Increasing worker motivation using a reward scheme with probabilistic elements

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of a probabilistic reward scheme to motivate workers and increase their performance. Across seven experiments (three of which are in the online appendices) testing three different real effort tasks, we compared two novel probabilistic reward schemes with two traditional non-probabilistic reward schemes. In our flagship “single lottery” probabilistic scheme, worker performance was associated with the accumulation of lottery tickets in the worker’s own personal lottery with a moderate jackpot on offer. It was possible for the worker to accumulate all tickets and thus guarantee the jackpot. We found that the single lottery scheme increased motivation and performance relative to other probabilistic and non-probabilistic schemes with the same expected values. There was also evidence that the single lottery scheme was particularly effective for lower-ability workers relative to the non-probabilistic schemes. We argue that the single lottery scheme uniquely benefited from optimism bias and the goal gradient effect. Considering perceptions of (un)fairness associated with probabilistic reward schemes – at least at first – we discuss what labor contexts are appropriate for the introduction of a probabilistic reward scheme

The maritime medicine as a free elective course for medical students at the Medical University - Varna

From the countries in Southeast Europe, only in Bulgaria, at the Medical University - Varna (MU-Varna) there is a training in the discipline "Maritime Medicine". The course is revealed by the Academic Board of the MU-Varna on 26 March 2007 at the initiative of assoc. prof. Hristo Bozov, MD, PhD, and with the support of Prof. Anelia Klisarova, MD, PhD, DSc - Rector of MU-Varna. For a short period of three years a team of doctors and other professionals succeeded in meeting the public need for the creation and development of this new medical discipline. The course includes 24 lectures and 6 practical classes. Speakers and instructors are lecturers from the Medical university -Varna, the Naval hospital - Varna to the Military Medical Academy (MMA - Varna), the Naval Academy - Varna (NA-Varna), the Naval Forces, the Naval Base - Varna and the Bulgarian Red Cross - Varna (BRC). It is held with great interest by students and ends with a 2-days rowing march to Tsonevo dam, together with the marina "Varna - S.T." and the medical university club "Sky and tourism". The new course will be conducted during the summer semester of the academic year 2010-2011 and the expecting volunteers have been are already enrolled

Nonabelian density functional theory

Given a vector space of microscopic quantum observables, density functional theory is formulated on its dual space. A generalized Hohenberg-Kohn theorem and the existence of the universal energy functional in the dual space are proven. In this context ordinary density functional theory corresponds to the space of one-body multiplication operators. When the operators close under commutation to form a Lie algebra, the energy functional defines a Hamiltonian dynamical system on the coadjoint orbits in the algebra's dual space. The enhanced density functional theory provides a new method for deriving the group theoretic Hamiltonian on the coadjoint orbits from the exact microscopic Hamiltonian.Comment: 1 .eps figur

Quantitative oculomotor assessment in hereditary ataxia: discriminatory power, correlation with severity measures, and recommended parameters for specific genotypes

Characterizing bedside oculomotor deficits is a critical factor in defining the clinical presentation of hereditary ataxias. Quantitative assessments are increasingly available and have significant advantages, including comparability over time, reduced examiner dependency, and sensitivity to subtle changes. To delineate the potential of quantitative oculomotor assessments as digital-motor outcome measures for clinical trials in ataxia, we searched MEDLINE for articles reporting on quantitative eye movement recordings in genetically confirmed or suspected hereditary ataxias, asking which paradigms are most promising for capturing disease progression and treatment response. Eighty-nine manuscripts identified reported on 1541 patients, including spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA2, n = 421), SCA3 (n = 268), SCA6 (n = 117), other SCAs (n = 97), Friedreich ataxia (FRDA, n = 178), Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC, n = 57), and ataxia-telangiectasia (n = 85) as largest cohorts. Whereas most studies reported discriminatory power of oculomotor assessments in diagnostics, few explored their value for monitoring genotype-specific disease progression (n = 2; SCA2) or treatment response (n = 8; SCA2, FRDA, NPC, ataxia-telangiectasia, episodic-ataxia 4). Oculomotor parameters correlated with disease severity measures including clinical scores (n = 18 studies (SARA: n = 9)), chronological measures (e.g., age, disease duration, time-to-symptom onset; n = 17), genetic stratification (n = 9), and imaging measures of atrophy (n = 5). Recurrent correlations across many ataxias (SCA2/3/17, FRDA, NPC) suggest saccadic eye movements as potentially generic quantitative oculomotor outcome. Recommendation of other paradigms was limited by the scarcity of cross-validating correlations, except saccadic intrusions (FRDA), pursuit eye movements (SCA17), and quantitative head-impulse testing (SCA3/6). This work aids in understanding the current knowledge of quantitative oculomotor parameters in hereditary ataxias, and identifies gaps for validation as potential trial outcome measures in specific ataxia genotypes

Proceedings of the second "international Traveling Workshop on Interactions between Sparse models and Technology" (iTWIST'14)

The implicit objective of the biennial "international - Traveling Workshop on Interactions between Sparse models and Technology" (iTWIST) is to foster collaboration between international scientific teams by disseminating ideas through both specific oral/poster presentations and free discussions. For its second edition, the iTWIST workshop took place in the medieval and picturesque town of Namur in Belgium, from Wednesday August 27th till Friday August 29th, 2014. The workshop was conveniently located in "The Arsenal" building within walking distance of both hotels and town center. iTWIST'14 has gathered about 70 international participants and has featured 9 invited talks, 10 oral presentations, and 14 posters on the following themes, all related to the theory, application and generalization of the "sparsity paradigm": Sparsity-driven data sensing and processing; Union of low dimensional subspaces; Beyond linear and convex inverse problem; Matrix/manifold/graph sensing/processing; Blind inverse problems and dictionary learning; Sparsity and computational neuroscience; Information theory, geometry and randomness; Complexity/accuracy tradeoffs in numerical methods; Sparsity? What's next?; Sparse machine learning and inference.Comment: 69 pages, 24 extended abstracts, iTWIST'14 website: http://sites.google.com/site/itwist1

SYNTHESIS OF CdS FILMS ON GLASS BY THE AMMONIA-ALKALINE SCHEME

This work is aimed at finding optimal conditions for the synthesis of CdS films in order to obtain films of controlled thickness and high homogeneity. The presence of Cd(OH)2 in the synthesized films was revealed. The optimal parameters for the synthesis of CdS films are found

SYNTHESIS OF YTTRIUM AND CALCIUM STABILIZED ZIRCONIA BY CONTROLLED DOUBLE-JET PRECIPITATION

The work is aimed at obtaining yttrium and calcium stabilized zirconia with a spheroidal particle shape and a narrow particle size distribution. It was shown that the stabilizing com-ponents have a different effect on the morphology and particle size distribution of the obtained oxides

Physical-improving activity of educational establishments

Сегодня, по данным научных исследований, наблюдается снижение уровня здоровья и физического развития студенческой молодежи. Одним из путей улучшения сложившейся ситуации является повышение эффективности физкультурно-оздоровительной деятельности образовательных учрежденийToday, according to scientific researches, decrease in a level of health and physi-cal progress of student's youth is observed. One of ways of improvement of the developed situa-tion is increase of efficiency of physical-improving activity of educational establishment

Features analysis in early neonatal period at newborn from woman with trombophilia

The purpose of work: to study parameters of flow early neonatal period at newborn from woman with trombophilia. Materials and methods: research parameters of flow early neonatal period at 55 newborns from woman with trombophilia. Group of comparison have made conditionally healthy 10 newborn written out on 4-7 day of life. Results of researches: as a result of the carried out comparative analysis of the received data parameters of flow early neonatal period at newborn from woman with trombophilia, authentic distinctions on some parameters of tromboalastogramme (Teg) children healthy and from woman with trombophilia. Conclusions: Revealing activated phibrinolis demands of further researches. As a result of the carried out comparative analysis of the received data parameters of flow early neonatal period at newborn from woman with trombophilia, allow to relate them to high risk groop of patology.Цель работы: изучить течение раннего неонатального периода у доношенных детей, рожденных от женщин с антифосфолипидным синдромом (АФС). Результаты исследований: в результате проведенного сравнительного анализа полученных данных выявлены особенности течения раннего неонатального периода и достоверные различия по некоторым показателям ТЭГ у детей, рожденных от женщин с АФС по сравнению со здоровыми новорожденными. Выводы: Выявленное изменение гемостаза в виде активации фибринолиза требует дальнейшего исследования. Проведенное углубленное клинико-лабораторное обследование позволяет отнести категорию детей от матерей с АФС к группе высокого риска патологии