The influence of work‐family culture and workplace relationships on work interference with family: a multilevel model

This research tested a multilevel model examining the influence of work‐family culture and supportive workplace relationships on work interference with family. Web‐based survey data were provided by 792 information technology employees from 10 organizations. Random coefficient modeling was used to test a path model examining the relationships between work‐family culture, leader‐member exchange (LMX), coworker support, and work interference with family. The direct effects of LMX and coworker support on work interference with family were significant. The indirect effect of work‐family culture on work interference with family was also significant. Results demonstrate the value of work‐family culture in understanding supportive supervisory and coworker relationships and work interference with family and highlight the need to employ multilevel models to understand these relationships. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Processing and Properties of Mixtures of PHB-V with Post-consumer LDPE

Mixtures of poly-β-(hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate) PHB-V with virgin and post-consumer low density polyethylene (LDPE) were prepared by melt mixing in proportions of 100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30 and 0/100 (wt/wt%). The mixtures were analysed by infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), melting flow index (MFI), tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and biodegradation in simulated soil. The DMTA and DSC curves of post-consumer LDPE suggested that this polymer was a mixture of LDPE and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE). Virgin and post-consumer LDPE had lower MFI than PHB-V, but the blends showed higher index as the content of LDPE increased. The addition of LDPE reduced the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the mixtures compared with PHB-V. SEM indicated poor interfacial adhesion between PHB-V and LDPE. PHB-V degraded slow and gradually, while both LDPE showed virtually no degradation under the conditions studied. The biodegradability of the blends depended on their composition and of the type of LDPE. LDPE improved the biodegradability of the mixtures.     

Plant and Soil System Responses to Ozone After 3 Years in a Lysimeter Study with Juvenile Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

A lysimeter study was performed to monitor effects of elevated ozone on juvenile trees of Fagus sylvatica L. as well as on the plant–soil system. During a fumigation period over almost three growing seasons, parameters related to plant growth, phenological development and physiology as well as soil functions were studied. The data analyses identified elevated ozone to delay leaf phenology at early and to accelerate it at late developmental stages, to reduce growth, some leaf nutrients (Ca, K) as well as some soluble phenolics (hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, total flavonol glycosides). No or very weak ozone effects were found in mobile carbon pools of leaves (starch, sucrose), and other phenolic compounds (flavans). Altered gene expression related to stress and carbon cycling corresponded well with findings from leaf phenology and chemical composition analyses indicating earlier senescence and oxidative stress in leaves under elevated ozone. Conversely in the soil system, no effects of ozone were detected on soil enzyme activities, rates of litter degradation and lysimeter water balances. Despite the fact that the three reported years 2003–2005 were climatically very contrasting including a hot and dry as well as an extremely wet summer, and also mild as well as cold winters, the influence of ozone on a number of plant parameters is remarkably consistent, further underlining the phytotoxic potential of elevated tropospheric ozone levels.     

Characterization of Organic Compounds in Compost-Amended Soil

Samples of compost-amended soil from waste dumping sites in Lagos Metropolis were extracted with dichloromethane (3 × 20 cm³) and the extract was evaporated at 35 °>C. The residue was extracted with 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, and portions of the solution were applied to a column containing silica gel from which aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons were eluted with n-hexane and toluene respectively. Analysis of the n-hexane fraction using gas chromatography showed the presence of a mixture of aliphatic hydrocarbons, ranging from C₉ to C₂₅, while ultraviolet analysis of the toluene fraction suggested 1,2-benzanthracene; 2,3-benzphenanthrene, chrysene and pyrene as polyaromatic compounds present in samples analyzed. The crude extracts were highly coloured and viscous. Total extractable organic residues in the 2,2,4-trimethylpentane extracts ranged from 36 to 89 mg g^-1 of soil.     

Agricultural Chemicals in the Alluvial Aquifer of a Typical County of the Arkansas Delta

Statistical methods and a Geographic Information System (GIS) were used to investigate potential indicators of ground water vulnerability to agricultural chemical contamination in a representative area of the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer. A total of 47 wells were sampled for analysis of nitrate, phosphorus, potassium, and 13 pesticides commonly-used in the area. Ten soil and hydrogeologic variables and five ground water vulnerability indices were examined to explain the variations of chemical concentrations. The results showed that no individual soil or hydrogeologic variables or their linear combinations could explain more than 25% of the variation of the chemical concentrations. A quadratic response surface model with the values of confining unit thickness, slope, soil permeability, depth to ground water, and recharge rate accounted for 62% of the variation of nitrate, 43% of P, and 83% of K, suggesting that the interactions among soil and hydrogeologic variables were significant. Observed trends of decreasing nitrate and P concentrations with increasing well depth and/or depth to ground water seemed to correlate with carbonate equilibrium in the aquifer and more reduced environment with depth. In view of uncertainties involved, it was recognized that the limitations associated with input data resolution used in GIS and the formulation of leaching indices limited their use for predicting ground water vulnerability. Misuse of pesticides could be another factor that would complicate the relationships between pesticide concentrations and the vulnerability indices.     

Attitudes and Perceptions about Ecological Resources and Hazards of People Living Aroung the Savannah River Site

Although considerable attention is devoted to environmental monitoring and assessment with respect to both pollutants and the status of particular plant or animal populations, less attention is devoted to assessing people's attitudes about the relative importance of ecological resources. In this paper we examine the attitudes and perceptions about ecological resources of people living around the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS), in South Carolina. Our overall hypothesis is that people who are directly affected by the possible outcomes and consequences of a particular hazard (i.e., those people employed at SRS) will undervalue the risks and overvalue the potential benefits from future land uses that favor continued site activity, compared to people who live near but are not employed at SRS. We interviewed 286 people attending the Aiken Trials horse show on 14 March 1997. There were few gender differences, although men hunted and fished more than women, women ranked three environmental concerns as more severe than did men, and women were more concerned about the effect of SRS on property values. Maintenance of SRS as a National Environmental Research Park ranked first as a future land use; nuclear production ranked second, followed by hunting and hiking. Only residential development ranked very low as a future land use. There were many differences as a function of employment history at SRS: 1) people who work at SRS think that the federal government should spend funds to clean up all nuclear facilities, and they think less money should be spent on other environmental problems than did non-employees, 2) people who work at SRS ranked continued current uses of SRS higher than did people who never worked at SRS, and 3) people who work at SRS are less concerned about the storage of nuclear material or accidents at the site than are people who never worked at the site.     

Correcting the carbon cycle representation: How important is it for the economics of climate change?

Economic analyses of the greenhouse effect are typically carried out within the framework of computable general equilibrium models which represent the climate system by simple two box proxies based upon the pioneering work of Nordhaus. Since errors in predicting the carbon budget can imply high costs, there is some need to include more sophisticated climate models into the economics of global climate change. This paper presents a non-linear pulse representation of the process-based and data-validated Bern carbon model. Compared to the Nordhaus approach this leads to different results with respect to optimal climate policy and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. In particular, our results suggest that economic studies which use a Nordhaus representation of the climate system are biased towards high carbon emission and low abatement levels.     

Oviposition of carrot fly (Psila rosae) in response to foliage and leaf surface extracts of host plants

Summary. Foliage of twelve host and two non-host species and surrogate leaves treated with the respective leaf extracts were presented to laboratory populations of the carrot fly (Psila rosae) in oviposition choice assays. The stimulatory activity of dichloromethane surface extracts and the diethyl ether fraction of hot water extracts did not reflect accurately the differences in acceptability observed among intact leaves. A better correlation was found using hexane extracts prepared in a microwave oven. Two out of five fractions of this crude hexane extract obtained by silica gel column chromatography stimulated oviposition. The diethyl ether fraction, which contained the previously identified oviposition stimulants (propenylbenzenes, furanocoumarins, polyacetylenes), could account for only a minor part of the variation in the acceptability of host leaves. The preference hierarchy for intact leaves corresponded better to the ranking of species according to activity of the methanolic fraction, which apparently contains unknown stimulatory compounds.? The water fractions of the hot water extracts were shown to reduce egg-laying underneath surrogate leaves treated with a stimulatory extract. This oviposition-deterring effect was particularly strong with the non-preferred species Pimpinella major, which is also highly resistant in the field. Hence, unidentified inhibitory compounds may also contribute to differential accept ability of host plants. It is concluded that antixenotic (non-preference) resistance of host plants to carrot fly attack depends on complex mixtures of semiochemicals. Received 11 June 1997; accepted 26 November 1997.