Determination of initial soil moisture for a small highly erodible mountain basin with TELEMAC

Hydrodynamic

Effects of perceived employee emotional competence on customer satisfaction and loyalty: The mediating role of rapport

peer reviewedPurpose – During service encounters, emotionally competent employees are likely to succeed in building rapport with their customers, which in turn leads to customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, the relationship between emotional competence and rapport has not been empirically examined. In the present study, we investigate effects of customer perceived employee emotional competence (EEC) on satisfaction and loyalty. We also examine how and to what extent rapport mediates these effects. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on the theory of affect-as-information, suggesting that emotions inform human behavior, we develop a structural model and test it on a sample of 247 customers in a personal service setting. Findings – Customer perceptions of EEC positively influence customer satisfaction and loyalty. Rapport partially mediates both effects. Practical implications – The extent to which customers perceive employees as emotionally competent is strongly correlated with the development of rapport, customer satisfaction, and loyalty. Managers of high-contact services should therefore pay attention to emotional competence when hiring new employees, and/or encourage and train existing employees to develop this type of competence. Originality/value – Previous studies have used employee self-reports or supervisor reports of EEC, essentially capturing an employee’s potential to behave in an emotionally competent way. We extend emotional competence theories with a customer perspective: the present study is the first to capture customer perceptions of employees’ emotional competence

La perception des donateurs de la transparence des ASBL: Conceptualisation et opérationalisation

peer reviewedIn the wake of unethical practices by some nonprofit organizations (NPOs), donors have called for better monitoring, to which some NPOs have responded by adjusting their donor-based transparency practices. Yet despite momentum for such efforts, a comprehensive conceptualization and operationalization of NPOs’ transparency remains missing, partly because knowledge about donors’ information requirements is limited. Accordingly, the present research proposes conceptualizing NPOs’ transparency, as perceived by donors, as a three-dimensional construct, composed of information accessibility, completeness, and accuracy. With a scale development procedure and three distinct empirical studies, this article establishes a reliable, valid measure of NPOs’ perceived transparency. Combined, the conceptualization and operationalization offer a comprehensive overview of donors’ information needs that can enhance the study of organizational transparency.12. Responsible consumption and production16. Peace, justice and strong institution

Polylactide/montmorillonite nanocomposites : study of the hydrolytic degradation

peer reviewedHydrolytic degradation of polymer layered silicate nanocomposites based on polylactide matrix (PLA) and (organo-modified) montmorillonites was investigated in phosphate buffer solution for more than five months. While natural unmodified montmorillonite-Na+ led to the formation of a microcomposite, mainly intercalated nanocomposites were prepared by melt blending PLA with 3 wt% of montmorillonite organo-modified either by 2-ethylhexyl (hydrogenated tallowalkyl) ammonium cations (Cloisite®25A) or by bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) methyl tallowalkyl ammonium cations (Cloisite®30B). The evolution of molecular weight of the matrix as well as its crystallinity with the hydrolysis time has been recorded by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) performed on the microcomposite based on Cloisite®Na+ has shown that the thermal stability of the materials decreased proportionally to the decreasing PLA molecular weight along the hydrolysis time. Moreover, in parallel to the morphology of the composites, the relative hydrophilicity of the clay layers has been shown to play a key role in the hydrolytic degradation of the PLA chains

Lifetime exposure to ambient ultraviolet radiation and the risk for cataract extraction and age-related macular degeneration : the Alienor Study

While exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a recognized risk factor for cataract, its association is more controversial with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We report the associations of lifetime exposure to ambient UVR with cataract extraction and AMD. The Alienor Study is a population-based study of 963 residents of Bordeaux (France), aged 73 years or more. Lifetime exposure to ambient UVR was estimated from residential history and Eurosun satellite-based estimations of ground UVR. It was divided in three groups (lower quartile, intermediate quartiles, upper quartile), using the intermediate quartiles as the reference. Early and late AMD was classified from retinal color photographs. Cataract extraction was defined as absence of the natural lens at slit-lamp. After multivariate adjustment, subjects in the upper quartile of lifetime ambient UVR exposure were at increased risk for cataract extraction (odds ratio [OR] = 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-2.26; P = 0.03) and for early AMD (OR = 1.59; 95% CI, 1.04-2.44; P = 0.03), by comparison with subjects in the intermediate quartiles. Subjects in the lower quartile of UVR exposure also were at increased risk for early AMD (OR = 1.69; 95% CI, 1.06-2.69; P = 0.03), by comparison with those with medium exposure. Associations of late AMD with UVR exposure was not statistically significant. This study further confirms the increased risk for cataract extraction in subjects exposed to high ambient UVR. Moreover, it suggests that risk for early AMD is increased in subjects exposed to high UVR, but also to low UVR, by comparison with medium exposures

Clinical and Epidemiologic Research Vitreomacular Adhesion and Its Association With Age- Related Macular Degeneration in a Population-Based Setting: The Alienor Study

PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to describe vitreomacular adhesion (VMA), diagnosed with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), its risk factors, and its association with AMD in a population-based study of French elderly subjects. METHODS. Six hundred twenty-two of 624 (99.7%) participants of the Alienor study (Bordeaux, France), ‡75 years of age, had gradable SD-OCT scans of the macula in at least one eye. VMA was defined as visible perifoveal vitreous separation with remaining vitreomacular attachment and unperturbed foveal morphologic features. Late AMD was classified from retinal color photographs, SD-OCT, and ophthalmologic history. Early AMD was classified from retinal photographs and defined by the presence of large drusen and/or reticular drusen and/or pigmentary abnormalities. RESULTS. The prevalence of VMA was 15.8%, decreased with age (18.1% in subjects 75 to 84 years of age versus 8.9% after 85 years of age), and was higher in men than women (20.6% vs. 12.8%). VMA also tended to be less frequent in eyes with a history of cataract surgery (odds ratio [OR] ¼ 0.66, P ¼ 0.05), after adjustment for age and sex. No associations of VMA with other risk factors (cardiovascular risk factors, dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids, lifetime ultraviolet radiation exposure, major AMD genetic polymorphisms) were found. After multivariate adjustment, VMA was not significantly associated with early or late AMD (OR ¼ 1.14, P ¼ 0.70 and OR ¼ 0.78, P ¼ 0.51 for early and late AMD, respectively). CONCLUSIONS. VMA was visible on SD-OCT in 16% in this sample of elderly French subjects but was not associated with AMD. Prospective studies of the associations of VMA with AMD are needed

Ophthalmol Ther

The healthcare burden of cardiovascular diseases remains a major issue worldwide. Understanding the underlying mechanisms and improving identification of people with a higher risk profile of systemic vascular disease through noninvasive examinations is crucial. In ophthalmology, retinal vascular network imaging is simple and noninvasive and can provide in vivo information of the microstructure and vascular health. For more than 10 years, different research teams have been working on developing software to enable automatic analysis of the retinal vascular network from different imaging techniques (retinal fundus photographs, OCT angiography, adaptive optics, etc.) and to provide a description of the geometric characteristics of its arterial and venous components. Thus, the structure of retinal vessels could be considered a witness of the systemic vascular status. A new approach called "oculomics" using retinal image datasets and artificial intelligence algorithms recently increased the interest in retinal microvascular biomarkers. Despite the large volume of associated research, the role of retinal biomarkers in the screening, monitoring, or prediction of systemic vascular disease remains uncertain. A PubMed search was conducted until August 2022 and yielded relevant peer-reviewed articles based on a set of inclusion criteria. This literature review is intended to summarize the state of the art in oculomics and cardiovascular disease research

Systemic and ocular fluid compounds as potential biomarkers in age-related macular degeneration

Biomarkers can help unravel mechanisms of disease and identify new targets for therapy. They can also be useful in clinical practice for monitoring disease progression, evaluation of treatment efficacy, and risk assessment in multifactorial diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is a highly prevalent progressive retinal disorder for which multiple genetic and environmental risk factors have been described, but the exact etiology is not yet fully understood. Many compounds have been evaluated for their association with AMD. We performed an extensive literature review of all compounds measured in serum, plasma, vitreous, aqueous humor, and urine of AMD patients. Over 3600 articles were screened, resulting in more than 100 different compounds analyzed in AMD studies, involved in neovascularization, immunity, lipid metabolism, extracellular matrix, oxidative stress, diet, hormones, and comorbidities (such as kidney disease). For each compound, we provide a short description of its function and discuss the results of the studies in relation to its usefulness as AMD biomarker. In addition, biomarkers identified by hypothesis-free techniques, including metabolomics, proteomics, and epigenomics, are covered. In summary, compounds belonging to the oxidative stress pathway, the complement system, and lipid metabolism are the most promising biomarker candidates for AMD. We hope that this comprehensive survey of the literature on systemic and ocular fluid compounds as potential biomarkers in AMD will provide a stepping stone for future research and possible implementation in clinical practice

Pattern of polyphenol intake and the long-term risk of dementia in older persons

International audienc