Carleton University

About: Carleton University is a education organization based out in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 15852 authors who have published 39650 publications receiving 1106610 citations.

Calibration of the speleothem delta function: an absolute temperature record for the Holocene in northern Norway

Abstract: The speleothem delta function (SDF) provides a new transfer function between the d18O signal of speleothem calcite and surface ground temperature. The function is based on physical principles, relating d18O of the calcite to thermodynamic fractionation, and to the dripwater function, which in turn relates d18O of dripwaters to that of the local precipitation and thus to the modification of source water in relationship to the geographical position of the site. The SDF must be calibrated against at least two reliable and well-dated palaeotemperature points. The end product is a reconstruction of absolute cave and surface temperatures. The technique is tested using a Holocene speleothem from north Norway, SG93, dated by 12 TIMS U-Th dates. The reconstructed temperature curve is presented and compared with the GISP2 ice-core record and with the historic record. In both cases the correlation with SG93 is impressive, indicating the validity of the technique.

Workplace Bullying In Academia: A Canadian Study

Abstract: This paper examines the results of a workplace bully survey sent to faculty, instructors and librarians at a mid-sized Canadian university in 2005. The potential sources of workplace bullying by colleagues, administrators and students are examined. The survey determined that workplace bullying is of particular concern for employees that are newly hired or untenured. The systemic nature of this phenomenon and the spillover effect from one job domain to another are identified. The findings indicate costs for the university linked to workplace bullying. Costs include increased employee turnover, changed perception of the university by employees and reduced employee engagement.

How Effective Is Road Mitigation at Reducing Road-Kill? A Meta-Analysis.

Abstract: Road traffic kills hundreds of millions of animals every year, posing a critical threat to the populations of many species. To address this problem there are more than forty types of road mitigation measures available that aim to reduce wildlife mortality on roads (road-kill). For road planners, deciding on what mitigation method to use has been problematic because there is little good information about the relative effectiveness of these measures in reducing road-kill, and the costs of these measures vary greatly. We conducted a meta-analysis using data from 50 studies that quantified the relationship between road-kill and a mitigation measure designed to reduce road-kill. Overall, mitigation measures reduce road-kill by 40% compared to controls. Fences, with or without crossing structures, reduce road-kill by 54%. We found no detectable effect on road-kill of crossing structures without fencing. We found that comparatively expensive mitigation measures reduce large mammal road-kill much more than inexpensive measures. For example, the combination of fencing and crossing structures led to an 83% reduction in road-kill of large mammals, compared to a 57% reduction for animal detection systems, and only a 1% for wildlife reflectors. We suggest that inexpensive measures such as reflectors should not be used until and unless their effectiveness is tested using a high-quality experimental approach. Our meta-analysis also highlights the fact that there are insufficient data to answer many of the most pressing questions that road planners ask about the effectiveness of road mitigation measures, such as whether other less common mitigation measures (e.g., measures to reduce traffic volume and/or speed) reduce road mortality, or to what extent the attributes of crossing structures and fences influence their effectiveness. To improve evaluations of mitigation effectiveness, studies should incorporate data collection before the mitigation is applied, and we recommend a minimum study duration of four years for Before-After, and a minimum of either four years or four sites for Before-After-Control-Impact designs.

How have careers changed? An investigation of changing career patterns across four generations

Abstract: Purpose – Popular literature argues that successive generations are experiencing more job changes and changes of employer. The “new careers” literature also proposes that career mobility patterns are becoming more diverse as people engage in more downward and lateral job changes and changes of occupation. The purpose of this paper is to test these assertions by comparing the career mobility patterns across four generations of workers. Design/methodology/approach – The authors analyzed the career mobility patterns of four generations of Canadian professionals (n=2,555): Matures (born prior to 1946); Baby Boomers (1946-1964); Generation Xers (1965-1979) and Millennials (1980 or later). Job mobility, organizational mobility and the direction of job moves were compared across groups through analysis of variance. Findings – Significant differences were observed in job mobility and organizational mobility of the various generations, with younger generations being more mobile. However, despite significant enviro...

Exact solution of linear equations usingP-adic expansions

Abstract: A method is described for computing the exact rational solution to a regular systemAx=b of linear equations with integer coefficients. The method involves: (i) computing the inverse (modp) ofA for some primep; (ii) using successive refinements to compute an integer vector $$\bar x$$ such that $$A\bar x \equiv b$$ (modp m ) for a suitably large integerm; and (iii) deducing the rational solutionx from thep-adic approximation $$\bar x$$ . For matricesA andb with entries of bounded size and dimensionsn×n andn×1, this method can be implemented in timeO(n 3(logn)2) which is better than methods previously used.