Effects of different substance misuse in genital reflexes of paradoxical sleep deprived male rats

As psychostimulants are widely abused, their neurochemical and behavioral effects have been extensively studied for many years. Our previous data demonstrate that paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) enhances drug-induced penile erection and ejaculation. PSD in association to drugs of abuse like cocaine potentiated genital reflexes in male rats. In this sense, the present study investigated if three substances abused by young people--such as Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)THC), alcohol and caffeine--had any significant effect on the genital reflexes in PSD rats. The results indicated that PSD induced erection in 50% of the rats and 20% ejaculated. In addition, there was no significant alteration in the number of animals exhibiting genital reflexes neither on the frequency of these behaviors when challenged with Delta(9)-THC or alcohol or caffeine after 96 h of PSD. These findings show that Delta(9)THC, alcohol and caffeine when administrated isolated did not produce alterations in genital reflexes in the PSD male rats.     

Exploring the Cognitive and Emotional Correlates to Proactive and Reactive Aggression in a Sample of Detained Girls

The current study examined the distinction between reactive and proactive aggression in a sample of detained girls (N = 58) aged 12 to 18. This study employed a self-report measure of aggression that was designed explicitly to assess both the forms that aggression takes (i.e., relational and overt), as well as the functions that aggression serves (i.e., reactive and proactive). Reactive aggression was uniquely associated with poorly regulated emotion and anger to perceived provocation, whereas proactive aggression was uniquely associated with callous-unemotional (CU) traits and biased outcome expectations for aggression. While overt aggression appeared to largely account for these associations, relational aggression showed strong and unique associations with CU traits. The current findings highlight the importance of assessing reactive and proactive aggression, as well as both overt and relational aggression, in detained girls.     

Initial scene representations facilitate eye movement guidance in visual search

What role does the initial glimpse of a scene play in subsequent eye movement guidance? In 4 experiments, a brief scene preview was followed by object search through the scene via a small moving window that was tied to fixation position. Experiment 1 demonstrated that the scene preview resulted in more efficient eye movements compared with a control preview. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that this scene preview benefit was not due to the conceptual category of the scene or identification of the target object in the preview. Experiment 4 demonstrated that the scene preview benefit was unaffected by changing the size of the scene from preview to search. Taken together, the results suggest that an abstract (size invariant) visual representation is generated in an initial scene glimpse and that this representation can be retained in memory and used to guide subsequent eye movements.     

Proximate outcomes of gatekeeper training for suicide prevention in the workplace

In this pilot study we report on proximate outcomes of a 1-hour community gatekeeper training in-service for 76 nonclinical employees in a university hospital workplace setting. Pre-post analyses resulted in positive changes in participants' knowledge about suicide and attitudes (self-efficacy) about intervening with suicidal individuals. A subset of participants engaged in role play practice of gatekeeper skills following training and rated the experience positively. Fifty-five observations were rated using an observational measure developed for this study and approximately half of these demonstrated satisfactory skills post training. Participants in this workplace gatekeeper training reported sharing new knowledge and skills with family, friends, and coworkers.     

Elders in the justice system: how the system treats elders in trials, during imprisonment, and on death row

As the average lifespan increases, it becomes increasingly likely that elders will be involved in the justice system. Elders may be witnesses, victims, plaintiffs, or defendants in a trial. They are also prisoners and, in some cases, death row inmates. Because there are special needs and costs associated with elders, it is important to consider how they are treated in each of these areas of the justice system. For instance, jurors may have age biases; some prisons are unable to address elders' health problems; and critics have questioned the constitutionality of executing frail elders. In order to determine whether the court system is treating elders fairly, this analysis reviews current policies, research, and anecdotal evidence from recent high-profile cases. Recommendations for future research and policy changes are offered to ensure that elders are treated fairly in the justice system.     

Men Should Be Competent,Women Should Have it All: Multiple Criteria in the Evaluation of Female Job Candidates

Sex Roles - The present research investigated whether evaluations of female and male job candidates rely on different dimensions. Going beyond previous studies on the role of gender stereotypes, we...     

A Systematic Review of Trauma Interventions in Native Communities

American Indian/Alaska Native and First Nations communities suffer from health disparities associated with multiple forms of trauma exposure. Culturally appropriate interventions are needed to heal current and historical trauma wounds. Although there are evidence-based trauma interventions for other populations, few have been implemented or evaluated with Native communities. Understanding the extant research on trauma interventions in Native communities is crucial for advancing science and filling gaps in the evidence base, and for meeting the needs of underserved people. In this systematic review of the literature on trauma interventions in Native communities in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, we identified 15 studies representing 10 interventions for historical and/or current trauma. These studies involved the community to some extent in developing or culturally adapting the interventions and suggested positive outcomes with regard to historical and interpersonal trauma symptoms. However, notable limitations in study design and research methods limit both internal validity and external validity of these conclusions. Only one study attempted (but did not achieve) a quasi-experimental design, and small sample sizes were persistent limitations across studies. Recommendations for researchers include working in partnership with Native communities to overcome barriers to trauma intervention research and to increase the rigor of the studies so that ongoing efforts to treat trauma can yield publishable data and communities can secure funding for intervention research.     

Women's Spiritualities: Resource for Mission

What are the distinguishing features of women's spiritualities, what informs women's spiritualities and practice? This paper attends to the transformative elements that women's spiritualities potentially offer to the task of mission. Mary and her song in Luke 1 are explored in order to plumb something of the depth of the spirituality of Mary and her song and Mary in her role as woman, as co‐worker with God to redeem and transform the world.     

Growing up Faster, Feeling Older: Hardship in Childhood and Adolescence

We examine whether hardship while growing up shapes subjective age identity, as well as three types of experiences through which it may occur. Drawing on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we find that hardship in several domains during childhood and adolescence is associated with feeling relatively older and self-identifying as an adult in the late teens and twenties. Specifically, young people who as adolescents felt unsafe in their schools or neighborhoods, witnessed or were victims of violence, had fewer economic resources in the household, and lived in certain family structures, reported older subjective ages (by one or both measures). We find no evidence that hardship's association with subjective age is mediated by work responsibilities in adolescence or by anticipating a very curtailed life span, but entering adult roles earlier mediates or partially mediates many of these relationships.     

Permitting dishonour: culture,gender and freedom of expression

While the right to freedom of expression is of great importance in liberal societies, liberal governments should be wary of speech that disparages minority groups. This issue is particularly problematic when minority women publicly criticise gender oppression within their communities. By focusing on the controversy over the play Behzti in 2004, this article explores the difficulties involved in protecting individual women’s rights to criticise injustice, when doing so risks perpetuating negative stereotypes in society at large. If liberal polities wish to preserve an ethos in society that enables minority women to speak out about their experience of oppression, then there is sometimes a case for restricting the right to free speech in these cases. By comparing Behzti with two other works, the article proposes a three-part test to indicate when liberals should seriously consider informal restrictions on free speech when this problem arises. Versions of this chapter were presented at Keele, Strathclyde and York Universities in 2005. I would like to thank the audiences for their valuable feedback. Thanks are also due to Paul Bou-Habib for written comments.