Hourglass, a rapid analysis framework for heterogeneous bioimaging data, identifies sex disparity in IL-6/STAT3-associated immune phenotypes in pancreatic cancer.

Integration and mining of bioimaging data remains a challenge and lags behind the rapidly expanding digital pathology field. We introduce Hourglass, an open-access analytical framework that streamlines biology-driven visualization, interrogation, and statistical assessment of multiparametric datasets. Cognizant of tissue and clinical heterogeneity, Hourglass systematically organizes observations across spatial and global levels and within patient subgroups. Applied to an extensive bioimaging dataset, Hourglass promptly consolidated a breadth of known interleukin-6 (IL-6) functions via its downstream effector STAT3 and uncovered a so-far unknown sexual dimorphism in the IL-6/STAT3-linked intratumoral T-cell response in human pancreatic cancer. As an R package and cross-platform application, Hourglass facilitates knowledge extraction from multi-layered bioimaging datasets for users with or without computational proficiency and provides unique and widely accessible analytical means to harness insights hidden within heterogeneous tissues at the sample and patient level. © 2023 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

My manager endorsed my coworkers' voice: Understanding observers' positive and negative reactions to managerial endorsement of coworker voice.

Research on managerial voice endorsement has primarily focused on the processes and conditions through which voicers receive their managers' endorsement. We shift this focus away from the voicers, focusing instead on the dual reactions that endorsement generates for observing employees. Drawing from an approach-avoidance framework, we propose that managerial endorsement of coworker voice could be perceived as a positive and negative stimulus for observers, prompting them to approach opportunities and avoid threats, respectively. Results from a preregistered experiment and a multiwave, multisource field study revealed that managerial endorsement of coworker voice was positively related to observers' voice instrumentality, thus prompting them to engage in approach behaviors (i.e., voice). We also found that managerial endorsement of coworker voice was positively related to observers' voice threat, triggering avoidant behaviors (i.e., avoidance-oriented counterproductive work behaviors). Further, we found that the avoidant reactions more pronounced for observers with higher (vs. lower) neuroticism. Overall, our research extends theory by demonstrating the rippling effects that voice endorsement can ignite throughout the workgroup. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The PCMT model of organizational support: Scale development and theoretical application.

The PCMT model of organizational support conceptualizes organizational support as consisting of four forms that differ in terms of their perceived target and ascribed motive. Across six studies (n = 1,853), we create and validate a psychometrically reliable scale that captures these four forms of organizational support, as well as offer a theoretical advancement to the organizational support literature. In particular, the first five studies involve content validation; assessment of factor analytic structure; tests of test-retest reliability and measurement invariance; and establishment of discriminant, convergent, and predictive validity. The final study involves deployment of the validated, 24-item scale in the field and illustrates that the four different forms of organizational support differentially predict the discrete dimensions of job burnout, the effects of which spillover and crossover into the home domain. This investigation thus offers both empirical and theoretical contributions. Empirically, we provide applied psychologists with an instrument for measuring the four forms of organizational support, enabling the emergence of new lines of research. Theoretically, we illustrate that the content and characteristics associated with the different forms of organizational support are important considerations as conceptual alignment between the type of organizational support perceived and the well-being outcome under study enhances the support's predictive validity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The consequences of empathic concern for the actors themselves: Understanding empathic concern through conservation of resources and work-home resources perspectives.

Whereas the majority of research to date has shown that having employees with empathic concern brings a number of beneficial outcomes to those on the receiving end, we shift this focus from the targets to a focus on how empathic concern influences the actors. Drawing from conservation of resources (COR) theory and the work-home resources model, we examined the detriments and benefits of empathic concern on the actors themselves by investigating how empathic concern drains and supplies actors' volatile personal resources. Using two experience sampling studies, our results revealed that empathic concern is associated with both resource loss and resource gain. Specifically, empathic concern requires actors to expend their volatile personal resources, leaving them emotionally exhausted and further prompting them to psychologically withdrawal from work. In addition, empathic concern also helps employees acquire new volatile personal resources, boosting their self-efficacy, and further promoting their engagement in organizational citizenship behaviors toward individuals. We also found that individuals with lower trait positive affect are less likely to obtain resource gain (self-efficacy) from empathic concern and more likely to result in resource loss (emotional exhaustion). Overall, our research answers the questions of why and when the negative and positive outcomes of empathic concern are likely to occur for the actors themselves. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

TIMP1 expression underlies sex disparity in liver metastasis and survival in pancreatic cancer.

Sex disparity in cancer is so far inadequately considered, and components of its basis are rather unknown. We reveal that male versus female pancreatic cancer (PC) patients and mice show shortened survival, more frequent liver metastasis, and elevated hepatic metastasis-promoting gene expression. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP1) was the secreted factor with the strongest male-biased expression in patient-derived pancreatic tumors. Male-specific up-regulation of systemic TIMP1 was demonstrated in PC mouse models and patients. Using TIMP1-competent and TIMP1-deficient PC mouse models, we established a causal role of TIMP1 in determining shortened survival and increased liver metastasis in males. Observing TIMP1 expression as a risk parameter in males led to identification of a subpopulation exhibiting increased TIMP1 levels (T1HI males) in both primary tumors and blood. T1HI males showed increased risk for liver metastasis development not only in PC but also in colorectal cancer and melanoma. This study reveals a lifestyle-independent sex disparity in liver metastasis and may open new avenues toward precision medicine.