Sustainable competitive advantage for accountable care organizations.

PubMed

Macfarlane, Michael Alex

2014-01-01

In the current period of health industry reform, accountable care organizations (ACOs) have emerged as a new model for the delivery of high-quality and cost-effective healthcare. However, few ACOs operate in direct competition with one another, and the accountable care business model has yet to present a means of continually developing new marginal value for patients and network partners. With value-based purchasing and patient consumerism strengthening as market forces, ACOs must build organizational sustainability and competitive advantage to meet the value demands set by customers and competitors. This essay proposes a strategy, adapted from the disciplines of agile software development and Lean product development, through which ACOs can engage internal and external customers in the development of new products that will provide sustainability and competitive advantage to the organization by decreasing waste in development, promoting specialized knowledge, and closely targeting customer value.

Strategy Development in UK Higher Education: Towards Resource-Based Competitive Advantages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Richard; Baines, Paul

2004-01-01

Britain's higher education institutions (HEIs) face fundamental and unprecedented competitive pressures due to lower government funding (Cm 5735, "The Future of Higher Education," Department for Education and Skills, 2003) and a government agenda focused on a "widening participation agenda". We employ the resource-based view (RBV) of strategy…

Knowledge Management and the Competitive Strategy of the Firm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halawi, Leila A.; McCarthy, Richard V.; Aronson, Jay E.

2006-01-01

Purpose: Knowledge management (KM) has emerged as a strategy to improve organizational competitiveness. Our purpose is to identify the relationship between KM and the firm's competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach: We review the existing literature on KM and strategy formulation. We utilize the resource-based view approach as a lens for…

Theorizing Strategic Human Resource Development: Linking Financial Performance and Sustainable Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Po

2007-01-01

This paper is to explore potential new underlying theory of strategic human resource development based on critiques of current theoretical foundations of HRD. It offers a new definition and model of Strategic HRD based on resource-based view of firm and human resource, with linkage to financial performance and competitiveness. Proposed new model…

Achieving competitive advantage through strategic human resource management.

PubMed

Fottler, M D; Phillips, R L; Blair, J D; Duran, C A

1990-01-01

The framework presented here challenges health care executives to manage human resources strategically as an integral part of the strategic planning process. Health care executives should consciously formulate human resource strategies and practices that are linked to and reinforce the broader strategic posture of the organization. This article provides a framework for (1) determining and focusing on desired strategic outcomes, (2) identifying and implementing essential human resource management actions, and (3) maintaining or enhancing competitive advantage. The strategic approach to human resource management includes assessing the organization's environment and mission; formulating the organization's business strategy; assessing the human resources requirements based on the intended strategy; comparing the current inventory of human resources in terms of numbers, characteristics, and human resource management practices with respect to the strategic requirements of the organization and its services or product lines; formulating the human resource strategy based on the differences between the assessed requirements and the current inventory; and implementing the appropriate human resource practices to reinforce the strategy and attain competitive advantage.

Competitive Advantage, Uncertainty, and Weapons Procurement: Striking Balance for the Future

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-02

position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE , UNCERTAINTY, AND WEAPONS PROCUREMENT: STRIKING...Competitive Advantage , Uncertainty, and Weapons Procurement: Striking Balance for the Future 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d...the right balance of investments all leading to a sustained competitive advantage . This paper presents an analysis of how effective this overhaul has

Examining the competitive advantage of Diuraphis noxia (Hemiptera: Aphididae) biotype 2 over biotype 1.

PubMed

Merrill, Scott C; Randolph, Terri L; Peairs, Frank B; Michels, G J; Walker, C B

2014-08-01

The Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov) is a serious pest of small grains, such as wheat and barley. High population growth rates and a broad gramineae host range have allowed this aphid to successfully establish and become pestiferous across much of North America since its invasion in the mid-1980s. Resistant wheat cultivars were developed and provided control ofD. noxia until 2003, when a new biotype (designated RWA2, as contrasted with the original biotype's designation, RWA1) emerged and rapidly spread through dryland winter wheat-growing regions. RWA2 displaced RWA1 more quickly than expected, based on RWA2's advantage in RWA1-resistant wheat cultivars. Previous research suggested that RWA2 may out-compete RWA1 in cooler temperatures. Thus, we sought to determine if RWA2 had a competitive advantage over RWA1 during the overwintering period. We placed a known distribution of RWA1 and RWA2 aphids in the field for the winter at three sites across a latitudinal gradient (from northern Colorado to Texas) to test for a competitive advantage between these biotypes. We found overwhelming support for an overwintering competitive advantage by RWA2 over RWA1, with evidence suggesting a > 10-fold advantage even at our Texas site (i.e., the site with the mildest winter). This substantial overwintering advantage helps explain the quick dispersion and displacement of RWA1 by RWA2.

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

A Review of Theoretical Frameworks for Supply Chain Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thoo, AC; Tan, LC; Sulaiman, Z.; Zakuan, N.

2017-06-01

In a world of fierce competition and business driven by speed to market, good quality and low costs, this environment requires firms to have a source of competitive advantage that is inimitable and non-substitutable. For a supply chain integration (SCI) strategy to achieve sustainable competitive advantage it must be non-substitutable, inimitable, path-dependent and developed over time. Also, an integrated supply chain framework is needed to tie the whole network together in order to reduce perennial supply chain challenges such as functional silos, poor transparency of knowledge and information and the inadequate formation of appropriate customer and supplier relationships. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the competitive impact of a SCI strategy on firm performance using the theory of Resource-based View (RBV) and relational view.

Paying Medicare Advantage plans by competitive bidding: how much competition is there?

PubMed

Biles, Brian; Pozen, Jonah; Guterman, Stuart

2009-08-01

Private health plans that enroll Medicare beneficiaries--known as Medicare Advantage (MA) plans--are being paid $11 billion more in 2009 than it would cost to cover these beneficiaries in regular fee-for-service Medicare. To generate Medicare savings for offsetting the costs of health reform, the Obama Administration has proposed eliminating these extra payments to private insurers and instituting a competitive bidding system that pays MA plans based on the bids they submit. This study examines the concentration of enrollment among MA plans and the degree to which firms offering MA plans actually face competition. The results show that in the large majority of U.S. counties, MA plan enrollment is highly concentrated in a small number of firms. Given the relative lack of competition in many markets as well as the potential impact on traditional Medicare, the authors call for careful consideration of a new system for setting MA plan payments.

48 CFR 9.505-4 - Obtaining access to proprietary information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., the contractor may gain an unfair competitive advantage unless restrictions are imposed. These... connection with an acquisition, may give the contractor an unfair competitive advantage. Contractors should... competitive advantage. [48 FR 42142, Sept. 19, 1983, as amended at 55 FR 42686, Oct. 22, 1990; 56 FR 55377...

The Corporate University and Training: Return on Investment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newell, Marshall D.

2013-01-01

With a global marketplace, companies are seeking ways to manage knowledge with tools, such as the corporate university toward gaining a competitive advantage. Research has identified a common goal is to sustain competitive advantage. With a competitive advantage, a company may achieve a higher profitability. Thus far, research has provided limited…

Can Internationalisation Really Lead to Institutional Competitive Advantage?--A Study of 16 Dutch Public Higher Education Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Haan, Haijing

2014-01-01

Public higher education institutions (PHEIs) have widely acknowledged a positive relationship between internationalization and their institutional competitive advantage enhancement. Although some concerns have been raised by practitioners and researchers about whether institutional competitive advantage can be enhanced given the current ways of…

Improving the design of competitive bidding in Medicare Advantage.

PubMed

Cawley, John H; Whitford, Andrew B

2007-04-01

In 2003, Congress passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, which required that in 2006 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implement a system of competitive bids to set payments for the Medicare Advantage program. Managed care plans now bid for the right to enroll Medicare beneficiaries. Data from the first year of bidding suggest that imperfect competition is limiting the success of the bidding system. This article offers suggestions to improve this system based on findings from auction theory and previous government-run auctions. In particular, CMS can benefit by adjusting its system of competitive bids in four ways: credibly committing to regulations governing bidding; limiting the scope for collusion, entry deterrence, and predatory behavior among bidders; adjusting how benchmark reimbursement rates are set; and accounting for asymmetric information among bidders.

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…

Customer social network affects marketing strategy: A simulation analysis based on competitive diffusion model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Rui; Wu, Jiawen; Du, Helen S.

2017-03-01

To explain the competition phenomenon and results between QQ and MSN (China) in the Chinese instant messaging software market, this paper developed a new population competition model based on customer social network. The simulation results show that the firm whose product with greater network externality effect will gain more market share than its rival when the same marketing strategy is used. The firm with the advantage of time, derived from the initial scale effect will become more competitive than its rival when facing a group of common penguin customers within a social network, verifying the winner-take-all phenomenon in this case.

Analysis Influence of Managerial Competence, Technical Competence, and Strategic Competence on Firm Performance in Electrical Engineering Company in Bandung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijaya, E. R.; Irianto, D.

2018-03-01

The industry sectors that have an important role in the era of globalization is the electro engineering sector. The era of globalization led to intense competition. One of the negative effects of the intense competition is declining profits. Drop in profits caused many firms reduces their employees without seeking the root cause of declining profits in detail. Whereas, employee is the important resources to maintain competitive advantage. Competitive advantage can be measured by the performance of which is owned by the firm. The firm's performance can be formed of competencies that is unique, rare, irreplaceable, and difficult to imitate within the firm, one of them is the competence of the individual. According to a competency-based approach and the resource- based approach, individual competence that affect the performance of the firm is managerial competence, technical competence, and strategic competence. Questionnaire is built based on the dimensions of the firm's performance, managerial competence, technical competence, and strategic competence, are processed using partial least squares application. The results indicate that managerial competence negatively impact firm’s performance with weak ties. The technical competence and strategic competence positively affect firm’s performance with moderate ties.

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.

Public Universities in Competition with Private Enterprise: The Attitudes and Behaviors of University Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinson, David Otto

2010-01-01

Public universities undertake business activities sometimes considered by private enterprise as unfairly competitive based on nonprofit advantages. This study was an inquiry into the attitudes and actions of chief business officers at public universities regarding these activities. The research population consisted of the 1862 Morrill Act Land…

The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: A Model for Competition in Rural America?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Keith J.; McBride, Timothy D.; Andrews, Courtney; Fraser, Roslyn; Xu, Liyan

2005-01-01

The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) created the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, which promotes the entry of private Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans into regions that have not previously had Medicare managed care plans. The assumption that a competitive environment will develop is based on…

Recipient-Biased Competition for an Intracellularly Generated Cross-Fed Nutrient Is Required for Coexistence of Microbial Mutualists

DOE PAGES

McCully, Alexandra L.; LaSarre, Breah; McKinlay, James B.; ...

2017-11-28

ABSTRACT Many mutualistic microbial relationships are based on nutrient cross-feeding. Traditionally, cross-feeding is viewed as being unidirectional, from the producer to the recipient. This is likely true when a producer’s waste, such as a fermentation product, has value only for a recipient. However, in some cases the cross-fed nutrient holds value for both the producer and the recipient. In such cases, there is potential for nutrient reacquisition by producer cells in a population, leading to competition against recipients. Here, we investigated the consequences of interpartner competition for cross-fed nutrients on mutualism dynamics by using an anaerobic coculture pairing fermentative Escherichiamore » coli and phototrophic Rhodopseudomonas palustris . In this coculture, E. coli excretes waste organic acids that provide a carbon source for R. palustris . In return, R. palustris cross-feeds E. coli ammonium (NH 4 + ), a compound that both species value. To explore the potential for interpartner competition, we first used a kinetic model to simulate cocultures with varied affinities for NH 4 + in each species. The model predicted that interpartner competition for NH 4 + could profoundly impact population dynamics. We then experimentally tested the predictions by culturing mutants lacking NH 4 + transporters in both NH 4 + competition assays and mutualistic cocultures. Both theoretical and experimental results indicated that the recipient must have a competitive advantage in acquiring cross-fed NH 4 + to sustain the mutualism. This recipient-biased competitive advantage is predicted to be crucial, particularly when the communally valuable nutrient is generated intracellularly. Thus, the very metabolites that form the basis for mutualistic cross-feeding can also be subject to competition between mutualistic partners. IMPORTANCE Mutualistic relationships, particularly those based on nutrient cross-feeding, promote stability of diverse ecosystems and drive global biogeochemical cycles. Cross-fed nutrients within these systems can be either waste products valued by only one partner or nutrients valued by both partners. Here, we explored how interpartner competition for a communally valuable cross-fed nutrient impacts mutualism dynamics. We discovered that mutualism stability necessitates that the recipient have a competitive advantage against the producer in obtaining the cross-fed nutrient, provided that the nutrient is generated intracellularly. We propose that the requirement for recipient-biased competition is a general rule for mutualistic coexistence based on the transfer of intracellularly generated, communally valuable resources.« less

Recipient-Biased Competition for an Intracellularly Generated Cross-Fed Nutrient Is Required for Coexistence of Microbial Mutualists

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

McCully, Alexandra L.; LaSarre, Breah; McKinlay, James B.

ABSTRACT Many mutualistic microbial relationships are based on nutrient cross-feeding. Traditionally, cross-feeding is viewed as being unidirectional, from the producer to the recipient. This is likely true when a producer’s waste, such as a fermentation product, has value only for a recipient. However, in some cases the cross-fed nutrient holds value for both the producer and the recipient. In such cases, there is potential for nutrient reacquisition by producer cells in a population, leading to competition against recipients. Here, we investigated the consequences of interpartner competition for cross-fed nutrients on mutualism dynamics by using an anaerobic coculture pairing fermentative Escherichiamore » coli and phototrophic Rhodopseudomonas palustris . In this coculture, E. coli excretes waste organic acids that provide a carbon source for R. palustris . In return, R. palustris cross-feeds E. coli ammonium (NH 4 + ), a compound that both species value. To explore the potential for interpartner competition, we first used a kinetic model to simulate cocultures with varied affinities for NH 4 + in each species. The model predicted that interpartner competition for NH 4 + could profoundly impact population dynamics. We then experimentally tested the predictions by culturing mutants lacking NH 4 + transporters in both NH 4 + competition assays and mutualistic cocultures. Both theoretical and experimental results indicated that the recipient must have a competitive advantage in acquiring cross-fed NH 4 + to sustain the mutualism. This recipient-biased competitive advantage is predicted to be crucial, particularly when the communally valuable nutrient is generated intracellularly. Thus, the very metabolites that form the basis for mutualistic cross-feeding can also be subject to competition between mutualistic partners. IMPORTANCE Mutualistic relationships, particularly those based on nutrient cross-feeding, promote stability of diverse ecosystems and drive global biogeochemical cycles. Cross-fed nutrients within these systems can be either waste products valued by only one partner or nutrients valued by both partners. Here, we explored how interpartner competition for a communally valuable cross-fed nutrient impacts mutualism dynamics. We discovered that mutualism stability necessitates that the recipient have a competitive advantage against the producer in obtaining the cross-fed nutrient, provided that the nutrient is generated intracellularly. We propose that the requirement for recipient-biased competition is a general rule for mutualistic coexistence based on the transfer of intracellularly generated, communally valuable resources.« less

Recipient-Biased Competition for an Intracellularly Generated Cross-Fed Nutrient Is Required for Coexistence of Microbial Mutualists.

PubMed

McCully, Alexandra L; LaSarre, Breah; McKinlay, James B

2017-11-28

Many mutualistic microbial relationships are based on nutrient cross-feeding. Traditionally, cross-feeding is viewed as being unidirectional, from the producer to the recipient. This is likely true when a producer's waste, such as a fermentation product, has value only for a recipient. However, in some cases the cross-fed nutrient holds value for both the producer and the recipient. In such cases, there is potential for nutrient reacquisition by producer cells in a population, leading to competition against recipients. Here, we investigated the consequences of interpartner competition for cross-fed nutrients on mutualism dynamics by using an anaerobic coculture pairing fermentative Escherichia coli and phototrophic Rhodopseudomonas palustris In this coculture, E. coli excretes waste organic acids that provide a carbon source for R. palustris In return, R. palustris cross-feeds E. coli ammonium (NH 4 + ), a compound that both species value. To explore the potential for interpartner competition, we first used a kinetic model to simulate cocultures with varied affinities for NH 4 + in each species. The model predicted that interpartner competition for NH 4 + could profoundly impact population dynamics. We then experimentally tested the predictions by culturing mutants lacking NH 4 + transporters in both NH 4 + competition assays and mutualistic cocultures. Both theoretical and experimental results indicated that the recipient must have a competitive advantage in acquiring cross-fed NH 4 + to sustain the mutualism. This recipient-biased competitive advantage is predicted to be crucial, particularly when the communally valuable nutrient is generated intracellularly. Thus, the very metabolites that form the basis for mutualistic cross-feeding can also be subject to competition between mutualistic partners. IMPORTANCE Mutualistic relationships, particularly those based on nutrient cross-feeding, promote stability of diverse ecosystems and drive global biogeochemical cycles. Cross-fed nutrients within these systems can be either waste products valued by only one partner or nutrients valued by both partners. Here, we explored how interpartner competition for a communally valuable cross-fed nutrient impacts mutualism dynamics. We discovered that mutualism stability necessitates that the recipient have a competitive advantage against the producer in obtaining the cross-fed nutrient, provided that the nutrient is generated intracellularly. We propose that the requirement for recipient-biased competition is a general rule for mutualistic coexistence based on the transfer of intracellularly generated, communally valuable resources. Copyright © 2017 McCully et al.

Marketing occupational health care.

PubMed

Norris, M J; Harris, J C

1981-01-01

A very basic part of marketing success is determining areas of your business in which you have a competitive advantage. In drafting a marketing plan for the Denver Clinic, the competitive advantages group practices have in the area of occupational health were quickly realized. This competitive edge is presented along with the Denver Clinic's marketing strategies and plans to capitalize on occupational healthcare advantages.

Seeking the competitive advantage: it's more than cost reduction.

PubMed

South, S F

1999-01-01

Most organizations focus considerable time and energy on reducing operating costs as a way to attain marketplace advantage. This strategy was not inappropriate in the past. To be competitive in the future, however, focus must be placed on other issues, not just cost reduction. The near future will be dominated by service industries, knowledge management, and virtual partnerships, with production optimization and flexibility, innovation, and strong partnerships defining those organizations that attain competitive advantage. Competitive advantage will reside in clarifying the vision and strategic plan, reviewing and redesigning work processes to optimize resources and value-added work, and creating change-ready environments and empowered workforces.

Determinants of marketing performance: empirical study at National Commercial Bank in Jakarta Indonesia.

PubMed

Limakrisna, Nandan; Yoserizal, Syahril

2016-01-01

Indonesian banking industry has experienced up and down as can be seen after Pakto '88, in which the number of new banks grew rapidly, but after the 1997-1998 financial crisis, a lot of banks were liquidated due to the deteriorating financial condition and violation of the precautionary principles by bank management. The purpose of this research is to determine and analyze the effects of good corporate governance, information technology, HR competencies on competitive advantage and its implication on marketing performance. The method used in this research was a descriptive survey and explanatory survey with a sample size of 320 respondents, and the data analysis methods used are structural equation modeling. Based on the results of the research, the findings obtained from good corporate governance, information technology, HR competencies have a significant effect on competitive advantage on the performance of marketing. However, when seen in part, competitive advantage has a dominant effect on marketing performance.

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

Synchronized manufacture of composites knowledge study (SMACKS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strickland, B.; Oliver, M.

1990-06-01

The need for a competitive manufacturing knowledge base for the composites industry, encompasses a change from a 'functionally' organized factory to a product-based organization, and has led to major reductions in inventories, manufacturing costs and cycle times. The net effect was that products became more price- and delivery-competitive. It is believed that composite manufacturers have an equal need to improve their competitive edge, particularly as the demand for composite products grows and more manufacturers enter the marketplace. 'SMACKS' has begun to establish these needs and market trends, with a view to establishing the advantages offered to composite manufacturers by synchronized manufacturing methods.

Effect of phenology on agonistic competitive interactions between invasive and native sheet-web spiders

USGS Publications Warehouse

Houser, Jeremy D.; Porter, Adam H.; Ginsberg, Howard; Jakob, Elizabeth M.

2016-01-01

The phenologies of introduced relative to native species can greatly influence the degree and symmetry of competition between them. The European spider Linyphia triangularis (Clerck, 1757) (Linyphiidae) reaches very high densities in coastal Maine (USA). Previous studies suggest thatL. triangularis negatively affects native linyphiid species, with competition for webs as one mechanism. We documented phenological differences between L. triangularis and three native species that illustrate the potential for the reversal of size-based competitive advantage over the course of the year. To test whether relative size influences interaction outcome, we allowed a resident spider to build a web and then introduced an intruder. We examined whether the outcomes of agonistic interactions over the webs were influenced by the species of the resident (invasive or native), the relative size of the contestants, and the species × size interaction. We found that the importance of relative size differed among species. In interactions between L. triangularis and each of two native species, size played a greater role than resident species on the outcome of interactions, suggesting that competitive advantage reverses over the season based on phenology-related size differences. Linyphia triangularis had a negative impact on the third species regardless of relative size.

Teamwork in health care: opportunities for gains in quality, productivity, and competitive advantage. What works, what doesn't, and why.

PubMed

Montebello, A R

1994-01-01

Wholesale political, economic, and social change is pressuring health-care organizations to reinvent themselves as they enter a new arena of managed competition. Survival is at stake. Will belt-tightening efforts, combined with structural changes and strategic alliances, achieve the necessary improvements in efficiency and help to secure an adequate patient base? It seems reasonable to expect that health-care institutions can realize the major gains in quality, productivity, efficiency, and competitive edge that organizations in the manufacturing and service industries have enjoyed for the past several years. It seems like a logical next step for health-care organizations to deploy proven methods--such as work redesign, team-based structures, and empowered workforces--that have helped to restore competitiveness to many industrial and service firms. This article describes how to organize teams at all levels and accelerate their development to achieve important organizational objectives--such as improving quality, productivity, and efficiency--while increasing employee satisfaction. Pioneering workplace innovations are reviewed to demonstrate how high-involvement teams integrating strategic planning, research, and health-care delivery processes are not only possible but highly desirable. Enhanced quality, improved productivity, greater efficiency, and employee satisfaction all translate to an undeniable competitive advantage.

Construction of the Image of the University: A Major Stakeholder Approach--The Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Traverso, Joaquin; Roman, Marisa; Gonzalez, Rosario

2012-01-01

Obtaining competitive advantage has become a recurrent necessity, in successful organisational management. Nowadays, intangibles represent an excellent opportunity to attain these advantages. Given its social impact, the organisational image is one of the most important intangibles to work with. In this research, a model based on the determination…

The second leg home advantage: evidence from European football cup competitions.

PubMed

Page, Lionel; Page, Katie

2007-12-01

The home advantage is a widely acknowledged sporting phenomenon, especially in association football. Here, we examine the second leg home advantage, an effect that is discussed in the public domain but which has received very little scientific attention. The second leg home advantage effect occurs when on average teams are more likely to win a two-stage knock-out competition when they play at home in the second leg. That is, both teams have a home advantage but this advantage is significantly greater for the team that plays at home second. Examining data from three different European Cup football competitions spanning 51 years, we show that the second leg home advantage is a real phenomenon. The second leg home team has more than a 50% probability to qualify for the next round in the competition even after controlling for extra time and team ability as possible alternative explanations. The second leg home advantage appears, however, to have decreased significantly over the past decade. Possible reasons for its existence and subsequent decline are presented.

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.

29 CFR 511.10 - Subjects and issues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... competitive conditions, will not substantially curtail employment in the industry and will not give any industry in American Samoa a competitive advantage over any industry in the United States outside of... classification and will not give a competitive advantage to any group in that industry. No classification shall...

The relationship among the resiliency practices in supply chain, financial performance, and competitive advantage in manufacturing firms in Indonesia and Sierra Leone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musa, I.; Nyoman Pujawan, I.

2018-04-01

Current supply chain management (SCM) has become a potentially treasured way of safeguarding competitive advantage and improving organizational performance since competition is no longer between organizations, but among supply chains. This research conceptualizes and develops four resiliency practices (Flexibility, Redundancy, Collaboration and Agility) and tests the relationships between organizations’ financial performance and competitive advantage in manufacturing firms. The study involves manufacturing firms in Indonesia and Sierra Leone. The study used stratified random sampling to pick a sample size of 95 manufacturing firms, which represented different industrial sectors. The respondents were mainly managers of different manufacturing companies. The relationships proposed in the conceptual framework were tested using correlation analysis. The results indicate that higher levels of resilience practices in manufacturing firms can lead to enhanced competitive advantage and improved financial performance.

Home Advantage in Men's and Women's Spanish First and Second Division Water Polo Leagues.

PubMed

Prieto, Jaime; Gómez, Miguel-Ángel; Pollard, Richard

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to quantify the home advantage in both men's and women's First and Second Division water polo leagues, to compare the results obtained according to sex of participants and the level of competition, and to test for possible differences in home advantage when considering the interaction between these two factors. The sample comprised four seasons from 2007-2008 to 2010-2011 for a total of 1942 games analyzed. The results showed the existence of home advantage in both men's and women's First and Second Divisions. After controlling for the competitive balance of each league in each season, there was a significant difference between men's and women's leagues, with higher home advantage for men's leagues (58.60% compared with 53.70% for women's leagues). There was also a significant difference between the levels of competition, with greater home advantage for the Second Division (57.95% compared with 54.35% for First Division). No significant differences in home advantage were found when considering the interaction between sex of participants and the level of competition. The results in relation to sex of participants and the level of competition are consistent with previous studies in other sports such as football or handball.

Home Advantage in Men’s and Women’s Spanish First and Second Division Water Polo Leagues

PubMed Central

Prieto, Jaime; Gómez, Miguel-Ángel; Pollard, Richard

The purpose of this study was to quantify the home advantage in both men’s and women’s First and Second Division water polo leagues, to compare the results obtained according to sex of participants and the level of competition, and to test for possible differences in home advantage when considering the interaction between these two factors. The sample comprised four seasons from 2007–2008 to 2010–2011 for a total of 1942 games analyzed. The results showed the existence of home advantage in both men’s and women’s First and Second Divisions. After controlling for the competitive balance of each league in each season, there was a significant difference between men’s and women’s leagues, with higher home advantage for men’s leagues (58.60% compared with 53.70% for women’s leagues). There was also a significant difference between the levels of competition, with greater home advantage for the Second Division (57.95% compared with 54.35% for First Division). No significant differences in home advantage were found when considering the interaction between sex of participants and the level of competition. The results in relation to sex of participants and the level of competition are consistent with previous studies in other sports such as football or handball. PMID:24146714

Achieving a sustainable service advantage.

PubMed

Coyne, K P

1993-01-01

Many managers believe that superior service should play little or no role in competitive strategy; they maintain that service innovations are inherently copiable. However, the author states that this view is too narrow. For a company to achieve a lasting service advantage, it must base a new service on a capability gap that competitors cannot or will not copy.

48 CFR 952.209-8 - Organizational conflicts of interest-disclosure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... otherwise impaired, or a person has an unfair competitive advantage. (b) An offeror notified that it is the... negotiations or, where individual contracts are negotiated with all firms in the competitive range, it means... or potential conflict of interest or unfair competitive advantage exists with respect to the advisory...

48 CFR 952.209-8 - Organizational conflicts of interest-disclosure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... otherwise impaired, or a person has an unfair competitive advantage. (b) An offeror notified that it is the... negotiations or, where individual contracts are negotiated with all firms in the competitive range, it means... or potential conflict of interest or unfair competitive advantage exists with respect to the advisory...

14 CFR 17.9 - Protective orders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... a competitive advantage to one or more firms. (b) The terms of the Office of Dispute Resolution for... application shall establish that the applicant is not involved in competitive decisionmaking for any firm that could gain a competitive advantage from access to the protected information and that the applicant will...

4 CFR 21.4 - Protective orders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... material, as well as other information the release of which could result in a competitive advantage to one... the applicant is not involved in competitive decision-making for any firm that could gain a competitive advantage from access to the protected information and that there will be no significant risk of...

14 CFR 17.9 - Protective orders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... a competitive advantage to one or more firms. (b) The terms of the Office of Dispute Resolution for... application shall establish that the applicant is not involved in competitive decisionmaking for any firm that could gain a competitive advantage from access to the protected information and that the applicant will...

Diversity beyond the Golden Rule.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnevale, Anthony P.; Stone, Susan C.

1994-01-01

Diversity implies differences in people based on their identifications with various groups and is also a process of acknowledging differences through action. Those organizations that have welcomed diversity are more productive and have a competitive advantage. Diversity training can be awareness based (cognitive) or skill based (behavioral). (JOW)

Increased Virulence and Competitive Advantage of a/α Over a/a or α/α Offspring Conserves the Mating System of Candida albicans

PubMed Central

Lockhart, Shawn R.; Wu, Wei; Radke, Joshua B.; Zhao, Rui; Soll, David R.

2005-01-01

The majority of Candida albicans strains in nature are a/α and must undergo homozygosis to a/a or α/α to mate. Here we have used a mouse model for systemic infection to test the hypothesis that a/α strains predominate in nature because they have a competitive advantage over a/a and α/α offspring in colonizing hosts. Single-strain injection experiments revealed that a/α strains were far more virulent than either their a/a or α/α offspring. When equal numbers of parent a/α and offspring a/a or α/α cells were co-injected, a/α always exhibited a competitive advantage at the time of extreme host morbidity or death. When equal numbers of an engineered a/a/α2 strain and its isogenic a/a parent strain were co-injected, the a/a/α2 strain exhibited a competitive advantage at the time of host morbidity or death, suggesting that the genotype of the mating-type (MTL) locus, not associated genes on chromosome 5, provides a competitive advantage. We therefore propose that heterozygosity at the MTL locus not only represses white-opaque switching and genes involved in the mating process, but also affects virulence, providing a competitive advantage to the a/α genotype that conserves the mating system of C. albicans in nature. PMID:15695357

Increased virulence and competitive advantage of a/alpha over a/a or alpha/alpha offspring conserves the mating system of Candida albicans.

PubMed

Lockhart, Shawn R; Wu, Wei; Radke, Joshua B; Zhao, Rui; Soll, David R

2005-04-01

The majority of Candida albicans strains in nature are a/alpha and must undergo homozygosis to a/a or alpha/alpha to mate. Here we have used a mouse model for systemic infection to test the hypothesis that a/alpha strains predominate in nature because they have a competitive advantage over a/a and alpha/alpha offspring in colonizing hosts. Single-strain injection experiments revealed that a/alpha strains were far more virulent than either their a/a or alpha/alpha offspring. When equal numbers of parent a/alpha and offspring a/a or alpha/alpha cells were co-injected, a/alpha always exhibited a competitive advantage at the time of extreme host morbidity or death. When equal numbers of an engineered a/a/alpha2 strain and its isogenic a/a parent strain were co-injected, the a/a/alpha2 strain exhibited a competitive advantage at the time of host morbidity or death, suggesting that the genotype of the mating-type (MTL) locus, not associated genes on chromosome 5, provides a competitive advantage. We therefore propose that heterozygosity at the MTL locus not only represses white-opaque switching and genes involved in the mating process, but also affects virulence, providing a competitive advantage to the a/alpha genotype that conserves the mating system of C. albicans in nature.

48 CFR 9.505 - General rules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... bias a contractor's judgment; and (b) Preventing unfair competitive advantage. In addition to the other situations described in this subpart, an unfair competitive advantage exists where a contractor competing for...

Educating Students to Give Them a Sustainable Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopkins, Christopher D.; Raymond, Mary Anne; Carlson, Les

2011-01-01

With an increasingly competitive job market, this study focuses on what marketing educators can do to help students develop a sustainable competitive advantage. The authors conducted a survey of students, faculty, and recruiters to develop a better understanding of what skills and characteristics might be of value to each group of respondents and…

48 CFR 3052.209-72 - Organizational conflict of interest.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... competitive advantage. The nature of the conflict of interest and the limitation on future contracting... competitive advantage believes the conflict can be avoided, neutralized, or mitigated, the offeror shall...

New marketing mix stresses service.

PubMed

Collier, D A

1991-01-01

The seven Ps of service management include some nontraditional ingredients to help formulate marketing strategy. Two examples illustrate how competitive advantage can be won or lost based on applying or ignoring the seven Ps.

A study on technology development strategy and collaborative relationships using patent information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakaoka, Iori; Fujino, Hayato; Chen, Yunju; Park, Yousin; Matsuno, Seigo

2017-10-01

Japanese economy has fallen into a long downturn called "The Lost Two Decades" after the collapse of bubble economy in early 1990s. Many companies could not gain competitive advantages although they conducted various management reforms to restore their competitiveness. The companies that have played the main role of the Japanese economy growth until then have lost the sustained competitive advantage. Moreover, they have struggled in the global market even now. On the other hand, Japanese automobile companies have high competitiveness and market share due to their advanced technology development. It is considered that personnel groups engaged in research and development of their companies cannot turn into core rigidity and the structure also hinders new core capabilities. In addition, there is a hypothesis that the close relationships with many suppliers contribute to acquisition of competitive advantage. Therefore, this paper focuses on the collaboration relationships with suppliers and core rigidity of human resources related to research and development as the analysis factors. First, we analyze the composition and core rigidity degree of human resources involved in technology development by social network analysis using patent information, which represents the research and development capability. Second, we analyze the degree of collaboration among companies based on the hypothesis that advanced technology development can be executed by joint research and developments with many kinds of suppliers. As a result, features of close collaboration with suppliers and high core rigidity rate in the Japanese automobile industry are clarified.

Competitive strategy for providers.

PubMed

Hackett, M C

1996-01-01

National Health Service (NHS) Trusts are struggling to determine a long-term strategic direction for their organizations in response to the competitive pressures generated by the NHS reforms. The development of long-term strategic direction and the methods to implement this are presenting real challenges to the Trusts which have inherited service configurations based on bureaucratic planning frameworks rather than service configurations suited to a more competitive environment. Examines the strategic choices available to these organizations; explores the importance of identifying positive strategic choices; and discusses the advantages and disadvantages in the context of the NHS internal market.

Comparing quantitative analysis on revealed comparative advantages of aquatic products trade of china and ASEAN based on 21st century maritime silk road

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, X. F.; Han, Y. H.; Li, Z. W.

2017-11-01

As the world’s leading aquaculture, aquatic production and trading country, China’s development of aquatic products trade with ASEAN is facing a historic opportunity in the favourable circumstances of construction of the 21st century Maritime Silk Road. In order to make guidance of the product selection and transformation for corresponding export enterprises, this article makes a quantitative analysis the Revealed Comparative Advantage of aquatic products trade from China and ASEAN respectively based on the HS classification and thoroughly compares the RCA indices. The comparison results show that the international competitiveness of aquatic products structures of China and ASEAN are quite different with few overlaps of strong competitive products, and there is a great gap between the two areas in many kinds of products.

CFOs and strategists: forging a common framework.

PubMed

Rappaport, A

1992-01-01

Companies have become increasingly polarized into two divergent camps: those who consider shareholder value the key to managing the company and those who put their faith in gaining competitive advantage. Indeed, that age-old debate between investing for the long term and showing outstanding short-term results is back - only this time the camps are flying banners with the new buzzwords of corporate America: competitive advantage and shareholder value. In this article, Alfred Rappaport attempts to settle the debate once and for all, arguing forcefully that establishing competitive advantage and creating shareholder value both stem from a common economic framework. In fact, long-term productivity is the hinge from which both sustainable competitive advantage and consistent results for the shareholder hang. But many managers refuse to accept this theory and cling to the mistaken belief that the market does not actually value the long-term productivity of their company but judges it only by its short-term performance. They then jump to a second mistaken conclusion: assuming they must depart from the shareholder-value model to improve their competitive position. Rappaport attacks these mistaken beliefs, showing that the stock market does value the long-term productivity of a company and that it is not necessary to depart from the shareholder-value model to improve a company's competitive position. Maximum returns for current shareholders will materialize only when managers maximize long-term shareholder value and deliver interim results that attest credibly to sustainable competitive advantage.

48 CFR 2052.209-72 - Contractor organizational conflicts of interest.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) Does not obtain an unfair competitive advantage over other parties by virtue of its performance of this... technical bias or unfair competitive advantage. (d) Disclosure after award. (1) The contractor warrants that...

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.

Understanding the HRD Role in MNCs: The Imperatives of Social Capital and Networking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gubbins, Claire; Garavan, Thomas N.

2009-01-01

In an era of increasing global competition, it is argued that knowledge and skills are the key sources of competitive advantage. This places the human resource development (HRD) function in a situation of increased status and power, if HRD professionals adopt roles in a way that adds "value" and facilitates achievement of competitive advantage.…

Achieving a competitive advantage in managed care.

PubMed

Stahl, D A

1998-02-01

When building a competitive advantage to thrive in the managed care arena, subacute care providers are urged to be revolutionary rather than reactionary, proactive rather than passive, optimistic rather than pessimistic and growth-oriented rather than cost-reduction oriented. Weaknesses must be addressed aggressively. To achieve a competitive edge, assess the facility's strengths, understand the marketplace and comprehend key payment methods.

The advantage of being slow: The quasi-neutral contact process.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Marcelo Martins; Dickman, Ronald

2017-01-01

According to the competitive exclusion principle, in a finite ecosystem, extinction occurs naturally when two or more species compete for the same resources. An important question that arises is: when coexistence is not possible, which mechanisms confer an advantage to a given species against the other(s)? In general, it is expected that the species with the higher reproductive/death ratio will win the competition, but other mechanisms, such as asymmetry in interspecific competition or unequal diffusion rates, have been found to change this scenario dramatically. In this work, we examine competitive advantage in the context of quasi-neutral population models, including stochastic models with spatial structure as well as macroscopic (mean-field) descriptions. We employ a two-species contact process in which the "biological clock" of one species is a factor of α slower than that of the other species. Our results provide new insights into how stochasticity and competition interact to determine extinction in finite spatial systems. We find that a species with a slower biological clock has an advantage if resources are limited, winning the competition against a species with a faster clock, in relatively small systems. Periodic or stochastic environmental variations also favor the slower species, even in much larger systems.

Training Workers for the Factory of the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clancy, J. Anthony

1989-01-01

In the factory of the future, emphasis on quality and increased productivity creates a competitive advantage. People and computers work together in all major activities. Training is a major factor in creating that competitive advantage. (JOW)

Measuring home advantage in Spanish handball.

PubMed

Gutiérrez Aguilar, Oscar; Saavedra García, Miguel; Fernández Romero, Juan José

2012-02-01

Since Pollard established the system for analysing home advantage in 1986, it has been demonstrated and quantified in various sports, including many team sports. This study aims to assess whether home advantage exists in handball, using a sample of more than 19,000 Spanish handball league games. Results of the games played at home and away, the sex of the players, and the levels of the competition were included as variables. In Spanish handball, there was a home advantage of 61%, which means, on average, the team playing at home wins 61% of points available. This value varies according to sex and according to competition level, increasing as competition level decreases and season rank improves.

The relation between proactive environmental strategies and competitive advantage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butnariu, A.; Avasilcăi, S.

2015-11-01

There are two distinct orientations of the environmental management that companies may adopt: the model of compliance and the strategic model. The strategic model treats environmental expenses as investments that will lead to competitive advantage for the company. Nevertheless, there are few scientific works that prove the relation between corporate environmental investments and competitive advantage. Thereby, in order to bring clarifications about the profound implications of environmental investments, in the first stage of our research we have proposed the hypothesis that the environmental investments would probably lead to competitive advantage by creating capabilities that are mediators of this relation. In the second stage we have tested this hypothesis, using the research method of survey. A questionnaire was sent to managers in textile Romanian industry, and 109 answers were received. The data was analysed using the linear multiple regression method and the results confirm our hypothesis.

COMPETITIVE BIDDING IN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: EFFECT OF BENCHMARK CHANGES ON PLAN BIDS

PubMed Central

Song, Zirui; Landrum, Mary Beth; Chernew, Michael E.

2013-01-01

Bidding has been proposed to replace or complement the administered prices in Medicare pays to hospitals and health plans. In 2006, the Medicare Advantage program implemented a competitive bidding system to determine plan payments. In perfectly competitive models, plans bid their costs and thus bids are insensitive to the benchmark. Under many other models of competition, bids respond to changes in the benchmark. We conceptualize the bidding system and use an instrumental variable approach to study the effect of benchmark changes on bids. We use 2006–2010 plan payment data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, published county benchmarks, actual realized fee-for-service costs, and Medicare Advantage enrollment. We find that a $1 increase in the benchmark leads to about a $0.53 increase in bids, suggesting that plans in the Medicare Advantage market have meaningful market power. PMID:24308881

Competitive bidding in Medicare Advantage: effect of benchmark changes on plan bids.

PubMed

Song, Zirui; Landrum, Mary Beth; Chernew, Michael E

2013-12-01

Bidding has been proposed to replace or complement the administered prices that Medicare pays to hospitals and health plans. In 2006, the Medicare Advantage program implemented a competitive bidding system to determine plan payments. In perfectly competitive models, plans bid their costs and thus bids are insensitive to the benchmark. Under many other models of competition, bids respond to changes in the benchmark. We conceptualize the bidding system and use an instrumental variable approach to study the effect of benchmark changes on bids. We use 2006-2010 plan payment data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, published county benchmarks, actual realized fee-for-service costs, and Medicare Advantage enrollment. We find that a $1 increase in the benchmark leads to about a $0.53 increase in bids, suggesting that plans in the Medicare Advantage market have meaningful market power. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

When Creative Problem Solving Strategy Meets Web-Based Cooperative Learning Environment in Accounting Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Kai Wen

2011-01-01

Background: Facing highly competitive and changing environment, cultivating citizens with problem-solving attitudes is one critical vision of education. In brief, the importance of education is to cultivate students with practical abilities. Realizing the advantages of web-based cooperative learning (web-based CL) and creative problem solving…

Strategic Plan: Initiating an Orthopaedic Residency at Womack Army Medical Center

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-07

outlining WAMC’s strategy: analysis of Porter’s Five Forces Model; a Strategic Map for discovering competitive advantages and disadvantages ; identifying a...Figure 6. Strategic Map of Advantages and Disadvantages ............................... 27 Figure 7. Directional Strategy...analysis; analysis of Porter’s Five Forces Model; a strategic map for discovering competitive advantages and disadvantages ; identifying a directional

Project safety as a sustainable competitive advantage.

PubMed

Rechenthin, David

2004-01-01

To be consistently profitable, a construction company must complete projects in scope, on schedule, and on budget. At the same time, the nature of the often high-risk work performed by construction companies can result in high accident rates. Clients and other stakeholders are placing increasing pressure on companies to decrease those accident rates. Clients routinely demand copies of safety plans and evidence of past results at the "pre-qualification" or "request for proposal" stages of the procurement process. Are high accident rates and the associated costs just a part of business? Companies that deliver on scope, schedule, and budget have a competitive advantage. Is it possible for projects with low accident rates to use it as a competitive advantage? Is the value added by safety just a temporary or parity issue, or does a successful safety program offer significant advantage to the company and the client? This article concludes that in the case of a high-risk industry, such as the construction industry, an organization with a successful safety program can promote safety performance as a sustainable competitive advantage. It is a choice the company can make.

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.

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

Knowledge-Driven Creative Destruction, or Leveraging Knowledge for Competitive Advantage: Strategic Knowledge Arbitrage and Serendipity as Real Options Drivers Triggered by Co-Opetition, Co-Evolution and Co-Specialization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carayannis, Elias G.

2008-01-01

In today's globalizing and hypercompetitive marketplace, knowledge and learning are the only capabilities that can provide sustained competitive advantage. "Knowledge" is the content of learning, and a firm gains competitive superiority either by knowing something that its competitors do not know or by having a certain type of knowledge that…

The Resource-Based View and Value: The Customer-Based View of the Firm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clulow, Val; Barry, Carol; Gerstman, Julie

2007-01-01

Purpose: The resource-based view (RBV) explores the role of key resources, identified as intangible assets and capabilities, in creating competitive advantage and superior performance. To a great extent the conceptual analysis and empirical research within the RBV has focused on the firm's perspective of key resources and the value to the firm of…

Acetone-butanol-ethanol competitive sorption simulation from single, binary, and ternary systems in a fixed-bed of KA-I resin.

PubMed

Wu, Jinglan; Zhuang, Wei; Ying, Hanjie; Jiao, Pengfei; Li, Renjie; Wen, Qingshi; Wang, Lili; Zhou, Jingwei; Yang, Pengpeng

2015-01-01

Separation of butanol based on sorption methodology from acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation broth has advantages in terms of biocompatibility and stability, as well as economy, and therefore gains much attention. In this work a chromatographic column model based on the solid film linear driving force approach and the competitive Langmuir isotherm equations was used to predict the competitive sorption behaviors of ABE single, binary, and ternary mixture. It was observed that the outlet concentration of weaker retained components exceeded the inlet concentration, which is an evidence of competitive adsorption. Butanol, the strongest retained component, could replace ethanol almost completely and also most of acetone. In the end of this work, the proposed model was validated by comparison of the experimental and predicted ABE ternary breakthrough curves using the real ABE fermentation broth as a feed solution. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

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.

Multiplexed detection of DNA sequences using a competitive displacement assay in a microfluidic SERRS-based device.

PubMed

Yazdi, Soroush H; Giles, Kristen L; White, Ian M

2013-11-05

We demonstrate sensitive and multiplexed detection of DNA sequences through a surface enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy (SERRS)-based competitive displacement assay in an integrated microsystem. The use of the competitive displacement scheme, in which the target DNA sequence displaces a Raman-labeled reporter sequence that has lower affinity for the immobilized probe, enables detection of unlabeled target DNA sequences with a simple single-step procedure. In our implementation, the displacement reaction occurs in a microporous packed column of silica beads prefunctionalized with probe-reporter pairs. The use of a functionalized packed-bead column in a microfluidic channel provides two major advantages: (i) immobilization surface chemistry can be performed as a batch process instead of on a chip-by-chip basis, and (ii) the microporous network eliminates the diffusion limitations of a typical biological assay, which increases the sensitivity. Packed silica beads are also leveraged to improve the SERRS detection of the Raman-labeled reporter. Following displacement, the reporter adsorbs onto aggregated silver nanoparticles in a microfluidic mixer; the nanoparticle-reporter conjugates are then trapped and concentrated in the silica bead matrix, which leads to a significant increase in plasmonic nanoparticles and adsorbed Raman reporters within the detection volume as compared to an open microfluidic channel. The experimental results reported here demonstrate detection down to 100 pM of the target DNA sequence, and the experiments are shown to be specific, repeatable, and quantitative. Furthermore, we illustrate the advantage of using SERRS by demonstrating multiplexed detection. The sensitivity of the assay, combined with the advantages of multiplexed detection and single-step operation with unlabeled target sequences makes this method attractive for practical applications. Importantly, while we illustrate DNA sequence detection, the SERRS-based competitive displacement assay is applicable to detection of a variety of biological macromolecules, including proteins and proteolytic enzymes.

Large- and small-size advantages in sneaking behaviour in the dusky frillgoby Bathygobius fuscus.

PubMed

Takegaki, Takeshi; Kaneko, Takashi; Matsumoto, Yukio

2012-04-01

Sneaking tactic, a male alternative reproductive tactic involving sperm competition, is generally adopted by small individuals because of its inconspicuousness. However, large size has an advantage when competition occurs between sneakers for fertilization of eggs. Here, we suggest that both large- and small-size advantages of sneaker males are present within the same species. Large sneaker males of the dusky frillgoby Bathygobius fuscus showed a high success rate in intruding into spawning nests because of their advantage in competition among sneaker males in keeping a suitable position to sneak, whereas small sneakers had few chances to sneak. However, small sneaker males were able to stay in the nests longer than large sneaker males when they succeeded in sneak intrusion. This suggests the possibility of an increase in their paternity. The findings of these size-specific behavioural advantages may be important in considering the evolution of size-related reproductive traits.

Large- and small-size advantages in sneaking behaviour in the dusky frillgoby Bathygobius fuscus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takegaki, Takeshi; Kaneko, Takashi; Matsumoto, Yukio

2012-04-01

Sneaking tactic, a male alternative reproductive tactic involving sperm competition, is generally adopted by small individuals because of its inconspicuousness. However, large size has an advantage when competition occurs between sneakers for fertilization of eggs. Here, we suggest that both large- and small-size advantages of sneaker males are present within the same species. Large sneaker males of the dusky frillgoby Bathygobius fuscus showed a high success rate in intruding into spawning nests because of their advantage in competition among sneaker males in keeping a suitable position to sneak, whereas small sneakers had few chances to sneak. However, small sneaker males were able to stay in the nests longer than large sneaker males when they succeeded in sneak intrusion. This suggests the possibility of an increase in their paternity. The findings of these size-specific behavioural advantages may be important in considering the evolution of size-related reproductive traits.

Sexual Experience Enhances Drosophila melanogaster Male Mating Behavior and Success

PubMed Central

Saleem, Sehresh; Ruggles, Patrick H.; Abbott, Wiley K.; Carney, Ginger E.

2014-01-01

Competition for mates is a wide-spread phenomenon affecting individual reproductive success. The ability of animals to adjust their behaviors in response to changing social environment is important and well documented. Drosophila melanogaster males compete with one another for matings with females and modify their reproductive behaviors based on prior social interactions. However, it remains to be determined how male social experience that culminates in mating with a female impacts subsequent male reproductive behaviors and mating success. Here we show that sexual experience enhances future mating success. Previously mated D. melanogaster males adjust their courtship behaviors and out-compete sexually inexperienced males for copulations. Interestingly, courtship experience alone is not sufficient in providing this competitive advantage, indicating that copulation plays a role in reinforcing this social learning. We also show that females use their sense of hearing to preferentially mate with experienced males when given a choice. Our results demonstrate the ability of previously mated males to learn from their positive sexual experiences and adjust their behaviors to gain a mating advantage. These experienced-based changes in behavior reveal strategies that animals likely use to increase their fecundity in natural competitive environments. PMID:24805129

Disruptive Challenges and Accelerating Force Transformation

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

strategy and the military transformation process. The ability to maintain a competitive advantage depends not only on the Nation’s manpower, fiscal...rapid change and ambiguity are the norm, this competitive advantage often depends on the availability of multiple effective options. If U.S. military

Sustainable Competitive Advantage for Educational Institutions: A Suggested Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazzarol, Tim; Soutar, Geoffrey Norman

1999-01-01

Outlines a model of factors critical to establishing and maintaining sustainable competitive advantage for education-services enterprises in international markets. The model, which combines industrial economics, management theory, and services marketing, seeks to explain the strategic decision-making environment in which the education exporter…

Intraguild Competition of Three Noctuid Maize Pests.

PubMed

Bentivenha, J P F; Baldin, E L L; Hunt, T E; Paula-Moraes, S V; Blankenship, E E

2016-08-01

The western bean cutworm Striacosta albicosta (Smith), the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), and the corn earworm Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are among the major lepidopteran pests of maize in the United States, belonging to the same guild and injuring the reproductive tissues of this crop. Here, intraguild competition of these lepidopterans on non-Bt maize was evaluated through survival analysis of each species under laboratory and field conditions. Competition scenarios were carried out in arenas containing maize silk or ear tissue, using larvae on different stadium of development. Fitness cost competition studies were conducted to examine the influence of intraguild competition and cannibalism and predation rates on larval development. The survival of S. albicosta competing with the other species was significantly lower than in intraspecific competition, even when the larvae were more developed than the competitor. For S. frugiperda, survival remained high in the different competition scenarios, except when competing in a smaller stadium with H. zea Larvae of H. zea had a high rate of cannibalism, higher survival when competing against S. albicosta than S. frugiperda, and reduced survival when the H. zea larvae were at the same development stadium or smaller than the competitors. Based on fitness cost results, the absence of a competitor for the feeding source may confer an advantage to the larval development of S. frugiperda and H. zea Our data suggest that S. frugiperda has a competitive advantage against the other species, while S. albicosta has the disadvantage in the intraguild competition on non-Bt maize. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Recipient-Biased Competition for an Intracellularly Generated Cross-Fed Nutrient Is Required for Coexistence of Microbial Mutualists

PubMed Central

McCully, Alexandra L.; LaSarre, Breah

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Many mutualistic microbial relationships are based on nutrient cross-feeding. Traditionally, cross-feeding is viewed as being unidirectional, from the producer to the recipient. This is likely true when a producer’s waste, such as a fermentation product, has value only for a recipient. However, in some cases the cross-fed nutrient holds value for both the producer and the recipient. In such cases, there is potential for nutrient reacquisition by producer cells in a population, leading to competition against recipients. Here, we investigated the consequences of interpartner competition for cross-fed nutrients on mutualism dynamics by using an anaerobic coculture pairing fermentative Escherichia coli and phototrophic Rhodopseudomonas palustris. In this coculture, E. coli excretes waste organic acids that provide a carbon source for R. palustris. In return, R. palustris cross-feeds E. coli ammonium (NH4+), a compound that both species value. To explore the potential for interpartner competition, we first used a kinetic model to simulate cocultures with varied affinities for NH4+ in each species. The model predicted that interpartner competition for NH4+ could profoundly impact population dynamics. We then experimentally tested the predictions by culturing mutants lacking NH4+ transporters in both NH4+ competition assays and mutualistic cocultures. Both theoretical and experimental results indicated that the recipient must have a competitive advantage in acquiring cross-fed NH4+ to sustain the mutualism. This recipient-biased competitive advantage is predicted to be crucial, particularly when the communally valuable nutrient is generated intracellularly. Thus, the very metabolites that form the basis for mutualistic cross-feeding can also be subject to competition between mutualistic partners. PMID:29184014

The Effect Of Atributes Product’s Analysis, Halal Certification, And Product Innovation To The Interest Of Consumer Buying-Back Through The Advantage Competitive Of Micro Small And Medium Business (MSMB) In Medan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aditi, Bunga

2017-12-01

This research is done to know and analyzing the effect of attribute, halal certification product, and product innovation on the competitiveness of Micro Small and Medium Business in Medan, knowing and analyzing the effect of product attribute, halal certification, and product innovation to consumer buying surge. The type of research used is explanatory research with quantitative approach. The population in this study is the community as consumers who are in the area of Medan province of North Sumatera. Total sample of 150 people. Sampling method which use an accidental sampling is the technique of determining samples by chance, example: consumers whomeets with researcher coincidentally can be sampled if the consumer is appropriate or suitable as a source of data. This research uses the method of Structural Equation Modeling analysis. The mainting of this research is showed that product attributes, halal certification, and product innovation had a positive and significant impact on competitive advantage which impact on consumer buy-back (surge) interest. The advantage competitive has affects consumer buying surge interest positively. Keywords: Product attributes, halal certification, product innovation, competitive advantage, consumer buying interest

Competitive disadvantage makes attitudes towards rape less negative.

PubMed

Nunes, Kevin L; Pettersen, Cathrine

2011-10-12

Evolutionary theorists have argued that perceived competitive disadvantage may lead to more positive evaluation of, and greater likelihood of engaging in, risky and antisocial behavior. However, experimental studies have not yet examined the effects of competitive disadvantage on perceptions of rape. In the current study, we created a manipulation of perceived competitive status to test its effects on beliefs about rape. In one condition, participants were made to feel disadvantaged relative to male peers in terms of financial, physical, and intellectual power, whereas in the other condition they were made to feel advantaged. Participants were 120 heterosexual male undergraduate students. The manipulation was effective; compared to participants in the advantage condition, those in the disadvantage condition rated themselves as significantly worse off financially, shorter, in worse physical shape, and as having lower course marks than the average male student at the university. Compared to perceived competitive advantage, perceived disadvantage led to less negative attitudes towards rape. However, perceived competitive status did not significantly affect justifications and excuses for rape. Future studies using similar experimental manipulations can complement correlational studies and may contribute to greater clarity, precision, and sophistication of research and theory on the role of competitive disadvantage in rape.

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

Disability Employment 101

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Department of Education, 2007

2007-01-01

Business is about productivity and maintaining a competitive advantage. To do this, business needs qualified workers. Hiring people with disabilities adds value to a business and will attract new customers. Disability is not inability. Employers can make sound business decisions and gain a competitive advantage by using this guide to increase the…

Network-Centric Warfare: Implications for Applying the Principles of War

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-05-17

Noting the competitive advantage that a computer network system completely integrated into a firm’s structure and operations has provided to...businesses, individuals have begun to argue that adoption of this concept by the United States armed forces would produce a comparable, competitive advantage in

Career management: a competitive advantage in today's health care marketplace.

PubMed

Bourbeau, J

2001-01-01

A valuable new tool to attract and retain new employees is being used by some of the most progressive companies in Michigan. It is called career management, and it is being used with great success by businesses of all types to give themselves a competitive advantage.

48 CFR 3.700 - Scope of subpart.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... source selection information in exchange for a thing of value or to give anyone a competitive advantage... or giving anyone a competitive advantage in the award of a Federal agency procurement contract. (b... available to the Government with respect to such contracts, including but not limited to, the common law...

48 CFR 3.700 - Scope of subpart.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... source selection information in exchange for a thing of value or to give anyone a competitive advantage... or giving anyone a competitive advantage in the award of a Federal agency procurement contract. (b... available to the Government with respect to such contracts, including but not limited to, the common law...

48 CFR 3.701 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... competitive advantage in the award of a Federal agency procurement contract; and (b) A means to deter similar... information or source selection information in exchange for a thing of value or to give anyone a competitive advantage in the award of a Federal agency procurement contract, or similar misconduct; or (2) An agency...

Strategic Mergers of Strong Institutions to Enhance Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harman, Grant; Harman, Kay

2008-01-01

Strategic mergers are formal combinations or amalgamations of higher education institutions with the aim of enhancing competitive advantage, or merging for "mutual growth". Recently, in a number of countries, there has been a decided shift from mergers initiated by governments, and dealing mainly with "problem" cases, towards…

76 FR 65311 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-20

... members raises the potential for unfair competitive advantage and potential conflicts of interest between... these mitigate the aforementioned concerns about potential conflicts of interest and unfair competitive advantage. 2. Statutory Basis The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with the...

A Study of the Relationship between Personality Types and the Acceptance of Technical Knowledge Management Systems (TKMS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Maureen S.

2012-01-01

Technical knowledge management systems (TKMSs) are not achieving the usage (acceptance) and the benefits that have been forecasted and are therefore, not enhancing competitive advantage and profits in organizations (Comb, 2004, "Assessing customer relationship management strategies for creating competitive advantage in electronic…

Congruent Knowledge Management Behaviors as Discriminate Sources of Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magnier-Watanabe, Remy; Senoo, Dai

2009-01-01

Purpose: While knowledge management has been shown to be a strategic source of competitive advantage, processes designed to enhance the productivity of knowledge do not, however, equally contribute to the organization's capabilities. Consequently, this research aims to focus on the relationship between each mode of the knowledge management process…

78 FR 35826 - Unfair Competitive Advantages; Enhancement of the Formal Complaint Process

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-14

... Postal Service to the time and expense of the discovery process. The Commission anticipates that allowing.... 1739] Unfair Competitive Advantages; Enhancement of the Formal Complaint Process AGENCY: Postal... enhance the formal complaint process in cases involving alleged violations of a law that prohibits the...

Catching a Wave: An Australian Case Study on Building Competence in Search of Competitive Advantage.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellie, Deborah

1998-01-01

A case study of an Australian road construction company's skill development project is an example of an attempt to increase competitive advantage through competency acquisition. It remains to be seen whether reconstruction of the company will result in improved productivity and financial performance. (SK)

Computerized pigment design based on property hypersurfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halova, Jaroslava; Sulcova, Petra; Kupka, Karel

2007-05-01

Competition is tough in the pigment market. Rational pigment design has therefore a competitive advantage, saving time and money. The aim of this work is to provide methods that can assist in designing pigments with defined properties. These methods include partial least squares regression (PLSR), neural network (NN) and generalized regression ANOVA model. Authors show how PLS bi-plot can be used to identify market gaps poorly covered by pigment manufacturers, thus giving an opportunity to develop pigments with potentially profitable properties.

Freestanding heart hospitals is the end near?

PubMed

Ronning, Philip L; Nugent, Michael

2004-09-01

Freestanding heart hospitals are not enjoying the same competitive advantages they have in recent years for several reasons: Regulatory policy seems to be turning against them. They no longer enjoy the same cost structure advantage. Technology shifts mean lower payment rates and higher costs for cardiac services. Their access to capital is diminished. Traditional hospitals are mounting more effective competitive responses, while entrepreneurial physician practice executives are pursuing alternative strategies that may lead to more competition for heart hospitals.

Cloud Computing in Support of Synchronized Disaster Response Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

scalable, Web application based on cloud computing technologies to facilitate communication between a broad range of public and private entities without...requiring them to compromise security or competitive advantage. The proposed design applies the unique benefits of cloud computing architectures such as

Social Networks as a Source of Competitive Advantage for the Firm.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Laere, Kristien; Heene, Aime

2003-01-01

Proposes a conceptual framework for managing relationships of small and medium-sized enterprises, based on the necessity of cooperation for survival. Describes characteristics of embedded relationship in stakeholder interactions, including trust, durability, information transfer, and collaboration. (Contains 72 references.) (SK)

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...

Sport and Transgender People: A Systematic Review of the Literature Relating to Sport Participation and Competitive Sport Policies.

PubMed

Jones, Bethany Alice; Arcelus, Jon; Bouman, Walter Pierre; Haycraft, Emma

2017-04-01

Whether transgender people should be able to compete in sport in accordance with their gender identity is a widely contested question within the literature and among sport organisations, fellow competitors and spectators. Owing to concerns surrounding transgender people (especially transgender female individuals) having an athletic advantage, several sport organisations place restrictions on transgender competitors (e.g. must have undergone gender-confirming surgery). In addition, some transgender people who engage in sport, both competitively and for leisure, report discrimination and victimisation. To the authors' knowledge, there has been no systematic review of the literature pertaining to sport participation or competitive sport policies in transgender people. Therefore, this review aimed to address this gap in the literature. Eight research articles and 31 sport policies were reviewed. In relation to sport-related physical activity, this review found the lack of inclusive and comfortable environments to be the primary barrier to participation for transgender people. This review also found transgender people had a mostly negative experience in competitive sports because of the restrictions the sport's policy placed on them. The majority of transgender competitive sport policies that were reviewed were not evidence based. Currently, there is no direct or consistent research suggesting transgender female individuals (or male individuals) have an athletic advantage at any stage of their transition (e.g. cross-sex hormones, gender-confirming surgery) and, therefore, competitive sport policies that place restrictions on transgender people need to be considered and potentially revised.

Fitness of Crop-Wild Hybrid Sunflower under Competitive Conditions: Implications for Crop-to-Wild Introgression

PubMed Central

Mercer, Kristin L.; Emry, D. Jason; Snow, Allison A.; Kost, Matthew A.; Pace, Brian A.; Alexander, Helen M.

2014-01-01

Understanding the likelihood and extent of introgression of novel alleles in hybrid zones requires comparison of lifetime fitness of parents and hybrid progeny. However, fitness differences among cross types can vary depending on biotic conditions, thereby influencing introgression patterns. Based on past work, we predicted that increased competition would enhance introgression between cultivated and wild sunflower (Helianthus annuus) by reducing fitness advantages of wild plants. To test this prediction, we established a factorial field experiment in Kansas, USA where we monitored the fitness of four cross types (Wild, F1, F2, and BCw hybrids) under different levels of interspecific and intraspecific competition. Intraspecific manipulations consisted both of density of competitors and of frequency of crop-wild hybrids. We recorded emergence of overwintered seeds, survival to reproduction, and numbers of seeds produced per reproductive plant. We also calculated two compound fitness measures: seeds produced per emerged seedling and seeds produced per planted seed. Cross type and intraspecific competition affected emergence and survival to reproduction, respectively. Further, cross type interacted with competitive treatments to influence all other fitness traits. More intense competition treatments, especially related to density of intraspecific competitors, repeatedly reduced the fitness advantage of wild plants when considering seeds produced per reproductive plant and per emerged seedling, and F2 plants often became indistinguishable from the wilds. Wild fitness remained superior when seedling emergence was also considered as part of fitness, but the fitness of F2 hybrids relative to wild plants more than quadrupled with the addition of interspecific competitors and high densities of intraspecific competitors. Meanwhile, contrary to prediction, lower hybrid frequency reduced wild fitness advantage. These results emphasize the importance of taking a full life cycle perspective. Additionally, due to effects of exogenous selection, a given hybrid generation may be especially well-suited to hastening introgression under particular environmental conditions. PMID:25295859

Fitness of crop-wild hybrid sunflower under competitive conditions: implications for crop-to-wild introgression.

PubMed

Mercer, Kristin L; Emry, D Jason; Snow, Allison A; Kost, Matthew A; Pace, Brian A; Alexander, Helen M

2014-01-01

Understanding the likelihood and extent of introgression of novel alleles in hybrid zones requires comparison of lifetime fitness of parents and hybrid progeny. However, fitness differences among cross types can vary depending on biotic conditions, thereby influencing introgression patterns. Based on past work, we predicted that increased competition would enhance introgression between cultivated and wild sunflower (Helianthus annuus) by reducing fitness advantages of wild plants. To test this prediction, we established a factorial field experiment in Kansas, USA where we monitored the fitness of four cross types (Wild, F1, F2, and BCw hybrids) under different levels of interspecific and intraspecific competition. Intraspecific manipulations consisted both of density of competitors and of frequency of crop-wild hybrids. We recorded emergence of overwintered seeds, survival to reproduction, and numbers of seeds produced per reproductive plant. We also calculated two compound fitness measures: seeds produced per emerged seedling and seeds produced per planted seed. Cross type and intraspecific competition affected emergence and survival to reproduction, respectively. Further, cross type interacted with competitive treatments to influence all other fitness traits. More intense competition treatments, especially related to density of intraspecific competitors, repeatedly reduced the fitness advantage of wild plants when considering seeds produced per reproductive plant and per emerged seedling, and F2 plants often became indistinguishable from the wilds. Wild fitness remained superior when seedling emergence was also considered as part of fitness, but the fitness of F2 hybrids relative to wild plants more than quadrupled with the addition of interspecific competitors and high densities of intraspecific competitors. Meanwhile, contrary to prediction, lower hybrid frequency reduced wild fitness advantage. These results emphasize the importance of taking a full life cycle perspective. Additionally, due to effects of exogenous selection, a given hybrid generation may be especially well-suited to hastening introgression under particular environmental conditions.

Developing a competitive advantage in the market for radiology services.

PubMed

Kropf, R; Szafran, A J

1988-01-01

This article describes how managers of outpatient diagnostic radiology services can develop a competitive advantage by increasing the value of services to patients and referring physicians. A method is presented to identify changes to services that increase their value. The method requires the definition of the "value chains" of patients and referring physicians. Particular attention is paid to the use of information systems technology to suggest and implement service changes. A narrow range of health services was selected because the approach requires a detailed understanding of consumers and how they use services. The approach should, however, be examined carefully by managers seeking to develop a competitive advantage for a wide range of health services.

Core Competence, Distinctive Competence, and Competitive Advantage: What Is the Difference?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mooney, Ann

2007-01-01

Core competence, distinctive competence, and competitive advantage are 3 of the most important business concepts that managers, researchers, and educators rely on for decision making, pedagogy, and research. However, little attention has been paid to defining these concepts. As a result, they have become buzzwords that are used so frequently that…

Girls in the Education Market: Choice, Competition and Complexity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ball, Stephen J.; Gewirtz, Sharon

1997-01-01

Considers the role of girls' schools in the United Kingdom education market and the positioning and "value" of girls by examining the workings of market forces in education. It reveals that current conditions of competition offer some advantages to girls but that these advantages have to be set against the continuing contradictions and…

Universities and the Mobilization of Claims of Excellence for Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wangenge-Ouma, Gerald; Langa, Patricio V.

2010-01-01

This study discusses the phenomenon of making claims of excellence by universities, which we interpret as a response, inter alia, to the hitherto unfamiliar context of scarce and diminishing resources. The main objective is to understand how claims of excellence are mobilised by higher education institutions to achieve "competitive advantage". The…

Information Technology Adoption for Service Innovation Practices and Competitive Advantage: The Case of Financial Firms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, J. S.; Tsou, H. T.

2007-01-01

Background: The importance of information technology to current business practices has long drawn the attention of practitioners and academicians. Aim: This paper aims to broaden understanding about service innovation as a critical organizational capability through which information technology adoption influences the competitive advantage of a…

Competitive Advantage, What Does It Really Mean in the Context of Public Higher Education Institutions?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Haan, Haijing Helen

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to critically investigate the discourse on "competitive advantage", a concept that has been widely applied in the public higher education sector, but rarely defined and conceptualised. Design/methodology/approach: In order to get some insightful understanding about how "competitive…

CyberKM: Harnessing Dynamic Knowledge for Competitive Advantage through Cyberspace

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-01

action (e.g., consider attempting to ride a bicycle , negotiate a contract, or conduct qualitative research based solely upon reading a book about the......interprets the data from signals, develops information through incorporation of meaning and context, and finally develops actionable knowledge

18 CFR 1301.24 - Specific exemptions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... individual an unfair competitive advantage in selection based on test performance. (d) The TVA system OIG... other individuals who perform services for TVA. TVA has received this information in the past under both... solely to determine individual qualifications for appointment or promotion in the Federal service would...

Stable structures of coalitions in competitive and altruistic military teams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aurangzeb, M.; Mikulski, D.; Hudas, G.; Lewis, F. L.; Gu, Edward

2013-05-01

In heterogeneous battlefield teams, the balance between team and individual objectives forms the basis for the internal topological structure of teams. The stability of team structure is studied by presenting a graphical coalitional game (GCG) with Positional Advantage (PA). PA is Shapley value strengthened by the Axioms of value. The notion of team and individual objectives is studied by defining altruistic and competitive contribution made by an individual; altruistic and competitive contributions made by an agent are components of its total or marginal contribution. Moreover, the paper examines dynamic team effects by defining three online sequential decision games based on marginal, competitive and altruistic contributions of the individuals towards team. The stable graphs under these sequential decision games are studied and found to be structurally connected, complete, or tree respectively.

All strategy is local.

PubMed

Greenwald, Bruce; Kahn, Judd

2005-09-01

The aim of strategy is to master a market environment by understanding and anticipating the actions of other economic agents, especially competitors. A firm that has some sort of competitive advantage-privileged access to customers, for instance--will have relatively few competitors to contend with, since potential competitors without an advantage, if they have their wits about them, will stay away. Thus, competitive advantages are actually barriers to entry and vice versa. In markets that are exposed, by contrast, competition is intense. If the incumbents have even brief success in earning greater than normal returns on investments, new entrants will swarm in to grab a share of the profits. Sooner or later, the additional competition will push returns as far down as the firms' costs of capital. For firms operating in such markets, the only choice is to forget about strategy and run the business as efficiently as possible. Barriers to entry are easier to maintain in a competitive arena that is "local", either in the geographic sense or in the sense of being limited to one product or a handful of related ones. The two most powerful competitive advantages-customer captivity and economies of scale-are more achievable and sustainable in circumscribed markets of this kind. Their opposites are the open markets and host of rivals that are features of globalization. Compapies entering such markets risk frittering away the advantages they secured on smaller playing fields.., Ifa company wants to grow but still obtain superior returns, the authors argue, the best strategy is to dominate a series of discrete but preferably contiguous markets and then expand only at their edges. WalMart's diminishing margins over the past 15 years are strong evidence of the danger of proceeding otherwise.

"Whom should I pass to?" the more options the more attentional guidance from working memory.

PubMed

Furley, Philip; Memmert, Daniel

2013-01-01

Three experiments investigated the predictions of the biased competition theory of selective attention in a computer based sport task. According to this theory objects held in the circuitry of working memory (WM) automatically bias attention to objects in a visual scene that match or are related to the WM representation. Specifically, we investigated whether certain players that are activated in the circuitry of WM automatically draw attention and receive a competitive advantage in a computer based sport task. In all three experiments participants had to hold an image of a certain player in WM while engaged in a speeded sport task. In Experiment 1 participants had to identify as quickly as possible which player was in possession of the ball. In Experiment 2 and 3 participants had to decide to which player they would pass to in a cartoon team handball situation and a photo picture basketball situation. The results support the biased competition theory of selective attention and suggest that certain decision options receive a competitive advantage if they are associated with the activated contents in the circuitry of WM and that this effect is more pronounced when more decision options compete for attention. A further extension compared to previous research was that the contents of working memory not only biased attention but also actual decisions that can lead to passing errors in sport. We critically discuss the applied implications of the findings.

“Whom Should I Pass To?” The More Options the More Attentional Guidance from Working Memory

PubMed Central

Furley, Philip; Memmert, Daniel

2013-01-01

Three experiments investigated the predictions of the biased competition theory of selective attention in a computer based sport task. According to this theory objects held in the circuitry of working memory (WM) automatically bias attention to objects in a visual scene that match or are related to the WM representation. Specifically, we investigated whether certain players that are activated in the circuitry of WM automatically draw attention and receive a competitive advantage in a computer based sport task. In all three experiments participants had to hold an image of a certain player in WM while engaged in a speeded sport task. In Experiment 1 participants had to identify as quickly as possible which player was in possession of the ball. In Experiment 2 and 3 participants had to decide to which player they would pass to in a cartoon team handball situation and a photo picture basketball situation. The results support the biased competition theory of selective attention and suggest that certain decision options receive a competitive advantage if they are associated with the activated contents in the circuitry of WM and that this effect is more pronounced when more decision options compete for attention. A further extension compared to previous research was that the contents of working memory not only biased attention but also actual decisions that can lead to passing errors in sport. We critically discuss the applied implications of the findings. PMID:23658719

The quality improvement strategy.

PubMed

Burns, L R; Beach, L R

1994-01-01

To prepare for managed competition, many hospitals now focus on service quality as a means to improve their competitive position. To aid in decisions about where best to direct limited resources, managers need physician feedback about how the hospital's services compare with its competitors' services (competitive advantage) and about the degree to which the hospital's services fall short of, meet, or exceed physicians' expectations (customer satisfaction). This article describes a strategy for acquiring information about competitive advantage and customer satisfaction and for using the information to identify optimal service improvement opportunities. It then presents a step-by-step application of the Quality Improvement Strategy (QIS) for a large urban hospital.

Regulated Medicare Advantage And Marketplace Individual Health Insurance Markets Rely On Insurer Competition.

PubMed

Frank, Richard G; McGuire, Thomas G

2017-09-01

Two important individual health insurance markets-Medicare Advantage and the Marketplaces-are tightly regulated but rely on competition among insurers to supply and price health insurance products. Many local health insurance markets have little competition, which increases prices to consumers. Furthermore, both markets are highly subsidized in ways that can exacerbate the impact of market power-that is, the ability to set price above cost-on health insurance prices. Policy makers need to foster robust competition in both sectors and avoid designing subsidies that make the market-power problem worse. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Technology Assessment Need: Review on Attractiveness and Competitiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salwa Sait, Siti; Merlinda Muharam, Farrah; Chin, Thoo Ai; Sulaiman, Zuraidah

2017-06-01

Technology assessment is crucial in managing technology for the purpose of technology exploitation. With business environment continuously changing, firms have to address this issue critically as technology is considered one of the important elements to evaluate performance and gain competitive advantage. Missteps in deciding the best technology to be developed, employed or maintained would cost the firm overall value. To fulfil the need of finding the appropriate scale to assess suitable technology, this paper summarizes that technology assessment (TA) should cover two main aspects, namely technology attractiveness and competitiveness. These components are seen capable to link the scale suggested towards evaluation of financial and non-financial performance towards competitive advantage.

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.

Insider versus outsider executive succession: The relationship to hospital efficiency.

PubMed

Ford, Eric W; Lowe, Kevin B; Silvera, Geoffrey B; Babik, Dmytro; Huerta, Timothy R

The relationship between Chief Executive Officer (CEO) succession and hospitals' competitive performance is an area of interest for health services researchers. Of particular interest is the impact on overall strategic direction and health system performance that results from selecting a CEO from inside the firm as opposed to seeking outside leadership. Empirical work-to-date has yielded mixed results. Much of this variability has been attributed to design flaws; however, in the absence of a clear message from the evidence, the preference for hiring "outsiders" continues to grow. This paper investigates on the extent to which insider CEO succession versus outsider succession impacts hospitals' competitive advantage vis-à-vis a sample of organizations that compete in the same sector. A hospital matching protocol based on propensity scores is used to control for endogeneity and makes comparisons of productivity across organizations through the use of stochastic frontier estimation. Succession negatively impacts hospitals' productivity, and firms with outsider CEO succession events closed the gap toward the competitive advantage frontier faster than comparable firms with insider successions. More research needs to be done on succession planning and its impact on CEO turnover.

Analysing the Role of Business Intelligence, Knowledge Sharing and Organisational Innovation on Gaining Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eidizadeh, Rosa; Salehzadeh, Reza; Chitsaz Esfahani, Ali

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to study the role of business intelligence, knowledge sharing and organisational innovation on gaining competitive advantage. Design/Methodology/Approach: The statistical population of the study was the managers and the specialists of some export companies of which 213 persons participated in this research. Path analysis…

Students' Use of Extra-Curricular Activities for Positional Advantage in Competitive Job Markets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roulin, Nicolas; Bangerter, Adrian

2013-01-01

With the rise of mass higher education, competition between graduates in the labour market is increasing. Students are aware that their degree will not guarantee them a job and realise they should add value and distinction to their credentials to achieve a positional advantage. Participation in extra-curricular activities (ECAs) is one such…

Managing Human Resource Capabilities for Sustainable Competitive Advantage: An Empirical Analysis from Indian Global Organisations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khandekar, Aradhana; Sharma, Anuradha

2005-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the role of human resource capability (HRC) in organisational performance and sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in Indian global organisations. Design/Methodology/Approach: To carry out the present study, an empirical research on a random sample of 300 line or human resource managers from…

Data survey on the effect of product features on competitive advantage of selected firms in Nigeria.

PubMed

Olokundun, Maxwell; Iyiola, Oladele; Ibidunni, Stephen; Falola, Hezekiah; Salau, Odunayo; Amaihian, Augusta; Peter, Fred; Borishade, Taiye

2018-06-01

The main objective of this study was to present a data article that investigates the effect product features on firm's competitive advantage. Few studies have examined how the features of a product could help in driving the competitive advantage of a firm. Descriptive research method was used. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 22) was engaged for analysis of one hundred and fifty (150) valid questionnaire which were completed by small business owners registered under small and medium scale enterprises development of Nigeria (SMEDAN). Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were employed; reliability and validity procedures were also confirmed. The field data set is made publicly available to enable critical or extended analysis.

Differences in Learning Preferences by Generational Cohort: Implications for Instructional Design in Corporate Web-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kriegel, Jessica

2013-01-01

In today's global and high-tech economy, the primary contributing factor to sustainable competitive advantage is the strategic development of employees, an organization's only unique asset. However, with four generations actively present in the workforce and the proliferation of web-based learning as a key method for developing…

The Comparative Study of the Competitive Power of the Steel Industry of Every Province in China Based on Correspondence Analysis Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhibo, Ren; Kai, Liu; Wei, Wu

This paper analyzed and compared the competitive power of steel industry of 30 provinces in our country. At first, we extracted the data containing 16 economic indicators to reflect each province's business conditions of steel industry, then used correspondence analysis method to process the data. We can get every province's level located in the domestic steel industry and its corresponding advantage. This conclusion has important reference value for every province to develop its steel industry's policy.

The research of "blind" spot in the LVQ network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Zhanjie; Nan, Shupo; Wang, Xiaoli

2017-04-01

Nowadays competitive neural network has been widely used in the pattern recognition, classification and other aspects, and show the great advantages compared with the traditional clustering methods. But the competitive neural networks still has inadequate in many aspects, and it needs to be further improved. Based on the learning Vector Quantization Network proposed by Learning Kohonen [1], this paper resolve the issue of the large training error, when there are "blind" spots in a network through the introduction of threshold value learning rules and finally programs the realization with Matlab.

Time-Based Competition for Competitive Advantage: An Information Technology Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-05-25

Northern Telecom Competes on Time," Harvard Business Review (July-August 1989): 109. 5 Stalk, Jr., 48. 6 Stalk, 49. 7 Dumaine, 56. 8 Beverly Geber , "Speed...Where the People Fit In," Training, 24 August 1989: 27. 9 Dumaine, 56. 10 Bower, 114. 11 Bower, 114. 12 Dumaine, 57. 13 Bower, 115. 14 Geber , 29. 15... Geber , 28. 70 16 Geber , 29. 17 Dumaine, 59. 18 Geber , 29. 19 Merrills, 113. 20 Merrills, 114. 21 Merrills, 114. 22 Merrills, 114. 23 Merrills, 113. 24

Designing Retention Research for Assessment and Enhanced Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaney, Anne Marie

2008-01-01

Based on a longitudinal study of entering freshmen at a selective, private college in northeastern USA, this article provides a model for designing retention studies for assessment. Results from discriminant analysis revealed average high school grade, admission rating, and first semester average college grade as significant predictors of…

Sb-Based Double Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (DHBTs) With Fmax 650GHz for 340GHz Transmitter

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

PROPER IDENTIFICATION . NOT TO BE USED FOR INTERIM PROGRESS REPORTS SEE PAGE 2 FOR INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT INSTRUCTIONS MEMORANDUM OF TRANSMITTAL...conduction band lineup . These advantages have led to rapid progress in increasing device bandwidths, allowing competitive RF performance with established

Mind the Gap: Staff and Postgraduate Perceptions of Student Experience in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arambewela, Rodney; Maringe, Felix

2012-01-01

Faced with conflicting pressures of student diversity, retention and demands for change in a volatile international education marketing environment, universities have become more focused on enhancing student experience as a strategic response to achieving competitive advantage. Based on an exploratory qualitative study conducted in a UK…

Competitive bidding in Medicare: who benefits from competition?

PubMed

Song, Zirui; Landrum, Mary Beth; Chernew, Michael E

2012-09-01

To conduct the first empirical study of competitive bidding in Medicare. We analyzed 2006-2010 Medicare Advantage data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services using longitudinal models adjusted for market and plan characteristics. A $1 increase in Medicare's payment to health maintenance organization (HMO) plans led to a $0.49 (P <.001) increase in plan bids, with $0.34 (P <.001) going to beneficiaries in the form of extra benefits or lower cost sharing. With preferred provider organization and private fee-for-service plans included, higher Medicare payments increased bids less ($0.33 per dollar), suggesting more competition among these latter plans. As a market-based alternative to cost control through administrative pricing, competitive bidding relies on private insurance plans proposing prices they are willing to accept for insuring a beneficiary. However, competition is imperfect in the Medicare bidding market. As much as half of every dollar in increased plan payment went to higher bids rather than to beneficiaries. While having more insurers in a market lowered bids, the design of any bidding system for Medicare should recognize this shortcoming of competition.

The Fitness Advantage of Commercial Wine Yeasts in Relation to the Nitrogen Concentration, Temperature, and Ethanol Content under Microvinification Conditions

PubMed Central

García-Ríos, Estéfani; Gutiérrez, Alicia; Salvadó, Zoel; Arroyo-López, Francisco Noé

2014-01-01

The effect of the main environmental factors governing wine fermentation on the fitness of industrial yeast strains has barely received attention. In this study, we used the concept of fitness advantage to measure how increasing nitrogen concentrations (0 to 200 mg N/liter), ethanol (0 to 20%), and temperature (4 to 45°C) affects competition among four commercial wine yeast strains (PDM, ARM, RVA, and TTA). We used a mathematical approach to model the hypothetical time needed for the control strain (PDM) to out-compete the other three strains in a theoretical mixed population. The theoretical values obtained were subsequently verified by competitive mixed fermentations in both synthetic and natural musts, which showed a good fit between the theoretical and experimental data. Specifically, the data show that the increase in nitrogen concentration and temperature values improved the fitness advantage of the PDM strain, whereas the presence of ethanol significantly reduced its competitiveness. However, the RVA strain proved to be the most competitive yeast for the three enological parameters assayed. The study of the fitness of these industrial strains is of paramount interest for the wine industry, which uses them as starters of their fermentations. Here, we propose a very simple method to model the fitness advantage, which allows the prediction of the competitiveness of one strain with respect to different abiotic factors. PMID:24242239

Competitive Advantage Provided by Bacterial Motility in the Formation of Nodules by Rhizobium meliloti

PubMed Central

Ames, Peter; Bergman, Kostia

1981-01-01

The effect of motility on the competitive success of Rhizobium meliloti in nodule production was investigated. A motile strain formed more nodules than expected when mixed at various unfavorable ratios with either flagellated or nonflagellated nonmotile derivatives. We conclude that motility confers a selective advantage on rhizobia when competing with nonmotile strains. PMID:7298580

2002 Industry Studies: Education

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

1 EDUCATION ABSTRACT United States schools are better than ever, but they are not assuring competitive advantage . Unequal access to quality...competitive advantage , and promote national security. • Demand for education continues to grow as the US transitions from an industrial to a knowledge... international assessments, pose challenges. With human capital constituting our most critical national resource, a world-class education system is vital to

Comparative Analysis of OECD Member Countries' Competitive Advantage in National Human Resource Development System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oh, Hunseok; Choi, Yeseul; Choi, Myungweon

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess, evaluate, and compare the competitive advantages of the human resource development systems of advanced countries. The Global Human Resource Development Index was utilized for this study, since it has been validated through an expert panel's content review and analytic hierarchy process. Using a sample of 34…

Complexity, Competitive Intelligence and the "First Mover" Advantage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fellman, Philip Vos; Post, Jonathan Vos

In the following paper we explore some of the ways in which competitive intelligence and game theory can be employed to assist firms in deciding whether or not to undertake international market diversification and whether or not there is an advantage to being a market leader or a market follower overseas. In attempting to answer these questions, we take a somewhat unconventional approach. We first examine how some of the most recent advances in the physical and biological sciences can contribute to the ways in which we understand how firms behave. Subsequently, we propose a formal methodology for competitive intelligence. While space considerations here do not allow for a complete game-theoretic treatment of competitive intelligence and its use with respect to understanding first and second mover advantage in firm internationalization, that treatment can be found in its entirety in the on-line proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Complex Systems at http://knowledgetoday.org/wiki/indec.php/ICCS06/89

Complexity, Competitive Intelligence and the "First Mover" Advantage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fellman, Philip Vos; Post, Jonathan Vos

In the following paper we explore some of the ways in which competitive intelligence and game theory can be employed to assist firms in deciding whether or not to undertake international market diversification and whether or not there is an advantage to being a market leader or a market follower overseas. In attempting to answer these questions, we take a somewhat unconventional approach. We first examine how some of the most recent advances in the physical and biological sciences can contribute to the ways in which we understand how firms behave. Subsequently, we propose a formal methodology for competitive intelligence. While space considerations here do not allow for a complete game-theoretic treatment of competitive intelligence and its use with respect to understanding first and second mover advantage in firm internationalization, that treatment can be found in its entirety in the on-line proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Complex Systems at e">http://knowledgetoday.org/wiki/indec.php/ICCS06/89.

Pre-competition hormonal and psychological levels of elite hockey players: relationship to the "home advantage".

PubMed

Carré, Justin; Muir, Cameron; Belanger, Joey; Putnam, Susan K

2006-10-30

The home advantage is a robust phenomenon that occurs in the world of amateur and professional sport. Athletic teams have been shown to win significantly more games in their home venue as compared to their opponents' venue. Studies have suggested that the home advantage may be related to familiarity with the facility, increased crowd density and even pre-competition hormonal levels. The present study investigated pre-competition physiological and psychological states of elite hockey players in the home and away venues. Physiological measures included salivary cortisol and testosterone, which were assessed using enzyme immunoassays. In addition, pre-competition psychological states were assessed using the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2. Physiological measures indicated that the players had significantly higher pre-game testosterone when playing in their home venue as compared to their opponents' venue (t(13)=2.29, p=0.04); however, this difference was not due to a pre-game rise in testosterone while competing at home. Furthermore, players showed a trend toward higher pre-game cortisol when playing in their home venue (t(13)=1.96, p=0.07). Psychological measures indicated that players were more self-confident when playing in their home venue (t(13)=2.8, p=0.008) and also had higher somatic (t(13)=2.3, p=0.02) and cognitive anxiety (t(13)=1.87, p=0.04) when playing in their opponents' venue. The present study supports the notion that there are differences in pre-competition hormonal and psychological states that may play a key role in the "home advantage".

45 CFR 2543.43 - Competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

.... The recipient shall be alert to organizational conflicts of interest as well as noncompetitive... to ensure objective contractor performance and eliminate unfair competitive advantage, contractors...

Level set method for image segmentation based on moment competition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min, Hai; Wang, Xiao-Feng; Huang, De-Shuang; Jin, Jing; Wang, Hong-Zhi; Li, Hai

2015-05-01

We propose a level set method for image segmentation which introduces the moment competition and weakly supervised information into the energy functional construction. Different from the region-based level set methods which use force competition, the moment competition is adopted to drive the contour evolution. Here, a so-called three-point labeling scheme is proposed to manually label three independent points (weakly supervised information) on the image. Then the intensity differences between the three points and the unlabeled pixels are used to construct the force arms for each image pixel. The corresponding force is generated from the global statistical information of a region-based method and weighted by the force arm. As a result, the moment can be constructed and incorporated into the energy functional to drive the evolving contour to approach the object boundary. In our method, the force arm can take full advantage of the three-point labeling scheme to constrain the moment competition. Additionally, the global statistical information and weakly supervised information are successfully integrated, which makes the proposed method more robust than traditional methods for initial contour placement and parameter setting. Experimental results with performance analysis also show the superiority of the proposed method on segmenting different types of complicated images, such as noisy images, three-phase images, images with intensity inhomogeneity, and texture images.

Optical sensors based on plastic fibers.

PubMed

Bilro, Lúcia; Alberto, Nélia; Pinto, João L; Nogueira, Rogério

2012-01-01

The recent advances of polymer technology allowed the introduction of plastic optical fiber in sensor design. The advantages of optical metrology with plastic optical fiber have attracted the attention of the scientific community, as they allow the development of low-cost or cost competitive systems compared with conventional technologies. In this paper, the current state of the art of plastic optical fiber technology will be reviewed, namely its main characteristics and sensing advantages. Several measurement techniques will be described, with a strong focus on interrogation approaches based on intensity variation in transmission and reflection. The potential applications involving structural health monitoring, medicine, environment and the biological and chemical area are also presented.

Cooperation, but not competition, improves 4-year-old children's reasoning about others' diverse desires.

PubMed

Jin, Xinyi; Li, Pengchao; He, Jie; Shen, Mowei

2017-05-01

Three experiments examined whether cooperation or competition affects 4-year-old children's reasoning about other people's desires-which differed from their own-in a gift selection task. Experiment 1 (N=72) found that children's performance in selecting an adult-preferred gift for an adult experimenter was enhanced by a short period of preceding cooperative, but not competitive or individualistic, play with the experimenter. Experiment 2 (N=24) ruled out the alternative explanation that children resisted satisfying their opponent after competition. Experiment 3 (N=48) replicated the cooperation advantage in selecting a gift for someone else, indicating that children's understanding of diverse desires was generally improved by cooperation but not competition. These findings support the constructivist view of social development and highlight the advantage of cooperation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

14 CFR 1274.504 - Competition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... alert to organizational conflicts of interest as well as noncompetitive practices among contractors that... contractor performance and eliminate unfair competitive advantage, contractors that develop or draft...

78 FR 6120 - Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-29

..., including immunoprecipitation, western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, etc. Competitive... immunoprecipitation, western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, etc. Competitive Advantages: Binding of a new...

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…

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

The Mismatch between the Unmet Need for and Supply of Occupational English Skills: An Investigation of Higher Educated Government Staff in Norway

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hellekjaer, Glenn Ole; Fairway, Tone

2015-01-01

Nordic universities are involved in a global competition against American and UK universities, whose main competitive advantage is their placement in English-speaking countries. The authors argue that Nordic universities need to do more to offset this advantage than merely offer English-Medium (EM) courses to foreign and domestic students. They…

Achieving Competitive Advantage in Human Resource Management in General School District of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al dakeel, Taghreed M.; Almannie, Mohamed A.

2015-01-01

The general school district of Riyadh is one of largest in the country of (45) school districts in Saudi Arabia. The school districts play an important roles in the development of education, therefore the objective of the study is to examine the roles of the management in the school districts to see if it is achieving competitive advantage. After…

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF THE EVOLUTIONARY SIGNIFICANCE OF SEXUAL REPRODUCTION. V. A FIELD TEST OF THE SIB-COMPETITION LOTTERY HYPOTHESIS.

PubMed

Kelley, Steven E

1989-08-01

Sexually and asexually derived tillers of Anthoxanthum odoratum were planted directly in the field to test the hypothesis that competition among groups of sexual and asexual siblings favors the maintenance of sexual reproduction in populations. The results showed a substantial fitness advantage for sexual tillers. However, in contrast with the models, the advantage of sex did not increase with increasing numbers of colonists in the patch, there were multiple survivors among colonists, and an advantage was observed even for singly planted tillers. When a truncation-selection scheme was imposed ex post facto on the data, the relative performance of sexual tillers was similar to that predicted by the Bulmer (1980) model, suggesting that sib-competition models fail due to the violation of the assumption of truncation selection. The advantage of sex was not correlated with the presence of other species, total percentage cover, or species diversity, although sites where sex was favored were physically clustered. © 1989 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

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

The female advantage in natural populations of gynodioecious Plantago coronopus: seed quantity vs. offspring quality.

PubMed

van der Meer, Sascha; Sebrechts, Thomas; Vanderstraeten, Sylvette; Jacquemyn, Hans

2017-12-01

In gynodioecious plant species, females can only persist when they have a reproductive advantage in comparison with hermaphrodites. However, several studies have shown that females do not necessarily produce more seeds than hermaphrodites, since seed production can be affected by population characteristics, such as female frequency or population size. The aim of this study was to quantify the female advantage across a large number of natural populations, examine its relationship with population sex ratio and size, and to assess the role of competition on the magnitude of the female advantage. We sampled 27 populations of Plantago coronopus (nuclear-cytoplasmic gynodioecy) along the Belgian and Dutch coast. In each population, we estimated population sex ratio and size, and assessed seed production per flower and seed production per plant. Subsequently, germination, growth, and competition experiments were performed in the greenhouse to determine the female advantage regarding offspring quality. Females produced fewer seeds per plant than hermaphrodites (FA = 0.90), and seed production was negatively related to female frequency. Since both sex morphs were equally affected by pollen availability, the female advantage was not related to population sex ratio. On the other hand, offspring of females showed higher germination and growth rates, resulting in higher competitive abilities when seeds of a female and a hermaphrodite were grown together. Overall, these results indicate that differences in competitive abilities between the offspring of females and hermaphrodites may have contributed to the maintenance of females in relatively high frequencies in populations of this short-lived gynodioecious plant species.

Evaluation of comparative advantages in the profitability and competitiveness of the small-scale dairy system of Tulancingo Valley, Mexico.

PubMed

Posadas-Domínguez, Rodolfo Rogelio; Del Razo-Rodríguez, Oscar Enrique; Almaraz-Buendía, Isaac; Pelaez-Acero, Armando; Espinosa-Muñoz, Verónica; Rebollar-Rebollar, Samuel; Salinas-Martínez, Jesús Armando

2018-06-01

This article combines a Policy Analysis Matrix with a sensitivity and poverty line analysis with the objective of evaluating the economic contribution of comparative advantages to the private profitability and competitiveness of small-scale dairy systems. For 1 year, socioeconomic data were collected from 82 farms selected from four strata via statistical sampling. Two scenarios were established to determine the quantitative contribution of comparative advantages: (1) a simulated scenario, which accounted for the cost of purchasing the total food and the opportunity cost of the family labour force (FLF), and (2) an actual production scenario, which accounted for the cost of producing food and eliminating the payment of the FLF and included other income. The E3 and E4 producers were the most profitable and competitive in the simulated scenario and actual production scenario. Of the four scales evaluated, the E2 and E1 producers were the most efficient in taking advantage of the economic contribution provided by the comparative advantages in their own production of food and employment of the FLF, in addition to accounting for other income, a condition that increased their profitability by 171 and 144% and competitiveness by 346 and 273%, respectively. The poverty results indicated that only E3 and E4 producers were non-vulnerable in the simulated scenario and actual production scenario. The purchase of food was the comparative advantage with the greatest sensitivity to cost increases in the two scenarios analysed, which exacerbated the effect on the E1 and E2 producers.

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…

Educational Opportunities Based on the University-Industry Synergies in an Open Innovation Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucia, Oscar; Burdio, Jose M.; Acero, Jesus; Barragan, Luis A.; Garcia, Jose R.

2012-01-01

Collaboration between Industry and University is becoming more important in order to improve the competitiveness of the research and development activities. Moreover, establishing synergies to bridge the gap between the academic and industrial spheres has demonstrated to be advantageous for both of them. Nowadays, Industry is moving towards an…

Transnational Corporations and Strategic Challenges: An Analysis of Knowledge Flows and Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Pablos, Patricia Ordonez

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse knowledge transfers in transnational corporations. Design/methodology/approach: The paper develops a conceptual framework for the analysis of knowledge flow transfers in transnationals. Based on this theoretical framework, the paper propose's research hypotheses and builds a causal model that links…

48 CFR 873.111 - Acquisition strategies for health-care resources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... sources to promote competition to the maximum extent practicable and to ensure that the purchase is advantageous to the Government, based, as appropriate, on either price alone or price and other factors (e.g... the initial down-select decision. The notice may also inform offerors of the evaluation criteria or...

Writing for a Living: Literacy and the Knowledge Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brandt, Deborah

2005-01-01

This article seeks to explore the influence of the knowledge economy on the status of writing and literacy. It inquires into what happens to writers and their writing when texts serve as the chief commercial products of an organization--when such high-stakes factors as corporate reputation, client base, licensing, competitive advantage, growth,…

Global industrial impact coefficient based on random walk process and inter-country input-output table

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Lizhi; Dong, Xianlei; Guan, Jun

2017-04-01

Input-output table is very comprehensive and detailed in describing the national economic system with lots of economic relationships, which contains supply and demand information among industrial sectors. The complex network, a theory and method for measuring the structure of complex system, can describe the structural characteristics of the internal structure of the research object by measuring the structural indicators of the social and economic system, revealing the complex relationship between the inner hierarchy and the external economic function. This paper builds up GIVCN-WIOT models based on World Input-Output Database in order to depict the topological structure of Global Value Chain (GVC), and assumes the competitive advantage of nations is equal to the overall performance of its domestic sectors' impact on the GVC. Under the perspective of econophysics, Global Industrial Impact Coefficient (GIIC) is proposed to measure the national competitiveness in gaining information superiority and intermediate interests. Analysis of GIVCN-WIOT models yields several insights including the following: (1) sectors with higher Random Walk Centrality contribute more to transmitting value streams within the global economic system; (2) Half-Value Ratio can be used to measure robustness of open-economy macroeconomics in the process of globalization; (3) the positive correlation between GIIC and GDP indicates that one country's global industrial impact could reveal its international competitive advantage.

A New Metrics for Countries' Fitness and Products' Complexity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tacchella, Andrea; Cristelli, Matthieu; Caldarelli, Guido; Gabrielli, Andrea; Pietronero, Luciano

2012-10-01

Classical economic theories prescribe specialization of countries industrial production. Inspection of the country databases of exported products shows that this is not the case: successful countries are extremely diversified, in analogy with biosystems evolving in a competitive dynamical environment. The challenge is assessing quantitatively the non-monetary competitive advantage of diversification which represents the hidden potential for development and growth. Here we develop a new statistical approach based on coupled non-linear maps, whose fixed point defines a new metrics for the country Fitness and product Complexity. We show that a non-linear iteration is necessary to bound the complexity of products by the fitness of the less competitive countries exporting them. We show that, given the paradigm of economic complexity, the correct and simplest approach to measure the competitiveness of countries is the one presented in this work. Furthermore our metrics appears to be economically well-grounded.

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.

COMP-1 promotes competitive advantage of nematode sperm.

PubMed

Hansen, Jody M; Chavez, Daniela R; Stanfield, Gillian M

2015-03-19

Competition among sperm to fertilize oocytes is a ubiquitous feature of sexual reproduction as well as a profoundly important aspect of sexual selection. However, little is known about the cellular mechanisms sperm use to gain competitive advantage or how these mechanisms are regulated genetically. In this study, we utilize a forward genetic screen in Caenorhabditis elegans to identify a gene, comp-1, whose function is specifically required in competitive contexts. We show that comp-1 functions in sperm to modulate their migration through and localization within the reproductive tract, thereby promoting their access to oocytes. Contrary to previously described models, comp-1 mutant sperm show no defects in size or velocity, thereby defining a novel pathway for preferential usage. Our results indicate not only that sperm functional traits can influence the outcome of sperm competition, but also that these traits can be modulated in a context-dependent manner depending on the presence of competing sperm.

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

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

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.

Competitive Bidding in Medicare: Who Benefits From Competition?

PubMed Central

Song, Zirui; Landrum, Mary Beth; Chernew, Michael E.

2012-01-01

Objectives To conduct the first empirical study of competitive bidding in Medicare. Study Design and Methods We analyzed 2006–2010 Medicare Advantage data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services using longitudinal models adjusted for market and plan characteristics. Results A $1 increase in Medicare's payment to health maintenance organization (HMO) plans led to a $0.49 (P <.001) increase in plan bids, with $0.34 (P <.001) going to beneficiaries in the form of extra benefits or lower cost sharing. With preferred provider organization and private fee-for-service plans included, higher Medicare payments increased bids less ($0.33 per dollar), suggesting more competition among these latter plans. Conclusions As a market-based alternative to cost control through administrative pricing, competitive bidding relies on private insurance plans proposing prices they are willing to accept for insuring a beneficiary. However, competition is imperfect in the Medicare bidding market. As much as half of every dollar in increased plan payment went to higher bids rather than to beneficiaries. While having more insurers in a market lowered bids, the design of any bidding system for Medicare should recognize this shortcoming of competition. PMID:23009305

Aboveground insect herbivory increases plant competitive asymmetry, while belowground herbivory mitigates the effect

PubMed Central

Strengbom, Joachim; Viketoft, Maria; Bommarco, Riccardo

2016-01-01

Insect herbivores can shift the composition of a plant community, but the mechanism underlying such shifts remains largely unexplored. A possibility is that insects alter the competitive symmetry between plant species. The effect of herbivory on competition likely depends on whether the plants are subjected to aboveground or belowground herbivory or both, and also depends on soil nitrogen levels. It is unclear how these biotic and abiotic factors interactively affect competition. In a greenhouse experiment, we measured competition between two coexisting grass species that respond differently to nitrogen deposition: Dactylis glomerata L., which is competitively favoured by nitrogen addition, and Festuca rubra L., which is competitively favoured on nitrogen-poor soils. We predicted: (1) that aboveground herbivory would reduce competitive asymmetry at high soil nitrogen by reducing the competitive advantage of D. glomerata; and (2), that belowground herbivory would relax competition at low soil nitrogen, by reducing the competitive advantage of F. rubra. Aboveground herbivory caused a 46% decrease in the competitive ability of F. rubra, and a 23% increase in that of D. glomerata, thus increasing competitive asymmetry, independently of soil nitrogen level. Belowground herbivory did not affect competitive symmetry, but the combined influence of above- and belowground herbivory was weaker than predicted from their individual effects. Belowground herbivory thus mitigated the increased competitive asymmetry caused by aboveground herbivory. D. glomerata remained competitively dominant after the cessation of aboveground herbivory, showing that the influence of herbivory continued beyond the feeding period. We showed that insect herbivory can strongly influence plant competitive interactions. In our experimental plant community, aboveground insect herbivory increased the risk of competitive exclusion of F. rubra. Belowground herbivory appeared to mitigate the influence of aboveground herbivory, and this mechanism may play a role for plant species coexistence. PMID:27069805

Aboveground insect herbivory increases plant competitive asymmetry, while belowground herbivory mitigates the effect.

PubMed

Borgström, Pernilla; Strengbom, Joachim; Viketoft, Maria; Bommarco, Riccardo

2016-01-01

Insect herbivores can shift the composition of a plant community, but the mechanism underlying such shifts remains largely unexplored. A possibility is that insects alter the competitive symmetry between plant species. The effect of herbivory on competition likely depends on whether the plants are subjected to aboveground or belowground herbivory or both, and also depends on soil nitrogen levels. It is unclear how these biotic and abiotic factors interactively affect competition. In a greenhouse experiment, we measured competition between two coexisting grass species that respond differently to nitrogen deposition: Dactylis glomerata L., which is competitively favoured by nitrogen addition, and Festuca rubra L., which is competitively favoured on nitrogen-poor soils. We predicted: (1) that aboveground herbivory would reduce competitive asymmetry at high soil nitrogen by reducing the competitive advantage of D. glomerata; and (2), that belowground herbivory would relax competition at low soil nitrogen, by reducing the competitive advantage of F. rubra. Aboveground herbivory caused a 46% decrease in the competitive ability of F. rubra, and a 23% increase in that of D. glomerata, thus increasing competitive asymmetry, independently of soil nitrogen level. Belowground herbivory did not affect competitive symmetry, but the combined influence of above- and belowground herbivory was weaker than predicted from their individual effects. Belowground herbivory thus mitigated the increased competitive asymmetry caused by aboveground herbivory. D. glomerata remained competitively dominant after the cessation of aboveground herbivory, showing that the influence of herbivory continued beyond the feeding period. We showed that insect herbivory can strongly influence plant competitive interactions. In our experimental plant community, aboveground insect herbivory increased the risk of competitive exclusion of F. rubra. Belowground herbivory appeared to mitigate the influence of aboveground herbivory, and this mechanism may play a role for plant species coexistence.

Optical Sensors Based on Plastic Fibers

PubMed Central

Bilro, Lúcia; Alberto, Nélia; Pinto, João L.; Nogueira, Rogério

2012-01-01

The recent advances of polymer technology allowed the introduction of plastic optical fiber in sensor design. The advantages of optical metrology with plastic optical fiber have attracted the attention of the scientific community, as they allow the development of low-cost or cost competitive systems compared with conventional technologies. In this paper, the current state of the art of plastic optical fiber technology will be reviewed, namely its main characteristics and sensing advantages. Several measurement techniques will be described, with a strong focus on interrogation approaches based on intensity variation in transmission and reflection. The potential applications involving structural health monitoring, medicine, environment and the biological and chemical area are also presented. PMID:23112707

Single Image Super-Resolution Based on Multi-Scale Competitive Convolutional Neural Network

PubMed Central

Qu, Xiaobo; He, Yifan

2018-01-01

Deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are successful in single-image super-resolution. Traditional CNNs are limited to exploit multi-scale contextual information for image reconstruction due to the fixed convolutional kernel in their building modules. To restore various scales of image details, we enhance the multi-scale inference capability of CNNs by introducing competition among multi-scale convolutional filters, and build up a shallow network under limited computational resources. The proposed network has the following two advantages: (1) the multi-scale convolutional kernel provides the multi-context for image super-resolution, and (2) the maximum competitive strategy adaptively chooses the optimal scale of information for image reconstruction. Our experimental results on image super-resolution show that the performance of the proposed network outperforms the state-of-the-art methods. PMID:29509666

Single Image Super-Resolution Based on Multi-Scale Competitive Convolutional Neural Network.

PubMed

Du, Xiaofeng; Qu, Xiaobo; He, Yifan; Guo, Di

2018-03-06

Deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are successful in single-image super-resolution. Traditional CNNs are limited to exploit multi-scale contextual information for image reconstruction due to the fixed convolutional kernel in their building modules. To restore various scales of image details, we enhance the multi-scale inference capability of CNNs by introducing competition among multi-scale convolutional filters, and build up a shallow network under limited computational resources. The proposed network has the following two advantages: (1) the multi-scale convolutional kernel provides the multi-context for image super-resolution, and (2) the maximum competitive strategy adaptively chooses the optimal scale of information for image reconstruction. Our experimental results on image super-resolution show that the performance of the proposed network outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.

39 CFR 3050.21 - Content of the Postal Service's section 3652 report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... competitive advantage for the Postal Service or any mailer. (i) For each nonpostal service, estimate its costs... unreasonable. (g) For each competitive negotiated service agreement: (1) Identify its rates and service... and by competitive product group; (2) Estimate the quality of service of each individual experimental...

Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Industrial Efficiency and Energy Productivity

ScienceCinema

Selldorff, John; Atwell, Monte

2018-05-18

Industrial efficiency and low-cost energy resources are key components to increasing U.S. energy productivity and makes the U.S. manufacturing sector more competitive. Companies find a competitive advantage in implementing efficiency technologies and practices, and technologies developed and manufactured in the U.S. enable greater competitiveness economy-wide.

[Creation and management of organizational knowledge].

PubMed

Shinyashiki, Gilberto Tadeu; Trevizan, Maria Auxiliadora; Mendes, Isabel Amélia

2003-01-01

With a view to creating and establishing a sustainable position of competitive advantage, the best organizations are increasingly investing in the application of concepts such as learning, knowledge and competency. The organization's creation or acquisition of knowledge about its actions represents an intangible resource that is capable of conferring a competitive advantage upon them. This knowledge derives from interactions developed in learning processes that occur in the organizational environment. The more specific characteristics this knowledge demonstrates in relation to the organization, the more it will become the foundation of its core competencies and, consequently, an important strategic asset. This article emphasizes nurses' role in the process of knowledge management, placing them in the intersection between horizontal and vertical information levels as well as in the creation of a sustainable competitive advantage. Authors believe that this contribution may represent an opportunity for a reflection about its implications for the scenarious of health and nursing practices.

Digital Based Media Design: The Innovative Contribution of Design Graduates from Vocational and Higher Education Sectors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doloswala, Kalika Navin; Thompson, Darrall; Toner, Phillip

2013-01-01

Design is increasingly being recognised as a key source of competitive advantage in the innovation economy of many countries. The key objective of this research was to understand the contribution by design graduates to creative industries innovative activities. Primary research was conducted to understand barriers and limitations of graduate…

[Analysis on layout of traditional Chinese medicine industry based on location quotient].

PubMed

Chen, Cong; Yu, Yuanyuan; Hu, Yuanjia; Wang, Yitao

2012-03-01

To observe the layout and evolution of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medical industry, classify the industry by region and conduct a preliminary study on its professional advantages, competitiveness and possible cause by using the theory of location quotient in regional economics, in order to provide suggestions for the layout of the TCM medical industry.

The Arts: A Competitive Advantage for California.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

KPMG Peat Marwick, Washington, DC. Policy Economic Group.

This 1993 study attempts to define the size and scope of state-wide economic activity generated by the arts in California. The analysis is based on data from surveys of nonprofit arts organization and five case studies. The case studies, which provided context for the core research, include examinations of: (1) artists in Los Angeles County; (2)…

Web Consulting for Non-Academic Educational Missions: How Instructional Design Offers a Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cates, Ward Mitchell; Mattke, Paige Hawkins

2013-01-01

Based on a recently completed study of education directors at science museums, this article addresses how design-and-development consultants might use those findings to enhance the way in which they propose and deliver Website services to non-academic organizations with either primary or complementary educational missions. After a very brief…

Defense Acquisition University: A Study of Employee Perceptions on Web Based Learning Transfer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oglesby, Carolyn W.

2012-01-01

Organizations invest heavily in training to ensure employees have the skills they need to be successful. One of the goals in business is to maximize the skills of the employees in the workplace, which creates a competitive advantage for the business. Traditional classroom training is still used in the workplace; however, technology-driven training…

Approaching Knowledge Management through the Lens of the Knowledge Life Cycle: A Case Study Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fowlin, Julaine M.; Cennamo, Katherine S.

2017-01-01

More organizational leaders are recognizing that their greatest competitive advantage is the knowledge base of their employees and for organizations to thrive knowledge management (KM) systems need to be in place that encourage the natural interplay and flow of tacit and explicit knowledge. Approaching KM through the lens of the knowledge life…

Quantum entanglement helps in improving economic efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Jiangfeng; Ju, Chenyong; Li, Hui

2005-02-01

We propose an economic regulation approach based on quantum game theory for the government to reduce the abuses of oligopolistic competition. Theoretical analysis shows that this approach can help government improve the economic efficiency of the oligopolistic market, and help prevent monopoly due to incorrect information. These advantages are completely attributed to the quantum entanglement, a unique quantum mechanical character.

48 CFR 9.505-2 - Preparing specifications or work statements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... the development contractor has a competitive advantage, it is an unavoidable one that is not... furnishes complete specifications covering nondevelopmental items, to be used in a competitive acquisition...

Facultative Control of Matrix Production Optimizes Competitive Fitness in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 Biofilm Models

PubMed Central

Madsen, Jonas S.; Lin, Yu-Cheng; Squyres, Georgia R.; Price-Whelan, Alexa; de Santiago Torio, Ana; Song, Angela; Cornell, William C.; Sørensen, Søren J.

2015-01-01

As biofilms grow, resident cells inevitably face the challenge of resource limitation. In the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14, electron acceptor availability affects matrix production and, as a result, biofilm morphogenesis. The secreted matrix polysaccharide Pel is required for pellicle formation and for colony wrinkling, two activities that promote access to O2. We examined the exploitability and evolvability of Pel production at the air-liquid interface (during pellicle formation) and on solid surfaces (during colony formation). Although Pel contributes to the developmental response to electron acceptor limitation in both biofilm formation regimes, we found variation in the exploitability of its production and necessity for competitive fitness between the two systems. The wild type showed a competitive advantage against a non-Pel-producing mutant in pellicles but no advantage in colonies. Adaptation to the pellicle environment selected for mutants with a competitive advantage against the wild type in pellicles but also caused a severe disadvantage in colonies, even in wrinkled colony centers. Evolution in the colony center produced divergent phenotypes, while adaptation to the colony edge produced mutants with clear competitive advantages against the wild type in this O2-replete niche. In general, the structurally heterogeneous colony environment promoted more diversification than the more homogeneous pellicle. These results suggest that the role of Pel in community structure formation in response to electron acceptor limitation is unique to specific biofilm models and that the facultative control of Pel production is required for PA14 to maintain optimum benefit in different types of communities. PMID:26431965

Facultative control of matrix production optimizes competitive fitness in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 biofilm models.

PubMed

Madsen, Jonas S; Lin, Yu-Cheng; Squyres, Georgia R; Price-Whelan, Alexa; de Santiago Torio, Ana; Song, Angela; Cornell, William C; Sørensen, Søren J; Xavier, Joao B; Dietrich, Lars E P

2015-12-01

As biofilms grow, resident cells inevitably face the challenge of resource limitation. In the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14, electron acceptor availability affects matrix production and, as a result, biofilm morphogenesis. The secreted matrix polysaccharide Pel is required for pellicle formation and for colony wrinkling, two activities that promote access to O2. We examined the exploitability and evolvability of Pel production at the air-liquid interface (during pellicle formation) and on solid surfaces (during colony formation). Although Pel contributes to the developmental response to electron acceptor limitation in both biofilm formation regimes, we found variation in the exploitability of its production and necessity for competitive fitness between the two systems. The wild type showed a competitive advantage against a non-Pel-producing mutant in pellicles but no advantage in colonies. Adaptation to the pellicle environment selected for mutants with a competitive advantage against the wild type in pellicles but also caused a severe disadvantage in colonies, even in wrinkled colony centers. Evolution in the colony center produced divergent phenotypes, while adaptation to the colony edge produced mutants with clear competitive advantages against the wild type in this O2-replete niche. In general, the structurally heterogeneous colony environment promoted more diversification than the more homogeneous pellicle. These results suggest that the role of Pel in community structure formation in response to electron acceptor limitation is unique to specific biofilm models and that the facultative control of Pel production is required for PA14 to maintain optimum benefit in different types of communities. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Can Blood Gas and Acid-Base Parameters at Maximal 200 Meters Front Crawl Swimming be Different Between Former Competitive and Recreational Swimmers?

PubMed Central

Kapus, Jernej; Usaj, Anton; Strumbelj, Boro; Kapus, Venceslav

2008-01-01

The aim of the present study was to ascertain whether maximal 200 m front crawl swimming strategies and breathing patterns influenced blood gas and acid-base parameters in a manner which gives advantage to former competitive swimmers in comparison with their recreational colleagues. Twelve former competitive male swimmers (the CS group) and nine recreational male swimmers (the RS group) performed a maximal 200 m front crawl swimming with self- selected breathing pattern. Stroke rate (SR) and breathing frequency (BF) were measured during the swimming test. Measures also included blood lactate concentration ([LA]) and parameters of blood acid-base status before and during the first minute after the swimming test. The CS group swam faster then the RS group. Both groups have similar and steady SR throughout the swimming test. This was not matched by similar BF in the CS group but matched it very well in the RS group (r = 0.89). At the beginning of swimming test the CS group had low BF, but they increased it throughout the swimming test. The BF at the RS group remained constant with only mirror variations throughout the swimming test. Such difference in velocity and breathing resulted in maintaining of blood Po2 from hypoxia and Pco2 from hypercapnia. This was similar in both groups. [LA] increased faster in the CS group than in the RS group. On the contrary, the rate of pH decrease remained similar in both groups. The former competitive swimmers showed three possible advantages in comparison to recreational swimmers during maximal 200 m front crawl swimming: a more dynamic and precise regulation of breathing, more powerful bicarbonate buffering system and better synchronization between breathing needs and breathing response during swimming. Key pointsTraining programs for competitive swimmers should promote adaptations to maximal efforts.Those adaptations should include high and maximal intensity swims with controlled breathing frequency (taking breath every fourth, fifth, sixth or eighth stroke cycle for front crawl swimming).Such training will improve breathing regulation in order to impose a better synchronization between breathing needs and breathing response during maximal swimming. PMID:24150142

Solar Power Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kraft, C. C., Jr.

1977-01-01

A satellite based energy concept is described, including the advantages of the basic concept, system characteristics, cost, and environmental considerations. An outline of a plan for the further evaluation and implementation of the system is given. It is concluded that the satellite concept is competitive with other advanced power generation systems when a variety of factors are considered, including technical feasibility, cost, safety, natural resources, environment, baseload capability, location flexibility, land use, and existing industrial base for implementation.

48 CFR 873.111 - Acquisition strategies for health-care resources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... offerors, releases proprietary information, or otherwise gives any offeror a competitive advantage (see FAR... have to improve upon or meet, as appropriate, in order to remain competitive. (ii) Posting offered...

The survival advantage of olfaction in a competitive environment.

PubMed

Asahina, Kenta; Pavlenkovich, Viktoryia; Vosshall, Leslie B

2008-08-05

Olfaction is generally assumed to be critical for survival because this sense allows animals to detect food and pheromonal cues. Although the ability to sense sex pheromones [1, 2, 3] is likely to be important for insects, the contribution of general odor detection to survival is unknown. We investigated the extent to which the olfactory system confers a survival advantage on Drosophila larvae foraging for food under conditions of limited resources and competition from other larvae.

The competitiveness of medicinal plants in Central Java Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riptanti, E. W.; Qonita, R. A.; Fajarningsih, R. U.

2018-03-01

Indonesia hold a potential opportunity to be a pharmaceutical production country. In the other side, Indonesia facing agriculture product and market competition internationally and domestically. Improving competitiveness of specific products are aimed to hit the export market and also to be able to compete with import products in domestic market. Considering Indonesian market opportunity, therefore we perform this study aiming to examine the competitiveness of medicinal plants in Central Java area. The basic method applied in this study was descriptive and data sources are primary and secondary data. Data were analyzed using Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) and Trade Specialization Index (TSI) approaches. According to the study, we reveal that medicinal plant commodities in Central Java province have average score 8.52, indicating a strong comparative advantage in global markets, while the commodities appear to have average score of 0.97 at 0 to 1 range, representing a strong competitiveness. Those results are attributed to natural and environmental condition, as well as high demand of global market. This competitiveness will encourage traditional/modern medicinal industries in global market.

Spin-on metal oxide materials for N7 and beyond patterning applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mannaert, G.; Altamirano-Sanchez, E.; Hopf, T.; Sebaai, F.; Lorant, C.; Petermann, C.; Hong, S.-E.; Mullen, S.; Wolfer, E.; Mckenzie, D.; Yao, H.; Rahman, D.; Cho, J.-Y.; Padmanaban, M.; Piumi, D.

2017-04-01

There is a growing interest in new spin on metal oxide hard mask materials for advanced patterning solutions both in BEOL and FEOL processing. Understanding how these materials respond to plasma conditions may create a competitive advantage. In this study patterning development was done for two challenging FEOL applications where the traditional Si based films were replaced by EMD spin on metal oxides, which acted as highly selective hard masks. The biggest advantage of metal oxide hard masks for advanced patterning lays in the process window improvement at lower or similar cost compared to other existing solutions.

When to use your head and when to use your heart: the differential value of perspective-taking versus empathy in competitive interactions.

PubMed

Gilin, Debra; Maddux, William W; Carpenter, Jordan; Galinsky, Adam D

2013-01-01

Four studies explored whether perspective-taking and empathy would be differentially effective in mixed-motive competitions depending on whether the critical skills for success were more cognitively or emotionally based. Study 1 demonstrated that individual differences in perspective-taking, but not empathy, predicted increased distributive and integrative performance in a multiple-round war game that required a clear understanding of an opponent's strategic intentions. Conversely, both measures and manipulations of empathy proved more advantageous than perspective-taking in a relationship-based coalition game that required identifying the strength of interpersonal connections (Studies 2-3). Study 4 established a key process: perspective-takers were more accurate in cognitive understanding of others, whereas empathy produced stronger accuracy in emotional understanding. Perspective-taking and empathy were each useful but in different types of competitive, mixed-motive situations-their success depended on the task-competency match. These results demonstrate when to use your head versus your heart to achieve the best outcomes for oneself.

COMP-1 promotes competitive advantage of nematode sperm

PubMed Central

Hansen, Jody M; Chavez, Daniela R; Stanfield, Gillian M

2015-01-01

Competition among sperm to fertilize oocytes is a ubiquitous feature of sexual reproduction as well as a profoundly important aspect of sexual selection. However, little is known about the cellular mechanisms sperm use to gain competitive advantage or how these mechanisms are regulated genetically. In this study, we utilize a forward genetic screen in Caenorhabditis elegans to identify a gene, comp-1, whose function is specifically required in competitive contexts. We show that comp-1 functions in sperm to modulate their migration through and localization within the reproductive tract, thereby promoting their access to oocytes. Contrary to previously described models, comp-1 mutant sperm show no defects in size or velocity, thereby defining a novel pathway for preferential usage. Our results indicate not only that sperm functional traits can influence the outcome of sperm competition, but also that these traits can be modulated in a context-dependent manner depending on the presence of competing sperm. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05423.001 PMID:25789512

Competition and evolution of dielectric waveguide mode and plasmonic waveguide mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Sheng-Nan; Fang, Yun-Tuan

2017-10-01

In order to study the coupling and evolution law of the waveguide mode and two plasmonic surface modes, we construct a line defect waveguide based on hexagonal honeycomb plasmonic photonic crystal. Through adjusting the radius of the edge dielectric rods, the competition and evolution behaviors occur between dielectric waveguide mode and plasmonic waveguide mode. There are three status: only plasmonic waveguide modes occur for rA < 0.09a; only dielectric waveguide modes occur for rA > 0.25a; two kinds of modes coexist for 0.09a < rA < 0.25a. The plasmonic waveguide mode has advantages in achieving slow light.

Advantage Management Strategy in Competition via Technological Race Perspective: Empirical Evidence from the Taiwanese Manufacturing Industry

PubMed Central

Hung, Tsu-Yi; Hsiao, Yu-Ju; Wu, Shih-Wei

2014-01-01

This study investigated the advantage management strategies of a firm regarding the technological race in the manufacturing sector. This is to reveal whether firms adopt a catch-up or leapfrogging strategy in the competition for innovation. The results show that competition is fierce in the Taiwanese manufacturing industry. Taiwanese manufacturing firms (mostly SMEs) tend to adopt the “catch-up” strategy to keep up with their competitors in order to remain in the technological race. The result indicates that, under financial constraints, Taiwanese manufacturing firms attempt to invest in R&D to catch up with their rivals or to avoid being eliminated from the race. PMID:25295307

Advantage management strategy in competition via technological race perspective: empirical evidence from the Taiwanese manufacturing industry.

PubMed

Hung, Tsu-Yi; Hsiao, Yu-Ju; Wu, Shih-Wei

2014-01-01

This study investigated the advantage management strategies of a firm regarding the technological race in the manufacturing sector. This is to reveal whether firms adopt a catch-up or leapfrogging strategy in the competition for innovation. The results show that competition is fierce in the Taiwanese manufacturing industry. Taiwanese manufacturing firms (mostly SMEs) tend to adopt the "catch-up" strategy to keep up with their competitors in order to remain in the technological race. The result indicates that, under financial constraints, Taiwanese manufacturing firms attempt to invest in R&D to catch up with their rivals or to avoid being eliminated from the race.

Challenges in defining an optimal approach to formula-based allocations of public health funds in the United States.

PubMed

Buehler, James W; Holtgrave, David R

2007-03-29

Controversy and debate can arise whenever public health agencies determine how program funds should be allocated among constituent jurisdictions. Two common strategies for making such allocations are expert review of competitive applications and the use of funding formulas. Despite widespread use of funding formulas by public health agencies in the United States, formula allocation strategies in public health have been subject to relatively little formal scrutiny, with the notable exception of the attention focused on formula funding of HIV care programs. To inform debates and deliberations in the selection of a formula-based approach, we summarize key challenges to formula-based funding, based on prior reviews of federal programs in the United States. The primary challenge lies in identifying data sources and formula calculation methods that both reflect and serve program objectives, with or without adjustments for variations in the cost of delivering services, the availability of local resources, capacity, or performance. Simplicity and transparency are major advantages of formula-based allocations, but these advantages can be offset if formula-based allocations are perceived to under- or over-fund some jurisdictions, which may result from how guaranteed minimum funding levels are set or from "hold-harmless" provisions intended to blunt the effects of changes in formula design or random variations in source data. While fairness is considered an advantage of formula-based allocations, the design of a formula may implicitly reflect unquestioned values concerning equity versus equivalence in setting funding policies. Whether or how past or projected trends are taken into account can also have substantial impacts on allocations. Insufficient attention has been focused on how the approach to designing funding formulas in public health should differ for treatment or service versus prevention programs. Further evaluations of formula-based versus competitive allocation methods are needed to promote the optimal use of public health funds. In the meantime, those who use formula-based strategies to allocate funds should be familiar with the nuances of this approach.

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.

Collaborative research in the model spinal cord injury systems: process and outcomes.

PubMed

Richards, J Scott

2002-01-01

To review the way in which collaborative research has been conducted under the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)-funded Model Spinal Cord Injury Systems (MSCIS) Program, changes made in that process, and significant outcomes. A comparison of changes by NIDRR in the way collaborative research was competed and funded in the 1 995 and 2001 competitions. A review of outcomes of the 1 995 collaborative projects was based on queries to lead centers. Collaborative research through the model SCI systems has been conducted and continues to be conducted through 2 main venues: The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) database, which has provided data for a number of collaborative studies, and specifically funded proposals for collaborative research. In the 1995 competition for NIDRR funding, collaborative research proposals were submitted as part of the Model SCI Systems competitive applications. In the 2001 competition, collaborative research was parceled out and a separate competition held. There have been a number of publications stemming from the 1 995 competition; some of the data from these projects are still being explored and used for manuscripts. The outcomes for the 2001 competition will not be known for several years. Collaborative research has the advantage of generating larger numbers more quickly than any 1 center can typically generate, producing a more broadly based sample and, therefore, generalizable result, and facilitating the use of expertise not always available in a single center. Collaborative research activities have been among the most productive aspects of the Model Systems program; the change in the way this component is competed in the most recent competition is yet to be evaluated in terms of its efficacy compared with methods used for funding collaborative research in past competitions.

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.

Extracellular Polymeric Substance Production and Aggregated Bacteria Colonization Influence the Competition of Microbes in Biofilms.

PubMed

Jayathilake, Pahala G; Jana, Saikat; Rushton, Steve; Swailes, David; Bridgens, Ben; Curtis, Tom; Chen, Jinju

2017-01-01

The production of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) is important for the survival of biofilms. However, EPS production is costly for bacteria and the bacterial strains that produce EPS (EPS+) grow in the same environment as non-producers (EPS-) leading to competition between these strains for nutrients and space. The outcome of this competition is likely to be dependent on factors such as initial attachment, EPS production rate, ambient nutrient levels and quorum sensing. We use an Individual-based Model (IbM) to study the competition between EPS+ and EPS- strains by varying the nature of initial colonizers which can either be in the form of single cells or multicellular aggregates. The microbes with EPS+ characteristics obtain a competitive advantage if they initially colonize the surface as smaller aggregates and are widely spread-out between the cells of EPS-, when both are deposited on the substratum. Furthermore, the results show that quorum sensing-regulated EPS production may significantly reduce the fitness of EPS producers when they initially deposit as aggregates. The results provide insights into how the distribution of bacterial aggregates during initial colonization could be a deciding factor in the competition among different strains in biofilms.

Microbiological Research Under the Nagoya Protocol: Facts and Fiction.

PubMed

Overmann, Jörg; Scholz, Amber Hartman

2017-02-01

The Nagoya Protocol is based on concepts of biological diversity that are hardly applicable to microorganisms. Because of this incongruence, the Nagoya Protocol threatens future microbial research, potentially defeating its original purpose. Countries with appropriate regulations can promote science and their bioeconomy through international collaboration and simultaneously gain a competitive advantage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Replication of a Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of Resource Facilitation to Improve Return to Work and School After Brain Injury.

PubMed

Trexler, Lance E; Parrott, Devan R; Malec, James F

2016-02-01

To determine the extent to which previous findings on the effectiveness of resource facilitation to impact return to work and school could be replicated. Randomized controlled trial. Outpatient rehabilitation clinic. Outpatients with acquired brain injury (N=44). Fifteen months of resource facilitation services. A revised version of the Vocational Independence Scale and the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4 Participation Index. Participants randomized to the resource facilitation group demonstrated a significant advantage in terms of rate and timing of return to productive community-based work relative to control participants. When examining only return to competitive work (and not return to school), 69% of the resource facilitation group was able to return compared with 50% of the control participants. Analyses of measures of participation in household and community activities revealed that both groups improved significantly over the 15-month study period, but no significant advantage for either group was demonstrated. This study replicates the positive impact of resource facilitation in improving productive community-based activity, including competitive employment and volunteering in the community. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multiplex sequence analysis demonstrates the competitive growth advantage of the A-to-G mutants of clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter pylori.

PubMed

Wang, G; Rahman, M S; Humayun, M Z; Taylor, D E

1999-03-01

Clarithromycin resistance in Helicobacter pylori is due to point mutation within the 23S rRNA. We examined the growth rates of different types of site-directed mutants and demonstrated quantitatively the competitive growth advantage of A-to-G mutants over other types of mutants by a multiplex sequencing assay. The results provide a rational explanation of why A-to-G mutants are predominantly observed among clarithromycin-resistant clinical isolates.

Multiplex Sequence Analysis Demonstrates the Competitive Growth Advantage of the A-to-G Mutants of Clarithromycin-Resistant Helicobacter pylori

PubMed Central

Wang, Ge; Rahman, M. Sayeedur; Humayun, M. Zafri; Taylor, Diane E.

1999-01-01

Clarithromycin resistance in Helicobacter pylori is due to point mutation within the 23S rRNA. We examined the growth rates of different types of site-directed mutants and demonstrated quantitatively the competitive growth advantage of A-to-G mutants over other types of mutants by a multiplex sequencing assay. The results provide a rational explanation of why A-to-G mutants are predominantly observed among clarithromycin-resistant clinical isolates. PMID:10049289

An interactive activation and competition model of person knowledge, suggested by proactive interference by traits spontaneously inferred from behaviours.

PubMed

Wang, Yuanbo E; Higgins, Nancy C; Uleman, James S; Michaux, Aaron; Vipond, Douglas

2016-03-01

People unconsciously and unintentionally make inferences about others' personality traits based on their behaviours. In this study, a classic memory phenomenon--proactive interference (PI)--is for the first time used to detect spontaneous trait inferences. PI should occur when lists of behaviour descriptions, all implying the same trait, are to be remembered. Switching to a new trait should produce 'release' from proactive interference (or RPI). Results from two experiments supported these predictions. PI and RPI effects are consistent with an interactive activation and competition model of person perception (e.g., McNeill & Burton, 2002, J. Exp. Psychol., 55A, 1141), which predicts categorical organization of social behaviours based on personality traits. Advantages of this model are discussed. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Rhizosphere hydrophobicity: A positive trait in the competition for water.

PubMed

Zeppenfeld, Thorsten; Balkenhol, Niko; Kóvacs, Kristóf; Carminati, Andrea

2017-01-01

The ability to acquire water from the soil is a major driver in interspecific plant competition and it depends on several root functional traits. One of these traits is the excretion of gel-like compounds (mucilage) that modify physical soil properties. Mucilage secreted by roots becomes hydrophobic upon drying, impedes the rewetting of the soil close to the root, the so called rhizosphere, and reduces water availability to plants. The function of rhizosphere hydrophobicity is not easily understandable when looking at a single plant, but it may constitute a competitive advantage at the ecosystem level. We hypothesize that by making the top soil hydrophobic, deep-rooted plants avoid competititon with shallow-rooted plants. To test this hypothesis we used an individual-based model to simulate water uptake and growth of two virtual plant species, one deep-rooted plant capable of making the soil hydrophobic and a shallow-rooted plant. We ran scenarios with different precipitation regimes ranging from dry to wet (350, 700, and 1400 mm total annual precipitation) and from high to low precipitation frequencies (1, 7, and 14 days). Plant species abundance and biomass were chosen as indicators for competitiveness of plant species. At constant precipitation frequency mucilage hydrophobicity lead to a benefit in biomass and abundance of the tap-rooted population. Under wet conditions this effect diminished and tap-rooted plants were less productive. Without this trait both species coexisted. The effect of root exudation trait remained constant under different precipitation frequencies. This study shows that mucilage secretion is a competitive trait for the acquisition of water. This advantage is achieved by the modification of the soil hydraulic properties and specifically by inducing water repellency in soil regions which are shared with other species.

Rhizosphere hydrophobicity: A positive trait in the competition for water

PubMed Central

Balkenhol, Niko; Kóvacs, Kristóf; Carminati, Andrea

2017-01-01

The ability to acquire water from the soil is a major driver in interspecific plant competition and it depends on several root functional traits. One of these traits is the excretion of gel-like compounds (mucilage) that modify physical soil properties. Mucilage secreted by roots becomes hydrophobic upon drying, impedes the rewetting of the soil close to the root, the so called rhizosphere, and reduces water availability to plants. The function of rhizosphere hydrophobicity is not easily understandable when looking at a single plant, but it may constitute a competitive advantage at the ecosystem level. We hypothesize that by making the top soil hydrophobic, deep-rooted plants avoid competititon with shallow-rooted plants. To test this hypothesis we used an individual-based model to simulate water uptake and growth of two virtual plant species, one deep-rooted plant capable of making the soil hydrophobic and a shallow-rooted plant. We ran scenarios with different precipitation regimes ranging from dry to wet (350, 700, and 1400 mm total annual precipitation) and from high to low precipitation frequencies (1, 7, and 14 days). Plant species abundance and biomass were chosen as indicators for competitiveness of plant species. At constant precipitation frequency mucilage hydrophobicity lead to a benefit in biomass and abundance of the tap-rooted population. Under wet conditions this effect diminished and tap-rooted plants were less productive. Without this trait both species coexisted. The effect of root exudation trait remained constant under different precipitation frequencies. This study shows that mucilage secretion is a competitive trait for the acquisition of water. This advantage is achieved by the modification of the soil hydraulic properties and specifically by inducing water repellency in soil regions which are shared with other species. PMID:28753673

Attitudes of Junior National Team Athletes towards Opponents: Ideology/Morals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Görgüt, Ilyas; Tutkun, Erkut

2017-01-01

Competitions between countries occur in every field, from science to industry. This competition is inevitable in the field of sports, which is the greatest feature of publicity in countries, one of the tools of getting political advantage and the greatest focus of global capital. This competition, which is seen in the fields of sport, sometimes…

A Comparative Analysis of the Use of Competitive Intelligence Tools in a Multinational Corporation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breese-Vitelli, Jennifer

2011-01-01

With the growth of the global economy, organizations large and small are increasingly recognizing that competitive intelligence (CI) is essential to compete in industry. Competitive intelligence is used to gain an advantage in commerce and is useful for analyzing a company's strategic industry position. To remain current and profitable,…

Comparison of home advantage in men's and women's football leagues in Europe.

PubMed

Pollard, Richard; Gómez, Miguel A

2014-01-01

Most research into home advantage is based on men's sports. This article analyses home advantage in the women's domestic football leagues of Europe and makes a comparison with the corresponding men's football leagues. A total of 47,042 games were included. From 2004 to 2010, home advantage existed in the domestic women's soccer leagues of all 26 European countries analysed, ranging from 51.0% to 58.8% and averaging 54.2%. In every country, this was less than the corresponding men's home advantage which averaged 60.0%. Crowd effects, both on players and referees, and different gender perceptions of territorial protection are plausible reasons for the differences found. Using a regression model that controlled for the competitive balance of each league, as well as for crowd size, the Gender Gap Index, which quantifies the status of women in each country, was a significant predictor of the difference between men's and women's home advantage. As the status of women becomes closer to that of men within a country, the difference in home advantage is less between the men's and women's football leagues.

19 CFR 356.10 - Procedures for obtaining access to proprietary information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... secretary if such person: (i) Is not involved in competitive decision-making for a participant in the panel review or for any person that would gain competitive advantage through knowledge of the proprietary...

Competitiveness Implications of Environmental Regulations: Case Studies (1992- 1997)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This collection of reports is part of a series of case studies designed to examine Michael Porter’s hypothesis that innovative companies responding to environmental regulation can create competitive advantage through lower costs or higher sales.

Strategic focus. A game plan for collaboration in a competitive marketplace.

PubMed

Tweed, S C

1993-10-01

How can home care agencies brace for the coming changes and not only survive health care reform, but thrive in it? Collaboration is an effective tool for gaining competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Strategy, structure, and performance of rural transportation companies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-12-01

The purpose of this research is to understand how companies in the motor carrier industry achieve competitive advantage. Specifically, we examine how competitive strategy, structure, and tactics relate to one another and to company performance. A bro...

The competitive advantage of sanctioning institutions.

PubMed

Gürerk, Ozgür; Irlenbusch, Bernd; Rockenbach, Bettina

2006-04-07

Understanding the fundamental patterns and determinants of human cooperation and the maintenance of social order in human societies is a challenge across disciplines. The existing empirical evidence for the higher levels of cooperation when altruistic punishment is present versus when it is absent systematically ignores the institutional competition inherent in human societies. Whether punishment would be deliberately adopted and would similarly enhance cooperation when directly competing with nonpunishment institutions is highly controversial in light of recent findings on the detrimental effects of punishment. We show experimentally that a sanctioning institution is the undisputed winner in a competition with a sanction-free institution. Despite initial aversion, the entire population migrates successively to the sanctioning institution and strongly cooperates, whereas the sanction-free society becomes fully depopulated. The findings demonstrate the competitive advantage of sanctioning institutions and exemplify the emergence and manifestation of social order driven by institutional selection.

Competitive advantage of diferric transferrin in delivering iron to reticulocytes.

PubMed Central

Huebers, H A; Csiba, E; Huebers, E; Finch, C A

1983-01-01

Radioiron- and radioiodine-labeled forms of human diferric and monoferric transferrin and apotransferrin, isolated by preparative isoelectric focusing, were used to define transferrin-iron uptake by human reticulocytes. In mixtures of human diferric and monoferric transferrin, the diferric molecule had a constant 7-fold advantage in delivering iron to reticulocytes, as compared with the 2-fold advantage when single solutions of mono- and diferric transferrins were compared. This was shown to be due to competitive interaction in iron delivery, probably at a common membrane-receptor binding site for transferrin. Apotransferrin did not interfere with the iron-donating process and its limited cellular uptake was inhibited in noncompetitive fashion by diferric transferrin. PMID:6572005

Improving performance by anchoring movement and "nerves".

PubMed

Iso-Ahola, Seppo E; Dotson, Charles O; Jagodinsky, Adam E; Clark, Lily C; Smallwood, Lorraine L; Wilburn, Christopher; Weimar, Wendi H; Miller, Matthew W

2016-10-01

Golf's governing bodies' recent decision to ban all putting styles "anchoring one end of the club against the body" bridges an important practical problem with psychological theory. We report the first experiment testing whether anchoring provides technical and/or psychological advantage in competitive performance. Many "greats" of professional golf from Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods have argued against anchoring, believing that it takes "nerves" out of competitive performance and therefore artificially levels the playing field. To shed more light on the issue, we tested participants' performance with anchored and unanchored putters under low and high pressure when controlling for the putter length. We found no statistically significant evidence for a technical advantage due to anchoring but a clear psychological advantage: participants who anchored their putters significantly outperformed unanchored counterparts under high, but not low, pressure. Results provide tentative evidence for the ban's justification from a competitive standpoint. However, before any definite conclusions can be made, more research is needed when using high-level golfers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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.

Assessment of the competitive position of the forest products sector in southeast Alaska, 1985-94.

Treesearch

David J. Brooks

2001-01-01

This paper provides an assessment of the competitive position of the forest products sector in southeast Alaska relative to that of its major competitors. An analytical framework relying on the economic concepts of comparative and competitive advantage is first developed, with emphasis on the relative cost and productivity of productive inputs such as labor, capital,...

Restructuring Public Higher Education Governance to Succeed in a Highly Competitive Environment. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.6.15

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyatt, James A.

2015-01-01

Given diminished governmental support, competition from private counterparts, and public demands for access to services, public universities need to respond in an effective manner to take advantage of opportunities and meet the challenges of today's highly competitive environment. A critical factor in meeting these challenges is the manner in…

Resource and competitive dynamics shape the benefits of public goods cooperation in a plant pathogen

PubMed Central

Platt, Thomas G.; Fuqua, Clay; Bever, James D.

2012-01-01

Cooperative benefits depend on a variety of ecological factors. Many cooperative bacteria increase the population size of their groups by making a public good available. Increased local population size can alleviate the constraints of kin competition on the evolution of cooperation by enhancing the between-group fitness of cooperators. The cooperative pathogenesis of Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes infected plants to exude opines—resources that provide a nearly exclusive source of nutrient for the pathogen. We experimentally demonstrate that opines provide cooperative A. tumefaciens cells a within-group fitness advantage over saprophytic agrobacteria. Our results are congruent with a resource-consumer competition model, which predicts that cooperative, virulent agrobacteria are at a competitive disadvantage when opines are unavailable, but have an advantage when opines are available at sufficient levels. This model also predicts that freeloading agrobacteria that catabolize opines but cannot infect plants competitively displace the cooperative pathogen from all environments. However, we show that these cooperative public goods also promote increased local population size. A model built from the Price Equation shows that this effect on group size can contribute to the persistence of cooperative pathogenesis despite inherent kin competition for the benefits of pathogenesis. PMID:22671559

Simulated Warming Differentially Affects the Growth and Competitive Ability of Centaurea maculosa Populations from Home and Introduced Ranges

PubMed Central

He, Wei-Ming; Li, Jing-Ji; Peng, Pei-Hao

2012-01-01

Climate warming may drive invasions by exotic plants, thereby raising concerns over the risks of invasive plants. However, little is known about how climate warming influences the growth and competitive ability of exotic plants from their home and introduced ranges. We conducted a common garden experiment with an invasive plant Centaurea maculosa and a native plant Poa pratensis, in which a mixture of sand and vermiculite was used as a neutral medium, and contrasted the total biomass, competitive effects, and competitive responses of C. maculosa populations from Europe (home range) and North America (introduced range) under two different temperatures. The warming-induced inhibitory effects on the growth of C. maculosa alone were stronger in Europe than in North America. The competitive ability of C. maculosa plants from North America was greater than that of plants from Europe under the ambient condition whereas this competitive ability followed the opposite direction under the warming condition, suggesting that warming may enable European C. maculosa to be more invasive. Across two continents, warming treatment increased the competitive advantage instead of the growth advantage of C. maculosa, suggesting that climate warming may facilitate C. maculosa invasions through altering competitive outcomes between C. maculosa and its neighbors. Additionally, the growth response of C. maculosa to warming could predict its ability to avoid being suppressed by its neighbors. PMID:22303485

Simulated warming differentially affects the growth and competitive ability of Centaurea maculosa populations from home and introduced ranges.

PubMed

He, Wei-Ming; Li, Jing-Ji; Peng, Pei-Hao

2012-01-01

Climate warming may drive invasions by exotic plants, thereby raising concerns over the risks of invasive plants. However, little is known about how climate warming influences the growth and competitive ability of exotic plants from their home and introduced ranges. We conducted a common garden experiment with an invasive plant Centaurea maculosa and a native plant Poa pratensis, in which a mixture of sand and vermiculite was used as a neutral medium, and contrasted the total biomass, competitive effects, and competitive responses of C. maculosa populations from Europe (home range) and North America (introduced range) under two different temperatures. The warming-induced inhibitory effects on the growth of C. maculosa alone were stronger in Europe than in North America. The competitive ability of C. maculosa plants from North America was greater than that of plants from Europe under the ambient condition whereas this competitive ability followed the opposite direction under the warming condition, suggesting that warming may enable European C. maculosa to be more invasive. Across two continents, warming treatment increased the competitive advantage instead of the growth advantage of C. maculosa, suggesting that climate warming may facilitate C. maculosa invasions through altering competitive outcomes between C. maculosa and its neighbors. Additionally, the growth response of C. maculosa to warming could predict its ability to avoid being suppressed by its neighbors.

HIV competition dynamics over sexual networks: first comer advantage conserves founder effects.

PubMed

Ferdinandy, Bence; Mones, Enys; Vicsek, Tamás; Müller, Viktor

2015-02-01

Outside Africa, the global phylogeography of HIV is characterized by compartmentalized local epidemics that are typically dominated by a single subtype, which indicates strong founder effects. We hypothesized that the competition of viral strains at the epidemic level may involve an advantage of the resident strain that was the first to colonize a population. Such an effect would slow down the invasion of new strains, and thus also the diversification of the epidemic. We developed a stochastic modelling framework to simulate HIV epidemics over dynamic contact networks. We simulated epidemics in which the second strain was introduced into a population where the first strain had established a steady-state epidemic, and assessed whether, and on what time scale, the second strain was able to spread in the population. Simulations were parameterized based on empirical data; we tested scenarios with varying levels of overall prevalence. The spread of the second strain occurred on a much slower time scale compared with the initial expansion of the first strain. With strains of equal transmission efficiency, the second strain was unable to invade on a time scale relevant for the history of the HIV pandemic. To become dominant over a time scale of decades, the second strain needed considerable (>25%) advantage in transmission efficiency over the resident strain. The inhibition effect was weaker if the second strain was introduced while the first strain was still in its growth phase. We also tested how possible mechanisms of interference (inhibition of superinfection, depletion of highly connected hubs in the network, one-time acute peak of infectiousness) contribute to the inhibition effect. Our simulations confirmed a strong first comer advantage in the competition dynamics of HIV at the population level, which may explain the global phylogeography of the virus and may influence the future evolution of the pandemic.

All-optical laser spectral narrowing and line fixing at atomic absorption transition by injection competition and gain knock-down techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gacheva, Lazarina I.; Deneva, Margarita A.; Kalbanov, Mihail H.; Nenchev, Marin N.

2008-12-01

We present two original, all optical techniques, to produce a narrowline laser light, fixed at the frequency of a chosen reference atomic absorption transition. The first type of systems is an essential improvement of our method 3,4 for laser spectral locking using a control by two frequency scanned, competitive injections with disturbed power ratio by the absorption at the reference line. The new development eliminates the narrowing limiting problem, related with the fixed laser longitudinal mode structure. We have proposed an original new technique for continuously tunable single mode laser operation in combination with synchronously and equal continuous tuning of the modes of the amplifier. By adapting the laser differential rate equations, the system is analyzed theoretically in details and is shown its feasibility. The results are in agreement with previous our experiments. The essential advantage, except simplicity of realization, is that the laser line can be of order of magnitude and more narrowed than the absorption linewidth. The second system is based of the laser amplifier arrangement with a gain knock-down from the competitive frequency scanned pulse, except at the wavelength of the desired absorption reference line. The essential advantages of the last system are that the problem of fixing laser mode presence is naturally avoided. The theoretical modeling and the numerical investigations show the peculiarity and advantages of the system proposed. The developed approaches are of interest for applications in spectroscopy, in DIAL monitoring of the atmospheric pollutants, in isotope separation system and potentially - for creation of simple, all optical, frequency standards for optical communications. Also, the continuously tunable single mode laser (and the combination with the simultaneously tunable amplifier) presents itself the interest for many practical applications in spectroscopy, metrology, and holography. We compare the action and the advantages of the two systems proposed.

Incubating a Space Strategy: The Role of Education

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

strategies in denying the high ground the Air Force maintains while tensions increase. As the Air Force continues to transform space operations based on...a competitive advantage over adversaries.19 Space also enables economic growth, improved standards of living and increased communications that...fiction. The US space community , along with every space -faring nation, can either adapt to the new environment and take proactive measures in mitigating

Contract Issues in the Sale of Commercial Aircraft.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-01

which will not only facilitate a sale, but also, over time, cover the m anufacturing costs . All sales are subject to intense competition frnm aircraf...capital requirements, output range over which economies of scale exist, and cost advantages for existing firms based 3n technical capability and...perforuance (izcluling factors such is noise, fuel efficiency, maintenance costs ) , ?rice, financinq assistance and post-delivery product support. An

The challenge of the '90s: where to find new patients.

PubMed

de Llano, M

1990-07-01

The consumer of today shops for health services in the same way as he or she shops for other consumer goods--by gathering information and making an educated decision based on cost, product, and performance. As the health care industry becomes more competitive, and customers become more savvy, providers may want to look closely at the advantages of direct mail marketing.

Lifelong Education and Learning, Societal Project and Competitive Advantage: Tensions and Ambivalences in Policy and Planning of Educational Change in Portugal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antunes, Fátima; Guimarães, Paula

2014-01-01

Both the Portuguese appropriation of the lifelong learning policy proposed by the European Union since the mid-1990s and the definition of adult education policy in Portugal were based on a discourse that emphasised an "unacceptable educational deficit" for democracy. The role of the State in the "governance" of the public…

Algal biodiesel economy and competition among bio-fuels.

PubMed

Lee, D H

2011-01-01

This investigation examines the possible results of policy support in developed and developing economies for developing algal biodiesel through to 2040. This investigation adopts the Taiwan General Equilibrium Model-Energy for Bio-fuels (TAIGEM-EB) to predict competition among the development of algal biodiesel, bioethanol and conventional crop-based biodiesel. Analytical results show that algal biodiesel will not be the major energy source in 2040 without strong support in developed economies. In contrast, bioethanol enjoys a development advantage relative to both forms of biodiesel. Finally, algal biodiesel will almost completely replace conventional biodiesel. CO(2) reduction benefits the development of the bio-fuels industry. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparing for a decision support system.

PubMed

Callan, K

2000-08-01

The increasing pressure to reduce costs and improve outcomes is driving the health care industry to view information as a competitive advantage. Timely information is required to help reduce inefficiencies and improve patient care. Numerous disparate operational or transactional information systems with inconsistent and often conflicting data are no longer adequate to meet the information needs of integrated care delivery systems and networks in competitive managed care environments. This article reviews decision support system characteristics and describes a process to assess the preparedness of an organization to implement and use decision support systems to achieve a more effective, information-based decision process. Decision support tools included in this article range from reports to data mining.

[Management practices in medium-sized private hospitals in São Paulo, Brazil].

PubMed

Brito, Luiz Artur Ledur; Malik, Ana Maria; Brito, Eliane; Bulgacov, Sergio; Andreassi, Tales

2017-04-03

Traditional management practices are sometimes considered merely a necessary condition for superior performance. Other resources and competencies with higher barriers to imitation are assumed to be potential sources of competitive advantage. This study describes and analyzes the effect of traditional management practices on the performance of medium-sized hospitals. Medium-sized companies frequently display the greatest differences in management practices, and only recently did the hospital sector seek ways to develop its competitiveness in the administrative arena. The results generally indicate that basic management practices can make differences in performance, offering support for the new practice-based view (PBV). Hospitals with the highest rate of adoption of practices had the highest occupancy rate, hospital-bed admissions, and accreditation. Lack of adoption of management practices by medium-sized hospitals limits their competitive capacity and can be viewed as a component of the so-called Brazil cost, but in this case an internal component.

Spatial constraints govern competition of mutant clones in human epidermis.

PubMed

Lynch, M D; Lynch, C N S; Craythorne, E; Liakath-Ali, K; Mallipeddi, R; Barker, J N; Watt, F M

2017-10-24

Deep sequencing can detect somatic DNA mutations in tissues permitting inference of clonal relationships. This has been applied to human epidermis, where sun exposure leads to the accumulation of mutations and an increased risk of skin cancer. However, previous studies have yielded conflicting conclusions about the relative importance of positive selection and neutral drift in clonal evolution. Here, we sequenced larger areas of skin than previously, focusing on cancer-prone skin spanning five decades of life. The mutant clones identified were too large to be accounted for solely by neutral drift. Rather, using mathematical modelling and computational lattice-based simulations, we show that observed clone size distributions can be explained by a combination of neutral drift and stochastic nucleation of mutations at the boundary of expanding mutant clones that have a competitive advantage. These findings demonstrate that spatial context and cell competition cooperate to determine the fate of a mutant stem cell.

The Role of Overconfidence in Romantic Desirability and Competition.

PubMed

Murphy, Sean C; von Hippel, William; Dubbs, Shelli L; Angilletta, Michael J; Wilson, Robbie S; Trivers, Robert; Barlow, Fiona Kate

2015-08-01

Four studies and a computer simulation tested the hypothesis that people who are overconfident in their self-assessments may be more successful in attracting mates. In Study 1, overconfident people were perceived as more confident in their dating profiles, and this perceived confidence predicted increased romantic desirability. Study 2 revealed that overconfident people also tend to be perceived as arrogant, which counteracts the positive effects of perceived confidence. However, Study 3 revealed that overconfidence might confer an advantage in intrasexual competition, as people were less likely to compete with overconfident individuals by virtue of their perceived confidence and arrogance. Study 4 showed that overconfident raters were also more likely to choose to compete for romantic partners. In Study 5, agent-based modeling incorporating the coefficients from these studies suggested that overconfidence facilitates mate acquisition in the presence of intrasexual competition. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Intelligent control of non-linear dynamical system based on the adaptive neurocontroller

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engel, E.; Kovalev, I. V.; Kobezhicov, V.

2015-10-01

This paper presents an adaptive neuro-controller for intelligent control of non-linear dynamical system. The formed as the fuzzy selective neural net the adaptive neuro-controller on the base of system's state, creates the effective control signal under random perturbations. The validity and advantages of the proposed adaptive neuro-controller are demonstrated by numerical simulations. The simulation results show that the proposed controller scheme achieves real-time control speed and the competitive performance, as compared to PID, fuzzy logic controllers.

Hash function based on chaotic map lattices.

PubMed

Wang, Shihong; Hu, Gang

2007-06-01

A new hash function system, based on coupled chaotic map dynamics, is suggested. By combining floating point computation of chaos and some simple algebraic operations, the system reaches very high bit confusion and diffusion rates, and this enables the system to have desired statistical properties and strong collision resistance. The chaos-based hash function has its advantages for high security and fast performance, and it serves as one of the most highly competitive candidates for practical applications of hash function for software realization and secure information communications in computer networks.

Hash function based on chaotic map lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shihong; Hu, Gang

2007-06-01

A new hash function system, based on coupled chaotic map dynamics, is suggested. By combining floating point computation of chaos and some simple algebraic operations, the system reaches very high bit confusion and diffusion rates, and this enables the system to have desired statistical properties and strong collision resistance. The chaos-based hash function has its advantages for high security and fast performance, and it serves as one of the most highly competitive candidates for practical applications of hash function for software realization and secure information communications in computer networks.

Porphyromonas gingivalis displays a competitive advantage over Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in co-cultured biofilm.

PubMed

Takasaki, K; Fujise, O; Miura, M; Hamachi, T; Maeda, K

2013-06-01

Biofilm formation occurs through the events of cooperative growth and competitive survival among multiple species. Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans are important periodontal pathogens. The aim of this study was to demonstrate competitive or cooperative interactions between these two species in co-cultured biofilm. P. gingivalis strains and gingipain mutants were cultured with or without A. actinomycetemcomitans. Biofilms formed on glass surfaces were analyzed by crystal violet staining and colony counting. Preformed A. actinomycetemcomitans biofilms were treated with P. gingivalis culture supernatants. Growth and proteolytic activities of gingipains were also determined. Monocultured P. gingivalis strains exhibited a range of biofilm-formation abilities and proteolytic activities. The ATCC33277 strain, noted for its high biofilm-formation ability and proteolytic activity, was found to be dominant in biofilm co-cultured with A. actinomycetemcomitans. In a time-resolved assay, A. actinomycetemcomitans was primarily the dominant colonizer on a glass surface and subsequently detached in the presence of increasing numbers of ATCC33277. Detachment of preformed A. actinomycetemcomitans biofilm was observed by incubation with culture supernatants from highly proteolytic strains. These results suggest that P. gingivalis possesses a competitive advantage over A. actinomycetemcomitans. As the required biofilm-formation abilities and proteolytic activities vary among P. gingivalis strains, the diversity of the competitive advantage is likely to affect disease recurrence during periodontal maintenance. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

15 CFR 700.54 - Instances where assistance will not be provided.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... when a person is attempting to: (a) Secure a price advantage; (b) Obtain delivery prior to the time required to fill a rated order; (c) Gain competitive advantage; (d) Disrupt an industry apportionment...

Competitive advantage and higher fitness in native populations of genetically structured planktonic diatoms.

PubMed

Sildever, Sirje; Sefbom, Josefin; Lips, Inga; Godhe, Anna

2016-12-01

It has been shown that the planktonic diatom Skeletonema from neighbouring areas are genetically differentiated despite absence of physical dispersal barriers. We revisited two sites, Mariager Fjord and Kattegat, NE Atlantic, and isolated new strains. Microsatellite genotyping and F-statistics revealed that the populations were genetically differentiated. An experiment was designed to investigate if populations are locally adapted and have a native competitive advantage. Ten strains from each location were grown individually in native and foreign water to investigate differences in produced biomass. Additionally, we mixed six pairs, one strain from each site, and let them grow together in native and foreign water. Strains from Mariager Fjord and Kattegat produced higher biomass in native water. In the competition experiment, strains from both sites displayed higher relative abundance and demonstrated competitive advantage in their native water. The cause of the differentiated growth is unknown, but could possibly be attributed to differences in silica concentration or viruses in the two water types. Our data show that dispersal potential does not influence the genetic structure of the populations. We conclude that genetic adaptation has not been overruled by gene flow, but instead the responses to different selection conditions are enforcing the observed genetic structure. © 2016 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A multimethodology contractor assessment model for facilitating green innovation: the view of energy and environmental protection.

PubMed

Hsueh, Sung-Lin; Yan, Min-Ren

2013-01-01

The trends of the green supply chain are attributed to pressures from the environment and from customers. Green innovation is a practice for creating competitive advantage in sustainable development. To keep up with the changing business environment, the construction industry needs an appropriate assessment tool to examine the intrinsic and extrinsic effects regarding corporate competitive advantage. From the viewpoint of energy and environmental protection, this study combines four scientific methodologies to develop an assessment model for the green innovation of contractors. System dynamics can be used to estimate the future trends for the overall industrial structure and is useful in predicting competitive advantage in the industry. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and utility theory focus on the customer's attitude toward risk and are useful for comprehending changes in objective requirements in the environment. Fuzzy logic can simplify complicated intrinsic and extrinsic factors and express them with a number or ratio that is easy to understand. The proposed assessment model can be used as a reference to guide the government in examining the public constructions that qualified green contractors participate in. Additionally, the assessment model serves an indicator of relative competitiveness that can help the general contractor and subcontractor to evaluate themselves and further green innovations.

A Multimethodology Contractor Assessment Model for Facilitating Green Innovation: The View of Energy and Environmental Protection

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The trends of the green supply chain are attributed to pressures from the environment and from customers. Green innovation is a practice for creating competitive advantage in sustainable development. To keep up with the changing business environment, the construction industry needs an appropriate assessment tool to examine the intrinsic and extrinsic effects regarding corporate competitive advantage. From the viewpoint of energy and environmental protection, this study combines four scientific methodologies to develop an assessment model for the green innovation of contractors. System dynamics can be used to estimate the future trends for the overall industrial structure and is useful in predicting competitive advantage in the industry. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and utility theory focus on the customer's attitude toward risk and are useful for comprehending changes in objective requirements in the environment. Fuzzy logic can simplify complicated intrinsic and extrinsic factors and express them with a number or ratio that is easy to understand. The proposed assessment model can be used as a reference to guide the government in examining the public constructions that qualified green contractors participate in. Additionally, the assessment model serves an indicator of relative competitiveness that can help the general contractor and subcontractor to evaluate themselves and further green innovations. PMID:24311979

Toward a social capital theory of competitive advantage in medical groups.

PubMed

Hoelscher, Mark L; Hoffman, James J; Dawley, David

2005-01-01

Social capital can have a positive impact on medical group performance. We forward our theory based on the integration of theories in social capital, resource advantage, and the resource-based view of the firm. Further, we suggest specific ways in which medical groups can increase their levels of social capital. First, medical groups should design or redesign the workplace so that there is ample interaction among employees. Second, employee participation within the community should be encouraged. Third, medical groups should recognize that social capital becomes ingrained in organizational culture. Therefore, medical groups should take steps to ensure a culture that supports its social capital. Fourth, hiring procedures should be designed (or redesigned) to ensure that new employees add social capital to the organization. Finally, trust must be fostered at the employee level.

Knowledge Creation in Constructivist Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaleel, Sajna; Verghis, Alie Molly

2015-01-01

In today's competitive global economy characterized by knowledge acquisition, the concept of knowledge management has become increasingly prevalent in academic and business practices. Knowledge creation is an important factor and remains a source of competitive advantage over knowledge management. Constructivism holds that learners learn actively…

[Knowledge identification and management in a surgery department].

PubMed

Rodríguez-Montes, José Antonio

2006-08-01

The hospital is an enterprise in which the surgery department represents a specific healthcare unit. The purpose of the surgery department, like that of any other enterprise, is assumed to be indefinite survival; to that end, it must be able to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage in the long term. Nevertheless, each surgery department, like each enterprise, can precisely define the scope of the above-mentioned terms, the main source of an enterprise's competitive advantage being its knowledge stock. Knowledge is recognized as being the basis of competitive success among institutions. This article presents the concept and classification of knowledge and discusses how it should be identified, inventoried, and managed. Special emphasis is placed on healthcare activity, since this sector presents certain characteristics distinguishing it from other sectors of economic and business activity.

Strategic competition: the application of business planning techniques to the hospital marketplace.

PubMed

Morris, D E; Rau, S E

1985-01-01

Survival in the increasingly turbulent and uncertain health care environment should raise the application of business planning and corporate strategy to the highest levels of institutional consciousness. With hospital mergers and networking arrangements expected to account for over 60% of the hospital beds in the nation by 1990, and with government and business cost containment efforts squeezing hospital margins, the survivors are going to be those institutions able to develop and maintain a sustainable economic advantage over the competition in the programs and services that comprise the major portion of their business. The successful players will be those that allow the institution to identify and exploit new opportunities and concentrate management and financial resources in those segments of the market where competitive advantages are real and attainable.

Compressive Sampling based Image Coding for Resource-deficient Visual Communication.

PubMed

Liu, Xianming; Zhai, Deming; Zhou, Jiantao; Zhang, Xinfeng; Zhao, Debin; Gao, Wen

2016-04-14

In this paper, a new compressive sampling based image coding scheme is developed to achieve competitive coding efficiency at lower encoder computational complexity, while supporting error resilience. This technique is particularly suitable for visual communication with resource-deficient devices. At the encoder, compact image representation is produced, which is a polyphase down-sampled version of the input image; but the conventional low-pass filter prior to down-sampling is replaced by a local random binary convolution kernel. The pixels of the resulting down-sampled pre-filtered image are local random measurements and placed in the original spatial configuration. The advantages of local random measurements are two folds: 1) preserve high-frequency image features that are otherwise discarded by low-pass filtering; 2) remain a conventional image and can therefore be coded by any standardized codec to remove statistical redundancy of larger scales. Moreover, measurements generated by different kernels can be considered as multiple descriptions of the original image and therefore the proposed scheme has the advantage of multiple description coding. At the decoder, a unified sparsity-based soft-decoding technique is developed to recover the original image from received measurements in a framework of compressive sensing. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme is competitive compared with existing methods, with a unique strength of recovering fine details and sharp edges at low bit-rates.

Competition.

PubMed

Chambers, D W

1997-01-01

Our ambivalence toward competition can be traced to an unspoken preference for certain types of competition which give us an advantage over the types we value less. Four types are defined (a) pure (same rules, same objectives), (b) collaborative (same rules, shared objective), (c) market share (different rules, same objectives), and (d) market growth (different rules, value added orientation). The defining characteristics of the four types of competition are respectively: needing a referee, arguing over the spoils, differentiation and substitutability, and customer focus. Dentistry has features of all four types of competition, thus making it difficult to have a meaningful discussion or frame a coherent policy on this topic.

Temperature-dependent performance of competitive native and alien invasive plant species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Uhram

2017-10-01

To assess the likely impacts of environmental change, the responses of two well-known invasive plant species, native Pueraria lobata and alien Humulus japonicus, to differences in growth temperature were studied in South Korea. Habitat preferences, physiological responses such as photosynthetic rates and chlorophyll contents, growth rates, and nutrient contents were quantified for each species. A competition experiment was conducted to evaluate the temperature preferences of the two species. All results indicated that the alien species H. japonicus can take advantage of elevated temperatures (35 °C) to enhance its competitive advantage against the native species P. lobata. While H. japonicus took advantage of elevated temperatures and preferred high-temperature areas, P. lobata showed reduced performance and dominance in high-temperature areas. Therefore, in future, due to global warming and urbanization, there are possibilities that H. japonicus takes advantage of elevated temperature against P. lobata that could lead to increased H. japonicus coverage over time. Therefore, consistent monitoring of both species especially where P. lobata is dominated are required because both species are found in every continents in the world. Controlling P. lobata requires thorough inspection of H. japonicus presence of the habitat in advance to prevent post P. lobata management invasion of H. japonicus.

A competitive trade-off limits the selective advantage of increased antibiotic production.

PubMed

Gerardin, Ylaine; Springer, Michael; Kishony, Roy

2016-09-26

In structured environments, antibiotic-producing microorganisms can gain a selective advantage by inhibiting nearby competing species 1 . However, despite their genetic potential 2,3 , natural isolates often make only small amounts of antibiotics, and laboratory evolution can lead to loss rather than enhancement of antibiotic production 4 . Here, we show that, due to competition with antibiotic-resistant cheater cells, increased levels of antibiotic production can actually decrease the selective advantage to producers. Competing fluorescently labelled Escherichia coli colicin producers with non-producing resistant and sensitive strains on solid media, we found that although producer colonies can greatly benefit from the inhibition of nearby sensitive colonies, this benefit is shared with resistant colonies growing in their vicinity. A simple model, which accounts for such local competitive and inhibitory interactions, suggests that the advantage of producers varies non-monotonically with the amount of production. Indeed, experimentally varying the amount of production shows a peak in selection for producers, reflecting a trade-off between benefit gained by inhibiting sensitive competitors and loss due to an increased contribution to resistant cheater colonies. These results help explain the low level of antibiotic production observed for natural species and can help direct laboratory evolution experiments selecting for increased or novel production of antibiotics.

A general model for the scaling of offspring size and adult size.

PubMed

Falster, Daniel S; Moles, Angela T; Westoby, Mark

2008-09-01

Understanding evolutionary coordination among different life-history traits is a key challenge for ecology and evolution. Here we develop a general quantitative model predicting how offspring size should scale with adult size by combining a simple model for life-history evolution with a frequency-dependent survivorship model. The key innovation is that larger offspring are afforded three different advantages during ontogeny: higher survivorship per time, a shortened juvenile phase, and advantage during size-competitive growth. In this model, it turns out that size-asymmetric advantage during competition is the factor driving evolution toward larger offspring sizes. For simplified and limiting cases, the model is shown to produce the same predictions as the previously existing theory on which it is founded. The explicit treatment of different survival advantages has biologically important new effects, mainly through an interaction between total maternal investment in reproduction and the duration of competitive growth. This goes on to explain alternative allometries between log offspring size and log adult size, as observed in mammals (slope = 0.95) and plants (slope = 0.54). Further, it suggests how these differences relate quantitatively to specific biological processes during recruitment. In these ways, the model generalizes across previous theory and provides explanations for some differences between major taxa.

Strategic Thinking: The Untapped Resource for Leaders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alfred, Richard L.

2001-01-01

Strategic thinking is an organized, analytical process by which college leaders can assess: (1) existing and potential competitors; (2) sources of competitive advantage; and (3) college capabilities and competitive position. Three outcomes of strategic thinking are: (1) clear institutional strategy and direction; (2) improved institutional…

Business Schools and Corporate Management Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beeby, Mick; Jones, Warwick

1997-01-01

Responses from 97 managers in southwest England indicated the following: the marketplace is increasingly competitive and demanding; key goals of management development are competitive advantage and demonstrable return; managers need leadership and change, personal, and strategic management skills; and selection of a business school or other…

The Framework of Knowledge Creation for Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Hsiu­-Mei; Liaw, Shu­-Sheng

2004-01-01

In today's competitive global economy characterized by knowledge acquisition, the concept of knowledge management has become increasingly prevalent in academic and business practices. Knowledge creation is an important factor and remains a source of competitive advantage over knowledge management. Information technology facilitates knowledge…

Extending Home Advantage Theory and Four Factor Theory to Men's Collegiate Basketball

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Yvan J.

2013-01-01

In sporting events, the home team has been found to win a disproportionate amount of games. Research into this home advantage phenomenon resulted in Courneya and Carron's framework of home advantage theory. In collegiate athletics, administrators face a competitive environment and a goal of enhancing revenues. The problem is that home…

Agile supply chain capabilities: emerging patterns as a determinant of competitive objectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusuf, Yahaya Y.; Adeleye, E. O.; Sivayoganathan, K.

2001-10-01

Turbulent change caused by factors such as changing customer and technological requirements threatens manufacturers through lower product life cycles, profits and bleak survival prospects. Therefore, several companies are stressing flexibility and agility in order to respond, real time, to the unique needs of customers and markets. However, the resource competencies required are often difficult to mobilise and retain by single companies. It is therefore imperative for companies to co-operate and leverage complementary competencies. To this end, legally separate and spatially distributed companies are becoming integrated through Internet-based technologies. The paper reviews emerging patterns in supply chain integration. It also explores the relationship between the emerging patterns and attainment of competitive objectives. The results reported in the paper are based on data from a survey by questionnaire. The survey involved 600 companies in the UK, as part of a larger study of agile manufacturing. The study was driven by a conceptual model, which relates supply chain practices to competitive objectives. The analysis involves the use of factor analysis to reduce research variables to a few principal components. Subsequently, multiple regression was conducted to study the relationship amongst the reduced variables. The results validate the proposed conceptual model and lend credence to current thinking that supply chain integration is a vital tool for competitive advantage.

Inter-firm Networks, Organizational Learning and Knowledge Updating: An Empirical Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Su-rong; Wang, Wen-ping

In the era of knowledge-based economy which information technology develops rapidly, the rate of knowledge updating has become a critical factor for enterprises to gaining competitive advantage .We build an interactional theoretical model among inter-firm networks, organizational learning and knowledge updating thereby and demonstrate it with empirical study at last. The result shows that inter-firm networks and organizational learning is the source of knowledge updating.

United States-Canada Trade and Economic Relationship: Prospects and Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-10

capita income gap has proven worrisome to Canadian policymakers as it raises questions about Canadian productivity and competitiveness (see box). In ...raised living standards in both the United States and Canada, and has strengthened the global competitiveness of producers on both sides of the border...economy, its automotive plants are among the most competitive in North America. Part of the cost advantage traditionally had been due to the weak

United States-Canada Trade and Economic Relationship: Prospects and Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-13

to Canadian policymakers as it raises questions about Canadian productivity and competitiveness (see box). In terms of sectoral components of GDP...Coordinated automotive production has raised living standards in both the United States and Canada, and has strengthened the global competitiveness of producers...problems in other sectors of its economy, its automotive plants are among the most competitive in North America. Part of the cost advantage

United States-Canada Trade and Economic Relationship: Prospects and Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-13

capita income gap has proven worrisome to Canadian policymakers as it raises questions about Canadian productivity and competitiveness . In terms of...Canada suffers from productivity problems in other sectors of its economy, its automotive plants are among the most competitive in North America...the U.S. dollar in 2007-8. Another major competitive advantage is Canada’s national health system, which reportedly relieves Canadian automakers of

The Economics of Commercial-Military Integration and Dual-Use Technology Investments,

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-06-01

Location ............. 52 1 1. Porter’s Thesis-Regional/Local Competitive Advantages .......... 53 2. James Brian Quinn-Core Competencies and Outsourcing ...we reviewed a j variety of works dealing with trade and international competition /collaboration, including those of Michael Porter, Robert Reich...assistance is essential to maintaining the international competitiveness of firms. 24 He asserts that nations that do not conform to U.S. "free" market

Habitat preferences and intraspecific competition in black-footed ferrets

USGS Publications Warehouse

Biggins, Dean E.; Godbey, Jerry L.; Matchett, Marc R.; Livieri, Travis M.

2006-01-01

We used radio-telemetry data (28,560 positional fixes) collected on 153 black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) to (1) reexamine the assumed obligate relationship of these ferrets to prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), (2) investigate habitat preferences of ferrets at a small scale (1 year (P = 0.048). Also, preference was stronger for wild-born young ferrets than for young captive-born ferrets released to augment the wild population (P = 0.040). This additional evidence for competition among ferrets, and for an advantage of prior residency, raises conservation concerns. The energetics-based model commonly used to predict ferret densities at reintroduction sites does not consider competition, which likely leads to overestimation of the densities of ferrets attainable in high-quality habitat. During sequential releases of ferrets, prior residency may handicap success of newcomers, even though the latter may have higher potential fitness. Although the manner of initial colonization of available habitat by blackfooted ferrets, and their subsequent competition for it, was suggestive of an ideal despotic distribution, we did not assess effects of prey density or burrow density on fitness.

Performance nutrition guidelines for international rugby sevens tournaments.

PubMed

Dziedzic, Christine E; Higham, Dean G

2014-06-01

Rugby sevens is an abbreviated version of rugby union, played by teams of seven players over 7-min halves. International competitions are usually played in a tournament format. While shorter in duration, the movement demands of rugby sevens per min of match time are greater than rugby union, resulting in an accentuated load on players. This load can be repeated up to six times over a typical 2- or 3-day competition period. The potential cumulative effect of inadequate carbohydrate, protein and/or fluid intake over the course of a tournament is the greatest nutrition-related concern for players. Nutritional strategies before and during competition are suggested to replenish substrate stores, maintain fluid balance and promote recovery between matches. The use of ergogenic aids known to enhance intermittent, high-intensity activity and/or the execution of motor skills may be advantageous to rugby sevens performance and is discussed. This review provides a best-practice model of nutritional support for international rugby sevens competition based on our current understanding of the sport combined with pragmatic guidelines and considerations for the practitioner.

Targeting a company's real core competencies.

PubMed

Snyder, A V; Ebeling, H W

1992-01-01

By recognizing its core competencies, a company can clearly define organizational boundaries and focus resources for maximum advantage. The authors outline an approach for identifying those competencies that can provide a company with the best chance to achieve long-term competitive advantage.

19 CFR 356.9 - Persons authorized to receive proprietary information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... such counsel, provided that the counsel or professional does not participate in competitive decision...) for the participant represented or for any person who would gain competitive advantage through... issued a protective order, such as paralegals, law clerks, and secretaries, if such other persons are: (1...

Corporate Public Relations and the National Recovery Administration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olasky, Marvin N.

During the spring of 1933, several leading corporate executives, working with those favoring government planning, attempted to use the economic crisis to establish government-mandated prices that would provide leading corporations with competitive advantage, including government-insured profits without the hardships of competition. The result was…

Payment Mechanisms for Community Employment: Realities and Recommendations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hagner, David; And Others

1987-01-01

The article describes the payment mechanisms currently available to reimburse workers with severe disabilities for work performed. The advantages and disadvantages of competitive employment at or above minimum wage, competitive employment below minimum wage, contracted employment through a rehabilitation agency, and self-employment are discussed.…

[Effects of neighbor competition on growth, fine root morphology and distribution of Schima superba and Cunninghamia lanceolata in different nutrient environments].

PubMed

Yao, Jia Bao; Chu, Xiu Li; Zhou, Zhi Chun; Tong, Jian She; Wang, Hui; Yu, Jia Zhong

2017-05-18

Taking Schima superba and Cunninghamia lanceolata as test materials, a pot experiment was conducted to simulate the heterogeneous and homogeneous forest soil nutrient environments, and design three planting modes including single plant, two-strain pure plant and two-strain mixed ones to reason the promotion in mixed S. superba and C. lanceolata plantation and the competitive advantage of S. superba. Results showed that compared with the homogeneous nutrient environment, both S. superba and C. lanceolata had the higher seedling height and dry matter accumulation, when mixed in the heterogeneous nutrient environment, S. superba displayed the obviously competitive advantage, which related to its root plasticity. The fine root of S. superba mixed in each diameter class showed a lot of hyperplasia, and the root total length, surface area and volume of which were 80%-180% higher than that of C. lanceolata. S. superba took the advantage of the compensatory growth strategy of vertical direction in fine roots, namely, they still multiplied to gain greater competitive advantage in low nutrient patches, besides occupying eutrophic surface. The different soil colonization and niche differentiation in fine root of S. superba and C. lanceolata alleviated the strong competition for nutrients of the roots of the two species, and improved the mixed-plantation production. Pure plantation of S. superba harvested the lower yield, which due to the root self-recognition inhibited the growth of root system. Fine roots staggered and evenly distributed on the space might be a reason for stable structure of pure S. superba plantation. So, it was recommended that block surface layer soil preparation and fertilization are used to improve the soil nutrient distribution, and the mixed plantation is constructed to promote the growth of S. superba and C. lanceolata, at the same time, the stand density is regulated to promote tree growth for the pure artificial S. superba plantation which had already been built.

Larval competition of Chrysomya megacephala and Chrysomya rufifacies (Diptera: Calliphoridae): behavior and ecological studies of two blow fly species of forensic significance.

PubMed

Shiao, Shiuh-Feng; Yeh, Ta-Chuan

2008-07-01

Chrysomya megacephala and Chrysomya rufifacies are two predominant necrophagous species in Taiwan. Larvae of the latter can prey on other maggots, including that of their own species as facultative food. This facultative characteristic of C. rufifacies may enhance its competitive advantage over other maggots and could also change the situation of other coexisting colonies. In this study, these two species were colonized in the laboratory, and the main objective was to try to understand the effect of competition on larval development. According to our results, intraspecific competition mostly occurred as competition for food; when the rearing density was increased, larvae pupated earlier, resulting in a lighter adult dry weight. The tendencies were similar in both species, but C. megacephala developed smaller viable adults and had higher survivorship at high densities. Although C. rufifacies could use the food resource of cannibalism, its survivorship was still low. Our results also showed there were significant interactions between intraspecific competition and the density factor. However, with interspecific competition, the first-instar larvae of C. rufifacies invaded maggot masses of C. megacephala to feed together. The third instars of C. rufifacies were able to expel C. megacephala larvae from food by using a fleshy protrusion on their body surface; C. megacephala was usually forced to pupate earlier by shortening its larval stages. The results indicated that a temporary competitive advantage could only be obtained by C. rufifacies under a proper larval density. In addition, the effects on different larval stages, the responses to different competition intensities, and the temperature-dependent effects on interspecific competition are also discussed. In general, under mixed-species rearing at different temperatures and densities, larval duration, adult dry weight, and survivorship of both species decreased. However, our results did not completely agree with previous studies, and we suspect that the difference was partially caused by different experimental designs and different biological characters of different blow fly colonies. Our results also suggest that both the predation ability and defense or escape activity should be taken into account when evaluating larval competitive advantages. The durations of larval stages of these two species could be decreased by approximately 54 h when a single species was reared alone and food was limited; the largest reduction in larval duration, approximately 25 h in C. megacephala and 34 h in C. rufifacies, caused by interspecific competition was under a high larval density. In conclusion, competition decreased the larval duration of these two species by up to 2 d; this also draws attention to justifying the postmortem interval estimation of using larval developmental data when larval competition exists.

Data-driven battery product development: Turn battery performance into a competitive advantage.

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

Sholklapper, Tal

Poor battery performance is a primary source of user dissatisfaction across a broad range of applications, and is a key bottleneck hindering the growth of mobile technology, wearables, electric vehicles, and grid energy storage. Engineering battery systems is difficult, requiring extensive testing for vendor selection, BMS programming, and application-specific lifetime testing. This work also generates huge quantities of data. This presentation will explain how to leverage this data to help ship quality products faster using fewer resources while ensuring safety and reliability in the field, ultimately turning battery performance into a competitive advantage.

Establishing a competitive advantage through quality management.

PubMed

George, R J

1996-06-01

The successful dentist of the future will establish a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace by recognising that patients undergoing dental treatment cannot see the result before purchase, and that they therefore look for signs of service quality to reduce uncertainty. Thus the successful dentist will implement a quality programme that recognises not only that quality is defined by meeting patients' needs and expectations, but also that quality service is fundamental to successful business strategy. Finally, the successful dentist of the future will realise that the pursuit of quality is a never-ending process which requires leadership by example.

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.

Orbiting Deep Space Relay Station (ODSRS). Volume 1: Requirement determination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, J. A.

1979-01-01

The deep space communications requirements of the post-1985 time frame are described and the orbiting deep space relay station (ODSRS) is presented as an option for meeting these requirements. Under current conditions, the ODSRS is not yet cost competitive with Earth based stations to increase DSN telemetry performance, but has significant advantages over a ground station, and these are sufficient to maintain it as a future option. These advantages include: the ability to track a spacecraft 24 hours per day with ground stations located only in the USA; the ability to operate at higher frequencies that would be attenuated by Earth's atmosphere; and the potential for building very large structures without the constraints of Earth's gravity.

Technology transfer of hearing aids to low and middle income countries: policy and market factors.

PubMed

Seelman, Katherine D; Werner, Roye

2014-09-01

The competitive market advantages of industry and the balancing force of international governmental organizations (IGOs) are examined to identify market and policy in support of sustainable technology transfer of hearing aids to low and middle income countries. A second purpose is to examine the usefulness of findings for other assistive technologies (AT). Searches of electronic databases, IGO documents, industry reports and journals were supplemented by informal discussions with industry and IGO staff and audiologists. The value chain is used to examine the competitive advantage of industry and the balancing tools of certain IGOs. Both industry and IGOs engage in intellectual property (IP) and competition activities and are active in each segment of the hearing aid value chain. Their market and policy objectives and strategies are different. IGOs serve as balancing forces for the competitive advantages of industry. The hearing aid market configuration and hearing aid fitting process are not representative of other AT products but IP, trade and competition policy tools used by IGOs and governments are relevant to other AT. The value chain is a useful tool to identify the location of price mark-ups and the influence of actors. Market factors and reimbursement and subsidization policies drive hearing aid innovation. UN-related international government organization activities are responsive to the needs of disability populations who cannot afford assistive technology. Policy tools used by international governmental organizations are applicable across assistive technology. A partnership model is important to distribution of hearing aids to low and middle income countries.

Frequency-dependent selection can lead to evolution of high mutation rates.

PubMed

Rosenbloom, Daniel I S; Allen, Benjamin

2014-05-01

Theoretical and experimental studies have shown that high mutation rates can be advantageous, especially in novel or fluctuating environments. Here we examine how frequency-dependent competition may lead to fluctuations in trait frequencies that exert upward selective pressure on mutation rates. We use a mathematical model to show that cyclical trait dynamics generated by "rock-paper-scissors" competition can cause the mutation rate in a population to converge to a high evolutionarily stable mutation rate, reflecting a trade-off between generating novelty and reproducing past success. Introducing recombination lowers the evolutionarily stable mutation rate but allows stable coexistence between mutation rates above and below the evolutionarily stable rate. Even considering strong mutational load and ignoring the costs of faithful replication, evolution favors positive mutation rates if the selective advantage of prevailing in competition exceeds the ratio of recombining to nonrecombining offspring. We discuss a number of genomic mechanisms that may meet our theoretical requirements for the adaptive evolution of mutation. Overall, our results suggest that local mutation rates may be higher on genes influencing cyclical competition and that global mutation rates in asexual species may be higher in populations subject to strong cyclical competition.

Parallel language activation and inhibitory control in bimodal bilinguals.

PubMed

Giezen, Marcel R; Blumenfeld, Henrike K; Shook, Anthony; Marian, Viorica; Emmorey, Karen

2015-08-01

Findings from recent studies suggest that spoken-language bilinguals engage nonlinguistic inhibitory control mechanisms to resolve cross-linguistic competition during auditory word recognition. Bilingual advantages in inhibitory control might stem from the need to resolve perceptual competition between similar-sounding words both within and between their two languages. If so, these advantages should be lessened or eliminated when there is no perceptual competition between two languages. The present study investigated the extent of inhibitory control recruitment during bilingual language comprehension by examining associations between language co-activation and nonlinguistic inhibitory control abilities in bimodal bilinguals, whose two languages do not perceptually compete. Cross-linguistic distractor activation was identified in the visual world paradigm, and correlated significantly with performance on a nonlinguistic spatial Stroop task within a group of 27 hearing ASL-English bilinguals. Smaller Stroop effects (indexing more efficient inhibition) were associated with reduced co-activation of ASL signs during the early stages of auditory word recognition. These results suggest that inhibitory control in auditory word recognition is not limited to resolving perceptual linguistic competition in phonological input, but is also used to moderate competition that originates at the lexico-semantic level. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Outcompeting nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in single-stage nitrogen removal in sewage treatment plants: a model-based study.

PubMed

Pérez, Julio; Lotti, Tommaso; Kleerebezem, Robbert; Picioreanu, Cristian; van Loosdrecht, Mark C M

2014-12-01

This model-based study investigated the mechanisms and operational window for efficient repression of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in an autotrophic nitrogen removal process. The operation of a continuous single-stage granular sludge process was simulated for nitrogen removal from pretreated sewage at 10 °C. The effects of the residual ammonium concentration were explicitly analyzed with the model. Competition for oxygen between ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and NOB was found to be essential for NOB repression even when the suppression of nitrite oxidation is assisted by nitrite reduction by anammox (AMX). The nitrite half-saturation coefficient of NOB and AMX proved non-sensitive for the model output. The maximum specific growth rate of AMX bacteria proved a sensitive process parameter, because higher rates would provide a competitive advantage for AMX. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Continuous quality improvement programs provide new opportunities to drive value innovation initiatives in hospital-based radiology practices.

PubMed

Steele, Joseph R; Schomer, Don F

2009-07-01

Imaging services constitute a huge portion of the of the total dollar investment within the health care enterprise. Accordingly, this generates competition among medical specialties organized along service lines for their pieces of the pie and increased scrutiny from third-party payers and government regulators. These market and political forces create challenge and opportunity for a hospital-based radiology practice. Clearly, change that creates or builds greater value for patients also creates sustainable competitive advantage for a radiology practice. The somewhat amorphous concept of quality constitutes a significant value driver for innovation in this scenario. Quality initiatives and programs seek to define and manage this amorphous concept and provide tools for a radiology practice to create or build more value. Leadership and the early adoption of these inevitable programs by a radiology practice strengthens relationships with hospital partners and slows the attrition of imaging service lines to competitors.

Marketing the academic medical center group practice.

PubMed

Eudes, J A; Divis, K L

1992-01-01

From a marketing perspective, there are many differences between private and academic medical center (AMC) group practices. Given the growing competition between the two, write John Eudes and Kathy Divis, it is important for the AMC group practice to understand and use these differences to develop a competitive market advantage.

Learning from Toyota: How Action Learning Can Foster Competitive Advantage in New Product Development (NPD)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuchs, Barbara

2007-01-01

New product development and commercialization are essential to entrepreneurial growth and international competitiveness. Excellence in this area is strongly supported by individual and organizational learning efforts. By analyzing how Japanese car manufacturer Toyota organizes learning, this paper evaluates the potential of action learning to…

Degrees of Co-Creation: An Exploratory Study of Perceptions of International Students' Role in Community Engagement Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleischman, David; Raciti, Maria; Lawley, Meredith

2015-01-01

Increased competition for the international student market has motivated universities to modernize their marketing strategies. Community engagement is an important component of students' international university experience and represents a potential point of competitive advantage. Developing marketing strategies around university-student-community…

Ethnic Resources Utilization of Korean Immigrant Entrepreneurs in the Chicago Minority Area.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Kwang Chung; Hurh, Won Moo

1985-01-01

Korean entrepreneurs rely heavily on their ethnic resources for both business formation and operation. While such resource utilization facilitates immigrants' business entry and gives them competitive advantage in the general marketplace, the same mechanism poses the problems of entra-ethnic business competition and precarious position as a…

Strategic Enterprise Resource Planning for Global Supply Chain Competitiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nageswararao, A. V.; Sahu, Dasarathi; Mohan, V. Krishna

2011-01-01

Strategic Enterprise Resource planning (SERP) systems are networked and integrated information mechanisms which are developed to achieve competitive advantage for organizations operating in global scale. It plays a vital role in Integrating various stake holders and channel partners involved in day to day operations. In the present Globalized…

Critical Success Factors for Knowledge Transfer Collaborations between University and Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schofield, Tatiana

2013-01-01

In a fast moving business environment university-industry collaborations play a critical role in contributing to national economies and furthering a competitive advantage. Knowledge transfer from university to industry is supported by national governments as part of their innovation, national growth and competitiveness agenda. A…

The Competitive Status of the U.S. Electronics Industry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Academy of Engineering, Washington, DC. Committee on Technology and International Economic and Trade Issues.

This eight-chapter report is one of seven industry-specific studies conducted to identify global shifts of industrial technological capacity on a sector-by-sector basis, to relate those shifts in international competitive industrial advantage to technological and other factors, and to assess future prospects for further technological change and…

Using Technology for the Competitive Delivery of Educational Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hosie, P.; Mazzarol, T.

1999-01-01

Considers the use of information technology as a source of competitive advantage for education service providers operating in international markets, with particular reference to Australia. Discusses findings of a survey of 315 educational institutions in five countries and focuses on the potential of the Internet to provide graduate business…

Cryptic Fitness Advantage: Diploids Invade Haploid Populations Despite Lacking Any Apparent Advantage as Measured by Standard Fitness Assays

PubMed Central

Gerstein, Aleeza C.; Otto, Sarah P.

2011-01-01

Ploidy varies tremendously within and between species, yet the factors that influence when or why ploidy variants are adaptive remains poorly understood. Our previous work found that diploid individuals repeatedly arose within ten replicate haploid populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and in each case we witnessed diploid takeover within 1800 asexual generations of batch culture evolution in the lab. The character that allowed diploids to rise in frequency within haploid populations remains unknown. Here we present a number of experiments conducted with the goal to determine what this trait (or traits) might have been. Experiments were conducted both by sampling a small number of colonies from the stocks frozen every two weeks (93 generations) during the original experiment, as well through sampling a larger number of colonies at the two time points where polymorphism for ploidy was most prevalent. Surprisingly, none of our fitness component measures (lag phase, growth rate, biomass production) indicated an advantage to diploidy. Similarly, competition assays against a common competitor and direct competition between haploid and diploid colonies isolated from the same time point failed to indicate a diploid advantage. Furthermore, we uncovered a tremendous amount of trait variation among colonies of the same ploidy level. Only late-appearing diploids showed a competitive advantage over haploids, indicating that the fitness advantage that allowed eventual takeover was not diploidy per se but an attribute of a subset of diploid lineages. Nevertheless, the initial rise in diploids to intermediate frequency cannot be explained by any of the fitness measures used; we suggest that the resolution to this mystery is negative frequency-dependent selection, which is ignored in the standard fitness measures used. PMID:22174734

Strategy and the Internet.

PubMed

Porter, M E

2001-03-01

Many of the pioneers of Internet business, both dot-coms and established companies, have competed in ways that violate nearly every precept of good strategy. Rather than focus on profits, they have chased customers indiscriminately through discounting, channel incentives, and advertising. Rather than concentrate on delivering value that earns an attractive price from customers, they have pursued indirect revenues such as advertising and click-through fees. Rather than make trade-offs, they have rushed to offer every conceivable product or service. It did not have to be this way--and it does not have to be in the future. When it comes to reinforcing a distinctive strategy, Michael Porter argues, the Internet provides a better technological platform than previous generations of IT. Gaining competitive advantage does not require a radically new approach to business; it requires building on the proven principles of effective strategy. Porter argues that, contrary to recent thought, the Internet is not disruptive to most existing industries and established companies. It rarely nullifies important sources of competitive advantage in an industry; it often makes them even more valuable. And as all companies embrace Internet technology, the Internet itself will be neutralized as a source of advantage. Robust competitive advantages will arise instead from traditional strengths such as unique products, proprietary content, and distinctive physical activities. Internet technology may be able to fortify those advantages, but it is unlikely to supplant them. Porter debunks such Internet myths as first-mover advantage, the power of virtual companies, and the multiplying rewards of network effects. He disentangles the distorted signals from the marketplace, explains why the Internet complements rather than cannibalizes existing ways of doing business, and outlines strategic imperatives for dot-coms and traditional companies.

Spatial Aspects of Interspecific Competition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Durrett, Rick; Levin, Simon

1998-01-01

Using several variants of a stochastic spatial model introduced by Silvertown et al., we investigate the effect of spatial distribution of individuals on the outcome of competition. First, we prove rigorously that if one species has a competitive advantage over each of the others, then eventually it takes over all the sites in the system. Second, we examine tradeoffs between competition and dispersal distance in a two-species system. Third, we consider a cyclic competitive relationship between three types. In this case, a nonspatial treatment leads to densities that follow neutrally stable cycles or even unstable spiral solutions, while a spatial model yields a stationary distribution with an interesting spatial structure.

Industrial Cloud: Toward Inter-enterprise Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wlodarczyk, Tomasz Wiktor; Rong, Chunming; Thorsen, Kari Anne Haaland

Industrial cloud is introduced as a new inter-enterprise integration concept in cloud computing. The characteristics of an industrial cloud are given by its definition and architecture and compared with other general cloud concepts. The concept is then demonstrated by a practical use case, based on Integrated Operations (IO) in the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), showing how industrial digital information integration platform gives competitive advantage to the companies involved. Further research and development challenges are also discussed.

Systems Engineering Technical Leadership Development Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-30

technology-based competitive advantage can be part of firm’s business strategy.  Review the Porter Model . Return to Syllabus UNCLASSIFIED 66...Program 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR( S ) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7...PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME( S ) AND ADDRESS(ES) Stevens Institute of Technology,Systems Engineering Research Center,Castle Point on the Hudson,Hoboken,NJ

Competition, salinity, and clonal growth in native and introduced irises.

PubMed

Mopper, Susan; Wiens, Karen C; Goranova, Greta A

2016-09-01

Iris pseudacorus spread rapidly into North America after introduction from Europe in the 1800s and now co-occurs with native I. hexagona in freshwater Louisiana wetlands. Native irises support and interact with multiple trophic levels, whereas I. pseudacorus is classified an invasive pest because it grows aggressively, reduces biodiversity, and displaces native vegetation. Salinity levels are increasing in coastal wetlands worldwide. We examined how salt-stress affects competitive interactions between these conspecifics. We established a three-way full-factorial common-garden experiment that included species (I. pseudacorus, I. hexagona), competition (no competition, intraspecific competition, and interspecific competition), and salinity (0, 4, 8 parts per thousand NaCl), with six replicates per treatment. After 18 mo, Iris pseudacorus produced much more biomass than the native species did (F1, 92 = 71.5, P < 0.0001). Interspecific competition did not affect the introduced iris, but biomass of the native was strongly reduced (competition × species interaction: F2, 95 = 76.7, P = 0.002). Salinity significantly reduced biomass of both species (F2, 92 = 21.8, P < 0.0001), with no species × salinity interaction (F2, 84 = 1.85, P = 0.16). Our results demonstrate that salt stress strongly reduced clonal reproduction in native and introduced irises; however, the introduced iris had a competitive advantage over the native, regardless of environmental salinity levels. Based on patterns in clonal reproduction, the introduced iris could potentially threaten native iris populations. We are currently investigating seed production and mortality during competition and stress because both clonal and sexual reproduction must be considered when predicting long-term population dynamics. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Practices of weight regulation among elite athletes in combat sports: a matter of mental advantage?

PubMed

Pettersson, Stefan; Ekström, Marianne Pipping; Berg, Christina M

2013-01-01

The combination of extensive weight loss and inadequate nutritional strategies used to lose weight rapidly for competition in weight-category sports may negatively affect athletic performance and health. To explore the reasoning of elite combat-sport athletes about rapid weight loss and regaining of weight before competitions. Qualitative study. With grounded theory as a theoretical framework, we employed a cross-examinational approach including interviews, observations, and Internet sources. Sports observations were obtained at competitions and statements by combat-sport athletes were collected on the Internet. Participants in the interviews were 14 Swedish national team athletes (9 men, 5 women; age range, 18 to 36 years) in 3 Olympic combat sports (wrestling, judo, and taekwondo). Semistructured interviews with 14 athletes from the Swedish national teams in wrestling, judo, and taekwondo were conducted at a location of each participant's choice. The field observations were conducted at European competitions in these 3 sports. In addition, interviews and statements made by athletes in combat sports were collected on the Internet. Positive aspects of weight regulation other than gaining physical advantage emerged from the data during the analysis: sport identity, mental diversion, and mental advantage. Together and individually, these categories point toward the positive aspects of weight regulation experienced by the athletes. Practicing weight regulation mediates a self-image of being "a real athlete." Weight regulation is also considered mentally important as a part of the precompetition preparation, serving as a coping strategy by creating a feeling of increased focus and commitment. Moreover, a mental advantage relative to one's opponents can be gained through the practice of weight regulation. Weight regulation has mentally important functions extending beyond the common notion that combat-sport athletes reduce their weight merely to gain a physical edge over their opponents.

Effects of growth rate, cell size, motion, and elemental stoichiometry on nutrient transport kinetics

PubMed Central

Skibinski, David O. F.

2018-01-01

Nutrient acquisition is a critical determinant for the competitive advantage for auto- and osmohetero- trophs alike. Nutrient limited growth is commonly described on a whole cell basis through reference to a maximum growth rate (Gmax) and a half-saturation constant (KG). This empirical application of a Michaelis-Menten like description ignores the multiple underlying feedbacks between physiology contributing to growth, cell size, elemental stoichiometry and cell motion. Here we explore these relationships with reference to the kinetics of the nutrient transporter protein, the transporter rate density at the cell surface (TRD; potential transport rate per unit plasma-membrane area), and diffusion gradients. While the half saturation value for the limiting nutrient increases rapidly with cell size, significant mitigation is afforded by cell motion (swimming or sedimentation), and by decreasing the cellular carbon density. There is thus potential for high vacuolation and high sedimentation rates in diatoms to significantly decrease KG and increase species competitive advantage. Our results also suggest that Gmax for larger non-diatom protists may be constrained by rates of nutrient transport. For a given carbon density, cell size and TRD, the value of Gmax/KG remains constant. This implies that species or strains with a lower Gmax might coincidentally have a competitive advantage under nutrient limited conditions as they also express lower values of KG. The ability of cells to modulate the TRD according to their nutritional status, and hence change the instantaneous maximum transport rate, has a very marked effect upon transport and growth kinetics. Analyses and dynamic models that do not consider such modulation will inevitably fail to properly reflect competitive advantage in nutrient acquisition. This has important implications for the accurate representation and predictive capabilities of model applications, in particular in a changing environment. PMID:29702650

Development of a screening method for genetically modified soybean by plasmid-based quantitative competitive polymerase chain reaction.

PubMed

Shimizu, Eri; Kato, Hisashi; Nakagawa, Yuki; Kodama, Takashi; Futo, Satoshi; Minegishi, Yasutaka; Watanabe, Takahiro; Akiyama, Hiroshi; Teshima, Reiko; Furui, Satoshi; Hino, Akihiro; Kitta, Kazumi

2008-07-23

A novel type of quantitative competitive polymerase chain reaction (QC-PCR) system for the detection and quantification of the Roundup Ready soybean (RRS) was developed. This system was designed based on the advantage of a fully validated real-time PCR method used for the quantification of RRS in Japan. A plasmid was constructed as a competitor plasmid for the detection and quantification of genetically modified soy, RRS. The plasmid contained the construct-specific sequence of RRS and the taxon-specific sequence of lectin1 (Le1), and both had 21 bp oligonucleotide insertion in the sequences. The plasmid DNA was used as a reference molecule instead of ground seeds, which enabled us to precisely and stably adjust the copy number of targets. The present study demonstrated that the novel plasmid-based QC-PCR method could be a simple and feasible alternative to the real-time PCR method used for the quantification of genetically modified organism contents.

75 FR 25004 - Program for Allocation of Regulatory Responsibilities Pursuant to Rule 17d-2; Order Approving and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-06

... informational advantages that could place an affiliated member of an exchange at a competitive advantage vis... Member'').\\14\\ For purposes of the proposed 17d-2 Plan, Ballista would meet the definition of the term...

Linking Competence Change and Organization Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boulay, David

2007-01-01

The notion of long term sustainable competitive advantage assumes that environment changes are engrained into organizations. Yet, the principles of continuous improvement suggest a shorter and shorter lifecycle of skills and knowledge that provides the sustainable advantage. Continuous change resulting from new ideas, practices, and technologies…

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.

Over-invasion by functionally equivalent invasive species.

PubMed

Russell, James C; Sataruddin, Nurul S; Heard, Allison D

2014-08-01

Multiple invasive species have now established at most locations around the world, and the rate of new species invasions and records of new invasive species continue to grow. Multiple invasive species interact in complex and unpredictable ways, altering their invasion success and impacts on biodiversity. Incumbent invasive species can be replaced by functionally similar invading species through competitive processes; however the generalized circumstances leading to such competitive displacement have not been well investigated. The likelihood of competitive displacement is a function of the incumbent advantage of the resident invasive species and the propagule pressure of the colonizing invasive species. We modeled interactions between populations of two functionally similar invasive species and indicated the circumstances under which dominance can be through propagule pressure and incumbent advantage. Under certain circumstances, a normally subordinate species can be incumbent and reject a colonizing dominant species, or successfully colonize in competition with a dominant species during simultaneous invasion. Our theoretical results are supported by empirical studies of the invasion of islands by three invasive Rattus species. Competitive displacement is prominent in invasive rats and explains the replacement of R. exulans on islands subsequently invaded by European populations of R. rattus and R. norvegicus. These competition outcomes between invasive species can be found in a broad range of taxa and biomes, and are likely to become more common. Conservation management must consider that removing an incumbent invasive species may facilitate invasion by another invasive species. Under very restricted circumstances of dominant competitive ability but lesser impact, competitive displacement may provide a novel method of biological control.

Interobject grouping facilitates visual awareness.

PubMed

Stein, Timo; Kaiser, Daniel; Peelen, Marius V

2015-01-01

In organizing perception, the human visual system takes advantage of regularities in the visual input to perceptually group related image elements. Simple stimuli that can be perceptually grouped based on physical regularities, for example by forming an illusory contour, have a competitive advantage in entering visual awareness. Here, we show that regularities that arise from the relative positioning of complex, meaningful objects in the visual environment also modulate visual awareness. Using continuous flash suppression, we found that pairs of objects that were positioned according to real-world spatial regularities (e.g., a lamp above a table) accessed awareness more quickly than the same object pairs shown in irregular configurations (e.g., a table above a lamp). This advantage was specific to upright stimuli and abolished by stimulus inversion, meaning that it did not reflect physical stimulus confounds or the grouping of simple image elements. Thus, knowledge of the spatial configuration of objects in the environment shapes the contents of conscious perception.

Strategy as simple rules.

PubMed

Eisenhardt, K M; Sull, D N

2001-01-01

The success of Yahoo!, eBay, Enron, and other companies that have become adept at morphing to meet the demands of changing markets can't be explained using traditional thinking about competitive strategy. These companies have succeeded by pursuing constantly evolving strategies in market spaces that were considered unattractive according to traditional measures. In this article--the third in an HBR series by Kathleen Eisenhardt and Donald Sull on strategy in the new economy--the authors ask, what are the sources of competitive advantage in high-velocity markets? The secret, they say, is strategy as simple rules. The companies know that the greatest opportunities for competitive advantage lie in market confusion, but they recognize the need for a few crucial strategic processes and a few simple rules. In traditional strategy, advantage comes from exploiting resources or stable market positions. In strategy as simple rules, advantage comes from successfully seizing fleeting opportunities. Key strategic processes, such as product innovation, partnering, or spinout creation, place the company where the flow of opportunities is greatest. Simple rules then provide the guidelines within which managers can pursue such opportunities. Simple rules, which grow out of experience, fall into five broad categories: how- to rules, boundary conditions, priority rules, timing rules, and exit rules. Companies with simple-rules strategies must follow the rules religiously and avoid the temptation to change them too frequently. A consistent strategy helps managers sort through opportunities and gain short-term advantage by exploiting the attractive ones. In stable markets, managers rely on complicated strategies built on detailed predictions of the future. But when business is complicated, strategy should be simple.

Is it useful to view the brain as a secondary sexual characteristic?

PubMed

Ball, Gregory F; Balthazart, Jacques; McCarthy, Margaret M

2014-10-01

Many sex differences in brain and behavior related to reproduction are thought to have evolved based on sexual selection involving direct competition for mates during male-male competition and female choice. Therefore, certain aspects of brain circuitry can be viewed as secondary sexual characteristics. The study of proximate causes reveals that sex differences in the brain of mammals and birds reflect organizational and activational effects of sex steroids as articulated by Young and collaborators. However, sex differences in brain and behavior have been identified in the cognitive domain with no obvious link to reproduction. Recent views of sexual selection advocate for a broader view of how intra-sexual selection might occur including such examples as competition within female populations for resources that facilitate access to mates rather than mating competition per se. Sex differences can also come about for other reasons than sexual selection and recent work on neuroendocrine mechanisms has identified a plethora of ways that the brain can develop in a sex specific manner. Identifying the brain as sexually selected requires careful hypothesis testing so that one can link a sex-biased aspect of a neural trait to a behavior that provides an advantage in a competitive mating situation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The evolution of increased competitive ability, innate competitive advantages, and novel biochemical weapons act in concert for a tropical invader.

PubMed

Qin, Rui-Min; Zheng, Yu-Long; Valiente-Banuet, Alfonso; Callaway, Ragan M; Barclay, Gregor F; Pereyra, Carlos Silva; Feng, Yu-Long

2013-02-01

There are many non-mutually exclusive mechanisms for exotic invasions but few studies have concurrently tested more than one hypothesis for the same species. Here, we tested the evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis in two common garden experiments in which Chromolaena odorata plants originating from native and nonnative ranges were grown in competition with natives from each range, and the novel weapons hypothesis in laboratory experiments with leachates from C. odorata. Compared with conspecifics originating from the native range, C. odorata plants from the nonnative range were stronger competitors at high nutrient concentrations in the nonnative range in China and experienced far more herbivore damage in the native range in Mexico. In both China and Mexico, C. odorata was more suppressed by species native to Mexico than by species native to China. Species native to China were much more inhibited by leaf extracts from C. odorata than species from Mexico, and this difference in allelopathic effects may provide a possible explanation for the biogeographic differences in competitive ability. Our results indicate that EICA, innate competitive advantages, and novel biochemical weapons may act in concert to promote invasion by C. odorata, and emphasize the importance of exploring multiple, non-mutually exclusive mechanisms for invasions. © 2012 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2012 New Phytologist Trust.

Maximizing commonality between military and general aviation fly-by-light helicopter system designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enns, Russell; Mossman, David C.

1995-05-01

In the face of shrinking defense budgets, survival of the United States rotorcraft industry is becoming increasingly dependent on increased sales in a highly competitive civil helicopter market. As a result, only the most competitive rotorcraft manufacturers are likely to survive. A key ingredient in improving our competitive position is the ability to produce more versatile, high performance, high quality, and low cost of ownership helicopters. Fiber optic technology offers a path of achieving these objectives. Also, adopting common components and architectures for different helicopter models (while maintaining each models' uniqueness) will further decrease design and production costs. Funds saved (or generated) by exploiting this commonality can be applied to R&D used to further improve the product. In this paper, we define a fiber optics based avionics architecture which provides the pilot a fly-by-light / digital flight control system which can be implemented in both civilian and military helicopters. We then discuss the advantages of such an architecture.

A market approach to better care at lower cost.

PubMed

Antos, Joseph

2015-11-01

The Affordable Care Act expanded health insurance coverage in the United States but did little to address the structural problems that plague the U.S. health care system. Controlling cost while maintaining or improving access to quality care requires a more fundamental reform based on market principles. Such an approach means aligning the financial incentives of patients and providers to promote smarter spending. It also requires better information and more flexible regulation to promote well-functioning competitive markets. Key elements of these reforms include setting reasonable limits on subsidies for Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance; modernizing the Medicare program and adopting reforms that promote competition between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage; allowing greater flexibility for states in running their Medicaid programs; enacting smarter regulations to protect consumers without imposing greater inefficiency on the health market; and promoting more direct consumer involvement in all phases of their health and health care. These changes will challenge academic medical centers as a new era of creativity and competition emerges in the health care market.

The Homogenization of Planetary Life: The Inner Logic of Global Market Competition. The Iconoclast.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMurtry, John

1997-01-01

Notes that the law of competitive advantage, quoted so frequently in support of the global economy, mandates a uniformity of agricultural and economic products. Argues that this systematically selects against the biodiversity of life and reduces nature's capacities to adapt and reproduce in changing biological conditions. (MJP)

Accelerated development in johnsongrass seedlings (Sorghum halepense) suppresses the growth of native grasses through size-asymmetric competition

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Superior competitive ability is an expected characteristic of grassland invaders, but not all invaders exhibit traits that convey a persistent growth advantage. Here we examine priority, expressed as a brief seedling growth burst, as the driving mechanism through which the exotic weed Johnsongrass ...

Global University Alliances and the Creation of Collaborative Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunn, Andrew; Mintrom, Michael

2013-01-01

The past two decades have seen the development of many global university alliances. Some alliances have taken a bilateral form, others are multilateral. In a period of increasing competition among universities, such alliances represent a curious form of cooperation. They have become more common just as global competition for academic talent has…

Application of Business Intelligence System in Company Restructuring Process: The Case of Croatia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakula, Iva; Curko, Katarina; Bach, Mirjana Pejic; Vukšic, Vesna Bosilj

2016-01-01

After Croatian accession to the EU, Croatian companies have faced tough competition and all other challenges posed by doing business in open markets. These companies must increase competitiveness and take their position on developed globalized markets through differentiation of their products and services and/or creation of cost advantage. For…

SERVMO: A Measure for Service-Driven Market Orientation in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voon, B. H.

2008-01-01

With the intensified pace of globalization and increasing customer expectations, the higher education sector, like other economy sectors, faces increasing competition in terms of serving customers better. Service has been recognized as an effective tool for a competitive advantage. Thus, there is always a need for a more effective way of improving…

[Enzyme kinetic glucose determination by the glucose dehydrogenase method. Enzyme kinetic substrate determination using competitive inhibitors, II (author's transl)].

PubMed

Müller-Matthesius, R

1975-05-01

The sensitivity of enzyme kinetic substrate determinations can be improved with the aid of competitive inhibitors. As an example, the determination of glucose dehydrogenase in the presence of potassium thiocyanate is described. The method has the advantage of rapid operation with satisfactory precision.

Thoroughly Applying Scientific Outlook on Development Implementing Sustainable Development Strategy in Higher Vocational Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Zhi; Wang, Youhua

2008-01-01

To make breakthroughs, obtain further development, and win in the fierce competition, higher vocational colleges must apply scientific outlook on development, set up students-and-teachers oriented educational concept, enhance connotation construction, create competition advantages so as to fully improve education and teaching quality and realize…

Workskills and National Competitiveness: External Benchmarks. Report No. 2: Benchmarking Australian Qualification Profiles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cullen, R. B.

Although education and training should be a source of relative advantage for Australia, the competitive benefits expected from the nation's "clever country" strategy have been slow to emerge. When 22 countries including Australia, Germany, Singapore, the United Kingdom, United States, and New Zealand were compared from the standpoint of…

Exploring the Development of a Competitive-Advantage Model for Online Education in a Small State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Essary, Michael

2011-01-01

In the 2000s, changes in the external environment, including changing student demographics, increased competition, and declining government support, are affecting public higher education administrators. The growth in online enrollment is increasing at a rate higher than the total higher education enrollment, and the majority of university…

The Relationship between Organizational Culture and Performance: Merger in the Nigerian Banking Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoro, Henrietta Mbamalu

2010-01-01

Recent merger waves in most organizations fail to increase organizational performance and sustain competitive advantage. Several U.S. organizational mergers failed to sustain market competition and retain employees. Most consolidated and merged banks in Nigeria are in distress and have failed to increase organizational performance. Currently,…

Study Abroad: A Competitive Edge for Women?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opper, Susan

1991-01-01

Studies effects of study abroad among 172 female and 217 male graduates in the United Kingdom, France, and the Federal Republic of Germany between 1980 and 1984. Finds study abroad expedites obtaining job interviews but was of little advantage in securing employment for either sex. Finds degree credential provides a competitive edge. (NL)

Using Student Competition Field Trips to Increase Teaching and Learning Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galbraith, John M.

2012-01-01

Teaching and learning effectiveness may be enhanced in small-class settings where teachers can tailor materials and methods to individuals. Preparing students ahead of time for a week-long field trip to a new area that involves student-centered learning and a competition to promote student engagement should offer educational advantages. This…

19 CFR 356.10 - Procedures for obtaining access to proprietary information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... secretary if such person: (i) Is not involved in competitive decision-making for a participant in the panel review or for any person that would gain competitive advantage through knowledge of the proprietary... and each copy as the first page of the document. (4) Service of applications—(i) Persons described in...

Accelerated development in Johnsongrass seedlings (Sorghum halepense) suppresses the growth of native grasses through size-asymmetric competition

PubMed Central

Meckel, Heather; Reichmann, Lara G.; Polley, H. Wayne; Fay, Philip A.

2017-01-01

Invasive plant species often dominate native species in competition, augmenting other potential advantages such as release from natural enemies. Resource pre-emption may be a particularly important mechanism for establishing dominance over competitors of the same functional type. We hypothesized that competitive success of an exotic grass against native grasses is mediated by establishing an early size advantage. We tested this prediction among four perennial C4 warm-season grasses: the exotic weed Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparius) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). We predicted that a) the competitive effect of Johnsongrass on target species would be proportional to their initial biomass difference, b) competitive effect and response would be negatively correlated and c) soil fertility would have little effect on competitive relationships. In a greenhouse, plants of the four species were grown from seed either alone or with one Johnsongrass neighbor at two fertilizer levels and periodically harvested. The first two hypotheses were supported: The seedling biomass of single plants at first harvest (50 days after seeding) ranked the same way as the competitive effect of Johnsongrass on target species: Johnsongrass < big bluestem < little bluestem/switchgrass, while Johnsongrass responded more strongly to competition from Johnsongrass than from native species. At final harvest, native plants growing with Johnsongrass attained between 2–5% of their single-plant non-root biomass, while Johnsongrass growing with native species attained 89% of single-plant non-root biomass. Fertilization enhanced Johnsongrass’ competitive effects on native species, but added little to the already severe competitive suppression. Accelerated early growth of Johnsongrass seedlings relative to native seedlings appeared to enable subsequent resource pre-emption. Size-asymmetric competition and resource-pre-emption may be a critical mechanism by which exotic invasive species displace functionally similar native species and alter the functional dynamics of native communities. PMID:28467488

Accelerated development in Johnsongrass seedlings (Sorghum halepense) suppresses the growth of native grasses through size-asymmetric competition.

PubMed

Schwinning, Susanne; Meckel, Heather; Reichmann, Lara G; Polley, H Wayne; Fay, Philip A

2017-01-01

Invasive plant species often dominate native species in competition, augmenting other potential advantages such as release from natural enemies. Resource pre-emption may be a particularly important mechanism for establishing dominance over competitors of the same functional type. We hypothesized that competitive success of an exotic grass against native grasses is mediated by establishing an early size advantage. We tested this prediction among four perennial C4 warm-season grasses: the exotic weed Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparius) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). We predicted that a) the competitive effect of Johnsongrass on target species would be proportional to their initial biomass difference, b) competitive effect and response would be negatively correlated and c) soil fertility would have little effect on competitive relationships. In a greenhouse, plants of the four species were grown from seed either alone or with one Johnsongrass neighbor at two fertilizer levels and periodically harvested. The first two hypotheses were supported: The seedling biomass of single plants at first harvest (50 days after seeding) ranked the same way as the competitive effect of Johnsongrass on target species: Johnsongrass < big bluestem < little bluestem/switchgrass, while Johnsongrass responded more strongly to competition from Johnsongrass than from native species. At final harvest, native plants growing with Johnsongrass attained between 2-5% of their single-plant non-root biomass, while Johnsongrass growing with native species attained 89% of single-plant non-root biomass. Fertilization enhanced Johnsongrass' competitive effects on native species, but added little to the already severe competitive suppression. Accelerated early growth of Johnsongrass seedlings relative to native seedlings appeared to enable subsequent resource pre-emption. Size-asymmetric competition and resource-pre-emption may be a critical mechanism by which exotic invasive species displace functionally similar native species and alter the functional dynamics of native communities.

Information technology for competitive advantage: the case of learning and innovation in behavioural healthcare service.

PubMed

Hsieh, Chang-tseh; Lin, Binshan

2011-01-01

The utilisation of IS/IT could offer a substantial competitive advantage to healthcare service providers through the realisation of improved clinical, financial, and administrative outcomes. In this study, 42 journal articles were reviewed and summarised with respect to identified benefits and challenges of the development and implementation of electronic medical records, tele-health, and electronic appointment reminders. Results of this study help pave the knowledge foundation for management of the behavioural healthcare to learn how to apply state-of-the-art information technology to offer higher quality, clinically proven effective services at lower costs than those of their competitors.

The process of managerial control in quality improvement initiatives.

PubMed

Slovensky, D J; Fottler, M D

1994-11-01

The fundamental intent of strategic management is to position an organization with in its market to exploit organizational competencies and strengths to gain competitive advantage. Competitive advantage may be achieved through such strategies as low cost, high quality, or unique services or products. For health care organizations accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, continually improving both processes and outcomes of organizational performance--quality improvement--in all operational areas of the organization is a mandated strategy. Defining and measuring quality and controlling the quality improvement strategy remain problematic. The article discusses the nature and processes of managerial control, some potential measures of quality, and related information needs.

A fuzzy model for achieving lean attributes for competitive advantages development using AHP-QFD-PROMETHEE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roghanian, E.; Alipour, Mohammad

2014-06-01

Lean production has become an integral part of the manufacturing landscape as its link with superior performance and its ability to provide competitive advantage is well accepted among academics and practitioners. Lean production helps producers in overcoming the challenges organizations face through using powerful tools and enablers. However, most companies are faced with restricted resources such as financial and human resources, time, etc., in using these enablers, and are not capable of implementing all these techniques. Therefore, identifying and selecting the most appropriate and efficient tool can be a significant challenge for many companies. Hence, this literature seeks to combine competitive advantages, lean attributes, and lean enablers to determine the most appropriate enablers for improvement of lean attributes. Quality function deployment in fuzzy environment and house of quality matrix are implemented. Throughout the methodology, fuzzy logic is the basis for translating linguistic judgments required for the relationships and correlation matrix to numerical values. Moreover, for final ranking of lean enablers, a multi-criteria decision-making method (PROMETHEE) is adopted. Finally, a case study in automotive industry is presented to illustrate the implementation of the proposed methodology.

Invasive alien plants benefit more from clonal integration in heterogeneous environments than natives.

PubMed

Wang, Yong-Jian; Müller-Schärer, Heinz; van Kleunen, Mark; Cai, Ai-Ming; Zhang, Ping; Yan, Rong; Dong, Bi-Cheng; Yu, Fei-Hai

2017-12-01

What confers invasive alien plants a competitive advantage over native plants remains open to debate. Many of the world's worst invasive alien plants are clonal and able to share resources within clones (clonal integration), particularly in heterogeneous environments. Here, we tested the hypothesis that clonal integration benefits invasive clonal plants more than natives and thus confers invasives a competitive advantage. We selected five congeneric and naturally co-occurring pairs of invasive alien and native clonal plants in China, and grew pairs of connected and disconnected ramets under heterogeneous light, soil nutrient and water conditions that are commonly encountered by alien plants during their invasion into new areas. Clonal integration increased biomass of all plants in all three heterogeneous resource environments. However, invasive plants benefited more from clonal integration than natives. Consequently, invasive plants produced more biomass than natives. Our results indicate that clonal integration may confer invasive alien clonal plants a competitive advantage over natives. Therefore, differences in the ability of clonal integration could potentially explain, at least partly, the invasion success of alien clonal plants in areas where resources are heterogeneously distributed. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Using Sustainable Development as a Competitive Strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spearman, Pat

Sustainable development reduces construction waste by 43%, generating 50% cost savings. Residential construction executives lacking adequate knowledge regarding the benefits of sustainable development practices are at a competitive disadvantage. Drawing from the diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore knowledge acquisition within the bounds of sustainable residential construction. The purposive sample size of 11 executive decision makers fulfilled the sample size requirements and enabled the extraction of meaningful data. Participants were members of the National Home Builders Association and had experience of a minimum of 5 years in residential construction. The research question addressed how to improve knowledge acquisition relating to the cost benefits of building green homes and increase the adoption rate of sustainable development among residential builders. Data were collected via semistructured telephone interviews, field observation, and document analysis. Transcribed data were validated via respondent validation, coded into 5 initial categories aligned to the focus of the research, then reduced to 3 interlocking themes of environment, competitive advantage, and marketing. Recommendations include developing comprehensive public policies, horizontal and vertical communications networks, and green banks to capitalize sustainable development programs to improve the diffusion of green innovation as a competitive advantage strategy. Business leaders could benefit from this data by integrating sustainable development practices into their business processes. Sustainable development reduces operational costs, increases competitive advantage for builders, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Implications for social change increase energy independence through conservation and developing a legislative policy template for comprehensive energy strategies. A comprehensive energy strategy promotes economic development, technological gains in all business sectors within the energy industry, and reduces energy costs for consumers.

Competitive Advantage of MBA for Physician Executives: A Systematic Literature Review.

PubMed

Turner, Anthony D; Stawicki, Stanislaw P; Guo, Weidun Alan

2018-06-01

In response to systemic challenges facing the US healthcare system, many medical students, residents and practicing physicians are pursuing a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree. The value of such proposition remains poorly defined. The aim of this review is to analyze current literature pertaining to the added value of MBA training for physician executives (PEs). We hypothesized that physicians who supplement their clinical expertise with business education gain a significant competitive advantage. A detailed literature search of four electronic databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase and ERIC) was performed. Included were studies published between Jan 2000 and June 2017, focusing specifically on PEs. Among 1580 non-duplicative titles, we identified 23 relevant articles. Attributes which were found to add value to one's competitiveness as PE were recorded. A quality index score was assigned to each article in order to minimize bias. Results were tabulated by attributes and by publication. We found that competitive domains deemed to be most important for PEs in the context of MBA training were leadership (n = 17), career advancement opportunities (n = 12), understanding of financial aspects of medicine (n = 9) and team-building skills (n = 10). Among other prominent factors associated with the desire to engage in an MBA were higher compensation, awareness of public health issues/strategy, increased negotiation skills and enhanced work-life balance. Of interest, the learning of strategies for reducing malpractice litigation was less important than the other drivers. This comprehensive systemic review supports our hypothesis that a business degree confers a competitive advantage for PEs. Physician executives equipped with an MBA degree appear to be better equipped to face the challenge of the dynamically evolving healthcare landscape. This information may be beneficial to medical schools designing or implementing combined dual-degree curricula.

Lattice Boltzmann model for simulation of magnetohydrodynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Shiyi; Chen, Hudong; Martinez, Daniel; Matthaeus, William

1991-01-01

A numerical method, based on a discrete Boltzmann equation, is presented for solving the equations of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The algorithm provides advantages similar to the cellular automaton method in that it is local and easily adapted to parallel computing environments. Because of much lower noise levels and less stringent requirements on lattice size, the method appears to be more competitive with traditional solution methods. Examples show that the model accurately reproduces both linear and nonlinear MHD phenomena.

Technical Leadership Development Program-Year 3

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-30

Develop an understanding of why achieving technology-based competitive advantage can be part of firm’s business strategy.  Review the Porter Model ...NUMBER H98230-08-D-0171 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR( S ) Gavito /Dr. Valentin 5d. PROJECT NUMBER RT 4-3 5e. TASK...NUMBER WHS TO009 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME( S ) AND ADDRESS(ES) Stevens Institute of Technology 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION

Future-proofing the pharmacy profession in a hypercompetitive market.

PubMed

Singleton, Judith A; Nissen, Lisa M

2014-01-01

This paper highlights the hypercompetitive nature of the current pharmacy landscape in Australia and to suggest either a superior level of differentiation strategy or a focused differentiation strategy targeting a niche market as two viable, alternative business models to cost leadership for small, independent community pharmacies. A description of the Australian health care system is provided as well as background information on the current community pharmacy environment in Australia. The authors propose a differentiation or focused differentiation strategy based on cognitive professional services (CPS) which must be executed well and of a superior quality to competitors' services. Market research to determine the services valued by target customers and that they are willing to pay for is vital. To achieve the superior level of quality that will engender high patient satisfaction levels and loyalty, pharmacy owners and managers need to develop, maintain and clearly communicate service quality specifications to the staff delivering these services. Otherwise, there will be a proliferation of pharmacies offering the same professional services with no evident service differential. However, to sustain competitive advantage over the long-term, these smaller, independent community pharmacies will need to exploit a broad core competency base in order to be able to continuously introduce new sources of competitive advantage. With the right expertise, the authors argue that smaller, independent community pharmacies can successfully deliver CPS and sustain profitability in a hypercompetitive market. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An analytical approach to determining the competitive advantage of TQM in health care.

PubMed

Yasin, M M; Alavi, J

1999-01-01

The utilization of total quality management (TQM) is advocated by some experts, as a partial remedy to the ills of the healthcare industry. However, some healthcare administrators are not yet sold on TQM. Some healthcare administrators still question the impact of TQM on the operational, financial and strategic health of their institutions. They consider the investment in TQM as unjustifiable because the return on such investment in their mind is questionable. This study illustrates how the constant market share model can be utilized to show the competitive benefits of TQM. Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that the fears of some healthcare administrators are unfounded. Not only that TQM does not compromise organizational effectiveness, but it actually improves it, as it contributes to increasing market share.

An Empirical Analysis of the Effectiveness of Design-Build Construction Contracts

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-08-01

features and benefits with traditional design/bid/build. Several types of design/build organizations are examined, with their relative advantages and... benefits transferable to government contracting? Perhaps the most logical approach would be to compare point by point the various advantages and...consider to be critical to their competitive advantage in the market. This paper opens with a review of the development of design/build, then contrasts its

A novel single fluorophore-labeled double-stranded oligonucleotide probe for fluorescence-enhanced nucleic acid detection based on the inherent quenching ability of deoxyguanosine bases and competitive strand-displacement reaction.

PubMed

Zhang, Yingwei; Tian, Jingqi; Li, Hailong; Wang, Lei; Sun, Xuping

2012-01-01

We develop a novel single fluorophore-labeled double-stranded oligonucleotide (OND) probe for rapid, nanostructure-free, fluorescence-enhanced nucleic acid detection for the first time. We further demonstrate such probe is able to well discriminate single-base mutation in nucleic acid. The design takes advantage of an inherent quenching ability of guanine bases. The short strand of the probe is designed with an end-labeled fluorophore that is placed adjacent to two guanines as the quencher located on the long opposite strand, resulting in great quenching of dye fluorescence. In the presence of a target complementary to the long strand of the probe, a competitive strand-displacement reaction occurs and the long strand forms a more stable duplex with the target, resulting in the two strands of the probe being separated from each other. As a consequence of this displacement, the fluorophore and the quencher are no longer in close proximity and dye fluorescence increases, signaling the presence of target.

A Kantian argument against comparatively advantageous genetic modification.

PubMed

Jensen, David

2011-08-01

The genetic modification of children is becoming a more likely possibility given our rapid progress in medical technologies. I argue, from a broadly Kantian point of view, that at least one kind of such modification-modification by a parent for the sake of a child's comparative advantage-is not rationally justified. To argue this, I first characterize a necessary condition on reasons and rational justification: what is a reason for an agent to do an action in one set of circumstances must be a reason for any in those circumstances to do the action. I then show that comparatively advantageous genetic modification violates this principle since a child's "getting ahead" through genetic modification cannot be rationally justified unless other children also could receive the modification, thus rendering the advantage useless. Finally, I consider the major objection to this it seems to disallow all cases of a parent's helping a child get ahead, something that parents normally engage in with their children. I argue that typical practices of developing a comparative advantage in a child, as well as practices of societal competition in general, do not conflict because they involve circumstances that mitigate the universal character of reasons. Many ordinary cases of competitive advantage that we think of as unjust, in fact, can be explained by my argument.

Publication misrepresentation among anesthesiology residency applicants.

PubMed

Neuman, Stephanie A; Long, Timothy R; Rose, Steven H

2011-03-01

Publication misrepresentation has been documented among applicants for residency positions in several specialties. However, these data are not available for anesthesiology applicants. Our purpose in this study was to document the prevalence of publication misrepresentation among applicants to a single anesthesiology residency, to compare anesthesiology publication misrepresentation data with similar data in other specialties, and to determine how often publication misrepresentation leads to an unfair competitive advantage in the application process. Applications to the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education anesthesiology core residency in Rochester, Minnesota, were reviewed for publication misrepresentations using Medline and PubMed databases, Mayo Clinic library databases, and/or review by a qualified medical librarian. Misrepresented publications underwent further review to identify fraudulent publications and/or citation errors that provide an unfair competitive advantage. The authors found that 2.4% of the applications (13 of 532) included fraudulent publications, 6.6% of the applications with at least 1 publication (13 of 197) included ≥1 that was fraudulent, and 2.9% of all cited publications (15 of 522) were fraudulent. In addition, 0.9% of the applications (5 of 532) contained a citation error that, although not grossly fraudulent, could have favorably affected the applicant's competitiveness for a residency position. Misrepresented publications were fairly common among anesthesiology residency applicants. However, only a small percentage of applicants listed misrepresented publications that were clearly fraudulent or contained a citation error that conferred a competitive advantage. Identification of fraudulent publications on Electronic Residency Application Service applications is important to maintain the integrity of the application process.

Competitive and blocking enzyme-linked immunoassay for detection of fetal bovine serum antibodies to bovine viral diarrhea virus.

PubMed

Katz, J B; Hanson, S K

1987-02-01

A competitive blocking enzyme-linked immunoassay (CELIA) was developed to detect bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) antibodies in undiluted fetal bovine serum (FBS). The CELIA was based on competition of serum BVDV antibodies with biotin-labelled anti-BVDV immunoglobulins (Ig) for a limited quantity of solid-phase BVDV antigen. Antigen preparation was simple, FBS could be tested undiluted, and detergent-containing washes were unnecessary. A series of dilutions of postnatal bovine BVDV antiserum prepared in FBS and a set of 147 undiluted abbatoir FBS samples were tested by both CELIA and serum neutralization tests (SNT). CELIA results on both sets of specimens correlated positively with SNT titers (r = 0.99 and r = 0.85). Relative to the SNT, CELIA sensitivity was 100%; specificity was 76%. CELIA detected a level of BVDV antibody below the 1:2-titer threshold detectable with the SNT. Advantages, limitations, and theoretical differences between the CELIA and SNT are discussed. A similar comparison of CELIA with non-competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay approaches to BVDV serodiagnosis is made. It is concluded that the CELIA is valuable in selecting only BVDV-seronegative FBS for use in virologic cell culture media.

Language extinction and linguistic fronts

PubMed Central

Isern, Neus; Fort, Joaquim

2014-01-01

Language diversity has become greatly endangered in the past centuries owing to processes of language shift from indigenous languages to other languages that are seen as socially and economically more advantageous, resulting in the death or doom of minority languages. In this paper, we define a new language competition model that can describe the historical decline of minority languages in competition with more advantageous languages. We then implement this non-spatial model as an interaction term in a reaction–diffusion system to model the evolution of the two competing languages. We use the results to estimate the speed at which the more advantageous language spreads geographically, resulting in the shrinkage of the area of dominance of the minority language. We compare the results from our model with the observed retreat in the area of influence of the Welsh language in the UK, obtaining a good agreement between the model and the observed data. PMID:24598207

Informal leadership support: an often overlooked competitive advantage.

PubMed

Peters, L H; O'Connor, E J

2001-01-01

As environmental pressures mount, the advantage of using the same strategies and tactics employed by competitors continues to shrink. An alternative is adapting and applying answers successfully employed in other industries to health care organizations. Working with informal influence leaders to share your change management efforts represents one such example. Informal influence leaders offer an often-overlooked source of competitive advantage--they have already earned credibility and respect from others, who regularly look to them for guidance. When sharing their views, they significantly influence the acceptance or rejection of new initiatives. Influence leaders reach into every conversation, every meeting, and every decision made in an organization. The important question is whether they will exert their leadership in support or in opposition to changes you propose. By identifying influence leaders and inviting them to join a group to discuss change initiatives, physician executives can create a positive force for change.

The "Virtual Face" of Planning: How to Use Higher Education Web Sites to Assess Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Katrina A.; Wilson, Jeffery L.

2010-01-01

The research presented in this article demonstrates how to investigate the competitive position of an institution's academic programs or services through an analysis of the Web sites of other higher education institutions. By using information from research/doctoral, master's, baccalaureate, and community colleges across 40 states, this study…

Strategic Management for Competitive Advantage: A Case Study of Higher Technical and Vocational Education in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Hsun-I; Lee, Cheng-Fei

2012-01-01

Higher technical and vocational education institutions in Taiwan face the pressure of an oversupply of student places and fierce competition from domestic and international institutions. To cope with these challenges, higher technical and vocational education institutions that are better equipped to respond to market requirements are expected to…

Flexible Learning for the Information Economy: A Framework for National Collaboration in Vocational Education and Training, 2000-2004.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2000

Vocational education and training (VET) has a fundamental role to play in enabling Australia's successful transition to the information economy. Competitive advantage can be supported by intelligent competition and creative collaboration. Governments have played the fundamental role in building a coordinated VET system in Australia and in helping…

Apprenticeship Training in Pakistan: A Comparative Study of Apprenticeship Practices in Punjab and European Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asghar, Waheed; Siddi, Sulaman Hafeez

2008-01-01

In this era of global competition, human resources will play a decisive role in the battle for efficiency and competitive advantage, where nations and organisations with superior and quality-oriented human capital will soon outperform those with inefficient and quantity-oriented labour force. Rate of human capital formation will be more important…

Internet and Electronic Information Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

centers to form consortia and share electronic information sources. Although traditional resource sharing arrangements encouraged competition rather...outside world, through public relations and through marketing information products or services, to its own competitive advantage (Davenport 1997: 193-217... electronic information sources are a challenge for electronic information managers. Libraries and information centers are no longer “the only game in town

E-Learning for SMEs: Competition and Dimensions of Perceived Value

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roffe, Ian

2004-01-01

E-learning is such an attractive opportunity for training providers to reconfigure delivery and support that it presents compelling reasons to engage with the practice. A broad range of provision is therefore available for every type of market segment, including small firms. Sustaining a competitive advantage from a host of offers is a practical…

Doctoral and Postdoctoral Education in Science and Engineering: Europe in the International Competition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MOGUEROU, PHILIPPE

2005-01-01

In this article, we discuss the recent evolutions of science and engineering doctoral and postdoctoral education in Europe. Indeed, Ph.Ds are crucial to the conduct of research and innovation in the national innovation systems, as they provide a large amount of input into creating the competitive advantage, notably through basic research. First,…

Innovations for competitiveness: European views on "better-faster-cheaper"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atzei, A.; Groepper, P.; Novara, M.; Pseiner, K.

1999-09-01

The paper elaborates on " lessons learned" from two recent ESA workshops, one focussing on the role of Innovation in the competitiveness of the space sector and the second on technology and engineering aspects conducive to better, faster and cheaper space programmes. The paper focuses primarily on four major aspects, namely: a) the adaptations of industrial and public organisations to the global market needs; b) the understanding of the bottleneck factors limiting competitiveness; c) the trends toward new system architectures and new engineering and production methods; d) the understanding of the role of new technology in the future applications. Under the pressure of market forces and the influence of many global and regional players, applications of space systems and technology are becoming more and more competitive. It is well recognised that without major effort for innovation in industrial practices, organisations, R&D, marketing and financial approaches the European space sector will stagnate and loose its competence as well as its competitiveness. It is also recognised that a programme run according to the "better, faster, cheaper" philosophy relies on much closer integration of system design, development and verification, and draws heavily on a robust and comprehensive programme of technology development, which must run in parallel and off-line with respect to flight programmes. A company's innovation capabilities will determine its future competitive advantage (in time, cost, performance or value) and overall growth potential. Innovation must be a process that can be counted on to provide repetitive, sustainable, long-term performance improvements. As such, it needs not depend on great breakthroughs in technology and concepts (which are accidental and rare). Rather, it could be based on bold evolution through the establishment of know-how, application of best practices, process effectiveness and high standards, performance measurement, and attention to customers and professional marketing. Having a technological lead allows industry to gain a competitive advantage in performance, cost and opportunities. Instrumental to better competitiveness is an R&D effort based on the adaptation of high technology products, capable of capturing new users, increasing production, decreasing the cost and delivery time and integrating high level of intelligence, information and autonomy. New systems will have to take in to account from the start what types of technologies are being developed or are already available in other areas outside space, and design their system accordingly. The future challenge for "faster, better, cheaper" appears to concern primarily "cost-effective", performant autonomous spacecraft, "cost-effective", reliable launching means and intelligent data fusion technologies and robust software serving mass- market real time services, distributed via EHF bands and Internet. In conclusion, it can be noticed that in the past few years new approaches have considerably enlarged the ways in which space missions can be implemented. They are supported by true innovations in mission concepts, system architecture, development and technologies, in particular for the development of initiatives based on multi-mission mini-satellites platforms for communication and Earth observation missions. There are also definite limits to cost cutting (such as lowering heads counts and increasing efficiency), and therefore the strategic perspective must be shifted from the present emphasis on cost-driven enhancement to revenue-driven improvements for growth. And since the product life-cycle is continuously shortening, competitiveness is linked very strongly with the capability to generate new technology products which enhance cost/benefit performance.

Plant circadian clocks increase photosynthesis, growth, survival, and competitive advantage.

PubMed

Dodd, Antony N; Salathia, Neeraj; Hall, Anthony; Kévei, Eva; Tóth, Réka; Nagy, Ferenc; Hibberd, Julian M; Millar, Andrew J; Webb, Alex A R

2005-07-22

Circadian clocks are believed to confer an advantage to plants, but the nature of that advantage has been unknown. We show that a substantial photosynthetic advantage is conferred by correct matching of the circadian clock period with that of the external light-dark cycle. In wild type and in long- and short-circadian period mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana, plants with a clock period matched to the environment contain more chlorophyll, fix more carbon, grow faster, and survive better than plants with circadian periods differing from their environment. This explains why plants gain advantage from circadian control.

Vector control of wind turbine on the basis of the fuzzy selective neural net*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engel, E. A.; Kovalev, I. V.; Engel, N. E.

2016-04-01

An article describes vector control of wind turbine based on fuzzy selective neural net. Based on the wind turbine system’s state, the fuzzy selective neural net tracks an maximum power point under random perturbations. Numerical simulations are accomplished to clarify the applicability and advantages of the proposed vector wind turbine’s control on the basis of the fuzzy selective neuronet. The simulation results show that the proposed intelligent control of wind turbine achieves real-time control speed and competitive performance, as compared to a classical control model with PID controllers based on traditional maximum torque control strategy.

Toward Agent-Based Models of the Development And Evolution of Business Relations and Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkinson, Ian F.; Marks, Robert E.; Young, Louise

Firms achieve competitive advantage in part through the development of cooperative relations with other firms and organisations. We describe a program of research designed to map and model the development of cooperative inter-firm relations, including the processes and paths by which firms may evolve from adversarial to more cooperative relations. Narrative-event-history methods will be used to develop stylised histories of the emergence of business relations in various contexts and to identify relevant causal mechanisms to be included in the agent-based models of relationship and network evolution. The relationship histories will provide the means of assuring the agent-based models developed.

An investigation of home advantage in the Summer Paralympic Games.

PubMed

Wilson, Darryl; Ramchandani, Girish

2017-01-01

There is a paucity of home advantage research set in the context of para-sport events. It is this gap in the knowledge that this paper addresses by investigating the prevalence and size of home advantage in the Summer Paralympic Games. Using a standardised measure of success, we compared the performances of nations when competing at home with their own performances away from home in the competition between 1960 and 2016. Both country-level and individual sport-level analyses were conducted for this time frame. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to determine whether there was a genuine difference in nations' performance under host and non-host conditions. Spearman's rank-order correlation was run to assess the relationship between nation quality and home advantage. Strong evidence of a home advantage effect in the Summer Paralympic Games was found at country level ( p  < 0.01). When examining individual sports, only athletics, table tennis, and wheelchair fencing returned a significant home advantage effect ( p  < 0.05). Possible explanations for these findings are discussed. The size of the home advantage effect was not significantly correlated with the quality or strength of the host nation ( p  > 0.10). While our results confirm that home advantage is prevalent in the Summer Paralympic Games at an overall country level and within specific sports, they do not explain fully why such an effect does exist. Future studies should investigate the causes of home advantage in the competition and also draw comparisons with the Summer Olympic Games to explore any differences between para-sport events and able-bodied events.

Regional not-for-profit systems: can they compete with national investor-owned firms?

PubMed

Hernandez, R; Hill, D B

1984-01-01

The relative competitive advantages of regional and national systems are summarized in Figure One. As illustrated, each type of system has unique competitive advantages at the corporate level. While it is difficult to state that either system has distinct advantages that place it in a superior position relative to the other, it seems that in the short-run investor-owned systems have operating characteristics that may result in more efficient internal functioning because of more centralized control over resource allocation and performance systems, greater possibilities for economies of scale, and greater access to capital. However, it was previously noted that growing pressures from government and the business community will lead to tighter constraints on the profitability of investments in the health care sector. The possibility of this shift suggests that the access to capital advantage enjoyed by investor-owned systems may not continue. Additionally, regional systems that are part of larger affiliated organizations such as the Sun Alliance and the Voluntary Hospitals of America are developing means to pool their access to debt funds, thus reducing the cost of capital for member institutions. The group purchasing contracts developed by these large systems also have resulted in significant savings. The distinction between regional and national systems on centralized control are becoming less pronounced. Investor-owned systems are seeking to determine how they might best decentralize selected decisions to be more responsive to local markets while not-for-profit regional systems are recognizing that they must centralize selected decisions to obtain more efficient, rational operation. The long-run outlook suggests that the competitive advantages that have been identified will become less pronounced and that both systems will survive in the marketplace.

Infrared target recognition based on improved joint local ternary pattern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Junding; Wu, Xiaosheng

2016-05-01

This paper presents a simple, efficient, yet robust approach, named joint orthogonal combination of local ternary pattern, for automatic forward-looking infrared target recognition. It gives more advantages to describe the macroscopic textures and microscopic textures by fusing variety of scales than the traditional LBP-based methods. In addition, it can effectively reduce the feature dimensionality. Further, the rotation invariant and uniform scheme, the robust LTP, and soft concave-convex partition are introduced to enhance its discriminative power. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve competitive results compared with the state-of-the-art methods.

The Impact of Commodity Councils on the Internal Structures of Purchasing Organizations in the United States Air Force

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

product or service) (Tyndall 133). Purchasing in bulk allows companies to take advantage of volume discounts, while at the same time streamlining...for industry. They included, financial advantage , strategic global sourcing, quicker response to marketplace changes, a paperless environment for...purchasing, and an increased competitive advantage (Richter). He cautioned the Air Force to avoid the trap of focusing only on efficiency in creating

5 CFR 1830.6 - Exemptions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... unfair competitive advantage or diminish the utility of established examination procedures. OSC also... prohibited personnel practice, unlawful political activity, whistleblower disclosure, Uniformed Services...

Comparing Teleworker Performance, Satisfaction, and Retention in the Joint Interoperability Test Command

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurd, Danny A.

2010-01-01

Telework is becoming one of the best options available to help organizations gain a competitive advantage. When management considers the fluctuating cost of fuel, emphasis on employee flexibility, and need to retain the most-qualified workforce, telework can be advantageous for solving problems. This quantitative comparative (non-experimental)…

A Dynamic Capabilities View of Employability: Exploring the Drivers of Competitive Advantage for University Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finch, David J.; Peacock, Melanie; Levallet, Nadege; Foster, William

2016-01-01

Purpose: The increasing demand for post-secondary education, and the ongoing difficulty students' face in securing appropriate work upon program completion, highlight the importance of an enhanced understanding of employability resources for university graduates. Just as organizations achieve a strategic advantage from resources and dynamic…

Toward Regional Clusters: Networking Events, Collaborative Research, and the Business Finder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reichling, Tim; Moos, Benjamin; Rohde, Markus; Wulf, Volker

Networks of regionally collocated organizations improve the competitiveness of their member companies. This is not only a result of lower transportation costs when delivering or purchasing physical goods but also other matters such as mutual trust or a higher diffusion of specialized knowledge among companies that have emerged as important aspects of regional networks. Even increased competition among collocated companies can lead to comparative advantages over externals as a result of an increased pressure for innovation. While the reasons why regional networks of companies offer comparative advantages has been widely investigated, the question arises as to how networks can be developed in terms of higher interconnectedness and deeper connections.

Home Advantage in Judo: Analysis by the Combat Phase, Penalties and the Type of Attack

PubMed Central

Brito, Ciro José; Miarka, Bianca; de Durana, Alfonso López Díaz; Fukuda, David H

2017-01-01

Abstract Previous studies indicate positive home advantage in judo; however, the factors that influence home advantage have yet to be fully explored. This study investigated the potential differences in technical-tactical variables between home and visiting athletes. A total of 1411 video recorded matches were analyzed (123 home, 1288 away) from 36 international judo competitions contested in 2011-12. The matches were analyzed by the following criteria: combat phases (approach, gripping, attack, defense, groundwork and pause), penalties (by the athlete or the opponent) and the types of attacks (with or without a score). Elite judo athletes competing in their home country attacked more frequently using trunk/leg couple techniques (p < 0.011) and scored more frequently with arm/leg couple techniques (p < 0.001), while visiting judo athletes received fewer scores from penalties (p < 0.001) and engaged in more frequent pauses during competition (p < 0.01). The results of this study provide an outline of technical-tactical differences that may contribute to home advantage in judo. PMID:28713473

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-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

Managing Reputation in Contract-Based Distributed Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldoni, Roberto; Doria, Luca; Lodi, Giorgia; Querzoni, Leonardo

In industry practice, bilateral agreements are established between providers and consumers of services in order to regulate their business relationships. In particular, Quality of Service (QoS) requirements are specified in those agreements in the form of legally binding contracts named Service Level Agreements (SLA). Meeting SLAs allows providers to be seen in the eyes of their clients, credible, reliable, and trustworthy. This contributes to augment their reputation that can be considered an important and competitive advantage for creating potentially new business opportunities.

Method for determining the weight of functional objectives on manufacturing system.

PubMed

Zhang, Qingshan; Xu, Wei; Zhang, Jiekun

2014-01-01

We propose a three-dimensional integrated weight determination to solve manufacturing system functional objectives, where consumers are weighted by triangular fuzzy numbers to determine the enterprises. The weights, subjective parts are determined by the expert scoring method, the objective parts are determined by the entropy method with the competitive advantage of determining. Based on the integration of three methods and comprehensive weight, we provide some suggestions for the manufacturing system. This paper provides the numerical example analysis to illustrate the feasibility of this method.

Control of Macromolecular Architectures for Renewable Polymers: Case Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Chuanbing

The development of sustainable polymers from nature biomass is growing, but facing fierce competition from existing petrochemical-based counterparts. Controlling macromolecular architectures to maximize the properties of renewable polymers is a desirable approach to gain advantages. Given the complexity of biomass, there needs special consideration other than traditional design. In the presentation, I will talk about a few case studies on how macromolecular architectures could tune the properties of sustainable bioplastics and elastomers from renewable biomass such as resin acids (natural rosin) and plant oils.

A W-band sixth-harmonic magnetron-type slotted peniotron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Biao; Li, Jiayin; Wu, Xinhui; Li, Tianming; Li, Hao; Wang, Haiyang; Zhao, Xiaoyun

2013-04-01

This paper has numerically investigated operating characteristics of a w-band six-harmonic magnetron-type slotted peniotron with 7 vanes. With the new structure design, a high efficiency of 40% w-band 30 kW medium power microwave source has been achieved and the mode competition can be somewhat suppressed. The main advantage of such a peniotron, based on a permanent magnet, is that it can have much more compact size and lower cost, and its operation gap can be greatly reduced.

The malignant niche: safe spaces for toxic stem cell marketing.

PubMed

Sipp, Douglas

2017-01-01

Many tumors are sustained by microenvironments, or niches, that support and protect malignant cells, thus conferring a competitive advantage against both healthy cells and therapeutic interventions (for a brief review, see Yao and Link (Stem Cells 35: 3-8, 2017)). The global industry engaged in the commercial promotion of unproven and scientifically implausible cell-based "regenerative" therapies has developed a number of self-protective strategies that support its survival and growth in ways that are broadly analogous to the functions of the malignant niche.

Sustaining the US Air Force’s Force Support Career Field through Officer Workforce Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

1983, cited in Barney, 1991, p. 101. 33 Afiouni, 2007, p. 125. 34 Barney, 1991; Collis & Montgomery, 1995, cited in Elliot ,p. 48. 35 Kaplan & Norton... Elliot , Hamish G.H., “SHRM Best-Practices & Sustainable Competitive Advantage: A Resource-Based View,” The Graduate Management Review, pp. 43-57...and Social Sciences, 2007. Hudson, W., Intellectual Capital: How to Build It, Enhance It, Use It, New York: John Wiley, 1993. Kaplan , R.S

Face recognition using slow feature analysis and contourlet transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yuehao; Peng, Lingling; Zhe, Fuchuan

2018-04-01

In this paper we propose a novel face recognition approach based on slow feature analysis (SFA) in contourlet transform domain. This method firstly use contourlet transform to decompose the face image into low frequency and high frequency part, and then takes technological advantages of slow feature analysis for facial feature extraction. We named the new method combining the slow feature analysis and contourlet transform as CT-SFA. The experimental results on international standard face database demonstrate that the new face recognition method is effective and competitive.

Reliability based design optimization: Formulations and methodologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal, Harish

Modern products ranging from simple components to complex systems should be designed to be optimal and reliable. The challenge of modern engineering is to ensure that manufacturing costs are reduced and design cycle times are minimized while achieving requirements for performance and reliability. If the market for the product is competitive, improved quality and reliability can generate very strong competitive advantages. Simulation based design plays an important role in designing almost any kind of automotive, aerospace, and consumer products under these competitive conditions. Single discipline simulations used for analysis are being coupled together to create complex coupled simulation tools. This investigation focuses on the development of efficient and robust methodologies for reliability based design optimization in a simulation based design environment. Original contributions of this research are the development of a novel efficient and robust unilevel methodology for reliability based design optimization, the development of an innovative decoupled reliability based design optimization methodology, the application of homotopy techniques in unilevel reliability based design optimization methodology, and the development of a new framework for reliability based design optimization under epistemic uncertainty. The unilevel methodology for reliability based design optimization is shown to be mathematically equivalent to the traditional nested formulation. Numerical test problems show that the unilevel methodology can reduce computational cost by at least 50% as compared to the nested approach. The decoupled reliability based design optimization methodology is an approximate technique to obtain consistent reliable designs at lesser computational expense. Test problems show that the methodology is computationally efficient compared to the nested approach. A framework for performing reliability based design optimization under epistemic uncertainty is also developed. A trust region managed sequential approximate optimization methodology is employed for this purpose. Results from numerical test studies indicate that the methodology can be used for performing design optimization under severe uncertainty.

Improving Performance: How To Manage the White Space on the Organization Chart. Second Edition. The Jossey-Bass Management Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rummler, Geary A.; Brache, Alan P.

This book offers an integrated framework for achieving competitive advantage by managing organizations, processes, and jobs effectively. Chapter 1 explores the forces driving the needs to be more competitive. Chapter 2 contrasts the traditional functional view of the organization with the systems view. Chapter 3 introduces the three levels of…

An Integrated Performance Support System (IPSS). How It Can Help Develop a Competitive Workforce in the '90s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Courseware/Andersen Consulting, San Diego, CA.

This concept paper begins by arguing that Integrated Performance Support Systems (IPSS) are an imperative for boosting productivity in the workplace and gaining competitive advantage in the marketplace. It then presents the framework for an IPSS solution to meet the challenges of the 1990s. Discussion of the implementation of an IPSS solution…

Understanding the Competitive Advantages of Inner City Economics. Special Feature: A Preview of the 2003 CUMU Conference.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Habiby, Anne

2003-01-01

Asserts that urban colleges and universities are untapped economic engines for revitalizing urban neighborhoods. The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City has studied the economics of the U.S.'s urban communities for approximately a decade. The findings of the study reveal that inner cities have economic potential that universities can utilize…

Regenerative medicine in Europe: global competition and innovation governance.

PubMed

Hogarth, Stuart; Salter, Brian

2010-11-01

Leading European nations with strong biotech sectors, such as the UK and Germany, are investing heavily in regenerative medicine, seeking competitive advantage in this emerging sector. However, in the broader biopharmaceutical sector, the EU is outperformed by the USA on all metrics, reflecting longstanding problems: limited venture capital finance, a fragmented patent system, and relatively weak relations between academia and industry. The current global downturn has exacerbated these difficulties. The crisis comes at a time when the EU is reframing its approach to the governance of innovation and renewing its commitment to the goal of making Europe the leading player in the global knowledge economy. If the EU is to gain a competitive advantage in the regenerative medicine sector then it must coordinate a complex multilevel governance framework that encompasses the EU, member states and regional authorities. This article takes stock of Europe's current competitive position within the global bioeconomy, drawing on a variety of metrics in the three intersecting spheres of innovation governance: science, market and society. These data then provide a platform for reviewing the problems of innovation governance faced by the EU and the strategic choices that have to be confronted in the regenerative medicine sector.

Body Size as a Driver of Scavenging in Theropod Dinosaurs.

PubMed

Kane, Adam; Healy, Kevin; Ruxton, Graeme D; Jackson, Andrew L

2016-06-01

Theropod dinosaurs dominated Earth's terrestrial ecosystem as a diverse group of predators for more than 160 million years, yet little is known about their foraging ecology. Maintaining a balanced energy budget presented a major challenge for therapods, which ranged from the chicken-sized Microraptor up to the whale-sized Giganotosaurus, in the face of intense competition and the demands of ontogenetic growth. Facultative scavenging, a behavior present in almost all modern predators, may have been important in supplementing energetically expensive lifestyles. By using agent-based models based on the allometric relationship between size and foraging behaviors, we show that theropods between 27 and 1,044 kg would have gained a significant energetic advantage over individuals at both the small and large extremes of theropod body mass through their scavenging efficiency. These results were robust to rate of competition, primary productivity, and detection distance. Our models demonstrate the potential importance of facultative scavenging in theropods and the role of body size in defining its prevalence in Mesozoic terrestrial systems.

Practices of Weight Regulation Among Elite Athletes in Combat Sports: A Matter of Mental Advantage?

PubMed Central

Pettersson, Stefan; Ekström, Marianne Pipping; Berg, Christina M

2013-01-01

Context The combination of extensive weight loss and inadequate nutritional strategies used to lose weight rapidly for competition in weight-category sports may negatively affect athletic performance and health. Objective To explore the reasoning of elite combat-sport athletes about rapid weight loss and regaining of weight before competitions. Design Qualitative study. Setting With grounded theory as a theoretical framework, we employed a cross-examinational approach including interviews, observations, and Internet sources. Sports observations were obtained at competitions and statements by combat-sport athletes were collected on the Internet. Patients or Other Participants Participants in the interviews were 14 Swedish national team athletes (9 men, 5 women; age range, 18 to 36 years) in 3 Olympic combat sports (wrestling, judo, and taekwondo). Data Collection and Analysis Semistructured interviews with 14 athletes from the Swedish national teams in wrestling, judo, and taekwondo were conducted at a location of each participant's choice. The field observations were conducted at European competitions in these 3 sports. In addition, interviews and statements made by athletes in combat sports were collected on the Internet. Results Positive aspects of weight regulation other than gaining physical advantage emerged from the data during the analysis: sport identity, mental diversion, and mental advantage. Together and individually, these categories point toward the positive aspects of weight regulation experienced by the athletes. Practicing weight regulation mediates a self-image of being “a real athlete.” Weight regulation is also considered mentally important as a part of the precompetition preparation, serving as a coping strategy by creating a feeling of increased focus and commitment. Moreover, a mental advantage relative to one's opponents can be gained through the practice of weight regulation. Conclusions Weight regulation has mentally important functions extending beyond the common notion that combat-sport athletes reduce their weight merely to gain a physical edge over their opponents. PMID:23672331

Behavior of Internal Customer in Family Business: Strategies and Actions for Improving Their Satisfaction

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez-Broncano, Santiago; Jiménez-Estévez, Pedro; del Carmen Zabala-Baños, María

2017-01-01

Determining the relevant aspects of family businesses (FBs) that make them increasingly competitive is the main objective of researchers in this field. Despite this, there is little empirical literature on the behavior of the internal customer (IC) in FBs or how businesses increase their satisfaction. Basing our work on psychological theories and with both quantitative and qualitative information from 31 semi-structured interviews, this work establishes certain characteristics of the ICs of the FB and proposes a series of guidelines for increasing their satisfaction, thereby facilitating the continuity of this type of business. FBs that are able to understand that the motivation of their ICs is more important than other qualities, and that this requires a more comprehensive management will be able to get sustainable competitive advantages in the future. PMID:28790958

Behavior of Internal Customer in Family Business: Strategies and Actions for Improving Their Satisfaction.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Broncano, Santiago; Jiménez-Estévez, Pedro; Del Carmen Zabala-Baños, María

2017-01-01

Determining the relevant aspects of family businesses (FBs) that make them increasingly competitive is the main objective of researchers in this field. Despite this, there is little empirical literature on the behavior of the internal customer (IC) in FBs or how businesses increase their satisfaction. Basing our work on psychological theories and with both quantitative and qualitative information from 31 semi-structured interviews, this work establishes certain characteristics of the ICs of the FB and proposes a series of guidelines for increasing their satisfaction, thereby facilitating the continuity of this type of business. FBs that are able to understand that the motivation of their ICs is more important than other qualities, and that this requires a more comprehensive management will be able to get sustainable competitive advantages in the future.

Interpreting the possible ecological role(s) of cyanotoxins: compounds for competitive advantage and/or physiological aide?

PubMed

Holland, Aleicia; Kinnear, Susan

2013-06-27

To date, most research on freshwater cyanotoxin(s) has focused on understanding the dynamics of toxin production and decomposition, as well as evaluating the environmental conditions that trigger toxin production, all with the objective of informing management strategies and options for risk reduction. Comparatively few research studies have considered how this information can be used to understand the broader ecological role of cyanotoxin(s), and the possible applications of this knowledge to the management of toxic blooms. This paper explores the ecological, toxicological, and genetic evidence for cyanotoxin production in natural environments. The possible evolutionary advantages of toxin production are grouped into two main themes: That of "competitive advantage" or "physiological aide". The first grouping illustrates how compounds produced by cyanobacteria may have originated from the need for a cellular defence mechanism, in response to grazing pressure and/or resource competition. The second grouping considers the contribution that secondary metabolites make to improved cellular physiology, through benefits to homeostasis, photosynthetic efficiencies, and accelerated growth rates. The discussion also includes other factors in the debate about possible evolutionary roles for toxins, such as different modes of exposures and effects on non-target (i.e., non-competitive) species. The paper demonstrates that complex and multiple factors are at play in driving evolutionary processes in aquatic environments. This information may provide a fresh perspective on managing toxic blooms, including the need to use a "systems approach" to understand how physico-chemical conditions, as well biological stressors, interact to trigger toxin production.

Managing Knowledge And Information In The Sustainable Organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grecu, Valentin

2015-09-01

Knowledge and information management are essential for the success of organizations and bring significant competitive advantages. There has been significant investments in setting up technological platforms that support business processes and increase the efficiency of operational structure in many organizations through an efficient management of knowledge and information. This research highlights the importance of using knowledge and information management in order to increase the competitiveness of organizations and to foster the transition towards the sustainable organization, as nowadays an organization that wants to be competitive needs to be sustainable.

Market segmentation strategy in internet market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Yawei; Yang, Deli; Diao, Xinjun

2010-04-01

This paper presents a model to describe the competitive dynamics of web sites on the WWW market and analyze the stability of the model which is composed of one powerful site and two small sites. One of the most important results that emerge from this simple model is that strong competition among websites does not necessarily lead to the demise of the small website on the WWW market. From the stability analysis of the model, we obtain a series of conditions in which small sites can obtain competitive advantages by using the market segmentation strategy.

Demonstrations of Alternative Delivery Systems Under Medicare and Medicaid

PubMed Central

Galblum, Trudi W.; Trieger, Sidney

1982-01-01

The current Administration supports competition as one method of helping to contain escalating costs. Proponents of competition claim many advantages to its implementation, but their claims have yet to be widely tested. Over the past several years, however, the Health Care Financing Administration has supported a number of Medicare and Medicaid demonstrations to yield information on plan participation, marketing, and reimbursement under alternative delivery systems. Much of these data are applicable to the competitive plans being considered by the Administration and Congress. This paper discusses recent findings from these projects. PMID:10309599

Light energy partitioning, photosynthetic efficiency and biomass allocation in invasive Prunus serotina and native Quercus petraea in relation to light environment, competition and allelopathy.

PubMed

Robakowski, Piotr; Bielinis, Ernest; Sendall, Kerrie

2018-05-01

This study addressed whether competition under different light environments was reflected by changes in leaf absorbed light energy partitioning, photosynthetic efficiency, relative growth rate and biomass allocation in invasive and native competitors. Additionally, a potential allelopathic effect of mulching with invasive Prunus serotina leaves on native Quercus petraea growth and photosynthesis was tested. The effect of light environment on leaf absorbed light energy partitioning and photosynthetic characteristics was more pronounced than the effects of interspecific competition and allelopathy. The quantum yield of PSII of invasive P. serotina increased in the presence of a competitor, indicating a higher plasticity in energy partitioning for the invasive over the native Q. petraea, giving it a competitive advantage. The most striking difference between the two study species was the higher crown-level net CO 2 assimilation rates (A crown ) of P. serotina compared with Q. petraea. At the juvenile life stage, higher relative growth rate and higher biomass allocation to foliage allowed P. serotina to absorb and use light energy for photosynthesis more efficiently than Q. petraea. Species-specific strategies of growth, biomass allocation, light energy partitioning and photosynthetic efficiency varied with the light environment and gave an advantage to the invader over its native competitor in competition for light. However, higher biomass allocation to roots in Q. petraea allows for greater belowground competition for water and nutrients as compared to P. serotina. This niche differentiation may compensate for the lower aboveground competitiveness of the native species and explain its ability to co-occur with the invasive competitor in natural forest settings.

Rural Policy and the New Regional Economics: Implications for Rural America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quigley, John M.

This paper discusses gross economic and demographic trends in rural and urban America during the past 30 years, the kinds of competitive advantages enjoyed by urban and rural regions, and insights offered by the new regional economics concerning exploitation of those advantages. The importance of agriculture has declined in rural areas, while that…

78 FR 71377 - United States et al. v. US Airways Group, Inc. and AMR Corporation; Proposed Final Judgment and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-27

..., US Airways uses its Advantage Fares to attract additional passengers on flights connecting through...' use of Advantage Fares on other routes. 7. If the merger were approved, US Airways' economic rationale..., a strong brand name, modern equipment, and a competitive cost structure. In mid-2012, US Airways...

Improving Your Organisation's Workplace Learning. Consortium Research Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2008

2008-01-01

Many organisations, including VET providers, are looking to find ways to achieve competitive advantage through the people they employ. Creating this advantage has a number of facets and most of these depend on training and developing people, and their ability to learn. The VET sector also faces significant changes in the ways it does business.…

78 FR 40253 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; EDGA Exchange, Inc.; Order Approving a Proposed Rule Change...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-03

... potential for unfair competitive advantage.\\19\\ Although the Commission continues to be concerned about... regarding the potential for conflicts of interest in instances where a member firm is affiliated with an... use any information that it may have because of its affiliation with the Exchange to its advantage.\\18...

78 FR 40225 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; EDGX Exchange, Inc.; Order Approving a Proposed Rule Change...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-03

... potential for unfair competitive advantage.\\19\\ Although the Commission continues to be concerned about... regarding the potential for conflicts of interest in instances where a member firm is affiliated with an... use any information that it may have because of its affiliation with the Exchange to its advantage.\\18...

Label-enhanced surface plasmon resonance applied to label-free interaction analysis of small molecules and fragments.

PubMed

Eng, Lars; Nygren-Babol, Linnéa; Hanning, Anders

2016-10-01

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a well-established method for studying interactions between small molecules and biomolecules. In particular, SPR is being increasingly applied within fragment-based drug discovery; however, within this application area, the limited sensitivity of SPR may constitute a problem. This problem can be circumvented by the use of label-enhanced SPR that shows a 100-fold higher sensitivity as compared with conventional SPR. Truly label-free interaction data for small molecules can be obtained by applying label-enhanced SPR in a surface competition assay format. The enhanced sensitivity is accompanied by an increased specificity and inertness toward disturbances (e.g., bulk refractive index disturbances). Label-enhanced SPR can be used for fragment screening in a competitive assay format; the competitive format has the added advantage of confirming the specificity of the molecular interaction. In addition, label-enhanced SPR extends the accessible kinetic regime of SPR to the analysis of very fast fragment binding kinetics. In this article, we demonstrate the working principles and benchmark the performance of label-enhanced SPR in a model system-the interaction between carbonic anhydrase II and a number of small-molecule sulfonamide-based inhibitors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of materials in global competitiveness

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

NONE

A symposium on global competitiveness was sponsored by ASM`s Advisory Technical Awareness Council during Materials Week in Cleveland last October. Carpenter Technology`s approach to internationalization and diversification involves three steps: internationalization of core businesses, diversification into engineered products, and focused research and development. Aluminum`s potential was the basis of the Audi-Alcoa relationship, and the result was a true breakthrough: a spaceframe structure designed to integrate every component surface as a structural entity, featuring straight and curved extruded sections joined by complex diecast nodes at key intersections and connection points. Through the support of research and development, many federal departments andmore » agencies have long been involved directly or indirectly in the support of civilian as well as defense industries. New copper alloys and fabrication techniques are enhancing global competitiveness, based largely on copper`s natural advantages of conductivity and corrosion resistance. The heavy equipment industry is a major transformer and user of steel, rubber, aluminum, welding consumables and equipment; glass, plastics, microprocessors and electronics; machine tools, and energy. It comprises the construction, farming, mining, and powertrain equipment manufacturers.« less

[Supplementary services used as marketing tools in the competition among private practice doctors].

PubMed

Meurers, Horst

2009-01-01

What is the relation between additional healthcare services, marketing and competition among office-based physicians? The best and truly effective marketing strategy is a satisfied patient recommending his doctor's services to others. Hence, good marketing starts with a convincing service concept, not just with advertising. More and more frequently patients ask for supplementary health service offerings. Additional services tailored to individual practices--e.g., in the field of nutrition, sports, fitness, wellness, aesthetics--meet the patients' demands, but at the same time they provide a competitive advantage over the ordinary medical practice. And what is more, these additional healthcare services have a nice side effect: they earn an additional income which is not unwelcome in times of decreasing revenues from the public healthcare system. The much sought-after potential for additional services and income can be achieved by offering commercial medical services, e.g., the sale of healthcare products. The coexistence of the doctor's commercial and non-commercial medical services is admissible as long as certain rules of professional conduct and tax laws are followed.

Building deals on bedrock.

PubMed

Harding, David; Rovit, Sam

2004-09-01

The headlines are filled with the sorry tales of companies like Vivendi and AOL Time Warner that tried to use mergers and acquisitions to grow big fast or transform fundamentally weak business models. But, drawing on extensive data and experience, the authors conclude that major deals make sense in only two circumstances: when they reinforce a company's existing basis of competition or when they help a company make the shift, as the industry's competitive base changes. In most stable industries, the authors contend, only one basis--superior cost position, brand power, consumer loyalty, real-asset advantage, or government protection--leads to industry leadership, and companies should do only those deals that bolster a strategy to capitalize on that competitive base. That's what Kellogg did when it acquired Keebler. Rather than bow to price pressures from lesser players, Kellogg sought to strengthen its existing basis of competition--its brand--through Keebler's innovative distribution system. A company coping with a changing industry should embark on a series of acquisitions (most likely coupled with divestitures) aimed at moving the firm to the new competitive basis. That's what Comcast did when changes in government regulations fundamentally altered the broadcast industry. In such cases, speed is essential, the investments required are huge, and half-measures can be worse than nothing at all. Still, the research shows, successful acquirers are not those that try to swallow a single, large, supposedly transformative deal but those that go to the M&A table often and take small bites. Deals can fuel growth--as long as they're anchored in the fundamental way money is made in your industry. Fail to understand that and no amount of integration planning will keep you and your shareholders from bearing the high cost of your mistakes.

The Growth Advantage in Stationary-Phase Phenotype Conferred by rpoS Mutations Is Dependent on the pH and Nutrient Environment

PubMed Central

Farrell, Michael J.; Finkel, Steven E.

2003-01-01

Escherichia coli cells that are aged in batch culture display an increased fitness referred to as the growth advantage in stationary phase, or GASP, phenotype. A common early adaptation to this culture environment is a mutant rpoS allele, such as rpoS819, that results in attenuated RpoS activity. However, it is important to note that during long-term batch culture, environmental conditions are in flux. To date, most studies of the GASP phenotype have focused on identifying alleles that render an advantage in a specific environment, Luria-Bertani broth (LB) batch culture. To determine what role environmental conditions play in rendering relative fitness advantages to E. coli cells carrying either the wild-type or rpoS819 alleles, we performed competitions under a variety of culture conditions in which either the available nutrients, the pH, or both were manipulated. In LB medium, we found that while the rpoS819 allele confers a strong competitive fitness advantage at basic pH, it confers a reduced advantage under neutral conditions, and it is disadvantageous under acidic conditions. Similar results were found using other media. rpoS819 conferred its greatest advantage in basic minimal medium in which either glucose or Casamino Acids were the sole source of carbon and energy. In acidic medium supplemented with either Casamino Acids or glucose, the wild-type allele conferred a slight advantage. In addition, populations were dynamic under all pH conditions tested, with neither the wild-type nor mutant rpoS alleles sweeping a culture. We also found that the strength of the fitness advantage gained during a 10-day incubation is pH dependent. PMID:14645263

Competitive strategy in turbulent healthcare markets: an analysis of financially effective teaching hospitals.

PubMed

Langabeer, J

1998-01-01

As the healthcare marketplace, characterized by declining revenues and heavy price competition, continues to evolve toward managed care, teaching hospitals are being forced to act more like traditional industrial organizations. Profit-oriented behavior, including emphases on market strategies and competitive advantage, is now a necessity if these hospitals are going to survive the transition to managed care. To help teaching hospitals evaluate strategic options that maximize financial effectiveness, this study examined the financial and operating data for 100 major U.S. teaching hospitals to determine relationships among competitive strategy, market environment, and financial return on invested capital. Results should help major hospitals formulate more effective strategies to combat environmental turbulence.

Hierarchical classification with a competitive evolutionary neural tree.

PubMed

Adams, R G.; Butchart, K; Davey, N

1999-04-01

A new, dynamic, tree structured network, the Competitive Evolutionary Neural Tree (CENT) is introduced. The network is able to provide a hierarchical classification of unlabelled data sets. The main advantage that the CENT offers over other hierarchical competitive networks is its ability to self determine the number, and structure, of the competitive nodes in the network, without the need for externally set parameters. The network produces stable classificatory structures by halting its growth using locally calculated heuristics. The results of network simulations are presented over a range of data sets, including Anderson's IRIS data set. The CENT network demonstrates its ability to produce a representative hierarchical structure to classify a broad range of data sets.

76 FR 72207 - Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-22

... ocular diseases including diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, and macular degeneration. The... Macular degeneration Diabetic retinopathy Retinal vein occlusion Competitive Advantages: Small sample...

Control of innovation activity in a competitive metallurgical business

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogdanov, S. V.

2010-12-01

Certain competitive advantages of a manufacturer on a goods market can be provided if one creates conditions for bifurcation development of an innovation process in metallurgical business under conditions of market uncertainty of a demand for goods of a specified consumer quality and determines the technical-and-economic versions of stable operation of a production system for performing orders of metal product consumers.

Expeditionary Theater Opening Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

TSC and ESC requires augmentation from other U.S. Army elements in order to provide that capability.44 The U.S. competitive advantage over all other...the increased competition to access the global lines of communications, the U.S. may no longer enjoy the freedom to unilaterally deploy forces... Logistics , 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT UU 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 34 19a. NAME OF

A methodology for evaluation of parent-mutant competition using a generalized non-linear ecosystem model

Treesearch

Raymond L. Czaplewski

1973-01-01

A generalized, non-linear population dynamics model of an ecosystem is used to investigate the direction of selective pressures upon a mutant by studying the competition between parent and mutant populations. The model has the advantages of considering selection as operating on the phenotype, of retaining the interaction of the mutant population with the ecosystem as a...

76 FR 67597 - Technical Amendment to Delegation of Authority to the Director of the Division of Trading and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-02

... the Regulatory Flexibility Act or analysis of major rule status under the Small Business Regulatory... anticipate any competitive advantages or disadvantages would be created. \\14\\ 15 U.S.C. 78c(f). \\15\\ 15 U.S.C.... Consideration of the Competitive Effects of Amendment Section 3(f) of the Exchange Act,\\14\\ provides that...

Creating New Economic Opportunities: The Competitive Advantages of Rural America in the Next Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isserman, Andrew M.

Much of today's rural America will be the fastest growing part of the nation in the next half century. The spread of large cities and the creation of new ones, the addition of almost 30 million senior citizens, and immigration into rural areas are powerful forces contributing to the development of rural America. Rural areas are competitive in a…

Understanding Organizational Learning via Knowledge Management in Government-Link Companies in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helmi, Asleena; Ahmad, Zainal Ariffin; Hung, Daisy Kee Mui

The knowledge management or KM discipline conjures a host of understanding and impact upon the global business community albeit commercially or socially. Regardless of the different approach to KM, it has inarguably brought about changes in viewing the knowledge capabilities and capacities of organizations. Peter Drucker (1998) argued that knowledge has become the key economic resource and the only source of competitive advantage. Hence organizational learning is an integral part of KM initiatives and has been widely practiced in many large organizations and across nations such as Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Thus, this paper explores the KM initiatives of government link companies (GLCs) in Malaysia via synergizing knowledge strategy and capabilities in order to achieve competitive advantage.

Contracting out of health services in developing countries.

PubMed

McPake, B; Banda, E E

1994-03-01

Contracting out is emerging as a common policy issue in a number of developing countries. The theoretical case for contracting out suggests many advantages in combining public finance with private provision. However, practical difficulties such as those of ensuring that competition takes place between potential contractors, that competition leads to efficiency and that contracts and the process of contracting are effectively managed, suggest that such advantages may not always be realized. Most countries are likely only to contemplate restricted contracting of small-scale non-clinical services in the short term. Prerequisites of more extensive models appear to be the development of information systems and human resources to that end. Some urban areas of larger countries may have the existing preconditions for more successful large-scale contracting.

Japan nurtures telecommunications on classic formula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Neil

1987-03-01

As in other industrial sectors, Japanese telecommunications organizations export significantly more products than they import, even when substantial cost-savings can be realized. One example is optical fibers, which some Japanese service companies do not buy from outside suppliers who have taken advantage of economies of scale. Nippon Telephone and Telegraph, until recently a common carrier, is meeting increasing competition from newly-formed indigenous telecommunications subsidiaries who are taking advantage of fiber optics and microwave communications capabilities. Various cooperative projects with U.S. companies are described, noting the tendency of Japanese manufacturers to cease relationships with U.S. companies when Japanese products become competitive and also the necessity of U.S. firms to gain political cooperation from the Japanese government in order to make sales in Japan.

[Territory and decentralization in the agenda for productive transformation with equity].

PubMed

Sojo, A

1991-08-01

The regional perspective and the decentralization in Latin American and Caribbean countries was examined in light of technological changes and transformation of economic production to boost productivity. National population policies were not the major cause of redistribution of the population, rather such transformation significantly changed the comparative regional and urban advantages in the use of territory affecting the spatial distribution of the population. Hypotheses were advanced using the transformation of production, regional development, and decentralization on the retention, attraction, and migration of population in different areas with varying economic conditions. Spurious competitiveness means global strategies of enterprises that establish foreign operations by means of factor sourcing. Flexible specialization is a company strategy of permanent innovation based on flexible equipment and a qualified work force. The increasing transnationalization of capital is the source of skills and technology that sustain competitive advantages. Decentralization can resolve local demand, facilitate access to information, mobilize resources, and exercise control over local operations. In Japan, Germany, and Italy vs. the US and France there is a social contract among companies, trade unions, universities, and regional administrations in the interest of capital and the work force. There is no direct relationship between technology and region, the industrial cluster exhibits systemic competitiveness in developed countries (the Emilian model in Italy affirms the ability of small enterprises to develop new products), the regional impact is diverse relative to new technologies (some deprived rural economic areas have potential as in central and northern Italy), and population and region are linked (regional and rural-urban differences in the growth of population and migratory flows account for spatial distribution of the population). Decentralization and systemic competitiveness concern productivity and regional policies (spatial diversity for increased productivity) and technology and human resources are interdependent (technical progress is determined by the level of qualification of the population).

Interaction among actors in retail market competition in malang city

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurniawan, B.; Ma'ruf, M. F.

2018-01-01

In several countries, traditional market lose in competition with supermarket. Supermarket has several advantages compared with traditional market. It can provides consumers with lower prices, offer more varieties of products and higher quality products than traditional retailers, has more comfortable place for shopping. In Malang City, the existence of traditional traders was threatened. In a competitive retail market, traditional traders get less protection from the Government of Malang Municipality. Massive demonstrations conducted by traditional traders along with other society elements unable to stem the rapid growth of modern retail. This paper focus on the interaction of Malang Municipality actors in the local retail market competition. How those interaction can make imbalance retail market competition. The author uses descriptive-analytic method with a qualitative approach in this work. As a result, the interaction tend to produce imbalance retail market competition. Interaction between legislative, executive, bureaucracy and mass media tend to support modern retail growth than traditional one.

Evolutionary disarmament in interspecific competition.

PubMed

Kisdi, E; Geritz, S A

2001-12-22

Competitive asymmetry, which is the advantage of having a larger body or stronger weaponry than a contestant, drives spectacular evolutionary arms races in intraspecific competition. Similar asymmetries are well documented in interspecific competition, yet they seldom lead to exaggerated traits. Here we demonstrate that two species with substantially different size may undergo parallel coevolution towards a smaller size under the same ecological conditions where a single species would exhibit an evolutionary arms race. We show that disarmament occurs for a wide range of parameters in an ecologically explicit model of competition for a single shared resource; disarmament also occurs in a simple Lotka-Volterra competition model. A key property of both models is the interplay between evolutionary dynamics and population density. The mechanism does not rely on very specific features of the model. Thus, evolutionary disarmament may be widespread and may help to explain the lack of interspecific arms races.

Evolutionary disarmament in interspecific competition.

PubMed Central

Kisdi, E.; Geritz, S. A.

2001-01-01

Competitive asymmetry, which is the advantage of having a larger body or stronger weaponry than a contestant, drives spectacular evolutionary arms races in intraspecific competition. Similar asymmetries are well documented in interspecific competition, yet they seldom lead to exaggerated traits. Here we demonstrate that two species with substantially different size may undergo parallel coevolution towards a smaller size under the same ecological conditions where a single species would exhibit an evolutionary arms race. We show that disarmament occurs for a wide range of parameters in an ecologically explicit model of competition for a single shared resource; disarmament also occurs in a simple Lotka-Volterra competition model. A key property of both models is the interplay between evolutionary dynamics and population density. The mechanism does not rely on very specific features of the model. Thus, evolutionary disarmament may be widespread and may help to explain the lack of interspecific arms races. PMID:11749715

Competitiveness, production, and productivity of cocoa in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fahmid, I. M.; Harun, H.; Fahmid, M. M.; Saadah; Busthanul, N.

2018-05-01

Cocoa is one of Indonesia’s five foreign exchange earner, thus cocoa must stay competitive for the export market. Aims of this study are: analyze the cost structure, production and productivity of cocoa farming, the level of competitiveness, and map the types of government policies that affect the competitiveness of cocoa plants. The method used is descriptive qualitative and quantitative. Data analysis is done by using PAM (Policy Analysis Matrix). The results showed, structures are at the cost of production of cocoa farming in Indonesia almost 50 percent for wages, and 31.6 percent for land rental. The big percentage of workers wages indicates that cocoa farming is labor intensive production. In Indonesia total productive cocoa farms only 27.6%, with a productivity level of 655,515 kg per hectare. Cocoa farming in Indonesia is carried out with protective policies, the value of EPC 4.29, indicating the government’s policy towards the inputs and outputs of cocoa has been effective. While the PCR value of 0.51, indicating cocoa farming has a competitive advantage, but it does not have a comparative advantage. In conclusion, productivity, out-put prices, and exchange rates should be raised, and input prices should be lowered, so that cocoa farming can provide higher net transfer values for farmers. To improve the competitiveness of cocoa farming, the islands of Sulawesi and Sumatra are two islands that require special policies, especially on out-put price policy, input prices, and productivity, as well as improvement of other cocoa commodity farming systems, as these two islands contributed more the 80 percent of Indonesia cocoa bean production.

The effects of achene type and germination time on plant performance in the heterocarpic Anacyclus clavatus (Asteraceae).

PubMed

Afonso, Ana; Castro, Sílvia; Loureiro, João; Mota, Lucie; Cerca de Oliveira, José; Torices, Rubén

2014-05-01

• In heterocarpy, fruits with different morphologies have been associated with alternative strategies of dispersal, germination, dormancy, and seedling competitive ability. In heterocarpic species, it is common to find fruits with competitive or dispersal syndromes. The competitive advantage of nondispersing fruits has been frequently attributed to their larger size, but recent studies have suggested that this could also be mediated by germination time. The main objective of our study was to investigate which factor, fruit type or germination time, most affects plant performance and, consequently, competitive ability, using the heterocarpic species Anacyclus clavatus• To explore the effects of achene type and germination time on plant performance, we followed an innovative experimental approach including two experiments: one allowing for differences in germination time, and the other evaluating the effect of achene type alone by synchronizing germination time.• A significant effect of germination time on several postdispersal life-history traits was observed: Achenes that germinated earlier produced plants with higher biomass and reproductive effort. When germination time was controlled, no significant differences were observed in any of the traits.• The competitive advantage of achenes with different morphologies was mainly mediated by germination time and not by differences in size or other intrinsic traits. The consequences of these results are discussed in light of the dispersal-competition trade-off. Our experimental approach (i.e., the synchronization of germination time) revealed the importance of manipulative experiments for testing the effects of germination time on plant survival and performance. © 2014 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Competition between two virulent Marek's disease virus strains in vivo.

PubMed

Dunn, John R; Silva, Robert F; Lee, Lucy F; Witter, Richard L

2012-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of multiple strains of Marek's disease virus simultaneously circulating within poultry flocks, leading to the assumption that individual birds are repeatedly exposed to a variety of virus strains in their lifetime. Virus competition within individual birds may be an important factor that influences the outcome of co-infection under field conditions, including the potential outcome of emergence or evolution of more virulent strains. A series of experiments was designed to evaluate virus competition within chickens following simultaneous challenge with two virulent serotype 1 Marek's disease virus strains, using either pathogenically similar (rMd5 and rMd5/pp38CVI) or dissimilar (JM/102W and rMd5/pp38CVI) virus pairs. Bursa of Fabricius, feather follicle epithelium, spleen, and tumour samples were collected at multiple time points to determine the frequency and distribution of each virus present using pyrosequencing, immunohistochemistry and virus isolation. In the similar pair, rMd5 appeared to have a competitive advantage over rMd5/pp38CVI, which in turn had a competitive advantage over the less virulent JM/102W in the dissimilar virus pair. Dominance of one strain over the other was not absolute for either virus pair, as the subordinate virus was rarely eliminated. Interestingly, competition between two viruses with either pair rarely ended in a draw. Further work is needed to identify factors that influence virus-specific dominance to better understand what characteristics favour emergence of one strain in chicken populations at the expense of other strains.

Pollen-tube growth rates in Collinsia heterophylla (Plantaginaceae): one-donor crosses reveal heritability but no effect on sporophytic-offspring fitness.

PubMed

Lankinen, Asa; Maad, Johanne; Armbruster, W Scott

2009-04-01

Evolutionary change in response to natural selection will occur only if a trait confers a selective advantage and there is heritable variation. Positive connections between pollen traits and fitness have been found, but few studies of heritability have been conducted, and they have yielded conflicting results. To understand better the evolutionary significance of pollen competition and its potential role in sexual selection, the heritability of pollen tube-growth rate and the relationship between this trait and sporophytic offspring fitness were investigated in Collinsia heterophylla. Because the question being asked was if female function benefited from obtaining genetically superior fathers by enhancing pollen competition, one-donor (per flower) crosses were used in order to exclude confounding effects of post-fertilization competition/allocation caused by multiple paternity. Each recipient plant was crossed with an average of five pollen donors. Pollen-tube growth rate and sporophytic traits were measured in both generations. Pollen-tube growth rate in vitro differed among donors, and the differences were correlated with in vivo growth rate averaged over two to four maternal plants. Pollen-tube growth rate showed significant narrow-sense heritability and evolvability in a father-offspring regression. However, this pollen trait did not correlate significantly with sporophytic-offspring fitness. These results suggest that pollen-tube growth rate can respond to selection via male function. The data presented here do not provide any support for the hypothesis that intense pollen competition enhances maternal plant fitness through increased paternity by higher-quality sporophytic fathers, although this advantage cannot be ruled out. These data are, however, consistent with the hypothesis that pollen competition is itself selectively advantageous, through both male and female function, by reducing the genetic load among successful gametophytic fathers (pollen), and reducing inbreeding depression associated with self-pollination in plants with mix-mating systems.

Pollen-tube growth rates in Collinsia heterophylla (Plantaginaceae): one-donor crosses reveal heritability but no effect on sporophytic-offspring fitness

PubMed Central

Lankinen, Åsa; Maad, Johanne; Armbruster, W. Scott

2009-01-01

Background and Aims Evolutionary change in response to natural selection will occur only if a trait confers a selective advantage and there is heritable variation. Positive connections between pollen traits and fitness have been found, but few studies of heritability have been conducted, and they have yielded conflicting results. To understand better the evolutionary significance of pollen competition and its potential role in sexual selection, the heritability of pollen tube-growth rate and the relationship between this trait and sporophytic offspring fitness were investigated in Collinsia heterophylla. Methods Because the question being asked was if female function benefited from obtaining genetically superior fathers by enhancing pollen competition, one-donor (per flower) crosses were used in order to exclude confounding effects of post-fertilization competition/allocation caused by multiple paternity. Each recipient plant was crossed with an average of five pollen donors. Pollen-tube growth rate and sporophytic traits were measured in both generations. Key Results Pollen-tube growth rate in vitro differed among donors, and the differences were correlated with in vivo growth rate averaged over two to four maternal plants. Pollen-tube growth rate showed significant narrow-sense heritability and evolvability in a father–offspring regression. However, this pollen trait did not correlate significantly with sporophytic-offspring fitness. Conclusions These results suggest that pollen-tube growth rate can respond to selection via male function. The data presented here do not provide any support for the hypothesis that intense pollen competition enhances maternal plant fitness through increased paternity by higher-quality sporophytic fathers, although this advantage cannot be ruled out. These data are, however, consistent with the hypothesis that pollen competition is itself selectively advantageous, through both male and female function, by reducing the genetic load among successful gametophytic fathers (pollen), and reducing inbreeding depression associated with self–pollination in plants with mix-mating systems. PMID:19202136

Unaltered repopulation properties of mouse hematopoietic stem cells transduced with lentiviral vectors

PubMed Central

Gonzalez-Murillo, Africa; Lozano, M. Luz; Montini, Eugenio; Bueren, Juan A.

2008-01-01

Recent studies of retroviral-mediated gene transfer have shown that retroviral integrations themselves may trigger nonmalignant clonal expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in transplant recipients. These observations suggested that previous conclusions of HSC dynamics based on gamma-retroviral gene marking should be confirmed with improved vectors having a more limited capacity to transactivate endogenous genes. Because of the low trans-activation activity of self-inactivating lentiviral vectors (LVs), we have investigated whether the LV marking of mouse HSCs induces a competitive repopulation advantage in recipients of serially transplants. As deduced from analyses conducted in primary and secondary recipients, we concluded that lentivirally transduced HSCs have no competitive repopulation advantages over untransduced HSCs. By linear amplification-mediated polymerase chain reaction (LAM-PCR) analysis, we characterized LV-targeted genes in HSC clones that engrafted up to quaternary recipients. Although 9 clones harbored integrations close to defined retroviral insertion sites, none was characterized as a common integration site, and none was present in HSC clones repopulating quaternary recipients. Taken together, our results show unaltered repopulation properties of HSCs transduced with LVs, and confirm early studies suggesting the natural capacity of a few HSC clones to generate a monoclonal or oligoclonal hematopoiesis in transplant recipients. PMID:18684860

Responding to inequities: gorillas try to maintain their competitive advantage during play fights

PubMed Central

Van Leeuwen, Edwin J. C.; Zimmermann, Elke; Ross, Marina Davila

2011-01-01

Humans respond to unfair situations in various ways. Experimental research has revealed that non-human species also respond to unequal situations in the form of inequity aversions when they have the disadvantage. The current study focused on play fights in gorillas to explore for the first time, to our knowledge, if/how non-human species respond to inequities in natural social settings. Hitting causes a naturally occurring inequity among individuals and here it was specifically assessed how the hitters and their partners engaged in play chases that followed the hitting. The results of this work showed that the hitters significantly more often moved first to run away immediately after the encounter than their partners. These findings provide evidence that non-human species respond to inequities by trying to maintain their competitive advantages. We conclude that non-human primates, like humans, may show different responses to inequities and that they may modify them depending on if they have the advantage or the disadvantage. PMID:20630892

Responding to inequities: gorillas try to maintain their competitive advantage during play fights.

PubMed

Van Leeuwen, Edwin J C; Zimmermann, Elke; Ross, Marina Davila

2011-02-23

Humans respond to unfair situations in various ways. Experimental research has revealed that non-human species also respond to unequal situations in the form of inequity aversions when they have the disadvantage. The current study focused on play fights in gorillas to explore for the first time, to our knowledge, if/how non-human species respond to inequities in natural social settings. Hitting causes a naturally occurring inequity among individuals and here it was specifically assessed how the hitters and their partners engaged in play chases that followed the hitting. The results of this work showed that the hitters significantly more often moved first to run away immediately after the encounter than their partners. These findings provide evidence that non-human species respond to inequities by trying to maintain their competitive advantages. We conclude that non-human primates, like humans, may show different responses to inequities and that they may modify them depending on if they have the advantage or the disadvantage.

Environmental management and firm performance: a case study.

PubMed

Claver, Enrique; López, María D; Molina, José F; Tarí, Juan J

2007-09-01

This study has as its aim to help to clarify the relationship between environmental management and economic performance by integrating it into a wider framework that includes the relationship between environmental strategy and firm performance, the latter being understood as the combination of environmental performance, competitive advantage and economic performance. A case study of the COATO farming cooperative showed us that its environmental management, focused on prevention logic, has had a positive net effect on its environmental performance. Besides, the order in which these practices were adopted favoured the development of new organisational capabilities that have contributed to the appearance of advantages derived from the greater accumulated experience of employees in creating new projects that are designed to reduce residues and pollution. COATO has also obtained a competitive advantage in differentiation thanks to an improved brand image and to its increased credibility in business relationships. Finally, a positive correlation exists between the pioneering proactive strategy adopted by this cooperative and the improvement of its firm performance with respect to the other firms in its sector.

Competition in the German pharmacy market: an empirical analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Pharmaceutical products are an important component of expenditure on public health insurance in the Federal Republic of Germany. For years, German policy makers have regulated public pharmacies in order to limit the increase in costs. One reform has followed another, main objective being to increase competition in the pharmacy market. It is generally assumed that an increase in competition would reduce healthcare costs. However, there is a lack of empirical proof of a stronger orientation of German public pharmacies towards competition thus far. Methods This paper analyses the self-perceptions of owners of German public pharmacies and their orientation towards competition in the pharmacy markets. It is based on a cross-sectional survey (N = 289) and distinguishes between successful and less successful pharmacies, the location of the pharmacies (e.g. West German States and East German States) and the gender of the pharmacy owner. The data are analysed descriptively by survey items and employing bivariate and structural equation modelling. Results The analysis reveals that the majority of owners of public pharmacies in Germany do not currently perceive very strong competitive pressure in the market. However, the innovativeness of the pharmacist is confirmed as most relevant for net revenue development and the profit margin. Some differences occur between regions, e.g. public pharmacies in West Germany have a significantly higher profit margin. Conclusions This study provides evidence that the German healthcare reforms aimed at increasing the competition between public pharmacies in Germany have not been completely successful. Many owners of public pharmacies disregard instruments of active customer-orientated management (such as customer loyalty or an offensive position and economies of scale), which could give them a competitive advantage. However, it is clear that those pharmacists who strive for systematic and innovative management and adopt an offensive and competitive stance are quite successful. Thus, pharmacists should change their attitude and develop a more professional business model. PMID:24112461

Competition in the German pharmacy market: an empirical analysis.

PubMed

Heinsohn, Jörg G; Flessa, Steffen

2013-10-10

Pharmaceutical products are an important component of expenditure on public health insurance in the Federal Republic of Germany. For years, German policy makers have regulated public pharmacies in order to limit the increase in costs. One reform has followed another, main objective being to increase competition in the pharmacy market. It is generally assumed that an increase in competition would reduce healthcare costs. However, there is a lack of empirical proof of a stronger orientation of German public pharmacies towards competition thus far. This paper analyses the self-perceptions of owners of German public pharmacies and their orientation towards competition in the pharmacy markets. It is based on a cross-sectional survey (N = 289) and distinguishes between successful and less successful pharmacies, the location of the pharmacies (e.g. West German States and East German States) and the gender of the pharmacy owner. The data are analysed descriptively by survey items and employing bivariate and structural equation modelling. The analysis reveals that the majority of owners of public pharmacies in Germany do not currently perceive very strong competitive pressure in the market. However, the innovativeness of the pharmacist is confirmed as most relevant for net revenue development and the profit margin. Some differences occur between regions, e.g. public pharmacies in West Germany have a significantly higher profit margin. This study provides evidence that the German healthcare reforms aimed at increasing the competition between public pharmacies in Germany have not been completely successful. Many owners of public pharmacies disregard instruments of active customer-orientated management (such as customer loyalty or an offensive position and economies of scale), which could give them a competitive advantage. However, it is clear that those pharmacists who strive for systematic and innovative management and adopt an offensive and competitive stance are quite successful. Thus, pharmacists should change their attitude and develop a more professional business model.

Design Strategies for Aptamer-Based Biosensors

PubMed Central

Han, Kun; Liang, Zhiqiang; Zhou, Nandi

2010-01-01

Aptamers have been widely used as recognition elements for biosensor construction, especially in the detection of proteins or small molecule targets, and regarded as promising alternatives for antibodies in bioassay areas. In this review, we present an overview of reported design strategies for the fabrication of biosensors and classify them into four basic modes: target-induced structure switching mode, sandwich or sandwich-like mode, target-induced dissociation/displacement mode and competitive replacement mode. In view of the unprecedented advantages brought about by aptamers and smart design strategies, aptamer-based biosensors are expected to be one of the most promising devices in bioassay related applications. PMID:22399891

Computer-Based Medical System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

SYMED, Inc., developed a unique electronic medical records and information management system. The S2000 Medical Interactive Care System (MICS) incorporates both a comprehensive and interactive medical care support capability and an extensive array of digital medical reference materials in either text or high resolution graphic form. The system was designed, in cooperation with NASA, to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of physician practices. The S2000 is a MS (Microsoft) Windows based software product which combines electronic forms, medical documents, records management, and features a comprehensive medical information system for medical diagnostic support and treatment. SYMED, Inc. offers access to its medical systems to all companies seeking competitive advantages.

FDTD and transfer matrix methods for evaluating the performance of photonic crystal based microcavities for exciton-polaritons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yi-Cheng; Byrnes, Tim

2016-11-01

We investigate alternative microcavity structures for exciton-polaritons consisting of photonic crystals instead of distributed Bragg reflectors. Finite-difference time-domain simulations and scattering transfer matrix methods are used to evaluate the cavity performance. The results are compared with conventional distributed Bragg reflectors. We find that in terms of the photon lifetime, the photonic crystal based microcavities are competitive, with typical lifetimes in the region of ∼20 ps being achieved. The photonic crystal microcavities have the advantage that they are compact and are frequency adjustable, showing that they are viable to investigate exciton-polariton condensation physics.

Competition between autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial plankton for inorganic nutrients induced by variability in estuarine biophysicochemical conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, A.; Quigg, A.

2016-02-01

Competition for inorganic nutrients between autotrophic and heterotrophic fractions of microbial plankton (0.2-20μm) was investigated at two stations in a sub-tropical estuary, Galveston Bay, Texas. Competition potential between these groups is enhanced because individuals are similar in size, reducing variability among their nutrient uptake efficiencies. Further, in estuaries, allochthonous supplements to autochthonous carbon may satisfy heterotrophic requirements, allowing alternative factors to limit abundance. The relative abundance of autotrophs and heterotrophs stained with SYBR Green I and enumerated on a Beckman Coulter Gallios flow cytometer were evaluated monthly during a year-long study. Shifts in the relative in situ abundance were significantly related to temperature, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), phosphorous (Pi), and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations revealing opposing gradients of limitation by different abiotic factors. In corresponding in vitro nutrient enrichment bioassays the relative contribution of autotrophic or heterotrophic microbial plankton to significant enrichment responses varied. Only during macro- (>20μm) phytoplankton blooms do autotrophic microbial plankton respond to nutrient enrichment. Contrastingly, the heterotrophic microbial plankton responded to nutrient enrichment primarily when temperature limitation was alleviated. Therefore, the potential for autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial plankton competition for limiting nutrients is highest when autotrophic microbial plankton are also competing with larger phytoplankton during bloom events. Based on this evidence, we hypothesize that the autotrophic microbial fraction has a competitive advantage over the heterotrophs for inorganic nutrients in Galveston Bay. The observed microbial competition during estuarine phytoplankton blooms may have important consequences on biogeochemical processes including carbon and nutrient cycling.

Use of Long-Term E. Coli Cultures: To Study Generation of Genetic Diversity & Teach General Microbiology Laboratory Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrie, Angela; Finkel, Steven E.; Erbe, Jarrod

2005-01-01

A novel method of studying the generation of genetic diversity in an undergraduate microbiology laboratory is described. The basis of this approach is the accumulation of mutations that confer a competitive advantage, or growth advantage in stationary phase (GASP) phenotype, to E. coli grown in stationary phase for extended periods of time.

76 FR 21034 - Dex One, et al.; Amended Certification Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-14

... firm acquiring from a foreign country services like or directly competitive with the services supplied..., Including On-Site Leased Workers of Advantage XPO, Fort Myers, Maitland, and Ocala, FL TA-W-75,172A Dex One... Advantage XPO, Arlington Heights, Chicago, Lombard, Springfield, and Tinley Park, IL TA-W-75,172B Dex One...

Is bigger really better? One entrepreneur's view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahoney, Patricia F.

1992-05-01

It is without dispute that there are distinct advantages to being a large business. However, what is not as well recognized are the advantages associated with `smaller' organizations: a more focused and synergized team, quicker customer service and response time, more flexibility to test new ideas and concepts, enhanced employee creativity and motivation, and the capability to work closely with the customer and address their individual product wants and needs. These advantages can provide small businesses with the competitive edge needed to succeed in today's dynamic marketplace. Coupling the same basic foundational criteria used by successful large corporations, e.g., a strong vision, integrity, corporate culture, clear organizational objectives and goals, with the business techniques and implementation strategies more commonly associated with smaller organizations, establishes a strong foundation upon which any company can build. Integrating strong tactical and strategic planning, professional competence, challenging and rigorous work assignments, assertiveness, dedication, and innovative technologies yields high quality, state-of-the-art products and services designed to enhance productivity and efficiency. This paper analyzes both small and large businesses in regard to sources of competitive advantage. It also addresses some of my experiences with the start-up and growth of an optics-related consulting, software development, and publishing company.

The competitive status of trees determines their responsiveness to increasing atmospheric humidity - a climate trend predicted for northern latitudes.

PubMed

Tullus, Arvo; Kupper, Priit; Kaasik, Ants; Tullus, Hardi; Lõhmus, Krista; Sõber, Anu; Sellin, Arne

2017-05-01

The interactive effects of climate variables and tree-tree competition are still insufficiently understood drivers of forest response to global climate change. Precipitation and air humidity are predicted to rise concurrently at high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. We investigated whether the growth response of deciduous trees to elevated air humidity varies with their competitive status. The study was conducted in seed-originated silver birch and monoclonal hybrid aspen stands grown at the free air humidity manipulation (FAHM) experimental site in Estonia, in which manipulated stands (n = 3 for both species) are exposed to artificially elevated relative air humidity (6-7% over the ambient level). The study period included three growing seasons during which the stands had reached the competitive stage (trees were 7 years old in the final year). A significant 'treatment×competitive status' interactive effect on growth was detected in all years in birch (P < 0.01) and in one year in aspen stands (P = 0.015). Competitively advantaged trees were always more strongly affected by elevated humidity. Initially the growth of advantaged and neutral trees of both species remained significantly suppressed in humidified stands. In the following years, dominance and elevated humidity had a synergistic positive effect on the growth of birches. Aspens with different competitive status recovered more uniformly, attaining similar relative growth rates in manipulated and control stands, but preserved a significantly lower total growth yield due to severe initial growth stress. Disadvantaged trees of both species were never significantly affected by elevated humidity. Our results suggest that air humidity affects trees indirectly depending on their social status. Therefore, the response of northern temperate and boreal forests to a more humid climate in future will likely be modified by competitive relationships among trees, which may potentially affect species composition and cause a need to change forestry practices. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Competitive Advantage of Organizational Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appelbaum, Steven H.; Gallagher, John

2000-01-01

Explores theories of organizational learning and identifies the implications of the following for learning organizations: the new economy, strategic planning, management practices, and communication. (Contains 32 references.) (SK)

Maternal androgens increase sibling aggression, dominance, and competitive ability in the siblicidal black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla).

PubMed

Müller, Martina S; Roelofs, Yvonne; Erikstad, Kjell Einar; Groothuis, Ton G G

2012-01-01

Animals and plants routinely produce more offspring than they can afford to rear. Mothers can favour certain young by conferring on them competitive advantages such as a leading position in the birth sequence, more resources or hormones. Avian mothers create hatching asynchrony within a clutch and at the same time bestow the eggs with different concentrations of androgens that may enhance or counteract the competitive advantage experienced by early-hatching "core" young. In siblicidal birds, core young assume a dominant social position in the nest due to their size advantage and when threatened with starvation fatally attack subdominant later-hatching "marginal" young. A role for maternal androgens in siblicidal aggression has frequently been suggested but never tested. We studied this in the facultatively siblicidal black-headed kittiwake. We found that marginal eggs contain higher instead of lower concentrations of androgens than core eggs. Surprisingly, exposure to experimentally elevated yolk androgens increased sibling aggression and dominance, even though in nature marginal eggs never produce dominant chicks. We propose the "adoption facilitation hypothesis" to explain this paradox. This cliff-nesting colonial species has a high adoption rate: ejected marginal kittiwake chicks frequently fall into other nests containing chicks of similar or smaller size and exposure to yolk androgens might help them integrate themselves into a foster nest.

The economic origins of ultrasociality.

PubMed

Gowdy, John; Krall, Lisi

2016-01-01

Ultrasociality refers to the social organization of a few species, including humans and some social insects, having a complex division of labor, city-states, and an almost exclusive dependence on agriculture for subsistence. We argue that the driving forces in the evolution of these ultrasocial societies were economic. With the agricultural transition, species could directly produce their own food and this was such a competitive advantage that those species now dominate the planet. Once underway, this transition was propelled by the selection of within-species groups that could best capture the advantages of (1) actively managing the inputs to food production, (2) a more complex division of labor, and (3) increasing returns to larger scale and larger group size. Together these factors reoriented productive life and radically altered the structure of these societies. Once agriculture began, populations expanded as these economic drivers opened up new opportunities for the exploitation of resources and the active management of inputs to food production. With intensified group-level competition, larger populations and intensive resource exploitation became competitive advantages, and the "social conquest of Earth" was underway. Ultrasocial species came to dominate the earth's ecosystems. Ultrasociality also brought a loss of autonomy for individuals within the group. We argue that exploring the common causes and consequences of ultrasociality in humans and the social insects that adopted agriculture can provide fruitful insights into the evolution of complex human society.

Continuous Competition as an Approach to Maximize Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

for an entire program life-cycle often endows the winner with a very strong monopolistic power that lasts for decades. This paper describes...entrenched practice of one-time competition for an entire program life-cycle often endows the winner with a very strong monopolistic power that lasts for...contract award. Instead, the winning contractor often establishes monopolistic advantages and gains “vendor lock.” As a result, programs can experience

Affective learning modulates spatial competition during low-load attentional conditions.

PubMed

Lim, Seung-Lark; Padmala, Srikanth; Pessoa, Luiz

2008-04-01

It has been hypothesized that the amygdala mediates the processing advantage of emotional items. In the present study, we employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how fear conditioning affected the visual processing of task-irrelevant faces. We hypothesized that faces previously paired with shock (threat faces) would more effectively vie for processing resources during conditions involving spatial competition. To investigate this question, following conditioning, participants performed a letter-detection task on an array of letters that was superimposed on task-irrelevant faces. Attentional resources were manipulated by having participants perform an easy or a difficult search task. Our findings revealed that threat fearful faces evoked stronger responses in the amygdala and fusiform gyrus relative to safe fearful faces during low-load attentional conditions, but not during high-load conditions. Consistent with the increased processing of shock-paired stimuli during the low-load condition, such stimuli exhibited increased behavioral priming and fMRI repetition effects relative to unpaired faces during a subsequent implicit-memory task. Overall, our results suggest a competition model in which affective significance signals from the amygdala may constitute a key modulatory factor determining the neural fate of visual stimuli. In addition, it appears that such competitive advantage is only evident when sufficient processing resources are available to process the affective stimulus.

Lethal effects of habitat degradation on fishes through changing competitive advantage.

PubMed

McCormick, Mark I

2012-10-07

Coral bleaching has caused catastrophic changes to coral reef ecosystems around the world with profound ecological, social and economic repercussions. While its occurrence is predicted to increase in the future, we have little understanding of mechanisms that underlie changes in the fish community associated with coral degradation. The present study uses a field-based experiment to examine how the intensity of interference competition between juveniles of two species of damselfish changes as healthy corals degrade through thermal bleaching. The mortality of a damselfish that is a live coral specialist (Pomacentrus moluccensis) increased on bleached and dead coral in the presence of the habitat generalist (Pomacentrus amboinensis). Increased mortality of the specialist was indirectly owing to enhanced aggression by the generalist forcing the specialist higher up and further away from shelter on bleached and dead coral. Evidence from this study stresses the importance of changing interspecific interactions to community dynamics as habitats change.

A Review of the Poultry Meat Production Industry for Food Safety in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahyono, N. D.; Utami, M. M. D.

2018-01-01

Poultry meat is an indispensable source of animal protein in human growth and development, so it is in great demand by people all over the world. Poultry meat has several advantages, namely the quality of nutrition is good enough, delicious taste, relatively affordable price, easy to get and accepted all levels of society with diverse backgrounds. The era of globalization requires competitive products, such as chicken meat in Indonesia, the current chicken meat industry is not only based on high production capacity and decreased production costs but also chicken products are safe to eat. As a consequence of trade liberalization, the poultry industry faces the threat of competition with cheaper products with better quality. The food safety of chicken meat starts from the farm, processing process until consumed. Food safety is a requirement of food products that must be handled by involving government, industry and consumers.

Person-Centered Care Practices in Long-Term Care in the Deep South: Consideration of Structural, Market, and Administrator Characteristics.

PubMed

Jacobs, M Lindsey; Snow, A Lynn; Parmelee, Patricia A; Davis, Jullet A

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study was to identify structural, market, and administrator factors of nursing homes that are related to the implementation of person-centered care. Administrators of Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing homes in the Deep South were invited to complete a standardized survey about their facility and their perceptions and attitudes regarding person-centered care practices (PCCPs). Nursing home structural and market factors were obtained from public websites, and these data were matched with administrator data. Consistent with the resource-based theory of competitive advantage, nursing homes with greater resources and more competition were more likely to implement PCCPs. Implementation of person-centered care was also higher in nursing homes with administrators who perceived culture change implementation to be feasible in their facilities. Given that there is a link between resource availability and adoption of person-centered care, future research should investigate the cost of such innovations.

Electronic business model for small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SME): a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuen, Karina; Chung, Walter W.

2001-10-01

This paper identifies three essential factors (information infrastructure, executive information system and a new manufacturing paradigm) that are used to support the development of a new business model for competitiveness. They facilitate changes in organization structure in support of business transformation. A SME can source a good manufacturing practice using a model of academic-university collaboration to gain competitive advantage in the e-business world. The collaboration facilitates the change agents to use information systems development as a vehicle to increase the capability of executives in using information and knowledge management to gain higher responsiveness and customer satisfaction. The case company is used to illustrate the application of a web-based executive information system to interface internal communications with external operation. It explains where a good manufacturing practice may be re-applied by other SMEs to acquire skills as a learning organization grows in an extended enterprise setting.

78 FR 13352 - Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-27

... traceability for the receipt of raw materials from their source to the dispensing of finished pharmaceutical... MRI imaging Competitive Advantages: Improved resolution through composite imagery Background...

Edible holography: the application of holographic techniques to food processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Begleiter, Eric

1991-07-01

Reports on current research efforts in the application of holographic techniques to food processing. Through a simple and inexpensive production process, diffractive and holographic effects of color, depth, and motion can be transferred to edible products. Processes are discussed which can provide a competitive advantage to the marketing of a diverse group of sugar and non-sugar-based consumable products, i.e. candies, chocolates, lollipops, snacks, cereals and pharmaceuticals. Techniques, applications, and products are investigated involving the shift from a chemical to a physical basis for the production of food coloring and decorating.

Linear programming computational experience with onyx

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

Atrek, E.

1994-12-31

ONYX is a linear programming software package based on an efficient variation of the gradient projection method. When fully configured, it is intended for application to industrial size problems. While the computational experience is limited at the time of this abstract, the technique is found to be robust and competitive with existing methodology in terms of both accuracy and speed. An overview of the approach is presented together with a description of program capabilities, followed by a discussion of up-to-date computational experience with the program. Conclusions include advantages of the approach and envisioned future developments.

Evaluation of Cost Leadership Strategy in Shipping Enterprises with Simulation Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferfeli, Maria V.; Vaxevanou, Anthi Z.; Damianos, Sakas P.

2009-08-01

The present study will attempt the evaluation of cost leadership strategy that prevails in certain shipping enterprises and the creation of simulation models based on strategic model STAIR. The above model is an alternative method of strategic applications evaluation. This is held in order to be realised if the strategy of cost leadership creates competitive advantage [1] and this will be achieved via the technical simulation which appreciates the interactions between the operations of an enterprise and the decision-making strategy in conditions of uncertainty with reduction of undertaken risk.

Implementation of Gravity Model to Estimation of Transportation Market Shares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krata, Przemysław

2010-03-01

The theoretical consideration presented in the paper is inspired by market gravity models, as an interesting attitude towards operations research on a market. The transportation market issues are emphasized. The mathematical model of relations, taking place between transportation companies and their customers on the market, which is applied in the course of the research is based on continuous functions characteristics. This attitude enables the use of the field theory notions. The resultant vector-type utility function facilitates obtaining of competitive advantage areas for all transportation companies located on the considered transportation market.

Method for Determining the Weight of Functional Objectives on Manufacturing System

PubMed Central

Zhang, Qingshan; Xu, Wei; Zhang, Jiekun

2014-01-01

We propose a three-dimensional integrated weight determination to solve manufacturing system functional objectives, where consumers are weighted by triangular fuzzy numbers to determine the enterprises. The weights, subjective parts are determined by the expert scoring method, the objective parts are determined by the entropy method with the competitive advantage of determining. Based on the integration of three methods and comprehensive weight, we provide some suggestions for the manufacturing system. This paper provides the numerical example analysis to illustrate the feasibility of this method. PMID:25243203

Semi-supervised morphosyntactic classification of Old Icelandic.

PubMed

Urban, Kryztof; Tangherlini, Timothy R; Vijūnas, Aurelijus; Broadwell, Peter M

2014-01-01

We present IceMorph, a semi-supervised morphosyntactic analyzer of Old Icelandic. In addition to machine-read corpora and dictionaries, it applies a small set of declension prototypes to map corpus words to dictionary entries. A web-based GUI allows expert users to modify and augment data through an online process. A machine learning module incorporates prototype data, edit-distance metrics, and expert feedback to continuously update part-of-speech and morphosyntactic classification. An advantage of the analyzer is its ability to achieve competitive classification accuracy with minimum training data.

Intelligent control of PV system on the basis of the fuzzy recurrent neuronet*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engel, E. A.; Kovalev, I. V.; Engel, N. E.

2016-04-01

This paper presents the fuzzy recurrent neuronet for PV system’s control. Based on the PV system’s state, the fuzzy recurrent neural net tracks the maximum power point under random perturbations. The validity and advantages of the proposed intelligent control of PV system are demonstrated by numerical simulations. The simulation results show that the proposed intelligent control of PV system achieves real-time control speed and competitive performance, as compared to a classical control scheme on the basis of the perturbation & observation algorithm.

The impact of collaborations between universities and private organizations on cluster development and competitiveness in Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoicovici, D.; Bănică, M.; Ungureanu, M.; Stoicovici, M.

2017-05-01

While the European Union has put a lot of emphasis on cluster development due to their inherent advantages such as lower transaction costs, technological transfer and regional development, little is known about how clusters emerge and what can facilitate their competitiveness. This paper aims to study the impact of public-private cooperation between universities and organizations on cluster development and competitiveness. A literature review is employed to develop the model while 4 qualitative case studies provide the initial test of its validity. The analysis suggests that cooperating with research institutions impacts cluster development first through education of industrial staff, but also by developing innovation processes through the facilitation of the appearance of innovative ideas and also of knowledge sharing among organizations. The research has several implications both for organizations and for government officials. First of all, R&D and top management should actively seek to cooperate with research institutions both for training of their staff but also in seeking new ideas and as a way of collaborating with other organizations within the field without fear of losing competitive advantage. Second, government officials should try to create more incentives both for organizations (through for example tax returns) and for universities (extra funding or salary incentives) that can increase collaboration between these actors. This paper is the first one to asses empirically how cooperation with research institutions affect cluster competitiveness and development, especially within the developing region of Eastern Europe, Romania.

[The mission].

PubMed

Ruiz Moreno, J; Blanch Mon, A

2000-01-01

After having made a historical review of the concept of mission statement, of evaluating its importance (See Part I), of describing the bases to create a mission statement from a strategic perspective and of analyzing the advantages of this concept, probably more important as a business policy (See Parts I and II), the authors proceed to analyze the mission statement in health organizations. Due to the fact that a mission statement is lacking in the majority of health organizations, the strategy of health organizations are not exactly favored; as a consequence, neither are its competitive advantage nor the development of its essential competencies. After presenting a series of mission statements corresponding to Anglo-Saxon health organizations, the authors highlight two mission statements corresponding to our social context. The article finishes by suggesting an adequate sequence for developing a mission statement in those health organizations having a strategic sense.

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.

9 CFR 381.132 - Labeling approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...; (iii) Denial of the request would create undue economic hardship; and (iv) An unfair competitive advantage would not result from the granting of the temporary approval. (2) Extensions of temporary...

40 CFR 230.41 - Wetlands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... certain trees, that gain a competitive advantage over others because they can tolerate prolonged wet soil... circulation patterns that flush large expanses of wetland systems, by interfering with the filtration function...

40 CFR 230.41 - Wetlands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... certain trees, that gain a competitive advantage over others because they can tolerate prolonged wet soil... circulation patterns that flush large expanses of wetland systems, by interfering with the filtration function...

40 CFR 230.41 - Wetlands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... certain trees, that gain a competitive advantage over others because they can tolerate prolonged wet soil... circulation patterns that flush large expanses of wetland systems, by interfering with the filtration function...

Time Pressure Increases Cooperation in Competitively Framed Social Dilemmas

PubMed Central

Cone, Jeremy; Rand, David G.

2014-01-01

What makes people willing to pay costs to benefit others? Does such cooperation require effortful self-control, or do automatic, intuitive processes favor cooperation? Time pressure has been shown to increase cooperative behavior in Public Goods Games, implying a predisposition towards cooperation. Consistent with the hypothesis that this predisposition results from the fact that cooperation is typically advantageous outside the lab, it has further been shown that the time pressure effect is undermined by prior experience playing lab games (where selfishness is the more advantageous strategy). Furthermore, a recent study found that time pressure increases cooperation even in a game framed as a competition, suggesting that the time pressure effect is not the result of social norm compliance. Here, we successfully replicate these findings, again observing a positive effect of time pressure on cooperation in a competitively framed game, but not when using the standard cooperative framing. These results suggest that participants' intuitions favor cooperation rather than norm compliance, and also that simply changing the framing of the Public Goods Game is enough to make it appear novel to participants and thus to restore the time pressure effect. PMID:25551386

Time pressure increases cooperation in competitively framed social dilemmas.

PubMed

Cone, Jeremy; Rand, David G

2014-01-01

What makes people willing to pay costs to benefit others? Does such cooperation require effortful self-control, or do automatic, intuitive processes favor cooperation? Time pressure has been shown to increase cooperative behavior in Public Goods Games, implying a predisposition towards cooperation. Consistent with the hypothesis that this predisposition results from the fact that cooperation is typically advantageous outside the lab, it has further been shown that the time pressure effect is undermined by prior experience playing lab games (where selfishness is the more advantageous strategy). Furthermore, a recent study found that time pressure increases cooperation even in a game framed as a competition, suggesting that the time pressure effect is not the result of social norm compliance. Here, we successfully replicate these findings, again observing a positive effect of time pressure on cooperation in a competitively framed game, but not when using the standard cooperative framing. These results suggest that participants' intuitions favor cooperation rather than norm compliance, and also that simply changing the framing of the Public Goods Game is enough to make it appear novel to participants and thus to restore the time pressure effect.

A smart-pixel holographic competitive learning network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slagle, Timothy Michael

Neural networks are adaptive classifiers which modify their decision boundaries based on feedback from externally- or internally-generated error signals. Optics is an attractive technology for neural network implementation because it offers the possibility of parallel, nearly instantaneous computation of the weighted neuron inputs by the propagation of light through the optical system. Using current optical device technology, system performance levels of 3 × 1011 connection updates per second can be achieved. This thesis presents an architecture for an optical competitive learning network which offers advantages over previous optical implementations, including smart-pixel-based optical neurons, phase- conjugate self-alignment of a single neuron plane, and high-density, parallel-access weight storage, interconnection, and learning in a volume hologram. The competitive learning algorithm with modifications for optical implementation is described, and algorithm simulations are performed for an example problem. The optical competitive learning architecture is then introduced. The optical system is simulated using the ``beamprop'' algorithm at the level of light propagating through the system components, and results showing competitive learning operation in agreement with the algorithm simulations are presented. The optical competitive learning requires a non-linear, non-local ``winner-take-all'' (WTA) neuron function. Custom-designed smart-pixel WTA neuron arrays were fabricated using CMOS VLSI/liquid crystal technology. Results of laboratory tests of the WTA arrays' switching characteristics, time response, and uniformity are then presented. The system uses a phase-conjugate mirror to write the self-aligning interconnection weight holograms, and energy gain is required from the reflection to minimize erasure of the existing weights. An experimental system for characterizing the PCM response is described. Useful gains of 20 were obtained with a polarization-multiplexed PCM readout, and gains of up to 60 were observed when a time-sequential read-out technique was used. Finally, the optical competitive learning laboratory system is described, including some necessary modifications to the previous architectures, and the data acquisition and control system developed for the system. Experimental results showing phase conjugation of the WTA outputs, holographic interconnect storage, associative storage between input images and WTA neuron outputs, and WTA array switching are presented, demonstrating the functions necessary for the operation of the optical learning system.

Competition between the sperm of a single male can increase the evolutionary rate of haploid expressed genes.

PubMed

Ezawa, Kiyoshi; Innan, Hideki

2013-07-01

The population genetic behavior of mutations in sperm genes is theoretically investigated. We modeled the processes at two levels. One is the standard population genetic process, in which the population allele frequencies change generation by generation, depending on the difference in selective advantages. The other is the sperm competition during each genetic transmission from one generation to the next generation. For the sperm competition process, we formulate the situation where a huge number of sperm with alleles A and B, produced by a single heterozygous male, compete to fertilize a single egg. This "minimal model" demonstrates that a very slight difference in sperm performance amounts to quite a large difference between the alleles' winning probabilities. By incorporating this effect of paternity-sharing sperm competition into the standard population genetic process, we show that fierce sperm competition can enhance the fixation probability of a mutation with a very small phenotypic effect at the single-sperm level, suggesting a contribution of sperm competition to rapid amino acid substitutions in haploid-expressed sperm genes. Considering recent genome-wide demonstrations that a substantial fraction of the mammalian sperm genes are haploid expressed, our model could provide a potential explanation of rapid evolution of sperm genes with a wide variety of functions (as long as they are expressed in the haploid phase). Another advantage of our model is that it is applicable to a wide range of species, irrespective of whether the species is externally fertilizing, polygamous, or monogamous. The theoretical result was applied to mammalian data to estimate the selection intensity on nonsynonymous mutations in sperm genes.

Competition Between the Sperm of a Single Male Can Increase the Evolutionary Rate of Haploid Expressed Genes

PubMed Central

Ezawa, Kiyoshi; Innan, Hideki

2013-01-01

The population genetic behavior of mutations in sperm genes is theoretically investigated. We modeled the processes at two levels. One is the standard population genetic process, in which the population allele frequencies change generation by generation, depending on the difference in selective advantages. The other is the sperm competition during each genetic transmission from one generation to the next generation. For the sperm competition process, we formulate the situation where a huge number of sperm with alleles A and B, produced by a single heterozygous male, compete to fertilize a single egg. This “minimal model” demonstrates that a very slight difference in sperm performance amounts to quite a large difference between the alleles’ winning probabilities. By incorporating this effect of paternity-sharing sperm competition into the standard population genetic process, we show that fierce sperm competition can enhance the fixation probability of a mutation with a very small phenotypic effect at the single-sperm level, suggesting a contribution of sperm competition to rapid amino acid substitutions in haploid-expressed sperm genes. Considering recent genome-wide demonstrations that a substantial fraction of the mammalian sperm genes are haploid expressed, our model could provide a potential explanation of rapid evolution of sperm genes with a wide variety of functions (as long as they are expressed in the haploid phase). Another advantage of our model is that it is applicable to a wide range of species, irrespective of whether the species is externally fertilizing, polygamous, or monogamous. The theoretical result was applied to mammalian data to estimate the selection intensity on nonsynonymous mutations in sperm genes. PMID:23666936

48 CFR 2009.570-1 - Scope of policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... competitive advantage? (c) The conflict of interest rule contained in this subpart applies to contractors and... of consulting services through the personnel appointment process. NRC agreements with other Govern...

The great divide: social media's role in bridging healthcare's generational shift.

PubMed

Sarringhaus, Meredith M

2011-01-01

Social media, a resource largely untapped in the healthcare field, presents opportunities and advantages and, if used properly, can innovate healthcare and create a competitive advantage for adopters. Many organizations have considered social media but dismissed its advantages as fleeting products of the new generation entering the workforce: the millennials. However, the millennial generation has assumed a greater presence in clinical and administrative positions as the baby boomer generation prepares for retirement. This article advocates the adoption of social media in healthcare organizations as a strategic advantage in connecting with their patient population and recruiting and retaining millennial staff amid the generational shift of the healthcare workforce.

PLAYERS' PERCEPTIONS OF HOME ADVANTAGE IN THE AUSTRALIAN RUGBY LEAGUE COMPETITION.

PubMed

Mcguckin, Teneale A; Sinclair, Wade H; Sealey, Rebecca M; Bowman, Paul W

2015-12-01

This study was designed to pilot a survey to explore players' perception of home advantage in a rugby league. Twenty-seven players from one team with an identified home advantage believed a home advantage existed as a result of their home crowd (52%), family and friends' support (41%), normal travel (45%) and sleeping arrangements (37%), home weather conditions (48%), and familiarity with playing amenities (37%). However, the players were less definite about influences while playing away from home. The current sample of players identified differing influences, highlighting individual variations in perceived determinants. Individual interviews or focus groups will be required for further exploration.

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

Jobs: Ohio's Future. Creating a High Performance Workforce for Ohio. A Comprehensive Workforce Development Strategy Developed by the Governor's Human Resources Advisory Council. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Bureau of Employment Services, Columbus.

For a competitive advantage, Ohio must be sensitive to three national trends that will reshape its work force: the growing gap between the skill requirements of jobs and workers' capabilities, the slow growth of the labor force, and demands of a global economy. The future competitiveness of Ohio's economy will depend on its capacity to support the…

50 CFR 600.415 - Access to statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... perform functions authorized by a Federal contract or grant. (c) State personnel. Upon written request... members might gain personal or competitive advantage from access to the data. (ii) The possibility that...

50 CFR 600.415 - Access to statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... perform functions authorized by a Federal contract or grant. (c) State personnel. Upon written request... members might gain personal or competitive advantage from access to the data. (ii) The possibility that...

50 CFR 600.415 - Access to statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... perform functions authorized by a Federal contract or grant. (c) State personnel. Upon written request... members might gain personal or competitive advantage from access to the data. (ii) The possibility that...

50 CFR 600.415 - Access to statistics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... perform functions authorized by a Federal contract or grant. (c) State personnel. Upon written request... members might gain personal or competitive advantage from access to the data. (ii) The possibility that...

Characterization of an LED based photoreactor to degrade 4-chlorophenol in an aqueous medium using coumarin (C-343) sensitized TiO2.

PubMed

Ghosh, Jyoti P; Langford, Cooper H; Achari, Gopal

2008-10-16

A detailed performance evaluation of a simple high intensity LED based photoreactor exploiting a narrow wavelength range of the LED to match the spectrum of a dye in a photocatalysis system is reported. A dye sensitized (coumarin-343, lambda max = 446 nm) TiO 2 photocatalyst was used for the degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) in an aqueous medium using the 436 nm LED based photoreactor. The LED reactor performed competitively with a conventional multilamp reactor and sunlight in the degradation of 4-CP. Light intensities entering the reaction vessel were measured by conventional ferrioxalate actinometry. The results can be fitted by approximate first order kinetic behavior in this system. Hydroxyl radicals were detected by spin trapping EPR, and effects of OH radical quenchers on kinetics suggest that the reaction is initiated by these radicals or their equivalents. LEDs operating at competitive intensities offer a number of advantages to the photochemist or the environmental engineer via long life, efficient current to light conversion, narrow bandwidth, forward directed output, and direct current power for remote operation. Matching light source spectrum to chromophore is a key.

A safety monitoring system for taxi based on CMOS imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhi

2005-01-01

CMOS image sensors now become increasingly competitive with respect to their CCD counterparts, while adding advantages such as no blooming, simpler driving requirements and the potential of on-chip integration of sensor, analogue circuitry, and digital processing functions. A safety monitoring system for taxi based on cmos imager that can record field situation when unusual circumstance happened is described in this paper. The monitoring system is based on a CMOS imager (OV7120), which can output digital image data through parallel pixel data port. The system consists of a CMOS image sensor, a large capacity NAND FLASH ROM, a USB interface chip and a micro controller (AT90S8515). The structure of whole system and the test data is discussed and analyzed in detail.

The role of adaptations in two-strain competition for sylvatic Trypanosoma cruzi transmission.

PubMed

Kribs-Zaleta, Christopher M; Mubayi, Anuj

2012-01-01

This study presents a continuous-time model for the sylvatic transmission dynamics of two strains of Trypanosoma cruzi enzootic in North America, in order to study the role that adaptations of each strain to distinct modes of transmission (classical stercorarian transmission on the one hand, and vertical and oral transmission on the other) may play in the competition between the two strains. A deterministic model incorporating contact process saturation predicts competitive exclusion, and reproductive numbers for the infection provide a framework for evaluating the competition in terms of adaptive trade-off between distinct transmission modes. Results highlight the importance of oral transmission in mediating the competition between horizontal (stercorarian) and vertical transmission; its presence as a competing contact process advantages vertical transmission even without adaptation to oral transmission, but such adaptation appears necessary to explain the persistence of (vertically-adapted) T. cruzi IV in raccoons and woodrats in the southeastern United States.

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

Riley, H.W. Jr.

Over the years, utilities have been going through cost cutting measures and efficiency improvements in an effort to be more competitive or stay competitive within their market territory. The next logical step for a utility to take is to promote Creativity. With a creative environment in place, utilities can keep pace with the changes in the industry and maintain or attain their competitive advantage. The goal of the creative electric utility work-force is to keep up with changes in the industry and become more competitive as the market becomes more competitive. Utilities can change the way they do business bymore » utilizing an effectively trained and skilled work-force on the subject of creative thinking. Creativity within a work-force depends on the employees desire to understand difficult aspects of his or her life. This paper will provide the foundation for linking Creativity and the electric utility industry.« less

Production of the antimicrobial secondary metabolite indigoidine contributes to competitive surface colonization by the marine roseobacter Phaeobacter sp. strain Y4I.

PubMed

Cude, W Nathan; Mooney, Jason; Tavanaei, Arash A; Hadden, Mary K; Frank, Ashley M; Gulvik, Christopher A; May, Amanda L; Buchan, Alison

2012-07-01

Members of the Roseobacter lineage of marine bacteria are prolific surface colonizers in marine coastal environments, and antimicrobial secondary metabolite production has been hypothesized to provide a competitive advantage to colonizing roseobacters. Here, we report that the roseobacter Phaeobacter sp. strain Y4I produces the blue pigment indigoidine via a nonribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS)-based biosynthetic pathway encoded by a novel series of genetically linked genes: igiBCDFE. A Tn5-based random mutagenesis library of Y4I showed a perfect correlation between indigoidine production by the Phaeobacter strain and inhibition of Vibrio fischeri on agar plates, revealing a previously unrecognized bioactivity of this molecule. In addition, igiD null mutants (igiD encoding the indigoidine NRPS) were more resistant to hydrogen peroxide, less motile, and faster to colonize an artificial surface than the wild-type strain. Collectively, these data provide evidence for pleiotropic effects of indigoidine production in this strain. Gene expression assays support phenotypic observations and demonstrate that igiD gene expression is upregulated during growth on surfaces. Furthermore, competitive cocultures of V. fischeri and Y4I show that the production of indigoidine by Y4I significantly inhibits colonization of V. fischeri on surfaces. This study is the first to characterize a secondary metabolite produced by an NRPS in roseobacters.

The Scientific Competitiveness of Nations.

PubMed

Cimini, Giulio; Gabrielli, Andrea; Sylos Labini, Francesco

2014-01-01

We use citation data of scientific articles produced by individual nations in different scientific domains to determine the structure and efficiency of national research systems. We characterize the scientific fitness of each nation-that is, the competitiveness of its research system-and the complexity of each scientific domain by means of a non-linear iterative algorithm able to assess quantitatively the advantage of scientific diversification. We find that technological leading nations, beyond having the largest production of scientific papers and the largest number of citations, do not specialize in a few scientific domains. Rather, they diversify as much as possible their research system. On the other side, less developed nations are competitive only in scientific domains where also many other nations are present. Diversification thus represents the key element that correlates with scientific and technological competitiveness. A remarkable implication of this structure of the scientific competition is that the scientific domains playing the role of "markers" of national scientific competitiveness are those not necessarily of high technological requirements, but rather addressing the most "sophisticated" needs of the society.

Effect of choline supplementation on rapid weight loss and biochemical variables among female taekwondo and judo athletes.

PubMed

Elsawy, Gehan; Abdelrahman, Osama; Hamza, Amr

2014-03-27

Taekwondo and judo competitions are divided into weight categories. Many athletes reduce their body mass a few days before competition in order to obtain a competitive advantage over lighter opponents. To achieve fast body mass reduction, athletes use a number of nutritional strategies, including choline supplementation. The goal of this study was to identify the effects of choline supplementation on body mass reduction and leptin levels among female taekwondo and judo athletes. Twenty-two female athletes (15 taekwondo and 7 judo athletes) were selected from different weight categories and divided into two groups, according to weight. The players in the experimental group took choline tablets for one week before a competition. The results revealed significant differences between pre- and post-competition measurements of leptin, free plasma choline, urine choline and urine malondialdehyde levels; body mass was also reduced in the post-competition measurements. In conclusion, choline supplementation could rapidly reduce body mass without any side effects on biochemical levels or static strength.

Interspecific competition effects on phosphorus accumulation by Hydrilla verticillata and Vallisneria natans.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiufeng; Liu, Zhengwen

2011-01-01

The competition between submersed plants has been recognized as an important factor influencing the structure of plant communities in shallow lakes. The ability of different species to take up and store nutrients from the surrounding ambience varies, and hence plant community structure might be expected to affect the cycling of nutrients in lake ecosystems. In this study, the uptake of phosphorus by Hydrilla verticillata and Vallisneria natans was studied and compared in monoculture and competitive mixed-culture plantings. Results showed that for both studied species the phosphorus concentrations of different tissues and of whole plants was unaffected by competition. However, the quantity of phosphorus accumulated by whole plants of H. verticillata was significantly higher in mixture culture than in monoculture, while that of V. natans was lower in the mixed culture. The results indicated that H. verticillata has a competitive advantage over V. natans, when the two species are grown in competition, and is able to accumulate a greater quantity of phosphorus.

Detecting Deception in Movement: The Case of the Side-Step in Rugby

PubMed Central

Brault, Sébastien; Bideau, Benoit; Kulpa, Richard; Craig, Cathy M.

2012-01-01

Although coordinated patterns of body movement can be used to communicate action intention, they can also be used to deceive. Often known as deceptive movements, these unpredictable patterns of body movement can give a competitive advantage to an attacker when trying to outwit a defender. In this particular study, we immersed novice and expert rugby players in an interactive virtual rugby environment to understand how the dynamics of deceptive body movement influence a defending player’s decisions about how and when to act. When asked to judge final running direction, expert players who were found to tune into prospective tau-based information specified in the dynamics of ‘honest’ movement signals (Centre of Mass), performed significantly better than novices who tuned into the dynamics of ‘deceptive’ movement signals (upper trunk yaw and out-foot placement) (p<.001). These findings were further corroborated in a second experiment where players were able to move as if to intercept or ‘tackle’ the virtual attacker. An analysis of action responses showed that experts waited significantly longer before initiating movement (p<.001). By waiting longer and picking up more information that would inform about future running direction these experts made significantly fewer errors (p<.05). In this paper we not only present a mathematical model that describes how deception in body-based movement is detected, but we also show how perceptual expertise is manifested in action expertise. We conclude that being able to tune into the ‘honest’ information specifying true running action intention gives a strong competitive advantage. PMID:22701569

Irresponsibility clause in air traffic contracts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

PORQUET

1922-01-01

This report examines the question of the responsibility of the carrier in air traffic. The French were concerned about the competitive advantage the English companies enjoyed because of differences in their respective laws.

For the Good of What Profession? (Communication Management).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caernarven-Smith, Patricia

1993-01-01

Discusses the lack of information about cost accounting in technical publications. Argues that nobody is publishing real numbers because the real numbers are hard work, competitively advantageous, and sometimes embarrassing. (SR)

Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative Solid-State Lighting

ScienceCinema

Thomas, Sunil; Edmond, John; Krames, Michael; Rama

2018-05-30

The importance of U.S. manufacturing for clean energy technologies, such as solid-state lighting (SSL), is paramount to increasing competitiveness in a global marketplace. SSLs are poised to drive the lighting market, worldwide. In order to continue that competitiveness and support further innovation, the time to invest in U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies is now. Across the country, companies developing innovative clean energy technologies find competitive advantages to manufacturing in the U.S. The Department of Energy's Building Technology Office SSL Manufacturing Roadmap is just one example of how we support manufacturing through convening industry perspectives on opportunities to significantly reduce risk, improve quality, increase yields, and lower costs.

The need of a weight management control program in judo: a proposal based on the successful case of wrestling.

PubMed

Artioli, Guilherme G; Franchini, Emerson; Nicastro, Humberto; Sterkowicz, Stanislaw; Solis, Marina Y; Lancha, Antonio H

2010-05-04

Judo competitions are divided into weight classes. However, most athletes reduce their body weight in a few days before competition in order to obtain a competitive advantage over lighter opponents. To achieve fast weight reduction, athletes use a number of aggressive nutritional strategies so many of them place themselves at a high health-injury risk. In collegiate wrestling, a similar problem has been observed and three wrestlers died in 1997 due to rapid weight loss regimes. After these deaths, the National Collegiate Athletic Association had implemented a successful weight management program which was proven to improve weight management behavior. No similar program has ever been discussed by judo federations even though judo competitors present a comparable inappropriate pattern of weight control. In view of this, the basis for a weight control program is provided in this manuscript, as follows: competition should begin within 1 hour after weigh-in, at the latest; each athlete is allowed to be weighed-in only once; rapid weight loss as well as artificial rehydration (i.e., saline infusion) methods are prohibited during the entire competition day; athletes should pass the hydration test to get their weigh-in validated; an individual minimum competitive weight (male athletes competing at no less than 7% and females at no less than 12% of body fat) should be determined at the beginning of each season; athletes are not allowed to compete in any weight class that requires weight reductions greater than 1.5% of body weight per week. In parallel, educational programs should aim at increasing the athletes', coaches' and parents' awareness about the risks of aggressive nutritional strategies as well as healthier ways to properly manage body weight.