Predicting and explaining behavioral intention and hand sanitizer use among US Army soldiers

Citation: Naiqing Lin, Kevin R. Roberts, (2017) Predicting and explaining behavioral intention and hand sanitizer use among US Army soldiers, In American Journal of Infection Control, 45(4),396-400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2016.11.008.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, simple hand washing is one of the most effective methods to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.1,2,3 The literature shows a strong and consistent association between personal hand hygiene and reduced gastrointestinal disease, respiratory illness, and absenteeism in the work force.1,4,5 Hands are the primary mode of transmission for many infectious diseases, particularly among military personnel.6 Hand hygiene is a proven measure of controlling infection in military settings

Adolescents Growing Up in Stressful Environments, Dual Diagnosis, and Sources of Success

This article considers the social and psychological challenges to youth in contemporary society. The authors examine the variety of social impediments that face youths in most of our social institutions, from schools and the juvenile justice system to the family. They underscore the need for prevention, health promotion, and comprehensive assessment. Further, they assert that ‘‘dual diagnosis’’ needs to be considered not as a ‘‘special population’’ but as the typical or common experience of at-risk youths once they are diagnosed at mental health centers or juvenile justice reception and diagnostic centers. They conclude that evidence-based assessment, intervention, prevention, and health promotion will start to unravel the matter of misdirected diagnosis and treatment. The articles in this special issue amply illustrate what can be done

Are employees with higher organization-based self-esteem less likely to quit? A moderated mediation model

Citation: Lin, N., Jang, J., & Roberts, K. R. (2018). Are employees with higher organization-based self-esteem less likely to quit? A moderated mediation model. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 73, 116–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.01.021This study focuses on striving for achievement as an important antecedent forming Organization-Based Self-Esteem (OBSE) and the relationship between achievement striving and turnover intention in the hospitality industry. More specifically, employees with higher achievement striving traits show a stronger negative correlation between OBSE and turnover intention, through organizational commitment. An online survey was distributed to restaurant employees; 160 valid responses were analyzed. An analytic framework based on confirmatory factor analysis and logic regression was used to examine the hypotheses. The results show that organizational commitment fully mediated the relationship between OBSE and turnover intention, and higher levels of individual achievement striving significantly modified the conditional indirect relationship. The results showed that the mediation model and achievement striving strength accounted for 15.7% of the variance in turnover intention at the 50?th, 75?th, and 90?th level and was most effective for low OBSE employees. Theoretical implications and future research are included

An assessment of the status of prerequisite and HACCP program implementation in Iowa restaurants

The safety of food served in restaurants should be of major concern to both restaurateurs and consumers. If unsafe food is served, there is the potential for widespread illness and even death. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) programs are a means to assure that the food served is safe, yet little is known about the extent to which HACCP and related prerequisite programs are used in restaurants. The purpose of this research was to determine the extent to which prerequisite and HACCP programs are implemented in Iowa restaurants. Potential barriers to implementing food safety practices also were assessed. A questionnaire was developed to identify food safety practices related to HACCP and prerequisite programs, training needs, and barriers to implementing food safety practices. A random sample of 800 restaurants was selected from the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals database. Accounting for those returned incomplete due to wrong addresses or because the restaurant was out-of-business (110), the sample size was reduced to 690. Of the 690 usable questionnaires, 131 were returned for a response rate of 19%. SPSS 10.0 for Windows was used for data analysis. Approximately 8% of the restaurant manager\u27s indicated that they have a comprehensive HACCP plan in place. The majority of the prerequisite programs were not implemented. The results of multiple linear regression indicated that having an employee with the responsibility for overseeing food safety was positively related to the number of food safety practices implemented. Among restaurant manager\u27s characteristics, females were more likely to implement food safety practices than their male counterparts. Additionally, more educated managers were more likely to have food safety programs implemented. This research suggests assigning specific responsibility for food safety to an employee increases the number of food safety practices implemented in restaurants. Also, educational levels of potential managers are important to look at in the hiring process, because those that have a higher educational attainment are more likely implement food safety practices

Analysis of School Food Safety Programs Based on HACCP Principles

Citation: Roberts, K., Sauer, K., Sneed, J., Kwon, J., Olds, D., Cole, K., & Shanklin, C. (2014). Analysis of school food safety programs based on HACCP principles. Journal of Child Nutrition and Management, 38(1).Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine how school districts have implemented food safety programs based on HACCP principles. Specific objectives included: 1. Evaluate how schools are implementing components of food safety programs and 2. Determine foodservice employees food-handling practices related to food safety. Methods: The study included a national sample of 34 school districts in eight states, including 11 small, 9 medium, 6 large, and 8 mega districts. Six researchers collected data on-site in each of the school's food production facilities. Data collection instruments included a Facility Observation Form, a Food Safety Observation Form, and a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) Verification Checklist. All instruments were pilot tested prior to use. The research protocol was reviewed and approved by the University's Institutional Review Board prior to data collection. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. A recent health inspection report was collected from each school and qualitative data were also compiled. Results: Of 34 schools visited, food safety plans were available in 33 schools, although few were customized to the specific school. Most of the recommended standard operating procedures related to HACCP were used. However, researchers found few records of corrective actions. The health inspection scores for most schools were high, which reflects that food safety practices had been adequately operationalized. Overall, school facility observations were positive. Approximately 60% of employees failed to wash their hands as recommended by the 2009 Food Code. Most employees washed their hands before preparing food, but many times, improper hand washing procedures were used. Applications to Child Nutrition Professionals: School foodservice employees performed well, but there are opportunities for food contamination to occur. Directors and managers can utilize this data to evaluate their food safety programs and practices to assure they are achieving their intended goal to serve safe and wholesome food to schoolchildren

An Exploratory Evaluation of UAS Detect and Avoid Operations in the Terminal Environment

New technical standards for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) detect and avoid (DAA) systems mark recent progress toward realizing the goal of full integration of UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS). The DAA system is intended to provide a means of compliance with operating regulations that required pilots on board manned aircraft to remain "well clear" of other aircraft which is accomplished through out-the-window visual acquisition of other aircraft and application of a subjective judgment of safe separation. The requirements for the DAA system, including the specification of a DAA well clear threshold as well as functional requirements for detecting, tracking, alerting and guidance processing, and displays, are specified in DO-365, Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for DAA Systems developed within RTCA (Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics) Special Committee 228 (SC-228). Intended as the first in a series of phased versions, these requirements are frequently referred to as the "Phase 1" DAA system. The Phase 1 DAA system is limited for use by aircraft transitioning to and from Class A or special use airspace, through Class D, E, and G airspace. In particular, the Phase 1 DAA MOPS are not intended for terminal airspace operations, a critical gap for enabling a full range of UAS operations. The application of the Phase 1 DAA system and DAA well clear threshold within the terminal area is predicted to result in a high number of unnecessary alerts when the UAS is safely separated from other traffic. The goal of the present study was to examine pilot performance and operational issues related to the operation of the Phase 1 DAA system in a terminal area. This experiment was intended as an exploratory study that would be used to inform the development of a new terminal area-specific DAA well clear definition, and associated alerting and guidance requirements. The two main objectives of this study were to: 1) characterize pilot behavior in the terminal environment with the Phase 1 DAA system, and 2) investigate the effect of modifications to the Phase 1 DAA alerting and guidance structure. In particular, the authors were interested in determining whether the removal of specific alerting and guidance levels, without changing the DAA well clear definition or alerting thresholds, would impact pilot performance while conducting terminal operations. The results indicate that the Phase 1 well clear definition and alerting and guidance resulted in frequent alerting that degraded pilots' ability to discriminate between encounters where another aircraft was safely separated versus when a maneuver was necessary. The resulting impact on pilot performance was slower response times and higher frequency and severity of losses of DAA well clear compared to those observed for experiments examining pilot performance in the en route environment. There was no significant effect of alerting and guidance display configuration on pilot performance

Validation of Minimum Display Requirements for a UAS Detect and Avoid System

The full integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS), a prerequisite for enabling a broad range of public and commercial UAS operations, presents several technical challenges to UAS developers, operators and regulators. A primary barrier is the inability for UAS pilots (situated at a ground control station, or GCS) to comply with Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations sections 91.111 and 91.113, which require pilots to see and avoid other aircraft in order to maintain well clear. UAS pilots removal from the flight deck of the aircraft necessitates the development of a UAS-specific system for detecting nearby traffic and displaying traffic information to the pilot to support their ability to maintain an objectively defined DAA well clear threshold from other aircraft. This new UAS-specific function of remaining DAA well clear is called traffic avoidance. The resulting Detect and Avoid (DAA) system, however, will be subject to a collection of requirements that manufacturers will be obligated to meet in order to certify their equipment. RTCA Special Committee 228 (SC-228), a consortium of representatives from government, industry and academia, is responsible for developing and documenting the Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for UAS DAA systems. The present study is the final in a series of human-in-the-loop (HITL) experiments designed to explore and test the various display and alerting requirements being incorporated into the DAA MOPS. Whereas the prior DAA HITLs examined a wide variety of DAA display features and concepts, the current experiment aims to validate the latest minimum display requirements for Phase 1 of the DAA MOPS. Rather than test different display concepts, this study tests two configurations of a MOPS-compatible DAA display: a version that is integrated into the primary navigation and control display of the GCS and a version that is physically separated from the primary display. This manipulation tests the draft minimum requirement that allows the DAA traffic display to be a separate, or standalone, configuration. This type of configuration is a more achievable near-term technology solution since it does not stipulate additional certification or integration requirements on UAS manufacturers. However, a standalone display configuration has the potential to result in pilot performance issues resulting from the cognitive costs of switching between the primary DAA display and the primary navigation and control display. This configuration is also particularly susceptible to errors if the displays are in different orientations (e.g., north-up versus track-up). Both the integrated and standalone display configurations were presented to 16 active UAS pilots in a medium-fidelity simulation, which included confederate air traffic controllers and pseudo pilots operating simulated manned traffic. Pilots were tasked with navigating two different mission routes while maintaining DAA well clear with scripted conflicts. Pilot response times (i.e., measured response) and ability to remain DAA well clear are reported. Primary results indicate that both display configurations resulted in favorable response times and well clear rates. While there were clear trends of pilots objectively performing better in the integrated display condition, with several measured response metrics reaching statistical significance, the differences between the two displays were typically moderate. While the primary variable of DAA display location did not have an especially large impact on pilot performance on its own, when examined alongside the type of DAA threat the pilot was facing (a caution-level versus a warning-level alert), the response time benefits associated with the integrated display were amplified. The implications of these American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 2 results on the Phase 1 DAA MOPS and the connection of this data to previous studies is also discussed

Classical size effect in oxide-encapsulated Cu thin films: Impact of grain boundaries versus surfaces on resistivity

A methodology is developed to independently evaluate surface and grain boundary scattering in silicon dioxide-encapsulated, polycrystalline Cu thin films. The room-temperature film resistivity for samples with film thicknesses in the range of 27 to 1 65 nm and different grain sizes (determined from approximately 400 to 1500 grains per sample) is compared to existing and empirical models of surface and grain boundary scattering. For the combined effects of surface and grain boundary scattering, the surface specularity parameter p is 0.6 +/- 0.2 and the grain boundary reflectivity coefficient R is 0.45 +/- 0.03. It is thereby shown that the resistivity contribution from grain boundary scattering is significantly greater than that of surface scattering for Cu thin films having Cu/SiO2 surfaces and grain sizes similar to film thickness. (C) 2008 American Vacuum Society

A pilot feasibility study of daily rTMS to modify corticospinal excitability during lower limb immobilization

Short term immobilization of the lower limb is associated with increased corticospinal excitability at 24 hours post cast removal. We wondered whether daily stimulation of the motor cortex might decrease brain reorganization during casting. We tested the feasibility of this approach. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), resting motor threshold and recruitment curves were obtained at baseline in 6 healthy participants who then had leg casts placed for 10 days. On 7 of the 10 days subjects received 20 minutes of 1 Hz repetitive TMS (rTMS). TMS measures were then recorded immediately after and 24 hours post cast removal. Four of 6 subjects completed the study. At the group level there were no changes in excitability following cast removal. At the individual level, two participants did not show any change, 1 participant had higher and one lower excitability 24 hours after cast removal. Daily rTMS over motor cortex is feasible during casting and may modify neuroplastic changes occurring during limb disuse. A prospective double blind study is warranted to test whether daily rTMS might improve outcome in subjects undergoing casting, and perhaps in other forms of limb disuse such as those following brain injury or weightlessness in space flight

A Detect and Avoid System in the Context of Multiple-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations

NASA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration into the National Airspace System (UAS in the NAS) project examines the technical barriers associated with the operation of UAS in civil airspace. For UAS, the removal of the pilot from onboard the aircraft has eliminated the ability of the ground-based pilot in command (PIC) to use out-the-window visual information to make judgements about a potential threat of a loss of well clear with another aircraft. NASA's Phase 1 research supported the development of a Detect and Avoid (DAA) system that supports the ground-based pilot's ability to detect potential traffic conflicts and determine a resolution maneuver, but existing display/alerting requirements did not account for multiple UAS control (1:N). Demands for increased scalability of UAS in the NAS operations are expected to create a need for simultaneous control of UAs, and thus, a new DAA HMI design will likely be necessary. Previous research, however, has found performance degradations as the number of vehicles under operator control has increased. The purpose of the current human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation was to examine the viability of 1:N operations with the Phase 1 DAA alerting and guidance. Sixteen UAS pilots flew three scenarios with varying number of UAs under their control (1:1, 1:3, 1:5). In addition to their supervisory and sensor mission responsibilities, pilots were to utilize the DAA system to remain DAA well clear (DWC) during scripted conflicts of mixed severity. Measured response times, separation performance, mission task data, and subjective feedback were collected to assess how the multi-UAS control configuration impacted pilots' ability to maintain DAA well clear and perform the mission tasks. Overall, the DAA system proved surprisingly adaptive to multi-UAS control for preventing losses of DAA well clear (LoDWC). The findings suggest that, while multi-UAS operators are able to maintain safe separation (DWC) from other traffic, their ability to efficiently perform missions drastically decreases with their number of controlled vehicles. Pilot feedback indicated that, for this context, the use of automation support tools for completing and managing mission tasks would be appropriate and desired, especially for ensuring efficient use of assets. Finally, human-machine interface (HMI) design considerations for multi-UAS operations are discussed