Be careful what you ask for: how inquiry strategy influences readiness mode

Much has been written about affecting change in the workplace, including how to help employees prepare for the process. However, little is known about how participation influences employees’ emotions and attitudes at the start of an intervention. By qualitatively analyzing conversations that were triggered by an organizational change effort, we explored how different inquiry strategies influence readiness for change. We examined four inquiry strategies by combining strength or deficit frames with individual or organizational focus. Distinctive conversational patterns emerged within each strategy, which we believe influence peoples’ change readiness. In this article we present four readiness modes to describe these patterns and conclude with implications for managers who seek to shape their change efforts more effectively

Memoria e imaginarios de la comunicación pertenecientes al espacio urbano del Centro Histórico de Barranquilla como vinculantes a la construcción de identidad ciudadana

La desaparición de nombres y carreras primitivas en Barranquilla, así como la destrucción y el abandono de su patrimonio arquitectico, aunado a la difícil situación de ser “sitio de libres” en los anales de su fundación, constituyen un elemento fascinante en el marco del espacio urbano, bajo el análisis de la comunicación. La memoria colectiva es una fuerza poderosa que moldea nuestra comprensión del mundo que nos rodea. A través de ella, construimos y preservamos los imaginarios que dan forma a nuestra cultura y a nuestras ciudades. En el caso del Centro Histórico de Barranquilla1, a memoria y los imaginarios han sido fundamentales en la creación de una comunicación espacio-urbana que ha definido la identidad de esta zona de la ciudad. En el CHB, la memoria es un elemento vital en la comprensión de la historia de la ciudad, ya que fue en esta zona donde se originó el comercio y la actividad portuaria que convirtió a Barranquilla en una ciudad importante de la región Caribe colombiana. Los imaginarios, por su parte, son las imágenes, símbolos y representaciones que se construyen a partir de la memoria colectiva. En el caso del CHB, los imaginarios están estrechamente ligados a la cultura popular de la región, a la música y al carnaval, y se reflejan en la arquitectura, la gastronomía y las tradiciones de la zona. La comunicación - espacio/urbana, a su vez, es el conjunto de interacciones, percepciones y usos que se dan en el espacio urbano. En el CHB, la comunicación espacio- urbana se ha construido a través de la memoria y los imaginarios, y se manifiesta en la forma en que la gente se relaciona con los edificios, las calles y los espacios públicos de la zona. 1 En aras de una más fluida narrativa, de ahora en adelante: Centro Histórico de Barranquilla = CHB. Así, la memoria, los imaginarios y la comunicación espacio-urbana son elementos fundamentales en la construcción de la identidad de un lugar. En el caso del CHB, estos elementos han sido vitales en la creación de una identidad cultural y urbana que debiera definir esta zona de la ciudad. De allí la importancia de un estudio que relacione la memoria colectiva y los imaginarios para la construcción de identidad ciudadana; siendo el caso particular de la ciudad Barranquilla, único en Colombia: No tuvo un conquistador. No se puede establecer día y fecha de haber sido reconocida como ciudad por la corona española. Situación de sitio de libres. -Territorios no importantes para la corona-. ¿Acaso situación que la llevó al más grande esplendor en Colombia, pero también la convierto en ruinas? (su centro histórico). La riqueza del mito fundacional hubiera sido capitalizado de una mejor forma, y no sobre la base equivocada de mitos fundaciones distantes a la realidad y por tanto no generan cohesión en los imaginarios y la memoria, por la naturaleza de sus narrativas dispersas. El autor de este trabajo de investigación, parte de su propia experiencia con la ciudad, vivirla, caminarla, vivirla desde el afuera; luego compara esos imaginarios entre pares y se establecen conclusiones sobre los aspectos a mejorar en la ciudad, desde la comunicación como estrategia de acciones prácticas. La metodología empleada fue entrevistas. Y se corroboran los datos con videos testimoniales; también se desarrollaron piezas con expertos sobre los orígenes de Barranquilla. Ese acervo experiencial no deja por fuera la fresca mira de las nuevas generaciones, de allí que esta investigación culmina además de las conclusiones del autor las recomendaciones sobre recuperación del centro histórico de jóvenes vinculado al mismo.Disappearance of primitive names and careers in Barranquilla, as well as the destruction and abandonment of its architectural heritage, coupled with the challenging status of being a "place of the free" in the annals of its foundation, constitute a fascinating element within the framework of urban space, under the analysis of communication. Collective memory is a powerful force that shapes our understanding of the world around us. Through it, we construct and preserve the imaginaries that shape our culture and our cities. In the case of the Historic Center of Barranquilla1, memory and imaginaries have been fundamental in the creation of an urban-space communication that has defined the identity of this area of the city. In the CHB, memory is a vital element in understanding the city's history, as it was in this area where the commerce and port activity that made Barranquilla an important city in the Colombian Caribbean region originated. Imaginaries, on the other hand, are the images, symbols, and representations that are constructed from collective memory. In the case of the CHB, imaginaries are closely linked to the popular culture of the region, to music and carnival, and are reflected in the architecture, cuisine, and traditions of the area. Communication in the urban space, in turn, is the set of interactions, perceptions, and uses that occur in urban space. In the CHB, urban-space communication has been built through memory and imaginaries and is evident in how people relate to the buildings, streets, and public spaces of the area. Therefore, memory, imaginaries, and urban-space communication are fundamental elements in the construction of a place's identity. In the case of the CHB, these elements have been vital in the creation of a cultural and urban identity that should define this area of the city. Hence, the importance of a study that relates collective memory and imaginaries to the construction of civic identity; this is a particular case in the city of Barranquilla, unique in Colombia: it had no conqueror. It is impossible to establish a date when it was recognized as a city by the Spanish crown. The situation of being a place of the free - territories not important to the crown - is this what led it to its greatest splendor in Colombia but also turned it into ruins (its historic center). The richness of the founding myth could have been capitalized on in a better way, and not based on myths that are distant from reality and, therefore, do not generate cohesion in the imaginaries and memory, due to the nature of their scattered narratives. The author of this research work draws from their own experience with the city, living it, walking it, experiencing it from the outside. They then compare these imaginaries among peers and draw conclusions about the aspects that need improvement in the city, using communication as a strategy for practical actions. The methodology used was interviews, and the data was corroborated with testimonial videos. Pieces with experts on the origins of Barranquilla were also developed. This experiential wealth does not exclude the fresh perspective of new generations, which is why this research concludes with the author's conclusions as well as recommendations for the recovery of the historic center by young people associated with it. Keywords: Memory, Imaginaries, Citizenship, Communication, Urban Space, Historic Center of Barranquilla. a of the city. It is important to recognize the importance of memory and imaginaries in the construction of our cities and the need to preserve and promote these elements to ensure the continuity of our cultural and urban identity

Furosemide kinetics and dynamics after kidney transplant

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110005/1/cptclpt1981134.pd

Lift-and-Round to Improve Weighted Completion Time on Unrelated Machines

We consider the problem of scheduling jobs on unrelated machines so as to minimize the sum of weighted completion times. Our main result is a $(3/2-c)$-approximation algorithm for some fixed $c>0$, improving upon the long-standing bound of 3/2 (independently due to Skutella, Journal of the ACM, 2001, and Sethuraman & Squillante, SODA, 1999). To do this, we first introduce a new lift-and-project based SDP relaxation for the problem. This is necessary as the previous convex programming relaxations have an integrality gap of $3/2$. Second, we give a new general bipartite-rounding procedure that produces an assignment with certain strong negative correlation properties.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figure

Biotransformation of furosemide in kidney transplant patients

The metabolic fate of furosemide was studied in kidney transplant patients after oral and intravenous administration of the diuretic at therapeutic doses. Serial urine samples were collected over a 24 h period and furosemide was analyzed by a specific high performance liquid chromatographic method using fluorescence detection. We found no evidence of the putative furosemide metabolite, 2-amino-4-chloro-5-sulfamoylanthranilic acid (CSA), in any of the samples analyzed. The amount of furosemide excreted as the glucuronide metabolite accounted for 8% of the available dose, whether administered orally or by intravenous infusion. In addition, the significant positive correlation observed between the percent of the available dose excreted as furosemide glucuronide and the renal clearance of furosemide ( r =0.581, p <0.02) suggests that the glucuronidation process for furosemide may be occurring in the kidney. Furosemide and its glucuronide metabolite accounted for only 45% of the intravenous dose recovered in the urine. Biliary excretion of unchanged furosemide and/or furosemide glucuronide into the feces probably accounts for the remainder of the dose not recovered.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46639/1/228_2004_Article_BF00607088.pd

Vortical and Wave Modes in 3D Rotating Stratified Flows: Random Large Scale Forcing

Utilizing an eigenfunction decomposition, we study the growth and spectra of energy in the vortical and wave modes of a 3D rotating stratified fluid as a function of $\epsilon = f/N$. Working in regimes characterized by moderate Burger numbers, i.e. $Bu = 1/\epsilon^2 < 1$ or $Bu \ge 1$, our results indicate profound change in the character of vortical and wave mode interactions with respect to $Bu = 1$. As with the reference state of $\epsilon=1$, for $\epsilon < 1$ the wave mode energy saturates quite quickly and the ensuing forward cascade continues to act as an efficient means of dissipating ageostrophic energy. Further, these saturated spectra steepen as $\epsilon$ decreases: we see a shift from $k^{-1}$ to $k^{-5/3}$ scaling for $k_f < k < k_d$ (where $k_f$ and $k_d$ are the forcing and dissipation scales, respectively). On the other hand, when $\epsilon > 1$ the wave mode energy never saturates and comes to dominate the total energy in the system. In fact, in a sense the wave modes behave in an asymmetric manner about $\epsilon = 1$. With regard to the vortical modes, for $\epsilon \le 1$, the signatures of 3D quasigeostrophy are clearly evident. Specifically, we see a $k^{-3}$ scaling for $k_f < k < k_d$ and, in accord with an inverse transfer of energy, the vortical mode energy never saturates but rather increases for all $k < k_f$. In contrast, for $\epsilon > 1$ and increasing, the vortical modes contain a progressively smaller fraction of the total energy indicating that the 3D quasigeostrophic subsystem plays an energetically smaller role in the overall dynamics.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figs. (abbreviated abstract

Predictive Spatial Dynamics and Strategic Planning for Raccoon Rabies Emergence in Ohio

Rabies is an important public health concern in North America because of recent epidemics of a rabies virus variant associated with raccoons. The costs associated with surveillance, diagnostic testing, and post-exposure treatment of humans exposed to rabies have fostered coordinated efforts to control rabies spread by distributing an oral rabies vaccine to wild raccoons. Authorities have tried to contain westward expansion of the epidemic front of raccoon-associated rabies via a vaccine corridor established in counties of eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Although sporadic cases of rabies have been identified in Ohio since oral rabies vaccine distribution in 1998, the first evidence of a significant breach in this vaccine corridor was not detected until 2004 in Lake County, Ohio. Herein, we forecast the spatial spread of rabies in Ohio from this breach using a stochastic spatial model that was first developed for exploratory data analysis in Connecticut and next used to successfully hind-cast wave-front dynamics of rabies spread across New York. The projections, based on expansion from the Lake County breach, are strongly affected by the spread of rabies by rare, but unpredictable long-distance translocation of rabid raccoons; rabies may traverse central Ohio at a rate 2.5-fold greater than previously analyzed wildlife epidemics. Using prior estimates of the impact of local heterogeneities on wave-front propagation and of the time lag between surveillance-based detection of an initial rabies case to full-blown epidemic, specific regions within the state are identified for vaccine delivery and expanded surveillance effort

Bat-associated Rabies Virus in Skunks

Rabies was undetected in terrestrial wildlife of northern Arizona until 2001, when rabies was diagnosed in 19 rabid skunks in Flagstaff. Laboratory analyses showed causative rabies viruses associated with bats, which indicated cross-species transmission of unprecedented magnitude. Public health infrastructure must be maintained to address emerging zoonotic diseases

Firearm Safety, Gun Violence and Chicago Families: Voices of Child Health in Chicago Report

Chicago has seen continuing firearm violence, with over 2,000 shooting victims so far in 2021. The epidemic of firearm violence impacts children across the state, as it remains the number one cause of death in children and youth across Illinois. In some of our previous reports, Chicago parents identified gun violence as their top social concern for kids in the city, and in recent years, they reported it was the main social problem getting worse the fastest for Chicago youth. In this month's Voices of Child Health in Chicago Report, we focus on the importance of firearm safety and parents' concerns about gun violence in the city. We asked 1,505 Chicago parents from all 77 community areas in the city about their experiences with firearm safety as well as other gun violence prevention and concern-related questions.