Socially induced renal pathology of captive wild rats (Rattus villosissimus)

Long-haired rats, Rattus villosissimus, were studied in large cages. Groups of adult rats (each of 3 males, or 1 male and 2 females) were observed during intermittent encounters with a male intruder for up to 9 days. Two further groups, each of 8 males and 8 females, were maintained for 70 days without introduction of intruders. Controls were kept in small cages in which intolerant behavior was rare. Behavior during attack resembled that of male R. norvegicus, but social relationships were less stable. Only observations on males are described in detail. Some rats collapsed under attack, though unwounded, and died when not removed. Collapse occurred sometimes after a few hours, but sometimes after many days of exposure. Exposure to attack was accompanied by a decline in body weight and by some adrenal hypertrophy. Two kinds of renal pathology are described: focal glomerular hypercellularity (FGH), probably due to glomerulonephritis, and dilated distal convoluted tubules. Neither condition occurred in the controls. FGH occurred in 3 of 12 rats (25%) that remained apparently healthy during the 9 days of continuous exposure, in 21 of 23 intruders (91%) that were exposed to intermittent attack over 9 days or less without becoming debilitated, and in 8 of 11 such rats (73%) that collapsed. All rats examined from 70-day colonies had FGH, whether collapsed or not. Dilated tubules occurred in 6 of 32 intruders (19%) exposed to intermittent attack, and in 2 of 6 animals that collapsed during 70 days of exposure. Renal pathology, especially glomerulonephritis, was therefore a correlate of social intolerance; but there was no evidence that it was a significant cause of death.     

The Effects of Single- Versus Multiple-Exemplar Training on Vocal Identification of Artists’ Styles

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of single- versus multiple-exemplar training with several artists’ paintings on graduate students’ stimulus generalization to novel paintings by the same artists. Six graduate students participated in this study. Participants studied decks of cards that depicted images of paintings by six different artists. Multiple-exemplar decks included three exemplars of three artists for a total of nine cards, and single-exemplar decks included single exemplars of three artists for a total of three cards. Participants “tested out” when ready following independent study with each deck and were required to score 100 % correct in order to move on to a generalization probe, during which participants were presented with novel exemplars. Overall, four of six participants performed better on the generalization probe after multiple-exemplar training, though in the case of three participants, only to a slight degree. These modest effects suggest that multiple-exemplar training may facilitate stimulus generalization, but that studying with single exemplars may allow for stimulus generalization as well.     

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: a basis for jus cogens prohibition of juvenile capital punishment in the United States

This article supports the position that the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) articulates a prohibition of capital punishment of juveniles that now must be considered a norm of jus cogens. The article provides statistics and trends regarding juveniles who commit capital crimes and describes how the U.S. justice system handles such juveniles, including Eighth Amendment analyses of juvenile executions under the U.S. Constitution. The article also discusses community consensus regarding evolving standards of decency, describes international law on the capital punishment of juveniles, and outlines worldwide trends in juvenile executions. It then defines and describes the concepts of customary international law and jus cogens, applying these concepts to the problem of the execution of juveniles in the United States. The article concludes by suggesting that there is a moral imperative for universal prohibition of juvenile capital punishment and by speculating about the domestic effects of applying such a jus cogens norm in the United States.     

Using Concept Mapping to Operationalize Mental Well-Being for Men and Boys

A primary purpose of many prevention-oriented interventions is to improve the general well-being and quality of life for individuals and their communities. Unfortunately, well-being is often poorly defined, with definitions embracing related issues of quality of life, happiness, and physical health. Mental well-being as a concept is also poorly defined, particularly for different population groups. As part of a larger study to assess community-level prevention efforts aimed at men and boys, a participatory approach was used to operationalize mental well-being from a male-centered, community-based perspective using concept mapping. A set of 96 statements perceived as important aspects of mental well-being for men and boys were developed and sorted by 90 participants from the study communities. The 8-cluster solution was selected as the most parsimonious and the best conceptual fit in relation to the mental well-being concept, namely, positive self-worth, supportive community, community connections, positive masculinity, responsive institutions, strong social connection, dignity and respect, and safety. These eight clusters of mental well-being, which were classified into two overarching domains of socio-environmental and emotional well-being, can provide a basis by which to assess community-based programs aimed at this population.     

A comparison of song-lyric and prose self-instruction procedures for increasing novel skills in children

We compared the effects of the effects of self-instructions in the form of prose or song lyrics in the acquisition of gross motor tasks in 4 third-grade children. We taught participants 4 pairs of gross motor tasks, with one task in each pair taught with prose self-instructions and the other taught with song lyric self-instructions. Both self-instruction procedures were effective for teaching tasks; however, acquisition was quicker with song lyric self-instruction for 4 task pairs, acquisition was quicker with prose self-instruction for 3 task pairs; and similar for 1 task pair. Participants were then able to select their preferred method of self-instruction for a novel, applied skill. Two participants selected song-lyric self-instructions and 2 participants selected prose self-instructions.     

The role of relative deprivation in majority-culture support for multiculturalism

In this paper, we investigate majority-culture attitudes to multicultural policy in Australia. Drawing on relative deprivation (RD) theory, we explore whether resistance to multicultural policies and initiatives is related to individual and/or group-based grievance claims of discrimination. To assess RD, we asked 517 Australian-born people who identified as White Australians to rate (a) levels of discrimination toward their own group, toward themselves personally as a consequence of their group membership, and toward immigrants to Australia, and (b) feelings of injustice and anger associated with such discrimination. Our findings show that, while perceptions of discrimination toward majority-culture Australians are commonplace, perceptions of discrimination toward immigrants are more so. We also found that higher ratings of group-based RD of Australians relative to immigrants, but not individual deprivation relative to immigrants, predicted opposition to multicultural policies and initiatives. Moreover, perceived group-based RD mediated the link between national identification and opposition to multicultural policies. The findings highlight, for the first time, the importance of group-based grievance claims by majority-culture members in opposing or supporting multicultural policy.     

The Neutralization and Denial of Sexual Violence in College Party Subcultures

Heavy drinking and sexual assault are prevalent among college students who attend parties hosted by fraternities and athletic teams, and accusations often produce victim blaming and disbelief. We provide a symbolic interactionist explanation of how subculturally held sentiments shape students’ perceptions. We find that fraternity or athletic team party attendees (but not those who drink in other settings) are more likely than abstainers to hold stereotypical definitions of rape, rate sexual assault as less likely, and are less likely to acknowledge an assault as rape. This study offers a potential mechanism—meanings transmitted and sustained within subcultures—for explaining the denial of rape among students who attend parties hosted by fraternities or athletic teams.     

John Milton's Magisterial Reformation

In the English prose he published over a period of two decades, John Milton frequently uses the term ‘reformation’ to identify the age in which he was living and the causes for which he was fighting. In so doing, he reveals his support for the magisterial Reformation and his rejection of the radical Reformation. He expresses his desire not for religious diversity but for union with the Scottish and Continental Reformed Churches. He constructs a complex discourse that is self-serving, misleading in some ways, prophetic, and calculated to win a range of polemical contests. In supporting the magisterial Reformation, he also displays his support for theologians who participate in government, and magistrates who participate in determining religious belief and conduct. Milton thus repudiates many aspects of modernity and is, as he insists, a man who lived during, and promoted what he called, ‘times of reformation’.