Effects of external and internal interruptions on boredom at work: two studies

It is proposed that attentional difficulties are central to the experience of boredom. Events which disrupt attention during task performance may contribute to feelings of boredom with the task. Two sources of disruption are explored: external interruptions from the physical environment, and internal interruptions in the form of non-task-related thoughts about current concerns. Study 1 found that external interruptions reduced boredom on a simple task which required little attention, but contrary to expectations, had no impact on reactions to a simple task that did require attention or on reactions to a complex task. Study 2 manipulated internal interruptions via a role-playing methodology, and found that observers attributed greater boredom and less satisfaction to performers who were more frequently interrupted by non-task-related thoughts while at work, especially when these thoughts were about non-urgent concerns. The concepts of internal and external interruptions may be quite useful in understanding variations in the day-to-day experience of work, and in the relationship of non-work to work spheres of life. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Patterns of burnout among managers and professionals: a comparison of models

Using structural equation modeling, this paper compares the intertemporal sequences of the burnout components proposed by Maslach (1982) and Golembiewski (1989) using responses from 354 human resource professionals. The relationship between the burnout components and several critical variables that are theoretically linked to the phenomenon are also investigated. Studying human resource professionals allows us to examine the generalizability of burnout. This group of employees provides a range of services to a largely internal client group, and thus experience strain from interpersonal interactions. Results support Maslach's three-factor sequential model of burnout, although its superiority over the Golembiewski sequential model is not definitive. A post hoc analysis reveals a significant path between emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment, and an insignificant path between depersonalization and personal accomplishment. Investigation of the relationship between the burnout components and several critical, theoretically linked variables indicates significant paths between (a) role overload and emotional exhaustion, (b) noncontingent punishment and depersonalization, and (c) contingent rewards and personal accomplishment. The work documents the generalizability of burnout to managers and professionals in corporate settings. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of a field test method to evaluate gaseous air cleaner performance in a multizone building

The performance of gaseous air cleaners for commercial and residential buildings has typically been evaluated using test protocols developed for a controlled laboratory chamber or a test duct. It is currently unknown how laboratory measurements relate to the actual performance of an air cleaner installed in a real building. However, to date, there are no air cleaner field test protocols available, thereby limiting the existing field data. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has conducted a series of experiments to support test procedure development for evaluating the installed performance of gaseous air cleaning equipment, as well as metrics for characterizing field performance. To date, over 100 experiments have been completed, of which 23 portable air cleaner experiments and 6 in-duct air cleaner experiments are described in this paper. Tests were conducted in a finished three-bedroom/two-bathroom manufactured house equipped with several gas chromatographs to semi-continuously measure air change rates and volatile organic compound concentrations. Experimental variables included air cleaner location, isolation of zones by closing doors, and contaminant source location. For each experiment, air cleaner removal of decane was directly measured using the air cleaner inlet and outlet concentrations, as well as with mass balance analyses using measured room concentrations. With a verified mass balance model, a field performance metric was developed to compare installed whole-building performance to the performance predicted by a laboratory result. The results provide insight into the protocols and metrics that might prove useful for characterizing the field performance of air cleaners as well as the impact of air cleaner removal on zonal concentration levels in a variety of situations.     

Temporal and spatial variability in water quality of wetlands in the Minneapolis/St. Paul,MN metropolitan area: Implications for monitoring strategies and designs

Temporal and spatial variability in wetland water-quality variables were examined for twenty-one wetlands in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area and eighteen wetlands in adjacent Wright County. Wetland water quality was significantly affected by contact with the sediment (surface water vs. groundwater), season, degree of hydrologic isolation, wetland class, and predominant land-use in the surrounding watershed (p<0.05). Between years, only nitrate and particulate nitrogen concentrations varied significantly in Wright County wetland surface waters. For eight water-quality variables, the power of a paired before-and-after comparison design was greater than the power of a completely randomized design. The reverse was true for four other water-quality variables. The power of statistical tests for different classes of water-quality variables could be ranked according to the predominant factors influencing these: climate factors>edaphic factors>detritivory>land-use factors>biotic-redox or other multiple factors.For two wetlands sampled intensively, soluble reactive phosphate and total dissolved phosphorus were the most spatially variable (c.v.=76–249%), while temperature, color, dissolved organic carbon, and DO were least variable (c.v.=6–43%). Geostatistical analyses demonstrated that the average distance across which water-quality variables were spatially correlated (variogram range) was 61–112% of the mean radius of each wetland. Within the shallower of the two wetlands, nitrogen speciation was explained as a function of dissolved oxygen, while deeper marsh water-quality variables were explained as a function of water depth or distance from the wetland edge. Compositing water-quality samples produced unbiased estimates of individual sample means for all water quality variables examined except for ammonium.     

There is no “I” in nature: The influence of self-awareness on connectedness to nature

Environmentalists and ecopsychologists claim that focusing on “I” leads people to feel less connected to nature. The present study empirically tests this argument by manipulating participants’ objective self-awareness (OSA). Heightened OSA has been shown to increase participants’ self-focus, but also increase the impact of individuals’ attitudes and personality characteristics. Integrating these effects, we predicted that individuals lacking pro-environmental internal characteristics (nonenvironmentalists and those high on exploitativeness) would show decreased connection to nature in response to heightened OSA, while individuals with pro-environmental internal characteristics would not. For these individuals, their pro-environmental internal characteristics should counteract the effects of OSA on connection to nature. Two studies provide empirical support for this hypothesis. Implications of this research for pro-environmental actions are discussed.     

Pup guarding by greater spear-nosed bats

Alloparental care poses an evolutionary dilemma because effort is expended on non-filial offspring. Thus, instances of alloparental care have been attributed to either mistaken identity, (i.e., recognition errors) or active cooperation. In greater spear-nosed bats (Phyllostomus hastatus), reproductive females roost together in stable long-term social groups in cave ceilings. Non-volant pups frequently fall from roost sites to the cave floor where they can die unless retrieved by an adult. In this study, we examined the function of adult female visits to non-filial young and tested whether visits were attributable to recognition errors or to cooperation. We found that females visited non-filial pups from their own social group more than expected. Females from different social groups attacked and sometimes killed pups, and male pups were attacked more frequently than female pups. Visits by group mates benefited fallen pups by reducing the likelihood of attack by females from other groups. In contrast to the mistaken identity hypothesis, we found that some females leave their own pups to approach and remain with group mates’ pups. We used microsatellite markers to estimate relatedness and test whether kinship could explain this alloparental care and found that females were unrelated to the pups they guard. We conclude that females who reside in highly stable social groups exhibit cooperative behavior that cannot be explained by kinship and is unlikely to be due to direct or generalized reciprocity. Instead, our data suggest that alloparental care likely involves a complex interplay between group membership and cooperative foraging.     

USABILITY ASSESSMENTS FOR HYDROLOGIC FORECASTING DSS1

ABSTRACT: Usability assessments were used to obtain feedback on the development of a flood forecasting decision support system. The feedback was used to guide design of system functionality, interface, training, implementation, and operations. The usability process was user focused and was dependent upon implementation of a prototype system in an operational setting. This paper describes concepts and methods applied to collect reflective and objective data on DSS components and information outputs. The general structure of the usability assessments is discussed and results of assessments are summarized.     

A case study of urban heat islands in the Carolinas

Urbanization tends to aggravate the negative effects of climate. The objective of this research is to aid in the understanding of the spatial variation of urban heat islands within selected cities in North and South Carolina. This understanding will help guide efforts to cool cities in order to increase human comfort, conserve energy and resources, and reduce air pollution in both of these states.     

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for rapid detection of aneuploidy: experience in 911 prenatal cases†

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed with probes specific for chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y on 911 of 11123 (8.2%) amniotic fluid samples submitted to the present authors' laboratory for cytogenetic analysis over an 8-year period. Altogether 3516 hybridizations were performed with an interpretable FISH result on all chromosomes requested in 884/911 (97%) of cases. An uninformative FISH result occurred in 44 hybridizations among 27 cases (3%). Of a total of 89 karyotypically proven cases with aneuploidy that might have been detected by FISH, the overall detection rate was 84%. An inconclusive or incomplete FISH result occurred in 9/89 (10%) of these proven aneuploid cases. In the remaining 80 informative proven aneuploid cases, correct detection of aneuploidy was accomplished in 75/80 (94%) of samples. A false-negative result occurred in the remaining 5/80 (6%) of such informative cases. Eighteen cases had karyotypically proven abnormalities that could not have been detected by the targeted FISH. Aside from these 18 cases, FISH allowed correct detection of normal disomy in 785/804 (98%) of such cases. An incomplete FISH result occurred in 18 normal disomic cases. There was a single possible ‘false-positive’ FISH result for chromosome 21. Interphase FISH analysis of uncultured amniotic fluid cells has been shown to be a useful laboratory tool for rapid fetal aneuploidy screening during pregnancy. As with all clinical laboratory diagnostic tests, incomplete or inconclusive results (or even interpretive errors) occur in a small percentage of cases. Nevertheless, FISH results accompanied by other data and by appropriate counseling provide clinicians and patients with valuable information for clinical decision-making surrounding family planning and pregnancy management. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.