A study of the antecedents and consequences of psychological ownership in organizational settings

Psychological ownership is a feeling of possession in the absence of any formal or legal claims of ownership. In this study, the authors aimed to extend previous empirical testing of psychological ownership in work settings to encompass both job-based and organization-based psychological ownership as well as related work attitudes and behavioral outcomes. Questionnaire data from 68 employees and their managers revealed that job-based psychological ownership and organization-based psychological ownership are distinct work attitudes that are distinguishable from job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Psychological ownership predicted job satisfaction and organizational commitment and mediated the relationship between autonomy and these work attitudes. There was no support for a relationship between psychological ownership and behavioral outcomes. The authors discuss the limitations of the study and the implications of psychological ownership

International Wildlife Law : Understanding and Enhancing Its Role in Conservation

We gratefully acknowledge valuable input by Kees Bastmeijer, Sanja Bogojevic, Jennifer Dubrulle, and Han Somsen.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Parent-reported outcomes in young children with disorders/differences of sex development

Background: There is a paucity of tools that can be used in routine clinical practice to assess the psychosocial impact of Disorders/Differences of Sex Development (DSD) on parents and children. Objective: To evaluate the use of short Parent Self-Report and Parent Proxy-Report questionnaires that can be used in the outpatient setting. Methods: Previously validated DSD-specific and generic items were combined to develop a Parent Self-Report questionnaire and a Parent Proxy-Report questionnaire for children under 7 years. Of 111 children approached at one tertiary paediatric hospital, the parents of 95 children (86%) with DSD or other Endocrine conditions completed these questionnaires. Results: Questionnaires took under 10 min to complete and were found to be easy to understand. Compared to reference, fathers of children with DSD reported less stress associated with Clinic Visits (p = 0.02) and managing their child’s Medication (p = 0.04). However, parents of children with either DSD or other Endocrine conditions reported more symptoms of Depression (p = 0.03). Mothers of children with DSD reported greater Future Concerns in relation to their child’s condition (median SDS − 0.28; range − 2.14, 1.73) than mothers of children with other Endocrine conditions (SDS 1.17; − 2.00, 1.73) (p = 0.02). Similarly, fathers of children with DSD expressed greater Future Concerns (median SDS -1.60; − 4.21, 1.00) than fathers of children with other Endocrine conditions (SDS 0.48; − 2.13, 1.52) (p = 0.04). Conclusion: DSD was associated with greater parental concerns over the child’s future than other Endocrine conditions. Brief parent-report tools in DSD can be routinely used in the outpatient setting to assess and monitor parent and patient needs

Rapid microtubule self-assembly kinetics

SUMMARY Microtubule assembly is vital for many fundamental cellular processes. Current models for microtubule assembly kinetics assume that the subunit dissociation rate from a microtubule tip is independent of free subunit concentration. Total-Internal-Reflection-Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy experiments and data from a laser tweezers assay that measures in vitro microtubule assembly with nanometer resolution, provides evidence that the subunit dissociation rate from a microtubule tip increases as the free subunit concentration increases. These data are consistent with a two-dimensional model for microtubule assembly, and are explained by a shift in microtubule tip structure from a relatively blunt shape at low free concentrations to relatively tapered at high free concentrations. We find that because both the association and the dissociation rates increase at higher free subunit concentrations, the kinetics of microtubule assembly are an order-ofmagnitude higher than currently estimated in the literature

Model Convolution: A Computational Approach to Digital Image Interpretation

Digital fluorescence microscopy is commonly used to track individual proteins and their dynamics in living cells. However, extracting molecule-specific information from fluorescence images is often limited by the noise and blur intrinsic to the cell and the imaging system. Here we discuss a method called “model-convolution,” which uses experimentally measured noise and blur to simulate the process of imaging fluorescent proteins whose spatial distribution cannot be resolved. We then compare model-convolution to the more standard approach of experimental deconvolution. In some circumstances, standard experimental deconvolution approaches fail to yield the correct underlying fluorophore distribution. In these situations, model-convolution removes the uncertainty associated with deconvolution and therefore allows direct statistical comparison of experimental and theoretical data. Thus, if there are structural constraints on molecular organization, the model-convolution method better utilizes information gathered via fluorescence microscopy, and naturally integrates experiment and theory

Islands Containing Slowly Hydrolyzable GTP Analogs Promote Microtubule Rescues

Microtubules are dynamic polymers of GTP- and GDP-tubulin that undergo stochastic transitions between growing and shrinking phases. Rescues, the conversion from shrinking to growing, have recently been proposed to be to the result of regrowth at GTP-tubulin islands within the lattice of growing microtubules. By introducing mixed GTP/GDP/GMPCPP (GXP) regions within the lattice of dynamic microtubules, we reconstituted GXP islands in vitro (GMPCPP is the slowly hydrolyzable GTP analog guanosine-5′-[(α,β)-methyleno]triphosphate). We found that such islands could reproducibly induce rescues and that the probability of rescue correlated with both the size of the island and the percentage of GMPCPP-tubulin within the island. The islands slowed the depolymerization rate of shortening microtubules and promoted regrowth more readily than GMPCPP seeds. Together, these findings provide new mechanistic insights supporting the possibility that rescues could be triggered by enriched GTP-tubulin regions and present a new tool for studying such rescue events in vitro

Cone photoreceptor structure in patients with x-linked cone dysfunction and red-green color vision deficiency

PURPOSE: Mutations in the coding sequence of the L and M opsin genes are often associated with X-linked cone dysfunction (such as Bornholm Eye Disease, BED), though the exact color vision phenotype associated with these disorders is variable. We examined individuals with L/M opsin gene mutations to clarify the link between color vision deficiency and cone dysfunction. METHODS: We recruited 17 males for imaging. The thickness and integrity of the photoreceptor layers were evaluated using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Cone density was measured using high-resolution images of the cone mosaic obtained with adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy. The L/M opsin gene array was characterized in 16 subjects, including at least one subject from each family. RESULTS: There were six subjects with the LVAVA haplotype encoded by exon 3, seven with LIAVA, two with the Cys203Arg mutation encoded by exon 4, and two with a novel insertion in exon 2. Foveal cone structure and retinal thickness was disrupted to a variable degree, even among related individuals with the same L/M array. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide a direct link between disruption of the cone mosaic and L/M opsin variants. We hypothesize that, in addition to large phenotypic differences between different L/M opsin variants, the ratio of expression of first versus downstream genes in the L/M array contributes to phenotypic diversity. While the L/M opsin mutations underlie the cone dysfunction in all of the subjects tested, the color vision defect can be caused either by the same mutation or a gene rearrangement at the same locus

Translating a health behavior change intervention for delivery to 2-year college students: the importance of formative research

Young adults are at risk for weight gain in the transition to independent adulthood; 2-year college students are at greater risk and understudied relative to 4-year students. This project conducted formative research for a randomized controlled weight gain prevention trial among 2-year college students, to ensure appropriateness of content and delivery of a curriculum originally developed for 4-year college students. Data were collected from community college students, faculty, and staff from October 2009 to August 2011. Work included focus groups and key informant interviews, curriculum pilot testing, and social network and support website beta testing. Based on focus groups and interviews, program content, course delivery modes, and communication channels were adjusted to meet population interests and preferences. The course was delivered successfully in pilot testing, and the website was received well by beta testers. Formative work successfully guided program adaptations to address population needs

Racial Differences in the Association Between Luminal Master Regulator Gene Expression Levels and Breast Cancer Survival

Compared with their European American (EA) counterparts, African American (AA) women are more likely to die from breast cancer in the United States. This disparity is greatest in hormone receptor-positive subtypes. Here we uncover biological factors underlying this disparity by comparing functional expression and prognostic significance of master transcriptional regulators of luminal differentiation.Fil: Byun, Jung S.. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Singhal, Sandeep K.. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Park, Samson. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Yi, Dae Ik. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Yan, Tingfen. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Caban, Ambar. Columbia University Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: Jones, Alana. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Mukhopadhyay, Partha. Columbia University Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: Gille, Sarah. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Hewitt, Stephen M.. No especifíca;Fil: Newman, Lisa. No especifíca;Fil: Davis, Melissa B.. Henry Ford Health System; Estados UnidosFil: Jenkins, Brittany D.. Henry Ford Health System; Estados UnidosFil: Sepulveda, Jorge L.. Columbia University Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: de Siervi, Adriana. 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: Nápoles, Anna María. National Institute On Minority Health And Health Disparities; Estados UnidosFil: Vohra, Nasreen A.. East Carolina University; Estados UnidosFil: Gardner, Kevin. Columbia University Medical Center; Estados Unido

Protein expression of the gp78 E3 ligase predicts poor breast cancer outcome based on race

Women of African ancestry suffer higher rates of breast cancer mortality compared with all other groups in the United States. Though the precise reasons for these disparities remain unclear, many recent studies have implicated a role for differences in tumor biology. Using an epitope-validated antibody against the endoplasmic reticulum-associated E3 ligase, gp78, we show that elevated levels of gp78 in patient breast cancer cells predict poor survival. Moreover, high levels of gp78 are associated with poor outcomes in both ER+ and ER- tumors, and breast cancers expressing elevated amounts of gp78 protein are enriched in gene expression pathways that influence cell cycle, metabolism, receptor-mediated signaling, and cell stress response pathways. In multivariate analysis adjusted for subtype and grade, gp78 protein is an independent predictor of poor outcomes in women of African ancestry. Furthermore, gene expression signatures, derived from patients stratified by gp78 protein expression, are strong predictors of recurrence and pathological complete response in retrospective clinical trial data and share many common features with gene sets previously identified to be overrepresented in breast cancers based on race. These findings implicate a prominent role for gp78 in tumor progression and offer insights into our understanding of racial differences in breast cancer outcomes.Fil: Singhal, Sandeep K.. No especifíca;Fil: Byun, Jung S.. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Yan, Tingfen. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Yancey, Ryan. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Caban, Ambar. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Hernandez, Sara Gil. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Bufford, Sediqua. No especifíca;Fil: Hewitt, Stephen M.. No especifíca;Fil: Winfield, Joy. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Pradhan, Jaya. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Mustkov, Vesco. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: McDonald, Jasmine A.. No especifíca;Fil: Pérez Stable, Eliseo J.. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Nápoles, Anna María. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Vohra, Nasreen. No especifíca;Fil: de Siervi, Adriana. 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: Yates, Clayton. No especifíca;Fil: Davis, Melissa B.. No especifíca;Fil: Yang, Mei. No especifíca;Fil: Tsai, Yien Che. No especifíca;Fil: Weissman, Allan M.. No especifíca;Fil: Gardner, Kevin. Columbia University; Estados Unido