The moderating role of work-to-family spillover in the association between nurses' work values and work engagement: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: Although researchers have emphasized the importance of enhancing work engagement in nurses to ensure work-related well-being, the underlying mechanisms of the influencing factors of work engagement remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate whether work-to-family spillover moderates the relationship between nurses' work values and work engagement. METHODS: In total, 2600 nurses from 52 hospitals in the Tohoku region of Japan were recruited, and 1587 nurses participated. The questionnaire included items on demographic characteristics, the Nurses' Work Values Scale, the Japanese version of the Work-life Balance Scale, and the Work Engagement Scale. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. RESULTS: The interaction terms of negative work-to-family spillover with extrinsic work values and prestige work values were significantly associated with work engagement. The interaction terms of nurses' work values and positive work-to-family spillovers did not show a significant association. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses who emphasized extrinsic work values and those who did not emphasize prestige work values had the lowest work engagement in settings with high negative work-to-family spillover. To ensure nurses' work-related well-being and engagement, nursing managers could provide support for nurses in tackling work-related negative events, so that these do not carry over to family settings.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the nurses' Work Values Scale.

AIM: This study aimed to develop the nurses' Work Values Scale (WVS) to determine how important certain values are for nurses and to psychometrically test the scale. DESIGN: Instrument development and validation study. METHOD: A two-phase scale development process comprising item generation, scale improvement and psychometric property evaluation was used. In the first phase, scale items were identified. In the second phase, item and exploratory factor analyses were performed in Study 1, and confirmatory factor analysis, validity verification and reliability verification of the nurses' WVS were performed in Study 2. RESULTS: As a result of the analysis, a scale of 30 items with four subdomains was developed. In convergent validity and reliability verification, it was shown that the nurses' WVS has acceptable validity and reliability. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Patients or members of the public were not involved in this study.

Classification by Nurses' Work Values and Their Characteristics: Latent Profile Analysis of Nurses Working in Japanese Hospitals.

This study aimed to classify nurses with similar work values into subgroups by examining their intrinsic, extrinsic, social, and prestige work values. Additionally, we clarified the characteristics of the obtained subgroups using personal attributes, work engagement, and life satisfaction. Using a cross-sectional observational study design, we randomly sampled 52 hospitals in the Tohoku region of Japan and conducted a self-administered questionnaire survey with 2600 nurses. Latent profile analysis was performed to identify the number of subgroups. Of the 1627 collected questionnaires, 1587 were regarded as valid. The latent profile analysis revealed the following five subgroups with strong statistical significance: (1) self-oriented, (2) low, (3) medium-low, (4) medium-high, and (5) high types. The means of work engagement and life satisfaction gradually increased from the (2) low- to (5) high-type subgroups. There were significant differences among the subgroups in terms of marital status, child status, and job title. The (5) high-type subgroup had many nurses with job titles, high work engagement, and high life satisfaction. The (2) low-type subgroup included many nurses who were young, had few years of experience, were married, had children, and had low levels of work engagement and life satisfaction. Preregistration: This study was not registered.

Psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the career competencies questionnaire for nurses: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Career competencies, which are the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for career development, have been shown to facilitate career success, fulfilling both work and life goals. In dynamically changing healthcare settings, nurses' career competencies are key for successfully navigating their careers and improving their nursing practice abilities. However, limited studies have examined career competencies in the nursing profession. In particular, no research has been conducted on career competencies among Japanese nurses, which remains a major challenge as voluntary effort is the main factor promoting career and professional development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Career Competencies Questionnaire (CCQ-J). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study conducted between June 2020 and August 2021, the English CCQ was translated into Japanese using back and forward translation. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted on separate samples. In the first step, item analysis and EFA were conducted with 276 nurses from one hospital. In the second step, CFA was conducted and concurrent validity and reliability were evaluated with 522 nurses from hospitals in the Tohoku region. RESULTS: Content validity was confirmed by the back-translation report, an expert panel, and a pilot test. The EFA showed that the CCQ-J consisted of a three-factor structure that explained 66.69% of the variance. The CFA revealed that all the fit indices were acceptable [chi-square value (CMIN) = 432.26, degree of freedom (df) = 153, chi-square fit statistic/degree of freedom (CMIN/df) = 2.83, goodness-of-fit index (GFI) = 0.93, adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) = 0.89, comparative fix index (CFI) = 0.96, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.06]. Cronbach's α for the 21-item CCQ-J and its subscales ranged from 0.85 to 0.95. Concurrent validity was demonstrated via the positive correlation between work engagement, life satisfaction, and the CCQ-J. CONCLUSIONS: The CCQ-J is a valid and reliable instrument to assess the career competencies of Japanese nurses. We hope that the findings presented in this study will contribute to a better understanding of nurses' career competencies and their successful career and professional development in the future.

Impact of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation on Work Engagement: A Cross-Sectional Study of Nurses Working in Long-Term Care Facilities.

Nurses' work motivation impacts their job satisfaction and work engagement, affecting their quality of care. Work motivation, a personal resource, can be categorized into intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, each of which may function differently in the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. To study the effect of nurses' intrinsic and extrinsic work motivation on work engagement in long-term care (LTC) facilities, we randomly selected 1200 facilities from 6055 LTC facilities in eastern Japan. Two nurses from each facility completed a self-report questionnaire-newly developed for this study for evaluating intrinsic and extrinsic work motivation-to assess their work engagement, job satisfaction, and work motivation. Multiple regression analysis of 561 valid questionnaires investigated the relationship between work motivation and work engagement, indicating that intrinsic work motivation, job satisfaction, and age had a significant positive effect on work engagement, while extrinsic work motivation had no significant effect. However, half the nurses chose to work because of extrinsic work motivation, explaining the high turnover rate of nursing staff in LTC facilities. Findings indicate the importance of measures to foster nurses' intrinsic motivation to improve work engagement. Further research should investigate how to improve the intrinsic motivation of nurses working in LTC facilities.

Concept analysis of nurses' work values.

This study aimed to clarify the nature and definition of nurses' work values. To this end, we adopted Walker and Avant's (2019) concept analysis procedure. We searched PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science for previous literature that sampled nurses and nursing students published before September 2020. From 104 studies, 30 were analyzed. Citation sources for the definition of work values were also included in the target literature. After clarifying all usages of the concept, important attributes were determined, and model cases, borderline cases, related cases, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents were identified. Nurses' work values were defined as: enduring beliefs about the preferable conditions and outcomes nurses desire through their work, that place importance on their work, and that are the principles and standards that guide attitudes, judgments, and behaviors. Additionally, the antecedents for nurses' work values included basic human values, gender, and generation, and the consequences comprised attitudes, judgments, and behaviors related to work. Clarification of the concept enables the proper utilization of knowledge regarding nurses' work values and the development of a related theory.

Nurses Working in Nursing Homes: A Mediation Model for Work Engagement Based on Job Demands-Resources Theory.

This study examined the impact that the attractiveness of working in nursing homes and autonomous clinical judgment have on affective occupational commitment, and whether work engagement mediates these relationships. This analysis was based on the job demands-resources theory. The study setting was 1200 nursing homes (including long-term care welfare facilities and long-term care health facilities) in eastern Japan. An anonymous, self-report questionnaire survey was administered to two nurses from each facility, resulting in a prospective sample of 2400 participants. Overall, 552 questionnaires were analyzed, in which structural equation modeling and mediation analysis using the bootstrap method were performed. The results showed that the attractiveness of working in nursing homes does not directly affect affective occupational commitment; work engagement fully mediates the impact of attractiveness of working in nursing homes on affective occupational commitment. Additionally, autonomous clinical judgment showed a direct impact on both work engagement and affective occupational commitment, indicating that work engagement partially mediates the impact on affective occupational commitment. To increase the affective occupational commitment of nurses working in nursing homes, managers should help nurses recognize the attractiveness of working in nursing homes, and then provide appropriate support to help such nurses work in a motivated manner.

The Impact of Changes in Professional Autonomy and Occupational Commitment on Nurses' Intention to Leave: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Study in Japan.

This study aimed to investigate changes in nurses' attitudes toward professional autonomy and occupational commitment over time, and their effect on nurses' intentions to leave, using a two-wave longitudinal design. Anonymous, self-report questionnaires were distributed to all nurses working at 28 hospitals in western Japan on two separate occasions (n = 1778). Multivariate analysis using a generalized estimation equation was conducted, with the intention to leave at Time 2 as the dependent variable, and the changing secular trends in all subscales of attitudes toward professional autonomy and occupational commitment as the independent variables. Age, sex, education, and intention to leave at Time 1 were control variables. Results showed that increasing changing secular trends in control over work conditions, which is a subscale of attitudes toward professional autonomy, increased intention to leave at Time 2, while increasing changing secular trends in all subscales of occupational commitment decreased intention to leave at Time 2. Nurses with a progressive attitude toward discretion of control over work conditions may have higher intentions to leave. Therefore, increasing control over their work conditions may reduce this intention. Additionally, it is necessary to continually enhance nurses' occupational commitment by offering professional development programs.

Health indicators as moderators of occupational commitment and nurses' intention to leave.

AIM: This study examined the hypothesis that health indicators moderate the relationship between occupational commitment and intention to leave among nurses, using a large sample in Japan. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to all registered nurses (N = 11,171) working in group hospitals in western Japan in 2014. The questionnaire evaluated intention to leave, occupational commitment, psychological distress, cumulative fatigue, and demographic variables. After a preliminary analysis of the bivariate and multivariate associations between variables and intention to leave, we tested the interactions between occupational commitment and health indicators on intention to leave. RESULTS: Of the 5,768 returned questionnaires, data from 5,505 (49.3%) participants were analyzed. Participants' mean age was 36.27 years (SD = 10.37). Most (95.14%) were women. According to a generalized estimating equation, the interaction of continuance occupational commitment and cumulative fatigue was significantly related to intention to leave (b = -0.0055). Additionally, the interaction of affective occupational commitment and psychological distress was significantly related to intention to leave (b = 0.0079). CONCLUSIONS: This study clarified that the relationship between occupational commitment and intention to leave was robust for nurses in good health. Interventions aimed at reducing fatigue and improving psychological distress should be implemented to prevent the protective effects of occupational commitment on nurses' intention to leave from being compromised.

Seasonal variabilities in chemical compounds and acidity of aerosol particles at urban site in the west Pacific.

Mass concentrations of chemical compounds in both PM2.5 (particle aerodynamic diameter, Dp < 2.5 µm) and PM2.5-10 (2.5 < Dp < 10 µm), and acidity of aerosol particles were measured at an urban site in western Japan using a continuous dichotomous Aerosol Chemical Speciation Analyzer (ACSA-12) throughout 2014. Mass concentrations of both PM2.5 and sulfate had distinct seasonal variabilities with maxima in spring and winter, mostly due to long-range transport with the prevailing westerly wind. Mass concentration of nitrate in PM2.5 (fNO3) showed an obvious warm-season-low and cold-season-high pattern as a result of both gas-aerosol phase equilibrium processes under high temperature conditions as well as transport. Nitrate in PM2.5-10 (cNO3) increased during long-range transport of dust, implying the great importance of heterogeneous processes at the surface of coarse mode particles. In this study, Δ[H+] (derived from the difference in pH of extract liquid with/without sampling) was used to indicate the acidity of particles. We found that acidity of particles in PM2.5 (fΔH) was mostly positive with a maximum in August because of the large fraction of nitrate and sulfate. Acidity of particles in PM2.5-10 (cΔH) was negative in winter and spring due to presence of alkaline matter from crustal sources. This study highlights the great importance of anthropogenic pollutants on the acidity of particles in the western Pacific Ocean and further impact on the marine environment and climate.

Simple method for refining arabinan polysaccharides by alcohol extraction of the prune, Prunus domestica L.

L-Arabinose is a useful sugar in the food industry. We demonstrate here simple methods for refining arabinan polysaccharides by alcohol extraction from prune, Prunus domestica L., as a source of L-arabinose. Alcohol-soluble polysaccharides were purified from a solution of prune extracted by 80% ethanol. After fractionating the polysaccharides by ion-exchange chromatography, arabinans were identified as mainly constituted by (1→5)-linked arabinofuranosyl units.

'Intelligent' ribozyme whose activity is altered in response to K+ as a result of quadruplex formation.

The structure of r(GGAGGAGGAGGA) (R12) changes from a single-stranded form to a compact quadruplex one in response to K(+). In a hammerhead ribozyme, two portions of the catalytic core are linked with the stem and are located in close proximity in order to exert activity. In this study, the stem was replaced by R12 (or R11, which lacks the terminal A residue) with or without linker residues. One of the newly constructed ribozymes exhibited enhanced activity in response to K(+), and we suggest that quadruplex formation restored the active catalytic core. Other ribozymes exhibited repressed activity in response to K(+), suggesting that formation of the active core was prevented. Thus, we have succeeded in developing 'intelligent' ribozymes whose activity is either repressed or enhanced in response to K(+). This switching capability may have therapeutic applications because of the differences between intra- and extracellular K(+) concentrations.

Transient proliferation of proanthocyanidin-accumulating cells on the epidermal apex contributes to highly aluminum-resistant root elongation in camphor tree.

Aluminum (Al) is a harmful element that rapidly inhibits the elongation of plant roots in acidic soils. The release of organic anions explains Al resistance in annual crops, but the mechanisms that are responsible for superior Al resistance in some woody plants remain unclear. We examined cell properties at the surface layer of the root apex in the camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) to understand its high Al resistance mechanism. Exposure to 500 µm Al for 8 d, more than 20-fold higher concentration and longer duration than what soybean (Glycine max) can tolerate, only reduced root elongation in the camphor tree to 64% of the control despite the slight induction of citrate release. In addition, Al content in the root apices was maintained at low levels. Histochemical profiling revealed that proanthocyanidin (PA)-accumulating cells were present at the adjacent outer layer of epidermis cells at the root apex, having distinctive zones for cell division and the early phase of cell expansion. Then the PA cells were gradually detached off the root, leaving thin debris behind, and the root surface was replaced with the elongating epidermis cells at the 3- to 4-mm region behind the tip. Al did not affect the proliferation of PA cells or epidermis cells, except for the delay in the start of expansion and the accelerated detachment of the former. In soybean roots, the innermost lateral root cap cells were absent in both PA accumulation and active cell division and failed to protect the epidermal cell expansion at 25 µm Al. These results suggest that transient proliferation and detachment of PA cells may facilitate the expansion of epidermis cells away from Al during root elongation in camphor tree.

Protective immunity afforded by inactivated H5N1 (NIBRG-14) vaccine requires antibodies against both hemagglutinin and neuraminidase in mice.

BACKGROUND: Hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibody titers correlate with protective immunity to seasonal influenza viruses. However, inactivated H5N1 influenza vaccines from Vietnam 2004 strains afford protection without producing high or even detectable HI antibodies. METHODS: BALB/c mice were immunized twice (at a 3-week interval) with inactivated whole-virus influenza vaccine produced using reverse genetics, with the internal genes of A/PR/8/34 (a high-yield strain) and the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of A/Vietnam/1194/04 (H5N1) virus (NIBRG-14) adjuvanted with alum (5 microg of HA). Either HA- or NA-binding antibodies were absorbed from the immune serum. The protective efficacy of these antibodies was determined by injecting the absorbed serum into severe combined immunodeficiency mice, which were then challenged with highly pathogenic H5N1 virus (A/Vietnam/Jp1203/2004; Japanese isolate of A/Vietnam/1203/2004). RESULTS: The NIBRG-14 vaccine elicited levels of anti-HA antibodies similar to levels elicited by the H1N1 vaccines, as well as levels of anti-NA antibodies higher than those elicited by the H1N1 vaccines. The absorption of either anti-HA or anti-NA antibody from immune serum samples obtained from NIBRG-14-vaccinated mice significantly reduced the protective efficacy of the serum. CONCLUSIONS: For NIBRG-14 vaccines to confer protection to vaccinated hosts, both anti-HA and anti-NA antibodies are required. This finding implies that the measurement of both antibody levels may be required for accurate evaluation of vaccine efficacy.

[Drug-induced pneumonia that may have been caused by imatinib mesylate administered for gastrointestinal stromal tumor].

The patient was a 64-year-old woman who had undergone partial enterectomy for a small intestinal tumor in August 2005, and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) was diagnosed. Administration of imanitib mesylate was initiated as postoperative chemotherapy in November 2005. In February 2006, a slight ground-glass opacity was noted in the right lower lobe on chest CT. In April, cough and dyspnea appeared, and non-segmental reticular ground-glass opacity was noted in bilateral lung fields. Drug-induced pneumonia associated with imatinib mesylate was suspected based on the clinical course, and administration of imatinib mesylate was discontinued. Oral administration of 30mg prednisolone was initiated, and the symptoms and shadows on X-ray films improved. The steroid dose was gradually reduced, and recovery of the patient was smooth. Imatinib mesylate is anticipated to be a good potential therapeutic drug for interstitial pneumonia because it blocks PDGF receptors. However, the risk of imatinib-induced interstitial pneumonia should be noticed.

Cloning and sequence analysis of endoglucanase genes from an industrial fungus, Aspergillus kawachii.

Three endoglucanase genes (cel5A, cel5B, and cel61A) were cloned from an industrial fungus, Aspergillus kawachii. Yeasts transformed with these cDNAs showed endoglucanase activity in medium. Cel5A and Cel61A contained a type 1 cellulose-binding domain (CBD1) at the C-terminus of the enzyme. The putative catalytic regions of Cel5A and Cel5B showed homology with various endoglucanases belonging glycosyl hydrolase family 5 (GH5). Cel5B showed high homology with Cel5A in catalytic region, but it lacked CBD1 and linker. The cel5A contained four introns, whereas cel5B contained five introns. The putative catalytic region of Cel61A showed homology with enzymes belonging to GH61. The cel61A contained no introns.