Bridging micro, meso, and macro processes in social psychology

In this chapter, we argue that a multilevel analysis of social psychological phenomena, which acknowledges cognition and behavior at macro, meso, and micro levels and the interrelations between them, is necessary. We propose a theoretical synthesis of Identity Process Theory and Social Representations Theory as one way of integrating the three prime levels of analysis and of providing an analysis that is social psychological in essence. We discuss how symbols interact with human identity in the context of the Islamic Veil and the Confederate Flag, and how human rights and duties are communicated and processed in societies. We argue that social representations, or cultural carriers, are continually being transformed, as individuals and groups compete to make their own meaning systems dominant in interpersonal, intergroup, and societal relationships

Physio-chemical assessment of beauty leaf (Calophyllum inophyllum) as second-generation biodiesel feedstock

Recently, biodiesels from non-edible vegetable oil, known as second generation biodiesel, are receiving more attention because it can overcome food versus fuel crisis related to edible oils. The Beauty Leaf tree (Calophyllum Inophyllum) is a potential source of non-edible vegetable oil for producing future generation biodiesel because of its sustainability in a wide range of climate conditions, easy cultivation, high fruit production rate, and the high oil content in the seed. In this study, bio-oil was extracted from beauty leaf tree seeds through three different oil extraction methods. The important physical and chemical properties of produced beauty leaf oils were experimentally analysed and compared with commercial edible vegetable oils. Biodiesel was produced using a two-stage esterification process consisting of acid catalysed pre-esterification and alkali catalysed Transesterification. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profile and physicochemical properties including kinematic viscosity, density, higher heating value and acid value were measured using laboratory standard testing equipment following internationally recognized testing procedures. Other fuel properties including oxidation stability, iodine value, cetane number, flash point, cold filter plugging point, cloud point and pour point temperature were estimated using Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) of biodiesel. Physicochemical properties of beauty leaf oil biodiesels are described briefly and compared with recognised biodiesel standards and commercially available biodiesels produced from edible oil feedstock. Quality of produced biodiesel was assessed based 13 important chemical and physical properties through Preference Ranking Organisation Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) and Graphical Analysis for Interactive Assistance (GAIA) analysis. This study found that Mechanical extraction using the screw press can produce oil from correctly prepared product at a low cost, however overall this method is ineffective with relatively low oil yields. The study found that seed preparation has a significant impact on oil yields, especially in the mechanical oil extraction method. High temperature and pressure in extraction process increases the performance of oil extraction. On the contrary, this process increases the free fatty acid content in the oil. Clear difference was found in physical properties of beauty leaf oils that eventually affected the oil to biodiesel conversion process. However, beauty leaf oils methyl esters (biodiesel) were very consistent and able to meet almost all indicators of biodiesel standards. Furthermore, it showed as a better automobile fuel compared to most of the commercially available biodiesels produced from edible oil sources. Result of this study indicated that, Beauty Leaf oil seed is readily available feedstock to commence the commercial production of 2nd generation biodiesel. The findings of this study are expected to serve as the basis from which industrial scale biodiesel production from Beauty Leaf can be made

promoting civic engagement and social inclusion interventions for minors involved with crimes

The juvenile justice system in Italy is aimed at avoiding detention, thanks to alternative measures and strategies for social inclusion. Nevertheless, for two groups of minors – those involved in organised crime and migrants – social inclusion and other alternative forms of punishment are not easily applied because these minors often lack social networks. Migrant minors are at risk of becoming offenders because they arrive in the host country without a real migration plan and without educational or work opportunities. Psychosocial literature about migrant minors has also examined the relationship between the difficulties migrants face and their possible involvement in deviant groups. This is a crucial topic that must be explored carefully and without stigmatising minors. Young migrants under criminal proceedings are vulnerable in two ways: because they are minors and unable to fulfil their needs and because they are non-citizens, a status which may marginalise them within the social context. Accordingly, in previous research, we implemented proactive interventions in four European countries (Italy, Romania, Germany, and Spain) to promote social inclusion and prevent minors from engaging in violent behaviour. In this chapter, we use interviews and focus groups to explore how justice system professionals and stakeholders in Italy describe the deviant career of young people at risk of radicalisation. We also provide evidence for the importance of social inclusion interventions as a means of preventing violent radicalisation. Finally, we argue for professional development training so that practitioners in the juvenile justice system can develop innovative ways of promoting social inclusion

Community participation and recovery for mental health service users: An action research inquiry

Introduction: The social inclusion of individuals with mental health problems is an issue for mental health services, for the individuals who experience stigma, discrimination and exclusion, and for society at large. To develop community-orientated services that are capable of promoting inclusion it will, therefore, be advantageous to all parties to understand what service users find most helpful. Method: A 2-year action research project explored the recovery journeys of a group of assertive outreach service users who had progressed from being socially excluded and occupationally deprived to being participants in their local communities. The research aimed to understand how these outcomes were produced and to use this knowledge to inform local service development. Findings: This paper focuses on eight qualitative interviews, where service users recounted their stories of community participation and inclusion. The findings show how assertive outreach practitioners harnessed occupation as a basis for building relationships between practitioners and service users, and how this became a conduit towards participation in the mainstream community. Conclusion: Facilitating engagement in community-based occupations through creative collaboration helped participants reconnect with cherished roles, achieve long-standing goals and develop feelings of self-efficacy, belonging and wellbeing.© The College of Occupational Therapists Ltd

Use of mixed methods designs in substance research: a methodological necessity in Nigeria

The utility of mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) is becoming increasingly accepted in health sciences, but substance studies are yet to substantially benefit from such utilities. While there is a growing number of mixed methods alcohol articles concerning developed countries, developing nations are yet to embrace this method. In the Nigerian context, the importance of mixed methods research is yet to be acknowledged. This article therefore, draws on alcohol studies to argue that mixed methods designs will better equip scholars to understand, explore, describe and explain why alcohol consumption and its related problems are increasing in Nigeria. It argues that as motives for consuming alcohol in contemporary Nigeria are multiple, complex and evolving, mixed method approaches that provide multiple pathways for proffering solutions to problems should be embraced

The expression of thymidine phosphorylase correlates with angiogenesis and the efficacy of chemotherapy using fluorouracil derivatives in advanced gastric carcinoma

The expression of thymidine phosphorylase (TP) and the density of microvessel in advanced gastric carcinoma were examined by immunohistochemistry to evaluate the significance of TP. The expression of TP was negative in 72 cases, positive in 54. The microvessel density correlated with the expression of TP. In total cases, patients with TP-positive tumours survived longer than those with TP-negative tumours. In patients treated with fluorouracil derivatives (FUs), the expression of TP significantly correlated with favourable prognosis and with unfavourable prognosis in those not treated with FUs. The patients with TP-positive tumours, the prognosis of patients treated with FUs was significantly better than that of those not treated with FUs. In patients with TP-positive tumours, treatment with FUs and lymph node metastasis were independent prognostic factors according to the Cox proportional hazards model. Depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis were independent prognostic factors in patients with TP-negative tumours. The determination of the expression of TP might be useful for predicting the efficacy of post-operative chemotherapy using FUs to prevent recurrence in advanced gastric carcinoma patients who undergo curative gastrectomy. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

Modeling “psychosis” in vitro by inducing disordered neuronal network activity in cortical brain slices

# The Author(s) 2009. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Introduction Dysregulation of neuronal networks has been suggested to underlie the cognitive and perceptual abnor-malities observed schizophrenia. Discussions An in vitro model of psychosis is proposed based on the two different approaches to cause aberrant networ

The radicalization of democracy: conflict, social movements and terrorism

The idea of democracy is being championed across the world, with some fifty new countries embracing this type of political system between 1974 and 2011 (Freedom House, 2016). Simultaneously, however, dissatisfaction has grown due to the perceived incapacity of democracy to deal with collective problems, hence the necessity to reconfigure it and redraw some of its principles. This paper links the analysis of the recent evolution of democratic systems with the trajectory of socio-political conflicts and the changing features of contemporary terrorism. It examines, therefore, two intertwined phenomena, namely the radicalization of democracy and the radicalization of the other. It concludes by stressing that encouraging dissent and heeding contentious claims made by social movements may be one way of mitigating both types of radicalization. Embedded in the tradition of critical criminology, this paper attempts to demonstrate that only by outflanking conventional categories of analysis can the criminological community aspire to grasp such thorny contemporary phenomena

Deleterious GRM1 Mutations in Schizophrenia

We analysed a phenotypically well-characterised sample of 450 schziophrenia patients and 605 controls for rare non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) in the GRM1 gene, their functional effects and family segregation. GRM1 encodes the metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1), whose documented role as a modulator of neuronal signalling and synaptic plasticity makes it a plausible schizophrenia candidate. In a recent study, this gene was shown to harbour a cluster of deleterious nsSNPs within a functionally important domain of the receptor, in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Our Sanger sequencing of the GRM1 coding regions detected equal numbers of nsSNPs in cases and controls, however the two groups differed in terms of the potential effects of the variants on receptor function: 6/6 case-specific and only 1/6 control-specific nsSNPs were predicted to be deleterious. Our in-vitro experimental follow-up of the case-specific mutants showed that 4/6 led to significantly reduced inositol phosphate production, indicating impaired function of the major mGluR1signalling pathway; 1/6 had reduced cell membrane expression; inconclusive results were obtained in 1/6. Family segregation analysis indicated that these deleterious nsSNPs were inherited. Interestingly, four of the families were affected by multiple neuropsychiatric conditions, not limited to schizophrenia, and the mutations were detected in relatives with schizophrenia, depression and anxiety, drug and alcohol dependence, and epilepsy. Our findings suggest a possible mGluR1 contribution to diverse psychiatric conditions, supporting the modulatory role of the receptor in such conditions as proposed previously on the basis of in vitro experiments and animal studies