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The present study aims to investigate whether the two kinds of employee inactivity, namely procrastination and recovery at work can be empirically distinguished. Online survey data collected from 116 Dutch white-collar employees were analyzed in terms of (a) the factorial distinction of recovery and procrastination (internal validity evidence) and (b) their association with performance and work engagement (external validity evidence). The results of confirmatory factory analysis revealed the best fit for the model in which recovery and subdimensions of procrastination (soldiering and cyberslacking) loading to separate latent constructs. Moreover, recovery was positively related to work engagement and performance, whereas, procrastination did not show any significant relationship to these two concepts. In sum, findings of this study suggest that employee non-work related activity during work hours can be differentiated empirically. These results enhance the workplace procrastination literature by providing further validation evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Black Death is the textbook villain when it comes to the study o f historical diseases and to the general public it remains a thought-provoking subject. To illustrate, in 2 0 17 o ver three million viewers accessed the English Wikipedia's Black Death page, compared to present-day Ebola which only had less than one million. Despite the wide drawing power o f the Black Death, some o f its most basic characteristics are still debated in academic circles. The focus o f this paper will be on the severity o f the Black Death and recurring plague outbreaks in the Southern Netherlands. More specifically it will reflect on the general assumption that plague evolved from a 'universal killer' to a more seleetive and less severe disease over time. Due to the scarcity o f late medieval sources and a lack o f quantifiable indicators, little is known about the causal mechanisms at work during the late Middle Ages.This paper offers a newly-compiled da tabase o f 2 5 ,6 10 individuals that died between 1 3 4 9 - 14 5 0 in the County o f Hainaut to test a number of assumptions on th e selectivity and severity o f late medieval plague outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although recent work has begun to establish that early modern plagues had selective mortality effects, it was generally accepted that the initial outbreak of Black Death in 1347-52 was a 'universal killer.' Recent bioarchaeological work, however, has argued that the Black Death was also selective with regard to age and pre-plague health status. The issue of the Black Death's potential sex selectivity is less clear. Bioarchaeological research hypothesizes that sex-selection in mortality was possible during the initial Black Death outbreak, and we present evidence from historical sources to test this notion. Objective To determine whether the Black Death and recurring plagues in the period 1349-1450 had a sex-selective mortality effect. Materials and Methods We present a newly compiled database of mortality information taken from mortmain records in Hainaut, Belgium, in the period 1349-1450, which not only is an important new source of information on medieval mortality, but also allows for sex-disaggregation. Results We find that the Black Death period of 1349-51, as well as recurring plagues in the 100 years up to 1450, often had a sex-selective effect-killing more women than in 'non-plague years.' Discussion Although much research tends to suggest that men are more susceptible to a variety of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites, we cannot assume that the same direction of sex-selection in mortality applied to diseases in the distant past such as Second Pandemic plagues. While the exact reasons for the sex-selective effect of late-medieval plague are unclear in the absence of further data, we suggest that simple inequities between the sexes in exposure to the disease may not have been a key driver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To validate a newly introduced classification system for the registration of perinatal mortality. Design: Descriptive. Setting: Dutch Healthcare region Delft-Westland-Oostland (DWO). Material and methods: In a 10-years period (1983–1992), all cases of perinatal death with a birthweight above 500 g (n=239) were included into the study. Six assessors: four gynaecologists and two paediatricians were asked to classify all cases using a classification model proposed by the authors. This model is based on the underlying cause of death using simple principles of obstetrical and neonatal pathology: birth trauma, infection, placenta or cord pathology, pathology of immune tolerance of mother and fetus, congenital malformation of the fetus and complications of a pre-viable delivery. Therefore, we used the term fundamental classification. The six assessors worked independently of each other in classifying all cases of perinatal death, were not involved in the original development of the system and were unaware of the results of the classification of their colleagues. Agreement beyond chance between assessors was calculated using kappa’s coefficient for multiple observers and multiple test results. Results: Overall kappa was 0.70 (95% confidence interval (C.I.) 0.68–0.72). Reproducibility was poor for the categories trauma and unclassifiable, fair for the categories infections and placental/cord pathology, and very good to excellent for the categories maternal immune system pathology, congenital malformations and complications of prematurity. Conclusions: The proposed system showed a good level of agreement and appeared to be simply applicable. It offers a good insight in the underlying cause of death with the possibility for recognising preventive factors in future pregnancies and will enable (inter)national comparisons in causes of perinatal death. A reliable uniform registration of perinatal death based on the underlying causes should be the basis for improvement of the quality of perinatal care. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To classify 239 cases of perinatal death in a newly introduced classification system for underlying causes of perinatal death. Design: Prospective, descriptive. Setting: Dutch healthcare region Delft–Westland–Oostland (DWO). Materials and methods: In 10 years (1983–1992), all cases of perinatal death with a birthweight above 500 g (n=239) were included into the study. We used a classification model based upon the underlying cause of death using simple principles of obstetrical and neonatal pathology. A team consisting of a gynaecologist, neonatologist and pathologist classified all cases of perinatal death into seven groups to determine the “most-probable” cause of death. Results: Birth trauma was seen in two cases (0.8%). Infections were seen in 16 cases (6.8%). Acute/subacute placental pathology in 77 cases (32.2%) and chronic placental pathology in 50 cases (21%). Bloodtype antagonism was seen in two cases (0.8%). Lethal congenital malformations in 55 cases (23%). Complications of pre-viable delivery in 20 cases (8.4%). Unclassifiable were 17 cases (7%): two cases could not be classified despite thorough investigation (1%) and 15 cases were lost for follow-up (6%). Conclusions: Classification of perinatal death causes by using our fundamental classification system gives insight in the possible underlying causes of death. The results of such a classification can be used as guidelines for preventive measures in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To establish the distribution of perinatal mortality over the various levels of obstetrical care, taking into account the various causes of perinatal mortality., Design: Prospective, descriptive., Methods: Data were collected on all parturitions of women living in the region Delft-Westland-Oostland (DWO), the Netherlands, during the period 1983-1992, regardless of the ultimate setting of the parturition. A prospective regional registration system for perinatal mortality in the region was matched with the registration by the Central Statistics Office (CBS). With anonymous linking, duplicatures could be excluded. The causes of death were assessed by a gynaecologist, a paediatrician and a child pathologist. It was determined for all cases of perinatal mortality whether the antenatal care had been under the final responsibility of a midwife or a general practitioner (primary care), either at home or in the outpatient clinic, or under the final responsibility of a gynaecologist (secondary care)., Results: In the decade studied, 28,983 children were born in the DWO region; 51% under primary care management. The actual perinatal mortality of the region was calculated as amounting to at least 247 cases (0.85%). In 26% (n = 64) of these, the childbirth was managed under primary care responsibility, in 43% (n = 106) after risk selection from primary to secondary care, in 14% (n = 34) under the exclusive responsibility of secondary care and in 17% (n = 43) after risk selection from secondary to tertiary care. The most frequent causes of death were progressive placental insufficiency and lethal congenital anomalies., Conclusions: The results show that further decrease of perinatal mortality may be achieved by risk selection (in primary care) with regard to lethal congenital anomalies and acute or progressive placental abnormalities. The perinatal mortality is so low (0.85%) that further medicalization of childbirth may be expected to contribute only little to a further decrease of the perinatal mortality figures.

Objective: : To determine the precise contribution of congenital malformations to perinatal mortality in a region., Design: Prospective, descriptive., Setting: Region, Delft-Westland-Oostland (DWO) in the Netherlands., Material and Methods: The registration was based on data concerning all deliveries of women domiciled in the health region DWO of the Netherlands. The incidence and contribution of congenital malformations to perinatal death was evaluated by a team consisting of a gynaecologist. a paediatrician and a paediatric pathologist. Malformations were classified as lethal or nonlethal and recorded separately for stillbirth (from 28 weeks gestation) and liveborn infants with 7-day follow-up., Results: In 10 years (1993-1992) 28983 children were born in the region DWO. The perinatal mortality was calculated as 247 cases (0.85%). The overall incidence of congenital malformations in the perinatal death-group was 33%. Lethal congenital malformations were found in 51% of the cases in the stillbirth-group and 70% of the cases in the neonatal death-group. Congenital malformations of the central nervous system are mostly lethal in the stillbirth-group (45%). Cardiovascular- and pulmonary-defects were more prominent in the neonatal period (27% and 33% respectively of the neonatal deaths). Uro-genital and minor malformations (miscellaneous) are more often seen in perinatal deaths without being a contributor to the cause of death., Conclusions: As most congenital malformations are multifactorial in origin, it is in the understanding and control of such conditions that efforts and resources should now be turned. Through a detailed postmortem fetal and placental examination and clinical-pathological correlations lethal congenital malformations were found in 51% in stillbirths (mainly central nervous system) and 70% in neonates (mainly cardiovascular and pulmonary defects).

Objective: To determine the reliability of the Dutch registration of causes of perinatal death by the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS, Central Statistics Office)., Design: Prospective, descriptive., Setting: Region Delft-Westland-Oostland, the Netherlands., Material and Methods: The registration was based on data concerning all deliveries of women domiciled in the region, irrespective of the ultimate place of delivery, during 1983-1992. By linking, in retrospect, a prospective regional registration system for perinatal mortality within the region anonymously to the CBS registration, the reliability of the latter registration with regard to the causes of death was determined. To establish the causes of death, all available data were judged by a team consisting of a gynaecologist, a paediatrician and a paediatric pathologist. The diagnoses were classified with the aid of the International Classification of Diseases 9 (ICD-9)., Results: In 10 years, 28983 children were born in the region. Over this period, the CBS recorded 227 cases of perinatal mortality. The actual perinatal mortality was calculated as at least 247 cases. In 32% of the cases of stillbirth, the cause of death was not known at the CBS. Of the 82 cases in which the CBS had recorded a diagnosis, the causes of death were in agreement with those found in the regional study in 46%. Of the first-week mortality, the diagnosis was unknown at the CBS in one case and of the remaining 76 cases, the registration of the cause of death was the same in 68% of the cases., Conclusions: Registration of the causes of death regarding perinatal mortality and particularly stillbirth by the CBS shows gaps, mostly due to incorrect reporting of the cause of death by the treating physician or autopsist, due to the fact that at the time of notification the morbid-anatomical diagnosis and/or laboratory data were not complete. For the study of the backgrounds of perinatal mortality the current CBS registration of causes of death appears unsuitable.