David Seungjae Lee

Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults

Over 500 million people interact daily with Facebook. Yet, whether Facebook use influences subjective well-being over time is unknown. We addressed this issue using experience-sampling, the most reliable method for measuring in-vivo behavior and psychological experience. We text-messaged people five times per day for two-weeks to examine how Facebook use influences the two components of subjective well-being: how people feel moment-to-moment and how satisfied they are with their lives. Our results indicate that Facebook use predicts negative shifts on both of these variables over time. The more people used Facebook at one time point, the worse they felt the next time we text-messaged them; the more they used Facebook over two-weeks, the more their life satisfaction levels declined over time. Interacting with other people “directly” did not predict these negative outcomes. They were also not moderated by the size of peoples Facebook networks, their perceived supportiveness, motivation for using Facebook, gender, loneliness, self-esteem, or depression. On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection. Rather than enhancing well-being, however, these findings suggest that Facebook may undermine it.

Passive Facebook usage undermines affective well-being: Experimental and longitudinal evidence.

Prior research indicates that Facebook usage predicts declines in subjective well-being over time. How does this come about? We examined this issue in 2 studies using experimental and field methods. In Study 1, cueing people in the laboratory to use Facebook passively (rather than actively) led to declines in affective well-being over time. Study 2 replicated these findings in the field using experience-sampling techniques. It also demonstrated how passive Facebook usage leads to declines in affective well-being: by increasing envy. Critically, the relationship between passive Facebook usage and changes in affective well-being remained significant when controlling for active Facebook use, non-Facebook online social network usage, and direct social interactions, highlighting the specificity of this result. These findings demonstrate that passive Facebook usage undermines affective well-being.

The effect of epidermal growth factor on bacterial translocation in newborn rabbits

PURPOSE Epidermal growth factor (EGF), which is present in breast milk, has both trophic and maturational effects on intestinal mucosa. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of EGF on spontaneous intestinal bacterial translocation (BT) in formula-fed newborn rabbits, who have a high incidence of BT compared with breast-fed newborn rabbits. METHODS Sixty-one rabbit pups were divided into three groups: EGF(-), n=24, EGF(+), n=22, and breast-fed animals, n=15. Both the EGF(-) and EGF(+) groups were gavage fed a standard artificial formula three times daily. EGF was administered subcutaneously three times daily (1.5 microg/g body weight per day) in the EGF(+) group. The breast-fed group was fed by their mothers ad libitum. At 7 days of age, all rabbits were killed, and the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), liver, and spleen were cultured qualitatively for bacterial growth, while the cecum and ileum were quantitatively cultured. To determine the effect of EGF on mucus-producing cells, goblet cell numbers in the small intestine were quantified histologically. RESULTS There was no BT to MLN, spleen, or liver in the breast-fed group. The incidence of BT to MLN and spleen was significantly lower in the EGF(+) compared with EGF(-) group; (EGF[+]: MLN, 45%; spleen, 32%; Liver, 27%; EGF[-]: MLN, 79%; Spleen 67%; Liver 29%; in EGF[+] MLN and Spleen P<.05 vEGF[-]). There was no significant difference in cecal and ileal bacterial colonization between the EGF(+) and EGF(-) groups. The number of goblet cells in the small intestine was significantly lower in the EGF(-) group compared with the EGF(+) group as follows: EGF(+), 14+/-3; EGF(-), 9+/-3; breast-fed, 11+/-5 goblet cells per 100 epithelial cell nuclei; P=.013. CONCLUSIONS (1) EGF caused a significant decrease in spontaneous bacterial translocation in formula-fed newborn rabbits and was associated with an increase in the goblet cell number of the small intestine. (2) These changes occurred in spite of the fact that no changes in small bowel bacterial colonization were observed. (3) These results suggest, but do not prove, that EGF may provide protection for neonates from gut origin infection by improving the mucosal barrier function through increased goblet cell production, thus decreasing the incidence of spontaneous bacterial translocation in the newborn.

Scalable Adaptive Graphics middleware for visualization streaming and collaboration in ultra resolution display environments

This paper describes the motivation and capabilities of SAGE- the scalable adaptive graphics environment- a middleware and software client for supporting ultra resolution collaboration and visualization.

Changes, with age, in the phospholipid content of the intestinal mucus layer of the newborn rabbit

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE The high incidence of bacterial translocation in newborns is thought to be caused, in part, by the immaturity of the intestinal mucosal barrier. Recently, intestinal mucus phospholipids (PL) have been reported to be important factors in the function of this mucosal barrier. The aim of this study was to quantify changes, with age, in the intestinal mucus PL of the newborn rabbit. METHODS Mucus was gently scraped from the small intestinal mucosal surface of rabbits of different ages (0, 7, 14, and 28 days old and adult; n = 6 for all groups). PL was extracted from the mucus and was separated by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. The isolated phospholipid spots were quantified for their phosphorus content. RESULTS Total PL content of the mucus decreased significantly with age (day 0, 21+/-2; day 7, 16+/-4; day 14, 9+/-3; day 28, 2+/-1; adult, 1+/-1 micromol/g wet mucus; P = .0001). Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine levels in the adult rabbits were significantly lower in comparison with the 0-, 7-, and 14-day-old pups (P < .05). In contrast, lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylethanolamine were significantly higher in the 28-day-old and adult rabbits in comparison with the 0-, 7-, and 14-day-old pups (P < .05). Phosphatidylinositol + phosphatidylserine levels in 7-day-old rabbits was significantly higher compared with adult rabbits. There was no significant difference in the composition of sphingomyeline between groups. CONCLUSION Significant changes in the content and composition of the intestinal mucus phospholipids were observed during the first month of life in rabbits.

Supportive Social Relationships Attenuate the Appeal of Choice

People like having options when choosing, but having too many options can lead to negative decision-related consequences. The present study focused on how social-relational factors—common aspects of daily life—can maintain or attenuate the appeal of choice. Study 1 examined the effect of a supportive- or nonsupportive-relationship prime on the decision to pay for having more options in choosing a consumer product. People who thought of supportive relationships, compared with those who thought of nonsupportive ones (and control participants), were less willing to pay for a larger choice set. Study 2 showed that the activation of thoughts of security and calmness in participants recalling supportive relationships (compared with participants recalling nonsupportive relationships) mediated the appeal of choice. This finding offers one possible explanation for the reduced desire for options when people are reminded of supportive relationships.

TOWARD A MORE CONTEXTUAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND DYNAMIC MODEL OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Our world is a quantifiable one, and so are people. Assigning numbers tobehavioral and cognitive phenomena allows for relationships to be tested,categorizations to be made, and predictions about what people are likely todo. However, scores about people can be misapplied. Imagine an organ-ization that is interested in revamping its culture by emphasizing com-munication and cooperation across boundaries and in general making thetenor of the interactions among personnel more positive. One key to helpingwith this may be to focus on employee emotional intelligence (EI), provideassessments of these capacities, and educate where gaps seem apparent.Maybe some employees are having difficulty recognizing their emotions orthose of others, which can create problems in social interaction, whileothers’ difficulties stem from challenges to controlling frustrations at work.Depending on the size of the organization, this could be a very involved and

Montage: a platform for physically navigating multiple pages of web content

Montage is a platform for rendering multiple pages of web content on large tiled displays (several desktop LCDs arranged in a spatially contiguous matrix). We discuss the advantages of data visualization using a newsstand metaphor, showing many content items at once and allowing users to quickly refine visual searches by walking (physically navigating) closer to specific data on the display. We have used Montage to build three applications that demonstrate the variety of applications that are possible on this platform. These applications have benefits for both everyday use and as research tools.

A Bcl-xS Adenovirus Demonstrates Therapeutic Efficacy in an Ascites Model of Human Breast Cancer

Objectives: To determine whether a Bcl-xS adenoviral vector has therapeutic potential in an ascites model of human breast cancerin nude mice. Methods: Advanced ascites were developed by injecting mice intraperitoneally (IP) with MDA-MB-231 human breast carcinoma cells. Mice received sequential IP injections of the Bcl-xS virus or a control lac-Z adenovirus. A third group of mice received no virus. Tumor burden and survival were monitored. Histopathology and necropsies were performed on mice. Results: A single injection of the Bcl-xS adenovirus produced no systemic or local toxicity and no abnormal histopathology in normal mice. However, abdominal organs within these mice were transduced with the Bcl-xS vector. Adenoviral gene transduction efficiency in MDA-MB-231 ascites was 36 ± 6.40% (n = 3). Percent weight change differences revealed that ascites bearing mice injected three times with the Bcl-xS vector. Adenoviral gene transduction efficiency in MDA-MB-231 ascites was 36 ± 6.40% (n = 3). Percent weight change differences revealed that ascites bearing mice injected three times with Bcl-xS vector showed a statistically significant decrease in tumor burden compared with lac-Z-injected mice (n = 7; P = .012 on days 10-15 after the virst injection). Mice injected with the Bcl-xS vector had significantly greater survival relative to lac-Z-injected mice (n = 7; P = .0004). Bcl-xS protein expression was detected in aspirates of mice injected with the Bcl-xS vector but not the lac-Z vector. Necropsies revealed that ascites bearing mice injected with Bcl-xS vector lacked carcinoma in the peritoneal cavity compared with control mice. Conclusion: The Bcl-xS adenovirus can reduce tumor burden and increase survival in an ascites model of advanced stage breast cancer.

Cultivating Effective Social Support Through Abstraction: Reframing Social Support Promotes Goal-Pursuit

Social support, in theory, should promote individual goal-pursuit. However, a growing number of studies shows that receiving support can undermine goal-pursuit. Addressing this paradox, we investigated a novel idea of the effects of how people think about their social support on their goal-pursuit. Four experiments showed that participants who were led to think abstractly (vs. concretely) about their social support showed higher intent to pursue their goal (Studies 1-3) and worked harder toward their goal (Study 4). The benefits of abstracting one’s social support occurred over a variety of personal goals, support types, and support-providers, indicating the generalizability and robustness of our findings. These results demonstrate that how people think about their social support influences goal-pursuit and suggest ways in which support-recipients can maximize their social support.