Vocational interest theories imply a person–occupation cross‐level interaction effect (e.g., artistic interests predict job performance better in artistic occupations), which has rarely if ever been ...tested as such. Using a large military sample, we find person–occupation interest congruence effects are supported: (a) on core technical job performance for six of eight interest dimensions, and (b) on job performance ratings for structural/machines and rugged outdoors (i.e., Realistic) interests. Another cross‐level interaction involves the person–occupation gender congruence effect. Our data also confirm the job performance gap favors men when in male‐dominated occupations, but favors women when in gender‐balanced occupations. Due to strong overlap between vocational interests and gender, we conduct a critical test of whether person–occupation interest congruence might be due to person–occupation gender congruence. In only two of six cases (i.e., rugged outdoors and administrative interests), did the person–occupation interest congruence effect disappear after controlling for the person–occupation gender congruence effect; the gender congruence effect also remained significant after controlling for the interest congruence effect. Consequently, the two cross‐level interactions on job performance (for vocational interests and for gender) appear to represent distinct effects. In a second, service organization sample, the person–occupation interest congruence effect (for Realistic interests) on job performance ratings and the person–occupation gender congruence effect were both replicated.
Abstract
Researchers have investigated whether machine learning (ML) may be able to resolve one of the most fundamental concerns in personnel selection, which is by helping reduce the subgroup ...differences (and resulting adverse impact) by race and gender in selection procedure scores. This article presents three such investigations. The findings show that the growing practice of making statistical adjustments to (nonlinear) ML algorithms to reduce subgroup differences must create predictive bias (differential prediction) as a mathematical certainty. This may reduce validity and inadvertently penalize high‐scoring racial minorities. Similarly, one approach that adjusts the ML input data only slightly reduces the subgroup differences but at the cost of slightly reduced model accuracy. Other emerging tactics involve weighting predictors to balance or find a compromise between the competing goals of reducing subgroup differences while maintaining validity, but they have been limited to two outcomes. The third investigation extends this to three outcomes (e.g., validity, subgroup differences, and cost) and presents an online tool. Collectively, the studies in this article illustrate that ML is unlikely to be able to resolve the issue of adverse impact, but it may assist in finding incremental improvements.
In the present work, several carbon supported PtSn catalysts with different Pt/Sn atomic ratios were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) ...and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Both the results of TEM and XRD showed that all in-house prepared carbon supported Pt and PtSn catalysts had nanosized particles with narrow size distribution. According to the primary analysis of XPS results, it was confirmed that the main part of Pt of the as-prepared catalysts is in metallic state while the main part of Sn is in oxidized state. The performances of single direct ethanol fuel cells were different from each other with different anode catalysts and at different temperatures. It was found that, the single DEFC employing Pt
3Sn
2/C showed better performance at 60
°C while the direct ethanol fuel cells with Pt
2Sn
1/C and Pt
3Sn
2/C exhibited similar performances at 75
°C. Furthermore, at 90
°C, Pt
2Sn
1/C was identified as a more suitable anode catalyst for direct ethanol fuel cells in terms of the fuel cell maximum power density. Surface oxygen-containing species, lattice parameters and ohmic effects, which are related to the Sn content, are thought as the main factors influencing the catalyst activity and consequently the performance of single direct ethanol fuel cells.
Feed efficiency is a highly important economic trait in sheep production and has a significant impact on the economic benefits of sheep farming. Microbial fermentation of the rumen has a vital role ...in the host's nutrition; the rumen microbiota might affect host feed efficiency. However, the relationship between the rumen microbiota and feed efficiency in sheep is unclear. In the present study, the microbiota of 195 Hu sheep was investigated and their residual feed intake (RFI), a commonly used measure of feed efficiency, was determined. From birth, all sheep were subjected to the same management practices. At slaughter, samples of liquid rumen contents were collected and subjected to amplicon sequencing for the 16S rDNA gene on the IonS5™XL platform. To identify the bacterial taxa differentially represented at the genus or higher taxonomy levels, we used linear discriminant analysis coupled with effect size and curve fitting. In the sheep rumen, the four most abundant phyla were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Fibrobacteres, and Proteobacteria; and the dominant genera were unidentified Prevotellaceae, Fibrobacter, unidentified Lachnospiraceae, Saccharofermentans, and Succinivibrio. Pathway analysis of the 16S rDNA sequencing data from the rumen microbiota identified that carbohydrate metabolism was enriched. Using α-diversity analysis, we further identified that Observed species, ACE, Good's coverage, and Chao1 are more abundant (P < 0.01) in the low-RFI (L-RFI) group compared to the high-RFI (H-RFI) group. High-RFI sheep had a higher abundance of three bacterial taxa (Prevotellaceae, Negativicutes, and Selenomonadales), and one taxa was overrepresented in the L-RFI sheep (Succinivibrio), respectively. Furthermore, model fitting showed that Veillonellaceae, Sphaerochaeta, Negativibacillus, Saccharofermentans, and members of the Tenericutes, Kiritimatiellaeota, Deltaproteobacteria, and Campylobacterales were correlated with the sheep RFI classification and thus were indicative of a role in animal efficiency. Tax4Fun analysis revealed that metabolic pathways such as “energy metabolism,” “metabolism of cofactors and vitamins,” “poorly characterized,” and “replication recombination and repair proteins” were enriched in the rumen from H-RFI sheep, and “genetic information processing” and “lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis” were overrepresented in L-RFI sheep rumen. In addition, six Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes orthology pathways were identified as different between H-RFI and L-RFI groups. In conclusion, the low RFI phenotype (efficient animals) consistently (or characteristically) exhibited a more abundant and diverse microbiome in sheep.
Adipokinetic hormones (AKHs), the neurohormones synthesized in the insect corpora cardiaca are known to mobilize lipids and carbohydrates for energy‐consuming activities including reproduction. ...However, both inhibitory and stimulatory effects of AKHs on insect reproduction have been reported, and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Using the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, as a model system, we report here that AKHs are expressed in response to rhythmic diel change, and AKH III expression increases markedly at photophase. Diurnal injection of AKH III but not AKH I or AKH II in adult females stimulates vitellogenesis and egg development. In contrast, AKH treatment at scotophase represses female reproduction. RNA interference‐mediated knockdown of AKH receptor (AKHR) results in significantly reduced vitellogenin (Vg) expression in the fat body at photophase along with reduced Vg deposition in the ovary. AKHR knockdown also leads to decreased expression of Brummer, triacylglycerol lipase and trehalose transporter, accompanied by suppressed mobilization of triacylglycerol and trehalose. We propose that in addition to stimulating Vg expression at photophase, AKH/AKHR signalling is likely to regulate ovarian uptake of Vg via triacylglycerol mobilization and trehalose homeostasis. This study provides new insights into the understanding of AKH/AKHR signalling in the regulation of insect reproduction.
A proposed model for involvement of rhythmic changing AKH/AKHR signalling in locust vitellogenesis and egg development.
Adipokinetic hormones (AKHs) exhibit differential rhythmic diel change in vitellogenic adult female locusts.
Diurnal injection of AKH III stimulates locust vitellogenesis, whereas nocturnal injection of AKH III has an inhibitory effect.
AKHR knockdown causes significantly declined vitellogenin (Vg) expression in the fat body at photophase and suppressed Vg deposition in oocytes.
A indirect time-domain coupling dynamic mathematical model of mining vessel–lifting pipe was established by combining the analysis method of mining vessel and lifting pipe in this paper. The ...vessel–pipe coupling experiments under various wave conditions were performed at the China National Ocean Technology Center, and a dynamic computer simulation of the coupled model was conducted to verify the effectiveness of the experiment and simulation. To simulate the coupling dynamic behavior, we established the hydrodynamic model of the vessel using AQWA software to determine the response amplitude operators (RAOs). Subsequently, the obtained RAO matrix was merged into an OrcaFlex model to analyze the dynamics of the mining vessel–lifting pipe interaction. In addition, the influencing factors of vessel–pipe coupling dynamics were estimated quantitatively, including regular wave, buffer mass, and sailing velocity. The findings show that the coupling effect has a significant impact on the vessel–pipe dynamic behavior, which has a strong relevance with surface waves, but a weak relevance with sailing velocity. In the process of changing the wave direction from 180° to 90°, the tension at the top of the pipeline increases by 19.31% and the coupling time decreases by 66.67%.
•A vessel–pipe coupling experiment under various regular wave conditions is performed.•A dynamic computer simulation of the coupled model is conducted under various wave conditions.•The Pearson correlation and determination coefficient are used to validate the effectiveness of the study.•The influencing factors of vessel–pipe coupling dynamics including regular wave, buffer mass and so on are studied so on.
Activated hepatic stellate cells differentiate into myofibroblasts, which synthesize and secrete extracellular matrix (ECM) leading to liver fibrosis. It was previously demonstrated that ...bulleyaconitine A (BLA), an alkaloid from Aconitum bulleyanum, inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of human hepatic Lieming Xu-2 (LX-2) cells. In this study, we analyzed the effect of BLA on the production of ECM and related proteins by LX-2 cells activated with acetaldehyde (AA). The cells were randomized into the control group, AA group (cells activated with 400 μM AA), and BLA+AA group (cells cultured in the presence of 400 μM AA and 18.75 μg/ml BLA). In the BLA+AA group, the contents of collagens I and III and the expression of α-smooth muscle actin and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were statistically significantly higher than in the control, but lower than in the AA group. Expression of MMP-1 in the BLA+AA group was also significantly higher than in the AA group, but lower than in the control. Expression of TIMP-1 in the BLA+AA group was significantly higher than in the control, but lower than in the AA group. Thus, BLA suppressed activation and proliferation of LX-2 cells by inhibiting TGF-β1 signaling pathway and decreasing the content of collagens I and III by reducing the MMP-1/TIMP-1 ratio.
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