Enhancing the Cohesiveness of a Cognitive Diverse Team: the Role of Leadership

Researchers have been interested in the concepts of leadership, cognitive diversity, and team cohesiveness and much research has been done in these areas separately. The uniformity of the topics is still lacking in terms of the relationship among these variables. This research set out to explore the relationship between cognitive diversity and team cohesiveness as it was enhanced by the different leadership characteristic traits. These leadership characteristic traits consisted of charisma, individualism, and empowerment. The multiple regression analysis method was used to study the relationship among these variables. Based upon data collected from a sample of 1,015 participants in six different types of industries, I found that that there was a positive relationship between cognitive diversity and team cohesiveness. I also found that leadership individualistic trait did not have any relationship to team cohesiveness. Leadership charismatic trait did explain some variance on team cohesiveness but did not moderate the relationship between cognitive diversity and team cohesiveness. Lastly, leadership empowering trait had a direct relationship to team cohesiveness as well as moderated the relationship between cognitive diversity and team cohesiveness

Application of the Pup1-K46 Marker to Evaluate Phosphorus-Deficient Tolerance in Lowland Rice Cultivars from Southern Thailand

ABSTRACT Phosphorus (P) deficiency severely limits rice production, which threats to global food security. Selecting rice cultivars tolerant to P deficiency is a sustainable approach for this issue. In rice, a gene-based marker Phosphate uptake 1 (Pup1-K46) has been used to evaluate P-deficient tolerance. Indisputably, the Pup1-K46 region is highly conserved in an upland rice ecotype. Its existence reflects to the tolerance of P deficiency. Unfortunately, the influence of Pup1-K46 and its application in lowland rice cultivars remains neglect. In this study, we investigated the Pup1-K46 locus among 61 lowland rice cultivars. Subsequently, several lowland rice cultivars with and without the Pup1 locus were grown under the 0.5x low P (0.25 mg/l) and high P (5 mg/l) Yoshida solution for three weeks to examine the P-deficient tolerance of rice seedlings based on the existence of Pup1-K46. The results showed that the low P solution reduced rice biomass up to 20 percent reduction with diverse degrees, depending on the rice cultivars. It markedly lowered the total P concentration but raised P use efficiency (PUE) in the shoot and root tissues. The reduction of shoot growth due to the low P availability in the Pup1 positive group was significantly lower than the Pup1 negative group. Additionally, the higher shoot PUE in the Pup1 positive group confirmed their growth performance against P deficiency. These suggest that the Pup1 locus contributes to P-deficient tolerance in lowland rice cultivars.Keywords: Pup1-K46, lowland rice, Phosphorus-deficient toleranc

Foliar idioblasts in different-aged leaves of a medicinal plant (Annona muricata L.)

Soursop (Annona muricata L.) is a well-known species for indigenous use of medicines. This work aimed to determine the selected features including idioblasts in different-aged leaves of A. muricata. Leaf samples were collected and prepared for light microscopy. Numerous non-glandular trichomes are restricted to only the abaxial surface of hypostomatic and dorsiventral leaves. The 1st leaf is slightly different in histological structures than those of the 3rd and 8th leaves. Two kinds of foliar idioblasts were observed: subspherical idioblasts and calcium oxalate crystal-containing idioblasts. Carbohydrate and fat were detected in all leaf stages but more were observed in the 1st leaf. No protein was detected in any of the leaves and the 8th leaf exhibited the highest pigment contents. Further studies of subspherical idioblasts relating acetogenins will be necessary to determine and confirm the localization in all plant parts

Ultrastructure of Gametocyst of Parasitic Protozoan, Nematopsis sp. in Black Tiger Shrimp Penaeus monodon from the Gulf of Thailand

Ultrastructure of gametocyst of Nematopsis sp., a protozoa parasite of black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon from the Gulf of Thailand is described. Ball-shaped gametocysts of about 110–160 µm diameter were found in close contact with the intestinal wall of shrimps. Surface of the gametocyst cyst wall or capsule is wrinkled with a circular bare area at one pole that contains a central pore 4–5 µm in diameter. The interior of the gametocyst is composed of numerous gymnospores and membranous sacs. Gymnospores varied in size with an average diameter of 6–8 µm. Ball-shaped gymnospores were composed of numerous, radially arranged, cone shaped sporozoites. Average width and length of sporozoites were 0.8–1.2 µm and 3–5 µm, respectively, with their rostral part pointing outward and caudal part, inward connecting to the residual cytoplasm in the centre of a gymospore. The rostral part of the sporozoite contains an oval nucleus, rough endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and a group of secretory granules. Membranous sacs were composed of two types of globular granules; large electron lucid granules and small dense granules

High serum alkaline phosphatase levels, a study in 181 Thai adult hospitalized patients

BACKGROUND: Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an important enzyme mainly derived from the liver, bones and in lesser amounts from intestines, placenta, kidneys and leukocytes. An increase in ALP levels in the serum is frequently associated with a variety of diseases. This study was done in order to determine the diseases associated with a high ALP level among Thai adult hospitalized patients. METHOD: A review was made of medical records of inpatients with high ALP level above 1000 IU/L in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand from January 1999 to December 1999. Excluded were cases of (a) patients who have bone involvements with malignancies, (b) pediatric patients younger than 15 years old and c) HIV-seropositive patients. RESULTS: A total of 181 hospitalized patients with eligible medical records were identified (96 males and 85 females, mean age 49.4 ± 16.1 years). Their ALP levels ranging from 1,001 to 3,067 IU/L, these patients were divided into four groups. CONCLUSION: High serum ALP levels in hospitalized patients were commonly found in three major groups having obstructive biliary diseases, infiltrative liver disease and sepsis. The study results were in accordance with previous reports in developed countries. Nonetheless, cholangiocarcionoma and some tropical diseases unique to our setting were also detected in these cases. where there was a marked elevation of serum ALP

The phylogeography of Indoplanorbis exustus (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in Asia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The freshwater snail <it>Indoplanorbis exustus </it>is found across India, Southeast Asia, central Asia (Afghanistan), Arabia and Africa. <it>Indoplanorbis </it>is of economic importance in that it is responsible for the transmission of several species of the genus <it>Schistosoma </it>which infect cattle and cause reduced livestock productivity. The snail is also of medical importance as a source of cercarial dermatitis among rural workers, particularly in India. In spite of its long history and wide geographical range, it is thought that <it>Indoplanorbis </it>includes only a single species. The aims of the present study were to date the radiation of <it>Indoplanorbis </it>across Asia so that the factors involved in its dispersal in the region could be tested, to reveal potential historical biogeographical events shaping the phylogeny of the snail, and to look for signs that <it>I. exustus </it>might be polyphyletic.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results indicated a radiation beginning in the late Miocene with a divergence of an ancestral bulinine lineage into Assam and peninsular India clades. A Southeast Asian clade diverged from the peninsular India clade late-Pliocene; this clade then radiated at a much more rapid pace to colonize all of the sampled range of <it>Indoplanorbis </it>in the mid-Pleistocene.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The phylogenetic depth of divergences between the Indian clades and Southeast Asian clades, together with habitat and parasitological differences suggest that <it>I. exustus </it>may comprise more than one species. The timescale estimated for the radiation suggests that the dispersal to Arabia and to Southeast Asia was facilitated by palaeogeographical events and climate change, and did not require human involvement. Further samples from Afghanistan, Africa and western India are required to refine the phylogeographical hypothesis and to include the African Recent dispersal.</p

Emerging Foodborne Trematodiasis

Foodborne trematodiasis is emerging because of increased aquaculture

Effect of Control Strategies on Prevalence, Incidence and Re-infection of Clonorchiasis in Endemic Areas of China

Clonorchiasis is a liver fluke disease prevalent in East Asia, which is transmitted to humans mainly by eating raw freshwater fish. It induces various complications in the liver or bile duct including cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, cholangitis, and cirrhosis. Clonorchis sinensis has been known to cause cholangiocarcinoma, and is still a major health problem in endemic areas. People in endemic areas are repeatedly infected with C. sinensis, as they continue to consume raw freshwater fish in spite of control activities and availability of a highly effective drug, praziquantel. Reservoir hosts such as cats, dogs, and pigs supply eggs continuously to the environment and act as a source of infection. The present study analyzed the data produced by the Korea-China collaborative project for helminthiasis control in China during 2001–2004 to find out effective chemotherapeutic control strategies with praziquantel in endemic areas and to evaluate their effects on the transmission of C. sinensis infection by repeated mass or selective treatment. The four-year control trial found that repeated treatment is essential to the effective reduction of prevalence and infection intensity in heavily endemic areas. Mass chemotherapy is more effective than selective treatment, and more repeated treatments produce better outcomes in clonorchiasis control. Health education to change the habit of consuming raw or undercooked fish is an important and practical measure to prevent and reduce human infections in endemic areas. Together with chemotherapy, health education could be highly effective and produce sustainable effects in clonorchiasis control. Treatment of reservoirs, if applicable, will contribute to reduce the source of infection

Liver Fluke Induces Cholangiocarcinoma

The authors discuss the molecular pathogenesis of opisthorchiasis and associated cholangiocarcinogenesis, particularly nitrative and oxidative DNA damage and the clinical manifestations of cholangiocarcinoma