Capabilities of technology utilization and technology integration : Impact of 3D technologies on product development process and performance

Multi-functional technologies widely influence on organization and often require organizational technology integration capabilities to achieve the total effectiveness. Technology integration capability here implies not only utilizing technologies in the present setting of organizational environment but also reforming organizational process and structure towards total optimization. This paper aims to exam technology integration capabilities among Japanese and Chinese firms through questionnaire surveys regarding impact of 3D technologies on product development process and performance. The results indicated that Japanese companies improved their total performance with process reformation leveraged by 3D technologies; however, among Chinese companies, no significant relationships were observed among 3D technology usage, process reformation and the total performance improvement although they improve the partial performance such as manufacturability by utilizing the technologies. Chinese companies, which have a huge growing market and are on the process of rapidly improving their productivities without strong organizational inertia, could have enough advantage by utilizing technologies to improve the partial performance. On the other hand, Japanese companies, which compete in mature market and have already had highly efficient organizational process, could not find the merits of technology usage without technology integration capabilities. This would be regarded as disadvantage of process-advanced company that they cannot have enough incentive to introduce advanced technology and new entries have a chance to leap-frog the advanced companies in usage of technology in general.

Identification of bovine leukemia virus tax function associated with host cell transcription, signaling, stress response and immune response pathway by microarray-based gene expression analysis.

BACKGROUND: Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is associated with enzootic bovine leukosis and is closely related to human T-cell leukemia virus type I. The Tax protein of BLV is a transcriptional activator of viral replication and a key contributor to oncogenic potential. We previously identified interesting mutant forms of Tax with elevated (TaxD247G) or reduced (TaxS240P) transactivation effects on BLV replication and propagation. However, the effects of these mutations on functions other than transcriptional activation are unknown. In this study, to identify genes that play a role in the cascade of signal events regulated by wild-type and mutant Tax proteins, we used a large-scale host cell gene-profiling approach. RESULTS: Using a microarray containing approximately 18,400 human mRNA transcripts, we found several alterations after the expression of Tax proteins in genes involved in many cellular functions such as transcription, signal transduction, cell growth, apoptosis, stress response, and immune response, indicating that Tax protein has multiple biological effects on various cellular environments. We also found that TaxD247G strongly regulated more genes involved in transcription, signal transduction, and cell growth functions, contrary to TaxS240P, which regulated fewer genes. In addition, the expression of genes related to stress response significantly increased in the presence of TaxS240P as compared to wild-type Tax and TaxD247G. By contrast, the largest group of downregulated genes was related to immune response, and the majority of these genes belonged to the interferon family. However, no significant difference in the expression level of downregulated genes was observed among the Tax proteins. Finally, the expression of important cellular factors obtained from the human microarray results were validated at the RNA and protein levels by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively, after transfecting Tax proteins into bovine cells and human HeLa cells. CONCLUSION: A comparative analysis of wild-type and mutant Tax proteins indicates that Tax protein exerts a significant impact on cellular functions as diverse as transcription, signal transduction, cell growth, stress response and immune response. Importantly, our study is the first report that shows the extent to which BLV Tax regulates the innate immune response

Análise do tempo de evolução, nível de impacto e repercussão da doença, funcionalidade e características posturais de pacientes com distonia cervical

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Hélio Afonso Ghizoni TeiveTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências da Saúde, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Interna. Defesa : Curitiba, 13/12/2016Inclui referências : f. 112-123Resumo: Introdução: A distonia cervical (DC) é um distúrbio do movimento caracterizado por contrações musculares sustentadas ou intermitentes que podem ocasionar posturas e movimentos anormais, sendo exacerbados pelo movimento voluntário ou aumento de tônus. Considerando a escassez de dados relativos às repercussões do tempo de evolução da DC sobre o nível de impacto e repercussão, a funcionalidade e os parâmetros posturais da cabeça e tronco no plano coronal e sua importância para o estabelecimento de estratégias terapêuticas que visem assistir estes pacientes, optou-se por este tema. Objetivo: Analisar o tempo de evolução, o nível de impacto da doença e as características funcionais e posturais da cabeça e tronco no plano coronal de sujeitos com distonia cervical assisitidos no ambulatório de distúrbios do movimento do Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná (HC-UFPR). Casuística e Métodos: O desenho metodológico do estudo foi do tipo seccional, descritivo e retrospectivo, aprovado pelo comitê de ética do HC, sob parecer n°27572 e realizado com 69 pacientes sob acompanhamento no ambulatório de distúrbios do movimento do HC-UFPR. Foram coletados os dados clínicos, a partir dos prontuários médicos e por ficha complementar, o nível de impacto e repercussão da distonia pelo Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS), a funcionalidade foi avaliada por meio da Medida de Independência Funcional (MIF) e as medidas posturais avaliadas com auxílio do Software de Análise Postural (SAPO®). A estatística consistiu na normalização das variáveis, seguida da análise de componentes principais (ACP), após verificação da qualidade dos dados pelo método Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO test). A avaliação da correlação entre as matrizes de variáveis foi avaliada por meio do teste de esferecidade de Bartlett e a definição do número de componentes principais foi estabelecida por meio do critério de Broken-Stick. Com a ACP foi possível determinar as variáveis explicativas para cada variável avaliada, sendo estas definidas a priori em função do tempo de diagnóstico da doença (1 a 5 anos; 6 a 10 anos; 11 a 15 anos; > 15 anos). Resultados: A correlação entre o tempo de diagnóstico e as funções da MIF demonstrou que quanto menor o tempo de diagnóstico, maior a independência para alimentar-se, fazer a higiene pessoal, vestir-se, usar o vaso sanitário, usar o chuveiro, marcha, subir e descer escadas e resolver problemas. Quando correlacionados os escores do nível de impacto e repercussão da DC, a MIF e as medidas posturais, verificou-se que quanto maior o nível de gravidade e repercussão da DC, maiores os ângulos entre os acrômios, entre os tragos e acrômios, entre os acrômios e as espinhas ilíacas e entre os tragos e espinhas ilíacas e menor a independência para se deslocar do leito-cadeira e para o uso do vaso sanitário. Entretanto, o nível de impacto foi menor em sujeitos mais jovens, embora a dor e o movimento repetitivo tenha sido um fator de incômodo durante a execução das atividades de vida diária. Conclusão: O tempo de evolução da doença, o impacto da DC correlacionam-se com a funcionalidade e as caracteristicas posturais destes pacientes. Palavras-chave: Distonia. Torcicolo. Postura.Abstract: Introduction: Cervical dystonia (CD) is a movement disorder, characterized by sustained or intermittent muscle contractions or intermittent which can cause abnormal movements and postures, being exacerbated by voluntary movement or increased tone. Given the scarcity of data on the DC time course of effect on the clinical features, the functionality and postural parameters of the head and trunk in the coronal plane and its importance for the development of therapeutic strategies to assist these patients, it was decided by this theme. Objective: Analyze time of desease, level of impact of the illness, functionality and posture of the head and trunk in the coronal plane of patients with cervical dystonia. Methods: The methodological design of the study was sectional, descriptive and retrospective type approved by the HC ethics committee, under protocol n ° 27572 and cond ucted with 69 patients on treatment in the clinic of HC-UFPR movement disorders. Clinical data were collected from medical records and complementary form, the level of impact and repercussions of dystonia by the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS), the functionality was assessed by the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and postural measures assessed with the aid of postural Analysis Software (SAPO®). The statistic was the normalization of variables, and then analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA), after verification of data quality by the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin method (KMO test). The evaluation of the correlation matrix between variables was evaluated through the esferecity Bartlett's test and setting the number of principal components was established through the Broken-stick test. With the ACP was possible to determine the explanatory variables for each variable evaluated, these being defined a priori as a function of time of diagnosis of disease (1-5 years, 6-10 years, 11-15 years,> 15 years). Results: The correlation between time of diagnosis and functions of MIF showed that the shorter the time of diagnosis, the greater independence to feed themselves, do personal hygiene, getting dressed, use the toilet, use the shower, walking up and down stairs and solve problems. When correlated the scores level impact and repercussions of CD, FIM and postural measures, it was found that the higher the level of severity and impact of the CD, the larger angles between acromions, between gulps and acromions among acromions and the iliac spines and between gulps and iliac spines and less independence to move the bed-chair and using the toilet. However, the level of impact was lower in younger subjects, although the pain and repetitive motion has been a nuisance factor for the performance of activities of daily living. Conclusion: The progression of the disease and the impact of CD were correlated with the functionality and the postural characteristics of these patients. Keywords: Dystonia. Torticollis. Posture

Effect of antibiotic therapy on the inflammatory responses during streptococcal pneumonia in emphysematous mice

Background and objective: Bacterial infection is one of the most important causes of acute exacerbation of respiratory failure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There were few studies evaluating the effects of early intervention by antibiotic on respiratory bacterial infection in COPD subjects. We investigated the effect of early intervention by respiratory quinolone antibiotic on the systemic inflammatory responses induced by streptococcal pneumonia using a mouse model of experimental emphysema. Methods: Experimental pulmonary emphysema was developed by a single intratracheal instillation of porcine pancreatic elastase in ICR mice. Three weeks later, lethal doses of Streptococcus pneumoniae were intratracheally inoculated, followed by oral administration of 50 mg/kg body weight of Grepafloxacin (GPFX) every day from a day after tracheal inoculation. Results: While all emphysematous mice without GPFX treatment died within 8 days, all emphysematous mice with GPFX treatment survived. Seventy two hrs after infection, serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1, and CXCL2 (Macrophage inflammatory protein-2) in emphysematous mice with antibiotic therapy were significantly lower than those without therapy. Conclusions: Thus, the early intervention using a respiratory quinolone antibiotic prevents emphysematous mice with pneumonia from severe systemic inflammation, and rescues these mice from death. These results suggest that early intervention using a respiratory quinolone may improve the outcome of the exacerbated COPD patients