Do Respondents Who Pen Comments Onto Mail Surveys Differ From Other Respondents? A Research Note on the Human Services Job Satisfaction Literature

A current study has criticized the human services job satisfaction literature for relying solely on information obtained by closed-ended questionnaires. Stating that these studies may not accurately reflect the actual conditions under which public welfare employees function, the authors base their criticisms on an analysis of the extemporaneous comments of subjects participating in a national study. Nonetheless, whether or not those who pen comments are representative of the broader population of human service workers remains an open question. The study reported in this article sought to shed light on this issue by comparing respondents who commented versus those who did not. Findings indicate that the two groups are quite similar although some differences were observed

Predictors of Job Satisfaction among Three Racial/Ethnic Groups of Professional Female Human Service Workers

Three hundred and thirty-six female human service workers were studied to determine whether or not racial/ethnic status was related to job satisfaction among managerial, supervisory and professional employees. Both overall and intrinsic satisfaction were assessed. Two groups were similar in the patterns predictive of their satisfaction but the third group appeared to be influenced by concerns peculiar to those achieving recent professional status

X-RAY VISION: APPLICATION OF AUGMENTED REALITY IN AVIATION MAINTENANCE TO SIMPLIFY TASKS INHIBITED BY OCCLUSION

This thesis examined the potential applications of augmented or mixed reality (AR/MR) technology and leveraging them in the context of the aviation maintenance community. Specifically, we examined whether using the 3D mapping and real-time space tracking technology of devices like the Microsoft HoloLens 2 can be used to make maintenance tasks easier in environments where the maintainer is not able to see into their workspace. With the complexities of aircraft construction, the prevalence of narrow, tight fitting spaces that are blocked by walls or obstructions is common. In the past, aviation maintainers have had to rely on memorizing 2D diagrams and feeling around dark, cramped spaces in order to determine where certain parts are located. Previous research in the field of AR primarily focuses on comparing AR methods to traditional methods for different types of tasks in simulacra. There is a lack of research in the specific application of AR that addresses occlusion introduced into these tasks. By conducting trials of simulated maintenance in an occluded area using AR technology, we found that the novice maintainer increased the accuracy of performance and decreased maintenance time when compared to traditional methods, while providing a subjectively easier method for instruction.Captain, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Recisions, Organizational Conditions and Job Satisfaction Among Black and White Human Service Workers: A Research Note

Despite the growing attention evident in the human services literature on the related topics of job satisfaction and burnout, virtually none of the empirical studies published to date have examined the possible influences of recent federal and state cutbacks in human service funding levels on the job satisfaction of human service workers. One outcome of these cutbacks has been the curtailment of services offered by county welfare departments, often achieved by reducing the number of public welfare workers through hiring freezes, attrition, layoffs, etc. The remaining public welfare workers often have then been placed in the unenviable position of trying to maintain, as best they can, previous levels of service with fewer staff and smaller budgets

Silicon film solar cell process

The most promising way to reduce the cost of silicon in solar cells while still maintaining performance is to utilize thin films (10 to 20 microns thick) of crystalline silicon. The method of solution growth is being employed to grow thin polycrystalline films of silicon on dissimilar substrates. The initial results indicate that, using tin as the solvent, this growth process only requires operating temperatures in the range of 800 C to 1000 C. Growth rates in the range of 0.4 to 2.0 microns per minute and grain sizes in the range of 20 to 100 microns were achieved on both quartz and coated steel substrates. Typically, an aspect ratio of two to three between the width and the Si grain thickness is seen. Uniform coverage of Si growth on quartz over a 2.5 x 2.5 cm area was observed

A Reconnaissance Survey of the Environmental Chemistry in East-Central Ellesmere Island, N.W.T.

Snow-pack and surface water samples were collected from east-central Ellesmere Island near Cape Herschel between May and August in 1979-81 to ascertain whether anthropogenic pollution was detectable in a remote "pristine" arctic environment. Snow-pack samples were analyzed for organochlorine pesticide residues, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and chlorophenoxy acid herbicides. Precipitation and surface water samples were analyzed to determine whether the region has been subjected to "acid rain". In addition, the surface water samples were analyzed for as many as 35 inorganic parameters to provide background data on the water quality of the region. Measurable concentrations of Lindane (gamma BHC) and its isomer alpha BHC, HEOD (dieldrin), and DDT were detected at a number of sites, but no polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) or chlorophenoxy acid herbicides were detected. The pattern of pesticide residues in this remote area of the Arctic is presumptive evidence that the residues are globally dispersed through the atmosphere. Only copper and the lithophilic metals aluminum and iron were consistently detectable in the snow-pack and surface water samples; all other metals were at or below their detection limits. Thus anthropogenic inputs of metal contaminants such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, selenium, and vanadium, via atmospheric deposition, were not detected in this region. Although "acid rain" was not in evidence in the study area, the surface waters of the local ponds and lakes, many of which are ombrogenic, are potentially susceptible to changes in the acidity of the atmospheric aerosol of the high Arctic.Key words: snow-pack, precipitation, pesticides, PAHs, acid rain, water chemistry, metals, Arctic, Ellesmere IslandMots clés: manteau nival, précipitation, pesticides, HAP, pluis acides, chimie aquatique, métaux, Arctique, l'île d'Ellesmer

Two Perspectives on Organizationally-Inspired Barriers to Innovation in Schools of Social Work: Short and Long Term Strategies to Promote National Minority Group Representation

This paper focuses on conditions conceived to militate against innovation and change in organizations adhering to administrative principles found often in many workplaces. While these principles are not peculiar to schools of social work, these schools are singled out along with two related problems identified often by persons employed in these schools as ones for which few effective innovations have been implemented. These problems center upon how these schools may best achieve an adequate representation among faculty members, of minority group staff, and an adequate representation of substantive course offerings focusing upon the experiences of national minority group members. The authors suggest that several administrative principles basic to the organization of most schools of social work preclude the development of an organizational milieu capable of satisfying key work related needs of staff. Elimination of these basic organizing principles results in a more satisfying work setting that promotes quality staff relationships for all staff as well as a setting viewed to enhance the willingness of non-minority faculty to respond positively to the introduction of minority staff and content. Second, the authors propose further that immediate steps requiring little change in the organizing principles of schools may be taken to promote appropriate representation of both minority- related content and minority group staff. This latter strategy amounts to a short-range solution to solve problems associated with minority group representation through the manipulation of rewards viewed as associated with but not fundamentally related to the work satisfaction of social work faculty and staff. In contrast to the former strategy, this second strategy treats the basic organizing principles of these schools as a constant and, while requiring less time for implementation, does not move schools of social work toward humanistic organizational patterns

IUCN, National Parks, and Protected Areas: Priorities for Action

In order to ensure that the full range of species and natural ecosystems continue to form part of the human habitat, national parks and other types of protected areas must be better designed and managed than is usually the case at present. While IUCN has a long history of involvement in protected areas, often in cooperation with UNESCO, the World Wildlife Fund, and UNEP, the World National Parks Congress (held in Bali, Indonesia, during 11-22 October 1982) marked a major turning-point in promoting protected areas as part of the social and economic development process. In this approach, the Congress provided ways and means for the philosophy of the World Conservation Strategy (1980) to be put into action on the groun

A Comparison of Modern and Preindustrial Levels of Mercury in the Teeth of Beluga in the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, and Walrus at Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada

Mercury (Hg) concentrations were compared in modern and preindustrial teeth of belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) and walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) at sites in the Canadian Arctic so that the relative amounts of natural and anthropogenic Hg in modern animals could be estimated. Mercury levels in the teeth of Beaufort Sea belugas captured in the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, in 1993 were significantly (p = 0.0001) higher than those in archeological samples dated A.D. 1450-1650. In terms of geometric means, the Hg levels in modern animals were approximately four times as high as preindustrial levels in 10-year-old belugas, rising with age to 17 times as high in 30-year-olds. Because Hg levels in modern teeth were highly correlated with those in soft tissues, including muscle and muktuk, which are part of traditional human diets, it is likely that soft-tissue Hg has increased to a similar degree over the past few centuries. The increase was not due to dietary differences over time, as shown by analysis of stable-C and -N isotopes in the teeth, and was unlikely to be due to sex differences or to chemical diagenesis of historical samples. Industrially related Hg inputs to the Arctic Ocean and Canadian Arctic Archipelago may be the most likely explanation for the increase. If so, then 80-95% of the total Hg in modern Beaufort Sea belugas more than 10 years old may be attributed to anthropogenic activities. In contrast, tooth Hg concentrations in walrus at Igloolik, Nunavut, were no higher in the 1980s and 1990s than in the period A.D. 1200-1500, indicating an absence of industrial Hg in the species at this location.On a comparé les concentrations de mercure (Hg) dans des dents de bélugas (Delphinapterus leucas) et de morses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) de notre époque et de l'ère préindustrielle, à des lieux situés dans l'Arctique canadien de façon à estimer les montants relatifs de Hg naturel et anthropique chez les individus contemporains. Les niveaux de mercure dans les dents de bélugas de la mer de Beaufort capturés en 1993 dans le delta du Mackenzie (Territoires du Nord-Ouest) étaient sensiblement (p = 0,0001) plus élevés que ceux des échantillons archéologiques remontant à une période située entre 1450 et 1650 de notre ère. En termes de moyenne géométrique, les niveaux de Hg chez les animaux actuels étaient près de quatre fois plus élevés que les niveaux préindustriels chez les bélugas âgés de 10 ans, augmentant avec l'âge jusqu'à être 17 fois plus élevés chez les bélugas de 30 ans. Vu que le niveau de Hg dans les dents actuelles était fortement corrélé à celui des tissus mous - y compris les muscles et le muktuk, qui font partie de l'alimentation humaine traditionnelle -, il est probable que la concentration de Hg dans les tissus mous a subi une augmentation similaire au cours des derniers siècles. Comme le montre l'analyse des isotopes de calcium stable et d'azote stable trouvés dans les dents, cette augmentation n'était pas due à des différences alimentaires au cours des années, et elle n'était probablement pas causée par la différence de sexe ou la diagenèse chimique d'échantillons historiques. L'explication la plus plausible de l'augmentation est l'apport de Hg industriel dans l'océan Arctique et l'archipel Arctique. Si tel est le cas, on pourrait attribuer entre 80 et 95 p. cent du Hg total présent chez le béluga actuel de la mer de Beaufort aux activités anthropiques. En revanche, les concentrations de Hg dans les dents de morses provenant d'Igloolik (Nunavut) n'étaient pas plus élevées dans les années 1980 et 1990 qu'au cours de la période située entre 1200 et 1500 apr. J.-C., signalant ainsi l'absence de Hg industriel chez cette espèce à cet endroit

Deglaciation and ice shelf development at the northeast margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Younger Dryas chronozone

Core 2011804‐0010 from easternmost Lancaster Sound provides important insights into deglacial timing and style at the marine margin of the NE Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS). Spanning 13.2–11.0 cal. ka BP and investigated for ice‐rafted debris (IRD), foraminifera, biogenic silica and total organic carbon, the stratigraphy comprises a lithofacies progression from proximal grounding line and sub‐ice shelf environments to open glaciomarine deposition; a sequence similar to deposits from Antarctic ice shelves. These results are the first marine evidence of a former ice shelf in the eastern Northwest Passage and are consistent with a preceding phase of ice streaming in eastern Lancaster Sound. Initial glacial float‐off and retreat occurred >13.2 cal. ka BP, followed by formation of an extensive deglacial ice shelf during the Younger Dryas, which acted to stabilize the retreating margin of the NE LIS until 12.5 cal. ka BP. IRD analyses of sub‐ice shelf facies indicate initial high input from source areas on northern Baffin Island delivered to Lancaster Sound by a tributary ice stream in Admiralty Inlet. After ice shelf break‐up, Bylot Island became the dominant source area. Foraminifera are dominated by characteristic ice‐proximal glaciomarine benthics (Cassidulina reniforme, Elphidium excavatum f. clavata), complemented by advected Atlantic water (Cassidulina neoteretis, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma) and enhanced current indicators (Lobatula lobatula). The biostratigraphy further supports the ice shelf model, with advection of sparse faunas beneath the ice shelf, followed by increased productivity under open water glaciomarine conditions. The absence of Holocene sediments in the core suggests that the uppermost deposits were removed, most likely due to mass transport resulting from the site's proximity to modern tidewater glacier margins. Collectively, this study presents important new constraints on the deglacial behaviour of the NE Laurentide Ice Sheet, with implications for past ice sheet stability, ice‐rafted sediment delivery, and ice−ocean interactions in this complex archipelago setting