Educational choice and risk aversion: How important is structural vs. individual risk aversion?

According to sociological theories on educational choice, risk aversion is the main driving force for class-specific educational decisions. Families from upper social classes have to opt for the academically most demanding, long-lasting courses to avoid an intergenerational status loss. Families from lower social classes by contrast, tend instead to opt for shorter tracks to reduce the risk of failing in a long-lasting and costly education and, as a consequence, entering the labor market without a degree. This argument is deeply rooted in the social structure. Yet, the importance of individual risk preferences for educational choice has been neglected in sociology of education. We discuss these different forms of risk in the context of social inequalities in educational decision-making and demonstrate how they influence the intentions for further education of students attending the most demanding, academically orientated secondary school type in Germany. According to our argument, children from upper social classes are structurally almost compelled to opt for the academically most demanding educational courses, virtually without having a choice in the matter. In contrast, working class children do have to make an active decision and, thus, individual risk aversion comes into play for these students. For our empirical analyses, we rely on data from the youth questionnaire of the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) collected in the years 2003 to 2010, and estimate multinomial logit models. Our empirical findings underline the importance of the structural risk aversion. Students with a higher social background are not only less sensitive to their school performance, but individual risk aversion is also completely irrelevant to their educational plans. The opposite applies to students with a lower social background: the more risk-averse they are, the more likely they are to opt for a double qualification rather than just a purely academic university degree course

The Role of Interests, Abilities, and Motivation in Online Idea Contests

Despite the growing importance of crowdsourcing activities, little is known about the influence of intrapersonal characteristics of external actors on the outcome for the involved firms. This study therefore explores how interests, abilities, and motivation explain contribution behavior of individuals in idea contests. Analyzing a data set that combines survey data and server log file information of 33 idea contests hosted by the platform operator Atizo, we find that the breadth of individuals’ interest is positively related to the number of submitted solution ideas. Furthermore, we observe a positive interaction effect between enjoyment and professional experience on contribution behavior. According to these findings, the most valuable external actors identified in this study combine high levels of motivation with abilities and have a wide range of interests. Our study contributes to existing research and is useful for firms and platform managers that are involved in crowdsourcing activities

Coupling Multi-Angle Light Scattering to Reverse-Phase Ultra-High-Pressure Chromatography (RP-UPLC-MALS) for the characterization monoclonal antibodies

Multi-angle light scattering coupled with size-exclusion chromatography (SEC-MALS) is a standard approach for protein characterization. Recently MALS detection has been coupled with ion-exchange chromatography (IEX) which demonstrated the feasibility and high value of MALS in combination with non-sized-based fractionation methods. In this study we coupled reverse-phase ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (RP-UPLC) with a low-dispersion MALS detector for the characterization of intact monoclonal antibody (mAbs) and their fragments. We confirmed a constant refractive index increment value for mAbs in RP gradients, in good agreement with the values in literature for other classes of proteins. We showed that the impurities eluting from a RP column can often be related to aggregated species and we confirmed that in most cases those oligomers are present also in SEC-MALS. Yet, in few cases small aggregates fractions in RP-UPLC are an artifact. In fact, proteins presenting thermal and physical stability not suitable for the harsh condition applied during the RP separation of mAbs (i.e. organic solvents at high temperature) can aggregate. Further, we applied RP-UPLC-MALS during a long term stability studies. The different principle of separation used in RP-UPLC-MALS provides an additional critical level of protein characterization compared to SEC-MALS and IEX-MALS

The Important Role of Laboratories in the Diagnosis and Prevention of Toxoplasma Infection

Toxoplasma gondii is a high universal distribution intracellular parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, an infection of significant importance when pregnant women or immunosuppressed patients become infected. In immunocompetent humans, it is rarely a symptomatic disease. Diagnosis and prevention are essential to reduce severe health consequences in susceptible patients. Laboratories must play an important role in trying to avoid seroconversion, by helping in prevention and accurate diagnosis to facilitate patients\u27 access to treatment as early as possible. The main focus of this chapter is about the steps laboratories should take in diagnosing Toxoplasma gondii infection by using screening tests (ELISA, HAI, AD) or confirmatory tests (Sabin Feldman dye test, ISAGA, PCR, Isolation)—determining whether patients are toxoplasmosis positive or negative—and in being actively involved in the prevention of the infection. Failing to do this would make the future of these families a very difficult road to travel

DRASTAR: Notwendigkeit von subkutanen Wund-Drainagen nach Ileostoma-Rückverlagerungen

Introduction Despite the fact that ileostomy reversal is considered a comparatively small surgical procedure there are some postoperative complications following this procedure, which may lead to a prolonged hospital stay. The presented bi-centered prospective randomized clinical trial DRASTAR investigated the use of subcutaneous suction drains in patients undergoing elective ileostomy reversal with regard to a potential reduction of length of hospital stay and postoperative complications. Materials and methods All patients included in the trial were randomized into two parallel study groups. One group underwent ileostomy reversal with insertion of a subcutaneous suction drain, the other group underwent ileostomy reversal (ISR) without insertion of a drain. There was a prospective postoperative follow-up-period of three months with a documentation of all complications and the individual patient satisfaction. The statistical analysis of the collected data was done using the software IBM SPSS Statistics 21 ® (IBM, Armonk, New York, USA). Length of hospital stay in days was used as primary outcome measure. Results A total of 118 patients could be included in the trial. 59 patients were randomly appointed to receive ileostomy reversal with insertion of a subcutaneous suction drain, 59 patients were intended for ileostomy reversal without insertion of a drain. After the follow-up-period of three months, 50 patients with subcutaneous suction drain and 53 patients without drain could be analyzed. Median length of hospital stay among patients with drain was eight days versus nine days in the group without subcutaneous suction drain (p=0.17). A postoperative infection of the wound, the necessity of re-operation and anemia could be identified as statistically significant risk factors for a prolonged hospital stay. There were no significant differences between both study groups in terms of wound infection rate and number of required re-interventions. 14 % of patients with insertion of a subcutaneous suction drain developed wound infections versus 17% of patients without insertion of a drain (p=0.68). Six patients in the group with drain needed revision in general anesthesia versus eight patients without subcutaneous suction drain (p=0.13). Conclusion Omission of subcutaneous suction drains in ileostomy reversal is not inferior to the insertion of a subcutaneous suction drain in terms of length of hospital stay and postoperative complication ratEinleitung Postoperative Komplikationen nach Ileostomarückverlagerung sind trotz des vergleichsweise geringen Umfanges dieses Eingriffes häufig und führen zu einer verlängerten Krankenhausliegedauer. Die hier vorgelegte prospektive Bi-Center-Studie DRASTAR untersuchte den Einsatz subkutaner Redondrainagen bei der elektiven, konventionellen Ileostomarückverlagerung hinsichtlich einer potentiellen Reduktion postoperativer Komplikationen und der hiermit assoziierten Krankenhausliegedauer. Methodik Es handelt sich um eine prospektiv-randomisierte Studie mit zwei parallelen Studienarmen. Eine Patientengruppe erhielt im Rahmen ihrer Ileostomarückverlagerung eine subkutane Redondrainage, die andere Gruppe nicht. Es erfolgte eine Nachbeobachtung der Patienten unter Dokumentation aufgetretener Komplikationen und der individuellen Patientenzufriedenheit bis drei Monate postoperativ. Die Auswertung der gesammelten Daten mit dem primären Endpunkt „Krankenhausliegedauer in Tagen“ erfolgte mit der Software IBM SPSS Statistics 21 ® (IBM, Armonk, New York, USA). Ergebnisse Es konnten primär 118 Patienten in die Studie eingeschlossen werden. 59 Patienten wurden dem Studienarm mit Einlage einer Redondrainage zugeordnet, 59 Patienten dem Studienarm ohne Redondrainage. Nach drei Monaten Follow-up konnten 50 Patienten mit und 53 Patienten ohne Redondrainage in die Analyse aufgenommen werden. Die mediane Krankenhausliegedauer im Studienarm mit Redondrainage betrug acht Tage versus neun Tage im Studienarm ohne Redondrainage (p=0,17). Das Auftreten von Wundinfektionen, die Notwendigkeit von Revisionseingriffen sowie das Vorliegen einer Anämie konnten als statistisch signifikante Risikofaktoren für die Verlängerung der Krankenhausliegedauer identifiziert werden. Die Wundinfektionsrate lag bei 14% in der Gruppe mit Redondrainage versus 17% in der Gruppe ohne Redondrainage (p=0,68). Hinsichtlich der Zahl an notwendigen Revisionseingriffen zeigte sich mit sechs revidierten Patienten in der Gruppe mit Redondrainage versus acht revidierten Patienten in der Gruppe ohne Redondrainage ebenfalls kein statistisch signifikanter Unterschied zwischen beiden Studienarmen (p=0,13). Schlussfolgerung Die Studie konnte zeigen, dass der Verzicht auf die Einlage einer subkutanen Redondrainage bei der Ileostomarückverlagerung der Redon-Drainageneinlage hinsichtlich postoperativer Krankenhausliegedauer und postoperativer Komplikationsrate nicht unterlegen ist

When do customers get what they expect? Understanding the ambivalent effects of customers’ service expectations on satisfaction

Extant research established that customers’ expectations play an ambivalent role in the satisfaction formation process: While higher expectations are more difficult to meet and thus cause dissatisfaction, they simultaneously increase satisfaction via customers’ perceived performance owing to a placebo effect. However, to date, knowledge is scarce on the question under which conditions either the positive or negative effect of expectations on satisfaction prevails. Building on information processing theory, the authors hypothesize that an essential contingency of the indirect, placebo-based effect is the degree to which customers are able and motivated to process a service experience. Three studies with a total of over 4,000 customers in different service contexts provide strong evidence for this hypothesis. Thus, managers are well advised to provide a realistic or even understated prospect if the service context favors customers’ ability or motivation to evaluate. Conversely, if customers are neither able nor motivated to evaluate the service, increasing customer expectations represents a viable strategy to enhance satisfaction. Relatedly, if customers hold low service expectations, managers should foster customers’ ability and motivation to evaluate the service. In contrast, if service expectations are high, managers may benefit from reducing the likelihood that customers overly focus on the service performance

“Convoluted Journeys”: Integrating Nonprofit Organizations and University Science

University scientists are frequently challenged to embrace stakeholder engagement in a way that departs from traditional contract-oriented relationships; this is occurring within water management across the American West. However, few studies specifically address how university scientists engage nonprofit organizations as stakeholders in collaborative water management research. This manuscript reports on an examination of a key set of stakeholders—nonprofit environmental organizations—with a goal to better understand how such organizations conceptualized, created, and implemented scientific data in water management decision making. The study provides insights into why interactions between university scientists and nonprofits are infrequent and underdeveloped. The project identifies how nonprofit organizations strategically use scientific information across a variety of contexts and for diverse purposes. These practices may sometimes be at odds with how university scientists conceive of or practice science, making stakeholder engagement challenging. The study also provides suggestions for how universities might address some of these challenges