Relationships of cessation of smoking with job stress, personality, and social support.

Studied the relationships between job stress, social support, personality, and cigarette smoking quit rate by multivariate analyses of responses of 200 male administrators, engineers, and scientists (mean age = 40 yrs) to a battery of tests, including the Jenkins Activity Scale. Results indicate that quitters had the lowest levels of quantitative work load, responsibility, and social support, and that they scored low on Type A personality characteristics (i.e., they were not hard driving, persistent, competitive, overloaded with work, or involved in the work). While quitters tended to be administrators rather than engineers or scientists, these occupational differences in quit rates were accounted for by occupational differences in Type A personality, work load, social support, and responsibility. A Social Support * Job Stress interaction showed that decreases in stress were associated with decreases in the quit rate only for persons with low social support. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

我国铍铜产业科技进步回顾与展望

分析了中国铍铜工业现代化发展与世界铍铜工业的关系，论述了我国铍铜工业从无到有至目前技术水平的发展历程，这归功于我国从事铍铜生产及科研技术人员多年来依靠科技进步为其发展做出的巨大贡献，同时，就工艺设备和生产规模方面与发达国家差距对中国铍铜工业的影响，作用以及未来的发展趋势进行了阐述。     

Technology assessment and biomedical engineering education

Technology assessment is research that is intended to help decisionmakers deal with the development, acquisition and utilisation of healthcare technologies. Healthcare professionals now recognise the need for assessment information in decisionmaking. Among these professionals are biomedical and clinical engineers who need to manage technology assessment activities and use assessment information appropriately. It is imperative therefore that proper educational programmes be developed to prepare engineers for a broader role in healthcare. The paper elaborates on aspects of technology assessment and the need for training of engineers in specific concepts and principles.     

Role ambiguity, locus of control, and work satisfaction.

Administered a questionnaire containing Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale, a measure of role ambiguity, and 2 measures of job satisfaction to 94 scientists and engineers employed in an electronics firm. Results indicate that locus of control was related to both role ambiguity and satisfaction and that locus of control provided a greater independent contribution to satisfaction than did role ambiguity. Implications for interpreting scores on measures of role ambiguity are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Just because you're imaging the brain doesn't mean you can stop using your head: A primer and set of first principles.

Developments within the neurosciences, cognitive sciences, and social sciences have contributed to the emergence of social neuroscience. Among the most obvious contemporary developments are brain-imaging procedures such as functional magnetic resonance imaging. The authors outline a set of first principles designed to help make sense of brain-imaging research within the fields of cognitive and social neuroscience. They begin with a principle few would debate--that social cognition, emotion, and behavior involve the brain--but whose implications might not be entirely obvious to those new to the field. The authors conclude that (a) complex aspects of the mind and behavior will benefit from yet a broader collaboration of neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, and social scientists, and (b) social psychologists bring important theoretical, methodological, and statistical expertise to this interdisciplinary enterprise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On prediction and control: B. F. Skinner and the technological ideal of science.

Behaviorists have long held that the aim of science is the prediction and control of phenomena, a belief that reveals their adherence to the technological ideal of science. According to this ideal, scientists know best those things that they can make, and to have control over phenomena is to be able to remake the world. B. F. Skinner absorbed this viewpoint from his early exposure to the works of Francis Bacon, with the result that operant psychology was infused from the outset with a technological and reformist orientation. However, the general decline of the technological ideal in recent decades poses a challenge to the operant tradition and jeopardizes the prospects of large-scale implementation of behavioral technology for social reform. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Politics and scientific expertise: scientists, risk perception, and nuclear waste policy

To study the homogeneity and influences on scientists' perspectives of environmental risks, we have examined similarities and differences in risk perceptions, particularly regarding nuclear wastes, and policy preferences among 1011 scientists and engineers. We found significant differences (p < 0.05) in the patterns of beliefs among scientists from different fields of research. In contrast to physicists, chemists, and engineers, life scientists tend to: (a) perceive the greatest risks from nuclear energy and nuclear waste management; (b) perceive higher levels of overall environmental risk; (c) strongly oppose imposing risks on unconsenting individuals; and (d) prefer stronger requirements for environmental management. On some issues related to priorities among public problems and calls for government action, there are significant variations among life scientists or physical scientists. We also found that--independently of field of research--perceptions of risk and its correlates are significantly associated with the type of institution in which the scientist is employed. Scientists in universities or state and local governments tend to see the risks of nuclear energy and wastes as greater than scientists who work as business consultants, for federal organizations, or for private research laboratories. Significant differences also are found in priority given to environmental risks, the perceived proximity of environmental disaster, willingness to impose risks on an unconsenting population, and the necessity of accepting risks and sacrifices.     

A behavioral decision theory approach for measuring McClelland's trichotomy of needs.

Describes the initial research associated with a new approach for measuring D. C. McClelland's trichotomy of needs. The method is based on behavioral decision theory and involves modeling an individual's decision-making behavior to determine how the person weights his or her need for affiliation, need for power (nPow), and need for achievement (nAch) in arriving at decisions. 161 scientists and engineers, 149 US Air Force officer graduate students, and 94 management executives were involved in this initial validation effort. All 8 hypotheses concerning inter- and intragroup relationships and concurrent validity issues were supported. The dominant motive for scientists, engineers, and graduate students was nAch, whereas nPow was dominant for management executives. Scientists, engineers, and graduate students had higher nAch scores than management executives, who had the highest nPow scores. Student GPA correlated with nAch, and officer performance scores correlated with nPow. Scientists and engineers who published had higher nAch scores than those who did not. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Progress in the understanding of NiTi shape memory alloys

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a special class of metallic materials which respond with a considerable change in their properties to small changes in temperature or stress. The SMAs offer two interesting characteristics, viz., shape memory effect (SME) and superelasticity (SE), also called pseudoelasticity which make them attractive for applications in engineering and biomedical fields. Among the various SMAs, NiTi base alloys have been the most commercially exploited ones because of their superior SME and SE, mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Since the pioneering discovery of NiTi SMA in early 1960s, significant progress has been made in the processing and understanding of the behaviour of these alloys. In spite of these efforts, the NiTi SMAs continue to offer challenges to the scientists and engineers, and new findings are being made continuously. This paper provides an overview of the developments in NiTi SMAs.     

Developing Structural Integrated Stressor–Stress Models for Clients’ and Contractors’ Cost Engineers

Estimation is not a purely scientific task. It requires cost engineers equipped with a wide knowledge of construction and a professional ability to make judgments. However, stress will deaden their use of knowledge and influence their professional judgment in estimating. In the construction industry, cost engineers can generally be divided into two main groups: clients’ cost engineers in consultant firms or in a development company who serve clients; and contractors’ cost engineers in construction companies working for the contractors. This study investigates the causal relationships between the stressors and stress of clients’ and contractors’ cost engineers. Two stressor–stress integrated models were developed for these two cost engineer groups by using the structural equation model. The findings revealed some stressors that affected both clients’ and contractors’ cost engineers: (1) poor environment, role conflict and work underload affect their stress positively; (2) social support and Type A behavior affect their stress negatively; and (3) work underload induces stress via the role conflict among cost engineers, their supervisors, and the organization. On the other hand, some deviations between these two groups of cost engineers also occur: (1) social support acts as a source of stressors of clients’ cost engineers; (2) a private life stressor only affects the stress of contractors’ cost engineers; and (3) a closed interactive looping relationship among role conflict, Type A behavior, and work underload affects contractors’ cost engineers. Based on the results of this study, some recommendations are suggested to manage cost engineers’ stress well.     

Job involvement and organizational commitment as longitudinal predictors of job performance: A study of scientists and engineers.

A study of 532 scientists and engineers from 4 industrial research and development organizations showed that as hypothesized, the scientist–engineer distinction had a moderating effect on the relationships between job involvement and 1-year-later job-performance ratings and on counts of patents and publications. Scientists had stronger relationships between job involvement and each of the performance measures taken 1 year later than did engineers. No moderating effect was found for the scientist–engineer distinction on the relationships between organizational commitment and the performance measures. Moreover, no moderating effect was shown for an interaction term of job involvement and organizational commitment on the performance measures. Implications are discussed for theory building of the construct of job involvement and for the differential management of scientists versus engineers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychologist and the underdeveloped country: Some hints on survival.

Comments that US social scientists are disdained by professionals in other countries who have offered their contribution and received very little in return. The author suggests that psychologists who wish to establish equal exchanges overseas consider their methodological training and capacity, as the skill most necessary and acceptable, and best calculated to lead to a useful interchange. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

他山之石可以攻玉——第9届国际轧钢大会归来

对第9届国际轧钢大会作了简要介绍。指出该会议对技术创新的重视。需要加强国际学术交流；在产能、品种结构调整的同时，研发重点也需跟进。认为增加对研发的投入和提高职工素质是成为钢铁强国的必要条件之一。     

科研方向创新的理念与方法

科研方向创新是科技发展中的重大问题,涉及较多的理念和方法。掌握这些理念与方法对科技工作者十分重要和必要。本文在对“创新”一词进行解读的基础上,结合自身的经验、认识和体会,总结提出了关于工程科技创新的32字口诀,和关于科研方向创新的“第一原理,需求引领,顺势外推,学科交叉,反向思维,节点穷举”等具体方法,以及模型树、节点法等概念,并以油气钻井技术为例说明这些方法的典型应用。      

Being Brave in the Brave New World

As civil engineering enters the 21st century, there are four issues engineers need to confront in order to improve the profession. These are time, teams, technology and stewardship. In the future, diminishing project completion times will require engineers to develop new methods of time management without sacrificing project quality. In terms of teamwork, project managers will increasingly need to be broad-scale leaders, with the ability to manage people as well as the technical aspects of a project. Engineers should also evaluate technical issues, focusing on the ethical implications of doing what is only technically correct instead of looking at the overall project. Finally, civil engineers should explore the profession's ethical responsibilities, questioning what role civil engineers should play in terms of stewardship in the social, global and political arenas.     

实物期权在建设项目技术经济评估中的应用

采用传统的净现值（NPV）对建设项目进行技术经济评估,会使一些很有前途的建设项目胎死腹中,因为它忽略了管理者根据情况灵活决策的价值.这种灵活决策具有实物期权的特性,可以应用金融期权的理论对它进行价值分析,从而为建设项目的决策提供依据,也是从一个全新的角度对建设项目进行技术经济评估.     

Global Rural Electrification: A Different Race Initiative

“Perhaps the single greatest contribution that could be made to environmental conservation would be the invention of a satisfactory fuel‐wood substitute” for developing nations. Providing electric power from orbit under a program of energy as foreign aid to developing nations will benefit the local and global environment and people living on the margins of existence, and it will provide technically challenging jobs to the engineers and scientists of all the nations that undertake such a massive project. Civil engineers can, if they and their professional societies so choose, play a significant, if not integral, role in using the resources of Earth and its surroundings for the benefit of mankind under a program of energy from space. This paper extends the concepts from a previous work by the writer to global rural electrification based on electric power from power stations, built in geosynchronous orbit out of lunar materials, distributed to individual villages and rural electric cooperatives via microwaves for a cost of between 6 cents and 45 cents per kilowatt‐hour. Power would be available in modular increments of 25–100 kilowatts with an average capital cost as low as $5,000 per kilowatt. The goals of the program for global rural electrification are twofold: to provide electric power from space at competitive costs, relative to current costs, to rural and agricultural areas, and to divert resources from weapons development to infrastructure development. The potential for involvement by civil engineers is limited only by their own lack of vision and daring.     

Responsible Use of Computer Technology by Engineers

Computer technology has given rise to new forms and modes of project failures in the construction industry. Engineers are prime targets of claims to recover financial losses caused by these computer-provoked failures. Thus, engineers should have a basic understanding of their legal responsibilities associated with the use of computers. In order to foster such an understanding, this paper discusses examples of how computer accidents can occur in the construction industry and examines the legal ramifications to engineers, discusses potential recourse theories engineers may have against hardware and software vendors or insurers, and identifies measures engineers can take to reduce the likelihood of an accident and the corresponding likelihood of a claim.     

Importance of participative goal setting and anticipated rewards on goal difficulty and job performance.

In Study 1, 76 engineers/scientists either participated in the setting of, or were assigned, specific behavioral goals during their performance appraisal. Participative goal setting resulted in more difficult goals being set than was the case when the goals were assigned. Perceptions of goal difficulty, however, were not significantly different in the 2 goal-setting conditions. In Study 2, the analysis of the performance data collected 6 mo later on 132 engineers/scientists revealed main effects for both goal setting and anticipated rewards. Only participative goal setting led to significantly higher performance than a "do your best" and a control group condition. There was no significant difference between the performance of the latter 2 conditions despite the fact that the individuals in the do-your-best group received knowledge of results. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)