Multi‐contextuality in boundary‐spanning practices

The capability to establish boundary‐spanning practices within and across organizations has for long been recognized as a key strategic resource. As organizations are becoming distributed and dynamic, they will be increasingly populated by multiple functional, geographical, hierarchical and professional boundaries. The inherent complexity of such settings makes it difficult for organizations to leverage their boundary‐spanning practices. Information technology (IT) systems have been hailed as a critical enabler of boundary spanning. However, there is little knowledge on how organizations are affected by the introduction of different types of IT systems. Building on an interpretive case study of Swedish transport organizations, this paper explores consequences of sensor technology for boundary spanning. The paper contributes with an understanding of what coexisting use contexts mean for boundary‐spanning practices. A theoretical implication is that such multi‐contextuality requires an integrative view on boundary spanning that combines insights from the organizational innovation and work practice literatures.     

Design matters for decision makers: Discovering IT investment alternatives

The literature has traditionally focused on how decision makers choose among alternatives based on rational behaviors, organizational politics, and organized anarchies. However, there is little research on decision making as a creative process where managers discover and evaluate alternatives. We address this gap by proposing a design approach to transform decisions in organizations. The approach views decision making as a creative and adaptive process in which managers recursively collect and interpret heterogeneous evidence, explore and test different ideas, and discover and evaluate alternatives. While the approach is rooted in the know-how of the involved stakeholders, its underpinning design attitude invites managers to better understand possible alternatives based on analyses of structured as well as unstructured data. To assess its utility, we applied the approach to IT investment evaluations through a Collaborative Practice Research project involving Swedish public organizations. Building on the project findings, we discuss the proposed approach and spell out its implications for transforming decision making in organizations.     

Metasternal Gland Volatiles and Sexual Communication in the Triatomine Bug, Rhodnius prolixus

Twelve compounds produced by the metasternal glands (MGs) of the triatomine bug Rhodnius prolixus were identified by solid phase microextraction (SPME) combined with coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using achiral and chiral columns. All substances were ketones or alcohols, and the same compound profile was found in the secretions produced by either sex. The most abundant compounds were 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol, (2S)-pentanol, (3E)-2-methyl-3-penten-2-ol, and (2R/2S)-4-methyl-3-penten-2-ol. Emission of these compounds was detected more frequently from females than males, and females released them more frequently during the early hours of the scotophase, the period when sexual activity in this species is at its peak. These compounds were also detected in the headspace above mating pairs. Finally, the occlusion of the MG orifices of male or female bugs with paraffin resulted in a significant decrease in copulation frequency compared to sham-operated insects. Together, these data suggest that the MG secretions of R. prolixus may be involved in sexual communication.     

Factors Explaining Interpersonal Variation in Plasma Enterolactone Concentrations in Humans

Lignans are diphenolic plant compounds with potential health modulating properties that are absorbed to the circulation and metabolized to the enterolignans enterodiol (END) and enterolactone (ENL) by gut microbiota. Epidemiological studies have inconsistently shown that a high lignan intake and circulating ENL are associated with reduced risk of breast‐, prostate‐, and colorectal cancer as well as cardiovascular disease and total and cause‐specific mortality. Inconsistencies can be due to interpersonal variation of ENL formation or responses. The aim of this review is to identify and evaluate the impact of factors influencing variability in plasma concentrations of the main enterolignan, ENL. The main determinants of plasma ENL concentrations are intake of lignan and lignan‐rich foods, composition and activity of intestinal microflora, antimicrobial use, nutrient intake, BMI, smoking, sex, and age. Composition and activity of the intestinal microbiota appear to be the most critical factor governing interpersonal variability in plasma ENL concentration followed by the use of antibiotics. Future studies with combined data from gut microbiota and metabolomics with food intake and life style data can be used to estimate the relative contribution of the different factors to ENL concentration in quantitative terms.     

Influence from process parameters on void formation in resin transfer molding

The influence of different process variables on the void content in resin transfer modling (RTM) has been investigated experimentally. The moldings were made in a flat mold filled by a parallel flow from one edge of the laminate to the other. The viods were found concentrated in a narrow region close to the ventilation side of the laminate. The void volume fraction in this region was almost constant and dropped over a short distance to basically no voids in the rest of the laminate. Micrographs from cross sections in different directions revealed that the voids were of two different types, long cylinderical bubbles inside the fiber bundles. An efficient way of reducing the void content was to use vacuum assistance during mold filling. This technique was benefical both for the magnitude of the void content and for the extent of the void region. The void content with the highest level of vacuum assistance (≈︁ 1 kPa absolute pressure), was practically negligible. Strong indications for void generation by mechanical entrapment at the flow front was found. The lowering of the void content with vacuum assistance can be interpreted as aresult of compression of voids when the vacuum is released and a higher mobility of voids created at a lower pressure.     

Insights into early hydration of Portland limestone cement from infrared spectroscopy and isothermal calorimetry

Isothermal calorimetry and diffuse reflectance infrared DR-FTIR spectroscopy are combined to correlate evolutions of spectroscopic signatures with rates of chemical reactions as reflected in the rate of heat emitted during the first 38 h of cement hydration. Portland limestone cement mortar is employed and the analysis is repeated for two different mixing procedures. Intensive blender mixing with quartz sand is found to cause activation of the cement resulting in a faster hydration process. At early stages of hydration, two types of C-S-H are formed. The spectral intensity of the earlier C-S-H is found to saturate, while that of the later form continues to acquire intensity throughout the 38 h of the experiment. Evidences are presented which support the interpretation that the two forms differ mainly in morphology and water content. Simultaneously with the saturation of the early C-S-H, a transient species is observed with DR-FTIR. This species correlates with the observed thermogram fine-structure.     

Clinical and Functional Study of a De Novo Variant in the PVP Motif of Kv1.1 Channel Associated with Epilepsy,Developmental Delay and Ataxia

Mutations in the KCNA1 gene, encoding the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.1, have been associated with a spectrum of neurological phenotypes, including episodic ataxia type 1 and developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. We have recently identified a de novo variant in KCNA1 in the highly conserved Pro-Val-Pro motif within the pore of the Kv1.1 channel in a girl affected by early onset epilepsy, ataxia and developmental delay. Other mutations causing severe epilepsy are located in Kv1.1 pore domain. The patient was initially treated with a combination of antiepileptic drugs with limited benefit. Finally, seizures and ataxia control were achieved with lacosamide and acetazolamide. The aim of this study was to functionally characterize Kv1.1 mutant channel to provide a genotype–phenotype correlation and discuss therapeutic options for KCNA1-related epilepsy. To this aim, we transfected HEK 293 cells with Kv1.1 or P403A cDNAs and recorded potassium currents through whole-cell patch-clamp. P403A channels showed smaller potassium currents, voltage-dependent activation shifted by +30 mV towards positive potentials and slower kinetics of activation compared with Kv1.1 wild-type. Heteromeric Kv1.1+P403A channels, resembling the condition of the heterozygous patient, confirmed a loss-of-function biophysical phenotype. Overall, the functional characterization of P403A channels correlates with the clinical symptoms of the patient and supports the observation that mutations associated with severe epileptic phenotype cluster in a highly conserved stretch of residues in Kv1.1 pore domain. This study also strengthens the beneficial effect of acetazolamide and sodium channel blockers in KCNA1 channelopathies.     

A complex carotenoid palette tunes avian colour vision

The brilliantly coloured cone oil droplets of the avian retina function as long-pass cut-off filters that tune the spectral sensitivity of the photoreceptors and are hypothesized to enhance colour discrimination and improve colour constancy. Although it has long been known that these droplets are pigmented with carotenoids, their precise composition has remained uncertain owing to the technical challenges of measuring these very small, dense and highly refractile optical organelles. In this study, we integrated results from high-performance liquid chromatography, hyperspectral microscopy and microspectrophotometry to obtain a comprehensive understanding of oil droplet carotenoid pigmentation in the chicken (Gallus gallus). We find that each of the four carotenoid-containing droplet types consists of a complex mixture of carotenoids, with a single predominant carotenoid determining the wavelength of the spectral filtering cut-off. Consistent with previous reports, we find that the predominant carotenoid type in the oil droplets of long-wavelength-sensitive, medium-wavelength-sensitive and short-wavelength-sensitive type 2 cones are astaxanthin, zeaxanthin and galloxanthin, respectively. In addition, the oil droplet of the principal member of the double cone contains a mixture of galloxanthin and two hydroxycarotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin). Short-wavelength-absorbing apocarotenoids are present in all of the droplet types, providing filtering of light in a region of the spectrum where filtering by hydroxy- and ketocarotenoids may be incomplete. Thus, birds rely on a complex palette of carotenoid pigments within their cone oil droplets to achieve finely tuned spectral filtering.     

Erosion-corrosion of Fe- and Ni-based tubes and coatings in a fluidized bed test rig during exposure to HCl- and SO2-containing atmospheres

Tubes made from five commercial alloys (Fe9Cr1Mo, 304L, Esshete 1250, 353 MA and Inconel 625) as well as two coating materials (Inconel 625 and Metco 8443) deposited on low alloyed steel tubes were exposed to different atmospheres in a laboratory fluidized bed test rig at 550 °C for 3 weeks (504 h). The atmospheres were air, air + 50 ppm HCl and air + 50 ppm SO₂. Excluding the Metco 8443 coating, all materials show the lowest wastage rate in the SO₂-containing atmosphere. For all exposure conditions, the best overall performance is shown by the Fe9Cr1Mo alloy. The circumferential wastage profiles recorded on tubes exposed in air and air + 50 ppm HCl show an erosion pattern with two maxima (Type A behaviour), while the tubes recorded in the SO₂-containing atmosphere display only one maximum (Type B behaviour).     

Effective reduction of Vibrio vulnificus in the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) using high salinity depuration

Depuration under different salinities was used to reduce the human pathogen Vibrio vulnificus from Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Individual recirculating systems were used to test the efficacy of depuration at three salinities (15, 25, and 35 psu) in four independent trials during a 14 day period. Initial loads of V. vulnificus were higher than 10,000 MPN/g of oyster meat in all trials. Data showed that 25 and 35 psu treatments were more efficient in reducing V. vulnificus numbers than 15 psu with an overall reduction of >3 logs. A significant decrease in MPN/g was observed as early as day 6 and further reductions were observed at day 10, while longer depurations did not improve efficacy. Only the highest salinity (35 psu) was capable of reducing V. vulnificus numbers to the FDA recommended level of <30 MPN/g in two of the four trials. Oysters survived well in the depuration systems with minimal mortality (<1%) but their condition index (meat quality and yield) decreased during the 14 day period in all treatments. The data presented in this study suggests that high salinity depuration is a promising method to reduce V. vulnificus in oysters.