Gender swapping and socializing in cyberspace: an exploratory study.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are one of the most interesting innovations in the area of online computer gaming. Given the relative lack of research in the area, the main aims of the study were to examine (a) the impact of online gaming (e.g., typical playing behavior) in the lives of online gamers, (b) the effect of online socializing in the lives of gamers, and (c) why people engage in gender swapping. A self-selecting sample of 119 online gamers ranging from 18 to 69 years of age (M = 28.5 years) completed a questionnaire. The results showed that just over one in five gamers (21%) said they preferred socializing online to offline. Significantly more male gamers than female gamers said that they found it easier to converse online than offline. It was also found that 57% of gamers had engaged in gender swapping, and it is suggested that the online female persona has a number of positive social attributes in a male-oriented environment.     

Dissolving the Engineering Moral Dilemmas Within the Islamic Ethico-Legal Praxes

The goal of responsible engineers is the creation of useful and safe technological products and commitment to public health, while respecting the autonomy of the clients and the public. Because engineers often face moral dilemma to resolve such issues, different engineers have chosen different course of actions depending on their respective moral value orientations. Islam provides a value-based mechanism rooted in the Maqasid al-Shari‘ah (the objectives of Islamic law). This mechanism prioritizes some values over others and could help resolve the moral dilemmas faced in engineering. This paper introduces the Islamic interpretive-evaluative maxims to two core issues in engineering ethics: genetically modified foods and whistleblowing. The study aims primarily to provide problem-solving maxims within the Maqasid al-Shari‘ah matrix through which such moral dilemmas in science and engineering could be studied and resolved.     

Rap on ��l��Avenue��; Islam, aesthetics, authenticity and masculinities in the Tunisian rap scene

This paper presents research findings from fieldwork in the rap scene of Tunis. Although the scene is relatively small, especially when compared to its Algerian counterpart, the number of young men involved in rap is expanding rapidly, particularly with the internet as a networking and promoting tool. Throughout the discussion I explore some of the ways that (Sunni) Islam intersects with rap in the artists’ lives, lyrics and identities, and the ways that their particular locatedness informs their position within what has been termed the ‘transglobal hip hop nation’. Whilst interpreting religion has long been a contested area in Tunisia, it seems that rap here functions as a route to articulating alternative interpretations of Islam, ones which not only unite the artists but offer potential for pan-umma and transglobal connectivities. These potentialities resonate with the idea of a ‘transglobal hip hop ummah’ and provide the artists with arenas for personal, political, collective and spiritual expression.     

Adult age differences in episodic memory: further support for an associative-deficit hypothesis

This study further tested an associative-deficit hypothesis (ADH; M. Naveh-Benjamin, 2000), which attributes a substantial part of older adults' deficient episodic memory performance to their difficulty in merging unrelated attributes-units of an episode into a cohesive unit. First, the results of 2 experiments replicate those observed by M. Naveh-Benjamin (2000) showing that older adults are particularly deficient in memory tests requiring associations. Second, the results extend the type of stimuli (pictures) under which older adults show this associative deficit. Third, the results support an ADH in that older adults show less of an associative deficit when the components of the episodes used are already connected in memory, thereby facilitating their encoding and retrieval. Finally, a group of younger adults who encoded the information under divided-attention conditions did not show this associative deficit.     

Neural substrates of word generation during stroke recovery: the influence of cortical hypoperfusion

Several studies have demonstrated reorganization of cognitive and motor function caused by stroke. This study examined the influence of hypoperfused brain regions, in addition to the area of the infarct itself, on reorganization of the cognitive processes underlying word generation in stroke patients. In addition, we also sought to determine the influence of hypoperfusion on the blood oxygen level dependent/(BOLD) effect. Subjects with left and right subacute or chronic subcortical strokes, along with normal controls, were imaged while performing a verbal fluency task (word generation). The study population included six normal subject and six stroke patients with subcortical infarcts and cortical hypoperfusion in the middle cerebral artery territory who had recovered or improved markedly in word fluency. While normal subjects displayed a left-lateralized fronto-temporo-parietal and bilateral cingulo-striatal-thalamic-cerebellar network, the activation pattern of stroke patients was determined both by the hypoperfused regions and infarcted areas of the brain. Specifically, patients showed diminished BOLD effect in the cortical regions that were hypoperfused, even though their infarcts were subcortical, and showed increased BOLD effect in the homologous regions of the normal hemisphere. This finding raises the possibility that cortical hypoperfusion in the absence of infarct can cause shift of language functions to the opposite, intact hemisphere. However, reduced BOLD effect in the task relative to rest was found in hypoperfused regions in two patients, raising the possibility that regional function persisted, even though vascular reactivity was impaired. Results illustrate the complexities of functional imaging studies of recovery in patients with vascular lesions.     

Minority religions in the census: the case of British Muslims

Abstract

This article considers the impact of census data on British Muslims, as well as the potential consequences of changes to the UK census beyond 2011 for minority religions. Focusing on the Muslim case, it reflects on data generated in previous censuses and the ways in which they have been used. The discussion explores the perceived need for social statistics on religion, particularly in relation to the increased identification of ‘Muslim’ as a religious rather than ethnic classification. It gives an overview of insights gained as a result of having data on religion in addition to ethnicity, notably: the high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage experienced by British Muslims and the ability to access information on Muslims that was hitherto hidden. Finally, the article provides a brief summary of proposed changes to the new census format and considers the likely outcomes for British Muslims if the scope of data collected on religion is reduced.     

(Re)presenting: Muslims on North American television

This article describes and analyzes the portrayal of Muslims on several North American television shows. Greatest detail is given to the two seasons of Sleeper Cell, the first show on American television created to deal with Muslim lives post 9/11. I deal briefly with Muslim characters on Oz for a look at portrayals of Muslim life pre 9/11. I also mention Muslim characters in Lost and 24 as well as some films to add further insights to my argument. These television dramas are compared with two comedies, Aliens in America as well as Little Mosque on the Prairie, the first Canadian television show to examine Muslim lives. The conclusion is that in dramas, Muslims are not recognized on American television as citizens of their own country, but instead are portrayed as dangerous immigrants with a religion that is both alien and wicked. Moreover, the religion as it is lived out on the television drama is one of violence—there seems to be no other substantive practice that embodies Islamic faith. The case is very different with regard to the television comedy.     

Evaluating anxiety and depression symptoms in children and adolescents with prior mild traumatic brain injury: Agreement between methods and respondents

Psychological functioning can be adversely impacted after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and may be a potential target for intervention. Despite the use of symptom ratings or structured diagnostic interview to assess long-term anxiety and depression symptoms in children and adolescents post-injury, no known studies have considered the agreement between different assessment methods and between respondents. The objectives of this study were to investigate the agreement between symptom ratings and structured diagnostic interview and between children and parents’ symptom reporting. Participants (N = 33; 9–18 years old) were recruited from the Emergency Department and assessed on average 22.8 months (SD = 5.6) after their mTBI. Anxiety and depression symptoms were evaluated via subscales of a questionnaire (Behavior Assessment System for Children) and parts of a computerized structured diagnostic interview (generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive episode; Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children – C-DISC-IV) administered individually to children and their parents. Results showed that the inter-method agreement to identify high levels of anxiety and depression was moderate to perfect in children while it was lower in parents. Although a similar percentage of participants with elevated anxiety or depression were identified by both children and parents, the agreement between youth and parents was variable, ranging from poor to good for anxiety and poor to moderate for depression. These results highlight the importance of collecting youth and parents’ reports of anxiety and depression symptoms and considering potential discrepancies between informants’ answers.