Aggregation effects on male-to-female arrest rate ratios in New York State, 1972 to 1984

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effects of data aggregation on a specification of the relationship between sex and arrest rate trends. The analysis focuses on the empirical implications when arrest data are aggregated across dimensions that are likely to affect the sex-crime relationship. The data for the analysis consist of 4,119,358 male and female adult arrests in New York State for the 13-year period ending in 1984. Results indicate that race, regional differences, and the legal seriousness of the arrest charge produce significantly different patterns of sex convergence across time. On the basis of these results, we suggest serious limitations in past analyses of female crime rates and in the value of Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data for addressing theoretically relevant questions concerning the social correlates of official crime.     

AHRA does not protect device distributor against copyright claims arising from broadcaster role

In a case of first impression, and one of the few cases interpretingthe statute at issue, a district court in New York City hasheld that the Audio Home Recording Act, 17 USC sections 1001et seq. (‘AHRA’), does not immunize a distributorof digital audio recording devices (DARDs) from copyright liabilitywhen the infringement claims are based on the distributor'sallegedly infringing activity in its simultaneous role as asatellite radio broadcaster. The case illustrates the ambiguousnature of digital transmissions, which can be treated as distributionsof musical works as well as digital performances.     

Joh for PM: the Inside Story of an Extraordinary Political Drama

Joh for PM: the Inside Story of an Extraordinary Political Drama. By Paul Davey (Sydney: New South, 2015), pp.311, AU$29.99 (pb).     

National-State Relations: Cooperative Federalism in the Twentieth Century

Daniel J. Elazar's 1959 Ph.D. dissertation demonstrated conclusivelythe inadequate explanatory value of the theory of dual federalismand the prevalence of cooperative national-state relations inthe period ending in 1913. Congressional employment of totaland partial preemption and coercive regulatory powers since1965 raises the question whether the theory of cooperative federalismexplains fully the functioning of the federal system at thebeginning of the twenty-first century. An examination of national-staterelations reveals that each of the two theories retains a degreeof explanatory value. There is, however, a need for a more generaltheory incorporating elements of these theories and coerciveuse of congressional powers, highlighting the generally cooperativenature of national-state relations, and explaining the continuousreadjustment of the respective powers of Congress and states.     

Psychological Distress,Substance Use,and HIV/STI Risk Behaviors Among Youth

Psychological distress has been inconsistently associated with sexual risk behavior in youth, suggesting additional factors, such as substance use, may explain this relationship. The mediating or moderating role of substance use on the relationship between psychological distress and sexual risk behaviors was prospectively examined over the four high school years in a sample of urban youth (N = 850; 80% African American; 50% female). Growth curve modeling was used to estimate changes in sexual risk across adolescence and to test its association to psychological distress symptoms and frequency of substance use. Substance use was associated with psychological distress. Greater psychological distress was associated with increased sexual intercourse frequency, decreased condom use, and increased number of partners. Substance use fully mediated the relationship between psychological distress and intercourse frequency and condom use, and partially mediated the relationship between psychological distress and number of partners. We found no differences in mediation by sex or race/ethnicity and no evidence to support moderation of psychological distress and substance use on sexual risk. Findings suggest that psychological distress is associated with sexual risk because youth with greater psychological distress are also more likely to use substances. Practical implications for adolescent HIV/STI prevention are discussed.     

Exposure to Violence Predicting Cortisol Response During Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Understanding Moderating Factors

Previous research on the association between violence and biological stress regulation has been largely cross-sectional, and has also focused on childhood. Using longitudinal data from a low-income, high-risk, predominantly African-American sample (n = 266; 57 % female), we tested hypotheses about the influence of cumulative exposure to violence during adolescence and early adulthood on cortisol responses in early adulthood. We found that cumulative exposure to violence predicted an attenuated cortisol response. Further, we tested whether sex, mothers’ support, or fathers’ support moderated the effect of exposure to violence on cortisol responses. We found that the effect of cumulative exposure to violence on cortisol was modified by sex; specifically, males exposed to violence exhibited a more attenuated response pattern. In addition, the effect of cumulative exposure to violence on cortisol was moderated by the presence of fathers’ support during adolescence. The findings contribute to a better understanding of how cumulative exposure to violence influences biological outcomes, emphasizing the need to understand sex and parental support as moderators of risk.