Antecedents and consequences of satisfaction with work–family balance: A moderating role of perceived insider status

This study developed a moderated mediation model to investigate how family‐supportive paid leave and supervision affect employees' satisfaction with work–family balance and in turn their affective organizational commitment and supervisor‐directed organizational citizenship behavior depending on their perceived insider status in the organization. Our analysis of data collected from 118 employee–supervisor dyads in Korean organizations revealed that satisfaction with work–family balance mediated the linkages from family‐supportive supervision to affective organizational commitment and supervisor‐directed organizational citizenship behavior, and the linkage from family‐supportive paid leave to affective organizational commitment. Results further showed that the entire mediational process for family‐supportive supervision was more pronounced for those who perceived themselves to be an insider of their organizations, while the same pattern was not found for the meditational process related to family‐supportive paid leave. Our findings provide theoretical implications for work–family balance research and offer practical suggestions to make employees satisfied with work–family balance.     

1,4‐Dioxane: Emerging technologies for an emerging contaminant

The synthetic chemical, 1,4‐dioxane, is classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a probable human carcinogen. Between 2013 and 2015, the EPA detected 1,4‐dioxane in public drinking water supplies in 45 states at concentrations up to 33 µg/L and in groundwater from releases at hazardous waste sites across the United States. Although a Federal maximum contaminant level drinking water standard has not yet been proposed, state‐specific standards and criteria are as low as 0.3 µg/L. 1,4‐Dioxane is a recalcitrant chemical in that applications of conventional treatment technologies have had limited success in reducing concentrations in water to meet current and proposed health‐protective levels. Although mainly used as a stabilizer for the solvent 1,1,1‐trichloroethane, it has been used in other industrial processes and has been detected in a variety of consumer products, such as foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and detergents. The high aqueous solubility of 1,4‐dioxane coupled with limited solubility of chlorinated solvents typically found in conjunction with 1,4‐dioxane contamination is the primary reason for its treatment challenges. In the last several years, an alternative, cost‐effective technology has been developed that has demonstrated treatment to levels significantly lower than the Federal and state‐specific goals. This article provides a Federal and state‐by‐state summary of 1,4‐dioxane‐specific drinking water and groundwater concentration criteria and qualitative comparison of the effectiveness of conventional treatment technologies compared to the effectiveness of an alternative treatment technology. A case study is also provided to present details regarding the application of an alternative treatment technology at an active groundwater remediation site in California.     

Bridging information domains to improve ecological understanding of biological invasions in a marine ecosystem

We devised a practical method for integrating information on 2 marine invasive species using 3 different approaches: standardized ecological monitoring, online-reporting databases, and surveys of anglers and crabbers. Focusing on 2 recently introduced species with different characteristics, the Asian shore crab (Hemigrapsus sanguineus) and Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis), in the Hudson-Raritan watershed of New York and New Jersey, we used sensitivity analyses to explore the relative contribution of each information source to knowledge of species abundance and distribution. All 3 information sources contributed something unique to understanding abundance and distribution of the introduced crabs. Online and survey data on Asian shore crabs significantly affected predictions of abundance, whereas monitoring data did not. When survey data were omitted, abundance estimates were unchanged over time, but when they were included, the model predicted an increased abundance in 2012. All 3 data sets for the Asian shore crab significantly affected estimates of species coverage; surveys had the biggest influence, increasing range size by 4097.25 km². For the catadromous Chinese mitten crab, ecological monitoring data collected in freshwater shortly after the original sighting significantly shaped model estimates for abundance and documented the establishment phase of the mitten crab in an area outside the spatial scope of the surveyed resource users. However, the survey data significantly enlarged mitten crab range-size estimates by 6498.01 km². By demonstrating that data integration produced an image of the invasion process that would not have emerged had we used any 1 method individually, model results provide evidence for the advantages of an interdisciplinary approach.     

Numerical modelling of uncongested wood transport in the Rienz river

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - The Eulerian–Lagrangian model ORSA2D_WT is employed for the simulation of uncongested wood transport, with reference to a field experiment that studied the...     

Attitudes Toward Water Allocation: Segmenting the Public on Beliefs toward Water Conservation

Environmental Management - The population in the American West has been increasing at a rapid rate and is predicted to continue growing. As a result, the availability, use, and allocation of water...     

Flow cytometry assessment of cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species generation by single and binary mixtures of cadmium, zinc and copper on populations of the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila

In the present study, we have assessed by flow cytometry, the cytotoxicity of the heavy metals Cd, Zn and Cu on populations of the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila. The obtained LC(50) for these metals was estimated as 0.195mgCdl(-1), 3.58mgZnl(-1) and 0.47mgCul(-1), respectively. As a result, the toxicity rank for this eukaryotic microorganism is Cd>Cu>Zn. Using the same methodology and the Concentration Addition approach, the toxicity of binary mixtures of these metals was evaluated in order to detect the type of interaction between these metals. Results indicated that antagonism is the predominant interaction but it can change to additivity or even to synergism at high metal concentrations. Besides, the concentration ratio between metals plays also a crucial role in determining the type of metallic interaction, at least in Tetrahymena. Cytotoxicity data from single and bimetallic mixtures have been compared with those from selected microalgae, other species of ciliates, fish and mammalian cell lines and metazoan. By other hand, we have detected the mitochondrial generation of peroxides induced by both single and binary treatments with Cd, Zn and Cu on populations of Tetrahymena, using the specific fluorophore dyhidrorhodamine. The nature and concentrations of metal as well as the metallic ratio were important factors in reactive oxygen species production. All results found in T. thermophila are compared with previous reports in other organisms and, some explanations and hypothesis to support results are given, including the involvement of metallothioneins as antioxidants and their role in the binding of metal cations.     

Armaments and ornaments in the rock sparrow: a possible dual utility of a carotenoid-based feather signal

Females often base their mating preferences on male sexual secondary traits that are used to settle contests among males. Such traits are likely to be honest indicators of male quality if they are constantly used during costly male–male agonistic interactions. Carotenoid signals have been shown to work as a handicap because they are costly to produce. However, the role of carotenoids as “honest” signals during male contests is less clear, and it is not known whether a carotenoid-based trait can serve in both male–male competition and female choice. In this study, we studied the dual function of a carotenoid feather ornament in the rock sparrow (Petronia petronia), a bird species in which both sexes have a yellow throat patch whose size positively correlates with phenotypic measures. First, we investigated, in a field study, whether the size of a male’s yellow patch correlates with his ability to acquire a territory. Second, we tested the signal function of the yellow patch in two male–male interaction in captivity experiments. Finally, we measured female preference for males differing in throat patch size in a mate choice experiment. Our experiments revealed that the size of a male’s throat patch positively correlated with the number of nest boxes he was able to defend. Moreover, in controlled conditions, males with relatively large yellow patches had earlier access to food than those with small patches. Also, in an experiment in which a dummy rock sparrow with an experimentally manipulated yellow patch was positioned near a feeder, latency to feed by focal birds positively correlated with dummy patch size. Lastly, in a dichotomous mate choice experiment, females showed a proximity preference for males whose patch was experimentally enlarged. Taken together, these results suggest that the same carotenoid feather signal may be used in both male–male competition and female choice in this passerine bird.     

Factor analysis of submicron particle size distributions near a major United States-Canada trade bridge

A factor analytic model has been applied to resolve and apportion particles based on submicron particle size distributions downwind of a United States-Canada bridge in Buffalo, NY. The sites chosen for this study were located at gradually increasing distances downwind of the bridge complex. Seven independent factors were resolved, including four factors that were common to all of the five sites considered. The common factors were generally characterized by the existence of two or more number and surface area modes. The seven factors resolved were identified as follows: fresh tail-pipe diesel exhaust, local/street diesel traffic, aged/evolved diesel particles, spark-ignition gasoline emissions, background urban emissions, heavy-duty diesel agglomerates, and secondary/transported material. Submicron (<0.5 microm) and ultrafine (<0.1 microm) particle emissions downwind of the bridge were dominated by commercial diesel truck emissions. Thus, this study obtained size distinction between fresh versus aged vehicle exhaust and spark-ignition versus diesel emissions based on the measured high time-resolution particle number concentrations. Because this study mainly used particles <300 nm in diameter, some sources that would usually exhibit number modes >100 nm were not resolved. Also, the resolved profiles suggested that the major number mode for fresh tailpipe diesel exhaust might exist below the detection limit of the spectrometer used. The average particle number contributions from the resolved factors were highest closest to the bridge.     

Stoffströme von Benzol unter besonderer Berücksichtung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

In the Federal Republic of Germany, benzene is one of the most important basic materials for the chemical industry. Only a relatively small proportion of the pure benzene processed in the chemical industry is emitted into the environment (ca. 40t in 1991). But the substance is also a natural component of the crude oil in gasoline and is released during incomplete combustion or is formed out of other aromatic substances. The primary source of emissions, with more than 10,000 t/yr (approximately 85% of this from motor vehicles with Otto engines), is commercial motor vehicle transportation. Benzene concentrations in the environment are approximately <1 μg/m³ in rural areas, 20–30 μg/m³ near main roads (peak levels in highly urbanized regions with much traffic as high as approximately 100 μg/m³) and 7–15 μg/m³ in the vicinity of industrial polluters. It has not been possible to detect a specific trend over time during the last ten years. An increased exposure (approx. 350–27,000 μg/m³) is likely while filling the tank and within the motor vehicle (approx. 10–200 μg/m³) due to gasoline volatilization from pipes, etc. Compared to outdoor air, higher concentrations of benzene (approx, 2–11 μg/m³) are measured in the indoor air which contains additionally benzene from tobacco smoke, equipment, renovating work and heating. The primary exposure pathway of benzene in humans is inhalation. Apart from individuals with occupational exposure, smokers have the highest internal benzene burden. Measures undertaken during recent years to reduce the amount of emissions have been counteracted at least in part by the increase in motor vehicle traffic. Further measures to reduce the emissions or to change the transporttation policies must still be or have already been initiated.