Extremely Dense Gamma-Ray Pulses in Electron Beam-Multifoil Collisions.

Sources of high-energy photons have important applications in almost all areas of research. However, the photon flux and intensity of existing sources is strongly limited for photon energies above a few hundred keV. Here we show that a high-current ultrarelativistic electron beam interacting with multiple submicrometer-thick conducting foils can undergo strong self-focusing accompanied by efficient emission of gamma-ray synchrotron photons. Physically, self-focusing and high-energy photon emission originate from the beam interaction with the near-field transition radiation accompanying the beam-foil collision. This near field radiation is of amplitude comparable with the beam self-field, and can be strong enough that a single emitted photon can carry away a significant fraction of the emitting electron energy. After beam collision with multiple foils, femtosecond collimated electron and photon beams with number density exceeding that of a solid are obtained. The relative simplicity, unique properties, and high efficiency of this gamma-ray source open up new opportunities for both applied and fundamental research including laserless investigations of strong-field QED processes with a single electron beam.

Is all conflict the same? The role of perceived intensity in understanding its effects.

While interpersonal conflict at work continues to draw attention, researchers have rarely considered the role that conflict intensity plays in amplifying individuals' affective reactions to it. Hence, this study examines conflict intensity as a moderator of the relationship between interpersonal conflict and perceived stress, physical symptoms, and job satisfaction, through negative affect. A total of 306 employees from various industries participated in this cross-sectional study. Supporting and expanding an emotion-centered model of conflict, results indicated that the indirect effects of conflict on the study's outcomes were higher when participants perceived the conflict to be of medium and high-level intensity.

Inhibition of WNT/ß-catenin is necessary and sufficient to induce Scx expression in developing tendons of chicken limb.

The cell differentiation of the musculoskeletal system is highly coordinated during limb development. In the distal-most region of the limb, WNT and FGF released from the apical ectodermal ridge maintain mesenchymal cells in the undifferentiated stage. Once the cells stop receiving WNT and FGF, they respond to differentiation signals. Particularly during tendon development, mesenchymal cells enter the cell differentiation program once Scleraxis (Scx) gene expression occurs. Among the signals that trigger the cell differentiation programs, TGFß signaling has been found to be closely involved in tendon differentiation. However, whether Scx gene expression depends merely on TGFß signaling or other signals is still not fully understood. In the present study, considering that WNT/ß-catenin is an inhibitory signal of cell differentiation, we speculated possible antagonistic or additive effects between canonical Wnt/ß-catenin and TGFß/SMAD signaling pathways to control Scx gene expression. We found that the blockade of WNT/ß-catenin promoted Scx gene expression. In contrast, the inhibition of TGFß/SMAD signaling did not maintain Scx gene expression. Interestingly, the blockade of both WNT/ß-catenin and TGFß/SMAD signaling at the same time promoted Scx gene expression. Thus the inhibition of WNT/ß-catenin signaling appears to be necessary and sufficient to induce Scx gene expression.

When empowered nurses are under stress: Understanding the impact on attitudes and behaviours.

The present study examined the role of stress as a moderator on the indirect effect of structural empowerment, through psychological empowerment, on three important nurse-related outcomes: affective organizational commitment, nursing workarounds, and safety performance. The results demonstrated that structural empowerment and psychological empowerment were positively related to affective organizational commitment and safety performance, whereas neither were significantly related to nursing workarounds. Consistent with previous findings, structural empowerment was also positively correlated with psychological empowerment. Mediation models were predominantly supported, providing evidence for the expanded model of empowerment. Finally, all three moderated mediation models were significant, although the impact of stress on the nursing workaround process was contrary to what was proposed. Findings offer significant implications for both researchers and practitioners, particularly in relation to the importance of workplace empowerment, the role of stress, and the nature of the nursing workarounds construct.

When safety climate is not enough: Examining the moderating effects of psychosocial hazards on nurse safety performance.

AIM: To examine the association between components of safety climate and psychosocial hazards with safe work behaviours and test the moderating effects of psychosocial hazards on the safety climate-safety performance relationships. BACKGROUND: The effects of a strong safety climate on safety performance are well cited, however, the conditions that have an impact on this relationship warrant attention. While the psychosocial hazards commonly reported by nurses are predictors of well-being and job attitudes, evidence suggests that these may also place boundaries on the effects of safety climate on safe work practices. DESIGN: This study used a cross-sectional design to collect data from 146 nurses. METHODS: Participants were recruited through convenience sampling and snowball sampling methods in 2017. Nurses completed an online questionnaire and received a $5 e-gift card as compensation. SPSS v.23 and PROCESS v3.0 were used to analyse the data. RESULTS/FINDINGS: A strong safety climate was positively associated with nurses' safety performance. While psychosocial hazards did not predict safety performance, they did moderate the safety climate-performance relationship. High levels of perceived stressors weakened the association between promoting two-way safety communication, the use and implementation of procedures to promote safe work practices and management's endorsement of health and safety with safe work performance. CONCLUSION: The positive effects of safety climate on nurses' safety performance are contingent on the levels of psychosocial hazards nurses experience. When aiming to improve safety performance among nurses, it is important for efforts to also focus on the psychosocial conditions of the work environment.

Resilience as a moderator of the indirect effects of conflict and workload on job outcomes among nurses.

AIM: To examine the relative effects of interpersonal conflict and workload on job outcomes (turnover intentions, burnout, injuries) and examine if resilience moderates the indirect effects of conflict and workload on job outcomes via job-related negative effect. BACKGROUND: There is interest in understanding resilience in the nursing profession. Placing resilience in the context of the Emotion-Centred Model of Occupational Stress (Spector, ) is a novel approach to understanding how resilience ameliorates the negative effects of workplace stressors. DESIGN: This study used a two-wave survey design to collect data from 97 nurses across medical units. METHODS: Nurses working in the US were recruited in June 2014 using Qualtrics Panels, an online survey platform service that secures participants for research. Nurses were contacted via email at two time points, two weeks apart and provided a link to an online survey. SPSS v. 23 and PROCESS v2.15 were used to analyse regressions and moderated mediation. RESULTS/FINDINGS: Interpersonal conflict predicted turnover intentions and burnout; workload predicted injuries. Job-related negative affect mediated the relationships between stressors and job outcomes except for the direct effect of workload on injuries. Low resilience increased the magnitude of the indirect effects of conflict on job outcomes. CONCLUSION: Job characteristics like workload predicted unique variability in self-reported physical injuries. Conflict at work, a social stressor, predicted well-being and job attitudes. Highly resilient nurses bounced back after experiencing conflict in the workplace. Resilience should be explored for its potential as a method to reduce the negative effects of social stressors.

Grin and Bear It?: Employees' Use of Surface Acting During Co-worker Conflict.

Using survey data from 459 employed individuals, the conditional indirect effects of three types of interpersonal conflict at work on strains and performance through surface acting were tested. Results indicated that task, relationship and non-task organizational conflict were positively related to depressive and physical symptoms and negatively related to performance. Task conflict had a significantly weaker association with employee outcomes than either relationship or non-task organizational conflict. Surface acting negatively related to all types of conflict, although it had a weaker association with relationship conflict than task or non-task organizational conflict. Support was found for moderated mediation relationships whereby surface acting mediated the associations between all types of conflict with depressive symptoms, as well as the association between relationship and non-task organizational conflict with physical symptoms, when conflict was infrequent. Surface acting also mediated the associations between all types of conflict and performance when conflict was frequent. Future research directions are discussed that can advance our theoretical understanding of how emotional labour and interpersonal conflict interact to affect employees, as well as further our ability to improve employee well-being and organizational functioning. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Characteristic of the Oxidative Stress in Blood of Patients in Dependence of Community-Acquired Pneumonia Severity.

BACKGROUND: At the present time the alternation of the oxidative metabolism is considered as one of the leading pathogenic mechanisms in the development and progression of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However the nature and direction of the oxidative protein changes in CAP patient's blood had been almost unexplored. AIM: To define oxidative and modified proteins in erythrocytes and blood plasma of CAP patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Blood plasma and erythrocytes obtained from: 42 patients with moderate severity pneumonia, 12 patients with grave severity pneumonia and 32 healthy volunteers. Content of advanced oxidation protein products, malondialdehyde and reactive carbonyl derivatives were estimated as indicators of the oxidative stress and oxidative damage of proteins. RESULTS: In patients with grave severity the level of oxidative proteins and MDA in erythrocytes exceeded both: control values and similar meanings in CAP patients with moderate severity. The further growth of MDA in this group patients' blood plasma was observed, but the level of oxidative proteins decreased in comparison with those in CAP patients with moderate severity. CONCLUSION: To sum up, our derived data show, that injury of erythrocytes' redox-status and blood plasma components plays an essential role in development and progression CAP.

Staying silent about safety issues: Conceptualizing and measuring safety silence motives.

Communication between employees and supervisors about safety-related issues is an important component of a safe workplace. When supervisors receive information from employees about safety issues, they may gain otherwise-missed opportunities to correct these issues and/or prevent negative safety outcomes. A series of three studies were conducted to identify various safety silence motives, which describe the reasons that employees do not speak up to supervisors about safety-related issues witnessed in the workplace, and to develop a tool to assess these motives. Results suggest that employees stay silent about safety issues based on perceptions of altering relationships with others (relationship-based), perceptions of the organizational climate (climate-based), the assessment of the safety issue (issue-based), or characteristics of the job (job-based). We developed a 17-item measure to assess these four motives, and initial evidence was found for the construct and incremental validity of the safety silence motives measure in a sample of nurses.

The social stressors-counterproductive work behaviors link: are conflicts with supervisors and coworkers the same?

The differential impact of conflict with supervisors and coworkers on the target of counterproductive work behaviors (CWB) was investigated using multiple data sources. The mediating role of negative emotions was also tested using an emotion-centered model of CWB. Data were obtained from 133 dyads (incumbents plus a coworker) of full-time working participants representing a variety of occupations at the University of South Florida. Participants in the incumbent role were asked to complete a questionnaire measuring demographics, conflict, negative emotions, and CWB. The coworker was asked to respond to a shorter questionnaire measuring conflict and CWB regarding the incumbent's job. Evidence for a differential relationship between conflict sources and the target of CWB was found. The emotion-centered model of voluntary work behavior received partial support.