Youth justice in England and Wales: exploring young offenders’ perceptions of restorative and procedural justice in the referral order process

In recent years the government has introduced youth justice policy which claims to draw on the philosophy of restorative justice as an alternative to punitive sanctions. Referral orders were implemented nationally in 2002 and purportedly represent a significant policy commitment to restorative justice. Rather than incarcerating offenders or deterring them through punishment, referral orders aim to encourage them to understand the consequences of their behaviour, make amends and re-join the law abiding community. This is purportedly achieved through a youth offender panel (panel meeting) run by lay members of the local community along with a member of staff from the youth offending team (YOT). The panel meeting aims to provide a forum away from formal court proceedings to discuss the offence and to agree and construct a contract that the offender must follow. Referral orders therefore present a useful arena in which to explore young offenders’ experiences of restorative justice and to compare this with their experience of the more formal court process. Research has revealed that fair procedures are important in securing people’s compliance with the law and that offenders view restorative processes as fairer than court. However, the majority of research in this area has been done with adults and there is comparatively little research that focuses on young offenders’ perceptions of criminal justice processes. For children, procedural safeguards largely relate to the manner in which adults interact with them. My research therefore explores young people’s experiences with a range of authority figures including: teachers, police officers, magistrates, lay panel members and staff at the YOT. In doing this I aim to consider both how young people perceive the restorative elements of referral orders and more broadly, the way in which they form judgements of different criminal justice processes and sources of authority

Can hate be diluted?

Negative social evaluation can create a negative emotional response. Extreme negative evaluations create fear or anger and reduce self-efficacy (Pekrun, 2006; Shields, 2015). These negative feelings could harm the individual and they almost certainly reduce performance. Factors that neutralize the harmful effect of negative social evaluation could have utility in any performance or work setting. One factor that should be considered is the size of the social group within which the negative evaluation occurred and the “weight” of the negative evaluation. In simple terms, perhaps several positive or neutral evaluations can offset the effect of a single negative evaluation. This test will measure whether several neutral or positive evaluation will reduce the impact of one negative evaluation. The hypothesis is that in a larger group one negative evaluation will have less of an emotional impact on an individual. About 160 student participants will be tested in a performance task. The participants will be assigned to a group of either 2 or 8. Participants will be told that multiple groups are competing in the performance task. After an initial measure of performance, the participants will be told that their scores have been distributed to everyone in their group. Participants will believe this is 1 or 7 other people. The participants will then receive fabricated performance scores from the members of their team. They will rate these performances and express whether they want the team members to remain in the team. Finally, each participant will receive fabricated feedback which indicates that one team member does not want the participant to remain on the team. These will be either 100% negative evaluation in a team of 2 or 14% negative evaluation in a team of 8. Before the initial anagram task and after reading the fabricated evaluation data the participants will complete the PANAS scale (Watson, Clark & Tellegen, 1988). The change in the PANAS score will be the dependent measure in this study. The group size, 2 versus 8, will be the independent variable. The analysis will be an ANOVA for a 2X2 mixed design. The findings could show whether positive individuals can offset the negative impact of critical individuals. In simple terms, can the presence of neutral or positive people dilute the harmful impact of one hateful individual? If this effect were confirmed it would have implications for group management in many performance settings

Prediction of inappropriate myometrial function

Preterm birth is a major clinical problem, worldwide 15000000 babies are born prematurely each year. Inappropriate myometrial function is a major cause of preterm labour. Preterm labour is the result of multiple pathological processes involving several underlying mechanisms. In all cases, a quiescent uterus in pregnancy changes to one that can produce coordinated, forceful contractions, following an increase in uterine conductivity and contractility, and cervical remodelling to facilitate cervical dilatation. Currently there are several biochemical and clinical tests available to assist in the prediction of preterm birth. Many of these have a very high negative predictive value but their positive predictive value remains low. One in five women in the UK requires induction of labour. The outcomes of this process are again difficult to predict. Both of these areas of obstetrics would benefit from improvements in prediction of clinical outcomes. Previously, phospholipase C like 1 (PLCL1) was identified as a novel intracellular protein found to be significantly downregulated in both the myometrium with the onset of spontaneous labour using sequencing techniques (Chan et al., 2014). It acts as an IP3 chelator, uncoupling phospholipase C from myometrial contractions, maintaining myometrial quiescence and therefore regulating a common pathway to inflammatory, oxytocin or prostaglandin mediated labour. We aimed to develop a clinical test utilising PLCL1 as a quiescence or susceptibility marker to other stimuli to premature labour and to determine if this marker could determine sensitivity to prostaglandins and syntocinon during the induction of labour process. During a prospective observational cohort study, patients were recruited from a preterm prevention clinic throughout mid-pregnancy, and from the antenatal ward when attending for induction of labour at term. Cervical cytobrush samples were taken to obtain cervical epithelial cells. A novel assay was developed to quantify PLCL1 from these samples. There have been various challenges in the process, including the small and varying number of cells obtained, problems with interference from cervical mucus with protein quantification and difficulty adequately lysing our cells to release the protein. We have demonstrated the presence of PLCL1 in cervical cytobrush samples using immunocytochemistry, SDS-PAGE, and western blotting and ELISAs. We have developed a method to isolate our cervical cells from the cervical mucus, lyse these cells and quantify PLCL1 using an ELISA. Our findings demonstrate that PLCL1 is a promising novel protein which could be utilised in the prediction of preterm birth and outcomes of induction of labour. As a susceptibility marker, PLCL1 could be used in conjunction with other markers

Volatile organic compound analysis, a new tool in the quest for preterm birth prediction—an observational cohort study

Preterm birth is the leading cause of death worldwide in children under five years. Due to its complex multifactorial nature, prediction is a challenge. Current research is aiming to develop accurate predictive models using patient history, ultrasound and biochemical markers. Volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis is an approach, which has good diagnostic potential to predict many disease states. Analysis of VOCs can reflect both the microbiome and host response to a condition. We aimed to ascertain if VOC analysis of vaginal swabs, taken throughout pregnancy, could predict which women go on to deliver preterm. Our prospective observational cohort study demonstrates that VOC analysis of vaginal swabs, taken in the midtrimester, is a fair test (AUC 0.79) for preterm prediction, with a sensitivity of 0.66 (95%CI 0.56–0.75) and specificity 0.89 (95%CI 0.82–0.94). Using vaginal swabs taken closest to delivery, VOC analysis is a good test (AUC 0.84) for the prediction of preterm birth with a sensitivity of 0.73 (95%CI 0.64–0.81) and specificity of 0.90 (95%CI 0.82–0.95). Consequently, VOC analysis of vaginal swabs has potential to be used as a predictive tool. With further work it could be considered as an additional component in models for predicting preterm birth

Detection of Group B Streptococcus in pregnancy by vaginal volatile organic compound analysis : a prospective exploratory study

Our objective was to assess whether volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis of vaginal swabs can detect maternal Group B Streptococcus (GBS) during pregnancy in a prospective exploratory study. Around 243 women attending a high-risk antenatal clinic at one university teaching hospital in the UK consented to take part and provide vaginal swabs throughout pregnancy. VOC analysis of vaginal swabs was undertaken and compared with the reference standard of GBS detected using enrichment culture method. The chemical components that emanated from the vaginal swabs were measured by gas chromatograph ion mobility spectrometry. This platform has both high sensitivity and good specificity to a range of chemical compounds. Our main outcome was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of VOC analysis for the detection of maternal GBS in vaginal swabs during pregnancy. Our study has demonstrated that the sensitivity and specificity of the VOC analysis by GC–IMS for the detection of GBS from vaginal swabs was 0.81 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71–0.89) and 0.97 (95% CI, 0.91–1) respectively. We conclude that the use of VOCs as biomarkers for the detection of maternal GBS in the vagina is a novel tool. As this test produces results within minutes and is of low unit test cost it has the potential to be used in clinical settings, where fast diagnosis is important, for example, a patient in early labour

Impact of sitagliptin on endometrial mesenchymal stem-like progenitor cells : a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled feasibility trial

Background: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is associated with the loss of endometrial mesenchymal stem-like progenitor cells (eMSC). DPP4 inhibitors may increase homing and engraftment of bone marrow-derived cells to sites of tissue injury. Here, we evaluated the effect of the DPP4 inhibitor sitagliptin on eMSC in women with RPL, determined the impact on endometrial decidualization, and assessed the feasibility of a full-scale clinical trial. Methods: A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled feasibility trial on women aged 18 to 42 years with a history of 3 or more miscarriages, regular menstrual cycles, and no contraindications to sitagliptin. Thirty-eight subjects were randomised to either 100 mg sitagliptin daily for 3 consecutive cycles or identical placebo capsules. Computer generated, permuted block randomisation was used to allocate treatment packs. Colony forming unit (CFU) assays were used to quantify eMSC in midluteal endometrial biopsies. The primary outcome measure was CFU counts. Secondary outcome measures were endometrial thickness, study acceptability, and first pregnancy outcome within 12 months following the study. Tissue samples were subjected to explorative investigations. Findings: CFU counts following sitagliptin were higher compared to placebo only when adjusted for baseline CFU counts and age (RR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.32–1.75, P<0.01). The change in CFU count was 1.68 in the sitagliptin group and 1.08 in the placebo group. Trial recruitment, acceptability, and drug compliance were high. There were no serious adverse events. Explorative investigations showed that sitagliptin inhibits the expression of DIO2, a marker gene of senescent decidual cells. Interpretation: Sitagliptin increases eMSCs and decreases decidual senescence. A large-scale clinical trial evaluating the impact of preconception sitagliptin treatment on pregnancy outcome in RPL is feasible and warranted. Funding: Tommy's Baby Charity. Clinical trial registration: EU Clinical Trials Register no. 2016-001120-54

Progesterone-dependent induction of phospholipase C-related catalytically inactive protein 1 (PRIP-1) in decidualizing human endometrial stromal cells

Decidualization denotes the transformation of endometrial stromal cells into specialized decidual cells. In pregnancy, decidual cells form a protective matrix around the implanting embryo, enabling coordinated trophoblast invasion and formation of a functional placenta. Continuous progesterone (P4) signaling renders decidual cells resistant to various environmental stressors, whereas withdrawal inevitably triggers tissue breakdown and menstruation or miscarriage. Here, we show that PLCL1, coding phospholipase C (PLC)-related catalytically inactive protein 1 (PRIP-1), is highly induced in response to P4 signaling in decidualizing human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). Knockdown experiments in undifferentiated HESCs revealed that PRIP-1 maintains basal phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Protein kinase B activity, which in turn prevents illicit nuclear translocation of the transcription factor forkhead box protein O1 and induction of the apoptotic activator BIM. By contrast, loss of this scaffold protein did not compromise survival of decidual cells. PRIP-1 knockdown did also not interfere with the responsiveness of HESCs to deciduogenic cues, although the overall expression of differentiation markers, such as PRL, IGFBP1, and WNT4, was blunted. Finally, we show that PRIP-1 in decidual cells uncouples PLC activation from intracellular Ca2+ release by attenuating inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate signaling. In summary, PRIP-1 is a multifaceted P4-inducible scaffold protein that gates the activity of major signal transduction pathways in the endometrium. It prevents apoptosis of proliferating stromal cells and contributes to the relative autonomy of decidual cells by silencing PLC signaling downstream of Gq protein-coupled receptors

Performance Data Report: Space Medicine Division, Human Research Program, Behavioural Health and Performance Research Element

This report is the result of a collaborative effort between NASA?s Behavioral Health & Performance (BHP) Research and Operations Group to investigate and determine the availability of data pertaining to behavioral performance (and other pertinent variables) that have been collected by the laboratories at NASA?s Johnson Space Center. BHP?s Operations and Research groups collaborated to systematically identify what types of performance data are needed in relevant BHP performance domains and also to conduct structured interviews with NASA personnel to identify which data do or do not exist currently (and for instances where such data exist, to evaluate the type, quality, accessibility, and confidentiality of those data). The authors defined outcome categories of performance that encapsulate BHP performance domains, mapped BHP Research Risks and Gaps onto those performance outcome categories, and identified and prioritized indicators for each outcome category. The team identified key points of contact (subject matter experts [SMEs]) as potential interviewees, created a template for structured interview questions about sources and accessibility of performance data, and coordinated and conducted structured interviews with the SMEs. The methodology, results, and implications of this effort, as well as forward work needed, are discussed in this report

Cancer of the Esophagus

This chapter in Cancer Concepts: A Guidebook for the Non-Oncologist presents an overview of esophageal cancer, including etiology, epidemiology, screening, pathology, staging, and treatment.https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/cancer_concepts/1027/thumbnail.jp

The clock protein period 2 synchronizes mitotic expansion and decidual transformation of human endometrial stromal cells

Implantation requires coordinated interactions between the conceptus and surrounding decidual cells, but the involvement of clock genes in this process is incompletely understood. Circadian oscillations are predicated on transcriptional-translational feedback loops, which balance the activities of the transcriptional activators CLOCK (circadian locomotor output cycles kaput) and brain muscle arnt-like 1 and repressors encoded by PER (Period) and Cryptochrome genes. We show that loss of PER2 expression silences circadian oscillations in decidualizing human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). Down-regulation occurred between 12 and 24 hours following differentiation and coincided with reduced CLOCK binding to a noncanonical E-box enhancer in the PER2 promoter. RNA sequencing revealed that premature inhibition of PER2 by small interfering RNA knockdown leads to a grossly disorganized decidual response. Gene ontology analysis highlighted a preponderance of cell cycle regulators among the 1121 genes perturbed upon PER2 knockdown. Congruently, PER2 inhibition abrogated mitotic expansion of differentiating HESCs by inducing cell cycle block at G2/M. Analysis of 70 midluteal endometrial biopsies revealed an inverse correlation between PER2 transcript levels and the number of miscarriages in women suffering reproductive failure (Spearman rank test, ρ = -0.3260; P = 0.0046). Thus, PER2 synchronizes endometrial proliferation with initiation of aperiodic decidual gene expression; uncoupling of these events may cause recurrent pregnancy loss.-Muter, J., Lucas, E. S., Chan, Y.-W., Brighton, P. J., Moore, J. D., Lacey, L., Quenby, S., Lam, E. W.-F., Brosens, J. J. The clock protein period 2 synchronizes mitotic expansion and decidual transformation of human endometrial stromal cells