Cycles of Innovation and Alignment in Digital Transformation: Investigating the Dynamics of Resource Recombination in a Construction Firm

The generative nature of digital technology implies that during digital transformation (DT), organizations traverse multiple cycles of innovation and resource alignment. Still, extant research mainly chronicles DT as linear and contained phenomenon occurring in response to a dramatic environmental change event. How new resources align with previous ones into novel combinations, the work that supports continuous organizational capability building, and the temporal relationships between cycles of change in DT has received scant attention. Drawing on dynamic capability theory, we analyze innovation and resource alignment cycles driving DT at Lundqvist Trävaru AB, a small Swedish construction firm. Our study has at least two contributions. First, the analysis reveals three types of dynamic capabilities that shape resource generation and alignment in DT. Second, we provide a process model outlining the innovation and alignment cycles that fuel DT as they scale in the focal firm

Women and Minorities in Commercial Aviation: A Quantitative Analysis of Data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics

The number of women and minorities working in aviation occupations has been very low and continues to be very low according to data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Occupations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) include aircraft pilots, flight engineers, aircraft mechanics and service technicians. Although the ratio of women and minorities working in these occupations remains low, data from the BLS indicates that the total number of individuals from these underrepresented groups who work in these occupations has increased in the last 2 decades. This research focuses on BLS data to determine employment trends between 2002 and 2021. Assuming that these trends continue, they can be used to predict the number of women and minorities working in these occupations in the future. This research seeks to answer 2 important questions: Is the rate of increase in women and minorities who work in these aviation occupations greater than the rate of increase for White males? If the number of women and minorities who work in these aviation occupations continues to increase at the same rate, what will the aviation workforce of the future look like? Answering these questions will help aviation industry decision makers implement programs that will help recruit and retain more women and minorities to work in these highly paid occupations. Women and minorities represent an untapped reservoir of talent that could help the aviation industry avoid a shortage of qualified pilots and service technicians

20 Years of Nordic event and festival research: a review and future research agenda

The research output during the last two decades suggests that events and festivals are of major importance for society both internationally and in a Nordic context. Existing literature, primarily published in a Nordic context, is reviewed and organized according to three broad areas: The event and festival consumer, the event or festival as organization and the effects and interrelationships of events and festivals with society. We discuss the contribution which Nordic research has made to the Nordic School and to international event and festival research and suggest a future research agenda focusing on methods, context and theories.publishedVersio

The size of actinoid(III) ions - structural analysis vs. common misinterpretations

A fundamental property of ions is their size, a known fact since before the acceptance of the modern atom model. The common way to describe the size of an ion is to determine its radius, defined as one of a pair of radii adding up to the bond distance between the centers of two nuclei. There are numerous factors that influence the ionic radius of a metal ion, where both valence and coordination number are essential when explaining reactivity, complexation, and chemical behavior. The similarity in ionic radii and chemical behavior between the elements in the lanthanoid and actinoid series is well-known and frequently used, making members of the former safe substitutes to avoid hazardous experiments with the radioactive actinoids. This review establishes reliable ionic radii for the nine-coordinate actinoid(III) ions, based on reported structural data, shedding light upon common misconceptions and clarifying the relationship between the ionic radii in the lantanoid and actinoid series

The G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor 1 (GPER1/GPR30) Agonist G-1 Regulates Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Ca Handling.

The G protein-coupled estrogen receptor GPER1/GPR30 is implicated in blood pressure regulation but the mechanisms are not identified. Here, we hypothesize that GPER1 controls blood pressure by regulating vascular smooth muscle cell Ca(2+) handling. Treatment with the GPER1 agonist G-1 (in the µM concentration range) acutely reduced spontaneous and synchronous Ca(2+) spike activity in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells expressing mRNA for GPER1. Furthermore, G-1 (1 µM) attenuated the thromboxane A2 analogue U46619-stimulated Ca(2+) spike activity but had no effect on the U46619-induced increase in the basal level of Ca(2+). The voltage-sensitive L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker nifedipine (100 nM) reduced Ca(2+) spike activity similar to G-1. Pharmacological, but not physiological, concentrations of the estrogen 17β-estradiol reduced Ca(2+) spike activity. The GPER1 antagonist G-15 blocked G-1-induced downregulation of Ca(2+) spike activity, supporting a GPER1-dependent mechanism. G-1 (1 µM) and nifedipine (100 nM) attenuated the 30-mM KCl-evoked rise in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, suggesting that G-1 blocks inflow of Ca(2+) via voltage-sensitive Ca(2+) channels. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the GPER1 agonist G-1 regulates vascular smooth muscle cell Ca(2+) handling by lowering Ca(2+) spike activity, suggesting a role for this mechanism in GPER1-mediated control of blood pressure. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel

Health-related quality of life across all stages of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Background. A limited number of studies have assessed health related quality of life (HRQoL) in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Results to date have been conflicting and studies have generally focused on patients with later stages of the disease. This study aimed to assess HRQoL in ADPKD across all stages of the disease, from patients with early chronic kidney disease (CKD) to patients with end-stage renal disease. Methods. A study involving cross-sectional patient-reported outcomes and retrospective clinical data was undertaken April December 2014 in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Patients were enrolled into four mutually exclusive stages of the disease: CKD stages 1-3; CKD stages 4-5; transplant recipients; and dialysis patients. Results. Overall HRQoL was generally highest in patients with CKD stages 1-3, followed by transplant recipients, patients with CKD stages 4-5 and patients on dialysis. Progressive disease predominately had an impact on physical health, whereas mental health showed less variation between stages of the disease. A substantial loss in quality of life was observed as patients progressed to CKD stages 4-5. Conclusions. Later stages of ADPKD are associated with reduced physical health. The value of early treatment interventions that can delay progression of the disease should be considered.Peer reviewe

Circulating Tissue Polypeptide-Specific Antigen in Pre-Diagnostic Pancreatic Cancer Samples

Simple Summary:& nbsp;Detecting cancer early significantly increases the chances of successful (surgical) treatment. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancer forms, since it is usually discovered at a late and already spread stage. Finding biomarkers showing pancreatic cancer at an early stage is a possible approach to early detection and improved treatment. The aim of our study was to assess the potential of tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS) as a biomarker for early pancreatic cancer detection. We studied TPS levels in blood plasma samples from a population-based biobank in Vasterbotten, Sweden that were collected before individuals were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Although TPS levels are raised at diagnosis, this occurs late, and thus TPS does not seem to hold promise as an early detection marker for pancreatic cancer.& nbsp;Early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is challenging, and late diagnosis partly explains the low 5-year survival. Novel and sensitive biomarkers are needed to enable early PDAC detection and improve patient outcomes. Tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS) has been studied as a biomarker in PDAC diagnostics, and it has previously been shown to reflect clinical status better than the 'golden standard' biomarker carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) that is most widely used in the clinical setting. In this cross-sectional case-control study using pre-diagnostic plasma samples, we aim to evaluate the potential of TPS as a biomarker for early PDAC detection. Furthermore, in a subset of individuals with multiple samples available at different time points before diagnosis, a longitudinal analysis was used. We assessed plasma TPS levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 267 pre-diagnostic PDAC plasma samples taken up to 18.8 years before clinical PDAC diagnosis and in 320 matched healthy controls. TPS levels were also assessed in 25 samples at PDAC diagnosis. Circulating TPS levels were low both in pre-diagnostic samples of future PDAC patients and in healthy controls, whereas TPS levels at PDAC diagnosis were significantly increased (odds ratio 1.03; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.05) in a logistic regression model adjusted for age. In conclusion, TPS levels increase late in PDAC progression and hold no potential as a biomarker for early detection.Peer reviewe

Real-world costs of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease in the Nordics

Background: There is limited real-world data on the economic burden of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The objective of this study was to estimate the annual direct and indirect costs of patients with ADPKD by severity of the disease: chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 1-3; CKD stages 4-5; transplant recipients; and maintenance dialysis patients. Methods: A retrospective study of ADPKD patients was undertaken April-December 2014 in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Data on medical resource utilisation were extracted from medical charts and patients were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 266 patients were contacted, 243 (91%) of whom provided consent to participate in the study. Results showed that the economic burden of ADPKD was substantial at all levels of the disease. Lost wages due to reduced productivity were large in absolute terms across all disease strata. Mean total annual costs were highest in dialysis patients, driven by maintenance dialysis care, while the use of immunosuppressants was the main cost component for transplant care. Costs were twice as high in patients with CKD stages 4-5 compared to CKD stages 1-3. Conclusions: Costs associated with ADPKD are significant and the progression of the disease is associated with an increased frequency and intensity of medical resource utilisation. Interventions that can slow the progression of the disease have the potential to lead to substantial reductions in costs for the treatment of ADPKD.Peer reviewe

Variable domain N-linked glycosylation and negative surface charge are key features of monoclonal ACPA: implications for B-cell selection

Autoreactive B cells have a central role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and recent findings have proposed that anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies (ACPA) may be directly pathogenic. Herein, we demonstrate the frequency of variable-region glycosylation in single-cell cloned mAbs. A total of 14 ACPA mAbs were evaluated for predicted N-linked glycosylation motifs in silico and compared to 452 highly-mutated mAbs from RA patients and controls. Variable region N-linked motifs (N-X-S/T) were strikingly prevalent within ACPA (100%) compared to somatically hypermutated (SHM) RA bone marrow plasma cells (21%), and synovial plasma cells from seropositive (39%) and seronegative RA (7%). When normalized for SHM, ACPA still had significantly higher frequency of N-linked motifs compared to all studied mAbs including highly-mutated HIV broadly-neutralizing and malaria-associated mAbs. The Fab glycans of ACPA-mAbs were highly sialylated, contributed to altered charge, but did not influence antigen binding. The analysis revealed evidence of unusual B-cell selection pressure and SHM-mediated decreased in surface charge and isoelectric point in ACPA. It is still unknown how these distinct features of anti-citrulline immunity may have an impact on pathogenesis. However, it is evident that they offer selective advantages for ACPA+ B cells, possibly also through non-antigen driven mechanisms