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"Frese, Michael"
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Maintaining a focus on opportunities at work: The interplay between age, job complexity, and the use of selection, optimization, and compensation strategies
The concept of focus on opportunities describes how many new goals, options, and possibilities employees believe to have in their personal future at work. This study investigated the specific and snared effects of age, job complexity, and the use of successful aging strategies called selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) in predicting focus on opportunities. Results of data collected from 133 employees of one company (mean age = 38 years, SD = 13, range 16-65 years) showed that age was negatively, and job complexity and use of SOC strategies were positively related to focus on opportunities. In addition, older employees in high-complexity jobs and older employees in low-complexity jobs with high use of SOC strategies were better able to maintain a focus on opportunities than older employees in lowcomplexity jobs with low use of SOC strategies.
Journal Article
Environmental gut bacteria in European honey bees (Apis mellifera) from Australia and their relationship to the chalkbrood disease
We report on aerobic \"environmental\" bacteria isolated from European honey bees (Apis mellifera). We determined the number of culturable aerobic bacteria in the gut of nurse bees sampled from locations around Australia. Bees from healthy colonies had 10.sup.7 -10.sup.8 aerobic bacteria per g of bee gut, while bees from colonies with chalkbrood consistently had significantly fewer bacteria (10.sup.4 -10.sup.5 bacteria per g). When colonies recovered from chalkbrood, bacterial numbers returned to normal levels, suggesting that counting aerobic bacteria in the gut could be used to predict an outbreak of the disease. Furthermore, Western Australian bees from the \"Better Bees\" program (bred to promote hygienic behaviour) had significantly higher numbers of aerobic gut bacteria compared to regular bees from healthy colonies. Bacteria with the ability to inhibit the chalkbrood pathogen were found in most bees from regular colonies (> 60%) but only in a few \"Better Bees\" (10%). Phylogenetic analysis of aerobic bacterial isolates that inhibited the chalkbrood pathogen revealed a close relationship (>97% sequence identity) to the genera Bacillus, Klebsiella, Pantoea, Hafnia, and Enterobacter (bacteria that have previously been isolated from honey bees), but we also isolated Maccrococcus and Frigoribacterium species (bacteria that were not previously identified in bees). Finally, we investigated the ability of bacteria to inhibit the chalkbrood fungus Ascosphaera apis. Mass spectroscopy analysis revealed that the bee gut isolates Frigoribacterium sp. and Bacillus senegalensis produce gluconic acid. We further found that this simple sugar is involved in chalkbrood fungal hyphal lysis and cytoplasmic leakage. Our findings suggest that \"environmental\" gut bacteria may help bees to control the chalkbrood pathogen.
Journal Article
A SITUATIONAL JUDGMENT TEST OF PERSONAL INITIATIVE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PERFORMANCE
Although situational judgment tests have been found to be valid predictors of performance, they have rarely been used to measure particular constructs. In this study, we apply the situational judgment test method to the measurement of personal initiative, a construct defined as situated action. We used respondents' situated preferences in mental simulations of work scenarios as formative indicators of their overall level of personal initiative at work. Results from a validation study showed that the situational judgment test of personal initiative (SJT‐PI) had adequate validity and complemented a Likert‐type self‐report measure of personal initiative in predicting behavioral criteria. Situated preferences for personal initiative were hypothesized to be proximal predictors of actual behavior and were accordingly found to mediate the relationship between generalized self‐efficacy, felt responsibility, and actual behavior. Furthermore, situated preferences for personal initiative could be differentiated empirically from organizational citizenship behavior. We conclude that situational judgment tests are a promising method for measuring personal initiative and may be a general means of improving the validity of measurement in organizations.
Journal Article
Learning from African entrepreneurship—on the psychological function of entrepreneurial preparedness
Psychological preparedness for entrepreneurial actions helps to connect macro-institutional support for entrepreneurs to actions of entrepreneurs. Action knowledge and personal initiative are part of entrepreneurial preparedness, and there are two training concepts that have been developed to increase the number of entrepreneurs among BA and high school students in low- and middle-income countries and to improve the skills and mindset of entrepreneurs. I discuss large-scale randomized controlled interventions in both of these areas with the STEP and personal initiative training. Showing that psychological preparedness for entrepreneurial actions can be enhanced, the question is whether methods shown to work in low-income countries can inform entrepreneurship research in general. Issues that seem to speak against generalizing are often seen in necessity, survivalist, and informal entrepreneurship. These issues are discussed and are deemed of lower importance for generalization of findings. There are also methodological advantages when doing research in low- and middle income countries. Practical and policy implications are also provided.Plain English SummaryEntrepreneurship is about taking action and seizing opportunities. People often think of African entrepreneurs as just trying to survive, but there is more to it. In fact, Africa has likely many more entrepreneurs than the West, and these young business people are keen to learn and grow. We have created training programs for university and high school students to boost the number of entrepreneurs and improve their skills. We have tested these programs with over 6000 students across 11 developing countries, and they have been successful: Training participants started 30% more businesses than the control group. We have also developed a training called personal initiative to help entrepreneurs increase their profits by up to 30%. This has been tested with thousands of participants in ten countries. What makes these training programs special is that they are scientifically tested and proven to be highly effective (the tests were similar to examining the effectiveness of a new medicine). They focus on immediate skill and mindset learning. Psychological training helps entrepreneurs be ready to make the most of government and macro-economic support for businesses. So, there is a lot we can learn from entrepreneurship in Africa.
Journal Article
Identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms in sheep Mx genes: A premature stop codon abolishes Mx2 protein expression but did not affect fertility and early animal development
Mx proteins are interferon-induced GTPases that inhibit a wide range of viruses. The loss of functional Mx genes in mice and other model species is associated with inferior innate immune responses and increased virus susceptibility. Here, we describe genetic variations in the Mx genes of sheep ( Ovis aries ). More than 700 single nucleotide polymorphisms within or adjacent to MX1 and MX2 were identified by analysing whole genome sequence data from 68 sheep, representing 43 breeds from 19 countries. Amongst those are two biologically significant variations in the ovine MX2 gene: a guanosine-to-adenosine transition that generates a stop at codon 166 (c.497G > A; p.W166*) and a single nucleotide deletion in codon 329 that creates a frameshift and a premature stop of translation eight codons later (c.985del; p.Q329Sfs7*). A subsequent genotyping of Australian Merino sheep identified animals with a stop codon at position 166 in two research flocks that have been kept as closed flocks since the 1970s. Immunoblotting, immunofluorescence and mass spectrometry assays show that animals homozygous for the defect do not express detectable amounts of Mx2 proteins, and quantitative PCR suggests that the premature stop codon destabilises Mx2 mRNA. Furthermore, we found that Mx2-negative ewes and rams are fertile and that Mx2-negative lambs are indistinguishable from heterozygotes and wild-type animals in appearance, birth weight and growth rate.
Journal Article
Inferring the age and environmental characteristics of fossil sites using citizen science
Not all fossil sites preserve microfossils that can be extracted using acid digestion, which may leave knowledge gaps regarding a site’s age or environmental characteristics. Here we report on a citizen science approach that was developed to identify microfossils in situ on the surface of sedimentary rocks. Samples were collected from McGraths Flat, a recently discovered Miocene rainforest lake deposit located in central New South Wales, Australia. Composed entirely of iron-oxyhydroxide, McGraths Flat rocks cannot be processed using typical microfossil extraction protocols e.g., acid digestion. Instead, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to automatically acquire 25,200 high-resolution images from the surface of three McGraths Flat samples, covering a total area of 1.85 cm 2 . The images were published on the citizen science portal DigiVol, through which 271 citizen scientists helped to identify 300 pollen and spores. The microfossil information gained in this study is biostratigraphically relevant and can be used to constrain the environmental characteristics of McGraths Flat. Our findings suggest that automated image acquisition coupled with an evaluation by citizen scientists is an effective method of determining the age and environmental characteristics of fossiliferous rocks that cannot be investigated using traditional methods such as acid digestion.
Journal Article
RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerases of Both Virulent and Benign Rabbit Caliciviruses Induce Striking Rearrangement of Golgi Membranes
The extremely pathogenic Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) and the completely benign Rabbit calicivirus (RCV) are closely related members of the genus Lagovirus (family Caliciviridae). The molecular mechanisms that determine the dramatic difference in virulence are unknown, but indirect evidence suggests that different properties of their RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps) may at least partially be responsible for the contrasting phenotypes. Here we report that the unusual ability of the RHDV RdRp to induce a striking rearrangement of the Golgi network is not specific to RHDV, but a common feature of virulent and benign rabbit caliciviruses alike. Expression of rabbit calicivirus RdRps induced a redistribution of both cis/medial and medial/trans Golgi membrane markers, but not that of an endoplasmic reticulum membrane marker. Inactivating mutations in the conserved GDD motif did not abolish the ability of RHDV RdRp to rearrange the Golgi network, suggesting that polymerase activity and metal co-factors are not required for this function. Finally, we discuss possible implications of RdRp-induced membrane rearrangements on virus replication and host immune responses.
Journal Article
Putting job design in context: Introduction to the special issue
This special issue introduces new cross‐disciplinary, cross‐level, and cross‐cultural perspectives on job design. The authors examine job design from the viewpoints of organizational behavior, sociology, economics, corporate strategy, entrepreneurship, and evolutionary psychology. They consider job design in the context of interpersonal interactions, teams, leadership, networks, occupations, organizational structures, national cultures, and institutional fields. They explore how employees take initiative to craft their jobs, negotiate idiosyncratic deals, and navigate entrepreneurial roles, corporate director roles, executive roles, and careers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Journal Article
Culture and differentiation of rabbit intestinal organoids and organoid-derived cell monolayers
Organoids emulate many aspects of their parental tissue and are therefore used to study pathogen-host interactions and other complex biological processes. Here, we report a robust protocol for the isolation, maintenance and differentiation of rabbit small intestinal organoids and organoid-derived cell monolayers. Our rabbit intestinal spheroid and monolayer cultures grew most efficiently in L-WRN-conditioned medium that contained Wnt, R-spondin and Noggin, and that had been supplemented with ROCK and TGF-β inhibitors. Organoid and monolayer differentiation was initiated by reducing the concentration of the L-WRN-conditioned medium and by adding ROCK and Notch signalling inhibitors. Immunofluorescence staining and RT-qPCR demonstrated that our organoids contained enterocytes, enteroendocrine cells, goblet cells and Paneth cells. Finally, we infected rabbit organoids with
Rabbit calicivirus Australia-1
, an enterotropic lagovirus that—like many other caliciviruses—does not grow in conventional cell culture. Despite testing various conditions for inoculation, we did not detect any evidence of virus replication, suggesting either that our organoids do not contain suitable host cell types or that additional co-factors are required for a productive infection of rabbit organoids with
Rabbit calicivirus Australia-1
.
Journal Article