From the names of cruise lines and bookstores to an Australian ranch and a nudist camp outside of Atlanta, the wordserendipity--that happy blend of wisdom and luck by which something is discovered ...not quite by accident--is today ubiquitous. This book traces the word's eventful history from its 1754 coinage into the twentieth century--chronicling along the way much of what we now call the natural and social sciences.
The book charts where the term went, with whom it resided, and how it fared. We cross oceans and academic specialties and meet those people, both famous and now obscure, who have used and abusedserendipity. We encounter a linguistic sage, walk down the illustrious halls of the Harvard Medical School, attend the (serendipitous) birth of penicillin, and meet someone who "manages serendipity" for the U.S. Navy.
The story ofserendipityis fascinating; that ofThe Travels and Adventures of Serendipity, equally so. Written in the 1950s by already-eminent sociologist Robert Merton and Elinor Barber, the book--though occasionally and most tantalizingly cited--was intentionally never published. This is all the more curious because it so remarkably anticipated subsequent battles over research and funding--many of which centered on the role of serendipity in science. Finally, shortly after his ninety-first birthday, following Barber's death and preceding his own by but a little, Merton agreed to expand and publish this major work.
Beautifully written, the book is permeated by the prodigious intellectual curiosity and generosity that characterized Merton's influentialOn the Shoulders of Giants. Absolutely entertaining as the history of a word, the book is also tremendously important to all who value the miracle of intellectual discovery. It represents Merton's lifelong protest against that rhetoric of science that defines discovery as anything other than a messy blend of inspiration, perspiration, error, and happy chance--anything other than serendipity.
Electronic word-of mouth (eWOM) has attracted considerable interest from researchers in the past decade. Although the extant research has helped us to develop a good understanding of a number of the ...issues pertaining to eWOM, several research and managerial questions remain. Furthermore, no attempt has been made to consolidate and synthesize this stream of research. With consumers' increasing reliance on online retailing and information seeking, as well as the continued growth of social media, the importance of eWOM cannot be overstated. Based on a systematic review of 190 studies, we conduct a multi-dimensional analysis of eWOM communication. We present the key issues in current and emerging literature and propose important questions for future research.
•Provide an extensive review of eWOM literature.•Provide the key characteristics of eWOM and their implications for research.•Provide insights into the antecedents and consequences of eWOM for both sender and receiver.•Identify key research questions for future research.
Microplastics (plastics <5 mm diameter) are at the forefront of current environmental pollution research, however, little is known about the degradation of microplastics through ingestion. Here, by ...exposing Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) to microplastics under acute static renewal conditions, we present evidence of physical size alteration of microplastics ingested by a planktonic crustacean. Ingested microplastics (31.5 µm) are fragmented into pieces less than 1 µm in diameter. Previous feeding studies have shown spherical microplastics either; pass unaffected through an organism and are excreted, or are sufficiently small for translocation to occur. We identify a new pathway; microplastics are fragmented into sizes small enough to cross physical barriers, or are egested as a mixture of triturated particles. These findings suggest that current laboratory-based feeding studies may be oversimplifying interactions between zooplankton and microplastics but also introduces a new role of Antarctic krill, and potentially other species, in the biogeochemical cycling and fate of plastic.
An analysis of different concepts and case studies in engineering disciplines such as chemical, civil, electrical, telecommunications and mechanical engineering, demonstrating how engineering systems ...and processes can leverage the power of AI to drive and achieve the UN SDGs.
Surface velocities derived from GPS observations from 1993 to 2011 at several hundred sites across the deforming northwestern United States are used to further elucidate the region's active ...tectonics. The new velocities reveal that the clockwise rotations, relative to North America, seen in Oregon and western Washington from earlier GPS observations, continue to the east to include the Snake River Plain of Idaho and south into the Basin and Range of northern Nevada. Regional‐scale rotation is attributed to gravitationally driven extension in the Basin and Range and Pacific‐North America shear transferred through the Walker Lane belt aided by potentially strong pinning below the Idaho Batholith. The large rotating section comprising eastern Oregon displays very low internal deformation rates despite seismological evidence for a thin crust, warm mantle, organized mantle flow, and elevated topography. The observed disparity between mantle and surface kinematics suggests that either little stress acts between them (low basal shear) or that the crust is strong relative to the mantle. The rotation of the Oregon block impinges on Washington across the Yakima fold‐thrust belt where shortening occurs in a closing‐fan style. Elastic fault locking at the Cascadia subduction zone is reevaluated using the GPS velocities and recently published uplift rates. The 18 year GPS and 80 year leveling data can both be matched with a common locking model suggesting that the locking has been stable over many decades. The rate of strain accumulation is consistent with hundreds of years between great subduction events.
Key Points
GPS velocity field shows large‐scale rotation in northwest US
Rigid rotating backarc suggests decoupling of crust and mantle
Most of Cascadia subduction zone shows a broad transition zone
Expansions of a G
C
repeat in the C9ORF72 gene are the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), two devastating adult-onset ...neurodegenerative disorders. Using C9-ALS/FTD patient-derived cells and C9ORF72 BAC transgenic mice, we generated and optimized antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that selectively blunt expression of G
C
repeat-containing transcripts and effectively suppress tissue levels of poly(GP) dipeptides. ASOs with reduced phosphorothioate content showed improved tolerability without sacrificing efficacy. In a single patient harboring mutant C9ORF72 with the G
C
repeat expansion, repeated dosing by intrathecal delivery of the optimal ASO was well tolerated, leading to significant reductions in levels of cerebrospinal fluid poly(GP). This report provides insight into the effect of nucleic acid chemistry on toxicity and, to our knowledge, for the first time demonstrates the feasibility of clinical suppression of the C9ORF72 gene. Additional clinical trials will be required to demonstrate safety and efficacy of this therapy in patients with C9ORF72 gene mutations.
Here, we describe a novel pathogenic entity, the activated PMN (polymorphonuclear leukocyte, i.e., neutrophil)-derived exosome. These CD63+/CD66b+ nanovesicles acquire surface-bound neutrophil ...elastase (NE) during PMN degranulation, NE being oriented in a configuration resistant to α1-antitrypsin (α1AT). These exosomes bind and degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) via the integrin Mac-1 and NE, respectively, causing the hallmarks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Due to both ECM targeting and α1AT resistance, exosomal NE is far more potent than free NE. Importantly, such PMN-derived exosomes exist in clinical specimens from subjects with COPD but not healthy controls and are capable of transferring a COPD-like phenotype from humans to mice in an NE-driven manner. Similar findings were observed for another neutrophil-driven disease of ECM remodeling (bronchopulmonary dysplasia BPD). These findings reveal an unappreciated role for exosomes in the pathogenesis of disorders of ECM homeostasis such as COPD and BPD, providing a critical mechanism for proteolytic damage.
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•Exosomes from activated, not quiescent, PMNs harbor surface α1AT-insensitive NE•Activated PMN exosomes bind ECM via MAC-1 and degrade ECM via NE•CD66b+/NE+ PMN exosomes cause emphysema and RVH when administered to mice•CD66b+/NE+ PMN exosomes reside in COPD patients and transfer a COPD phenotype to mice
In chronic inflammatory lung disease, neutrophil-derived pathogenic exosomes bypass the pulmonary antiprotease barrier to promote extracellular matrix destruction.
•Supervisor-induced hindrance stressors induce employee job neglect.•Neglect explains the indirect relationship between stressors and employee performance.•High-quality exchange relationships with ...employees can reduce the effects of stressors.
Utilizing conservation of resources (COR) theory and social exchange theory (SET), we argue that supervisors influence employee performance through two opposing means. First, supervisor-induced hindrance stressors enhance the degree to which employees seek to conserve psychological resources by engaging in job neglect in response to these stressors. This neglect negatively influences task performance and organizational citizenship behavior. Next, we argue that supervisors who create high-quality leader-member exchange (LMX) with subordinates via social exchange processes influence this hindrance stressor–neglect relationship by reducing the impact of these stressors on employee neglect and subsequent employee performance. As such, both the negative and positive aspects of the relationship between supervisors and employees influence neglectful behaviors and ultimately, employee performance. Using time-lagged, multisource data collection, we establish that these relationships have a theoretical and practical impact, demonstrating the interactive influence of supervisor-induced hindrance stressors and LMX in the workplace.
The typical near-death experience (NDE) is generally understood as an altered state of consciousness in which the experient has the impression of existing as an extrapersonal self out of and/or away ...from their physical body during real or presumed life-threatening and/or near-death circumstances. This presumed extrapersonal self can sometimes have a perception of being located within the proximity of the physical body whereas at other times it is under the assumption of having ventured to a transcendental location such as an otherworldly realm. The ego, while in this presumed disembodied state, often has the impression of encountering NDE personages such as deceased people, otherworldly spirits, and/or divine beings, especially during transcendental NDEs. However, this paper suggests that all of these noted features are part of a broader recognizable death motif in NDE reports, and provides qualitative examples of different types of this death symbolism for examination and exploration. It then discusses how the death motif in NDE reports possibly indicates a purposeful psychological function to heighten awareness of a threat to life though death symbolism that is meant to boost the desire and resilience to live and survive.
The near-death experience (NDE) most generally refers to a state of altered consciousness with various features that can occur during real or presumed near-death circumstances and/or life-threatening ...incidents. Some NDEs are associated with a nonfatal suicide attempt. This paper discusses how a belief by suicide attempters that their NDEs are a true portrayal of objective spiritual reality can at least in some cases be positively associated with a persistence or increase of suicidal ideation and on occasion lead to further suicide attempts, while also exploring why at other times such a belief may reduce the risk of suicide. The formulation of suicidal ideation associated with NDEs among some of those who did not initially try to kill themselves is also explored. Various examples related to NDEs and suicidal ideation are provided and discussed. Furthermore, this paper also offers some theoretical insights related to this matter and points out some specific therapeutic concerns based on this discussion.
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