A Desire for the Dark Side: An Examination of Individual Personality Characteristics and Their Desire for Adverse Characteristics in Leaders

Powerful and charismatic leaders are often highly desired by organizations and the followers that work within them. However, leaders who are highly skilled at developing relationships and accomplishing what they need to are often those individuals who rate very high on personality traits or characteristics that are considered “dark.” Although much attention has been paid to leaders and dark characteristics, we know much less regarding the dark side of leadership and followers’ susceptibility to these leaders. This article investigates the extent to which follower traits (i.e., the dark triad and the Big Five) predict a follower’s propensity to accept leader behaviors indicative of psychopathy (measured via the Hare P-Scan). Results suggest a follower’s psychopathy leads to the desire for dark leaders. Implications and future research suggest a more in-depth examination of followers and why certain individuals desire dark leadership, as well as examining negative environments

Rethinking thinking aloud: A comparison of three think-aloud protocols

This paper presents the results of a study that compared three think-aloud methods: concurrent think-aloud, retrospective think-aloud, and a hybrid method. The three methods were compared through an evaluation of a library website, which involved four points of comparison: task performance, participants' experiences, usability problems discovered, and the cost of employing the methods. The results revealed that the concurrent method outperformed both the retrospective and the hybrid methods in facilitating successful usability testing. It detected higher numbers of usability problems than the retrospective method, and produced output comparable to that of the hybrid method. The method received average to positive ratings from its users, and no reactivity was observed. Lastly, this method required much less time on the evaluator's part than did the other two methods, which involved double the testing and analysis time

The ABCD of usability testing

We introduce a methodology for tracking and auditing feedback, errors and suggestions for software packages. This short paper describes how we innovate on the evaluation mechanism, introducing an (Antecedent, Barrier, Consequence and Development) ABCD form, embedded within an eParticipation platform to enable end users to easily report on any usability issues. This methodology will be utilised to improve the STEP cloud eParticipation platform (part of the current STEP Horizon2020 project http://step4youth.eu. The platform is currently being piloted in real life contexts, with the participation of public authorities that are integrating the eParticipation platform into their regular decision-making practices. The project is involving young people, through engagement and motivation strategies and giving them a voice in Environmental decision making at the local level. The pilot evaluation aims to demonstrate how open engagement needs to be embedded within public sector processes and the usability methodology reported here will help to identify the key barriers for wide scale deployment of the platform

Dioxinlike properties of a trichloroethylene combustion-generated aerosol.

Conventional chemical analyses of incineration by-products identify compounds of known toxicity but often fail to indicate the presence of other chemicals that may pose health risks. In a previous report, extracts from soot aerosols formed during incomplete combustion of trichloroethylene (TCE) and pyrolysis of plastics exhibited a dioxinlike response when subjected to a keratinocyte assay. To verify this dioxinlike effect, the complete extract, its polar and nonpolar fractions, some containing primarily halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, were evaluated for toxicity using an embryo assay, for antiestrogenicity using primary liver cell cultures, and for the ability to transform the aryl hydrocarbon receptor into its DNA binding form using liver cytosol in a gel retardation assay. Each of these assays detect dioxinlike effects. Medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryos and primary liver cell cultures of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to concentrations of extract ranging from 0.05 to 45 micrograms/l. Cardiotoxicity with pericardial, yolk sac, and adjacent peritoneal edema occurred after exposure of embryos to concentrations of 7 micrograms/l or greater. These same exposure levels were associated with abnormal embryo development and, at the higher concentrations, death. Some of the fractions were toxic but none was as toxic as the whole extract. In liver cells, total cellular protein and cellular lactate dehydrogenase activity were not altered by in vitro exposure to whole extract (0.05-25 micrograms/l). However, induction of cytochrome P4501A1 protein and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity occurred. In the presence of whole extract, estradiol-dependent vitellogenin synthesis was reduced. Of the fractions, only fraction 1 (nonpolar) showed a similar trend, although vitellogenin synthesis inhibition was not significant. The soot extract and fractions bound to the Ah receptor and showed a significantly positive result in the gel retardation/DNA binding test. Chemical analyses using GC-MS with detection limits for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran in the picomole range did not show presence of these compounds. Our results indicate that other chemicals associated with TCE combustion and not originally targeted for analysis may also pose health risks through dioxinlike mechanisms

The Role of Physical, Chemical, and Microbial Heterogeneity on the Field-Scale Transport and Attachment of Bacteria

A field-scale bacterial transport experiment was conducted at the Narrow Channel Focus Area of the South Oyster field site located in Oyster, Virginia. The goal of the field experiment was to determine the relative influence of subsurface heterogeneity and microbial population parameters on flow direction, velocity, and attachment of bacteria at the field scale. The field results were compared with results from laboratory-scale column experiments to develop a method for predicting field-scale bacterial transport. The field site is a shallow, sandy, unconfined, aerobic aquifer that has been characterized by geophysical, sedimentological, and hydrogeological methods. Comamonas sp. strain DA001 and a conservative tracer, bromide (Br), were injected into an area of high permeability for 12 hours. The Br and bacterial concentrations in the groundwater were monitored for 1 week at 192 sampling ports spaced over a 2-m vertical zone located from 0.5 to 7 m down-gradient of the injection well. The bacterial and Br plume was observed to move past 95 sampling ports. The densely characterized field site enabled the comparison of variations in DA001 transport to the aquifer properties. The velocity of the injected plume was correlated with geophysical estimates of hydraulic conductivity. The bacterial and Br plume appeared to follow flow paths not coincident with the hydraulic gradient but through a zone of higher permeability located off the flow axis. The amount of breakthrough of the bacteria was similar in both the high and low permeability layers with only a weak correlation between the observed hydraulic conductivity and amount of bacterial breakthrough. The uniformity in the observed attachment rates across varying grain sizes could be explained by heterogeneity of microbial properties within the single strain of injected bacteria. Application of colloid filtration theory to the field data indicated that variations in the microbial population were described by a lognormal distribution of the collision efficiency (a). Core-scale studies were used to predict the a distribution and field-scale transport distances of DA001. In sandy aquifers, physical heterogeneity may play a secondary role in controlling field-scale bacterial transport, and future research should focus on the microbial factors affecting transport

HER2-HER3 heterodimer quantification by FRET-FLIM and patient subclass analysis of the COIN colorectal trial

BACKGROUND: The phase 3 MRC COIN trial showed no statistically significant benefit from adding the EGFR-target cetuximab to oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in first-line treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. This study exploits additional information on HER2-HER3 dimerization to achieve patient stratification and reveal previously hidden subgroups of patients who had differing disease progression and treatment response. METHODS: HER2-HER3 dimerization was quantified by "FLIM Histology" in primary tumor samples from 550 COIN trial patients receiving oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy +/-cetuximab. Bayesian latent class analysis (LCA) and covariate reduction was performed to analyze the effects of HER2-HER3 dimer, RAS mutation and cetuximab on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: LCA on a cohort of 398 patients revealed two patient subclasses with differing prognoses (median OS: 1624 days [95%CI=1466-1816] vs 461 [95%CI=431-504]): Class 1 (15.6%) showed a benefit from cetuximab in OS (HR = 0.43 [95%CI=0.25-0.76]; p = 0.004). Class 2 showed an association of increased HER2-HER3 with better OS (HR = 0.64 [95%CI=0.44-0.94]; p = 0.02). A class prediction signature was formed and tested on an independent validation cohort (N = 152) validating the prognostic utility of the dimer assay. Similar subclasses were also discovered in full trial dataset (N = 1,630) based on 10 baseline clinicopathological and genetic covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Our work suggests that the combined use of HER dimer imaging and conventional mutation analyses will be able to identify a small subclass of patients (>10%) who will have better prognosis following chemotherapy. A larger prospective cohort will be required to confirm its utility in predicting the outcome of anti-EGFR treatment

Social presence and dishonesty in retail

Self-service checkouts (SCOs) in retail can benefit consumers and retailers, providing control and autonomy to shoppers independent from staff, together with reduced queuing times. Recent research indicates that the absence of staff may provide the opportunity for consumers to behave dishonestly, consistent with a perceived lack of social presence. This study examined whether a social presence in the form of various instantiations of embodied, visual, humanlike SCO interface agents had an effect on opportunistic behaviour. Using a simulated SCO scenario, participants experienced various dilemmas in which they could financially benefit themselves undeservedly. We hypothesised that a humanlike social presence integrated within the checkout screen would receive more attention and result in fewer instances of dishonesty compared to a less humanlike agent. This was partially supported by the results. The findings contribute to the theoretical framework in social presence research. We concluded that companies adopting self-service technology may consider the implementation of social presence in technology applications to support ethical consumer behaviour, but that more research is required to explore the mixed findings in the current study.<br/

INTER INSTITUCIONALIDAD E INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN PARA EL ABORDAJE DE COMUNIDAD HIPOACUSICA. SANTIAGO DE ESTERO ARGENTINA

The WHO calculates that there are more than a billion people with disabilities in the world, of whom 200 million, have consider-able difficulties in their functioning.(1)Demographic and social changes are cur-rently taking place, such as the increase in life expectancy favored by technical ad-vances,&nbsp; non-communicable&nbsp; diseases&nbsp; and&nbsp; injuries from external causes.Populations with limited resources and low educational&nbsp; levels&nbsp; tend&nbsp; to&nbsp; have&nbsp; a&nbsp; higher prevalence of some type of disability and, unfortunately, are the ones that have the most difficulties in accessing rehabilitation services. In&nbsp; Latin America&nbsp; and&nbsp; the&nbsp; Caribbean,&nbsp; the number of people with disabilities is esti-mated at between 140 and 180 million, ac-cording to the World Report on Disability, but only 3% to 6% of them access rehabili-tation services.For every newborn who dies, at least 20 suffer&nbsp; injuries&nbsp; caused&nbsp; during&nbsp; pregnancy&nbsp; and&nbsp; childbirth&nbsp; such&nbsp; as&nbsp; perinatal&nbsp; hypoxia, prematurity, intracranial hemorrhage, con-genital&nbsp; malformations,&nbsp; generating&nbsp; a&nbsp; high prevalence of disability at very young ages.The&nbsp; last&nbsp; 2010&nbsp; National&nbsp; Population&nbsp; and Housing&nbsp; Census&nbsp; (INDEC)&nbsp; reports&nbsp; that in&nbsp; our&nbsp; country&nbsp; the&nbsp; population&nbsp; reached 40,117,096&nbsp; inhabitants.&nbsp; Of&nbsp; this&nbsp; total,&nbsp; the 2.4 people per 1000 inhabitants processed the&nbsp; Unique&nbsp; Disability&nbsp; Certificate,&nbsp; (CUD); which is equivalent to 98,429 people with disabilities in 2011. It is considered that not all people with disabilities have this certifi-cationLa OMS, calcula que en el mundo existen más de mil millones de personas con dis-capacidad, de las cuales 200 millones, tie-nen dificultades considerables en su fun-cionamiento.(1)Actualmente&nbsp; se&nbsp; están&nbsp; produciendo&nbsp; cam-bios demográficos y sociales, como el au-mento de la esperanza de vida favorecida por&nbsp; los&nbsp; avances&nbsp; técnicos,&nbsp; las&nbsp; enfermeda-des no transmisibles y las lesiones de cau-sas externas.Las&nbsp; poblaciones&nbsp; de&nbsp; escasos&nbsp; recursos&nbsp; y&nbsp; niveles educativos bajos suelen tener una prevalencia&nbsp; mayor&nbsp; de &nbsp;algún&nbsp; tipo&nbsp; de&nbsp; dis-capacidad&nbsp; y&nbsp; desafortunadamente&nbsp; son&nbsp; los&nbsp; que más dificultades tienen para acceder a servicios de rehabilitación.En América Latina y el Caribe, se estima entre&nbsp; 140&nbsp; y&nbsp; 180&nbsp; millones,&nbsp; el&nbsp; número&nbsp; de&nbsp; personas&nbsp; con&nbsp; discapacidad,&nbsp; según&nbsp; el&nbsp; In-forme&nbsp; Mundial&nbsp; sobre&nbsp; Discapacidad,&nbsp; pero&nbsp; solo 3% al 6% de ellos acceden a los ser-vicios de rehabilitación.Por cada RN que muere, al menos 20 pa-decen&nbsp; lesiones&nbsp; causadas&nbsp; durante&nbsp; el&nbsp; em-barazo y el parto como hipoxia perinatal, prematurez, hemorragia intracraneal, mal-formaciones&nbsp; congénitas,&nbsp; generando&nbsp; alta&nbsp; prevalencia&nbsp; de&nbsp; discapacidad&nbsp; en&nbsp; edades&nbsp; muy tempranas.El&nbsp; último&nbsp; Censo&nbsp; Nacional&nbsp; de&nbsp; Población&nbsp; y&nbsp; Vivienda&nbsp; 2010&nbsp; (INDEC),&nbsp; informa&nbsp; que&nbsp; en&nbsp; nuestro&nbsp; país&nbsp; la&nbsp; población&nbsp; alcanzó&nbsp; los&nbsp; 40.117.096&nbsp; habitantes.&nbsp; De&nbsp; ese&nbsp; total,&nbsp; las 2,4 personas cada 1000 habitantes trami-taron&nbsp; el&nbsp; Certificado&nbsp; Único&nbsp; Discapacidad, (CUD);&nbsp; que&nbsp; equivale&nbsp; a&nbsp; 98.429&nbsp; personas&nbsp; con discapacidad en el año 2011. Se con-sidera que no todas las personas con dis-capacidad cuentan con esta certificación.(2