The impact of workspace environment on creativity and innovation: empirical evidence from makerspaces in China

Numerous studies have identified the critical role of creativity and innovation on the sustainable development of an enterprise especially facing with uncertain and complex external environment. Among the various aspects affecting the creativity and innovation, workspace environment is a factor that has not been fully considered for most of organizations. Compared to the existing literature on innovation, few empirical studies have investigated the influence of workspace environment on creativity and innovation. Based on the previous literature, this thesis first develops a theoretical framework, i.e., workspace environment-employee’s conduct- innovation performance paradigm to reveal the mechanism. We differentiate between the physical and non-physical environments to examine their roles on creativity and innovation performance, respectively. Then taking Ucommune as example (i.e., one of the largest makerspaces in China), this study empirically explores to what extent workspace environment affects the individual and team creativity and innovation in an organization. The main results include: (1) physical and non-physical workspace environments positively contribute to employees’ individual and team behaviors; (2) individual behavior can help to improve employee creativity and enhance team behavior, but its direct impact on innovation is not significant; (3) team behaviors can improve organizational innovation performance. Our findings empirical support the increasing importance of workspace environment - particularly the physical one - on creativity and innovation, providing both theoretical and practical implications. In particular, the main theoretical contribution is to enrich both the environmental psychological theory and innovation theory by providing a mechanism on how workspace environment influence creativity and innovation within an enterprise.São vários os estudos que identificam o papel crítico da criatividade e da inovação no desenvolvimento sustentável de uma empresa, especialmente em ambientes externos incertos e complexos. Entre os vários fatores que afetam a criatividade e a inovação, o ambiente do espaço de trabalho é algo que não é tido em consideração pela maioria das organizações. Nesse sentido, a presente tese apresenta, em primeiro lugar, um enquadramento teórico que projeta o paradigma do desempenho individual e organizacional face ao ambiente de trabalho, tendo em conta a conduta do empregado e os determinantes de inovação. De seguida, procede-se à distinção entre ambiente físico e não-físico para examinar as suas influências na criatividade e na inovação. Por fim, tendo o "Ucommune" como exemplo (i.e., um dos maiores espaços partilhados de fabricantes da China), este estudo explora empiricamente até que ponto o ambiente de trabalho afeta o indivíduo e a criatividade e a inovação da equipe nas organizações. Os principais resultados alcançados sustentam que: (1) ambientes de trabalho físico e não-físico estão positivamente relacionados com os comportamentos individuais e de equipe dos colaboradores; (2) o comportamento individual pode ajudar a melhorar a criatividade dos colaboradores e da equipe, mas o seu impacto direto na inovação não é significativo; e (3) o comportamento da equipe pode melhorar o desempenho da inovação organizacional. Estes resultados suportam ainda a crescente importância do ambiente do espaço de trabalho - particularmente o espaço físico - na criatividade e na inovação, trazendo implicações teóricas e práticas para a gestão empresarial

Excitation and propagation of surface plasmon polaritons on a non-structured surface with a permittivity gradient.

Accompanied by the rise of plasmonic materials beyond those based on noble metals and the development of advanced materials processing techniques, it is important to understand the plasmonic behavior of materials with large-scale inhomogeneity (such as gradient permittivity materials) because they cannot be modeled simply as scatterers. In this paper, we theoretically analyze the excitation and propagation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on a planar interface between a homogeneous dielectric and a material with a gradient of negative permittivity. We demonstrate the following: (i) free-space propagating waves and surface waves can be coupled by a gradient negative-permittivity material and (ii) the coupling can be enhanced if the material permittivity variation is suitably designed. This theory is then verified by numerical simulations. A direct application of this theory, rainbow trapping, is also proposed, considering a realistic design based on doped indium antimonide. This theory may lead to various applications, such as ultracompact spectroscopy and dynamically controllable generation of SPPs

Dynamic adaptive engineering pathways for mitigating flood risks in Shanghai with regret theory

Uncertainty in sea level rise and future extreme climate events presents a great planning challenge for flood defence in coastal mega cities like Shanghai. While academic literature has largely focused on uncertainty analysis, engineering solution design requires effective uncertainty management. Here we incorporate the regret theory of economics and decision science into the dynamic-adaptation-pathways framework and assess the impacts of high rates of changes on the flood defence systems in Shanghai. Specific options are developed to manage flooding on the Huangpu River from tidal water levels, river flows, rainfall, drainage inflows and combinations of these flood sources including sea level rises of up to 3 m. Dynamic adaptation pathways are developed where the timing of tipping points from one intervention to the next depends on the actual changes in sea level, rainfall and other variables that affect the future design. This framework is potentially applicable for planning ‘no regrets’ flood-defence systems in other low-lying coastal cities

Determination of nonthermal bonding origin of a novel photoexcited lattice instability in SnSe

Interatomic forces that bind materials are largely determined by an often complex interplay between the electronic band-structure and the atomic arrangements to form its equilibrium structure and dynamics. As these forces also determine the phonon dispersion, lattice dynamics measurements are often crucial tools for understanding how materials transform between different structures. This is the case for the mono-chalcogenides which feature a number of lattice instabilities associated with their network of resonant bonds and a large tunability in their functional properties. SnSe hosts a novel lattice instability upon above-bandgap photoexcitation that is distinct from the distortions associated with its high temperature phase transition, demonstrating that photoexcitation can alter the interatomic forces significantly different than thermal excitation. Here we report decisive time-resolved X-ray scattering-based measurements of the nonequlibrium lattice dynamics in SnSe. By fitting interatomic force models to the excited-state dispersion, we determine this instability as being primarily due to changes in the fourth-nearest neighbor bonds that connect bilayers, with relatively little change to the intralayer resonant bonds. In addition to providing critical insight into the nonthermal bonding origin of the instability in SnSe, such measurements will be crucial for understanding and controlling materials properties under non-equilibrium conditions

Genetic Variants of Pregnane X Receptor (PXR) and CYP2B6 Affect the Induction of Bupropion Hydroxylation by Sodium Ferulate

This study investigated the effects of pregnane X receptor (PXR/NR1I2) and CYP2B6 genetic variants on sodium ferulate (SF)-mediated induction of bupropion hydroxylation. The pharmacokinetics of bupropion and hydroxybupropion were evaluated after an oral dose of bupropion (150 mg) administered with and without SF pretreatment for 14 days in 33 healthy subjects. The area under the time-concentration curve (AUC) ratio of AUC_hyd (AUC(0-∞) of hydroxybupropion)/AUC_bup (AUC(0-∞) of bupropion) represents the CYP2B6 hydroxylation activity, which was significantly lower in CYP2B6*6 carriers (NR1I2 TGT noncarriers or carriers) than in noncarriers in both the basal and SF-induced states (p-value<0.05). AUC ratio and AUC_hyd of NR1I2 -24113AA variant were markedly lower than GA and GG genotypes (7.5±2.1 versus 14.5±3.3 and 20.6±1.1, and 8873±1431 versus 14,504±2218 and 17,586±1046) in the induced states. However, -24020(-)/(-) variant didn't show significant difference in the induction of CYP2B6 hydroxylation activity by SF compared with other -24020[GAGAAG]/(-) genotypes. NR1I2 TGT haplotype (-25385T+g.7635G+g.8055T) carriers exhibited a significantly decreased AUC ratio, compared with TGT noncarriers, in the basal states (7.6±1.0 versus 9.7±1.0), while this result wasn't observed in CYP2B6*6 noncarriers. Moreover, individuals with complete mutation-type [CYP2B6*6/*6+NR1I2 TGT+ -24113AA+ -24020 (-)/(-)] showed even lower percent difference of AUC ratio (8.7±1.2 versus 39.5±8.2) than those with complete wild-type. In conclusion, it is suggested that NR1I2 variants decrease the bupropion hydroxylation induced by SF treatment, particularly in CYP2B6*6 carriers

Identification and characterization of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri during gonadal development

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) controls synthesis of sex steroid hormones through hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in vertebrates. But in mollusks, research on neuroendocrine control of gonadal function, such as the function of GnRH during gonadal development is limited. In this study, we investigated the morphology and structure of the nerve ganglia of Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri by physiological and histological observations. We also cloned the ORF and studied the expression patterns of GnRH in the scallop. Tissue expression analysis showed that GnRH was highly expressed in parietovisceral ganglion (PVG). The in situ hybridization result further confirmed that GnRH mRNA only distributed in some good-sized neurons in the posterior lobe (PL) and some pint-sized neurons in the lateral lobe (LL). In addition, by examining the expression of GnRH during gonadal development in ganglia, we found GnRH displayed higher expression in the female scallops, and showed significant high expression at the growing stage of female scallops in PVG. This study would contribute to gaining insight into the mechanism underlying reproduction regulation by GnRH in the scallop and help to provide a better understanding of reproductive neuroendocrine in mollusks

YhjX Regulates the Growth of Escherichia coli in the Presence of a Subinhibitory Concentration of Gentamicin and Mediates the Adaptive Resistance to Gentamicin

The mechanisms of adaptive resistance of Escherichia coli to aminoglycosides remain unclear. Our RNA-Seq study found that expression of yhjX was markedly upregulated during initial exposure to subinhibitory concentrations of gentamicin. The expression of yhjX was then downregulated dramatically during a second exposure to gentamicin compared to the first exposure. YhjX encodes a putative transporter of the major facilitator superfamily, which is known to be the sole target of the YpdA/YpdB two-component system, the expression of which is highly and specifically induced by pyruvate. To investigate the effect of yhjX on the adaptive resistance of E. coli, in the present study, we constructed yhjX deletion and complemented strains of E. coli ATCC25922. Changes in extracellular pyruvate levels of wide-type and yhjX mutant were measured to determine whether YhjX functions as a pyruvate transporter. The results showed that yhjX deletion improved the growth of E. coli in medium containing subinhibitory concentrations of gentamicin. The yhjX deletion mutant did not exhibit adaptive resistance to subinhibitory concentrations of gentamicin. YhjX might not function as a pyruvate efflux pump in E. coli but was associated with the decrease following a sharp increase in the extracellular pyruvate level. Our findings indicate that yhjX regulates the growth of E. coli in the presence of a subinhibitory concentration of gentamicin and mediates the adaptive resistance to gentamicin

SPatiotemporal-ENcoded acoustic radiation force imaging of focused ultrasound

Neuromodulation technology has provided novel therapeutic approaches for diseases caused by neural circuit dysfunction. Transcranial focused ultrasound (FU) is an emerging neuromodulation approach that combines noninvasiveness with relatively sharp focus, even in deep brain regions. It has numerous advantages such as high precision and good safety in neuromodulation, allowing for modulation of both peripheral and central nervous systems. To ensure accurate treatment targeting in FU neuromodulation, a magnetic resonance acoustic radiation force imaging (MR-ARFI) sequence is crucial for the visualization of the focal point. Currently, the commonly used 2D Spin Echo ARFI (2D SE-ARFI) sequence suffers from the long acquisition time, while the echo planar imaging ARFI (EPI-ARFI) sequence with a shorter acquisition time is vulnerable to the magnetic field inhomogeneities. To address these problems, we proposed a spatiotemporal-encoded acoustic radiation force imaging sequence (i.e., SE-SPEN-ARFI, shortened to SPEN-ARFI) in this study. The displacement at the focal spot obtained was highly consistent with that of the SE-ARFI sequence. Our research shows that SPEN-ARFI allows for rapid image acquisition and has less image distortions even under great field inhomogeneities. Therefore, a SPEN-ARFI sequence is a practical alternative for the treatment planning in ultrasound neuromodulation

Ultrafast measurements of mode-specific deformation potentials of Bi2_2Te3_3 and Bi2_2Se3_3

Quantifying electron-phonon interactions for the surface states of topological materials can provide key insights into surface-state transport, topological superconductivity, and potentially how to manipulate the surface state using a structural degree of freedom. We perform time-resolved x-ray diffraction (XRD) and angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) measurements on Bi$_2$Te$_3$ and Bi$_2$Se$_3$, following the excitation of coherent A$_{1g}$ optical phonons. We extract and compare the deformation potentials coupling the surface electronic states to local A$_{1g}$-like displacements in these two materials using the experimentally determined atomic displacements from XRD and electron band shifts from ARPES.We find the coupling in Bi$_2$Te$_3$ and Bi$_2$Se$_3$ to be similar and in general in agreement with expectations from density functional theory. We establish a methodology that quantifies the mode-specific electron-phonon coupling experimentally, allowing detailed comparison to theory. Our results shed light on fundamental processes in topological insulators involving electron-phonon coupling