The Role of Artefacts in the Process of Replication

This paper investigates the role of artefacts for the replication or routines in organizations. Drawing on data of a large franchise organization in the UK, we show that actors' engagement with a portfolio of different primary (e.g. software, tools) and secondary (e.g. manuals) artefacts that are part of the business format, gives rise to five artefact enabled practices of replication (activity scoping, time patterning, practical enquiry, use in practice and contextual enquiry). Importantly, these practices of replication enable three different types of franchisee agency (iterational, practical evaluative and projective agency) that support but partly also challenge replication in terms of the similarity of organizational routines across units. Our findings have several theoretical contributions for the growing literature on replication as well as materiality and artefacts in organizations.

Cellular hyper-excitability caused by mutations that alter the activation process of voltage-gated sodium channels.

Voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) are widely expressed as macro-molecular complexes in both excitable and non-excitable tissues. In excitable tissues, the upstroke of the action potential is the result of the passage of a large and rapid influx of sodium ions through these channels. NaV dysfunction has been associated with an increasingly wide range of neurological, muscular and cardiac disorders. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recently identified sodium channel mutations that are linked to hyper-excitability phenotypes and associated with the alteration of the activation process of voltage gated sodium channels. Indeed, several clinical manifestations that demonstrate an alteration of tissue excitability were recently shown to be strongly associated with the presence of mutations that affect the activation process of the Nav. These emerging genotype-phenotype correlations have expanded the clinical spectrum of sodium channelopathies to include disorders which feature a hyper-excitability phenotype that may or may not be associated with a cardiomyopathy. The p.I141V mutation in SCN4A and SCN5A, as well as its homologous p.I136V mutation in SCN9A, are interesting examples of mutations that have been linked to inherited hyperexcitability myotonia, exercise-induced polymorphic ventricular arrhythmias and erythromelalgia, respectively. Regardless of which sodium channel isoform is investigated, the substitution of the isoleucine to valine in the locus 141 induces similar modifications in the biophysical properties of the Nav by shifting the voltage-dependence of steady state activation toward more negative potentials.

The Arduous Process of Climate Change Negotiations: How Science Can Facilitate the Desired Outcome

Effective interaction between climate science and policy is important for moving climate negotiations forward to reach an ambitious global climate change deal. Lack of progress in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations during recent years is a good reason for taking a closer look at the process of climate science–policy interaction to identify and eliminate existing shortcomings hindering climate policymaking. This paper examines the current state of climate science–policy interaction and suggests ways to integrate scientific input into the UNFCCC process more effectively. Suggestions relate to improvement in institutional structures, processes and procedures of the UNFCCC and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), quality of scientific input, credibility of scientific message and public awareness of climate change.

Geschlechtsuntypische Berufswahlen bei jungen Frauen: Muss das Vorbild weiblich sein?

Im Zentrum des vorliegenden Beitrags steht die Analyse der Bedeutung elterlicher Vorbilder für eine geschlechtsuntypische Berufswahl bei jungen Frauen. Die Fragestellungen werden auf der Datengrundlage einer standardisierten Befragung von Jugendlichen, die in beruflicher Ausbildung stehen (N = 1431), untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Familie für Jugendliche ein wichtiger Herkunftsbereich für Vorbilder darstellt, wobei Mutter und Vater am häufigsten als Vorbilder genannt werden. Zudem wird ersichtlich, dass Jugendliche zumeist gleichgeschlechtliche Vorbilder wählen. Weibliche Jugendliche verhalten sich bei der Wahl ihrer Vorbilder jedoch weniger geschlechterstereotyp als männliche Jugendliche, die fast nur Personen gleichen Geschlechts als Vorbilder wählen. Im Hinblick auf die elterliche Vorbildfunktion bei der Berufswahl zeigen unsere Ergebnisse, dass die Wahrscheinlichkeit der Wahl eines frauenuntypischen Berufs durch junge Frauen am größten ist, wenn deren Mutter oder Vater einen männertypischen oder geschlechtsneutralen Beruf ausüben.

Modeling of red blood cell life-spans in hematologically normal populations

Despite the impact of red blood cell (RBC) Life-spans in some disease areas such as diabetes or anemia of chronic kidney disease, there is no consensus on how to quantitatively best describe the process. Several models have been proposed to explain the elimination process of RBCs: random destruction process, homogeneous life-span model, or a series of 4-transit compartment model. The aim of this work was to explore the different models that have been proposed in literature, and modifications to those. The impact of choosing the right model on future outcomes prediction--in the above mentioned areas--was also investigated. Both data from indirect (clinical data) and direct life-span measurement (biotin-labeled data) methods were analyzed using non-linear mixed effects models. Analysis showed that: (1) predictions from non-steady state data will depend on the RBC model chosen; (2) the transit compartment model, which considers variation in life-span in the RBC population, better describes RBC survival data than the random destruction or homogenous life-span models; and (3) the additional incorporation of random destruction patterns, although improving the description of the RBC survival data, does not appear to provide a marked improvement when describing clinical data.

Explaining Emergence and Consequences of Specific Formal Controls in IS Outsourcing – A Process-View

IS outsourcing projects often fail to achieve project goals. To inhibit this failure, managers need to design formal controls that are tailored to the specific contextual demands. However, the dynamic and uncertain nature of IS outsourcing projects makes the design of such specific formal controls at the outset of a project challenging. Hence, the process of translating high-level project goals into specific formal controls becomes crucial for success or failure of IS outsourcing projects. Based on a comparative case study of four IS outsourcing projects, our study enhances current understanding of such translation processes and their consequences by developing a process model that explains the success or failure to achieve high-level project goals as an outcome of two unique translation patterns. This novel process-based explanation for how and why IS outsourcing projects succeed or fail has important implications for control theory and IS project escalation literature.

Predicting Physical Activity in Adolescents: The Role of Compensatory Health Beliefs within the Health Action Process Approach

Objective: Compensatory health beliefs (CHBs), defined as beliefs that healthy behaviours can compensate for unhealthy behaviours, may be one possible factor hindering people in adopting a healthier lifestyle. This study examined the contribution of CHBs to the prediction of adolescents’ physical activity within the theoretical framework of the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA). Design: The study followed a prospective survey design with assessments at baseline (T1) and two weeks later (T2). Method: Questionnaire data on physical activity, HAPA variables and CHBs were obtained twice from 430 adolescents of four different Swiss schools. Multilevel modelling was applied. Results: CHBs added significantly to the prediction of intentions and change in intentions, in that higher CHBs were associated with lower intentions to be physically active at T2 and a reduction in intentions from T1 to T2. No effect of CHBs emerged for the prediction of self-reported levels of physical activity at T2 and change in physical activity from T1 to T2. Conclusion: Findings emphasise the relevance of examining CHBs in the context of an established health behaviour change model and suggest that CHBs are of particular importance in the process of intention formation.