Generational Differences in Use of Social Media in Today’s Workplace

This study examined the use of social media at work. Undergraduate students and professors were surveyed to try to find a generational relationship between the younger generation’s view of using sites such as Facebook while working and how some participants from an older generation perceived it. We also examined the effects of Facebook outside of work and whether or not postings made there could jeopardize a position at work. The results from our survey and research conclude that social media is an increasing problem because it serves as a distraction and predict that with increasing individual use of social media it will become more of a problem at work if it is not properly managed by the employer

Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Safety Investment Program (SIP) Policies for Oregon

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Safety Investment Program (SIP) seeks to allocate safety funds in a manner that maximizes safety benefits on preservation projects and at specific high-crash locations. The SIP philosophy targets highway sections for investment with the premise that the most effective use of safety dollars to save lives is to invest in areas where the most people are being killed or seriously injured in traffic crashes. The SIP categorizes five-mile roadway sections on a 1-5 rating based on the number of crashes in a three year period; with five (5) being the most crash prone section. Safety funds are then assigned based on these ratings and may be used for stand-alone as well as 3R safety-based expenditures; however, ODOT does not have a program in place to assess of the actual influence these investments on the overall safety improvements of the corridors. There is some uncertainty as to whether SIP policy encourages the most cost-effective use of limited resources and whether it effectively sorts road segments requiring safety improvements and those where standards can be reduced. While nearly $140 million has been allocated through SIP since its inception, there currently is no system in place to track investments and results. Since SAFETEA-LU calls for a data driven decision process, there is a need for ODOT to address how best to invest in safety and assess these investments using some type of performance measure based system. In this research, a comprehensive evaluation will be designed to evaluate the SIP program and recommend appropriate policy and performance measurement changes

Basis Sets for Molecular Interactions. 1. Construction and Tests on (HF)2 and (H2O)2

Basis set superposition error (BSSE) remains one of the major difficulties besetting current ab initio calculations of molecular interactions. Despite the widespread notion that lowering of the BSSE to negligible magnitude requires extremely large basis sets, we show that simple modifications of basis sets of only moderate size (e.g., 6-31G**) can accomplish the same end at much reduced computational expense. These modifications include reoptimization of the orbital exponents within the framework of the relevant molecules, plus addition of a single diffuse shell of sp orbitals on nonhydrogen centers. Subsequent addition of a second set of d-functions further lowers the SCF BSSE, bringing it below 0.1 kcal/mol for both (HF)2 and (H2O)2. It is notable that addition of the latter d-functions without prior reoptimization of the valence orbitals produces the opposite effect of an increase in the BSSE. Although the MP2 BSSE is also substantially decreased by the above modifications, it appears difficult to reduce this quantity below about 0.4 kcal/mol

Discovery of a Missing Link: Detection and Structure of the Elusive Disilicon Carbide Cluster

The rotational spectrum of the elusive but fundamentally important silicon carbide SiCSi has been detected using sensitive microwave techniques aided by high-level ab initio methods. Its equilibrium structure has been determined to very high precision using isotopic substitution and vibrational corrections calculated quantum-chemically: it is an isosceles triangle with a Si-C bond length of 1.693(1) angstrom, and an apex angle of 114.87(5)degrees. Now that all four SimCn clusters with m + n = 3 have been observed experimentally, their structure and chemical bonding can be rigorously compared. Because Si2C is so closely linked to other Si-bearing molecules that have been detected in the evolved carbon star IRC+10216, it is an extremely promising candidate for detection with radio telescopes