Individual differences in personality change across the adult life span

OBJECTIVE: A precise and comprehensive description of personality continuity and change across the life span is the bedrock upon which theories of personality development are built. Little research has quantified the degree to which individuals deviate from mean-level developmental trends. In this study, we addressed this gap by examining individual differences in personality trait change across the life span. METHOD: Data came from a nationally representative sample of 9,636 Dutch participants who provided Big Five self-reports at five assessment waves across 7 years. We divided our sample into 14 age groups (ages 16-84 at initial measurement) and estimated latent growth curve models to describe individual differences in personality change across the study period for each trait and age group. RESULTS: Across the adult life span, individual differences in personality change were small but significant until old age. For Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness, individual differences in change were most pronounced in emerging adulthood and decreased throughout midlife and old age. For Emotional Stability, individual differences in change were relatively consistent across the life span. CONCLUSIONS: These results inform theories of life span development and provide future directions for research on the causes and conditions of personality change

BaitFisher: A software package for multispecies target DNA enrichment probe design

Christoph Urs Mayer [et al.]Target DNA enrichment combined with high-throughput sequencing technologies is a powerful approach to probing a large number of loci in genomes of interest. However, software algorithms that explicitly consider nucleotide sequence information of target loci in multiple reference species for optimizing design of target enrichment baits to be applicable across a wide range of species have not been developed. Here we present an algorithm that infers target DNA enrichment baits from multiple nucleotide sequence alignments. By applying clustering methods and the combinatorial 1-center sequence optimization to bait design, we are able to minimize the total number of baits required to efficiently probe target loci in multiple species. Consequently, more loci can be probed across species with a given number of baits. Using transcript sequences of 24 apoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae, Sphecidae) from the 1KITE project and the gene models of Nasonia vitripennis, we inferred 57,650, 120-bp-long baits for capturing 378 coding sequence sections of 282 genes in apoid wasps. Illumina reduced-representation library sequencing confirmed successful enrichment of the target DNA when applying these baits to DNA of various apoid wasps. The designed baits furthermore enriched a major fraction of the target DNA in distantly related Hymenoptera, such as Formicidae and Chalcidoidea, highlighting the baits' broad taxonomic applicability. The availability of baits with broad taxonomic applicability is of major interest in numerous disciplines, ranging from phylogenetics to biodiversity monitoring. We implemented our new approach in a software package, called BaitFisher, which is open source and freely available at https://github.com/cmayer/BaitFisher-package.git.C.B. is a “Ramon y Cajal” fellow supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Education (MEC) (RYC-2014-15615).Peer Reviewe

Stability and change in personality and personality disorders

In this paper, we review recent findings related to stability and change in personality and personality disorder. Estimates of stability vary depending on a number of methodological and substantive factors. These factors include the type of stability being examined, the type of construct being assessed, the method being used to assess personality, how participants are sampled, and developmental trends in personality stability and change. We describe current evidence about personality stability with respect to each of these factors. We conclude that current gaps in the literature can be filled by more carefully attending to factors that impact estimates of stability and change, and provide recommendations about how future research can fill those gaps

El significado de la disposición de las quetas en las sistemática de los Maldánidos (Annelida: Maldanidae)

Maldanids are usually divided into several subfamilies: Euclymeninae, Lumbriclymeninae, Maldaninae, Nicomachinae, Rhodininae, Clymenurinae, Notoproctinae, and Boguinae. The taxonomy of maldanids and the delimination of these taxa are mainly based on head morphology, total number of segments, chaetal structure, shape of the pygidium, and position of the anus. The maldanid ingroup relationships, as well as the monophyly of the proposed subfamilies, have so far not been investigated. Pilgrim (1977) described a shift of the notopodial chaetal rows from a transverse direction in anterior chaetigers to a more longitudinal one in posterior chaetigers in Clymene torquata (Leidy, 1855) and Euclymene oerstedii (Claparède, 1863), both belonging to the Euclymeninae. We investigated several maldanid species to assess the usefulness of this character for maldanid systematics and used 3D-reconstruction techniques to reveal the complete geometry of the chaetal sacs. Our investigation shows that a shift is apparent in Euclymene, Axiothella, Johnstonia (all Euclymeninae) and Clymenura (Clymenurinae), but absent in species like Maldane sarsi (Malmgren, 1865), Metasychis disparidentata (Moore, 1904) (both Maldaninae) and Petaloproctus borealis Ardwisson, 1906 (Nicomachinae). The shift is not typical for sedentary polychaetes and is apomorphic within maldanid polychaetes. It thus argues for a close relationship between Euclymeninae and Clymenurinae. The investigation of further maldanid species of different subfamilies may shed additional light on maldanid systematics.Los Maldánidos se clasifican usualmente en ocho subfamilias: Euclymeninae, Lumbriclymeninae, Maldaninae, Nicomachinae, Rhodininae, Clymenurinae, Notoproctinae, y Boguinae. La taxonomía de esta familia está basada en la morfología del prostómio, el número total de segmentos, la estructura de las quetas, la forma del pigidio y la posición del ano. Sin embargo, las relaciones dentro del grupo de los maldánidos , así como la monofília de las subfamilias propuestas, no han sido aún investigadas. Pilgrim (1977) describió en Clymene torquata (Leidy, 1855) y Euclymene oerstedii (Claparède, 1863), ambos pertenecientes a Euclymeninae, un cambio en la orientación de las filas de quetas notopodiales desde una poción transversal en los setígeros anteriores a una posición más longitudinal en los setígeros posteriores. En este trabajo se ha investigado el carácter anterior en diversas especies de maldánidos para ver si podría ser usado en la sistemática del grupo, usando reconstrucciones en tres dimensiones para observar la completa geometría de las bolsas de quetas, Nuestras investigaciones muestran que dichos cambios son aparentes en Euclymene, Axiothella, Johnstonia (todos Euclymeninae) y en Clymenura (Clymenurinae), pero no se presentan en especies como Maldane sarsi (Malmgren, 1865), Metasychis disparidentata (Moore, 1904) (ambas Maldaninae) y Petaloproctus borealis Ardwisson, 1906 (Nicomachinae). Este cambio no es típico de poliquetos sedentarios y es apomorfico dentro de los maldánidos. Todo ello lleva a argumentar una estrecha relación entre Euclymeninae y Clymenurinae. Futuras investigaciones en otras especies de maldánidos pertenecientes a otras subfamilias podría aportar aún mas luz a la sistemática de esta familia de poliquetos. &nbsp

A motivational framework of personality development in late adulthood

Meta-analytic evidence shows that most personality traits tend to increase through early adulthood and middle age but decrease in late adulthood, whereas Emotional Stability continues to increase throughout late adulthood. We propose that these normative patterns of personality development can be explained by motivational theories of aging. Specifically, decreases in Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience may reflect a reduced capacity to control one's environment, whereas continued increases in Emotional Stability reflect increases in individual's ability to compensate and cope with age-graded losses. Pairing motivational theories of aging with longitudinal evidence in personality science provides an explanation for empirical patterns of personality trait development and raises interesting possibilities to promote healthy aging

Velocity Explains the Links between Personality States and Affect

The present research examined whether perceived rate of progress toward a goal (velocity) mediated the relationships between personality states and affective states. Drawing from control theories of self-regulation, we hypothesized (i) that increased velocity would mediate the association between state extraversion and state positive affect, and (ii) that decreased velocity would mediate the association between state neuroticism and state negative affect. We tested these hypotheses in 2 experience sampling methodology studies that each spanned 2 weeks. Multilevel modeling analyses showed support for each of the bivariate links in our model, and multilevel path analyses supported our mediation hypotheses. We discuss implications for understanding the relations between personality states and affective states, control theories of self-regulation, and goal striving

Finding a Life Worth Living: Meaning in Life and Graduation from College

Graduation from college is an important milestone for young adults, marked by mixed emotions and poignancy, and therefore is an especially salient context for studying meaning in life. The present research used experience-sampling methodology to examine the antecedents and consequences of students' experience of meaning in life over the course of graduation. Participants were 74 graduating students who provided a total of 538 reports over the span of three days, including commencement day. Increased levels of state meaning in life during the days around commencement were linked to spending time with people in general and with family in particular, as well as thinking about one's years in college. Thinking about one's years in college mediated the effects of present company on state meaning in life. Graduates who experienced higher levels of state meaning in life during the days around their commencement ceremony had higher trait levels of meaning in life one week following commencement. We discuss how making meaning of a poignant experience has implications for healthy psychological development

Phylogeny of "Sphecidae" (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) based on molecular data

Die Grabwespen (Sphecidae sensu Bohart & Menke 1976; Sphecidae sensu lato in neueren, phylogenetischen Arbeiten), zu denen nach Day (1984) und späteren Autoren auch die Heterogynaidae zählen, umfassen derzeit 266 Gattungen mit 9559 beschriebene Arten (Pulawski 2006). Zusammen mit den Bienen (= Apiformes nach Michener 2000, bzw. Anthophila nach Engel 2005) bilden die Grabwespen ein gut begründetes Monophylum, das nach Michener (1986) den Namen Apoidea trägt und eine der drei Hauptlinien innerhalb der aculeaten Hymenoptera ist. Die Monophylie der aculeaten Hymenoptera, der Apoidea sowie die der Bienen ist jeweils gut begründet (z.B. Brothers 1975, Königsmann 1978, Lomholdt 1982, Alexander 1992, Brothers & Carpenter 1993). Anders verhält es sich mit den Grabwespen. Neben der phylogenetischen Untersuchung von Brothers & (1993), die die Monophylie der Grabwespen unterstützt, haben andere morphologische als auch molekularsystematische Analysen starken Zweifel an dieser Hypothese aufkommen lassen (z.B. Königsmann 1978, Lomholdt 1982, Alexander 1992, Prentice 1998, Melo 1999, Ohl & Bleidorn 2006).Sequences from the nuclear long-wavelength-rhodopsin and the mitochondrial cytochrom-c-oxidase (subunit I) from different representatives of the Apoidea, with special emphasis on digger wasps (Sphecidae sensu lat), were analysed using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Baysian inference methods. Compared with previous phylogenetic studies based on morphology, the results of the molecular analyses are controversial but correspond in the absence of support for the Sphecidae s. l (sensu Bohart & Menke). The relationships within the Sphecidae sensu stricto correspond largely with recent morphological studies. There is circumstantial evidence that the Ampulicidae and Sphecidae s. str. together form a monophyletic group, whereas the relationships within this taxon are still uncertain. Although there is no evidence for a definitive phylogenetic position of the Heterogynaidae; it can be excluded that they are the sistertaxon to all other Apoidea. Instead, they are probably a derived group within the Crabronidae. In conflict to the majority of current morphological studies, the molecular analyses provide no support for the Crabronidae and Bembicinae. Some molecular analyses imply a close relationship between Philanthinae and bees