Perceptions of observed and model values of male and female managers

To provide evidence of the relationship between expectations for the values that should be exhibited for effective performance by female and male managers and their actual values, data were used that had been collected as part of a leadership program conducted for managers of business organizations in the United States. From a pool of approximately 700 managers, samples were drawn of 130 male and 130 female managers. As part of leadership program, the managers had completed 26-item SYMLOG value questionnaires, rating themselves and the values they judged to be effective for a manager. Prior to their participation in the program, sets of ratings were made by the coworkers of each manager, rating the actual values of the manager and the coworkers' ideal profile for the manager. The questionnaire covers three dimensions of values: dominant versus submissive, friendly versus unfriendly, and accepting the task-orientation of established authority versus opposing it. Comparisons were made of self and coworkers' ratings on the observed (self/actual) and model (effective/ideal) values of female and male managers with ‘matched’ samples that include only female and male managers with similar ratings of actual values, as judged by their coworkers, by removing the ratings of ‘outliers’. The only significant difference in gender ratings that remains is that female managers rate themselves as more positive. There are more differences between observed and model ratings. Managers and their coworkers believe that model managers should be more dominant and friendly than they are rated to be. However the managers also believe that they should be more task-oriented while their coworkers believe that they should be less task-oriented. The majority of the female managers dropped from the matched sample because no matching male could be found were more dominant and positive and less task-oriented, thus closer to the stereotype role for females. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fire use: Is it really the cheaper land preparation method for large-scale plantations?

During the last two decades Indonesia has experienced immense forest and land fires. Often these fires are associated with extended drought and widespread use of fire to clear previously logged forest and other degraded land in preparation for oil palm, rubber, or pulpwood plantations. There are many reasons for the use of fire in land clearing activities, but probably the most important one is economics. There is still acceptance that fire is the cheapest, fastest, and most effective land clearing method with the added benefit of providing nutrients from ash residues. This paper provides a review of existing information on the financial costs and benefits of using fire for land clearing in agriculture and forestry plantations as compared with zero-burning techniques. The findings indicate that the economic advantage of fire use varies widely and depends on many factors, such as soil fertility, vegetation density, labour cost, equipment and training costs, and the costs of fire management. For large-scale land clearing, the financial analysis of the costs and benefits of fire versus zero-burning shows that when applied to low-volume vegetation, zero-burning methods are not more expensive than burning – and may actually be more cost effective in the long term. This is the case for clearing oil palm or rubber plantations for replanting, low secondary vegetation, and heavily logged-over forest. Under high-volume forest conditions, burning remains less expensive because it is more difficult, time consuming, and costly to dispose of high volumes of piled wood mechanically.     

Age group differences in collision risk

Introduction

The purpose of the current study was to examine differences in factors associated with self-reported collision involvement of three age groups of drivers based on a large representative sample of Ontario adults. Method: This study was based on data from the CAMH Monitor, an ongoing cross-sectional telephone survey of Ontario adults 18 years and older from 2002 to 2005. Three age groups were examined: 18-34 (n = 1,294), 35-54 (n = 2,428), and 55+ (n = 1,576). For each age group sample, a logistic regression analysis was conducted of self-reported collision involvement in the last 12 months by risk factor measures of driving exposure (kilometers driven in a typical week, driving is stressful, and driving on busy roads), consuming five or more drinks of alcohol on one occasion (past 12 months), cannabis use (lifetime, and past 12 months), and driving after drinking among drinkers (past 12 months), controlling for demographics (gender, region, income, and marital status). Results: The study identified differences in factors associated with self-reported collision involvement of the three age groups of adult drivers. The logistic regression model for the youngest group revealed that drivers who reported that driving was stressful at least some of the time, drank five or more drinks on an occasion, and drove after drinking had an increased risk of collision involvement. For the middle age group, those who reported using cannabis in the last 12 months had significantly increased odds of reporting collision involvement. None of the risk factor measures showed significant associations with collision risk for older drivers (aged 55+). Impact: The results suggest potential areas for intervention and new directions for future research.     

Energy budgets reveal equal benefits of varied migration strategies in northern gannets

We investigated migration and wintering of adult northern gannets (Morus bassanus) breeding in east Scotland, North Sea, by deploying geolocation loggers over three winters. The wintering ranges of these birds varied from the North Sea to the Atlantic off West Africa. Flight time was taken as a proxy for migration and foraging effort. Gannets wintering off Africa had higher total flight times during migration than birds wintering further north. Total flight times in different wintering regions were generally low. Birds off West Africa consistently spent < 25 % of daylight hours in flight, but birds further north showed more variable values that may reflect more variable weather or food availability. Winter sea surface temperatures ranged from 9 °C (North Sea) to 16 °C (West Africa). Thermostatic costs in winter as estimated by measuring thermal conductance in carcasses in still air and water were 28 % higher in North Sea than off West Africa. This effect is aggravated by higher thermostatic costs caused by stronger wind chills in the North Sea compared to the conditions off West Africa. Birds wintering close to the UK arrived at the colony on average 12 days earlier than birds wintering off West Africa. We conclude that the net cost-benefit analysis may be similar for all wintering areas investigated.     

The effect of different educational interventions on schoolchildren's knowledge of earthquake protective behaviour in Israel

Knowledge of appropriate behaviour during an earthquake is crucial for prevention of injury and loss of life. The Israeli Home Front Command conducts a yearly earthquake education programme in all Israeli schools, using three types of educational interventions: lectures, drills and a combination of the two. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions in providing students with knowledge. We distributed a questionnaire to 2,648 children from the 5th and 6th grades in 120 schools nationwide. Knowledge scores for both 5th and 6th grades were increased, regardless of type of intervention, compared to the non-exposure group. A combined intervention of lectures and drills resulted in the highest knowledge scores. Our findings suggest that for the age group studied a combination of lectures and drills will likely prepare students best for how to behave in the event of an earthquake.     

Systemic long-term impact of clinical pathways: UPMC experience with hysterectomy patients

Environment Systems and Decisions - Clinical pathways are defined as evidence-based, multidisciplinary care algorithms that outline essential steps in the management of patients. Pathway...     

A review of combinations of electrokinetic applications

Anthropogenic activities contaminate many lands and underground waters with dangerous materials. Although polluted soils occupy small parts of the land, the risk they pose to plants, animals, humans, and groundwater is too high. Remediation technologies have been used for many years in order to mitigate pollution or remove pollutants from soils. However, there are some deficiencies in the remediation in complex site conditions such as low permeability and complex composition of some clays or heterogeneous subsurface conditions. Electrokinetic is an effective method in which electrodes are embedded in polluted soil, usually vertically but in some cases horizontally, and a low direct current voltage gradient is applied between the electrodes. The electric gradient initiates movement of contaminants by electromigration (charged chemical movement), electro-osmosis (movement of fluid), electrolysis (chemical reactions due to the electric field), and diffusion. However, sites that are contaminated with heavy metals or mixed contaminants (e.g. a combination of organic compounds with heavy metals and/or radionuclides) are difficult to remediate. There is no technology that can achieve the best results, but combining electrokinetic with other remediation methods, such as bioremediation and geosynthetics, promises to be the most effective method so far. This review focuses on the factors that affect electrokinetic remediation and the state-of-the-art methods that can be combined with electrokinetic.     

Using regression models to evaluate the formation of trihalomethanes and haloacetonitriles via chlorination of source water with low SUVA values in the Yangtze River Delta region,China

The purpose of this study was to develop the multiple regression models to evaluate the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetonitriles (HANs) during chlorination of source water with low specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) in Yangtze River Delta, China. The results showed that the regression models of THMs exhibited good accuracy and precision, and 86–97 % of the calculated values fell within ±25 % of the measured values. While the HANs models showed relatively weak evaluation ability, as only 75–83 % of the calculated values were within ±25 % of the measured values. The organic matter [dissolved organic carbon (DOC) or UV absorbance at 254 nm] and bromide exerted the most important influence on the formation of HANs. While for THMs, besides the organic matter and bromide, reaction time was also a key factor. Comparing the models for total THMs (T-THMs) in this study with others revealed that the regression models from the low SUVA waters may have low DOC coefficients, but high bromide coefficients as compared with those from the high SUVA waters.