Increase In Turnover Research Articles

Alleviating staff stress in care homes for people with dementia: protocol for stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial to evaluate a web-based Mindfulness- Stress Reduction course

BackgroundThere has been continuing change in the nature of care homes in the UK with 80 % of residents now living with some form of dementia or memory problem. Caring in this environment can be complex, challenging and stressful for staff; this can affect the quality of care provided to residents, lead to staff strain and burnout, and increase sickness, absence and turnover rates. It is therefore important to find interventions to increase the wellbeing of staff that will not only benefit staff themselves but also residents and care providers. Mindfulness training is known to be effective in treating a variety of physical and mental health conditions.Methods and designThe study uses mixed methods centred on a stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial. Thirty care homes in Wales are implementing a brief web-based mindfulness training course, starting in random sequence. Four to ten consenting staff from each facility undertake the course and complete validated questionnaires at baseline and after eight and 20 weeks. We shall also interview a stratified sample of ten trained staff and analyse the transcripts thematically. The primary outcome is stress; secondary outcomes include job satisfaction, attitudes towards residents and sickness absence rates.DiscussionWith increasing numbers of people living with dementia in care homes and causing stress in their carers, it is important to evaluate support strategies for staff. Mindfulness-based therapies may be of potential benefit and need detailed examination.Trial registrationISRCTN registry. ISRCTN80487202. Registered 24 July 2013.

Factors Related to Job Burnout Among Community Nurses in Changchun, China.

Community nurses are an important component of the community health service system. Job burnout among community nurses not only leads to a decline in satisfaction and an increased turnover rate but also may seriously affect the service quality and professional development of nurses. This study aims to elicit the conditions and factors that cause job burnout in community nurses in Changchun, Jilin Province, China. A questionnaire survey was administered to 420 registered nurses in Changchun using a convenience sampling method. Job burnout was found in 362 community nurses (86.2%), with a total mean job burnout score of 2.27 ± 0.65 points. Job burnout was related to marital status, educational level, job satisfaction, and interpersonal relationship difficulties. These results indicate that community nurses have a high rate of job burnout. Experts should be employed to train nurses in interpersonal communication skills. The community working environment should also be improved.

Molecular dynamics investigation of the substrate binding mechanism in carboxylesterase.

A recombinant carboxylesterase, cloned from Pseudomonas putida and designated as rPPE, is capable of catalyzing the bioresolution of racemic 2-acetoxy-2-(2'-chlorophenyl)acetate (rac-AcO-CPA) with excellent (S)-enantioselectivity. Semirational design of the enzyme showed that the W187H variant could increase the activity by ∼100-fold compared to the wild type (WT) enzyme. In this study, we performed all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of both apo-rPPE and rPPE in complex with (S)-AcO-CPA to gain insights into the origin of the increased catalysis in the W187H mutant. Our results show differential binding of (S)-AcO-CPA in the WT and W187H enzymes, especially the interactions of the substrate with the two active site residues Ser159 and His286. The replacement of Trp187 by His leads to considerable structural rearrangement in the active site of W187H. Unlike in the WT rPPE, the cap domain in the W187 mutant shows an open conformation in the simulations of both apo and substrate-bound enzymes. This open conformation exposes the catalytic triad to the solvent through a water accessible channel, which may facilitate the entry of the substrate and/or the exit of the product. Binding free energy calculations confirmed that the substrate binds more strongly in W187H than in WT. On the basis of these computational results, we further predicted that the mutations W187Y and D287G might also be able to increase the substrate binding and thus improve the enzyme's catalytic efficiency. Experimental binding and kinetic assays on W187Y and D287G show improved catalytic efficiency over WT, but not W187H. Contrary to our prediction, W187Y shows slightly decreased substrate binding coupled with a 100-fold increase in turnover rate, while in D287G the substrate binding is 8 times stronger but with a slightly reduced turnover rate. Our work provides important molecular-level insights into the binding of the (S)-AcO-CPA substrate to carboxylesterase rPPEs, which will help guide future development of more efficient rPPE variants.

A Dimensional Analysis of the Relationship between Communication Satisfaction and Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment

By taking into consideration the significant increase in turnover rate in the recent years, we aimed to expand our understanding of the factors influencing employees’ decision to leave the organization and consequently to provide managers and Human Resource Development (HRD) practitioners with more information to bettermanage employees’ undesirable turnover. Thus, the relationship between the theoretically related communication satisfaction’s dimensions and turnover intention was analyzed. A sample of 181 employees working in 11 industries of all three economic sectors was selected for the analysis. Among the five tested dimensions, personalfeedback, supervisory communication, and communication climate were found to be significantly related toturnover intention. Unexpectedly, organizational integration and co-workers communication were notsignificantly related to turnover intention. Additionally, the relationship between supervisory communication andturnover intention was found to be partially mediated by the employees’ affective commitment. Therefore, by keeping employees well-informed about their performance, facilitating the flow of upward and downward communication between employees and their supervisors, and finally by improving communication climate inthe organization, managers will have better chance in preventing employees’ voluntary turnovers.

Neuroimmune Interactions and Psychologycal Stress Induced by Cohabitation with a Sick Partner: A Review

This study reviews the neuroimmunological consequences elicited in mice from long-term cohabitation with tumor-bearing conspecifics. Two types of experiments were performed; one used Swiss female mice and Ehrlich tumor cells, and the other used C57Bl/6 female mice and B16F10 melanoma cells. The female Swiss mice and the C57Bl/6 mice were divided into two groups, i.e., control and experimental. One mouse in each control pair was treated with control solutions (1.0 mL/kg); the other was kept undisturbed and called the 'companion of health partner' (CHP). One mouse in each experimental pair was inoculated with 5 x 10(6) Ehrlich tumor cells or with 10(6) murine B16-F10 melanoma cells; the other mouse, which was the subject of the performed studies, was left undisturbed and called the 'companion of sick partner' (CSP). Although we used two different strains of mice and two different tumor types, the CSP mice presented, in relation to the CHP mice, an increased locomotion in the open field and plus maze apparatuses and no changes in the corticosterone serum levels before and after the immobilization-stress challenge. The Swiss CSP mice showed a reduced level and an increased turnover rate of hypothalamic noradrenaline (NE), as well as increased plasmatic levels of adrenaline and NE. Changes in the immune cell phenotype and activity were also observed in the Swiss and C57Bl/6 CSP mice. The study found that odor cues left by the Ehrlich tumor-injected Swiss mice are aversive and may therefore be responsible for the neuroimmune changes reported in the CSP mice. It is proposed that the final neural link between the neuroimmunological changes observed in the CSP mice involves psychogenic stress imposed by the housing condition and the activation of the brain catecholaminergic pathways and the sympathetic nervous systems.

The Negative Effect and Consequences of Employee Turnover and Retention on the Organization and Its Staff

Employee turnover which is considered to be one of the challenging issues in business creates insecurity for organizational workforce. The negative effect of turnover has been the focus of top management in almost every industry. It indicates that turnover is one of the most expensive and difficult workforce challenges facing organizations. The intention of the study is to examine how the organization is negatively affected by employee turnover and how it impinges on other staff members. The researcher will study secondary data to verify distinctive reasoning for turnover in order to supply supportive information but also performing an employee questionnaire or survey to obtain direct input from the faithful employees to aid in collecting actual information. The researcher will conduct the required business research to evaluate the contributing factors relating to turnover rates. Researcher will analyze the present economic situation and inspect any association to increased turnover rates. Implement employee recognition programs and rewards through tough economic times might promote retention. The aim of the study were to identify the definite intentions of turnover, its harmful effects and possible suggestions that could be supportive to the industries for their efficiency, productivity and performance. Keywords: Turnover, Retention, Job satisfaction, Productivity. DOI : 10.7176/EJBM/5-25-2013-01

Overcrowding and "floor" patients in state hospitals: institutions can make a difference.

Rationalising admissions to hospital, improving outpatient and ambulatory care services, improved bed utilisation and increasing turnover rate are likely to make a significant difference DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/cmj.v46i2.6494 Ceylon Medical Journal 2001; 46(2): 58-60

Pay Equity and Top Management Turnover Following CEO Succession

Prior research has shown that CEO succession is often followed by an increase in turnover rates among non-CEO executives. However, the social mechanism that explains why CEO succession tends to trigger non-CEO turnover has not been well understood. Addressing this gap, the present study integrates three largely separate literatures—CEO succession, executive compensation, and executive turnover—to elucidate the relationship between CEO succession and subsequent non-CEO turnover. Drawing on the pay equity theory, the model predicts that the perception of pay inequity created by the changes in CEO compensation following CEO succession contributes to the increased turnover among the non-CEO executives. The theory also predicts that the effect of pay inequity is stronger when the successor CEO is chosen from those who are perceived to be similar to the existing non-CEO executives (e.g., inside CEOs) than when the successor is perceived to be different from the non-CEOs (e.g., outside CEOs). Data from nearly 3,000 United States executives suggest that the widening pay gap between the new CEO and the incumbent non-CEO executives increases turnover rates among the non-CEO executives. This effect is greater for inside CEO succession than for outside CEO succession.

A Light Aggregometry Based Method To Measure The Percentage Of An Individual's Platelets That Are Inhibited By Aspirin

BackgroundEx-vivo analysis of platelet inhibition by aspirin (ASA) suggests that an optimal decrease in platelet function occurs when 90-95% of platelets are inhibited with ASA. In patients with known vascular disease a daily aspirin decreases the probability of a future vascular event by about 25%. However, platelets from patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are highly reactive with an increased turnover rate, and prophylaxis with a daily aspirin is not nearly as effective. Because platelet response among individuals is highly variable, we developed a light aggregation based assay that measures platelet function with 100% blockade of an individual's platelet thromboxane A2 receptor (100% “aspirinated” platelets). This assay is utilized to determine the percentage of platelets inhibited by aspirin, “aspirinated” platelets (ASA-PLTS). MethodsPlatelet prostaglandin agonist (PPA), (Analytical Control Systems, Fishers IN) an agonist known to be sensitive to the amount of platelet inhibition with aspirin, was used to develop a light aggregometry based technique that measures ASA-PLTS. A specific inhibitor of the thromboxane A2 receptor SQ 29,548(S.Q.)(Cayman Chemicals, Ann Arbor, Mi.) was used to verify that maximal (100%) inhibition of platelets by aspirin was present 2 hrs after ingestion of 325mg ASA. In separate experiments platelets obtained 2 hrs after 325mg ASA (100% ASA-PLTS) were mixed with platelets from the same subject obtained just before aspirin ingestion (0% ASA-PLTS) so that the PPA light aggregation slopes could be measured with 95%, 90%, 85% and 80% ASA-PLTS. The slope of the PPA-AGG curve measured 24 hours after 325mg ASA was compared to the slopes obtained with known concentrations of ASA-PLTS using the formula T24-T2/ T0-T2. (T24= slope 24 hrs post ASA; T2=slope 2 hrs post ASA; T0=slope off ASA). ResultsTwo hours after ingestion of 325mg ASA the slopes of the PPA-AGG curves with and without S.Q. were identical in 7 normal subjects reflecting the aspirin response with 100% ASA-PLTS.Because of the large range of response among individuals, eac subject served as their own control to develop an aspirin response curve for the different percentages of ASA-PLTS. 24 hours after 325mg ASA the percentage of ASA-PLTS in 6 of 7 normal subjects was greater than 90%. Conclusion1. The slope of the PPA stimulated light aggregation curve with and without S.Q. obtained 2 hrs after 325mg of aspirin in normal subjects can be used as a measure of 100% ASA-PLTS response. 2. Platelet response in most normal subjects 24 hours after aspirin shows that at least 90% of their platelets are “aspirinated”.CommentThis technique can identify patients, like those with DM whose percentage of ASA-PLTS may fall below 90% at the end of the dosing interval. A shorter aspirin dosing interval in these patients may result in a higher percentage of ASA-PLTS at the end of the dosing period and possibly decrease the patient's probability of a subsequent vascular event, but these questions can only be answered with clinical studies. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Loss of bone marrow NK cells during SIV infection is associated with increased turnover rates and cytotoxicity but not changes in trafficking

HIV and SIV infections induce NK cell dysfunction and hematopoietic defects in the bone marrow, but the effects of infection on bone marrow NK cell development and function are unknown. Bone marrow NK cells were analyzed from both naïve and chronically SIV-infected rhesus macaques using polychromatic flow cytometry. NK cell frequencies were reduced in infected compared with naïve animals, associated with increased apoptosis. Bone marrow NK cells from SIV-infected macaques upregulated perforin expression, suggesting increased cytotoxicity, and shifted toward a more mature CD16(+) NK cell subpopulation phenotype. Unexpectedly, expression of the trafficking markers α4β7, CCR7, and CD62L was unchanged on bone marrow NK cells during SIV infection. These data demonstrate that during SIV infection, bone marrow NK cells are reduced in number, but upregulate cytotoxic functions. Furthermore, our data suggest acquired cytotoxicity and loss may be due to in situ NK cell differentiation and not emigration.

Size-Dependent Subnanometer Pd Cluster (Pd4, Pd6, and Pd17) Water Oxidation Electrocatalysis

Water oxidation is a key catalytic step for electrical fuel generation. Recently, significant progress has been made in synthesizing electrocatalytic materials with reduced overpotentials and increased turnover rates, both key parameters enabling commercial use in electrolysis or solar to fuels applications. The complexity of both the catalytic materials and the water oxidation reaction makes understanding the catalytic site critical to improving the process. Here we study water oxidation in alkaline conditions using size-selected clusters of Pd to probe the relationship between cluster size and the water oxidation reaction. We find that Pd4 shows no reaction, while Pd6 and Pd17 deposited clusters are among the most active (in terms of turnover rate per Pd atom) catalysts known. Theoretical calculations suggest that this striking difference may be a demonstration that bridging Pd-Pd sites (which are only present in three-dimensional clusters) are active for the oxygen evolution reaction in Pd6O6. The ability to experimentally synthesize size-specific clusters allows direct comparison to this theory. The support electrode for these investigations is ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD). This material is thin enough to be electrically conducting and is chemically/electrochemically very stable. Even under the harsh experimental conditions (basic, high potential) typically employed for water oxidation catalysts, UNCD demonstrates a very wide potential electrochemical working window and shows only minor evidence of reaction. The system (soft-landed Pd4, Pd6, or Pd17 clusters on a UNCD Si-coated electrode) shows stable electrochemical potentials over several cycles, and synchrotron studies of the electrodes show no evidence for evolution or dissolution of either the electrode material or the clusters.

Folate polyglutamylation eliminates dependence of activity on enzyme concentration in mitochondrial serine hydroxymethyltransferases from Arabidopsis thaliana

The reversible reaction catalyzed by serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) is the major one-carbon unit source for essential metabolic processes. The Arabidopsis thaliana genome encodes seven SHMT isozymes localized in mitochondria, plastids, nuclei, and the cytosol. Knowledge of the biochemical properties of each isozyme is central to understanding and manipulating one-carbon metabolism in plants. We heterologously expressed and purified three recombinant SHMTs from A. thaliana (AtSHMTs) putatively localized in mitochondria (two) and the cytosol (one). Their biochemical properties were characterized with respect to the impact of folate polyglutamylation on substrate saturation kinetics. The two mitochondrial AtSHMTs, but not the cytosolic one, had increased turnover rates at higher (>0.4ng/μL) enzyme concentrations in the presence of monoglutamylated folate substrates, but not in the presence of pentaglutamylated folate substrates. We found no experimental support for a change in oligomerization state over the range of enzyme concentration studied. Modeling of the enzyme structures presented features that may explain the activity differences between the mitochondrial and cytosolic isozymes.

Accelerated In Vivo Proliferation of Memory Phenotype CD4+ T-cells in Human HIV-1 Infection Irrespective of Viral Chemokine Co-receptor Tropism

CD4+ T-cell loss is the hallmark of HIV-1 infection. CD4 counts fall more rapidly in advanced disease when CCR5-tropic viral strains tend to be replaced by X4-tropic viruses. We hypothesized: (i) that the early dominance of CCR5-tropic viruses results from faster turnover rates of CCR5+ cells, and (ii) that X4-tropic strains exert greater pathogenicity by preferentially increasing turnover rates within the CXCR4+ compartment. To test these hypotheses we measured in vivo turnover rates of CD4+ T-cell subpopulations sorted by chemokine receptor expression, using in vivo deuterium-glucose labeling. Deuterium enrichment was modeled to derive in vivo proliferation (p) and disappearance (d*) rates which were related to viral tropism data. 13 healthy controls and 13 treatment-naive HIV-1-infected subjects (CD4 143–569 cells/ul) participated. CCR5-expression defined a CD4+ subpopulation of predominantly CD45R0+ memory cells with accelerated in vivo proliferation (p = 2.50 vs 1.60%/d, CCR5+ vs CCR5−; healthy controls; P<0.01). Conversely, CXCR4 expression defined CD4+ T-cells (predominantly CD45RA+ naive cells) with low turnover rates. The dominant effect of HIV infection was accelerated turnover of CCR5+CD45R0+CD4+ memory T-cells (p = 5.16 vs 2.50%/d, HIV vs controls; P<0.05), naïve cells being relatively unaffected. Similar patterns were observed whether the dominant circulating HIV-1 strain was R5-tropic (n = 9) or X4-tropic (n = 4). Although numbers were small, X4-tropic viruses did not appear to specifically drive turnover of CXCR4-expressing cells (p = 0.54 vs 0.72 vs 0.44%/d in control, R5-tropic, and X4-tropic groups respectively). Our data are most consistent with models in which CD4+ T-cell loss is primarily driven by non-specific immune activation.

Shifts in Global Vegetation Activity Trends

Vegetation belongs to the components of the Earth surface, which are most extensively studied using historic and present satellite records. Recently, these records exceeded a 30-year time span composed of preprocessed fortnightly observations (1981–2011). The existence of monotonic changes and trend shifts present in such records has previously been demonstrated. However, information on timing and type of such trend shifts was lacking at global scale. In this work, we detected major shifts in vegetation activity trends and their associated type (either interruptions or reversals) and timing. It appeared that the biospheric trend shifts have, over time, increased in frequency, confirming recent findings of increased turnover rates in vegetated areas. Signs of greening-to-browning reversals around the millennium transition were found in many regions (Patagonia, the Sahel, northern Kazakhstan, among others), as well as negative interruptions—“setbacks”—in greening trends (southern Africa, India, Asia Minor, among others). A minority (26%) of all significant trends appeared monotonic.

Congenital Sucrase‐Isomaltase Deficiency

Congenital Sucrase‐Isomaltase Deficiency

Commentary on Su SF, Boore J, Jenkins M, Liu PE &amp; Yang MJ (2009) Nurses’ perception of environmental pressure in relation to their occupational stress. Journal of Clinical Nursing 18, 3172–3180

Commentary on Su SF, Boore J, Jenkins M, Liu PE &amp; Yang MJ (2009) Nurses’ perception of environmental pressure in relation to their occupational stress. Journal of Clinical Nursing 18, 3172–3180

Genetic and phenotypic trends for age at first calving and milk yield and compositions in Holstein dairy cows

Abstract. Calving records from the Animal Breeding Center of Iran collected from January 1990 to December 2007 and comprising 207 106 first calving events of Holsteins from 2 506 herds were analysed using linear sire models to estimate genetic trends for age at first calving (AFC) and milk traits. Genetic trends were obtained by regressing yearly mean estimates of breeding values on year of birth. In general, there were decreasing genetic trends for AFC, fat percentage and protein percentage over the years but there were increasing genetic trends for milk yield, mature-equivalent milk yield, fat yield, mature-equivalent fat yield, protein yield and mature-equivalent protein yield over the years. On the other hand, there was a decreasing phenotypic trend for AFC but estimates of phenotypic trends were positive for milk yield and compositions over the years. It seems that the decline in calving age in this study over time resulted primarily from increased turnover rate and increased culling of heifers that failed to get pregnant. On the other hand, increasing trend for yield traits over time in this study indicated that Iranian dairy producers were successful in choosing progressively better semen and sires from imported and local sources over the years.

The adaptive approach for storage assignment by mining data of warehouse management system for distribution centres

Among distribution centre operations, order picking has been reported to be the most labour-intensive activity. Sophisticated storage assignment policies adopted to reduce the travel distance of order picking have been explored in the literature. Unfortunately, previous research has been devoted to locating entire products from scratch. Instead, this study intends to propose an adaptive approach, a Data Mining-based Storage Assignment approach (DMSA), to find the optimal storage assignment for newly delivered products that need to be put away when there is vacant shelf space in a distribution centre. In the DMSA, a new association index (AIX) is developed to evaluate the fitness between the put away products and the unassigned storage locations by applying association rule mining. With AIX, the storage location assignment problem (SLAP) can be formulated and solved as a binary integer programming. To evaluate the performance of DMSA, a real-world order database of a distribution centre is obtained and used to compare the results from DMSA with a random assignment approach. It turns out that DMSA outperforms random assignment as the number of put away products and the proportion of put away products with high turnover rates increase.

CD5 through CK2 activation regulates B-1a B-cell survival, proliferation, and T-independent type 2 antibody response. (104.15)

Abstract CD5 expression is the characteristic feature of B-1a B-cells and B10 regulatory B-cells; however, the physiological role of this receptor on the development, persistence, and/or function of these B-cell populations remains undefined. To begin addressing this question we generated a CD5 mutant knock-in mouse (CD5ΔCK2BD) in which the serine threonine kinase, CK2, binding domain in the CD5-cytoplasmic tail was deleted. CD5 plays a critical role in regulating T-cell survival following antigen receptor engagement and this activity is dependent on CK2 activation. In the CD5ΔCK2BD mouse, the ability to activate CK2 is abrogated. B-1a B-cells in the CD5ΔCK2BD mouse turnover at a rate two-fold greater than that in WT mice. This increased turnover rate compensated for the decreased B-cell survival to maintain a near normal B-1a B-cell number in the peritoneal cavity. However, total serum natural IgM and IgA was significantly lower than that in WT mice. CD5ΔCK2BD B-1a B-cells proliferated poorly in response to anti-IgM stimulation but not LPS stimulation. The CD5ΔCK2BD mouse also exhibited an impaired anti-phosphatidylcholine (PC) response following immunization with heat killed S. pneumoniae, a prototypic B-1a B-cell response. Immune responses to T-independent type 1 antigen were not altered in the CD5ΔCK2BD mouse. These data provide the first evidence that CD5 has a direct role in regulating B-1a B-cell physiology.

Soil incorporation of logging residue affects fine-root and mycorrhizal root-tip dynamics of young loblolly pine clones

Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations cover a large geographic area of the southeastern USA and supply a large proportion of the nation's wood products. Research on management strategies designed to maximize wood production while also optimizing nutrient use efficiency and soil C sequestration is needed. We used minirhizotrons to quantify the effects of incorporating logging residues into soil on fine-root standing crop, production and mortality, and mycorrhizal root tips in young loblolly pine clones of contrasting ideotypes. Clone 93 is known to allocate more C to stem growth, while clone 32 allocates less C to stems and more to leaves. The relative allocation by these clones to support fine-root turnover is unknown. Clone 32 exhibited 37% more fine-root mortality than clone 93, which was mainly the result of a greater standing crop of fine roots. Fine-root standing crop in plots amended with logging residue was initially higher than control plots, but 2.5 years after planting, standing crop in control plots had exceeded that in mulched plots. Production of mycorrhizal root tips, on the other hand, was initially higher in control than mulched plots, but during the last 9 months of the study, mycorrhizal tip production was greater in mulched than control plots, especially for clone 93. As expected, turnover rate of fine roots was greater in surface soil (0-25 cm) compared with deeper (25-50 cm) soil and for small roots (< 0.4 mm diameter) compared with larger fine roots (0.4-2.0 mm diameter). Rates of fine-root turnover were similar in both clones. Organic matter additions reduced survivorship of individual roots and increased turnover rates of fine-root populations. Results indicate that management decisions should be tailored to fit the growth and allocation patterns of available clones.