The experience of receiving a kidney transplant from a deceased donor: Implications for renal services

Objective: The study aimed to explore the psychological experiences of receiving a kidney transplant from a deceased donor and to examine resulting implications for renal services.

Design: A qualitative design was utilised within an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) framework.

Main outcome measures: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six adults (male = 5, mean age = 45 yrs) on their experiences of receiving a kidney transplant from a deceased donor. All participants had their transplant within the preceding 21 months. Data were analysed using IPA.

Results: The four elicited themes incorporate recipients’ positive feelings about receiving a transplant, mainly arising from the newfound freedom that this entails, in addition to strong feelings of gratitude towards their donors. They also capture challenges, such as the uncertainty of living with a transplanted kidney, and highlight the increased dependence on others throughout the transplant process.

Conclusion: The findings indicate a range of psychological, social and occupational experiences for participants. It is concluded that optimal care in renal services would incorporate a holistic approach to pre and post-transplant care; identifying and supporting the needs of transplant recipients. A biopsychosocial model of care may enhance service user well-being. Potential areas of future research are explored.     

Familiarity breeds contempt: perceived service and sales complacency in business-to-business relationships

Relationship marketing and its strategic focus on long-term exchanges is an engrained practice in today’s business-to-business (B2B) environment. B2B relationships are important given the reciprocating benefits they offer to offset the resource-intensive investments necessary for relationship initiation and maintenance. However, the reality of the marketplace shows customer defection rates remain a concern, dark side relationship mechanisms emerge as exchanges persist, and suppliers shirk on investing the effort necessary to service their customers. Research is needed to better understand customer defections and the nuanced assessment of perceived supplier complacency in B2B service relationships. To inform this research agenda, the authors assess depth interviews with 56 executive participants across 35 post-mortem customer defection cases. Findings identify thematic representations of perceived supplier complacency within the customer-supplier service provision (i.e. service complacency), as well as during the sales renewal process (i.e. sales complacency).     

Effects of loading modes on densification efficiency of spark plasma sintering: sample study of zirconium carbide consolidation

Theoretical studies on the densification kinetics of the new spark plasma sinter-forging (SPS-forging) consolidation technique and of the regular SPS have been carried out based on the continuum theory of sintering. Both modelling and verifying experimental results indicate that the loading modes play important roles in the densification efficiency of SPS of porous ZrC specimens. Compared to regular SPS, SPS-forging is shown to be able to enhance the densification more significantly during later sintering stages. The derived analytical constitutive equations are utilised to evaluate the high-temperature creep parameters of ZrC under SPS conditions. SPS-forging and regular SPS setups are combined to form a new SPS hybrid loading mode with the purpose of reducing shape irregularity in the SPS-forged specimens. Loading control is imposed to secure the geometry as well as the densification of ZrC specimens during hybrid SPS process.     

Exhausted,mistreated, or indifferent? Explaining deviance from emotional display rules at work

This article explores different theoretical explanations for deviance from display rules (DDR), which occurs when employees consciously display emotions to customers that are unsanctioned by the organization. DDR is an important outcome in service organizations because it triggers strong negative reactions from customers, such as negative reputation and business losses. To better explain why DDR occurs, the author compared predictors drawn from organizational justice theory, conservation of resources theory and goal-setting theory in a comprehensive model to explore complementary and competing effects. The model was tested using hierarchical linear modelling with data from 1146 transactions performed by 51 service employees who participated in an experience sampling study over several weeks. Results demonstrated that emotional valence mediated the transaction-level relationship between customer interpersonal injustice and DDR. Similarly, negative emotions mediated the transaction-level relationship between mental exhaustion and DDR. However, person-level differences in goal commitment to organizational display rules had a buffering effect on the relationship between negative emotions and DDR. Overall, the results demonstrate that unfair treatment from customers and mental exhaustion can promote the expression of unsanctioned emotions to customers via negative emotional experiences, but employees who are committed to emotional labour goals are more resistant to engaging in DDR.     

对心理学实验教学模式的再研究

为了更新心理学的教学理念和方法,笔者反思自身单纯讲解的传统教学模式的不足,对实验教学模式进行再研究,以加强教学的主体性、科学性、应用性和实践性。课题深入研究实验教学模式的内涵和操作类型,用教育实验法论证该模式的实效,证实该模式更能使学生乐学会学。该研究形成实验教学模式的若干理念,揭示出取得教学效果的内在原理。研究证明：实验教学模式有其他教学模式不可替代的独特作用和综合效益,能大幅提高心理学的教学质量。     

On self-referencing differences in judgment and choice

Compared to judgment, choice is argued to elicit more self-referent processing and thereby produce greater subsequent recall of evaluated information. This response mode effect is shown to be dependent upon sufficient visualization to overcome the use of heuristic processing during choice. When visualizing prior to the task, choice leads to increased thinking about personal consumption occasions relative to judgment, leading to enhanced recall of vivid (vs. non-vivid) attributes. This proposed interaction of task and visualization was found in two experiments that assessed incidental recall following a choice or judgment task. In experiment 1, participants recalled more vivid product attribute information after choosing between options than after rating each option separately, but only when instructed to visualize during evaluation. To eliminate a comparison-based explanation of this effect, a second experiment was conducted that presented only one option in each category. Participants who evaluated their intention to purchase the option (a judgment equivalent of choice) demonstrated greater recall of vivid product attribute information than did participants who rated their liking for the option, and this recall difference was again moderated by instructions to visualize.     

Longitudinal Gains in Civic Development through School-Based Required Service

Despite recent figures indicating that 26% of public high schools in the United States require student involvement in community service or service learning, there is little empirical evidence to support such policies. In the present study, successive cohorts of high school students, one without (n = 174) and two with a community service requirement (n = 312), were compared longitudinally on measures of civic attitudes and behaviors. Each cohort was divided according to individual students' inclinations to serve voluntarily. Students already inclined to serve scored high on all measures throughout and showed no advantage after meeting the requirement. However, students who were less inclined to serve showed marked gains on three of four civic measures after completing their requirement. Whereas they scored as low as their less-inclined counterparts who had no requirement during grade 11, they differed from their counterparts after serving the mandated 40 hours during grade 12. This quasi-natural experiment provides support for the argument that a well-designed service program can have a clear benefit in civic development for nonself-selected youth.     

信息不对称理论之于医疗服务研究

信息不对称理论被广泛应用于揭示和解释经济学领域中存在的许多实际问题,包括医疗服务领域.运用信息不对称理论分析医疗服务中存在的问题,指出解决我国医疗服务信息不对称问题的根本之道在于发挥政府和市场的互动作用.