The Positive Impact of Negative Feedback

While feedback is an essential element of performance, there is little theory explaining the effects of negative feedback. Disagreement exists as to whether negative feedback is good or bad and this impacts its use. Fortunately, control theory provides scholars with an opportunity to better understand negative feedback and the conditions necessary to support its intended function. This study examined the relationship between negative feedback and task performance in a leadership development environment. This work asserts that performance is contingent on perceived feedback usefulness, such that the relationship is stronger when feedback usefulness is high and weaker when it is low. In addition, this research led to the creation of a new instrument to measure perceptions of feedback usefulness as an antecedent of effective feedback. Results indicate positive effects of negative feedback on performance, with moderating effects of feedback usefulness on four post-feedback tasks. Analysis also demonstrated that the newly developed feedback usefulness scale demonstrates good model fit (evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis) and strong internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α)

Objectively Measured Physical Activity Is Negatively Associated with Plasma Adiponectin Levels in Minority Female Youth

Objective. To evaluate the relationship between adiponectin and physical activity (PA) in minority female youth. Methods. Plasma adiponectin was measured in 39 females (mean age 9.2 ± 0.9 years; 30 Latina, 9 African-American; 56% overweight). PA was assessed by accelerometry. Mean minutes per day spent in daily PA (DPA) (≥3 metabolic equivalents (METs)), moderate PA (MPA)(4–7 METs), vigorous PA (VPA)(≥7 METs), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA)(≥4 METs) were calculated. The association between adiponectin and PA, controlling for age, fat weight, lean weight, and insulin sensitivity (SI) was analyzed using linear regression. Results. Adiponectin correlated with fat weight (r = −0.43, P < .01) and SI (r = 0.52, P < .01). Minutes spent in DPA (β = −0.40, P = .02), MPA (β = −0.36, P = .04), or MVPA (β = −0.37, P = .03) were predictors of adiponectin in the adjusted model. Conclusions. Higher PA levels were related to lower adiponectin levels. Potential mechanisms include upregulation of adiponectin receptors or an increase in high-molecular weight adiponectin with increasing PA

In situ generation of Mes2Mg as a non-nucleophilic carbon-centred base reagent for the efficient one-pot conversion of ketones to silyl enol ethers

Treatment of commercially available MesMgBr with 1,4-dioxane produces the key Mes2Mg reagent in situ which then mediates the deprotonation of ketones to deliver trimethylsilyl enol ethers, at readily accessible temperatures and without any nucleophilic addition, in an expedient and high yielding one-pot process

ZnZ_n elliptic Gaudin model with open boundaries

The $Z_n$ elliptic Gaudin model with integrable boundaries specified by generic non-diagonal K-matrices with $n+1$ free boundary parameters is studied. The commuting families of Gaudin operators are diagonalized by the algebraic Bethe ansatz method. The eigenvalues and the corresponding Bethe ansatz equations are obtained.Comment: 21 pages, Latex fil