Continuity And Renewal At The Top: Performance Effects Of The Level, Extent, Type And Frequency Of Top Management Team Changes

This study examines performance effects of changes in the top management team using an eleven-year period longitudinal research design with a sample of 45 major Dutch multinationals. Since changes at the top are a multi-faceted phenomenon, we study the topic from four different angles. Results indicate that the level of change in terms of CEO versus non-CEO changes and the extent of change in terms of the proportion of managers entering or exiting the team do not influence subsequent firm performance. Type and frequency of change however do matter. Our results indicate that renewal of top management teams in terms of non-retirement exits and limited outside entries can be beneficial for firm performance in the following year, especially when exits and entries are well aligned. On the other hand, a certain degree of continuity is also warranted. Too many outside entries at the same time were found to be disadvantageous in the short-run, while many CEO successions in a row were found to be disadvantageous in the longer-run.management and organization theory ;

Neonatal ventilatory techniques – which are best for infants born at term?

Few studies have examined ventilatory modes exclusively in infants born at term. Synchronous intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) compared to intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) is associated with a shorter duration of ventilation. The limited data on pressure support, volume targeted ventilation and neurally adjusted ventilatory assist demonstrate only short term benefits in term born infants. Favourable results of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) in infants with severe respiratory failure were not confirmed in the two randomised trials. Nitric oxide (NO) in term born infants, except in those with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), reduces the combined outcome of death and requirement for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). In infants with severe refractory hypoxaemic respiratory failure, ECMO, except in infants with CDH, reduced mortality and the combined outcome of death and severe disability at long-term follow-up. Randomised studies with long term outcomes are required to determine the optimum modes of ventilation in term born infants

Europa tussen samenwerking en opportunisme : de internationale fusiepraktijk als voorbeeld voor Europese integratie

Niet aanwezig.international economics and trade ;

The national specificity of top management teams

The authors examine top management performance in modern corporations operating in market economies. They analyse the national differences between institutions of formal company management, the value and competence systems of top managers as well as prevailing decision making practices. In their view, there is a clear difference in the power and strategies of managerial teams, reflecting the market and company differences between countries

United or Divided? Antecedents of Board Cohesiveness in International Joint Ventures

We combine board process research with the literature on international joint ventures (IJVs) by investigating the antecedents of cohesiveness of IJV boards of directors. Even though that corporate governance scholars have frequently emphasized the crucial role of cohesiveness for board effectiveness, cohesiveness has received limited research attention. We investigate the determinants of board cohesiveness by specifically focusing on an understudied organizational form, namely the IJV. IJVs are formed by two or more independent parent organizations originating from geographically dispersed home countries with disparate cultural backgrounds. We argue that the inherent features related to the international and partner-specific context of these governance arrangements affect board cohesiveness. Our study contributes to the corporate governance board process literature as well as the IJV literature by being the first to directly investigate cohesiveness in boards, and to serve as the initial study on board processes within IJVs

Elucidation of the molecular alterations underlying aging-associated muscle wasting applying multi-omics

Skeletal muscles are highly resilient due to the capacity to regenerate damaged muscle tissue. Despite the regenerative capacity, pathological conditions can lead to reduced muscle mass and strength, also known as muscle wasting. Muscle wasting, seen in pathological conditions, is often progressive and concomitant with excessive or prolonged inflammation, fibrosis and fat infiltration. Aging is a risk factor for a large number of diseases that can result in muscle wasting. The prevalence of sarcopenia, an age-associated decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength in elderly, surges as life expectancy increases. In combination with muscle wasting caused by neuromuscular disorders, the burden of muscle wasting on society is significant. Gaining a better understanding of the cellular and molecular processes underlying muscle wasting conditions is critical for creating better treatments. Aging and thereby age-associated muscle wasting are multifactorial involving changes in different tissues and multiple cell systems. This thesis demonstrates how different omics approaches, like transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, can elucidate the complexity of those molecular mechanisms and cellular processes involved in muscle wasting conditions. Employing a combination of different omics-techniques (multi-omics) specifically proved powerful and will continue to illuminate impaired mechanisms and consequently help to battle muscle wasting.LUMC / Geneeskund

Predictors of outcome of prematurely born infants with pulmonary interstitial emphysema

Aim: To determine how oxygenation, ventilation efficiency and tidal volume requirements changed with the development of pulmonary interstitial emphysema (PIE) and whether in affected patients a composite gas exchange index predicted death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Methods: Infants who developed PIE from 2010 to 2016 were identified. The oxygenation index (OI), ventilation efficiency index (VEI), ventilation to perfusion ratio and inspiratory tidal volume were calculated before radiological evidence of PIE (pre-PIE) and at the worst PIE radiographic appearance (PIE-worst). Results: Thirty infants, median (IQR) gestational age of 24.6 (24.3–26.7) weeks were assessed. Their age at pre-PIE was 11 (6–19) days and 23 (13–42) days at PIE-worst. Compared to pre-PIE, at PIE-worst, the OI was higher [14.5 (10.7–19.2) vs 4.8 (3.1–6.1), respectively, p 11.4 at PIE-worst predicted death or BPD with 80% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Conclusion: Development of PIE was associated with poorer oxygenation and ventilation efficiency despite increased tidal volumes. The OI at PIE-worst predicted death or BPD

Nitrogen and energy balance of a short-rotation poplar forest system.

The mean annual dry matter production of a short-rotation poplar forest in the Netherlands was 14.4 tonnes ha-1 during a 5-year growing period. During the growing period trees took up 542 kg N ha-1 of which 64 % was in the bole and branches. In the 5th year denitrification was measured in undisturbed columns in the field by the acetylene-inhibition technique. An annual denitrification rate of 18 kg N ha-1 was estimated on the basis of the observed N2O profile. The system needed an annual input of 122 kg N ha-1 to balance the nitrogen budget. The energy balance showed that at the present dry matter production the system had a net output of 54 GJ ha-1 year-1. An increase in dry matter production to a maximum of 25 tonnes ha-1 year-1, possible by planting the trees at a higher density, would raise the net energy output to 97 GJ ha-1 year-1, in spite of higher energy inputs associated with fertilizer applications. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission