Impact of organisational culture and decision-making on program assurance for continuing airworthiness

This project involved four studies designed to explain the relationship between organisational culture and the decision-making strategies employed by continuing airworthiness management programs in five major Australian domestic airlines. The project extended an existing organisational culture model to produce an industry specific model for airlines in Australia. The Continuing Airworthiness Organisational Culture Model introduces a new organisational culture trait of Assurance, which describes the behaviours and assumptions used within these programs to ensure that the aviation continuing airworthiness safety standards are met for the aircraft operated by the airlines

Vascular endothelial growth factor and placental growth factor release in cultured trophoblast cells under different oxygen tensions

The oxygen status of the placenta during pregnancy is unclear although it has been hypothesised that in pre-eclampsia large regions of the placenta are hypoxic. Circulating levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are increased in women with pre-eclampsia, while circulating placental growth factor (PlGF) levels are decreased. We hypothesise that secreted levels of VEGF are increased in cultures of trophoblast cells under lowered oxygen conditions while secreted levels of PlGF are alternatively regulated. Primary isolates of first trimester and term cytotrophoblasts cells were cultured in 20 and 5% oxygen for 24 h. There was a significant increase in the levels of VEGF secreted from first trimester and term cytotrophoblast cells cultured under lowered oxygen conditions compared to the controls while there was a significant decrease in the secreted levels of PlGF in the same cell populations (as measured by ELISA). In first trimester and term trophoblast cells the presence of VEGF (121, 165 and 189) and PlGF (132 and 152) mRNA were demonstrated in both groups by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). These altered levels of secreted VEGF and PlGF may be released as compensatory molecules in the pathogenesis of diseases such as pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction