SummaryThe Janus kinase (JAK) signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway is involved in the regulation of intestinal stem cell (ISC) activity to ensure a continuous renewal of the adult Drosophila midgut. Three ligands, Unpaired 1, Unpaired 2 and Unpaired 3 (Upd1, Upd2 and Upd3, respectively) are known to activate the JAK/STAT pathway in Drosophila. Using newly generated upd mutants and cell-specific RNAi, we showed that Upd1 is required throughout the fly life to maintain basal turnover of the midgut epithelium by controlling ISC maintenance in an autocrine manner. A role of Upd2 and Upd3 in basal conditions is discernible only in old gut, where they contribute to increased ISC abnormal division. Finally, upon an acute stress such as oral bacterial infection, we showed that Upd3 is released from enterocytes and has an additive effect with Upd2 to promote rapid epithelial regeneration. Taken together, our results show that Upd ligands are required to maintain the midgut homeostasis under both normal and pathological states.

Targeting the αv integrin-TGF-β axis improves natural killer cell function against glioblastoma stem cells Running title-GBM induce NK cell dysfunction via integrin-TGF- axis

The role of internal marketing on building employee satisfaction has been empirically established. More than 200 internal marketing studies are evident in the literature yet few consider the role of an employee's own cultural background with no quantitative exploration to date. In response to this gap in the literature, this research seeks to understand whether cultural congruence (the degree to which an organisation meets an employee's cultural needs) moderates the internal marketing practice and employee satisfaction relationship in a culturally diverse work setting. A sample of 458 valid responses was received from English and Traditional Chinese online and face to face surveys of tourism employees in Australia who were both Australian and Taiwanese born. The data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group analysis. The results confirmed the positive internal marketing and employee satisfaction relationship. Further, this research contributes both applied and theoretical outcomes with empirical evidence establishing that cultural congruence can further strengthen the internal marketing and employee satisfaction relationship. Limitations and future research directions are outlined.

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to synthesise internal marketing measures in two service settings across both Western and Eastern backgrounds. Well established views of internal marketing have emerged with more than 200 papers on the topic. To date, no clear accepted measure for the concept has emerged. The developed scale provides a new way of thinking drawing together a diverse range of measures to deliver a practical measure offering marketing managers a diagnostic tool to measure the degree that internal marketing has been applied (or not) inside their organisation. Design/methodology/approach – Conceptual and operational definitions of internal marketing were analysed to generate an item pool for testing. Generated items were then tested in one higher education organisation (n = 205) and in the tourism and hospitality industry with Australian and Taiwanese employees (n = 458) using both English and Traditional Chinese survey versions. The data were analysed with SPSS 19.0 and AMOS 19.0. Reliability analysis was first undertaken to assess the hypothesised internal marketing factor structure followed by confirmatory factor analysis. Findings – A 16-item, three-factor structure was obtained for internal marketing. This research suggests that internal marketing practice is a three-dimensional concept ideally consisting of internal market research, training and communication activities. The findings suggest that further research may be warranted to further expand academic definitions of internal marketing to encompass the varied activities undertaken by practising internal marketers. Originality/value – This study provides a new measure of internal marketing practice for use in future that captures the majority of the activities undertaken by internal marketing practitioners.