Processes Linking Parents’ and Adolescents’ Religiousness and Adolescent Substance Use: Monitoring and Self-Control

Empirical evidence suggests that religiousness is related negatively to adolescent substance use; yet, we know little about how such protective effects might occur. The current study examined whether parents’ and adolescents’ religiousness are associated positively with parental, religious, and self-monitoring, which in turn are related to higher self-control, thereby related to lower adolescent substance use. Participants were 220 adolescents (45 % female) who were interviewed at ages 10–16 and again 2.4 years later. Structural equation modeling analyses suggested that higher adolescents’ religiousness at Time 1 was related to lower substance use at Time 2 indirectly through religious monitoring, self-monitoring, and self-control. Higher parents’ religiousness at Time 1 was associated with higher parental monitoring at Time 2, which in turn was related to lower adolescent substance use at Time 2 directly and indirectly through higher adolescent self-control. The results illustrate that adolescents with high awareness of being monitored by God are likely to show high self-control abilities and, consequently, low substance use. The findings further suggest that adolescents’ religiousness as well as their religious environments (e.g., familial context) can facilitate desirable developmental outcomes.     

A death due to subinvolution of the uteroplacental arteries

A 19-year-old G1P0 Caucasian woman died 8 days postpartum because of the subinvolution of the uteroplacental arteries. Microscopic examination of the placental implantation site revealed large, dilated spiral arteries containing partially occluding thrombi in the superficial myometrium. The presence of cytotrophoblasts within and surrounding the spiral arteries was confirmed by low molecular weight cytokeratin immunohistochemistry. Infection of the Cesarean section incision site was demonstrated by the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae Group B in the wound as well as the intrauterine blood clot. Although subinvolution of the placental site may be a cause of delayed postpartum hemorrhage and significant morbidity, the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism is unknown.     

Comment on Donald R. Haurin and Hazel A. Morrow‐Jones's “rhe impact of Real Estate Market knowledge on tenure choice: A comparison of black and white households”

Abstract

Racial differences in tenure have been large and persistent, with white householders much more likely to own their homes than blacks. Haurin and Morrow‐Jones surveyed a sample of 1,002 in metropolitan Columbus, OH, in 2005 to determine the causes of the tenure gap between blacks and whites.

Social and economic differences played a dominant role, but Haurin and Morrow‐Jones also identified a racial difference in real estate and financial knowledge, a difference they suggest could be reduced or eliminated with education. This comment raises questions about national homeownership goals and points out that Haurin and Morrow‐Jones overlook the consequences of pervasive racial residential segregation and the effects of both past and current discrimination.     

A predictive model of male spousal violence

This study presents and tests a predictive model of severe marital violence by men based on social learning theory and previous research. Results of the path analytic procedure suggest that sex-role egalitarianism and approval of marital violence both have direct effects on the use of severe marital violence. At the same time, sex-role egalitarianism and the observation of marital violence as a child have indirect effects by several paths. Egalitarianism has an indirect negative effect on use of severe violence which depends upon approval of marital violence. Observation of marital violence has a negative effect on self-esteem which influences marital stress and level of alcoholism, both of which have an effect on approval of marital violence. Observation of violence as a child also has a direct effect on approval of violence and a negative effect on sex-role egalitarianism.     

Potential impact on birth rates of reforms in laws governing contraceptive marketing

This article attempts to estimate the potential impact on birth rates of relaxing various legal restrictions on the marketing of contraceptives and to identify countries offering particular potential for such policies. The approach is through a quasi-experimental cross-sectional analysis of various configurations of laws in 82 countries. Results indicate that relaxation of a complex of interrelated restrictions offers the potential to lower birth rates and hence population growth by a full percentage point. The estimates are made in context of an analysis of covariance in which other key determinants of birth rates (measures of economic, demographic and health status) are also considered. While the cross-sectional design does not allow assessment of time frame for the impact of such changes, some guidance is available from the experience of two countries.     

A review of blunt force injury homicides of children aged 0 to 5 years in bexar county, Texas, from 1988 to 2009

ABSTRACT: It is essential that clinical physicians, medical personnel, medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies understand the types of injuries seen and demographics of children affected by intentional blunt force as this understanding can be crucial to the death and/or criminal investigations. An understanding of the injuries can also assist in drawing conclusions regarding how those injuries could have been sustained. This study discusses the types and patterns of injuries seen in blunt force homicides in children younger than 6 years. The study found that male infants are more often intentionally injured than are female infants and that fatal head injuries most frequently occur in the first year of life, whereas most fatal thoracoabdominal injuries occur in the first 3 years of life. In children with head injuries, subdural hemorrhage was the most common finding, followed by subarachnoid hemorrhage. In 2.5% of deaths due to head injury, concurrent neck injury was seen, a percentage far lower than previous literature would suggest if shaking was the primary mechanism of injury. Twelve legal confessions were also reviewed, none of which disclosed a pure mechanism of shaking the infant.     

A mixed-drug intoxication involving venlafaxine and verapamil

This case report describes the suicide of a 52-year-old woman whose cause of death was attributed to a mixed-drug intoxication involving venlafaxine and verapamil. Venlafaxine is prescribed for the treatment of depression and should be used with caution in patients with cardiovascular disease. Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker primarily used for treatment of cardiovascular disorders. The following drug concentrations were determined in postmortem fluids: verapamil--3.5 mg/L (femoral blood), 9.4 mg/L (subclavian blood), and 1.0 mg/L (vitreous fluid); norverapamil--1.0 mg/L (femoral blood), 2.1 mg/L (subclavian blood), and 0.20 mg/L (vitreous fluid); verapamil and norverapamil could not be detected in bile or urine due to the high levels of erythromycin present; venlafaxine--6.2 mg/L (femoral blood), 8.6 mg/L (subclavian blood), 5.3 mg/L (vitreous fluid), 54.0 mg/L (bile), and 72.3 mg/L (urine); and O-desmethylvenlafaxine--5.4 mg/L (femoral blood), 8.3 mg/L (subclavian blood), positive (vitreous fluid), 29.2 mg/L (bile), and 9.5 mg/L (urine). The cause of death was determined to be a mixed-drug intoxication resulting from an overdose of verapamil and venlafaxine. The manner of death was determined to be suicide.     

Cadaver dog and handler team capabilities in the recovery of buried human remains in the southeastern United States

The detection of human remains that have been deliberately buried to escape detection is a problem for law enforcement. Sometimes the cadaver dog and handler teams are successful, while other times law enforcement and cadaver dog teams are frustrated in their search. Five field trials tested the ability of four cadaver dog and handler teams to detect buried human remains. Human and animal remains were buried in various forested areas during the summer months near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The remains ranged in decomposition from fresh to skeletonized. Cadaver dogs detected with varying success: buried human remains at different stages of decomposition, buried human remains at different depths, and buried decomposed human and animal remains. The results from these trials showed that some cadaver dogs were able to locate skeletonized remains buried at a significant depth. Fresh and skeletonized remains were found equally by the cadaver dogs along with some caveats. Dog handlers affected the reliability of the cadaver dog results. Observations and videotape of the cadaver dogs during field trials showed that they were reliable in finding buried human remains.     

Web 2.0, wikis, and the IP Community

Legal context: The emergence of new web-based programs being used in the fieldsof patent applications and IP legal information has opened upa range of new opportunities for IP-related legal processesand knowledge sharing. Key points: This article explains the background to Web 2.0 applicationsand explores the potential for the use of wikis in various areasof IP. It notes the limitations, as well as the possibilities,of wikis and explains how they work in practice. It outlinesthree recent examples of wikis in the IP world, explaining howthey work and the significance of their overall objectives. Practical significance: The adoption of this technology by official bodies suggestswider future use and the appearance of unofficial sites showsthat current developments have already reached a stage wheremany IP practitioners can begin to interact and share knowledgein a way that has not been considered previously. It is conceivablethat developments in this area will be rapid and it is in theinterests of users to familiarize themselves with the use ofthis new ‘social software’.