Temporal Constraint Satisfaction Techniques in Job Shop Scheduling Problem Solving

We describe a restriction of Dechter, Meiri and Pearl's TCSPs (Temporal Constraint Satisfaction Problems) sufficiently expressive to represent any job shop scheduling problem. A solver based on the restriction is then described, which is similar to Ladkin and Reinefeld's qualitative interval network solver; except, however, that the filtering method used during the search is not path consistency but either ULT (Upper-Lower Tightening) or LPC (Loose Path- Consistency), which are both less effective but have the advantage of getting rid of the so-called fragmentation problem.     

认知心理学在工业产品中的运用

随着社会的发展和人们生活水平的提高,形式追随功能的实用主义设计已不能满足人们日益增长的精神需要,人们开始对体验和情感的表达有了新的认识和要求。与此同时,设计师们发现,将人们的心理需求进行整合和分析然后运用到设计中去即可以达到很好的效果,也使产品本身充满了现实意义,那么此时此刻,心理学就在产品设计中扮演着十分重要的角色。     

不同情绪影响下的人类认知行为建模与仿真

针对不同情绪刺激下加法计算的认知加工过程差异问题,提出了不同情绪刺激下加法计算的认知假设模型,验证了不同情绪刺激对加法计算的影响机制。以正性、中性、负性情绪图片刺激下没有进位的二位数加法计算为实验范式,依据被试事前事后问卷调查及行为实验结果,采用行为实验与ACT-R认知仿真实验相结合的方法进行研究。通过行为实验测试了24名被试在不同情绪刺激下加法计算的行为实验结果;认知仿真实验以不同情绪刺激下加法计算的行为结果及相关研究结果为假设,提出了不同情绪下加法计算认知过程的假设模型。结果显示正性情绪刺激下加法计算的模拟反应时间2040ms与真实反应时间2077ms 107,偏差37ms;中性情绪刺激下加法计算的模拟反应时间2106ms与真实反应时间2090ms 98,偏差16ms;负性情绪刺激下加法计算的模拟反应时间2264ms与真实反应时间2218ms 52,偏差46ms。结果表明,正性情绪刺激对认知计算具有促进作用,负性情绪刺激对加法计算具有抑制作用。认知模型的模拟反应时间与真实反应时间非常接近,假设模型的合理性在反应时数据上得到有效验证;同时模型输出的认知信息加工过程序列模块的协同工作机制与分析过程一致,从而使得模型在逻辑合理性得到了有效解释。     

Impact of personality and intelligence on job satisfaction of assembly line and bench work - an industrial study

A study of the impact of machine-paced (M/P) and self-paced (S/P) work on job satisfaction of 28 female industrial assembly workers was evaluated in which M/P work was confounded with simplified work and the S/P job was confounded with enriched tasks. Results indicated the following:

1. 1. Over three-quarters of workers were more satisfied in S/P jobs, while only less than one-quarter were more satisfied in M/P jobs.

2. 2. The 16PF personality test effectively predicts (0·88 multiple correlation) the satisfaction ratios of M/P to S/P jobs.

Does instructor's image size in video lectures affect learning outcomes?

One of the most commonly used forms of video lectures is a combination of an instructor's image and accompanying lecture slides as a picture‐in‐picture. As the image size of the instructor varies significantly across video lectures, and so do the learning outcomes associated with this technology, the influence of the instructor's image size should be evaluated. This study tested the effect of image size of the instructor on learners' experience of social presence, cognitive load, learning performance and satisfaction. In the study, 87 Chinese undergraduates were randomly assigned to view a video lecture with a small image of the instructor, with a medium image size of the instructor or with a large image of the instructor. The results of analyses of variances and analysis of covariance suggested that learners perceived the same level of social presence and cognitive load across video lectures with different image sizes of the instructor; learners who watched the video lecture with the small image of the instructor learned better than those who watched the video lectures with the medium and the large images of the instructors. Furthermore, learners who watched the video lecture with the small image and medium image of the instructor experienced more learning satisfaction. The findings highlight the importance of image size of the instructor in video lecture learning.     

Job burnout of the information technology worker: Work exhaustion,depersonalization, and personal accomplishment

The unique environment of the information technology (IT) worker is prone to create work exhaustion, a conceptual component of job burnout. Prior research on the IT worker focuses primarily on the antecedent conditions to work exhaustion, uniquely identifying the IT work environment including emotional dissonance, perceived workload, role ambiguity and conflict, autonomy, and fairness of rewards. However, though work exhaustion is a critical product of conditions in the IT work environment, two ignored dimensions of job burnout theory, depersonalization and lessened feelings of personal accomplishment, create a more complete picture and extend current models of IT worker burnout. The extended model with established antecedents is empirically tested through survey techniques and found to hold. Management needs to be aware of these additional symptoms of burnout to circumvent undesirable consequences.     

Understanding the role of an IT artifact in online service continuance: An extended perspective of user satisfaction

Given increasing investment in an IT (information technology) artifact (i.e., online service website), it is becoming important to retain existing customers. In order to help link website design and investment decisions to the strategy for retaining customers, we propose a model by extending the user satisfaction perspective into research on online service continuance. We empirically tested the model within the context of a social network service. The analysis results found that website information satisfaction and system satisfaction play key roles in forming continuance intention through perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment. It is also noted that computer anxiety serves as an important moderator toward continuance intention. Theoretical and practical implications are offered for better understanding of the role of the IT artifact in online service post-adoption phenomena.     

Computer attitude as a moderator in the relationship between computer anxiety,satisfaction, and stress

The present study empirically examines the relationship between computer anxiety, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and stress. Based on self-efficacy theory and self-worth theory of achievement-motivation, it is hypothesized that the relationship between computer anxiety and job satisfaction is curvilinear and attitude towards computer moderates such relationship. The relationship between computer anxiety and career satisfaction and job stress were empirically examined in this study. Two hundred and thirty undergraduate students (125 female and 105 male students) at a university in south-western part of Louisiana completed computer anxiety, computer attitude, job satisfaction, career satisfaction and stress surveys. Hierarchical moderated regression results support that the attitude towards computer acts as a moderator in the relationship between (i) computer anxiety and stress, (ii) computer anxiety and job satisfaction, and (iii) computer anxiety and career satisfaction. Implications for management are discussed.     

Work organisation constructs and ergonomic outcomes among European forest machine operators

The aims of the study were to: 1) create work organisation constructs for forest machine operators; 2) examine relationships between these work organisation constructs and different ergonomic outcomes. The study was carried out among forest machine operators in six European countries and was based on a questionnaire survey (n = 358). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used in the formation of the construct measures of work organisation. The EFA resulted in a five-factor structure. The factors were named ‘job control’, ‘variation’, ‘job rotation’, ‘breaks’ and ‘rate of work’. Three multiple regression analyses were carried out separately for the dependent variables job satisfaction, musculoskeletal symptoms and headache/sleeping problems. All regression analyses resulted in significant overall models. The highest explained variance among the dependent variables was found for job satisfaction (R = 0.51, i.e. ‘large’ effect size). The unique contribution of the work organisation constructs varied in the models, but ‘job rotation’ contributed significantly in all regression models. The results may be used as a source for ergonomic improvements to work organisation. The present study was performed as part of the EU project ‘ErgoWood’, which resulted in a European handbook for mechanised forest operations (Gellerstedt et al. 2005 Gellerstedt S. Lidén E. Bohlin F Health and performance in mechanised forest operations The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Products and Markets Uppsala 2005  [Google Scholar]). The results delivered part of the evidence base for a toolbox in this handbook regarding changes in work organisation to improve health and performance.     

一种新的不确定推理方法

提出了一种基于认知结构的不确定推理方法:采用四值认知结构表达不确定知识,采用定义在认知结构上的双向认知推理结构来处理推理规则的不确定性.介绍的不确定推理方法可以包容精确的概率推理、容忍信息的不确定性、有效地避免推理规则之间的相互关系问题,并且使认知结构最简推理的计算复杂度与推理节点个数成线性关系.     

虚拟智能体情感研究综述

分别从合成情感模型、个性模型以及合成情感具体行为表现等方面,介绍并分析了各类模型和方法的基本思想和关键技术;进而给出了若干具有代表性的虚拟智能体情感应用系统,并对如何将上述情感技术应用于虚拟智能体进行了总结;最后提出了未来虚拟智能体情感研究需解决的若干问题.     

高职网络技术专业毕业生就业满意度调查分析

对高职网络技术专业125名毕业生就业满意度跟踪调查,从就业情况、首次就业成功因素、专业课程内容设置、专业教师教学水平、专业教学管理、专业技能重要性、运用专业技能熟练程度、对职业资格证书的意见等九个方面进行分析,为教学改革提供依据。研究大学生就业能力结构及其对就业结果的影响,对调整课程设置与教学内容,构建以能力为核心的课程体系具有重要意义。     

Age as a moderator of attitude towards technology in the workplace: work motivation and overall job satisfaction

Given the prevalence of technology in the workplace, an understanding of employees' attitudes towards technology is essential. Such attitudes have been linked to such important issues as the successful implementation of new technologies in the workplace, employee intent to use technology, and the actual usage of technology by employees. As a result of the rapidly aging workforce, and because age has been linked to computer use and comfort, it is important to examine the relationship that may exist between age and attitudes towards technology. This study examines age as a moderator of 612 employees' attitudes towards technology in relation to work motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) and overall job satisfaction. Further, given the technological socialisation of the Generation X (Gen X) versus the Baby Boomers, our sample comprised these two demographics. Hierarchical moderated multiple regression indicates age moderates the relationship between attitude towards technology and intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and to a lesser extent, overall job satisfaction. In each instance, older employees exhibit the strongest relationships with the outcome variables when possessing a high attitude towards technology. In contrast, older employees exhibit the weakest relationships when possessing a low attitude towards technology. These results are supportive of the moderating effect of age on attitude towards technology. Lastly, implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

How technostressors influence job and family satisfaction: Exploring the role of work–family conflict

Recent developments in information and communication technology have blurred the line between the workplace and the home. This can have a negative influence on employees' well-being and thus has gained increasing attention from academics and practitioners. In this study, we developed a research model based on the transactional perspective of stress and the challenge–hindrance stressor framework. We defined the two dimensions of work–family conflict as the perceptual stress resulting from a chronic challenge and hindrance technostressors, which ultimately affect employees' satisfaction in both the work and family domains. We tested our model using a three-wave time-lagged survey study with data collected from 268 employees. Challenge and hindrance technostressors had different effects on these two main forms of work–family conflict (time-based and strain-based) but further induced negative effects on both job and family satisfaction. Overall, we make both scientific and practical contributions to the fields of work-related technology use and work–family conflict.     

连续认知结构推理方法及其应用

实际问题中存在着大量连续量以及对它们的各种认知信息(知识).为了较好地描述和利用这些知识,将这些知识分解为连续认知结论以及关于这个结论的一个认知结构,并将它们统一成一个连续认知结构.在此基础上提出了一种基于连续认知结构的连续认知推理网络,并探讨了一套利用连续认知结构进行推理的方法.这种方法在不完全的知识推理网络中的推理是非单调的,其最简推理复杂度关于推理网络节点在最复杂情况下是线性的.同时,还用例子说明了这种方法在实际问题求解中的适用性.     

Alternative date entry technologies and settings: Impact on worker attitudes and behavior

Changes in technology and the movement of key entry functions into user areas are altering the traditional work environment. These changes can effect worker attitudes and associated behaviors, such as absenteeism and productivity. This study examines the effect of differences in key entry settings and technologies on perceived job characteristics and worker attitudes and behaviors. The results are based upon a study of 350 operators working in 87 key entry environments drawn from 29 organizations. It is found that new technologies and the movement of key entry into user areas affect perceived task characteristics, including task significance, autonomy, and feedback from the job. Job satisfaction, worker motivation, absenteeism, and productivity are also influenced (but to a lesser degree) by changes in key entry technology and setting. The implications of the findings for the design of key entry equipment and jobs are discussed. The conclusion is drawn that designers of key entry technologies and environments will benefit from a knowledge of the dimensions comprising meaningful work.