Is money a necessary evil? Experimental manipulation to reduce the negative effects of money

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Chi Yam
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Necessary Evil

scholarly journals The benefits of bathing buds: water calyces protect flowers from a microlepidopteran herbivore

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane E Carlson ◽  
Kyle E Harms
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Floral Herbivory ◽  
Flower Production ◽  
Egg Deposition ◽  
Morphological Adaptations ◽  
Plant Flower

Protective floral structures may evolve in response to the negative effects of floral herbivores. For example, water calyces—liquid-filled, cup-like structures resulting from the fusion of sepals—may reduce floral herbivory by submerging buds during their development. Our observations of a water-calyx plant, Chrysothemis friedrichsthaliana (Gesneriaceae), revealed that buds were frequently attacked by ovipositing moths (Alucitidae), whose larvae consumed anthers and stigmas before corollas opened. Almost 25% of per-plant flower production was destroyed by alucitid larvae over two seasons, far exceeding the losses to all other floral herbivores combined. Experimental manipulation of water levels in calyces showed that a liquid barrier over buds halved per-flower alucitid egg deposition and subsequent herbivory, relative to buds in calyces without water. Thus, C. friedrichsthaliana 's water calyx helps protect buds from a highly detrimental floral herbivore. Our findings support claims that sepal morphology is largely influenced by selection to reduce floral herbivory, and that these pressures can result in novel morphological adaptations.

scholarly journals Job (In)Security and Workers’ Training Decisions: A Framing Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-387
Author(s):  
Pascal Kamphuis ◽  
Arie C. Glebbeek
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Multilevel Logistic Regression ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Balanced Design ◽  
Worker Training ◽  
Vignette Study ◽  
Labour Market Position ◽  
The Relationship

Context: In this study, we attempt to contribute to the scarce evidence about the relationship between perceived labour market insecurity and worker training investments. Drawing on existing research into framing in decision-making, we investigate whether framing the labour market as insecure increases the willingness of workers to invest in training. We also investigate whether this effect is larger when training contract terms are favourable, such as when training is done mostly in an employer’s time, or when no payback clause is included.Approach: Data are gathered through a vignette-study under a sample of senior Dutch students, with experimental manipulation of frames. Respondents are given a questionnaire in which they are asked to imagine themselves working for a fictitious firm (but presented to them as real). The security/insecurity frames are elicited by randomly stressing either the positive or negative side of a series of events related to the labour market position of people working in this firm. Respondents are then asked to respond to five vignettes, each of these a randomly generated combination of training contract terms. For each vignette, respondents are asked to state whether or not they would be willing to go along with the specified training program under the conditions outlined in that vignette. Data are analysed with multilevel logistic regression. Findings: The willingness to train is not invariably greater under an insecurity frame. Instead, we find a crucial interaction: the willingness to train is greater under an insecurity frame when training-contract terms are favourable (e.g when no payback clause is included), but smaller when training-contract terms are unfavourable. Since the positive and negative effects are approximately equal in size, in a balanced design such as ours they cancel each other out, resulting in a close to zero overall effect for the frame variable.Conclusion: Our results suggest that, when workers are aware of the insecurity in their situation, this only makes them more willing to follow training when the risk of losing their investment is low. 

scholarly journals Negative effects of ant-plant interaction on pollination: costs of a mutualism

Sociobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. e7259
Author(s):  
Rodrigo R Nogueira ◽  
Danilo Ferreira Borges Santos ◽  
Eduardo S Calixto ◽  
Helena Maura Torezan-Silingardi ◽  
Kleber Del-Claro
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Cost ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Plant Fitness ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Facultative Mutualism ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Brazilian Savannah ◽  
Artificial Ants ◽  
Negative Impacts

The mutualism of ants and extrafloral nectary (EFN)-bearing plants is known to reduce rates of herbivory. However, ants may have negative impacts on other mutualisms such as pollination, constituting an indirect cost of a facultative mutualism. For instance, when foraging on or close to reproductive plant parts ants might attack pollinators or inhibit their visits. We tested the hypothesis that ants on EFN-bearing plants may negatively influence pollinator behavior, ultimately reducing plant fitness (fruit set). The study was done in a reserve at Brazilian savannah using the EFN-bearing plant Banisteriopsis malifolia (Malpighiaceae). The experimental manipulation was carried out with four groups: control (free visitation of ants), without ants (ant-free branches), artificial ants (isolated branches with artificial ants on flowers) and plastic circles (isolated branches with plastic circles on flowers). We made observations on flower visitors and their interactions, and measured fruit formation as a proxy for plant fitness. Our results showed that pollinators hesitated to visit flowers with artificial ants, negatively affecting pollination, but did not hesitate to visit flowers with plastic circles, suggesting that they recognize the specific morphology of the ants. Pollinators spent more time per flower on the ant-free branches, and the fruiting rate was lower in the group with artificial ants. Our results confirm an indirect cost in this facultative mutualism, where the balance between these negative and positive effects of ants on EFN-bearing plants are not well known.

scholarly journals Positive and negative effects of phoretic mites on the reproductive output of an invasive bark beetle

2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa K. Hodgkin ◽  
Mark A. Elgar ◽  
Matthew R. E. Symonds
Keyword(s):  
Beneficial Effect ◽  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Bark Beetles ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Ips Grandicollis ◽  
Single Host ◽  
Multiple Species

When multiple species coexist upon a single host, their combined effect on the host can be unpredictable. We explored the effect of phoretic mites on the reproductive output of the five-spined bark beetle, Ips grandicollis. Using correlative approaches and experimental manipulation of mite numbers we examined how mite load affected the number, size and condition of bark beetle offspring produced. We found that mites have both negative and positive consequences on different aspects of bark beetle reproduction. Females from which mites were removed were more fecund and produced larger offspring than females with mites, implying a cost of mite loads. However, when mites were present on females, those bearing the highest mite loads produced offspring that were larger and in better condition, indicating a beneficial effect of mites. These data suggest that phoretic interactions between mites and bark beetles differ over the course of the host’s lifespan, with either the mites interacting in different ways with different life stages of the host (parasitic on adult, mutualistic with larvae), and/or the beetles being host to different mite assemblages over their lifetime.

scholarly journals Revisiting four scientific debates in ocean acidification research

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 893-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Andersson ◽  
F. T. Mackenzie
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Shallow Water ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Mineral Dissolution ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Saturation State ◽  
Seawater Chemistry ◽  
Co2 Gas ◽  
Scientific Investigations ◽  
Scientific Debates

Abstract. In recent years, ocean acidification has gained continuously increasing attention from scientists and a number of stakeholders and has raised serious concerns about its effects on marine organisms and ecosystems. With the increase in interest, funding resources, and the number of scientific investigations focusing on this environmental problem, increasing amounts of data and results have been produced, and a progressively growing and more rigorous understanding of this problem has begun to develop. Nevertheless, there are still a number of scientific debates, and in some cases misconceptions, that keep reoccurring at a number of forums in various contexts. In this article, we revisit four of these topics that we think require further thoughtful consideration including: (1) surface seawater CO2 chemistry in shallow water coastal areas, (2) experimental manipulation of marine systems using CO2 gas or by acid addition, (3) net versus gross calcification and dissolution, and (4) CaCO3 mineral dissolution and seawater buffering. As a summation of these topics, we emphasize that: (1) many coastal environments experience seawater pCO2 that is significantly higher than expected from equilibrium with the atmosphere and is strongly linked to biological processes; (2) addition of acid, base or CO2 gas to seawater can all be useful techniques to manipulate seawater chemistry in ocean acidification experiments; (3) estimates of calcification or CaCO3 dissolution based on present techniques are measuring the net of gross calcification and dissolution; and (4) dissolution of metastable carbonate mineral phases will not produce sufficient alkalinity to buffer the pH and carbonate saturation state of shallow water environments on timescales of decades to hundreds of years to the extent that any potential negative effects on marine calcifiers will be avoided.

scholarly journals Experimental Manipulation of Beliefs about Uncertainty: Effects on Interpretive Processing and Access to Threat Schemata

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. jep.008510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonya S. Deschenes ◽  
Michel J. Dugas ◽  
Adam S. Radomsky ◽  
Kristin Buhr
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Negative Beliefs ◽  
Ease Of Access ◽  
Downward Arrow

This study investigated the influence of beliefs about uncertainty on interpretive biases and access to threat schemata, with the use of an experimental manipulation. Individuals from the community and undergraduate students (N = 74) were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: positive beliefs about uncertainty (n = 37) and negative beliefs about uncertainty (n = 37). To manipulate beliefs about uncertainty, participants watched a presentation on problem solving that either contained information about the positive or the negative effects of uncertainty on problem solving. To assess interpretive biases, participants completed a modified version of the Ambiguous/Unambiguous Situations Diary. Participants read potentially threatening passages and rated their level of worry. Passages were then disambiguated either positively or negatively and participants rated the likelihood and the value (goodness or badness) of these events. To assess access to threat schemata, the Catastrophizing Interview was administered. The Catastrophizing Interview is a structured worry task that assesses various aspects of the worry process, using the downward arrow technique. The results indicated that, although many of the expected group differences were not observed, participants in the negative beliefs about uncertainty group did rate the positively disambiguated scenarios as less positive and the average likelihood of feared consequences to personal worries as more probable. This study provides partial support for the notion that beliefs about uncertainty may have a causal effect on interpretations of ambiguous situations as well as on ease of access to threat schemata.

scholarly journals How Political and Social Trust Can Impact Social Distancing Practices During COVID-19 in Unexpected Ways

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederike S. Woelfert ◽  
Jonas R. Kunst
Keyword(s):  
Social Trust ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Political Trust ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

In times of the coronavirus, complying with public health policies is essential to save lives. Understanding the factors that influence compliance with social distancing measures is therefore an urgent issue. The present research investigated the role of political and social trust for social distancing using a variety of methods. In Study 1 (N = 301), conducted with a sample from the United Kingdom in the midst of the virus outbreak (i.e., the first wave), neither political nor social trust had main associations with self-reported social distancing tendencies. However, both factors interacted such that social trust was associated with lower social distancing tendencies among participants with low levels of political trust. In Study 2, using an experimental longitudinal design and again conducted with a sample collected from the UK (N = 268) during the first wave of the pandemic, social distancing practices increased over time, independent of an experimental manipulation of political trust. Moreover, while the interaction between political and social trust from the first study could not be conceptually replicated, social trust was positively related to social distancing intentions. Moving from the individual to the country level and assessing actual behavior at both the first and second wave of the pandemic, in Study 3 (N = 65 countries), country-level political trust was related to less social distancing during the first wave. Social trust was related to a higher growth rate of infections. Against the background of these inconsistent findings, we discuss the potential positive and unexpected negative effects of social trust for social distancing.

Indirect Victimization from Terrorism: A Proposed Post-Exposure Intervention

2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Slone ◽  
Anat Shoshani
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Intervention ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
New Era ◽  
Post Exposure ◽  
Distress Symptoms ◽  
Control Intervention ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Indirect Victimization

Indirect victimization from media exposure to terrorism manifests in a variety of psychological distress symptoms. Risks for the public inherent in this exposure prompted construction of a post-exposure therapeutic intervention for moderating emotional responses. For empirical rigor, efficacy was tested in a laboratory study in which 168 participants were exposed to a terrorism or nonterrorism media clip and for each exposure type to a therapeutic or control intervention. State anxiety and anger were measured before and subsequent to experimental manipulation. The first hypothesis predicting higher post-test anxiety and anger in the terrorism than the nonterrorism exposure group was confirmed, validating the negative effects of exposure. Testing the efficacy of the therapeutic intervention, the second hypothesis predicting, in the terrorism exposure, lower post-test levels of anxiety and anger in the therapeutic than control intervention group was also confirmed. These results support the utility of integrated emotional and cognitive therapeutic intervention. Clinical implications of these results suggest a potentially effective therapeutic strategy for indirect terrorism exposure victims, which is especially important during this new era of terrorism.

Hydrological drought and the role of refugia in an endangered riffle-dwelling fish, Nooksack dace (Rhinichthys cataractae ssp.)

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 1625-1634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Avery-Gomm ◽  
Jordan S. Rosenfeld ◽  
John S. Richardson ◽  
Michael Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Sublethal Effects ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Hydrological Drought ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Stream Discharge ◽  
Rhinichthys Cataractae ◽  
Effects Of Drought ◽  
Nooksack Dace

Understanding the impacts of hydrological drought, and the role that refugia play in mitigating these impacts, is crucial to the conservation of freshwater fishes. This is especially true for species adapted to riffles, which are typically the first habitats to dewater at low discharge. We examined the relationship among decreasing stream discharge, abundance, and habitat use for Nooksack dace (Rhinichthys cataractae ssp.), an endangered riffle-dwelling species. A complementary experimental manipulation examined the effects of flow on growth rate across a discharge gradient in riffle and pool habitats. We found that low-velocity habitats and decreased discharge in experimental channels result in reduced dace growth and that decreasing stream flow was coincident with declines in Nooksack dace abundance. This study demonstrates the sensitivity of Nooksack dace to hydrological drought, and insofar as Nooksack dace are ecologically typical of small riffle-dwelling invertivore fishes, our results suggest that use of pools does not mitigate sublethal effects of declining flows on growth, although pools may provide refuge from the most negative effects of drought (i.e., stranding of fish).

scholarly journals FLP Recombinase-Mediated Induction of Cu/Zn-Superoxide Dismutase Transgene Expression Can Extend the Life Span of Adult Drosophila melanogaster Flies

1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 216-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingtao Sun ◽  
John Tower
Keyword(s):  
Superoxide Dismutase ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Transgene Expression ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Heat Pulse ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Flp Recombinase ◽  
The Mean

ABSTRACT Yeast FLP recombinase was used in a binary transgenic system (“FLP-OUT”) to allow induced overexpression of catalase and/or Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu/ZnSOD) in adult Drosophila melanogaster. Expression of FLP recombinase was driven by the heat-inducible hsp70 promoter. Once expressed, FLP catalyzed the rearrangement and activation of a target construct in which expression of catalase or Cu/ZnSOD cDNAs was driven by the constitutive actin5C promoter. In this way a brief heat pulse (120 or 180 min, total) of young adult flies activated transgene expression for the rest of the life span. FLP-OUT allows the effects of induced transgene expression to be analyzed in control (no heat pulse) and experimental (heat pulse) populations with identical genetic backgrounds. Under the conditions used, the heat pulse itself always had neutral or slightly negative effects on the life span. Catalase overexpression significantly increased resistance to hydrogen peroxide but had neutral or slightly negative effects on the mean life span. Cu/ZnSOD overexpression extended the mean life span up to 48%. Simultaneous overexpression of catalase with Cu/ZnSOD had no added benefit, presumably due to a preexisting excess of catalase. The data suggest that oxidative damage is one rate-limiting factor for the life span of adult Drosophila. Finally, experimental manipulation of the genetic background demonstrated that the life span is affected by epistatic interactions between the transgene and allele(s) at other loci.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document