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Introduction: Choroideremia and RPGR-associated retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are two distinct inherited rod-cone degenerations, where good visual acuity (VA) is maintained until late disease stages, limiting its usefulness as a disease marker. Low luminance VA and low luminance deficit (standard VA minus low luminance VA) may be more sensitive visual function measures. Methods: Standard VA was obtained using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letter charts (Precision Vision, Bloomington, IL, USA). Low luminance VA was assessed using a 2.0-log unit neutral density filter, with the same chart setup, without formal dark adaptation. Mean central retinal sensitivity was assessed using MAIA microperimetry (Centervue SpA, Padova, Italy). Optical coherence tomography imaging was attained with Heidelberg Eye Explorer software (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). Results: Twenty-four male participants with confirmed pathogenic RPGR mutations, 44 male participants with confirmed pathogenic CHM mutations, and 62 age-matched controls underwent clinical assessment prior to clinical trial recruitment. Low luminance VA was significantly reduced in both disease groups compared to controls. The low luminance deficit correlated with microperimetry retinal sensitivity and ellipsoid zone width. Eleven participants with moderate VA had poor low luminance VA (subsequently a large low luminance deficit), no detectable microperimetry sensitivity, and severely constricted ellipsoid zone widths. Conclusions:Low luminance VA and subsequently low luminance deficit are useful markers of central macular visual function in both choroideremia and RPGR-associated RP, when standard VA is preserved. Translational Relevance: Low luminance visual acuity and low luminance deficit are useful vision measures in two distinct rod-cone degenerations and may be useful in other retinal degenerations.

American beavers (Castor canadensis) are emblematic of diverse and dynamic freshwater ecosystems across North America. Numerous studies have described positive associations between beaver-modified habitats and biodiversity across a wide range of taxa. Yet few studies have documented biodiversity associated with the epicenter of beaver-modified habitats – the beaver lodge. We used an internet-connected, solar-powered, time-lapse camera system to examine daily and seasonal temporal partitioning amongst vertebrate taxa that visited an American beaver lodge in south-central Nebraska over 9 mo. We observed at least 28 species on the lodge, and many organisms were present during discrete daily and seasonal time periods. These observations provide a more holistic view of a widely recognized, yet understudied, component of beaver-modified habitats. Future use of similar visual-recording systems may reveal that other animal structures, such as burrows, nests, and hives, are prominent ecosystem components in the wild.

Purpose: The measurement of standard visual acuity (VA) is the most well‐known part of any ophthalmic examination to indicate visual function. Despite this, it is insensitive in detecting early disease changes. Therefore, other visual function tests have been developed including low luminance VA (LLVA) and low luminance deficit (LLD). This scoping literature review aims to summarise the current published applications of LLVA and LLD assessments to evaluate their utility as clinical markers and research outcome measures in a variety of ophthalmic conditions. Recent findings: Sixty‐five peer‐reviewed publications were included. LLVA was pioneered for use in geographic atrophy, a subtype of age‐related macular degeneration, which remains the mainstay of its clinical application. However, other studies have reported additional useful applications in inherited retinal diseases including rare maculopathies and rod‐cone dystrophies. Although there are some variations in testing methodology, use of the standard Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart with a 2.0 log unit neutral density filter is the most popular approach. The optimal testing luminance is still to be defined. Summary: Overall, LLVA is an earlier clinical marker of change in central retinal function than standard VA. It has been shown to be a risk factor for disease progression and a better indicator of a patient’s level of everyday visual function. It is inexpensive and simple to implement using readily available standard ophthalmic equipment.

Data were collected using multimodal monitoring technologies pairing sound recorders with time-lapse camera systems. In the spring of 2015, 2016, and 2017, sound recordings and imagery were collected at a wet meadow and forested slough in the Central Platte River Valley of Nebraska. Boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata) calling activity was obtained from analysing sound recordings. Habitat metrics including vegetation phenology and wet meadow hydropattern were derived from image analysis. This dataset can be used to assess phenology, anuran vocalization activity, and environmental change, as well as to further understanding of wetland ecology. Data are co-submitted with manuscript Brinley Buckley, E. M., Gottesman, B. L., Caven, A. J., Harner, M. J., and Pijanowski, B. C., Assessing ecological and environmental influences on Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata) spring calling phenology using multimodal passive monitoring technologies. Ecological Indicators (In Press).

Loss of photoreceptors cause degeneration in areas of the retina beyond the photoreceptors. The pattern of changes has implications for disease monitoring and measurement of functional changes. The aim of the study was to study the changes in inner retinal structure associated with photoreceptor disease, and the impact of these on microperimetry threshold.This retrospective cohort study was conducted on optical coherence tomography (OCT) images and microperimetry tests collected between 2013 and 2019. 22 eyes withCentral 1° photoreceptor layer and inner retinal thickness were 96±34 and 139±75 μm inOCT shows evidence of remodelling in the inner retinal layers secondary to photoreceptor disease. This appears to have an impact on microperimetry threshold measurements.

An organization's success in recruiting, selecting, and retaining employees can be attributed, in part, to reactions to a firm's CSR activities. Today, organizations appear to be more frequently pursuing CSR initiatives that are related to social issues. Unlike CSR initiatives which are unrelated to social issues, those that are attached to social causes are more likely to be perceived as controversial. Consequently, how individuals view such actions can impact their perceptions of the firm and may lead to changes in individual behavior. Grounding this work in social identity theory, we explore the effect controversial CSR actions can have on HRM functions. The goal of this effort is to explore and delineate how this shift in CSR may alter the nature of the CSR-HRM relationship and to examine the potential implications for HRM practice. Future directions for research and HRM practice are discussed.

On 21 August 2017, a total solar eclipse crossed the continental United States, providing a unique natural experiment to observe how wildlife and plants respond to rapid and drastic changes in photic conditions using a multi-modal suite of tools. We installed passive time-lapse and infrared cameras, sound recorders, and data loggers in the Central Platte River Valley of Nebraska to study this phenomenon. The eclipse lasted about three hours, and complete obscuration of the sun (totality) lasted for about 2 min and 30 sec. Light values, measured with time-lapse camera systems, decreased 67% on average during totality relative to the daily mean light value. Ambient temperatures decreased by 6.7 °C on average (12% of the daily mean) approximately 11–16 min after totality; concurrently, humidity increased by an average of 12% of the daily mean. We found evidence for altered acoustic activity in response to the eclipse, including site and species-specific changes in the call activities of late season breeding birds and insects in the orders orthoptera and hemiptera. In addition, acoustic indices were differentially correlated with changes in photic and thermal conditions. However, we did not observe changes in flowering plants nor detect bat activity at known night roost and foraging areas. Historically, observations during rare occurrences, such as a total solar eclipse, were anecdotal or limited in scope, and thus, how they changed the light, sound, and meteorological conditions on the landscape were difficult to validate and measure. In comparison, anthropogenic disturbances, including impacts from light pollution and climate change, often take place slowly over long periods, and therefore, can be complex and challenging to assess. Documentation of this stochastic occurrence, with an immediate change in environmental conditions, highlights the utility of passive multimedia technologies to increase our capacity to monitor ecosystem dynamics and chronicle the variations of abiotic properties of a landscape and concomitant responses of organisms with varying sensory abilities.

The datasets in this article are associated with the research article ‘Assessing biological and environmental effects of a total solar eclipse with passive multimodal technologies’ (Brinley Buckley et al., 2018). We documented biotic and abiotic changes during a total solar eclipse on 21 August 2017, in south-central Nebraska, USA, with a multimodal suite of tools, including time-lapse camera systems, data loggers, and sound recording devices. Time-lapse images were used to approximate changes in light, data loggers were used to record temperature and humidity, and sound recordings were used to calculate acoustic indices characterizing variation in the soundscape, as well as to manually identify and estimate avian vocalization activity.

Ex-offenders comprise a significant percentage of the labor force but frequently face stigmatization at work. Previous research on the ex-offender stigma has focused almost exclusively on its deleterious implications during the selection process. We seek to provide insight by adopting a cross-disciplinary approach and drawing from theoretical foundations in social psychology to present a model of the process and outcomes of the stigmatization of ex-offenders in organizations. In doing so, we outline the relationships between stigmatization, labeling, stereotyping, and treatment discrimination in the employee-observer relationship, to suggest how stigma leads to employee outcomes such as reduced performance and satisfaction as well as higher turnover. Further, we offer critical boundary conditions along each step of the process and discuss strategies that ex-offenders can use to manage their stigma as well as organizational practices that may help employers and managers avoid negative outcomes for ex-offender employees.

More than a decade ago, scholars formally conceptualized the potential synergy between leadership and entrepreneurship scholarship. Our work highlights research accomplishments occurring at the interface of these two intellectual areas as well as identifying untapped possibilities for continued research. We highlight how recent efforts have witnessed a mutual exchange of ideas that present opportunities benefiting both fields. Drawing from four key domains of entrepreneurship previously proposed to mutually inform future leadership research efforts, we make suggestions for integrating entrepreneurial opportunities, the roles of individual and entrepreneurial teams, the modes of organizing entrepreneurial ventures, and differing entrepreneurial environments with key trends important to leadership research, such as servant leadership and leader-member exchange theory. Overall, our work provides an assessment of the state of the art surrounding the coalescence of leadership and entrepreneurship research and sets an agenda for the next decade of research at this intersection.

Drawing from positive organizational behavior, psychological capital has been shown to be a beneficial resource allowing leaders to remain positive and future-oriented. While having hope, optimism, confidence, and resilience are particularly effective in periods of great risk and uncertainty, extreme environments likely affect leaders’ psychological capital, as evidenced by changes to these comprising factors. Answering several recent calls for historical and narrative-based approaches to leadership in extreme events, we use content analysis and historiometrics in the case of Benjamin Montgomery, the first African American plantation owner in the post–Civil War U.S. South, who faced a sequence of extreme events after purchasing the plantation on which he was formerly a slave. We triangulate our examination through the letters Montgomery penned to his former owner Joseph Davis—the older brother of Confederacy President Jefferson Davis, records on the focal actors, and historical documents from the period. We then reconstruct and examine the relative contextual severity and its impact on Montgomery’s psychological capital across a 6-year period directly following the Civil War (1865-1870). We find that while unfamiliar extreme episodes erode leader psychological capital, those resources are restored when such periods are overcome and experience is gained. We also reconsider psychological capital as a profile multidimensional construct and show underlying pairs of dimensions, which we label as overt positivity (optimism and resilience) and realistic positivity (hope and confidence), trend similarly yet remain distinct from the other pair. The implications of these findings and future directions are then discussed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the business world in historic proportions. Whereas the short-term effects have been felt by many, the long-term effects of the pandemic will likely create paradigm shifts of unknown impact. The novelty of this situation has had drastic and potentially lasting organizational effects. We use existing research to explore and presage the effects of these paradigm shifts across multiple domains including: job security, financial consequences, remote work, worker wellbeing, and career attitudes. By exploring the implications in each area of business, the hope is that researchers and practitioners can better prepare for a post-pandemic future.

In vivo bioluminescent imaging allows the detection of reporter gene expression in rodents in real time. Here we describe a novel technology whereby we can generate somatotransgenic rodents with the use of a viral vector carrying a luciferase transgene. We are able to achieve long term luciferase expression by a single injection of lentiviral or adeno-associated virus vectors to newborn mice. Further, we describe whole body bioluminescence imaging of conscious mice in a noninvasive manner, thus enforcing the 3R's (replacement, reduction, and refinement) of biomedical animal research.

In vivo bioluminescent imaging allows the detection of reporter gene expression in rodents in real time. Here we describe a novel technology whereby we can generate somatotransgenic rodents with the use of a viral vector carrying a luciferase transgene. We are able to achieve long term luciferase expression by a single injection of lentiviral or adeno-associated virus vectors to newborn mice. Further, we describe whole body bioluminescence imaging of conscious mice in a noninvasive manner, thus enforcing the 3R’s (replacement, reduction, and refinement) of biomedical animal research.

Purpose Mean retinal sensitivity is the main output measure used in microperimetry. It is, however, of limited use in patients with poor vision because averaging is weighted toward zero in those with significant scotomas creating an artificial floor effect. In contrast, volumetric measures avoid these issues and are displayed graphically as a hill of vision. Methods An open-source program was created to manipulate raw sensitivity threshold data files obtained from MAIA microperimetry. Thin plate spline interpolated heat maps and three-dimensional hill of vision plots with an associated volume were generated. Retrospective analyses of microperimetry volumes were undertaken in patients with a range of retinal diseases to assess the qualitative benefits of three-dimensional visualization and volumetric measures. Simulated pathology was applied to radial grid patterns to investigate the performance of volumetric sensitivity in nonuniform grids. Results Volumetric analyses from microperimetry in RPGR-related retinitis pigmentosa, choroideremia, Stargardt disease, and age-related macular degeneration were analyzed. In simulated nonuniform testing grids, volumetric sensitivity was able to detect differences in retinal sensitivity where mean sensitivity could not. Conclusions Volumetric measures do not suffer from averaging issues and demonstrate superior performance in nonuniform testing grids. Additionally, volume measures enable detection of localized retinal sensitivity changes that might otherwise be undetectable in a mean change. Translational relevance As microperimetry has become an outcome measure in several gene-therapy clinical trials, three-dimensional visualization and volumetric sensitivity enables a complementary analysis of baseline disease characteristics and subsequent response to treatment, both as a signal of safety and efficacy.

Scholars and practitioners alike have recognized that younger workers, collectively known as Millennials or GenMe, are different from workers in prior generations. Employees of this generation hold different expectations regarding the centrality of work to their lives and bring different personalities and attitudes to the workforce. As the number of Millennials in the workforce grows each year, the divide between them and their older counterparts becomes more salient, posing unique challenges for organizational leaders. In this paper, we explore how these changes may force the need for reconsideration of five of the most frequently used leadership theories in an effort to understand important boundary conditions and how leadership research must evolve to keep pace with a changing workforce.

A common management task in organizations is decision making, and some of the most important decisions made by business leaders are those that involve an ethical component. This study utilizes historiometric methods to explore the ethical decision making processes of business leaders in order to improve outcomes. We identify a series of cognitive biases and metacognitive strategies and explore their effects on leader ethical decision making using a sensemaking model. The impact of biases and strategies at each stage of the sensemaking model is used to identify ways business leaders can improve ethical decision making. Implications for using the sensemaking model in ethical decision making are discussed.

Time banditry recently has been introduced as a distinct construct in the counterproductive work behavior literature. Employees are engaged in time banditry when they pursue non–task-related activities during work time. We posit that they capitalize on the ambiguity in most work environments to manage impressions that their time banditry behavior really is productive and not counterproductive work behavior. In this investigation, two studies were conducted to explore variables that can be used to classify time bandits into four different categories. Discriminant function analysis was used to determine individual-level and job-level factors that classify time bandits. Results revealed that both situational and dispositional variables can be used to predict time bandit type. Suggestions for future research and implications for managing, reducing, and changing time banditry behaviors are discussed.

Digital cameras can collect quantitative leaf data, such as chlorophyll content and leaf area index LAI, because they act as a simple broadband radiometer. However, a cross-calibration between cameras is needed for the purpose of extracting vegetation information from various image repositories. The objective of this study was to examine the variation between multiple consumer-grade camera types – single reflex lens SLR, point-and-shoot, and cellphone cameras – for the purpose of collecting reliable quantitative data when monitoring vegetation. The specific objectives were to: 1 identify the optimal light conditions for the calibration procedure, 2 determine the variability of exposure value EV-corrected calibrated digital numbers cDNev values among eight consumer-grade digital cameras, and 3 compare the cDNev values with the raw digital numbers DN, exposure-adjusted digital numbers DNev, and calibrated digital numbers cDN as these latter three components are easier to compute. This study demonstrated that light intensity was important for calibrating cameras to ensure sensor saturation, and that an improper white-balance setting can negatively impact data collection. In one experiment, the coefficient of variation CV between the eight cameras examined in the study was reduced from 29% using raw DN to 16% using cDNev values. Likewise, the root mean square error in estimating leaf chlorophyll-a using a common vegetation index for digital camera, excess green index EGI, was reduced from 131 to 96 mg g−2. However, for both experiments, there was only a weak statistical difference between cDNev and DNev, indicating that exposure information was the most useful in minimizing the differences between cameras. Although digital cameras are not nearly as accurate as specialized remote-sensing equipment, they do offer the potential for greater collection opportunities. This study demonstrates the potential of using consumer-grade digital cameras to derive quantitative information from citizen science projects.

Bioluminescence imaging enables noninvasive quantification of luciferase reporter gene expression in transgenic tissues of living rodents. Luciferase transgene expression can be regulated by endogenous gene promoters after targeted knock-in of the reporter gene, usually within the first intron of the gene. Even using CRISPR/Cas9 mediated genome editing this can be a time consuming and costly process. The generation of germline transgenic (GLT) rodents by targeted genomic integration of a gene expression cassette in embryonic stem (ES) cells is commonplace but results in the wastage of large numbers of animals during colony generation, back-crossing and maintenance. Using a synthetic/truncated promoter-driven luciferase gene to study promoter activity in a given tissue or organ of a GLT also often results in unwanted background luciferase activity during whole-body bioluminescent imaging as every cell contains the reporter. We have developed somatotransgenic bioimaging; a method to generate tissue-restricted transcription factor activated luciferase reporter (TFAR) cassettes in rodents that substantially reduces the number of animals required for experimentation. Bespoke designed TFARs are delivered to newborn pups using viral vectors targeted to specific organs by tissue-tropic pseudotypes. Retention and proliferation of TFARs is facilitated by stem/progenitor cell transduction and immune tolerance to luciferase due to the naïve neonatal immune system. We have successfully applied both lentiviral and adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors in longitudinal rodent studies, targeting TFARs to the liver and brain during normal development and in well-established disease models. Development of somatotransgenic animals has broad applicability to non-invasively determine mechanistic insights into homeostatic and disease states and assess toxicology and efficacy testing. Somatotransgenic bioimaging technology is superior to current whole-body, light-emitting transgenic models as it reduces the numbers of animals used by generating only the required number of animals. It is also a refinement over current technologies given the ability to use conscious, unrestrained animals.

Over 80% of the Mid-Continent Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) Population (MCP), estimated at over 660,000 individuals, stops in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) during spring migration from mid-February through mid-April. Research suggests that the MCP may be shifting its distribution spatially and temporally within the CPRV. From 2002 to 2017, we conducted weekly aerial surveys of Sandhill Cranes staging in the CPRV to examine temporal and spatial trends in their abundance and distribution. Then, we used winter temperature and drought severity measures from key wintering and early migratory stopover locations to assess the impacts of weather patterns on annual migration chronology in the CPRV. We also evaluated channel width and land cover characteristics using aerial imagery from 1938, 1998, and 2016 to assess the relationship between habitat change and the spatial distribution of the MCP in the CPRV. We used generalized linear models, cumulative link models, and Akaike's information criterion corrected for small sample sizes (AICc) to compare temporal and spatial models. Temperatures and drought conditions at wintering and migration locations that are heavily used by Greater Sandhill Cranes (A. c. tabida) best predicted migration chronology of the MCP to the CPRV. The spatial distribution of roosting Sandhill Cranes from 2015 to 2017 was best predicted by the proportion of width reduction in the main channel since 1938 (rather than its width in 2016) and the proportion of land cover as prairie-meadow habitat within 800 m of the Platte River. Our data suggest that Sandhill Cranes advanced their migration by an average of just over 1 day per year from 2002 to 2017, and that they continued to shift eastward, concentrating at eastern reaches of the CPRV. Climate change, land use change, and habitat loss have all likely contributed to Sandhill Cranes coming earlier and staying longer in fewer reaches of the CPRV, increasing their site use intensity. These historically unprecedented densities may present a disease risk to Sandhill Cranes and other waterbirds, including Whooping Cranes (Grus americana). Our models suggest that conservation actions may be maintaining Sandhill Crane densities in areas that would otherwise be declining in use. We suggest that management actions intended to mitigate trends in the distribution of Sandhill Cranes, including wet meadow restoration, may similarly benefit prairie- and braided river–endemic species of concern.

Background Intimal hyperplasia (IH) is the most common indicator for secondary intervention in peripheral vascular disease. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a role in IH development due to their degradation of the extracellular matrix. Doxycycline (Doxy), a member of the tetracycline family of antibiotics, is a potent MMP inhibitor. We have previously shown that Doxy inhibits MMP activity and vascular smooth muscle cell migration in vitro. We hypothesized that Doxy would decrease MMP activity in vivo and inhibit the development of IH in a rodent model of vascular injury. Methods and Results Doxy (400 mg/pellet) was delivered by a slow-release pellet implanted 3 days prior to or at the time of balloon angioplasty (BA) of the common carotid artery in female rats. At 14 days post-BA, intima-to-media (I:M) ratios were 0.77 ± 0.21 and 1.04 ± 0.32 in the Doxy treated groups, respectively, compared to 1.25 ± 0.26 in the control group (P = not significant; n = 3). Additionally, the tested dose of Doxy in either group had no inhibitory effect on membrane type 1-MMP or MMP-2 tissue levels, as measured by immunohistochemistry, or on systemic levels of MMP, as measured by total MMP serum levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. At 14 days post-BA, VSMC proliferation in the injured artery was increased to Doxy treatment prior to and at the time of surgery (23.5 ± 3.4 and 27.2 ± 3.9%, respectively), compared to control (11.4 ± 0.4%; n = 3), as measured by proliferating cellular nuclear antigen immunostaining. Conclusions In our in vivo model of vascular injury, systemic Doxy administration prior to or at the time of vascular injury does not significantly hinder the progression of IH development. Additional doses and routes of administration could be examined in order to correlate therapeutic serum levels of Doxy with effective MMP inhibition in serum and arterial tissue. However, alternative drug delivery systems are needed in order to optimize therapeutic administration of targeted MMP inhibitors for the prevention of IH development.

We have previously designed a library of lentiviral vectors to generate somatic-transgenic rodents to monitor signalling pathways in diseased organs using whole-body bioluminescence imaging, in conscious, freely moving rodents. We have now expanded this technology to adeno-associated viral vectors. We first explored bio-distribution by assessing GFP expression after neonatal intravenous delivery of AAV8. We observed widespread gene expression in, central and peripheral nervous system, liver, kidney and skeletal muscle. Next, we selected a constitutive SFFV promoter and NFκB binding sequence for bioluminescence and biosensor evaluation.An intravenous injection of AAV8 containing firefly luciferase and eGFP under transcriptional control of either element resulted in strong and persistent widespread luciferase expression. A single dose of LPS-induced a 10-fold increase in luciferase expression in AAV8-NFκB mice and immunohistochemistry revealed GFP expression in cells of astrocytic and neuronal morphology. Importantly, whole-body bioluminescence persisted up to 240 days.To further restrict biosensor activity to the CNS, we performed intracerebroventricular injection of each vector. We observed greater restriction of bioluminescence to the head and spine with both vectors. Immunohistochemistry revealed strongest expression in cells of neuronal morphology. LPS administration stimulated a 4-fold increase over baseline bioluminescence.We have validated a novel biosensor technology in an AAV system by using an NFκB response element and revealed its potential to monitor signalling pathway in a non-invasive manner using a model of LPS-induced inflammation. This technology employs the 3R’s of biomedical animal research, complements existing germline-transgenic models and may be applicable to other rodent disease models with the use of different response elements.

Charismatic rhetoric represents an important tool for leaders to articulate their respective visions. However, much of the research to date on this construct has yet to consider how the eight separate dimensions of charismatic rhetoric may be used in conjunction with one another to form distinctive profiles of charismatic leadership influence. Thus, the present investigation explored the interplay of the individual dimensions using content analysis of the 1960–2012 United States presidential debates. Cluster analysis revealed the emergence of four distinctive rhetorical strategies, one of which was more strongly related to the prediction of influence success as measured by presidential election outcomes. Results suggest that conceptualizing charismatic rhetoric as a multidimensional profile construct represents a valuable area for subsequent research on charismatic rhetoric, and several possible directions are suggested.

Expatriate assignments are one of the primary tools used by organizations to extend their influence on an international level. While potentially of great value if they succeed, there are significant costs to both the organization and individual if they do not. Because of the high risk nature of expatriate assignments, there has been significant interest in interventions to increase the likelihood of their success. One underexplored area in the expatriate literature relates to expatriate expectations and acculturation experiences. We first review the literature regarding the major expectation-based interventions, including realistic job previews (RJPs), realistic living condition previews (RLCPs), and expectation lowering procedures (ELPs), and then develop a theoretical model of these interventions in the context of expatriates. Building upon this model, we suggest several important theoretical and practical questions that deserve future attention.

A dual-processing model of moral whistleblowing in organizations is proposed. In this theory paper, moral whistleblowing is described as a unique type of whistleblowing that is undertaken by individuals that see themselves as moral agents and are primarily motivated to blow the whistle by a sense of moral duty. At the individual level, the model expands on traditional, rational models of whistleblowing by exploring how moral intuition and deliberative reasoning processes might interact to influence the whistleblowing behavior of moral agents. The model combines individual variables (e.g., moral identity), organizational variables (e.g., organizational culture), and external, societal variables (e.g., media perceptions) to explain the moral whistleblowing process and the impact of moral agents on organizations and society.

Summary Accountability is a fundamental element of all societies and the organizations that operate within them. This paper focuses on the individual-level accountability concept of felt accountability (also referred to in the literature as simply accountability), which can be described as the perceptions of one's personal accountability. We describe key theories that have formed the theoretical groundwork for the body of felt accountability literature, and discuss the empirical research published since the last major review of the accountability literature in the late 1990s. Empirical research has revealed that accountability has both constructive and deleterious consequences. Moreover, research examining accountability and key outcomes has produced mixed results, suggesting that consideration of moderators and nonlinear relationships are important when examining accountability. Although accountability is an important construct, there are many issues that have yet to be investigated by scholars. We identify limitations and gaps in the current body of the empirical research and conclude the paper with suggestions for scholars striving to make contributions to this line of research. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The purpose of this article is to build upon previous efforts evaluating the degree to which the discrepancy between student expectations and experiences can result in greater rates of attrition in education. Data were collected from 225 students at a large Midwestern public university and analyzed to assess the discrepancy between expectations and experiences within academic and social domains of higher education. Factor analysis affirmed the hypothesized structure of the responses, and logistic regression results indicated that discrepancies in expectations and experience within social and institutional domains significantly predicted student satisfaction and retention in the second year. An implication of the research is that institutions of higher education may benefit from training students to inculcate more realistic expectations within the institutional and social domains of higher education.

Preterm birth is a serious global health problem and the leading cause of infant death before 5 years of age. At least 40% of cases are associated with infection. The most common way for pathogens to access the uterine cavity is by ascending from the vagina. Bioluminescent pathogens have revolutionized the understanding of infectious diseases. We hypothesized that bioluminescent Escherichia coli can be used to track and monitor ascending vaginal infections. Two bioluminescent strains were studied: E. coli K12 MG1655-lux, a nonpathogenic laboratory strain, and E. coli K1 A192PP-lux2, a pathogenic strain capable of causing neonatal meningitis and sepsis in neonatal rats. On embryonic day 16, mice received intravaginal E. coli K12, E. coli K1, or phosphate-buffered saline followed by whole-body bioluminescent imaging. In both cases, intravaginal delivery of E. coli K12 or E. coli K1 led to bacterial ascension into the uterine cavity, but only E. coli K1 induced preterm parturition. Intravaginal administration of E. coli K1 significantly reduced the proportion of pups born alive compared with E. coli K12 and phosphate-buffered saline controls. However, in both groups of viable pups born after bacterial inoculation, there was evidence of comparable brain inflammation by postnatal day 6. This study ascribes specific mechanisms by which exposure to intrauterine bacteria leads to premature delivery and neurologic inflammation in neonates.

In this article, we proffer a theoretical integration of current emotions research and impression management (IM) tactics as applied to the workplace. Both IM and emotions frequently occur in organizational settings, but research has yet to consider how their simultaneous implementation may impact the ability of an individual to influence the perceptions others form of them. By integrating the emotions as social information model and a cybernetic model of IM, we attempt to explain the linkage between actor implementation of IM behaviour, paired affective displays, and downstream processing and resultant behaviour by a target. Situational and personal moderators that may impact this process are also discussed. Successful application of emotions in IM can have wide-ranging implications for outcomes of interest in human resource management, and these are discussed within several IM frameworks. Practitioner points We integrate theory and research on emotions and IM to help develop an understanding of their impact on others in the workplace. A model is provided to show how this integration may influence human resource management. Examples of this integration are shown via extant IM frameworks.

We studied the problem of rating-level bias and rating accuracy among retail managers of a Fortune 500 retailer. Hypotheses were tested regarding the relationship among managers’ Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality characteristics, their competence in performance management, and their levels of bias and accuracy in appraisals made in situations differing on levels of rater accountability. Associate store managers (N = 125) rated subordinates, peers and managers under conditions of high and low rater accountability. We found support for the stability of rating-level bias across rating situations. Raters’ levels of agreeableness and assertiveness were related to mean rating levels across situations, and U-shaped relationships were found in predicting one measure of rating accuracy such that high and low levels of these two traits were related to greater rating inaccuracy. Conscientiousness scores were significantly (and negatively) correlated with highly accountable mean ratings of subordinates. Performance management competence was related to rating-level bias in both high- and low-accountability conditions and contributed incremental validity in the prediction of rating level and rating accuracy. Our results indicate that the most lenient raters are more agreeable, less assertive, and less competent in performance management. These raters may also be less accurate.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper was to identify examples of management lore currently in the organizational sciences.Design/methodology/approach– The authors deliberated and developed a series of examples of management lore in the organizational sciences and surveyed management practitioners concerning their beliefs in the lore hypothesized.Findings– Pervasive beliefs that conflict with academic research exist in management practices. Although many of these ideas are commonly accepted as immutable facts, they may be based upon faulty logic, insufficient understanding of academic research, anecdotal evidence and an overdependence upon common sense. Buckley and Eder (1988) called these as examples of management lore. In this conceptual paper, we identify and discuss 12 examples of management lore that persist in day-to-day management practices. Topics we explore include personality, emotional intelligence, teams, compensation, goals, performance, work ethic, creativity and organizational citizenship behaviors.Originality/value– A number of areas in which academic research gainsays what we believe to be an immutable fact.