Situating organizational action: the relational sociology of organizations

This paper advances a relational sociology of organization that seeks to address concerns over how organizational action is understood and situated. The approach outlined here is one which takes ontology seriously and requires transparency and consistency of position. It aims at causal explanation over description and/or prediction and seeks to avoid pure voluntarism or structural determinism in such explanation. We advocate relational analysis that recognizes and engages with connections within and across organization and with wider contexts. We develop this argument by briefly reviewing three promising approaches: relational pragmatism, the social theorizing of Bourdieu and critical realism, highlighting their ontological foundations, some similarities and differences and surfacing some methodological issues. Our purpose is to encourage analysis that explores the connections within and between perspectives and theoretical positions. We conclude that the development of the field of organization theory will benefit from self conscious and reflexive engagement and debate both within and across our various research positions and traditions only if such debates are conducted on the basis of holistic evaluations and interpretations that recognize (and value) difference

Foundation and empire : a critique of Hardt and Negri

In this article, Thompson complements recent critiques of Hardt and Negri's Empire (see Finn Bowring in Capital and Class, no. 83) using the tools of labour process theory to critique the political economy of Empire, and to note its unfortunate similarities to conventional theories of the knowledge economy

Weak Interaction Studies with 6He

The 6He nucleus is an ideal candidate to study the weak interaction. To this end we have built a high-intensity source of 6He delivering ~10^10 atoms/s to experiments. Taking full advantage of that available intensity we have performed a high-precision measurement of the 6He half-life that directly probes the axial part of the nuclear Hamiltonian. Currently, we are preparing a measurement of the beta-neutrino angular correlation in 6He beta decay that will allow to search for new physics beyond the Standard Model in the form of tensor currents.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, proceedings for the Eleventh Conference on the Intersections of Particle and Nuclear Physics (CIPANP 2012

Determination of Total and Unfilterable Plasma Aluminum in Uremic Patients

Aluminum accumulation in the soft tissues and bone of end stage renal failure patients has been described in the literature. In addition to aluminum normally encountered through ubiquitous sources, these patients are subject to exposures through the dialysate used for hemodialysis and through aluminum-containing phosphate binders. These increased exposures, associated with a decreased ability to excrete aluminum through the kidneys, lead to aluminum accumulation which may result in the onset of an encephalopathy syndrome and/or osteomalacic osteodystrophy. These complications may be very devastating. Blood serum or plasma aluminum levels do not reflect the total body burden of aluminum. However, they may reflect the extent of active aluminum loading. Furthermore, it has been suggested that that fraction of plasma aluminum which is not protein bound, or is ultrafilterable, may be a reliable indicator of the extent of active aluminum loading and of the effectiveness of chelation therapy. Aluminum which is in the ultrafilterable state may cross a dialysis membrane and be removed from the body. Aluminum analyses were conducted by polarized Zeeman-effect atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The sensitivity was between 15 and 23 picograms, depending on the quality of the graphite cuvette used in the assay. A protein precipitation method for determining total plasma aluminum was evaluated. The volume of sample was reduced to 0.5 milliliters from the 1.0 milliliters previously required for the analysis. It was determined that no matrix effects exist when the resulting supernatant is analyzed, and thus it can be compared to an aqueous standard curve. In-run coefficients of variation (CV\u27s) for this method concentrations were of 7.8% 19.4 and and 5.4% 69.0 for mean aluminum micrograms/liter, respectively. Between-run CV\u27s were 12.9% and 9.9% for mean aluminum concentrations of 8.7 and 57.1 micrograms/liter, respectively. A technique for determining plasma ultrafilterable aluminum was developed. Amicon\u27s MPS-1 micropartitioning system was used with YMT membranes. The membranes required extensive cleaning by soaking in 1.8M HCl and rinsing with 2.4M HCl and deionized water. The membranes were 99.95% effective in excluding serum protein from the ultrafiltrate. The in-run CV for the method was 11.7% for a mean ultrafilterable micrograms/liter. The duration of sample centrifugation was found to significantly affect ultrafiltrate aluminum concentrations. An inverse relationship was observed between centrifugation duration and ultrafiltrate aluminum concentrations. Additionally, there was a dramatic decrease in the aluminum-binding capacity of serum proteins between pH 7.6 and 7.2. For the limited number of uremic dialysis patients for whom plasma aluminum analyses were done, the mean (SD) total plasma aluminum, the mean (SD) ultrafilterable aluminum, and the ultrafilterable fraction of the total plasma aluminum was 1 2 5. 6 ( 7 0) micrograms/liter, 3 0. 4 ( 28. 2 ) micrograms/liter, and 27.2 (18.9)%, respectively, for patients not undergoing chelation therapy. For patients undergoing chelation therapy, those values were 384.2 (246.2) micrograms/liter, 149.8 (65.2) micrograms/liter, and 44.9 (17.8)%, respectively. Total plasma aluminum and ultrafilterable aluminum were significantly higher in the chelation therapy patients (two-tailed t-test, p \u3c 0.01 in both cases)

Where constructionism and critical realism converge: interrogating the domain of epistemological relativism

The paper interrogates the status, nature and significance of epistemological relativism as a key element of constructionism and critical realism. It finds that epistemological relativism is espoused by authorities in critical realism and marginalized or displaced in the field of management and organization studies, resulting in forms of analysis that are empirically, but not fully critically, realist. This evaluation prompts reflection on the question of whether, how and with what implications epistemological relativism might be recast at the heart of critical realist studies of management and organization

Genome sequence of an Australian kangaroo, Macropus eugenii, provides insight into the evolution of mammalian reproduction and development.

BACKGROUND: We present the genome sequence of the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii, which is a member of the kangaroo family and the first representative of the iconic hopping mammals that symbolize Australia to be sequenced. The tammar has many unusual biological characteristics, including the longest period of embryonic diapause of any mammal, extremely synchronized seasonal breeding and prolonged and sophisticated lactation within a well-defined pouch. Like other marsupials, it gives birth to highly altricial young, and has a small number of very large chromosomes, making it a valuable model for genomics, reproduction and development. RESULTS: The genome has been sequenced to 2 × coverage using Sanger sequencing, enhanced with additional next generation sequencing and the integration of extensive physical and linkage maps to build the genome assembly. We also sequenced the tammar transcriptome across many tissues and developmental time points. Our analyses of these data shed light on mammalian reproduction, development and genome evolution: there is innovation in reproductive and lactational genes, rapid evolution of germ cell genes, and incomplete, locus-specific X inactivation. We also observe novel retrotransposons and a highly rearranged major histocompatibility complex, with many class I genes located outside the complex. Novel microRNAs in the tammar HOX clusters uncover new potential mammalian HOX regulatory elements. CONCLUSIONS: Analyses of these resources enhance our understanding of marsupial gene evolution, identify marsupial-specific conserved non-coding elements and critical genes across a range of biological systems, including reproduction, development and immunity, and provide new insight into marsupial and mammalian biology and genome evolution

Overexpression of Mcl-1 exacerbates lymphocyte accumulation and autoimmune kidney disease in lpr mice

Cell death by apoptosis has a critical role during embryonic development and in maintaining tissue homeostasis. In mammals, there are two converging apoptosis pathways: the ‘extrinsic’ pathway, which is triggered by engagement of cell surface ‘death receptors’ such as Fas/APO-1; and the ‘intrinsic’ pathway, which is triggered by diverse cellular stresses, and is regulated by prosurvival and pro-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins. Pro-survival Mcl-1, which can block activation of the proapoptotic proteins, Bax and Bak, appears critical for the survival and maintenance of multiple haemopoietic cell types. To investigate the impact on haemopoiesis of simultaneously inhibiting both apoptosis pathways, we introduced the vavP-Mcl-1 transgene, which causes overexpression of Mcl-1 protein in all haemopoietic lineages, into Faslpr/lpr mice, which lack functional Fas and are prone to autoimmunity. The combined mutations had a modest impact on myelopoiesis, primarily an increase in the macrophage/monocyte population in Mcl-1tg/lpr mice compared with lpr or Mcl-1tg mice. The impact on lymphopoiesis was striking, with a marked elevation in all major lymphoid subsets, including the non-conventional double-negative (DN) T cells (TCRβ+ CD4– CD8– B220+ ) characteristic of Faslpr/lpr mice. Of note, the onset of autoimmunity was markedly accelerated in Mcl-1tg/lpr mice compared with lpr mice, and this was preceded by an increase in immunoglobulin (Ig)-producing cells and circulating autoantibodies. This degree of impact was surprising, given the relatively mild phenotype conferred by the vavP-Mcl-1 transgene by itself: a two- to threefold elevation of peripheral B and T cells, no significant increase in the non-conventional DN T-cell population and no autoimmune disease. Comparison of the phenotype with that of other susceptible mice suggests that the development of autoimmune disease in Mcl-1tg/lpr mice may be influenced not only by Ig-producing cells but also other haemopoietic cell types

‘Japanese Management 20 Years On: The Contemporary Relevance of Japanese Management Practices’

This report discusses the contemporary relevance of Japanese management practices to managers, policymakers and academic researchers. Since the emergence of the Japanese model in the 1980s, important changes have been made in the management practices of Japanese firms. A major factor has been the effort to control costs of production in a global economy where the influence of China as a centre for cheap manufacturing has undercut many competitors. In addition, the ability of countries like South Korea and Taiwan to develop cheap, fashionable and fast moving consumer electronics and telecommunication goods has challenged Japanese hegemony in this area. Japan has therefore faced the problem of how to adapt to the new era of globalisation whilst carrying forward the legacy of the ‘lost decade’ of the 1990s. Developments like the introduction of performance pay and a greater use of nonregular employment are indicative of a move towards a more market-oriented and diverse Japanese economy that could cheapen overall labour costs. This has been accompanied by significant off-shoring to China and other parts of Asia of segments of the manufacturing process, again in order to reduce costs. At the same time, there is an important continuity behind the changes and the nature of the management practices remains specific to Japan. It suggests the emergence of a new, or revised, Japanese model which differs from its predecessor in various ways. It stresses the increased diversity between industries and firms, in part due to differential rates of internationalisation. The new model acknowledges previously underplayed aspects like the role of nonregular employment. It recognises important limitations and challenges that confront Japanese firms in seeking to shift the emphases in their approach to management. Examples include the position of non-regular workers and the limited success in certain knowledge-intensive industries