Organizational ethnography and religious organizations: the case of Quaker decision-making

How should we study the management practices of religious organizations to do justice to their distinctive religious motivations and traditions? In this article, we articulate how a specific research approach – organizational ethnography – may enable a deeper understanding of religious and/or spiritual organizational practice. We approach our methodological research questions by engaging with the literature on the distinctive decision-making practices of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), commonly known as the Quaker business method. Having shown that the Quaker business method destabilizes a simple binary between “insider” and “outsider” and between believers and nonbelievers, we bring the theory and practice of organizational ethnography into conversation with Quaker accounts of decision-making. We conclude with pathways for future research in the space this destabilization creates

Compilation of isomeric ratios of light particle induced nuclear reactions

Experimental isomeric ratios of light (A$\le$4) particle-induced nuclear reactions were compiled for the product nuclides having metastable states with half-lives longer than 0.1 sec. The experimental isomeric ratio data were taken from the EXFOR library and reviewed. When an experiment reports isomer production cross sections instead of isomeric ratios, the cross sections taken from the EXFOR library were converted to the isomeric ratios by us. During compilation, questionable data (e.g.,preliminary data compiled in EXFOR in parallel with their final data, sum of isomer production cross sections larger than the total production cross sections) were excluded. As an application of the new compilation, goodness-of-fit was studied for the isomeric ratios predicted by the reaction model code TALYS-1.96

Morphokinematic properties of the 21 micron source IRAS 22272+5435

We obtained a high-resolution CO map of IRAS 22272+5435 in the CO J=2-1 line using CARMA. The target exhibits a second biggest angular size of the circumstellar molecular envelope among known 21 μm sources. In the preliminary results, we found that the CO properties of IRAS 22272+5435 is clearly different from those of IRAS 07134+1005, which is another well-investigated 21 μm source. For example, elongations seen in the mid-infrared and CO images are extended in mutually perpendicular directions, although in case of IRAS 07134+1005 the CO feature coincides well with the mid-infrared structure. © 2012 International Astronomical Union.published_or_final_versio

Planetary nebulae detected in the Spitzer Space Telescope GLIMPSE 3D Legacy Survey

Due to interstellar extinction, optical census of Galactic planetary nebulae (PNs) is highly incomplete, and some compact H ii regions might have been mis-classified as PNs. The problem is particularly severe in the Galactic plane where the extinction in the optical is significant and hampers the detections of PNs. Unlike optical observations, infrared (IR) observations are hardly affected by interstellar extinction, and provide a good opportunity to study highly obscured PNs. In this study, we use the data from the Spitzer Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire 3D (GLIMPSE 3D) to investigate the mid-infrared (MIR) properties of PNs and PN candidates. © 2012 International Astronomical Union.published_or_final_versionThe IAU Symposium No. 283: 'Planetary Nebulae: an Eye to the Future', Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain, 25-29 July 2011. In International Astronomical Union Proceedings, 2011, v. 7 n. S283, p. 528-52

Pyrimidine biosynthesis is not an essential function for trypanosoma brucei bloodstream forms

<p>Background: African trypanosomes are capable of both pyrimidine biosynthesis and salvage of preformed pyrimidines from the host, but it is unknown whether either process is essential to the parasite.</p> <p>Methodology/Principal Findings: Pyrimidine requirements for growth were investigated using strictly pyrimidine-free media, with or without single added pyrimidine sources. Growth rates of wild-type bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei brucei were unchanged in pyrimidine-free medium. The essentiality of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway was studied by knocking out the PYR6-5 locus that produces a fusion product of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT) and Orotidine Monophosphate Decarboxylase (OMPDCase). The pyrimidine auxotroph was dependent on a suitable extracellular pyrimidine source. Pyrimidine starvation was rapidly lethal and non-reversible, causing incomplete DNA content in new cells. The phenotype could be rescued by addition of uracil; supplementation with uridine, 2′deoxyuridine, and cytidine allowed a diminished growth rate and density. PYR6-5−/− trypanosomes were more sensitive to pyrimidine antimetabolites and displayed increased uracil transport rates and uridine phosphorylase activity. Pyrimidine auxotrophs were able to infect mice although the infection developed much more slowly than infection with the parental, prototrophic trypanosome line.</p> <p>Conclusions/Significance: Pyrimidine salvage was not an essential function for bloodstream T. b. brucei. However, trypanosomes lacking de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis are completely dependent on an extracellular pyrimidine source, strongly preferring uracil, and display reduced infectivity. As T. brucei are able to salvage sufficient pyrimidines from the host environment, the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway is not a viable drug target, although any interruption of pyrimidine supply was lethal.</p&gt

Light-ion production in the interaction of 96 MeV neutrons with oxygen

Double-differential cross sections for light-ion (p, d, t, He-3 and alpha) production in oxygen, induced by 96 MeV neutrons are reported. Energy spectra are measured at eight laboratory angles from 20 degrees to 160 degrees in steps of 20 degrees. Procedures for data taking and data reduction are presented. Deduced energy-differential and production cross sections are reported. Experimental cross sections are compared to theoretical reaction model calculations and experimental data at lower neutron energies in the literature. The measured proton data agree reasonably well with the results of the model calculations, whereas the agreement for the other particles is less convincing. The measured production cross sections for protons, deuterons, tritons and alpha particles support the trends suggested by data at lower energies.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Radio Frequency Models of Novae in eruption. I. The Free-Free Process in Bipolar Morphologies

Observations of novae at radio frequencies provide us with a measure of the total ejected mass, density profile and kinetic energy of a nova eruption. The radio emission is typically well characterized by the free-free emission process. Most models to date have assumed spherical symmetry for the eruption, although it has been known for as long as there have been radio observations of these systems, that spherical eruptions are to simplistic a geometry. In this paper, we build bipolar models of the nova eruption, assuming the free-free process, and show the effects of varying different parameters on the radio light curves. The parameters considered include the ratio of the minor- to major-axis, the inclination angle and shell thickness (further parameters are provided in the appendix). We also show the uncertainty introduced when fitting spherical model synthetic light curves to bipolar model synthetic light curves. We find that the optically thick phase rises with the same power law ($S_{\nu} \propto t^2$) for both the spherical and bipolar models. In the bipolar case there is a "plateau" phase -- depending on the thickness of the shell as well as the ratio of the minor- to major-axis -- before the final decline, that follows the same power law ($S_{\nu} \propto t^{-3}$) as in the spherical case. Finally, fitting spherical models to the bipolar model synthetic light curves requires, in the worst case scenario, doubling the ejected mass, more than halving the electron temperature and reducing the shell thickness by nearly a factor of 10. This implies that in some systems we have been over predicting the ejected masses and under predicting the electron temperature of the ejecta.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, accompanying movie to figure 3 available at http://www.ast.uct.ac.za/~valerio/papers/radioI

Measurements of Gd 152 (p,γ) Tb 153 and Gd 152 (p,n) Tb 152 reaction cross sections for the astrophysical γ process

The total cross sections for the Gd152(p,γ)Tb153 and Gd152(p,n)152Tb reactions have been measured by the activation method at effective center-of-mass energies 3.47≤Ec.m.eff≤7.94 MeV and 4.96≤Ec.m.eff≤7.94 MeV, respectively. The targets were prepared by evaporation of 30.6% isotopically enriched Gd152 oxide on aluminum backing foils, and bombarded with proton beams provided by a cyclotron accelerator. The cross sections were deduced from the observed γ-ray activity, which was detected off-line by an HPGe detector in a low background environment. The results are presented and compared with predictions of statistical model calculations. This comparison supports a modified optical proton+Gd152 potential suggested earlier.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Comparing league formats with respect to match importance in Belgian football

Recently, most clubs in the highest Belgian football division have become convinced that the format of their league should be changed. Moreover, the TV station that broadcasts the league is pleading for a more attractive competition. However, the clubs have not been able to agree on a new league format, mainly because they have conflicting interests. In this paper, we compare the current league format, and three other formats that have been considered by the Royal Belgian Football Association. We simulate the course of each of these league formats, based on historical match results. We assume that the attractiveness of a format is determined by the importance of its games; our importance measure for a game is based on the number of teams for which this game can be decisive to reach a given goal. Furthermore, we provide an overview of how each league format aligns with the expectations and interests of each type of club