Showing papers by "Bowling Green State University published in 2006"

Phytophthora Genome Sequences Uncover Evolutionary Origins and Mechanisms of Pathogenesis

Abstract: Draft genome sequences have been determined for the soybean pathogen Phytophthora sojae and the sudden oak death pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. Oomycetes such as these Phytophthora species share the kingdom Stramenopila with photosynthetic algae such as diatoms, and the presence of many Phytophthora genes of probable phototroph origin supports a photosynthetic ancestry for the stramenopiles. Comparison of the two species' genomes reveals a rapid expansion and diversification of many protein families associated with plant infection such as hydrolases, ABC transporters, protein toxins, proteinase inhibitors, and, in particular, a superfamily of 700 proteins with similarity to known oomycete avirulence genes.

Recovery, well-being, and performance-related outcomes: the role of workload and vacation experiences.

Abstract: On the basis of theoretical assumptions regarding resource gain and loss (S. E. Hobfoll, 1998), the authors used a longitudinal study to examine effects of vacation on well-being and performance-related outcomes. University employees (N = 221) completed measures of well-being (health complaints and burnout) and performance-related outcomes (self-reported task performance and effort expenditure) 1 week before and 2 days and 2 weeks after vacation and measures of workload 2 days after vacation. Specific vacation experiences (positive and negative work reflection, relaxation, mastery experience, and nonwork hassles) were assessed during vacation. Results showed changes in well-being and self-reported effort expenditure from before to after vacation, revealing vacation effects and partial fade-out effects. In addition, vacation experiences and workload significantly predicted some of the outcomes. The authors discuss applicability of the theoretical approach in the context of vacation and fade-out effects, implications for future research on recovery processes, and practical implications.

Service with a smile and encounter satisfaction: emotional contagion and appraisal mechanisms

Abstract: Primitive emotional contagion has been proposed to explain why “service with a smile” predicts encounter satisfaction. We provide a comprehensive test of this mechanism by examining mimicry and moo...

The time of our lives: Life span development of timing and event tracking

Abstract: Life span developmental profiles were constructed for 305 participants (ages 4 –95) for a battery of paced and unpaced perceptual–motor timing tasks that included synchronize– continue tapping at a wide range of target event rates. Two life span hypotheses, derived from an entrainment theory of timing and event tracking, were tested. A preferred period hypothesis predicted a monotonic slowing of a preferred rate (tempo) of event tracking across the life span. An entrainment region hypothesis predicted a quadratic profile in the range of event rates that produced effective timing across the life span; specifically, age-specific entrainment regions should be narrower in childhood and late adulthood than in midlife. Findings across tasks provide converging support for both hypotheses. Implications of these findings are discussed for understanding critical periods in development and age-related slowing of event timing.

Campus mental health services: recommendations for change.

Abstract: College officials indicate that the number of students with serious mental illnesses has risen significantly. Recent media attention surrounding several high profile suicides has opened discussion of mental illness on campus. The authors summarize literature on college students and mental illness, including barriers to service receipt. Recommendations to improve campus-based responses to serious mental illness are presented on the basis of well-accepted service principles.

Hooking Up: The Relationship Contexts of “Nonrelationship” Sex

Abstract: More than one half of sexually active teens have had sexual partners they are not dating. However, remarkably little is known about the nature of these sexual relationships. Using survey and qualitative data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study the authors contrast the qualities of dating sexual relationships and sexual relationships that occur out-side the dating context. They find that adolescents having sex outside of the dating context are choosing partners who are friends or ex-girlfriends and/or boyfriends. Moreover, one third of these nondating sexual partnerships are associated with hopes or expectations that the relationship will lead to more conventional dating relationships. Boys and girls who experience sex outside of conventional dating relationships often share similar orientations toward their relationship. Results suggest that a more nuanced view is key to understanding adolescent sexual behavior.

Examining the links between spiritual struggles and symptoms of psychopathology in a national sample.

Abstract: The present study investigated the relationship between spiritual struggles and various types of psychopathology symptoms in individuals who had and had not suffered from a recent illness. Participants completed self-report measures of religious variables and symptoms of psychopathology. Spiritual struggles were assessed by a measure of negative religious coping. As predicted, negative religious coping was significantly linked to various forms of psychopathology, including anxiety, phobic anxiety, depression, paranoid ideation, obsessive-compulsiveness, and somatization, after controlling for demographic and religious variables. In addition, the relationship between negative religious coping and anxiety and phobic anxiety was stronger for individuals who had experienced a recent illness. These results have implications for assessments and interventions targeting spiritual struggles, especially in medical settings.

Gender and the Meanings of Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Focus on Boys

Abstract: Many studies of the adolescent period have focused on peer interactions and relationships, but less is known about the character of adolescents' early dating experiences. Researchers have recently explored girls' views of romance and sexuality, but studies of boys' perspectives are noticeably lacking. Theorizing in this area leads to the expectation that as adolescents cross over into heterosexual territory, boys will do so, on average, with greater confidence, while being relatively less engaged emotionally (i.e., the notion that boys want sex, girls want romance), and ultimately emerging as the more powerful actors within the relationship. This article develops a symbolic interactionist perspective to examine the experiences of adolescent boys and girls in the context of the romantic dyad. It focuses on the nature of communication, emotion, and influence within adolescent dating relationships. Findings based on structured interviews with over 1,300 adolescents provide a strong contrast to existing portr...

Spirituality and religion in patients with HIV/AIDS.

Abstract: Background Spirituality and religion are often central issues for patients dealing with chronic illness. The purpose of this study is to characterize spirituality/religion in a large and diverse sample of patients with HIV/AIDS by using several measures of spirituality/religion, to examine associations between spirituality/religion and a number of demographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables, and to assess changes in levels of spirituality over 12 to 18 months.

Does Gender Modify the Effects of Race–ethnicity on Criminal Sanctioning? Sentences for Male and Female White, Black, and Hispanic Defendants

Abstract: Using data from large urban courts for the years 1990–1996 and drawing from the “focal concerns” framework on case-process decision making, we examine the main and interactive effects of gender and race–ethnicity on sentence outcomes. The main focus of the present study is whether the effects of race–ethnicity (and gender) on sentence outcomes are similar or different across gender (and racial–ethnic) groups. Consistent with the findings of prior research, we find that female defendants receive more lenient sentences than male defendants and that black and Hispanic defendants receive less favorable treatment than white defendants. However, these main effects are strongly dependent on whether the sample is partitioned by gender or race–ethnicity. We find that race–ethnicity influences male but not female sentences. Conversely, gender strongly influences sentencing across all racial–ethnic groups. These findings are at odds with the traditional view that leniency in court sanctioning typically by-passes “women of color.” Instead, it appears that black and Hispanic female defendants actually benefit more from their “female” status than would be expected all else equal.

Reciprocity and Constructions of Informed Consent: Researching with Indigenous Populations

Abstract: In this article, the authors present a discussion of institutional review boards and potential challenges qualitative researchers may face when presenting human subjects research proposals to these boards for approval. In particular, they focus on issues of consent and reciprocity with Indigenous populations, whose culture and traditions might be quite different from those review boards typically see. After presenting these issues, the authors close with a framework that can be used as a guide for ethical considerations in research with Indigenous peoples.

The role of the technology acceptance model in explaining effects of image interactivity technology on consumer responses

Abstract: Purpose – The impact of web site interactivity on e‐commerce has been emphasized in industry and empirical literature. The purpose of this paper is to focus on image interactivity technology (IIT) of a web site and apply the technology acceptance model (TAM) to examine factors influencing consumers' attitude toward an online retailer.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 206 respondents using a between‐subject experimental design and were analyzed using LISREL 8.54 to examine a proposed model.Findings – Results of the present study support the positive effect of web site IIT on attitude and behavioral intention toward the online retailer and show TAM aspects help explain the effects of IIT on consumer responses. All three aspects of TAM, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment, significantly enhanced consumer attitude and behavioral intention towards an online retailer. Hedonic shopping orientation had a significant effect on one aspect of TAM (perceived enjoym...

"Not Another Meeting!" Are Meeting Time Demands Related to Employee Well-Being?

Abstract: Using an interruptions framework, this article proposes and tests a set of hypotheses concerning the relationship of meeting time demands with job attitudes and well-being (JAWB). Two Internet surveys were administered toemployees who worked 35 hr or more per week. Study 1 examined prescheduled meetings attended in a typical week (N = 676), whereas Study 2 investigated prescheduled meetings attended during the current day (N = 304). As proposed, the relationship between meeting time demands and JAWB was moderated by task interdependence, meeting experience quality, and accomplishment striving. However, results were somewhat dependent on the time frame of a study and the operational definition used for meeting time demands. Furthermore, perceived meeting effectiveness was found to have a strong, direct relationship with JAWB.

Photogeneration of Heptacene in a Polymer Matrix

Abstract: Heptacene (1) was generated by the photodecarbonylation of 7,16-dihydro-7,16-ethanoheptacene-19,20-dione (2) in a polymer matrix using a UV-LED lamp (395 ± 25 nm). Compound 1 showed a long wavelength absorption band extending from 600 to 825 nm (λmax ∼ 760 nm) and was found to be stable up to 4 h in the polymer matrix. However, irradiation of a solution of 2 in toluene produced only oxygen adducts.

Marital Conflict, Parent-Child Relations, and Youth Maladjustment A Longitudinal Investigation of Spillover Effects

Abstract: Contemporaneous and longitudinal associations among marital conflict, parentchild relationship quality, and youth maladjustment were examined using data from the National Survey of Families and Households.Analyses were based on 551 married families with a child age 5 to 11 years at Wave 1. The concurrent association between marital conflict and youth externalizing problems at both waves was mediated completely at Wave 1 and partially at Wave 2 by harsh discipline and parent-youth conflict. The concurrent association between marital conflict and internalizing problems at both waves was mediated partially through parent-youth conflict. Longitudinal mediating effects were detected through stable marital conflict over 5 years and through its connection with parent-youth conflict. Findings delineate areas of specificity and stability in marital conflict processes as children transition from middle childhood through adolescence.

A Paradigm Too Far? A Dynamic Stability Reconsideration of the Social Network Research Program

Abstract: Instead of paradigmatic unity, we call for progressive theory development from a set of core concepts (Lakatos, 1970) comprising primacy of relations, ubiquity of embeddedness, social utility of connections, and structural patterning of social life. Organizational network research can capture complexity and distinctiveness of individuals and networks in terms of mutual constitution and change. The goal is not to delineate small puzzles whose outcomes are predetermined but to signal bold ideas concerning new phenomena.

Children’s Economic Well-Being in Married and Cohabiting Parent Families

Abstract: Increasingly, children are living with cohabiting parents. Prior work on the material well-being of children living in cohabiting families is extended by including the biological relationship of children to adults, examining the racial and ethnic variations, and investigating the multiple indicators of material well-being. We draw on the 1999 National Survey of America's Families (N = 34,509). Our findings suggest that children can potentially benefit from living with a cohabiting partner whose resources are shared with family members. Although children living with married rather than cohabiting parents fare better in terms of material well-being, this advantage is accounted for by race and ethnic group and parents' education. Marriage appears to provide more material advantages to White children than to Black or Latino children.

Family Structure Transitions and Adolescent Well-being

Abstract: Using data from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, I extend prior research on family transitions and adolescent well-being by examining the influence of parental marital and cohabitation transitions on adolescent delinquency, depression, and school engagement. Adolescents who experienced a family transition reported decreased well-being, on average, relative to those in stable, two-biological-parent families. Specific comparisons of various types of family stability and change revealed that cohabitation is often associated with poorer outcomes. Moving out of a cohabiting stepfamily into a single-mother family was not harmful and was actually associated with improvements in school engagement. Moving into a cohabiting stepfamily from a single-mother family decreased adolescent well-being, and this impact was greater than that experienced by those who moved into a married stepfamily. Stable cohabiting stepfamilies were associated with lower levels of well-being than stable married stepfamilies. Formalization of a cohabiting stepfamily through marriage did not translate into any appreciable benefits for adolescent well-being.

Distant touch hydrodynamic imaging with an artificial lateral line

Abstract: Nearly all underwater vehicles and surface ships today use sonar and vision for imaging and navigation. However, sonar and vision systems face various limitations, e.g., sonar blind zones, dark or murky environments, etc. Evolved over millions of years, fish use the lateral line, a distributed linear array of flow sensing organs, for underwater hydrodynamic imaging and information extraction. We demonstrate here a proof-of-concept artificial lateral line system. It enables a distant touch hydrodynamic imaging capability to critically augment sonar and vision systems. We show that the artificial lateral line can successfully perform dipole source localization and hydrodynamic wake detection. The development of the artificial lateral line is aimed at fundamentally enhancing human ability to detect, navigate, and survive in the underwater environment.

Gender, the Marital Life Course, and Cardiovascular Disease in Late Midlife

Abstract: Drawing on 5 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, we examine the influence of the marital life course on the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular disease among 9,434 middle-aged individuals. Results show that compared to continuously married persons, both men and women with a marital loss have significantly higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease at baseline. Men and women, however, differ in the effects of marital loss on the incidence of cardiovascular disease over the course of the study. Women with a marital loss have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in late midlife compared to continuously married women, whereas marital loss is not associated with men’s risk of cardiovascular disease. Emotional distress and socioeconomic status account for the higher risk of cardiovascular disease among divorced women.

Gender Differentials in Cognitive Impairment and Decline of the Oldest Old in China

Abstract: Objective Research in China has shown that women are significantly disadvantaged in cognitive functioning in old age. This article adds to this line of inquiry by examining gender differentials in the odds of having cognitive impairment at baseline and during follow-up among the Chinese oldest old, as well as the potential pathways linking gender and the likelihood of having cognitive impairment. Methods Using two waves (1998 and 2000) of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, the researcher estimated logistic and multinomial regression models of cognitive impairment for a nationwide sample of people aged 80-105 years old (N = 8,291). Results Among the Chinese oldest old, women were at higher risk than men for having cognitive impairment both at baseline and during 2-year follow-up, controlling for age, activities of daily living disability, and rural residence. Women's disadvantages in socioeconomic status, social network, and participation in leisure activities partially accounted for the gender differentials in cognitive impairment. Discussion The findings suggest that oldest old Chinese women are a vulnerable group at higher risk for cognitive impairment than oldest old men. Closing gender disparities in formal education will significantly reduce the gender gap in cognitive impairment in old age.

A review of the acute subjective effects of MDMA/ecstasy.

Abstract: Aim Although several relatively recent reviews have summarized the neuropsychiatric effects associated with chronic ecstasy use, there is no published comprehensive review of studies on the acute subjective effects (ASEs) of MDMA/ecstasy. Design The present study reviewed the prevalence, intensity and duration of ASEs collected from 24 studies that provided frequency data on the prevalence of self-reported ecstasy effects and/or provided data on the intensity of ecstasy effects. Findings Although hundreds of ASEs have been reported following MDMA consumption, we identified a subset of effects reported repeatedly by meaningful proportions and large numbers of participants across multiple investigations, most of which were either emotional (e.g. anxiety, depression, closeness, fear, euphoria, calmness) or somatic (e.g. nausea/vomiting, bruxism, muscle aches/headache, sweating, numbness, body temperature changes, fatigue, dizziness, dry mouth, increased energy). Only one sexual ASE (sexual arousal/increased sensual awareness), one cognitive ASE (confused thought), one sensory–perceptual ASE (visual effects/changes in visual perception), one sleep-related ASE (sleeplessness) and one appetite-related ASE (decreased appetite) were reported across five or more investigations. Three factors—number of hours between ingestion and assessment, dose level, and gender—have been associated with the acute subjective experience of MDMA/ecstasy. Conclusions This review provides useful information for clinicians and researchers who want to understand the desirable and undesirable ASEs that may motivate and restrain ecstasy use, for public health advocates who seek to reduce biomedical harms (e.g. fainting, dehydration, shortness of breath, bruxism) associated with recreational use of MDMA/ecstasy, and for educators who wish to design credible prevention messages that neither underestimate nor exaggerate users’ experiences of this drug.

A cluster analysis investigation of workaholism as a syndrome.

Abstract: Workaholism has been conceptualized as a syndrome although there have been few tests that explicitly consider its syndrome status. The authors analyzed a three-dimensional scale of workaholism developed by Spence and Robbins (1992) using cluster analysis. The authors identified three clusters of individuals, one of which corresponded to Spence and Robbins's profile of the workaholic (high work involvement, high drive to work, low work enjoyment). Consistent with previously conjectured relations with workaholism, individuals in the workaholic cluster were more likely to label themselves as workaholics, more likely to have acquaintances label them as workaholics, and more likely to have lower life satisfaction and higher work-life imbalance. The importance of considering workaholism as a syndrome and the implications for effective interventions are discussed.