Stress appraisal, coping, and work engagement among police recruits: an exploratory study.

This study investigated the influence of stress appraisal and coping on work engagement levels (Absorption, Vigour, and Dedication) of police recruits. Participants were 387 men, ages 20 to 33 yr. (M = 24.1, SD = 2.4), in their last month of academy training before becoming police officers. Partially in support of predictions, work engagement was associated with Stressor control perceived, but not Stress intensity experienced over a self-selected stressor. Although the three dimensions of work engagement were explained by Stressor control and coping, Absorption was the dimension better explained by these variables. Police recruits reporting higher Absorption, Vigour, and Dedication reported using more Active coping and less Behavioural disengagement. Results showed that stress appraisal and coping are important variables influencing work engagement among police recruits. Findings suggested that future applied interventions fostering work engagement among police recruits should reinforce perceptions of control over a stressor as well as Active coping strategies

Interpersonal interactions, job demands and work‐related outcomes in pharmacy

Objectives  The objective of this study was to examine the interaction between job demands of pharmacists and resources in the form of interpersonal interactions and its association with work‐related outcomes such as organizational and professional commitment, job burnout, professional identity and job satisfaction. The job demands‐resources (JD‐R) model served as the theoretical framework. Methods  Subjects for the study were drawn from the Pharmacy Manpower Project Database ( n  = 1874). A 14‐page mail‐in survey measured hospital pharmacists' responses on the frequency of occurrence of various job‐related scenarios as well as work‐related outcomes. The study design was a 2 × 2 factorial design. Responses were collected on a Likert scale. Descriptive statistics, reliability analyses and correlational and multiple regression analyses were conducted using SPSS version 17 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). Key findings  The 566 pharmacists (30% response rate) who responded to the survey indicated that high‐demand/pleasant encounters and low‐demand/pleasant encounters occurred more frequently in the workplace. The strongest correlations were found between high‐demand/unpleasant encounters and frequency and intensity of emotional exhaustion. Multiple regression analyses indicated that when controlling for demographic factors high‐demand/unpleasant encounters were negatively related to affective organizational commitment and positively related to frequency and intensity of emotional exhaustion. Low‐demand/pleasant encounters were positively related to frequency and intensity of personal accomplishment. Low‐demand/unpleasant encounters were significantly and negatively related to professional commitment, job satisfaction and frequency and intensity of emotional exhaustion, while high‐demand/pleasant encounters were also related to frequency and intensity of emotional exhaustion Conclusion  Support was found for the JD‐R model and the proposed interaction effects. Study results suggest that adequate attention must be paid to the interplay between demands on the job and interactions with healthcare professionals to improve the quality of the pharmacist's work life. Future research should examine other types of job demands and resources.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90610/1/j.2042-7174.2011.00165.x.pd

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum disease prediction: A review and potential applications in South Africa

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a predominant plant pathogen, with host crops of agricultural and economic importance internationally. South African host crops of importance include canola, soybean and sunflower, which contribute significantly to the South African economy. This significance emphasises the importance of effective disease management strategies, including rotation with non-host crops, planting cultivars with a degree of tolerance, and using relevant cultural and chemical practices. The sporadic nature of disease outbreaks caused by Sclerotinia spp. can complicate fungicide application timing as a result of the pathogen’s interaction with the host and environment. The use of prediction modelling for diseases caused by Sclerotinia spp. can contribute to increased fungicide application efficacy and a reduction in the number of unnecessary sprays. Predictive modelling is based upon the collection and statistical analysis of multi-locality and multi-seasonal, pathogen, disease and weather data. Incorporating the complexity of disease initiation and development into such models is dependent on selecting the correct statistical tools to interpret appropriate data, which can be used to develop a model that is accurate, precise and reliable. Internationally, forecasting models for diseases caused by Sclerotinia spp. exist and are applied commercially for multiple Sclerotinia spp. on important agricultural crops. The application of these models in a South African context has been limited but provides promise for effective disease intervention technologies. This review provides a platform to raise awareness of the potential applications of plant disease epidemiology and the use of statistics and mathematical modelling in agricultural systems. Plant disease forecasts are an important part of the future for sustainable and economically viable agronomic decisions.  Significance: • Optimisation of plant disease management through ensuring that fungicide applications coincide with disease-favourable conditions, thus targeting the disease more strategically. • The use of mathematical and statistical models to quantify the interactions among the host, pathogen and environment and predict future outbreaks of the disease. • The study of temporal and spatial interactions among the host, pathogen and environment on plant disease behaviour

Do personality traits assessed on medical school admission predict exit performance?:A UK-wide longitudinal cohort studyA2

We thank the UKCAT Research Group for funding this independent evaluation and thank Rachel Greatrix and Sandra Nicholson of the UKCAT Consortium for their support throughout this project, and their feedback on the draft paper. We also thank Professor Amanda Lee and Ms Katie Wilde for their input into the application for funding, and ongoing support.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Thiol-yne crosslinked triarylamine hole transport layers for solution-processable organic light-emitting diodes

Triarylamine derivatives are widely used for hole transport in organic optoelectronic devices, but their excellent solubility in many common solvents limits their use for multi-layer device fabrication from solution. In this work, a novel process to the formation of conjugated triarylamine polymer thin-film networks by crosslinking of thiol-substituted and alkyne-substituted triarylamines is investigated. After deposition of the monomer blend and crosslinking under UV exposure, an insoluble thiol-yne polymer network is formed. The applicability of the thiol-yne polymer network as hole-transport layers is exemplified on organic light-emitting diodes. Its implementation reduces the device degradation as compared to OLEDs comprising hole-transport layers from PEDOT:PSS

Mechanical Characterisation of Pneumatically-Spliced Carbon Fibre Yarns as Reinforcements for Polymer Composites

An investigation into the mechanical response of pneumatically-spliced carbon fibre yarns as a potential reinforcing material for polymer composites is presented. High strength mechanical connections between carbon fibre yarns are produced by joining short discontinuous tows into longer lengths via fibre entanglement. The effect of altering the number of high-pressure air pulses fired by a commercially available (Airbond 701H) splicing machine, to form the tow-tow connection, on load bearing capacity and linear stiffness is first evaluated on splices between virgin T700SC-24K-50C carbon fibre tows. The best performing spliced configuration is subsequently utilised in reinforcing unidirectional epoxy laminates, which are mechanically characterised, and their properties compared to those of various continuous fibre and chopped strand mat panels. Results presented in this study demonstrate that pneumatic splicing provides a high strength and sustainable solution for reinforcing polymers with discontinuous (approx. >50 mm in length) virgin, off-cut or waste carbon fibre yarns. It is speculated that with further research, quasi-continuous yarns remanufactured by splicing waste fibres could provide a novel material for weaving, braiding, non-crimp fabrics, or use in 3D printing applications

Do wage and wage satisfaction compensate for the effects of a dissatisfying job on life satisfaction?

Orientation: Research regarding subjective well-being (including life satisfaction and domain-specific satisfaction) is necessary, given the effects thereof on health, work performance, social relationships and ethical behaviour of employees. Research purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationships among life satisfaction, job satisfaction and wage satisfaction, as well as how these relationships related to gross wage category in a South African sample. Motivation for the study: While research has shown that wage level and wage satisfaction are positively associated with both job and life satisfaction, the question arises whether wage level and satisfaction would compensate for the negative effect of a dissatisfying job on life satisfaction. Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional design was used. A non-probability convenience sample (N = 763) in the form of the WageIndicator data set was obtained. Hierarchical log-linear analyses and cross-tabulations were carried out to determine the relationships that existed among the constructs. Main findings: Although job satisfaction and wage satisfaction were strongly related at a low level of wage satisfaction, fewer people were satisfied with their jobs at a high level of wage satisfaction level. Moreover, while job and life satisfaction were strongly related at a low level of job satisfaction level, relatively fewer people were satisfied with their lives at a high level of job satisfaction level. Wage dissatisfaction was associated with dissatisfaction with life but was more strongly associated with life satisfaction at a high level of wage satisfaction. Wage category and wage satisfaction did not interact with the job satisfaction level in affecting life satisfaction. Practical/managerial implications: Managers should attend to the perceptions of wage dissatisfaction at low wage and wage satisfaction levels. Such dissatisfaction may have a negative impact on the job and life satisfaction of employees and result in detrimental effects on employees and organisations. Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to scientific knowledge regarding the relationships between wage, wage satisfaction, job dissatisfaction and life satisfaction

Concepts of health and well-being in managers: An organizational study

Global changes and new managerial challenges require new concepts of health and well-being in organizational contexts. In the South African context, health and well-being of managers have gained relevance in organizations and in management sciences. International organizations, in particular, attempt to address the increasing demand for health care and the delivery of health services to their managers. Careful and appropriate health management requires research to evaluate context-specific health concepts and strategies. The purpose and aim of this article is to assess managerial concepts on health and well-being that could be used by the organization to contribute to managerial well-being by implementing health promotion according to managerial needs. At the same time, this article contributes to salutogenetic health research that is very rare with regard to the South African organizational management research

Socioeconomic status and risk of osteoporotic fractures and the use of DXA scans:data from the Danish population-based ROSE study

Summary: There is a need of studies exploring the link between socioeconomic status and DXA scans and osteoporotic fracture, which was the aim of the present study. No differences in socioeconomic status and risk of osteoporotic fractures were found. However, women with further/higher education and higher income are more often DXA-scanned. Introduction: Lower socioeconomic status is known to be associated with a range of chronic conditions and with access to health care services. The link between socioeconomic status and the use of DXA scans and osteoporotic fracture, however, needs to be explored more closely. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between socioeconomic status and both DXA scan utilization and major osteoporotic fractures (MOF) using a population-based cohort of Danish women and national registers. Methods: The study included 17,155 women (65–81 years) sampled from the Risk-stratified Osteoporosis Strategy Evaluation study (ROSE). Information on socioeconomic background, DXA scans, and MOFs was retrieved from national registers. Competing-risk regression analyses were performed. Mean follow-up was 4.8 years. Results: A total of 4245 women had a DXA scan (24.7%) and 1719 (10.0%) had an incident MOF during follow-up. Analyses showed that women with basic education had a lower probability of undergoing DXA scans than women with further or higher education (greater than upper secondary education and vocational training education) (subhazard ratio (SHR) = 0.82; 95% CI 0.75–0.89, adjusted for age and comorbidity). Moreover, women with disposable income in the low and medium tertiles had a lower probability of undergoing DXA scans than women in the high-income tertile (SHR = 0.90; 95% CI 0.84–0.97 and SHR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.82–0.95, respectively, adjusted for age and comorbidity). No association between socioeconomic background and probability of DXA was found in adjusted analyses. Conclusion: The study found no differences in risk of osteoporotic fractures depending on socioeconomic status. However, women with further or higher education as well as higher income are more often DXA-scanned.</p