Motivating energy conservation in the workplace: An evaluation of the use of group-level feedback and peer education

Research suggests that curbing consumer demand for energy through behavioral interventions is an essential component of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in the short-term. Behavior within organizational settings poses a particular challenge to those wishing to promote energy conservation because employees typically have no direct financial incentive to reduce energy use and rarely have access to information regarding their level of consumption. Two relatively simple and easy-to-implement interventions were evaluated in a workplace setting during the fall of 2008. The first involved group-level feedback presented monthly to employees via e-mail. The second used peer educators to disseminate information and to encourage colleagues to reduce energy use. Both interventions were compared to an information-only control designed to educate employees about how and why to conserve energy. Results indicated that feedback and peer education resulted in a 7% and 4% reduction in energy use, respectively. Buildings that received the control increased energy use by 4%. The effect of peer education was limited by implementation failures in two buildings. The utility of these interventions will be discussed in terms of their overall potential for reducing energy use, as well as the feasibility of their being implemented in future organizational settings.     

Virtual landscape-scale restoration of altered channels helps us understand the extent of impacts to guide future ecosystem management

Human modification of hydrological connectivity of landscapes has had significant consequences on ecosystem functioning. Artificial drainage practices have fundamentally altered northern landscapes, yet these man made channels are rarely considered in ecosystem management. To better understand the effects of drainage ditches, we conducted a landscape-scale analysis across eleven selected study regions in Sweden. We implemented a unique approach by backfilling ditches in the current digital elevation model to recreate the prehistoric landscape, thus quantifying and characterizing the channel networks of prehistoric (natural) and current (drained) landscapes. Our analysis detected that 58% of the prehistoric natural channels had been converted to ditches. Even more striking was that the average channel density increased from 1.33 km km⁻² in the prehistoric landscape to 4.66 km km⁻² in the current landscape, indicating the extent of ditching activities in the northern regions. These results highlight that man-made ditches should be accurately mapped across northern landscapes to enable more informed decisions in ecosystem management.     

The Distracting Effects of a Ringing Cell Phone: An Investigation of the Laboratory and the Classroom Setting

The detrimental effects of a ringing phone on cognitive performance were investigated in four experiments. In Experiments 1 and 2, the effects of different types of sounds (a standard cell phone ring, irrelevant tones and an instrumental song commonly encountered by participants) on performance were examined. In Experiment 1, slower responses were observed in all auditory groups relative to a silence condition, but participants in the ring and song conditions recovered more slowly. In Experiment 2, participants who were warned about the potential for distraction recovered more quickly, suggesting a benefit of this prior knowledge. This investigation continued in a college classroom setting (Experiments 3a and 3b); students were exposed to a ringing cell phone during the lecture. Performance on a surprise quiz revealed low accuracy rates on material presented while the phone was ringing. These findings offer insight into top-down cognitive processes that moderate involuntary orienting responses associated with a common stimulus encountered in the environment.     

Cuticular hydrocarbons correlate with fertility, not dominance, in a paper wasp, Polistes dominulus

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are information-rich signals in social insects that coordinate behaviors within nests. However, in some taxa, the precise information conveyed by CHCs is poorly understood. In particular, there is a debate over whether CHCs convey information about their bearer's dominance or fertility. Distinguishing between dominance and fertility signaling is difficult because fertility and rank are frequently correlated within social insect colonies. This study disentangles those relationships by examining CHCs of Polistes dominulus paper wasps during the early nest-founding stage before dominance and fertility become correlated. First, we confirm that dominance and fertility are not associated in early spring foundresses. Then we show that CHCs are more strongly associated with fertility than dominance. There was no relationship between cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and a wasp’s ability to dominate rivals through aggression, suggesting that CHCs are unlikely to provide information about dominance. However, there was a significant correlation between ovarian development and the CHC profile, suggesting that CHCs could convey valuable information about their bearer's fertility. Furthermore, our data provide a potential mechanism for chemical signaling of fecundity, as there is a relationship between endogenous juvenile hormone titer (a gonadotropin), degree of ovarian development, and the CHC profile. Hormonal regulation of CHC profile expression offers a physiological mechanism to coordinate behavior, physical state, and signal expression.     

An Ecosystem Approach to Combat Desertification on the Colorado Plateau

Desertification of shrub and grassland into pinyon-juniper woodland is occurring over much of the Colorado Plateau in the southwestern United States. As trees invade, they out-compete shrubs and grasses, increasing erosion rates and reducing infiltration of moisture into the soil. This has caused habitat problems for wildlife, and reduced forage for livestock. These impacts also affect the human communities that rely on ranching and tourism related to hunting. Past land use and management practices including heavy livestock grazing, fire suppression and introduction of exotic annual plants are believed to have led to current conditions. The Montrose office of the Bureau of Land Management has implemented an ecosystem-based program to reverse the desertification process on public land. The program is centered on detailed landscape objectives describing the desired vegetation mosaic on 360 000 ha of public land. The objectives outline proportions of plant seral stages and arrays of patch sizes for each planning unit. These objectives are based on priority management issues and the need to replicate a natural vegetation mosaic. Where the existing mosaic does not meet objectives, mechanical vegetation treatments and prescribed fire are used to create early and mid-seral patches on the ground. This restored vegetation pattern and type should be sustained over time through a natural fire regime and improved livestock management. Because many uncertainties exist, an adaptive management process is being used that allows mosaic objectives to be changed or processes modified where monitoring or scientific research indicate a need.     

Recommended pre-test counseling points for noninvasive prenatal testing using cell-free DNA: a 2015 perspective

Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) using cell-free DNA is being offered to an increasing number of women. Comprehensive pre-test counseling is complicated by emerging information about the benefits and limitations of testing, as well as the potential to detect incidental findings. Genetic counselors are trained to facilitate informed decision-making; however, not all centers have access to these professionals. To aid in the informed consent process, we have summarized key points to be included in discussions with patients who are considering NIPT. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.