Transitions in children's understanding of parental roles.

In 2 studies, 64 3–7? yr old White children were tested for a predicted, 6-step sequence of parental role concepts. Dolls were used to represent typical family roles, about which questions concerning role explanations were asked of Ss. The sequence was found to be scalable. Between 3 and 4? yrs of age, Ss could describe a parental role in terms of several behaviors appropriate to the role. By 6 yrs of age, most Ss could understand a parental role in terms of its relation to a complementary role. By 7 yrs of age, most Ss could describe and explain how 2 family role relationships could occur simultaneously for the same person. Implications of this sequence are discussed in terms of the generalization from previous studies and the explanatory power of the sequence. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of several procedures for generating J-coefficients.

J-coefficients were examined as estimators of criterion-related validities for the occupation of machinist in a medium-sized international manufacturer of precision automotive accessories. Test and job performance components of the J-coefficient were estimated from supervisory, incumbent, coworker, policy capturing, importance, and test expert ratings. The results indicated that combinations of estimates from several sources generated J-coefficients that reproduced the pattern and mean values of the validities. Supervisory and incumbent sources were superior to test expert source for estimating test components, whereas co-worker, policy capturing, and importance sources were equally effective for estimating job performance components. The implications of the J-coefficient are discussed for personnel selection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Application of Reduced-Wattage Fluorescent Lamps and High-Efficiency Ballasts to General Lighting Systems

The introduction of new energy-saving lamps and ballasts for fluorescent lighting has focused attention on the electrical and performance characteristics of the lamp/ballast/luminaire system. To obtain optimum efficiency the lighting designer must now consider not only catalog and nameplate ratings, but also hard-to-obtain thermal and field factors which can substantially affect energy input and light output values. A discussion of these factors is presented along with practical design information for a number of lamp/ballast combinations are used in a variety of standard luminaires. Also included is the expected impact on system energy use and economics.     

Focal issues for institutional change.

Six focal issues related to innovation and change in people-changing institutions are illustrated by examples from a total-change project at an institution for adjudicated delinquent male adolescents. These issues reflect the following needs: (a) adoption of a guiding philosopy of rehabilitation, treatment, and/or education that adequately considers the ecological context in which the philosophy must operate; (b) use of historical context (perspective) to aid understanding and action; (c) attention to the staff of people-changing institutions; (d) development of an organizational structure that can best foster a growth-producing environment for both staff and residents; (e) acknowledgement of problems of innovation and implementation; and (f) external orientation and community focus. (75 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

ORGANIZATIONAL SLACK IN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS: A COST VARIANCE ANALYSIS

Stack is a central theoretical concept for which we suggest original measurement procedures. Cost variance analysis is used to measure labor organizational slack (LOS) in a national sample of American municipal governments. National norms serve as standards. Positive slack occurs when actual costs exceed standard costs. Some cities experienced positive slack, others negative slack. Staffing and Compensation Indices are estimated and found to be negatively correlated. Implications for public policy and further research are discussed. When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.     

Data-base management systems—Data models and query languages

Data-base management systems support three types of data model—hierarchic, network, and relational. Query facilities range from high-level, nonprocedural languages to host-language, coded procedures. Evaluation of DBMS for geoscience applications requires careful consideration of both these features.     

Depletion policy and the de-industrialization of the UK economy

With the present policy stance of the UK government, the rate of extraction of North Sea oil becames one of the more important instruments for managing the economy in the 1980s. In this paper the effects of different depletion policies are examined, ranging from rapid early extraction to a low profile long-term conservation policy. The author explains how the depletion policy should be seen in the context of the UK economy and present government policies. He describes four possible depletion policies for the 1980s, together with the assumptions which are made in analysing their effects. The macroeconomic results of putting each policy in the Cambridge multisectoral dynamic model are presented and show the severe short-term costs of unrestrained production. Finally relations between depletion policy and de-industrialization are examined.     

Simultaneous monitoring of volatile selenium and sulfur species from se accumulating plants (wild type and genetically modified) by GC/MS and GC/ICPMS using solid-phase microextraction for sample introduction

A sensitive method for determining ultratrace volatile Se species produced from Brassica juncea seedlings is described. The use of a new commercially available GC/ ICPMS interface in conjunction with solid-phase micro-extraction is a promising way to perform these studies. The addition of optional gases (O2 and N2) to the argon discharge proved to increase the sensitivity for Se and S as well as for Xe, which as a trace contaminant gas, was used for ICPMS optimization studies. However, the optimization parameters differ when an optional gas is added. In the best conditions, limits of detection ranging from 1 to 10 ppt can be obtained depending on the Se compound and 30 to 300 ppt for the volatile S species. The use of GC/MS with similar sample introduction permits the characterization of several unknown species produced as artifacts from the standards. The method allows the virtually simultaneous monitoring of S and Se species from the headspace of several plants (e.g., onions, garlic, etc.) although the present work is focused on the B. juncea seedlings grown in closed vials and treated with Se. Dimethyl selenide and dimethyl diselenide were detected as the primary volatile Se components in the headspace. Sulfur species also were present as allyl (2-propenyl) isothiocyanate and 3-butenyl isothiocyanate as characterized by GC/MS.     

Design methodology for a Fabry-Perot interferometer used as a concentration sensor

We present the design methodology for a sensor that can nonintrusively monitor target gas concentration levels in a power plant exhaust flow. The measurement is based on radiative emission by rovibrational transitions that are well isolated from emission features of other constituents and requires both moderate spectral resolution (typically 1 nm or below) and relatively high optical throughput. A Fabry-Perot interferometer provides this capability, and its conceptual design is discussed at length. High-temperature radiative emission of nitric oxide in a background of water was used as a sample system for the design of a prototype Fabry-Perot interferometer. Predictions for the instrument are a minimum resolvable NO column density of 100 parts per million times meter based on a simple background subtraction scheme with a gas temperature of 800 K. Improved order sorting can dramatically lower this minimum. The prototype instrument was calibrated and tested with a laboratory simulator; results are presented and compared with predictions.