2,277 research outputs found
Lens or prism? How organisations sustain multiple and competing reputations
Purpose: This paper challenges singular definitions, measurements and applications of corporate reputation which tend to be reductionist. We rebuff such narrow representations of reputation by showing the multiplicity of reputation in the case of a global management consulting firm and demonstrate how it has sustained such reputations.
Design/methodology/approach: Using a large cross-country qualitative case study based on interviews, focus groups, non-participant observations, workshops and a fieldwork diary, dimensions of reputation are highlighted by drawing on perceptions from multiple stakeholder groups in different geographies.
Findings: We find significant differences in perceptions of reputation between and within stakeholder groups, with perceptions changing across dimensions and geographies.
Originality/value: The theoretical implications of the research indicate a plurality of extant reputations, suggesting that a prism is more suited to representing corporate reputation than a singular lens-like focus which is too narrow to constitute reputation.
This paper offers theoretical and practical suggestions for how global firms can build and sustain multiple and competing corporate reputations
Foothill: A Quasiconvex Regularization for Edge Computing of Deep Neural Networks
Deep neural networks (DNNs) have demonstrated success for many supervised
learning tasks, ranging from voice recognition, object detection, to image
classification. However, their increasing complexity might yield poor
generalization error that make them hard to be deployed on edge devices.
Quantization is an effective approach to compress DNNs in order to meet these
constraints. Using a quasiconvex base function in order to construct a binary
quantizer helps training binary neural networks (BNNs) and adding noise to the
input data or using a concrete regularization function helps to improve
generalization error. Here we introduce foothill function, an infinitely
differentiable quasiconvex function. This regularizer is flexible enough to
deform towards and penalties. Foothill can be used as a binary
quantizer, as a regularizer, or as a loss. In particular, we show this
regularizer reduces the accuracy gap between BNNs and their full-precision
counterpart for image classification on ImageNet.Comment: Accepted in 16th International Conference of Image Analysis and
Recognition (ICIAR 2019
Myosin tails and single α-helical domains
The human genome contains 39 myosin genes, divided up into 12 different classes. The structure, cellular function and biochemical properties of many of these isoforms remain poorly characterized and there is still some controversy as to whether some myosin isoforms are monomers or dimers. Myosin isoforms 6 and 10 contain a stable single α-helical (SAH) domain, situated just after the canonical lever. The SAH domain is stiff enough to be able to lengthen the lever allowing the myosin to take a larger step. In addition, atomic force microscopy and atomistic simulations show that SAH domains unfold at relatively low forces and have a high propensity to refold. These properties are likely to be important for protein function, enabling motors to carry cargo in dense actin networks, and other proteins to remain attached to binding partners in the crowded cell
Application of flood risk modelling in a web-based geospatial decision support tool for coastal adaptation to climate change
This is the discussion paper that was under review for the for the journal Natural Hazards and Earth
System Sciences (NHESS).The final paper is available from the publisher via DOI: 10.5194/nhess-15-1457-2015A pressing problem facing coastal decision makers
is the conversion of âhigh-levelâ but plausible climate
change assessments into an effective basis for climate change
adaptation at the local scale. Here, we describe a web-based,
geospatial decision support tool (DST) that provides an assessment
of the potential flood risk for populated coastal
lowlands arising from future sea-level rise, coastal storms,
and high river flows. This DST has been developed to support
operational and strategic decision making by enabling
the user to explore the flood hazard from extreme events,
changes in the extent of the flood-prone areas with sea-level
rise, and thresholds of sea-level rise where current policy and
resource options are no longer viable. The DST is built in an
open-source GIS that uses freely available geospatial data.
Flood risk assessments from a combination of LISFLOODFP
and SWAB (Shallow Water And Boussinesq) models are
embedded within the tool; the user interface enables interrogation
of different combinations of coastal and river events
under rising-sea-level scenarios. Users can readily vary the
input parameters (sea level, storms, wave height and river
flow) relative to the present-day topography and infrastructure
to identify combinations where significant regime shifts
or âtipping pointsâ occur. Two case studies demonstrate the
attributes of the DST with respect to the wider coastal community
and the UK energy sector. Examples report on the assets
at risk and illustrate the extent of flooding in relation to
infrastructure access. This informs an economic assessment
of potential losses due to climate change and thus provides
local authorities and energy operators with essential information
on the feasibility of investment for building resilience
into vulnerable components of their area of responsibilit
The causal effect of testosterone on menâs competitive behavior is moderated by basal cortisol and cues to an opponentâs status: Evidence for a context-dependent dual hormone hypothesis
Testosterone has been theorized to direct status-seeking behaviors, including competitive behavior. However, most human studies to date have adopted correlational designs, and findings across studies are inconsistent. This experiment (n = 115) pharmacologically manipulated menâs testosterone levels prior to a mixed-gender math competition and examined basal cortisol (a hormone implicated in stress and social avoidance) and context cues related to an opponentâs perceived status (an opponentâs gender or a win/loss in a prior competition) as factors that may moderate testosteroneâs impact on competitive behavior. We test and find support for the hypothesis that testosterone given to low-cortisol men evokes status-seeking behavior, whereas testosterone given to high-cortisol men evokes status-loss avoidance. In the initial rounds of competition, testosteroneâs influence on competitive decisions depended on basal cortisol and opponent gender. After providing opponent-specific win-lose feedback, testosteroneâs influence on decisions to re-enter competitions depended on basal cortisol and this objective cue to status, not gender. Compared to placebo, men given exogenous testosterone who were low in basal cortisol showed an increased tendency to compete against male and high-status opponents relative to female and low-status opponents (status-seeking). Men given exogenous testosterone who were high in basal cortisol showed the opposite pattern - an increased tendency to compete against female and low-status opponents relative to male and high-status opponents (status-loss avoidance). These results provide support for a context-dependent dual hormone hypothesis: Testosterone flexibly directs menâs competitive behavior contingent on basal cortisol levels and cues that signal an opponentâs status
Recommended from our members
Stops making sense: translational trade-offs and stop codon reassignment
Background
Efficient gene expression involves a trade-off between (i) premature termination of protein synthesis; and (ii) readthrough, where the ribosome fails to dissociate at the terminal stop. Sense codons that are similar in sequence to stop codons are more susceptible to nonsense mutation, and are also likely to be more susceptible to transcriptional or translational errors causing premature termination. We therefore expect this trade-off to be influenced by the number of stop codons in the genetic code. Although genetic codes are highly constrained, stop codon number appears to be their most volatile feature.
Results
In the human genome, codons readily mutable to stops are underrepresented in coding sequences. We construct a simple mathematical model based on the relative likelihoods of premature termination and readthrough. When readthrough occurs, the resultant protein has a tail of amino acid residues incorrectly added to the C-terminus. Our results depend strongly on the number of stop codons in the genetic code. When the code has more stop codons, premature termination is relatively more likely, particularly for longer genes. When the code has fewer stop codons, the length of the tail added by readthrough will, on average, be longer, and thus more deleterious. Comparative analysis of taxa with a range of stop codon numbers suggests that genomes whose code includes more stop codons have shorter coding sequences.
Conclusions
We suggest that the differing trade-offs presented by alternative genetic codes may result in differences in genome structure. More speculatively, multiple stop codons may mitigate readthrough, counteracting the disadvantage of a higher rate of nonsense mutation. This could help explain the puzzling overrepresentation of stop codons in the canonical genetic code and most variants
- âŠ