Relationships between Time Management, Control, Work–family Conflict, and Strain

This article incorporates recent research regarding time management into a model of work–family conflict. The authors hypothesized that 3 types of time management behavior would have both direct and indirect (through perceived control of time) relationships, with work interfering with family and family interfering with work. It was also hypothesized that both of these types of work-family conflict would be related to the strain outcomes of job dissatisfaction and health complaints. This model was tested with a sample of 522 workers. In general, the hypothesized relationships were supported

A versatile all-channel stimulator for electrode arrays, with real-time control

Over the last few decades, technology to record through ever increasing numbers of electrodes has become available to electrophysiologists. For the study of distributed neural processing, however, the ability to stimulate through equal numbers of electrodes, and thus to attain bidirectional communication, is of paramount importance. Here, we present a stimulation system for multi-electrode arrays which interfaces with existing commercial recording hardware, and allows stimulation through any electrode in the array, with rapid switching between channels. The system is controlled through real-time Linux, making it extremely flexible: stimulation sequences can be constructed on-the-fly, and arbitrary stimulus waveforms can be used if desired. A key feature of this design is that it can be readily and inexpensively reproduced in other labs, since it interfaces to standard PC parallel ports and uses only off-the-shelf components. Moreover, adaptation for use with in vivo multi-electrode probes would be straightforward. In combination with our freely available data-acquisition software, MeaBench, this system can provide feedback stimulation in response to recorded action potentials within 15 ms

Persistent dynamic attractors in activity patterns of cultured neuronal networks

Three remarkable features of the nervous system—complex spatiotemporal patterns, oscillations, and persistent activity—are fundamental to such diverse functions as stereotypical motor behavior, working memory, and awareness. Here we report that cultured cortical networks spontaneously generate a hierarchical structure of periodic activity with a strongly stereotyped population-wide spatiotemporal structure demonstrating all three fundamental properties in a recurring pattern. During these "superbursts," the firing sequence of the culture periodically converges to a dynamic attractor orbit. Precursors of oscillations and persistent activity have previously been reported as intrinsic properties of the neurons. However, complex spatiotemporal patterns that are coordinated in a large population of neurons and persist over several hours—and thus are capable of representing and preserving information—cannot be explained by known oscillatory properties of isolated neurons. Instead, the complexity of the observed spatiotemporal patterns implies large-scale self-organization of neurons interacting in a precise temporal order even in vitro, in cultures usually considered to have random connectivity

Circular 82

The development of improved plant cultivars is accomplished through comprehensive plant breeding programs. Such programs: 1) evaluate genetically-diverse germplasm in order to identify superior-performing genotypes; 2) create new genetic recombinations from crosses or other means using selected parental genotypes; 3) evaluate segregating progeny from these families while exerting selection pressure for desirable characteristics; and 4) identify superior-performing genotypes in yield trials conducted in multiple environments. This circular documents the current status of research in cultivar development associated with the Alaska barley breeding program

Overview: The Future of Animal Agriculture in North America

Livestock Production/Industries,

Circular 85

The development of improved plant cultivars is accomplished through comprehensive plant breeding programs. Such programs: 1) evaluate promising germplasm to identify superior-performing genotypes for use as parents; 2) create new genetic recombinations from these selected parental genotypes using crossing or other means; 3) evaluate segregating progeny from the resulting families while exerting selection pressure for desirable characteristics; and 4) identify superior-performing cultivars in yield trials conducted across multiple environments. This circular documents the current status of research in cultivar development associated with the Alaska barley breeding program

Circular 92

The development of improved plant cultivars is accomplished through comprehensive plant breeding programs. Such programs: 1) evaluate promising germplasm to identify superior-performing genotypes for use as parents; 2) create new genetic recombinations from these selected parental genotypes using crossing or other means; 3) evaluate segregating progeny from the resulting families while exerting selection pressure for desirable characteristics; and 4) identify superior-performing cultivars in yield trials conducted across multiple environments. This circular documents the current status of research in cultivar development associated with the Alaska barley breeding program

Substantial optical dielectric enhancement by volume compression in LiAsSe2_2

Based on first-principles calculations, we predict a substantial increase in the optical dielectric function of LiAsSe$_2$ under pressure. We find that the optical dielectric constant is enhanced threefold under volume compression. This enhancement is mainly due to the dimerization strength reduction of the one-dimensional (1D) As--Se chains in LiAsSe$_2$, which significantly alters the wavefunction phase mismatch between two neighboring chains and changes the transition intensity. By developing a tight-binding model of the interacting 1D chains, the essential features of the low-energy electronic structure of LiAsSe$_2$ are captured. Our findings are important for understanding the fundamental physics of LiAsSe$_2$ and provide a feasible way to enhance the material optical response that can be applied to light harvesting for energy applications.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

Shear horizontal (SH) ultrasound wave propagation around smooth corners

Shear horizontal (SH) ultrasound guided waves are being used in an increasing number of non-destructive testing (NDT) applications. One advantage SH waves have over some wave types, is their ability to propagate around curved surfaces with little energy loss; to understand the geometries around which they could propagate, the wave reflection must be quantified. A 0.83 mm thick aluminium sheet was placed in a bending machine, and a shallow bend was introduced. Periodically-poled magnet (PPM) electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs), for emission and reception of SH waves, were placed on the same side of the bend, so that reflected waves were received. Additional bending of the sheet demonstrated a clear relationship between bend angles and the reflected signal. Models suggest that the reflection is a linear superposition of the reflections from each bend segment, such that sharp turns lead to a larger peak-to-peak amplitude, in part due to increased phase coherence

The Impact of Situational Constraints, Role Stressors, and Commitment on Employee Altruism

This study investigated relations between 3 work-related stressors (role ambiguity, role conflict, and organizational constraints) and altruistic behavior in the workplace. It was predicted that each stressor would be negatively related to altruism and that these relations would be moderated by affective commitment (AC). Data from 144 incumbent-supervisor dyads revealed that all 3 stressors; were weakly and negatively related to altruism. Two of these relationships were moderated by AC, although not as predicted. Organizational constraints were positively related to altruism among those reporting high levels of AC but negatively related among those reporting low levels of AC. The pattern was exactly opposite for role conflict. Implications of these findings are discussed