Spiking Neural P Systems with Astrocytes Producing Calcium

The astrocytes are cells which play an essential role in the functioning and interaction of neurons by feeding the respective neurons with calcium ions. Drawing inspiration from this two-way relationship in which the astrocytes influence and are influenced by the neurons by means of calcium ions, in this paper, we define and study spiking neural P systems with astrocytes producing calcium. Distinct from the usual firing rules in spiking neural P systems, the firing condition not only depends on the spikes collected in a neuron but also on the calcium units received from astrocytes. From the perspective of topological structure, the new variant is shown as a directed graph in which synapses link either astrocytes or neurons, as well as astrocytes to neurons and conversely. The computational power of spiking neural P systems with astrocytes producing calcium is investigated; it is proved that these systems using a limited number of rules are Turing universal as both number generating and number accepting devices. It is also presented how to obtain normal forms by removing forgetting rules and delays while preserving the computational power.

Managing Laggards: The Importance of a Deep Sales Bench

Sales leaders often use threats of punishment to manage poor performers (i.e., laggards), but little research has examined the effect of these threats. The current research addresses this gap by investigating an intervention termed the “bench program” with a field-based quasi experiment and a randomized lab experiment. In the field, the company under study told salespeople in treatment districts that a trainee would replace them at the end of the year if they failed to hit their quota and placed last in their district. Difference-in-differences analyses of matched treatment and control groups show that the bench program had an immediate and sustained impact on performance. Moreover, laggards improved their performance more than higher performers, and salespeople with larger advice networks improved their performance more than salespeople with smaller advice networks. A lab experiment compares the bench program with a program that had the same threat of firing but did not have replacements in sight. Performance in the bench program exceeded that in the firing condition, indicating that the vividness of a threat can increase its deterrent value.