Hospital Governance and the Structure of German Hospital Supervisory Boards

Aim of the Study: When thinking about corporate governance frequently the supervisory board comes to mind. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the participation of single professions in the supervisory board and hospital financial performance. Methods: Based on governance codes, relevant professions that should be part of the supervisory board are identified. With the help of a multiple regression, the relationship between the fractions of these professions in the supervisory board and the return on assets in the year 2009 is examined. The sample consists of 182 hospitals. Results: The study shows that participation of physicians in the supervisory board is related to a higher return on assets. Furthermore, the association between the fractions of nurses and politicians and hospitals financial performance is negative. Conclusion: The composition of the supervisory board has a significant effect on hospital performance; it is an important issue for hospital owners. The present study identifies only one positive relationship between the involvement of physicians and financial performance. Other professions could be relevant in achieving other objectives. Further studies are necessary to analyse the effects on other dimensions of hospital performance, e.g., on quality

Stiffness and strength analysis of hybrid adhesive bonded–resistance spot welded sandwich samples by means of virtual FE testing

© 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis. Hybrid adhesive bonding is widely applied in industry nowadays. Whereas combinations of mechanical fastening and structural adhesive bonding are being used for a long time, hybrid bonds, which combine (resistance spot) welding and adhesive bonding, are a quite recent development. Although this technique of hybrid joining yields structures with excellent mechanical characteristics concerning static and dynamic stiffness and strength, it is hard to numerically predict these characteristics accurately. This originates from the fact that usually only some data is known on the stiffness and strength of the adhesive and spot welds but very few accurate and relevant information is available on the fracture toughness of both joining types. The presented research work consists of three main parts. - Main theoretical background on stiffness, strength and fracture characteristics of the considered joint types. - Mode I and II testing of hybrid adhesive bonded/spot welded specimen to retrieve force-displacement data and virtual testing based on finite element (FE) modelling. - Uncertainty quantification between experimental and virtual work. In general, the mode II tests correspond well with real test data. This cannot be concluded for the mode I tests. The flexibility of the double U–type samples (KS2) is difficult to simulate accurately, particularly from the point when first damage occurs. For both, the experimental and virtual data, the hybrid adhesive/spot welded joints showed the highest maximum force.status: publishe

Pi-bonded N2 on Fe(111): The precursor of dissociation

N2 chemisorbed on Fe(111) is identified by photoelectron spectroscopy and high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy as a π-bonded surface complex in which both nitrogen atoms interact with the metal. This species forms the immediate precursor to dissociation

Cytomegalovirus inhibition of extrinsic apoptosis determines fitness and resistance to cytotoxic CD8 T cells.

Viral immune evasion is currently understood to focus on deflecting CD8 T cell recognition of infected cells by disrupting antigen presentation pathways. We evaluated viral interference with the ultimate step in cytotoxic T cell function, the death of infected cells. The viral inhibitor of caspase-8 activation (vICA) conserved in human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and murine CMV (MCMV) prevents the activation of caspase-8 and proapoptotic signaling. We demonstrate the key role of vICA from either virus, in deflecting antigen-specific CD8 T cell-killing of infected cells. vICA-deficient mutants, lacking either UL36 or M36, exhibit greater susceptibility to CD8 T cell control than mutants lacking the set of immunoevasins known to disrupt antigen presentation via MHC class I. This difference is evident during infection in the natural mouse host infected with MCMV, in settings where virus-specific CD8 T cells are adoptively transferred. Finally, we identify the molecular mechanism through which vICA acts, demonstrating the central contribution of caspase-8 signaling at a point of convergence of death receptor-induced apoptosis and perforin/granzyme-dependent cytotoxicity

Exploration of Correlations between Factors Influencing Communication in Complex Product Development

Designing complex products, such as jet engines, cars or certain types of software, necessitates the coordination of activities of many participants during the design process. Communication is seen as the vehicle by which this coordination could be achieved. Communication itself is influenced by many different factors that are connected. This study presents an exploration of correlations between these factors based on statistical analyses of empirical data. The research uses data collected via the `Communication Grid Method', (CGM) a structured maturity grid method to assess the perception of communication within and across team-interfaces. Five empirical studies in the aerospace, automotive, and IT industries where concurrent engineering is practiced are used. The results offer insights for researching and managing communication across inter-departmental interfaces. It has been shown in particular, how directly and indirectly linked factors influencing communication in product development form a network of correlations. Mutual trust and collaboration exhibit thematic centrality