Methods and Meanings: Reflections on Reflexivity and Flexibility in an Intercultural Ethnographic Study of an Activist Organization

In this article I argue that organizations are cultures and, as such, when we study organizations, we should employ integrative intercultural ethnographic research methods that are reflexive and flexible. More specifically, through an intermingling of narratives, my personal reflections, and secondary scholarly research, this article briefly details my ethnographic study and explores the importance of viewing organizations through an intercultural lens. I also argue for including the study of organizations in considerations of intercultural communication. In addition, I examine two concepts that are important for intercultural communication studies, the concepts of reflexivity and flexibility in ethnographic research, and I thereby argue for the importance of these concepts when studying organizational culture. Finally, I share reflections of my experience researching an unfamiliar organizational culture (an activist organization) and present my most significant findings from my study while foregrounding the important impact of careful attention to reflexivity (including positionality and recording emotions) and flexibility in ethnographic intercultural research. It is important to note that this article’s main purpose is reflection on my intercultural ethnographic research process and methods. This text is not a traditional reporting of research study findings. My reflections, as detailed in this article, present specific findings about my research (rather than findings of my research study). Thus, this article is a process-centered text, rather than a product-centered text. The process-centered approach is particularly appropriate for this article due to its reflective nature and is useful in encouraging a more introspective examination of my intercultural ethnographic study

Low-Frequency Carbon Recombination Lines in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex

We detail tentative detections of low-frequency carbon radio recombination lines from within the Orion molecular cloud complex observed at 99–129 MHz. These tentative detections include one alpha transition and one beta transition over three locations and are located within the diffuse regions of dust observed in the infrared at 100 µm, the Ha emission detected in the optical, and the synchrotron radiation observed in the radio. With these observations, we are able to study the radiation mechanism transition from collisionally pumped to radiatively pumped within the H ii regions within the Orion molecular cloud complex

A Molecular Line Survey around Orion at Low Frequencies with the MWA

The low-frequency sky may reveal some of the secrets yet to be discovered. Until recently, molecules had never been detected within interstellar clouds at frequencies below 700 MHz. Following the pilot survey toward the Galactic center at 103-133 MHz with the Murchison Widefield Array, we surveyed 400 deg2centered on the Orion KL nebula from 99 to 170 MHz. Orion is a nearby region of active star formation and known to be a chemically rich environment. In this paper, we present tentative detections of nitric oxide and its isotopologues, singularly deuterated formic acid, molecular oxygen, and several unidentified transitions. The three identified molecules are particularly interesting, as laboratory experiments have suggested that these molecules are precursors to the formation of amines

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 regulates collagen-stimulated platelet function by modulating the association of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase with Grb-2-associated binding protein-1 and linker for activation of T cells

Background: Platelet activation by collagen depends on signals transduced by the glycoprotein (GP)VI–Fc receptor (FcR)-chain collagen receptor complex, which involves recruitment of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) to phosphorylated tyrosines in the linker for activation of T cells (LAT). An interaction between the p85 regulatory subunit of PI3K and the scaffolding molecule Grb-2-associated binding protein-1 (Gab1), which is regulated by binding of the Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-2 (SHP-2) to Gab1, has been shown in other cell types to sustain PI3K activity to elicit cellular responses. Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) functions as a negative regulator of platelet reactivity and thrombosis, at least in part by inhibiting GPVI–FcR-chain signaling via recruitment of SHP-2 to phosphorylated immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs in PECAM-1. Objective: To investigate the possibility that PECAM-1 regulates the formation of the Gab1–p85 signaling complexes, and the potential effect of such interactions on GPVI-mediated platelet activation in platelets. Methods: The ability of PECAM-1 signaling to modulate the LAT signalosome was investigated with immunoblotting assays on human platelets and knockout mouse platelets. Results: PECAM-1-associated SHP-2 in collagen-stimulated platelets binds to p85, which results in diminished levels of association with both Gab1 and LAT and reduced collagen-stimulated PI3K signaling. We therefore propose that PECAM-1-mediated inhibition of GPVI-dependent platelet responses result, at least in part, from recruitment of SHP-2–p85 complexes to tyrosine-phosphorylated PECAM-1, which diminishes the association of PI3K with activatory signaling molecules, such as Gab1 and LAT

Adolescent-specific patterns of behavior and neural activity during social reinforcement learning

Humans are sophisticated social beings. Social cues from others are exceptionally salient, particularly during adolescence. Understanding how adolescents interpret and learn from variable social signals can provide insight into the observed shift in social sensitivity during this period. The current study tested 120 participants between the ages of 8 and 25 years on a social reinforcement learning task where the probability of receiving positive social feedback was parametrically manipulated. Seventy-eight of these participants completed the task during fMRI scanning. Modeling trial-by-trial learning, children and adults showed higher positive learning rates than adolescents, suggesting that adolescents demonstrated less differentiation in their reaction times for peers who provided more positive feedback. Forming expectations about receiving positive social reinforcement correlated with neural activity within the medial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum across age. Adolescents, unlike children and adults, showed greater insular activity during positive prediction error learning and increased activity in the supplementary motor cortex and the putamen when receiving positive social feedback regardless of the expected outcome, suggesting that peer approval may motivate adolescents towards action. While different amounts of positive social reinforcement enhanced learning in children and adults, all positive social reinforcement equally motivated adolescents. Together, these findings indicate that sensitivity to peer approval during adolescence goes beyond simple reinforcement theory accounts and suggests possible explanations for how peers may motivate adolescent behavior.Psycholog

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 inhibits platelet response to thrombin and von Willebrand factor by regulating the internalization of glycoprotein Ib via AKT/glycogen synthase kinase-3/dynamin and integrin αIIbβ3

OBJECTIVE: Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) regulates platelet response to multiple agonists. How this immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif-containing receptor inhibits G protein-coupled receptor-mediated thrombin-induced activation of platelets is unknown. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Here, we show that the activation of PECAM-1 inhibits fibrinogen binding to integrin αIIbβ3 and P-selectin surface expression in response to thrombin (0.1-3 U/mL) but not thrombin receptor-activating peptides SFLLRN (3×10(-7)-1×10(-5) mol/L) and GYPGQV (3×10(-6)-1×10(-4) mol/L). We hypothesized a role for PECAM-1 in reducing the tethering of thrombin to glycoprotein Ibα (GPIbα) on the platelet surface. We show that PECAM-1 signaling regulates the binding of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled thrombin to the platelet surface and reduces the levels of cell surface GPIbα by promoting its internalization, while concomitantly reducing the binding of platelets to von Willebrand factor under flow in vitro. PECAM-1-mediated internalization of GPIbα was reduced in the presence of both EGTA and cytochalasin D or latrunculin, but not either individually, and was reduced in mice in which tyrosines 747 and 759 of the cytoplasmic tail of β3 integrin were mutated to phenylalanine. Furthermore, PECAM-1 cross-linking led to a significant reduction in the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β Ser(9), but interestingly an increase in glycogen synthase kinase-3α pSer(21). PECAM-1-mediated internalization of GPIbα was reduced by inhibitors of dynamin (Dynasore) and glycogen synthase kinase-3 (CHIR99021), an effect that was enhanced in the presence of EGTA. CONCLUSIONS: PECAM-1 mediates internalization of GPIbα in platelets through dual AKT/protein kinase B/glycogen synthase kinase-3/dynamin-dependent and αIIbβ3-dependent mechanisms. These findings expand our understanding of how PECAM-1 regulates nonimmunoreceptor signaling pathways and helps to explains how PECAM-1 regulates thrombosis

Cuticle deposition improves the biosecurity of eggs through the laying cycle and can be measured on hatching eggs without compromising embryonic development

The cuticle is part of the egg's natural defense and it can be improved by genetic selection. Prior to adoption of this measurement in breeding programs, questions that need to be addressed are whether improved cuticle deposition will result in a reduced risk of eggs becoming contaminated and whether selection for this trait will have any unintended consequences on the incubation process. Bacterial penetration experiments were carried out using eggs from a pedigree line of broiler breeders (BB) and Rhode Island Red (RIR) layers. Within the natural variation in cuticle deposition in each line, a good cuticle was shown to reduce an egg's susceptibility to penetration by Escherichia coli (BB, P = 0.023) and Salmonella typhimurium (RIR, P < 0.001). Deglycosylation of cuticle proteins had little effect on their antimicrobial activity. The effect of bird age on cuticle deposition was also examined. Shell color decreased with age as anticipated; however, we found no evidence that cuticle deposition decreases with age, at least up to 50 wk. A thicker cuticle could affect the water vapor conductance (WPC) of hatching eggs. The WPC of eggs was, therefore, measured on eggs selected from the top and tail of the cuticle distribution, this time in a Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL) pedigree line. Broiler breeder eggs were also tested. No evidence of a relationship between cuticle deposition and WPC was found for LSL or BB eggs. Cuticle deposition measurements require eggs to be stained. Here, we show that this has no adverse effect on embryo development at d 12 of incubation. Thus, we conclude that cuticle deposition is important in preventing bacterial penetration of eggs in genetically divergent breeds of chicken and that the measurement can be practically incorporated into breeding programs. This will contribute to improving the biosecurity of eggs by reducing vertical and horizontal transmission of potentially zoonotic and pathogenic organisms from parent to offspring