Increasing confidence in the criminal justice system through public education

Recent polls suggest that less than half (46%) of Canadians are confident in the criminal justice system (CJS) as a whole (e.g., Roberts, 2004). Low levels of public confidence are problematic, as the criminal justice system relies on public support in order to function effectively (Casey, 2008). Previous research has found that attitudes toward the CJS are typically based on misperceptions and misinformation, with the public being unaware of the functioning of the CJS as well as crime trends (e.g., Doob, 2000). Therefore, it seems logical that providing the public with factual information about crime and criminal justice may lead to increased confidence. A handful of studies conducted in the United Kingdom have shown that, in general, public education does lead to increased confidence (e.g, Hough & Park, 2002). However, questions pertaining to the mode of delivery have been raised (Singer & Cooper, 2009). Therefore, three studies were conducted in order to further investigate this issue as well as to delve into the differences between ‘active’ and ‘passive’ learning. Whereas active learning refers to being actively engaged in the learning process through various means (e.g, discussion, problem-solving), passive learning refers to passively obtaining information, such as by listening or by reading (Prince, 2004). Before attempting to change public opinion of the CJS, it is crucial that we first have a comprehensive understanding of what these opinions and attitudes are. As such, Study 1, a quantitative survey of CJS knowledge and attitudes, and Study 2, qualitative focus groups, were conducted. Results from these two studies were used to develop materials for Study 3: Increasing confidence in the CJS through education. As has been found in past research, participants who received CJS information had a higher level of knowledge than controls, who received information about Canada’s health care system. Interestingly, the type of learning (active vs. passive) did not have an effect on CJS knowledge. However, an effect was observed in regards to confidence and satisfaction: Participants who received CJS information through active learning were more confident in the CJS and had a higher level of satisfaction. These results have important implications for real-world interventions

The influence of offender and victim ethnicity on perceptions of crime severity and recommended punishment

Crime severity has been found to be one of the best predictors of sentencing decisions (Darley, Carlsmith, & Robinson, 2000). There is however a dearth of research examining the effect of offender and victim ethnicity on perceptions of crime seriousness, and the few studies that do exist have produced equivocal findings. Some studies find an effect of victim ethnicity (e.g., Cohen-Raz, Bozna, & Glicksohn, 1997), some studies find no significant effects of offender nor victim ethnicity (e.g., Benjamin, 1989), and some studies only find effects under certain conditions, such as when the crime is of low seriousness (e.g., Herzog, 2003a). The present study was conducted in an attempt to clarify these convoluted findings by using measures of modern and old-fashioned prejudice. Whereas old-fashioned prejudice refers to the belief that an out group is in someway inferior, modern prejudice refers to the view that a minority group no longer faces discrimination or that the minority group is being “too pushy” when advocating for equal rights (McConahay, 1983). Using a sample of undergraduate psychology students, it was found that when the crime was perceived as being quite severe, harsher punishments were recommended for the offender. Further to this, participants scoring high in modern prejudice perceived crimes to be more severe and recommended longer sentences in certain offender-victim ethnicity conditions than participants scoring low in modern prejudice. However, contrary to the hypotheses, no significant differences were found between high and low old-fashioned prejudice participants. Perceived offender responsibility and stability were also found to affect perceptions of crime severity and recommended punishment. When an offence was described as being stable (i.e., the offender had committed similar crimes in the past), participants rated the crime as being more severe and recommended a harsher punishment than when it was the offender’s first offence. Additionally, when participants attributed responsibility for the crime to the offender, crime severity ratings were higher and recommended punishments were longer. The implications of these results are discussed and recommendations for future research are put forward

The Influence of Air Pollution on Corticolous Lichens near the Strathcona Industrial Area, Alberta

Lichens that grow on the bark of mature trees were studied at 35 sites along an air pollution gradient east of Edmonton, Alberta. Data on species composition, richness, and cover were recorded in October 1999 in a matrix of sites that extends from a known source of pollutants (the Strathcona Industrial Area) east across Strathcona County. Air pollution is affecting the corticolous lichen community. Lichen species richness and total cover increased with distance from the pollution source. Species richness in areas distant from pollution was roughly twice that in areas near the Strathcona Industrial Area. Xanthoria fallax and Phaeophyscia orbicularis were the most pollution tolerant lichens. Xanthoria hasseana, Ochrolechia arborea, Physcia adscendens, Parmelia sulcata, and Melanelia albertana were rare or absent near the pollution source and common in more distant areas. Most of the 15 species assessed were sensitive to air quality to some degree. Some lichens near the refineries and in Sherwood Park showed abnormal coloration and poor thallus integrity indicative of stress. We discuss implications for human health

Climate, zooplankton and pelagic fish growth in the Central Baltic Sea

Oceanographic conditions in the brackish central Baltic Sea are strongly linked to atmospheric forcing and the unusual period of persistently strong westerlies that, since the late 1980s, have resulted in an increase in average water temperatures and decreasing salinity. These changes in temperature and salinity resulted in a change in the dominance of the mesozooplankton community from Pseudocalanus sp. to Temora longicornis and Acartia spp. Similar to the copepod community, the central Baltic fish community shifted from cod ( Gadus morhua ), dominant during the 1980s, to sprat ( Sprattus sprattus ), dominant during the 1990s. Further, the commercially important pelagic fish species herring ( Clupea harengus ) and sprat exhibited reductions in growth. Using Principal Component and Correlation Analyses we investigated the temporal variability in the importance of the food supply as well as competition on condition of central Baltic pelagic fish species. Our results indicate that herring condition results from a combined effect of changes in the food environment and increased competition with sprat, while sprat condition appeared to be primarily determined by intra-specific competition

Seasonal and interannual effects of hypoxia on fish habitat quality in central Lake Erie

1. Hypoxia occurs seasonally in many stratified coastal marine and freshwater ecosystems when bottom dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations are depleted below 2–3 mg O 2  L −1 .2. We evaluated the effects of hypoxia on fish habitat quality in the central basin of Lake Erie from 1987 to 2005, using bioenergetic growth rate potential (GRP) as a proxy for habitat quality. We compared the effect of hypoxia on habitat quality of (i) rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax mordax Mitchill (young-of-year, YOY, and adult), a cold-water planktivore, (ii) emerald shiner, Notropis atherinoides Rafinesque (adult), a warm-water planktivore, (iii) yellow perch, Perca flavescens Mitchill (YOY and adult), a cool-water benthopelagic omnivore and (iv) round goby Neogobius melanostomus Pallas (adult) a eurythermal benthivore. Annual thermal and DO profiles were generated from 1D thermal and DO hydrodynamics models developed for Lake Erie’s central basin.3. Hypoxia occurred annually, typically from mid-July to mid-October, which spatially and temporally overlaps with otherwise high benthic habitat quality. Hypoxia reduced the habitat quality across fish species and life stages, but the magnitude of the reduction varied both among and within species because of the differences in tolerance to low DO levels and warm-water temperatures.4. Across years, trends in habitat quality mirrored trends in phosphorus concentration and water column oxygen demand in central Lake Erie. The per cent reduction in habitat quality owing to hypoxia was greatest for adult rainbow smelt and round goby (mean: −35%), followed by adult emerald shiner (mean: −12%), YOY rainbow smelt (mean: −10%) and YOY and adult yellow perch (mean: −8.5%).5. Our results highlight the importance of differential spatiotemporally interactive effects of DO and temperature on relative fish habitat quality and quantity. These effects have the potential to influence the performance of individual fish species as well as population dynamics, trophic interactions and fish community structure.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79212/1/j.1365-2427.2010.02504.x.pd

Spatial overlap of shark nursery areas and the salmon farming industry influences the trophic ecology of Squalus acanthias on the southern coast of Chile

© 2017 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Potential interactions between marine predators and humans arise in the southern coast of Chile where predator feeding and reproduction sites overlap with fisheries and aquaculture. Here, we assess the potential effects of intensive salmon aquaculture on food habits, growth, and reproduction of a common predator, the spiny dogfish—identified as Squalus acanthias via genetic barcoding. A total of 102 (89 females and 13 males) individuals were collected during winter and summer of 2013–2014 from the Chiloé Sea where salmon aquaculture activities are concentrated. The low frequency of males in our study suggests spatial segregation of sex, while immature and mature females spatially overlapped in both seasons. Female spiny dogfish showed a functional specialist behavior as indicated by the small number of prey items and the relative high importance of the austral hake and salmon pellets in the diet. Immature sharks fed more on pellets and anchovies than the larger hake-preferring mature females. Our results also indicate that spiny dogfish switch prey (anchovy to hake) to take advantage of seasonal changes in prey availability. Despite differences in the trophic patterns of S. acanthias due to the spatial association with intensive salmon farming, in this region, there appears to be no difference in fecundity or size at maturity compared to other populations. Although no demographic effects were detected, we suggest that a range of additional factors should be considered before concluding that intensive aquaculture does not have any impact on these marine predators.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Recent Salmon Declines: A Result of Lost Feeding Opportunities Due to Bad Timing?

As the timing of spring productivity blooms in near-shore areas advances due to warming trends in global climate, the selection pressures on out-migrating salmon smolts are shifting. Species and stocks that leave natal streams earlier may be favoured over later-migrating fish. The low post-release survival of hatchery fish during recent years may be in part due to static release times that do not take the timing of plankton blooms into account. This study examined the effects of release time on the migratory behaviour and survival of wild and hatchery-reared coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) using acoustic and coded-wire telemetry. Plankton monitoring and near-shore seining were also conducted to determine which habitat and food sources were favoured. Acoustic tags (n = 140) and coded-wire tags (n = 266,692) were implanted into coho salmon smolts at the Seymour and Quinsam Rivers, in British Columbia, Canada. Differences between wild and hatchery fish, and early and late releases were examined during the entire lifecycle. Physiological sampling was also carried out on 30 fish from each release group. The smolt-to-adult survival of coho salmon released during periods of high marine productivity was 1.5- to 3-fold greater than those released both before and after, and the fish's degree of smoltification affected their downstream migration time and duration of stay in the estuary. Therefore, hatchery managers should consider having smolts fully developed and ready for release during the peak of the near-shore plankton blooms. Monitoring chlorophyll a levels and water temperature early in the spring could provide a forecast of the timing of these blooms, giving hatcheries time to adjust their release schedule

Parental Intervention Non-Adherence Mediated by Misinformation About Applied Behavioural Analysis

Wine production is dependent on ethanol, but also on optimal glycerol concentrations, both of which are produced by S. cerevisiae fermentation. Wine characteristics like sweetness levels are influenced by glycerol concentrations. Additionally, elevated glycerol levels can be an indication of abnormal blood sugar levels. In both situations, close observations of glycerol levels are essential. One proposed method of measuring glycerol concentrations is through enzymatic oxidation with a glycerol biosensor. Alditol oxidase (AldO) is a recently discovered carbohydrate oxidase in S. coelicolor. Despite specificity for longer-chained polyols, studies have proposed that AldO can be used as a glycerol oxidase. Using random point mutations, an AldO mutant was isolated and had increased specificity for glycerol. These results suggest that potential for AldO with glycerol biosensor development. This project aimed to produce a glycerol specific alditol oxidase to be used as a biosensor. A synthetic alditol oxidase (AldOG) gene was used to produce AldOG via cloning methods. The method will also be utilized in conjunction with Dr. Samuel Mugo’s work in biosensor construction. Finally, the resulting cloning techniques optimized for AldOG will be used in a future laboratory for a 300-level Biochemistry course currently under development by Dr. Bernstein. Department: Psychology  Faculty Mentors: Dr. Russ Powell and Miranda Macaule