Telework: The role of social support

Telework is a rapidly growing work practice but its effects on employees’ psychological wellbeing have been little studied. A particular problem for remote workers is the potential loss of social support. Much research shows support from supervisors and co-workers increases employee wellbeing and reduces the negative effects of job demands. How telemediated social support functions in telework, and how much home-based support can replace it, have not so far been studied. A framework for research on social support in telework is presented in this paper. Social support can be provided electronically but how affects workers’ wellbeing and performance is an important concern for managers of teleworkers and researchers

An exploratory study of entrepreneurial leadership: The perceived characteristics of entrepreneurial leaders

The concept of entrepreneurial leadership has begun to attract interest from leadership scholars although it remains a neglected area in entrepreneurship research. This exploratory study attempts to bridge these two fields by proposing a model of the common characteristics of leaders and entrepreneurs. Semi-structured interviews, supplemented by a questionnaire survey, were conducted with a purposive sample of 20 orporate managers and business owners. The findings suggest that entrepreneurial leaders have personal characteristics distinct from those of non-leader entrepreneurs. In particular, entrepreneurial leaders are perceived as visionary entrepreneurs who also have the motivation and ethics of a leader. The study concludes that leadership plays a critical role in venture growth and long-term entrepreneurial success, and requires greater research attention

Genomic evidence for the Pleistocene and recent population history of Native Americans

How and when the Americas were populated remains contentious. Using ancient and modern genome-wide data, we find that the ancestors of all present-day Native Americans, including Athabascans and Amerindians, entered the Americas as a single migration wave from Siberia no earlier than 23 thousand years ago (KYA), and after no more than 8,000-year isolation period in Beringia. Following their arrival to the Americas, ancestral Native Americans diversified into two basal genetic branches around 13 KYA, one that is now dispersed across North and South America and the other is restricted to North America. Subsequent gene flow resulted in some Native Americans sharing ancestry with present-day East Asians (including Siberians) and, more distantly, Australo-Melanesians. Putative ‘Paleoamerican’ relict populations, including the historical Mexican Pericúes and South American Fuego-Patagonians, are not directly related to modern Australo-Melanesians as suggested by the Paleoamerican Model

Revisiting steroid treatment for septic shock: molecular actions and clinical effects - a review

Corticosteroids are widely used to treat a diversity of pathological conditions including allergic, autoimmune and some infectious diseases. These drugs have complex mechanisms of action involving both genomic and non-genomic mechanisms and interfere with different signal transduction pathways in the cell. The use of corticosteroids to treat critically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome and severe infections, such as sepsis and pneumonia, is still a matter of intense debate in the scientific and medical community with evidence both for and against its use in these patients. Here, we review the basic molecular mechanisms important for corticosteroid action as well as current evidence for their use, or not, in septic patients. We also present an analysis of the reasons why this is still such a controversial point in the literature