Extending the notion of boundaryless careers in the creative economy: evidences from Italian TV drama series industry

The aim of this paper is to extend our knowledge on the boundaryless career theory by providing a quantitative study on how the diversity of career patterns accumulated by project workers affects the project team performance. More specifically, we analyze the dimension of diversity by investigating the different products on which project workers worked in the past. In order to address this issue, we focus on the creative context of Italian TV drama series production teams by investigating the career patterns of 1,736 actors who worked in this industry from 1996 to 2010. To quantify the diversity of career patterns, optimal matching analysis \u2013OMA- is used

Resident training in urology: Bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate - a safe method in learning endoscopic surgical procedure

Introduction: Modern medicine uses increasingly innovative techniques that require more and more capabilities for acquisition. In the urological department is increasing the presence of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is the standard of care in their surgical treatment. We report our surgical experience and learning curve of using bipolar plasmakinetic devices in the training of urological residents to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment. Materials and Methods: 80 patients with benign prostatic enlargement due to BPH were enrolled in the study. TURP has been performed by three urological residents and by an expe- rienced urologist. Patients were evaluated before and 6 months after the endoscopic bipolar plasmakinetic resection using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), maximum uri- nary flow rate (Qmax), postvoid residual urine (PVR) and prostate specific antigen (PSA). Results: Overall 60 procedures were performed, 18 PlasmaKinetic (PK)-TURP procedures were completed by the three residents. In the other 42 cases the procedures were completed by the experienced urologist. In eight cases there was a capsular perforation and the experienced urol- ogist replaced the resident to complete the resection. No complications have been reported in the procedures completed by the senior urologist. All complications caused by the residents were man- aged intraoperatively without changing the course of the procedure. Statistical differences were observed regarding IPSS, quality of life (QoL), and PVR at 6-month follow-up when procedures completed by urological residents were compared to those completed by the senior urologist. Conclusion: Bipolar device represents appropriate tools to acquire endoscopic skills. It is safe and it can be used at the first experience of BPH treatment by a resident who has not previ- ously approached this endoscopic surgical procedure

Global analysis of the sugarcane microtranscriptome reveals a unique composition of small RNAs associated with axillary bud outgrowth

Axillary bud outgrowth determines shoot architecture and is under the control of endogenous hormones and a fine-tuned gene-expression network, which probably includes small RNAs (sRNAs). Although it is well known that sRNAs act broadly in plant development, our understanding about their roles in vegetative bud outgrowth remains limited. Moreover, the expression profiles of microRNAs (miRNAs) and their targets within axillary buds are largely unknown. Here, we employed sRNA next-generation sequencing as well as computational and gene-expression analysis to identify and quantify sRNAs and their targets in vegetative axillary buds of the biofuel crop sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). Computational analysis allowed the identification of 26 conserved miRNA families and two putative novel miRNAs, as well as a number of trans-acting small interfering RNAs. sRNAs associated with transposable elements and protein-encoding genes were similarly represented in both inactive and developing bud libraries. Conversely, sequencing and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR results revealed that specific miRNAs were differentially expressed in developing buds, and some correlated negatively with the expression of their targets at specific stages of axillary bud development. For instance, the expression patterns of miR159 and its target GAMYB suggested that they may play roles in regulating abscisic acid-signalling pathways during sugarcane bud outgrowth. Our work reveals, for the first time, differences in the composition and expression profiles of diverse sRNAs and targets between inactive and developing vegetative buds that, together with the endogenous balance of specific hormones, may be important in regulating axillary bud outgrowth

Covalent functionalization enables good dispersion and anisotropic orientation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in a poly(l-lactic acid) electrospun nanofibrous matrix boosting neuronal differentiation

A biocompatible porous scaffold obtained via electrospinning a nanocomposite solution of poly(l-lactic acid) and 4-methoxyphenyl functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes is presented here for the first time for the enhancement of neurite outgrowth. Optimization of blend preparation and deposition parameters paves the way to the obtainment of defect-free random networks of nanofibers with homogeneous diameters in the hundreds of nanometers length scale. The tailored covalent functionalization of nanotube surfaces allows a homogeneous dispersion of the nanofillers within the polymer matrix, diminishing their natural tendency to aggregate and form bundles. This results in a remarkable effect on the crystallization temperature, as evidenced through differential scanning calorimetry. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy shows carbon nanotubes anisotropically aligned along the fiber axes, a feature believed to enhance neurite adhesion and growth. Indeed, microscopy images show neurites extension along the direction of nanofibers, highlighting the extreme relevance of scaffold morphology in engineering complex tissue environments. Furthermore, a remarkable effect on increasing the neurite outgrowth results when using the fibrous scaffold containing dispersed carbon nanotubes in comparison with an analogous one made of only polymer, providing further evidence of the key role played by carbon nanostructures in inducing neuronal differentiation