocytes and fibroblasts isolated from both non-diabetic and diabetic donors. In addition, syndesome treatment led to increased endocytic processing of FGF-2 that included enhanced recycling of FGF-2 to the cell surface after uptake. The optimized syndesome formulation was incorporated into an alginate wound dressing and tested in a splinted wound model in diabetic, ob/ob mice. We found that wounds treated with syndesomes and FGF-2 had markedly enhanced wound closure in comparison to wounds treated with only FGF-2. Moreover, we show that syndesomes have an immunomodulatory effect on wound macrophages, leading to a shift towards the M2 macrophage phenotype and alterations in the wound cytokine profile. Together, these studies showed that delivery of exogenous syndecan-4 is an effective method for enhancing wound healing in the long-term diabetic diseased state

Frizzled 7 and PIP₂ binding by syntenin PDZ₂ domain supports Frizzled 7 trafficking and signalling

PDZ domain-containing proteins work as intracellular scaffolds to control spatio-temporal aspects of cell signalling. This function is supported by the ability of their PDZ domains to bind other proteins such as receptors, but also phosphoinositide lipids important for membrane trafficking. Here we report a crystal structure of the syntenin PDZ tandem in complex with the carboxy-terminal fragment of Frizzled 7 and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP₂). The crystal structure reveals a tripartite interaction formed via the second PDZ domain of syntenin. Biophysical and biochemical experiments establish co-operative binding of the tripartite complex and identify residues crucial for membrane PIP₂-specific recognition. Experiments with cells support the importance of the syntenin–PIP₂ interaction for plasma membrane targeting of Frizzled 7 and c-jun phosphorylation. This study contributes to our understanding of the biology of PDZ proteins as key players in membrane compartmentalization and dynamics

Modulation of Syndecan-1 Shedding after Hemorrhagic Shock and Resuscitation

The early use of fresh frozen plasma as a resuscitative agent after hemorrhagic shock has been associated with improved survival, but the mechanism of protection is unknown. Hemorrhagic shock causes endothelial cell dysfunction and we hypothesized that fresh frozen plasma would restore endothelial integrity and reduce syndecan-1 shedding after hemorrhagic shock. A prospective, observational study in severely injured patients in hemorrhagic shock demonstrated significantly elevated levels of syndecan-1 (554±93 ng/ml) after injury, which decreased with resuscitation (187±36 ng/ml) but was elevated compared to normal donors (27±1 ng/ml). Three pro-inflammatory cytokines, interferon-γ, fractalkine, and interleukin-1β, negatively correlated while one anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10, positively correlated with shed syndecan-1. These cytokines all play an important role in maintaining endothelial integrity. An in vitro model of endothelial injury then specifically examined endothelial permeability after treatment with fresh frozen plasma orlactated Ringers. Shock or endothelial injury disrupted junctional integrity and increased permeability, which was improved with fresh frozen plasma, but not lactated Ringers. Changes in endothelial cell permeability correlated with syndecan-1 shedding. These data suggest that plasma based resuscitation preserved endothelial syndecan-1 and maintained endothelial integrity, and may help to explain the protective effects of fresh frozen plasma after hemorrhagic shock

Essential Roles for Soluble Virion-Associated Heparan Sulfonated Proteoglycans and Growth Factors in Human Papillomavirus Infections

A subset of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections is causally related to the development of human epithelial tumors and cancers. Like a number of pathogens, HPV entry into target cells is initiated by first binding to heparan sulfonated proteoglycan (HSPG) cell surface attachment factors. The virus must then move to distinct secondary receptors, which are responsible for particle internalization. Despite intensive investigation, the mechanism of HPV movement to and the nature of the secondary receptors have been unclear. We report that HPV16 particles are not liberated from bound HSPG attachment factors by dissociation, but rather are released by a process previously unreported for pathogen-host cell interactions. Virus particles reside in infectious soluble high molecular weight complexes with HSPG, including syndecan-1 and bioactive compounds, like growth factors. Matrix mellatoproteinase inhibitors that block HSPG and virus release from cells interfere with virus infection. Employing a co-culture assay, we demonstrate HPV associated with soluble HSPG-growth factor complexes can infect cells lacking HSPG. Interaction of HPV-HSPG-growth factor complexes with growth factor receptors leads to rapid activation of signaling pathways important for infection, whereas a variety of growth factor receptor inhibitors impede virus-induced signaling and infection. Depletion of syndecan-1 or epidermal growth factor and removal of serum factors reduce infection, while replenishment of growth factors restores infection. Our findings support an infection model whereby HPV usurps normal host mechanisms for presenting growth factors to cells via soluble HSPG complexes as a novel method for interacting with entry receptors independent of direct virus-cell receptor interactions

The strategy formulation practices of a newly appointed top management team

Strategic management is one of the core responsibilities of Top Management Teams (TMT). Unlike established TMTs, newly appointed TMTs may lack the expertise and the routines for effective strategy development. Little is known about how such teams engage in strategy making, and how well they succeed in formulating effective strategies. While this is a common situation, for instance, when high-growth SMEs start adopting more formal strategic management processes, it has received only limited attention in strategy research. Based on the strategy-as-practice framework, this study intended to gain insight into the practices that newly appointed TMTs employ to formulate a new strategy and into the effect of these practices on the formulated strategy. A group of nine managers, who were promoted from operative roles to form a new TMT, was followed for a seven-month period. Qualitative data were collected through participant observation and face-to-face interviews. Document analysis was used for the analysis of the formulated strategy. The results of the study suggested that cohesion development in a newly appointed TMT may hinder strategic exploration and ideation practices. Newly appointed TMT members also appeared to limit broader organizational participation in the strategy process. Moreover, being promoted from operative roles to strategic roles, TMT members tended to focus on internal matters. As a result, the strategy formulated by the newly appointed TMT failed to address the firm’s competitive position, but, instead, emphasized internal change. It was proposed that newly appointed TMTs should establish group cohesion and develop proper collaboration practices before engaging in strategic projects. The findings of the study contribute to the knowledge on the effects of TMT tenure and group cohesion on strategy formulation. Further research could validate the findings in strategy implementation processes and study the impact of organizational collaboration on strategy formulation

Moist versus Dry Barotropic Instability in a Shallow-Water Model of the Atmosphere with Moist Convection

International audienceDynamical influence of moist convection upon development of the barotropic instability is studied in the rotating shallow-water model. First, an exhaustive linear "dry'' stability analysis of the Bickley jet is performed, and the most unstable mode identified in this way is used to initialize simulations to compare the development and the saturation of the instability in dry and moist configurations. High-resolution numerical simulations with a well-balanced finite-volume scheme reveal substantial qualitative and quantitative differences in the evolution of dry and moist-convective instabilities. The moist effects affect both balanced and unbalanced components of the flow. The most important differences between dry and moist evolution are 1) the enhanced efficiency of the moist-convective instability, which manifests itself by the increase of the growth rate at the onset of precipitation, and by a stronger deviation of the end state from the initial one, measured with a number of different norms; 2) a pronounced cyclone-anticyclone asymmetry during the nonlinear evolution of the moist-convective instability, which leads to an additional, with respect to the dry case, geostrophic adjustment, and the modification of the end state; and 3) an enhanced ageostrophic activity in the precipitation zones but also in the nonprecipitating areas because of the secondary geostrophic adjustment

Moist versus Dry Baroclinic Instability in a Simplified Two-Layer Atmospheric Model with Condensation and Latent Heat Release

International audienceThe authors undertake a detailed analysis of the influence of water vapor condensation and latent heat release upon the evolution of the baroclinic instability. The framework consists in a two-layer rotating shallow-water model with moisture coupled to dynamics through mass exchange between the layers due to condensation/precipitation. The model gives all known in literature models of this kind as specific limits. It is fully nonlinear and ageostrophic. The reference state is a baroclinic Bickley jet. The authors first study its "dry" linear instability and then use the most unstable mode to initialize high-resolution numerical simulations of the life cycle of the instability in nonprecipitating (moisture being a passive tracer) and precipitating cases. A new-generation well-balanced finite-volume scheme is used in these simulations. The evolution in the nonprecipitating case follows the standard cyclonic wave-breaking life cycle of the baroclinic instability, which is reproduced with a high fidelity. In the precipitating case, the onset of condensation significantly increases the growth rate of the baroclinic instability at the initial stages due to production of available potential energy by the latent heat release. Condensation occurs in frontal regions and wraps up around the cyclone, which is consistent with the moist cyclogenesis theory and observations. Condensation induces a clear-cut cyclone anticyclone asymmetry. The authors explain the underlying mechanism and show how it modifies the equilibration of the flow at the late stages of the saturation of the instability. In spite of significant differences in the evolution, only weak differences in various norms of the perturbations remain between precipitating and nonprecipitating cases at the end of the saturation process