An experimental investigation of the interpersonal ramifications of lateness to workplace meetings

Individuals often attend meetings at work to which at least one person arrives late. Building from attributional theories of interpersonal behaviour, we conducted an experiment to determine the cognitive, affective, and behavioural components of people\u27s reactions to meeting lateness. Participants read one of eight experimental vignettes that described someone arriving 5 or 15 min late to an important or unimportant meeting, after which the person who arrived late offered either a controllable or an uncontrollable reason for being late. Participants reported greater anger and a willingness to punish the late arrival who gave a controllable excuse, whereas sympathy and prosocial intentions followed the late arrival who gave an uncontrollable excuse. To establish generalizability, we replicated the results using a survey of workers who reported on their thoughts and experiences in their last meeting to which someone arrived late. Overall, our findings also indicated that accounting for the severity of the transgression uniquely contributed to emotional and behaviour reactions, which is an improvement on existing attributional models

It’s All in How You Use It: Managers’ Use of Meetings to Reduce Employee Intentions to Quit

Meetings are often viewed as unnecessary, wastes of time, and overall negative experiences at work. In this study, we examined the positive side of meetings, specifically, how the relationship a manager fosters with subordinates in meetings affects those employees’ intentions to quit (ITQ). Using an online survey of working adults who regularly attended meetings, we found that the relation between perceived organizational support (POS) and leader–member exchange (LMX) quality in meetings on ITQ depended on an employee’s level of negative affectivity (NA). When POS or LMX in meetings was low or average, high-NA employees held significantly higher ITQ than low-NA employees. However, when POS or LMX in meetings was high, high-NA employees were no more likely to quit than low-NA employees. We provide a series of practical recommendations based on our findings that consulting psychologists can implement in their clients’ meetings to address employee withdrawal cognitions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved

An experimental investigation of the interpersonal ramifications of lateness to workplace meetings

Individuals often attend meetings at work to which at least one person arrives late. Building from attributional theories of interpersonal behaviour, we conducted an experiment to determine the cognitive, affective, and behavioural components of people\u27s reactions to meeting lateness. Participants read one of eight experimental vignettes that described someone arriving 5 or 15 min late to an important or unimportant meeting, after which the person who arrived late offered either a controllable or an uncontrollable reason for being late. Participants reported greater anger and a willingness to punish the late arrival who gave a controllable excuse, whereas sympathy and prosocial intentions followed the late arrival who gave an uncontrollable excuse. To establish generalizability, we replicated the results using a survey of workers who reported on their thoughts and experiences in their last meeting to which someone arrived late. Overall, our findings also indicated that accounting for the severity of the transgression uniquely contributed to emotional and behaviour reactions, which is an improvement on existing attributional models

Emissions control for ground power gas turbines

The similarities and differences of emissions reduction technology for aircraft and ground power gas turbines is described. The capability of this technology to reduce ground power emissions to meet existing and proposed emissions standards is presented and discussed. Those areas where the developing aircraft gas turbine technology may have direct application to ground power and those areas where the needed technology may be unique to the ground power mission are pointed out. Emissions reduction technology varying from simple combustor modifications to the use of advanced combustor concepts, such as catalysis, is described and discussed

Into the Unknown: How Computation Can Help Explore Uncharted Material Space

Novel functional materials are urgently needed to help combat the major global challenges facing humanity, such as climate change and resource scarcity. Yet, the traditional experimental materials discovery process is slow and the material space at our disposal is too vast to effectively explore using intuition-guided experimentation alone. Most experimental materials discovery programs necessarily focus on exploring the local space of known materials, so we are not fully exploiting the enormous potential material space, where more novel materials with unique properties may exist. Computation, facilitated by improvements in open-source software and databases, as well as computer hardware has the potential to significantly accelerate the rational development of materials, but all too often is only used to postrationalize experimental observations. Thus, the true predictive power of computation, where theory leads experimentation, is not fully utilized. Here, we discuss the challenges to successful implementation of computation-driven materials discovery workflows, and then focus on the progress of the field, with a particular emphasis on the challenges to reaching novel materials

User Engagement Associated with Web-Intervention Features to Attain Clinically Meaningful Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance in Rural Women

Objective: Purely web-based weight loss and weight-loss maintenance interventions show promise to influence behavior change. Yet, little is known about user engagement with features of web-based interventions that predict clinically meaningful weight loss (≥5% bodyweight loss). This study examines level of website feature engagement with the likelihood of attaining ≥5% bodyweight loss after 6 and 18 months participation in a web-based intervention, among rural women at high risk of obesity-related diseases and disability. Methods: In this secondary analysis of clinical trial data of 201 rural women, we examined weight change and user engagement, measured as clicks on specific web-based intervention features (messaging and self-tracking), as associated with clinically meaningful weight loss (baseline to 6 months) and weight-loss maintenance (6 to 18 months). Results: Generalized estimating equations, adjusted for age, intervention group, and intervention phase, revealed high engagement with messaging predicted whether women achieved ≥5% weight loss at 6 months and at 18 months. There was no effect of self-tracking. Conclusions: Being engaged with messages was associated with attaining clinically meaningful short-term and longer-term weight loss. This trial is registered with NCT01307644

A Web-Based Intervention is Feasible for Supporting Weight Loss and Increased Activity in Rural Women with Arthritis

Rural women have well documented health disparities, with higher prevalence of obesity and chronic conditions, including arthritis. Change in weight and actigraph-recorded data were examined in a subset of 63 of 82 women with physician-diagnosed arthritis who completed a 30-month web-based clinical trial. Repeated measures analyses showed women lost weight from baseline to six months, slowly regained at 18 and 30 months, ending with a lower weight than baseline F(1,62)=40.89, p\u3c0.001, η2p =0.40. Of 53 women with complete data, activity increased at six months, decreased at 18 months, and increased at 30 months F(1,52)=4.14, p =.04, η2p=0.07. Women showed improved change in weight and activity from baseline at six, 18 and 30 months. This study adds support that web-based programs may promote weight loss and activity in a hard-to-reach, underserved population of midlife and older rural women with arthriti

Impact of Baseline Magnetic Resonance Imaging on Neurologic, Functional, and Safety Outcomes in Patients With Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Study Design: Systematic review. Objective: To perform a systematic review to evaluate the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with acute spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: An electronic search of Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Collaboration Library, and Google Scholar was conducted for literature published through May 12, 2015, to answer key questions associated with the use of MRI in patients with acute SCI. Results: The literature search yielded 796 potentially relevant citations, 8 of which were included in this review. One study used MRI in a protocol to decide on early surgical decompression. The MRI-protocol group showed improved outcomes; however, the quality of evidence was deemed very low due to selection bias. Seven studies reported MRI predictors of neurologic or functional outcomes. There was moderate-quality evidence that longer intramedullary hemorrhage (2 studies) and low-quality evidence that smaller spinal canal diameter at the location of maximal spinal cord compression and the presence of cord swelling are associated with poor neurologic recovery. There was moderate-quality evidence that clinical outcomes are not predicted by SCI lesion length and the presence of cord edema. Conclusions: Certain MRI characteristics appear to be predictive of outcomes in acute SCI, including length of intramedullary hemorrhage (moderate-quality evidence), canal diameter at maximal spinal cord compression (low-quality evidence), and spinal cord swelling (low-quality evidence). Other imaging features were either inconsistently (presence of hemorrhage, maximal canal compromise, and edema length) or not associated with outcomes. The paucity of literature highlights the need for well-designed prospective studies. © 2017, © The Author(s) 2017

Thoracic Epidural Abscesses: A Systematic Review.

Study Design: Systematic review. Objectives: Past research has demonstrated increased speed and severity of progression for spinal epidural abscesses (SEAs) of the thoracic level, specifically, when compared with SEAs of other spinal cord levels. Untreated, this infection can result in permanent neurological sequelae with eventual progression to death if inadequately managed. Despite the seriousness of this disease, no articles have focused on the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of SEAs of the thoracic level. For this reason, specific focus on SEAs of the thoracic level occurred when researchers designed and implemented the following systematic review. Methods: A query of Ovid-Medline and EMBASE, Cochrane Central, and additional review sources was conducted. Search criteria focused on articles specific to thoracic epidural abscesses. Results: Twenty-five articles met inclusion criteria. The most commonly reported symptoms present on admission included back pain, paraparesis/paraplegia, fever, and loss of bowel/bladder control. Significant risk factors included diabetes, intravenous drug use, and advanced age ( Conclusions: For the first time researchers have focused specifically on SEAs of the thoracic level, as opposed to previously published general analysis of SEAs as a whole. Based on the results, investigators recommend early magnetic resonance imaging of the spine, laboratory workup (sedimentation rate/C-reactive protein, complete blood count), abscess culture followed by empiric antibiotics, and immediate surgical decompression when neurological deficits are present

Health and Appearance Reasons for Weight Loss as Predictors of Long-Term Weight Change

This study investigated whether women\u27s initial reasons (health, appearance to others, or appearance to self) for wanting to lose weight influenced their weight change over a 30-month web-based intervention. Multilevel modeling with 1416 observations revealed that only appearance in relation to one\u27s self was a significant (negative) predictor. Women highly motivated to lose weight to improve their appearance in relation to themselves gained weight at 30 months, whereas those not motivated for this reason achieved clinically significant weight loss. Results suggest examining participants\u27 initial reasons for weight loss as an important component of intervention failure or success