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Copyright of China Plastics / Zhongguo Suliao is the property of Journal Office of CHINA PLASTICS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Plant monocultures growing for extended periods face severe losses of productivity. This phenomenon, known as 'yield decline', is often caused by the accumulation of above‐ and below‐ground plant antagonists. The effectiveness of plant defences against antagonists might help explain differences in yield decline among species. Using a trait‐based approach, we studied the role of 20 physical and chemical defence traits of leaves and fine roots on yield decline of 4‐ and 18‐year‐old monocultures of 27 grassland species. We hypothesized that yield decline is lower for species with high defences, that root defences are better predictors of yield decline than leaf defences, and that in roots, physical defences better predict yield decline than chemical defences, while the reverse is true for leaves. We additionally hypothesized that the relationship between defences and yield decline increases with time and that species increasing the expression of defence traits after long‐term monoculture growth would suffer less yield decline. We summarized leaf and fine root defence traits using principal component analyses and analysed the relationship between the most informative components along with their temporal changes and monoculture yield decline. The significant predictors of yield decline were traits related to the so‐called collaboration gradient of the root economics space (specific root length and root diameter) as well as their temporal changes and traits related to the leaf physical vs chemical defence tradeoff (leaf dry matter, silicon and cellulose content, toughness and phytochemical diversity). We were unable to unequivocally identify the mechanisms relating the effect of those traits to yield decline as they could mediate plant responses to several stressors such as antagonist accumulation, nutrient depletion or drought. Further studies are needed to differentiate between these alternative mechanisms and to gain a comprehensive understanding of the drivers of yield decline in relation to root and leaf defence traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transactions of Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics is the property of Editorial Department of Journal of Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Visual chirality reveals the phenomenon that chiral data will present different semantics after flipping. Although image flipping is widely used in image hashing learning as a data augmentation technique, the effect of learning chiral image data on hashing performance has not been fully discussed. To explore this issue, this paper first designs an approach to recognize images with chiral cues, then constructs the chiral datasets including different proportions of images with chiral cues, and finally analyzes and discusses the performance change via testing three representative image hashing methods with different hash code lengths on constructed chiral datasets. In addition, to understand the effect of visual chirality from an internal perspective, we illustrate visual results of activated regions between some original images with chiral cues and their flipped ones. We conduct the above experiments on three public image datasets including VOC2007, MS-COCO, and NUS-WIDE. Experimental results reveal that different proportions of chiral data will greatly affect the performance of image hashing and the best performance appears when the proportion of images with chiral cues accounts for 15% ∼ 25% or 75% ∼ 85%. The code of this work is released at: https://github.com/lzHZWZ/Visual_Chirality_Hashing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to analyze whether the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and the resulting internal load (sRPE) could differ among subjects when volume and intensity are matched in young cross-country (XC) skiers. Second, we analyzed whether subjects with a high or low RPE response and sRPE have different adaptation after a 1-week low-intensity high-volume training period. Well-trained national level XC skiers (n = 13) aged 13.4 ± 1.9 years took part in a 1-week training period with double poling performance tested pretraining and after 1-week training. All subjects trained under a similar training program. Rating of perceived exertion was measured after each training session on a 10-point scale, and the total training load was calculated by the sRPE method by multiplying training session's duration and the RPE. Subjects were divided into Glow (n = 6) or Ghigh (n = 7) groups based on median rating of RPE (3.78 ± 1.24) in low-intensity trainings. Total training load in low-intensity trainings was higher in Ghigh compared with Glow (4,010 ± 765 vs. 2,499 ± 193 arbitrary units, respectively), although total training time with (16.3 ± 0.8 hours vs. 16.0 ± 0.6 hours) or without (13.1 ± 0.9 hours vs. 13.3 ± 0.7 hours, p > 0.05, respectively to Glow and Ghigh) high-intensity sessions was not different. No significant differences were found for time spent in different heart rate zones between the 2 groups. Increases in performance were significant for both groups (p< 0.05), while the effect was large in Ghigh (+12.5%; ES = 0.74), and medium in Glow (+10.7%; ES = 0.34). Differences in the internal load and the further quantification of training load for different target intensity sessions could provide important practical information to stimulate expected adaptation in young endurance athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A deformation history integral (DHI)‐type hysteresis model is an elastic–plastic model that was originally developed for high‐damping rubber bearings (HDRs). The model can show the complex characteristics of HDRs. However, the model cannot accurately consider performance changes due to production variation, temperature dependence, repeated loading dependence, etc. Herein, an improved DHI model that can accurately reflect performance changes is proposed. The main contributions of this study are as follows: (1) To reflect performance change, the DHI model is improved by defining material parameters as a function of the performance change ratios. (2) To accurately reflect repeated loading dependence, including the scragging effect, the DHI model is improved by defining the performance change ratios as a function of the cumulative energy per unit volume. The authors have previously developed a substructure real‐time online testing system. The system performs a time‐history response analysis via analysis and testing systems. To verify the accuracy of the proposed model, a time‐history response analysis is performed using the proposed model, and the results of the substructure real‐time online testing system are compared. The results show that the proposed new hysteresis model can predict the complex behavior of HDRs more accurately than existing analysis models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A deformation history integral (DHI)‐type hysteresis model is an elastic–plastic model that was originally developed for high‐damping rubber bearings (HDRs). The model can show the complex characteristics of HDRs. However, the model cannot accurately consider performance changes due to production variation, temperature dependence, repeated loading dependence, etc. Herein, an improved DHI model that can accurately reflect performance changes is proposed. The main contributions of this study are as follows: (1) To reflect performance change, the DHI model is improved by defining material parameters as a function of the performance change ratios. (2) To accurately reflect repeated loading dependence, including the scragging effect, the DHI model is improved by defining the performance change ratios as a function of the cumulative energy per unit volume. The authors have previously developed a substructure real‐time online testing system. The system performs a time‐history response analysis via analysis and testing systems. To verify the accuracy of the proposed model, a time‐history response analysis is performed using the proposed model, and the results of the substructure real‐time online testing system are compared. The results show that the proposed new hysteresis model can predict the complex behavior of HDRs more accurately than existing analysis models.

This study examined the level of agreement (Pearson product-moment correlation [rP]), within- and between-day reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]), and minimal detectable change of the MusclelabTM Laser Speed (MLS) device on sprint time and force–velocity–power profiles in Division II Collegiate athletes. Twenty-two athletes (soccer = 17, basketball = 2, volleyball = 3; 20.1 ± 1.5 y; 1.71 ± 0.11 m; 70.7 ± 12.5 kg) performed three 30-m (m) sprints on two separate occasions (seven days apart). Six time splits (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 m), horizontal force (HZT F0; N∙kg−1), peak velocity (VMAX; m∙s−1), horizontal power (HZT P0; W∙kg−1), and force–velocity slope (SFV; N·s·m−1·kg−1) were measured. Sprint data for the MLS were compared to the previously validated MySprint (MySp) app to assess for level of agreement. The MLS reported good to excellent reliability for within- and between-day trials (ICC = 0.69–0.98, ICC = 0.77–0.98, respectively). Despite a low level of agreement with HZT F0 (rP = 0.44), the MLS had moderate to excellent agreement across nine variables (rp = 0.68–0.98). Bland–Altman plots displayed significant proportional bias for VMAX (mean difference = 0.31 m∙s−1, MLS < MySp). Overall, the MLS is in agreement with the MySp app and is a reliable device for assessing sprint times, VMAX, HZT P0, and SFV. Proportional bias should be considered for VMAX when comparing the MLS to the MySp app. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Information & Control is the property of Gai Kan Bian Wei Hui and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study examined the level of agreement (Pearson product-moment correlation [rP]), within- and between-day reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]), and minimal detectable change of the MusclelabTM Laser Speed (MLS) device on sprint time and force–velocity–power profiles in Division II Collegiate athletes. Twenty-two athletes (soccer = 17, basketball = 2, volleyball = 3; 20.1 ± 1.5 y; 1.71 ± 0.11 m; 70.7 ± 12.5 kg) performed three 30-m (m) sprints on two separate occasions (seven days apart). Six time splits (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 m), horizontal force (HZT F0; N∙kg−1), peak velocity (VMAX; m∙s−1), horizontal power (HZT P0; W∙kg−1), and force–velocity slope (SFV; N·s·m−1·kg−1) were measured. Sprint data for the MLS were compared to the previously validated MySprint (MySp) app to assess for level of agreement. The MLS reported good to excellent reliability for within- and between-day trials (ICC = 0.69–0.98, ICC = 0.77–0.98, respectively). Despite a low level of agreement with HZT F0 (rP = 0.44), the MLS had moderate to excellent agreement across nine variables (rp = 0.68–0.98). Bland–Altman plots displayed significant proportional bias for VMAX (mean difference = 0.31 m∙s−1, MLS < MySp). Overall, the MLS is in agreement with the MySp app and is a reliable device for assessing sprint times, VMAX, HZT P0, and SFV. Proportional bias should be considered for VMAX when comparing the MLS to the MySp app.

Knowledge from agriculture and ecological field studies suggests that plant monocultures lose productivity over time, but the drivers underlying the long‐term performance of monocultures of grassland species are not completely understood. We examined the performance of 60 grassland species growing in monoculture for 12 years in a biodiversity experiment (Jena Experiment) and studied three groups of biotic drivers potentially affecting plant performance in monocultures over time: 1) soil biota (nematode communities, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi), 2) leaf traits related to leaf economics spectrum, and 3) plant life‐cycle characteristics related to buffered population growth (viable seeds in topsoil, seedling density, seed survival). Monocultures of 15 out of 60 species increased productivity, while monocultures of the remaining 45 species showed slight to strong losses of productivity over time, resulting in zero biomass in 15 species. All three biotic drivers were related to the varying long‐term performance of monocultures. Their combined influence on monoculture performance could be interpreted as a tradeoff between 'fast' versus 'slow' life strategies. 'Fast' species showed rapid resource use and little buffering of population growth through a viable seed bank, which led to high biomass production in young monocultures but a consecutive loss of biomass production over time. 'Slow' species were characterized by positive nematode effects (high abundance of predatory nematodes), conservative use of resources, and a viable seed bank with high recruitment success resulting in gradually increasing productivity over time. In summary, our study highlights the importance of studying long‐term field monocultures to investigate the complex role of different biotic drivers responsible for productivity changes over time. These insights provide an essential baseline for estimating biodiversity effects on productivity as well as to understand and predict long‐term performance of plant populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to reconcile inconsistent findings on the performance consequences of new CEO origin. Drawing on five decades of empirical research on CEO succession outcomes, I develop a more refined theoretical conceptualization and a finer-grained measurement of the underlying construct of the insider vs. outsider CEO, and build and test a more comprehensive and nuanced framework of the succession context. A longitudinal investigation of the U.S. airline and chemical industries (1972–2002) indicates that new CEO ‘Outsiderness’, conceptualized as a continuum raging from new CEOs who have a greater combination of firm and industry tenure to those who have no experience in the firm and the industry, has no main effect on post-succession firm performance. However, significant moderating effects are found when environmental munificence, pre-succession firm performance, and concomitant strategic and senior executive team changes are considered. Together, these findings highlight the need to consider both pre- and post-succession contextual factors for evaluating the performance effects of new CEO outsiderness. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects ego depletion (ED) and state anxiety (SA)have on performance changes in dart-throwing, a perceptual-motor task, using a Latent Curve Model (LCM). Twenty-two men, who had never played darts before, were recruited and randomly assigned to two counterbalanced groups: Group A was exposed first to ED and then to non-ED (NED), and Group B was exposed first to NED and then to ED. We found that the number of trials had a non-linear effect on darts performance, which improved as the number of trials increased before declining again; that is, mean radial error decreased first and then increased. Therefore, motor performance was sustained in the form of a quadratic curve as the number of task executions increased. In general, the higher the degree of ED and SA, the greater the negative effect on performance. However, this phenomenon was observed only in the early-phase trials, and the interacting influence of ED and SA appeared in the late-phase trials. Thus, this study demonstrated that ED and SA have direct effects on performance curves in early-phase trials only, and that their interacting influence appears in late-phase trials.

This study employed a hierarchical linear model analysis to examine the effects of ego depletion and state anxiety on performance changes in golf putting. We randomly assigned 51 female college students with no previous golf putting experience to either an ego-depletion (experimental) group (n = 26) or a non-ego-depletion (control) group (n = 25). Putting performance changes over repeated trials displayed a quadratic curve, and both ego depletion and state anxiety exerted negative effects on early, but not late, putting performance. Contrary to previous findings, the interaction effect between ego depletion and state anxiety on performance was nonsignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects ego depletion (ED) and state anxiety (SA)have on performance changes in dart-throwing, a perceptual-motor task, using a Latent Curve Model (LCM). Twenty-two men, who had never played darts before, were recruited and randomly assigned to two counterbalanced groups: Group A was exposed first to ED and then to non-ED (NED), and Group B was exposed first to NED and then to ED. We found that the number of trials had a non-linear effect on darts performance, which improved as the number of trials increased before declining again; that is, mean radial error decreased first and then increased. Therefore, motor performance was sustained in the form of a quadratic curve as the number of task executions increased. In general, the higher the degree of ED and SA, the greater the negative effect on performance. However, this phenomenon was observed only in the early-phase trials, and the interacting influence of ED and SA appeared in the late-phase trials. Thus, this study demonstrated that ED and SA have direct effects on performance curves in early-phase trials only, and that their interacting influence appears in late-phase trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial evidence suggests that managerial mental models play an important role in firm performance. Yet managerial mental models are not static but dynamic. This research investigates the creation and evolution of mental models over time and how this dynamic process influences strategic choice and firm performance. We adopt the causal loop diagramming method, with in-depth case analysis over a period of 12 years, as the primary investigatory approach. Our research contributes to knowledge by identifying the shared mental model of the top management team, represented in the causal loop diagrams, for each stage of the company's development. Our findings suggest that the dynamics of managerial mental models explains the changes in firm performance over time. JEL classification: L2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'Sawtooth Effect' is where cohort performance on high-stakes assessments drops after assessment reform, and then improves over time as test familiarity increases. Despite its importance, limited research has been conducted to date. In this study, we took a novel approach of using changes in grade boundaries (cut scores) over time as a proxy measure for performance change across a large number of secondary school assessments. Findings were generally consistent with the Sawtooth Effect, suggesting that it took students/teachers around 3 years on average to become familiar with the new tests. Estimates of the magnitude of these changes were also produced. Findings support the need for caution when interpreting changes in performance for new assessments, as any gains that occur may be due to test familiarity, rather than meaningful gains to subject mastery. Abbreviation: GCSE: General Certificate of Secondary Education; GCE A level: General Certificate of Education Advanced Level [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of industry has made great progress in economy and society. However, the problems of resource shortage and environmental pollution are becoming more and more serious. The coordinated development of economy, energy and environment in industrial sector is an important guarantee for achieving global sustainable development goals. This study took 11,909 micro industrial enterprises in Anhui Province, China as the research objects, used super-efficient data envelope analysis models to measure corporate performances before and after considering energy constraints, analyzed performance changes and explored corporate attributes corresponding to these changes. The results show that although energy constraints reduced the corporate performance of the enterprise sample as a whole, the effects vary among enterprises. Performance may increase, decrease or remain constant, and the increasing degree of corporate performance is significantly lower than the corresponding reduction. Corporate performances mostly change by a small amount, and the closer an enterprise’s performance is to the market average, the less it is influenced by energy constraints, and vice versa. Enterprises that increase performance are mainly low energy-consuming enterprises, small-scale enterprises and private enterprises. In contrast, enterprises that experience performance reduction are mostly high energy-consuming enterprises, large-scale enterprises and state-owned enterprises. In the future, enterprise development should differentiate energy saving and emission reduction policies, provide more financial support for technological innovation, guide a reasonable size distribution among enterprises, encourage stock diversification and establish strict market access systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro gas turbines are manufactured to have a compact structure and small volume, which makes them more vulnerable to internal leakages compared to heavy-duty gas turbines. Accordingly, precise diagnosis of the performance degradation in a micro gas turbine is important. This study investigates the characteristics of degradation. Performance maps were used for the compressor and turbine, and a multi-segment counter-flow heat exchanger model was used for the recuperator. The component models were refined using actual operation data, resulting in precise simulation of the reference operation without leakage. A performance analysis was carried out, and the results were analyzed for three types of leakage with the following paths: from the compressor outlet to the recuperator’s cold-side outlet, from the compressor outlet to the combustor outlet, and from the combustor inlet to the turbine outlet. The third path produced the largest reduction in engine efficiency. The degradations were also compared with those related to compressor fouling and turbine erosion, which are the most common causes of degradation in a gas turbine. Even when qualitatively similar performance changes were observed, the root cause could be determined by analyzing differences in performance parameters such as the fuel flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of performance changes in software change roll-outs in Internet-based services is crucial for an operations team, because it allows timely roll-back of a software change when performance degrades unexpectedly. However, it is infeasible to manually investigate millions of performance measurements of many roll-outs. In this paper, we present an automated tool, FUNNEL, for rapid and robust impact assessment of software changes in large Internet-based services. FUNNEL automatically collects the related performance measurements for each software change. To detect significant performance behavior changes, FUNNEL adopts singular spectrum transform (SST) algorithm as the core algorithm, uses various techniques to improve its robustness and reduce its computational cost, and applies a difference-in-difference (DiD) method to differentiate the true causality from the random correlations between the performance change and the software change. Evaluation through historical data in real-word services shows that FUNNEL achieves accuracy of more than 99.7 percent. Compared with previous methods, FUNNEL’s detection delay is 38.02 to 64.99 percent shorter, and its computation speed is 4.59-7,098 times faster. In real deployment, FUNNEL achieves a 98.21 percent precision, high robustness, fast detection speed, and shows its capability in detecting unexpected behavior changes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The two fields of continuing professional development (CPD) and knowledge translation (KT) within the health care sector and their related research have developed as somewhat parallel paths with limited points of overlap or intersection. This is slowly beginning to change. The purpose of this paper is to describe and compare the dominant conceptual models informing each field with the view of increasing understanding and appreciation of the two fields, how they are similar and where they differ and the current and potential points of intersection. The models include the "knowledge-to-action" (KTA) cycle informing KT, models informing CPD curriculum design and individual self-directed learning and the Kirkpatrick model for evaluating educational outcomes. When compared through the perspectives of conceptual designs, processes and outcomes, the models overlap. We also identify shared gaps in both fields (eg, the need to explore the influence of the context in which CPD and KT interventions take place) and suggest opportunities for synergies and for moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper measures the impact of the economic crisis on the level of change in social inclusion in the EU during the period 2005-2012. A comparison of the period 2005-2008 (pre-crisis) and 2009-2012 (post-crisis) suggests that the financial and economic crisis of 2008 and the period of economic downturn and austerity that followed deteriorated social inclusion for a large majority of the EU Member States. Moreover, while the period 2005-2008 showed a general trend of progress and convergence in social inclusion among EU Member States, the post-crisis period (period 2009-2012) shows a trend of general regress and divergence with Member States that are more impacted by the crisis displaying more deterioration in social inclusion as compared to the Member States that are less impacted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Studies indicate that using interventions including education may improve medical record documentation and decrease incomplete files. Since, physicians play a crucial role in medical record documentation, the researchers aimed to examine the effect of educational intervention on observing principles of medical diagnosis recording among residents in Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2010 on 19 specialty residents (from internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and surgery) in Kashan University. During a 5-hour workshop, guidelines for recording diagnostic information related to surgery, obstetrics and internal medicine were taught. Before and after the intervention, five medical records from each resident were assessed using a checklist which was designed based on diagnostic information related to each discipline. Data were analyzed through paired t and Wilkoxson test. Results: There was no improvement in recording obstetric diagnoses (type of delivery, place of delivery, outcome of delivery, complication of delivery) after the training. Also training did not have any effect on documentation of underlying cause and clinical manifestations of diseases by internal medicine residents and surgery residents (P=0.285 and P=0.584). Conclusion: Administering an educational intervention alone did not improve recording of diagnosis among residents. It seems that to have complete, accurate and high quality medical recording requires interaction we should consider other solutions, including three main key components, namely, management, health information management professionals and health care providers. Therefore, developing such an interaction is recommended.

Copyright of Jianzhu Cailiao Xuebao: Journal of Building Materials is the property of Journal of Building Materials and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Declarative memory evaluation is an essential step in the clinical and neuropsychological assessment of a variety of neurological disorders. It typically addresses the issue of normality/abnormality of an individual's performance. Another clinical application of the neuropsychological assessment of declarative memory is the longitudinal evaluation of an individual's performance change. In fact, in a variety of neurological conditions repeated assessments are needed to evaluate the modifications of a memory disorder as a function of time or in response to a pharmacological or rehabilitation treatment. This study was aimed at collecting data for measuring and interpreting performance change on a memory test for verbal material. For this purpose, we administered to 100 healthy subjects (age range 20-80 years; years of formal education range 8-17 years) three parallel forms of a test requiring the immediate and delayed recall of a 15-word list. The subjects performed the recall test three times (each time with a different list) at least 1 week apart. The order of the lists was randomized across subjects. Results revealed that performance on the three lists was highly correlated and did not vary as a function of the order of presentation. However, accuracy of recall was slightly better on a list compared to the others. Based on a method devised by Payne and Jones (J Clin Psychol 13:115-121, ), we provide normative data for establishing whether a discrepancy in recall accuracy on two versions of the test exceeds the discrepancy expected based on the performance of normal controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stability and routine are two words that can rarely be used to describe the present-day workplace. Instead, individuals, teams, and organizations are required to respond to dynamic and changing situations. As a result, researchers have become increasingly interested in understanding performance adaptation, evident in the substantial growth in research over the past two decades. However, what researchers mean when they study adaptation is often broad, vague, and inconsistent—especially at the organizational level—such that drawing solid conclusions is challenging. To move toward integration, we focused the review on individual and team performance adaptation, where the mechanisms of adaptation can be observed. We developed a conceptual taxonomy to map extant research, provide insights for synthesis, and identify directions for future theory building and research. Specifically, we identify four theoretical approaches: (a) a performance construct, (b) an individual difference construct, (c) a change in performance, and (d) a process. Each perspective is reviewed, identifying definitions and key assumptions; discussing conceptual foundations and empirical findings; and highlighting discrepancies, similarities, and opportunities for synthesis. The discussion recommends useful lines of inquiry for future research. Moreover, to promote individual-, team-, and organizational-level integration, we propose a multilevel conceptual architecture specifying the what (nature), where (levels), and how (mechanisms) of adaptation to better define the nature of the phenomenon. In combination, the taxonomy, review content, and conceptual architecture are designed to enhance conceptual clarity and consistency, encourage integration, and advance theory and research on adaptation as a pervasive phenomenon in organizational science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using longitudinal data collected over a seven-year period, we explored the effectiveness of upward feedback programs in changing managerial behaviors over time. We also examined the different impact of upward feedback programs used for two different purposes (developmental vs. administrative) on the performance (i.e. upward ratings) of R&D managers. We found that managers who initially performed poorly showed more performance improvement than those whose initial performance was good. We also found that managers' performance improved more when the upward feedback program was used for administrative purposes than when used for developmental purposes. We noted a significant performance improvement at the time when the purpose of upward feedback program changed from developmental to administrative. Herein, we discuss the practical and theoretical implications of integrating upward feedback programs into standard corporate practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the effects of a midseason coach turnover on the performance of a soccer team. It states that the performance of a team declines during the 2 months after a coach turnover, while a mean team performance improves after a turnover. It also mentions that coach turnovers is not suggested to improve the short-term performance of a team.

The article discusses the significance of continuing medical education (CME) on clinical performance in the U.S. The data from a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of CME which was developed by The Hopkins Evidence-based Practice Center were used by the guideline panel. The results revealed that CME, especially using live or multiple media and multiple educational techniques, is generally effective in changing physician performance.

To maintain railway facilities in an appropriate state, systematic management based on mid- and long-term maintenance plans through future performance prediction must be carried out. To this end, it is necessary to establish and utilize a model that can predict mid- to long-term performance changes of railway facilities by predicting performance changes of individual sub-facilities. However, predicting changes in the performance of all sub-facilities can be difficult as it requires large volumes of data, and railway facilities are a collection of numerous sub-facilities. Therefore, in this study, a framework for a model that can predict mid- to long-term performance changes of railway facilities through analysis of continuously accumulated performance evaluation results is proposed. The model is a system with a series of flows that can classify performance evaluation results by individual sub-facilities, predict performance changes by each sub-facility using statistical methods, and predict mid- to long-term performance changes of the facility. The developed framework was applied to 36,537 sub-facilities comprising 12 lines of two urban railways in South Korea to illustrate the model and verify its applicability and effectiveness. This study contributes in terms of its methodology in establishing a framework for predicting mid- to long-term performance changes, providing the basis for the development of an automated model able to continuously predict performance changes of individual sub-facilities. In practical terms, it is expected that railway facility managers who allow trade-off between reliability and usability can contribute to establishing the mid- to long-term maintenance plans by utilizing the model proposed in this study, instead of subjectively building them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among newly industrializing economies, Taiwan represents an archetypical example of a country in the process of economic catching up with institutional environments standing somewhere between Western and transition countries. Thus, Taiwan’s privatization experience may provide a means to assess the generalizability of conclusions drawn from prior research conducted in both kinds of countries. In the face of changing economic and political environments, Taiwan revamped its blueprint for privatization in 1989 as a major plank of its economic shift toward liberalization. Although it has proceeded on a trial-and-error basis, the policy has thus far yielded substantial though mixed results. This study systematically reviews Taiwan’s policy design and implementation of privatization, which originally was modeled on but later diverged from the Western experience as a result of the immature institutional settings and political compromises in various regards. Taiwan’s privatization, in a relative small scale to those in transition economies, is characterized by a set of stylized policy initiatives that provide a reference point for other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In formulating competitive strategies, one must first measure the comparative performance of the entire industry, and also may understand one's advantages and disadvantages. This paper uses the effectiveness model to measure the relative managerial performance and performance change of 50 listed corporations of the electronics industry under multiple financial ratio criteria. On the basis of the measurement of managerial performance, the entire industry can be partitioned into six clusters. Effective management strategies are developed specifically to each of six clusters of electronics industry. It was expected that this study would provide improvements to the existing financial ratio analysis; at the same time, illustrate the linkage between performance evaluation and strategy formulation for future business management needs of managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the features of artificial intelligence/machine learning-based medical devices resides in their ability to learn from real-world data. However, obtaining a large number of training data in the early phase is difficult, and the device performance may change after their first introduction into the market. To introduce the safety and effectiveness of these devices into the market in a timely manner, an appropriate post-market performance change plan must be established at the timing of the premarket approval. In this work, we evaluate the performance change with the variation of the number of training data. Two publicly available datasets are used: one consisting of 4000 images for COVID-19 and another comprising 4000 images for Normal. The dataset was split into 7000 images for training and validation, also 1000 images for test. Furthermore, the training and validation data were selected as different 16 datasets. Two different convolutional neural networks, namely AlexNet and ResNet34, with and without a fine-tuning method were used to classify two image types. The area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity were evaluated for each dataset. Our result shows that all performances were rapidly improved as the number of training data was increased and reached an equilibrium state. AlexNet outperformed ResNet34 when the number of images was small. The difference tended to decrease as the number of training data increased, and the fine-tuning method improved all performances. In conclusion, the appropriate model and method should be selected considering the intended performance and available number of data., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Do appraisal reviews actually change employees’ subsequent performance? To answer this question, longitudinal analyses are required. Dorfman et al. (1986) and Nathan et al. (1991) performed longitudinal studies, to attain contradicting results. Apparently we need additional longitudinal studies. We analysed a data set collected from a Korean petrochemical company, and found that, even though each of the three measures of appraisal review content (i.e. the degree to which, during the appraisal review, (1) employees have opportunity to participate in discussion, (2) goals are clearly set and (3) career issues are discussed) was significantly related to the employees’ reactions to the review, none of them had a positive impact on the subsequent job performance. This result is consistent with the Dorfman et al.’s finding. Possible reasons for our result being different from Nathan et al.’s finding, limitations of our study and further studies required are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Graphite felt can be used as an effective anode material in electro-Fenton system. • Changes in surface structure, hydrophilicity and functional groups were investigated. • Changes in adsorption properties were common when carbon-based fiber materials were used as anodes. • Graphite felt anode electro-Fenton system mainly relied on direct anode oxidation and ·OH removal of methylene blue. Carbon-based three-dimensional fiber materials are often used as cathodes in electro-Fenton oxidation systems, and have rarely been used as anodes. In this work, graphite felt (GF) was used as anode, and its performance was investigated. The removal rate of methylene blue (MB) in the GF system was 27.17% higher than that of the conventional two-dimensional graphite system, which proved that GF can be used as a suitable anode material. After 175 reused, the methylene blue removal rate and current of the GF system decreased by 25.09% and 76.92%, while the adsorption performance increased by 298.65%. The maintenance of MB removal efficiency in the repeated use of GF anode was related to the improvement of adsorption performance rather than catalytic performance. Moreover, the characterization results showed that changes in surface structure, hydrophilicity, and functional groups affected the resistance, adsorption, and catalytic properties of GF. The change in adsorption properties of carbon fiber as anode was universal and mainly affected by pH and voltage. Finally, the quenching experiments and EPR tests revealed that MB was mainly removed by direct oxidation on the surface of the GF anode and hydroxyl radicals generated by Fenton reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes China's A-share listed companies of the mixed ownership of state-owned enterprises from 2007 to 2016 as a sample, and examines the impact of state-owned business mixed reform on corporate performance. Research shows that under different equity restriction ratios, there exists a difference in the connection between corporate performance and equity restriction ratio. Corporate performance reduces with the subjoin of equity restriction ratio, and they are negatively correlated when the stockholding ratio of the largest stockholder is less than 25%; on the condition that the stockholding ratio of the largest stockholder is in the range of 25 and 40% and 40 and 60%, it presents an "inverted U-shaped" connection between corporate performance and equity restriction ratio. At this time, the threshold value of the optimal equity restriction ratio is 1.1336 and 0.7297, respectively. On the condition that the stockholding ratio of the largest stockholder is equal to or more than 60%, there exists no threshold value for equity restriction ratio. However, the regression results present that corporate performance increases with the increase of equity restriction ratio, and the two are positively correlated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]