Dundee Discussion Papers in Economics 179:Activism, separation of powers and development

We consider a model of constitutional (mechanism) design with separation of powers where different institutions are assigned different tasks. In this context, we define activism as an institution extending its mechanism of decision-making into the domain of other institution’s tasks. When members of the institutions are likely to be benevolent as well as non-benevolent, such activism in a limited form reduces the cost of achieving collusion-proofness and raises welfare. Hence the value of such activism can be potentially very high in the context of developing economies. But as the fraction of non-benevolent member increases, such activism turns excessive and reduces welfare. It is argued that developing economies are likely to get caught in the excessive activism trap because of the high levels of corruption and bribery

The Alignment of Partnering Strategy, Governance and Management in R&D Projects: The Role of Contract Choice

Firms increasingly look outside their organizational boundaries to identify partners that can improve the effectiveness of R&D projects. The strategy for using partners, however, varies significantly across projects. In some, partners are used primarily to lower development costs and/or supplement development capacity; in others they are used to improve the quality of the final product. How should these variations in partnering strategy impact the governance and management choices made within projects? We examine this question, using data on 172 R&D projects from six different industries. We test hypotheses that examine first, how a firm’s choice of contract—whether fixed price, time & materials, or performance-based—is shaped by its partnering strategy; and second, how this choice subsequently affects the levels of partner integration and partner performance observed in a project. Our results indicate that the choice of contract is a function of a firm’s partnering strategy, more flexible contracts being preferred in projects that seek long-run capability-based benefits, and where partnering relationships are broader in scope. These choices, in turn, impact the benefits associated with partner integration. In particular, higher levels of partner integration are always associated with higher project costs, but are associated with higher product quality only in projects using more flexible contract types. Furthermore, major deviations from the “optimal” choice of contract increase the costs and decrease the benefits associated with partner integration. We end by discussing the implications of our findings, and suggest new directions for future research

Mobility Adaptive Density Connected Clustering Approach in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Clustering is one of the popular topology management approaches that can positively influence the performance of networks. It plays significant role in VANETs. However, VANETs having highly mobile nodes lead to dynamic topology and hence, it is very difficult to construct stable clusters. More homogeneous environment produces more stable clusters. Homogeneous neighbourhood for a vehicle is strongly driven by density and standard deviation of average relative velocity of vehicles in its communication range. So, we propose Mobility Adaptive Density Connected Clustering Algorithm (MADCCA), a density based clustering algorithm. The Cluster Heads (CHs) are selected based on the standard deviation of average relative velocity and density matrices in their neighbourhood. Vehicle, which is having more homogeneous environments, will become the cluster heads and rest of the vehicles in their communication range will be the Cluster Members (CMs). The simulation results demonstrates the better performance of MADCCA over other clustering algorithms new ALM and MOBIC

A functionally conserved boundary element from the mouse HoxD locus requires GAGA factor in Drosophila

Hox genes are necessary for proper morphogenesis and organization of various body structures along the anterior-posterior body axis. These genes exist in clusters and their expression pattern follows spatial and temporal co-linearity with respect to their genomic organization. This colinearity is conserved during evolution and is thought to be constrained by the regulatory mechanisms that involve higher order chromatin structure. Earlier studies, primarily in Drosophila, have illustrated the role of chromatin-mediated regulatory processes, which include chromatin domain boundaries that separate the domains of distinct regulatory features. In the mouse HoxD complex, Evx2 and Hoxd13 are located ~9 kb apart but have clearly distinguishable temporal and spatial expression patterns. Here, we report the characterization of a chromatin domain boundary element from the Evx2-Hoxd13 region that functions in Drosophila as well as in mammalian cells. We show that the Evx2-Hoxd13 region has sequences conserved across vertebrate species including a GA repeat motif and that the Evx2-Hoxd13 boundary activity in Drosophila is dependent on GAGA factor that binds to the GA repeat motif. These results show that Hox genes are regulated by chromatin mediated mechanisms and highlight the early origin and functional conservation of such chromatin elements

The geography of emergency department-based HIV testing in South Africa: Can patients link to care?

: Emergency Departments (EDs) can serve as clinical sites for identification of new HIV infections and their entry into care. We examined if HIV-positive patients who present to EDs in South Africa are able to successfully link to care.We conducted a one-year longitudinal prospective cohort study in four hospitals across the Eastern Cape, South Africa, with participants followed between July 2016 and July 2018. All adult, non-critical patients presenting to the ED were systematically approached, asked about their HIV status, and, if unknown, offered a point-of-care (POC) HIV test. All HIV-positive patients were further consented to participate in a follow-up study to assess subsequent linkage to care and distance from “home” to ED. Linkage to care was defined as self-reported linkage (telephonic) or evidence of repeated CD4/viral load testing in the National Health Laboratory System (NHLS) at either the 6- or 12-months post index ED visit

The development and application of a process model for R&D project management in a high tech firm: A field study

a b s t r a c t In R&D organizations of high tech firms, multiple R&D projects are executed concurrently and timeliness of project completion -i.e., developing the right products at the right times -is a matter of serious concern. Given that the priority of R&D projects and the interdependencies between the projects in a high tech firm change dynamically, high tech R&D project management is a complex and challenging endeavor. To improve the understanding and management of high tech R&D projects, this paper reports the findings of a field study where we, first, develop and empirically estimate a model that relates project priority over time with the generative mechanisms of market pull and technical challenge associated with R&D projects. Next, we develop and demonstrate the application of a process model within which the time-varying project priority model is embedded. The process model makes it possible to allocate fixed resources among competing projects with time-varying interdependencies, thereby improving the timeliness of project completion. This research was conducted in collaboration with a major U.S. high tech firm. The corporate R&D center of the firm served as the research setting for the field study. We present an application of the process model to delineate the evolution of the R&D organization with the merger of its (technology driven) parent firm with another (market driven) high tech manufacturing firm. The application of the process model generates theoretical insights that are used to develop testable propositions. Implications of the study findings and directions for future research are discussed

Mission Concept for Demonstrating Small-Spacecraft True Anomaly Estimation Using Millisecond X-Ray Pulsars

Navigation based on X-ray pulsars was first suggested in 1981 for deep space navigation as an alternative to the conventional Deep Space Network (DSN) which is inaccurate at large distances from the Earth. This idea was recently demonstrated using the NICER/SEXTANT instrument onboard the ISS. X-ray pulsar-based navigation is of of great interest as it eliminates the reliance on Earth-based systems, and is yet to be implemented as an autonomous navigation system for deep space missions. For the purpose of navigation, X-ray millisecond pulsars are the most appropriate celestial sources. They emit unique, stable and periodic radiation that exhibits high timing stability comparable to atomic clocks, thus making them suitable as navigational beacons. The phase difference between the pulsar’s pulse profile obtained at the satellite and a reference profile is tied to the position of the satellite with respect to the chosen reference location, typically considered to be the Solar System Barycenter (SSB). Measurements from at least four pulsars are required to estimate the 3D position, velocity, and time of the satellite. This article describes a small satellite mission concept being developed at the Small-spacecraft Systems and PAyload CEntre (SSPACE) at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) that aims to demonstrate navigation in space using X-ray millisecond pulsars. The satellite contains a miniaturized X-ray timing detector payload, which extracts accurate pulse profiles from detected pulsar signals. A mission-specific algorithm is developed that uses measurements from a single pulsar to estimate only the true anomaly of the satellite, since given the orbital insertion, the other orbital elements are assumed to be stationary. Additionally, the process of pulsar selection is presented, where pulsars are ranked according to the weighted parameters of stable time periods, visibility from the chosen orbital configuration, and high signal-to-noise ratio with respect to the diffuse X-ray background. This is followed by details of the instrument design and concept of operations of this technology demonstration mission. The article concludes with an overview of the systems architecture of the small-satellite, which has a standard 6U CubeSat form factor and details regarding the various subsystems including the On Board Computer, Electrical Power System, Communication system, and Attitude Determination and Control System are discussed. A successful demonstration of this mission will pave the way for future small-satellite missions, where 3D position estimation can be carried out using multiple X-ray pulsar detectors

Association of body mass index, hand grip strength and quality of life with response to anti-tubercular therapy in adult patients of pulmonary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis

Background: Monitoring of anti-tubercular therapy (ATT) response necessary for successful completion of ATT regimen. Presently available monitoring tools are invasive and have limitations. This study undertaken to see whether non-invasive tools like body mass index (BMI), hand grip strength (HGS) and quality of life (QOL) can serve as a reliable tool for monitoring ATT response.Methods: The 50 patients of tuberculosis were monitored for BMI, HGS and QOL via WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire and analyzed at baseline, 2 months and 6 months of starting ATT.Results: BMI HGS increased significantly at 2 months and 6 months compared to baseline with ATT. Physical and social domain of WHOQOL-BREF increased at 2 and 6 months with ATT, other domains shown no significant changes.Conclusions: Monitoring of BMI, handgrip strength and QOL can be a cost-effective tool for monitoring ATT response, both in pulmonary and extra pulmonary tuberculosis