The Importance of Industry-, Country- and Global Factors for the Return on Technology Stocks

We investigate to what degree return on technology stocks are affected by industry-, country- and global factors. Furthermore, the analysis is extended to look deeper into the industry factors by examining what the exposure of technology stocks to industry-specific shocks is caused by. In previous studies, the aim has been to try to determine whether industry-, country- or global effects are the most prominent for international stock returns; however, the technology industry has not yet been thoroughly investigated. There are 27 countries included in the analysis, from both developed and emerging markets. The years investigated are 1990-2015 and include returns from a technology index and an equity index for each country, a global technology index and a global equity index. The results show that industry-, country- and global effects exist in the technology industry. Moreover, high-technology export is found to have a significantly positive impact on the exposure to industry-specific shocks, whereas the dot-com crisis had a negative impact on the exposure. These results are important for forming an optimally diversified portfolio that includes technology stocks, when diversifying across industries and countries

Is it all about culture? A study on frustration with respect to the work situation in dispersed, global IT projects at a merged, multinational company

This article reports on the difficulties, peculiar to dispersed global projects, which may be a source of frustration to project members. Our study was carried out within a multinational pharmaceutical company, which following a merger reorganized its IT organization into global organisation. Members of the Swedish part of its IT organization reported severe problems after the reorganization, and called for an investigation. The reported problems were global projects struggling with cultural differences and, as a consequence, overconsuming their allotted resources. However, previous research regarding merged organizations has found, that complaints about cultural differences might be a mask for other problems. Our findings do include cultural differences being an obstacle to project performance. However, we identified project complexity and geographical distance as two additional, important factors explaining frustration and low performance in the global, dispersed projects. Thus, our study supports the earlier theory that practitioners overload the concept cultural differences, ignoring that global projects typically involve more stakeholders, and that it is more challenging to create the trust among the dispersed team members necessary to create a high-performing team. Global projects can be expected to reach a climate of high-performing team later than a local project, leaving its members to performing less during a longer time. Consequently, and putting other advantages aside, if management fail to develop a successful global team strategy, such projects can be expected to be more costly to the company, and more frustrating to team members being used to quickly reaching a high-performing state. Such a strategy would need to include ways of motivating project members to actively build trustful relations

Quantification of Microbial Robustness in Yeast

Stable cell performance in a fluctuating environment is essential for sustainable bioproduction and synthetic cell functionality; however, microbial robustness is rarely quantified. Here, we describe a high-throughput strategy for quantifying robustness of multiple cellular functions and strains in a perturbation space. We evaluated quantification theory on experimental data and concluded that the mean-normalized Fano factor allowed accurate, reliable, and standardized quantification. Our methodology applied to perturbations related to lignocellulosic bioethanol production showed that the industrial bioethanol producing strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ethanol Red exhibited both higher and more robust growth rates than the laboratory strain CEN.PK and industrial strain PE-2, while a more robust product yield traded off for lower mean levels. The methodology validated that robustness is function-specific and characterized by positive and negative function-specific trade-offs. Systematic quantification of robustness to end-use perturbations will be important to analyze and construct robust strains with more predictable functions

Children and adolescents’ preferences for support when living with a dying parent – An integrative review

Aim To identify and synthesize the evidence base regarding children and adolescents’ preferences for support when living with a dying parent. Design Integrative literature review study. Methods Searches were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, Sociological Abstracts and Scopus, between 1 October 2019 and May 2021. Data were analysed and synthesized using integrative thematic analysis according to the analysis stages specified by Whittermore and Knafl. Results Twenty-two articles were identified. Children and adolescents’ preferences for support were described through one overarching theme, Striving to achieve control and balance, together with six subthemes; “Involvement in the sick parent's care and treatment”; “Wanting to be with the sick parent but needing respite”; “Information must be continuous and individually adapted”; “emotional and communicative support from parents and family members”; “professional, compassionate and informative support”; and “support in friendships and opportunities to maintain normality.”publishedVersio

Children and adolescents’ preferences for support when living with a dying parent – An integrative review

Aim: To identify and synthesize the evidence base regarding children and adolescents’ preferences for support when living with a dying parent. Design: Integrative literature review study. Methods: Searches were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, Sociological Abstracts and Scopus, between 1 October 2019 and May 2021. Data were analysed and synthesized using integrative thematic analysis according to the analysis stages specified by Whittermore and Knafl. Results: Twenty-two articles were identified. Children and adolescents’ preferences for support were described through one overarching theme, Striving to achieve control and balance, together with six subthemes; “Involvement in the sick parent's care and treatment”; “Wanting to be with the sick parent but needing respite”; “Information must be continuous and individually adapted”; “emotional and communicative support from parents and family members”; “professional, compassionate and informative support”; and “support in friendships and opportunities to maintain normality.”publishedVersio

När kroppen får bära känslor av självhat och otillräcklighet: Självuppfattning och kroppsuppfattning hos personer med självskadebeteende

Self-injury has received increasing attention over the last years. Although there has been a marked increase of studies in the field, there is still much to explain. The aim of this study was to investigate self-concept and body image in people with self-injury. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four individuals who had a current self-injurious behaviour. The study was based on an explorative, hermeneutic phenomenological approach and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the data. Three main themes were identified: A negative perception of self and body, Letting the body carry feelings of self-hatred and inadequacy and The judgmental gaze of the other. The participants expressed a predominantly negative perception of themselves and self-injury was described as a way to deal with overall feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy. A negative view of the body emerged as critical factor to cause harm to oneself. The participants appeared to place great importance on how others would perceive them and seemed inclined to see themselves and their bodies from an outside perspective. They often felt judged in social contexts, and tended to isolate themselves and hide behind a façade to escape the feeling of condemnation and a focus on the self.Självskadebeteende är ett fenomen som uppmärksammats alltmer under senare år. Trots att det skett en markant ökning av studier inom området finns det dock fortfarande mycket kvar att förklara. Studiens syfte var att undersöka självuppfattning och kroppsuppfattning hos personer med självskadebeteende. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med fyra personer som hade ett aktuellt självskadebeteende. Studien utgick från en explorativ, hermeneutisk fenomenologisk ansats och materialet analyserades med Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Det resulterade i tre huvudteman: En negativ uppfattning av själv och kropp, Att låta kroppen bära känslor av självhat och otillräcklighet samt Den andres dömande blick. Deltagarna gav uttryck för en övervägande negativ bild av sig själv. I deras berättelser kunde urskiljas hur självskadebeteende var ett sätt att hantera övergripande känslor av värdelöshet och otillräcklighet. En negativ syn på kroppen skildrades som avgörande för att man kunde förmå skada sig själv. Deltagarna föreföll lägga stor vikt vid hur andra skulle uppfatta dem och tycktes benägna att se sig själva och sin kropp från ett utifrånperspektiv. De beskrev hur de i sociala sammanhang ofta kände sig betraktade, och för att undkomma känslan av att vara bedömd och ett fokus på det egna självet tenderade de att isolera sig och gömma sig bakom en yttre fasad

Exploring Microbial Robustness for a Sustainable and Efficient Bioproduction

Efficient microbial cell factories that produce valuable compounds are gaining increasing interest as one path towards a more sustainable economy. Therefore, there is an increasing need for robust microorganisms which can optimally perform even in harsh and challenging industrial conditions. The identification of robustness traits is crucial to improve the already-existing strains and develop new, better ones. Here, different approaches to study microbial robustness are presented. First, single-cell analysis in a cell population might give some insights on the development of more robust sub-populations. Physiological parameters (such as intracellular pH, fluxes, redox balance, etc.) and morphologic features were monitored with fluorescent biosensors and tagged proteins to study the single-cell status. Moreover, a barcoding technique will be used to discover and underline patterns in the development of population dynamics during the different industrial processes. Furthermore, an objective method to quantify robustness was developed for selection of useful strains and a large dataset was analysed to find predictive parameters for robustness. All together, these tools will give the possibility to identify robustness traits and understand robustness leading to improved industrial strains and processes

Robustness: linking strain design to viable bioprocesses

Microbial cell factories are becoming increasingly popular for the sustainable production of various chemicals. Metabolic engineering has led to the design of advanced cell factories; however, their long-term yield, titer, and productivity falter when scaled up and subjected to industrial conditions. This limitation arises from a lack of robustness – the ability to maintain a constant phenotype despite the perturbations of such processes. This review describes predictable and stochastic industrial perturbations as well as state-of-the-art technologies to counter process variability. Moreover, we distinguish robustness from tolerance and discuss the potential of single-cell studies for improving system robustness. Finally, we highlight ways of achieving consistent and comparable quantification of robustness that can guide the selection of strains for industrial bioprocesses

Adolescents’ and young people’s needs and preferences for support when living with a parent with life-threatening cancer: a grounded theory study

Background: Living with a parent facing life-threatening illness and losing a mom or dad at a young age can cause both short- and long-term health problems. Without satisfactory support, adolescents’ and young people are at risk of developing low self-esteem, behavioural difficulties (e.g., anger and aggression), long-term illness or premature death caused by severe mental illness, substance abuse, self-harm and suicide attempts. The aim of this study was to explore adolescents’ and young people’s needs and preferences for support as they live with a parent with life-threatening cancer. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 respondents (17–24 years) in Norway and Sweden. Data were analysed through grounded theory according to Charmaz. Results: Adolescents’ and young peoples’ needs and preferences for support were described through the main category ‘To feel safe and secure and to be prepared’ and further broken down into five subcategories ‘Relationships in the immediate family—balancing support and protection’; ‘The social network—support and normalcy in a carefully selected group’; ‘Maintaining everyday life—challenges in school and working life’; ‘The right support at the right time—competence, trust and continuity in meeting health care professionals’; and ‘Support outside the home—an opportunity for full transparency’. Conclusion: Adolescents’ and young peoples’ preferences for support when living with a parent facing life-threatening illness are individual and unique, but they share a common need to feel safe and secure and to be prepared. Adolescents and young people express that they primarily want support from parents and friends, but they also want support from health care professionals, especially in situations when the ill parent becomes worse. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance for health care professionals to identify the most vulnerable adolescents and young people by mapping their social networks and paying extra attention to their needs for support when there is deterioration in the parent’s illness state. This study also highlights the importance for health care professionals to establish a good relationship with adolescents and young people to meet their needs and preferences for support. In addition, information and support are needed in a timely manner and adapted to the life-threatening ill parent’s illness state and individual’s needs and preferences to optimise preparedness.publishedVersio

Microbial robustness 101: tools and applications

Striving for a fossil-free society, bio-production is gaining increasing interest over time. Bioproduction applies microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, fungi) to produce valuable chemicals from different raw materials (plant biomass, waste materials, etc.) and offers sustainable use of side-streams and/or waste streams. Bioproduction suffers from challenges such as poor microbial performance and reproducibility. One key feature in this field is microbial robustness, i.e., the stability of a phenotype (cellular function) when a system is challenged by different perturbations. Microbial robustness, due to its abstract nature, has been poorly studied also due to the lack of tools available. Moreover, being able to include robustness evaluation in the early stages of bioprocess and strain design would facilitate their scaling up from the laboratory- to the industrial scales.Here two tools to explore microbial robustness with some applications and case studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are presented. First, a way to quantify the robustness of cellular functions was developed. The robustness coefficient proposed allows comparison between strains and cellular functions in a given perturbation space. This method, based on the Fano factor, is dimensionless, free from arbitrary control conditions and frequency-independent. Second, fluorescent biosensors sensing the intracellular environment were developed into a versatile and easy-to-use toolbox. Such toolbox was used in population studies to identify different physiological responses in different strains exposed to industrially-relevant media and conditions. In the future, it will be implemented in single-cell analysis in microfluidic devices and for studying the formation of subpopulations in large-scale fermentations. All together, these tools will give the possibility to identify robustness traits and mechanisms, allowing for physiological insights that are a foundation for improving industrial strains and process designs