Organizations in Changing Environments: The Case of East German Symphony Orchestras

Two periods of radical political-economic change in the former East Germany illuminate dynamics of organization-environment relationships that generally are hidden from view. Historical, qualitative, and survey data from a longitudinal comparative study of 78 orchestras in four nations show that the contexts of East German orchestras changed significantly when the socialist regime took power after World War II, and then again in 1990 when that regime fell. Socialist rule only modestly affected orchestras' institutional features, however; they continued to reflect centuries-old German musical traditions. The collapse of socialism in 1990, by contrast, provoked differentiation among orchestras-some adapted successfully to the new political-economic context, but others floundered. Successful adaptation was found to be a joint function of an orchestra's prior strength as an organization and the kinds of leadership initiatives taken by orchestra leaders and players. Overall, the findings suggest that the size and character of environmental effects depend on the degree to which contextual changes alter (a) the strength of the link between organizational actions and resources obtained (resource contingency) and (b) organizations' latitude to manage their own affairs (operational autonomy).Psycholog

'A good geography is whatever it needs to be': the Atlantic Gateway and evolving spatial imaginaries in North West England

The emergence of new, non-statutory or informal spaces can be found at multiple levels across Europe, in a variety of circumstances, and with diverse aims and rationales. This book moves beyond theory to examine the practice of soft spaces

HAWKS: Evolving Challenging Benchmark Sets for Cluster Analysis

Comprehensive benchmarking of clustering algorithms is rendered difficult by two key factors: (i) the elusiveness of a unique mathematical definition of this unsupervised learning approach and (ii) dependencies between the generating models or clustering criteria adopted by some clustering algorithms and indices for internal cluster validation. Consequently, there is no consensus regarding the best practice for rigorous benchmarking, and whether this is possible at all outside the context of a given application. Here, we argue that synthetic datasets must continue to play an important role in the evaluation of clustering algorithms, but that this necessitates constructing benchmarks that appropriately cover the diverse set of properties that impact clustering algorithm performance. Through our framework, HAWKS, we demonstrate the important role evolutionary algorithms play to support flexible generation of such benchmarks, allowing simple modification and extension. We illustrate two possible uses of our framework: (i) the evolution of benchmark data consistent with a set of hand-derived properties and (ii) the generation of datasets that tease out performance differences between a given pair of algorithms. Our work has implications for the design of clustering benchmarks that sufficiently challenge a broad range of algorithms, and for furthering insight into the strengths and weaknesses of specific approaches

Measurement of the Permanent Electric Dipole Moment of the 129^{129}Xe Atom

We report on a new measurement of the CP-violating permanent Electric Dipole Moment (EDM) of the neutral $^{129}$Xe atom. Our experimental approach is based on the detection of the free precession of co-located nuclear spin-polarized $^3$He and $^{129}$Xe samples. The EDM measurement sensitivity benefits strongly from long spin coherence times of several hours achieved in diluted gases and homogeneous weak magnetic fields of about 400~nT. A finite EDM is indicated by a change in the precession frequency, as an electric field is periodically reversed with respect to the magnetic guiding field. Our result, $\left(-4.7\pm6.4\right)\cdot 10^{-28}$ ecm, is consistent with zero and is used to place a new upper limit on the $^{129}$Xe EDM: $|d_\text{Xe}|<1.5 \cdot 10^{-27}$ ecm (95% C.L.). We also discuss the implications of this result for various CP-violating observables as they relate to theories of physics beyond the standard model

Precise Measurement of Magnetic Field Gradients from Free Spin Precession Signals of 3^{3}He and 129^{129}Xe Magnetometers

We report on precise measurements of magnetic field gradients extracted from transverse relaxation rates of precessing spin samples. The experimental approach is based on the free precession of gaseous, nuclear spin polarized $^3$He and $^{129}$Xe atoms in a spherical cell inside a magnetic guiding field of about 400 nT using LT$_C$ SQUIDs as low-noise magnetic flux detectors. The transverse relaxation rates of both spin species are simultaneously monitored as magnetic field gradients are varied. For transverse relaxation times reaching 100 h, the residual longitudinal field gradient across the spin sample could be deduced to be$|\vec{\nabla}B_z|=(5.6 \pm 0.4)$ pT/cm. The method takes advantage of the high signal-to-noise ratio with which the decaying spin precession signal can be monitored that finally leads to the exceptional accuracy to determine magnetic field gradients at the sub pT/cm scale

Orogen-parallel deformation of the Himalayan mid-crust: Insights from structural and magnetic fabric analyses of the Greater Himalayan Sequence, Annapurna-Dhaulagiri Himalaya, central Nepal

The metamorphic core of the Himalaya (Greater Himalayan Sequence, GHS), in the Annapurna-Dhaulagiri region, central Nepal, recorded orogen-parallel stretching during midcrustal evolution. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and field-based structural analyses suggest that midcrustal deformation of the amphibolite facies core of the GHS occurred under an oblate/suboblate strain regime with associated formation of low-angle northward dipping foliation. Magnetic and mineral stretching lineations lying within this foliation from the top of the GHS record right-lateral orogen-parallel stretching. We propose that oblate strain within a midcrustal flow accommodated oblique convergence between India and the arcuate orogenic front without the need for strain partitioning in the upper crust. Oblate flattening may have also promoted orogen-parallel melt migration and development of melt-depleted regions between km3 scale leucogranite culminations at ~50–100 km intervals along orogen strike. Following the cessation of flow, continued oblique convergence led to upper crustal strain partitioning between orogen-perpendicular convergence on thrust faults and orogen-parallel extension on normal and strike-slip faults. In the Annapurna-Dhaulagiri Himalaya, orogen-parallel stretching lineations are interpreted as a record of transition from midcrustal orogen-perpendicular extrusion to upper crustal orogen-parallel stretching. Our findings suggest that midcrustal flow and upper crustal extension could not be maintained simultaneously and support other studies from across the Himalaya, which propose an orogen-wide transition from midcrustal orogen-perpendicular extrusion to upper crustal orogen-parallel extension during the mid-Miocene. The 3-D nature of oblate strain and orogen-parallel stretching cannot be replicated by 2-D numerical simulations of the Himalayan orogen

The political identities of neighbourhood planning in England

The rise of neighbourhood planning has been characterised as another step in a remorseless de-politicisation of the public sphere. A policy initiated by the Coalition Government in England to create the conditions for local communities to support housing growth, neighbourhood planning appears to evidence a continuing retreat from political debate and contestation. Clear boundaries are established for the holistic integration of participatory democracy into the strategic plan-making of the local authority. These boundaries seek to take politics out of development decisions and exclude all issues of contention from discussion. They achieve this goal at the cost of arming participatory democracy with a collective identity around which new antagonisms may develop. Drawing on the post-political theories of Chantal Mouffe this paper identifies the return of antagonism and conflict to participation in spatial planning. Key to its argument is the concept of the boundary or frontier that in Mouffe’s theoretical framework institutionalises conflict between political entities. Drawing on primary research with neighbourhood development plans in England the paper explores how boundary conditions and boundary designations generate antagonism and necessitate political action. The paper charts the development of the collective identities that result from these boundary lines and argues for the potential for neighbourhood planning to restore political conflict to the politics of housing development