High-Performing Corporate Communications Teams: Views of Top CCOs

A study of the views of the chief communications officers (CCOs) at large organizations revealed views about “high performance” of the communication function is considered more in terms of the entire organization than evaluation only of the communications or public relations function. Depth interviews followed by a survey showed that top CCOs see high performance most important in IT and finance, but that high performance in communications is more vital to organizational success than it is in marketing, legal and the human resources function. Key drivers and impediments to high-performance of corporate communications were identified. The study matters to the profession by going beyond other research on communications and public relations evaluation that is focused more within the function than in the broader organizational context. It also extends recent research on public relations and leadership. Finally, the study shows a distinction in viewpoint between top communications executives and other professionals, and indicates a mindset necessary to be successful as a function as well as to gain respect across the enterprise

Planning for the Sun to Come Up: How Nevada and California Explain the Future of Net Metering

This Article explores the growth of rooftop solar and the future of net metering through the debates and policies of Nevada and California. Part II details the recent, rapid growth and projected future growth of solar power in the United States. Part II also describes how Nevada and Californiaare leading the nation in utilization of solar power and are already addressing issues that are likely to emerge in other areas of the country. Part III begins with a brief introduction to net metering and the national scope of net metering program reviews. Part III concludes with a summary of the most recent changes to each states net metering laws. Part IV contains a comparative analysis of five key legislative and regulatory factors influencing how net metering will develop in the future. The elements are the interaction between renewable portfolio standards and net metering programs, solar photovoltaic (PV) incentive programs, time-of-use rates, electricity sector decoupling, and comprehensive electric grid planning. Part V summarizes key findings from our research and provides lessons learned for other states considering evolving their net metering programs. Part VI concludes this article with a forward-looking assessment of the challenges facing net metering

The Live Room : transducing resonant architectures

Thesis (M.S.V.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 52).The Live Room is a temporary site specific installation presented in building N 51, room 117 on the MIT campus on May 7, 1998 and concluded on June 10, 1998. Using small acoustic intensifying equipment which mount directly to the structure of the foundation at the site, the system creates an enhanced scale of 'tectonic charging' through vibration. The system engages the architecture by running impulsive energy throughout, creating sound and vibration in direct relation to the building and the dimensions of the space. The project describes an intensified site where machines fuse into architecture and combine active forces with the building forms. The action is an attempt towards the liberation of tectonics from the limitations of the static, creating a place where resonant structures vibrate in sympathy to induced frequencies. By using various transducing devises and signal generating equipment, the project effectively 'tunes in' the space by delivering resonant frequencies. The installation engages directly a unique floor system which is already present in the space. Mechanical oscillators are mounted into this floor system so that frequencies are imparted into the building the floor and the persons who are situated in the room. With this work, I am interested in TRANSDUCING ARCHITECTURE, driving the space with external influences of a vibro-kinetic nature.by Mark Sanford Bain.M.S.V.S

Delivering Higher Value Through Higher Performance: Insights On Performance Evaluation And Talent Management In Corporate Communication

This study explored the current state of performance evaluation and talent management in corporate communication from the perspective of senior communication leaders including the members of the Arthur W. Page society. The findings of a national survey underscore several opportunities for communication leaders to elevate performance and importance of their function. In addition to actionable insights, key trends and best practices in measuring communication effectiveness, the study also concludes with recommendations on developing high performing teams that also deliver higher value

Both asymmetric mitotic segregation and cell-to-cell invasion are required for stable germline transmission of Wolbachia in filarial nematodes.

Parasitic filarial nematodes that belong to the Onchocercidae family live in mutualism with Wolbachia endosymbionts. We developed whole-mount techniques to follow the segregation patterns of Wolbachia through the somatic and germline lineages of four filarial species. These studies reveal multiple evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that are required for Wolbachia localization to the germline. During the initial embryonic divisions, Wolbachia segregate asymmetrically such that they concentrate in the posteriorly localized P(2) blastomere, a precursor to the adult germline and hypodermal lineages. Surprisingly, in the next division they are excluded from the germline precursor lineage. Rather, they preferentially segregate to the C blastomere, a source of posterior hypodermal cells. Localization to the germline is accomplished by a distinct mechanism in which Wolbachia invade first the somatic gonadal cells close to the ovarian distal tip cell, the nematode stem cell niche, from the hypodermis. This tropism is associated with a cortical F-actin disruption, suggesting an active engulfment. Significantly, germline invasion occurs only in females, explaining the lack of Wolbachia in the male germline. Once in the syncytial environment of the ovaries, Wolbachia rely on the rachis to multiply and disperse into the germ cells. The utilization of cell-to-cell invasion for germline colonization may indicate an ancestral mode of horizontal transfer that preceded the acquisition of the mutualism

The cellular protein MCM3AP is required for inhibition of cellular DNA synthesis by the IE86 protein of human cytomegalovirus.

Like all DNA viruses, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is known to result in profound effects on host cell cycle. Infection of fibroblasts with HCMV is known to induce an advance in cell cycle through the G(0)-G(1) phase and then a subsequent arrest of cell cycle in early S-phase, presumably resulting in a cellular environment optimum for high levels of viral DNA replication whilst precluding replication of cellular DNA. Although the exact mechanisms used to arrest cell cycle by HCMV are unclear, they likely involve a number of viral gene products and evidence points to the ability of the virus to prevent licensing of cellular DNA synthesis. One viral protein known to profoundly alter cell cycle is the viral immediate early 86 (IE86) protein--an established function of which is to initially drive cells into early S phase but then inhibit cellular DNA synthesis. Here we show that, although IE86 interacts with the cellular licensing factor Cdt1, it does not inhibit licensing of cellular origins. Instead, IE86-mediated inhibition of cellular DNA synthesis requires mini-chromosome-maintenance 3 (MCM3) associated protein (MCM3AP), which can cause subsequent inhibition of initiation of cellular DNA synthesis in a licensing-independent manner

Flooding in Southwestern Pennsylvania: Knowledge Gaps and Approaches

As southwestern Pennsylvania continues to evolve from its industrial past to become a national leader in innovation and sustainability, it has encountered a complex set of water challenges that threaten the economy, ecology, and public health of the region. In this context, over the last year, the Heinz Endowments funded the Pittsburgh Collaboratory for Water Research, Education, and Outreach at the University of Pittsburgh to hold a series of consensus-building meetings among regional academic scholars, community groups, governmental, and non-governmental organizations. These meetings (one each on green infrastructure, water quality, and flooding) aimed to identify key regional knowledge gaps and chart a collaborative research agenda to fill these gaps and enhance the region’s ability to strategically and creatively solve water problems. In June 2019, the first of the reports on Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Management was released. In October 2019, the second report on Water Quality was released. Now, in February 2020, the third report describing the research agenda on flooding arising from an April 2, 2019 meeting is being formally released. This report outlines several fundamental knowledge gaps in the region and suggests methods to span these gaps with new collaborative research