Competitive science: is competition ruining science?

PubMed

Fang, Ferric C; Casadevall, Arturo

2015-04-01

Science has always been a competitive undertaking. Despite recognition of the benefits of cooperation and team science, reduced availability of funding and jobs has made science more competitive than ever. Here we consider the benefits of competition in providing incentives to scientists and the adverse effects of competition on resource sharing, research integrity, and creativity. The history of science shows that transformative discoveries often occur in the absence of competition, which only emerges once fields are established and goals are defined. Measures to encourage collaboration and ameliorate competition in the scientific enterprise are discussed. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Comparing pre- and post-copulatory mate competition using social network analysis in wild crickets

PubMed Central

Fisher, David N.; Rodríguez-Muñoz, Rolando

2016-01-01

Sexual selection results from variation in success at multiple stages in the mating process, including competition before and after mating. The relationship between these forms of competition, such as whether they trade-off or reinforce one another, influences the role of sexual selection in evolution. However, the relationship between these 2 forms of competition is rarely quantified in the wild. We used video cameras to observe competition among male field crickets and their matings in the wild. We characterized pre- and post-copulatory competition as 2 networks of competing individuals. Social network analysis then allowed us to determine 1) the effectiveness of precopulatory competition for avoiding postcopulatory competition, 2) the potential for divergent mating strategies, and 3) whether increased postcopulatory competition reduces the apparent reproductive benefits of male promiscuity. We found 1) limited effectiveness of precopulatory competition for avoiding postcopulatory competition; 2) males do not specifically engage in only 1 type of competition; and 3) promiscuous individuals tend to mate with each other, which will tend to reduce variance in reproductive success in the population and highlights the trade-off inherent in mate guarding. Our results provide novel insights into the works of sexual competition in the wild. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the utility of using network analyses to study competitive interactions, even in species lacking obvious social structure. PMID:27174599

Lunar Regolith Excavation Competition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liles, Cassandra

2009-01-01

The Lunar Regolith Excavation Competition is a new competition that needs graphics, logos, rules, as well as an arena. Although this is the first year of the competition, the competition is modeled after an existing competition, the Centennial Lunar Excavator Challenge. This competition however is aimed at college students. This makes the challenge identifying key aspects of the original competition and modeling them to fit into an easier task, and creating exciting advertisement that helps encourage participation. By using a youth focus group, young insight, as well as guiding advice from experts in the field, hopefully an arena can be designed and built, rules can be molded and created to fit, and alluring graphics can be printed to bring about a successful first year of the Lunar Regolith Excavation Competition.

Resource competition in plant invasions: emerging patterns and research needs

PubMed Central

Gioria, Margherita; Osborne, Bruce A.

2014-01-01

Invasions by alien plants provide a unique opportunity to examine competitive interactions among plants. While resource competition has long been regarded as a major mechanism responsible for successful invasions, given a well-known capacity for many invaders to become dominant and reduce plant diversity in the invaded communities, few studies have measured resource competition directly or have assessed its importance relative to that of other mechanisms, at different stages of an invasion process. Here, we review evidence comparing the competitive ability of invasive species vs. that of co-occurring native plants, along a range of environmental gradients, showing that many invasive species have a superior competitive ability over native species, although invasive congeners are not necessarily competitively superior over native congeners, nor are alien dominants are better competitors than native dominants. We discuss how the outcomes of competition depend on a number of factors, such as the heterogeneous distribution of resources, the stage of the invasion process, as well as phenotypic plasticity and evolutionary adaptation, which may result in increased or decreased competitive ability in both invasive and native species. Competitive advantages of invasive species over natives are often transient and only important at the early stages of an invasion process. It remains unclear how important resource competition is relative to other mechanisms (competition avoidance via phenological differences, niche differentiation in space associated with phylogenetic distance, recruitment and dispersal limitation, indirect competition, and allelopathy). Finally, we identify the conceptual and methodological issues characterizing competition studies in plant invasions, and we discuss future research needs, including examination of resource competition dynamics and the impact of global environmental change on competitive interactions between invasive and native species. PMID:25324851

Resource competition in plant invasions: emerging patterns and research needs.

PubMed

Gioria, Margherita; Osborne, Bruce A

2014-01-01

Invasions by alien plants provide a unique opportunity to examine competitive interactions among plants. While resource competition has long been regarded as a major mechanism responsible for successful invasions, given a well-known capacity for many invaders to become dominant and reduce plant diversity in the invaded communities, few studies have measured resource competition directly or have assessed its importance relative to that of other mechanisms, at different stages of an invasion process. Here, we review evidence comparing the competitive ability of invasive species vs. that of co-occurring native plants, along a range of environmental gradients, showing that many invasive species have a superior competitive ability over native species, although invasive congeners are not necessarily competitively superior over native congeners, nor are alien dominants are better competitors than native dominants. We discuss how the outcomes of competition depend on a number of factors, such as the heterogeneous distribution of resources, the stage of the invasion process, as well as phenotypic plasticity and evolutionary adaptation, which may result in increased or decreased competitive ability in both invasive and native species. Competitive advantages of invasive species over natives are often transient and only important at the early stages of an invasion process. It remains unclear how important resource competition is relative to other mechanisms (competition avoidance via phenological differences, niche differentiation in space associated with phylogenetic distance, recruitment and dispersal limitation, indirect competition, and allelopathy). Finally, we identify the conceptual and methodological issues characterizing competition studies in plant invasions, and we discuss future research needs, including examination of resource competition dynamics and the impact of global environmental change on competitive interactions between invasive and native species.

Environmental structure and competitive scoring advantages in team competitions.

PubMed

Merritt, Sears; Clauset, Aaron

2013-10-29

In most professional sports, playing field structure is kept neutral so that scoring imbalances may be attributed to differences in team skill. It thus remains unknown what impact environmental heterogeneities can have on scoring dynamics or competitive advantages. Applying a novel generative model of scoring dynamics to roughly 10 million team competitions drawn from an online game, we quantify the relationship between the structure within a competition and its scoring dynamics, while controlling the impact of chance. Despite wide structural variations, we observe a common three-phase pattern in the tempo of events. Tempo and balance are highly predictable from a competition's structural features alone and teams exploit environmental heterogeneities for sustained competitive advantage. Surprisingly, the most balanced competitions are associated with specific environmental heterogeneities, not from equally skilled teams. These results shed new light on the design principles of balanced competition, and illustrate the potential of online game data for investigating social dynamics and competition.

Environmental structure and competitive scoring advantages in team competitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merritt, Sears; Clauset, Aaron

2013-10-01

In most professional sports, playing field structure is kept neutral so that scoring imbalances may be attributed to differences in team skill. It thus remains unknown what impact environmental heterogeneities can have on scoring dynamics or competitive advantages. Applying a novel generative model of scoring dynamics to roughly 10 million team competitions drawn from an online game, we quantify the relationship between the structure within a competition and its scoring dynamics, while controlling the impact of chance. Despite wide structural variations, we observe a common three-phase pattern in the tempo of events. Tempo and balance are highly predictable from a competition's structural features alone and teams exploit environmental heterogeneities for sustained competitive advantage. Surprisingly, the most balanced competitions are associated with specific environmental heterogeneities, not from equally skilled teams. These results shed new light on the design principles of balanced competition, and illustrate the potential of online game data for investigating social dynamics and competition.

Competitive interactions are mediated in a sex-specific manner by arbuscular mycorrhiza in Antennaria dioica.

PubMed

Varga, S; Vega-Frutis, R; Kytöviita, M-M

2017-03-01

Plants usually interact with other plants, and the outcome of such interaction ranges from facilitation to competition depending on the identity of the plants, including their sexual expression. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have been shown to modify competitive interactions in plants. However, few studies have evaluated how AM fungi influence plant intraspecific and interspecific interactions in dioecious species. The competitive abilities of female and male plants of Antennaria dioica were examined in a greenhouse experiment. Females and males were grown in the following competitive settings: (i) without competition, (ii) with intrasexual competition, (iii) with intersexual competition, and (iv) with interspecific competition by Hieracium pilosella - a plant with similar characteristics to A. dioica. Half of the pots were grown with Claroideoglomus claroideum, an AM fungus isolated from the same habitat as the plant material. We evaluated plant survival, growth, flowering phenology, and production of AM fungal structures. Plant survival was unaffected by competition or AM fungi. Competition and the presence of AM fungi reduced plant biomass. However, the sexes responded differently to the interaction between fungal and competition treatments. Both intra- and interspecific competition results were sex-specific, and in general, female performance was reduced by AM colonization. Plant competition or sex did not affect the intraradical structures, extraradical hyphae, or spore production of the AM fungus. These findings suggest that plant sexual differences affect fundamental processes such as competitive ability and symbiotic relationships with AM fungi. © 2016 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

"Wanna Race?": Primary Student Preference for Competitive or Non-Competitive Singing Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, J. Christopher

2016-01-01

This study compared primary student preference for competitive and non-competitive singing games. Students in three intact classes of second graders (n = 65) and three classes of fourth graders (n = 67) at one school in the USA served as subjects. After playing a pair of games, one competitive and one non-competitive, over the course of five…

[Quantitative relationships of intra- and interspecific competition in Cryptocarya concinna].

PubMed

Zhang, Chi; Huang, Zhongliang; Li, Jiong; Shi, Junhui; Li, Lin

2006-01-01

The monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest (MEBF) in Dinghushan Nature Reserve (DNR) has been considered as a zonal vegetation in lower subtropical China, with a history of more than 400 years. In this paper, the intra- and interspecific competition intensity in Cryptocarya concinna, one of the constructive species in MEBF in DNR was quantitatively analyzed by Hegyi single-tree competition index model. The results showed that the intraspecific competition intensity in C. concinna decreased gradually with increasing tree diameter. For C. concinna, its intraspecific competition was weaker than its interspecific competition with Aporosa yunnanensis. The competition intensity of interspecific competition with C. concinna followed the order of A. yunnanensis > Schima superba > Gironniera subaequalis > Acmena acuminatissima > Castanopsis chinensis > Syzygium rehderianum > Pygeum topengii > Blastus cochinchinensis > Sarcosperma laurinum > Pterospermum lanceaefolium > Cryptocarya chinensis. The relationship of the DBH of objective tree and the competition intensity between competitive tree and objective tree in the whole forest and C. concinna population nearly conformed to power function, while that between other competitive tree and the objective C. concinna tree conformed to logarithm function. There was a significantly negative correlation between the competition intensity and the DBH of objective tree.

The Why, Where, When and How of Ad Competitions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marra, James L.

1988-01-01

Discusses the pedagogical benefits of advertising competitions, and describes five national competitions available to students, including Nissan Student Advertising Contest, Philip Morris Marketing Communications Competition for Students, Direct Marketing Collegiate Echo Competition, and American Advertising Federation National Student Advertising…

76 FR 10410 - New Postal Product

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-24

... recently-filed Postal Service request to add International Business Reply Service (IBRS) Competitive... International Business Reply Service (IBRS) Competitive Contract 3 to the competitive product list and... International Business Reply Service Competitive Contract 3 to the Competitive Products List and Notice of...

Experimental demonstration of the importance of competition under disturbance.

PubMed

Violle, Cyrille; Pu, Zhichao; Jiang, Lin

2010-07-20

Ecologists have long recognized the roles of competition and disturbance in shaping ecological communities, and the combinatorial effects of these two factors have been the subject of substantial ecological research. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether competition remains as an important structuring force in habitats strongly influenced by disturbance. The conventional belief remains that the importance of competition decreases with increasing disturbance, but limited theory suggests otherwise. Using protist communities established in laboratory microcosms, we demonstrate that disturbance does not diminish the importance of competition. Interspecific competition significantly increased rates of species extinction over a broad disturbance gradient, and increasing disturbance intensities increased, rather than decreased, the tempo of competitive exclusion. This community-level pattern is linked to the species-level pattern that interspecific competition led to most frequent extinctions of each species at the highest level of disturbance that the species can tolerate. Consequently, despite a strong tradeoff between competitive ability and disturbance tolerance across the competing species, species diversity generally declined with disturbance. The consistent structuring role of competition throughout the disturbance gradient underscores the need to understand competitive interactions and their consequences even in highly disturbed habitats.

The Four Faces of Competition: The Development of the Multidimensional Competitive Orientation Inventory

PubMed Central

Orosz, Gábor; Tóth-Király, István; Büki, Noémi; Ivaskevics, Krisztián; Bőthe, Beáta; Fülöp, Márta

2018-01-01

To date, no short scale exists with established factor structure that can assess individual differences in competition. The aim of the present study was to uncover and operationalize the facets of competitive orientations with theoretical underpinning and strong psychometric properties. A total of 2676 respondents were recruited for four studies. The items were constructed based on qualitative research in different cultural contexts. A combined method of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed. ESEM resulted in a four-factor structure of the competitive orientations and this structure was supported by a series of CFAs on different comprehensive samples. The Multidimensional Competitive Orientation Inventory (MCOI) included 12 items and four factors: hypercompetitive orientation, self-developmental competitive orientation, anxiety-driven competition avoidance, and lack of interest toward competition. Strong gender invariance was established. The four facets of competition have differentiated relationship patterns with adaptive and maladaptive personality and motivational constructs. The MCOI can assess the adaptive and maladaptive facets of competitive orientations with a short, reliable, valid and theoretically underlined multidimensional measure. PMID:29872415

Picking battles wisely: plant behaviour under competition.

PubMed

Novoplansky, Ariel

2009-06-01

Plants are limited in their ability to choose their neighbours, but they are able to orchestrate a wide spectrum of rational competitive behaviours that increase their prospects to prevail under various ecological settings. Through the perception of neighbours, plants are able to anticipate probable competitive interactions and modify their competitive behaviours to maximize their long-term gains. Specifically, plants can minimize competitive encounters by avoiding their neighbours; maximize their competitive effects by aggressively confronting their neighbours; or tolerate the competitive effects of their neighbours. However, the adaptive values of these non-mutually exclusive options are expected to depend strongly on the plants' evolutionary background and to change dynamically according to their past development, and relative sizes and vigour. Additionally, the magnitude of competitive responsiveness is expected to be positively correlated with the reliability of the environmental information regarding the expected competitive interactions and the expected time left for further plastic modifications. Concurrent competition over external and internal resources and morphogenetic signals may enable some plants to increase their efficiency and external competitive performance by discriminately allocating limited resources to their more promising organs at the expense of failing or less successful organs.

A Simple Competition Assessment System Associated with Intensive Competition Control in Natural Loblolly - Shortleaf Pine Seedling Stands

Treesearch

Michael D. Cain

1989-01-01

A simple competition assessment system was evaluated a.s part of an intensive competition control study in a natural, even-aged stand of loblolly-short-leaf pine (Pinus taeda L.-P. echinata Mill.) seedlings in southern Arkansas. Four levels of competition control were maintained annually for 3 years as follows: (1) no competition control, (2) woody com- petition...

How does male–male competition generate negative frequency-dependent selection and disruptive selection during speciation?

PubMed Central

Border, Shana E

2018-01-01

Abstract Natural selection has been shown to drive population differentiation and speciation. The role of sexual selection in this process is controversial; however, most of the work has centered on mate choice while the role of male–male competition in speciation is relatively understudied. Here, we outline how male–male competition can be a source of diversifying selection on male competitive phenotypes, and how this can contribute to the evolution of reproductive isolation. We highlight how negative frequency-dependent selection (advantage of rare phenotype arising from stronger male–male competition between similar male phenotypes compared with dissimilar male phenotypes) and disruptive selection (advantage of extreme phenotypes) drives the evolution of diversity in competitive traits such as weapon size, nuptial coloration, or aggressiveness. We underscore that male–male competition interacts with other life-history functions and that variable male competitive phenotypes may represent alternative adaptive options. In addition to competition for mates, aggressive interference competition for ecological resources can exert selection on competitor signals. We call for a better integration of male–male competition with ecological interference competition since both can influence the process of speciation via comparable but distinct mechanisms. Altogether, we present a more comprehensive framework for studying the role of male–male competition in speciation, and emphasize the need for better integration of insights gained from other fields studying the evolutionary, behavioral, and physiological consequences of agonistic interactions. PMID:29492042

5 CFR 351.403 - Competitive level.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Competitive level. 351.403 Section 351.403 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Scope of Competition § 351.403 Competitive level. (a)(1) Each agency shall establish competitive...

5 CFR 351.403 - Competitive level.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Competitive level. 351.403 Section 351.403 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Scope of Competition § 351.403 Competitive level. (a)(1) Each agency shall establish competitive...

5 CFR 351.403 - Competitive level.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Competitive level. 351.403 Section 351.403 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Scope of Competition § 351.403 Competitive level. (a)(1) Each agency shall establish competitive...

5 CFR 351.403 - Competitive level.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Competitive level. 351.403 Section 351.403 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Scope of Competition § 351.403 Competitive level. (a)(1) Each agency shall establish competitive...

5 CFR 351.403 - Competitive level.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Competitive level. 351.403 Section 351.403 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Scope of Competition § 351.403 Competitive level. (a)(1) Each agency shall establish competitive...

Fitness costs of intrinsic competition in two egg parasitoids of a true bug.

PubMed

Cusumano, Antonino; Peri, Ezio; Boivin, Guy; Colazza, Stefano

2015-10-01

Intrinsic competition in insect parasitoids occurs when supernumerary larvae develop in the same host as consequence of multiple ovipositions by females of the same species (intra-specific competition) or by females of different species (inter-specific competition). Studies on intrinsic competition have mainly focused on understanding the factors that play a role in the outcome of competition, while fitness-related effects for the parasitoid surviving the competition have been poorly investigated, especially in egg parasitoids. Interestingly, even the winning parasitoid can experience fitness costs due to larval development in a host in which multiple factors have been injected by the ovipositing females or released by their larvae. In this paper we studied fitness-related traits associated with intra- and inter-specific competition between Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) and Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Vassiliev), the main egg parasitoids associated with the southern green stink bug Nezara viridula (L.) in Italy. We investigated the impact of intrinsic competition for the surviving parasitoid in terms of body size, developmental time, number and size of oocytes. Our results indicated that T. basalis adults did not experience fitness-related costs when surviving intra-specific competition; however, adults were smaller, took longer to develop and females produced fewer oocytes after surviving inter-specific competition. A different outcome was found for O. telenomicida where the emerging females were smaller, produced fewer and smaller oocytes when suffering intra-specific competition whereas no fitness costs were found when adults survived inter-specific competition. These results support the hypothesis that the impact of intrinsic competition in egg parasitoids depends on the severity of the competitive interaction, as fitness costs were more pronounced when the surviving parasitoid interacted with the most detrimental competitor. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social facilitation in virtual reality-enhanced exercise: competitiveness moderates exercise effort of older adults.

PubMed

Anderson-Hanley, Cay; Snyder, Amanda L; Nimon, Joseph P; Arciero, Paul J

2011-01-01

This study examined the effect of virtual social facilitation and competitiveness on exercise effort in exergaming older adults. Fourteen exergaming older adults participated. Competitiveness was assessed prior to the start of exercise. Participants were trained to ride a "cybercycle;" a virtual reality-enhanced stationary bike with interactive competition. After establishing a cybercycling baseline, competitive avatars were introduced. Pedaling effort (watts) was assessed. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant group (high vs low competitiveness) × time (pre- to post-avatar) interaction (F[1,12] = 13.1, P = 0.003). Virtual social facilitation increased exercise effort among more competitive exercisers. Exercise programs that match competitiveness may maximize exercise effort.

Social facilitation in virtual reality-enhanced exercise: competitiveness moderates exercise effort of older adults

PubMed Central

Anderson-Hanley, Cay; Snyder, Amanda L; Nimon, Joseph P; Arciero, Paul J

2011-01-01

This study examined the effect of virtual social facilitation and competitiveness on exercise effort in exergaming older adults. Fourteen exergaming older adults participated. Competitiveness was assessed prior to the start of exercise. Participants were trained to ride a “cybercycle;” a virtual reality-enhanced stationary bike with interactive competition. After establishing a cybercycling baseline, competitive avatars were introduced. Pedaling effort (watts) was assessed. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant group (high vs low competitiveness) × time (pre- to post-avatar) interaction (F[1,12] = 13.1, P = 0.003). Virtual social facilitation increased exercise effort among more competitive exercisers. Exercise programs that match competitiveness may maximize exercise effort. PMID:22087067

Diversifying evolution of competitiveness.

PubMed

Baldauf, Sebastian A; Engqvist, Leif; Weissing, Franz J

2014-10-29

In many species, individuals express phenotypic characteristics that enhance their competitiveness, that is, the ability to acquire resources in competition with others. Moreover, the degree of competitiveness varies considerably across individuals and in time. By means of an evolutionary model, we provide an explanation for this finding. We make the assumption that investment into competitiveness enhances the probability to acquire a high-quality resource, but at the same time reduces the ability of exploiting acquired resources with maximal efficiency. The model reveals that under a broad range of conditions competitiveness either converges to a polymorphic state, where individuals differing in competitive ability stably coexist, or is subject to perpetual transitions between periods of high and low competitiveness. The dynamics becomes even more complex if females can evolve preferences for (or against) competitive males. In extreme cases, such preferences can even drive the population to extinction.

Competition in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rich, John Martin; DeVitis, Joseph L.

This book discusses various major aspects of competition in education. It identifies competition within educational policies, programs, and practices, as well as the problems that certain forms of competition create. It also traces the influences of American competitive values on education. Chapter 1 provides an introductory overview of the…

75 FR 6108 - New Postal Product

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-08

... Competitive Services to the Competitive Product List. This action is consistent with a postal reform law. Republication of the lists of market dominant and competitive products is also consistent with statutory... Agreement for Inbound Competitive Services, to the Competitive Product List. For the reasons discussed below...

Elements of the Competitive Situation That Affect Intrinsic Motivation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reeve, Johnmarshall; Deci, Edward L.

1996-01-01

Explores the effects of three elements of the competitive situation (competitive set, competitive outcome, and interpersonal context) on intrinsic motivation in a sample of college students (n=100). Competitive outcome and interpersonal context affected intrinsic motivation: winning increased intrinsic motivation, while pressured interpersonal…

Gender differences in testosterone and cortisol response to competition.

PubMed

Kivlighan, Katie T; Granger, Douglas A; Booth, Alan

2005-01-01

This study examined intra-individual change in testosterone, cortisol, and hormone-behavior relationships in response to a rowing ergometer competition. Forty-six members (23 females) of a university crew team provided saliva samples before, 20- and 40-min post-competition, as well as baselines on a non-competition day. Behavioral assessments included measures of previous rowing experience, dominance, competitiveness, bonding with teammates, pre- and post-competition mental state and performance. Men's and women's endocrine responses to this competitive setting were more different than alike and varied by level of competitive experience, the specific phase of the competitive event, and the particular hormone measured. Inter-individual differences in testosterone and cortisol were differentially associated with social affiliation with teammates but rarely with dominance or competitiveness. Theoretically, the findings support the integration of features of the 'tend and befriend' model with the biosocial model of status, and suggest future research directions that may lead to clarification and refinement of those ideas.

Competition-Colonization Trade-Offs, Competitive Uncertainty, and the Evolutionary Assembly of Species

PubMed Central

Pillai, Pradeep; Guichard, Frédéric

2012-01-01

We utilize a standard competition-colonization metapopulation model in order to study the evolutionary assembly of species. Based on earlier work showing how models assuming strict competitive hierarchies will likely lead to runaway evolution and self-extinction for all species, we adopt a continuous competition function that allows for levels of uncertainty in the outcome of competition. We then, by extending the standard patch-dynamic metapopulation model in order to include evolutionary dynamics, allow for the coevolution of species into stable communities composed of species with distinct limiting similarities. Runaway evolution towards stochastic extinction then becomes a limiting case controlled by the level of competitive uncertainty. We demonstrate how intermediate competitive uncertainty maximizes the equilibrium species richness as well as maximizes the adaptive radiation and self-assembly of species under adaptive dynamics with mutations of non-negligible size. By reconciling competition-colonization tradeoff theory with co-evolutionary dynamics, our results reveal the importance of intermediate levels of competitive uncertainty for the evolutionary assembly of species. PMID:22448253

Competition among Turkish hospitals and its effect on hospital efficiency and service quality.

PubMed

Torun, Nazan; Celik, Yusuf; Younis, Mustafa Z

2013-01-01

The level of competition among hospitals in Turkey was analyzed for the years 1990 through 2006 using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI). Multiple and simple regression analyses were run to observe the development of competition among hospitals over this period of time, to examine likely determinants of competition, and to calculate the effects of competition on efficiency and quality in individual hospitals. This study found that the level of competition among hospitals in Turkey has increased throughout the years. Also, competition has had a positive effect on the efficiency of hospitals; however, it did not have a significant positive effect on their quality. Moreover, there are important differences in the level of competition among hospitals that vary according to the geographical region, the type of ownership, and the type of hospital. This study is one of the first to evaluate the effects of health policies on competition as well as the effects of increasing competition on hospital quality and efficiency in Turkey.

Non-additive effects of intra- and interspecific competition between two larval salamanders.

PubMed

Anderson, Thomas L; Whiteman, Howard H

2015-05-01

Assessment of the relative strengths of intra- and interspecific competition has increased in recent years and is critical to understanding the importance of competition. Yet, whether intra- and interspecific competition can have non-additive effects has rarely been tested. The resulting fitness consequences of such non-additive interactions are important to provide the context necessary to advance our understanding of competition theory. We compared the strength of additive and non-additive intra- and interspecific competition by manipulating densities of a pair of larval salamanders (Ambystoma talpoideum and A. maculatum) in experimental mesocosms within a response surface design. Intraspecific density had the strongest effect on the strength of competition for both species, and few observed comparisons indicated interspecific competition was an important factor in predicting body size, growth or larval period length of either species. Non-additive effects of intra- and interspecific competition influenced some response variables, including size and mass at metamorphosis in A. maculatum, but at a reduced strength compared to intraspecific effects alone. Intraspecific competition was thus the dominant biotic interaction, but non-additive effects also impact the outcome of competition in these species, validating the importance of testing for and incorporating non-additive density effects into competition models. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2015 British Ecological Society.

A comprehensive test of evolutionarily increased competitive ability in a highly invasive plant species

PubMed Central

Joshi, Srijana; Gruntman, Michal; Bilton, Mark; Seifan, Merav; Tielbörger, Katja

2014-01-01

Background and Aims A common hypothesis to explain plants' invasive success is that release from natural enemies in the introduced range selects for reduced allocation to resistance traits and a subsequent increase in resources available for growth and competitive ability (evolution of increased competitive ability, EICA). However, studies that have investigated this hypothesis have been incomplete as they either did not test for all aspects of competitive ability or did not select appropriate competitors. Methods Here, the prediction of increased competitive ability was examined with the invasive plant Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) in a set of common-garden experiments that addressed these aspects by carefully distinguishing between competitive effect and response of invasive and native plants, and by using both intraspecific and interspecific competition settings with a highly vigorous neighbour, Urtica dioica (stinging nettle), which occurs in both ranges. Key Results While the intraspecific competition results showed no differences in competitive effect or response between native and invasive plants, the interspecific competition experiment revealed greater competitive response and effect of invasive plants in both biomass and seed production. Conclusions The use of both intra- and interspecific competition experiments in this study revealed opposing results. While the first experiment refutes the EICA hypothesis, the second shows strong support for it, suggesting evolutionarily increased competitive ability in invasive populations of L. salicaria. It is suggested that the use of naturally co-occurring heterospecifics, rather than conspecifics, may provide a better evaluation of the possible evolutionary shift towards greater competitive ability. PMID:25301818

Competition rules and health care players: principles and consequences.

PubMed

Fornaciari, Diego; Callens, Stefaan

2012-01-01

Competition rules maximise consumer welfare by promoting efficient use of scarce resource and thus high output, low prices, high quality, varied services, innovation, production and distribution. European courts consider doctors and hospital staff as undertakings (any entity that performs economic activities), so that if they enter into agreements then they have to comply with competition rules. This paper's objective is to determine whether competition law, which applies to undertakings, can in fact be applied to different healthcare-sector players and whether specific rules are needed regarding competition between healthcare undertakings. Data were selected from relevant European and national case law, European institution legal documents (such as regulations, guidelines and communications) and healthcare competition law literature, and then examined. The paper finds that competition rules are applicable to healthcare players considering the consequences if competition rules are applied to the healthcare market. For market processes to result in the appropriate cost, quality and output, competition law must be proactive. In other words, quality must be fully factored into the competitive mix, allowing consumers to weigh healthcare price and non-price characteristics. Countries have different healthcare system and competition rules (although similar), competition rule impact is different for each country. Some healthcare systems are more regulated and there will be less opportunity for healthcare players to compete. Efficiently applying competition law to healthcare players means that several challenges need facing, such as healthcare quality complexity and court scepticism. This article points out the challenges when competition law is applied to the healthcare sector and how these challenges are faced in certain countries such as The Netherlands.

5 CFR 351.402 - Competitive area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Competitive area. 351.402 Section 351.402 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Scope of Competition § 351.402 Competitive area. (a) Each agency shall establish competitive areas in which employees...

5 CFR 351.402 - Competitive area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Competitive area. 351.402 Section 351.402 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Scope of Competition § 351.402 Competitive area. (a) Each agency shall establish competitive areas in which employees...

5 CFR 351.402 - Competitive area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Competitive area. 351.402 Section 351.402 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Scope of Competition § 351.402 Competitive area. (a) Each agency shall establish competitive areas in which employees...

5 CFR 351.402 - Competitive area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Competitive area. 351.402 Section 351.402 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Scope of Competition § 351.402 Competitive area. (a) Each agency shall establish competitive areas in which employees...

5 CFR 351.402 - Competitive area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Competitive area. 351.402 Section 351.402 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Scope of Competition § 351.402 Competitive area. (a) Each agency shall establish competitive areas in which employees...

48 CFR 606.370 - Department of State standardization program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... COMPETITION AND ACQUISITION PLANNING COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS Other Than Full and Open Competition 606.370... competition in all procurement actions. The authority at 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) shall be used with respect to... activity competition advocate, and the Procurement Executive shall approve all Justifications for Other...

48 CFR 606.370 - Department of State standardization program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... COMPETITION AND ACQUISITION PLANNING COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS Other Than Full and Open Competition 606.370... competition in all procurement actions. The authority at 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) shall be used with respect to... activity competition advocate, and the Procurement Executive shall approve all Justifications for Other...

Getting Competitive: Competitive Intelligence Is a Smart next Step for Information Pros

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Correia, Cynthia Cheng

2006-01-01

Competitive Intelligence (CI) has become an attractive concept for Library and Information Science professionals, as information and research functions have become commoditized by end users, and financial, competitive, and performance pressures increase the need to demonstrate value. In the current competitive and cost-cutting environment,…

Business Plan Competitions: An Overview. CELCEE Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seymour, Nicole

This document describes business plan competitions sponsored by universities. The idea began in the early 1980s at the University of Texas when Masters in Business Administration (MBA) students created a friendly competitive activity along the lines of the law schools Moot Court competition. Later the competition became national, and then…

America's Competitive Crisis: Confronting the New Reality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council on Competitiveness, Washington, DC.

Efforts to restore America's competitive position must proceed from an accurate definition of what competitiveness is. The U.S. competitiveness problem has three dimensions: long-standing structural problems, macroeconomic policies, and the trade and economic policies of foreign countries. The long-term erosion of U.S. competitiveness is suggested…

Robotics Competitions: An Overview of First© Events and VEX© Competitions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Habib, Maria A.

2012-01-01

Robotics competitions generate excitement and raise the profile of a robotics program. This article provides an overview of robotics competitions, concentrating on those sponsored by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and RECF (Robotics Education and Competition Foundation). FIRST® LEGO® League and VEX® robotics…

Architecture for Education: New School Designs from the Chicago Competition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robbins, Mark; Moelis, Cindy S.; Clarke, Pamela H.; Hendrickson, Jamie; Nowaczewski, Jeanne L.; Haar, Sharon

This volume documents the work that resulted from the Chicago Public Schools Design Competition, explaining research and policies underlying the competition's criteria. The volume has three parts. Book 1, "The Chicago Experience," written by the competition's organizers, describes the competition's process and explains how it allowed community…

Using Classroom Competitions to Prepare Students for the Competitive Business World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Fay Y.; Kincade, Doris H.; Frasier, Pamela Y.

2013-01-01

This paper describes how a university, collaborating with industry, integrated research with active learning (e.g., collaboration in teams and competitions) for fashion majors. The redesigned introductory course uses two strategies: team competitions and a genius bar to guide students, give ongoing feedback, and judge final competitions. Active…

Competition Impacts on Growth of Naturally Regenerated Loblolly Pine Seedlings

Treesearch

Michael D. Cain

1988-01-01

Intrusive competition control was used for 3 years in a nuturally regenerated, even-aged stand of loblolly and shortleaf pines (Pinus taeda L. and P. echinata Mill.) in southern Arkansas. Treatments included: no competition control, woody competition control, herbaceous competition control, and total control of nonpine vegetation...

5 CFR 351.603 - Actions subsequent to release from competitive level.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... competitive level. 351.603 Section 351.603 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Release From Competitive Level § 351.603 Actions subsequent to release from competitive level. An employee reached for release from a competitive level shall be offered...

5 CFR 351.603 - Actions subsequent to release from competitive level.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... competitive level. 351.603 Section 351.603 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Release From Competitive Level § 351.603 Actions subsequent to release from competitive level. An employee reached for release from a competitive level shall be offered...

5 CFR 351.601 - Order of release from competitive level.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Order of release from competitive level... REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Release From Competitive Level § 351.601 Order of release from competitive level. (a) Each agency must select competing employees for release from a competitive level (including...

5 CFR 351.601 - Order of release from competitive level.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Order of release from competitive level... REGULATIONS REDUCTION IN FORCE Release From Competitive Level § 351.601 Order of release from competitive level. (a) Each agency must select competing employees for release from a competitive level (including...

Quality health care in the European Union thanks to competition law.

PubMed

Fornaciari, Diego

2010-01-01

There are many biases concerning the application of competition law in health care. Quality concerns can however be integrated into competition law analysis. The aim of this paper is to identify the links between the application of competition law in the European Union and the right to quality health care and to point out the problems that arise when integrating quality concerns in competition law analysis. Guidelines must be issued and competition authorities must work together with institutions that have expertise in the field of health care quality measurement in order to integrate these dimensions in competition practice.

Competition in the health system: good news and bad news.

PubMed

Miller, R H

1996-01-01

Competition among health plans, hospitals, and physicians has taken place in fifteen health care markets primarily on the basis of price and secondarily on network breadth and style of care. In most markets, competition resulted in lower (or slowly growing) premium prices. Within a type of plan product, competition was leading to similar prices and networks and was reducing product differentiation among health plans. Competition was not taking place on the basis of measured and reported quality of care, which limited the capacity of employers and enrollees to make informed health plan choices. As a result, there was a substantial gap between competition as envisioned by the architects of the managed competition model and competition as it is evolving today.

Relative size predicts competitive outcome through 2 million years.

PubMed

Liow, Lee Hsiang; Di Martino, Emanuela; Krzeminska, Malgorzata; Ramsfjell, Mali; Rust, Seabourne; Taylor, Paul D; Voje, Kjetil L

2017-08-01

Competition is an important biotic interaction that influences survival and reproduction. While competition on ecological timescales has received great attention, little is known about competition on evolutionary timescales. Do competitive abilities change over hundreds of thousands to millions of years? Can we predict competitive outcomes using phenotypic traits? How much do traits that confer competitive advantage and competitive outcomes change? Here we show, using communities of encrusting marine bryozoans spanning more than 2 million years, that size is a significant determinant of overgrowth outcomes: colonies with larger zooids tend to overgrow colonies with smaller zooids. We also detected temporally coordinated changes in average zooid sizes, suggesting that different species responded to a common external driver. Although species-specific average zooid sizes change over evolutionary timescales, species-specific competitive abilities seem relatively stable, suggesting that traits other than zooid size also control overgrowth outcomes and/or that evolutionary constraints are involved. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

A comparison of nuclear and cytoplasmic genetic effects on sperm competitiveness and female remating in a seed beetle.

PubMed

Dowling, D K; Friberg, U; Arnqvist, G

2007-11-01

It is widely assumed that male sperm competitiveness evolves adaptively. However, recent studies have found a cytoplasmic genetic component to phenotypic variation in some sperm traits presumed important in sperm competition. As cytoplasmic genes are maternally transmitted, they cannot respond to selection on sperm and this constraint may affect the scope in which sperm competitiveness can evolve adaptively. We examined nuclear and cytoplasmic genetic contributions to sperm competitiveness, using populations of Callosobruchus maculatus carrying orthogonal combinations of nuclear and cytoplasmic lineages. Our design also enabled us to examine genetic contributions to female remating. We found that sperm competitiveness and remating are primarily encoded by nuclear genes. In particular, a male's sperm competitiveness phenotype was contingent on an interaction between the competing male genotypes. Furthermore, cytoplasmic effects were detected on remating but not sperm competitiveness, suggesting that cytoplasmic genes do not generally play a profound evolutionary role in sperm competition.

Modelling the multidimensional niche by linking functional traits to competitive performance

PubMed Central

Maynard, Daniel S.; Leonard, Kenneth E.; Drake, John M.; Hall, David W.; Crowther, Thomas W.; Bradford, Mark A.

2015-01-01

Linking competitive outcomes to environmental conditions is necessary for understanding species' distributions and responses to environmental change. Despite this importance, generalizable approaches for predicting competitive outcomes across abiotic gradients are lacking, driven largely by the highly complex and context-dependent nature of biotic interactions. Here, we present and empirically test a novel niche model that uses functional traits to model the niche space of organisms and predict competitive outcomes of co-occurring populations across multiple resource gradients. The model makes no assumptions about the underlying mode of competition and instead applies to those settings where relative competitive ability across environments correlates with a quantifiable performance metric. To test the model, a series of controlled microcosm experiments were conducted using genetically related strains of a widespread microbe. The model identified trait microevolution and performance differences among strains, with the predicted competitive ability of each organism mapped across a two-dimensional carbon and nitrogen resource space. Areas of coexistence and competitive dominance between strains were identified, and the predicted competitive outcomes were validated in approximately 95% of the pairings. By linking trait variation to competitive ability, our work demonstrates a generalizable approach for predicting and modelling competitive outcomes across changing environmental contexts. PMID:26136444

Personality and problem-solving performance explain competitive ability in the wild.

PubMed

Cole, Ella F; Quinn, John L

2012-03-22

Competitive ability is a major determinant of fitness, but why individuals vary so much in their competitiveness remains only partially understood. One increasingly prevalent view is that realized competitive ability varies because it represents alternative strategies that arise because of the costs associated with competitiveness. Here we use a population of great tits (Parus major) to explore whether individual differences in competitive ability when foraging can be explained by two traits that have previously been linked to alternative behavioural strategies: the personality trait 'exploration behaviour' and a simple cognitive trait, 'innovative problem-solving performance'. We assayed these traits under standardized conditions in captivity and then measured competitive ability at feeders with restricted access in the wild. Competitive ability was repeatable within individual males across days and correlated positively with exploration behaviour, representing the first such demonstration of a link between a personality trait and both competitive ability and food intake in the wild. Competitive ability was also simultaneously negatively correlated with problem-solving performance; individuals who were poor competitors were good at problem-solving. Rather than being the result of variation in 'individual quality', our results support the hypothesis that individual variation in competitive ability can be explained by alternative behavioural strategies.

The Janus face of Darwinian competition

PubMed Central

Hintze, Arend; Phillips, Nathaniel; Hertwig, Ralph

2015-01-01

Without competition, organisms would not evolve any meaningful physical or cognitive abilities. Competition can thus be understood as the driving force behind Darwinian evolution. But does this imply that more competitive environments necessarily evolve organisms with more sophisticated cognitive abilities than do less competitive environments? Or is there a tipping point at which competition does more harm than good? We examine the evolution of decision strategies among virtual agents performing a repetitive sampling task in three distinct environments. The environments differ in the degree to which the actions of a competitor can affect the fitness of the sampling agent, and in the variance of the sample. Under weak competition, agents evolve decision strategies that sample often and make accurate decisions, which not only improve their own fitness, but are good for the entire population. Under extreme competition, however, the dark side of the Janus face of Darwinian competition emerges: Agents are forced to sacrifice accuracy for speed and are prevented from sampling as often as higher variance in the environment would require. Modest competition is therefore a good driver for the evolution of cognitive abilities and of the population as a whole, whereas too much competition is devastating. PMID:26354182

The Janus face of Darwinian competition.

PubMed

Hintze, Arend; Phillips, Nathaniel; Hertwig, Ralph

2015-09-10

Without competition, organisms would not evolve any meaningful physical or cognitive abilities. Competition can thus be understood as the driving force behind Darwinian evolution. But does this imply that more competitive environments necessarily evolve organisms with more sophisticated cognitive abilities than do less competitive environments? Or is there a tipping point at which competition does more harm than good? We examine the evolution of decision strategies among virtual agents performing a repetitive sampling task in three distinct environments. The environments differ in the degree to which the actions of a competitor can affect the fitness of the sampling agent, and in the variance of the sample. Under weak competition, agents evolve decision strategies that sample often and make accurate decisions, which not only improve their own fitness, but are good for the entire population. Under extreme competition, however, the dark side of the Janus face of Darwinian competition emerges: Agents are forced to sacrifice accuracy for speed and are prevented from sampling as often as higher variance in the environment would require. Modest competition is therefore a good driver for the evolution of cognitive abilities and of the population as a whole, whereas too much competition is devastating.

Diversity Increases Indirect Interactions, Attenuates the Intensity of Competition, and Promotes Coexistence.

PubMed

Aschehoug, Erik T; Callaway, Ragan M

2015-10-01

A fundamental assumption of coexistence theory is that competition inevitably decreases species diversity. Consequently, in the quest to understand the ecological regulators of diversity, there has been a great deal of focus on processes with the potential to reduce competitive exclusion. However, the notion that competition must decrease diversity is largely based on the outcome of two-species interaction experiments and models, despite the fact that species rarely interact only in pairs in natural systems. In a field experiment, we found that competition among native perennial plants in multispecies assemblages was far weaker than competition between those same species in pairwise arrangements and that indirect interactions appeared to weaken direct competitive effects. These results suggest that community assembly theory based on pairwise approaches may overestimate the strength of competition and likelihood of competitive exclusion in species-rich communities. We also found that Centaurea stoebe, a North American invader, retained strong competitive effects when competing against North American natives in both pairwise and multispecies assemblages. Our experimental results support an emerging body of theory suggesting that complex networks of competing species may generate strong indirect interactions that can maintain diversity and that ecological differentiation may not be necessary to attenuate competition.

Is competition needed for ecological character displacement? Does displacement decrease competition?

PubMed Central

Abrams, Peter A.; Cortez, Michael H.

2015-01-01

Interspecific competition for resources is generally considered to be the selective force driving ecological character displacement, and displacement is assumed to reduce competition. Skeptics of the prevalence of character displacement often cite lack of evidence of competition. The present article uses a simple model to examine whether competition is needed for character displacement and whether displacement reduces competition. It treats systems with competing resources, and considers cases when only one consumer evolves. It quantifies competition using several different measures. The analysis shows that selection for divergence of consumers occurs regardless of the level of between‐resource competition or whether the indirect interaction between the consumers is competition (−,−), mutualism (+,+), or contramensalism (+,−). Also, divergent evolution always decreases the equilibrium population size of the evolving consumer. Whether divergence of one consumer reduces or increases the impact of a subsequent perturbation of the other consumer depends on the parameters and the method chosen for measuring competition. Divergence in mutualistic interactions may reduce beneficial effects of subsequent increases in the other consumer's population. The evolutionary response is driven by an increase in the relative abundance of the resource the consumer catches more rapidly. Such an increase can occur under several types of interaction. PMID:26548922

COMPETITION AND QUALITY IN HOME HEALTH CARE MARKETS†

PubMed Central

JUNG, KYOUNGRAE; POLSKY, DANIEL

2013-01-01

SUMMARY Market-based solutions are often proposed to improve health care quality; yet evidence on the role of competition in quality in non-hospital settings is sparse. We examine the relationship between competition and quality in home health care. This market is different from other markets in that service delivery takes place in patients’ homes, which implies low costs of market entry and exit for agencies. We use 6 years of panel data for Medicare beneficiaries during the early 2000s. We identify the competition effect from within-market variation in competition over time. We analyze three quality measures: functional improvements, the number of home health visits, and discharges without hospitalization. We find that the relationship between competition and home health quality is nonlinear and its pattern differs by quality measure. Competition has positive effects on functional improvements and the number of visits in most ranges, but in the most competitive markets, functional outcomes and the number of visits slightly drop. Competition has a negative effect on discharges without hospitalization that is strongest in the most competitive markets. This finding is different from prior research on hospital markets and suggests that market-specific environments should be considered in developing polices to promote competition. PMID:23670849

Sexual competition affects biomass partitioning, carbon-nutrient balance, Cd allocation and ultrastructure of Populus cathayana females and males exposed to Cd stress.

PubMed

Chen, Juan; Duan, Baoli; Xu, Gang; Korpelainen, Helena; Niinemets, Ülo; Li, Chunyang

2016-11-01

Although increasing attention has been paid to plant adaptation to soil heavy metal contamination, competition and neighbor effects have been largely overlooked, especially in dioecious plants. In this study, we investigated growth as well as biochemical and ultrastructural responses of Populus cathayana Rehder females and males to cadmium (Cd) stress under different sexual competition patterns. The results showed that competition significantly affects biomass partitioning, photosynthetic capacity, leaf and root ultrastructure, Cd accumulation, the contents of polyphenols, and structural and nonstructural carbohydrates. Compared with single-sex cultivation, plants of opposite sexes exposed to sexual competition accumulated more Cd in tissues and their growth was more strongly inhibited, indicating enhanced Cd toxicity under sexual competition. Under intrasexual competition, females showed greater Cd accumulation, more serious damage at the ultrastructural level and greater reduction in physiological activity than under intersexual competition, while males performed better under intrasexual competition than under intersexual competition. Males improved the female microenvironment by greater Cd uptake and lower resource consumption under intersexual competition. These results demonstrate that the sex of neighbor plants and competition affect sexual differences in growth and in key physiological processes under Cd stress. The asymmetry of sexual competition highlighted here might regulate population structure, and spatial segregation and phytoremediation potential of both sexes in P. cathayana growing in heavy metal-contaminated soils. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Coexistence of three specialist aphids on common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca.

PubMed

Smith, R A; Mooney, K A; Agrawal, A A

2008-08-01

Coexistence of host-specific herbivores on plants is believed to be governed by interspecific interactions, but few empirical studies have systematically unraveled these dynamics. We investigated the role of several factors in promoting coexistence among the aphids Aphis nerii, Aphis asclepiadis, and Myzocallis asclepiadis that all specialize on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Competitive exclusion is thought to occur when interspecific competition is stronger than intraspecific competition. Consequently, we investigated whether predators, mutualists, or resource quality affected the strength of intra- vs. interspecific competition among aphids in factorial manipulations of competition with exposure to predation, ants, and variable plant genotypes in three separate experiments. In the predation x competition experiment, predators reduced aphid per capita growth by 66%, but the strength of intra- and interspecific competition did not depend on predators. In the ants x competition experiment, ants reduced per capita growth of A. nerii and M. asclepiadis (neither of which were mutualists with ants) by approximately one-half. In so doing, ants ameliorated the negative effects of these competitors on ant-tended A. asclepiadis by two-thirds, representing a novel benefit of ant-aphid mutualism. Nevertheless, ants alone did not explain the persistence of competitively inferior A. asclepiadis as, even in the presence of ants, interspecific competition remained stronger than intraspecific competition. In the plant genotype x competition experiment, both A. asclepiadis and M. asclepiadis were competitively inferior to A. nerii, with the strength of interspecific competition exceeding that of intraspecific competition by 83% and 23%, respectively. Yet these effects differed among milkweed genotypes, and there were one or more plant genotypes for each aphid species where coexistence was predicted. A synthesis of our results shows that predators play little or no role in preferentially suppressing competitively dominant A. nerii. Nonetheless, A. asclepiadis benefits from ants, and A. asclepiadis and M. asclepiadis may escape competitive exclusion by A. nerii on select milkweed genotypes. Taken as a whole, the coexistence of three host-specific aphid species sharing the same resource was promoted by the dual action of ants as antagonists and mutualists and by genetic diversity in the plant population itself.

A comprehensive test of evolutionarily increased competitive ability in a highly invasive plant species.

PubMed

Joshi, Srijana; Gruntman, Michal; Bilton, Mark; Seifan, Merav; Tielbörger, Katja

2014-12-01

A common hypothesis to explain plants' invasive success is that release from natural enemies in the introduced range selects for reduced allocation to resistance traits and a subsequent increase in resources available for growth and competitive ability (evolution of increased competitive ability, EICA). However, studies that have investigated this hypothesis have been incomplete as they either did not test for all aspects of competitive ability or did not select appropriate competitors. Here, the prediction of increased competitive ability was examined with the invasive plant Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) in a set of common-garden experiments that addressed these aspects by carefully distinguishing between competitive effect and response of invasive and native plants, and by using both intraspecific and interspecific competition settings with a highly vigorous neighbour, Urtica dioica (stinging nettle), which occurs in both ranges. While the intraspecific competition results showed no differences in competitive effect or response between native and invasive plants, the interspecific competition experiment revealed greater competitive response and effect of invasive plants in both biomass and seed production. The use of both intra- and interspecific competition experiments in this study revealed opposing results. While the first experiment refutes the EICA hypothesis, the second shows strong support for it, suggesting evolutionarily increased competitive ability in invasive populations of L. salicaria. It is suggested that the use of naturally co-occurring heterospecifics, rather than conspecifics, may provide a better evaluation of the possible evolutionary shift towards greater competitive ability. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

CanSat Competition: Contributing to the Development of NASA's Vision for Robotic Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berman, Joshua; Berman, Timothy; Billheimer, Thomas; Biclmer. Elizabeth; Hood, Stuart; Neas, Charles

2007-01-01

CanSat is an international student design-build-launch competition organized by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The competition is also sponsored by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The CanSat competition is designed for college, university and high school students wanting to participate in an applicable space-related competition. The objective of the CanSat competition is to complete space exploration missions by designing a specific system for a small sounding rocket payload which will follow and perform to a specific set of rules and guidelines for each year's competition. The competition encompasses a complete life-cycle of one year which includes all phases of design, integration, testing, judging and competition. The mission guidelines are based from space exploration missions and include bonus requirement options which teams may choose to participate in. The fundamental goal of the competition is to educate future engineers and scientists. This is accomplished by students applying systems engineering practices to a development project that incorporates an end-to-end life cycle, from requirements analysis, through preliminary design, integration and testing, an actual flight of the CanSat, and concluding with a post-mission debrief. This is done specifically with space related missions to bring a unique aspect of engineering and design to the competition. The competition has been progressing since its creation in 2005. The competition was originally meant to purely convey the engineering and design process to its participants, but through many experiences the competition has also undergone a learning experience with respect to systems engineering process and design. According

The contribution of competition to tree mortality in old-growth coniferous forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Das, A.; Battles, J.; Stephenson, N.L.; van Mantgem, P.J.

2011-01-01

Competition is a well-documented contributor to tree mortality in temperate forests, with numerous studies documenting a relationship between tree death and the competitive environment. Models frequently rely on competition as the only non-random mechanism affecting tree mortality. However, for mature forests, competition may cease to be the primary driver of mortality.We use a large, long-term dataset to study the importance of competition in determining tree mortality in old-growth forests on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada of California, U.S.A. We make use of the comparative spatial configuration of dead and live trees, changes in tree spatial pattern through time, and field assessments of contributors to an individual tree's death to quantify competitive effects.Competition was apparently a significant contributor to tree mortality in these forests. Trees that died tended to be in more competitive environments than trees that survived, and suppression frequently appeared as a factor contributing to mortality. On the other hand, based on spatial pattern analyses, only three of 14 plots demonstrated compelling evidence that competition was dominating mortality. Most of the rest of the plots fell within the expectation for random mortality, and three fit neither the random nor the competition model. These results suggest that while competition is often playing a significant role in tree mortality processes in these forests it only infrequently governs those processes. In addition, the field assessments indicated a substantial presence of biotic mortality agents in trees that died.While competition is almost certainly important, demographics in these forests cannot accurately be characterized without a better grasp of other mortality processes. In particular, we likely need a better understanding of biotic agents and their interactions with one another and with competition. ?? 2011.

Substrate-Induced Facilitated Dissociation of the Competitive Inhibitor from the Active Site of O-Acetyl Serine Sulfhydrylase Reveals a Competitive-Allostery Mechanism.

PubMed

Singh, Appu Kumar; Ekka, Mary Krishna; Kaushik, Abhishek; Pandya, Vaibhav; Singh, Ravi P; Banerjee, Shrijita; Mittal, Monica; Singh, Vijay; Kumaran, S

2017-09-19

By classical competitive antagonism, a substrate and competitive inhibitor must bind mutually exclusively to the active site. The competitive inhibition of O-acetyl serine sulfhydrylase (OASS) by the C-terminus of serine acetyltransferase (SAT) presents a paradox, because the C-terminus of SAT binds to the active site of OASS with an affinity that is 4-6 log-fold (10 4 -10 6 ) greater than that of the substrate. Therefore, we employed multiple approaches to understand how the substrate gains access to the OASS active site under physiological conditions. Single-molecule and ensemble approaches showed that the active site-bound high-affinity competitive inhibitor is actively dissociated by the substrate, which is not consistent with classical views of competitive antagonism. We employed fast-flow kinetic approaches to demonstrate that substrate-mediated dissociation of full length SAT-OASS (cysteine regulatory complex) follows a noncanonical "facilitated dissociation" mechanism. To understand the mechanism by which the substrate induces inhibitor dissociation, we resolved the crystal structures of enzyme·inhibitor·substrate ternary complexes. Crystal structures reveal a competitive allosteric binding mechanism in which the substrate intrudes into the inhibitor-bound active site and disengages the inhibitor before occupying the site vacated by the inhibitor. In summary, here we reveal a new type of competitive allosteric binding mechanism by which one of the competitive antagonists facilitates the dissociation of the other. Together, our results indicate that "competitive allostery" is the general feature of noncanonical "facilitated/accelerated dissociation" mechanisms. Further understanding of the mechanistic framework of "competitive allosteric" mechanism may allow us to design a new family of "competitive allosteric drugs/small molecules" that will have improved selectivity and specificity as compared to their competitive and allosteric counterparts.

Effects of competition among fertility centers on pregnancy and high-order multiple gestation rates.

PubMed

Steiner, Anne Z; Paulson, Richard J; Hartmann, Katherine E

2005-05-01

To measure the effect of competition among fertility centers on pregnancy and high-order multiple (HOM) gestation rates after IVF. Retrospective cohort study. Four hundred eight fertility clinics registered with the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology as providing IVF services in 2000. Competition was defined as number of clinics in a geographically defined area. Demand for services was based on the population of reproductive-aged women. Three hundred eighty-one fertility clinics reporting clinical outcomes. Pregnancy rates, HOM gestation rates, population of reproductive-aged women, and number of competing clinics were calculated for each clinic from Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology and census data. The clinic HOM gestation rate (percentage of pregnancies that were HOM) and age-adjusted pregnancy rate. The number of clinics in an area of competition ranged from 1 to 22. The HOM gestation rate per clinic ranged from 0% to 50%. As demand increased, competition increased. As competition increased, the number of HOM pregnancies per clinic decreased. In areas of low competition (1 to 2 clinics) the clinic HOM gestation rate was 8.43%, in areas of intermediate competition (3-7 clinics) 8.39%, and in areas of high competition (8-22 clinics) 8.24%. In areas with intermediate demand, high levels of competition resulted in fewer HOM pregnancies than intermediate competition (relative risk 0.56, 95% confidence interval 0.36-0.89) or low levels of competition (RR 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.35-0.94). Age-adjusted pregnancy rates did not differ by level of competition. According to these data, the risk of HOM gestation decreases with increasing competition among clinics; however, pregnancy rates are unaffected.

Impact of competitive flow on wall shear stress in coronary surgery: computational fluid dynamics of a LIMA-LAD model.

PubMed

Nordgaard, Håvard; Swillens, Abigail; Nordhaug, Dag; Kirkeby-Garstad, Idar; Van Loo, Denis; Vitale, Nicola; Segers, Patrick; Haaverstad, Rune; Lovstakken, Lasse

2010-12-01

Competitive flow from native coronary vessels is considered a major factor in the failure of coronary bypass grafts. However, the pathophysiological effects are not fully understood. Low and oscillatory wall shear stress (WSS) is known to induce endothelial dysfunction and vascular disease, like atherosclerosis and intimal hyperplasia. The aim was to investigate the impact of competitive flow on WSS in mammary artery bypass grafts. Using computational fluid dynamics, WSS was calculated in a left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft to the left anterior descending artery in a three-dimensional in vivo porcine coronary artery bypass graft model. The following conditions were investigated: high competitive flow (non-significant coronary lesion), partial competitive flow (significant coronary lesion), and no competitive flow (totally occluded coronary vessel). Time-averaged WSS of LIMA at high, partial, and no competitive flow were 0.3-0.6, 0.6-3.0, and 0.9-3.0 Pa, respectively. Further, oscillatory WSS quantified as the oscillatory shear index (OSI) ranged from (maximum OSI = 0.5 equals zero net WSS) 0.15 to 0.35, <0.05, and <0.05, respectively. Thus, high competitive flow resulted in substantial oscillatory and low WSS. Moderate competitive flow resulted in WSS and OSI similar to the no competitive flow condition. Graft flow is highly dependent on the degree of competitive flow. High competitive flow was found to produce unfavourable WSS consistent with endothelial dysfunction and subsequent graft narrowing and failure. Partial competitive flow, however, may be better tolerated as it was found to be similar to the ideal condition of no competitive flow.

Morphological response to competition for light in the clonal Trifolium repens (Fabaceae).

PubMed

Bittebiere, Anne-Kristel; Renaud, Nolwenn; Clément, Bernard; Mony, Cendrine

2012-04-01

Plant communities in temperate zones are dominated by clonal plants that can plastically modify their growth characteristics in response to competition. Given that plants compete with one another, and the implications this has for species coexistence, we conducted a study to assess how clonal species morphologically respond to competition for light depending on its intensity and heterogeneity, which are determined by the competitor species. We assessed the morphological response to competition for light of the clonal species Trifolium repens L. by measuring its growth performance, and vertical and horizontal growth traits. We used five competitive environments, i.e., one without competitor and four differing by their competitor species creating different conditions of competition intensity and heterogeneity. The morphological response of Trifolium repens to competition for light depended on the competitor identity. Competition intensity and heterogeneity, determined by competitor identity, had an interactive effect on most traits. The increase in petiole elongation and specific leaf area due to increased competition intensity was observed only at low to intermediate competition heterogeneity. Competition heterogeneity promoted the elongation of clone connections allowing space exploration. Our results demonstrated that the intensity and heterogeneity of competition, which depended on competitor identity, are of primary importance in determining the plastic response of Trifolium repens. This emphasizes that it is important to consider the fine-scale spatial distribution of individuals when studying their interactions within plant communities.

Differential competitive ability between sexes in the dioecious Antennaria dioica (Asteraceae)

PubMed Central

Varga, Sandra; Kytöviita, Minna-Maarit

2012-01-01

Background and Aims Differences in competitive ability between the sexes of dioecious plants are expected as a result of allocation trade-offs associated with sex-differential reproductive costs. However, the available data on competitive ability in dioecious plants are scarce and contradictory. In this study sexual competition was evaluated using the dioecious plant Antennaria dioica in a common garden transplantation experiment. Methods Male and female plants were grown for 3 years either in isolation, or in competition with a plant of the same sex or the opposite sex. Flowering phenology, sexual and asexual reproduction, plant growth, nutrient content and arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization in the roots were assessed. Key Results Our results showed little evidence of sexual differences in competitive ability. Both sexes suffered similarly from competition, and competitive effects were manifested in some traits related to fitness but not in others. Survival was unaffected by competition, but competing plants reduced their vegetative growth and reproductive investment compared with non-competing plants. In addition, differences in sexual competitive ability were observed in relation to flowering frequency, an important life history trait not reported in previous studies. Conclusions The findings indicate that female and male A. dioica plants possess similar intersexual competitive abilities which may be related to the similar costs of reproduction between sexes in this species. Nevertheless, intrasexual competition is higher in females, giving support for asymmetric niche segregation between the sexes. PMID:22887023

45 CFR 1634.3 - Competition for grants and contracts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... CORPORATION COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR GRANTS AND CONTRACTS § 1634.3 Competition for grants and contracts. (a... Corporation under Section 1006(a)(1)(A) of the LSC Act shall be subject to the competitive bidding process... selected on the basis of the competitive bidding process described in this part. (b) The Corporation shall...

45 CFR 1634.3 - Competition for grants and contracts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... CORPORATION COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR GRANTS AND CONTRACTS § 1634.3 Competition for grants and contracts. (a... Corporation under Section 1006(a)(1)(A) of the LSC Act shall be subject to the competitive bidding process... selected on the basis of the competitive bidding process described in this part. (b) The Corporation shall...

39 CFR 3060.24 - Competitive products fund report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Competitive products fund report. 3060.24 Section... THE THEORETICAL COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS ENTERPRISE § 3060.24 Competitive products fund report. Within 90... activity of the Competitive Products Fund as provided to the Secretary of the Treasury under 39 U.S.C. 2011...

39 CFR 3060.24 - Competitive products fund report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 39 Postal Service 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Competitive products fund report. 3060.24 Section... THE THEORETICAL COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS ENTERPRISE § 3060.24 Competitive products fund report. Within 90... activity of the Competitive Products Fund as provided to the Secretary of the Treasury under 39 U.S.C. 2011...

Intrasexual Competition and Height in Adolescents and Adults.

PubMed

Polo, P; Fernandez, A; Muñoz-Reyes, J A; Dufey, M; Buunk, A P

2018-01-01

Intrasexual competition can be defined as the struggle between members of one sex to increase their access to members of the other sex as sexual partners. In our species, height is a sexually dimorphic trait probably involved in both intrasexual and intersexual selective processes. In the present research, we examined the relationship between height and individual differences in intrasexual competitiveness (i.e., the tendency to view same-sex interactions in general in competitive terms) in two populations of adolescents and adults of both sexes in Chile. According to our first prediction, among both adolescent and adult men, height was negatively associated with intrasexual competitiveness. In contrast, among women, height was not linearly nor quadratically related with intrasexual competitiveness as previously reported. Finally, adolescent men and women showed increased levels of intrasexual competitiveness compared to adult same-sex counterparts. Our results suggest that height is a relevant trait in mating competition among men. The lack of relationship between height and intrasexual competitiveness in women may suggest that the role of height in women mating competition may be more complex and mediated by other variables.

Integrating Competition for Food, Hosts, or Mates via Experimental Evolution.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Leonor R; Duncan, Alison B; Clemente, Salomé H; Moya-Laraño, Jordi; Magalhães, Sara

2016-02-01

Competitive interactions shape the evolution of organisms. However, often it is not clear whether competition is the driving force behind the patterns observed. The recent use of experimental evolution in competitive environments can help establish such causality. Unfortunately, this literature is scattered, as competition for food, mates, and hosts are subject areas that belong to different research fields. Here, we group these bodies of literature, extract common processes and patterns concerning the role of competition in shaping evolutionary trajectories, and suggest perspectives stemming from an integrative view of competition across these research fields. This review reinstates the power of experimental evolution in addressing the evolutionary consequences of competition, but highlights potential pitfalls in the design of such experiments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determinats of Interregional Competion of Subjects of Russian Federation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaisin, R. I.; Latypov, R. A.; Gaisin, I. T.; Kubyshkina, E. N.; Hayaleeva, A. D.

2018-05-01

In the article, problems of the analysis of competitiveness of subjects of the Russian Federation at the level of the national market of the country are considered. For a research of indicators and dynamics of competitiveness of certain territorial subjects of the Russian Federation, the methodology and tools of the theory of the interregional markets of the country developed by one of authors of epy article are used. On the basis of the known theory of competitiveness of M. Porter, the main directions of an increase of the competition in the interregional market of Russia are offered. Keywords: competitiveness, competitiveness determinants, interregional competition, interregional markets of the country

Improving Genomic Prediction in Cassava Field Experiments by Accounting for Interplot Competition

PubMed Central

Elias, Ani A.; Rabbi, Ismail; Kulakow, Peter; Jannink, Jean-Luc

2018-01-01

Plants competing for available resources is an unavoidable phenomenon in a field. We conducted studies in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in order to understand the pattern of this competition. Taking into account the competitive ability of genotypes while selecting parents for breeding advancement or commercialization can be very useful. We assumed that competition could occur at two levels: (i) the genotypic level, which we call interclonal, and (ii) the plot level irrespective of the type of genotype, which we call interplot competition or competition error. Modification in incidence matrices was applied in order to relate neighboring genotype/plot to the performance of a target genotype/plot with respect to its competitive ability. This was added into a genomic selection (GS) model to simultaneously predict the direct and competitive ability of a genotype. Predictability of the models was tested through a 10-fold cross-validation method repeated five times. The best model was chosen as the one with the lowest prediction root mean squared error (pRMSE) compared to that of the base model having no competitive component. Results from our real data studies indicated that <10% increase in accuracy was achieved with GS-interclonal competition model, but this value reached up to 25% with a GS-competition error model. We also found that the competitive influence of a cassava clone is not just limited to the adjacent neighbors but spreads beyond them. Through simulations, we found that a 26% increase of accuracy in estimating trait genotypic effect can be achieved even in the presence of high competitive variance. PMID:29358232

Improving Genomic Prediction in Cassava Field Experiments by Accounting for Interplot Competition.

PubMed

Elias, Ani A; Rabbi, Ismail; Kulakow, Peter; Jannink, Jean-Luc

2018-03-02

Plants competing for available resources is an unavoidable phenomenon in a field. We conducted studies in cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz) in order to understand the pattern of this competition. Taking into account the competitive ability of genotypes while selecting parents for breeding advancement or commercialization can be very useful. We assumed that competition could occur at two levels: (i) the genotypic level, which we call interclonal, and (ii) the plot level irrespective of the type of genotype, which we call interplot competition or competition error. Modification in incidence matrices was applied in order to relate neighboring genotype/plot to the performance of a target genotype/plot with respect to its competitive ability. This was added into a genomic selection (GS) model to simultaneously predict the direct and competitive ability of a genotype. Predictability of the models was tested through a 10-fold cross-validation method repeated five times. The best model was chosen as the one with the lowest prediction root mean squared error (pRMSE) compared to that of the base model having no competitive component. Results from our real data studies indicated that <10% increase in accuracy was achieved with GS-interclonal competition model, but this value reached up to 25% with a GS-competition error model. We also found that the competitive influence of a cassava clone is not just limited to the adjacent neighbors but spreads beyond them. Through simulations, we found that a 26% increase of accuracy in estimating trait genotypic effect can be achieved even in the presence of high competitive variance. Copyright © 2018 Elias et al.

Assessment of a Districtwide Policy on Availability of Competitive Beverages in Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts, 2013.

PubMed

Mozaffarian, Rebecca S; Gortmaker, Steven L; Kenney, Erica L; Carter, Jill E; Howe, M Caitlin Westfall; Reiner, Jennifer F; Cradock, Angie L

2016-03-03

Competitive beverages are drinks sold outside of the federally reimbursable school meals program and include beverages sold in vending machines, a la carte lines, school stores, and snack bars. Competitive beverages include sugar-sweetened beverages, which are associated with overweight and obesity. We described competitive beverage availability 9 years after the introduction in 2004 of district-wide nutrition standards for competitive beverages sold in Boston Public Schools. In 2013, we documented types of competitive beverages sold in 115 schools. We collected nutrient data to determine compliance with the standards. We evaluated the extent to which schools met the competitive-beverage standards and calculated the percentage of students who had access to beverages that met or did not meet the standards. Of 115 schools, 89.6% met the competitive beverage nutrition standards; 88.5% of elementary schools and 61.5% of middle schools did not sell competitive beverages. Nutrition standards were met in 79.2% of high schools; 37.5% did not sell any competitive beverages, and 41.7% sold only beverages meeting the standards. Overall, 85.5% of students attended schools meeting the standards. Only 4.0% of students had access to sugar-sweetened beverages. A comprehensive, district-wide competitive beverage policy with implementation support can translate into a sustained healthful environment in public schools.

The power of competition: Effects of social motivation on attention, sustained physical effort, and learning.

PubMed

DiMenichi, Brynne C; Tricomi, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

Competition has often been implicated as a means to improve effort-based learning and attention. Two experiments examined the effects of competition on effort and memory. In Experiment 1, participants completed a physical effort task in which they were rewarded for winning an overall percentage, or for winning a competition they believed was against another player. In Experiment 2, participants completed a memory task in which they were rewarded for remembering an overall percentage of shapes, or more shapes than a "competitor." We found that, in the physical effort task, participants demonstrated faster reaction times (RTs)-a previous indicator of increased attention-in the competitive environment. Moreover, individual differences predicted the salience of competition's effect. Furthermore, male participants showed faster RTs and greater sustained effort as a result of a competitive environment, suggesting that males may be more affected by competition in physical effort tasks. However, in Experiment 2, participants remembered fewer shapes when competing, and later recalled less of these shapes during a post-test, suggesting that competition was harmful in our memory task. The different results from these two experiments suggest that competition can improve attention in a physical effort task, yet caution the use of competition in memory tasks.

Personality and problem-solving performance explain competitive ability in the wild

PubMed Central

Cole, Ella F.; Quinn, John L.

2012-01-01

Competitive ability is a major determinant of fitness, but why individuals vary so much in their competitiveness remains only partially understood. One increasingly prevalent view is that realized competitive ability varies because it represents alternative strategies that arise because of the costs associated with competitiveness. Here we use a population of great tits (Parus major) to explore whether individual differences in competitive ability when foraging can be explained by two traits that have previously been linked to alternative behavioural strategies: the personality trait ‘exploration behaviour’ and a simple cognitive trait, ‘innovative problem-solving performance’. We assayed these traits under standardized conditions in captivity and then measured competitive ability at feeders with restricted access in the wild. Competitive ability was repeatable within individual males across days and correlated positively with exploration behaviour, representing the first such demonstration of a link between a personality trait and both competitive ability and food intake in the wild. Competitive ability was also simultaneously negatively correlated with problem-solving performance; individuals who were poor competitors were good at problem-solving. Rather than being the result of variation in ‘individual quality’, our results support the hypothesis that individual variation in competitive ability can be explained by alternative behavioural strategies. PMID:21937498

Reproductive efficiency and shade avoidance plasticity under simulated competition.

PubMed

Fazlioglu, Fatih; Al-Namazi, Ali; Bonser, Stephen P

2016-07-01

Plant strategy and life-history theories make different predictions about reproductive efficiency under competition. While strategy theory suggests under intense competition iteroparous perennial plants delay reproduction and semelparous annuals reproduce quickly, life-history theory predicts both annual and perennial plants increase resource allocation to reproduction under intense competition. We tested (1) how simulated competition influences reproductive efficiency and competitive ability (CA) of different plant life histories and growth forms; (2) whether life history or growth form is associated with CA; (3) whether shade avoidance plasticity is connected to reproductive efficiency under simulated competition. We examined plastic responses of 11 herbaceous species representing different life histories and growth forms to simulated competition (spectral shade). We found that both annual and perennial plants invested more to reproduction under simulated competition in accordance with life-history theory predictions. There was no significant difference between competitive abilities of different life histories, but across growth forms, erect species expressed greater CA (in terms of leaf number) than other growth forms. We also found that shade avoidance plasticity can increase the reproductive efficiency by capitalizing on the early life resource acquisition and conversion of these resources into reproduction. Therefore, we suggest that a reassessment of the interpretation of shade avoidance plasticity is necessary by revealing its role in reproduction, not only in competition of plants.

Is competition needed for ecological character displacement? Does displacement decrease competition?

PubMed

Abrams, Peter A; Cortez, Michael H

2015-12-01

Interspecific competition for resources is generally considered to be the selective force driving ecological character displacement, and displacement is assumed to reduce competition. Skeptics of the prevalence of character displacement often cite lack of evidence of competition. The present article uses a simple model to examine whether competition is needed for character displacement and whether displacement reduces competition. It treats systems with competing resources, and considers cases when only one consumer evolves. It quantifies competition using several different measures. The analysis shows that selection for divergence of consumers occurs regardless of the level of between-resource competition or whether the indirect interaction between the consumers is competition (-,-), mutualism (+,+), or contramensalism (+,-). Also, divergent evolution always decreases the equilibrium population size of the evolving consumer. Whether divergence of one consumer reduces or increases the impact of a subsequent perturbation of the other consumer depends on the parameters and the method chosen for measuring competition. Divergence in mutualistic interactions may reduce beneficial effects of subsequent increases in the other consumer's population. The evolutionary response is driven by an increase in the relative abundance of the resource the consumer catches more rapidly. Such an increase can occur under several types of interaction. © 2015 The Author(s). Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Predictors of pre- and post-competition affective states in male martial artists: a multilevel interactional approach

PubMed Central

Cerin, E; Barnett, A

2011-01-01

The aims of this study were to examine (a) the effects of competition-related and competition-extraneous concerns on affective states; (b) the relationships of primary and secondary appraisal with affective states and (c) the main and moderating effects of personality traits on pre- and post-competition affects. Thirty-nine male elite martial artists were assessed on 12 affective states, concerns and dimensions of primary and secondary appraisal at five random times a day across 1 week before and 3 days after a competition. On the competition day, they were assessed 1 h before and immediately after the contest. Competitive trait anxiety, neuroticism and extraversion were measured at the start of the study. The competition was the most significant and stressful event experienced in the examined period and had a pervasive influence on athletes' affective states. All examined appraisal and personality factors were somewhat associated with pre- and post-competition affective states. Competitive trait anxiety was a key moderator of the relationship between cognitive appraisal and affective states. This study supports the idea that cognitive appraisal and situational and personality factors exert main and interactive effects on athletes' pre- and post-competition affects. These factors need to be accounted for in planning of emotion regulation interventions. PMID:19883381

Approximate kernel competitive learning.

PubMed

Wu, Jian-Sheng; Zheng, Wei-Shi; Lai, Jian-Huang

2015-03-01

Kernel competitive learning has been successfully used to achieve robust clustering. However, kernel competitive learning (KCL) is not scalable for large scale data processing, because (1) it has to calculate and store the full kernel matrix that is too large to be calculated and kept in the memory and (2) it cannot be computed in parallel. In this paper we develop a framework of approximate kernel competitive learning for processing large scale dataset. The proposed framework consists of two parts. First, it derives an approximate kernel competitive learning (AKCL), which learns kernel competitive learning in a subspace via sampling. We provide solid theoretical analysis on why the proposed approximation modelling would work for kernel competitive learning, and furthermore, we show that the computational complexity of AKCL is largely reduced. Second, we propose a pseudo-parallelled approximate kernel competitive learning (PAKCL) based on a set-based kernel competitive learning strategy, which overcomes the obstacle of using parallel programming in kernel competitive learning and significantly accelerates the approximate kernel competitive learning for large scale clustering. The empirical evaluation on publicly available datasets shows that the proposed AKCL and PAKCL can perform comparably as KCL, with a large reduction on computational cost. Also, the proposed methods achieve more effective clustering performance in terms of clustering precision against related approximate clustering approaches. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Competition and quality in home health care markets.

PubMed

Jung, Kyoungrae; Polsky, Daniel

2014-03-01

Market-based solutions are often proposed to improve health care quality; yet evidence on the role of competition in quality in non-hospital settings is sparse. We examine the relationship between competition and quality in home health care. This market is different from other markets in that service delivery takes place in patients' homes, which implies low costs of market entry and exit for agencies. We use 6 years of panel data for Medicare beneficiaries during the early 2000s. We identify the competition effect from within-market variation in competition over time. We analyze three quality measures: functional improvements, the number of home health visits, and discharges without hospitalization. We find that the relationship between competition and home health quality is nonlinear and its pattern differs by quality measure. Competition has positive effects on functional improvements and the number of visits in most ranges, but in the most competitive markets, functional outcomes and the number of visits slightly drop. Competition has a negative effect on discharges without hospitalization that is strongest in the most competitive markets. This finding is different from prior research on hospital markets and suggests that market-specific environments should be considered in developing polices to promote competition. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Photosynthetic tolerance to non-resource stress influences competition importance and intensity in an invaded estuary.

PubMed

Tang, Long; Wolf, Amelia A; Gao, Yang; Wang, Cheng Huan

2018-06-01

In an attempt to clarify the role of environmental and biotic interactions on plant growth, there has been a long-running ecological debate over whether the intensity and importance of competition stabilizes, increases or decreases across environmental gradients. We conducted an experiment in a Chinese estuary to investigate the effects of a non-resource stress gradient, soil salinity (from 1.4‰ to 19.0‰ salinity), on the competitive interactions between native Phragmites australis and invasive Spartina alterniflora. We linked these effects to measurements of photosynthetic activities to further elucidate the underlying physiological mechanism behind the competitive interactions and the driver of invasion. The experiments revealed that while biomass of both species decreased in the presence of the other, competition did not alter photosynthetic activity of either species over time. P. australis exhibited high photosynthetic activity, including low chlorophyllase activity, high chlorophyll content, high stomatal conductance and high net photosynthetic rate, at low salinity. Under these conditions, P. australis experienced low competitive intensity, leading to high biomass production and competitive exclusion of S. alterniflora. The opposite was observed for S. alterniflora: while competitive intensity experienced by P. australis increased with increasing salinity, and photosynthetic activity, biomass, competitive dominance and the importance of competition for P. australis growth decreased, those of S. alterniflora were stable. These findings demonstrate that S. alterniflora invasion driven by competitive exclusion are likely to occur and expand in high salinity zones. The change in the nature of competition along a non-resource stress gradient differs between competitors likely due to differences in photosynthetic tolerance to salinity. The driver of growth of the less-tolerant species changes from competition to non-resource stress factors with increasing stress levels, whereas competition is constantly important for growth of the more-tolerant species. Incorporating metrics of both competition intensity and importance, as well as linking these competitive outcomes with physiological mechanisms, is crucial to understanding, predicting, and mediating the effects of invasive species in the future. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

Self-Efficacy Relevant to Competitive Anxiety and Gameplay Interest in the One-on-One Competition Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Jon-Chao; Hwang, Ming-Yueh; Tai, Kai-Hsin; Lin, Pei-Chun

2015-01-01

Individual gameplay interest is affected by numerous factors and a competition setting is also of importance as there are factors that need to be managed. To understand the motivational variables related to an educational game competition, this study explored the interrelatedness between self-efficacy, competitive anxiety, and gameplay interest in…

Assessing the Impact of an Autonomous Robotics Competition for STEM Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, C. J. ChanJin; Cartwright, Christopher; Cole, Matthew

2014-01-01

Robotics competitions for K-12 students are popular, but are students really learning and improving their STEM scores through robotics competitions? If not, why not? If they are, how much more effective is learning through competitions than traditional classes? Is there room for improvement? What is the best robotics competition model to maximize…

Competition versus Cooperation: Implications for Music Teachers Following Students Feedback from Participation in a Large-Scale Cooperative Music Festival

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowe, Geoffrey M.

2018-01-01

Competition is reported in the general education literature as having a largely detrimental impact upon student engagement and long-term motivation, yet competition has long been an accepted part of the music education ensemble landscape. Adjudicated ensemble competitions and competition-festivals are commonplace in most Australian states, as…

Competitive Aggression without Interaction: Effects of Competitive versus Cooperative Instructions on Aggressive Behavior in Video Games.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Craig A.; Morrow, Melissa

1995-01-01

Extended and tested Deutsch's theory of competition effects. Predicted that people view competitive situations as inherently more aggressive than cooperative ones. Predicted that leading people to think of an aggressive situation in competitive terms would increase aggressive behavior. Increase of kill ratio occurred in absence of changes in…

Effects of competition on students' self-efficacy in vicarious learning.

PubMed

Chan, Joanne C Y; Lam, Shui-fong

2008-03-01

Vicarious learning is one of the fundamental sources of self-efficacy that is frequently employed in educational settings. However, little research has investigated the effects of competition on students' writing self-efficacy when they engage in vicarious learning. This study compared the effects of competitive and non-competitive classrooms on students' writing self-efficacy when they engaged in vicarious learning. The participants were 71 grade 7 students in Hong Kong. Using prior writing performance for stratified random sampling, students were assigned either to a competitive or a non-competitive classroom. Students learned how to compose similes and metaphors in Chinese. In the competitive classroom, students' self-efficacy decreased when they engaged in vicarious learning. In the non-competitive classroom, students' self-efficacy did not show a significant change when they engaged in vicarious learning. The findings suggested that when students engaged in vicarious learning in a competitive classroom, their self-efficacy might be threatened. Implications for efforts to design constructive context for vicarious learning are discussed.

Intraspecific competition favours niche width expansion in Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Bolnick, D I

2001-03-22

Ecologists have proposed that when interspecific competition is reduced, competition within a species becomes a potent evolutionary force leading to rapid diversification. This view reflects the observation that populations invading species-poor communities frequently evolve broader niches. Niche expansion can be associated with an increase in phenotypic variance (known as character release), with the evolution of polymorphisms, or with divergence into many species using distinct resources (adaptive radiation). The relationship between intraspecific competition and diversification is known from theory, and has been used as the foundation for some models of speciation. However, there has been little empirical proof that niches evolve in response to intraspecific competition. To test this hypothesis, I introduced cadmium-intolerant Drosophila melanogaster populations to environments containing both cadmium-free and cadmium-laced resources. Here I show that populations experiencing high competition adapted to cadmium more rapidly than low competition populations. This provides experimental confirmation that competition in a population can drive niche expansion onto new resources for which competition is less severe.

Revisiting competition in a classic model system using formal links between theory and data.

PubMed

Hart, Simon P; Burgin, Jacqueline R; Marshall, Dustin J

2012-09-01

Formal links between theory and data are a critical goal for ecology. However, while our current understanding of competition provides the foundation for solving many derived ecological problems, this understanding is fractured because competition theory and data are rarely unified. Conclusions from seminal studies in space-limited benthic marine systems, in particular, have been very influential for our general understanding of competition, but rely on traditional empirical methods with limited inferential power and compatibility with theory. Here we explicitly link mathematical theory with experimental field data to provide a more sophisticated understanding of competition in this classic model system. In contrast to predictions from conceptual models, our estimates of competition coefficients show that a dominant space competitor can be equally affected by interspecific competition with a poor competitor (traditionally defined) as it is by intraspecific competition. More generally, the often-invoked competitive hierarchies and intransitivities in this system might be usefully revisited using more sophisticated empirical and analytical approaches.

COMPETITIVE ABILITY IN MALE HOUSE MICE (Mus musculus): GENETIC INFLUENCES

PubMed Central

Cunningham, Christopher B.; Ruff, James S.; Chase, Kevin; Potts, Wayne K.; Carrier, David R.

2013-01-01

Conspecifics of many animal species physically compete to gain reproductive resources and thus fitness. Despite the importance of competitive ability across the animal kingdom, specific traits that influence or underpin competitive ability are poorly characterized. Here, we investigate whether there are genetic influences on competitive ability within male house mice. Additionally, we examined if litter demographics (litter size and litter sex ratio) influence competitive ability. We phenotyped two generations for a male s ability to possess a reproductive resource--a prime nesting site--using semi-natural enclosures with mixed sex groupings. We used the animal model coupled with an extensive pedigree to estimate several genetic parameters. Competitive ability was found to be highly heritable, but only displayed a moderate genetic correlation to body mass. Interestingly, litter sex ratio had a weak negative influence on competitive ability. Litter size had no significant influence on competitive ability. Our study also highlights how much remians unknown about the proximal causes of competitive ability. PMID:23291957

Increased competition does not lead to increased phylogenetic overdispersion in a native grassland.

PubMed

Bennett, Jonathan A; Lamb, Eric G; Hall, Jocelyn C; Cardinal-McTeague, Warren M; Cahill, James F

2013-09-01

That competition is stronger among closely related species and leads to phylogenetic overdispersion is a common assumption in community ecology. However, tests of this assumption are rare and field-based experiments lacking. We tested the relationship between competition, the degree of relatedness, and overdispersion among plants experimentally and using a field survey in a native grassland. Relatedness did not affect competition, nor was competition associated with phylogenetic overdispersion. Further, there was only weak evidence for increased overdispersion at spatial scales where plants are likely to compete. These results challenge traditional theory, but are consistent with recent theories regarding the mechanisms of plant competition and its potential effect on phylogenetic structure. We suggest that specific conditions related to the form of competition and trait conservatism must be met for competition to cause phylogenetic overdispersion. Consequently, overdispersion as a result of competition is likely to be rare in natural communities. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Apparent competition and native consumers exacerbate the strong competitive effect of an exotic plant species.

PubMed

Orrock, John L; Dutra, Humberto P; Marquis, Robert J; Barber, Nicholas

2015-04-01

Direct and indirect effects can play a key role in invasions, but experiments evaluating both are rare. We examined the roles of direct competition and apparent competition by exotic Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) by manipulating (1) L. maackii vegetation, (2) presence of L. maackii fruits, and (3) access to plants by small mammals and deer. Direct competition with L. maackii reduced the abundance and richness of native and exotic species, and native consumers significantly reduced the abundance and richness of native species. Although effects of direct competition and consumption were more pervasive, richness of native plants was also reduced through apparent competition, as small-mammal consumers reduced richness only when L. maackii fruits were present. Our experiment reveals the multiple, interactive pathways that affect the success and impact of an invasive exotic plant: exotic plants may directly benefit from reduced attack by native consumers, may directly exert strong competitive effects on native plants, and may also benefit from apparent competition.

Influence of training and competitive sessions on peripheral β-endorphin levels in training show jumping horses.

PubMed

Cravana, Cristina; Medica, P; Ragonese, G; Fazio, E

2017-01-01

To investigate the effects of training sessions on circulating β-endorphin changes in sport horses before and after competition and to ascertain whether competition would affect this response. A total of 24 trained jumping horses were randomly assigned to one of two training groups: Group A (competing) and Group B (not competing). To determined plasma β-endorphin concentrations, two pre- and post-competition training weeks at aerobic workout and two competitive show jumping event days at anaerobic workout were measured before, 5 and 30 min after exercise. Exercise intensity is described using lactate concentrations and heart rate. The circuit design, intensity, and duration of training sessions were the same for both groups. In Group A, one-way analysis of variance for repeated measures (RM-ANOVA) showed significant effects of exercise on β-endorphin changes (F=14.41; p<0.001), only in the post-competition training sessions, while in Group B showed no significant effects. Two-way RM-ANOVA showed, after post-competition training sessions, a significant difference between Group A and Group B (F=6.235; p=0.023), with higher β-endorphin changes in Group A, compared to Group B. During the competitive show jumping sessions, one-way RM ANOVA showed significant effects of exercise on β-endorphin changes (F=51.10; p<0.001). The statistical analysis, in Group A, showed a significant difference between post-competition training and competitive exercise (F=6.32; p=0.024) with higher β-endorphin values in competitive sessions compared to those of post-competition training. Lactate concentrations seem to be the main factors being correlated with the raise of β-endorphin during anaerobic exercise of competitive events. Exercise of low intensity, as well as that one of training sessions, does not appear to stimulate a significant increased release of β-endorphin and it may depend on the duration of the exercise program. Moreover, the responses during exercise in the course of post-competition training sessions seem to be significantly different from those the pre-competition training. These data show that the preliminary competitive stress induced additional significant changes of β-endorphin pattern. It would reflect the need of a long-lasting modulation of fatigue and pain perception related to the effect of an additional physical and mental effort for the consecutive competitive and training sessions.

Competitive intransitivity promotes species coexistence.

PubMed

Laird, Robert A; Schamp, Brandon S

2006-08-01

Using a spatially explicit cellular automaton model with local competition, we investigate the potential for varied levels of competitive intransitivity (i.e., nonhierarchical competition) to promote species coexistence. As predicted, on average, increased levels of intransitivity result in more sustained coexistence within simulated communities, although the outcome of competition also becomes increasingly unpredictable. Interestingly, even a moderate degree of intransitivity within a community can promote coexistence, in terms of both the length of time until the first competitive exclusion and the number of species remaining in the community after 500 simulated generations. These results suggest that modest levels of intransitivity in nature, such as those that are thought to be characteristic of plant communities, can contribute to coexistence and, therefore, community-scale biodiversity. We explore a potential connection between competitive intransitivity and neutral theory, whereby competitive intransitivity may represent an important mechanism for "ecological equivalence."

Present Circumstances and its Effect of Participation in NHK Robocon/RoboCup Competition for Engineering Education in College of Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiura, Touko; Ito, Kazuaki; Watanabe, Masato

The engineering education through making robots which needs various techniques such as construction of mechanism and electric circuit design are very useful for training of the students' creativity and developing the students' personality. Toyota National College of Technology has participate in NHK Robocon competition for sixteen years and Robocup competition for four years as a part of engineering education getting spectacular results in those competitions. This paper discusses the present circumstances and its effect of participation in Robocon/RoboCup competition for the engineering education, based on the students' questionnaire survey. It is described to participate in NHK Robocon competition is very important for enhancing the students' knowledge and experience. Furthermore, the participation in Robocup competition brings better results for student' personality development as compared with participation in only Robocon competition.

Does hospital competition harm equity? Evidence from the English National Health Service.

PubMed

Cookson, Richard; Laudicella, Mauro; Li Donni, Paolo

2013-03-01

Increasing evidence shows that hospital competition under fixed prices can improve quality and reduce cost. Concerns remain, however, that competition may undermine socio-economic equity in the utilisation of care. We test this hypothesis in the context of the pro-competition reforms of the English National Health Service progressively introduced from 2004 to 2006. We use a panel of 32,482 English small areas followed from 2003 to 2008 and a difference in differences approach. The effect of competition on equity is identified by the interaction between market structure, small area income deprivation and year. We find a negative association between market competition and elective admissions in deprived areas. The effect of pro-competition reform was to reduce this negative association slightly, suggesting that competition did not undermine equity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changes in Subjective Sleep Quality Before a Competition and Their Relation to Competitive Anxiety.

PubMed

Ehrlenspiel, Felix; Erlacher, Daniel; Ziegler, Matthias

2016-12-09

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of competitions on subjective sleep quality. Previous studies have been inconclusive and lack differentiated and standardized measurements of subjective sleep quality. Furthermore the temporal relation between precompetitive anxiety and sleep quality was investigated. Anxiety and nervousness associated with competitions are considered to cause sleep impairments. A convenience sample of N = 79 elite male athletes from various sports participated. In a time-to-event paradigm, sleep quality and competitive anxiety were assessed via standardized self-report measurements 4 days before a competition and on the day of the competition. Univariate analyses were used to examine differences between time points. To examine cross-lagged effects between anxiety and sleep quality a latent change score model (LCSM) was specified that tested an effect of anxiety on changes in sleep quality. Evaluations of nocturnal sleep deteriorated significantly from 4 days before competition to the day of competition, but there were no differences regarding perceptions of the restorative value of sleep. LCSM revealed that athletes who reported more intense worry symptoms 4 days before competition also reported greater deterioration in evaluations of nocturnal sleep. The findings support earlier reports of impaired subjective sleep quality before competitions. Precompetitive sleep impairments appear also to be preceded by cognitive anxiety. Whereas interventions should thus address worry-cognitions associated with competition and sleep, research should address the practical importance of these perceptions of sleep impairments.

Influence of the Host Contact Sequence on the Outcome of Competition among Aspergillus flavus Isolates during Host Tissue Invasion▿

PubMed Central

Mehl, H. L.; Cotty, P. J.

2011-01-01

Biological control of aflatoxin contamination by Aspergillus flavus is achieved through competitive exclusion of aflatoxin producers by atoxigenic strains. Factors dictating the extent to which competitive displacement occurs during host infection are unknown. The role of initial host contact in competition between pairs of A. flavus isolates coinfecting maize kernels was examined. Isolate success during tissue invasion and reproduction was assessed by quantification of isolate-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms using pyrosequencing. Isolates were inoculated either simultaneously or 1 h apart. Increased success during competition was conferred to the first isolate to contact the host independent of that isolate's innate competitive ability. The first-isolate advantage decreased with the conidial concentration, suggesting capture of limited resources on kernel surfaces contributes to competitive exclusion. Attempts to modify access to putative attachment sites by either coating kernels with dead conidia or washing kernels with solvents did not influence the success of the first isolate, suggesting competition for limited attachment sites on kernel surfaces does not mediate first-isolate advantage. The current study is the first to demonstrate an immediate competitive advantage conferred to A. flavus isolates upon host contact and prior to either germ tube emergence or host colonization. This suggests the timing of host contact is as important to competition during disease cycles as innate competitive ability. Early dispersal to susceptible crop components may allow maintenance within A. flavus populations of genetic types with low competitive ability during host tissue invasion. PMID:21216896

Measuring the Indonesian provinces competitiveness by using PCA technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Runita, Ditha; Fajriyah, Rohmatul

2017-12-01

Indonesia is a country which has vast teritoty. It has 34 provinces. Building local competitiveness is critical to enhance the long-term national competitiveness especially for a country as diverse as Indonesia. A competitive local government can attract and maintain successful firms and increase living standards for its inhabitants, because investment and skilled workers gravitate from uncompetitive regions to more competitive ones. Altough there are other methods to measuring competitiveness, but here we have demonstrated a simple method using principal component analysis (PCA). It can directly be applied to correlated, multivariate data. The analysis on Indonesian provinces provides 3 clusters based on the competitiveness measurement and the clusters are Bad, Good and Best perform provinces.

The impact of competition on quality and prices in the English care homes market

PubMed Central

Forder, Julien; Allan, Stephen

2014-01-01

This study assesses the impact of competition on quality and price in the English care/nursing homes market. Considering the key institutional features, we use a theoretical model to assess the conditions under which further competition could increase or reduce quality. A dataset comprising the population of 10,000 care homes was used. We constructed distance/travel-time weighted competition measures. Instrumental variable estimations, used to account for the endogeneity of competition, showed quality and price were reduced by greater competition. Further analyses suggested that the negative quality effect worked through the effect on price – higher competition reduces revenue which pushes down quality. PMID:24487075

The impact of competition on quality and prices in the English care homes market.

PubMed

Forder, Julien; Allan, Stephen

2014-03-01

This study assesses the impact of competition on quality and price in the English care/nursing homes market. Considering the key institutional features, we use a theoretical model to assess the conditions under which further competition could increase or reduce quality. A dataset comprising the population of 10,000 care homes was used. We constructed distance/travel-time weighted competition measures. Instrumental variable estimations, used to account for the endogeneity of competition, showed quality and price were reduced by greater competition. Further analyses suggested that the negative quality effect worked through the effect on price - higher competition reduces revenue which pushes down quality. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Substitutive Competition: Virtual Pets as Competitive Buffers to Alleviate Possible Negative Influence on Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Zhi-Hong; Chou, Chih-Yueh; Biswas, Gautam; Chan, Tak-Wai

2012-01-01

Although competition is regarded as a powerful motivator in game-based learning, it might have a negative influence, such as damage to confidence, on students who lose the competition. In this paper, we propose an indirect approach, substitutive competition, to alleviate such negative influences. The approach is used to develop a My-Pet v3 system,…

Preschoolers' Perceptions of Performance and Satisfaction under Competitive and Non-Competitive Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsiakara, Angeliki A.; Digelidis, Nikolaos M.

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore preschool children's perceptions of their performance under competitive and non-competitive conditions (NCC) and their satisfaction. Eighty preschool children (40 boys, 40 girls) aged 4-6 years (M age?=?5.48, SD?=?0.57) took part in this study. Preschool children built a tower under competitive and NCC and…

30 Years Trend of Competitive Balance in Turkish Football Super League

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inan, Tugbay

2018-01-01

We must point out that the results of football games affect the competitive balance degree. In other words, the calculations we made in the score table at the end of the season give us a degree of competitive balance. The degree on which the concept of competitiveness is based is cited as competitive balance in football. Sports economics can be…

The Influence of Woody and Herbaceous Competition on Early Growth of Naturally Regenerated Loblolly and Shortleaf Pines

Treesearch

M. D. Cain

1991-01-01

Four levels of competition control were used to study the response of naturally regenerated loblolly and shortleaf pines (Pinus taeda L. and P. echinata Mill.) in southern Arkansas. Treatments included: (1) Check (no competition control), (2) woody competition control, herbaceous competition control, and (4) total control of nonpine vegetation. Herbaceous plants were...

Competition Among Near-Substitutable Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

the context of the dominant “Weapon System Franchise ” model of competition for major defense acquisition programs (MDAPs). Competition between near...leading to the award of a franchise . AoAs or other cost-effectiveness analyses can be pivotal in bringing attention to near-substitute systems. However...dominant ?Weapon System Franchise ? model of competition for major defense acquisition programs (MDAPs). Competition between near-substitutes can occur

Major Current Issues Impacting Government Contracting and Acquisition

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

22 E . THE OUTLOOK FOR ACQUISITION-----------24 III. COMPETITION IN ACQUISITION--------------30 A. INTRODUCTION--------------------30 B... E . THE EFFECT OF COMPETITION ADVOCACY - - - 50 F. THE COMPETITION IN CONTRACTING ACT OF 1984 ----------------- 53 a. THE FUTURE OF COMPETITION ...plus a reasonable return. Between these two types of market structure, pure competition and monopoly, there exist two other fo, rrs of marketing

Efficient and Competitive Rationing

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-05-01

that state S enterprises can organize markets that implement priority service efficiently. In Section 5 we study the operation of competitive markets ...exposition.) 5. COMPETITIVE RATIONING We examine next the incentives for profit-maximizing firms in competitive markets to offer priority service. Our...importantly, those equilibria that do exist show that firms have an incentive not to differentiate. It seems clear, 59 therefore, that in competitive markets

Multi-species coexistence in Lotka-Volterra competitive systems with crowding effects.

PubMed

Gavina, Maica Krizna A; Tahara, Takeru; Tainaka, Kei-Ichi; Ito, Hiromu; Morita, Satoru; Ichinose, Genki; Okabe, Takuya; Togashi, Tatsuya; Nagatani, Takashi; Yoshimura, Jin

2018-01-19

Classical Lotka-Volterra (LV) competition equation has shown that coexistence of competitive species is only possible when intraspecific competition is stronger than interspecific competition, i.e., the species inhibit their own growth more than the growth of the other species. Note that density effect is assumed to be linear in a classical LV equation. In contrast, in wild populations we can observed that mortality rate often increases when population density is very high, known as crowding effects. Under this perspective, the aggregation models of competitive species have been developed, adding the additional reduction in growth rates at high population densities. This study shows that the coexistence of a few species is promoted. However, an unsolved question is the coexistence of many competitive species often observed in natural communities. Here, we build an LV competition equation with a nonlinear crowding effect. Our results show that under a weak crowding effect, stable coexistence of many species becomes plausible, unlike the previous aggregation model. An analysis indicates that increased mortality rate under high density works as elevated intraspecific competition leading to the coexistence. This may be another mechanism for the coexistence of many competitive species leading high species diversity in nature.

Parental social status and intrasexual competitiveness among adolescents.

PubMed

Buunk, Abraham P; Stulp, Gert; Ormel, Johan

2014-11-17

A study among 1,881 adolescents (52.3% girls) with a mean age of 19.1 years examined the effects of parental social status upon intrasexual competitiveness. Whereas females were consistently more intrasexually competitive the higher the socio-economic status of their parents, males with parents of the lowest socio-economic status tended to be more intrasexually competitive than those with parents of medium socio-economic status, and nearly as intrasexually competitive as those with parents of high socio-economic status. Only among adolescents with parents of low socio-economic status were males more intrasexually competitive than females. Among males and females, higher levels of intrasexual competitiveness were related to a higher family income, to a higher occupational status of the father as well as of the mother, and to a higher educational level of the mother. Only among females were higher levels of intrasexual competitiveness associated with a higher educational level of the father. Males whose fathers had only elementary education had a relatively high level of intrasexual competitiveness. The results are discussed in the context of the multifaceted nature of human status, and the potential relevance of intrasexual competitiveness for individuals of high versus low social status.

A longitudinal analysis of women's salivary testosterone and intrasexual competitiveness.

PubMed

Hahn, Amanda C; Fisher, Claire I; Cobey, Kelly D; DeBruine, Lisa M; Jones, Benedict C

2016-02-01

Research on within-subject changes in women's intrasexual competitiveness has generally focused on possible relationships between women's intrasexual competitiveness and estimates of their fertility. While this approach is useful for testing hypotheses about the adaptive function of changes in women's intrasexual competitiveness, it offers little insight into the proximate mechanisms through which such changes might occur. To investigate this issue, we carried out a longitudinal study of the hormonal correlates of changes in intrasexual competitiveness in a large sample of heterosexual women (N=136). Each woman provided saliva samples and completed an intrasexual competitiveness questionnaire in five weekly test sessions. Multilevel modeling of these data revealed a significant, positive within-subject effect of testosterone on intrasexual competitiveness, indicating that women reported greater intrasexual competitiveness when testosterone was high. By contrast, there were no significant effects of estradiol, progesterone, estradiol-to-progesterone ratio, or cortisol and no significant effects of any hormones on reported relationship jealousy. This is the first study to demonstrate correlated changes in measured testosterone levels and women's reported intrasexual competitiveness, implicating testosterone in the regulation of women's intrasexual competitiveness. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring an Age Difference in Preschool Children's Competitiveness Following a Competition.

PubMed

Hu, Yu; Zhu, Yi

2018-01-01

Literature suggests that resource acquisition compels competition in young children. However, little is still known about the development of preschool children's competitiveness. In this preliminary study, 166 children (aged 2-4 and 5-6 years) engaged in a dyadic competition which resulted in a winning and a losing group (in a control/non-competition group, participants engaged in a similar task which did not lead to winning/losing outcome), and then experimenters tracked their decisions to compete again with a rival (i.e., an individual they interacted in the previous competition task) and a non-rival competitor (i.e., an anonymous classmate they did not interact in the previous competition task) for a reward, respectively. As expected, results showed an age-related decreasing trend in the percentage of choices to compete with a competitor. However, this age difference was only significant in the control group when participants played with the partner with whom they interacted in the previous game and in the losing group when participants competed with a non-rival competitor. This study contributes to our knowledge of how competitiveness develop in preschool childhood, and calls for further research on the roles of motivation and cognitive control in children's competitiveness.

The effects of nurse staffing on hospital financial performance: competitive versus less competitive markets.

PubMed

Everhart, Damian; Neff, Donna; Al-Amin, Mona; Nogle, June; Weech-Maldonado, Robert

2013-01-01

Hospitals facing financial uncertainty have sought to reduce nurse staffing as a way to increase profitability. However, nurse staffing has been found to be important in terms of quality of patient care and nursing-related outcomes. Nurse staffing can provide a competitive advantage to hospitals and as a result of better financial performance, particularly in more competitive markets. In this study, we build on the Resource-Based View of the Firm to determine the effect of nurse staffing on total profit margin in more competitive and less competitive hospital markets in Florida. By combining a Florida statewide nursing survey with the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and the Area Resource File, three separate multivariate linear regression models were conducted to determine the effect of nurse staffing on financial performance while accounting for market competitiveness. The analysis was limited to acute care hospitals. Nurse staffing levels had a positive association with financial performance (β = 3.3, p = .02) in competitive hospital markets, but no significant association was found in less competitive hospital markets. Hospitals in more competitive hospital markets should reconsider reducing nursing staff, as these cost-cutting measures may be inefficient and negatively affect financial performance.

Competition between multiple words for a referent in cross-situational word learning

PubMed Central

Benitez, Viridiana L.; Yurovsky, Daniel; Smith, Linda B.

2016-01-01

Three experiments investigated competition between word-object pairings in a cross-situational word-learning paradigm. Adults were presented with One-Word pairings, where a single word labeled a single object, and Two-Word pairings, where two words labeled a single object. In addition to measuring learning of these two pairing types, we measured competition between words that refer to the same object. When the word-object co-occurrences were presented intermixed in training (Experiment 1), we found evidence for direct competition between words that label the same referent. Separating the two words for an object in time eliminated any evidence for this competition (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 demonstrated that adding a linguistic cue to the second label for a referent led to different competition effects between adults who self-reported different language learning histories, suggesting both distinctiveness and language learning history affect competition. Finally, in all experiments, competition effects were unrelated to participants’ explicit judgments of learning, suggesting that competition reflects the operating characteristics of implicit learning processes. Together, these results demonstrate that the role of competition between overlapping associations in statistical word-referent learning depends on time, the distinctiveness of word-object pairings, and language learning history. PMID:27087742

Intraspecific competition reduces niche width in experimental populations

PubMed Central

Parent, Christine E; Agashe, Deepa; Bolnick, Daniel I

2014-01-01

Intraspecific competition is believed to drive niche expansion, because otherwise suboptimal resources can provide a refuge from competition for preferred resources. Competitive niche expansion is well supported by empirical observations, experiments, and theory, and is often invoked to explain phenotypic diversification within populations, some forms of speciation, and adaptive radiation. However, some foraging models predict the opposite outcome, and it therefore remains unclear whether competition will promote or inhibit niche expansion. We conducted experiments to test whether competition changes the fitness landscape to favor niche expansion, and if competition indeed drives niche expansion as expected. Using Tribolium castaneum flour beetles fed either wheat (their ancestral resource), corn (a novel resource) or mixtures of both resources, we show that fitness is maximized on a mixed diet. Next, we show that at higher population density, the optimal diet shifts toward greater use of corn, favoring niche expansion. In stark contrast, when beetles were given a choice of resources, we found that competition caused niche contraction onto the ancestral resource. This presents a puzzling mismatch between how competition alters the fitness landscape, versus competition's effects on resource use. We discuss several explanations for this mismatch, highlighting potential reasons why optimality models might be misleading. PMID:25505525

Are invasive plants more competitive than native conspecifics? Patterns vary with competitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yulong; Feng, Yulong; Valiente-Banuet, Alfonso; Li, Yangping; Liao, Zhiyong; Zhang, Jiaolin; Chen, Yajun

2015-10-01

Invasive plants are sometimes considered to be more competitive than their native conspecifics, according to the prediction that the invader reallocates resources from defense to growth due to liberation of natural enemies [‘Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability’ (EICA) hypothesis]. However, the differences in competitive ability may depend on the identity of competitors. In order to test the effects of competitors, Ageratina adenophora plants from both native and invasive ranges competed directly, and competed with native residents from both invasive (China) and native (Mexico) ranges respectively. Invasive A. adenophora plants were more competitive than their conspecifics from native populations when competing with natives from China (interspecific competition), but not when competing with natives from Mexico. Invasive A. adenophora plants also showed higher competitive ability when grown in high-density monoculture communities of plants from the same population (intrapopulation competition). In contrast, invasive A. adenophora plants showed lower competitive ability when competing with plants from native populations (intraspecific competition). Our results indicated that in the invasive range A. adenophora has evolved to effectively cope with co-occurring natives and high density environments, contributing to invasion success. Here, we showed the significant effects of competitors, which should be considered carefully when testing the EICA hypothesis.

Are invasive plants more competitive than native conspecifics? Patterns vary with competitors.

PubMed

Zheng, Yulong; Feng, Yulong; Valiente-Banuet, Alfonso; Li, Yangping; Liao, Zhiyong; Zhang, Jiaolin; Chen, Yajun

2015-10-22

Invasive plants are sometimes considered to be more competitive than their native conspecifics, according to the prediction that the invader reallocates resources from defense to growth due to liberation of natural enemies ['Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability' (EICA) hypothesis]. However, the differences in competitive ability may depend on the identity of competitors. In order to test the effects of competitors, Ageratina adenophora plants from both native and invasive ranges competed directly, and competed with native residents from both invasive (China) and native (Mexico) ranges respectively. Invasive A. adenophora plants were more competitive than their conspecifics from native populations when competing with natives from China (interspecific competition), but not when competing with natives from Mexico. Invasive A. adenophora plants also showed higher competitive ability when grown in high-density monoculture communities of plants from the same population (intrapopulation competition). In contrast, invasive A. adenophora plants showed lower competitive ability when competing with plants from native populations (intraspecific competition). Our results indicated that in the invasive range A. adenophora has evolved to effectively cope with co-occurring natives and high density environments, contributing to invasion success. Here, we showed the significant effects of competitors, which should be considered carefully when testing the EICA hypothesis.

A Relational Approach to Measuring Competition Among Hospitals

PubMed Central

Sohn, Min-Woong

2002-01-01

Objective To present a new, relational approach to measuring competition in hospital markets and to compare this relational approach with alternative methods of measuring competition. Data Sources The California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development patient discharge abstracts and financial disclosure files for 1991. Study Design Patient discharge abstracts for an entire year were used to derive patient flows, which were combined to calculate the extent of overlap in patient pools for each pair of hospitals. This produces a cross-sectional measure of market competition among hospitals. Principal Findings The relational approach produces measures of competition between each and every pair of hospitals in the study sample, allowing us to examine a much more “local” as well as dyadic effect of competition. Preliminary analyses show the following: (1) Hospital markets are smaller than thought. (2) For-profit hospitals received considerably more competition from their neighbors than either nonprofit or government hospitals. (3) The size of a hospital does not matter in the amount of competition received, but the larger hospitals generated significantly more competition than smaller ones. Comparisons of this method to the other methods show considerable differences in identifying competitors, indicating that these methods are not as comparable as previously thought. Conclusion The relational approach measures competition in a more detailed way and allows researchers to conduct more fine-grained analyses of market competition. This approach allows one to model market structure in a manner that goes far beyond the traditional categories of monopoly, oligopoly, and perfect competition. It also opens up an entirely new range of analytic possibilities in examining the effect of competition on hospital performance, price of medical care, changes in the market, technology acquisition, and many other phenomena in the health care field. PMID:12036003

The anticipatory stress response to sport competition; a systematic review with meta-analysis of cortisol reactivity.

PubMed

van Paridon, Kjell N; Timmis, Matthew A; Nevison, Charlotte M; Bristow, Matt

2017-01-01

Athletes anticipating sport competition regularly experience distinct emotional and physiological responses as a result of the expected psychosocial and physical stress. Specifically, cortisol, an indicator of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation, prepares the athlete for the psychological and physiological demands of competition. The objective of this meta-analysis is to analyse the magnitude of the anticipatory cortisol response in athletes preparing to participate in sport competition and to examine the influence of gender, level of competition and data collection time. Systematic review with meta-analysis. Four electronic databases were searched to March 2017: PubMed, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus and Scopus. (1) Athletes participating in real sport competition;(2) salivary cortisol concentration collected before competition in addition to baseline sample(s);(3) original research article published in English language. Data from 25 studies provided 27 effect sizes. A significant anticipatory cortisol response of g=0.85, p<0.001 was identified. Males had a stronger trend for greater cortisol reactivity (g=1.07) than females (g=0.56, p=0.07). Females and athletes competing at international level did not demonstrate a significant anticipatory stress response. There were no significant differences between level of competition, type of sport or time of competition. Meta-regression indicated that the anticipatory cortisol response is greater when assessed closer to the start of competition (Q=6.85, p=0.009). The anticipatory cortisol response before sport competition reflects moderate cortisol reactivity that prepares athletes optimally for the demands of sport competition via the influence on cognitive processes and attentional control. However, both female athletes and international competitors did not demonstrate a significant anticipatory cortisol response, possibly due to differences in appraisal of the stress of sport competition.

Separation of Allelopathy from Resource Competition Using Rice/Barnyardgrass Mixed-Cultures

PubMed Central

Fang, Chang Xun; Lin, Zhi Hua; Yu, Zheng Ming; Lin, Wen Xiong

2012-01-01

Plant-plant interference is the combined effect of allelopathy, resource competition, and many other factors. Separating allelopathy from resource competition is almost impossible in natural systems but it is important to evaluate the relative contribution of each of the two mechanisms on plant interference. Research on allelopathy in natural and cultivated plant communities has been hindered in the absence of a reliable method that can separate allelopathic effect from resource competition. In this paper, the interactions between allelopathic rice accession PI312777, non-allelopathic rice accession Lemont and barnyardgrass were explored respectively by using a target (rice)-neighbor (barnyardgrass) mixed-culture in hydroponic system. The relative competitive intensity (RCI), the relative neighbor effect (RNE) and the competitive ratio (CR) were used to quantify the intensity of competition between each of the two different potentially allelopathic rice accessions and barnyardgrass. Use of hydroponic culture system enabled us to exclude any uncontrolled factors that might operate in the soil and we were able to separate allelopathy from resource competition between each rice accession and barnyardgrass. The RCI and RNE values showed that the plant-plant interaction was positive (facilitation) for PI312777 but that was negative (competition) for Lemont and barnyardgrass in rice/barnyardgrass mixed-cultures. The CR values showed that one PI312777 plant was more competitive than 2 barnyardgrass plants. The allelopathic effects of PI312777 were much more intense than the resource competition in rice/barnyardgrass mixed cultures. The reverse was true for Lemont. These results demonstrate that the allelopathic effect of PI312777 was predominant in rice/barnyardgrass mixed-cultures. The most significant result of our study is the discovery of an experimental design, target-neighbor mixed-culture in combination with competition indices, can successfully separate allelopathic effects from competition. PMID:22590655

Competitive market for multiple firms and economic crisis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Yong

2010-09-01

The origin of economic crises is a key problem for economics. We present a model of long-run competitive markets to show that the multiplicity of behaviors in an economic system, over a long time scale, emerge as statistical regularities (perfectly competitive markets obey Bose-Einstein statistics and purely monopolistic-competitive markets obey Boltzmann statistics) and that how interaction among firms influences the evolutionary of competitive markets. It has been widely accepted that perfect competition is most efficient. Our study shows that the perfectly competitive system, as an extreme case of competitive markets, is most efficient but not stable, and gives rise to economic crises as society reaches full employment. In the economic crisis revealed by our model, many firms condense (collapse) into the lowest supply level (zero supply, namely, bankruptcy status), in analogy to Bose-Einstein condensation. This curious phenomenon arises because perfect competition (homogeneous competitions) equals symmetric (indistinguishable) investment direction, a fact abhorred by nature. Therefore, we urge the promotion of monopolistic competition (heterogeneous competitions) rather than perfect competition. To provide early warning of economic crises, we introduce a resolving index of investment, which approaches zero in the run-up to an economic crisis. On the other hand, our model discloses, as a profound conclusion, that the technological level for a long-run social or economic system is proportional to the freedom (disorder) of this system; in other words, technology equals the entropy of system. As an application of this concept, we give a possible answer to the Needham question: “Why was it that despite the immense achievements of traditional China it had been in Europe and not in China that the scientific and industrial revolutions occurred?”

Competitive market for multiple firms and economic crisis.

PubMed

Tao, Yong

2010-09-01

The origin of economic crises is a key problem for economics. We present a model of long-run competitive markets to show that the multiplicity of behaviors in an economic system, over a long time scale, emerge as statistical regularities (perfectly competitive markets obey Bose-Einstein statistics and purely monopolistic-competitive markets obey Boltzmann statistics) and that how interaction among firms influences the evolutionary of competitive markets. It has been widely accepted that perfect competition is most efficient. Our study shows that the perfectly competitive system, as an extreme case of competitive markets, is most efficient but not stable, and gives rise to economic crises as society reaches full employment. In the economic crisis revealed by our model, many firms condense (collapse) into the lowest supply level (zero supply, namely, bankruptcy status), in analogy to Bose-Einstein condensation. This curious phenomenon arises because perfect competition (homogeneous competitions) equals symmetric (indistinguishable) investment direction, a fact abhorred by nature. Therefore, we urge the promotion of monopolistic competition (heterogeneous competitions) rather than perfect competition. To provide early warning of economic crises, we introduce a resolving index of investment, which approaches zero in the run-up to an economic crisis. On the other hand, our model discloses, as a profound conclusion, that the technological level for a long-run social or economic system is proportional to the freedom (disorder) of this system; in other words, technology equals the entropy of system. As an application of this concept, we give a possible answer to the Needham question: "Why was it that despite the immense achievements of traditional China it had been in Europe and not in China that the scientific and industrial revolutions occurred?"

Competitive Intelligence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergeron, Pierrette; Hiller, Christine A.

2002-01-01

Reviews the evolution of competitive intelligence since 1994, including terminology and definitions and analytical techniques. Addresses the issue of ethics; explores how information technology supports the competitive intelligence process; and discusses education and training opportunities for competitive intelligence, including core competencies…

The hidden dimensions of the competition effect: basal cortisol and basal testosterone jointly predict changes in salivary testosterone after social victory in men.

PubMed

Zilioli, Samuele; Watson, Neil V

2012-11-01

Dominance struggles appear to affect hormone concentrations in many mammalian species, such that higher concentrations of testosterone are seen in winners of competitions, compared to losers. This so-called, "competition effect" has received inconsistent empirical support, suggesting that additional psychological (e.g., mood), situational (i.e., nature of the competition) and physiological (e.g., cortisol) variables might intervene in modulating testosterone fluctuations after social contests. We investigated possible interactions between the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis in predicting transient changes in testosterone after social victory or defeat on a familiar competitive task. In particular, the present study examined the dual-hormone hypothesis - proposing that baseline cortisol potently modulates the competition effect (Mehta and Josephs, 2010) - in a sample of healthy young men engaged in head-to-head competition on a widely played commercial videogame, Tetris. We found a significant interaction between HPG and HPA axes status and the competition effect on testosterone in the randomly assigned videogame winners, such that winners with a pre-competition combination of high baseline testosterone and low baseline cortisol exhibited significantly greater post-competition testosterone concentrations. The randomly assigned videogame losers showed significantly decreased post-competition levels of testosterone. Possible biological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of a Districtwide Policy on Availability of Competitive Beverages in Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts, 2013

PubMed Central

Gortmaker, Steven L.; Kenney, Erica L.; Carter, Jill E.; Howe, M. Caitlin Westfall; Reiner, Jennifer F.; Cradock, Angie L.

2016-01-01

Introduction Competitive beverages are drinks sold outside of the federally reimbursable school meals program and include beverages sold in vending machines, a la carte lines, school stores, and snack bars. Competitive beverages include sugar-sweetened beverages, which are associated with overweight and obesity. We described competitive beverage availability 9 years after the introduction in 2004 of district-wide nutrition standards for competitive beverages sold in Boston Public Schools. Methods In 2013, we documented types of competitive beverages sold in 115 schools. We collected nutrient data to determine compliance with the standards. We evaluated the extent to which schools met the competitive-beverage standards and calculated the percentage of students who had access to beverages that met or did not meet the standards. Results Of 115 schools, 89.6% met the competitive beverage nutrition standards; 88.5% of elementary schools and 61.5% of middle schools did not sell competitive beverages. Nutrition standards were met in 79.2% of high schools; 37.5% did not sell any competitive beverages, and 41.7% sold only beverages meeting the standards. Overall, 85.5% of students attended schools meeting the standards. Only 4.0% of students had access to sugar-sweetened beverages. Conclusion A comprehensive, district-wide competitive beverage policy with implementation support can translate into a sustained healthful environment in public schools. PMID:26940299

Competition for Assistance Agreements

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

It is EPA policy to promote competition in the award of assistance agreements to the maximum extent practicable.When assistance agreements are awarded competitively, it is EPA policy that the competitive process be fair and open & that no applicant receive

Balancing economic freedom against social policy principles: EC competition law and national health systems.

PubMed

Mossialos, Elias; Lear, Julia

2012-07-01

EU Health policy exemplifies the philosophical tension between EC economic freedoms and social policy. EC competition law, like other internal market rules, could restrict national health policy options despite the subsidiarity principle. In particular, European health system reforms that incorporate elements of market competition may trigger the application of competition rules if non-economic gains in consumer welfare are not adequately accounted for. This article defines the policy and legal parameters of the debate between competition law and health policy. Using a sample of cases it analyses how the ECJ, national courts, and National Competition Authorities have applied competition laws to the health services sector in different circumstances and in different ways. It concludes by considering the implications of the convergence of recent trends in competition law enforcement and health system market reforms. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the Correlation between Environmental Performance in Enterprise Green Management and the Competitive Edge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xing; Yang, Zihan; Zhang, Peiyao

2017-03-01

In recent years, there has been an increasing concern over the topics of enterprise green management and environmental performance’s influence on a company’s competitive edge. This paper mainly analyzed the effect of enterprise green management on a company’s environmental performance and its competitive advantages, as well as environmental performance’s influence over the competitive edge. Furthermore, this paper discussed the role of environmental performance between enterprise green management and competitive edge. Objects of this study are manufactures in northwestern China which have acquired the ISO 9001 certification before December, 2014. Research discoveries shows that enterprise green management would exert positive influence on the environmental performance and its competitive edge; the environmental performance could also add significant competitive edge to a company; last but not the least, environmental performance also plays an intermediary role between enterprise green management and its competitive advantages

Male crickets adjust ejaculate quality with both risk and intensity of sperm competition.

PubMed

Simmons, Leigh W; Denholm, Amy; Jackson, Chantelle; Levy, Esther; Madon, Ewa

2007-10-22

Sperm competition theory predicts that males should increase their expenditure on the ejaculate with increasing risk of sperm competition, but decrease their expenditure with increasing intensity. There is accumulating evidence for sperm competition theory, based on examinations of testes size and/or the numbers of sperm ejaculated. However, recent studies suggest that ejaculate quality can also be subject to selection by sperm competition. We used experimental manipulations of the risk and intensity of sperm competition in the cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus. We found that males produced ejaculates with a greater percentage of live sperm when they had encountered a rival male prior to mating. However, when mating with a female that presented a high intensity of sperm competition, males did not respond to risk, but produced ejaculates with a reduced percentage of live sperm. Our data suggest that males exhibit a fine-tuned hierarchy of responses to these cues of sperm competition.

Human Resources and Competitiveness. Report of the Committee on Human Resources, The President's Commission on Industrial Competitiveness. Research Report Series RR-87-27.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Commission for Employment Policy (DOL), Washington, DC.

Competitiveness is a function of a nation's resources and how effectively those resources are used relative to that nation's competitors. The people of a nation, with their knowledge, skills, and attitudes, determine how effectively technology, capital, and trade will be used to the nation's competitive advantage. The competitive challenge to the…

Tree growth and competition in an old-growth Picea abies forest of boreal Sweden: influence of tree spatial patterning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fraver, Shawn; D'Amato, Anthony W.; Bradford, John B.; Jonsson, Bengt Gunnar; Jönsson, Mari; Esseen, Per-Anders

2013-01-01

Question: What factors best characterize tree competitive environments in this structurally diverse old-growth forest, and do these factors vary spatially within and among stands? Location: Old-growth Picea abies forest of boreal Sweden. Methods: Using long-term, mapped permanent plot data augmented with dendrochronological analyses, we evaluated the effect of neighbourhood competition on focal tree growth by means of standard competition indices, each modified to include various metrics of trees size, neighbour mortality weighting (for neighbours that died during the inventory period), and within-neighbourhood tree clustering. Candidate models were evaluated using mixed-model linear regression analyses, with mean basal area increment as the response variable. We then analysed stand-level spatial patterns of competition indices and growth rates (via kriging) to determine if the relationship between these patterns could further elucidate factors influencing tree growth. Results: Inter-tree competition clearly affected growth rates, with crown volume being the size metric most strongly influencing the neighbourhood competitive environment. Including neighbour tree mortality weightings in models only slightly improved descriptions of competitive interactions. Although the within-neighbourhood clustering index did not improve model predictions, competition intensity was influenced by the underlying stand-level tree spatial arrangement: stand-level clustering locally intensified competition and reduced tree growth, whereas in the absence of such clustering, inter-tree competition played a lesser role in constraining tree growth. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that competition continues to influence forest processes and structures in an old-growth system that has not experienced major disturbances for at least two centuries. The finding that the underlying tree spatial pattern influenced the competitive environment suggests caution in interpreting traditional tree competition studies, in which tree spatial patterning is typically not taken into account. Our findings highlight the importance of forest structure – particularly the spatial arrangement of trees – in regulating inter-tree competition and growth in structurally diverse forests, and they provide insight into the causes and consequences of heterogeneity in this old-growth system.

The possibility of coexistence and co-development in language competition: ecology-society computational model and simulation.

PubMed

Yun, Jian; Shang, Song-Chao; Wei, Xiao-Dan; Liu, Shuang; Li, Zhi-Jie

2016-01-01

Language is characterized by both ecological properties and social properties, and competition is the basic form of language evolution. The rise and decline of one language is a result of competition between languages. Moreover, this rise and decline directly influences the diversity of human culture. Mathematics and computer modeling for language competition has been a popular topic in the fields of linguistics, mathematics, computer science, ecology, and other disciplines. Currently, there are several problems in the research on language competition modeling. First, comprehensive mathematical analysis is absent in most studies of language competition models. Next, most language competition models are based on the assumption that one language in the model is stronger than the other. These studies tend to ignore cases where there is a balance of power in the competition. The competition between two well-matched languages is more practical, because it can facilitate the co-development of two languages. A third issue with current studies is that many studies have an evolution result where the weaker language inevitably goes extinct. From the integrated point of view of ecology and sociology, this paper improves the Lotka-Volterra model and basic reaction-diffusion model to propose an "ecology-society" computational model for describing language competition. Furthermore, a strict and comprehensive mathematical analysis was made for the stability of the equilibria. Two languages in competition may be either well-matched or greatly different in strength, which was reflected in the experimental design. The results revealed that language coexistence, and even co-development, are likely to occur during language competition.

Resource competition induces heterogeneity and can increase cohort survivorship: selection-event duration matters.

PubMed

Gosselin, Jennifer L; Anderson, James J

2013-12-01

Determining when resource competition increases survivorship can reveal processes underlying population dynamics and reinforce the importance of heterogeneity among individuals in conservation. We ran an experiment mimicking the effects of competition in a growing season on survivorship during a selection event (e.g., overwinter starvation, drought). Using a model fish species (Poecilia reticulata), we studied how food availability and competition affect mass in a treatment stage, and subsequently survivorship in a challenge stage of increased temperature and starvation. The post-treatment mean mass was strongly related to the mean time to mortality and mass at mortality at all levels of competition. However, competition increased variance in mass and extended the right tail of the survivorship curve, resulting in a greater number of individuals alive beyond a critical temporal threshold ([Formula: see text]) than without competition. To realize the benefits from previously experienced competition, the duration of the challenge ([Formula: see text]) following the competition must exceed the critical threshold [Formula: see text] (i.e., competition increases survivorship when [Formula: see text]). Furthermore, this benefit was equivalent to increasing food availability by 20 % in a group without competition in our experiment. The relationship of [Formula: see text] to treatment and challenge conditions was modeled by characterizing mortality through mass loss in terms of the stochastic rate of loss of vitality (individual's survival capacity). In essence, when the duration of a selection event exceeds [Formula: see text], competition-induced heterogeneity buffers against mortality through overcompensation processes among individuals of a cohort. Overall, our study demonstrates an approach to quantify how early life stage heterogeneity affects survivorship.

Can Hospital Competition Really Affect Hospital Behavior or Not? An Empirical Study of Different Competition Measures Comparison in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Yu, Tsung-Hsien; Tung, Yu-Chi; Wei, Chung-Jen

2017-01-01

Different approaches to measure the hospital competition index might lead to inconsistent results of the effects of hospital competition on innovation adoption. The purpose of this study is to adopt a different approach to define market area and measure the level of competition to examine whether hospital competition has a positive effect on hospital behavior, taking quality indicator projects participation as an example. A total of 238 hospitals located in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung were recruited in this study. Competition index was used as the independent variable, and participation lists of Taiwan Clinical Performance Indicator and Taiwan Healthcare Indicator Series in 2012 were used as dependent variables. All data used in this study were retrieved from the 2012 national hospital profiles and the participation list of the 2 quality indicator projects in 2012; these profiles are issued by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare annually. Geopolitical boundaries and 4 kinds of fixed radiuses were used to define market area. Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and hospital density were used to measure the level of competition. A total of 12 competition indices were produced in this study by employing the geographic information system, while max-rescaled R2 was used to evaluate and compare the models on goodness of fit. The results show that the effects of hospital competition on quality indicator projects participation were varied, which mean different indicators for market competition might reveal different conclusions. Furthermore, this study also found the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index at 5-km radius was the optimum competition index. PMID:28147887

An exploratory study of competition scores and salivary cortisol concentrations in Warmblood horses.

PubMed

Munk, R; Jensen, R B; Palme, R; Munksgaard, L; Christensen, J W

2017-10-01

The main objective of this explorative study was to describe the relationship between competition scores and salivary cortisol concentrations in young horses during dressage and showjumping competitions. The study also investigated whether the diurnal rhythm of salivary cortisol concentrations was affected by competition over consecutive days compared with the home environment. Saliva samples were collected from 126 dressage horses and showjumpers in their home environment and at 3 different events. The relationship between scores given by judges at the competition and cortisol concentrations at the event was assessed. The results demonstrated that competition scores correlated positively to baseline cortisol concentrations at one of 3 events (r = 0.53, P < 0.001). Salivary cortisol concentrations followed a diurnal rhythm with the highest concentrations measured in the morning and the lowest in the evening, both at home and in the competition environment (P < 0.05). Salivary cortisol concentrations were greater during the competitions than at home (P < 0.05) except at one event where showjumpers did not increase between home and competition. Dressage horses had the highest baseline cortisol concentrations at competition, and exercise caused cortisol concentrations to increase in both showjumpers and dressage horses (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the diurnal rhythm in salivary cortisol concentrations was maintained in the novel environment. Dressage horses demonstrated greater baseline cortisol concentrations at competition than showjumpers, suggesting that they may perceive the novel environment as more stressful. Furthermore, there was no consistent relationship between baseline salivary cortisol concentrations and competition scores across the events. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Water-use efficiency and relative growth rate mediate competitive interactions in Sonoran Desert winter annual plants.

PubMed

Gremer, Jennifer R; Kimball, Sarah; Keck, Katie R; Huxman, Travis E; Angert, Amy L; Venable, D Lawrence

2013-10-01

A functional approach to investigating competitive interactions can provide a mechanistic understanding of processes driving population dynamics, community assembly, and the maintenance of biodiversity. In Sonoran Desert annual plants, a trade-off between relative growth rate (RGR) and water-use efficiency (WUE) contributes to species differences in population dynamics that promote long-term coexistence. Traits underlying this trade-off explain variation in demographic responses to precipitation as well as life history and phenological patterns. Here, we ask how these traits mediate competitive interactions. • We conducted competition trials for three species occupying different positions along the RGR-WUE trade-off axis and compared the effects of competition at high and low soil moisture. We compared competitive effect (ability to suppress neighbors) and competitive response (ability to withstand competition from neighbors) among species. • The RGR-WUE trade-off predicted shifts in competitive responses at different soil moistures. The high-RGR species was more resistant to competition in high water conditions, while the opposite was true for the high-WUE species. The intermediate RGR species tended to have the strongest impact on all neighbors, so competitive effects did not scale directly with differences in RGR and WUE among competitors. • Our results reveal mechanisms underlying long-term variation in fitness: high-RGR species perform better in years with large, frequent rain events and can better withstand competition under wetter conditions. The opposite is true for high-WUE species. Such resource-dependent responses strongly influence community dynamics and can promote coexistence in variable environments.

Can Hospital Competition Really Affect Hospital Behavior or Not? An Empirical Study of Different Competition Measures Comparison in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yu, Tsung-Hsien; Tung, Yu-Chi; Wei, Chung-Jen

2017-01-01

Different approaches to measure the hospital competition index might lead to inconsistent results of the effects of hospital competition on innovation adoption. The purpose of this study is to adopt a different approach to define market area and measure the level of competition to examine whether hospital competition has a positive effect on hospital behavior, taking quality indicator projects participation as an example. A total of 238 hospitals located in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung were recruited in this study. Competition index was used as the independent variable, and participation lists of Taiwan Clinical Performance Indicator and Taiwan Healthcare Indicator Series in 2012 were used as dependent variables. All data used in this study were retrieved from the 2012 national hospital profiles and the participation list of the 2 quality indicator projects in 2012; these profiles are issued by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare annually. Geopolitical boundaries and 4 kinds of fixed radiuses were used to define market area. Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and hospital density were used to measure the level of competition. A total of 12 competition indices were produced in this study by employing the geographic information system, while max-rescaled R 2 was used to evaluate and compare the models on goodness of fit. The results show that the effects of hospital competition on quality indicator projects participation were varied, which mean different indicators for market competition might reveal different conclusions. Furthermore, this study also found the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index at 5-km radius was the optimum competition index.

Computing with competition in biochemical networks.

PubMed

Genot, Anthony J; Fujii, Teruo; Rondelez, Yannick

2012-11-16

Cells rely on limited resources such as enzymes or transcription factors to process signals and make decisions. However, independent cellular pathways often compete for a common molecular resource. Competition is difficult to analyze because of its nonlinear global nature, and its role remains unclear. Here we show how decision pathways such as transcription networks may exploit competition to process information. Competition for one resource leads to the recognition of convex sets of patterns, whereas competition for several resources (overlapping or cascaded regulons) allows even more general pattern recognition. Competition also generates surprising couplings, such as correlating species that share no resource but a common competitor. The mechanism we propose relies on three primitives that are ubiquitous in cells: multiinput motifs, competition for a resource, and positive feedback loops.

48 CFR 1406.501 - Requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Requirement. 1406.501 Section 1406.501 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR COMPETITION AND ACQUISITION PLANNING COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS Competition Advocates 1406.501 Requirement. (a) The competition...

48 CFR 1406.501 - Requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Requirement. 1406.501 Section 1406.501 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR COMPETITION AND ACQUISITION PLANNING COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS Competition Advocates 1406.501 Requirement. (a) The competition...

40 CFR 35.6555 - Competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... current and include enough qualified sources to ensure maximum open and free competition. Recipients must... transactions in a manner providing maximum full and open competition. (a) Restrictions on competition... bonding requirements; (3) Noncompetitive pricing practices between firms or between affiliated companies...

Prefrontal neurons represent winning and losing during competitive video shooting games between monkeys.

PubMed

Hosokawa, Takayuki; Watanabe, Masataka

2012-05-30

Humans and animals must work to support their survival and reproductive needs. Because resources are limited in the natural environment, competition is inevitable, and competing successfully is vitally important. However, the neuronal mechanisms of competitive behavior are poorly studied. We examined whether neurons in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) showed response sensitivity related to a competitive game. In this study, monkeys played a video shooting game, either competing with another monkey or the computer, or playing alone without a rival. Monkeys performed more quickly and more accurately in the competitive than in the noncompetitive games, indicating that they were more motivated in the competitive than in the noncompetitive games. LPFC neurons showed differential activity between the competitive and noncompetitive games showing winning- and losing-related activity. Furthermore, activities of prefrontal neurons differed depending on whether the competition was between monkeys or between the monkey and the computer. These results indicate that LPFC neurons may play an important role in monitoring the outcome of competition and enabling animals to adapt their behavior to increase their chances of obtaining a reward in a socially interactive environment.

Quality of life, coach behaviour and competitive anxiety in Winter Youth Olympic Games participants.

PubMed

Ledochowski, Larissa; Unterrainer, Christine; Ruedl, Gerhard; Schnitzer, Martin; Kopp, Martin

2012-12-01

To ensure the highest technical performance, speed, safety, excellent control and to improve competitive performance, a successful regulation of competitive anxiety is necessary. Therefore, it seems crucial to identify factors influencing competitive anxiety of adolescent athletes. Research suggests that people reporting high quality of life are more capable to cope with stressful and challenging situations than others. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of quality of life, the involvement of parents in sports career and coach's leadership behaviour on competitive anxiety in Winter Youth Olympic Games participants. During the first Winter Youth Olympic Games 2012 in Innsbruck/Austria, 662 (316 women) participants completed questionnaires and single items to assess quality of life, coach's leadership behaviour, parental involvement in sports career and competitive anxiety. Multiple regression analysis revealed positive influences of high quality of life and useful coach instruction on competitive anxiety. The relationship between quality of life, coach behaviour and competitive anxiety in young elite athletes competing at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games should be considered in long-term programmes for reducing competitive stress.

Exogenous testosterone in women enhances and inhibits competitive decision-making depending on victory-defeat experience and trait dominance.

PubMed

Mehta, Pranjal H; van Son, Veerle; Welker, Keith M; Prasad, Smrithi; Sanfey, Alan G; Smidts, Ale; Roelofs, Karin

2015-10-01

The present experiment tested the causal impact of testosterone on human competitive decision-making. According to prevailing theories about testosterone's role in social behavior, testosterone should directly boost competitive decisions. But recent correlational evidence suggests that testosterone's behavioral effects may depend on specific aspects of the context and person relevant to social status (win-lose context and trait dominance). We tested the causal influence of testosterone on competitive decisions by combining hormone administration with measures of trait dominance and a newly developed social competition task in which the victory-defeat context was experimentally manipulated, in a sample of 54 female participants. Consistent with the hypothesis that testosterone has context- and person-dependent effects on competitive behavior, testosterone increased competitive decisions after victory only among high-dominant individuals but testosterone decreased competitive decisions after defeat across all participants. These results suggest that testosterone flexibly modulates competitive decision-making depending on prior social experience and dominance motivation in the service of enhancing social status. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of training and competitive sessions on peripheral β-endorphin levels in training show jumping horses

PubMed Central

Cravana, Cristina; Medica, P.; Ragonese, G.; Fazio, E.

2017-01-01

Aim: To investigate the effects of training sessions on circulating β-endorphin changes in sport horses before and after competition and to ascertain whether competition would affect this response. Materials and Methods: A total of 24 trained jumping horses were randomly assigned to one of two training groups: Group A (competing) and Group B (not competing). To determined plasma β-endorphin concentrations, two pre- and post-competition training weeks at aerobic workout and two competitive show jumping event days at anaerobic workout were measured before, 5 and 30 min after exercise. Exercise intensity is described using lactate concentrations and heart rate. The circuit design, intensity, and duration of training sessions were the same for both groups. Results: In Group A, one-way analysis of variance for repeated measures (RM-ANOVA) showed significant effects of exercise on β-endorphin changes (F=14.41; p<0.001), only in the post-competition training sessions, while in Group B showed no significant effects. Two-way RM-ANOVA showed, after post-competition training sessions, a significant difference between Group A and Group B (F=6.235; p=0.023), with higher β-endorphin changes in Group A, compared to Group B. During the competitive show jumping sessions, one-way RM ANOVA showed significant effects of exercise on β-endorphin changes (F=51.10; p<0.001). The statistical analysis, in Group A, showed a significant difference between post-competition training and competitive exercise (F=6.32; p=0.024) with higher β-endorphin values in competitive sessions compared to those of post-competition training. Conclusion: Lactate concentrations seem to be the main factors being correlated with the raise of β-endorphin during anaerobic exercise of competitive events. Exercise of low intensity, as well as that one of training sessions, does not appear to stimulate a significant increased release of β-endorphin and it may depend on the duration of the exercise program. Moreover, the responses during exercise in the course of post-competition training sessions seem to be significantly different from those the pre-competition training. These data show that the preliminary competitive stress induced additional significant changes of β-endorphin pattern. It would reflect the need of a long-lasting modulation of fatigue and pain perception related to the effect of an additional physical and mental effort for the consecutive competitive and training sessions. PMID:28246449

48 CFR 6.502 - Duties and responsibilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... competition in areas such as acquisition training and research; and (vii) Initiatives that ensure task and... ACQUISITION PLANNING COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS Competition Advocates 6.502 Duties and responsibilities. (a) Agency and procuring activity competition advocates are responsible for promoting the acquisition of...

43 CFR 2710.0-6 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... of public lands under this section shall be conducted under competitive bidding procedures... competitive bidding or without competitive bidding. In recognizing public policies, the Secretary shall give... considered in determining the method of sale. These factors include, but are not limited to: Competitive...

77 FR 2676 - Competitive Postal Products

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-19

... could give the Postal Service an artificial competitive advantage. The Commission gave considerable... POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION 39 CFR Part 3015 [Docket No. RM2012-3; Order No. 1108] Competitive... Commission is initiating a review to determine whether competitive products provide the appropriate minimum...

Competitive Intelligence and Social Advantage.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davenport, Elisabeth; Cronin, Blaise

1994-01-01

Presents an overview of issues concerning civilian competitive intelligence (CI). Topics discussed include competitive advantage in academic and research environments; public domain information and libraries; covert and overt competitive intelligence; data diversity; use of the Internet; cooperative intelligence; and implications for library and…

47 CFR 1.2103 - Competitive bidding design options.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Competitive bidding design options. 1.2103 Section 1.2103 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Competitive Bidding Proceedings General Procedures § 1.2103 Competitive bidding design options. (a) The...

High Performance Computing Innovation Service Portal Study (HPC-ISP)

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

threatened by global competition. It is essential that these suppliers remain competitive and maintain their technological advantage . In this increasingly...place themselves, as well as customers who rely on them, in competitive jeopardy. Despite the potential competitive advantage associated with adopting...computing users into the HPC fold and to enable more entry-level users to exploit HPC more fully for competitive advantage . About half of the surveyed

The Real Transformation: Building and Maintaining Long-Term Competitive Advantage

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

TERM COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE LTC EDWARD C. CARDON, USA A TRANFORMATION PAPER FOR THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF SEMINAR...SUBTITLE The Real Transformation: Building and Maintaining Long-Term Competitive Advantage 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT...long-term military competitive advantage in comparison to the rest of the world.4 This approach suggests a model that places competition as the

The effect of market structure on HMO premiums.

PubMed

Wholey, D; Feldman, R; Christianson, J B

1995-05-01

We examine the effects of HMO market structure on HMO premiums from 1988 to 1991. More competition, measured by the number of HMOs in the market area, reduces HMO premiums. Although this effect does not appear for IPAs before the highest level of competition is reached, it appears throughout the competitive range for Group HMOs. More market penetration, measured by the percent of the market area population enrolled in HMOs, reduces premiums for IPAs. Since the goal of managed competition is to reduce health care costs by creating competition among managed health care plans, our results offer encouragement for managed competition advocates.

Competition in Healthcare: Good, Bad or Ugly?

PubMed Central

Goddard, Maria

2015-01-01

The role of competition in healthcare is much debated. Despite a wealth of international experience in relation to competition, evidence is mixed and contested and the debate about the potential role for competition is often polarised. This paper considers briefly some of the reasons for this, focusing on what is meant by "competition in healthcare" and why it is more valuable to think about the circumstances in which competition is more and less likely to be a good tool to achieve benefits, rather than whether or not it is "good" or "bad," per se.M PMID:26340484

Relative importance of competition and plant-soil feedback, their synergy, context dependency and implications for coexistence.

PubMed

Lekberg, Ylva; Bever, James D; Bunn, Rebecca A; Callaway, Ragan M; Hart, Miranda M; Kivlin, Stephanie N; Klironomos, John; Larkin, Beau G; Maron, John L; Reinhart, Kurt O; Remke, Michael; van der Putten, Wim H

2018-06-12

Plants interact simultaneously with each other and with soil biota, yet the relative importance of competition vs. plant-soil feedback (PSF) on plant performance is poorly understood. Using a meta-analysis of 38 published studies and 150 plant species, we show that effects of interspecific competition (either growing plants with a competitor or singly, or comparing inter- vs. intraspecific competition) and PSF (comparing home vs. away soil, live vs. sterile soil, or control vs. fungicide-treated soil) depended on treatments but were predominantly negative, broadly comparable in magnitude, and additive or synergistic. Stronger competitors experienced more negative PSF than weaker competitors when controlling for density (inter- to intraspecific competition), suggesting that PSF could prevent competitive dominance and promote coexistence. When competition was measured against plants growing singly, the strength of competition overwhelmed PSF, indicating that the relative importance of PSF may depend not only on neighbour identity but also density. We evaluate how competition and PSFs might interact across resource gradients; PSF will likely strengthen competitive interactions in high resource environments and enhance facilitative interactions in low-resource environments. Finally, we provide a framework for filling key knowledge gaps and advancing our understanding of how these biotic interactions influence community structure. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Limiting similarity of competitive species and demographic stochasticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Xiu-Deng; Deng, Ling-Ling; Qiang, Wei-Ya; Cressman, Ross; Tao, Yi

2017-04-01

The limiting similarity of competitive species and its relationship with the competitive exclusion principle is still one of the most important concepts in ecology. In the 1970s, May [R. M. May, Stability and Complexity in Model Ecosystems (Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 1973)] developed a concise theoretical framework to investigate the limiting similarity of competitive species. His theoretical results show that no limiting similarity threshold of competitive species can be identified in the deterministic model system whereby species more similar than this threshold never coexist. Theoretically, for competitive species coexisting in an unvarying environment, deterministic interspecific interactions and demographic stochasticity can be considered two sides of a coin. To investigate how the "tension" between these two forces affects the coexistence of competing species, a simple two-species competitive system based only on May's model system is transformed into an equivalent replicator equation. The effect of demographic stochasticity on the system stability is measured by the expected drift of the Lyapunov function. Our main results show that the limiting similarity of competitive species should not be considered to be an absolute measure. Specifically, very similar competitive species should be able to coexist in an environment with a high productivity level but big differences between competitive species should be necessary in an ecosystem with a low productivity level.

The Effects of Nurse Staffing on Hospital Financial Performance: Competitive Versus Less Competitive Markets

PubMed Central

Everhart, Damian; Neff, Donna; Al-Amin, Mona; Nogle, June; Weech-Maldonado, Robert

2013-01-01

Background Hospitals facing financial uncertainty have sought to reduce nurse staffing as a way to increase profitability. However, nurse staffing has been found to be important in terms of quality of patient care and nursing related outcomes. Nurse staffing can provide a competitive advantage to hospitals and as a result better financial performance, particularly in more competitive markets Purpose In this study we build on the Resource-Based View of the Firm to determine the effect of nurse staffing on total profit margin in more competitive and less competitive hospital markets in Florida. Methodology/Approach By combining a Florida statewide nursing survey with the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and the Area Resource File, three separate multivariate linear regression models were conducted to determine the effect of nurse staffing on financial performance while accounting for market competitiveness. The analysis was limited to acute care hospitals. Findings Nurse staffing levels had a positive association with financial performance (β=3.3; p=0.02) in competitive hospital markets, but no significant association was found in less competitive hospital markets. Practice Implications Hospitals in more competitive hospital markets should reconsider reducing nursing staff, as these cost cutting measures may be inefficient and negatively affect financial performance. PMID:22543824

Local competition increases people's willingness to harm others

PubMed Central

Barker, Jessica L.; Barclay, Pat

2016-01-01

Why should organisms incur a cost in order to inflict a (usually greater) cost on others? Such costly harming behavior may be favored when competition for resources occurs locally, because it increases individuals’ fitness relative to close competitors. However, there is no explicit experimental evidence supporting the prediction that people are more willing to harm others under local versus global competition. We illustrate this prediction with a game theoretic model, and then test it in a series of economic games. In these experiments, players could spend money to make others lose more. We manipulated the scale of competition by awarding cash prizes to the players with the highest payoffs per set of social partners (local competition) or in all the participants in a session (global competition). We found that, as predicted, people were more harmful to others when competition was local (Study 1). This result still held when people “earned” (rather than were simply given) their money (Study 2). In addition, when competition was local, people were more willing to harm ingroup members than outgroup members (Study 3), because ingroup members were the relevant competitive targets. Together, our results suggest that local competition in human groups not only promotes willingness to harm others in general, but also causes ingroup hostility. PMID:29805247

Neighbour tolerance, not suppression, provides competitive advantage to non-native plants.

PubMed

Golivets, Marina; Wallin, Kimberly F

2018-05-01

High competitive ability has often been invoked as a key determinant of invasion success and ecological impacts of non-native plants. Yet our understanding of the strategies that non-natives use to gain competitive dominance remains limited. Particularly, it remains unknown whether the two non-mutually exclusive competitive strategies, neighbour suppression and neighbour tolerance, are equally important for the competitive advantage of non-native plants. Here, we analyse data from 192 peer-reviewed studies on pairwise plant competition within a Bayesian multilevel meta-analytic framework and show that non-native plants outperform their native counterparts due to high tolerance of competition, as opposed to strong suppressive ability. Competitive tolerance ability of non-native plants was driven by neighbour's origin and was expressed in response to a heterospecific native but not heterospecific non-native neighbour. In contrast to natives, non-native species were not more suppressed by hetero- vs. conspecific neighbours, which was partially due to higher intensity of intraspecific competition among non-natives. Heterogeneity in the data was primarily associated with methodological differences among studies and not with phylogenetic relatedness among species. Altogether, our synthesis demonstrates that non-native plants are competitively distinct from native plants and challenges the common notion that neighbour suppression is the primary strategy for plant invasion success. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Are invasive plants more competitive than native conspecifics? Patterns vary with competitors

PubMed Central

Zheng, Yulong; Feng, Yulong; Valiente-Banuet, Alfonso; Li, Yangping; Liao, Zhiyong; Zhang, Jiaolin; Chen, Yajun

2015-01-01

Invasive plants are sometimes considered to be more competitive than their native conspecifics, according to the prediction that the invader reallocates resources from defense to growth due to liberation of natural enemies [‘Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability’ (EICA) hypothesis]. However, the differences in competitive ability may depend on the identity of competitors. In order to test the effects of competitors, Ageratina adenophora plants from both native and invasive ranges competed directly, and competed with native residents from both invasive (China) and native (Mexico) ranges respectively. Invasive A. adenophora plants were more competitive than their conspecifics from native populations when competing with natives from China (interspecific competition), but not when competing with natives from Mexico. Invasive A. adenophora plants also showed higher competitive ability when grown in high-density monoculture communities of plants from the same population (intrapopulation competition). In contrast, invasive A. adenophora plants showed lower competitive ability when competing with plants from native populations (intraspecific competition). Our results indicated that in the invasive range A. adenophora has evolved to effectively cope with co-occurring natives and high density environments, contributing to invasion success. Here, we showed the significant effects of competitors, which should be considered carefully when testing the EICA hypothesis. PMID:26489964

Exploring an Age Difference in Preschool Children’s Competitiveness Following a Competition

PubMed Central

Hu, Yu; Zhu, Yi

2018-01-01

Literature suggests that resource acquisition compels competition in young children. However, little is still known about the development of preschool children’s competitiveness. In this preliminary study, 166 children (aged 2–4 and 5–6 years) engaged in a dyadic competition which resulted in a winning and a losing group (in a control/non-competition group, participants engaged in a similar task which did not lead to winning/losing outcome), and then experimenters tracked their decisions to compete again with a rival (i.e., an individual they interacted in the previous competition task) and a non-rival competitor (i.e., an anonymous classmate they did not interact in the previous competition task) for a reward, respectively. As expected, results showed an age-related decreasing trend in the percentage of choices to compete with a competitor. However, this age difference was only significant in the control group when participants played with the partner with whom they interacted in the previous game and in the losing group when participants competed with a non-rival competitor. This study contributes to our knowledge of how competitiveness develop in preschool childhood, and calls for further research on the roles of motivation and cognitive control in children’s competitiveness. PMID:29593610

Ectomycorrhizal fungi and interspecific competition: species interactions, community structure, coexistence mechanisms, and future research directions.

PubMed

Kennedy, Peter

2010-09-01

The field of ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) ecology has largely developed outside the ecological mainstream, owing in large part to the challenges in studying the structure and dynamics of EMF communities. With advances in molecular identification and other research techniques, however, there has been growing interest among mycologists and ecologists in understanding how different ecological factors affect EMF community structure and diversity. While factors such as soil chemistry and host specificity have long been considered important, an increasing number of laboratory and field studies have documented that interspecific competition also has a major impact on EMF species interactions and may significantly influence EMF community structure. In this review, I examine the progress that has been made in understanding the nature of EMF competition. Currently, there are four conclusions that can be drawn: negative competitive effects are rarely reciprocal; competitive outcomes are environmentally context-dependent; field distributions often reflect competitive interactions; and timing of colonization influences competitive success. In addition, I highlight recent studies documenting links between competitive coexistence and EMF community structure, including checkerboard distributions, lottery models, storage effects, and colonization-competition tradeoffs. Finally, I discuss several aspects of EMF competition needing further investigation and some newer methods with which to address them.

Interspecific interactions in phytophagous insects revisited: a quantitative assessment of competition theory.

PubMed

Kaplan, Ian; Denno, Robert F

2007-10-01

The importance of interspecific competition is a highly controversial and unresolved issue for community ecology in general, and for phytophagous insects in particular. Recent advancements, however, in our understanding of indirect (plant- and enemy-mediated) interactions challenge the historical paradigms of competition. Thus, in the context of this rapidly developing field, we re-evaluate the evidence for interspecific competition in phytophagous insects using a meta-analysis of published studies. Our analysis is specifically designed to test the assumptions underlying traditional competition theory, namely that competitive interactions are symmetrical, necessitate spatial and temporal co-occurrence, and increase in intensity as the density, phylogenetic similarity, and niche overlap of competing species increase. Despite finding frequent evidence for competition, we found very little evidence that plant-feeding insects conform to theoretical predictions for interspecific competition. Interactions were highly asymmetrical, similar in magnitude within vs. between feeding guilds (chewers vs. sap-feeders), and were unaffected by the quantity of resources removed (% defoliation). There was mixed support for the effects of phylogeny, spatial/temporal separation, and the relative strength of intra- vs. interspecific competition. Clearly, a new paradigm that accounts for indirect interactions and facilitation is required to describe how interspecific competition contributes to the organization of phytophagous insect communities, and perhaps to other plant and animal communities as well.

The power of competition: Effects of social motivation on attention, sustained physical effort, and learning

PubMed Central

DiMenichi, Brynne C.; Tricomi, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

Competition has often been implicated as a means to improve effort-based learning and attention. Two experiments examined the effects of competition on effort and memory. In Experiment 1, participants completed a physical effort task in which they were rewarded for winning an overall percentage, or for winning a competition they believed was against another player. In Experiment 2, participants completed a memory task in which they were rewarded for remembering an overall percentage of shapes, or more shapes than a “competitor.” We found that, in the physical effort task, participants demonstrated faster reaction times (RTs)—a previous indicator of increased attention—in the competitive environment. Moreover, individual differences predicted the salience of competition’s effect. Furthermore, male participants showed faster RTs and greater sustained effort as a result of a competitive environment, suggesting that males may be more affected by competition in physical effort tasks. However, in Experiment 2, participants remembered fewer shapes when competing, and later recalled less of these shapes during a post-test, suggesting that competition was harmful in our memory task. The different results from these two experiments suggest that competition can improve attention in a physical effort task, yet caution the use of competition in memory tasks. PMID:26388801

Predictors of competitive achievement among pubescent synchronized swimmers: an analysis of the solo-figure competition.

PubMed

Peric, M; Cavar, M; Zenic, N; Sekulic, D; Sajber, D

2014-02-01

This study examined the applicability of sport-specific fitness tests (SSTs), anthropometrics, and respiratory parameters in predicting competitive results among pubescent synchronized swimmers. A total of 25 synchronized swimmers (16-17 years; 166.2 ± 5.4 cm; and 58.4 ± 4.3 kg) volunteered for this study. The independent variables were body mass, body height, Body Mass Index (BMI), body fat percentage (BF%), lean body mass percentage, respiratory variables, and four SSTs (two specific power tests plus one aerobic- and one anaerobic-endurance test). The dependent variable was competitive achievement in the solo figure competition. The reliability analyses, Pearson's correlation coefficient and forward stepwise regression were calculated. The SSTs were reliable for testing fitness status among pubescent synchronized swimmers. The forward stepwise regression retained two SSTs, BF% and forced vital capacity (FVC, relative for age and stature) in a set of predictors of competitive achievement. Significant Beta coefficients are found for aerobic-endurance, SST and FVC. The sport-specific measure of aerobic endurance and FVC appropriately predicted competitive achievement with regard to the figures used in the competition when competitive results (the dependent variable) were obtained. Athletes and coaches should be aware of the probable negative influence of very low body fat levels on competitive achievement.

The importance of motivation, weapons, and foul odors in driving encounter competition in carnivores.

PubMed

Allen, Maximilian L; Wilmers, Christopher C; Elbroch, L Mark; Golla, Julie M; Wittmer, Heiko U

2016-08-01

Encounter competition is interference competition in which animals directly contend for resources. Ecological theory predicts the trait that determines the resource holding potential (RHP), and hence the winner of encounter competition, is most often body size or mass. The difficulties of observing encounter competition in complex organisms in natural environments, however, has limited opportunities to test this theory across diverse species. We studied the outcome of encounter competition contests among mesocarnivores at deer carcasses in California to determine the most important variables for winning these contests. We found some support for current theory in that body mass is important in determining the winner of encounter competition, but we found that other factors including hunger and species-specific traits were also important. In particular, our top models were "strength and hunger" and "size and hunger," with models emphasizing the complexity of variables influencing outcomes of encounter competition. In addition, our wins above predicted (WAP) statistic suggests that an important aspect that determines the winner of encounter competition is species-specific advantages that increase their RHP, as bobcats (Lynx rufus) and spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis) won more often than predicted based on mass. In complex organisms, such as mesocarnivores, species-specific adaptations, including strategic behaviors, aggressiveness, and weapons, contribute to competitive advantages and may allow certain species to take control or defend resources better than others. Our results help explain how interspecific competition shapes the occurrence patterns of species in ecological communities. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Spermatozoal traits and sperm competition in Atlantic salmon: relative sperm velocity is the primary determinant of fertilization success.

PubMed

Gage, Matthew J G; Macfarlane, Christopher P; Yeates, Sarah; Ward, Richard G; Searle, Jeremy B; Parker, Geoffrey A

2004-01-06

Sperm competition occurs when sperm from more than one male compete for fertilizations. This form of post-copulatory sexual selection is recognized as a significant and widespread force in the evolution of male reproductive biology and as a key determinant of differential male reproductive success. Despite its importance, however, detailed mechanisms of sperm competition at the gamete level remain poorly understood. Here, we use natural variation in spermatozoal traits among wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), a species naturally adapted to sperm competition, to examine how the relative influences of sperm (i) number, (ii) velocity, (iii) longevity, and (iv) total length determine sperm competition success. Atlantic salmon fertilize externally, and we were therefore able to conduct controlled in vitro fertilization competitions while concurrently measuring spermatozoal traits within the aqueous micro-environment to which salmon gametes are naturally adapted. Microsatellite DNA fingerprinting revealed that a male's relative sperm velocity was the primary determinant of sperm competition success. There was no significant relationship between fertilization success and either relative sperm number or total length; sperm longevity showed an inverse relationship with competition success. These relationships were consistent for two experimental repeats of the in vitro fertilization competitions. Our results therefore show, under the natural microenvironment for salmon gametes, that relative sperm velocity is a key spermatozoal component for sperm competition success. Atlantic salmon sperm can be considered to enter a competition analogous to a race in which the fastest sperm have the highest probability of success.

A review of the potential for competitive cereal cultivars as a tool in integrated weed management.

PubMed

Andrew, I K S; Storkey, J; Sparkes, D L

2015-06-01

Competitive crop cultivars offer a potentially cheap option to include in integrated weed management strategies (IWM). Although cultivars with high competitive potential have been identified amongst cereal crops, competitiveness has not traditionally been considered a priority for breeding or farmer cultivar choice. The challenge of managing herbicide-resistant weed populations has, however, renewed interest in cultural weed control options, including competitive cultivars. We evaluated the current understanding of the traits that explain variability in competitive ability between cultivars, the relationship between suppression of weed neighbours and tolerance of their presence and the existence of trade-offs between competitive ability and yield in weed-free scenarios. A large number of relationships between competitive ability and plant traits have been reported in the literature, including plant height, speed of development, canopy architecture and partitioning of resources. There is uncertainty over the relationship between suppressive ability and tolerance, although tolerance is a less stable trait over seasons and locations. To realise the potential of competitive crop cultivars as a tool in IWM, a quick and simple-to-use protocol for assessing the competitive potential of new cultivars is required; it is likely that this will not be based on a single trait, but will need to capture the combined effect of multiple traits. A way needs to be found to make this information accessible to farmers, so that competitive cultivars can be better integrated into their weed control programmes.

Effects of combination of leaf resources on competition in container mosquito larvae.

PubMed

Reiskind, M H; Zarrabi, A A; Lounibos, L P

2012-08-01

Resource diversity is critical to fitness in many insect species, and may determine the coexistence of competitive species and the function of ecosystems. Plant material provides the nutritional base for numerous aquatic systems, yet the consequences of diversity of plant material have not been studied in aquatic container systems important for the production of mosquitoes. To address how diversity in leaf detritus affects container-inhabiting mosquitoes, we examined how leaf species affect competition between two container inhabiting mosquito larvae, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, that co-occur in many parts of the world. We tested the hypotheses that leaf species changes the outcome of intra- and interspecific competition between these mosquito species, and that combinations of leaf species affect competition in a manner not predictable based upon the response to each leaf species alone (i.e. the response to leaf combinations is non-additive). We find support for our first hypothesis that leaf species can affect competition, evidence that, in general, leaf combination alters competitive interactions, and no support that leaf combination impacts interspecific competition differently than intraspecific competition. We conclude that combinations of leaves increase mosquito production non-additively such that combinations of leaves act synergistically, in general, and result in higher total yield of adult mosquitoes in most cases, although certain leaf combinations for A. albopictus are antagonistic. We also conclude that leaf diversity does not have a different effect on interspecific competition between A. aegypti and A. albopictus, relative to intraspecific competition for each mosquito.

Antagonistic interactions between plant competition and insect herbivory.

PubMed

Schädler, Martin; Brandl, Roland; Haase, Josephine

2007-06-01

Interspecific competition between plants and herbivory by specialized insects can have synergistic effects on the growth and performance of the attacked host plant. We tested the hypothesis that competition between plants may also negatively affect the performance of herbivores as well as their top-down effect on the host plant. In such a case, the combined effects of competition and herbivory may be less than expected from a simple multiplicative response. In other words, competition and herbivory may interact antagonistically. In a greenhouse experiment, Poa annua was grown in the presence or absence of a competitor (either Plantago lanceolata or Trifolium repens), as well as with or without a Poa-specialist aphid herbivore. Both competition and herbivory negatively affected Poa growth. Competition also reduced aphid density on Poa. This effect could in part be explained by changes in the biomass and the nitrogen content of Poa shoots. In treatments with competitors, reduced aphid densities alleviated the negative effect of herbivory on above- and belowground Poa biomass. Hence, we were able to demonstrate an antagonistic interaction between plant-plant interspecific competition and herbivory. However, response indices suggested that antagonistic interactions between competition and herbivory were contingent on the identity of the competitor. We found the antagonistic effect only in treatments with T. repens as the competitor. We conclude that both competitor identity and the herbivore's ability to respond with changes in its density or activity to plant competition affect the magnitude and direction (synergistic vs. antagonistic) of the interaction between competition and herbivory on plant growth.

In Defence of Competition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prvulovich, Zika Rad

1982-01-01

Examines objections to competition as presented by educational philosopher Michael Fielding and others. The two major types of criticism of competition are that it is unfair and divisive and that it is selfish and immoral. The author advocates educational experiences which combine self-competition with cooperation. (AM)

Academic Competitions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marin County Office of Education, San Rafael, CA.

Descriptions of scholastic competitions for Marin County (California) students are presented. Following a rationale for conducting scholastic competitions, community groups and businesses which lend support are listed along with the type of support given. Participating grade levels, dates of competition during the 1983-84 school year, and a brief…

45 CFR 1634.4 - Announcement of competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION COMPETITIVE... competitive bidding process, shall take appropriate steps to announce the availability of such a grant or... interested parties are given an opportunity to participate in the competitive bidding process. (b) The...

47 CFR 54.603 - Competitive bid requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Competitive bid requirements. 54.603 Section 54...) UNIVERSAL SERVICE Universal Service Support for Health Care Providers § 54.603 Competitive bid requirements. (a) Competitive bidding requirement. To select the telecommunications carriers that will provide...

45 CFR 1634.4 - Announcement of competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION COMPETITIVE... competitive bidding process, shall take appropriate steps to announce the availability of such a grant or... interested parties are given an opportunity to participate in the competitive bidding process. (b) The...

75 FR 12445 - New Postal Product

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-16

... Commission is adding International Business Reply Service Competitive Contract 2 to the Competitive Product List. This action is consistent with a postal reform law. Republication of the Market Dominant and... identified as International Business Reply Service Competitive Contract 2 to the Competitive Product [[Page...

10 CFR 436.33 - Procedures and methods for contractor selection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... for contractor selection. (a) Competitive selection. Competitive selections based on solicitation of... synopsizes the proposed contract action. (2) Each competitive solicitation— (i) Shall request technical and... from those within the competitive range. (b) Unsolicited proposals. Federal agencies may— (1) Consider...

78 FR 50394 - Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness: Notice of Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-19

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Advisory Committee on Supply Chain... discussion for a public meeting of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness (Committee). DATES... growth competitiveness, foster national economic competitiveness, and improve U.S. supply chain...

48 CFR 6.204 - Section 8(a) competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Section 8(a) competition. 6.204 Section 6.204 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION ACQUISITION PLANNING COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS Full and Open Competition After Exclusion of Sources 6.204...

Strategizing for Intense Competition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hahn, William; Bourgeois, Ernest J., Jr.

1999-01-01

Examines trend toward more aggressive student recruiting strategies by colleges and universities, applying a model that assesses five competitive forces-cause and effect of competition, the expanding marketplace, substitute products, buyer power, and supplier power, and examines various strategies for dealing with these competitive forces, such as…

32 CFR 32.43 - Competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award Requirements Procurement Standards § 32.43 Competition. All... 32 National Defense 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Competition. 32.43 Section 32.43 National... free competition. The recipient shall be alert to organizational conflicts of interest as well as...

38 CFR 49.43 - Competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award Requirements Procurement Standards § 49.43 Competition. All... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Competition. 49.43... free competition. The recipient shall be alert to organizational conflicts of interest as well as...

40 CFR 30.43 - Competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award Requirements Procurement Standards § 30.43 Competition. All... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Competition. 30.43 Section 30.43... free competition. The recipient shall be alert to organizational conflicts of interest as well as...

Assessing competition avoidance as a basic personality dimension.

PubMed

Ryckman, Richard M; Thornton, Bill; Gold, Joel A

2009-03-01

The lack of an adequate psychometric instrument has impeded personality theory testing in the area of competition avoidance. The authors conducted 6 studies in an attempt to remedy this deficiency by constructing an individual-difference measure of competition avoidance. In line with K. Horney's (1937) interpersonal theory of neurosis, participants who were higher in competition avoidance showed higher levels of neuroticism, greater fears of both success and failure, a lower desire to prove themselves in competitive situations, higher levels of self-handicapping, and more maladaptiveness than those participants who were lower in competition avoidance. Also, they were more modest and willing to conform to group standards than were those lower in competition avoidance. The authors discuss the measure's potential usefulness as a diagnostic and assessment tool in academic, athletic, and clinical settings.

Better to give and to compete? Prosocial and competitive motives as interactive predictors of citizenship behavior.

PubMed

Cardador, M Teresa; Wrzesniewski, Amy

2015-01-01

Research has returned mixed results concerning the relationship between prosocial motivation and citizenship behavior. Building from research suggesting that mixed motives might explain these equivocal findings, we conducted two field studies examining the interaction between prosocial and competitive motives and two types of citizenship behavior. Prosocial motivation, but not competitive motivation, was positively related to citizenship behavior directed at others, though this relationship was weakened when prosocial motives were accompanied by competitive motives. Prosocial motives compensated for weak competitive motives to predict citizenship behavior directed toward the organization. Our studies expand research on prosocial and competitive motivation, mixed-motives, and citizenship behavior. Further, they carry personnel implications given that many organizations seek to hire employees high on both competitive and prosocial motivation.

Biological competition: Decision rules, pattern formation, and oscillations

PubMed Central

Grossberg, Stephen

1980-01-01

Competition solves a universal problem about pattern processing by cellular systems. Competition allows cells to automatically retune their sensitivity to avoid noise and saturation effects. All competitive systems induce decision schemes that permit them to be classified. Systems are identified that achieve global pattern formation, or decision-making, no matter how their parameters are chosen. Oscillations can occur due to contradictions in a system's decision scheme. The pattern formation and oscillation results are extreme examples of a complementarity principle that seems to hold for competitive systems. Nonlinear competitive systems can sometimes appear, to a macroscopic observer, to have linear and cooperative properties, although the two types of systems are not equivalent. This observation is relevant to theories about the evolutionary transition from competitive to cooperative behavior. PMID:16592807

Electricity and Water Conservation on College and University Campuses in Response to National Competitions among Dormitories: Quantifying Relationships between Behavior, Conservation Strategies and Psychological Metrics.

PubMed

Petersen, John E; Frantz, Cynthia M; Shammin, Md Rumi; Yanisch, Tess M; Tincknell, Evan; Myers, Noel

2015-01-01

"Campus Conservation Nationals" (CCN) is a recurring, nation-wide electricity and water-use reduction competition among dormitories on college campuses. We conducted a two year empirical study of the competition's effects on resource consumption and the relationship between conservation, use of web technology and various psychological measures. Significant reductions in electricity and water use occurred during the two CCN competitions examined (n = 105,000 and 197,000 participating dorm residents respectively). In 2010, overall reductions during the competition were 4% for electricity and 6% for water. The top 10% of dorms achieved 28% and 36% reductions in electricity and water respectively. Participation was larger in 2012 and reductions were slightly smaller (i.e. 3% electricity). The fact that no seasonal pattern in electricity use was evident during non-competition periods suggests that results are attributable to the competition. Post competition resource use data collected in 2012 indicates that conservation behavior was sustained beyond the competition. Surveys were used to assess psychological and behavioral responses (n = 2,900 and 2,600 in 2010 and 2012 respectively). Electricity reductions were significantly correlated with: web visitation, specific conservation behaviors, awareness of the competition, motivation and sense of empowerment. However, participants were significantly more motivated than empowered. Perceived benefits of conservation were skewed towards global and future concerns while perceived barriers tended to be local. Results also suggest that competitions may be useful for "preaching beyond the choir"-engaging those who might lack prior intrinsic or political motivation. Although college life is distinct, certain conclusions related to competitions, self-efficacy, and motivation and social norms likely extend to other residential settings.

Maternal Competition in Women.

PubMed

Linney, Catherine; Korologou-Linden, Laurel; Campbell, Anne

2017-03-01

We examined maternal competition, an unexplored form of competition between women. Given women's high investment in offspring and mothers' key role in shaping their reproductive, social, and cultural success as adults, we might expect to see maternal competition between women as well as mate competition. Predictions about the effect of maternal characteristics (age, relationship status, educational background, number of children, investment in the mothering role) and child variables (age, sex) were drawn from evolutionary theory and sociological research. Mothers of primary school children (in two samples: N = 210 and 169) completed a series of questionnaires. A novel nine-item measure of maternal competitive behavior (MCQ) and two subscales assessing Covert (MCQ-C) and Face-to-Face (MCQ-FF) forms of competition were developed using confirmatory factor analysis. Competitiveness (MCQ score) was predicted by maternal investment, single motherhood, fewer children, and (marginally) child's older age. The effect of single motherhood (but not other predictors) was partially mediated by greater maternal investment. In response to a scenario of their child underperforming relative to their peers, a mother's competitive distress was a positive function of the importance she ascribed to their success and her estimation of her child's ability. Her competitive distress was highly correlated with the distress she attributed to a female friend, hinting at bidirectional dyadic effects. Qualitative responses indicated that nonspecific bragging and boasting about academic achievements were the most common irritants. Although 40% of women were angered or annoyed by such comments, less than 5% endorsed a direct hostile response. Instead, competitive mothers were conversationally shunned and rejected as friends. We suggest that the interdependence of mothers based on reciprocal childcare has supported a culture of egalitarianism that is violated by explicit competitiveness.

Competitive foods sales are associated with a negative effect on school finances.

PubMed

Peterson, Cora

2011-06-01

It is widely presumed that competitive foods-foods offered for sale in schools in addition to reimbursable federal meals programs-provide revenue that is essential to maintain school foodservices. However, evidence is lacking to demonstrate whether competitive foods sales truly improve foodservice financial viability. The aim of this research was to assess whether or not competitive foods sales have an overall positive financial effect on school foodservice finances. DESIGN AND STATISTICAL ANALYSES: This observational study used a multivariate time series analysis of annual foodservice financial data from repeated observations of 344 Minnesota public school districts between 2001 and 2008 (N=2,695). First, revenue from competitive foods was assessed in terms of whether or not such revenue displaced or complemented revenue from reimbursable meals. Second, profit from competitive foods was assessed in terms of whether or not such profit displaced or increased total school foodservice profit. Fixed effects models indicated small but significant negative relationships between competitive foods sales and reimbursable meals revenue, as well as overall foodservice profit. A 10% increase in competitive foods revenue was associated with a 0.1% decrease in reimbursable meals revenue (P<0.05). A 10% increase in competitive foods profit was associated with a 0.7% decrease in overall foodservice profit among schools with profitable competitive sales (P<0.10). Study findings suggest that competitive foods can have a negative effect on school foodservice finances. Better understanding of foodservice finances could influence current approaches to improve school nutrition. Improved recordkeeping may be necessary to ensure that public funds are not used to subsidize schools' competitive offerings. Copyright © 2011 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of Spatial Patch Arrangement and Scale of Covarying Resources on Growth and Intraspecific Competition of a Clonal Plant

PubMed Central

Wang, Yong-Jian; Shi, Xue-Ping; Meng, Xue-Feng; Wu, Xiao-Jing; Luo, Fang-Li; Yu, Fei-Hai

2016-01-01

Spatial heterogeneity in two co-variable resources such as light and water availability is common and can affect the growth of clonal plants. Several studies have tested effects of spatial heterogeneity in the supply of a single resource on competitive interactions of plants, but none has examined those of heterogeneous distribution of two co-variable resources. In a greenhouse experiment, we grew one (without intraspecific competition) or nine isolated ramets (with competition) of a rhizomatous herb Iris japonica under a homogeneous environment and four heterogeneous environments differing in patch arrangement (reciprocal and parallel patchiness of light and soil water) and patch scale (large and small patches of light and water). Intraspecific competition significantly decreased the growth of I. japonica, but at the whole container level there were no significant interaction effects of competition by spatial heterogeneity or significant effect of heterogeneity on competitive intensity. Irrespective of competition, the growth of I. japonica in the high and the low water patches did not differ significantly in the homogeneous treatments, but it was significantly larger in the high than in the low water patches in the heterogeneous treatments with large patches. For the heterogeneous treatments with small patches, the growth of I. japonica was significantly larger in the high than in the low water patches in the presence of competition, but such an effect was not significant in the absence of competition. Furthermore, patch arrangement and patch scale significantly affected competitive intensity at the patch level. Therefore, spatial heterogeneity in light and water supply can alter intraspecific competition at the patch level and such effects depend on patch arrangement and patch scale. PMID:27375630

Effects of Spatial Patch Arrangement and Scale of Covarying Resources on Growth and Intraspecific Competition of a Clonal Plant.

PubMed

Wang, Yong-Jian; Shi, Xue-Ping; Meng, Xue-Feng; Wu, Xiao-Jing; Luo, Fang-Li; Yu, Fei-Hai

2016-01-01

Spatial heterogeneity in two co-variable resources such as light and water availability is common and can affect the growth of clonal plants. Several studies have tested effects of spatial heterogeneity in the supply of a single resource on competitive interactions of plants, but none has examined those of heterogeneous distribution of two co-variable resources. In a greenhouse experiment, we grew one (without intraspecific competition) or nine isolated ramets (with competition) of a rhizomatous herb Iris japonica under a homogeneous environment and four heterogeneous environments differing in patch arrangement (reciprocal and parallel patchiness of light and soil water) and patch scale (large and small patches of light and water). Intraspecific competition significantly decreased the growth of I. japonica, but at the whole container level there were no significant interaction effects of competition by spatial heterogeneity or significant effect of heterogeneity on competitive intensity. Irrespective of competition, the growth of I. japonica in the high and the low water patches did not differ significantly in the homogeneous treatments, but it was significantly larger in the high than in the low water patches in the heterogeneous treatments with large patches. For the heterogeneous treatments with small patches, the growth of I. japonica was significantly larger in the high than in the low water patches in the presence of competition, but such an effect was not significant in the absence of competition. Furthermore, patch arrangement and patch scale significantly affected competitive intensity at the patch level. Therefore, spatial heterogeneity in light and water supply can alter intraspecific competition at the patch level and such effects depend on patch arrangement and patch scale.

Head to head: The role of academic competition in undergraduate anatomical education.

PubMed

Van Nuland, Sonya E; Roach, Victoria A; Wilson, Timothy D; Belliveau, Daniel J

2015-01-01

Competition is a key element in many educational games and is often adopted by educators in an effort to motivate and excite their students. Yet, the use of academic competition in educational institutions remains the subject of much debate. Opponents argue that academic competition causes an increase in student anxiety and divides their attention. However, if the contexts of academic competition are defined, could the inclusion of a game-like competition in a university course be a viable and beneficial method of engaging students? Students (n = 67) were recruited from an undergraduate human anatomy course at Western University. Using a crossover design, students were exposed to a competitive tournament either at the time of their first term test or second term test. The anatomical knowledge of participating students was assessed prior to the start of the study using a baseline anatomy test. Following treatment with an online competitive anatomy tournament, student's term test grades and final course grades were analyzed. Both the second term test scores (F(2,64) = 3.743, P = 0.029) and overall course grades (F(2,64) = 3.356, P = 0.041) were found to be significantly different (P < 0.05) for individuals in the competitive group when compared to their non-competing peers. As suggested by the literature where organized competition in the classroom correlates to improved academic performance, this study uncovered significant results pertaining to increased academic performance resulting from participating in tournament-based competition. In light of these positive results, further exploration of the effects of academic competition on student performance across age brackets and disciplines is warranted. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.

Color and behavior differently predict competitive outcomes for divergent stickleback color morphs

PubMed Central

Lehto, Whitley R; Lierheimer, V Faith

2018-01-01

Abstract Our knowledge of how male competition contributes to speciation is dominated by investigations of competition between within-species morphs or closely related species that differ in conspicuous traits expressed during the breeding season (e.g. color, song). In such studies, it is important to consider the manner in which putatively sexually selected traits influence the outcome of competitive interactions within and between types because these traits can communicate information about competitor quality and may not be utilized by homotypic and heterotypic receivers in the same way. We studied the roles of breeding color and aggressive behaviors in competition within and between two divergent threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus color types. Our previous work in this system showed that the switch from red to black breeding coloration is associated with changes in male competition biases. Here, we find that red and black males also use different currencies in competition. Winners of both color types performed more aggressive behaviors than losers, regardless of whether the competitor was of the same or opposite color type. But breeding color differently predicted competitive outcomes for red and black males. Males who were redder at the start of competition were more likely to win when paired with homotypic competitors and less likely to win when paired with heterotypic competitors. In contrast, black color, though expressed in the breeding season and condition dependent, was unrelated to competitive outcomes. Placing questions about the role of male competition in speciation in a sexual signal evolution framework may provide insight into the “why and how” of aggression biases and asymmetries in competitive ability between closely related morphs and species. PMID:29492044

Competitive interactions between native and invasive exotic plant species are altered under elevated carbon dioxide.

PubMed

Manea, Anthony; Leishman, Michelle R

2011-03-01

We hypothesized that the greater competitive ability of invasive exotic plants relative to native plants would increase under elevated CO(2) because they typically have traits that confer the ability for fast growth when resources are not limiting and thus are likely to be more responsive to elevated CO(2). A series of competition experiments under ambient and elevated CO(2) glasshouse conditions were conducted to determine an index of relative competition intensity for 14 native-invasive exotic species-pairs. Traits including specific leaf area, leaf mass ratio, leaf area ratio, relative growth rate, net assimilation rate and root weight ratio were measured. Competitive rankings within species-pairs were not affected by CO(2) concentration: invasive exotic species were more competitive in 9 of the 14 species-pairs and native species were more competitive in the remaining 5 species-pairs, regardless of CO(2) concentration. However, there was a significant interaction between plant type and CO(2) treatment due to reduced competitive response of native species under elevated compared with ambient CO(2) conditions. Native species had significantly lower specific leaf area and leaf area ratio under elevated compared with ambient CO(2). We also compared traits of more-competitive with less-competitive species, regardless of plant type, under both CO(2) treatments. More-competitive species had smaller leaf weight ratio and leaf area ratio, and larger relative growth rate and net assimilation rate under both ambient and elevated CO(2) conditions. These results suggest that growth and allocation traits can be useful predictors of the outcome of competitive interactions under both ambient and elevated CO(2) conditions. Under predicted future atmospheric CO(2) conditions, competitive rankings among species may not change substantially, but the relative success of invasive exotic species may be increased. Thus, under future atmospheric CO(2) conditions, the ecological and economic impact of some invasive exotic plants may be even greater than under current conditions.

On the relationship between competitive flow and FFT analysis of the flow waves in the left internal mammary artery graft in the process of CABG.

PubMed

Mao, Boyan; Wang, Wenxin; Zhao, Zhou; Zhao, Xi; Li, Lanlan; Zhang, Huixia; Liu, Youjun

2016-12-28

During coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the ratio of powers of the fundamental frequency and its first harmonic (F0/H1) in fast Fourier transformation (FFT) analysis of the graft's flow waves has been used in the field of evaluation of the patency in anastomosis. But there is no report about using the FFT method to evaluate the magnitude of competitive flow. This study is aiming at exploring the relationship between competitive flow and FFT analysis of the flow waves in left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft, and finding a new method to evaluate the magnitude of competitive flow. At first, establishing the CABG multiscale models of different stenosis in left anterior descending artery (LAD) to get different magnitude of competitive flows. Then, calculating the models by ANSYS-CFX and getting the flow waves in LIMA. Finally, analyzing the flow waves by FFT method and comparing the FFT results with the magnitude of competitive flow. There is no relationship between competitive flow and F0/H1. As for F0/H2 and F0/H3, they both increase with the reduction of the stenosis in LAD. But the increase of F0/H3 is not obviously enough and it can't identify the significant competitive flow clearly, so it can't be used as the evaluation index. It is found that F0/H2 increases obviously with the increase of the competitive flow and can identify the significant competitive flow. The FFT method can be used in the evaluation of competitive flow and the F0/H2 is the ideal index. High F0/H2 refers to the significant competitive flow. This method can be used during CABG to avoid the risk of competitive flow.

The anticipatory stress response to sport competition; a systematic review with meta-analysis of cortisol reactivity

PubMed Central

van Paridon, Kjell N; Timmis, Matthew A; Nevison, Charlotte M; Bristow, Matt

2017-01-01

Objective Athletes anticipating sport competition regularly experience distinct emotional and physiological responses as a result of the expected psychosocial and physical stress. Specifically, cortisol, an indicator of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation, prepares the athlete for the psychological and physiological demands of competition. The objective of this meta-analysis is to analyse the magnitude of the anticipatory cortisol response in athletes preparing to participate in sport competition and to examine the influence of gender, level of competition and data collection time. Design Systematic review with meta-analysis. Data sources Four electronic databases were searched to March 2017: PubMed, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus and Scopus. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies (1) Athletes participating in real sport competition;(2) salivary cortisol concentration collected before competition in addition to baseline sample(s);(3) original research article published in English language. Results Data from 25 studies provided 27 effect sizes. A significant anticipatory cortisol response of g=0.85, p<0.001 was identified. Males had a stronger trend for greater cortisol reactivity (g=1.07) than females (g=0.56, p=0.07). Females and athletes competing at international level did not demonstrate a significant anticipatory stress response. There were no significant differences between level of competition, type of sport or time of competition. Meta-regression indicated that the anticipatory cortisol response is greater when assessed closer to the start of competition (Q=6.85, p=0.009). Summary/conclusion The anticipatory cortisol response before sport competition reflects moderate cortisol reactivity that prepares athletes optimally for the demands of sport competition via the influence on cognitive processes and attentional control. However, both female athletes and international competitors did not demonstrate a significant anticipatory cortisol response, possibly due to differences in appraisal of the stress of sport competition. PMID:29177073

[Competition among dominant tree species in a natural spruce-fir forest in Changbai Mountain].

PubMed

Ren, Mei Mei; Yang, Hua

2016-10-01

Dominant tree species are the main species in different layers of mixed-species forests. Examining competitive relationships among dominant tree species is important for proper management of mixedwood forests. In this study, we established a 100 m×100 m plot of uniform condition on Jingouling Forest Farm, Wangqing County, Jilin Province. The dominant tree species of the young forest community were first determined through dominance index analysis approach and the competitive relationships among dominant tree species were then examined using tree competition index that described intra- and inter-specific competition from the above and sides of individual tree crown. The results indicated three dominant tree species in this mixed-species community were Abies nephrolepis, Picea koraiensis and Pinus koraiensis. A. nephrolepis, Picea koraiensis, Pinus koraiensis, Betula costata, Tilia amurensis, Acer tegmentosum and Betula platyphylla were the main competitors of the dominant tree species, while A. nephrolepis was the major competitor for all three dominant tree species (1412.48), followed by Picea koraiensis (439.17) and Pinus koraiensis (245.28), they all had side squeeze effect (64.9%, 65.2% and 66.0% of the total competition for the three dominant tree species, respectively). The level of side and above competition decreased with individual tree DBH (diameter at breast height); the percentage of side competition was nearly equal to that of above competition in small trees and increased with tree size, reaching nearly 100% in large canopy trees. For the three dominant tree species, the side and above competition of three dominant tree species mainly came from A. nephrolepis, Picea koraiensis, Pinus koraiensis, T. amurensis, B. costata, A. tegmentosum and B. platyphylla, and the inter-specific competition was more intense than intra-specific competition (58.4%, 87.1%, 83.7% of the total competition for the three dominant species), both of which decreased with the increase of individual tree DBH.

The impact of nursing students' chemistry learning performance assessment in Taiwan: competitive versus non-competitive student team achievement division approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kai-Ping

2012-07-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of competitive Student Team Achievement Division (STAD), non-competitive STAD, and traditional learning on chemistry learning and learning perceptions. Sample, design and methods: By adopting the STAD approach, this study examined 144 nursing students at a five-year junior college in northern Taiwan during the first semester (totaling 18 weeks) of the 2008 academic year. Results: The findings reveal that both a heterogeneous group with external pressure (involving competitive STAD) and a friendship group with affective pressure (involving traditional learning) enhance group cohesion and assist students' meaningful learning; the heterogeneous group without extra pressure (involving non-competitive STAD), by contrast, fails because of apathy and lassitude. Moreover, learning effectiveness will obviously predominate until the learning strategy continues for a long period or at least one semester. Conclusions: This study revealed that the learning performance level of the competitive STAD group is significantly different from that of the non-competitive STAD group; and the learning performance level of the traditional group is significantly different from that of the non-competitive STAD group. Both the competitive STAD group and traditional group of medium ability students are significantly different from the non-competitive STAD group. Low-ability students from the competitive STAD group are significantly different from those of the non-competitive STAD, though no significant differences were found in learning perception. However, both a lack of friendship and a lack of ability in using algorithms may affect students' chemistry learning. Furthermore, gender imbalance, educational culture, and group emotions are factors that may influence student learning performance. Further study should focus on the use of grouping, improve responsibility in group discussion, and investigate group interaction patterns to determine the factors that influence learning performance of students working in groups.

Negligible effect of competition on coral colony growth.

PubMed

Álvarez-Noriega, Mariana; Baird, Andrew H; Dornelas, Maria; Madin, Joshua S; Connolly, Sean R

2018-06-01

Competition is an important determinant of assemblage structure and population regulation, often resulting in decreased growth, fecundity or survival. In corals, most studies testing for an effect of competition on demographic traits, such as growth, have been experimental and often impose very high levels of competition upon colonies. To more realistically assess the role of competition on coral traits, multispecies studies in the wild are required. Here, we use 5 yr of data that includes 11 coral species on the reef crest at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef to quantify the effect of competition on growth. Additionally, we test whether species differ in their susceptibility to direct-contact (overgrowth and digestion) and overtopping competition, and whether species from some morphological groups are more likely to compete with one another than with species from other morphological groups. We also investigate the relationships between competitive ability and three key traits: growth rate, mechanical stability and fecundity. In contrast to most previous work using field manipulations of competition, we found a negligible effect of competition on growth. Acropora species consistently won overtopping encounters but lost in direct-contact encounters, and these results were consistent among the four Acropora morphological groups. In contrast, the massive Goniastrea spp. were poor at overtopping but generally won direct-contact encounters. Only tabular colonies were disproportionally more likely to compete against one another than with other morphologies. This propensity increases intraspecific relative to interspecific competition, a phenomenon that can promote coexistence when it is present among dominant competitors. Good competitors grew more quickly and had higher fecundity but were less mechanically stable, implying a tradeoff between performance during disturbance vs. performance in the absence of disturbance. We conclude that competition among adults is less likely to influence community dynamics than previously thought. If competition does have an effect, it is more likely to occur at life-stages other than adults. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

47 CFR 80.1251 - Maritime communications subject to competitive bidding.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Maritime communications subject to competitive... AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES Competitive Bidding Procedures § 80.1251 Maritime communications subject to competitive bidding. Mutually exclusive initial applications for VPCSA...

Competition: A Model for Conception.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kildea, Alice E.

1983-01-01

The Model for the Conception of Competition is offered as a means of discovering problems and solutions surrounding competition. Distinctions are made between existing definitions, and insight into how competition relates to human life and cosmic interaction is given. Survival, mastery, and transcendence, modes of psychological thought, are…

Direct Versus Indirect Competition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Billing, John

Competition in sport and physical education programs has been used to motivate the learning of skills, increase physical fitness, and to create environments purportedly conducive to the development of desirable personality qualities. However, the way in which competition is conceptualized is of great importance. In direct competition, achievement…

48 CFR 1306.304 - Approval of the justification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... justification. 1306.304 Section 1306.304 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE COMPETITION AND ACQUISITION PLANNING COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS Other Than Full and Open Competition 1306.304... open competition at the dollar thresholds in FAR 6.304 is set forth in CAM 1301.70. ...

14 CFR 1260.143 - Competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations Procurement Standards § 1260.143 Competition. All procurement... 14 Aeronautics and Space 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Competition. 1260.143 Section 1260.143... competition. The recipient shall be alert to organizational conflicts of interest as well as noncompetitive...

24 CFR 84.43 - Competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award Requirements Procurement Standards § 84.43 Competition. All... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Competition. 84.43 Section 84.43... free competition. The recipient shall be alert to organizational conflicts of interest as well as...

48 CFR 9.206-3 - Competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Competition. 9.206-3... CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS Qualifications Requirements 9.206-3 Competition. (a) Presolicitation. If a... solicitation to ascertain whether the number of sources is adequate for competition. (See 9.204(a) for duties...

Principles of parametric estimation in modeling language competition

PubMed Central

Zhang, Menghan; Gong, Tao

2013-01-01

It is generally difficult to define reasonable parameters and interpret their values in mathematical models of social phenomena. Rather than directly fitting abstract parameters against empirical data, we should define some concrete parameters to denote the sociocultural factors relevant for particular phenomena, and compute the values of these parameters based upon the corresponding empirical data. Taking the example of modeling studies of language competition, we propose a language diffusion principle and two language inheritance principles to compute two critical parameters, namely the impacts and inheritance rates of competing languages, in our language competition model derived from the Lotka–Volterra competition model in evolutionary biology. These principles assign explicit sociolinguistic meanings to those parameters and calculate their values from the relevant data of population censuses and language surveys. Using four examples of language competition, we illustrate that our language competition model with thus-estimated parameter values can reliably replicate and predict the dynamics of language competition, and it is especially useful in cases lacking direct competition data. PMID:23716678

Research on the competitiveness of high-tech industries in northeast China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Lei; Wang, Yang; Wang, Ming-Quan; Xiao, Yan-Bo; Gao, Ming

2017-06-01

Based on characteristics of high-tech industry in Northeast China, high-tech industry competitiveness index system was developed, and the competitiveness of high-tech industry was evaluated through principal component analysis and location quotient method. The results showed that the scale of high-tech industry in Northeast China as a whole was small, and presented a decreasing trend for the proportion in the country. The competitiveness of high-tech industry in Northeast China lagged far behind that of the eastern and central regions. The high-tech industry competitiveness of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces in China ranked 15, 19 and 21, respectively. The manufacture of medicine in Jilin province, and the manufacture of aircraft and spacecraft and the related equipment in Liaoning and Heilongjiang provinces had high competitive advantage, but the manufacture of electronic equipment and communication equipment and the manufacture of computers and office equipment was lack of competitiveness. The development suggestions were put forward to improve the competitiveness of high-tech industries in Northeast China.

Spatial competition dynamics between reef corals under ocean acidification.

PubMed

Horwitz, Rael; Hoogenboom, Mia O; Fine, Maoz

2017-01-09

Climate change, including ocean acidification (OA), represents a major threat to coral-reef ecosystems. Although previous experiments have shown that OA can negatively affect the fitness of reef corals, these have not included the long-term effects of competition for space on coral growth rates. Our multispecies year-long study subjected reef-building corals from the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) to competitive interactions under present-day ocean pH (pH 8.1) and predicted end-of-century ocean pH (pH 7.6). Results showed coral growth is significantly impeded by OA under intraspecific competition for five out of six study species. Reduced growth from OA, however, is negligible when growth is already suppressed in the presence of interspecific competition. Using a spatial competition model, our analysis indicates shifts in the competitive hierarchy and a decrease in overall coral cover under lowered pH. Collectively, our case study demonstrates how modified competitive performance under increasing OA will in all likelihood change the composition, structure and functionality of reef coral communities.

Spatial competition dynamics between reef corals under ocean acidification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horwitz, Rael; Hoogenboom, Mia O.; Fine, Maoz

2017-01-01

Climate change, including ocean acidification (OA), represents a major threat to coral-reef ecosystems. Although previous experiments have shown that OA can negatively affect the fitness of reef corals, these have not included the long-term effects of competition for space on coral growth rates. Our multispecies year-long study subjected reef-building corals from the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) to competitive interactions under present-day ocean pH (pH 8.1) and predicted end-of-century ocean pH (pH 7.6). Results showed coral growth is significantly impeded by OA under intraspecific competition for five out of six study species. Reduced growth from OA, however, is negligible when growth is already suppressed in the presence of interspecific competition. Using a spatial competition model, our analysis indicates shifts in the competitive hierarchy and a decrease in overall coral cover under lowered pH. Collectively, our case study demonstrates how modified competitive performance under increasing OA will in all likelihood change the composition, structure and functionality of reef coral communities.

Phonological and syntactic competition effects in spoken word recognition: evidence from corpus-based statistics.

PubMed

Zhuang, Jie; Devereux, Barry J

2017-02-07

As spoken language unfolds over time the speech input transiently activates multiple candidates at different levels of the system - phonological, lexical, and syntactic - which in turn leads to short-lived between-candidate competition. In an fMRI study, we investigated how different kinds of linguistic competition may be modulated by the presence or absence of a prior context (Tyler 1984; Tyler et al. 2008). We found significant effects of lexico-phonological competition for isolated words, but not for words in short phrases, with high competition yielding greater activation in left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and posterior temporal regions. This suggests that phrasal contexts reduce lexico-phonological competition by eliminating form-class inconsistent cohort candidates. A corpus-derived measure of lexico-syntactic competition was associated with greater activation in LIFG for verbs in phrases, but not for isolated verbs, indicating that lexico-syntactic information is boosted by the phrasal context. Together, these findings indicate that LIFG plays a general role in resolving different kinds of linguistic competition.

Cost convergence between public and for-profit hospitals under prospective payment and high competition in Taiwan.

PubMed

Xirasagar, Sudha; Lin, Herng-Ching

2004-12-01

To test the hypotheses that: (1) average adjusted costs per discharge are higher in high-competition relative to low-competition markets, and (2) increased competition is associated with cost convergence between public and for-profit (FP) hospitals for case payment diagnoses, but not for cost-plus reimbursed diagnoses. Taiwan's National Health Insurance database; 325,851 inpatient claims for cesarean section, vaginal delivery, prostatectomy, and thyroidectomy (all case payment), and bronchial asthma and cholelithiasis (both cost-based payment). Retrospective population-based, cross-sectional study. Diagnosis-wise regression analyses were done to explore associations between cost per discharge and hospital ownership under high and low competition, adjusted for clinical severity and institutional characteristics. Adjusted costs per discharge are higher for all diagnoses in high-competition markets. For case payment diagnoses, the magnitudes of adjusted cost differences between public and FP hospitals are lower under high competition relative to low competition. This is not so for the cost-based diagnoses. We find that the empirical evidence supports both our hypotheses.

Principles of parametric estimation in modeling language competition.

PubMed

Zhang, Menghan; Gong, Tao

2013-06-11

It is generally difficult to define reasonable parameters and interpret their values in mathematical models of social phenomena. Rather than directly fitting abstract parameters against empirical data, we should define some concrete parameters to denote the sociocultural factors relevant for particular phenomena, and compute the values of these parameters based upon the corresponding empirical data. Taking the example of modeling studies of language competition, we propose a language diffusion principle and two language inheritance principles to compute two critical parameters, namely the impacts and inheritance rates of competing languages, in our language competition model derived from the Lotka-Volterra competition model in evolutionary biology. These principles assign explicit sociolinguistic meanings to those parameters and calculate their values from the relevant data of population censuses and language surveys. Using four examples of language competition, we illustrate that our language competition model with thus-estimated parameter values can reliably replicate and predict the dynamics of language competition, and it is especially useful in cases lacking direct competition data.

The effects of competition on medical service provision.

PubMed

Brosig-Koch, Jeannette; Hehenkamp, Burkhard; Kokot, Johanna

2017-12-01

We explore how competition between physicians affects medical service provision. Previous research has shown that, without competition, physicians deviate from patient-optimal treatment under payment systems like capitation and fee-for-service. Although competition might reduce these distortions, physicians usually interact with each other repeatedly over time and only a fraction of patients switches providers at all. Both patterns might prevent competition to work in the desired direction. To analyze the behavioral effects of competition, we develop a theoretical benchmark that is then tested in a controlled laboratory experiment. Experimental conditions vary physician payment and patient characteristics. Real patients benefit from provision decisions made in the experiment. Our results reveal that, in line with the theoretical prediction, introducing competition can reduce overprovision and underprovision, respectively. The observed effects depend on patient characteristics and the payment system, though. Tacit collusion is observed and particularly pronounced with fee-for-service payment, but it appears to be less frequent than in related experimental research on price competition. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Spatial variation and density-dependent dispersal in competitive coexistence.

PubMed Central

Amarasekare, Priyanga

2004-01-01

It is well known that dispersal from localities favourable to a species' growth and reproduction (sources) can prevent competitive exclusion in unfavourable localities (sinks). What is perhaps less well known is that too much emigration can undermine the viability of sources and cause regional competitive exclusion. Here, I investigate two biological mechanisms that reduce the cost of dispersal to source communities. The first involves increasing the spatial variation in the strength of competition such that sources can withstand high rates of emigration; the second involves reducing emigration from sources via density-dependent dispersal. I compare how different forms of spatial variation and modes of dispersal influence source viability, and hence source-sink coexistence, under dominance and pre-emptive competition. A key finding is that, while spatial variation substantially reduces dispersal costs under both types of competition, density-dependent dispersal does so only under dominance competition. For instance, when spatial variation in the strength of competition is high, coexistence is possible (regardless of the type of competition) even when sources experience high emigration rates; when spatial variation is low, coexistence is restricted even under low emigration rates. Under dominance competition, density-dependent dispersal has a strong effect on coexistence. For instance, when the emigration rate increases with density at an accelerating rate (Type III density-dependent dispersal), coexistence is possible even when spatial variation is quite low; when the emigration rate increases with density at a decelerating rate (Type II density-dependent dispersal), coexistence is restricted even when spatial variation is quite high. Under pre-emptive competition, density-dependent dispersal has only a marginal effect on coexistence. Thus, the diversity-reducing effects of high dispersal rates persist under pre-emptive competition even when dispersal is density dependent, but can be significantly mitigated under dominance competition if density-dependent dispersal is Type III rather than Type II. These results lead to testable predictions about source-sink coexistence under different regimes of competition, spatial variation and dispersal. They identify situations in which density-independent dispersal provides a reasonable approximation to species' dispersal patterns, and those under which consideration of density-dependent dispersal is crucial to predicting long-term coexistence. PMID:15306322

The relative nature of fertilization success: Implications for the study of post-copulatory sexual selection

PubMed Central

2008-01-01

Background The determination of genetic variation in sperm competitive ability is fundamental to distinguish between post-copulatory sexual selection models based on good-genes vs compatible genes. The sexy-sperm and the good-sperm hypotheses for the evolution of polyandry require additive (intrinsic) effects of genes influencing sperm competitiveness, whereas the genetic incompatibility hypothesis invokes non-additive genetic effects. A male's sperm competitive ability is typically estimated from his fertilization success, a measure that is dependent on the ability of rival sperm competitors to fertilize the ova. It is well known that fertilization success may be conditional to genotypic interactions among males as well as between males and females. However, the consequences of effects arising from the random sampling of sperm competitors upon the estimation of genetic variance in sperm competitiveness have been overlooked. Here I perform simulations of mating trials performed in the context of sibling analysis to investigate whether the ability to detect additive genetic variance underlying the sperm competitiveness phenotype is hindered by the relative nature of fertilization success measurements. Results Fertilization success values render biased sperm competitive ability values. Furthermore, asymmetries among males in the errors committed when estimating sperm competitive abilities are likely to exist as long as males exhibit variation in sperm competitiveness. Critically, random effects arising from the relative nature of fertilization success lead to an underestimation of underlying additive genetic variance in sperm competitive ability. Conclusion The results show that, regardless of the existence of genotypic interactions affecting the output of sperm competition, fertilization success is not a perfect predictor of sperm competitive ability because of the stochasticity of the background used to obtain fertilization success measures. Random effects need to be considered in the debate over the maintenance of genetic variation in sperm competitiveness, and when testing good-genes and compatible-genes processes as explanations of polyandrous behaviour using repeatability/heritability data in sperm competitive ability. These findings support the notion that the genetic incompatibility hypothesis needs to be treated as an alternative hypothesis, rather than a null hypothesis, in studies that fail to detect intrinsic sire effects on the sperm competitiveness phenotype. PMID:18474087

Winning a competition predicts dishonest behavior

PubMed Central

Schurr, Amos; Ritov, Ilana

2016-01-01

Winning a competition engenders subsequent unrelated unethical behavior. Five studies reveal that after a competition has taken place winners behave more dishonestly than competition losers. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that winning a competition increases the likelihood of winners to steal money from their counterparts in a subsequent unrelated task. Studies 3a and 3b demonstrate that the effect holds only when winning means performing better than others (i.e., determined in reference to others) but not when success is determined by chance or in reference to a personal goal. Finally, study 4 demonstrates that a possible mechanism underlying the effect is an enhanced sense of entitlement among competition winners. PMID:26831083

Winning a competition predicts dishonest behavior.

PubMed

Schurr, Amos; Ritov, Ilana

2016-02-16

Winning a competition engenders subsequent unrelated unethical behavior. Five studies reveal that after a competition has taken place winners behave more dishonestly than competition losers. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that winning a competition increases the likelihood of winners to steal money from their counterparts in a subsequent unrelated task. Studies 3a and 3b demonstrate that the effect holds only when winning means performing better than others (i.e., determined in reference to others) but not when success is determined by chance or in reference to a personal goal. Finally, study 4 demonstrates that a possible mechanism underlying the effect is an enhanced sense of entitlement among competition winners.

The link between competitive sports and gambling behaviors among youths.

PubMed

Gavriel-Fried, Belle; Bronstein, Israel; Sherpsky, Idit

2015-04-01

This study examines the association between physical activities and gambling, making a distinction between two characteristics of the former: intensity level and type (competitive/non-competitive). 316 adolescents from four high schools in Israel completed questionnaires. For males, participation in competitive athletic sports was associated with gambling frequency and problem gambling. For females, participation in competitive athletic sports was associated only with gambling frequency. Both types of physical activity and gender are important when analyzing the association between gambling and sporting activities. Youths involved in competitive sports are at greater risk for gambling involvement. (Am J Addict 2015;24:200-202). © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Sex differences in the emergence of leadership during competitions within and between groups.

PubMed

Van Vugt, Mark; Spisak, Brian R

2008-09-01

This experiment investigated potential gender biases in the emergence of leadership in groups. Teams played a public-goods game under conditions of intra- or intergroup competition. We predicted and found a strong preference for female leaders during intragroup competition and male leaders during intergroup competition. Furthermore, during intragroup competition, a female leader was more instrumental than a male leader in raising group investments, but this pattern was reversed during intergroup competition. These findings suggest that particular group threats elicit specific gender-biased leader prototypes. We speculate about the evolutionary and cultural origins of these sex differences in the emergence of leadership.

Student access to competitive foods in elementary schools: trends over time and regional differences.

PubMed

Turner, Lindsey R; Chaloupka, Frank J

2012-02-01

To examine the availability of competitive foods in elementary schools. Nationally representative mail-back survey. United States public and private elementary schools during the 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, and 2009-2010 school years. Survey respondents at 2647 public and 1205 private elementary schools. The availability of foods offered in competitive venues. Elementary school students' access to foods in competitive venues on campus (vending machines, school stores, snack bars, or à la carte lines) remained constant over time. As of the 2009-2010 school year, approximately half of all public and private elementary school students could purchase foods in 1 or more competitive venues on campus. Sugary foods were available to almost all students with access to competitive foods on campus. Public elementary school students in the South had more access to competitive food venues and greater availability of salty and sweet products in those venues compared with students in other parts of the country; however, they also had greater availability of healthier foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Many elementary school students can purchase competitive foods on campus. Most students with access to competitive venues could purchase sweet products, but healthier foods were less widely available.

Interspecific larval competition between invasive Aedes japonicus and native Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae) and adult longevity.

PubMed

Alto, Barry W

2011-03-01

The Asian rock pool mosquito Aedes japonicus (Theobald) inhabits natural and artificial container habitats, some of which are occupied by the native treehole mosquitoAedes triseriatus (Say), a vector of LaCrosse encephalitis virus. A laboratory experiment was used to evaluate the effects of nutrient limitation and interspecific interactions between these species. The goal was to address two related hypotheses. First, interspecific interactions between these species show competitive asymmetry with the invasive mosquito Ae. japonicus being favored over Ae. triseriatus. Second, competitive stress at the larval stage alters adult longevity. There was minimal evidence for competitive asymmetry between these two species. Mosquito and population performance showed clear negative density-dependent effects with similar effects of intra- and interspecific interactions. Only Ae. japonicus development time showed competitive asymmetry over Ae. triseriatus, providing weak support for the first hypothesis. For both species, competition resulted in lower adult longevity compared with low competition, providing support for the second hypothesis. These results suggest both species are similarly affected by intra- and interspecific competition and underscore the importance of the effects of larval competition that continue into adulthood and alter parameters important to transmission of vector-borne diseases.

Does the sex difference in competitiveness decrease in selective sub-populations? A test with intercollegiate distance runners.

PubMed

Deaner, Robert O; Lowen, Aaron; Rogers, William; Saksa, Eric

2015-01-01

Sex differences in some preferences and motivations are well established, but it is unclear whether they persist in selective sub-populations, such as expert financial decision makers, top scientists, or elite athletes. We addressed this issue by studying competitiveness in 1,147 varsity intercollegiate distance runners. As expected, across all runners, men reported greater competitiveness with two previously validated instruments, greater competitiveness on a new elite competitiveness scale, and greater training volume, a known correlate of competitiveness. Among faster runners, the sex difference decreased for one measure of competitiveness but did not decrease for the two other competitiveness measures or either measure of training volume. Across NCAA athletic divisions (DI, DII, DIII), the sex difference did not decrease for any competitiveness or training measure. Further analyses showed that these sex differences could not be attributed to women suffering more injuries or facing greater childcare responsibilities. However, women did report greater commitment than men to their academic studies, suggesting a sex difference in priorities. Therefore, policies aiming to provide men and women with equal opportunities to flourish should acknowledge that sex differences in some kinds of preferences and motivation may persist even in selective sub-populations.

Does the sex difference in competitiveness decrease in selective sub-populations? A test with intercollegiate distance runners

PubMed Central

Lowen, Aaron; Rogers, William; Saksa, Eric

2015-01-01

Sex differences in some preferences and motivations are well established, but it is unclear whether they persist in selective sub-populations, such as expert financial decision makers, top scientists, or elite athletes. We addressed this issue by studying competitiveness in 1,147 varsity intercollegiate distance runners. As expected, across all runners, men reported greater competitiveness with two previously validated instruments, greater competitiveness on a new elite competitiveness scale, and greater training volume, a known correlate of competitiveness. Among faster runners, the sex difference decreased for one measure of competitiveness but did not decrease for the two other competitiveness measures or either measure of training volume. Across NCAA athletic divisions (DI, DII, DIII), the sex difference did not decrease for any competitiveness or training measure. Further analyses showed that these sex differences could not be attributed to women suffering more injuries or facing greater childcare responsibilities. However, women did report greater commitment than men to their academic studies, suggesting a sex difference in priorities. Therefore, policies aiming to provide men and women with equal opportunities to flourish should acknowledge that sex differences in some kinds of preferences and motivation may persist even in selective sub-populations. PMID:25922790

Electrophysiological evidence for emotional valence and competitive arousal effects on insight problem solving.

PubMed

Li, Yadan; Xiao, Xiao; Ma, Wenjuan; Jiang, Jun; Qiu, Jiang; Zhang, Qinglin

2013-11-13

Accumulating evidence suggests that insight can be substantially influenced by task-irrelevant emotion stimuli and interpersonal competitive situation, and a close link might exist between them. Using a learning-testing paradigm and Event-Related Potentials (ERPs), the present study investigated the independent and joint effects of emotional and competitive information on insight problem solving especially their neural mechanisms. Subjects situated in either competitive or non-competitive condition learned heuristic logogriphs first and then viewed task-irrelevant positive or negative emotional pictures, which were followed by test logogriphs to solve. Both behavioral and ERP findings showed a more evident insight boost following negative emotional pictures in competitive context. Results demonstrated that negative emotion and competitive situation might promote insight by a defocused mode of attention (as indicated by N1 and P2), the enhanced semantic integration and breaking mental set (as indicated by N450), and the increased forming of novel associations activated by motivational arousal originating from competition (as indicated by P800-1600 and P1600-2500). These results indicate that the dynamic interactions between emotional valence and competitive arousal effects on insight. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microcystis aeruginosa strengthens the advantage of Daphnia similoides in competition with Moina micrura.

PubMed

Tang, Hengxing; Hou, Xinying; Xue, Xiaofeng; Chen, Rui; Zhu, Xuexia; Huang, Yuan; Chen, Yafen

2017-08-31

Microcystis blooms are generally associated with zooplankton shifts by disturbing interspecific relationships. The influence of Microcystis on competitive dominance by different sized zooplanktons showed species-specific dependence. We evaluated the competitive responses of small Moina micrura and large Daphnia similoides to the presence of Microcystis using mixed diets comprising 0%, 20%, and 35% of toxic M. aeruginosa, and the rest of green alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa. No competitive exclusion occurred for the two species under the tested diet combinations. In the absence of M. aeruginosa, the biomasses of the two cladocerans were decreased by the competition between them. However, the Daphnia was less inhibited with the higher biomass, suggesting the competitive dominance of Daphnia. M. aeruginosa treatment suppressed the population growths of the two cladocerans, with the reduced carrying capacities. Nonetheless, the population inhibition of Daphnia by competition was alleviated by the increased Microcystis proportion in diet. As a result, the competitive advantage of Daphnia became more pronounced, as indicated by the higher Daphnia: Moina biomass ratio with increased Microcystis proportions. These results suggested that M. aeruginosa strengthens the advantage of D. similoides in competition with M. micrura, which contributes to the diversified zooplankton shifts observed in fields during cyanobacteria blooms.

Men, muscles, and body image: comparisons of competitive bodybuilders, weight trainers, and athletically active controls

PubMed Central

Pickett, T; Lewis, R; Cash, T; Pope, H

2005-01-01

Objectives: To investigate body image and psychosocial adjustment among competitive bodybuilders, non-competitive weight trainers, and athletically active men. Methods: Participants were 40 men in each of the three groups who were assessed on body composition and multiple facets of body image evaluation, investment and anxiety, eating attitudes, and social self esteem. Results: Relative to the other two groups, competitive bodybuilders had greater body mass due to fat-free body mass. Although groups did not differ in their situational body image discomfort, competitive bodybuilders and weight trainers had a more positive global appearance evaluation and were more psychologically invested in their physical appearance. Compared with active controls, men in both weightlifting groups were more satisfied with their upper torso and muscle tone. Competitive bodybuilders reported more mid torso satisfaction than the other two groups. Competitive bodybuilders also wished to be significantly heavier than controls did and reported higher social self esteem but greater eating disturbance. Conclusions: The findings suggest that competitive bodybuilders as a group are not more "muscle dysmorphic" than either non-competitive weight trainers or physically active men who do not train with weights. PMID:15793091

The Nature of Competition in Dietetics Education: A Narrative Review.

PubMed

Ruhl, Jillian; Lordly, Daphne

2017-09-01

The impact on student development associated with being part of a competitive program is an emerging finding in dietetics research. As such, a narrative review of relevant literature was conducted pertaining to competition in post-secondary programs and the educational experience of students with respect to developing a career in dietetics. The review was guided by 2 questions: How is competition experienced by students? What strategies can reduce competition among dietetics students within the educational experience? A refined literature screening process justified including 32 articles in the review. The overall review findings suggested that, across dietetics programs, the outcomes of competition negatively impacted students' personal identity, motivation in the learning process, and involvement behaviours, including collaboration among students, participation in academic opportunities, and student relationships with faculty. The implementation of strategies conducive to addressing the effects of excessive competition and building a supportive academic environment, for example increasing collegiality and engaging students in intrinsic learning, are important for continued growth of the dietetics profession. Educators can reflect on the complex nature of competition and how the effects of excessive competition may be in opposition with the competencies that students are expected to develop as professionals.

Social cues of sperm competition influence accessory reproductive gland size in a promiscuous mammal.

PubMed

Lemaître, Jean-François; Ramm, Steven A; Hurst, Jane L; Stockley, Paula

2011-04-22

Theory predicts that males should increase overall investment in ejaculate expenditure with increasing levels of sperm competition. Since ejaculate production is costly, we may expect males to tailor their reproductive investment according to anticipated levels of sperm competition. Here, we investigate plasticity in ejaculate investment in response to cues of population average levels of sperm competition in a promiscuous mammal, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus). We manipulated the social experience of experimental subjects during sexual development via differential exposure to the odour of rival males, to simulate conditions associated with relatively high or low average levels of sperm competition. Males exposed to a high level of competition developed larger major accessory reproductive glands (seminal vesicles) than those that experienced a low level of competition, suggesting that an increased investment in the production of copulatory plugs and/or mating rate may be beneficial at relatively high sperm competition levels. However, investment in sperm production, testis size and sperm motility were not altered according to social experience. Our findings emphasize the importance of non-sperm components of the ejaculate in mammalian postcopulatory sexual selection, and add to the growing evidence linking plasticity in reproductive traits to social cues of sperm competition.

Competition with and without priority control: linking rivalry to attention through winner-take-all networks with memory

PubMed Central

Marx, Svenja; Gruenhage, Gina; Walper, Daniel; Rutishauser, Ueli; Einhäuser, Wolfgang

2015-01-01

Competition is ubiquitous in perception. For example, items in the visual field compete for processing resources, and attention controls their priority (biased competition). The inevitable ambiguity in the interpretation of sensory signals yields another form of competition: distinct perceptual interpretations compete for access to awareness. Rivalry, where two equally likely percepts compete for dominance, explicates the latter form of competition. Building upon the similarity between attention and rivalry, we propose to model rivalry by a generic competitive circuit that is widely used in the attention literature—a winner-take-all (WTA) network. Specifically, we show that a network of two coupled WTA circuits replicates three common hallmarks of rivalry: the distribution of dominance durations, their dependence on input strength (“Levelt's propositions”), and the effects of stimulus removal (blanking). This model introduces a form of memory by forming discrete states and explains experimental data better than competitive models of rivalry without memory. This result supports the crucial role of memory in rivalry specifically and in competitive processes in general. Our approach unifies the seemingly distinct phenomena of rivalry, memory, and attention in a single model with competition as the common underlying principle. PMID:25581077

Sediment type affects competition between a native and an exotic species in coastal China.

PubMed

Li, Hong-Li; Wang, Yong-Yang; An, Shu-Qing; Zhi, Ying-Biao; Lei, Guang-Chun; Zhang, Ming-Xiang

2014-10-23

Different types of sediments in salt marsh have different physical and chemical characters. Thus sediment type plays a role in plant competition and growth in salt marsh ecosystems. Spartina anglica populations have been increasingly confined to upper elevation gradients of clay, and the niche sediment has changed. Because the niches of S. anglica and the native species Scirpus triqueter overlap, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to test the hypothesis that plant competition has changed under different types of sediments. Biomass and asexual reproduction were analyzed, and inter- and intraspecific competition was measured by log response ratio for the two species in both monoculture and combination under three sediment types (sand, clay and mixture of sand and clay). For S. anglica, biomass, ramet number and rhizome length in combination declined significantly compared with those in monoculture, and the intensity of interspecific competition was significantly higher than that of intraspecific competition under all sediments. For S. triqueter, the intensities of intra- and interspecific competition were not significantly different. This indicates that S. triqueter exerts an asymmetric competitive advantage over S. anglica across all sediments, but especially clay. Thus the sediment type changes competition between S. anglica and S. triqueter.

Sediment Type Affects Competition between a Native and an Exotic Species in Coastal China

PubMed Central

Li, Hong-Li; Wang, Yong-Yang; An, Shu-Qing; Zhi, Ying-Biao; Lei, Guang-Chun; Zhang, Ming-Xiang

2014-01-01

Different types of sediments in salt marsh have different physical and chemical characters. Thus sediment type plays a role in plant competition and growth in salt marsh ecosystems. Spartina anglica populations have been increasingly confined to upper elevation gradients of clay, and the niche sediment has changed. Because the niches of S. anglica and the native species Scirpus triqueter overlap, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to test the hypothesis that plant competition has changed under different types of sediments. Biomass and asexual reproduction were analyzed, and inter- and intraspecific competition was measured by log response ratio for the two species in both monoculture and combination under three sediment types (sand, clay and mixture of sand and clay). For S. anglica, biomass, ramet number and rhizome length in combination declined significantly compared with those in monoculture, and the intensity of interspecific competition was significantly higher than that of intraspecific competition under all sediments. For S. triqueter, the intensities of intra- and interspecific competition were not significantly different. This indicates that S. triqueter exerts an asymmetric competitive advantage over S. anglica across all sediments, but especially clay. Thus the sediment type changes competition between S. anglica and S. triqueter. PMID:25339574

48 CFR 6.303-2 - Content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... full and open competition, such as: (i) Explanation of why technical data packages, specifications... COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS Other Than Full and Open Competition 6.303-2 Content. (a) Each justification shall... than full and open competition.” (2) Nature and/or description of the action being approved. (3) A...

Development of the Competitive Work Environment Scale: A Multidimensional Climate Construct

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, Thomas D.; Nusbaum, David N.

2010-01-01

Recent research suggests that competitive work environments may influence individual's attitudes, behaviors, stress, and performance. Unfortunately, adequate measures of competitive environments are lacking. This article traces the development of a new multidimensional competitive work environment scale. An initial 59-item pool covering five…

UK Higher Education: Competitive Forces in the 21st Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webber, G. C.

2000-01-01

Considers United Kingdom higher education in the context of Michael Porter's book, "Competitive Strategy," which discusses five forces governing competition. Focusing mainly, but not exclusively, on teaching, the monograph identifies critical factors that have influenced the balance of competitive forces in higher education and…

24 CFR 574.200 - Amounts available for competitive grants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... eligible to apply for competitive grants to fund projects of national significance. Only those States and... 24 Housing and Urban Development 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Amounts available for competitive... HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FACILITIES HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH AIDS Competitive...

40 CFR 35.712 - Competitive process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Competitive process. 35.712 Section 35... Monitoring (section 28) § 35.712 Competitive process. EPA will award Toxic Substances Control Act Compliance Monitoring grants to Tribes or Intertribal Consortia through a competitive process in accordance with...

45 CFR 1801.1 - Annual Truman Scholarship competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Annual Truman Scholarship competition. 1801.1... SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION HARRY S. TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM General § 1801.1 Annual Truman Scholarship competition. Each year, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation carries out a nationwide competition to...

45 CFR 1801.1 - Annual Truman Scholarship competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Annual Truman Scholarship competition. 1801.1... SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION HARRY S. TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM General § 1801.1 Annual Truman Scholarship competition. Each year, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation carries out a nationwide competition to...

45 CFR 1801.1 - Annual Truman Scholarship competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Annual Truman Scholarship competition. 1801.1... SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION HARRY S. TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM General § 1801.1 Annual Truman Scholarship competition. Each year, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation carries out a nationwide competition to...

45 CFR 1801.1 - Annual Truman Scholarship competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Annual Truman Scholarship competition. 1801.1... SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION HARRY S. TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM General § 1801.1 Annual Truman Scholarship competition. Each year, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation carries out a nationwide competition to...

45 CFR 1801.1 - Annual Truman Scholarship competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Annual Truman Scholarship competition. 1801.1... SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION HARRY S. TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM General § 1801.1 Annual Truman Scholarship competition. Each year, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation carries out a nationwide competition to...

Schizophrenic Performance During Interpersonal Competitive Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Brent L.

1977-01-01

By assessing the competitive performance of schizophrenics on different types of tasks and by using nonschizophrenic groups, an attempt was made to determine more accurately whether schizophrenics respond differently to competition than nonschizophrenics, and if the effects of competition tend to be task-specific with schizophrenics. (Author/RK)

48 CFR 352.215-1 - Instructions to offerors-competitive acquisition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...-competitive acquisition. 352.215-1 Section 352.215-1 Federal Acquisition Regulations System HEALTH AND HUMAN....215-1 Instructions to offerors—competitive acquisition. As prescribed in 315.209, the Contracting... Offerors—Competitive Acquisition: (e) Restriction on disclosure and use of data. (1) The proposal submitted...

78 FR 11155 - Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness: Notice of Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-15

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Advisory Committee on Supply Chain... discussion for a public meeting of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness (Committee). DATES... national economic competitiveness, and improve U.S. supply chain competitiveness in the domestic and global...

48 CFR 2806.304 - Approval of the justification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... justification. 2806.304 Section 2806.304 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Competition and Acquisition Planning COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS Other Than Full and Open Competition 2806.304...) Pursuant to FAR 6.304(c), a class justification for other than full and open competition shall be approved...

5 CFR 330.102 - Federal employment information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... must notify OPM promptly of: (A) Open competitive examinations; (B) Vacancies in the competitive... list of agency vacancy announcements for positions in the competitive service. Under § 330.707 of this chapter, agencies must notify OPM promptly of competitive service vacancies to be filled for more than 120...

48 CFR 5.705 - Publicizing postaward.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... using competition (e.g., a non-competitive 8(a) award). (c) Contracting officers shall use the..., is not both fixed-price and competitively awarded, publicize the award notice and include in the... fixed-price, or was neither competitive nor fixed-price. These notices and the rationale will be...

41 CFR 105-72.503 - Competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS 72.50-Post-Award Requirements/Procurement Standards § 105-72.503 Competition... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Competition. 105-72.503... practical, open and free competition. The recipient shall be alert to organizational conflicts of interest...

10 CFR 600.143 - Competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Competition. 600.143 Section 600.143 Energy DEPARTMENT OF... Nonprofit Organizations Post-Award Requirements § 600.143 Competition. All procurement transactions shall be conducted in a manner to provide, to the maximum extent practical, open and free competition. The recipient...

76 FR 9680 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Repeal of the Small Business Competitiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-22

... Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Repeal of the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration... the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program. DATES: Effective Date: February 22, 2011...-656) by striking title VII (15 U.S.C. 644 note). The repeal of the Small Business Competitiveness...

An Examination of Regional Competitiveness: Early Findings from Banten, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holis, Y. M.; Syabri, I.; Prabatmojo, H.

2018-05-01

Over time, the regional development planning paradigm continues to change procedural, substantive, actor and institutional aspects. The increasing globalization and decentralized governance systems will continue to determine how a country or region can compete and even be able to take advantage of the positive value of economic globalization. This certainly provides challenges and opportunities for the renewal of regional development concepts, in particular, the concept of regional competitiveness. This concept still lacks a scientific basis and its interpretation is still in debate. To date, the clear scientific basis is the concepts of corporate and national competitiveness. Whereas, the concept of competitiveness at the meso-level, namely the competitiveness of the region, becomes very important. Regional competitiveness prepares a region and to survive in response to the more open dynamics of economic globalization and the system of decentralization of authority in Indonesia. The objective of this research is to complement the concept of competitiveness which is still at the level of microeconomics (business theory) and macroeconomy (theory of growth) with the concept of competitiveness at the regional level that focuses on (i) finding determinant factors at the regional level in Indonesia; (ii) profiling regional competitiveness in several regions; and (iii) assessing the role of local government (institutional and actor) on determinants of regional competitiveness. This research is carried out by using a mixed-methods approach with a concurrent triangulation strategy model. The research follows the stages of literature study to identify the determinant factors of regional competitiveness relevant to the purpose of research, followed by descriptive analysis of the variables and selected by statistics through Analytical Network Process (ANP) to become the determinant factor of competitiveness. In accordance with the concept and definition of regional competitiveness, this research develops five main indicators determining regional competitiveness and its 30 variables. These indicators are regional economy; manpower and human resources; productive business environment; infrastructure; natural resources and environment; and banking and financial institutions. The data used are primary and secondary data by compiling from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) and questionnaires to the Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA) following by in-depth interviews with experts. This research uses the case study of Banten Province. The main reason is that Banten has varied areas, ranging from developed cities to lagging regions. It is expected to represent other areas in Indonesia. This research provides an alternative framework of competitiveness analysis methods at the regional level. The concept of regional competitiveness can be a catalyst and enabler to the development of regional specialization and networking among regions in the era of economic globalization.

Effects of competition on great and blue tit reproduction: intensity and importance in relation to habitat quality.

PubMed

Dhondt, André A

2010-01-01

1. In studies on the effect of competition in plant communities two terms are used to describe its effects: the absolute reduction in growth of an individual as a consequence of the presence of another one is called intensity, while the relative impact of competition on an individual as a proportion of the impact of the whole environment is called importance. One school of thought is that the role of competition remains constant across productivity gradients, while the other is that it decreases with increasing severity. J.B. Grace (1991. A clarification of the debate between grime and tilman. Functional Ecology, 5, 583-587.) suggested that the apparent contradiction might be solved if we acknowledge that the two schools are discussing different aspects of competition: the intensity of competition might remain constant while its importance declines with increasing severity. 2. There are no studies that compare intensity and importance of competition in bird populations between areas that differ in quality or productivity and hence it is not possible to make predictions how intensity or importance of competition would vary between them. 3. I compared variation in intensity and importance of competition of three demographic variables between five plots that differ strongly in quality for great Parus major L. and blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus (L.). 4. Both intensity and importance of competition are larger in great than in blue tit populations meaning that the effect of competition on demographic variables is stronger in great than in blue tits and that the contribution of competition to variation in these variables is relatively higher in great than in blue tits. 5. Intensity of competition is higher in low quality than in high quality plots for both species, a result not expected from studies in plant communities. 6. Importance of competition varies strongly between plots. It is larger in oak-dominated plots than in mixed deciduous plots. 7. In birds breeding density increases with habitat quality but is limited by territorial behaviour. As a result competition for food is reduced in high quality habitats resulting in a reduction of competition intensity in high quality sites in which birds breed at high densities. 8. It can be predicted that in studies of territorial species density dependent effects on reproduction are more likely to be detected in low quality sites explaining in part differences in results between studies.

[Nodulation competitiveness of nodule bacteria: Genetic control and adaptive significance].

PubMed

Onishchuk, O P; Vorobyov, N I; Provorov, N A

2017-01-01

The most recent data on the system of cmp (competitiveness) genes that determine the nodulation competitiveness of rhizobial strains, i.e., the ability to compete for nodule formation in leguminous plants, is analyzed. Three genetic approaches for the construction of economically valuable strains of rhizobia are proposed: the amplification of positive regulators of competitiveness, the inactivation of the negative regulators of this trait, and the introduction of efficient competitiveness factors into strains capable of active nitrogen fixation.

Validity and factor structure of the bodybuilding dependence scale.

PubMed

Smith, D; Hale, B

2004-04-01

To investigate the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the bodybuilding dependence scale and to investigate differences in bodybuilding dependence between men and women and competitive and non-competitive bodybuilders. Seventy two male competitive bodybuilders, 63 female competitive bodybuilders, 87 male non-competitive bodybuilders, and 63 non-competitive female bodybuilders completed the bodybuilding dependence scale (BDS), the exercise dependence questionnaire (EDQ), and the muscle dysmorphia inventory (MDI). Confirmatory factor analysis of the BDS supported a three factor model of bodybuilding dependence, consisting of social dependence, training dependence, and mastery dependence (Q = 3.16, CFI = 0.98, SRMR = 0.04). Internal reliability of all three subscales was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92, 0.92, and 0.93 respectively). Significant (p<0.001) and moderate correlations were found between all BDS and MDI subscales, and between five of the eight EDQ subscales. A multivariate analysis of covariance, with univariate F tests and Tukey HSD tests, revealed that both male and female competitive bodybuilders scored significantly (p<0.05) higher on all three BDS subscales than the male and female non-competitive bodybuilders. However, there were no significant sex differences on any of the BDS subscales (p>0.05). The three factor BDS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of bodybuilding dependence. Symptoms of bodybuilding dependence are more prevalent in competitive bodybuilders than non-competitive ones, but there are no significant sex differences in bodybuilding dependence.

Export competitiveness of dairy products on global markets: the case of the European Union countries.

PubMed

Bojnec, Š; Fertő, I

2014-10-01

This paper analyzed the export competitiveness of dairy products of the European Union (EU) countries (EU-27) on intra-EU, extra-EU, and global markets, using the revealed comparative advantage index over the 2000-2011 period. The results indicated that about half of the EU-27 countries have had competitive exports in a certain segment of dairy products. The results differed by level of milk processing and for intra-EU and extra-EU markets, and did so over the analyzed years. Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, and the Netherlands are old EU-15 countries with competitive dairy exports (from the lowest to the highest according to the level of milk processing). The majority of the new EU-12 countries have faced difficulties in maintaining their level of export competitiveness, at least for some dairy products and market segments. The more competitive EU-12 countries in dairy exports were the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) and Poland. The duration of export competitiveness differed across the dairy groups of products according to the level of milk processing, indicating the importance of dairy chain product differentiation for export competitiveness and specialization. The export competitiveness of the higher level of processed milk products for final consumption can be significant for export dairy chain competitiveness on global markets. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Basketball Shot Types and Shot Success in Different Levels of Competitive Basketball

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The purpose of our research was to investigate the relative frequencies of different types of basketball shots (above head, hook shot, layup, dunk, tip-in), some details about their technical execution (one-legged, two-legged, drive, cut, …), and shot success in different levels of basketball competitions. We analysed video footage and categorized 5024 basketball shots from 40 basketball games and 5 different levels of competitive basketball (National Basketball Association (NBA), Euroleague, Slovenian 1st Division, and two Youth basketball competitions). Statistical analysis with hierarchical multinomial logistic regression models reveals that there are substantial differences between competitions. However, most differences decrease or disappear entirely after we adjust for differences in situations that arise in different competitions (shot location, player type, and attacks in transition). Differences after adjustment are mostly between the Senior and Youth competitions: more shots executed jumping or standing on one leg, more uncategorised shot types, and more dribbling or cutting to the basket in the Youth competitions, which can all be attributed to lesser technical and physical ability of developing basketball players. The two discernible differences within the Senior competitions are that, in the NBA, dunks are more frequent and hook shots are less frequent compared to European basketball, which can be attributed to better athleticism of NBA players. The effect situational variables have on shot types and shot success are found to be very similar for all competitions. PMID:26038836

Market competition and price of disease management programmes: an observational study.

PubMed

van Dijk, Christel E; Venema, Bob; de Jong, Judith D; de Bakker, Dinny H

2014-10-30

Managed competition was introduced into the health care system in several countries including the Netherlands, although effects of competition of both providers and health insurers on the price of health care are inconclusive. We investigated the association between competition of both providers (care groups) and health insurers and the price of disease management programmes (DMPs). Data from 76 DMP contractual agreements for type II diabetes mellitus in 2008, 2009 and 2010 were used to analyse the association between market competition and the price of DMPs. Market competition was calculated per municipal health services region (GGD). Insurer market competition was measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), care group competition by the number of care groups and the care group market share of GPs. The effect of competition was cross-sectionally studied with linear regression analyses. Insurer market concentration (HHI) and care group market share were not associated with the price of DMPs. The number of care groups in a GGD region was associated with a lower price (-€4.68; 95% CI: -8.36 - -1.00). The mean difference in the price of DMPs between health insurers was €58. The price of DMPs seems to be more dependent on the particular health insurer than on market conditions. For competition among health insurers and provider groups to develop, preconditions such as selective contracting and option for patient to change provider should be in place.

Evolution of increased competitiveness in cows trades off with reduced milk yield, fertility and more masculine morphology.

PubMed

Sartori, Cristina; Mazza, Serena; Guzzo, Nadia; Mantovani, Roberto

2015-08-01

In some species females compete for food, foraging territories, mating, and nesting sites. Competing females can exhibit morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations typical of males, which are commonly considered as secondary sexual traits. Competition and the development of traits increasing competitiveness require much energy and may exert adverse effects on fecundity and survival. From an evolutionary perspective, positive selection for increased competitiveness would then result in evolution of reduced values for traits related to fitness such as fecundity and survival. There is recent evidence for such evolutionary trade-offs involving male competition, but no study has considered competing females so far. Using data from competitions for dominance in cows (Bos taurus), we found negative genetic correlations between traits providing success in competition, that is, fighting ability and fitness traits related to milk production and with fertility (the inverse of parity-conception interval). Fighting ability also showed low but positive genetic correlations with "masculine" morphological traits, and negative correlations with "feminine" traits. A genetic change in traits over time has occurred due to selection on competitiveness, corresponding to an evolutionary process of "masculinization" counteracting the official selection for milk yield. Similar evolutionary trade-off between success in competition and fitness components may be present in various species experiencing female competition. © 2015 The Author(s). Evolution © 2015 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Understanding school food service characteristics associated with higher competitive food revenues can help focus efforts to improve school food environments.

PubMed

Guthrie, Joanne F; Newman, Constance; Ralston, Katherine; Prell, Mark; Ollinger, Michael

2012-08-01

Many school food services sell extra foods and beverages, popularly referred to as “competitive foods,” in addition to USDA school meals. On the basis of national survey data, most competitive foods and beverages selected by students are of low nutritional value. Recent federal legislation will allow schools that participate in USDA school meal programs to sell competitive foods only if the food items they sell meet nutrition standards based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Concerns have been raised about the potential effects of limiting competitive foods on local school food service finances. However, national data indicate that only in a subset of schools do food services receive large amounts of revenues from competitive foods. These food services are typically located in secondary schools in more affluent districts, serving higher proportions of students who do not receive free or reduced price meals. Compared to other food services, these food services couple higher competitive food revenues with lower school meal participation. Increasing school meal participation could increase meal revenues to offset any loss of competitive food revenues. Replacing less-healthful competitive items with healthier options could also help maintain school food service revenues while improving the school food environment. Nationally consistent nutrition standards for competitive foods may encourage development and marketing of healthful products.

Basketball shot types and shot success in different levels of competitive basketball.

PubMed

Erčulj, Frane; Štrumbelj, Erik

2015-01-01

The purpose of our research was to investigate the relative frequencies of different types of basketball shots (above head, hook shot, layup, dunk, tip-in), some details about their technical execution (one-legged, two-legged, drive, cut, …), and shot success in different levels of basketball competitions. We analysed video footage and categorized 5024 basketball shots from 40 basketball games and 5 different levels of competitive basketball (National Basketball Association (NBA), Euroleague, Slovenian 1st Division, and two Youth basketball competitions). Statistical analysis with hierarchical multinomial logistic regression models reveals that there are substantial differences between competitions. However, most differences decrease or disappear entirely after we adjust for differences in situations that arise in different competitions (shot location, player type, and attacks in transition). Differences after adjustment are mostly between the Senior and Youth competitions: more shots executed jumping or standing on one leg, more uncategorised shot types, and more dribbling or cutting to the basket in the Youth competitions, which can all be attributed to lesser technical and physical ability of developing basketball players. The two discernible differences within the Senior competitions are that, in the NBA, dunks are more frequent and hook shots are less frequent compared to European basketball, which can be attributed to better athleticism of NBA players. The effect situational variables have on shot types and shot success are found to be very similar for all competitions.

Does stronger pollen competition improve offspring fitness when pollen load does not vary?

PubMed

Pélabon, Christophe; Hennet, Lauriane; Bolstad, Geir H; Albertsen, Elena; Opedal, Øystein H; Ekrem, Runa K; Armbruster, W Scott

2016-03-01

Competition among pollen grains from a single donor is expected to increase the quality of the offspring produced because of the recessive deleterious alleles expressed during pollen-tube growth. However, evidence for such an effect is inconclusive; a large number of studies suffer from confounding variation in pollen competition with variation in pollen load. In this study, we tested the effect of pollen competition on offspring performance independently of pollen-load variation. We compared seed mass and early seedling performance in Dalechampia scandens (Euphorbiaceae) between crosses in which variation in pollen competition was achieved, without variation in pollen load, by manipulating the dispersion of pollen grains on the stigmas. Despite a large sample size (211 crosses on 20 maternal plants), we failed to find an effect of pollen competition on seed characteristics or early seedling performance. Paternal effects were always limited, and pollen competition never reduced the within-father (residual) variance. These results suggest that limited within-donor variation in genetic quality of pollen grains reduces the potential benefits of pollen competition in the study population. The lack of paternal effects on early sporophyte performance further suggests that benefits of pollen competition among pollen from multiple donors should be limited as well, and it raises questions about the significance of pollen competition as a mechanism of sexual selection. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Effects of competition on the cost and quality of inpatient rehabilitation care under prospective payment.

PubMed

Colla, Carrie Hoverman; Escarce, José J; Buntin, Melinda Beeuwkes; Sood, Neeraj

2010-12-01

To determine the effect of competition in postacute care (PAC) markets on resource intensity and outcomes of care in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) after prospective payment was implemented. Medicare claims, Provider of Services file, Enrollment file, Area Resource file, Minimum Data Set. We created an exogenous measure of competition based on patient travel distances and used instrumental variables models to estimate the effect of competition on inpatient rehabilitation costs, length of stay, and death or institutionalization. A file was constructed linking data for Medicare patients discharged from acute care between 2002 and 2003 and admitted to an IRF with a diagnosis of hip fracture or stroke. Competition had different effects on treatment intensity and outcomes for hip fracture and stroke patients. In the treatment of hip fracture, competition increased costs and length of stay, while increasing rates of death or institutionalization. In the treatment of stroke, competition decreased costs and length of stay and produced inferior outcomes. The effects of competition in PAC markets may vary by condition. It is important to study the effects of competition by diagnostic condition and to study the effects across populations that vary in severity. Our finding that higher competition under prospective payment led to worse IRF outcomes raises concerns and calls for additional research. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

To select or to wait? The importance of criterion setting in debates of competitive lexical selection.

PubMed

Nozari, Nazbanou; Hepner, Christopher R

2018-06-05

Competitive accounts of lexical selection propose that the activation of competitors slows down the selection of the target. Non-competitive accounts, on the other hand, posit that target response latencies are independent of the activation of competing items. In this paper, we propose a signal detection framework for lexical selection and show how a flexible selection criterion affects claims of competitive selection. Specifically, we review evidence from neurotypical and brain-damaged speakers and demonstrate that task goals and the state of the production system determine whether a competitive or a non-competitive selection profile arises. We end by arguing that there is conclusive evidence for a flexible criterion in lexical selection, and that integrating criterion shifts into models of language production is critical for evaluating theoretical claims regarding (non-)competitive selection.

When winning is everything.

PubMed

Malhotra, Deepak; Ku, Gillian; Murnighan, J Keith

2008-05-01

In the heat of competition, executives can easily become obsessed with beating their rivals. This adrenaline-fueled emotional state, which the authors call competitive arousal, often leads to bad decisions. Managers can minimize the potential for competitive arousal and the harm it can inflict by avoiding certain types of interaction and targeting the causes of a win-at-all-costs approach to decision making. Through an examination of companies such as Boston Scientific and Paramount, and through research on auctions, the authors identified three principal drivers of competitive arousal: intense rivalry, especially in the form of one-on-one competitions; time pressure, found in auctions and other bidding situations, for example; and being in the spotlight--that is, working in the presence of an audience. Individually, these factors can seriously impair managerial decision making; together, their consequences can be dire, as evidenced by many high-profile business disasters. It's not possible to avoid destructive competitions and bidding wars completely. But managers can help prevent competitive arousal by anticipating potentially harmful competitive dynamics and then restructuring the deal-making process. They can also stop irrational competitive behavior from escalating by addressing the causes of competitive arousal. When rivalry is intense, for instance, managers can limit the roles of those who feel it most. They can reduce time pressure by extending or eliminating arbitrary deadlines. And they can deflect the spotlight by spreading the responsibility for critical competitive decisions among team members. Decision makers will be most successful when they focus on winning contests in which they have a real advantage--and take a step back from those in which winning exacts too high a cost.

On the duration and intensity of cumulative advantage competitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Bo; Sun, Liyuan; Figueiredo, Daniel R.; Ribeiro, Bruno; Towsley, Don

2015-11-01

Network growth can be framed as a competition for edges among nodes in the network. As with various other social and physical systems, skill (fitness) and luck (random chance) act as fundamental forces driving competition dynamics. In the context of networks, cumulative advantage (CA)—the rich-get-richer effect—is seen as a driving principle governing the edge accumulation process. However, competitions coupled with CA exhibit non-trivial behavior and little is formally known about duration and intensity of CA competitions. By isolating two nodes in an ideal CA competition, we provide a mathematical understanding of how CA exacerbates the role of luck in detriment of skill. We show, for instance, that when nodes start with few edges, an early stroke of luck can place the less skilled in the lead for an extremely long period of time, a phenomenon we call ‘struggle of the fittest’. We prove that duration of a simple skill and luck competition model exhibit power-law tails when CA is present, regardless of skill difference, which is in sharp contrast to the exponential tails when fitness is distinct but CA is absent. We also prove that competition intensity is always upper bounded by an exponential tail, irrespective of CA and skills. Thus, CA competitions can be extremely long (infinite mean, depending on fitness ratio) but almost never very intense. The theoretical results are corroborated by extensive numerical simulations. Our findings have important implications to competitions not only among nodes in networks but also in contexts that leverage socio-physical models embodying CA competitions.

Is Nocturnal Foraging in a Tropical Bee an Escape From Interference Competition?

PubMed Central

Kitchen, Shannon M.; Toney, Ryan M.; Ziegler, Christian

2017-01-01

Temporal niche partitioning may result from interference competition if animals shift their activity patterns to avoid aggressive competitors. If doing so also shifts food sources, it is difficult to distinguish the effects of interference and consumptive competition in selecting for temporal niche shift. Bees compete for pollen and nectar from flowers through both interference and consumptive competition, and some species of bees have evolved nocturnality. Here, we use tropical forest canopy towers to observe bees (the night-flying sweat bees Megalopta genalis and M. centralis [Halictidae], honey bees, and stingless bees [Apidae]) visiting flowers of the balsa tree (Ochroma pyramalidae, Malvaceae). Because Ochroma flowers are open in the late afternoon through the night we can test the relative influence of each competition type on temporal nice. Niche shift due to consumptive competition predicts that Megalopta forage when resources are available: from afternoon into the night. Niche shift due to interference competition predicts that Megalopta forage only in the absence of diurnal bees. We found no overlap between diurnal bees and Megalopta in the evening, and only one instance of overlap in the morning, despite the abundance of pollen and nectar in the late afternoon and evening. This supports the hypothesis that Megalopta are avoiding interference competition, but not the hypothesis that they are limited by consumptive competition. We propose that the release from interference competition enables Megalopta to provision cells quickly, and spend most of their time investing in nest defense. Thus, increases in foraging efficiency directly resulting from temporal shifts to escape interference competition may indirectly lead to reduced predation and parasitism. PMID:28931157

Competition among pharmacies and the typology of services delivered: The Portuguese case.

PubMed

Martins, Lurdes; Queirós, Sónia

2015-05-01

To analyze the impact of individual and market characteristics (such as competition) on the typology of services delivered by a community pharmacy after a recent Portuguese pro-competitive regulatory change. In this paper, market concentration indices are used to identify market competition groups in the sample. These competition groups are then described with regard to the typology of services on offer by pharmacies within the group. Finally, a system of structural equations is estimated to verify if the decision of a pharmacy to offer or not to offer each of the studied pharmaceutical services is affected by local market regulated competition. In some cases, pharmacies belonging to different competition groups do not present significant differences in terms of the typology of services on offer, but according to our regressions, it seems that vaccines and medicines administration services, pharmaceutical care programmes and medicines management programmes are more likely to be offered in pharmacies located in higher competitive markets. These are also urban areas, in which there is already easy access to products sold in pharmacies, and to health services in general. Access to additional pharmacy services may in some cases increase as market competition increases. Thus, pro-competitive regulatory measures may have led to an asymmetric distribution of pharmacy services across the country, favouring more competitive urban marketplaces. If policy-makers are interested in a more symmetrical distribution of pharmacies services all over the country, they are recommended to take action to ensure equitable access to these services. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding sleep disturbance in athletes prior to important competitions.

PubMed

Juliff, Laura E; Halson, Shona L; Peiffer, Jeremiah J

2015-01-01

Anecdotally many athletes report worse sleep in the nights prior to important competitions. Despite sleep being acknowledged as an important factor for optimal athletic performance and overall health, little is understood about athlete sleep around competition. The aims of this study were to identify sleep complaints of athletes prior to competitions and determine whether complaints were confined to competition periods. Cross-sectional study. A sample of 283 elite Australian athletes (129 male, 157 female, age 24±5 y) completed two questionnaires; Competitive Sport and Sleep questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. 64.0% of athletes indicated worse sleep on at least one occasion in the nights prior to an important competition over the past 12 months. The main sleep problem specified by athletes was problems falling asleep (82.1%) with the main reasons responsible for poor sleep indicated as thoughts about the competition (83.5%) and nervousness (43.8%). Overall 59.1% of team sport athletes reported having no strategy to overcome poor sleep compared with individual athletes (32.7%, p=0.002) who utilised relaxation and reading as strategies. Individual sport athletes had increased likelihood of poor sleep as they aged. The poor sleep reported by athletes prior to competition was situational rather than a global sleep problem. Poor sleep is common prior to major competitions in Australian athletes, yet most athletes are unaware of strategies to overcome the poor sleep experienced. It is essential coaches and scientists monitor and educate both individual and team sport athletes to facilitate sleep prior to important competitions. Copyright © 2014 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mating competitiveness of male Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes irradiated with a partially or fully sterilizing dose in small and large laboratory cages.

PubMed

Helinski, M E H; Knols, B G J

2008-07-01

Male mating competitiveness is a crucial parameter in many genetic control programs including the sterile insect technique (SIT). We evaluated competitiveness of male Anopheles arabiensis Patton as a function of three experimental variables: (1) small or large cages for mating, (2) the effects of either a partially sterilizing (70 Gy) or fully sterilizing (120 Gy) dose, and (3) pupal or adult irradiation. Irradiated males competed for females with an equal number of unirradiated males. Competitiveness was determined by measuring hatch rates of individually laid egg batches. In small cages, pupal irradiation with the high dose resulted in the lowest competitiveness, whereas adult irradiation with the low dose gave the highest, with the latter males being equal in competitiveness to unirradiated males. In the large cage, reduced competitiveness of males irradiated in the pupal stage was more pronounced compared with the small cage; the males irradiated as adults at both doses performed similarly to unirradiated males. Unexpectedly, males irradiated with the high dose performed better in a large cage than in a small one. A high proportion of intermediate hatch rates was observed for eggs collected in the large cage experiments with males irradiated at the pupal stage. It is concluded that irradiation of adult An. arabiensis with the partially sterilizing dose results in the highest competitiveness for both cage designs. Cage size affected competitiveness for some treatments; therefore, competitiveness determined in laboratory experiments must be confirmed by releases into simulated field conditions. The protocols described are readily transferable to evaluate male competitiveness for other genetic control techniques.

Choice and competition between adult congenital heart disease centers: evidence of considerable geographical disparities and association with clinical or academic results.

PubMed

Diller, Gerhard-Paul; Kempny, Aleksander; Piorkowski, Adam; Grübler, Martin; Swan, Lorna; Baumgartner, Helmut; Dimopoulos, Konstantinos; Gatzoulis, Michael A

2014-03-01

Although concentrating adult congenital heart disease services at high-volume centers has been widely advocated, the potential beneficial effects of competition and patient choice have received relatively little attention. We aimed to assess the degree of patient choice and competition between adult congenital heart disease units and to investigate whether competition indices correlate with clinical quality or research output. Competition between the 10 major adult congenital heart disease units in England was evaluated based on the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, representing the sum of squared market shares of individual units. In addition, to account for geography and feasible access, we calculated spatial indices of competition based on travel time by road. These indices were correlated with 30-day mortality postpulmonary valve replacement in adult patients (as obtained from the National Central Cardiac Audit Database) and the aggregate research impact factors of individual centers. On a national level, a high level of competition without obvious dominant players was found (Herfindahl-Hirschman Index between 0.107 and 0.013). When accounting for geography, however, important disparities in patient choice and competition faced by individual centers emerged. The degree of local competition was correlated significantly with clinical outcomes and research output. In contrast, no association between center volume and outcome could be established. Beyond the usual focus on concentrating services at high-volume centers, the potentially beneficial effects of competition should not be ignored. Therefore, policymakers should consider fostering a competitive environment for adult congenital heart disease centers or at least avoiding creating government-granted monopolies in the field.

76 FR 63951 - Notice of Competitive Coal Lease Sale, Utah

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-14

..., UTU85539] Notice of Competitive Coal Lease Sale, Utah AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of competitive coal lease sale. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that that certain coal resources in the Dry Canyon Coal Tract described below in Carbon County, Utah, will be offered for competitive...

Potential for nest site competition between native and exotic tree squirrels

Treesearch

Andrew J. Edelman; John L. Koprowski; Sadie R. Bertelsen

2009-01-01

In communities where strong interspecific competition between native species is lacking, exotic and native species often exhibit intense resource competition resulting in decline of native populations. We examined the potential for interspecific competition for nest sites between co-occurring native Mt. Graham red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis...

Competitions for Showcasing Innovative and Creative Talents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riley, Tracy L.

2011-01-01

Competitions are recommended for identifying and providing for the exceptional talents of young people. Competitions have been a cornerstone of gifted education, putting talents to the test by enabling gifted students to showcase their abilities and receive acknowledgement and recognition for their talents. Competitions have been noted as "a…

Oral Interpretation and Broadcasting at Individual Events Tournaments: An Interdisciplinary Tournament Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drake, Harold L.

Since the American Forensic Association has sanctioned recording individual events competition, it might be in the interest of competition to combine oral interpretation and radio/television broadcast competition into simultaneous competition. Voice development is a goal shared by oral interpretation and broadcasting, so oral interpretation…

Cooperation versus Competition: Is There Really Such an Issue?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Ann Michelle

2007-01-01

This author argues that youth sports can move beyond the dichotomy of cooperation versus competition by redefining competition. This can be accomplished by considering the development of cooperative skills and achievement motivation. The article addresses how cooperative skills can be taught within a competitive sport. First, it is important to…

43 CFR 3602.40 - Competitive sales.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Competitive sales. 3602.40 Section 3602.40..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) MINERAL MATERIALS DISPOSAL Mineral Materials Sales Competitive Sales § 3602.40 Competitive sales. In addition to the following sections, §§ 3602.41 through 3602...

43 CFR 3602.40 - Competitive sales.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Competitive sales. 3602.40 Section 3602.40..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) MINERAL MATERIALS DISPOSAL Mineral Materials Sales Competitive Sales § 3602.40 Competitive sales. In addition to the following sections, §§ 3602.41 through 3602...

43 CFR 3602.40 - Competitive sales.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Competitive sales. 3602.40 Section 3602.40..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) MINERAL MATERIALS DISPOSAL Mineral Materials Sales Competitive Sales § 3602.40 Competitive sales. In addition to the following sections, §§ 3602.41 through 3602...

43 CFR 3602.40 - Competitive sales.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Competitive sales. 3602.40 Section 3602.40..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) MINERAL MATERIALS DISPOSAL Mineral Materials Sales Competitive Sales § 3602.40 Competitive sales. In addition to the following sections, §§ 3602.41 through 3602...

42 CFR 417.407 - Requirements for a Competitive Medical Plan (CMP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Requirements for a Competitive Medical Plan (CMP... AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICARE PROGRAM HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS, COMPETITIVE MEDICAL... Requirements for a Competitive Medical Plan (CMP). (a) General rule. To qualify as a CMP, an entity must be...

42 CFR 417.407 - Requirements for a Competitive Medical Plan (CMP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Requirements for a Competitive Medical Plan (CMP... AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICARE PROGRAM HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS, COMPETITIVE MEDICAL... Requirements for a Competitive Medical Plan (CMP). (a) General rule. To qualify as a CMP, an entity must be...

Habitat fragmentation and interspecific competition: Implications for lynx conservation [Chapter 4

Treesearch

Steven W. Buskirk

2000-01-01

Habitat fragmentation and interspecific competition are two important forces that potentially affect lynx populations. Fragmentation operates by various mechanisms, including direct habitat loss, vehicle collisions and behavioral disturbance from roads, and changes in landscape features such as edges. Competition takes two forms: Exploitation competition involves...

Imagine...Opportunities and Resources for Academically Talented Youth, 1999-2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartman, Melissa E., Ed.

2000-01-01

Designed to encourage gifted students to develop their talents, the first issue in the volume focuses on academic competitions and includes articles on: "The Joys of Competition"; "Why Bother with Math Contests?" (Sam Vandervelde); "Science Competitions"; Humanities Competitions"; "Designing in Metal" (Cody Chance); and "Discovering My Chinese…

Cooperative Games and Children's Positive Behaviors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finlinson, Abbie Reynolds; Austin, Ann M. Berghout; Pfister, Roxane

2000-01-01

Examined impact of cooperative and competitive games on 4-year-olds' behavior over 6 weeks. Found that more positive behaviors were observed during cooperative games than competitive games, and more negative behaviors were observed during competitive games, but only during the first week of competitive games. Found that teachers' warmth and…

Measuring Competition: Inconsistent Definitions, Inconsistent Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linick, Matthew Allen

2014-01-01

There is a developing literature examining how charter schools, through the effects of competition, impact performance in public school districts and district-run public schools, also known as the second-level effects of competition. What follows is an examination of how competition is measured in this literature that offers a critique of existing…

Go for It! Student Competitions Energize Construction Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nobe, Michael D.; Glick, Scott A.; Johnson, Brad

2006-01-01

Engaging students in regional and national competitions can have a dramatic impact on learning--specifically regarding the integration of concepts and techniques. Colorado State University (CSU) has a long history of participating in student competitions. Generally, the competitions the state university has engaged in run in conjunctions with…

40 CFR 35.723 - Competitive process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Grants (pub.l. 105-276) § 35.723 Competitive process. EPA will award Tribal hazardous waste program grants to Tribes or Intertribal Consortia on a competitive basis in accordance with national program... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Competitive process. 35.723 Section 35...

Does Competition Improve Public School Efficiency? A Spatial Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Misra, Kaustav

2010-01-01

Proponents of educational reform often call for policies to increase competition between schools. It is argued that market forces naturally lead to greater efficiencies, including improved student learning, when schools face competition. In many parts of the country, public schools experience significant competition from private schools; however,…

3 CFR - Government Reform for Competitiveness and Innovation

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 3 The President 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Government Reform for Competitiveness and Innovation... Competitiveness and Innovation Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies As I outlined in my... competitiveness such as education, innovation, and infrastructure. By out-educating, out-innovating, and out...

Open Enrollment, Competition, and Student Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babington, Michael; Welsch, David M.

2017-01-01

Many papers have now examined the competitive effects of charter and voucher programs; relatively less attention has been paid to the potential competitive effects of other school choice programs. Our paper attempts to continue to fill this void, by examining the potential competitive effects of transfers within a statewide open enrollment program…

47 CFR 90.801 - 900 MHz SMR spectrum subject to competitive bidding.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES PRIVATE LAND MOBILE RADIO SERVICES Competitive Bidding Procedures for 900 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio Service § 90.801 900 MHz SMR spectrum subject to competitive bidding. Mutually exclusive initial applications for 900 MHz SMR service licenses are subject to competitive bidding. The...

76 FR 77778 - Amendment to Notice of Establishment of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-14

... the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness and Solicitation of Nominations for Membership... establishment of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness and solicitation of nominations for..., 2011, Federal Register the establishment of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness (the...

Strategic Alliance: Competitiveness of Sino-Foreign Cooperative School Running Operation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xie, Lihui; Hou, Tao; Li, Ze

2011-01-01

Lying in a transformation period of economic development, economic prosperity, social progress and development in science and technology have to rely on strong competitiveness of a nation's universities to a large degree. Actually, universities' competitiveness is closely related to the improvement of a nation's competitiveness in human resources,…

48 CFR 6.301 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... without providing for full and open competition or full and open competition after exclusion of sources is... COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS Other Than Full and Open Competition 6.301 Policy. (a) 41 U.S.C. 253(c) and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c) each authorize, under certain conditions, contracting without providing for full and open...

Challenges Faced by Project Competition Participants and Recommended Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demirel, Turgay; Baydas, Ozlem; Yilmaz, Rabia M.; Goktas, Yuksel

2013-01-01

The numbers of project competitions and interest in this kind of competition have been steadily increasing in Turkey. Accordingly, it is important to determine what challenges teachers and students may face while preparing themselves for project competitions, so that recommendations may be made to overcome these challenges. This study investigated…

Teaching Diversity through Case Competition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, T. Nichole; Wood, Lynette I.

2017-01-01

This paper shares the process and outcomes of utilizing case competitions as an approach to diversity education. A university-wide case competition was held for two consecutive years. We detail the procedure for facilitating the competition, the role of internal and external stakeholders, and student performance and feedback. It is our position…

43 CFR 3602.42 - How does BLM publicize competitive mineral materials sales?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false How does BLM publicize competitive mineral... (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) MINERAL MATERIALS DISPOSAL Mineral Materials Sales Competitive Sales § 3602.42 How does BLM publicize competitive...

43 CFR 3602.42 - How does BLM publicize competitive mineral materials sales?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false How does BLM publicize competitive mineral... (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) MINERAL MATERIALS DISPOSAL Mineral Materials Sales Competitive Sales § 3602.42 How does BLM publicize competitive...

43 CFR 3602.43 - How does BLM conduct competitive mineral materials sales?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false How does BLM conduct competitive mineral... (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) MINERAL MATERIALS DISPOSAL Mineral Materials Sales Competitive Sales § 3602.43 How does BLM conduct competitive...

43 CFR 3602.42 - How does BLM publicize competitive mineral materials sales?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false How does BLM publicize competitive mineral... (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) MINERAL MATERIALS DISPOSAL Mineral Materials Sales Competitive Sales § 3602.42 How does BLM publicize competitive...

43 CFR 3602.43 - How does BLM conduct competitive mineral materials sales?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false How does BLM conduct competitive mineral... (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) MINERAL MATERIALS DISPOSAL Mineral Materials Sales Competitive Sales § 3602.43 How does BLM conduct competitive...

43 CFR 3602.43 - How does BLM conduct competitive mineral materials sales?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false How does BLM conduct competitive mineral... (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) MINERAL MATERIALS DISPOSAL Mineral Materials Sales Competitive Sales § 3602.43 How does BLM conduct competitive...

43 CFR 3602.43 - How does BLM conduct competitive mineral materials sales?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false How does BLM conduct competitive mineral... (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) MINERAL MATERIALS DISPOSAL Mineral Materials Sales Competitive Sales § 3602.43 How does BLM conduct competitive...

75 FR 82567 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Repeal of the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-30

... Competitiveness Demonstration Program AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA... of the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program, to meet the requirements of section 1335... (15 U.S.C. 644 note), the Small Business Competitiveness Demonstration Program. In accordance with the...

78 FR 16529 - Notice of Determination of No Competitive Interest, Offshore Virginia

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-15

... Determination of No Competitive Interest, Offshore Virginia AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Notice of Determination of No Competitive Interest (DNCI) for a Proposed Outer... that there is no competitive interest in the area requested by the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department...

Competition: how hypnosis can help women to hold their own in the workplace.

PubMed

Hornyak, Lynne M

2004-07-01

This paper takes the perspective that competitive strivings in self and others have been an area of difficulty for women and that gender socialization has played a significant role. The author discusses elements of competition that seem toxic for women and proposes descriptors of healthy competition. It is proposed that hypnosis provides a suitable method for neutralizing negative elements and promoting adaptive responses in competitive situations. Five applications of hypnotic methods are illustrated through two case examples.

Results of the Joint DoD/OFPP Competition Workshop Held 12-13 May 1981, Washington, DC.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-05-01

major system level. a Competition status on programs - how do we tell how well we are doing? 3 e Mission vs. individual objectives - individuals may be...procuring a system and an economic analysis to calculate the actual savings of competition on a system (8). e The interaction of competition and multiyear...included: * The relationship of cost growth and competition , a net assessment. e The causes and costs of turbulence in Government contracts. * The

Competition among physicians. Avoiding anticompetitive activities.

PubMed

Oliver, D

1988-12-01

Increases in both the cost of medical care and the numbers of providers have generated strong pressure for competition in the medical profession. The Federal Trade Commission strives to maintain such competition free from public and private restraints in order to maximize consumer welfare. The author describes the advantages of these types of competitive practices and discusses the competitive restraints that most concern the FTC: restrictions on ethical advertising, exclusion of competitors, restraints on dispensing drugs, and restrictions on commercial practice locations.

Rise and fall of competitiveness in individualistic and collectivistic societies.

PubMed

Leibbrandt, Andreas; Gneezy, Uri; List, John A

2013-06-04

Competitiveness pervades life: plants compete for sunlight and water, animals for territory and food, and humans for mates and income. Herein we investigate human competitiveness with a natural experiment and a set of behavioral experiments. We compare competitiveness in traditional fishing societies where local natural forces determine whether fishermen work in isolation or in collectives. We find sharp evidence that fishermen from individualistic societies are far more competitive than fishermen from collectivistic societies, and that this difference emerges with work experience. These findings suggest that humans can evolve traits to specific needs, support the idea that socio-ecological factors play a decisive role for individual competitiveness, and provide evidence how individualistic and collectivistic societies shape economic behavior.

Construction of Industrial Ecosystem of an Electric Company under Ecological Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xin; Zhang, Yuan; Wu, Han

2018-01-01

Be confronted with more and more fierce competition environment, only by constantly integrating, constructing and restructuring internal and external resources as well as capabilities can enterprises adapt themselves to the rapidly changing environment and maintain the advantages of sustained competition. Business competition has changed from product competition of single enterprise to competition of bussiness ecosystem. Therefore, how to build a business system is the key to win competition. This paper draws lessons from business ecosystem and industrial ecosystem concept and takes the subordinate industry company of a large enterprise as the research object. On the the basis of combing its characteristics and organizational structure, an industrial ecosystem is tired to constructed.

A research model of health-care competition and customer satisfaction.

PubMed

Asoh, Derek A; Rivers, Patrick A

2007-11-01

In all industries, competition among businesses has long been encouraged as a mechanism to increase value for customers. In other words, competition ensures the provision of better products and services to satisfy the needs of customers. Various perspectives of competition, the nature of service quality, health-care system costs and customer satisfaction in health care are examined. A model of the relationship among these variables is developed. The model depicts customer satisfaction as an outcome measure directly dependent on competition. Quality of care and health-care system costs, while also directly dependent on competition, are considered as determinants of customer satisfaction as well. The model is discussed in the light of propositions for empirical research.

Sperm competition, immunity, selfish genes and cancer.

PubMed

Lewis, Z; Price, T A R; Wedell, N

2008-10-01

Sperm competition is widespread and has played an important role in shaping male reproductive characters such as testis size and numbers of sperm produced, and this is reflected in the rapid evolution of many reproductive genes. Additionally, sperm competition has been implicated in the rapid evolution of seminal fluids. However, our understanding of the molecular basis of many traits thought to be important in sperm competition is rudimentary. Furthermore, links between sperm competition and a range of issues not directly related to reproduction are only just beginning to be explored. These include associations between sperm competition and selfish genes, immunity and diseases such as cancer.We briefly review these topics and suggest areas we consider worthy of additional research.

Effects of competition on hospital quality: an examination using hospital administrative data.

PubMed

Palangkaraya, Alfons; Yong, Jongsay

2013-06-01

This paper investigates the effects of competition on hospital quality using hospital administration data from the State of Victoria, Australia. Hospital quality is measured by 30-day mortality rates and 30-day unplanned readmission rates. Competition is measured by Herfindahl-Hirschman index and the numbers of competing public and private hospitals. The paper finds that hospitals facing higher competition have lower unplanned admission rates. However, competition is related negatively to hospital quality when measured by mortality, albeit the effects are weak and barely statistically significant. The paper also finds that the positive effect of competition on quality as measured by unplanned readmission differs greatly depending on whether the hospital is publicly or privately owned.

Players' expertise and competition with others shape the satisfaction of competence needs, gaming gratifications, and contingent self-esteem in a gaming context.

PubMed

Kazakova, Snezhanka; Cauberghe, Veroline; Pandelaere, Mario; De Pelsmacker, Patrick

2014-01-01

The current study explores how competition and gaming expertise affect the satisfaction of competence needs and gaming gratifications. We demonstrate that competition moderates the effect of gaming expertise on the satisfaction of competence needs, which in turn affects game enjoyment and replay intention. Gaming expertise predicted players' need satisfaction, game enjoyment, and replay intention significantly better in a competitive compared to a noncompetitive context. The effect of gaming expertise on game enjoyment and replay intention was, furthermore, mediated by the satisfaction of competence needs. Finally, gaming expertise positively affected the importance of competition for players' self-esteem only in the competitive gaming context. The present findings demonstrate the importance of competition and gaming expertise for the satisfaction of competence needs, gaming gratifications, and the pursuit of self-esteem during gameplay, attesting to the applicability of self-determination theory to gaming contexts.

Competition and primary care in the United States: separating fact from fancy.

PubMed

Siminoff, L

1986-01-01

Competitive strategies have been advocated as the solution for the economic ills of the U.S. economy. During the 1980s many economists and health care practitioners are arguing that a competitive strategy will bring down health care costs; these plans emphasize the existence of perverse incentives which reward cost reducing behavior with less revenue. Competitive strategies assume the existence of a "health care marketplace." Historically, the United States health care sector has not conformed to the ideal of the competitive market because of the special characteristics involved in the production and consumption of health care. Consumers have the least power in the health care sector and yet most competitive proposals are explicitly directed at changing consumer behavior, especially in the area of primary care. Much evidence indicates that competitive plans inhibit consumers from using primary care services, increase long-term health care costs, and ultimately require more government regulatory action.

Modeling the cooperative and competitive contagions in online social networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Yun-Bei; Chen, J. J.; Li, Zhi-hong

2017-10-01

The wide adoption of social media has increased the interaction among different pieces of information, and this interaction includes cooperation and competition for our finite attention. While previous research focus on fully competition, this paper extends the interaction to be both "cooperation" and "competition", by employing an IS1S2 R model. To explore how two different pieces of information interact with each other, the IS1S2 R model splits the agents into four parts-(Ignorant-Spreader I-Spreader II-Stifler), based on SIR epidemic spreading model. Using real data from Weibo.com, a social network site similar to Twitter, we find some parameters, like decaying rates, can both influence the cooperative diffusion process and the competitive process, while other parameters, like infectious rates only have influence on the competitive diffusion process. Besides, the parameters' effect are more significant in the competitive diffusion than in the cooperative diffusion.

Competitive impacts of an invasive nectar thief on plant-pollinator mutualisms

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hanna, Cause; Foote, David; Kremen, Claire

2014-01-01

Plant–pollinator mutualisms are disrupted by a variety of competitive interactions between introduced and native floral visitors. The invasive western yellowjacket wasp, Vespula pensylvanica, is an aggressive nectar thief of the dominant endemic Hawaiian tree species, Metrosideros polymorpha. We conducted a large-scale, multiyear manipulative experiment to investigate the impacts of V. pensylvanica on the structure and behavior of the M. polymorpha pollinator community, including competitive mechanisms related to resource availability. Our results demonstrate that V. pensylvanica, through both superior exploitative and interference competition, influences resource partitioning and displaces native and nonnative M. polymorpha pollinators. Furthermore, the restructuring of the pollinator community due to V. pensylvanica competition and predation results in a significant decrease in the overall pollinator effectiveness and fruit set of M. polymorpha. This research highlights both the competitive mechanisms and contrasting effects of social insect invaders on plant–pollinator mutualisms and the role of competition in pollinator community structure.

Has competition increased hospital technical efficiency?

PubMed

Lee, Keon-Hyung; Park, Jungwon; Lim, Seunghoo; Park, Sang-Chul

2015-01-01

Hospital competition and managed care have affected the hospital industry in various ways including technical efficiency. Hospital efficiency has become an important topic, and it is important to properly measure hospital efficiency in order to evaluate the impact of policies on the hospital industry. The primary independent variable is hospital competition. By using the 2001-2004 inpatient discharge data from Florida, we calculate the degree of hospital competition in Florida for 4 years. Hospital efficiency scores are developed using the Data Envelopment Analysis and by using the selected input and output variables from the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey of Hospitals for those acute care general hospitals in Florida. By using the hospital efficiency score as a dependent variable, we analyze the effects of hospital competition on hospital efficiency from 2001 to 2004 and find that when a hospital was located in a less competitive market in 2003, its technical efficiency score was lower than those in a more competitive market.

Electricity prices in a competitive environment: Marginal cost pricing of generation services and financial status of electric utilities. A preliminary analysis through 2015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1997-08-01

The emergence of competitive markets for electricity generation services is changing the way that electricity is and will be priced in the United States. This report presents the results of an analysis that focuses on two questions: (1) How are prices for competitive generation services likely to differ from regulated prices if competitive prices are based on marginal costs rather than regulated {open_quotes}cost-of-service{close_quotes} pricing? (2) What impacts will the competitive pricing of generation services (based on marginal costs) have on electricity consumption patterns, production costs, and the financial integrity patterns, production costs, and the financial integrity of electricity suppliers? Thismore » study is not intended to be a cost-benefit analysis of wholesale or retail competition, nor does this report include an analysis of the macroeconomic impacts of competitive electricity prices.« less

Cell Competition: Roles and Importance as a Central Phenomenon.

PubMed

Patel, Manish; Antala, Bhavesh; Shrivastava, Neeta

2015-01-01

Cell competition is a type of short-range cell-cell interaction first observed in Drosophila melanogaster. In two heterogeneous cell populations, cells that have a higher fitness level would have a competitive advantage and grow at the cost of neighbor cells that have comparatively lower fitness. This interaction is due to differences in expression levels of a specific protein in the two cell populations, and it is known as cell competition. In this review, we have studied recent findings of cell competition in different biological processes in Drosophila as well as mammalian systems. The purpose of this review is to collate important studies of competitive cell interactions, and to understand its roles and importance as a central phenomenon. This review provides evidence of the relevance of cell competition in various physiological and pathological conditions, such as size control in organ development, stem cell maintenance, tissue repair, organ regeneration, aging, formation of memory, and cancer.

Sex-specific reaction norms to intraspecific larval competition in the mosquito Aedes aegypti.

PubMed

Bedhomme, S; Agnew, P; Sidobre, C; Michalakis, Y

2003-07-01

As the relationship between a given life-history trait and fitness is not necessarily the same for the two sexes, an 'intersexual ontogenetic conflict' may arise. We analysed the phenotypic reaction to intraspecific larval competition of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, asking: (i) Do both sexes pay the cost of competition with the same life-history traits and are they equal competitors? (ii) Is there a specific cost of competition beyond sharing food resources? We found that competition incurs a specific cost that was expressed differently by the two sexes. Indeed, each sex maintained the more important life-history trait(s) for their fitness (developmental time for males and body weight and size for females) at the expense of other traits, thus minimizing the effects of competition on their fitness. The competition exerted by females was estimated as being more intense, probably linked with the greater importance of body size for their fitness.

Decision-making in plants under competition.

PubMed

Gruntman, Michal; Groß, Dorothee; Májeková, Maria; Tielbörger, Katja

2017-12-21

Plants can plastically respond to light competition in three strategies, comprising vertical growth, which promotes competitive dominance; shade tolerance, which maximises performance under shade; or lateral growth, which offers avoidance of competition. Here, we test the hypothesis that plants can 'choose' between these responses, according to their abilities to competitively overcome their neighbours. We study this hypothesis in the clonal plant Potentilla reptans using an experimental setup that simulates both the height and density of neighbours, thus presenting plants with different light-competition scenarios. Potentilla reptans ramets exhibit the highest vertical growth under simulated short-dense neighbours, highest specific leaf area (leaf area/dry mass) under tall-dense neighbours, and tend to increase total stolon length under tall-sparse neighbours. These responses suggest shifts between 'confrontational' vertical growth, shade tolerance and lateral-avoidance, respectively, and provide evidence that plants adopt one of several alternative plastic responses in a way that optimally corresponds to prevailing light-competition scenarios.

Diet and weight changes of female bodybuilders before and after competition.

PubMed

Walberg-Rankin, J; Edmonds, C E; Gwazdauskas, F C

1993-03-01

This study assessed nutritional and body weight patterns in 6 female bodybuilders approximately a month before and after a competition. The women kept dietary and body weight records and two of them also agreed to collect morning urine samples to provide information about their menstrual cycle. All women lost weight before and gained weight after competition. Energy intake was modestly restricted and the subjects consumed a moderate-protein, low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet just prior to competition. Energy intake doubled, and total grams of fat increased approximately tenfold just after competition. Urinary data indicated that the cycle following competition was prolonged, with reduced reproductive hormone concentrations. In summary, the women practiced extreme dietary control while preparing for a competition but followed the event with a higher energy and fat intake. These changes in diet and body weight may contribute to the disturbances previously observed in the menstrual cycle of these athletes.

SEX-RATIO MEIOTIC DRIVE AND INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION

PubMed Central

Unckless, Robert L.; Clark, Andrew G.

2014-01-01

It has long been known that processes occurring within a species may impact the interactions between species. For example, since competitive ability is sensitive to parameters including reproductive rate, carrying capacity and competition efficiency, the outcome of interspecific competition may be influenced by any process that alters these attributes. While several such scenarios have been discussed, the influence of selfish genetic elements within one species on competition between species has not received theoretical treatment. We show that, with strong competition, sex-ratio meiotic drive systems can result in a significant shift in community composition because the effective birth rate in the population may be increased by a female-biased sex-ratio. Using empirical data we attempt to estimate the magnitude of this effect in several Drosophila species. We infer that meiotic drive elements, selfish genetic elements within species, can provide a substantial competitive advantage to that species within a community. PMID:24835887

The paradox of enrichment in phytoplankton by induced competitive interactions

PubMed Central

Tubay, Jerrold M.; Ito, Hiromu; Uehara, Takashi; Kakishima, Satoshi; Morita, Satoru; Togashi, Tatsuya; Tainaka, Kei-ichi; Niraula, Mohan P.; Casareto, Beatriz E.; Suzuki, Yoshimi; Yoshimura, Jin

2013-01-01

The biodiversity loss of phytoplankton with eutrophication has been reported in many aquatic ecosystems, e.g., water pollution and red tides. This phenomenon seems similar, but different from the paradox of enrichment via trophic interactions, e.g., predator-prey systems. We here propose the paradox of enrichment by induced competitive interactions using multiple contact process (a lattice Lotka-Volterra competition model). Simulation results demonstrate how eutrophication invokes more competitions in a competitive ecosystem resulting in the loss of phytoplankton diversity in ecological time. The paradox is enhanced under local interactions, indicating that the limited dispersal of phytoplankton reduces interspecific competition greatly. Thus, the paradox of enrichment appears when eutrophication destroys an ecosystem either by elevated interspecific competition within a trophic level and/or destabilization by trophic interactions. Unless eutrophication due to human activities is ceased, the world's aquatic ecosystems will be at risk. PMID:24089056

Process for Administering Distributed Academic Competitions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feibush, Eliot

2010-02-04

Currently, academic-type competitions are scored using a combination of timer clocks, entries on paper, and individual computers to consolidate individual entries. Such a system is unwieldy, time-consuming, and depends on the individual computer skills that might be present amount the competition administrators. The new Academic Competition Software combines digital clocks, along with a scoring system that permits different point values for different types of questions. Bonus or ‚Âœtoss-up‚ questions can be monitored during the competition, using a subtimer system. All data is consolidated on the fly and the system can be operated by a single person. Results from different sitesmore » (rooms) can be added in as well. As such, the software is extremely flexible. It is anticipated that this new software will be useful for‚Science or Science Olympiad type competitions held in many high schools and colleges, as well as for preparation and training for such competitions.« less

Do Men Produce Higher Quality Ejaculates When Primed With Thoughts of Partner Infidelity?

PubMed

Pham, Michael N; Barbaro, Nicole; Holub, Andrew M; Holden, Christopher J; Mogilski, Justin K; Lopes, Guilherme S; Nicolas, Sylis C A; Sela, Yael; Shackelford, Todd K; Zeigler-Hill, Virgil; Welling, Lisa L M

2018-01-01

Sperm competition theory can be used to generate the hypothesis that men alter the quality of their ejaculates as a function of sperm competition risk. Using a repeated measures experimental design, we investigated whether men produce a higher quality ejaculate when primed with cues to sperm competition (i.e., imagined partner infidelity) relative to a control prime. Men ( n = 45) submitted two masturbatory ejaculates-one ejaculate sample for each condition (i.e., sperm competition and control conditions). Ejaculates were assessed on 17 clinical parameters. The results did not support the hypothesis: Men did not produce higher quality ejaculates in the sperm competition condition relative to the control condition. Despite the null results of the current research, there is evidence for psychological and physiological adaptations to sperm competition in humans. We discuss methodological limitations that may have produced the null results and present methodological suggestions for research on human sperm competition.

Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers' Beliefs about Competition in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, Stephen; O'Donovan, Toni M.

2013-01-01

The discourse of competitive sport is, and has been, a defining feature of physical education for many years. Given the privileged and dominant position competition holds in physical education curricula, it is concerning that competitive physical education remains steeped in traditional pedagogies and that these pedagogies are constrained by…

Franchise competition in the electric utility industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vince, C.A.; Fogel, J.C.

Franchise competition is - and should be - an integral part of enhanced competition. It serves the traditional goal of encouraging lower costs through the threat of takeover or purchase. However, the issue of utility recovery for stranded costs stands as a major unresolved question affecting customers` ability to partake of this central aspect of competition.

5 CFR 1.2 - Extent of the competitive service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Extent of the competitive service. 1.2... DEFINITIONS (RULE I) § 1.2 Extent of the competitive service. The competitive service shall include: (a) All... subject to the civil service laws by statute. OPM is authorized and directed to determine finally whether...

5 CFR 1.2 - Extent of the competitive service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Extent of the competitive service. 1.2... DEFINITIONS (RULE I) § 1.2 Extent of the competitive service. The competitive service shall include: (a) All... subject to the civil service laws by statute. OPM is authorized and directed to determine finally whether...

The Role of Culture, Competitiveness and Economic Performance in Explaining Academic Performance: A Global Market Analysis for International Student Segmentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baumann, Chris; Hamin

2011-01-01

A nation's culture, competitiveness and economic performance explain academic performance. Partial Least Squares (PLS) testing of 2252 students shows culture affects competitiveness and academic performance. Culture and economic performance each explain 32%; competitiveness 36%. The model predicts academic performance when culture, competitiveness…

78 FR 19799 - National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Program Design Competition

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-02

... competition, which Challenge.gov is hosting, to select a common obverse design emblematic of the game of... Program Design Competition ACTION: Notification of the Opening of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Program Design Competition on April 11, 2013. SUMMARY: The United States Mint announces the...

32 CFR 22.305 - General policy and requirement for competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... of higher education). (2) To the maximum extent practicable in all cases where not required by... 32 National Defense 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false General policy and requirement for competition... General policy and requirement for competition. (a) It is DoD policy to maximize use of competition in the...

32 CFR 22.305 - General policy and requirement for competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... of higher education). (2) To the maximum extent practicable in all cases where not required by... 32 National Defense 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false General policy and requirement for competition... General policy and requirement for competition. (a) It is DoD policy to maximize use of competition in the...

32 CFR 22.305 - General policy and requirement for competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... of higher education). (2) To the maximum extent practicable in all cases where not required by... 32 National Defense 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false General policy and requirement for competition... General policy and requirement for competition. (a) It is DoD policy to maximize use of competition in the...

32 CFR 22.305 - General policy and requirement for competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... of higher education). (2) To the maximum extent practicable in all cases where not required by... 32 National Defense 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false General policy and requirement for competition... General policy and requirement for competition. (a) It is DoD policy to maximize use of competition in the...

32 CFR 22.305 - General policy and requirement for competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... of higher education). (2) To the maximum extent practicable in all cases where not required by... 32 National Defense 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false General policy and requirement for competition... General policy and requirement for competition. (a) It is DoD policy to maximize use of competition in the...

Competition, Education and Assessment: Connecting History with Recent Scholarship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Robert; Dawson, Phillip

2017-01-01

In this article, we investigate competition in education, asking if it is good or bad, and especially if it is old and necessary or new and questionable. Using philological methods, we trace the history of competition and relate it to contemporary educational ideas. In history and modern pedagogical research, competition has a "dark…

Evolution of competitive ability within Lonicera japonica's invaded range

Treesearch

Gregory A. Evans; Francis F. Kilkenny; Laura F. Galloway

2013-01-01

Factors influencing invasive taxa may change during the course of an invasion. For example, intraspecific competition is predicted to be more important in areas with older stands of dense monospecific invaders than at the margins of an invaded range. We evaluated evolution in response to predicted changes in competition by comparing the intraspecific competitive...

Children's Development through Sports Competition: Derivative, Adjustive, Generative, and Maladaptive Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Hong Suk; Johnson, Britton; Kim, Young K.

2014-01-01

Sports competition can play an important role for children because it contributes to developmental outcomes for a healthy lifestyle. Through sports competition, children can learn about physical, social, and cognitive skills. Sports competition can be either positive or negative in terms of development, depending on how experiences are perceived…

76 FR 79679 - Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-22

... with a number of collections in this control number, including line count filings for competitive ETCs...'' exception to the interim cap for competitive ETCs. The interim cap limited the total annual amount of high-cost support competitive ETCs in any state could receive to the amount competitive ETCs in that state...

Tacit Knowledge Flows and Institutional Theory: Accelerating Acculturation

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

sustainable competitive advantage , but different kinds of knowledge affect competitive advantage differently. This applies especially to the...such qualitative fieldwork and informs theory and practice alike. 1. Introduction Knowledge is key to sustainable competitive advantage ...4,8,19]. Knowledge enables effective action; effective action drives superior performance; and superior performance supports competitive advantage

30 CFR 250.1302 - What if I have a competitive reservoir on a lease?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... conduct development and production operations in a competitive reservoir under either a joint Development... you conduct drilling or production operations in a reservoir determined competitive by the Regional... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What if I have a competitive reservoir on a...

International Competitiveness: A National Security Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

Maxwell AFB AL 36112-5532. International Competitiveness A National Security Perspective 0 C 0 Thank you for your assistance / , ’I RELSEARCJ RhINORT NO...AU-ARI-88-11 International Competitiveness A National Security Perspective RONALD H. DABROWSKI, Maj, USAF Research Fellow Airpower Research Institute...26 International Competition ......................... 26 Identification of Firms Involved ..................... 26 Continued Leadership in

Competitiveness: relations with GPA, locus of control, sex, and athletic status.

PubMed

Frederick, C M

2000-04-01

A sample of college students and college athletes completed measures of competitiveness and locus of control. In addition, self-reports of GPA and sex were provided. Negative correlations among scores on competitiveness, GPA, and scores on internal locus of control were significant. Also, there were sex and athletic status differences in competitiveness.

Exploring the Competitive Effects of Charter Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, Dick M., II; Medina, Paul M.

2011-01-01

Central to the debate over school choice has been the question of how public schools respond to market-based competition. Many choice advocates suggest that competition can spur public schools to become more effective and efficient, but the evidence regarding the effect of competition from charters is comparably sparse and mixed. This article…

25 CFR 23.34 - Review and decision on off-reservation applications by Area Director.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... competitive review and subsequent approval or disapproval of the applications. (b) Area office competitive... required in paragraph (a) of this section. (3) Review the application in accordance with the competitive... area competitive review and scoring process unless a review of the application determines that it: (i...

Principals' Perceptions of Competition for Students in Milwaukee Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kasman, Matthew; Loeb, Susanna

2013-01-01

The assertion that choice-driven competition between schools will improve school quality rests on several largely unexamined assumptions. One is that choice increases the competitive pressure experienced by school leaders. A second is that schools will seek to become more effective in response to competitive pressure. In this article, we use…

Forensics in the Year 2000: Competition versus Educational Values.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamm, Durell D.

There is a growing dichotomy between the educational value of forensics versus the competitive aspects of individual events for both coaches and students. Competitive behavior has both an instinctual and a cognitive source. The instinctual source can be traced to evolution in a fiercely competitive world. Psychoanalytic theory suggests that the…

Competition Experiments for Legume Infection Identify Burkholderia phymatum as a Highly Competitive β-Rhizobium

PubMed Central

Lardi, Martina; de Campos, Samanta Bolzan; Purtschert, Gabriela; Eberl, Leo; Pessi, Gabriella

2017-01-01

Members of the genus Burkholderia (β-proteobacteria) have only recently been shown to be able to establish a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with several legumes, which is why they are also referred to as β-rhizobia. Therefore, very little is known about the competitiveness of these species to nodulate different legume host plants. In this study, we tested the competitiveness of several Burkholderia type strains (B. diazotrophica, B. mimosarum, B. phymatum, B. sabiae, B. symbiotica and B. tuberum) to nodulate four legumes (Phaseolus vulgaris, Macroptilium atropurpureum, Vigna unguiculata and Mimosa pudica) under our closely defined growth conditions. The assessment of nodule occupancy of these species on different legume host plants revealed that B. phymatum was the most competitive strain in the three papilionoid legumes (bean, cowpea and siratro), while B. mimosarum outcompeted the other strains in mimosa. The analysis of phenotypes known to play a role in nodulation competitiveness (motility, exopolysaccharide production) and additional in vitro competition assays among β-rhizobial strains suggested that B. phymatum has the potential to be a very competitive legume symbiont. PMID:28861050

Robotic Mining Competition - Awards Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-18

NASA's 9th Annual Robotic Mining Competition concludes with an awards ceremony May 18, 2018, at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The University of Alabama Team Astrobotics received the top award, the Joe Kosmo Award for Excellence, which is given to the team that scores the most points during the competition. At far left in front is retired NASA astronaut Jerry Ross. At far right is Richard Johanboeke, NASA education specialist and project manager for the Robotic Mining Competition. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. participated in the competition, May 14-18, by using their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated lunar soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.

Cost Convergence between Public and For-Profit Hospitals under Prospective Payment and High Competition in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Xirasagar, Sudha; Lin, Herng-Ching

2004-01-01

Objective To test the hypotheses that: (1) average adjusted costs per discharge are higher in high-competition relative to low-competition markets, and (2) increased competition is associated with cost convergence between public and for-profit (FP) hospitals for case payment diagnoses, but not for cost-plus reimbursed diagnoses. Data Sources Taiwan's National Health Insurance database; 325,851 inpatient claims for cesarean section, vaginal delivery, prostatectomy, and thyroidectomy (all case payment), and bronchial asthma and cholelithiasis (both cost-based payment). Study Design Retrospective population-based, cross-sectional study. Data Analysis Diagnosis-wise regression analyses were done to explore associations between cost per discharge and hospital ownership under high and low competition, adjusted for clinical severity and institutional characteristics. Principal Findings Adjusted costs per discharge are higher for all diagnoses in high-competition markets. For case payment diagnoses, the magnitudes of adjusted cost differences between public and FP hospitals are lower under high competition relative to low competition. This is not so for the cost-based diagnoses. Conclusions We find that the empirical evidence supports both our hypotheses. PMID:15544646

Designing the Lunar Regolith Excavation Competition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le, Christopher

2009-01-01

The project assigned this summer involves designing a lunar regolith mining robotics competition. This process involves consulting several assets available at the Kennedy Space Center. The process involves several steps. The first step is to determine the requirements for the competition. Once these requirements are determined, the dimensions of the playing field are drawn up, first by hand, and then using computer models. After these drawings are tentatively decided upon, the cost of materials must be determined, so as to fit within the allotted budget for the project. The materials are to then be ordered, assembled, broken down, and stored throughout the duration of the competition. We must also design the advertisements and logos for the competition. This is to market and publicize the competition to college level teams. We must also determine the rules for the competition so as to have uniform requirements for all teams. Once these processes are completed, the competition can be finalized and publicized for the public. The contributing parties are Greg Galloway, Robert Mueller, Susan Sawyer, Gloria Murphy, Julia Nething, and Cassandra Liles.

Body-esteem of pupils who attended single-sex versus mixed-sex schools: a cross-sectional study of intrasexual competition and peer victimization.

PubMed

Lereya, Suzet Tanya; Eryigit-Madzwamuse, Suna; Patra, Chanchala; Smith, Joshua H; Wolke, Dieter

2014-10-01

In intrasexual competition (competition for reproductive resources), bullying can be viewed as a tool to devalue competitors, gain a high status and a powerful, dominant position in the peer group which may lead to beneficial gains such as access to potential romantic partners. This study investigated the relationship between intrasexual competition, bullying victimization and body-esteem, in single-sex versus mixed-sex schools. 420 participants completed a body-esteem scale, a retrospective bullying questionnaire, and intrasexual competition scales. Our results showed that relational victimization was associated with low body-esteem for both females and males. Females in single-sex schools experienced higher intrasexual competition which in turn was associated with their body-esteem directly and indirectly via relational victimization. In males, intrasexual competition was indirectly associated with body-esteem via relational victimization. Interventions to improve body esteem may focus on reducing intrasexual competition and peer victimization. Copyright © 2014 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of sexual preferences in intrasexual female competition

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background While search costs have long been understood to affect the evolution of female preference, other costs associated with mating have been the focus of much less attention. Here I consider a novel mate choice cost: female-female intrasexual competition, that is, when females compete with each other for mates. This competition results in cost to female fecundity, such as a reduction in fertility due to decreased direct benefits, sperm limitation, or time and resources spent competing for a mate. I asked if female-female competition affects the evolution of preferences, and further, if the presence of multiple, different, preferences in a population can reduce competitive costs. Results Using population genetic models of preference and trait evolution, I found that intrasexual competition leads to direct selection against female preferences, and restricts the parameter space under which preference may evolve. I also examined how multiple, different, preferences affected preference evolution with female intrasexual competition. Conclusions Multiple preferences primarily serve to increase competitive costs and decrease the range of parameters under which preferences may evolve. PMID:23148567

Competition between siRNA duplexes: impact of RNA-induced silencing complex loading efficiency and comparison between conventional-21 bp and Dicer-substrate siRNAs.

PubMed

Tanudji, Marcel; Machalek, Dorothy; Arndt, Greg M; Rivory, Laurent

2010-02-01

Cotransfection of a mixture of siRNAs species is typically used when simultaneous targeting of more than one mRNA is required. However, competition between siRNAs could occur and reduce the activity of some siRNAs within the mixture. To further study the factors affecting the degree of competition between siRNAs, we cotransfected luciferase targeting siRNAs with various irrelevant (ie, nonluciferase targeting) siRNAs into cells and examined differences in their competition profiles by assessing the effect on luciferase expression. We show that the degree of competition varies between irrelevant siRNAs and occurs at the point of RISC loading. Although the competition profile appears to be related to the calculated RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) loading potential, empirical testing is required to confirm the competitive effects. We also observed reduced competition with siRNAs in the Dicer-substrate format, presumably due to more efficient RISC loading as a consequence of the physical transfer of the processed siRNA from Dicer.

Ecological interactions and the fitness effect of water-use efficiency: Competition and drought alter the impact of natural MPK12 alleles in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Campitelli, Brandon E; Des Marais, David L; Juenger, Thomas E

2016-04-01

The presence of substantial genetic variation for water-use efficiency (WUE) suggests that natural selection plays a role in maintaining alleles that affect WUE. Soil water deficit can reduce plant survival, and is likely to impose selection to increase WUE, whereas competition for resources may select for decreased WUE to ensure water acquisition. We tested the fitness consequences of natural allelic variation in a single gene (MPK12) that influences WUE in Arabidopsis, using transgenic lines contrasting in MPK12 alleles, under four treatments; drought/competition, drought/no competition, well-watered/competition, well-watered/no competition. Results revealed an allele × environment interaction: Low WUE plants performed better in competition, resulting from increased resource consumption. Contrastingly, high WUE individuals performed better in no competition, irrespective of water availability, presumably from enhanced water conservation and nitrogen acquisition. Our findings suggest that selection can influence MPK12 evolution, and represents the first assessment of plant fitness resulting from natural allelic variation at a single locus affecting WUE. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Plant-plant competition outcomes are modulated by plant effects on the soil bacterial community.

PubMed

Hortal, S; Lozano, Y M; Bastida, F; Armas, C; Moreno, J L; Garcia, C; Pugnaire, F I

2017-12-19

Competition is a key process that determines plant community structure and dynamics, often mediated by nutrients and water availability. However, the role of soil microorganisms on plant competition, and the links between above- and belowground processes, are not well understood. Here we show that the effects of interspecific plant competition on plant performance are mediated by feedbacks between plants and soil bacterial communities. Each plant species selects a singular community of soil microorganisms in its rhizosphere with a specific species composition, abundance and activity. When two plant species interact, the resulting soil bacterial community matches that of the most competitive plant species, suggesting strong competitive interactions between soil bacterial communities as well. We propose a novel mechanism by which changes in belowground bacterial communities promoted by the most competitive plant species influence plant performance and competition outcome. These findings emphasise the strong links between plant and soil communities, paving the way to a better understanding of plant community dynamics and the effects of soil bacterial communities on ecosystem functioning and services.

Do HMO penetration and hospital competition impact quality of hospital care?

PubMed

Rivers, P A; Fottler, M D

2004-11-01

This study examines the impact of HMO penetration and competition on hospital markets. A modified structure-conduct-performance paradigm was applied to the health care industry in order to investigate the impact of HMO penetration and competition on risk-adjusted hospital mortality rates (i.e. quality of hospital care). Secondary data for 1957 acute care hospitals in the USA from the 1991 American Hospital Association's Annual Survey of Hospitals were used. The outcome variables were risk-adjusted mortality rates in 1991. Predictor variables were market characteristics (i.e. managed care penetration and hospital competition). Control variables were environmental, patient, and institutional characteristics. Associations between predictor and outcome variables were investigated using statistical regression techniques. Hospital competition had a negative relationship with risk-adjusted mortality rates (a negative indicator of quality of care). HMO penetration, hospital competition, and an interaction effect of HMO penetration and competition were not found to have significant effects on risk-adjusted mortality rates. These findings suggest that when faced with intense competition, hospitals may respond in ways associated with reducing their mortality rates.

Interspecific Larval Competition Between Aedes albopictus and Aedes japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Northern Virginia

PubMed Central

Armistead, J. S.; Arias, J. R.; Nishimura, N.; Lounibos, L. P.

2008-01-01

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes japonicus (Theobald) are two of the most recent and widespread invasive mosquito species to have become established in the United States. The two species co-occur in water-filled artificial containers, where crowding and limiting resources are likely to promote inter- or intraspecific larval competition. The performance of northern Virginia populations of Ae. japonicus and Ae. albopictus competing as larvae under field conditions was evaluated. Per capita rates of population increase for each species were estimated, and the effects of species composition and larval density were determined. In water-containing cups provided with oak leaves, Ae. albopictus larvae exhibited a competitive advantage over Ae. japonicus as a consequence of higher survivorship, shorter developmental time, and a significantly higher estimated population growth rate under conditions of interspecific competition. Intraspecific competition constrained population performance of Ae. albopictus significantly more than competition with Ae. japonicus. In the context of the Lotka-Volterra model of competition, these findings suggest competitive exclusion of Ae. japonicus in those habitats where this species co-occurs with Ae. albopictus. PMID:18714861

Interspecific larval competition between Aedes albopictus and Aedes japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in northern Virginia.

PubMed

Armistead, J S; Arias, J R; Nishimura, N; Lounibos, L P

2008-07-01

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes japonicus (Theobald) are two of the most recent and widespread invasive mosquito species to have become established in the United States. The two species co-occur in water-filled artificial containers, where crowding and limiting resources are likely to promote inter- or intraspecific larval competition. The performance of northern Virginia populations of Ae. japonicus and Ae. albopictus competing as larvae under field conditions was evaluated. Per capita rates of population increase for each species were estimated, and the effects of species composition and larval density were determined. In water-containing cups provided with oak leaves, Ae. albopictus larvae exhibited a competitive advantage over Ae. japonicus as a consequence of higher survivorship, shorter developmental time, and a significantly higher estimated population growth rate under conditions of interspecific competition. Intraspecific competition constrained population performance of Ae. albopictus significantly more than competition with Ae. japonicus. In the context of the Lotka-Volterra model of competition, these findings suggest competitive exclusion of Ae. japonicus in those habitats where this species co-occurs with Ae. albopictus.

Spatial competition dynamics between reef corals under ocean acidification

PubMed Central

Horwitz, Rael; Hoogenboom, Mia O.; Fine, Maoz

2017-01-01

Climate change, including ocean acidification (OA), represents a major threat to coral-reef ecosystems. Although previous experiments have shown that OA can negatively affect the fitness of reef corals, these have not included the long-term effects of competition for space on coral growth rates. Our multispecies year-long study subjected reef-building corals from the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) to competitive interactions under present-day ocean pH (pH 8.1) and predicted end-of-century ocean pH (pH 7.6). Results showed coral growth is significantly impeded by OA under intraspecific competition for five out of six study species. Reduced growth from OA, however, is negligible when growth is already suppressed in the presence of interspecific competition. Using a spatial competition model, our analysis indicates shifts in the competitive hierarchy and a decrease in overall coral cover under lowered pH. Collectively, our case study demonstrates how modified competitive performance under increasing OA will in all likelihood change the composition, structure and functionality of reef coral communities. PMID:28067281

Effects of Behavioural Strategy on the Exploitative Competition Dynamics.

PubMed

Nguyen-Ngoc, Doanh; Nguyen-Phuong, Thuy

2016-12-01

We investigate a system of two species exploiting a common resource. We consider both abiotic (i.e. with a constant resource supply rate) and biotic (i.e. with resource reproduction and self-limitation) resources. We are interested in the asymmetric competition where a given consumer is the locally superior resource exploiter (LSE) and the other is the locally inferior resource exploiter (LIE). They also interact directly via interference competition in the sense that LIE individuals can use two opposite strategies to compete with LSE individuals: we assume, in the first case, that LIE uses an avoiding strategy, i.e. LIE individuals go to a non-competition patch to avoids competition with LSE individuals, and in the second one, LIE uses an aggressive strategy, i.e. being very aggressive so that LSE individuals have to go to a non-competition patch. We further assume that there is no resource in the non-competition patch so that individuals have to come back to the competition patch for their maintenance, and the migration process acts on a fast time scale in comparison with demography and competition processes. The models show that being aggressive is efficient for LIE's survival and even provoke global extinction of the LSE and this result does not depend on the nature of resource.

The effects of competition on achievement motivation in Chinese classrooms.

PubMed

Lam, Shui-fong; Yim, Pui-shan; Law, Josephine S F; Cheung, Rebecca W Y

2004-06-01

Laboratory studies have consistently found that competition induces performance goals and affects learning motivation. However, the ecological validity of these results is yet to be established. There is a need for investigation of whether the results hold in both the classroom context and non-Western culture. The study investigated the effects of competition on learning motivation among Chinese students in an authentic classroom setting. The participants were 52 students of grade 7 from two Hong Kong secondary schools. They were randomly assigned to either competitive or non-competitive conditions in a 2-hour Chinese typewriting course. Students in the competitive condition performed better in easy tasks than their counterparts in the non-competitive condition. However, they were more performance-oriented and more likely to sacrifice learning opportunities for better performance. They were also prone to have worse self-evaluation after failure. Although there were no statistically significant differences between the two conditions in task enjoyment and achievement attribution, the direction of the differences was consistently unfavourable to students in the competitive condition. The findings were consistent with the predictions of goal theory. Competitiveness induces performance goals and worse self-evaluation after failure among Chinese students in a classroom setting, as was found with Western students in a laboratory setting.

Sperm competition risk generates phenotypic plasticity in ovum fertilizability

PubMed Central

Firman, Renée C.; Simmons, Leigh W.

2013-01-01

Theory predicts that sperm competition will generate sexual conflict that favours increased ovum defences against polyspermy. A recent study on house mice has shown that ovum resistance to fertilization coevolves in response to increased sperm fertilizing capacity. However, the capacity for the female gamete to adjust its fertilizability as a strategic response to sperm competition risk has never, to our knowledge, been studied. We sourced house mice (Mus domesticus) from natural populations that differ in the level of sperm competition and sperm fertilizing capacity, and manipulated the social experience of females during their sexual development to simulate conditions of either a future ‘risk’ or ‘no risk’ of sperm competition. Consistent with coevolutionary predictions, we found lower fertilization rates in ova produced by females from a high sperm competition population compared with ova from a low sperm competition population, indicating that these populations are divergent in the fertilizability of their ova. More importantly, females exposed to a ‘risk’ of sperm competition produced ova that had greater resistance to fertilization than ova produced by females reared in an environment with ‘no risk’. Consequently, we show that variation in sperm competition risk during development generates phenotypic plasticity in ova fertilizability, which allows females to prepare for prevailing conditions during their reproductive life. PMID:24132308

Sperm competition risk generates phenotypic plasticity in ovum fertilizability.

PubMed

Firman, Renée C; Simmons, Leigh W

2013-12-07

Theory predicts that sperm competition will generate sexual conflict that favours increased ovum defences against polyspermy. A recent study on house mice has shown that ovum resistance to fertilization coevolves in response to increased sperm fertilizing capacity. However, the capacity for the female gamete to adjust its fertilizability as a strategic response to sperm competition risk has never, to our knowledge, been studied. We sourced house mice (Mus domesticus) from natural populations that differ in the level of sperm competition and sperm fertilizing capacity, and manipulated the social experience of females during their sexual development to simulate conditions of either a future 'risk' or 'no risk' of sperm competition. Consistent with coevolutionary predictions, we found lower fertilization rates in ova produced by females from a high sperm competition population compared with ova from a low sperm competition population, indicating that these populations are divergent in the fertilizability of their ova. More importantly, females exposed to a 'risk' of sperm competition produced ova that had greater resistance to fertilization than ova produced by females reared in an environment with 'no risk'. Consequently, we show that variation in sperm competition risk during development generates phenotypic plasticity in ova fertilizability, which allows females to prepare for prevailing conditions during their reproductive life.

Media Competition Implementation for the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration Study (MA-CORD): Adoption and Reach

PubMed Central

Criss, Shaniece; Cheung, Lilian; Giles, Catherine; Gortmaker, Steven; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula; Kwass, Jo-Ann; Davison, Kirsten

2016-01-01

The Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration Study (MA-CORD) was a multi-level, multi-sector community intervention with a media competition component to provide an overarching synergy and promote awareness of target behaviors to reduce childhood obesity. Students participating in the media competition were tasked with developing videos, song/rap lyrics, and artwork that reflected the goals. The aim of this study is to document the process used to develop and implement the media competition along with its reach and adoption. An adapted version of Neta and colleagues’ 2015 framework on dissemination and implementation was used to summarize the process by which the media competition was developed and implemented. Adoption was defined by whether eligible schools or afterschool programs decided to implement the media competition. Reach was defined by student participation rates within schools/programs and the number of votes cast for the finalists on the coalition website and students’ paper ballots. A total of 595 students participated in the media competition from 18 school and afterschool programs in two communities. Adoption of the media competitions ranged from 22% to 100% in programs and reach ranged from 3% to 33% of the student population. The documentation of the implementation should contribute to the replication of the media competition. PMID:27058549

Sex differences in autonomic response and situational appraisal of a competitive situation in young adults.

PubMed

Abad-Tortosa, Diana; Alacreu-Crespo, Adrián; Costa, Raquel; Salvador, Alicia; Serrano, Miguel Ángel

2017-05-01

Competition is a social stressor capable of eliciting physiological responses modulated by the outcome. The main objective of this study was to analyze the psychophysiological changes associated with competition and its outcome in men and women, taking into account the role of situational appraisal. To this end, 112 young people (46 men and 66 women) participated in a laboratory task in a competitive or non-competitive condition, while Blood Pressure (BP), Heart Rate Variability (HRV), and Skin Conductance (SC) responses were measured. Our results indicate that competition elicits higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) than a non-competitive task; in addition, winners presented a greater R-R decrease from baseline to task, greater R-R Recovery, and lower frustration and external attribution than losers. Regarding sex, men perceived their opponent's capacity to be lower and their own capacity to be greater than women did, and they also showed higher R-R decreases and lower SC increases. In conclusion, we found a complex pattern of different psychophysiological responses to competition associated with outcome and sex in a laboratory competition. This result could be related to the use of more passive or active coping strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hiding effort to gain a competitive advantage: Evidence from China.

PubMed

Zhao, Li; Heyman, Gail D

2018-06-01

Previous studies with Western populations have shown that adolescents' tendency to downplay their academic effort is affected by two kinds of motives: ability-related motives (e.g., to appear competent) and social approval motives (e.g., to be popular). In this research, we test for the presence of additional competition-related motives in China, a culture placing strong emphasis on academic competition. Study 1 (N = 150) showed that, in response to a scenario in which a hard-working high-school junior hid effort from classmates, the most highly endorsed explanation was "to influence others to work less hard to maintain a competitive advantage." Study 2 (N = 174) revealed that competition-related explanations were endorsed relatively more often when the speaker and audience had similar academic rankings. This tendency was most evident when both speaker and audience were top performers, and when this was the case, participants' desire to demonstrate superiority over others was a positive predictor of endorsement of competition-related motives. Study 3 (N = 137) verified that competition-related motives were more strongly endorsed among Chinese participants than U.S. These results suggest that at least in cultures that emphasize academic competition and in contexts where competition is salient, hiding effort is often about attempting to gain strategic advantage. © 2016 International Union of Psychological Science.

How chimpanzees cooperate in a competitive world

PubMed Central

Suchak, Malini; Eppley, Timothy M.; Campbell, Matthew W.; Feldman, Rebecca A.; Quarles, Luke F.; de Waal, Frans B. M.

2016-01-01

Our species is routinely depicted as unique in its ability to achieve cooperation, whereas our closest relative, the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), is often characterized as overly competitive. Human cooperation is assisted by the cost attached to competitive tendencies through enforcement mechanisms, such as punishment and partner choice. To examine if chimpanzees possess the same ability to mitigate competition, we set up a cooperative task in the presence of the entire group of 11 adults, which required two or three individuals to pull jointly to receive rewards. This open-group set-up provided ample opportunity for competition (e.g., freeloading, displacements) and aggression. Despite this unique set-up and initial competitiveness, cooperation prevailed in the end, being at least five times as common as competition. The chimpanzees performed 3,565 cooperative acts while using a variety of enforcement mechanisms to overcome competition and freeloading, as measured by (attempted) thefts of rewards. These mechanisms included direct protest by the target, third-party punishment in which dominant individuals intervened against freeloaders, and partner choice. There was a marked difference between freeloading and displacement; freeloading tended to elicit withdrawal and third-party interventions, whereas displacements were met with a higher rate of direct retaliation. Humans have shown similar responses in controlled experiments, suggesting shared mechanisms across the primates to mitigate competition for the sake of cooperation. PMID:27551075

A new hammer to crack an old nut: interspecific competitive resource capture by plants is regulated by nutrient supply, not climate.

PubMed

Trinder, Clare J; Brooker, Rob W; Davidson, Hazel; Robinson, David

2012-01-01

Although rarely acknowledged, our understanding of how competition is modulated by environmental drivers is severely hampered by our dependence on indirect measurements of outcomes, rather than the process of competition. To overcome this, we made direct measurements of plant competition for soil nitrogen (N). Using isotope pool-dilution, we examined the interactive effects of soil resource limitation and climatic severity between two common grassland species. Pool-dilution estimates the uptake of total N over a defined time period, rather than simply the uptake of ¹⁵N label, as used in most other tracer experiments. Competitive uptake of N was determined by its available form (NO₃⁻ or NH₄⁺). Soil N availability had a greater effect than the climatic conditions (location) under which plants grew. The results did not entirely support either of the main current theories relating the role of competition to environmental conditions. We found no evidence for Tilman's theory that competition for soil nutrients is stronger at low, compared with high nutrient levels and partial support for Grime's theory that competition for soil nutrients is greater under potentially more productive conditions. These results provide novel insights by demonstrating the dynamic nature of plant resource competition.

A New Hammer to Crack an Old Nut: Interspecific Competitive Resource Capture by Plants Is Regulated by Nutrient Supply, Not Climate

PubMed Central

Trinder, Clare J.; Brooker, Rob W.; Davidson, Hazel; Robinson, David

2012-01-01

Although rarely acknowledged, our understanding of how competition is modulated by environmental drivers is severely hampered by our dependence on indirect measurements of outcomes, rather than the process of competition. To overcome this, we made direct measurements of plant competition for soil nitrogen (N). Using isotope pool-dilution, we examined the interactive effects of soil resource limitation and climatic severity between two common grassland species. Pool-dilution estimates the uptake of total N over a defined time period, rather than simply the uptake of 15N label, as used in most other tracer experiments. Competitive uptake of N was determined by its available form (NO3 − or NH4 +). Soil N availability had a greater effect than the climatic conditions (location) under which plants grew. The results did not entirely support either of the main current theories relating the role of competition to environmental conditions. We found no evidence for Tilman's theory that competition for soil nutrients is stronger at low, compared with high nutrient levels and partial support for Grime's theory that competition for soil nutrients is greater under potentially more productive conditions. These results provide novel insights by demonstrating the dynamic nature of plant resource competition. PMID:22247775

Sperm competition games: a general model for precopulatory male-male competition.

PubMed

Parker, Geoff A; Lessells, Catherine M; Simmons, Leigh W

2013-01-01

Reproductive males face a trade-off between expenditure on precopulatory male-male competition--increasing the number of females that they secure as mates--and sperm competition--increasing their fertilization success with those females. Previous sperm allocation models have focused on scramble competition in which males compete by searching for mates and the number of matings rises linearly with precopulatory expenditure. However, recent studies have emphasized contest competition involving precopulatory expenditure on armaments, where winning contests may be highly dependent on marginal increases in relative armament level. Here, we develop a general model of sperm allocation that allows us to examine the effect of all forms of precopulatory competition on sperm allocation patterns. The model predicts that sperm allocation decreases if either the "mate-competition loading,"a, or the number of males competing for each mating, M, increases. Other predictions remain unchanged from previous models: (i) expenditure per ejaculate should increase and then decrease, and (ii) total postcopulatory expenditure should increase, as the level of sperm competition increases. A negative correlation between a and M is biologically plausible, and may buffer deviations from the previous models. There is some support for our predictions from comparative analyses across dung beetle species and frog populations. © 2012 The Author(s). Evolution© 2012 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Dynamic analysis of interhospital collaboration and competition: empirical evidence from an Italian regional health system.

PubMed

Mascia, Daniele; Di Vincenzo, Fausto; Cicchetti, Americo

2012-05-01

Policymakers stimulate competition in universalistic health-care systems while encouraging the formation of service provision networks among hospital organizations. This article addresses a gap in the extant literature by empirically analyzing simultaneous collaboration and competition between hospitals within the Italian National Health Service, where important procompetition reforms have been implemented. To explore how rising competition between hospitals relates to their propensity to collaborate with other local providers. Longitudinal data on interhospital collaboration and competition collected in an Italian region from 2003 to 2007 are analyzed. Social network analysis techniques are applied to study the structure and dynamics of interhospital collaboration. Negative binomial regressions are employed to explore how interhospital competition relates to the collaborative network over time. Competition among providers does not hinder interhospital collaboration. Collaboration is primarily local, with resource complementarity and differentials in the volume of activity and hospital performance explaining the propensity to collaborate. Formation of collaborative networks among hospitals is not hampered by reforms aimed at fostering market forces. Because procompetition reforms elicit peculiar forms of managed competition in universalistic health systems, studies are needed to clarify whether the positive association between interhospital competition and collaboration can be generalized to other health-care settings. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temperature Effect on Exploitation and Interference Competition among Microcystis aeruginosa, Planktothrix agardhii and, Cyclotella meneghiniana

PubMed Central

Gomes, Andreia Maria da Anunciação; Azevedo, Sandra Maria Feliciano de Oliveira e; Lürling, Miquel

2015-01-01

We studied the effect of temperature (18 and 30°C) on growth and on the exploitation and interference competition of three species: Microcystis aeruginosa (MIJAC), Planktothrix agardhii (PAT), and Cyclotella meneghiniana (CCAP). Coculturing the organisms in batch systems allowed for the examination of both competitive interactions, while the interference competition was studied in cross-cultures. The experiments were done during 10–12 days, and samples were taken for chlorophyll-a analysis, using PHYTO-PAM. The temperature did not influence exploitation competition between MIJAC and other competitors and it was the best competitor in both temperatures. PAT presented higher growth rates than CCAP in competition at 18 and 30°C. The temperature influenced the interference competition. The growth of MIJAC was favored in strains exudates at 30°C, while CCAP was favored at 18°C, revealing that the optimum growth temperature was important to establish the competitive superiority. Therefore, we can propose two hypotheses: (i) different temperatures may results in production of distinct compounds that influence the competition among phytoplankton species and (ii) the target species may have different vulnerability to these compounds depending on the temperature. At last, we suggest that both the sensitivity and the physiological status of competing species can determine their lasting coexistence. PMID:26380369

Evolutionary implications of interspecific variation in a maternal effect: a meta-analysis of yolk testosterone response to competition

PubMed Central

Navara, Kristen J.

2016-01-01

Competition between conspecifics during the breeding season can result in behavioural and physiological programming of offspring via maternal effects. For birds, in which maternal effects are best studied, it has been claimed that exposure to increased competition causes greater deposition of testosterone into egg yolks, which creates faster growing, more aggressive offspring; such traits are thought to be beneficial for high-competition environments. Nevertheless, not all species show a positive relationship between competitive interactions and yolk testosterone, and an explanation for this interspecific variation is lacking. We here test if the magnitude and direction of maternal testosterone allocated to eggs in response to competition can be explained by life-history traits while accounting for phylogenetic relationships. We performed a meta-analysis relating effect size of yolk testosterone response to competition with species coloniality, nest type, parental effort and mating type. We found that effect size was moderated by coloniality and nest type; colonial species and those with open nests allocate less testosterone to eggs when in more competitive environments. Applying a life-history perspective helps contextualize studies showing little or negative responses of yolk testosterone to competition and improves our understanding of how variation in this maternal effect may have evolved. PMID:28018636

Product competitiveness analysis for e-commerce platform of special agricultural products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Fucheng; Ma, Ning; Yang, Dongwei; Xiong, Zhangyuan

2017-09-01

On the basis of analyzing the influence factors of the product competitiveness of the e-commerce platform of the special agricultural products and the characteristics of the analytical methods for the competitiveness of the special agricultural products, the price, the sales volume, the postage included service, the store reputation, the popularity, etc. were selected in this paper as the dimensionality for analyzing the competitiveness of the agricultural products, and the principal component factor analysis was taken as the competitiveness analysis method. Specifically, the web crawler was adopted to capture the information of various special agricultural products in the e-commerce platform ---- chi.taobao.com. Then, the original data captured thereby were preprocessed and MYSQL database was adopted to establish the information library for the special agricultural products. Then, the principal component factor analysis method was adopted to establish the analysis model for the competitiveness of the special agricultural products, and SPSS was adopted in the principal component factor analysis process to obtain the competitiveness evaluation factor system (support degree factor, price factor, service factor and evaluation factor) of the special agricultural products. Then, the linear regression method was adopted to establish the competitiveness index equation of the special agricultural products for estimating the competitiveness of the special agricultural products.

Cell wars: regulation of cell survival and proliferation by cell competition

PubMed Central

Vivarelli, Silvia; Wagstaff, Laura; Piddini, Eugenia

2012-01-01

During cell competition fitter cells take over the tissue at the expense of viable, but less fit, cells, which are eliminated by induction of apoptosis or senescence. This probably acts as a quality-control mechanism to eliminate suboptimal cells and safeguard organ function. Several experimental conditions have been shown to trigger cell competition, including differential levels in ribosomal activity or in signalling pathway activation between cells, although it is unclear how those differences are sensed and translated into fitness levels. Many of the pathways implicated in cell competition have been previously linked with cancer, and this has led to the hypothesis that cell competition could play a role in tumour formation. Cell competition could be co-opted by cancer cells to kill surrounding normal cells and boost their own tissue colonization. However, in some cases, cell competition could have a tumour suppressor role, as cells harbouring mutations in a subset of tumour suppressor genes are killed by wild-type cells. Originally described in developing epithelia, competitive interactions have also been observed in some stem cell niches, where they play a role in regulating stem cell selection, maintenance and tissue repopulation. Thus competitive interactions could be relevant to the maintenance of tissue fitness and have a protective role against aging. PMID:22928509

Contrasting impacts of competition on ecological and social trait evolution in songbirds

PubMed Central

Tobias, Joseph A.; Burns, Kevin J.; Mason, Nicholas A.; Shultz, Allison J.; Morlon, Hélène

2018-01-01

Competition between closely related species has long been viewed as a powerful selective force that drives trait diversification, thereby generating phenotypic diversity over macroevolutionary timescales. However, although the impact of interspecific competition has been documented in a handful of iconic insular radiations, most previous studies have focused on traits involved in resource use, and few have examined the role of competition across large, continental radiations. Thus, the extent to which broad-scale patterns of phenotypic diversity are shaped by competition remain largely unclear, particularly for social traits. Here, we estimate the effect of competition between interacting lineages by applying new phylogenetic models that account for such interactions to an exceptionally complete dataset of resource-use traits and social signaling traits for the entire radiation of tanagers (Aves, Thraupidae), the largest family of songbirds. We find that interspecific competition strongly influences the evolution of traits involved in resource use, with a weaker effect on plumage signals, and very little effect on song. Our results provide compelling evidence that interspecific exploitative competition contributes to ecological trait diversification among coexisting species, even in a large continental radiation. In comparison, signal traits mediating mate choice and social competition seem to diversify under different evolutionary models, including rapid diversification in the allopatric stage of speciation. PMID:29385141

Contrasting impacts of competition on ecological and social trait evolution in songbirds.

PubMed

Drury, Jonathan P; Tobias, Joseph A; Burns, Kevin J; Mason, Nicholas A; Shultz, Allison J; Morlon, Hélène

2018-01-01

Competition between closely related species has long been viewed as a powerful selective force that drives trait diversification, thereby generating phenotypic diversity over macroevolutionary timescales. However, although the impact of interspecific competition has been documented in a handful of iconic insular radiations, most previous studies have focused on traits involved in resource use, and few have examined the role of competition across large, continental radiations. Thus, the extent to which broad-scale patterns of phenotypic diversity are shaped by competition remain largely unclear, particularly for social traits. Here, we estimate the effect of competition between interacting lineages by applying new phylogenetic models that account for such interactions to an exceptionally complete dataset of resource-use traits and social signaling traits for the entire radiation of tanagers (Aves, Thraupidae), the largest family of songbirds. We find that interspecific competition strongly influences the evolution of traits involved in resource use, with a weaker effect on plumage signals, and very little effect on song. Our results provide compelling evidence that interspecific exploitative competition contributes to ecological trait diversification among coexisting species, even in a large continental radiation. In comparison, signal traits mediating mate choice and social competition seem to diversify under different evolutionary models, including rapid diversification in the allopatric stage of speciation.

Validity and factor structure of the bodybuilding dependence scale

PubMed Central

Smith, D; Hale, B

2004-01-01

Objectives: To investigate the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the bodybuilding dependence scale and to investigate differences in bodybuilding dependence between men and women and competitive and non-competitive bodybuilders. Methods: Seventy two male competitive bodybuilders, 63 female competitive bodybuilders, 87 male non-competitive bodybuilders, and 63 non-competitive female bodybuilders completed the bodybuilding dependence scale (BDS), the exercise dependence questionnaire (EDQ), and the muscle dysmorphia inventory (MDI). Results: Confirmatory factor analysis of the BDS supported a three factor model of bodybuilding dependence, consisting of social dependence, training dependence, and mastery dependence (Q = 3.16, CFI = 0.98, SRMR = 0.04). Internal reliability of all three subscales was high (Cronbach's α = 0.92, 0.92, and 0.93 respectively). Significant (p<0.001) and moderate correlations were found between all BDS and MDI subscales, and between five of the eight EDQ subscales. A multivariate analysis of covariance, with univariate F tests and Tukey HSD tests, revealed that both male and female competitive bodybuilders scored significantly (p<0.05) higher on all three BDS subscales than the male and female non-competitive bodybuilders. However, there were no significant sex differences on any of the BDS subscales (p>0.05). Conclusion: The three factor BDS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of bodybuilding dependence. Symptoms of bodybuilding dependence are more prevalent in competitive bodybuilders than non-competitive ones, but there are no significant sex differences in bodybuilding dependence. PMID:15039255

Significant competitive advantage conferred by meiosis and syngamy in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed Central

Birdsell, J; Wills, C

1996-01-01

The presumed advantages of genetic recombinations are difficult to demonstrate directly. To investigate the effects of recombination and background heterozygosity on competitive ability, we have performed serial-transfer competition experiments between isogenic sexual and asexual strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The members of these diploid pairs of strains differed only in being heterozygous (sexual) or homozygous (asexual) at the mating type or MAT locus. Competing pairs had either a completely homozygous or a heterozygous genetic background, the latter being heterozygous at many different loci throughout the genome. A round of meiotic recombination (automixis) conferred a large and statistically significant enhancement of competitive ability on sexual strains with a heterozygous genetic background. By contrast, in homozygous background competitions, meiosis decreased the sexual strains' initial relative competitive ability. In all cases, however, the sexual strains outcompeted their isogenic asexual counterparts, whether meiotic recombination had occurred or not. In some genetic backgrounds, this was due in part to an overdominance effect on competitive advantage of heterozygosity at the MAT locus. The advantage of the sexual strains also increased significantly during the course of the homozygous background competitions, particularly when meiosis had occurred. This latter effect either did not occur or was very weak in heterozygous background competitions. Overall, sexual strains with heterozygous genetic backgrounds had a significantly higher initial relative competitive ability than those with homozygous backgrounds. The advantage of mating type heterozygosity in this organism extends far beyond the ability to recombine meiotically. PMID:8570658

Effects of competition on induction of crassulacean acid metabolism in a facultative CAM plant.

PubMed

Yu, Kailiang; D'Odorico, Paolo; Li, Wei; He, Yongli

2017-06-01

Abiotic drivers of environmental stress have been found to induce CAM expression (nocturnal carboxylation) in facultative CAM species such as Mesembryanthemum crystallinum. The role played by biotic factors such as competition with non-CAM species in affecting CAM expression, however, remains largely understudied. This research investigated the effects of salt and water conditions on the competition between M. crystallinum and the C 3 grass Bromus mollis with which it is found to coexist in California's coastal grasslands. We also investigated the extent to which CAM expression in M. crystallinum was affected by the intensity of the competition with B. mollis. We found that M. crystallinum had a competitive advantage over B. mollis in drought and saline conditions, while B. mollis exerted strong competitive effects on M. crystallinum in access to light and soil nutrients in high water conditions. This strong competitive effect even outweighed the favorable effects of salt or water additions in increasing the biomass and productivity of M. crystallinum in mixture. Regardless of salt conditions, M. crystallinum did not switch to CAM photosynthesis in response to this strong competitive effect from B. mollis. Disturbance (i.e., grass cutting) reduced the competitive pressure by B. mollis and allowed for CAM expression in M. crystallinum when it was grown mixed with B. mollis. We suggest that moderate competition with other functional groups can enhance CAM expression in M. crystallinum, thereby affecting its plasticity and ability to cope with biological stress.

Indirect competition for pollinators is weak compared to direct resource competition: pollination and performance in the face of an invader.

PubMed

Palladini, Jennifer D; Maron, John L

2013-08-01

Invasive plants have the potential to reduce native plant abundance through both direct and indirect interactions. Direct interactions, such as competition for soil resources, and indirect interactions, such as competition for shared pollinators, have been shown to influence native plant performance; however, we know much less about how these interactions influence native plant abundance in the field. While direct competitive interactions are often assumed to drive declines in native abundance, an evaluation of their influence relative to indirect mechanisms is needed to more fully understand invasive plant impacts. We quantified the direct effects of resource competition by the invasive perennial forb, Euphorbia esula (Euphorbiaceae), on the recruitment, subsequent performance, and ultimate adult abundance of the native annual, Clarkia pulchella (Onagraceae). We contrast these direct effects with those that indirectly resulted from competition for shared pollinators. Although E. esula dramatically reduced pollinator visitation to C. pulchella, plants were only weakly pollen-limited. Pollen supplementation increased the number of seeds per fruit from 41.28 to 46.38. Seed addition experiments revealed that the impacts of ameliorating pollen limitation only increased potential recruitment by 12.3 %. In contrast, seed addition experiments that ameliorated direct competition with E. esula resulted in an increase in potential future recruitment of 574 %. Our results show that, while the indirect effects of competition for pollinators can influence plant abundance, its effects are dwarfed by the magnitude of direct effects of competition for resources.

Effect of Larval Competition on Extrinsic Incubation Period and Vectorial Capacity of Aedes albopictus for Dengue Virus.

PubMed

Bara, Jeffrey; Rapti, Zoi; Cáceres, Carla E; Muturi, Ephantus J

2015-01-01

Despite the growing awareness that larval competition can influence adult mosquito life history traits including susceptibility to pathogens, the net effect of larval competition on human risk of exposure to mosquito-borne pathogens remains poorly understood. We examined how intraspecific larval competition affects dengue-2 virus (DENV-2) extrinsic incubation period and vectorial capacity of its natural vector Aedes albopictus. Adult Ae. albopictus from low and high-larval density conditions were orally challenged with DENV-2 and then assayed for virus infection and dissemination rates following a 6, 9, or 12-day incubation period using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR. We then modeled the effect of larval competition on vectorial capacity using parameter estimates obtained from peer-reviewed field and laboratory studies. Larval competition resulted in significantly longer development times, lower emergence rates, and smaller adults, but did not significantly affect the extrinsic incubation period of DENV-2 in Ae. albopictus. Our vectorial capacity models suggest that the effect of larval competition on adult mosquito longevity likely has a greater influence on vectorial capacity relative to any competition-induced changes in vector competence. Furthermore, we found that large increases in the viral dissemination rate may be necessary to compensate for small competition-induced reductions in daily survivorship. Our results indicate that mosquito populations that experience stress from larval competition are likely to have a reduced vectorial capacity, even when susceptibility to pathogens is enhanced.

Effect of Larval Competition on Extrinsic Incubation Period and Vectorial Capacity of Aedes albopictus for Dengue Virus

PubMed Central

Bara, Jeffrey; Rapti, Zoi; Cáceres, Carla E.; Muturi, Ephantus J.

2015-01-01

Despite the growing awareness that larval competition can influence adult mosquito life history traits including susceptibility to pathogens, the net effect of larval competition on human risk of exposure to mosquito-borne pathogens remains poorly understood. We examined how intraspecific larval competition affects dengue-2 virus (DENV-2) extrinsic incubation period and vectorial capacity of its natural vector Aedes albopictus. Adult Ae. albopictus from low and high-larval density conditions were orally challenged with DENV-2 and then assayed for virus infection and dissemination rates following a 6, 9, or 12-day incubation period using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR. We then modeled the effect of larval competition on vectorial capacity using parameter estimates obtained from peer-reviewed field and laboratory studies. Larval competition resulted in significantly longer development times, lower emergence rates, and smaller adults, but did not significantly affect the extrinsic incubation period of DENV-2 in Ae. albopictus. Our vectorial capacity models suggest that the effect of larval competition on adult mosquito longevity likely has a greater influence on vectorial capacity relative to any competition-induced changes in vector competence. Furthermore, we found that large increases in the viral dissemination rate may be necessary to compensate for small competition-induced reductions in daily survivorship. Our results indicate that mosquito populations that experience stress from larval competition are likely to have a reduced vectorial capacity, even when susceptibility to pathogens is enhanced. PMID:25951173

An examination of competition and efficiency for hospital industry in Turkey.

PubMed

Özgen Narcı, Hacer; Ozcan, Yasar A; Şahin, İsmet; Tarcan, Menderes; Narcı, Mustafa

2015-12-01

The two particular reforms that have been undertaken under the Health Transformation Program in Turkey are enhancing efficiency and increasing competition. However, there is a lack of information about the relationship between competition and hospital efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of competition on technical efficiency for the hospital industry in Turkey. The target population included all public and private general hospitals that were open in 2010 in Turkey (n = 1,224). From these, 1,103 hospitals met the selection criteria and were included in the study. Data were obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute, the Ministry of Health, and through a field survey. Technical efficiency of hospitals was estimated using Data Envelopment Analysis with five outputs and five inputs. The intensity of competition among hospitals was measured by objective and subjective measures. Objective competition was measured using the Hirschman-Herfindahl Index, and subjective competition was measured based on the perceptions of top level hospital managers. Multivariate Tobit regression was used to investigate the relationship between competition and efficiency while controlling the effects of demand and supply characteristics of the market and the hospital traits. Efficiency results showed that 17% of hospitals were technically efficient. Regression analyses portrayed that the degree of competition among general hospitals did not have a statistically significant relationship with hospitals' technical efficiency. To conclude, hospital efficiency in Turkey does not seem to be affected by the intensity of competition among hospitals.

Electricity and Water Conservation on College and University Campuses in Response to National Competitions among Dormitories: Quantifying Relationships between Behavior, Conservation Strategies and Psychological Metrics

PubMed Central

Petersen, John E.; Frantz, Cynthia M.; Shammin, Md. Rumi; Yanisch, Tess M.; Tincknell, Evan; Myers, Noel

2015-01-01

“Campus Conservation Nationals” (CCN) is a recurring, nation-wide electricity and water-use reduction competition among dormitories on college campuses. We conducted a two year empirical study of the competition’s effects on resource consumption and the relationship between conservation, use of web technology and various psychological measures. Significant reductions in electricity and water use occurred during the two CCN competitions examined (n = 105,000 and 197,000 participating dorm residents respectively). In 2010, overall reductions during the competition were 4% for electricity and 6% for water. The top 10% of dorms achieved 28% and 36% reductions in electricity and water respectively. Participation was larger in 2012 and reductions were slightly smaller (i.e. 3% electricity). The fact that no seasonal pattern in electricity use was evident during non-competition periods suggests that results are attributable to the competition. Post competition resource use data collected in 2012 indicates that conservation behavior was sustained beyond the competition. Surveys were used to assess psychological and behavioral responses (n = 2,900 and 2,600 in 2010 and 2012 respectively). Electricity reductions were significantly correlated with: web visitation, specific conservation behaviors, awareness of the competition, motivation and sense of empowerment. However, participants were significantly more motivated than empowered. Perceived benefits of conservation were skewed towards global and future concerns while perceived barriers tended to be local. Results also suggest that competitions may be useful for “preaching beyond the choir”–engaging those who might lack prior intrinsic or political motivation. Although college life is distinct, certain conclusions related to competitions, self-efficacy, and motivation and social norms likely extend to other residential settings. PMID:26672599

Local and national laparoscopic skill competitions: residents' opinions and impact on adoption of simulation-based training.

PubMed

McCreery, Greig L; El-Beheiry, Mostafa; Schlachta, Christopher M

2017-11-01

Dedicated practice using laparoscopic simulators improves operative performance. Yet, voluntary utilization is minimal. We hypothesized that skill competition between peers, at the local and national level, positively influences residents' use of laparoscopic simulators. A web-based survey evaluated the relationship between Canadian General Surgery residents' use of laparoscopic simulation and participation in competition. Secondary outcomes assessed attitudes regarding simulation training, factors limiting use, and associations between competition level and usage. One hundred ninety (23%) of 826 potential participants responded. Eighty-three percent rated their laparoscopic abilities as novice or intermediate. More than 70% agreed that use of simulation practice improves intra-operative performance, and should be a mandatory component of training. However, 58% employed simulator practice less than once per month, and 18% never used a simulator. Sixty-five percent engaged in simulator training for 5 h or less over the preceding 6 months. Seventy-three percent had participated in laparoscopic skill competition. Of those, 51% agreed that competition was a motivation for simulation practice. No association was found between those with competition experience and simulator use. However, 83% of those who had competed nationally reported >5 h of simulator use in the previous 6 months compared to those with no competition experience (26%), local competition (40%), and local national-qualifying competition (23%) (p < 0.001). This study does not support the hypothesis that competition alone universally increases voluntary use of simulation-based training, with only the minority of individuals competing at the national level demonstrated significantly higher simulation use. However, simulation training was perceived as a valuable exercise. Lack of time and access to simulators, as opposed to lack of interest, were the most commonly reported to limited use.

Is Nocturnal Foraging in a Tropical Bee an Escape From Interference Competition?

PubMed

Smith, Adam R; Kitchen, Shannon M; Toney, Ryan M; Ziegler, Christian

2017-01-01

Temporal niche partitioning may result from interference competition if animals shift their activity patterns to avoid aggressive competitors. If doing so also shifts food sources, it is difficult to distinguish the effects of interference and consumptive competition in selecting for temporal niche shift. Bees compete for pollen and nectar from flowers through both interference and consumptive competition, and some species of bees have evolved nocturnality. Here, we use tropical forest canopy towers to observe bees (the night-flying sweat bees Megalopta genalis and M. centralis [Halictidae], honey bees, and stingless bees [Apidae]) visiting flowers of the balsa tree (Ochroma pyramalidae, Malvaceae). Because Ochroma flowers are open in the late afternoon through the night we can test the relative influence of each competition type on temporal nice. Niche shift due to consumptive competition predicts that Megalopta forage when resources are available: from afternoon into the night. Niche shift due to interference competition predicts that Megalopta forage only in the absence of diurnal bees. We found no overlap between diurnal bees and Megalopta in the evening, and only one instance of overlap in the morning, despite the abundance of pollen and nectar in the late afternoon and evening. This supports the hypothesis that Megalopta are avoiding interference competition, but not the hypothesis that they are limited by consumptive competition. We propose that the release from interference competition enables Megalopta to provision cells quickly, and spend most of their time investing in nest defense. Thus, increases in foraging efficiency directly resulting from temporal shifts to escape interference competition may indirectly lead to reduced predation and parasitism. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America.

Interspecific competition counteracts negative effects of dispersal on adaptation of an arthropod herbivore to a new host.

PubMed

Alzate, A; Bisschop, K; Etienne, R S; Bonte, D

2017-11-01

Dispersal and competition have both been suggested to drive variation in adaptability to a new environment, either positively or negatively. A simultaneous experimental test of both mechanisms is however lacking. Here, we experimentally investigate how population dynamics and local adaptation to a new host plant in a model species, the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), are affected by dispersal from a stock population (no-adapted) and competition with an already adapted spider mite species (Tetranychus evansi). For the population dynamics, we find that competition generally reduces population size and increases the risk of population extinction. However, these negative effects are counteracted by dispersal. For local adaptation, the roles of competition and dispersal are reversed. Without competition, dispersal exerts a negative effect on adaptation (measured as fecundity) to a novel host and females receiving the highest number of immigrants performed similarly to the stock population females. By contrast, with competition, adding more immigrants did not result in a lower fecundity. Females from populations with competition receiving the highest number of immigrants had a significantly higher fecundity than females from populations without competition (same dispersal treatment) and than the stock population females. We suggest that by exerting a stronger selection on the adapting populations, competition can counteract the migration load effect of dispersal. Interestingly, adaptation to the new host does not significantly reduce performance on the ancestral host, regardless of dispersal rate or competition. Our results highlight that assessments of how species can adapt to changing conditions need to jointly consider connectivity and the community context. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons ltd on Behalf of European Society for Evolutionary Biology.

High-resolution insight into the competitive adsorption of heavy metals on natural sediment by site energy distribution.

PubMed

Huang, Limin; Jin, Qiang; Tandon, Puja; Li, Aimin; Shan, Aidang; Du, Jiajie

2018-04-01

Investigating competitive adsorption on river/lake sediments is valuable for understanding the fate and transport of heavy metals. Most studies have studied the adsorption isotherms of competitive heavy metals, which mainly comparing the adsorption information on the same concentration. However, intrinsically, the concentration of each heavy metal on competitive adsorption sites is different, while the adsorption energy is identical. Thus, this paper introduced the site energy distribution theory to increase insight into the competitive adsorption of heavy metals (Cu, Cd and Zn). The site energy distributions of each metal with and without other coexisting heavy metals were obtained. It illustrated that site energy distributions provide much more information than adsorption isotherms through screening of the full energy range. The results showed the superior heavy metal in each site energy area and the influence of competitive metals on the site energy distribution of target heavy metal. Site energy distributions can further help in determining the competitive sites and ratios of coexisting metals. In particular, in the high-energy area, which has great environmental significance, the ratios of heavy metals in the competitive adsorption sites obtained for various competitive systems were as follows: slightly more than 3:1 (Cu-Cd), slightly less than 3:1 (Cu-Zn), slightly more than 1:1 (Cd-Zn), and nearly 7:2:2 (Cu-Cd-Zn). The results from this study are helpful to deeply understand competitive adsorption of heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Zn) on sediment. Therefore, this study was effective in presenting a general pattern for future reference in competitive adsorption studies on sediments. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Competition for nutrients and light: testing advances in resource competition with a natural phytoplankton community.

PubMed

Burson, Amanda; Stomp, Maayke; Greenwell, Emma; Grosse, Julia; Huisman, Jef

2018-05-01

A key challenge in ecology is to understand how nutrients and light affect the biodiversity and community structure of phytoplankton and plant communities. According to resource competition models, ratios of limiting nutrients are major determinants of species composition. At high nutrient levels, however, species interactions may shift to competition for light, which might make nutrient ratios less relevant. The "nutrient-load hypothesis" merges these two perspectives, by extending the classic model of competition for two nutrients to include competition for light. Here, we test five key predictions of the nutrient-load hypothesis using multispecies competition experiments. A marine phytoplankton community sampled from the North Sea was inoculated in laboratory chemostats provided with different nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loads to induce either single resource limitation or co-limitation of N, P, and light. Four of the five predictions were validated by the experiments. In particular, different resource limitations favored the dominance of different species. Increasing nutrient loads caused changes in phytoplankton species composition, even if the N:P ratio of the nutrient loads remained constant, by shifting the species interactions from competition for nutrients to competition for light. In all treatments, small species became dominant whereas larger species were competitively excluded, supporting the common view that small cell size provides a competitive advantage under resource-limited conditions. Contrary to expectation, all treatments led to coexistence of diatoms, cyanobacteria and green algae, resulting in a higher diversity of species than predicted by theory. Because the coexisting species comprised three phyla with different photosynthetic pigments, we speculate that niche differentiation in the light spectrum might play a role. Our results show that mechanistic resource competition models that integrate nutrient-based and light-based approaches provide an important step forward to understand and predict how changing nutrient loads affect community composition. © 2018 The Authors Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Ecological Society of America.

Securing an OTL-HNS residency: how competitive is it? Comparing medical student perceptions to actual Canadian statistics.

PubMed

Kay-Rivest, E; Varma, N; Scott, G M; Manoukian, J J; Desrosiers, M; Vaccani, J P; Nguyen, L H P

2017-02-27

The residency match is an important event in an aspiring physician's career. Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (OTL-HNS) is a surgical specialty that has enjoyed high numbers of applicants to its residency programs. However, recent trends in Canada show a decline in first-choice applicants to several surgical fields. Factors thought to influence a medical student's choice include role models, career opportunities and work-life balance. The notion of perceived competitiveness is a factor that has not yet been explored. This study sought to compare competitiveness of OTL-HNS, as perceived by Canadian medical students to residency match statistics published yearly by CaRMS (Canadian Residency Matching Service), with the hope of informing future decisions of surgical residency programs. An electronic survey was created and distributed to all medical students enrolled in the 17 Canadian medical schools. After gathering demographic information, students were asked to rank what they perceived to be the five most competitive disciplines offered by CaRMS. They were also asked to rank surgical specialties from most to least competitive. Publically available data from CaRMS was then collected and analyzed to determine actual competitiveness of admissions to Canadian OTL-HNS residency programs. 1194 students, from first to fourth year of medical school, completed the survey. CaRMS statistics over the period from 2008 to 2014 demonstrated that the five most competitive specialties were Plastic Surgery, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Emergency Medicine and OTL-HNS. Among surgical disciplines, OTL-HNS was third most competitive, where on average 72% of students match to their first-choice discipline. When students were questioned, 35% ranked OTL-HNS amongst the top five most competitive. On the other hand 72%, 74% and 80% recognized Opthalmology, Dermatology and Plastic Surgery as being among the five most competitive, respectively. We found that fourth-year medical students were significantly more knowledgeable about the competitiveness of both OTL-HNS and Plastic Surgery compared to first-year students (p < 0.01). Overall, Canadian medical students may underestimate the competitiveness of OTL-HNS. Furthermore, competitiveness would appear to be a concept that resonates with medical students during the match process.

A serious game skills competition increases voluntary usage and proficiency of a virtual reality laparoscopic simulator during first-year surgical residents' simulation curriculum.

PubMed

El-Beheiry, Mostafa; McCreery, Greig; Schlachta, Christopher M

2017-04-01

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of a serious game skills competition on voluntary usage of a laparoscopic simulator among first-year surgical residents' standard simulation curriculum. With research ethics board approval, informed consent was obtained from first-year surgical residents enrolled in an introductory surgical simulation curriculum. The class of 2013 served as a control cohort following the standard curriculum which mandates completion of six laparoscopic simulator skill tasks. For the 2014 competition cohort, the only change introduced was the biweekly and monthly posting of a leader board of the top three and ten fastest peg transfer times. Entry surveys were administered assessing attitudes towards simulation-based training and competition. Cohorts were observed for 5 months. There were 24 and 25 residents in the control and competition cohorts, respectively. The competition cohort overwhelmingly (76 %) stated that they were not motivated to deliberate practice by competition. Median total simulator usage time was 132 min (IQR = 214) in the competition cohort compared to 89 (IQR = 170) in the control cohort. The competition cohort completed their course requirements significantly earlier than the control cohort (χ 2  = 6.5, p = 0.01). There was a significantly greater proportion of residents continuing to use the simulator voluntarily after completing their course requirements in the competition cohort (44 vs. 4 %; p = 0.002). Residents in the competition cohort were significantly faster at peg transfer (194 ± 66 vs. 233 ± 53 s, 95 % CI of difference = 4-74 s; p = 0.03) and significantly decreased their completion time by 33 ± 54 s (95 % CI 10-56 s; paired t test, p = 0.007). A simple serious games skills competition increased voluntary usage and performance on a laparoscopic simulator, despite a majority of participants reporting they were not motivated by competition. Future directions should endeavour to examine other serious gaming modalities to further engage trainees in simulated skills development.

Science vs. Sports: Motivation and Self-Concepts of Participants in Different School Competitions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Höffler, Tim Niclas; Bonin, Victoria; Parchmann, Ilka

2017-01-01

Competitions are discussed as a measure to foster students' interest, especially for highly gifted and talented students. In the current study, participants of a cognitive school competition in science were compared to non-participants of the same age group (14-15) who either did not participate in any competition or who participated in a…

Head to Head: The Role of Academic Competition in Undergraduate Anatomical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Nuland, Sonya E.; Roach, Victoria A.; Wilson, Timothy D.; Belliveau, Daniel J.

2015-01-01

Competition is a key element in many educational games and is often adopted by educators in an effort to motivate and excite their students. Yet, the use of academic competition in educational institutions remains the subject of much debate. Opponents argue that academic competition causes an increase in student anxiety and divides their…

Competition and Performance: More Facts, More Understanding? Comment on Murayama and Elliot (2012)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, David W.; Johnson, Roger T.; Roseth, Cary J.

2012-01-01

Murayama and Elliot (2012) made a significant contribution to the literature on competition by presenting the results of 2 meta-analyses and 3 primary studies on the relation between competition and performance. Murayama and Elliot established that in general, there is no relationship between competition and performance. They then made the case…

32 CFR 37.400 - Must I use competitive procedures to award TIAs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Must I use competitive procedures to award TIAs? 37.400 Section 37.400 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DoD... competitive procedures to award TIAs? DoD policy is to award TIAs using merit-based, competitive procedures...

International University Research Ventures: Implications for U.S. Economic Competitiveness National Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-03-31

NTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH VENTURES: IMPLICATIONS FOR US ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AND NATIONAL SECURITY The views, opinions and/or findings...UNIVERSITY RESEARCH VENTURES: IMPLICATIONS FOR US ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AND NATIONAL SECURITY Report Term: 0-Other Email: mzak@gatech.edu...expected to inform political and economic theories about technology transfer, innovation, economic competitiveness, and democratization/civil

30 CFR 285.1007 - What process will MMS use for competitively offering an Alternate Use RUE?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... issued on a competitive basis unless MMS determines, after public notice of the proposed Alternate Use RUE, that there is no competitive interest. (b) We will issue a public notice in the Federal Register to determine if there is competitive interest in using the proposed facility for alternate use...

25 CFR 166.221 - How do I acquire an advertised permit through competitive bidding?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false How do I acquire an advertised permit through competitive... permit through competitive bidding? (a) As part of the negotiation of a permit, Indian landowners may... responsible bidder(s), which may require further competitive bidding after the bid opening; and (4) Prepare...

A Qualitative Evaluation of Perceptions of the Role of Competition in the Success and Distress of Law Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stallman, Helen

2012-01-01

This qualitative study investigated the role of competition in the success and distress of law students. Participants from an Australian law faculty attended one of four focus groups (undergraduate, postgraduate, academic staff and administrative staff). They discussed their perceptions of competition, the competitive behaviours in law students,…

25 CFR 166.221 - How do I acquire an advertised permit through competitive bidding?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How do I acquire an advertised permit through competitive... permit through competitive bidding? (a) As part of the negotiation of a permit, Indian landowners may... responsible bidder(s), which may require further competitive bidding after the bid opening; and (4) Prepare...

Competition and Efficiency: Overseas Students and Technical Efficiency in Australian and New Zealand Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbott, Malcolm; Doucouliagos, Chris

2009-01-01

Economic theory suggests that competitive pressures will impact on organisational efficiency. In recent years, universities in Australia and New Zealand have faced increased competition for students. The aim of this paper is to explore the efficiency of Australian and New Zealand public universities and to investigate the impact of competition for…

76 FR 8651 - Special Local Regulation; Mavericks Surf Competition, Half Moon Bay, CA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-15

...-AA08 Special Local Regulation; Mavericks Surf Competition, Half Moon Bay, CA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS... regulation on certain navigable waters of Half Moon Bay in support of the Mavericks Surf Competition. This...,000 yard radius of Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay. The Mavericks Surf Competition will occur in the...

Chesapeake Bay Future Conditions Report. Volume 11. Biota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-12-01

United States. Fishery concentrated in Thames estuary (Hancock , et al., 1956). Non- nutritional Roles Competition : Membranipora encrusts fronds. Other...Non- nutritional Role Competition : D. leucolena is in competition for space with certain othe? epifaunal species , espec ially hydro ids and...Zoothamnium and other protozoans. Non- nutritional Role Competition : Competes with other estuarine filter-feeding herbivores and detritovores. Non

Effects of climate on competitive dynamics in mixed conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada

Treesearch

Christal Johnson; Sophan Chhin; Jianwei Zhang

2017-01-01

Trees in more competitive environments appear to respond to climate differently than trees in less competitive environments. In turn, climate patterns may affect inter- or intra-specific competition, favoring certain individuals over others. Using dendrochronological methods, we sampled cores from dominant pine trees and their nearby competitors in 40 stands in the...

Understanding of Competitive Sports Conducted by School under the New Curriculum Standard

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Housheng; Liu, Xiaoping

2008-01-01

Because some teachers and the leaders as well as many sports theorists have some conceptual misunderstanding of competitive sports conducted by school, there're some differences of opinions about competitive sports in physical education field, it would have a negative effect on the development of competitive sports in school. This essay is mainly…

26 CFR 403.61 - Sale on open, competitive bids.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 18 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Sale on open, competitive bids. 403.61 Section... open, competitive bids. If forfeited property is to be sold at public auction to the highest bidder on open, competitive bids, the notice of sale shall so specify, and state the date, hour, and place of...

26 CFR 403.61 - Sale on open, competitive bids.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 18 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Sale on open, competitive bids. 403.61 Section... open, competitive bids. If forfeited property is to be sold at public auction to the highest bidder on open, competitive bids, the notice of sale shall so specify, and state the date, hour, and place of...

26 CFR 403.61 - Sale on open, competitive bids.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 18 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Sale on open, competitive bids. 403.61 Section... open, competitive bids. If forfeited property is to be sold at public auction to the highest bidder on open, competitive bids, the notice of sale shall so specify, and state the date, hour, and place of...

26 CFR 403.61 - Sale on open, competitive bids.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 18 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Sale on open, competitive bids. 403.61 Section... open, competitive bids. If forfeited property is to be sold at public auction to the highest bidder on open, competitive bids, the notice of sale shall so specify, and state the date, hour, and place of...

26 CFR 403.61 - Sale on open, competitive bids.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 18 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Sale on open, competitive bids. 403.61 Section... open, competitive bids. If forfeited property is to be sold at public auction to the highest bidder on open, competitive bids, the notice of sale shall so specify, and state the date, hour, and place of...

31 CFR 515.567 - Public performances, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... international sports federation competitions. Specific licenses, including for multiple trips to Cuba over an... competition in Cuba, provided that: (1) The athletic competition in Cuba is held under the auspices of the... trips to Cuba over an extended period of time, may be issued on a case-by-case basis authorizing the...

Affirmation, Validation, and Empowerment: Influences of a Composition Competition on Students' Self-Concepts as Musicians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albert, Daniel J.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in a composition competition influenced four K-12 students' self-concepts as musicians. Research questions explored motivations for these four students to enter into a composition competition, influences of the competition on students' self-concepts as musicians (if at all), and effects…

BI GIS Competition Brings DSS to AITP NCC

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayen, Roger L.

2011-01-01

A national student competition problem in business intelligence (BI) is considered to foster an understanding of this competition and of the underlying case study problem used. The focus here is two-fold. First, is to illustrate this competition, and second, is to provide a case problem that can be considered for use in various information systems…

77 FR 26987 - Connect America Fund; A National Broadband Plan for Our Future; Establishing Just and Reasonable...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-08

... ETCs and incumbent LECs serving competitive areas, disaggregation plans (which permit incumbent LECs to...'' exception to the interim cap for competitive ETCs. The interim cap limited the total annual amount of high-cost support competitive ETCs in any state could receive to the amount competitive ETCs in that state...

Workskills and National Competitiveness: A Benchmarking Framework. Report No. 1: Benchmarking Australian Qualification Profiles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cullen, R. B.

A recent study of work skill competitiveness and overall national competitiveness worldwide revealed that 17 countries are more competitive than Australia. Some countries have a relative resource advantage and will be able to extend access to education and training more effectively than Australia will, and some countries have targeted education…

Electronic Commerce and Competitive Procurement

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-01

electronic commerce techniques ( electronic Jata interchange (EDI). electronic mail ( E -mail), electronic bulletin boards and facsimile] to competitive ...The ability to conduct discussions and negotiations with offerors electronically by E -mail supports the competitive proposal solicitation method...software vendors understand the dimensions of the DoD electronic commerce market , they may through competitive forces provide EDI capability. If their

Early Competitive Game Playing in Same- and Mixed-Gender Peer Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinberger, Nanci; Stein, Kristen

2008-01-01

Sixty-four kindergarten children participated in a bead-collecting game. Their competitive, noncompetitive, and other moves were measured. Gender and gender composition of the group affected competition in the context of playing this game with known peers. The boys were more competitive than the girls. Girls in the same-gender groups, but not…

U.S. Competitiveness in the World Wheat Market. Proceedings of a Research Conference (Washington, D.C., June 17-18, 1986).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Economic Research Service (USDA), Washington, DC.

These proceedings contain presentations and summaries of papers presented at a Wheat Competitiveness Conference. They begin with two presentations--"The Wheat Prototype Study within an Overall Conceptual Framework of Competitiveness" (James Langley) and "U.S. Competitiveness in the World Wheat Market: A Prototype Study" (Jerry…

Recent Developments at DG Competition: 2016/2017.

PubMed

Buehler, Benno; Coublucq, Daniel; Hariton, Cyril; Langus, Gregor; Valletti, Tommaso

2017-01-01

The Directorate General for Competition at the European Commission enforces competition law in the areas of antitrust, merger control, and state aids. This year's article provides first a general presentation of the role of the Chief Competition Economist's team and surveys the main achievements of the Directorate General for Competition over 2016/2017. The article then reviews the economic work undertaken in one merger case between Dow/DuPont, which raised specific issues related to innovation, as well as in an antitrust case on parity clauses related to Amazon e-books.

Possibilities of fractal analysis of the competitive dynamics: Approaches and procedures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zagornaya, T. O.; Medvedeva, M. A.; Panova, V. L.; Isaichik, K. F.; Medvedev, A. N.

2017-11-01

The possibilities of the fractal approach are used for the study of non-linear nature of the competitive dynamics of the market of trading intermediaries. Based on a statistical study of the functioning of retail indicators in the region, the approach to the analysis of the characteristics of the competitive behavior of market participants is developed. The authors postulate the principles of studying the dynamics of competition as a result of changes in the characteristics of the vector and the competitive behavior of market agents.

A reliability analysis of the revised competitiveness index.

PubMed

Harris, Paul B; Houston, John M

2010-06-01

This study examined the reliability of the Revised Competitiveness Index by investigating the test-retest reliability, interitem reliability, and factor structure of the measure based on a sample of 280 undergraduates (200 women, 80 men) ranging in age from 18 to 28 years (M = 20.1, SD = 2.1). The findings indicate that the Revised Competitiveness Index has high test-retest reliability, high inter-item reliability, and a stable factor structure. The results support the assertion that the Revised Competitiveness Index assesses competitiveness as a stable trait rather than a dynamic state.

Physiological and pathological relevance of cell competition in fly to mammals.

PubMed

Kon, Shunsuke

2018-01-01

In multicellular organisms, incidentally emerging suboptimal cells are removed to maintain homeostasis of tissues. The unfavorable cells are excluded by a process termed cell competition whereby the resident normal cells actively eliminate the unfit cells of the identical lineage. Although the phenomenon of cell competition was originally discovered in Drosophila, a number of recent studies have provided implications of cell competition in tissue regeneration, development and oncogenesis in mammals. Here the roles of cell competition in fly to mammals are discussed. © 2017 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.

Market responses to HMOs: price competition or rivalry?

PubMed

McLaughlin, C G

1988-01-01

Although competition for consumers is increasing in the health care sector, there is disagreement about whether it is resulting in cost containment, as its supporters have argued it would. In part this stems from a confusion between price competition, which under ideal circumstances leads to the production of services at the lowest possible cost, and nonprice competition--or rivalry--which under many circumstances will lead to increased costs. In this paper, I examine the evidence about the competitive response to the growing presence of health maintenance organizations in the health care marketplace. The available evidence suggests that providers are responding not with classical cost-containing price competition but, instead, with cost-increasing rivalry, characterized by increased expenditures to promote actual or perceived product differentiation.

[Competition and prices in the Mexican pharmaceutical market].

PubMed

Molina-Salazar, Raúl E; González-Marín, Eloy; Carbajal-de Nova, Carolina

2008-01-01

The forms of market competition define prices. The pharmaceutical market contains submarkets with different levels of competition; on the one hand are the innovating products with patents, and on the other, generic products with or without trade names. Innovating medicines generally have monopolistic prices, but when the patents expire prices drop because of competition from therapeutic alternatives. The trade name makes it easier to maintain monopolistic prices. In Mexico, medicine prices in the private market are high--according to aggregated estimates and prices for specific medicines--which reflect the limitations of pharmaceutical market competition and the power of the trade name. The public segment enjoys competitive prices using the WHO strategy for essential medicines on the basis of the Essential List.

Rise and fall of competitiveness in individualistic and collectivistic societies

PubMed Central

Leibbrandt, Andreas; Gneezy, Uri; List, John A.

2013-01-01

Competitiveness pervades life: plants compete for sunlight and water, animals for territory and food, and humans for mates and income. Herein we investigate human competitiveness with a natural experiment and a set of behavioral experiments. We compare competitiveness in traditional fishing societies where local natural forces determine whether fishermen work in isolation or in collectives. We find sharp evidence that fishermen from individualistic societies are far more competitive than fishermen from collectivistic societies, and that this difference emerges with work experience. These findings suggest that humans can evolve traits to specific needs, support the idea that socio-ecological factors play a decisive role for individual competitiveness, and provide evidence how individualistic and collectivistic societies shape economic behavior. PMID:23696669

Inter- and intra-specific competition of duckweed under multiple heavy metal contaminated water.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhao; Shi, Huijuan; Kang, Xianjiang; Liu, Cunqi; Chen, Lingci; Liang, Xiaofei; Jin, Lei

2017-11-01

The influences of intra- and inter-species competition on ecosystems are poorly understood. Lemna aequinoctialis and Spirodela polyrhiza were used to assess the effects of exposure to different concentrations of multiple heavy metals (copper-cadmium-zinc), when the plants were grown in mixed- or mono-culture. Parameters assessed included relative growth rate (RGR), content of chlorophyll, glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as the activity of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD). Inter-specific competition was affected by metal concentration, with results indicating that inter-specific competition significantly affected duckweed growth and metal uptake in different heavy metal exposure conditions. Inter-specific competition increased growth rate of duckweed under high metal concentrations, although when compared with intra-specific competition, it caused no obvious differences under low metal concentrations. The growth of L. aequinoctialis was further increased in mixed culture when exposed to high metal concentrations, with inter-specific competition increasing the content of cadmium and zinc, while decreasing copper content of L. aequinoctialis compared with under intra-specific conditions. Conversely, inter-specific competition increased the content of copper and cadmium of S. polyrhiza, without causing obvious differences in zinc accumulation under high ambient concentrations. Under high metal conditions, inter-specific competition increased antioxidant enzyme activities in duckweed species, increasing resistance to heavy metals. Results show that inter-specific competition makes duckweed develop mechanisms to increase fitness and survival, such as enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activities, rather than limiting metal uptake when exposed to high concentrations of multiple metals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effects of training volume and competition on the salivary cortisol concentrations of Olympic weightlifters.

PubMed

Crewther, Blair T; Heke, Taati; Keogh, Justin W L

2011-01-01

This study examined the effects of training volume and competition on the salivary cortisol (Sal-C) concentrations of Olympic weightlifters. Male (n = 5) and female (n = 4) Olympic weightlifters provided saliva samples across a 5-week experimental = period. The first aim was to assess the weekly effects of high (≥ 200 sets) and low (≤ 100 sets) training volume on Sal-C. The second aim was to compare Sal-C concentrations and 1 repetition maximum (1RM) performance during 2 simulated and 2 actual competitions. Performance was assessed using the snatch, clean and jerk, and the Olympic total lift. Data from each competition setting were pooled before analysis. There were no significant weekly changes in Sal-C levels (p > 0.05). The actual competitions produced higher (128-130%) Sal-C concentrations (p < 0.001) and superior 1RM lifts (1.9-2.6%) for the clean and jerk, and the Olympic total, than the simulated competitions (p < 0.05). Individual Sal-C concentrations before the simulated competitions were positively correlated to all of the 1RM lifts (r = 0.48-0.49, p < 0.05). In conclusion, actual competitions produced greater Sal-C responses than simulated competitions, and this appeared to benefit the 1RM performance of Olympic weightlifters. Individuals with higher Sal-C concentrations also tended to exhibit superior 1RM lifts during the simulated competitions. Given these findings, greater emphasis should be placed upon the monitoring of C to establish normative values, training standards and to assist with performance prediction.

The student-institution fit at university: interactive effects of academic competition and social class on achievement goals

PubMed Central

Sommet, Nicolas; Quiamzade, Alain; Jury, Mickaël; Mugny, Gabriel

2015-01-01

As compared to continuing-generation students, first-generation students are struggling more at university. In the present article, we question the unconditional nature of such a phenomenon and argue that it depends on structural competition. Indeed, most academic departments use harsh selection procedure all throughout the curriculum, fostering between-student competition. In these departments, first-generation students tend to suffer from a lack of student-institution fit, that is, inconsistencies with the competitive institution’s culture, practices, and identity. However, one might contend that in less competitive academic departments continuing-generation students might be the ones experiencing a lack of fit. Using a cross-sectional design, we investigated the consequences of such a context- and category-dependent lack of fit on the endorsement of scholastically adaptive goals. We surveyed N = 378 first- and continuing-generation students from either a more competitive or a less competitive department in their first or final year of bachelor’s study. In the more competitive department, first-to-third year decrease of mastery goals (i.e., the desire to learn) was found to be steeper for first- than for continuing-generation students. In the less competitive department, the reversed pattern was found. Moreover, first-to-third year decrease of performance goals (i.e., the desire to outperform others) was found to be steeper within the less competitive department but did not depend on social class. This single-site preliminary research highlights the need to take the academic context into account when studying the social class graduation gap. PMID:26124732

The student-institution fit at university: interactive effects of academic competition and social class on achievement goals.

PubMed

Sommet, Nicolas; Quiamzade, Alain; Jury, Mickaël; Mugny, Gabriel

2015-01-01

As compared to continuing-generation students, first-generation students are struggling more at university. In the present article, we question the unconditional nature of such a phenomenon and argue that it depends on structural competition. Indeed, most academic departments use harsh selection procedure all throughout the curriculum, fostering between-student competition. In these departments, first-generation students tend to suffer from a lack of student-institution fit, that is, inconsistencies with the competitive institution's culture, practices, and identity. However, one might contend that in less competitive academic departments continuing-generation students might be the ones experiencing a lack of fit. Using a cross-sectional design, we investigated the consequences of such a context- and category-dependent lack of fit on the endorsement of scholastically adaptive goals. We surveyed N = 378 first- and continuing-generation students from either a more competitive or a less competitive department in their first or final year of bachelor's study. In the more competitive department, first-to-third year decrease of mastery goals (i.e., the desire to learn) was found to be steeper for first- than for continuing-generation students. In the less competitive department, the reversed pattern was found. Moreover, first-to-third year decrease of performance goals (i.e., the desire to outperform others) was found to be steeper within the less competitive department but did not depend on social class. This single-site preliminary research highlights the need to take the academic context into account when studying the social class graduation gap.

Pollinator Competition as a Driver of Floral Divergence: An Experimental Test.

PubMed

Temeles, Ethan J; Newman, Julia T; Newman, Jennifer H; Cho, Se Yeon; Mazzotta, Alexandra R; Kress, W John

2016-01-01

Optimal foraging models of floral divergence predict that competition between two different types of pollinators will result in partitioning, increased assortative mating, and divergence of two floral phenotypes. We tested these predictions in a tropical plant-pollinator system using sexes of purple-throated carib hummingbirds (Anthracothorax jugularis) as the pollinators, red and yellow inflorescence morphs of Heliconia caribaea as the plants, and fluorescent dyes as pollen analogs in an enclosed outdoor garden. When foraging alone, males exhibited a significant preference for the yellow morph of H. caribaea, whereas females exhibited no preference. In competition, males maintained their preference for the yellow morph and through aggression caused females to over-visit the red morph, resulting in resource partitioning. Competition significantly increased within-morph dye transfer (assortative mating) relative to non-competitive environments. Competition and partitioning of color morphs by sexes of purple-throated caribs also resulted in selection for floral divergence as measured by dye deposition on stigmas. Red and yellow morphs did not differ significantly in dye deposition in the competition trials, but differences in dye deposition and preferences for morphs when sexes of purple-throated caribs foraged alone implied fixation of one or the other color morph in the absence of competition. Competition also resulted in selection for divergence in corolla length, with the red morph experiencing directional selection for longer corollas and the yellow morph experiencing stabilizing selection on corolla length. Our results thus support predictions of foraging models of floral divergence and indicate that pollinator competition is a viable mechanism for divergence in floral traits of plants.

Pollinator Competition as a Driver of Floral Divergence: An Experimental Test

PubMed Central

Temeles, Ethan J.; Newman, Julia T.; Newman, Jennifer H.; Cho, Se Yeon; Mazzotta, Alexandra R.; Kress, W. John

2016-01-01

Optimal foraging models of floral divergence predict that competition between two different types of pollinators will result in partitioning, increased assortative mating, and divergence of two floral phenotypes. We tested these predictions in a tropical plant-pollinator system using sexes of purple-throated carib hummingbirds (Anthracothorax jugularis) as the pollinators, red and yellow inflorescence morphs of Heliconia caribaea as the plants, and fluorescent dyes as pollen analogs in an enclosed outdoor garden. When foraging alone, males exhibited a significant preference for the yellow morph of H. caribaea, whereas females exhibited no preference. In competition, males maintained their preference for the yellow morph and through aggression caused females to over-visit the red morph, resulting in resource partitioning. Competition significantly increased within-morph dye transfer (assortative mating) relative to non-competitive environments. Competition and partitioning of color morphs by sexes of purple-throated caribs also resulted in selection for floral divergence as measured by dye deposition on stigmas. Red and yellow morphs did not differ significantly in dye deposition in the competition trials, but differences in dye deposition and preferences for morphs when sexes of purple-throated caribs foraged alone implied fixation of one or the other color morph in the absence of competition. Competition also resulted in selection for divergence in corolla length, with the red morph experiencing directional selection for longer corollas and the yellow morph experiencing stabilizing selection on corolla length. Our results thus support predictions of foraging models of floral divergence and indicate that pollinator competition is a viable mechanism for divergence in floral traits of plants. PMID:26814810

Differences in the fatty-acid composition of rodent spermatozoa are associated to levels of sperm competition

PubMed Central

delBarco-Trillo, Javier; Mateo, Rafael; Roldan, Eduardo R. S.

2015-01-01

Sperm competition is a prevalent phenomenon that drives the evolution of sperm function. High levels of sperm competition lead to increased metabolism to fuel higher sperm velocities. This enhanced metabolism can result in oxidative damage (including lipid peroxidation) and damage to the membrane. We hypothesized that in those species experiencing high levels of sperm competition there are changes in the fatty-acid composition of the sperm membrane that makes the membrane more resistant to oxidative damage. Given that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are the most prone to lipid peroxidation, we predicted that higher sperm competition leads to a reduction in the proportion of sperm PUFAs. In contrast, we predicted that levels of sperm competition should not affect the proportion of PUFAs in somatic cells. To test these predictions, we quantified the fatty-acid composition of sperm, testis and liver cells in four mouse species (genus Mus) that differ in their levels of sperm competition. Fatty-acid composition in testis and liver cells was not associated to sperm competition levels. However, in sperm cells, as predicted, an increase in sperm competition levels was associated with an increase in the proportion of saturated fatty-acids (the most resistant to lipid peroxidation) and by a concomitant decrease in the proportion of PUFAs. Two particular fatty acids were most responsible for this pattern (arachidonic acid and palmitic acid). Our findings thus indicate that sperm competition has a pervasive influence in the composition of sperm cells that ultimately may have important effects in sperm function. PMID:25795911

A nonsemen copulatory fluid influences the outcome of sperm competition in Japanese quail.

PubMed

Finseth, F R; Iacovelli, S R; Harrison, R G; Adkins-Regan, E K

2013-09-01

Sperm competition is a powerful and widespread evolutionary force that drives the divergence of behavioural, physiological and morphological traits. Elucidating the mechanisms governing differential fertilization success is a fundamental question of sperm competition. Both sperm and nonsperm ejaculate components can influence sperm competition outcomes. Here, we investigate the role of a nonsemen copulatory fluid in sperm competition. Male Japanese quail possess a gland that makes meringue-like foam. Males produce and store foam independent of sperm and seminal fluid, yet transfer foam to females during copulation. We tested whether foam influenced the outcome of sperm competition by varying foam state and mating order in competitive matings. We found that the presence of foam from one male decreased the relative fertilization success of a rival, and that foam from a given male increased the probability he obtained any fertilizations. Mating order also affected competitive success. Males mated first fertilized proportionally more eggs in a clutch and had more matings with any fertilizations than subsequent males. We conclude that the function of foam in sperm competition is mediated through the positive interaction of foam with a male's sperm, and we speculate whether the benefit is achieved through improving sperm storage, fertilizing efficiency or retention. Our results suggest males can evolve complex strategies to gain fertilizations at the expense of rivals as foam, a copulatory fluid not required for fertilization, nevertheless, has important effects on reproductive performance under competition. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2013 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

The relationship between competition and quality in procedural cardiac care.

PubMed

Glick, David B; Wroblewski, Kristen; Apfelbaum, Sean; Dauber, Benjamin; Woo, Joyce; Tung, Avery

2015-01-01

Anesthesiologists are frequently involved in efforts to meet perioperative quality metrics. The degree to which hospitals compete on publicly reported quality measures, however, is unclear. We hypothesized that hospitals in more competitive environments would be more likely to compete on quality and thus perform better on such measures. To test our hypothesis, we studied the relationship between competition and quality in hospitals providing procedural cardiac care and participating in a national quality database. For hospitals performing heart valve surgery (HVS) and delivering acute myocardial infarction (AMI) care in the Hospital Compare database, we assessed the degree of intrahospital competition using both geographical radius and federally defined metropolitan statistical area (MSA) to determine the degree of intrahospital competition. For each hospital, we then correlated the degree of competition with quality measure performance, mortality, patient volume, and per-patient Medicare costs for both HVS and AMI. Six hundred fifty-three hospitals met inclusion criteria for HVS and 1898 hospitals for AMI care. We found that for both definitions of competition, hospitals facing greater competition did not demonstrate better quality measure performance for either HVS or AMI. For both diagnoses, competition by number of hospitals correlated positively with cost: partial correlation coefficients = 0.40 (0.42 for MSA) (P < 0.001) for HVS and 0.52 (0.47 for MSA) (P < 0.001) for AMI. An analysis of the Hospital Compare database found that competition among hospitals correlated overall with increased Medicare costs but did not predict better scores on publicly reported quality metrics. Our results suggest that hospitals do not compete meaningfully on publicly reported quality metrics or costs.

Correlates of competitive versus noncompetitive employment among adults with psychotic disorders.

PubMed

Waghorn, Geoffrey; Saha, Sukankta; McGrath, John J

2014-04-01

Studies of the demographic and clinical correlates of employment activity have proven useful for identifying employment assistance needs among people with severe and persistent mental illness. However, the results of prior studies remain unclear, and most reviews of prior studies have not differentiated competitive from noncompetitive employment. This study attempted to clarify the relative strength and consistency of correlates of competitive versus noncompetitive employment. Data were drawn from a population-based survey of Australian adults with psychotic disorders between March and December 2010. Demographic, clinical, and employment assistance correlates of competitive and noncompetitive employment were compared. The sample comprised 1,825 participants who agreed to face-to-face interviews. A total of 408 (22.3%) participants were employed in the previous four weeks, 330 (18.1%) in competitive employment and 78 (4.3%) in noncompetitive employment. Those in competitive employment were more likely to be female and aged 18-34, to have a partner, to have received formal vocational training or education after high school, and to have no literacy difficulties. Better global functioning, shorter illness duration, less severe course of illness, and affective versus nonaffective psychosis were associated with a greater likelihood of competitive employment. Those using Australian government employment services were less likely to be in competitive employment, suggesting a service provider preference for noncompetitive employment. Four times as many employees were in competitive employment than in noncompetitive employment. The negative relationship between employment assistance and competitive employment highlights the urgent need to improve the effectiveness of Australian employment services for people with severe mental illnesses.

Attention and competition in figure-ground perception.

PubMed

Peterson, Mary A; Salvagio, Elizabeth

2009-01-01

What are the roles of attention and competition in determining where objects lie in the visual field, a phenomenon known as figure-ground perception? In this chapter, we review evidence that attention and other high-level factors such as familiarity affect figure-ground perception, and we discuss models that implement these effects. Next, we consider the Biased Competition Model of Attention in which attention is used to resolve the competition for neural representation between two nearby stimuli; in this model the response to the stimulus that loses the competition is suppressed. In the remainder of the chapter we discuss recent behavioral evidence that figure-ground perception entails between-object competition in which the response to the shape of the losing competitor is suppressed. We also describe two experiments testing whether more attention is drawn to resolve greater figure-ground competition, as would be expected if the Biased Competition Model of Attention extends to figure-ground perception. In these experiments we find that responses to targets on the location of a losing strong competitor are slowed, consistent with the idea that the location of the losing competitor is suppressed, but responses to targets on the winning competitor are not speeded, which is inconsistent with the hypothesis that attention is used to resolve figure-ground competition. In closing, we discuss evidence that attention can operate by suppression as well as by facilitation.

The effect of badminton-specific exercise on badminton short-serve performance in competition and practice climates.

PubMed

Duncan, Michael J; Chan, Cheryl K Y; Clarke, Neil D; Cox, Martin; Smith, Mike

2017-03-01

This study examined the effects of changes in physiological and psychological arousal on badminton short-serve performance in competitive and practice climates. Twenty competitive badminton players (10 males and 10 females) volunteered to participate in the study following ethics approval. After familiarisation, badminton short-serve performance was measured at rest, mid-way through and at the end of a badminton-specific exercise protocol in two conditions; competition vs. practice. Ratings of cognitive and somatic anxiety were assessed at three time points prior to badminton short-serve performance using the Mental Readiness Form 3. Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed during the exercise protocol. Results indicated that better short-serve performance was evident in practice compared to competition (P = .034). RPE values were significantly higher in the competition condition compared to practice (P = .007). Cognitive anxiety intensity was significantly lower post-exercise in the practice condition compared to competition (P = .001). Cognitive anxiety direction showed greater debilitation post-exercise in the competition condition compared to practice (P = .01). Somatic anxiety intensity increased from pre-, to mid- to post-exercise (P = .001) irrespective of condition. This study suggests that badminton serve performance is negatively affected when physiological arousal, via badminton-specific exercise, and cognitive anxiety, via perceived competition, are high.

Good decision-making is associated with an adaptive cardiovascular response to social competitive stress.

PubMed

Alacreu-Crespo, Adrián; Costa, Raquel; Abad-Tortosa, Diana; Salvador, Alicia; Serrano, Miguel Ángel

2018-06-22

Competition elicits different psychological and cardiovascular responses depending on a person's skills. Decision-making has been considered a distal factor that influences competition, but there are no studies analyzing this relationship. Our objective was to analyze whether decision-making affects the response to competition. Specifically, we aimed to test whether good performers on a decision-making test, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), showed an adaptive cardiovascular response to competition. In all, 116 participants (44 women) performed the IGT and were classified into Good or Poor decision-makers. Subsequently, they were exposed to a stress task in two different conditions: a face-to-face competition (winners/losers) or a control condition, while an electrocardiogram was recorded. In the competition group, good decision-makers increased their high-frequency respect to the total heart rate variability (HF/HRV) levels during the task, compared to Poor decision-makers. Again, competition group good decision-makers, showed lower LF and higher HF/HRV reactivity than the control group, which represents lower HRV stress pattern. Moreover, in the group of losers, good decision-makers had a decline in low frequency (LF) during the task and faster recovery than poor decision-makers. In conclusion, good decision-makers have a more adaptive stress response and higher levels of mental effort, based on total HRV interpretation. Decision-making skills could be a factor in a more adaptive cardiovascular response to competition.

Competition with and without priority control: linking rivalry to attention through winner-take-all networks with memory.

PubMed

Marx, Svenja; Gruenhage, Gina; Walper, Daniel; Rutishauser, Ueli; Einhäuser, Wolfgang

2015-03-01

Competition is ubiquitous in perception. For example, items in the visual field compete for processing resources, and attention controls their priority (biased competition). The inevitable ambiguity in the interpretation of sensory signals yields another form of competition: distinct perceptual interpretations compete for access to awareness. Rivalry, where two equally likely percepts compete for dominance, explicates the latter form of competition. Building upon the similarity between attention and rivalry, we propose to model rivalry by a generic competitive circuit that is widely used in the attention literature-a winner-take-all (WTA) network. Specifically, we show that a network of two coupled WTA circuits replicates three common hallmarks of rivalry: the distribution of dominance durations, their dependence on input strength ("Levelt's propositions"), and the effects of stimulus removal (blanking). This model introduces a form of memory by forming discrete states and explains experimental data better than competitive models of rivalry without memory. This result supports the crucial role of memory in rivalry specifically and in competitive processes in general. Our approach unifies the seemingly distinct phenomena of rivalry, memory, and attention in a single model with competition as the common underlying principle. © 2015 The Authors. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of The New York Academy of Sciences.

National Clinical Skills Competition: an effective simulation-based method to improve undergraduate medical education in China.

PubMed

Jiang, Guanchao; Chen, Hong; Wang, Qiming; Chi, Baorong; He, Qingnan; Xiao, Haipeng; Zhou, Qinghuan; Liu, Jing; Wang, Shan

2016-01-01

The National Clinical Skills Competition has been held in China for 5 consecutive years since 2010 to promote undergraduate education reform and improve the teaching quality. The effects of the simulation-based competition will be analyzed in this study. Participation in the competitions and the compilation of the questions used in the competition finals are summarized, and the influence and guidance quality are further analyzed. Through the nationwide distribution of questionnaires in medical colleges, the effects of the simulation-based competition on promoting undergraduate medical education reform were evaluated. The results show that approximately 450 students from more than 110 colleges (accounting for 81% of colleges providing undergraduate clinical medical education in China) participated in the competition each year. The knowledge, skills, and attitudes were comprehensively evaluated by simulation-based assessment. Eight hundred and eighty copies of the questionnaires were distributed to 110 participating medical schools in 2015. In total, 752 valid responses were received across 95 schools. The majority of the interviewees agreed or strongly agreed that competition promoted the adoption of advanced educational principles (76.8%), updated the curriculum model and instructional methods (79.8%), strengthened faculty development (84.0%), improved educational resources (82.1%), and benefited all students (53.4%). The National Clinical Skills Competition is widely accepted in China. It has effectively promoted the reform and development of undergraduate medical education in China.

National Clinical Skills Competition: an effective simulation-based method to improve undergraduate medical education in China.

PubMed

Jiang, Guanchao; Chen, Hong; Wang, Qiming; Chi, Baorong; He, Qingnan; Xiao, Haipeng; Zhou, Qinghuan; Liu, Jing; Wang, Shan

2016-01-01

Background The National Clinical Skills Competition has been held in China for 5 consecutive years since 2010 to promote undergraduate education reform and improve the teaching quality. The effects of the simulation-based competition will be analyzed in this study. Methods Participation in the competitions and the compilation of the questions used in the competition finals are summarized, and the influence and guidance quality are further analyzed. Through the nationwide distribution of questionnaires in medical colleges, the effects of the simulation-based competition on promoting undergraduate medical education reform were evaluated. Results The results show that approximately 450 students from more than 110 colleges (accounting for 81% of colleges providing undergraduate clinical medical education in China) participated in the competition each year. The knowledge, skills, and attitudes were comprehensively evaluated by simulation-based assessment. Eight hundred and eighty copies of the questionnaires were distributed to 110 participating medical schools in 2015. In total, 752 valid responses were received across 95 schools. The majority of the interviewees agreed or strongly agreed that competition promoted the adoption of advanced educational principles (76.8%), updated the curriculum model and instructional methods (79.8%), strengthened faculty development (84.0%), improved educational resources (82.1%), and benefited all students (53.4%). Conclusions The National Clinical Skills Competition is widely accepted in China. It has effectively promoted the reform and development of undergraduate medical education in China.

Competitive effects of fire-resistant saplings on their fire-sensitive neighbors are greater than the reverse

Treesearch

J. Stephen Brewer

2015-01-01

Although repeated fires are generally thought to reduce competition, direct tests of this hypothesis are rare. Furthermore, recent theory predicts that fires can increase competitive effects of fireresistant species on fire-sensitive species and thus create stable assemblages dominated by the former. In this study, I quantified competition between saplings of fire-...

30 CFR 285.1007 - What process will MMS use for competitively offering an Alternate Use RUE?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Alternate Use RUE? (a) An Alternate Use RUE must be issued on a competitive basis unless MMS determines, after public notice of the proposed Alternate Use RUE, that there is no competitive interest. (b) We will issue a public notice in the Federal Register to determine if there is competitive interest in...

Demolishing the Competition: The Longitudinal Link between Competitive Video Games, Competitive Gambling, and Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adachi, Paul J. C.; Willoughby, Teena

2013-01-01

The majority of research on the link between video games and aggression has focused on the violent content in games. In contrast, recent experimental research suggests that it is video game competition, not violence, that has the greatest effect on aggression in the short-term. However, no researchers have examined the long-term relationship…

Report on the 2006 AAPT Apparatus Competition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flarend, Richard

2007-01-01

Each year at the AAPT summer meeting there is an apparatus competition in which members of the physics community can share ideas for new or improved apparatus to aid in the teaching of physics. The 2006 competition at the summer meeting in Syracuse, NY, was the largest competition in quite a while and continued an upward trend in the number of…

Evaluation of the Competitive Environment for White Pine (Pinus strobus L.) Seedlings Planted on Prescribed Burn Sites in the Southern Appalachians

Treesearch

Katherine J. Elliott; James M. Vose

1995-01-01

We evaluated the competitive environment around planted white pine (Pinus strobus L.) seedlings and monitored the response of seedling growth to competition from naturally regenerating herbaceous and woody species for 2 yr after prescribed burning. We evaluated the bility of distance-independent and distance-dependent competition indices to predict resource...

24 CFR 901.220 - Resident participation in competitive proposals to manage the housing of a PHA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... competitive proposals to manage the housing of a PHA. 901.220 Section 901.220 Housing and Urban Development... § 901.220 Resident participation in competitive proposals to manage the housing of a PHA. (a) When a competitive proposal to manage the housing of a PHA in substantial default is solicited in a Request for...

Deterrence in Oligopolistic Competition.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-01

maneuvering for advantage in an oligopolistic market . Competitive battles for entry into a market , and subsequently for market shares or continued survival...on institutional features peculiar to market competition among firms, the available case studies and sta- tistical evidence are not described here...that might enter the market in competition with the present incumbents, which is usually detrimental to the incumbents. Each firm can affect its market

The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-01

CONTRACTING ACT --------------------- 55 D. THE NAVY’S IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPETITION IN CONTRACTING ACT ------------------------------------ 58 E ...the implementation of th• e Competition in Contracting Act. This chapter explores the issues and problems associated with the implementation of the...a third party by the offer of the most favorable terms.ŗ Modern price and economic theory classifies markets by degrees of competition . Product

The Impact of Nursing Students' Chemistry Learning Performance Assessment in Taiwan: Competitive versus Non-Competitive Student Team Achievement Division Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Kai-Ping

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of competitive Student Team Achievement Division (STAD), non-competitive STAD, and traditional learning on chemistry learning and learning perceptions. Sample, design and methods: By adopting the STAD approach, this study examined 144 nursing students at a five-year junior…

5 CFR 213.3201 - Positions other than those of a confidential or policy-determining character for which it is not...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... confidential or policy-determining character for which it is not practicable to hold a competitive examination... confidential or policy-determining character for which it is not practicable to hold a competitive examination... Executive Service, for which it is impracticable to hold open competition or to apply usual competitive...

5 CFR 213.3201 - Positions other than those of a confidential or policy-determining character for which it is not...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... confidential or policy-determining character for which it is not practicable to hold a competitive examination... confidential or policy-determining character for which it is not practicable to hold a competitive examination... Executive Service, for which it is impracticable to hold open competition or to apply usual competitive...

The Dilemma of Competition Encountered by Musically Gifted Asian Male Students: An Exploration from the Perspective of Gifted Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kao, Chen-Yao

2011-01-01

Due to the crucial role of competition in advanced performance, musically gifted students are more likely to experience competitive conditions compared with students in regular classes. However, there is a surprising paucity of research on the relationships between competition and musical giftedness. Through a research design of a qualitative…

Virulence and competitive ability in genetically diverse malaria infections

PubMed Central

de Roode, Jacobus C.; Pansini, Riccardo; Cheesman, Sandra J.; Helinski, Michelle E. H.; Huijben, Silvie; Wargo, Andrew R.; Bell, Andrew S.; Chan, Brian H. K.; Walliker, David; Read, Andrew F.

2005-01-01

Explaining parasite virulence is a great challenge for evolutionary biology. Intuitively, parasites that depend on their hosts for their survival should be benign to their hosts, yet many parasites cause harm. One explanation for this is that within-host competition favors virulence, with more virulent strains having a competitive advantage in genetically diverse infections. This idea, which is well supported in theory, remains untested empirically. Here we provide evidence that within-host competition does indeed select for high parasite virulence. We examine the rodent malaria Plasmodium chabaudi in laboratory mice, a parasite–host system in which virulence can be easily monitored and competing strains quantified by using strain-specific real-time PCR. As predicted, we found a strong relationship between parasite virulence and competitive ability, so that more virulent strains have a competitive advantage in mixed-strain infections. In transmission experiments, we found that the strain composition of the parasite populations in mosquitoes was directly correlated with the composition of the blood-stage parasite population. Thus, the outcome of within-host competition determined relative transmission success. Our results imply that within-host competition is a major factor driving the evolution of virulence and can explain why many parasites harm their hosts. PMID:15894623

Analysis of inter-country input-output table based on citation network: How to measure the competition and collaboration between industrial sectors on the global value chain

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The input-output table is comprehensive and detailed in describing the national economic system with complex economic relationships, which embodies information of supply and demand among industrial sectors. This paper aims to scale the degree of competition/collaboration on the global value chain from the perspective of econophysics. Global Industrial Strongest Relevant Network models were established by extracting the strongest and most immediate industrial relevance in the global economic system with inter-country input-output tables and then transformed into Global Industrial Resource Competition Network/Global Industrial Production Collaboration Network models embodying the competitive/collaborative relationships based on bibliographic coupling/co-citation approach. Three indicators well suited for these two kinds of weighted and non-directed networks with self-loops were introduced, including unit weight for competitive/collaborative power, disparity in the weight for competitive/collaborative amplitude and weighted clustering coefficient for competitive/collaborative intensity. Finally, these models and indicators were further applied to empirically analyze the function of sectors in the latest World Input-Output Database, to reveal inter-sector competitive/collaborative status during the economic globalization. PMID:28873432

A Cascade of Champions: A Qualitative Study about the MA-CORD Media Competition Implementation

PubMed Central

Criss, Shaniece; Tran, Alvin; Ganter, Claudia; Aftosmes-Tobio, Alyssa; Gortmaker, Steven; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula; Kwass, Jo-Ann; Davison, Kirsten K.

2016-01-01

A media competition was part of the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) Study. Criss et al., previously outlined the development and implementation of the competition, including variation in reach and adoption of the intervention across schools and afterschool programs. In this qualitative study, we examine community, provider, and organizational factors that explain the variation of media competition reach in school and afterschool programs, and describe the awareness of the media competition across other community sectors. Durlak and DuPre’s ecological framework for understanding effective implementation provided the theoretical underpinnings for this study. Fifty-four key informant interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed. Organizational capacity of committed teachers/staff and adaptability of the media competition seemed to be drivers for higher reach within school and afterschool programs. Salient themes that emerged as facilitators of effective implementation were having a cascade of champions and providing opportunity to participate in the media competition outside traditional class time. Clinics and coalitions were identified as additional sectors aware of the media competition. Specifically, our findings offer a new perspective on intervention design and a recommended direction for further study. PMID:27058550

Does Competition Have an Effect on Price and Quality in Physiotherapy?

PubMed

Pekola, Piia; Linnosmaa, Ismo; Mikkola, Hennamari

2017-10-01

We estimate the effect of competition on quality and prices in physiotherapy organised and financed by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland for disabled individuals. Within the physiotherapy market, firms participate in competitive bidding, prices are determined by the market, services are free at the point of use and firms are allowed to react to patient choice only by enhancing quality. Firm-level data (n = 854) regarding quality and price were analysed. Using 2SLS estimation techniques, we analysed the relationship between quality and competition, and price and competition. Our study found that competition has a negative (yet weak) effect on quality. Prices on the other hand are not affected by competition. The result is likely caused by imperfect information, because it seems that the Social Insurance Institution of Finland has provided too little information for patients to make adequate choices about proper service providers. We argue that by publishing quality information, it is possible to ease the decision-making of patients and influence the quality strategies of firms active in the physiotherapy market. Moreover, we found that competition appeared as an exogenous variable in this study. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Interspecific competition, hybridization, and reproductive isolation in secondary contact: missing perspectives on males and females

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Abstract Research on sexual selection and hybridization has focused on female mate choice and male–male competition. While the evolutionary outcomes of interspecific female preference have been well explored, we are now gaining a better understanding of the processes by which male–male competition between species in secondary contact promotes reproductive isolation versus hybridization. What is relatively unexplored is the interaction between female choice and male competition, as they can oppose one another or align with similar outcomes for reproductive isolation. The role of female–female competition in hybridization is also not well understood, but could operate similarly to male–male competition in polyandrous and other systems where costs to heterospecific mating are low for females. Reproductive competition between either sex of sympatric species can cause the divergence and/or convergence of sexual signals and recognition, which in turn influences the likelihood for interspecific mating. Future work on species interactions in secondary contact should test the relative influences of both mate choice and competition for mates on hybridization outcomes, and should not ignore the possibilities that females can compete over mating resources, and males can exercise mate choice. PMID:29492041

Analysis of inter-country input-output table based on citation network: How to measure the competition and collaboration between industrial sectors on the global value chain.

PubMed

Xing, Lizhi

2017-01-01

The input-output table is comprehensive and detailed in describing the national economic system with complex economic relationships, which embodies information of supply and demand among industrial sectors. This paper aims to scale the degree of competition/collaboration on the global value chain from the perspective of econophysics. Global Industrial Strongest Relevant Network models were established by extracting the strongest and most immediate industrial relevance in the global economic system with inter-country input-output tables and then transformed into Global Industrial Resource Competition Network/Global Industrial Production Collaboration Network models embodying the competitive/collaborative relationships based on bibliographic coupling/co-citation approach. Three indicators well suited for these two kinds of weighted and non-directed networks with self-loops were introduced, including unit weight for competitive/collaborative power, disparity in the weight for competitive/collaborative amplitude and weighted clustering coefficient for competitive/collaborative intensity. Finally, these models and indicators were further applied to empirically analyze the function of sectors in the latest World Input-Output Database, to reveal inter-sector competitive/collaborative status during the economic globalization.

Testing the social competition hypothesis of depression using a simple economic game.

PubMed

Kupferberg, Aleksandra; Hager, Oliver M; Fischbacher, Urs; Brändle, Laura S; Haynes, Melanie; Hasler, Gregor

2016-03-01

Price's social competition hypothesis interprets the depressive state as an unconscious, involuntary losing strategy, which enables individuals to yield and accept defeat in competitive situations. We investigated whether patients who suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD) would avoid competition more often than either patients suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) or healthy controls. In a simple paper-folding task healthy participants and patiens with MDD and BPD were matched with two opponents, one with an unknown diagnosis and one who shared their clinical diagnosis, and they had to choose either a competitive or cooperative payment scheme for task completion. When playing against an unknown opponent, but not the opponent with the same diagnosis, the patients with depression chose the competitive payment scheme statistically less often than healthy controls and patients diagnosed with BPD. The competition avoidance against the unknown opponent is consistent with Price's social competition hypothesis. G.H. received research support, consulting fees and speaker honoraria from Lundbeck, AstraZeneca, Servier, Eli Lilly, Roche and Novartis. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

Gender and competitive preferences: The role of competition size.

PubMed

Hanek, Kathrin J; Garcia, Stephen M; Tor, Avishalom

2016-08-01

In a series of 8 studies, we examine whether gender differences in competition entry preferences are moderated by the size of the competition. Drawing on theories of gender roles and stereotypes, we show that women, relative to men, prefer to enter smaller compared with larger competitions. Studies 1a and 1b demonstrate this effect in observational data on preferences for working in differently sized firms and applying to differently sized colleges. Studies 2a and 2b replicate the effect with real behavioral decisions in different domains. We also find empirical evidence that prescriptive gender norms and stereotypes underlie this effect. In Study 3, we find experimental evidence that women and men differ in their preferences for differently sized groups under competition, but not in noncompetitive settings. Three additional experimental studies (Studies 4, 5a, and 5b) show that perceptions of comfort in small versus larger competitions underlie women's preferences. These findings suggest that women's preferences for smaller competitions may be driven by an adherence to prescriptive gender norms. We discuss the implications of the current findings for gender inequalities in organizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Growth and Competitive Effects of Centaurea stoebe Populations in Response to Simulated Nitrogen Deposition

PubMed Central

He, Wei-Ming; Montesinos, Daniel; Thelen, Giles C.; Callaway, Ragan M.

2012-01-01

Increased resource availability can promote invasion by exotic plants, raising concerns over the potential effects of global increases in the deposition of nitrogen (N). It is poorly understood why increased N favors exotics over natives. Fast growth may be a general trait of good invaders and these species may have exceptional abilities to increase growth rates in response to N deposition. Additionally, invaders commonly displace locals, and thus may have inherently greater competitive abilities. The mean growth response of Centaurea stoebe to two N levels was significantly greater than that of North American (NA) species. Growth responses to N did not vary among C. stoebe populations or NA species. Without supplemental N, NA species were better competitors than C. stoebe, and C. stoebe populations varied in competitive effects. The competitive effects of C. stoebe populations increased with N whereas the competitive effects of NA species decreased, eliminating the overall competitive advantage demonstrated by NA species in soil without N added. These results suggest that simulated N deposition may enhance C. stoebe invasion through increasing its growth and relative competitive advantage, and also indicate the possibility of local adaptation in competitive effects across the introduced range of an invader. PMID:22563451

Growth and competitive effects of Centaurea stoebe populations in response to simulated nitrogen deposition.

PubMed

He, Wei-Ming; Montesinos, Daniel; Thelen, Giles C; Callaway, Ragan M

2012-01-01

Increased resource availability can promote invasion by exotic plants, raising concerns over the potential effects of global increases in the deposition of nitrogen (N). It is poorly understood why increased N favors exotics over natives. Fast growth may be a general trait of good invaders and these species may have exceptional abilities to increase growth rates in response to N deposition. Additionally, invaders commonly displace locals, and thus may have inherently greater competitive abilities. The mean growth response of Centaurea stoebe to two N levels was significantly greater than that of North American (NA) species. Growth responses to N did not vary among C. stoebe populations or NA species. Without supplemental N, NA species were better competitors than C. stoebe, and C. stoebe populations varied in competitive effects. The competitive effects of C. stoebe populations increased with N whereas the competitive effects of NA species decreased, eliminating the overall competitive advantage demonstrated by NA species in soil without N added. These results suggest that simulated N deposition may enhance C. stoebe invasion through increasing its growth and relative competitive advantage, and also indicate the possibility of local adaptation in competitive effects across the introduced range of an invader.

Refuge-mediated apparent competition in plant-consumer interactions.

PubMed

Orrock, John L; Holt, Robert D; Baskett, Marissa L

2010-01-01

At the intersection of consumer behaviour and plant competition is the concept of refuge-mediated apparent competition: an indirect interaction whereby plants provide a refuge for a shared consumer, subsequently increasing consumer pressure on another plant species. Here, we use a simple model and empirical examples to develop and illustrate the concept of refuge-mediated apparent competition. We find that the likelihood that an inferior competitor will succeed via refuge-mediated apparent competition is greater when competitors have similar resource requirements and when consumers exhibit a strong response to the refuge and high attack rates on the superior competitor. Refuge-mediated apparent competition may create an emergent Allee effect, such that a species invades only if it is sufficiently abundant to alter consumer impact on resident species. This indirect interaction may help explain unresolved patterns observed in biological invasion, such as the different physical structure of invasive exotic plants, the lag phase, and the failure of restoration efforts. Given the ubiquity of refuge-seeking behaviour by consumers and the ability of consumers to alter the outcome of direct competition among plants, refuge-mediated apparent competition may be an underappreciated mechanism affecting the composition and diversity of plant communities.