The interethnic differences of the human serum paraoxonase polymorphism analysed by a quantitative and a qualitative method †

The polymorphism of the human serum paraoxonase¹ was analyzed by two distinguished methods in six different ethnic groups (Caucasians, Mongoloids, Negroids), using (1) the Computer Method² and (2) the Carro‐Ciampi Method³‘⁴. Analysis of the response of the enzyme activities to salts resulting in low and high activity ratios.

Comparison of the results:

In Caucasians we distinguished three phenotypes by the Computer method. The polymorphism was governed by two alleles. The Hardy‐Weinberg rule for a two‐allele model was valid. Individuals belonging to the homozygotic group with low activity had a low activity ratio (Carro‐Ciampi method). With both methods a frequency between 57% and 61% was observed for this group. Individuals with medium and high activity had a high activity ratio.

In Negroids and Mongoloids samples we found (by the Computer method) a low activity group (Ghanaians 9.6%, Jamaicans 13.6%, Indonesians 6.7%, Koreans 19.6%). The Hardy‐Weinberg rule for a two‐ or three‐allele model was not valid. Individuals belonging to the low activity group had a low activity ratio, all individuals with higher activity a high activity ratio (Carro‐Ciampi method).

Our results suggest that the members of the low activity group in the three races are homozygote for an identical allele.     

LEHR superfund stormwater runoff and putah creek mercury issues

Stormwater runoff from the University of California, Davis/U.S. Department of Energy Laboratory for Energy‐Related Health Research (UCD/US DOE LEHR) Superfund site located on the University of California campus in Davis, California, has been found to contain over 500 ng/L of total recoverable mercury, which is about ten times the California Toxics Rule criterion. This stormwater runoff is discharged to Putah Creek, which is Clean Water Act Section 303(d) listed as impaired for excessive mercury bioaccumulation in edible fish. A discussion is presented on the potential impact of the mercury in stormwater runoff from LEHR leading to excessive bioaccumulation of mercury in Putah Creek fish. The mercury in the stormwater runoff is derived from former flooding of the soils near the creek, which contains mercury derived from abandoned upstream mercury mines located in the Coast Range Vaca Hills to the west of LEHR. The implications of this situation for implementing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) to control mercury in stormwater runoff to Putah Creek are presented. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Restructured frame‐of‐reference training improves rating accuracy

The use of heuristic judgments is prevalent in organizations and negatively impacts accurate employee assessments. To minimize the negative impact of heuristic judgments (i.e., anchoring and adjustment), we aim to improve rating accuracy by restructuring frame‐of‐reference (FOR) training. We conducted five studies (N = 1,143) using different samples (three including participants with hiring experience), training environments (onsite and online), and rating contexts (evaluations of sales representatives, teachers, contract negotiation specialists, and retail store managers). Across the five studies, the average improvement in rating accuracy was at least twice as large for restructured FOR (vs. control) training as it was for typical FOR (vs. control) training; the difference in rating accuracy between restructured and typical FOR training was statistically significant. Furthermore, minimizing the anchoring effect rather than increasing opportunities for rating adjustments improved rating accuracy (Study 4). Finally, restructured FOR training achieved higher criterion validity (i.e., a higher strength of the association between ratings regarding a target and the target's objective performance) than did typical FOR training (Studies 3 and 5). We discuss implications for improving the effectiveness of diverse training programs and the accuracy of judgments in organizations.     

Factor structure of the transformational leadership model in human service teams

The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of the transformational leadership model in human service teams. As the nature of this work environment mandates certain management‐by‐exception practices, patterns of correlations between perceptions of active and passive management‐by‐exception behaviors and transformational, transactional, and laissez‐faire leadership were of interest. 236 leaders and 620 subordinates from 54 mental health teams completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, form 8Y. Results suggest that active and passive management‐by‐exception factors are independent constructs. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cultural and individual differences in self‐rating behavior: an extension and refinement of the cultural relativity hypothesis

This study examined the relationships between culture, individual attributes, and self‐rating behavior among 1,786 university students in Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, and Japan, and in doing so extended and refined the cultural relativity hypothesis. It explored the difference between vertical and horizontal individualists in self‐rating behavior, and examined the mediating effects of two individual attributes, self‐enhancement propensity and general self‐efficacy in the relationship between individualism and self‐rating behavior. The results confirmed that individualism is the cultural driver for self‐rating leniency, and that the individual‐level assessment of individualism is a stronger predictor of self‐rating leniency than are culture‐level differences. Vertical individualism was found to be positively related to self‐enhancement propensity, which in turn was positively related to self‐rating. Whereas, horizontal individualism was positively related to general self‐efficacy, which in turn had a positive relationship with self‐rating. We discuss the implications of the results for academic research and practical management. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Emotional social support and job burnout among high‐school teachers: is it all due to dispositional affectivity?

The authors investigated whether the relationship between the contents of emotional social support and job burnout among high‐school teachers is spurious because of the role of dispositional positive and negative affectivity. A national sample of 339 teachers was surveyed via a web‐based procedure. Hierarchical regression analyses did not support spuriousness; emotional social support was uniquely predictive of three dimensions of burnout controlling for affectivity. As positive emotional social support increased, emotional exhaustion and cynicism decreased, and professional efficacy increased. As negative emotional social support increased, emotional exhaustion and cynicism also increased. Commonality analyses based on the present data and data reported by K. L. Zellars and P. L. Perrewé (2001; Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 459–467) provided additional support for the unique role of emotional social support on burnout, but these analyses suggest a greater role of affectivity than emotional social support. These findings have implications for research on burnout as well as the prevention of burnout among teachers. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The politics of employment liability

Employment liability is an important check and balance against employee harm at work. In practice, however, an inadvertent consequence of employment liability is a potential shift in power from organizations to employees that affects subsequent managerial decision making. In this Incubator, we discuss behavioral and attitudinal ramifications of employment liability at work. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.