Effective Employee Engagement in the Workplace

Disengaged employees typically cost U.S. corporations $350 billion annually. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies that some communication business leaders use to engage their employees. The target population consisted of four communication business leaders in Jackson, Mississippi, who possessed at least 1 year of successful employee engagement experience. The self-determination theory served as the study’s conceptual framework. Semistructured interviews were conducted, and the participating company’s archived documents were gathered. Patterns were identified through a rigorous process of data familiarization, data coding, and theme development and revision. Interpretations from the data were subjected to member-checking to ensure trustworthiness of the findings. Based on the methodological triangulation of the data collected, prominent themes emerged from thematically analyzing the data: rewards and recognition, empowering employees, and building a bond between leaders and employees

Curvature suppresses the Rayleigh-Taylor instability

The dynamics of a thin liquid film on the underside of a curved cylindrical substrate is studied. The evolution of the liquid layer is investigated as the film thickness and the radius of curvature of the substrate are varied. A dimensionless parameter (a modified Bond number) that incorporates both geometric parameters, gravity, and surface tension is identified, and allows the observations to be classified according to three different flow regimes: stable films, films with transient growth of perturbations followed by decay, and unstable films. Experiments and theory confirm that, below a critical value of the Bond number, curvature of the substrate suppresses the Rayleigh-Taylor instability

Evaluation of Capacitors at Cryogenic Temperatures for Space Applications

Advanced electronic systems designed for use in planetary exploration missions must operate efficiently and reliably under the extreme cold temperatures of deep space environment. In addition, spacecraft power electronics capable of cold temperature operation will greatly simplify the thermal management system by eliminating the need for heating units and associated equipment and thereby reduce the size and weight of the overall power system. In this study, film, mica, solid tantalum and electric double layer capacitors were evaluated as a function of temperature from room to liquid nitrogen in terms of their dielectric properties. These properties included capacitance stability and dielectric loss in the frequency range of 50 Hz to 100 kHz. DC leakage current measurements were also performed on the capacitors. The results obtained are discussed and conclusions are made concerning the suitability of the capacitors investigated for low temperature applications

Downscaling Using CDAnet Under Observational and Model Noises: The Rayleigh-Benard Convection Paradigm

Efficient downscaling of large ensembles of coarse-scale information is crucial in several applications, such as oceanic and atmospheric modeling. The determining form map is a theoretical lifting function from the low-resolution solution trajectories of a dissipative dynamical system to their corresponding fine-scale counterparts. Recently, a physics-informed deep neural network ("CDAnet") was introduced, providing a surrogate of the determining form map for efficient downscaling. CDAnet was demonstrated to efficiently downscale noise-free coarse-scale data in a deterministic setting. Herein, the performance of well-trained CDAnet models is analyzed in a stochastic setting involving (i) observational noise, (ii) model noise, and (iii) a combination of observational and model noises. The analysis is performed employing the Rayleigh-Benard convection paradigm, under three training conditions, namely, training with perfect, noisy, or downscaled data. Furthermore, the effects of noises, Rayleigh number, and spatial and temporal resolutions of the input coarse-scale information on the downscaled fields are examined. The results suggest that the expected l2-error of CDAnet behaves quadratically in terms of the standard deviations of the observational and model noises. The results also suggest that CDAnet responds to uncertainties similar to the theorized and numerically-validated CDA behavior with an additional error overhead due to CDAnet being a surrogate model of the determining form map

WHO Infant and Young Child Feeding Indicators in Relation to Anthropometric Measurements

Objective: This study aimed to report the WHO infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators from Kuwait and to investigate the associations between these indicators and anthropometric measurements. Design: The Kuwait Nutritional Surveillance System uses observational cross-sectional approach to collects data by face-to-face interviews with mothers or child guardians using a structured questionnaire that was developed based on the WHO IYCF indicators. The weight and height of infants and young children were measured using digital scales in a standardised manner. Setting: Vaccination centres in all governorates (provinces) of Kuwait. Participants: Infants and young Kuwaiti children aged 0–23 months (N 5839). Results: The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and age-appropriate breastfeeding were 8·0 and 7·4 %, respectively. The prevalence of stunting and wasting was 7·5 and 2·4 %, respectively, while the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 6·5 and 1·6 %, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, exclusive breastfeeding and age-appropriate breastfeeding were more common in children with stunted growth (AOR 1·71 (95 % CI 1·08, 2·70; P = 0·021) and 1·44 (95 % CI 1·01, 2·06; P = 0·046), respectively). The introduction of solid/semisolid or soft foods was inversely associated with stunting (AOR 0·52; 95 % CI 0·30, 0·90; P = 0·021). Only age-appropriate breastfeeding was inversely associated with overweight (AOR 0·62; 95 % CI 0·39, 0·98; P = 0·043). Conclusion: Our findings showed that indicators of breastfeeding are low in Kuwait. Our findings suggest that the associations between different WHO IYCF indicators and stunting as well as overweight is complex, which highlights the need for a better understanding of WHO IYCF indicators in both low- and high-income countries

Data Assimilation in Chaotic Systems Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

Data assimilation (DA) plays a pivotal role in diverse applications, ranging from climate predictions and weather forecasts to trajectory planning for autonomous vehicles. A prime example is the widely used ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), which relies on linear updates to minimize variance among the ensemble of forecast states. Recent advancements have seen the emergence of deep learning approaches in this domain, primarily within a supervised learning framework. However, the adaptability of such models to untrained scenarios remains a challenge. In this study, we introduce a novel DA strategy that utilizes reinforcement learning (RL) to apply state corrections using full or partial observations of the state variables. Our investigation focuses on demonstrating this approach to the chaotic Lorenz '63 system, where the agent's objective is to minimize the root-mean-squared error between the observations and corresponding forecast states. Consequently, the agent develops a correction strategy, enhancing model forecasts based on available system state observations. Our strategy employs a stochastic action policy, enabling a Monte Carlo-based DA framework that relies on randomly sampling the policy to generate an ensemble of assimilated realizations. Results demonstrate that the developed RL algorithm performs favorably when compared to the EnKF. Additionally, we illustrate the agent's capability to assimilate non-Gaussian data, addressing a significant limitation of the EnKF

Pain Management After Outpatient Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Effective pain management after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction improves patient satisfaction and function. PURPOSE: To collect and evaluate the available evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on pain control after ACL reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, UpToDate, Cochrane Reviews, CINAHL, and Scopus following PRISMA guidelines (July 2014). Only RCTs comparing a method of postoperative pain control to another method or placebo were included. RESULTS: A total of 77 RCTs met inclusion criteria: 14 on regional nerve blocks, 21 on intra-articular injections, 4 on intramuscular/intravenous injections, 12 on multimodal regimens, 6 on oral medications, 10 on cryotherapy/compression, 6 on mobilization, and 5 on intraoperative techniques. Single-injection femoral nerve blocks provided superior analgesia to placebo for up to 24 hours postoperatively; however, this also resulted in a quadriceps motor deficit. Indwelling femoral catheters utilized for 2 days postoperatively provided superior analgesia to a single-injection femoral nerve block. Local anesthetic injections at the surgical wound site or intra-articularly provided equivalent analgesia to regional nerve blocks. Continuous-infusion catheters of a local anesthetic provided adequate pain relief but have been shown to cause chondrolysis. Cryotherapy improved analgesia compared to no cryotherapy in 4 trials, while in 4 trials, ice water and water at room temperature provided equivalent analgesic effects. Early weightbearing decreased pain compared to delayed weightbearing. Oral gabapentin given preoperatively and oral zolpidem given for the first week postoperatively each decreased opioid consumption as compared to placebo. Ibuprofen reduced pain compared to acetaminophen. Oral ketorolac reduced pain compared to hydrocodone-acetaminophen. CONCLUSION: Regional nerve blocks and intra-articular injections are both effective forms of analgesia. Cryotherapy-compression appears to be beneficial, provided that intra-articular temperatures are sufficiently decreased. Early mobilization reduces pain symptoms. Gabapentin, zolpidem, ketorolac, and ibuprofen decrease opioid consumption. Despite the vast amount of high-quality evidence on this topic, further research is needed to determine the optimal multimodal approach that can maximize recovery while minimizing pain and opioid consumption. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These results provide the best available evidence from RCTs on pain control regimens after ACL reconstruction

Youth Single-Sport Specialization in Professional Baseball Players.

Background: An increasing number of youth baseball athletes are specializing in playing baseball at younger ages. Purpose: The purpose of our study was to describe the age and prevalence of single-sport specialization in a cohort of current professional baseball athletes. In addition, we sought to understand the trends surrounding single-sport specialization in professional baseball players raised within and outside the United States (US). Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A survey was distributed to male professional baseball athletes via individual team athletic trainers. Athletes were asked if and at what age they had chosen to specialize in playing baseball at the exclusion of other sports, and data were then collected pertaining to this decision. We analyzed the rate and age of specialization, the reasons for specialization, and the athlete\u27s perception of injuries related to specialization. Results: A total of 1673 professional baseball athletes completed the survey, representing 26 of the 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations. Less than half (44.5%) of professional athletes specialized in playing a single sport during their childhood/adolescence. Those who reported specializing in their youth did so at a mean age of 14.09 ± 2.79 years. MLB players who grew up outside the US specialized at a significantly earlier age than MLB players native to the US (12.30 ± 3.07 vs 14.89 ± 2.24 years, respectively; Conclusion: This study challenges the current trends toward early youth sport specialization, finding that the majority of professional baseball athletes studied did not specialize as youth and that those who did specialize did so at a mean age of 14 years. With the potential cumulative effects of pitching and overhead throwing on an athlete\u27s arm, the trend identified in this study toward earlier specialization within baseball is concerning