I know you are beautiful even without looking at you: discrimination of facial beauty in peripheral vision

Prior research suggests that facial attractiveness may capture attention at parafovea. However, little is known about how well facial beauty can be detected at parafoveal and peripheral vision. Participants in this study judged relative attractiveness of a face pair presented simultaneously at several eccentricities from the central fixation. The results show that beauty is not only detectable at parafovea but also at periphery. The discrimination performance at parafovea was indistinguishable from the performance around the fovea. Moreover, performance was well above chance even at the periphery. The results show that the visual system is able to use the low spatial frequency information to appraise attractiveness. These findings not only provide an explanation for why a beautiful face could capture attention when central vision is already engaged elsewhere, but also reveal the potential means by which a crowd of faces is quickly scanned for attractiveness

An Integrated EMBA for an Integrated World

Internal and external stakeholders to the academic community have expressed concern about the MBA and have urged systemic transformation in curriculum content and course delivery. Corporations want business leaders who can provide creative solutions for problems that cut across business functions. Organizations want business graduates who have been taught how to think about business not as a series of functional smokestacks but as an integrated whole

Faculty Usage of Social Media and Mobile Devices: Analysis of Advantages and Concerns

This study seeks to understand the perceptions of professors using social media (also called Web 2.0 tools) in the classroom, what kinds of mobile devices are used to access the social media used, and what drives individuals to use them. In addition, it seeks to identify the advantages and concerns faculty has with the use of social media for classroom instruction. Two-Way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) procedure was used to ascertain whether differences existed between two dependent variables and (a) gender, (b) different academic ranks, and (c) gender *rank to determine if there are any interaction effects between genders regarding the magnitude of their perceptions of advantages and concerns about social media use for classroom instruction as they migrate through the ranks. Professors, regardless of sex or rank, held statistically the same views of the advantages as well as the concerns related to social media usage in the classroom

A Study of the Hierarchical Culture Gaps Within Unionized Utilities Companies

The purpose of this study was to measure the culture gaps between hierarchical subgroups within unionized utilities companies. We conducted a mixed methods study. Using archival survey data, we compared hierarchically-defined subgroups’ perceptions of performance-linked culture traits within five unionized utilities companies. We later conducted interviews and focus groups, followed by qualitative coding and analysis. As compared to non-union employees, union employees viewed their companies as substantially less involving, consistent, adaptable, and clear about purpose and direction. Our qualitative analysis highlighted two prior management decisions as illustrative of the contrast between high and low levels of union involvement and clarity. Culture scholars and practitioners have suggested that leaders must align subcultures where they exist. Our study demonstrates large culture gaps between union employees and other subgroups and suggests that management’s involvement of the workforce in strategic decisions may have unique consequences for how subgroups perceive and interpret the culture

Space construction system analysis. Part 2: Construction analysis

The construction methods specific to the end to end construction process for building the ETVP in low Earth orbit, using the space shuttle orbiter as a construction base, are analyzed. The analyses concerned three missions required to build the basic platform. The first mission involved performing the fabrication of beams in space and assembling the beams into a basic structural framework. The second mission was to install the forward support structure and aft support structure, the forward assembly, and a TT&C antenna. The third mission plan was to complete the construction of the platform and activate it to begin operations in low Earth orbit. The integration of the activities for each mission is described along with the construction requirements and construction logic

Subtle Sensing:Detecting Differences in the Flexibility of Virtually Simulated Molecular Objects

During VR demos we have performed over last few years, many participants (in the absence of any haptic feedback) have commented on their perceived ability to 'feel' differences between simulated molecular objects. The mechanisms for such 'feeling' are not entirely clear: observing from outside VR, one can see that there is nothing physical for participants to 'feel'. Here we outline exploratory user studies designed to evaluate the extent to which participants can distinguish quantitative differences in the flexibility of VR-simulated molecular objects. The results suggest that an individual's capacity to detect differences in molecular flexibility is enhanced when they can interact with and manipulate the molecules, as opposed to merely observing the same interaction. Building on these results, we intend to carry out further studies investigating humans' ability to sense quantitative properties of VR simulations without haptic technology