The Impact of Cultural Dimensions on Sales Force Compensation

Financial compensation has long been held as the primary motivator of salespeople. Motivation however may be achieved differently in various countries, as the large disparities in pay schemes across countries seem to indicate. In this paper, the authors explore the impact of cultural dimensions on sales force compensation structures. Using data collected from financial companies of three European countries, they (1) assess transnational cultural profiles of managers (i.e., market, group-centric and hybrid), (2) confirm discrepancies in terms of managerial preferences for compensation structures and (3) uncover associated rationales such as rejection of incentive compensation due to its perceived immorality. The results indicate that cultural dimensions explain managers choice for (1) the use of incentive pay in the compensation package (i.e., fixed versus variable compensation) as well as (2) the basis for its allocation (i.e., individual versus group). The authors conclude by discussing the implications of their research for designing compensation plans in the global market place.sales force compensation; cross-cultural research

Environment–host–microbial interactions shape the Sarraceniapurpurea microbiome at the continental scale

The importance of climate, habitat structure, and higher trophic levels on microbial diversity is only beginning to be understood. Here, we examined the influence of climate variables, plant morphology, and the abundance of aquatic invertebrates on the microbial biodiversity of the northern pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea. The plant\u27s cup‐shaped leaves fill with rainwater and support a miniature, yet full‐fledged, ecosystem with a diverse microbiome that decomposes captured prey and a small network of shredding and filter‐feeding aquatic invertebrates that feed on microbes. We characterized pitcher microbiomes of 108 plants sampled at 36 sites from Florida to Quebec. Structural equation models revealed that annual precipitation and temperature, plant size, and midge abundance had direct effects on microbiome taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity. Climate variables also exerted indirect effects through plant size and midge abundance. Further, spatial structure and climate influenced taxonomic composition, but not phylogenetic composition. Our results suggest that direct effects of midge abundance and climate and indirect effects of climate through its effect on plant‐associated factors lead to greater richness of microbial phylotypes in warmer, wetter sites

The Parasite Reduction Ratio (PRR) Assay Version 2: Standardized Assessment of Plasmodium falciparum Viability after Antimalarial Treatment In Vitro

With artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites emerging in Africa, the need for new antimalarial chemotypes is persistently high. The ideal pharmacodynamic parameters of a candidate drug are a rapid onset of action and a fast rate of parasite killing or clearance. To determine these parameters, it is essential to discriminate viable from nonviable parasites, which is complicated by the fact that viable parasites can be metabolically inactive, whilst dying parasites can still be metabolically active and morphologically unaffected. Standard growth inhibition assays, read out via microscopy or [3H] hypoxanthine incorporation, cannot reliably discriminate between viable and nonviable parasites. Conversely, the in vitro parasite reduction ratio (PRR) assay is able to measure viable parasites with high sensitivity. It provides valuable pharmacodynamic parameters, such as PRR, 99.9% parasite clearance time (PCT99.9%) and lag phase. Here we report the development of the PRR assay version 2 (V2), which comes with a shorter assay duration, optimized quality controls and an objective, automated analysis pipeline that systematically estimates PRR, PCT99.9% and lag time and returns meaningful secondary parameters such as the maximal killing rate of a drug (Emax) at the assayed concentration. These parameters can be fed directly into pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models, hence aiding and standardizing lead selection, optimization, and dose prediction

Ice-Age Climate Adaptations Trap the Alpine Marmot in a State of Low Genetic Diversity.

Some species responded successfully to prehistoric changes in climate [1, 2], while others failed to adapt and became extinct [3]. The factors that determine successful climate adaptation remain poorly understood. We constructed a reference genome and studied physiological adaptations in the Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota), a large ground-dwelling squirrel exquisitely adapted to the "ice-age" climate of the Pleistocene steppe [4, 5]. Since the disappearance of this habitat, the rodent persists in large numbers in the high-altitude Alpine meadow [6, 7]. Genome and metabolome showed evidence of adaptation consistent with cold climate, affecting white adipose tissue. Conversely, however, we found that the Alpine marmot has levels of genetic variation that are among the lowest for mammals, such that deleterious mutations are less effectively purged. Our data rule out typical explanations for low diversity, such as high levels of consanguineous mating, or a very recent bottleneck. Instead, ancient demographic reconstruction revealed that genetic diversity was lost during the climate shifts of the Pleistocene and has not recovered, despite the current high population size. We attribute this slow recovery to the marmot's adaptive life history. The case of the Alpine marmot reveals a complicated relationship between climatic changes, genetic diversity, and conservation status. It shows that species of extremely low genetic diversity can be very successful and persist over thousands of years, but also that climate-adapted life history can trap a species in a persistent state of low genetic diversity.This work was supported by the Francis Crick Institute which receives its core funding from Cancer Research UK (FC001134), the UK Medical Research Council (FC001134), and the Wellcome Trust (FC001134). CB and AC are supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (project ANR-13-JSV7-0005) and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), CB is supported by the Rhône-Alpes region (Grant 15.005146.01). LD is supported by Agence Nationale de la Recherche (project ANR-12-ADAP-0009). TIG is supported by a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (Grant ECF-2015-453) and a NERC grant (NE/N013832/1). JMG is supported by a Hertha Finberg Fellowship (FWF T703). LDR is supported by the Diabetes UK RD Lawrence Fellowship (16/0005382)

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Integrated dataset of screening hits against multiple neglected disease pathogens.

New chemical entities are desperately needed that overcome the limitations of existing drugs for neglected diseases. Screening a diverse library of 10,000 drug-like compounds against 7 neglected disease pathogens resulted in an integrated dataset of 744 hits. We discuss the prioritization of these hits for each pathogen and the strong correlation observed between compounds active against more than two pathogens and mammalian cell toxicity. Our work suggests that the efficiency of early drug discovery for neglected diseases can be enhanced through a collaborative, multi-pathogen approach