The 1998 Minnesota Legislation for the Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A Policy Analysis

This study is an analysis of the 1998 prevention legislation in Minnesota. Interview questions were sent to the identified authors of the legislation, opponents, and selected county social service agencies. The policy framework authored by Karger and Stoesz (1998) was used to construct the interview questions. The questions were used to gather the data needed for the analysis. The findings from the analysis suggested that there was overall support for the concept of prevention efforts but there was confusion, misunderstandings, and lack of consistent and uniform training and implementation of the legislation at the time of data collection. Evidence from this study also indicated that barriers existed within the law which was a cause for confusion about how the legislation could be implemented

A New Lean Service Model: The Value of Customer Integration into Service Operations

Purpose – The purpose of this thesis is to explore the implications of value co-creation on lean service operations. Given that only customers are able to create value, the integration of customers becomes more and more important. This thesis investigates customer integration through applying and enhancing lean principles. The overall goal of this study is to develop and test a model to integrate customers into service operations in a lean way, considering value co-creation theory. Design/methodology/approach – The overall research strategy of enquiry consists of action research and mixed methods approaches. A systematic literature review is conducted on customer integration methods considering 27 relevant studies. Afterwards, a meta-synthesis of these studies is provided to develop a model for lean customer integration. Seven propositions are formulated to test the model. Therefore, the model is implemented in two independent pole case companies (SMEs) within pure service businesses. Six different mixed methods are applied to investigate effects of model implementation. Beside interviews, process observations and customer workshops, document analysis, Monte Carlo Simulation, regular debriefing sessions are conducted. To clarify arising anomalies, an experiment is conducted with 46 participants in 4 different groups. Finally, a revised model is presented. Findings – The findings show that through synthesizing selected studies, a model is developed that should facilitate customer integration into firm’s service operations in a lean way. Application of the model in the case companies reveals that it enables a company to enhance operational performance, as well as value creation. Findings further show that a significant portion of unavoidable waste can be turned into either functional or emotional value. This emphasizes the relevance of developing and applying service specific lean tools in order to cope with service specific challenges. Research limitations and practical implications – As the findings are based on a systematic literature review and tested within a pure service environment (SMEs), the proposed model should be tested in other circumstances to further improve the results. The findings may be of interest to scholars in the field of lean or service operations, as well as practitioners seeking to enhance their operational performance through lean customer integration. Originality/value – This thesis contributes to knowledge in the field of lean service operations, as it provides the first validated model to integrate customers in operations in a lean way. It also provides a new approach to practitioners seeking not only to ‘streamline’, but also to ‘valueline’ their value creation processes. In particular, the role of customers as value (co-) creators is considered from an operational perspective and provides important insights on how customer value can be enhanced in pure services

Einfluss des anti-oxidativen Transkriptionsfaktors Nuclear factor-E2 related factor-2 (Nrf2) auf die epithelial-mesenchymale Transition von benignen und malignen Pankreasgangepithelzellen

Nrf2 und TGF-β1 sind durch die Regulation oxidativen Stresses beide an der epithelialen Adaptation an eine chronische Entzündung beteiligt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde am Beispiel des Pankreaskarzinoms der Frage nachgegangen, inwiefern Nrf2 in der entzündlichen Karzinogenese beteiligt ist und ob ggf. ein Cross-talk mit dem Zytokin TGF-β1 besteht. Dabei wurde speziell der Einfluss von Nrf2 und TGF-β1 auf die Ausbildung eines malignen Phänotyps im Rahmen der EMT sowie der Induktion einer Apoptoseresistenz untersucht. Insgesamt sind diese Ergebnisse wichtig für das Verständnis der Initiation der entzündlichen Karzinogenese, sowie die dualen Wirkungen von Nrf2 und TGFβ1 im Rahmen dieser. Nrf2 könnte dabei einen Schlüsselfaktor in der Wandlung der antitumorigenen hin zur protumorigenen Wirkung TGF-β1‘s darstellen. Zusammengenommen spielen Nrf2 und TGF-β1 eine entscheidende Rolle im Rahmen der entzündlichen Karzinogenese, z.B. des Pankreaskarzinoms im Rahmen einer chronischen Pankreatitis, durch Förderung der epithelial-mesenchymalen Transition und damit der Motilität und Invasivität sowie der Apoptoseresistenz

Обеспечение защиты от проявлений атмосферного электричества

Работа направлена на расчеты параметров молнизащиты предприятии социального назначения и расчеты необходимых величин по соответствующим выражениям для построения схемы защиты.The work is aimed at calculating the lightning protection parameters of a social enterprise and calculating the necessary values according to the corresponding expressions for constructing a protection scheme

Structural Basis of Enzymatic Activity for the Ferulic Acid Decarboxylase (FADase) from Enterobacter sp. Px6-4

Microbial ferulic acid decarboxylase (FADase) catalyzes the transformation of ferulic acid to 4-hydroxy-3-methoxystyrene (4-vinylguaiacol) via non-oxidative decarboxylation. Here we report the crystal structures of the Enterobacter sp. Px6-4 FADase and the enzyme in complex with substrate analogues. Our analyses revealed that FADase possessed a half-opened bottom β-barrel with the catalytic pocket located between the middle of the core β-barrel and the helical bottom. Its structure shared a high degree of similarity with members of the phenolic acid decarboxylase (PAD) superfamily. Structural analysis revealed that FADase catalyzed reactions by an “open-closed” mechanism involving a pocket of 8×8×15 Å dimension on the surface of the enzyme. The active pocket could directly contact the solvent and allow the substrate to enter when induced by substrate analogues. Site-directed mutagenesis showed that the E134A mutation decreased the enzyme activity by more than 60%, and Y21A and Y27A mutations abolished the enzyme activity completely. The combined structural and mutagenesis results suggest that during decarboxylation of ferulic acid by FADase, Trp25 and Tyr27 are required for the entering and proper orientation of the substrate while Glu134 and Asn23 participate in proton transfer

Trametes versicolor carboxylate reductase uncovered

ABSTRACT: The first carboxylate reductase from Trametes versicolor was identified, cloned, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme reduces aromatic acids such as benzoic acid and derivatives, cinnamic acid, and 3-phenylpropanoic acid, but also aliphatic acids such as octanoic acid are reduced. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text