Maternal Attachment Buffers the Association Between Exposure to Violence and Youth Attitudes About Aggression

The present study examined the relative and cumulative predictive power of parent–child, interparental, and community aggression on youths\u27 perceptions of the acceptability of aggression between peers and siblings. The potential for mother–child attachment to buffer the effects of violence on aggressive attitudes was tested, as well as the link between aggressive attitudes and aggressive behaviors. A diverse sample of 148 children (ages 9–14) completed measures of interparental, parent–child, and community aggression; a measure of mother–child attachment quality; and a measure of aggressive behaviors. Participants also rated the acceptability of aggressive interactions between two peers and two siblings in written vignettes. Mothers completed a measure of their child\u27s aggressive behaviors. Youths\u27 violence exposure was related to perceptions of aggression as more acceptable, with parent–child aggression having the only unique association. Maternal attachment buffered the relation between exposure to community violence and perceived acceptability of aggression, which predicted decreased aggression. When exposed to high levels of community violence, youths with more secure maternal attachment perceived aggression as less acceptable than youths with less secure attachment and, in turn, displayed fewer aggressive behaviors. Interventions that focus on strengthening the caregiver–child relationship in children exposed to violence may reduce aggressive behaviors by interrupting the development of aggressive attitudes

Predicting Aggression in Late Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study

This study sought to prospectively predict aggression in the romantic relationships of 1180 college students from the United States (807 females; 373 males) over the course of two months with a set of intrapersonal risk and protective factors, including personality characteristics that rarely have been examined in this population. After accounting for prior dating aggression, perpetration of verbal aggression was predicted uniquely by aggressive attitudes, emotion regulation, and for females, narcissism. Perpetration of physical aggression was predicted by aggressive attitudes, but only at low levels of emotion regulation, and the interaction of callous-unemotional traits, emotion regulation, and gender: males with low levels of callous-unemotional traits perpetrated less physical aggression when they reported greater emotion regulation. These findings are among the first to show that personality traits and emotion regulation prospectively predict partner aggression in late adolescence and suggest mechanisms for continuity in interpersonal aggression from early adolescence to adulthood

Why Darwin remains a problem for theism

Several recent works in theology have argued that evolutionary theory is compatible with theism. This, of course, is true: theism and evolutionary theory are indeed logically and metaphysically compatible. However, little is being demonstrated on behalf of theism when this conclusion is established. For, the logical and metaphysical compatibility of conceptual frameworks or narratives is a very low bar for attempting to analyze the world and its fundamental nature, and such compatibility tells us little about how the world really is. In this paper I focus on why Darwinian evolutionary theory, though logically and metaphysically compatible with theism, continues to present a prima facie problem for theism. I focus on the problem of evil to make this case, and specifically, a particular species of the problem of evil, viz. divine hiddenness. I begin by showing why the logical problem of evil fails in its attempts to demonstrate God does not exist based on there being evil in the world. It is indeed possible for God and evil to co-exist. However, this conclusion fails to address the serious and problematic evidentiary challenge that evil in general presents for theism, and in particular the evidentiary challenge from evil that Darwinian natural selection entails, including (but not limited to): the apparent gratuitous suffering of individual animals; the cumulative amount of death and suffering of sentient (and in some instances conscious) beings in the world; and the extinction of almost all species since the emergence of life on this planet

Combining representations in working memory: A brief report

A task combining both digit and Corsi memory tests was administered to a group of 75 children. The task is shown to share variance with standardized reading and maths attainments, even after partialling out performance on component tasks separately assessed. The emergent task property may reflect coordination skills, although several different refinements can be made to this general conclusion

Building and Executing MOOCs: A Practical Review of Glasgow's First Two MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)

No abstract available

An analysis of the supplementary reading references in social studies textbooks of the sixth grade

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1948. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

The Q rule in Bacteriodetes and the identification and characterization of Porphyromonas gingivalis Glutaminyl Cyclase.

Background: Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major pathogen associated with chronic periodontitis, secretes variety of proteins, majority of which begins with glutamine. Several of these proteins were found with pyroglutamate (pGlu) at N-terminus suggesting the presence of this posttranslational modification pathway in P.gingivalis. The observation that N-terminal glutamine is over-represented as the first amino acid after signal peptide cleavage, and subsequent confirmation of pGlu formation on the nascent protein via mass spectrometry, led us to conclude that an enzyme must be present as the executor of this reaction. Hypothesis: PG2157 is a glutaminyl cyclase and is responsible for the cyclization of N-terminal glutamine residues. Methods: A homology search was used to identify a gene (PG2157) encoding a protein homologous to human glutaminyl cyclase (QC) in the P. gingivalis genome. The gene was cloned, expressed in E. coli and recombinant PgQC purified. The protein was crystalized, and structure determined by molecular replacement. The rPgQC activity was characterized with respect to pH, ionic strength, optimum substrate specificity, and sensitivity to inhibition by an array of non-specific and specific inhibitors. Finally, subcellular localization of PgQC in P. gingivalis was determined. Results: PgQC specificity is restricted for N-terminal glutamine. The enzyme converts this residue to pGlu with kcat/Km at 1.34 s-1. The reaction was fastest at low ionic strength and at pH around 8.0. The activity was inhibited by o-phenanthroline (≥100µM) and EDTA (≥100mM EDTA). Cu2+ and Zn2+ at ≥100nM exerted ≥90% inhibition. The activity was also significantly affected by cysteamine, imidazole, and reduced glutathione. In bacterial cells PgQC was found associated with the inner membrane as a lipoprotein facing the periplasm. The crystalline structure of PgQC showed strong similarity to human QC on the atomic level. Nevertheless, an inhibitor specific for human QC had a limited effect on the PgQC activity. Conclusions: PgQC is an enzyme resembling mammalian QC and it is responsible for pyroglutamination of proteins secreted by the T9SS of P. gingivalis. This activity is likely essential for bacterium viability since all attempts to produce a viable PgQC knockout failed. Taking into account that also T. forsythia and P. intermedia possess similar enzymes and the frequency of the Q value of Bacteriodetes it is likely that similar post-translatonal modification plays a pivotal role in protein secretion by these periodontal pathogens. Therefore, inhibition of bacterial QC may represent a novel approach to treat periodontal diseases

Divinity, Noēsis, and Aristotelian Friendship

Aristotle's NE X claim that the best human life is one devoted to contemplation (theoria) seems in tension with his emphasis elsewhere on our essentially political nature, and more specifically, his claim that friendship is necessary for our flourishing. For, if our good can be in principle realized apart from the human community, there seems little reason to suggest we 'need' friends, as he clearly does in NE VIII & IX. I argue that central to Aristotle's NE X discussion of contemplation is the claim that our chief good accords with whatever is 'most divine' in us, viz. our rational nature (NE 1177b2-18). Thus, the best human life involves the excellent exercise of our rational capacities. I distinguish two ways in which human beings flourish through exercising their rationality. The first is in the activity of theoria. The second, I argue, can be found in the virtuous activity of complete friendship (teleia philia). For Aristotle the truest form of friendship is an expression of rationality. It is characterized not merely by our living together, but conversing, and sharing one another's thoughts (NE 1170b12-14). Examining Aristotle's notion of a friend as 'another self (alios autos), I argue that through friendship human beings come to better know themselves and the world in which they live. Complete friendship involves a (uniquely human) second-order awareness of oneself in another, and through this awareness our understanding of ourselves and the world in which we live is enriched, confirmed, and enjoyed through the presence of other minds. Thus, the highest form of Aristotelian friendship is an intellectual activity through which we attain an analogue of the divine contemplation of the unmoved mover, thereby living with respect to what is most divine in us, but doing so in accordance with our uniquely rational-political nature

Rendering Co-Products as Electron Donors for Subsurface Remediation

Chlorinated solvents are a widespread groundwater contaminant across the United States and worldwide. Bioremediation strategies for chlorinated solvents in groundwater environments often involve electron donor amendments to stimulate reductive dechlorination. Electron donor amendment technologies have evolved over time, utilizing varying lipid or carbohydrate based compounds. Several popular electron donor amendments contain soybean based emulsified vegetable oil (EVO), or low molecular mass organic acid compounds including acetate and formate. This project seeks to develop a group of novel electron donor amendments based on animal co-products to outperform conventional products. These co-products are comprised of waste generated in the animal rendering process such as feathers or bone. The now patented technology will lead to considerably lower cost electron donor amendments compared to commonly used substrates. Experiments were conducted in a batch setting on a laboratory scale. Serum bottles were assembled with 50 grams of sediment collected from a local site contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE). The bottles were dosed with various animal co-products at different concentrations (3.2mg/L – 1g/L). Additionally, 20 ml of aquifer water and 20 Mols of TCE were added to each bottle. Bottles were then sealed and headspace was replaced with nitrogen. Control bottles were assembled with no electron donor, Lactate, and EOS. Headspace samples were taken on a weekly basis, and dechlorination was measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Measurements continued until stoichiometric ethene generation was observed (our operationally defined point of “success”). Further batch experiments were then conducted based on results of feasibility experiments. These experiments focused on optimization of co-product concentration, utilizing mixtures of different co-products, and replicating feasibility with diverse soil samples. The data collected in this project highlight the potential for animal co-products to be utilized as a novel electron donor for in-situ chlorinated solvent remediation. Many co-products rendered for this study display comparable dechlorination rates to lactate and EOS controls. Mixtures of co-products also display similar dechlorination rates compared to controls. Further research of these co-products could lead to significantly lower cost electron donor amendment strategies. Traditional soybean based electron donors cost between $0.25-3.00 per pound, while animal co-products based electron donors cost between$0.005-0.225 per pound. Considering many sites may require thousands of pounds of electron donor amendment, the savings potential is significant. Furthermore, by lowering the cost of the electron donor substrate, many more sites could potentially benefit from access to this technology