The Effects of Resilience on Mindfulness and Stress in Students

This study tested part of a theoretical model on resilience in the workplace proposed by Rees, Breen, Cusack, and Hegney (2015). We hypothesized that resilience would mediate the relationship between mindfulness and perceived stress. Using an online Qualtrics survey, we measured 127 student participants’ levels of mindfulness, resilience, and perceived stress. The results supported a positive relationship between mindfulness and resilience. In addition, there was a positive relationship between resilience and perceived stress. As a result, the proposed mediation was not supported. Resilience did not mediate the relationship between mindfulness and perceived stress. Future research should test alternative measures of psychological adjustment within the model (e.g., job burnout)

Does Feedback Increase Decision Aid Use Among Hiring Professionals?

We examined the influence of formative and outcome feedback on people’s reliance on decision aids. Decision aids are tools that managers can use to increase the accuracy of their hiring decisions. In our study, participants were asked to make 20 different hiring decisions and make predictions of a candidate’s performance on the job, with the option of using a decision aid formula. We manipulated whether participants received feedback on the accuracy of their predictions, the accuracy of the decision aid’s predictions, or both. The results demonstrated that feedback failed to have a significant impact on decision aid use for both hiring choice and performance predictions. Our findings suggest that the relationship between feedback and decision aid is weak, and that feedback does not meaningfully affect the use of decision aids

The effects of self-efficacy, perceptions of ethical misconduct, and guilt-proneness on CWBs

This study examined the relationship between generalized self-efficacy, perceptions of ethical misconduct, guilt-proneness, and counterproductive work behaviors. We first hypothesized that self-efficacy would be negatively related to counterproductive work behaviors. Secondly, we hypothesized that perceptions of ethical misconduct and levels of guilt-proneness would mediate the negative relationship between generalized self-efficacy and counterproductive work behaviors. We surveyed 190 undergraduate students. To test our hypotheses, we used serial mediation (self-efficacy perceptions of ethical misconduct Guilt CWBs). Results supported our first hypothesis. However, we did not find support for the mediated relationship proposed in our second hypothesis

Employee characteristics: resilience and self-efficacy as protective factors

This study will explore the relationship between self-efficacy and resilience as they affect stress-related outcomes in the workplace. The study will first measure all participant’s self-efficacy and resilience. The experimental group will then receive feedback mirroring that of a negative performance appraisal. The feedback will suggest the participant performed below average on a trivia test. Participants in the control group will receive neutral feedback on the same trivia test. Lastly, all participant’s resilience will be measured a second time. This study will seek to recruit students from a local South-Eastern university. The results of this study will further clarify the relationship that exists between self-efficacy and resilience as well as further demonstrating the value of resilience as a protective factor

Restoring vascular nitric oxide formation by l-arginine improves the symptoms of intermittent claudication in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease

AbstractBackground. Administration of l-arginine improves nitric oxide (NO) formation and endothelium-dependent vasodilation in atherosclerotic patients.Objectives. We investigated in this double-blind, controlled study whether prolonged intermittent infusion therapy with l-arginine improves the clinical symptoms of patients with intermittent claudication, as compared with the endothelium-independent vasodilator prostaglandin E1, and control patients.Methods. Thirty-nine patients with intermittent claudication were randomly assigned to receive 2 × 8 g l-arginine/day, or 2 × 40 μg prostaglandin E1(PGE1)/day or no hemodynamically active treatment, for 3 weeks. The pain-free and absolute walking distances were assessed on a walking treadmill at 3 km/h, 12% slope, and NO-mediated, flow-induced vasodilation of the femoral artery was assessed by ultrasonography at baseline, at 1, 2 and 3 weeks of therapy and 6 weeks after the end of treatment. Urinary nitrate and cyclic guanosine-3′, 5′-monophosphate (GMP) were assessed as indices of endogenous NO production.Results. l-Arginine improved the pain-free walking distance by 230 ± 63% and the absolute walking distance by 155 ± 48% (each p < 0.05). Prostaglandin E1improved both parameters by 209 ± 63% and 144 ± 28%, respectively (each p < 0.05), whereas control patients experienced no significant change. l-Arginine therapy also improved endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the femoral artery, whereas PGE1had no such effect. There was a significant linear correlation between the l-arginine/asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) ratio and the pain-free walking distance at baseline (r = 0.359, p < 0.03). l-Arginine treatment elevated the plasma l-arginine/ADMA ratio and increased urinary nitrate and cyclic GMP excretion rates, indicating normalized endogenous NO formation. Prostaglandin E1therapy had no significant effect on any of these parameters. Symptom scores assessed on a visual analog scale increased from 3.51 ± 0.18 to 8.3 ± 0.4 (l-arginine) and 7.0 ± 0.5 (PGE1; each p < 0.05), but did not significantly change in the control group (4.3 ± 0.4).Conclusions. Restoring NO formation and endothelium-dependent vasodilation by l-arginine improves the clinical symptoms of intermittent claudication in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease

Decision Making: Do People with Dark Triad Traits Utilize Advice?

This research study seeks to gain a better understanding of the effects of the dark triad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) on advice taking. This research examined whether or not the dark triad traits result in working professionals being more or less likely to accept advice when making a decision. Past research has shown that outcomes are generally more favorable when the person who is making the decision takes the advice of another person into consideration. Despite this fact, I hypothesized that people with higher narcissistic or psychopathic traits will not accept advice when making a decision. Additionally, I hypothesized that Machiavellians may be the exception in the dark triad and would be more likely to utilize advice. Results indicated that narcissists were less likely to utilize advice and Machiavellians were more likely to utilize advice. There were no significant findings regarding those with psychopathic tendencies. Organizations could benefit from these findings when considering how much their advice may be considered when an employee with narcissistic or Machiavellian tendencies is making a decision

Understanding the Effect of Individualism vs. Collectivism on Ethical Decision Making

This project will investigate cross cultural differences in the ethical decision-making process of people at work. The project will involve research collaborators across the globe to gather unique data from several nations and cultures. This multinational research project will examine how culture impacts the ethical decision-making process. Specifically, this study proposes that perceptions of ethical misconduct will mediate the relationship between dark personality characteristics (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) and ethical misconduct, and that culture will moderate these relationships. This research will recruit participants from three different countries: The United States, Chile, and India. This groundbreaking international initiative will allow the researchers to better understand the interaction of individual personality and culture on perceptions of ethical misconduct and counterproductive work behaviors

Recent Progress on Nonlinear Ultrasonic Testing for Materials Aging in Nuclear Applications

Materials in nuclear power plants are subjected to a variety of time-dependent aging phenomena, depending on their environmental conditions. In many cases, such phenomena cause microstructural changes in the materials before the development of macro scale damage or, eventually, component failure. Nonlinear ultrasonic testing has the potential to probe microstructural characteristics of materials that have undergone aging related changes and can potentially be used to establish structure-property relationships or predict where macro scale damage (e.g., cracking) is likely to occur. In this talk, recent work relating measured material nonlinearity to microstructural changes encountered in nuclear power applications is presented, specifically radiation damage in ferritic steels and weld sensitization in austenitic stainless steels. In the case of radiation damage, it has been established that the formation of BCC Cu nanoprecipitates and changes in dislocation density affect the material nonlinearity. In nonlinearity measurements in the case of weld sensitization (migration of Cr to grain boundaries in the heat affected zone, affecting the local corrosion resistance), it is thought formation of M23C6 carbides at the grain boundaries affects the measured material nonlinearity. Preliminary results are presented

Ranging patterns and site fidelity of Snubfin Dolphins in Yawuru Nagulagun/Roebuck Bay, Western Australia

For long-lived species such as marine mammals, having sufficient data on ranging patterns and space use in a timescale suitable for population management and conservation can be difficult. Yawuru Nagulagun/Roebuck Bay in the northwest of Western Australia supports one of the largest known populations of Australian snubfin dolphins (Orcaella heinsohni)—a species with a limited distribution, vulnerable conservation status, and high cultural value. Understanding the species’ use of this area will inform management for the long-term conservation of this species. We combined 11 years of data collected from a variety of sources between 2007 and 2020 to assess the ranging patterns and site fidelity of this population. Ranging patterns were estimated using minimum convex polygons (MCPs) and fixed kernel densities (weighted to account for survey effort) to estimate core and representative areas of use for both the population and for individuals. We estimated the population to range over a small area within the bay (103.05 km2). The Mean individual representative area of use (95% Kernel density contour) was estimated as 39.88 km2 (± 32.65 SD) and the Mean individual core area of use (50% Kernel density contour) was estimated as 21.66 km2 (±18.85 SD) with the majority of sightings located in the northern part of the bay less than 10 km from the coastline. Most individuals (56%) showed moderate to high levels of site fidelity (i.e., part-time or long-term residency) when individual re-sight rates were classified using agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC). These results emphasize the importance of the area to this vulnerable species, particularly the area within the Port of Broome that has been identified within the population’s core range. The pressures associated with coastal development and exposure to vessel traffic, noise, and humans will need to be considered in ongoing management efforts. Analyzing datasets from multiple studies and across time could be beneficial for threatened species where little is known on their ranging patterns and site fidelity. Combined datasets can provide larger sample sizes over an extended period of time, fill knowledge gaps, highlight data limitations, and identify future research needs to be considered with dedicated studies