The utility of university fitness facilities: Environmental vs. psychological determinants of their use.

OBJECTIVE: It is important for college students to engage regularly in physical activity. While psychological factors, such as motivation, are likely to increase attendance at fitness facilities, positive perceptions of the fitness facility (e.g., the type of classes offered) might also influence use of a fitness facility. PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected from 462 college students. METHODS: Participants completed a survey that included an assessment of commitment and motivation to exercise, life satisfaction, and perceptions of the environment of the fitness facility they use. They also answered questions about fitness facility preferences. RESULTS: Commitment and motivation to exercise were associated with use of a fitness facility. Perceptions of the environmental context of the fitness facility did not influence attendance. CONCLUSIONS: Even though college students shared some preferences (e.g., workout space and lighting), psychological factors were more influential than the environment of a fitness facility with regard to attendance.

The Actively Caring for People Movement: A Synergistic Integration of Behaviorism, Humanism, and Positive Psychology.

This article reviews the Actively Caring for People (AC4P) Movement, initiated in 2007 to increase occurrences of interpersonal acts of kindness worldwide. Resources to support the AC4P Movement, including research-based training manuals and AC4P wristbands for adults and children, are available at www.ac4p.org. This prosocial movement incorporates principles from three diverse disciplines of psychological science: humanism, positive psychology, and applied behavioral science (ABS). With this article, I explicate seven evidence-based "life lessons" that operationalize select principles from humanism and ABS, and rejuvenate a seemingly forgotten applied psychology concept from the 1970s: humanistic behaviorism. Whenever and wherever practiced, these life lessons benefit human well-being and quality of life. Certain life lessons reflect the essence of empowerment and self-motivation and thereby illustrate critical distinctions between management and leadership. Next, I exemplify synergistic connections between positive psychology and ABS, highlighting practical techniques for promoting and supporting human welfare and personal happiness. Previous and ongoing research by my students and colleagues demonstrates how ABS can apply findings from positive psychology to promote subjective well-being on a large scale. The need for worldwide application and dissemination of practical procedures to increase occurrences of AC4P behavior is strikingly obvious, perhaps more so now than ever before in our contentious, fractured, and polarized society. This article explores evidence-based strategies for increasing occurrences of AC4P behavior in various settings, with the mission to cultivate an AC4P culture in families, educational settings, corporations, and communities throughout the world.

Quantum error correction of a qubit encoded in grid states of an oscillator.

The accuracy of logical operations on quantum bits (qubits) must be improved for quantum computers to outperform classical ones in useful tasks. One method to achieve this is quantum error correction (QEC), which prevents noise in the underlying system from causing logical errors. This approach derives from the reasonable assumption that noise is local, that is, it does not act in a coordinated way on different parts of the physical system. Therefore, if a logical qubit is encoded non-locally, we can-for a limited time-detect and correct noise-induced evolution before it corrupts the encoded information1. In 2001, Gottesman, Kitaev and Preskill (GKP) proposed a hardware-efficient instance of such a non-local qubit: a superposition of position eigenstates that forms grid states of a single oscillator2. However, the implementation of measurements that reveal this noise-induced evolution of the oscillator while preserving the encoded information3-7 has proved to be experimentally challenging, and the only realization reported so far relied on post-selection8,9, which is incompatible with QEC. Here we experimentally prepare square and hexagonal GKP code states through a feedback protocol that incorporates non-destructive measurements that are implemented with a superconducting microwave cavity having the role of the oscillator. We demonstrate QEC of an encoded qubit with suppression of all logical errors, in quantitative agreement with a theoretical estimate based on the measured imperfections of the experiment. Our protocol is applicable to other continuous-variable systems and, in contrast to previous implementations of QEC10-14, can mitigate all logical errors generated by a wide variety of noise processes and facilitate fault-tolerant quantum computation.

The Development of the Mental Toughness Situational Judgment Test: A Novel Approach to Assessing Mental Toughness.

Mental toughness (MT) predicts outcomes across several high-stress contexts such as athletics, the military, and the workplace. Despite this, researchers have struggled to reach consensus regarding how best to conceptualize and measure MT. MT assessments have focused on measuring general MT rather than domain-specific MT. The current study proposed a measurement model of MT grounded in social-cognitive theory and introduced an assessment of MT within a situational judgment context relevant to the workplace. Participants completed the new MT measure as well as assessments to establish construct validity. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested a three-factor solution fit the data best, consisting of task persistence, emotional control, and utilization of feedback. Cross-structure analyses indicated that the new assessment avoided common-method bias in responding, evidenced by weak correlations with measures of other constructs. The results provided initial evidence to continue research on using a situational judgment test to measure MT.

Deterministic Remote Entanglement of Superconducting Circuits through Microwave Two-Photon Transitions.

Large-scale quantum information processing networks will most probably require the entanglement of distant systems that do not interact directly. This can be done by performing entangling gates between standing information carriers, used as memories or local computational resources, and flying ones, acting as quantum buses. We report the deterministic entanglement of two remote transmon qubits by Raman stimulated emission and absorption of a traveling photon wave packet. We achieve a Bell state fidelity of 73%, well explained by losses in the transmission line and decoherence of each qubit.

Continuous Quantum Nondemolition Measurement of the Transverse Component of a Qubit.

Quantum jumps of a qubit are usually observed between its energy eigenstates, also known as its longitudinal pseudospin component. Is it possible, instead, to observe quantum jumps between the transverse superpositions of these eigenstates? We answer positively by presenting the first continuous quantum nondemolition measurement of the transverse component of an individual qubit. In a circuit QED system irradiated by two pump tones, we engineer an effective Hamiltonian whose eigenstates are the transverse qubit states, and a dispersive measurement of the corresponding operator. Such transverse component measurements are a useful tool in the driven-dissipative operation engineering toolbox, which is central to quantum simulation and quantum error correction.

Intervening to promote statements of gratitude: Informative incongruity between intention and behavior.

Two studies examined interventions to increase the frequency of gratitude expression among college students in two large lecture classes of an Introduction to Psychology course at a large university in southwest Virginia. Both studies evaluated the impact of a writing exercise designed to increase intentions to express gratitude in a prescribed manner. In addition, participants in both studies were given one week to express gratitude to people who performed prosocial behavior. Gratitude expression was assessed by self-report on a survey administered during the psychology class. In both studies, intentions to thank another person for a kind act were significantly higher in the Intervention class than in the Control class, but self-reported expressions of gratitude were significantly higher in the Control class than in the Intervention class. This was an unexpected "countercontrol effect." Directions for future research are discussed, as well as theoretical/methodological explanations.

Intervening to promote pay-it-forward behavior: Does perceived self-motivation of the benefactor matter?

Pay-it-forward behavior reflects actively caring for people (AC4P) and the reciprocity principle. Interventions to increase the frequency of pay-it-forward behavior were evaluated. At a buffet-style dining hall, a research assistant (RA) entered the line and paid for the next person's meal. In the Sign Intervention Phase, the RA discreetly paid for the next person's meal. In the Verbal + Sign Intervention Phase, the RA verbally activated reciprocity and paid for the next diner's meal. For Baseline and Withdrawal, a sign prompted the purchase of another person's meal. The Verbal + Sign Intervention was significantly more effective at activating pay-it-forward behavior (24.6% of 171) than the Sign Intervention (15.6% of 122), Baseline (6.8% of 148), and Withdrawal (12.6% of 95). These results were contrary to the research hypothesis that verbal and sign prompting would decrease perceived self-motivation of the benefactor and thereby reduce the beneficiary's perceived obligation to pay it forward.

Preventing the threat of credit-card fraud: Factors influencing cashiers' identification-checking behavior.

Two studies examined factors influencing cashiers' identification (ID)-checking behavior in order to inform the development of interventions to prevent credit-card fraud. In both studies, research assistants made credit purchases in various stores and noted the cashiers' ID-checking behavior. In the first study, the store type, whether the cashier swiped the credit/debit card, the amount of the purchase, and whether the credit/debit card was signed significantly influenced ID-checking behavior. In the second study, an A-B-A design was used to evaluate the impact of a "Check my ID" prompt placed on the credit/debit card. The prompt increased cashiers' ID-checking behavior from 5.9% at Baseline to 10.3% during the Intervention. When the prompt was removed, the cashiers' ID-checking behavior decreased to 7.2%. Implications for further intervention research to prevent credit-card fraud are discussed.

Actively caring to prevent bullying in an elementary school: Prompting and rewarding prosocial behavior.

This field study evaluated the impact of an intervention designed to prevent bullying among elementary-school students by prompting and rewarding prosocial behavior. More specifically, teachers of 404 second-, third-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students from an elementary school in northeast Virginia asked their students to look out for other students' prosocial behaviors (termed "actively caring") and to submit their stories about actively caring. At the start of every class day, the teachers read three of these stories and recognized one story and the two associated students (i.e., the observer and the performer) by providing each with a wristband engraved with "Actively Caring for People." For six consecutive Fridays, students reported their observations of bullying and completed a single item estimate of self-esteem. Weekly surveys revealed reductions in "being bullied" and "bullying others," as well as an increase in self-esteem.

Intervening to decrease the probability of alcohol-impaired driving: Impact of novel field sobriety tests.

The efficacy of novel field sobriety tests to predict breath alcohol content (BAC) and perceptions of driving risk was evaluated. Participants (N = 210) were passersby at two downtown locations near local bars and one on-campus location near a late-night dining facility between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. Participants gave ratings of their perceived risk to drive at their current level of intoxication, then completed three sobriety tests (a hand-pat, tracing test, and Romberg test), and finally provided new ratings of their perceived risk to drive. After completing the final set of questions, participants were administered a Lifeloc FC20 breath alcohol test (±.005 g/dL). Each of the sobriety tests performed better than chance at predicting participant intoxication, but the performance feedback did not enhance awareness of one's risk to drive at a given BAC. Actually, after the sobriety tests, Greek-life females perceived themselves to be less at-risk to drive.

Predictors of at-risk intoxication in a university field setting: social anxiety, demographics, and intentions.

OBJECTIVE: The determinants of alcohol consumption among university students were investigated in a downtown field setting with blood alcohol content (BAC) as the dependent variable. PARTICIPANTS: In total, 521 participants completed a brief survey and had their BAC assessed during April 2013. METHODS: Between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am, teams of researchers recruited passersby at 3 heavy-drinking locations near a university campus. Before the BAC assessment, participants completed a questionnaire regarding their drinking intentions, drinking group, and social anxiety. RESULTS: The average BAC of drinking students was 0.107 g/dL, which was 0.033 g/dL higher than their intended BAC. Males and members of a Greek-life organization consumed significantly more alcohol than their demographic counterparts. A significant positive curvilinear relationship was observed between social anxiety and BAC. CONCLUSIONS: University students achieve high levels of intoxication, often exceeding their intended BAC. Social anxiety may be an informative predictor of alcohol consumption in this setting.

Vaginal hysterectomy: the original minimally invasive surgery.

Hysterectomy is one of the most commonly performed procedures in the United States. It is a unique procedure with multiple routes of access and multiple operative techniques. While focus has shifted towards minimally invasive techniques, the vaginal hysterectomy should be ranked first in this category, as it represents an original natural orifice surgery. Vaginal hysterectomy offers the least invasive approach to hysterectomy, with the lowest associated risks and costs. Despite these benefits, vaginal hysterectomy has experienced a decline in the last two decades. This decline is likely due to both the prevalence of fibroid uterus as a major indication for hysterectomy, and the decline of vaginal surgical skills among gynecologic surgeon due to more recent focus on laparoscopic proficiency. While vaginal hysterectomy is not risk-free, and is not the best option for all diagnoses, it should be given first-line consideration when planning to perform a benign hysterectomy. The purpose of this review is to understand the origins and evolution of the vaginal hysterectomy, the evidence-based benefits of this route of surgery, and best practice methods to ensure that patients receive safe and effective surgical treatment.

Perineal body length as a risk factor for ultrasound-diagnosed anal sphincter tear at first delivery.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Shortened perineal body (PB) is associated with an increased risk of ultrasound-detected obstetric anal sphincter tear. The objective was to determine if shortened perineal body length (<3 cm) is a risk factor for ultrasound-detected anal sphincter tear at first delivery. METHODS: Pregnant nulliparous women were recruited over 18 months. At 35-37 weeks' gestation and 6 weeks' postpartum perineal body length (PB) was measured and subjects completed quality of life questionnaires. Primary outcome was ultrasound-diagnosed anal sphincter tear at 6 weeks postpartum. Secondary outcomes were also assessed. A priori power analysis determined that 70 subjects were needed to detect a difference in anal sphincter tear based on a PB cut-off of 3 cm. RESULTS: Seventy-three subjects completed the study. Mode of delivery was 69.9% spontaneous vaginal, 15.1% operative vaginal, and 15.1% labored cesarean. There were 25 anal sphincter abnormalities (34.2%) seen on ultrasound: 11 (15.1%) internal or external sphincter tears, 3 (4.1%) internal sphincter atrophy, 6 (8.2%) external sphincter thinning, and 7 (9.6%) external sphincter scarring. Only the 11 sphincter tears qualified as abnormal for the primary outcome. In the vaginal delivery group 16.4% (10 out of 61) had a sphincter tear, compared with 8.3% (1 out of 12) in the labored cesarean group (p = 0.68). Women with PB < 3 had a significantly higher rate of ultrasound-diagnosed anal sphincter tear (40.0% vs 11.1%, p = 0.038). When comparing women with and without sphincter tear, there was a significant difference in mean antepartum PB (3.1 vs 3.7 cm, p = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: A shortened perineal body length in primiparous women is associated with an increased risk of anal sphincter tear at the time of first delivery.

A field investigation of perceived behavioral control and blood alcohol content: a pattern-oriented approach.

As the first field study of perceived behavioral control (PBC) to assess alcohol consumption with a physiological measure (i.e., blood alcohol content; BAC), the research examined the impact of intoxication on alcohol-specific PBC (APBC). In total, 665 passersby were recruited into the study at several late-night drinking locations near a large university campus. After answering questions regarding personal demographics and APBC, participants were administered a breath alcohol test (Lifeloc FC-20; ±.005mL/L). The average BAC of drinking participants was .096mL/L. A latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to classify participants based on APBC responses. Three classes emerged: high PBC, high controllability, and low controllability. Class membership varied as a function of gender and Greek-life membership. Blood alcohol content was a significant predictor of class membership. Results show a link between alcohol consumption and APBC that varies based on gender and Greek-life status. These findings are discussed with regard to their implications for a variety of prevention interventions.

Prompting safety belt use: comparative impact on the target behavior and relevant body language.

ResearcherS used two behavioral prompts to compare increases in safety belt use: a Click It or Ticket prompt or a Flash-for-Life prompt. Participants were 1,822 unbuckled drivers exiting two student parking lots of a large university. Research assistants identified unbuckled drivers, flashed one of the two prompts, and recorded whether drivers buckled after the prompt and the drivers' facial expressions and hand gestures. Findings and implications are discussed.

Protecting the planet and its people: how do interventions to promote environmental sustainability and occupational safety and health overlap?

PROBLEM: The challenges of both occupational safety and health and environmental sustainability require large-scale behavior change for meaningful improvements to occur. Environmental sustainability, or the 'green movement' has received far more attention recently, and certain strategies and recommendations from interventions designed for promoting pro-environmental behaviors may inform efforts to intervene on critical behaviors for improving occupational safety and health. METHOD: A survey of the literature regarding behavioral interventions for both environmental sustainability and occupational safety and health was conducted. Several theoretical approaches are reviewed, and successful approaches from each domain are identified, as well as parallel challenges and points for crossover. Recommendations are provided for adapting environmental sustainability intervention approaches for occupational safety and health applications. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Safety and health leaders may achieve sustainable improvements in worker safety and health by harnessing the momentum of the green movement and adapting successful intervention approaches from the environmental sustainability domain.