The relationship between attachment and offending within a South African context

International research has consistently documented a link between attachment and offending. Despite South Africa's high crime rate, research within this country's socio-political context has been limited. This current study aimed to fill this gap, by examining the association between attachment and offending within a South African context. It was hypothesised that: H1, an insecure attachment would occur more frequently in offenders than non-offenders; H2, high attachment-related avoidance would be positively associated with offending; H3, high attachment-related avoidance would be positively associated with antisocial behaviour; and H4, an insecure mother attachment would be more strongly associated with offending than an insecure father or intimate partner attachment. Two groups of participants were recruited: offenders (n = 49) and a community sample (n = 63). Each participant completed a questionnaire measuring attachment to mothers, fathers, and intimate partners, as well as socio-economic status and antisocial behaviour. Using a series of statistical tests including chi-square, logistic regression, and hierarchical multiple regression, the study found support for H1 and H2, whilst rejecting H3 and H4. Overall, this study found that insecure attachment, and specifically high attachment-related avoidance, was positively associated with offending. Conversely, it was found that low avoidance was associated with antisocial behaviour and that there was no association between specific domains (mother, father and intimate partner) of attachment and offending. These results provide support for the application of attachment theory to offenders within the South African context

Melting Away: Sifting through the Special Snowflakes

Medical practice books tend to become quickly outdated as clinical practice changes with ever-evolving research. For the past few years, Laupus Health Sciences Library has been ordering eBooks in addition to ordering books in print. Over time, the library has experienced a shift in increased eBook acquisitions versus print. At the same time, we have been deaccessioning outdated print monographs. Print book usage at Laupus Library has seen a decline since 2012, whereas eBook usage has experienced a large increase. Total book expenditures indicate a higher overall spend in print materials than electronic since 2012. Year to year collections expenditures have decreased overall for monographic materials with more of the budget emphasis placed on print formats, but recent years have shown an increase in eBook purchasing over print books. This presentation examines monograph expenditures and usage for the past six years at our library and implications for the future of our collection development practices

Environmental change mediates mate choice for an extended phenotype, but not for mate quality

Sexual cues, including extended phenotypes, are expected to be reliable indicators of male genetic quality and/or provide information on parental quality. However, the reliability of these cues may be dependent on stability of the environment, with heterogeneity affecting how selection acts on such traits. Here, we test how environmental change mediates mate choice for multiple sexual traits, including an extended phenotype–-the structure of male-built nests – in stickleback fish. First, we manipulated the dissolved oxygen (DO) content of water to create high or low DO environments in which male fish built nests. Then we recorded the mate choice of females encountering these males (and their nests), under either the same or reversed DO conditions. Males in high DO environments built more compact nests than those in low DO conditions and males adjusted their nest structure in response to changing conditions. Female mate choice for extended phenotype (male nests) was environmentally dependent (females chose more compact nests in high DO conditions), while female choice for male phenotype was not (females chose large, vigorous males regardless of DO level). Examining mate choice in this dynamic context suggests that females evaluate the reliability of multiple sexual cues, taking into account environmental heterogeneityThis work ´ was funded by the UK Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) via project grant awarded to I.B. (NE/F019440/1). Parental fish were collected under permit from the UK Environment Agency and with the permission of the landowners. Laboratory studies were undertaken under the authority of a U.K. Home Office licence (PPL80/2327), in accordance with local and national regulations, and in line with ABS/ASAB guidelines for the ethical treatment of animals in behavioral research (available online at http://www.asab.org/ethics/)

Supplementary material from "Long-term environmental stability does not erode plasticity in nest building responses to changing ambient conditions"

The primary function of animal nests is to protect developing offspring from hostile and fluctuating environments. Animal builders have been shown to adjust nest construction in response to changes in their environment. However, the extent of this plasticity, and its dependence on an evolutionary history of environmental variability, is not well understood. To test whether an evolutionary history with flowing water impacts male ability to adjust nests in response to flow regime, we collected three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from three lakes and three rivers, and brought them into reproductive condition in controlled laboratory aquaria. Males were then allowed to nest under both flowing and static conditions. Nest building behaviour, nest structure and nest composition were all recorded. In comparison to males building nests under static conditions, males building in flowing water took longer to construct their nests and invested more in nesting behaviour. Moreover, nests built in flowing water contained less material, were smaller, more compact, neater and more elongated than nests built under static conditions. Whether males came from rivers or lakes had little impact on nesting activities, or male capacity to adjust behaviours in response to flow treatment. Our findings suggest that aquatic animals which have experienced a stable environment over a long period of time retain plasticity in nest-building behaviours that allow them to adjust nests to ambient flow conditions. This ability may prove crucial in coping with the increasingly unpredictable flow regimes found in anthropogenically altered waterways and those resulting from global climate change.This article is part of the theme issue ‘The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach’

Regional differentiation and post-glacial expansion of the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia, an annual fish with high dispersal potential

The coastal marine environment of the Northwest Atlantic contains strong environmental gradients that create distinct marine biogeographic provinces by limiting dispersal, recruitment, and survival. This region has also been subjected to numerous Pleistocene glacial cycles, resulting in repeated extirpations and recolonizations in northern populations of marine organisms. In this study, we examined patterns of genetic structure and historical demography in the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia, an annual marine fish with high dispersal potential but with well-documented patterns of clinal phenotypic adaptation along the environmental gradients of the Northwest Atlantic. Contrary to previous studies indicating genetic homogeneity that should preclude regional adaptation, results demonstrate subtle but significant (F(ST) = 0.07; P < 0.0001) genetic structure among three phylogeographic regions that partially correspond with biogeographic provinces, suggesting regional limits to gene flow. Tests for non-equilibrium population dynamics and latitudinal patterns in genetic diversity indicate northward population expansion from a single southern refugium following the last glacial maximum, suggesting that phylogeographic and phenotypic patterns have relatively recent origins. The recovery of phylogeographic structure and the partial correspondence of these regions to recognized biogeographic provinces suggest that the environmental gradients that shape biogeographic patterns in the Northwest Atlantic may also limit gene flow in M. menidia, creating phylogeographic structure and contributing to the creation of latitudinal phenotypic clines in this species. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00227-010-1577-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

SAR refinement of antileishmanial N2,N4-disubstituted quinazoline-2,4-diamines

Visceral leishmaniasis is a neglected parasitic disease that has a high fatality rate in the absence of treatment. New drugs that are inexpensive, orally active, and effective could be useful tools in the fight against this disease. We previously showed that N2,N4-disubstituted quinazoline-2,4-diamines displayed low- to sub-micromolar potency against intracellular Leishmania, and lead compound N4-(furan-2-ylmethyl)-N2-isopropyl-7-methylquinazoline-2,4-diamine (4) exhibited modest efficacy in an acute murine model of visceral leishmaniasis. In the present work, thirty-one N2,N4-disubstituted quinazoline-2,4-diamines that had not previously been examined for their antileishmanial activity were evaluated for their potency and selectivity against Leishmania donovani, the causative parasite of visceral leishmaniasis. Quinazoline-2,4-diamines with aromatic substituents at both N2 and N4 exhibited potent in vitro antileishmanial activity but relatively low selectivity, while compounds substituted with small alkyl groups at either N2 or N4 generally showed lower antileishmanial potency but were less toxic to a murine macrophage cell line. Based on their in vitro antileishmanial potency, N4-benzyl-N2-(4-chlorobenzyl)quinazoline-2,4-diamine (15) and N2-benzyl-N4-isopropylquinazoline-2,4-diamine (40) were selected for in vivo evaluation of their pharmacokinetic and antileishmanial properties. While 15 displayed a longer plasma half-life and a greater area under the curve than 40, both compounds showed low efficacy in an acute murine visceral leishmaniasis model. Although the present study did not identify new quinazoline-2,4-diamines with promising in vivo efficacy, the reduced in vitro toxicity of derivatives bearing small alkyl groups at either N2 or N4 may provide clues for the design of safe and effective antileishmanial quinazolines

The Grizzly, September 22, 1989

Kane Claiming Greeks Shall Survive • Olin Noise Annoys All • Letters: Boot Booze Begs Senior; Rovers Rotten • DiFeliciantonio: A Mouthful • McNulty Directs Residents • Surprise, surprise! UC Stomps Swarthmore • Ursinus Closes Gap with F&M Diplomats • Commentary; Why Bush War Can\u27t be Won; HPER Lab a Strong Addition • Intramurals: Full Steam Ahead! • One Giant Step • Sports Summary • Pledging: End of an Era? • BWC Causes Electrical Overloadhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1241/thumbnail.jp