Applying event system theory to organizational change : the importance of everyday positive and negative events

Decades of research have examined how employees experience organizational-level change events (e.g., “the merger”). However, employees can also experience “everyday change events” that occur at the individual-level as the change becomes routinized for their jobs. That is, individuals can react to organizational change events that are occurring at different hierarchical levels. Drawing on event system theory, we argue that employees’ commitment to the organizational-level change event can shape how employees anticipate and experience subsequent everyday change events. These negative and positive everyday change events can impact (a) how employees engage with their work, impacting their performance and (b) whether employees perceive that they are fairly treated, impacting their subsequent evaluations of organizational-level change. Our hypotheses were generally supported in a field sample in which employees were surveyed immediately after a merger was announced, participated in a daily diary study as the merger was implemented, and completed a second survey 2 weeks after the diary study. By applying event system theory to organizational change, we provide important theoretical and practical insights, including how an organizational-level event can exert top-down direct effects by impacting how employees anticipate and experience change on an everyday basis as well as how everyday negative and positive change events can subsequently impact employees’ commitment to the organizational-level change, creating bottom-up direct effects. We also illuminate the importance of considering the frequency and strength of both negative and positive events to understand what it is about everyday negative and positive events that has implications for employees and organizations

Change in health-related quality of life in the context of pediatric obesity interventions: A meta-analytic review.

Objective: To quantitatively characterize change in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the context of behavioral (n = 16), surgical (n = 5), and pharmacological (n = 1) interventions for pediatric overweight and obesity. A secondary goal was to examine the relationship between change in HRQoL and change in body mass index (ΔBMI) by treatment type. The amount of weight loss necessary to observe a minimally clinically important difference (MCID) in HRQoL was determined. Method: Data were gathered from studies reporting on weight change and ΔHRQoL over the course of obesity interventions (N = 22) in youths (N = 1,332) with average ages between 7.4 and 16.5 years (M = 12.2). An overall effect size was calculated for ΔHRQoL. Moderation analyses were conducted using analysis of variance and weighted regression. MCID analyses were conducted by converting HRQoL data to standard error of measurement units. Results: The overall effect size for ΔHRQoL in the context of pediatric obesity interventions was medium (g = 0.51). A significant linear relationship was detected between ΔBMI and ΔHRQoL (R2 = 0.87). This relationship was moderated by treatment type, with medical (i.e., surgical) interventions demonstrating a stronger relationship. Results indicated that it takes a change of 0.998 BMI units to detect true change in HRQoL. Conclusion: This study provides the first known quantitative examination of changes in HRQoL associated with weight loss in pediatric interventions. Medical interventions appear to offer a more substantial increase in HRQoL per unit of BMI change. These results offer a concrete weight loss goal for noticing positive effects in daily life activities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved

Personal and Household Hygiene, Environmental Contamination, and Health in Undergraduate Residence Halls in New York City, 2011

Background: While several studies have documented the importance of hand washing in the university setting, the added role of environmental hygiene remains poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to characterize the personal and environmental hygiene habits of college students, define the determinants of hygiene in this population, and assess the relationship between reported hygiene behaviors, environmental contamination, and health status. Methods: 501 undergraduate students completed a previously validated survey assessing baseline demographics, hygiene habits, determinants of hygiene, and health status. Sixty survey respondents had microbiological samples taken from eight standardized surfaces in their dormitory environment. Bacterial contamination was assessed using standard quantitative bacterial culture techniques. Additional culturing for coagulase-positive Staphylococcus and coliforms was performed using selective agar. Results: While the vast majority of study participants (n = 461, 92%) believed that hand washing was important for infection prevention, there was a large amount of variation in reported personal hygiene practices. More women than men reported consistent hand washing before preparing food (p = .002) and after using the toilet (p = .001). Environmental hygiene showed similar variability although 73.3% (n = 367) of subjects reported dormitory cleaning at least once per month. Contamination of certain surfaces was common, with at least one third of all bookshelves, desks, refrigerator handles, toilet handles, and bathroom door handles positive for <10 CFU of bacteria per 4 cm2 area. Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus was detected in three participants' rooms (5%) and coliforms were present in six students' rooms (10%). Surface contamination with any bacteria did not vary by frequency of cleaning or frequency of illness (p<.05). Conclusions: Our results suggest that surface contamination, while prevalent, is unrelated to reported hygiene or health in the university setting. Further research into environmental reservoirs of infectious diseases may delineate whether surface decontamination is an effective target of hygiene interventions in this population

Grey and white matter correlates of recent and remote autobiographical memory retrieval:Insights from the dementias

The capacity to remember self-referential past events relies on the integrity of a distributed neural network. Controversy exists, however, regarding the involvement of specific brain structures for the retrieval of recently experienced versus more distant events. Here, we explored how characteristic patterns of atrophy in neurodegenerative disorders differentially disrupt remote versus recent autobiographical memory. Eleven behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia, 10 semantic dementia, 15 Alzheimer's disease patients and 14 healthy older Controls completed the Autobiographical Interview. All patient groups displayed significant remote memory impairments relative to Controls. Similarly, recent period retrieval was significantly compromised in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease, yet semantic dementia patients scored in line with Controls. Voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging analyses, for all participants combined, were conducted to investigate grey and white matter correlates of remote and recent autobiographical memory retrieval. Neural correlates common to both recent and remote time periods were identified, including the hippocampus, medial prefrontal, and frontopolar cortices, and the forceps minor and left hippocampal portion of the cingulum bundle. Regions exclusively implicated in each time period were also identified. The integrity of the anterior temporal cortices was related to the retrieval of remote memories, whereas the posterior cingulate cortex emerged as a structure significantly associated with recent autobiographical memory retrieval. This study represents the first investigation of the grey and white matter correlates of remote and recent autobiographical memory retrieval in neurodegenerative disorders. Our findings demonstrate the importance of core brain structures, including the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, irrespective of time period, and point towards the contribution of discrete regions in mediating successful retrieval of distant versus recently experienced events

Omega-3 PUFA metabolism and brain modifications during aging

In Canada, 5.5 million (16% of Canadians) adults are >65 years old and projections suggest this number will be approximately 20% of Canadians by 2024. A major concern regarding old age is a decline in health, especially if this entails a loss of self-sufficiency and independence caused by a decline in cognition. The brain contains 60% of fat and is one of the most concentrated organs in long chain omega-3 fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). During aging, there are physiological modifications in the metabolism of lipids that could also have consequences on brain structure and levels of DHA. This review will hence discuss the physiological modifications in the metabolism of lipids during aging with a focus on long chain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and also outline the structural and functional modifications of the brain during aging including brain lipid modifications and its relation to higher levels of DHA and cognition. Therefore, in this review, we outline the importance of collecting more data on the biology of aging since it might highly improve our understanding about what are «normal» modifications occurring during aging and what can become pathological

Reimagining the language of engagement in a post-stakeholder world

Language matters in shaping perceptions and guiding behaviour. The term stakeholder is widely used, yet little attention is paid to the possibility that its use may inadvertently perpetuate colonial narratives and reinforce systemic inequities. In this article, we critically examine the limitations of the stakeholder concept and its ambiguity, normativity, and exclusionary implications. We emphasise the importance of using language that gives a voice to marginalised groups, promotes inclusion and equity, and fosters meaningful and reflexive participation in decision-making processes. In critiquing the use of the term and calling for alternative practices, we aim to contribute to the decolonisation of research norms and the creation of more inclusive and equitable societies. Therefore, rather than advocating a single alternative term, we suggest a focus on the people, places, and species affected by decisions, interventions, projects, and issues

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

The Role of Urinary Catheters in Development of Nosocomial Urinary Tract-Related Bacteremia

This dissertation examines risk factors for bacteremia secondary to catheter-associated bacteriuria (CAB), specifically the potential risk of continued catheter presence, and assesses the degree to which hospitals in the United States (US) have implemented strategies to reduce unnecessary use of urinary catheters. In Chapter One, the problems of urinary tract-related bacteremia and unnecessary use of urinary catheters are introduced and their significance is described. In Chapter Two, a systematic review of the literature identifying risk factors for bacteremia secondary to CAB among adults in acute care settings is reported. In Chapter Three, a case control study elucidating risk factors for secondary bacteremia among adult patients with nosocomial CAB is reported, including an assessment of the risk posed by the continued presence of a urinary catheter after the onset of CAB. In Chapter Four, the prevalence and predictors of urinary catheter reduction policies in US hospitals is reported. In Chapter Five, findings of the three studies are summarized and overarching conclusions are provided including strengths, limitations, and implications for research, practice, and policy