Active Involvement, not Illusory Control, increases Risk Taking in a Gambling Game

International audienceThe research considers the influence of Choice (the possibility for the player to choose a gamble or another) and Involvement (the physical interaction with the gambling device) on risk taking in gambling games, and whether this influence is mediated by illusory control over the outcome of the gamble. Results of a laboratory experiment (n=100) show that (a) although Choice does increase illusory control, this influence does not translate in increased risk taking, and (b) whilst Involvement does increase risk taking, this effect is not mediated by illusory control. These results are discussed in relation to problem gambling, beliefs in the deployability of personal luck, and arousal approaches to risk taking

Changing the Rules of the Game: Youth Development & Structural Racism

With support of the Ford Foundation, the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE) and mosaic consulting embarked on an 18-month study into the ways select community organizations engage youth in confronting structural racism. For this report we use the definition of structural racism developed by the Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change1 : "The history, public policies, institutional practices, and cultural stereotypes and norms that together maintain racial hierarchies and inequitable racial group outcomes." Four primary research questions animated this project: 1. How do youth development organizations conceptualize and approach structural racism in their work? 2. Are there commonalities across these definitions and approaches? 3. What challenges do they face? 4. What can we learn from them

Cultivating Graduate Writing Groups as Communities of Practice: A Call to Action for the Writing Center

According to the Council of Graduate Schools, the attrition rate for graduate students is high and becomes higher when looking at underrepresented populations inside the academy. One particular need that has been identified is that of writing support for doctoral students (Kamler and Thomson xi; Mullen 117; Paltridge and Starfield 53). This article builds on this call by giving attention to writing support for graduate students in the form of doctoral writing groups, specifically facilitated by writing centers. These graduate student-writing groups are comprised of graduate students, who share their writing and give feedback on writing inperson during regular group meetings. As such, these graduate writing groups function as a community of practice through which we trace the struggles, benefits, and implications of writing groups for ameliorating access and equity issues in graduate writing support. This article focuses on experiences of the authors’ own writing group, in which they have participated throughout their doctoral education. We employ an inductive, multi-narrative approach to examine the underlying needs of graduate student writers and we suggest facilitating a writing group as a way to meet those needs. As such, this project sheds new light on the successes and struggles of a graduate student writing group and how writing centers can provide support for these groups. As a type of “third space,” operating apart from faculty purview, the writing center is an ideal place to formalize, organize, and invigorate graduate writing communities by initiating and hosting graduate writing groups.University Writing Cente

ReGeneration: Young People Shaping the Environmental Justice Movement

ReGeneration examines the powerful visions and strategies of young people in the U.S. environmental justice movement. The Movement Strategy Center interviewed groups across the country, and found that youth organizers in the environmental justice movement are creating new ways to expand leadership, build intergenerational alliances, work sustainably and bridge issue areas and communities. The groups profiled in this report offer models and strategies to reinvigorate every sector of the national progressive movement

The relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and their use of culturally responsive pedagogy

Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) has drawn persistent criticism due to the lack of empirical data to support its use. A recent review of the research literature found that some features of CRP positively impact the academic achievement of struggling learners. However, teachers’ practices were not well defined. This study utilized mixed methods to explore how 2nd grade teachers’ sense of self-efficacy for teaching diverse learners in dual language classrooms impacted their utilization of CRP. Teacher participants (n=4) completed the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy (CRTSE) survey (Siwatu, 2007) and based on their scores, were classified into one of three levels of self-efficacy: high, moderate, or low. Data from two classroom observations per teacher, and individual semi-structured interviews with each, were coded and analyzed. Two key findings were that: (a) the alignment among the CRTSE scores, observed practices and teacher reported beliefs about CRP were not consistently aligned and (b) teachers’ conceptualization of CRP primarily focused on students’ bilingual development. This study contributes to research literature on CR pedagogy by examining how bilingual education teachers’ self-efficacy influences their implementation of CR practices.Special Educatio

Examination of the Relationship between In-Store Environmental Factors and Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing among Hispanics.

Retail food environments have received attention for their influence on dietary behaviors and for their nutrition intervention potential. To improve diet-related behaviors, such as fruit and vegetable (FV) purchasing, it is important to examine its relationship with in-store environmental characteristics. This study used baseline data from the "El Valor de Nuestra Salud" study to examine how in-store environmental characteristics, such as product availability, placement and promotion, were associated with FV purchasing among Hispanic customers in San Diego County. Mixed linear regression models indicated that greater availability of fresh FVs was associated with a $0.36 increase in FV purchasing (p = 0.01). Placement variables, specifically each additional square foot of display space dedicated to FVs (p = 0.01) and each additional fresh FV display (p = 0.01), were associated with a$0.02 increase and $0.29 decrease, respectively, in FV purchasing. Introducing FV promotions in the final model was not related to FV purchasing. Exploratory analyses indicated that men reported spending$3.69 fewer dollars on FVs compared to women, controlling for covariates (p = 0.02). These results can help inform interventions targeting in-store environmental characteristics to encourage FV purchasing among Hispanics

Post-mortem culture of Balamuthia mandrillaris from the brain and cerebrospinal fluid of a case of granulomatous amoebic meningoencephalitis, using human brain microvascular endothelial cells

The first isolation in the UK of Balamuthia mandrillaris amoebae from a fatal case of granulomatous amoebic meningoencephalitis is reported. Using primary cultures of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), amoebae were isolated from the brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The cultures showed a cytopathic effect at 20–28 days, but morphologically identifiable B. mandrillaris amoebae were seen in cleared plaques in subcultures at 45 days. The identification of the organism was later confirmed using PCR on Chelex-treated extracts. Serum taken while the patient was still alive reacted strongly with slide antigen prepared from cultures of the post-mortem isolate, and also with those from a baboon B. mandrillaris strain at 1 : 10 000 in indirect immunofluorescence, but with Acanthamoeba castellanii (Neff) at 1 : 160, supporting B. mandrillaris to be the causative agent. If the presence of amoebae in the post-mortem CSF reflects the condition in life, PCR studies on CSF and on biopsies of cutaneous lesions may also be a valuable tool. The role of HBMECs in understanding the interactions of B. mandrillaris with the blood–brain barrier is discussed

Behavior and health issues in Bengal cats as perceived by their owners : a descriptive study

The Bengal cat is a recently established hybrid cat breed that was created by crossbreeding the domestic shorthair cat (Felis silvestris catus) and the wild Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). In spite of its popularity, research on behavior and health issues in this breed remains limited. A questionnaire was sent to Bengal cat owners in Flanders and Wallonia (Belgium), and the Netherlands to document the suitability of the breed as a pet from the point of view of the owners by exploring the presence of behavioral and health issues that may provoke the cat?s relinquishment. It included questions about their decision to own a Bengal cat, the cat demographics and living environment, potential undesirable behaviors, and health issues. The owners of 60.5% (n = 155) of cats chose this breed due to a combination of looks and character. For most cats (99.2% n = 254), the respondents looked for information about the breed before acquiring a cat. Breed-typical health conditions, as described by International Cat Care, were reported in 9.9 % (n = 24) of cats, with being overweight as the most common one. The most frequent behaviors were climbing (89.5%, n = 229), vocalizing (88.7%, n = 227), playing with water (79.7%, n = 204), and hunting (78.9%, n = 202). These were, however, rarely considered problematic by the owners. The most frequent behaviors often classified as problematic by the owners were destructive behaviors (33.2%, n = 85), followed by pica (16.4%, n = 42), aggression toward animals (16%, n = 41), and urination outside the litter tray (13.3%, n = 34). There were no significant differences between cats from early and later generations nor between cats with and without outdoor access. The fact that most owners looked for information about the breed before acquiring the cat and that the most frequently displayed behaviors were not considered problematic by their owners could translate into a lower incidence of relinquishments. Nevertheless, some of those behaviors may still be indicative of welfare issues, independently of the owner?s perception. Further and more in-depth research is needed to understand the potential issues of keeping Bengal cats as pets