Family-Friendly Environments and U.S. Army Soldier Performance and Work Outcomes

This study examined how perceptions of a family-friendly environment relate to physical fitness, efficacy beliefs, and intentions to remain in the military. Survey data and actual performance measures from 230 U.S. Army soldiers were examined. Findings indicated that a perceived family-friendly environment was positively related to intentions to remain in the military upon fulfillment of obligation. Additionally, perceptions of family-friendly environments were positively related to collective efficacy perceptions. These findings provide strong support for the need to create and maintain a strong family-friendly work environment, not only to improve the well-being of employees but also to benefit the organization's retention efforts, obtained from employees being more willing to remain with the organization.     

Crime and violence in Brazil: Systematic review of time trends,prevalence rates and risk factors

Between 1980 and 2010 there were 1 million homicides in Brazil. Dramatic increases in homicide rates followed rises in inequality, more young men in the population, greater availability of firearms, and increased drug use. Nevertheless, disarmament legislation may have helped reduce homicide rates in recent years. Despite its very high rate of lethal violence, Brazil appears to have similar levels of general criminal victimization as several other Latin American and North American countries. Brazil has lower rates of drug use compared to other countries such as the United States, but the prevalence of youth drug use in Brazil has increased substantially in recent years. Since 1990, the growth of the Brazilian prison population has been enormous, resulting in the fourth largest prison population in the world. Through a systematic review of the literature, we identified 10 studies assessing the prevalence of self-reported offending in Brazil and 9 studies examining risk factors. Levels of self-reported offending seem quite high among school students in Brazil. Individual and family-level risk factors identified in Brazil are very similar to those found in high-income countries.     

Statements

The churches today are called to confess anew their faith, and to repent for the times when Christians have remained silent in the face of injustice or threats to peace. The biblical vision of peace with justice for all, of wholeness, of unity for all God's people is not one of several options for the followers of Christ. It is an imperative in our time. (Peace and Justice Statement, WCC Sixth Assembly, Vancouver 1983)     

Ontogeny of meal patterning in rats and its recapitulation during recovery from lateral hypothalamic lesions.

The development of feeding patterns was investigated in weanling rats and in rats with lateral hypothalamic lesions. From 16 to 25 days of age, the weanlings demonstrated a preprandial intake pattern, i.e., a positive correlation between meal size and time since the preceding meal. This subsequently declined while the postprandial relationship (correlation with time until subsequent meal) began to emerge such that by 30-35 days of age a full adult pattern was observed. Rats recovering from lateral hypothalamic lesions, for a brief period, also demonstrated a preprandial intake pattern. The postprandial relationship was abolished by the lesions. These results suggest that the development of adult meal patterning results from maturation of lateral hypothalamic mechanisms governing meal initiation.     

An automated swim alley for small animals: I. Instrumentation

A swim alley for testing the long-term performance capacity of rats is described. Rats swim back and forth in an alley, in temperature-controlled water, between platforms that are alternately and automatically raised and lowered. At the end of each traverse, an animal is allowed to rest on a raised platform for a period of time before the platform is lowered, which initiates the next traverse. Continuous measurement is made of speed of movement between platforms.     

Investigating contingencies: an examination of the impact of span of supervision and upward controllingness on leader-member exchange using traditional and multivariate within- and between-entities analysis

Using a sample of 150 bank employees, span of supervision and subordinate use of influence tactics were examined as moderators of relationships between leader-member exchange (LMX) and subordinate performance and organizational commitment. Raw score analyses indicate that moderators are present. Span of supervision and upward controlling influence tactics moderate relationships between LMX and both performance and commitment. However, using multiple relationship analysis and multivariate within- and between-entities analysis to assess the level of analysis results in some discrepant findings. These discrepancies are discussed, as are implications for future LMX research.     

Self–Other Relations in Biodiversity Conservation in the Community: Representational Processes and Adjustment to New Actions

This research explores the simultaneous role of two Self–Other relations in the elaboration of representations at the micro‐ and ontogenetic levels, assuming that it can result in acceptance and/or resistance to new laws. Drawing on the Theory of Social Representations, it concretely looks at how individuals elaborate new representations relevant for biodiversity conservation in the context of their relations with their local community (an interactional Other) and with the legal/reified sphere (an institutional Other). This is explored in two studies in Portuguese Natura 2000 sites where a conservation project calls residents to protect an at‐risk species. Study 1 shows that (i) agreement with the institutional Other (the laws) and meta‐representations of the interactional Other (the community) as approving of conservation independently help explain (at the ontogenetic level) internalisation of conservation goals and willingness to act; (ii) the same meta‐representations operating at the micro‐genetic level attenuate the negative relation between ambivalence and willingness to act. Study 2 shows that a meta‐representation of the interactional Other as showing no clear position regarding conservation increases ambivalence. Findings demonstrate the necessarily social nature of representational processes and the importance of considering them at more than one level for understanding responses to new policy/legal proposals. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Positive Affectivity and Collective Efficacy as Moderators of the Relationship Between Perceived Politics and Job Satisfaction

This study explores the moderating potential of positive affectivity (PA) and perceived collective efficacy (PCE) on the relationship between 3 dimensions of politics perceptions and job satisfaction. We hypothesized that high levels of PA and PCE, in unison, would buffer the harmful effects of perceived politics on job satisfaction. Regression analyses for the 3 dimensions (i.e., general politics, go along to get along, and pay and promotion) yielded a significant finding for the PA × PCE × Go Along to Get Along 3-way interaction only. Consistent with our expectations, low PA-low PCE individuals were less satisfied with their jobs when levels of go-along-to-get-along politics increased. Contrary to our hypothesis, however, high PA-high PCE individuals reported a significant inverse relationship between perceived politics and job satisfaction. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are provided.