Selecting the special or choosing the common? A high-powered conceptual replication of Kim and Markus’ (1999) pen study

Kim and Markus (1999; Study 3) found that 74% of European Americans selected a pen with an uncommon (vs. common) color, whereas only 24% of East Asians made such a choice, highlighting a pronounced cross-cultural difference in the extent to which people opt for originality or make majority- based choices. The present high-powered study (N = 729) conceptually replicates the results from Kim and Markus (1999; Study 3), although our effect size (r = .12) is significantly weaker than that of the original study (r = .52). Interestingly, a larger proportion of Chinese, but not US, participants selected a pen with an uncommon color now than during the original study. Thus, our findings indicate a potential transmission of certain Western values to cultures traditionally characterized by collectivism and conformity, likely exacerbated by the globalization of mass media and the rapid economic growth in many East Asian countries.publishedVersio

TU Graz: Course: 707.000 Web Science and Web Technology: Lecture 3: Network Theory and Terminology

In this class, we will discuss network theory fundamentals, including concepts such as diameter, distance, clustering coefficient and others. We will also discuss different types of networks, such as scale-free networks, random networks etc. Readings: Graph structure in the Web, A. Broder and R. Kumar and F. Maghoul and P. Raghavan and S. Rajagopalan and R. Stata and A. Tomkins and J. Wiener Computer Networks 33 309--320 (2000) [Web link, Alternative Link] Optional: The Structure and Function of Complex Networks, M.E.J. Newman, SIAM Review 45 167--256 (2003) [Web link] Original course at: http://kmi.tugraz.at/staff/markus/courses/SS2008/707.000_web-science

Decelerated spreading in degree-correlated networks

While degree correlations are known to play a crucial role for spreading phenomena in networks, their impact on the propagation speed has hardly been understood. Here we investigate a tunable spreading model on scale-free networks and show that the propagation becomes slow in positively (negatively) correlated networks if nodes with a high connectivity locally accelerate (decelerate) the propagation. Examining the efficient paths offers a coherent explanation for this result, while the $k$-core decomposition reveals the dependence of the nodal spreading efficiency on the correlation. Our findings should open new pathways to delicately control real-world spreading processes

Developing A Supplementary Reading Text Based on Nias Local Culture

The aim of this research is to develop supplementary English Book for grade eight at SMP Markus Medan. This research is classified into Research and Development (R&D) study. The participants of this research were the students from grade eight of Markus Medan, English teacher, and lecturers from English Department. The writer gathered the data from questionnaires given to the participants. The first questionnaires were given to the students to find their suitable needs and characteristics in learning English. The second questionnaires were administered in validating the first draft of supplementary English book that developed by the writer. The third questionnaires were given to get the feedback from the students on the second draft of supplementary English book. The final product of this research was passed by having a series of material design steps, namely: collecting preliminary information, writing tasks grids, designing the first draft of supplementary English book., validating the developed draft of supplementary English book, revising the draft of supplementary English book, conducting tryouts, evaluating, and revising the final draft of supplementary English book. The writer developed the tasks into four units that cover nine reading skills. It can be known form the result from the third questionnaires which shows the mean of each aspect of the tasks ranging from 3.6 to 5.0. Therefore, it can be concluded that the supplementary English book is appropriate for students from grade eight of SMP Markus Medan. &nbsp

Involvement of ras p2I in Neurotrophin-induced Response of Sensory, but Not Sympathetic Neurons

Little is known about the signal transduction mechanisms involved in the response to neurotrophins and other neurotrophic factors in neurons, beyond the activation of the tyrosine kinase activity of the neurotrophin receptors belonging to the trk family. We have previously shown that the introduction of the oncogene product ras p21 into the cytoplasm of chick embryonic neurons can reproduce the survival and neurite-outgrowth promoting effects of the neurotrophins nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). To assess the potential signal- transducing role of endogenous ras p21, we introduced function-blocking anti-ras antibodies or their Fab fragments into cultured chick embryonic neurons. The BDNF-induced neurite outgrowth in E12 nodose ganglion neurons was reduced to below control levels, and the NGF- induced survival of E9 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons was inhibited in a specific and dose-dependent fashion. Both effects could be reversed by saturating the epitope-binding sites with biologically inactive ras p21 before microinjection. Surprisingly, ras p21 did not promote the survival of NGF-dependent E12 chick sympathetic neurons, and the NGF-induced survival in these cells was not inhibited by the Fab-fragments. The survival effect of CNTF on ras-responsive ciliary neurons could not be blocked by anti-ras Fab fragments. These results indicate an involvement of ras p21 in the signal transduction of neurotrophic factors in sensory, but not sympathetic or ciliary neurons, pointing to the existence of different signaling pathways not only in CNTF-responsive, but also in neurotrophin-responsive neuronal populations

Rys historyczny fabryki Jakuba A. B. Markusa w Białymstoku przy ul. Jurowieckiej 29

Pierwsza manufaktura włókiennicza Abrama Bersza Markusa powstała w 1877 r. i funkcjonowała najprawdopodobniej przy ul. Mikołajewskiej (dziś Sienkiewicza). Dzięki koniunkturze gospodarczej Abram Bersz zyskał kapitał, który zainwestował w nowy zakład produkcyjny, przeniesiony w 1893 r. na ul. Pocztową (dziś Jurowiecka). W 1896 r. fabrykę po ojcu przejął Jankiel vel Jakub Abram Berszowicz Markus, rejestrując ją pod nazwą „Jakub A. B. Markus”. Jakub zmarł ok. 1911 r., pozostawiając fabrykę włókienniczą przy ul. Jurowieckiej wdowie Helenie i pięciu synom. Potomkowie Jakuba prowadzili przedsiębiorstwo do 1939 r. Był to jeden z największych zakładów sukienniczych Białegostoku w okresie międzywojennym, zatrudniający w 1922 r. ponad 200 robotników. W 1921 r., w wydawnictwie „Białystok Ilustrowany”, Markusowie opublikowali rycinę, przedstawiającą zakład w jego największym rozkwicie. Pozwoliła ona na odtworzenie chronologii powstawania budynków, wchodzących w skład zespołu fabrycznego oraz ich architektury. Jest to źródło rzadkie i cenne, tym bardziej, że fabryka rodu Markusów nie przetrwała II wojny światowej, a pozostałe po niej ruiny rozebrano w latach 50. XX w