Exploring Shared Leadership and Multi-Organizational Collaboration in Sport for Development and Peace

Although multi-organizational collaborations have become a trend in the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) sector, existing research remains limited to collaborations between two organizations. Further, researchers continue to report managerial challenges of the multi-organizational collaborations and emphasize leadership as a key component for achieving desired outcomes in SDP collaborations. Thus, the purpose of this research was to explore the role of shared leadership in multi-organizational SDP collaboratives. Three research questions guided this study to explore the role of shared leadership through the lived experiences of SDP practitioners: (a) How is leadership shared between members in multi-organizational SDP collaboratives?, (b) What potential benefits do SDP practitioners perceive shared leadership may have for the multi-organizational SDP collaboratives?, and (c) What challenges may limit the development of shared leadership? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 30 representatives involved in citywide multi-organizational collaboratives (i.e., Laureus Sport for Good Coalitions). Publicly available organizational documents were also examined as supplemental data source. Four themes emerged in response to RQ1: (a) strategic planning, (b) support from vertical leaders, (c) shared events, and (d) personal characteristics. Further, five elements were identified addressing RQ2: (a) collective impact, (b) capacity building, (c) organizational learning, (d) cohesion, and (e) shared responsibilities. Four elements also emerged concerning RQ3: (a) leadership dynamics, (b) level of information sharing, (c) level of understanding about shared leadership, and (d) quality of engagement. Theoretically, these findings lead to a deeper understanding of development, benefits, and challenges of shared leadership as well as multi-organizational SDP collaboratives. In addition, the findings from this study have important practical implications. A set of specific strategies were identified based on the findings of this study to help guide SDP leaders and practitioners to fully leverage the potential of shared leadership in multi-organizational collaboratives. Overall, findings from this study help practitioners understand that employing shared leadership takes time and leaders need to be mindful of common challenges while being intentional about their actions. A number of ready-now strategies are presented, which SDP organizations and leaders can utilize to develop and support the use of shared leadership

SECURITY-AWARE DATA MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION STRATEGIES FOR CLOUD STORAGE SYSTEMS

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

The efficacy of aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index for assessing hepatic fibrosis in childhood nonalcoholic steatohepatitis for medical practice

PurposeChildhood obesity is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and it has become one of the most common causes of childhood chronic liver diseases which significant as a cause of liver related mortality and morbidity in children in the United States. The development of simpler and easier clinical indices for medical practice is needed to identify advanced hepatic fibrosis in childhood NAFLD instead of invasive method like liver biopsy. FibroScan and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) have been proposed as a simple and noninvasive predictor to evaluate hepatic fibrosis in several liver diseases. APRI could be a good alternative to detect pathologic change in childhood NAFLD. The purpose of this study is to validate the efficacy of APRI for assessing hepatic fibrosis in childhood NAFLD based on FibroScan.MethodsThis study included 23 children with NAFLD who underwent FibroScan. Clinical, laboratory and radiological evaluation including APRI was performed. To confirm the result of this study, 6 patients received liver biopsy.ResultsFactors associated with hepatic fibrosis (stiffness measurement >5.9 kPa Fibroscan) were triglyceride, AST, alanine aminotransferase, platelet count, APRI and collagen IV. In multivariate analysis, APRI were correlated with hepatic fibrosis (>5.9 kPa). In receiver operating characteristics curve, APRI of meaningful fibrosis (cutoff value, 0.4669; area under the receiver operating characteristics, 0.875) presented sensitivity of 94%, specificity of 66%, positive predictive value of 94%, and negative predictive value of 64%.ConclusionAPRI might be a noninvasive, simple, and readily available method for medical practice to predict hepatic fibrosis of childhood NAFLD

Review of recently reported Ricin detection techniques focusing on combined immunoassay detection with abrin and saxitoxin in human plasma

Increasing non-traditional threats from biological or chemical weapons, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have tried to perform the preliminary analysis of biotoxin sample to standardize analysis methods and strengthen analytical capabilities among OPCW member countries. With the changes of new analysis, ROK CBRN Defense Research Institute (CDRI) established enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and cytotoxicity analysis methods for ricin, abrin, and saxitoxin through the OPCW exercise on Biotoxin sample analysis. Thus, this study aims to established analytical methods (ELISA and cytotoxicity analysis) for the biological toxins called ricin, abrin and saxitoxin according to recent OPCW Biotoxin detection exercise. In particular, to refine practical and effective methods of biological analysis, we reviewed recent research on scientific analysis of ricin as a potential bioterror weapon, letter with ricin sent in White House, and suggested future agendas for preparedness testing

Fungal cytochrome P450 database

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cytochrome P450 enzymes play critical roles in fungal biology and ecology. To support studies on the roles and evolution of cytochrome P450 enzymes in fungi based on rapidly accumulating genome sequences from diverse fungal species, an efficient bioinformatics platform specialized for this super family of proteins is highly desirable.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The Fungal Cytochrome P450 Database (FCPD) archives genes encoding P450s in the genomes of 66 fungal and 4 oomycete species (4,538 in total) and supports analyses of their sequences, chromosomal distribution pattern, and evolutionary histories and relationships. The archived P450s were classified into 16 classes based on InterPro terms and clustered into 141 groups using tribe-MCL. The proportion of P450s in the total proteome and class distribution in individual species exhibited certain taxon-specific characteristics.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The FCPD will facilitate systematic identification and multifaceted analyses of P450s at multiple taxon levels via the web. All data and functions are available at the web site <url>http://p450.riceblast.snu.ac.kr/</url>.</p

Insight Into the Interaction Between RNA Polymerase and VPg for Murine Norovirus Replication

Norovirus (NoV) is a leading cause of epidemic acute non-bacterial gastroenteritis, and replicates through virion protein genome-linked (VPg)-primed or de novo RNA synthesis by RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). VPg is a multifunctional protein that plays crucial roles in viral protein translation and genome replication. However, the interaction between the RdRp and this multifunctional VPg in NoV replication has been unknown. In this study, VPg derived from murine NoV (MNV) was found to mediate the formation of higher-order multimers or tubular fibrils of MNV RdRp, which led to significantly enhanced polymerase activity in vitro. The replication of MNV mutants containing a VPg-binding defective RdRp, based on the crystal structure of an RdRp-VPg(1-73) complex, was completely blocked in a cell culture system. Our data suggest that the interaction between RdRp and VPg plays a crucial role in the multimerization-mediated RdRp activity in vivo and consequently in MNV replication, which can provide a new target of therapeutic intervention for NoV outbreaks

Genetic diagnosis of inborn errors of immunity using clinical exome sequencing

Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) include a variety of heterogeneous genetic disorders in which defects in the immune system lead to an increased susceptibility to infections and other complications. Accurate, prompt diagnosis of IEI is crucial for treatment plan and prognostication. In this study, clinical utility of clinical exome sequencing (CES) for diagnosis of IEI was evaluated. For 37 Korean patients with suspected symptoms, signs, or laboratory abnormalities associated with IEI, CES that covers 4,894 genes including genes related to IEI was performed. Their clinical diagnosis, clinical characteristics, family history of infection, and laboratory results, as well as detected variants, were reviewed. With CES, genetic diagnosis of IEI was made in 15 out of 37 patients (40.5%). Seventeen pathogenic variants were detected from IEI-related genes, BTK, UNC13D, STAT3, IL2RG, IL10RA, NRAS, SH2D1A, GATA2, TET2, PRF1, and UBA1, of which four variants were previously unreported. Among them, somatic causative variants were identified from GATA2, TET2, and UBA1. In addition, we identified two patients incidentally diagnosed IEI by CES, which was performed to diagnose other diseases of patients with unrecognized IEI. Taken together, these results demonstrate the utility of CES for the diagnosis of IEI, which contributes to accurate diagnosis and proper treatments