Worksite characteristics and changes in worksite tobacco-control initiatives. Results from the COMMIT study

Few studies have prospectively examined the characteristics associated with worksite adoption of tobacco-control initiatives. Data were collected as part of the Community Intervention Trial (COMMIT) for Smoking Cessation, which conducted interventions in 11 communities. This smoking cessation intervention was based on community organization principles and delivered through multiple community channels, including worksites, health care providers, the media, and cessation resources. This article reports results from telephone interviews of intervention community worksites having 50 or more employees, conducted at baseline and the end of the intervention period. Among worksites that responded to both baseline and final surveys, 83% had not adopted a smoke-free policy at baseline, and 61% did not offer any cessation aid or quitting resources at baseline. By the final survey, 34% of those with no smoking ban at baseline had become smoke-free, and 36% of those offering no cessation assistance at baseline were offering cessation resources at the follow-up. The prevalence of policy adoption was higher among worksites employing more female employees and offering other health-promotion activities; manufacturing businesses were significantly less likely than businesses other than service and wholesale/retail businesses to adopt policies. Adoption of cessation programs was significantly more likely among worksites employing 100 to 249 workers, compared with those employing 50 to 99 workers; those predominantly employing men; those offering other types of health-promotion activities; and those with a higher rate of turnover. These results provide important information about the characteristics of worksites likely to engage in tobacco-control efforts. Health educators and others may choose to target those worksites most ready for adoption of tobacco control policies and programs, as indicated by these findings.     

Transition From Perturbed to Coupled-Cavity Behavior With Asymmetric Spectral Emission in Ridge Lasers Emitting at 1.55 μm

We have investigated a series of ridge waveguide lasers with deeply etched slots in the ridges. The slots do not penetrate the active region, but are deep enough to strongly perturb the longitudinal modes. By the addition of slots, a transition between perturbed-mode and coupled-cavity behavior is crossed. With a group of four or more slots, the below-threshold amplified spontaneous emission spectrum from each end of the laser has different periods and the facet-facet oscillations are suppressed indicating that the different sections have become quasi-independent. A model using a distributed emitter in the cavity reproduces this behavior. Above threshold, the single contact coupled cavity lasers are single mode with greater than 30-dB sidemode suppression ratio over a wide range of currents     

The mystery of homosexuality.

Argues that psychoanalysts have repeatedly attempted to (dis)locate homosexuals within a theory of gender that rests on essential distinctions between what is feminine and what is masculine. The best illustration of this (dis)location is the manner in which the male homosexual has been regarded as feminine. Calling gay men feminine neither sufficiently problematizes their experience of gender nor adequately captures the vicissitudes of gender. The author contends that male homosexuality is a differently structured masculinity, not a simulated femininity. Though both heterosexual and homosexual men readily identify themselves as men, the gay man's gender identity is distinguished by his experience of passivity in relation to another man. A crucial step in the treatment of any gay man is the recognition of his early gender experience. The heterosexual male analyst's countertransference difficulties with homosexual male patients are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dynamic elastic-plastic behaviour of whipping pipes: experiments and theoretical model

This paper is concerned with the problem of pipe whip, the dynamic response of a high pressure piping system subjected to an end force as the result of a pipe break which releases a jet of fluid from the broken section. Both experimental and theoretical results are presented concerning the dynamic elastic-plastic behaviour of cantilever pipes subjected to a transverse force pulse at the free end. Comparisons between experimental data and theoretical predictions are made for mild-steel pipes with outer diameter-to-thickness ratios of 19.5, 28 and 32. It is demonstrated that, for these geometries, the whipping pipes display three characteristically different responses, viz. elastic, plastic hardening behaviour for thick pipes, elastic, plastic hardening-softening behaviour for moderately thick pipes and elastic, plastic hardening-softening-collapse behaviour for thinner pipes. The experimental data taken from a series of high-speed films are compared with the predictions of the instantaneous shapes of the whipping pipes derived from both a rigid, perfectly-plastic, large deflection, dynamic beam model and a more comprehensive model which incorporates the effects of elasticity and plastic hardening and softening, the details of which are presented in the paper.     

Automated derivation of time bounds in uniprocessor concurrentsystems

The successful development of complex real-time systems depends on analysis techniques that can accurately assess the timing properties of those systems. This paper describes a technique for deriving upper and lower bounds on the time that can elapse between two given events in an execution of a concurrent software system running on a single processor under arbitrary scheduling. The technique involves generating linear inequalities expressing conditions that must be satisfied by all executions of such a system and using integer programming methods to find appropriate solutions to the inequalities. The technique does not require construction of the state space of the system and its feasibility has been demonstrated by using an extended version of the constrained expression toolset to analyze the timing properties of some concurrent systems with very large state spaces     

The influence of nonlinear fields on miniature hydrophone calibration using the planar scanning technique

Miniature polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hydrophones used in determining the power and intensity output of ultrasonic fields, including those radiated from diagnostic ultrasound equipment, were calibrated under a variety of field conditions using the planar scanning technique. A diagnostic B-scan piston-type transducer was used as a source, and the output intensity (spatial-peak pulse-average, or SPPA) was varied from 2 to 30 W/cm(2) while the total power was kept constant. The higher-intensity waveforms were significantly nonlinear in the focal region of the source. When the lateral beam profiles of the source (as measured by the hydrophone to be calibrated) were determined by positive-peak-detecting the ultrasonic pulse, the calibrated pressure sensitivity of the hydrophone systematically decreased as the field became progressively more nonlinear. When the beam profiles were measured using the pulse intensity integral, no systematic dependence of the calibration on field linearity was noted. These results imply that measured values of power and intensity of ultrasound diagnostic equipment may be dependent on the methodology utilized to map the lateral beam profiles of the transducer being measured, and the extent of nonlinear effects in the field under characterization.     

A psychological study of advanced manufacturing technology: the concept of coupling

The role played by technology as a discrete independent variable in shaping the design of work is explored. The concept of coupling is developed and an empirical study of work with advanced manufacturing technology (AMT), using measurement scales derived from this concept, is outlined. Results indicate that operators of tightly coupled AMT perceive stronger supervisory influence on their working methods and show signs of lower intrinsic job satisfaction and poorer mental health than operators of more loosely coupled AMT. Implications for job redesign are discussed.     

Mortality from ship emissions: a global assessment

Epidemiological studies consistently link ambient concentrations of particulate matter (PM) to negative health impacts, including asthma, heart attacks, hospital admissions, and premature mortality. We model ambient PM concentrations from oceangoing ships using two geospatial emissions inventories and two global aerosol models. We estimate global and regional mortalities by applying ambient PM increases due to ships to cardiopulmonary and lung cancer concentration-risk functions and population models. Our results indicate that shipping-related PM emissions are responsible for approximately 60,000 cardiopulmonary and lung cancer deaths annually, with most deaths occurring near coastlines in Europe, East Asia, and South Asia. Under current regulation and with the expected growth in shipping activity, we estimate that annual mortalities could increase by 40% by 2012.