Cognitive fit between conceptual schemas and internal problem representations: The case of geospatio-temporal conceptual schema comprehension

Geospatio-temporal conceptual models provide a mechanism to explicitly represent geospatial and temporal aspects of applications. Such models, which focus on both what and when/where, need to be more expressive than conventional conceptual models (e.g., the ER model), which primarily focus on what is important for a given application. In this study, we view conceptual schema comprehension of geospatio-temporal data semantics in terms of matching the external problem representation (that is, the conceptual schema) to the problem-solving task (that is, syntactic and semantic comprehension tasks), an argument based on the theory of cognitive fit. Our theory suggests that an external problem representation that matches the problem solver's internal task representation will enhance performance, for example, in comprehending such schemas. To assess performance on geospatio-temporal schema comprehension tasks, we conducted a laboratory experiment using two semantically identical conceptual schemas, one of which mapped closely to the internal task representation while the other did not. As expected, we found that the geospatio-temporal conceptual schema that corresponded to the internal representation of the task enhanced the accuracy of schema comprehension; comprehension time was equivalent for both. Cognitive fit between the internal representation of the task and conceptual schemas with geospatio-temporal annotations was, therefore, manifested in accuracy of schema comprehension and not in time for problem solution. Our findings suggest that the annotated schemas facilitate understanding of data semantics represented on the schema.

Factor structure and internal consistency of the Young Schema Questionnaire (Short Form) in Korean and Australian samples

We investigated cross-cultural differences in the factor structure and psychometric properties of the 75-item Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF). Participants were 833 South Korean and 271 Australian undergraduate students. The South Korean sample was randomly divided into two sub-samples. Sample A was used for Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and sample B was used for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). EFA for the South Korean sample revealed a 13-factor solution to be the best fit for the data, and CFA on the data from sample B confirmed this result. CFA on the data from the Australian sample also revealed a 13-factor solution. The overall scale of the YSQ-SF demonstrated a high level of internal consistency in the South Korean and Australian groups. Furthermore, adequate internal consistencies for all subscales in the South Korean and Australian samples were demonstrated. In conclusion, the results showed that YSQ-SF with 13 factors has good psychometric properties and reliability for South Korean and Australian University students. Korean samples had significantly higher YSD scores on most of the 13 subscales than the Australian sample. However, limitations of the current study preclude the generalisability of the findings to beyond undergraduate student populations. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Perception of faces and bodies: Similar or different?

Human faces and bodies are both complex and interesting perceptual objects, and both convey important social information. Given these similarities between faces and bodies, we can ask how similar are the visual processing mechanisms used to recognize them. It has long been argued that faces are subject to dedicated and unique perceptual processes, but until recently, relatively little research has focused on how we perceive the human. body. Some recent paradigms indicate that faces and bodies are processed differently; others show similarities in face and body perception. These similarities and differences depend on the type of perceptual task and the level of processing involved. Future research should take these issues into account.

An integrated cognitive model of panic disorder: The role of positive and negative cognitions

One reason for the neglect of the role of positive factors in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) may relate to a failure to develop cognitive models that integrate positive and negative cognitions. Bandura [Psychol. Rev. 84 (1977) 191; Anxiety Res. 1 (1988) 77] proposed that self-efficacy beliefs mediate a range of emotional and behavioural outcomes. However, in panic disorder, cognitively based research to date has largely focused on catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations. Although a number of studies support each of the predictions associated with the account of panic disorder that is based on the role of negative cognitions, a review of the literature indicated that a cognitively based explanation of the disorder may be considerably strengthened by inclusion of positive cognitions that emphasize control or coping. Evidence to support an Integrated Cognitive Model (ICM) of panic disorder was examined and the theoretical implications of this model were discussed in terms of both schema change and compensatory skills accounts of change processes in CBT. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental hand pain delays recognition of the contralateral hand: Evidence that acute and chronic pain have opposite effects on information processing?

Recognising the laterality of a pictured hand involves making an initial decision and confirming that choice by mentally moving one's own hand to match the picture. This depends on an intact body schema. Because patients with complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS1) take longer to recognise a hand's laterality when it corresponds to their affected hand, it has been proposed that nociceptive input disrupts the body schema. However, chronic pain is associated with physiological and psychosocial complexities that may also explain the results. In three studies, we investigated whether the effect is simply due to nociceptive input. Study one evaluated the temporal and perceptual characteristics of acute hand pain elicited by intramuscular injection of hypertonic saline into the thenar eminence. In studies two and three, subjects performed a hand laterality recognition task before, during, and after acute experimental hand pain, and experimental elbow pain, respectively. During hand pain and during elbow pain, when the laterality of the pictured hand corresponded to the painful side, there was no effect on response time (RT). That suggests that nociceptive input alone is not sufficient to disrupt the working body schema. Conversely to patients with CRPS1, when the laterality of the pictured hand corresponded to the non-painful hand, RT increased similar to 380 ms (95% confidence interval 190 ms-590 ms). The results highlight the differences between acute and chronic pain and may reflect a bias in information processing in acute pain toward the affected part.

Selecting optimal instantiations of data models - Theory and validation of an ex ante approach

The schema of an information system can significantly impact the ability of end users to efficiently and effectively retrieve the information they need. Obtaining quickly the appropriate data increases the likelihood that an organization will make good decisions and respond adeptly to challenges. This research presents and validates a methodology for evaluating, ex ante, the relative desirability of alternative instantiations of a model of data. In contrast to prior research, each instantiation is based on a different formal theory. This research theorizes that the instantiation that yields the lowest weighted average query complexity for a representative sample of information requests is the most desirable instantiation for end-user queries. The theory was validated by an experiment that compared end-user performance using an instantiation of a data structure based on the relational model of data with performance using the corresponding instantiation of the data structure based on the object-relational model of data. Complexity was measured using three different Halstead metrics: program length, difficulty, and effort. For a representative sample of queries, the average complexity using each instantiation was calculated. As theorized, end users querying the instantiation with the lower average complexity made fewer semantic errors, i.e., were more effective at composing queries. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Brand loyalties: rethinking content within global corporate media

Translating content from one media platform to another, a process here dubbed content streaming, is the leitmotif of contemporary globalized media. Yet widely divergent interpretations of the phenomenon have emerged. Academic political economy interprets content streaming as powerfully inimical to cultural diversity, media competition and freedom of speech. Mainstream business reporting, working from an opposing media economics schema, pillories ‘synergy’-based content strategies as oversold in theory and unworkable in practice. Challenging this established trend for the disciplines to develop in parallel, the article harnesses mainstream critique of content streaming to political economy’s traditionally circumspect view of corporate media. Examining first the commercial rationales for pursuing content streaming, before turning to the financial and managerial constraints on realizing these goals, the article positions content streaming as less all-pervasive than political economists have feared, but more commercially entrenched than the financial press currently allows.

Turning configural processing upside down: Part and whole body postures

Like faces, body postures are susceptible to an inversion effect in untrained viewers. The inversion effect may be indicative of configural processing, but what kind of configural processing is used for the recognition of body postures must be specified. The information available in the body stimulus was manipulated. The presence and magnitude of inversion effects were compared for body parts, scrambled bodies, and body halves relative to whole bodies and to corresponding conditions for faces and houses. Results suggest that configural body posture recognition relies on the structural hierarchy of body parts, not the parts themselves or a complete template match. Configural recognition of body postures based on information about the structural hierarchy of parts defines an important point on the configural processing continuum, between recognition based on first-order spatial relations and recognition based on holistic undifferentiated template matching.

The moderating role of individual differences in the relation between transformational/transactional leadership perceptions and organizational identification

In this study, we examined the relationship between transformational/transactional leadership perceptions and organizational identification and further explored the moderating role of individual difference variables, such as separateness-connectedness self-schema, and positive and negative affectivity. Data from 502 services employees indicated significant positive effects of transformational and transactional leadership perceptions on organizational identification. Regarding the moderating role of individual differences, our data showed that the positive relationship of transformational leadership and organizational identification was stronger for individuals of low positive affectivity as well as for employees of high negative affectivity. In addition, results indicated that transactional leadership had a stronger positive effect on organizational identification for individuals characterized by a connected self-schema. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Understanding conceptual schemas: exploring the role of application and IS domain knowledge

Although information systems (IS) problem solving involves knowledge of both the IS and application domains, little attention has been paid to the role of application domain knowledge. In this study, which is set in the context of conceptual modeling, we examine the effects of both IS and application domain knowledge on different types of schema understanding tasks: syntactic and semantic comprehension tasks and schema-based problem-solving tasks. Our thesis was that while IS domain knowledge is important in solving all such tasks, the role of application domain knowledge is contingent upon the type of understanding task under investigation. We use the theory of cognitive fit to establish theoretical differences in the role of application domain knowledge among the different types of schema understanding tasks. We hypothesize that application domain knowledge does not influence the solution of syntactic and semantic comprehension tasks for which cognitive fit exists, but does influence the solution of schema-based problem-solving tasks for which cognitive fit does not exist. To assess performance on different types of conceptual schema understanding tasks, we conducted a laboratory experiment in which participants with high- and low-IS domain knowledge responded to two equivalent conceptual schemas that represented high and low levels of application knowledge (familiar and unfamiliar application domains). As expected, we found that IS domain knowledge is important in the solution of all types of conceptual schema understanding tasks in both familiar and unfamiliar applications domains, and that the effect of application domain knowledge is contingent on task type. Our findings for the EER model were similar to those for the ER model. Given the differential effects of application domain knowledge on different types of tasks, this study highlights the importance of considering more than one application domain in designing future studies on conceptual modeling.

Disrupted cortical proprioceptive representation evokes symptoms of peculiarity, foreignness and swelling, but not pain

Objectives. It has been proposed that disruption of the internal proprioceptive representation, via incongruent sensory input, may underpin pathological pain states, but experimental evidence relies on conflicting visual input, which is not clinically relevant. We aimed to determine the symptomatic effect of incongruent proprioceptive input, imparted by vibration of the wrist tendons, which evokes the illusion of perpetual wrist flexion and disrupts cortical proprioceptive representation. Methods. Twenty-nine healthy and naive volunteers reported symptoms during five conditions: control, active and passive wrist flexion, extensor carpi radialis tendon vibration to evoke illusion of perpetual wrist flexion, and ulnar styloid (sham) vibration. No advice was given about possible illusions. Results. Twenty-one subjects reported the illusion of perpetual wrist flexion during tendon vibration. There was no effect of condition or of whether or not subjects reported an illusion on discomfort/pain (P > 0.28). Peculiarity, swelling and foreignness were greater during tendon vibration than during the other conditions, and greater during tendon vibration in those who reported an illusion of wrist flexion than in those who did not (P < 0.05 for all). Symptoms were reported by at least two subjects in each condition and four subjects reported systemic symptoms (e.g. nausea). Conclusions. In healthy volunteers, incongruent proprioceptive input does not cause discomfort or pain but does evoke feelings of peculiarity, swelling and foreignness in the limb.

STAR: predicting recombination sites from amino acid sequence

Background: Designing novel proteins with site-directed recombination has enormous prospects. By locating effective recombination sites for swapping sequence parts, the probability that hybrid sequences have the desired properties is increased dramatically. The prohibitive requirements for applying current tools led us to investigate machine learning to assist in finding useful recombination sites from amino acid sequence alone. Results: We present STAR, Site Targeted Amino acid Recombination predictor, which produces a score indicating the structural disruption caused by recombination, for each position in an amino acid sequence. Example predictions contrasted with those of alternative tools, illustrate STAR'S utility to assist in determining useful recombination sites. Overall, the correlation coefficient between the output of the experimentally validated protein design algorithm SCHEMA and the prediction of STAR is very high (0.89). Conclusion: STAR allows the user to explore useful recombination sites in amino acid sequences with unknown structure and unknown evolutionary origin. The predictor service is available from http://pprowler.itee.uq.edu.au/star.

Structure and ultrastructure of the silk glands and spinneret of Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae)

This study provides comprehensive documentation of silk production in the pest moth Helicoverpa armigera from gland secretion to extrusion of silk thread. The structure of the silk glands, accessory structures and extrusion apparatus are reported. The general schema of the paired silk glands follows that found for Lepidoptera. Morphology of the duct, silk press, muscle attachments and spigot are presented as a three-dimensional reconstruction and the cuticular crescent-shaped profile of the silk press is demonstrated in both open and closed forms with attendant muscle blocks, allowing advances in our knowledge of how the silk press functions to regulate the extrusion of silk. Growth of the spigot across instars is documented showing a distinctive developmental pattern for this extrusion device. Its shape and structure are related to use and load-bearing activity. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enabling change for corporate sustainability: An integrated perspective

This article explores the processes of change that enable corporations to move towards sustainable practices, focusing on the human resource and business strategies that support rather than diminish global ecology and human/social capabilities. We argue that this unified approach is necessary to bring about a change in the interpretation of corporate sustainability and to support the activities of change agents (managers, consultants, and community activists) in managing the massive corporate change needed to move corporations toward sustainable practices in a systematic way. We propose a schema in the form of an integrated phase model for understanding how corporations move from compliance modes to the attainment of strategic sustainability and beyond to the ‘ideal’ or sustaining corporation. We discuss the leadership of change and the roles and strategies that corporate change agents can employ to bring about both incremental and transformational change for sustainability.

Predicting structural disruption of proteins caused by crossover

We present a machine learning model that predicts a structural disruption score from a protein’s primary structure. SCHEMA was introduced by Frances Arnold and colleagues as a method for determining putative recombination sites of a protein on the basis of the full (PDB) description of its structure. The present method provides an alternative to SCHEMA that is able to determine the same score from sequence data only. Circumventing the need for resolving the full structure enables the exploration of yet unresolved and even hypothetical sequences for protein design efforts. Deriving the SCHEMA score from a primary structure is achieved using a two step approach: first predicting a secondary structure from the sequence and then predicting the SCHEMA score from the predicted secondary structure. The correlation coefficient for the prediction is 0.88 and indicates the feasibility of replacing SCHEMA with little loss of precision. ©2005 IEEE