The effect of positive events at work on after-work fatigue: They matter most in face of adversity.

There is evidence that daily negative events at work enhance fatigue. In contrast, positive events may trigger processes that increase, but also processes that decrease, energetic resources. Accordingly, results regarding a main effect of positive events on fatigue have been mixed. However, a clearer pattern between positive events and fatigue can be expected under adverse circumstances (i.e., accumulation of negative events, high chronic stressors). Positive events may facilitate coping and accelerate recovery processes and, thus, reduce resource drain due to daily negative events and chronic stressors. Predicting fatigue in a diary study with 76 employees, we investigated interactions between daily positive events and (a) daily negative events and (b) chronic social stressors. Multilevel modeling revealed that negative but not positive events were associated with increased end-of-work fatigue. However, positive events interacted with negative events and with chronic social stressors. As expected, positive events were negatively associated with fatigue only on days with many negative events, but not so on days with few negative events. Analogously, positive events were negatively associated with fatigue only among employees with high, compared with low, chronic social stressors. We conclude that the beneficial short-term effects of positive events on energetic resources are largely confined to adverse circumstances. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

NMR studies of the Brønsted acidity of solids. Application to superacidic solids

¹H broad-line NMR at 4 K has been used to study the acid strength of Brønsted solid and liquid acids and superacids in the presence of water as base. From the simulation of the spectra, the number of hydronium ions per acid site is deduced and is used to rank the compounds.     

Explaining Potential Antecedents of Workplace Social Support: Reciprocity or Attractiveness?

Effects of social support are an important topic in occupational stress theories and research, yet little is known about support's potential antecedents. Based on reciprocity theory, the authors hypothesized that the social support received is related to the extent the employee performs organizational citizenship behaviors directed at individuals and to one's social competence; based on the notion of personal attraction, the authors hypothesized that employees' physical attractiveness and sense of humor would be associated with the amount of social support received. In a survey of 123 high school employees and separate ratings of their attractiveness, reciprocity variables were related but attraction variables were not related to social support availability. Further research should examine reciprocity in predicting social support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two urinary catecholamine measurement indices for applied stress research: effects of time and temperature until freezing

Research on stress at work often involves the analysis of urinary adrenaline and noradrenaline. It is usually assumed that samples have to be cooled quickly and stored at refrigerator temperature before freezing. This is often difficult to achieve in field studies. This experimental study therefore tests the robustness of results when samples are not cooled immediately. Samples of 9 men and women, collected at 3 points in time, were immediately frozen, kept for a variable delay in a warm room, or stored in a refrigerator before freezing. Two indices were calculated: (a) the ratio of hormones to liquid volume, period of excretion, and body weight; and (b) the ratio of hormones to urinary creatinine. The reliability of high performance liquid chromatography analysis was satisfactory, as was the comparability of the 2 indices. Unfavorable storage up to 24 hr did not cause bacteria-driven decreases of catecholamines, regardless of storage temperature or sampling time. Results suggest high stability for at least 24 hr without cooling, provided the samples are immediately acidified. Cooling may therefore be handled less restrictively than has been assumed. The application of this research is to facilitate research in settings where samples are collected at different places, such as participants' homes or different workplaces.