Do you pass it on? An examination of the consequences of perceived cyber incivility

Purpose: The emerging literature on computer-mediated communication at the study lacks depth in terms of elucidating the consequences of the effects of incivility on employees. This study aims to compare face-to-face incivility with incivility encountered via e-mail on both task performance and performance evaluation. Design/methodology/approach: In two experimental studies, the authors test whether exposure to incivility via e-mail reduces individual task performance beyond that of face-to-face incivility and weather exposure to that incivility results in lower performance evaluations for third-parties. Findings: The authors show that being exposed to cyber incivility does decrease performance on a subsequent task. The authors also find that exposure to rudeness, both face-to-face and via e-mail, is contagious and results in lower performance evaluation scores for an uninvolved third party. Originality/value: This research comprises an empirically grounded study of incivility in the context of e-mail at study, highlights distinctions between it and face-to-face rudeness and reveals the potential risks that cyber incivility poses for employees

Using Supervision Preferences of Counselors to Predict Intention to Stay

The demand for counselors continues to grow and agencies continue to look for strategies that will retain their counselors. While improving employee retention requires multiple regular and ongoing actions at all levels of an organization, supporting supervisors to provide quality interactions with counselors could be part of the solution. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between supervision preferences and turnover intention among counselors employed in state agencies. Researchers solicited information regarding the supervision activities that counselors preferred to receive compared to the supervision activities they actually received. Instead of asking what counselors need regarding supervision, this study asked what counselors want. In general, results indicated that the smaller the difference between actual and desired supervision the more counselors stated a desire to stay employed in their current organization. Findings suggest that attending to the supervision preferences of counselors could be part of the solution to helping counselors feel motivated to stay employed in their agency

The influence and expression of IGFBP-3 in normal and malignant breast tissue.

The mitogenic and anti-apoptotic effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are regulated by a family of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs), particularly IGFBP-3. In vitro studies have demonstrated the importance of the IGF-1 axis in regulating the growth of breast cancer cells. Little is known, however, about the IGF-independent role of IGFBP-3 in breast cancer and the mechanisms regulating its production. We investigated the expression of IGFBP-3 in malignant and paired adjacent normal (n=53), and healthy normal (n=17) breast tissue samples using RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and ELISA. We compared IGFBP-3 expression with other members of the IGF-I axis, other known tumorigenic genes and clinicopathological parameters. We also developed a novel tissue explant system using fresh normal and malignant breast tissue, with which we examined the in vitro effects of IGFBP-3 alone and in combination with known apoptotic agent, doxorubicin (n=6), on tissue viability and apoptosis. Results demonstrated universal high level of expression of IGFBP-3 mRNA in all types of breast tissue. There was no difference in level of expression between any of the three groups of breast tissue (approaching those seen in the liver where it is predominantly produced). 96% of samples also expressed IGFBP-3 protein. High levels of IGFBP-3 mRNA were associated with the presence of high grade ductal carcinoma-in-situ (p<0.0001), the pre-invasive stage in breast cancer. A significant correlation was also found between IGFBP-3 negative/weakly positive tumours and lymph node negativity (p<0.05), thereby supporting an association between IGFBP-3 and the development of invasive disease. There was, however, no significant correlation between IGFBP-3 expression and other clinicopathological parameters. The in vitro tissue explant system demonstrated that IGFBP-3 had little effect by itself on apoptosis. However, when used in combination with doxorubicin, a marked enhancement of apoptosis was seen in breast tumours. In contrast, less apoptosis was seen in normal breast tissue suggesting a protective effect. These divergent effects suggest a potential novel chemotherapeutic approach in the treatment of breast cancer. These findings suggest that IGFBP-3 may play a role in tumorigenesis. It may therefore be possible in future, that IGFBP-3 levels could be used in cancer risk assessment and prevention or infact, as markers of response to cancer treatments

An airport wind shear detection and warning system using Doppler radar: A feasibility study

A feasibility study was conducted to determine whether ground based Doppler radar could measure the wind along the path of an approaching aircraft with sufficient accuracy to predict aircraft performance. Forty-three PAR approaches were conducted, with 16 examined in detail. In each, Doppler derived longitudinal winds were compared to aircraft measured winds; in approximately 75 percent of the cases, the Doppler and aircraft winds were in acceptable agreement. In the remaining cases, errors may have been due to a lack of Doppler resolution, a lack of co-location of the two sampling volumes, the presence of eddy or vortex like disturbances within the pulse volume, or the presence of point targets in antenna side lobes. It was further concluded that shrouding techniques would have reduced the side lobe problem. A ground based Doppler radar operating in the optically clear air, provides the appropriate longitudinal winds along an aircraft's intended flight path