University of Houston

About: University of Houston is a education organization based out in Houston, Texas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 23074 authors who have published 53903 publications receiving 1641968 citations.

Preinjury family environment as a determinant of recovery from traumatic brain injuries in school-age children

Abstract: Previous studies of childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) have emphasized injury-related variables rather than environmental factors as predictors of recovery. We addressed this concern using data collected during a prospective study of children with either TBI or orthopedic injuries (OI) and their families. Participants included 53 children with severe TBI, 56 with moderate TBI, and 80 with OI, all from 6 to 12 years of age at the time of injury. Measures of the preinjury family environment were collected shortly after the injury (baseline). Child cognitive and behavioral outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Individual growth curve analyses showed that measures of the preinjury family environment consistently predicted both the level of cognitive and behavioral functioning at 12 months postinjury and the rate of intraindividual change during the 12-month follow-up period, even after taking into account group membership and injury severity. In some cases, the preinjury family environment was a significant moderator of the effect of TBI, buffering its impact in high-functioning families and exacerbating it in low-functioning families. Thus, preinjury environmental factors predict recovery following TBI in children, even after accounting for injury-related variables.

Inter-Firm it Capability Profiles and Communications for Co-Creating Relational Value: Evidence from the Logistics Industry

Abstract: This study seeks to identify the means by which information technology helps cocreate relational value in the context of interfirm relationships in the logistics industry — a large and information-intensive industry. We identify a set of IT functionalities — single-location shipping, multilocation shipping, supply chain visibility, and financial settlement — that can be used to manage the flows of physical goods, information, and finances across locations in interfirm logistics processes. Progressively more advanced sets of IT functionalities, when implemented and used in the interfirm relationship to execute logistics processes, are proposed to form four distinct IT capability profiles of increased sophistication. Interfirm IT capability profiles of higher sophistication are proposed to help cocreate greater relational value by facilitating the flows of physical goods, information, and finances across locations in the interfirm logistics process. Besides their direct role in helping cocreate relational value, these interfirm IT capability profiles are proposed to further enhance relational value cocreation when complemented by interfirm communications for business development and IT development.Our empirical study was situated in one of the world’s largest logistics suppliers and over 2,000 of its interfirm relationships with buyers across industries. Integrated data from four archival sources on the IT functionalities implemented and used in interfirm logistics relationships, interfirm communications, relational value (share of wallet and loyalty), and multiple control variables were collected. The results show that the proposed interfirm IT capability profiles and interfirm communications have both a direct and an interaction effect on relational value. Implications for cocreating relational value in interfirm relationships with the aid of IT are discussed.

The 18-wheeler mutation reveals complex antibacterial gene regulation in Drosophila host defense

Abstract: Mammals and insects employ similar Rel/NF-kappaB signaling cascades in their humoral immune responses. The mammalian interleukin-1 type I receptor (IL-1R) is one way of activating this cascade. The Drosophila Toll protein, whose cytoplasmic domain shows striking similarity to that of the IL-1R, acts in the humoral antimicrobial response. Here we demonstrate that a second IL-1R-related Drosophila protein, 18-Wheeler (18W), is a critical component of the humoral immune response. 18-wheeler is expressed in the larval fat body, the primary organ of antimicrobial peptide synthesis. In the absence of the 18W receptor, larvae are more susceptible to bacterial infection. Nuclear translocation of the Rel protein Dorsal-like immunity factor (Dif) is inhibited, though nuclear translocation of another Rel protein, Dorsal, is unaffected. Induction of several antibacterial genes is reduced following infection, relative to wild-type: attacin is reduced by 95%, cecropin by 65% and diptericin by 12%. Finally, 18-wheeler (18w) expression is induced in response to infection and, in addition to the receptor form, four immune-specific transcripts and proteins are produced.