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The aim of this paper is to investigate the organization of research in high-performing research groups in an age of increasing competition and pressure from outside and within higher-education institutions. To explore how researchers navigate such pressures and demands, the practice and perceptions of four high-performing research groups in Denmark and the Netherlands are examined, and the extent to which these groups can be understood as "communities of practice" or if they are displaying "team"-like characteristics is discussed. Previous studies have shown the benefits of communities of practice for organizational performance, and the present study demonstrates that the successful groups do indeed share many characteristics with such communities. A central argument of the paper is, however, also that incentive structures, inherent in many new policy initiatives that are meant to foster excellence in science, are more directed at "team-like" organization by focusing on, e.g., formally organized work processes, predefined goals, milestones, work packages, and hierarchically organized consortia. The potential implications of this are discussed.

Acid-base disturbances are common in short bowel (SB) patients due to increased intestinal bicarbonate loss. However, the resulting systemic acid load has not been quantified. Base excess is used to monitor metabolic acid-base disturbances but inadequately reflects the acid load. Our aim was to investigate the systemic acid/base load in SB-patients to obtain quantitative estimates to guide the composition of parenteral support. We calculated total acid load in SB patients by summing 24-h urinary net acid excretion (NAE) and the provision of base equivalents in parenteral support. We then compared differences among anatomical SB-types: jejunostomy (SB-J), jejunocolostomy (SB-JC), and jejunoileostomy (SB-JIC). 47 urine samples from 34 SB patients were analyzed for bicarbonate (HCO 3 -), ammonium (NH 4 +), and titratable acid (TA) concentrations. NAE was calculated as (TA + NH 4 +) - HCO 3 -. Mixed-effects repeated-measures models were used to statistically examine differences between SB-types and associations with parenteral nutrition and NAE. A healthy cohort served as control. In comparison to SB-J, SB-JC patients had a 4.1 mmoL/l lower base excess (95% CI: −6.3 to −1.8) and an 84.5 mmol/day higher total acid load (CI: 41.3 to 127.7). There were no significant differences between SB-JIC and SB-J regarding base excess, NAE, or total acid load. Higher amounts of infused acetate, sodium, and chloride, but not the acetate/chloride ratio, were associated with lower NAE and higher base excess. Due to increased colonic bicarbonate loss, patients with SB-JC have a ∼4.4-fold higher acid load than healthy controls. The ion transport mechanisms mediating this bicarbonate loss from the remaining colon need further experimental investigation. NAE could be a useful tool to adjust base infusion in SB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emphasis on competitiveness and the knowledge-based economy in European policymaking has resulted in a heightened focus on monitoring and steering the science system, particularly through metric-based instruments. Policymakers' general aims of fostering excellent research and breakthroughs are shared by researchers as well; however, below the surface is a paradox that is rarely discussed. The political system and the science system understand and pursue these concepts and objectives differently. Through two case studies on high-performing university-based research environments in Denmark and Sweden, this article uncovers the ways in which highly successful researchers often behave in ways that run counter to policy steering attempts. They do this by shielding themselves and their research group from steering pressures originating in the political system. Using Luhmann's systems theory, the cases demonstrate why the relationship between the science system and the political system needs to be understood as a horizontal rather than a vertical relationship, and using concepts from organizational theory, provides a model and terminology for identifying and analyzing the types of mechanisms and strategic responses that the science system uses to shield itself from political steering pressures.

In 2013, the European Union (EU) unveiled its new "Composite Indicator for Scientific and Technological Research Excellence." This is not an isolated occurrence; policy-based interest in excellence is growing all over the world. The heightened focus on excellence and, in particular, attempts to define it through quantitative indicators can have important implications for research policy and for the conduct of research itself. This paper examines how the EU's understanding of excellence has evolved in recent years, from the presentation of the Lisbon strategy in 2000 to the current Europe 2020 strategy. We find a distinct shift in the understanding of excellence and how success in the knowledge-based economy should be achieved: in the early period, excellence is a fuzzy concept, intrinsically embedded in research and researchers and revealed by peer review. In the later period, excellence is more sharply defined and connected with a particular sort of knowledge that which produces breakthroughs; the result is that policy-makers have turned their focus towards directly steering and controlling what is increasingly considered to be the key element for success in the knowledge-based economy. This change is evidenced by the "Composite Indicator for Scientific and Technological Research Excellence," its rationale and its components.