Person-Situation interaction: Competing models of fit

This paper identifies three models of person-situation interaction in an effort to conceptually clarify and integrate previous research. Statistical criteria for each model are then developed and tested within one organizational setting. Results indicate partial support for each of the three interaction models, and suggest various improvements for person-situation interaction research.     

Field-Based Evaluation Tool for Riparian Buffer Zones in Agricultural Catchments

Riparian buffer zones can improve water quality and enhance habitat, but a comprehensive yet rapid method that can assist the resource manager in assessing the effectiveness of buffers is not available. The aim of this paper is to describe and illustrate the use of a newly developed field-based evaluation tool for riparian buffer zones in agricultural catchments. The Buffer Zone Inventory and Evaluation Form (BZIEF) incorporates criteria-based scoring systems developed from literature review, subsequent peer-review, and then a pilot field study. Use of the BZIEF is demonstrated by comparing buffer zones in three catchments established for water quality and habitat improvement under the Water Fringe Option agrienvironment scheme in England in order to assess whether the buffers were likely to provide environmental enhancement. Results among the three catchments were generally similar; buffer zones scored highly for their abundant vegetation cover, lack of erosion, stream habitat quality, and sufficient width. Furthermore, previous grassland or arable land use did not substantially affect buffer zone ratings. However, the BZIEF indicated that inappropriate soil characteristics in one catchment were likely to constrain buffer zone effectiveness for improving water quality. In another catchment, poor riparian vegetation diversity and structure may yield ineffective habitat enhancement, according to the BZIEF. It was concluded that the BZIEF might be a useful tool for buffer zone comparison and monitoring, even though more work is needed to test and validate the method. For example, the BZIEF could be used to target appropriate locations for buffer zones and is flexible, so could be adapted for different policies, objectives and regions.     

Sustainable procurement in practice: Lessons from local government

By committing to green procurement, the UK government has taken a key initial step towards sustainable development. But can this be put into practice? This policy analysis explores the background to green procurement in English local government through desk research and data collection, including interviews with five local authorities. It finds that green procurement has been encouraged through legislation, providing information and dismantling barriers, but momentum was lost following the Gershon review. Implementation of the new action plan would ensure green procurement becomes embedded within government procurement. New information to link up green procurement with organisational goals would also expand the horizons of green procurement.     

An enormous Jurassic turtle bone bed from the Turpan Basin of Xinjiang, China

A spectacular new terrestrial Konzentratlagerst?tte is introduced from the Turpan Basin of Xinjiang, China that probably belongs to the late Middle Jurassic Qigu Formation. It contains a mass accumulation of “xinjiangchelyid” turtles preliminarily identified as Annemys sp. In the zone with the highest turtle concentration, complete and articulated turtle skeletons are tightly packed at a density of up to 36 turtles per square meter. The fossiliferous layer is thickened here and shows an erosional base. This high concentration zone outcrops approximately 10?m in length and shows no decrease in turtle density after exposing 2?m of the layer into the hillside. Adjacent is a more expansive zone of at least 10?m by 30?m. In this region, the fossiliferous layer is evenly thick, and approximately five, fully disarticulated turtles are present per square meter. A conservatively estimated 1,800 turtles may, therefore, have been deposited at this site. It is likely that these aquatic turtles gathered in a retreating water hole in a riverine environment during a drought, much as some aquatic turtles will do today, but perished when the habitat dried up completely. A following catastrophic rainfall event caused a debris flow, possibly channelized in a dry river bed, which transported complete turtles, disarticulated turtles, and mudstone clasts and deposited them after a short distance. This taphonomic model is consistent with previous environmental reconstructions of the Turpan Basin during the late Middle Jurassic in predicting the episodic breakdown of regional monsoonal circulation resulting in a seasonally dry climate with severe episodic droughts.     

Levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Densu River Basin of Ghana

The concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Densu River Basin in Ghana were measured using gas chromatograph. Surface water samples were collected from nine stations, namely, Potroase, Koforidua Intake, Suhyien, Mangoase, Asuboi, Nsawam Bridge, Afuaman, Ashalaga, and Weija Intake in the Densu Basin. Total PAH concentrations varied from 13.0 to 80.0 ??g/mL in the Densu River, with a mean value of 37.1 ??g/mL. The two- to three-ring PAHs (low-molecular-weight PAHs) were found to be dominant in the Densu River Basin. Total PAH concentrations showed the following pattern: Koforidua Intake (80.0 ??g/mL) > Asuboi (50.8 ??g/mL) > Afuaman (47.9 ??g/mL) > Weija Intake (45.0 ??g/mL) > Suhyien (27.6 ??g/mL) > Nsawam (23.5 ??g/mL) > Ashalaja (22.9 ??g/mL) > Potroase (23.3 ??g/mL) > Mangoase (13.0 ??g/mL). According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), background levels of PAHs in drinking water supplies in the USA range from 0.004 to 0.024 ??g/mL. PAH levels from all sites exceeded the range set by ATSDR. B[a]P contributed the highest carcinogenic exposure equivalent (0.3 ??g/mL), followed by B[a]A (0.132 ??g/mL) and B[b]F (0.08 ??g/mL), contributing 52.6%, 23.2%, and 4.6%, respectively, of the total carcinogenicity of surface water PAH in the Densu River Basin. The carcinogenic potency was estimated to be 0.57 ??g/mL. The presence of PAHs was an indication of the water sources being contaminated, with potential health implications.     

An experimental study of the interaction effects of incentive compensation,career ambition,and task attention on Chinese managers' strategic risk behaviors

Building on the person–pay interaction model, we developed and tested a model for the influence of managers' career ambition and task attention on their responses to incentive compensation under different conditions of firm performance. We argued that managers with greater career ambition and task attention will be more responsive to incentive compensation, thereby engaging in more strategic risk behaviors, such as strategic risk taking and strategic change. Results of our experiment using a managerial decision‐making game with a sample of Chinese managers partially supported this contingency perspective. Under the condition of performance decline, managers' career ambition only accentuated the positive relationship between incentive compensation and strategic change. By contrast, task attention strengthened the positive relationships between incentive compensation and both strategic risk taking and strategic change. However, under the condition of performance growth, neither managers' career ambition nor their task attention influenced their responses to incentive compensation. We discuss the implications for how organizational leaders can use incentive compensation to influence the strategic risk behaviors of managers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

16S ribosomal RNA tools identify an unexpected predominance of Paenibacillus-like bacteria in an industrial activated sludge system suffering from poor biosolids separation.

Molecular biology tools targeting 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) were used to identify a predominant bacterial population in a full-scale dairy wastewater activated sludge system suffering from poor biosolids separation. Gram and acridine orange staining indicated that viable, Gram-positive microorganisms were present in samples removed from the influent waste stream and represented approximately 50% of total cell counts in samples removed from the mixed liquor. Subsequently, the "full-cycle 16S rRNA approach" showed that phylogenetic relatives of Paenibacillus spp., a low guanine-plus-cytosine percent DNA-content, Gram-positive microorganism, represented up to 30% of total 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-stained cell counts in samples of mixed liquor. Although fluorescent in situ hybridizations with 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide hybridization probes identified Paenibacillus-like spp. in samples removed from the influent waste stream, their abundance was less than 10% of total stained cell counts. Results of this study suggest that Paenibacillus-like spp. were present in low abundance in the influent waste stream, increased in relative abundance within the treatment system, and should be examined further as a candidate bacterial population responsible for poor biosolids separation. This study demonstrates that the full-cycle 16S rRNA approach can be used to identify candidate bacterial populations that may be responsible for operational upsets in full-scale activated sludge systems without prior information from cultivation or microscopic analyses.     

Fungal-bacterial network in PAH–contaminated coastal marine sediment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Fungal microbiome interacts with the other biotic components in coastal sediment playing a key role in the overall coordination of the whole microbial...