Leader vision and the development of adaptive and proactive performance: A longitudinal study.

In this study, the authors investigated how leader vision influences the change-oriented behaviors of adaptivity and proactivity in the workplace. The authors proposed that leader vision would lead to an increase in adaptivity for employees who were high in openness to work role change. In contrast, they proposed leader vision would be associated with an increase in proactivity when employees were high in role breadth self-efficacy. These propositions were supported in a longitudinal survey of 102 employees who provided self-report data about their leader and their work behaviors. The findings provide insight into the interaction between leaders and followers in responding to a change imperative. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The cerebral hemispheres cooperate to perform complex but not simple tasks.

Three experiments were designed to examine whether task complexity determines the degree to which a division of processing across the hemispheres (i.e., across-hemisphere processing) underlies performance when within- and across-hemisphere processing are equally possible. When task complexity was relatively low, performance in a midline condition that allowed for either within- or across-hemispheric processing resembled within-hemisphere performance (Experiments 1 and 2). However, when task complexity was high, performance in a midline condition (Experiments 1 and 2) and a lateralized condition, which also allowed for either within- or across-hemisphere processing (Experiment 3), resembled across-hemisphere performance. Results complement and extend prior work (e.g., M. T. Banich & A. Belger, see record 1990-30280-001) by indicating that the degree to which interhemispheric cooperation underlies performance changes with the complexity of the task being performed. This finding suggests that the hemispheres dynamically couple or uncouple their processing as a function of task complexity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using naturalistic driving data to identify variables associated with infrequent,occasional, and consistent seat belt use

Seat belt use is one of the most effective countermeasures to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries. The success of efforts to increase use is measured by road side observations and self-report questionnaires. These methods have shortcomings, with the former requiring a binary point estimate and the latter being subjective. The 100-car naturalistic driving study presented a unique opportunity to study seat belt use in that seat belt status was known for every trip each driver made during a 12-month period. Drivers were grouped into infrequent, occasional, or consistent seat belt users based on the frequency of belt use. Analyses were then completed to assess if these groups differed on several measures including personality, demographics, self-reported driving style variables as well as measures from the 100-car study instrumentation suite (average trip speed, trips per day). In addition, detailed analyses of the occasional belt user group were completed to identify factors that were predictive of occasional belt users wearing their belts. The analyses indicated that consistent seat belt users took fewer trips per day, and that increased average trip speed was associated with increased belt use among occasional belt users. The results of this project may help focus messaging efforts to convert occasional and inconsistent seat belt users to consistent users.     

RF performances of inductors integrated on localized p+-type porous silicon regions

To study the influence of localized porous silicon regions on radiofrequency performances of passive devices, inductors were integrated on localized porous silicon regions, full porous silicon sheet, bulk silicon and glass substrates. In this work, a novel strong, resistant fluoropolymer mask is introduced to localize the porous silicon on the silicon wafer. Then, the quality factors and resonant frequencies obtained with the different substrates are presented. A first comparison is done between the performances of inductors integrated on same-thickness localized and full porous silicon sheet layers. The effect of the silicon regions in the decrease of performances of localized porous silicon is discussed. Then, the study shows that the localized porous silicon substrate significantly reduces losses in comparison with high-resistivity silicon or highly doped silicon bulks. These results are promising for the integration of both passive and active devices on the same silicon/porous silicon hybrid substrate.     

Playing with fire? Action research as professional development

D. Hodson, with L. Bencze, L. Elshof, E. Pedretti, & J. Nyhof‐Young. (2001). Changing science through action research: Some experiences from the field. Toronto: Imperial Oil Centre for Studies in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. ISBN: 0–7727–2604–3.     

Evaluation of mesoporous silicon thermal conductivity by electrothermal finite element simulation

ABSTRACT: The aim of this work is to determine the thermal conductivity of mesoporous silicon (PoSi) by fitting the experimental results with simulated ones. The electro-thermal response (resistance versus applied current) of differently designed test lines integrated onto PoSi / Silicon substrates and the bulk were compared to the simulations. The PoSi thermal conductivity was the single parameter used to fit the experimental results. The obtained thermal conductivity value were compared with that determined from Raman scattering measurements and a good agreement between both methods was found. This methodology can be used to easily determine the thermal conductivity value for various porous silicon morphologies.