Validation of the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument: An Application of the Korean Version

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) based on the Competing Values Framework (CVF). More specially, cultural equivalence between the Korean version and the original English version of the OCAI was evaluated using 39 bilingual Koreans. Next, a field test was conducted to examine scale reliability and construct validity of the Korean version of the OCAI using 133 organizational members from the Korean Professional Baseball League (KPBL). The findings indicate that the Korean version was successfully translated, items maintained the same meaning of the original OCAI items, and yielded acceptable psychometric properties making it applicable to Korean sport organizations

Edge- and Node-Disjoint Paths in P Systems

In this paper, we continue our development of algorithms used for topological network discovery. We present native P system versions of two fundamental problems in graph theory: finding the maximum number of edge- and node-disjoint paths between a source node and target node. We start from the standard depth-first-search maximum flow algorithms, but our approach is totally distributed, when initially no structural information is available and each P system cell has to even learn its immediate neighbors. For the node-disjoint version, our P system rules are designed to enforce node weight capacities (of one), in addition to edge capacities (of one), which are not readily available in the standard network flow algorithms.Comment: In Proceedings MeCBIC 2010, arXiv:1011.005

Subspecific Status of the Korean Tiger Inferred by Ancient DNA Analysis

The tiger population that once inhabited the Korean peninsula was initially considered a unique subspecies (Panthera tigris coreensis), distinct from the Amur tiger of the Russian Far East (P. t. altaica). However, in the following decades, the population of P. t. coreensis was classified as P. t. altaica and hence forth the two populations have been considered the same subspecies. From an ecological point of view, the classification of the Korean tiger population as P. t. altaica is a plausible conclusion. Historically, there were no major dispersal barriers between the Korean peninsula and the habitat of Amur tigers in Far Eastern Russia and northeastern China that might prevent gene flow, especially for a large carnivore with long-distance dispersal abilities. However, there has yet to be a genetic study to confirm the subspecific status of the Korean tiger. Bone samples from four tigers originally caught in the Korean peninsula were collected from two museums in Japan and the United States. Eight mitochondrial gene fragments were sequenced and compared to previously published tiger subspecies\u27 mtDNA sequences to assess the phylogenetic relationship of the Korean tiger. Three individuals shared an identical haplotype with the Amur tigers. One specimen grouped with Malayan tigers, perhaps due to misidentification or mislabeling of the sample. Our results support the conclusion that the Korean tiger should be classified as P. t. altaica, which has important implications for the conservation and reintroduction of Korean tigers

Homozygote CRIM1 variant is associated with thiopurine-induced neutropenia in leukemic patients with both wildtype NUDT15 and TPMT

Abstract Background NUDT15 and TPMT variants are strong genetic determinants of thiopurine-induced hematological toxicity that results in therapeutic failure in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, many patients with both wild-type (WT) NUDT15 and TPMT still suffer from thiopurine toxicity and therapeutic failure. Methods Whole-exome sequencing was done for discovery (N = 244) and replication (N = 76) cohorts. Age- and sex-adjusted multiple regression analyses of both WT patients were performed to identify (p < 0.01, N = 188 for discovery) and validate (p < 0.05, N = 52 for replication) candidate variants for the tolerated last-cycle 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) dose intensity percentage (DIP). Both independent and additive effects of the candidate variants on well-known NUDT15 and TPMT were evaluated by multigene prediction models. Results Among the 12 candidate variants from the discovery phase, the rs3821169 variant of the gene encoding Cysteine-Rich Transmembrane BMP Regulator 1 (CRIM1) was successfully replicated (p < 0.05). It showed high interethnic variability with an impressively high allele frequency in East Asians (T = 0.255) compared to Africans (0.001), Americans (0.02), Europeans (0.009), and South Asians (0.05). Homozygote carriers of the CRIM1 rs3821169 variant (N = 12, 5%) showed significantly lower last-cycle 6-MP DIPs in the discovery, replication, and combined cohorts (p = 0.025, 0.013, and 0.001, respectively). The traditional two-gene model (NUDT15 and TPMT) for predicting 6-MP DIP < 25% was outperformed by the three-gene model that included CRIM1, in terms of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.734 vs. 0.665), prediction accuracy (0.759 vs. 0.756), sensitivity (0.636 vs. 0.523), positive predictive value (0.315 vs. 0.288), and negative predictive value (0.931 vs. 0.913). Conclusions The CRIM1 rs3821169 variant is suggested to be an independent and/or additive genetic determinant of thiopurine toxicity beyond NUDT15 and TPMT in pediatric ALL

Phenomenology of Particle Production and Propagation in String-Motivated Canonical Noncommutative Spacetime

We outline a phenomenological programme for the search of effects induced by (string-motivated) canonical noncommutative spacetime. The tests we propose are based, in analogy with a corresponding programme developed over the last few years for the study of Lie-algebra noncommutative spacetimes, on the role of the noncommutativity parameters in the $E(p)$ dispersion relation. We focus on the role of deformed dispersion relations in particle-production collision processes, where the noncommutativity parameters would affect the threshold equation, and in the dispersion of gamma rays observed from distant astrophysical sources. We emphasize that the studies here proposed have the advantage of involving particles of relatively high energies, and may therefore be less sensitive to "contamination" (through IR/UV mixing) from the UV sector of the theory. We also explore the possibility that the relevant deformation of the dispersion relations could be responsible for the experimentally-observed violations of the GZK cutoff for cosmic rays and could have a role in the observation of hard photons from distant astrophysical sources.Comment: With respect to the experimental information available at the time of writing version 1 of this manuscript (hep-th/0109191v1) the situation has evolved significantly. Our remarks on the benefits of high-energy observations found additional encouragement from the results reported in hep-th/020925

Yoga Training Improves Metabolic Parameters in Obese Boys

Yoga has been known to have stimulatory or inhibitory effects on the metabolic parameters and to be uncomplicated therapy for obesity. The purpose of the present study was to test the effect of an 8-week of yoga-asana training on body composition, lipid profile, and insulin resistance (IR) in obese adolescent boys. Twenty volunteers with body mass index (BMI) greater than the 95th percentile were randomly assigned to yoga (age 14.7±0.5 years, n=10) and control groups (age 14.6±1.0 years, n=10). The yoga group performed exercises three times per week at 40~60% of heart-rate reserve (HRR) for 8 weeks. IR was determined with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). After yoga training, body weight, BMI, fat mass (FM), and body fat % (BF %) were significantly decreased, and fat-free mass and basal metabolic rate were significantly increased than baseline values. FM and BF % were significantly improved in the yoga group compared with the control group (p\u3c0.05). Total cholesterol (TC) was significantly decreased in the yoga group (p\u3c0.01). HDL-cholesterol was decreased in both groups (p\u3c0.05). No significant changes were observed between or within groups for triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR. Our findings show that an 8-week of yoga training improves body composition and TC levels in obese adolescent boys, suggesting that yoga training may be effective in controlling some metabolic syndrome factors in obese adolescent boys

A Phenome-Based Functional Analysis of Transcription Factors in the Cereal Head Blight Fungus, Fusarium graminearum

Fusarium graminearum is an important plant pathogen that causes head blight of major cereal crops. The fungus produces mycotoxins that are harmful to animal and human. In this study, a systematic analysis of 17 phenotypes of the mutants in 657 Fusarium graminearum genes encoding putative transcription factors (TFs) resulted in a database of over 11,000 phenotypes (phenome). This database provides comprehensive insights into how this cereal pathogen of global significance regulates traits important for growth, development, stress response, pathogenesis, and toxin production and how transcriptional regulations of these traits are interconnected. In-depth analysis of TFs involved in sexual development revealed that mutations causing defects in perithecia development frequently affect multiple other phenotypes, and the TFs associated with sexual development tend to be highly conserved in the fungal kingdom. Besides providing many new insights into understanding the function of F. graminearum TFs, this mutant library and phenome will be a valuable resource for characterizing the gene expression network in this fungus and serve as a reference for studying how different fungi have evolved to control various cellular processes at the transcriptional level