PurposeThe study examines how the interactions among three prominent institutional logics—state, market and religion—fundamentally shape the patterns of individuals’ engagement in social ...entrepreneurship (SE).Design/methodology/approachThe study develops a configurational theoretical framework and uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to test the hypotheses by gathering data on social ventures from 35 countries from the World Values Survey and Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.FindingsThe results show that the prevalence of social entrepreneurial ventures is enabled by different combinations of logics of action, governance mechanisms, strength of religious beliefs and religious pluralism.Originality/valueThis research reveals that the relationship between institutional logic profiles and SE is contingent on the coherence between different institutional logics.
PurposeCorporate governance scholars have built on agency theory premises to document chief executive officers' (CEOs’) debt-based compensation, also known as inside debt, as an effective tool to ...control excessive risk and deter risky corporate strategies. In this study, the authors draw on behavioral agency model to put these well-established assumptions to the test in a different setting and argue for the context-specific effects of CEOs' long-term compensation.Design/methodology/approachFocusing on corporate mergers and acquisitions in a post-crisis period (2011–2017), the authors cast doubt on agency theory predictions on debt-like compensation, point to the more realistic assumptions of behavioral decision models, and call for more contingency approaches in theoretical arguments.FindingsAn analysis of more than 4000 observations reveals that neither CEOs nor shareholders react significantly to inside debt after the economy recovers. Firm risk is also influenced only marginally by long-term compensation in a normal period of time.Originality/valueWhile extant literature is rather unanimous on risk-reducing impact of inside debt, the study periods span the financial crisis of 2007. This research is the first conducted in regular times to demonstrate that previous findings are biased and heavily influenced by an exogenous shock.
Purpose: Therapeutic electrical stimulation of deep brain structures, such as the subthalamic nucleus and the Globus Pallidus (GP), is widely accepted as a treatment tool for patients with ...Parkinson's Disease (PD). Electrical stimulation of the cerebral cortex with electrodes or transcranial stimulation can increase motor function among PD patients. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of non-invasive cortical stimulation with simulation of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) technique on parts of the basal ganglia among PD patients.
Materials and Methods: tDCS was simulated using two different electrode placement methods (anodal stimulation of the primary motor cortex (M1) and anodal stimulation of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC)) and We evaluated the excitation procedure in the target area based on the excitation current distribution in GP and Subthalamic Nucleus according to the patient's condition in both electrode methods. All simulations were performed using head Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) images of four people with PD. Also, according to the excitation current distribution obtained from the previous step, we studied how the excitation current distributed in the target areas is affected by using a model of the basal ganglia so that based on the membrane potential of each excitation in these areas, in all four patients, we compare both electrode-installation methods in a functional way. The effectiveness of brain stimulation was also studied using a basal ganglia model. Considering the membrane potential of GP and Subthalamic Nucleus regions, the effectiveness of each electrode placement method was evaluated in the Basal Ganglia (BG) model.
Results: According to the results, direct current stimulation was propagated through electrodes placed on the scalp throughout the model. Also, anodal stimulation of the M1 had a better stimulation of GP and subthalamic nucleus than anodal stimulation of the DLPFC.
Conclusion: Although, the procedures for performing tDCS and invasive brain stimulation in PD are different, the results show that this treatment can be appropriate and improve motor function in patients with PD.
In this study, an electric-field-assisted molecularly imprinted polymer (EFAMIP) as an enhanced form of MIP was developed to improve the MIP-modified quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensors. ...While exerting a vertical electric field, polymerization of methacrylic acid in the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) as the template was initiated, and later, after the template removal process, the EFAMIPs were obtained. The polymer surface characterization was conducted by using a scanning electron microscope. The impact of electric field direction on IgG binding sites, forming either EFAMIP-Fab or EFAMIP-Fc, was assessed. Next, the static measurement results in liquid for EFAMIP-modified QCM and MIP-modified QCM were compared. While encompassing IgG, EFAMIP-modified QCMs exhibited up to a 113.5% higher frequency shift than typical MIP in time-limited detection. The final frequency shift of EFAMIP, which determines the detection limit of IgG, was improved up to 12.5% compared to typical MIP. Moreover, the EFAMIP-Fab performance was promising for the selective detection of IgG in a solution containing different types of immunoglobulins.
This manuscript aimed to investigate the effects of the two methods, namely tDCS and tRNS, on some parts of the GP and STN of the basal ganglia model. Besides identifying a better electrode method, ...the stimulation process in the target region was also evaluated in this study. Each one of these two methods was separately simulated using the following two different electrode placement methods: anodal stimulation of primary motor cortex (M1) and anodal stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Stimulation of current distribution in both tDCS and tRNS methods with two electrode placement states based on the results from the head model of 12 PD patients in the (a) globus pallidus and (b) subthalamic nucleus regions.
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Despite advances in the drug therapy of neurological disorders in recent decades, it has faced limitations such as resistance to specific drugs or subsequent complications. Nowadays, the studies on cortical stimulations to improve motor function in Parkinson's disease (PD) are increasing. Given the side effects of invasive stimulations to enhance motor function in the disease (e.g., deep brain stimulation (DBS)), non-invasive methods like transcranial direct current (tDCS) and transcranial random noise (tRNS) stimulations have attracted researchers' attention. Treatments are currently applied despite the non-well understood mechanism behind the techniques. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of tDCS and tRNS on globus pallidus (GP) and subthalamic nucleus (STN) areas in PD patients. Thus, 3D head models were first created using MRI images, and the two stimulations were simulated based on two electrode placements of primary motor cortex (M1) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) anodal stimulation. The stimulations were compared using the current distributed in the two regions. Additionally, the effect of basal ganglia (BG) model on the excitation current distributed in the target areas was examined. Considering the membrane potential of each excitation in the two areas of all subjects, each electrode method was compared with tDCS, tRNS, and DBS in order for effectiveness. The results represented more appropriate effectiveness of the tDCS with M1 than the tRNS in the target region. Further, the method results were acceptable compared to the DBS results. The tDCS and non-invasive electrical stimulation were useful in improving the motor function of PD patients.
Total 80 Sanjabi ewes (2–5 years old and 50–85 weight domain) were selected in animal unit of Mehregan farm. The ewes were divided to 4 treatment groups according to body condition score of (2, 2.5, ...3, 3.5 ≤). Blood samples were collected from non-pregnant ewes, then after mating, two weeks before expected lambing and at lambing day. Blood samples of newborn lambs were also taken from the jugular vein at birth and 7 days of age. The reproductive parameters such as number of lambs born per lambing, kg of lambs born per ewes mating, pregnancy period and lamb birth weight were determined. Some blood metabolites such as glucose, total protein, albumin and globulin were determined. The white blood cell and differential leukocyte counts were also measured. The result of this experiment indicated that BCS = 3 had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on the kg lambs born per ewes. Ewes with BCS = 3 had a better performance in the percentage of lambs born per ewes at mating, while the lambing rate reduced in ewes with BCS of 3.5 or more. Birth weight of lambs was significantly affected by BCS of their ewes (P < 0.05). There was a significant effect of BCS on plasma FSH concentration in ewes with BCS more than 3 but no significant difference was seen in blood metabolite in this study. Colostrum productions and the lamb birth weights were affected by body condition score of ewes. The white blood cell counts, neutrophils and lymphocytes counts did not change between ewes and lambs. It is concluded that BCS had a significant effect on kg lambs born per ewes, birth weight of lambs, lambs weaning weight and colostrum productions (P < 0.05) and the score of 3 at mating time could optimize profitability of Sanjabi ewes.
The effect of body condition score and body weight of Sanjabi ewes on immune system, productive and reproductive performance Total 80 Sanjabi ewes (2-5 years old and 50-85 weight domain) were ...selected in animal unit of Mehregan farm. The ewes were divided to 4 treatment groups according to body condition score of (2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 ≤). Blood samples were collected from non-pregnant ewes, then after mating, two weeks before expected lambing and at lambing day. Blood samples of newborn lambs were also taken from the jugular vein at birth and 7 days of age. The reproductive parameters such as number of lambs born per lambing, kg of lambs born per ewes mating, pregnancy period and lamb birth weight were determined. Some blood metabolites such as glucose, total protein, albumin and globulin were determined. The white blood cell and differential leukocyte counts were also measured. The result of this experiment indicated that BCS = 3 had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on the kg lambs born per ewes. Ewes with BCS = 3 had a better performance in the percentage of lambs born per ewes at mating, while the lambing rate reduced in ewes with BCS of 3.5 or more. Birth weight of lambs was significantly affected by BCS of their ewes (P < 0.05). There was a significant effect of BCS on plasma FSH concentration in ewes with BCS more than 3 but no significant difference was seen in blood metabolite in this study. Colostrum productions and the lamb birth weights were affected by body condition score of ewes. The white blood cell counts, neutrophils and lymphocytes counts did not change between ewes and lambs. It is concluded that BCS had a significant effect on kg lambs born per ewes, birth weight of lambs, lambs weaning weight and colostrum productions (P < 0.05) and the score of 3 at mating time could optimize profitability of Sanjabi ewes.
Vpliv ocene kondicije in telesne mase na imunski sistem ter proizvodne in reprodukcijske lastnosti ovac pasme sanjabi V poskus je bilo vključenih 80 sanjabi ovac s farme Mehregan v starosti 2-5 let. Ovce smo razdelili v štiri skupine glede na oceno telesne kondicije (BCS 2, 2,5, 3, 3,5 ≤). Vzorce krvi smo jemali od nebrejih ovac, takoj po paritvi, dva tedna pred pričakovano jagnitvijo in na dan jagnitve. Jancem smo jemali kri iz jugularne vene ob rojstvu in ko so bili stari 7 dni. Spremljali smo reprodukcijske parametre, kot so število jagnet na jagnitev, kg rojenih jagnet na paritev, dolžina brejosti in masa jagnet ob rojstvu. Določali smo nekatere parametre v krvi, kot npr. glukoza, skupne beljakovine, albumin in globulin. Prav tako smo spremljali število belih krvničk in diferencialno število levkocitov. Rezultati tega poskusa kažejo, da je ocena telesne kondicije (BCS = 3) značilno vplivala na k rojenih jagnet na ovco. Ovce z BCS = 3 so imele višji odstotek jagnet rojenih na paritev, medtem ko je bil delež jagnitev zmanjšan pri ovcah z BCS 3,5 ali več. BCS je statistično značilno vplival na maso jagnet ob rojstvu (p < 0,05). Prav tako je bil značilen vpliv BCS na koncentracijo FSH v plazmi pri ovcah z BCS višjim od 3, nismo ap zaznali razlik v koncentraciji metabolitov v krvi. BCS je vplival na proizvodnjo kolostruma in na maso jagnet ob rojstvu. Število belih krvničk, nevtrofilcev in limfocitov se med ovcami in jagneti ni razlikovalo. Ugotavljamo, da ima BCS značilen vpliv na kg rojenih jagnet na ovco, rojstno maso jagnet, maso jagnet ob odstavitvi in proizvodnjo kolostruma (p < 0,05). BCS 3 v času pripusta je optimalen za gospodarnost reje ovac pasme sanjabi.
End-stage renal disease patients on chronic hemodialysis are among high risk groups for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection for whom routine HCV screening is recommended. Anti-HCV antibody (ab) testing ...may not be reliable to detect all infected cases because of the blunted ab response due to depressed immune state in these patients. Using a more reliable, cost-effective and non-complex HCV screening test may be necessary in this group of patients for case finding and management, and also for prevention of infection spread.
The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of HCV infection in HCV ab negative hemodialysis patients by Real time PCR and total HCV core antigen (ag) test and comparing the results of the two tests.
From a single hemodialysis center, 181 anti- HCV ab negative patients were screened by total HCV core ag using an ELISA kit. Real time PCR was used for determination of the virus and viral load quantity.
Among the 181 anti-HCV ab negative patients, 13 (7.2%) were positive for HCV core ag and 11 (6%) had detectable HCV RNA with a range of 40-336543 IU/ml by PCR. The two tests had a high measurement agreement (Kappa=0.82, P<0.001). Of the 13 patients with positive HCV core ag test results, 3 were negative for HCV RNA. Considering real time PCR for HCV RNA as the gold standard for HCV infection determination in this patient population, HCV core ag assay yielded a sensitivity of 90.9%, specificity of 98.2%, positive predictive value of 76.9% and negative predictive value of 99.4%.
The rate of HCV infection among HCV ab negative hemodialysis patients was high. HCV core ag testing could be used as a sensitive method for HCV infection screening in this group of patients.
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