The nexus of business sustainability and organizational learning: A systematic literature review to identify key learning principles for business transformation

Companies play a central role in the quest for sustainable development. Organizational learning theories have been utilized to explain sustainability-related change processes in firms. However, implications from studies at the nexus of business sustainability and organizational learning are highly dependent on varying conceptualizations. The objective of this study is to provide clarity on the plurality of conceptual underpinnings in research and to uncover principles that are associated with deeper organizational change processes, that is, business transformation. Building on insights from a systematic literature review, we develop a sustainability learning typology, from which we distill three learning principles for business transformation: (1) the deutero learning mode, (2) the societal learning scope, and (3) the cooperative advantage objective. We formulate needs for future research to further elaborate on the learning principles associated with business transformation and suggest implications for practice

New supersymmetric quartet of nuclei in the A=190 mass region

We present evidence for a new supersymmetric quartet in the A=190 region of the nuclear mass table. New experimental information on transfer and neutron capture reactions to the odd-odd nucleaus 194 Ir strongly suggests the existence of a new supersymmetric quartet, consisting of the 192,193 Os and 193,194 Ir nuclei. We make explicit predictions for the odd-neutron nucleus 193 Os, and suggest that its spectroscopic properties be measured in dedicated experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, updated figures and revised text, Physical Review C, Rapid Communication, in pres

Transformative innovation and translocal diffusion

This paper develops a conceptual understanding of transformative innovations as shared activities, ideas and objects across locally rooted sustainability initiatives that explore and develop alternatives to incumbent and (perceived) unsustainable regimes that they seek to challenge, alter or replace. We synthesize empirical work from two European research projects (TRANSIT and ARTS), in which initiatives and networks were empirically studied, to develop a broader conceptual understanding of the emergence of transformative innovation. The development of initiatives can occur through growing, replicating, partnering, instrumentalising and embedding. This is supported through translocal networks that connect initiatives by sharing ideas, objects and activities across local contexts. This translocal characteristic of transformative innovations harnesses an enormous potential for sustainability transitions, but requires further understanding a

New supersymmetric quartet of nuclei in the A=190 mass region

We present evidence for a new supersymmetric quartet in the A=190 region of the nuclear mass table. New experimental information on transfer and neutron capture reactions to the odd-odd nucleaus 194 Ir strongly suggests the existence of a new supersymmetric quartet, consisting of the 192,193 Os and 193,194 Ir nuclei. We make explicit predictions for the odd-neutron nucleus 193 Os, and suggest that its spectroscopic properties be measured in dedicated experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, updated figures and revised text, Physical Review C, Rapid Communication, in pres

Noise Probe of the Dynamic Phase Separation in La2/3Ca1/3MnO3

Giant Random Telegraph Noise (RTN) in the resistance fluctuation of a macroscopic film of perovskite-type manganese oxide La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 has been observed at various temperatures ranging from 4K to 170K, well below the Curie temperature (TC = 210K). The amplitudes of the two-level-fluctuations (TLF) vary from 0.01% to 0.2%. We use a statistical analysis of the life-times of the TLF to gain insight into the microscopic electronic and magnetic state of this manganite. At low temperature (below 30K) The TLF is well described by a thermally activated two-level model. An estimate of the energy difference between the two states is inferred. At higher temperature (between 60K and 170K) we observed critical effects of the temperature on the life-times of the TLF. We discuss this peculiar temperature dependence in terms of a sharp change in the free energy functional of the fluctuators. We attribute the origin of the RTN to be a dynamic mixed-phase percolative conduction process, where manganese clusters switch back and forth between two phases that differ in their conductivity and magnetization.Comment: 15 pages, PDF only, Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press

High-Grade Osteosarcoma of the Foot: Presentation, Treatment, Prognostic Factors, and Outcome of 23 Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group COSS Patients

Osteosarcoma of the foot is a very rare presentation of a rare tumor entity. In a retrospective analysis, we investigated tumor- and treatment-related variables and outcome of patients registered in the Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group (COSS) database between January 1980 and April 2016 who suffered from primary high-grade osteosarcoma of the foot. Among the 23 eligible patients, median age was 32 years (range: 6-58 years), 10 were female, and 13 were male. The tarsus was the most commonly affected site (n=16). Three patients had primary metastases. All patients were operated: 5 underwent primary surgery and 18 received surgery following preoperative chemotherapy. In 21 of the 23 patients, complete surgical remission was achieved. In 4 of 17 patients, a poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was observed in the resected primary tumors. Median follow-up was 4.2 years (range: 0.4-18.5). At the last follow-up, 15 of the 23 patients were alive and 8 had died. Five-year overall and event-free survival estimates were 64% (standard error (SE) 12%) and 54% (SE 13%), which is similar to that observed for osteosarcoma in general. Event-free and overall survival correlated with primary metastatic status and completeness of surgery. Our findings show that high-grade osteosarcoma in the foot has a similar outcome as osteosarcoma of other sites

Molecular and cluster structures in ¹⁸O

We have studied the multi-nucleon transfer reaction 12C ( 7Li ,p) at E lab = 44 MeV, populating states in the oxygen isotope 18O . The experiments were performed at the Tandem accelerator of the Maier-Leibniz Laboratory in Munich using the high-resolution Q3D magnetic spectrograph. States were populated up to an excitation energy of 21.2MeV with an overall energy resolution of 45keV, and 30 new states of 18O have been identified. The structure of the rotational bands observed is discussed in terms of cluster bands with the underlying cluster structures: 14C$$\displaystyle \otimes$$\displaystyle \alpha$$and 12C ⊗ 2n ⊗ $\alpha$ . Because of the broken intrinsic reflection symmetry in these structures the corresponding rotational bands appear as parity doublets

Structures in ²⁰O from the ¹⁴C(⁷Li,<em> p</em>) reaction at 44 MeV

We have studied the multi-nucleon transfer reaction 14 C(7 Li, p) at E Lab(7 Li) = 44 MeV populating states of the neutron-rich oxygen isotope 20O . The experiments have been performed at the Munich Tandem accelerator using the high-resolution Q3D magnetic spectrometer, with an overall energy resolution of 45keV. States were populated up to 20MeV excitation energy --65 states have been identified in the analysis, among which 42 are new. Rotational bands are proposed in terms of underlying intrinsic reflection-asymmetric cluster and prolate molecular structures (namely \ensuremath ^{14}{\rm C}\otimes2n\otimes\alpha as parity doublet bands. A rectangular oblate structure is suggested for some very narrow states at high excitation energies

Extensive investigation of 0⁺ states in rare earth region nuclei

The nature of 0+ excitations, especially in transitional and deformed nuclei, has attracted new attention. Following a recent experiment studying 158Gd, we investigated a large group of nuclei in the rare-earth region with the (p,t) pickup reaction using the Q3D magnetic spectrograph at the University of Munich MP tandem accelerator laboratory. Outgoing tritons were recorded at various lab angles, and their angular distributions are compared to those calculated using the distorted-wave Born approximation. Using the unique shape of the L=0 angular distribution, more than double the number of 0+ states than were previously known are identified. The distribution of 0+ energies and cross sections is discussed in terms of collective and noncollective degrees of freedom, and the density of low-lying 0+ states is discussed as a corroboration of a characteristic feature of phase transition regions. The degree of level mixing, as extracted from Brody distribution fits to the energy spacings of adjacent 0+ levels, is also explored.</p