Process evaluation for organizational stress and well-being interventions: Implications for theory, method, and practice.

Although the body of evidence showing the effects of psychosocial risks on employees’ health is substantial, effective and sustainable stress prevention remains a thorny and complex issue. Most studies have focused on evaluating the effects of organizational interventions, and the results are mixed. Researchers find the evaluation of such actions methodologically challenging whereas practitioners often find the development and implementation of such actions a complicated matter. One of the reasons for this mixed impact is the lack of attention to contextual and process issues, namely how, when, and why interventions have their effects on outcomes such as mental health, well-being, and organizational performance. This paper aims to help researchers and practitioners to improve the development, implementation, and evaluation of organizational initiatives designed to reduce exposure to stress, to promote well-being, and healthy organizations. We review recent developments in the literature on process evaluation and propose examples of broader theoretical frameworks that could be used to improve this area. We articulate the essential elements for developing and bridging gaps between theory, methods, and practice. Throughout, we provide recommendations for the content, process and reporting of research on IPE

Glycosidase activities in sound and rotten grapes in relation to hydrolysis of grape monoterpenyl glycosides

β-D-glucopyranosidase, α-L-arabinofuranosidase and α-L-rhamnopyranosidase activities were studied in grapes, both during maturation and in sound and rotten mature fruits. Enzymic activities increased during maturation. At maturity, in sound grapes, β-D-glucopyranosidase and α-L-arabinofuranosidase activities were the highest ones. Berry infection by fungi results in a decrease in β-glucosidase activity, while the others increase. The effect of an enzymic extract from a culture of Botrytis cinerea towards synthetic terpenyl glycosides showed that hydrolysis was strong for β-terpenyl rutinosides and weak for β-terpenyl 6-0-α-L-arabinofuranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosides

Normal sleep bouts are not essential for C. elegans survival and FoxO is important for compensatory changes in sleep

Additional file 6: Decreased lag-2 function does not slow vulval development. The progeny of wild type and lag-2(q420) animals raised at 25.5 °C were selected at the L4 stage, prior to lethargus entry. Vulval eversion was scored after 3 h; the percentage of animals completing vulval eversion was recorded. Significance was assessed by student’s two-tailed t-test p value < 0.5; error bars represents SEM from 3 trials. Total number of animals: wild type n = 45 and lag-2(q420) n = 42

The health-performance framework of presenteeism: towards understanding an adaptive behaviour

The health and financial costs of presenteeism are high and well-documented. Paradoxically, presenteeism also has a positive side, which has been largely overlooked. Emerging evidence shows that presenteeism can be a choice that offers a range of positive benefits to the 'presentee' (employees who work through illness). In this conceptual paper, we view presenteeism as purposeful and adaptive behaviour: presenteeism is a dynamic process that serves the purpose of balancing health constraints and performance demands in tandem. We propose a 2×2 framework of presenteeism (therapeutic, functional, overachieving, and dysfunctional) and suggest that the success of the presenteeism adaptation process depends on the availability of work resources. We examine the role of internal and external resources for functional presenteeism by drawing on conservation of resources theory and self-determination theory. When the workplace is supportive and provides adequate resources to aid adaptation, presenteeism can be a sustainable choice for maintaining performance under impaired health. This framework contributes to a better understanding of presenteeism by describing it as an adaptive process, considering presentees as heterogeneous groups, and exploring the role of work resources for balancing health and performance demands. It sketches new avenues for research and practice and the effective manage-ment of presenteeism, health, and performance

Nanotechnology in Roman Opaque Red Glass from the 2nd Century AD. Archaeometric Investigation in Red Sectilia from the Decoration of the Lucius Verus Villa in Rome

PD/BD/135053/2017 UID/EAT/00729/2019This work aims to characterise the chemical composition of Roman opaque red glass sectilia dated to the 2nd century A.D and to shed light on Roman glassmaking production of different shades of red, from red to reddish-brown. Due to the lack of technical historical sources for this period many questions about technological aspects still remain. In this project a multi-disciplinary approach is in progress to investigate the red glass sectilia with several red hues from the Imperial Villa of Lucius Verus (161–169 A.D.) in Rome. First, colorimetric measurements were taken to identify the various red hues. The second step was chemical characterization of the samples and the identification of crystalline colouring phases. Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) analysis was used to investigate the chemical composition of these glass samples, while the crystalline phases were identified by Raman Spectroscopy and Scanning Electrons Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (SEM-EDS). Using SEM-EDS nanoparticles were detected as a colouring agent, the chemical composition and the morphology of which has been studied in depth. This information has been compared with the colorimetric analysis to establish any correlation with the different colour hues.publishersversionpublishe

Staphylococcus aureus nasal and pharyngeal carriage in Senegal

AbstractNasal and pharyngeal swabs were collected from 132 patients admitted to the Principal Hospital in Dakar (Senegal), in January and February 2012. The prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus carriage was 56.1% (n = 74): 40.2% for pharyngeal samples and 36.4% for nasal samples. None of the isolates was methicillin-resistant. Carriage was independently associated with being female (p <0.01) and large households (≥15 members) (p 0.04). The luk-PV genes encoding Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) were present in 26.2% of the isolates. These data highlight the importance of the oropharynx as a site of colonization, and the high prevalence of PVL-positive isolates in Senegal as compared with industrialized countries

New Prospects for Research on Manipulation of Insect Vectors by Pathogens

International audienc

Galectin-1: Biphasic growth regulation of Leydig tumor cells

Galectin-1 (Gal-1) is a widely expressed β-galactoside-binding protein that exerts pleiotropic biological functions. To gain insight into the potential role of Gal-1 as a novel modulator of Leydig cells, we investigated its effect on the growth and death of MA-10 tumor Leydig cells. In this study, we identified cytoplasmic Gal-1 expression in these tumor cells by cytofluorometry. DNA fragmentation, caspase-3, -8, and -9 activation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ m), cytochrome c (Cyt c) release, and FasL expression suggested that relatively high concentrations of exogenously added recombinant Gal-1 (rGal-1) induced apoptosis by the mitochondrial and death receptor pathways. These pathways were independently activated, as the presence of the inhibitor of caspase-8 or -9 only partially prevented Gal-1-effect. On the contrary, low concentrations of Gal-1 significantly promoted cell proliferation, without inducing cell death. Importantly, the presence of the disaccharide lactose prevented Gal-1 effects, suggesting the involvement of the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD). This study provides strong evidence that Gal-1 is a novel biphasic regulator of Leydig tumor cell number, suggesting a novel role for Gal-1 in the reproductive physiopathology. © Copyright 2006 Oxford University Press.Fil:Troncoso, M.F. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Patrignani, Z.J. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Pignataro, O.P. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina