Collective fit perceptions: A multilevel investigation of person–group fit with individual‐level and team‐level outcomes

This study describes a multilevel examination of person–group (PG) fit perceptions in a sample of 1023 individuals working in 92 teams at a private sector R&D firm. Using confirmatory factor analysis and multilevel random coefficient modeling, we provide evidence that perceptions of team‐level collective fit are unique from aggregated individual‐level PG fit perceptions at the individual and team levels. We demonstrate that collective values‐based and abilities‐based fit perceptions showed unique and positive relationships with team cohesion, team efficacy, and team performance, after accounting for aggregated individual perceptions of PG fit. Results also demonstrate that cohesion partially mediates the relationship between collective fit and team performance. Cross‐level effects were also supported, indicating that collective fit explains additional variance in individual‐level outcomes, beyond individual‐level PG fit perceptions. The usefulness of employing a multilevel approach to studying PG fit is discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Worker drift and egg dumping by queens in wild Bombus terrestris colonies

Wild bumblebee colonies are hard to find and often inaccessible, so there have been few studies of the genetic structure of bumblebees within natural colonies, and hence, it is not clear how frequently events such as worker reproduction, worker drift and queen usurpation take place. This study aimed to quantify the occurrence of natal-worker reproduction, worker drift and drifter reproduction within 14 wild colonies of Bombus terrestris in Central Scotland. Four unlinked microsatellites were used to identify patterns of relatedness of the colonies’ adults and broods. In colonies with queens (queenright colonies), worker reproduction accounted for just 0.83 % of males, increasing to 12.11 % in queenless colonies. Four colonies contained a total of six workers which were not daughters of the queen, and were assumed to be drifters, and four male offspring of drifters. Drifting is clearly not common and results in few drifter offspring overall, although drifters produced approximately seven times more offspring per capita than workers that remained in their natal colony. Unexpectedly, two colonies contained clusters of sister workers and juvenile offspring that were not sisters to the rest of the adults or brood found in the colonies, demonstrating probable egg dumping by queens. A third colony contained a queen which was not a sister or daughter to the other bees in the colony. Although usurping of bumblebee colonies by queens in early season is well documented, this appears to be the first record of egg dumping, and it remains unclear whether it is being carried out by old queens or newly mated young queens.     

Selective recovery of Cu, Zn, and Ni from acid mine drainage

In Korea, the heavy metal pollution from about 1,000 abandoned mines has been a serious environmental issue. Especially, the surface waters, groundwaters, and soils around mines have been contaminated by heavy metals originating from acid mine drainage (AMD) and mine tailings. So far, AMD was considered as a waste stream to be treated to prevent environmental pollutions; however, the stream contains mainly Fe and Al and valuable metals such as Ni, Zn, and Cu. In this study, Visual MINTEQ simulation was carried out to investigate the speciation of heavy metals as functions of pH and neutralizing agents. Based on the simulation, selective pH values were determined to form hydroxide or carbonate precipitates of Cu, Zn, and Ni. Experiments based on the simulation results show that the recovery yield of Zn and Cu were 91 and 94 %, respectively, in a binary mixture of Cu and Zn, while 95 % of Cu and 94 % of Ni were recovered in a binary mixture of Cu and Ni. However, the recovery yield and purity of Zn and Ni were very low because of similar characteristics of Zn and Ni. Therefore, the mixture of Cu and Zn or Cu and Ni could be recovered by selective precipitation via pH adjustment; however, it is impossible to recover selectively Zn and Ni in the mixture of them.     

Effects of cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa on the filtration rate and mortality of the freshwater bivalve Corbicula leana

We compared filtering rates (FR) and mortalities between freshwater filter-feeding bivalve Corbicula leana acclimatized (AM) and non-acclimatized (NAM) to an cyanobacterial bloom (mainly Microcystis aeruginosa) over seven days. Both mussel populations were simultaneously stocked into mesocosms constructed in littoral zones of a eutrophic lake at a density of 740 ind. m(-2) for 16 days. NAMs decreased the concentration of chlorophyll-a 50% less than AMs. For the first seven days, the FRs (0.46-0.61) and mortality rate (slope = -30.2, r = -0.95) of NAMs were higher than those of AMs, possibly due to a sudden increase in unselective filtering. From the eighth day NAM mortality decreased rapidly and then stabilized, becoming similar to that of AMs through the end of the experiment. Stocking both AMs and NAMs increased the NH4-N concentration in the water, and the mortality rates of both mussel populations were correlated with NH4-N. In contrast, other nutrients and microcystin concentrations were not significantly associated with mussel mortality. These results indicate that although a sudden introduction of non-acclimatized C. leana may partially control phytoplankton biomass fora short period, previous short-term acclimatization is needed to minimize mussel mortality.     

Influence of haze pollution on water-soluble chemical species in PM2.5 and size-resolved particles at an urban site during fall

To investigate the influence of haze on the chemical composition and formation processes of ambient aerosol particles,PM_(2.5) and size-segregated aerosol particles were collected daily during fall at an urban site of Gwangju,Korea.During the study period,the total concentration of secondary ionic species(SIS) contributed an average of 43.9% to the PM_(2.5) ,whereas the contribution of SIS to the PM_(2.5) during the haze period was 62.3%.The NO_3 and SO~(2-)_4 concentrations in PM_(2.5) during the haze period were highly elevated,being 13.4 and 5.0 times higher than those during non-haze period,respectively.The PM,NO~-_3,SO~(2-)_4,oxalate,water-soluble organic carbon(WSOC),and humic-like substances(HULIS) had tri-modal size distributions peaks at 0.32,1.0,and 5.2 μm during the non-haze and haze periods.However,during the non-haze period they exhibited dominant size distributions at the condensation mode peaking at 0.32 μm,while on October 21 when the heaviest haze event occurred,they had predominant droplet mode size distributions peaking at 1.00 μm.Moreover,strong correlations of WSOC and HULIS with SO~(2-)_4,oxalate,and K+at particle sizes of 1.8 μm indicate that secondary processes and emissions from biomass burning could be responsible for WSOC and HULIS formations.It was found that the factors affecting haze formation could be the local stable synoptic conditions,including the weak surface winds and high surface pressures,the long-range transportation of haze from eastern China and upwind regions of the Korean peninsula,as well as the locally emitted and produced aerosol particles.     

Differences in Eye and Hand Movements of Novice and Experienced Press Operators

Presses are very widely used in industrial and commercial companies and are often the source of serious accidents occurring during operation. Most of the accidents are due to inadequate training of novice operators. Continuous recordings of eye and hand movements of five novice operators and five experienced operators in press operation were made. Significant difference between novice and experienced operators was observed in eye fixation time, eye movement patterns, hand dwell time, and eye-hand coordination. Also, differences were observed in spatial distribution of eye fixations during the die-closing portion of a stroke. There were no significant differences between novice and experienced operators in the eye and the hand movement time. The results could be used as basic data to establish a guide determining the method and training period to train novice operators.     

Screening and prioritizing the precursors of improvised explosive devices from commodity chemicals being controlled under Korean regulations

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have become an alternative method for terrorists or criminals who face difficulties in obtaining traditional explosives as threatening tools. The ease of obtaining precursor materials from commodity chemicals in the free market and the ease of generating bombs through the hands of novices have created problems. Controlling the potential precursors to defeat illegal acquisition is not trivial due to their widespread use as common merchandise among chemical industries and consumers. However, efforts to identify the potential precursors may be the first step for devising appropriate control measures. In this study, we proposed a systematic screening method for identifying potential IED precursors (IEDPs) from commodity chemicals, which are regulated by Korean controls. We identified 25 potential IEDPs from 3980 candidate chemicals that can be diverted into IEDs or homemade bombs but are not likely to be solely used as an IED. We also developed a methodology of prioritizing the potential precursor chemicals to assess the urgency of controls using a scoring system with four criteria: previous listing as an official precursor; past record of being encountered in criminal use; volume of commercial circulation, which denotes the probability of exposure to individuals; and the degree of regulatory counter-measures against illegal acquisitions that are currently effective in Korea.     

Combination of ion exchange system and biological reactors for simultaneous removal of ammonia and organics

A novel process for a simultaneous removal of ammonia and organics was developed on the basis of ion exchange and biological reactions. From batch experiments, it was found out that NH₄⁺ could be removed effectively by combining cation exchange and biological nitrification showing 0.98 mg N/m²?s of a maximum flux. On the other hand, the removal of NO₃⁻ was 3.5 times faster than NH₄⁺ and the maximum flux was calculated to be 3.4 mg N/m²?s. The systems for NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ removal were combined for establishing the IEBR process. When the process was operated in a continuous mode, approximately 95.8% of NH₄⁺ was removed showing an average flux of 0.22 mg N/m²·s. The removal efficiency of total nitrogen was calculated as 94.5% whereas that of organics was 99.5%. It was concluded that the IEBR process would be effectively used for a simultaneous removal of NH₄⁺ and organics.     

Development of a Local-Scale Spatially Refined Multimedia Fate Model (LSRMFM) for Urban-Scale Risk Assessment: Model Formulation, GIS-Based Preprocessing, and Case Study

A local-scale spatially refined multimedia fate model (LSRMFM) was developed to evaluate in detail the multimedia transport of organic compounds at a spatial level. The model was derived using a combination of an advection?Cdispersion?Creaction partial differential equation, a steady-state multimedia fugacity model, and a geographical information system. The model was applied to predicting four major volatile organic compounds that are produced as emissions (benzene, toluene, xylene, and styrene) in an urban and industrial area (the 50?×?50-km area was divided into 0.5?×?0.5-km segments) in Korea. To test the accuracy of the model, the LSRMFM was used to predict the extent of dispersion and the data compared with actual measured concentrations and the results of a generic multimedia fate model (GMFM). The results indicated that the method developed herein is appropriate for predicting long-term multimedia pollution. However, the comparison study also illustrated that the developed model has some limitations (e.g., steady-state assumption) in terms of explaining all the observed concentrations, and additional verification and study (e.g., validation using a large observed data set, integration with a more accurate runoff model) would be desirable. In comparing LSRMFM and GMFM, discrepancies between the LSRMFM and GMFM outputs were found, as the result of geographical effects, even though the environmental parameters were identical. The geographical variation for LSRMFM output indicated the existence of considerable local human and ecological risks, whereas the GMFM output indicated less average risk. These results demonstrate that the model has the potential for improving the management of pollutant levels under these refined spatial conditions.     

Exposure assessment for methyl and total mercury from seafood consumption in Korea, 2005 to 2008

Reports on the occurrence and intake assessment of mercury for Korean seafood are currently not available. This is the first report to estimate the intake of methyl (Me-Hg) and total mercury (T-Hg) from seafood consumption in Korea. The concentrations of Me-Hg and T-Hg in seafood ranged from 1.02 to 780 (mean: 55.6) ng g(-1) wet weight and 4.89 to 1008 (mean: 100) ng g(-1) wet weight, respectively. The residue levels of Me-Hg and T-Hg in Korean seafood were moderate compared with those found in other countries. The methylation ratios of fish, cephalopods and crustaceans were similar, but shellfish had lower values compared with other species. The intakes of Me-Hg and T-Hg from seafood consumption for the general population were estimated to be 38.8 and 73.8 ng kg(-1) body weight per day, respectively. Mackerel, tuna and squid made the highest contributions to the total intake of these contaminants. Among eight age groups, 30-49 year and 3-6 year age groups had the highest exposure to Me-Hg and T-Hg. The concentrations and intakes of Me-Hg and T-Hg from Korean seafood were less than the allowable residue levels and threshold intake levels suggested by Korean and international authorities. The present study may be useful for risk management of mercury in Korean seafood.