Top management team heterogeneity and firm performance

At this research will try to analyze the direct relation that the Upper Echelons Theory establishes between the diversity of the demographic characteristics of the top management teams and the performance. As Hambrick and Mason (1984: 193), we consider that “organizational outcomes are viewed as reflections of the values and cognitive bases of powerful actors in the organization: the top managers”. Moreover, “managerial characteristics of these top managers are indicators of firm performance” (1984: 196). Premise that we will try to test in this research across the empirical contrast of five hypotheses and a theoretical model. The results of our research reveal us how of five raised hypotheses, three are fulfilled in its entirety, one was fulfilling partially to the being the sense of the existing relation the inverse one to the raised one, and one is not fulfilled

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle: 5G Network Design and Simulation Based on Mimetic Technique Control System

The Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) exhibits promising advancement with underwater acoustic wireless network communication (UWSN). Conventionally, IoUT has been utilized for the offshore monitoring and exploration of the environment within the underwater region. The data exchange between the IoUT has been performed with the 5G enabled-communication to establish the connection with the futuristic underwater monitoring. However, the acoustic waves in underwater communication are subjected to longer propagation delay and higher transmission energy. To overcome those issues autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is implemented for the data collection and routing based on cluster formation. This paper developed a memetic algorithm-based AUV monitoring system for the underwater environment. The proposed Autonomous 5G Memetic (A5GMEMETIC) model performs the data collection and transmission to increase the USAN performance. The A5GMEMETIC model data collection through the dynamic unaware clustering model minimizes energy consumption. The A5GMemetic optimizes the location of the nodes in the underwater environment for the optimal data path estimation for the data transmission in the network. Simulation analysis is performed comparatively with the proposed A5Gmemetic with the conventional AEDG, DGS, and HAMA models. The comparative analysis expressed that the proposed A5GMeMEMETIC model exhibits the ~12% increased packet delivery ratio (PDR), ~9% reduced delay and ~8% improved network lifetime

Top management teams in the Spanish global business environment: an empirical study

The use of top management teams is expanding in response to the turbulence and complexity of the global business environment (Cohen and Bailey, 1997). To perform well among growing competition greater efficiency is required and top management teams bring not only more resources into the organization but also different kinds of skills and knowledge to success it. Top management teams are very common and crucial subject of study in North American researches. Nerveless, in the Spain context exist a big empty in the literature. This absence is the main motivation for the current study

A Cellular Sudoku Solver

Sudoku is a very popular puzzle which consists on placing several numbers in a squared grid according to some simple rules. In this paper we present an efficient family of P systems which solve sudoku puzzles of any order verifying a specific property. The solution is searched by using a simple human-style method. If the sudoku cannot be solved by using this strategy, the P system detects this drawback and then the computations stops and returns No. Otherwise, the P system encodes the solution and returns Yes in the last computation step.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TIN2008-04487-EMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación TIN-2009-13192Junta de Andalucía P08-TIC-0420

Análise multitemporal dos indicadores de qualidade de água em correntes superficiais (ICA) da bacia alta do rio Bogotá (Colômbia)

Introduction: This article presents the variations in water quality in the upper basin of the Bogotá River by interpreting the results obtained from the semiannual monitoring conducted by the Cundinamarca environmental authority (Corporación Autónoma Regional - car) during 2008-2015. These results correspond to the research project Economic, social and institutional variables of greater influence over second generation indicators related to the water resource and its management, carried out by the research group Neotic of the School of Engineering, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Bogotá, during 2016. Method: Based on the information provided by car, the water quality index (wqi) established by the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (ideam) for Colombia was calculated. Results: The excessive use of agrochemicals in the upper basin of the Bogotá River has repercussions on it, since water quality already shows deterioration from this place. Anthropic factors are the main cause of pollution and environmental deterioration due to agroindustrial operations carried out around its waters. Conclusions: Although municipal mayors are aware of the problems of the Bogotá River and include mechanisms to address them in their municipal development plans, the results obtained demonstrate the need to formulate new environmental strategies or reformulate existing ones for the care and protection of this resource.Introducción: este artículo presenta las variaciones en la calidad del agua en la cuenca alta del río Bogotá, mediante la interpretación de los resultados obtenidos en monitoreos semestrales realizados durante el periodo 2008-2015 por la Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca (car). Estos resultados previos corresponden al proyecto de investigación Variables económicas, sociales e institucionales de mayor influencia en los indicadores de segunda generación, relacionados con el recurso hídrico y su gestión, desarrollado por el grupo de investigación Neotic de la Facultad de Ingeniería de la Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, sede Bogotá, durante el 2016. Metodología: a partir de la información suministrada por la car, se calculó el índice de calidad de agua (ica) establecido por el Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales (Ideam) para Colombia. Resultados: el uso excesivo de agroquímicos en la cuenca alta del río Bogotá es un aspecto con repercusiones negativas para este, pues desde la cuenca alta ya comienza a evidenciar deterioro en su calidad. Los factores antrópicos son la principal causa de contaminación y deterioro ambiental por las actividades agroindustriales que se desarrollan en torno a sus aguas. Conclusiones: si bien las alcaldías municipales están al tanto de la problemática en torno al río Bogotá e incluyen dentro de sus planes de desarrollo municipales mecanismos para atenderlas, los resultados obtenidos evidencian la necesidad de formular nuevas estrategias ambientales o reformular las existentes para el cuidado y protección del recurso.Introdução: este artigo apresenta as variações na qualidade da água na bacia alta do rio Bogotá, mediante a interpretação dos resultados obtidos em monitoramentos semestrais realizados durante o período 2008-2015 pela Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca (car). Esses resultados prévios correspondem ao projeto de pesquisa “Variáveis econômicas, sociais e institucionais de maior influência nos indicadores de segunda geração, relacionados com o recurso hídrico e sua gestão”, desenvolvido pelo grupo de pesquisa Neotic, da Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, sede Bogotá, durante o ano de 2016. Metodologia: a partir da informação fornecida pela car, calculou-se o índice de qualidade da água (ica), estabelecido pelo Instituto de Hidrologia, Meteorologia e Estudos Ambientais (Ideam) para a Colômbia. Resultados: o uso excessivo de agroquímicos na bacia alta do rio Bogotá é um aspecto com consequências negativas para este, pois, desde a bacia alta, já começa a evidenciar deterioração em sua qualidade. Os fatores antrópicos são a principal causa de poluição e deterioração ambiental devido às atividades agroindustriais que se desenvolvem em torno de suas águas. Conclusões: embora as prefeituras municipais estejam cientes da problemática sobre o rio Bogotá e incluam em seus planos de desenvolvimento municipal mecanismos para atendê-las, os resultados obtidos evidenciam a necessidade de formular novas estratégias ambientais ou reformular as existentes para o cuidado e a proteção do recurso

Factores influyentes en el aprendizaje del inglés en instituciones públicas

El aprendizaje es el punto focal en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje, y por tanto es la preocupación de los docentes cuando los estudiantes no logran internalizar el proceso. Este ensayo aborda algunos de los factores que inciden en el aprendizaje del inglés. Se trabajó con una muestra de 284 estudiantes y se le aplicaron tres encuestas, estas se refieren a la motivación, la percepción del estudiante respecto al desempeño del docente y las estrategias de aprendizaje y para medir el conocimiento del inglés se le aplico un test. Se analizó los datos, obteniendo como resultado que los tres factores en conjunto inciden en el aprendizaje del inglés en un 23.1%, esto nos demuestra que hay que mejorar en muchos aspectos para que los aprendizajes sean efectivos e identificar las otras variables que influyen en los aprendizajes

BAMBI (bone morphogenetic protein and activin membrane-bound inhibitor) reveals the involvement of the transforming growth factor-beta family in pain modulation

Transforming growth factors- (TGF- s) signal through type I and type II serine–threonine kinase receptor complexes. During ligand binding, type II receptors recruit and phosphorylate type I receptors, triggering downstream signaling. BAMBI [bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and activin membrane-bound inhibitor] is a transmembrane pseudoreceptor structurally similar to type I receptors but lacks the intracellular kinase domain. BAMBI modulates negatively pan-TGF- family signaling; therefore, it can be used as an instrument for unraveling the roles of these cytokines in the adult CNS. BAMBI is expressed in regions of the CNS involved in pain transmission and modulation. The lack of BAMBI in mutant mice resulted in increased levels of TGF- signaling activity, which was associated with attenuation of acute pain behaviors, regardless of the modality of the stimuli (thermal, mechanical, chemical/inflammatory). The nociceptive hyposensitivity exhibited by BAMBI / mice was reversed by the opioid antagonist naloxone. Moreover, in a model of chronic neuropathic pain, the allodynic responses of BAMBI / mice also appeared attenuated through a mechanism involving -opioid receptor signaling. BasalmRNAand protein levels of precursor proteins of the endogenous opioid peptides proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and proenkephalin (PENK) appeared increased in the spinal cords of BAMBI / . Transcript levels of TGF- s and their intracellular effectors correlated directly with genes encoding opioid peptides, whereas BAMBI correlated inversely. Furthermore, incubation of spinal cord explants with activin A or BMP-7 increased POMC and/or PENK mRNA levels. Our findings identify TGF- family members as modulators of acute and chronic pain perception through the transcriptional regulation of genes encoding the endogenous opioids

Melatonin decreases glucose metabolism in prostate cancer cells: A 13C stable isotope-resolved metabolomic study

The pineal neuroindole melatonin exerts an exceptional variety of systemic functions. Some of them are exerted through its specific membrane receptors type 1 and type 2 (MT1 and MT2) while others are mediated by receptor-independent mechanisms. A potential transport of melatonin through facilitative glucose transporters (GLUT/SLC2A) was proposed in prostate cancer cells. The prostate cells have a particular metabolism that changes during tumor progression. During the first steps of carcinogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation is reactivated while the switch to the “Warburg effect” only occurs in advanced tumors and in the metastatic stage. Here, we investigated whether melatonin might change prostate cancer cell metabolism. To do so, 13C stable isotope-resolved metabolomics in androgen sensitive LNCaP and insensitive PC-3 prostate cancer cells were employed. In addition to metabolite 13C-labeling, ATP/AMP levels, and lactate dehydrogenase or pentose phosphate pathway activity were measured. Melatonin reduces lactate labeling in androgen-sensitive cells and it also lowers 13C-labeling of tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites and ATP production. In addition, melatonin reduces lactate 13C-labeling in androgen insensitive prostate cancer cells. Results demonstrated that melatonin limits glycolysis as well as the tricarboxylic acid cycle and pentose phosphate pathway in prostate cancer cells, suggesting that the reduction of glucose uptake is a major target of the indole in this tumor type

Differences in the Clinical Profile and Management of Atrial Fibrillation According to Gender. Results of the REgistro GallEgo Intercéntrico de Fibrilación Auricular (REGUEIFA) Trial

[Abstract] To analyze the clinical profile and therapeutic strategy in atrial fibrillation (AF) according to gender in a contemporaneous patient cohort a prospective, multicenter observational study was performed on consecutive patients diagnosed with AF and assessed by cardiology units in the region of Galicia (Spain). A total of 1007 patients were included, of which 32.3% were women. The mean age of the women was significantly greater than that of the men (71.6 versus 65.7 years; p < 0.001), with a higher prevalence of hypertension (HTN) and valve disease. Women more often reported symptoms related to arrhythmia (28.2% in EHRA class I versus 36.4% in men), with a poorer level of symptoms (EHRA classes IIb and III). Thromboembolic risk was significantly higher among women (CHA2DS2-VASc 3 ± 1.3 versus 2 ± 1.5), in the same way as bleeding risk (HAS-BLED 0.83 ± 0.78 versus 0.64 ± 0.78) (p < 0.001), and women more often received anticoagulation therapy (94.1% versus 87.6%; p = 0.001). Rhythm control strategies proved significantly less frequent in women (55.8% versus 66.6%; p = 0.001), with a lesser electrical cardioversion (ECV) rate (18.4% versus 27.3%; p = 0.002). Perceived health status was poorer in women. Women were older and presented greater comorbidity than men, with a greater thromboembolic and bleeding risk. Likewise, rhythm control strategies were less frequent than in men, despite the fact that women had poorer perceived quality of life and were more symptomatic