unconscious priming by illusory figures the role of the salient region

In this study we provide evidence that unconscious priming can be obtained as a result of the processing of the salient region (SR) of illusory figures and without that of illusory contours (ICs). We used a metacontrast masking paradigm where illusory figures were masked by real figures. In Experiment 1 we found a clear priming effect when participants were asked to discriminate between square and diamond masks preceded by congruent or incongruent illusory square or diamond primes. It is likely that metacontrast impairs the processing of ICs but not of the SR; therefore the above result strongly suggests that the priming effect was specifically related to the processing of the SR. In Experiment 2 participants were tested in the same task as in Experiment 1 with additional primes in which the inducers were presented in the same locations but their shapes were changed so as to modify the global configuration. We termed these primes High, Low, and No Salient Region (HSR, LSR, and NSR, respectively). The HSR condition replicated Experiment 1, whereas in the LSR and NSR conditions the priming effect got progressively smaller. The results of Experiment 1 were replicated with the priming effect significantly larger in the HSR than in all other conditions. It was also larger in the HSR than in LSR condition and smallest but still present in the NSR condition. Taken together, these results indicate that the unconscious processing of only the SR yields a priming effect and that a reduction of the saliency of the SR leads to a reduction of the priming effect, while its elimination does not abolish it

The role of geographical distance on the relationship between cultural intelligence and knowledge transfer

Purpose: This paper's purpose is to investigate the ways in which the geographical distance between headquarters and subsidiaries moderates the relationship between cultural intelligence and the knowledge transfer process. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 103 senior expatriate managers working in Croatia from several European and non-European countries was used to test the hypotheses. Data were collected using questionnaires, while the methodology employed to test the relationship between the variables was Partial least square. Furthermore, interaction-moderation effect was utilised to test the impact of geographical distance and, for testing control variables, Partial least square multigroup analysis was used. Findings: Cultural Intelligence plays a significant role in the knowledge transfer process performance. However, geographical distance has the power to moderate this relationship based on the direction of knowledge transfer. In conventional knowledge transfer, geographical distance has no significant impact. On the contrary, data have shown that, in reverse knowledge transfer, geographical distance has a moderately relevant effect. We supposed that these findings could be connected to the specific location of the knowledge produced by subsidiaries. Practical implications: Multinational companies should take into consideration that the further away a subsidiary is from the headquarters, and the varying difference between cultures, cannot be completely mitigated by the ability of the manager to deal with cultural differences, namely cultural intelligence. Thus, multinational companies need to allocate resources to facilitate the knowledge transfer between subsidiaries. Originality/value: The present study stresses the importance of cultural intelligence in the knowledge transfer process, opening up a new stream of research inside these two areas of research

A three decade mixed-method bibliometric investigation of the IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management

This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (IEEE TEM) from 1985 to 2017. This paper employs a mixed-method examination based on an in-depth interview with the new editor-in-chief regarding the challenges for the future of IEEE TEM, along with a bibliometric analysis of the journal. By using Web of Science Core Collection data, the analysis maps the knowledge produced and disseminated by IEEE TEM, revealing the most cited papers, the most frequently occurring keywords and the interconnection between them, the most prolific authors and their coauthorship network, and the most prolific countries for published articles. This paper also shows the main avenues of research covered by IEEE TEM and their evolution through the analysis of the correlation of keywords. This paper offers an example application of a mixed-method bibliometric analysis, seeking to extend the quantitative findings by including other sources of data

Magnetic resonance tumor regression grade (MR-TRG) to assess pathological complete response following neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a magnetic resonance (MR) automatic method for quantitative assessment of the percentage of fibrosis developed within locally advanced rectal cancers (LARC) after neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (RCT). A total of 65 patients were enrolled in the study and MR studies were performed on 3.0 Tesla scanner; patients were followed-up for 30 months. The percentage of fibrosis was quantified on T2-weighted images, using automatic K-Means clustering algorithm. According to the percentage of fibrosis, an optimal cut-off point for separating patients into favorable and unfavorable pathologic response groups was identified by ROC analysis and tumor regression grade (MR-TRG) classes were determined and compared to histopathologic TRG. An optimal cut-off point of 81% of fibrosis was identified to differentiate between favorable and unfavorable pathologic response groups resulting in a sensitivity of 78.26% and a specificity of 97.62% for the identification of complete responders (CRs). Interobserver agreement was good (0.85). The agreement between P-TRG and MR-TRG was excellent (0.923). Significant differences in terms of overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) were found between favorable and unfavorable pathologic response groups. The automatic quantification of fibrosis determined by MR is feasible and reproducible

Fractal Analysis of MRI Data at 7 T: How Much Complex Is the Cerebral Cortex?

The human brain is a highly complex structure, which can be only partially described by conventional metrics derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), such as volume, cortical thickness, and gyrification index. In the last years, the fractal dimension (FD) - a useful quantitative index of fractal geometry - has proven to well express the morphological complexity of the cerebral cortex. However, this complexity is likely higher than that we can observe using MRI scanners with 1.5 T or 3 T field strength. Ultrahigh-field MRI (UHF-MRI) improves imaging of smaller anatomical brain structures by exploring down to a submillimetric spatial resolution with higher signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios. Accordingly, we hypothesized that UHF-MRI might reveal a higher level of the structural complexity of the cerebral cortex. In this study, using an improved box-counting algorithm, we estimated the FD of the cerebral cortex in six public or private T1-weighted MRI datasets of young healthy subjects (for a total of 87 subjects), acquired at different field strengths (1.5 T, 3 T, and 7 T). Our results showed, for the first time, that MRI-derived FD values of the cerebral cortex imaged at 7 T were significantly higher than those observed at lower field strengths. UHF-MRI provides an anatomical definition not achievable at lower field strengths and can improve unveiling the real structural complexity of the human brain

A philosophical approach to entrepreneurial education: a model based on Kantian and Aristotelian thought

In the field of entrepreneurship education, how to develop an effective program to teach entrepreneurship has been widely debated. However, an inductive approach based on analysis of educational program experiences and outcomes has led to mixed conclusions about the appropriate scope and structure of entrepreneurship education. In contrast, we take a deductive approach to develop a comprehensive entrepreneurship education model based on concepts from two schools of philosophical thought: the Kantian debate about freedom versus determinism, and the Aristotelian concepts of praxis and poïesis. These philosophical concepts are related to scope and structure dimensions that delineate the soft (art) and hard (science) of entrepreneurship education, their components and interrelationships. Pedagogies associated with each component as well as integrative pedagogies are identified to guide the development of entrepreneurship education programs and teaching. Theoretical propositions are presented for future research

Poynting-Robertson effect on black-hole-driven winds

Layers of ionized plasma, in the form of winds ejected from the accretion disk of Supermassive Black Holes (SMBHs) are frequently observed in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). Winds with a velocity often exceeding $0.1c$ are called Ultra-Fast-Outflows (UFOs) and thanks to their high power they can play a key role in the co-evolution between the SMBH and the host galaxy. In order to construct a proper model of the properties of these winds, it is necessary to consider special relativistic corrections due to their very high velocities. We present a derivation of the Poynting-Robertson effect (P-R effect) and apply it to the description of the dynamics of UFOs. The P-R effect is a special relativistic correction which breaks the isotropy of the radiation emitted by a moving particle funneling the radiation in the direction of motion. As a result of the conservation of the four-momentum, the emitting particles are subjected to a drag force and decelerate. We provide a derivation of the drag force caused by the P-R effect starting from general Lorentz transformations and assuming isotropic emission in the gas reference frame. Then, we derive the equations to easily implement this drag force in future simulations. Finally, we apply them in a toy model in which the gas particles move radially under the influence of the gravitation force, the radiation pressure and the drag due to the P-R effect. P-R effect plays an important role in determining the velocity profile of the wind. For a wind launched from $r_0=10r_s$ (where $r_S$ stands for the Schwarzschild radius), the asymptotic velocity reached by the wind is between $10$% and $24$% smaller than the one it would possess if we neglect the effect. This shows that the P-R effect should be taken into account when studying the dynamics of high-velocity, photoionized outflows in general.Comment: Accepted for publication on Astronomy & Astrophysics. 7 pages, 4 figure

Diasporic Chinese Community in Post-Conflict Aceh: Socio-Cultural Identities, and Social Relations with Acehnese Muslim Majority

This study examines the notions of identity among the minority groups of Chinese in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. It focuses on what has changed, what has been challenged and what is [still] continued, locating the discussion within a context of their social dialectics with the local majority of Muslims due to its time, spatiality and social processes. Admittedly, the history of diasporic Chinese and their social interrelation with the ethnic majority of Acehnese does not occur in static, but in a dynamic way, instead. It was continuously constructed, reconstructed and changed in a specific durability and spatiality within a negotiated space of socio-spatial dialectics between the minority and the local majority groups. Through several observations, and in-depth interviews with people from diasporic Chinese community in Banda Aceh, and with few Acehnese informants, this study discovers that some socio-political situations at macro-national level of the related policies (on minorities), as well as at micro-regional (provincial and municipal) ones, shari’a law application affected the way they interacted, responded, and acted with majority groups, with apparently more efforts being focused on creating non-conflict, harmonious relation with the local majority. Moreover, the efforts to becoming ‘part’ or accepted by the dominant culture is quite prevalent throughout the process, which is also combined with the strategy of building relation (social capital) with the local majority and other important stakeholders of the society, such as through their ethnic-based organization like Hakka, and others.[Tulisan ini menekankan pada pembahasan identitas orang Tionghoa di Banda Aceh pasca konflik Aceh. Fokus kajian meliputi perubahan, tantangan dan apa yang sedang terjadi dalam konteks dialektika sosial terhadap mayoritas penduduk muslim Aceh dalam waktu, ruang dan proses sosialnya. Tidak dapat dipungkiri bahwa sejarah hubungan Tionghoa dengan penduduk Aceh mengalami pasang surut. Hubungan tersebut terbentuk dan berubah dalam lingkup ruang dan durasi tertentu seiring dengan bentuk dialektikal komunitas Tionghoa sebagai minoritas dan penduduk muslim Aceh sebagai mayoritas. Berdasarkan pengamatan lapangan dan wawancara mendalam sejumlah informan dari kedua pihak, kajian ini melihat adanya pengaruh kebijakan level nasional terhadap situasi di tingkat provinsi dan kabupaten. Penerapan Hukum Islam juga mempengaruhi mereka berinteraksi, merespon dan bertindak terhadap kelompok mayoritas muslim dalam usaha membangun hubungan yang harmoni dan damai. Selain itu usaha untuk ‘menjadi bagian’ atau diterima oleh budaya dominan cukup menonjol dalam proses sosialnya yang dikombinasikan dengan strategi membangun modal sosial, baik terhadap penduduk muslim atau pejabat pemerintah, seperti misalnya organisasi Hakka.