Leadership at the upper echelons : three essays

"IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID", BUT CHARISMA MATTERS TOO: A DUAL PROCESS MODEL OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OUTCOMES. ABSTRACT Because charisma is assumed to be an important determinant of effective leadership, the extent to which a presidential nominee is more charismatic than his opponent should be an important determinant of voter choices. We computed a composite measure of the rhetorical richness of acceptances speeches given by U.S. presidential candidates at their national party convention. We added this marker of charisma to Ray C. Fair's presidential vote-share equation (1978; 2009). We theorized that voters decide using psychological attribution (i.e., due to macroeconomics and incumbency) as well as inferential processes (i.e., due to leader charismatic behavior) when voting. Controlling for the macro-level variables and incumbency in the Fair model, our results indicated that difference between nominees' charisma is a significant determinant of electoral success, particularly in close elections. This extended model significantly improves the precision of the Fair model and correctly predicts 23 out of the last 24 U.S. presidential elections. Paper 2: IT CEO LEADERSHIP, CORPORATE SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE. ABSTRACT We investigated whether CEO leadership predicted corporate financial performance (CFP) and corporate social performance (CSP). Using longitudinal data on 258 CEOs from 117 firms across 19 countries and 10 industry sectors, we found that determinants of CEO leadership (i.e., implicit motives) significantly predicted both CFP and CSP. As expected, the most consistent positive predictor was Responsibility Disposition when interacting with n (need for) Power. n Achievement and n Affiliation were generally negatively related or unrelated to outcomes. CSP was positively related to accounting measures of CFP. Our findings suggest that executive leader characteristics have important consequences for corporate level outcomes. Paper 3. PUNISHING THE POWERFUL: ATTRIBUTIONS OF BLAME AND LEADERSHIP ABSTRACT We propose that individuals are more lenient in attributing blame to leaders than to nonleaders. We advance a motivational explanation building on the perspective of punishment and on system justification theory. We conducted two scenario experiments which supported our proposition. In study 1, wrongdoer leader status was negatively related to blame and the perceived seriousness of the wrongdoing. In study 2, controlling for the Big-Five personality factor and individual differences in moral evaluation (i.e., moral foundations), wrongdoer leader status was negatively related with desired severity of punishment, and fair punishments were perceived as more just for non-leaders than for leaders.

Varicelle pendant la grossesse: quelles conséquences pour la mère et l'enfant [Varicella during pregnancy: consequences for the mother and the newborn].

In our area, varicella is a frequent and essentially benign childhood disease. In contrast, the disease course is likely to be more severe or complicated in the adult, particularly so in the pregnant woman. There is a definite risk of congenital varicella syndrome when the chickenpox occurs during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. This syndrome predominantly affects the skin, the subcutaneous tissue, muscles and bones, as well as the central nervous system, and can bring about major functional sequellae. In case of chickenpox occurring at the very end of pregnancy, transplacental transfer of the virus may result in a perinatal varicella disease. We propose a approach of each of these different situations.

Clinical consequences of sensitisation to minor histocompatibility antigens before allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

To study sensitisation to minor histocompatibility antigens (mHag) before and after BMT, we measured antidonor CTL activity in five patients who had rejected their graft, and in a control group of 10 leukemic patients who engrafted without complications. All patients were transplanted with marrow from an HLA-identical sibling. Fourteen patients were conditioned with cyclophosphamide (120 mg/kg) and TBI (1350 cGy) and received a T cell-depleted graft, while one patient with aplastic anaemia received cyclophosphamide alone and unmanipulated marrow. Before transplantation, anti-donor CTL activity was detected in two of the 15 patients. These patients rejected their grafts at days 21 and 58, respectively. In the other three patients who rejected their grafts at days 41, 60 and 250, CTL activity was found only after transplantation. In contrast, no anti-donor CTLs could be detected at any time in the 10 patients who engrafted permanently. We have identified some of the mHags recognised during graft rejection by cloning and subsequent specificity analysis of the recipient CTLs. In the patient who rejected at day 41 without detectable immunisation before BMT, the response was directed against HA-1, a minor antigen known to play a role in GVHD. In the other combinations, a significant part of the CTL activity was directed against the male antigen H-Y. In the patient who rejected the marrow of her HLA-identical brother at day 250, two clones recognised H-Y, while five others recognised at least three distinct autosomal mHags. This patient had an HLA-identical sister who expressed only one autosomal mHag that had been recognised by one single T cell clone. After re-transplantation with the marrow of this second donor, the CTL activity could no longer be detected and the patient engrafted without further complications.

Measuring alcohol-related consequences in school surveys: alcohol-attributable consequences or consequences with students' alcohol attribution.

In alcohol epidemiology surveys, there is a tradition of measuring alcohol-related consequences using respondents' attribution of alcohol as the cause. The authors aimed to compare the prevalence and frequency of self-attributed consequences to consequences without self-attribution using alcohol-attributable fractions (AAF). In 2007, a total of 7,174 Swiss school students aged 13-16 years reported the numbers of 6 alcohol-related adverse consequences (e.g., fights, injuries) they had incurred in the past 12 months. Consequences were measured with and without attribution of alcohol as the cause. The alcohol-use measures were frequency and volume of drinking in the past 12 months and number of risky single-occasion (> or =5 drinks) drinking episodes in the past 30 days. Attributable fractions were derived from logistic (> or =1 incident) and Poisson (number of incidents) regression analyses. Although relative risk estimates were higher when alcohol-attributed consequences were compared with nonattributed consequences, the use of AAFs resulted in more alcohol-related consequences (10,422 self-attributed consequences vs. 24,520 nonattributed consequences determined by means of AAFs). The likelihood of underreporting was higher among drinkers with intermediate frequencies than among either rare drinkers or frequent drinkers. Therefore, the extent of alcohol-related adverse consequences among adolescents may be underestimated when using self-attributed consequences, because of differential attribution processes, especially among infrequent drinkers.

Consequences of one-week creatine supplementation on creatine and creatinine levels in athletes 'serum and urine

We explored the washout period of creatine (Cr) after repeated ingestions of high doses of exogenous Cr. Ten athletes ingested daily, in a randomized double-blind study design, 30 g of exoge- nous Cr (n = 5, Cr-group) or a placebo (n = 5, Pl-group). Serum and urine samples were collected 1) before supplementation (BEFO- RE), 2) after one week Cr supplementation (AFTER), and 3) one week later without supplementation (LATER). The Cr and crea- tinine (Crn) concentrations in serum (sCr, sCrn) and in multiple spots urine (uCr, uCrn) were measured. We observed a significant rise (p < 0.01) in sCr, uCr and sCrn between BEFORE and AFTER supplementation in Cr-group, as well as a significant difference between Cr-group and Pl-group. Body weight increased signifi- cantly (+1.5 kg), but relative body fat (%fat) was unchanged. After the washout period in LATER Cr-group, sCr and uCr decreased to low residual values. No loss of body weight occurred during thisperiod. In contrast, sCrn and uCrn returned to baseline values. In conclusion, regular uptake of high doses of exogenous Cr affects both Cr and Crn concentrations in serum (sCr: 14 folds; sCrn: 1.2 folds) and urine (uCr: 140 folds; uCrn: 1.5 folds). An abuse of Cr is therefore mostly spilled over in urine. Surprise drug tests, such as doping controls, happening during the period of Cr supplementa- tion can reveal an important increase in Cr and Crn concentrations, although subjects stopped suddenly Cr loading. The discernible effect of Cr supplementation on these values disappeared within one week.

Anorexie mentale et boutimie: I'expérience vaudoise d'une prise en charge interdisciplinaire [Anorexia and bulimia: the canton of Vaud's experience of an interdisciplinary approach].

As psychiatric disorders attacking the body, anorexia and bulimia may have severe psychological, physical and social consequences, often requiring a long-standing interdisciplinary, coordinated and individualized approach. Recently the canton of Vaud has initiated and developed an interinstitutional structure--between the University Hospital (CHUV) and the hospitals of the Northern region of the canton (eHnv)--for the care of patients suffering from eating disorders. This structure, allowing the above mentioned approach for the treatment of eating disorders, consists of an outpatient facility located in the CHUV and an inpatient unit in the hospital of Saint Loup of the eHnv. Within this structure, the general practitioner plays a crucial role in the prevention of the chronification of these disorders by means of their early detection and management.

eComment: Everyday clinical practice consequences?

Comment on : "Type A aortic dissection involving the carotid arteries: carotid stenting during open aortic arch surgery by Salvatore Lentini, Fabrizio Tancredi, Filippo Benedetto, and Roberto Gaeta in Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery 2009 8: 157-159

The influence of drinking pattern, at individual and aggregate levels, on alcohol-related negative consequences.

AIM: To determine the extent drinking patterns (at the individual and country level) are associated with alcohol-related consequences over and above the total alcohol the person consumes. METHODS: Hierarchical linear models were estimated based on general population surveys conducted in 18 countries participating in the GENACIS project. RESULTS: In general, the positive association between drinking pattern scores and alcohol-related consequences was found at both the individual and country levels, independent of volume of drinking. In addition, a significant interaction effect indicated that the more detrimental the country's drinking pattern, the less steep the association between the volume of drinking and its consequences. CONCLUSION: Drinking patterns have an independent impact on consequences over and above the relationship between volume and consequences.

The evolution and consequences of sex-specific reproductive variance.

Natural selection favors alleles that increase the number of offspring produced by their carriers. But in a world that is inherently uncertain within generations, selection also favors alleles that reduce the variance in the number of offspring produced. If previous studies have established this principle, they have largely ignored fundamental aspects of sexual reproduction and therefore how selection on sex-specific reproductive variance operates. To study the evolution and consequences of sex-specific reproductive variance, we present a population-genetic model of phenotypic evolution in a dioecious population that incorporates previously neglected components of reproductive variance. First, we derive the probability of fixation for mutations that affect male and/or female reproductive phenotypes under sex-specific selection. We find that even in the simplest scenarios, the direction of selection is altered when reproductive variance is taken into account. In particular, previously unaccounted for covariances between the reproductive outputs of different individuals are expected to play a significant role in determining the direction of selection. Then, the probability of fixation is used to develop a stochastic model of joint male and female phenotypic evolution. We find that sex-specific reproductive variance can be responsible for changes in the course of long-term evolution. Finally, the model is applied to an example of parental-care evolution. Overall, our model allows for the evolutionary analysis of social traits in finite and dioecious populations, where interactions can occur within and between sexes under a realistic scenario of reproduction.

Inverse metamorphic zonation in very low-grade Tibetan zone series of SE Zanskar and its tectonic consequences (NW India, Himalaya)

The metamorphism of the carbonate rocks of the SE Zanskar Tibetan zone has been studied by `'illite crystallinity'' and calcite-dolomite thermometry. The epizonal Zangla unit overlies the anchizonal Chumik unit. This discontinuous inverse zonation demonstrates a late to post-metamorphic thrust of the first unit over the second. The studied area underwent a complex tectonic history: - The tectonic units were stacked from the NE to the SW, generating recumbent folds, NE dipping thrusts and the regional metamorphism. The compressive movements were active under lower temperature conditions, resulting in late thrusts that disturbed the metamorphic zonation. The discontinuous inverse metamorphic zonation dates from this phase. - A NE vergent backfolding phase occurred at lower temperature conditions. It caused the uplift of more metamorphic levels. - A late extensional phase is revealed by the presence of NE dipping low angle normal faults, and a major high angle fault, the Sarchu fault. The low angle normal faults locally run along earlier thrusts (composite tectonic contacts). Their throw has been sufficient to reset a normal stratigraphic superposition (young layers overlying old ones), but insufficient to erase the inverse metamorphic relationship. However, the combined action of backfolding and normal faulting can locally lessen, or even cancel, the inverse metamorphic superposition. After deduction of the normal fault translation, the vertical component of the original thrust displacement through stratigraphy is 400 m, which is a value far too low to explain the temperature difference between the two units. The horizontal component of displacement is therefore far more important than the vertical one. The regional distribution of metamorphism within the Zangla unit points out to an anchizonal front and an epizonal inner part. This fact is in agreement with nappe tectonics.

Prevalence, predictors, and consequences of long-term refusal of antipsychotic treatment in first-episode psychosis.

OBJECTIVE: Studies investigating medication adherence in psychosis are limited by the need of a certain degree of medication adherence and the inclusion of mostly multiple-episode patients. By contrast, noninformed consent, epidemiological studies in first-episode psychosis (FEP) allow the assessment of an important subgroup of patients who persistently refuse antipsychotic medication and thereby never receive an adequate antipsychotic trial. The present study aims to assess the prevalence and predictors of such a "medication refusal" subgroup and its association with illness outcome. METHODS: The present file audit study assessed medication adherence in an epidemiological cohort of 605 FEP patients who were treated within the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre for up to 18 months. Medication adherence was categorized into full adherence, nonadherence, and persistent medication refusal. Predictors were analyzed using logistic regression models. RESULTS: During the 18-month treatment period, 204 patients (33.7%) were fully adherent, 287 (47.4%) displayed at least 1 phase of nonadherence, and 114 patients (18.8%) were persistent medication refusers. Poor premorbid functioning, comorbid substance use, and poor insight predicted both medication refusal and nonadherence; a forensic history and no previous contact to psychiatric care were specifically predictive of medication refusal. With respect to illness outcome, nonadherent patients were worse off when compared with fully adherent patients, and medication refusers were even worse off compared with nonadherent patients. CONCLUSIONS: Within a nonselected epidemiological FEP cohort, almost 20% of patients are persistent medication refusers. The found predictors may help to identify the individual risk of persistent medication refusal and may enable an early (preventive) treatment adaptation.