Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Moderation
Selected AbstractsWHY THE BEST ISN'T SO BAD: MODERATION AND IDEALS IN EDUCATIONAL REFORMEDUCATIONAL THEORY, Issue 5 2009Deborah Kerdeman In Moderating the Debate: Rationality and the Promise of American Education, Michael Feuer counsels reformers to "satisfice": moderate their expectations and accept that flawed reforms can be good enough. Implicit in Feuer's view of satisficing is the assumption that moderating expectations entails eschewing ideals and replacing optimal goals with modest, real-world solutions. In this essay, Deborah Kerdeman agrees with Feuer that moderation is vital for reform, but maintains that embracing moderation does not contradict pursuing goals. To show how goals and moderation work in concert to promote reform, Kerdeman examines and reframes Feuer's assumptions about ideals. She also distinguishes moderation from satisficing and argues that satisficing, not ideals, can be deleterious to reform. Kerdeman concludes that sensible policy and research, while important, will not necessarily help reformers embrace moderation; cultivating moderation instead requires ongoing self-examination. [source] Personality and team performance: a meta-analysis,EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 5 2006Miranda A. G. Peeters Abstract Using a meta-analytical procedure, the relationship between team composition in terms of the Big-Five personality traits (trait elevation and variability) and team performance were researched. The number of teams upon which analyses were performed ranged from 106 to 527. For the total sample, significant effects were found for elevation in agreeableness (,,=,0.24) and conscientiousness (,,=,0.20), and for variability in agreeableness (,,=,,0.12) and conscientiousness (,,=,,0.24). Moderation by type of team was tested for professional teams versus student teams. Moderation results for agreeableness and conscientiousness were in line with the total sample results. However, student and professional teams differed in effects for emotional stability and openness to experience. Based on these results, suggestions for future team composition research are presented. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Some Things in Moderation: A Case Study of Internal AuditINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 1 2000A.J. Berry Abstract The development of a system of moderation of assessment procedures in a new University is examined in this case study. Internal and external moderation are equated with internal and external audit and the relationship between the audit of content and the audit of procedures (Power, 1994) is examined in the light of differing modes of accountability (Sinclair, 1995). [source] ,... You'll be made a slave in your turn; you'll be told also that it is right that you should be so, and we shall see what you think of this justice': Libido, Retribution and Moderation in The Island of SlavesJOURNAL FOR EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY STUDIES, Issue 2 2008Article first published online: 28 JUN 200, MARIE HOCKENHULL SMITH [source] Smoking, Mood Regulation, and Personality: An Event-Sampling Exploration of Potential Models and ModerationJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 3 2007Nima G. Moghaddam ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to test potential models of smoking-related changes in mood and how these are moderated by personality (behavioral activation and inhibition systems). Three models yielding distinct predictions regarding mood changes associated with cues to smoking and effects of ingestion were identified: the negative reinforcement model, the appetitive-incentive model, and the incentive-sensitization model. Seventy participants provided baseline data on personality and mood, and subsequently monitored their smoking behavior over 48 hours using an event-contingent diary,eliciting reports of mood state immediately prior to, and after, each cigarette smoked. MANOVA and multilevel modeling indicated that mood (hedonic tone and energetic arousal) improved significantly (p<.001) from baseline to pre-smoking, but did not change from pre- to post-smoking, thereby supporting the incentive-sensitization model. Further multilevel analyses indicated that significant variability in hedonic tone was moderated by the behavioral activation system. [source] Alcohol in Moderation, Cardioprotection, and Neuroprotection: Epidemiological Considerations and Mechanistic StudiesALCOHOLISM, Issue 2 2009Michael A. Collins In contrast to many years of important research and clinical attention to the pathological effects of alcohol (ethanol) abuse, the past several decades have seen the publication of a number of peer-reviewed studies indicating the beneficial effects of light-moderate, nonbinge consumption of varied alcoholic beverages, as well as experimental demonstrations that moderate alcohol exposure can initiate typically cytoprotective mechanisms. A considerable body of epidemiology associates moderate alcohol consumption with significantly reduced risks of coronary heart disease and, albeit currently a less robust relationship, cerebrovascular (ischemic) stroke. Experimental studies with experimental rodent models and cultures (cardiac myocytes, endothelial cells) indicate that moderate alcohol exposure can promote anti-inflammatory processes involving adenosine receptors, protein kinase C (PKC), nitric oxide synthase, heat shock proteins, and others which could underlie cardioprotection. Also, brain functional comparisons between older moderate alcohol consumers and nondrinkers have received more recent epidemiological study. In over half of nearly 45 reports since the early 1990s, significantly reduced risks of cognitive loss or dementia in moderate, nonbinge consumers of alcohol (wine, beer, liquor) have been observed, whereas increased risk has been seen only in a few studies. Physiological explanations for the apparent CNS benefits of moderate consumption have invoked alcohol's cardiovascular and/or hematological effects, but there is also experimental evidence that moderate alcohol levels can exert direct "neuroprotective" actions,pertinent are several studies in vivo and rat brain organotypic cultures, in which antecedent or preconditioning exposure to moderate alcohol neuroprotects against ischemia, endotoxin, ,-amyloid, a toxic protein intimately associated with Alzheimer's, or gp120, the neuroinflammatory HIV-1 envelope protein. The alcohol-dependent neuroprotected state appears linked to activation of signal transduction processes potentially involving reactive oxygen species, several key protein kinases, and increased heat shock proteins. Thus to a certain extent, moderate alcohol exposure appears to trigger analogous mild stress-associated, anti-inflammatory mechanisms in the heart, vasculature, and brain that tend to promote cellular survival pathways. [source] Occasional Conformity and the Representation of Dissent: Hypocrisy, Sincerity, Moderation and ZealPARLIAMENTARY HISTORY, Issue 1 2005MARK KNIGHTS First page of article [source] Chinese values in Singapore: Traditional and modernASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2003Weining C. Chang A series of three studies was conducted to test the internal structure of the Chinese value hierarchy (CVH) in Singapore. Study 1 identified the empirically best,fit model with six factors: Prudence, Industry, Civic,Harmony, Moral Development, Social Power and Moderation. Relative magnitudes and interfactor correlations suggested that these factors could be further grouped into two superordinate clusters: (i) The Modern factor, with significantly higher magnitude, consisted of Prudence, Industry, Civic,Harmony and Moral Development; and (ii) the Tradition factor, with lower magnitude, consisted of Social Power and Moderation. Study 2 surveyed university students with differential preference for language usages: English or Chinese. Both language groups were equally high on the Modern factor, but the Chinese,language,preferred group showed a significantly higher endorsement for the Tradition factor, Chinese Worldview (CWV) and Chinese Health Beliefs (CHB). Further convergent validation for the Modern and the Tradition factors was provided by investigating their correlations with traditional Chinese beliefs and practices for the two language groups separately. Study 3 tested generation differences in CVH. University participants (Self) were compared with their parents (Parents) and friends (Friends). There were no differences between Self and Friends on both the Modern and Tradition factors, CWV and individual differences of modernity. Parents and Self did not differ on individual differences of modernity. Parents, however, were higher on the Modern factor, the Tradition factor and CWV. Results were discussed to support the concept of ,multiple modernity' (Tu, 1900) in Asian societies, and the ,revised convergence hypothesis' proposed by Yang (1988). [source] Structural Nested Mean Models for Assessing Time-Varying Effect ModerationBIOMETRICS, Issue 1 2010Daniel Almirall Summary This article considers the problem of assessing causal effect moderation in longitudinal settings in which treatment (or exposure) is time varying and so are the covariates said to moderate its effect.,Intermediate causal effects,that describe time-varying causal effects of treatment conditional on past covariate history are introduced and considered as part of Robins' structural nested mean model. Two estimators of the intermediate causal effects, and their standard errors, are presented and discussed: The first is a proposed two-stage regression estimator. The second is Robins' G-estimator. The results of a small simulation study that begins to shed light on the small versus large sample performance of the estimators, and on the bias,variance trade-off between the two estimators are presented. The methodology is illustrated using longitudinal data from a depression study. [source] Preschool Emotional Competence: Pathway to Social Competence?CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2003Susanne A. Denham Preschoolers' (N = 143) patterns of emotional expressiveness, emotion regulation, and emotion knowledge were assessed. Their contributions to social competence, as evidenced by sociometric likability and teacher ratings, were evaluated via latent variable modeling, both concurrently and across time. Moderation of key results by age and sex was also explored. Emotional competence assessed at 3 to 4 years of age contributed to both concurrent and kindergarten social competence. Even early in the preschool period, contributions of emotional competence to social competence have long,term implications. [source] Total Factor Productivity and Monetary Policy: Evidence from Conditional Volatility,INTERNATIONAL FINANCE, Issue 2 2007Nicholas Apergis This paper empirically assesses whether monetary policy and its volatility affect real economic activity through their effect on the aggregate supply side of the macroeconomy. Analysts typically argue that monetary policy either does not affect the real economy (the classical dichotomy) or only affects the real economy in the short run through aggregate demand (new Keynesian or new classical theories). Real business cycle theorists try to explain the business cycle with supply-side productivity shocks. We provide some preliminary evidence about how monetary policy and its volatility affect the aggregate supply side of the macroeconomy through their effect on total factor productivity and its volatility. Total factor productivity provides an important measure of supply-side performance. The results show that monetary policy and its volatility exert a positive and statistically significant effect on the supply side of the macroeconomy. Moreover, the findings buttress the importance of reducing short-run swings in monetary policy variables as well as support the adoption of an optimal money supply rule. Our results also prove consistent with the effective role of monetary policy during the so-called ,Great Moderation' in US gross domestic product volatility beginning in the early 1980s. [source] COMT Val158Met moderation of cannabis-induced psychosis: a momentary assessment study of ,switching on' hallucinations in the flow of daily lifeACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2009C. Henquet Objective:, A functional polymorphism in the catechol- o -methyltransferase gene (COMT Val158Met) may moderate the psychosis-inducing effects of cannabis. In order to extend this finding to dynamic effects in the flow of daily life, a momentary assessment study of psychotic symptoms in response to cannabis use was conducted. Method:, The experience sampling technique was used to collect data on cannabis use and occurrence of symptoms in daily life in patients with a psychotic disorder (n = 31) and healthy controls (n = 25). Results:, Carriers of the COMT Val158Met Val allele, but not subjects with the Met/Met genotype, showed an increase in hallucinations after cannabis exposure, conditional on prior evidence of psychometric psychosis liability. Conclusion:, The findings confirm that in people with psychometric evidence of psychosis liability, COMT Val158Met genotype moderates the association between cannabis and psychotic phenomena in the flow of daily life. [source] Peer substance involvement modifies genetic influences on regular substance involvement in young womenADDICTION, Issue 10 2010Arpana Agrawal ABSTRACT Aims Peer substance involvement (PSI) is a robust correlate of adolescent substance use. A small number of genetically informative studies suggest that shared genetic and environmental factors contribute to this association. We examine mechanisms by which PSI influences the etiology of regular substance involvement (RSI), particularly in women. Design Population-based cohort study of twin women from the US Midwest. Participants 2176 twin women. Measurements To examine the relationship between self-reported PSI during adolescence and a composite RSI representing regular tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use during young adulthood, using genetically informative correlation, moderation and joint correlation-moderation models. Findings There was evidence for a significant additive genetic X environment interaction. PSI was moderately heritable (h2 = 0.25). Genetic, shared and non-shared influences on RSI overlapped with influences on PSI (genetic correlation of 0.43). Even after controlling for these shared genetic influences, RSI was more heritable in those reporting greater PSI. Conclusions While young women may select peers based on certain dispositional traits (e.g. permissiveness towards substance use), the social milieu constructed by PSI does modify the architecture of increased RSI in those individuals with increasing levels of PSI being associated with stronger expression of heritable influences. [source] WHY THE BEST ISN'T SO BAD: MODERATION AND IDEALS IN EDUCATIONAL REFORMEDUCATIONAL THEORY, Issue 5 2009Deborah Kerdeman In Moderating the Debate: Rationality and the Promise of American Education, Michael Feuer counsels reformers to "satisfice": moderate their expectations and accept that flawed reforms can be good enough. Implicit in Feuer's view of satisficing is the assumption that moderating expectations entails eschewing ideals and replacing optimal goals with modest, real-world solutions. In this essay, Deborah Kerdeman agrees with Feuer that moderation is vital for reform, but maintains that embracing moderation does not contradict pursuing goals. To show how goals and moderation work in concert to promote reform, Kerdeman examines and reframes Feuer's assumptions about ideals. She also distinguishes moderation from satisficing and argues that satisficing, not ideals, can be deleterious to reform. Kerdeman concludes that sensible policy and research, while important, will not necessarily help reformers embrace moderation; cultivating moderation instead requires ongoing self-examination. [source] Are adolescents who moderate their cannabis use at lower risk of later regular and dependent cannabis use?ADDICTION, Issue 5 2009Wendy Swift ABSTRACT Aims To examine whether moderation of cannabis use among adolescent cannabis users is associated with reductions in cannabis use frequency and risk of dependence in young adulthood. Design Ten-year representative cohort study with six surveys in adolescence (mean age 14.9,17.4 years) and two in young adulthood (mean age 20.7 and 24.1 years). Participants Inception cohort of 1943 Victorian secondary school students (96% response rate), with 1520 (78% of adolescent participants) interviewed in the final wave. Measurements Participants were classified into six groups according to the maximum level of adolescent use and the extent of subsequent moderation in such use: non-users, occasional to abstinence, occasional persisting, weekly to abstinence, weekly to occasional and weekly persisting. Outcome measures were weekly+ cannabis use and DSM-IV cannabis dependence at 20 and 24 years. Findings Thirty-one per cent reported cannabis use during adolescence. Most adolescent users had moderated their use: from occasional to abstinence (71% of occasional users), weekly to abstinence or weekly to occasional (28% and 48% of weekly+ users, respectively). By age 24, both occasional use groups were at similar, elevated risk of regular and dependent cannabis use compared to non-users. Weekly+ adolescent users were at greatest risk of these outcomes, although the weekly to abstinence group exhibited lower risk than those in the weekly persisting and weekly to occasional groups, who were at similar risk. Conclusions While many young people have dynamic cannabis use patterns, a pattern of moderating adolescent cannabis use was associated with less risk of later problematic use than among those persisting, but risks were still elevated substantially compared with never-users. [source] Personality-dependent dissociation of absolute and relative loss processing in orbitofrontal cortexEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 6 2008Juri Fujiwara Abstract A negative outcome can have motivational and emotional consequences on its own (absolute loss) or in comparison to alternative, better, outcomes (relative loss). The consequences of incurring a loss are moderated by personality factors such as neuroticism and introversion. However, the neuronal basis of this moderation is unknown. Here we investigated the neuronal basis of loss processing and personality with functional magnetic resonance imaging in a choice task. We separated absolute and relative financial loss by sequentially revealing the chosen and unchosen outcomes. With increasing neuroticism, activity in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) preferentially reflected relative rather than absolute losses. Conversely, with increasing introversion, activity in the right lateral OFC preferentially reflected absolute rather than relative losses. These results suggest that personality affects loss-related processing through the lateral OFC, and propose a dissociation of personality dimension and loss type on the neuronal level. [source] "When passion breeds justice": procedural fairness effects as a function of authority's passionEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2009David De Cremer The present research examined how procedural fairness predicts negative emotions and withdrawal behavior as a function of authority's display of passion. A first study revealed that reinforcing the concept of passion made the concept of justice and fairness more accessible to participants, as such suggesting that authority passion should make people focus more on procedural fairness information. Corroborating this line of reasoning, a scenario experiment and a laboratory experiment thereafter yielded consistent evidence that the effects of procedural fairness (i.e., voice vs. no voice) were stronger on negative emotions and willingness to withdraw when the authority was passionate relative to not being passionate. In addition, the results of both studies also revealed that negative emotions mediated the effect of procedural fairness on withdrawal, but only so when the authority was passionate (i.e., mediated moderation). It is concluded that more research is needed focusing on the interactions between different authority styles/characteristics and procedural fairness effects. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Effect of Compaction Method on the Expansion and Stability of Aluminium Foams,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 9 2006S. Asavavisithchai Abstract The foam expansion and collapse behaviour for heat treated Al-TiH2 precursors has been shown to be driven by the oxidation of the Al powder, which can, in moderation, improve the foam expansion and increase foam stability, and the premature loss of gas from the TiH2, which delays but decreases the foam expansion. The evidence presented indicates that as long as theoretical precursor densities >,99,% can be achieved, simultaneous heating and compaction are not required to achieve the best foaming behaviour. Instead, the oxygen or oxide content in the powder is critical and if the oxygen content in the atomised powder is in the range 0.3,0.4,wt.%, cold compaction is sufficient to produce foams which show expansions at least as good as those for precursors made by high cost hot working processes. [source] Myths and moderation in marine ,metapopulations'?FISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 1 2002R Kent Smedbol Abstract The metapopulation concept is appearing with increasing frequency in the marine population dynamics and genetics literature, though its applicability to marine systems remains an open question. Moreover, in recent years, the meaning of the term ,metapopulation' has become blurred, concomitant with its increasing use. In this paper, we summarize the concept of metapopulation dynamics and the associated theoretical assumptions. We call for a stricter definition and use of the term ,metapopulation', critically evaluate the applicability of metapopulation theory to marine population dynamics and its use in the related literature, and consider two published case-studies that investigate metapopulation structuring in specific marine populations. Finally, we urge scientists to carefully articulate what is meant by the term ,metapopulation' and to use appropriate citations in the primary literature to circumvent the potential for nebulous (and possibly damaging) conclusions in the future. [source] Subtle gene,environment interactions driving paranoia in daily lifeGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 1 2009C. J. P. Simons It has been suggested that genes impact on the degree to which minor daily stressors cause variation in the intensity of subtle paranoid experiences. The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that catechol- O -methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met in part mediate genetic effects on paranoid reactivity to minor stressors. In a general population sample of 579 young adult female twins, on the one hand, appraisals of (1) event-related stress and (2) social stress and, on the other hand, feelings of paranoia in the flow of daily life were assessed using momentary assessment technology for five consecutive days. Multilevel regression analyses were used to examine moderation of daily life stress-induced paranoia by COMT Val158Met and BDNF Val66Met genotypes. Catechol- O -methyltransferase Val carriers displayed more feelings of paranoia in response to event stress compared with Met carriers. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor Met carriers showed more social-stress-induced paranoia than individuals with the Val/Val genotype. Thus, paranoia in the flow of daily life may be the result of gene,environment interactions that can be traced to different types of stress being moderated by different types of genetic variation. [source] Candidate gene studies in the 21st century: meta-analysis, mediation, moderationGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue S1 2006M. R. Munafò The results of a large body of candidate gene studies of behavioural and psychiatric phenotypes have been largely inconclusive, with most findings failing to replicate reliably. A variety of approaches that augment the ,traditional' candidate gene approach are discussed, including the use of meta-analysis to combine findings from existing published reports, the investigation of mediating variables (including the use of intermediate phenotypes or endophenotypes) and the awareness of possible moderating influences (such as sex or ethnicity) and gene,environment interactions on genetic associations, possibly via epigenetic mechanisms. Advances in genotyping technology will also allow the routine use of haplotype analysis and linkage disequilibrium mapping. Examples of how these approaches may improve our understanding of how genetic associations with behavioural and psychiatric phenotypes obtain are given. [source] Virtual team culture and the amplification of team boundary permeability on performanceHUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2005Michael Workman The implementation of virtual teams is briskly increasing, particularly among transnational organizations that find global virtual teams a natural way to address their needs for global reach. While proximal and virtual teams share many attributes, including similar performance measures, they differ in characteristics in the nature of the work. This quasi-experimental field study examined virtual team subcultures relative to structure, relationships, and primacy, and the moderation from team boundary permeability on project schedule variance and the number of errors created by the team in a transnational organization. Consequently, recommendations are made for formalization and thinning team boundaries. [source] Exploring alternative relationships between perceived investment in employee development, perceived supervisor support and employee outcomesHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010Bård Kuvaas The purpose of this study was to explore alternative relationships between perceived investment in employee development (PIED), perceived supervisor support (PSS), and employee outcomes in the form of attitudes (affective commitment and turnover intention) and work performance (work effort, work quality and organisational citizenship behaviour). A cross-sectional survey among 331 employees from a Norwegian telecommunications organisation showed that the relationship between PSS and employee attitudes was partially mediated by PIED. In addition, PSS was found to moderate the relationship between PIED and three self-report measures of work performance. The form of the moderation revealed a positive relationship only for high levels of PSS. These findings suggest that line managers are of vital importance in implementing developmental HR practices, either because they influence how such practices are perceived by employees, which, in turn, affects employee attitudes, or because positive experiences with both line managers and HR practices seem to be needed in order for developmental HR practices to positively influence employee performance. [source] Psychological and psychophysiological considerations regarding the maternal,fetal relationshipINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2010Janet A. DiPietro Abstract The earliest relationship does not begin with birth. Pregnant women construct mental representations of the fetus, and the feelings of affiliation or ,maternal,fetal attachment' generally increase over the course of gestation. While there is a fairly substantial literature on the development and moderation of psychological features of the maternal,fetal relationship, including the role of ultrasound imaging, relatively little is known about the manner in which maternal psychological functioning influences the fetus. Dispositional levels of maternal stress and anxiety are modestly associated with aspects of fetal heart rate and motor activity. Both induced maternal arousal and relaxation generate fairly immediate alterations to fetal neurobehaviors; the most consistently observed fetal response to changes in maternal psychological state involves suppression of motor activity. These effects may be mediated, in part, by an orienting response of the fetus to changes in the intrauterine environment. Conversely, there is evidence that fetal behaviors elicit maternal physiological responses. Integration of this finding into a more dynamic model of the maternal,fetal dyad, and implications for the postnatal relationship are discussed. Research on the period before birth affords tremendous opportunity for developmental scientists to advance understanding of the origins of the human attachment. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Some Things in Moderation: A Case Study of Internal AuditINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 1 2000A.J. Berry Abstract The development of a system of moderation of assessment procedures in a new University is examined in this case study. Internal and external moderation are equated with internal and external audit and the relationship between the audit of content and the audit of procedures (Power, 1994) is examined in the light of differing modes of accountability (Sinclair, 1995). [source] Method for moderation: measuring lifetime risk of alcohol-attributable mortality as a basis for drinking guidelinesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2008Jürgen Rehm Abstract The objective of this paper was to determine separately the lifetime risk of drinking alcohol for chronic disease and acute injury outcomes as a basis for setting general population drinking guidelines for Australia. Relative risk data for different levels of average consumption of alcohol were combined with age, sex, and disease-specific risks of dying from an alcohol-attributable chronic disease. For injury, combinations of the number of drinks per occasion and frequency of drinking occasions were combined to model lifetime risk of death for different drinking pattern scenarios. A lifetime risk of injury death of 1 in 100 is reached for consumption levels of about three drinks daily per week for women, and three drinks five times a week for men. For chronic disease death, lifetime risk increases by about 10% with each 10-gram (one drink) increase in daily average alcohol consumption, although risks are higher for women than men, particularly at higher average consumption levels. Lifetime risks for injury and chronic disease combine to overall risk of alcohol-attributable mortality. In terms of guidelines, if a lifetime risk standard of 1 in 100 is set, then the implications of the analysis presented here are that both men and women should not exceed a volume of two drinks a day for chronic disease mortality, and for occasional drinking three or four drinks seem tolerable. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Can the Discretionary Nature of Certain Criteria Lead to Differential Prediction Across Cultural Groups?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SELECTION AND ASSESSMENT, Issue 2 2007Oleksandr S. Chernyshenko We examined the conjecture that relations between constructs across cultures may be susceptible to cultural moderation where the performance of the criterion construct is discretionary. This hypothesis was investigated using the relationship between personality and three performance constructs, with samples from the United States and New Zealand, two ideologically distinct cultures with respect to achievement orientation. All hypotheses were supported by results of hierarchical moderated regression analyses using bias free measures, suggesting that considering whether construct behaviors are discretionary is important when considering the merit of generalizing research findings across cultures. [source] Obfuscation through Integration: Legitimating ,New' Social Democracy in the European Union,JCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 1 2005DAVID J. BAILEY Social democratic parties are increasingly supportive of European integration. Existing explanations view this as either a reassertion of social democracy at the supranational level, an adaptation to contemporary political institutions, or part of a general ideological moderation. This article argues that support for the EU enables social democratic parties to proclaim the possibility of social democracy at the supranational level, despite the absence of a substantive social democratic agenda. Thus, European integration enables social democratic parties to achieve legitimation by obfuscation through integration. This is illustrated in the cases of Sweden, the UK and France. [source] Bayesian counterfactual analysis of the sources of the great moderationJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMETRICS, Issue 2 2008Chang-Jin Kim We use counterfactual experiments to investigate the sources of the large volatility reduction in US real GDP growth in the 1980s. Contrary to an existing literature that conducts counterfactual experiments based on classical estimation and point estimates, we consider Bayesian analysis that provides a straightforward measure of estimation uncertainty for the counterfactual quantity of interest. Using Blanchard and Quah's (1989) structural VAR model of output growth and the unemployment rate, we find strong statistical support for the idea that a counterfactual change in the size of structural shocks alone, with no corresponding change in the propagation of these shocks, would have produced the same overall volatility reduction as what actually occurred. Looking deeper, we find evidence that a counterfactual change in the size of aggregate supply shocks alone would have generated a larger volatility reduction than a counterfactual change in the size of aggregate demand shocks alone. We show that these results are consistent with a standard monetary VAR, for which counterfactual analysis also suggests the importance of shocks in generating the volatility reduction, but with the counterfactual change in monetary shocks alone generating a small reduction in volatility. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Longevity is not influenced by prenatal programming of body sizeAGING CELL, Issue 4 2010Cheryl A. Conover Summary Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling is essential for achieving optimal body size during fetal development, whereas, in the adult, IGFs are associated with aging and age-related diseases. However, it is unclear as to what extent lifespan is influenced by events that occur during development. Here, we provide direct evidence that the exceptional longevity of mice with altered IGF signaling is not linked to prenatal programming of body size. Mice null for pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), an IGF-binding protein proteinase that increases local IGF bioavailability, are 60,70% the size of their wild-type littermates at birth and have extended median and maximum lifespan of 30,40%. In this study, PAPP-A,/, mice whose body size was normalized during fetal development through disruption of IgfII imprinting did not lose their longevity advantage. Adult-specific moderation of IGF signaling through PAPP-A inhibition may present a unique opportunity to improve lifespan without affecting important aspects of early life physiology. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||