The Associations Between the Maladaptive Personality Dimensions of Neediness and Self-Criticism, Defense Styles, Selfobject Needs, and Attachment Styles in an Iranian Sample

The present study extends previous findings by examining whether defense styles, selfobject needs, attachment styles relate to Neediness and Self-Criticism, as maladaptive personality dimensions focused, respectively, on relatedness and self-definition in an Iranian sample. Three hundred and 52 participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire as well as the Persian forms of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, Experience of Close Relationships-Revised, Defense Style Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory—II and Selfobject Needs Inventory. Two multiple linear regression analyses, entering Self-criticism and Neediness as criterion variables, were computed. According to the results, high attachment anxiety, high immature defenses, high depressive symptoms, and high need for idealization were related to self-criticism, and explained 47% of its variance. In addition, high attachment anxiety, low mature defenses, high neurotic defenses, high avoidance of mirroring, and low avoidance of idealization/twinship were related to neediness, and explained 40% of its variance. A principal components analysis was performed, entering all the studied variables. Three factors emerged; 1 describing a maladaptive form of psychological functioning and 2 describing more mature modes of psychological functioning. The results are discussed in their implications for the understanding of neediness and self-criticism as maladaptive personality dimensions focused, respectively, on relatedness and self-definition

PELAYANAN PUBLIK DI KANTOR IMIGRASI (Studi Tentang Persepsi Konsumen Terhadap Pelayanan Surat Perjalanan Republik Indonesia Periode Bulan September – Desember 2012 Di Kantor Imigrasi Semarang)

Berada langsung dibawah Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi, keberadaan KantorImigrasi Semarang dengan jelas memiliki suatu peran yang sangat penting. Kantor Imigrasisebagai Unit Pelaksana Teknis (UPT) merupakan perwujudan dari bentuk InstansiPemerintah yang melayani masyarakat di bidang keimigrasian. Kenyataannya, dari sekianbanyak Kantor Imigrasi yang ada di Indonesia, belum ada suatu standar pemberianpelayanan (Standard Operational Procedure) kepada masyarakat. Hal ini mengakibatkanpelayanan yang diberikan belum merata hasilnya antara UPT yang satu dengan UPT yanglain. Berbagai faktor yang mempengaruhi perbedaan kinerja tersebut karena adanyaperbedaan antara jumlah dan mutu, volume pekerjaan, luas cakupan wilayah kerja,dukungan anggaran yang tersedia juga faktor eksternal lainnya.Tujuan yang hendak dicapaidalam penelitian ini adalah mengetahui tinjauan proses reformasi birokrasi yang diterapkanhingga bisa mengkaji aplikasi teori-teori pelayanan publik dalam pelayanan pembuatanSPRI dan yang menjadi polemik masyarakat pengguna jasa Kantor Imigrasi Semarang.Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode penelitian kuantitatif dengandesain penelitian yaitu statistik-deskriptif yang merupakan metode dengan menggunakankuesioner sebagai salah satu teknik pengumpulan data dan analisis wawancara secaramendalam (indepth interview) dari beberapa informan. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkanbahwa persepsi masyarakat sebagai konsumen atas pelayanan pemberian passport olehKantor Imigrasi Kota Semarang positif baik, dengan struktur organisasi birokrasi yangsederhana, teknologi yang digunakan dalam menunjang pelayanan semakin canggih,sumber daya manusianya sudah mencukupi, penerapan tugas pokok, fungsi dankewenangan sudah baik dan tepat sehingga pelayanan yang dirasakan sesuai denganseharusnya, pelayanan pembuatan passport yang diberikan sesuai dengan SPM (standarpelayanan minimal). Namun, ada juga faktor yang menghambat seperti regulasi yang tidaksesuai dengan keadaan sekarang, gedung yang sempit, kurangnya kesadaran atau respondari masyarakat. Kantor Imigrasi Kota Semarang diharapkan dapat mempertahankankomitmen pelayanan pembuatan passport yang sudah dibangun. Meningkatkan saranaprasarana dan sosialisasi yang menunjang agar sesuai dengan kebutuhan masyarakat danmemperlancar kinerja pelayanan

VEGF guides angiogenic sprouting utilizing endothelial tip cell filopodia

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) is a major regulator of blood vessel formation and function. it controls several processes in endothelial cells, such as proliferation, survival, and migration, but it is not known how these are coordinately regulated to result in more complex morphogenetic events, such as tubular sprouting, fusion, and network formation. We show here that VEGF-A controls angiogenic sprouting in the early postnatal retina by guiding filopodial extension from specialized endothelial cells situated at the tips of the vascular sprouts. The tip cells respond to VEGF-A only by guided migration; the proliferative response to VEGF-A occurs in the sprout stalks. These two cellular responses are both mediated by agonistic activity of VEGF-A on VEGF receptor 2. Whereas tip cell migration depends on a gradient of VEGF-A, proliferation is regulated by its concentration. Thus, vessel patterning during retinal angiogenesis depends on the balance between two different qualities of the extracellular VEGF-A distribution, which regulate distinct cellular responses in defined populations of endothelial cells

Money and Goldstone modes

Why is ``worthless'' fiat money generally accepted as payment for goods and services? In equilibrium theory, the value of money is generally not determined: the number of equations is one less than the number of unknowns, so only relative prices are determined. In the language of mathematics, the equations are ``homogeneous of order one''. Using the language of physics, this represents a continuous ``Goldstone'' symmetry. However, the continuous symmetry is often broken by the dynamics of the system, thus fixing the value of the otherwise undetermined variable. In economics, the value of money is a strategic variable which each agent must determine at each transaction by estimating the effect of future interactions with other agents. This idea is illustrated by a simple network model of monopolistic vendors and buyers, with bounded rationality. We submit that dynamical, spontaneous symmetry breaking is the fundamental principle for fixing the value of money. Perhaps the continuous symmetry representing the lack of restoring force is also the fundamental reason for large fluctuations in stock markets.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Guidelines For Planning A Multinational Accounting Information System

The emphasis on globalization has affected numerous areas in business.  In order to keep up with the growing trend toward globalization, multinational corporations have set up computerized accounting information systems with their affiliates to provide the accounting information needed to plan, control, evaluate and coordinate all business activities.  To satisfy all the users' needs and government regulations in setting up a multinational accounting information system is a difficult task.  This paper provides guidelines to be considered in planning a multinational accounting information system.  A case study of an actual multinational information systems planning is used to illustrate the issues these guidelines address

The dynamic exponent of the Ising model on negatively curved surfaces

We investigate the dynamic critical exponent of the two-dimensional Ising model defined on a curved surface with constant negative curvature. By using the short-time relaxation method, we find a quantitative alteration of the dynamic exponent from the known value for the planar Ising model. This phenomenon is attributed to the fact that the Ising lattices embedded on negatively curved surfaces act as ones in infinite dimensions, thus yielding the dynamic exponent deduced from mean field theory. We further demonstrate that the static critical exponent for the correlation length exhibits the mean field exponent, which agrees with the existing results obtained from canonical Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures. to appear in J. Stat. Mec

Geometric effects on critical behaviours of the Ising model

We investigate the critical behaviour of the two-dimensional Ising model defined on a curved surface with a constant negative curvature. Finite-size scaling analysis reveals that the critical exponents for the zero-field magnetic susceptibility and the correlation length deviate from those for the Ising lattice model on a flat plane. Furthermore, when reducing the effects of boundary spins, the values of the critical exponents tend to those derived from the mean field theory. These findings evidence that the underlying geometric character is responsible for the critical properties the Ising model when the lattice is embedded on negatively curved surfaces.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, to appear in J. Phys. A: Math. Ge