Abstract The industrial solvents tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) are among the most ubiquitous chlorinated compounds found in groundwater contamination. One potential method for managing PCE/TCE contaminated sites is the intrinsic bioremediation. Recent regulations adopted by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allow intrinsic bioremediation to be considered as an alternative during development of corrective action plans. In some remediation cases, enhanced bioremediation are performed to accelerate the contaminant biodegradation rate. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of using intrinsic and enhanced bioremediation technologies to clean up PCE/TCE contaminated aquifers. PCE/TCE bioavailability was evaluated by laboratory microcosms under four reduction/oxidation (redox) conditions including aerobic cometabolism, methanogenesis, iron reduction, and reductive dechlorination. Acclimated bacteria, activated sludge, and aquifer sediments from a pentachlorophenol contaminated site were used as the inocula in this study. Methane, toluene, phenol, sludge cake, and cane molasses were used as the primary substrates (carbon sources) in the cometabolism and reductive dechlorination microcosms. Results from this study show that PCE and TCE can be significantly biodegraded under reductive dechlorination and aerobic cometabolism conditions, respectively. All five carbon sources evaluated in this study can be applied as the primary substrates by microbial consortia to enhance the aerobic cometabolism of TCE. The highest TCE degradation rate [Up to 100% of TCE removal (with an initial concentration of 3.6µM)] was observed in the microcosms with toluene enrichment bacteria as the microbial inocula and toluene as the primary substrate. Under reductive dechlorination conditions, both sludge cake and cane molasses could be used as the primary substrates by microbial consortia (from activated sludge and aquifer sediments) and enhanced the biodegradation of PCE. The highest PCE degradation rate [Up to 100% of PCE removal (with an initial concentration of 17µM)] was observed in the microcosms with anaerobic activated sludge as the microbial inocula and sludge cake as the primary substrate. Except for reductive dechlorination microcosms, no significant PCE removal was observed in the microcosms prepared under iron reduction conditions. Results from this feasibility study would be useful in designing a scale-up in situ (e.g., in situ biobarrier system) or on-site bioremediation system (e.g., bioslurry reactor) for field application. Moreover, the application of non-toxic organic waste to enhance PCE/TCE biodegradation has the potential to become an environmentally and economically acceptable technology for the bioremediation of chlorinated-solvent contaminated groundwater.

Pay for performance programs are being used more and more extensively nowadays. The proponents of incentives claim that money is an important motivator for better performance, while the opponents insist that incentives can never bring lasting performance improvement, which is driven by intrinsic motivation. It has been born out that monetary reward has detrimental effects on intrinsic motivation. However, the results come mostly from experiments on school children, whether the result can be replicated in work settings is still a question needs to be examined. This study examined whether performance based pay has detrimental effect on physicians¡¦ intrinsic motivation and what effects other non-monetary rewards may have on intrinsic motivation. It is found that the intrinsic motivation of Attending Physician is significantly higher than Resident Physician, which implies that the motivational property of the work itself is a very important factor of intrinsic motivation. Physicians from privatized public hospitals have higher intrinsic motivation than those from public hospitals, of which the causes may need to be further explored. In terms of different positions, productivity-based pay, organizational performance based pay and recognition are found to have positive influence on Attending Physicians¡¦ intrinsic motivation, while career development opportunities and research-teaching based pay are found to have positive influence on Resident Physicians¡¦ intrinsic motivation. As to the effects of performance-based pay, it is found that physicians having performance-based pay do feel more controlled by pay; however, their intrinsic motivation is not negatively affected. It seems to imply that organizational workers are able to separate intrinsic reward and extrinsic reward and thus their intrinsic motivation is not affected by extrinsic rewards. This result is similar to what Fisher found in 1978. The moderating effect of individual difference is not significant in this study due to the homogeneity of physicians.

Abstract The studies measure the porosity, permeability of porous structures with different grain size and shapes such as those of crushed gravels and glass balls. Then discuss the relationship between various coefficients like intrinsic permeability, dimensionless turbulent coefficient, Reynolds number and so on in previous experimental formula¡]Ward¡A1964¡^and writer's formula from practical physics conceptions . Physics conceptions particularly consider respectively sheer flow effect and vortex effect in porous flow field. The study will be considered as the first phase in a full study of the resistance force inside porous structure.

The intrinsic features of woker, ``ability' and ``motivation', are useful resources of human capital that makes profit for the firm. The purpose of the study is to examine how the firm designs the optimal wage policy when worker's intrinsic features are private information. The study follows the mechainsm-design approach, by which models with single, as well as double, intrinsic feature(s) of worker are established, and best ``incentive wage packages' are deduced. We finded out that, under single intrinsic feature, the firm's optimal wage package entails that, the more output the higher wages; under double intrinsic features, the firm must takes the relative strength of intrinsic features of the worker into account when making the optimal incentive wage package.

Amabile (1983a) presented the most prominent theory currently used for studying individual creativity in organizations, the componential model, over 25 years ago. This model moved the study of creativity away from an individual differences-based paradigm to one taking into account the situation. The centerpiece of this model, the intrinsic motivation principle, suggests that situational factors influence individual creativity via an individual's intrinsic motivation (Amabile, 1996: 115). My review identifies anomalies in current research using Amabile's model that I use for new theory development. I then test that theory in a laboratory study. New theory I developed and tested explores factors that affect individual creative performance at work. This theory focuses on the effects environmental variables, dispositional traits, and psychological mediators have on creative performance. The trait of achievement motivation is used to directly predict creative performance and also how individuals differentially react to environmental factors. The psychological mediator utilized here is regulatory focus, which is a concept related to the ways individuals frame and engage situations. I describe and test how the facets of regulatory focus (promotion and prevention) account for the ways that environmental factors, achievement motivation, and the interaction of environmental factors and achievement motivation affect creative performance of adults in work-like environments (e.g. behavioral laboratory with adults). Results from this study were significant. First, achievement motivation significantly predicted creative performance. Second, there were no significant effects for regulatory focus, although this was mostly likely a result of limited scale development. Third, achievement motivation interacted with the experimental manipulations (expectations of controlling or informational expected evaluations), as the environmental variable, to predict creativity. This suggests theories of creativity that do not consider personality (c.f. Amabile, 1983a, 1983b, 1996) leave out a potentially important and significant portion of what leads to differences in individual creative performance. Finally, many variables reported to predict creative performance in the literature were used as control variables. In no model tested did any of these control variables reach significance or moderate the effects of achievement motivation, as it was measured in this study, on creative performance. These results suggest the finding here for achievement motivation is robust.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 108 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-72).

In this thesis we will discuss the subject of user participation in the development process of products, specifically video games, through a concept called User-generated content. Product development demands speed and flexibility in the development process and it has been suggested that managers should revise the process of product development to become more flexible and integrate the consumer in increasingly more steps of the process. Video games will often be modified after its release. In fact, it has been estimated that between 95% and 100% of the files in most software will be modified after its initial release. User participation, referring to behaviors and activities performed in a system development process, is a definite feature for websites that consider their content user-generated. Customers who participate in online video game UGC are actively changing games, modifying existing content and creating new content related to all aspects of the game bit by bit, while also contributing this content to others, usually over the internet through some sort of video game content sharing site.User participation is determined by a user’s ability to participate and his motivation to do so, the latter of which is the focus of this thesis. Two major branches of study can be distinguished from motivational theory; intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. The main purpose of this thesis is to examine the effects of motivational factors of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and toolkits that motivate customers to participate in UGC for video games. We examine what effects intrinsic motivational factors enjoyment, altruism and continuance commitment, as well as extrinsic motivational factors rewards, future rewards, personal need and reputation have on user participation. The toolkits approach to product development is a common user-oriented product development methods in the video game industry, which allows users to modify and create content for games. We will also study what effects the usefulness and ease of use of these toolkits have on user participation. Conducting a quantitative study, we presented a questionnaire to members of four online video game UGC communities; Steam Workshop, GameBanana, ModDB and MODSonline, in order to assess users’ attitudes of aforementioned concepts in relation to their user participation.We have not found any relevant research that examines both motivational factors’ and toolkits’ effects on user participation in video game UGC. With recent turbulent developments in the video game industry regarding monetary compensation for UGC, we decided to put great weight on this area in this thesis, both through our review of previous literature and regarding the results of our study.Our multiple regression analysis showed that toolkit ease of use, intrinsic motivational factors enjoyment and altruism, as well as extrinsic motivational factor reputation have significant positive effects on user participation, while toolkit usefulness showed a significant negative effect on user participation. We also find trends suggesting the positive effect of continuance commitment on user participation, and, finally, a trend suggesting the negative effect of rewards on user participation.

Arbetsmotivation är ett viktigt ämne att studera eftersom hög motivation hos medarbetarna leder till hög tillfredställelse och en bra prestation. De flesta teoretiker använder sig av yttre och inre motivation för att förklara begreppet. Syftet var att hitta de faktorer i den psykosociala arbetsmiljön som bäst förklarade arbetsmotivationen hos medarbetarna på ett lager. Deltagarna var 69 lagerarbetare mellan 20 och 65 år. En enkät delades ut till medarbetarna, baserat på General Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at work (QPS Nordic), innehållande 11 delar som kan kopplas till motivation. Resultatet redovisades genom Pearsons korrelationer, ett t-test för beroende mätningar samt en multipel regressionsanalys, vilket visade att positiva utmaningar kunde predicera inre motivation och uppmuntrande ledarskap kunde predicera yttre motivation. Eftersom yrkesgruppen är mycket outforskad bidrar studien till viktig kunskap för att främja motivationen hos lagerarbetare samt en bra grund till framtida forskning.

Most cells within multicellular organisms contain the same genetic information, yet the appropriate tissue-specific expression of genes is required for the proper formation of adult tissues. Genes can either be “turned on” or “turned off” from the initial zygotic state and maintained during subsequent cell divisions. Maintaining the correct expression profiles during cell divisions is accomplished by a number of different nuclear factors. One of the key families of proteins that maintains the repression of target genes during development is the Polycomb group (PcG) of proteins. PcG proteins form a number of different multi-subunit protein complexes that interact with specific regions of chromatin and direct the repression of nearby genes by reducing transcription. One PcG complex, Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1), inhibits transcription and nucleosome remodeling as well as compacts chromatin, both in vivo and in vitro. The in vitro repressive activities map mainly to one subunit of Drosophila PRC1—the Posterior sex combs (PSC) protein. The PRC1 complex is conserved in many other organisms including mammals. To better understand the mechanisms involved in PcG mediated repression we undertook a biochemical structure/function analysis of mouse PRC1. In chapter one, I review the current understanding of PcG biology and a rationale for the dissertation is provided. In chapter two, data are presented that argues that a mouse PRC1 protein, M33/Cbx2, which is non-homologous to PSC, is responsible for chromatin compaction and repression of nucleosome remodeling. Data are presented that suggests these activities are localized to a basic, natively unfolded region of M33/Cbx2. In chapter three, we extend the findings from chapter two in an attempt to predict whether homologous PcG proteins from other species besides fly and mouse have biochemical activity. In agreement with predictions, a panel of recombinant PcG proteins was generated and data are presented that shows the predicted active PcG proteins are capable of both inhibition of nucleosome remodeling and compaction of chromatin. Finally, in chapter four, the implications of the data presented are discussed, and directions for further inquiry are explored.

<p>Thrombosis is associated with the occlusion of a blood vessel and can be triggered by a number of types of injury, such as the rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque on the artery wall, changes in blood composition, or blood stasis. The resulting thrombosis can cause major diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and venous thromboembolic disorders that, collectively, account for the most common cause of death in the developed world. Anticoagulants are used to treat and prevent these thrombotic diseases in a number of clinical and surgical settings. Although commonly prescribed, currently approved anticoagulants have a major limitation of severe drug-induced bleeding that contributes to the high levels of morbidity and mortality associated with use. The "holy grail" for antithrombotic therapy is to identify a drug that inhibits thrombus formation without promoting bleeding. Understanding the differences between thrombosis and hemostasis in the vascular system is critical to developing these safe and effective anticoagulants, as this depends on striking the correct balance between inhibiting thrombus formation (efficacy) and reducing the risk of severe bleeding (safety). While it is commonly thought that the same factors play a similar role in hemostasis and thrombosis, recent evidence points to differing functions for FXI and FXII in each of these settings. Importantly, these factors seem to contribute to pathological thrombus formation without being involved in normal hemostasis.</p><p> The overall goal of this project was to evaluate the inhibition of the intrinsic pathway of coagulation as a potential anticoagulant strategy utilizing the aptamer platform. Aptamers are short, highly structured nucleic acids that act as antagonists by binding to large surface areas on their target protein and thus tend to inhibit protein-protein interactions. High affinity binding aptamers have been isolated that specifically target a diverse range of proteins, including transcription factors, proteases, viral proteins, and growth factors, as well as other coagulation factors. As synthetic molecules, aptamers have a small molecular weight, are highly amenable to modifications that can control their bioavailability, and have not been found to elicit an immune response, thus making them ideal drug candidates. Importantly, aptamers can be rapidly and effectively reversed with either a sequence specific antidote that recognizes the primary sequence of the aptamer or a universal antidote that binds to their backbone and reverses all aptamer activity independent of sequence. This ability lends itself well to their therapeutic application in coagulation, as rapid reversal of a drug upon the onset of bleeding is a key property for increasing the safety of this class of drugs.</p><p> Aptamers targeting FXI/FXIa and FXII/FXIIa were isolated in two separate SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) procedures: the FXII aptamer was isolated in a convergent SELEX approach and the FXIa aptamer was isolated from a purified protein selection. In both processes, 2'fluoropyrimindine modified RNA with a 40-nucleotide random region was incubated with either the plasma proteome (in initial rounds of the convergent SELEX) or the purified protein target (FXII or FXIa). The nucleic acids that did not bind to the target were separated from those that bound, and these molecules were then amplified to generate an enriched pool with increased binding affinity for the target. This process was repeated under increasingly stringent conditions to isolate the aptamer that bound with the highest affinity to the purified target protein. Utilizing biochemical and in vitro coagulation assays, specific, high-affinity binding and functional anticoagulant aptamers were identified for both protein targets, and the mechanism of anticoagulation was ascertained for each aptamer. </p><p> Overall, both aptamers bound to an exosite on their target protein that was able to inhibit downstream activation of the next protein in the coagulation cascade. In order to specifically examine aptamer effects on several parameters of thrombin generation, a new assay was developed and fully characterized using aptamer anticoagulants targeting other coagulation factors. Aptamer inhibition of both FXI and FXII was able to decrease thrombin generation in human plasma. However, limited cross-reactivity in other animal species by both aptamers hindered our ability to assess aptamer inhibition in an in vivo setting. Moving forward, screening aptamers against a larger selection of animal plasmas will hopefully allow us to identify an animal species in which we can analyze aptamer inhibition of the intrinsic pathway for effectiveness and safety in inhibiting thrombosis. The further characterization and use of these aptamers in plasma and blood based settings will allow us to study the diverging functions of the intrinsic pathway in thrombosis and hemostasis.</p><p> A critical need exists for safe and effective anticoagulants to treat and prevent numerous thrombotic procedures and diseases. An ideal anticoagulant is one that strikes the correct balance between inhibiting thrombus formation and reducing drug-induced bleeding. Inhibition or depletion of factors XI and XII of the intrinsic pathway of coagulation have shown reduced thrombus formation without interruption of normal hemostasis in several models of thrombosis. By developing novel RNA aptamer anticoagulants to these factors, we have set the stage for evaluating the net therapeutic benefit of intrinsic pathway inhibition to effectively control coagulation, manage thrombosis, and improve patient outcome. As well as developing a safe anticoagulation, these agents can lead to important biological discoveries concerning the fundamental difference between hemostasis and thrombosis.</p> / Dissertation