A Study of the Hierarchical Culture Gaps Within Unionized Utilities Companies

The purpose of this study was to measure the culture gaps between hierarchical subgroups within unionized utilities companies. We conducted a mixed methods study. Using archival survey data, we compared hierarchically-defined subgroups’ perceptions of performance-linked culture traits within five unionized utilities companies. We later conducted interviews and focus groups, followed by qualitative coding and analysis. As compared to non-union employees, union employees viewed their companies as substantially less involving, consistent, adaptable, and clear about purpose and direction. Our qualitative analysis highlighted two prior management decisions as illustrative of the contrast between high and low levels of union involvement and clarity. Culture scholars and practitioners have suggested that leaders must align subcultures where they exist. Our study demonstrates large culture gaps between union employees and other subgroups and suggests that management’s involvement of the workforce in strategic decisions may have unique consequences for how subgroups perceive and interpret the culture

Examining the Social in the Prosocial: Episode-Level Features of Social Interactions and Kind Acts Predict Social Connection and Well-Being

Experiments prompting people to engage in more prosocial behavior (e.g., acts of kindness) or simple social interactions (e.g., acting extraverted) have both shown promise in boosting well-being. However, little is known about how much the impact on well-being depends on the type of interpersonal interaction (i.e., social versus prosocial) or on other proximal features (e.g., whether the interaction takes place online versus in-person, the closeness of the relationship, or in-the-moment social connection). We randomly assigned a sample of full-time employees recruited via mTurk (N = 754) to perform weekly acts of kindness online vs. in person, to engage in weekly social interactions online vs. in person, or to list their daily activities (control) over the course of 4 weeks. First, on average, all conditions reported improvements in well-being (i.e., increases in positive affect and life satisfaction, decreases in negative affect) across the 4-week intervention period. Second, relative to controls, the four experimental groups reported increases in general social connectedness over time. Finally, according to auxiliary analyses collapsed across experimental condition, closer relationship with target and non-digital medium of delivery predicted in-the-moment (or episode-level) social connection, which, in turn, was associated with general social connectedness and positive affect. We conclude that the “who” and the “how” of a behavior (i.e., its target, its delivery method, and the feelings of social connection generated) may be as important for well-being as the “what” (i.e., whether the behavior is social or prosocial)

A case-control study of the protective benefit of cervical screening against invasive cervical cancer in NSW women

Objective: To examine the effects of different Pap screening patterns in preventing invasive cervical cancer among women in New South Wales, Australia. Methods: A total of 877 women aged 20–69 years diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer during 2000–2003 were matched with 2,614 controls by month and year of birth. Screening behavior patterns in 4 years preceding the time of cancer diagnosis in the cases were classified into none (no Pap test in the 4 years), ‘irregular’ (1 of the 4 years with Pap test(s)), and ‘regular’ (2 or more of the 4 years with a Pap test), and compared with those in the matched non-cases over the same period. Conditional logistic regression modeling was used to estimate the relative risk, approximated by the odds ratio, of invasive cervical cancer for regular and irregular cervical screening compared with no screening in the previous 4 years, before and after controlling for potential confounders including the first recorded Pap test result in the preceding 6-year reference period. Results Compared with no screening, irregular Pap screening in the 4 years preceding the cancer diagnosis is estimated to reduce the risk of invasive cervical cancer by about 85% (RR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.120–0.19); regular Pap screening reduces the risk by about 96% (RR = 0.04, 95% CI: 0.03–0.05). After adjusting for the index Pap test result, the relative risks for invasive cervical cancer were 0.19 (95% CI: 0.13–0.27) for irregular screening and 0.07 (95% CI: 0.04–0.10) for regular Pap screening. Conclusions Regular and irregular Pap tests among women aged 20–69 years were highly effective in preventing invasive cancer. At-risk women with no Pap test history should be encouraged to undergo a Pap test every 2 years, but any Pap screening over a 4-year period remains highly protective against future invasive cervical cancer.Baohui Yang, Stephen Morrell, Yeqin Zuo, David Roder, Elizabeth Tracey and Paul Jelf

Turning 'sweet' on immunity: galectin–glycan interactions in immune tolerance and inflammation

The function of deciphering the biological information encoded by the glycome, which is the entire repertoire of complex sugar structures expressed by cells and tissues, is assigned in part to endogenous glycan-binding proteins or lectins. Galectins, a family of animal lectins that bind N-acetyllactosamine-containing glycans, have many roles in diverse immune cell processes, including those relevant to pathogen recognition, shaping the course of adaptive immune responses and fine-tuning the inflammatory response. How do galectins translate glycan-encoded information into tolerogenic or inflammatory cell programmes? An improved understanding of the mechanisms underlying these functions will provide further opportunities for developing new therapies based on the immunoregulatory properties of this multifaceted protein family.Fil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Toscano, Marta Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentin