Regional scale evidence for improvements in surface water chemistry 1990-2001.

The main aim of the international UNECE monitoring program ICP Waters under the Convention of Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) is to assess, on a regional basis, the degree and geographical extent of the impact of atmospheric pollution, in particular acidification, on surface waters. Regional trends are calculated for 12 geographical regions in Europe and North America, comprising 189 surface waters sites. From 1990-2001 sulphate concentrations decreased in all but one of the investigated regions. Nitrate increased in only one region, and decreased in three North American regions. Improvements in alkalinity and pH are widely observed. Results from the ICP Waters programme clearly show widespread improvement in surface water acid-base chemistry, in response to emissions controls programs and decreasing acidic deposition. Limited site-specific biological data suggest that continued improvement in the chemical status of acid-sensitive lakes and streams will lead to biological recovery in the future.

Spatial complexity in children's language.

The purpose of this research was to explore the properties of locative scenes which influence the sequence of the acquisition of spatial prepositions in English. Children ranging in age from about 2;8 to 5;6 were tested with a comprehension test involving a sentence-picture matching task. The comprehension test contained six kinds of spatial contrasts which were judged to vary in the geometric complexity of the scene. The order of acquisition was as follows: (1) into/out of & onto/off of, (2) in/on, (3) into/onto & out of/off of and through/over (around), (4) between X & Y/Y & Z, and (5) across/along. Complexity depends on a number of factors such as the number of referent objects and the nature of the relationship between the object to be located and the critical feature of the referent object. Prepositions which involve a more complex spatial geometry are more difficult for young children to comprehend. It was argued that the sequence of acquisition is partially determined by the course of conceptual development.

Health behavior, quality of work life, and organizational effectiveness in the lumber industry.

A major incentive for work-site health promotion activities has been the promise of increased company profitability. Some critics have challenged the economic argument based on distal outcomes such as increased employee longevity and less morbidity later in life. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between employee health behavior, quality of work life, and proximal organizationally valued outcomes. Data were collected from a stratified random sample of employees working at Pacific Lumber Company (N = 146), the largest single-site lumber mill in California. Although employee sleep patterns predicted health care utilization and psychological well-being, for the most part employee health behaviors were not strong predictors of proximal organizational effectiveness factors. However, quality-of-work-life factors significantly predicted organizational commitment, absenteeism, and tardiness frequency. The findings suggest the value of improving the system of work in which employees are embedded as part of comprehensive work-site health promotion efforts.

Tailoring outdoor tobacco advertising to minorities in Los Angeles County.

This study provides the first longitudinal comparison of the frequency and content characteristics of tobacco ads that appeared along thoroughfares running through four types of Los Angeles ethnic neighborhoods. Tobacco ad density (tobacco billboards per mile), concentration (proportion of billboards with tobacco content), and content were compared from 1990 to 1994 across four neighborhoods at multiple time points. Compared with White neighborhood thoroughfares, African American and Hispanic neighborhoods contained greater tobacco ad density, and all minority neighborhoods contained greater tobacco ad concentration along the roadsides. Initial differences in tobacco ad frequency decreased significantly over time. However, the age, race, and gender of billboard characters remained different among the different ethnic neighborhood thoroughfares, with greater ethnicity-specific content in African American neighborhood thoroughfares than in other neighborhood thoroughfares. These data are consistent with the assertion that tobacco companies target ethnic minorities with higher rates of advertising and ethnically tailored campaigns. This may be used in order to expand the total market of minority consumers.

Identification of adolescents at risk for smoking initiation: validation of a measure of susceptibility.

Primary prevention of smoking in adolescents requires effective screening instruments for identifying those adolescents who are most likely to experiment with cigarettes. This study investigated the predictive value of a measure of susceptibility to smoking (the lack of a firm commitment not to smoke) for predicting smoking initiation 1 and 2 years later among 687 seventh-grade nonsmokers. Results showed that susceptible adolescents were approximately two to three times more likely to experiment with cigarettes during the ensuing 2 years than were nonsusceptible adolescents. At the lower levels of smoking, these relationships persisted even after controlling for psychosocial variables. Measures of susceptibility to smoking could be an effective tool for identifying adolescents at increased risk of experimenting with cigarettes or assessing their readiness for smoking-prevention programs.

The organizational implications of smokeless tobacco use in the lumber mill industry.

Although much is known about the characteristics of employees who smoke cigarettes, very little is known about workers who use smokeless tobacco. The current study was designed to understand the characteristics of smokeless tobacco users in relation to their performance at work and compare them with smokers and former tobacco users. Data were collected via interviews and questionnaires from a random sample of employees working at Pacific Lumber Company (N = 146), the largest single-site lumber mill in California. A total of 63 smokeless tobacco users (21 of whom also smoked cigarettes), 43 cigarette smokers, and 40 employees who had successfully quit using tobacco (34 of whom previously used cigarettes only) provided information about their health behavior, quality of work life, and performance at work. Analyses revealed that smokeless tobacco users reported less healthful sleep patterns, drank alcohol more often, were intoxicated more often, reported less job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and reported that both chewers and smokers do not work as hard and take more breaks than do tobacco-free employees (quitters). Specific differences among chewers-only, smokers-only, smokers-and-chewers, and quitters are presented. Results suggest the organizational value of developing worksite cessation programs for smokeless tobacco users.