In this conclusion, we summarize the book's insights for research and practice. We show that conceptually, it further encourages us to view language as social practice rather than pre-defined set of structures, and language diversity as group membership category instead of individual marker of difference. In this regard, we highlight the contribution of theoretical frameworks such as recognition theory, language hierarchies and 'voice' for the analysis of power relations in multilingual contexts. Furthermore, we show the potential for cross-pollination between Organisation Studies and language-oriented IB that the book has explored. We also present the methodological innovations that the book might spur: the investigation of language diversity in the workplace beyond the white collar and managerial realm, including refugees; the study of the connection between language practices and institutional logics; or ethnography as underexplored method of data collection. Finally, we discuss the book's implications for human resource professionals and managers.

This introduction explains why the question of power exerted by language in IB must be addressed from different critical perspectives and levels of analysis. This topic has often been addressed in the extant literature but recent studies point out that the relation between macro and micro levels have received scant attention. Also language has been examined by IB researchers for decades, but it is still neglected by organizational scholars, apart from some exceptions. Topics which are insufficiently addressed in the literature are for example the impact of a knowledge-based economy on the power struggles around information sharing or retention. Another topic which needs to be scrutinized is the adjustment between language policies and practices in organisations. The influence of language on identities drawing on the concept of voice in organisational processes is innovatively addressed from a communicative perspective. Finally, the concept of power as an ambivalent process is creatively theorized.

Solid-state lithium batteries are considered one of the most promising battery systems due to their high volumetric energy density, in this work a flame retarded polymer electrolyte is proposed.

Poly(ethylene glycol)-b-polyphosphoester (PEG-b-PPE) block copolymer nanoparticles are promising carriers for poorly water soluble drugs. To enhance the drug loading capacity and efficiency of such micelles, a strategy was investigated for increasing the lipophilicity of the PPE block of these PEG-b-PPE amphiphilic copolymers. A PEG-b-PPE copolymer bearing pendant vinyl groups along the PPE block was synthesized and then modified by thiol-ene click reaction with thiols bearing either a long linear alkyl chain (dodecyl) or a tocopherol moiety. Ketoconazole was used as model for hydrophobic drugs. Comparison of the drug loading with PEG-b-PPE bearing shorter pendant groups is reported evidencing the key role of the structure of the pendant group on the PPE backbone. Finally, a first evidence of the biocompatibility of these novel PEG-b-PPE copolymers was achieved by performing cytotoxicity tests. The PEG-b-PPE derived by tocopherol was evidenced as particularly promising as delivery system of poorly water-soluble drugs.

Due to their great modularity, ease of implementation, and atom economy, multicomponent reactions (MCRs) are becoming increasingly popular macromolecular engineering tools. In this context, MCRs suitable in polymer synthesis are eagerly searched for. This work demonstrates the potential of the Ugi-three component reaction (Ugi-3CR) for the design of polymers and, in particular, of poly(α-amino amide)s. A series of polymers containing amino and amido groups within their backbone were obtained through a one-pot process by reacting aliphatic or aromatic diamines, diisocyanides, and aldehydes. The impact of temperature, concentration, catalyst loading, and substrates on polymerization efficiency is discussed. A preliminary study on the thermal properties and the solution behavior of these poly(α-amino amide)s was carried out. An aliphatic-rich derivative notably showed some pH-responsiveness in water via protonation-deprotonation of its amino groups.

Although old molecules, alkylating agents and platinum derivatives are still widely used in the treatment of various solid tumors. However, systemic toxicity and cellular resistance mechanisms impede their efficacy. Innovative strategies, including local administration, optimization of treatment schedule/dosage, synergistic combinations, and the encapsulation of bioactive molecules in smart, multifunctional drug delivery systems, have shown promising results in potentiating anticancer activity while circumventing such hurdles. Furthermore, questioning of the old paradigm according to which nuclear DNA is the critical target of their anticancer activity has shed light on subcellular alternative and neglected targets that obviously participate in the mediation of cytotoxicity or resistance. Thus, rethinking of the use of these pivotal antineoplastic agents appears critical to improve clinical outcomes in the management of solid tumors.

Glioblastoma is the most frequent and aggressive primary malignant tumor of the central nervous system with a gloomy prognosis. Platinum derivatives and one among them, cisplatin, exhibited promising results when locally administered into the brain of glioblastoma bearing rats. Nanovectorization of anticancer agents through polymeric nanoparticles may even promote drug accumulation within cells, thus concentrating the drug efficiently at its target. Anchorage of gadolinium complexes on the corona of such smart drug delivery systems could further allow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) monitoring of the nanoplatform biodistribution in the damaged parenchyma and its therapeutic benefit. For this purpose, a biocompatible amphiphilic triblock copolymer, made of degradable polyester and polycarbonate and bioeliminable polyethylene oxide (PEO), was synthesized by successive ring-opening polymerizations. After micellization in water, gadolinium complexes were grafted onto the PEO micelle corona and the carboxylate functions, located at the surface of the micelle's core, were able to cross-link with Pt(ii) complexes. A macromolecular prodrug was therefore recovered in which more than one third of the carboxylate functions were linked to a platinum atom. By this strategy, stable cisplatin cross-linked nanoparticles were formulated with a mean size in the range of 100.63 ± 12.04 nm consistent with biological investigations. Relaxometry measurements both in water and in plasma at 7 T, 25 °C, confirmed the intrinsic potential of these hybrid nanoparticles as alternative MRI contrast agents with a substantial increase in the r2/r1 ratio by a factor of 3.3 and 2.7, respectively, compared to the conventional low molar mass Gd-DTPA. As a result, their infusion within the striatum of glioblastoma-bearing mice resulted in a hypersignal on T2-weighted MR images that persisted over time. Ultimately, the formulated prodrug exhibited up to 50-fold increased accumulation in human glioblastoma cell lines and up to 32-fold enhanced subsequent Pt-DNA adduct formation in comparison with free cisplatin, thus supporting the potential of this innovative bimodal tool for further applications.

Polymer characterizations are often performed using mass spectrometry (MS). Aside from MS and different tandem MS (MS/MS) techniques, ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) has been recently added to the inventory of characterization technique. However, only few studies have focused on the reproducibility and robustness of polymer IM-MS analyses. Here, we perform collisional and electron-mediated activation of polymer ions before measuring IM drift times, collision cross-sections (CCS), or reduced ion mobilities (K0). The resulting IM behavior of different activated product ions is then compared to non-activated native intact polymer ions. First, we analyzed collision induced unfolding (CIU) of precursor ions to test the robustness of polymer ion shapes. Then, we focused on fragmentation product ions to test for shape retentions from the precursor ions: cation ejection species (CES) and product ions with m/z and charge state values identical to native intact polymer ions. The CES species are formed using both collision induced dissociation (CID) and electron transfer dissociation (ETD, formally ETnoD) experiments. Only small drift time, CCS, or K0 deviations between the activated/formed ions are observed compared to the native intact polymer ions. The polymer ion shapes seem to depend solely on their mass and charge state. The experiments were performed on three synthetic homopolymers: poly(ethoxy phosphate) (PEtP), poly(2-n-propyl-2-oxazoline) (Pn-PrOx), and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). These results confirm the robustness of polymer ion CCSs for IM calibration, especially singly charged polymer ions. The results are also discussed in the context of polymer analyses, CCS predictions, and probing ion-drift gas interaction potentials. Graphical Abstract.

Introduction to the Thematic Issue on: Working Across Language Boundaries: New Perspectives on Language-Sensitive International Management Research of the European Journal of International Management.

Ion Mobility (IM) coupled to Mass Spectrometry (MS) has been used for several decades, bringing a fast separation dimension to the MS detection. IM-MS is a convenient tool for structural elucidation. The folding of macromolecules is often assessed with the support of computational chemistry. However, this strategy is strongly dependent on computational initial guesses. Here, we propose the analysis of the Collision Cross-Section (CCS) trends of synthetic homopolymers based on a fitting method which does not rely on computational chemistry a prioris of the three-dimensional structures. The CCS trends were evaluated as a function of the polymer chain length and the charge state. This method is also applicable to mobility trends. It leads to two parameters containing all information available through IM(-MS) measurements. One parameter can be interpreted as an apparent density. The second parameter is related to the shape of the ions and leads us to introduce the concept of trends with constant apparent density. Based on the two fitting parameters, a method for IM trend predictions is elaborated. Experimental deviations from the predictions facilitate detecting structural rearrangements and three-dimensional structure differences of the cationized polymer ions. This leads for instance to an easy identification and prediction of the presence of different polymer topologies in complex polymer mixtures. The classification of predicted trends could as well allow for software-assisted data processing. Finally, we suggest the link between the CCS trends of homopolymers and those obtained from (monodisperse) biomolecules to interpret potential folding differences during IM-MS studies.

The purpose of this article is to shed light on the “darker” side of language in cross-cultural communication and explore ways that it can be addressed, using a dialogical approach. Bakhtin’s dialogical perspective conceptualizes sensemaking as the co-construction of meaning through interconnected utterances (“addressivity” and “responsivity”), multivoicedness (“polyphony”), and multiple speaking styles (“heteroglossia”). We use these concepts to analyze the social processes underlying linguistic hegemony and language-based in-group behavior in a case study of the performance of six multicultural teams at an American subsidiary in France. We found that although dialogical practices proved to be effective in deterring the emergence of the dark side of language, the lack of a dialogical mindset prevailed in four of the six teams. These findings point to the need for cross-cultural management policies which reward addressivity, polyphony, and heteroglossia while penalizing team members who use their superior language skills to dominate others.