Let's Break It Down: A Qualitative Analysis of the Role of Communication Pauses in the Internal Corporate Communication of large German Companies

The rising flood of emails, messages and meetings in the internal communication of large German companies is growing steadily. The growing number of daily messages as well as their frequency are causing employees to feel stressed. As a result, their productivity and job satisfaction decrease. This paper analyzes the role strategic communication pauses play in the internal corporate communication of large German companies. Using a qualitative research framework, based on semi-structured guided interviews with communication managers (n = 9), insights are gained into the use of communication pauses and reasons for implementing them in companies. The results show that the main reasons are the growing number of communication channels and the increasing quantity of communicated information. Both developments have been further driven by the digital transformation in particular. Furthermore, it is shown that communication pauses are defined and implemented very differently in companies, which is due to various factors, such as digital transformation, corporate culture and internal communication tools. Within the framework of the study, the term 'communication pause' is successfully defined for the first time. In addition, practical recommendations for the implementation of communication pauses in the internal communication of companies are provided

From genotypes to organisms: State-of-the-art and perspectives of a cornerstone in evolutionary dynamics

Understanding how genotypes map onto phenotypes, fitness, and eventually organisms is arguably the next major missing piece in a fully predictive theory of evolution. We refer to this generally as the problem of the genotype-phenotype map. Though we are still far from achieving a complete picture of these relationships, our current understanding of simpler questions, such as the structure induced in the space of genotypes by sequences mapped to molecular structures, has revealed important facts that deeply affect the dynamical description of evolutionary processes. Empirical evidence supporting the fundamental relevance of features such as phenotypic bias is mounting as well, while the synthesis of conceptual and experimental progress leads to questioning current assumptions on the nature of evolutionary dynamics-cancer progression models or synthetic biology approaches being notable examples. This work delves into a critical and constructive attitude in our current knowledge of how genotypes map onto molecular phenotypes and organismal functions, and discusses theoretical and empirical avenues to broaden and improve this comprehension. As a final goal, this community should aim at deriving an updated picture of evolutionary processes soundly relying on the structural properties of genotype spaces, as revealed by modern techniques of molecular and functional analysis.Comment: 111 pages, 11 figures uses elsarticle latex clas

Phosphorus and nitrogen starvation reveal life-cycle specific responses in the metabolome of Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyta)

The coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi is a microalga with biogeochemical and biotechnological relevance, due to its high abundance in the ocean and its ability to form intricate calcium carbonate structures. Depletion of macronutrients in oceanic waters is very common and will likely enhance with advancing climate change. We present the first comprehensive metabolome study analyzing the effect of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) starvation on the diploid and haploid life-cycle stage, applying various metabolome analysis methods to gain new insights in intracellular mechanisms to cope with nutrient starvation. P-starvation led to an accumulation of many generic and especially N-rich metabolites, including lipids, osmolytes, and pigments. This suggests that P-starvation primarily arrests cell-cycling due to lacking P for nucleic acid synthesis, but that enzymatic functionality is widely preserved. Also, the de-epoxidation ratio of the xanthophyll cycle was upregulated in the diploid stage under P-starvation, indicating increased nonphotochemical quenching, a response typically observed under high light stress. In contrast, N-starvation resulted in a decrease of most central metabolites, also P-containing ones, especially in the diploid stage, indicating that most enzymatic functionality ceased. The two investigated nutrient starvation conditions caused significantly different responses, contrary to previous assumptions derived from transcriptomic studies. Data highlight that instantaneous biochemical flux is a more dominant driver of the metabolome than the transcriptomically rearranged pathway patterns. Due to the fundamental nature of the observed responses it may be speculated that microalgae with similar nutrient requirements can cope better with P-starvation than with N-starvation

REQUITE: A prospective multicentre cohort study of patients undergoing radiotherapy for breast, lung or prostate cancer

Purpose: REQUITE aimed to establish a resource for multi-national validation of models and biomarkers that predict risk of late toxicity following radiotherapy. The purpose of this article is to provide summary descriptive data. Methods: An international, prospective cohort study recruited cancer patients in 26 hospitals in eight countries between April 2014 and March 2017. Target recruitment was 5300 patients. Eligible patients had breast, prostate or lung cancer and planned potentially curable radiotherapy. Radiotherapy was prescribed according to local regimens, but centres used standardised data collection forms. Pre-treatment blood samples were collected. Patients were followed for a minimum of 12 (lung) or 24 (breast/prostate) months and summary descriptive statistics were generated. Results: The study recruited 2069 breast (99% of target), 1808 prostate (86%) and 561 lung (51%) cancer patients. The centralised, accessible database includes: physician-(47,025 forms) and patient-(54,901) reported outcomes; 11,563 breast photos; 17,107 DICOMs and 12,684 DVHs. Imputed genotype data are available for 4223 patients with European ancestry (1948 breast, 1728 prostate, 547 lung). Radiation-induced lymphocyte apoptosis (RILA) assay data are available for 1319 patients. DNA (n = 4409) and PAXgene tubes (n = 3039) are stored in the centralised biobank. Example prevalences of 2-year (1-year for lung) grade >= 2 CTCAE toxicities are 13% atrophy (breast), 3% rectal bleeding (prostate) and 27% dyspnoea (lung). Conclusion: The comprehensive centralised database and linked biobank is a valuable resource for the radiotherapy community for validating predictive models and biomarkers. Patient summary: Up to half of cancer patients undergo radiation therapy and irradiation of surrounding healthy tissue is unavoidable. Damage to healthy tissue can affect short-and long-term quality-of-life. Not all patients are equally sensitive to radiation "damage" but it is not possible at the moment to identify those who are. REQUITE was established with the aim of trying to understand more about how we could predict radiation sensitivity. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview and summary of the data and material available. In the REQUITE study 4400 breast, prostate and lung cancer patients filled out questionnaires and donated blood. A large amount of data was collected in the same way. With all these data and samples a database and biobank were created that showed it is possible to collect this kind of information in a standardised way across countries. In the future, our database and linked biobank will be a resource for research and validation of clinical predictors and models of radiation sensitivity. REQUITE will also enable a better understanding of how many people suffer with radiotherapy toxicity

Improving e-learning websites: the role of menu depth and metacognitive support

Introduction: Results from experimental research in instructional psychology imply that a deep menu structure of a e-learning website may provide useful segmentation. However, menu depth also increases the need for navigation and thus, might have impairing eects on learning. Furthermore, instructional support can be provided by including a checklist, to ensure that learners reflect on their study progress. The study aimed at investigating which menu structure is beneficial for e-learning websites and whether a checklist could compensate the negative effects of an unfavorable menu structure. Methods: Therefore, in an online experiment, we let 101 students learn facts about rocks from an e-learning website with either a deep or a flat menu structure. We further manipulated whether metacognitive support through a checklist was provided or not. Learning outcomes, cognitive load, metacognitive factors as well as learning time were measured. Results: Results show no main eects of the menu depth or the presence of a checklist on retention and transfer performance. Learning achievements in percent for retention were 37.31 (deep menu/checklist), 31.10 (deep menu/no checklist), 36.07 (flat menu/checklist), 38.13 (flat menu, no checklist) and for transfer were 35.19 (deep menu/checklist), 34.40 (deep menu/no checklist), 37.78 (flat menu/checklist), 33.23 (flat menu, no checklist). Yet, there are hints that the deeper menu structure had a negative eect on learning processes: The deep menu structure led to an enhanced extraneous cognitive load (ECL) and reduced learning efficiency. However, providing a checklist had beneficial eects mainly when learning with a deep menu structure but not overall. Unexpectedly, the presence of the checklist did not influence metacognitive measures. Discussion: Our study suggests that possible costs of a deep menu structure should be considered when designing instructional checklists. However, the study also provides a way in which these costs can be compensated, which is by using a checklist. Implications for instructional research and e-learning are discussed

Hydrogen Permeation, and Mechanical and Tribological Behavior, of CrNx Coatings Deposited at Various Bias Voltages on IN718 by Direct Current Reactive Sputtering

In the current work, the microstructure, hydrogen permeability, and properties of chromium nitride (CrNx) thin films deposited on the Inconel 718 superalloy using direct current reactive sputtering are investigated. The influence of the substrate bias voltage on the crystal structure, mechanical, and tribological properties before and after hydrogen exposure was studied. It was found that increasing the substrate bias voltage leads to densification of the coating. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results reveal a change from mixed fcc-CrN + hcp-Cr2N to the approximately stoichiometric hcp-Cr2N phase with increasing substrate bias confirmed by wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDS). The texture coefficients of (113), (110), and (111) planes vary significantly with increasing substrate bias voltage. The hydrogen permeability was measured by gas-phase hydrogenation. The CrN coating deposited at 60 V with mixed c-CrN and (113) textured hcp-Cr2N phases exhibits the lowest hydrogen absorption at 873 K. It is suggested that the crystal orientation is only one parameter influencing the permeation resistance of the CrNx coating together with the film structure, the presence of mixing phases, and the packing density of the structure. After hydrogenation, the hardness increased for all coatings, which could be related to the formation of a Cr2O3 oxide film on the surface, as well as the defect formation after hydrogen loading. Tribological tests reveal that hydrogenation leads to a decrease of the friction coefficient by up to 40%. The lowest value of 0.25 ± 0.02 was reached for the CrNx coating deposited at 60 V after hydrogenation

Seawater carbonate chemistry and biochemical composition of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi

Owing to the hierarchical organization of biology, from genomes over transcriptomes and proteomes down to metabolomes, there is continuous debate about the extent to which data and interpretations derived from one level, e.g. the transcriptome, are in agreement with other levels, e.g. the metabolome. Here, we tested the effect of ocean acidification (OA; 400 vs. 1000 μatm CO2) and its modulation by light intensity (50 vs. 300 μmol photons m-2 s-1) on the biomass composition (represented by 75 key metabolites) of diploid and haploid life-cycle stages of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi (RCC1216 and RCC1217) and compared these data with interpretations from previous physiological and gene expression screenings. The metabolite patterns showed minor responses to OA in both life-cycle stages. Whereas previous gene expression analyses suggested that the observed increased biomass buildup derived from lipid and carbohydrate storage, this dataset suggests that OA slightly increases overall biomass of cells, but does not significantly alter their metabolite composition. Generally, light was shown to be a more dominant driver of metabolite composition than OA, increasing the relative abundances of amino acids, mannitol and storage lipids, and shifting pigment contents to accommodate increased irradiance levels. The diploid stage was shown to contain vastly more osmolytes and mannitol than the haploid stage, which in turn had a higher relative content of amino acids, especially aromatic ones. Besides the differences between the investigated cell types and the general effects on biomass buildup, our analyses indicate that OA imposes only negligible effects on E. huxleyi's biomass composition

Phosphorus and nitrogen starvation reveal life-cycle specific responses in the metabolome of Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyta)

Wördenweber R, Rokitta SD, Heidenreich E, et al. Phosphorus and nitrogen starvation reveal life-cycle specific responses in the metabolome of Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyta). Limnology and Oceanography. 2018;63(1):203-226.The coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi is a microalga with biogeochemical and biotechnological relevance, due to its high abundance in the ocean and its ability to form intricate calcium carbonate structures. Depletion of macronutrients in oceanic waters is very common and will likely enhance with advancing climate change. We present the first comprehensive metabolome study analyzing the effect of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) starvation on the diploid and haploid life-cycle stage, applying various metabolome analysis methods to gain new insights in intracellular mechanisms to cope with nutrient starvation. P-starvation led to an accumulation of many generic and especially N-rich metabolites, including lipids, osmolytes, and pigments. This suggests that P-starvation primarily arrests cell-cycling due to lacking P for nucleic acid synthesis, but that enzymatic functionality is widely preserved. Also, the de-epoxidation ratio of the xanthophyll cycle was upregulated in the diploid stage under P-starvation, indicating increased nonphotochemical quenching, a response typically observed under high light stress. In contrast, N-starvation resulted in a decrease of most central metabolites, also P-containing ones, especially in the diploid stage, indicating that most enzymatic functionality ceased. The two investigated nutrient starvation conditions caused significantly different responses, contrary to previous assumptions derived from transcriptomic studies. Data highlight that instantaneous biochemical flux is a more dominant driver of the metabolome than the transcriptomically rearranged pathway patterns. Due to the fundamental nature of the observed responses it may be speculated that microalgae with similar nutrient requirements can cope better with P-starvation than with N-starvation

Phosphorus and nitrogen starvation reveal life-cycle specific responses in the metabolome of Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyta), Supplementary Table 3

The coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi is a microalga with biogeochemical and biotechnological relevance, due to its high abundance in the ocean and its ability to form intricate calcium carbonate structures. Depletion of macronutrients in oceanic waters is very common and will likely enhance with advancing climate change. We present the first comprehensive metabolome study analyzing the effect of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) starvation on the diploid and haploid life-cycle stage, applying various metabolome analysis methods to gain new insights in intracellular mechanisms to cope with nutrient starvation. P-starvation led to an accumulation of many generic and especially N-rich metabolites, including lipids, osmolytes and pigments. This suggests that P-starvation primarily arrests cell-cycling due to lacking P for nucleic acid synthesis, but that enzymatic functionality is widely preserved. Also, the de-epoxidation ratio of the xanthophyll cycle was upregulated in the diploid stage under P-starvation, indicating increased nonphotochemical quenching, a response typically observed under high light stress. In contrast, N-starvation resulted in a decrease of most central metabolites, also P-containing ones, especially in the diploid stage, indicating that most enzymatic functionality ceased. The two investigated nutrient starvation conditions caused significantly different responses, contrary to previous assumptions derived from transcriptomic studies. Data highlight that instantaneous biochemical flux is a more dominant driver of the metabolome than the transcriptomically rearranged pathway patterns. Due to the fundamental nature of the observed responses it may be speculated that microalgae with similar nutrient requirements can cope better with P-starvation than with N-starvation

The HSV-1 ICP22 protein selectively impairs histone repositioning upon Pol II transcription downstream of genes

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection and stress responses disrupt transcription termination by RNA Polymerase II (Pol II). In HSV-1 infection, but not upon salt or heat stress, this is accompanied by a dramatic increase in chromatin accessibility downstream of genes. Here, we show that the HSV-1 immediate-early protein ICP22 is both necessary and sufficient to induce downstream open chromatin regions (dOCRs) when transcription termination is disrupted by the viral ICP27 protein. This is accompanied by a marked ICP22-dependent loss of histones downstream of affected genes consistent with impaired histone repositioning in the wake of Pol II. Efficient knock-down of the ICP22-interacting histone chaperone FACT is not sufficient to induce dOCRs in ΔICP22 infection but increases dOCR induction in wild-type HSV-1 infection. Interestingly, this is accompanied by a marked increase in chromatin accessibility within gene bodies. We propose a model in which allosteric changes in Pol II composition downstream of genes and ICP22-mediated interference with FACT activity explain the differential impairment of histone repositioning downstream of genes in the wake of Pol II in HSV-1 infection