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The aim of this study is to evaluate if the use of a smart water bottle improves urine volume in stone forming patients.

Purpose: In patients with adult spinal deformity, it was previously shown that 16 of the non-management items of the SRS-instrument showed a better fit to the theoretical four-factor model (pain, function, self-image, mental health) than did all 20 items. Whether the same phenomenon is observed in data from younger (< 20y) patients, for whom the questionnaire was originally designed, is not currently known. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the factor structure of the 20 non-management items of the SRS-instrument completed by 3618 young patients with spinal deformity (75.5% female; mean age, 15.0 ± 2.0 years) and of its equivalence across language versions (2713 English-speaking, 270 Spanish, 264 German, 223 Italian, and 148 French). The root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) and comparative fit index (CFI) indicated model fit. Results: Compared with the 20-item version, the 16-item solution significantly increased the fit (p< 0.001) across all language versions, to achieve good model fit (CFI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.06). For both 16-item and 20-item models, equivalence across languages was not reached, with some items showing weaker item-loading for some languages, in particular German and French. Conclusion: In patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, the shorter 16-item version showed a better fit to the intended 4-factor structure of the SRS-instrument. The wording of some of the items, and/or their equivalence across language versions, may need to be addressed. Questionnaire completion can be a burden for patients; if a shorter, more structurally valid version is available, its use should be encouraged.

By Norbert K. Semmer & Franziska Tschan & Nicola Jacobshagen & Terry A. Beehr & Achim Elfering & Wolfgang Kälin & Laurenz L. Meier was originally published Online First without Open Access.

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Commuting timeis the duration of the transition between the work and private (typically family) domains. The status of commuting in theories dealing with work–family issues or boundary management is not very clear. We discuss commuting taking a different perspective from the literature (e.g., as a demand, source of time‐based work–family conflict, impediment to the flexibility and permeability of the work–home boundary, and as a resource for work–family boundary management), concluding that the demand aspects of commuting are dominant. From this perspective, we analyzed the association between the commuting time as a work‐related demand at baseline and work–family conflict (WFC), affective commitment (AC), and intention to quit (ITQ) 1 year later (N= 838). We assessed commuting time objectively by using Google Maps to estimate travel time based on postal codes of home and workplace. As expected, longer commuting predicted all three outcomes. Furthermore, autonomy—manifested in flexible work arrangements—moderated these effects for two out of three outcome variables: Temporospatial autonomy reduced the positive associations between commuting time and WFC and ITQ. The effect sizes were small; however, effects were adjusted for baseline levels of the relevant outcome, demographic variables, and several work and private stressors.

In many countries, the majority of employees work in SMEs, but research on prevention and interventions with regard to occupational health rarely addresses SMEs. The aim is to give an overview of the evidence on person- and work-related interventions. We conducted a systematic literature search. Fifteen studies on health promotion in SMEs are summarized in a systematic meta-analytic review. Interventions that addressed health-related behaviour such as physical exercise or mixed approaches were shown to have a small to moderate effect. Work redesign and other interventions to improve work conditions showed mixed results. Our findings point to the importance of a precise implementation and the consideration of possible side effects. The combination of person- and task-related interventions seems to be promising. To improve health promotion in SMEs, more research on interventions in this context is necessary.

Stress is related to goals being thwarted. Arguably, protecting one’s self, both in terms of personal self-esteem and in terms of social self-esteem, is among the most prominent goals people pursue. Although this line of thought is hardly disputed, it does not play the prominent role in occupational health psychology that we think it deserves. Stress-as-Offense-to-Self theory focuses on threats and boosts to the self as important aspects of stressful, and resourceful, experiences at work. Within this framework we have developed the new concepts of illegitimate tasks and illegitimate stressors; we have investigated appreciation as a construct in its own right, rather than as part of larger constructs such as social support; and we propose that the threshold for noticing implications for the self in one’s surroundings typically is low, implying that even subtle negative cues are likely to be appraised as offending, as exemplified by the concept of subtly offending feedback. Updating the first publication of the SOS concept, the current paper presents its theoretical rationale as well as research conducted so far. Research has covered a variety of phenomena, but the emphasis has been (a) on illegitimate tasks, which now can be considered as an established stressor, and (b) on appreciation, showing its importance in general and as a core element of social support. Furthermore, we discuss implications for further research as well as practical implications of an approach that is organized around threats and boosts to the self, thus complementing approaches that are organized around specific conditions or behaviors.

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Arbeitswissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose. A newly developed questionnaire assessing limitations in activity of daily living (LADL–Q) that should improve assessment of LADL is tested in a large population-based validation study. Methods. This survey was paper-based. Overall, 16,634 individuals who were representative of the working population in the German-speaking part of Switzerland participated in the study. Item analysis was used the final version of the LADL–Q to four items per subscale that correspond to potential problems in three body regions (back and neck, upper extremities, lower extremities). Analysis included tests for reliability, internal consistency, dimensionality and convergent validity. Results. Test–retest reliability coefficients after 2 weeks ranged from 0.82 to 0.99 (Mdn = 0.87), with no item having a coefficient below 0.60. The median item-total coefficients ranged between moderate and good. Correlation coefficients between LADL–Q subscales and three validated clinical instruments (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index, shoulder pain disability index, Oswestry) ranged from 0.63 to 0.81. In structural equation modeling the three subscales were significantly related with two important outcomes in occupational rehabilitation: self-reported general health and daily task performance. Conclusion. The new LADL–Q is a brief, reliable and valid tool for assessment of LADL in studies on musculoskeletal health.

Study Design: Systematic review.Objectives: To review the current literature on the treatment efficacy, clinical utility, and cost-effectiveness of multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation (MBR) for patients suffering from persistent (nonspecific) lower back pain (LBP) in relation to pain intensity, disability, health-related quality of life, and work ability/sick leave.Methods: We carried out a systematic search of Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed Central, EMBASE, and PsycINFO for English- and German-language literature published between January 2010 and July 2017. Study selection consisted of exclusion and inclusion phases. After screening for duplication, studies were excluded on the basis of criteria covering study design, number of participants, language of publication, and provision of information about the intervention. All the remaining articles dealing with the efficacy, utility, or cost-effectiveness of intensive (more than 25 hours per week) MBR encompassing at least 3 health domains and cognitive behavioral therapy–based psychological education were included.Results: The search retrieved 1199 publications of which 1116 were duplicates or met the exclusion criteria. Seventy of the remaining 83 articles did not meet the inclusion criteria; thus 13 studies were reviewed. All studies reporting changes in pain intensity or disability over 12 months after MBR reported moderate effect sizes and/or p-values for both outcomes. The effects on health-related quality of life were mixed, but MBR substantially reduced costs. Overall MBR produced an enduring improvement in work ability despite controversy and variable results.Conclusions: MBR is an effective treatment for nonspecific LBP, but there is room for improvement in cost-effectiveness and impact on sick leave, where the evidence was less compelling.

In industrial countries, home care of community dwelling elderly people is rapidly growing. Frequent injuries in home caregivers result from slips, trips, and falls (STFs). The current study tests attentional cognitive failure to mediate the association between work stressors and STFs.

Evidence-Based Outcomes Article.

Although work absenteeism is in the focus of occupational health, longitudinal studies on organizational absenteeism records in hospital work are lacking. This longitudinal study tests time pressure and lack of time autonomy to be related to higher sickness absenteeism.

Objective. Surgical nurses’ work is physically and mentally demanding, possibly leading to work–family conflict (WFC). The current study tests WFC to be a risk factor for neck and lower back pain (LBP). Job influence and social support are tested as resources that could buffer the detrimental impact of WFC. Methods. Forty-eight surgical nurses from two university hospitals in Germany and Switzerland were recruited. WFC was assessed with the Work–Family Conflict Scale. Job influence and social support were assessed with the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, and back pain was assessed with the North American Spine Society Instrument. Results. Multiple linear regression analyses confirmed WFC as a significant predictor of cervical pain (β = 0.45, p < 0.001) and LBP (β = 0.33, p = 0.012). Job influence and social support did not turn out to be significant predictors and were not found to buffer the impact of WFC in moderator analyses. Conclusion. WFC is likely to affect neck and back pain in surgery nurses. Work–life interventions may have the potential to reduce WFC in surgery nurses.

The current study tested whether physical activity during a school teachers’ vacation is associated with health improvement. A second research question addressed whether recovery experiences (detachment, mastery, relaxation, and control) mediate between physical activity and health improvement. Forty-eight elementary school teachers filled out a questionnaire before and after vacation. Self-reported health status was assessed prior to vacation and during vacation and recovery experiences were assessed during vacation. Mean levels of self-reported general health increased during vacation. Health improvement was restricted to those teachers who were physically active during their vacation (p= .013). Analysis of covariance showed activity related group differences in recovery experiences during vacation. Those who did sports during their vacation reported significantly higher levels of detachment and mastery. The percentage of days with sports during vacation was positively related to experience of mastery and detachment during vacation. The mediation hypothesis was however not empirically supported. Physical activity during vacation corresponded with elementary teachers’ recovery and health improvement during vacation.

Study Design: Cross-sectional and longitudinal validation study.Objective: Development and validation of a short, reliable, and valid questionnaire for the assessment of low back pain–related disability.Methods: The iDI was created in a stepwise procedure: (1) its development was based on the literature and theoretical consideration; (2) outcome data were collected and evaluated in a pilot study; (3) final validations were performed based on an international multicenter spine surgery outcome study including 514 patients; (4) the iDI was programmed for a tablet computer (iPad) and tested for its clinical practicability.Results: The final version of the iDI comprises of 8 simple questions related to different aspects of disability with a 5-point Likert-type answer scale. The iDI compared very well to the Oswestry Disability Index in terms of reliability and validity. The iDI was demonstrated to be suitable for data assessment on a tablet computer (iPad).Conclusions: The iDI is a short, valid, and practicable tool that facilitates routine quality assessment in terms of low back pain–related disability.

Conservation of resources theory assumes loss of resources as a cause of job strain. In hospital work, conflicts with supervisors are tested to predict lower resources, that is, supervisory social support, participation possibilities, and appreciation. All three resources are expected to predict, in turn, experienced stress (job strain) and lower job satisfaction, lower affective commitment, and a higher resigned attitude towards the job (job attitudes).

Antecedents of affective versus cognitive components of daily job satisfaction were compared. According to the affective events theory, the affective component should relate more strongly to state affect and affective work experiences than the cognitive component. In multilevel regression analyses of 280 daily reports from 40 participants, within-person variation was lower in the cognitive component (24%) than in the affective component (54%). Beyond state affect and trait affectivity, positive valence of work experiences had an incremental value only in the prediction of the affective component. The affective component is more reactive to daily work experiences than the cognitive component. Whenever the link between work and daily job satisfaction is reviewed, the components of job satisfaction measures should be considered as a moderator.

The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints in Swiss operating room (OR) nurses, and to investigate how work–family conflict, work interruptions, and influence at work are related to lumbar and cervical back pain.

We report a new analysis of data from a multi-year study, some of which were previously published in the current journal. A longitudinal sample of 380 computer specialists was followed over two years, yielding three measures each of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions, as well as actual turnover, and reasons for leaving, at Times 2 and 3. Career paths were more diverse than the classical distinction between stayers and leavers implies. Furthermore, although the largest single group of leavers cited “push” reasons, conforming to the classical withdrawal model, a sizable number were attracted to another job (“pull motivation”). In a three-wave structural equation model, job (dis)satisfaction predicted turnover, while organizational commitment exerted its influence only via its association with job satisfaction. As expected, however, attitudes predicted turnover only for participants with push motivation. Quitting, in turn, predicted an improvement in both satisfaction and commitment, indicating that it paid off for the individual. The necessity to study consequences of turnover and to distinguish between different subgroups of stayers and leavers is emphasized.

Slip, trip, and fall injuries are frequent among health care workers. Stochastic resonance whole-body vibration training was tested to improve postural control. Participants included 124 employees of a Swiss university hospital. The randomized controlled trial included an experimental group given 8 weeks of training and a control group with no intervention. In both groups, postural control was assessed as mediolateral sway on a force plate before and after the 8-week trial. Mediolateral sway was significantly decreased by stochastic resonance whole-body vibration training in the experimental group but not in the control group that received no training (p < .05). Stochastic resonance whole-body vibration training is an option in the primary prevention of balance-related injury at work.

Low back pain (LBP) is among the most common physical ailments and its chronic manifestation is a leading cause for disability worldwide. LBP is not attributable to a known diagnosis in 85% of the cases and therefore called chronic non-specific LBP (cnLBP). Passive immersion in warm water is commonly claimed to reduce muscular tension and pain, but not yet sufficiently investigated with regard to cnLBP. The current study compares three passive aquatic interventions regarding their effects on cnLBP: floating (resting in a supine immersed position on flotation devices), WATSU (a passive hands-on treatment, in which a practitioner stands in warm water, gently moving and massaging the client), and a Spa session.

The aim of this prospective cohort study was to identify modifiable protective factors of the progression of acute/subacute low back pain (LBP) to the persistent state at an early stage to reduce the socioeconomic burden of persistent LBP. Patients attending a health practitioner for acute/subacute LBP were assessed at baseline addressing occupational, personal and psychosocial factors, and followed up over 12 weeks. Pearson correlations were calculated between these baseline factors and the presence of nonpersistent LBP at 12-week follow-up. For those factors found to be significant, multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. The final 3-predictor model included job satisfaction, mental health and social support. The accuracy of the model was 72%, with 81% of nonpersistent and 60% of persistent LBP patients correctly identified. Further research is necessary to confirm the role of different types of social support regarding their prognostic influence on the development of persistent LBP.

Objectives.Evidence increases that cognitive failure may be used to screen for drivers at risk. Until now, most studies have relied on driving learners. This exploratory pilot study examines self-report of cognitive failure in driving beginners and error during real driving as observed by driving instructors. Methods.Forty-two driving learners of 14 driving instructors filled out a work-related cognitive failure questionnaire. Driving instructors observed driving errors during the next driving lesson. In multiple linear regression analysis, driving errors were regressed on cognitive failure with the number of driving lessons as an estimator of driving experience controlled. Results.Higher cognitive failure predicted more driving errors(p < .01) when age, gender and driving experience were controlled in analysis. Conclusions.Cognitive failure was significantly associated with observed driving errors. Systematic research on cognitive failure in driving beginners is recommended.

This study investigates whether cognitive failures mediate the potential influence of work demands and conscientiousness on body balance problems and domestic near-falls at home after work. The participants were 109 employees (55% female). We used the Workplace Cognitive Failure Scale (WCFS) to measure the frequency of failure in memory function, failure in attention regulation, and failure in action execution. Performance constraints, time pressure, and concentration demands were assessed by the Instrument for Stress-Oriented Task Analysis (ISTA). In a structural equation model, work-related cognitive failure significantly mediated the influence of work demands on after-work domestic body balance problems encountered in the previous 4 weeks. Work-related cognitive failure did not mediate the directional link between conscientiousness and body balance problems. Mental work demands have aftereffects after work is finished. The risk of domestic fall is due in part to cognitive failure that reflects cognitive strain from mental workload. Work redesign is likely to reduce the risk of falling not only at work, but also after work at home.

Oral presentation of a research proposal for a Master's thesis can be stressful for psychology students. During and after the presentation, students often miss or forget feedback to their research proposal. The study tested whether information loss after receiving feedback depended upon the amount of supervisor feedback, the retention time, and experience in giving Master's thesis research proposal presentations. Students had to present a research proposal three times and feedback was recorded by a record clerk. After each presentation students were obliged to send their remembered feedback to their supervisors. Forty-three Master's students gave 101 presentations of their Master's thesis research proposal to their supervisors and colleagues. On average 40% of the supervisor feedback information was missed by students. Retention time, measured as the time between presentation and arrival of the student mail recording the remembered feedback, and the amount of supervisor feedback were positively related to loss of information. A significant interaction between the amount of supervisor feedback and retention time indicated that loss of information was immediate when supervisor feedback was extensive, while information loss was comparably low and increased moderately with retention time when supervisor feedback was brief. In stressful oral presentations recording of supervisor feedback is highly recommended.

There is increasing evidence that the Faces Scale is more sensitive to the emotional component of job satisfaction than other scales. This study investigated underlying processes and tested whether state affect and neuroticism covary with respondents’ evaluations of each face’s meaning. Seventy-five participants repeatedly judged single schematic faces as looking satisfied or unsatisfied. Participants made 11,025 two-alternative, forced-choice judgments about a variety of eleven faces. Results showed that faces appeared more satisfied to those who reported good mood and lower neuroticism (assimilation effect). In addition, there was a significant range effect of scale composition: In a range including five smiling faces, a face showing a mild smile was more often judged as looking unsatisfied than in a range including five frowning faces. Moreover, a significant interaction between range and neuroticism indicated stronger range effects in those participants who reported higher neuroticism than others. The implications for the use of the Faces Scale in work and organizational psychology are discussed.

In this review, we demonstrate the contribution of ambulatory assessment (AA) research to I/O psychology by reference to four dynamic phenomena, the investigation of which we judge to benefit most from the application of AA techniques: (a) work strain and coping with work stressors, (b) the work/nonwork interface, (c) social interactions at the workplace, and (d) job attitudes and work-related emotions. As we see it, the greatest potential of these studies lies in the analysis of how interindividual differences modulate intraindividual processes. After demonstrating the value of the method, we outline and discuss ways of tackling a number of methodological issues raised in the studies reviewed: selective participation and attrition, altered reporting behavior and reactivity, noncompliance with study instructions, low acceptance, and development of reduced scales or single-item measures. Future studies can pave the way for the broad acceptance and utilization of AA methods by contributing to the resolution of these issues.

From 1998 through 2006, four outbreaks of salmonellosis associated with raw, frozen, microwaveable, breaded, pre-browned, stuffed chicken products were identified in Minnesota. In 1998, 33 SalmonellaTyphimurium cases were associated with a single brand of Chicken Kiev. In 2005, four SalmonellaHeidelberg cases were associated with a different brand and variety (Chicken Broccoli and Cheese). From 2005 to 2006, 27 SalmonellaEnteritidis cases were associated with multiple varieties of product, predominately of the same brand involved in the 1998 outbreak. In 2006, three SalmonellaTyphimurium cases were associated with the same brand of product involved in the 2005 SalmonellaHeidelberg outbreak. The outbreak serotype and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis subtype of Salmonellawere isolated from product in each outbreak. In these outbreaks, most individuals affected thought that the product was precooked due to its breaded and prebrowned nature, most used a microwave oven, most did not follow package cooking instructions, and none took the internal temperature of the cooked product. Similar to previous salmonellosis outbreaks associated with raw, breaded chicken nuggets or strips in Canada and Australia, inadequate labeling, consumer responses to labeling, and microwave cooking were the key factors in the occurrence of these outbreaks. Modification of labels, verification of cooking instructions by the manufacturer, and notifications to alert the public that these products contain raw poultry, implemented because of the first two outbreaks, did not prevent the other outbreaks. Microwave cooking is not recommended as a preparation method for these types of products, unless they are precooked or irradiated prior to sale.

Steaks have not been recognized as an important vehicle of Escherichia coliO157:H7 infection. During 11 to 27 June 2003, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) identified four O157 infection cases with the same pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) subtype. All four case patients consumed brand A vacuum packed frozen steaks sold by door-to-door vendors. The steaks were blade tenderized and injected with marinade (i.e., nonintact). Information from single case patients in Michigan and Kansas identified through PulseNet confirmed the outbreak. The MDH issued a press release on 27 June to warn consumers, prompting a nationwide recall of 739,000 lb (335,506 kg) of frozen beef products. The outbreak resulted in six culture-confirmed cases (including one with hemolytic uremic syndrome) and two probable cases in Minnesota and single confirmed cases in four other states. The outbreak PFGE subtype of O157 was isolated from unopened brand A bacon-wrapped fillets from five affected Minnesota households. A fillet from one affected household was partially cooked in the laboratory, and the same O157 subtype was isolated from the uncooked interior. The tenderizing and injection processes likely transferred O157 from the surface to the interior of the steaks. These processing methods create new challenges for prevention of O157 infection. Food regulatory officials should reevaluate safety issues presented by nonintact steak products, such as microbiologic hazards of processing methods, possible labeling to distinguish intact from nonintact steaks, and education of the public and commercial food establishments on the increased risk associated with undercooked nonintact steaks. Information on single cases of O157 infection in individual states identified through PulseNet can be critical in solving multistate outbreaks in a timely manner.

Nitric oxide is generated in vivo by nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) during the conversion of L-Arg to citrulline. Using a variety of biological systems and approaches emerging evidence has been accumulated for the occurrence of a mitochondrial NOS (mtNOS), identified as the alpha isoform of neuronal or NOS-1. Under physiological conditions, the production of nitric oxide by mitochondria has an important implication for the maintenance of the cellular metabolism, i.e. modulates the oxygen consumption of the organelles through the competitive (with oxygen) and reversible inhibition of cytochrome c oxidase. The transient inhibition suits the continuously changing energy and oxygen requirements of the tissue; it is a short-term regulation with profound pathophysiological consequences. This review describes the identification of mtNOS and the role of posttranslational modifications on mtNOS' activity and regulation.

We reported that the generation of nitric oxide by mitochondria is catalyzed by a constitutive, mitochondrial nitric-oxide synthase (mtNOS). Given that this production may establish the basis for a novel regulatory pathway of energy metabolism, oxygen consumption, and oxygen free radical production, it becomes imperative to identify unequivocally and characterize this enzyme to provide a basis for its regulation. The mitochondrial localization of mtNOS was supported by following the hepatic distribution of mtNOS, immunoblotting submitochondrial fractions, and immunohistochemistry of liver tissues. mtNOS was identified as brain NOSα by various methods (mass spectrometry of proteolytic fragments, amino acid analysis, molecular weight, pI, and analysis of PCR fragments), excluding the occurrence of a novel isoform or other splice variants. Distribution of mtNOS transcript indicated its occurrence in liver, brain, heart, muscle, kidney, lung, testis, and spleen. In contrast to brain NOS, mtNOS has two post-translational modifications: acylation with myristic acid and phosphorylation at the C terminus. The former modification is a reversible and post-translational process, which may serve for subcellular targeting or membrane anchoring. The latter modification could be linked to enzymatic regulation. These results are discussed in terms of the role that nitric oxide may have in cellular bioenergetics.

A longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging investigation of lumbar disc degeneration in asymptomatic individuals was conducted.