Using Rheo-Small-Angle Neutron Scattering to Understand How Functionalised Dipeptides Form Gels

We explore the use of rheo-small-angle neutron scattering as a method to collect structural information from neutron scattering simultaneously with rheology to understand how low-molecular-weight hydrogels form and behave under shear. We examine three different gelling hydrogel systems to assess what structures are formed and how these influence the rheology. Furthermore, we probe what is happening to the network during syneresis and why the gels do not recover after an applied strain. All this information is vital when considering gels for applications such as 3D-printing and injection

Work-Unit Absenteeism: Effects of Satisfaction, Commitment, Labor Market Conditions, and Time

Prior research is limited in explaining absenteeism at the unit level and over time. We developed and tested a model of unit-level absenteeism using five waves of data collected over six years from 115 work units in a large state agency. Unit-level job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and local unemployment were modeled as time-varying predictors of absenteeism. Shared satisfaction and commitment interacted in predicting absenteeism but were not related to the rate of change in absenteeism over time. Unit-level satisfaction and commitment were more strongly related to absenteeism when units were located in areas with plentiful job alternatives

How managers can build trust in strategic alliances: a meta-analysis on the central trust-building mechanisms

Trust is an important driver of superior alliance performance. Alliance managers are influential in this regard because trust requires active involvement, commitment and the dedicated support of the key actors involved in the strategic alliance. Despite the importance of trust for explaining alliance performance, little effort has been made to systematically investigate the mechanisms that managers can use to purposefully create trust in strategic alliances. We use Parkhe’s (1998b) theoretical framework to derive nine hypotheses that distinguish between process-based, characteristic-based and institutional-based trust-building mechanisms. Our meta-analysis of 64 empirical studies shows that trust is strongly related to alliance performance. Process-based mechanisms are more important for building trust than characteristic- and institutional-based mechanisms. The effects of prior ties and asset specificity are not as strong as expected and the impact of safeguards on trust is not well understood. Overall, theoretical trust research has outpaced empirical research by far and promising opportunities for future empirical research exist

Effect and cost of an after-school dance programme on the physical activity of 11-12 year old girls: The Bristol Girls Dance Project, a school-based cluster randomised controlled trial

© 2015 Jago et al. Background: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness and cost of an after-school dance intervention at increasing the physical activity levels of Year 7 girls (age 11-12). Methods: A cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted in 18 secondary schools. Participants were Year 7 girls attending a study school. The Bristol Girls Dance Project (BGDP) intervention consisted of up to forty, 75-minute dance sessions delivered in the period immediately after school by experienced dance instructors over 20-weeks. The pre-specified primary outcome was accelerometer assessed mean minutes of weekday moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) at time 2 (52weeks are T0 baseline assessments). Secondary outcomes included accelerometer assessed mean minutes of weekday MVPA at time 1 (while the intervention was still running) and psychosocial outcomes. Intervention costs were assessed. Results: 571 girls participated. Valid accelerometer data were collected from 549 girls at baseline with 508 girls providing valid accelerometer data at baseline and time 2. There were no differences between the intervention and control group for accelerometer assessed physical activity at either time 1 or time 2. Only one third of the girls in the intervention arm met the pre-set adherence criteria of attending two thirds of the dance sessions that were available to them. Instrumental variable regression analyses using complier average causal effects provided no evidence of a difference between girls who attended the sessions and the control group. The average cost of the intervention was £73 per girl, which was reduced to £63 when dance instructor travel expenses were excluded. Conclusion: This trial showed no evidence that an after-school dance programme can increase the physical activity of Year 7 girls. The trial highlighted the difficulty encountered in maintaining attendance in physical activity programmes delivered in secondary schools. There is a need to find new ways to help adolescent girls to be physically active via identifying ways to support and encourage sustained engagement in physical activity over the life course. Trial registration: ISRCTN5288252

Scenario-Based Design Theorizing:The Case of a Digital Idea Screening Cockpit

As ever more companies encourage employees to innovate, a surplus of ideas has become reality in many organizations – often exceeding the available resources to execute them. Building on insights from a literature review and a 3-year collaboration with a banking software provider, the paper suggests a Digital Idea Screening Cockpit (DISC) to address this challenge. Following a design science research approach, it suggests a prescriptive design theory that provides practitioner-oriented guidance for implementing a DISC. The study shows that, in order to facilitate the assessment, selection, and tracking of ideas for different stakeholders, such a system needs to play a dual role: It needs to structure decision criteria and at the same be flexible to allow for creative expression. Moreover, the paper makes a case for scenario-based design theorizing by developing design knowledge via scenarios

Flaring Stars in a Non-targeted mm-wave Survey with SPT-3G

We present a flare star catalog from four years of non-targeted millimeter-wave survey data from the South Pole Telescope (SPT). The data were taken with the SPT-3G camera and cover a 1500-square-degree region of the sky from $20^{h}40^{m}0^{s}$ to $3^{h}20^{m}0^{s}$ in right ascension and $-42^{\circ}$ to $-70^{\circ}$ in declination. This region was observed on a nearly daily cadence from 2019-2022 and chosen to avoid the plane of the galaxy. A short-duration transient search of this survey yields 111 flaring events from 66 stars, increasing the number of both flaring events and detected flare stars by an order of magnitude from the previous SPT-3G data release. We provide cross-matching to Gaia DR3, as well as matches to X-ray point sources found in the second ROSAT all-sky survey. We have detected flaring stars across the main sequence, from early-type A stars to M dwarfs, as well as a large population of evolved stars. These stars are mostly nearby, spanning 10 to 1000 parsecs in distance. Most of the flare spectral indices are constant or gently rising as a function of frequency at 95/150/220 GHz. The timescale of these events can range from minutes to hours, and the peak $\nu L_{\nu}$ luminosities range from $10^{27}$ to $10^{31}$ erg s$^{-1}$ in the SPT-3G frequency bands

A Measurement of Gravitational Lensing of the Cosmic Microwave Background Using SPT-3G 2018 Data

We present a measurement of gravitational lensing over 1500 deg$^2$ of the Southern sky using SPT-3G temperature data at 95 and 150 GHz taken in 2018. The lensing amplitude relative to a fiducial Planck 2018 $\Lambda$CDM cosmology is found to be $1.020\pm0.060$, excluding instrumental and astrophysical systematic uncertainties. We conduct extensive systematic and null tests to check the robustness of the lensing measurements, and report a minimum-variance combined lensing power spectrum over angular multipoles of $50<L<2000$, which we use to constrain cosmological models. When analyzed alone and jointly with primary cosmic microwave background (CMB) spectra within the $\Lambda$CDM model, our lensing amplitude measurements are consistent with measurements from SPT-SZ, SPTpol, ACT, and Planck. Incorporating loose priors on the baryon density and other parameters including uncertainties on a foreground bias template, we obtain a $1\sigma$ constraint on $\sigma_8 \Omega_{\rm m}^{0.25}=0.595 \pm 0.026$ using the SPT-3G 2018 lensing data alone, where $\sigma_8$ is a common measure of the amplitude of structure today and $\Omega_{\rm m}$ is the matter density parameter. Combining SPT-3G 2018 lensing measurements with baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) data, we derive parameter constraints of $\sigma_8 = 0.810 \pm 0.033$, $S_8 \equiv \sigma_8(\Omega_{\rm m}/0.3)^{0.5}= 0.836 \pm 0.039$, and Hubble constant $H_0 =68.8^{+1.3}_{-1.6}$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$. Using CMB anisotropy and lensing measurements from SPT-3G only, we provide independent constraints on the spatial curvature of $\Omega_{K} = 0.014^{+0.023}_{-0.026}$ (95% C.L.) and the dark energy density of $\Omega_\Lambda = 0.722^{+0.031}_{-0.026}$ (68% C.L.). When combining SPT-3G lensing data with SPT-3G CMB anisotropy and BAO data, we find an upper limit on the sum of the neutrino masses of $\sum m_{\nu}< 0.30$ eV (95% C.L.)

Redefining ICT Embeddedness in the Construction Industry: Maximising Technology Diffusion Capabilities to Support Agility

Architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) research often engages linear approaches for embedding/implementing/diffusing new technology into existing business systems and processes. However, developments in information and communication technology (ICT) often fail to deliver their full potential for a number of reasons. This paper presents these challenges and highlights the need to embrace equifinality as part of a structured approach for improving impact diffusion. The central tenet and foci of this work rests with the optimization of AEC business agility. Given this, a multiple case study approach using three large construction organizations (in Turkey) was used to capture primary data from 30 respondents – representing viewpoints from three management levels: top management, middle management and first line management. Findings are presented in the form of a conceptual framework, the details of which highlight the constructs needed (inter alia ICT adoption/diffusion) to develop organizational: (i) responsiveness, (ii) flexibility and (iii) corporate competence