Secondary analysis of time of day on simulated driving performance

PROBLEM: Age and gender are frequently controlled for in studies of driving performance, but the effects of time of day or circadian cycles on performance are often not considered. Previous research on time of day effects of simulated driving is contradictory and provides little guidance for understanding the impact of these variables on results. METHODS: Using driving simulator data from 79 subjects ages 18 to 65, this paper focuses on the impact of age, gender, and time of day on the simulated driving performance of subjects who self-selected the time of participation. RESULTS: Time of day effects were consistently evident for drivers' speed overall and across different simulated environments. Drivers in the late afternoon period consistently drove significantly slower than drivers in other time periods. Age and gender affected speed such that women and those participants 50 and older tended to drive more slowly. Time of day also had an effect on reaction time and on speed variability measures. Gender did not have significant effects on reaction time or variability measures, but age effects were present. SUMMARY: Taken together, the results suggest that time of day effects should be considered as part of simulated driving performance, and that interactions between time of day and other variables, notably age, should be controlled for as part of future research. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Implications of these findings on current efforts for older driver testing are discussed.     

For the sake of my family: Understanding unethical pro-family behavior in the workplace

Unethical behaviors are prevalent and costly in organizations, and much recent research attention has been paid to different forms of workplace unethical behaviors. We contend that the extant research has overlooked an important form of workplace-related unethical behaviors: unethical behaviors that are conducted to benefit one's family but which violate societal and organizational moral rules, a construct we label as “unethical pro-family behavior” (UPFB). Our paper systematically conceptualizes UPFB and develops a scale for it. Drawing upon social cognitive theory, we argue that employees with stronger family financial pressure are more likely to employ moral disengagement mechanisms to deactivate moral self-regulation, resulting in higher levels of UPFB. Additionally, we argue that the proposed relationship is more pronounced when employees have high family motivation but is mitigated when employees have high organizational identification. Two studies are conducted for this paper. In Study 1 (N = 328 for Sample 1; N = 243 for Sample 2; N = 279 for Sample 3; N = 267 for Sample 4), we demonstrate that our UPFB scale has good construct validity and that our construct is differentiable from relevant constructs. In two time-lagged survey samples in Study 2 (N = 255 for Sample 1; N = 233 for Sample 2), we find support for our hypotheses. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.     

储罐用钢在3.5%NaCl溶液中的腐蚀行为研究

目的对比研究三种油气储罐在水压试验时的腐蚀行为特征。方法选用9Ni钢、Q235碳钢、304L不锈钢储罐用材料以及3.5%NaCl模拟海水溶液,采用开路电位、电化学阻抗谱、动电位极化曲线测试方法研究三种储罐用钢在模拟海水中的电化学腐蚀特征,同时结合浸泡质量损失试验和微观腐蚀形貌进行分析。结果 9Ni钢、Q235碳钢、304L不锈钢稳定后的开路电位(vs.SCE)分别为-0.55、-0.64、-0.10m V,Rt值分别为2 792、1 765、125 100,平均腐蚀深度分别为0.070 6、0.160 3、0.002 5 mm/a。微观腐蚀形貌显示,9Ni钢和Q235碳钢表面发生明显的腐蚀,而304L不锈钢只发生轻微的点蚀。结论在3.5%NaCl模拟海水溶液中,304L不锈钢最耐腐蚀,Q235碳钢最易腐蚀,9Ni钢居于两者之间。因此在9Ni钢和Q235碳钢储罐海水试压过程中需要采取临时保护。     

An application of a modified theory of planned behavior model to investigate adolescents’ job safety knowledge,norms, attitude and intention to enact workplace safety and health skills

Introduction: For many reasons, including a lack of adequate safety training and education, U.S. adolescents experience a higher rate of job-related injury compared to adult workers. Widely used social-psychological theories in public health research and practice, such as the theory of planned behavior, may provide guidance for developing and evaluating school-based interventions to prepare adolescents for workplace hazards and risks. Method: Using a structural equation modeling approach, the current study explores whether a modified theory of planned behavior model provides insight on 1,748 eighth graders’ occupational safety and health (OSH) attitude, subjective norm, self-efficacy and behavioral intention, before and after receiving instruction on a free, national young worker safety and health curriculum. Reliability estimates for the measures were produced and direct and indirect associations between knowledge and other model constructs assessed. Results: Overall, the findings align with the theory of planned behavior. The structural equation model adequately fit the data; most path coefficients are statistically significant and knowledge has indirect effects on behavioral intention. Confirmatory factor analyses suggest that the knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention measures each reflect a unique dimension (reliability estimates ≥0.86), while the subjective norm measure did not perform adequately. Conclusion: The findings presented provide support for using behavioral theory (specifically a modified theory of planned behavior) to investigate adolescents’ knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intention to engage in safe and healthful activities at work, an understanding of which may contribute to reducing the downstream burden of injury on this vulnerable population—the future workforce. Practical application: Health behavior theories, commonly used in the social and behavioral sciences, have utility and provide guidance for developing and evaluating OSH interventions, including those aimed at preventing injuries and promoting the health and safety of adolescent workers in the U.S., who are injured at higher rates than are adults.     

煤矿人为事故发生可能性预测数学模型研究

研究发现，煤矿工人的冒险行为主要可以由生产条件、个人表现、工作状况及用工方式等影响因素预测，煤矿人为事故的发生可能性主要由煤矿工人的冒险行为表现预测。据此，便可建立预测煤矿人为事故发生可能性的数学模型     

Saving power to conserve your reputation? The effectiveness of private versus public information

Environmental damage is often an unseen byproduct of other activities. Disclosing environmental impact privately to consumers can reduce the costs and/or increase the moral benefits of conservation behaviors, while publicly disclosing such information can provide an additional motivation for conservation - cultivating a green reputation. In a unique field experiment in the residence halls at the University of California – Los Angeles, we test the efficacy of detailed private and public information on electricity conservation. Private information was given through real-time appliance level feedback and social norms over usage, and public information was given through a publicly visible conservation rating. Our analysis is based on 7,120 daily observations about energy use from heating and cooling, lights and plug load for 66 rooms collected over an academic year. Our results suggest that while private information alone was ineffective, public information combined with private information motivated a 20 percent reduction in electricity consumption achieved through lower use of heating and cooling. Public information was particularly effective for above median energy users.     

Perceived prosocial impact,perceived situational constraints,and proactive work behavior: Looking at two distinct affective pathways

This paper examines the role of affect as a linking mechanism between experiences at work (perceived prosocial impact and situational constraints) and two distinct components of proactive work behavior (issue identification and implementation). Based on a dual‐tuning perspective, we argue that both positive affect and negative affect can be beneficial for proactive work behavior. Multi‐level path analysis using daily‐survey data from 153 employees showed that perceived prosocial impact predicted positive affect and that situational constraints as a typical hindrance stressor predicted negative affect. Negative affect, in turn, predicted issue identification, and positive affect predicted implementation. Overall, our study suggests that both positive and negative affects can be valuable in the organizational context by contributing to distinct components of proactive behavior. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of phenobarbital and polychlorinated biphenyls on the toxicity and disposition of 1,2,4,5‐tetrachlorobenzene in the rat

Soil avoidance by earthworms has been generally considered a relevant and sensitive endpoint for assessing soil contamination by xenobiotics. However, when pesticide ecotoxicological assessment is concerned, the sensitivity of the recently standardized avoidance assay has been questioned. We hypothesized that this controversy may be due to the specific pesticide mode of action of the chemicals used rather than reveal inconsistencies in the test feasibility, i.e. provided that no pesticides interfering with neuronal pathways are tested, this bioassay should keep expected high levels of sensitivity. In this study, the avoidance behaviour of the earthworm Eisenia andrei under exposure to the carbamate insecticide methomyl [S-methyl N-(methylcarbamoyloxy)thioacetimidate] was linked to the corresponding acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition. Significant AChE inhibition occurred at lower concentrations (from 0.86 mg Kg^?1 onwards) than significant avoidance of spiked soil (from 5.62 mg Kg^?1 onwards). This indicates that assessments regarding pesticides that have neurotoxic activity may be biased if behavioral endpoints are selected. Despite theoretical hypothesis that have been raised, this should be the first study providing preliminary experimental evidence on such a link between avoidance behavior and neuronal impairment levels in earthworms. Further studies are ongoing that should refine conclusions of this study.     

Hydrothermal liquefaction phase behavior of microalgae & model compounds in fused silica capillary reactor

A fused silica capillary reactor combined with a heating/cooling stage, a microscope and a digital camera were used to investigate phase behavior during the hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae (Dunaliella tertiolecta) and model compounds, including soya protein and glycine, starch, glucose and xylose, stearic acid and palmitic acid. Bubbles were generated at 246°C and disappeared at 360°C upon heating when Dunaliella tertiolecta used as feedstocks. Moreover, liquid products were generated at 300°C upon heating and oily liquid products began to separate out at 250°C upon cooling. The phase behavior of soya protein was similar to that of the Dunaliella tertiolecta. Meanwhile, there only observed the bubbles generation during hydrothermal liquefaction of glycine. Heating the starch, glucose and xylose above 350°C generated black solids from carbonization. Stearic acid and palmitic acid only had the process of melting, dissolution, dispersion and precipitation.     

包头市企业环境行为信用评价指标体系研究

企业环境行为信用评价是一种符合国情的先进的环境管理手段,是对当前环境管理制度的重要补充和完善.为了强化政府对污染源的监管,提升环保部门的环境监管力度和水平,督促企业持续改进环境行为,文章对不同尺度的指标体系进行了分析对比,结合包头市实际情况,构建了包含污染防治、环境管理、社会影响和组织管理四部分共二十五项指标的包头市企业环境行为信用评价指标体系,以期对环境管理起到检查和促进作用、前瞻和导向功能.