Public Opinion, Political Communication and the Internet

In contemporary society public opinion is generally mediated by the mass media, which has come to encompass the Habermasian 'public sphere'. This arena is now characterised by the conflict between market and democratic principles, by competing interests of politicians and the media. The presentation of information for debate becomes distorted. The opinion of the 'public' is no longer created through deliberation, but is constructed through systems of communication, in conflict with political actors, who seek to retain control of the dissemination of information. The expansion of the internet as a new method of communication provides a potential challenge to the primacy of the traditional media and political parties as formers of public opinion.     

Feminist histories

Shirley Fitzgerald, Rising Damp: Sydney 1870–90 Oxford University Press) Melbourne, 1987; Marilyn Lake, The Limits of Hope: Soldier Settlement in Victoria 1915–38 (Oxford University Press) Melbourne, 1987.     

Childhood sexual abuse and multiple dimensions of self-concept

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between child sexual abuse (CSA) and self-concept in a nonclinical sample of female college students. Participants with a history of CSA had lower scores than participants without a history of CSA on four domains of self-concept: familial, affect, competence, and physical. History of CSA was not associated with lower self-concept in the social and academic domains. The primary conclusions to be drawn from this study are that CSA may be differentially associated with various domains of self-concept, and thus multidimensional assessment of self-concept can yield useful information that cannot be gathered from global measures which yield a single composite score.     

DNA analysis of ingested tomato and pepper seeds

Ingested food is one of the important types of forensic evidence obtained during a medicolegal autopsy. Many materials containing seeds pass through the human digestive system and are still recognizable; thus, they can be valuable for providing investigative leads. Currently, the identification of seeds relies on microscopic and morphologic examination. However this method sometimes can be problematic. For example, the microscopic appearance of the ingested tomato and pepper seeds is very similar; thus, it is not always easy to distinguish these seeds by comparing their physical characteristics. Tomato and pepper seeds were selected as a model system to assess the value of performing DNA analysis as an alternate and/or complimentary means of seed identification. Results of blind testing indicate that the deoxyribonucleic acid-amplified fragment length polymorphism (DNA-AFLP) results were able to discriminate between pepper and tomato seed samples after they passed through the digestive system.     

A psychometric examination of English and Spanish versions of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales

The psychometric properties of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) are examined for English-speaking (n = 211) and Spanish-speaking (n = 194) Latino women. Internal consistency of total scale scores is satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha of .70 to .84). However, subscale alphas range from .46 to .80. Confirmatory factor analyses support five factors of negotiation, minor and severe psychological aggression, and minor and severe physical assault. In unconstrained two-group models, loadings are of similar magnitude across language of administration, with the exception of the Physical Assault scales. Unconstrained and constrained model comparisons show scale structure varied by language group for physical assault. Although results of this study show some comparability for English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Latinas, simply combining results across language groups may obscure important differences in rates of endorsement and patterns of responses reflecting cultural, educational, and economic differences.     

A randomized experimental study of sharing crime data with citizens: Do maps produce more fear?

The larger roles of the community in crime prevention and improvements in technology have increased police–citizen communication and the distribution of information from police departments to private citizens. Combined, these changes have led to the current movement among law enforcement agencies toward sharing both summary reports and maps of crime with community groups. Although the dissemination of crime information is intended to benefit community members, there is a lack of empirical evidence demonstrating the effects of crime mapping on citizen perceptions and fear of crime. This experiment compared three formats for disseminating crime data; two popular types of crime maps (i.e., graduated symbol and density) and the traditional tabular format of crime statistics. A randomized experimental design was used to measure residents fear of crime and their perception of the safety of different areas of Redlands, CA. Overall, residents who viewed either type of map reported less fear than those who viewed tabular statistics. Respondents who viewed graduated symbol maps consistently reported less fear than either density maps or tabular statistics. However, there were differences depending on the type of map. While graduated symbol maps were associated with the lowest levels of fear of robbery, theft or assault; density maps produced different reactions depending on the area of the city. Finally, the maps did not stigmatize high crime areas of Redlands. Where statistically significant differences existed, respondents who were given maps were more likely to recommend someone move into an area than those who were given tabular statistics.     

"If it hurts you, then it is not a joke": adolescents' ideas about girls' and boys' use and experience of abusive behavior in dating relationships

This study examined adolescents' ideas about girls' and boys' use and experience of physical and psychological abuse in heterosexual dating relationships. Canadian high school students who were enrolled in Grades 9 and 11 took part in single-gender focus groups. Eight themes emerged from the analysis. The themes highlight the importance teenagers place on context for defining specific behaviors as abusive. They also underscore gender differences in the criteria adolescents use to make these judgments, in the forms of abusive behavior teenagers typically use in a dating relationship, and in the reasons for youths' declining use of physical abuse and increasing use of psychological abuse. These views have important implications for future research and for programs targeting adolescent dating violence.     

Carrion fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) larval colonization of sunlit and shaded pig carcasses in West Virginia, USA

Two pig (Sus scrofta L.) carcasses were placed in sunlit and shaded plots in September 2003, and again in May 2004. Mean ambient temperatures between sunlit and shaded plots were not significantly different in either September or May, but mean ambient temperatures at sunlit and shaded plots in 2004 were significantly higher than corresponding means for sunlit and shaded plots in 2003. Mean maggot mass temperatures were significantly higher than ambient plot temperatures for all four experimental plots (i.e., sunlit and shaded carcasses in both 2003 and 2004). In addition, maggot mass temperatures on sunlit carcasses were positively, and significantly, correlated with ambient temperatures, whereas there was no significant correlation between maggot mass and ambient temperatures at shaded plots. Carcass decomposition proceeded more rapidly in 2004 in the presence of higher ambient temperatures, and sunlit carcasses decomposed faster than shaded ones in both 2003 and 2004 experiments. Phaenecia coeruleiviridis (Macquart) and Phormia regina (Meigen) third instars dominated collections on all four carcasses, but there was little temporal overlap between these species with third instars of the former dominating collections in the early portion (approximately 40%) of each experimental period (with the exception of the shaded carcass in 2004 where both species were co-dominant), and the latter assuming dominance in the latter portion (approximately 60%). Lower accumulated degree hour values were calculated for instar development on 2004 carcasses subjected to higher ambient temperatures.