Management learning at the speed of life:Designing reflective, creative, and collaborative spaces for millenials

This paper introduces the concept of "management learning at the speed of life" as a metaphor to inspire millenials. Millenials may face three major problems in relation to management learning: lack of concentration, lack of engagement, and lack of socialization. Management learning at the speed of life addresses these potential problems through three dimensions: reflective, creative, and collaborative learning. This paper illustrates the benefits of reflective, creative, and collaborative spaces for millenials using practices from leadership and personal development courses that were offered over seven years in Canada, Turkey, and the UK. These courses incorporated the latest technology that brought the course activities up to the speed of life

Blending human and artificial intelligence to support autistic children’s social communication skills

This paper examines the educational efficacy of a learning environment in which children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) engage in social interactions with an artificially intelligent (AI) virtual agent and where a human practitioner acts in support of the interactions. A multi-site intervention study in schools across the UK was conducted with 29 children with ASC and learning difficulties, aged 4-14 years old. For reasons related to data completeness and amount of exposure to the AI environment, data for 15 children was included in the analysis. The analysis revealed a significant increase in the proportion of social responses made by ASC children to human practitioners. The number of initiations made to human practitioners and to the virtual agent by the ASC children also increased numerically over the course of the sessions. However, due to large individual differences within the ASC group, this did not reach significance. Although no evidence of transfer to the real-world post-test was shown, anecdotal evidence of classroom transfer was reported. The work presented in this paper offers an important contribution to the growing body of research in the context of AI technology design and use for autism intervention in real school contexts. Specifically, the work highlights key methodological challenges and opportunities in this area by leveraging interdisciplinary insights in a way that (i) bridges between educational interventions and intelligent technology design practices, (ii) considers the design of technology as well as the design of its use (context and procedures) on par with one another, and (iii) includes design contributions from different stakeholders, including children with and without ASC diagnosis, educational practitioners and researchers

Systematic searching for theory to inform systematic reviews: is it feasible? Is it desirable?

Background In recognising the potential value of theory in understanding how interventions work comes a challenge – how to make identification of theory less haphazard? Objectives To explore the feasibility of systematic identification of theory. Method We searched PubMed for published reviews (1998–2012) that had explicitly sought to identify theory. Systematic searching may be characterised by a structured question, methodological filters and an itemised search procedure. We constructed a template (BeHEMoTh – Behaviour of interest; Health context; Exclusions; Models or Theories) for use when systematically identifying theory. The authors tested the template within two systematic reviews. Results Of 34 systematic reviews, only 12 reviews (35%) reported a method for identifying theory. Nineteen did not specify how they identified studies containing theory. Data were unavailable for three reviews. Candidate terms include concept(s)/conceptual, framework(s), model(s), and theory/theories/theoretical. Information professionals must overcome inadequate reporting and the use of theory out of context. The review team faces an additional concern in lack of ‘theory fidelity’. Conclusions Based on experience with two systematic reviews, the BeHEMoTh template and procedure offers a feasible and useful approach for identification of theory. Applications include realist synthesis, framework synthesis or review of complex interventions. The procedure requires rigorous evaluation

Testosterone in advance age: a New Zealand longitudinal cohort study: life and living in advanced age (te puāwaitanga o ngā tapuwae kia ora tonu)

OBJECTIVES: Serum testosterone (T) levels in men decline with age. Low T levels are associated with sarcopenia and frailty in men aged >80 years. T levels have not previously been directly associated with disability in older men. We explored associations between T levels, frailty and disability in a cohort of octogenarian men. SETTING: Data from all men from Life and Living in Advanced Age Cohort Study in New Zealand, a longitudinal cohort study in community-dwelling older adults. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling (>80 years) adult men excluding those receiving T treatment or with prostatic carcinoma. OUTCOMES MEASURES: Associations between baseline total testosterone (TT) and calculated free testosterone (fT), frailty (Fried scale) and disability (Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living scale (NEADL)) (baseline and 24 months) were examined using multivariate regression and Wald\u27s χ2 techniques. Subjects with the lowest quartile of baseline TT and fT values were compared with those in the upper three quartiles. RESULTS: Participants: 243 men, mean (SD) age 83.7 (2.0) years. Mean (SD) TT=17.6 (6.8) nmol/L and fT=225.3 (85.4) pmol/L. On multivariate analyses, lower TT levels were associated with frailty: β=0.41, p=0.017, coefficient of determination (R2)=0.10 and disability (NEADL) (β=-1.27, p=0.017, R2=0.11), low haemoglobin (β=-7.38, p=0.0016, R2=0.05), high fasting glucose (β=0.38, p=0.038, R2=0.04) and high C reactive protein (CRP) (β=3.57, p=0.01, R2=0.06). Low fT levels were associated with frailty (β=0.39, p=0.024, R2=0.09) but not baseline NEADL (β=-1.29, p=0.09, R2=0.09). Low fT was associated with low haemoglobin (β=-7.83, p=0.0008, R2=0.05) and high CRP (β=2.86, p=0.04, R2=0.05). Relationships between baseline TT and fT, and 24-month outcomes of disability and frailty were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: In men over 80 years, we confirm an association between T levels and baseline frailty scores. The new finding of association between T levels and disability is potentially relevant to debates on T supplementation in older men, though, as associations were not present at 24 months, further work is needed

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are activated in the gastrointestinal tissue of patients with combination ipilimumab and nivolumab therapy-related colitis in a pathology distinct from ulcerative colitis

The aim of this study was to investigate the pathogenesis of combination ipilimumab and nivolumab-associated colitis (IN-COL) by measuring gut-derived and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (GMNC; PBMC) profiles. We studied GMNC and PBMC from patients with IN-COL, IN-treated with no adverse-events (IN-NAE), ulcerative colitis (UC) and healthy volunteers using flow cytometry. In the gastrointestinal-derived cells we found high levels of activated CD8+ T cells and mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in IN-COL, changes that were not evident in IN-NAE or UC. UC, but not IN-C, was associated with a high proportion of regulatory T cells (Treg). We sought to determine if local tissue responses could be measured in peripheral blood. Peripherally, checkpoint inhibition instigated a rise in activated memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, regardless of colitis. Low circulating MAIT cells at baseline was associated with IN-COL patients compared with IN-NAE in one of two cohorts. UC, but not INCOL, was associated with high levels of circulating plasmablasts. In summary, the alterations in T cell subsets measured in IN-COL-affected tissue, characterized by high levels of activated CD8+ T cells and MAIT cells and a low proportion of Treg, reflected a pathology distinct from UC. These tissue changes differed from the periphery, where T cell activation was a widespread on-treatment effect, and circulating MAIT cell count was low but not reliably predictive of colitis

Seeking legitimacy through CSR: Institutional Pressures and Corporate Responses of Multinationals in Sri Lanka

Arguably, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of multinational enterprises (MNEs) are influenced by a wide range of both internal and external factors. Perhaps most critical among the exogenous forces operating on MNEs are those exerted by state and other key institutional actors in host countries. Crucially, academic research conducted to date offers little data about how MNEs use their CSR activities to strategically manage their relationship with those actors in order to gain legitimisation advantages in host countries. This paper addresses that gap by exploring interactions between external institutional pressures and firm-level CSR activities, which take the form of community initiatives, to examine how MNEs develop their legitimacy-seeking policies and practices. In focusing on a developing country, Sri Lanka, this paper provides valuable insights into how MNEs instrumentally utilise community initiatives in a country where relationship-building with governmental and other powerful non-governmental actors can be vitally important for the long-term viability of the business. Drawing on neo-institutional theory and CSR literature, this paper examines and contributes to the embryonic but emerging debate about the instrumental and political implications of CSR. The evidence presented and discussed here reveals the extent to which, and the reasons why, MNEs engage in complex legitimacy-seeking relationships with Sri Lankan institutions

The twilight of the Liberal Social Contract? On the Reception of Rawlsian Political Liberalism

This chapter discusses the Rawlsian project of public reason, or public justification-based 'political' liberalism, and its reception. After a brief philosophical rather than philological reconstruction of the project, the chapter revolves around a distinction between idealist and realist responses to it. Focusing on political liberalism’s critical reception illuminates an overarching question: was Rawls’s revival of a contractualist approach to liberal legitimacy a fruitful move for liberalism and/or the social contract tradition? The last section contains a largely negative answer to that question. Nonetheless the chapter's conclusion shows that the research programme of political liberalism provided and continues to provide illuminating insights into the limitations of liberal contractualism, especially under conditions of persistent and radical diversity. The programme is, however, less receptive to challenges to do with the relative decline of the power of modern states

Constitutivism

A brief explanation and overview of constitutivism

Glycosylation increases active site rigidity leading to improved enzyme stability and turnover

Glycosylation is the most prevalent protein post‐translational modification, with a quarter of glycosylated proteins having enzymatic properties. Yet, the full impact of glycosylation on the protein structure–function relationship, especially in enzymes, is still limited. Here, we show that glycosylation rigidifies the important commercial enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP), which in turn increases its turnover and stability. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that glycosylation increased holo‐HRP's thermal stability and promoted significant helical structure in the absence of haem (apo‐HRP). Glycosylation also resulted in a 10‐fold increase in enzymatic turnover towards o‐phenylenediamine dihydrochloride when compared to its nonglycosylated form. Utilising a naturally occurring site‐specific probe of active site flexibility (Trp117) in combination with red‐edge excitation shift fluorescence spectroscopy, we found that glycosylation significantly rigidified the enzyme. In silico simulations confirmed that glycosylation largely decreased protein backbone flexibility, especially in regions close to the active site and the substrate access channel. Thus, our data show that glycosylation does not just have a passive effect on HRP stability but can exert long‐range effects that mediate the ‘native’ enzyme's activity and stability through changes in inherent dynamics