The role of age in causal attributions for poor performance: Target and rater effects

Previous research has demonstrated that raters evaluate the performance of older and younger targets differently as a function of the raters' ages (e.g., Shore, Cleveland, & Goldberg, 2003). This discrepancy may result from a belief that older workers' performance is affected by age-related declines in abilities (Posthuma & Campion, 2009). In these two studies, I explore the attributions that raters make for age-stereotypic and non-stereotypic poor performance of targets of different ages. In the first study, participants evaluated a fictional older or younger target; in the second study, participants evaluated someone they recently supervised. Results of the first study indicated that attributions for poor performance mediated the relationship between target age and both performance. Older targets demonstrating poor performance rated as stereotypical of older adults were more likely to have their performance attributed to uncontrollable factors and attributions to uncontrollable factors were negatively associated with recommending additional training for the target. Participants were more likely to attribute younger targets' poor performance to lack of motivation and lack of job knowledge than older targets' poor performance. Relatively older raters were more likely to penalize poorly performing older targets than relatively younger targets were; this relationship was mediated by the fact that relatively older raters were more likely to attribute the performance of older targets to lack of motivation than relatively younger raters were. In contrast, results of the second study revealed a negative relationship between rater relative age and perceived target's performance regardless of the target's age; further, this relationship was fully mediated by participants' attributions for the targets' performance. Both studies highlight the impact of the attributions raters make for the poor performance of a target on outcomes for the target. Results also indicate that the relative age of the rater has a strong effect on attributions for a target's poor performance

Psychological Needs Mediate the Relationship between Physical Exertion Barriers and Body Fat percent in College-Aged Mexican-American Women

In the last several decades, there has been a wave of interest in the overweight/obese population in the United States. However, little research has focused on the association between exercise barriers and psychological needs in college-aged Mexican-American females. PURPOSE: To investigate the relationships between exercise barriers, psychological needs for exercise, and obesity among college-aged Mexican-American females. METHODS: Body fat measures were recorded on 91 female students (M = 22.8±5.1). The Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scale (EBBS) was used to determine perceived barriers. The EBBS examined Exercise Milieu (EM), Time Expenditure (TEB), Physical Exertion (PEB), and Family Discouragement (FDB) for perceived barriers to exercise. The Psychological Need Satisfaction in Exercise Scale (PNSE) was used to examine the degrees of perceived Competence (PCo), Autonomy (PAu), and Relatedness (PR) as they pertain to an individual’s motivation to exercise. RESULTS: The mean body fat score indicated 28.6 % (n=26) of the sample were overweight, and 50.6 % (n=46) were obese. There were significant correlations observed between PCo (r=-.35, p=.00) and PAu (r=-.25, p=.02) with reduced BF %. PCo (r=-.22, p=.04) and PAu (r=-.23, p=.01) negatively associated with PEB. PEB (r=.24, p= .02) significantly correlated with increased BF %. Mediation analysis indicated that PCo and PAu influenced the relationship between PEB and BF % in college-aged Mexican-American females. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that women who continue to perceive exercise as being strenuous lack intrinsic motivation which may lead to physical inactivity; thus unhealthy accumulation of BF is likely. In order to overcome such perceptions, practitioners should target the enhancement of psychological needs to reduce perceived barriers. Therefore, successful intervention programs need to focus on increasing competency and autonomy for exercise with the actual exercise program in Mexican-American women

Building Partnerships to Bridge the Transfer Gap and Increase Student Success

Transfer partnerships continue to be one of the most critical elements of student success. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the bridges and transfer gaps from a two-year college to a university and respect the value of the support and knowledge students are currently receiving at their community college, from the context of the practices and experiences of Iron Range Engineering - Bell. The transfer process, afterall, can be daunting to some students who plan to transition from a community college to a university to finish a Bachelor’s degree. Iron Range Engineering - Bell is a unique, co-op based upper division program that strives to facilitate a positive experience for students undergoing this transition. The transfer process can be equally as challenging for community college faculty and staff who may feel the need for additional support in their roles. They play a large role in the transfer process and oftentimes go above and beyond their responsibilities to meet with students to determine their pathway forward after spending time at their respective community colleges. This paper proposes unique ways that university faculty and staff can support two-year colleges during the student transfer process, making these partnerships a more positive experience while achieving a shared goal of supporting student success. Some of the unique ideas include encouraging back transfer to fulfill Associates degree requirements, shared teaching methods, offering bridge courses without two-year colleges changing their curriculum, allowing flexibility for the timing of transfer to meet the needs of students, and active university participation in advising and supporting students. In the end, students who are prepared and have more context tend to perform better and absorb more information sooner in the experience-based learning model that is Iron Range Engineering - Bell

Exploring Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia’s Self-Efficacy: A Qualitative Study

A qualitative research study was done by conducting in-person and virtual interviews with past and current caregivers of individuals with dementia. This study was done to get a better understanding of caregiver self-efficacy, and how Occupational Therapy can be a solution and an advocate for caregivers.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2024/1075/thumbnail.jp

Gone Fishing: I–O Psychologists’ Missed Opportunities to Understand Marginalized Employees’ Experiences With Discrimination

This article focuses attention on research examining workplace discrimination against employees from marginalized groups.We particularly consider the experiences of seven different groups of marginalized individuals, some of which have legal protection and some of which do not but all of whom we feel have been overlooked by the field of industrial–organizational (I–O) psychology. We briefly describe the importance of studying each group and then delineate the brief amount of research that has been conducted. Finally, we make recommendations for I–O psychologists in terms of research and advocacy. Overall, we argue that I–O psychologists are missing an opportunity to be at the forefront of understanding and instigating changes that would result in maximizing the fairness and optimization of these often forgotten employees and their experiences in the workplace

Department of Music Student Symposium Recital

The 2015 Annual Student Symposium Recital features students from the Department of Music nominated by the music faculty to recognize excellence in scholarship and creative achievement. The performance includes selections from senior capstones in music (senior recitals, projects, lecture-recitals, theses), original music compositions, music performed for competitions, original dance choreography, and faculty-student collaborative chamber music works

Drop in the hard pulsed fraction and a candidate cyclotron line in IGR J16320-4751 seen by NuSTAR

We report on a timing and spectral analysis of a 50-ks NuSTAR observation of IGR J16320-4751 (= AX J1631.9-4752); a high-mass X-ray binary hosting a slowly-rotating neutron star. In this observation from 2015, the spin period was 1,308.8+/-0.4 s giving a period derivative dP/dt ~ 2E-8 s s-1 when compared with the period measured in 2004. In addition, the pulsed fraction decreased as a function of energy, as opposed to the constant trend that was seen previously. This suggests a change in the accretion geometry of the system during the intervening 11 years. The phase-averaged spectra were fit with the typical model for accreting pulsars: a power law with an exponential cutoff. This left positive residuals at 6.4 keV attributable to the known iron K-alpha line, as well as negative residuals around 14 keV from a candidate cyclotron line detected at a significance of 5-sigma. We found no significant differences in the spectral parameters across the spin period, other than the expected changes in flux and component normalizations. A flare lasting around 5 ks was captured during the first half of the observation where the X-ray emission hardened and the local column density decreased. Finally, the binary orbital period was refined to 8.9912+/-0.0078 d thanks to Swift/BAT monitoring data from 2005-2022.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, Referee-revised version accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Two Decades Using Stentless Porcine Aortic Root in Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Reconstruction

Background The stentless porcine aortic root prosthesis (SPAR) has been described as a suitable valve for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction (RVOTR). Indiana University Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana began using this valve for RVOTR in 1998. This study reports medium-term to late- term outcomes of the valve in the pulmonary position. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients older than 18 years of age who underwent RVOTR with a SPAR between April 2000 and October 2019. Primary outcomes included survival and freedom from any valvular reintervention. Secondary outcomes included endocarditis and conduit dysfunction detected by routine echocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Results A total of 135 patients underwent RVOTR with a SPAR at a median age of 32.4 years (range, 18 to 71 years). Of these patients, 129 had previous surgery. Indications included pulmonary insufficiency (90.4%), stenosis (34.8%), endocarditis (7.4%), and carcinoid (4.4%). Median follow-up was 2.97 years (interquartile range, 0.6 to 8.0 years). Overall survival was 93.3%, with 3 perioperative death and 6 late deaths. Endocarditis developed in 4 patients (2.9%), 2 of whom required reoperation. Progressive conduit degradation was evident at 10 years, with 22.2% and 7.7% having moderate stenosis and insufficiency, respectively. Eight (5.9%) reinterventions included 2 surgical replacements, 3 percutaneous replacements, and 3 balloon valvuloplasties at means of 8.5, 7.4, and 2.2 years, respectively. Overall freedom from reintervention at 1, 5, and 10 years was 99.1%, 94.7% and 90.7%, respectively. Conclusions In this large, single-institution experience with a long follow-up period, use of the SPAR demonstrated excellent midterm to long-term durability, low rates of endocarditis, and high freedom from reintervention

Clinical aspects of sentinel node biopsy

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy requires validation by a backup axillary dissection in a defined series of cases before becoming standard practice, to establish individual and institutional success rates and the frequency of false negative results. At least 90% success in finding the SLN with no more than 5-10% false negative results is a reasonable goal for surgeons and institutions learning the technique. A combination of isotope and dye to map the SLN is probably superior to either method used alone, yet a wide variety of technical variations in the procedure have produced a striking similarity of results. Most breast cancer patients are suitable for SLN biopsy, and the large majority reported to date has had clinical stage T1-2N0 invasive breast cancers. SLN biopsy will play a growing role in patients having prophylactic mastectomy, and in those with 'high-risk' duct carcinoma in situ, microinvasive cancers, T3 disease, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. SLN biopsy for the first time makes enhanced pathologic analysis of lymph nodes logistically feasible, at once allowing greater staging accuracy and less morbidity than standard methods. Retrospective data suggest that micrometastases identified in this way are prognostically significant, and prospective clinical trials now accruing promise a definitive answer to this issue

AIAA Design, Build, Fly Team - MULLET Competition Aircraft 2021-2022

MULLET, the Medical Unmanned Low-Level Electric Transport, is Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach’s aircraft for the 2021–2022 AIAA Design, Build, Fly competition. This UAV was designed to perform four missions, including a ground mission and three flight missions. Mission 1 is a deployment flight that demonstrates the aircraft’s flight capability; Mission 2 is a staging flight for the transportation of vaccine syringes; Mission 3 is a delivery flight for the transportation and deployment of vaccine vial packages; and the Ground Mission is a demonstration of the ability to rapidly prepare the aircraft for flight. The aircraft was designed, manufactured, and flown by a team of 40 undergraduate aerospace engineering students. The design process comprised three phases: conceptual, preliminary, and detail design. Initially, the conceptual design focused on analyzing the requirements with a scoring analysis to select the optimal payload that maximized the mission scores. After the aircraft and subsystem configurations were selected, the weight, wing, tail, and propulsion system were sized during the preliminary design. A detail design then focused on the aircraft’s structural characteristics and systems integration. The manufacturing process followed with the goal of fabricating the aircraft to the designed specifications and weight. A detailed schedule was developed and was continuously refined to manufacture each aircraft iteration in a timely manner, enabling rapid prototyping throughout the design, build, and fly process. Finally, a testing plan was established to evaluate a series of test objectives essential to the aircraft’s mission performance