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1.
Methods Enzymol ; 701: 175-236, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39025572

ABSTRACT

Biomembranes and vesicles cover a wide range of length scales. Indeed, small nanovesicles have a diameter of a few tens of nanometers whereas giant vesicles can have diameters up to hundreds of micrometers. The remodeling of giant vesicles on the micron scale can be observed by light microscopy and understood by the theory of curvature elasticity, which represents a top-down approach. The theory predicts the formation of multispherical shapes as recently observed experimentally. On the nanometer scale, much insight has been obtained via coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of nanovesicles, which provides a bottom-up approach based on the lipid numbers assembled in the two bilayer leaflets and the resulting leaflet tensions. The remodeling processes discussed here include the shape transformations of vesicles, their morphological responses to the adhesion of condensate droplets, the instabilities of lipid bilayers and nanovesicles, as well as the topological transformations of vesicles by membrane fission and fusion. The latter processes determine the complex topology of the endoplasmic reticulum.


Subject(s)
Lipid Bilayers , Molecular Dynamics Simulation , Lipid Bilayers/chemistry , Cell Membrane/chemistry , Cell Membrane/metabolism , Membrane Fusion/physiology , Endoplasmic Reticulum/metabolism , Endoplasmic Reticulum/ultrastructure , Animals , Humans
2.
Educ Prim Care ; : 1-10, 2024 May 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38762767

ABSTRACT

Portfolios are often implemented to target multiple purposes, e.g. assessment, accountability and/or self-regulated learning. However, in educational practice, it appears to be difficult to combine different purposes in one portfolio, as interdependencies between the purposes can cause tensions. This paper explored directions to manage tensions that are inextricably linked to multipurpose portfolio use. We used a systems thinking methodology, that was based on the polarity thinkingTM framework. This framework provides a step-by-step approach to chart a polarity map® that can help to balance the tensions present in specific settings. We followed the steps of the framework to chart a polarity map for multipurpose portfolio use. Based on literature and our prior research, we selected one overarching polarity: accountability and learner agency. This polarity seems responsible for multiple tensions related to multipurpose portfolio use. We formulated values (potential benefits) and fears (tensions that can arise) of the two poles of this polarity. Then, we organised a session with stakeholders who work with the portfolio of the Dutch General Practice speciality programme. Together we formulated action steps and early warnings that can help to balance accountability and learner agency during multipurpose portfolio use. In addition to previous recommendations concerning portfolio use, we advocate that it is important to create a shared frame of reference between all involved with the multipurpose portfolio. During this process, the acknowledgement and discussion of tensions related to multipurpose portfolio use are vital.

3.
J Environ Manage ; 358: 120855, 2024 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38614007

ABSTRACT

Political conflicts or geopolitical tensions can create uncertainty in addressing climate change and environmental management in the Arctic. Dissecting how actors interact with each other and form networks is important for understanding ecological and environmental management challenges during geopolitical tensions, as well as promoting better governance. We construct transboundary networks for Arctic climate change governance (ACCG) from 2013 to 2021 based on the Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone (GDELT). Further, we used network descriptive statistical analysis and Temporal Exponential Random Graph Models (TERGM) to explore the structure of ACCG networks and the key factors influencing cooperation formation. The findings suggest that the overall cooperation density of the ACCG is low, and the dominant position of core actors is continuously strengthening. Non-state actors are less likely to be seen as partners and their participation depends largely on cooperation with states. The results also show that actors with similar stances and problem exposure are more likely to cooperate, but those exposed to high latitudes often choose not to cooperate; first-comers are more likely to perceive as cooperating yet they are inclined to establish internal cooperation. Additionally, two geographically proximate actors are more likely to cooperate. This indicates that under geopolitical tensions, the ACCG faces challenges not only due to the limited capacity of non-state actors to perform transboundary functions but also because the cooperation mechanisms are influenced by regional political logic. Accordingly, we further suggest policy recommendations from developing binding international frameworks to guide transboundary cooperation, enhancing cooperation among non-state actors, and ensuring the representativeness and fairness of non-Arctic actors' participation. This research provides insights into transboundary environmental management under political tensions, while also offering new pathways for analysing large-scale environmental governance structures.


Subject(s)
Climate Change , Arctic Regions , Conservation of Natural Resources , Politics
4.
J Environ Manage ; 353: 120269, 2024 Feb 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38335598

ABSTRACT

The consideration and implementation by companies of only those circular economy (CE) practices involving economic returns (win-win solutions) is the result of a utopian and reductionist view of the circular transition. A more realistic and holistic perspective toward circular economy (CE) should recognize and embrace the complexities it entails and not be limited to only instrumental solutions. By drawing on the paradox theory, we delve into the conflicting issues that companies encounter in adopting circular initiatives and analyze the role of organizational attributes in the recognition and navigation of CE tensions. We tested our conceptual framework by using survey data from 303 manufacturing and construction companies in Italy. This study shows that cognitive diversity of internal managerial figures and supply chain collaboration foster the recognition of CE tensions at corporate level. In addition, the results reveal that companies with flexible organizational design, which collaborate with other supply chain actors, and recognize CE tensions are more likely to navigate CE paradoxes. Finally, the study indicates that establishing an experimentation and dialogue space increases the effect of flexible organizational design on navigating CE paradoxes. The research findings are relevant not only to managers and companies, but also to policy makers who can implement industrial policies that incentivize companies' development of organizational attributes likely to stimulate a paradoxical approach toward CE.


Subject(s)
Commerce , Industry , Empirical Research , Italy , Organizations
5.
Sociol Health Illn ; 46(1): 153-171, 2024 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37550844

ABSTRACT

Despite an increased drive over the past two decades in Western societies to promote children's physically active play to improve their health, there are concerns that childhood has become less physically active. There are also fears that a previously naturally occurring aspect of childhood has become less authentically playful. Both trends highlight changes over time in the amount and type of play practiced by children and are often cited as consequences of generational shifts. Yet, research which analytically employs the concept of generation to connect changes to childhood with relevant social transformations is lacking. Inspired by Mannheim's conceptualisation of generations, this paper draws on life history interviews with 28 United Kingdom residents born between 1950 and 1994 to propose a fracturing of naturally occurring physical activity from childhood play. As shifts in childhood and parenting have become inextricably linked, this argument illustrates the impact of an intensification to parenting upon greater parental surveillance of increasingly organised forms of childhood physical activity at the expense of spontaneous play. Future physical activity policy should be sensitive to the social climate in which recommendations for children are made, as this places expectations upon parents due to how childhood is currently understood within neoliberal contexts.


Subject(s)
Parenting , Parents , Child , Humans , Social Environment , United Kingdom , Exercise
6.
Rev. adm. pública (Online) ; 58(2): e2023, 2024. graf
Article in Portuguese | LILACS-Express | LILACS | ID: biblio-1559198

ABSTRACT

Resumo A chamada "estratégia aberta" preconiza a inclusão de colaboradores de diferentes níveis, bem como de agentes externos e parceiros, no processo de construção da estratégia. Esse movimento de abertura e inclusão também tem avançado no setor público por meio da governança colaborativa, como consequência das mudanças do entendimento do papel do Estado numa forma de gestão que promove a interação entre os atores públicos e privados. O argumento central deste ensaio é que há paradoxos inerentes à estratégia aberta no setor público que precisam ser gerenciados para evitar ou minimizar tensões prejudiciais entre os envolvidos. O artigo adota uma abordagem reflexiva e indutiva, baseada nas perspectivas teóricas tanto da estratégia aberta quanto da governança colaborativa. Como resultado, contribui para o campo de estudos em gestão pública e apresenta proposições teóricas e práticas que indicam caminhos para gerenciamento da estratégia aberta.


Resumen La denominada estrategia abierta aboga por la inclusión de empleados de diferentes niveles, y de agentes y socios externos, en el proceso de construcción de la estrategia. Este movimiento hacia la apertura y la inclusión también ha avanzado en el sector público a través de la gobernanza colaborativa, como consecuencia de cambios en la comprensión del papel del Estado en una forma de gestión que promueve la interacción entre actores públicos y privados. El argumento central de este ensayo es que existen paradojas inherentes al uso de la estrategia abierta en el sector público que deben gestionarse para evitar o minimizar tensiones dañinas entre los involucrados. El ensayo adopta un enfoque reflexivo e inductivo, basado en las perspectivas teóricas tanto de la estrategia abierta como de la gobernanza colaborativa. Como resultado, contribuye al campo de los estudios en gestión pública y presenta propuestas teóricas y prácticas que indican caminos para la gestión de estrategias abiertas.


Abstract The open strategy approach advocates the inclusion of external agents, partners, and employees working at different levels in the strategy construction process. This movement toward openness and inclusion has also advanced in the public sector through collaborative governance. This development is due to changes in understanding the state's role as a promoter of interaction between public and private actors. The central argument of this essay is that there are paradoxes inherent in the use of open strategy in the public sector that need to be managed in order to avoid or minimize damaging tensions between those involved. The essay adopts a reflexive and inductive approach based on the theoretical perspectives of both open strategy and collaborative governance. As a result, it contributes to the field of public management studies and presents theoretical and practical propositions that indicate ways of managing open strategy.

7.
Br J Educ Psychol ; 2023 Dec 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38092665

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: When second-career teachers (SCTs) learn to teach, they need to cope with the tension-evoking moments they encounter. Little is known about the coping strategies SCTs use to manage tensions. AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate the coping strategies SCTs use during the first 1.5 years of teacher training. The SCTs' own perceptions about the usefulness, evolution and specificity of these coping strategies were also studied. SAMPLE: Twenty-four SCTs in the alternative teacher training programme (ATTP) at the University of Amsterdam participated in this study. These SCTs aspired to become teachers of mathematics, physics, economics, computer science or chemistry. METHOD: For each participant, written logbook fragments and interviews were analysed in Atlas-ti. RESULTS: The SCTs used in decreasing order: intrapersonal approaching (e.g., resolving problems autonomously), interpersonal approaching (e.g., consulting others) and intrapersonal avoiding strategies (e.g., ignoring an undesired situation). Interpersonal avoiding strategies were not mentioned at all. While the SCTs reported approaching strategies (inter- and intrapersonal) as being useful for their development, we also found disadvantages to intrapersonal approaching strategies and advantageous uses of avoiding strategies. The SCTs noted several inter- and intrapersonal approaching coping strategies that they considered typical for SCTs. CONCLUSION: Intrapersonal approaching coping strategies can be a risk because of the invisibility of these strategies. Interpersonal strategies should be stimulated because SCTs benefit from the social network in school. Avoiding strategies may serve a purpose for managing the complexity of the teaching profession.

8.
Article in Spanish | LILACS-Express | LILACS | ID: biblio-1536548

ABSTRACT

(analítico) Con el tiempo, el acceso de los jóvenes a la universidad ha sido mayor; sin embargo, una serie de factores puede hacer que, en este tránsito, los estudiantes experimenten tensiones que influyen en su salud integral. Por ello, conocer cuáles son las tensiones que viven los estudiantes en el contexto universitario constituye un punto de partida para su bienestar. Se realizó una investigación cualitativa con diseño fenomenológico, mediante grupos focales y entrevistas se-miestructuradas. La categorización se realizó con el Software IRaMuTeQ y su análisis mediante la técnica de análisis de contenido. Se encontró que las redes de apoyo pueden convertirse en agentes de tensión: red familiar, expectativas frente al desempeño académico; red social, necesidad de encajar y establecer relaciones, y red universitaria, metodologías de algunos profesores y desconocimiento de infraestructura.


(analytical) Over time, the access of young people to the university has been greater; however, a series of factors can cause students to experience tensions during this transit that influence their overall health. Therefore, knowing what are the tensions that students experience in the university context constitutes a starting point for their well-being. A qualitative research with a phenomenological design was carried out, through focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The categorization was carried out with the IRaMuTeQ Software and its analysis using the content analysis technique. It was found that support networks can become agents of tension: family network, expectations regarding academic performance; social network, need to fit in and establish relationships, and university network, methodologies of some professors and lack of knowledge of infrastructure.


(analítico) Com o passar do tempo, o acesso dos jovens à universidade foi maior; no entanto, uma série de fatores pode fazer com que os alunos experimentem tensões durante esse trânsito que influenciam sua saúde geral. Portanto, saber quais são as tensões que os alunos vivenciam no contexto universitário constitui um ponto de partida para o seu bem-estar. Realizou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa de delineamento fenomenológico, por meio de grupos focais e entrevistas semiestruturadas. A categorização foi realizada com o Software IRaMuTeQ e sua análise por meio da técnica de análise de conteúdo. Constatou-se que as redes de apoio podem se tornar agentes de tensão: rede familiar, expectativas em relação ao desempenho acadêmico; rede social, necessidade de se enquadrar e estabelecer relacionamentos, e rede universitária, metodologias de alguns professores e desconhecimento de infraestrutura.

9.
BMC Health Serv Res ; 23(1): 1292, 2023 Nov 23.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37996835

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The German Innovation Fund supports projects that aim to improve healthcare through integration and intersectoral collaboration. As is typical for collaborative innovation projects, partners often pursue different objectives, which can create tensions and affect outcomes. The study aims to explore the causes and effects of tensions in integrated care projects and how frameworks, processes, and management should be designed to deal with tensions and achieve their productive effects. METHODS: In an online survey we asked participants about the causes, effects, and management of tensions and their implications for integrated care projects (n = 58 completed questionnaires). We applied bivariate descriptive statistics to analyse the quantitative data. RESULTS: Tensions between stakeholders, caused by deep-seated differences and the design of the project frameworks, often affect the course and outcome of innovative integrated care projects. However, through appropriate conflict management and negotiation processes such tensions can be managed constructively and lead to better outcomes. DISCUSSION: Tension is usually seen as something unpleasant to be avoided and/or overcome. In fact, tensions can have positive effects, the importance of which remains little understood. Developing appropriate frameworks for managing and integrating different perspectives are key factors in unlocking the positive potential of tensions in integrated care projects.


Subject(s)
Delivery of Health Care, Integrated , Health Facilities , Humans , Germany , Surveys and Questionnaires
10.
Eur Biophys J ; 52(8): 625-640, 2023 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37707627

ABSTRACT

Movement of cell clusters along extracellular matrices (ECM) during tissue development, wound healing, and early stage of cancer invasion involve various inter-connected migration modes such as: (1) cell movement within clusters, (2) cluster extension (wetting) and compression (de-wetting), and (3) directional cluster movement. It has become increasingly evident that dilational and volumetric viscoelasticity of cell clusters and their surrounding substrate significantly influence these migration modes through physical parameters such as: tissue and matrix surface tensions, interfacial tension between cells and substrate, gradients of surface and interfacial tensions, as well as, the accumulation of cell and matrix residual stresses. Inhomogeneous distribution of tissue surface tension along the cell-matrix biointerface can appear as a consequence of different contractility of various cluster regions. While the directional cell migration caused by the matrix stiffness gradient (i.e., durotaxis) has been widely elaborated, the structural changes of matrix surface caused by cell tractions which lead to the generation of the matrix surface tension gradient has not been considered yet. The main goal of this theoretical consideration is to clarify the roles of various physical parameters in collective cell migration based on the formulation of a biophysical model. This complex phenomenon is discussed with the help of model systems such as the movement of cell clusters on a collagen I gel matrix, simultaneously reviewing various experimental data with and without cells.


Subject(s)
Extracellular Matrix , Neoplasms , Humans , Cell Movement , Extracellular Matrix/metabolism , Physics
11.
Innov Aging ; 7(7): igad080, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37727597

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: Globally aging populations raise worldwide concerns about how an older population will be valued. Cross-culturally, many espouse that Eastern cultures revere their older adults more than Westerners, due to stronger collectivism and filial piety traditions. In contrast, this paper proposes a resource tension hypothesis, whereby rapid population aging causes pragmatic strain across all modernized societies, fostering ageism. Research Design and Methods: Three studies supported this resource tension hypothesis, focusing on the pragmatic role of public pensions-a fundamental resource inherently pitting older versus younger generations-in fostering ageism. Study 1 tested the relationship between nation-level public pension rate and attitudes toward older adults by using World Values Survey and European Social Survey data sets. Study 2 further explored this relationship via priming both the pension-based resource scarcity and the intergenerational competition over the public pension. Study 3 offered an intervention-future-self-thinking via a photo ager-on reducing intergenerational tensions under pension scarcity conditions. Results: Study 1 found a significant link between nation-level public pension rate and negative older adult attitudes across 39,700 World Values Survey, and 29,797 European Social Survey data points. Study 2 further supported the pension-ageism link via experimental methods. Participants who were reminded of the scarcity of pensions and intergenerational competition exhibited more negative attitudes toward older adults. Study 3 confirmed the effect of the future-self intervention on enhancing attitudes toward older adults even despite scarce pension resources. Discussion and Implications: The findings support a resource explanation in driving perceptions of older adults, implicate pensions as a key mechanism driving intergenerational attitudes, and identify future-self thinking as a critical intervention. The present studies open up new research pathways for understanding and accommodating the globally aging population.

12.
Biomolecules ; 13(6)2023 05 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37371505

ABSTRACT

Biological and biomimetic membranes are based on lipid bilayers, which consist of two monolayers or leaflets. To avoid bilayer edges, which form when the hydrophobic core of such a bilayer is exposed to the surrounding aqueous solution, a single bilayer closes up into a unilamellar vesicle, thereby separating an interior from an exterior aqueous compartment. Synthetic nanovesicles with a size below 100 nanometers, traditionally called small unilamellar vesicles, have emerged as potent platforms for the delivery of drugs and vaccines. Cellular nanovesicles of a similar size are released from almost every type of living cell. The nanovesicle morphology has been studied by electron microscopy methods but these methods are limited to a single snapshot of each vesicle. Here, we review recent results of molecular dynamics simulations, by which one can monitor and elucidate the spatio-temporal remodeling of individual bilayers and nanovesicles. We emphasize the new concept of leaflet tensions, which control the bilayers' stability and instability, the transition rates of lipid flip-flops between the two leaflets, the shape transformations of nanovesicles, the engulfment and endocytosis of condensate droplets and rigid nanoparticles, as well as nanovesicle adhesion and fusion. To actually compute the leaflet tensions, one has to determine the bilayer's midsurface, which represents the average position of the interface between the two leaflets. Two particularly useful methods to determine this midsurface are based on the density profile of the hydrophobic lipid chains and on the molecular volumes.


Subject(s)
Lipid Bilayers , Molecular Dynamics Simulation , Lipid Bilayers/chemistry , Cell Membrane/metabolism , Endocytosis
13.
J Bus Ethics ; : 1-41, 2023 Mar 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37359796

ABSTRACT

In response to stakeholder pressure, companies increasingly make ambitious forward-looking sustainability commitments. They then draw on corporate policies with varying degrees of alignment to disseminate and enforce corresponding behavioral rules among their suppliers and business partners. This goal-based turn in private sustainability governance has important implications for its likely environmental and social outcomes. Drawing on paradox theory, this article uses a case study of zero-deforestation commitments in the Indonesian palm oil sector to argue that goal-based private sustainability governance's characteristics set the stage for two types of paradoxes to emerge: performing paradoxes between environmental, social, and economic sustainability goals, and organizing paradoxes between cooperation and competition approaches. Companies' responses to these paradoxes, in turn, can explain the lack of full goal attainment and differential rates of progress between actors. These results draw our attention to the complexities hidden behind governance through goal setting in the corporate space, and raise important questions about the viability of similar strategies such as science-based targets and net-zero goals.

14.
Int J Integr Care ; 23(2): 20, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37250762

ABSTRACT

In the transition from fragmented to integrated care, tensions are inevitable. Contradictions between the actors of the different professions involved can have negative but also positive effects on change processes in the healthcare system. This is especially true for integrated care, where collaboration among the workforce is pivotal. Therefore, efforts should not be made to avoid tensions from the outset, if this is at all possible, but to deal with them constructively. The attention of leading actors must be increased to recognize, analyse, and successfully manage tensions. The creative potential of tensions can be harnessed to successfully implement integrated care and engage the diverse workforce.

15.
J Colloid Interface Sci ; 640: 510-520, 2023 Jun 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36878069

ABSTRACT

Bacteria adapt the mechanical properties of their cell envelope, including cell wall stiffness, turgor, and cell wall tension and deformation, to grow and survive in harsh environments. However, it remains a technical challenge to simultaneously determine these mechanical properties at a single cell level. Here we combined theoretical modelling with an experimental approach to quantify the mechanical properties and turgor of Staphylococcus epidermidis. It was found that high osmolarity leads to a decrease in both cell wall stiffness and turgor. We also demonstrated that the turgor change is associated with a change in the viscosity of the bacterial cell. We predicted that the cell wall tension is much higher in deionized (DI) water and it decreases with an increase in osmolality. We also found that an external force increases the cell wall deformation to reinforce its adherence to a surface and this effect can be more significant in lower osmolarity. Overall, our work highlights how bacterial mechanics supports survival in harsh environments and uncovers the adaption of bacterial cell wall mechanical integrity and turgor to osmotic and mechanical challenges.


Subject(s)
Bacteria , Cell Wall , Microscopy, Atomic Force , Cell Wall/metabolism , Cell Membrane , Osmotic Pressure
16.
Am Sociol ; 54(1): 101-122, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36987531

ABSTRACT

China in the midst of great changes has both changed and remained unchanged. Chinese society is full of hope but also faces many challenges. In particular, there is a paradox about the hope of the Chinese people. On the one hand, most of them are confident about the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, on the other hand, in the face of their own personal future, they are in a gloomy mood. How to make sense of this situation? This article carries on the analysis from five aspects. First of all, it reveals the objective context for the formation of hope by showing the structural changes of Chinese society since the reform and opening up. Secondly, it discusses the evolution of Chinese people's spiritual world around individualism and consumerism, which is related to the subjective schema of hope. Third, the Chinese Dream is viewed in terms of the supply of social meaning and the construction of a community of hope. Fourth, it analyzes the mental order from the moral deficiency and structural tension in Chinese society. Finally, it examines the situations and hopes of the major social classes in the platform economy. Chinese culture is not bothered by paradoxes, but is used to living with them and looking for opportunities to break through them. Culturally speaking, China's greatest hope lies in its spirit to strive for self-improvement unremittingly through intergenerational dynamics. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12108-023-09568-1.

17.
Food Control ; 148: 109670, 2023 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36748095

ABSTRACT

Covid-19 had shown the vulnerability of the food supply chain and fraudsters may take advantage of the pandemic whilst the population needed a continuous supply of safe and quality food. The lack of monitoring and policing in the food supply chain may encourage fraudsters to upscale their operations. Previous studies had warned of a surge in fraudulent products due to COVID-19. This raised the question on whether food fraud had increased during the pandemic? This study aims to investigate food fraud during COVID-19 and how the food supply chain develops mitigating strategies against fraudulent activities. A mixed-method approach including survey and semi-structured interviews were conducted among UK food businesses. Two hundred and two agri-food businesses responded to the survey and 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The majority of the food businesses did not experience an increase of food fraud activities during COVID-19. Two thematic domains and ten sub-themes were identified from the data set. There was a heightened sense of anticipation and preparation for increased fraudulent activities during the pandemic. The main risk mitigating strategies included horizon scanning; developing and maintaining supplier relationship and assurance; understanding product characteristics, testing capabilities, conducting vulnerability assessments and training. Practical and cost-effective strategies for small and medium food businesses were recommended. This is the first empirical study on food fraud and mitigating strategies of the UK food supply chain during the pandemic. Our findings provide evidence for informing the policies and practices of the food regulatory authorities as well as best practices to protect the UK food supply chain against food fraud during exogenous shocks like COVID-19.

18.
Membranes (Basel) ; 13(2)2023 Feb 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36837726

ABSTRACT

Condensate droplets are formed in aqueous solutions of macromolecules that undergo phase separation into two liquid phases. A well-studied example are solutions of the two polymers PEG and dextran which have been used for a long time in biochemical analysis and biotechnology. More recently, phase separation has also been observed in living cells where it leads to membrane-less or droplet-like organelles. In the latter case, the condensate droplets are enriched in certain types of proteins. Generic features of condensate droplets can be studied in simple binary mixtures, using molecular dynamics simulations. In this review, I address the interactions of condensate droplets with biomimetic and biological membranes. When a condensate droplet adheres to such a membrane, the membrane forms a contact line with the droplet and acquires a very high curvature close to this line. The contact angles along the contact line can be observed via light microscopy, lead to a classification of the possible adhesion morphologies, and determine the affinity contrast between the two coexisting liquid phases and the membrane. The remodeling processes generated by condensate droplets include wetting transitions, formation of membrane nanotubes as well as complete engulfment and endocytosis of the droplets by the membranes.

19.
Am J Community Psychol ; 71(3-4): 507-519, 2023 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36800198

ABSTRACT

Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) classrooms can work to shift the dialog and structure of schools to better fit the needs of students and disrupt dominant narratives that have marginalized students of Color. As scholars have shown, this work is not devoid of tensions. This paper examines the tensions that arose during the first 2 years of a high school PAR class. Written from the perspective of the 23 students in Soy Yo, the students use testimonios to narrate their collective experience as they analyze three tensions that could have ended Soy Yo and their YPAR project before it began. As a decolonial method, testimonios allow students to reclaim their stories by shedding light on their struggles, tensions, and transformative moments that adult collaborators might overlook. These testimonios illustrate the potential for YPAR classrooms to becoming a third space that allows for campus change and personal transformation. The paper concludes with lessons learned for future scholars and educators to explore.


Subject(s)
Community-Based Participatory Research , Health Services Research , Adolescent , Humans , Community-Based Participatory Research/methods , Health Services Research/methods , Schools , Students
20.
J Technol Transf ; : 1-29, 2023 Feb 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36816884

ABSTRACT

While previous entrepreneurship research has only seldom drawn on organizational ambidexterity, the analysis of the important contemporary tensions among entrepreneurship, innovation management and strategic management issues may be facilitated by more closely analysing organizational ambidexterity in entrepreneurial settings. In this paper, we follow this thinking and more closely analyse an often applied form of corporate entrepreneurship: automation. Such automation is transferring work that was formerly conducted by humans to machines and may thus result in new tensions between corporate entrepreneurship, innovation management and the management of organizational stakeholders such as employees. The present paper investigates whether increased automation lowers the stability of firms' relationships with their employees. In addition, we expect that this relationship is moderated by organizational ambidexterity, as employees may have perceived ambidexterity as a signal that their firm will not overly invest in exploitation only, but maintain a balance between exploitation and exploration. Drawing on stakeholder theory, previous insights into corporate entrepreneurship and a survey of German Mittelstand firms, our findings show that highly ambidextrous firms are indeed more vulnerable to automation, leading to lower employee relational stability. Our findings thus suggest that in highly ambidextrous firms, novel tensions around automation-related corporate entrepreneurship will be detrimental to the stability of the firm's relations with one of its key stakeholder groups: employees.

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