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The domain of cognitive control has been a major focus of experimental, neuroscience, and individual differences research. Currently, however, no theory of cognitive control successfully unifies both experimental and individual differences findings. Some perspectives deny that there even exists a unified psychometric cognitive control construct to be measured at all. These shortcomings of the current literature may reflect the fact that current cognitive control paradigms are optimized for the detection of within-subject experimental effects rather than individual differences. In the current study, we examine the psychometric properties of the Dual Mechanisms of Cognitive Control (DMCC) task battery, which was designed in accordance with a theoretical framework that postulates common sources of within-subject and individual differences variation. We evaluated both internal consistency and test–retest reliability, and for the latter, utilized both classical test theory measures (i.e., split-half methods, intraclass correlation) and newer hierarchical Bayesian estimation of generative models. Although traditional psychometric measures suggested poor reliability, the hierarchical Bayesian models indicated a different pattern, with good to excellent test–retest reliability in almost all tasks and conditions examined. Moreover, within-task, between-condition correlations were generally increased when using the Bayesian model-derived estimates, and these higher correlations appeared to be directly linked to the higher reliability of the measures. In contrast, between-task correlations remained low regardless of theoretical manipulations or estimation approach. Together, these findings highlight the advantages of Bayesian estimation methods, while also pointing to the important role of reliability in the search for a unified theory of cognitive control.

The Dual Mechanisms of Control framework posits the existence of two distinct control mechanisms, proactive and reactive, which may operate independently. However, this independence has been difficult to study with most experimental paradigms. The Stroop task may provide a useful way of assessing the independence of control mechanisms because the task elicits two types of proportion congruency effects, list-wide and item-specific, thought to reflect proactive and reactive control respectively. The present research tested whether these two proportion congruency effects can be used to dissociate proactive and reactive control. In 2 separate participant samples, we demonstrate that list-wide and item-specific proportion congruency effects are stable, exist in the same participants, and appear in different task conditions. Moreover, we identify two distinct behavioral signatures, the congruency cost and the transfer cost, which doubly dissociate the two effects. Together, the results are consistent with the view that proactive and reactive control reflect independent mechanisms.

The dual mechanisms of control model (DMC model) assumes that aging leads to decline in proactive control and reactive control abilities in various aspects of daily life. However, the methods adopted by previous ERP studies limit their capacity to provide in-depth information on the aging effects of neural processes, such as N2 (reactive control), P3b, and CNV (proactive control). This study aims to clarify the aging effects on proactive control and reactive control by controlling additional (potentially confounding) variables (e.g., physical fitness level) and utilizing N2, CNV, and P3b to specify neural processes in the DMC model. To achieve this goal, a total of sixty-two middle-aged and fifty-nine older adults were recruited. Participants underwent the Senior Fitness Test to measure physical fitness level. Furthermore, participants were required to perform the AX-CPT task while ERPs were recorded. The results were primarily focused on the analysis of N2 in AY trials and the analysis of P3b and CNV in BX trials. Notably, older adults exhibited faster reaction times (RT) than middle-aged adults in AY trials. Conversely, in BX trials, older adults displayed slower RT compared with middle-aged adults. Furthermore, our findings indicated that older adults had higher CNV amplitude at the parietal region in comparison with middle-aged adults in BX trials. We suggest that older adults may tend to engage more attentional resources in avoiding the false alarm in AY trials. In contrast, middle-aged adults may engage in a predictive function that directs attention to a particular response in BX trials.

The study investigated the perception of the public - sector critics regarding the control mecha- nisms employed in the fight against corruption in bidding processes through the identification and recognition of this group as to nine control mechanisms that can be used against such prac- tice. The data were collected with the use of questionnaires and measured with a Likert scale and consisted of demographic items on the group and of assertions regarding the importance attributed to the present ed mechanisms. The investigated group was composed by critics with exercise in several segments of the public sector in Brazil. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparisons of means between groups formed by the demographic variables, in the search for indicative of determinants of perception on the subject. The results point to the identification and recognition of greater importance for the control of the bidding procedures of the Checklist, Publicity and Transparency mechanisms, reinfor cing the current path of the search for compliance and public transparency for the reduction of opportunistic behavior in public processes. The demographic variables groupinganalyzes did not indicate any statistical significance that could indicate relevan t determinants in relation to the perception regarding the control mechanisms studied O estudo investigou a percepção dos pregoeiros do setor público quanto aos mecanismos de controle no combate à corrupção em processos licitatórios através da identificação e reconhecimento deste grupo quanto a nove mecanismos de controle que podem ser empregados contra tal prática. Os dados foram coletados com a utilização de questionários e mensuração com escala Likert e constou de itens demográficos sobre o grupo e de assertivas quanto a importância atribuída aos mecanismos apresentados. O grupo investigado foi composto por pregoeiros com exercício em diversos segmentos do setor público no Brasil. Os dados foram analisados com a utilização de estatísticas descritivas e comparações de médias entre grupos formados pelas variáveis demográficas, na busca de indicativos de determinantes de percepção sobre o tema. Os resultados apontam para a identificação e reconhecimento de maior importância para o controle dos procedimentos licitatórios dos mecanismos de Checklist, Publicidade e Transparência, reforçando o caminho atual da busca pela conformidade e transparência pública para a redução de comportamentos oportunistas em processos públicos. As análises de agrupamento por variáveis demográficas não apontaram nenhuma significância estatística que pudesse indicar determinantes relevantes em relação a percepção quanto aos mecanismos de controle estudados.Palavras-Chave: Mecanismos de Controle. Processos Licitatórios. Pregões. El estudio investigó la percepción de los pregoneros del sector público en cuanto a los meca- nismos de control empleados en el combate a la corrupción en procedimientos licitatorios a través de la identificación y reconocimiento de este grupo en cuanto a nueve mecanismos de control que pueden ser empleados contra tal práctica. Los datos fueron recolectados con la uti- lización de cuestionarios y medidos con escala Likert y constó de ítems demográficos sobre el grupo y de asertivas en cuanto a la importancia atribuida a los mecanismos presentados. El grupo investigado fue compuesto por pregoneros con ejercicio en diversos segmentos del sector público en Brasil. Los datos fueron analizados con la utilización de estadísticas descriptivas y comparaciones de promedios entre grupos formados por las variables demográficas, en la bús- queda de indicativos d e determinantes de percepción sobre el tema. Los resultados apuntan a la identificación y reconocimiento de mayor importancia para el control de los procedimientos licitatorios de los mecanismos de Checklist, Publicidad y Transparencia, reforzando el camin o actual de la búsqueda por la conformidad y transparencia pública para la reducción de compor- tamientos oportunistas en procesos públicos. Los análisis de agrupamiento por variables demo- gráficas no señalaron ninguna significación estadística que pudiera in dicar determinantes rele- vantes en relación a la percepción en cuanto a los mecanismos de control estudiados

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the adoption of conventional and emergent analysis techniques in Strategic Investment Decision-Making (SIDM) practices in large UK manufacturing companies. It aims to update the current knowledge on SIDM practices in large manufacturing companies. The research question underlying this study: Are recently developed analysis techniques (i.e. those that aim to integrate strategic and financial analyses) being used to evaluate strategic investment projects?Design/methodology/approachThe research evidence underpinning this study was made up of primary and secondary data, quantitative and qualitative. Firstly, a survey consisting of a mailed formal standard questionnaire was conducted where each respondent is required to answer the same questions based on the same system of coded responses. Secondly, qualitative data was collected using the annual reports of selected companies. Disclosures were used as supplementary source of information using the explanatory notes and parenthetical disclosures accompanying companies’ financial reporting. Sources for these disclosures included management discussions, analyses of company strategy and risk and forward-looking reports regarding future performance and growth opportunities (such as mergers and acquisitions activities). Accordingly, companies’ disclosures were used in this study as an alternative method to semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data. More recently, companies such as Rio Tinto have prepared strategic annual reports for 2017 against the UK Corporate Governance Code (version 2016).FindingsThe choice and use of financial analysis techniques and risk analysis techniques depend on the type of project being evaluated. Decision makers in large UK companies do not appear to use emergent analysis techniques widely. Pre-decision control mechanisms have significant influence on SIDM practices. This includes the changes of internal and external contextual factors, including organisational culture, organisational strategies, financial consideration, comprising formal approval governance mechanisms, regulatory and other compliance policies interact with companies’ internal control systems. Companies incorporate non-financial factors alongside quantitative analysis of strategic investments opportunities. Energy efficiency and carbon reduction are key imperatives of companies’ environmental management. These factors viewed by decision makers as significant factors relevant for compliance with legislation as well as maintaining companies’ legitimacy issues, sustainable business, experience with new technology and improved company image.Research limitations/implicationsHigh risk, ambiguity and complexity are key characteristics embedded in SIDM processes. Macroeconomic issues remain crucial factors in scanning and screening investment opportunities, as reported by this study. The early stage of SIDM processes requires modelling under macroeconomic scenarios and assumptions of both internal and external parameters. Key assumptions include: projections of economic growth; commodity prices and exchange rates, introduction of technological and productivity advancements; cost and supply parameters for major inputs. SIDM practices rooted on comprehensive knowledge and experience of the industry and markets to draw subjective judgements about the riskiness of prospective projects, but these are rarely formalized into their SIDM processes. Findings of this study, however, remain within the context of UK companies. This study has its own limitations due to its time, location, respondents and sample selection, the size and the sector of the selected companies and questions addressed. Findings of this study raise a call for future research to examine SIDM processes in different settings to explore the relative impact of various organisational control mechanisms on SIDM practices. Also, to examine the influence of contextual factors (such as national culture, political, legal and social factors) on organisational control mechanisms. SIDM practices and processes have received significant attention from researchers, yet there is a lack of evidence in the literature about how companies approach strategic decision-making regarding divestments of some of their strategic investments. This type of strategic decision-making is not less important than other types of SIDM practices.Practical implicationsSIDM practices reflect the art and science of steering and controlling organisational resources to achieve a desired strategy. To understand the factors that shape SIDM practices and align them to organisational strategy, more attention is required to the choice and design of pre-decision controls and to the important role of strategic management accounting tools over the more traditional financial analysis techniques that have formed the focus of much prior empirical research.Social implicationsKey environmental issues viewed by decision makers as significant factors relevant for compliance with legislation as well as maintaining companies’ legitimacy issues and company image.Originality/valueDespite their perceived importance in this study, quantitative accounting controls may fail to connect with the kind of investment decision-making required to bring strategic success. Indeed, it has been widely noted that financial evaluation techniques are inadequate for assessing strategic investment proposals; they can only function as a guideline, as SIDM practices involve so many uncertainties, risks and judgements. A key insight from this study is that the achievement of integration between the firm’s strategic investment projects and the overall organizational strategy forms a critical pre-decision control on managerial behaviour at an early stage in SIDM practices. As many strategic investment decisions are one-off, non-repeatable decisions, the information needed to support their evaluation is likely to be similarly unique. Sound SIDM practices require the support of a large amount of varied information, a significant proportion of which is collected and analysed prior to potential capital investment projects being considered, such as information related to strategic goal setting, risk-adjusted hurdle rates and the design of appropriate organisational decision hierarchies.

Metabolic homeostasis in mammals is tightly regulated by the complementary actions of insulin and glucagon. The secretion of these hormones from pancreatic β-cells and α-cells, respectively, is controlled by metabolic, endocrine, and paracrine regulatory mechanisms and is essential for the control of blood levels of glucose. The deregulation of these mechanisms leads to various pathologies, most notably type 2 diabetes, which is driven by the combined lesions of impaired insulin action and a loss of the normal insulin secretion response to glucose. Glucose stimulates insulin secretion from β-cells in a bi-modal fashion, and new insights about the underlying mechanisms, particularly relating to the second or amplifying phase of this secretory response, have been recently gained. Other recent work highlights the importance of α-cell-produced proglucagon-derived peptides, incretin hormones from the gastrointestinal tract and other dietary components, including certain amino acids and fatty acids, in priming and potentiation of the β-cell glucose response. These advances provide a new perspective for the understanding of the β-cell failure that triggers type 2 diabetes.Insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells is potently activated by an increase in glucose after feeding but other dietary components — amino acids, fatty acids, metabolites, α-cell-produced peptides and gastrointestinal tract hormones — further control this response. Deciphering this complex regulation is important to increase our understanding of pancreatic dysfunction in diabetes.

Performance on the Stroop task reflects two types of conflict—informational (between the incongruent word and font color) and task (between the contextually relevant color-naming task and the irrelevant, but automatic, word-reading task). According to the dual mechanisms of control theory (DMC; Braver, 2012 ), variability in Stroop performance can result from variability in the deployment of a proactive task-demand control mechanism. Previous research has shown that when proactive control (PC) is diminished, both increased Stroop interference and a reversed Stroop facilitation (RF) are observed. Although the current DMC model accounts for the former effect, it does not predict the observed RF, which is considered to be behavioral evidence for task conflict in the Stroop task. Here we expanded the DMC model to account for Stroop RF. Assuming that a concurrent working memory (WM) task reduces PC, we predicted both increased interference and an RF. Nineteen participants performed a standard Stroop task combined with a concurrent n -back task, which was aimed at reducing available WM resources, and thus overloading PC. Although the results indicated common Stroop interference and facilitation in the low-load condition (zero-back), in the high-load condition (two-back), both increased Stroop interference and RF were observed, consistent with the model’s prediction. These findings indicate that PC is modulated by concurrent WM load and serves as a common control mechanism for both informational and task Stroop conflicts.

Purpose - Taking into account the need to make a clearer distinction between traditional and new organizational controls, the purpose of this paper is to investigate similarities and differences between those two forms and explore the extent to which new forms of control can be operationalized from a quantitative point of view. Design/methodology/approach - Suggesting that new organizational controls can be understood also in light of quantitative paradigms, the paper develops and tests a scale to measure the existence of this type of controls, examine its construct validity and evaluate its convergent validity. Findings - The theoretical dimensions of new controls have empirical correspondence. Input and behaviour controls are strongly associated with the promotion of values and beliefs in organizations. New controls become responsible for employees' acceptance of companies' management, an aspect measured by perceived organizational support (POS). Research limitations/implications - The study presents two challenges linked to the lack of evaluation of the possible process mediators that measure the subjectification of the individual, and to the lack of data coming from the organizational level. Limitations can be addressed by multi-level studies using measures that would avoid single variance biases. The need for companies to pay more attention to organizational discourses and to the promotion of specific values (that can enrich traditional controls), and the impact this might generate on POS and future reciprocity, are the practical implications of the study. Originality/value - The impact of new organizational controls can be measured by scales rather than investigated only with qualitative approaches. Furthermore, it can be observed that the promotion of values and beliefs strongly increases POS. Such dimension can reduce employees' resistance when compared to output controls or controls based on changes in surveillance technologies and structural change processes.

PTEN is a potent tumour suppressor, and its loss of function is frequently observed in both heritable and sporadic cancers. PTEN has phosphatase-dependent and phosphatase-independent (scaffold) activities in the cell and governs a variety of biological processes, including maintenance of genomic stability, cell survival, migration, proliferation and metabolism. Even a subtle decrease in PTEN levels and activity results in cancer susceptibility and favours tumour progression. Regulation of PTEN has therefore emerged as a subject of intense research in tumour biology. Recent discoveries, including the existence of distinct PTEN isoforms and the ability of PTEN to form dimers, have brought to light new modes of PTEN function and regulation. These milestone findings have in turn opened new therapeutic avenues for cancer prevention and treatment through restoration of PTEN tumour suppressor activity.