Systemic retention of ingested cantharidin by frogs

Summary Frogs(Rana pipiens) fed on blister beetles (Meloidae) or cantharidin, retain cantharidin systemically. After cessation of feeding, they void the compound relatively quickly. Systemic cantharidin does not protect frogs against ectoparasitic feeding by leeches(Hirudo medicinalis) or predation by snakes(Nerodia sipedon). As suggested by our data, and from reports in the early literature, ingestion of cantharidin-containing frogs can pose a health threat to humans.Paper no. 95 of the seriesDefense Mechanisms of Arthropods; no. 94 is LaMunyon & Eisner, Psyche (in press)     

环境中的药物——LC-MS/MS分析地表水和地下水

成百上千的活性物质正被用于人药和兽药处方中.由于药物的广泛应用,它们的残留物可通过多种途径进入环境.虽然主要通过尿和粪便的排泄,但是药品生产中的排放也应被考虑.当抗生素用于水产业,就会产生更直接的影响.污水处理设备不能完全除去药物,因此药物会出现在地表和地下水样品中.近年来,人们对环境中药物的兴趣正在增加,需要建立一种快速、灵敏、有选择性的方法来分析水样.     

Parsing organizational culture: How the norm for adaptability influences the relationship between culture consensus and financial performance in high‐technology firms

The relationship between organizational culture and financial performance remains elusive even though researchers have studied it for some time. Early research suggested that a strong culture that aligns members' behavior with organizational objectives boosts financial performance. A more recent view is that, because strong cultures promote adherence to routines and behavioral uniformity, they are less effective in dynamic environments. We suggest that the relationship between culture and performance can be reconciled by recognizing that culture encompasses three components: (1) the content of norms (norm content); (2) how widely members agree about norms (culture consensus); and (3) how intensely organizational members hold particular norms (norm intensity). We hypothesize that “strong cultures”—where a high consensus exists among members across a broad set of culture norms—can contribute to better financial performance even in dynamic environments if norm content intensely emphasizes adaptability. We test this hypothesis in a sample of large firms in the high‐technology industry. Firms characterized by higher culture consensus and intensity about adaptability performed better three years later than did those characterized by lower consensus, lower intensity about adaptability, or both. We discuss how parsing culture into content, consensus, and intensity advances theoretical and empirical understanding of the culture–performance relationship. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reach‐Scale Geomorphic and Biological Effects of Localized Streambank Armoring

Armoring of streambanks is a common management response to perceived threats to adjacent infrastructure from flooding or erosion. Despite their pervasiveness, effects of reach‐scale bank armoring have received less attention than those of channelization or watershed‐scale hydromodification. In this study, we explored mechanistic ecosystem responses to armoring by comparing conditions upstream, within, and downstream of six stream reaches with bank armoring in Southern California. Assessments were based on four common stream‐channel assessment methods: (1) traditional geomorphic measures, (2) the California Rapid Assessment Method for wetlands, (3) bioassessment with benthic macroinvertebrates, and (4) bioassessment with stream algae. Although physical responses varied among stream types (mountain, transitional, and lowland), armored segments generally had lower slopes, more and deeper pools and fewer riffles, and increased sediment deposition. Several armored segments exhibited channel incision and bank toe failure. All classes of biological indicators showed subtle, mechanistic responses to physical changes. However, extreme heterogeneity among sites, the presence of catchment‐scale disturbances, and low sample size made it difficult to ascribe observed patterns solely to channel armoring. The data suggest that species‐level or functional group‐level metrics may be more sensitive tools than integrative indices of biotic integrity to local‐scale effects.     

A river is reborn--Use Attainability Analysis for the Lower Des Plaines River, Illinois.

The goal of the Use Attainability Analysis (UAA) of the Lower Des Plaines River was to upgrade the designated "Secondary Contact Recreation and Indigenous Aquatic Life Use" to a higher use that would be commensurate with the goals of the Clean Water Act (CWA). In Illinois, the water body use in compliance with the goals of the CWA is named "General Use". The river has been extensively modified and receives most point-source and urban runoff discharges from the Chicago metropolitan area (9.5 million inhabitants). The study included an extensive assessment of the physical, chemical, biological, and bacteriological integrity status of the water body and sediments. The UAA found that the water quality situation of the river has improved significantly since the 1970s, when the Illinois Pollution Control Board defined and assigned the Secondary Contact Recreation and Indigenous Aquatic Life Use designation to the Lower Des Plaines River. The study defined and suggested a "Modified Impounded Use" for one highly modified reach, with adjusted standards for dissolved oxygen and recreation. The study also recommended adoption of the General Use standards, some of them in a modified form, for other water quality parameters. Standards for limited recreation were also developed. The UAA also outlines a suggested action plan that will bring UAA segments of the Lower Des Plaines River in compliance with UAA goals.     

“Killing them with kindness”? A study of service employees' responses to uncivil customers

Experiencing uncivil customers is a frequent reality for many people working in the service industry. Past research has established that dealing with uncivil customers can be distressing for employees and can sometimes lead them to engage in reciprocal, discourteous behavior. The purpose of our research is to delve deeper into the experience of customer incivility from the perspective of service employees in order to better understand the various ways in which they respond to customer incivility. We conducted 64 interviews with service employees across an array of occupations and developed a typology of responses to customer incivility. These responses fell into four categories based on the extent to which service employees' actions were intended to promote social harmony (and therefore could broadly be considered civil or uncivil), as well as their perceived agency in the situation. We describe how each response was associated with different interpersonal and intrapersonal consequences and explain the implications of our typology for management theory and practice.     

210Pb-dating of a lake sediment core from Lough Carra (Co. Mayo, western Ireland): use of paleolimnological data for chronology validation below the 210Pb dating horizon

The chronologies and sediment accumulation rates for a lake sediment sequence from Lough Carra (Co. Mayo, western Ireland) were established by applying the constant initial concentration (CIC) and constant rate of supply (CRS) hypotheses to the measured ²¹⁰Pb_excess profile. The resulting chronologies were validated using the artificial fallout radionuclides ¹³⁷Cs and ²⁴¹Am, which provide independent chronostratigraphic markers for the second half of the 20th century. The validity of extrapolating the derived CIC and CRS dates below the ²¹⁰Pb dating horizon using average sedimentation rates was investigated using supplementary paleolimnological information and historical data. Our data confirm that such an extrapolation is well justified at sites characterised by relatively stable sedimentation conditions.     

Emission and Performance Characteristics of a 2 Litre Toyota Diesel Van Operating on Esterified Waste Cooking Oil and Mineral Diesel Fuel

Exhaust emission and performance characteristics were evaluated in a Toyota van, powered by a 21 indirect injection (IDI) naturally aspirated diesel engine, operating on vegetable based waste cooking oil methyl ester (WCOME).Tests were performed on a chassis dynamometer and the data were compared with previous results conducted on the same vehicle using mineral diesel fuel. The data obtained includes smoke opacity, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), oxygen (O₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), nitric oxide (NO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and brake power. Engine lubricating oil samples were also taken. Results from this study indicated a difference of approximately 9% in brake power between the two fuels. WCOME developed a significant lower smoke opacity level and reduced CO, CO₂, SO₂ emissions. However, O₂, NO₂ and NO levels were higher with the vegetable oil based fuel. Power values were comparable for both fuels. Lubricating oil analysis gave little change of viscosity and wear metal concentrations after 2887km were: Silicon 35ppm, Chromium 3.3ppm, Iron 33.8ppm, Copper 14.1ppm and lead 78.6ppm.     

Careers as tournaments: The impact of sex and gendered organizational culture preferences on MBAs' income attainment

Drawing on gender role theory and tournament theory, we examined the effects of sex and organizational culture preferences on the incomes of MBA graduates over an 8‐year period. We found that masculine culture preferences led to higher income 4 years after graduation and, in contrast to previous research, the effect was stronger for women. By 8 years after graduation, however, men's rate of income increase was significantly higher than women's, an effect that was mediated by hours worked per week. These findings clarify some of the conflicting results of previous research on the effects of gender roles on women's careers and suggest that a tournament‐like aspect of careers may account for higher incomes in organizations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.