Toe-eigening van innovaties in het arbeidssysteem omgaan met spanningen tussen standaardisatie en zelfregulering bij werkstroombesturing

Many social-organisational aspects of the new phenomenon ‘Workflow management systems’ (WFMSs) are still unknown. These include: (1)Why do companies choose to implement WFMSs; (2) how does the implementation of the systems occur; (3) can the implementation and use of these systems be improved to achieve the goals of management? WFMSs can be defined as systems that automate the co-ordination and control of the workflow and support (one or more of) the following functionalities: routing of work; monitoring and control; notification; actor assignment and authorisation; and procedure management. The implementation of WFMSs in the preliminary research phase of this research project in many cases was combined with the introduction of semi-autonomous teams. These teams have access to relevant information, possess relevant competence and other resources, and have the authority to independently make some decisions with regards to the work process. It is expected that the effects of these two innovations contradict each other, specifically the conflict between the underlying principles of standardisation versus self-regulation. Two fundamental strains with organising a work system are distinguished in the literature. First of all there is the need for commitment of the workers and the need to control the behaviour of these workers. Secondly, there is the need for differentiation which results in the need of integration. In both fields of tension, the application of WFMSs and of semi-autonomous teams seems to contribute to opposite intentions. When both innovations are implemented in a work system at the same time, there is the question whether their effects will be complementary or contradictory. This research project is an attempt to develop a better understanding of this matter

Государственная поддержка АПК как фактор мотивации труда аграриев Крыма

В статье рассматривается влияние государственной поддержки АПК на мотивацию работников аграрного сектора. Приводятся аспекты отечественного и зарубежного опыта политики государств в отношении сельскохозяйственных производителей. Предлагаются способы совершенствования системы государственной поддержки АПК Крыма для повышения мотивации труда аграриев.In article is represented the influence of the state's support of the Agro-industry Complex to the workers of agrarian sector, is paid attention to the aspects of the father-lend and foreign experience of the state's politics in accordance with agricultural industry, are recommended the ways of the improvement of the system of the state's support of the Agro-industry Complex of the Crimea for the raising of the agricultural workers' labour

Loss of Octarepeats in Two Processed Prion Pseudogenes in the Red Squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris

The N-terminal region of the mammalian prion protein (PrP) contains an ‘octapeptide’ repeat which is involved in copper binding. This eight- or nine-residue peptide is repeated four to seven times, depending on the species, and polymorphisms in repeat number do occur. Alleles with three repeats are very rare in humans and goats, and deduced PrP sequences with two repeats have only been reported in two lemur species and in the red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris. We here describe that the red squirrel two-repeat PrP sequence actually represents a retroposed pseudogene, and that an additional and older processed pseudogene with three repeats also occurs in this species as well as in ground squirrels. We argue that repeat numbers may tend to contract rather than expand in prion retropseudogenes, and that functional prion genes with two repeats may not be viable

Novel mutation of the PRNP gene of a clinical CJD case

BACKGROUND: Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), a group of neurodegenerative diseases, are thought to be caused by an abnormal isoform of a naturally occurring protein known as cellular prion protein, PrP(C). The abnormal form of prion protein, PrP(Sc )accumulates in the brain of affected individuals. Both isoforms are encoded by the same prion protein gene (PRNP), and the structural changes occur post-translationally. Certain mutations in the PRNP gene result in genetic TSEs or increased susceptibility to TSEs. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70 year old woman was admitted to the hospital with severe confusion and inability to walk. Relatives recognized memory loss, gait and behavioral disturbances over a six month period prior to hospitalization. Neurological examination revealed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) related symptoms such as incontinence, Babinski sign and myoclonus. EEG showed periodic sharp waves typical of sporadic CJD and cerebrospinal fluid analysis (CSF) was positive for the presence of the 14-3-3-protein. As the disease progressed the patient developed akinetic mutism and died in the tenth month after onset of the disease symptoms. Unfortunately, no autopsy material was available. PRNP sequencing showed the occurrence of a point mutation on one allele at codon 193, which is altered from ACC, coding for a threonine, to ATC, encoding an isoleucine (T193I). CONCLUSION: Here we report a novel mutation of the PRNP gene found in an elderly female patient resulting in heterozygosity for isoleucine and threonine at codon 193, in which normally homozygosity for threonine is expected (T193). The patient presented typical clinical symptoms of CJD. EEG findings and the presence of the 14-3-3 protein in the CSF, contributed to CJD diagnosis, allowing the classification of this case as a probable CJD according to the World Health Organization (WHO) accepted criteria