A contingency theory of corruption: The effect of human development and national culture

Corruption is a world-wide problem that disproportionately affects those with the fewest personal and economic resources. It was hypothesized that human development restricts corruption, and the magnitude of such an effect is contingent upon the conditions of national culture. Measures were gathered for 68 countries that account for 80% of the world's population. Support was found for the main effect of human development on corruption. Consistent with contingency theory, results also indicate that the relation between human development and corruption is moderated by power distance and individualism. Implications for policy making to reduce corruption are discussed.     

Protein needs of older adults engaged in resistance training: a review

Protein recommendations by some professional organizations for young adults engaged in resistance training (RT) are higher than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), but recommendations for resistance-training older adults (>50 years old) are not well characterized. Some argue that the current RDA is adequate, but others indicate increased protein needs. Although concerns have been raised about the consequences of high protein intake, protein intake above the RDA in older adults is associated with increased bone-mineral density when calcium intake is adequate and does not appear to compromise renal health in older individuals with normal renal function. Individual protein needs for older adults in RT are likely highly variable according to health and training regimen, but an intake of 1.0-1.3 g x kg(-1) x day(-1) should adequately and safely meet the needs of older adults engaged in RT, provided that their energy needs are met.     

Infant responses to frustration: Individual differences in the expression of negative affect

The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of infant characteristics (temperament and motivation) and parental expressivity to infants' emotional response to frustration. Subjects were 84 10-month-old infants and their families. Frustration was created by having infants and mothers play with a toy after which mothers were cued to remove the toy from the infants' reach but within their sight. After two minutes, the toy was returned to the infants. The infants' emotional responses were measured in two ways, vocally and facially. Infant motivation was coded by noting the degree to which the infant was interested and positively involved with the toy. Infant temperament was obtained through mother report. Parental reports of their own emotional expressivity were obtained through questionnaire. The results indicated that the degree to which infants were interested in the toy predicted the intensity with which they became angry when the toy was removed. Parental expressivity and infant temperament were also related to emotion expressivity. Fathers' but not mothers' negative expressivity was associated with infants' expression of anger and distress but in a negative direction.This research was supported by a Small Grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (#MH 44324) and a grant from the Pennsylvania State University Biomedical Research Support Grant Program awarded to the first author. The authors wish to thank the mothers and infants who participated in the study.     

Condom discomfort and associated problems with their use among university students

In addition to consistent use, condoms must be used correctly. The purpose of this study was to identify prevalence and types of condom-associated discomfort among university students, the outcomes of this discomfort, and the role of discomfort in condom breakage. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 206 students attending a private university in the southern United States. We assessed 3 potential outcomes: breakage, not using condoms throughout sex, and low condom-use motivation. Nearly one third reported discomfort, including tightly fitting condoms, vaginal irritation, and loss of sensation. Discomfort was associated with breakage (p = .0001), incomplete use (p = .0001), and less motivation to use condoms (p = .018). Gender moderated the latter 2 findings. Adjusted findings indicate that students reporting discomfort were 3.6 times more likely to also report breakage (p = .0009). Continued investigation of this topic is warranted. Prevention education may benefit university students by promoting several key practices, such as adding lubricant to condoms before they dry out and acquiring condoms that fit properly.     

Understanding Power: Bringing about Strategic Change

Success in today's competitive and complex world depends upon the ability to bring about effective strategic change. Much of the business literature has been preoccupied with finding more sophisticated techniques to formulate better strategies. But business success depends not only on finding the right strategy, but also ensuring it materializes in the form of a pattern of appropriate strategic actions. We know relatively little about this part of the strategy-making process. This article shows how a better understanding of the use of power can provide the energy to ensure strategic action by driving the organization and its members through the strategy-making process.     

Probabilistic Health Risk Assessment for Exposures to Estuary Sediments and Biota Contaminated with Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Polychlorinated Terphenyls and Other Toxic Substances

A Latin Hypercube probabilistic risk assessment methodology was employed in the assessment of health risks associated with exposures to contaminated sediment and biota in an estuary in the Tidewater region of Virginia. The primary contaminants were polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated terphenyls (PCTs), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and metals released into the estuary from a storm sewer system. The exposure pathways associated with the highest contaminant intake and risks were dermal contact with contaminated sediment and ingestion of contaminated aquatic and terrestrial biota from the contaminated area. As expected, all of the output probability distributions of risk were highly skewed, and the ratios of the expected value (mean) to median risk estimates ranged from 1.4 to 14.8 for the various exposed populations. The 99th percentile risk estimates were as much as two orders of magnitude above the mean risk estimates. For the sediment exposure pathways, the stability of the median risk estimates was found to be much greater than the stability of the expected value risk estimates. The interrun variability in the median risk estimate was found to be +/-1.9% at 3000 iterations. The interrun stability of the mean risk estimates was found to be approximately equal to that of the 95th percentile estimates at any number of iterations. The variation in neither contaminant concentrations nor any other single input variable contributed disproportionately to the overall simulation variance. The inclusion or exclusion of spatial correlations among contaminant concentrations in the simulation model did not significantly effect either the magnitude or the variance of the simulation risk estimates for sediment exposures.