Team work engagement: A model of emergence Costa, Patrícia L.; Passos, Ana M.; Bakker, Arnold B.
Journal of occupational and organizational psychology,
June 2014, Volume:
87, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Research has shown that work engagement, both at the individual and team levels, is relevant to understand employee performance and well‐being. Nonetheless, there is no theoretical model that ...explains the development of work engagement in teams that takes into consideration what is already known about team dynamics and processes. This study addresses this gap in the literature, presenting a model for the emergence of team work engagement. The model proposes team inputs, outputs, and mediators as predictors of team work engagement and highlights their recursive influences over time. This conceptual work provides a starting point for further research on team work engagement, allowing for distinguishing individual and team constructs.
Practitioner points
The degree of energy and enthusiasm of teams depends on the way they interact.
The affective and motivational dynamics of teams have consequences for their performance and well‐being.
The emergence of team work engagement is better understood within the literature of teamwork.
•Prediction of Internal quality and browing disorders in pears with VIS-NIR.•Experiment mimics conditions for VIS-NIR fruit sorter in packinghouses.•Benchmark of regression models for SSC, firmness, ...weight and size in pears.•Benchmark of classification models for browning disorder detection in pears.
This study explores the possibility of predicting the soluble solids content (SSC), firmness and the presence of internal browning disorders in ‘Rocha’ pear (Pyrus communis L.) using a single VIS-NIR spectroscopic measurement in semi-transmittance mode. The spectroscopic measurement setup was developed to mimic real world conditions and takes into account geometry and technical requirements of a commercial fruit sorting optical module. The randomness of the fruit position during the spectra acquisition was simulated by sampling each fruit on four sides. Calibration models for internal quality properties were built using individual and/or average side spectra. The results show that models using the spectrum of each side as an individual sample only under-perform slightly relatively to the models based on spectra averages, which are common in the laboratory but very difficult to implement on an automated grading line. The performance of PLS, SVM and Ridge Regression models was compared for the prediction of SSC and firmness. Multiple types of spectra pre-processing were computed and the best combination of model and pre-processing method identified. The lowest RMSEP results for SSC and firmness were 0.7% (R2 = 0.71) and 7.66 N (R2 = 0.68) respectively, achieved using SVM on data pre-processed with Standard Normal Variate corrected 2nd derivative. For the internal disorder detection (browning), a classification benchmark composed by five different models (PLS-LDA, PCA-Logistic Regression, PCA-Extremely Randomized Trees, Extremely Randomized Trees and SVC) was implemented. PLS-LDA applied to the raw spectra presented the highest sensitivity, 76%. The results confirm that simultaneously achieving viable firmness and SSC predictions and internal disorder detection levels in pears is possible using a single VIS-NIR spectral measurement.
Wild peanut relatives (Arachis spp.) are genetically diverse and were selected throughout evolution to a range of environments constituting, therefore, an important source of allelic diversity for ...abiotic stress tolerance. In particular, A. duranensis and A. stenosperma, the parents of the reference Arachis A-genome genetic map, show contrasting transpiration behavior under limited water conditions. This study aimed to build a comprehensive gene expression profile of these two wild species under dehydration stress caused by the withdrawal of hydroponic nutrient solution. For this purpose, roots of both genotypes were collected at seven time-points during the early stages of dehydration and used to construct cDNA paired-end libraries. Physiological analyses indicated initial differences in gas exchange parameters between the drought-tolerant genotype of A. duranensis and the drought-sensitive genotype of A. stenosperma. High-quality Illumina reads were mapped against the A. duranensis reference genome and resulted in the identification of 1,235 and 799 Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) that responded to the stress treatment in roots of A. duranensis and A. stenosperma, respectively. Further analysis, including functional annotation and identification of biological pathways represented by these DEGs confirmed the distinct gene expression behavior of the two contrasting Arachis species genotypes under dehydration stress. Some species-exclusive and common DEGs were then selected for qRT-PCR analysis, which corroborated the in silico expression profiling. These included genes coding for regulators and effectors involved in drought tolerance responses, such as activation of osmosensing molecular cascades, control of hormone and osmolyte content, and protection of macromolecules. This dataset of transcripts induced during the dehydration process in two wild Arachis genotypes constitute new tools for the understanding of the distinct gene regulation processes in these closely related species but with contrasting drought responsiveness. In addition, our findings provide insights into the nature of drought tolerance in wild germoplasm, which might be explored as novel sources of diversity and useful wild alleles to develop climate-resilient crop varieties.
Background
Periodontitis and the Triglyceride/High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (TG/HDL‐C) ratio have both been associated with cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. ...Additionally, the ratio is a possible substitute for predicting insulin resistance. This study investigated the association between periodontitis, its severity levels (exposures), and the TG/HDL‐C ratio (outcome).
Methods
A cross‐sectional study of public health service users in Brazil considered socioeconomic‐demographic characteristics, lifestyle behavior, and general and oral health conditions. Anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were also measured. Systemic biomarker data were obtained, as well as assessment of periodontal diagnosis and its severity. The TG/HDL‐C ratio was calculated using the serum triglyceride level over HDL cholesterol and the cut‐off point, TG/HDL‐C ≥2.3 serving as the cutoff indicting dyslipidemia. Logistic and linear regressions were used to statistically analyze the data.
Results
A total of 1011 participants were included, with 84.17% having periodontitis and 49.85% having a TG/HDL‐C ratio ≥2.3. For individuals with periodontitis, the odds of TG/HDL‐C ratio ≥2.3 were 1.47 times greater than in those without periodontitis (ORAdjusted = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.02–2.14). Similar results were found for those with moderate and severe periodontitis, with a slight increase in the measurement magnitude with disease severity.
Conclusion
A positive relationship between periodontitis and the TG/HDL‐C ratio ≥2.3 was found, suggesting a possible association with periodontal disease severity.
Objective
This study estimated the association between stress and periodontitis.
Materials and methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 621 individuals. Information about ...individuals was obtained through a questionnaire. Stress was evaluated using the Perceived Stress Scale. The diagnosis of periodontitis was based on a complete periodontal examination including clinical attachment level, probing depth, and bleeding on probing. Prevalence ratios (PR), crude and adjusted, and their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated by Poisson regression analysis.
Results
In the final sample, 48.47% (301) of the individuals were classified as having stress, of which, 23.92% (72) had the diagnosis of periodontitis. Association measurements between stress and probing depth ≥ 4 mm (PR
adjusted
= 1.28, 95%CI 1.04 to 1.58), stress and clinical attachment level ≥ 5 mm (PR
adjusted
= 1.15, 95%CI 1.01 to 1.31), and stress and periodontitis (PR
adjusted
= 1.36, 95%CI 1.01 to 1.83) showed that the frequency of these outcomes among those exposed to stress was 15–36% higher than those without the condition of stress, after adjustment for age, sex, schooling level, current smoking habit, pulmonary disease, and body mass index.
Conclusions
The findings showed positive association between exposure to stress and the presence of periodontitis, reaffirming the need to prevent and control stress.
Clinical relevance
Although there are limitations in this study, the results showed that an association exists between stress and periodontitis, signaling the necessity of a multidisciplinary attention when considering the psychological status in the management of oral and general health conditions of the individual.
Thermoreversible aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of ammonium-based zwitterions (ZIs) and polymers are here disclosed to act as integrated bioreaction-separation processes. The biocatalytic ...reaction involving laccase occurs in homogeneous media, after which small changes in temperature induce the formation of two phases and the complete separation of the enzyme from the products in a single-step. These systems also allow the recover and reuse of the enzyme, along with the ZI-rich phase, contributing towards the development of sustainable biocatalytic processes.
Cytokines play a crucial role in the structure and function of blood vessels in hypertension. Hypertension damages blood vessels by mechanisms linked to shear forces, activation of the ...renin-angiotensin-aldosterone and sympathetic nervous systems, oxidative stress, and a proinflammatory milieu that lead to the generation of neoantigens and damage-associated molecular patterns, ultimately triggering the release of numerous cytokines. Damage-associated molecular patterns are recognized by PRRs (pattern recognition receptors) and activate inflammatory mechanisms in endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, perivascular nerves, and perivascular adipose tissue. Activated vascular cells also release cytokines and express factors that attract macrophages, dendritic cells, and lymphocytes to the blood vessels. Activated and differentiated T cells into Th1, Th17, and Th22 in secondary lymphoid organs migrate to the vessels, releasing specific cytokines that further contribute to vascular dysfunction and remodeling. This chronic inflammation alters the profile of endothelial and smooth muscle cells, making them dysfunctional. Here, we provide an overview of how cytokines contribute to hypertension by impacting the vasculature. Furthermore, we explore clinical perspectives about the modulation of cytokines as a potential therapeutic intervention to specifically target hypertension-linked vascular dysfunction.
Chagas' Disease as a Foodborne Illness Pereira, Karen Signori; Schmidt, Flávio Luis; Guaraldo, Ana M.A ...
Journal of food protection,
02/2009, Volume:
72, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Various researchers have studied the importance of the oral transmission of Chagas' disease since the mid-20th century. Only in recent years, due to an outbreak that occurred in the Brazilian State ...of Santa Catarina in 2005 and to various outbreaks occurring during the last 3 years in the Brazilian Amazon basin, mainly associated with the consumption of Amazonian palm berry or açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) juice, has this transmission route aroused the attention of researchers. Nevertheless, reports published in the 1960s already indicated the possibility of Chagas' disease transmission via food in Brazil, mainly in the Amazonian region. Recently, in December 2007, an outbreak of Chagas' disease occurred in Caracas, Venezuela, related to ingestion of contaminated fruit juices. The objective of this article is to point out the importance of foodborne transmission in the etiology of Chagas' disease, on the basis of published research and Brazilian epidemiology data.
This study examines teams as complex adaptive systems (tCAS) and uses latent growth curve modeling to test team cohesion as an initial condition conducive to team performance over time and the ...mediational effect of team coordination on this relationship. After analyzing 158 teams enrolled in a business game simulation over five consecutive weeks, we found that change in team coordination was best described by a continuous linear change model, while change in team performance was best described by a continuous nonlinear change model; and the mediation latent growth curve model revealed a negative indirect effect of team cohesion on the level of change in team performance over time, through the level of change in team coordination. This study contributes to the science of teams by combining the notions of initial conditions with co-evolving team dynamics, hence creating a more refined temporal approach to understanding team functioning.
When time is of the essence and teams face unexpected contextual changes, they must adapt quickly, sometimes even in real time, that is, they may have to improvise. This paper adopts an inductive ...approach to explore how teams decide to engage in improvised adaptation, and what happens during those processes for improvisation to be successful. The study analyzes improvisation from the perspective of paradox theory and identifies six paradoxical tensions driven by these contexts: deployment, development, temporal, procedural, structural, and behavioral tensions. We propose a dynamic equilibrium model of team improvised adaptation that leads to team plasticity. By properly managing the paradoxical tensions emerging from the convergence of design and execution, teams become more plastic and able to cope with sudden change. These findings contribute to adaptation and improvisation literatures by delving into the adaptation process under the temporal and material confluence of design and execution.
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