Job Embeddedness: A Theoretical Foundation for Developing a Comprehensive Nurse Retention Plan

Objective: Using a new construct, job embeddedness, from the business management literature, this study first examines its value in predicting employee retention in a healthcare setting and second, assesses whether the factors that influence the retention of nurses are systematically different from those influencing other healthcare workers. Background: The shortage of skilled healthcare workers makes it imperative that healthcare providers develop effective recruitment and retention plans. With nursing turnover averaging more than 20% a year and competition to hire new nurses fierce, many administrators rightly question whether they should develop specialized plans to recruit and retain nurses. Methods: A longitudinal research design was employed to assess the predictive validity of the job embeddedness concept. At time 1, surveys were mailed to a random sample of 500 employees of a community-based hospital in the Northwest region of the United States. The survey assessed personal characteristics, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job embeddedness, job search, perceived alternatives, and intent to leave. One year later (time 2) the organization provided data regarding voluntary leavers from the hospital. Results: Hospital employees returned 232 surveys, yielding a response rate of 46.4 %. The results indicate that job embeddedness predicted turnover over and beyond a combination of perceived desirability of movement measures (job satisfaction, organizational commitment) and perceived ease of movement measures (job alternatives, job search). Thus, job embeddedness assesses new and meaningful variance in turnover in excess of that predicted by the major variables included in almost all the major models of turnover. Conclusions: The findings suggest that job embeddedness is a valuable lens through which to evaluate employee retention in healthcare organizations. Further, the levers for influencing retention are substantially similar for nurses and other healthcare workers. Implications of these findings and recommendations for recruitment and retention policy development are presented

Multipass holographic interferometer improves image resolution

Multipass holographic interferometer forms a hologram of high diffraction efficiency, and hence provides a bright and high contrast interferogram. It is used to study any effect which changes the index of refraction and to study surface deformations of a flat reflecting surface

Research program on holographic instrumentation Final report

Holographic instrumentation for particle impact studies and interferometer system

The Influence of high pressure on the bending rigidity of model membranes

Curvature is a fundamental lipid membrane property that influences many membrane-mediated biological processes and dynamic soft materials. One of the key parameters that determines the energetics of curvature change is the membrane bending rigidity. Understanding the intrinsic effect of pressure on membrane bending is critical to understanding the adaptation and structural behavior of biomembranes in deep-sea organisms as well as soft material processing. However, it has not previously been possible to measure the influence of high hydrostatic pressure on membrane bending energetics, and this bottleneck has primarily been due to a lack of technology platforms for performing such measurements. We have developed a new high-pressure microscopy cell which, combined with vesicle fluctuation analysis, has allowed us to make the first measurements of membrane bending rigidity as a function of pressure. Our results show a significant increase in bending rigidity at pressures up to 40 MPa. Above 40 MPa, the membrane mechanics become more complex. Corresponding small and wide-angle X-ray diffraction shows an increase in density and thickness of the bilayer with increasing pressure which correlates with the micromechanical measurements. These results are consistent with recent theoretical predictions of the bending rigidity as a function of hydrocarbon chain density. This technology has the potential to transform our quantitative understanding of the role of pressure in soft material processing, the structural behavior of biomembranes, and the adaptation mechanisms employed by deep-sea organisms

Assisted Living Systems: Human Factors Considerations

Although many older adults wish to live independently, remaining in their own homes as long as possible, they may face obstacles such as transportation issues, social isolation, upkeep of the home, and increasing in-home care costs, which prevent them from doing so. The use of technology within the home, through technology-based assisted living systems, has the potential to alleviate some of these obstacles. Incorporating human factors principles to maximize safety, efficiency, and usability is key to the development of these systems

Geographic Variability in the Life History and Demography of Canary Rockfish, Sebastes pinniger, Along the U.S. West Coast

Marine fishes that persist across broad geographic ranges experience gradients in environmental and oceanographic conditions, anthropogenic stressors, and ecological factors that influence their population dynamics Understanding the spatial and temporal scale at which life history characteristics and demographic patterns vary is essential for successful management and long term sustainability of marine fisheries The Canary Rockfish is a commercially and recreationally valuable groundfish species along the West Coast of North America. After being declared overfished in 2000, several restrictions were put in place to constrain commercial and recreational fishing opportunities These restrictions coupled with favorable ocean conditions led to the recovery of the Canary Rockfish stock to a rebuilt status of 40% unfished biomass in 201 5. Despite being an important species in the management of U.S. West Coast fisheries, the life history of Canary Rockfish across untrawlable habitat s have rarely been described, including latitudinal patterns in life history traits and population demography. From 2017 through 2019, 1,567 Canary Rockfish were collected from 13 port locations along the U.S. West Coast, to investigate latitudinal patterns in size and age structure, growth, maturity, condition, and mortality, as wells as to identify biologically relevant population breakpoints along the coast. Sex specific differences in life history parameters were al so investigated coastwide. Canary Rockfish exhibited strong latitudinal patterns in life history parameters; Canary Rockfish from colder, northern port locations exhibited larger sizes at age, lived longer had variable condition, matured at larger sizes a nd older ages and had lower mortality rates than Canary Rockfish from warmer, southern port locations. Male Canary Rockfish exhibited smaller sizes at age, lived longer, were in similar condition and matured at similar sizes in comparison to female conspecifics. Trends in life history parameters related to size, age and maturity were negatively correlated with coastwide patterns in sea surface temperature a nd positively correlated with coastwide patterns in primary productivity (chlorophyll a Cluster analysis using life history traits indicated central Oregon as a biologically relevant break point for Canary Rockfish populations along the U.S. West Coast and should be considered in future stock assessment models. Further research should explore stock structure through genetic analysis and compare hook and line data from untrawlable habitats with fishery independent bottom trawl surveys to assess habitat based differences in Canary Rockfish life history and demography

The Law of Plan Implementation in the United States

In the sections of the Article to follow I will first flesh out the three models of planning implementation mentioned above and discuss briefly their unique legal problems. Second, I will identify the studies which suggest more basic reasons why plans are not easily linked to decisionmaking in the United States or elsewhere. Third, I will identify remedial and preventive legal approaches to securing a closer linkage between planning and implementation. In the final section, I will discuss the implications of my conclusions for the rationality of public decisions within the welfare state