Factors influencing the protective behavior of individuals during COVID-19: a transnational survey

To slow the spread of infectious disease, it is crucial to understand the engagement of protective behavior among individuals. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine individuals’ protective behaviors and the associated factors across countries during COVID-19. This causal-comparative study used a self-developed online survey to assess individuals’ level of engagement with six protective behaviors. Analysis of variance and McNemar’s test were employed for data analysis. Three hundred and eighty-four responses were analyzed. The majority of participants lived in three areas: Taiwan, Japan, and North America. Overall, the participants reported a high level of engagement in protective behaviors. However, engagement levels varied according to several demographic variables. Hand hygiene and cleaning/ventilation are two independent behaviors that differ from almost all other protective behaviors. There is a need to target the population at risk, which demonstrates low compliance. Different strategies are needed to promote specific protective behaviors.

Freezing or death feigning? Beetles selected for long death-feigning duration showed other tactics against different predators

Prey evolve anti-predator strategies against multiple enemies in nature. We examined how a prey species adopts different predation avoidance tactics against pursuit or sit-and-wait predators. As prey, we used two strains of Tribolium beetles artificially selected for short or long duration of death feigning. The results showed that, as prey, the short strains displayed the same behavior, escaping, against the two types of predators. On the other hand, death feigning is known to be effective for evading a jumping spider in the case of the long strains, while the present study showed that the long strain beetles used freezing behavior against a sit-and-wait type predator A. venator in this study. The short strain beetles were more easily orientated by predators and suffered a higher rate of predation than the long strains. The time to predation was also shorter in the short strains compared to the long strains. When the predator was starved, even the long strains were preyed upon when the predator was orientated toward the prey, suggesting the starvation period, i.e., prey density, is an important factor for antipredator behavior. Traditionally, death feigning has been thought to be the last resort in a series of anti-predator avoidance behaviors. However, our results showed that freezing and death feigning were not parts of a series of behavior, but independent behaviors against different predators, at least for these beetles. The results also suggest that the differences in feeding rates between the strains could be explained by differences in activity among the strains.

The Relationship between Drug Consumption and Dating App Use: Results from an Italian Survey

To date, the literature regarding the relationship between drug consumption and dating app use is still very scant and inconclusive. The present study was thus aimed at investigating the association between drug consumption and dating app use in the general population. A total of 1278 Italian respondents completed an online ad hoc questionnaire assessing drug consumption (cannabis versus other illicit drugs), dating app use, the primary motive for installing dating apps, and demographics. Multiple logistic regression analyses were run to investigate the role of demographics and dating app use on drug consumption. Being single predicted cannabis use. Using dating apps accounted for higher odds of cannabis use; however, people who intensely used the apps were less likely to consume marijuana. Conversely, dating app use was not associated with the consumption of other drugs. This study suggests the presence of common underlying factors between dating app use and cannabis use, and it highlights the mediating role of the intensity of app use. Conversely, the study suggests that dating app use and the use of other drugs are quite independent behaviors.

Influência do Estilo de Liderança na Motivação dos Colaboradores

A maioria das empresas, nos dias de hoje, enfrenta dificuldades em manter sua equipe motivada. Uma das grandes causas está no fato de que a maioria dos líderes não percebe que a forma com a qual eles lidam com seus colaboradores pode estar ocasionando este problema. Com o objetivo de avaliar como a liderança gerencial das empresas está diretamente relacionada com a motivação de seus colaboradores e como melhorar esta relação, a pesquisa desenvolvida e apresentada por este trabalho é classificada como descritiva, pois seu problema é respondido por uma abordagem de modo qualitativo com uma entrevista semiestruturada com os colaboradores de uma empresa do ramo de Bares e Restaurantes de Londrina. Analisados os dados se comprovou que existe uma relação direta entre o perfil do líder e a motivação de seus funcionários, porém na empresa estudada, o chefe apresenta um perfil autocrático, no qual toma as decisões individualmente sem buscar a opinião ou sugestão de seus colaboradores e parceiros. Neste caso analisado, a maioria dos colaboradores não tem uma boa relação com o chefe fazendo-se necessário outro modo de liderança para a motivação dos mesmos. Portanto, a liderança democrática seria a melhor forma para que todos possam opinar, buscando a satisfação e o sucesso do relacionamento entre líder e funcionários. Palavras-chave: Liderança. Motivação. Colaboradores AbstractMost companies these days have been struggling to keep their teams motivated, a major cause is that most bosses do not realize that the way they interact and treat their employees may be underlying cause for this problem. Aiming to evaluate how the company’s leadership is directly related to the motivation of its employees and how to improve this relationship, the research developed and presented in this work is classified as descriptive approach, the problem is answered by an approach with a semi-structured interview with the employees of a company of the branch of Bars and Restaurants of Londrina. The analyzed data proved that there is a direct relationship between the leader's behaviors and the motivation of its employees, who consider it important, but it is not happening correctly in the company. Many bosses with independent behaviors prefer to solve everything alone, instead of listening to their employees and partners. Most employees do not have good relationship with their bosses, which proves that there is a need for another leadership method to motivate employees, democratic leadership would be the best way to engage employees and motivate them to share their thoughts.Keywords: Leadership. Motivation. Contributors.

Competing Effects Between Screen Media Time and Physical Activity in Adolescent Girls: Clustering a Self-Organizing Maps Analysis

Background:Previous research shows contradictory findings on potential competing effects between sedentary screen media usage (SMU) and physical activity (PA). This study examined these effects on adolescent girls via self-organizing maps analysis focusing on 3 target profiles.Methods:A sample of 1,516 girls aged 12 to 18 years self-reported daily time engagement in PA (moderate and vigorous intensity) and in screen media activities (TV/video/DVD, computer, and videogames), separately and combined.Results:Topological interrelationships from the 13 emerging maps indicated a moderate competing effect between physically active and sedentary SMU patterns. Higher SES and overweight status were linked to either active or inactive behaviors. Three target clusters were explored in more detail. Cluster 1, named temperate-media actives, showed capabilities of being active while engaging in a moderate level of SMU (TV/video/DVD mainly). In Cluster 2, named prudent-media inactives, and Cluster 3, compulsive-media inactives, a competing effect between SMU and PA emerged, being sedentary SMU behaviors responsible for a low involvement in active pursuits.Conclusions:SMU and PA emerge as both related and independent behaviors in girls, resulting in a moderate competing effect. Findings support the case for recommending the timing of PA and SMU for recreational purposes considering different profiles, sociodemographic factors and types of SMU.

Participation of the family in hospital-based palliative cancer care: perspective of nurses

The objective was to understand the perspective of nurses about the participation of the family in palliative cancer care and to analyze the nursing care strategies to meet their needs. Descriptive and qualitative research, conducted at the National Cancer Institute between January and March 2013, with 17 nurses. Elements of the Roy Adaptation Model were used for the interpretation of the data. Two categoriesemergedfrom the thematic analysis: perspective of nurses about the presence and valuation of family in the hospital; and appointing strategies to encourage family participation in care and meet their needs. This participation is essentialand represents a training opportunity for the purpose of homecare. Nurses create strategies to encourage it and seek to meet the needs. The results contribute to promote the family adaptation and integrity, in order to balance the dependent and independent behaviors, aimingfor quality of life and comfort. Further studies are neededdue to the challenges of the specialty.

Pengembangan Skala Kemandirian

One of the most problems that often faced by researchers is unavailable of instruments to measure variables. Therefore, the present research purposed to develop independent scale as one of some psychological measures which could be used to studies in the future. The independent scale was constructed according to psychometric prosedures and consists of the number of items composed of four components. This research was conducted in two studies, and including 331 subjects (male and female) of students coming from some high schools and a university. Statistical analyses were used to examine data of the scale. Results showed the constructed independent scale was reliable and valid to measuring independent behaviors of individuals. Keywords: independent scale, measurement

Quantifying Operational Synergies of M&A: An Stochastic Equilibrium Approach

With the increase in merger and acquisitions (M&A) activities, managers of bidder firms need to make informed decisions on quantifying the operational synergies in an M&A. This paper considers a stochastic variational inequality approach to quantifying the operational synergies in a horizontal M&A through the integration of a supply chain network, in which each firm is represented as a network of economic activities associated with manufacturing, distribution, and storage. Specifically, we seek to quantify the gains, if any, associated with M&A. The model is stochastic and sufficiently general to handle many decision-makers and their independent behaviors. This paper extends Nagurney (2009) in which the cost functions (including both the production function and the transaction function) and the pricing cost are deemed as stochastic. Quasi-Monte Carlo approximating and homogeneous interior-point methods are used to solve the stochastic problem. Numerical results are provided.