Adaptive performance in the fire service: The role of empowerment practices/procedures, leadership behaviors, and tempo balance

Fire departments, like other organizations that follow rigid hierarchical structures, face difficulties in being flexible or adaptive enough to address the needs generated by large and complex disaster environments. Research is lacking, however, on the ability of empowerment to enhance adaptive performance in emergency response organizations, which today face increasingly complex threats and growing responsibilities. The present study explores two models - the first tests the relationships between the empowerment practices of career development opportunities, autonomy, employee voice with two leadership levels, and adaptive performance. Tempo balance and the empowerment practices are also tested for interactive effects, a measure originally developed to capture firefighter stress and fatigue from excessive mandatory overtime policies. The second model performs moderated mediation to assess whether senior leaders must also be effective, empowering leaders (in addition to immediate supervisors) in order to achieve heightened levels of empowerment and subsequent adaptive performance, as many senior leaders in the fire service are criticized for being overly bureaucratic, risk averse, and resistant to change. Data were collected from four U.S. fire departments located on the West Coast - 1255 completed responses were returned. The results for the first model show that firefighters are better able to overcome stress and fatigue during complex incidents by relying on their training and ability to improvise, meaning these empowerment practices help compensate for poor tempo balance in fire departments from ineffective scheduling. The results for the second model display significant and positive direct relationships between empowering leadership behaviors and adaptive performance, although the interaction effects were not significant, suggesting compensatory effects - in that empowering immediate supervisors can compensate for risk averse, non-empowering senior leaders in their ability to personally empower firefighters on their own. These findings ultimately show how immediate supervisors are key to overcoming senior leader deficiencies and producing operational success during conditions of high complexity. Lastly, using a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, I use focus group data to support the empirical findings while providing additional insight into the nuances of leadership and empowerment in the fire service. Specific recommendations for fire service leaders are also provided

You Have to Send the Right Message: Examining the Influence of Protective Action Guidance on Message Perception Outcomes across Prior Hazard Warning Experience to Three Hazards

A long-term goal for warning message designers is to determine the most effective type of message that can instruct individuals to act quickly and prevent loss of life and/or injury when faced with an imminent threat. One likely way to increase an individual’s behavioral intent to act when they are faced with risk information is to provide protective action information or guidance. This study investigated participant perceptions (understanding, believing, personalizing, deciding, milling, self-efficacy, and response-efficacy) in response to the National Weather Service’s experimental product Twitter messages for three hazard types (tornado, snow squall, dust storm), with each message varying by inclusion and presentation of protective action information placed in the tweet text and the visual graphic. We also examine the role of prior hazard warning experience on message perception outcomes. To examine the effects, the experiment used a between-subjects design where participants were randomly assigned to one hazard type and received one of four warning messages. Participants then took a post-test measuring message perceptions, efficacy levels, prior hazard warning experience, and demographics. The results showed that for each hazard and prior hazard experience level, messages with protective action guidance in both the text and graphic increase their understanding, belief, ability to decide, self-, and response-efficacy. These results reinforce the idea that well-designed messages, that include protective action guidance, work well regardless of hazard type or hazard warning experience

Dog Eat Dog World: Challenges of an Entrepreneurial Start-Up

It was my boss who got me thinking about taking a leap of faith and starting my own business. It proved to be a leap I survived even though I had a faulty parachute.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/huntsman_news/1056/thumbnail.jp

Type Iγ phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinase modulates adherens junction and E-cadherin trafficking via a direct interaction with μ1B adaptin

Assembly of E-cadherin–based adherens junctions (AJ) is obligatory for establishment of polarized epithelia and plays a key role in repressing the invasiveness of many carcinomas. Here we show that type Iγ phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinase (PIPKIγ) directly binds to E-cadherin and modulates E-cadherin trafficking. PIPKIγ also interacts with the μ subunits of clathrin adaptor protein (AP) complexes and acts as a signalling scaffold that links AP complexes to E-cadherin. Depletion of PIPKIγ or disruption of PIPKIγ binding to either E-cadherin or AP complexes results in defects in E-cadherin transport and blocks AJ assembly. An E-cadherin germline mutation that loses PIPKIγ binding and shows disrupted basolateral membrane targeting no longer forms AJs and leads to hereditary gastric cancers. These combined results reveal a novel mechanism where PIPKIγ serves as both a scaffold, which links E-cadherin to AP complexes and the trafficking machinery, and a regulator of trafficking events via the spatial generation of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate

Sub-megabase resolution tiling (SMRT) array-based comparative genomic hybridization profiling reveals novel gains and losses of chromosomal regions in Hodgkin Lymphoma and Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma cell lines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL), are forms of malignant lymphoma defined by unique morphologic, immunophenotypic, genotypic, and clinical characteristics, but both overexpress CD30. We used sub-megabase resolution tiling (SMRT) array-based comparative genomic hybridization to screen HL-derived cell lines (KMH2 and L428) and ALCL cell lines (DEL and SR-786) in order to identify disease-associated gene copy number gains and losses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant copy number gains and losses were observed on several chromosomes in all four cell lines. Assessment of copy number alterations with 26,819 DNA segments identified an average of 20 genetic alterations. Of the recurrent minimally altered regions identified, 11 (55%) were within previously published regions of chromosomal alterations in HL and ALCL cell lines while 9 (45%) were novel alterations not previously reported. HL cell lines L428 and KMH2 shared gains in chromosome cytobands 2q23.1-q24.2, 7q32.2-q36.3, 9p21.3-p13.3, 12q13.13-q14.1, and losses in 13q12.13-q12.3, and 18q21.32-q23. ALCL cell lines SR-786 and DEL, showed gains in cytobands 5p15.32-p14.3, 20p12.3-q13.11, and 20q13.2-q13.32. Both pairs of HL and ALCL cell lines showed losses in 18q21.32-18q23.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study is considered to be the first one describing HL and ALCL cell line genomes at sub-megabase resolution. This high-resolution analysis allowed us to propose novel candidate target genes that could potentially contribute to the pathogenesis of HL and ALCL. FISH was used to confirm the amplification of all three isoforms of the trypsin gene (PRSS1/PRSS2/PRSS3) in KMH2 and L428 (HL) and DEL (ALCL) cell lines. These are novel findings that have not been previously reported in the lymphoma literature, and opens up an entirely new area of research that has not been previously associated with lymphoma biology. The findings raise interesting possibilities about the role of signaling pathways triggered by membrane associated serine proteases in HL and aggressive NHL, similar to those described in epithelial tumors.</p

The Oncogenic Roles of DICER1 RNase IIIb Domain Mutations in Ovarian Sertoli-Leydig Cell Tumors

AbstractDICER1, an endoribonuclease required for microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis, is essential for embryogenesis and the development of many organs including ovaries. We have recently identified somatic hotspot mutations in RNase IIIb domain of DICER1 in half of ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors, a rare class of sex-cord stromal cell tumors in young women. These hotspot mutations lost IIIb cleavage activity of DICER1 in vitro and failed to produce 5p-derived miRNAs in mouse Dicer1-null ES cells. However, the oncogenic potential of these hotspot DICER1 mutations has not been studied. Here, we further revealed that the global expression of 5p-derived miRNAs was dramatically reduced in ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors carrying DICER1 hotspot mutations compared with those without DICER1 hotspot mutation. The miRNA production defect was associated with the deregulation of genes controlling cell proliferation and the cell fate. Using an immortalized human granulosa cell line, SVOG3e, we determined that the D1709N-DICER1 hotspot mutation failed to produce 5p-derived miRNAs, deregulated the expression of several genes that control gonadal differentiation and cell proliferation, and promoted cell growth. Re-expression of let-7 significantly inhibited the growth of D1709N-DICER1 SVOG3e cells, accompanied by the suppression of key regulators of cell cycle control and ovarian gonad differentiation. Taken together, our data revealed that DICER1 hotspot mutations cause systemic loss of 5p-miRNAs that can both drive pseudodifferentiation of testicular elements and cause oncogenic transformation in the ovary

Pathogenesis and treatment of adult-type granulosa cell tumor of the ovary

Adult-type granulosa cell tumor is a clinically and molecularly unique subtype of ovarian cancer. These tumors originate from the sex cord stromal cells of the ovary and represent 3-5% of all ovarian cancers. The majority of adult-type granulosa cell tumors are diagnosed at an early stage with an indolent prognosis. Surgery is the cornerstone for the treatment of both primary and relapsed tumor, while chemotherapy is applied only for advanced or non-resectable cases. Tumor stage is the only factor consistently associated with prognosis. However, every third of the patients relapse, typically in 4-7 years from diagnosis, leading to death in 50% of these patients. Anti-Mullerian Hormone and inhibin B are currently the most accurate circulating biomarkers. Adult-type granulosa cell tumors are molecularly characterized by a pathognomonic somatic missense point mutation 402C->G (C134W) in the transcription factor FOXL2. The FOXL2 402C->G mutation leads to increased proliferation and survival of granulosa cells, and promotes hormonal changes. Histological diagnosis of adult-type granulosa cell tumor is challenging, therefore testing for the FOXL2 mutation is crucial for differential diagnosis. Large international collaborations utilizing molecularly defined cohorts are essential to improve and validate new treatment strategies for patients with high-risk or relapsed adult-type granulosa cell tumor.Key Messages:Adult-type granulosa cell tumor is a unique ovarian cancer with an indolent, albeit unpredictable disease course.Adult-type granulosa cell tumors harbor a pathognomonic somatic missense mutation in transcription factor FOXL2.The key challenges in the treatment of patients with adult-type granulosa cell tumor lie in the identification and management of patients with high-risk or relapsed disease.Peer reviewe