162 research outputs found
Social democracy, embeddedness and decommodification: On the conceptual innovations and intellectual affiliations of Karl Polanyi
Of the several debates that revolve around the work of the economic historian and political economist Karl Polanyi, one that continues to exercise minds concerns his analysis of, and political attitudes toward, post-war capitalism and the welfare state. Simplified a little, it is a debate with two sides. To borrow IvĂĄn SzelĂ©nyi's terms, one side constructs a âhardâ Karl Polanyi, the other a âsoftâ one. The former advocated a socialist mixed economy dominated by redistributive mechanisms. He was a radical socialist for whom the market should never be the dominant mechanism of economic coordination. His âsoftâ alter ego insisted that the market system remain essentially intact but be complemented by redistributive mechanisms. The âdouble movementâ â the central thesis of his âGreat Transformationâ â acts, in this reading, as a self-correcting mechanism that moderates the excesses of market fundamentalism; its author was positioned within the social-democratic mainstream for which the only realistic desirable goal is a regulated form of capitalism. In terms of textual evidence there is much to be said for both interpretations. In this article I suggest a different approach, one that focuses upon the meaning of Polanyi's concepts in relation to their socio-political and intellectual environment
Redundancy and cooperativity in the mechanics of compositely crosslinked filamentous networks
The actin cytoskeleton in living cells has many types of crosslinkers. The
mechanical interplay between these different crosslinker types is an open issue
in cytoskeletal mechanics. We develop a framework to study the cooperativity
and redundancy in the mechanics of filamentous networks with two types of
crosslinkers: crosslinkers that allow free rotations of filaments and
crosslinkers that do not. The framework consists of numerical simulations and
an effective medium theory on a percolating triangular lattice. We find that
the introduction of angle-constraining crosslinkers significantly lowers the
filament concentrations required for these networks to attain mechanical
integrity. This cooperative effect also enhances the stiffness of the network
and suppresses non-affine deformations at a fixed filament concentration. We
further find that semiflexible networks with only freely-rotating crosslinks
are mechanically very similar to compositely crosslinked flexible networks with
both networks exhibiting the same scaling behavior. We show that the network
mechanics can either be redundant or cooperative depending on the relative
energy scale of filament bending to the energy stored in the angle-constraining
crosslinkers, and the relative concentration of crosslinkers. Our results may
have implications for understanding the role of multiple crosslinkers even in a
system without bundle formation or other structural motifs.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figure
Quantitative PCR reveals strong spatial and temporal variation of the wasting disease pathogen, Labyrinthula zosterae in northern European eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds
Seagrass beds are the foundation species of functionally important coastal ecosystems worldwide. The worldâs largest losses of the widespread seagrass Zostera marina (eelgrass) have been reported as a consequence of wasting disease, an infection with the endophytic protist Labyrinthula zosterae. During one of the most extended epidemics in the marine realm, ~90% of East and Western Atlantic eelgrass beds died-off between 1932 and 1934. Today, small outbreaks continue to be reported, but the current extent of L. zosterae in European meadows is completely unknown. In this study we quantify the abundance and prevalence of the wasting disease pathogen among 19 Z. marina populations in northern European coastal waters, using quantitative PCR (QPCR) with primers targeting a species specific portion of the internally transcribed spacer (ITS1) of L. zosterae. Spatially, we found marked variation among sites with abundances varying between 0 and 126 cells mgâ1 Z. marina dry weight (mean: 5.7 L. zosterae cells mgâ1 Z. marina dry weight ±1.9 SE) and prevalences ranged from 0â88.9%. Temporarily, abundances varied between 0 and 271 cells mgâ1 Z. marina dry weight (mean: 8.5±2.6 SE), while prevalences ranged from zero in winter and early spring to 96% in summer. Field concentrations accessed via bulk DNA extraction and subsequent QPCR correlated well with prevalence data estimated via isolation and cultivation from live plant tissue. L. zosterae was not only detectable in black lesions, a sign of Labyrinthula-induced necrosis, but also occurred in green, apparently healthy tissue. We conclude that L. zosterae infection is common (84% infected populations) in (northern) European eelgrass populations with highest abundances during the summer months. In the light of global climate change and increasing rate of marine diseases our data provide a baseline for further studies on the causes of pathogenic outbreaks of L. zosterae
Analysis of the Localization of MEN Components by Live Cell Imaging Microscopy.
Mitotic exit is determined by multiple spatial and temporal cues from the spindle poles and the two compartments in a dividing yeast cell-the mother and the bud. These signals are ultimately integrated by the activation of the mitotic exit network (MEN) to promote persistent release of Cdc14 from the nucleolus. Live imaging analysis using fluorescent protein tags is invaluable to dissect this critical decision-making trigger. Here, we present protocols for routine yeast live cell microscopy applicable to this problem
Schools out : Adam Smith and pre-disciplinary international political economy
In this article, I argue that invocations of Adam Smith in international political economy (IPE) often reveal the influence therein of a disciplinary ontological disaggregation of economic and non-economic rationality, which I claim is obscured by the tendency to map its complex intellectual contours in terms of competing schools. I trace the origins of the disciplinary characterisation of Smith as the founder of IPE's liberal tradition to invocations of his thought by centrally important figures in the perceived Austrian, Chicago and German historical schools of economics, and reflect upon the significance to IPE of the reiteration of this portrayal by apparent members of its so-called American and British schools. I additionally contrast these interpretations to those put forward by scholars who seek to interpret IPE and Smith's contribution to it in pre-disciplinary terms, which I claim reflects a distinct ontology to that attributed to the British school of IPE with which their work is often associated. I therefore contend that reflection upon invocations of Smith's thought in IPE problematises the longstanding tendency to map its intellectual terrain in terms of competing schools, reveals that the disciplinary ontological consensus that informs this tendency impacts upon articulations of its core concerns and suggests that a pre-disciplinary approach offers an alternative lens through which such concerns might be more effectively framed
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