Simple kinetic theory model of reactive collisions. IV. Laboratory fixed orientational cross sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, G.T.

1987-01-01

The differential orientational cross section, obtainable from molecular beam experiments on aligned molecules, is calculated using the line-of-normals model for reactive collisions involving hard convex bodies. By means of kinetic theory methods, the dependence of the cross section on the angle of attack γ 0 is expressed in a Legendre function expansion. Each of the Legendre expansion coefficients is given by an integral over the molecule-fixed cross section and functions of the orientation dependent threshold energy

A Measure of Market Orientation: Development and Validation in a Different Cultural Context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Miguel Ospina

2013-09-01

Full Text Available For several decades, researchers and marketing practitioners have proclaimed that the adoption of a consumer-oriented philosophy is the key to developing and maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage for a business operating in a highly competitive environment. The interest shown has not been sufficient to dispel certain concerns about the construct’s domain, and the methodology followed for measuring it in different cultural contexts. This paper examines the reliability and validity of three scales for measuring market orientation in a Spanish-speaking international context. The results confirm those obtained from previous research efforts. The study of the three scales, when combined, suggests the existence of six dimensions that are measurable with eighteen items.

Cross sections and spin polarizations of electrons elastically scattered from oriented molecules (CH3I)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fink, M.; Ross, A.W.; Fink, R.J.

1989-01-01

Elastic differential cross sections and spin polarizations for electrons elastically scattered from CH 3 I are calculated using the independent atom model. Three molecular orientations with respect to the incident electron wavevector are considered - first, the molecule is oriented randomly, second, the electron wave front and molecular bond are parallel, and third, the wavefront and the bond axis are perpendicular. It will be seen to what extent orientational averaging weakens features of the cross section and spin polarization. The calculations show that cross section and spin polarization measurements are a possible tool for determining the degree of molecular orientation. There is no degeneracy between I-C and C-I in cross section and spin polarization measurements. The results presented here for 200 eV and 600 eV electrons scattered by CH 3 I should be considered as a case study and it should be possible to find molecules and electron energies for which even more dramatic differences between the various orientations between the molecules and the electrons can be expected. (orig.)

Cross-national differences in price–role orientation and their impact on retail markets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zielke, Stephan; Komor, Marcin

2015-01-01

This paper analyzes differences in price–role orientations between economically developed and emerging markets and how these differences influence store brand and store format preferences. It extends cross-national research on price–role orientations by (1) focusing on culturally similar...

A study on the effectiveness of the orientation process and cross-cultural training for the expatriate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maxwell Agabu Phiri

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the effectiveness of the orientation process and cross-cultural training (CCT and its impact on cross-cultural adjustment for the expatriate. The objective of the study on which this paper is based is to evaluate the effectiveness of the orientation process for expatriates and to determine the need for a separate orientation and culture training. By improving the orientation process and identifying a need for culture specific training, the company can thus eliminate relocation and replacement costs. The main objective of this research is to design a guideline for the implementation of a culture specific orientation process for the expatriate. This will be done based on the recommendations made by the respondents of the survey. The paper reviews different writings in the areas of cross-cultural training, cross-cultural adjustment, the orientation process and the expatriate. The study highlights specific issues regarding cultural training, assignment failure and success, and the expatriate experiences. The research is motivated by the need to reduce assignment failure and the subsequent costs associated with engaging expatriation, and ensure smooth transition into a new culture. The research methodology utilized was qualitative, based on structured questionnaires and personal interviews. The study attempts to recommend, based on the findings, a culture centered orientation process for the expatriate

Employee customer orientation in context: how the environment moderates the influence of customer orientation on performance outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Grizzle, Jerry W; Zablah, Alex R; Brown, Tom J; Mowen, John C; Lee, James M

2009-09-01

This empirical study evaluated the moderating effects of unit customer orientation (CO) climate and climate strength on the relationship between service workers' level of CO and their performance of customer-oriented behaviors (COBs). In addition, the study examined whether aggregate COB performance influences unit profitability. Building on multisource, multilevel data, the study's results suggest that the influence of employee CO on employee COB performance is positive when the unit's CO climate is relatively high and that the constructs are unrelated when unit CO climate is relatively low. In addition, the data reveal that unit COB performance influences unit profitability by enhancing revenues without a concomitant increase in costs. The study's results underscore the theoretical importance of considering cross-level influencers of employee-level relationships and suggest that managers should focus on creating a climate that is supportive of COBs if their units are to profit from the recruitment, hiring, and retention of customer-oriented employees.

Dependence of extinction cross-section on incident polarization state and particle orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Ping; Wendisch, Manfred; Bi Lei; Kattawar, George; Mishchenko, Michael; Hu, Yongxiang

2011-01-01

This note reports on the effects of the polarization state of an incident quasi-monochromatic parallel beam of radiation and the orientation of a hexagonal ice particle with respect to the incident direction on the extinction process. When the incident beam is aligned with the six-fold rotational symmetry axis, the extinction is independent of the polarization state of the incident light. For other orientations, the extinction cross-section for linearly polarized light can be either larger or smaller than its counterpart for an unpolarized incident beam. Therefore, the attenuation of a quasi-monochromatic radiation beam by an ice cloud depends on the polarization state of the beam if ice crystals within the cloud are not randomly oriented. Furthermore, a case study of the extinction of light by a quartz particle is also presented to illustrate the dependence of the extinction cross-section on the polarization state of the incident light.

The art of the possible. On the necessary conditions for cross-sector cooperation in a New Public Management oriented health service

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høgsgaard, Ditte Merete

2017-01-01

Despite the current mantra that cross-sector teamwork and communication are the decisive factors in any attempt at creating an integrated and holistically oriented health service, the current institutional structures and conditions seem to actively stymie such cooperation. A high powered debate...... on the necessity of properly functioning cross-sector cooperation in the health service proceeds in its own isolated context and is also challenged at its very roots by the New Public Management (NPM) creed that has informed health service management in recent decades. The aim here is to investigate how tension...... and paradoxes in that cross-sector teamwork impact upon the ability of healthcare professionals across the relevant sectors to work together effectively towards the discharge of a patient. All this with a view to creating an integrated and holistic process for that patient....

Sexual stigma and symbolic violence experienced, enacted, and counteracted in young Africans' writing about same-sex attraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Winskell, Kate; Sabben, Gaëlle

2016-07-01

There is growing recognition of the health disparities faced by sexual minority populations and the critical role played by sexual stigma in increasing their vulnerability. Experienced, anticipated, and internalized, stigma based on sexual orientation reduces access to HIV/STI prevention and treatment services among African men who have sex with men and has been linked to compromised mental health, risk-taking, and HIV status. It is likely that similar processes undermine the health of sexual minority African women and transgender and non-binary people. There is a need for increased understanding of both the contextual factors and the cultural meanings, or symbolic violence, that inform sexual stigma and harmful stigma management strategies in contexts that are culturally and socio-politically oppressive for sexual and gender minorities. Using thematic data analysis and narrative-based methodologies, we analyzed narratives and essays on same-sex attraction contributed by young people aged 13-24 from ten African countries to a Spring 2013 scriptwriting competition on HIV, sexuality, and related themes. Submitted by 27 male and 29 female authors, the texts were written in response to a prompt inviting participants to "Tell a story about someone who is attracted to people of the same sex". We analyzed the ways in which sexual stigma and its effects are described, enacted, and counteracted in the texts. The data provide insights into the social and symbolic processes that create and sustain sexual stigma in the context of broader transnational discourses. The data shed light on psychosocial challenges faced by sexual minority youth and identify both rhetoric, stereotypes, and discourse that devalue them and representations that counteract this symbolic violence. We share our findings in the hope they may inform education and communication programming as part of multi-level efforts to improve the health and human rights of sexual minority populations in sub

Cultural Orientations Framework (COF) Assessment Questionnaire in Cross-Cultural Coaching: A Cross-Validation with Wave Focus Styles

OpenAIRE

Rojon, C; McDowall, A

2010-01-01

This paper outlines a cross-validation of the Cultural Orientations Framework assessment questionnaire\\ud (COF, Rosinski, 2007; a new tool designed for cross-cultural coaching) with the Saville Consulting\\ud Wave Focus Styles questionnaire (Saville Consulting, 2006; an existing validated measure of\\ud occupational personality), using data from UK and German participants (N = 222). The convergent and\\ud divergent validity of the questionnaire was adequate. Contrary to previous findings which u...

Stigma and Exclusion in Cross-Cultural Contexts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annie Elizabeth Pohlman

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Discriminatory and marginalising discourses affect the cultural and social realities of people in all human societies. Across time and place, these discourses manifest in numerous tangible and intangible ways, creating stigma and forms of exclusion by means particular to their cultural, historical, political and social contexts. These discourses also manifest in varying degrees of harm; from verbal abuse and behavioural forms of exclusion, to physical abuse and neglect, and exclusionary practices at institutional, legal and regulatory levels. Such forms of stigma cause direct physical and mental harm and other forms of persecution. The papers in this special issue arise from a one-day symposium held at the University of Queensland in February 2013. The symposium, ‘Stigma and Exclusion in Cross-Cultural Contexts’, brought together researchers and community-based practitioners from across Australia and overseas to explore marginalization, discriminatory discourses and stigma in a wide range of historical and cross-cultural settings. By critically engaging with experiences of social, political and cultural exclusion and marginalisation in different contexts, we aimed to elucidate how discourses of stigma are created, contested and negotiated in cross-cultural settings. We also aimed to explore stigmatisation in its lived realities: as discourses of exclusion; as the fleshy reality of discrimination in social worlds; as part of the life narratives of individuals and groups; and as discourses of agency and counter-discourses in responding to stigma.

Adolescent Behavior and Health in Cross-Cultural Context

Science.gov (United States)

Demetrovics, Zsolt

2012-01-01

Specific behavioral problems appear during early adolescence, and they become more pronounced. Although these problems are universal in many aspects, cultural differences are also conspicuous. The author, in addition to analyzing the five studies in the Special Issue, addresses questions concerning the cross-cultural context. The analysis reveals…

Impact of self-orientations and work-context-related variables on the well-being of public- and private-sector Turkish employees.

Science.gov (United States)

Imamoğlu, E Olcay; Beydoğan, Başak

2011-01-01

The authors (a) explored the impact of individual differences in self-orientations (i.e., relatedness and individuation) of 383 Turkish public- and private-sector employees on their basic need satisfaction at work and their well-being (i.e., life satisfaction and psychological well-being); (b) considered differences in perceived autonomy- and relatedness-supportiveness of the work contexts; and (c) tested a model in which the relationship between self-orientations and well-being is partially mediated by the perceived supportiveness of the work context and the need satisfaction of employees at work, using structural equation modeling. Results suggest that self-orientations of employees predict their well-being both directly and indirectly through the mediation of perceived supportiveness and need satisfaction provided by the work context, which seem to vary according to sector type.

Linking Entrepreneurial Orientation to Firm Performance in a Post-Socialist Market Context: the Case of Hungary

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David KOVACS

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Entrepreneurial orientation provoked the interest of numerous scholars as well as political and administrative decision-makers. Both start-ups and already established corporate entities are increasingly persecuting new opportunities, products, and business models in order to establish superiority above their competitive environment. The tendencies evince an optimist impact of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance, namely on financial performance. Beyond the aforementioned relationship, there are impulses such as environmental and organizational factors, which are affecting the businesses. The results of this study provide evidence of the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance in a post-socialist context. We test the impact of three moderators on this bivariate relationship. In contrast to the substantial body of literature for Western markets, we contribute to minimizing the considerable gap of research in post-socialist economies. Entrepreneurial orientation as an organizational behavior may affect the financial performance of businesses differently in distinct market contexts. Both, internal and external factors are crucial to identifying, analyze and monitor, to achieve superior performance and to overcome competitors. This study builds upon a stratified sampling survey of Hungarian company owners and managers from the Amadeus database. The study uses a deductive approach. For the analysis, we rely on structural equation modeling using the PLS algorithm. Our study contributes to the existing literature by means of confirming the entrepreneurial orientation to firm performance relationship for Hungary. In this context, we test the moderating effects of environmental dynamism, environmental hostility as environmental factors and firm age as an organizational factor. Environmental hostility is closely related to an unfavorable environment, deriving from rapid and radical changes in the industry, which are

Munificence of Parent Corporate Contexts and Expatriate Cross-Cultural Training in China

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Selmer, Jan

2006-01-01

The practice of providing expatriates with cross-cultural training varies widely among business corporations. To examine the proposition that some characteristics of the parent corporation context could be munificent to the practice of providing cross-cultural training, a mail survey was addressed...... to business expatriates in China. Surprisingly, the results showed no association between corporate size, international stake, and international experience on the one hand and the extent to which the expatriates had received cross-cultural training on the other hand. Although an ad hoc analysis found...... a positive relationship between international experience and the provision of sequential cross-cultural training, there was no association between any of the variables depicting corporate context and predeparture or postarrival training. The findings and their implications are discussed in detail....

Does Promotion Orientation Help Explain Why Future-Orientated People Exercise and Eat Healthy?

Science.gov (United States)

Milfont, Taciano L; Vilar, Roosevelt; Araujo, Rafaella C R; Stanley, Robert

2017-01-01

A study with United States undergraduate students showed individuals high in concern with future consequences engage in exercise and healthy eating because they adopt a promotion orientation, which represents the extent to which individuals are inclined to pursue positive gains. The present article reports a cross-cultural replication of the mediation findings with undergraduate samples from Brazil and New Zealand. Promotion orientation mediated the association between concern with future consequences and exercise attitudes in both countries, but the associations for healthy eating were not replicated-which could be explained by distinct obesity prevalence and eating habits in these socio-cultural contexts. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of the findings for promoting health behavior.

Does Promotion Orientation Help Explain Why Future-Orientated People Exercise and Eat Healthy?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taciano L. Milfont

2017-07-01

Full Text Available A study with United States undergraduate students showed individuals high in concern with future consequences engage in exercise and healthy eating because they adopt a promotion orientation, which represents the extent to which individuals are inclined to pursue positive gains. The present article reports a cross-cultural replication of the mediation findings with undergraduate samples from Brazil and New Zealand. Promotion orientation mediated the association between concern with future consequences and exercise attitudes in both countries, but the associations for healthy eating were not replicated—which could be explained by distinct obesity prevalence and eating habits in these socio-cultural contexts. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of the findings for promoting health behavior.

GEOMETRIC CONTEXT AND ORIENTATION MAP COMBINATION FOR INDOOR CORRIDOR MODELING USING A SINGLE IMAGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. B. Jahromi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Since people spend most of their time indoors, their indoor activities and related issues in health, security and energy consumption have to be understood. Hence, gathering and representing spatial information of indoor spaces in form of 3D models become very important. Considering the available data gathering techniques with respect to the sensors cost and data processing time, single images proved to be one of the reliable sources. Many of the current single image based indoor space modeling methods are defining the scene as a single box primitive. This domain-specific knowledge is usually not applicable in various cases where multiple corridors are joined at one scene. Here, we addressed this issue by hypothesizing-verifying multiple box primitives which represents the indoor corridor layout. Middle-level perceptual organization is the foundation of the proposed method, which relies on finding corridor layout boundaries using both detected line segments and virtual rays created by orthogonal vanishing points. Due to the presence of objects, shadows and occlusions, a comprehensive interpretation of the edge relations is often concealed. This necessitates the utilization of virtual rays to create a physically valid layout hypothesis. Many of the former methods used Orientation Map or Geometric Context to evaluate their proposed layout hypotheses. Orientation map is a map that reveals the local belief of region orientations computed from line segments, and in a segmented image geometric context uses color, texture, edge, and vanishing point cues to estimate the likelihood of each possible label for all super-pixels. Here, the created layout hypotheses are evaluated by an objective function which considers the fusion of orientation map and geometric context with respect to the horizontal viewing angle at each image pixel. Finally, the best indoor corridor layout hypothesis which gets the highest score from the scoring function will be selected

Subject Orientation of Teaching and Academic Subjects in the Context of Different Didactic Approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. M. Osmolovskaya

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The paper is devoted to the research findings concerning the didactic characteristics and means of subject-oriented teaching. The research question includes the content of the general secondary education regarded as the design object. The process of selecting and structuring materials is reviewed from the theoretical standpoint, and the attempt is made to identify the ways of selecting materials for students’ learning from the social experience reflected in culture. The author introduces the concept of subject-orientation as a tool providing pedagogic adaptation of social experience in the process of teaching content development. Subject-oriented teaching is defined in the context of traditional knowledge, as well as the competence and student-oriented didac- tic approaches; the forms and means of its realization being indicated providing the new ways for introducing and understanding the educational subject. The research results can be used by the specialists in didactic, curricula developers, authors of textbooks in various subjects. 

Exploring the cross-level impact of market orientation on nursing innovation in hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Rhay-Hung; Huang, Ching-Yuan; Lin, Tzu-En

2013-01-01

Recently, many hospitals have been enthusiastically encouraging nurses to pursue nursing innovation to improve health care quality and increase nursing productivity by proposing innovative training methods, products, services, care skills, and care methods. This study tried to explore the cross-level impact of market orientation on nursing innovation. In our study, 3 to 7 nurses and 1 manager were selected from each nursing team to act as respondents. The questionnaire survey began after the managers of each nursing team and the nurses had been anonymously coded and paired up in Taiwan in 2009-2010. A total of 808 valid questionnaires were collected, including 172 valid teams. Hierarchical linear modeling was used for the analysis. Nursing innovation is the sum of knowledge creation, innovation behavior, and innovation diffusion displayed by the nurses during nursing care. The level of knowledge creation, as perceived by the nurses, was the highest, whereas the level of innovation diffusion was the lowest. Results of hierarchical linear modeling showed that only competitor orientation yielded a significant positive influence on knowledge creation, innovation behavior, or innovation diffusion. The r values were 0.53, 0.49, and 0.61, respectively. Customer orientation and interfunctional coordination did not have significant effects on nursing innovation. Hospital nurses exhibited better performance in knowledge creation than in innovation behavior and diffusion. Only competitor orientation had a significantly positive and cross-level influence on nursing innovation. However, competitor orientation was observed to be the lowest dimension of market orientation, which indicates that this factor should be the focus when improving nursing innovations in the future. Therefore, managers should continually understand the strategies, advantages, and methods of their competitors.

Patterns of adult cross-racial friendships: A context for understanding contemporary race relations.

Science.gov (United States)

Plummer, Deborah L; Stone, Rosalie Torres; Powell, Lauren; Allison, Jeroan

2016-10-01

This study examined patterns, characteristics, and predictors of cross-racial friendships as the context for understanding contemporary race relations. A national survey included 1,055 respondents, of whom 55% were white, 32% were black, and 74% were female; ages ranged from 18 to ≥65 years. Focus groups were conducted to assess societal and personal benefits. Participants (n = 31) were racially diverse and aged 20 to 66 years. After accounting for multiple covariates, regression analysis revealed that Asians, Hispanics, and multiracial individuals are more likely than their white and black counterparts to have cross-racial friends. Females were less likely than males to have 8 or more cross-racial friends. Regression analysis revealed that the depth of cross-racial friendships was greater for women than men and for those who shared more life experiences. Increasing age was associated with lower cross-racial friendship depth. Qualitative analysis of open-ended questions and focus group data established the social context as directly relevant to the number and depth of friendships. Despite the level of depth in cross-racial friendships, respondents described a general reluctance to discuss any racially charged societal events, such as police shootings of unarmed black men. This study identified salient characteristics of individuals associated with cross-racial friendships and highlighted the influence of the social, historical, and political context in shaping such friendships. Our findings suggest that contemporary race relations reflect progress as well as polarization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Professionally Oriented Practice in Graduate Students in the Context of Networking between University and School

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gutina G.Y.,

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The paper describes the experience of organising professionally oriented practice for graduate students in the context of networking. The model of in-depth professionally oriented practice for students of the master’s programme in Psychology and Education was created and approved by the leading Russian pedagogical universities within the project “Developing and approving new modules of basic master’s programme of professional training in Psychology and Education on the basis of networking between educational organisations providing general and higher education programmes implying in-depth professionally oriented student practice”. The model of in-depth practice is constructed on the grounds of activity- and competency-based approaches. Practical training of graduate students focuses on the structure and content of work functions (actions defined in the professional standard for educational psychologists.

The effects of paradigmatic orientations of education research and discourse

Science.gov (United States)

Smithson, John Lawrence

This essay presents an examination of contemporary disputes over methodological and epistemological foundations underlying inquiry within the field of education research; investigating the obstacles to communication and understanding found in scholarly exchanges occurring across competing paradigmatic orientations. Terminological challenges to cross-paradigmatic communication are examined, identifying three specific terminological difficulties, referred to as homonym, contextual, and onti-stemic problems. Nicholas Burbules' model of dialogue, based upon characteristics of convergence, divergence, inclusive and critical traits, is adopted and applied to a sample of cross-paradigmatic exchanges found in recent educational research journals. Examination of those exchanges reveals certain strategies associated with cross-paradigmatic communication. These strategies, labeled as trivialization, caricaturization, and re-direction, are shown to be detrimental to the mutual understanding of the interlocutors. The model is then extended to address examples of paradigmatic orientations within methodological and epistemological contexts in order to consider the relationship between the various orientations represented in the literature of interest. Methodological and epistemological orientations are shown to be loosely coupled, with unexpected shifts in paradigmatic values found among researchers' methodological and epistemological commitments. Finally, the nature of the relationship between competing paradigmatic orientations is examined, with particular attention given to four types of incommensurability (ontological, linguistic, epistemological, and values incommensurability). I conclude that, though difficult, cross-paradigmatic communication is necessary in order to provide a multi-paradigmatic perspective that takes us beyond the fractured picture of educational phenomena available from current research approaches.

Caffeine counteracts impairments in task-oriented psychomotor performance induced by chlorpheniramine: a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sung-Wan; Bae, Kyung-Yeol; Shin, Hee-Young; Kim, Jae-Min; Shin, Il-Seon; Kim, Jong-Keun; Kang, Gaeun; Yoon, Jin-Sang

2013-01-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of chlorpheniramine on psychomotor performance and the counteracting effects of caffeine on those sedative antihistamine actions. Sixteen healthy young men participated in this study. Using a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, each subject was administered one of the following conditions in a random order with a one-week interval: 'placebo-placebo', '4 mg of chlorpheniramine-placebo', 'placebo-200 mg of caffeine' or '4 mg of chlorpheniramine-200 mg of caffeine'. Before and after the treatments, psychomotor functions were assessed using a battery of tests. Additionally, subjective responses were assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Psychomotor performance changed over time in different ways according to the combination of study medications. In the 'chlorpheniramine-placebo' condition, reaction times of the compensatory tracking task were significantly impaired compared with the other three conditions. In addition, the number of omission errors of the continuous performance test were significantly greater compared with the 'placebo-caffeine' condition. However, the response pattern of the 'chlorpheniramine-caffeine' condition was not significantly different from that of the 'placebo-placebo' condition. Changes of VAS for sleepiness were significantly greater in the 'chlorpheniramine-placebo' condition compared with the other three conditions. In conclusion, chlorpheniramine significantly increases subjective sleepiness and objectively impairs psychomotor performance. However, caffeine counteracts these sedative effects and psychomotor impairments.

Experimental observations on the optimal layout of orientation blocks for safe road crossing by the visually impaired

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomoyuki Inagaki

2017-07-01

For this paper, in order to examine in greater detail the desirable position of orientation blocks relative to TWSI, the authors conducted an experiment using totally blind subjects to evaluate conditions on a 10 m walk that simulated an actual crossing. The results, based on observations of the trajectories walked by participants in the experiment and interviews eliciting their subjective evaluations, showed that separating orientation blocks and blister tactile blocks by about 8–12 cm is effective in constraining lateral deviation at a point 5 m from the start of crossing and that an 8 cm separation was desirable in order to maintain an effective reduction of mental stress while crossing.

Cross-Sector Partnerships and the Co-creation of Dynamic Capabilities for Stakeholder Orientation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dentoni, D.; Bitzer, V.C.; Pascucci, S.

2016-01-01

This paper explores the relationship between business experience in cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) and the co-creation of what we refer to as ‘dynamic capabilities for stakeholder orientation,’ consisting of the four dimensions of (1) sensing, (2) interacting with, (3) learning from and (4)

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM): Motivation Orientations of Navajo and Anglo Students.

Science.gov (United States)

McInerney, Dennis M.; Yeung, Alexander Seeshing; McInerney, Valentina

2001-01-01

Validated the Motivation Orientation scales of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM) (M. Maher, 1984) across Navajo (n=760) and Anglo (n=1,012) students. Findings show that even though the ISM motivation orientation scales are applicable to students of different cultural backgrounds, meaningful cross-cultural comparisons should use the 30 items…

Temporal-frequency tuning of cross-orientation suppression in the cat striate cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Allison, J D; Smith, K R; Bonds, A B

2001-01-01

A sinusoidal mask grating oriented orthogonally to and superimposed onto an optimally oriented base grating reduces a cortical neuron's response amplitude. The spatial selectivity of cross-orientation suppression (XOR) has been described, so for this paper we investigated the temporal properties of XOR. We recorded from single striate cortical neurons (n = 72) in anesthetized and paralyzed cats. After quantifying the spatial and temporal characteristics of each cell's excitatory response to a base grating, we measured the temporal-frequency tuning of XOR by systematically varying the temporal frequency of a mask grating placed at a null orientation outside of the cell's excitatory orientation domain. The average preferred temporal frequency of the excitatory response of the neurons in our sample was 3.8 (+/- 1.5 S.D.) Hz. The average cutoff frequency for the sample was 16.3 (+/- 1.7) Hz. The average preferred temporal frequency (7.0 +/- 2.6 Hz) and cutoff frequency (20.4 +/- 6.9 Hz) of the XOR were significantly higher. The differences averaged 1.1 (+/- 0.6) octaves for the peaks and 0.3 (+/- 0.4) octaves for the cutoffs. The XOR mechanism's preference for high temporal frequencies suggests a possible extrastriate origin for the effect and could help explain the low-pass temporal-frequency response profile displayed by most striate cortical neurons.

Instrumental and integrative orientations: Predictors of willingness to communicate in the Iranian EFL context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahsa Ghanbarpour

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Given that promoting learners’ communicative competence in a second language (L2 is one of the primary foci of communicative language teaching approaches, the late 1980s saw an expansion in research into willingness to communicate (WTC, which is deemed to affect individuals’ predisposition towards the initiation of L2 communication. The principal aims of this study are(a to reveal whether instrumental motivation and integrative orientation are correlated with WTC, (b to delve into the contribution of instrumental and integrative orientations to the explanation of WTC, (c to examine which of the two motivational propensities is a better predictor of WTC, and (d to find whether 3 groups of learners with low, medium, and high levels of instrumental and integrative orientations differ in terms of their level of reported WTC. To this end, 188 Iranian EFL learners, who were randomly selected, filled out a WTC questionnaire and a language learning motivation questionnaire. Results of path analysis and standard multiple regression revealed that although both motivational orientations significantly contributed to the explanation of WTC, instrumental motivation, which uniquely explained 3.7% of the variance in total WTC, was a better predictor of WTC. Informed by the results of one-way between-groups ANOVA, a significant difference was encountered among the reported L2 WTC levels of the 3 groups of learners with various levels of both instrumental orientation and integrative motivation. The findings could cast light onto the nexus between motivation and WTC in the Iranian EFL context and the intricacies and dynamics of the WTC process.

Requirements for cross-border spatial planning technologies in the European context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank Susanne

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This communication paper investigates requirements for cross-border spatial planning technologies. We refer to European cross-border regions, which are located in the European Baltic Sea Region. We hypothesize that there is no efficient cross-border spatial planning without engagement from various stakeholders, supported by novel spatial planning technologies. This study presents the results from a survey that identifies the requirements for spatial planning technologies adequate for cross - border regions. On the basis of this survey, carried out within the INTECRE project partners coming from the Baltic Sea Region, the study provides general recommendations about cross - border spatial planning technologies. Addressed in the survey are the following central issues: definition of the scope of such technologies, the data base and international planning data provision, features and properties of planning technologies, and stakeholder involvement. The research findings are transferable to wider European and extra- European contexts.

Cross – altar – orientation of the offered prayer

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Jarosław A. Superson

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This article presents a brief history of the orientation of the altar in the liturgical space, the cross with the image of the Crucified on it and the direction of the liturgical prayers from the altar. In the Church’s history the altar was usually placed in the apse or among the congregation. For hundreds of years there was a rule that the celebrant standing at the altar and the faithful participating in the Mass offered prayers to eastern direction. In the first millennium at the Roman Catholic Church only consecration gifts were being placed on the altar, and only at the beginning of the second millennium first the candelabra, than the crucifix were put on. After accepting the Dialogue Mass and the versus populum celebration by the Second Vatican Council, the cross was placed near the altar usually as the processional cross with the image of Jesus Christ facing the faithful. Since 2007, during the celebration of the Eucharist presided by Pope Benedict XVI the cross stands in the center of the altar with the image of the Crucified directed towards the principal celebrant.

Help to perpetuate traditional gender roles: Benevolent sexism increases engagement in dependency-oriented cross-gender helping.

Science.gov (United States)

Shnabel, Nurit; Bar-Anan, Yoav; Kende, Anna; Bareket, Orly; Lazar, Yael

2016-01-01

Based on theorizing that helping relations may serve as a subtle mechanism to reinforce intergroup inequality, the present research (N = 1,315) examined the relation between benevolent sexism (i.e., a chivalrous yet subtly oppressive view of women) and helping. In cross-gender interactions, the endorsement of (Studies 1, 3, and 4) or exposure to (Study 2) benevolent sexism predicted (a) men's preference to provide women with dependency-oriented help (i.e., direct assistance) rather than tools for autonomous coping, and (b) women's preference to seek dependency-oriented help rather than tools for autonomous coping. Benevolent sexism did not predict men's and women's engagement in dependency-oriented helping relations in same-gender interactions. Studies 1 and 2 examined behavioral intentions in response to a series of hypothetical scenarios; Studies 3 and 4 examined actual behavior in tests of mathematical and logical ability, and pointed to assumed partner's expectations as a potential mediator. The converging evidence supports the hypothesis that benevolent sexism encourages engagement in cross-gender helping relations that perpetuate traditional gender roles. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

How Relational Capabilities Matter? Organizational Context and Performance of Internationally Oriented SMEs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariola Ciszewska-Mlinarič

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The article sheds light on the organizational context enhancing development of relational capabilities and examines the significance of relational capabilities for SMEs’ financial and non-financial performance. The firm relational capability is measured separately in customers’ and suppliers’ networks. The research results reveal that fostering internal social capital coupled with the usage of economic motivators augment a firm relational capability in a supplier network, which in turn is associated with better performance results, both financial and non-financial. The results on relational capability in a customer network with respect to performance are less conclusive, indicating that vertical ties that internationally oriented SMEs develop (with suppliers and customers are not of equal importance.

The Management of the Citizen Oriented Applications

OpenAIRE

Ion IVAN; Bogdan VINTILĂ

2010-01-01

The context of the knowledge based society is presented. The new user requirements in the context of the new society are analyzed. Basic concepts regarding the citizen oriented applications are presented. Issues specific to the citizen oriented applications are presented. The development cycle of the citizen oriented applications is analyzed. The particular elements for developing citizen oriented applications are described. The quality concept for the citizen oriented applications is defined...

Relationship between Future Time Orientation and Item Nonresponse on Subjective Probability Questions: A Cross-Cultural Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sunghee; Liu, Mingnan; Hu, Mengyao

2017-06-01

Time orientation is an unconscious yet fundamental cognitive process that provides a framework for organizing personal experiences in temporal categories of past, present and future, reflecting the relative emphasis given to these categories. Culture lies central to individuals' time orientation, leading to cultural variations in time orientation. For example, people from future-oriented cultures tend to emphasize the future and store information relevant for the future more than those from present- or past-oriented cultures. For survey questions that ask respondents to report expected probabilities of future events, this may translate into culture-specific question difficulties, manifested through systematically varying "I don't know" item nonresponse rates. This study drew on the time orientation theory and examined culture-specific nonresponse patterns on subjective probability questions using methodologically comparable population-based surveys from multiple countries. The results supported our hypothesis. Item nonresponse rates on these questions varied significantly in the way that future-orientation at the group as well as individual level was associated with lower nonresponse rates. This pattern did not apply to non-probability questions. Our study also suggested potential nonresponse bias. Examining culture-specific constructs, such as time orientation, as a framework for measurement mechanisms may contribute to improving cross-cultural research.

Is Male Androphilia a Context-Dependent Cross-Cultural Universal?

Science.gov (United States)

Hames, Raymond; Garfield, Zachary; Garfield, Melissa

2017-01-01

The cross-cultural ethnographic literature has traditionally used the label male "homosexuality" to describe sexual relationships between biological males without considering whether or not the concept encompasses primary sexual attraction to adult males. Although male androphilia seems to be found in all national populations, its universal existence in tribal populations has been questioned. Our goal is to review previous cross-cultural classifications and surveys of male same sex behavior to present a system that does justice to its varied expressions, especially as it is informed by contemporary sexuality research. Previous comparative research does not effectively distinguish male same sex behavior from male androphilia. Using the standard cross-cultural sample (SCCS) as a sampling frame and the ethnographic sources in the human relations area files and elsewhere, we present distributional data on various forms of male same sex behavior. The SCCS is useful because it is designed to be representative of all historically known social formations and the sample is designed to reduce similarities as a consequence of common descent or historical origin as well as reduce the probability of diffusion of sociocultural practices from one culture to another. Our results show that male same sex behavior as well as male androphilia is much more common than previously estimated in the SCCS. With our findings, we make an argument that male androphilia is a context-dependent cross-cultural universal.

The Influence of Cross-Sectional Shape and Orientation of Micropillar Surface on Microdroplet Formation by a Dewetting Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bambang Arip Dwiyantoro

2013-07-01

Full Text Available In this study the dewetting process on micropillars of three different cross-sectional shapes, i.e. circular, square and triangular, was numerically investigated. The influence of the orientation of the triangular and square micropillars on the dewetting behavior was also studied. The numerical simulations showed that the cross-sectional shapes of the micropillars and their orientation play an important role in determining the flow pattern of the dewetting process, especially the evolution and movement of the meniscus across the micropillar before a microdroplet is formed. The diameter of the microdroplets is mainly determined by the capillary effect, viscous drag and fluid inertia contributed by the peeling rate and the thickness of the water layer above the micropillar. The numerical results also indicate that the hydraulic diameter of the micropillars (Dp is one of the parameters governing the size of the microdroplets formed on the top surface of the micropillars after the dewetting process, while the microdroplet diameter is almost insensitive to the cross-sectional shape and orientation of the micropillars. The dimensionless diameter of the microdroplets (d can then be expressed as a function of a dimensionless group, i.e. the Ohnesorge number (Oh, the capillary number (Ca, the dimensionless liquid thickness (H, and the contact angle (q.

Sialyltransferase activity probably counteracts that of sialidase as ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Sialyltransferase activity probably counteracts that of sialidase as one of the possible mechanisms of natural recovery or stabilization of erythrocyte mass in trypanosome-infected animals - A perspective.

Ubiquitin-specific Protease 11 (USP11) Deubiquitinates Hybrid Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO)-Ubiquitin Chains to Counteract RING Finger Protein 4 (RNF4)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendriks, Ivo A; Schimmel, Joost; Eifler, Karolin

2015-01-01

of RNF4 as a counterbalancing factor. In response to DNA damage induced by methyl methanesulfonate, USP11 could counteract RNF4 to inhibit the dissolution of nuclear bodies. Thus, we provide novel insight into cross-talk between ubiquitin and SUMO and uncover USP11 and RNF4 as a balanced SUMO...

Shaping the Educational Policy Field: "Cross-Field Effects" in the Chinese Context

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Hui

2018-01-01

This paper theorises how politics, economy and migrant population policies influence educational policy, utilising Bourdieusian theoretical resources to analyse the Chinese context. It develops the work of Lingard and Rawolle on cross-field effects and produces an updated three-step analytical framework. Taking the policy issue of the schooling of…

Shape dependency of the extinction and absorption cross sections of dust aerosols modeled as randomly oriented spheroids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Wagner

2011-09-01

Full Text Available We present computational results on the shape dependency of the extinction and absorption cross sections of dustlike aerosol particles that were modeled as randomly oriented spheroids. Shape dependent variations in the extinction cross sections are largest in the size regime that is governed by the interference structure. Elongated spheroids best fitted measured extinction spectra of re-dispersed Saharan dust samples. For dust particles smaller than 1.5 μm in diameter and low absorption potential, shape effects on the absorption cross sections are very small.

Hip2Norm: an object-oriented cross-platform program for 3D analysis of hip joint morphology using 2D pelvic radiographs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, G; Tannast, M; Anderegg, C; Siebenrock, K A; Langlotz, F

2007-07-01

We developed an object-oriented cross-platform program to perform three-dimensional (3D) analysis of hip joint morphology using two-dimensional (2D) anteroposterior (AP) pelvic radiographs. Landmarks extracted from 2D AP pelvic radiographs and optionally an additional lateral pelvic X-ray were combined with a cone beam projection model to reconstruct 3D hip joints. Since individual pelvic orientation can vary considerably, a method for standardizing pelvic orientation was implemented to determine the absolute tilt/rotation. The evaluation of anatomically morphologic differences was achieved by reconstructing the projected acetabular rim and the measured hip parameters as if obtained in a standardized neutral orientation. The program had been successfully used to interactively objectify acetabular version in hips with femoro-acetabular impingement or developmental dysplasia. Hip(2)Norm is written in object-oriented programming language C++ using cross-platform software Qt (TrollTech, Oslo, Norway) for graphical user interface (GUI) and is transportable to any platform.

Acculturation in Context: The Moderating Effects of Immigrant and Native Peer Orientations on the Acculturation Experiences of Immigrants.

Science.gov (United States)

Titzmann, Peter F; Jugert, Philipp

2015-11-01

Immigrant adolescents have to navigate through a complex social environment consisting of, at least, both a native and a co-ethnic community. This study used a multi-level framework to consider two research questions involving this complexity. The individual-level associations of acculturation orientations and acculturative hassles (language and sociocultural adaptation) was assessed in immigrant youths, and whether this association differs depending on the school-level acculturation orientations held by co-ethnic peers, and the school-level orientations toward immigrants held by native German peers. We then investigated whether acculturative hassles are associated with the psychosocial functioning (self-efficacy, depressive symptoms) of immigrant adolescents. The sample comprised 650 ethnic German Diaspora migrant adolescents (mean age 15.6 years, 53.7 % female) and their 787 native German peers (mean age 15.05 years, 51 % female). The results showed that contextual factors (co-ethnic acculturation orientation, native friendship preferences) moderated the association between the acculturation orientations of adolescent immigrants and both types of acculturative hassles. Acculturative hassles, in turn, were associated with the psychosocial functioning of adolescents. This research demonstrates that a person-by-context perspective is needed to better understand the adaptation of adolescent immigrants. This perspective has to take into account both the native and the co-ethnic peer environment.

Family migration in a cross-national perspective: The importance of institutional and cultural context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergi Vidal

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Migration rates of dual-earner couples are lower than those of male-breadwinner couples. We revisit this issue using a cross-national comparative perspective and examine heterogeneity in the role of female employment in couple relocations. We propose a theoretical framework in which national levels of support for female employment and normative expectations about gender roles act as moderators of the relationship between couple type (i.e., dual-earner and male-breadwinner and family migration. Methods: We deploy discrete-time event history analyses of harmonised longitudinal data from four large-scale datasets from Australia, Britain, Germany, and Sweden, covering the 1992-2011 period. Results: Consistent with prior research, we find that male-breadwinner couples migrate more often than dual-earner couples in all countries, suggesting that traditional gender structures affecting family migration operate across very different contexts. We also find cross-country differences in the estimated effects of different sorts of absolute and relative partner resources on family migration. Conclusions: We take our results as preliminary evidence that national contexts can serve as moderators of the relationship between within-couple employment arrangements and family migration decisions. Contribution: Our study contributes to family migration literature by illustrating how cross-national comparisons are a valuable methodological approach to put prevailing micro-level explanations of the relationship between female employment and family migration in context.

Cyber terrorism prevention and counteraction workshop review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pastukhov, O.M.

2011-01-01

A NATO Advanced Training Course (ATC ) on Cyber Terrorism Prevention and Counteraction workshop, held in Kiev on September 27-29, 2010, allowed the participants to share their experiences with experts from Ukraine, a Partnership for Peace country. The participants exchanged their ideas on the ways

Gender differences in positive life orientation among the nursing home elders in China: A cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Cheng; Zheng, Zhibo; Xian, Wei; Bai, Ming; Jin, Liying; Li, Yuting; Yang, Xiufei; Sheng, Yang; Ai, Wensi; Liu, Hongbo

2017-09-01

Life orientation among the nursing home elders would differ from those of community-dwelling elders due to the different living environment, but may have greater differences in gender. This study was designed to investigate the positive life orientation and explore the potential risk factors including gender disparities among nursing home elders in China. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Northeast China. Two steps cluster sampling procedure were chosen. Basic activities of daily living (BADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) systems were used to estimate the functional status. Positive life orientation was measured using the six-question life orientation scale (LOS). 2512 nursing home elders were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the participants was 73.14±6.746years. Of the 1308 men and 1204 women, 14.9% had a positive life orientation in women and 16.1% in men. Higher level of education, independent in BADL and IADL were related to positive life orientation both in men and women. Age and BMI were also found to be significantly associated with positive life orientation in men (OR=0.587, 1.132, respectively). For women, the influence of income and vision on positive life orientation was also significant (OR=1.967, 1.926, respectively). The positive life orientation was higher in men than women. The gender-specific differences contribute to take more effective measures to improve the positive life orientation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alanine Counteracts the Destabilizing Effect that Urea has on RNase-A.

Science.gov (United States)

Chowhan, Rimpy K; Ali, Fasil; Bhat, Mohd Y; Rahman, Safikur; Singh, Laishram R; Ahmad, Faizan; Dar, Tanveer A

2016-01-01

It is generally believed that organisms use and accumulate methylamine osmolytes to prevent urea's damaging effect on protein stability and activity. However, urea-rich cells not only accumulate methylamines but also many other methylated and non-methylated compounds as well. But, so far it is not known whether osmolytes that are not accumulated in urea-rich cells could also confer urea-counteracting properties. We investigated the behavior of a non-methylamine osmolyte, alanine for its counteracting effect against urea denaturation of a model protein, ribonuclease A (RNase-A). We have measured structure and thermodynamic parameters (Tm, ΔHm, and ΔGD°) of RNase-A in the presence of alanine, urea and their combination. The results were also compared with the ability of glycine (osmolyte lacking one methyl group when compared with alanine) to counter urea's effect on protein stability. We observed that alanine but not glycine counteracts urea's harmful effect on RNase-A stability. The results indicated that alanine (in addition to methylamine osmolytes) may serve as an alternate urea-counteractant. Since glycine fails to protect RNase-A from urea's destabilizing effect, it seems that methylation to glycine might have some evolutionary significance to protect proteins against harmful effects of urea.

Counteracting 16-QAM Optical Fiber Transmission Impairments With Iterative Turbo Equalization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arlunno, Valeria; Caballero Jambrina, Antonio; Borkowski, Robert

2013-01-01

A turbo equalization (TE) scheme based on convolutional code and normalized least mean square equalizer for coherent optical communication links is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The proposed iterative TE technique is proved effective for counteracting polarization-division-multiplexin......A turbo equalization (TE) scheme based on convolutional code and normalized least mean square equalizer for coherent optical communication links is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The proposed iterative TE technique is proved effective for counteracting polarization...

Pro-Social Goals in Achievement Situations: Amity Goal Orientation Enhances the Positive Effects of Mastery Goal Orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Levontin, Liat; Bardi, Anat

2018-04-01

Research has neglected the utility of pro-social goals within achievement situations. In this article, four studies demonstrate that amity goal orientation, promoting mutual success of oneself together with others, enhances the utility of mastery goal orientation. We demonstrate this in longitudinally predicting performance (Studies 1 and 2) and in maintaining motivation after a disappointing performance (Studies 3 and 4). The studies demonstrate the same interaction effect in academic and in work achievement contexts. Specifically, whereas amity goal orientation did not predict achievement on its own, it enhanced the positive effect of mastery goal orientation. Together, these studies establish the importance of amity goal orientation while also advancing our understanding of the effects of other achievement goal orientations. We suggest future directions in examining the utility of amity goals in other contexts.

Orientational cross correlations between entangled branch polymers in primitive chain network simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Masubuchi, Yuichi; Pandey, Ankita; Amamoto, Yoshifumi; Uneyama, Takashi

2017-11-01

Although it has not been frequently discussed, contributions of the orientational cross-correlation (OCC) between entangled polymers are not negligible in the relaxation modulus. In the present study, OCC contributions were investigated for 4- and 6-arm star-branched and H-branched polymers by means of multi-chain slip-link simulations. Owing to the molecular-level description of the simulation, the segment orientation was traced separately for each molecule as well as each subchain composing the molecules. Then, the OCC was calculated between different molecules and different subchains. The results revealed that the amount of OCC between different molecules is virtually identical to that of linear polymers regardless of the branching structure. The OCC between constituent subchains of the same molecule is significantly smaller than the OCC between different molecules, although its intensity and time-dependent behavior depend on the branching structure as well as the molecular weight. These results lend support to the single-chain models given that the OCC effects are embedded into the stress-optical coefficient, which is independent of the branching structure.

High-level context effects on spatial displacement: the effects of body orientation and language on memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinson, David W; Abney, Drew H; Dale, Rick; Matlock, Teenie

2014-01-01

Three decades of research suggests that cognitive simulation of motion is involved in the comprehension of object location, bodily configuration, and linguistic meaning. For example, the remembered location of an object associated with actual or implied motion is typically displaced in the direction of motion. In this paper, two experiments explore context effects in spatial displacement. They provide a novel approach to estimating the remembered location of an implied motion image by employing a cursor-positioning task. Both experiments examine how the remembered spatial location of a person is influenced by subtle differences in implied motion, specifically, by shifting the orientation of the person's body to face upward or downward, and by pairing the image with motion language that differed on intentionality, fell versus jumped. The results of Experiment 1, a survey-based experiment, suggest that language and body orientation influenced vertical spatial displacement. Results of Experiment 2, a task that used Adobe Flash and Amazon Mechanical Turk, showed consistent effects of body orientation on vertical spatial displacement but no effect of language. Our findings are in line with previous work on spatial displacement that uses a cursor-positioning task with implied motion stimuli. We discuss how different ways of simulating motion can influence spatial memory.

High-level context effects on spatial displacement: The effects of body orientation and language on memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David W Vinson

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Three decades of research suggests that cognitive simulation of motion is involved in the comprehension of object location, bodily configuration, and linguistic meaning. For example, the remembered location of an object associated with actual or implied motion is typically displaced in the direction of motion. In this paper, two experiments explore context effects in spatial displacement. They provide a novel approach to estimating the remembered location of an implied motion image by employing a cursor-positioning task. Both experiments examine how the remembered spatial location of a person is influenced by subtle differences in implied motion, specifically, by shifting the orientation of the person’s body to face upward or downward, and by pairing the image with motion language that differed on intentionality, fell versus jumped. The results of Experiment 1, a survey-based experiment, suggest that language and body orientation influenced vertical spatial displacement. Results of Experiment 2, a task that used Adobe Flash and Amazon Mechanical Turk, showed consistent effects of body orientation on vertical spatial displacement but no effect of language. Our findings replicate are in line with previous work on spatial displacement task that used a cursor-positioning task with implied motion stimuli. We discuss how different ways of simulating motion can influence spatial memory.

Counteracting Age Stereotypes: A Self-Awareness Manipulation

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yiwei; Pethtel, Olivia; Ma, Xiaodong

2010-01-01

The major goals of the present study were to (a) examine age differences in susceptibility to age stereotypes and (b) test a self-awareness manipulation in counteracting age stereotypes. Young and older adults read two sets of descriptors that only differed in the to-be-ignored age-related information. In the high self-awareness condition,…

Understanding political market orientation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ormrod, Robert P.; Henneberg, Stephan C.

influences of such behavior. The study includes structural equation modeling to investigate several propositions. While the results show that political parties need to focus on several different aspects of market-oriented behavior, especially using an internal and external orientation as cultural antecedents......This article develops a conceptual framework and measurement model of political market orientation that consists of attitudinal and behavioural constructs. The article reports on perceived relationships among different behavioral aspects of political market orientation and the attitudinal......, a more surprising result is the inconclusive effect of a voter orientation on market-oriented behaviours. The article discusses the findings in the context of the existing literature in political marketing and commercial market orientation....

Measuring the preference towards patient-centred communication with the Chinese-revised Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale: a cross-sectional study among physicians and patients in clinical settings in Shanghai, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jie; Zou, Runyu; Fu, Hua; Qian, Haihong; Yan, Yueren; Wang, Fan

2017-09-18

To adapt the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), to a Chinese context, and explore the preference towards patient-centred communication among physicians and patients with the Chinese-revised Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (CR-PPOS). A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. Clinical settings from eight medical units, including four community hospitals and four general hospitals, in Shanghai, China. 1018 participants, including 187 physicians and 831 patients, completed this study in two successive stages. Psychometric properties of the CR-PPOS and participants' score on the CR-PPOS. Compared with the original PPOS, the 11-item CR-PPOS obtained better psychometric indices. Physicians and patients scored differently on both the total CR-PPOS and its two subscales. Compared with physicians, the scores of patients were more influenced by their personal characteristics, such as age and education. The CR-PPOS is a better instrument in a Chinese context than the original translated version. The divergence in the extent to which patient-centred communication is preferred among Chinese physicians and patients should be noted. Adapting physicians' communication strategy to patients' preferences based on their personal characteristics can be a viable approach towards improving clinical efficiency. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Gender role, sexual orientation and suicide risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzpatrick, Kathleen Kara; Euton, Stephanie J; Jones, Jamie N; Schmidt, Norman B

2005-07-01

There has been interest in the relationship between homosexuality, gender role and suicide risk. Though homosexuals are more likely to identify as cross-gender, research has not simultaneously examined sexual orientation and gender role in assessing suicide risk. In the current study, the unique and interactive effects of sexual orientation and gender role were assessed in regard to suicidal ideation, related psychopathology and measures of coping. 77 participants were recruited from an undergraduate psychology subject pool (n=47) or from gay, lesbian and transgender student organizations (n=30) and assessed on measures of gender role, homosexuality, and psychopathology. Consistent with expectations, cross-gender role (i.e., personality traits associated with the opposite sex) is a unique predictor of suicidal symptoms. Moreover, gender role accounted for more of the overall variance in suicidal symptoms, positive problem orientation, peer acceptance and support, than sexual orientation. After accounting for gender role, sexual orientation contributed little to the variance in suicidal symptoms, associated pathology and problem-solving deficits. There was no support for gender role by sexual orientation interaction effects. The cross-sectional nature of the data limits statements regarding causality. Cross-gendered individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, appear to have higher risk for suicidal symptoms. Researchers and clinicians should assess gender role in evaluations of youth samples.

Counteracting venous stasis during acute lower leg immobilization.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poelkens, F.; Thijssen, D.H.J.; Kersten, B.T.P.; Scheurwater, H.; Laarhoven, E.W. van; Hopman, M.T.E.

2006-01-01

AIM: During lower limb immobilization, patients are at risk to develop deep venous thrombosis. Recently, a water-pad was developed that should counteract venous stasis. The water-pad, located under the plaster, mobilizes water from the foot to the calf during weight bearing and, thereby, imitates

Problems experienced by role players within the managed healthcare context in Gauteng

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S Mahlo

2000-09-01

Full Text Available Role players within the context of managed healthcare in Gauteng experience problems in the delivery of healthcare, which negatively affect their working relationships. This in turn, affects the quality of care provided to patients. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the problem experienced by different role players within the context of managed healthcare in Gauteng, as well as the suggested solutions to counteract these problems. These results will be utilised as the basis of a conceptual framework to formulate a strategy to enhance the working relationships amongst these role players. The strategy will not be discussed in this article as the focus is on the problems experienced by the role players in the delivery of healthcare, as well as suggested solutions in the counteraction thereof. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual study was followed to explore and describe the problems, as well as the suggested solutions to counteract these problems. Focus group interviews were conducted to collect data from three private hospitals, three managed care organisations and four general medical practitioners in Gauteng. The participants were purposively and conveniently selected. Content analysis as described by Tesch (1990 was followed to analyse the data. The main problems experienced were related to inadequate communication, inadequate staff competence, cost saving versus quality care, procedural complexity, perceived loss of power by doctors and patients and the system of accounts payment. The suggested solutions focused mainly on empowerment and standardisation of procedures. It is recommended that replication studies of this nature be conducted in other provinces and that ethical standards are formulated within the managed healthcare context.

The theory of experience orientation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jesper Legaard

2012-01-01

This paper describes the theory of experience orientation, which builds on the division of experiences in two categories: Goal-oriented and Omni-oriented. The theory comes from preliminary studies of userexperiences in a work-context, where I have found this distinction to be beneficial....... In this paper I explain the theory behind it and the practical application of such a distinction when designing for an experience....

Comparative analysis of successful practices of corruption counteraction in the sphere of school education in foreign countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Objective to analyze the practice of corruption counteraction in the sphere of school education in foreign countries. Methods comparativelegal method polling content analysis of documents expert evaluation testing of experts with an international technique Questionnaire Profile of Demand. Results the need for the corruption counteraction program is stated in Art. 13.3 of the Federal Law ldquoOn corruption counteractionrdquoand Methodological recommendations of the Russian Ministry of Labor on corruption risks evaluation when implementing functions but no definite measures for corruption counteraction in educational organizations have been formulated. Nevertheless the controlling bodies inquire for information on such measures. As an example wecitean inquiry of Krasnoyarsk Oktyabrskiy region Prosecutorrsquos Office to educational organizations of October 21 2014 no. 86012014 ldquoOn measures for corruption counteraction in the sphere of educationrdquo. Scientific novelty summarizing the experience of corruption counteraction in the sphere of education in foreign countries and the expertsrsquo opinion of the specialist of international organizations allowed to formulate a number of recommendations for the Russian educational establishments. Practical value the experience of corruption counteraction in foreign countries will allow the head of an educational establishment to choose those of the proposed measures which will be efficient in corruption prevention and to elaborate an efficient program for corruption prevention. nbsp

Testing can counteract proactive interference by integrating competing information

Science.gov (United States)

Wahlheim, Christopher N.

2015-01-01

Testing initially learned information before presenting new information has been shown to counteract the deleterious effects of proactive interference by segregating competing sources of information. The present experiments were conducted to demonstrate that testing can also have its effects in part by integrating competing information. Variations of classic A–B, A–D paired-associate learning paradigms were employed that included two lists of word pairs and a cued-recall test. Repeated pairs appeared in both lists (A–B, A–B), control pairs appeared in List 2 only (A–B, C–D), and changed pairs appeared with the same cue in both lists but with different responses (A–B, A–D). The critical manipulation was whether pairs were tested or restudied in an interpolated phase that occurred between Lists 1 and 2. On a final cued-recall test, participants recalled List 2 responses and then indicated when they recollected that responses had earlier changed between lists. The change recollection measure indexed the extent to which competing responses were integrated during List 2. Change was recollected more often for tested than for restudied pairs. Proactive facilitation was obtained in cued recall when change was recollected, whereas proactive interference was obtained when change was not recollected. These results provide evidence that testing counteracted proactive interference in part by making List 1 responses more accessible during List 2, thus promoting integration and increasing later recollection of change. These results have theoretical implications because they show that testing can counteract proactive interference by integrating or segregating competing information. PMID:25120241

Testing can counteract proactive interference by integrating competing information.

Science.gov (United States)

Wahlheim, Christopher N

2015-01-01

Testing initially learned information before presenting new information has been shown to counteract the deleterious effects of proactive interference by segregating competing sources of information. The present experiments were conducted to demonstrate that testing can also have its effects in part by integrating competing information. Variations of classic A-B, A-D paired-associate learning paradigms were employed that included two lists of word pairs and a cued-recall test. Repeated pairs appeared in both lists (A-B, A-B), control pairs appeared in List 2 only (A-B, C-D), and changed pairs appeared with the same cue in both lists but with different responses (A-B, A-D). The critical manipulation was whether pairs were tested or restudied in an interpolated phase that occurred between Lists 1 and 2. On a final cued-recall test, participants recalled List 2 responses and then indicated when they recollected that responses had earlier changed between lists. The change recollection measure indexed the extent to which competing responses were integrated during List 2. Change was recollected more often for tested than for restudied pairs. Proactive facilitation was obtained in cued recall when change was recollected, whereas proactive interference was obtained when change was not recollected. These results provide evidence that testing counteracted proactive interference in part by making List 1 responses more accessible during List 2, thus promoting integration and increasing later recollection of change. These results have theoretical implications because they show that testing can counteract proactive interference by integrating or segregating competing information.

The Impact of Political Context on the Measurement of Postmaterial Values

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruce Tranter

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This research highlights the influence of political context upon the measurement of postmaterial value orientations. Drawing upon a variety of international survey data, Inglehart claims that since World War II a shift has occurred in advanced industrialized nations from material toward postmaterial values. However, cross-sectional data from Australian Election Study surveys collected over more than two decades indicate that atypically for an advanced democracy, Australian value orientations tend toward the materialist pole. Australian Election Study values estimates are also at odds with those from other national social surveys that portray Australia as a far more postmaterialist nation. Regression analysis demonstrates that after controlling for election issues, attitudes toward political leaders, political party identification, and social background, predicted values estimates are substantially more postmaterial than the raw estimates. The findings have international implications as they suggest that measuring values during or soon after election campaigns may affect the measurement of postmaterial value orientations.

Towards a narrative theological orientation in a global village from a postmodern urban South African perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johann-Albrecht Meylahn

2004-10-01

Full Text Available This article was motivated by two of the major challenges which I believe congregations are facing within� the context of ministry, namely postmodernity and globalization. After seeking a fuller description of these two challenges I sought� a theological orientation within such a context (postmodern global village as well as an ecclesiological� praxis that could be transformative and redemptive within such a context. I� believe to have found in the narrative orientation an appropriate way for doing theology in the postmodern context. The climax of this journey (story is in the fusion of horizons between the theory-laden questions of descriptive theology and� the historical texts of the Christian faith within the narrative orientation. I discovered that truly transformative and redemptive praxis is only possible within� language communities� narrative communities. These narrative communities cannot exist in isolation, but are continuously confronted and relativised by the stories of other communities in the global village and therefore these language communities need to be open to the fragmentation and pluralism of the global village, otherwise they will not be able to respond to the reality of the globalization and postmodernity. The narrative communities needed a story (sacred story that did not deny the reality� of fragmentation� and pluralism, but could incorporate this reality into its story. I found this story in the story of the cross and� therefore refer to the narrative communities as communities� of� and under the cross� of Christ. These ideas formed the basis for a transformative praxis within a specific congregation, namely Pastoral Redemptive Communities. These narrative communities are not an answer to the postmodern global village, but they do offer a way of proclaiming Christ crucified and allowing the deconstruction of the cross to create a community which is a redemptive alternative to the reality of

Nature gives us strength: exposure to nature counteracts ego-depletion.

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Jason T; Lau, Shun

2015-01-01

Previous research rarely investigated the role of physical environment in counteracting ego-depletion. In the present research, we hypothesized that exposure to natural environment counteracts ego-depletion. Three experiments were conducted to test this hypothesis. In Experiment 1, initially depleted participants who viewed pictures of nature scenes showed greater persistence on a subsequent anagram task than those who were given a rest period. Experiment 2 expanded upon this finding by showing that natural environment enhanced logical reasoning performance after ego-depleting task. Experiment 3 adopted a two- (depletion vs. no-depletion) -by-two (nature exposure vs. urban exposure) factorial design. We found that nature exposure moderated the effect of depletion on anagram task performance. Taken together, the present studies offer a viable and novel strategy to mitigate the negative impacts of ego-depletion.

Social dominance in context and in individuals: contextual moderation of robust effects of social dominance orientation in 15 languages and 20 countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pratto, F.; Cidam, A.; Stewart, E.L.; Bou Zeinedinne, F.; Aranda, M.; Aiello, M.; Chryssochoou, X.; Cichocka, A.; Cohrs, C.; Durrheim, K.; Eicher, V.; Foels, R.; Górska, P.; Lee, I-C; Licata, L.; Liu, L.; Liu, J.H.; Meyer, I.; Morselli, D.; Muldoon, O.; Muluk, H.; Petrovic, I.; Petrovic, N.; Prati, F.; Papastamou, S.; Prodromitis, G.; Rubini, M.; Saab, R.; van Stekelenburg, J.; Sweetman, J.; Zheng, W.; Henkel, K.

2013-01-01

We tested the internal reliability and predictive validity of a new 4-item Short Social Dominance Orientation (SSDO) scale among adults in 20 countries, using 15 languages (N = 2,130). Low scores indicate preferring group inclusion and equality to dominance. As expected, cross-nationally, the lower

Downsides of an overly context-sensitive self: implications from the culture and subjective well-being research.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Eunkook M

2007-12-01

The self becomes context sensitive in service of the need to belong. When it comes to achieving personal happiness, an identity system that derives its worth and meaning excessively from its social context puts itself in a significantly disadvantageous position. This article integrates empirical findings and ideas from the self, subjective well-being, and cross-cultural literature and tries to offer insights to why East Asian cultural members report surprisingly low levels of happiness. The various cognitive, motivational, behavioral, and affective characteristics of the overly relation-oriented self are discussed as potential explanations. Implications for the study of self and culture are offered.

COUNTERACTING AGE STEREOTYPES: A SELF-AWARENESS MANIPULATION

OpenAIRE

Chen, Yiwei; Pethtel, Olivia; Ma, Xiaodong

2010-01-01

The major goals of the present study were to (a) examine age differences in susceptibility to age stereotypes and (b) test a self-awareness manipulation in counteracting age stereotypes. Young and older adults read two sets of descriptors that only differed in the to-be-ignored age-related information. In the high self-awareness condition, participants saw themselves via a computer video camera. In the low self-awareness condition, they saw prerecorded images of a stranger. Overall, older adu...

Secure and Efficient Access Control Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks in the Cross-Domain Context of the IoT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Luo

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays wireless sensor network (WSN is increasingly being used in the Internet of Things (IoT for data collection, and design of an access control scheme that allows an Internet user as part of IoT to access the WSN becomes a hot topic. A lot of access control schemes have been proposed for the WSNs in the context of the IoT. Nevertheless, almost all of these schemes assume that communication nodes in different network domains share common system parameters, which is not suitable for cross-domain IoT environment in practical situations. To solve this shortcoming, we propose a more secure and efficient access control scheme for wireless sensor networks in the cross-domain context of the Internet of Things, which allows an Internet user in a certificateless cryptography (CLC environment to communicate with a sensor node in an identity-based cryptography (IBC environment with different system parameters. Moreover, our proposed scheme achieves known session-specific temporary information security (KSSTIS that most of access control schemes cannot satisfy. Performance analysis is given to show that our scheme is well suited for wireless sensor networks in the cross-domain context of the IoT.

HipMatch: an object-oriented cross-platform program for accurate determination of cup orientation using 2D-3D registration of single standard X-ray radiograph and a CT volume.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Guoyan; Zhang, Xuan; Steppacher, Simon D; Murphy, Stephen B; Siebenrock, Klaus A; Tannast, Moritz

2009-09-01

The widely used procedure of evaluation of cup orientation following total hip arthroplasty using single standard anteroposterior (AP) radiograph is known inaccurate, largely due to the wide variability in individual pelvic orientation relative to X-ray plate. 2D-3D image registration methods have been introduced for an accurate determination of the post-operative cup alignment with respect to an anatomical reference extracted from the CT data. Although encouraging results have been reported, their extensive usage in clinical routine is still limited. This may be explained by their requirement of a CAD model of the prosthesis, which is often difficult to be organized from the manufacturer due to the proprietary issue, and by their requirement of either multiple radiographs or a radiograph-specific calibration, both of which are not available for most retrospective studies. To address these issues, we developed and validated an object-oriented cross-platform program called "HipMatch" where a hybrid 2D-3D registration scheme combining an iterative landmark-to-ray registration with a 2D-3D intensity-based registration was implemented to estimate a rigid transformation between a pre-operative CT volume and the post-operative X-ray radiograph for a precise estimation of cup alignment. No CAD model of the prosthesis is required. Quantitative and qualitative results evaluated on cadaveric and clinical datasets are given, which indicate the robustness and the accuracy of the program. HipMatch is written in object-oriented programming language C++ using cross-platform software Qt (TrollTech, Oslo, Norway), VTK, and Coin3D and is transportable to any platform.

An Interactive Learning Environment for Teaching the Imperative and Object-Oriented Programming Techniques in Various Learning Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Xinogalos, Stelios

The acquisition of problem-solving and programming skills in the era of knowledge society seems to be particularly important. Due to the intrinsic difficulty of acquiring such skills various educational tools have been developed. Unfortunately, most of these tools are not utilized. In this paper we present the programming microworlds Karel and objectKarel that support the procedural-imperative and Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) techniques and can be used for supporting the teaching and learning of programming in various learning contexts and audiences. The paper focuses on presenting the pedagogical features that are common to both environments and mainly on presenting the potential uses of these environments.

The Management of the Citizen Oriented Applications

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Ion IVAN

2010-04-01

Full Text Available The context of the knowledge based society is presented. The new user requirements in the context of the new society are analyzed. Basic concepts regarding the citizen oriented applications are presented. Issues specific to the citizen oriented applications are presented. The development cycle of the citizen oriented applications is analyzed. The particular elements for developing citizen oriented applications are described. The quality concept for the citizen oriented applications is defined. Quality characteristics and the costs of quality are defined and analyzed. A system of indicators for the quantification of the quality of the citizen oriented applications is developed. Ways of increasing the quality of the applications are analyzed. Issues as improving the users’ training level, implementing new development techniques, advanced testing techniques and the requirement of audit are approached. The concept of optimization is defined. Optimum criteria are defined and analyzed. Ways of optimizing applications are described. Security requirements are enumerated and described. The particularities of the security requirements for the citizen oriented applications are analyzed. Measures for ensuring the security of the citizen oriented applications are described. A citizen oriented application for the analysis of the structured entities is developed. The application collects data regarding the behavior of the users. The collected data are used for verifying the hypotheses regarding the quality characteristics if the citizen oriented informatics applications.

A Brief Analysis on Cross-cultural Communication Strategy of Chinese Films under the Context of Globalization

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Cao Zhiyong

2016-03-01

Full Text Available With the development of globalization waves, the cross-cultural communication becomes more and more common nowadays. Chinese films, as a kind of mass media and the carrier of ideology, must meet the challenge in the world with active attitudes and take part in cross-cultural communication worldwide extensively. The context of globalization is not only a challenge but also an opportunity for Chinese films and if Chinese films want to be successful in the process of cross-cultural communication, it must find out a conjoint point between globalization and location to implement dual-coding of them. With the objective of consensus but different for the cultural demands of cross-cultural communication, the communicational strategies in culture，subject，art and operation must extensively use for reference and boldly create to renew the situation of Chinese films．

Change Management in Indo-Japanese Cross-Cultural Collaborative Contexts: Parallels between Traditional Indian Philosophy and Contemporary Japanese Management

OpenAIRE

Ashok Ashta; Stokes, Peter; Hughes, Paul

2017-01-01

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link. Abstract Purpose: Within the globalised commercial context, Japanese business activity in India has increased significantly. The purpose of this research paper is to highlight common attitudinal traits that would facilitate orientation of Indian executives towards Japanese management methods through, for instance, ‘reverse adaptation’ using ...

Topical legal aspects of corruption counteraction in public procurement

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Aleksandr Igorevich Zemlin

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Objective to analyze the current developments in the Russian legislation on corruption counteraction and the legislation on public procurement system on this basis to study legal conflicts and gaps and to develop proposals under the provisions of the National AntiCorruption Plan for 2014ndash2015. Methods historical formallegal logical and systemicfunctional structural and contextual approach to the study of law and theoretical propositions concerning the definition nature and characteristics of legal relations arising in the process of and relating to the corruption counteraction in the public procurement system. Results аn aggregate of theoretical conclusions and proposals aimed at perfection of anticorruption legislation and legislation on the contractual public procurement system is presented. Scientific novelty the results of the author39s interpretation of changes in the Russian anticorruption legislation and legislation on the contractual public procurement system existing legal conflicts and gaps. Practical significance developing proposals for improving the standards of anticorruption legislation and legislation on public procurement system under the provisions of the National AntiCorruption Plan for 2014ndash2015. nbsp

Double ionization of the hydrogen sulfide molecule by electron impact: Influence of the target orientation on multiple differential cross sections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Imadouchene, N. [Laboratoire de Mécanique, Structures et Energétique Université Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-Ouzou, B.P. 17, Tizi-Ouzou 15000 (Algeria); Aouchiche, H., E-mail: h_aouchiche@yahoo.fr [Laboratoire de Mécanique, Structures et Energétique Université Mouloud Mammeri de Tizi-Ouzou, B.P. 17, Tizi-Ouzou 15000 (Algeria); Champion, C. [Centre d’Etudes Nucléaires de Bordeaux Gradignan, Université Bordeaux, CNRS/IN2P3, Boîte Postale 120, Gradignan 33175 (France)

2016-07-15

Highlights: • The double ionization of the H{sub 2}S molecule is here theoretically studied. • The orientation dependence of the differential cross sections is scrutinized. • The specific double ionizing mechanisms are clearly identified. - Abstract: Multiple differential cross sections of double ionization of hydrogen sulfide molecule impacted by electrons are here investigated within the first Born approximation. In the initial state, the incident electron is represented by a plane wave function whereas the target is described by means of a single-center molecular wave function. In the final state, the two ejected electrons are described by Coulomb wave functions coupled by the Gamow factor, whereas the scattered electron is described by a plane wave. In this work, we analyze the role played by the molecular target orientation in the double ionization of the four outermost orbitals, namely 2b{sub 1}, 5a{sub 1}, 2b{sub 2} and 4a{sub 1} in considering the particular case of two electrons ejected from the same orbital. The contribution of each final state to the double ionization process is studied in terms of shape and magnitude for specific molecular orientations and for each molecular orbital we identified the mechanisms involved in the double ionization process, namely, the Shake-Off and the Two-Step 1.

Knowledge Graphs as Context Models: Improving the Detection of Cross-Language Plagiarism with Paraphrasing

OpenAIRE

Franco-Salvador, Marc; Gupta, Parth; Rosso, Paolo

2013-01-01

Cross-language plagiarism detection attempts to identify and extract automatically plagiarism among documents in different languages. Plagiarized fragments can be translated verbatim copies or may alter their structure to hide the copying, which is known as paraphrasing and is more difficult to detect. In order to improve the paraphrasing detection, we use a knowledge graph-based approach to obtain and compare context models of document fragments in different languages. Experimental results i...

Vocabulary of Emotions Test (VET: A Cross-cultural Validation in Portuguese and Croatian Contexts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Costa

2011-12-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the adaptation and cross-cultural validation of the Vocabulary of Emotions Test (VET in the Portuguese and Croatian contexts, an Emotional Intelligence ability measure with 35 items, which assesses individual's ability to understand emotion. Based on Mayer and Salovey's (1997 theoretical framework of emotional intelligence, VET was originally developed in Croatian academic settings by Takšić, Harambašić and Velemir (2003. This study involved 1119 secondary school students, 682 Portuguese and 437 Croatian, attending different grades and courses. Overall, in both Croatian (original version and Portuguese (adapted version contexts, VET evidenced good psychometric properties particularly concerning sensibility, difficulty item analysis and reliability, although slightly better indicators were found in the Croatian original version. Moreover, cultural and gender differences were found, benefiting Portuguese students and girls.

Synthesised model of market orientation-business performance relationship

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Nwokah

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of market orientation on the performance of the organisation. While much empirical works have centered on market orientation, the generalisability of its impact on performance of the Food and Beverages organisations in the Nigeria context has been under-researched. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study adopted a triangulation methodology (quantitative and qualitative approach. Data was collected from key informants using a research instrument. Returned instruments were analyzed using nonparametric correlation through the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 10. Findings: The study validated the earlier instruments but did not find any strong association between market orientation and business performance in the Nigerian context using the food and beverages organisations for the study. The reasons underlying the weak relationship between market orientation and business performance of the Food and Beverages organisations is government policies, new product development, diversification, innovation and devaluation of the Nigerian currency. One important finding of this study is that market orientation leads to business performance through some moderating variables. Implications: The study recommends that Nigerian Government should ensure a stable economy and make economic policies that will enhance existing business development in the country. Also, organisations should have performance measurement systems to detect the impact of investment on market orientation with the aim of knowing how the organisation works. Originality/Value: This study significantly refines the body of knowledge concerning the impact of market orientation on the performance of the organisation, and thereby offers a model of market orientation and business performance in the Nigerian context for marketing scholars and practitioners. This model will, no doubt, contribute to the body of

Counteracting chemical chaperone effects on the single-molecule α-synuclein structural landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreon, Allan Chris M; Moosa, Mahdi Muhammad; Gambin, Yann; Deniz, Ashok A

2012-10-30

Protein structure and function depend on a close interplay between intrinsic folding energy landscapes and the chemistry of the protein environment. Osmolytes are small-molecule compounds that can act as chemical chaperones by altering the environment in a cellular context. Despite their importance, detailed studies on the role of these chemical chaperones in modulating structure and dimensions of intrinsically disordered proteins have been limited. Here, we used single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer to test the counteraction hypothesis of counterbalancing effects between the protecting osmolyte trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) and denaturing osmolyte urea for the case of α-synuclein, a Parkinson's disease-linked protein whose monomer exhibits significant disorder. The single-molecule experiments, which avoid complications from protein aggregation, do not exhibit clear solvent-induced cooperative protein transitions for these osmolytes, unlike results from previous studies on globular proteins. Our data demonstrate the ability of TMAO and urea to shift α-synuclein structures towards either more compact or expanded average dimensions. Strikingly, the experiments directly reveal that a 21 [urea][TMAO] ratio has a net neutral effect on the protein's dimensions, a result that holds regardless of the absolute osmolyte concentrations. Our findings shed light on a surprisingly simple aspect of the interplay between urea and TMAO on α-synuclein in the context of intrinsically disordered proteins, with potential implications for the biological roles of such chemical chaperones. The results also highlight the strengths of single-molecule experiments in directly probing the chemical physics of protein structure and disorder in more chemically complex environments.

Counteracting chemical chaperone effects on the single-molecule α-synuclein structural landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreon, Allan Chris M.; Moosa, Mahdi Muhammad; Deniz, Ashok A.

2012-01-01

Protein structure and function depend on a close interplay between intrinsic folding energy landscapes and the chemistry of the protein environment. Osmolytes are small-molecule compounds that can act as chemical chaperones by altering the environment in a cellular context. Despite their importance, detailed studies on the role of these chemical chaperones in modulating structure and dimensions of intrinsically disordered proteins have been limited. Here, we used single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer to test the counteraction hypothesis of counterbalancing effects between the protecting osmolyte trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) and denaturing osmolyte urea for the case of α-synuclein, a Parkinson’s disease-linked protein whose monomer exhibits significant disorder. The single-molecule experiments, which avoid complications from protein aggregation, do not exhibit clear solvent-induced cooperative protein transitions for these osmolytes, unlike results from previous studies on globular proteins. Our data demonstrate the ability of TMAO and urea to shift α-synuclein structures towards either more compact or expanded average dimensions. Strikingly, the experiments directly reveal that a 2∶1 [urea]∶[TMAO] ratio has a net neutral effect on the protein’s dimensions, a result that holds regardless of the absolute osmolyte concentrations. Our findings shed light on a surprisingly simple aspect of the interplay between urea and TMAO on α-synuclein in the context of intrinsically disordered proteins, with potential implications for the biological roles of such chemical chaperones. The results also highlight the strengths of single-molecule experiments in directly probing the chemical physics of protein structure and disorder in more chemically complex environments. PMID:22826265

Establishing a recovery orientation in mental health services: Evaluating the Recovery Self-Assessment (RSA) in a Swedish context.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, David; Svedberg, Petra; Schön, Ulla-Karin

2015-12-01

Although there has been an emphasis on developing knowledge regarding recovery in Sweden, it is unclear to what extent this has been translated into a recovery orientation in the provision of mental health services. Instruments, which present the components of recovery as measurable dimensions of change, may provide a framework for program development. Involving users is an essential factor in the utilization of such tools. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Recovery Self-Assessment (RSA) measure and its potential for being utilized in a Swedish context. The sample consisted of 78 participants from 6 community mental health services targeting people with serious mental illnesses in a municipality in Sweden. They completed the RSA at the study baseline and two weeks later. User panels participated in the translation and administration of the RSA and the reporting of results. The Swedish version of the RSA had good face and content validity, satisfactory internal consistency, and a moderate to good level of stability in test-retest reliability. The user panels contributed to establishing validity and as collaborators in the study. Establishing the RSA as a valid and reliable instrument with which to focus on the recovery orientation of services is a first step in beginning to study the types of interventions that may effect and contribute to recovery oriented practice in Sweden. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Market Orientation Practices and Effects on Organizational Performance

OpenAIRE

Haim Hilman; Narentheren Kaliappen

2014-01-01

Today’s organizations need market orientation practices to strive and generate superior performance and competitive advantage in the modern turbulent marketplace. Thus, this research inspects the respective links between the dimensions of (a) competitor orientation and (b) customer orientation and performance in the context of hotels in Malaysia. Data were gathered through self-administrated mail questionnaires directe...

Fission cross section and fission fragment angular distribution for oriented nucleus fission by intermediate energy neutrons (epsilon < or approximately 1 Mev)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barabanov, A.L.; Grechukhin, D.P.

1985-01-01

General analysis is conducted, and formulae for fission cross section and angular distribution of fission fragments of oriented nuclei by fast neutrons are presented. Geometrical coefficients making up the formulae permitting to carry out calculations for target nuclei with spins I=3/2, 5/2, 7/2 at interaction energies epsilon < or approximately 1 MeV are tabulated. Results of demonstrative calculation of fission fragment angular distribution of oriented sup(235)U nuclei by 0.1 <= epsilon <= 1.0 MeV neutrons reveal that angular distribution weakly depends on the set of permeability factors of neutron waves applied in the calculations

Why competitors matter for market orientation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Hans Eibe

2009-01-01

  Purpose - This paper investigates whether it is meaningful to decompose market orientation into customer orientation and competitor orientation and what possible implications this decomposition may have for researchers and business practitioners.   Design - Through a review of existing market...... orientation research, two of its salient dimensions, customer orientation and competitor orientation, are theoretically investigated. Then, two symmetric component measures are developed and tested on 308 manufacturing firms in a cross-sectional questionnaire survey, supplemented with census data.   Findings...... - Empirical evidence reveals that, while competitor orientation is positively related to a firm's market share, a customer orientation is detrimental to a firm's return on assets for firms in less competitive environments.   Research implications and limitations - The study advocates moving beyond ‘global...

The Semantic Environment: Heuristics for a Cross-Context Human-Information Interaction Model

Science.gov (United States)

Resmini, Andrea; Rosati, Luca

This chapter introduces a multidisciplinary holistic approach for the general design of successful bridge experiences as a cross-context human-information interaction model. Nowadays it is common to interact through a number of different domains in order to communicate successfully, complete a task, or elicit a desired response: Users visit a reseller’s web site to find a specific item, book it, then drive to the closest store to complete their purchase. As such, one of the crucial challenges user experience design will face in the near future is how to structure and provide bridge experiences seamlessly spanning multiple communication channels or media formats for a specific purpose.

K-5 mentor teachers' journeys toward reform-oriented science within a professional development school context

Science.gov (United States)

Manno, Jacqueline L.

Reform-oriented science teaching with a specific focus on evidence and explanation provides a student-centered learning environment which encourages children to question, seek answers to those questions, experience phenomena, share ideas, and develop explanations of science concepts based on evidence. One of the ways schools have risen to meet the challenge of ever-increasing demands for success in science and all other curricular areas has been in the development of professional development schools (PDSs). Dedicated to the simultaneous renewal of schools and teacher education programs, the structure of a PDS plays a significant role in the change process. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the nature of change in mentor teachers' beliefs and pedagogical practices toward science teaching in the elementary school as conveyed through their own "stories of practice". The major research questions that guided the study were: (1) How do mentor teachers describe their science teaching practices and how have they changed as a result of participation in PDS? (a) In what ways do PDS mentor teachers' descriptions of practice reflect contemporary reform ideas and practices in science education? (b) To what extent do their stories emphasize technical aspects of teaching versus epistemological changes in their thinking and knowledge? (c) How is student learning in science reflected in teachers' stories of practice? (2) What is the relationship between the levels and types of involvement in PDS to change in thinking about and practices of teaching science? (3) What is the depth of commitment that mentors convey about changes in science teaching practices? Using case study design, the research explored the ways experienced teachers, working within the context of a PDS community, described changes in the ways they think about and teach science. The connection to the issue of change in teaching practices grew out of interest in understanding the relationship

Designing Cross-Cultural Orientation Programs for Business.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogden, John D.

A 1-day orientation workshop for business clients from other cultures is described. Factors in program design that relate to the specific cultural group addressed are discussed, and include such considerations as culture-specific versus culture-general content, professional focus, and the learning style to which the participants are accustomed.…

Cultural Context and Translation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

张敏

2009-01-01

cultural context plays an important role in translation. Because translation is a cross-culture activity, the culture context that influ-ences translating is consisted of both the culture contexts of source language and target language. This article firstly analyzes the concept of context and cultural context, then according to the procedure of translating classifies cultural context into two stages and talks about how they respectively influence translating.

Early 20th Century Education in the United States: The Role of the Brothers of Holy Cross

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, Philip C.

2007-01-01

The French Revolution bears an ironic responsibility for generating works of charity. To counteract the devastating social effects of that late 18th century uprising, numerous religious communities were founded in France, among them the Congregation of Holy Cross. The Congregation of Holy Cross, the founding religious community behind the…

Sustainability and Counteracting Factors to Profit Rate Decline

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ougaard, Morten

2014-01-01

This paper discusses sustainability implications of barriers to growth as specified in the theory of the long-term falling rate of profit but focusing on the counteracting factors (CFs) specified by Marx. These depend much on political processes and are important in state theory for understanding...... policies of national and international institutions. Fourteen partly overlapping factors are identified and grouped in five categories: increased pressure on labor, geographical expansion, resource efficiency, technological progress, and destruction or devaluation of capital. It is suggested...

Conceptualizing psychological processes in response to globalization: Components, antecedents, and consequences of global orientations.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Sylvia Xiaohua; Lam, Ben C P; Hui, Bryant P H; Ng, Jacky C K; Mak, Winnie W S; Guan, Yanjun; Buchtel, Emma E; Tang, Willie C S; Lau, Victor C Y

2016-02-01

The influences of globalization have permeated various aspects of life in contemporary society, from technical innovations, economic development, and lifestyles, to communication patterns. The present research proposed a construct termed global orientation to denote individual differences in the psychological processes of acculturating to the globalizing world. It encompasses multicultural acquisition as a proactive response and ethnic protection as a defensive response to globalization. Ten studies examined the applicability of global orientations among majority and minority groups, including immigrants and sojourners, in multicultural and relatively monocultural contexts, and across Eastern and Western cultures. Multicultural acquisition is positively correlated with both independent and interdependent self-construals, bilingual proficiency and usage, and dual cultural identifications. Multicultural acquisition is promotion-focused, while ethnic protection is prevention-focused and related to acculturative stress. Global orientations affect individuating and modest behavior over and above multicultural ideology, predict overlap with outgroups over and above political orientation, and predict psychological adaptation, sociocultural competence, tolerance, and attitudes toward ethnocultural groups over and above acculturation expectations/strategies. Global orientations also predict English and Chinese oral presentation performance in multilevel analyses and the frequency and pleasantness of intercultural contact in cross-lagged panel models. We discuss how the psychological study of global orientations contributes to theory and research on acculturation, cultural identity, and intergroup relations. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Towards an organisation-wide process-oriented organisation of care: A literature review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Groenewegen Peter P

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Many hospitals have taken actions to make care delivery for specific patient groups more process-oriented, but struggle with the question how to deal with process orientation at hospital level. The aim of this study is to report and discuss the experiences of hospitals with implementing process-oriented organisation designs in order to derive lessons for future transitions and research. Methods A literature review of English language articles on organisation-wide process-oriented redesigns, published between January 1998 and May 2009, was performed. Results Of 329 abstracts identified, 10 articles were included in the study. These articles described process-oriented redesigns of five hospitals. Four hospitals tried to become process-oriented by the implementation of coordination measures, and one by organisational restructuring. The adoption of the coordination mechanism approach was particularly constrained by the functional structure of hospitals. Other factors that hampered the redesigns in general were the limited applicability of and unfamiliarity with process improvement techniques. Conclusions Due to the limitations of the evidence, it is not known which approach, implementation of coordination measures or organisational restructuring (with additional coordination measures, produces the best results in which situation. Therefore, more research is needed. For this research, the use of qualitative methods in addition to quantitative measures is recommended to contribute to a better understanding of preconditions and contingencies for an effective application of approaches to become process-oriented. Hospitals are advised to take the factors for failure described into account and to take suitable actions to counteract these obstacles on their way to become process-oriented organisations.

Neurosteroid 3α-androstanediol efficiently counteracts paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy and painful symptoms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurence Meyer

Full Text Available Painful peripheral neuropathy belongs to major side-effects limiting cancer chemotherapy. Paclitaxel, widely used to treat several cancers, induces neurological symptoms including burning pain, allodynia, hyperalgesia and numbness. Therefore, identification of drugs that may effectively counteract paclitaxel-induced neuropathic symptoms is crucial. Here, we combined histopathological, neurochemical, behavioral and electrophysiological methods to investigate the natural neurosteroid 3α-androstanediol (3α-DIOL ability to counteract paclitaxel-evoked peripheral nerve tissue damages and neurological symptoms. Prophylactic or corrective 3α-DIOL treatment (4 mg/kg/2 days prevented or suppressed PAC-evoked heat-thermal hyperalgesia, cold-allodynia and mechanical allodynia/hyperalgesia, by reversing to normal, decreased thermal and mechanical pain thresholds of PAC-treated rats. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated that 3α-DIOL restored control values of nerve conduction velocity and action potential peak amplitude significantly altered by PAC-treatment. 3α-DIOL also repaired PAC-induced nerve damages by restoring normal neurofilament-200 level in peripheral axons and control amount of 2',3'-cyclic-nucleotide-3'-phosphodiesterase in myelin sheaths. Decreased density of intraepidermal nerve fibers evoked by PAC-therapy was also counteracted by 3α-DIOL treatment. More importantly, 3α-DIOL beneficial effects were not sedation-dependent but resulted from its neuroprotective ability, nerve tissue repairing capacity and long-term analgesic action. Altogether, our results showing that 3α-DIOL efficiently counteracted PAC-evoked painful symptoms, also offer interesting possibilities to develop neurosteroid-based strategies against chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. This article shows that the prophylactic or corrective treatment with 3α-androstanediol prevents or suppresses PAC-evoked painful symptoms and peripheral nerve dysfunctions in

In discourse: Bourdieu's theory of practice and habitus in the context of a communication-oriented nursing interaction model.

Science.gov (United States)

Sieger, Margot; Fritz, Elfriede; Them, Christa

2012-02-01

This paper presents a discussion on the potential of the theories of practice and habitus as espoused by the sociologist Bourdieu. The interaction between nurses and patients is a constitutive element in the nursing process and a central aspect in the theories developed by Paterson and Zderad, and Orlando. Bourdieu's theory of habitus and practices assists in understanding and explaining differentiated results concerning nurse-patient interaction. In a study on interactions with paraplegic patients, distinguished levels of interactions, which show considerable diversity among one another, could be identified. The data were collected over a period of 20 months in 2004-2006. The results present the central topics of interaction and show that understanding-oriented interaction is rare. Communicative acting in nursing always takes place in a social context. In the interaction with patients, nurses assign a higher distinctive value to the standardized concepts of care facilities than to the actually perceived need of care. An understanding-oriented interaction assumes that the nurses with their own contributions, themes and authorities, prove themselves in the eyes of the patient. It is expected from nurses that they habitualize their own concepts so that they can be represented in a convincing manner. If an understanding-oriented interaction is to extend into the practice of nursing, it is of crucial importance that both interaction partners assure each other how and with what capital their interaction is to be realized. Nurses need professional habitus to become agents in the social field of health. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Consumers' health-related motive orientations and ready meal consumption behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Geeroms, Nele; Verbeke, Wim; Van Kenhove, Patrick

2008-11-01

Based on a multidimensional perspective on the meaning of health, this study explores associations between consumers' health-related motive orientations (HRMO) and ready meal consumption behaviour. Cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 1934 Flemish consumers through an on-line survey. The respondents rated 45 health statements referring to people's motives for pursuing health. The survey also assessed information on several aspects of ready meal consumption, i.e. consumption frequency, beliefs and attitudes toward ready meals and ready meal buying criteria. Based on a two-step cluster analysis, we identified five distinct subgroups in the sample, according to their HRMO: health is about energy (Energetic Experimenters), emotional well-being/enjoying life (Harmonious Enjoyers), social responsibility/physical well-being (Normative Carers), achievement/outward appearance (Conscious Experts) and autonomy (Rationalists). Ready meal consumption patterns differed between these segments, with Energetic Experimenters and Conscious Experts showing significantly more positive attitudes, stronger beliefs and both higher penetration and consumption frequency related to ready meals, compared to Harmonious Enjoyers, Normative Carers and Rationalists. These findings may relate to the individualistic versus altruistic health orientation perspective of the identified segments, and are valuable in the context of improving consumer-oriented product development, positioning and marketing of ready meals.

The orientation distribution of tunneling-related quantities

Science.gov (United States)

Seif, W. M.; Refaie, A. I.; Botros, M. M.

2018-03-01

In the nuclear tunneling processes involving deformed nuclei, most of the tunneling-related quantities depend on the relative orientations of the participating nuclei. In the presence of different multipole deformations, we study the variation of a few relevant quantities for the α-decay and the sub-barrier fusion processes, in an orientation degree of freedom. The knocking frequency and the penetration probability are evaluated within the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin approximation. The interaction potential is calculated with Skyrme-type nucleon-nucleon interaction. We found that the width of the potential pocket, the Coulomb barrier radius, the penetration probability, the α-decay width, and the fusion cross-section follow consistently the orientation-angle variation of the radius of the deformed nucleus. The orientation distribution patterns of the pocket width, the barrier radius, the logarithms of the penetrability, the decay width, and the fusion cross-section are found to be highly analogous to pattern of the deformed-nucleus radius. The curve patterns of the orientation angle distributions of the internal pocket depth, the Coulomb barrier height and width, as well as the knocking frequency simulate inversely the variation of the deformed nucleus radius. The predicted orientation behaviors will be of a special interest in predicting the optimum orientations for the tunneling processes.

Context-dependent effect of mood: the regulatory role of personality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zajusz-Gawędzka Dominika

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This study explored the influence of the context-dependent effect of mood as well as individual differences in neuroticism and action vs. state/volatility orientation on predecisional processing in a multiattribute choice task. One hundred and twenty participants acquired information about choice options after filling out personality questionnaires. Results showed that participants in a positive mood processed the information longer in enjoy than in done-enough context. In turn, participants in a negative mood processed the information more selectively in enjoy than in done-enough context. It also appeared that this effect is reinforced for participants with low neuroticism and volatility orientation, while it is weakened for those with low neuroticism and action orientation. Results were interpreted in accordance with the differential-processual approach.

Neural signal for counteracting pre-action bias in the centromedian thalamic nucleus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takafumi eMinamimoto

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Most of our daily actions are selected and executed involuntarily under familiar situations by the guidance of internal drives, such as motivation. The behavioral tendency or biasing towards one over others reflects the action-selection process in advance of action execution (i.e., pre-action bias. Facing unexpected situations, however, pre-action bias should be withdrawn and replaced by an alternative that is suitable for the situation (i.e., counteracting bias. To understand the neural mechanism for the counteracting process, we studied the neural activity of the thalamic centromedian (CM nucleus in monkeys performing GO-NOGO task with asymmetrical or symmetrical reward conditions. The monkeys reacted to GO signal faster in large-reward condition, indicating behavioral bias toward large reward. In contrast, they responded slowly in small-reward condition, suggesting a conflict between internal drive and external demand. We found that neurons in the CM nucleus exhibited phasic burst discharges after GO and NOGO instructions especially when they were associated with small reward. The small-reward preference was positively correlated with the strength of behavioral bias toward large reward. The small-reward preference disappeared when only NOGO action was requested. The timing of activation predicted the timing of action opposed to bias. These results suggest that CM signals the discrepancy between internal pre-action bias and external demand, and mediates the counteracting process — resetting behavioral bias and leading to execution of opposing action.

Using Emotion as Information in Future-Oriented Cognition: Individual Differences in the Context of State Negative Affect

Science.gov (United States)

Marroquín, Brett; Boyle, Chloe C.; Nolen-Hoeksema, Susan; Stanton, Annette L.

2016-01-01

Predictions about the future are susceptible to mood-congruent influences of emotional state. However, recent work suggests individuals also differ in the degree to which they incorporate emotion into cognition. This study examined the role of such individual differences in the context of state negative emotion. We examined whether trait tendencies to use negative or positive emotion as information affect individuals' predictions of what will happen in the future (likelihood estimation) and how events will feel (affective forecasting), and whether trait influences depend on emotional state. Participants (N=119) reported on tendencies to use emotion as information (“following feelings”), underwent an emotion induction (negative versus neutral), and made likelihood estimates and affective forecasts for future events. Views of the future were predicted by both emotional state and individual differences in following feelings. Whereas following negative feelings affected most future-oriented cognition across emotional states, following positive feelings specifically buffered individuals' views of the future in the negative emotion condition, and specifically for positive future events, a category of future-event prediction especially important in psychological health. Individual differences may confer predisposition toward optimistic or pessimistic expectations of the future in the context of acute negative emotion, with implications for adaptive and maladaptive functioning. PMID:27041783

Counteracting the Influence of Peer Smoking on YouTube

OpenAIRE

Romer, Daniel; Jamieson, Patrick E.; Jamieson, Kathleen Hall; Jones, Christopher; Sherr, Susan

2017-01-01

YouTube, a popular online site for user-generated content, is emerging as a powerful source of peer modeling of smoking. Previous research suggests that in counteracting such influence, health messages may inadvertently increase the perceived prevalence of drug use (a descriptive norm) without reducing its acceptability (injunctive norm). This research tested the ability of health messages to reduce the social acceptability of peer smoking on YouTube despite enhancing its perceived prevalence...

Disclosure of sexual orientation to health professionals in China: results from an online cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Weiming; Mao, Jessica; Tang, Songyuan; Liu, Chuncheng; Mollan, Katie; Cao, Bolin; Wong, Terrence; Zhang, Ye; Hudgens, Michael; Qin, Yilu; Han, Larry; Ma, Baoli; Yang, Bin; Ma, Wei; Wei, Chongyi; Tucker, Joseph D

2017-02-06

Many men who have sex with men (MSM) in China are "in the closet." The low rate of disclosure may impact sexual behaviours, testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and diseases transmission. This study examines factors associated with overall sexual orientation disclosure and disclosure to healthcare professionals. A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted from September 2014 to October 2014 in China. Participants completed questions covering socio-demographic information, sexual behaviours, HIV/STI testing history, and self-reported HIV status. We defined healthcare professional disclosure as disclosing to a doctor or other medical provider. A total of 1819 men started the survey and 1424 (78.3%) completed it. Among the 1424 participants, 62.2% (886/1424) reported overall disclosure, and 16.3% (232/1424) disclosed to healthcare professionals. In multivariate analyses, the odds of sexual orientation disclosure were 56% higher among MSM who used smartphone-based, sex-seeking applications [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.25-2.95], but were lower among MSM reporting sex while drunk or recreational drug use. The odds of disclosure to a healthcare professional were greater among MSM who had ever tested for HIV or STIs (aOR = 3.36, 95% CI: 2.50-4.51 for HIV, and aOR = 4.92, 95% CI: 3.47-6.96 for STIs, respectively) or self-reported as living with HIV (aOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 0.93-2.72). Over 80% of MSM had not disclosed their sexual orientation to health professionals. This low level of disclosure likely represents a major obstacle to serving the unique needs of MSM in clinical settings. Further research and interventions to facilitate MSM sexual orientation disclosure, especially to health professionals, are urgently needed.

The influence of chromatic context on binocular color rivalry: Perception and neural representation

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Sang Wook; Shevell, Steven K.

2008-01-01

The predominance of rivalrous targets is affected by surrounding context when stimuli rival in orientation, motion or color. This study investigated the influence of chromatic context on binocular color rivalry. The predominance of rivalrous chromatic targets was measured in various surrounding contexts. The first experiment showed that a chromatic surround's influence was stronger when the surround was uniform or a grating with luminance contrast (chromatic/black grating) compared to an equiluminant grating (chromatic/white). The second experiment revealed virtually no effect of the orientation of the surrounding chromatic context, using chromatically rivalrous vertical gratings. These results are consistent with a chromatic representation of the context by a non-oriented, chromatically selective and spatially antagonistic receptive field. Neither a double-opponent receptive field nor a receptive field without spatial antagonism accounts for the influence of context on binocular color rivalry. PMID:18331750

Counteracting loneliness: on the restorative function of nostalgia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xinyue; Sedikides, Constantine; Wildschut, Tim; Gao, Ding-Guo

2008-10-01

Four studies tested whether nostalgia can counteract reductions in perceived social support caused by loneliness. Loneliness reduced perceptions of social support but increased nostalgia. Nostalgia, in turn, increased perceptions of social support. Thus, loneliness affected perceived social support in two distinct ways. Whereas the direct effect of loneliness was to reduce perceived social support, the indirect effect of loneliness was to increase perceived social support via nostalgia. This restorative function of nostalgia was particularly apparent among resilient persons. Nostalgia is a psychological resource that protects and fosters mental health.

Energy-averaged neutron cross sections of fast-reactor structural materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, A.; McKnight, R.; Smith, D.

1978-02-01

The status of energy-averaged cross sections of fast-reactor structural materials is outlined with emphasis on U.S. data programs in the neutron-energy range 1-10 MeV. Areas of outstanding accomplishment and significant uncertainty are noted with recommendations for future efforts. Attention is primarily given to the main constituents of stainless steel (e.g., Fe, Ni, and Cr) and, secondarily, to alternate structural materials (e.g., V, Ti, Nb, Mo, Zr). Generally, the mass regions of interest are A approximately 50 to 60 and A approximately 90 to 100. Neutron total and elastic-scattering cross sections are discussed with the implication on the non-elastic-cross sections. Cross sections governing discrete-inelastic-neutron-energy transfers are examined in detail. Cross sections for the reactions (n;p), (n;n',p), (n;α), (n;n',α) and (n;2n') are reviewed in the context of fast-reactor performance and/or diagnostics. The primary orientation of the discussion is experimental with some additional attention to the applications of theory, the problems of evaluation and the data sensitivity of representative fast-reactor systems

Cross-media communication in context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorhauge, Anne Mette; Lomborg, Stine

2016-01-01

In this article, we suggest and discuss a qualitative, multi-methods approach to data collected on smartphones as a way of uncovering a user-centred perspective on cross-media communication. As an individualised multimedia device, the smartphone represents a relevant starting point for studying......-media communication....

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2 for the Brazilian context

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Viviane Vedovato Silva-Rocha

Full Text Available Abstract Objective To present the process of cross-cultural adaptation of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2 for the Brazilian context. Method The following stages were used: translation into Brazilian Portuguese by independent translators, elaboration of a synthesis version, back-translation, evaluation by experts and pretest with target population. Results All the stages of cross-cultural adaptation were completed, and in the majority of items evaluated, good concordance between experts was obtained (≥ 80%. Suggested adjustments were compiled into the consensus version by the two authors, with the resulting material being considered adequate in the pretest (and thus no further changes were needed. Termed as “Escala de Ansiedade Esportiva-2,” the final version was considered by the main author of the original scale as an official version in Brazilian Portuguese. Conclusions In view of the fulfilment of all steps suggested for the cross-cultural adaptation process, the SAS-2 is now available in Brazilian Portuguese to be tested for its psychometric qualities.

'Healthy children in sound communities' (HCSC/gkgk)--a Dutch-German community-based network project to counteract obesity and physical inactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Naul, Roland; Schmelt, Dorothee; Dreiskaemper, Dennis; Hoffmann, Dirk; l'Hoir, Monique

2012-04-01

In 12 municipalities at the German-Dutch border an integrated approach of a multi-component intervention programme (physical activity, nutrition, public health, improvement of the physical environment) to enhance an active lifestyle has been implemented in 39 primary schools for a 4-year longitudinal intervention and evaluation study. A weekly lesson plan, including 3 hours of health enhanced physical education and two additional hours of physical activities offered by sport clubs to balance motor deficits and to reduce overweight and obesity was implemented. Furthermore, another hour of cross-curricular education of health and nutrition education is part of the school curriculum. To achieve 60 to 90 minutes of daily physical activities for 6- to 10-year-old pupils active commuting to school has become a part of school life. A physical fitness and motor development test is applied each school year including BMI measurements as a part of a socio-ecological concept. Intrapersonal developments of the pupils are measured by different questionnaires focusing on the individual social context of physical activity, nutrition habits and time allocation for electronic media. Original values of Motor Ability tests show significant increase in endurance, coordination, velocity and force tasks. Also first changes for BMI distribution are explored in only one year intervention. First results indicate the possibility to counteract obesity and to increase levels of physical fitness and motor development by a multi-component progamme and a multi-sector approach of intervention. The longitudinal design of the study allows having a look on long-term effects.

Interspecific competition counteracts negative effects of dispersal on adaptation of an arthropod herbivore to a new host.

Science.gov (United States)

Alzate, A; Bisschop, K; Etienne, R S; Bonte, D

2017-11-01

Dispersal and competition have both been suggested to drive variation in adaptability to a new environment, either positively or negatively. A simultaneous experimental test of both mechanisms is however lacking. Here, we experimentally investigate how population dynamics and local adaptation to a new host plant in a model species, the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), are affected by dispersal from a stock population (no-adapted) and competition with an already adapted spider mite species (Tetranychus evansi). For the population dynamics, we find that competition generally reduces population size and increases the risk of population extinction. However, these negative effects are counteracted by dispersal. For local adaptation, the roles of competition and dispersal are reversed. Without competition, dispersal exerts a negative effect on adaptation (measured as fecundity) to a novel host and females receiving the highest number of immigrants performed similarly to the stock population females. By contrast, with competition, adding more immigrants did not result in a lower fecundity. Females from populations with competition receiving the highest number of immigrants had a significantly higher fecundity than females from populations without competition (same dispersal treatment) and than the stock population females. We suggest that by exerting a stronger selection on the adapting populations, competition can counteract the migration load effect of dispersal. Interestingly, adaptation to the new host does not significantly reduce performance on the ancestral host, regardless of dispersal rate or competition. Our results highlight that assessments of how species can adapt to changing conditions need to jointly consider connectivity and the community context. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons ltd on Behalf of European Society for Evolutionary Biology.

Physical activity counteracts tumor cell growth in colon carcinoma C26-injected muscles: an interim report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charlotte Hiroux

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Skeletal muscle tissue is a rare site of tumor metastasis but is the main target of the degenerative processes occurring in cancer-associated cachexia syndrome. Beneficial effects of physical activity in counteracting cancer-related muscle wasting have been described in the last decades. Recently it has been shown that, in tumor xeno-transplanted mouse models, physical activity is able to directly affect tumor growth by modulating inflammatory responses in the tumor mass microenvironment. Here, we investigated the effect of physical activity on tumor cell growth in colon carcinoma C26 cells injected tibialis anterior muscles of BALB/c mice. Histological analyses revealed that 4 days of voluntary wheel running significantly counteracts tumor cell growth in C26-injected muscles compared to the non-injected sedentary controls. Since striated skeletal muscle tissue is the site of voluntary contraction, our results confirm that physical activity can also directly counteract tumor cell growth in a metabolically active tissue that is usually not a target for metastasis.

Human Neural Stem Cell Aging Is Counteracted by α-Glycerylphosphorylethanolamine.

Science.gov (United States)

Daniele, Simona; Da Pozzo, Eleonora; Iofrida, Caterina; Martini, Claudia

2016-07-20

Neural stem cells (NSCs) represent a subpopulation of cells, located in specific regions of the adult mammalian brain, with the ability of self-renewing and generating neurons and glia. In aged NSCs, modifications in the amount and composition of membrane proteins/lipids, which lead to a reduction in membrane fluidity and cholinergic activities, have been reported. In this respect, molecules that are effective at normalizing the membrane composition and cholinergic signaling could counteract stem cell aging. α-Glycerylphosphorylethanolamine (GPE), a nootropic drug, plays a role in phospholipid biosynthesis and acetylcholine release. Herein, GPE was assayed on human NSC cultures and on hydroxyurea-aged cells. Using cell counting, colorimetric, and fluorimetric analyses, immunoenzymatic assays, and real time PCR experiments, NSC culture proliferation, senescence, reactive oxygen species, and ADP/ATP levels were assessed. Aged NSCs exhibited cellular senescence, decreased proliferation, and an impairment in mitochondrial metabolism. These changes included a substantial induction in the nuclear factor NF-κB, a key inflammatory mediator. GPE cell treatment significantly protected the redox state and functional integrity of mitochondria, and counteracted senescence and NF-κB activation. In conclusion, our data show the beneficial properties of GPE in this model of stem cell aging.

Dealing with corruption in South African civil society: Orientating Christian communities for their role in a post-apartheid context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Friedrich W. de Wet

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The way in which the full spectrum of Christian communities are challenged to realign themselves in addressing the impact of corruption on the contemporary South-African society can be a relevant indicator of civil society�s state and functionality in a post-apartheid democratic context. Utilising the interpretative and normative tools of practical-theological research, the researcher attempts to point out markers for Christian communities towards orientating themselves regarding their role in a complex landscape and in an asymmetrically shaped public sphere. The discussion includes an analysis of the current shape of civil society, an interpretation of the complex landscape of perceptions regarding corruption and an overview of the dilemmas faced by some of the major Christian church traditions in the post-apartheid South African context concerning their truthful presence in civil society. The discussion concludes by making a case for the need to anchor the realignment of the prophetic voice and the revitalisation of the transformative presence in a profound and far-reaching theological reorientation. Tension fields that involve critical and constructive action in a situation of endemic corruption cannot be negotiated without ridding the own presence from potential corruptive elements like hidden exclusivity, half-hearted concern and compromise.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Making use of the interdisciplinary results of social sciences and civil-society studies, the author provides an overview for Christian communities and their leaders in theologically orientating themselves for an appropriate angle of approach in entering the public sphere with a view on authentic and impactful participation in anti-corruption dialogue and actions. The key finding of the research amounts to the following: Tension fields that involve critical and constructive action in a situation of endemic corruption cannot be negotiated without

Goal Orientation, Deep Learning, and Sustainable Feedback in Higher Business Education

Science.gov (United States)

Geitz, Gerry; Brinke, Desirée Joosten-ten; Kirschner, Paul A.

2015-01-01

Relations between and changeability of goal orientation and learning behavior have been studied in several domains and contexts. To alter the adopted goal orientation into a mastery orientation and increase a concomitant deep learning in international business students, a sustainable feedback intervention study was carried out. Sustainable…

Towards aspect-oriented functional–structural plant modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Cieslak, Mikolaj; Seleznyova, Alla N.; Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw; Hanan, Jim

2011-01-01

Background and Aims Functional–structural plant models (FSPMs) are used to integrate knowledge and test hypotheses of plant behaviour, and to aid in the development of decision support systems. A significant amount of effort is being put into providing a sound methodology for building them. Standard techniques, such as procedural or object-oriented programming, are not suited for clearly separating aspects of plant function that criss-cross between different components of plant structure, which makes it difficult to reuse and share their implementations. The aim of this paper is to present an aspect-oriented programming approach that helps to overcome this difficulty. Methods The L-system-based plant modelling language L+C was used to develop an aspect-oriented approach to plant modelling based on multi-modules. Each element of the plant structure was represented by a sequence of L-system modules (rather than a single module), with each module representing an aspect of the element's function. Separate sets of productions were used for modelling each aspect, with context-sensitive rules facilitated by local lists of modules to consider/ignore. Aspect weaving or communication between aspects was made possible through the use of pseudo-L-systems, where the strict-predecessor of a production rule was specified as a multi-module. Key Results The new approach was used to integrate previously modelled aspects of carbon dynamics, apical dominance and biomechanics with a model of a developing kiwifruit shoot. These aspects were specified independently and their implementation was based on source code provided by the original authors without major changes. Conclusions This new aspect-oriented approach to plant modelling is well suited for studying complex phenomena in plant science, because it can be used to integrate separate models of individual aspects of plant development and function, both previously constructed and new, into clearly organized, comprehensive FSPMs. In

Towards aspect-oriented functional--structural plant modelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Cieslak, Mikolaj; Seleznyova, Alla N; Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw; Hanan, Jim

2011-10-01

Functional-structural plant models (FSPMs) are used to integrate knowledge and test hypotheses of plant behaviour, and to aid in the development of decision support systems. A significant amount of effort is being put into providing a sound methodology for building them. Standard techniques, such as procedural or object-oriented programming, are not suited for clearly separating aspects of plant function that criss-cross between different components of plant structure, which makes it difficult to reuse and share their implementations. The aim of this paper is to present an aspect-oriented programming approach that helps to overcome this difficulty. The L-system-based plant modelling language L+C was used to develop an aspect-oriented approach to plant modelling based on multi-modules. Each element of the plant structure was represented by a sequence of L-system modules (rather than a single module), with each module representing an aspect of the element's function. Separate sets of productions were used for modelling each aspect, with context-sensitive rules facilitated by local lists of modules to consider/ignore. Aspect weaving or communication between aspects was made possible through the use of pseudo-L-systems, where the strict-predecessor of a production rule was specified as a multi-module. The new approach was used to integrate previously modelled aspects of carbon dynamics, apical dominance and biomechanics with a model of a developing kiwifruit shoot. These aspects were specified independently and their implementation was based on source code provided by the original authors without major changes. This new aspect-oriented approach to plant modelling is well suited for studying complex phenomena in plant science, because it can be used to integrate separate models of individual aspects of plant development and function, both previously constructed and new, into clearly organized, comprehensive FSPMs. In a future work, this approach could be further

Market orientation and business performance: Evidence from franchising industry

OpenAIRE

Leea, Yong-Ki; Kim, S. H.; Seo, M. K.; Hight, S. K

2015-01-01

This paper examines the relationships between top management factors, franchisor market orientation, competitive strategy, and business performance within the context of Korean franchisor companies. 156 food-service franchise firms provide the basis for this empirical investigation. Findings show that top management factors such as management emphasis and risk aversion can lead to market orientation. Franchisor market orientation was found to lead differentiation and cost strategies, which, i...

Discharge dynamics of self-oriented microplasma coupling between cross adjacent cavities in micro-structure device driven by a bipolar pulse waveform

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yaogong; Zhang, Xiaoning; Liu, Lingguang; Zhou, Xuan; Liu, Chunliang; Zhang, Qiaogen

2018-04-01

The excitation dynamics and self-oriented plasma coupling of a micro-structure plasma device with a rectangular cross-section are investigated. The device consists of 7 × 7 microcavity arrays, which are blended into a unity by a 50 μm-thick bulk area above them. The device is operated in argon with a pressure of 200 Torr, driven by a bipolar pulse waveform of 20 kHz. The discharge evolution is characterized by means of electrical measurements and optical emission profiles. It has been found that different emission patterns are observed within microcavities. The formation of these patterns induced by the combined action between the applied electric field and surface deactivation is discussed. The microplasma distribution in some specific regions along the diagonal direction of cavities in the bulk area is observed, and self-oriented microplasma coupling is explored, while the plasma interaction occurred between cross adjacent cavities, contributed by the ionization wave propagation. The velocity of ionization wave propagation is measured to be 1.2 km/s to 3.5 km/s. The exploration of this plasma interaction in the bulk area is of value to applications in electromagnetics and signal processing.

Service-Oriented Strategies for Manufacturing Firms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tan, Adrian; McAloone, Tim C.; Matzen, Detlef

2009-01-01

This chapter establishes PSS (Product/Service-Systems) approaches in the context of manufacturing firms and their existing product-oriented business. PSS can be seen as a strategy for manufacturing firms to gain competitive advantage in the market, but what market conditions and organisational......, customers and partners in business planning and strategy to reap the full benefits. Finally a path to how manufacturers can make the change from product to service-orientation is traced....

Sexual orientation identity and tobacco and hazardous alcohol use: findings from a cross-sectional English population survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahab, Lion; Brown, Jamie; Hagger-Johnson, Gareth; Michie, Susan; Semlyen, Joanna; West, Robert; Meads, Catherine

2017-10-25

To assess the association between tobacco and hazardous alcohol use and sexual orientation and whether such an association could be explained by other sociodemographic characteristics. Cross-sectional household survey conducted in 2014-2016. England, UK. Representative English population sample (pooled n=43 866). Sexual orientation identity (lesbian/gay, bisexual, heterosexual, prefer-not-to-say); current tobacco and hazardous alcohol use (defined as Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Score ≥8). All outcomes were self-reported. Due to interactions between sexual orientation and gender for substance use, analyses were stratified by gender. Tobacco use prevalence was significantly higher among lesbian/gay (women: 24.9%, 95% CI 19.2% to 32.6%; men: 25.9%, 95% CI 21.3% to 31.0%) and bisexual participants (women: 32.4%, 95% CI 25.9% to 39.6%; men: 30.7%, 95% CI 23.7% to 30.7%) and significantly lower for prefer-not-to-say participants in women (15.5%, 95% CI 13.5% to 17.8%) but not men (22.7%, 95% CI 20.3% to 25.3%) compared with heterosexual participants (women: 17.5%, 95% CI 17.0% to 18.0%; men: 20.4%, 95% CI 19.9% to 21.0%; psexual orientation groups among both women and men. By contrast, sexual orientation differences in hazardous alcohol use remained even after adjustment among women but not for bisexual and gay men. In England, higher rates of tobacco use among sexual minority men and women appear to be attributable to other sociodemographic factors. Higher rates of hazardous alcohol use among sexual minority men may also be attributable to these factors, whereas this is not the case for sexual minority women. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Perceived Cross-Orientation Infidelity: Heterosexual Perceptions of Same-Sex Cheating in Exclusive Relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Compton, Benjamin L; Bowman, Jonathan M

2017-01-01

For individuals in exclusive romantic relationships, the dynamics of sexual experimentation are nuanced. Extradyadic behavior outside of a relationship may be perceived as cheating or infidelity, with much of those perceptions driven by the biological sex of the perceiver. This study significantly reframes seminal research on perceptions of cheating with third-party friends by Kruger et al. (2013), to further nuance an evolutionary threat-based model. In doing so, this furthers our understanding of the associated perceptions of individuals in heterosexual relationships when confronted by partners' cheating with their same-sex cross-orientation friends. Results indicate that perceptions of same-sex infidelity vary widely depending on the nature of the behaviors, with decreasing attribution given to sexual and erotic behaviors, close relational behaviors, and casual social interaction behaviors, respectively. Implications are discussed for a variety of sexual communities, as well as the impact of gender and relational status on perceptions of infidelity.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations in the competitive context: an examination of person-situation interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Abuhamdeh, Sami; Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly

2009-10-01

The current study examined Intrinsic Motivation Orientation and Extrinsic Motivation Orientation (Work Preference Inventory; Amabile, Hill, Hennessey, & Tighe, 1994) as potential trait-level moderators of the way Internet chess players responded to the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards of the chess games they played. On the basis of the defining characteristics of these 2 types of motivational orientations, we predicted that (a) Intrinsic Motivation Orientation would be associated with a stronger curvilinear relationship between challenge and enjoyment and (b) Extrinsic Motivation Orientation would be associated with a heightened affective responsivity to competitive outcome (i.e., winning vs. losing). Results supported the predictions. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Biophysical Constraints Arising from Compositional Context in Synthetic Gene Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeung, Enoch; Dy, Aaron J; Martin, Kyle B; Ng, Andrew H; Del Vecchio, Domitilla; Beck, James L; Collins, James J; Murray, Richard M

2017-07-26

Synthetic gene expression is highly sensitive to intragenic compositional context (promoter structure, spacing regions between promoter and coding sequences, and ribosome binding sites). However, much less is known about the effects of intergenic compositional context (spatial arrangement and orientation of entire genes on DNA) on expression levels in synthetic gene networks. We compare expression of induced genes arranged in convergent, divergent, or tandem orientations. Induction of convergent genes yielded up to 400% higher expression, greater ultrasensitivity, and dynamic range than divergent- or tandem-oriented genes. Orientation affects gene expression whether one or both genes are induced. We postulate that transcriptional interference in divergent and tandem genes, mediated by supercoiling, can explain differences in expression and validate this hypothesis through modeling and in vitro supercoiling relaxation experiments. Treatment with gyrase abrogated intergenic context effects, bringing expression levels within 30% of each other. We rebuilt the toggle switch with convergent genes, taking advantage of supercoiling effects to improve threshold detection and switch stability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transgender transitioning and change of self-reported sexual orientation.

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Matthias K Auer

Full Text Available Sexual orientation is usually considered to be determined in early life and stable in the course of adulthood. In contrast, some transgender individuals report a change in sexual orientation. A common reason for this phenomenon is not known.We included 115 transsexual persons (70 male-to-female "MtF" and 45 female-to-male "FtM" patients from our endocrine outpatient clinic, who completed a questionnaire, retrospectively evaluating the history of their gender transition phase. The questionnaire focused on sexual orientation and recalled time points of changes in sexual orientation in the context of transition. Participants were further asked to provide a personal concept for a potential change in sexual orientation.In total, 32.9% (n = 23 MtF reported a change in sexual orientation in contrast to 22.2% (n = 10 FtM transsexual persons (p = 0.132. Out of these patients, 39.1% (MtF and 60% (FtM reported a change in sexual orientation before having undergone any sex reassignment surgery. FtM that had initially been sexually oriented towards males ( = androphilic, were significantly more likely to report on a change in sexual orientation than gynephilic, analloerotic or bisexual FtM (p = 0.012. Similarly, gynephilic MtF reported a change in sexual orientation more frequently than androphilic, analloerotic or bisexual MtF transsexual persons (p =0.05.In line with earlier reports, we reveal that a change in self-reported sexual orientation is frequent and does not solely occur in the context of particular transition events. Transsexual persons that are attracted by individuals of the opposite biological sex are more likely to change sexual orientation. Qualitative reports suggest that the individual's biography, autogynephilic and autoandrophilic sexual arousal, confusion before and after transitioning, social and self-acceptance, as well as concept of sexual orientation itself may explain this phenomenon.

Transgender transitioning and change of self-reported sexual orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Auer, Matthias K; Fuss, Johannes; Höhne, Nina; Stalla, Günter K; Sievers, Caroline

2014-01-01

Sexual orientation is usually considered to be determined in early life and stable in the course of adulthood. In contrast, some transgender individuals report a change in sexual orientation. A common reason for this phenomenon is not known. We included 115 transsexual persons (70 male-to-female "MtF" and 45 female-to-male "FtM") patients from our endocrine outpatient clinic, who completed a questionnaire, retrospectively evaluating the history of their gender transition phase. The questionnaire focused on sexual orientation and recalled time points of changes in sexual orientation in the context of transition. Participants were further asked to provide a personal concept for a potential change in sexual orientation. In total, 32.9% (n = 23) MtF reported a change in sexual orientation in contrast to 22.2% (n = 10) FtM transsexual persons (p = 0.132). Out of these patients, 39.1% (MtF) and 60% (FtM) reported a change in sexual orientation before having undergone any sex reassignment surgery. FtM that had initially been sexually oriented towards males ( = androphilic), were significantly more likely to report on a change in sexual orientation than gynephilic, analloerotic or bisexual FtM (p = 0.012). Similarly, gynephilic MtF reported a change in sexual orientation more frequently than androphilic, analloerotic or bisexual MtF transsexual persons (p =0.05). In line with earlier reports, we reveal that a change in self-reported sexual orientation is frequent and does not solely occur in the context of particular transition events. Transsexual persons that are attracted by individuals of the opposite biological sex are more likely to change sexual orientation. Qualitative reports suggest that the individual's biography, autogynephilic and autoandrophilic sexual arousal, confusion before and after transitioning, social and self-acceptance, as well as concept of sexual orientation itself may explain this phenomenon.

When the Research Design Matters in EFL Context: A Case of Different Responses to Open-response and Closed-response Questions on Motivational Orientation

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Ma‘ssoumeh Bemani Naeini

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at investigating and exploring the degree of motivational orientation (i.e. instrumental and integrative motivation among sixty Iranian TEFL students. A survey research design was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data, using a Likert-scale questionnaire containing six open-response items. Inferential analysis of quantitative data identified the subjects of the study with integrative orientation. However, descriptive analysis of open responses in terms of coded recurrent themes indicated contradictory results. In sum, the findings suggest a gap between Iranian TEFL students’ “desirable motivation” and “desired motivation”. The researcher attributes the contradictory results not only to the social context, but also to the type of questionnaire and the psychological status of respondents. Also, the findings provide support for other components of motivation other than just instrumentality and integrativeness, mainly “personal” aspects as proposed by Benson’s model of motivation.

Relationship between age and promotion orientation depends on perceived older worker stereotypes.

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Bowen, Catherine E; Staudinger, Ursula M

2013-01-01

Research has consistently revealed a negative relationship between chronological age and promotion orientation, that is, the motivational orientation toward approaching possible gains. In addition, experimental research has demonstrated that activating positive self-relevant stereotypes (e.g., for men, the stereotype that men are good at math) can stimulate increases in promotion orientation. Integrating and applying this research to the work context, we hypothesized that the relationship between age and promotion orientation would depend on employees' perceptions of the stereotype of older workers in their work context, such that there would be no negative relationship between age and promotion orientation when individuals perceive a more positive older worker stereotype. We analyzed the relationships between age, perceived older worker stereotype (POWS), and promotion orientation using a sample of working adults (N = 337) aged 19-64 years. Results revealed a significant age by POWS interaction such that there was a negative relationship between age and promotion orientation when POWS was less positive. However, there was no relationship between age and promotion orientation when POWS was more positive. Results suggest that the negative relationship between age and promotion orientation depends on contextual factors such as POWS.

Market Orientation in Managing Relationships with Multiple Constituencies of Croatian Higher Education

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Pavicic, Jurica; Alfirevic, Niksa; Mihanovic, Zoran

2009-01-01

In this paper, market orientation in Croatian higher education (HE) is discussed within the context of stakeholder-oriented management. Drawing on existing studies, the "classical" empirical model, describing the market orientation of generic nonprofit organisations, has been adapted to the contingencies of the Croatian HE sector.…

Context-Based Synchronization of Concurrent Process Using Aspect ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... will not cause any race condition if all other threads are accessing from the same context. The result of our experiment shows that context-based synchronization performs better than Java given the same number of threads. Keywords: Aspect-oriented programming, synchronization, resource, and concurrent process.

Market Orientation Practices and Effects on Organizational Performance

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Haim Hilman

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Today’s organizations need market orientation practices to strive and generate superior performance and competitive advantage in the modern turbulent marketplace. Thus, this research inspects the respective links between the dimensions of (a competitor orientation and (b customer orientation and performance in the context of hotels in Malaysia. Data were gathered through self-administrated mail questionnaires directed to the top- and middle-level managers of three- to five-star-rated hotels in Malaysia. The findings indicated that hotels in Malaysia practiced competitor orientation and customer orientation as their core marketing strategy. Specifically, both competitor orientation and customer orientation positively linked to organizational performance. Few studies have investigated the practices and effects of market orientation on performance in the Malaysian hotel setting. Therefore, this study provided new insights into the understanding of market orientation practices in the hotel industry, particularly in Malaysia. In addition, the significance of this study, potential limitations, and future examination directions are highlighted.

Future Orientation, School Contexts, and Problem Behaviors: A Multilevel Study

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Chen, Pan; Vazsonyi, Alexander T.

2013-01-01

The association between future orientation and problem behaviors has received extensive empirical attention; however, previous work has not considered school contextual influences on this link. Using a sample of N = 9,163 9th to 12th graders (51.0% females) from N = 85 high schools of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the…

Dialogue and Exchange of Information about Grade Inflation Can Counteract Its Effects

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Barriga, Alvaro Q.; Cooper, Eric K.; Gawelek, Mary Ann; Butela, Kristin; Johnson, Elizabeth

2008-01-01

This investigation documents an intervention that successfully counteracted a grade inflation trend at a small, Catholic, liberal arts university in the eastern United States. The intervention produced a significant drop in grades awarded by full-time faculty, but not by adjunct faculty who were not yet included in the intervention. Institutional…

An API for Integrating Spatial Context Models with Spatial Reasoning Algorithms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Mikkel Baun

2006-01-01

The integration of context-aware applications with spatial context models is often done using a common query language. However, algorithms that estimate and reason about spatial context information can benefit from a tighter integration. An object-oriented API makes such integration possible...... and can help reduce the complexity of algorithms making them easier to maintain and develop. This paper propose an object-oriented API for context models of the physical environment and extensions to a location modeling approach called geometric space trees for it to provide adequate support for location...... modeling. The utility of the API is evaluated in several real-world cases from an indoor location system, and spans several types of spatial reasoning algorithms....

Webinar Presentation: Vitamins, Minerals and Metals: Do Healthy Diets Counteract Health Effects of Toxicants?

Science.gov (United States)

This presentation, Vitamins, Minerals and Metals: Do Healthy Diets Counteract Health Effects of Toxicants?, was given at the NIEHS/EPA Children's Centers 2015 Webinar Series: Food and Children's Health held on Dec. 9, 2015.

Tamoxifen counteracts estradiol induced effects on striatal and hypophyseal dopamine receptors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferretti, C.; Blengio, M.; Ghi, P.; Racca, S.; Genazzani, E.; Portaleone, P.

1988-01-01

We investigated the ability of Tamoxifen (TAM), an antiestrogen drug, to counteract the modification induced by estrogens on dopamine (DA) receptors on striatum and on adenohypophysis of ovex female rats. Subacute treatment with 17β-estradiol (E 2 ) at both low (0.1 μg/kg) and high (20 μg/kg) doses confirmed its ability to increase the number of striatal 3 H-Spiperone ( 3 H-SPI) binding sites in a dose dependent manner. By contrast in the pituitary, only high doses of estrogen were effective in reducing the number of DA receptors. We treated ovex female rats for 15 days with TAM alone or associated with E 2 , to see if these estrogenic effects could be suppressed by an antiestrogenic drug. TAM did not affect the number of striatal DA receptors, but significantly increased the adenohypophy-seal DA binding sites, without varying their affinity. No changes were observed in pituitary and striatal DA receptor density, even when TAM was injected in association with estradiol. In conclusions: TAM is able to counteract the effects estrogens have on DA receptors. However there is some evidence that it could influence the pituitary DA systems independently of it antiestrogenic activity

"On solid ground": family and school connectedness promotes adolescents' future orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Crespo, Carla; Jose, Paul E; Kielpikowski, Magdalena; Pryor, Jan

2013-10-01

The present study investigated the role of connectedness to the family and school contexts on future orientation of New Zealand adolescents. Participants were 1774 young people (51.9% female) aged between 9 and 16 years at time 1 of the study, who reported their connectedness to family and school and their perceptions of future orientation at three times of measurement one year apart. Structural equation modelling was used to test the combined role of family and school connectedness on future orientation over time. Findings supported a multiple mediation model in that adolescents' connectedness to family and school predicted more positive perceptions of future orientation both directly and indirectly via the effect of the context variables on each other. Copyright © 2013 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategy, market orientation and performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ormrod, R.P.; Zaefarian, Ghasem; Henneberg, Stephan C.

2014-01-01

This paper investigates the fit between the strategic posture of a political party and its political market orientation, and analyses the impact of this fit on party performance. For this purpose, a configuration theory logic is applied to the context of the political market; in particular, we de...

Discourse on corruption counteraction in network trade

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Leonid A. Zhigun

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Objective to determine the specific forms of corruption and promising methods to counteract corruption in network trade. Methods the combination of inductive observations comparisons generalizations facts and trends of corruption in network trade with a logical analytical deduction of economic theories and the corruption concept are the basis of the study and provide an opportunity on the one hand to assess the level of compliance of theoretical concepts of corruption with the practice and on the other handnbsp to determine their applicability to organize opposition and create conditions to prevent its occurrence to summarize the features of corruption in the form of a kickback the discourse method was applied in this work. Results on the basis of theoretical provisions and facts of corruption in trade it is proved that it has typical characteristics of corruption in commercial and nonprofit organizations. The key reasons are identified why corruption occurs in trade. Among them supply of poor quality goods at inflated prices leading to bribery in the form of laquopersonal bonusraquo to administrator of the trading organization when selling goods by an unscrupulous supplier and also supply goods to the trade organizations which will not buy without kickback. Most of these corrupt deals are carried out by natural monopolies in the form of state and municipal procurement. In some cases the kickback is the argument stimulating the decision to introduce new and advanced technologies. The factors that lead to corruption in trade are listed and reasonable methods to counteract it are grounded allowing to create conditions for its eradication in other branches of business as well. Scientific novelty for the first time a generalization has been made about the deficit as the driving force in the mechanism when the bribegivers and bribetakers change places. Practical significance the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in the

Object-oriented program specialization: Aspects into Aspects - or maybe not?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schultz, Ulrik Pagh

2001-01-01

and control-flow simplifications based on the usage context. Automatic program specialization has recently been defined in the context of object-oriented languages, and is here referred to as object-oriented program specialization. As part of this work, we have developed an automatic program specializer......Automatic program specialization is a software engineering technique that configures a program fragment by generating an implementation dedicated to a specific usage context. Given a generic component that solves a whole family of problems and that is implemented in a standard programming language......, program specialization can automatically configure this component by generating a specialized implementation. We consider automatic program specialization implemented using partial evaluation, which performs aggressive interprocedural constant propagation of all data types, and performs constant folding...

INCORPORATING MARKET ORIENTATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

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Gordan Camelia

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the main issues surrounding the concept of market orientation applied in the context of higher education. Considering the important changes taking place in this sector, a strong willingness of universities to adopt marketing concepts can be noticed. The paper seeks to provide a retrospect on this process, starting with the incorporation of marketing in higher education, and moving on to its implementation, which has come to be known as market orientation. Following a stream of the most relevant literature in the field, we present definitions of the main concepts, and integrate them in the education context, with the purpose of establishing the relevance and importance of market orientation for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage and higher institutional performance. The paper does not aim at providing an exhaustive literature review, but rather at presenting the main elements that define a market orientation, and at supporting its implementation, by outlining the significant benefits that could follow. While theoretical by nature, this research contributes to the body of literature in the field, through closely examining the conceptualization and operationalization of market orientation, and also providing the fundamental components that define the concept and help its implementation. Furthermore, the paper provides practitioners with a number of suggested research directions, which could potentially help improve educational institutions’ activity, while also contributing to a better understanding of the concept, and to building richer theories in the field of marketing education. Given that the marketing literature in Romania has mostly overlooked market orientation, both this paper, and all following research in this area will prove to be significant for education managers and researchers alike, promoting the importance and significance of relevant knowledge, and encouraging a

Persuasion, Learning and Context Adaptation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gram-Hansen, Sandra Burri; Ryberg, Thomas

2013-01-01

This paper further develops the notion of distinguishing between Persuasive Technology and Persuasive Design, and considering Persuasive Design a meta-perspective which may be applied to more established design traditions as an ethics and context-oriented perspective. The paper addresses a challe...

Applying Service-Orientation Through a Reference Architecture

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Helge Hofmeister

2008-02-01

Full Text Available This article investigates the application of the service-oriented architectural style in the context of large organizations. It introduces an architectural reference framework that allows for a business process-centered development of composite applications. The framework groups artifacts of similar abstraction levels as well as concerns at five distinguished layers. This way, the service-oriented principles of abstraction and autonomy can be respected when designing applications. The layers also correspond to phases of a design methodology and cover the aspects of composite applications from process-centered orchestration, over transactional coordination to data transformation and connectivity. Based on the framework this article shows as well how an integration design methodology can be used to leverage the application systems in the context of a given business process.

Interpreting the three-dimensional orientation of vascular canals and cross-sectional geometry of cortical bone in birds and bats.

Science.gov (United States)

Pratt, Isaac V; Johnston, James D; Walker, Ernie; Cooper, David M L

2018-06-01

Cortical bone porosity and specifically the orientation of vascular canals is an area of growing interest in biomedical research and comparative/paleontological anatomy. The potential to explain microstructural adaptation is of great interest. However, the determinants of the development of canal orientation remain unclear. Previous studies of birds have shown higher proportions of circumferential canals (called laminarity) in flight bones than in hindlimb bones, and interpreted this as a sign that circumferential canals are a feature for resistance to the torsional loading created by flight. We defined the laminarity index as the percentage of circumferential canal length out of the total canal length. In this study we examined the vascular canal network in the humerus and femur of a sample of 31 bird and 24 bat species using synchrotron micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to look for a connection between canal orientation and functional loading. The use of micro-CT provides a full three-dimensional (3D) map of the vascular canal network and provides measurements of the 3D orientation of each canal in the whole cross-section of the bone cortex. We measured several cross-sectional geometric parameters and strength indices including principal and polar area moments of inertia, principal and polar section moduli, circularity, buckling ratio, and a weighted cortical thickness index. We found that bat cortices are relatively thicker and poorly vascularized, whereas those of birds are thinner and more highly vascularized, and that according to our cross-sectional geometric parameters, bird bones have a greater resistance to torsional stress than the bats; in particular, the humerus in birds is more adapted to resist torsional stresses than the femur. Our results show that birds have a significantly (P = 0.031) higher laminarity index than bats, with birds having a mean laminarity index of 0.183 in the humerus and 0.232 in the femur, and bats having a mean laminarity

Context cue focality influences strategic prospective memory monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter Ball, B; Bugg, Julie M

2018-02-12

Monitoring the environment for the occurrence of prospective memory (PM) targets is a resource-demanding process that produces cost (e.g., slower responding) to ongoing activities. However, research suggests that individuals are able to monitor strategically by using contextual cues to reduce monitoring in contexts in which PM targets are not expected to occur. In the current study, we investigated the processes supporting context identification (i.e., determining whether or not the context is appropriate for monitoring) by testing the context cue focality hypothesis. This hypothesis predicts that the ability to monitor strategically depends on whether the ongoing task orients attention to the contextual cues that are available to guide monitoring. In Experiment 1, participants performed an ongoing lexical decision task and were told that PM targets (TOR syllable) would only occur in word trials (focal context cue condition) or in items starting with consonants (nonfocal context cue condition). In Experiment 2, participants performed an ongoing first letter judgment (consonant/vowel) task and were told that PM targets would only occur in items starting with consonants (focal context cue condition) or in word trials (nonfocal context cue condition). Consistent with the context cue focality hypothesis, strategic monitoring was only observed during focal context cue conditions in which the type of ongoing task processing automatically oriented attention to the relevant features of the contextual cue. These findings suggest that strategic monitoring is dependent on limited-capacity processing resources and may be relatively limited when the attentional demands of context identification are sufficiently high.

Gradient pre-emphasis to counteract first-order concomitant fields on asymmetric MRI gradient systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Shengzhen; Weavers, Paul T; Trzasko, Joshua D; Shu, Yunhong; Huston, John; Lee, Seung-Kyun; Frigo, Louis M; Bernstein, Matt A

2017-06-01

To develop a gradient pre-emphasis scheme that prospectively counteracts the effects of the first-order concomitant fields for any arbitrary gradient waveform played on asymmetric gradient systems, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach using a real-time implementation on a compact gradient system. After reviewing the first-order concomitant fields that are present on asymmetric gradients, we developed a generalized gradient pre-emphasis model assuming arbitrary gradient waveforms to counteract their effects. A numerically straightforward, easily implemented approximate solution to this pre-emphasis problem was derived that was compatible with the current hardware infrastructure of conventional MRI scanners for eddy current compensation. The proposed method was implemented on the gradient driver subsystem, and its real-time use was tested using a series of phantom and in vivo data acquired from two-dimensional Cartesian phase-difference, echo-planar imaging, and spiral acquisitions. The phantom and in vivo results demonstrated that unless accounted for, first-order concomitant fields introduce considerable phase estimation error into the measured data and result in images with spatially dependent blurring/distortion. The resulting artifacts were effectively prevented using the proposed gradient pre-emphasis. We have developed an efficient and effective gradient pre-emphasis framework to counteract the effects of first-order concomitant fields of asymmetric gradient systems. Magn Reson Med 77:2250-2262, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Molecular bond formation in Na* + N2 energy transfer: Crossed beam study of atomic alignment and orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiland, W.; Jamieson, G.; Tittes, U.; Hertel, I.V.

1982-01-01

We report the first full analysis of collisionally induced atomic alignment and orientation for a molecular collision process. In an experiment with crossed supersonic beams of N 2 and laser excited Na(3 2 Psub(3/2)) we have studied the dependence of angular and energy resolved differential quenching cross sections as a function of the linear and circular polarization of the exciting laser light. The ansisotropies observed in the linear polarization data range up to 2:1 when corrected for electron and nuclear spin relaxation. The maximum effect is found at small scattering angles and intermediate energy transfer where the cross section is also largest. The atomic alignment angle most favourable for quenching relates to the scattering angle and can be understood in a model picture in such a way that the (NaN 2 )* molecular system is formed at internuclear distances as low as R = 10a 0 . The circular asymmetry is small but with significant structure and is attributed to interaction on different potential surfaces at R > 10a 0 . Full analysis of the four measurable parameter is given in terms of the density matrix in a frame with z-axis perpendicular to collision plane which allows a clear understanding of the properties of atomic reflection symmetry and coherence of the scattering process. (orig.)

Iatrogenic effects of psychosocial interventions: treatment, life context, and personal risk factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Moos, Rudolf H

2012-01-01

Between 7% and 15% of individuals who participate in psychosocial interventions for substance use disorders may be worse off after treatment than before. Intervention-related predictors of iatrogenic effects include lack of bonding; lack of goal direction and monitoring; confrontation, criticism, and high emotional arousal; models and norms for substance use; and stigma and inaccurate expectations. Life context and personal predictors include lack of support, criticism, and more severe substance use and psychological problems. Ongoing monitoring and safety standards are needed to identify and counteract adverse consequences of intervention programs.

Cross-Lagged Relationships between Career Aspirations and Goal Orientation in Early Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Creed, Peter; Tilbury, Clare; Buys, Nick; Crawford, Meegan

2011-01-01

We surveyed 217 students (145 girls; average age = 14.6 years) on two occasions, twelve months apart, on measures of career aspirations (job aspirations, job expectations, educational aspirations) and goal orientation (learning, performance-prove, performance-avoid), and tested the causal relationship between goal orientation and aspirations. We…

Counteracting age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bechshøft, Rasmus; Reitelseder, Søren; Højfeldt, Grith

2016-01-01

Background Aging is associated with decreased muscle mass and functional capacity, which in turn decrease quality of life. The number of citizens over the age of 65 years in the Western world will increase by 50 % over the next four decades, and this demographic shift brings forth new challenges...... at both societal and individual levels. Only a few longitudinal studies have been reported, but whey protein supplementation seems to improve muscle mass and function, and its combination with heavy strength training appears even more effective. However, heavy resistance training may reduce adherence...... Intervention Study will generate scientific evidence and recommendations to counteract age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass in elderly individuals....

Counteracting fatigue in multiple sclerosis with right parietal anodal transcranial direct current stimulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katrin Hanken

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS patients appears to correlate with vigilance decrement as reflected in an increase in reaction time and errors with prolonged time-on-task. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS over the right parietal or frontal cortex counteracts fatigue-associated vigilance decrement and subjective fatigue. Methods: In study I, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, anodal tDCS (1,5mA was delivered to the right parietal cortex or the right frontal cortex of 52 healthy participants during the first 20min of a 40min lasting visual vigilance task. Study II, also a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, investigated the effect of anodal tDCS (1.5mA over the right parietal cortex in 46 MS patients experiencing cognitive fatigue. TDCS was delivered for 20min before patients performed a 20min lasting visual vigilance task.Results: Study I showed that right parietal stimulation, but not right frontal stimulation, counteracts the increase in reaction time associated with vigilance decrement. Hence, only right parietal stimulation was applied to the MS patients in study II. Stimulation had a significant effect on vigilance decrement in mildly to moderately cognitively fatigued MS patients. Vigilance testing significantly increased the feeling of fatigue independent of stimulation.Conclusions: Anodal tDCS over the right parietal cortex can counteract the increase in reaction times during vigilance performance but not the increase in subjective fatigue. This finding is compatible with our model of fatigue in MS, suggesting a dissociation between the feeling and the behavioral characteristics of fatigue.

Counteracting Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis with Right Parietal Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanken, Katrin; Bosse, Mona; Möhrke, Kim; Eling, Paul; Kastrup, Andreas; Antal, Andrea; Hildebrandt, Helmut

2016-01-01

Fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appears to correlate with vigilance decrement as reflected in an increase in reaction time (RT) and errors with prolonged time-on-task. The aim of this study was to investigate whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right parietal or frontal cortex counteracts fatigue-associated vigilance decrement and subjective fatigue. In study I, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, anodal tDCS (1.5 mA) was delivered to the right parietal cortex or the right frontal cortex of 52 healthy participants during the first 20 min of a 40-min lasting visual vigilance task. Study II, also a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, investigated the effect of anodal tDCS (1.5 mA) over the right parietal cortex in 46 MS patients experiencing cognitive fatigue. tDCS was delivered for 20 min before patients performed a 20-min lasting visual vigilance task. Study I showed that right parietal stimulation, but not right frontal stimulation, counteracts the increase in RT associated with vigilance decrement. Hence, only right parietal stimulation was applied to the MS patients in study II. Stimulation had a significant effect on vigilance decrement in mildly to moderately cognitively fatigued MS patients. Vigilance testing significantly increased the feeling of fatigue independent of stimulation. Anodal tDCS over the right parietal cortex can counteract the increase in RTs during vigilance performance, but not the increase in subjective fatigue. This finding is compatible with our model of fatigue in MS, suggesting a dissociation between the feeling and the behavioral characteristics of fatigue.

ORGANIC PRODUCTION IN UKRAINE: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS IN CONTEXT OF SOCIAL ORIENTED ENTEPRENEURSHIP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Chornous

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Practical realization of sustainable development general conception is passing to the organic production, that allows to satisfy society problems, not putting health and future generations' existence under a threat. At this entrepreneurs, which work in the consumer products' field, must displace accents from economic oriented to social oriented entrepreneurship. The article is dedicated to research negative and positive factors that influence on social oriented Ukrainian enterprises in the sphere of organic goods production. The special attention is attended to the analysis of foodstuffs producers' activity, the results of which have considerable direct influence on consumers' health. The value of informative influences on consumers and producers is analyzed. State support directions of organic goods production, creation of internal market ecologically safe products infrastructure are defined. Recommendations are given according to research results in relation to stimulation social responsibility of businessmen and model forming, which combines interests of consumers and producers, environmental preservation, population health refinement and ecological situation improvement.

Ideological Challenges to Changing Strategic Orientation in Commodity Agriculture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Press, Melea; Arnould, Eric; Murray, Jeff

2014-01-01

orientations may be thought of as ideologies; and second, that such ideologies are likely to contend with each other. Taking such a perspective may be helpful in thinking about why transitioning to more sustainable strategic orientations is challenging even in the presence of financial incentives to make......Why do some firms not change their strategic orientation despite economic incentives to do so? Most current literature on changing strategic orientations focuses on an antecedents and outcomes approach to business orientations. Intimated, but rarely addressed is, first, the idea that strategic...... such changes. In assessing the transition to organic production and marketing in a commodity agriculture context we find that contending ideologies restrict its adoption. In addition, we suggest that strategic orientations are not adopted or contested solely within firms but also among them. We find...

Market Orientation and Business Performance: a Study of Interrelationships and Effects in a Small sized Hotels within Lagos State Metropolis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P.K.A. Ladipo

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The relationship between market orientation and business performance has been a subject of debate in marketing literature. To date, there is no consensus opinion and empirical study in the context of small sized-hotels in Nigeria is scanty. This study examines the relationship between market orientation and business performance. Cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. Questionnaire was used to obtained data from 300 employees of the selected hotels within Lagos metropolis. Data collected were analyzed using correlation and regression analysis. The results suggest that only customer orientation is significantly contributing to the performance of the small sized hotel operators. Specifically, both competitor orientation and inter-functional coordination, though practiced by the hotels are not significantly linked to its performance. Furthermore, the study discovered that market orientation practices significantly influence business performance of the selected hotels. Based on the findings, the study concludes that hotel operators need market orientation practices to enhance their performance. Hence, market orientation will continue to be a vital strategy not only in improving firm’s understanding of customers’ and competitors, but to enhance synergy across the organization. From the preceding conclusion, the study recommends that hotel operators should commit substantial resources and effort in cultivating a customer oriented culture, and transmit it across the organization to create strategic alignment. Furthermore, the competitive environment should be closely monitored to identify profitable business opportunity and threats that could affect their growth and sustainability.

The development of determiners in the context of French-English bilingualism: a study of cross-linguistic influence.

Science.gov (United States)

Hervé, Coralie; Serratrice, Ludovica

2018-05-01

This paper reports the preliminary results of a study examining the role of structural overlap, language exposure, and language use on cross-linguistic influence (CLI) in bilingual first language acquisition. We focus on the longitudinal development of determiners in a corpus of two French-English children between the ages of 2;4 and 3;7. The results display bi-directional CLI in the rate of development, i.e., accelerated development in English and a minor delay in French. Unidirectional CLI from English to French was instead observed in the significantly higher rate of ungrammatical determiner omissions in plural and generic contexts than in singular specific contexts in French. These findings suggest that other language-internal mechanisms may be at play. They also lend support to the role of expressive abilities on the magnitude of this phenomenon.

Tamoxifen counteracts estradiol induced effects on striatal and hypophyseal dopamine receptors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferretti, C.; Blengio, M.; Ghi, P.; Racca, S.; Genazzani, E.; Portaleone, P.

1988-01-01

We investigated the ability of Tamoxifen (TAM), an antiestrogen drug, to counteract the modification induced by estrogens on dopamine (DA) receptors on striatum and on adenohypophysis of ovex female rats. Subacute treatment with 17..beta..-estradiol (E/sub 2/) at both low (0.1 ..mu..g/kg) and high (20 ..mu..g/kg) doses confirmed its ability to increase the number of striatal /sup 3/H-Spiperone (/sup 3/H-SPI) binding sites in a dose dependent manner. By contrast in the pituitary, only high doses of estrogen were effective in reducing the number of DA receptors. We treated ovex female rats for 15 days with TAM alone or associated with E/sub 2/, to see if these estrogenic effects could be suppressed by an antiestrogenic drug. TAM did not affect the number of striatal DA receptors, but significantly increased the adenohypophy-seal DA binding sites, without varying their affinity. No changes were observed in pituitary and striatal DA receptor density, even when TAM was injected in association with estradiol. In conclusions: TAM is able to counteract the effects estrogens have on DA receptors. However there is some evidence that it could influence the pituitary DA systems independently of it antiestrogenic activity.

Antecedents and consequences of market orientation in universities: Literature review and conceptual framework

OpenAIRE

Asaad, Y; Cohen, G; Melewar, T C

2008-01-01

Recent developments in marketing theory have resulted in the conceptualisation of the market orientation construct in different cultural and industrial settings. However, there is little research investigating the applicability of market orientation in the higher education context. Building on the existing literature on market orientation and higher education marketing, the authors propose a theoretical framework of market orientation from a higher education management perspective. The frame...

Southeast Asian Studies in Context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chou, Cynthia Gek Hua; Platt, Martin B.

2012-01-01

from this approach, this article calls for an examination of one important concept in innovative education, that is, context sensitive education. The case study of an annual joint Singapore-Denmark-America summer school programme to teach and study Southeast Asia in Context is discussed here.......As pressures mount to adopt new or alternative instructional delivery methods to achieve innovative education, there has been a strong orientation towards emphasising the need to integrate the latest technological applications to achieve the best in teaching and learning experiences. Moving away...

On Generalization in Qualitatively Oriented Research

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Philipp Mayring

2007-09-01

Full Text Available In this article, I open a debate about the importance and possibilities of generalization in qualitative oriented research. Generalization traditionally is seen as a central aim of science, as a process of theory formulation for further applications. Others criticize the concept in general, either because of the insufficiency of inductive arguments (POPPER, 1959 or because of context specificity of all scientific findings (LINCOLN & GUBA, 1985. In this paper, I argue that generalization is necessary in qualitative research, but we have to differentiate different aims of generalization: laws, rules, context specific statements, similarities and differences, and procedures. There are different possibilities to arrive at a generalization: analysis of total population, falsification, random or stratified samples, argumentative generalization, theoretical sampling, variation, and triangulation. Depending on the type of research or research design some of those strategies of generalization can be important for qualitative oriented research. This is discussed especially in respect to single case analysis. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0703262

Motivational climate, goal orientation and exercise adherence in fitness centers and personal training contexts

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Ingi Petitemberte Klain

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted to analyze the relationships hypothesized by the Achievement Goal Theory in predicting adherence to exercise. The study participants were 405 individuals exercising in fitness centers with a mean age of 35 years (SD = 17 and 183 individuals exercising with personal trainers with a mean age of 43 years (SD = 16, that answered the Portuguese versions of the Goal Orientation in Exercise Measure and Perceived Motivational Climate in Exercise Questionnaire. The hypothesized structural equation model showed that the mastery motivational climate had a positive impact on task orientation goals, which in turn had a positive impact on exercise adherence. However, performance motivational climate had a positive impact on ego orientation goals, which in turn had a negative impact on exercise adherence.

ISG15 counteracts Listeria monocytogenes infection

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Radoshevich, Lilliana; Impens, Francis; Ribet, David; Quereda, Juan J; Nam Tham, To; Nahori, Marie-Anne; Bierne, Hélène; Dussurget, Olivier; Pizarro-Cerdá, Javier; Knobeloch, Klaus-Peter; Cossart, Pascale

2015-01-01

ISG15 is an interferon-stimulated, linear di-ubiquitin-like protein, with anti-viral activity. The role of ISG15 during bacterial infection remains elusive. We show that ISG15 expression in nonphagocytic cells is dramatically induced upon Listeria infection. Surprisingly this induction can be type I interferon independent and depends on the cytosolic surveillance pathway, which senses bacterial DNA and signals through STING, TBK1, IRF3 and IRF7. Most importantly, we observed that ISG15 expression restricts Listeria infection in vitro and in vivo. We made use of stable isotope labeling in tissue culture (SILAC) to identify ISGylated proteins that could be responsible for the protective effect. Strikingly, infection or overexpression of ISG15 leads to ISGylation of ER and Golgi proteins, which correlates with increased secretion of cytokines known to counteract infection. Together, our data reveal a previously uncharacterized ISG15-dependent restriction of Listeria infection, reinforcing the view that ISG15 is a key component of the innate immune response. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06848.001 PMID:26259872

Tough Times: Adult Educators, Microaggressions, and the Work Context

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Mizzi, Robert C.

2017-01-01

This paper examines the roots, types, and effects of microaggressions in the workplace and discusses implications for adult educators who work in a domestic and transnational context. In a domestic context, the literature describes microaggressions as being based on differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, culture, and professional role,…

Impacts of fiber orientation and milling on observed crystallinity in jack pine

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Umesh P. Agarwal; Sally A. Ralph; Richard S. Reiner; Roderquita K. Moore; Carlos Baez

2014-01-01

Influences of fiber orientation and milling on wood cellulose crystallinity were studied using jack pine wood. The fiber orientation effects were measured by sampling rectangular wood blocks in radial, tangential, and cross-sectional orientations. The influence of milling was studied by analyzing the unsieved and sieved milled wood fractions (all

Fluorescent modification and orientation of myosin sulfhydryl 2 in skeletal muscle fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ajtai, K.; Burghardt, T.P.

1989-01-01

The authors describe a protocol for the selective covalent labeling of the sulfhydryl 2 (SH2) on the myosin cross-bridge in glycerinated muscle fibers using the sulfhydryl-selective label 4-[N-[(iodoacetoxy)ethyl]-N-methylamino]-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (IANBD). The protocol promotes the specificity of IANBD by using the ability to protect sulfhydryl 1 (SH1) from modification by binding the cross-bridge to the actin filament and using cross-bridge-bound MgADP to promote the accessibility of SH2. They determined the specificity of the probe using fluorescence gel scanning of fiber-extracted proteins to isolate the probe on myosin subfragment 1 (S1), limited proteolysis of the purified S1 to isolate the probe on the 20-kilodalton fragment of S1, and titration of the free SH1's on purified S1 using the radiolabeled SH1-specific reagent [ 14 C]iodoacetamide or enzymatic activity measurements. They characterized the angular distribution of the IANBD on cross-bridges in fibers when the fibers are in rigor, in relaxation, in the presence of MgADP, and in isometric contraction using wavelength-dependent fluorescence polarization. They find that the SH2 probe distinguishes the different states of the fiber such that rigor and MgADP are ordered and maintain a similar orientation throughout the excitation wavelength domain. The relaxed cross-bridge is ordered and has an orientation that is distinct from the orientation of the cross-bridge in rigor and MgADP over the entire wavelength domain. The active isometric cross-bridge is also oriented differently from the other states, suggesting the presence of a predominant actin-bound cross-bridge state that precedes the power stroke during muscle contraction

Multi-shelled q-ball imaging. Moment-based orientation distribution function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umezawa, Eizou; Yamaguchi, Kojiro; Yoshikawa, Mayo; Ohno, Kana; Yoshikawa, Emi

2010-01-01

q-ball imaging (QBI) reconstructs the orientation distribution function (ODF) that describes the probability for a spin to diffuse in a given direction, and it is capable of identifying intravoxel multiple fiber orientations. The local maxima of ODF are assumed to indicate fiber orientations, but there is a mismatch between the orientation of a fiber crossing and the local maxima. We propose a novel method, multi-shelled QBI (MS-QBI), that gives a new ODF based on the moment of the probability density function of diffusion displacement. We test the accuracy of the fiber orientation indicated by the new ODF and test fiber tracking using the new ODF. We performed tests using numerical simulation. To test the accuracy of fiber orientation, we assumed that 2 fibers cross and evaluated the deviation of the measured crossing angle from the actual angle. To test the fiber tracking, we used a numerical phantom of the cerebral hemisphere containing the corpus callosum, projection fibers, and superior longitudinal fasciculus. In the tests, we compared the results between MS-QBI and conventional QBI under the condition of approximately equal total numbers of diffusion signal samplings between the 2 methods and chose the interpolation parameter such that the stabilities of the results of the angular deviation for the 2 methods were the same. The absolute value of the mean angular deviation was smaller in MS-QBI than in conventional QBI. Using the moment-based ODF improved the accuracy of fiber pathways in fiber tracking but maintained the stability of the results. MS-QBI can more accurately identify intravoxel multiple fiber orientations than can QBI, without increasing sampling number. The high accuracy of MS-QBI will contribute to the improved tractography. (author)

Modeling and optimization of cloud-ready and content-oriented networks

CERN Document Server

Walkowiak, Krzysztof

2016-01-01

This book focuses on modeling and optimization of cloud-ready and content-oriented networks in the context of different layers and accounts for specific constraints following from protocols and technologies used in a particular layer. It addresses a wide range of additional constraints important in contemporary networks, including various types of network flows, survivability issues, multi-layer networking, and resource location. The book presents recent existing and new results in a comprehensive and cohesive way. The contents of the book are organized in five chapters, which are mostly self-contained. Chapter 1 briefly presents information on cloud computing and content-oriented services, and introduces basic notions and concepts of network modeling and optimization. Chapter 2 covers various optimization problems that arise in the context of connection-oriented networks. Chapter 3 focuses on modeling and optimization of Elastic Optical Networks. Chapter 4 is devoted to overlay networks. The book concludes w...

Structure-independent cross-validation between residual dipolar couplings originating from internal and external orienting media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbieri, Renato; Bertini, Ivano; Lee, Yong-Min; Luchinat, Claudio; Velders, Aldrik H.

2002-01-01

Lanthanide-substituted calcium binding proteins are known to partially orient in high magnetic fields. Orientation provides residual dipolar couplings (rdc's). Two of these systems, Tm 3+ - and Dy 3+ -substituted calbindin D 9k , dissolved in an external orienting medium (nonionic liquid crystalline phase) provide rdc values which are the sum of those induced by the lanthanides and by the liquid crystalline phase on the native calcium binding protein. This structure-independent check shows the innocence of the orienting medium with respect to the structure of the protein in solution. Furthermore, the simultaneous use of lanthanide substitution and external orienting media provides a further effective tool to control and tune the orientation tensor

Towards Activity Context using Software Sensors

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Kamran Taj Pathan

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Service-Oriented Computing delivers the promise of configuring and reconfiguring software systems to address user's needs in a dynamic way. Context-aware computing promises to capture the user's needs and hence the requirements they have on systems. The marriage of both can deliver ad-hoc software solutions relevant to the user in the most current fashion. However, here it is a key to gather information on the users' activity (that is what they are doing. Traditionally any context sensing was conducted with hardware sensors. However, software can also play the same role and in some situations will be more useful to sense the activity of the user. Furthermore they can make use of the fact that Service-oriented systems exchange information through standard protocols. In this paper we discuss our proposed approach to sense the activity of the user making use of software.

Strategic orientation of communication professionals in Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhoeven, P.; Zerfass, A.; Tench, R.

2011-01-01

The strategic orientation of European communication professionals was one of the focal points of the European Communication Monitor (ECM) 2010, an annual survey among European communication professionals. In the context of the European way of doing business with the typical dialogical stakeholder

Retrograde Signaling from Progranulin to Sort1 Counteracts Synapse Elimination in the Developing Cerebellum.

Science.gov (United States)

Uesaka, Naofumi; Abe, Manabu; Konno, Kohtarou; Yamazaki, Maya; Sakoori, Kazuto; Watanabe, Takaki; Kao, Tzu-Huei; Mikuni, Takayasu; Watanabe, Masahiko; Sakimura, Kenji; Kano, Masanobu

2018-02-21

Elimination of redundant synapses formed early in development and strengthening of necessary connections are crucial for shaping functional neural circuits. Purkinje cells (PCs) in the neonatal cerebellum are innervated by multiple climbing fibers (CFs) with similar strengths. A single CF is strengthened whereas the other CFs are eliminated in each PC during postnatal development. The underlying mechanisms, particularly for the strengthening of single CFs, are poorly understood. Here we report that progranulin, a multi-functional growth factor implicated in the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia, strengthens developing CF synaptic inputs and counteracts their elimination from postnatal day 11 to 16. Progranulin derived from PCs acts retrogradely onto its putative receptor Sort1 on CFs. This effect is independent of semaphorin 3A, another retrograde signaling molecule that counteracts CF synapse elimination. We propose that progranulin-Sort1 signaling strengthens and maintains developing CF inputs, and may contribute to selection of single "winner" CFs that survive synapse elimination. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Weaving Action Learning into the Fabric of Manufacturing: The Impact of Humble Inquiry and Structured Reflection in a Cross-Cultural Context

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Luckman, Elizabeth A.

2017-01-01

This account of practice examines the implementation of and reactions to action learning through the Lean methodology in a unique, cross-cultural context. I review my time spent as a Lean coach; engaging with, training, and using action learning with employees in a garment manufacturing facility located in Bali, Indonesia. This research addresses…

Object-oriented Programming Laws for Annotated Java Programs

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Gabriel Falconieri Freitas

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Object-oriented programming laws have been proposed in the context of languages that are not combined with a behavioral interface specification language (BISL. The strong dependence between source-code and interface specifications may cause a number of difficulties when transforming programs. In this paper we introduce a set of programming laws for object-oriented languages like Java combined with the Java Modeling Language (JML. The set of laws deals with object-oriented features taking into account their specifications. Some laws deal only with features of the specification language. These laws constitute a set of small transformations for the development of more elaborate ones like refactorings.

Sex and Age Differences in Achievement Goal Orientations in Turkish Adolescents

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Sahin, Ertugrul; Topkaya, Nursel; Kürkçü, Recep

2016-01-01

Culture plays an important role in the achievement goal orientations of students, which may vary as they progress through their lifespan. However, research examining achievement goal orientations in the Turkish cultural context is scarce. Based on contextual and developmental theories, the aim of this study was to examine sex and age differences…

Evaluation des apports solaires a l'echelle d'un quartier urbain en periode de chauffe selon sa typologie, son orientation et sa latitude dans un contexte de densification de la ville

Science.gov (United States)

Chenard, Laurent

Mass urbanization is a major issue for town administrators. Population increase will have an impact on the quality of the environment for citizens. Government will have to take decisions to limit those effects. Green energies are part of the solution to reach fixed goals by the public administration for sustainable development. Passive solar energy is studied in this work in an urban canopy located in five different towns: San Francisco, Montreal, Bordeaux, Lyon and Stockholm. Passive solar energy is calculated in the heating season. Direct and diffuse solar radiation is considered by using the Perez model. Radiosity is not taken into account. Heating demand is calculated by the heating degree day method. Seven urban forms have been created to determine the amount of solar energy entering in every window of the urban canopy while taking into account urban context and forms. Optimal orientation of the canopy shows an increase of 5% of the passive solar radiation from original orientation, 180 degrees rotation from first orientation straight south. This value goes lower when stories are added to the urban context. A rotation of 90 degrees from the first orientation shows a decrease of 6 to 15% in solar passive gain. Densification of the urban canopy by adding stories to the buildings results in a loss up to 65% of the solar gain for the first story. It is showed that solar passive energy has a low ratio of 5% for space heating for old buildings, 1960 constructions. Today's buildings have a difference between passive solar energy and heating demand of 10 to 75% depending on the model and location.

A Christian educational perspective on the process oriented approach to intrinsic motivation

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Mechaéla Scott

1992-03-01

Full Text Available Within the classroom context, albeit school or university, intrinsic motivation can effectively be described and changed if a process-oriented approach is employed. The question is posed whether a process-oriented approach to motivation is acceptable to Christian education. To answer this question, intrinsic motivation and the process-oriented approach to motivation are described. A Christian view of self-knowledge and control, which are the main components of a process-oricnted approach to motivation, is subsequently given and the process-oriented approach to motivation is subjected to a Christian evaluation. The conclusions are drawn that this approach can fruitfully be used in Christian education, given that self-knowledge and control arc interpreted within the context of the concept of the student as God’s representative on earth and the fact that God equipped him adequately with cognitive, affective and conative abilities to respond to His call to discover, develop and rule the earth actively.

Gender differences in global-local perception? Evidence from orientation and shape judgments.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimchi, Ruth; Amishav, Rama; Sulitzeanu-Kenan, Anat

2009-01-01

Direct examinations of gender differences in global-local processing are sparse, and the results are inconsistent. We examined this issue with a visuospatial judgment task and with a shape judgment task. Women and men were presented with hierarchical stimuli that varied in closure (open or closed shape) or in line orientation (oblique or horizontal/vertical) at the global or local level. The task was to classify the stimuli on the basis of the variation at the global level (global classification) or at the local level (local classification). Women's classification by closure (global or local) was more accurate than men's for stimuli that varied in closure on both levels, suggesting a female advantage in discriminating shape properties. No gender differences were observed in global-local processing bias. Women and men exhibited a global advantage, and they did not differ in their speed of global or local classification, with only one exception. Women were slower than men in local classification by orientation when the to-be-classified lines were embedded in a global line with a different orientation. This finding suggests that women are more distracted than men by misleading global oriented context when performing local orientation judgments, perhaps because women and men differ in their ability to use cognitive schemes to compensate for the distracting effects of the global context. Our findings further suggest that whether or not gender differences arise depends not only on the nature of the visual task but also on the visual context.

Communication for end-of-life care planning among Korean patients with terminal cancer: A context-oriented model.

Science.gov (United States)

Koh, Su Jin; Kim, Shinmi; Kim, Jinshil

2016-02-01

In Korea, patients with terminal cancer are often caught out of the loop in end-of-life (EoL) care discussions. Healthcare professionals also have difficulty engaging in such communication in a variety of healthcare contexts. Therefore, the objective of our study was to develop a communication model for EoL care decision making compatible with the clinical environment in Korea. Using focus-group interview methodology, participants included eight doctors and five nurses who provide EoL care for terminal cancer patients in acute hospital settings or hospice care facilities in various provinces of Korea. Five themes emerged regarding EoL care discussion, which included: (1) timing, (2) responsible professionals, (3) disclosure of bad news, (4) content areas of EoL care discussion, and (5) implementing strategies for EoL care discussions. These themes were based on development of a communication algorithm for EoL discussion among patients with terminal cancer. A structural communication step for delivery of a terminal prognosis was specified at the phase of disclosure of bad news: beginning with determination of a patient's decision-making capability, followed by a patient's perception of his/her condition, a patient's wish to know, family dynamics, and a patient's and/or family's readiness for EoL discussions. The proposed context-oriented communication algorithm could provide a helpful guideline for EoL communication and, accordingly, facilitate meaningful improvements in EoL care in Korean clinical practice. The feasibility of this algorithm has not yet been determined, and its validation in a larger sample of patients with terminal cancers, using a quantitative research methodology, is a priority of research.

Does comorbid anxiety counteract emotion recognition deficits in conduct disorder?

Science.gov (United States)

Short, Roxanna M L; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J S; Adams, Wendy J; Fairchild, Graeme

2016-08-01

Previous research has reported altered emotion recognition in both conduct disorder (CD) and anxiety disorders (ADs) - but these effects appear to be of different kinds. Adolescents with CD often show a generalised pattern of deficits, while those with ADs show hypersensitivity to specific negative emotions. Although these conditions often cooccur, little is known regarding emotion recognition performance in comorbid CD+ADs. Here, we test the hypothesis that in the comorbid case, anxiety-related emotion hypersensitivity counteracts the emotion recognition deficits typically observed in CD. We compared facial emotion recognition across four groups of adolescents aged 12-18 years: those with CD alone (n = 28), ADs alone (n = 23), cooccurring CD+ADs (n = 20) and typically developing controls (n = 28). The emotion recognition task we used systematically manipulated the emotional intensity of facial expressions as well as fixation location (eye, nose or mouth region). Conduct disorder was associated with a generalised impairment in emotion recognition; however, this may have been modulated by group differences in IQ. AD was associated with increased sensitivity to low-intensity happiness, disgust and sadness. In general, the comorbid CD+ADs group performed similarly to typically developing controls. Although CD alone was associated with emotion recognition impairments, ADs and comorbid CD+ADs were associated with normal or enhanced emotion recognition performance. The presence of comorbid ADs appeared to counteract the effects of CD, suggesting a potentially protective role, although future research should examine the contribution of IQ and gender to these effects. © 2016 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Establishing a Formal Cross-Cultural Mentoring Organization and Program: A Case Study of International Student Mentor Association in a Higher Education Context

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sewon; Egan, Toby

2011-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to offer potential insight regarding formal cross-cultural mentoring organization and program development in higher education contexts and beyond, by elaborating regarding the founding and programmatic efforts of an International Student Mentor Association (ISMA) at a large university in North America.…

Seeing More by Showing Less: Orientation-Dependent Transparency Rendering for Fiber Tractography Visualization.

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Chantal M W Tax

Full Text Available Fiber tractography plays an important role in exploring the architectural organization of fiber trajectories, both in fundamental neuroscience and in clinical applications. With the advent of diffusion MRI (dMRI approaches that can also model "crossing fibers", the complexity of the fiber network as reconstructed with tractography has increased tremendously. Many pathways interdigitate and overlap, which hampers an unequivocal 3D visualization of the network and impedes an efficient study of its organization. We propose a novel fiber tractography visualization approach that interactively and selectively adapts the transparency rendering of fiber trajectories as a function of their orientation to enhance the visibility of the spatial context. More specifically, pathways that are oriented (locally or globally along a user-specified opacity axis can be made more transparent or opaque. This substantially improves the 3D visualization of the fiber network and the exploration of tissue configurations that would otherwise be largely covered by other pathways. We present examples of fiber bundle extraction and neurosurgical planning cases where the added benefit of our new visualization scheme is demonstrated over conventional fiber visualization approaches.

Gemcitabine-induced CXCL8 expression counteracts its actions by inducing tumor neovascularization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Yao; Baba, Tomohisa; Li, Ying-Yi; Furukawa, Kaoru; Tanabe, Yamato; Matsugo, Seiichi; Sasaki, Soichiro; Mukaida, Naofumi

2015-01-01

Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are frequently complicated with metastatic disease or locally advanced tumors, and consequently need chemotherapy. Gemcitabine is commonly used for PDAC treatment, but with limited efficacy. The capacity of gemcitabine to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human pancreatic cancer cells, prompted us to examine its effects on the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. We observed that gemcitabine enhanced selectively the expression of CXCL8 in human pancreatic cancer cells through ROS generation and NF-κB activation. In vitro blocking of CXCL8 failed to modulate gemcitabine-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation in human pancreatic cancer cells. Gemcitabine also enhanced CXCL8 expression in pancreatic cancer cells in xenografted tumor tissues. Moreover, anti-CXCL8 antibody treatment in vivo attenuated tumor formation as well as intra-tumoral vascularity in nude mice, which were transplanted with Miapaca-2 cells and treated with gemcitabine. Thus, gemcitabine-induced CXCL8 may counteract the drug through inducing neovascularization. - Highlights: • Gemcitabine induced CXCL8 expression in human pancreatic cancer cells. • CXCL8 expression required ROS generation and NF-κB activation. • CXCL8 did not affect in vitro proliferation of human pancreatic cancer cells. • CXCL8 in vivo counteracted gemcitabine by inducing neovascularization

Gemcitabine-induced CXCL8 expression counteracts its actions by inducing tumor neovascularization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Yao; Baba, Tomohisa [Division of Molecular Bioregulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan); Li, Ying-Yi [Cancer Research Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai (China); Furukawa, Kaoru; Tanabe, Yamato [Division of Molecular Bioregulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan); School of Natural System Bioengineering Course, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa (Japan); Matsugo, Seiichi [School of Natural System Bioengineering Course, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa (Japan); Sasaki, Soichiro [Division of Molecular Bioregulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan); Mukaida, Naofumi, E-mail: mukaida@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp [Division of Molecular Bioregulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 (Japan)

2015-03-06

Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are frequently complicated with metastatic disease or locally advanced tumors, and consequently need chemotherapy. Gemcitabine is commonly used for PDAC treatment, but with limited efficacy. The capacity of gemcitabine to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human pancreatic cancer cells, prompted us to examine its effects on the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. We observed that gemcitabine enhanced selectively the expression of CXCL8 in human pancreatic cancer cells through ROS generation and NF-κB activation. In vitro blocking of CXCL8 failed to modulate gemcitabine-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation in human pancreatic cancer cells. Gemcitabine also enhanced CXCL8 expression in pancreatic cancer cells in xenografted tumor tissues. Moreover, anti-CXCL8 antibody treatment in vivo attenuated tumor formation as well as intra-tumoral vascularity in nude mice, which were transplanted with Miapaca-2 cells and treated with gemcitabine. Thus, gemcitabine-induced CXCL8 may counteract the drug through inducing neovascularization. - Highlights: • Gemcitabine induced CXCL8 expression in human pancreatic cancer cells. • CXCL8 expression required ROS generation and NF-κB activation. • CXCL8 did not affect in vitro proliferation of human pancreatic cancer cells. • CXCL8 in vivo counteracted gemcitabine by inducing neovascularization.

Ethics-oriented Learning in Environmental Education Workplaces ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In the context of increasing national and global environmental challenges and their implications for the working world, new ethics and practices are being introduced into workplaces that take better account of socio-ecological relations. Little is understood, however, about the nature of ethics-oriented workplace learning.

Realizing good care within a context of cross-cultural diversity: an ethical guideline for healthcare organizations in Flanders, Belgium.

Science.gov (United States)

Denier, Yvonne; Gastmans, Chris

2013-09-01

In our globalizing world, health care professionals and organizations increasingly experience cross-cultural challenges in care relationships, which give rise to ethical questions regarding "the right thing to do" in such situations. For the time being, the international literature lacks examples of elaborated ethical guidelines for cross-cultural healthcare on the organizational level. As such, the ethical responsibility of healthcare organizations in realizing cross-cultural care remains underexposed. This paper aims to fill this gap by offering a case-study that illustrates the bioethical practice on a large-scale organizational level by presenting the ethical guideline developed in the period 2007-2011 by the Ethics Committee of Zorgnet Vlaanderen, a Christian-inspired umbrella organization for over 500 social profit healthcare organizations in Flanders, Belgium. The guideline offers an ethical framework within which fundamental ethical values are being analyzed within the context of cross-cultural care. The case study concludes with implications for healthcare practice on four different levels: (1) the level of the healthcare organization, (2) staff, (3) care receivers, and (4) the level of care supply. The study combines content-based ethics with process-based benchmarks. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Ensemble Artifact Design For Context Sensitive Decision Support

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shah J Miah

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Although an improvement of design knowledge is an essential goal of design research, current design research predominantly focuses on knowledge concerning the IT artifact (tool design process, rather than a more holistic understanding encompassing the dynamic usage contexts of a technological artifact. Conceptualising a design in context as an “ensemble artifact” (Sein et al., 2011 provides the basis for a more rigorous treatment. This paper describes an IS artifact design framework that has been generated from the development of several practitioner-oriented decision support systems (DSS in which contextual aspects relevant to practitioners’ decision making are considered as integral design themes. We describe five key dimensions of an ensemble artifact design and show their value in designing practitioner-oriented DSS. The features are user centredness, knowledge sharing, situation-specific customisation, reduced model orientation, and practice based secondary design abilities. It is argued that this understanding can contribute to design research knowledge more effectively both to develop dynamic DSS, and by its extensibility to other artifact designs.

Navigating cross-media news use

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Swart, Joëlle; Peters, Chris; Broersma, Marcel

2017-01-01

distinctive cross-media repertoires, and what makes these compositions meaningful. This article analyzes the value of different platforms, genres and practices in everyday life by mapping patterns of cross-media news use. Combining Q methodology with think-aloud protocols and day-in-the-life-interviews, five...... distinct news media repertoires are identified: 1) regionally-oriented 2) background-oriented 3) digital 4) laid-back and 5) nationally-oriented news use. Our findings indicate that users do not always use what they prefer, nor do they prefer what they use. Moreover, the boundaries they draw between news......The current news media landscape is characterized by an abundance of digital outlets and increased opportunities for users to navigate news themselves. Yet, it is still unclear how people negotiate this fluctuating environment to decide which news media to select or ignore, how they assemble...

Homophobia or sexism? A systematic review of prejudice against nonheterosexual orientation in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Angelo Brandelli; Peroni, Rodrigo Oliva; Bandeira, Denise Ruschel; Nardi, Henrique Caetano

2013-01-01

Since it was coined in the 1970s, in the United States, the term "homophobia" has been invoked to define the prejudice against nonheterosexual orientation. Besides the US, the phenomenon has been detected in many contemporary societies, including Brazil. Prejudice against nonheterosexual orientation is strongly associated with the historical and social contexts in which it is embedded, which means that the term should not be used without a clear definition of its local specificities. This applies to the recent debate around homophobia in the Brazilian context. In an attempt to identify existing studies of prejudice against nonheterosexual orientations in Brazil, a systematic review was conducted in SciELO indexes, PubMed, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. The articles were collected using the keyword "homophobia" and related terms, and "Brazil", in the languages of the databases. The search returned 355 articles. Of these, 247 were removed because they were duplicates. The abstracts of 109 studies published between 1973 and 2011were analyzed. Thirty-one articles were identified as relevant. The reviewed studies indicate that prejudice against nonheterosexual orientations is an evident and widespread phenomenon that is prevalent in various populations and contexts. Nevertheless, prejudice in Brazil is not homogeneous, and particular attention is necessary to the inequality of gender relations (sexism) and prejudice against gender nonconformity, which seem to explain, if not cause, most of the prejudice against nonheterosexual orientations. Although theoretically there is a clear distinction between sexual orientation and gender expression, from the standpoint of manifestation of prejudice that distinction seems to be more tenuous.

Regulating Rumination by Anger: Evidence for the Mutual Promotion and Counteraction (MPMC Theory of Emotionality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Zhan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Unlike the strategy of cognitive regulation that relies heavily on the top-down control function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC, which was recently found may be critically impaired in stressful situations, traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine views different types of emotionality as having mutual promotion and counteraction (MPMC relationships, implying a novel approach that requires less cognition to emotional regulation. Actually, our previous studies have indicated that anger responses could be successfully regulated via the induction of sadness, and this efficiency could not be influenced by stress, thus providing evidences for the hypothesis of “sadness counteracts anger” (SCA proposed by the MPMC theory of emotionality (Zhan et al., 2015, 2017. In this study, we experimentally examined the MPMC hypothesis that “anger counteracts rumination” (ACR which postulates that rumination may be alleviated by the anger emotion. In Study 1, all participants were initially caused state rumination and then induced anger, joy or neutral mood, the results showed that the rumination-related affect was alleviated after anger induction relative to that after joy or neutral mood induction. In Study 2, female participants with high trait rumination were recruited and divided into two groups for exposure to an anger or neutral emotion intervention, the result indicated that the anger intervention group exhibited a greater decline in trait rumination than the neutral emotion intervention group. These findings provided preliminary evidence supporting the hypothesis of ACR, which suggested a new strategy that employs less cognitive resources to regulating state and trait rumination by inducing anger.

Regulating Rumination by Anger: Evidence for the Mutual Promotion and Counteraction (MPMC) Theory of Emotionality

Science.gov (United States)

Zhan, Jun; Tang, Fan; He, Mei; Fan, Jin; Xiao, Jing; Liu, Chang; Luo, Jing

2017-01-01

Unlike the strategy of cognitive regulation that relies heavily on the top-down control function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which was recently found may be critically impaired in stressful situations, traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine views different types of emotionality as having mutual promotion and counteraction (MPMC) relationships, implying a novel approach that requires less cognition to emotional regulation. Actually, our previous studies have indicated that anger responses could be successfully regulated via the induction of sadness, and this efficiency could not be influenced by stress, thus providing evidences for the hypothesis of “sadness counteracts anger” (SCA) proposed by the MPMC theory of emotionality (Zhan et al., 2015, 2017). In this study, we experimentally examined the MPMC hypothesis that “anger counteracts rumination” (ACR) which postulates that rumination may be alleviated by the anger emotion. In Study 1, all participants were initially caused state rumination and then induced anger, joy or neutral mood, the results showed that the rumination-related affect was alleviated after anger induction relative to that after joy or neutral mood induction. In Study 2, female participants with high trait rumination were recruited and divided into two groups for exposure to an anger or neutral emotion intervention, the result indicated that the anger intervention group exhibited a greater decline in trait rumination than the neutral emotion intervention group. These findings provided preliminary evidence supporting the hypothesis of ACR, which suggested a new strategy that employs less cognitive resources to regulating state and trait rumination by inducing anger. PMID:29249998

Maldistribution in air-water heat pump evaporators. Part 2: Economic analysis of counteracting technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mader, Gunda; Palm, Björn; Elmegaard, Brian

2015-01-01

maldistribution,high electricity prices, and colder climate. Investment in the individual superheat controltechnology, however, can be quickly amortized in many scenarios. For the warmer climatezone with a small number of operating hours counteracting of maldistribution does notpay off under the used economic...... assumptions.© 2014 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved....

Nuclear orientation experiments on the magnetic moments of europium and gadolinium nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, F.G. van den.

1984-01-01

In this thesis, experimental results on the ground state nuclear magnetic moments of europium and gadolinium isotopes are presented. The nuclear orientation experiments were performed on europium and gadolinium nuclei embedded in several host lattices. Attention is paid to the hyperfine interactions of the ions. Nuclear moments are discussed in the context of nuclear shell model. The theoretical framework is described for nuclear structure and low temperature nuclear orientation. Furthermore, the experimental techniques, the technical arrangement of the orientation apparatus, the methods for radiative detection and the use of nuclear orientation thermometry are described. (Auth.)

A Christian educational perspective on the process oriented approach to intrinsic motivation

OpenAIRE

Mechaéla Scott

1992-01-01

Within the classroom context, albeit school or university, intrinsic motivation can effectively be described and changed if a process-oriented approach is employed. The question is posed whether a process-oriented approach to motivation is acceptable to Christian education. To answer this question, intrinsic motivation and the process-oriented approach to motivation are described. A Christian view of self-knowledge and control, which are the main components of a process-oricnted approach to m...

Equity-Oriented Monitoring in the Context of Universal Health Coverage

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseinpoor, Ahmad Reza; Bergen, Nicole; Koller, Theadora; Prasad, Amit; Schlotheuber, Anne; Valentine, Nicole; Lynch, John; Vega, Jeanette

2014-01-01

Monitoring inequalities in health is fundamental to the equitable and progressive realization of universal health coverage (UHC). A successful approach to global inequality monitoring must be intuitive enough for widespread adoption, yet maintain technical credibility. This article discusses methodological considerations for equity-oriented monitoring of UHC, and proposes recommendations for monitoring and target setting. Inequality is multidimensional, such that the extent of inequality may vary considerably across different dimensions such as economic status, education, sex, and urban/rural residence. Hence, global monitoring should include complementary dimensions of inequality (such as economic status and urban/rural residence) as well as sex. For a given dimension of inequality, subgroups for monitoring must be formulated taking into consideration applicability of the criteria across countries and subgroup heterogeneity. For economic-related inequality, we recommend forming subgroups as quintiles, and for urban/rural inequality we recommend a binary categorization. Inequality spans populations, thus appropriate approaches to monitoring should be based on comparisons between two subgroups (gap approach) or across multiple subgroups (whole spectrum approach). When measuring inequality absolute and relative measures should be reported together, along with disaggregated data; inequality should be reported alongside the national average. We recommend targets based on proportional reductions in absolute inequality across populations. Building capacity for health inequality monitoring is timely, relevant, and important. The development of high-quality health information systems, including data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting practices that are linked to review and evaluation cycles across health systems, will enable effective global and national health inequality monitoring. These actions will support equity-oriented progressive realization of UHC

Counteracting media’s thin body ideal in adolescent girls: informing is more effective than warning.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veldhuis, J.; Konijn, E.A.; Seidell, J.C.

2014-01-01

The present study investigated whether information or warnings about depictions of the thin-body ideal in mass media are effective in counteracting media-induced negative body perceptions of adolescent girls. Based on counter-advertising and reactance theories, our hypotheses were tested in a 3

Adolescents' Orientation Toward the Future: Sex Role Differentiation in a Sociocultural Context.

Science.gov (United States)

Seginer, Rachel

1988-01-01

Tested the future orientation of 228 Jewish and Arab adolescents. Results supported the hypothesized instrumental-expressive division between Jewish males and females and the primacy of higher education for Arab females; these gender differences are sustained by the developmental settings of Jewish and Arab adolescents. (Author/BJV)

Empowerment and its implementation in the process of counteracting the phenomenon of youth and adult social exclusion – report on participation in an international project under the 2014-2016 Erasmus + Strategic Partnership project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jolanta Jarczyńska

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is to describe the empowerment process and its implementation in social work in the context of counteracting social exclusion in youth and adults based on the example of the project carried out in the years 2014-2016, titled: “Development of the empowerment of educators and beneficiaries in the field of youth at risk and social exclusion”, co-financed from European Union funds within the Erasmus + programme, Action 2: Strategic partnership of professional teaching and training, Grant No. 2014-1-FR01-KA2026-008728. The English language concept category of empowerment, which does not have a satisfactory equivalent term in the Polish language, was operationalised in this article. The essence of empowerment in the context of social work was described in the article, pointing to its significance mainly in the scope of counteracting the process of youth and adult social exclusion. Furthermore, the main assumptions of the implemented international project were set out in the ambit of the development of the empowerment of educators as well as of beneficiaries working with persons at risk of social exclusion, and the relationship and reflections of one of the project participants were also shown. An attempt was made in the article on the basis of the experiences gathered within the performance of the international research project to assess the course of the empowerment process and its usefulness in searching for solutions for educational practices in the domain of the social exclusion phenomenon.

Interlimb Transfer of Grasp Orientation is Asymmetrical

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor Frak

2006-01-01

Full Text Available One the most fundamental aspects of the human motor system is the hemispheric asymmetry seen in behavioral specialization. Hemispheric dominance can be inferred by a contralateral hand preference in grasping. Few studies have considered grasp orientation in the context of manual lateralization and none has looked at grasp orientation with natural prehension. Thirty right-handed adults performed precision grasps of a cylinder using the thumb and index fingers, and the opposition axis (OA was defined as the line connecting these two contact points on the cylinder. Subjects made ten consecutive grasps with one hand (primary hand movements followed by ten grasps with the other hand (trailing movements. Differences between primary and trailing grasps revealed that each hemisphere is capable of programming the orientation of the OA and that primary movements with the right hand significantly influenced OA orientation of the trailing left hand. These results extend the hemispheric dominance of the left hemisphere to the final positions of fingers during prehension.

Alcohol misuse, drinking contexts and intimate partner violence in St. Petersburg, Russia: results from a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Skochilov Roman V

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Alcohol misuse has been linked to intimate partner violence (IPV. However, this association is not usually examined in Russia. Moreover, more investigation is required as to whether specific drinking contexts are also associated with IPV. The objectives of this study are: to investigate whether alcohol misuse is associated with IPV and to further examine whether specific drinking contexts among drinkers are associated with IPV. Methods A questionnaire was used to collect information on demographics, health status, alcohol use, and violence involving sexual partners among 440 participants who were recruited from an STI (sexually transmitted infection clinic center in St. Petersburg, Russia for a cross-sectional study from 2008 to 2009. Multivariate logistic regression was used for analysis. Results Overall, 47.0% participants were classified as misusing alcohol and 7.2% participants perpetrated IPV in the past three months. Participants with alcohol misuse were 3.28 times (OR: 3.28; 95% CI: 1.34-8.04 as likely as those without alcohol misuse to perpetrate IPV. Among participants who had consumed alcohol in the past three months, those who usually drank on the streets or in parks (OR: 5.62; 95% CI: 1.67-18.90 were more likely to perpetrate IPV. Conclusions Both alcohol misuse and certain drinking contexts (e.g., drinking on the streets or at parks were associated with IPV. The association between drinking contexts and IPV needs further investigation, as do the underlying mechanisms for this association. IPV prevention initiatives might benefit from reducing alcohol misuse. Drinking contexts such as drinking on the streets or at parks as well as the factors related to the use of alcohol in these contexts may also need to be addressed.

Single molecule fluorescence image patterns linked to dipole orientation and axial position: application to myosin cross-bridges in muscle fibers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas P Burghardt

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Photoactivatable fluorescent probes developed specifically for single molecule detection extend advantages of single molecule imaging to high probe density regions of cells and tissues. They perform in the native biomolecule environment and have been used to detect both probe position and orientation.Fluorescence emission from a single photoactivated probe captured in an oil immersion, high numerical aperture objective, produces a spatial pattern on the detector that is a linear combination of 6 independent and distinct spatial basis patterns with weighting coefficients specifying emission dipole orientation. Basis patterns are tabulated for single photoactivated probes labeling myosin cross-bridges in a permeabilized muscle fiber undergoing total internal reflection illumination. Emitter proximity to the glass/aqueous interface at the coverslip implies the dipole near-field and dipole power normalization are significant affecters of the basis patterns. Other characteristics of the basis patterns are contributed by field polarization rotation with transmission through the microscope optics and refraction by the filter set. Pattern recognition utilized the generalized linear model, maximum likelihood fitting, for Poisson distributed uncertainties. This fitting method is more appropriate for treating low signal level photon counting data than χ(2 minimization.Results indicate that emission dipole orientation is measurable from the intensity image except for the ambiguity under dipole inversion. The advantage over an alternative method comparing two measured polarized emission intensities using an analyzing polarizer is that information in the intensity spatial distribution provides more constraints on fitted parameters and a single image provides all the information needed. Axial distance dependence in the emission pattern is also exploited to measure relative probe position near focus. Single molecule images from axial scanning fitted

A memory advantage for past-oriented over future-oriented performance feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, Robert A; Winstone, Naomi E; Gregory, Samantha E A; Papps, Emily

2018-03-05

People frequently receive performance feedback that describes how well they achieved in the past, and how they could improve in future. In educational contexts, future-oriented (directive) feedback is often argued to be more valuable to learners than past-oriented (evaluative) feedback; critically, prior research led us to predict that it should also be better remembered. We tested this prediction in six experiments. Subjects read written feedback containing evaluative and directive comments, which supposedly related to essays they had previously written (Experiments 1-2), or to essays another person had written (Experiments 3-6). Subjects then tried to reproduce the feedback from memory after a short delay. In all six experiments, the data strongly revealed the opposite effect to the one we predicted: despite only small differences in wording, evaluative feedback was in fact recalled consistently better than directive feedback. Furthermore, even when adult subjects did recall directive feedback, they frequently misremembered it in an evaluative style. These findings appear at odds with the position that being oriented toward the future is advantageous to memory. They also raise important questions about the possible behavioral effects and generalizability of such biases, in terms of students' academic performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Current means for raising efficiency of counteraction to counterfeit goods trafficking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dronova O.B.

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The urgency of counteraction to counterfeit goods trafficking is shown. Annual loss due to counterfeit goods producing and trafficking reaches several billion dollars. There remains a danger of buying low-quality and counterfeit goods despite implementing new producing techniques and protective elements. Measures, taken by law enforcement agencies, state authorities and public human rights organizations have not led to systematic suppression of producing and trafficking of such goods. Creation of new information and reference resource, containing information blocks of protective symbols on goods and packages and illustrated materials comprising patterns of discovered counterfeit goods, can assist to increase public awareness and to give necessary information to law enforcement agencies. Organizations, realizing state and social protection of consumers and entrepreneurs, along with producers, rightholders’ representatives and law enforcement bodies can accept the responsibility of creating and functioning this information and reference system in the Internet. Such level of cooperation of all interested organizations will allow to raise efficiency of measures for counteraction to trafficking goods with violated consumer properties. The author proves the necessity to organize functioning of information and reference resource for a wide range of users. Operation of such resource should comply with main principles of generating any information resource, notably full scale, authenticity and relevance of information. The author proposes the algorithm of creating such system which provides cooperation of law enforcement agencies, producers and consumers for the purpose of preventing counterfeit goods trafficking and investigating committed crimes.

The condition of counteraction to administrative corruption offenses in state authorities and local government

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

О. В. Клок

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Article discusses questions dedicated to the analysis of the condition of counteraction to administrative corruption offenses in Ukraine. The statistical information on the dynamics, structure, specific gravity, cost and latency of the administrative corruption is researched. The most effective measures against corrupt practices at the state and municipal service are drawn.

market orientation and firm performance in ghana's pharmaceutical

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

1Department of Marketing and Corporate Strategy, School of Business, KNUST, ... The study examined the relationship between market orientation and performance in the phar- ... economy context and in a multi-strata approach. ... ented organization experiences superior per- ... compatibility with customer needs (Appiah-.

Quantum system under the actions of two counteracting baths: A model for the attenuation-amplification interplay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorenzen, F.; Moussa, M. H. Y.; Ponte, M. A. de; Almeida, N. G. de

2009-01-01

We analyze the dynamical behavior of a quantum system under the actions of two counteracting baths: the inevitable energy draining reservoir and, in opposition, exciting the system, an engineered Glauber's amplifier. We follow the system dynamics towards equilibrium to map its distinctive behavior arising from the interplay of attenuation and amplification. Such a mapping, with the corresponding parameter regimes, is achieved by calculating the evolution of both the excitation and the Glauber-Sudarshan P function. Techniques to compute the decoherence and the fidelity of quantum states under the action of both counteracting baths, based on the Wigner function rather than the density matrix, are also presented. They enable us to analyze the similarity of the evolved state vector of the system with respect to the original one, for all regimes of parameters. Applications of this attenuation-amplification interplay are discussed.

The Extent of Implementation of Orientation Programme among ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

Ogbiji, J. E. - Department of Educational Foundations and. Administration, Cross ... The co-curricular services include registration and orientation of student, enrolment ... The school and the new students stand to derive immense benefits from.

The Impact of Value-Orientations on Cross-cultural Encounters and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

encounters and mediation in the Tanzanian educational system. The purpose of the article is to give an emic perspective on value-orientations in crosscultural encounters and mediation situations in the educational system, to improve understanding of the conflictive aspects of these encounters. To achieve this purpose, the ...

Success Counteracting Tobacco Company Interference in Thailand: An Example of FCTC Implementation for Low- and Middle-income Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen L. Hamann

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Transnational tobacco companies (TTCs interfere regularly in policymaking in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs. The WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control provides mechanisms and guidance for dealing with TTC interference, but many countries still face ‘how to’ challenges of implementation. For more than two decades, Thailand’s public health community has been developing a system for identifying and counteracting strategies TTCs use to derail, delay and undermine tobacco control policymaking. Consequently, Thailand has already implemented most of the FCTC guidelines for counteracting TTC interference. In this study, our aims are to describe strategies TTCs have used in Thailand to interfere in policymaking, and to examine how the public health community in Thailand has counteracted TTC interference. We analyzed information reported by three groups with a stake in tobacco control policies: Thai tobacco control advocates, TTCs, and international tobacco control experts. To identify TTC viewpoints and strategies, we also extracted information from internal tobacco industry documents. We synthesized these data and identified six core strategies TTCs use to interfere in tobacco control policymaking: (1 doing business with ‘two faces’, (2 seeking to influence people in high places, (3 ‘buying’ advocates in grassroots organizations, (4 putting up a deceptive front, (5 intimidation, and (6 undermining controls on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. We present three case examples showing where TTCs have employed multiple interference strategies simultaneously, and showing how Thai tobacco control advocates have successfully counteracted those strategies by: (1 conducting vigilant surveillance, (2 excluding tobacco companies from policymaking, (3 restricting tobacco company sales, (4 sustaining pressure, and (5 dedicating resources to the effective enforcement of regulations. Policy implications from this study are

Dynamics of molecular stereochemistry via oriented molecule scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, D.H.; Jalink, H.; Stolte, S.

1987-01-01

Crossed-beam reactive scattering experiments employing electrostatic hexapole fields to control the initial collision geometry of chemical reactions are described. New results are presented on the reactions of oriented NO with ozone and oriented N 2 O with Ba. Preliminary results are also given for the oriented CH 3 F + Ca* → CaF* + CH 3 reaction. Recent technical advances in state selection and product detection are detailed. They discuss the effects of rotational coupling and nonzero impact parameters in changing the molecular precollisions orientation selected by the hexapole fields to a different in-collision orientation at the moment of impact with the reaction partner. Uncoupling of l doubling in N 2 O at strong orientation fields is demonstrated via the observed reactive anisotropy. Steric effects are found to govern many aspects of the reactions investigated thus far. Strong correlations are observed of the reactivity, product recoil, and rotational angular momentum distributions with the collisional orientation. These correlations ultimately provide information on the anisotropic part of the reaction potential energy surface. They conclude with a brief outline of possible future directions in oriented molecule scattering

Strategies used to counteract bullying in schools : a comparative study / Wendy Batterbee

OpenAIRE

Batterbee, Wendy Ann

2007-01-01

This is an in-depth comparative study of the strategies used to counteract bullying at schools. It provides an international perspective on such strategies: Studies in South African schools are used to provide an African perspective: Australian research is used to provide an Oceanian perspective: Japanese research to provide an Asian perspective; and research conducted in England is used to provide an European perspective on bullying at schools. The extent and nature of bullying in schools...

[Vocational orientation in medical rehabilitation: development of a practice handbook and a homepage as user-oriented media for rehabilitative practice].

Science.gov (United States)

Lukasczik, M; Löffler, S; Gerlich, C; Wolf, H-D; Neuderth, S

2011-06-01

Vocational orientation in medical rehabilitation has become an important issue in rehabilitation science and practice in Germany. Although a variety of vocationally oriented interventions has been developed in recent years, there is still a lack of consensus with regard to the definition of specific types of interventions as well as relevant criteria (e. g., methods; instruments; duration/frequency; patient groups). Building on preliminary definitions, basic types of vocationally oriented measures/interventions were conceptually modified and refined in the context of a consensual process. 39 experts of various professions were contacted during a 2-stage Delphi survey to evaluate existing definitions of vocationally oriented interventions using key questions. Standardized descriptions of 5 vocationally oriented basic interventions were specified in cooperation with an interdisciplinary panel of experts. Descriptions were published in a workbook and a homepage for researchers and clinicians, which also contain information on the implementation of measures into rehabilitative care as well as good practice examples. The media developed in this project may contribute to the transfer of research results on vocationally oriented rehabilitation into health care practice. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Rotation invariant eigenvessels and auto-context for retinal vessel detection

Science.gov (United States)

Montuoro, Alessio; Simader, Christian; Langs, Georg; Schmidt-Erfurth, Ursula

2015-03-01

Retinal vessels are one of the few anatomical landmarks that are clearly visible in various imaging modalities of the eye. As they are also relatively invariant to disease progression, retinal vessel segmentation allows cross-modal and temporal registration enabling exact diagnosing for various eye diseases like diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy or age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Due to the clinical significance of retinal vessels many different approaches for segmentation have been published in the literature. In contrast to other segmentation approaches our method is not specifically tailored to the task of retinal vessel segmentation. Instead we utilize a more general image classification approach and show that this can achieve comparable results. In the proposed method we utilize the concepts of eigenfaces and auto-context. Eigenfaces have been described quite extensively in the literature and their performance is well known. They are however quite sensitive to translation and rotation. The former was addressed by computing the eigenvessels in local image windows of different scales, the latter by estimating and correcting the local orientation. Auto-context aims to incorporate automatically generated context information into the training phase of classification approaches. It has been shown to improve the performance of spinal cord segmentation4 and 3D brain image segmentation. The proposed method achieves an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of Az = 0.941 on the DRIVE data set, being comparable to current state-of-the-art approaches.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Vif N-Terminal Residues Selectively Counteract Feline APOBEC3s.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Qinyong; Zhang, Zeli; Cano Ortiz, Lucía; Franco, Ana Cláudia; Häussinger, Dieter; Münk, Carsten

2016-12-01

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) Vif protein counteracts feline APOBEC3s (FcaA3s) restriction factors by inducing their proteasomal degradation. The functional domains in FIV Vif for interaction with FcaA3s are poorly understood. Here, we have identified several motifs in FIV Vif that are important for selective degradation of different FcaA3s. Cats (Felis catus) express three types of A3s: single-domain A3Z2, single-domain A3Z3, and double-domain A3Z2Z3. We proposed that FIV Vif would selectively interact with the Z2 and the Z3 A3s. Indeed, we identified two N-terminal Vif motifs (12LF13 and 18GG19) that specifically interacted with the FcaA3Z2 protein but not with A3Z3. In contrast, the exclusive degradation of FcaA3Z3 was regulated by a region of three residues (M24, L25, and I27). Only a FIV Vif carrying a combination of mutations from both interaction sites lost the capacity to degrade and counteract FcaA3Z2Z3. However, alterations in the specific A3s interaction sites did not affect the cellular localization of the FIV Vif protein and binding to feline A3s. Pulldown experiments demonstrated that the A3 binding region localized to FIV Vif residues 50 to 80, outside the specific A3 interaction domain. Finally, we found that the Vif sites specific to individual A3s are conserved in several FIV lineages of domestic cat and nondomestic cats, while being absent in the FIV Vif of pumas. Our data support a complex model of multiple Vif-A3 interactions in which the specific region for selective A3 counteraction is discrete from a general A3 binding domain. Both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) Vif proteins counteract their host's APOBEC3 restriction factors. However, these two Vif proteins have limited sequence homology. The molecular interaction between FIV Vif and feline APOBEC3s are not well understood. Here, we identified N-terminal FIV Vif sites that regulate the selective interaction of Vif with either feline APOBEC3Z

Forms of the criminal environment counteraction to performing the function of state protection of participants in criminal proceedings and measures of its neutralization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dubonosov E.S.

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Criminal environment’s counteraction is considered as purposeful, active and intentional influence of its representatives on participants in criminal proceedings. It is directed at persons who, due to their professional duties, are involved in detection and investigation of crimes as well as court proceedings, or who possess evidentiary information (witnesses, victims, etc.. Counteraction may be expressed in different ways: discrediting operatives, investigators and judges; pressure on persons involved in the investigation and the trial through bribery, blackmail, threats to life and health of themselves and their family, etc. The administration of justice becomes inefficient due to the variety of forms and purposes of counteraction. The importance of operational units’ awareness of the activities of criminal environment representatives is shown. The importance of revealing the facts of unlawful influence on witnesses and victims of crime, who subsequently acquire procedural status of witnesses and victims, in order to prevent such facts is also stressed. It is proposed to suppress the counteraction of criminal environment by following ways: 1 identifying (with the help of informants and by crime detection actions the persons attempting to influence the preliminary investigation; 2 documenting the suspects actions aimed at illegal influence on participants in criminal proceedings for the purpose of conducting the procedural actions and decision making; 3 “in cell” (using an agent crime detection actions against detainees and arrestees throughout the whole process of covert operation; 4 creating investigative team to develop a common mechanism to neutralize criminal environment’s counteraction to crime investigation.

A Case for Relational Leadership and an Ethics of Care for Counteracting Bullying at Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Smit, Brigitte; Scherman, Vanessa

2016-01-01

This paper attends to a theoretical exposition of relational leadership and ethics care as complementary approaches to educational leadership in counteracting bullying at schools. Schools constitute complex systems of activities, processes and dynamics. More specifically, a social system in schools is a web of interactions between the various…

Oriented collision between 15B and 12C studied within Glauber model using microscopically calculated densities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Vishal; Modi, Swati; Arumugam, P.

2017-01-01

Recent advancements in accelerator technology and polarized beams have created opportunities to study oriented collisions of deformed targets. We extend the Glauber model to calculate the interaction cross section for a spherical projectile and a deformed target at different orientation angles of the target. It has been found that the observed reaction cross sections of various systems at high energies can be reproduced with this model. We have used the relativistic mean field (RMF) theory to find the density distribution of nucleons in the projectile and target which are utilised in the Glauber model. We present the variation of interaction cross section of target and projectile with the orientation of deformed target

Aspect oriented service composition for telecommunication applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niemöller, Jörg

2016-01-01

This PhD dissertation investigates how to overcome the negative effects of cross cutting concerns in the development of composite service applications. It proposes a combination of dynamic aspect oriented programming with a rules driven service composition mechanism. This combination allows very

ORIENTATION TOWARD CUSTOMER FOR PUBLIC FOOD SERVICE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LIVIU ILIE FACALEATA

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In the context of accelerated economic globalization and hyper global competition, companies must have a high degree of orientation in the market, to know and respond quickly to volatile markets. In this context, the public food field is one marked by significant changes having regard to needs and consumer behavior. Public food services are designed to meet first the basic needs which causes certain private actions and a particular mechanism for the training of behavior with significant impact on the way in which the companies of public food should develop services and certain ambient which to contribute to the proper customer service. Moreover, these companies have aspecial relationship with customers, having regard to the direct interaction between supplier and customer. This present project aimsto identify good practice in the field of public food service regarding the implementation of the philosophy orientation on the marketplace. To achieve this goal has been used as methodology the analysis of the primary results from previous research in the fields of both market direction, as well as in the hospitality areas, analysis which has had as main objective a stock-taking of the models developed for the hospitality industry and compiling influence factors with impact on the "good service" of the client, but also integration of orientation principles toward market within the framework of these models.

Counteracting Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis with Right Parietal Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

OpenAIRE

Hanken, Katrin; Bosse, Mona; M?hrke, Kim; Eling, Paul; Kastrup, Andreas; Antal, Andrea; Hildebrandt, Helmut

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appears to correlate with vigilance decrement as reflected in an increase in reaction time (RT) and errors with prolonged time-on-task. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right parietal or frontal cortex counteracts fatigue-associated vigilance decrement and subjective fatigue. METHODS: In study I, a randomized double-blind placebo-controll...

North Carolina – Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Documentation of Discrimination

OpenAIRE

Sears, Brad

2009-01-01

North Carolina law provides virtually no protection for public employees against job discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. No state-wide statute has been enacted in North Carolina to prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Also, little judicial or administrative action surrounding discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the employment context or otherwise appears to exist.

A single-rate context-dependent learning process underlies rapid adaptation to familiar object dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ingram, James N; Howard, Ian S; Flanagan, J Randall; Wolpert, Daniel M

2011-09-01

Motor learning has been extensively studied using dynamic (force-field) perturbations. These induce movement errors that result in adaptive changes to the motor commands. Several state-space models have been developed to explain how trial-by-trial errors drive the progressive adaptation observed in such studies. These models have been applied to adaptation involving novel dynamics, which typically occurs over tens to hundreds of trials, and which appears to be mediated by a dual-rate adaptation process. In contrast, when manipulating objects with familiar dynamics, subjects adapt rapidly within a few trials. Here, we apply state-space models to familiar dynamics, asking whether adaptation is mediated by a single-rate or dual-rate process. Previously, we reported a task in which subjects rotate an object with known dynamics. By presenting the object at different visual orientations, adaptation was shown to be context-specific, with limited generalization to novel orientations. Here we show that a multiple-context state-space model, with a generalization function tuned to visual object orientation, can reproduce the time-course of adaptation and de-adaptation as well as the observed context-dependent behavior. In contrast to the dual-rate process associated with novel dynamics, we show that a single-rate process mediates adaptation to familiar object dynamics. The model predicts that during exposure to the object across multiple orientations, there will be a degree of independence for adaptation and de-adaptation within each context, and that the states associated with all contexts will slowly de-adapt during exposure in one particular context. We confirm these predictions in two new experiments. Results of the current study thus highlight similarities and differences in the processes engaged during exposure to novel versus familiar dynamics. In both cases, adaptation is mediated by multiple context-specific representations. In the case of familiar object dynamics

A single-rate context-dependent learning process underlies rapid adaptation to familiar object dynamics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James N Ingram

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Motor learning has been extensively studied using dynamic (force-field perturbations. These induce movement errors that result in adaptive changes to the motor commands. Several state-space models have been developed to explain how trial-by-trial errors drive the progressive adaptation observed in such studies. These models have been applied to adaptation involving novel dynamics, which typically occurs over tens to hundreds of trials, and which appears to be mediated by a dual-rate adaptation process. In contrast, when manipulating objects with familiar dynamics, subjects adapt rapidly within a few trials. Here, we apply state-space models to familiar dynamics, asking whether adaptation is mediated by a single-rate or dual-rate process. Previously, we reported a task in which subjects rotate an object with known dynamics. By presenting the object at different visual orientations, adaptation was shown to be context-specific, with limited generalization to novel orientations. Here we show that a multiple-context state-space model, with a generalization function tuned to visual object orientation, can reproduce the time-course of adaptation and de-adaptation as well as the observed context-dependent behavior. In contrast to the dual-rate process associated with novel dynamics, we show that a single-rate process mediates adaptation to familiar object dynamics. The model predicts that during exposure to the object across multiple orientations, there will be a degree of independence for adaptation and de-adaptation within each context, and that the states associated with all contexts will slowly de-adapt during exposure in one particular context. We confirm these predictions in two new experiments. Results of the current study thus highlight similarities and differences in the processes engaged during exposure to novel versus familiar dynamics. In both cases, adaptation is mediated by multiple context-specific representations. In the case of familiar

Object-oriented programming for the biosciences.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiechert, W; Joksch, B; Wittig, R; Hartbrich, A; Höner, T; Möllney, M

1995-10-01

The development of software systems for the biosciences is always closely connected to experimental practice. Programs must be able to handle the inherent complexity and heterogeneous structure of biological systems in combination with the measuring equipment. Moreover, a high degree of flexibility is required to treat rapidly changing experimental conditions. Object-oriented methodology seems to be well suited for this purpose. It enables an evolutionary approach to software development that still maintains a high degree of modularity. This paper presents experience with object-oriented technology gathered during several years of programming in the fields of bioprocess development and metabolic engineering. It concentrates on the aspects of experimental support, data analysis, interaction and visualization. Several examples are presented and discussed in the general context of the experimental cycle of knowledge acquisition, thus pointing out the benefits and problems of object-oriented technology in the specific application field of the biosciences. Finally, some strategies for future development are described.

Victim-orientated discipline, interpersonal understanding and guilt.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veer, A.J.E. de; Janssens, J.M.A.M.

1994-01-01

According to Hoffman's theory of moral internalisation, parents' victim-orientated disciplinary strategies may stimulate a child to take another's needs into account. To test this hypothesis a cross-lagged panel design was used with two measurements within a time interval of two years. Data were

Mina Oriental report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cicalese, H.; Mari, C.; Lema, F.; Valverde, C.; Haut, R.

1986-01-01

This report refers to the obtained results of those geophysical works practiced during the year 1985 in Mina Oriental region, located in the department of Maldonado. The same ones had like object to supplement geophysical studies previous carried out in the area and to investigate a possible connection mineralized in the geologic context with Mina La Esperanza that , where they arose anomalous indications in geochemical prospecting. They were applied the following methods: Induced Polarization, Magnetometry and Electromagnetism. The conclusions and recommendations arrived express one discontinuity among the referred areas, even subtracting some explanations on the detected lateral anomalies.

Exploring relationship between value- and life-orientation and job satisfaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Louw

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose/objective: The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between value- and life-orientation and job satisfaction, as well as determining the influence of gender, age and cultural group within the selected South African organisational context. Problem investigated: The success of a diverse organisation in a complex globalised world is largely dependent on the values of managers, their life-orientation and their level of job satisfaction. Managers and employees, in a multicultural and diverse South African organisational context, need to be aware of and manage their similarities and differences in these aspects to contribute to overall organisational success. Design and/or research methodology and/or approach: In this exploratory research, use is made of a quantitative perspective in the positivist research paradigm. Value-orientations of managers (N = 30 at a selected parastatal organisation in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa were measured by making use of the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS (Schwartz, 1992,1994; life-orientation, also referred to as Sense of Coherence (SOC, was assessed by using Antonovsky's (1997 Life Orientation Questionnaire as well as job satisfaction (JS using Smith, Kendall and Hulin's (1969's Job Descriptive Index. Data were analysed using the R statistical software package (R Development Core Team, 2010. Each of the three research instruments (SVS, SOC & JS considered in this study were used to calculate descriptive statistics and univariate statistical methodologies were used to test the various hypotheses. Findings and/or implementations: In terms of value-orientation, the value of benevolence (preservation and enhancement of the welfare of others was scored the highest by the managers, and a significant difference was found in the average value scale score of stimulation (excitement, novelty, and challenge in life and age. The findings with regard to life-orientation indicated that

Cultural influence on Chinese teachers’ perceptions and beliefs in a Danish context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Li; Jensen, Annie Aarup

2013-01-01

The paper presents the results of a pilot study designed to investigate native Chinese teachers’ beliefs and perceptions in Danish teaching context and how culture impacts their perceptions and beliefs. Ethnographic interviews were utilized to explore their perceptions on students’ characteristics......, teaching methods, and relevant experiences of four native Chinese who have been teaching in Denmark for many years. It demonstrates that teachers’ perceptions reflect two different educational cultures which have shaped and are reshaping their beliefs about students’ characteristics and teaching methods...... in Danish context. It suggests that teachers’ cultural backgrounds and the new cultural contexts in which they are teaching cause their belief development from more teacher-oriented to more student-oriented. However, their belief about teaching methods also implies a complexity of combining two competing...

Self-concept clarity and religious orientations: prediction of purpose in life and self-esteem.

Science.gov (United States)

Błażek, Magdalena; Besta, Tomasz

2012-09-01

The present study concerns the relationship between self-concept clarity, religiosity, and well-being, as well as the mediating influence of religiosity on the relationship between self-concept clarity and sense of meaning in life and self-esteem. Self-concept clarity was found to be a significant predictor of sense of meaning in life and self-esteem; intrinsic religious orientation was found to be a predictor of sense of meaning in life, while the quest religious orientation was a predictor for self-esteem. The cross-products of self-concept clarity and intrinsic religious orientation were found to be related to the sense of purpose in life, which would point to religiosity being a mediator of the relationship between self-concept clarity and sense of purpose in life. The cross-products of self-concept clarity and quest religious orientation were found to be a predictor of self-esteem, which indicates a mediating effect of this religious orientation in the relationship of self-concept clarity and self-esteem.

Customer orientation among employees in public administration: a transnational, longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Korunka, Christian; Scharitzer, Dieter; Carayon, Pascale; Hoonakker, Peter; Sonnek, Angelika; Sainfort, Francois

2007-05-01

The relation between ergonomic principles and quality management initiatives, both, in the private and public sector, has received increasing attention in the recent years. Customer orientation among employees is not only an important quality principle, but also an essential prerequisite for customer satisfaction, especially in service organizations. In this context, the objective of introducing new public management (NPM) in public-service organizations is to increase customer orientation among employees who are at the forefront of service providing. In this study, we developed a short scale to measure perceived customer orientation. In two separate longitudinal studies carried out in Austria and the US, we analyzed changes in customer orientation resulting from the introduction of NPM. In both organizations, we observed a significant increase in customer orientation. Perceived customer orientation was related to job characteristics, organizational characteristics and employee quality of working life. Creating positive influences on these characteristics within the framework of an organizational change process has positive effects on employee customer orientation.

Bracketed morality revisited: how do athletes behave in two contexts?

Science.gov (United States)

Kavussanu, Maria; Boardley, Ian D; Sagar, Sam S; Ring, Christopher

2013-10-01

The concept of bracketed morality has received empirical support in several sport studies (e.g., Bredemeier & Shields, 1986a, 1986b). However, these studies have focused on moral reasoning. In this research, we examined bracketed morality with respect to moral behavior in sport and university contexts, in two studies. Male and female participants (Study 1: N = 331; Study 2: N = 372) completed questionnaires assessing prosocial and antisocial behavior toward teammates and opponents in sport and toward other students at university. Study 2 participants also completed measures of moral disengagement and goal orientation in both contexts. In most cases, behavior in sport was highly correlated with behavior at university. In addition, participants reported higher prosocial behavior toward teammates and higher antisocial behavior toward opponents in sport than toward other students at university. The effects of context on antisocial behavior were partially mediated by moral disengagement and ego orientation. Our findings extend the bracketed morality concept to prosocial and antisocial behavior.

Constraints for the design of variability-intensive service-oriented reference architectures - An industrial case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Galster, Matthias; Avgeriou, Paris; Tofan, Dan

Context: Service-oriented architecture has become a widely used concept in software industry. However, we currently lack support for designing variability-intensive service-oriented systems. Such systems could be used in different environments, without the need to design them from scratch. To

Counteracting fatigue in multiple sclerosis with right parietal anodal transcranial direct current stimulation

OpenAIRE

Katrin Hanken; Katrin Hanken; Mona Bosse; Kim Möhrke; Paul Eling; Andreas Kastrup; Andrea Antal; Helmut Hildebrandt; Helmut Hildebrandt

2016-01-01

Background: Fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appears to correlate with vigilance decrement as reflected in an increase in reaction time and errors with prolonged time-on-task. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right parietal or frontal cortex counteracts fatigue-associated vigilance decrement and subjective fatigue. Methods: In study I, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, anoda...

Sensitivity enhancement for membrane proteins reconstituted in parallel and perpendicular oriented bicelles obtained by using repetitive cross-polarization and membrane-incorporated free radicals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koroloff, Sophie N. [North Carolina State University, Department of Chemistry (United States); Tesch, Deanna M. [Shaw University (United States); Awosanya, Emmanuel O.; Nevzorov, Alexander A., E-mail: alex-nevzorov@ncsu.edu [North Carolina State University, Department of Chemistry (United States)

2017-02-15

Multidimensional separated local-field and spin-exchange experiments employed by oriented-sample solid-state NMR are essential for structure determination and spectroscopic assignment of membrane proteins reconstituted in macroscopically aligned lipid bilayers. However, these experiments typically require a large number of scans in order to establish interspin correlations. Here we have shown that a combination of optimized repetitive cross polarization (REP-CP) and membrane-embedded free radicals allows one to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio by factors 2.4-3.0 in the case of Pf1 coat protein reconstituted in magnetically aligned bicelles with their normals being either parallel or perpendicular to the main magnetic field. Notably, spectral resolution is not affected at the 2:1 radical-to-protein ratio. Spectroscopic assignment of Pf1 coat protein in the parallel bicelles has been established as an illustration of the method. The proposed methodology will advance applications of oriented-sample NMR technique when applied to samples containing smaller quantities of proteins and three-dimensional experiments.

A Cognitively Oriented Psychologist Looks at Bio-feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Lazarus, Richard S.

1975-01-01

It is advocated that bio-feedback research be approached within the larger context of emotion and adaption and oriented to the wide variety of mediators that affect the reaction pattern, rather than be treated as a special or unique kind of process limited to the bio-feedback laboratory. (EH)

Understanding Legitimate Teacher Authority in a Cross-Cultural Teaching Context: Pre-Service Chinese Language Teachers Undertaking Teaching Practicum in International Schools in Hong Kong

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Chun; Gu, Mingyue; Hu, Jingjing

2015-01-01

Legitimate teacher authority is fundamental to effective teaching, but is often a thorny issue that teachers need to grapple with when teaching in cross-cultural teaching contexts. By interviewing 18 pre-service Chinese language teachers on their understanding of legitimate teacher authority throughout teaching practicum at international schools…

An exploration of the science teaching orientations of Indian science teachers in the context of curriculum reform

Science.gov (United States)

Nargund-Joshi, Vanashri

This study explores the concepts and behaviors, otherwise referred to as orientations, of six Indian science teachers and the alignment of these orientations to the 2005 India National Curriculum Framework (NCF-2005). Differences in teachers' orientations across grade bands (elementary, middle, and secondary) and school types (public versus private) are also examined to determine how contextual factors may influence this alignment. First, a content analysis of the NCF-2005 was completed to identify the overarching principles of the NCF-2005 and goals specific to the teaching and learning of science. Interviews with school principals were also analyzed to understand how the goals of NCF-2005 were communicated to schools and teachers. Together, these data sources served to answer research question one. Next, profiles were created based on three interviews with each teacher and several observations of their teaching. These profiles provide a point of reference for answering the remaining three research questions. Findings include teacher's orientations falling along a continuum from traditionalist in nature to inquiry/constructivist in nature. Stark contrasts were found between traditionalist orientations and the goals of NCF-2005, with much of this contrast due to the limited pedagogical content knowledge these teachers have regarding students' scientific thinking, curriculum design, instructional strategies, and assessment. Inquiry/constructivist teachers' orientations, while more in line with reform, still have a few key areas of pedagogical content knowledge needing attention (e.g., knowledge of assessment and a variety of purposes for constructivist instructional strategies). In response to the final research question, several contextual factors contributed to teachers' orientations including environmental constraints, such as limited resources and large class sizes, cultural testing pressures, and limited accessibility to professional development. Suggestions

Assessment of Parent Orientation towards Autonomy vs. Control in Promoting Children's Healthy Eating and Exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, Evelyn S; Padilla, Miguel A

2012-07-01

Self-determination theory has been widely applied to understanding individuals' health-related behaviors such as eating healthy foods and exercising. Different reasons for engagement are associated with varying levels of personal agency or autonomy. Authority figures in the environment can be supportive of autonomy or, in contrast, controlling. Although researchers have assessed individuals' perceptions of the autonomy-support in their environments, studies have not directly examined the authority figures' orientations to autonomy with respect to health contexts. A new scale, Parent Orientations to Health, was created to investigate parent orientation to autonomy and control with respect to healthy eating and exercise in children. One hundred and forty-three parents of elementary school-aged children responded to the scale. Scale validation and reliability results indicate that the scale successfully assessed parent orientation towards autonomy for children in health contexts. Furthermore, parent autonomy orientation varied according to child weight status and the healthiness of the child's diet. Parent orientation towards autonomy can be evaluated through the use of the Parent Orientations to Health scale. In addition, parent autonomy orientation is associated with both the healthiness of the child's diet (as perceived by the parent) and the child's body mass index. © 2012 The Authors. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being © 2012 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

Putative Androgen Exposure and Sexual Orientation: Cross-Cultural Evidence Suggesting a Modified Neurohormonal Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Lee; Lykins, Amy; Hoskin, Anthony; Ratnasingam, Malini

2015-12-01

According to neurohormonal theory, prenatal androgens are key determinants of sexual orientation. As a reputed marker for prenatal androgens, the 2D:4D finger length ratio has been used in more than a dozen studies to test the hypothesis that prenatal androgens influence sexual orientation. Findings have been very inconsistent. The present study sought to retest the hypothesis that 2D:4D and sexual orientation are related is a manner consistent with neurohormonal theory. A 2D:4D measure (of the right hand) along with four additional somatic markers of androgen exposure (height, physical strength, muscularity, and athletic ability) with samples of college students in Malaysia (N = 2,058) and the United States (N = 2,511). The five androgen measures were factor analyzed, resulting in a two-factor solution: Factor 1 consisted of strength, muscularity, and athletic ability (the muscular coordination factor), and Factor 2 was comprised of the r2D:4D and adult height (the bone growth factor). Sexual orientation was measured by asking each respondent the extent to which they were sexually attracted to males and the extent to which they were sexually attracted to females, both on 11-point scales. When the countries and sexes were analyzed separately, neither the r2D:4D measure nor Factor 2 correlated with sexual orientation to significant degrees. Instead, it was the muscular coordination factor that correlated the best. Support was found for the hypothesis that prenatal androgens influence sexual orientation, but the nature of these influences was more complex than neurohormonal theory predicted. A modified theory is needed and presented to accommodate the results from this study. © 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Analysing contemporary metropolitan spatial plans in Europe through their institutional context, instrumental content and planning process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elinbaum, Pablo; Galland, Daniel

2016-01-01

This article sets out to propose and apply a qualitative framework for thinking about how to analyze and compare metropolitan spatial plans in a milieu of divergent spatial planning traditions and discretionary planning practices. In doing so, the article reviews and develops an understanding...... concerning the institutional context, instrumental content and planning processes associated with four contemporary metropolitan spatial plans in Europe, namely London, Copenhagen, Paris and Barcelona. Through the results of a multiple case study and a subsequent cross comparative analysis, the article...... stresses that contemporary metropolitan spatial plans tend to merge characteristics associated with project-based and strategy-based spatial plans, thus contrasting with the typical land-use character of municipal plans and the often strategic, growth-oriented pursuit of regional plans in Europe...

Context-Aware HCI Service Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yao Shen

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Context-awareness has become a key issue in Human-Computer Interaction(HCI to provide better user experience under multi-device and multi-modal environment. With this intuition, we have proposed a web service based framework, which associates interactions with services, and provided service selection mechanism using context knowledge to achieve smart interaction migration [1]. A fundamental problem of such a service-oriented framework for interaction migration is to design an effective while scalable algorithm for service selection. In this paper, we propose a service selection algorithm considering not only context information and user preferences but also inter-service relations such as relative location. Our algorithm detects interaction hot spots within user active scope and presents the best service combination based on evaluation of interaction effectiveness. We also conduct simulation and the results illustrate that our algorithm is effective and scalable for interaction service selection.

Alpha-Tocopherol Counteracts the Cytotoxicity Induced by Ochratoxin A in Primary Porcine Fibroblasts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fusi, Elenora; Rebucci, Raffaella; Pecorini, Chiara

2010-01-01

The aims of the current study were to determine the half-lethal concentration of ochratoxin A (OTA) as well as the levels of lactate dehydrogenase release and DNA fragmentation induced by OTA in primary porcine fibroblasts, and to examine the role of α-tocopherol in counteracting its toxicity....... Cells showed a dose-, time- and origin-dependent (ear vs. embryo) sensitivity to ochratoxin A. Pre-incubation for 3 h with 1 nM α-tocopherol significantly (P tocopherol...

Development Strategy for the Export- Oriented Horticulture in Ethiopia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joosten, F.J.

2007-01-01

The export-oriented horticulture sector in Ethiopia has been growing rapidly and forms an important element in the country’s efforts to expand and diversify the economy, raise export earnings and create employment. This rapid growth is remarkable particularly when placed in a historic context.

Agent-oriented Architecture for Task-based Information Search System

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aroyo, Lora; de Bra, Paul M.E.; De Bra, P.; Hardman, L.

1999-01-01

The topic of the reported research discusses an agent-oriented architecture of an educational information search system AIMS - a task-based learner support system. It is implemented within the context of 'Courseware Engineering' on-line course at the Faculty of Educational Science and Technology,

Java Test Driver Generation from Object-Oriented Interaction Traces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.M. Bonsangue (Marcello); F.S. de Boer (Frank); A. Gruener; M. Steffen

2009-01-01

htmlabstractIn the context of test-driven development for object-oriented programs, mock objects are increasingly used for unit testing. Several Java mock object frameworks exist, which all have in common that mock objects, realizing the test environment, are directly specied at the Java program

Adaptation of BAp crystal orientation to stress distribution in rat mandible during bone growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakano, T; Fujitani, W; Ishimoto, T [Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1, Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Umakoshi, Y [National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaragi, 305-0471 (Japan)], E-mail: nakano@mat.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp

2009-05-01

Biological apatite (BAp) c-axis orientation strongly depends on stress distribution in vivo and tends to align along the principal stress direction in bones. Dentulous mandible is subjected to a complicated stress condition in vivo during chewing but few studies have been carried out on the BAp c-axis orientation; so the adaptation of BAp crystal orientation to stress distribution was examined in rat dentulous mandible during bone growth and mastication. Female SD rats 4 to 14 weeks old were prepared, and the bone mineral density (BMD) and BAp crystal orientation were analyzed in a cross-section of mandible across the first molar focusing on two positions: separated from and just under the tooth root on the same cross-section perpendicular to the mesiodistal axis. The degree of BAp orientation was analyzed by a microbeam X-ray diffractometer using Cu-K{alpha} radiation equipped with a detector of curved one-dimensional PSPC and two-dimensional PSPC in the reflection and transmission optics, respectively. BMD quickly increased during bone growth up to 14 weeks, although it was independent of the position from the tooth root. In contrast, BAp crystal orientation strongly depended on the age and the position from the tooth root, even in the same cross-section and direction, especially along the mesiodistal and the biting axes. With increased biting stress during bone growth, the degree of BAp orientation increased along the mesiodistal axis in a position separated from the tooth root more than that near the tooth root. In contrast, BAp preferential alignment clearly appeared along the biting axis near the tooth root. We conclude that BAp orientation rather than BMD sensitively adapts to local stress distribution, especially from the chewing stress in vivo in the mandible.

The Sociocultural Contexts of Learning in the Workplace.

Science.gov (United States)

Bierema, Laura L.

2002-01-01

Outlines demographic dimensions of the work force: aging, gender, race, sexual orientation, immigration, language, religion. Suggests a workplace pedagogy that is sensitive to sociocultural context and includes the concept of workplace learning as a lifelong process, socioculturally sensitive policies, equal opportunity development, and diversity…

High-Intensity Interval Training as a Tool for Counteracting Dyslipidemia in Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez, Cristian; Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo; Martinez-Salazar, Cristian; Castillo, Angélica; Gallardo, Francisco; Ciolac, Emmanuel Gomes

2018-05-01

Sedentary overweight or obese adult (agehigh-intensity interval training (HIIT) program. Triglycerides reduced significantly ( P high-density lipoprotein increased ( P body composition improved ( P <0.05) in all groups. The HIIT program was effective for restoring lipid profile of DYS and DYSHG, and fasting glucose of DYSHG to levels similar to those of CON, with a weekly time commitment 25% to 56% lower than the minimum recommended in current exercise guidelines. These findings suggest that HIIT may be a time-efficient intervention for counteracting dyslipidemia. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Theoretical background to orient the universitary projects management to local development.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naybi Salas Vargas

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Nowadays the resources administration is a problem to be solved, and is remarkable the universities role to orient knowledge to the expected local development. With the communion of the university and the main decisors at local and territorial contexts, it is evident the development of alternatives that diminish existing breaches in the known projects management Anytime the projects development context is diverse and multicultural, all the knowledge elements that provide new forms are useful experiences without point out unique recipees. The development dynamic evolution in the territories continues being an urgency for human survival.The projects management, notable in international cooperation actions as the international dimension of the extensionist activity and in the science contributions, are reduced in their foccus to the promotion of local development, what points out the need to orient the universitary processes to the territorial development of the province, in particular the projects management. The objective of this work is to offer a guidance of foundations that allow to orient the management of universtary projects to local development.

Testing the ability of non-methylamine osmolytes present in kidney cells to counteract the deleterious effects of urea on structure, stability and function of proteins.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheeza Khan

Full Text Available Human kidney cells are under constant urea stress due to its urine concentrating mechanism. It is believed that the deleterious effect of urea is counteracted by methylamine osmolytes (glycine betaine and glycerophosphocholine present in kidney cells. A question arises: Do the stabilizing osmolytes, non-methylamines (myo-inositol, sorbitol and taurine present in the kidney cells also counteract the deleterious effects of urea? To answer this question, we have measured structure, thermodynamic stability (ΔG D (o and functional activity parameters (K m and k cat of different model proteins in the presence of various concentrations of urea and each non-methylamine osmolyte alone and in combination. We observed that (i for each protein myo-inositol provides perfect counteraction at 1∶2 ([myo-inositol]:[urea] ratio, (ii any concentration of sorbitol fails to refold urea denatured proteins if it is six times less than that of urea, and (iii taurine regulates perfect counteraction in a protein specific manner; 1.5∶2.0, 1.2∶2.0 and 1.0∶2.0 ([taurine]:[urea] ratios for RNase-A, lysozyme and α-lactalbumin, respectively.

A Framework-Based Environment for Object-Oriented Scientific Codes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert A. Ballance

1993-01-01

Full Text Available Frameworks are reusable object-oriented designs for domain-specific programs. In our estimation, frameworks are the key to productivity and reuse. However, frameworks require increased support from the programming environment. A framework-based environment must include design aides and project browsers that can mediate between the user and the framework. A framework-based approach also places new requirements on conventional tools such as compilers. This article explores the impact of object-oriented frameworks upon a programming environment, in the context of object-oriented finite element and finite difference codes. The role of tools such as design aides and project browsers is discussed, and the impact of a framework-based approach upon compilers is examined. Examples are drawn from our prototype C++ based environment.

Cinematic Orientalism: Bab el Oued City & The Time that Remains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volkan Yücel

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on orientalism as a cinematic paradigm in Islamic imagination. We compare two movies, “Bab el Oued City” (1994 and “The Time That Remains” (2009 that present different cases with regard to orientalism, fundamentalism and gender. We identify basic characters, their agency and roles in the whole setting. Our main argument about the movies, though originating from different contexts and historicity, is that they present somewhat conflicting cases with regard to issues we named above.

Representation and Metrics Extraction from Feature Basis: An Object Oriented Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fausto Neri da Silva Vanin

2010-10-01

Full Text Available This tutorial presents an object oriented approach to data reading and metrics extraction from feature basis. Structural issues about basis are discussed first, then the Object Oriented Programming (OOP is aplied to modeling the main elements in this context. The model implementation is then discussed using C++ as programing language. To validate the proposed model, we apply on some feature basis from the University of Carolina, Irvine Machine Learning Database.

The characteristics of the pediatric model for counteracting obesity in Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Banićević Miloš

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Basic data on the establishment, features and results of the health care system for children and adolescents in the Republic of Serbia during the period 1950-1990 are given in the introductory remarks. Enormous pressure for the change of the health sector ownership and the profile of physicians in the primary pediatric care in the last decade of 20th century and at the beginning of 21st century is also emphasized. The destructive consequences of the sanctions of international community (1992-1995, NATO aggression (1999 and the change of the political system in Serbia (2000 caused the huge loss of gross domestic product, increase of the unemployment and poverty rates, and the decrease of the health expenditure rate to unsustainable levels (200-300 USD per capita. In spite of all misfortunes, Pediatric Association of Serbia, in response to the global obesity epidemic, offered in 2007 to the Ministry of health and the National Institute for health insurance the Project 'The prevention and treatment of obesity in children and adolescents in Serbia', as the pediatric chapter for future National strategy for counteracting obesity. The Project, ie the pediatric model for counteracting obesity is funded on the features of the health care system for children and adolescents in our country. The solidarity of the society and the continuous education of health care workers, adolescents and their parents about the significance of obesity epidemic are, in our conviction, key factors for the strengthening of adolescent's conscience on individual responsibility for own health as the prerequisite for successful control of obesity epidemic in adolescents.

Practice-oriented training of bachelors of philology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kravchenko Elena Vladimirovna

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article deals with practice-oriented training of philology students in the context of the new educational standard. This kind of education concentrates on the specific role of teaching practice in the process of training bachelors with the high-level professional competence. The article observes some ways of overcoming pedagogical difficulties during the students’ teaching practice at school.

Political, religious and occupational identities in context: placing identity status paradigm in context.

Science.gov (United States)

Solomontos-Kountouri, Olga; Hurry, Jane

2008-04-01

This study critically contrasts global identity with domain-specific identities (political, religious and occupational) and considers context and gender as integral parts of identity. In a cross-sectional survey, 1038 Greek Cypriot adolescents (449 boys and 589 girls, mean age 16.8) from the three different types of secondary schools (state, state technical and private) and from different SES completed part of the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-2 (EOMEIS-2). The macro-context of Greek Cypriot society is used to understand the role of context in adolescents' identities. Results showed that Greek Cypriot young people were not in the same statuses across their global, political, religious and occupational identities. This heterogeneity in the status of global identity and of each identity domain is partially explained by differences in gender, type of school and SES (socio-economic status). The fact that identity status is found to be reactive to context suggests that developmental stage models of identity status should place greater emphasis on context.

CHIME : service-oriented framework for adaptive web-based systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chepegin, V.; Aroyo, L.M.; De Bra, P.M.E.; Houben, G.J.P.M.; De Bra, P.M.E.

2003-01-01

In this paper we present our view on how the current development of knowledge engineering in the context of Semantic Web can contribute to the better applicability, reusability and sharability of adaptive web-based systems. We propose a service-oriented framework for adaptive web-based systems,

Automatic Verification of Transactions on an Object-Oriented Database

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spelt, D.; Balsters, H.

1998-01-01

In the context of the object-oriented data model, a compiletime approach is given that provides for a significant reduction of the amount of run-time transaction overhead due to integrity constraint checking. The higher-order logic Isabelle theorem prover is used to automatically prove which

Genome-scale study of the importance of binding site context for transcription factor binding and gene regulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronne Hans

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The rate of mRNA transcription is controlled by transcription factors that bind to specific DNA motifs in promoter regions upstream of protein coding genes. Recent results indicate that not only the presence of a motif but also motif context (for example the orientation of a motif or its location relative to the coding sequence is important for gene regulation. Results In this study we present ContextFinder, a tool that is specifically aimed at identifying cases where motif context is likely to affect gene regulation. We used ContextFinder to examine the role of motif context in S. cerevisiae both for DNA binding by transcription factors and for effects on gene expression. For DNA binding we found significant patterns of motif location bias, whereas motif orientations did not seem to matter. Motif context appears to affect gene expression even more than it affects DNA binding, as biases in both motif location and orientation were more frequent in promoters of co-expressed genes. We validated our results against data on nucleosome positioning, and found a negative correlation between preferred motif locations and nucleosome occupancy. Conclusion We conclude that the requirement for stable binding of transcription factors to DNA and their subsequent function in gene regulation can impose constraints on motif context.

Intergroup Contact Effects via Ingroup Distancing among Majority and Minority Groups: Moderation by Social Dominance Orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kauff, Mathias; Schmid, Katharina; Lolliot, Simon; Al Ramiah, Ananthi; Hewstone, Miles

2016-01-01

Five studies tested whether intergroup contact reduces negative outgroup attitudes through a process of ingroup distancing. Based on the deprovincialization hypothesis and Social Dominance Theory, we hypothesized that the indirect effect of cross-group friendship on outgroup attitudes via reduced ingroup identification is moderated by individuals' Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), and occurs only for members of high status majority groups. We tested these predictions in three different intergroup contexts, involving conflictual relations between social groups in Germany (Study 1; N = 150; longitudinal Study 2: N = 753), Northern Ireland (Study 3: N = 160; Study 4: N = 1,948), and England (Study 5; N = 594). Cross-group friendship was associated with reduced ingroup identification and the link between reduced ingroup identification and improved outgroup attitudes was moderated by SDO (the indirect effect of cross-group friendship on outgroup attitudes via reduced ingroup only occurred for individuals scoring high, but not low, in SDO). Although there was a consistent moderating effect of SDO in high-status majority groups (Studies 1-5), but not low-status minority groups (Studies 3, 4, and 5), the interaction by SDO was not reliably stronger in high- than low-status groups. Findings are discussed in terms of better understanding deprovincialization effects of contact.

Intergroup Contact Effects via Ingroup Distancing among Majority and Minority Groups: Moderation by Social Dominance Orientation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathias Kauff

Full Text Available Five studies tested whether intergroup contact reduces negative outgroup attitudes through a process of ingroup distancing. Based on the deprovincialization hypothesis and Social Dominance Theory, we hypothesized that the indirect effect of cross-group friendship on outgroup attitudes via reduced ingroup identification is moderated by individuals' Social Dominance Orientation (SDO, and occurs only for members of high status majority groups. We tested these predictions in three different intergroup contexts, involving conflictual relations between social groups in Germany (Study 1; N = 150; longitudinal Study 2: N = 753, Northern Ireland (Study 3: N = 160; Study 4: N = 1,948, and England (Study 5; N = 594. Cross-group friendship was associated with reduced ingroup identification and the link between reduced ingroup identification and improved outgroup attitudes was moderated by SDO (the indirect effect of cross-group friendship on outgroup attitudes via reduced ingroup only occurred for individuals scoring high, but not low, in SDO. Although there was a consistent moderating effect of SDO in high-status majority groups (Studies 1-5, but not low-status minority groups (Studies 3, 4, and 5, the interaction by SDO was not reliably stronger in high- than low-status groups. Findings are discussed in terms of better understanding deprovincialization effects of contact.

Indigenous concepts of orientation of South Sulawesian sailors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Horst H. Liebner

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This article presents some initial results of ongoing research on concepts of orientation of some maritime-orientated ethnic groups of South Sulawesi. I will not discuss the technicalities of indigenous navigation, but focus on the underlying concepts and categories of spatial orientation. I approach this through an analysis of the expressions and terms used by contemporary ‘traditional’ sailors and navigators to indicate a destination or direction. After outlining the problem and giving examples of spatial terminology used by South Sulawesian fishermen, sailors, and inter-island traders, in the second section I explain in detail the directional terms employed by the sailor-traders of Bira as an example of the complexity and sophistication of these patterns. The third and fourth sections place the discussion in the wider context of migration and settlement of insular Southeast Asia.

Detection of plane, poorly oriented wide flaws using focused transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vadder, D. de; Azou, P.; Bastien, P.; Saglio, R.

1976-01-01

The detection of plane, poorly oriented, wide flaws by ultrasonic non destructive testing is distinctly improved when using focused transducers. An increased echo can be obtained crossing the defect limit [fr

Working with interpreters in cross-cultural qualitative research in the context of a developing country: systematic literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimpuku, Yoko; Norr, Kathleen F

2012-08-01

This article is a report of a systematic literature review describing how cross-cultural researchers conducted qualitative studies with interpreters in Tanzania. The purpose was to draw methodological implications for working with interpreters within the context of developing countries. In a growing number of cross-cultural nursing studies in developing countries, interpreters play a crucial role for imparting verbal and cultural understanding. In many studies, however, the interpreters' role and their influences on the findings are not adequately described, and therefore the study credibility is weakened. Cross-cultural qualitative studies conducted with interpreters in Tanzania were searched in four databases. Meeting our inclusion criteria were 20 studies published from 1994-2009. We used Garrard's Matrix Method following Wallin and Ahlström's framework to analyse how cross-cultural researchers described the role of interpreters. We identified three major patterns of how researchers worked with interpreters: (i) invisible assistance, (ii) independent fieldwork and (iii) integrated collaboration. In many studies, interpreters' information was limited. They were often asked to collect data in the field without the presence of the researcher. They were integrated into the research process beyond data collection, such as subject recruitment, review of interviews, transcription and translation and analysis. From planning of research to dissemination of the findings, nurse researchers should carefully consider interpreters' influences on the findings. They may use a set of questions we developed for working with interpreters in developing countries to systematically describe the interpreter's role and maximize their research credibility. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Internal marketing, customer orientation, and organizational commitment: moderating effects of work status.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Meiju; Chen, Mei-Yen

2013-08-01

Associations among internal marketing, customer orientation, and organizational commitment were examined, particularly with regard to the moderating effects of work status on the relationships between internal marketing and customer orientation or organizational commitment, in a cross-sectional design with structural equation modeling. Two studies (Ns = 119 and 251) were conducted among full- and part-time service employees at Taipei Sports Centers. Internal marketing was associated with organizational commitment and customer orientation. Customer orientation was associated with organizational commitment and partially mediated the relation between internal marketing and organizational commitment. Furthermore, work status significantly moderated the relationships between internal marketing and customer orientation but not between internal marketing and organizational commitment. Implications and directions for future research were discussed.

[Review of the gender research in cross-cultural psychology since 1990: conceptual definitions and methodology].

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Atsuko

2004-06-01

A review of the cross-cultural research on gender in psychology since 1990 reveals (1) conceptual confusion of the definitions of sex, gender, man, and woman; (2) diversification, refinement, reification, and a problem-solving orientation in the research topics; and (3) the possibility of the elucidation of the psychological sex-difference mechanism in relation to the biological sex differences. A comparison of 1990 and 2000 cross-cultural psychological articles published in "Sex Roles" found that overall, the research is Western-centered and some methodological problems remain to be solved concerning the measures and the sampling. These findings lead to the following suggestions for cross-cultural research on gender to resolve the problems and contribute to the development of psychology in general: (1) use of an operational definition for conceptual equivalence; (2) conducting more etic-approach research; (3) avoiding ethnocentric or androcentric research attitudes; (4) use of a theoretical framework; (5) strict examination of methodologies; and (6) examination of the specific context of participants in terms of cultural diversity, dynamics of husband-wife relationships, and relationships with husbands and fathers.

Motives for physical exercise participation as a basis for the development of patient-oriented exercise interventions in osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Krauss, Inga; Katzmarek, Uwe; Rieger, Monika A; Sudeck, Gorden

2017-08-01

, health-conscious exercisers. This study contributes to the development of person-oriented exercise recommendations with a special regard to motives for exercise participation. This study delineates four phenotypes with distinctive profiles of facilitators and barriers to exercise behavior. Key aspects of person-oriented exercise interventions could be defined according to each phenotype. Incentives related to physical exercise such as enjoyment, contact, or natural environment may encourage compliance to an exercise intervention. Goal setting in the context of OA rehabilitation should therefore not only refer to health-oriented reasons but also reconsider individual motives for exercise participation.

Result-Oriented Management: The Experience of Kazakhstani Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Askarkyzy, Samal; Toibayev, Adlet; Algozhaeva, Nursulu; Rimantas, Zelvys; Iskakova, Guldariya; Arynova, Aigul

2016-01-01

The present article outlines the main principles and peculiarities of the result-oriented university management on the basis of the Development strategy of the Kazakh State Women's Pedagogical University for 2013-2020. The relevance of the investigated issue is conditioned by the fact that in the context of a highly competitive market of research…

Ketahanan Papan Unting (Oriented Strand Board) terhadap Serangan Rayap Tanah dan Rayap Kayu Kering

OpenAIRE

Gea, Bud diman

2011-01-01

Oriented strand board is panel of wood raw material from which strand composed of cross and upright structure. In order to oriented strand board can be used for interior and exterior needs, than necessary to be applied various thenology of quality improvement like durabelities and endurance of oriented strand board. For it does found endurance oriented strand board from attack of ground termite and wood dry termite, necessary doing grave yard trial and wood dry termite trial. This research ta...

Announced reward counteracts the effects of chronic social stress on anticipatory behavior and hippocampal synaptic plasticity in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamal, Amer; Van der Harst, Johanneke E; Kapteijn, Chantal M; Baars, Annemarie J M; Spruijt, Berry M; Ramakers, Geert M J

2010-04-01

Chronic stress causes insensitivity to rewards (anhedonia) in rats, reflected by the absence of anticipatory behavior for a sucrose-reward, which can be reversed by antidepressant treatment or repeated announced transfer to an enriched cage. It was, however, not clear whether the highly rewarding properties of the enriched cage alone caused this reversal or whether the anticipation of this reward as such had an additional effect. Therefore, the present study compared the consequences of the announcement of a reward to the mere effect of a reward alone with respect to their efficacy to counteract the consequences of chronic stress. Two forms of synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation and long-term depression were investigated in area CA1 of the hippocampus. This was done in socially stressed rats (induced by defeat and subsequent long-term individual housing), socially stressed rats that received a reward (short-term enriched housing) and socially stressed rats to which this reward was announced by means of a stimulus that was repeatedly paired to the reward. The results were compared to corresponding control rats. We show that announcement of enriched housing appeared to have had an additional effect compared to the enriched housing per se as indicated by a significant higher amount of LTP. In conclusion, announced short-term enriched housing has a high and long-lasting counteracting efficacy on stress-induced alterations of hippocampal synaptic plasticity. This information is important for counteracting the consequences of chronic stress in both human and captive rats.

Cross-contextual stability of bullying victimization: a person-oriented analysis of cyber and traditional bullying experiences among adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Erentaitė, Rasa; Bergman, Lars R; Zukauskienė, Rita

2012-04-01

Using a person-oriented approach the study examined whether bullying victimization at school continued into cyberspace victimization in a large sample of high school students in Lithuania (N = 1667, 58% girls), age 15-19 (M = 17.29, SD = 0.95). Three forms of traditional bullying (verbal, physical and relational) and seven forms of cyberbullying victimization through cell phones and computers were included in the analysis. The findings revealed that 35% of traditional bullying victims were also bullied in cyberspace. In particular, adolescents who experienced predominantly verbal and relational bullying at school, showed a higher risk of victimization in cyberspace a year later, while this was not observed for predominantly physical forms of traditional bullying. The findings point to the importance of a cross-contextual perspective in studies on stability of bullying victimization. © 2012 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2012 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Retail offer advantage through brand orientation in Luxury, high fashion stores

OpenAIRE

Grujic, Maja

2007-01-01

This thesis provides a conceptualisation of brand orientation within the context of fashion retailing, specially the luxury, or, so-called, high fashion retailing. Most of the high fashion sold today is ready to wear collections and diffusion lines, targeted to customers of particular class, age, income, social status, and with particular orientations to fashion. In plethora of offers, retailer need to work on a number of distinctive features that will make its store special, not only because...

Children's and Mothers' Contribution to Joint Reminiscing in Different Sociocultural Contexts: Who Speaks and What Is Said

Science.gov (United States)

Tulviste, Tiia; Tõugu, Pirko; Keller, Heidi; Schröder, Lisa; De Geer, Boel

2016-01-01

The study compares mothers' conversation with their 4-year-old children about two past events in two autonomy-oriented (35 German and 42 Swedish families), one relatedness-oriented (22 Cameroonian Nso families) and one autonomy-relatedness oriented (38 Estonian families) contexts. German mothers were rather similar to Swedish mothers in talking a…

Reliability Engineering for Service Oriented Architectures

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-01

Common Object Request Broker Architecture Ecosystem In software , an ecosystem is a set of applications and/or services that grad- ually build up over time...Enterprise Service Bus Foreign In an SOA context: Any SOA, service or software which the owners of the calling software do not have control of, either...SOA Service Oriented Architecture SRE Software Reliability Engineering System Mode Many systems exhibit different modes of operation. E.g. the cockpit

Entrepreneurial Orientation: The Dimensions' Shared Effects on Explaining Firm Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lomberg, Carina; Urbig, Diemo; Stockmann, Christoph

2016-01-01

We shed new light on the structure of the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance and how this relationship varies across contexts. Using commonality analysis, we decompose the variance in performance—in terms of the effects of innovativeness, proactiveness, and...

Service-oriented computing : State of the art and research challenges

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Papazoglou, Michael P.; Traverso, Paolo; Dustdar, Schahram; Leymann, Frank

2007-01-01

Service-oriented computing promotes the idea of assembling application components into a network of services that can be loosely coupled to create flexible, dynamic business processes and agile applications that span organizations and computing platforms. An SOC research road map provides a context

Strategies to include sexual orientation and gender identity in health ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Various disciplines can teach sexual orientation and gender identity issues in their context by challenging heteronormativity and highlighting specific LGBTI health concerns, and can do so more successfully with interactive teaching approaches that hold more potential than formalised lectures. Rights-based teaching ...

Creating a market-oriented product innovation process : A contingency approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kok, R.A.W.; Biemans, W.G.

This study analyzes how and why a firm's change program to create a market-oriented innovation process depends on its environmental, innovational and organizational context. Based on an organizational-learning capabilities framework, the results from a multiple case study indicate how a firm's

The Effects of Relationship Banking and Entrepreneurial Orientation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The purpose of the study was to determine if relationship banking, and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) affect the financial performance of manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design with the population being 620 manufacturing SMEs involved in relationship banking with commercial ...

Acidification counteracts negative effects of warming on diatom silicification

KAUST Repository

Coello-Camba, Alexandra; Agusti, Susana

2016-01-01

Diatoms are a significant group contributing up to 40 % of annual primary production in the oceans. They have a special siliceous cell wall that, acting as a ballast, plays a key role in the sequestration of global carbon and silica. Diatoms dominate primary production in the Arctic Ocean, where global climate change is causing increases in water temperature and in the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2). Here we show that as water temperature increases diatoms become stressed, grow to smaller sizes, and decrease their silicification rates. But at higher pCO2, as the pH of seawater decreases, silica incorporation rates are increased. In a future warmer Arctic ocean diatoms may have a competitive advantage under increased ocean acidification, as increased pCO2 counteracts the adverse effects of increasing temperature on silicification and buffers its consequences in the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and silica.

Acidification counteracts negative effects of warming on diatom silicification

KAUST Repository

Coello-Camba, Alexandra

2016-10-24

Diatoms are a significant group contributing up to 40 % of annual primary production in the oceans. They have a special siliceous cell wall that, acting as a ballast, plays a key role in the sequestration of global carbon and silica. Diatoms dominate primary production in the Arctic Ocean, where global climate change is causing increases in water temperature and in the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2). Here we show that as water temperature increases diatoms become stressed, grow to smaller sizes, and decrease their silicification rates. But at higher pCO2, as the pH of seawater decreases, silica incorporation rates are increased. In a future warmer Arctic ocean diatoms may have a competitive advantage under increased ocean acidification, as increased pCO2 counteracts the adverse effects of increasing temperature on silicification and buffers its consequences in the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and silica.

Counteraction of urea-induced protein denaturation by trimethylamine N-oxide: a chemical chaperone at atomic resolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennion, Brian J; Daggett, Valerie

2004-04-27

Proteins are very sensitive to their solvent environments. Urea is a common chemical denaturant of proteins, yet some animals contain high concentrations of urea. These animals have evolved an interesting mechanism to counteract the effects of urea by using trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). The molecular basis for the ability of TMAO to act as a chemical chaperone remains unknown. Here, we describe molecular dynamics simulations of a small globular protein, chymotrypsin inhibitor 2, in 8 M urea and 4 M TMAO/8 M urea solutions, in addition to other control simulations, to investigate this effect at the atomic level. In 8 M urea, the protein unfolds, and urea acts in both a direct and indirect manner to achieve this effect. In contrast, introduction of 4 M TMAO counteracts the effect of urea and the protein remains well structured. TMAO makes few direct interactions with the protein. Instead, it prevents unfolding of the protein by structuring the solvent. In particular, TMAO orders the solvent and discourages it from competing with intraprotein H bonds and breaking up the hydrophobic core of the protein.

Orientation Mapping of Extruded Polymeric Composites by Polarized Micro-Raman Spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyun Chen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Molecular orientation has a strong influence on polymeric composite materials’ mechanical properties. In this paper we describe the use of polarized micro-Raman spectroscopy as a powerful tool to map out the molecular orientation of a uniaxially oriented polypropylene- (PP- based composite material. Initial samples exhibited a high degree of surface fibrillation upon cutting. Raman spectroscopy was used to characterize the degree of orientation in the skin and guide the development of the posttreatment process to optimize the skin relaxation while maintaining the high degree of orientation in the rest of the board. The PP oriented polymer composite (OPC was oriented through an extrusion process and its surface was then treated to achieve relaxation. Micro-Raman analysis at the surface region demonstrated the surface orientation relaxation, and the results provide an effective way to correlate the extent of relaxation and process conditions. Larger scale orientation mapping was also carried out over the entire cross-section (12.7 cm × 2.54 cm. The results agree well with prior expectation of the molecular orientation based on the extrusion and subsequent quenching process. The methodologies described here can be readily applied to other polymeric systems.

Market Orientation and Organizational Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chee-Hua Chin

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Orientation plays a vital role for organizations to compete to create sustainable competitive advantage. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between market orientation (MO and organizational performance (OP with service quality (SQ as a moderator in the context of the hotel industry in Malaysia. MO and OP were conceptualized as three- and two-dimensional constructs, respectively, whereas SQ, which consists of two-dimensional constructs, namely, technical quality and functional quality, was used as a moderator. Data were gathered through a survey using a structured questionnaire with a sample of 187 executive-level employees employed in hotels rated three stars and above in Malaysia. SmartPLS 2.0 (M3 with path modeling and bootstrapping was used to examine the standard error of the estimate and t-values. The findings suggest that only competitor orientation dimension of MO was significantly related to OP, whereas customer orientation and inter-functional coordination were not related. Interestingly, SQ was found to have moderated the relationship between MO and performance of the hotels in Malaysia. SQ exists to fill in the gap between customers’ expectations and their perception of the service providers’ performance that further creates differentiation and competitive advantage, which enhance MO practices and ultimately lead to improvements in the firm’s performance. Implications of the findings, potential limitations of the study, and directions for future research are highlighted.

Students' Energy Understanding Across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Opitz, S. T.; Neumann, K.; Bernholt, S.; Harms, U.

2017-07-01

Energy is considered both as a disciplinary core idea and as a concept cutting across science disciplines. Most previous approaches studied progressing energy understanding in specific disciplinary contexts, while disregarding the relation of understanding across them. Hence, this study provides a systematic analysis of cross-disciplinary energy learning. On the basis of a cross-sectional study with n = 742 students from grades 6, 8, and 10, we analyze students' progression in understanding energy across biology, chemistry, and physics contexts. The study is guided by three hypothetical scenarios that describe how the connection between energy understanding in the three disciplinary contexts changes across grade levels. These scenarios are compared using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results suggest that, from grade 6 to grade 10, energy understanding in the three disciplinary contexts is highly interrelated, thus indicating a parallel progression of energy understanding in the three disciplinary contexts. In our study, students from grade 6 onwards appeared to have few problems to apply one energy understanding across the three disciplinary contexts. These findings were unexpected, as previous research concluded that students likely face difficulties in connecting energy learning across disciplinary boundaries. Potential reasons for these results and the characteristics of the observed cross-disciplinary energy understanding are discussed in the light of earlier findings and implications for future research, and the teaching of energy as a core idea and a crosscutting concept are addressed.

A Framework for Developing Context-aware Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vangalur Alagar

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Context-aware computing refers to a general class of mobile real-time reactive systems that continuously sense their physical environment, and adapt their behavior accordingly. Context-awareness is an essential inherent property of ubiquitous computing or pervasive computing systems. Such systems are much richer and more complex than many software systems. The richness mainly comes from context-awareness, the heterogeneity of mobile devices and their service types, while complexity arises in the multitude of adaptations enforced by system policies. In order to provide the true intended effect on the application of services without compromising on the richness, the complexity must be tamed. Towards this goal, this paper proposes a component-based architecture for a Context-aware Framework in which context, awareness capabilities, reactions, and adaptations are formally dealt with. Two formal languages are designed to express context situations and express workflow policies, which respectively lead to a context reasoner and to enforce adaptations.With these formalisms and a component design that can be formalized, this work fulfills a formal approach to construct context-aware applications. Two case studies are explained, of which one is a proof-of-concept case study from service-oriented domain. It is fully implemented to illustrate the expressiveness of the framework design and robustness of its implementation.

Boundary Crossing in R&D Projects in Schools: Learning through Cross-Professional Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Schenke, Wouter; van Driel, Jan; Geijsel, Femke P.; Volman, Monique L. L.

2017-01-01

Background/Context: School leaders, teachers, and researchers are increasingly involved in collaborative research and development (R&D) projects in schools, which encourage crossing boundaries between the fields of school and research. It is not clear, however, what and how professionals in these projects learn through cross-professional…

The capacity limitations of orientation summary statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Attarha, Mouna; Moore, Cathleen M.

2015-01-01

The simultaneous–sequential method was used to test the processing capacity of establishing mean orientation summaries. Four clusters of oriented Gabor patches were presented in the peripheral visual field. One of the clusters had a mean orientation that was tilted either left or right while the mean orientations of the other three clusters were roughly vertical. All four clusters were presented at the same time in the simultaneous condition whereas the clusters appeared in temporal subsets of two in the sequential condition. Performance was lower when the means of all four clusters had to be processed concurrently than when only two had to be processed in the same amount of time. The advantage for establishing fewer summaries at a given time indicates that the processing of mean orientation engages limited-capacity processes (Experiment 1). This limitation cannot be attributed to crowding, low target-distractor discriminability, or a limited-capacity comparison process (Experiments 2 and 3). In contrast to the limitations of establishing multiple summary representations, establishing a single summary representation unfolds without interference (Experiment 4). When interpreted in the context of recent work on the capacity of summary statistics, these findings encourage reevaluation of the view that early visual perception consists of summary statistic representations that unfold independently across multiple areas of the visual field. PMID:25810160

Caring about Tomorrow: Future Orientation, Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors

Science.gov (United States)

Carmi, Nurit

2013-01-01

Almost any pro-environmental behavior arouses a temporal conflict, as protecting long-term interests requires the sacrifice of short-term ones. Similarly, many health promoting behaviors may involve present discomfort for the sake of future well-being. In both contexts, health or environmental, developed future orientation (FO) is required to…

Export Market Orientation Behavior of Universities: The British Scenario

Science.gov (United States)

Asaad, Yousra; Melewar, T. C.; Cohen, Geraldine

2015-01-01

This study seeks to extend our knowledge of export market orientation (EMO) in the context of British universities with regard to recruitment of international students. Export marketing remains an area of limited focus in the marketization of higher education literature. The study predominantly follows a quantitative research design using survey…

Cross-sectional anatomy for computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farkas, M.L.

1988-01-01

This self-study guide recognizes that evaluation and interpretation of CT-images demands a firm understanding of both cross-sectional anatomy and the principles of computed tomography. The objectives of this book are: to discuss the basic principles of CT, to stress the importance of cross-sectional anatomy to CT through study of selected cardinal transverse sections of head, neck, and trunk, to explain orientation and interpretation of CT-images with the aid of corresponding cross-sectional preparations

Maintenance of lettuce seed viability and counter-action of radiation damage by moisture equilibration-drying treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Punjabi, Bina; Basu, R.N.

1982-01-01

Lettuce seeds were subjected to X- and gamma-radiation after moisture equilibration-drying or they were equilibrated with a saturated atmosphere for 24 hrs immediately after irradiation followed by drying back to the original weight. Results showed that moisture-equilibration drying treatment either before or after irradiation counteracts the adverse effects of irradiation. (M.G.B.)

Maintenance of lettuce seed viability and counter-action of radiation damage by moisture equilibration-drying treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Punjabi, B; Basu, R N

1982-10-01

Lettuce seeds were subjected to X- and gamma-radiation after moisture equilibration-drying or they were equilibrated with a saturated atmosphere for 24 hrs immediately after irradiation followed by drying back to the original weight. Results showed that moisture-equilibration drying treatment either before or after irradiation counteracts the adverse effects of irradiation. (M.G.B.). 14 refs.

Photoprotection in an ecological context: the remarkable complexity of thermal energy dissipation.

Science.gov (United States)

Demmig-Adams, Barbara; Adams, William W

2006-01-01

This review places photoprotection into the context of ecology and species diversity. The focus is on photoprotection via the safe removal - as thermal energy - of excess solar energy absorbed by the light collecting system, which counteracts the formation of reactive oxygen species. An update on the surprisingly complex, multiple variations of thermal energy dissipation is presented, placing these different forms into ecological and genetic contexts. Zeaxanthin-facilitated, flexible thermal dissipation associated with the PsbS protein and controlled by the trans-thylakoid pH gradient apparently occurs ubiquitously in plants, and can become sustained (and thus less flexible) at low temperatures. Long-lived, slow-growing plants with low intrinsic capacities for photosynthesis have greater capacities for this flexible dissipation than short-lived, fast-growing species. Furthermore, potent, but inflexible (zeaxanthin-facilitated) thermal dissipation, prominent in evergreen species under prolonged environmental stress, is characterized with respect to the involvement of photosystem II core rearrangement and/or degradation as well as the absence of control by trans-thylakoid pH and, possibly, PsbS. A role of PsbS-related proteins in photoprotection is discussed.

Moderating effect of nurses' customer-oriented perception between organizational citizenship behaviors and satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Ching Sheng; Chang, Hae Ching

2010-08-01

This study investigates whether organizational citizenship behaviors enhance job satisfaction among nursing personnel, while exploring whether customer-oriented perception has a moderating effect between nursing personnel's organizational citizenship behaviors and job satisfaction.The authors used a cross-sectional survey sent to 500 nurses with 232 valid responses. According to the research findings, nurses' organizational citizenship behaviors have a positive and significant influence on job satisfaction. Results also indicated that the moderating effect of nurses' customer-oriented perception on the relationship between their organizational citizenship behaviors and job satisfaction was stronger for high customer-oriented perception than it was low customer-oriented perception.

Olopatadine Inhibits Exocytosis in Rat Peritoneal Mast Cells by Counteracting Membrane Surface Deformation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asuka Baba

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Backgroud/Aims: Besides its anti-allergic properties as a histamine receptor antagonist, olopatadine stabilizes mast cells by inhibiting the release of chemokines. Since olopatadine bears amphiphilic features and is preferentially partitioned into the lipid bilayers of the plasma membrane, it would induce some morphological changes in mast cells and thus affect the process of exocytosis. Methods: Employing the standard patch-clamp whole-cell recording technique, we examined the effects of olopatadine and other anti-allergic drugs on the membrane capacitance (Cm in rat peritoneal mast cells during exocytosis. Using confocal imaging of a water-soluble fluorescent dye, lucifer yellow, we also examined their effects on the deformation of the plasma membrane. Results: Low concentrations of olopatadine (1 or 10 µM did not significantly affect the GTP-γ-S-induced increase in the Cm. However, 100 µM and 1 mM olopatadine almost totally suppressed the increase in the Cm. Additionally, these doses completely washed out the trapping of the dye on the cell surface, indicating that olopatadine counteracted the membrane surface deformation induced by exocytosis. As shown by electron microscopy, olopatadine generated inward membrane bending in mast cells. Conclusion: This study provides electrophysiological evidence for the first time that olopatadine dose-dependently inhibits the process of exocytosis in rat peritoneal mast cells. Such mast cell stabilizing properties of olopatadine may be attributed to its counteracting effects on the plasma membrane deformation in degranulating mast cells.

INVESTIGATING ``MARKETING ORIENTATION `` INFLUENCES ON ACHIEVING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE –WITHIN JORDANIAN MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY (BEHAVIOURAL- ATTITUDINAL PERSPECTIVE)

OpenAIRE

Ashour, Mohammed

2011-01-01

Several previous studies emphasised the importance of marketing orientation in achieving firms` competitive position, and many efforts have been focused on investigating Marketing Orientation-organizational performance relationship. However, the majority of previous researches have been conducted in Western cultures and within industrial contexts. This research is an attempt to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the adopted levels of Marketing Orientation (MO) for each mobile telecommun...

Coastal DEMs with Cross-Track Interferometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Greidanus, H.S.F.; Huising, E.J.; Platschorre, Y.; Bree, R.J.P. van; Halsema, D. van; Vaessen, E.M.J.

1999-01-01

Digital elevation models (DEMs) are produced from airborne radar cross-track interferometric measurements. Radar DEMs recorded from perpendicular orientations are intercompared, and compared to DEMs derived from airborne laser altimetry

Exposure to nature counteracts aggression after depletion.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; She, Yihan; Colarelli, Stephen M; Fang, Yuan; Meng, Hui; Chen, Qiuju; Zhang, Xin; Zhu, Hongwei

2018-01-01

Acts of self-control are more likely to fail after previous exertion of self-control, known as the ego depletion effect. Research has shown that depleted participants behave more aggressively than non-depleted participants, especially after being provoked. Although exposure to nature (e.g., a walk in the park) has been predicted to replenish resources common to executive functioning and self-control, the extent to which exposure to nature may counteract the depletion effect on aggression has yet to be determined. The present study investigated the effects of exposure to nature on aggression following depletion. Aggression was measured by the intensity of noise blasts participants delivered to an ostensible opponent in a competition reaction-time task. As predicted, an interaction occurred between depletion and environmental manipulations for provoked aggression. Specifically, depleted participants behaved more aggressively in response to provocation than non-depleted participants in the urban condition. However, provoked aggression did not differ between depleted and non-depleted participants in the natural condition. Moreover, within the depletion condition, participants in the natural condition had lower levels of provoked aggression than participants in the urban condition. This study suggests that a brief period of nature exposure may restore self-control and help depleted people regain control over aggressive urges. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cross-orientation masking in human color vision: application of a two-stage model to assess dichoptic and monocular sources of suppression.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yeon Jin; Gheiratmand, Mina; Mullen, Kathy T

2013-05-28

Cross-orientation masking (XOM) occurs when the detection of a test grating is masked by a superimposed grating at an orthogonal orientation, and is thought to reveal the suppressive effects mediating contrast normalization. Medina and Mullen (2009) reported that XOM was greater for chromatic than achromatic stimuli at equivalent spatial and temporal frequencies. Here we address whether the greater suppression found in binocular color vision originates from a monocular or interocular site, or both. We measure monocular and dichoptic masking functions for red-green color contrast and achromatic contrast at three different spatial frequencies (0.375, 0.75, and 1.5 cpd, 2 Hz). We fit these functions with a modified two-stage masking model (Meese & Baker, 2009) to extract the monocular and interocular weights of suppression. We find that the weight of monocular suppression is significantly higher for color than achromatic contrast, whereas dichoptic suppression is similar for both. These effects are invariant across spatial frequency. We then apply the model to the binocular masking data using the measured values of the monocular and interocular sources of suppression and show that these are sufficient to account for color binocular masking. We conclude that the greater strength of chromatic XOM has a monocular origin that transfers through to the binocular site.

Acculturation orientations affect the evolution of a multicultural society.

Science.gov (United States)

Erten, E Yagmur; van den Berg, Pieter; Weissing, Franz J

2018-01-04

The migration of people between different cultures has affected cultural change throughout history. To understand this process, cross-cultural psychologists have used the 'acculturation' framework, classifying 'acculturation orientations' along two dimensions: the willingness to interact with culturally different individuals, and the inclination to retain the own cultural identity ('cultural conservatism'). Here, using a cultural evolution approach, we construct a dynamically explicit model of acculturation. We show that the evolution of a multicultural society, where immigrant and resident culture stably coexist, is more likely if individuals readily engage in cross-cultural interactions, and if resident individuals are more culturally conservative than immigrants. This result holds if some cultural traits pay off better than others, and individuals use social learning to adopt more advantageous cultural traits. Our study demonstrates that formal dynamic models can help us understand how individual orientations towards immigration eventually determine the population-level distribution of cultural traits.

Scattering phase functions of horizontally oriented hexagonal ice crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Guang; Yang Ping; Kattawar, George W.; Mishchenko, Michael I.

2006-01-01

Finite-difference time domain (FDTD) solutions are first compared with the corresponding T-matrix results for light scattering by circular cylinders with specific orientations. The FDTD method is then utilized to study the scattering properties of horizontally oriented hexagonal ice plates at two wavelengths, 0.55 and 12 μm. The phase functions of horizontally oriented ice plates deviate substantially from their counterparts obtained for randomly oriented particles. Furthermore, we compute the phase functions of horizontally oriented ice crystal columns by using the FDTD method along with two schemes for averaging over the particle orientations. It is shown that the phase functions of hexagonal ice columns with horizontal orientations are not sensitive to the rotation about the principal axes of the particles. Moreover, hexagonal ice crystals and circular cylindrical ice particles have similar optical properties, particularly, at a strongly absorbing wavelength, if the two particle geometries have the same length and aspect ratio defined as the ratio of the radius or semi-width of the cross section of a particle to its length. The phase functions for the two particle geometries are slightly different in the case of weakly absorbing plates with large aspect ratios. However, the solutions for circular cylinders agree well with their counterparts for hexagonal columns

Axon diameter mapping in crossing fibers with diffusion MRI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Hui; Dyrby, Tim B; Alexander, Daniel C

2011-01-01

This paper proposes a technique for a previously unaddressed problem, namely, mapping axon diameter in crossing fiber regions, using diffusion MRI. Direct measurement of tissue microstructure of this kind using diffusion MRI offers a new class of biomarkers that give more specific information about...... tissue than measures derived from diffusion tensor imaging. Most existing techniques for axon diameter mapping assume a single axon orientation in the tissue model, which limits their application to only the most coherently oriented brain white matter, such as the corpus callosum, where the single...... model to enable axon diameter mapping in voxels with crossing fibers. We show in simulation that the technique can provide robust axon diameter estimates in a two-fiber crossing with the crossing angle as small as 45 degrees. Using ex vivo imaging data, we further demonstrate the feasibility...

People-oriented Information Visualization Design

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhiyong; Zhang, Bolun

2018-04-01

In the 21st century with rapid development, in the wake of the continuous progress of science and technology, human society enters the information era and the era of big data, and the lifestyle and aesthetic system also change accordingly, so the emerging field of information visualization is increasingly popular. Information visualization design is the process of visualizing all kinds of tedious information data, so as to quickly accept information and save time-cost. Along with the development of the process of information visualization, information design, also becomes hotter and hotter, and emotional design, people-oriented design is an indispensable part of in the design of information. This paper probes information visualization design through emotional analysis of information design based on the social context of people-oriented experience from the perspective of art design. Based on the three levels of emotional information design: instinct level, behavior level and reflective level research, to explore and discuss information visualization design.

Problem-Oriented Requirements in Practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauesen, Søren

2018-01-01

[Context and motivation] Traditional requirements describe what the system shall do. This gives suppliers little freedom to use what they have already. In contrast, problem-oriented requirements describe the customer’s demands: what he wants to use the system for and which problems he wants...... to remove. The supplier specifies how his system will deal with these issues. The author developed the problem-oriented approach in 2007 on request from the Danish Government, and named it SL-07. [Question/problem] SL-07 has been used in many projects – usually with success. However, we had no detailed re......¬ports of the effects. [Princi¬pal ideas/results] This paper is a case study of SL-07 in acquisition of a complex case-management system. The author wrote the requirements and managed the supplier selection. Next, he was asked to run the entire acquisition project, although he was a novice project manager. Some...

The Impact of Market Orientation on Patient Safety Climate Among Hospital Nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Rhay-Hung; Chen, Jung-Chien; Pong, Li-Jung; Chen, Li-Mei; Lin, Tzu-Chi

2016-03-01

Improving market orientation and patient safety have become the key concerns of nursing management. For nurses, establishing a patient safety climate is the key to enhancing nursing quality. This study explores how market orientation affects the climate of patient safety among hospital nurses. We proposed adopting a cross-sectional research design and using questionnaires to collect responses from nurses working in two Taiwanese hospitals. Three-hundred and forty-three valid samples were obtained. Multiple regression and path analyses were conducted to test the study. Market orientation was defined as the combination of customer orientation, competitor orientation, and interfunctional coordination. Customer orientation directly affects the climate of patient safety. Although the findings only supported Hypothesis 1, competitor orientation and interfunctional coordination positively affected the patient safety climate through the mediating effects of hospital support for staff. Health care managers could encourage nurses to adopt customer-oriented perspectives to enhance their nursing care. In addition, to enhance competitor orientation, interfunctional coordination, and the patient safety climate, hospital managers could strengthen their support for staff members. © The Author(s) 2014.

Cross-poling textures in a lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan, Shan; Bowman, Keith J.

2000-01-01

Tetragonal ferroelectric materials are polarized to induce the anisotropy necessary for the piezoelectric effect. This poling of the material is inherently an orientation process. Pole figure texture measurements of poling and cross-poling in a lead zirconate titanate Navy VI material show domain motion. The resulting axisymmetric and three-dimensional textures demonstrate the contribution of 90 degree sign domain motion to piezoelectricity. Cross-poling results in strong orientations with lower applied fields than in the initial poling steps. (c) 2000 Materials Research Society

Breastfeeding in the context of domestic violence-a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Finnbogadóttir, Hafrún; Thies-Lagergren, Li

2017-12-01

To determine the differences in breastfeeding among women who did and did not experience domestic violence during pregnancy and postpartum in a Swedish context. In addition, to identify possible differences regarding breastfeeding between groups with or without a history of violence. Further, determine the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and symptoms of depression. History of violence may increase the risk of depression and a decrease in, or cessation of, breastfeeding. The study has a cross-sectional design. Data were collected prospectively from March 2012 - May 2015. A cohort of 731 mothers answered a questionnaire from a larger project (1.5 years postpartum). Breastfeeding was reported by 93.7% of participants. Women exposed to domestic violence during pregnancy and/or postpartum (4.5%) were just as likely to breastfeed as women who had not reported exposure to domestic violence. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups with or without a history of violence regarding exclusive breastfeeding. Women reporting several symptoms of depression breastfed exclusively to a lesser extent compared with women who had a few symptoms of depression. Domestic violence did not influence breastfeeding prevalence or duration. Breastfeeding did not differ in women with or without a history of violence. Symptoms of depression influenced duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Beyond recognizing women who are exposed to violence, it is important to identify and to support pregnant women and new mothers with symptoms of depression as their health and the health of their infants depends on the mothers' mental well-being. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Proposed Framework which Uses Object Oriented Principles in Relational Systems: Structure and Formating (Part 2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catalin STRIMBEI

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Our approach tries to overcome the limitations of so called “flat nature” of relational systems, in the actual context of actual relational database theories, database systems technologies and object oriented methodologies by proposing an MDA framework to map an object oriented (UML formalized model to object-relational structures of today’s database systems.

Introducing systems-oriented design for complex societal contexts in design engineering education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

da Costa Junior, J.; Rodrigues Santos, A.L.; Diehl, J.C.

2017-01-01

Faced with large-scale wicked problems that include global warming, resource depletion, poverty and humanitarian emergencies, society needs new and more appropriate reasoning models. In particular, these problems pose unfamiliar challenges in contexts with poor financial and infrastructural

Not all attention orienting is created equal: recognition memory is enhanced when attention orienting involves distractor suppression.

Science.gov (United States)

Markant, Julie; Worden, Michael S; Amso, Dima

2015-04-01

Learning through visual exploration often requires orienting of attention to meaningful information in a cluttered world. Previous work has shown that attention modulates visual cortex activity, with enhanced activity for attended targets and suppressed activity for competing inputs, thus enhancing the visual experience. Here we examined the idea that learning may be engaged differentially with variations in attention orienting mechanisms that drive eye movements during visual search and exploration. We hypothesized that attention orienting mechanisms that engaged suppression of a previously attended location would boost memory encoding of the currently attended target objects to a greater extent than those that involve target enhancement alone. To test this hypothesis we capitalized on the classic spatial cueing task and the inhibition of return (IOR) mechanism (Posner, 1980; Posner, Rafal, & Choate, 1985) to demonstrate that object images encoded in the context of concurrent suppression at a previously attended location were encoded more effectively and remembered better than those encoded without concurrent suppression. Furthermore, fMRI analyses revealed that this memory benefit was driven by attention modulation of visual cortex activity, as increased suppression of the previously attended location in visual cortex during target object encoding predicted better subsequent recognition memory performance. These results suggest that not all attention orienting impacts learning and memory equally. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

What Drives Juvenile Probation Officers? Relating Organizational Contexts, Status Characteristics, and Personal Convictions to Treatment and Punishment Orientations

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Geoff; Kupchik, Aaron

2010-01-01

Data from surveys of juvenile court probation officers in four states are analyzed to understand professional orientations toward two seemingly contrasting goals of contemporary juvenile justice systems: punishment and treatment. These self-reported juvenile probation officer orientations are considered in relation to three clusters of variables…

Studio CONTEXT at Studio Mumbai

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hilberth, Thomas Roger

2017-01-01

Studio CONTEXT @ STUDIO MUMBAI Studio CONTEXT deals with a sustainable architecture based on complexity on all scales of a specific context, that involves geographical, historical, anthropological and social reflections, a cross cultural involvement and mutual learning as well as investigations...... into the most basic elements to define the core qualities of architecture: space, light and material. During three semesters Studio CONTEXT engaged in collaboration with the renowned Indian architectural office STUDIO MUMBAI, at the time located under the palm trees of Nagaon near Ali Bagh in Maharashtra...... MUMBAI, which whom we worked side by side on their premises, we developed proposals for a new square and different typologies of social housing. The projects were then presented for the local council and the community and left with them with the possibility of implementation. After a thorough phase...

Energy-oriented planning of enterprises. Energieorientierte Unternehmensplanung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoffmann, H

1983-01-01

The book first of all analysis, from an energy point of view, the planning field, which can be characterized by factors relating to the enterprise, environmental factors and the basic business policy pursued. Chapter 2 deals with the enterprise parameters that form the object of planning. Different variables of action are pointed out: aims, strategies (and/or stratetic paths), and actions related to certain areas of function. The aims to be fixed are closely connected with the basic business policy and are discussed in this context. In the part dealing with strategies, particular attention is paid to the efficiency-oriented path ''rational energy utilization'' and the effectiveness-oriented path ''energy-oriented product and market design''. Both strategic framework concepts are viewed in close relation to the aims envisaged, the basic business policy and the environmental and business analysis, and are worked out in this connection. The general strategy discussion covering all sectors is followed by a detailed analysis of the action potential specific to certain areas of function. The physical transformation stages procurement, production and sale are chosen as areas of function to be investigated. Finally the book discusses questions related to the realization of energy concepts. These are, besides implementation conditions and control tasks, resistances encountered and the limits of energy-oriented planning.

A conceptual model of nurses' goal orientation, service behavior, and service performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Chien, Chun-Cheng; Chou, Hsin-Kai; Hung, Shuo-Tsung

2008-01-01

Based on the conceptual framework known as the "service triangle," the authors constructed a model of nurses' goal orientation, service behavior, and service performance to investigate the antecedents and consequences of the medical service behavior provided by nurses. This cross-sectional study collected data from 127 nurses in six hospitals using a mail-in questionnaire. Analysis of the model revealed that the customer-oriented behavior of nurses had a positive influence on organizational citizenship behavior; and both of these behaviors had a significant positive influence on service performance. The results also indicate that a higher learning goal orientation among nurses was associated with the performance of both observable customer-oriented behavior and organizational-citizenship behavior.

Concepts for a standard based cross-organisational information security management system in the context of a nationwide EHR.

Science.gov (United States)

Mense, Alexander; Hoheiser-Pförtner, Franz; Schmid, Martin; Wahl, Harald

2013-01-01

Working with health related data necessitates appropriate levels of security and privacy. Information security, meaning ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability, is more organizational, than technical in nature. It includes many organizational and management measures, is based on well-defined security roles, processes, and documents, and needs permanent adaption of security policies, continuously monitoring, and measures assessment. This big challenge for any organization leads to implementation of an information security management system (ISMS). In the context of establishing a regional or national electronic health record for integrated care (ICEHR), the situation is worse. Changing the medical information exchange from on-demand peer-to-peer connections to health information networks requires all organizations participating in the EHR system to have consistent security levels and to follow the same security guidelines and rules. Also, the implementation must be monitored and audited, establishing cross-organizational information security management systems (ISMS) based on international standards. This paper evaluates requirements and defines basic concepts for an ISO 27000 series-based cross-organizational ISMS in the healthcare domain and especially for the implementation of the nationwide electronic health record in Austria (ELGA).

Acidosis counteracts itch tachyphylaxis to consecutive pruritogen exposure dependent on acid-sensing ion channel 3.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Yi-Ming; Huang, Chen; Peng, Zhong; Han, Shao-Ling; Li, Wei-Guang; Zhu, Michael Xi; Xu, Tian-Le

2017-01-01

Tachyphylaxis of itch refers to a markedly reduced scratching response to consecutive exposures of a pruritogen, a process thought to protect against tissue damage by incessant scratching and to become disrupted in chronic itch. Here, we report that a strong stimulation of the Mas-related G-protein-coupled receptor C11 by its agonist, Ser-Leu-Ile-Gly-Arg-Leu-NH 2 (SL-NH 2 ) or bovine adrenal medulla 8-22 peptide, via subcutaneous injection in mice induces tachyphylaxis to the subsequent application of SL-NH 2 to the same site. Notably, co-application of acid and SL-NH 2 following the initial injection of the pruritogen alone counteracted itch tachyphylaxis by augmenting the scratching behaviors in wild-type but not in acid-sensing ion channel 3-null, animals. Using an activity-dependent silencing strategy, we identified that acid-sensing ion channel 3-mediated itch enhancement mainly occurred via the Mas-related G-protein-coupled receptor C11-responsive sensory neurons. Together, our results indicate that acid-sensing ion channel 3, activated by concomitant acid and certain pruritogens, constitute a novel signaling pathway that counteracts itch tachyphylaxis to successive pruritogenic stimulation, which likely contributes to chronic itch associated with tissue acidosis.

ORIENTATION RELATIONNELLE VERSUS TRANSACTIONNELLE DU CLIENT : DEVELOPPEMENT D'UNE ECHELLE DANS LE SECTEUR BANCAIRE FRANÇAIS. UNE ETUDE EXPLORATOIRE

OpenAIRE

Benamour , Yasmine; Prim-Allaz , Isabelle

2000-01-01

International audience; The authors conduct an exploratory study in order to develop a measurement scale of customers transactional/relational orientation. The study is implemented in the context of French banking industry in both B.-to-C. and B.-to-B. environments. The results show that a different scale is needed for each context.; Les auteurs mettent en place une étude exploratoire dans le but de développer une échelle de mesure de l'orientation transactionnelle/relationnelle du client. Ce...

Modern psychometrics for assessing achievement goal orientation: a Rasch analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Muis, Krista R; Winne, Philip H; Edwards, Ordene V

2009-09-01

A program of research is needed that assesses the psychometric properties of instruments designed to quantify students' achievement goal orientations to clarify inconsistencies across previous studies and to provide a stronger basis for future research. We conducted traditional psychometric and modern Rasch-model analyses of the Achievement Goals Questionnaire (AGQ, Elliot & McGregor, 2001) and the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scale (PALS, Midgley et al., 2000) to provide an in-depth analysis of the two most popular instruments in educational psychology. For Study 1, 217 undergraduate students enrolled in educational psychology courses participated. Thirty-four were male and 181 were female (two did not respond). Participants completed the AGQ in the context of their educational psychology class. For Study 2, 126 undergraduate students enrolled in educational psychology courses participated. Thirty were male and 95 were female (one did not respond). Participants completed the PALS in the context of their educational psychology class. Traditional psychometric assessments of the AGQ and PALS replicated previous studies. For both, reliability estimates ranged from good to very good for raw subscale scores and fit for the models of goal orientations were good. Based on traditional psychometrics, the AGQ and PALS are valid and reliable indicators of achievement goals. Rasch analyses revealed that estimates of reliability for items were very good but respondent ability estimates varied from poor to good for both the AGQ and PALS. These findings indicate that items validly and reliably reflect a group's aggregate goal orientation, but using either instrument to characterize an individual's goal orientation is hazardous.

Creating a Context for Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Truman Schwartz, A.

Until relatively recently, the teaching of chemistry at the college and university level in the United States has been quite traditional and oriented primarily toward the preparation of chemists. Students not concentrating in the sciences have often been poorly served by existing courses. Chemistry in Context: Applying Chemistry to Society, a textbook for nonscience majors developed under the sponsorship of the American Chemical Society, is an effort to address the needs and interests of this audience. The book introduces the phenomena and principles of chemistry within the context of socially significant issues such as global warming, ozone depletion, alternate energy sources, nutrition, and genetic engineering. The chemistry is presented as needed to inform an understanding of the central topics, and the text features student-centered activities designed to promote critical thinking and risk-benefit analysis as well as an understanding of chemical principles. This paper summarizes the origin, development, content, pedagogy, evaluation, and influence of Chemistry in Context and considers its potential implications for other disciplines and the instruction of science majors.

Magnetic compass orientation in the European eel.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline M F Durif

Full Text Available European eel migrate from freshwater or coastal habitats throughout Europe to their spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea. However, their route (~ 6000 km and orientation mechanisms are unknown. Several attempts have been made to prove the existence of magnetoreception in Anguilla sp., but none of these studies have demonstrated magnetic compass orientation in earth-strength magnetic field intensities. We tested eels in four altered magnetic field conditions where magnetic North was set at geographic North, South, East, or West. Eels oriented in a manner that was related to the tank in which they were housed before the test. At lower temperature (under 12°C, their orientation relative to magnetic North corresponded to the direction of their displacement from the holding tank. At higher temperatures (12-17°C, eels showed bimodal orientation along an axis perpendicular to the axis of their displacement. These temperature-related shifts in orientation may be linked to the changes in behavior that occur between the warm season (during which eels are foraging and the colder fall and winter (during which eels undertake their migrations. These observations support the conclusion that 1. eels have a magnetic compass, and 2. they use this sense to orient in a direction that they have registered moments before they are displaced. The adaptive advantage of having a magnetic compass and learning the direction in which they have been displaced becomes clear when set in the context of the eel's seaward migration. For example, if their migration is halted or blocked, as it is the case when environmental conditions become unfavorable or when they encounter a barrier, eels would be able to resume their movements along their old bearing when conditions become favorable again or when they pass by the barrier.

Magnetic compass orientation in the European eel.

Science.gov (United States)

Durif, Caroline M F; Browman, Howard I; Phillips, John B; Skiftesvik, Anne Berit; Vøllestad, L Asbjørn; Stockhausen, Hans H

2013-01-01

European eel migrate from freshwater or coastal habitats throughout Europe to their spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea. However, their route (~ 6000 km) and orientation mechanisms are unknown. Several attempts have been made to prove the existence of magnetoreception in Anguilla sp., but none of these studies have demonstrated magnetic compass orientation in earth-strength magnetic field intensities. We tested eels in four altered magnetic field conditions where magnetic North was set at geographic North, South, East, or West. Eels oriented in a manner that was related to the tank in which they were housed before the test. At lower temperature (under 12°C), their orientation relative to magnetic North corresponded to the direction of their displacement from the holding tank. At higher temperatures (12-17°C), eels showed bimodal orientation along an axis perpendicular to the axis of their displacement. These temperature-related shifts in orientation may be linked to the changes in behavior that occur between the warm season (during which eels are foraging) and the colder fall and winter (during which eels undertake their migrations). These observations support the conclusion that 1. eels have a magnetic compass, and 2. they use this sense to orient in a direction that they have registered moments before they are displaced. The adaptive advantage of having a magnetic compass and learning the direction in which they have been displaced becomes clear when set in the context of the eel's seaward migration. For example, if their migration is halted or blocked, as it is the case when environmental conditions become unfavorable or when they encounter a barrier, eels would be able to resume their movements along their old bearing when conditions become favorable again or when they pass by the barrier.

Cross-Cultural Mentoring: A Pathway to Making Excellence Inclusive

Science.gov (United States)

Crutcher, Betty Neal

2014-01-01

Cross-cultural mentoring involves an ongoing, intentional, and mutually enriching relationship with someone of a different race, gender, ethnicity, religion, cultural background, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, or nationality. Generally more experienced, the cross-cultural mentor guides the intellectual and personal development of…

Position and Orientation Tracking in a Ubiquitous Monitoring System for Parkinson Disease Patients With Freezing of Gait Symptom

Science.gov (United States)

Català, Andreu; Rodríguez Martín, Daniel; van der Aa, Nico; Chen, Wei; Rauterberg, Matthias

2013-01-01

Background Freezing of gait (FoG) is one of the most disturbing and least understood symptoms in Parkinson disease (PD). Although the majority of existing assistive systems assume accurate detections of FoG episodes, the detection itself is still an open problem. The specificity of FoG is its dependency on the context of a patient, such as the current location or activity. Knowing the patient's context might improve FoG detection. One of the main technical challenges that needs to be solved in order to start using contextual information for FoG detection is accurate estimation of the patient's position and orientation toward key elements of his or her indoor environment. Objective The objectives of this paper are to (1) present the concept of the monitoring system, based on wearable and ambient sensors, which is designed to detect FoG using the spatial context of the user, (2) establish a set of requirements for the application of position and orientation tracking in FoG detection, (3) evaluate the accuracy of the position estimation for the tracking system, and (4) evaluate two different methods for human orientation estimation. Methods We developed a prototype system to localize humans and track their orientation, as an important prerequisite for a context-based FoG monitoring system. To setup the system for experiments with real PD patients, the accuracy of the position and orientation tracking was assessed under laboratory conditions in 12 participants. To collect the data, the participants were asked to wear a smartphone, with and without known orientation around the waist, while walking over a predefined path in the marked area captured by two Kinect cameras with non-overlapping fields of view. Results We used the root mean square error (RMSE) as the main performance measure. The vision based position tracking algorithm achieved RMSE = 0.16 m in position estimation for upright standing people. The experimental results for the proposed human orientation

Electron-impact ionization of oriented molecules using the time-dependent close-coupling approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Colgan, J [Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Pindzola, M S, E-mail: jcolgan@lanl.gov [Department of Physics, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849 (United States)

2011-04-01

An overview is given on recent progress on computing triple differential cross sections for electron-impact ionization of the hydrogen molecule using a time-dependent close-coupling approach. Our calculations, when averaged over all molecular orientations, are generally in very good agreement with (e,2e) measurements made on H{sub 2}, where the molecular orientation is unknown, for a range of incident energies and outgoing electron angles and energies. In this paper, we present TDCS for ionization of H{sub 2} at specific molecular orientations. It is hoped that this study will help stimulate future measurements of TDCS from oriented H{sub 2} at medium impact energies.

Interface between Context and Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Cong; Wang, Daojuan; Zhang, Bin

2017-01-01

In this paper, we explores how to consider contextual factors in the development of paradigm theory by focusing on the application and development of agency theory in a cross context. Specifically, the interface between agency theory and context is established from two aspects. On one hand......, the application and development of agency theory in both developed and emerging economies are examined from the perspectives of principal-agent conflicts (PAC) and principal-principal conflicts (PPC), respectively. On the other hand, a model of contextualization theory is created from the perspectives of PAC...

Sounds in context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weed, Ethan

A sound is never just a sound. It is becoming increasingly clear that auditory processing is best thought of not as a one-way afferent stream, but rather as an ongoing interaction between interior processes and the environment. Even the earliest stages of auditory processing in the nervous system...... time-course of contextual influence on auditory processing in three different paradigms: a simple mismatch negativity paradigm with tones of differing pitch, a multi-feature mismatch negativity paradigm in which tones were embedded in a complex musical context, and a cross-modal paradigm, in which...... auditory processing of emotional speech was modulated by an accompanying visual context. I then discuss these results in terms of their implication for how we conceive of the auditory processing stream....

Proposed Framework which Uses Object Oriented Principles in Relational Systems: Structure and Formating (Part 2)

OpenAIRE

Catalin STRIMBEI

2006-01-01

Our approach tries to overcome the limitations of so called “flat nature†of relational systems, in the actual context of actual relational database theories, database systems technologies and object oriented methodologies by proposing an MDA framework to map an object oriented (UML formalized) model to object-relational structures of today’s database systems.

El cross-dressing en el context català del segle XXI

OpenAIRE

Barbé i Serra, Alba

2015-01-01

[spa] La tesis pretende una aproximación a la práctica cross-dresser a través de una etnografía realizada, principalmente, al club EnFemme de Barcelona. El club se define como un espacio de soporte para personas “transgéneros: cross-dressers, transvestís y transsexuales”. El cross-dressing se caracteriza por una contemplación y expresión del género no persistente en el tiempo y el espacio. Refiere a la presentación y representación social del propio cuerpo, y por lo tanto del género, dependi...

Responsive and Proactive Stakeholder Orientation in Public Universities: Antecedents and Consequences

Science.gov (United States)

Alarcón-del-Amo, María-del-Carmen; Casablancas-Segura, Carme; Llonch, Joan

2016-01-01

This study, based on institutional theory, dynamic capabilities, and stakeholder theory, investigates the relationships between the antecedents of responsive and proactive stakeholder orientation and their consequences in the public university context. The results obtained mainly stress that the mimetic effect of copying successful university…

Ad-me: Intelligent Context-Sensitive Advertising within a Mobile Tourist Guide.

OpenAIRE

Hristova, Nataliya; O'Hare, G. M. P. (Greg M. P.)

2001-01-01

The mobile commerce sector is set to witness phenomenal growth. In particular context sensitive advertising will represent a high yield revenue stream. This paper introduces the Ad-me (Advertising for the mobile e-commerce user) system which proactively delivers advertisements to users. Within the context of a mobile tourist guide advertisements are presented relative to user location and perceived needs. It uses Global Positioning System (GPS) and embraces agent-oriented design p...

Mutual Relevance of Mainstream and Cross-Cultural Psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Lee Anna

1987-01-01

Asserts that mainstream and cross-cultural psychology address many of the same basic issues and that cross-cultural studies may be a direct and logical extension of the search for causes of variation in human psychology and psychopathology. Discusses differences in theoretical orientation and methodological approach and barriers to communication…

Cross-cultural difference in OSH

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Starren, A.; Drupsteen, L.

2014-01-01

In this article we describe cross-cultural aspects in the context of safety management. When working abroad, cross-cultural differences ask for other competencies to enhance safe behaviour than at home due to cultural and language differences. In this wiki some guidance is given on aspects of

The role of business ethics in the relationship between market orientation and business performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gusti Oka Widana

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The positive of impact of market orientation toward business performance of a company is a common wisdom in the marketing literatures. Hence the prior studies recommend that the connection will depend on other strategic actions. In this regards, this study tries to assess the construct of business ethics as the precedent of market orientation in the context of Indonesia Islamic banks. Upon assessing data using SmartPLS, this study finds that market orientation is the determinant of business performance and Islamic business ethics is the precedent of market orientation. However, market orientation is not effective as the mediator in the relationship between Islamic business ethics and business performance. The discussion of this finding is provided as well as the managerial implication at the end of this paper.

Validation of King's transaction process for healthcare provider-patient communication in pharmaceutical context: One cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dan; Liu, Chenxi; Zhang, Zinan; Ye, Liping; Zhang, Xinping

2018-03-27

With the impressive advantages of patient-pharmacist communication being advocated and poor pharmacist-patient communication in different settings, it is of great significance and urgency to explore the mechanism of the pharmacist-patient communicative relationship. The King's theory of goal attainment is proposed as one of the most promising models to be applied, because it takes into consideration both improving the patient-pharmacist relationship and attaining patients' health outcomes. This study aimed to validate the King's transaction process and build the linkage between the transaction process and patient satisfaction in a pharmaceutical context. A cross-sectional study was conducted in four tertiary hospitals in two provincial cities (Wuhan and Shanghai) in central and east China in July 2017. Patients over 18 were investigated in the pharmacies of the hospitals. The instrument for the transaction process was revised and tested. Path analysis was conducted for the King's transaction process and its relationship with patient satisfaction. Five hundred eighty-nine participants were investigated for main study. Prior to the addition of covariates, the hypothesised model of the King's transaction process was validated, in which all paths of the transaction process were statistically significant (p process had direct effects on patient satisfaction (p process was established as one valid theoretical framework of healthcare provider-patient communication in a pharmaceutical context. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis of dependence of fission cross section and angular anisotropy of the 235U fission fragment escape induced by neutrons of intermediate energies (epsilon < or approximately200 keV) on target nucleus orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barabanov, A.L.

1985-01-01

Experimental data on dependence of fission cross section Σsub(f) (epsilon) and angular anisotropy W(epsilon, 0 deg)/W(epsilon, 90 deg) of sup(235)U fission fragment escape by neutrons with energy epsilon=100 and 200 keV on orientation of target nuclei are analyzed. 235 U (Isup(πsub(0))=7/2sup(-)) nuclei were orientated at the expense of interaction of quadrupole nucleus momenta with nonuniform electric field of uranyl-rubidium nitrate crystal at crystal cooling to T=0.2 K. The analysis was carried out with three different sets of permeability factors T(epsilon). Results of the analysis weakly depend on T(epsilon) choice. It is shown that a large number of adjusting parameters (six fissionabilities γsup(f)(Jsup(π), epsilon) and six momenta sub(Jsup(π))) permit to described experimental data on Σsub(f)(epsilon) and W(epsilon, 0 deg)/W(epsilon, 90 deg), obtained at epsilon=200 keV by introducing essential dependence of γsup(f)(Jsup(π), epsilon) and sub(Jsup(π)) on Jsup(π). Estimations of fission cross sections Σsub(f)(epsilon) and angular distribution W(epsilon, n vector) up to T approximately equal to 0.01 K in two geometries of the experiment: the orientation axis is parallel and perpendicular to momentum direction p vector of incident neutrons, are conducted

Atomistic simulations of dislocation-precipitate interactions emphasize importance of cross-slip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, C.V.; Mateos, A.J.; Warner, D.H.

2011-01-01

This work examines the interaction of screw dislocations with Guinier-Preston (GP) zones using atomistic simulations. Both Orowan looping and cross-slip mechanisms are found to control the interactions. Cross-slip, occurring both at zero and finite temperatures, is found to either significantly reduce or enhance precipitate strengthening, depending upon the orientation of the dislocation-GP zone interaction. The orientation dependence, and its dependence on temperature, provides a micromechanical explanation for the experiments of Muraishi et al. (Philos. Mag. A 82 (2002) 2755).

Autonomous Quality Control of Joint Orientation Measured with Inertial Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karina Lebel

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Clinical mobility assessment is traditionally performed in laboratories using complex and expensive equipment. The low accessibility to such equipment, combined with the emerging trend to assess mobility in a free-living environment, creates a need for body-worn sensors (e.g., inertial measurement units—IMUs that are capable of measuring the complexity in motor performance using meaningful measurements, such as joint orientation. However, accuracy of joint orientation estimates using IMUs may be affected by environment, the joint tracked, type of motion performed and velocity. This study investigates a quality control (QC process to assess the quality of orientation data based on features extracted from the raw inertial sensors’ signals. Joint orientation (trunk, hip, knee, ankle of twenty participants was acquired by an optical motion capture system and IMUs during a variety of tasks (sit, sit-to-stand transition, walking, turning performed under varying conditions (speed, environment. An artificial neural network was used to classify good and bad sequences of joint orientation with a sensitivity and a specificity above 83%. This study confirms the possibility to perform QC on IMU joint orientation data based on raw signal features. This innovative QC approach may be of particular interest in a big data context, such as for remote-monitoring of patients’ mobility.

The anisotropic potential of molecular hydrogen determined from the scattering of oriented H2 on inert gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zandee, A.P.L.M.

1977-01-01

This thesis deals with an experiment aimed at determining the angle dependence of an intermolecular potential between H 2 molecule and a rare gas atom. The small relative difference in total collision cross section for beams of differently oriented H 2 molecules colliding with inert gas atoms in a scattering box is measured (anisotropy A). Through variation of the orientation and by studying its influence on the total collision cross sections, the angle dependence of the intermolecular potential can be arrived at

Coronavirus gene 7 counteracts host defenses and modulates virus virulence.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jazmina L G Cruz

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV genome contains three accessory genes: 3a, 3b and 7. Gene 7 is only present in members of coronavirus genus a1, and encodes a hydrophobic protein of 78 aa. To study gene 7 function, a recombinant TGEV virus lacking gene 7 was engineered (rTGEV-Δ7. Both the mutant and the parental (rTGEV-wt viruses showed the same growth and viral RNA accumulation kinetics in tissue cultures. Nevertheless, cells infected with rTGEV-Δ7 virus showed an increased cytopathic effect caused by an enhanced apoptosis mediated by caspase activation. Macromolecular synthesis analysis showed that rTGEV-Δ7 virus infection led to host translational shut-off and increased cellular RNA degradation compared with rTGEV-wt infection. An increase of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2α phosphorylation and an enhanced nuclease, most likely RNase L, activity were observed in rTGEV-Δ7 virus infected cells. These results suggested that the removal of gene 7 promoted an intensified dsRNA-activated host antiviral response. In protein 7 a conserved sequence motif that potentially mediates binding to protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit (PP1c, a key regulator of the cell antiviral defenses, was identified. We postulated that TGEV protein 7 may counteract host antiviral response by its association with PP1c. In fact, pull-down assays demonstrated the interaction between TGEV protein 7, but not a protein 7 mutant lacking PP1c binding motif, with PP1. Moreover, the interaction between protein 7 and PP1 was required, during the infection, for eIF2α dephosphorylation and inhibition of cell RNA degradation. Inoculation of newborn piglets with rTGEV-Δ7 and rTGEV-wt viruses showed that rTGEV-Δ7 virus presented accelerated growth kinetics and pathology compared with the parental virus. Overall, the results indicated that gene 7 counteracted host cell defenses, and modified TGEV persistence increasing TGEV survival. Therefore, the

Successful Employee Empowerment: Major Determinants in the Jordanian Context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khadra DAHOU

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Being the most important asset, the human resource represents today the source of the organizations’ sustainable competitive advantage. This focus on the employee as the organizations’ core of human capital management drives the current interest in empowerment. This paper explores the concept of employee empowerment and the main influential factors in implementing an empowerment initiative: job design, transformational leadership, decision-making authority, continuous training and development, sharing information, and self-managed teams. Using a hypotheses testing approach, this correlational cross-sectional field study investigates the influence of the six factors on the adoption of employee empowerment. Using a questionnaire method, data was collected from Jordanian commercial banks. The results of a multiple linear regression analysis revealed that sharing information, job design, transformational leadership and decision making authority have a positive effect on employee empowerment. Sharing information and adopting the appropriate job design inside the organization have the strongest influence in that fostering these initiatives would certainly make banks’ employees’ empowerment successful. The research provides insights into the perception of employee empowerment in the Jordanian context, specifically in the banking industry, a high service- oriented sector where empowering employees become a must for a better customer service

Oriented movement of statoliths studied in a reduced gravitational field during parabolic flights of rockets.

Science.gov (United States)

Volkmann, D; Buchen, B; Hejnowicz, Z; Tewinkel, M; Sievers, A

1991-09-01

During five rocket flights (TEXUS 18, 19, 21, 23 and 25), experiments were performed to investigate the behaviour of statoliths in rhizoids of the green alga Chara globularia Thuill. and in statocytes of cress (Lepidium sativum L.) roots, when the gravitational field changed to approx. 10(-4) · g (i.e. microgravity) during the parabolic flight (lasting for 301-390 s) of the rockets. The position of statoliths was only slightly influenced by the conditions during launch, e.g. vibration, acceleration and rotation of the rocket. Within approx. 6 min of microgravity conditions the shape of the statolith complex in the rhizoids changed from a transversely oriented lens into a longitudinally oriented spindle. The center of the statolith complex moved approx. 14 μm and 3.6 μm in rhizoids and root statocytes, respectively, in the opposite direction to the originally acting gravity vector. The kinetics of statolith displacement in rhizoids demonstrate that the velocity was nearly constant under microgravity whereas it decreased remarkably after inversion of rhizoids on Earth. It can be concluded that on Earth the position of statoliths in both rhizoids and root statocytes depends on the balance of two forces, i.e. the gravitational force and the counteracting force mediated by microfilaments.

Cross-modal decoupling in temporal attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Mühlberg, Stefanie; Oriolo, Giovanni; Soto-Faraco, Salvador

2014-06-01

Prior studies have repeatedly reported behavioural benefits to events occurring at attended, compared to unattended, points in time. It has been suggested that, as for spatial orienting, temporal orienting of attention spreads across sensory modalities in a synergistic fashion. However, the consequences of cross-modal temporal orienting of attention remain poorly understood. One challenge is that the passage of time leads to an increase in event predictability throughout a trial, thus making it difficult to interpret possible effects (or lack thereof). Here we used a design that avoids complete temporal predictability to investigate whether attending to a sensory modality (vision or touch) at a point in time confers beneficial access to events in the other, non-attended, sensory modality (touch or vision, respectively). In contrast to previous studies and to what happens with spatial attention, we found that events in one (unattended) modality do not automatically benefit from happening at the time point when another modality is expected. Instead, it seems that attention can be deployed in time with relative independence for different sensory modalities. Based on these findings, we argue that temporal orienting of attention can be cross-modally decoupled in order to flexibly react according to the environmental demands, and that the efficiency of this selective decoupling unfolds in time. © 2014 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Intelligibility in Context Scale for South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Pascoe, Michelle; McLeod, Sharynne

2016-01-01

The Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS) is a screening questionnaire that focuses on parents' perceptions of children's speech in different contexts. Originally developed in English, it has been translated into 60 languages and the validity and clinical utility of the scale has been documented in a range of countries. In South Africa, there are…

Propionyl-L-Carnitine Enhances Wound Healing and Counteracts Microvascular Endothelial Cell Dysfunction.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Giovanna Scioli

Full Text Available Impaired wound healing represents a high cost for health care systems. Endothelial dysfunction characterizes dermal microangiopathy and contributes to delayed wound healing and chronic ulcers. Endothelial dysfunction impairs cutaneous microvascular blood flow by inducing an imbalance between vasorelaxation and vasoconstriction as a consequence of reduced nitric oxide (NO production and the increase of oxidative stress and inflammation. Propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC is a natural derivative of carnitine that has been reported to ameliorate post-ischemic blood flow recovery.We investigated the effects of PLC in rat skin flap and cutaneous wound healing. A daily oral PLC treatment improved skin flap viability and associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS reduction, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS and NO up-regulation, accelerated wound healing and increased capillary density, likely favoring dermal angiogenesis by up-regulation for iNOS, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, placental growth factor (PlGF and reduction of NADPH-oxidase 4 (Nox4 expression. In serum-deprived human dermal microvascular endothelial cell cultures, PLC ameliorated endothelial dysfunction by increasing iNOS, PlGF, VEGF receptors 1 and 2 expression and NO level. In addition, PLC counteracted serum deprivation-induced impairment of mitochondrial β-oxidation, Nox4 and cellular adhesion molecule (CAM expression, ROS generation and leukocyte adhesion. Moreover, dermal microvascular endothelial cell dysfunction was prevented by Nox4 inhibition. Interestingly, inhibition of β-oxidation counteracted the beneficial effects of PLC on oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction.PLC treatment improved rat skin flap viability, accelerated wound healing and dermal angiogenesis. The beneficial effects of PLC likely derived from improvement of mitochondrial β-oxidation and reduction of Nox4-mediated oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. Antioxidant therapy and

Previous International Experience, Cross-Cultural Training, and Expatriates' Cross-Cultural Adjustment: Effects of Cultural Intelligence and Goal Orientation

Science.gov (United States)

Koo Moon, Hyoung; Kwon Choi, Byoung; Shik Jung, Jae

2012-01-01

Although various antecedents of expatriates' cross-cultural adjustment have been addressed, previous international experience, predeparture cross-cultural training, and cultural intelligence (CQ) have been most frequently examined. However, there are few attempts that explore the effects of these antecedents simultaneously or consider the possible…

Counteracting effect of threat on reward enhancements during working memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jong Moon; Padmala, Srikanth; Pessoa, Luiz

2015-01-01

Cognitive performance has been shown to be enhanced when performance-based rewards are at stake. On the other hand, task-irrelevant threat processing has been shown to have detrimental effects during several cognitive tasks. Crucially, the impact of reward and threat on cognition has been studied largely independently of one another. Hence, our understanding of how reward and threat simultaneously contribute to performance is incomplete. To fill in this gap, the present study investigated how reward and threat interact with one another during a cognitive task. We found that threat of shock counteracted the beneficial effect of reward during a working memory task. Furthermore, individual differences in self-reported reward-sensitivity and anxiety were linked to the extent to which reward and threat interacted during behaviour. Together, the current findings contribute to a limited but growing literature unravelling how positive and negative information processing jointly influence cognition.

The importance of orientation in proton transport of a polymer film based on an oriented self-organized columnar liquid-crystalline polyether

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tylkowski, Bartosz; Castelao, Nuria [Departament d' Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Paiesos Catalans, 26, E-43007, Tarragona (Spain); Giamberini, Marta, E-mail: marta.giamberini@urv.net [Departament d' Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Paiesos Catalans, 26, E-43007, Tarragona (Spain); Garcia-Valls, Ricard [Departament d' Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Paiesos Catalans, 26, E-43007, Tarragona (Spain); Reina, Jose Antonio [Departament de Quimica Analitica i Quimica Organica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Carrer Marcel.li Domingo s/n, E-43007, Tarragona (Spain); Gumi, Tania [Departament d' Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Paiesos Catalans, 26, E-43007, Tarragona (Spain)

2012-02-01

We prepared membranes based on a liquid-crystalline side-chain polyether obtained by chemical modification of commercial poly(epichlorohydrin) (PECH) with dendrons. This polymer exhibited a columnar structure, which could form an ion channel in the inner part. The columns were successfully oriented by taking advantage of surface interactions between the polymer and hydrophilic substrates, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and optical microscopy between crossed polars (POM). Column orientation was found to be crucial for effective transport: the oriented membranes exhibited proton transport comparable to that of Nafion Registered-Sign N117 and no water uptake. An increase in sodium ion concentration in the feed phase suggested a proton/cation antiport. On the contrary, no proton transport was detected on unoriented membranes based on the same liquid-crystalline side-chain polyether or on unmodified PECH. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We prepared oriented membranes based on a liquid crystalline columnar polyether. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer In this structure, the inner polyether chain could work as an ion channel. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We obtained membranes by casting a chloroform solution in the presence of water. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Membranes showed good proton permeability due to the presence of oriented channels.

The importance of orientation in proton transport of a polymer film based on an oriented self-organized columnar liquid-crystalline polyether

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tylkowski, Bartosz; Castelao, Nuria; Giamberini, Marta; Garcia-Valls, Ricard; Reina, José Antonio; Gumí, Tània

2012-01-01

We prepared membranes based on a liquid-crystalline side-chain polyether obtained by chemical modification of commercial poly(epichlorohydrin) (PECH) with dendrons. This polymer exhibited a columnar structure, which could form an ion channel in the inner part. The columns were successfully oriented by taking advantage of surface interactions between the polymer and hydrophilic substrates, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and optical microscopy between crossed polars (POM). Column orientation was found to be crucial for effective transport: the oriented membranes exhibited proton transport comparable to that of Nafion® N117 and no water uptake. An increase in sodium ion concentration in the feed phase suggested a proton/cation antiport. On the contrary, no proton transport was detected on unoriented membranes based on the same liquid-crystalline side-chain polyether or on unmodified PECH. - Highlights: ► We prepared oriented membranes based on a liquid crystalline columnar polyether. ► In this structure, the inner polyether chain could work as an ion channel. ► We obtained membranes by casting a chloroform solution in the presence of water. ► Membranes showed good proton permeability due to the presence of oriented channels.

Counteracting Animal Homelessness and Providing Care for Stray Animals as a Task of a Commune

OpenAIRE

Szalewska, Małgorzata

2017-01-01

The analysis of Polish binding law acts allows one to assume that, on normative level, the obligation of public administration to provide care for stray animals is deeply embedded. Both the Animal Protection Act, as well as the Act on Maintaining Cleanliness, indicate the tasks of a commune in the scope of providing care for stray animals, catching homeless animals and counteracting their homelessness. Simultaneously, the analysis of jurisdiction, and inquiries as well as considerations emerg...

Total neutron cross section of lead

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanda, K.; Aizawa, O.

1976-01-01

The total thermal-neutron cross section of natural lead under various physical conditions was measured by the transmission method. It became clear that the total cross section at room temperature previously reported is lower than the present data. The total cross section at 400, 500, and 600 0 C, above the melting point of lead, 327 0 C, was also measured, and the changes in the cross section as a function of temperature were examined, especially near and below the melting point. The data obtained for the randomly oriented polycrystalline state at room temperature were in reasonable agreement with the theoretical values calculated by the THRUSH and UNCLE-TOM codes

Consideration of learning orientations as an application of achievement goals in evaluating life science majors in introductory physics

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Andrew J.; Bertram, Charles A.

2018-06-01

When considering performing an Introductory Physics for Life Sciences course transformation for one's own institution, life science majors' achievement goals are a necessary consideration to ensure the pedagogical transformation will be effective. However, achievement goals are rarely an explicit consideration in physics education research topics such as metacognition. We investigate a sample population of 218 students in a first-semester introductory algebra-based physics course, drawn from 14 laboratory sections within six semesters of course sections, to determine the influence of achievement goals on life science majors' attitudes towards physics. Learning orientations that, respectively, pertain to mastery goals and performance goals, in addition to a learning orientation that does not report a performance goal, were recorded from students in the specific context of learning a problem-solving framework during an in-class exercise. Students' learning orientations, defined within the context of students' self-reported statements in the specific context of a problem-solving-related research-based course implementation, are compared to pre-post results on physics problem-solving items in a well-established attitudinal survey instrument, in order to establish the categories' validity. In addition, mastery-related and performance-related orientations appear to extend to overall pre-post attitudinal shifts, but not to force and motion concepts or to overall course grade, within the scope of an introductory physics course. There also appears to be differentiation regarding overall course performance within health science majors, but not within biology majors, in terms of learning orientations; however, health science majors generally appear to fare less well on all measurements in the study than do biology majors, regardless of learning orientations.

Gossip in organisations: Contexts, consequences and controversies

OpenAIRE

Michelson, G.; van Iverson, A.; Waddington, K.

2010-01-01

This article examines the key themes surrounding gossip including its contexts, the various outcomes (positive and negative) of gossip as well as a selection of challenges and controversies. The challenges which are highlighted revolve around definitional issues, methodological approaches, and ethical considerations. Our analysis suggests that the characteristics and features of gossip lend itself to a process-oriented approach whereby the beginning and, particularly, end points of gossip are...

The Impact of Value-Orientations on Cross-cultural Encounters and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

empirical studies aim to develop cross-cultural awareness and conflict management ... end states or behaviors (terminal and instrumental values), which transcend ... self-direction) or collectivistic goals (prosocial, conformity), which can.

Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on a Research Agenda for Maintenance and Evolution of Service-Oriented Systems (MESOA 2010)

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-01

service -oriented systems • Software -as-a- Service ( SaaS ) • social network infrastructures • Internet marketing • mobile computing • context awareness...Maintenance and Evolution of Service -Oriented Systems (MESOA 2010), organized by members of the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute’s...CMU/SEI-2011-SR-008 | 1 1 Workshop Introduction The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) started developing a service -oriented architecture

Counternarrative and antenarrative inquiry in two cross-cultural contexts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boje, David M.; Svane, Marita Susanna; Gergerich, Erika

2016-01-01

stereotypical representations of race, class, and gender, and offer theory and methodology resources for a more meaningful understanding of homeless life and cultures. The second case explores narrative-counternarrative and antenarrative inquiry into a cross-cultural merger between two companies. Both cases...

Effect of gamma irradiation on density and thermal expansion changes of uniaxial oriented LLDPE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kacarevic-Popovic, Z.; Kostoski, D.; Novakovic, Lj.

1998-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. It is well known that gamma irradiation induces cross-linking in the amorphous phase of isotropic polyethylene, or chain scission in highly oriented fibers and films. Thermomechanical behavior and values of density are the reflection of the changes induced by gamma irradiation. Namely, scission of macromolecules, in general, increases thermal expansion coefficient and decreases density and vice versa. On the other hand, as it is well known, the thermal expansion behavior of oriented polymers shows marked anisotropy. It was found that many highly oriented polymers show a negative coefficient of thermal expansion in the draw direction and a positive coefficient in the transverse direction. It has been suggested that, apart from any intrinsic crystalline contribution, a significant part of the negative thermal expansion coefficients obtained for highly oriented polymers arises from the effect of entropy internal stresses in the amorphous regions. From our previous work, the thermal coefficients in draw direction of irradiated samples rise in the glass transition temperature range and it was related to the effects of cross-linking in the amorphous phase of LDPE. In our present work we observed initial decrease in density with absorbed dose, up to 35 kGy, and subsequent increase up to a dose of 500 kGy. The observed increase in thermal expansion coefficient followed the changes in density and is related to the parallel processes of chain scission and net cross-linking in the amorphous phase of LLDPE, induced by gamma irradiation

Measurement of cross sections and couplings of the Higgs Boson using the ATLAS detector with 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at LHC

CERN Document Server

Mancini, Giada; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

After the Higgs boson discovery, great interest was given in measuring its properties and studies have been performed to test its nature and probe whether it is the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson or not. The first measurements performed during Run2 with 13 TeV p-p collisions at LHC have been oriented on the measurements of the Higgs boson properties; in this context, studies have been performed in order to measure the Higgs couplings to SM particles and the cross section per production mode of the Higgs boson in reduced phase spaces enriched in each production mode.

Quantification of cardiac magnetic field orientation during ventricular de- and repolarization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leeuwen, Peter van; Lange, Silke; Klein, Anita; Geue, Daniel; Groenemeyer, Dietrich; Hailer, Birgit; Seybold, Katrin; Poplutz, Christian

2008-01-01

We compared the stability and discriminatory power of different methods of determining cardiac magnetic field map (MFM) orientation within the context of coronary artery disease (CAD). In 27 healthy subjects and 24 CAD patients, multichannel magnetocardiograms were registered at rest. MFM orientation was determined during QT interval using: (a) locations of the positive and negative centres-of-gravity, (b) locations of the field extrema and (c) the direction of the maximum field gradient. Deviation from normal orientation quantified the ability of each approach to discriminate between healthy and CAD subjects. Although the course of orientation was similar for all methods, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed the best discrimination of CAD patients for the centre-of-gravity approach (area-under-the-curve = 86%), followed by the gradient (84%) and extrema (76%) methods. Consideration of methodological and discriminatory advantages with respect to noninvasive diagnosis of CAD suggests that the centres-of-gravity method is the most suited one

Crossing the cultural divide: issues in translation, mistrust, and cocreation of meaning in cross-cultural therapeutic assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, Audrey; Almeida, Angelica; Macdonald, Heather

2012-01-01

This article examines cross-cultural therapeutic assessment in a community mental health clinic. The first case describes the work between a Caucasian assessor and a Mexican American family. The authors explore the metaphorical and literal translation of the findings from English to Spanish and the parallel process of translation of the self, experienced by both assessor and client. The second case describes the work between a Caucasian assessor and an African American adolescent. We describe the inherent challenge between the Eurocentric "task" orientation of the evaluation and the Afrocentric "relationship" orientation. We suggest that bridging the gap between cultures and overcoming cultural mistrust lay in the building of the assessor-client relationship. Fischer's concepts of rapport and intimacy are emphasized and expanded on as we emphasize the importance of cocreated meaning in cross-cultural assessment work.

Goal-Oriented Ethics: Framing the Goal-Setting Concretely

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathew Illathuparampil

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Joseph Selling, professor emeritus from KU Leuven, Belgium, recently made a significant contribution towards ethical methodology. It is in fact a continuation of the in-house conversations that have been in vogue about methods in moral reasoning since Vatican II in the discipline called theological ethics. What is specific about Selling’s attempt is that he re-orients or reframes the evaluation of the moral event to consider human intentionality or motivation before considering human behavior or human acts. He convincingly establishes his method by a meticulous reading of Thomas Aquinas. This paper is a response to the goal-oriented ethics that he has posited. As illustrated below, this paper evaluates the goal-oriented approach as solid and sufficient. While fully endorsing this approach, this paper argues that the process of ethical goal-setting is to be framed concretely. In a concrete historical context, so that a goal-oriented approach fully serves its purpose, this paper proposes that it is to be reinforced by four supportive pillars, which are in fact assumed by Selling in his work. They are openness to human sciences, conversation among various narratives, positing a theological frame for ethical reasoning, and recourse to non-discursive reasoning.

Entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, and competitive environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Hans Eibe; Cadogan, John W.

This study sheds light on the role that the competitive environment plays in determining how elements of market orientation and elements of entrepreneurial orientation interact to influence business success. We develop a model in which we postulate that market orientation, entrepreneurial...... orientation, and competitive environment shape business performance via a three-way interaction. We test the model using primary data from the CEOs of 270 CEO of manufacturing firms, together with secondary data on these firms' profit performance. An assessment of the results indicates that customer...... orientation moderates the positive relationships between the competitiveness element of entrepreneurial orientation and market share and return on assets (ROA): the positive relationships between competitiveness and market share and competitiveness and ROA become stronger the greater the firms' customer...

A Learning Framework for Control-Oriented Modeling of Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rubio-Herrero, Javier; Chandan, Vikas; Siegel, Charles M.; Vishnu, Abhinav; Vrabie, Draguna L.

2018-01-18

Buildings consume a significant amount of energy worldwide. Several building optimization and control use cases require models of energy consumption which are control oriented, have high predictive capability, imposes minimal data pre-processing requirements, and have the ability to be adapted continuously to account for changing conditions as new data becomes available. Data driven modeling techniques, that have been investigated so far, while promising in the context of buildings, have been unable to simultaneously satisfy all the requirements mentioned above. In this context, deep learning techniques such as Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) hold promise, empowered by advanced computational capabilities and big data opportunities. In this paper, we propose a deep learning based methodology for the development of control oriented models for building energy management and test in on data from a real building. Results show that the proposed methodology outperforms other data driven modeling techniques significantly. We perform a detailed analysis of the proposed methodology along dimensions such as topology, sensitivity, and downsampling. Lastly, we conclude by envisioning a building analytics suite empowered by the proposed deep framework, that can drive several use cases related to building energy management.

Socially Oriented Student Entrepreneurship: A Study of Student Change Agency in the Academic Capitalism Context

Science.gov (United States)

Mars, Matthew M.; Rhoades, Gary

2012-01-01

This paper presents two clarifying cases of socially oriented student entrepreneurship. The findings illuminate an overlooked organizational space located at the intersection of the public good and academic capitalist knowledge/learning regimes (Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004) that provides students with the entrepreneurial agency to create social…

Smoking Counteracts the Favorable Effect of Exercise Training on Endothelial Function in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

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Shinji Sato

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background Exercise training can improve endothelial function in patients with diabetes. We hypothesized that the favorable effect of exercise training on endothelial function in patients with diabetes is counteracted by cigarette smoking. Purpose To assess whether there is a difference in the effect of exercise on endothelial function in smokers and non-smokers with type 2 diabetes. Methods We performed a 3-month controlled trial in 27 never-smoking and 17 smoking individuals with type 2 diabetes who participated in a home-based walking program. The percentage decrease in post-exercise ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI, which is an index of endothelial function, was assessed at baseline and after 3 months. Results Compared to the smoking group, the never-smoking group showed a more significant improvement in post exercise ABI during the 3 months of home-based training (interaction, P < 0.01. Conclusions These results indicate that smoking may counteract the favorable effects of exercise training on endothelial function. Endothelial function plays an important role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease among patients with diabetes. Therefore, a Certified Diabetes Educator should strongly advise diabetic patients not to smoke.

Food recognition and recipe analysis: integrating visual content, context and external knowledge

OpenAIRE

Herranz, Luis; Min, Weiqing; Jiang, Shuqiang

2018-01-01

The central role of food in our individual and social life, combined with recent technological advances, has motivated a growing interest in applications that help to better monitor dietary habits as well as the exploration and retrieval of food-related information. We review how visual content, context and external knowledge can be integrated effectively into food-oriented applications, with special focus on recipe analysis and retrieval, food recommendation, and the restaurant context as em...

Orientation damage in the Christchurch cemeteries generated during the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Martín-González, Fidel; Perez-Lopez, Raul; Rodrigez-Pascua, Miguel Angel; Martin-Velazquez, Silvia

2014-05-01

The intensity scales determined the damage caused by an earthquake. However, a new methodology takes into account not only the damage but the type of damage "Earthquake Archaeological Effects" EAE's, and its orientation (e.g. displaced masonry blocks, impact marks, conjugated fractures, fallen and oriented columns, dipping broken corners, etc.). It focuses not only on the amount of damage but also in its orientation, giving information about the ground motion during the earthquake. In 2010 an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 took place in Christchurch (New Zealand) (22-2-2010), 185 casualties, making it the second-deadliest natural disaster in New Zealand. Due to the magnitude of the catastrophe, the city centre (CBD) was closed and the most damaged buildings were closed and later demolished. For this reason it could not be possible to access to sampling or make observations in the most damaged areas. However, the cemeteries were not closed and a year later still remained intact since the financial means to recover were used to reconstruct infrastructures and housing the city. This peculiarity of the cemeteries made measures of the earthquake effects possible. Orientation damage was measured on the tombs, crosses and headstones of the cemeteries (mainly on falling objects such as fallen crosses, obelisks, displaced tombstones, etc.). 140 data were taken in the most important cemeteries (Barbadoes, Addington, Pebleton, Woodston, Broomley and Linwood cemeteries) covering much of the city area. The procedure involved two main phases: a) inventory and identification of damages, and b) analysis of the damage orientations. The orientation was calculated for each element and plotted in a map and statistically in rose diagrams. The orientation dispersion is high in some cemeteries but damage orientation S-N and E-W is observed. However, due to the multiple seismogenic faults responsible for earthquakes and damages in Christchurch during the year after the 2010 earthquake, a

Vitamin D Counteracts Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Induced Cathelicidin Downregulation in Dendritic Cells and Allows Th1 Differentiation and IFNγ Secretion.

Science.gov (United States)

Rode, Anna K O; Kongsbak, Martin; Hansen, Marie M; Lopez, Daniel Villalba; Levring, Trine B; Woetmann, Anders; Ødum, Niels; Bonefeld, Charlotte M; Geisler, Carsten

2017-01-01

Tuberculosis (TB) presents a serious health problem with approximately one-third of the world's population infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a latent state. Experience from the pre-antibiotic era and more recent clinical studies have established a beneficial role of sunlight and vitamin D in patients with TB. At the same time, experimental data have shown that Th1 cells through production of IFNγ are crucial for cathelicidin release by macrophages, bacterial killing, and containment of M. tuberculosis in granulomas. Paradoxically, vitamin D has repeatedly been ascribed an immune-suppressive function inhibiting Th1 differentiation and production of IFNγ in T cells. The aim of this study was to investigate this apparent paradox. We studied naïve human CD4 + T cells activated either with CD3 and CD28 antibodies or with allogeneic dendritic cells (DC) stimulated with heat-killed M. tuberculosis (HKMT) or purified toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands. We show that vitamin D does not block differentiation of human CD4 + T cells to Th1 cells and that interleukin (IL)-12 partially counteracts vitamin D-mediated inhibition of IFNγ production promoting production of equal amounts of IFNγ in Th1 cells in the presence of vitamin D as in T cells activated in the absence of vitamin D and IL-12. Furthermore, we show that HKMT and TLR2 ligands strongly downregulate cathelicidin expression in DC and that vitamin D counteracts this by upregulating cathelicidin expression. In conclusion, we demonstrate that vitamin D counteracts M. tuberculosis -induced cathelicidin downregulation and allows Th1 differentiation and IFNγ secretion.

Vitamin D Counteracts Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Induced Cathelicidin Downregulation in Dendritic Cells and Allows Th1 Differentiation and IFNγ Secretion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna K. O. Rode

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Tuberculosis (TB presents a serious health problem with approximately one-third of the world’s population infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a latent state. Experience from the pre-antibiotic era and more recent clinical studies have established a beneficial role of sunlight and vitamin D in patients with TB. At the same time, experimental data have shown that Th1 cells through production of IFNγ are crucial for cathelicidin release by macrophages, bacterial killing, and containment of M. tuberculosis in granulomas. Paradoxically, vitamin D has repeatedly been ascribed an immune-suppressive function inhibiting Th1 differentiation and production of IFNγ in T cells. The aim of this study was to investigate this apparent paradox. We studied naïve human CD4+ T cells activated either with CD3 and CD28 antibodies or with allogeneic dendritic cells (DC stimulated with heat-killed M. tuberculosis (HKMT or purified toll-like receptor (TLR ligands. We show that vitamin D does not block differentiation of human CD4+ T cells to Th1 cells and that interleukin (IL-12 partially counteracts vitamin D-mediated inhibition of IFNγ production promoting production of equal amounts of IFNγ in Th1 cells in the presence of vitamin D as in T cells activated in the absence of vitamin D and IL-12. Furthermore, we show that HKMT and TLR2 ligands strongly downregulate cathelicidin expression in DC and that vitamin D counteracts this by upregulating cathelicidin expression. In conclusion, we demonstrate that vitamin D counteracts M. tuberculosis-induced cathelicidin downregulation and allows Th1 differentiation and IFNγ secretion.

Programmation religieuse au Moyen-Orient : analyse du contenu de ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Depuis dix ans, la télévision contribue beaucoup au façonnement des attitudes au Moyen-Orient. Dans un contexte de gouvernements autoritaires, d'instabilité politique, de guerre et d'interventions militaires étrangères récurrentes, la télévision a permis la diffusion d'opinions et de points de vue qui, autrement, auraient ...

Stimulus threat and exposure context modulate the effect of mere exposure on approach behaviors

OpenAIRE

Steven Young; Heather Claypool; Isaiah Jones

2016-01-01

Mere-exposure research has found that initially neutral objects made familiar are preferred relative to novel objects. Recent work extends these preference judgments into the behavioral domain by illustrating that mere exposure prompts approach-oriented behavior toward familiar stimuli. However, no investigations have examined the effect of mere exposure on approach-oriented behavior toward threatening stimuli. The current work examines this issue and also explores how exposure context intera...

Photography activities for developing students’ spatial orientation and spatial visualization

Science.gov (United States)

Hendroanto, Aan; van Galen, Frans; van Eerde, D.; Prahmana, R. C. I.; Setyawan, F.; Istiandaru, A.

2017-12-01

Spatial orientation and spatial visualization are the foundation of students’ spatial ability. They assist students’ performance in learning mathematics, especially geometry. Considering its importance, the present study aims to design activities to help young learners developing their spatial orientation and spatial visualization ability. Photography activity was chosen as the context of the activity to guide and support the students. This is a design research study consisting of three phases: 1) preparation and designing 2) teaching experiment, and 3) retrospective analysis. The data is collected by tests and interview and qualitatively analyzed. We developed two photography activities to be tested. In the teaching experiments, 30 students of SD Laboratorium UNESA, Surabaya were involved. The results showed that the activities supported the development of students’ spatial orientation and spatial visualization indicated by students’ learning progresses, answers, and strategies when they solved the problems in the activities.

Contract-Based Transaction Management in Cross-Organizational Workflow Management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grefen, P.W.P.J.

Cross-organizational workflow management is an essential ingredient for process integration in virtual enterprises. To obtain cross-organizational workflow processes with robust semantics, these processes should be supported by highlevel cross-organizational transaction management. In this context,

Stevioside counteracts the alpha cell hypersecretion caused by long-term palmitate exposure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hong, Jing; Chen, Jianguo; Jeppesen, Per Bendix

2006-01-01

Long-term exposure to fatty acids impairs beta-cell function in type 2 diabetes, but little is known about the chronic effects of fatty acids on alpha-cells. We therefore studied the prolonged impact of palmitate on alpha-cell function and on the expression of genes related to fuel metabolism. We......-activated receptor-gamma, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene expressions in the presence of palmitate (Pacids leads to a hypersecretion of glucagon and an accumulation of TG content in clonal alpha-TC1-6 cells. Stevioside was able to counteract the alpha......-cell hypersecretion caused by palmitate and enhanced the expression of genes involved in fatty acid metabolism. This indicates that stevioside may be a promising antidiabetic agent in treatment of type 2 diabetes....

Civic Orientation in Cultures of Privilege: What Role Do Schools Play?

Science.gov (United States)

Ballard, Parissa J.; Caccavale, Laura; Buchanan, Christy M.

2015-01-01

The context of privilege provides unique opportunities and challenges for youth civic development. A mixed-method approach was used to examine links between school-based community service, school climate, and civic orientation among students in cultures of privilege. Surveys completed by students (N = 376) at two private high schools--one with an…

Sustainable development and social learning: Re-contextualising the space of orientation

Science.gov (United States)

Seddon, Terri

2016-10-01

In the lead-up to the 2007 Australian federal election, Labor candidate Kevin Rudd described climate change as the "great moral challenge of our generation". In the years since then, the heat in Australia has been rising - in terms of both temperature and climate politics -, but government action has slowed down. Endorsement of economic growth is prioritised, with only intermittent recognition of environmental costs. At grassroots level, citizens' attitudes are influenced by social norms. This kind of social learning is a major constraint on sustainability. Therefore, it seems useful to consider how educators might help build sustainable futures. To understand how historical context entangles social learning in ways that complicate policies associated with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and practices of Education for Sustainability (EfS), the author of this paper draws on the concept of "space of orientation". Focusing on adult education, she traces the contradiction between "globalisation" and "sustainability" through policy logics, relational practices in Australian adult education and the "necessary utopia" which provides a point of reference for making futures. She argues that spaces of orientation are a critical resource in this era of intensifying conflicts of interest between economic priorities of globalisation and environmental priorities intended to slow global warming, because they mediate context and orient learning in ways that clear a path towards sustainability through the entangled histories of this present.

Selective attention neutralizes the adverse effects of low socioeconomic status on memory in 9-month-old infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Markant, Julie; Ackerman, Laura K; Nussenbaum, Kate; Amso, Dima

2016-04-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) has a documented impact on brain and cognitive development. We demonstrate that engaging spatial selective attention mechanisms may counteract this negative influence of impoverished environments on early learning. We previously used a spatial cueing task to compare target object encoding in the context of basic orienting ("facilitation") versus a spatial selective attention orienting mechanism that engages distractor suppression ("IOR"). This work showed that object encoding in the context of IOR boosted 9-month-old infants' recognition memory relative to facilitation (Markant and Amso, 2013). Here we asked whether this attention-memory link further interacted with SES in infancy. Results indicated that SES was related to memory but not attention orienting efficacy. However, the correlation between SES and memory performance was moderated by the attention mechanism engaged during encoding. SES predicted memory performance when objects were encoded with basic orienting processes, with infants from low-SES environments showing poorer memory than those from high-SES environments. However, SES did not predict memory performance among infants who engaged selective attention during encoding. Spatial selective attention engagement mitigated the effects of SES on memory and may offer an effective mechanism for promoting learning among infants at risk for poor cognitive outcomes related to SES. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Advocating for Social Justice: The Context for Change in School Psychology

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Margaret R.; O'Bryon, Elisabeth C.

2008-01-01

Inequalities and disparities abound in U.S. society. Research studies reveal that across the contexts of people's lives--in the workplace, the home, churches, banking and lending, health care, criminal justice system, and schools--unevenness and disparities exist across racial, gender, sexual orientation, language background, ability, and…

Managers’ and companies’ knowledge orientation as business performance drivers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marianna Strzyżewska

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Knowledge is widely considered to be the major source of sustainable competitive advantage, fostering companies’ business performance. Therefore, a number of authors have undertaken the efforts at describing its role. There were, however, much fewer attempts aimed at evaluating the influence of knowledge activities and behaviors on companies’ business performance/results in various countries. At the same time, there was practically no research identifying the full range of opinions and beliefs, indicating company managers’ attitudes towards knowledge activities within their companies. This paper investigates the relations between the managers’ opinions concerning knowledge (managers’ knowledge orientation, the knowledge-related activities and behaviors (companies’ knowledge orientation and companies’ business performance within the context of medium-sized companies operating in Poland.

Shadow Economy in the Context of Economic Crisis: Circumstance Analysis and the Forecasting of Consequences

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Alexey Sergeyevich Naidenov

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the problem of estimating dynamic of shadow economy in the context of socio-economic crisis negative influence. Factors and threats supporting the increase of shadow economy during the economic crisis were studied. Current situation in the Ural Federal District with regard to shadow economic activity for the period from 2006 to 2012 was represented. The results of forecasting shadow activity were given in the article on the example of Ural Federal District regions. Data obtained was used for developing target program activities, aimed at minimization of negative influence of shadow economy during the economic crisis. Special attention was given to the problem of improving the effectiveness of international cooperation concerning counteraction of shadow economic activity

Relationship among achievement goal orientations and multidimensional situational motivation in physical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Standage, Martyn; Treasure, Darren C

2002-03-01

Contemporary research suggests that task and ego achievement goal orientations affect students' intrinsic motivation in physical education. This research has assessed intrinsic motivation as a unidimensional contruct, however, which is inconsistent with the more contemporary postulates of self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1991) which states that intrinsic motivation is only one type of motivation. To date, research has not addressed whether different types of motivation at the situational level are influenced by the proneness to adopt task or ego involvement. To examine the relationship between achievement goal orientations and multidimensional situational motivation in PE. Middle school children (182 male, 136 female; M age = 13.2 years). Responded to questionnaires assessing their dispositional goal orientation (POSQ; Roberts, Treasure, & Balague, 1998) and situational motivation (SIMS; Guay, Vallerand, & Blanchard, 2000) in PE. Task orientation was found to be positively associated with more self-determined types of situational motivation. Ego orientation was weakly related to less self-determined motivation. An extreme group split was conducted to create four goal groups and goal profile analyses conducted. A significant MANOVA was followed by univariate analyses, post hoc comparisons, and calculated effect sizes, which revealed that groups high in task orientation reported more motivationally adaptive responses than groups low in task orientation. The results suggest that a high level of task orientation singularly or in combination with ego orientation fosters self-determined situational motivation in the context of PE.

The effect of photometric and geometric context on photometric and geometric lightness effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Thomas Y; Brainard, David H

2014-01-24

We measured the lightness of probe tabs embedded at different orientations in various contextual images presented on a computer-controlled stereo display. Two background context planes met along a horizontal roof-like ridge. Each plane was a graphic rendering of a set of achromatic surfaces with the simulated illumination for each plane controlled independently. Photometric context was varied by changing the difference in simulated illumination intensity between the two background planes. Geometric context was varied by changing the angle between them. We parsed the data into separate photometric effects and geometric effects. For fixed geometry, varying photometric context led to linear changes in both the photometric and geometric effects. Varying geometric context did not produce a statistically reliable change in either the photometric or geometric effects.

Counteraction of urea-induced protein denaturation by trimethylamine N-oxide: A chemical chaperone at atomic resolution

OpenAIRE

Bennion, Brian J.; Daggett, Valerie

2004-01-01

Proteins are very sensitive to their solvent environments. Urea is a common chemical denaturant of proteins, yet some animals contain high concentrations of urea. These animals have evolved an interesting mechanism to counteract the effects of urea by using trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). The molecular basis for the ability of TMAO to act as a chemical chaperone remains unknown. Here, we describe molecular dynamics simulations of a small globular protein, chymotrypsin inhibitor 2, in 8 M urea ...

Analysis of Oriented Texture - with application to the Detection of Architectural Distortion in Mammograms with Application to the Detection of Architectural Distortion in Mammograms

CERN Document Server

Ayres, Fabio; Desautels, JE Leo

2011-01-01

The presence of oriented features in images often conveys important information about the scene or the objects contained; the analysis of oriented patterns is an important task in the general framework of image understanding. As in many other applications of computer vision, the general framework for the understanding of oriented features in images can be divided into low- and high-level analysis. In the context of the study of oriented features, low-level analysis includes the detection of oriented features in images; a measure of the local magnitude and orientation of oriented features over

C4P cross-section libraries for safety analyses with SIMMER and related studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rineiski, A.; Sinitsa, V.; Gabrielli, F.; Maschek, W.

2011-01-01

A code and data system, C 4 P, is under development at KIT. It includes fine-group master libraries and tools for generating problem-oriented cross-section libraries, primarily for safety studies with the SIMMER code and related analyses. In the paper, the 560-group master library and problem oriented 40-group and 72-group cross-section libraries, for thermal and fast systems, respectively, are described and their performances are investigated. (author)

Theta oscillations at encoding mediate the context-dependent nature of human episodic memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Staudigl, Tobias; Hanslmayr, Simon

2013-06-17

Human episodic memory is highly context dependent. Therefore, retrieval benefits when a memory is recalled in the same context compared to a different context. This implies that items and contexts are bound together during encoding, such that the reinstatement of the initial context at test improves retrieval. Animal studies suggest that theta oscillations and theta-to-gamma cross-frequency coupling modulate such item-context binding, but direct evidence from humans is scarce. We investigated this issue by manipulating the overlap of contextual features between encoding and retrieval. Participants studied words superimposed on movie clips and were later tested by presenting the word with either the same or a different movie. The results show that memory performance and the oscillatory correlates of memory formation crucially depend on the overlap of the context between encoding and test. When the context matched, high theta power during encoding was related to successful recognition, whereas the opposite pattern emerged in the context-mismatch condition. In addition, cross-frequency coupling analysis revealed a context-dependent theta-to-gamma memory effect specifically in the left hippocampus. These results reveal for the first time that context-dependent episodic memory effects are mediated by theta oscillatory activity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language intervention at schools: changing orientations within the South African context.

Science.gov (United States)

Alant, E

1989-01-01

The role of the speech therapist in the school has changed drastically over the last decade. The reasons for these changes originate from a growing realisation of the importance of contextualising intervention within a particular community. This article aims at providing an analysis of the present school population in South Africa with specific reference to the Black schools as a basis for discussion on the role of the speech and language therapist within this context. The problems of second language learning and teaching are highlighted and the role of the language therapist as a consultant within the Black school system is emphasized.

A new context for the nuclear research and industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

Pascal Colombani, general administrator of the CEA, develops in this presentation the situation of the nuclear industry to introduce the new orientations of the CEA group. The energy context, the deregulation impacts, the energy dependence and the greenhouse effect project are discussed before the presentation of the research programs and the necessary reorganizing of the nuclear industry. (A.L.B.)

Predicting neuropsychological test performance on the basis of temporal orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Joseph J; Glass, Laura A; Bartels, Jared M; Bergner, CariAnn M; Paolo, Anthony M

2009-05-01

Temporal orientation is often disrupted in the context of psychiatric or neurological disease; tests assessing this function are included in most mental status examinations. The present study examined the relationship between scores on the Temporal Orientation Scale (TOS) and performance on a battery of tests that assess memory, language, and cognitive functioning in a sample of patients with Alzheimer's disease (N = 55). Pearson-product moment correlations showed that, in all but two instances, the TOS was significantly correlated with each neuropsychological measure, p values < or = .05. Also, severely disoriented (i.e., TOS score < or = -8) patients were consistently 'impaired' on memory tests but not on tests of language and general cognitive functioning.

Consumer Socialisation and Value Orientations among Estonian and Chinese Young People

Science.gov (United States)

Waerdahl, Randi; Kalmus, Veronika; Keller, Margit

2011-01-01

This paper asks if Estonian and Chinese tweens' access to pocket money influences their brand valuation, as well as value orientations in the context of perceived peer popularity and personal well-being. Surveys conducted in autumns 2006 (China n = 188) and 2007 (Estonia n = 111) show an inherent cultural resistance among tweens in both countries…

Test Preparation in the Accountability Era: Toward a Learning-Oriented Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Gebril, Atta

2018-01-01

The article introduces a learning-oriented approach to test preparation that could help in easing the tension between learning and assessment. The first part of the article discusses the different concepts that are usually used in the context of test preparation. The second section reports on the literature pertaining to the effects of test…

Work Process Oriented Learning via Mobile Devices – Theoretical Basics and Examples for a (New Didactical Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Georg Spöttl

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Two problems can be identified which counteract the need for further training: On the one hand the clientele of skilled workers is not necessarily keen on further training. On the other hand the time and cost pressure within the sector does not offer any room for time-consuming further training measures far away from the workplace. This is why the project “Virtual Learning on the building site – (Vila-b” was realized in cooperation with the project partners of the University of Bremen (Working group »Digital Media« of the Centre for Information Technology as well as from the economy (Arbeitskreis ökologischer Holzbau e. V. and Claus Holm, pm|c. The project team has tested a concept which facilitated learning adapted to the occupational reality and supported by the advantages of digital media. The central didactical elements for the development of this further training course are the contextual and methodological orientation to real work processes as well as the use of digital mobile media which facilitate learning directly at the workplace. The present article starts with a description of the theoretical basics for learning within the work process and discusses the didactical elements which are necessary for work process oriented learning with digital and mobile media.

Counteracting the Influence of Peer Smoking on YouTube.

Science.gov (United States)

Romer, Daniel; Jamieson, Patrick E; Jamieson, Kathleen Hall; Jones, Christopher; Sherr, Susan

2017-04-01

YouTube, a popular online site for user-generated content, is emerging as a powerful source of peer modeling of smoking. Previous research suggests that in counteracting such influence, health messages may inadvertently increase the perceived prevalence of drug use (a descriptive norm) without reducing its acceptability (injunctive norm). This research tested the ability of health messages to reduce the social acceptability of peer smoking on YouTube despite enhancing its perceived prevalence. In an online experiment with 999 adolescents, participants were randomly assigned to view one of two videos: (a) a mosaic displaying a variety of YouTube videos of adolescents smoking followed by a message about the mortality risk to those smokers, or (b) a control video on a health topic unrelated to smoking. Although exposure to the adolescent YouTube smokers increased perceived prevalence among some participants, it simultaneously increased beliefs about smoking's adverse health outcomes and negative attitudes toward smoking, effects that were associated with reductions in injunctive norms of social acceptability. Interventions that communicate the severity and scope of health risks associated with smoking may undercut the descriptive normative effects of peer modeling of smoking on social media sites such as YouTube.

Counteracting structural errors in ensemble forecast of influenza outbreaks.

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Sen; Shaman, Jeffrey

2017-10-13

For influenza forecasts generated using dynamical models, forecast inaccuracy is partly attributable to the nonlinear growth of error. As a consequence, quantification of the nonlinear error structure in current forecast models is needed so that this growth can be corrected and forecast skill improved. Here, we inspect the error growth of a compartmental influenza model and find that a robust error structure arises naturally from the nonlinear model dynamics. By counteracting these structural errors, diagnosed using error breeding, we develop a new forecast approach that combines dynamical error correction and statistical filtering techniques. In retrospective forecasts of historical influenza outbreaks for 95 US cities from 2003 to 2014, overall forecast accuracy for outbreak peak timing, peak intensity and attack rate, are substantially improved for predicted lead times up to 10 weeks. This error growth correction method can be generalized to improve the forecast accuracy of other infectious disease dynamical models.Inaccuracy of influenza forecasts based on dynamical models is partly due to nonlinear error growth. Here the authors address the error structure of a compartmental influenza model, and develop a new improved forecast approach combining dynamical error correction and statistical filtering techniques.

Empirical Performance of Cross-Validation With Oracle Methods in a Genomics Context.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez, Josue G; Carroll, Raymond J; Müller, Samuel; Sampson, Joshua N; Chatterjee, Nilanjan

2011-11-01

When employing model selection methods with oracle properties such as the smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) and the Adaptive Lasso, it is typical to estimate the smoothing parameter by m-fold cross-validation, for example, m = 10. In problems where the true regression function is sparse and the signals large, such cross-validation typically works well. However, in regression modeling of genomic studies involving Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP), the true regression functions, while thought to be sparse, do not have large signals. We demonstrate empirically that in such problems, the number of selected variables using SCAD and the Adaptive Lasso, with 10-fold cross-validation, is a random variable that has considerable and surprising variation. Similar remarks apply to non-oracle methods such as the Lasso. Our study strongly questions the suitability of performing only a single run of m-fold cross-validation with any oracle method, and not just the SCAD and Adaptive Lasso.

DAKHLI Leyla, Histoire du Proche-Orient contemporain, Paris, La Découverte, 2015

OpenAIRE

Neveu, Norig

2018-01-01

Dans ce court ouvrage, Leyla Dakhli entend rompre avec une tradition historiographique ayant principalement appréhendé le Proche-Orient au prisme de la diplomatie, de l’impérialisme et des grands enjeux internationaux. Elle propose de faire état des avancées de la recherche en histoire sociale pour redonner leur place aux sociétés du Proche-Orient dans un contexte d’explosion de la contestation au début des années 2010. L’ouvrage appréhende les reconfigurations sociales qui ont traversé le Li...

Attacks on the Network Synchronization Systems Counteraction Method Implemented in the Software and Hardware Device «MARSH! 3.0»

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dmitry Anatolevich Melnikov

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes attacks on the network synchronization systems counteraction technique, method, algorithm and realizable aspects. The network synchronization systems are included in information technology systems or networks. This method is implemented in software and hardware device (means «MARSH! 3.0» providing trusted session.

The hidden and implicit curricula in cultural context: new insights from Doha and New York.

Science.gov (United States)

Fins, Joseph J; Rodríguez del Pozo, Pablo

2011-03-01

The authors report their longitudinal experience teaching a clerkship in clinical ethics and palliative care at the Weill Cornell Medical College campuses in New York and Doha. This course uses participant observation and reflective practice to counteract the hidden curriculum when learning about clinical ethics and end-of-life care. The authors consider how this formal element of the curriculum is influenced by the implicit and hidden curricula in different cultural contexts and how these differing venues affect communication and information exchange, using the anthropological concept of high- and low-context societies. The authors' analysis provides additional information on Weill Cornell's educational efforts in the medical humanities, bioethics, and palliative care across the curriculum and across cultural settings. By contrasting high-context Doha, where much information is culturally embedded and seemingly hidden, with low-context New York, where information is made overt, the authors theorize that in each setting, the proportion of implicit and explicit curricular elements is determined by the extramural cultural environment. They argue that there are many hidden and implicit curricula and that each is dependent on modes of communication in any given setting. They assert that these variations can be seen not only across differing societies but also, for example, among individual U.S. medical schools because of local custom, history, or mission. Because these contextual factors influence the relative importance of what is implicit and explicit in the student's educational experience, medical educators need to be aware of their local cultural contexts in order to engage in effective pedagogy.

Wetting morphologies on randomly oriented fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauret, Alban; Boulogne, François; Soh, Beatrice; Dressaire, Emilie; Stone, Howard A

2015-06-01

We characterize the different morphologies adopted by a drop of liquid placed on two randomly oriented fibers, which is a first step toward understanding the wetting of fibrous networks. The present work reviews previous modeling for parallel and touching crossed fibers and extends it to an arbitrary orientation of the fibers characterized by the tilting angle and the minimum spacing distance. Depending on the volume of liquid, the spacing distance between fibers and the angle between the fibers, we highlight that the liquid can adopt three different equilibrium morphologies: 1) a column morphology in which the liquid spreads between the fibers, 2) a mixed morphology where a drop grows at one end of the column or 3) a single drop located at the node. We capture the different morphologies observed using an analytical model that predicts the equilibrium configuration of the liquid based on the geometry of the fibers and the volume of liquid.

[Towards a Rehabilitation- and Participation-Oriented Psychotherapy].

Science.gov (United States)

Muschalla, Beate; Bengel, Jürgen; Morfeld, Matthias; Worringen, Ulrike

2017-04-24

Mental disorders (such as recurrent mood disorders, personality disorders, or psychotic disorders) come along with enduring impairment in daily life activities. Therefore psychotherapeutic actions in inpatient or outpatient settings require a life-span and participation-oriented treatment perspective. Participation-oriented treatment aims at social and vocational integration in general life despite enduringly recurring or resting symptoms. According to the model of health problems offered by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, ICF (WHO, 2001), disability can be defined as context-dependent activity impairment due to illness. Disability is not the person̓s illness itself, but depends on the interaction of health status and contextual conditions. This context-dependent impairment shall be overcome with the help of treatment. In psychotherapy, the perspective of participation over the life-span has always been of great importance. However, it has until now hardly been mentioned explicitly.For practical handling of the ICF philosophy, its bio-psycho-social model of health problem-description is useful. Psychotherapists should gain knowledge on medical, vocational, and social rehabilitation treatment aims, institutions and the health care system. Psychotherapists may serve, similar to family physicians, as a case manager of illness processes. They do not only aim reducing mental illness symptoms, but focus on life-span management of the mental disorder. The aim is mainly to improve patients̓ daily life participation. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Cross-cultural Lifelong Learning

OpenAIRE

2010-01-01

Globalisation, internationalisation, multiculturalism, immigration, and growing number of cross-cultural encounters are colorising the everyday life both in Western and Eastern parts of the world. However, in most cases, lifelong learning is normally studied in and around a certain condensed culture or from the dominant Western perspective. Thus it is important to ask how we should rebuild our conceptions of 'culture' or 'learning' in the context of these global cross-cultural trends, or how ...

Experience and Cultural Learning in Global Business Contexts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søderberg, Anne-Marie

2017-01-01

. Learners in today’s global business (school) world are more culturally diverse, and the potential of the increasing number of bi-cultural and bi-lingual students and managers as boundary-spanners must be considered. Recent empirical studies of face-to-face and virtual global collaboration show that cross...... divides. This chapter discusses a number of issues in relation to cultural learning processes in global business contexts: various concepts of learning, different approaches to cross-cultural competence training of future global leaders, and various learning contexts in management education and training......Globalization with increased mobility of the workforce and more frequent use of information and communication technologies means still more people must develop a deeper understanding of Cultural Others, a higher degree of cultural self-awareness and an ability to bridge across multiple cultural...

A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF MARKET ORIENTATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF LISTED COMPANIES: EVIDENCE FROM GHANA

OpenAIRE

Solomon A. Keelson

2012-01-01

The study is part of a larger research of market orientation, which was conducted to build on previous research, and particularly examined the association between market orientation and business performance in a larger market context, using a synthesis model approach. Using the survey approach 24 companies out of 37 listed companies participated in the quantitative study; where 72 senior officials were surveyed from August 2011 to September 2011, through a five-likert scale questions. In this...

Facet orientation and tropism: associations with spondylolysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalichman, Leonid; Guermazi, Ali; Li, Ling; Hunter, David J; Suri, Pradeep

2010-04-01

Cross-sectional study. To evaluate the association between lumbar spine facet joint orientation, facet joint tropism, and spondylolysis identified by multidetector computed tomography (CT) in the community-based Framingham Heart Study. The association between lumbar spondylolysis and facet orientation and tropism remains unclear. This study was an ancillary project to the Framingham Heart Study. Three thousand five hundred twenty-nine participants of the Framingham Heart Study aged 40 to 80 years underwent multidetector CT imaging to assess aortic calcification. One hundred ninety-one subjects were included in this ancillary study. Facet joint features and spondylolysis were evaluated on CT scans. The final analyzed sample included 104 men with mean age 51.90+/-11.25 years and 84 women with mean age 53.61+/-10.20 years. The association between spondylolysis and facet orientation and tropism was examined using univariate and multivariate analyses. Spondylolysis was prevalent in 11.5% of the total population. chi2 test demonstrated a significant sex difference in prevalence of spondylolysis (P=0.0154), with almost 3 times higher prevalence among men. There was no statistically significant difference in facet orientation and continuous facet tropism between individuals with and without spondylolysis at the L5 level (P=0.49 to 0.91). After adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index, no significant association between the occurrence of spondylolysis and facet orientation and tropism was found. In the studied sample the prevalence of facet joint osteoarthritis was significantly higher in individuals with spondylolysis than in those without spondylolysis at both sides of L4-L5 spinal level (P=0.044 at the right side and P=0.003 at the left side) and at left side of L5-S1 level (P=0.038). We did not find an association between facet orientation, facet tropism, and spondylolysis. One of the possible explanations for this is that the high prevalence of facet joint

The mechanism of sputter-induced orientation change in YBCO films on MgO (001)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Y.; Vuchic, B.V.; Baldo, P.; Merkle, K.L.; Buchholz, D.B.; Mahajan, S.; Lei, J.S.; Markworth, P.R.; Chang, R.P.H.

1996-12-01

The mechanisms of the sputter-induced orientation change in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (YBCO) films grown on MgO (001) substrates by pulsed organometallic beam epitaxy (POMBE) are investigated by x-ray diffraction. Rutherford backscatter spectroscopy (RBS), cross-section TEM (XTEM) and microanalysis. It is found that the W atom implantation concurring with the ion sputtering plays an important role in effecting the orientation change. This implantation changes the surface structure of the substrate and induces an intermediate layer in the initial growth of the YBCO film, which in turn acts as a template that induces the orientation change. It seems that the surface morphology change caused by ion sputtering has only a minor effect on the orientation change

Market orientation in the mental models of decision-makers in two cross-border value chains: A pilot study using the laddering technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunert, Klaus G.; Trondsen, Torbjørn; Campos, Emilio Gonzalo

The laddering method is used to elicit mental models of actors in two cross-border value chains: Norwegian salmon to Japan, and Danish pork to Japan. The mental models are analysed with regard to overlap and linkages between actors in the value chain, with a special view towards elements...... in the mental models that can be related to actors? market orientation. In both value chains decision-makers have a fair degree of overlap in their views on what drives their business. There are also differences, between the chains, in what decision-makers believe are the major success factors. The pork chain...... seems to be dominated by thinking in terms of efficiency, technology and quality control, though communication is also acknowledged as important. In the salmon chain, there is a higher emphasis on new product development and on good relations between the chain partners....

Entrepreneurial Leapfrogging in the Context of ISE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Peter

2013-01-01

We know little regarding the underlying contexts and mechanisms for disruptive innovation initiated by the entrepreneurial firms in the emerging economies. Further, there is limited knowledge about the contexts and mechanisms for global latecomers to catch up with and leapfrog global early......-movers. The cross-fertilization between such two research streams provides a great opportunity to shed light on their link toward an interdisciplinary domain of international strategic entrepreneurship (ISE). This article will develop an integrative typology of global innovations as well as a dynamic model...

Feline APOBEC3s, Barriers to Cross-Species Transmission of FIV?

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Zeli Zhang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The replication of lentiviruses highly depends on host cellular factors, which defines their species-specific tropism. Cellular restriction factors that can inhibit lentiviral replication were recently identified. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV was found to be sensitive to several feline cellular restriction factors, such as apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3 and tetherin, but FIV evolved to counteract them. Here, we describe the molecular mechanisms by which feline APOBEC3 restriction factors inhibit FIV replication and discuss the molecular interaction of APOBEC3 proteins with the viral antagonizing protein Vif. We speculate that feline APOBEC3 proteins could explain some of the observed FIV cross-species transmissions described in wild Felids.

Feline APOBEC3s, Barriers to Cross-Species Transmission of FIV?

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zeli; Gu, Qinyong; Marino, Daniela; Lee, Kyeong-Lim; Kong, Il-Keun; Häussinger, Dieter; Münk, Carsten

2018-01-01

The replication of lentiviruses highly depends on host cellular factors, which defines their species-specific tropism. Cellular restriction factors that can inhibit lentiviral replication were recently identified. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was found to be sensitive to several feline cellular restriction factors, such as apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3) and tetherin, but FIV evolved to counteract them. Here, we describe the molecular mechanisms by which feline APOBEC3 restriction factors inhibit FIV replication and discuss the molecular interaction of APOBEC3 proteins with the viral antagonizing protein Vif. We speculate that feline APOBEC3 proteins could explain some of the observed FIV cross-species transmissions described in wild Felids. PMID:29642583

How to Enable Employee Creativity in a Team Context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bai, Yuntao; Lin, Li; Li, Peter Ping

2016-01-01

. However, the issue of how to enhance employee creativity from the perspective of team leader in a team context is largely understudied. This study aims to explore the cross-level links between the transformational behavior of team leader and employee creativity in a team context. We propose a three....... This study highlights the critical role of transformational leadership as across-level enabler for employee creativity....

A case of complex regional pain syndrome with agnosia for object orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Gail; Cohen, Helen; Goebel, Andreas

2011-07-01

This systematic investigation of the neurocognitive correlates of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in a single case also reports agnosia for object orientation in the context of persistent CRPS. We report a patient (JW) with severe long-standing CRPS who had no difficulty identifying and naming line drawings of objects presented in 1 of 4 cardinal orientations. In contrast, he was extremely poor at reorienting these objects into the correct upright orientation and in judging whether an object was upright or not. Moreover, JW made orientation errors when copying drawings of objects, and he also showed features of mirror reversal in writing single words and reading single letters. The findings are discussed in relation to accounts of visual processing. Agnosia for object orientation is the term for impaired knowledge of an object's orientation despite good recognition and naming of the same misoriented object. This defect has previously only been reported in patients with major structural brain lesions. The neuroanatomical correlates are discussed. The patient had no structural brain lesion, raising the possibility that nonstructural reorganisation of cortical networks may be responsible for his deficits. Other patients with CRPS may have related neurocognitive defects. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Perspectives on the Cultural Appropriacy of Hong Kong's Target-Oriented Curriculum (TOC) Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Carless, David Robert

1999-01-01

Explores the impact of Chinese culture on the school curriculum in Hong Kong. Argues that the Target-Oriented Curriculum (TOC) transplanted from western-based concepts is not commensurate with the local Chinese cultural context, and therefore leads to many problems when being implemented in schools. (Author/VWL)

Identifying and Formulating Teachers' Beliefs and Motivational Orientations for Computer Science Teacher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Bender, Elena; Schaper, Niclas; Caspersen, Michael E.; Margaritis, Melanie; Hubwieser, Peter

2016-01-01

How teachers are able to adapt to a changing environment is essentially dependent on their beliefs and motivational orientations. The development of these aspects in the context of professional competence takes place during teachers' educational phase and professional practice. The overall understanding of professional competence for teaching…

Procedures and Methods for Cross-community Online Deliberation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cyril Velikanov

2010-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper we introduce our model of self-regulated mass online deliberation, and apply it to a context of cross-border deliberation involving translation of contributions between participating languages, and then to a context of cross-community online deliberation for dispute resolution, e.g. between opposing ethnic or religious communities. In such a cross-border or cross-community context, online deliberation should preferably progress as a sequence of segmented phases each followed by a combining phase. In a segmented phase, each community deliberates separately, and selects their best contributions for being presented to all other communities. Selection is made by using our proposed mechanism of mutual moderation and appraisal of contributions by participants themselves. In the subsequent combining phase, the selected contributions are translated (by volunteering or randomly selected participants among those who have specified appropriate language skills and presented to target segments for further appraisal and commenting. Our arguments in support of the proposed mutual moderation and appraisal procedures remain mostly speculative, as the whole subject of mass online self-regulatory deliberation still remains largely unexplored, and there exist no practical realisation of it .

THE EVOLUTION OF THE ROMANIAN ECONOMY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRISIS

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Miru Oana

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The financial crises that have emerged and developed in the recent decades have been characterized, mostly of an international dimension, with shocks quickly propagating through capital markets, through the international banking activities and, through the money markets. Regarding the impact of the current crisis on the economy of Romania, the contagion effect was transmitted through several channels, but a proper framework in this respect was created by the internal context, mainly the excessive debt. To counteract the increasingly visible effects at the level of macroeconomic indicators, the measures taken by authorities have aimed primarily at the IMF support, being essential, in the following period, to register an improvement of the current situation because, otherwise, this could constitute a real threat towards adopting the euro, putting into question even the quality of Romania's EU membership.

The Orientations of the Giza Pyramids and Associated Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Nell, Erin; Ruggles, Clive

2014-08-01

Ever since Flinders Petrie undertook a theodolite survey on the Giza plateau in 1881 and drew attention to the extraordinary degree of precision with which the three colossal pyramids are oriented upon the four cardinal directions, there have been a great many suggestions as to how this was achieved and why it was of importance. Surprisingly, given the many astronomical hypotheses and speculations that have been offered in the intervening 130 years, there have been remarkably few attempts to reaffirm or improve on the basic survey data concerning the primary orientations. This paper presents the results of a week-long Total Station survey undertaken by the authors during December 2006 whose principal aim was to clarify the basic data concerning the orientation of each side of the three large pyramids and to determine, as accurately as possible, the orientations of as many as possible of the associated structures. The principal difference between this and all previous surveys is that it focuses upon measurements of sequences of points along multiple straight and relatively well preserved structural segments, with best-fit techniques being used to provide the best estimate of their orientation, as opposed to simple triangulation between directly identified or extrapolated corners. Our results suggest that there is only a very slight difference in orientation (c. 0.5 arc minutes) between the north-south axes of Khufu's and Khafre's pyramids, that the sides of Khafre's are more perfectly perpendicular than those of Khufu's, and that the east-west axis is closer to true cardinality in both cases. The broader context of associated structures suggests that the east-west orientation in relation to sunrise or (in one case) sunset may have been a, or even the, key factor in many cases.

Uncovering the Psychometric Properties of Scales Measuring Individualist and Collectivist Orientations

Science.gov (United States)

Paquet, Stephanie L.; Kline, Theresa J. B.

2009-01-01

Cross-cultural research in many psychology-related fields is becoming commonplace. To further the research in a methodologically rigorous fashion it is critical to be able to measure adequately the constructs under investigation. This study (N = 238) examined three measures used to assess individualist and collectivist orientations. The internal…

P-S & S-P Elastic Wave Conversions from Linear Arrays of Oriented Microcracks

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, L.; Modiriasari, A.; Bobet, A.; Pyrak-Nolte, L. J.

2017-12-01

Natural and induced processes can produce oriented mechanical discontinuities such as en echelon cracks, fractures and faults. Previous research has shown that compressional to shear (P-S) wave conversions occur at normal incidence to a fracture because of cross-coupling fracture compliances (Nakagawa et al., 2000). Here, experiments and computer simulation are presented to demonstrate the link among cross-coupling stiffness, microcrack orientation and energy partitioning among P, S, and P-S/S-P waves. A FormLabs 2 3D printer was used to fabricate 7 samples (50 mm x 50 mm x 100 mm) with linear arrays of microcracks oriented at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 900 with a print resolution of 0.025 mm. The microcracks were elliptical in cross-sections (2 mm long by 1 mm wide), through the 50 mm thickness of sample, and spaced 3 mm (center-to-center for adjacent cracks). A 25 mm length of each sample contained no microcracks to act as a reference material. Broadband transducers (0.2-1.5 MHz) were used to transmit and receive P and polarized S wave signals that were propagated at normal incidence to the linear array of microcracks. P-wave amplitude increased, while S-wave amplitude remained relatively constant, as the microcrack orientation increased from 0o to 90o. At normal incidence, P-S and S-P wave conversions emerged and increased in amplitude as the crack inclination increased from 00 to 450. From 450 to 900, the amplitude of these converted modes decreased. Between negative and positive crack angles, the P-to-S and S-to-P waves were 1800 phase reversed. The observed energy partitioning matched the computed compliances obtained from numerical simulations with ABAQUS. The cross-coupling compliance for cracks inclined at 450 was found to be the smallest magnitude. 3D printing enabled the study of microstructural effects on macro-scale wave measurements. Information on the orientation of microcracks or even en echelon fractures and faults is contained in P-S conversions

Stakeholder orientation and organizational performance in an emerging market

OpenAIRE

Li, Xiaoqing; Piesse, Jenifer; Zhang, Xiaoxiang; He, Xinming

2011-01-01

There has been research that studies Chinese firms’ stakeholder orientation but fails to identify Chinese firms’ specific stakeholder groups. In addition, little research in this line has been conducted so far to reflect recent Chinese constitutional transition. This study seeks to fill these gaps. It extends previous studies assuming that a fixed set of stakeholders is suitable for firms in different countries context, and identifies Chinese firms’ key stakeholder groups by adopting the desc...

Violence and Means to Counteract Power: a View to Migrant Indigenous Women in Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara María Lara Flores

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The article analizes the conditions in which women farmers incorporate into México’s exports processes. This sector has a great need of labour at the national level, which in turn brings about many migration fluxes in which indigenous women play an important role. The study shows how this feminine incorporation into the labour market triggers gender as well as ethnic inequalities that manifest themselves in a segmentation within the branches and sectors of the national economy. Also, the article describes the means to which indigenous women turn to in order to counteract the actual and symbolic violence they are submitted to.

Cultural tourism is in context of mass culture

OpenAIRE

Гарбар, Г. А.

2014-01-01

Philosophic analysis of tourist activity within mass culture is carried out in the thesis. Cultural tourism within mass culture is more than orientation on cultural values, it is the understanding of peculiar cultural values within the context of generally accepted ones, confirmation of tourist activity peculiarities.Having reviewed tourism as a coherent system, the facts about impact of tourism on the society development are determined, potential development zones are identified, which are a...

Centralization of Authority, Market Orientation, and Customer Relationship Management in the Banking Sector: A Study in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose VARGHESE

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Buyer-seller exchange relationship in the personal selling context is a topic of great interest in the financial services sector. In today’s highly competitive scenario where market offers are largely homogenous, an organization’s relationship orientation is found to have a significant impact on the extent to which relationships are developed between salespeople and the customers. Customer oriented selling approach benefits both the salesperson and the organization since it has got positive associations with customer relationships. The strength of the relationship between market orientation and salesperson’s customer orientation can, however, be affected by the organization’s decision to regulate authority. This paper attempts to understand the influence organization’s regulation of authority on orientation at an individual and organizational level in the financial services industry.

[Impact of small-area context on health: proposing a conceptual model].

Science.gov (United States)

Voigtländer, S; Mielck, A; Razum, O

2012-11-01

Recent empirical studies stress the impact of features related to the small-area context on individual health. However, so far there exists no standard explanatory model that integrates the different kinds of such features and that conceptualises their relation to individual characteristics of social inequality. A review of theoretical publications on the relationship between social position and health as well as existing conceptual models for the impact of features related to the small-area context on health was undertaken. In the present article we propose a conceptual model for the health impact of the small-area context. This model conceptualises the location of residence as one dimension of social inequality that affects health through the resources as well as stressors which are inherent in the small-area context. The proposed conceptual model offers an orientation for future empirical studies and can serve as a basis for further discussions concerning the health relevance of the small-area context. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Shared perceptions: morality is embedded in social contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Carnes, Nate C; Lickel, Brian; Janoff-Bulman, Ronnie

2015-03-01

Morality helps make social life possible, but social life is embedded in many social contexts. Research on morality has generally neglected this and instead has emphasized people's general beliefs. We therefore investigated the extent to which different moral principles are perceived as embedded in social contexts. We conducted two studies investigating how diverse social contexts influence beliefs about the operative moral principles in distinct group types. Study 1 examined these perceptions using a within-subjects design, whereas Study 2 utilized a between-subjects design. We found a high degree of consensus among raters concerning the operative moral principles in groups, and each group type was characterized by a qualitatively distinct pattern of applicable moral principles. Political orientation, a focus of past research on morality, had a small influence on beliefs about operative moral principles. The implications of these findings for our understanding of morality and its functional role in groups are discussed. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Feminist Education and Feminist Community Psychology: Experiences from an Irish Context

Science.gov (United States)

Moane, Geraldine; Quilty, Aideen

2012-01-01

This article describes experiences in an Irish context of education programs delivered in 2 communities, 1 based on class (a working class urban community) and 1 based on sexual orientation (an urban lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community). It aims to illustrate how feminist education can play an important role in feminist community…

Fulfilment of administrative and professional organisational obligations and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours.

Science.gov (United States)

Trybou, Jeroen; Gemmel, Paul

2016-07-01

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between the perceived quality of organisational exchange and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours. Hospitals face increasing competitive market conditions. Registered nurses interact closely with patients and therefore play an important front-office role towards patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Registered nurses (n = 151) of a Belgian hospital received a questionnaire to assess the fulfilment of administrative and professional organisational obligations and their customer-oriented behaviours. We found a positive relationship between psychological contract fulfilment and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours. More precisely administrative and professional psychological contract fulfilment relates significantly to nurses' service delivery and external representation. In case of internal influence only administrative psychological contract fulfilment was significantly related. Nurses' perceptions of the fulfilment of administrative and professional obligations are important to their customer-oriented behaviours. Nurse managers must be aware of the impact of fulfilling both administrative and professional obligations of registered nurses in order to optimise their customer-oriented behaviours. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Validity and Psychometric Properties of Malay Translated Religious Orientation Scale-Revised among Malaysian Adult Samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Rahim Kamaluddin

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Religious Orientation Scale-Revised (ROS-R has been used increasingly as an important measure in psychology of religion based researches and widely administered in cross-cultural settings. Unfortunately, there is no valid and reliable ROS-R available in Malay language to assess religious orientations among Malaysians. With that in mind, the present study aims to validate and document the psychometric properties of Malay translated ROS-R (henceforth, M-ROS-R among sample of Malaysian adults. This study commenced with Forward-Backward translations and was followed by content and face validities. Subsequently, a cross-sectional study was conducted among Malaysian adults (n = 226 using convenience sampling method for the purpose of construct and factorial validations. Later, construct and factorial validity was performed via Exploratory Factor Analysis using Principal Component Analysis with Varimax rotation. Finally, reliability testing was performed to determine the internal consistency of the items which was achieved using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient method (α. The factor loading consisted of three factors with a total variance of 64.76%. The final version of M-ROS-R consisted of 14 items with Factor 1 (Intrinsic Orientation comprised of 8 items, Factor 2 (Extrinsic-Socially Orientated with 3 items while Factor 3 (Extrinsic-Personally Orientated constituted 3 items. The internal consistency values of the factors ranged between 0.68 and 0.86, indicating the scale is reliable. The intercorrelations between factors were also significant with each other. M-ROS-R was concluded as a valid and reliable scale to measure and assess religious orientations among Malaysians.

Individual differences in relational motives interact with the political context to produce terrorism and terrorism-support.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomsen, Lotte; Obaidi, Milan; Sheehy-Skeffington, Jennifer; Kteily, Nour; Sidanius, Jim

2014-08-01

The psychology of suicide terrorism involves more than simply the psychology of suicide. Individual differences in social dominance orientation (SDO) interact with the socio-structural, political context to produce support for group-based dominance among members of both dominant and subordinate groups. This may help explain why, in one specific context, some people commit and endorse terrorism, whereas others do not.

Dealing with Insecurity in Problem Oriented Learning Approaches--The Importance of Problem Formulation

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Annie Aarup; Lund, Birthe

2016-01-01

Introduction of a pedagogical concept, Kubus, in a problem oriented learning context--analysed within the framework of an activity system--indicates what might happen when offering tools tempting to influence and regulate students' learning approach and hereby neglecting the importance of existing habits and values. Introduction of this new…

Self-Report Data in Cross-Cultural Research: Issues of Construct Validity in Questionnaires for Quantitative Research in Educational Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Andrew

2007-01-01

This paper examines issues arising from the use of self-report questionnaires in cross-cultural contexts. The research draws from the extensive literature on cross-cultural leadership in business organizational culture as well as from educational cross-cultural contexts. It examines claims, drawn from business and educational contexts, that many…

Effect of IR Laser on Myoblasts: Prospects of Application for Counteracting Microgravity-Induced Muscle Atrophy

Science.gov (United States)

Monici, Monica; Cialdai, Francesca; Romano, Giovanni; Corsetto, Paola Antonia; Rizzo, Angela Maria; Caselli, Anna; Ranaldi, Francesco

2013-02-01

Microgravity-induced muscle atrophy is a problem of utmost importance for the impact it may have on the health and performance of astronauts. Therefore, appropriate countermeasures are needed to prevent disuse atrophy and favour muscle recovery. Muscle atrophy is characterized by loss of muscle mass and strength, and a shift in substrate utilization from fat to glucose, that leads to a reduced metabolic efficiency and enhanced fatigability. Laser therapy is already used in physical medicine and rehabilitation to accelerate muscle recovery and in sports medicine to prevent damages produced by metabolic disturbances and inflammatory reactions after heavy exercise. The aim of the research we present was to get insights on possible benefits deriving from the application of an advanced infrared laser system to counteract deficits of muscle energy metabolism and stimulate the recovery of the hypotrophic tissue. The source used was a Multiwave Locked System (MLS) laser, which combines continuous and pulsed emissions at 808 nm and 905 nm, respectively. We studied the effect of MLS treatment on morphology and energy metabolism of C2C12 cells, a widely accepted myoblast model, previously exposed to microgravity conditions modelled by a Random Positioning Machine. The MLS laser treatment was able to restore basal levels of serine/threonine protein phosphatase activity and to counteract cytoskeletal alterations and increase in glycolytic enzymes activity that occurred following the exposure to modelled microgravity. In conclusion, the results provide interesting insights for the application of infrared laser in the treatment of muscle atrophy.

Counteracting Rotor Imbalance in a Bearingless Motor System with Feedforward Control

Science.gov (United States)

Kascak, Peter Eugene; Jansen, Ralph H.; Dever, Timothy; Nagorny, Aleksandr; Loparo, Kenneth

2012-01-01

In standard motor applications, traditional mechanical bearings represent the most economical approach to rotor suspension. However, in certain high performance applications, rotor suspension without bearing contact is either required or highly beneficial. Such applications include very high speed, extreme environment, or limited maintenance access applications. This paper extends upon a novel bearingless motor concept, in which full five-axis levitation and rotation of the rotor is achieved using two motors with opposing conical air-gaps. By leaving the motors' pole-pairs unconnected, different d-axis flux in each pole-pair is created, generating a flux imbalance which creates lateral force. Note this is approach is different than that used in previous bearingless motors, which use separate windings for levitation and rotation. This paper will examine the use of feedforward control to counteract synchronous whirl caused by rotor imbalance. Experimental results will be presented showing the performance of a prototype bearingless system, which was sized for a high speed flywheel energy storage application, with and without feedforward control.

Housing, energy cost, and the poor: Counteracting effects in Germany's housing allowance program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groesche, Peter

2010-01-01

Adequate housing and affordable warmth are essential human needs, the lack of which may seriously harm people's health. Germany provides an allowance to low-income households, covering the housing as well as the space heating cost, to protect people from the consequences of poor housing conditions and fuel poverty. In order to limit public expenditures, payment recipients are required to choose low-cost dwellings, with the consequence that they probably occupy flats with a poor thermal performance. Recipients might therefore exhibit a lower per-square meter rent but in turn are likely to have a higher energy consumption and energy expenditures. Using a large data set of German households, this paper demonstrates that this financially counteracting effect is of negligible magnitude.

Locomotion in degus on terrestrial substrates varying in orientation - implications for biomechanical constraints and gait selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, André

2014-04-01

To gain new insights into running gaits on sloped terrestrial substrates, metric and selected kinematic parameters of the common degu (Octodon degus) were examined. Individuals were filmed at their maximum voluntary running speed using a high-speed camera placed laterally to the terrestrial substrate varying in orientations from -30° to +30°, at 10° increments. Degus used trotting, lateral-sequence (LS) and diagonal-sequence (DS) running gaits at all substrate orientations. Trotting was observed across the whole speed range whereas DS running gaits occurred at significantly higher speeds than LS running gaits. Metric and kinematic changes on sloped substrates in degus paralleled those noted for most other mammals. However, the timing of metric and kinematic locomotor adjustments differed significantly between individual degus. In addition, most of these adjustments took place at 10° rather than 30° inclines and declines, indicating significant biomechanical demands even on slightly sloped terrestrial substrates. The results of this study suggest that DS and LS running gaits may represent an advantage in small to medium-sized mammals for counteracting some level of locomotor instability. Finally, changes in locomotor parameters of the forelimbs rather than the hindlimbs seem to play an important role in gait selection in small to medium-sized mammals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Motivation and performance within a collaborative computer-based modeling task: Relations between students' achievement goal orientation, self-efficacy, cognitive processing and achievement

OpenAIRE

Sins, P.H.M.; van Joolingen, W.R.; Savelsbergh, E.R.; van Hout-Wolters, B.H.A.M.

2008-01-01

Purpose of the present study was to test a conceptual model of relations among achievement goal orientation, self-efficacy, cognitive processing, and achievement of students working within a particular collaborative task context. The task involved a collaborative computer-based modeling task. In order to test the model, group measures of mastery-approach goal orientation, performance-avoidance goal orientation, self-efficacy, and achievement were employed. Students’ cognitive processing was a...

Nuclear-physical investigations with oriented nuclei and polarized neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfimenkov, V.P.; Pikel'ner, L.B.; Sharapov, Eh.I.

1980-01-01

Several experiments with oriented nuclei and polarized neutrons are considered, as well as some methods of polarization of neutrons and nuclei. Experiments on the study of spin dependence of neutron cross sections for fissionable and nonfissionable nuclei interaction of polarized neutrons with polarized nuclei as well as measurement of magnetic momenta of compound-states of rare-earth nuclei. Described are some investigations with thermal neutrons: study on spin dependence of neutron scattering length with nuclei and gamma radiation of neutron radiation capture. Difficulties of production of high-intensive polarized neutron beams and construction of oriented targets are noted. Neutron polarization by transmission of them through a polarized proton target is the most universal method (out of existing methods) in the energy range under consideration [ru

Orientation Preferences and Motion Sickness Induced in a Virtual Reality Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Wei; Chao, Jian-Gang; Zhang, Yan; Wang, Jin-Kun; Chen, Xue-Wen; Tan, Cheng

2017-10-01

Astronauts' orientation preferences tend to correlate with their susceptibility to space motion sickness (SMS). Orientation preferences appear universally, since variable sensory cue priorities are used between individuals. However, SMS susceptibility changes after proper training, while orientation preferences seem to be intrinsic proclivities. The present study was conducted to investigate whether orientation preferences change if susceptibility is reduced after repeated exposure to a virtual reality (VR) stimulus environment that induces SMS. A horizontal supine posture was chosen to create a sensory context similar to weightlessness, and two VR devices were used to produce a highly immersive virtual scene. Subjects were randomly allocated to an experimental group (trained through exposure to a provocative rotating virtual scene) and a control group (untrained). All subjects' orientation preferences were measured twice with the same interval, but the experimental group was trained three times during the interval, while the control group was not. Trained subjects were less susceptible to SMS, with symptom scores reduced by 40%. Compared with untrained subjects, trained subjects' orientation preferences were significantly different between pre- and posttraining assessments. Trained subjects depended less on visual cues, whereas few subjects demonstrated the opposite tendency. Results suggest that visual information may be inefficient and unreliable for body orientation and stabilization in a rotating visual scene, while reprioritizing preferences for different sensory cues was dynamic and asymmetric between individuals. The present findings should facilitate customization of efficient and proper training for astronauts with different sensory prioritization preferences and dynamic characteristics.Chen W, Chao J-G, Zhang Y, Wang J-K, Chen X-W, Tan C. Orientation preferences and motion sickness induced in a virtual reality environment. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017

Socioeconomic Status, Parenting, and Externalizing Problems in African American Single-Mother Homes: A Person-Oriented Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Anton, Margaret T.; Jones, Deborah J.; Youngstrom, Eric A.

2016-01-01

African American youth, particularly those from single-mother homes, are overrepresented in statistics on externalizing problems. The family is a central context in which to understand externalizing problems; however, reliance on variable-oriented approaches to the study of parenting, which originate from work with intact, middle-income, European American families, may obscure important information regarding variability in parenting styles among African American single mothers, and in turn, variability in youth outcomes as well. The current study demonstrated that within African American single-mother families: (a) a person-, rather than variable-, oriented approach to measuring parenting style may further elucidate variability; (b) socioeconomic status may provide 1 context within which to understanding variability in parenting style; and (c) 1 marker of socioeconomic status, income, and parenting style may each explain variability in youth externalizing problems; however, the interaction between income and parenting style was not significant. Findings have potential implications for better understanding the specific contexts in which externalizing problems may be most likely to occur within this at-risk and underserved group. PMID:26053349

Socioeconomic status, parenting, and externalizing problems in African American single-mother homes: A person-oriented approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Anton, Margaret T; Jones, Deborah J; Youngstrom, Eric A

2015-06-01

African American youth, particularly those from single-mother homes, are overrepresented in statistics on externalizing problems. The family is a central context in which to understand externalizing problems; however, reliance on variable-oriented approaches to the study of parenting, which originate from work with intact, middle-income, European American families, may obscure important information regarding variability in parenting styles among African American single mothers, and in turn, variability in youth outcomes as well. The current study demonstrated that within African American single-mother families: (a) a person-, rather than variable-, oriented approach to measuring parenting style may further elucidate variability; (b) socioeconomic status may provide 1 context within which to understanding variability in parenting style; and (c) 1 marker of socioeconomic status, income, and parenting style may each explain variability in youth externalizing problems; however, the interaction between income and parenting style was not significant. Findings have potential implications for better understanding the specific contexts in which externalizing problems may be most likely to occur within this at-risk and underserved group. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The Effects of Cell Phone and Text Message Conversations on Simulated Street Crossing.

Science.gov (United States)

Banducci, Sarah E; Ward, Nathan; Gaspar, John G; Schab, Kurt R; Crowell, James A; Kaczmarski, Henry; Kramer, Arthur F

2016-02-01

A fully immersive, high-fidelity street-crossing simulator was used to examine the effects of texting on pedestrian street-crossing performance. Research suggests that street-crossing performance is impaired when pedestrians engage in cell phone conversations. Less is known about the impact of texting on street-crossing performance. Thirty-two young adults completed three distraction conditions in a simulated street-crossing task: no distraction, phone conversation, and texting. A hands-free headset and a mounted tablet were used to conduct the phone and texting conversations, respectively. Participants moved through the virtual environment via a manual treadmill, allowing them to select crossing gaps and change their gait. During the phone conversation and texting conditions, participants had fewer successful crossings and took longer to initiate crossing. Furthermore, in the texting condition, smaller percentage of time with head orientation toward the tablet, fewer number of head orientations toward the tablet, and greater percentage of total characters typed before initiating crossing predicted greater crossing success. Our results suggest that (a) texting is as unsafe as phone conversations for street-crossing performance and (b) when subjects completed most of the texting task before initiating crossing, they were more likely to make it safely across the street. Sending and receiving text messages negatively impact a range of real-world behaviors. These results may inform personal and policy decisions. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Subarray-based FDA radar to counteract deceptive ECM signals

Science.gov (United States)

Abdalla, Ahmed; Wang, Wen-Qin; Yuan, Zhao; Mohamed, Suhad; Bin, Tang

2016-12-01

In recent years, the frequency diverse array (FDA) radar concept has attracted extensive attention, as it may benefit from a small frequency increment, compared to the carrier frequency across the array elements and thereby achieve an array factor that is a function of the angle, the time, and the range which is superior to the conventional phase array radar (PAR). However, limited effort on the subject of FDA in electronic countermeasure scenarios, especially in the presence of mainbeam deceptive jamming, has been published. Basic FDA is not desirable for anti-jamming applications, due to the range-angle coupling response of targets. In this paper, a novel method based on subarrayed FDA signal processing is proposed to counteract deceptive ECM signals. We divide the FDA array into multiple subarrays, each of which employs a distinct frequency increment. As a result, in the subarray-based FDA, the desired target can be distinguished at subarray level in joint range-angle-Doppler domain by utilizing the fact that the jammer generates false targets with the same ranges to each subarray without reparations. The performance assessment shows that the proposed solution is effective for deceptive ECM targets suppression. The effectiveness is verified by simulation results.

Illustration of cross flow of polystyrene melts through a coathanger die

Science.gov (United States)

Schöppner, V.; Henke, B.

2015-05-01

To design an optimal coathanger die with a uniform flow rate distribution and low pressure drop, it is essential to understand the flow conditions in the die. This is important because the quality of the product is influenced by the flow velocity and the flow rate distribution. In extrusion dies, cross flows also occur in addition to the main flow, which flow perpendicular to the main flow. This results in pressure gradients in the extrusion direction, which have an influence on flow distribution and pressure drop in the die. In recent decades, quantitative representation and analysis of physical flow processes have made considerable progress in predicting the weather, developing drive technologies and designing aircraft using simulation methods and lab trials. Using the flow-line method, the flow is analyzed in flat film extrusion dies with a rectangular cross-section, in particular cross flows. The simplest method to visualize the flow is based on the measurement of obstacle orientation in the flow field by adding individual particles. A near-surface flow field can be visualized by using wool or textile yarns. By sticking thin, frayed at the ends of strands of wool surface that is to be examined cross flows, near-wall profiles of the flow and vortex and separation regions can be visualized. A further possibility is to add glass fibers and analyze the fiber orientation by microscopy and x-ray analysis. In this paper the influence of process parameters (e.g. melt temperatures and throughput) on cross flow and fiber orientation is described.

Personal selling constructs and measures: Emic versus etic approaches to cross-national research

OpenAIRE

Herché, Joel; Swenson, Michael; Verbeke, Willem

1996-01-01

textabstractEvaluates transportability of personal selling measures across cultural boundaries. Concept of measurement development; Emic and etic approaches to developing measures for cross-cultural applications; Cross-national dimensionality, reliability and construct validity of adaptive selling (ADAPTS) and customer-oriented selling (SOCO).

The Association between Cultural Orientation and Drinking Behaviors among University Students in Wuhan, China

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Hongxiu; Cai, Weibin; Wang, Hongjing; Zhang, Qing; Qian, Ling; Shell, Duane F.; Newman, Ian M.; Yin, Ping

2013-01-01

Objectives This study examines the association between cultural orientation and drinking behaviors among university students. Cultural orientation is the measure of how the cultural values of individuals living in their own society are influenced by cultural values introduced from the outside. Methods In 2011, a cross-sectional survey collected data from 1279 university students from six universities in central China. Participants used a likert scale to rank a series of statements reflecting cultural values from the previously validated Chinese Cultural Orientation Scale and answered questions about their drinking behaviors and socio-demographic characteristics. Results Statistically significant differences in cultural orientation were observed for gender, hometown and type of university attendance. Traditional-oriented students were more likely to be occasional drinkers or nondrinkers, while marginal-oriented students, bicultural-oriented students and western-oriented students were more likely to be regular drinkers. Bicultural orientation (OR = 1.80, Pstudent being regular drinking, compared to students with traditional orientations. Males (OR = 4.40, Pstudents (OR = 2.59, Pstudents from urban areas (OR = 1.79, Pstudents attending key universities (OR = 0.48, Pattending general universities. Conclusions Cultural orientation influences drinking behaviors. Traditional cultural orientation was associated with less drinking while western cultural orientation, marginal cultural orientation and bicultural orientation were associated with more drinking. The role of gender, hometown and university attendance is partially moderated through the influence of cultural orientation. The relationship between a traditional cultural orientation and alcohol drinking suggests that traditional Chinese cultural values should be examined for their role in possibly reducing alcohol-related risks through education and policy initiatives. PMID:23359611

Dental students' motivation and the context of learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Kristensen, Bettina Tjagvad; Netterstrom, Ingeborg; Kayser, Lars

2009-02-01

This qualitative study shows dental students' motives for choosing the dental education and how the motives influence their motivation at the first semester of study. Further the study demonstrates the relevance of the context of learning. This issue is of importance when planning a curriculum for the dental education. The material consists of interviews with eight dental students. The results show that dental students were focused on their future professional role, its practical dimensions and their future working conditions. Their motivation for choosing the dental education was found to influence their motivation for studying and their experience of the relevance of the first semester. The dental students who had co-education with the medical students at the first year of study missed a dental context and courses with clinically relevant contents. In conclusion, our data signify the importance of the context of learning. It is recommended that a future curriculum for the dental school should be designed in a way where basic science subjects are taught with both theoretically as well as practically oriented subjects and in a context which is meaningful for the students.

Orientation and properties of the blends on high-molecular mass polyacrylonitrile with trihydroxyethylenedimethacrylate under electron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lomonosova, N.V.

1998-01-01

Molecular orientation of the drawn blends of high- molecular-mass poly(acrylonitrile) containing 5-50 wt % of trihydroxyethylenedimethacrylate and a change in the orientation of the drawn samples upon irradiation with accelerated electrons was studied by methods of birefringence, isometric heating, and IR dichroism. The degree of orientation of the unirradiated blends containing certain amounts of oligomer exceed that of the individual polymer. In the region of large drawing ratios, the differential degree of orientation of the polymer matrix is not affected by the irradiation, while the orientation of the oligomer component increase. High values of the strength (600-730 MPa) and the modulus (18-22 GPa) of the compositions are due to the presence of a crystalline skeleton formed by unfolded chains of the polymer matrix stabilized by the electron irradiation induced cross-linking

Self-reflection Orients Visual Attention Downward.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yi; Tong, Yu; Li, Hong

2017-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated abstract concepts associated with spatial location (e.g., God in the Heavens) could direct visual attention upward or downward, because thinking about the abstract concepts activates the corresponding vertical perceptual symbols. For self-concept, there are similar metaphors (e.g., "I am above others"). However, whether thinking about the self can induce visual attention orientation is still unknown. Therefore, the current study tested whether self-reflection can direct visual attention. Individuals often display the tendency of self-enhancement in social comparison, which reminds the individual of the higher position one possesses relative to others within the social environment. As the individual is the agent of the attention orientation, and high status tends to make an individual look down upon others to obtain a sense of pride, it was hypothesized that thinking about the self would lead to a downward attention orientation. Using reflection of personality traits and a target discrimination task, Study 1 found that, after self-reflection, visual attention was directed downward. Similar effects were also found after friend-reflection, with the level of downward attention being correlated with the likability rating scores of the friend. Thus, in Study 2, a disliked other was used as a control and the positive self-view was measured with above-average judgment task. We found downward attention orientation after self-reflection, but not after reflection upon the disliked other. Moreover, the attentional bias after self-reflection was correlated with above-average self-view. The current findings provide the first evidence that thinking about the self could direct visual-spatial attention downward, and suggest that this effect is probably derived from a positive self-view within the social context.

Predicting factors of positive orientation and attitudes towards nursing : A quantitative cross-sectional study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ten Hoeve, Yvonne; Castelein, Stynke; Jansen, Wiebren; Jansen, Gerard; Roodbol, Petrie

Background: Previous studies have identified various reasons for students to choose a career in nursing. Students at the start of their programme hold a great variety of images and perceptions of nursing which can affect their orientation and attitudes towards their future profession. Objectives:

Examining School Counseling Students' Multicultural and Sexual Orientation Competencies through a Cross-Specialization Comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Bidell, Markus P.

2012-01-01

Professional school counselors have an opportunity to directly address the educational, emotional, and social problems facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. The purpose of this study was to examine the multicultural and sexual orientation counselor competencies of school counseling students through a…

Conceptualising the professional identity of industrial or organisational psychologists within the South African context

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Zyl, Llewellyn E.; Nel, Elzabe; Stander, Marius W.; Rothmann, Sebastiaan

2016-01-01

Orientation: Lack in congruence amongst industrial and organisational psychologists (IOPs) as to the conceptualisation of its profession poses a significant risk as to the relevance, longevity and professional identity of the profession within the South African context. Research purpose: This study

Delivering good service: personal resources, job satisfaction and nurses' 'customer' (patient) orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gountas, Sandra; Gountas, John; Soutar, Geoffrey; Mavondo, Felix

2014-07-01

To explore the complex relationships between nurses' personal resources, job satisfaction and 'customer' (patient) orientation. Previous research has shown that nursing is highly intensive, emotionally charged work, which affects nurses' job performance and their customer orientation as well as patient or 'customer' satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature by examining how nurses' personal resources relate to their personal satisfaction and customer orientation and the relationships between them. Specifically, this study explores the effects of two facets of emotional labour (deep acting and surface acting), empathic concern, self-efficacy and emotional exhaustion on personal job satisfaction and customer orientation. We also test the moderating effects of inauthenticity and emotional contagion. A quantitative survey. Data were collected through a self-completion questionnaire administered to a sample of 159 Australian nurses, in a public teaching hospital, in 2010. The data were analysed using Partial Least Square analysis. Partial Least Square analysis indicates that the final model is a good fit to the data (Goodness of Fit = 0.51). Deep acting and surface acting have different effects (positive and negative) on job satisfaction and 'customer' orientation, self-efficacy has a positive effect on both and emotional exhaustion has a positive effect on customer orientation and a negative effect on job satisfaction. The moderating effects of emotional contagion and empathic concern, in the final model, are discussed. Understanding the complex interactions between personal resources, job satisfaction and customer orientation helps to increase service providers' (nurses in this study) personal satisfaction and 'customer' orientation particularly in difficult contexts. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Validity and Psychometric Properties of Malay Translated Religious Orientation Scale-Revised among Malaysian Adult Samples

OpenAIRE

Mohammad Rahim Kamaluddin; Rohany Nasir; Wan Shahrazad Wan Sulaiman; Rozainee Khairudin; Zainah Ahmad Zamani

2017-01-01

Religious Orientation Scale-Revised (ROS-R) has been used increasingly as an important measure in psychology of religion based researches and widely administered in cross-cultural settings. Unfortunately, there is no valid and reliable ROS-R available in Malay language to assess religious orientations among Malaysians. With that in mind, the present study aims to validate and document the psychometric properties of Malay translated ROS-R (henceforth, M-ROS-R) among sample of Malay...

The Effects of Strategic Orientations and Perceived Environment on Firm Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farkas Gergely

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Among micro, small, and medium-sized firms located in Hungary, I conducted a survey examining the effects of entrepreneurial and learning orientations, and that of perceived environment on firm performance. I studied the perceptions of environmental turbulence and environmental hostility. Three dimensions were examined both in the case of entrepreneurial orientation (i.e., innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk taking and in the case of learning orientation (i.e., commitment to learning, shared visions, and open-mindedness. The effects of such dimensions on firm performance were analyzed with the path analysis (PLS-SEM method. In the course of the research, firm performance was divided into three dimensions: efficiency, growth, and profit. The possible effect of available financial resources was also taken into consideration. Results show that the availability of financial resources is relatively important, although it is connected only to the growth dimension of performance. Strategic orientations should be interpreted as multi-dimensional, and they have an effect on different performance dimensions. The research was cross-sectional and has implications for long-term strategic decisions.

Design principles for data- and change-oriented organisational analysis in workplace health promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

Inauen, A; Jenny, G J; Bauer, G F

2012-06-01

This article focuses on organizational analysis in workplace health promotion (WHP) projects. It shows how this analysis can be designed such that it provides rational data relevant to the further context-specific and goal-oriented planning of WHP and equally supports individual and organizational change processes implied by WHP. Design principles for organizational analysis were developed on the basis of a narrative review of the guiding principles of WHP interventions and organizational change as well as the scientific principles of data collection. Further, the practical experience of WHP consultants who routinely conduct organizational analysis was considered. This resulted in a framework with data-oriented and change-oriented design principles, addressing the following elements of organizational analysis in WHP: planning the overall procedure, data content, data-collection methods and information processing. Overall, the data-oriented design principles aim to produce valid, reliable and representative data, whereas the change-oriented design principles aim to promote motivation, coherence and a capacity for self-analysis. We expect that the simultaneous consideration of data- and change-oriented design principles for organizational analysis will strongly support the WHP process. We finally illustrate the applicability of the design principles to health promotion within a WHP case study.

Complementary and alternative drug therapy versus science-oriented medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Anlauf, Manfred; Hein, Lutz; Hense, Hans-Werner; Köbberling, Johannes; Lasek, Rainer; Leidl, Reiner; Schöne-Seifert, Bettina

2015-01-01

This opinion deals critically with the so-called complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapy on the basis of current data. From the authors' perspective, CAM prescriptions and most notably the extensive current endeavours to the "integration" of CAM into conventional patient care is problematic in several respects. Thus, several CAM measures are used, although no specific effects of medicines can be proved in clinical studies. It is extensively explained that the methods used in this regard are those of evidence-based medicine, which is one of the indispensable pillars of science-oriented medicine. This standard of proof of efficacy is fundamentally independent of the requirement of being able to explain efficacy of a therapy in a manner compatible with the insights of the natural sciences, which is also essential for medical progress. Numerous CAM treatments can however never conceivably satisfy this requirement; rather they are justified with pre-scientific or unscientific paradigms. The high attractiveness of CAM measures evidenced in patients and many doctors is based on a combination of positive expectations and experiences, among other things, which are at times unjustified, at times thoroughly justified, from a science-oriented view, but which are non-specific (context effects). With a view to the latter phenomenon, the authors consider the conscious use of CAM as unrevealed therapeutic placebos to be problematic. In addition, they advocate that academic medicine should again systematically endeavour to pay more attention to medical empathy and use context effects in the service of patients to the utmost. The subsequent opinion discusses the following after an introduction to medical history: the definition of CAM; the efficacy of most common CAM procedures; CAM utilisation and costs in Germany; characteristics of science-oriented medicine; awareness of placebo research; pro and contra arguments about the use of CAM, not least of all in terms of

"Drenched in the Past:" the Evolution of Market-Oriented Reforms in New Orleans

Science.gov (United States)

Jabbar, Huriya

2015-01-01

As the city with the largest charter-school market share in the United States, New Orleans, Louisiana exemplifies market-oriented models in education. For a city that is so "drenched in the past," the reform movement in New Orleans typically neglects historical context, often dismissing the education system pre-Katrina as simply corrupt…

Classical kinematic model for direct reactions of oriented reagents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schechter, I.; Prisant, M.G.; Levine, R.D.

1987-01-01

A simple kinematic model based on the concept of an orientation-dependent critical configuration for reaction is introduced and applied. The model serves two complementary purposes. In the predictive mode the model provides an easily implemented procedure for computing the reactivity of oriented reagents (including those actually amenable to measure) from a given potential energy surface. The predictions of the model are compared against classical trajectory results for the H + D 2 reaction. By use of realistic potential energy surfaces the model is applied to the Li + HF and O + HCl reactions where the HX molecules are pumped by a polarized laser. A given classical trajectory is deemed reactive or not according to whether it can surmount the barrier at that particular orientation. The essential difference with the model of Levine and Bernstein is that the averaging over initial conditions is performed by using a Monte Carlo integration. One can therefore use the correct orientation-dependent shape (and not only height) of the barrier to reaction and, furthermore, use oriented or aligned reagents. Since the only numerical step is a Monte Carlo sampling of initial conditions, very many trajectories can be run. This suffices to determine the reaction cross section for different initial conditions. To probe the products, they have employed the kinematic approach of Elsum and Gordon. The result is a model where, under varying initial conditions, examining final-state distributions or screening different potential energy surfaces can be efficiently carried out

Docosahexaenoic acid counteracts attenuation of CD95-induced cell death by inorganic mercury

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gill, Randall [Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Wayne State University, Detroit MI (United States); Lanni, Lydia; Jen, K.-L. Catherine [Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Wayne State University, Detroit MI (United States); McCabe, Michael J. [Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester NY (United States); Rosenspire, Allen, E-mail: arosenspire@wayne.edu [Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Wayne State University, Detroit MI (United States)

2015-01-01

In the United States the principal environmental exposure to mercury is through dietary consumption of sea food. Although the mechanism by which low levels of mercury affect the nervous system is not well established, epidemiological studies suggest that low level exposure of pregnant women to dietary mercury can adversely impact cognitive development in their children, but that Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the most prominent n-polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-PUFA) present in fish may counteract negative effects of mercury on the nervous system. Aside from effects on the nervous system, epidemiological and animal studies have also suggested that low level mercury exposure may be a risk factor for autoimmune disease. However unlike the nervous system where a mechanism linking mercury to impaired cognitive development remains elusive, we have previously suggested a potential mechanism linking low level mercury exposures to immune system dysfunction and autoimmunity. In the immune system it is well established that disruption of CD95 mediated apoptosis leads to autoimmune disease. We have previously shown in vitro as well as in vivo that in lymphocytes burdened with low levels of mercury, CD95 mediated cell death is impaired. In this report we now show that DHA counteracts the negative effect of mercury on CD95 signaling in T lymphocytes. T cells which have been pre-exposed to DHA are able to cleave pro-caspase 3 and efficiently signal programmed cell death through the CD95 signaling pathway, whether or not they are burdened with low levels of mercury. Thus DHA may lower the risk of autoimmune disease after low level mercury exposures. - Highlights: • Inorganic mercury (Hg{sup 2+}) interferes with CD95 mediated cell death in Jurkat T cells • DHA restores the ability of CD95 to signal cell death in Hg{sup 2+} intoxicated T cells • The restoration of CD95 mediated cell death by DHA is correlated with increased activation of Caspase 3.

Docosahexaenoic acid counteracts attenuation of CD95-induced cell death by inorganic mercury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gill, Randall; Lanni, Lydia; Jen, K.-L. Catherine; McCabe, Michael J.; Rosenspire, Allen

2015-01-01

In the United States the principal environmental exposure to mercury is through dietary consumption of sea food. Although the mechanism by which low levels of mercury affect the nervous system is not well established, epidemiological studies suggest that low level exposure of pregnant women to dietary mercury can adversely impact cognitive development in their children, but that Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the most prominent n-polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-PUFA) present in fish may counteract negative effects of mercury on the nervous system. Aside from effects on the nervous system, epidemiological and animal studies have also suggested that low level mercury exposure may be a risk factor for autoimmune disease. However unlike the nervous system where a mechanism linking mercury to impaired cognitive development remains elusive, we have previously suggested a potential mechanism linking low level mercury exposures to immune system dysfunction and autoimmunity. In the immune system it is well established that disruption of CD95 mediated apoptosis leads to autoimmune disease. We have previously shown in vitro as well as in vivo that in lymphocytes burdened with low levels of mercury, CD95 mediated cell death is impaired. In this report we now show that DHA counteracts the negative effect of mercury on CD95 signaling in T lymphocytes. T cells which have been pre-exposed to DHA are able to cleave pro-caspase 3 and efficiently signal programmed cell death through the CD95 signaling pathway, whether or not they are burdened with low levels of mercury. Thus DHA may lower the risk of autoimmune disease after low level mercury exposures. - Highlights: • Inorganic mercury (Hg 2+ ) interferes with CD95 mediated cell death in Jurkat T cells • DHA restores the ability of CD95 to signal cell death in Hg 2+ intoxicated T cells • The restoration of CD95 mediated cell death by DHA is correlated with increased activation of Caspase 3

Interaction between endogenous and exogenous orienting in crossmodal attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiaoxi; Chen, Qi; Gao, Dingguo; Yue, Zhenzhu

2012-08-01

Using a cue-target paradigm, we investigated the interaction between endogenous and exogenous orienting in cross-modal attention. A peripheral (exogenous) cue was presented after a central (endogenous) cue with a variable time interval. The endogenous and exogenous cues were presented in one sensory modality (auditory in Experiment 1 and visual in Experiment 2) whereas the target was presented in another modality. Both experiments showed a significant endogenous cuing effect (longer reaction times in the invalid condition than in the valid condition). However, exogenous cuing produced a facilitatory effect in both experiments in response to the target when endogenous cuing was valid, but it elicited a facilitatory effect in Experiment 1 and an inhibitory effect in Experiment 2 when endogenous cuing was invalid. These findings indicate that endogenous and exogenous cuing can co-operate in orienting attention to the crossmodal target. Moreover, the interaction between endogenous and exogenous orienting of attention is modulated by the modality between the cue and the target. © 2012 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2012 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Mexican-Origin Youth's Cultural Orientations and Adjustment: Changes from Early to Late Adolescence

Science.gov (United States)

Updegraff, Kimberly A.; Umaña-Taylor, Adriana J.; McHale, Susan M.; Wheeler, Lorey A.; Perez-Brena, Norma

2013-01-01

Drawing from developmental and cultural adaptation perspectives and using a longitudinal design, this study examined: (a) mean-level changes in Mexican-origin adolescents’ cultural orientations and adjustment from early to late adolescence; and (b) bidirectional associations between cultural orientations and adjustment using a cross-lag panel model. Participants included 246 Mexican-origin, predominantly immigrant families that participated in home interviews and a series of nightly phone calls when target adolescents were 12 years and 18 years of age. Girls exhibited more pronounced declines in traditional gender role attitudes than did boys, and all youth declined in familism values, time spent with family, and involvement in Mexican culture. Bidirectional relations between cultural orientations and adjustment emerged, and some associations were moderated by adolescent nativity and gender. PMID:22966929

Delighting the Customer: Creativity-Oriented High-Performance Work Systems, Frontline Employee Creative Performance, and Customer Satisfaction

OpenAIRE

Martinaityte, Ieva; Sacramento, Claudia; Aryee, Samuel

2016-01-01

Drawing on self-determination theory, we proposed and tested a cross-level model of how perceived creativity-oriented high-performance work systems (HPWS) influence customer satisfaction. Data were obtained from frontline employees (FLEs), their managers, and branch records of two organizations (retail bank and cosmetics) in Lithuania. Results of multilevel structural equation modeling analyses revealed partial support for our model. Although perceived creativity-oriented HPWS related to crea...

Relationship Between Learning Orientation And Business Performance And The Moderating Effect Of Competitive Advantage: An Accounting Services Firms Perspective

OpenAIRE

Louis Martinette; Alice Obenchain-Leeson; Gladys Gomez; Jessica Webb

2014-01-01

This study examines the influence of learning orientation on business performance (achievement of sales and profit objectives) in the context of pure service, specifically that of public accounting services firms. The conceptual framework used in this research has been drawn from marketing, finance, and organizational behavior theory. Specifically, relationships related to learning orientation, sources of competitive advantage, and business performance have been identified. This research ...

On the context dependence of emotion displays: Perceptions of gold medalists' expressions of pride.

Science.gov (United States)

van Osch, Yvette; Zeelenberg, Marcel; Breugelmans, Seger M

2016-11-01

In spite of various claims for cross-cultural differences in the experience of pride, studies on the expression of pride have revealed few cross-cultural differences. Five studies using archival data from Olympic and national championships do show cross-cultural differences in the expression of pride and other positive emotions in pride-eliciting contexts, contingent on the social context of the expression, notably the in-group or out-group status of the audience. Chinese gold medalists were perceived to express less pride than American medalists when outperforming in-group competitors; when outperforming out-group members, however, no or smaller cross-cultural differences were observed. These findings are important because they indicate that cultural norms about emotion expression may be activated only in situations in which they serve a function in coordinating people's behaviour.

Chiral Orientation of Skeletal Muscle Cells Requires Rigid Substrate

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Ninghao Zhu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Reconstitution of tissue morphology with inherent left–right (LR asymmetry is essential for tissue/organ functions. For skeletal muscle, the largest tissue in mammalian organisms, successful myogenesis requires the regulation of the LR asymmetry to form the appropriate muscle alignment. However, the key factor for reproducing the LR asymmetry of skeletal tissues in a controllable, engineering context remains largely unknown. Recent reports indicate that cell chirality may underlie the LR development in tissue morphogenesis. Here, we report that a rigid substrate is required for the chirality of skeletal muscle cells. By using alternating micropatterned cell-adherent and cell-repellent stripes on a rigid substrate, we found that C2C12 skeletal muscle myoblasts exhibited a unidirectional tilted orientation with respect to the stripe boundary. Importantly, such chiral orientation was reduced when soft substrates were used instead. In addition, we demonstrated the key role of actin stress fibers in the formation of the chiral orientation. This study reveals that a rigid substrate is required for the chiral pattern of myoblasts, paving the way for reconstructing damaged muscle tissue with inherent LR asymmetry in the future.

Photogrammetric computer vision statistics, geometry, orientation and reconstruction

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Förstner, Wolfgang

2016-01-01

This textbook offers a statistical view on the geometry of multiple view analysis, required for camera calibration and orientation and for geometric scene reconstruction based on geometric image features. The authors have backgrounds in geodesy and also long experience with development and research in computer vision, and this is the first book to present a joint approach from the converging fields of photogrammetry and computer vision. Part I of the book provides an introduction to estimation theory, covering aspects such as Bayesian estimation, variance components, and sequential estimation, with a focus on the statistically sound diagnostics of estimation results essential in vision metrology. Part II provides tools for 2D and 3D geometric reasoning using projective geometry. This includes oriented projective geometry and tools for statistically optimal estimation and test of geometric entities and transformations and their rela­tions, tools that are useful also in the context of uncertain reasoning in po...