Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationExpressing anger in negotiation can elicit concessions from one's counterpart, often because angry negotiators are perceived as "tough." However, "toughness" has been defined as both "having tough negotiation limits" and "behaving in threatening or dominating ways." This dissertation explores anger intensity variation to demonstrate the circumstances under which angry negotiators are perceived as having tough limits, versus when they are perceived as threatening, and when their counterparts are inclined to respond with reciprocal anger. Study 1 demonstrates that low- and medium-intensity anger elicit greater concessions than no- or high-anger conditions and that this effect is mediated by perceptions of threat. I also test in Study 2 the effects of anger intensity on Pareto efficiency in an integrative, dyadic negotiation. However, hypotheses about these effects were not supported. I discuss possible design factors that contributed to the null results, as well as future directions for this area of research. The paper contributes to emotion and negotiation theory by distinguishing clearly between threat and tracking (previously both referred to as "toughness") and measuring them simultaneously, as well as by conducting the first study of anger intensity's effect on integrative negotiation outcomes

Adequate Breathing Space in a Poisonous Atmosphere: Balancing Freedom and Responsibility in the Open Society

The United States Supreme Court has invoked the first amendment as a constraint on state defamation actions, balancing the freedom of the press with the rights of individuals. The author examines the development of this balance and its purposes, and suggests that further limitation of the states\u27 power to protect its citizens may be harmful to both the press and the public

The 1973 Obscenity-Pornography Decisions: Analysis, Impact, and Legislative Alternatives

The purpose of this Article is to examine critically the rationale of those decisions and to assess their actual and potential impact. An exhaustive review of the history of obscenity in the courts is not contemplated nor necessary. Abler attempts at comprehensive treatment have, on occasion, been performed by members of the Court, as well as by scholars in the field. Constitutional history will be employed only insofar as it has a direct bearing upon the new guidelines announced by the Court and what one can expect from their subsequent application

Inhibition of pancreatic cholesterol esterase reduces cholesterol absorption in the hamster

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cholesterol esterase has three proposed functions in the intestine: 1) to control the bioavailability of cholesterol from dietary cholesterol esters; 2) to contribute to incorporation of cholesterol into mixed micelles; and 3) to aid in transport of free cholesterol to the enterocyte. Inhibitors of cholesterol esterase are anticipated to limit the absorption of dietary cholesterol. RESULTS: The selective and potent cholesterol esterase inhibitor 6-chloro-3-(1-ethyl-2-cyclohexyl)-2-pyrone (figure 1, structure 1) was administered to hamsters fed a high cholesterol diet supplemented with radiolabeled cholesterol ester. Hamsters were gavage fed (3)H-labeled cholesteryl oleate along with inhibitor 1, 0–200 micromoles. Twenty-four hours later, hepatic and serum radioactive cholesterol levels were determined. The ED(50 )of inhibitor 1 for prevention of the uptake of labeled cholesterol derived from hydrolysis of labeled cholesteryl oleate was 100 micromoles. The toxicity of inhibitor 1 was investigated in a 30 day feeding trial. Inhibitor 1, 100 micromoles or 200 micromoles per day, was added to chow supplemented with 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid. Clinical chemistry urinalysis and tissue histopathology were obtained. No toxicity differences were noted between control and inhibitor supplemented groups. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibitors of cholesterol esterase may be useful therapeutics for limiting cholesterol absorption

Attainable Moment Set and Actuation Time of a Bio-Inspired Rotating Empennage

Future tactical aircraft will likely demonstrate improvements in efficiency, weight, and control by implementing bio-inspired control systems. This work analyzes a novel control system for a fighter aircraft inspired by the function of – and the degrees of freedom available in – a bird’s tail. The control system is introduced to an existing fighter aircraft design by removing the vertical tail and allowing the horizontal tail surfaces to rotate about the roll axis. Using a low-fidelity aerodynamic model, an analysis on the available controlling moments and actuation speeds of the baseline aircraft is compared to that of the bio-inspired rotating empennage design. The results of this analysis at a takeoff and approach flight condition indicate that the bio-inspired tail design is able to improve upon the baseline in terms of control power available for yaw by up to 170%, while also improving the actuation speed by about 450 milliseconds for moments about the pitch axis. The bio-inspired design is shown to have actuation times that are up to 600 milliseconds slower for generating yawing moments and a reduced roll control contribution from the tail in certain moment combinations. The impacts of these issues on control will need to be determined with analysis at additional flight conditions and a flight dynamics analysis

Is overconfidence a social liability? The effect of verbal versus nonverbal expressions of confidence.

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 116(3) of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (see record 2019-08943-002). In the article "Is Overconfidence a Social Liability? The Effect of Verbal Versus Nonverbal Expressions of Confidence" by Elizabeth R. Tenney, Nathan L. Meikle, David Hunsaker, Don A. Moore, and Cameron Anderson (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Advance online publication. October 11, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000150), the Editor' Note acknowledging David Dunning as the action editor for this article was omitted. All versions of this article have been corrected.] What are the reputational consequences of being overconfident? We propose that the channel of confidence expression is one key moderator-that is, whether confidence is expressed verbally or nonverbally. In a series of experiments, participants assessed target individuals (potential collaborators or advisors) who were either overconfident or cautious. Targets expressed confidence, or a lack thereof, verbally or nonverbally. Participants then learned targets' actual performance. Across studies, overconfidence was advantageous initially-regardless of whether targets expressed confidence verbally or nonverbally. After performance was revealed, overconfident targets who had expressed confidence verbally were viewed more negatively than cautious targets; however, overconfident targets who had expressed confidence nonverbally were still viewed more positively than cautious ones. The one condition wherein nonverbal overconfidence was detrimental was when confidence was clearly tied to a falsifiable claim. Results suggest that, compared with verbal statements, nonverbal overconfidence reaps reputational benefits because of its plausible deniability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Adenoviral-delivered HE4-HSV-tk sensitizes ovarian cancer cells to ganciclovir

Ovarian cancer (OC) is most often contained within the peritoneal cavity, making it an ideal disease for adenoviral-delivered gene therapies. In effort to develop a safe and effective gene therapy for OC, we created a replication deficient adenovirus bearing the herpes simplex thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene under direction of the tumor specific promoter human epididymis protein 4 (HE4). The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of our adenoviral construct to transduce OC cells in vitro and mediate transgene expression of HSV-tk, thereby sensitizing OC to the pro-drug ganciclovir. Cisplatin-sensitive (CS) and -resistant (CR) A2780 OC cells, infected with virus for 6 hours at 100, 500, and 1000 multiplicity of infection followed by ganciclovir treatment every other day for 5 days, were assayed for cell viability. Adenoviral-mediated transgene expression increased with increasing amounts of virus and peaked at 48 hours after transduction in both A2780-CS and -CR. Unexpectedly, ganciclovir alone was slightly toxic to both A2780 cell lines (IC50 of 234.9 μg/mL and 257.2 μg/mL in A2780-CS and -CR, respectively). Transduction with ADV-HE4-HSV-tk followed by ganciclovir treatment increased (P<0.05) cell killing up to ten-fold, lowering the IC50 to 23.9 μg/mL and 32.6 μg/mL in A2780-CS and -CR, respectively, at 1000 multiplicity of infection. The results support the potential use of this approach as a gene therapy for OC, a disease that accounts for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system