Stimulating the innovation potential of 'routine' workers through workplace learning

Governments worldwide seek to upgrade the ‘basic skills' of employees deemed to have low literacy and numeracy, in order to enable their greater productivity and participation in workplace practices. A longitudinal investigation of such interventions in the United Kingdom has examined the effects on employees and on organizations of engaging in basic skills programmes offered in and through the workplace. ‘Tracking’ of employees in selected organizational contexts has highlighted ways in which interplay between formal and informal workplace learning can help to create the environments for employees in lower grade jobs to use and expand their skills. This workplace learning is a precondition, a stimulus and an essential ingredient for participation in employee-driven innovation, as workers engage with others to vary, and eventually to change, work practices. © 2010, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved

Aquaporin-4 and brain edema.

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a water-channel protein expressed strongly in the brain, predominantly in astrocyte foot processes at the borders between the brain parenchyma and major fluid compartments, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood. This distribution suggests that AQP4 controls water fluxes into and out of the brain parenchyma. Experiments using AQP4-null mice provide strong evidence for AQP4 involvement in cerebral water balance. AQP4-null mice are protected from cellular (cytotoxic) brain edema produced by water intoxication, brain ischemia, or meningitis. However, AQP4 deletion aggravates vasogenic (fluid leak) brain edema produced by tumor, cortical freeze, intraparenchymal fluid infusion, or brain abscess. In cytotoxic edema, AQP4 deletion slows the rate of water entry into brain, whereas in vasogenic edema, AQP4 deletion reduces the rate of water outflow from brain parenchyma. AQP4 deletion also worsens obstructive hydrocephalus. Recently, AQP4 was also found to play a major role in processes unrelated to brain edema, including astrocyte migration and neuronal excitability. These findings suggest that modulation of AQP4 expression or function may be beneficial in several cerebral disorders, including hyponatremic brain edema, hydrocephalus, stroke, tumor, infection, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury

Fad, fashion and "t: An examination of quality circles, business process re-engineering and statistical process control

Abstract This paper reports the major "ndings of a literature-based study which has examined the extent or otherwise to which quality circles (QCs), business process re-engineering (BPR) and statistical process control (SPC) follow the path of fad, fashion and "t. The "ndings indicate that QCs exhibit boundary conditions between the fad and fashion stages, BPR is in the fad phase, and it was dicult to position SPC using the methodology employed in the study. In tracking the development of management initiatives, from fad through fashion to "t the literature was evaluated using the six-stage model developed by Van der Wiele (Beyond Fads, Eburon, Rotterdam, 1998); however, some diculties were encountered due to the lack of de"nition precision, in particular that of fashion. The methodology used to assess the literature in terms of the degree to which the paper describing each initiative represented fad, fashion or "t conditions was relatively successful and this is detailed

Cell-type-specific mechanistic drivers of progressive multiple sclerosis lesions

Understanding the drivers of compartmentalized and sustained inflammation in the brain of progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS) remains elusive. To investigate the interplay between inter- and intra-cellular molecular mechanisms in white matter (WM) lesions, we integrated single-cell transcriptome and chromatin accessibility data from PMS lesions with spatial transcriptomics of chronic active lesion borders. We identified a PMS-specific oligodendrocyte genetic program governed by the Krüppel-like factor and specificity protein (KLF/SP) gene family, implicated in myelination and stress-induced iron uptake. Additionally, we found high expression of transferrin gene (TF) and its receptor megalin (LRP2) across lesion types, suggesting autocrine communication of iron uptake potential related to iron rim lesion in smoldering MS. Additionally, inflammatory phenotype of oligodendrocytes expressing osteopontin gene and complement were observed at chronic active lesion edges. Inside the chronic active lesion, the axonal damage biomarker, neurofilament light (NFL) gene expression was upregulated, and an astrocytic-neuronal axis through fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling (FGFR3-FGF13) was present. Additionally, a metabolic astrocyte phenotype at the lesion border potentially segregates inflammation areas. We also identified two distinct B cell co-expression networks with different locations and gene expressions, preferring different lesion types. Overall, singlecell multi-omics enabled the identification of specific cell types with unique molecular profiles, cell-cell communications, and spatial context, contributing to lesion fate.Book of abstract: 4th Belgrade Bioinformatics Conference, June 19-23, 202

Drugst.One -- A plug-and-play solution for online systems medicine and network-based drug repurposing

In recent decades, the development of new drugs has become increasingly expensive and inefficient, and the molecular mechanisms of most pharmaceuticals remain poorly understood. In response, computational systems and network medicine tools have emerged to identify potential drug repurposing candidates. However, these tools often require complex installation and lack intuitive visual network mining capabilities. To tackle these challenges, we introduce Drugst.One, a platform that assists specialized computational medicine tools in becoming user-friendly, web-based utilities for drug repurposing. With just three lines of code, Drugst.One turns any systems biology software into an interactive web tool for modeling and analyzing complex protein-drug-disease networks. Demonstrating its broad adaptability, Drugst.One has been successfully integrated with 21 computational systems medicine tools. Available at https://drugst.one, Drugst.One has significant potential for streamlining the drug discovery process, allowing researchers to focus on essential aspects of pharmaceutical treatment research.Comment: 45 pages, 6 figures, 7 table