MAST: Mental Ambidexterity in Strategic Thinking

There are two fundamental ways to think about what strategy is. The first one is strategy as a plan of action for reaching one or several goals. The second one is strategy as discipline, a formalized body of knowledge. The latter can be understood as the set of governing ideas that guide managers in the identification of opportunities for value creation and the realization of that value. In the present article, we argue that these ideas tend to fall into two main paradigms, which come with two metaphors about managers: managers as commanders and managers as designers. We further argue that these represent two fundamental ways of thinking, which in turn become ways of ‘seeing’ and even feeling. Is one better than the other? We suggest that is not the right question to ask. Rather it is important to appreciate that these are worldviews that affect how we interpret our day-to-day reality and our ability to see opportunities. We introduce the notion of Mental Ambidexterity in Strategic Thinking (MAST) and define it as the ability to hold both views of the world—that of the commander and that of the designer— and play with them simultaneously, rather than focusing solely on one and rejecting the other. MAST is an individual level capability; it is a flexible, non-ideological and fluid mode of cognition. At the core, it is characterized by switching flexibility back and forth between rational decisionmaking among alternatives, and creation of new alternatives, between what is and what could be. We illustrate three principles – i) intellectual humility, ii) contingent thinking and iii) poke into ambiguity – that act as catalysts for individuals to develop MAST capabilities

Inhibition of Aflatoxin Formation in Aspergillus Species by Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) Seed Stilbenoids in the Course of Peanut− Fungus Interaction

Common soil fungi, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, are opportunistic pathogens that invade preharvest peanut seeds. These fungi often produce carcinogenic aflatoxins that pose a threat to human and animal health through food chains and cause significant economic losses worldwide. Detection of aflatoxins and further processing of crops are mandated to ensure that contaminated agricultural products do not enter food channels. Under favorable conditions, the fungus-challenged peanut seeds produce phytoalexins, structurally related stilbenoids, capable of retarding fungal development. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the potential influence of peanut phytoalexins on fungal development and aflatoxin formation in the course of peanut−fungus interaction. The present research revealed that during such interaction, aflatoxin formation was completely suppressed in A. flavus and A. parasiticus strains tested, when low concentrations of spores were introduced to wounded preincubated peanuts. In most of the experiments, when fungal spore concentrations were 2 orders of magnitude higher, the spores germinated and produced aflatoxins. Of all experimental seeds that showed fungal growth, 57.7% were aflatoxin-free after 72 h of incubation. The research provided new knowledge on the aflatoxin/phytoalexin formation in the course of peanut−fungus interaction

Keynote Address: Rev. Mark Massa

Rev. Mark S. Massa, S.J., is the dean and professor of Church history at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College. He was invited to give a keynote to begin the third Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference (CHEC), cosponsored by Boston College and Fordham University. Fr. Massa’s address posed critical questions about whether Catholic identity and Catholic Intellectual Tradition are still the focal points for academic excellence in Catholic schools. This question was continually revisited throughout the conference

Semi-Teleparallel Theories of Gravitation

A class of theories of gravitation that naturally incorporates preferred frames of reference is presented. The underlying space-time geometry consists of a partial parallelization of space-time and has properties of Riemann-Cartan as well as teleparallel geometry. Within this geometry, the kinematic quantities of preferred frames are associated with torsion fields. Using a variational method, it is shown in which way action functionals for this geometry can be constructed. For a special action the field equations are derived and the coupling to spinor fields is discussed.Comment: 14 pages, LaTe

Structure and clumping in the fast wind of NGC6543

Far-UV spectroscopy from the FUSE satellite is analysed to uniquely probe spatial structure and clumping in the fast wind of the central star of the H-rich planetary nebula NGC6543 (HD164963). Time-series data of the unsaturated PV 1118, 1128 resonance line P Cygni profiles provide a very sensitive diagnostic of variable wind conditions in the outflow. We report on the discovery of episodic and recurrent optical depth enhancements in the PV absorption troughs, with some evidence for a 0.17-day modulation time-scale. SEI line-synthesis modelling is used to derive physical properties, including the optical depth evolution of individual `events'. The characteristics of these features are essentially identical to the `discrete absorption components' (DACs) commonly seen in the UV lines of massive OB stars. We have also employed the unified model atmosphere code CMFGEN to explore spectroscopic signatures of clumping, and report in particular on the clear sensitivity of the PV lines to the clump volume filling factor. The results presented here have implications for the downward revision of mass-loss rates in PN central stars. We conclude that the temporal structures seen in the PV lines of NGC6543 likely have a physical origin that is similar to that operating in massive, luminous stars, and may be related to near-surface perturbations caused by stellar pulsation and/or magnetic fields.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Representaciones de la física, su enseñanza y aprendizaje. Un estudio con estudiantes de nivel secundario y universitario

Se describe un estudio exploratorio cuyo objetivo fue identificar, caracterizar y describir las representaciones sociales sobre la física, su enseñanza y aprendizaje en alumnos de diferentes niveles de escolaridad de modo de obtener indicadores para la construcción de los instrumentos a utilizar en las fases siguientes de la investigación. Se empleó una metodología cualitativa con un enfoque descriptivo e interpretativo. Cinco grupos de alumnos de nivel secundario y universitario básico (n=172) respondieron a una prueba individual de evocación libre. Las producciones se analizaron empleando una técnica de análisis de contenido. Se identificaron representaciones relativas a las dimensiones cognitiva, pedagógica, afectiva y sociocultural

Seismic Ground Motion Amplifications Estimated by Means of Spectral Ratio Techniques: Examples for Different Geological and Morphological Settings

One of the most important issue in seismic hazard and microzonation studies is the evaluation of local site response (i.e. the tendency of a site to experience during an earthquake greater or lower levels of ground shacking with respect to another). In general site effects reflect all modifications (in amplitude, frequency content and duration) of a wave-field produced by a seismic source during the propagation near the surface, due to particular geologic (stratigraphy and morphology), geotechnical (mechanical properties of deposits) and physical (e.g. coupling of incident, diffracted and reflected seismic waves) conditions of a particular site. Actually local seismic amplification represents one of the main factors responsible for building damage during earthquakes: this statement is supported by well documented evidences of structural damages during past moderate to high energy events occurred both in Italy (e.g. 23th November 1980, Mw 6.9, Irpinia earthquake, Faccioli, 1986; 26th September 1997, Mw 6.0, Umbria-Marche earthquake, Caserta et al., 2000; the 31th October 2002, Mw 5.7, Molise earthquake, Strollo et al., 2007; 6th April 2009, Mw 6.3, L’Aquila earthquake, Cultrera et al., 2009) and in other worldwide countries (e.g. 3rd March 1985, Mw 7.8, Chile earthquake, Celebi, 1987; 17th August 1999, Mw 7.6, Izmit earthquake, Sadik Bakir et al., 2002). For this reason the site effects evaluation, performed by experimental methods but also through numerical simulations, has attracted the attention of engineering seismology and earthquake engineering communities. Of consequence, in the last decade many experiments were performed in correspondence of different setting such as alluvial basins (Parolai et al., 2001 and 2004; Ferretti et al., 2007; Massa et al., 2009; Bindi et al., 2009) or topographies (e.g. Pischiutta et al., 2010; Massa et al., 2010; Buech et al., 2010; Marzorati et al., 2011; Lovati et al., 2011). The present work has the aim to evaluate the capabilities of the most common passive methods at present used in seismology to evaluate the site response: HVSR (Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio technique on seismic noise, Nakamura, 1989, or earthquakes, Lermo & Chavez Garcia, 1993) and SSR (Standard Spectral Ratio, Borcherdt, 1970).Published195-2184.1. Metodologie sismologiche per l'ingegneria sismicaope