Prisoners’ Families, Penal Power, and the Referred Pains of Imprisonment

This chapter develops the analysis of the ‘punishment beyond the legal offender’. It illustrates how parental imprisonment was experienced differently within and across families, and while not all experiences were negative, there were common experiences of hardship. The chapter considers these personal and social hardships ‘referred pains of imprisonment’. Its analysis shows how these experiences were shaped by the direct contact families had with criminal justice agents, the strength of the relationship with the imprisoned parent, and the anticipated and actual response of others within the local community. The chapter introduces a distinction between ‘acute’ pains that were experienced in the early stages of engagement with the criminal justice process (the arrest, trial, and removal of the father from the family) and ‘chronic’ pains that persisted and burdened family members over the longer term

Ambitious mothers-successful daughters: Mothers’ early expectations for children’s education and children’s earnings and sense of control in adult life

Background: Mothers’ expectations for their children’s educational attainment are related to children’s educational and occupational attainment. Studies have yet to establish, however, long term links between maternal expectations and offspring earnings, which are not always related to occupational attainment especially in women, or between maternal expectations and offspring sense of control and self-efficacy, which are pivotal factors in career choice and development. Aims: To explore the role of mothers’ expectations for their children’s educational attainment in children’s earnings attainment and sense of control later in life. Method: Data from sweeps of the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) were used. The study sample was those cohort members with complete information on all the variables of interest. The study sample (N=3,285) was more educated and less disadvantaged than the whole sample. If cohort members of this type are more likely to have a mother who has high expectations then our results are biased downwards, which suggests that we underestimate the effect of expectations on our two outcome variables. Results: Mothers’ expectations at age 10 were positively related to daughters’ sense of control at age 30 even after controlling for ethnicity, educational attainment, and concurrent partner, parent, and labor market participation status, as well as the following confounding variables (measured at ages 0-10): general ability and general ability squared, locus of control, emotional and behavioral problems and emotional and behavioral problems squared, socio-economic disadvantage, parental social class, parental family structure, and mother’s education, child-rearing attitudes and mental health. Mothers’ expectations had no effect in sons’ adult outcomes. Conclusions: Given that women are particularly at risk for poor psychological and economic outcomes in adulthood, and that this study likely underestimated the effect of expectations on these two outcomes, this is an important conclusion

Non-genomic effects of PPARgamma ligands: inhibition of GPVI-stimulated platelet activation

BACKGROUND: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-(gamma) (PPAR(gamma)) is expressed in human platelets although in the absence of genomic regulation in these cells, its functions are unclear. OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we aimed to demonstrate the ability of PPAR(gamma) ligands to modulate collagen-stimulated platelet function and suppress activation of the glycoprotein VI (GPVI) signaling pathway. METHODS: Washed platelets were stimulated with PPAR(gamma) ligands in the presence and absence of PPAR(gamma) antagonist GW9662 and collagen-induced aggregation was measured using optical aggregometry. Calcium levels were measured by spectrofluorimetry in Fura-2AM-loaded platelets and tyrosine phosphorylation levels of receptor-proximal components of the GPVI signaling pathway were measured using immunoblot analysis. The role of PPAR(gamma) agonists in thrombus formation was assessed using an in vitro model of thrombus formation under arterial flow conditions. RESULTS: PPAR(gamma) ligands inhibited collagen-stimulated platelet aggregation that was accompanied by a reduction in intracellular calcium mobilization and P-selectin exposure. PPAR(gamma) ligands inhibited thrombus formation under arterial flow conditions. The incorporation of GW9662 reversed the inhibitory actions of PPAR(gamma) agonists, implicating PPAR(gamma) in the effects observed. Furthermore, PPAR(gamma) ligands were found to inhibit tyrosine phosphorylation levels of multiple components of the GPVI signaling pathway. PPAR(gamma) was found to associate with Syk and LAT after platelet activation. This association was prevented by PPAR(gamma) agonists, indicating a potential mechanism for PPAR(gamma) function in collagen-stimulated platelet activation. CONCLUSIONS: PPAR(gamma) agonists inhibit the activation of collagen-stimulation of platelet function through modulation of early GPVI signalling

Mineralocorticoid receptors are indispensable for nongenomic modulation of hippocampal glutamate transmission by corticosterone

The adrenal hormone corticosterone transcriptionally regulates responsive genes in the rodent hippocampus through nuclear mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors. Via this genomic pathway the hormone alters properties of hippocampal cells slowly and for a prolonged period. Here we report that corticosterone also rapidly and reversibly changes hippocampal signaling. Stress levels of the hormone enhance the frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic potentials in CA1 pyramidal neurons and reduce paired-pulse facilitation, pointing to a hormone-dependent enhancement of glutamate-release probability. The rapid effect by corticosterone is accomplished through a nongenomic pathway involving membrane-located receptors. Unexpectedly, the rapid effect critically depends on the classical mineralocorticoid receptor, as evidenced by the effectiveness of agonists, antagonists, and brain-specific inactivation of the mineralocorticoid but not the glucocorticoid receptor gene. Rapid actions by corticosterone would allow the brain to change its function within minutes after stress-induced elevations of corticosteroid levels, in addition to responding later through gene-mediated signaling pathways

Expression of NAD(P)H Oxidase Subunits and Their Contribution to Cardiovascular Damage in Aldosterone/Salt-Induced Hypertensive Rat

NAD(P)H oxidase plays an important role in hypertension and its complication in aldosterone-salt rat. We questioned whether NAD(P)H oxidase subunit expression and activity are modulated by aldosterone and whether this is associated with target-organ damage. Rats were infused with aldosterone (0.75 µg/hr/day) for 6 weeks and were given 0.9% NaCl±losartan (30 mg/kg/day), spironolactone (200 mg/kg/day), and apocynin (1.5 mM/L). Aldosterone-salt hypertension was prevented completely by spironolactone and modestly by losartan and apocynin. Aldosterone increased aortic NAD(P)H oxidase activity by 34% and spironolactone and losartan inhibited the activity. Aortic expression of the subunits p47phox, gp91phox, and p22phox increased in aldosterone-infused rats by 5.5, 4.7, and 3.2-fold, respectively, which was decreased completely by spironolactone and partially by losartan and apocynin. Therefore, the increased expression of NAD(P)H oxidase may contribute to cardiovascular damage in aldosterone-salt hypertension through the increased expression of each subunit

Offender rehabilitation : a normative framework for forensic psychologists

Community protection from offenders is addressed through punishment, deterrence, incapacitation, and/or rehabilitation. The current public policy debate about community protection refers to community rights as opposed to offender rights as if the two are mutually exclusive. However, in this article it will be argued that offender rehabilitation can enhance community protection if it addresses community rights and offender rights. The author proposes a normative framework to guide forensic psychologists in offender rehabilitation. The normative framework considers psychological theory&mdash;the risk-need model to address community rights and the good lives model to address offender rights. However, forensic psychologists operate within the context of the criminal justice system and so legal theory will also be considered. Therapeutic jurisprudence can balance community rights and offender rights within a human rights perspective. The proposed normative framework guides forensic psychologists in the assessment of risk, the treatment of need, and the management of readiness in balancing community rights and offender rights. Within a human rights perspective, forensic psychologists have a duty to provide offenders with the opportunity to make autonomous decisions about whether to accept or reject rehabilitation. <br /

Normalization and Statistical Analysis of Multiplexed Bead-Based Immunoassay Data Using Mixed-Effects Modeling

Multiplexed bead-based flow cytometric immunoassays are a powerful experimental tool for investigating cellular communication networks, yet their widespread adoption is limited in part by challenges in robust quantitative analysis of the measurements. Here we report our application of mixed-effects modeling for the normalization and statistical analysis of bead-based immunoassay data. Our data set consisted of bead-based immunoassay measurements of 16 phospho-proteins in lysates of HepG2 cells treated with ligands that regulate acute-phase protein secretion. Mixed-effects modeling provided estimates for the effects of both the technical and biological sources of variance, and normalization was achieved by subtracting the technical effects from the measured values. This approach allowed us to detect ligand effects on signaling with greater precision and sensitivity and to more accurately characterize the HepG2 cell signaling network using constrained fuzzy logic. Mixed-effects modeling analysis of our data was vital for ascertaining that IL-1α and TGF-α treatment increased the activities of more pathways than IL-6 and TNF-α and that TGF-α and TNF-α increased p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phospho-protein levels in a synergistic manner. Moreover, we used mixed-effects modeling-based technical effect estimates to reveal the substantial variance contributed by batch effects along with the absence of loading order and assay plate position effects. We conclude that mixed-effects modeling enabled additional insights to be gained from our data than would otherwise be possible and we discuss how this methodology can play an important role in enhancing the value of experiments employing multiplexed bead-based immunoassays.United States. Army Research Office (Contract W911NF-09-D-0001)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH P50-GM68762

The moderating role of psychopathic traits in the relationship between period of confinement and criminal social identity in a sample of juvenile prisoners

Purpose: The main aim of the current study was to examine how primary psychopathy may interact with period of confinement to predict Criminal Social Identity (CSI) scores, while controlling for covariates. Methods: The Measure of Criminal Social Identity, Levenson Self-report Psychopathy Scale, and the Measure of Criminal Attitudes and Associates were administered to 126 male juvenile offenders incarcerated in prisons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Results: Results indicated no significant direct relationship between period of confinement and CSI scores. However, as expected, a significant moderating effect of primary psychopathy on the association between period of confinement and CSI scores was observed while controlling for covariates. Specifically, the significant effect of period of confinement on CSI was observed only for those participants who scored higher (1 SD above the mean) on primary psychopathy (affective and interpersonal features). Conclusion: For incarcerated juveniles with greater primary psychopathic traits, the formation and/or intensification of CSI may be an adaptive response to incarceration

Membrane testosterone binding sites in prostate carcinoma as a potential new marker and therapeutic target: Study in paraffin tissue sections

BACKGROUND: Steroid action is mediated, in addition to classical intracellular receptors, by recently identified membrane sites, that generate rapid non-genomic effects. We have recently identified a membrane androgen receptor site on prostate carcinoma cells, mediating testosterone rapid effects on the cytoskeleton and secretion within minutes. METHODS: The aim of this study was to investigate whether membrane androgen receptors are differentially expressed in prostate carcinomas, and their relationship to the tumor grade. We examined the expression of membrane androgen receptors in archival material of 109 prostate carcinomas and 103 benign prostate hyperplasias, using fluorescein-labeled BSA-coupled testosterone. RESULTS: We report that membrane androgen receptors are preferentially expressed in prostate carcinomas, and they correlate to their grade using the Gleason's microscopic grading score system. CONCLUSION: We conclude that membrane androgen receptors may represent an index of tumor aggressiveness and possibly specific targets for new therapeutic regimens