Learning, inquiry, and problem-solving in/and resulting from interdisciplinary management teams

Interdisciplinary management teams (IMTs) are a collection of managers and professionals representing different disciplines/functions within an organization who work together on a semipermanent basis. Future work, as well as related learning, inquiry, and problem solving, is likely to exist in an environment characterized by such interdisciplinary efforts. The phenomenon this dissertation explores is the learning, inquiry, and problem solving of managers and other professionals in IMTs. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of continuing educators, human resources managers, and IMT participant's regarding this phenomenon. The general research question addressed in this study is: "What is the nature and extent of the learning, inquiry, and problem solving that occurs in, and as a result of, IMTs?"A case study approach was used to address the phenomenon. The site selected for the study was a large healthcare corporation. An IMT within the organization was observed and members were interviewed over a three month period. The use of quality-based management theory; continuing education theory; and adult learning theory, coupled with the recent literature regarding the phenomena provided a conceptual framework upon which to evaluate the data.In the opinion of the researcher the main lessons learned from this study are: (1) Adult and continuing educators operating as consultants must tailor their programs and recommendations to the specific needs of an organization. (2) IMT members and organizations using IMTs should not settle for pre-packaged programs which may have worked in another setting; rather, they must have specially designed learning, inquiry, and problem solving strategies which are intended to promote a learning organization. (3) Designated leaders of IMTs and executives of organizations using IMTs should act to promote a learning organization by challenging and supporting members of IMTs to engage in meaningful learning, inquiry, and problem solving. (4) Faculty members in continuing education and human resource management graduate programs which prepare students to act as consultants, need to provide a broad-based curriculum which prepares students to identify and use various modes of learning, inquiry, and problem solving. (5) Researchers should seek to understand the extent to which significant problems of the organization are being dealt with appropriately by IMTs.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio

Proinflammatory cytokine secretion is suppressed by TMEM16A or CFTR channel activity in human cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelia

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by the functional expression defect of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel at the apical plasma membrane. Impaired bacterial clearance and hyperactive innate immune response are hallmarks of th

Optimal Physicochemical Properties of Antibody–Nanoparticle Conjugates for Improved Tumor Targeting

International audienceTumor-targeted antibody (mAb)/fragment-conjugated nanoparticles (NPs) represent an innovative strategy for improving the local delivery of small molecules. However, the physicochemical properties of full mAb-NPs and fragment-NPs-that is, NP material, size, charge, as well as the targeting antibody moiety, and the linker conjugation strategies-remain to be optimized to achieve an efficient tumor targeting. A meta-analysis of 161 peer-reviewed studies is presented, which describes the use of tumor-targeted mAb-NPs and fragment-NPs from 2009 to 2021. The use of these targeted NPs is confirmed to result in significantly greater tumor uptake of NPs than that of naked NPs (7.9 +/- 1.9% ID g(-1) versus 3.2 +/- 0.6% ID g(-1), respectively). The study further demonstrates that for lipidic NPs, fragment-NPs provide a significantly higher tumor uptake than full mAb-NPs. In parallel, for both polymeric and organic/inorganic NPs, full mAb-NPs yield a significant higher tumor uptake than fragment-NPs. In addition, for both lipidic and polymeric NPs, the tumor uptake is improved with the smallest sizes of the conjugates. Finally, the pharmacokinetics of the conjugates are demonstrated to be driven by the NPs and not by the antibody moieties, independently of using full mAb-NPs or fragment-NPs, confirming the importance of optimizing the NP design to improve the tumor uptake

Proinflammatory cytokine secretion is suppressed by TMEM16A or CFTR channel activity in human cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelia

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by the functional expression defect of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel at the apical plasma membrane. Impaired bacterial clearance and hyperactive innate immune response are hallmarks of the CF lung disease, yet the existence of and mechanism accounting for the innate immune defect that occurs before infection remain controversial. Inducible expression of either CFTR or the calcium-activated chloride channel TMEM16A attenuated the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, and CXCL1/2 in two human respiratory epithelial models under air-liquid but not liquid-liquid interface culture. Expression of wild-type but not the inactive G551D-CFTR indicates that secretion of the chemoattractant IL-8 is inversely proportional to CFTR channel activity in cftr(∆F508/∆F508) immortalized and primary human bronchial epithelia. Similarly, direct but not P2Y receptor-mediated activation of TMEM16A attenuates IL-8 secretion in respiratory epithelia. Thus augmented proinflammatory cytokine secretion caused by defective anion transport at the apical membrane may contribute to the excessive and persistent lung inflammation in CF and perhaps in other respiratory diseases associated with documented down-regulation of CFTR (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Direct pharmacological activation of TMEM16A offers a potential therapeutic strategy to reduce the inflammation of CF airway epithelia

Geoarchaeological studies of the central French alluvial plain of the Upper Rhine

International audienc