Why “They” never can be as good as “Us”: How other organizations must be worse off on essential features

Being different from competitors, in a positive sense, is an important asset to organizations. Well-chosen emphasis on distinctive organizational features is very helpful in achieving a superior position relative to rival organizations. However, organizations often claim to be distinctive on features where they appear be at best only moderately distinctive. Systematic bias seems to arise because what members see as distinctive about their organization is so closely interwoven with how they see its identity. In this study, organization members rated competitors systematically lower on a feature to the extent that they considered that feature to make up the essence of the identity of their own organization. The results point to a serious tendency to underestimate comparable competitors as a consequence of the social comparison heuristics. Managerially, this implies an important caution when designing corporate strategy and positioning

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Het is voor sommige mensen nog even wennen, die euro. In het Duitse Erbach bleek een pompbediende nog niet helemaal op de hoogte van de nieuwe biljetten. Een klant rekende daar af met een biljet van 300 euro. Netjes kreeg hij vervolgens 250 euro terug

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteraemia in an academic hospital in South Africa

This study aimed at determining the clinical manifestations, outcome and prognostic factors associated with P. aeruginosa bacteraemia at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital during the period 1998-99; to describe and quantify resistance to anti-pseudomonal drugs, and characterization of bacteraemic isolates, investigate the genetic relationship among drug susceptible and multiply resistant strains in the hospital. Clinical and laboratory investigations, culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed. Bacteraemic isolates were typed by endonuclease macrorestriction. Those with ≥97% band pattern similarity were assigned genotype status. Of 91 P. aeruginosa blood isolates, 52 (57%) were nosocomially acquired. Underlying conditions associated with episodes were burns in 24 (26.4%) and HIV infection in 21 (23%). Multi-drug resistance was present in 14 isolates (15.4%). Outcome was poor and death was associated with 36 (45.56%) of episodes. Case fatality rates were 60% in adults and 27.3% in children. Being a child, receiving appropriate antimicrobial treatment and admission to specialized care units were significantly associated with improved prognosis. P. aeruginosa bacteraemia was associated with outbreaks caused by two multiply resistant genotypes. Eighteen, antimicrobial susceptible isolates from bacteraemic episodes in paediatric wards, 9 in HIV-seropositive children, could be linked to small outbreaks in both hospitalised and community-based children. South African Medical Journal Vol. 98 (8) 2008: pp. 626-62

Effects of organically and conventionally produced feed on biomarkers of health in a chicken model

Consumers expect organic products to be healthier. However, limited research has been performed to study the effect of organic food on health. The present study aimed to identify biomarkers of health to enable future studies in human subjects. A feeding experiment was performed in two generations of three groups of chickens differing in immune responsiveness, which were fed identically composed feeds from either organic or conventional produce. The animals of the second generation were exposed to an immune challenge and sacrificed at 13 weeks of age. Feed and ingredients were analysed on macro- and micronutrients, i.e. vitamins, minerals, trace elements, heavy metals and microbes. The chickens were studied by general health and immune parameters, metabolomics, genomics and post-mortem evaluation. The organic and conventional feeds were comparable with respect to metabolisable energy. On average, the conventionally produced feeds had a 10 % higher protein content and some differences in micronutrients were observed. Although animals on both feeds were healthy, differences between the groups were found. The random control group of chickens fed conventional feed showed overall a higher weight gain during life span than the group on organic feed, although feed intake was mostly comparable. The animals on organic feed showed an enhanced immune reactivity, a stronger reaction to the immune challenge as well as a slightly stronger ‘catch-up growth’ after the challenge. Biomarkers for future research were identified in the parameters feed intake, body weight and growth rate, and in immunological, physiological and metabolic parameters, several of these differing most pronounced after the challeng

Uncertainty of dustfall monitoring results

Fugitive dust has the ability to cause a nuisance and pollute the ambient environment, particularly from human activities including construction and industrial sites and mining operations. As such, dustfall monitoring has occurred for many decades in South Africa little has been published on the repeatability, uncertainty, accuracy and precision of dustfall monitoring. Repeatability assesses the consistency associated with the results of a particular measurement under the same conditions; the consistency of the laboratory isassessed to determine the uncertainty associated with dustfall monitoring conducted by the laboratory. The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of the uncertainty in dustfall monitoring; thereby improving the confidence in dustfall monitoring. Uncertainty of dustfall monitoring was assessed through a 12-month study of 12 sites that were located on the boundary of the study area. Each site contained a directional dustfall sampler, which was modified by removing the rotating lid, with four buckets (A, B, C and D) installed. Having four buckets on one stand allows for each bucket to be exposed to the same conditions, for the same period of time; therefore, should have equal amounts of dust deposited in these buckets. The difference in the weight (mg) of the dust recorded from each bucket at each respective site was determined using the American Society for Testing and Materials method D1739 (ASTM D1739). The variability of the dust would provide the confidence level of dustfall monitoring when reporting to clients

Characterising the impact of rainfall on dustfall rates

Soil moisture increased the cohesion potential between particles, reducing the ability of the particle to be entrained. Dust suppression techniques are designed to increase soil moisture and therefore soil cohesion through the application of water or water-based chemicals to surfaces that have known potential for dust entrainment. Rainfall has the ability to act as a natural dust suppression mechanism; however, there is a paucity of literature on the actual effectiveness of rainfall in this regard. The ASTM D1739 methods for dustfall monitoring, commonly used in South Africa, and the National Dust Control Regulations (2013), both state that rainfall should be recorded when conducting dustfall monitoring. The rationale is that rainfall or the absence thereof, results in lower or higher dustfall rates, respectively. A suitable study site was identified in Mpumalanga, South Africa. This site had eight non-directional dustfall samplers in the near vicinity of an air quality monitoring station. Dustfall results from the eight samplers were analysed based on four scenarios, two that considers the presence of rainfall and two that consider the absence of rainfall. This analysis was further combined with wind speed data. This study, over a 24-month period indicates that there is no substantial evidence that above average rainfall will result in below average dustfall. This occurred for one month out of 24 months. Conversely, there is no consensus that the absence of rainfall will result in higher dustfall rates, which occurred cumulatively 30% of the time. Additional environmental and / or operational information may have a greater influence on dustfall compared to rainfall. Careful consideration should be taken to prevent misrepresentation of causational effects of rainfall on dustfall results. Management of dust should be undertaken through dust mitigation measures irrespective of the natural rainfall regime

Towards the development of a GHG emissions baseline for the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector, South Africa

South Africa is a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and as such is required to report on Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Energy, Transport, Waste and the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sectors every two years in national inventories. The AFOLU sector is unique in that it comprises both sources and sinks for GHGs. Emissions from the AFOLU sector are estimated to contribute a quarter of the total global greenhouse gas emissions. GHG emissions sources from agriculture include enteric fermentation; manure management; manure deposits on pastures, and soil fertilization. Emissions sources from Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) include anthropogenic land use activities such as: management of croplands, forests and grasslands and changes in land use cover (the conversion of one land use to another). South Africa has improved the quantification of AFOLU emissions and the understanding of the dynamic relationship between sinks and sources over the past decade through projects such as the 2010 GHG Inventory, the Mitigation Potential Analysis (MPA), and the National Terrestrial Carbon Sinks Assessment (NTCSA). These projects highlight key mitigation opportunities in South Africa and discuss their potentials. The problem remains that South Africa does not have an emissions baseline for the AFOLU sector against which the mitigation potentials can be measured. The AFOLU sector as a result is often excluded from future emission projections, giving an incomplete picture of South Africa’s mitigation potential. The purpose of this project was to develop a robust GHG emissions baseline for the AFOLU sector which will enable South Africa to project emissions into the future and demonstrate its contribution towards the global goal of reducing emissions

Evidence That Transition from Health to Psychotic Disorder Can Be Traced to Semi-Ubiquitous Environmental Effects Operating against Background Genetic Risk

Background: In order to assess the importance of environmental and genetic risk on transition from health to psychotic disorder, a prospective study of individuals at average (n=462) and high genetic risk (n=810) was conducted.Method: A three-year cohort study examined the rate of transition to psychotic disorder. Binary measures indexing environmental exposure (combining urban birth, cannabis use, ethnicity and childhood trauma) and proxy genetic risk (high-risk sibling status) were used to model transition.Results: The majority of high-risk siblings (68%) and healthy comparison subjects (60%) had been exposed to one or more environmental risks. The risk of transition in siblings (n=9, 1.1%) was higher than the risk in healthy comparison subjects (n=2, 0.4%; ORadj=2.2,95% CI: 5-10.3). All transitions (100%) were associated with environmental exposure, compared to 65% of non-transitions (p=0.014), with the greatest effects for childhood trauma (ORadj=34.4,95% CI: 4.4-267.4), cannabis use (OR=4.1,95% CI: 1.1, 15.4), minority ethnic group (OR=3.8,95% CI: 1.2,12.8) and urban birth (OR=3.7,95% CI: 0.9,15.4). The proportion of transitions in the population attributable to environmental and genetic risk ranged from 28% for minority ethnic group, 45% for urban birth, 57% for cannabis use, 86% for childhood trauma, and 50% for high-risk sibling status. Nine out of 11 transitions (82%) were exposed to both genetic and environmental risk, compared to only 43% of non-transitions (p=0.03).Conclusion: Environmental risk associated with transition to psychotic disorder is semi-ubiquitous regardless of genetic high risk status. Careful prospective documentation suggests most transitions can be attributed to powerful environmental effects that become detectable when analysed against elevated background genetic risk, indicating gene-environment interaction.</p

Modulation of irinotecan-induced diarrhea by cotreatment with neomycin in cancer patients

This study was designed to evaluate irinotecan (CPT-11) disposition and pharmacodynamics in the presence and absence of the broad-spectrum antibiotic neomycin. Seven evaluable cancer patients experiencing diarrhea graded > or =2 after receiving CPT-11 alone (350 mg/m(2) i.v. once every 3 weeks) received the same dose combined with oral neomycin at 1000 mg three times per day (days -2 to 5) in the second course. Neomycin had no effect on the systemic exposure of CPT-11 and its major metabolites (P > or = 0.22). However, it changed fecal beta-glucuronidase activity from 7.03 +/- 1.76 microg/h/mg (phenolphthalein assay) to undetectable levels and decreased fecal concentrations of the pharmacologically active metabolite SN-38. Although neomycin had no significant effect on hematological toxicity (P > 0.05), diarrhea ameliorated in six of seven patients (P = 0.033). Our findings indicate that bacterial beta-glucuronidase plays a crucial role in CPT-11-induced diarrhea without affecting enterocycling and systemic SN-38 levels