The Iowa Homemaker vol.28, no.8

Grapplers Provide Mat Thrill, John Marousek, page 3 Can Science and Religion Mix?, Barb Allen, Janet Sutherland, page 4 Teach Home Economics, Pat Close, page 7 It’s Merrill-Palmer, Peggy Krenek, page 8 Vicky Steps Out In Cotton, Jo Ann Breckenridge, page 11 What’s New In Home Economics, Peggy Krenek, page 12 Sight-seeing In Peiping, China, Joan Kelleher, page 14 Backstage At the Theatre Workshop, Frances Bosnak, page 18 Beware - Headaches, Margaret Wallace, page 21 Keeping Up With Today, Mary West, page 2

Mammalian reproduction overview

The sophisticated control systems that govern reproduction in mammals are usually aimed at ensuring that offspring are born at favourable times of year. Although recent trends in reproductive biology research have tended to become ever more reductionist and focused on cellular and molecular details, we have taken the view in this article that it is equally important to take a step back from this level of detail. We have therefore provided an overview, albeit rather brief, that links reproductive biology with the evolutionary and environmental backgrounds in which this diverse assemblage of species have had to survive and adapt

Determining crystal structures through crowdsourcing and coursework

We show here that computer game players can build high-quality crystal structures. Introduction of a new feature into the computer game Foldit allows players to build and real-space refine structures into electron density maps. To assess the usefulness of this feature, we held a crystallographic model-building competition between trained crystallographers, undergraduate students, Foldit players and automatic model-building algorithms. After removal of disordered residues, a team of Foldit players achieved the most accurate structure. Analysing the target protein of the competition, YPL067C, uncovered a new family of histidine triad proteins apparently involved in the prevention of amyloid toxicity. From this study, we conclude that crystallographers can utilize crowdsourcing to interpret electron density information and to produce structure solutions of the highest quality

In Pursuit of Harmony: How a Shared Leadership Practice Works as a Conflict Management System

Conflicts happen, and the workplace can be a cacophony for competing interests. Consider that organizational culture is an ensemble of shared values, beliefs, assumptions, perceptions, and norms. Organizations are not solos. They are an accompaniment of individuals, departments, and divisions, and each is competing for scarce resources. Measure in a little power imbalance and organizational political posturing. Then, scale in the fact that today’s managers are faced with diversity and cultural issues ranging from race and gender to individual ethnicity, principles, and philosophies, about which employees are more vocal. All this discord can strike a sharp note of dissonance. However, effective resolutions can change this discord to harmony. Consider that music is not a single note. Rather, it is the silence between the notes that makes beautiful music, and conflict is that silence. Unfortunately, conflict has a bad reputation, and it is often labeled as disagreement, fighting, or arguing that leads to stress, retaliation, and resentment. Some managers spend a disproportionate amount of their workdays dealing with conflicts. They have not learned what causes conflicts or how to productively manage them. As a result, they often avoid or force outcomes causing discord, fractured relationships, loss of productivity, and even lawsuits. Learning to fine tune inevitable conflicts will help managers orchestrate a more harmonious workplace.From Discord to Harmony: Making the Workplace Hum is largely evidence-based, and many of the chapters contain cutting-edge research by experts in their respective fields.https://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_facbooks/1166/thumbnail.jp

Managing Organizational Conflicts Through Innovation, Creativity, and Inclusion: Implementing a Conflict System of Shared Leadership

The need is urgent for organizational leaders and members to transform organizational conflicts by addressing conflict that is a natural part of organizational life. Leaders must evolve their organizational systems to address underlying causes of conflict and seek solutions that serve the interests of all, irrespective of where they may reside within the organizational hierarchy. Conflict will occur anywhere there is interdependence, so this chapter provides an impetus for organizational members to be pro-active rather than reactive in addressing conflict. This chapter will examine three facets of organizational conflict resolution: 1) the need for Conflict Management Systems, 2) the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in system design, and 3) how the practice of shared leadership in addressing conflict and system design can be realized through Liberating Structures. We first examine the critical need for leaders to design a conflict management system (CMS) within their organizations, informed and shaped from the bottom-up. The process of designing a CMS must be inclusive, transparent, and collaborative; careful to ensure all voices are heard as the system is reshaped. Organizations that have Conflict Management Systems inherently and explicitly communicate “value” for employees. CMS provide an official platform for people to safely express and address their conflicts with the goal of transforming and restoring relationships in the workplace. Invariably, as organizations become increasingly diverse, the need to address diversity, equity, and inclusion within CMS design becomes essential. While most organizations espouse the values of appreciating diversity, upholding equity, and being inclusive, far fewer can bring these values to life in people’s everyday work. Lofty ideals followed by business-as-usual foments even more conflict, highlighting the necessity for all people, especially leaders, to develop competence and fluency around building a culture that truly embraces diversity. This paper concludes by introducing Liberating Structures as a practice of shared leadership. Liberating Structures offer a practical approach to radical collaboration through which people can listen, share, learn and have a higher, collective understanding of the complexities of a challenge enabling them to move towards meaningful action shaped by all. The array of diverse ideas is exponentially expanded through this shared practice, paving the way for creative and innovative solutions to previously unsolvable challenges.https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hcas_dcrs_facbooks/1068/thumbnail.jp

The Iowa Homemaker vol.28, no.8

Grapplers Provide Mat Thrill, John Marousek, page 3 Can Science and Religion Mix?, Barb Allen, Janet Sutherland, page 4 Teach Home Economics, Pat Close, page 7 It’s Merrill-Palmer, Peggy Krenek, page 8 Vicky Steps Out In Cotton, Jo Ann Breckenridge, page 11 What’s New In Home Economics, Peggy Krenek, page 12 Sight-seeing In Peiping, China, Joan Kelleher, page 14 Backstage At the Theatre Workshop, Frances Bosnak, page 18 Beware - Headaches, Margaret Wallace, page 21 Keeping Up With Today, Mary West, page 22</p