Modelling procurement effects on cooperation

Cooperative arrangements, such as partnering, have received increased interest in recent years. Several studies show however that cooperative relationships are not easily achieved in construction. Implementation of cooperative relationships requires changes in several elements of the traditional procurement procedures. The purpose of this paper is therefore to propose and test a sequential model regarding clients’ cooperative procurement procedures. We especially ask: what elements in clients’ procurement procedures facilitate the establishment of cooperation and trust in their relationships with contractors? The model was tested through structural equation modelling. The empirical data required for the test were collected through a survey responded to by 87 Swedish professional construction clients. The empirical results show that cooperative procurement procedures are triggered by clients’ wish to involve contractors early in specification, which has a simultaneous effect on procedures regarding bid invitation and compensation. Furthermore, these simultaneous effects breed a certain kind of partner selection based on task-related attributes, which also has a direct positive effect on trust and above all on cooperation in client–contractor relationships. Besides these implications from the model, the improvement of measurements for future modelling is discussed.Construction; cooperation; procurement;

Journal Staff

A myelopoiesis gene signature in circulating leucocytes, exemplified by increased myeloperoxidase (MPO) and proteinase 3 (PR3) mRNA levels, has been reported in patients with active anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody associated vasculitis (AAV) and to a lesser extent during remission. We hypothesized that this signature could predict disease relapse. mRNA levels of PR3, MPO, selected myelopoiesis transcription factors (CEBPA, CEBPB, SPIB, SPI1) and microRNAs (miRNAs) from patient and control peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) were analyzed and associated with clinical data. Patients in stable remission had higher mRNA levels for PR3 (PBMCs, PMNs) and MPO (PBMCs). PR3 and SPIB mRNA correlated positively in control but negatively in patient PBMCs. Statistically significant correlations existed between PR3 mRNA and several miRNAs in controls, but not in patients. PR3/MPO mRNA levels were not associated with previous or future relapses but correlated to steroid treatment. Prednisolone doses were negatively linked to SPIB and miR-155-5p, miR-339-5p (PBMCs) and to miR-221, miR-361, miR-505 (PMNs). PR3 mRNA in PBMCs correlated with time since last flare, blood leucocyte count and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Our results show that elevated leucocyte PR3 mRNA levels in AAV patients in remission do not predict relapse. The origin seems multifactorial, but to an important part explainable by prednisolone action. Gene signatures in patients with AAV undergoing steroid treatment should therefore be interpreted accordingly

Property and Empire: The Law of Imperialism in Johnson v. M’Intosh

Chief Justice\u27s Marshall\u27s opinion in Johnson v. M\u27Intosh, 21 U.S. (8 Wheat.)543 (1823) has long been a puzzle, both in its doctrinal structure and in long, strange dicta which are both triumphal and elegiac. In this Essay, I show that the opinion becomes newly intelligible when read in the context of the law and theory of colonialism, concerned, like the case itself, with the expropriation of continents and relations between dominant and subject peoples. I examine several instances where the seeming incoherence of the opinion instead shows its debt to imperial jurisprudence, which rested on a distinction between two bodies of law: one governing relations between civilized nations, the other relations between civilized governments and the imperfect sovereigns of other nations. I then show how Marshall\u27s long dicta reflect the then-prevalent view of the hsitorical progress of societies from hunter-gatherer to commercial orders, with each stage corresponding to a particular set of property institutions.This historical theory lent intelligibility to the legal distinctions between civilized and lesser or imperfect sovereigns by claiming that the latter occupied earlier stages of development and that civilized nations were legally permitted to overrride the property institutions of primitive societies in order to induce progress. The dicta, then, provide the frame for the reasoning of this case, just as the theory of historical progress framed the jurisprudence of colonialisn in general

On the Impact of Hardware Impairments on Massive MIMO

Massive multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems are one possible key technology for next generation wireless communication systems. Claims have been made that massive MU-MIMO will increase both the radiated energy efficiency as well as the sum-rate capacity by orders of magnitude, because of the high transmit directivity. However, due to the very large number of transceivers needed at each base-station (BS), a successful implementation of massive MU-MIMO will be contingent on of the availability of very cheap, compact and power-efficient radio and digital-processing hardware. This may in turn impair the quality of the modulated radio frequency (RF) signal due to an increased amount of power-amplifier distortion, phase-noise, and quantization noise. In this paper, we examine the effects of hardware impairments on a massive MU-MIMO single-cell system by means of theory and simulation. The simulations are performed using simplified, well-established statistical hardware impairment models as well as more sophisticated and realistic models based upon measurements and electromagnetic antenna array simulations.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures, Accepted for presentation at Globe-Com workshop on Massive MIM

What is the right profile for getting a job? A stated choice experiment of the recruitment process

We study the recruitment behavior of Swedish employers using data from a stated choice experiment. In the experiment, the employers are first asked to describe an employee who recently and voluntarily left the firm, and then to choose between two hypothetical applicants to invite to a job interview or to hire as a replacement for their previous employee. The two applicants differ with respect to characteristics such as gender, age, education, experience, ethnicity, religious beliefs, family situation, weight, and health. Our results show that employers discriminate against applicants who are old, non-European, Muslim, Jewish, obese, have several children, or have a history of sickness absence. Moreover, increasing the firms' cost of uncertainty in hiring - through more firm co-payment in the sickness benefit system - may reduce hiring, but does not affect the degree of discrimination. Also, there are only small differences in the degree of discrimination between different types of recruiters and firms. Overall, our results suggest that the discrimination, at least partially, should reflect statistical discrimination

On the large magnetic anisotropy of Fe_{2}P

We present an investigation on the large magnetic anisotropy of Fe_{2}P, based on {\it Ab Initio} density-functional theory calculations, with a full potential linear muffin-tin orbital (FP-LMTO) basis. We obtain an uniaxial magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of 664 \mu eV/f.u., which is in decent agreement with experimental observations. Based on a band structure analysis the microscopical origin of the large magnetic anisotropy is explained. We also show that by straining the crystal structure, the MAE can be enhanced further.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Enhanced platelet adhesion in essential thrombocythemia after in vitro activation

Objective: Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder characterized by elevated platelet counts and increased risk of thrombosis. Ex vivo data suggest increased platelet reactivity in agreement with the increased thrombosis risk, while in vitro tests often detect decreased platelet activity. The present study aimed to investigate adhesion of ET-platelets in vitro, which is an aspect of platelet function that has been addressed in only a few studies on ET patients. Material and Methods: The study included 30 ET patients and 14 healthy controls. Platelet adhesion was measured with a static platelet adhesion assay. Results: The main finding was that ET-platelets were more readily activated by adhesion-inducing stimuli in vitro than control platelets. This was particularly evident in elderly patients and when using multiple stimuli, such as surfaces of collagen or fibrinogen combined with addition of adenosine 5’-diphosphate or ristocetin. Such multiple stimuli resulted in adhesion above the control mean +2 standard deviations for approximately 50% of the patients.Conclusion: The results are in accordance with the concept of increased platelet activity in ET, but opposite to most other in vitro studies. We suggest that the conditions in the adhesion assay might mimic the in vivo situation regarding the presence of chronic platelet activation

Predictors for discontinuation of adjuvant hormone therapy in breast cancer patients

PURPOSE: To identify predictors of discontinuation of adjuvant hormone therapy in patients with breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a record-linkage study based on data from Stockholm-Gotland Breast Cancer Register, Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, and self-reported questionnaire. Women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2005 and 2008 in Stockholm, Sweden, were prospectively followed for 5 years until 2013, starting from their first prescription of tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors (N = 3,395). RESULTS: Family history of ovarian cancer (hazard ratio [HR], 1.55; 95% CI, 1.19 to 2.02); younger (< 40 years; HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.78) and older (>/= 65 years; HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.28) age; higher Charlson comorbidity index (>/= 2 v 0; HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.76); and use of analgesics (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.52), hypnotics/sedatives (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.43), GI drugs (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.43), and hormone replacement therapy (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.49) were identified as baseline predictors for hormonal treatment discontinuation. Use of analgesics (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.37), hypnotics/sedatives (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.37), antidepressants (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.40), or GI drugs (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.43), and switching therapy between tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors (HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.23 to 1.83) during the first year of hormonal treatment were associated with increased risk of discontinuation during the next 4 years. CONCLUSION: Predictors identified in our study can be used in developing targeted intervention to prevent adjuvant hormone therapy discontinuation and subsequently to improve breast cancer outcomes.Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Cancer SocietyFORTESwedish Society of Medical Research (SSMF)Accepte

Linearization of dual-input Doherty power amplifiers

This paper studies the linearity of dual-input Doherty power amplifiers. We propose a linearization scheme that uses a combination of an efficiency-optimized static splitter and a vector-switched digital predistorter. The performance of the proposed linearization scheme is evaluated on a dual-input Doherty power amplifier operating at 2.0 GHz with 42 dBm peak output power. Experimental results show that the proposed linearization scheme achieves a normalized mean square error of-43.7 dB and an adjacent channel power ratio of-55.8 dBc with a power added efficiency of 42.4%

Інтеграція знань з астрономії та фізики щодо уявлень про приливи та відливи

(uk) В статті розкриті окремі гравітаційні, енергетичні та екологічні особливості припливів та відливів, які у підручниках для середніх загальноосвітніх навчальних закладів та вищої школи мало висвітлені. Автором якісну картину припливів та відпливів доповнено кількісною.(en) The article revealed specific gravity, energy and environmental features tides and low tides that textbooks for secondary schools and higher education was highlighted. The author of picture quality tides supplemented with quantitative