Gulf carriers against the trend? A conceptual framework of motivations and downsides related to joining multi-partner alliances in the airline industry

Close to two-thirds of the global passenger air traffic is handled by the three global airline allianc- es: Star Alliance, OneWorld, and SkyTeam. The residual traffic is handled by non-aligned carriers, including two of the most successful airlines of recent years: the gulf carriers Etihad Airways and Emirates. Both airlines are very fastidious in terms of partner selection and voice several concerns in regards to global airline alliances. Considering the importance and success of these alliances in the aviation industry, these positions seem paradox. Several studies exist that summarize motiva- tions and downsides of joining an alliance, but, at the same time, the literature is lacking a system- ic synthesis of perceived benefits and perils. This study contributes to existing literature by generating a summary of the extensive body of knowledge on strategic alliances and synthesizing its perspectives on the motivations and down- sides of allying; a domain that has not been addressed previously. In addition, the analysis has not only yielded insights to the different motivations and downsides of joining an alliance, but also to the theoretical lenses most commonly used when analyzing the motives and downsides. Moreover, a step further is taken to evaluate the applicability of this literature and its insights concerning the motivations and downsides of allying to the specific context of aviation. Based on theoretical in- sights and an empirical case study of the gulf carriers, propositions concerning the criteria that influence the company-specific decision related to allying and factors influencing the design/ structure and outcome of the cooperation are developed. Multiple sources of evidence are used in the case study, such as interview transcripts, reports from leading industry magazines, newspaper articles, and the annual reports of the companies involved. The multiple-case study suggests that the risk of partner dependency and management specific views are important factors for the gulf carriers and influence the decision to (not) join an alliance. While prior literature gives little indication, which factors specifically influence the airline’s per- ception of motivations and downsides in the aviation industry, this study hypothesizes several un- derlying factors for the alliance decision, namely: the airline cost structure, network structure, target passenger group, alliance type, alliance governance, and partner characteristics. The study also provides some practical insights for management: the most likely scenario of the further evolvement of the airline industry seems to be a slow, but steady, deregulation of the industry, while joint venturing and closer collaboration becomes increasingly important. The study proposes that it is important for management in the airline business to closely observe the developments and assess the increasingly feasible option to joint venture, which was not available when the glob- al airline alliances were founded

Pharmacotherapy for general practitioners

O objetivo deste artigo é introduzir o aluno de graduação na área da saúde, em especial o aluno de Medicina, no campo da psicofarmacoterapia para o tratamento dos transtornos mentais. Para isso, serão revisados os principais psicofármacos utilizados na atualidade, seus mecanismos de ação, suas indica- ções e contra-indicações, seus efeitos colaterais, oferecendo ainda diretrizes para o seu uso na prática clínica diáriaThe objective of this article is to introduce the graduate students of healthcare courses, especially medical students, into the psychopharmacotherapy field for the treatment of mental disorders. To this aim, we performed a comprehensive review of the main psychoactive drugs used today, their mechanisms of action, indications and contraindications, side effects. We also provided guidelines for their use in daily clinical practic

Estudo da potenciação a longo prazo em fatias de hipocampo de ratos com epilepsia de curta, média e longa duração

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Relationship Between Depression and Subtypes of Early Life Stress in Adult Psychiatric Patients

Numerous studies have researched the aggravating and maintainer effect of Early Life Stress in patients adults with psychiatric disorders. This study examined the relationship between depression and subtypes of early life stress among 81 psychiatric patients treated at the inpatient Day Hospital Unit of a University General Hospital. Psychiatric diagnosis was confirmed according to the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was used for evaluating as retrospective assessment of the presence of ELS on these patients, and we also evaluated the severity of hopelessness with the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS). Our results suggested that the occurrence of depression in adulthood is related to situations of emotional abuse, sexual, and physical neglect during childhood. The analysis between depression and childhood emotional abuse was significant after a multiple logistic regression analysis OR (IC 95%): 4.4 (1.7–11.2), even accounting for gender adjusted OR [AOR] 4.0; (IC 1.5–10.5); psychiatry family history AOR 3.8 (1.4–10.5); previous suicide attempted AOR 3.7; (1.4–10.5) and Hopelessness AOR 3.2 (1.11–9.4). Thus, these findings demonstrate emotional abuse as a significant risk factor to be part of the mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of depression related to early life stress

Paracetamol induz radiossensibilidade na linhagem celular derivada de glioma humano U-87

Neste estudo avaliamos o potencial radiossensibilizante do paracetamol e a participação da enzima Glutationa Peroxidase (GPx) na linhagem celular de glioma humano U-87. Após radiação com 5 Gy, a linhagem U-87 apresentou redução na fração de sobrevivência, quando comparada ao controle. A combinação do paracetamol (0,5 mM) com a radiação ionizante (2 Gy) demonstrou redução no número de colônias formadas, quando comparado com a radiação isolada. Após exposição a 2 Gy de radiação, observamos um aumento de 40% na atividade da GPx na linhagem U87. Por outro lado, a exposição ao paracetamol (0,5 mM) não alterou os níveis basais desta enzima. Nossos resultados indicam que o paracetamol aumenta a sensibilidade à radiação na linhagem celular U-87, mas a GPx não está ligada a este efeito