Claimed Legitimacy: Appreciating the Diversity of Regional Organisations

Regional organisations (ROs) are key actors in global and regional governance, and their authority has increased continuously in all world regions. In the face of growing contestation and politicisation, these ROs are increasingly justifying their right to rule. In so doing, ROs invoke the norms which they claim to pursue or embody. Our novel data shows that RO legitimation has become more diverse. This is in large part due to the growing importance of liberal and communitarian norms, such as democracy, human rights, and a common identity. Today, these norms account for more than half of all statements. However, these global trends do not apply equally tos all ROs. We also observe region-specific trends and patterns. These legitimation patterns are reflective of the regions' normative bases and the identities which the ROs promote. They help us understand the relevance of region-specific challenges and characteristics such as culture or geography. Regions in the Global South warrant particular attention in this regard, as their distinctive features are still too often neglected. The growing diversity of legitimacy claims is related to the increasing variety of stakeholders and audiences, processes of socialisation and diffusion, and the emergence of region-specific issues of relevance. As such, ROs today operate in a more complex and demanding environment. A closer look at ROs' legitimacy claims helps identify normative developments in specific regions as well as in global governance more broadly. Greater awareness of a region's normative foundations and shifts increases the chances of mutually beneficial long-term cooperation based on shared values and priorities

The legitimation of international organizations : introducing a new dataset

Published online: 25 May 2023This article introduces a new dataset on how international organizations (IOs) justify their authority. For a long time, IOs were believed to derive legitimacy from member-state consent and technocratic problem-solving capacities. Over recent decades, the growing politicization of IOs, political polarization within Western democracies, and power shifts in the international system have spurred IOs’ efforts to justify their right to rule, using a variety of legitimation practices. While research on the theory and practice of IO legitimation has grown considerably over the past decade, much of this work builds on case studies of prominent global and regional IOs. As a result, we lack data suitable for systematic comparative analyses across time, IOs, and world regions. The Legitimation Strategies of Regional Organizations (LegRO) dataset aims to narrow this gap, providing data on the standards, intensity, and modes of legitimation for twenty eight regional IOs from 1980 to 2019. These variables inform theoretical and policy-relevant research on contemporary global governance by providing the first systematic overview of IOs’ legitimation practices

In-Search Assignment of Monoisotopic Peaks Improves the Identification of Cross-Linked Peptides

Cross-linking/mass spectrometry has undergone a maturation process akin to standard proteomics by adapting key methods such as false discovery rate control and quantification. A poorly evaluated search setting in proteomics is the consideration of multiple (lighter) alternative values for the monoisotopic precursor mass to compensate for possible misassignments of the monoisotopic peak. Here, we show that monoisotopic peak assignment is a major weakness of current data handling approaches in cross-linking. Cross-linked peptides often have high precursor masses, which reduces the presence of the monoisotopic peak in the isotope envelope. Paired with generally low peak intensity, this generates a challenge that may not be completely solvable by precursor mass assignment routines. We therefore took an alternative route by ‘”in-search assignment of the monoisotopic peak” in the cross-link database search tool Xi (Xi-MPA), which considers multiple precursor masses during database search. We compare and evaluate the performance of established preprocessing workflows that partly correct the monoisotopic peak and Xi-MPA on three publicly available data sets. Xi-MPA always delivered the highest number of identifications with ∼2 to 4-fold increase of PSMs without compromising identification accuracy as determined by FDR estimation and comparison to crystallographic models

Visualizing translation dynamics at atomic detail inside a bacterial cell

Translation is the fundamental process of protein synthesis and is catalysed by the ribosome in all living cells1. Here we use advances in cryo-electron tomography and sub-tomogram analysis2,3 to visualize the structural dynamics of translation inside the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae. To interpret the functional states in detail, we first obtain a high-resolution in-cell average map of all translating ribosomes and build an atomic model for the M. pneumoniae ribosome that reveals distinct extensions of ribosomal proteins. Classification then resolves 13 ribosome states that differ in their conformation and composition. These recapitulate major states that were previously resolved in vitro, and reflect intermediates during active translation. On the basis of these states, we animate translation elongation inside native cells and show how antibiotics reshape the cellular translation landscapes. During translation elongation, ribosomes often assemble in defined three-dimensional arrangements to form polysomes4. By mapping the intracellular organization of translating ribosomes, we show that their association into polysomes involves a local coordination mechanism that is mediated by the ribosomal protein L9. We propose that an extended conformation of L9 within polysomes mitigates collisions to facilitate translation fidelity. Our work thus demonstrates the feasibility of visualizing molecular processes at atomic detail inside cells

Protein complexes in cells by AI-assisted structural proteomics

Abstract Accurately modeling the structures of proteins and their complexes using artificial intelligence is revolutionizing molecular biology. Experimental data enable a candidate‐based approach to systematically model novel protein assemblies. Here, we use a combination of in‐cell crosslinking mass spectrometry and co‐fractionation mass spectrometry (CoFrac‐MS) to identify protein–protein interactions in the model Gram‐positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We show that crosslinking interactions prior to cell lysis reveals protein interactions that are often lost upon cell lysis. We predict the structures of these protein interactions and others in the SubtiWiki database with AlphaFold‐Multimer and, after controlling for the false‐positive rate of the predictions, we propose novel structural models of 153 dimeric and 14 trimeric protein assemblies. Crosslinking MS data independently validates the AlphaFold predictions and scoring. We report and validate novel interactors of central cellular machineries that include the ribosome, RNA polymerase, and pyruvate dehydrogenase, assigning function to several uncharacterized proteins. Our approach uncovers protein–protein interactions inside intact cells, provides structural insight into their interaction interfaces, and is applicable to genetically intractable organisms, including pathogenic bacteria

Updating genome annotation for the microbial cell factory Aspergillus niger using gene co-expression networks

A significant challenge in our understanding of biological systems is the high number of genes with unknown function in many genomes. The fungal genus Aspergillus contains important pathogens of humans, model organisms, and microbial cell factories. Aspergillus niger is used to produce organic acids, proteins, and is a promising source of new bioactive secondary metabolites. Out of the 14,165 open reading frames predicted in the A. niger genome only 2% have been experimentally verified and over 6,000 are hypothetical. Here, we show that gene co-expression network analysis can be used to overcome this limitation. A meta-analysis of 155 transcriptomics experiments generated co-expression networks for 9,579 genes (∼65%) of the A. niger genome. By populating this dataset with over 1,200 gene functional experiments from the genus Aspergillus and performing gene ontology enrichment, we could infer biological processes for 9,263 of A. niger genes, including 2,970 hypothetical genes. Experimental validation of selected co-expression sub-networks uncovered four transcription factors involved in secondary metabolite synthesis, which were used to activate production of multiple natural products. This study constitutes a significant step towards systems-level understanding of A. niger, and the datasets can be used to fuel discoveries of model systems, fungal pathogens, and biotechnology.DFG, 325093850, Open Access Publizieren 2017 - 2018 / Technische Universität BerlinEC/FP7/607332/EU/Quantitative Biology for Fungal Secondary Metabolite Producers/QuantFun

Legitimation Strategies of Regional Organizations (LegRO)

In an era of increasing political challenges to global and regional organizations, it is crucial to understand how they claim legitimacy and how successful they are in this respect. Yet, we know surprisingly little about the sources and consequences of legitimation in most regional organizations worldwide. In this project, we thus map the legitimation strategies of a sample of 28 organizations between 1980 and 2019. Regional organizations in the sample: Africa - Organization of African Unity/African Union (OAU/AU) - Central African Economic and Monetary Union (CEMAC) - Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) - East African Community (EAC) - Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) - Southern African Customs Union (SACU) - Southern African Development Community (SADC) Asia-Pacific - Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Pacific Island Forum (PIF) - South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) - Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Americas - Andean Pact/Andean Community (CAN) - Caribbean Community (CARICOM) - Common Market of the South (Mercosur) - Organization of American States (OAS) - Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) - Central American Integration System (SICA) Europe - Council of Europe (COE) - European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - European Union (EU) - Nordic Council (NordC) Cross-Regional - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) - Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - League of Arab States (LoAS) - Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)In an era of increasing political challenges to global and regional organizations, it is crucial to understand how they claim legitimacy and how successful they are in this respect. Yet, we know surprisingly little about the sources and consequences of legitimation in most regional organizations worldwide. In this project, we thus map the legitimation strategies of a sample of 28 organizations between 1980 and 2019. Regional organizations in the sample: Africa - Organization of African Unity/African Union (OAU/AU) - Central African Economic and Monetary Union (CEMAC) - Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) - East African Community (EAC) - Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) - Southern African Customs Union (SACU) - Southern African Development Community (SADC) Asia-Pacific - Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Pacific Island Forum (PIF) - South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) - Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Americas - Andean Pact/Andean Community (CAN) - Caribbean Community (CARICOM) - Common Market of the South (Mercosur) - Organization of American States (OAS) - Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) - Central American Integration System (SICA) Europe - Council of Europe (COE) - European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - European Union (EU) - Nordic Council (NordC) Cross-Regional - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) - Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - League of Arab States (LoAS) - Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE

Legitimation Strategies of Regional Organizations (LegRO)

In an era of increasing political challenges to global and regional organizations, it is crucial to understand how they claim legitimacy and how successful they are in this respect. Yet, we know surprisingly little about the sources and consequences of legitimation in most regional organizations worldwide. In this project, we thus map the legitimation strategies of a sample of 28 organizations between 1980 and 2019. Regional organizations in the sample: Africa - Organization of African Unity/African Union (OAU/AU) - Central African Economic and Monetary Union (CEMAC) - Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) - East African Community (EAC) - Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) - Southern African Customs Union (SACU) - Southern African Development Community (SADC) Asia-Pacific - Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Pacific Island Forum (PIF) - South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) - Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Americas - Andean Pact/Andean Community (CAN) - Caribbean Community (CARICOM) - Common Market of the South (Mercosur) - Organization of American States (OAS) - Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) - Central American Integration System (SICA) Europe - Council of Europe (COE) - European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - European Union (EU) - Nordic Council (NordC) Cross-Regional - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) - Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - League of Arab States (LoAS) - Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)In an era of increasing political challenges to global and regional organizations, it is crucial to understand how they claim legitimacy and how successful they are in this respect. Yet, we know surprisingly little about the sources and consequences of legitimation in most regional organizations worldwide. In this project, we thus map the legitimation strategies of a sample of 28 organizations between 1980 and 2019. Regional organizations in the sample: Africa - Organization of African Unity/African Union (OAU/AU) - Central African Economic and Monetary Union (CEMAC) - Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) - East African Community (EAC) - Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) - Southern African Customs Union (SACU) - Southern African Development Community (SADC) Asia-Pacific - Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Pacific Island Forum (PIF) - South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) - Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Americas - Andean Pact/Andean Community (CAN) - Caribbean Community (CARICOM) - Common Market of the South (Mercosur) - Organization of American States (OAS) - Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) - Central American Integration System (SICA) Europe - Council of Europe (COE) - European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - European Union (EU) - Nordic Council (NordC) Cross-Regional - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) - Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - League of Arab States (LoAS) - Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE

Aircraft Wake Vortex Scenarios Simulation Package for TakeOff and Departure

The WakeScene-D software package (Wake Vortex Scenarios Simulation Package for Departure) has been developed for comprehensive airspace simulations of take-off and departure. WakeScene-D consists of modules that model traffic mix, aircraft trajectories, meteorological conditions, wake vortex evolution, and potential hazard area. The software package estimates the probability to encounter wake vortices in different traffic and crosswind scenarios using Monte Carlo simulation in a domain ranging from the runway to an altitude of 3000 ft above ground. The operating sequence of WakeScene-D, the employed sub-models and data bases, the simulation environment and evaluation tools together with the so far accomplished validation work are introduced