Linearity,symmetry, and equidistance in semantic differential scales for measuring images of self and images of others

ABSTRACT

Violations of linearity, symmetry, and equidistance of scale points in semantic differential scales may be due to respondents failing to figure out antonyms, to a positivity bias, or to respondents curtailing their reading the options. Multiple correspondence analysis on data provided by a randomized between-subjects experiment (split-ballot), using a web survey of 537 German residents, shows that bipolar semantic differential scales allow for linear measurement and conceal no positivity bias, and that using not suitable adjective pairs in semantic differential scales destroys symmetry.     

Leader-member exchange as a linking pin in the idiosyncratic deals - Performance relationship in workgroups

In the current investigation, idiosyncratic deals (i-deals; individualized work arrangements) are modeled as differentiated resources that shape leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships in workgroups. We integrate literature on leader-member exchange (LMX) with research on i-deals to argue that employee evaluations of i-deals received from the grantor –typically the leader- enhance employee perceptions of LMX, which in turn become instrumental in generating positive performance outcomes. Furthermore, because workgroup characteristics have potential implications on the relationship between a deal grantor and the deal recipient, drawing upon social identity theory of leadership, we reason that the i-deals-LMX relationship is affected by the overall value congruence among the group members. Cross-level moderated mediation analyses on multi source data obtained from 289 employees nested in 60 workgroups showed that the mediational role of LMX in the i-deals to performance outcomes relationship was weaker in high value congruence groups.     

Finding the niche to reposition leadership in Africa’s developing economies for the global highway: review of literature on leadership development programmes – methods and techniques*

Africa’s developing economies remain in critical need for leadership. This paper asserts that Africa’s new growth opportunities rest with leadership that could champion organizational performance, innovativeness, and good ethics among others. A review of extant literature on leadership development programmes (LDPs) was done to examine possible initiatives that leadership developers can use to influence leadership practices in Africa. This paper proposes that in Africa, LDPs can be used to inculcate authentic leadership practices and enhance networking and acquisition of innovative skills among others. Furthermore, LDPs could target the youth considering them as an investment into tomorrow’s leadership talent pool. The paper suggests that Africa’s niche for the global highway rests in contextualization of LDPs from other regions to Africa’s unique environment.     

基于FESA/TRIZ的机械产品创新设计方法

机械产品的设计一直注重于市场需求和产品功能的开发，随着科学和技术的发展，环境因素变得越来越重要。 提出一种基于功能一环境一结构分析( FESA)与TRIZ的机械产品创新设计方法，通过分析机械产品结构之间的功能要素 以及功能要素与环境要素的相互作用关系，确定机械产品中存在的问题。建立根原因模型图，寻找结构设计上的不足和 缺陷，利用TRIZ创新理论来实现机械产品的改进创新。通过污水处理系统的创新设计实例验证了该方法的可行性。     

Deaf and disabled? (Un)Employment of deaf people in Belgium: a comparison of eighteenth-century and nineteenth-century cohorts

In this article, the employment characteristics of pre-industrial and industrial cohorts of deaf men and women are compared with each other, as well as with a cohort of non-disabled siblings. The aim is to determine the extent to which the employment patterns of deaf persons lined up with those of non-disabled people and to see how nineteenth-century industrialization processes influenced their employment opportunities. This article challenges the widely held assumption that the nineteenth century constituted a definitive break by arguing that the professional lives of deaf people were not necessarily better before industrialization. Moreover, I demonstrate that the development of deaf schools in the course of the nineteenth century opened a new range of career opportunities for deaf individuals.     

Risk Analysis: Celebrating the Accomplishments and Embracing Ongoing Challenges

As part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Society for Risk Analysis and Risk Analysis: An International Journal, this essay reviews the 10 most important accomplishments of risk analysis from 1980 to 2010, outlines major accomplishments in three major categories from 2011 to 2019, discusses how editors circulate authors’ accomplishments, and proposes 10 major risk-related challenges for 2020–2030. Authors conclude that the next decade will severely test the field of risk analysis.     

疲劳裂纹扩展试验裂纹图像采集系统

针对目前金属疲劳裂纹扩展检测方法存在效率低、操作繁琐、精度不高，不能实现实时性等缺点，文章提出了基 于机器视觉的裂纹检测方法。根据金属疲劳裂纹扩展试验过程中裂纹图像的采集要求，设计了摄像头位置可自动调整 的疲劳裂纹图像采集系统，包括摄像头安装运动装置，裂纹图像采集装置以及摄像头运动控制系统。图像采集装置由高 分辨率黑白面阵CCD摄像头、光学镜头，光源照明装置和图像采集卡组成，前3者安装在摄像头支架上，与摄像头运动 装置相连。摄像头运动装置中的X，Y，，Z轴运动机构由步进电机带动滚珠导轨机构。在基于ARM技术的运动控制系统 的控制下摄像头可沿X，Y，，Z轴作高精度直线运动，实现和试件之间精确位置的调整。实验结果表明，所设计的系统可 采集到疲劳裂纹扩展试验过程中高清晰度、高分辨率的试件裂纹图像，满足下一步裂绞尺寸计算的要求；摄像头运动定 位精度可达到0. 02 mm，满足精确的系统聚焦、位置调整、跟踪采集的要求。