An Efficient Method for online Detection of Polychronous Patterns in Spiking Neural Network

Polychronous neural groups are effective structures for the recognition of precise spike-timing patterns but the detection method is an inefficient multi-stage brute force process that works off-line on pre-recorded simulation data. This work presents a new model of polychronous patterns that can capture precise sequences of spikes directly in the neural simulation. In this scheme, each neuron is assigned a randomized code that is used to tag the post-synaptic neurons whenever a spike is transmitted. This creates a polychronous code that preserves the order of pre-synaptic activity and can be registered in a hash table when the post-synaptic neuron spikes. A polychronous code is a sub-component of a polychronous group that will occur, along with others, when the group is active. We demonstrate the representational and pattern recognition ability of polychronous codes on a direction selective visual task involving moving bars that is typical of a computation performed by simple cells in the cortex. The computational efficiency of the proposed algorithm far exceeds existing polychronous group detection methods and is well suited for online detection.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure

Are workflow interruptions a hindrance stressor? The moderating effect of time-management skill

Workflow interruptions are a pervasive job stressor detrimental to employee job performance and wellbeing. Previous studies noted that the detrimental effect was intervened by increased job demands (i.e., demand accumulation mechanism). Yet, little attention has been paid to employees’ stressor appraisal, a critical mechanism of stress process from transactional perspective. Moreover, we lack of knowledge about what malleable, action-based coping strategies can reduce the negative effect of workflow interruptions. To address these limitations, we collected data from a sample of IT professionals using a 5-day daily diary design. With 330 daily observations from 75 employees, the findings revealed that by controlling for the mediating effect of time pressure (i.e., demand accumulation mechanism), hindrance appraisal mediated the negative relationship between workflow interruptions and task performance as well as the positive relationship between workflow interruptions and psychological distress. More importantly, time-management skill was found to buffer the relationship between workflow interruptions and hindrance appraisal through which it further weakens the relationship of workflow interruptions with task performance and with psychological distress. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed

Long-Distance Recreational Travel Behavior and Implications of Autonomous Vehicles

Have you ever wondered how people travel long distances and how it could be affected by the emergence of autonomous vehicles (AVs)? This dissertation aims to answer those questions by studying the current behavior of long-distance recreational travelers and their preference in the age of AVs. This dissertation has four main goals. First, it seeks to develop a reliable way to measure people’s satisfaction with long-distance recreational trips and understand the similarities and differences between long- and short-distance travel satisfaction. Second, it looks at the connection between how people travel, how satisfied they are with their travel experiences, and how this relates to their overall satisfaction with their destination. Third, it explores how people feel about using AVs for long-distance travel and tries to understand what influences their decisions. Lastly, it looks at the impact of vehicle automation, the interior of AVs, and how people use their time during travel on their choices and preferences. The necessary data is gathered through a survey of 696 people who visited national parks in the US. The survey responses are analyzed to understand the research objectives, and some interesting insights are obtained. First, a survey instrument (i.e., a list of questions) is developed to accurately measure long-distance travelers’ satisfaction. The analysis discovers that the factors that affect satisfaction with long-distance travel differ from those that affect short-distance travel. Second, a strong link is established between people’s satisfaction with their travel experiences (on the way) and their overall tourism experience (at destination). Third, the study suggests people might travel more frequently and for longer distances with the introduction of AVs. This result means that we should not only focus on managing tourism destinations but also consider the impact on traffic and infrastructure leading to these destinations. Finally, the study finds that people are interested in using their travel time more productively in AVs, but we should be mindful of the negative consequences, such as increased energy consumption and space requirements. In conclusion, this dissertation sheds light on long-distance travel behavior and the potential changes that could come with using AVs. It emphasizes the importance of enjoying the journey, the impact on tourism, and the need for sustainable transportation. So, next time you plan a road trip, remember there’s more to consider than just getting to your destination

The relationship between top management team (TMT) metacognition, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

This study integrates entrepreneurial orientation and top management team (TMT) behavioural integration, as a mediator and moderator respectively, to determine the effect of TMT metacognition on firm performance in SMEs. Fifteen hundred SMEs were surveyed and 140 usable returns were used in this study. The result revealed that risk in entrepreneurial orientation is often associated with lower firm performance and innovativeness and proactiveness could be considered the mechanisms through which TMT metacognition contributes most to higher organisational performance. This finding is significant for SMEs, whose resources are limited, and TMT could consider less risky projects, but still maintaining its innovativeness and proactiveness, particularly in the niche market areas. Furthermore, the empirical result supported previous findings that top managers’ abilities and behaviour collectively as a team could be seen as an important factor in their innovative and competitive outcomes in SMEs

Thou Shalt Not Squander Life – Comparing Five Approaches to Argument Strength

Different approaches analyze the strength of a natural language argument in different ways. This paper contrasts the dialectical, structural, probabilistic (or Bayesian), computational, and empirical approaches by exemplarily applying them to a single argumentative text (Epicureans on Squandering Life; Aikin & Talisse, 2019). Rather than pitching these approaches against one another, our main goal is to show the room for fruitful interaction. Our focus is on a dialectical analysis of the squandering argument as an argumentative response that voids an interlocutor’s right to assertion. This analysis addresses the pragmatic dimensions of arguing and implies an argument structure that is consistent with empirical evidence of perceived argument strength. Results show that the squandering argument can be evaluated as a (non-fallacious) ad hominem argument, which however is not necessarily stronger than possible arguments attacking it

Barriers to public supply chain management strategy implementation: an exploratory diagnosis

This paper investigated barriers to the implementation of public supply chain management strategy in the South African public sector. The public sector in South Africa faces serious supply chain management challenges that are detrimental to the effectiveness and efficiency of public sector operations. A structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 309 public supply management professionals based in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 23.0). The Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using the Principal Components Analysis (CPA) technique was applied to identify the intended barriers. Seven factors which are the barriers to supply chain management strategy implementation; namely, management practices, human resource capabilities, customer service, external orientation, internal communication, innovation and employee motivation were extracted. Management practices emerged as the most influential barrier after the application of the mean score ranking technique. Keywords: public supply chain management, management practices, human resource capabilities, customer service, external orientation, internal communication, innovation and employee motivation. JEL Classification: H5

Hotel Performance and Research Streams: A Network Cluster Analysis

Purpose: This article provides a review of hotel performance within the hospitality and tourism research domain. We use network analysis to examine two research questions. The first relates to ascertaining general trends within the hotel performance literature, and the second focuses on identifying the salient streams and sub-topics. Methodology: Articles were selected according to three criteria: keywords, journals, and year of publication. The analysis embraces 20 years (1996-2015). These choices assure a wide coverage of the literature. Using these three criteria, the sample includes 1,155 papers. For the analysis, we created a network of papers designated as nodes, and the citations among the papers as links. A network approach recognizes the internal structure of the network by identifying groups of nodes (papers) that are more densely connected between themselves than to other nodes within the network (modules, clusters or communities). Findings: We found 761 papers that were “connected” studies within the network. By contrast, 34% of sample (394 papers) consists of “unconnected” studies. Excluding outliers, the net sample was 734 articles. We identify 14 clusters, which we break down into several sub-topics. We conclude by providing some conclusions regarding trends and future research directions. With regards to salient topics, cross-citation and network analysis provide a detailed picture of where the literature comes from and where it currently stands. Conclusions are articulated at the theoretical and empirical levels. Originality: Compared to previous hotel performance reviews, the approach followed by this study enables the discovery of an analytical research map, which is able to identify both clusters and sub-topics populating each segment. Researchers are able to position their work and identify issues that are in growth and decline

Understanding cognitive structure of multitasking behavior and working memory training effects

Multitasking behavior and working memory training are important topics in psychological science. The present thesis systematically investigated the underlying cognitive constructs of multitasking behavior and the cognitive strategies related to transfer effects of working memory training, which were described in two empirical studies. In the first study, we examined the underlying cognitive constructs associated with the concept of multitasking behavior. Although prior investigations have revealed cognitive abilities to be important predictors of multitasking behavior, few studies have been conducted on the relation between executive functions (EFs) and multitasking behavior. In this regard, the current investigation explored the importance of EFs, working memory capacity (WMC), relational integration, and divided attention to multitasking behavior. A sample of 202 young adults completed a battery of EFs (shifting, updating, and inhibition), three WMC tests, three relational integration tests, two divided attention tests, and a multitasking scenario (Simultaneous Capacity). Our study provided several key findings. First, in direct replication attempts, we could replicate the multitasking behavior model (Bühner, König, Pick, & Krumm, 2006) and partially replicate the three-factor and nested factors EFs models (Friedman et al., 2016). Second, the regression analyses revealed that updating, inhibition, relational integration, and divided attention had strong contributions in explaining multitasking behavior variance, whereas shifting and WMC did not show any explanatory power beyond these constructs. Finally, using structural equation modeling, we found that the general EF ability representing variance common to shifting, updating, and inhibition highly overlapped with multitasking behavior. Our results are of value not only to shed light on the relevant cognitive correlates of multitasking behavior but also to position multitasking behavior in an established framework of cognitive abilities. Additionally, by providing strong empirical evidence in favor of cognitive constructs of multitasking behavior, this study builds the necessary groundwork for steering future research to elucidate the etiology of underlying relations between these specific cognitive correlates and multitasking behavior. The second study inspected how transfer occurs on material-specific tasks, rather than other task types within the working memory training framework. Despite numerous attempts of using training interventions to increase WMC, the role of cognitive strategy in explaining the transfer effects is not yet experimentally investigated. We hypothesized that transfer would occur when a similar cognitive strategy is applied in solving both the trained and transfer tasks. According to this idea, we examined the strategic approach by directly using tasks that allow for specific strategies and tasks that do not. In particular, training with verbal and numerical materials should show transfer to figural (symbol) material, and the other way around. Additionally, differences between visual and verbal cognitive strategies could lead to differential transfer effects on working memory tasks. Eighty young adults received training on two working memory operations: storage and processing, and relational integration (derived from Oberauer, Süß, Wilhelm, & Weittman, 2003) with four different materials verbal/numerical/figural (pattern)/figural (symbol), and another 17 served as active control group and 8 as passive group. Before and after 12 days of adaptive training, performance on the storage and processing, and on the relational integration tasks was assessed. Linear-mixed effects modeling revealed four important findings. First, following training, there were reliable improvements on the performance of trained storage and processing, and relational integration tasks, compared to the active control group. However, such training did not generalize to measures of the same working memory operation with different materials in most cases. Second, the only transfer effect was observed between numerical and figural (symbol) material within relational integration tasks, thereby confirming our hypothesis. Third, no transfer was detected between storage and processing, and relational integration. Finally, there was no direct evidence supporting the influence of cognitive strategies (visual and verbal) on transfer effects. Together, the present findings provide strong evidence for growing theories of multitasking behavior and working memory training, emphasizing the importance of cognitive underpinnings of multitasking behavior and specifying the efficacy of working memory intervention only on material-specific tasks, which may be emerged from the acquisition of task-specific cognitive strategies. Although the current investigation did not yet provide clear evidence about the strategic approach (i.e., internal information processing operations: visual and verbal), the combination of material-specific mechanisms with a general boost in the underlying cognitive strategies provides an important and interesting perspective for future work.Multitasking-Verhalten und Arbeitsgedächtnistrainings sind wichtige Themen in der psychologischen Forschung. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden im Rahmen von zwei empirischen Studien die dem Multitasking-Verhalten zugrunde liegenden kognitiven Konstrukte sowie die mit Transfereffekten in Arbeitsgedächtnistrainings assoziierten kognitiven Strategien systematisch untersucht. In der ersten Studie wurden die dem Multitasking-Verhalten zugrunde liegenden kognitiven Konstrukte betrachtet. Obwohl frühere Untersuchungen einen wichtigen Beitrag kognitiver Fähigkeiten zu Multitasking-Verhalten aufzeigen konnten, wurden bisher nur wenige Studien über den Zusammenhang zwischen exekutiven Funktionen (EF) und Multitasking-Verhalten durchgeführt. Aus diesem Grund wurde in dieser Studie die Bedeutsamkeit von EF, Arbeitsgedächtniskapazität (AGK), Relational Integration und geteilte Aufmerksamkeit für Multitasking-Verhalten untersucht. Eine Stichprobe von 202 jungen Erwachsenen bearbeitete eine Aufgabenbatterie für EF (Shifting, Updating, Inhibition), drei AGK Aufgaben, drei Tests zu Relational Integration, zwei Tests zur geteilten Aufmerksamkeit und ein Szenario zu Multitasking (Simultankapazität). Die Hauptergebnisse der Studie lauten wie folgt: Erstens konnte das Modell zu Multitasking-Verhalten (Bühner, König, Pick & Krumm, 2006) direkt repliziert und das Drei-Faktoren-Modell sowie das Hierarchische-Faktoren-Modell (Friedman et al., 2016) zu EF teilweise repliziert werden. Zweitens konnte mit Regressionsanalysen gezeigt werden, dass Updating, Inhibition, Relational Integration und geteilte Aufmerksamkeit jeweils stark zur Erklärung der Varianz von Multitasking-Verhalten beitrug, während Shifting und AGK keinen Erklärungswert, zusätzlich zu den anderen Konstrukten, lieferte. Schließlich zeigte in einem Strukturgleichungsmodell ein allgemeiner Faktor zur Fähigkeit EF, der gemeinsame Varianz von Shifting, Updating und Inhibition beinhaltete, starke Überlappung mit Multitasking-Verhalten. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen nicht nur die relevanten kognitiven Korrelate von Multitasking-Verhalten, sondern ermöglichen es auch, Multitasking-Verhalten in einem anerkannten Framework kognitiver Fähigkeiten einzuordnen. Außerdem bildet die Studie, durch ihre starke empirische Evidenz zugunsten kognitiver Konstrukte von Multitasking-Verhalten, die notwendige Grundlage für die zukünftige Erforschung der Ätiologie zugrunde liegender Zusammenhänge zwischen spezifischen kognitiven Korrelaten und Multitasking-Verhalten. In der zweiten Studie wurde untersucht, wie Transfer zwischen materialspezifischen Aufgaben im Gegensatz zu anderen Aufgabentypen, im Rahmen von Arbeitsgedächtnistrainings stattfindet. Trotz zahlreicher Versuche, AGK durch Trainingsmaßnahmen zu steigern, wurde die Rolle kognitiver Strategien bei der Erklärung des Transfereffekts bisher nicht experimentell untersucht. Es wurde die Hypothese aufgestellt, dass ein Transfer auftritt, wenn ähnliche kognitive Strategien sowohl bei der Lösung der Trainingsaufgabe als auch bei der Lösung der Transferaufgabe angewendet werden. Im Rahmen dieser Idee wurde der sogenannte strategische Ansatz dadurch untersucht, dass einerseits Aufgaben verwendet wurden, die spezifische Strategien erlauben und andererseits Aufgaben die dies nicht ermöglichen. Konkret sollte bei einem Training mit verbalem und numerischem Material Transfer zu figuralem (symbolischen) Material stattfinden und umgekehrt. Außerdem könnten Unterschiede zwischen visuellen und verbalen kognitiven Strategien zu differentiellen Transfereffekten bei Arbeitsgedächtnisaufgaben führen. Achtzig junge Erwachsene wurden in zwei Arbeitsgedächtnisfacetten trainiert: Speicherung/Verarbeitung und Relational Integration (angelehnt an Oberauer, Süß, Wilhelm & Weittman, 2003), mit vier verschiedenen Materialien: Verbal, numerisch, figural (Muster), figural (Symbole). Siebzehn weitere Probanden dienten als aktive und weitere acht als passive Kontrollgruppe. Vor und nach zwölf Tagen adaptiven Trainings wurde die Leistung in den Aufgaben Speicherung/Verarbeitung und Relational Integration erfasst. Gemischte lineare Modelle lieferten vier wichtige Erkenntnisse: Erstens zeigte die Trainingsgruppe im Vergleich zur aktiven Kontrollgruppe eine stabile Leistungsverbesserung in den trainierten Bereichen Speicherung/Verarbeitung und Relational Integration. Jedoch konnte ein solches Training in den meisten Fällen nicht auf Maße derselben Arbeitsgedächtnisfacette mit anderem Material generalisiert werden. Zweitens wurde der einzige Transfereffekt zwischen numerischem und figuralem (Symbole) Material innerhalb der Relational Integration Aufgabe beobachtet, was die Hypothese bestätigte. Drittens gab es keine direkte Evidenz für den Einfluss kognitiver Strategien (visuell und verbal) auf Transfereffekte. Zusammenfassend liefern die vorliegenden Ergebnisse starke Evidenz für die wachsenden Theorien zu Multitasking-Verhalten und Arbeitsgedächtnistraining. Dabei wird vor allem die Wichtigkeit kognitiver Grundlagen von Multitasking-Verhalten betont sowie die ausschließliche Wirksamkeit von Arbeitsgedächtnisinterventionen bei materialspezifischen Aufgaben konkretisiert, die durch die Aneignung aufgabenspezifischer kognitiver Strategien zustande kommen könnte. Obwohl die vorliegende Untersuchung noch keine klare Evidenz für den strategischen Ansatz (d.h. internale Informationsverarbeitungstypen: visuell und verbal) liefern konnte, bietet die Kombination aus materialspezifischen Mechanismen und einer generellen Verbesserung in den zugrunde liegenden Strategien wichtige und interessante Perspektiven für zukünftige Forschung

Job satisfaction and employee turnover determinants in high contact services: Insights from Employees'Online reviews

We explore a special case of electronic word of mouth that of employees' online reviews to study the determinants of job satisfaction and employee turnover. We perform our analysis using a novel dataset of 297,933 employee online reviews from 11,975 US tourism and hospitality firms, taking advantage of both the review score and text. Leadership and cultural values are found to be better predictors of high employee satisfaction, while career progression is critical for employee turnover. One unit increase in the rating for career progression reduces the likelihood of an employee to leave a company by 14.87%. Additionally, we quantify the effect of job satisfaction on firm profitability, where one unit increase leads to an increase between 1.2 and 1.4 in ROA. We do not find evidence supporting the reverse relationship, that growth on firm profitability increases job satisfaction. The feedback to management in employee reviews provides specific managerial implications