330,398 research outputs found
The role of conflict & negotiation in the complexity of projects
No full textProjects are pervasive and disparate spanning a plethora of domains. Most projects are unified by certain characteristics regardless of the sector or industry to which they belong i.e. time & budget limitedness, a concern for quality, and a goal orientation. Although, projects have been around for a longtime, the phenomenon of conflict in projects gained interest around the 1960s with the introduction of the matrix form of organization. However, out of all the research papers on project centric conflict between 1960 to 1980 time period, only one is empirically grounded and that too focused on IT projects. Surprisingly, the findings put forward during this time period are to date considered valid and propagated by most project literature as universally true. Several other studies have contributed peripheral contributions to the project conflict literature, however, no study has focused on building an understanding of why and how conflicts arise on projects, how they are managed, and affects they create within projects.Recent concerns pertaining to project failures, despite the existence of well-defined problems and toolsets, gave birth to an ESRC funded research network named `Rethinking Project Management'. Whose members in examining the ontological groundings of project management identified several areas of interest for future research in project management; one of which is complexity. The present study therefore focuses on integrating the concerns of conflict & negotiation within the context of project complexity.Every research has its philosophical bearings. This study is ontologically objectivist and epistemologically subjectivist (consequently the axiology is subjectivist as well). This study accepts a Critical Realist view of the world and perceive the conceivable knowledge about this world to be subjective in nature. As the study is concerned about understanding the processes through which conflict & negotiation reify and interplay within a project the objective is not to find generalizations but rather to seek out patterns of occurrences and to build explanations. The methodology followed in the study is mixed, borrowing from both positivistic and constructivist ideologies. The survey methodology is used to, in loose terms, cast a net and capture the status quo. Results of the survey supplement the literature review driven a priori assumptions and seek out context embedded variables that the literature has not touched upon. Findings from the survey contribute to the succeeding case study methodology, which inquired into their detail through the use of interviews.Data for the study was collected between March through August 2010. During the first phase of the study 86 questionnaires were filled from 73 different projects. The survey data was analyzed using aggregate statistical techniques and a thesaurus based automated coding software named Leximancer. Results of the survey indicate that all projects surveyed had experienced some form of conflict and used at least one type of negotiation technique. A large number of projects faced conflicts related to land access, political pressures, time, interdepartmental relationships, and availability of resources. Project behavior when experiencing conflict exhibits a theme of delay, slowness, and work stoppages; there are also negative effects on group cohesion and productivity. The respondents described projects experiencing conflict as challenging, time consuming, delayed, and difficult. The data also revealed several useful patterns within projects experiencing conflicts. Additionally, baseline data for project complexity was captured using Shenhar and Dvir's Diamond Approach from all the projects surveyed. Findings, from the survey contributed to the study by providing preliminary answers to each of the research questions asked. Data gathered as a result of the survey contributed significantly to the design and orientation of the case study interviews.The second phase of the data collection involved implementation of the case study methodology. Personnel at various levels of nine projects, one government consultant, and a tribal elder were interviewed, for a total of thirty interviews. Additionally, six meetings on one of the projects, and two movie filming sequences were observed. Published and non-published reports on all the projects were examined. Interviews were captured using causal-maps (a cognitive mapping technique) and short notes. The causal-maps were captured using Banxia Decision Explorer and later refined using Cmap (an open-source mapping software). Each project's complexity measurements were taken and compared against the complexity baseline developed as a result of the survey.Results from the case study reveals certain patterns of behavior on the projects, specifically in the interactions taking place between a project and its principle organization, peers, and subordinates. Additionally, I find that quality plays the most active role in project conflict & negotiation and contributes significantly to project complexity because of its interconnection to other concepts and the recursive nature of the connections it spawns. Some factors that were reported by the survey as contributing significantly to project complexity and project conflict & negotiation were disqualified and a foundation laid for further inquiry into the role played by conflict & negotiation in project complexity.In concluding the study the data is first discussed through the lens of Jurgen Habermas' (1984) Theory of Communicative Action (TCA) and is followed by a general discussion on the data. The study concludes with a discussion on the possible future work that could result from this work
Investigating TRPM3 Modulation and Cyst Reversibility in Ex Vivo and Organoid Models of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD)
No full textAutosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common hereditary kidney disease, affecting approximately 1 in 1000 live births. It is characterised by multiple fluid-filled cysts in renal tubules. ADPKD is associated with mutations in the PKD1 and PKD2 genes, which encode the proteins polycystin 1 (PC1) and polycystin 2 (PC2). PC1 is a transmembrane protein that acts as a mechano-sensor, while PC2 is a non-selective cation channel that belongs to the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily. PC1 and PC2 form a heterodimer complex in the primary cilium, crucial for regulating intracellular calcium levels. Recent research suggests that TRPM3, another TRP family member, is necessary for PC2's ciliary function. Therefore, I analysed the impact of TRPM3 activators (nifedipine and CIM0216) and inhibitors (isosakuranetin, primidone, and diclofenac) on cyst formation in cultured E12.5 mouse kidneys which were exposed to various concentrations of forskolin, a compound known to induce cyst formation in kidney cultures. The results indicated that cyst formation occurred at lower forskolin concentrations in kidney rudiments treated with TRPM3 antagonists. In contrast, TRPM3 agonists significantly reduced cyst formation, especially at high forskolin concentrations, compared to kidneys treated with forskolin alone. Among the TRPM3 agonists tested, nifedipine—an FDA-approved antihypertensive drug—showed potential as a therapeutic for ADPKD.
Isosakuranetin was the TRPM3 antagonist that most significantly increased forskolin sensitivity. I generated a drug-induced PKD model by treating mouse kidney rudiments with isosakuranetin and forskolin to analyse cyst reversibility. Cysts in my PKD model originated from proximal tubules and showed disrupted apical-basal polarity. Upon isosakuranetin and forskolin withdrawal, cysts shrank and eventually disappeared with no detectable cell death.
I showed that siRNA-based downregulation was not a useful technique for designing a reversible cyst-forming organoid model, at least in my experimental conditions.
To test whether similar results in cyst reversibility could be achieved in mutant human systems, I developed a CRISPR/Cas13b-based reversible gene downregulation system for future studies. This tool has the potential for the analysis of cyst regression in human organoid studies by inducing cyst formation through controlled downregulation of PKD1 or PKD2 genes, followed by gene re-expression.
Overall, the study suggests that TRPM3 could be a viable target for ADPKD treatment, and nifedipine may be a promising therapeutic option. The findings also provide detailed findings into cyst regression in an early developmental stage. However, it should be noted that all results obtained in these studies were from ex vivo mouse kidney rudiments. To obtain more reliable results, the data here should be confirmed in human ADPKD models. In this context, nifedipine can be tested in ADPKD patient-derived organoids or PKD1 or PKD2 mutant human organoid models
The avoidance of statutory benefits to employees by Hong Kong employers
No full textAuthor name used in this publication: Gul, Reza Jashen.Author name used in this publication: Sun, Sunny.2012-2013 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishedPublisher permissio
Unraveling the Puzzle: Health Benefits of Probiotics—A Comprehensive Review
No full textA growing number of probiotic-containing products are on the market, and their use is increasing. Probiotics are thought to support the health of the gut microbiota, which in turn might prevent or delay the onset of gastrointestinal tract disorders. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, autism, osteoporosis, and some immunological illnesses are among the conditions that have been shown to possibly benefit from probiotics. In addition to their ability to favorably affect diseases, probiotics represent a defense system enhancing intestinal, nutritional, and oral health. Depending on the type of microbial strain utilized, probiotics can have variable beneficial properties. Although many microbial species are available, the most widely employed ones are lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. The usefulness of these bacteria is dependent on both their origin and their capacity to promote health. Probiotics represent a valuable clinical tool supporting gastrointestinal health, immune system function, and metabolic balance. When used appropriately, probiotics may provide benefits such as a reduced risk of gastrointestinal disorders, enhanced immunity, and improved metabolic health. Most popular probiotics, their health advantages, and their mode of action are the topic of this narrative review article, aimed to provide the reader with a comprehensive reappraisal of this topic matter
Collecting data through high throughput in vitro early toxicity and off-target liability assays to rapidly identify limitations of novel thyromimetics
No full textIn order to rapidly identify the phenotypic profile and possible off-target liability effects of novel synthesized thyromimetics for selection of lead compounds for further optimization studies, we performed in vitro screening on a new small library of synthetic thyromimetics. A comprehensive panel of early toxicity assays comprising cytotoxicity on 4 different cell lines (osteosarcoma, U2OS; lung fibroblast, hTERT; human breast adenocarcinoma, MCF7; human embryonic kidney, HEK293), hERG liability, cytochrome P450 inhibition (CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 isoforms), and off-target liability against selected proteins (Aurora B kinase and phosphodiesterase PDE4C1) and epigenetic enzymes (HDAC4, HDAC6, HDAC8, HDAC9 & SIRT7). All the compounds were screened at 10 μM in at least triplicate using well-established in vitro assays with readouts in luminescence or fluorescence polarization mode. The raw data were processed using Microsoft Excel and the Z′ for each assay was calculated (acceptable Z' >0.40). The processed and normalized data were organized in tables and visualized using spider plots. The results which are reported in the present manuscript can be used in prediction studies of early toxicity and off-target liabilities of other thyromimetics using in silico methods. The data reported herein support our research article entitled “Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel TRβ selective agonists sustained by ADME-Toxicity analysis” by Runfola M., Sestito S., et al. [1
Removal of crystal violet dye from wastewater using low-cost biosorbent Trifolium repens stem powder
No full textCrystal violet (CV) synthetic dyes are well known in the dyeing industry for their mitotic and mutagenic poisoning. CV dye being a toxic organic dye is responsible for serious health issues as well as environmental damage. In this study, an inexpensive biosorbent (white clover: Trifolium repens) stem powder was tested for the adsorption of CV dye (cationic dye) from an aqueous solution. The batch adsorption measurements were designed to find out the influence of contact time, pH, adsorbent dose, and dye concentration, for dye removal. The operation parameters studied are the contact time (20 to 160 min), initial dye concentration (10–100 mg/L), dose (0.1–1 g), and pH, (1–10). At optimum conditions, maximum percent removal of 92.997% and adsorption capacity value of 1.952 mg/g was achieved at pH 2, adsorbent dose (1 g), and contact time (140 min), and dye concentration (70 ppm). The results suggested that the removal of CV rose with the contact time and adsorbent dose. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to the equilibrium adsorption data, and data were perfectly fitted to Langmuir isotherm model. Pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-orders were applied to the data, and it was found that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was best fitted to the experimental data. It was also revealed that the stem powdered of the Trifolium repens plant can be employed as a useful adsorbent to remove cationic CV dye from different water samples (tap, river and distilled). Furthermore, the performance of adsorbent was also evaluated in saline water containing sodium chloride, potassium chloride and manganese chloride salts to check the effect of various ions on the performance of adsorbent and it was observed that the adsorbent showed excellent performance in saline water. Moreover, a comparative study was performed to check the efficiency of different commercial adsorbents (silica gel and active carbon) and to compare their performance with our study. All these experiments revealed that the biosorbent used in this study effectively removes contaminating dyes from industrial wastewater and as well as saline water and thus, can be used for the treatment of wastewater at the commercial level.Full Tex
Posterior pituitary neurohormonal disturbances in schizophrenia and role of oxytocin in treatment – need for more short- and long-term studies
No full textOwais Gul,1 Saqib Gul,2 Abdul Aziz Godil3 1Department of Medicine, Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan; 2Department of Medicine, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan; 3Department of Medicine, Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Karachi, PakistanWe read with great interest the recently published article “Atrial natriuretic peptide and posterior pituitary neurohormone changes in patients with acute schizophrenia” by Guzel et al.1 The study results are vital in understanding the variations among the levels of posterior pituitary neurohormones in patients with acute schizophrenia and seem to be of great value for future therapeutic modifications of the disease.View the original paper by Guzel and colleagues
Diffusive author(s), cohesive author: Analysis of S/N (1994)
No full textThis study indicates the ways in which various aspects of the author(s) are brought forth in Dumb type’s performance art, the S/N production. Previous research has suggested a non-hierarchical organization of Dumb type and the absence of a “privileged author” in Dumb type’s collaborative work, S/N. However, the results that I have investigated from member’s interviews on the creative process of S/N along with my analysis of the recorded images of S/N, indicate a different aspect of the author(s). First, S/N was created through, so to speak, the collective ideas of the members of Dumb type. Further, S/N has at least nine quotations from previous performances, installations, and printed writings, besides the work-in-progress technique. Explicating one of the “author functions” as given by Michel Foucault, each text has plural subjects of the author. However, it has been revealed from members’ interviews that Teiji Furuhashi had a decision-making role in selecting the members’ ideas within the performance. Since then, S/N has had plural subjects of creation; however, Furuhashi is one of the subjects of creation along with the “privileged author.” S/N has plural authors (diffusive authors) yet at the same time, it has a “privileged author,” Teiji Furuhashi (cohesive author)
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