Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Developmental traits'

More than half of known crime is committed by 5-6% of the criminal population. Who are these people? Research has shown that it is likely that a majority of these individuals are characterized by having a psychopathic personality. Interestingly, research has shown that psychopathic features are not unique to adults. Youths with high levels of psychopathic traits resemble adult psychopaths in that they are the most frequent, severe and aggressive, delinquent offenders. There is less knowledge, however, about the development of these traits in adolescence, and many fundamental questions have yet to be addressed. The aim of this dissertation is to begin to examine a few of these questions, such as: a) the role of parents andtheir behavior in the development of psychopathic personality in adolescence; b) patterns of stability and change in psychopathic traits during adolescence; and c) whether or not subgroups of adolescents with high levels of psychopathic traits can be identified in a normative community sample. Overall, the results reveal that a psychopathic personality profile characterizes a small group of youths at particular risk of negative development. This group, as well as showing high levels of psychopathic traits throughout adolescence, report high levels of delinquent behavior, and also experience dysfunctional relationships with their parents. Further, the results reveal important subgroups of adolescents with high levels of psychopathic traits, much in accordance with the literature on adult psychopaths. Whereas one group expresses the personality style of primary psychopaths, another is more aggressive, impulsive, and anxious than the other. Taken together, the results of this dissertation suggest that some adolescents are at particular risk of future negative development. Implications for theory and practice, and for the directions of future research, are discussed.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) ranks in fourth place among cultivated cereals for worldwide production and is a recognized model organism for genetic and genomic studies in the Triticeae tribe, which includes wheats (Triticum species) and rye (Secale cereale). Root and shoot architecture traits are key factors in plant performance, competition with weeds, adaptation and stress responses thus having an important impact on yield and yield stability. Breeders have proposed hypothetical optimal morphological parameters to improve production in relation to different environmental conditions. Leaf size and orientation are determinants of canopy transpiration and radiation interception e.g. in dry and sunny Mediterranean environments reduced size and erect orientation of the leaves can reduce water loss by transpiration and allow deeper light penetration into the canopy. Tillering influences crop performance, biomass and grain production, e.g. a reduction in tillering compensated by an increase dimension and number of kernels per spike could be a strategy of adaptation to dry climates. A reduction in plant height and an augment in stem thickness is connected to lodging resistance. Root system extension is connected to the ability of the plant to reach water. The objectives of this project were to dissect genetic variability for shoot and root morphological traits in barley, identifying genomic regions and characterizing genes controlling these traits, and exploring how different traits influence each other. To this end, two approaches were undertaken depending on the trait(s) under study: • the first exploited natural variation in a panel of modern and old European barley cultivars to carry out association mapping of flowering date, stem diameter, spike fertility, leaf dimension, plant height, tillering and root extension (Chapters 2 and 3); • the second was to characterize the ontogenetic basis of increased tillering using as a case study the many-noded dwarf6.6 (mnd6.6) high tillering barley mutant (Chapter 4). In the first approach, we focused on winter barley because of its agronomic interest in the Mediterranean area, where genetic improvement of drought tolerance is particularly important. We analyzed a panel of 142 European winter barley cultivars (67 two-rowed and 75 six-rowed) with a view to conduct a genome wide association scan (GWAS) for shoot and root architecture traits in two separate sets of experiments. To this end, genotyping data for 4,083 SNPs were available from previous projects of which 2,521 mapped on the POPSEQ barley reference map. PCoA results indicated the existence of two major sub-populations in our germplasm panel, corresponding to two-rowed and six-rowed barley cultivars. In order to study shoot developmental traits (Chapter 2) the panel was phenotyped during the growing season 2012-2013 in a field trial at Fiorenzuola d’Arda, Piacenza, Italy. The experimental scheme consisted in 3 replicates (each being a plot of 24 well spaced plants) in randomized blocks. For selected traits data were integrated and analyzed together with those coming from a parallel field trial that was carried out at the University of Shiraz, Iran (data courtesy of Dr. Elahe Tavakol). Flowering date (FD) and leaf width (LW) were measured in both Italy and Iran, leaf length (LL) was measured only in Iran, plant height (PH), spike length (SL), number of fertile rachis node per spike (NFRN) tillering (T) and (SD) were measured only in Italy. Best Linear Unbiased Estimators (BLUEs) of FD, LW were calculated as the phenotypic values estimated for each genotype in a mixed linear model, where genotypes were set as fixed factor and location, location-genotype interaction and replicates as random factors. For BLUEs calculation of all other traits only replicates were used as random factors. BLUEs were subjected to GWAS analyses, using a mixed linear model (MLM) correcting for population structure with a Q matrix (PCA first three coordinate) and for individuals co-ancestry using a K matrix (a pair-wise matrix defining the degree of genetic covariance among individuals). Significance of marker-trait associations was evaluated based on false discovery rate (FDR)-adjusted p-values (threshold value for significant association was set at 0.05). All traits except tillering exhibited good heritability. Few QTLs were detected in GWAS (five for FD, two for LW, three for LL, one for PH, two for SL, two for NFRN, one for tillering, no one for SM). Flowering date exhibited significant correlation with leaf dimension and spike length and six markers designed on Photoperiod-H1 (Ppd-H1) gene (the major determinant for photoperiod response in barley) were the most significantly associated to FD, LW, LL and SL. In particular the recessive ppd- H1 allele causing reduced photoperiod sensitivity, delayed flowering date and increased leaf dimension and spike length compared to the Ppd-H1 allele. Three markers diagnostic for the HvCEN gene (which regulates flowering date independently from photoperiod) were significantly associated to FD and SL. These results suggested that genes for flowering date could have pleiotropic effects on other morphological traits that may mask other genetic effects. For this reason we tested a novel approach repeating GWAS for LW, LL and SL using flowering date as a cofactor (fixed effect) in further analyses. For SL and LW no new significant associations were found with this method, while new significant associations were uncovered for LL, including two markers on chromosome 5H mapped in a region where narrow leaf dwarf 1a (nld-1a) mutant had previously been previously mapped. Tillering and NFRN were only associated to markers diagnostic INTERMEDIUM-C (INT-C), one of the two main genes controlling row type: in our panel two-rowed genotypes had a significantly higher number of tillers and NFRN compared to six- rowed varieties, confirming the known pleiotropic effects of row-type genes on tillering and NFRN and the balancing of patterns of development by breeding practice for the particular row-type. Based on these results, we run GWAS for NFRN and tillering using row-type as covariate. With this model, we found six markers associated with NFRN on chromosome 5H, in the region hosting HvCO12, HvCO13, HvCO15, XvCCA-1, HvLHY, genes involved in control of flowering date. These same markers, were associated to the duration of the phase between awn primordia formation and tipping (awn arising from flag leaf) in a recently published GWAS study. Together, results from Chapter 2 provide the first evidence of the involvement of the Ppd-H1 gene in control of leaf size and spike length. Thus few QTLs were detected that explain the phenotypic variation for our morphological traits, with some major genes having strong pleiotropic effects that mask minor genetic effects. The use of traits that appear to influence others measures as covariates in GWAS models seems to be a promising approach, although the statistical power of this strategy is still to be evaluated. Germplasm collections with uniform growth habit and row-type are an attractive alternative to prevent confounding effects and allow additional loci to be detected. In Chapter 3, we explored natural genetic variation in root extension using the same winter barley panel as Chapter 2 in growth chamber experiments. In order to evaluate root growth we built 50 cm deep cylindrical pots (called rhizotrons) and used digital scans of the root system to measure total root extension with the winRHIZO software. Based on a series of preliminary tests, we used siliceous sand supplemented with controlled release fertilizer to analyze 4th leaf stage plants from 31 genotypes (9 plants per genotype). Root extension per se exhibited 75% heritability, while normalizing root extension on shoot dry weight resulted in low variability (22%) likely due to low heritability of shoot dry weight in our system. These results support the validity of our protocol for evaluation of genetic variation in root extension in barley and other cereals and indicate significant variation exists in our germplasm panel. Thus, the already collected material will be analysed to phenotype the entire panel. In the future, more variability may be uncovered by exploring wild barleys (Hordeum vulgare spp. spontaneum) or landraces. Tillering is a plastic trait affected by the complex interplay of genetic and hormonal factors with environmental conditions such as plant density/light quality and nutrient availability, which likely complicated genetic dissection of this trait in our field experiment on the winter barley panel (Chapter 2). To circumvent the limited power of the GWAS approach for this trait and understand more about the mechanisms subtending tiller formation, we decided to use the mnd6.6 mutant as a case study to investigate the ontogenetic basis of high tillering in barley and its relation to leaf development. Mutant and wild-type plants were grown in growth in a controlled chamber under long day conditions, and dissected weekly from the emergence to anthesis, registering the development of axillary buds, leaves and tillers together with internode elongation, in relation to shoot apical meristem (SAM) stage. Results show that the mutant is not altered in timing of apical meristem development and differentiation to spike, but has a shorter phyllochron that leads to an increment in the number of leaves per vegetative axis. This in turn results in a higher number of axillary buds and a higher number of tillers. The HvMND6 gene was recently identified and our results are consistent with the activity of the previously characterized rice homologue PLASTOCHRON1, indicating an evolutionarily conserved link between plastochron/phyllochron duration and tillering. Concluding, while significant genetic variation was identified for various traits within the gene pool of our winter barley collection, variability of morphological traits as leaf dimension was subordinated to the length of vegetative period. Indeed, flowering date is one of the major factors on which breeding practice has worked to adapt barley to different environments. Beyond modern European varieties, barley breeding for new ideotypes should explore wider genetic resources as Hordeum spp. spontaneum or landraces. In any case, the existence of correlations between different phenotypes calls for careful evaluation of sources of traits to avoid undesired effects on other traits, e.g. due to the relation between tillering and phyllochrone, breeding for early plant vigour through shortening phyllochron, may have pleiotropic effects and result in increased tillering whose benefits would have to be evaluated.

This study tests the predictions made by several causal theories proposing different etiologies for childhood-onset and adolescent-onset conduct problems. It investigates a variety of causal factors proven to be important for the development of antisocial behaviors, specifically neuropsychological/cognitive deficits, temperamental vulnerabilities, dysfunctional parenting, deviant peers, and rebelliousness. Current theories generally agree that the early onset pathway is distinguished by interactions between a child with a difficult temperament and dysfunctional parent-child interactions. However, theories differ as to whether they emphasize the temperament and neurocognitive deficits of the child, or the parenting behaviors. In the adolescent onset pathway, theories typically focus on the importance of affiliation with deviant peers but differ as to whether this is attributed to a personality characterized by the rejection of traditional values and rebelliousness as leading to this association or failures in parenting practices. Seventy-eight pre-adjudicated adolescent (ranging in age from 11 to 18) boys housed in two short-term detention facilities and one outpatient program for boys at risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system in southeastern Louisiana participated in the current study. The sample was ethnically diverse (56% African-American) and largely came from facilities serving either a large urban or a largely suburban and rural region of the state. The sample was divided into two groups based on the youngest age of a self-reported delinquent act or parent-reported severe conduct problem. The childhoodonset group (n =47) displayed at least one serious antisocial behavior prior to age 12, whereas the adolescent-onset group (n =31) did not. As predicted, the childhood-onset group showed greater levels of dysfunctional parenting and CU traits. Contrary to predictions, however, this group also showed the strongest affiliation with deviant peers. The only variable strongly associated with the adolescent onset group was lower scores on a measure of traditionalism which indicates less endorsement of traditional values and status hierarchies. The implications of these results for understanding different causal trajectories to antisocial behavior and for designing better prevention and treatment programs for antisocial youth are discussed.

Crop domestication and subsequent breeding or directional selection have narrowed the genetic diversity of elite varieties whereas land races, ecotypes, wild relatives growing on native preferences still keep genetic diversities of stress tolerances. Rayada is such an exceptional ecotype, variant of typical deepwater rice, completely endemic to certain areas of Madhumati river tracts of Bangladesh and still shares some features of wild rices. Multiple physiological features of Rayadas are distinctly different from typical deepwater rice. In this PhD project, we have studied the specialty of Rayada rice and identified that Rayada has special tolerances to prolonged flood, submergence and cold along with longer root system and prompt recovery capacity after water stress. All these features make it as an elite resource of stress tolerance and might become a new focus of rice germplasm research. Among all deepwater rices, Rayada is the only exception, having virtually no seed dormancy, but both physiological and molecular bases of this trait are completely unknown. We examined the non-dormant nature of Rayadas as a natural variant of deepwater rice. After comparing features of freshly harvested seeds of Rayada with those of typical deepwater rice variety, we identified several concerted features; for instance, less ABA content in freshly harvested seeds; faster ABA catabolism and enhanced ROS accumulation after imbibition. Moreover, after analyzing stepwise gene expressions of 32 bZIPs in seed germination, mild and severe water stresses among three extreme ecotypes including Rayadas together with homology search with reported genes, we identified OsbZIP84 as a candidate gene for the regulation of ABA catabolism in Rayada rice. ABA content and expression analysis of OsbZIP84 and ABA8oxs in four growth and developmental stages along with phenotyping of mutant revealed the function of OSbZIP84 in the dormancy regulation of Rayada rice. Submergence tolerance during seed germination is one of the rare traits of rice, even among cereals. Except few physiological indications of tolerance, most other molecular signaling network is not known. We identified several positive and negative regulators of shoot development under submergence inducting the capacity of shoot development of Rayada rice under oxidative stress. We successfully developed a condition supplemented with riboflavin and H2O2 where intolerant genotypes successfully developed shoot under submergence. However, induced shoot development was completely inhibited by glucose, ABA and mitochondrial complex IV inhibitor signifying ABA and glucose as negative regulators, whereas ROS, riboflavin and mitochondrial complex IV as positive regulators. Gene expression analysis of α-amylases revealed H2O2 supplementation mimicked aerobic gene expression pattern. Plausible mechanisms of riboflavin and H2O2 function in submergence tolerance were also discussed. Finally, we isolated a novel mutant of Rayada variety with Kaladigha background and having four interesting phenotypes of practical implications. Mutant plant shows purple pigmentation throughout the plants organs along with dense and elongated trichomes on the adaxial leaf surface. In addition, the same mutant also shows high frequency of stigma exsertion. But ultimately, we observed that the mutant plant is completely sterile. The possible reason of the sterility was found being related to the stigma receptivity. Severe reduction of ROS accumulation in stigmas of mutant plant was observed after fluorescent H2DCF-DA staining. However, pollen grains are completely viable with normal shape and size. Interestingly, the fertility was partially restored after humidifying the panicles. Mutant progeny showed dense black coloration in seeds with significant reduction of grain weight. Moreover, it showed segregating ratio of 3:1 for purple pigmentation, suggesting single gene mutation nature. Other phenotypic features confirmed the mutant as a Rayada variety with Kaladigha background, not a seed contamination. After extensive data mining of these four phenotypes, we identified maize Lc gene with three similar phenotypes reported earlier excluding stigma exsertion, hence considered as candidate gene of this mutant. The gene expression of maize Lc homolog of rice, OsbHLH13, was exceptionally up-regulated in the purple mutant. Further studies of genetic characterization may open up the practical implications of this mesmerizing mutant. In summary, Rayada is a primitive deepwater rice ecotype that can offer many traits and genetic resources that are badly needed in rice breeding for stress tolerance and the time is mature to do the more detailed research with rapid advances in genome research weaponry

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New Orleans, 2005.
Title from electronic submission form. "A dissertation ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Developmental Psychology"--Dissertation t.p. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits have proved to be a robust and informative construct; identifying a subgroup of children with conduct problems who show more severe and persistent antisocial behaviour. The majority of this work has focused on mid to late childhood and adolescent samples, yet the study of CU traits in early childhood allows identification of developmental pathways to CU traits and may inform the development of preventative interventions. The three empirical studies included in this doctoral thesis use a longitudinal epidemiological sample (Wirral Child Health and Development Study; WCHADS) followed from pregnancy up to age 7 years to examine important questions regarding: 1) the measurement of CU traits in early childhood 2) the contribution of the early parenting relationship to child CU traits; specifically maternal sensitivity to infant distress, with possible mediation by child attachment status, and 3) a candidate sex dependant mechanism for the translation of CU traits into physical aggressive from early to mid-childhood. The first study uses the extensive sample of consecutively recruited first time mothers and the second two studies focus on a subsample stratified by psychosocial risk. The aim of the first study (Chapter 2; n = 775) was to adapt a CU traits measure for use with preschool children. The CU measure derived showed acceptable psychometric properties, factorial invariance by sex and good stability to 5 years. Validity was supported by cross-sectional associations with physical aggression for both boys and girls and incremental prediction to aggression at age 5 in girls only. The second study (Chapter 3; n = 272) examined the longitudinal contribution of maternal parenting behaviours (sensitivity to distress and to non-distress, positive regard, intrusiveness) at 7 months and attachment status at 14 months to child CU traits assessed from age 2.5 to 5 years. Latent variable modelling yielded a single parenting factor which, in line with predictions, significantly predicted reduced CU traits. The effect was mainly explained by sensitivity to infant distress and positive regard towards the infant. These two indicators evidenced a significant interaction, such that the combination of low positive regard and low sensitivity to distress predicted increased child CU traits. Neither attachment security nor disorganization predicted CU traits, so there was no evidence for mediation by attachment status. The final study (Chapter 4; n = 276) examined a hypothesised sex-specific mechanism for the translation of CU traits to aggression via HPA –axis reactivity to stress. Age 5 cortisol reactivity was found to significantly moderate the association between age 5 CU traits and age 7 teacher and mother reported aggression, evidenced by a significant 3-way interaction with sex. There was a significant two-way interaction in boys, such that higher CU traits and lower cortisol reactivity predicted increased physical aggression. Overall, this thesis provides support for the valid measurement of CU traits over the early preschool period. Sensitivity to infant distress, alongside positive regard/warmth, predicted reduced CU traits suggesting that early interventions might also focus on enhancing maternal responsiveness to distress. Findings supported the role of cortisol reactivity to social stress in the translation of CU traits to aggression and critically this was sex specific.

The current study tested the association of both positive and negative aspects of parenting with callous-unemotional (CU) traits and conduct problems. Caregivers of 92 kindergarteners were recruited to complete a series of survey measures. Overall, parent-report of negative parenting practices was not associated with teacher report of conduct problems. However, parent report of positive parenting practices (i.e., warmth, positive reinforcement, positive communication and cooperation) was negatively associated with conduct problems and CU traits. Interactions between positive parenting variables and CU traits in their association with conduct problems indicated that positive reinforcement related more strongly to lower levels of conduct problem behavior for youth with high levels of CU traits. However, positive communication and cooperation related more strongly to conduct problems for youth with lower levels of CU traits. These associations suggest that parenting may play a role in the development of CU traits and conduct problems.

Increments en el rendiment de blat són necessaris per tal de fer front a la demanda creixent sota situacions complexes com la impossibilitat de expandir les terres cultivables, el canvi climàtic i el repte de produir grans mitjançant pràctiques agronòmiques sostenibles. En el passat, els guanys genètics s’han aconseguit optimitzant l’altura de la planta i el temps fins a antesi i, conjuntament amb la millora de la resistència al allitament i l’adaptació del blat, resultaven en increments importants del rendiment del gra. La millora genètica més enllà dependrà d’altres trets com la duració de cadascuna de les sub-fases del desenvolupament del blat o la combinació del nombre final de fulles i filocrons i els efectes en la fertilitat de les flors (un dels determinants més importants del nombre de grans i per extensió del rendiment). És per això, que aquesta Tesi es va centrar en la identificació dels trets en què es fonamenta el rendiment del gra i en debatre el compromís entre els diferents components fisiològics del rendiment del gra així com entendre l’efecte dels recentment identificats QTLs (locus de caràcters quantitatius) Eps en el desenvolupament del blat. El principal objectiu d’aquesta Tesi era millorar la comprensió dels trets responsables del rendiment del gra: com la distribució de les fases abans de floració, la fertilitat de l’espiga i la seva influència en el nombre de grans. Més particularment, identificar (i) els trets i les combinacions d’aquests que afecten al rendiment del gra, avaluant la possible variabilitat genètica en les fases abans de floració de les poblacions elit similars en temps fins a floració i en altura de planta; (ii) les funcions dels nous QTLs identificats, Eps-7D i Eps-2B en sub-fases particulars del temps abans d’antesi i fertilitat de l’espiga; (iii) la interacció de Eps-7D amb la temperatura i el fotoperíode sota condicions controlades. Per acomplir aquests objectius, es van dur a terme quatre assaigs de camp i un sota condicions controlades. Un gran nombre de poblacions bi-parentals derivades de progenitors elit van ésser avaluades en camp i es va seleccionar una mostra de línies amb altura de planta i temps fins a antesi similars per tal d’identificar els trets que en dirigeixen la variabilitat en rendiment. Les línies seleccionades presentaven una gran variabilitat en rendiment (c. 500-1000 g m-2) que es basaven en una millor fertilitat de l’espiga. Com que la major part de línies seleccionades amb un alt rendiment mostraven un nombre i un pes de grans elevat, podem concloure que la subsegüent millora del rendiment pot venir de l’augment en el nombre de grans sense implicar una reducció en el pes. L’avaluació de vuit línies que es diferencien en els Eps-7D i -2B en camp va revelar una interacció epistàtica entre ambdós, que afectava la dinàmica d’aparició de fulles, i el desenvolupament de les espiguilles i els primordis florals a més a més de les fases abans d’antesi. L’avaluació de Eps-7D en condicions controlades va revelar els efectes de la interacció entre aquest i la temperatura sobre les fases abans d’antesi i les dinàmiques de desenvolupament d’òrgans. La magnitud de l’efecte de Eps-7D era major que la de Eps-2B i els efectes de Eps-7D depenien de l’estat al·lèlic de Eps-2B. Les formes al·lèliques Eps-7D, Eps-7D-late i Eps-7D-early mostraven diferents graus de sensibilitat a la temperatura i les diferències en els seus efectes eren aparents en dies curts i a 9 ºC. Les conclusions d’aquesta Tesi van ser que el rendiment de gra pot millorar-se sense canviar el temps fins a antesi (optimitzant les fases d’abans d’antesi). Els Eps estudiats poden ser una eina per ajustar les fases d’abans d’antesi amb poques alteracions del temps fins a antesis. Aquí es demostra per primer cop la interacció entre dos Eps la qual només havia estat suggerida.
Los aumentos en el rendimiento del cultivo de trigo son fundamentales para satisfacer la creciente demanda en una situación compleja, con imposibilidades de expandir aún más las tierras cultivables, el cambio climático y el desafío de producir granos mediante prácticas agronómicas sostenibles. En el pasado, las ganancias genéticas obtenidas mediante la optimización de la altura de la planta y el tiempo hasta antesis, conjuntamente con la mejora de la resistencia al acame y la adaptación del trigo, resultaron en incrementos importantes del rendimiento del grano. Futuras ganancias genéticas dependerán de otros atributos como la duración de alguna sub-fase de desarrollo particular del trigo o la combinación del número final de hojas y filocronos y la fertilidad de las flores (uno de los determinantes más importantes del número de granos y, por ende, del rendimiento). Es por ello, que esta Tesis se centró en identificar los atributos en que se fundamenta el rendimiento del grano y en discutir las compensaciones entre los diferentes componentes fisiológicos del rendimiento del grano, así como comprender el efecto de los QTLs Eps recientemente identificados en el desarrollo del trigo. El principal objetivo de esta Tesis fue mejorar la comprensión de los atributos responsables del rendimiento del grano como la distribución de las subfases durante prefloración, la fertilidad de la espiga y su influencia en el número de granos. Particularmente identificar (i) los atributos y las combinaciones de estos que afectan al rendimiento del grano, evaluando la posible variabilidad genética en las fases prefloración de poblaciones élite que poseen similar duración hasta floración y en altura de la planta; (ii) las funciones de los nuevos QTLs identificados, Eps-7D y Eps-2B en sub-fases particulares de la duración tiempo preantesis y la fertilidad de la espiga; (iii) la interacción de Eps-7D con la temperatura y el fotoperíodo bajo condiciones controladas. Para cumplir estos objetivos, se llevaron a cabo cuatro ensayos de campo y uno bajo condiciones controladas. Un gran número de poblaciones bi-parentales derivadas de progenitores élite fueron evaluadas en condiciones de campo y se seleccionó una muestra de líneas con altura de planta y tiempo hasta antesis similares para identificar los atributos que determinan la variabilidad en el rendimiento. Las líneas seleccionadas presentaban una gran variabilidad en rendimiento (c. 500-1000 g m-2) que se pudieron explicar por un mayor peso de la espiga en antesis y mayor eficiencia de fructificación (ambos componentes del número de granos) determinadas en la fase reproductiva tardía. El aumento en el número de granos no redujo el peso de los granos, ya que dos tercios de las líneas presentaron un número de granos alto (alto rendimiento) también tuvieron un peso de grano más alto en comparación con aquellas con un número de granos bajo. La evaluación de ocho líneas que se diferenciaron en los Eps-7D y -2B en campo reveló una interacción epistática entre ambos, que afectaba la dinámica de aparición de las hojas, y el desarrollo de las espiguillas y los primordios florales. La evaluación de Eps-7D en condiciones controladas reveló los efectos de la interacción entre este y la temperatura sobre las fases preantesis y las dinámicas de desarrollo de órganos. La magnitud del efecto de Eps-7D fue mayor que la de Eps-2B y los efectos de Eps-7D dependían del estado alélico de Eps-2B. Las formas alélicas Eps-7D, Eps-7D-late y Eps-7D-early mostraron diferentes grados de sensibilidad a la temperatura y las diferencias en sus efectos fueron claramente demostradas en condiciones de días cortos y a 9 ºC. El trabajo realizado en esta Tesis contribuye a entender y mejorar aún más el rendimiento de grano en de trigo, ya que la variabilidad en algunas subfases de desarrollo en pre-antesis en la población estudiada (con un tiempo similar hasta antesis) presentó una variabilidad razonable para el rendimiento de grano. Además, la evaluación de combinaciones alélicas de dos Eps recientemente identificados y sus interacciones epistáticas ayudan a adaptar la combinación alélica para producir un fenotipo deseado con una distribución ventajosa del tiempo para fenofases importantes. La interacción entre dos Eps particulares es informado por primera vez en esta Tesis.
Increases in wheat yield are essential to meet the growing demand under a complex situation of impossibilities to further expand the arable lands, climate change, and the challenge to produce grains under environmentally friendly techniques. In the past, genetic gains were brought about by optimised plant height and time to anthesis which along with improving lodging resistance and wheat adaptation resulted in an important increase in grain yield. Further genetic gains will mostly depend on other traits, like the duration of particular sub-phases of wheat development or the combination of final leaf number and phyllochron and the effects on floret fertility (a major determinant of the number of grains, and hence grain yield). Therefore, this Thesis was focused on identifying traits underpinning the grain yield and discussing some important trade-offs between physiological components of grain yield as well as to understand the effect of newly identified Eps QTLs on wheat development. The main aim of the present Thesis was to improve the understanding of the physiological traits underlying grain yield such as distribution of pre-anthesis phases, spike fertility and their influence on grain number. Particularly to identify (i) traits and trait combinations that affect grain yield, evaluating possible genetic variability in pre-anthesis phases in elite lines with similar time to anthesis; and plant height; (ii) the functions of a newly identified Eps QTLs Eps-7D and Eps-2B beyond their known effect on time to anthesis such as their effect on the duration of individual pre-anthesis phases and spike fertility; and (iii) the interaction of the Eps-7D with temperature and photoperiod under controlled conditions. To accomplish these objectives, four experiments under field and one experiment under control conditions were performed. A large set of bi-parental population derived from elite parents were evaluated under field conditions and sub-set of lines with similar plant height and time to anthesis were selected to identify traits driving the grain yield variability in them. The selected lines carried large variability for grain yield (c. 500-1000 g m-2) which was explained better by spike dry weight at anthesis and fruiting efficiency, determined during late reproductive phase (traits that are components of grain number). Improving grain number did not reduce grain weight as two third of the lines presented high grain number (high grain yield) also had higher grain weight compared to those with low grain number. Evaluation of eight lines differing in Eps-7D and -2B under field conditions revealed an epistatic interaction between the two QTLs which affected the dynamics of leaf appearance, spikelet and floret primordia development in addition to the duration of pre-anthesis phases. Evaluation of Eps-7D under controlled conditions disclosed the interaction between Eps-7D × temperature on pre-anthesis phases and dynamics of organ development. Overall, the effect of Eps-7D was stronger than Eps-2B and the effects of Eps-7D depended on allelic status of Eps-2B. The allelic forms of Eps-7D, Eps-7D-late and –early, had different degree of sensitivity to temperature and the differences in their effect was clearer at 9 ºC under short day. The work reported in this Thesis may be useful in further improving grain yield in well adapted wheat regions, as the variability in individual pre-anthesis phases in the studied population with similar time to anthesis carried reasonable variability for grain yield. In addition, the evaluation of allelic combinations of two newly identified Eps and their epistatic interactions help in tailoring allelic combination to produce a desired phenotype with advantageous distribution of time to important phenophases. The interaction between two particular Eps is reported for the first time here which was only speculated before.

Some male sexually selected traits are sensitive to stressors early in life and provide females with information to discriminate among males with different developmental experiences. Moreover, female early life experiences could also impact which males they choose. Females might either choose honest traits indicative of male quality, no matter their own experiences, or they might choose mates to match or compensate for their own experiences. To determine how developmental stressors alter male sexually-selected traits and female preference thereof, I exposed zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata, ZEFI) to i) lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an immunogenic, Gram-negative bacterial component, ii) corticosterone (CORT), an avian stress steroid, iii) both challenges (CORT/LPS), or iv) none of the above (control vehicles). Finches were exposed during development (12-28 days post-hatch) and male traits (e.g., body size, bill and cheek coloration) and female behaviors (e.g., general activity, male sampling effort, and male preference) were then measured in adulthood. Control males were predicted to express the most elaborate traits followed by LPS, CORT, and then CORT/LPS males. If female preference was generally driven by male quality, control females were predicted to be most selective followed by LPS, CORT, and CORT/LPS females. Alternatively, if female choice was contingent on her own experience, females might choose males with similar (i.e, matching) or distinct (i.e, complementarity) developmental histories. Of the male characteristics measured, only cheek coloration was impacted by treatment early in life; CORT/LPS males had duller, less orange cheeks than controls. For females, overall activity was reduced in CORT/LPS females. More importantly in regards to mate choice, females exhibited a blend of matching and complimentary behavior; females not exposed to LPS or CORT preferred males also not exposed to LPS or CORT. In general, females avoided LPS males no matter their own experience. Altogether, this study suggests that female mate preference is quite sensitive to early-life experiences and driven by a mix of choice of outright male quality and relative complementarity.

Research has shown that children displaying conduct problems (CP) early in life are at greater risk for severe CP and other negative outcomes later in life. However, not all children with early-onset CP will develop severe CP over the life-course. Thus, it is important to identify those at greater risk, preferably as early as possible, in order to adequately prevent a negative development. Psychopathic traits have received much attention in research on risk for severe CP, involving attempts to extend these traits, and their association to CP to childhood. However, research has thus far mainly focused on one dimension of psychopathic traits, that is callousunemotional (CU) traits, to some extent neglecting two other dimensions of traits commonly included in a psychopathic personality: an interpersonal, and a behavioural dimension. Hence, we still do not know if a full psychopathic personality is identifiable in early childhood, and if and how it is related to the development of severe and persistent CP. The aim of this dissertation was to examine if a psychopathic personality could be identified in early childhood, if psychopathic traits are stable over time, and if and how the psychopathic personality is related to childhood CP. Overall, the results show that psychopathic traits, as well as the display of a psychopathic personality, could be identified in early childhood. These traits were stable over time, and they were clearly and strongly related to childhood CP. Additionally, the combination of early-onset CP and a full psychopathic personality seems to be the most precarious for severe and persistent CP, even more so than the combination of CP and CU traits. With careful consideration to ethical aspects, these results are discussed both in relation to a developmental psychopathology perspective on CP, as well as in relation to diagnostic practice as it is framed today.

The current study aims to examine whether the association between conduct problems and bullying are accounted for by different factors in those with and without callous-unemotional (CU) traits. Participants included 284 students in the 4th through 7th grades. Results indicated that conduct problems and bullying were significantly correlated, and that this association was not moderated by CU traits. Moreover, anger dysregulation, and to some extent, victimization, were more strongly associated with conduct problems in those with lower levels of CU traits. Furthermore, conduct problems were more strongly related to attitudes towards bullying for those lower on CU traits than for those higher on CU traits. Finally, anger dysregulation, victimization, perceived peer support, and attitudes towards bullying did not account for the association between conduct problems and bullying.

In recent years, empirical research has consistently supported an association between susceptibility to affective illness and creativity at the level of eminent achievement and at the non-eminent, or "everyday creativity" level. Although this research has provided greater evidence for the existence of this link, it has simultaneously unearthed more questions about how and why such an association exists. The purpose of this research was twofold: first, to provide further analysis of the nature of the relationship between hypomanic traits and creativity by employing a longitudinal study to determine the extent to which inter-individual differences over time in creativity are predicted by hypomanic traits. Second, the purpose of the cross-sectional analysis in the present study was to further determine how developmental components such as age and expertise may help unravel the ways in which hypomanic traits contribute to creativity and to further describe inter-individual differences among these variables. The first hypothesis, which proposed that the direction of the relationship between hypomanic traits and creativity could be predicted, was not supported by these results. The second research hypothesis was partially supported: hypomanic traits predict creativity in the combined adolescent and older adult samples. However, upon further examination of the regression analyses, the data indicate that the relationship between hypomanic traits and creativity is also influenced by age and developmental factors. Furthermore, the way in which the relationship is influenced by these other factors depends on the way in which the creativity construct is measured (e.g., process or personality. The findings suggest that the antecedents of creativity may differ between adolescents and older adults. In adolescents, the hypomanic traits measure is the only variable that predicts creative personality and creative process, while expertise is the only variable to predict creative personality and creative process among the older adults in this study. It appears expertise significantly and uniquely contributes to at least two areas of creativity in older adults, while hypomanic traits significantly and uniquely contributes to the same two areas of creativity in adolescents. Implications of these findings and limitations to this study are discussed.

The fundamental need to belong is considered one of the most basic human requirements, and universally motivates human behaviour. When this need to belong is not met, it increases the risk of mental health problems like depression, which was of interest in this dissertation. Due to the psychological consequences of not being accepted by others, humans are very attuned to perceived threats to belonging and have developed types of defense mechanisms to protect themselves against social exclusion. One such defense mechanism is rejection sensitivity, and the role of rejection sensitivity as it relates to depression was the underlying theme of this dissertation. Along with rejection sensitivity, there exist external and internal factors that serve as threats to belonging, and which are associated with depression. Two of these factors, rejection (an interpersonal factor) and perfectionism (an intrapersonal factor) were examined in relation to depression. Study 1 focused on peer rejection and the developmental pathways involved in its relation to rejection sensitivity, depression, and aggression in adolescence. Results showed that rejection and rejection sensitivity were preceded by either depression or aggression across adolescence, and although depression initiated the cascade leading to rejection sensitivity, there was a bidirectional relation across late adolescence as rejection sensitivity also predicted future depression. Study 2 focused on two types of perfectionism (i.e., self-oriented and socially prescribed), including the developmental pathways associated with their relation to rejection sensitivity and depression in adolescence. Socially prescribed perfectionism was directly related to future depression and rejection sensitivity mediated the relation between self-oriented perfectionism and depression. Depression initiated the cascade leading to rejection sensitivity and supported a bidirectional relation across late adolescence. Study 3 also focused on perfectionism, but cross-sectionally in young adults, and examined three types of perfectionism (i.e., self-oriented, socially prescribed, and other-oriented). Rejection sensitivity and socially prescribed perfectionism were positively related to depression, and other-oriented perfectionism was negatively related to depression; however, self-oriented perfectionism did not contribute significantly to depression. Contrary to what was predicted, rejection sensitivity was not a significant moderator in the relation between perfectionism and depression. Overall, rejection sensitivity, a defense mechanism against threats to the need to belong, played a significant role in the development and maintenance of depression in the absence of actual rejection, as well as in conjunction with specific types of perfectionism.

Although research has demonstrated that some adults with psychopathic traits show better executive functioning and higher intelligence that make them “successful”, there has been very minimal research testing whether similar distinctions can be made in samples of youth with elevated CU traits. Utilizing a sample of 1216 male adolescent first-time offenders, the current study examined whether executive functioning, intelligence and/or impulse control would moderate the relationship between CU traits and antisocial outcomes. The current study also examined whether CU traits were more strongly associated with a number of positive adjustment indicators at higher levels of the moderators. Results did not support successful psychopathy conceptualizations for youth with CU traits. Unlike findings in adult psychopathy research, adolescents high on CU traits who were also of higher intelligence engaged in more aggressive acts. The current findings also indicated that none of the proposed moderators influenced the relationship between CU traits and the positive adjustment indicators.

The present study examined the relationship between callous-unemotional (CU) traits and self-reported leadership characteristics during group crimes among 614 first-time offenders participating in a large multi-site study. Resistance to peer influence (RPI) and self-esteem (SE) were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between CU traits and leadership during group crime. The results indicated that youth with CU traits were more likely to commit crimes with others. Further, although youth with CU traits reported they came up with the idea for crimes and were leaders during group crimes, these relationships were not mediated by RPI and SE. Future research on youth with CU traits characteristics during group crimes is recommended and implications for tailored treatments of this population are discussed.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits, an affective component of psychopathy, are associated with problematic outcomes in social relationships in adolescents. However, their association with problematic romantic relationships in young adults has not been the focus of research. In a community sample of 216 college students (167 females) between the ages of 18 to 50, the current study examined the association between CU traits and several important romantic relationship outcomes. Results indicated that CU traits showed positive associations with dominance and partner’s perceived submissiveness, but negative associations with relationship satisfaction, even after controlling for impulsivity and antisocial behavior. On the other hand, antisocial behavior showed unique positive associations with short-term mating, psychological aggression towards partner, and partner’s perceived CU traits, even after controlling for CU traits. Further, results indicated that CU traits, impulsivity, and antisocial behavior showed positive associations with physical aggression towards partner. However, once these variables were entered in a multiple regression model simultaneously, none of these associations remained significant, suggesting it is the shared variance across these three variables that accounts for physical aggression. Implications for research and treatment are discussed.

Previous research has demonstrated an association between violence exposure and aggression; however, research exploring the association between violence exposure and the forms and functions of aggression is scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between trauma exposure with both reactive and proactive functions of aggression by examining two potential mediators (e.g., psychopathic traits and emotional dysregulation). Participants included 132 male juvenile offenders mandated to treatment in a residential facility (M = 16.78 years old; SD = 1.25). Results indicate emotional dysregulation partially mediated the association between trauma exposure and reactive aggression while controlling for proactive aggression. However, no evidence was found to support the hypothesis that psychopathic traits mediated the association between trauma exposure and proactive aggression. Results suggest trauma exposure is important in the development of reactive aggression. Thus, treatment approaches for aggressive youth should address issues of trauma exposure.

This study tested the utility of three different models of personality, namely the social and personality model, the pathological personality traits model, and the psychological dysregulation model, in predicting overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency in a sample of detained boys (ages 12 to 18; M age = 15.31; SD = 1.16). Results indicated that the three personality approaches demonstrated different unique associations with aggression and delinquency. The psychological dysregulation approach, composed of behavioral dysregulation, emotional dysregulation, and cognitive dysregulation, emerged as the overall best predictor of overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency. After controlling for the Big Five personality traits, psychological dysregulation accounted for significant variance in overt aggression and delinquency, but not relational aggression. After controlling for callous-unemotional traits and narcissistic traits, psychological dysregulation also accounted for significant variance in overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency. Psychological dysregulation did not account for significant variance in aggression or delinquency after controlling for borderline traits. The pathological personality traits approach, comprised of callous-unemotional traits, narcissistic traits, and borderline traits performed second best. In particular, within this approach borderline traits accounted for the most unique variance, followed by narcissistic traits, then callous-unemotional traits. Borderline traits accounted for significant variance in overt aggression, relational aggression, and delinquency when controlling for the Big Five traits, but not after controlling for psychological dysregulation. Narcissistic traits only accounted for significant variance in overt aggression and relational aggression after controlling for the Big Five personality traits, but not after controlling for psychological dysregulation. CU traits only accounted for significant variance in overt aggression after controlling for the Big Five personality traits, but not after controlling for psychological dysregulation. The social and personality model, represented by the Big Five personality traits accounted for the least amount of variance in the prediction of aggression and delinquency, on its own, and when pitted against the other two personality approaches. The exception was that the Big Five personality traits accounted for significant variance in relational aggression beyond narcissistic traits, as well as psychological dysregulation. These findings have implications for assessment and intervention with aggressive and antisocial youth.

L'un des défis auxquels sont confrontés les producteurs de fruits est de réussir à maintenir d'année en année un équilibre entre croissance végétative et production. La productivité des arbres fruitiers au cours des années est étroitement liée à leur développement. Intégrer les caractères architecturaux dans les programmes de sélection pourrait donc, améliorer la régularité de production et aider à optimiser la gestion des cultures. Dans cette thèse, nous avons étudié le déterminisme génétique des caractères architecturaux chez l'olivier (Olea europaea L. subsp. Europaea), en incluant le développement végétatif et reproducteur. L'olivier a un grand intérêt en raison de l'importance de l'huile d'olive et des olives dans l'alimentation humaine. L'étude a porté sur une descendance issue du croisement entre les variétés 'Olivière' et ‘Arbequina' qui a été cultivée en verger dans deux environnements contrastés. En premier lieu, nous avons étudié le déterminisme génétique de la croissance et ramification des arbres durant la phase juvénile sur un site en considérant trois échelles d'observation: arbre, unité de croissance et entrenœuds. Les interactions entre les facteurs liés à l'ontogénie de l'arbre ainsi que les facteurs génotype et environnement ont été prises en compte. Des modèles génétiques, incluant les effets année de croissance et/ou ordre de ramification, environnement, génotype et leurs interactions respectives, ont été construits en intégrant une fonction de variance et une structure de covariance lorsque cela était nécessaire. Après une étape de sélection de modèle, les facteurs impactant significativement l'architecture de l'arbre ont été identifiés et les valeurs d'héritabilité au sens large ont été estimées. Ces résultats nous ont permis de définir à quel moment au cours de l'ontogenèse de l'olivier et à quelle échelle d'observation, les caractères de croissance et ramification sont déterminés génétiquement. De plus, cette étude a permis d'investiguer la plasticité des caractères architecturaux et leur stabilité entre environnements contrastés. Enfin, les changements associés à l'acquisition des facultés reproductives ont été observés. Quand tous les descendants ont atteint l'âge adulte, j'ai étudié les bases génétiques du développement reproducteur. La stratégie était basée sur (i) une décomposition d'un sous échantillon d'unités de croissance localisées à la périphérie de la couronne de l'arbre en variables quantitatives liées à la fois aux processus de floraison et fructification en relation avec leur croissance et ramification (ii) une évaluation annuelle du rendement des arbres durant quatre années. L'observation d'arbres 'ON' ou ‘OFF' pour une année donnée a révélé des tendances de production régulière vs irrégulière au sein de la descendance. Après avoir développé une nouvelle carte génétique, une recherche QTLs associés aux caractères reproductifs a été réalisée. Des QTLs présentant les effets des deux parents et des co-localisations ont été identifiés. Cette étude a mis en évidence le schéma de développement de l'olivier pendant les phases juvénile et mature mettant en évidence l'existence de gradients ontogéniques se traduisant par des caractères héritables qu'à la périphérie de l'arbre. Une stratégie de phénotypage adaptée aux caractéristiques architecturales de l'olivier a été proposée. Enfin, les descendants montrant une supériorité intéressante par rapport à leurs parents ont été identifiés. Ces génotypes pourraient être valorisés dans les programmes de sélection futurs pour la création de variétés innovantes
One of the most challenging questions that fruit growers are facing is to maintain trees in a stable balance between production and vegetative growth from year to year. Fruit trees productivity over years is closely linked to their development. Integrating architectural traits in breeding programs could thus, optimise cultivation management and improve bearing regularity. Here, we investigate the genetic determinism of architectural traits in the olive tree (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea) including vegetative and reproductive behaviour. The olive tree raises high interest because of the importance of olive oil and olives in the human diet. The segregating population under study derived from a cross between ‘Olivière' and ‘Arbequina' cultivars and was grown on two orchards under contrasting environments. First, we investigated the genetic determinism of juvenile growth and branching traits in one site at three different scales: whole tree, growth unit and internodes. Interaction between tree ontogeny, genetic and environmental factors were considered. Genetic models, including the year of growth, environment, genotype effects and their interactions, were built with variance function and covariance structure of residuals when necessary. After a model selection step, morphogenetic factors impacting significantly tree architecture were identified and heritabilities were estimated. These finding allow us to define when during the olive tree ontogeny and at which observation scale, growth and branching traits are under genetic influence. Moreover, progenies plastic response to contrasted environments was highlighted and traits showing significant genotype-by-environment effect were identified. Changes over time associated to the acquisition of reproductive competence were further observed. Once all progenies attempt adulthood, we studied the genetic basis of reproductive behaviour. Our strategy was based on (i) a decomposition of adult growth units at the crown periphery in quantitative variables related to both flowering and fruiting process in relation to their growth and branching (ii) an annual assessment of individual trees yield. The observation of ‘on' or ‘off' olive trees in a given year over four years revealed patterns of regular vs. irregular bearing. After developing a new genetic map, a QTL mapping was carried out on reproductive traits, leading to the identification of QTLs with effects from both parents and co-localizations. This study gives an overview of olive tree development during juvenility and maturity periods showing the existence of ontogenic trends, which result in traits heritable mostly at the tree periphery. A phenotyping strategy adapted to its architectural characteristics is proposed. Finally, progenies showing interesting superiority in comparison to their parents were identified and could constitute interesting sources for innovative materials in future selection programs

Kyoto University (京都大学)
0048
新制・課程博士
博士(農学)
甲第19051号
農博第2129号
新制||農||1033(附属図書館)
学位論文||H27||N4933(農学部図書室)
32002
京都大学大学院農学研究科農学専攻
(主査)教授 白岩 立彦, 教授 奥本 裕, 准教授 中﨑 鉄也
学位規則第4条第1項該当

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is commonly conceptualized as a disorder of negative affect and low effortful control. Currently, it is unclear whether temperament and personality traits associated with negative affect and effortful control can be useful assessment tools for identifying ODD early during development. This study examined the relationship between temperament and personality traits and ODD in a clinical sample of preschoolers. Results suggest that, at this age, temperament and personality traits of negative affect and neuroticism and effortful control and conscientiousness/agreeableness are not associated with one another. High negative affect, low conscientiousness, and low agreeableness were all specifically associated with the angry/irritable (vs. argumentative/defiant, vindictive) ODD symptom domain; however, the traits did not predict change in symptoms over time. Lastly, low conscientiousness predicted ODD-related impairment, while negative affect and agreeableness interacted to predict impairment such low agreeableness appears to be a primary pathway to impairment, and high negative affect appears to be a secondary pathway. Overall, this study suggests high negative affect, low conscientiousness, and low agreeableness are associated with ODD. Early assessment of these traits may be clinically useful in identifying children at risk for ODD, given that they may be early markers for ODD symptoms and impairment.

The current study investigated the predictive utility of callous-unemotional (CU) traits and emotional facilitation to distress (EFD) for multiple antisocial outcomes in a sample of juvenile justice-involved males. Although CU traits and EFD did not generally interact to predict antisocial outcomes, CU traits were a consistent predictor of total, proactive, and reactive forms of aggression over 18 months. Similarly, CU traits and time interacted to predict total and violent self-reported offending, such that CU traits were positively associated with both outcomes, but this association weakened over the 18 month timeframe. Racial and ethnic differences only emerged for the prediction of days to any arrest or a violent arrest. Specifically, different factors appear to be important of the prediction of any arrest across racial/ethnic groups, whereas being Black was associated with fewer days to arrest, despite self-reporting similar levels of violent offending. Last, a joint trajectory model for CU traits and EFD was not estimated due to a lack of stability in EFD. However, the majority of the sample exhibited average or increasing levels of CU traits over the 18 month timeframe, highlighting the importance of examining not only the factors that can result in CU traits, but also the factors that can lead to increases in CU traits over time in justice-involved youth.

Research supports interventions for high-risk juvenile offenders to reduce recidivism. Methods for assessing delinquent risk vary, however. Aggregate risk scores (i.e. number of risk factors) and specific risk profiles (i.e. types of risk factors) are both empirically supported techniques. This study compared aggregate scores versus profiles for predicting measures of criminal severity among detained adolescents (n=292). Twenty-four risk factors from the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) were summed to calculate aggregate scores. Using latent class analysis (LCA), profiles were identified based on scores from the following theoretically important SAVRY risk factors: Risk Taking/Impulsivity, Anger Management Problems, Low Empathy/Remorse (CU traits), and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Difficulties. LCA identified one low-risk profile, plus two high-risk profiles differentiated by levels of CU traits. Aggregate scores significantly predicted four out of six criminal severity indicators, while profiles failed to predict any measures. Results support aggregate scores over profiles for assessing delinquent severity.

The current study examined whether a sample of detained male adolescents (n = 107; Mean age = 15.50; SD = 1.30) could be disaggregated into two distinct groups, consistent with past research on primary and secondary variants of callous-unemotional (CU) traits in adolescents. This study also sought to determine a possible explanation for the CU traits among youth in the secondary variant by examining whether they differ from primary variants on measures of cognitive and affective empathy. Using Latent Profile Analyses, two groups of adolescents high on CU traits were identified, a large group (n = 30) high on CU traits but low on anxiety (primary) and a smaller group high on both CU traits and anxiety (n = 10; secondary). Using self-report and computerized measures of affective (e.g., emotional reactivity) and cognitive empathy (e.g., affective facial recognition and theory of mind (ToM)), results revealed that the secondary variant demonstrated the lowest levels of cognitive empathy. In contrast, the primary variant demonstrated the lowest levels of self-report affective empathy, but these levels were not significantly different from the secondary variant. Multiple regression analyses testing the association among measures of empathy, CU traits, and anxiety produced a mostly consistent pattern of results. One exception was the finding of an interaction between CU traits and anxiety in the prediction of fear recognition accuracy that indicated that CU traits were positively associated with accuracy in recognizing fearful facial expressions when anxiety was low. The current study builds upon previous work examining primary and secondary variants of CU traits by suggesting that both primary and secondary variants may exhibit similar deficits in affective empathy, but that secondary variants may also exhibit deficits in cognitive empathy and perspective-taking that are not present in primary variants.

This study sought to explore whether PTSD symptoms in detained adolescents were differentially related to high and low patterns of emotional reactivity, as determined based on callous-unemotional (CU) traits and emotion dysregulation. Analyses revealed four distinct groups based on these criteria: a low/no trauma control group with few PTSD symptoms, and three groups whose PTSD symptoms were distinguished by symptoms of emotional numbing. The study sought to determine whether these profiles were related to distinct patterns of aggression and delinquency. Results revealed that the low/no PTSD symptom group exhibited the least aggression and delinquency. Further, results indicated that higher CU traits and violent offending are associated with a combined PTSD symptom profile. Results suggest a relationship between PTSD symptoms, delinquency, aggression, and CU traits. Findings provide support for the existence of a secondary variant of CU youth who are more emotionally dysregulated and prone to both arousal and emotional detachment.

The main aim of this work was to identify local adaptation processes in amphibian populations, thereby improving the general understanding of genetics and mechanisms behind the evolution and maintenance of biological diversity. Phenotypic and genetic variation in life-history traits was studied within and between populations common frog (Rana temporaria) populations along a 1600 km transect from southern Sweden to northern Finland. Embryonic and larval development and growth was investigated both under field and laboratory conditions. The results suggest ample genetic diversity in larval life-history traits among Fennoscandian common frog populations. Larval developmental rate along the gradient has evolved a countergradient variation pattern of genotypes and phenotypes as indicated by the positive relationship between developmental rate and latitude under laboratory conditions and the lack of such a relationship in the field. The data suggest that this pattern has evolved because of time constraints due to decreasing length of growth season with latitude. Neither field-caught adults nor laboratory raised larvae displayed a linear latitudinal size cline as expected from the so called Bergmanns rule. Rather, size increased towards the mid-latitude populations and decreased thereafter, indicating that body size is a product of direct environmental induction or a trade-off with other life-history characters. Age and size at hatching showed no consistent latitudinal pattern, indicating that the embryonic stage is not as time constrained as the larval stage. A large part of the variation in age and size at metamorphosis among populations was due to additive genetic effects. However, small, but significant maternal effects, mostly due to variation in egg size and non-additive genetic effects also contributed to among population variation. A comparison of divergence in presumably neutral molecular genetic markers (FST) and quantitative characters (QST) revealed that although both estimates of divergence were relatively high, estimates of QST was generally higher than those of FST, indicating that the genetic variation observed in larval traits is primarily a result of natural selection rather than genetic drift. Hence, our results reinforce the conclusion that intraspecific genetic heterogeneity in the young northern European ecosystems may be more widespread than previously anticipated

Abstract Childhood development has always been a major topic when studying psychology and biology. This makes sense because the brain develops from the time a child is conceived to the time that child has reached around the age of twenty-seven. Doctors, psychologists, and sociologists look at numerous things when studying childhood development. However, how common is it for researchers to study how the fine and performing arts affect childhood development? Sociologists tend to be extremely open and mindful of all aspects of things such as culture, sexuality, religion, and even age. By taking a sociological standpoint when studying the arts and studying childhood development, society is able to make connections between the two that leads to better understanding of a child's development socially, mentally, and academically.

Community-based youth non-profit organizations (NPOs) have become increasingly popular for the provision of youth prevention and intervention services, yet many youth NPOs lack the resources to undergo formal evaluation. Further, most existing program evaluations do not consider individual characteristics of the child or the child’s exposure to stressors. The current pilot study sought to evaluate the extent to which boys participated in 1:1 mentoring and other program activities at the Son of a Saint (SOAS) NPO, an organization seeking to provide positive male role models for fatherless young boys. In addition, the current study examined the effects of program involvement on both prosocial (i.e., academic performance) and antisocial (i.e., aggression and delinquency) outcomes, as well as the moderating role of callous-unemotional (CU) traits and exposure to trauma/stressors on study outcomes. Data were collected from mothers (N = 37) and boys (N = 27) at the first assessment point, and from mothers (N = 21) one year later. Results of bivariate correlational and regression analyses at T1 indicated that boys who have been part of SOAS for shorter durations had higher levels of participation overall, and that behavioral/academic problems were associated with more program participation. Results at T2 indicated that participation in a greater variety of activities was related to lower levels of antisocial behavior. No significant interactions were detected for either CU traits or trauma exposure in the current sample. Implications of findings are discussed with regard to future program evaluation at SOAS. Detailed recommendations for overcoming the study limitations, particularly regarding the small sample size, are provided.

In this thesis, I examine the variation in plant species richness along gradients of productivity and disturbance in grasslands and forest habitats in southern Sweden, and I compare the documented patterns with theoretical predictions. Moreover, I evaluate the relative importance of habitat quality and habitat configuration for the occurrence of field layer species in deciduous forests. Finally, I present a new method for the determination of the regional species pool. To examine regional and local variation in plant species richness, I gathered data on species composition in plots of different size (0.001 - 1000 m2) in three vegetation types (deciduous forests, dry grasslands and coastal meadows) in four regions of southern Sweden (Öland, Gotland, Småland and Uppland). As predicted by the species pool hypothesis, differences in small-scale species richness of deciduous forests and dry grasslands were correlated with differences in the size of the regional species pool. Moreover, among plots large-scale diversity was predictive of small-scale diversity. Species diversity showed a hump-shaped relationship with productivity in forests, and was related to environmental heterogeneity and the size of the 'habitat-specific' species pool. In the two types of grassland examined, grazed sites were richer in species than abandoned sites. Moreover, both species composition and the representation of plants with different life-history characteristics differed between grazed and abandoned sites. As predicted by the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, species richness was highest at intermediate levels of grazing in coastal meadows. However, all the above patterns were scale-dependent, and not observed at all plot sizes. The occurrence of field layer species in deciduous forests was more strongly related to habitat quality (mainly soil factors) than to habitat configuration (forest area and isolation). Across species, low seed production, clonal reproduction and habitat specificity were negatively associated with isolation.

Callous and unemotional (CU) traits in children with conduct problems have been indicated as precursors to adult psychopathy. The analysis of the sensitivity to rewards and punishment in this population may be useful in the identification of effective behavior modification programs and particularly the delineation of ineffective punishment procedures. Scores on the Child Psychopathy Scale, Inventory of Callous and Unemotional Traits, Contingency Response Rating Scale and the Sensitivity to Reward Sensitivity to Punishment – Children Revised scale were used to evaluate 20 children, aged 7-13, recruited from FIU’s Center for Children and Families. The sample comprised 14 males and 6 females displaying a range of psychopathic traits measured by the CPS, with scores from 9 to 46 (M = 28.45, SD = 10.73). Sensitivity to punishment was examined using a behavioral task in which children endured various amounts of either white noise (type I punishment) or time-out from positive reinforcement (type II punishment) in order to gain access to a demonstrated reinforcer. The sample was stratified on the basis of the magnitude of psychopathy scores, and sensitivity to rewards and punishment were evaluated using a Behavioral Activation / Behavioral Inhibition framework by examining task performance: the frequency and duration of punishment conditions selected, electrodermal activity (skin conductance response), and parent-reported measures of child sensitivity to reward and punishment. Results indicated that the magnitude of CU traits was directly proportional to hyposensitivity to punishment and hypersensitivity to reward. Children with elevated levels of CU traits elected to endure a greater frequency and duration type I punishment in order to maintain continued access to the reinforcer. Significant differences were not found between high- and low-psychopathy children in the selection of type II punishment. The findings indicate that although there may be a hyporeactivity to type I punishment in children with CU traits, the use of a type II punishment by the removal of a positive stimulus has demonstrated treatment efficacy. The difference in sensitivity to rewards and the types of effective punishment in children with CU traits may affect reinforcement based learning, leading to the ineffectiveness of traditional methods informing the development of social responses.

Dans le cadre des travaux sur le rôle des connaissances phonologiques dans le processus de reconnaissance de mot écrit, l’objectif de notre thèse est de contribuer à mieux décrire la nature du code impliqué et de comprendre les mécanismes par lesquels les connaissances phonologiques interviennent en lecture. Nous voudrions avant tout défendre l’idée selon laquelle les premières étapes du processus de reconnaissance de mot écrit impliquent un code phonologique suffisamment fin pour être décrit en termes de traits phonologiques, en montrant que les lecteurs sont sensibles à des aspects infra-phonémiques et qu’il existerait une organisation hiérarchique de ces traits. D’autre part, cette thèse vise à apporter des arguments en faveur de l’existence de troubles phonologiques chez les enfants dyslexiques, à préciser certaines anomalies de leurs représentations au niveau infra-phonémique, tout en tenant compte de disparités possibles dans ces anomalies selon le type de dyslexie.Nous présenterons en premier lieu le cadre théorique et les travaux expérimentaux en psychologie cognitive et psycholinguistique nous conduisant à formuler des questions précises à ce propos. La présentation de travaux réalisés en linguistique et en neuropsychologie étayera les hypothèses que nous proposerons ensuite. Dans la partie théorique, nous présenterons notamment une proposition de modèle de lecture articulant deux mécanismes basés sur les traits phonologiques et l’orientation de nos hypothèses sera guidée par les contraintes de ce modèle.Une démarche expérimentale sera développée en plusieurs étapes pour apporter des données comportementales permettant de discuter nos hypothèses à propos d’adultes bons lecteurs, d’enfants présentant un développement ordinaire et d’enfants dyslexiques
Some studies in literature show the involvement of phonological knowledge in printed words processing. The goal of this work is to contribute to describe the nature of the code involved in printed word recognition, and to understand the mechanisms of phonological knowledge involvement in reading. We firstly want to show that the early steps of printed words recognition involve a phonological code described in terms of phonological features, by showing that skilled readers are sensitive to infra-phonemic elements and that a hierarchical organisation of these features could exist. Otherwise, this work aims to provide clues in favour of the existence of phonological impairments in dyslexic children, to define some deficits of their infra-phonemic organisation, and to show that these deficits could be different according to the type of developmental dyslexia. On the one hand, we present the theory and the experimental studies in cognitive psychology and in psycholinguistics that lead us to some questions. On the other hand, the presentation of studies in linguistics and in neuropsychology provide clues in favour of our hypothesis. In the theorical part, we present a reading model that involve two reading mechanisms based on phonological features, and our hypothesis allow us to test this model. Our experimental word is developped in several steps to provide behavior data that lead us to discuss our hypothesis about adult skilled readers, normal reading children, and dyslexic chilmdren

The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the personality traits that are associated with socioeconomic mobility, specifically pertaining to individuals from working class backgrounds. Socioeconomic mobility is an important issue to examine due to the persistence of intergenerational poverty and the difficulty with which to resolve it. Extensive research explicitly shows the dilemma of intergenerational transmission of poverty exists and continues to persist regardless of revised policies. Many aspects each individual experiences have been proven to affect economic attainment, such as race, family background, parental efficacy, social discrimination, area of residency, welfare, education, and intelligence. Although these are recognized in this paper, they are, for the most part, ignored as determinants, as the focus is on the personality traits defining the upwardly mobile, and similar characteristics exist, even while disregarding the above ignored qualities. Mainly social identity theory and identity theory, but also motivational theory, personal efficacy theories, and other related theories, have determined social participation, perception of social class and poverty, control of emotions, impulse control, personal efficacy, social identity, motivation, victimization and dependence or the lack thereof, are all major determinants of mobility.

Traits are primitive units of code reuse that serve as building blocks of classes. In this research, we enhance reuse by extending the capabilities of traits; in particular, we add modeling abstractions to them. Traits have a variety of benefits, including facilitating reuse and separation of concerns. They have appeared in several programming languages, particularly derivatives of Smalltalk. However, there is still no support for traits that contain modeling abstractions, and no straightforward support for them in general-purpose programming languages. The latter is due to structural concerns that exist for them at runtime, especially traits that contain modeling abstractions. Model-driven technologies are making inroads into the development community, albeit slowly. Modeling abstractions such as state machines and associations provide new opportunities for reuse, and can be combined with inheritance for even greater reusability. However, issues with inheritance apply also when these new abstractions are inheritable units. This suggests that traits and models ought to be able to be synergistically combined. We perform a comprehensive analysis of using modeling elements in traits. We implement such traits in Umple, which is a model-oriented programming language that permits embedding of programming concepts into models. The contributions of the thesis are: a) Adding new elements including state machines and associations into traits, hence bringing more reusability, modularity, and applications to traits; b) Developing an algorithm that allows reusing, extending, and composing state machines through traits; c) Extending traits with required interfaces so dependencies at the semantic level become part of their usage, rather than simple syntactic capture; d) Adding template parameters with associations in traits, offering new applications for traits in which it is possible to define design patterns and to have a library of most-used functionality; e) The implementation of all the above concepts, including generating code in multiple general-purpose programming languages through automatic model transformation.

The purpose of this research was to examine significant change, if any, in instrumental and expressive traits during adulthood. The research was designed to test the assumption that chronological age and psychosocial stage are related to instrumentality and expressiveness.The present study utilized the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) and a personal information questionnaire. The research question was: Are there differences in traits of instrumentality and expressiveness at different stages of adult development?Three hundred sixty-three men and women between the ages of 20 and 70 participated in the study. The sample included 164 men and 197 warren. Participants were members of volunteer organizations. They were assigned to different groups based on age and psychosocial development.Four 3 x 3 Analyses of Variance procedures were performed. There were three levels of age: (1) 20-35, (2) 36-50, and (3) 51-70. Categorization of psychosocial stage included: (1) no children, (2) children from birth to graduation from high school, and (3) all children graduated from high school. Sex was not combined, rather separate analysis was performed on each sex. The dependent variables were expressiveness and instrumentality as defined by scores on the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. The following effects were studied:(1) Effects of age and psychosocial stage on traits of instrumentality in men.(2) Effects of age and psychosocial stage on traits of expressiveness in men.(3) Effects of age and psychosocial stage on traits of instrumentality in women.(4) Effect of age and psychosocial stage on traits of expressiveness in women.The results of the research indicated that traits of instrumentality and expressiveness in men and women do not change significantly during adulthood. No significant differences were found in men or women with regard to age and psychosocial development on traits of instrumentality and expressiveness.

The research investigates the intersection of personality and motivation, and specifically, the predictive relationship between factors of the five-factor model of personality and the categories of the Assessment of Individual Motives-Questionnaire motivation model. Although significant research into multi-trait personality models exists, there is significantly less research into multi-trait motivation models and little research into how multi-trait models in these two fields intersect. No research exists within this field for human resource professionals. A canonical correlation analysis was chosen to properly represent all potential between-factor effects of the two variable sets. The resulting data met all assumptions and showed statistical significance. The results showed significance for the overall canonical correlation between the predictor and the outcome variables and showed that there were three statistically significant canonical functions between the two sets of variables. Four personality variables and three motivation variables met the statistical cutoff showing contribution to the canonical correlation. These results showed that the personality factors of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness negatively predicted the motivation category of Competitive. The personality factor of Extraversion predicted the motivation category of Cooperative, and the personality factor of Openness predicted the motivation category of Integrity of Self. These results suggest an opportunity for further investigation into the relationships between Openness and Integrity of Self, and between Conscientiousness and Competitive. Also, more canonical correlation research into this field may help understanding these complex relationships. Finally, extending this research to the public could provide a better understanding of personality and motivation outside the workplace.

Adaptive phenotypic plasticity is a key mechanism by which organisms deal with variation in many different aspects of their environment. Adaptive plasticity can occur in any trait, from aspects of biochemistry and morphology to behaviors. Because so many different traits can be plastic, organisms often respond plastically to a given change in their environment, such as an increase in temperature, with adaptive changes in multiple traits. Nevertheless, how these different plastic responses interact with each other and evolve together has received little attention. My research addresses these potential interactions among plastic traits and proposes new hypotheses regarding the causes and consequences of these interactions. It does so by focusing on heat avoidance in the caterpillars of Battus philenor (the pipevine swallowtail) which involves two distinct plastic mechanisms. First, the caterpillars can change color when they molt, a form of morphological plasticity in which they develop a red color under high temperatures which cools them by absorbing less solar radiation. Second, when the caterpillars become too hot, they will leave their host to seek cooler thermal refuges, a case of behavior as a form of plasticity. In terms of function, I demonstrated through field research that these two responses to high temperatures are largely redundant. Behavior provides a much stronger and faster response than color change, and red coloration provides little additional cooling when on a refuge. Instead, the primary benefit of color change is that it reduces the use of refuge seeking behavior, allowing the caterpillars to stay on their hosts longer. Using laboratory experiments, I demonstrated that this change in the use of refuge-seeking behavior with color occurs because color changes the cue for the behavior, body temperature, rather having any effect on how the caterpillar responds to that cue. Alternatively, similar experiments on caterpillars of varying sizes show that developmental size change lowers the body temperature at which caterpillars leave their host, demonstrating a change in the response to the cue (although larger caterpillars are also warmer, so both mechanisms are likely relevant for how size changes the expression of behavior). All of my research to this point was conducted on the local population in southern Arizona, which experiences quite high temperatures, but B. philenor is also found in much cooler environments, such as the Appalachian Mountains. Given this variation in their thermal environment, I used common garden experiments to compare the capacity for color change and refuge-seeking among B. philenor caterpillars from across the species range. Both color change and refuge seeking not only occurred in all populations, but also had the same reaction norms, occurring at the same temperatures and to the same degree. This is particularly notable for color change, which is not observed in the wild in northeastern populations, and thus has persisted despite minimal if any use. Overall, I have shown that studies of plasticity need to account for plasticity in different traits as well as the interactions between these forms of plasticity. My research on B. philenor provides a model for how to address these interactions, which future research can extend to additional organisms and environmental circumstances.

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) produces over five times more oil/year/hectare than oil seed rape and accounted for 33% of world vegetable oil production in 2011. Being a cross-pollinated perennial tree crop with long breeding cycles (typically 12 years) and a large planting area requirement (usually 143 palms/hectare), utilization of molecular technology could greatly improve the efficiency of oil palm breeding. In the present study, various approaches were used to develop molecular markers for genetic linkage mapping and QTL analysis, with the ultimate goal of marker-assisted selection in oil palm. Firstly, Representational Difference Analysis (RDA) and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) were coupled with Bulked Segregant Analysis (BSA) to try to identify marker(s) closely linked to the important shell-thickness gene. A novel combination of RDA with Roche 454 pyrosequencing enabled a more comprehensive study of the enrichment profiles compared to Sanger sequencing. Identification of >35% redundant sequences, repetitive sequences and organelle DNA suggested that subtractive hybridization and target enrichment of RDA were inefficient here, with the lack of elimination of common sequences masking the real difference products. The use of the AFLP method identified 29 primer pairs that yielded 49 putative shell-thickness related-polymorphic bands. A detailed analysis will need to be carried out to fully evaluate and validate these markers. The use of the relatively new Diversity Array Technology “Genotyping-By-Sequencing” (DArTSeq) platform through genotyping of two closely-related tenera self-pollinated F2 populations, 768 (n=44) and 769 (n=57), generated a total of 11,675 DArTSeq polymorphic markers of good quality. These markers were used in the construction of the first reported DArTSeq based high-density linkage maps for oil palm. Both genetic maps consist of 16 major independent linkage groups (total map length of 1874.8 and 1720.6 cM, with an average marker density of one marker every 1.33 and 1.62 cM, respectively), corresponding well with the 16 homologous chromosome pairs of oil palm (2n = 2x = 32; 14/16 chromosomes were confirmed by known location SSR markers). Preliminary quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping of the yield and vegetative growth traits detected four significant and 34 putative as well as two significant and 30 putative QTLs for these small 768 and 769 populations, respectively. No common significant QTL were detected between the two closely-related controlled crosses which could have allowed combination of QTL across the two populations. Saturation of the shell-thickness (Sh) region with all available DArTSeq markers, as well as map integration around the Sh regions for both populations, identified 32 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) and DArT markers mapped within a 5 cM flanking region of the Sh gene. Homology search of the DArTSeq marker sequence tag (64 bp) against the recently published oil palm genome assembly confirmed that 23 out of the 32 (72%) DArTSeq markers were located on the p5_sc00060 scaffold in which the SHELL gene was identified. The identified shell-thickness markers could be useful as molecular screening tools. This study demonstrated the potential and feasibility of using genomic resources available for genetic improvement of oil palm breeding programmes.