Early Adolescent Social Anxiety: Differential Associations for Fathers’ and Mothers’ Psychologically Controlling and Autonomy-Supportive Parenting

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Although psychologically controlling and autonomy-supportive parenting are important indicators of social anxiety during early adolescence, less research has...     

EU enlargement and the rise of Asian FTAs: Implications for Asia-Europe relations

  Over the past few years, there has been resurgence in regionalism and preferential trade across the global economic system. The European Union has taken steps at enlargement of their economic community to include countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Bilateral trade arrangements are proliferating in Asia involving the region's largest economies Japan and China. These arrangements mirror similar initiatives in the Americas. These developments have profound implications on the world trading system, in general, and to Asia-Europe relations in particular. The rise of preferentialism runs the risk of heightened discrimination, trade diversion and the fragmentation of the multilateral trade order. This prospect will have a direct impact on the future relations between Asia and Europe. Both Europe and Asia should remain outward oriented, open to reciprocal arrangements with non-member economies, and supportive of the multilateral trading system.     

The network structure of malware development,deployment and distribution

The Internet is a global infrastructure, connecting individuals, regardless of their proximity to one another. But, the ability to connect on such a large scale has also been leveraged to coordinate illicit activities. This has led to the emergence of online illicit networks that have enabled broader participation in cybercrime. Online stolen data markets have been of particular interest to researchers, though the networks involved in the development, deployment and distribution of malicious software are far less explored, despite being intricately tied to the growing issue of cyber security. The current study identifies community structures within a larger network of hackers, malware writers and market actors and examines the underlying characteristics of these networks. Results suggest that the network is composed of modular communities formed largely of weak, non-redundant ties that follow the ubiquitous structure of complex networks. Implications, limitations and directions for future research conclude this paper.     

A fatal forensic intoxication with fenarimol: analysis by HPLC/DAD/MSD

Fenarimol (Rubigan) is a pyrimidine ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitor used as a systemic fungicide. The authors present a fatal fenarimol intoxication case analysed in the Forensic Toxicology Service of the National Institute of Legal Medicine. The results were used to compare two different HPLC techniques, regarding selectivity and sensitivity: an HPLC system with a diode array detector (DAD) and an HPLC system with a DAD and a mass spectrometry detector (MSD) with an electrospray interface. All biological samples were submitted to a solid-phase extraction procedure. The detection and quantification limits of fenarimol, linearity, precision and accuracy were evaluated. The fenarimol concentration levels determined were of 89.0 mg/ml in gastric contents, 1.9 mg/g in liver and 0.4 mg/g in kidney. Blood was not available at autopsy. No published data related to fenarimol self-poisoning were found, so it was not possible to interpret the results obtained by comparison with toxic/lethal levels.     

Self-Reported Aggression and Impulsivity in Forensic and Non-Forensic Populations: The Role of Gender and Experience

Gender differences in aggressive behavior are traditionally seen as extremely robust. Yet, on closer inspection, the reasons for these differences appear to be incredibly complex as a wide range of moderating variables appears to influence the behaviour. Further, the effect of these variables is often gender specific. We examined aggressive beliefs and self-rated aggressive behaviour and impulsivity in forensic (115 males, 133 females at three closed prisons in the North of England) and non-forensic populations (114 males, and 122 females at the University of Leeds). Participants completed the Revised EXPAGG Questionnaire, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, the Aggressive Acts Questionnaire and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale. Violent men and women, while more aggressive than both undergraduates and non-violent offenders, were equally likely to report their involvement in physical acts of aggression and showed similar levels of aggression and impulsivity. Previous experience of aggression, together with elevated levels of anger and impulsivity were better predictors of aggressive behavior than gender in all participants. These results suggest that gender differences in self-report measures (on cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions) in forensic populations may be less clear-cut than many have previously believed, particularly in the most aggressive individuals.     

The Role of Family Obligations and School Adjustment in Explaining the Immigrant Paradox

This study examined the role of family obligations and school adjustment in explaining immigrant adolescents’ adaptation. Despite a relatively low socio-economic status, immigrant adolescents have been found to have a pattern of adaptation superior to that of national adolescents. Immigrant adolescents’ strong sense of family obligations and positive school adjustment have been used to explain these positive adaptation outcomes. Using self-reports in a sample of 277 national adolescents (45.5% female) and a sample of 175 non-western immigrant adolescents (58.9% female), both samples with a mean age of 15 years, it was found that despite a lower socio-economic status, the adaptation of immigrant adolescents was as good as the nationals’ adaptation. Immigrant adolescents scored higher on family obligations and school adjustment. Family obligations and school adjustment were found positively related to adaptation outcomes in the national and the immigrant adolescent sample. Findings suggest that, in underprivileged environments, a strong sense of family obligations may help immigrants as well as national adolescents achieve a positive pattern of adaptation.     

Assisted suicide and the inalienable right to life

This article focuses on a topic largely overlooked by both the supporters and opponents of assisted suicide. The legalization of suicide assistance damages the interests of persons who value the law's full and equal protection of their lives by designating them as eligible for help in killing themselves. Measures such as Oregon's Death with Dignity Act regard every person diagnosed as having a terminal condition as a candidate for suicide assistance, as if the protection of life was an alienable interest for this class. Thus all members of the eligible class, including those opposed to assisted suicide, lose the status of being regarded by law as having an inalienable right to the protection of life. This status-based injury should inform the standing and substantive constitutional questions raised by a state's adoption of such a policy.