Dynamic patterns of flow in the workplace: characterizing within-individual variability using a complexity science approach

As a result of the growing interest in studying employee well-being as a complex process that portrays high levels of within-individual variability and evolves over time, this present study considers the experience of flow in the workplace from a nonlinear dynamical systems approach. Our goal is to offer new ways to move the study of employee well-being beyond linear approaches. With nonlinear dynamical systems theory as the backdrop, we conducted a longitudinal study using the experience sampling method and qualitative semi-structured interviews for data collection; 6981 registers of data were collected from a sample of 60 employees. The obtained time series were analyzed using various techniques derived from the nonlinear dynamical systems theory (i.e., recurrence analysis and surrogate data) and multiple correspondence analyses. The results revealed the following: 1) flow in the workplace presents a high degree of within-individual variability; this variability is characterized as chaotic for most of the cases (75%); 2) high levels of flow are associated with chaos; and 3) different dimensions of the flow experience (e.g., merging of action and awareness) as well as individual (e.g., age) and job characteristics (e.g., job tenure) are associated with the emergence of different dynamic patterns (chaotic, linear and random).

Os produtos naturais e a química medicinal moderna

Natural products have been utilized by humans since ancient times and the relief and cure of their diseases was the first purpose for using natural products in medicine. The history of the oriental and occidental civilizations is very rich in examples of the utilization of natural products in medicine and health care. Chinese traditional medicine is one of the most important examples of how natural products can be efficient in the treatment of diseases, and it points to the importance of scientific research on natural products, concerning the discovery of new active chemical entities. The complexity, chemical diversity and biological properties of natural products always fascinated people, and during the last 200 years, this led to the discovery of important new drugs. In the last 30 years, the development of new bioassay techniques, biotechnology methods, bio-guided phytochemical studies, automated high throughput screening and high performance analytical methods, have introduced new concepts and possibilities of rational drug design and drug discovery. In this context, natural products have played an important and decisive role in the development of modern medicinal chemistry.

Building complexity in O2-binding copper complexes : site-selective metalation and intermolecular O2-binding at dicopper and heterometallic complexes derived from an unsymmetric ligand

A novel unsymmetric dinucleating ligand (LN3N4) combining a tridentate and a tetradentate binding sites linked through a m-xylyl spacer was synthesized as ligand scaffold for preparing homo- and dimetallic complexes, where the two metal ions are bound in two different coordination environments. Site-selective binding of different metal ions is demonstrated. LN3N4 is able to discriminate between CuI and a complementary metal (M′ = CuI, ZnII, FeII, CuII, or GaIII) so that pure heterodimetallic complexes with a general formula [CuIM′(LN3N4)]n+ are synthesized. Reaction of the dicopper(I) complex [CuI 2(LN3N4)]2+ with O2 leads to the formation of two different copper-dioxygen (Cu2O2) intermolecular species (O and TP) between two copper atoms located in the same site from different complex molecules. Taking advantage of this feature, reaction of the heterodimetallic complexes [CuM′(LN3N4)]n+ with O2 at low temperature is used as a tool to determine the final position of the CuI center in the system because only one of the two Cu2O2 species is formed

Space–Time Block Codes and the Complexity of Sphere Decoding

In wireless communications the transmitted signals may be affected by noise. The receiver must decode the received message, which can be mathematically modelled as a search for the closest lattice point to a given vector. This problem is known to be NP-hard in general, but for communications applications there exist algorithms that, for a certain range of system parameters, offer polynomial expected complexity. The purpose of the thesis is to study the sphere decoding algorithm introduced in the article On Maximum-Likelihood Detection and the Search for the Closest Lattice Point, which was published by M.O. Damen, H. El Gamal and G. Caire in 2003. We concentrate especially on its computational complexity when used in space–time coding. Computer simulations are used to study how different system parameters affect the computational complexity of the algorithm. The aim is to find ways to improve the algorithm from the complexity point of view. The main contribution of the thesis is the construction of two new modifications to the sphere decoding algorithm, which are shown to perform faster than the original algorithm within a range of system parameters.

Love and rationality: on some possible rational effects of love

In this paper I defend the idea that rather than disrupting rationality, as the common-sense conception has done it, love may actually help us to develop rational ways of thinking and acting. I make the case for romantic or erotic love, since this is the kind of love that is more frequently associated with irrationality in acting and thinking. I argue that this kind of love may make us develop epistemic and practical forms of rationality. Based on an analysis of its characteristic action tendencies, I argue that love may help us to develop an instrumental form of rationality in determining the best means to achieve the object of love. It may also narrow down the number of practical considerations that may help us to achieve our goals. Finally, love may generate rational ways of belief-formation by framing the parameters taken into account in perception and attention, and by bringing into light only a small portion of the epistemic information available. Love may make us perceive reality more acutely.

THE LOGICAL SYSTEM OF FREGE'S GRUNDGESTZE: A RATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION

This paper aims at clarifying the nature of Frege's system of logic, as presented in the first volume of the Grundgesetze . We undertake a rational reconstruction of this system, by distinguishing its propositional and predicate fragments. This allows us to emphasise the differences and similarities between this system and a modern system of classical second-order logic.

Complexity Optimization in Product Development with Modularization

A company’s competence to manage its product portfolio complexity is becoming critically important in the rapidly changing business environment. The continuous evolvement of customer needs, the competitive market environment and internal product development lead to increasing complexity in product portfolios. The companies that manage the complexity in product development are more profitable in the long run. The complexity derives from product development and management processes where the new product variant development is not managed efficiently. Complexity is managed with modularization which is a method that divides the product structure into modules. In modularization, it is essential to take into account the trade-off between the perceived customer value and the module or component commonality across the products. Another goal is to enable the product configuration to be more flexible. The benefits are achieved through optimizing complexity in module offering and deriving the new product variants more flexibly and accurately. The developed modularization process includes the process steps for preparation, mapping the current situation, the creation of a modular strategy and implementing the strategy. Also the organization and support systems have to be adapted to follow-up targets and to execute modularization in practice.

Rational use of water in a poultry slaughterhouse in the state of Paraná, Brazil: a case study

Agroindustries are major consumers of water. However, to adapt to environmental trends and be competitive in the market, they have sought rational use of water through water management in their activities. Cleaner Production can result in economic, environmental and social benefits, and in actions that promote reduction in water consumption. This case study was conducted in a slaughterhouse and poultry cold storage processing plant and aimed to identify points of excessive water consumption, and to propose alternatives for managing water resources by reducing consumption. Consumption data are presented in relation to the processing stages with alternatives proposed for the rational use of water, such as closure of mains water during shift changes. Following the implementation of recommendations, a reduction in water consumption of approximately 11,137 m³ per month was obtained, which equates to a savings of US$ 99,672 per year. From this study, it was concluded that the company under review could develop various improvement actions and make an important contribution to the preservation of water resources in the region where it operates.

Overcoming the Complexity of Software Product Management

This thesis describes an approach to overcoming the complexity of software product management (SPM) and consists of several studies that investigate the activities and roles in product management, as well as issues related to the adoption of software product management. The thesis focuses on organizations that have started the adoption of SPM but faced difficulties due to its complexity and fuzziness and suggests the frameworks for overcoming these challenges using the principles of decomposition and iterative improvements. The research process consisted of three phases, each of which provided complementary results and empirical observation to the problem of overcoming the complexity of SPM. Overall, product management processes and practices in 13 companies were studied and analysed. Moreover, additional data was collected with a survey conducted worldwide. The collected data were analysed using the grounded theory (GT) to identify the possible ways to overcome the complexity of SPM. Complementary research methods, like elements of the Theory of Constraints were used for deeper data analysis. The results of the thesis indicate that the decomposition of SPM activities depending on the specific characteristics of companies and roles is a useful approach for simplifying the existing SPM frameworks. Companies would benefit from the results by adopting SPM activities more efficiently and effectively and spending fewer resources on its adoption by concentrating on the most important SPM activities.

Understanding the complexity in low dimensional systems

Complex System is any system that presents involved behavior, and is hard to be modeled by using the reductionist approach of successive subdivision, searching for ''elementary'' constituents. Nature provides us with plenty of examples of these systems, in fields as diverse as biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and fluid mechanics, and engineering. What happens, in general, is that for these systems we have a situation where a large number of both attracting and unstable chaotic sets coexist. As a result, we can have a rich and varied dynamical behavior, where many competing behaviors coexist. In this work, we present and discuss simple mechanical systems that are nice paradigms of Complex System, when they are subjected to random external noise. We argue that systems with few degrees of freedom can present the same complex behavior under quite general conditions.

Spontaneous Focusing on Quantitative Relations and the Development of Rational Number Conceptual Knowledge

The aim of the present set of studies was to explore primary school children’s Spontaneous Focusing On quantitative Relations (SFOR) and its role in the development of rational number conceptual knowledge. The specific goals were to determine if it was possible to identify a spontaneous quantitative focusing tendency that indexes children’s tendency to recognize and utilize quantitative relations in non-explicitly mathematical situations and to determine if this tendency has an impact on the development of rational number conceptual knowledge in late primary school. To this end, we report on six original empirical studies that measure SFOR in children ages five to thirteen years and the development of rational number conceptual knowledge in ten- to thirteen-year-olds. SFOR measures were developed to determine if there are substantial differences in SFOR that are not explained by the ability to use quantitative relations. A measure of children’s conceptual knowledge of the magnitude representations of rational numbers and the density of rational numbers is utilized to capture the process of conceptual change with rational numbers in late primary school students. Finally, SFOR tendency was examined in relation to the development of rational number conceptual knowledge in these students. Study I concerned the first attempts to measure individual differences in children’s spontaneous recognition and use of quantitative relations in 86 Finnish children from the ages of five to seven years. Results revealed that there were substantial inter-individual differences in the spontaneous recognition and use of quantitative relations in these tasks. This was particularly true for the oldest group of participants, who were in grade one (roughly seven years old). However, the study did not control for ability to solve the tasks using quantitative relations, so it was not clear if these differences were due to ability or SFOR. Study II more deeply investigated the nature of the two tasks reported in Study I, through the use of a stimulated-recall procedure examining children’s verbalizations of how they interpreted the tasks. Results reveal that participants were able to verbalize reasoning about their quantitative relational responses, but not their responses based on exact number. Furthermore, participants’ non-mathematical responses revealed a variety of other aspects, beyond quantitative relations and exact number, which participants focused on in completing the tasks. These results suggest that exact number may be more easily perceived than quantitative relations. As well, these tasks were revealed to contain both mathematical and non-mathematical aspects which were interpreted by the participants as relevant. Study III investigated individual differences in SFOR 84 children, ages five to nine, from the US and is the first to report on the connection between SFOR and other mathematical abilities. The cross-sectional data revealed that there were individual differences in SFOR. Importantly, these differences were not entirely explained by the ability to solve the tasks using quantitative relations, suggesting that SFOR is partially independent from the ability to use quantitative relations. In other words, the lack of use of quantitative relations on the SFOR tasks was not solely due to participants being unable to solve the tasks using quantitative relations, but due to a lack of the spontaneous attention to the quantitative relations in the tasks. Furthermore, SFOR tendency was found to be related to arithmetic fluency among these participants. This is the first evidence to suggest that SFOR may be a partially distinct aspect of children’s existing mathematical competences. Study IV presented a follow-up study of the first graders who participated in Studies I and II, examining SFOR tendency as a predictor of their conceptual knowledge of fraction magnitudes in fourth grade. Results revealed that first graders’ SFOR tendency was a unique predictor of fraction conceptual knowledge in fourth grade, even after controlling for general mathematical skills. These results are the first to suggest that SFOR tendency may play a role in the development of rational number conceptual knowledge. Study V presents a longitudinal study of the development of 263 Finnish students’ rational number conceptual knowledge over a one year period. During this time participants completed a measure of conceptual knowledge of the magnitude representations and the density of rational numbers at three time points. First, a Latent Profile Analysis indicated that a four-class model, differentiating between those participants with high magnitude comparison and density knowledge, was the most appropriate. A Latent Transition Analysis reveal that few students display sustained conceptual change with density concepts, though conceptual change with magnitude representations is present in this group. Overall, this study indicated that there were severe deficiencies in conceptual knowledge of rational numbers, especially concepts of density. The longitudinal Study VI presented a synthesis of the previous studies in order to specifically detail the role of SFOR tendency in the development of rational number conceptual knowledge. Thus, the same participants from Study V completed a measure of SFOR, along with the rational number test, including a fourth time point. Results reveal that SFOR tendency was a predictor of rational number conceptual knowledge after two school years, even after taking into consideration prior rational number knowledge (through the use of residualized SFOR scores), arithmetic fluency, and non-verbal intelligence. Furthermore, those participants with higher-than-expected SFOR scores improved significantly more on magnitude representation and density concepts over the four time points. These results indicate that SFOR tendency is a strong predictor of rational number conceptual development in late primary school children. The results of the six studies reveal that within children’s existing mathematical competences there can be identified a spontaneous quantitative focusing tendency named spontaneous focusing on quantitative relations. Furthermore, this tendency is found to play a role in the development of rational number conceptual knowledge in primary school children. Results suggest that conceptual change with the magnitude representations and density of rational numbers is rare among this group of students. However, those children who are more likely to notice and use quantitative relations in situations that are not explicitly mathematical seem to have an advantage in the development of rational number conceptual knowledge. It may be that these students gain quantitative more and qualitatively better self-initiated deliberate practice with quantitative relations in everyday situations due to an increased SFOR tendency. This suggests that it may be important to promote this type of mathematical activity in teaching rational numbers. Furthermore, these results suggest that there may be a series of spontaneous quantitative focusing tendencies that have an impact on mathematical development throughout the learning trajectory.