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Adolescent Universal Mental Health Screening Innovations: The Utility of Measuring Implicit Suicide Risk
No full textSuicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents. Most screenings rely on subjective self-report to determine risk; yet many who die by suicide have denied the experience of suicidality before their death. This paradox presents an urgent need for objective measures of suicide risk to aid in prevention and early intervention. The utility of the Death Implicit Association Test, an objective measure of suicide risk, has not yet been investigated in universal settings. As a first step, we tested whether adding the D-IAT presented iatrogenic effects and whether any order effects should be considered when adding the D-IAT to a universal screening tool. After parental consent and assent, participants (N = 55; 79% White; Mage = 14.21, SD 1.66) completed assessments including the D-IAT, a self-report screening tool for psychopathology, and a brief clinical interview. We administered measures of state emotion before and after participants completed the D-IAT to assess potential iatrogenic effects on mood, and we counterbalanced the order of D-IAT administration. This study lays the initial groundwork for prioritizing evidence-based self-report and objective measures to provide early intervention and potentially save lives
Burned in Berlin – Banned in Boston: Censorship of Booksellers During the Interwar Period in the U. S. as Compared to Germany, 1919-1939
Full text linkDuring the twenty-year interwar period from 1919-1939, two vastly different nations faced their own personal wars with the censorship of booksellers. Germany—at first the Weimar Republic, then later the Nazi Regime—underwent such a transformation that Berlin went from one of the literary capitals of the world to the site of the most infamous of censorship crimes: the book burnings. Meanwhile, the United States was a long-standing democratic nation in which freedom of speech was one of its cornerstone tenants. Despite the differences of governments and the scope and scale of the censorship, there were major similarities between the tactics and methods used by each country in order to enact censorship. Using Boston and Berlin as examples, this paper looks at how censorship legislation, anti-vice groups, police forces, and the intentional molding of the internal censor all worked in tandem to create very similar processes of censorship in both countries. What it contends is that these similarities are important to acknowledge as today the United States continue to fight against literature censorship. With the return of legislation pushing censorship, it\u27s important to see the history of censorship in the US itself and the history of censorship in one of the world\u27s most infamous censorship states, and recognize the red flags that are currently rising in this nation
The Science of Paint Drying: It’s more fascinating than it sounds
Full text linkThink watching paint dry is boring? Think again. Join me on a mind-blowing molecular journey where tiny particles steal the show. From fiery reactions to disappearing acts—and yes, even a little rock and roll— you’ll never look at drying paint the same way again. Curious, yet? Let the paint dry... if you dare
The Republic of Citizens: from Equality to Fairness
No full textIt is commonly assumed that political justice requires the universal and unconditional distribution of political authority, particularly in the form of suffrage. This analysis refutes that assumption, arguing instead that a just republic must condition political suffrage on demonstrated civic competence rather than mere demographic presence. Political rights are not natural entitlements but civil responsibilities, entrusted through public reason and institutional mechanisms designed to ensure that only those who possess the requisite competencies may exercise political authority.
Justice is understood here not as procedural equality but as substantive equity—a calibrated alignment between civic capacity and political authority. Drawing on classical and modern frameworks, including Aristotle’s distinction between the politēs and the dēmos and Rawls’ theory of public reason, the argument defends a model of civic meritocracy wherein suffrage is earned through ethical and rational qualification. The thesis proposes specific institutional mechanisms, including a national system of civic education, periodic capacity assessments, and independent civic bodies to verify political competence, ensuring that the exercise of coercive authority remains legitimate and intelligible.
A just republic requires that political authority be exercised by those who are morally and cognitively equipped to govern, ensuring that fairness is grounded in qualitative equity rather than mere quantitative equality. This framework addresses the risks of democratic universalism, preventing governance by unqualified voices and safeguarding the integrity of the democratic system
Hormonal Modulation of Perineuronal Net Density in the Female Peromyscus californicus Hippocampus and Medial Prefrontal Cortex
No full textPerineuronal nets (PNNs) are specialized extracellular matrix structures that regulate synaptic plasticity and stabilize neural circuits, particularly during the closure of critical periods, a time when the brain is highly plastic and susceptible to environmental influence. Emerging evidence suggests that PNNs may be sensitive to hormonal fluctuations associated with critical periods such as puberty and pregnancy, yet their role in the female brain, particularly in relation to other well-characterized hormonally-mediated events, remains underexplored. This project investigated whether PNN expression in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex varied following vaginal opening, or across different stages of the estrous cycle in Peromyscus californicus (California mice). Using immunohistochemical staining and fluorescence microscopy, we quantified PNN density in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex across the four phases of the estrous cycle. Because estrogen and progesterone, two key ovarian hormones that fluctuate systematically across the estrous cycle, are known to influence synaptic plasticity, we hypothesized that cycle phase, as a proxy for hormone level, would influence PNN expression, potentially altering hippocampal plasticity and could have implications for memory-related processes. By explaining hormone-dependent changes in PNNs, this study aims to inform our understanding of sex-specific mechanisms underlying cognitive aging and neurodegeneration, with implications for conditions such as menopause-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease