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Team Identification and Negotiation: A Mediated-Moderation Model of Constraints, Motivation, and Sport Consumption
Get PDFThe purpose of the current study was to examine (a) the mediating effect of negotiation on the relationship between fans’ motivations and constraints to consume sport and to (b) investigate the moderating role of team identification in a sport consumption model of motivation, constraints, and negotiation. Using two datasets from various college athletics stakeholders (i.e., students, alumni, and non-college associated fans) at a large university in the southeastern United States. Our analyses using structural equation modeling show that negotiation mediates the relationship between motivation and sport consumption for both diehard and fair-weather fans. We also find that negotiation mediates the relationship between constraints and sport consumption with the effect being significant for fair-weather fans only. Our study sheds light on sport consumption as it relates to fans’ motivation to negotiate constraints in order to consume sport. Specifically, we extend current understanding on how different fans negotiate constraints to consume sport. Marketers can use our findings to design campaigns that focus on providing different fans with a variety of incentives to consume sport
The Dark Side of Spectator Behavior: Effects of Spectator Dysfunctional Behavior on Anger, Rumination, and Revisit Intention
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to examine the negative effects of spectator dysfunctional behavior (SDB) on other spectators’ anger, rumination, and revisit intention. More specifically, in Study 1, we show that SDB (vs. spectator normal behavior [SNB]) elicited other spectators’ anger and reduced revisit intention. Anger significantly mediated the relationship between SDB (vs. SNB) and revisit intention. The negative effects of SDB and anger on revisit intention became positive as team identification increased. In Study 2, we demonstrate that rumination regarding SDB incidents evoked focal spectators’ anger and decreased revisit intention. Anger significantly mediated the relationship between rumination and revisit intention. Furthermore, the negative effects of rumination and anger on revisit intention were more significantly reduced in a high-level team identification group than in a low-level of team identification counterpart. Overall, the current work makes contributions to the sport management literature by shedding light on the dark side of sport spectatorship
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate suppresses neutrophil migration speed in a transgenic zebrafish model accompanied by reduced inflammatory mediators
No full textBackground: Polyphenol catechins from green tea, particularly (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), exhibits numerous beneficial health effects, although the mechanisms remain unclear. Methods: In this study, the mechanism of EGCG-mediated healing in an experimentally injured zebrafish model was examined at the cellular and molecular level using confocal microscopy and gene expression analysis. Results: The mechanisms of action of EGCG were shown to involve: (1) reducing neutrophil response (accumulation, travel speed, and distance) and (2) downregulating the expression of IL-1β, TNFα, and related signaling pathways. As determined by dynamic time-lapse tracking studies, the local accumulation of neutrophils with high migration speeds after wounding (n=33 cells, v=0.020 μm/s, d=37.8 μm), underwent significant reduction following treatment with EGCG doses of 300 μM (n=22 cells, v=0.013 μm/s, d=39.5 μm) and 600 μM (n=18 cells, v=0.008 μm/s, d=9.53 μm). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction studies revealed that several signature genes in the IL-1β, TNFα, and related signaling pathways were downregulated after EGCG treatment. Conclusion: The convenience, transparency, and simplicity of the zebrafish model facilitate tracking of fluorescent neutrophils in real time, in order to monitor inflammation, and assess the impact of therapeutic agents
Cannabinoid receptor-mediated modulation of inhibitory inputs to mitral cells in the main olfactory bulb
No full textThe endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling system has been functionally implicated in many brain regions. Our understanding of the role of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB) in olfactory processing remains limited. Cannabinoid signaling is involved in regulating glomerular activity in the main olfactory bulb (MOB). However, the cannabinoid-related circuitry of inputs to mitral cells in the MOB has not been fully determined. Using anatomical and functional approaches we have explored this question. CB was present in periglomerular processes of a GAD65-positive subpopulation of interneurons but not in mitral cells. We detected eCBs in the mouse MOB as well as the expression of CB and other genes associated with cannabinoid signaling in the MOB. Patch-clamp electrophysiology demonstrated that CB agonists activated mitral cells and evoked an inward current, while CB antagonists reduced firing and evoked an outward current. CB effects on mitral cells were absent in subglomerular slices in which the olfactory nerve layer and glomerular layer were removed, suggesting the glomerular layer as the site of CB action. We previously observed that GABAergic periglomerular cells show the inverse response pattern to CB activation compared with mitral cells, suggesting that CB indirectly regulates mitral cell activity as a result of cellular activation of glomerular GABAergic processes . This hypothesis was supported by the finding that cannabinoids modulated synaptic transmission to mitral cells. We conclude that CB directly regulates GABAergic processes in the glomerular layer to control GABA release and, in turn, regulates mitral cell activity with potential effects on olfactory threshold and behavior
Changes in gene DNA methylation and expression networks accompany caste specialization and age-related physiological changes in a social insect
No full textSocial insects provide systems for studying epigenetic regulation of phenotypes, particularly with respect to differentiation of reproductive and worker castes, which typically arise from a common genetic background. The role of gene expression in caste specialization has been extensively studied, but the role of DNA methylation remains controversial. Here, we perform well replicated, integrated analyses of DNA methylation and gene expression in brains of an ant (Formica exsecta ) with distinct female castes using traditional approaches (tests of differential methylation) combined with a novel approach (analysis of co‐expression and co‐methylation networks). We found differences in expression and methylation profiles between workers and queens at different life stages, as well as some overlap between DNA methylation and expression at the functional level. Large portions of the transcriptome and methylome are organized into “modules” of genes, some significantly associated with phenotypic traits of castes and developmental stages. Several gene co‐expression modules are preserved in co‐methylation networks, consistent with possible regulation of caste‐specific gene expression by DNA methylation. Surprisingly, brain co‐expression modules were highly preserved when compared with a previous study that examined whole‐body co‐expression patterns in 16 ant species, suggesting that these modules are evolutionarily conserved and for specific functions in various tissues. Altogether, these results suggest that DNA methylation participates in regulation of caste specialization and age‐related physiological changes in social insects
Questions on 'Intervention effects of a kindergarten-based health promotion programme on obesity related behavioural outcomes and BMI percentiles'
No full textKobel et al. (2019) report results of a cluster randomized trial examining the effectiveness of the “Join the Healthy Boat” kindergarten intervention on BMI percentile, physical activity, and several exploratory outcomes. The authors pre-registered their study (Steinacker et al., 2016) and described the outcomes and analysis plan in detail previously (Kobel et al., 2017), which are to be commended. However, we noted four issues that some of us recently outlined in a paper on childhood obesity interventions: 1) ignoring clustering in studies that randomize groups of children, 2) changing the outcomes, 3) emphasizing results that were statistically significant from a host of analyses, and 4) using self-reported outcomes that are part of the intervention (Brown et al., 2019)
Considering Pedagogical Practices in Higher Education: How Science Methods Instructors Influence Scientific Argumentation Construction
No full textFostering students’ ability to engage in scientific argumentation is an essential component of science teaching.. Unfortunately, research shows that teachers often lack sufficient prior experiences. As teacher educators, we sought to better understand how to effectively provide such critical experiences. Furthermore, we wanted to understand how the engagement in those activities was shaped by the methods instructor’s own discourse. The purpose of this study was to shed light on the discursive practices preservice teachers used as they constructed a series of scientific arguments. Specifically, we sought to understand how argumentation discourse evolved as the preservice teachers went through the sequence of activities. The guiding research questions were: 1) What role does institutional talk play in shaping PSTs’ discursive construction of scientific arguments? 2) How does PSTs’ use of institutional talk evolve over the course of four argumentation activities? We drew upon discursive psychology and conversation analysis to show how twenty-one preservice teachers’ talk functioned to build arguments, as well as how their talk evolved over the course of the four targeted activities. The findings illustrate how the preservice teachers revealed the institutionality within their talk by orienting towards classroom norms. The resulting understandings are used to provide recommendation for science teacher educators
Women and War in the Balkans
No full textWe have come a long way since the days when talking about the Balkan Wars or the two world wars in Eastern Europe was a strictly masculine affair. In the past decade, scholars have produced a number of studies that generate a more nuanced understanding of what living through total war meant in Balkan societies in 1912–1913, 1914–1918, and 1940–1945. Two recent books, Bătălia lor: Femeile din România în Primul Război Mondial (Their battle: Women in Romania during World War I) and Women and Yugoslav Partisans: A History of World War II Resistance, provide substantial contributions to this emerging field of research. Since the books focus on quite separate events, I will treat them individually, with points of connection offered at the end
Fan cooling after cardiovascular drift does not reverse decrements in maximal oxygen uptake during heat stress.
No full textCardiovascular (CV) drift, the progressive increase in heart rate (HR) and decrease in stroke volume (SV) during constant rate, moderate intensity exercise, is related to reduced maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O) during heat stress. Once it has already occurred, it is unknown whether the detrimental effects of CV drift on V̇O can be reversed. This study tested the hypothesis that fan cooling after CV drift has occurred attenuates decrements in V̇O associated with CV drift. Eight men completed a control graded exercise test (GXT) in 22°C to measure V̇O. Then on separate, counterbalanced occasions, they completed one 15-min (15MIN) and two 45-min bouts (45NF and 45FAN) of cycling in 35°C, 40% RH at 60% V̇O, each immediately followed by a GXT to measure V̇O. For one of the 45-min trials (45FAN), fan airflow (4.5 m/s) was directed at participants beginning ~5 min before the GXT and continuing throughout the remainder of exercise. The purpose of the separate 15- and 45-min trials was to measure V̇O during the same time interval that CV drift occurred. HR increased (13.8% and 11.4%) and SV decreased (14.4% and 14.1%) for 45NF and 45FAN, respectively; trials were not different (all P > 0.05). Despite a decrease in mean skin temperature of ~1°C with fan use, V̇O decreased similarly between conditions (17% vs. 15% for 45NF and 45FAN, P = 0.54). Fan cooling after CV drift was insufficient to reverse the negative consequences of CV drift on V̇O after prolonged exercise in a hot environment
Investigating Environmental Transgressions at Corbett Tiger Reserve, India
No full textThrough a qualitative lens involving both in-depth interviews and focus groups, this research attempts to probe the issues of environmental transgressions caused by tourists and tourism providers in one of the oldest and largest national parks in India, the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR), Uttrakhand. It reveals that even though tourism stakeholders are conscious of environmental transgressions, concrete efforts towards environmentally sustainable practices in CTR do not seem to be a priority. Nevertheless, this research suggests that visitor’s noncompliant behavior may be altered by enhancing place attachment through repeat visitations, improving visitor experiences, and effective information dissemination. Also, future tourism operations may require a reduction in environmental transgressions through the creation of an agency that can assist community-based tourism operations