Let’s talk about it:The impact of nurses’ implicit voice theories on individual agility and quality of care

Purpose: The complexity and uncertainty of healthcare operations increasingly require agility to safeguard a high quality of care. Using a microfoundations of dynamic capabilities perspective, this study investigates the effects of nurses' implicit voice theories (IVTs) on the behaviors that influence their individual agility. Design/methodology/approach: This research uses quantitative survey data collected from 2,552 Canadian nurses during the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the fall of 2021. Structural equation modeling is used to test a conceptual model that hypothesizes the effects of three different IVTs on nurses' creativity, spontaneity, agility and the quality of care they deliver to patients. Findings: The results reveal that voice-inhibiting cognitions (like “suggestions are criticisms for higher-ups”, “I first need a solution or solid data”, and “speaking up has negative repercussions”) negatively impact nurses' creativity and spontaneity in crafting solutions to problems they face daily. In turn, this affects nurses' individual agility as they attempt to adapt to changing circumstances and, ultimately, the quality of care they provide to their patients. Practical implications: Even if organizations have little control over employees' pre-held beliefs regarding voice, they can still reverse them by developing and nurturing a voice-welcoming culture to boost their workers' agility. Originality/value: This study combines two theoretical frameworks, voice theory and dynamic capabilities theory, to study how individual-level factors (cognitions and behaviors) contribute to nurses' individual agility and the quality of care they provide to their patients. It answers the recent calls of scholars to study the mechanisms through which healthcare operations can develop and sustain dynamic capabilities, such as agility, and better face the “new normal”.</p

Increased acetylcholinesterase expression in bumble bees during neonicotinoid-coated corn sowing

While honey bee exposure to systemic insecticides has received much attention, impacts on wild pollinators have not been as widely studied. Neonicotinoids have been shown to increase acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in honey bees at sublethal doses. High AChE levels may therefore act as a biomarker of exposure to neonicotinoids. This two-year study focused on establishing whether bumble bees living and foraging in agricultural areas using neonicotinoid crop protection show early biochemical signs of intoxication. Bumble bee colonies (Bombus impatiens) were placed in two different agricultural cropping areas: 1) control (≥3 km from fields planted with neonicotinoid-treated seeds) or 2) exposed (within 500 m of fields planted with neonicotinoid-treated seeds) and maintained for the duration of corn sowing. As determined by Real Time qPCR, AChE mRNA expression was initially significantly higher in bumble bees from exposed sites, then decreased throughout the planting season to reach a similar endpoint to that of bumble bees from control sites. These findings suggest that exposure to neonicotinoid seed coating particles during the planting season can alter bumble bee neuronal activity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report in situ that bumble bees living in agricultural areas exhibit signs of neonicotinoid intoxication

Cocktails explosifs et technostress : une analyse de profils à risque d’épuisement professionnel

L’omniprésence des TICS en milieux de travail a radicalement transformé l’organisation tout en favorisant l’émergence de risques psychosociaux soit le technostress. Cette incapacité de l’individu à s’adapter aux technologies informatiques en milieu organisationnel constitue un risque supplémentaire pour la santé de certains professionnels et un enjeu organisationnel, quant à l’efficacité du capital humain d’une organisation. En concomitance avec les stresseurs typiquement associés au milieu de travail, le technostress s’ajoute aux problèmes de santé psychologique tel que l’épuisement professionnel, tout en y contribuant. Particulièrement dans le milieu juridique, on rapporte un état d’épuisement émotionnel et mental résultant de l’évolution constante de la technologie et des exigences de la profession qui en découle. Fondé sur les modèles explicatifs du stress psychologique sur l’approche transactionnelle, le cadre conceptuel de l’étude prévoit d’examiner les antécédents du technostress qui exacerbe l’épuisement professionnel. Dans ce cadre, les questions de recherche étudiées sont : existe-t-il des cocktails explosifs de conditions, de travail et hors travail, susceptibles de contribuer à exacerber le technostress? Si oui, quelles sont ces conditions et quel est le lien qui les unit au technostress et à l’épuisement professionnel chez les juristes canadiens? L’objectif de l’étude est d’identifier les profils de conditions de travail et hors travail qui exacerbent l’épuisement professionnel par le technostress. Face au contexte sociétal de transformations numériques et de télétravail imposé, les résultats permettront d’aiguiller les interventions réalisées auprès de juristes qui correspondent aux profils identifiés. À partir des données tirées d’une étude quantitative réalisée auprès de juristes canadiens (n=5 771), l’affiche présente les résultats préliminaires de la recherche. Le recours aux analyses de segmentation et de médiation permet de cerner ces cocktails explosifs de conditions susceptibles de contribuer à exacerber le technostress et conduire à l’épuisement professionnel

Les changements incessants : un anesthésiant pour certains employés

Problématique : Dans un contexte de changements organisationnels constants et rapides, pouvoir faire face au changement devient une ressource importante pour les destinataires qui peuvent devenir cyniques et réfractaires au changement. Pour réussir un changement, il devient essentiel pour les gestionnaires de comprendre comment se définit la « capacité à changer du destinataire » (CCD) et les éléments qui peuvent l’influencer. À la suite d’une revue systématique de la littérature, trois dimensions (soit, 1) l’ouverture au changement ; 2) l’engagement envers le changement ; et 3) le soutien comportemental au changement). De même, quatre leviers (l’information, la communication, le soutien et la participation) ressortent également pour influencer les dimensions de la CCD. Cela étant, dans un contexte de saturation de changement, est-ce que les dimensions de la CCD énoncées dans la littérature correspondent à la réalité vécue par les gestionnaires ayant à accompagner ces changements ? Objectif de recherche : Explorer la perception des gestionnaires sur la CCD en contexte de saturation au changement. Méthodologie : Une stratégie de recherche qualitative selon un devis exploratoire a été adoptée. Des entretiens semi-structurés ciblant notamment les dimensions de la CCD ont été réalisés. Les participants ciblés devaient être responsables de la gestion des changements tout en supervisant des employés dans des environnements saturés de changements depuis au moins deux ans. Résultats : Neuf entretiens ont fait émerger une nouvelle composante de la CCD, « l’éveil au changement », qui serait préalable à l’ouverture au changement et n’apparaissant pas dans la littérature de même qu’un nouveau levier pour favoriser l’éveil : « gestion de proximité ». Ces deux composantes permettent de bonifier la carte conceptuelle de la CCD ». Elles pourront conduire à une meilleure compréhension de la façon dont les destinataires réagissent au nouveau changement en situation de changements excessifs et rapides

Macdonald polynomials in superspace: conjectural definition and positivity conjectures

We introduce a conjectural construction for an extension to superspace of the Macdonald polynomials. The construction, which depends on certain orthogonality and triangularity relations, is tested for high degrees. We conjecture a simple form for the norm of the Macdonald polynomials in superspace, and a rather non-trivial expression for their evaluation. We study the limiting cases q=0 and q=\infty, which lead to two families of Hall-Littlewood polynomials in superspace. We also find that the Macdonald polynomials in superspace evaluated at q=t=0 or q=t=\infty seem to generalize naturally the Schur functions. In particular, their expansion coefficients in the corresponding Hall-Littlewood bases appear to be polynomials in t with nonnegative integer coefficients. More strikingly, we formulate a generalization of the Macdonald positivity conjecture to superspace: the expansion coefficients of the Macdonald superpolynomials expanded into a modified version of the Schur superpolynomial basis (the q=t=0 family) are polynomials in q and t with nonnegative integer coefficients.Comment: 18 page

Warmer Weather Linked to Tick Attack and Emergence of Severe Rickettsioses

The impact of climate on the vector behaviour of the worldwide dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus is a cause of concern. This tick is a vector for life-threatening organisms including Rickettsia rickettsii, the agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, R. conorii, the agent of Mediterranean spotted fever, and the ubiquitous emerging pathogen R. massiliae. A focus of spotted fever was investigated in France in May 2007. Blood and tissue samples from two patients were tested. An entomological survey was organised with the study of climatic conditions. An experimental model was designed to test the affinity of Rh. sanguineus for biting humans in variable temperature conditions. Serological and/or molecular tools confirmed that one patient was infected by R. conorii, whereas the other was infected by R. massiliae. Dense populations of Rh. sanguineus were found. They were infected with new genotypes of clonal populations of either R. conorii (24/133; 18%) or R. massiliae (13/133; 10%). April 2007 was the warmest since 1950, with summer-like temperatures. We show herein that the human affinity of Rh. sanguineus was increased in warmer temperatures. In addition to the originality of theses cases (ophthalmic involvements, the second reported case of R. massiliae infection), we provide evidence that this cluster of cases was related to a warming-mediated increase in the aggressiveness of Rh. sanguineus, leading to increased human attacks. From a global perspective, we predict that as a result of globalisation and warming, more pathogens transmitted by the brown dog tick may emerge in the future

Frequency and type of drug-related side effects necessitating treatment discontinuation in the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Systematic analyses of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) drug-related side effects necessitating treatment cessation in large cohorts of patients with IBD are scarce. We aimed to assess the frequency and type of drug-related side effects requiring drug cessation in patients included in the Swiss IBD Cohort. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective review was performed of data from the Swiss IBD Cohort physician questionnaires documenting a treatment cessation for the following drug categories: aminosalicylates, topical and systemic steroids, thiopurines, methotrexate, tumor necrosis factor-antagonists, and calcineurin inhibitors (tacrolimus, cyclosporine). RESULTS A total of 3192 patients were analyzed, of whom 1792 (56.1%) had Crohn's disease, 1322 (41.4%) had ulcerative colitis, and 78 (2.5%) had IBD unclassified. Of 3138 patients treated with IBD drugs, 2129 (67.8%) presented with one or several drug-related side effects necessitating drug cessation. We found a significant positive correlation between the number of concomitantly administered IBD drugs and the occurrence of side effects requiring drug cessation (P<0.001). Logistic regression modeling identified Crohn's disease diagnosis [odds ratio (OR)=1.361, P=0.017], presence of extraintestinal manifestations (OR=2.262, P<0.001), IBD-related surgery (OR=1.419, P=0.006), and the increasing number of concomitantly used IBD drugs [OR=2.007 (P<0.001) for two concomitantly used IBD drugs; OR=3.225 (P<0.001) for at least three concomitantly used IBD drugs] to be associated significantly with the occurrence of IBD drug-related adverse events that necessitated treatment cessation. CONCLUSION Physicians should keep in mind that the number of concomitantly administered IBD drugs is the main risk factor for drug-related adverse events necessitating treatment cessation

A united statement of the global chiropractic research community against the pseudoscientific claim that chiropractic care boosts immunity.

BACKGROUND: In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) posted reports claiming that chiropractic care can impact the immune system. These claims clash with recommendations from the World Health Organization and World Federation of Chiropractic. We discuss the scientific validity of the claims made in these ICA reports. MAIN BODY: We reviewed the two reports posted by the ICA on their website on March 20 and March 28, 2020. We explored the method used to develop the claim that chiropractic adjustments impact the immune system and discuss the scientific merit of that claim. We provide a response to the ICA reports and explain why this claim lacks scientific credibility and is dangerous to the public. More than 150 researchers from 11 countries reviewed and endorsed our response. CONCLUSION: In their reports, the ICA provided no valid clinical scientific evidence that chiropractic care can impact the immune system. We call on regulatory authorities and professional leaders to take robust political and regulatory action against those claiming that chiropractic adjustments have a clinical impact on the immune system