Master of Science

thesisSocial support is a reliable predictor of physical health. However, most studies examine this link with measures of perceived social support that are only modestly correlated with actual support received. Importantly, laboratory studies which manipulate received support often find that it results in greater distress and physiological reactivity. One theoretical model posited by Bolger and Amarel (2007) suggests that social support costs are dependent on whether or not the support is received prior to or after an individual decides support is wanted or needed. The current study examined the main and interaction effects of social support and choice for the support on reactivity to a lab speech stressor task using an induced compliance paradigm to increase perceived choice in receiving support during a speech task. One hundred eighteen participants were assigned to varying conditions of choice (induced choice, no induced choice, no reference to choice) and received support (received support during task, received no support during task). Participants completed measures of self-esteem, anxiety, threat, and control during the speech task. Cardiovascular functioning was measured via blood pressure and cardiac impedance. Results did not support choice as a moderator between support and reactivity. Received support predicted increased cardiovascular reactivity during the speech task (p's<.08). However, there were no differences in psychological reactivity. Implications are discussed

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationSocial support is a reliable predictor of psychological and physical health. However, received social support can result in either improvements or detriments to health depending on contextual processes. The cultural facet of independence-interdependence â€" cultural variations in social orientation and self-schema â€" is a macro level of analysis that may determine when receiving social support results in benefits or costs to health. The current study examined whether solicited and unsolicited received support results in either health improvements or health costs. The study consisted of 148 participants in the United States and Japan who completed a 2-day ambulatory blood pressure and daily diary protocol. Multilevel modeling was used to account for the data dependence across repeated measures as well as to examine both effects of support at the individual and cultural level. Mediational bootstrapping analyses and moderated mediational analyses were used to examine whether changes to self-schema variables mediated the relationship between support and health and whether culture served as moderator of these indirect effects. No consistent evidence was found to support these hypotheses. However, some evidence for cultural differences and for the stress-buffering effects of social support on ABP were observed. Implications are discussed

Interdependence of emotion: Conceptualization, evidence, and social implications from cultural psychology

People feel a wide range of emotions. In many psychological traditions, emotions are defined as primarily emerging from within the individual, even if influenced by external factors (e.g., approval from other people). This definition is consistent with an independent self-construal. However, in some contexts, emotions are understood to have more interdependent characteristics that can be shared with other people and that arise from social contexts and collective, shared situations. We define the lay theory of interdependence of emotion as the perception that emotional experience or its causes and consequences are shared with other people. Interdependence of emotion can be conceptualized along a spectrum, rather than as categorical. Additionally, the degree to which people understand emotions as interdependent likely varies by cultural context. In this article, we review studies that have investigated this lay theory of emotions across cultures, focusing on function. We suggest that people from non-WEIRD cultures (i.e., cultures that are not Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) are more likely than others to experience emotions as interdependent. Next, we highlight examples of this interdependence, focusing on two specific emotions: happiness and awe, which may have both independent and interdependent elements. The mechanisms and functions of the lay theory of interdependence of emotions are discussed using the example of a current collective threat, COVID-19

Designing proteasome adaptors to deplete specific proteins from cells

Cellular protein levels are governed by their rates of synthesis and degradation, and both processes are intricately regulated. One way to study the role of a protein in the cell is to artificially deplete it and observe the effects. The most common methodology for depleting proteins inhibits expression of the target through RNA interference. However, this technique acts at the protein synthesis level and cannot be used to study long-lived proteins or post-translational modifications. Thus, a complementary approach that acts on the proteins themselves would be useful. One method is to target a protein to the cell’s degradation machinery, the Ubiquitin Proteasome System (UPS). Proteins are targeted to the proteasome by the covalent attachment of ubiquitin molecules, which are recognized by the proteasome. The substrate is then translocated into the proteasome’s proteolytic core and degraded into short peptides, while the ubiquitin molecules are cleaved off and recycled. Recently, methods have been developed to deplete proteins by inducing their ubiquitination, which accelerates their degradation by the proteasome. Ubiquitin is a signaling molecule for numerous cellular pathways other than proteolysis, however, and inducing ubiquitination does not always lead to degradation. Therefore, I have developed a system to degrade specific proteins in cells using chimeric adaptors that shuttle proteins directly to the proteasome without the need for ubiquitination. I have shown that this system can be successfully applied to several proteins in vitro and that the adaptors can induce degradation of model and endogenous proteins in cells.Cellular and Molecular Biolog

Faculty perspectives on pedagogical considerations of violent content in their classrooms and institutional resources

This project aims to investigate the connections between faculty members' pedagogical strategies when utilizing violent content in classrooms and when handing student disclosures of trauma within a Midwestern university. Twenty-one faculty members were interviewed for this project. From the data gained in these interviews, this document focuses on how faculty construct their pedagogical praxis, how faculty navigate classroom dynamics, and how faculty understand university resources designed for themselves and students. Faculty members expressed the lack of training on pedagogy, as well as a lack of resources on campus for them regarding pedagogical practice. This translated to over half of the respondents having students presenting concerns about the class. Those professors who had students come to them focused on validating concerns, apologizing, suggesting university resources, and utilizing preemptive strategies to try and mitigate future concerns. The resource most utilized by faculty members for students is mental health services. In assessing these dynamics faculty members were asked for suggestions on solutions that would be most impactful for them and their colleagues which are discussed further in this text. Understanding what faculty need for support in these matters will help both faculty work environment, as well as, creating a more trauma informed campus for student survivors of violence

A Community-Based Social Networking Intervention to Increase Walking in Dog Owners

Roughly 40% of U.S. households own a dog and while dog ownership is associated with greater engagement in physical activity, up to 60% of dog owners do not achieve the recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity. The present study aims to develop and test a dog walking intervention addressing individual, interpersonal, and community factors. The study represents collaboration between UMass Medical School, UMass Lowell and their community partners, Common Pathways and the Greater Lowell Health Alliance. The developmental phase uses a community-based participatory research approach by creating community advisory boards and conducting focus groups with residents to ensure community perspectives are represented throughout intervention development. Information gathered from the developmental phase will inform the intervention. The intervention phase will determine the feasibility and efficacy of a multi-component dog walking intervention using a group randomized controlled trial. The intervention uses a social networking website, newsletters, pedometers, neighborhood walks, and community events to educate owners on the benefits of walking, create a supportive environment, and increase the “dog friendliness” of a community. Communities in Worcester and Lowell will be randomized to the intervention or control condition. Outcome measures include pedometer steps, time spent walking the dog, social support for exercise, and sense of community. This study is one of the first studies to test whether increasing dog walking in dog owners can increase owner physical activity via a social networking website. If successful, we will assess the extent to which the community can sustain the intervention

Identificación de la entomofauna presente en el cultivo de pimiento (Capsicum annuun L) en el sector Lodana del cantón Santa Ana, Ecuador

La agricultura representa a la actividad que garantiza a la humanidad los alimentos y el sustento económico y su preservación y cuidado es esencial en todas las especies vegetales. Por ende, el objetivo de este estudio fue identificar los principales insectos que afectan el cultivo de pimiento (Capsicum annuum L.) en el campus experimental “La Teodomira” cantón Santa Ana, permitiendo el reconocimiento de la entomofauna benéfica y perjudicial asociada al cultivo. La metodología de este estudio consistió en la captura e identificación de insectos en tres parcelas tratadas bajo diferentes métodos (Manejo convencional, Manejo Integrado de Plagas (MIP), y sin aplicación). Para tal efecto, se realizaron evaluaciones directas (pasada en red) e indirectas (trampas cromáticas), encontrando desde insectos fitófagos, predadores, parasitoides y polinizadores de 61 especies, englobadas en 32 familias y 9 órdenes, por cuanto la mayor diversidad de insectos se observó en la parcela sin aplicación (75,43%). Cabe mencionar que, en la estimación de la biodiversidad, según los índices de Margalef, Simpson y Shannon, resalta la parcela sin aplicación con un índice de 4,956, además de 4,612 y 4,267 en la parcela con aplicación y MIP, respectivament