Gender Differences in Worry About a Terrorist Attack: A Cross-National Examination of Individual- and National-Level Factors

Prior research has found gender to be associated with worry about crime and terrorism. We used World Values Survey data to assess gender differences in worry about terrorism across 54 nations. Analyses also examined the influence of individual- and national-level factors. Women were significantly more worried about terrorism in 22 of the 54 nations. Men in Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and New Zealand were significantly more worried about terrorism than women. Individuals were more likely to worry about terrorism as the nation’s average mortality count in terrorist incidents increased. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Response of short tandem repeat systems to temperature and sizing methods

In capillary gel electrophoresis (CE), changing run conditions such as temperature can result in minor variations in the size determination of an allele. These effects are caused by secondary structure differences that can occur between the amplified sample and the internal standard. The type of method chosen to generate the sizing curve in STR analysis can influence the relationship between estimated allele size and temperature. To better understand the effects of temperature and sizing method on the reproducibility of DNA migration, two fluorescently labeled allelic ladders, CTTv and Y-PLEX 6 were analyzed using the ABI Prism 310 Genetic Analyzer. The default method on the Genetic Analyzer utilizes an electrophoretic temperature of 60 degrees C and a Local Southern method to generate a sizing curve from the fragment migration times of the internal lane standard. In this work, electrophoresis was conducted at 35-70 degrees C using the commercially available POP 4 buffer at pH 8 and two sizing methods, Global Southern and Local Southern, were compared. The slopes of the regression line between estimated allele size and temperature, using either sizing method, were measured in order to demonstrate the temperature sensitivity of migration time and the importance of the operator-chosen method. Our results indicate that the Global Southern method is a better choice in situations where temperature fluctuations can occur. In addition, the temperature dependence of the DNA size estimates using the POP 4 system were compared to results obtained using an experimental buffer consisting of 3% hydroxyethylcellulose at pH 11. These results demonstrate that secondary structure effects are minimized at an elevated pH, increasing the precision of size estimates obtained.     

Evaluating a Sport-Based Mental Health Literacy Intervention in Australian Amateur Sporting Adolescents

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Youth amateur sporting environments present an untapped, under-researched, and potentially vital avenue for targeted mental health intervention programs. This...     

Maternal Care, Maltreatment and Callous-Unemotional Traits Among Urban Male Juvenile Offenders

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e., lack of empathy/guilt, uncaring attitudes) are believed to be a developmental antecedent to adult psychopathy and identify antisocial youth at risk for severe and persistent aggression. The psychosocial histories of antisocial and aggressive individuals with psychopathic traits are characterized by abusive or unaffectionate parenting; however, there is a gap in the literature regarding the unique impact of these factors on adolescent offenders. The purpose of the present study was to examine the contribution of maternal warmth and affection (i.e., care) to dimensions of CU traits and aggression, after accounting for the influence of various types of childhood maltreatment. We investigated this aim in a sample of 227 urban male adolescent offenders housed in residential facilities. Results indicated that low maternal care was significantly associated with greater total CU traits and uncaring and callousness dimensions, even after controlling for the effects of various types of childhood abuse and neglect. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction between CU traits and care, such that aggression was highest among youths scoring high on CU traits who were exposed to low levels of maternal care. These findings draw attention to the importance of maternal bonding to CU traits and related aggressive behaviors among antisocial youth.     

The Admissibility of the R-PAS in Court

The admissibility of the Rorschach has been a concern of forensic psychologists for many years. The focus of this debate has been the Comprehensive System, which is the most researched of the current Rorschach Systems available in the USA. However, recently, a new, competing system has been published: the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS; Meyer et al., Rorschach Performance Assessment System: Administration, Coding, Interpretation, and Technical Manual, 2011). Using Heilbrun’s (Law and Human Behavior 16:257–272, 1992) guidelines as a framework, we examine the admissibility of this new system according to the standards outlined in Daubert (1993) and Frye (1923). We conclude that we have reservations about the admissibility of the R-PAS in court at the present time, notwithstanding ongoing work on this system.     

Intimate Partner Victimization and Depressive Symptoms: Approaching Causal Inference Using a Longitudinal Twin Design

Journal of Quantitative Criminology - While a wealth of research reports a robust association between intimate partner victimization and depression, the relationship has not been tested using...     

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Pathology After Shotgun Injury to the Brain

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was initially conceptualized in boxers, but has extended to other athletes in recent years, albeit with limited clinical correlations. It is often asserted that CTE pathology represents the substrate for progressive neurodegenerative disease. We report the case of a shotgun injury to the brain with 42‐year survival and no neurological disease progression until shortly before death. The decedent had no other traumatic brain injury (TBI) exposure and did not play football or other high energy collision sport. Neuropathological examination confirmed tissue damage, but additionally demonstrated localized patterns of phosphorylated tau (p‐tau) meeting criteria for CTE pathology. P‐tau and TDP‐43 deposits within marginal tissue of damaged brain were also present focally. No amyloid‐β (Aβ) deposits were present. These findings indicate that CTE pathology may occur following a single, severe TBI.     

Legal Mobilization and Analogical Legal Framing: Feminist Litigators’ Use of Race–Gender Analogies

We investigate how cause lawyers articulate their demands in court. We do so by examining feminist legal briefs submitted in US Supreme Court cases from 1970 to the present, specifically focusing on the use of race–gender analogical legal framing. We explore the frequency and trends in the use of such arguments as well as the forms these arguments take, including how race–gender analogies parallel frame bridging and transformation. Additionally, we also investigate why activists choose to deploy race–gender analogies in their legal framing and discern that different political, legal, and social contexts can produce different uses of the race–gender analogy.