A palace fit for the future: Desirability in temporal work

Research on the strategic organization of time often assumes that collective efforts are motivated by and oriented toward achieving desirable, although not necessarily well-defined, future states. In situations surrounded by uncertainty where work has to proceed urgently to avoid an impending disaster, however, temporal work is guided by engaging with both desirable and undesirable future outcomes. Drawing on a real-time, in-depth study of the inception of the Restoration and Renewal program of the Palace of Westminster, we investigate how organizational actors develop a strategy for an uncertain and highly contested future while safeguarding ongoing operations in the present and preserving the heritage of the past. Anticipation of undesirable future events played a crucial role in mobilizing collective efforts to move forward. We develop a model of future desirability in temporal work to identify how actors construct, link, and navigate interpretations of desirable and undesirable futures in their attempts to create a viable path of action. By conceptualizing temporal work based on the phenomenological quality of the future, we advance understanding of the strategic organization of time in pluralistic contexts characterized by uncertainty and urgency

Computational study on the boundary between the concerted and stepwise mechanism of bimolecular SNAr reactions

The text-book mechanism of bimolecular nucleophilic aromatic substitutions (SNAr) reactions is a stepwise process that proceeds via a so-called Meisenheimer intermediate. Only recently the alternative, concerted version of this mechanism has gained acceptance as more and more examples thereof have been reported. But so far only isolated examples of concerted SNAr reactions have been described and a coherent picture of when a SNAr reaction proceeds via a stepwise and when via a concerted mechanism has not yet been established. Here key factors are identified that influence the mechanistic choice of SNAr reactions. Moreover, the electron affinity is used as a simple descriptor to make a prediction on whether a given aryl fluoride substrate favors a concerted or stepwise mechanism

Hybrid Software Development Approaches in Practice: A European Perspective

Agile and traditional development approaches are used in combination in todays software development. To improve the understanding and to provide better guidance for selecting appropriate development approaches, it is important to analyze such combinations in practice. Results obtained from an online survey strongly confirm that hybrid development approaches are widely used in industry. Our results show that hybrid development approaches: (i) have become reality for nearly all companies; (ii) are applied to specific projects even in the presence of company-wide policies for process usage; (iii) are neither planned nor designed but emerge from the evolution of different work practices; and, (iv) are consistently used regardless of company size or industry secto

Role of condensates in modulating DNA repair pathways and its implication for chemoresistance

For cells, it is important to repair DNA damage, such as double-strand and single-strand DNA breaks, because unrepaired DNA can compromise genetic integrity, potentially leading to cell death or cancer. Cells have multiple DNA damage repair pathways that have been the subject of detailed genetic, biochemical, and structural studies. Recently, the scientific community has started to gain evidence that the repair of DNA double-strand breaks may occur within biomolecular condensates and that condensates may also contribute to DNA damage through concentrating genotoxic agents used to treat various cancers. Here, we summarize key features of biomolecular condensates and note where they have been implicated in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks. We also describe evidence suggesting that condensates may be involved in the repair of other types of DNA damage, including single-strand DNA breaks, nucleotide modifications (e.g., mismatch and oxidized bases), and bulky lesions, among others. Finally, we discuss old and new mysteries that could now be addressed considering the properties of condensates, including chemoresistance mechanisms

Benzylic C-H functionalisation by [Et3SiH + KOtBu] leads to radical rearrangements in o-tolylaryl ethers, amines

Reaction of Et 3SiH+KO tBu with diaryl ethers, sulfides and amines that feature an ortho alkyl group leads to rearrangement products. The rearrangements arise from formation of benzyl radicals, likely formed through hydrogen atom abstraction by triethylsilyl radicals. The rearrangements involve cyclisation of the benzyl radical onto the partner arene, which, from computation, is the rate determining step. In the case of diaryl ethers, Truce-Smiles rearrangements arise from radical cyclisations to form 5-membered rings, but for diarylamines, cyclisations to form dihydroacridines are observed. (Figure presented.)

Catching up with Method and Process Practice: An Industry-Informed Baseline for Researchers

Software development methods are usually not applied by the book.companies are under pressure to continuously deploy software products that meet market needs and stakeholders\u27 requests. To implement efficient and effective development processes, companies utilize multiple frameworks, methods and practices, and combine these into hybrid methods. A common combination contains a rich management framework to organize and steer projects complemented with a number of smaller practices providing the development teams with tools to complete their tasks. In this paper, based on 732 data points collected through an international survey, we study the software development process use in practice. Our results show that 76.8% of the companies implement hybrid methods.company size as well as the strategy in devising and evolving hybrid methods affect the suitability of the chosen process to reach company or project goals. Our findings show that companies that combine planned improvement programs with process evolution can increase their process\u27 suitability by up to 5%