The Influence of Weight Bias on Processes and Outcomes in Negotiation.

In two studies, using a mix of samples, we examined the influence of weight bias on behaviors in competitive, potentially high stakes situations. As predicted, weight bias directed focal actors' treatment of counterparts in a negotiation. Negotiators made lower value offers to overweight counterparts relative to average-weight counterparts. In addition, overweight counterparts also received more negative messages over the course of their negotiation and were evaluated less favorably after the negotiation than average-weight counterparts.

When Less Is More: How Complexity Impacts Goal Setting, Judgment Accuracy, and Deals in Negotiation.

In two studies, we examine how objective complexity-in terms of numbers of negotiable issues-affects negotiators' aspirations, perceptions, actions, and ultimately, the quality of agreements they reach. We hypothesized and found that when negotiators had a greater number of issues to resolve, they were less ambitious for their own outcomes and developed less accurate insights into their partners' interests.

The Push and Pull of Network Mobility: How Those High in Trait-Level Neuroticism Can Come to Occupy Peripheral Network Positions.

Field research shows that people's network positions are determined, at least in part, by their traits. For instance, over time, actors higher in trait-level neuroticism move out to the network periphery. What is unknown is how this happens. Drawing on personality and social psychological theory, we generated a model that could explain the movement of actors who are higher in neuroticism. Our aim is to add to the existing empirical literature on the interplay of actor level traits and social networks, and do so using methods that can establish possible causal pathways. In four experiments, we tested two explanatory mechanisms-aversion on the part of alters and avoidance on the part of focal actors. Results showed that potential alters indeed perceived actors higher in neuroticism as aversive, leading them to block these actors from well-connected spots. Specifically, low perceived levels of likability prevented actors from being nominated to better positions. In a test of avoidance, actors higher in neuroticism recognized the benefits of better-connected network positions, but also saw them as costly, and thus, declined opportunities to occupy them. This work shows how both alters and egos can determine egos' place in networks, and specifies how this is done.

Suvorexant in Patients with Insomnia: Pooled Analyses of Three-Month Data from Phase-3 Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Suvorexant is an orexin receptor antagonist approved for treating insomnia at a maximum dose of 20 mg. Phase-3 trials evaluated two age-adjusted (non-elderly/elderly) dose-regimes of 40/30 mg and 20/15 mg with the primary focus on 40/30 mg. We report here results from pooled analyses of the 20/15 mg dose-regime, which was evaluated as a secondary objective in the trials. METHODS: Prespecified analysis of pooled data from two identical randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, 3-month trials in non-elderly (18-64 years) and elderly (≥ 65 years) patients with insomnia. Patients were randomized to suvorexant 20/15 mg (non-elderly/elderly), suvorexant 40/30 mg (non-elderly/elderly), or placebo; by design, fewer patients were randomized to 20/15 mg. Efficacy was assessed by self-reported and polysomnography (PSG; subset of patients) sleep maintenance and onset endpoints. RESULTS: Suvorexant 20/15 mg (N = 493 treated) was effective compared to placebo (N = 767 treated) on patient-reported and PSG sleep maintenance and onset endpoints at Night-1 (PSG endpoints) / Week-1 (subjective endpoints), Month-1 and Month-3, except for effects on PSG sleep onset at Month-3. Suvorexant 20/15 mg was generally well tolerated, with 3% of patients discontinuing due to adverse events over 3 months vs. 5.2% on placebo. Somnolence was the most common adverse event (6.7% vs. 3.3% for placebo). There was no systematic evidence of rebound or withdrawal signs or symptoms when suvorexant was discontinued after 3 months of nightly use. CONCLUSIONS: Suvorexant 20/15 mg improved sleep onset and maintenance over 3 months of nightly treatment and was generally safe and well tolerated. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov trial registration numbers: NCT01097616, NCT01097629.

Molecular genotyping of multinational ovine and caprine Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolates using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is a chronic, suppurative disease, with a worldwide distribution, caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. The clinical manifestation of CLA is known to vary between different countries, and has been postulated to be due to differences in the strains present in these countries. Forty-two sheep and goat isolates of C. pseudotuberculosis from Australia, Canada, Eire, The Netherlands and Northern Ireland were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), biotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility, and production of phospholipase D. The PFGE-determined genotypes of this multicentric collection were then compared with representative ovine and caprine isolates from a previously published panel of PFGE profiles of United Kingdom isolates. Digestion with SfiI generated 16-18 bands in the 48.5 and 290 kb range, and differentiated four distinct pulsotypes amongst the 36 ovine and 6 caprine strains which displayed remarkable homogeneity. Based on these results, it would appear that the genome of C. pseudotuberculosis is highly conserved, irrespective of the country of strain origin.

Vaccination confers significant protection of sheep against infection with a virulent United Kingdom strain of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis.

Using a virulent United Kingdom Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolate, an ovine experimental model of caseous lymphadenitis was developed, in which the manifestation of disease was equivalent to the naturally observed infection in this country. Subsequently, the capacity of several experimental vaccines to protect against experimental challenge was determined. Sheep were immunised with a recombinant derivative of phospholipase D, deriving from the virulent UK isolate, a formalin-killed bacterin of the same strain, or a bacterin supplemented with recombinant phospholipase D. Following homologous experimental challenge, the phospholipase D and bacterin vaccines were observed to confer statistically significant protection against infection, and appeared to restrict dissemination of challenge bacteria beyond the inoculation site in the majority of animals. More importantly, the combined vaccine succeeded in providing absolute protection against infection, whereby challenge bacteria were eradicated from all vaccinates. In addition to the experimental vaccines, a commercially available CLA vaccine, unlicensed for use in the European Union, was assessed for its capacity to protect against heterologous challenge. The vaccine conferred significant protection, although the dissemination of infection beyond the inoculation site was not restricted as it had been with the previous vaccines. However, no animals immunised with this vaccine manifested infection within the lungs; thus, a potentially important route of disease transmission was eliminated. The results of this study provide information pertinent to the development of an effective caseous lymphadenitis vaccination strategy in the UK.

Negotiators' bargaining histories and their effects on future negotiation performance.

In 2 studies the authors show that the quality of deals negotiators reach are significantly influenced by their previous bargaining experiences. As predicted, negotiators who reached an impasse on a prior negotiation were more likely either to impasse in their next negotiation or to reach deals of low joint value compared to those who had reached an initial agreement. Notably, the impact of past performance on subsequent deals was just as strong for negotiators who changed partners on the 2nd occasion. Results highlight the role of bargaining histories as significant predictors of negotiation behavior. Moreover, they suggest that, at least in some cases, negotiations should be conceptualized as interrelated exchanges rather than separable incidents.

Precursors to onset clusters in acquisition.

Two lawful relationships involving word-initial onset clusters have been advanced in the acquisition literature; namely, that clusters imply affricates (Lleó & Prinz, 1996, 1997), and that liquid clusters imply a liquid distinction (Archibald, 1998). This study evaluated and extended the validity of these implicational laws in a population of 110 children (aged 3;0 to 8;6) with functional phonological delays who contributed extended speech samples for computational analyses. Results indicated that, for the most part, the composition of children's sound systems were in compliance with the proposed laws; however, there were noted asymmetries and apparent exceptions in the data. The asymmetries motivated an integration of the two laws to reveal a pattern of segmental-prosodic cyclicity consistent with deterministic models of phonological acquisition. The apparent exceptions highlighted the relevance of independent methodologies and offered a potential theoretical alternative with the Resolvability Principle as directions for future research.

Implicationally Related Error Patterns and the Selection of Treatment Targets.

This paper compares some of the different claims that have been made concerning acquisition by traditional rule-based derivational theories and the more recent framework of optimality theory. Case studies of children with phonological delays are examined with special attention given to two seemingly independent error patterns, namely, place harmony and spirantization. Contrary to the expectations of derivational theories, these (and other) error patterns are argued to be implicationally related. Optimality theory is shown to offer a principled explanation for the facts with novel implications for clinical treatment.