Perceptions and correlates of peer-victimization and bullying

The experiences of peer-victimization and bullying are often treated empirically as though they are conceptually indistinct. Both involve repeated aggression,but definitions of bullying additionally emphasize the importance of aggressor intent and imbalance of power between the aggressor and the victim (Olweus, 1978; Whitney & Smith, 1993). The present study aimed to examine the extent to which peer-victimization and bullying are empirically similar. The sample comprised 1,429 pupils (50.2% male) aged between 8 and 13 years attending mainstream Scottish schools. Self-report questionnaire assessing peer-victimization and bullying, copingstrategy use (WCCL: Hunter, 2000), situational appraisal and depressive symptomatology (Birleson, 1981). Almost one-third (30.7%) of pupils reported experiencing peer-victimization, and of these 38.1% (11.7% of whole sample) were categorized as victims of bullying. Victims of bullying perceived higher levels of threat and lower levels of perceived control. They also reported using more Wishful Thinking and Social Support coping strategies, but did not differ on Problem Focused coping. Bullied pupils also reported higher levels of depressive symptomatology. Peer-victimization and bullying appear to be qualitatively different experiences for children and adolescents, with bullying being the more serious phenomenon

Human Performance Assessments in Cadet Populations

This study assessed potential physiological differences between the Ranger Challenge (RC) Competition team and junior year cadets in an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. The method included: RC (m = 11, f = 2) and junior year cadets (m = 7, f = 3) were assessed in the following areas: 1) quickness and agility (5-10-5 shuttle run), 2) total-body power (standing broad jump), and 3) grip strength (hand grip dynamometry) assessed. The 5-10-5 shuttle run was performed twice (opening once to the left and once to the right). The standing broad jump required that cadets stand with their toes behind a line, perform a maximum of three preparatory movements, triple extend their knees, hips, and ankles while using their upper body to propel them as far forward as possible. After the jump the distanced reached was measured from the line to the heel of the nearest foot. Hand grip dynamometry was performed once on each hand. The cadet held the dynamometer out to his or her side and squeezed it as they lowered it to their hip. The results were that there were no significant differences between groups for the 5-10-5 shuttle run (p = 0.91), standing broad jump (p = 0.49), or grip strength (p = 0.31). RC did not outperform

What can we learn from antique ornithology?

Ornithology has a venerable history. Worldwide, birds are both culturally important and one of the most salient reminders of the natural world, and beyond their regular appearances in folklore, literature and art they were among the first subjects of natural history from the classical world to the Renaissance. The study of birds remained a fixture of inquiry through the scientific revolution: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, the oldest scientific journal still published, included ornithological method papers in its very first volume (Boyle 1666), and as scientific practice developed ornithological research kept pace. A growing interest in the diversity and systematics of birds ultimately led to the formation of dedicated ornithological societies and journals in the second half of the nineteenth century. First were the Society of German Ornithologists (Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft) in 1850 and the British Ornithologists’ Union in 1858; their respective journals ‘Journal für Ornithologie’ (now ‘Journal of Ornithology’) and ‘Ibis’ followed in 1853 and 1859. In America, the American Ornithologists’ Union was founded in 1883 with its journal ‘Auk’ beginning the same year, followed by the Wilson Ornithological Society (1886) and Cooper Ornithological Club (1893) and their journals shortly thereafter. The Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union (now part of BirdLife Australia) was founded in 1901, along with its journal ‘Emu’. Amazingly, all these publications are still extant, and digital versions of much of their content are now available back to their first issues. In common with other branches of science, ornithological research has exploded in recent decades, and with this plethora of new work, it is tempting to disregard the older corpus of knowledge, under the assumption that it has either been superseded or is too far removed from modern practice to be useful. However, with over 10 000 extant bird species worldwide and the avifauna of many regions still rarely studied, we would encourage the ornithological community to not overlook earlier literature. In this note, we illustrate the potential interest and value of older studies using three diverse articles published in a single journal issue 100 years ago: volume nineteen of Emu

Catalytic Acceptorless Dehydrogenation of Amines with Ru(P\u3csup\u3eR\u3c/sup\u3e2N\u3csup\u3eR′\u3c/sup\u3e2) and Ru(dppp) Complexes

[Ru(Cp)(PPh2NBn2)(MeCN)]PF6 (1; PPh2NBn2 = 1,5-benzyl-3,7-phenyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane) and [Ru(Cp)(dppp)(MeCN)]PF6 (2; dppp = 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) are both active toward the acceptorless dehydrogenation of benzylamine (BnNH2) and N-heterocycles. The two catalysts have similar activities but different selectivities for dehydrogenation products. Independent synthesis of a [Ru(Cp)(PPh2NBn2)(NH2Bn)]PF6 adduct (3) reveals the presence of a hydrogen bond between the bound amine and the pendent base of the PPh2NBn2 ligand. Preliminary mechanistic studies reveal that the benzylamine adduct is not an on-cycle catalyst intermediate

Adolescent bullying and sleep difficulties

This study evaluated whether adolescents who report having been bullied, being bullies, or report both being a bully and being bullied experience more sleep difficulties than children uninvolved in bullying. The study drew upon cognitive theories of insomnia, investigating whether the extent to which young people report worrying about bullying can moderate associations between victimization and sleep difficulties. Participants were 5420 adolescents who completed a self-report questionnaire. Pure Victims (OR = 1.72: 95% CI [1.07 – 2.75]), Pure Bullies (OR = 1.80: 95% CI [1.16 – 2.81]), and Bully-Victims (OR = 2.90: 95% CI [1.17 – 4.92]) were all more likely to experience sleep difficulties when compared to uninvolved young people. The extent to which young people reported worrying about being bullied did not moderate the links between victimization and sleep difficulties. In this way, bullying is clearly related to sleep difficulties among adolescents but the conceptual reach of the cognitive model of insomnia in this domain is questioned

The S Parameter in QCD from Domain Wall Fermions

We have computed the SU(2) Low Energy Constant l5 and the mass splitting between charged and neutral pions from a lattice QCD simulation of nf = 2 + 1 flavors of Domain Wall Fermions at a scale of a-1 = 2.33GeV. Relating l5 to the S parameter in QCD we obtain a value of S(mH=120GeV) = 0.42(7), in agreement with previous determinations. Our result can be compared with the value of S from electroweak precision data which constrains strongly interacting models of new physics like Technicolor. This work in QCD serves as a test for the methods to compute the S parameter with Domain Wall Fermions in theories beyond the Standard Model. We also infer a value for the pion mass splitting in agreement with experiment.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figure

Radio Observations of the Hubble Deep Field South region: I. Survey Description and Initial Results

This paper is the first of a series describing the results of the Australia Telescope Hubble Deep Field South (ATHDFS) radio survey. The survey was conducted at four wavelengths - 20, 11, 6, and 3 cm, over a 4-year period, and achieves an rms sensitivity of about 10 microJy at each wavelength. We describe the observations and data reduction processes, and present data on radio sources close to the centre of the HDF-S. We discuss in detail the properties of a subset of these sources. The sources include both starburst galaxies and galaxies powered by an active galactic nucleus, and range in redshift from 0.1 to 2.2. Some of them are characterised by unusually high radio-to-optical luminosities, presumably caused by dust extinction.Comment: Accepted by AJ. 32 pages, 4 tables, 3 figures. PDF with full-resolution figures is on http://www.atnf.csiro.au/people/rnorris/N197.pd

(4-Hydr­oxy-3-nitro­benz­yl)methyl­ammonium chloride

The title compound, C8H11N2O3 +·Cl−, was synthesized as an inter­mediate in the development of a new sugar sensor. The structure displays N—H⋯Cl and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonding, as well as weak O—H⋯Cl inter­actions and π–π stacking (3.298 Å). There are two formula units in the asymmetric unit

Editor's Choice - Calcification of Thoracic and Abdominal Aneurysms is Associated with Mortality and Morbidity.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular events are common in people with aortic aneurysms. Arterial calcification is a recognised predictor of cardiovascular outcomes in coronary artery disease. Whether calcification within abdominal and thoracic aneurysm walls is correlated with poor cardiovascular outcomes is not known. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Calcium scores were derived from computed tomography (CT) scans of consecutive patients with either infrarenal (AAA) or descending thoracic aneurysms (TAA) using the modified Agatston score. The primary outcome was subsequent all cause mortality during follow-up. Secondary outcomes were cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. RESULTS: A total of 319 patients (123 TAA and 196 AAA; median age 77 [71-84] years, 72% male) were included with a median follow-up of 30 months. The primary outcome occurred in 120 (37.6%) patients. In the abdominal aortic aneurysm group, the calcium score was significantly related to both all cause mortality and cardiac mortality (odds ratios (OR) of 2.246 (95% CI 1.591-9.476; p < 0.001) and 1.321 (1.076-2.762; p = 0.003)) respectively. In the thoracic aneurysm group, calcium score was significantly related to all cause mortality (OR 6.444; 95% CI 2.574-6.137; p < 0.001), cardiac mortality (OR 3.456; 95% CI 1.765-4.654; p = 0.042) and cardiac morbidity (OR 2.128; 95% CI 1.973-4.342; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Aortic aneurysm calcification, in either the thoracic or the abdominal territory, is significantly associated with both higher overall and cardiovascular mortality. Calcium scoring, rapidly derived from routine CT scans, may help identify high risk patients for treatment to reduce risk