The Effect Of A Prior Criminal Record On Juror Decision Making

Evidence of a prior criminal record can be admitted if it holds substantial probative value (Fed. R. Evid. 403) or to evaluate defendant characteristics and credibility (Fed. R. Evid. 404.; Fed. R. Evid. 609). However, despite admittance for these purposes, the evidence of a prior criminal record has been demonstrated to influence verdicts and ratings of guilt. The majority of previous research supports the conclusion that a prior criminal record, specifically a prior conviction, inflates guilty verdicts. The present study sought to assess previous findings related to the evidence of a prior criminal record and expand upon the literature by manipulating the effect of the strength of evidence and the defendant’s decision to testify within a written case scenario provided to a jury-eligible sample. After reading the case scenario, participants completed sentencing decision and several measures to determine their perceptions and attitudes. Weak evidence produced significantly more “not guilty” verdicts from mock-jurors. Additionally, strong evidence influenced perceptions of the defendant. However, the evidence of a prior criminal record and the defendant’s decision to testify had no significant effects on sentencing decisions or perception of the defendant. The current functionality of the Federal Rules of Evidence related to prior criminal records is discussed

The Effect of Text Color and Text Grouping on Attention and Short Term Recall Memory

This study sought to discover whether there was a connection between the attentional draw of a word, as represented by text color and grouping, and the likelihood of it being transferred into short term recall memory. College students at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas were given one of six timed memory test scenarios and asked to recreate the list to the best of their ability. The students were then asked to complete a series of post-test questions designed to measure their perception of their own performance on the test. The students were also asked to complete a demographics questionnaire that established a brief history of their current and previous scholastic behavior. The participants’ performance on the memory test was then compared to the information from the post-test survey as well as the demographics questionnaire. I hypothesized that both text color and text grouping would positively influence short term recall memory so that a combination of the two would result in the most accurate recollection of the word list

Gendering Patriotism: Wartime Culture and Propaganda in WWI

The cover of a popular 1918 American song, Keep the Home Together, Mother, Thaf s All We\u27re Fighting For/\u27 suggested that the main goal of World War I was to protect and sustain the home.1 It depicted three women from all different generations sitting at a kitchen table. One is reading and two are working on a sewing project. A small black cat meanders nearby this domestic scene. This image placed an emphasis on gendered spatialization-women are at home performing traditional women\u27s work, such as sewing and maintaining the home, while men are outside performing men\u27s work, such as fighting in the war. It relates the act of a man fighting in WWI to protecting his women and his home. These gendered images took shape in propaganda posters and covers for sheet music, and they represent a certain aspect of the wartime culture in the United States during this period

Map Kinases in Cynomolgus Monkey Sperm Hyperactivation

Mammalian sperm exhibit characteristic motility patterns, termed hyperactivated (HA) motility, associated with completion of capacitation. In cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) sperm, this HA motility is dependent in vitro upon the addition of exogenous cyclic nucleotide mediators, caffeine and dibutyryl-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (dbcAMP). Previous reports have shown protein tyrosine phosphorylation to be an integral component of this caffeine- and cAMP-stimulated HA motility. This study investigated the involvement of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase-signaling cascade. Semen specimens were collected in Talp-HEPES medium from proven breeders via electroejaculation. After washing, sperm were incubated in the presence and absence of the MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK) inhibitor, PD-98059 for 90 minutes at RT. Sperm were transferred to Talp-bicarbonate medium and incubated with and without the sperm activators, caffeine (lmM) and dbcAMP (lmM) for 0.5h at 37°C and 5% CO2. Proportion of sperm exhibiting hyperactivated motility was determined by computer assisted motion analysis (HTM-IVOS) using sorting criteria previously established in our laboratory. Tyrosine phosphorylation of sperm tail proteins was determined with the antiphosphotyrosine antibody, PY-20, by immunocytochemistry (ICC) and by immunoblotting to examine total proteins. Inhibition of the phosphorylation of MAP kinase was determined with ICC by assessing the proportion of sperm exhibiting phosphorylated MAP kinase immunoreactivity and by immunoblotting. Treatment of macaque sperm with PD-98059 resulted in a significant decrease (p50) of 0.1 μM. Similarly, PY-20 immunoreactivity decreased in a dose dependent manner with an IC50 of 0.1 μM and hyperactivated motility decreased in a dose dependent manner with an IC50 of 2 μM. However, while PD-98059 decreased MAP kinase phosphorylation from 69% ± 10 to baseline levels (14% ± 1), complete inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation of sperm tails as evidenced by PY-20 ICC was not observed at those doses. Similarly, the proportion of sperm exhibiting hyperactivated motility did not decrease to baseline levels at the doses of PD-98059 tested. Immunoblotting detected a decrease in tyrosine phosphorylation of total proteins in a range of 40-120 kDa with PD-98059 treatment. This suggests MAP kinase is one, but not the exclusive upstream component in the signaling cascade of caffeine- and cAMP stimulated hyperactivated motility in macaque sperm

Currents of Change: An Urban and Environmental History of the Anacostia River and Near Southeast Waterfront in Washington, D.C.

This thesis analyzes how social and environmental inequalities have interacted throughout Washington, D.C.’s urban and environmental history to shape the Anacostia River and its Near Southeast waterfront into urbanized and industrialized landscapes. Drawing on the principles of environmental justice, urban political ecology, and environmental history, I examine the construction of urban rivers and waterfront space over time. I link the ecological and social decline of the Anacostia River and Near Southeast neighborhood to a broader national pattern of environmental degradation and social inequality along urban rivers that resulted from urban industrialization and federal water management. Finally, I discuss the recent national trend in redevelopment of formerly industrial urban waterfronts. In particular, I focus on two brownfield redevelopment projects in Near Southeast: the Washington National’s baseball stadium at Nationals Park, completed in 2008, and the ongoing construction of The Yards mixed-use development complex. The Anacostia River has served as a touchstone throughout Near Southeast’s shifting neighborhood identity and land use. This thesis uses the river as a starting point at which to begin an exploration of a long history of social and environmental inequality in waterfront Washington, D.C

Reproductive Health Disparities in Latin America

Most countries in Latin America have completed or are approaching the completion of the fertility transition. Yet, the pace of the fertility decline in the region is characterized by vast inequalities. There are considerable cross-country and within-country differences, and women in lower socioeconomic strata continue to be more at risk of high adolescent and total fertility. This dissertation investigates reproductive health disparities in four Central American countries, Paraguay, and Argentina. Using Demographic and Reproductive Health Surveys, as well as a unique longitudinal dataset from Northern Argentina, I employ logistic regression, event history analysis, and logistic random effects techniques to examine the factors related to disparities in out-of-union childbearing, sexual behaviors in the transition to adulthood, and contraceptive use among indigenous women. I find that young age, residence in the capital region, and higher levels of religiosity and wealth are significantly related to out-of-union fertility in Paraguay. In Central America, age distributions for important events during the transition to adulthood have undergone little to no change over the past two decades. School enrollment significantly decreased the hazard of experiencing sexual initiation, first marriage and first birth in all countries. Finally, I find unequivocal evidence for the increased uptake of modern contraception among indigenous Toba women in Namqom, Argentina, following the passage of a 2002 law lifting financial barriers to contraception in that country. In addition, I find decreased use among women who have migrated to Namqom from more remote regions of Northern Argentina, and increased use among women with relatively early ages at menarche. Further investigation utilizing the sequencing techniques employed by those researching transitions to adulthood in the developed world is needed to examine the changing adolescent experience in Latin American countries. Moreover, a focus on cross-ethnic variation in health disparities that highlights the experiences of indigenous groups throughout the region is needed to determine how we may improve access to and acceptability of modern reproductive health services

Mediation as a Catalyst for Judicial Reform in Latin America

Published in cooperation with the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolutio

Modified Policy-Delphi study for exploring obesity prevention priorities

INTRODUCTION: Until now, industry and government stakeholders have dominated public discourse about policy options for obesity. While consumer involvement in health service delivery and research has been embraced, methods which engage consumers in health policy development are lacking. Conflicting priorities have generated ethical concern around obesity policy. The concept of ‘intrusiveness’ has been applied to policy decisions in the UK, whereby ethical implications are considered through level of intrusiveness to choice; however, the concept has also been used to avert government regulation to address obesity. The concept of intrusiveness has not been explored from a stakeholder's perspective. The aim is to investigate the relevance of intrusiveness and autonomy to health policy development, and to explore consensus on obesity policy priorities of under-represented stakeholders. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Policy-Delphi technique will be modified using the James Lind Alliance approach to collaborative priority setting. A total of 60 participants will be recruited to represent three stakeholder groups in the Australian context: consumers, public health practitioners and policymakers. A three-round online Policy-Delphi survey will be undertaken. Participants will prioritise options informed by submissions to the 2009 Australian Government Inquiry into Obesity, and rate the intrusiveness of those proposed. An additional round will use qualitative methods in a face-to-face discussion group to explore stakeholder perceptions of the intrusiveness of options. The novelty of this methodology will redress the balance by bringing the consumer voice forward to identify ethically acceptable obesity policy options. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was granted by the Bond University Health Research Ethics Committee. The findings will inform development of a conceptual framework for analysing and prioritising obesity policy options, which will be relevant internationally and to ethical considerations of wider public health issues. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and collaborative platforms of policy and science