Science Impacts of the SPHEREx All-Sky Optical to Near-Infrared Spectral Survey: Report of a Community Workshop Examining Extragalactic, Galactic, Stellar and Planetary Science

SPHEREx is a proposed SMEX mission selected for Phase A. SPHEREx will carry out the first all-sky spectral survey and provide for every 6.2" pixel a spectra between 0.75 and 4.18 $\mu$m [with R$\sim$41.4] and 4.18 and 5.00 $\mu$m [with R$\sim$135]. The SPHEREx team has proposed three specific science investigations to be carried out with this unique data set: cosmic inflation, interstellar and circumstellar ices, and the extra-galactic background light. It is readily apparent, however, that many other questions in astrophysics and planetary sciences could be addressed with the SPHEREx data. The SPHEREx team convened a community workshop in February 2016, with the intent of enlisting the aid of a larger group of scientists in defining these questions. This paper summarizes the rich and varied menu of investigations that was laid out. It includes studies of the composition of main belt and Trojan/Greek asteroids; mapping the zodiacal light with unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution; identifying and studying very low-metallicity stars; improving stellar parameters in order to better characterize transiting exoplanets; studying aliphatic and aromatic carbon-bearing molecules in the interstellar medium; mapping star formation rates in nearby galaxies; determining the redshift of clusters of galaxies; identifying high redshift quasars over the full sky; and providing a NIR spectrum for most eROSITA X-ray sources. All of these investigations, and others not listed here, can be carried out with the nominal all-sky spectra to be produced by SPHEREx. In addition, the workshop defined enhanced data products and user tools which would facilitate some of these scientific studies. Finally, the workshop noted the high degrees of synergy between SPHEREx and a number of other current or forthcoming programs, including JWST, WFIRST, Euclid, GAIA, K2/Kepler, TESS, eROSITA and LSST.Comment: Report of the First SPHEREx Community Workshop, http://spherex.caltech.edu/Workshop.html , 84 pages, 28 figure

How leaders stimulate employee learning: A leader–member exchange approach

This study investigated how leader–member exchange (LMX), goal setting, and feedback are related to employee engagement in learning activities. Two different mechanisms were proposed: a mediating mechanism holding that LMX elicits specific leader behaviours (i.e., goal setting and feedback) which would mediate the LMXlearning relationship, and a moderating mechanism, holding that LMX would strengthen the effect of these leader behaviours. A sample of 1,112 employees from 7 organizations completed questionnaires that measured LMX, goal specificity, feedback, and selfreports of employee engagement in learning activities. The 233 direct leaders of these employees completed questionnaires that measured goal difficulty and leader ratings of employee engagement in learning activities. Multi-level analysis showed that goal difficulty and goal specificity mediated the relationship between LMX and employee engagement in learning activities, and that LMX moderated the relationship of goal difficulty with employee engagement in learning activities. With these findings, the present study contributes to the literatures on LMX, goal setting, and employee development

The impact of COVID-19 on physical performance and mental health : a retrospective case series of Belgian male professional football players

Rationale: As every season, physical performance of players of Royal Antwerp FC's first team was regularly tested and mental well-being and mood were assessed during football season 2020–2021. Just like in the general population, several professional athletes were infected by SARS-CoV-2 during that season. COVID-19 is a complex disorder affecting multiple body systems, potentially damaging lungs, affecting the cardiovascular system or causing muscle weakness. Therefore, the impact of COVID-19 on performance was a major concern for the affected football players and their entourage. Objectives: To retrospectively examine the influence of COVID-19 on physical performance and mental health in professional football athletes during the season 2020–2021. Methods: Thirty-three professional athletes (age: 25.37 ± 4.11 years; height: 182.75 ± 7.62 cm; weight: 78.90 ± 8.97 kg) of a Belgian first division football club were assessed weekly during the 2020-2021 season. Weekly assessments comprised strength values of the hamstrings, hip abductors and hip adductors, jump performance, a modified Hooper questionnaire to assess mental status and nose swab PCR tests for COVID-19. Data analysis was performed from 2 weeks prior to COVID-19 contamination up to 8 weeks after the first positive test. Post-hoc Bonferroni correction was applied when performing statistical analysis. Results: Eleven players tested positive for COVID-19. Duration of contamination was 13 ± 7 days. There was no statistically significant difference before and after COVID-19 infection for jump performance, and adductor and abductor muscle strength (p > 0.05). Functional hamstring strength improved significantly 2 weeks (MD: 41.48; 95%CI: −3.79 to 86.75; p = 0.009) and 4 weeks (MD: 34.76; 95%CI: −8.91 to 78.42; p = 0.019) after COVID-19, whereas mood (MD: −0.60; 95%CI: −1.46 to 0.26; p = 0.041), stress levels (MD: −0.83; 95%CI: −1.85 to 0.20; p = 0.020) and total wellness (MD: −2.41; 95%CI: −5.25 to 0.43; p = 0.015) showed a significant reduction 8 weeks after confirmed COVID-19. Conclusion: Physical performance varied considerably across outcomes before and 8 weeks after COVID-19 contamination in a sample of first division football players. However, affected football players' overall well-being, stress levels and mood diminished after a positive COVID-19 test

Cost Benefit Analysis of European Air Quality Targets for Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and Fine and Suspended Particulate Matter in Cities

The European Commission has proposed air quality standards for NO 2, SO 2 and PM 10 to be in force by 2010. The present paper presents a study that gauged their costs and benefits. An analysis of the expected emissions for 2010 (reference emission scenario), using simplified air quality models, showed that non-compliance with these standards will occur in cities only, not in rural areas. Most compliance problems are expected for PM 10 , least for SO 2. Central estimates of the costs to meet standards range from 21 MECU (SO 2), to 79 MECU (NO 2) to 87--225 MECU (PM 10 ). The estimated benefits are 83--3783 MECU (SO 2), 408--5900 MECU (NO 2), and 5007--51247 MECU (PM 10 ). Uncertainties are high, due to errors and incertitude in various steps of the methodology, mainly the estimation of the human health effects, in particular effects on mortality, and in the valuation of a statistical life. In the case of PM 10 , additional uncertainty results from the small size of the air quality database. Notwithstanding the uncertainties, the indications are that the benefits exceed the costs. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1999air quality, cities, cost benefit analysis, SO 2 , NO X , PM 10 ,