Coalitionary mate guarding by male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda

Cooperative mate guarding by males is unusual in mammals and birds, largely because fertilizations are non-shareable. Chimpanzees live in fission-fusion communities that have cores of philopatric males who cooperate in inter-group aggression and in defending access to the females in their community. Male contest mating competition is restrained within communities, but single high-ranking males sometimes try to mate guard estrous females. Data from an unusually large chimpanzee commmunity at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda, that contains more males than any previously studied community show new variation in chimpanzee mate-guarding behavior. Contrary to expectation given the large number of males, mate guarding was as common as, or more common than, at other sites, and males other than the alpha male guarded more often. More strikingly, pairs or trios of top-ranking males sometimes engaged in cooperative aggression to prevent estrous females from mating with other males, but tolerated each other's mating activities. Both single males and coalitions mostly guarded periovulatory females. Mate-guarding coalitions were previously unknown in chimpanzees. Coalitions occurred in large mating parties, seemingly because these often contained too many males for single males to maintain exclusive access to estrous females. Coalition members gained higher shares of copulations than they could have expected from solo mate guarding, and suffered lower per capita costs of guarding (as inferred from aggression rates). Two males who most often participated in coalitions formed two-male coalitions at about the point where the number of males present made it unlikely that either could get 50% or more of total copulations on his own, and formed trios when this value dropped below 33%. Kin selection could be a factor in cooperation among male chimpanzees, but coalition members were not necessarily close relatives and the apparent structure of payoffs fit that of mutualism. Furthermore, reliance of male chimpanzees on support from allies to maintain high rank could have led to trading of mating exclusivity for support against mating competitors. Received: 28 May 1997 / Accepted after revision: 16 May 1998     

THE VULNERABILITY OF WETLANDS TO CLIMATE CHANGE: A HYDROLOGIC LANDSCAPE PERSPECTIVE1

ABSTRACT: The vulnerability of wetlands to changes in climate depends on their position within hydrologic landscapes. Hydrologic landscapes are defined by the flow characteristics of ground water and surface water and by the interaction of atmospheric water, surface water, and ground water for any given locality or region. Six general hydrologic landscapes are defined; mountainous, plateau and high plain, broad basins of interior drainage, riverine, flat coastal, and hummocky glacial and dune. Assessment of these landscapes indicate that the vulnerability of all wetlands to climate change fall between two extremes: those dependent primarily on precipitation for their water supply are highly vulnerable, and those dependent primarily on discharge from regional ground water flow systems are the least vulnerable, because of the great buffering capacity of large ground water flow systems to climate change.     

Getting the ‘pulse’ of your employees: the use of cardiovascular research in better understanding behavior in organizations

Cardiovascular disease has severe consequences for both individual betterment and organizational health. Yet, organization‐based cardiovascular research remains quite limited. This commentary addresses this void by integrating research dating from the famous Hawthorne experiments with current medical science. It then suggests future organizational research on cardiovascular health and recommends use of specific composite cardiovascular measures to advance our understanding of the organizational implications of cardiovascular disease. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Locus of control at work: a meta‐analysis

This study meta‐analyzed the relationships between locus of control (LOC) and a wide range of work outcomes. We categorized these outcomes according to three theoretical perspectives: LOC and well‐being, LOC and motivation, and LOC and behavioral orientation. Hypotheses reflecting these three perspectives were proposed and tested. It was found that internal locus was positively associated with favorable work outcomes, such as positive task and social experiences, and greater job motivation. Our findings are discussed in relation to research on core self‐evaluation and the Big Five personality traits. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ergonomic Program Effectiveness: Ergonomic and Medical Intervention

The implementation of a successful ergonomic and medical intervention program designed to reduce the number and severity of injuries and illnesses and the associated levels of discomfort in the workplace is presented. Because of the recent activity concerning the on-again-off-again Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Ergonomic Program Standard questions have been raised as to the value and effectiveness of an organization’s ergonomics program. In light of these concerns, the immense cost associated with work-related injury and illness, and the related pain and suffering associated with such injuries and illnesses, it is important to present a workable and effective ergonomic and medical intervention program. The results of this applied study demonstrate that through the application of an ergonomic and medical intervention program, workplace-related injuries and illnesses can be reduced or eliminated.     

Physical Symptoms in Young Adults and Their Use of Different Computers and Mobile Phones

This paper presents the use of new technical equipment by young adults (30 years old or younger), and the physical symptoms they have. The paper then analyses how the symptoms are associated with the use of computers and mobile phones, taking into account the background information. The study is based on a survey of 15000 working-age ( 18-65) Finns. The responses (1563) covering young adults’ physical symptoms were analysed. Altogether 53.3% of all young adults had pretty often or more frequently pain, numbness or aches in the neck and 32.2% had aches in the hip and lower back. Women experienced more pain, numbness or aches in the neck (65.0%) than men (34.5%). The use of different computers at leisure quite often had an association with some symptoms in different parts of the body. In addition, exhaustion at work had associations with some physical symptoms. In the future, it is essential to note ergonomic reasons and exhaustion at work when young adults experience pain, numbness or aches.     

Experimental investigation of spark ignition energy in kerosene,hexane, and hydrogen

Quantifying the risk of accidental ignition of flammable mixtures is extremely important in industry and aviation safety. The concept of a minimum ignition energy (MIE), obtained using a capacitive spark discharge ignition source, has traditionally formed the basis for determining the hazard posed by fuels. While extensive tabulations of historical MIE data exist, there has been little work done on ignition of realistic industrial and aviation fuels, such as gasoline or kerosene. In the current work, spark ignition tests are performed in a gaseous kerosene–air mixture with a liquid fuel temperature of 60 °C and a fixed spark gap of 3.3 mm. The required ignition energy was examined, and a range of spark energies over which there is a probability of ignition is identified and compared with previous test results in Jet A (aviation kerosene). The kerosene results are also compared with ignition test results obtained in previous work for traditional hydrogen-based surrogate mixtures used in safety testing as well as two hexane–air mixtures. Additionally, the statistical nature of spark ignition is discussed.     

Assessment of an accidental vapour cloud explosion: Lessons from the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. accident at Jaipur,India

On 29 October 2009, at 19:30 IST, a devastating vapour cloud explosion occurred in a large fuel storage area at the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Depot in Jaipur, India, generating significant blast pressure. As a consequence of this explosion, the entire installation was destroyed, buildings in the immediate vicinity were heavily damaged, and windowpane breakages were found up to 2 km from the terminal. The IOC estimated that the total loss from the fire and explosion was approximately INR 2800 million.Ironically, as a storage site, the Jaipur terminal was not highly congested, and thus was not considered to have adequate potential for a vapour cloud explosion (VCE). Nevertheless, the prima facie evidences indicate that this was a case of VCE. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to quantify the potential overpressures due to vapour cloud explosions (VCEs) using the Process Hazard Analysis DNV Norway based PHAST 6.51 Software. The results are validated by the extent of the damage that had occurred. The estimation of the VCE shows that a maximum 1.0 bar overpressure was generated in the surrounding area. The initial assessment of the accident data roughly estimates the release mode, time, and amount of vaporized fuel. A more accurate estimate has been obtained by modelling the dispersion of vapour clouds in the surrounding atmosphere, which reveals trends and relationships for the occurrence of vapour cloud explosions.