Focus on opportunities as a boundary condition of the relationship between job control and work engagement: A multi-sample, multi-method study

The concept of focus on opportunities describes how many new goals, options, and possibilities employees believe to have in their personal future at work. In this multi-sample, multi-method study, the authors investigated relationships between focus on opportunities and general and daily work engagement and the moderating role of focus on opportunities on between- and within-person relationships between job control and work engagement. Based on a social cognitive theory framework on the motivating potential of a future temporal focus, it was hypothesized that focus on opportunities is positively related to work engagement. Further, consistent with the notion of compensatory resources, it was expected that job control is not related to work engagement among employees with a high focus on opportunities, whereas job control, as an external resource of the work environment, is positively related to work engagement among employees with a low focus on opportunities. Both a cross-sectional survey study (N=174) and a daily diary study (N=64) supported the hypotheses. The study contributes to research on the job demands-resources model as it emphasizes the role of focus on opportunities as a motivational factor in the relationship between job control and work engagement.

How weed control and fertilisation influence tree physiological processes and growth at early establishment in an exotic F1 hybrid pine plantation of subtropical Australia

Purpose This study investigated how nitrogen (N) nutrition and key physiological processes varied under changed water and nitrogen competition resulting from different weed control and fertilisation treatments in a 2-year-old F1 hybrid (Pinus elliottii Engelm var. elliottii × P. caribaea var. hondurensis Barr. ex Golf.) plantation on a grey podzolic soil type, in Southeast Queensland. Materials and methods The study integrated a range of measures including growth variables (diameter at ground level (DGL), diameter at breast height (DBH) and height (H)), foliar variables (including foliar N concentration, foliar δ13C and δ15N) and physiological variables (including photosynthesis (An), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E), intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi) (A/gs) and xylem pressure potential (ΨXPP)) to better understand the mechanisms influencing growth under different weed control and fertilisation treatments. Five levels of weed control were applied: standard (routine), luxury, intermediate, mechanical and nil weed control, all with routine fertilisation plus an additional treatment, routine weed control and luxury fertilisation. Relative weed cover was assessed at 0.8, 1.1 and 1.6 years after plantation establishment to monitor the effectiveness of weed control treatments. Soil investigation included soil ammonium (NH4 +-N), nitrate (NO3 −-N), potentially mineralizable N (PMN), gravimetric soil moisture content (MC), hot water extractable organic carbon (HWETC), hot water extractable total N (HWETN), total C, total N, stable C isotope composition (δ13C), stable N isotope composition (δ15N), total P and extractable K. Results and discussion There were significant relationships between foliar N concentrations and relative weed cover and between tree growth and foliar N concentration or foliar δ15N, but initial site preparation practices also increased soil N transformations in the planting rows reducing the observable effects of weed control on foliar δ15N. A positive relationship between foliar N concentration and foliar δ13C or photosynthesis indicated that increased N availability to trees positively influenced non-stomatal limitations to photosynthesis. However, trees with increased foliar N concentrations and photosynthesis were negatively related to xylem pressure potential in the afternoons which enhanced stomatal limitations to photosynthesis and WUEi. Conclusions Luxury and intermediate weed control and luxury fertilisation positively influenced growth at early establishment by reducing the competition for water and N resources. This influenced fundamental key physiological processes such as the relationships between foliar N concentration, A n, E, gs and ΨXPP. Results also confirmed that time from cultivation is an important factor influencing the effectiveness of using foliar δ15N as an indicator of soil N transformations.

Effects of weed control and fertilization at early establishment on tree nitrogen and water use in an exotic F1 hybrid pine of subtropical Australia

Purpose We investigated the effects of weed control and fertilization at early establishment on foliar stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (N) isotope (δ15N) compositions, foliar N concentration, tree growth and biomass, relative weed cover and other physiological traits in a 2-year old F1 hybrid (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii (Engelm) × Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis (Barr. ex Golf.)) plantation grown on a yellow earth in southeast Queensland of subtropical Australia. Materials and methods Treatments included routine weed control, luxury weed control, intermediate weed control, mechanical weed control, nil weed control, and routine and luxury fertilization in a randomised complete block design. Initial soil nutrition and soil fertility parameters included (hot water extractable organic carbon (C) and total nitrogen (N), total C and N, C/N ratio, labile N pools (nitrate (NO3 −) and ammonium (NH4 +)), extractable potassium (K+)), soil δ15N and δ13C. Relative weed cover, foliar N concentrations, tree growth rate and physiological parameters including photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency, foliar δ15N and foliar δ13C were also measured at early establishment. Results and discussion Foliar N concentration at 1.25 years was significantly different amongst the weed control treatments and was negatively correlated to the relative weed cover at 1.1 years. Foliar N concentration was also positively correlated to foliar δ15N and foliar δ13C, tree height, height growth rates and tree biomass. Foliar δ15N was negatively correlated to the relative weed cover at 0.8 and 1.1 years. The physiological measurements indicated that luxury fertilization and increasing weed competition on these soils decreased leaf xylem pressure potential (Ψxpp) when compared to the other treatments. Conclusions These results indicate how increasing N resources and weed competition have implications for tree N and water use at establishment in F1 hybrid plantations of southeast Queensland, Australia. These results suggest the desirability of weed control, in the inter-planting row, in the first year to maximise site N and water resources available for seedling growth. It also showed the need to avoid over-fertilisation, which interfered with the balance between available N and water on these soils.

Perceived maternal psychological control and school adjustment in Chinese adolescents: Associations, mediations and moderations

This study aimed to examine the complicated process involved in the influence of parental psychological control on academic self-concept and academic performance in Chinese adolescents. The study considered possible mediating and moderating factors that might influence the relationships of interest. Findings of this study suggested that perceived maternal psychological control was related to adolescents' academic self-concept, and the relationship was mediated by adolescents' satisfaction on basic psychological needs. No statistically significant association was found between perceived maternal psychological control and adolescents' academic performance, instead, the relationship was moderated by adolescent age.

Integration and optimization of pressure retarded osmosis with reverse osmosis for power generation and high efficiency desalination

Salinity gradient power is proposed as a source of renewable energy when two solutions of different salinity are mixed. In particular, Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) coupled with a Reverse Osmosis process (RO) has been previously suggested for power generation, using RO brine as the draw solution. However, integration of PRO with RO may have further value for increasing the extent of water recovery in a desalination process. Consequently, this study was designed to model the impact of various system parameters to better understand how to design and operate practical PRO-RO units. The impact of feed salinity and recovery rate for the RO process on the concentration of draw solution, feed pressure, and membrane area of the PRO process was evaluated. The PRO system was designed to operate at maximum power density of . Model results showed that the PRO power density generated intensified with increasing seawater salinity and RO recovery rate. For an RO process operating at 52% recovery rate and 35 g/L feed salinity, a maximum power density of 24 W/m2 was achieved using 4.5 M NaCl draw solution. When seawater salinity increased to 45 g/L and the RO recovery rate was 46%, the PRO power density increased to 28 W/m2 using 5 M NaCl draw solution. The PRO system was able to increase the recovery rate of the RO by up to 18% depending on seawater salinity and RO recovery rate. This result suggested a potential advantage of coupling PRO process with RO system to increase the recovery rate of the desalination process and reduce brine discharge.

Studies on the Effects of Property Taxation, Rent Control and Housing Allowances

Tämä väitöskirja koostuu asuntomarkkinoiden taloustieteellistä analyysia esittelevästä johdantoluvusta ja kolmesta tutkimuksesta, joissa analysoidaan asuntomarkkinoihin vaikuttavia politiikkatoimenpiteitä. Luvussa 2 tutkitaan Suomen kiinteistöverojärjestelmän vaikutusta asuntorakentamiseen. Vuonna 2001 tehtiin uudistus, jonka myötä kunnat voivat verottaa rakentamatonta asuintonttia korkeammalla veroasteella kuin rakennettua tonttia. Maanomistajan rakentamispäätöksen teoreettisen mallin mukaan rakentamattoman tontin korotettu kiinteistöveron pitäisi nopeuttaa rakentamista, mutta toisaalta myös rakentamiseen investoitu rahamäärä saattaa muuttua. Asuintonttien kiinteistöverojen yleinen taso ei vaikuta maanomistajan käyttäytymiseen, sillä tontin verotusarvo ei riipu rakentamispäätöksestä. Vain rakentamattoman ja rakennetun tontin veroasteiden erolla on merkitystä. Empiiriset tulokset ovat sopusoinnussa teorian kanssa. Tulosten mukaan prosenttiyksikön nousu rakentamattoman ja rakennetun tontin veroasteiden erossa lisää omakotialoitusten määrää viidellä prosentilla lyhyellä aikavälillä. Luvussa 3 analysoidaan vuokrasääntelystä vuokralaisille aiheutuvia hyötyjä ja haittoja. Vuokrasäännellyissä asunnoissa asuvat kotitaloudet hyötyvät vuokrasääntelystä alhaisen vuokran muodossa. Heille saattaa kuitenkin koitua myös haittaa siitä, että toiveita vastaavan asunnon löytäminen on vuokrasääntelytilanteessa vaikeaa, koska vapaille asunnoille on suuri määrä ottajia. Vapaarahoitteisen vuokra-asuntokannan vuokrien sääntely purettiin Suomessa asteittain vuosina 1992–1995. Tutkimuksen empiiriset tulokset viittaavat siihen, että vuokrasääntelyn aiheuttamista suurista eroista halutun ja todellisen asuntokulutuksen välillä koituvat hyvinvointitappiot kumosivat merkittävän osan matalien vuokrien hyödyistä vuokralaisille. Luvussa 4 tutkitaan Suomen asumistukijärjestelmän kannustinvaikutuksia. Asumistuen määrää rajoittavat asunnon pinta-alalle ja neliövuokralle asetetut ylärajat. Neliövuokrarajoite voidaan tulkita asumisen laatua rajoittavana tekijänä. Tutkimuksen teoreettisessa osassa osoitetaan, että asumistukijärjestelmä luo vahvat kannustimet muuttaa asuntoihin, joissa pinta-ala- ja laaturajoitteet purevat. Empiiristen tulosten mukaan asumistukeen oikeutetut kotitaloudet eivät näytä reagoivan kannusteisiin. Tukeen oikeutettujen kotitalouksien asumisvalinnat suhteessa pinta-ala ja laaturajoitteisiin vastaavat muiden kotitalouksien valintoja ja asunnonvaihdon mahdollistama potentiaalinen asumistuen lisäys ei nosta muuttotodennäköisyyttä. Muuttamiseen liittyvät kustannukset ja vajavaiset tiedot tukijärjestelmästä saattavat selittää heikkoa reagointia asumistuen luomiin kannustimiin. Toinen mahdollinen selitys on asumistuen vajaakäyttö. Tutkimuksen mukaan vain 70–80 prosenttia asumistukeen oikeutetuista kotitalouksista nostaa tukea. Asumistuen hyödyntämisen todennäköisyys riippuu koulutustasosta, tuen määrästä ja tulo-odotuksista.

Microsurgical Aneurysm Model in Rats and Mice: Development of Endovascular Treatment and Optimization of Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The rupture of a cerebral artery aneurysm causes a devastating subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), with a mortality of almost 50% during the first month. Each year, 8-11/100 000 people suffer from aneurysmal SAH in Western countries, but the number is twice as high in Finland and Japan. The disease is most common among those of working age, the mean age at rupture being 50-55 years. Unruptured cerebral aneurysms are found in 2-6% of the population, but knowledge about the true risk of rupture is limited. The vast majority of aneurysms should be considered rupture-prone, and treatment for these patients is warranted. Both unruptured and ruptured aneurysms can be treated by either microsurgical clipping or endovascular embolization. In a standard microsurgical procedure, the neck of the aneurysm is closed by a metal clip, sealing off the aneurysm from the circulation. Endovascular embolization is performed by packing the aneurysm from the inside of the vessel lumen with detachable platinum coils. Coiling is associated with slightly lower morbidity and mortality than microsurgery, but the long-term results of microsurgically treated aneurysms are better. Endovascular treatment methods are constantly being developed further in order to achieve better long-term results. New coils and novel embolic agents need to be tested in a variety of animal models before they can be used in humans. In this study, we developed an experimental rat aneurysm model and showed its suitability for testing endovascular devices. We optimized noninvasive MRI sequences at 4.7 Tesla for follow-up of coiled experimental aneurysms and for volumetric measurement of aneurysm neck remnants. We used this model to compare platinum coils with polyglycolic-polylactic acid (PGLA) -coated coils, and showed the benefits of the latter in this model. The experimental aneurysm model and the imaging methods also gave insight into the mechanisms involved in aneurysm formation, and the model can be used in the development of novel imaging techniques. This model is affordable, easily reproducible, reliable, and suitable for MRI follow-up. It is also suitable for endovascular treatment, and it evades spontaneous occlusion.

Disease control and management

Globally, the main contributors to morbidity and mortality are chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Chronic disease is costly and partially avoidable, with around 60% of deaths and nearly 50% of the global disease burden attributable to these conditions. By 2020, chronic illnesses will likely be the leading cause of disability worldwide. Existing healthcare systems that focus on acute episodic health conditions, both national and international, cannot address the worldwide transition to chronic illness; nor are they appropriate for the ongoing care and management of those already dealing with chronic diseases. As such, chronic disease management requires integrated approaches that incorporate interventions targeted at both individuals and populations, and emphasise the shared risk factors of different conditions. International and Australian strategic planning documents articulate similar elements to manage chronic disease, including the need for aligning sectoral policies for health, forming partnerships, and engaging communities in decision-making. Infectious diseases are also a common and significant contributor to ill health throughout the world. In many countries, this impact has been minimised by the combined efforts of preventative health measures and improved treatment methods. However, in low-income countries, infectious diseases remain the dominant cause of death and disability. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that infectious diseases (including respiratory infections) still account for around 23% (or around 14 million) of all deaths each year, and result in over 4.6 billion episodes of diarrhoeal disease and 243 million cases of malaria each year (Lozano et al. 2012, WHO 2009). In addition to the high level of mortality, infectious diseases disable many hundreds of millions of people each year, mainly in developing countries, with the global burden of disease from infectious diseases estimated to be around 300 million DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) (WHO 2012). The aim of this chapter is to outline the impact that infectious diseases and chronic diseases have on the health of the community, describe the public health strategies used to reduce the burden of those diseases, and discuss the historic and emerging disease risks to public health. This chapter examines the comprehensive approaches implemented to prevent both chronic and infectious diseases, and to manage and care for communities with these conditions.

Optimal Nonlinear Control and Estimation for a Reusable Launch Vehicle During Reentry Phase

In this paper a nonlinear optimal controller has been designed for aerodynamic control during the reentry phase of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). The controller has been designed based on a recently developed technique Optimal Dynamic Inversion (ODI). For full state feedback the controller has required full information about the system states. In this work an Extended Kalman filter (EKF) is developed to estimate the states. The vehicle (RLV) has been has been consider as a nonlinear Six-Degree-Of-Freedom (6-DOF) model. The simulation results shows that EKF gives a very good estimation of the states and it is working well with ODI. The resultant trajectories are very similar to those obtained by perfect state feedback using ODI only.

Uplink Power Control and Base Station Association in Multichannel Cellular Networks

A combined base station association and power control problem is studied for the uplink of multichannel multicell cellular networks, in which each channel is used by exactly one cell (i.e., base station). A distributed association and power update algorithm is proposed and shown to converge to a Nash equilibrium of a noncooperative game. We consider network models with discrete mobiles (yielding an atomic congestion game), as well as a continuum of mobiles (yielding a population game). We find that the equilibria need not be Pareto efficient, nor need they be system optimal. To address the lack of system optimality, we propose pricing mechanisms. It is shown that these mechanisms can be implemented in a distributed fashion.

Moment-Matched Lognormal Modeling of Uplink Interference with Power Control and Cell Selection

We develop an alternate characterization of the statistical distribution of the inter-cell interference power observed in the uplink of CDMA systems. We show that the lognormal distribution better matches the cumulative distribution and complementary cumulative distribution functions of the uplink interference than the conventionally assumed Gaussian distribution and variants based on it. This is in spite of the fact that many users together contribute to uplink interference, with the number of users and their locations both being random. Our observations hold even in the presence of power control and cell selection, which have hitherto been used to justify the Gaussian distribution approximation. The parameters of the lognormal are obtained by matching moments, for which detailed analytical expressions that incorporate wireless propagation, cellular layout, power control, and cell selection parameters are developed. The moment-matched lognormal model, while not perfect, is an order of magnitude better in modeling the interference power distribution.

Microstructure control and wear of Al2O3-SiC-(Al,Si) composites made by melt oxidation

Ceramic matrix composites of Al2O3-SiC-(Al,Si) have been fabricated by directed melt oxidation of aluminum alloys into SiC particulate preforms. The proportions of Al2O3, alloy, and porosity in the composite can be controlled by proper selection of SLC particle size and the processing temperature. The wear resistance of composites was evaluated in pin-on-disk experiments against a hard steel substrate. Minimum wear rate comparable to conventional ceramics such as ZTA is recorded for the composition containing the highest fraction of alloy, owing to the development of a thin and adherent tribofilm with a low coefficient of friction.

Nonneutral network and the role of bargaining power in side payments

Representatives of several Internet access providers have expressed their wish to see a substantial change in the pricing policies of the Internet. In particular, they would like to see content providers pay for use of the network, given the large amount of resources they use. This would be in clear violation of the �network neutrality� principle that had characterized the development of the wireline Internet. Our first goal in this paper is to propose and study possible ways of implementing such payments and of regulating their amount. We introduce a model that includes the internaut�s behavior, the utilities of the ISP and of the content providers, and the monetary flow that involves the internauts, the ISP and content provider, and in particular, the content provider�s revenues from advertisements. We consider various game models and study the resulting equilibrium; they are all combinations of a noncooperative game (in which the service and content providers determine how much they will charge the internauts) with a cooperative one - the content provider and the service provider bargain with each other over payments to one another. We include in our model a possible asymmetric bargaining power which is represented by a parameter (that varies between zero to one). We then extend our model to study the case of several content providers. We also provide a very brief study of the equilibria that arise when one of the content providers enters into an exclusive contract with the ISP.