Academic literature on the topic 'Compensatory package'

In silico RNA-RNA interaction prediction is widely applied to identify putative interaction partners and to assess interaction details in base pair resolution. To verify specific interactions, in vitro evidence can be obtained via compensatory mutation experiments. Unfortunately, the selection of compensatory mutations is non-trivial and typically based on subjective ad hoc decisions. To support the decision process, we introduce our COmPensatOry MUtation Selector CopomuS. CopomuS evaluates the effects of mutations on RNA-RNA interaction formation using a set of objective criteria, and outputs a reliable ranking of compensatory mutation candidates. For RNA-RNA interaction assessment, the state-of-the-art IntaRNA prediction tool is applied. We investigate characteristics of successfully verified RNA-RNA interactions from the literature, which guided the design of CopomuS. Finally, we evaluate its performance based on experimentally validated compensatory mutations of prokaryotic sRNAs and their target mRNAs. CopomuS predictions highly agree with known results, making it a valuable tool to support the design of verification experiments for RNA-RNA interactions. It is part of the IntaRNA package and available as stand-alone webserver for ad hoc application.

AbstractObjectiveNutritional interventions to decrease energy intake, aimed at portion sizes and front-of-package labelling, are effective only if people do not compensate for their reduced energy intake. Since several observational studies indicate that these interventions could prompt compensation behaviour, it is important to assess underlying beliefs. Therefore, the purpose of the two studies reported here was to develop a Diet-related Compensatory Health Beliefs Scale (Diet-CHBS).DesignCross-sectional surveys were conducted for the scale development. Study 1 provided data on the factor analysis and convergent validity, while Study 2 assessed the Diet-CHBS’ test–retest reliability.SettingsVU University Amsterdam (Study 1) and twenty-five worksite cafeterias in the Netherlands (Study 2).SubjectsStudy 1 was conducted among 179 students and their parents; Study 2 was conducted among 119 worksite cafeteria visitors.ResultsThe results of Study 1 showed that the scale consisted of the hypothesized factors of compensation beliefs with regard to portion sizes (α = 0·73), front-of-package health logos (α = 0·77) and exercise (α = 0·75). The scale's overall Cronbach's α was 0·82. The Diet-CHBS had a Pearson correlation of 0·32 with a general health compensatory beliefs scale, signifying satisfactory convergent validity. Study 2 showed that the intra-class correlation coefficient between T1 and T2 was 0·69, indicating adequate test–retest reliability.ConclusionThe Diet-CHBS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing diet-related compensatory health beliefs in response to nutritional interventions. It is important to take such beliefs into account in further intervention studies aimed at preventing overweight and obesity.

The aim of the study was to identify the effect of compensatory mechanisms on the prevalence of sagittal spinal curvature deformity and musculoskeletal pain and to assess the interrelationships between those components in sitting volleyball players. Twenty-one elite Polish sitting volleyball players (age = 34.1 ± 7.5, BM = 77.9 ± 16.0) participated in the study in which direct participatory systematic observation and a non-invasive method were used. Both objective (anthropometric, spinal curvature–Idiag M360) and subjective (musculoskeletal ailments–NMQ = 7) measurements were performed. The Statistica 13.3 software package was used for statistical analyses. The neck, lower back (43%), and upper back (38%) were the most frequently reported painful areas. Of all participants, 76% reported sagittal spinal deformities. In the habitual position, the results indicated moderate correlations (r = 0.5, p < 0.05) between the lumbar concavity of the back and low back pain (LBP) and between thoracic convexity and LBP (r = 0.4, p < 0.05). Internal and external compensation have an effect on the prevalence of spinal curvature deformities in the sagittal plane, with thoracic hyperkyphosis (38%) and lumbar hyperlordosis (33%) being the most common. More severe lower and upper back pain were correlated with greater angles of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis in the habitual position.

Background Visual field defects are a common consequence of stroke, and compensatory eye movement strategies have been identified as the most promising rehabilitation option. There has been a move toward compensatory telerehabilitation options, such as the Durham Reading and Exploration (DREX) training app, which significantly improves visual exploration, reading, and self-reported quality of life. Objective This study details an iterative process of liaising with stroke survivors, carers, and health care professionals to identify barriers and facilitators to using rehabilitation tools, as well as elements of good practice in telerehabilitation, with a focus on how the DREX package can be maximized. Methods Survey data from 75 stroke survivors informed 12 semistructured engagement activities (7 focus groups and 5 interviews) with 32 stroke survivors, 10 carers, and 24 occupational therapists. Results Thematic analysis identified key themes within the data. Themes identified problems associated with poststroke health care from both patients’ and occupational therapists’ perspectives that need to be addressed to improve uptake of this rehabilitation tool and telerehabilitation options generally. This included identifying additional materials or assistance that were required to boost the impact of training packages. The acute rehabilitation setting was an identified barrier, and perceptions of technology were considered a barrier by some but a facilitator by others. In addition, 4 key features of telerehabilitation were identified: additional materials, the importance of goal setting, repetition, and feedback. Conclusions The data were used to try to overcome some barriers to the DREX training and are further discussed as considerations for telerehabilitation in general moving forward.

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 encapsidates two copies of viral genomic RNA in the form of a dimer. The dimerization process initiates via a 6-nucleotide palindrome that constitutes the loop of a viral RNA stem-loop structure (i.e., stem loop 1 [SL1], also termed the dimerization initiation site [DIS]) located within the 5′ untranslated region of the viral genome. We have now shown that deletion of the entire DIS sequence virtually eliminated viral replication but that this impairment was overcome by four second-site mutations located within the matrix (MA), capsid (CA), p2, and nucleocapsid (NC) regions of Gag. Interestingly, defective viral RNA dimerization caused by the ΔDIS deletion was not significantly corrected by these compensatory mutations, which did, however, allow the mutated viruses to package wild-type levels of this DIS-deleted viral RNA while excluding spliced viral RNA from encapsidation. Further studies demonstrated that the compensatory mutation T12I located within p2, termed MP2, sufficed to prevent spliced viral RNA from being packaged into the ΔDIS virus. Consistently, theΔ DIS-MP2 virus displayed significantly higher levels of infectiousness than did the ΔDIS virus. The importance of position T12 in p2 was further demonstrated by the identification of four point mutations,T12D, T12E, T12G, and T12P, that resulted in encapsidation of spliced viral RNA at significant levels. Taken together, our data demonstrate that selective packaging of viral genomic RNA is influenced by the MP2 mutation and that this represents a major mechanism for rescue of viruses containing the ΔDIS deletion.

A compensatory base change (CBC) that coevolves in the secondary structure of ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) influences the estimation of genetic distance and thus challenges the phylogenetic use of this most popular genetic marker. To date, however, the CBC effect on ITS2 genetic distance is still unclear. Here, ITS2 sequences of 46 more recent angiosperm lineages were screened from 5677 genera and phylogenetically analyzed in sequence-structure format, including secondary structure prediction, structure-based alignment and sequence partition of paired and unpaired regions. ITS2 genetic distances were estimated comparatively by using both conventional DNA substitution models and RNA-specific models, which were performed in the PHASE package. Our results showed that the existence of the CBC substitution inflated the ITS2 genetic distances to different extents, and the deviation could be 180% higher if the relative ratio of substitution rate in ITS2 secondary structure stems was threefold higher than that in the loops. However, the CBC effect was minor if that ratio was below two, indicating that the DNA model is still applicable in recent lineages in which few CBCs occur. We thus provide a general empirical threshold to take account of CBC before ITS2 phylogenetic analyses.

In this study, morphometric features of terminal villi in term and preterm placentas were compared. Placentas of 13 patients whose pregnancy ended in premature birth and placentas of 35 women with physiological pregnancy and delivery at term were studied. Morphometric assessment was made with Carl Zeiss Axio Imager microscope using an image analysis software package. The number of capillaries in terminal villi of preterm placentas was found to be decreased, while the vessels-to-syncytiotrophoblast distance was found to be increased. These result in a decreased gas exchange between maternal blood and placental tissue, hypoxia and can cause early termination of pregnancy. Mean values of cross-sectional area, vertical dimension and perimeter of terminal villi in preterm placentas are found to be greater than those in term placentas, which contributed to an increase in gas exchange area and can be regarded as a compensatory reaction at a tissue level.

Investors have a proven general reluctance to realize losses. The theory of “mental accounting” suggests that losses are easier to accept when mentally integrated with either preceding losses or with compensatory gains. Mental integration is made easier when a failed asset is exchanged against a new, apparently profitable, acquisition. The alternative is to sell the existing asset on the open market before re-investing the proceeds as desired. This is emotionally less appealing than “rolling over” a losing investment into a new venture by way of an asset trade. The psychological benefits of exchanging rather than selling a failed asset come at a cost. It is typical of trade-in arrangements, e.g., where one trades an old car against a new one, that the effective sale price of the existing asset is less than current market value. Acceptance of this low price adds to the investor's total monetary loss on the existing asset but is essential to an overall package deal apart from which that asset would often remain belatedly unsold.

Annotation. The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the transformation of professionally important psychophysiological qualities of military pilots, practically healthy and with stage I hypertension (80 people). Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the methods of variation statistics, nonparametric statistics – correlation (Spearman’s correlation coefficient), cluster analysis (k-means method) using the software package STATISTICA 13.3. It has been established that hypertension affects the structure of correlations of psychophysiological functions of the body, which indicates a difference in the mechanisms of regulation of these functions during the development of the disease. It is shown that even healthy military pilots have different levels of mental capacity and can show their psychophysiological qualities in different ways, especially in extreme conditions. In addition, it was found that in the presence of hypertension in the body of a third of pilots show compensatory reactions to increase the activation of body functions, which, in turn, increases the physiological cost of professional activity, to reduce which must periodically apply treatment and rehabilitation measures.

Introduction. The intensive development of adaptive information technologies leads to the active inclusion of adolescents with disabilities in Internet communications, expanding the possibilities of their social adaptation. At the same time, the limitation of opportunities for social interaction due to impaired psychophysical development is an additional factor in the uncontrolled involvement of adolescents in Internet communication and the risk of Problematic Internet Usage.The aim of this research is to study the degree and indicators of Internet addiction among adolescents with disabilities in conjunction with indicators of their social adaptability.Methodology and research methods. Theoretical and empirical study is based on the provisions of the psychological theory of activity and personality, culturalhistorical theory of L. S. Vygotsky, the ideas of domestic and foreign psychology about addictive behaviour including about risk and factors of Internet addictive behaviour normally developing adolescents and adolescents with disabilities. The study was carried out using empirical methods (questionnaires, psycho-diagnostic methods, survey methods); methods of quantitative analysis of empirical data, including methods of mathematical statistics: comparison of samples by the Mann-Whitney test; correlation analysis using the linear Pearson correlation coefficient. The calculations were performed using the Excel software package and using the SPSS 16.0 software package (Statistical Package for Social Science).Research results and scientific novelty. The general and specific features of the Internet usage among adolescents with disabilities are identified; personality traits are identified as a prerequisite for the Problematic Internet Usage in this category of adolescents. It has been determined that virtual communication acts for adolescents with disabilities as a kind of adaptation-compensatory resource that allows overcoming communicative difficulties. At the same time, inadequate selfregulation of behaviour makes it difficult for self-control to stay online and thereby increases the risk of the negative impact of interaction on the Internet on their physical and mental state. It is revealed that the personal background of the Problematic Internet Usage has specificity depending on the nature of developmental disorders in adolescents.Practical significance. The results of the research can be used in the work of a psychologist and a teacher for the diagnosis, prevention and correction of Internet addiction by adolescents with disabilities.

У дисертаційний роботі узагальнено теоретичні положення, методичні та практичні аспекти щодо формування компенсаційного пакету як інструменту мотивації персоналу на промислових підприємствах. Здійснено теоретичне узагальнення і розроблено новий підхід до комплексного вирішення важливого науково-практичного завдання щодо формування та вдосконалення компенсаційного пакету. За результатами дослідження наукових підходів вітчизняних та іноземних авторів, які вивчали проблематику мотивації персоналу та компенсаційного пакету дозволили удосконалити тлумачення економічної сутності поняття «мотивація персоналу», «компенсаційний пакет», «соціальний пакет». Виокремлено основні сутнісні характеристики мотивації персоналу, до яких віднесено: інтереси, потреби, стимули, мотиви, ґрунтуючись на аналізі сучасних характеристик мотивації персоналу, створених вітчизняними та іноземними науковцями. Жодна система керування не стане ефективно функціонувати, якщо не буде розроблена ефективна модель мотивації, тому що мотивація спонукує конкретного індивіда і колектив у цілому до досягнення особистих і колективних цілей. Еволюція застосування різних моделей мотивації показала як позитивні, так і негативні аспекти їхнього застосування, і це природний процес, тому що в теорії і практиці керування немає ідеальної моделі стимулювання, що відповідала б різноманітним вимогам. Існуючі моделі мотивації дуже різні за своєю спрямованістю й ефективністю. Найважливіший фактор результативності роботи в умовах інновацій є мотивація праці. Саме тому в умовах сучасного бізнесу все більше і більше керівників замислюються над тим, як вирішити цю задачу так, щоб і співробітники, і підприємство залишилися у виграші. До того ж, іноді з’ясувати бажання працівника, що примушують його працювати ефективніше, буває не так то просто. Адже, людина, як працівник, – це мета, смисл існування кожного підприємства. Відсутність уваги до людини (працівника) призводить до небажаних наслідків для підприємства, або й до його банкрутства. Кожна людина має певні потреби, задоволення яких викликає почуття самодостатності, безпеки, комфортності, індивідуальності, але щоб потреба стала реальною, її потрібно втілювати за допомогою праці, оскільки за високоякісну роботу буде відповідна заробітна плата, а за гроші можна реалізовувати мрії і задовольняти власні потреби. Саме з даного твердження випливає, що чим вищі потреби, тим вищі мають бути мотиви до продуктивної праці. Під час працевлаштування дуже важливо визначити, який вид мотивації пріоритетний для працівника. Людина, для якої головне – матеріальна мотивація, буде проявляти меншу ініціативу у нововведеннях, творчих розробках, навчаннях, ніж особа, для якої гроші не є основним фактором, щоб працювати професійно та якісно. В економічній літературі, згідно із мотиваційною характеристикою, виділяють три різновиди методів мотивації: 1) організаційно-розпорядчі; 2) економічні (матеріальні); 3) соціальні або соціально-психологічні (неекономічні або нематеріальні). Сьогодні, коли через складну економічну ситуацію дуже важко встановлювати високу заробітну плату, особливу увагу треба приділити нематеріальному стимулюванню праці, створюючи гнучку систему пільг для робітників, гуманізуючи працю, наприклад: визнавати цінність працівника для організації, надавати йому творчу свободу; застосовувати програми забезпечення праці та ротацію кадрів; запроваджувати гнучкий графік. Правомірно відмітити, що застосування компенсаційного пакету в одному стандартизованому вигляді є не зовсім вдалим підходом, оскільки він має задовольняти вторинні потреби працівників з однієї сторони, та сприяти забезпеченню працівником певного рівня соціальних благ, – з іншої. У дисертаційній роботі удосконалено науково-методичний підхід щодо складу соціального пакету, що, на відміну від існуючих, має чотири варіанти (стандарт, економ, бонус, еліт), які включають в себе основні та додаткові частини соціального пакету. Доцільно відмітити, що позитивним аспектом застосування на практиці елементів соціального пакету є можливість контролю плинності кадрів; збільшення рівня вмотивованості персоналу; збільшення такого економічного показника як продуктивність праці; залучення до складу підприємства потрібних висококваліфікованих працівників; забезпечення сприятливого соціально-психологічного клімату всередині колективу; створення позитивного іміджу підприємства на ринку праці тощо. У дисертаційній роботі запропоновано методику побудови мотиваційного профілю компенсаційного пакету. Проведений аналіз показав, що у більшості випадків всі методи оцінки структури компенсаційного пакету ґрунтуються на фрагментарній фіксації окремих показників, оскільки потребують для розрахунку створення додаткової інформаційної та статистичної бази і, як правило, не враховують ступеня залучення підприємства до формування компенсаційного пакету. Тому, на нашу думку, при розробці методичних підходів до оцінки структури компенсаційного пакету промислових підприємств слід звернути увагу на розробку мотиваційного профілю компенсаційного пакету, який би базувалася, по-перше, на оцінці усіх ключових складових компенсаційного пакету, а по-друге, – передбачав би не лише кількісну оцінку цих складових, але й дозволяв би враховувати умови, які забезпечуватимуть оптимальне використання ресурсів, спрямованих на формування мотиваційного профілю компенсаційного пакету, та давав би змогу визначити їх гармонійність відповідно до стратегічної місії діяльності підприємства. У дисертаційній роботі обґрунтовано й сформульовано принципово нову основу, а також перелік заходів щодо побудови і функціонування окремих компонентів загального механізму формування і реалізації концепції контролінгу мотивації персоналу на промислових підприємствах. Проведення контролінгу мотивації персоналу – це завжди індивідуальний алгоритм контролінгу, який складається під конкретну організацію, виходячи з її цілей діяльності і наявної системи мотивації. За допомогою контролінгу мотивації персоналу може досліджуватися як уся система мотивації усього персоналу в організації (повна форма мотиваційного аудиту), так і система мотивації працівників окремих структурних підрозділів, окремих територіальних одиниць, окремих категорій посад і професій, окремих соціальних груп (локальна форма мотиваційного аудиту). Крім того, контролінг мотивації персоналу може реалізовуватися як окремий, спеціальний діагностичний проект, так і бути і складовою частиною більшого дослідження, наприклад, щодо аналізу ефективності системи управління персоналом в організації.
The thesis deals with the theoretical principles, methodical approaches and practical recommendations concerning formation of the compensatory package as the tool of personnel motivation at industrial enterprises. A theoretical synthesis has been made and a new approach to the complex solution of an important scientific and practical task related to the formation and improvement of the compensatory package has been developed. Results of the research of scientific approaches of domestic and foreign scientists who studied the problems of personnel motivation and compensatory package made possible to improve the interpretation of the economic essence of the concept of “staff motivation”, “compensatory package”, “social package”. The main essential characteristics of personnel motivation has been identified, which include: interests, needs, incentives, motives, based on the analysis of modern characteristics of personnel motivation created by domestic and foreign scientists. No management system will function effectively unless an effective model of motivation is developed, because motivation prompts a particular individual and the collective as a whole to achieve personal and collective goals. The evolution of the application of different models of motivation has shown both the positive and the negative aspects of their application, and this is a natural process, because in the theory and practice of management there is no ideal model of stimulation that would meet the various requirements. Existing models of motivation are very different in their orientation and efficiency. The most important factor in the effectiveness of work under conditions of innovation is the motivation of labor. That is why, in course of modern business, more and more executives are thinking about how to solve this problem so that both employees and the company remain in the win. In addition, sometimes it is not easy to find out the wishes of the employee that make him / her work more efficiently. After all, a person, as an employee, is a goal, a sense of every enterprise. Absence of attention to a person (employee) leads to undesirable consequences for the enterprise, or to his bankruptcy. Everyone has certain needs, the satisfaction of which causes a sense of self-sufficiency, safety, comfort, individuality, but that the need has become real, it needs to be implemented through labor, because high-quality work will be appropriately paid, and with the help of money one can realize one’s dreams and satisfy one’s own needs. It follows from this assertion that the higher the needs, the higher must be the motives for productive labor. When you are employed, it is very important to determine which type of motivation is a priority for the employee. A person, for which the main thing is material motivation, will be less initiative in innovations, creative development, learning than a person for whom money is not the main factor to work professionally and qualitatively. In economic literature, according to the motivational characteristic they distinguish three varieties of methods of motivation: 1) organizational and administrative; 2) economic (material); 3) social or social-psychological (non-economic or intangible). Today, when it is very difficult to set high wages due to the complicated economic situation, particular attention should be paid to non-material labor stimulation, creating a flexible system of benefits for workers, humanizing work, for example: to recognize the value of an employee for the organization, to provide him / her with creative freedom; apply work programs and staff rotation; introduce a flexible schedule. It is right to note that the application of a compensatory package in one standardized form is not entirely a successful approach, since it must meet the secondary needs of workers on the one hand and should contribute to providing the employee with a certain level of social benefits. In the dissertation the scientific-methodical approach to the composition of the social package has been improved, which, unlike the existing one, has four options (standard, economy, bonus, elites), and include the main and additional parts of the social package. It is worth pointing out that the positive aspect of the practical application of elements of the social package is the ability to control personnel turnover; increase staff motivation level; an increase in such an economic indicator as labor productivity; the involvement of the necessary highly skilled workers in the company; providing a favorable social and psychological climate within the personnel; creating a positive image of the company in the labor market, etc. The thesis offers the compensatory package motivational profile method of constructing. The analysis showed that in most cases, all methods for evaluating the structure of the compensatory package are based on the fragmentary fixation of individual indicators, since they require the calculation of the creation of additional information and statistical base and, as a rule, do not take into account the degree of involvement of the enterprise in the formation of the compensatory package. Therefore, in our opinion, in developing methodological approaches to the assessment of the structure of the compensatory package of enterprises of mechanical engineering the attention should be paid to the development of a motivational profile of the compensatory package, which would be based, firstly, on the assessment of all key components of the compensatory package, and, secondly, it would envisaged not only quantify of these components but would also provide conditions that will ensure the optimal use of resources aimed at creating a motivational profile of the compensatory package and would enable to determine their harmony according to the strategic mission of the company. Fundamentally new basis has been substantiated and formulated in the thesis, as well as a list of measures on the construction and functioning of individual components of the general mechanism for the formation and implementation of the concept of controlling the motivation of personnel at industrial enterprises. Controlling personnel motivation is always an individual controlling algorithm, which is made up of a specific organization based on its goals and the existing system of motivation. By controlling staff motivation, the whole system of personnel motivation in the organization can be investigated (the full form of the motivational audit), as well as the system of motivation of employees of separate structural subdivisions, separate territorial units, separate categories of positions and occupations, separate social groups (local form of motivational audit) . In addition, controlling staff motivation can be implemented as a separate, special diagnostic project, and be an integral part of more research, for example, on the analysis of the effectiveness of the personnel management system in the organization.

Abstract A set of routines is developed using the MATLAB software package to aid students in learning methods of frequency response analysis. Routines are menu driven which would require minimum knowledge of MATLAB commands. A rapid sketch of asymptotic Bode plots is emphasized which is the basis for the lead, lag, and lead-lag compensator design techniques in the first control course taught at Western New England College.

Ch Control System Toolkit (CCST) is a software package for design and analysis of control systems. It is implemented as a class with member functions to run in the user-friendly C/C++ interpreter Ch. Based on the CCST, a Web-based Control System Design and Analysis System (WCDAS) has been developed. In this article, using CCST and WCDAS to teach automatic control of engineering systems is presented. Using CCST, students are able to write programs easily with a few lines of C/C++ code to solve practical engineering problems. By solving control system design and analysis problems in C/C++, the programming skills gained in the course are applicable to other areas of engineering. CCST and WCDAS are open source. Students are able to examine the source code to understand the implementation of theories and algorithms in software. Based on CCST and WCDAS, the Web-based Controller/Compensator Design Module (WCCDM) has also been developed for teaching and student learning. Using these Web-based tools, students can perform design and analysis of control systems interactively through a Web browser remotely. The CCST, WCDAS, and WCCDM have been used to teach an undergraduate course on Automatic Control of Engineering Systems at the University of California, Davis. All software packages and teaching materials for this course are available on the internet. They can be downloaded and modified to teach similar courses with different requirements.

This paper considers the feasibility of a new type of voice coil motor direct drive flow control servo valve. The proposed servo valve controls the flow rate using only a direct measurement of the spool position. A neural network is used to estimate the flow rate based on the spool position, velocity and coil current. The estimated flow rate is fed back to a closed loop controller. The feasibility of the concept is established using simulation techniques only at this point. All results are validated by computer co-simulation using AMESim and Simulink. A simulated model of a VCM-DDV (Voice Coil Motor-Direct Drive Valve) and hydraulic test circuit are built in an AMESim environment. A virtual digital controller is developed in a Simulink environment in which the feedback signals are received from the AMESim model; the controller outputs are sent to the VCM-DDV model in AMESim (by interfacing between these two simulation packages). A LQR (Linear Quadratic Regulator) state feedback and nonlinear compensator controller for spool position tracking is considered as this is the first step for flow control. A flow rate control loop is subsequently included via a neural network flow rate estimator. Simulation results show that this method could control the flow rate to an acceptable degree of precision, but only at low frequencies. This kind of valve can find usage in open loop hydraulic velocity control in many industrial applications.