Association of PCK1 with Body Mass Index and Other Metabolic Features in Patients With Psychotropic Treatments.

Weight gain is a major health problem among psychiatric populations. It implicates several receptors and hormones involved in energy balance and metabolism. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 is a rate-controlling enzyme involved in gluconeogenesis, glyceroneogenesis and cataplerosis and has been related to obesity and diabetes phenotypes in animals and humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 polymorphisms with metabolic traits in psychiatric patients treated with psychotropic drugs inducing weight gain and in general population samples. One polymorphism (rs11552145G > A) significantly associated with body mass index in the psychiatric discovery sample (n = 478) was replicated in 2 other psychiatric samples (n1 = 168, n2 = 188), with AA-genotype carriers having lower body mass index as compared to G-allele carriers. Stronger associations were found among women younger than 45 years carrying AA-genotype as compared to G-allele carriers (-2.25 kg/m, n = 151, P = 0.009) and in the discovery sample (-2.20 kg/m, n = 423, P = 0.0004). In the discovery sample for which metabolic parameters were available, AA-genotype showed lower waist circumference (-6.86 cm, P = 0.008) and triglycerides levels (-5.58 mg/100 mL, P < 0.002) when compared to G-allele carriers. Finally, waist-to-hip ratio was associated with rs6070157 (proxy of rs11552145, r = 0.99) in a population-based sample (N = 123,865, P = 0.022). Our results suggest an association of rs11552145G > A polymorphism with metabolic-related traits, especially in psychiatric populations and in women younger than 45 years.

Planning and Implementing a New Corporate Identity in a Global Service Company, Case: TNT International Express

Tutkielman tavoitteena on tarkastella uuden yritysidentiteetin suunnittelua ja käyttöönottoa maailmanlaajuisessa palveluyrityksessä. Tutkielma jakaantuu teoreettiseen ja empiiriseen osaan. Teoreettisessa osassa käsitellään yritysidentiteetin käsitettä sekä tarkastellaan uuden yritysidenteetin suunnittelua ja käyttöönottoa. Teoriaa tarkastellaan keskeisten kirjallisten lähteiden perusteella, jotka käsittelevät markkinoinnin johtamista, palveluyritystä, yritysidentiteettiä, imagoa ja brändiä. Empiirinen tarkastelu pohjautuu yritysesimerkkiin. Yritysesimerkkinä on maailmanlaajuinen palveluyritys, ja sen uuden yritysidentiteetin suunnittelu- ja lanseeraustoimenpiteet. Empiirinen aineisto perustuu markkinointipäälliköiden haastatteluihin Australiassa ja Suomessa sekä yrityksen sisäiseen suunnittelu- ja lanseerausmateriaaliin. Tutkielmassa tulee esille yritysidentiteettikäsitteen monimuotoisuus. Yritysidentiteetin rakentaminen lähtee visiosta, missiosta ja yrityksen tavoitteista, jotka pitää olla selkeät ja johdonmukaiset. Yritysidentiteetti käsittää visuaalisen ilmeen lisäksi kaikki ne prosessit, joissa ollaan tekemisissä sidosryhmien kanssa. Yritysidentiteetin rakentaminen ja ylläpitäminen vaatii, että jokainen liiketoimintafunktio ymmärtää yritysidenteetin sisällön ja toimii sen mukaisesti kaikissa tilanteissa. Yrityksen on viestittävä henkilöstölle ja ulkoisille sidosryhmilleen, miksi se on olemassa. Henkilöstön tulee ymmärtää yrityksen tapa toimia, jotta he pystyvät vastaamaan yrityksen asettamiin haasteisiin kohdatessaan asiakkaan. Uuden yritysidentiteetin suunnitteluun on panostettava. Onnistumisen edellytykseksi osoittautui, että suunnitellaan tarkasti toimenpiteet ennen käyttöönottoa, käyttöönoton aikana sekä käyttöönoton jälkeen.

Agricultural land use and human presence around breeding sites increase stress-hormone levels and decrease body mass in barn owl nestlings.

Human activities can have a suite of positive and negative effects on animals and thus can affect various life history parameters. Human presence and agricultural practice can be perceived as stressors to which animals react with the secretion of glucocorticoids. The acute short-term secretion of glucocorticoids is considered beneficial and helps an animal to redirect energy and behaviour to cope with a critical situation. However, a long-term increase of glucocorticoids can impair e.g. growth and immune functions. We investigated how nestling barn owls (Tyto alba) are affected by the surrounding landscape and by human activities around their nest sites. We studied these effects on two response levels: (a) the physiological level of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, represented by baseline concentrations of corticosterone and the concentration attained by a standardized stressor; (b) fitness parameters: growth of the nestlings and breeding performance. Nestlings growing up in intensively cultivated areas showed increased baseline corticosterone levels late in the season and had an increased corticosterone release after a stressful event, while their body mass was decreased. Nestlings experiencing frequent anthropogenic disturbance had elevated baseline corticosterone levels, an increased corticosterone stress response and a lower body mass. Finally, breeding performance was better in structurally more diverse landscapes. In conclusion, anthropogenic disturbance affects offspring quality rather than quantity, whereas agricultural practices affect both life history traits.

Cadmium body burden of the Swiss population.

Urinary cadmium (Cd) excretion was measured within a representative Swiss collective. With a median of 0.23 µg/24 h (n = 1409) and the 95th percentile at 0.81 µg/24 h, no increased health risk for the general non-exposed population was identified. The independent variables Age, BMI and Smoking habit had a significant effect on urinary Cd excretion. No association was found with the region of residence and sex. A subsample comparison between 24-h and spot urines of the same subjects (n = 90) did not reveal an evident concentration difference for both creatinine-adjusted sample types. Dependencies on age and gender were observed for creatinine, which consequently impacts on the creatinine normalisation of urine samples.

Evaluation and realisation of a market entry method: The entry of a small high technology company into the British construction software markets

Tutkielman tavoitteena on tutkia, mikä olisi parhaiten case-yritykselle sopiva menetelmä tulla tekemään kauppaa ulkomaan markkinoille. Kaikki yleiset kansainvälisille markkinoilletulomenetelmät esitetään ja niiden edut ja haitat tuodaan esille. Selvittäessä tehtävänantajayrityksen resurssit, odotukset ja vaatimukset todetaan, että yhteistyössä tehtävä markkinoilletulo on pätevin vaihtoehto. Tämän jälkeen valitaan parhaiten tarkoitukseen sopiva yritys ennalta valitusta yritysvaihtoehtojen ryhmästä ja testataan tämän yrityksen yhteistyösopivuus case-yrityksen kanssa. Yritysten välinen yhteistyösopivuus arvioidaan analysoimalla yritykset haastattelujen avulla ja tutkielmassa esitettyjen teorioiden avulla. Sopivuus todetaan hyväksi, kattaen 71 prosenttia analysoiduista kohdista. Kaksikymmentäyhdeksän prosenttia kohdista todetaan kohdiksi, joissa yritysten välinen yhteisymmärrys ei ole toimeksiantajayrityksen minimivaatimukset täyttävää. Näitä kohtia tullaan käyttämään suunnittelun pohjana kun suunnitellaan jatkoneuvotteluja yhteistyön käynnistämiseksi.

The Influence of Age and Sex on Genetic Associations with Adult Body Size and Shape: A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Interaction Study.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 100 genetic variants contributing to BMI, a measure of body size, or waist-to-hip ratio (adjusted for BMI, WHRadjBMI), a measure of body shape. Body size and shape change as people grow older and these changes differ substantially between men and women. To systematically screen for age- and/or sex-specific effects of genetic variants on BMI and WHRadjBMI, we performed meta-analyses of 114 studies (up to 320,485 individuals of European descent) with genome-wide chip and/or Metabochip data by the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) Consortium. Each study tested the association of up to ~2.8M SNPs with BMI and WHRadjBMI in four strata (men ≤50y, men >50y, women ≤50y, women >50y) and summary statistics were combined in stratum-specific meta-analyses. We then screened for variants that showed age-specific effects (G x AGE), sex-specific effects (G x SEX) or age-specific effects that differed between men and women (G x AGE x SEX). For BMI, we identified 15 loci (11 previously established for main effects, four novel) that showed significant (FDR<5%) age-specific effects, of which 11 had larger effects in younger (<50y) than in older adults (≥50y). No sex-dependent effects were identified for BMI. For WHRadjBMI, we identified 44 loci (27 previously established for main effects, 17 novel) with sex-specific effects, of which 28 showed larger effects in women than in men, five showed larger effects in men than in women, and 11 showed opposite effects between sexes. No age-dependent effects were identified for WHRadjBMI. This is the first genome-wide interaction meta-analysis to report convincing evidence of age-dependent genetic effects on BMI. In addition, we confirm the sex-specificity of genetic effects on WHRadjBMI. These results may provide further insights into the biology that underlies weight change with age or the sexually dimorphism of body shape.

Market Orientation in Rapidly Internationalizing Small Companies — Evidence from the Software Industry

For more than a decade, researchers have been aware of the increased pace of small-firm internationalization and the greater effect of these rapidly growing small businesses on the wealth, international trade, and job-creation opportunities of countries. Due to the small size of the home market, Finnish companies have been generally considered highly interested in internationalization. One particular domain in which rapid internationalization has been considered feasible is the global software business, with its knowledge-intensive nature and high growth potential. However, over time the failure rate of small entrepreneurial firms has remained especially high in high-technology markets. One of the reasons for this seems to lie in the fact that these companies are often formed by people with a strong technological background but limited competences in other areas. Further, research on the marketing capabilities of rapidly internationalizing high-tech firms has been scarce thus far. In addition, while there is much research on the first years of operations of rapidly internationalizing companies, it is not well known what becomes of them later on. Therefore, there is a need for more investigation into the managerial mindset, competences and decision-making in these small companies, especially from the perspective of how they acquire and exploit market knowledge, and enhance their networking capabilities in order to promote international expansion. The present study focuses on market orientation in small software firms that internationalize their operations rapidly in global software markets. It builds on qualitative data to illustrate how these companies develop their market-oriented product-market strategies during the process of increasing international commitment. It also shows how they manage their network relationships in order to be able to offer better customer service and to thrive in the fierce global competition. The study was conducted in the empirical context of Finnish small software companies, and the main data consists of interviews with top managers in these businesses. The interviews were designed to cover a minimum period of five years of the company's international operations, thus offering a retrospective in-depth perspective on market orientation, internationalization and partnerships in the given context. One particular focus is on less successfully internationalized software companies, and the challenges they face when approaching international markets. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature on market orientation for several reasons. First, building on data from the software industry, it clarifies the existing theory in the context of rapid internationalization and network relationships. Secondly, it provides a good body of evidence on market orientation in both successfully and less successfully internationalized companies, and identifies the key related differences between the two company groups. Thirdly, it highlights the importance of inter-firm networks in the rapid internationalization of small software firms, providing companies with important market knowledge and, in some cases, management challenges. Fourthly, this investigation clarifies market orientation in the context of different software-product strategies, thus, combining the perspectives of market orientation in both manufacturing and services. In sum, the results of the study are significant for both small software firms and public-policy makers since they shed light on the market-oriented managerial mindset and the market-information gathering and sharing processes that are needed in successful rapid internationalization.

Revising customer profitability measurement in a paper industry company

Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää, pitäisikö trimmihävikin kustannukset lisätä case yrityksen asiakaskannattavuuslaskelmaan. Trimmihävikin vaihtelua asiakkaiden välillä tutkittiin yhdellä case yrityksen tuotantolinjalla. Myös tilaustekijöiden sekä ajankohdan vaikutusta trimmihävikin määrään selvitettiin. Teoreettinen viitekehys rakennettiin asiakaskannattavuuden ja asiakassuhteiden johtamisen ympärille. Tutkimuksen empiirisessä osassa hyödynnettiin kvantitatiivista tutkimusmenetelmää ja tilastollisissa analyyseissä käytettiin laajaa aineistoa. Tulokset osoittivat, että trimmihävikin määrä vaihteli asiakkaiden kesken. Asiakkaista muodostettiin kolme klusteria. Näiden klustereiden tarkempi tutkiminen osoitti selvän yhteyden asiakkaan ostokäyttäytymisen ja trimmihävikin välillä. Lopuksi tutkimuksen tulosten hyödyntämismahdollisuuksia pohdittiin ja myös tutkimuksen rajoitukset tunnistettiin.

A new formula for calculating standard liver volume for living donor liver transplantation without using body weight.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The standard liver volume (SLV) is widely used in liver surgery, especially for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). All the reported formulas for SLV use body surface area or body weight, which can be influenced strongly by the general condition of the patient. METHODS: We analyzed the liver volumes of 180 Japanese donor candidates and 160 Swiss patients with normal livers to develop a new formula. The dataset was randomly divided into two subsets, the test and validation sample, stratified by race. The new formula was validated using 50 LDLT recipients. RESULTS: Without using body weight-related variables, age, thoracic width measured using computed tomography, and race independently predicted the total liver volume (TLV). A new formula: 203.3-(3.61×age)+(58.7×thoracic width)-(463.7×race [1=Asian, 0=Caucasian]), most accurately predicted the TLV in the validation dataset as compared with any other formulas. The graft volume for LDLT was correlated with the postoperative prothrombin time, and the graft volume/SLV ratio calculated using the new formula was significantly better correlated with the postoperative prothrombin time than the graft volume/SLV ratio calculated using the other formulas or the graft volume/body weight ratio. CONCLUSIONS: The new formula derived using the age, thoracic width and race predicted both the TLV in the healthy patient group and the SLV in LDLT recipients more accurately than any other previously reported formulas.

Influence of MCHR2 and MCHR2-AS1 Genetic Polymorphisms on Body Mass Index in Psychiatric Patients and In Population-Based Subjects with Present or Past Atypical Depression.

Obesity development during psychotropic treatments represents a major health issue in psychiatry. Melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 2 (MCHR2) is a central receptor involved in energy homeostasis. MCHR2 shares its promoter region with MCHR2-AS1, a long antisense non-coding RNA. The aim of this study was to determine whether tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) of MCHR2 and MCHR2-AS1 are associated with the body mass index (BMI) in the psychiatric and in the general population. The influence of MCHR2 and MCHR2-AS1 tSNPs on BMI was firstly investigated in a discovery psychiatric sample (n1 = 474). Positive results were tested for replication in two other psychiatric samples (n2 = 164, n3 = 178) and in two population-based samples (CoLaus, n4 = 5409; GIANT, n5 = 113809). In the discovery sample, TT carriers of rs7754794C>T had 1.08 kg/m2 (p = 0.04) lower BMI as compared to C-allele carriers. This observation was replicated in an independent psychiatric sample (-2.18 kg/m2; p = 0.009). The association of rs7754794C>T and BMI seemed stronger in subjects younger than 45 years (median of age). In the population-based sample, a moderate association was observed (-0.17 kg/m2; p = 0.02) among younger individuals (<45y). Interestingly, this association was totally driven by patients meeting lifetime criteria for atypical depression, i.e. major depressive episodes characterized by symptoms such as an increased appetite. Indeed, patients with atypical depression carrying rs7754794-TT had 1.17 kg/m2 (p = 0.04) lower BMI values as compared to C-allele carriers, the effect being stronger in younger individuals (-2.50 kg/m2; p = 0.03; interaction between rs7754794 and age: p-value = 0.08). This study provides new insights on the possible influence of MCHR2 and/or MCHR2-AS1 on obesity in psychiatric patients and on the pathophysiology of atypical depression.

First person experience of body transfer in virtual reality

Altering the normal association between touch and its visual correlate can result in the illusory perception of a fake limb as part of our own body. Thus, when touch is seen to be applied to a rubber hand while felt synchronously on the corresponding hidden real hand, an illusion of ownership of the rubber hand usually occurs. The illusion has also been demonstrated using visuomotor correlation between the movements of the hidden real hand and the seen fake hand. This type of paradigm has been used with respect to the whole body generating out-of-the-body and body substitution illusions. However, such studies have only ever manipulated a single factor and although they used a form of virtual reality have not exploited the power of immersive virtual reality (IVR) to produce radical transformations in body ownership.