Unique Sm core structure of U7 snRNPs: assembly by a specialized SMN complex and the role of a new component, Lsm11, in histone RNA processing.

A set of seven Sm proteins assemble on the Sm-binding site of spliceosomal U snRNAs to form the ring-shaped Sm core. The U7 snRNP involved in histone RNA 3' processing contains a structurally similar but biochemically unique Sm core in which two of these proteins, Sm D1 and D2, are replaced by Lsm10 and by another as yet unknown component. Here we characterize this factor, termed Lsm11, as a novel Sm-like protein with apparently two distinct functions. In vitro studies suggest that its long N-terminal part mediates an important step in histone mRNA 3'-end cleavage, most likely by recruiting a zinc finger protein previously identified as a processing factor. In contrast, the C-terminal part, which comprises two Sm motifs interrupted by an unusually long spacer, is sufficient to assemble with U7, but not U1, snRNA. Assembly of this U7-specific Sm core depends on the noncanonical Sm-binding site of U7 snRNA. Moreover, it is facilitated by a specialized SMN complex that contains Lsm10 and Lsm11 but lacks Sm D1/D2. Thus, the U7-specific Lsm11 protein not only specifies the assembly of the U7 Sm core but also fulfills an important role in U7 snRNP-mediated histone mRNA processing.

Does a reference to evaluations contribute to discourse quality? The case of Swiss direct-democratic campaigns on school policy: a conceptual framework

This article examines how references to evaluations in school policy debates contribute to discourse quality. The article consists of two parts: First, it presents a descriptive overview of the references to evidence in direct-democratic campaigns. These results are based on a quantitative content analysis of the newspaper coverage and governmental information documents of 103 direct-democratic Swiss school policy votes. In a second step, it discusses these findings in view of the question of whether the incorporation of evaluation results in policy debates contributes to discourse quality. It presents a conceptual framework, including hypotheses and a research design to answer this question.

Humanitarian intervention and the issue of state sovereignty in the discourse of legal experts between the 1830s and the First World War

This article discusses the tensions between the principle of state sovereignty and the idea of a "humanitarian intervention" (or a intervention on humanitarian grounds) as they resulted from the debate of leading legal scholars in the 19th and early 20th century. While prominent scholars such as Johann Caspar Bluntschli, Gustave Rolin Jaequemyns or Aegidius Arntz spoke out in favour of a form of "humanitarian interventions", others such as August Wilhelm Heffter or Pasquale Fiore were much more critical and in many cases spoke out in favour of absolute state sovereignty.

Placing Strategy Discourse in Context : Sociomateriality, Sensemaking, and Power

There has been increasing interest in the discursive aspects of strategy over the last two decades. In this editorial we review the existing literature, focusing on six major bodies of discursive scholarship: post-structural, critical discourse analysis, narrative, rhetoric, conversation analysis and metaphor. Our review reveals the significant contributions of research on strategy and discourse, but also the potential to advance research in this area by bringing together research on discursive practices and research on other practices we know to be important in strategy work. We explore the potential of discursive scholarship in integrating between significant theoretical domains (sensemaking, power and sociomateriality), and realms of analysis (institutional, organizational and the episodic), relevant to strategy scholarship. This allows us to place the papers published in the special issue Strategy as Discourse: Its Significance, Challenges and Future Directions among the body of knowledge accumulated thus far, and to suggest a way forward for future scholarship.