Strategies adopted to create relative advantage

The aim of this research is to understand the strategies being currently adopted and those which can be adopted to increase operating efficiency in an organisation. The research includes the background and SWOT analysis of the organisation to better understand the business environment. The scope of the research signifies the areas that have been investigated in the research to answer the question asked in the aim. These areas include relative advantage, customer analysis and management of human resources. These areas are explained in detail in the literature review which gives useful insight into the business strategies of the organisation. After the literature review, information regarding the method adopted to conduct the research and why it is adopted is discussed. A results section shows all the information obtained and graphs prepared from conducting the surveys and interviews. These are further analysed in detail in the discussion that follows

Financial planning

This research study is based on a small outlet. The company has many outlets all over New Zealand and expanded business to Australia through an online website. Financial planning has been proved to be one of the important factors for any organisation. A firm with a good or viable financial plan grows at a very fast pace and minimises its losses to some extent. The aim of this study is to evaluate the financial planning part of the internal control system of the organisation. It helps to understand the way organisation works and to determine the shortfalls of its system. The research focused on challenges and difficulties faced by vaping industries and suggested solutions to improve their financial planning. This research is qualitative in nature. Data collection was made through semi-structured interviews. The assistant manager of the company was interviewed using a series of questions. It was found that the company has some major problems in the area of finance as well as with its inventory control system. It was found that the company had no proper inventory system and was not able to generate targeted sales. It is recommended that the organisation should work upon lowering the prices of products and focus on different strategies of marketing. The organisation also should follow an established inventory system (LIFO, FIFO) in order to avoid wastage and random transactions

Genotypic profiling of coding region of leptin gene and their association studies on reproductive and milk production traits in Sahiwal and Frieswal cattle of India

Leptin gene has its role in appetite, metabolism, growth and milk production in cattle. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in leptin gene in different cattle breeds have been reported and subsequently associated with their production performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of genetic differences in the bovine leptin gene with milk production, reproduction, milk constituents in Sahiwal and Frieswal cattle of India. In total, one hundred and seventy six cows were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) to screen the presence of three SNPs in leptin gene. The testing of Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium for the three SNPs of within Frieswal and Sahiwal population indicated that the polymorphism site in the populations fitted with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P > 0.05) except for C/BspEI/T and C/NruI/T position in Sahiwal. Polymorphism C/NruI/T have significant association with age at first service and age at first calving and heterozygotes have more prolonged age at fist service and age at first calving. For milk protein, C/BspEI/T and C/HphI/T was found to have significant effect. For lactose and SNF, C/HphI/T polymorphism has found to be significant. In case of combined genotyping, genotype CTCTCC (713.00±167.99 days) was found to have noticeable higher age at first service and age at first calving. But milk production higher first lactation yield was noted for CCCCCT (3987.00±337.86 kg).Keywords: Leptin gene, polymorphism, Frieswal, Sahiwal, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), combined genotype.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(42), pp. 6140-614

The programmed death-1 signaling axis modulates inflammation and LV structure/function in a stress-induced cardiomyopathy model

The role of immune checkpoints in the setting of tissue injury remains unknown. Using an experimental model of isoproterenol (ISO)-induced stress cardiomyopathy, we show that ISO-induced myocardial injury provokes tissue-autonomous up-regulation of the programmed death-1 (PD-1):programmed death ligand (PD-L) axis in cardiac resident innate immune cells and T cells. PD-1 signaling was responsible for modulating the acute inflammatory response, as well as normalization of impaired left ventricular structure and function after ISO injection. Necrotic cardiac extracts were sufficient to increase the expression of PD-1 in macrophages and T cells in vitro. Viewed together these studies suggest that the PD-1:PD-L signaling axis regulates immune responses to cardiac tissue injury and is important for restoring myocardial homeostasis

Evidence-based consensus guidelines for the management of catatonia: Recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology

The British Association for Psychopharmacology developed an evidence-based consensus guideline on the management of catatonia. A group of international experts from a wide range of disciplines was assembled. Evidence was gathered from existing systematic reviews and the primary literature. Recommendations were made on the basis of this evidence and were graded in terms of their strength. The guideline initially covers the diagnosis, aetiology, clinical features and descriptive epidemiology of catatonia. Clinical assessments, including history, physical examination and investigations are then considered. Treatment with benzodiazepines, electroconvulsive therapy and other pharmacological and neuromodulatory therapies is covered. Special regard is given to periodic catatonia, malignant catatonia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome and antipsychotic-induced catatonia. There is attention to the needs of particular groups, namely children and adolescents, older adults, women in the perinatal period, people with autism spectrum disorder and those with certain medical conditions. Clinical trials were uncommon, and the recommendations in this guideline are mainly informed by small observational studies, case series and case reports, which highlights the need for randomised controlled trials and prospective cohort studies in this area

Integrated genomics and proteomics define huntingtin CAG length-dependent networks in mice.

To gain insight into how mutant huntingtin (mHtt) CAG repeat length modifies Huntington's disease (HD) pathogenesis, we profiled mRNA in over 600 brain and peripheral tissue samples from HD knock-in mice with increasing CAG repeat lengths. We found repeat length-dependent transcriptional signatures to be prominent in the striatum, less so in cortex, and minimal in the liver. Coexpression network analyses revealed 13 striatal and 5 cortical modules that correlated highly with CAG length and age, and that were preserved in HD models and sometimes in patients. Top striatal modules implicated mHtt CAG length and age in graded impairment in the expression of identity genes for striatal medium spiny neurons and in dysregulation of cyclic AMP signaling, cell death and protocadherin genes. We used proteomics to confirm 790 genes and 5 striatal modules with CAG length-dependent dysregulation at the protein level, and validated 22 striatal module genes as modifiers of mHtt toxicities in vivo

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

The genetic landscape of immune-competent and HIV lymphoma

This journal supplement is Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Malignancies in AIDS and Other Acquired Immunodeficiencies (ICMAOI)Open Access JournalBurkitt lymphoma (BL) and diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are aggressive forms of lymphoma in adults and demonstrate overlapping morphology, immunophenotype and clinical behavior. The risk of developing these tumors increases ten to hundred-fold in the setting of HIV infection. The genetic causes and the role of specific mutations, especially in the setting of HIV, are largely unknown. The decoding of the human genome and the advent of high-throughput sequencing have provided rich opportunities for the comprehensive identification of the genetic causes of cancer. In order to comprehensively identify genes that are recurrently mutated in immune-competent DLBCL and BL, we obtained a total of 92 cases of DLBCLs and 40 cases of BL. These cases were compared to a set of 5 DLBCLs and BL tumors derived from patients with HIV. The DLBCL cases were divided into a discovery set (N=34) and …link_to_OA_fulltextThe 13th International Conference on Malignancies in AIDS and Other Acquired Immunodeficiencies (ICAMAOI), Bethesda, MD., 7-8 November 2011. In Infectious Agents and Cancer, 2011, v. 7 suppl. 1, article no. O