bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dishevelled attenuates the repelling activity of Wnt signaling during neurite outgrowth in
Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Zheng Chaogu , Diaz-Cuadros Margarete , Chalfie Martin
Published: October 2015

Significance

The growth of neuronal processes is guided not only by external molecules but also by the modulation of the intracellular responses to those extracellular guidance cues. The mechanism for such modulation is unclear. Using a pair of sensory neurons in the nematode
Caenorhabditis elegans
, we found that guidance molecules activate two downstream molecules, which redundantly mediate the navigation of the main neurite away from the source of the repulsive guidance cues. However, one of the two molecules also provides feedback inhibition to downregulate the signaling activity, which allows the neurons to grow a second neurite against the gradient of the repulsive cues. This dual functionality of downstream signaling molecules thus fine-tunes the intracellular response to guidance molecules.
Language maintenance in the Caribbean
Authors: Carroll Kevin S.
Published: October 2015

This paper uses a case study approach to understand how perceptions of language threat have worked to maintain local language practices on the islands of Aruba and Puerto Rico. Through document analysis, interviews with key players in language policy and planning efforts as well as participant observation, this paper explains the historical build-up of the perception that Papiamento and Spanish, respectively, are in some way threatened. In addition to documenting the language maintenance efforts, the author argues that differing colonization practices impacted islanders’ orientation toward language, such that in Aruba a language-as-a-resource orientation has resulted in societal multilingualism whereas a language-as-a-problem orientation has resulted in monolingualism on the island of Puerto Rico.
Satire and dignity
Authors: Kuipers Giselinde
Published: October 2015

This chapter examines satire from the target’s point of view: how to respond to
satire without losing dignity? The power of satire lies in its capacity to challenge
dignity, which threatens social position, political legitimacy and individual
well-being. Analysing concrete examples of satire, the essay reviews the merits,
risks and limitations of possible responses: laugh, joke back, argue, retaliate,
show anger, or withdraw. The capacity to respond with dignity is not distributed
evenly: not everyone has the resources to do so. Moreover, there is not
always consensus on what counts as a dignified response. In today’s increasingly
diverse and globalised societies, this makes satire increasingly contested and
risky, but also an increasingly important domain for intercultural encounters
and negotiations.
How to Burlesque a Burlesquer
Authors: Desplanque Kathryn
Published: October 2015

This chapter analyses a caricature, produced in 1753 by the watercolourist Paul
Sandby entitled Burlesque sur le Burlesque. This caricature attacks the painter
William Hogarth, in particular, his recently published aesthetic treatise, The
Analysis of Beauty, and his stance in the English Academic debates of the
1750s – a series of events in which English artists debated whether or not they
should migrate from private artistic academies to publicly funded and hierarchically
organised arts academies on the continental model. The chapter
explores the way in which Sandby targets his object, and through iconographical
analysis, demonstrates how caricature operates visually as a literal puzzle
that forefronts certain criticisms, and veil others.
Bas Jan Ader's Ludic Conceptualism
Authors: Schoenberger Janna
Published: October 2015

Following Huizinga’s ideas in his Homo Ludens (1938), I propose the term Ludic
Conceptualism to describe the art that flourished in the Netherlands from 1959
to 1975. Unlike the more severe strands of conceptualism developed in New
York and the United Kingdom, play was central to its Dutch incarnation. In this
chapter I will show how Dutch conceptual artist Bas Jan Ader’s fixation on his
identity, as staged through satirical jokes based on national stereotypes, is key
in understanding his art. While a great deal of the humor is obvious in Ader’s
work, there has been no serious inquiry into his comedic practice. I will position
Ader within the framework of post-war humorous conceptual art prevalent
both in the Netherlands and California, locales in which Ader had lived and
studied. Using theories of humor and identity I will demonstrate how Ader’s
jokes are closely tied to social contexts on both sides of the Atlantic, environments
relevant to the artist’s development in the course of his short career. A
close examination of Ader’s work will reveal that the artist’s blurred identity as
seen in his use of humor is, in fact, a central feature of his art.
TV Satire and its Targets
Authors: Basu Laura
Published: October 2015

The question of the relationship between satire and its targets is also one of
both mediality and politics. When it comes to television political satire, that
relationship is extremely intimate. This might in turn make it difficult for satire
on television – a notoriously top-down medium – to be very critical of politics.
Building on investigations into “new political television”, this chapter compares
the relationships of three very different British satires, namely Have I got News
for You, The Thick of It, and Brass Eye, with their political targets, asking to what
extend they are collusive, incorporative or antagonistic. Is it possible for TV
satire to be truly subversive?
On the power of Money and the King of Spain's son-in- law
Authors: Rodríguez Pérez Yolanda
Published: October 2015

The greatest Spanish satirist lived in the Golden Age: Francisco de Quevedo y
Villegas (1580–1645). His satirical poetry has become national common
knowledge for most Spaniards. The power of his satire is such that it has been
able to cross temporal borders and still serves in the 21st century as a model of
inspiration for popular contemporary satire. A telling example is related to the
recent scandal around the King of Spain’s son-in-law, who was involved in a
shameful corruption case. Through new medial forms like the internet, satirical
non-canonical poems spread with the Royal son-in-law as a target. Some of the
poems, written with a Golden-Age flair, are also accompanied by visual satirical
images that also go back to well-known Golden Age paintings, for example
by El Greco. This particular case shows how far the reach of satire as a social
phenomenon can be. Although the strong and specific referentiality of satire
is frequently mentioned as its weak point, it is interesting to see how certain
“timeless” examples of satire can function as source of inspiration in another
period. Is there an explanation for this attraction to the Golden Age period?
Psycholinguistic explorations of lexical translation equivalents
Authors: García Adolfo M.
Published: October 2015

This paper reviews psycholinguistic research on lexical translation equivalents to show how accumulating evidence constrained successive models of interlingual processing. Three stages are identified in the development of the field. First, in the foundational era, three initial models of interlinguistic associations were postulated. Second, during the take-off era, pioneering experiments assessed the involvement of conceptual representations in forward translation. Third, the ongoing expansion era witnessed the rise of the revised hierarchical model, which inspired research showing that word translation is modulated by directionality, L2 competence, and the stimuli’s concreteness level and cognate status. Two additional issues that surfaced in this third era are of particular importance to cognitive translatology: the impact of translation expertise on word translation and the exploration of the neural basis of translation. Finally, the main findings are summarized and their methodological implications for empirical research within cognitive translatology are highlighted.
Literacy and education in West Africa: from Ajami to Francophonie
Authors: Diallo Ibrahima
Published: October 2015

Following contacts with Arab nomads and traders and the conversion of West Africans to Islam,Ajami, the writing of African languages using Qur’anic Arabic script, developed as an offshoot of Qur’anic education. Subsequently, bothAjamiand Arabic became the transnational medium of written and spoken communication in pre-colonialWest Africa. However, with colonization, the linguistic ecology in the region experienced a radical change. Following subjugation by the French military, West Africans had the French language and the French secular education models imposed on them. As a result, education and literacy shifted from (Qur’anic) Arabic andAjamito French. Ironically, the West Africans who staunchly opposed French colonization became the most fervent advocates of French in postcolonial Africa in their own countries, in other parts of Africa and the rest of the world. However, the attachment to the French language seems so deep that it has obscured any language policies or language ineducation vision to effectively address the national language issues in education and anticipate changing language needs in Francophone Africa
Loss of Tifab, a del(5q) MDS gene, alters hematopoiesis through derepression of Toll-like receptor–TRAF6 signaling
Authors: Varney Melinda E. , Niederkorn Madeline , Konno Hiroyasu , Matsumura Takayuki , Gohda Jin , Yoshida Nobuaki , Akiyama Taishin , Christie Susanne , Fang Jing , Miller David , Jerez Andres , Karsan Aly , Maciejewski Jaroslaw P. , Meetei Ruhikanta A. , Inoue Jun-ichiro , Starczynowski Daniel T.
Published: October 2015

TRAF-interacting protein with forkhead-associated domain B (TIFAB) is a haploinsufficient gene in del(5q) myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Deletion of Tifab results in progressive bone marrow (BM) and blood defects, including skewed hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) proportions and altered myeloid differentiation. A subset of mice transplanted with Tifab knockout (KO) HSPCs develop a BM failure with neutrophil dysplasia and cytopenia. In competitive transplants, Tifab KO HSPCs are out-competed by wild-type (WT) cells, suggesting a cell-intrinsic defect. Gene expression analysis of Tifab KO HSPCs identified dysregulation of immune-related signatures, and hypersensitivity to TLR4 stimulation. TIFAB forms a complex with TRAF6, a mediator of immune signaling, and reduces TRAF6 protein stability by a lysosome-dependent mechanism. In contrast, TIFAB loss increases TRAF6 protein and the dynamic range of TLR4 signaling, contributing to ineffective hematopoiesis. Moreover, combined deletion of TIFAB and miR-146a, two genes associated with del(5q) MDS/AML, results in a cooperative increase in TRAF6 expression and hematopoietic dysfunction. Re-expression of TIFAB in del(5q) MDS/AML cells results in attenuated TLR4 signaling and reduced viability. These findings underscore the importance of efficient regulation of innate immune/TRAF6 signaling within HSPCs by TIFAB, and its cooperation with miR-146a as it relates to the pathogenesis of hematopoietic malignancies, such as del(5q) MDS/AML.
Replacement of brain-resident myeloid cells does not alter cerebral amyloid-β deposition in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Varvel Nicholas H. , Grathwohl Stefan A. , Degenhardt Karoline , Resch Claudia , Bosch Andrea , Jucker Mathias , Neher Jonas J.
Published: October 2015

Immune cells of myeloid lineage are encountered in the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain, where they cluster around amyloid-β plaques. However, assigning functional roles to myeloid cell subtypes has been problematic, and the potential for peripheral myeloid cells to alleviate AD pathology remains unclear. Therefore, we asked whether replacement of brain-resident myeloid cells with peripheral monocytes alters amyloid deposition in two mouse models of cerebral β-amyloidosis (APP23 and APPPS1). Interestingly, early after repopulation, infiltrating monocytes neither clustered around plaques nor showed Trem2 expression. However, with increasing time in the brain, infiltrating monocytes became plaque associated and also Trem2 positive. Strikingly, however, monocyte repopulation for up to 6 mo did not modify amyloid load in either model, independent of the stage of pathology at the time of repopulation. Our results argue against a long-term role of peripheral monocytes that is sufficiently distinct from microglial function to modify cerebral β-amyloidosis. Therefore, myeloid replacement by itself is not likely to be effective as a therapeutic approach for AD.
Unified tests for fine-scale mapping and identifying sparse high-dimensional sequence associations
Authors: Cao Shaolong , Qin Huaizhen , Gossmann Alexej , Deng Hong-Wen , Wang Yu-Ping
Published: October 2015

Motivation: In searching for genetic variants for complex diseases with deep sequencing data, genomic marker sets of high-dimensional genotypic data and sparse functional variants are quite common. Existing sequence association tests are incapable of identifying such marker sets or individual causal loci, although they appeared powerful to identify small marker sets with dense functional variants. In sequence association studies of admixed individuals, cryptic relatedness and population structure are known to confound the association analyses.

Method: We here propose a unified marker wise test (uFineMap) to accurately localize causal loci and a unified high-dimensional set based test (uHDSet) to identify high-dimensional sparse associations in deep sequencing genomic data of multi-ethnic individuals with random relatedness. These two novel tests are based on scaled sparse linear mixed regressions with Lp (0 < p < 1) norm regularization. They jointly adjust for cryptic relatedness, population structure and other confounders to prevent false discoveries and improve statistical power for identifying promising individual markers and marker sets that harbor functional genetic variants of a complex trait.

Results: With large scale simulation data and real data analyses, the proposed tests appropriately controlled Type I error rates and appeared to be more powerful than several prominent methods. We illustrated their practical utilities by the applications to DNA sequence data of Framingham Heart Study for osteoporosis. The proposed tests identified 11 novel significant genes that were missed by the prominent famSKAT and GEMMA. In particular, four out of six most significant pathways identified by the uHDSet but missed by famSKAT have been reported to be related to BMD or osteoporosis in the literature.

Availability and implementation: The computational toolkit is available for academic use: https://sites.google.com/site/shaolongscode/home/uhdset

Contact:  wyp@tulane.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Seizures and cancer: drug interactions of anticonvulsants with chemotherapeutic agents, tyrosine kinase inhibitors and glucocorticoids
Authors: Bénit Christa P. , Vecht Charles J.
Published: October 2015

Patients with cancer commonly experience seizures. Combined therapy with anticonvulsant drugs (AEDs) and chemotherapeutic drugs or tyrosine kinase inhibitors carries inherent risks on drug-drug interactions (DDIs). In this review, pharmacokinetic studies of AEDs with chemotherapeutic drugs, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and glucocorticoids are discussed, including data on maximum tolerated dose, drug clearance, elimination half-life, and organ exposure. Enzyme-inducing AEDs (EIAEDs) cause about a 2-fold to 3-fold faster clearance of concurrent chemotherapeutic drugs metabolized along the same pathway, including cyclophosphamide, irinotecan, paclitaxel, and teniposide, and up to 4-fold faster clearance with the tyrosine kinase inhibitors crizotinib, dasatinib, imatinib, and lapatinib. The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, particularly imatinib and crizotinib, may lead to enzyme inhibition of concurrent therapy. Many of the newer generation AEDs do not induce or inhibit drug metabolism, but they can alter enzyme activity by other drugs including AEDs, chemotherapeutics and tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Glucocorticoids can both induce and undergo metabolic change. Quantitative data on changes in drug metabolism help to apply the appropriate dose regimens. Because the large individual variability in metabolic activity increases the risks for undertreatment and/or toxicity, we advocate routine plasma drug monitoring. There are insufficient data available on the effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors on AED metabolism.
New identification of the mixed-morphology supernova remnant G298.6−0.0 with possible gamma-ray association
Authors: Bamba Aya , Sawada Makoto , Nakano Yuto , Terada Yukikatsu , Hewitt John , Petre Robert , Angelini Lorella
Published: October 2015

We present an X-ray analysis on the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G298.6−0.0 observed with Suzaku. The X-ray image shows a center-filled structure inside a radio shell, implying that this SNR can be categorized as a mixed-morphology (MM) SNR. The spectrum is well reproduced by a single-temperature plasma model in ionization equilibrium, with a temperature of 0.78 (0.70–0.87) keV. The total plasma mass of 30 M⊙ indicates that the plasma has an interstellar medium origin. The association with a GeV gamma-ray source, 3FGL J1214.0−6236, on the shell of the SNR is discussed, in comparison with other MM SNRs with GeV gamma-ray associations. It is found that the flux ratio between absorption-corrected thermal X-rays and GeV gamma-rays decreases as the physical size of MM SNRs becomes larger. The absorption-corrected thermal X-ray flux of G298.6−0.0 and the GeV gamma-ray flux of 3FGL J1214.0−6236 closely follow this trend, implying that 3FGL J1214.0−6236 is likely to be a GeV counterpart of G298.6−0.0.
Communicating uncertainty in seasonal and interannual climate forecasts in Europe
Authors: Taylor Andrea L. , Dessai Suraje , de Bruin Wändi Bruine
Published: October 2015

Across Europe, organizations in different sectors are sensitive to climate variability and change, at a range of temporal scales from the seasonal to the interannual to the multi-decadal. Climate forecast providers face the challenge of communicating the uncertainty inherent in these forecasts to these decision-makers in a way that is transparent, understandable and does not lead to a false sense of certainty. This article reports the findings of a user-needs survey, conducted with 50 representatives of organizations in Europe from a variety of sectors (e.g. water management, forestry, energy, tourism, health) interested in seasonal and interannual climate forecasts. We find that while many participating organizations perform their own ‘in house’ risk analysis most require some form of processing and interpretation by forecast providers. However, we also find that while users tend to perceive seasonal and interannual forecasts to be useful, they often find them difficult to understand, highlighting the need for communication formats suitable for both expert and non-expert users. In addition, our results show that people tend to prefer familiar formats for receiving information about uncertainty. The implications of these findings for both the providers and users of climate information are discussed.
Tailoring the visual communication of climate projections for local adaptation practitioners in Germany and the UK
Authors: Lorenz Susanne , Dessai Suraje , Forster Piers M. , Paavola Jouni
Published: October 2015

Visualizations are widely used in the communication of climate projections. However, their effectiveness has rarely been assessed among their target audience. Given recent calls to increase the usability of climate information through the tailoring of climate projections, it is imperative to assess the effectiveness of different visualizations. This paper explores the complexities of tailoring through an online survey conducted with 162 local adaptation practitioners in Germany and the UK. The survey examined respondents’ assessed and perceived comprehension (PC) of visual representations of climate projections as well as preferences for using different visualizations in communicating and planning for a changing climate. Comprehension and use are tested using four different graph formats, which are split into two pairs. Within each pair the information content is the same but is visualized differently. We show that even within a fairly homogeneous user group, such as local adaptation practitioners, there are clear differences in respondents’ comprehension of and preference for visualizations. We do not find a consistent association between assessed comprehension and PC or use within the two pairs of visualizations that we analysed. There is, however, a clear link between PC and use of graph format. This suggests that respondents use what they think they understand the best, rather than what they actually understand the best. These findings highlight that audience-specific targeted communication may be more complex and challenging than previously recognized.
Climatic volatility, agricultural uncertainty, and the formation, consolidation and breakdown of preindustrial agrarian states
Authors: Kennett Douglas J. , Marwan Norbert
Published: October 2015

The episodic formation, consolidation and breakdown of preindustrial states occurred in multiple contexts worldwide during the last 5000 years and are contingent upon interacting endogenous economic, demographic and political mechanisms. In some instances, there is support for climate change stimulating integration or inducing sociopolitical fragmentation in these complex systems. Here, we build upon this paradigm and introduce the hypothesis that stable climatic conditions favour the formation of agrarian states, while persistently volatile climatic conditions can contribute to the episodic collapse of these complex societies. It is generally recognized that agrarian economies underwrite preindustrial state-level societies. In these contexts, the economic uncertainty associated with highly volatile climatic regimes makes it difficult for individuals or institutions to determine the costs and benefits of one agricultural strategy over another. We argue that this fosters sociopolitical instability and decentralization. As a first test of this hypothesis, we examine the historical dynamics of state formation and decline in the Mexican and Andean highlands within the last 2000 years. The available data in these regions are consistent with the hypothesis that the formation and consolidation of regional polities and empires is favoured in stable climatic regimes and that political decentralization can be stimulated and perpetuated by highly volatile climatic conditions.
Collective behaviour, uncertainty and environmental change
Authors: Bentley R. Alexander , O’Brien Michael J.
Published: October 2015

A central aspect of cultural evolutionary theory concerns how human groups respond to environmental change. Although we are painting with a broad brush, it is fair to say that prior to the twenty-first century, adaptation often happened gradually over multiple human generations, through a combination of individual and social learning, cumulative cultural evolution and demographic shifts. The result was a generally resilient and sustainable population. In the twenty-first century, however, considerable change happens within small portions of a human generation, on a vastly larger range of geographical and population scales and involving a greater degree of horizontal learning. As a way of gauging the complexity of societal response to environmental change in a globalized future, we discuss several theoretical tools for understanding how human groups adapt to uncertainty. We use our analysis to estimate the limits of predictability of future societal change, in the belief that knowing when to hedge bets is better than relying on a false sense of predictability.
A Rietveld refinement method for angular- and wavelength-dispersive neutron time-of-flight powder diffraction data
Authors: Jacobs Philipp , Houben Andreas , Schweika Werner , Tchougréeff Andrei L. , Dronskowski Richard
Published: October 2015

This paper introduces a two-dimensional extension of the well established Rietveld refinement method for modeling neutron time-of-flight powder diffraction data. The novel approach takes into account the variation of two parameters, diffraction angle 2θ and wavelength λ, to optimally adapt to the varying resolution function in diffraction experiments. By doing so, the refinement against angular- and wavelength-dispersive data gets rid of common data-reduction steps and also avoids the loss of high-resolution information typically introduced by integration. In a case study using a numerically simulated diffraction pattern of Rh0.81Fe3.19N taking into account the layout of the future POWTEX instrument, the profile function as parameterized in 2θ and λ is extracted. As a proof-of-concept, the resulting instrument parameterization is then utilized to perform a typical refinement of the angular- and wavelength-dispersive diffraction pattern of CuNCN, yielding excellent residuals within feasible computational efforts. Another proof-of-concept is carried out by applying the same approach to a real neutron diffraction data set of CuNCN obtained from the POWGEN instrument at the Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge. The paper highlights the general importance of the novel approach for data analysis at neutron time-of-flight diffractometers and its possible inclusion within existing Rietveld software packages.
Crystallographic education in the 21st century
Authors: Gražulis Saulius , Sarjeant Amy Alexis , Moeck Peter , Stone-Sundberg Jennifer , Snyder Trevor J. , Kaminsky Werner , Oliver Allen G. , Stern Charlotte L. , Dawe Louise N. , Rychkov Denis A. , Losev Evgeniy A. , Boldyreva Elena V. , Tanski Joseph M. , Bernstein Joel , Rabeh Wael M. , Kantardjieff Katherine A.
Published: October 2015

There are many methods that can be used to incorporate concepts of crystallography into the learning experiences of students, whether they are in elementary school, at university or part of the public at large. It is not always critical that those who teach crystallography have immediate access to diffraction equipment to be able to introduce the concepts of symmetry, packing or molecular structure in an age- and audience-appropriate manner. Crystallography can be used as a tool for teaching general chemistry concepts as well as general research techniques without ever having a student determine a crystal structure. Thus, methods for younger students to perform crystal growth experiments of simple inorganic salts, organic compounds and even metals are presented. For settings where crystallographic instrumentation is accessible (proximally or remotely), students can be involved in all steps of the process, from crystal growth, to data collection, through structure solution and refinement, to final publication. Several approaches based on the presentations in the MS92 Microsymposium at the IUCr 23rd Congress and General Assembly are reported. The topics cover methods for introducing crystallography to undergraduate students as part of a core chemistry curriculum; a successful short-course workshop intended to bootstrap researchers who rely on crystallography for their work; and efforts to bring crystallography to secondary school children and non-science majors. In addition to these workshops, demonstrations and long-format courses, open-format crystallographic databases and three-dimensional printed models as tools that can be used to excite target audiences and inspire them to pursue a deeper understanding of crystallography are described.
Effect of finite spatial coherence length on small-angle scattering
Authors: Shinohara Yuya , Amemiya Yoshiyuki
Published: October 2015

This study shows that forward scattering at the origin of reciprocal space contributes to the scattering intensity profiles of ultra-small-angle scattering. The forward scattering corresponds to a Fourier transform of the X-ray coherent volume on a sample. This contribution is usually ignored in the study of small-angle scattering, while it is fully considered in the fields of X-ray imaging, such as coherent X-ray diffraction imaging and X-ray ptychography. This effect is explicitly illustrated in the context of small-angle scattering, and the effect of a finite spatial coherence length on small-angle scattering is discussed.
An EXAFS spectroscopic study of Am(III) complexation with lactate
Authors: Fröhlich Daniel R. , Skerencak-Frech Andrej , Kaplan Ugras , Koke Carsten , Rossberg André , Panak Petra J.
Published: October 2015

The pH dependence (1–7) of Am(III) complexation with lactate in aqueous solution is studied using extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. Structural data (coordination numbers, Am—O and Am—C distances) of the formed Am(III)–lactate species are determined from the rawk3-weighted AmLIII-edge EXAFS spectra. Between pH 1 and pH 6, Am(III) speciation shifts continuously towards complexed species with increasing pH. At higher pH, the amount of complexed species decreases due to formation of hydroxo species. The coordination numbers and distances (3.41–3.43 Å) of the coordinating carbon atoms clearly point out that lactate is bound `side-on' to Am(III) through both the carboxylic and the α-hydroxy function of lactate. The experimentally determined coordination numbers are compared with speciation calculations on the basis of tabulated thermodynamic stability constants. Both EXAFS data and thermodynamic modelling are in very good agreement. The EXAFS spectra are also analyzed by iterative transformation factor analysis to further verify the determined Am(III) speciation and the used structural model.
Supramolecular hydrogen-bonding patterns in two cocrystals of the N(7)–H tautomeric form ofN6-benzoyladenine:N6-benzoyladenine–3-hydroxypyridinium-2-carboxylate (1/1) andN6-benzoyladenine–DL-tartaric acid (1/1)
Authors: Karthikeyan Ammasai , Swinton Darious Robert , Thomas Muthiah Packianathan , Perdih Franc
Published: October 2015

Two novel cocrystals of the N(7)—H tautomeric form ofN6-benzoyladenine (BA), namelyN6-benzoyladenine–3-hydroxypyridinium-2-carboxylate (3HPA) (1/1), C12H9N5O·C6H5NO3, (I), andN6-benzoyladenine–DL-tartaric acid (TA) (1/1), C12H9N5O·C4H6O6, (II), are reported. In both cocrystals, theN6-benzoyladenine molecule exists as the N(7)—H tautomer, and this tautomeric form is stabilized by intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bonding between the benzoyl C=O group and the N(7)—H hydrogen on the Hoogsteen site of the purine ring, forming anS(7) motif. The dihedral angle between the adenine and phenyl planes is 0.94 (8)° in (I) and 9.77 (8)° in (II). In (I), the Watson–Crick face of BA (N6—H and N1; purine numbering) interacts with the carboxylate and phenol groups of 3HPA through N—H...O and O—H...N hydrogen bonds, generating a ring-motif heterosynthon [graph setR22(6)]. However, in (II), the Hoogsteen face of BA (benzoyl O atom and N7; purine numbering) interacts with TA (hydroxy and carbonyl O atoms) through N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds, generating a different heterosynthon [graph setR22(4)]. Both crystal structures are further stabilized by π–π stacking interactions.
Two different one-dimensional CdIIhalide coordination polymers constructed through bridging carboxylate ligands
Authors: Hou Xue-Li , Wang Hui-Ting
Published: October 2015

Two cadmium halide complexes,catena-poly[[chloridocadmium(II)]-di-μ-chlorido-[chloridocadmium(II)]-bis[μ2-4-(dimethylamino)pyridin-1-ium-1-acetate]-κ3O:O,O′;κ3O,O′:O], [CdCl2(C9H12N2O2)]n, (I), andcatena-poly[1-cyanomethyl-1,4-diazoniabicyclo[2.2.2]octane [[dichloridocadmium(II)]-μ-oxalato-κ4O1,O2:O1′,O2′] monohydrate], {(C8H15N3)[CdCl2(C2O4)]·H2O}n, (II), were synthesized in aqueous solution. In (I), the CdIIcation is octahedrally coordinated by three O atoms from two carboxylate groups and by one terminal and two bridging chloride ligands. Neighbouring CdIIcations are linked together by chloride anions and bridging O atoms to form a one-dimensional zigzag chain. Hydrogen-bond interactions are involved in the formation of the two-dimensional network. In (II), each CdIIcation is octahedrally coordinated by four O atoms from two oxalic acid ligands and two terminal Cl−ligands. Neighbouring CdIIcations are linked together by oxalate groups to form a one-dimensional anionic chain, and the water molecules and organic cations are connected to this one-dimensional zigzag chain through hydrogen-bond interactions.
Crystal structures of cristobalite-type and coesite-type PON redetermined on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data
Authors: Bykov Maxim , Bykova Elena , Dyadkin Vadim , Baumann Dominik , Schnick Wolfgang , Dubrovinsky Leonid , Dubrovinskaia Natalia
Published: October 2015

Hitherto, phosphorus oxonitride (PON) could not be obtained in the form of single crystals and only powder diffraction experiments were feasible for structure studies. In the present work we have synthesized two polymorphs of phosphorus oxonitride, cristobalite-type (cri-PON) and coesite-type (coe-PON), in the form of single crystals and reinvestigated their crystal structures by means of in house and synchrotron single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal structures ofcri-PON andcoe-PON are built from PO2N2tetrahedral units, each with a statistical distribution of oxygen and nitrogen atoms. The crystal structure of thecoe-PON phase has the space groupC2/cwith seven atomic sites in the asymmetric unit [two P and three (N,O) sites on general positions, one (N,O) site on an inversion centre and one (N,O) site on a twofold rotation axis], while thecri-PON phase possesses tetragonalI-42dsymmetry with two independent atoms in the asymmetric unit [the P atom on a fourfold inversion axis and the (N,O) site on a twofold rotation axis]. In comparison with previous structure determinations from powder data, all atoms were refined with anisotropic displacement parameters, leading to higher precision in terms of bond lengths and angles.
Crystal structure of tetrakis(μ-caproato-κ2O:O′)bis[(4-cyanopyridine-κN1)copper(II)]
Authors: Baruah Sukanya , Islam Zinnatara , Karmakar Sanjib , Das Birinchi Kumar
Published: October 2015

The title dinuclear complex, [Cu2(C6H11O2)4(C6H4N2)2], has a paddle-wheel structure. The two crystallographically independent CuIIatoms are each in a distorted square-pyramidal environment, in which four O atoms from the four bridging caproate ligands form the basal plane and the pyridine N atom of the 4-cyanopyridine ligand occupies the apical position. The Cu...Cu distance is 2.6055 (9) Å. One of the alkyl chains of the caproate ligands is disordered over two sets of sites, with occupancies of 0.725 (5) and 0.275 (5). In the crystal, two pairs of C—H...N hydrogen bonds connect the molecules into chains along [11-1] and C—H...O hydrogen bonds link the chains into a three-dimensional network.
Competitiveness: from a misleading concept to a strategy supporting Beyond GDP goals
Authors: Aiginger Karl , Vogel Johanna
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to show how the term competitiveness has been applied and adapted since Michael Porter made it respectable in economics, strategic management and consulting. This paper connects the concept with new developments in the theory of the firm, theories of growth and, finally, with Beyond GDP literature.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper distinguishes between input and output competitiveness, developing a set of indictors for both. Countries are ranked according to costs, structure and capabilities (drivers of competitiveness) as well as according to economic, social and ecological performance (performance pillars). Finally, outcome competitiveness is explained by the individual drivers, using econometrics and principal component analyses.

Practical implications

– Defining competitiveness as the ability of a country or nation to deliver Beyond GDP goals changes the policy conclusions drawn from the quest for competitiveness. Policies to reduce costs prove inferior relative to “high-road strategies” built on skills, innovation and supporting institutions. Ecological ambition and social investment are not costs, but enablers of competitiveness for high-income countries.

Originality/value

– Connecting the well-known term competitiveness with Beyond GDP goals is a new approach. It is very different from the old concept of cost competitiveness criticized heavily by Paul Krugman. Supplying a set of indicators to measure “low-road” and “high-road” competitiveness leads to important new policy conclusions.
Threat orientation in small and medium-sized enterprises
Authors: Herbane Brahim
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the experience, impact and likelihood of an acute business interruption, along with the perceived ability to intervene, influences the “threat orientation” of owner-managers in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. The concept of “threat orientation” is introduced in this study as a way to eschew the binary view of whether an organisation does or does not have processes and capabilities to respond to acute interruptions.

Design/methodology/approach

– “Threat orientation” is operationalised and survey data are collected from 215 SMEs in the UK. Data from owner-managers are analysed using multiple regression techniques.

Findings

– The results of this study provide empirical evidence to highlight the importance of firm age rather than size as a determinant of the propensity to formalise activities to deal with acute interruptions. Recent experience and the ability to intervene were statistically significant predictors of threat orientation but the likelihood and concern about specific types of threat was not found to positively influence threat orientation.

Research limitations/implications

– Although the data are self-report in nature, the respondents in the study are the chief decision and policy makers in their organisations and thus it is essential to understand the influences on their threat orientation. Results are generalisable only to UK SMEs.

Originality/value

– The findings of the paper contribute to a nascent understanding of planning for acute interruptions in SMEs and (despite the cross-sectional nature of the study), the findings clearly reinforce the need for continuing longitudinal research into how resilience develops in smaller organisations.
Identity change in organizations: a philosophical exposition
Authors: Koskinen Kaj Untamo
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to describe how organization’s identity changes in the course of time. Focus is on project-based companies.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper first highlights the concept of process thinking. Then follow descriptions of notions of identity and identity change as change processes. After that, three different identity change processes – negotiation of meaning, lauguaging and interaction – are illustrated. And after that follows the main content of the paper, namely, descriptions of identity changes in organizations. These descriptions focus on two approaches: “Unintentional identity change” and “Intentional identity change”.

Findings

– Identity provides organizations with powerful understanding of theories of who they are. These understandings guide subsequent resource allocation decisions. Identity change in an organization can be categorized into unintentional and intentional identity changes. Unintentional identity changes takes place through the previously mentioned three processes. Instead, intentional identity change takes place through strategy planning.

Practical implications

– Finding a viable view through which organizations can understand how their identities chance in the course of time is a very important issue. Therefore, in this paper, the authors have sought to offer a brief illustration of this area.

Originality/value

– In the literature, rather, a lot of attention has been focused on how identities are constructed, and what is their role, for example, in the companies’ strategic management and marketing. However, less attention has been paid to how identities are involved in organizations’ change processes. That is why the goal of this paper is to address that lack by studying identity change in organizations.
Enacting change through borrowed legitimacy: an institutional perspective
Authors: Mattingly Eric Shaunn , Westover Jonathan H.
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to offer borrowed legitimacy through coalitions as an explanation for how an organization might successfully deviate from social norms to enact change, yet still gain sufficient cognitive and sociopolitical legitimacy for survival. This paper explains that borrowing legitimacy through a coalition allows an illegitimate organization to impose an alternative future despite institutional pressures for its convergence to social norms, rules and expectations.

Design/methodology/approach

– To explore the ability of an organization that lacks legitimacy to borrow legitimacy through a coalition, the authors use a case study and content analysis of interviews, news articles and other publicly available secondary data to examine an environmentalist organization, Sea Shepherds, who openly seek legitimacy and resources, and are engaged in enacting change while using a unique or alternative form.

Findings

– The case study here shows how a coalition with another organization that already has legitimacy can help the reference organization gain legitimacy themselves by borrowing legitimacy initially. Specifically, because more constituents are aware of the organization with existing legitimacy, the coalition allows the reference organization to borrow that cognitive legitimacy and constituents become aware of the reference organization as well.

Research limitations/implications

– Although this study provides meaningful insights to the phenomena at hand, it is limited in method and scope. As noted by Zucker, the institutional environment is very important to organization form and likelihood of success (Zucker, 1987); however, this paper does not include a parameter that recognizes the environment specifically. Instead, the model includes a parameter, p, to acknowledge that there are exogenous factors that affect the likelihood of a successful outcome that are not considered individually in the model. Also, this study does not empirically test specific hypotheses using a generalizable sample.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to institutional theory by providing a case study of an organization that is enacting change in lieu of the forces that promote institutionalization. The reference organization in the case study demonstrates one form of entrepreneurial organization that successfully deviates from social norms to enact change, yet still gains cognitive and sociopolitical legitimacy. The case study in this paper contributes by providing an example of an organizational form that allows a seemingly illegitimate organization to envision and impose an alternative future despite institutional pressures by forming a coalition with an actor that already has legitimacy.
The connection between organizational climate and well-being at work
Authors: Viitala Riitta , Tanskanen Jussi , Säntti Risto
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the connections between organizational climate and well-being at work.

Design/methodology/approach

– Connections between perceived organizational climate and well-being at work were studied through quantitative data gathered from 24 public day-care centers in Finland.

Findings

– The unit-level analyses revealed that different types of organizational climates were connected to different types of job well-being in the unit. Organizational climate types were differentially connected to stress and cynicism, but were not connected to work engagement. Employees in units where work climate was collectively evaluated as particularly weak reported significantly lower well-being than those in units with better work climate. The most positive climates – “relaxed and friendly” and “encouraging and supportive of new ideas” – seemed to be more strongly connected to well-being than negative climates.

Originality/value

– The study confirmed and clarified the link between organizational climate and job well-being and emphasized how different climate types have varying types of connection to well-being at work.
Negotiating organizational future: symbolic struggles in a fiscal crisis
Authors: Schaefer Zachary A. , Lynch Owen H.
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The authors use concepts from the “communication constitutes organizations” (CCO) literature in combination with Cooren’s (2010, 2012) ventriloquism to demonstrate the symbolic uses of texts and shifting interpretations of authority during a negotiation regarding the future of a nonprofit educational institution. The two sides negotiating over how to resolve a fiscal crisis struggled to achieve legitimacy through competing institutional logics, and this paper captures this process through a detailed account. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study emerged from a multi-year full immersion ethnography undertaken by the second author, who spent over 5,000 hours as a participant observer at the organization. The quotes and observations come form field notes taken during this time.

Findings

– Communication constitutes the nonprofit institution through two communication flows – self-structuring processes and institutional positioning – and these flows symbolically and materially unified the opposing negotiation parties during the negotiation process as each side struggled to gain legitimacy through competing institutional logics. The process of ventriloquism was the mechanism through which different actors and texts negotiated their levels of authority.

Practical implications

– This case demonstrates how oppositional groups used and viewed texts throughout a negotiation process, revealing the agency, authority, legitimacy, and symbolic power of texts. This case also highlights the political struggle between institutional logics backed by financial models and professional logics backed by traditional organizational values.

Originality/value

– At a material level, this case is a detailed examination of organizational members navigating the negotiation process during a fiscal crisis, but on a symbolic level this case demonstrates the communicative means through which oppositional groups negotiate core organizational values, and whether past values can lead organizations to a sustainable future. The observational depth of this case study was only possible through long term, full immersion ethnography, and this depth provides clarity to abstract concepts from CCO, ventriloquism, and institutional theory.