Alcohol Priming and Attribution of Blame in an Acquaintance Rape Vignette

Research on nonpharmacological effects of alcohol shows that exposure to alcohol-related cues (i.e., alcohol priming) can increase behaviors associated with actual alcohol consumption. Attributions of responsibility to female victims in sexual assault scenarios are affected by whether or not alcohol was consumed by a victim and/or perpetrator. Victims often receive higher levels of blame if they consume alcohol prior to the assault. This work extends the research on nonpharmacological effects of alcohol into a novel domain of blame attribution toward rape victims. In two studies, participants in lab settings (Study 1; N = 184) and online (Study 2; N = 421) were primed with alcohol or neutral beverage advertisements as part of a purportedly separate ad-rating task and then were presented with a vignette depicting an acquaintance rape where the characters consumed beer or soda. Participants subsequently completed a questionnaire assessing victim blame and perpetrator blame. Across both studies, participants blamed the victim most when they were exposed to both contextual (story) and noncontextual (ads) alcohol cues; this effect was especially prominent in males in Study 1. Findings for perpetrator blame were inconsistent across studies. Implications of nonpharmacological effects of alcohol on blame attribution toward rape victims are discussed in the context of courtroom situations and bystander intervention

Structural transformations and their impact on the mechanical and antifriction properties in the process of alloying graphitized hypereutectoid steel with copper

The purpose of the work is to develop a cast antifriction material based on an iron-carbon alloy with a high copper content for use in large, heavy duty sliding friction units. Using the casting method in self-hardening liquid glass mixtures, two specimens of hypereutectoid graphitized steel with different copper contents (0.09 and 8.76 wt.%) were produced. To obtain graphite in the steel structure, modification with the silicocalcium (SiCa) was used. The microstructural examination was carried out using optical metallography, SEM and TEM methods. The impact of copper on the structure as well as the mechanical and antifriction properties of graphitized hypereutectoid steel was studied. It was found that adding 8.76 wt.% of copper to the steel composition leads to an increase in the Brinell hardness level of the material from 250 to 300 HB, ultimate tensile strength from 250 to 380 MPa and compressive strength from 1050 to 1200  MPa, which is associated with an increase in the microhardness of pearlite from 350 to 420 HV. To assess the impact of copper on the sliding friction coefficient of graphitized hypereutectoid steel, a curve of sliding friction coefficient vs applied load was plotted; the experiment was carried out according to the liner-on-disk scheme. The wear resistance of materials under sliding friction conditions was also assessed using this method. Copper alloying has a positive effect on the wear resistance of graphitized hypereutectoid steel by increasing the mechanical properties of the material and also by reducing the level of the sliding friction coefficient under boundary lubrication conditions

Attractiveness as a Function of Skin Tone and Facial Features: Evidence From Categorization Studies

Participants rated the attractiveness and racial typicality of male faces varying in their facial features from Afrocentric to Eurocentric and in skin tone from dark to light in two experiments. Experiment 1 provided evidence that facial features and skin tone have an interactive effect on perceptions of attractiveness and mixed-race faces are perceived as more attractive than single-race faces. Experiment 2 further confirmed that faces with medium levels of skin tone and facial features are perceived as more attractive than faces with extreme levels of these factors. Black phenotypes (combinations of dark skin tone and Afrocentric facial features) were rated as more attractive than White phenotypes (combinations of light skin tone and Eurocentric facial features); ambiguous faces (combinations of Afrocentric and Eurocentric physiognomy) with medium levels of skin tone were rated as the most attractive in Experiment 2. Perceptions of attractiveness were relatively independent of racial categorization in both experiments

“Our family was called the ‘blessed family’ in the city...” (to the biography of Alexander Nikolaevich Pypin)

The work deals with the questions of the biography of the outstanding Russian scientist-humanitarian, academician of the Imperial Academy of Sciences A. N. Pypin (1833–1904). The purpose of the study is to identify and summarize materials about the Saratov period of the scientist’s life, to present the history of his family, to reveal the role of his father and mother in intellectual and spiritual development. The study of a wide range of memoirs, documentary and epistolary sources resulted in establishing that the history of the noble family of the Pypins dates back to 1791. The ancestors on the father’s side, N. D. Pypin, were clerical workers, on the side of the mother A.E. Golubeva they were priests. It is shown that A. N. Pypin was brought up in a religious family, with high moral ideals, in the atmosphere of love and care. The role of parents in the formation of his humanitarian interests is significant. It is noted that the love of books and reading that distinguished Alexander Nikolaevich from an early age came from his family, from his mother, and was a natural necessity for all younger family members. Parents formed a picture of the world of their son by various means. If the mother did so through literature, primary educational knowledge, then the father formed it by means of contact with real life. He introduced his son to the world of peasant life, of serfdom. According to the scientist, N. D. and A. E. Pypins had a significant impact on the formation of his personality, influenced the choice of life priorities. The paper publishes for the first time the primary source about the birth of A. N. Pypin, the record in the metrical book of Saratov Church of the Holy Saviour, the formulary lists of his great-grandfather, grandfather and father. &nbsp

Studying Guilt Perception in Millennials: Unexpected Effects of Suspects\u27 Race and Attractiveness

The present study explored mock jurors’ guilt judgments with a 2 (Jurors’ Race: Black vs. White) × 2 (Suspects’ Race: Black vs. White) × 2 (Suspects’ Attractiveness: High vs. Low) design in a group of Millennials (N = 331). Black jurors were more lenient; all jurors were more lenient toward Black suspects; and White jurors were less lenient toward Black unattractive suspects. The current study contributes the following novel findings to the literature: documentation of a possible Black experimenter effect in mock jurors; an interaction among suspects’ race, suspects’ attractiveness, and jurors’ race, suggesting that racial bias exhibited by White jurors may be masking itself as an unattractiveness bias; and additive empathy by Black jurors toward persons who fall within more than one underprivileged group

The Role of Feature-Based Discrimination In Driving Health Disparities Among Black Americans

Objective: A growing body of research finds that darker skin tone is often associated with poorer physical and mental health in Blacks. However, the psychosocial mechanisms underlying the skin tone-health link remain elusive. The present study seeks to address this knowledge gap by investigating the direct and indirect (through perceived discrimination, socioeconomic status, and self-esteem) effects of skin tone on self-reported physical and mental health. Design: An urban sample of 130 Blacks aged 35 and above completed a self-administered computerized survey as a part of larger cross-sectional study. Results: Self-esteem played a particularly important role in mediating the associations between skin tone and self-reported physical and mental health. This suggests that self-esteem could be a point of intervention to help Blacks with darker skin tone achieve better health. Conclusion: The present study highlights the important role feature-based discrimination plays in determining mental and physical health outcomes among Blacks

Pictorial Race Activiation In Priming Measures

This review explores characteristics of facial primes employed in priming studies of racial prejudice and stereotyping. It addresses the role of perceptual, cue-based processing of visual stimuli characteristics in altering racial typicality, and the effects of different moderators. The authors document the nature of variability in primes and moderators used in priming studies (N = 96) up to 2009. Methodological and conceptual implications are discussed, along with gaps in the field. Better control over facial primes employed, more accuracy in reporting and open access to procedural information are suggested in an effort to improve the state of racial priming research

Research of interferential factors of accounting and evaluation of cryptocurrency in the practical business model of a company

Cryptocurrency is a modern phenomenon of the digital economy, which is gradually becoming part of the business processes of companies of various profiles and economic sectors. The presence of unsettled issues at the legislative level of jurisdictions, as well as the ambiguity of approaches to the classification and assessment of cryptocurrency in financial reporting, gives rise to discussions of both practical and scientific nature. For trade organizations, the need to resolve this issue is evident, since already now businesses are considering the possibility of accepting payment for goods with some types of cryptocurrencies, as well as using cryptocurrencies to pay for the resources the company needs

Local Pedagogical History in Training Bachelors of Education

the main aim of the study is to investigate the issues of pedagogy and technology of local history studies applied in training Bachelors of Education at a pedagogical University. The authors describe results of experimental work carried out at Stary Oskol branch of Belgorod State National Research University and approbation of local pedagogical history technology. Regarding the methods used in the study, we consider the training system containing local history concepts is made up by the following components: the training process, educational activities and research, teacher’s internship, extracurricular and outreach activities. The outcomes of the study demonstrate that local pedagogical history contributes significantly to training Bachelors of Education

A molecular assembly system for presentation of antigens on the surface of HBc virus-like particles

AbstractHepatitis B virus-like particles, icosahedral structures formed by multiple core protein dimers, are promising immune-enhancing vaccine carriers for foreign antigens. Insertions into the surface-exposed immunodominant loop are especially immunogenic. However, the need to conserve the particulate structure to ensure high immunogenicity imposes restraints on the nature of the heterologous sequence that can be inserted. We propose a new approach to constructing HBc particles linked to the target epitopes that relies on non-covalent interactions between the epitope and pre-assembled unmodified HBc particles. Interaction was enabled by fusion of the epitope to the GSLLGRMKGA peptide, binding to the spike tips. This peptide may be used as a “binding tag” allowing in vitro construction of HBc particles carrying the target peptide. Such virus-like particles carrying multiple copies of the extracellular domain of the M2 protein of different influenza strains appeared to be highly immunogenic and protected immunised mice against a lethal influenza challenge