Optimal offline broadcast scheduling with an energy harvesting transmitter

We consider an energy harvesting transmitter broadcasting data to two receivers. Energy and data arrivals are assumed to occur at arbitrary but known instants. The goal is to minimize the total transmission time of the packets arriving within a certain time window, using the energy that becomes available during this time. An achievable rate region with structural properties satisfied by the two-user AWGN BC capacity region is assumed. Structural properties of power and rate allocation in an optimal policy are established, as well as the uniqueness of the optimal policy under the condition that all the data of the “weaker ” user are available at the beginning. An iterative algorithm, DuOpt, based on block coordinate descent that achieves the same structural properties as the optimal is described. Investigating the ways to have the optimal schedule of two consecutive epochs in terms of energy efficiency and minimum transmission duration, it has been shown that DuOpt achieves best performance under the same special condition of uniqueness. Index Terms Packet scheduling, energy harvesting, AWGN broadcast channel, energy-efficient scheduling

Trait Anger, Employee Work Behaviors, and the Moderating Role of Problem Focused-Coping

This study aims to analyze the moderating role of problem-focused coping style in the relationship between trait anger and employees’ withdrawal and taking-charge behaviors. Our sample included 254 employees from two middle-sized organizations, i.e. a medical facility and a financial company, in Northern California. To reduce the common-source and desirability biases, the data regarding taking-charge behaviors were collected from the employees’ supervisors. Our results showed that employees with higher level of trait anger were more likely to engage in taking-charge behaviors, such as identifying and pursuing work-related problems. In addition, trait anger instigated withdrawal behaviors if the employees reported lower levels of problem-focused coping. In contrast, when employees were higher on problem-focused coping, their trait anger was not significantly related to withdrawal behaviors. These results suggest that, when employees take on a more problem-focused approach to manage their stress at work, their trait anger could work for the benefit of these employees and their organization by driving them to identify and solve work-related problems. Our study revealed that trait anger, in itself, is not necessarily a functional or dysfunctional employee characteristic and delineated the moderating role of problem-focused coping style in the relationship between trait anger and work behaviors.

Post-intervention Status in Patients With Refractory Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab During REGAIN and Its Open-Label Extension

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether eculizumab helps patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) achieve the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post-intervention status of minimal manifestations (MM), we assessed patients' status throughout REGAIN (Safety and Efficacy of Eculizumab in AChR+ Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis) and its open-label extension. METHODS: Patients who completed the REGAIN randomized controlled trial and continued into the open-label extension were included in this tertiary endpoint analysis. Patients were assessed for the MGFA post-intervention status of improved, unchanged, worse, MM, and pharmacologic remission at defined time points during REGAIN and through week 130 of the open-label study. RESULTS: A total of 117 patients completed REGAIN and continued into the open-label study (eculizumab/eculizumab: 56; placebo/eculizumab: 61). At week 26 of REGAIN, more eculizumab-treated patients than placebo-treated patients achieved a status of improved (60.7% vs 41.7%) or MM (25.0% vs 13.3%; common OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). After 130 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 88.0% of patients achieved improved status and 57.3% of patients achieved MM status. The safety profile of eculizumab was consistent with its known profile and no new safety signals were detected. CONCLUSION: Eculizumab led to rapid and sustained achievement of MM in patients with AChR+ refractory gMG. These findings support the use of eculizumab in this previously difficult-to-treat patient population. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: REGAIN, NCT01997229; REGAIN open-label extension, NCT02301624. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that, after 26 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 25.0% of adults with AChR+ refractory gMG achieved MM, compared with 13.3% who received placebo

Minimal Symptom Expression' in Patients With Acetylcholine Receptor Antibody-Positive Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab

The efficacy and tolerability of eculizumab were assessed in REGAIN, a 26-week, phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), and its open-label extension

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Background: Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. // Methods: We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung's disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. // Findings: We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung's disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middle-income countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in low-income countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. // Interpretation: Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Utilizing Videoconferencing to Develop Emotional Awareness in Cross-Cultural Communication

The current teaching methods in cross-cultural business communication have paid relatively less attention to developing students’ emotional skills in cross-cultural interactions. Prior research, however, suggests that cross-cultural interactions are inherently emotional processes, since they involve a considerable amount of uncertainty and a potential for misunderstanding. With an attempt to fill this gap, this study aimed to design an easy-to-implement teaching module that brings emotions and emotional awareness more centrally into analysis of cross-cultural business communication, and to empirically asses the effectiveness of this module based on the data collected from students who participated in the process. To this end, we have initiated a collaboration between the business schools of a Hungarian university in Budapest and an American university in Northern California, by utilizing the videoconferencing and screen-capture technologies. The results of the study suggested that the videoconferencing technology could be a viable tool to create real-time interactions between students in different countries in which they can experience, express, and observe emotions. In our video-conferencing sessions, the dynamics that emerged among the students provoked a wide-range of emotions, which helped them learn more about cross-cultural communication as reflected on why they have felt these emotions. Thus, students who participated in the teaching module not only gained a first-hand experience in cross-cultural communication, but also could build on this experience to gain knowledge by reflecting on their observations and emotions

Emotional fit in the workplace : its psychological and behavioural outcomes

Prior research has looked at emotions in organizational life mostly at the individual level, providing us with little information about their role as a contextual factor in organizations. In this dissertation, I sought to fill this gap by developing the concept of emotional fit which I define as the congruence between the activation levels of an employee's affective trait and the emotional climate of their workplace environment. Drawing on a number of streams of research including the circumplex model of affect, activation theory, emotional exhaustion, psychological safety, and ego depletion theory, I developed and empirically tested a model analyzing how emotional fit affects an employee's psychological and behavioral engagement at work. The model proposes that emotional fit is positively related to an employee's connection with others, connection with work, and performance through the mediating effects of emotional exhaustion and psychological safety. To test the theoretical model, I conducted a cross-level field study. The research design is cross-level in that one component (i.e. emotional climate) of the independent variable (i.e. emotional fit) was analyzed at the level of the workplace context and then was compared with the other component (i.e. affective trait), measured at the level of the individual employee. I collected data from 257 employees within 40 work units across a variety of companies operating in sectors such as trade, forestry, high-tech, finance, and courier service. The data regarding the task and role performance of employees were collected from supervisors. Overall, the results show that an employee's degree of emotional fit is positively related to his/her psychological engagement at work with regards to connection with others and connection with work, but not task and role performance. In terms of connection with others, emotional fit was positively related to commitment and negatively related to surface acting. As for the connection with work domain, emotional fit was negatively related to psychological withdrawal behaviors and intention for turnover. Supporting the theoretical model, these relationships were mediated by emotional exhaustion and psychological safety.Business, Sauder School ofGraduat

Toxic decision processes: A study of emotion in organizational decision making.

This paper addresses the role of emotion in organizational decision making. Grounding our research in the decision process literature, we introduce the concept of "toxic decision processes": organizational decision processes that generate widespread negative emotion in an organization through the recursive interplay of members' actions and negative emotions. We draw on a longitudinal, qualitative analysis of six toxic decision processes to develop a model that describes the three phases--inertia, detonation, and containment--through which these processes unfold. Each phase is characterized by distinctive sets of interactions among decision makers and other organizational members, and by emotions such as anxiety, fear, shame, anger, and embarrassment, that shape and are shaped by these interactions. We show that toxic decision processes are triggered by issues that are sensitive, ambiguous, and nonurgent and identify several mechanisms that connect actors' emotions and actions, over time creating a toxic decision process that leads to the cumulative buildup and diffusion of toxicity. These mechanisms include the construction of a "danger zone" around the issue that is avoided by all parties, the spread of negative emotion through processes of empathetic transmission and emotional contagion, and the suppression of widespread negative emotion that leads to the development of a volatile emotional context for future decision making. This study has important implications for the decision process literature, revealing how the different lenses through which decision making is usually viewed are connected by the emotionality that runs through each of them