Groups as analogical information processors : implications for group creativity

textOrganizations routinely rely on work groups for creative solutions to the problems they face. This is because solving difficult problems is often assumed to require the talents and knowledge of multiple people working together. However, much research has shown over the years that groups frequently experience dysfunction when trying to collaborate and generate creative solutions. Organizational researchers have theorized that analogical reasoning may play an important role in promoting collective creativity, but these claims are for the most part untested in the literature. In this dissertation, I attempt to answer two questions. First, does analogical reasoning provide some functional benefits for groups solving creative problems? Second, does analogical reasoning give rise to synergistic effects when creative groups collaborate during ideation and problem-solving? I assessed these questions using a laboratory study designed to find the effects of analogical reasoning in interacting and non-interacting groups, and to test for potential synergistic effects of analogical reasoning as a group-level strategy for generating creative problem solutions. Findings of the study suggest that analogical reasoning may provide some benefits for creative group outputs, and it may also create synergistic effects for creative groups.Managemen

Insurance, public assistance and household flood risk reduction: a comparative study of Austria, England and Romania

In light of increasing losses from floods many researchers and policy makers are looking for ways to encourage flood risk reduction among communities, business, and households. In this study we investigate risk reduction behavior at the household level in three European Union (EU) Member States with fundamentally different insurance and compensation schemes. We try to understand if and how insurance and public assistance influence private risk reduction behavior. Data was collected using a telephone survey (n=1,849) of household decision makers in flood-prone areas. We show that insurance overall is positively associated with private risk reduction behavior. Warranties, premium discounts, and information provision with respect to risk reduction may be an explanation for this positive relationship in the case of structural measures. Public incentives for risk-reduction measures by means of financial and in-kind support, and particularly through the provision of information are also associated with enhancing risk reduction. In this study public compensation is not negatively associated with private risk reduction behavior. This does not disprove such a relationship, but the negative effect may be mitigated by factors related to respondent’s capacity to implement measures or social norms that were not included in the analysis. The data suggests that large-scale flood protection infrastructure creates a sense of security that is associated with a lower level of preparedness. Across the board there is ample room to improve both public and private policies to provide effective incentives for household level risk reduction

Healthy living and cancer: evidence from UK Biobank.

CONTEXT: UK Biobank is a prospective study of half a million subjects, almost all aged 40-69 years, identified in 22 centres across the UK during 2006-2010. OBJECTIVE: A healthy lifestyle has been described as 'better than any pill, and no side effects [5]. We therefore examined the relationships between healthy behaviours: low alcohol intake, non-smoking, healthy BMI, physical activity and a healthy diet, and the risk of all cancers, colon, breast and prostate cancers in a large dataset. METHOD: Data on lifestyle behaviours were provided by 343,150 subjects, and height and weight were measured at recruitment. 14,285 subjects were diagnosed with cancer during a median of 5.1 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Compared with subjects who followed none or a single healthy behaviour, a healthy lifestyle based on all five behaviours was associated with a reduction of about one-third in incident cancer (hazard ratio [HR] 0.68; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.63-0.74). Colorectal cancer was reduced in subjects following the five behaviours by about one-quarter (HR 0.75; 95% CI 0.58-0.97), and breast cancer by about one-third (HR 0.65; 95% CI 0.52-0.83). The association between a healthy lifestyle and prostate cancer suggested a significant increase in risk, but this can be attributed to bias consequent on inequalities in the uptake of the prostate specific antigen screening test. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together with reported reductions in diabetes, vascular disease and dementia, it is clearly important that every effort is taken to promote healthy lifestyles throughout the population, and it is pointed out that cancer and other screening clinics afford 'teachable moments' for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle

REM1.3's phospho-status defines its plasma membrane nanodomain organization and activity in restricting PVX cell-to-cell movement

Plants respond to pathogens through dynamic regulation of plasma membrane-bound signaling pathways. To date, how the plant plasma membrane is involved in responses to viruses is mostly unknown. Here, we show that plant cells sense the Potato virus X (PVX) COAT PROTEIN and TRIPLE GENE BLOCK 1 proteins and subsequently trigger the activation of a membrane-bound calcium-dependent kinase. We show that the Arabidopsis thaliana CALCIUM-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE 3-interacts with group 1 REMORINs in vivo, phosphorylates the intrinsically disordered N-terminal domain of the Group 1 REMORIN REM1.3, and restricts PVX cell-to-cell movement. REM1.3’s phospho-status defines its plasma membrane nanodomain organization and is crucial for REM1.3-dependent restriction of PVX cell-to-cell movement by regulation of callose deposition at plasmodesmata. This study unveils plasma membrane nanodomain-associated molecular events underlying the plant immune response to viruses

Neuronal Migration and Ventral Subtype Identity in the Telencephalon Depend on SOX1

Little is known about the molecular mechanisms and intrinsic factors that are responsible for the emergence of neuronal subtype identity. Several transcription factors that are expressed mainly in precursors of the ventral telencephalon have been shown to control neuronal specification, but it has been unclear whether subtype identity is also specified in these precursors, or if this happens in postmitotic neurons, and whether it involves the same or different factors. SOX1, an HMG box transcription factor, is expressed widely in neural precursors along with the two other SOXB1 subfamily members, SOX2 and SOX3, and all three have been implicated in neurogenesis. SOX1 is also uniquely expressed at a high level in the majority of telencephalic neurons that constitute the ventral striatum (VS). These neurons are missing in Sox1-null mutant mice. In the present study, we have addressed the requirement for SOX1 at a cellular level, revealing both the nature and timing of the defect. By generating a novel Sox1-null allele expressing β-galactosidase, we found that the VS precursors and their early neuronal differentiation are unaffected in the absence of SOX1, but the prospective neurons fail to migrate to their appropriate position. Furthermore, the migration of non-Sox1-expressing VS neurons (such as those expressing Pax6) was also affected in the absence of SOX1, suggesting that Sox1-expressing neurons play a role in structuring the area of the VS. To test whether SOX1 is required in postmitotic cells for the emergence of VS neuronal identity, we generated mice in which Sox1 expression was directed to all ventral telencephalic precursors, but to only a very few VS neurons. These mice again lacked most of the VS, indicating that SOX1 expression in precursors is not sufficient for VS development. Conversely, the few neurons in which Sox1 expression was maintained were able to migrate to the VS. In conclusion, Sox1 expression in precursors is not sufficient for VS neuronal identity and migration, but this is accomplished in postmitotic cells, which require the continued presence of SOX1. Our data also suggest that other SOXB1 members showing expression in specific neuronal populations are likely to play continuous roles from the establishment of precursors to their final differentiation

PEACH: Promoting Excellence in All Care Homes

The Promoting Excellence in All Care Homes study focuses on the position of staff in care homes, and the influences upon them. The care home workforce has a pivotal role in the quality of care provided to residents of care homes, which in turn is a major influence on quality of life. This large work-force, of probably over a half a million people, carry out work that is often seen as unattractive, at rates of pay that are seen as under-valuing the contribution made, without a clear career structure, in a sector that is marked by constant change. Individual staff members are influenced by their personal attributes and resources, their own families, relationships and social networks, but also by the social climate in their work-place and by the organisational environment. Burn-out and low job satisfaction have been related to negative attitudes to residents and lower quality of life. The sector often attracts unfavourable publicity in relation to reported instances of abuse and neglect, although estimating the extent of such problems is challenging. Training is often viewed as a vehicle for reducing the risk of abuse and neglect, and to increase the value afforded to those undertaking this work

Abundance and Diversity of Dockerin-Containing Proteins in the Fiber-Degrading Rumen Bacterium, Ruminococcus flavefaciens FD-1

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