Guiding employees through the COVID-19 pandemic: An exploration of the impact of transparent communication and change appraisals

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and drawing on literature from change management, internal communication and cognitive appraisal theory, this study provided accounts of how transparent communication during organizational change affects employees' cognitive appraisals of the change, behavioural reactions to the change, and subsequently, turnover intentions. Our findings of 414 full-time US employees revealed that transparent internal communication is positively related to employees' challenge appraisal of the change, which, in turn, is related to change compliance and championing. In addition, transparent communication is negatively associated with threat appraisal of the change, which in turn is connected to lower change compliance. Further, employees' turnover intention was negatively associated with their compliance and championing for the change. This study has made several contributions to internal communication scholarship, appraisal theory and change management literature. We also offer several suggestions to improve communication during organizational change periods.     

Ionizing Radiation-Induced Responses in Human Cells with Differing TP53 Status

Ionizing radiation triggers diverse responses in human cells encompassing apoptosis, necrosis, stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS), autophagy, and endopolyploidy (e.g., multinucleation). Most of these responses result in loss of colony-forming ability in the clonogenic survival assay. However, not all modes of so-called clonogenic cell “death” are necessarily advantageous for therapeutic outcome in cancer radiotherapy. For example, the crosstalk between SIPS and autophagy is considered to influence the capacity of the tumor cells to maintain a prolonged state of growth inhibition that unfortunately can be succeeded by tumor regrowth and disease recurrence. Likewise, endopolyploid giant cells are able to segregate into near diploid descendants that continue mitotic activities. Herein we review the current knowledge on the roles that the p53 and p21^WAF1 tumor suppressors play in determining the fate of human fibroblasts (normal and Li-Fraumeni syndrome) and solid tumor-derived cells after exposure to ionizing radiation. In addition, we discuss the important role of WIP1, a p53-regulated oncogene, in the temporal regulation of the DNA damage response and its contribution to p53 dynamics post-irradiation. This article highlights the complexity of the DNA damage response and provides an impetus for rethinking the nature of cancer cell resistance to therapeutic agents.     

Play therapy with children exhibiting symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Sixty elementary school age children qualified as symptomatic of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment conditions: child-centered play therapy (CCPT) or reading mentoring (RM). All children participated in 16 individual 30-min sessions in the schools. Results indicated that children who participated in 16 sessions of CCPT and RM demonstrated statistically significant improvement on the ADHD and student characteristics domains, as well as the Anxiety/Withdrawal and Learning Disability subscales of the Index of Teaching Stress and the ADHD Index of the Conners Teacher Rating Scale--Revised: Short Form. Children who participated in CCPT demonstrated statistically significant improvement over RM children on the student characteristics domain and on the Emotional Lability and Anxiety/Withdrawal subscales of the Index of Teaching Stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Phosphorus compounds in sequential extracts of animal manures: chemical speciation and a novel fractionation procedure

Pollution of water bodies by phosphorus in runoff from soil amended with animal manures is one of the greatest threats to water quality in developed countries. The environmental fate of manure phosphorus is determined in part by its chemical composition, yet extraction procedures to assess this are poorly developed and provide no structural information. We used solution 31P NMR spectroscopy to quantify phosphorus compounds in sequential extracts of three contrasting manures (broiler litter, beef-cattle manure, swine manure). Using a procedure originally developed for soils, but commonly applied to manures, phosphorus was extracted sequentially with deionized water, 0.5 M NaHCO3, 0.1 M NaOH, and 0.5 M HCl. Water and NaHCO3 extracted readily soluble compounds, including phosphate, phospholipids, DNA, and simple phosphate monoesters, which are mobile in soil and biologically available. In contrast, NaOH and HCl extracted poorly soluble compounds, including phytic acid (myoinositol hexakisphosphate). The latter is immobile in soil and of limited biological availability. Based on these results, we developed a simplified two-step fractionation procedure involving extraction of readily soluble phosphorus in 0.5 M NaHCO3 followed by extraction of stable phosphorus in a solution containing 0.5 M NaOH and 50 mM EDTA. This revised procedure separates manure phosphorus into structurally defined fractions with environmental relevance and will facilitate research on this important aspect of environmental science.     

An antimicrobial polycationic sand filter for water disinfection

A new sand filtration water disinfection technology is developed which relies on the antimicrobial properties of hydrophobic polycations (N-hexylated polyethylenimine) covalently attached to the sand's surface. The efficacy of the filter disinfection process was evaluated both with water spiked with E. coli and with real aqueous effluent from a wastewater treatment plant. For the former, over 7-log reduction in bacterial count was achieved. With real environmental wastewater secondary effluent samples, the E. coli concentration reduction declined to under 2 logs. This reduced inactivation efficiency compared to the model aqueous sample is likely due to the particulate or colloidal matter present that diminishes the contact between the immobilized polycation and the suspended bacteria. Preliminary sand washing methods were tested to assess potential 'regeneration' approaches. Potential advantages of the proposed approach over conventional disinfection in terms of eliminating harmful by-products and reducing energy consumption are discussed.