Ideator Types in Electronic Brainstorming

Large scale ideation continues to gain importance in today's economy, driving research and development. One of its best-known techniques is electronic brainstorming (EBS), which has proven to be successful at producing a large number of ideas but struggles with a high quantity of low-quality ideas. This weakness motivated the question: How can the quality of these ideas be improved? While much research on the improvement of idea quality has been done regarding what kind of inspiration is given during ideation and in what way, little has been looked into individual differences of ideators who may have different needs in terms of inspiration and therefore show different behavior when exposed to inspiration. This thesis examines whether such types of ideators with individual differences can be identified. As individual differences may have various dimensions, first, an in-situ exploratory study was conducted to identify individual differences in the context of inspirations, that can be tested for its impact on the ideation outcome in a subsequent, quantitative study. The exploratory study induced the idea of the existence of the ideator types inspiration seeker (benefiting from inspiration) and inspiration avoider (feeling distracted by inspiration). The analysis of data from previous EBS studies showed that this idea applies not only to classical group ideation but to a large-scale ideation setting as well. In order to understand the impact of the identified ideator types, a quantitative study was conducted. It aimed at replicating a recent study on the influence of inspirational stimuli (Siangliulue et al., 2015), while additionally examining different effects of these stimuli on inspiration seekers and inspiration avoiders. The analysis of the study showed that the ideator type did not seem to have an impact on the number of submitted ideas or their value. However, avoiders produced ideas with a higher maximum novelty per session than seekers across all inspiration conditions with the greatest difference between the types when no inspiration at all was provided. The results show that individual differences regarding inspirational stimuli exist and do impact the fluency and quality of ideas. Paying attention to these differences is a promising approach to improve the quality of the ideas produced in electronic innovation systems. This classification could potentially be used to create personalized inspiration systems catering to the needs of different ideator types

Removal of submicron particles from solid surfaces using surfactants

The removal of nano- or submicron particles from solid substrates is of considerable interest in a range of existing industries including cleaning of surfaces inside a spacecraft after evaporation of nanofluids. A method of nanoparticle removal using aqueous surfactant solutions is proposed. The surfactants' cleaning efficiency is investigated for all four combinations of hydrophilic (HL) and hydrophobic (HB) nanoparticles and surfaces, in order to find the most successful cleaning method in each combination. Carbon and silica nanoparticles deposited onto Teflon and glass surfaces were used. Cationic, anionic and non-ionic surfactants with a range of CMCs and HLBs were used in order to identify the best surfactant in each scenario

Silicon surface with giant spin-splitting

We demonstrate the induction of a giant Rashba-type spin-splitting on a semiconducting substrate by means of a Bi trimer adlayer on a Si(111) wafer. The in-plane inversion symmetry is broken so that the in-plane potential gradient induces a giant spin-splitting with a Rashba energy of about 140 meV, which is more than an order of magnitude larger than what has previously been reported for any semiconductor heterostructure. The separation of the electronic states is larger than their lifetime broadening, which has been directly observed with angular resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The experimental results are confirmed by relativistic first-principles calculations. We envision important implications for basic phenomena as well as for the semiconductor based technology

The role of antiphase boundaries during ion sputtering and solid phase epitaxy of Si(001)

The Si(001) surface morphology during ion sputtering at elevated temperatures and solid phase epitaxy following ion sputtering at room temperature has been investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy. Two types of antiphase boundaries form on Si(001) surfaces during ion sputtering and solid phase epitaxy. One type of antiphase boundary, the AP2 antiphase boundary, contributes to the surface roughening. AP2 antiphase boundaries are stable up to 973K, and ion sputtering and solid phase epitaxy performed at 973K result in atomically flat Si(001) surfaces.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Surface Scienc

Recurrent Hepatic Alveolar Echinococcosis: Report of The First Case in Korea with Unproven Infection Route

Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE), a hepatic disorder that resembles liver cancer, is a highly aggressive and lethal zoonotic infection caused by the larval stage of the fox tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis. E. multilocularis is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere; the disease-endemic area stretches from north America through Europe to central and east Asia, including northern parts of Japan, but it has not been reported in Korea. Herein, we represent a first case of AE in Korea. A 41-year-old woman was found to have a large liver mass on routine medical examination. The excised mass showed multinodular, necrotic, and spongiform appearance with small irregular pseudocystic spaces. Microscopically, the mass was composed of chronic granulomatous inflammation with extensive coagulation necrosis and parasite-like structure, which was revealed as parasitic vesicles and laminated layer delineated by periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stain. Clinical and histologic features were consistent with AE. After 8 years, a new liver mass and multiple metastatic pulmonary nodules were found and the recurred mass showed similar histologic features to the initial mass. She had never visited endemic areas of AE, and thus the exact infection route is unclear

The outer kinetochore protein KNL-1 contains a defined oligomerization domain in nematodes

The kinetochore is a large, macromolecular assembly that is essential for connecting chromosomes to microtubules during mitosis. Despite the recent identification of multiple kinetochore components, the nature and organization of the higher order kinetochore structure remain unknown. The outer kinetochore KNL-1/Mis12 complex/Ndc80 complex (KMN) network plays a key role in generating and sensing microtubule attachments. Here, we demonstrate that Caenorhabditis elegans KNL-1 exists as an oligomer and we identify a specific domain in KNL-1 responsible for this activity. An N-terminal KNL-1 domain from both C. elegans and the related nematode C. remanei oligomerizes into a decameric assembly that appears roughly circular when visualized by electron microscopy. Based on sequence and mutational analysis, we identify a small hydrophobic region as responsible for this oligomerization activity. However, mutants that precisely disrupt KNL-1 oligomerization did not alter KNL-1 localization or result in the loss of embryonic viability based on gene replacements in C. elegans. In C. elegans, KNL-1 oligomerization may coordinate with other kinetochore activities to ensure the proper organization, function, and sensory capabilities of the kinetochore-microtubule attachment.Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America (Scholar Award)National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U.S.) (Grant GM088313)American Cancer Society (Research Scholar Grant 121776

Growth and surface alloying of Fe on Pt(997)

The growth of ultra-thin layers of Fe on the vicinal Pt(997) surface is studied by thermal energy He atom scattering (TEAS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) in the temperature range between 175K and 800K. We find three distinct regimes of qualitatively different growth type: Below 450K the formation of a smooth first monolayer, at and above 600K the onset of bulk alloy formation, and at intermediate temperature 500K - 550K the formation of a surface alloy. Monatomic Fe rows are observed to decorate the substrate steps between 175K and 500K. The importance of the high step density is discussed with respect to the promotion of smooth layer growth and with respect to the alloying process and its kinetics