University of Minnesota Morris
UniversityMorris, Minnesota, United States
Research output, citation impact, and the most-cited recent papers from University of Minnesota Morris (United States). Aggregated across the NobleBlocks index of 300M+ scholarly works.
Top-cited papers from University of Minnesota Morris
Proposes an integrative theoretical framework for studying psychological aspects of incentive relationships. During the time that an incentive is behaviorally salient, an organism is especially responsive to incentive-related cues. This sustained sensitivity requires postulating a continuing state (denoted by a construct, current concern) with a definite onset (commitment) and offset (consummation or disengagement). Disengagement follows frustration, accompanies the behavioral process of extinction, and involves an incentive-disengagement cycle of invigoration, aggression, depression, and recovery. Depression is thus a normal part of disengagement that may be either adaptive or maladaptive for the individual but is probably adaptive for the species. Implications for motivation; etiology, symptomatology, and treatment of depression; drug use; and other social problem areas are discussed. (41/2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)
Due to significant lipid and carbohydrate production as well as other useful properties such as high production of useful biomolecular substrates (e.g., lipids) and the ability to grow using non-potable water sources, algae are being explored as a potential high-yield feedstock for biofuels production. In both natural and engineered systems, algae can be exposed to a variety of environmental conditions that affect growth rate and cellular composition. With respect to the latter, the amount of carbon fixed in lipids and carbohydrates (e.g., starch) is highly influenced by environmental factors and nutrient availability. Understanding synergistic interactions between multiple environmental variables and nutritional factors is required to develop sustainable high productivity bioalgae systems, which are essential for commercial biofuel production. This article reviews the effects of environmental factors (i.e., temperature, light and pH) and nutrient availability (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace metals) as well as cross-interactions on the biochemical composition of algae with a special focus on carbon fixation and partitioning of carbon from a biofuels perspective.
Economic analysis has so far said little about how an individual's cognitive skills (CS) are related to the individual's economic preferences in different choice domains, such as risk taking or saving, and how preferences in different domains are related to each other. Using a sample of 1,000 trainee truckers we report three findings. First, there is a strong and significant relationship between an individual's CS and preferences. Individuals with better CS are more patient, in both short- and long-run. Better CS are also associated with a greater willingness to take calculated risks. Second, CS predict social awareness and choices in a sequential Prisoner's Dilemma game. Subjects with better CS more accurately forecast others' behavior and differentiate their behavior as a second mover more strongly depending on the first-mover's choice. Third, CS, and in particular, the ability to plan, strongly predict perseverance on the job in a setting with a substantial financial penalty for early exit. Consistent with CS being a common factor in all of these preferences and behaviors, we find a strong pattern of correlation among them. These results, taken together with the theoretical explanation we offer for the relationships we find, suggest that higher CS systematically affect preferences and choices in ways that favor economic success.
Tree mortality is a key factor influencing forest functions and dynamics, but our understanding of the mechanisms leading to mortality and the associated changes in tree growth rates are still limited. We compiled a new pan-continental tree-ring width database from sites where both dead and living trees were sampled (2970 dead and 4224 living trees from 190 sites, including 36 species), and compared early and recent growth rates between trees that died and those that survived a given mortality event. We observed a decrease in radial growth before death in ca. 84% of the mortality events. The extent and duration of these reductions were highly variable (1-100 years in 96% of events) due to the complex interactions among study species and the source(s) of mortality. Strong and long-lasting declines were found for gymnosperms, shade- and drought-tolerant species, and trees that died from competition. Angiosperms and trees that died due to biotic attacks (especially bark-beetles) typically showed relatively small and short-term growth reductions. Our analysis did not highlight any universal trade-off between early growth and tree longevity within a species, although this result may also reflect high variability in sampling design among sites. The intersite and interspecific variability in growth patterns before mortality provides valuable information on the nature of the mortality process, which is consistent with our understanding of the physiological mechanisms leading to mortality. Abrupt changes in growth immediately before death can be associated with generalized hydraulic failure and/or bark-beetle attack, while long-term decrease in growth may be associated with a gradual decline in hydraulic performance coupled with depletion in carbon reserves. Our results imply that growth-based mortality algorithms may be a powerful tool for predicting gymnosperm mortality induced by chronic stress, but not necessarily so for angiosperms and in case of intense drought or bark-beetle outbreaks.
To characterize the hemodynamic factors that regulate stroke volume during upright exercise in normal man, 24 asymptomatic male volunteers were evaluated by simultaneous right heart catheterization, radionuclide angiography, and expired gas analysis during staged upright bicycle exercise to exhaustion. From rest to peak exercise, oxygen consumption increased from 0.33 to 2.55 liters/min (7.7-fold), cardiac index increased from 3.0 to 9.7 liters/min per m2 (3.2-fold), and arteriovenous oxygen difference increased from 5.8 to 14.1 vol% (2.5-fold). The increase in cardiac index resulted from an increase in heart rate from 73 to 167 beats/min (2.5-fold), and an increase in left ventricular stroke volume index from 41 to 58 ml/m2 (1.4-fold). During low levels of exercise, there was a linear increase in cardiac index due to an increase in both heart rate and stroke volume index; stroke volume index increased as a result of an increase in left ventricular filling pressure and end-diastolic volume index and, to a much smaller extent, a decrease in end-systolic volume index. During high levels of exercise, further increases in cardiac index resulted entirely from an increase in heart rate, since stroke volume index increased no further. Left ventricular end-diastolic volume index decreased despite a linear increase in pulmonary artery wedge pressure; stroke volume index was maintained by a further decrease in end-systolic volume index. The degree to which stroke volume index increased during exercise in individuals correlated with the change in end-diastolic volume index (r = 0.66) but not with the change in end-systolic volume index (r = 0.07). Thus, the mechanism by which left ventricular stroke volume increases during upright exercise in man is dependent upon the changing relationship between heart rate, left ventricular filling, and left ventricular contractility. At low levels of exertion, an increase in left ventricular filling pressure and end-diastolic volume are important determinants of the stroke volume response through the Starling mechanism. At high levels of exertion, the exercise tachycardia is accompanied by a decrease in end-diastolic volume despite a progressive increase in filling pressure, so that stroke volume must be maintained by a decrease in end-systolic volume.
This article examines the work values and ethics literatures with the goal of integrating these diverse and independent research streams. The vocational behaviour literature and the management and organizational behaviour literature on work values, the Protestant Work Ethic construct, and business ethics theory are first reviewed and discussed, demonstrating how insights from these diverse research areas can inform each other. I propose a comprehensive definition of work values and a structural framework that reflects the central elements of the construct and reduces confusion over its conceptual boundaries. The framework consists of a two‐by‐two dimensional structure, with one continuum ranging from personal to social consensus‐type values, and the other axis corresponding to moral versus preference values. The contents of each resulting quadrant and the relationships between quadrants are examined. Implications of this proposed structure for organizational socialization are discussed to illustrate its potential application.
▪ Abstract Isozyme variation in 247 plant species is summarized as 57 generic-level comparisons of rare and common species. All species-level measures of variation (P s , A s , AP s , H es ) and mean population-level measures (P p , A p , AP p , H ep , and H o ) show reductions significant at the p < 0.001 level, but F IS and F ST did not differ significantly, reflecting the similarity of breeding system in congeneric species and disparate ranges often sampled for rare and common species. The reduction in gene flow (Nm) among populations of rare species was significant when estimated from F ST , but not when estimated from private alleles. Species monomorphic for isozymes are predominantly endemic and self-fertile. Although census populations of virtually all rare species are higher than levels at which theory would predict genetic erosion, and higher than levels protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), rare plants evidently have more significant reductions in genetic variation and gene flow than have been recognized previously.
The intestinal homeostasis is an orchestrated dynamic equilibrium state composed of the coexistence and interactions among the nutrients, microbial flora, and immune system. The intestinal balance disorder can trigger a series of diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Many of tryptophan (Trp) metabolites, such as kynurenine and indole, generated under a series of endogenous enzymes or microbial metabolism, have been reported enable to bind and activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), this series of process is termed the Trp-AhR pathway. The activated Trp-AhR pathway can induce the expression of downstream cytokines such as interleukin-22 (IL-22) and interleukin-17 (IL-17), thereby regulating the intestinal homeostasis. This review highlights the advance of Trp-AhR pathway in the regulation of intestinal homeostasis and provides some insights for the clinical strategies that expect to effectively prevent and treat gut diseases via intervening the Trp-AhR pathway.
Abstract Why do men and women adopt agricultural technologies at different rates? Evidence from Ghana suggests that gender‐linked differences in the adoption of modern maize varieties and chemical fertilizer result from gender‐linked differences in access to complementary inputs. This finding has important policy implications, because it suggests that ensuring more widespread and equitable adoption of improved technologies may not require changes in the research system, but rather introduction of measures that ensure better access for women to complementary inputs, especially land, labor, and extension services.
OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the impact of differential levels of job satisfaction on burnout among nurses, hypothesizing that higher levels of job satisfaction predict lower levels of burnout. BACKGROUND: Social environmental factors of the workplace arising from organizational restructuring cost containment strategies, diminishing resources, and increasing responsibilities, cause highly stressed, burned out nurses to leave the profession. METHODS: This study used the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to measure emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. The job satisfaction scale of Katzell et al was used to measure overall job satisfaction. Statistical tests for significance used were Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Structural Equation Modeling, the chi statistic, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation, Goodness of Fit Index, and Comparative Fit Index. RESULTS: The findings show that job satisfaction has a significant direct negative effect on emotional exhaustion, whereas emotional exhaustion has a direct positive effect on depersonalization. A significant indirect effect was seen of job satisfaction on depersonalization via exhaustion. The path coefficient shows that job satisfaction has both direct and indirect effects on burnout, confirming job satisfaction as a significant predictor of burnout. IMPLICATIONS: Collaborative efforts between nurses, administrators, and educators to research and test practical models to improve job satisfaction may work as an antidote to burnout.
W ith successful antiretroviral therapy, patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are living longer; however, recent reports suggest increased rates of coronary heart disease (CHD) among HIV-infected patients, 1 and cardiovascular disease has become an important cause of morbidity and mortality in this population. Increased CHD rates in the HIV population may relate to traditional risk factors, including advancing age, higher smoking rates, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and impaired glucose tolerance. Cardiovascular disease may also be due to nontraditional factors, including changes in body composition with loss of subcutaneous fat and/or accumulation of visceral fat in some patients, inflammation, and direct effects of the virus on the vasculature, as well as to direct effects of specific antiretroviral drugs. Important questions remain as to the pathogenesis, detection, and treatment of cardiovascular disease and related risk factors in HIV-infected patients. These questions concern, among other things, the design of adequate trials to determine CHD incidence and the utility of existing CHD guidelines for screening, prevention, treatment, and risk stratification.
Summary 1. Pan traps or water traps have been used widely to sample agricultural insect pests, but no formal studies have assessed the utility of these traps as sampling devices for bees. 2. Coloured pan traps, used as flower models, can efficiently and selectively sample an oligolectic bee, Andrena ( Hesperandrena ) limnanthis , and other bees associated with white‐flowered Limnanthes douglasii rosea . 3. Females and males of A. limnanthis unexpectedly exhibit different colour preferences. Females are strongly attracted to white and blue traps, but discriminate against yellow traps. Males prefer white traps over blue and yellow traps. Consequently, blue traps are selective for females only, while white traps are selective for both sexes. 4. Non‐ A. limnanthis bees were caught in significantly greater numbers in yellow than in blue or white traps. These bees included generalists, as well as specialists that are oligolectic on mostly yellow‐flowered species. 5. Colour of traps had a significant effect on the numbers of A. limnanthis females and males, and non‐ A. limnanthis bees caught in traps. These results indicate that quantitative sampling of bees by pan trap methods can be highly sensitive to trap colour.
Over the past several decades, increasing global prevalence of obesity-related nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been one of main challenges to human health. Recently, increasing evidence has validated connections among short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), a physiologically relevant concentration, the intestinal microbiota, and host metabolism. In this review, we summarized crosstalk between SCFAs and host metabolism in relation to NAFLD pathophysiology, focusing on recent advances. Firstly, how SCFAs are generated and absorbed under different nutritional conditions in the gut. Secondly, how SCFAs maintain gut barrier and alleviate hepatic inflammatory responses. Thirdly, how SCFAs maintain hepatic energy balance through controlling appetite and mediating the glucose homeostasis at the systemic level. Fourthly, G-protein-coupled receptors (GPRs) are widely involved in the above metabolic processes regulated by SCFAs. Overall, this review aimed to provide new insights into the prospects of SCFAs as a potential therapeutic target in management of liver diseases.
RATIONALE: Diabetes is associated with increased mortality in cystic fibrosis. Aggressive screening and early institution of insulin treatment significantly reduced this risk over the period of 1992-2008. OBJECTIVES: To determine if progressive improvement in cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) mortality has continued since 2008, and examine associations with CFTR genotypes linked to pancreatic insufficiency and to sex. METHODS: Chart review was performed on 664 patients followed from 2008 to 2012. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Overall mortality for patients with CFRD was 1.8 per 100 person-years, compared with 0.5 in patients with CF without diabetes (P = 0.0002); neither rate changed significantly from mortality reported for 2003-2008. Genotype impacted both mortality and diabetes risk: adults with severe CFTR genotypes experienced greater mortality at every age older than 32 years than those with mild genotypes (P = 0.002), and the risk of developing CFRD was also greatly increased in those with severe genotypes (prevalence 60% in adult patients with severe vs. 14% in adults with mild mutations). CFRD had a direct influence on mortality because it was associated with increased risk of death within each genotype category (20 vs. 2%, P = 0.007 for mild; 12 vs. 4%, P = 0.012 for severe). There was also a sex difference in adults with severe CFTR genotypes; both mortality and CFRD prevalence were higher at every age in females than males. CONCLUSIONS: Despite substantial improvement over time, mortality for CFRD patients greater than 30 years remains higher than for patients with CF without diabetes.
A growth performance and carcass evaluation study was conducted to determine the maximal inclusion rate of corn distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) in grower-finisher pig diets when formulated on a total AA basis. A total of 240 (28.4 +/- 0.8 kg of BW) crossbred pigs [(Yorkshire x Landrace) x Duroc] were allotted randomly within sex and weight outcome groups to 1 of 24 pens. Pens were assigned randomly within the initial BW groups to 1 of 4 dietary treatment sequences in a 5-phase grower-finisher feeding program in a 4 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. The inclusion level of DDGS (0, 10, 20, or 30%) in the diet and the initial BW class [low (23.2 kg), medium (28.1 kg), or high (33.8 kg)] served as the main factors for the grower-finisher performance study. All diets were formulated to contain similar concentrations of total Lys, ME, calcium, and phosphorus within each phase. Pigs were slaughtered and carcass data were collected when the average BW of pigs in a pen reached 114 +/- 2.25 kg. Dietary treatment and initial weight groups did not interact for any response variables, and only the main effects of dietary treatment are presented. Pigs fed the 20 or 30% DDGS diets had reduced ADG (P < 0.05) compared with that of the 0 or 10% DDGS groups, but ADFI was unaffected by dietary treatment. Gain:feed decreased when pigs were fed 30% DDGS (P < 0.05) compared with the 0, 10, and 20% DDGS dietary inclusion levels. Loin depth was lower in pigs fed the 30% DDGS diets (P < 0.05), but backfat depth and percentage of carcass lean did not differ among treatments. Iodine number of carcass fat increased linearly (P < 0.01) with increasing dietary DDGS concentration, and belly firmness adjusted for belly thickness was reduced (P < 0.05) for pigs fed the 30% DDGS diets compared with pigs fed the 0 or 20% DDGS diets. Color measurements, ultimate pH, and visual evaluations (color, firmness, and marbling scores) of the LM did not differ among treatments. Cooking loss, 24-h drip loss, and total moisture loss were not affected by DDGS in the diets. However, differences were detected between 0 and 20% DDGS treatments for 11-d purge loss (P < 0.05). Dietary treatment did not affect Warner-Bratzler shear force of cooked loin chops. Results from this study indicate that when diets for grower-finisher pigs are formulated on a total AA basis, less than 20% DDGS should be included in the diet for optimal performance and carcass composition. Feeding DDGS in swine finishing diets did not have any detrimental effects on pork muscle quality.
Tree mortality is a key driver of forest dynamics and its occurrence is projected to increase in the future due to climate change. Despite recent advances in our understanding of the physiological mechanisms leading to death, we still lack robust indicators of mortality risk that could be applied at the individual tree scale. Here, we build on a previous contribution exploring the differences in growth level between trees that died and survived a given mortality event to assess whether changes in temporal autocorrelation, variance, and synchrony in time-series of annual radial growth data can be used as early warning signals of mortality risk. Taking advantage of a unique global ring-width database of 3065 dead trees and 4389 living trees growing together at 198 sites (belonging to 36 gymnosperm and angiosperm species), we analyzed temporal changes in autocorrelation, variance, and synchrony before tree death (diachronic analysis), and also compared these metrics between trees that died and trees that survived a given mortality event (synchronic analysis). Changes in autocorrelation were a poor indicator of mortality risk. However, we found a gradual increase in inter-annual growth variability and a decrease in growth synchrony in the last ∼20 years before mortality of gymnosperms, irrespective of the cause of mortality. These changes could be associated with drought-induced alterations in carbon economy and allocation patterns. In angiosperms, we did not find any consistent changes in any metric. Such lack of any signal might be explained by the relatively high capacity of angiosperms to recover after a stress-induced growth decline. Our analysis provides a robust method for estimating early-warning signals of tree mortality based on annual growth data. In addition to the frequently reported decrease in growth rates, an increase in inter-annual growth variability and a decrease in growth synchrony may be powerful predictors of gymnosperm mortality risk, but not necessarily so for angiosperms.
Evidence from both psychology and economics indicates that individuals give statements that appear to overestimate their ability compared to that of others. We test three theories that predict such relative overconfidence. The first theory argues that overconfidence can be generated by Bayesian updating from a common prior and truthful statements if individuals do not know their true type. The second theory suggests that self-image concerns asymmetrically affect the choice to receive new information about one's abilities, and this asymmetry can produce overconfidence. The third theory is that overconfidence is induced by the desire to send positive signals to others about one's own skill; this suggests either a bias in judgement, strategic lying, or both. We formulate this theory precisely. Using a large data set of relative ability judgements about two cognitive tests, we reject the restrictions imposed by the Bayesian model and also reject a key prediction of the self-image models that individuals with optimistic beliefs will be less likely to search for further information about their skill because this information might shatter their self-image. We provide evidence that personality traits strongly affect relative ability judgements in a pattern that is consistent with the third theory of social signalling. Our results together suggest that overconfidence in statements is more likely to be induced by social concerns than by either of the other two factors.
Most people understand the meaning of daydreaming and fantasy intuitively. They have had the experience of reading text and suddenly realizing that while their eyes had traversed half a page their minds had been on something altogether different, perhaps an upcoming business meeting or a romance. They have imagined themselves as an alluring person able to win a coveted partner or as one of unusual strength or agility able to defeat an opponent. They have seen and enjoyed fiction in books and films. They have been told to stop daydreaming and get back to work, or that some belief of theirs is pure fantasy. Most people view their daydreams as very private affairs that they feel less comfortable describing to other people than when they are describing their real experiences (Klinger, Murphy, Ostrem, & Stark-Wroblewski, 2004–2005). That is, they have experienced daydreaming and fantasy as their own perfectly natural states, and they have experienced the limits of social tolerance for them.
In a complex, diverse intestinal environment, commensal microbiota metabolizes excessive dietary tryptophan to produce more bioactive metabolites connecting with kinds of diverse process, such as host physiological defense, homeostasis, excessive immune activation and the progression and outcome of different diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and others. Although commensal microbiota includes bacteria, fungi, and protozoa and all that, they often have the similar metabolites in tryptophan metabolism process via same or different pathways. These metabolites can work as signal to activate the innate immunity of intestinal mucosa and induce the rapid inflammation response. They are critical in reconstruction of lumen homeostasis as well. This review aims to seek the potential function and mechanism of microbiota-derived tryptophan metabolites as targets to regulate and shape intestinal immune function, which mainly focused on two aspects. First, analyze the character of tryptophan metabolism in bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, and assess the functions of their metabolites (including indole and eight other derivatives, serotonin (5-HT) and d-tryptophan) on regulating the integrity of intestinal epithelium and the immunity of the intestinal mucosa. Second, focus on the mediator and pathway for their recognition, transfer and crosstalk between microbiota-derived tryptophan metabolites and intestinal mucosal immunity. Disruption of intestinal homeostasis has been described in different intestinal inflammatory diseases, available data suggest the remarkable potential of tryptophan-derived aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonists, indole derivatives on lumen equilibrium. These metabolites as preventive and therapeutic interventions have potential to promote proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory responses of the gut.
Conservation tillage includes a broad set of practices with a goal leaving some crop residue on the soil's surface to increase water infiltration and reduce erosion. The various practices described as "conservation tillage" have led to terminology confusion. Conservation tillage is often confused with no-till or variants of CT described in vague terms, such as such as minimum tillage, mulch tillage, ridge tillage, strip tillage, and reduced tillage, where planting is achieved on specially prepared surfaces with various amounts of crop residue cover These definitions of CT and the use of jargon send a mixed and confusing mes-