AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF RECIPROCITY AND FORMAL CONTROLS WITH LABOR MARKET COMPETITION

DISS_abstract\u3e Most experimental research related to agency settings, such as participative budgeting, has examined how formal controls, such as audits and reviews, influence the behavior of managers. Alternatively, a growing literature in managerial accounting examines the effects of using informal social controls. Some of these studies have examined the ability of the gift-exchange model from economics, founded on reciprocity, to function as a suitable control. Within the social context of an experimental labor market, I examine the relationship between the type of control employers implement (i.e., reviews, a formal control versus reciprocity, an informal control) and the amount of budget slack created by managers. Participants in the market make all hiring and control implementation decisions, thereby providing an environment conducive for reciprocity. I manipulate the labor market conditions at two levels - excess demand and excess supply. I predict and find that the labor market conditions influence the type of control implemented by employers. Employers appear to rely upon reciprocity more heavily when excess supply exists in the labor market. However, managers fail to reciprocate under either labor market condition to employer\u27s attempt to engage in a gift-exchange. The implications of these findings with regard to both organizations and the academic literature are discussed

Adding Tournament to Tournament: Combining Between-Team and Within-Team Incentives

We examine theoretically and experimentally how combining between-team and within-team incentives affects behavior in team tournaments. Theory predicts that free-riding will occur when there are only between-team incentives, and offering within-team incentives may solve this problem. However, if individuals collude, then within-team incentives may not be as effective at reducing free-riding. Consistent with the theoretical predictions, the results of our experiment indicate that although between-team incentives are effective at increasing individual effort, there is substantial free-riding and declining effort over time. Importantly, a combination of between-team and within-team incentives is effective not only at generating effort but also at sustaining effort over time, mitigating free-riding problem, increasing cooperation and decreasing collusion within teams

ASSESSMENT OF TIME IN THERAPEUTIC RANGE WITH WARFARIN THERAPY IN PHARMACIST VERSUS USUAL CARE GROUP: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Objective: Anticoagulation management with warfarin is a familiar challenge seen in primary care settings. A greater time in the therapeutic range (TTR) has shown improved health benefits in patients treated with warfarin for atrial fibrillation. The aim of this study was to assess the level of anticoagulation control achieved with warfarin therapy measured by TTR. Methods: Patients attending anticoagulation service at a medical center were included in this retrospective cohort study. Patients with at least two international normalized ratio (INR) values not more than 4 weeks apart were included and placed in a usual care group or a pharmacist care group based on the care received. Anticoagulation control was measured by calculating TTR according to Roosendaal’s linear interpolation method. A TTR of >70% was considered high-quality and >60% was considered moderate coagulation control. The data were analyzed for descriptive statistics, associations, and for identifying predictors of TTR. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Mean age of patients was 58±9 years; 57% were male; 48% were White Caucasian, and 43% had a CHADS2 score of ≥3. Patients in the pharmacist group had a high TTR (67.6% vs. 43.4%, p<0.0001) and an INR in a significantly lower sub-therapeutic range than the usual care group (5.6% vs. 14.8%; p<0.0001). Half of the patients in the pharmacist group were able to achieve a TTR threshold of 60% and greater compared to less than one-third among the usual care group. Age and pharmacist care were found to be great predictors of TTR after adjusting for gender, ethnicity, and CHADS2 score (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our findings confirmed that pharmacist led anticoagulation care positively improved patients’ TTR with warfarin

Oskar Zwintschers Ansicht von Meißen

Die künstlerische Entwicklung des Dresdner Malers Oskar Zwintscher (1870–1916) ist eng mit seinem frei gewählten ,Exil‘ in Meißen verknüpft. Ausgebildet an der Dresdner Kunstakademie zog sich der junge Maler 1892 nach seinem Studium in die nahegelegene kleine Stadt zurück, wo er bis zu seiner Berufung an die Akademie im Jahr 1903 lebte. Trotz dieses Rückzugs hat Zwintscher aber, anders als in der älteren Literatur angenommen, nicht abgewandt von den Entwicklungen seiner Zeit gearbeitet, sondern sich mit modernen Fragestellungen und Maltechniken auseinandergesetzt. Seine Schaffensphase in Meißen war eine äußerst produktive Zeit. Neben Porträts und ersten vielfigurigen Kompositionen entstanden in den 1890er Jahren auch eine Reihe von Landschaften. Die charakteristische Architektur der Stadt taucht in verschiedenen seiner Gemälde auf, wie in den Werken Rote Dächer, Der alte Turm, Mondnacht, Familie und Selbstbildnis mit Tod

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND METHODS OF TESTING RETROFIT LPG SYSTEMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE UN / ECE 115 REGULATION

Abstract The UN / ECE 115 Regulation concerns technical requirements and methods of measurements for retrofit LPG systems to be installed in the motor vehicles already in operation In Poland, the 115 Regulation was adopted in 2004 but has not been observed. Regulation 115 is used in other countries, which created the need for tests. ITS has been conducted tests according to R115 since 2006. The technical requirements imposed by 115 Regulation include emission test, OBD testing, testing of maximum power at the wheels and testing the methods of the system elements installation in the vehicle. The article presents the requirements of the Regulation and the conclusions of the tests conducted at ITS on over 100 vehicles equipped with LPG systems. The paper presents: vehicle equipped with LPG systems tested at ITS as part of the statutory ITS work, time of switching over from running on petrol to LPG fuel during the driving test following a cold engine start, onset of the emission during the EUDC test following a cold start in respect to the value of the total emission in the emission test in accordance wit

Oddziaływanie przepustu na warunki hydrauliczne przepływu wody w głównym rowie systemu odwadniającego stopnia wodnego Łączany

W pracy przedstawiono wyniki analizy oddziaływania przepustu, zlokalizowanego na głównym rowie „R” systemu odwadniającego stopnia wodnego Łączany na rzece Wiśle, na warunki hydrauliczne przepływu wody w tym rowie. Analiza przepustowości rowu w przekroju powyżej badanego przepustu wykazała, że przegrodzenie koryta przepustem znacząco wpływa na warunki przepływu wody w korycie. Wykazano, że istniejące światło przepustu nie jest wystarczające do przeprowadzenia przepływu miarodajnego wynoszącego 3,35 m3·s–1. Przepływ ten wyznaczono dla zlewni o powierzchni 3,62 km2, a nie 0,67 km2, jak wynika z projektu melioracji, ponieważ uwzględniono dopływy z obszaru nieobjętego projektem melioracji, skierowane do rowu opaskowego stawu Kasztelan zasilającego rów „R” w jego początkowym biegu. Przepływy większe niż 2,27 m3·s–1, w tym przepływ miarodajny, nie mieszczą się w analizowanym przekroju i powodują występowanie wód z koryta rowu. Na podstawie informacji uzyskanych od mieszkańców i pracowników obsługi systemu stwierdzono, że zjawisko takie występuje w okresie nawalnych deszczy i powodzi

Adding Tournament to Tournament: Combining Between-Team and Within-Team Incentives

We examine theoretically and experimentally how combining between-team and within-team incentives affects behavior in team tournaments. Theory predicts that free-riding is likely to occur when there are only between-team incentives, and offering within-team incentives may solve this problem. However, if individuals collude, then within-team incentives may not be as effective at reducing free-riding. Consistent with the theoretical predictions, the results of our experiment indicate that although between-team incentives are effective at increasing individual effort, there is substantial free-riding and declining effort over time. Importantly, a combination of between-team and within-team incentives is effective not only at generating effort but also at sustaining effort over time, mitigating free-riding problem, increasing cooperation and decreasing collusion within teams

Quorum Sensing Influences Burkholderia thailandensis Biofilm Development and Matrix Production

Members of the genus Burkholderia are known to be adept at biofilm formation, which presumably assists in the survival of these organisms in the environment and the host. Biofilm formation has been linked to quorum sensing (QS) in several bacterial species. In this study, we characterized Burkholderia thailandensis biofilm development under flow conditions and sought to determine whether QS contributes to this process. B. thailandensis biofilm formation exhibited an unusual pattern: the cells formed small aggregates and then proceeded to produce mature biofilms characterized by “dome” structures filled with biofilm matrix material. We showed that this process was dependent on QS. B. thailandensis has three acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) QS systems (QS-1, QS-2, and QS-3). An AHL-negative strain produced biofilms consisting of cell aggregates but lacking the matrix-filled dome structures. This phenotype was rescued via exogenous addition of the three AHL signals. Of the three B. thailandensis QS systems, we show that QS-1 is required for proper biofilm development, since a btaR1 mutant, which is defective in QS-1 regulation, forms biofilms without these dome structures. Furthermore, our data show that the wild-type biofilm biomass, as well as the material inside the domes, stains with a fucose-binding lectin. The btaR1 mutant biofilms, however, are negative for fucose staining. This suggests that the QS-1 system regulates the production of a fucose-containing exopolysaccharide in wild-type biofilms. Finally, we present data showing that QS ability during biofilm development produces a biofilm that is resistant to dispersion under stress conditions. IMPORTANCE The saprophyte Burkholderia thailandensis is a close relative of the pathogenic bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, which is contracted from its environmental reservoir. Since most bacteria in the environment reside in biofilms, B. thailandensis is an ideal model organism for investigating questions in Burkholderia physiology. In this study, we characterized B. thailandensis biofilm development and sought to determine if quorum sensing (QS) contributes to this process. Our work shows that B. thailandensis produces biofilms with unusual dome structures under flow conditions. Our findings suggest that these dome structures are filled with a QS-regulated, fucose-containing exopolysaccharide that may be involved in the resilience of B. thailandensis biofilms against changes in the nutritional environment

Components of metabolic syndrome in relation to plasma levels of retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) in a cohort of people aged 65 years and older

Purpose Elevated plasma concentration of retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) has recently emerged as a potential risk factor as a component of developing metabolic syndrome (MS). Therefore, this study aimed to analyse the relationship between components of MS and concentrations of plasma RBP4 in a population of subjects 65 years and older. Methods The study sample consisted of 3038 (1591 male) participants of the PolSenior study, aged 65 years and older. Serum lipid profile, concentrations of RBP4, glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein, IL-6, and activity of aminotransferases were measured. Nutritional status (BMI/waist circumference) and treatment with statins and fibrates were evaluated. Glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), de Ritis ratio, and fatty liver index (FLI), as well as HOMA-IR were calculated. Results Our study revealed a strong relationship between components of MS and RBP4 in both sexes: plasma RBP4 levels were increased in men by at least 3×, and in women by at least 4×. Hypertriglyceridemia was most strongly associated with elevated plasma RBP4 levels. Multivariate, sex-adjusted regression analysis demonstrated that chronic kidney disease [OR 1.86 (95% CI 1.78-1.94)], hypertriglyceridemia [OR 1.52 (1.24-1.87)], hypertension [OR 1.15 (1.12-1.19)], low serum HDL cholesterol [OR 0.94 (0.92-0.97)], and age > 80 years [OR 0.86 (0.81-0.90)] were each independently associated with RBP4 concentration (all p < 0.001). Conclusions In Caucasians 65 years and older, RBP4 serum levels are associated with a number of components of MS, independent of sex and kidney function. Hypertriglyceridemia as a component of MS is most signifcantly related to RBP4 concentration

Redox sensing by a Rex-family repressor is involved in the regulation of anaerobic gene expression in Staphylococcus aureus

An alignment of upstream regions of anaerobically induced genes in Staphylococcus aureus revealed the presence of an inverted repeat, corresponding to Rex binding sites in Streptomyces coelicolor. Gel shift experiments of selected upstream regions demonstrated that the redox-sensing regulator Rex of S. aureus binds to this inverted repeat. The binding sequence – TTGTGAAW4TTCACAA – is highly conserved in S. aureus. Rex binding to this sequence leads to the repression of genes located downstream. The binding activity of Rex is enhanced by NAD+ while NADH, which competes with NAD+ for Rex binding, decreases the activity of Rex. The impact of Rex on global protein synthesis and on the activity of fermentation pathways under aerobic and anaerobic conditions was analysed by using a rex-deficient strain. A direct regulatory effect of Rex on the expression of pathways that lead to anaerobic NAD+ regeneration, such as lactate, formate and ethanol formation, nitrate respiration, and ATP synthesis, is verified. Rex can be considered a central regulator of anaerobic metabolism in S. aureus. Since the activity of lactate dehydrogenase enables S. aureus to resist NO stress and thus the innate immune response, our data suggest that deactivation of Rex is a prerequisite for this phenomenon