Stratified University Strategies: The Shaping of Institutional Legitimacy in a Global Perspective

Globalizing forces have both transformed the higher education sector and made it increasingly homogenous. Growing similarities among universities have been attributed to isomorphic pressures to ensure and/or enhance legitimacy by imitating higher education institutions that are perceived as successful internationally, particularly universities that are highly ranked globally (Cantwell & Kauppinen, 2014; DiMaggio and Powell, 1983). In this study, we compared the strategic plans of 78 high-ranked, low-ranked, and unranked universities in 33 countries in 9 regions of the world. In analyzing the plans of these 78 universities, the study explored patterns of similarity and difference in universities' strategic positioning according to Suchman's (1995) 3 types of legitimacy: cognitive, pragmatic, and moral. We found evidence of stratified university strategies in a global higher education landscape that varied by institutional status. In offering a corrective to neoinstitutional theory, we suggest that patterns of globalization are mediated by status-based differences in aspirational behavior (Riesman, 1958) and "old institutional" forces (Stinchcombe, 1997) that contribute to differently situated universities pursuing new paths in seeking to build external legitimacy.18 month embargo; published online: 13 Sep 2018This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Three’s Company: An Additional Non-transiting Super-Earth in the Bright HD 3167 System, and Masses for All Three Planets

HD 3167 is a bright (V = 8.9), nearby K0 star observed by the NASA K2 mission (EPIC 220383386), hosting two small, short-period transiting planets. Here we present the results of a multi-site, multi-instrument radial velocity campaign to characterize the HD 3167 system. The masses of the transiting planets are 5.02±0.38 MEarth for HD 3167 b, a hot super-Earth with a likely rocky composition (ρb = 5.60+2.15-1.43g cm-3), and 9.80+1.30-1.24 MEarth for HD 3167 c, a warm sub-Neptune with a likely substantial volatile complement (ρc = 1.97+0.94-0.59 g cm-3). We explore the possibility of atmospheric composition analysis and determine that planet c is amenable to transmission spectroscopy measurements, and planet b is a potential thermal emission target. We detect a third, non-transiting planet, HD 3167 d, with a period of 8.509+/-0.045 d (between planets b and c) and a minimum mass of 6.90±0.71 MEarth. We are able to constrain the mutual inclination of planet d with planets b and c: we rule out mutual inclinations below 1.3 degrees as we do not observe transits of planet d. From 1.3-40 degrees, there are viewing geometries invoking special nodal configurations which result in planet d not transiting some fraction of the time. From 40-60 degrees, Kozai-Lidov oscillations increase the system's instability, but it can remain stable for up to 100Myr. Above 60 degrees, the system is unstable. HD 3167 promises to be a fruitful system for further study and a preview of the many exciting systems expected from the upcoming NASATESS mission.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

AbstractUnderstanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission in higher education settings is important to limit spread between students, and into at-risk populations. In this study, we sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We perform a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. We observe limited viral introductions into the university; the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identify considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and following a national lockdown. Transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or the community. Our study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics.</jats:p

APOL1 variants change C-terminal conformational dynamics and binding to SNARE protein VAMP8

APOL1 variants in African populations mediate resistance to trypanosomal infection but increase risk for kidney diseases through unknown mechanisms. APOL1 is expressed in glomerular podocytes and does not vary with underlying kidney disease diagnoses or APOL1 genotypes, suggesting that the kidney disease–associated variants dysregulate its function rather than its localization or abundance. Structural homology searches identified vesicle-associated membrane protein 8 (VAMP8) as an APOL1 protein interactor. VAMP8 colocalizes with APOL1 in the podocyte, and the APOL1:VAMP8 interaction was confirmed biochemically and with surface plasmon resonance. APOL1 variants attenuate this interaction. Computational modeling of APOL1’s 3-dimensional structure, followed by molecular dynamics simulations, revealed increased motion of the C-terminal domain of reference APOL1 compared with either variant, suggesting that the variants stabilize a closed or autoinhibited state that diminishes protein interactions with VAMP8. Changes in ellipticity with increasing urea concentrations, as assessed by circular dichroism spectroscopy, showed higher conformational stability of the C-terminal helix of the variants compared with the reference protein. These results suggest that reference APOL1 interacts with VAMP8-coated vesicles, a process attenuated by variant-induced reduction in local dynamics of the C-terminal. Disordered vesicular trafficking in the podocyte may cause injury and progressive chronic kidney diseases in susceptible African Americans subjects. Kidney Disease-associated variants in the Apoliprotein L1 lead to a closed or autoinhibited conformation of the carboxy terminal domain, attenuating its interaction with VAMP8