Understanding how organizational culture typology relates to organizational unlearning and innovation capabilities

This study focuses on the link between organizational unlearning and innovation capabilities and explores how this relationship might be managed within an innovative firm. In order to gain a clearer insight into to the influence of a firm’s culture on organizational unlearning and its innovation capabilities, a research model was developed that employs the Competing Values Framework (Cameron & Quinn, 1999). In this model, the influence of a firm’s cultural typology on unlearning and innovation is conceptualized and hypotheses are developed. The model was tested empirically using a sample of 145 firms drawn from the Spanish automotive components manufacturing sector and the relationships between the constructs were assessed using the partial least squares path-modeling approach. The results reveal that each distinct organizational culture exerts a different impact on the innovation and unlearning outcome variables. In particular, an adhocracy culture is associated closely with innovation capabilities while a market culture exerts a significant influence on organizational unlearnin

Mimosa obstrigosa Burkart

Santa AnaFil: Ariza Espinar. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal; Argentin

A Useful allene for the stereoselective synthesis of protected quaternary 2-amino-2-vinyl-1,3-diols

Treatment of readily available allene 1 with Cy2BH followed by addition of an aldehyde led to quaternary protected 2-amino-2-vinyl-1,3-diols in high yield and excellent stereochemical purity. The choice of benzoyl as N-protecting group is critical since the observed N- to O-Bz transfer during the process prevents later undesired isomerizations in the adducts and keeps all heteroatoms protected

An analysis of existing production frameworks for statistical and geographic information: Synergies, gaps and integration

The production of official statistical and geospatial data is often in the hands of highly specialized public agencies that have traditionally followed their own paths and established their own production frameworks. In this article, we present the main frameworks of these two areas and focus on the possibility and need to achieve a better integration between them through the interoperability of systems, processes, and data. The statistical area is well led and has well-defined frameworks. The geospatial area does not have clear leadership and the large number of standards establish a framework that is not always obvious. On the other hand, the lack of a general and common legal framework is also highlighted. Additionally, three examples are offered: the first is the application of the spatial data quality model to the case of statistical data, the second of the application of the statistical process model to the geospatial case, and the third is the use of linked geospatial and statistical data. These examples demonstrate the possibility of transferring experiences/advances from one area to another. In this way, we emphasize the conceptual proximity of these two areas, highlighting synergies, gaps, and potential integration. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

An international approach of the relationship between board attributes and the disclosure of corporate social responsibility issues

This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: An international approach of the relationship between board attributes and the disclosure of corporate social responsibility issues. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management (2018), which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1707. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.Firms interested in being perceived by all stakeholders and society as drivers of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, especially regarding CSR reporting, should have boards of directors that defend not only shareholder interests but also all stakeholders' needs. Thus, we expect that efficient boards, particularly if well‐structured, will impact on CSR disclosure. As a result, in this paper, we examine the effect of board composition, particularly board size, board independence, board gender diversity, chief executive officer (CEO) duality, and CSR board committee, on CSR reporting. Using a sample of international firms, concretely 13,178 observations belonging to 39 countries, we hypothesize that all these attributes positively affect CSR disclosure, except board independence and CEO duality, which are expected to impact negatively. These hypotheses are theoretically supported by the agency and stakeholder perspectives. Our findings support all the hypotheses, except that of CEO duality, and therefore, we conclude that board characteristics such as board size, board gender diversity, and CSR board committees encourage the disclosure of CSR matters, whereas board independence discourages this reporting. Contrary to our predictions, CEO duality has a positive effect on CSR reporting

Gaussian Processes for radiation dose prediction in nuclear power plant reactors

In nuclear power plants, there are high-exposure jobs, like refuelling and maintenance, that require getting close to the reactor between operation cycles. Therefore, reducing radiation dose during these periods is of paramount importance regarding safety regulations. While there are some manipulable variables, like levels of certain corrosion products, that can influence the final level of radiation dose, there is no way to determine it in a principled way. In this work, we propose to use Machine Learning to predict the radiation dose in the reactor at the cycle end based on information available during the cycle operation. In particular, we use a Gaussian Process to model the relation between cobalt radioisotopes (a certain kind of corrosion product) and radiation dose levels. Gaussian Processes acknowledge the uncertainty on their predictions, a desirable property considering the high-risk nature of the present application. We report experiments on real data gathered from five different power plants in Spain. Results show that these models can be used to estimate the future values of radiation dose in a data-driven way. Moreover, there are tools based on these models currently in development for their application in power plantsThe authors from the UAM are funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (MCIU) and Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (AEI), and also by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER in Spanish, ERDF in English), by project RTI2018-098091- B-I00. The work has been conducted in the context of a signed collaboration agreement between AUDIAS-UAM and ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas S. A

Organosolv pulping of olive tree trimmings by use of ethylene glycol/soda/water mixtures

This paper reports on the influence of independent variables in the ethylene glycol/soda pulping of olive wood trimmings (165–1958C, 30–90 min, ethylene glycol concentration 5–15%, soda concentration 2.5–7.5% and liquid/ solid ratio 4–6), on the yield and Kappa index of the pulps and the strength properties (breaking length, burst index and tear index) of paper sheets. By using a central composite factorial design, equations that relate each dependent variable to the different independent variables were obtained which reproduced the experimental results for the dependent variables with errors less than 12%. Using a temperature of 1848C, ethylene glycol and soda concentrations of 15% and 7%, respectively, a liquid/solid ratio of 5:1 and a cooking time of 30 min results in yield, Kappa index, breaking length, burst index and tear index values that depart by 14.3%, 8.2%, 17.1%, 17.0% and 2.3%, respectively, from their optimum levels. These conditions result in substantial savings in power consumption and immobilised capital investments as they involve a lower temperature, a lower liquid/solid ratio, and a shorter time than the maximum values tested

Factores asociados al ejercicio de la sexualidad de las y los adolescentes escolarizados de Cartagena – Colombia 2008

Objective: To establish the sexual practices and the associated factors of the sexual behavior of school adolescents of Cartagena. Methodology: Transversal study, population 104.088 adolescent students of Secondary School of Public and private schools of Cartagena. Sample 1.035 adolescents, confidence level 95 %, and error 2 %. Sampling: multistage. Two scales of knowledge and attitudes were used, and the Francis scale. Results: The average age to start sexual relations was 14.1, 17% of the adolescents have had sexual relationships. To have sexual relations is associated significantly with the fact of being male, being in a higher grade, cigarette consumption, belonging to a social group, gender inequality, having a partner and considering him/her stable. Sexual relations are more common in public schools than in private schools. Conclusion: Out of 22 factors studied, eight factors were strongly associated with the start of sexual relations.Objetivo: Establecer las prácticas sexuales y los factores asociados al ejercicio de la sexualidad de las y los adolescentes escolarizados en Cartagena. Metodología: Estudio transversal, población 104.088 adolescentes estudiantes de secundaria en colegios oficiales y privados de Cartagena. Muestra 1.035 adolescentes, intervalo de confianza 95%, error 2%. Muestreo; multietapico. Se utilizaron una escala de conocimientos y actitudes y la escala Francis para valorar religiosidad. Resultados: La edad promedio de inicio de relaciones sexuales fue de 14.1 años, el 17% de los adolescentes ha tenido relaciones sexuales. Tener relaciones sexuales se asocia con ser varón, mayor grado de escolaridad, consumir cigarrillo, pertenecer a un grupo social, desigualdad de género, tener pareja y considerarla estable. Tener relaciones sexuales es más frecuente, en adolescentes de colegios públicos que privados. Conclusión: de los veintidós factores estudiados, ocho factores se mantuvieron fuertemente asociados al inicio de relaciones sexuales

Gram-negative prosthetic joint infection: outcome of a debridement, antibiotics and implant retention approach. A large multicentre study

AbstractWe aim to evaluate the epidemiology and outcome of gram-negative prosthetic joint infection (GN-PJI) treated with debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR), identify factors predictive of failure, and determine the impact of ciprofloxacin use on prognosis. We performed a retrospective, multicentre, observational study of GN-PJI diagnosed from 2003 through to 2010 in 16 Spanish hospitals. We define failure as persistence or reappearance of the inflammatory joint signs during follow-up, leading to unplanned surgery or repeat debridement >30 days from the index surgery related death, or suppressive antimicrobial therapy. Parameters predicting failure were analysed with a Cox regression model. A total of 242 patients (33% men; median age 76 years, interquartile range (IQR) 68–81) with 242 episodes of GN-PJI were studied. The implants included 150 (62%) hip, 85 (35%) knee, five (2%) shoulder and two (1%) elbow prostheses. There were 189 (78%) acute infections. Causative microorganisms were Enterobacteriaceae in 78%, Pseudomonas spp. in 20%, and other gram-negative bacilli in 2%. Overall, 19% of isolates were ciprofloxacin resistant. DAIR was used in 174 (72%) cases, with an overall success rate of 68%, which increased to 79% after a median of 25 months' follow-up in ciprofloxacin-susceptible GN-PJIs treated with ciprofloxacin. Ciprofloxacin treatment exhibited an independent protective effect (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.23; 95% CI, 0.13–0.40; p <0.001), whereas chronic renal impairment predicted failure (aHR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.14–5.77; p 0.0232). Our results confirm a 79% success rate in ciprofloxacin-susceptible GN-PJI treated with debridement, ciprofloxacin and implant retention. New therapeutic strategies are needed for ciprofloxacin-resistant PJI