From expectation to experience: Graduates entering a large corporation

The paper reports a longitudinal study of new and recently recruited graduates to an oil company, to evaluate how initial expectations compared with experience, and how needs, interests and work activities changed over time post-entry. Results showed that new entrants had unrealistic expectations, especially of having more managerial job content than they were assigned initially, but this increased with subsequent experience to reach expected levels. Socialization effects were evident, especially by job function, but not by gender. The work orientations and job experiences of commercial and technical graduates developed on divergent paths over time, suggesting more positive personal growth over their early careers for the commercial graduates.     

Disasters and disabled persons: An examination of the safety needs of a neglected minority

Disasters do not affect everyone in the same way. Safety needs of the ten per cnet of the population who are disabled prior to disaster must be ascertained; contingency plans and preparations should be made to ensure that disabled persons. Consideration of the safety needs of disabled persons in disasters seems to have beenlargely neglected by emergency services and those voluntary and statutory organizations directly concerned with disablement.     

Need for recovery after emotional labor: Differential effects of daily deep and surface acting

This diary study examines the psychological processes that contribute to daily recovery from emotional labor by combining emotion regulation with work‐home resources theories. We hypothesized that overall perceptions of display rules relate positively to daily deep and surface acting. Daily surface acting was expected to relate positively to exhaustion and negatively to flow during work and consequently, to a higher need for recovery at the end of the workday. In contrast, daily deep acting was hypothesized to relate positively to flow and negatively to exhaustion and consequently, to a lower need for recovery at the end of the workday. In turn, need for recovery was expected to associate negatively to vigor at bedtime through reduced relaxation during leisure. Fifty Dutch and Polish employees first filled in a survey, and then a diary for five consecutive workdays, twice per day: at the end of the workday and before sleep. Multilevel path analyses largely supported these hypotheses suggesting that surface acting has unfavorable implications, whereas deep acting has favorable implications for daily well‐being at work and recovery after work.     

Evaluation by policy makers of a procedure to describe perceived landscape openness

In the last decade policy makers have increasingly recognized the need to include people's perceptions in methods for describing landscape quality. At the same time, a third wave of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has become available that make it technically possible to model landscape quality in a realistic manner. However, as there is often a mismatch between science and policy, it remains unclear to what extent perception-based models developed by scientists can be useful to policy makers. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the usefulness to policy making of a GIS-based procedure for describing perceived landscape openness. To this end, a workshop was organized which was attended by eight Dutch policy makers who acted as representatives of their province (region). The Group Decision Room (GDR) technique was used to elicit the policy makers' evaluations of the procedure in an anonymous and reliable manner. The procedure was presented to the policy makers using cases from their own province, which they assessed using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods. The results show that policy makers rated the procedure as being highly relevant to policy making, scientifically credible, usable by policy makers and feasible to implement in the policy making process. They especially appreciated the flexibility and transparency of the procedure. The policy makers concluded that the procedure would be of most value for monitoring landscape changes and for analysing impacts on landscape openness in land use scenario studies. However, they requested guidelines for proper implementation of the various options in the procedure. In general, the current study shows that explicit and transparent evaluation of the usefulness of GIS-based tools can aid integration at the science-policy interface and help to ensure that both scientists and policy makers are informed of interrelated options and requirements.     

Development and Comparison of Multiple Regression Models to Predict Bankfull Channel Dimensions for Use in Hydrologic Models

Channel dimensions are important input variables for many hydrologic models. As measurements of channel geometry are not available in most watersheds, they are often predicted using bankfull hydraulic geometry relationships. This study aims at improving existing equations that relate bankfull width, depth, and cross‐sectional area to drainage area (DA) without limiting their use to well‐gauged watersheds. We included seven additional variables in the equations that can be derived from data that are generally required by hydrologic models anyway and conducted several multiple regression analyses to identify the ideal combination of additional variables for nationwide and regional models for each Physiographic Division of the United States (U.S.). Results indicate that including the additional variables in the regression equations generally improves predictions considerably. The selection of relevant variables varies by Physiographic Division, but average annual precipitation (PCP) and temperature (TMP) were generally found to improve the models the most. Therefore, we recommend using regression equations with three independent variables (DA, PCP, and TMP) to predict bankfull channel dimensions for hydrologic models. Furthermore, we recommend using the regional equations for watersheds within regions from which data were used for model development, whereas in all other parts of the U.S. and the rest of the world, the nationwide equations should be given preference.     

Temporal dynamics of gut microbiota in triclocarban-exposed weaned rats

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Widely used as an antimicrobial in antibacterial bar soaps, triclocarban (3,4,4′-trichlorocarbanilide; TCC) is effective against Gram-positive...     

Temporal limitations in the use of potassium dichromate as a blood preservative for the analysis of organohalogenated contaminants including polybrominated diphenyl ethers,dioxins and PCBs

Previous studies described the use of potassium dichromate (K₂Cr₂O₇) to successfully preserve whole blood for up to 34 days at room temperature (20–22°C) for analysis of chlorinated dioxins, dibenzofurans and PCBs. Potassium dichromate has been successfully employed as a preservative for cows’ milk and in a World Health Organization study of human milk. The use of two 100?mg tablets in 40 to 100?mL of whole blood in anticoagulant was found to provide almost identical levels of dioxins, dibenzofurans, PCBs and lipids as found in frozen comparison blood at??70°C which is generally regarded as the gold standard for blood preservation. Potassium dichromate was found to be preferable to 20 and 40% ethyl alcohol for this preservation. This finding opens opportunities for preservation under field conditions in developing countries where neither electricity nor dry ice is available. Not having to use dry ice for shipping also allows more flexibility in the choice of commercial carriers for transporting blood to an analytical laboratory. It is recommended considering a number of compounds in addition to those studied in our first report and extending the time beyond 34 days in order to determine if longer storage might also be feasible. Data on polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), as well as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and selected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are reported. For the present study 3 and 6 months were chosen in potassium dichromate at room temperature compared to freezing at ?70°C. Data indicate that these times exceed the limits of efficacy of potassium dichromate for whole blood preservation. This was attributed to degradation of the lipid component of the blood. Since dioxins and closely related structural analogues are traditionally reported as lipid normalized blood levels, this degradation of lipids provides erroneous results. Therefore, potassium dichromate is not recommended for long-term storage beyond 34 days at room temperature. It is planned to study the time period between one and three months and higher temperature preservation for shorter time periods, simulating conditions in tropical countries, to attempt to extend further the ease and convenience of chemical preservation of blood.     

Partitioning of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in human blood and milk

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are brominated flame retardants (BFRs) which have recently been detected in human blood and milk in the USA, and presently these PBDE levels are found to be the highest globally. On a population basis, individual blood and individual milk analyses show similar congener patterns and levels. Until now, there has not been a study comparing PBDE levels in milk and blood of the same individuals. This study is the first to report these levels for PBDEs, though partitioning between blood and milk has been done previously for dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Twelve congeners in 11 nursing mothers’ blood and milk were found and the data describe partitioning ratios between blood and milk. The data suggest it may be easier for smaller, less brominated congeners to move from blood to milk.     

Work‐related flow and energy at work and at home: A study on the role of daily recovery

In this diary study, we aimed to examine the moderating effects of the following: (i) recovery efforts at work and (ii) detachment from work on the relationship between work‐related flow and energy after work. Specifically, we hypothesized that flow would be beneficial for energy after work when employees failed (versus managed) to recover during work breaks. Additionally, we predicted that when employees experience flow at work, they would be more vigorous (and less exhausted) at the end of the day when they detached from work in the evening compared with days when they failed to detach. The study tracked 83 participants who completed daily surveys over four consecutive days. Results of multilevel analyses indicated that some characteristics of flow, such as absorption and enjoyment, were significantly associated with energy after work. Recovery at work and detachment from work moderated the relationship between flow (specifically the enjoyment component) and after‐work energy. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.