Based on hypothesized relations advanced by Cummings and Davies (1995), the current study tests the hypothesis that parental availability and parental control, experienced during middle adolescence, relate to late adolescents' adjustment through influence on their emotional security. The study also examines the role of late adolescents' emotional intelligence and its relationship with parental behaviors, emotional security, and adolescents' adjustment. This study proposes a model of relationships where emotional security and emotional intelligence influence each other and mediate the relationship between parental behaviors and late adolescents' adjustment. Regression analyses show partial support for the hypotheses. / Ph. D.

This research was conducted to analyze the genetics of soybean mosaic virus (SMV) resistance in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and to determine allelic relationships of SMV resistance genes and their interactions with SMV strain groups. In the first part of this study, the inheritance of SMV resistance in OX670 and 'Harosoy' was studied to determine the source and identity of the resistance gene/genes in OX670. Other researchers reported that OX670 possesses a single gene at a locus independent of Rsv1 and assigned the gene symbol Rsv2. Rsv2 was presumably derived from the cultivar 'Raiden'. However, later work showed that Raiden contains a single resistance gene at the Rsv1 locus, raising the possibility that the resistance gene in OX670 was not from Raiden. Harosoy and its derivatives make up much of the remaining pedigree of OX670. Results from crosses of OX670 with susceptible cultivars indicate that it contains two independent genes for SMV resistance. One is allelic to the Rsv1 locus, expresses resistance to SMV-G1 and G7 and is derived from Raiden. The other is allelic to the Rsv3 locus, expresses resistance to SMV-G7 but susceptibility to SMV-G1 and is derived from Harosoy. Therefore the Rsv2 locus does not appear to exist in OX670 or its ancestors. The presence of Rsv1 and Rsv3 makes OX670 resistant to all SMV strains from G1 through G7. The second study was conducted to investigate the inheritance and allelomorphic relationships of resistance gene(s) in 'Tousan 140' and 'Hourei', which were reported to carry single independent resistance genes when inoculated with the Japanese SMV strain C. Both of these lines exhibit resistance to strains SMV-G1 through G7. This inheritance study shows that Tousan 140 and Hourei each possess two resistance genes. One of the genes in Hourei confers resistance to SMV-G1 and G7 strains; the other gene confers susceptibility to SMV-G1 but resistance to SMV-G7. Allelism tests indicate that one of the genes in both Hourei and Tousan 140 is allelic to Rsv1, and the other is allelic to Rsv3. The two genes in Tousan 140 were separated into individual lines, R1 and R2. R1, most probably containing Rsv1, exhibited resistance to SMV-G1 through G3 but was susceptible to SMV-G5 through G7. Line R2, most likely possesses Rsv3 gene, was susceptible to SMV-G1 through G3 but resistant to SMV-G5 through G7. Therefore, presence of these two genes makes Tousan 140 resistant to SMV-G1 through G7. The objective of the third study was to investigate inheritance and allelomorphic relationships of SMV resistance in PI88788. PI88788 exhibits resistance to SMV-G1 through G7. Genetic analysis of our data reveals that SMV resistance in PI88788 is conferred by a single gene at a locus tentatively labeled 'Rsv4'. Expression of this gene in the homozygous state decreased accumulation rate and prevented vascular movement of SMV. In the heterozygous state vascular movement of the SMV was delayed but not prevented. / Ph. D.

Using grounded theory methodology, the purpose of the study was to examine the transition experiences of older workers who retired from their long-term careers and who were working in bridge jobs. After interviewing 24 participants, a theory emerged that describes the decision to seek a bridge job, the strategies used, the problems faced, and the benefits received. The decision to retire is connected with the decision to seek a bridge job. Participants planned but mainly focused on their finances; no participant sought help from a career counseling professional. They faced challenges such as age discrimination and problems switching to a new position. Participants reported that they live a more balanced life and enjoy their bridge job. The core theme from the study is bridge employment redefines retirement. / Ph. D.

Nonclinical panic attacks have been defined as "panic reported by individuals not seeking treatment" (Norton, Cox, & Malan, 1992). The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of nonclinical panic attacks and associated symptomatology in a university sample of 576 late adolescents (ages 18-19), and to compare the effectiveness of two group treatments [Education/Support (ES) and Cognitive-Behavioral (CBT)] and a self-monitoring Waitlist (WL) condition in reducing the frequency and severity of nonclinical panic attacks, daily anxiety, and associated symptomatology. Nonpanickers (71.4% of the sample) reported no history of panic on the Panic Attack Questionnaire (PAQ; Cox, Norton, & Swinson, 1992). Past Panickers (16.5%) reported at least one panic attack prior to the past month. Recent Panickers (12.2%) reported at least one panic attack in the past month. Recent Panickers evidenced higher levels of trait anxiety, state anxiety, and depression, with a trend toward higher levels of anxiety sensitivity and internal negative attributions, relative to both Past Panickers and Nonpanickers, who did not differ. Thirty-four Recent Panickers were randomly assigned to the WL, ES, or CBT conditions. The entire sample, regardless of condition, showed a reduction in frequency of panic attacks, as well as their associated symptoms and cognitions, severity of daily anxiety, and three measures of general psychopathology (Le., depression, trait anxiety, and state anxiety). However, both active treatment groups were superior to the waitlist in producing improvement in panic-related self-efficacy, avoidance, and anxiety sensitivity. There was evidence that ES was slightly more effective than CBT in improving panicrelated self-efficacy, while CBT was somewhat more effective in reducing avoidance. Finally, while both treatment conditions combined fared significantly better than the waidist in producing high endstate functioning, assessed via a constellation of variables conceptually related to panic (i.e., panic-free status, high panic-related self-efficacy, low avoidance, low anxiety sensitivity), ES appeared most effective in promoting high ends tate functioning at Post-Treatment and Follow-Up (two months following treatment). Implications of these findings for the treatment of nonclinical panic attacks in late adolescence are discussed. / Ph. D.

The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), is an important economic pest of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), in the Midsouth region of the United States. Continuous season long infestations may result in four or more insecticide applications per growing season. However, late season applications may only be preventing minor losses when compared to overall yield. Results from this study suggest an opportunity to increase thresholds and potentially eliminate one to two insecticide applications in late bloom. Results from this experiment show no significant differences in yield when all square removal levels were simulated in the fourth and fifth week of bloom. Other factors included irrigation and cotton seed technology. Use of threshold irrigation and ThryvOn cotton resulted in greater yields than non-irrigated cotton and non-ThryvOn cotton. Information from these experiments will be used in future integrated pest management programs for more sustainable cotton production in Mississippi.

The world of the late antique Mediterranean is characterized by its saints’ shrines—structures that housed the tombs, relics, and other objects associated with holy entities. These shrines—these distinct places—differed in size, status, and degree of ecclesiastical and bureaucratic recognition, but together formed a widespread network of pilgrimage destinations, arenas of miraculous healings, and gathering points for bodies both human and divine, alive and dead, afflicted and non-afflicted. In facilitating such mingling, the shrines served as earthly, localized sites of holiness and saintly intervention, and yet were also involved in broader social, theological, and economic affairs. This dissertation focuses on one late antique shrine—that of Saints Cyrus and John, which likely reached its height of usage and popularity in the sixth and seventh centuries CE. Once located at Menouthis (modern Abuqir) near the Canopic mouth of the Nile (just outside of Alexandria), the shrine is now characterized by its near-absolute lack of material remains. For that reason, it has not been subjected to the types of material analyses performed on comparative sites with extant remains. Moreover, the only literary accounts of the shrine are attributed to a single author: Sophronios, the patriarch of Jerusalem (c. 560-638 CE). Sophronios’ writing is vivid, however, and he depicts the shrine as a vibrant, visceral space of material, bodily, and faunal entanglements. Blood gushes, tumors burst, and figs appear. Snakes call to one another, attendants hasten, crowds gather, and camel feces are revealed as a saint-sanctioned cure for leprosy. A center for sensory encounters of every kind, the shrine literally overflows with human, animal, and material occupants. Sophronios’ texts therefore invite a material, synesthetic analysis of the space, context, and participants of the shrine. This dissertation utilizes methods from studies in the materiality of religion (including so-called “new materialisms”) in order to: 1) build a material analysis of the shrine of Saints Cyrus and John based on its literary sources, and 2) model how scholars might better grapple with late antique pilgrimage sites (both extant and non-extant) and the materia of divine healing. Individually, the dissertation chapters offer separate ways of reassessing and reconstructing the shrine of Saints Cyrus and John. Taken together, they constitute a methodological intervention in the broader study of late antique saints’ shrines.

No / The concept that invisible molecular traces may remain in grave deposits, the often discarded ‘dirt’ from substantial mortuary containers, is not widely appreciated. Organic residue analysis of samples from Late Roman (2nd–4th c. AD) burials in Britain has revealed their potential to retain diagnostic biomarkers. Alongside the analysis of visible residues from similar continental burials, these results confirm that resinous substances were employed in the treatment of the dead throughout the Roman Empire. Deposited in close proximity to the body, they masked the reality of decay, signified the status of the deceased and promoted memorialisation. These findings, in conjunction with the sampling approach and methodology detailed here, have important implications for future mortuary research in the late antique period and beyond. / R. C. B. was supported by a Ph.D. studentship from the Art and Humanities Research Council (43019R00209).

No / A central element in developing credit management policy involves design choices on the extent to which credit activities are best managed internally or through specialist market intermediaries. This paper draws on the findings of a survey on the credit management practices and policies of large UK companies to: (1) Examine the type of firm most likely to enter into specialist external credit management structural arrangements; and (2) Identify contextual and credit policy choices influencing the credit period taken and late payment of debts. The study found that specialist intermediaries are not particularly common in large firms. The paper also identifies a number of contextual and policy variables that help explain variation in debtor days and late payment by customers.

No / Purpose: Evidence exists for an additional inhibitory accommodative control system mediated by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This work aims to show the relative prevalence of sympathetic inhibition in young emmetropic and myopic adults, and to evaluate the effect of sympathetic facility on accommodative and oculomotor function. Methods: Profiling of ciliary muscle innervation was carried out in 58 young adult subjects (30 emmetropes, 14 early onset myopes, 14 late onset myopes) by examining post-task open-loop accommodation responses, recorded continuously by a modified open-view infrared optometer. Measurements of amplitude of accommodation, tonic accommodation, accommodative lag at near, AC/A ratio, and heterophoria at distance and near were made to establish a profile of oculomotor function. Results: Evidence of sympathetic inhibitory facility in ciliary smooth muscle was observed in 27% of emmetropes, 21% of early-onset myopes and 29% of late-onset myopes. Twenty-six percent of all subjects demonstrated access to sympathetic facility. Closed-loop oculomotor function did not differ significantly between subjects with sympathetic facility, and those with sympathetic deficit. Conclusions: Emmetropic and myopic groups cannot be distinguished in terms of the relative proportions having access to sympathetic inhibition. Presence of sympathetic innervation does not have a significant effect on accommodative function under closed-loop viewing conditions.

Yes / Many hundreds of Bronze Age bronze artefacts are known from excavations in Switzerland, yet the interpretation of production networks from the object find locations remain problematic. It is proposed that the decorative elements used on items, such as ring-jewellery, can be used as elements to assist in the identification of artisanal traditions and ‘schools’, and also regional or community preference and selection of specific designs. Combining the analysis of over 1700 items of ring-jewellery from Switzerland with approaches from network science has facilitated the identification of regional clustering of design elements, comparable with cultural typologies in the area. It is also possible to identify potential instances of cultural differentiation through decoration within the broader regional cultural traditions. The study highlights important facets of bronzework production in the region of Switzerland, while also demonstrating future potential directions which could build upon the European wide dataset of prehistoric bronzework. / Primary research conducted under previous funding at University of Basel, Switzerland – SNF grant