SAMMENHÆNG MELLEM ORGANISATIONSTEORETISKE PARADIGMER OG FORSTÅELSEN AF MODSTAND MOD FORANDRING

Fænomenet ’modstand mod forandring i organisationer’ behandles i både den organisationsteoretiske og den arbejdspsykologiske litteratur. Trods en righoldig litteratur, karakteriseret ved stor teoretisk divergens (herunder såvel individualpsykologiske, socialpsykologiske og strukturelle forklaringsmodeller), er der imidlertid forbløffende få referencer til koblingen mellem forfatternes grundlæggende forståelse af den kontekst, som fænomenet udspiller sig i, nemlig organisationen, og den forklaringsmodel, som præsenteres. Med udgangspunkt i en gennemgang af henholdsvis det unitaristiske, pluralistiske og radikale organisationsparadigme demonstrerer forfatteren denne forbindelse ved at påpege, hvilke implikationer anvendelsen af disse paradigmer har for forståelsen af modstandsfænomenet. I artiklens sidste del diskuteres de praktiske implikationer af etableringen af en kobling mellem grundlæggende organisationsforståelse og modstandsteori. Endelig argumenteres der for, at den eksterne organisationskonsulent kan anvende koblingen til at skabe double loop-læring omkring organisation og modstand, som forankres som del af organisationens og ledelsens eget refleksive handleberedskab

‘PSYKOLOGISK ILT’ I LEDERSKABSRELATIONER

Artiklen søger at vise, hvilke praktiske implikationer for forståelsen af lederskabsrelationer der kan afledes af en selv-selvobjektteoretisk anskuelse af selvet og dets omverdensforbundethed. Artiklen indledes med en teoretisk del I, hvor der gøres rede for centrale dele af den selv-selvobjektteoretiske grundforståelse, som så i artiklens anden (og største) del II lægges til grund for forståelsen af, hvorledes en leder med sin personlige stil og sine visioner for den virksomhed, institution eller organisation, han er leder for, hans interesse i sine medarbejderes intentioner og i klimaet i medarbejdergruppen samt hans sans for talentforskelle og opgavekreation, bidrager til at skabe en ‘psykologisk ilt’, der kan understøtte, opløfte og vitalisere medarbejdernes engagement og produktivitet. I forbindelse med udredningen af de praktiske implikationer (i del II) gøres der endvidere overvejelser over, hvorledes det at varetage selvobjektfunktion for andre udfordrer ens egen selvindsigt, selvomsorg og selvbesindelse, og hvorledes en leders evne til at tilvejebringe ‘psykologisk ilt’ er influeret af hans selvorganisering – om denne er fortrinsvist underskuds- eller overskudspositioneret. Selvom vi ikke eksplicit anvender termen social ansvarlighed som omdrejningspunkt for vores betragtninger, så er det vores opfattelse, at disse har implikationer for forståelsen af den form for personlig og social ansvarlighed, der ligger i, at man som leder arbejder på at udvikle og understøtte et arbejdsklima, der vitaliserer medarbejderes selvværdsættelse, engagement, produktivitet, organisationsbevidsthed og fællesskabsfølelse

Production of Fusaric Acid by Fusarium spp. in Pure Culture and in Solid Medium Co-Cultures.

The ability of fungi isolated from nails of patients suffering from onychomycosis to induce de novo production of bioactive compounds in co-culture was examined. Comparison between the metabolite profiles produced by Sarocladium strictum, by Fusarium oxysporum, and by these two species in co-culture revealed de novo induction of fusaric acid based on HRMS. Structure confirmation of this toxin, using sensitive microflow NMR, required only three 9-cm Petri dishes of fungal culture. A targeted metabolomics study based on UHPLC-HRMS confirmed that the production of fusaric acid was strain-dependent. Furthermore, the detected toxin levels suggested that onychomycosis-associated fungal strains of the F. oxysporum and F. fujikuroi species complexes are much more frequently producing fusaric acid, and in higher amount, than strains of the F. solani species complex. Fusarium strains producing no significant amounts of this compound in pure culture, were shown to de novo produce that compound when grown in co-culture. The role of fusaric acid in fungal virulence and defense is discussed

Zebrafish Bioassay-guided Microfractionation for the Rapid in vivo Identification of Pharmacologically Active Natural Products

The rapid acquisition of structural and bioactivity information on natural products (NPs) at the sub- milligram scale is key for performing efficient bioactivity-guided isolations. Zebrafish offer the possibility of rapid in vivo bioactivity analysis of small molecules at the microgram scale – an attractive feature when combined with high-resolution fractionation technologies and analytical methods such as UHPLC-TOF-MS and microflow NMR. Numerous biomedically relevant assays are now available in zebrafish, encompassing most indication areas. Zebrafish also provide the possibility to screen bioactive compounds for potential hepato-, cardio-, and neurotoxicities at a very early stage in the drug discovery process. Here we describe two strategies using zebrafish bioassays for the high-resolution in vivo bioactivity profiling of medicinal plants, using either a one-step or a two-step procedure for active compound isolation directly into 96-well plates. The analysis of the microfractions by microflow NMR in combination with UHPLC-TOF-MS of the extract enables the rapid dereplication of compounds and an estimation of their microgram quantities for zebrafish bioassays. Both the one-step and the two-step isolation procedures enable a rapid estimation of the bioactive potential of NPs directly from crude extracts. In summary, we present an in vivo , microgram-scale NP discovery platform combining zebrafish bioassays with microscale analytics to identify, isolate and evaluate pharmacologically active NPs

Mitochondrial precursor proteins are imported through a hydrophilic membrane environment

We have analyzed how translocation intermediates of imported mitochondrial precursor proteins, which span contact sites, interact with the mitochondrial membranes. F1-ATPase subunit β(F1β) was trapped at contact sites by importing it into Neurospora mitochondria in the presence of low levels of nucleoside triphosphates. This F1β translocation intermediate could be extracted from the membranes by treatment with protein denaturants such as alkaline pH or urea. By performing import at low temperatures, the ADP/ATP carrier was accumulated in contact sites of Neurospora mitochondria and cytochrome b2 in contact sites of yeast mitochondria. These translocation intermediates were also extractable from the membranes at alkaline pH. Thus, translocation of precursor proteins across mitochondrial membranes seems to occur through an environment which is accessible to aqueous perturbants. We propose that proteinaceous structures are essential components of a translocation apparatus present in contact sites

Corrosion Sensor for Monitoring the Service Condition of Chloride-Contaminated Cement Mortar

A corrosion sensor for monitoring the corrosion state of cover mortar was developed. The sensor was tested in cement mortar, with and without the addition of chloride to simulate the adverse effects of chloride-contaminated environmental conditions on concrete structures. In brief, a linear polarization resistance method combined with an embeddable reference electrode was utilized to measure the polarization resistance (Rp) using built-in sensor electrodes. Subsequently, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range of 1 kHz to 50 kHz was used to obtain the cement mortar resistance (Rs). The results show that the polarization resistance is related to the chloride content and Rs; ln (Rp) is linearly related to the Rs values in mortar without added chloride. The relationships observed between the Rp of the steel anodes and the resistance of the surrounding cement mortar measured by the corrosion sensor confirms that Rs can indicate the corrosion state of concrete structures

Protective role of vitamin B6 (PLP) against DNA damage in Drosophila models of type 2 diabetes

Growing evidence shows that improper intake of vitamin B6 increases cancer risk and several studies indicate that diabetic patients have a higher risk of developing tumors. We previously demonstrated that in Drosophila the deficiency of Pyridoxal 5' phosphate (PLP), the active form of vitamin B6, causes chromosome aberrations (CABs), one of cancer prerequisites, and increases hemolymph glucose content. Starting from these data we asked if it was possible to provide a link between the aforementioned studies. Thus, we tested the effect of low PLP levels on DNA integrity in diabetic cells. To this aim we generated two Drosophila models of type 2 diabetes, the first by impairing insulin signaling and the second by rearing flies in high sugar diet. We showed that glucose treatment induced CABs in diabetic individuals but not in controls. More interestingly, PLP deficiency caused high frequencies of CABs in both diabetic models demonstrating that hyperglycemia, combined to reduced PLP level, impairs DNA integrity. PLP-depleted diabetic cells accumulated Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) that largely contribute to CABs as α-lipoic acid, an AGE inhibitor, rescued not only AGEs but also CABs. These data, extrapolated to humans, indicate that low PLP levels, impacting on DNA integrity, may be considered one of the possible links between diabetes and cancer

Effect of cyclic heat treatment process on the pitting corrosion resistance of EN-1.4405 martensitic, EN-1.4404 austenitic, and EN-1.4539 austenitic stainless steels in chloride-sulfate solution.

The effect of high temperature variation on the corrosion resistance of EN-1.4405, EN-1.4404, and EN-1.4539 stainless steels in 2 M H2SO4/3.5% NaCl solution was studied. Untreated EN 1.4405 exhibited the highest corrosion rate at 4.775 mm/year compared to untreated EN 1.4539 with the lowest corrosion rate (1.043 mm/year). Repetitive heat treatment significantly decreased the corrosion rate of the steels by 54.61%, 27.83%, and 50.28% to 2.167, 1.396, and 0.519 mm/year. EN-1.4539 steel exhibited the shortest metastable pitting activity among the untreated steels due to higher resistance to transient pit formation while heat treated EN-1.4404 and EN-1.4539 steels exhibited double metastable pitting activity. Heat treated EN-1.4405 was unable to passivate after anodic polarization signifying weak corrosion resistance. Pitting current of heat-treated steels was generally higher than the untreated counterparts. Heat treatment extended the passivation range value of EN-1.4405 and EN-1.4539 steels compared to those of the untreated steels. The corrosion potential of heat-treated steels significantly shifted to electronegative values. The optical image of untreated and heat treated EN-1.4404 and EN-1.4539 steels were generally similar while the images for EN-1.4405 significantly contrast each other

dFOXO-independent effects of reduced insulin-like signaling in Drosophila

The insulin/insulin-like growth factor-like signaling (IIS) pathway in metazoans has evolutionarily conserved roles in growth control, metabolic homeostasis, stress responses, reproduction, and lifespan. Genetic manipulations that reduce IIS in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and the mouse have been shown not only to produce substantial increases in lifespan but also to ameliorate several age-related diseases. In C. elegans, the multitude of phenotypes produced by the reduction in IIS are all suppressed in the absence of the worm FOXO transcription factor, DAF-16, suggesting that they are all under common regulation. It is not yet clear in other animal models whether the activity of FOXOs mediate all of the physiological effects of reduced IIS, especially increased lifespan. We have addressed this issue by examining the effects of reduced IIS in the absence of dFOXO in Drosophila, using a newly generated null allele of dfoxo. We found that the removal of dFOXO almost completely blocks IIS-dependent lifespan extension. However, unlike in C. elegans, removal of dFOXO does not suppress the body size, fecundity, or oxidative stress resistance phenotypes of IIS-compromised flies. In contrast, IIS-dependent xenobiotic resistance is fully dependent on dFOXO activity. Our results therefore suggest that there is evolutionary divergence in the downstream mechanisms that mediate the effects of IIS. They also imply that in Drosophila, additional factors act alongside dFOXO to produce IIS-dependent responses in body size, fecundity, and oxidative stress resistance and that these phenotypes are not causal in IIS-mediated extension of lifespan