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Virtual Teams are the reality of 21st century. These teams work across time, space and organizational boundaries towards common goals, providing the potential for the best possible results in the shortest ...
Citation Citation
- Title:
- Common Practices to Handle Key Challenges in Managing Virtual Teams
- Author:
- Alluhibi, Asem, Trolese, Alex, Singla, Puniti, Bahrini, Sara, Jahromi, Shabnam R., Nickeson, Matt
- Year:
- 2012
Virtual Teams are the reality of 21st century. These teams work across time, space and organizational boundaries towards common goals, providing the potential for the best possible results in the shortest time possible. A virtual team is a group of individuals who pursue shared objectives while based at distant work sites. Being geographically dispersed, reliance on technology for communication and the inability to meet face to face have made managing virtual teams challenging in most cases. Our study topic is how modern companies overcome challenges in managing virtual teams. By doing a literature review, we identified the key challenges that virtual teams might face. Our team looked into detail at each problem areas and made a survey which has been answered by leaders and members of 21 high tech virtual teams. By analyzing the responses, we have come up with a list of the various ways that virtual teams are handling their challenges in real life. Among the common results, having regular follow up meetings in which leader shares the vision, check progress of the team, check quality of the deliverables, have round table discussion with each member seems to be the main practice which can cover most of the interpersonal and personal challenges virtual teams face. Using multiple/backup technologies as the communication media can guarantee a smooth communication among team members. Time zone differences can be handled by proper scheduling. It is also important that members be able to cover each other if one of them could not attend a meeting. We also found that the practices may a bit vary depending on size of team or age of team especially in time zone differences or technology challenges, however there are not hugely significant differences between the overall way large and small (more or fewer than 10 members), or mature and young (together more or less than 1 year) teams handle their challenges.
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972. [Article] Decision Model for Selection of Technologies to Reduce IT Operations Energy Cost in a Mid Size Firm
Most businesses today rely on IT systems in order to not only enhance their productivity of business processes but also increase their successes relative to the company strategies. Due to decreasing costs ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Decision Model for Selection of Technologies to Reduce IT Operations Energy Cost in a Mid Size Firm
- Author:
- DeLay, Robert, Honnappa, Lokesh, Chiamsiri, Vorakarn, Soysa, Dinesh, Cho, Yonghee
- Year:
- 2010
Most businesses today rely on IT systems in order to not only enhance their productivity of business processes but also increase their successes relative to the company strategies. Due to decreasing costs of hardware and software, companies are increasingly implementing new systems to solve business problems in a cost effective fashion. This has led to the proliferation of hardware systems within many companies. Perhaps those most affected are the mid-range companies, like the one in this study, that require sophisticated systems but oftentimes lack sufficient IT staff and budget to meet the strategic ambitions of the company. In this context, power consumption has become a consideration that must be included in IT decisions. For example, IEEE Spectrum projects that within five years (i.e., by 2015), the cost of power for data centers will surpass the cost of the equipment [1]. This study focuses on the technology purchasing decisions of a mid-sized firm (500 employees) that increase the energy efficiency of its computing systems while meeting its business objectives. For example, if company growth requires implementation of a more robust and up-to-date customer tracking system and includes hiring ten new employees, what course should be followed to ensure a reduction in energy consumption as well as the achievement of company business goals? Should the company purchase a couple of additional servers with limited capacity for growth or should the company replace 20 aging rack servers with six state-of-the-art servers for consolidation and the hosting of virtual machines? And should the company supply the new employees with new CRT monitors or recycle some that have been in storage? There are several alternatives that the firm can use to achieve its goals. This paper evaluates four technologies for their impact on the reduction of energy consumption by company’s computing systems: server virtualization, desktop virtualization, replacement of existing CRT monitors and PC power management. Based on the four technologies, we have developed a decision model for identifying the alternative the firm should invest in for improving the energy efficiency of their IT systems. The decision model is based on experts’ opinions by assessing several factors of each technology. The next section addresses how we developed this decision model using decision theory and experts’ judgments.
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973. [Article] A preliminary investigation of the predictive and evaluative capacity of the PARS scale in a community mental health clinic
This was a two-part study, employing the self and informant, pre and post treatment, forms of the Personal Adjustment and Role Skills Scale, the PARS Scale. In this study seven of the PARS Scale factors ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- A preliminary investigation of the predictive and evaluative capacity of the PARS scale in a community mental health clinic
- Author:
- Ritter, Judith M.
- Year:
- 1974
This was a two-part study, employing the self and informant, pre and post treatment, forms of the Personal Adjustment and Role Skills Scale, the PARS Scale. In this study seven of the PARS Scale factors were employed: Interpersonal Involvement, Agitation-Depression, Attention-Confusion, Alcohol-Drug, Outside Social, Household Management (females), and Anxiety (males). This study was conducted at Delaunay Institute for Mental Health, an outpatient community mental health clinic in a low socioeconomic catchment area. Part One of the study employed a random sample of seventy applicants, male and female, ages sixteen to sixty-four, who applied to Delaunay for treatment services between November of 1972 and July of 1973 and who completed, at least, the self-pretreatment PARS Scale. This sample was administered the self and informant pre PARS Scale at initial interview. In October of 1973, the number of treatment sessions in the three months following initial interview was secured from billing cards. At this same time, therapists at Delaunay were requested to assess the sample on their progress in therapy at that time or at termination. Four categories were possible: great, moderate, slight, and no progress. They were also requested to identify the certainty with which they made the assessment according to: great, moderate, or slight certainty. Following this, the self-pretreatment PARS Scale scores were correlated with number of treatment sessions. No relationship appeared for females between number of treatment sessions and self pre PARS Scale scores. For males, a non-significant trend was noted on most factors, indicating that a high self pre PARS score was indicative of fewer treatment sessions. A significant and inverse relationship between the self pre PARS Scale score on Alcohol-Drug and number of treatment sessions occurred for males, indicating that a high score on this factor was suggestive of fewer treatment sessions. The self-pretreatment PARS Scale scores were correlated with therapist assessment of progress in therapy. No relationship appeared for females. For males, no significant relationship appeared but a non-significant trend was indicated, suggesting that a high self pre PARS Scale score was indicative of a favorable therapist assessment on progress in therapy. Part Two of the study employed a non-random sample of fifteen females who had provided self and informant, pre and post treatment, PARS Scale scores. Post treatment, informant data was notably deficient in this part of the study and prevented the employment of males in the sample. Descriptive data on income, education, marital status, and presenting problem were provided for this sample. The sample was administered the self and informant, pretreatment, PARS Scale at initial interview. Three months after initial interview they were administered the self and informant, post treatment, PARS Scale if they remained in treatment for at least three months. As in Part One of this study, number of treatment sessions for the three months following initial interview were secured from the billing cards. In October of 1973, therapists were requested to provide a therapist behavioral assessment with four possible categories: improved, maintained, regressed (therapeutic), regressed (non-therapeutic). This assessment was to be made from recall and/or records at the time the self and informant, post treatment, PARS Scale was administered. Again, therapists were requested to indicate the degree of certainty involved in their assessment. The relationship between number of treatment sessions and the available self and informant, pre and post treatment, PARS Scale scores was explored. It was found that the self pre PARS score on Interpersonal Involvement, the self-post PARS score on Alcohol-Drug, and the informant post PARS score on Alcohol-Drug were significantly and inversely related to the number of treatment sessions. High scores on these factors indicated fewer treatment sessions. The relationship between therapist behavioral assessment and available self and informant, pre and post treatment, PARS Scale scores was explored. Results showed a significant and direct relationship between the self-post PARS score on Outside Social, the informant post PARS score on Alcohol-Drug and therapist behavioral assessment. High scores on these factors indicated a favorable therapist behavioral assessment. Evaluation of treatment services with the PARS Scale in Part Two of this study found the self, pre and post treatment, PARS Scale scores on Attention-Confusion to be the only PARS scores showing significant differences after three months of treatment. None of the remaining self-PARS scores and none of three informant PARS scores indicated any significant differences. It was recommended that the predictive capacity of the PARS Scale not be explored further. Further exploration of the use of the PARS Scale for evaluative purposes was suggested due to the limitations of the research design with regard to specificity and sampling. Finally, exploration of specific and individualized treatment evaluation, suggested by recent psychotherapy research, was encouraged.
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974. [Article] Intergenerational Programming: A Confluence of Interests Between the Frail Elderly and Urban Youth
Two groups of urban residents present ongoing problems, the frail elderly and disadvantaged youth who are approaching transition from school to the work force. Many of the disadvantaged youth are at risk ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Intergenerational Programming: A Confluence of Interests Between the Frail Elderly and Urban Youth
- Author:
- Schindler, Doris
- Year:
- 1992
Two groups of urban residents present ongoing problems, the frail elderly and disadvantaged youth who are approaching transition from school to the work force. Many of the disadvantaged youth are at risk because of family background, inadequate education, and lack of work experience. Many of the frail elderly are unable to care for themselves because of debility, chronic illness, or functional impairments (Eustis, 1974). The United States is experiencing an unprecedented increase in the numbers of persons over 65 years of age and it is expected that between 1980 and 2000 there will be a 67 percent increase in persons 80 and over. These demographic changes are significant especially for long-term care policy for the elderly. There is an urgent need to provide the kind of care that permits them to continue to live in their own homes. The frail elderly perceive their need for a dependable source of food as a primary requirement. If this is not met, institutional care becomes the only possible option. Urban youth face an increasing pressure to take a job in order to earn money, often at the expense of further education. Part-time work and school can be managed, and with planning, the classroom curriculum can be blended with the job. Intergenerational programs present a possible solution to some of the problems of the frail elderly and youth. They can be brought together through one of these programs for their mutual benefit. Intergenerational programming is the process of planned and purposeful interaction between generations. The programs encompass a range of ideas as they are guided by the needs of the community and its resources to meet these needs (Newman, 1983). Project MAIN was one of these projects. In 1983 under the auspices of Portland Youth Advocates, Project MAIN was created to meet the needs of the frail elderly and youth in an urban area. Many of the frail elderly were confined to their homes, unable to do ordinary tasks such as grocery shopping. Low-income teenagers needed access to an income-generating jobs program that would permit them to remain in school. Project MAIN was planned to help disadvantaged youth and simultaneously enrich the lives of the elderly (Ventura-Merkel, 1988). Project MAIN was conceived as a dynamic entity that could not be seen directly, but perceived as a process that had qualitative effects on those with whom it came in contact. It was planned as an active participatory learning experience for youth. Relevant classroom curricula blended with part-time jobs. The focus was on full participation by the youth in the process of providing a shopping service for the homebound elderly. Two important elements of the project were active youth participation and project-oriented learning. The youth planned and operated a shopping service for the frail elderly clients. The youth continued with their education and worked part-time. They began with minimum wage and increases came regularly, following satisfactory evaluation by peers and staff. As they became more competent, they assisted the staff with supervision and instruction. A case study explored the outcomes of Project MAIN. A weakness in the data from guided interviews of the clients resulted from memory loss and confusion encountered in a few of the elderly. A strength was the flexible interviews which gave the elderly time to explore new ideas as they emerged. The outcomes of Project MAIN were measured by the level of satisfaction for both the elderly clients and the participating youth. The levels of satisfaction were high in the pilot project, with its four weeks of intensive training and careful supervision. Adequate funding from private organizations made this possible. In the demonstration phase, funding became an acute problem. Training and supervision of the youthful shoppers was curtailed. Although the clients found the service better than they had before Project MAIN, complaints of broken appointments and declining dependability began to be heard. It became evident that the youth were in need of better preparation and more intensive supervision. Because of lack of funds, it was not possible to supply staff for these tasks. From the outcomes of the pilot project, it is evident that the concept of Project MAIN is a viable one for meeting the needs of the frail elderly and youth. However, from the demonstration phase, it was seen that without adequate funding, the quality of the shopping service declined. Decisions need to be made in the early planning of a program like Project MAIN. Elimination of staff needed for training and supervision in favor if increasing the number of youthful shoppers can threaten the viability of the program.
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975. [Article] Defining the Terroir of the Columbia Gorge Wine Region, Oregon and Washington, USA Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
The Columbia Gorge Wine Region (CGWR) is an emerging wine producing area that extends for about 100km along the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington State in which the number of vineyards, wineries ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Defining the Terroir of the Columbia Gorge Wine Region, Oregon and Washington, USA Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Author:
- Whitney, Hilary
- Year:
- 2015
The Columbia Gorge Wine Region (CGWR) is an emerging wine producing area that extends for about 100km along the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington State in which the number of vineyards, wineries and physical terroir conditions have yet to be defined. To better understand the physical factors affecting Oregon and Washington wine, this project analyzes climate, topography, geology and soil at vineyards in the CGWR. This was accomplished using Geographic Information Systems, existing earth science databases and field work. The region, which includes the Columbia Gorge American Viticulture Area (AVA) and the southwest portion of the Columbia Valley AVA, is home to 82 vineyards, 513 hectares (1268 acres), 37 wineries and 41 different varieties of Vitus Vinifera. Vineyards range in elevation from 29 to 548 meters (95 to 1799 feet). Vintner responses to a grower's survey suggest that twenty-eight grape varieties account for 98% of the estimated grape variety acreage, with Pinot Noir being the most widely planted grape variety in both AVAs. The boundaries of each climatic regime were mapped based on 1981-2010 PRISM data, the Winkler Index (Amerine and Winkler, 1944) updated by Jones et al. (2010) and climatic maturity groupings designed for Oregon (Jones et al., 2002; Jones et al., 2010). Three Winkler climate regimes are represented within the CGWR, including regions Ia, Ib, and II from the Winkler Index (Jones et al., 2010). The diversity in regimes allows for a diversity of grape varieties to be planted within the regime. The average growing season temperatures and growing degree days, respectively, from 1981-2010 calculated for vineyards ranges from 13.7°C (55.7°F) to 17.7°C (63.9°F) and 871 for °C (1567 for °F) to 1664 for °C (2994 for °F) respectively. 58% of the vineyards are characterized in an intermediate climatic regime, 29% are within a cool climatic regime, 9% are within a warm climatic regime and 4% are on the boundaries between a cool, intermediate or warm regime. 80% of the vineyards are within Regions Ia and Ib characterized by the Winkler Index, and 20% are within Region II. The growing degrees days calculated for the CGWR are similar those measured in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, Burgundy, France, Umpqua Valley AVA in Oregon and Bordeaux wine region in France. All of the soils currently being used to grow grapes are well-drained and within a xeric moisture regime, which are favorable conditions for viticulture. 30 soil series are represented among the vineyard sites, with the Chemawa Series (Underwood Mountain) and Walla Walla Series (eastern portions) being the dominant soil series used to grow grapes. Majority of the soils contain a silt loam texture. Soil Survey data for Oregon and Washington suggest that loess is extensive in the CGWR, with 46.5% of the total vineyard acreage planted on soils formed in loess. The Missoula Floods also greatly influenced the texture and age of the soil in this region, with skeletal textures being close to the Columbia River. Other common geological deposits at vineyards in the CGWR include, Quaternary Basalt (19.6%), Missoula Flood deposits (9.1%), The Dalles Formation (8.0%), Columbia River Basalt Group (7.5%), Pliocene Basalt (3.0%), Quaternary Surficial deposits (3.0%), lahars (2.3%) and Quaternary Basaltic Andesite and Andesite (0.9%). Common geological deposits, soil series, and climate conditions at vineyard sites vary spatially in the region, and therefore it is suggested that future work focus on separating the region into separate climatic sub-AVA regimes to better reflect the diversity in terroir conditions.
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976. [Article] Localized Ecological and Educational Effects of Environmental Service-Learning in Portland, Oregon
Environmental service-learning is an intentional educational experience(s) wherein learners engage in meaningful activities designed to serve the environment. Environmental service-learning activities ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Localized Ecological and Educational Effects of Environmental Service-Learning in Portland, Oregon
- Author:
- Braun, Steven Matthew
- Year:
- 2015
Environmental service-learning is an intentional educational experience(s) wherein learners engage in meaningful activities designed to serve the environment. Environmental service-learning activities vary according to their learning and service goals and include ecomanagement, persuasion, legal action, economic action and political action. The purpose of this mixed methods research was to explore the ecological and educational impacts of grades 6-12 environmental education, with special attention to environmental service-learning throughout Portland, Oregon. Ecological impacts considered restoration and conservation outcomes of several environmental service-learning programs including plant communities, soils, litter removal and trail maintenance. Educational outcomes considered aspects of environmental literacy including locus of control, environmental sensitivity, indicated environmentally responsible behaviors, investigating environmental issues and knowledge of physical systems. The relative influence of some significant life experiences on youths' response to environmental education, including environmental service-learning, was also considered. Telephone surveys were used to gather data from 22 Portland metropolitan area environmental education programs. Data included 2014 annual biophysical impacts (e.g., area of invasive species removed, pounds of litter removed) and information on programming (e.g., length of program, % time outside). Eleven programs administered a 33-question environmental literacy assessment to participants of their programs (n=393). The assessment included the New Environmental Paradigm, the Inclusion of Nature in Self, questions from Environmental Identity Scale and self-constructed questions. One 8th grade program was identified for a detailed case study. In this 8th grade programs, slight variations in educational activities occurred among three treatment groups which varied the amount of time youth spent engaged in ecomanagement. Youth from the three treatment groups and a control group were administered the environmental literacy assessment at the beginning and end of the program. Qualitative data for the youth in the treatment groups were gathered to further consider how environmental literacy was impacted by participation in the program. Stronger associational correlations to environmental literacy occurred for the percentage of time an environmental education program spent outdoors rather than the percentage of time an environmental education program engaged in environmental service-learning (e.g., "With other people, I can work to make a positive impact on the environment." rho: .276 vs. "I have the skills necessary to make a positive impact on the environment" rho: .176). Random forests indicated that environmental education program features and some significant life experiences could predict collapsed environmental literacy variables (locus of control, environmental sensitivity and environmentally responsible behaviors). 22.4% of the variance in a collapsed environmental sensitivity variable was explained by nine predictor variables; those variables with the strongest influence were youth response to "Before this program, how frequently did you spend time in the outdoors," age and the presence of a positive adult role model who cares for the environment. Youth participating in environmental education programs showed higher environmental literacy than control groups (e.g., "I feel an important part of my life would be missing if I couldn't get out and enjoy nature from time to time" U: 3642.500, p: 0.025). Youth with significant formative life experiences (e.g., those indicating previous environmental education or a positive adult role model that cares for the environment) responded better (higher environmental literacy) to environmental education than those youth without ("I pay special attention to things outdoors" chi 10.633, p: 0.031). This research provides insight on the efficacy of environmental service-learning. Environmental service-learning positively affected environmental literacy, but outdoor environmental education was more effective in terms of environmental literacy. Results corroborate the body of literature regarding significant life experiences. Further, results suggest that significant life experiences are a critical development milestone necessary for youth to respond to environmental education on a developmental trajectory to empowered environmentally literate citizens.
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977. [Article] Multnomah County Project Launch Evaluation
Early childhood is a critical time in human development. Any experience, positive or negative, can influence long-term outcomes for physical, emotional, social, and cognitive health (Center on the Developing ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Multnomah County Project Launch Evaluation
- Author:
- Auerbach, Jessica, Emlen, Elana S., Garcia, Danielle C., Hause, Noelle, Lambarth, Callie H., Lorentson, Mhora, Rife, Isabel M., Zavela, Kathleen J., Aratani, Yumiko, Bracey, Jeana R., Ekono, Mercedes, Green, Beth L., Kryah, Rachel, Mendez, Melissa, Smith, Sheila, Tom, Lily
- Year:
- 2016
Early childhood is a critical time in human development. Any experience, positive or negative, can influence long-term outcomes for physical, emotional, social, and cognitive health (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2010). To ensure a strong foundation for success in school and in life, efforts designed to promote wellness and identify early learning or mental health challenges must begin well before kindergarten. Strong evidence shows that investing in early childhood can yield large dividends for children. Additionally, the ability of our systems to provide positive outcomes for children can be enhanced through strategic planning, well-developed partnerships, and coordinated family services. Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health), a federally funded United States Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) initiative, aims to enhance and improve the way systems function by bringing together all participants in each child’s life including caregivers, primary care providers, early childhood educators, and mental health providers. Project LAUNCH strives to incorporate all participants, at all levels of service provision, to strengthen our ability to achieve the best possible outcomes in social and emotional health and wellness for all children. Project LAUNCH has funded states, local jurisdictions, and tribes interested in achieving these goals since 2008. Under Project LAUNCH, grantees are charged with (1) promoting the healthy development of children from birth to age 8 and their families by harnessing and coordinating existing resources and (2) increasing access to high-quality, evidence-based programs in five childcentric domains: developmental screening and assessment, home visiting, mental health consultation, family strengthening and training, and integration of behavioral health into primary care. By developing an understanding of the landscape of services and supports unique to each state and community and by evaluating strengths and opportunities for change, grantees begin to implement promotion and prevention strategies that best serve the needs of their communities at the child, family, and systems levels. Thus, while there are distinct cultural, geographic, and economic differences across LAUNCH sites in all cohorts, the fundamental components of the LAUNCH model remain the same for all grantees. To date, Project LAUNCH has funded 55 projects across six cohorts. All LAUNCH grantees are expected to demonstrate local policy and practice improvements that can be sustained statewide. Unlike other LAUNCH cohorts, Cohort 3 grantees are distinguished by the fact that they were funded solely at the community level with no state or tribal oversight. This presented the six sites with a unique set of opportunities and challenges as they sought to bring policy and practice improvements to scale, enhance infrastructure, and implement direct services in the five domains or strategies. The uniqueness of the community-based aspect of Cohort 3 grantees provided both challenges and opportunities. Grantees identified the flexibility and ability to control program activities within a community setting as key advantages to the local grants, whereas the ability to replicate successful activities and implement policy change on a statewide basis were limited. Additionally, the uniqueness of Cohort 3 made it challenging to evaluate the success of Cohort 3 grantees by measuring their progress against that of other cohorts. This e-book was developed to highlight and share the experience of the local communities in Cohort 3. This publication is designed to serve as a resource for future early childhood systems development activities implemented by LAUNCH grantees or by other early childhood programs with similar goals and interests. This publication shares the contributions of this unique cohort to the field of young children’s mental health and family wellness by spotlighting accomplishments, evidence, and lessons learned within the context of the LAUNCH strategic framework. Narratives from the six grantees detail the successes and challenges of systems building from the ground up and emphasize the value-added benefits of funding directly at the community level. Recommendations for present and future LAUNCH projects and similar initiatives address strategies to build local, state, and national partnerships to support replication and sustainability. We hope you will find this resource of value for supporting local initiatives that promote young child and family wellness
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978. [Article] A Macroergonomics Approach Examining the Relationship between Work-family Conflict and Employee Safety
In 2008, there were more than 5,200 workplace fatalities in the United States (BLS, 2010b). During the same time period, U.S. employees missed almost 1.1 million days from work (BLS, 2010c). Accidents ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- A Macroergonomics Approach Examining the Relationship between Work-family Conflict and Employee Safety
- Author:
- Murphy, Lauren Ann
- Year:
- 2011
In 2008, there were more than 5,200 workplace fatalities in the United States (BLS, 2010b). During the same time period, U.S. employees missed almost 1.1 million days from work (BLS, 2010c). Accidents are unexpected outcomes that result not only from individuals' behaviors, but from contextual factors (Krause, 1997; Reason, 1990). Therefore, unsafe behaviors have to be interpreted according to a combination of what is occurring in the environment and what the individual is doing in that environment. The present study sought to create a more comprehensive model of safety by means of macroergonomics. Macroergonomics utilizes sociotechnical systems theory to posit that a work system is composed of a personnel subsystem (i.e., ways individuals perform tasks), a technological subsystem (i.e., tasks to be performed), and external factors (Hendrick, 2002a). Perceived control over work hours, an aspect of the technological subsystem, was examined as an antecedent of work-family conflict. Supervisor instrumental support, an aspect of the personnel subsystem, was examined as a moderator of the relationships between perceived control over work hours and work-family conflict. Supervisors have an imperative role in employees' perception of control over their work hours (Kelly & Moen, 2007). Supervisor instrumental support was also hypothesized to moderate the relationships between work-family conflict and safety performance. Supervisors who support their employees in their work-family matters exceed mandatory requirements set forth to protect workers' safety and health (Mearns, Hope, Ford, & Tetrick, 2010). A majority of the 360 participants in the present study were grocery store employees who worked in the front end of the store as cashiers. Job tenure in this particular grocery store chain was an average of 7 years (SD = 5.96) and the average number of hours worked per week was 31 (SD = 8.55). The employees were an average age of 38 years old (SD = 15.25). Two hundred and sixty-two (73%) of the participants were female, 330 (92%) were White, 196 (55%) employees were married or living as married, 146 (41%) employees identified themselves as parents with children living at home, and 58 (16%) employees provided elder care. The data were analyzed using a moderated mediation model. An employee's perceived control over his/her work hours was negatively associated with work-to-family and family-to-work conflict. Work-to-family conflict was not significantly associated with either safety compliance or participation. In contrast, family-to-work conflict was significantly associated with both safety compliance and participation. These findings replicate Cullen and Hammer's (2007) findings that family-to-work conflict, but not work-to-family conflict, is negatively associated with safety compliance and participation. The replication of these significant findings gives support to macroergonomics' assertion that external forces (i.e., family) can affect the safety of employees. All of the meditating and moderating relationships proposed in this dissertation were not significant. I conducted post hoc analyses to determine other possible significant paths in the model examined. The FSSB dimension of supervisor instrumental support was found to positively affect both safety compliance and participation. Supervisor instrumental support was also found to directly affect work-to-family conflict. Overall FSSB and its subdimensions demonstrated similar patterns in the hypothesized relationships and in additional relationships examined. Numerous implications can be recognized from this dissertation. First, interdisciplinary approaches to safety research are emerging and important in the pursuit of safer work environments. Macroergonomics and I/O psychology have commonalities that lend themselves to a good partnership where researchers can learn from each other and collaborate to advance the study of safety. Second, organizations need to focus on the stressors their employees experience as part of their safety programs, and numerous studies, including this dissertation, have found that family-to-work conflict impacts safety compliance and participation. Future safety research may incorporate macroergonomics, which emphasizes that focusing on one adverse aspect of the system may not be enough to create valuable change if there are other adverse factors still creating demands elsewhere in the system. This will allow for a more comprehensive model that ensures certain aspects of the system are not neglected, which can reduce effectiveness of constructs used to create positive changes.
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979. [Article] Understanding the Emission from Semiconductor Nanoparticles
This dissertation describes the synthesis and characterization of fluorescent semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) in order to optimize their biomedical utility for imaging and sensing applications. While ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Understanding the Emission from Semiconductor Nanoparticles
- Author:
- Manhat, Beth Ann
- Year:
- 2012
This dissertation describes the synthesis and characterization of fluorescent semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) in order to optimize their biomedical utility for imaging and sensing applications. While both direct and indirect bandgap semiconductor NPs have been studied, control over their emission properties vary. Quantum confinement (QC), which primarily controls the emission wavelength of nanosized semiconductors, dictates that as the size of semiconductor NPs decrease, the magnitude of the bandgap increases, resulting in changes in the observed emission wavelength: smaller NPs have a larger bandgap, and thus a bluer emission. However, surface, interfacial, or shell defects can act as non-radiative or radiative recombination sites for excitons formed within the NP; the latter results in emission competition with the bandgap transition, as described Chapters 1 and 2. Because the emission wavelengths of direct bandgap semiconductor NPs correlate with size according to the expectations of QC, and are stable in aqueous environments with high quantum efficiencies (quantum yield, QY), current research focuses on their potential biomedical applications. Chapter 3 describes red-emitting CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) that exhibit a concentration-dependent decrease in fluorescence intensity in response to the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT). A mechanistic study was performed to understand a 5-HT-dependent decrease in QD emission and calibration curves relating QD intensity loss to 5-HT concentration in ensemble and single QD studies were generated. Unfortunately, the known toxicity of CdSe-based QDs has generated interest in more benign semiconductor NPs to replace these QDs in biological applications, while maintaining the same degree of control over the emission color and QY. Bulk indirect bandgap semiconductors, such as Si, have low efficiency inter-band transitions, and Si NPs are known to contain radiative defects that can alter the emission wavelength from QC-based size expectations; these competitive emission pathways must be controlled in order for Si NPs to be successfully used in biological applications. In general, synthetic methods that gives precise control over both the particle size and surface termination are needed in order to produce emission controlled Si NPs. Relative to groups II and VI QDs, synthetic routes to prepare Si NPs are few in numbers, and the size vs. defect emission events are difficult to assign. Not only do these assignments vary amongst reports, but they also vary with particle size, solvent, sample age, and identities of the surface ligands. Si NPs have been prepared through two synthetic routes using the Zintl salt, sodium silicide (NaSi) and ammonium bromide (NH4Br) as precursors. Chapter 4 describes the synthesis performed in the solvent N,N,-dimethylformamide (DMF). This reaction produces blue-emitting Si NPs (5.02 ± 1.21 nm) that bear partial hydride surface termination. However, it was determined that the solvent was able to interact with the Si NP surface, and prevent subsequent functionalization. This observation was used advantageously, and Chapter 5 describes a one-pot Zintl salt metathesis of Si NPs (3.9 + 9.8 nm) performed in a bi-functional (amine or carboxylic acid) solvent ligand, where the observations indicated that the solvent ligands coordinate to the Si NP. The emission maxima of the Si NPs prepared from the Zintl salt metathesis exhibited a dependence on the excitation energy, and is indicative of emission that is influenced by QC, which likely originates from deeply oxide embedded 1-2 nm crystalline cores. The Si NPs prepared from the one-pot Zintl salt metathesis were exposed to metals salt ions of varying reduction potentials to determine the band edges by what will or will not be reduced (Chapter 6). By monitoring the emission intensity of the Si NPs, in addition to the UV-Vis of the metal ions, the band edge of Si NPs may be determined. The value of the band edge may lend insight into the origin of Si NP emission. To utilize fluorescent Si NPs for biological applications, red emission is strongly preferred. Unfortunately, when preparing aqueous Si NPs, red emission usually changes to blue, likely from the oxidation of the Si NP surface. Therefore, the red emission needs to be efficiently protected from surface oxidants. Because both increased chain lengths and steric modalities have been found to protect the emission properties of Si NPs, red-emitting, ester-functionalized Si NPs (5.51+1.35 nm) with varying chain lengths and ester termination moieties were prepared to determine the best method of preserving the observed red emission in the presence of potential alcoholic oxidants. By determining the best was to protect Si NPs emission, the red-emission from Si NPs may be preserved for biological applications.
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Substantial uncertainties still exist in the scientific understanding of the possible interactions between urban and natural (biogenic) emissions in the production and transformation of atmospheric aerosol ...
Citation Citation
- Title:
- Overview of the 2010 Carbonaceous Aerosols and Radiative Effects Study (CARES)
- Author:
- Zaveri, Rahul A., Shaw, William J., Cziczo, Daniel J., Schmid, Beat, Ferrare, Richard, Alexander, M. Lizabeth, Alvarez, Raul, Arnott, W. Patrick, Atkinson, Dean B., Baidar, Sunil, Banta, Robert M., Barnard, James, Beranek, Josef, Berg, Larry K., Brechtel, Fred, Brewer, W. Alan, Cahill, John F., Cairns, Brian, Cappa, Christopher D., Chand, D., China, S., Comstock, Jennifer M., Dubey, Manvendra K., Easter, Robert C., Erickson, M. H., Fast, Jerome, Floerchinger, Cody, Flowers, B., Fortner, Edward C., Gaffney, Jeffrey S., Gilles, Mary K., Gorkowski, Kyle, Gustafson, William, Gyawali, Madhu, Hair, J., Hardesty, R. M., Harworth, Joseph, Herndon, Scott C., Hiranuma, Naruki, Hostetler, Chris, Hubbe, John M., Jayne, John T., Jeong, H., Jobson, B. Tom, Kassianov, Evgueni, Kleinman, Lawrence I., Kluzek, C., Knighton, W. Berk, Kolesar, Katheryn R., Kuang, Chongai, Kubátová, Alena, Langford, Andrew O., Laskin, Alexander, Laulainen, N., Marchbanks, Richard D., Mazzoleni, Claudio, Mei, Fan, Moffet, Ryan C., Nelson, Dan, Obland, Michael, Oetjen, Hilke, Onasch, Timothy B., Ortega, I., Ottaviani, Matteo, Pekour, Mikhail, Prather, Kimberly A., Radney, James Gregory, Rogers, Raymond R., Sandberg, Scott P., Sedlacek, Arthur J., Senff, Christoph J., Senum, Gunnar I., Setyan, Ari, Shilling, John E., Shrivastava, ManishKumar, Song, C., Springston, Stephen R., Subramanian, R., Suski, Kaitlyn, Tomlinson, Jason, Volkamer, Rainer M., Wallace, H. W., Wang, Jian, Weickmann, A. M., Worsnop, Douglas R., Yu, Xiao-Ying, Zelenyuk, Alla, Zhang, Qi
- Year:
- 2012
Substantial uncertainties still exist in the scientific understanding of the possible interactions between urban and natural (biogenic) emissions in the production and transformation of atmospheric aerosol and the resulting impact on climate change. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program’s Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) carried out in June 2010 in Central Valley, California, was a comprehensive effort designed to improve this understanding. The primary objective of the field study was to investigate the evolution of secondary organic and black carbon aerosols and their climate-related properties in the Sacramento urban plume as it was routinely transported into the forested Sierra Nevada foothills area. Urban aerosols and trace gases experienced significant physical and chemical transformations as they mixed with the reactive biogenic hydrocarbons emitted from the forest. Two heavily-instrumented ground sites – one within the Sacramento urban area and another about 40 km to the northeast in the foothills area – were set up to characterize the evolution of meteorological variables, trace gases, aerosol precursors, aerosol size, composition, and climate related properties in freshly polluted and “aged” urban air. On selected days, the DOE G-1 aircraft was deployed to make similar measurements upwind and across the evolving Sacramento plume in the morning and again in the afternoon. The NASA B-200 aircraft, carrying remote sensing instruments, was also deployed to characterize the vertical and horizontal distribution of aerosols and aerosol optical properties within and around the plume. This overview provides: (a) the scientific background and motivation for the study, (b) the operational and logistical information pertinent to the execution of the study, (c) an overview of key observations and initial findings from the aircraft and ground-based sampling platforms, and (d) a roadmap of planned data analyses and focused modeling efforts that will facilitate the integration of new knowledge into improved representations of key aerosol processes and properties in climate models.