Interracial Contact at a Diverse High School: How School and Community Structures Shape Students’ Experiences

Utilizing survey data from 70 tenth grade students at a high school with a racially diverse student population of 45.6% Black, 42.8% White, 6.8% Multiracial and 3.0% Asian or Pacific Islander, multiple regression analysis was employed to analyze the extent to which aspects of meaningful intergroup contact across race, which included Quantity of Contact, Quality of Contact, and Friendship, were impacted by the racial compositions of participants’ neighborhoods, school settings, and extracurricular activities. Results indicated that school settings and the racial composition of extracurricular activities had statistically significant impacts on Friendship – the percentage of friends of a different race than participants in their friendship networks. As the percentage of Black students in participants’ extracurricular activities increased, the percentage of students that were of a different race in friendship networks decreased. While there were some limitations, this study provided a discussion and analysis of factors that diverse schools may consider when attempting to understand or promote intergroup contact within their buildings

Interracial Contact at a Diverse High School: How School and Community Structures Shape Students’ Experiences

Utilizing survey data from 70 tenth grade students at a high school with a racially diverse student population of 45.6% Black, 42.8% White, 6.8% Multiracial and 3.0% Asian or Pacific Islander, multiple regression analysis was employed to analyze the extent to which aspects of meaningful intergroup contact across race, which included Quantity of Contact, Quality of Contact, and Friendship, were impacted by the racial compositions of participants’ neighborhoods, school settings, and extracurricular activities. Results indicated that school settings and the racial composition of extracurricular activities had statistically significant impacts on Friendship – the percentage of friends of a different race than participants in their friendship networks. As the percentage of Black students in participants’ extracurricular activities increased, the percentage of students that were of a different race in friendship networks decreased. While there were some limitations, this study provided a discussion and analysis of factors that diverse schools may consider when attempting to understand or promote intergroup contact within their buildings

Comparison between the Effects of Acute Physical and Psychosocial Stress on Feedback-Based Learning

Stress modulates feedback-based learning, a process that has been implicated in declining mental function in aging and mental disorders. While acute physical and psychosocial stressors have been used interchangeably in studies on feedback-based learning, the two types of stressors involve distinct physiological and psychological processes. Whether the two types of stressors differentially influence feedback processing remains unclear. The present study compared the effects of physical and psychosocial stressors on feedback-based learning. Ninety-six subjects (Mage = 19.11 years; 50 female) completed either a cold pressor task (CPT) or mental arithmetic task (MAT), as the physical or psychosocial stressor, while electrocardiography and blood pressure were measured to assess cardiovascular stress reactivity (CVR). Self-ratings on the emotional valence of the stressors were also obtained. A probabilistic learning task was given prior to and after the stressors. Accuracy in selecting positive (Go accuracy) and avoiding negative stimuli (No-go accuracy) were recorded as learning outcomes. Repeated measures ANOVA and multiple regressions were used to compare the effects of two stressors and examine the effects of CVR and valence on the learning outcomes. The results showed that although the effects of CPT and MAT on feedback processing were not different, CVR and valence influenced Go and No-go accuracy, respectively. The results suggest that stress-modulated feedback-based learning involves multiple pathways and underscore the link between CVR and reward sensitivity. The findings have clinical implications and may contribute to a better understanding of human behavioral systems

Incidence and Risk Factors for Pelvic Pain After Mesh Implant Surgery for the Treatment of Pelvic Floor Disorders

Our aim was to assess incidence and risk factors for pelvic pain after pelvic mesh implantation

Novel intrathecal and subcutaneous catheter delivery systems in the mouse

Catheter systems that permit targeted delivery of genes, molecules, ligands, and other agents represent an investigative tool critical to the development of clinically relevant animal models that facilitate the study of neurological health and disease. The development of new sustained catheter delivery systems to spinal and peripheral sites will reduce the need for repeated injections, while ensuring constant levels of drug in plasma and tissues