A Complexity-Based Approach to Intra-Organizational Team Selection

Early studies recognized the significance of team's work capacity and suggested the selection of team members based on individual skills and performance in alignment with task characteristics. The equitable team selection method, for example, assigns people to different tasks with even skill distributions for the best overall performance. Recent advancement in organization science also identifies the importance of contextual skills. However, work teams are complex adaptive systems with interdependence between workers and social environment, and exhibit surprising, nonlinear behavior. Optimizing individual stages without taking organizational complexity into account is unlikely to yield a high performing new combination of teams. The objectives of this study can be stated as: a) Utilizing complex system theory to better understand the processes of team selection including forming teams with considering worker's interdependence and replacing the unsuitable members through a time frame; b) Comparing different team selection methods, including random selection, equity method, using knowledge of interdependence in different economic conditions through simulation; c) Comparing different policies of replacing members of teams. This study utilizes a computational model to understand the complexity of project team selection and to examine how diversity of capability and interdependence between workers to effect team performance in different economic conditions. The NK model, a widely used theory for complex systems is utilized here to illustrate the worker's interdependence and fed into an Agent-Based Model. This study uses a small design firm as a case implementation to examine the performance of a variety of team selection approaches and replacement policies. Project data, task assignment, and individual and team performance information were collected for the period of 2009-2011. The simulation results show that while the equity selection method can increase the diversity of capabilities of teams, the net performance is often worse than optimizing worker interdependencies. This study suggests that managers should protect their higher-performing workers with minimal interdependence disruption when they considered team selection. Thus taking the advantages and disadvantages of all three policies into account, transferring low contributors or least supported members are recommended to be enacted before hiring new workers to avoid this last policy's especially large additional costs

Pharmacokinetics of p

The characteristics of aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN) are interstitial fibrosis and atrophy of the proximal tubules, but with no change in glomeruli. To investigate the effects of AA on renal functions and the pharmacokinetics (PKs) of p-aminohippuric acid (PAH) and inulin, New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. The plasma concentrations of PAH and inulin were determined by validated HPLC methods. After a single intravenous administration of 0.5 mg/kg aristolochic acid sodium (AANa), rabbits exhibited mild to moderate nephrotoxicity on the 7th day. Significant tubulointerstitial damage to kidney specimens was found, but there were no remarkable glomerular changes. Clearance rates of PAH and inulin both significantly decreased in AANa-treated rabbits. In addition, there was a significant correlation among the degree of tubulointerstitial changes and PK parameters of PAH after AANa administration, but no correlation was noted with the PKs of inulin. With mild to moderate AAN in rabbits, the renal plasma flow significantly decreased by 55%, and the glomerular filtration rate also significantly decreased by 85%. In conclusion, major renal lesions were found on proximal tubules after AANa administration. The PKs of PAH and inulin significantly changed, and kidney functions, including the RPF and GFR, were reduced

Method-specific suicide rates and accessibility of means:a small-area analysis in Taipei City, Taiwan

Abstract. Background: Few studies have investigated whether means accessibility is related to the spatial distribution of suicide. Aims: To examine the hypothesis that indicators of the accessibility to specific suicide methods were associated with method-specific suicide rates in Taipei City, Taiwan. Method: Smoothed standardized mortality ratios for method-specific suicide rates across 432 neighborhoods and their associations with means accessibility indicators were estimated using Bayesian hierarchical models. Results: The proportion of single-person households, indicating the ease of burning charcoal in the home, was associated with charcoal-burning suicide rates (adjusted rate ratio [aRR] = 1.13, 95% credible interval [CrI] = 1.03–1.25). The proportion of households living on the sixth floor or above, indicating easy access to high places, was associated with jumping suicide rates (aRR = 1.16, 95% CrI, 1.04–1.29). Neighborhoods’ adjacency to rivers, indicating easy access to water, showed no statistical evidence of an association with drowning suicide rates (aRR = 1.27, 95% CrI = 0.92–1.69). Hanging and overall suicide rates showed no associations with any of these three accessibility indicators. Limitations: This is an ecological study; associations between means accessibility and suicide cannot be directly inferred as causal. Conclusion: The findings have implications for identifying high-risk groups for charcoal-burning suicide (e.g., vulnerable individuals living alone) and preventing jumping suicides by increasing the safety of high buildings

Moderate glucose control results in less negative nitrogen balances in medical intensive care unit patients: a randomized, controlled study

INTRODUCTION: Hyperglycemia and protein loss are common in critically ill patients. Insulin can be used to lower blood glucose and inhibit proteolysis. The impact of moderate insulin therapy on protein metabolism in critically ill patients has not been evaluated. We compared urinary nitrogen excretion, nitrogen balance, serum albumin concentrations, prealbumin concentrations, and clinical outcomes between patients receiving moderate insulin therapy (MIT) and conventional insulin therapy (CIT) in a medical ICU. METHODS: Patients were randomly divided into groups and treated with MIT (glucose target 120 to 140 mg/dl) or CIT (glucose target 180 to 200 mg/dl). Calories and protein intake were recorded each day. On days 3, 7 and 14, the 24-hour urinary nitrogen excretion, nitrogen balance, and serum albumin and prealbumin concentrations were measured. Clinical outcomes data were collected. RESULTS: A total of 112 medical ICU patients were included, with 55 patients randomized to the MIT group and 57 patients randomized to the CIT group. Patients treated with MIT showed a trend towards increased nitrogen balance (P = 0.070), significantly lower urinary nitrogen excretion (P = 0.027), and higher serum albumin (P = 0.047) and prealbumin (P = 0.001) concentrations than patients treated with CIT. The differences between the two groups were most significant on day 3, when all factors showed significant differences (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Moderate glucose control results in less negative nitrogen balances in medical ICU patients. Differences are more significant in the early stages compared with the late stages of critical illness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrial.Gov NCT 0122714

Group-level safety climate in the construction industry: Influence of organizational, group, and individual factors

Group-level safety climate (GSC) is a recognized leading indicator of safety performance in the literature. However, there is limited understanding of the mechanisms through which multilevel (i.e., organizational, group, and individual) factors collectively influence GSC as promoted by general contractors in construction. A model is proposed to examine the interactions and causal relationships between four multilevel factors - organizational-level safety climate (OSC), coworker support (CS), supervisory safety-specific transformational leadership (SSTL), individual psychological capital (PsyCap) - and GSC. A two-wave online survey was conducted within a large contractor company in the US over 2 years. A total of 280 employees completed both surveys. The structural equation modeling analysis technique was adopted to test the hypotheses. The results show that OSC, CS, and supervisory SSTL significantly contribute to GSC. In addition, supervisory SSTL and CS positively affect individual PsyCap, and PsyCap positively moderates the relationship between supervisory SSTL and GSC. The study suggests that construction contractors should consider implementing leadership and PsyCap interventions to cultivate a positive GSC that potentially can lead to improved safety performance

Success factors for Taiwanese contractors collaborating with local Chinese contractors in construction projects

Regional trade cooperation has become an important component of construction industry due to the Free Trade Agreement. This segment of the market presents many challenges for construction firms. Establishing suitable international partnering relations is an effective strategy for adapting to the additional unpredictability of international markets. This research integrates the Balanced Scorecard system with Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process for comprehensive and quantitative evaluation of the relevant bilateral cooperation. Commercial cooperation across the Taiwan Strait is selected as a case study for determining the evaluating methodology. After examining data from Chinese firms, 12 factors for partner selection are identified. The factors are compared with practical conditions of worldwide and local markets to establish their viability. The methodology provides a framework for evaluating potential partners when attempting to enter foreign markets. Additionally, it identifies critical factors for developing optimal market entrance strategies, contracts, and risk management; results can also be golcally (globally and locally) tailored to promote the efficiency of international cooperation