Learning and Adjustment Outcomes in Socialized and Unsocialized Newcomers : An Ex- Post-Facto Comparative Study

Les restructurations et les mutations de plus en plus nombreuses dans les entreprises font évoluer la trajectoire de carrière des employés vers un cheminement moins linéaire et amènent une multiplication des changements de rôle (Delobbe & Vandenberghe, 2000). Les organisations doivent de plus en plus se soucier de l’intégration de ces nouveaux employés afin de leur transmettre les éléments fondamentaux du fonctionnement et de la culture qu’elles privilégient. Par contre, la plupart des recherches sur la socialisation organisationnelle portent sur les « meilleures pratiques », et les résultats qui en découlent sont mixtes. Cette étude comparative cherche à déterminer si et sur quelles variables les nouveaux employés socialisés par leur entreprise diffèrent des nouveaux employés « non socialisés ». Premièrement, cette étude vise à comparer ces deux groupes sur 1) les résultantes proximales (la maîtrise du contenu de la socialisation organisationnelle et la clarté de rôle) et 2) les résultantes distales (l’engagement organisationnel affectif, la satisfaction au travail et l’intention de quitter) du processus de socialisation organisationnelle, ainsi que sur 3) les caractéristiques des réseaux sociaux d’information, en contrôlant pour la proactivité. Dans un second temps, cette étude a pour objectif d’explorer si le processus de socialisation organisationnelle (les relations entre les variables) diffère entre les nouveaux employés socialisés ou non. Cinquante-trois nouveaux employés (moins d’un an d’ancienneté) d’une grande entreprise québécoise ont participé à cette étude. L’entreprise a un programme de socialisation en place, mais son exécution est laissée à la discrétion de chaque département, créant deux catégories de nouveaux employés : ceux qui ont été socialisés par leur département, et ceux qui n’ont pas été socialisés (« non socialisés »). Les participants ont été sondés sur les stratégies proactives, les résultantes proximales et distales et les caractéristiques des réseaux sociaux d’information. Pour le premier objectif, les résultats indiquent que les nouveaux employés socialisés maîtrisent mieux le contenu de la socialisation organisationnelle que les nouveaux employés non socialisés. En ce qui a trait au deuxième objectif, des différences dans le processus de socialisation organisationnelle ont été trouvées. Pour les nouveaux employés « non socialisés », la recherche proactive d’informations et la recherche de rétroaction sont liées à certaines caractéristiques des réseaux sociaux, alors que le cadrage positif est lié à la satisfaction au travail et à l’intention de quitter, et que la clarté de rôle est liée uniquement à la satisfaction au travail. Les nouveaux employés socialisés, quant à eux, démontrent des liens entre la maîtrise du contenu de la socialisation organisationnelle et chacune des résultantes distales (l’engagement organisationnel affectif, la satisfaction au travail et l’intention de quitter). Globalement, l’intégration des nouveaux employés non socialisés serait plutôt influencée par leurs stratégies proactives, tandis que celle des nouveaux employés non socialisés serait facilitée par leur maîtrise du contenu de la socialisation organisationnelle. De façon générale, cette étude comparative offre un aperçu intéressant des nouveaux employés rarement trouvé dans les recherches portant sur les « meilleures pratiques » de la socialisation organisationnelle. Des recommandations pour la recherche et la pratique en suivent.

Investigations on the cation induced liquid crystalline phases of high molecular weight DNA

Liquid Crystalline DNA is emerging as an active area of research, due to its potential applications in diverse fields, ranging from nanoelectronics to therapeutics. Since, counter ion neutralization is an essential requirement for the expression of LC DNA, and the present level of understanding on the LC phase behavior of high molecular weight DNA is inadequate, a thorough investigation is required to understand the nature and stability of these phases under the influence of various cationic species. The present study is, therefore mainly focused on a comparative investigation of the effect of metal ions of varying charge, size, hydration and binding modes on the LC phase behavior of high molecular weight DNA. The main objectives of the works are investigations on the induction and stabilization of LC phases of high molecular weight DNA by alkali metal ions, investigations on the induction and stabilization of LC phases of high molecular weight DNA by alkaline earth metal ions, effects of multivalent, transition and heavy metal ions on the LC phase behavior of high molecular weight DNA and investigations on spermine induced LC behavior of high molecular weight DNA in the presence of alkali and alkaline earth metal ions. The critical DNA concentration (CD) required for the expression of LC phases, phase transitions and their stability varied considerably when the binding site of the metal ions changed from phosphate groups to the nitrogenous bases of DNA, with Li+ giving the highest stability. Multiple LC phases with different textures, sometimes diffused and unstable or otherwise mainly distinct and clear, were observed on mixing metal ions with DNA solutions, which in turn depended on the charge, size, hydration factor, binding modes, concentration of the metal ions and time. Molecular modeling studies on binding of selected metal ions to DNA supported the experimental findings

Application of Fermentation Techniques in the Utilization of Prawn Shell Waste

The present study aimed at the utlisation of microbial organisms for the production of good quality chitin and chitosan. The three strains used for the study were Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacililus brevis and Bacillus subtilis. These strains were selected on the basis of their acid producing ability to reduce the pH of the fermenting substrates to prevent spoilage and thus caused demineralisation of the shell. Besides, the proteolytic enzymes in these strains acted on proteinaceous covering of shrimp and thus caused deprotenisation of shrimp shell waste. Thus the two processes involved in chitin production can be affected to certain extent using bacterial fermentation of shrimp shell.Optimization parameters like fermentation period, quantity of inoculum, type of sugar, concentration of sugar etc. for fermentation with three different strains were studied. For these, parameters like pH, Total titrable acidity (TTA), changes in sugar concentration, changes in microbial count, sensory changes etc. were studied.Fermentation study with Lactobacillus plantarum was continued with 20% w/v jaggery broth for 15 days. The inoculum prepared yislded a cell concentration of approximately 108 CFU/ml. In the present study, lactic acid and dilute hydrochloric acid were used for initial pH adjustment because; without adjusting the initial pH, it took more than 5 hours for the lactic acid bacteria to convert glucose to lactic acid and during this delay spoilage occurred due to putrefying enzymes active at neutral or higher pH. During the fermentation study, pH first decreased in correspondence with increase in TTA values. This showed a clear indication of acid production by the strain. This trend continued till their proteolytic activity showed an increasing trend. When the available sugar source started depleting, proteolytic activity also decreased and pH increased. This was clearly reflected in the sensory evaluation results. Lactic acid treated samples showed greater extent of demineralization and deprotenisation at the end of fermentation study than hydrochloric acid treated samples. It can be due to the effect of strong hydrochloric acid on the initial microbial count, which directly affects the fermentation process. At the end of fermentation, about 76.5% of ash was removed in lactic acid treated samples and 71.8% in hydrochloric acid treated samples; 72.8% of proteins in lactic acid treated samples and 70.6% in hydrochloric acid treated samples.The residual protein and ash in the fermented residue were reduced to permissible limit by treatment with 0.8N HCI and 1M NaOH. Characteristics of chitin like chitin content, ash content, protein content, % of N- acetylation etc. were studied. Quality characteristics like viscosity, degree of deacetylation and molecular weight of chitosan prepared were also compared. The chitosan samples prepared from lactic acid treated showed high viscosity than HCI treated samples. But degree of deacetylation is more in HCI treated samples than lactic acid treated ones. Characteristics of protein liquor obtained like its biogenic composition, amino acid composition, total volatile base nitrogen, alpha amino nitrogen etc. also were studied to find out its suitability as animal feed supplement.Optimization of fermentation parameters for Lactobacillus brevis fermentation study was also conducted and parameters were standardized. Then detailed fermentation study was done in 20%wlv jaggery broth for 17 days. Also the effect of two different acid treatments (mild HCI and lactic acid) used for initial pH adjustment on chitin production were also studied. In this study also trend of changes in pH. changes in sugar concentration ,microbial count changes were similar to Lactobacillus plantarum studies. At the end of fermentation, residual protein in the samples were only 32.48% in HCI treated samples and 31.85% in lactic acid treated samples. The residual ash content was about 33.68% in HCI treated ones and 32.52% in lactic acid treated ones. The fermented residue was converted to chitin with good characteristics by treatment with 1.2MNaOH and 1NHCI.Characteristics of chitin samples prepared were studied and extent of Nacetylation was about 84% in HCI treated chitin and 85%in lactic acid treated ones assessed from FTIR spectrum. Chitosan was prepared from these samples by usual chemical method and its extent of solubility, degree of deacetylation, viscosity and molecular weight etc were studied. The values of viscosity and molecular weight of the samples prepared were comparatively less than the chitosan prepared by Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation. Characteristics of protein liquor obtained were analyzed to determine its quality and is suitability as animal feed supplement.Another strain used for the study was Bacillus subtilis and fermentation was carried out in 20%w/v jaggery broth for 15 days. It was found that Bacillus subtilis was more efficient than other Lactobacillus species for deprotenisation and demineralization. This was mainly due to the difference in the proteolytic nature of the strains. About 84% of protein and 72% of ash were removed at the end of fermentation. Considering the statistical significance (P

Studies on Methylene Blue Sensitized Poly(Vinyl Alcohol): Effect of Molecular Weight of the Polymer and Crosslinking Agents on its Holographic Properties

Dept.of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology,Cochin University of Science and Technology

Length-weight relationship, relative condition factor (Kn) and morphometry of Arius subrostratus (Valenciennes, 1840) from a coastal wetland in Kerala

The length – weight relationship and relative condition factor of the shovel nose catfish, Arius subrostratus (Valenciennes, 1840) from Champakkara backwater were studied by examination of 392 specimens collected during June to September 2008. These fishes ranged from 6 to 29 cm in total length and 5.6 to 218 g in weight. The relation between the total length and weight of Arius subrostratus is described as Log W = -1.530+2.6224 log L for males, Log W = - 2.131 + 3.0914 log L for females and Log W = - 1.742 + 2.8067 log L for sexes combined. The mean relative condition factor (Kn) values ranged from 0.75 to 1.07 for males, 0.944 to 1.407 for females and 0.96 to 1.196 for combined sexes. The length-weight relationship and relative condition factor showed that the well-being of A. subrostratus is good. The morphometric measurements of various body parts and meristic counts were recorded. The morphometric measurements were found to be non-linear and there is no significant difference observed between the two sexes. From the present investigation, the fin formula can be written as D: I, 7; P: I, 12; A: 17 – 20; C: 26 – 32. There is no change in meristic counts with the increase in body length.

Studies on Selected Myctophid Fishes in Arabian Sea with respect to their Status in Deep Sea Trawl Bycatch, Length-Weight Relationship, Reproductive Biology and Population Dynamics

Available information on abundance of myctophids and their utilisation indicate that there is excellent scope for development of myctophid fisheries in Indian Ocean. Most of the conventional fish stocks have reached a state of full exploitation or over-exploitation. Hence there is need to locate new and conventional fishery resources in order to fill in the supply-demand gap, in the face of increasing demand for fish. Information on length-weight relationship, age and growth, spawning season, fecundity and age at maturity and information on bycatch discards are required for sustainable utilization of myctophid resource in the Indian Ocean

Effect of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) extract on weight, hematology and cell-mediated immune response of newborn goat kids

This study aimed at evaluating the effects of different levels of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) extract on growth rate, hematology and cell-mediated immune response in Markhoz newborn goat kids. Twenty four goat kids (aged 7 +/- 3 days) were randomly allotted to four groups with six replicates. The groups included: control, T1, T2 and T3 groups which received supplemented-milk with 0, 100, 200 and 400mg aqueous rosemary extract per kg of live body weight per day for 42 days. Body weights of kids were measured weekly until the end of the experiment. On day 42, 10 ml blood samples were collected from each kid through the jugular vein. Cell-mediated immune response was assessed through the double skin thickness after intradermal injection of phyto-hematoglutinin (PHA) at day 21 and 42. No significant differences were seen in initial body weight, average daily gain (ADG) and total gain. However, significant differences in globulin (P <0.05), and white blood cells (WBC) (P <0.001) were observed. There were no significant differences in haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cells (RBC), lymphocytes and neutrophils between the treatments. Skin thickness in response to intra dermal injection of PHA significantly increased in the treated groups as compared to the control group at day 42 (P< 0.01) with the T3 group showing the highest response to PHA injection. In conclusion, the results indicated that aqueous rosemary extract supplemented-milk had a positive effect on immunity and skin thickness of newborn goat kids.

Effect of within-litter birth weight variation on piglet survival and pre-weaning weight gain in a commercial herd

There are several factors that affect piglet survival and this has a bearing on sow productivity. Ten variables that influence pre-weaning vitality were analysed using records from the Pig Industry Board, Zimbabwe. These included individual piglet birth weight, piglet origin (nursed in original litter or fostered), sex, relative birth weight expressed as standard deviation units, sow parity, total number of piglets born, year and month of farrowing, within-litter variability and the presence of stillborn or mummified littermates. The main factors that influenced piglet mortality were fostering, parity and within-litter variability especially the weight of the individual piglet relative to the average of the litter (P<0.05). Presence of a mummified or stillborn littermate, which could be a proxy for unfavourable uterine environment or trauma during the birth process, did not influence pre-weaning mortality. Variability within a litter and the deviation of the weight of an individual piglet from the litter mean, influenced survival to weaning. It is, therefore, advisable for breeders to include uniformity within the litter as a selection criterion. The recording of various variables by farmers seems to be a useful management practice to identify piglets at risk so as to establish palliative measures. Further, farmers should know which litters and which piglets within a litter are at risk and require more attention.

Noise Reduction Using Low Weight and Constant Weight Coding Techniques

Signalling off-chip requires significant current. As a result, a chip's power-supply current changes drastically during certain output-bus transitions. These current fluctuations cause a voltage drop between the chip and circuit board due to the parasitic inductance of the power-supply package leads. Digital designers often go to great lengths to reduce this "transmitted" noise. Cray, for instance, carefully balances output signals using a technique called differential signalling to guarantee a chip has constant output current. Transmitted-noise reduction costs Cray a factor of two in output pins and wires. Coding achieves similar results at smaller costs.

Mi portfolio : valorando nuestras lenguas y culturas. II.

Seleccionado en la convocatoria: Ayudas a la innovación e investigación educativa en centros docentes de niveles no universitarios, Gobierno de Aragón 2009-10

Proyecto integrado de lenguas : mi portfolio : valorando nuestras lenguas y culturas.

Seleccionado en la convocatoria: Ayudas a la innovación e investigación educativa en centros docentes de niveles no universitarios, Gobierno de Aragón 2008-09

Experimentación del portfolio electrónico (e-pel) en secundaria I.

Seleccionado en la convocatoria: Ayudas a la innovación e investigación educativa en centros docentes de niveles no universitarios, Gobierno de Aragón 2010-11

Estrategias de mejora en la enseñanza aprendizaje de las lenguas extranjeras y segundas lenguas: mi portfolio.

Seleccionado en la convocatoria: Ayudas a la innovación e investigación educativa en centros docentes de niveles no universitarios, Gobierno de Aragón 2010-11

EPS (Electronic Portfolio System)

In 2001, before the term “e-portfolio” was common parlance there was a perceived need to enable teachers in training to save, store, present and archive their electronically-based work so that it could be assessed by tutors. A Teacher Training Agency (TTA) Grant was used to design and implement an online system for trainee teachers to save evidence of their activities called Electronic Portfolio System (EPS). Over the years, its use and value has changed and, through the support of the Teacher Development Agency for schools (TDA), the system will continue to develop. The features of the system have grown organically because of technology changes and by tutors and mentors identifying affordances. This presentation will identify the principles and how they guide the development process. It will give an opportunity to elucidate the next stages in e-portfolio developments.

Sustaining Success - portfolio questions

A one page version of the portfolio questions used for the routes to success section of the engineering foundation year. This is part three sustaining success