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Pandemic Paranoia Scale for Adolescents (PPS-A):An initial psychometric evaluation and prevalence study of adolescents in the United States and United Kingdom
Get PDFParanoid thoughts have been reported in 20–30% of adolescents, and preliminary research has shown that paranoia and psychotic-like experiences have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, previous research has typically used general measures to assess paranoia, rather than those specific to COVID-19, which may overlook particular facets of paranoia related to the pandemic and result in an under-reporting of paranoia prevalence rates during this time. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Pandemic Paranoia Scale for Adolescents (PPS-A), which was adapted from the original scale to be appropriate for younger respondents, and to assess the prevalence of pandemic paranoia among adolescents. Adolescents (N=462) recruited on Qualtrics from the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) completed an online survey consisting of the PPS-A and measures of general paranoia and negative affect. A subset of adolescent’s parents (N=146) also completed an online survey providing dyadic data. Findings showed that the PPS-A shared the same three factor structure as the adult PPS (i.e., persecutory threat, paranoid conspiracy, and interpersonal mistrust) and across participant nationality, race, gender, and mental health diagnosis. It also demonstrated strong psychometric properties. The overall prevalence rate of pandemic-related paranoia among adolescents was 21% and prevalence rates were higher among US participants than UK participants. This study provides the most comprehensive psychometric evaluation of a pandemic paranoia scale designed for adolescents and highlights the continued prevalence of pandemic paranoia in this age-group nearly two years after COVID-19 began
Animal-mediated seed dispersal and the demo-genetic configuration across plant colonization gradients
Get PDF1.Ecologists have long recognized that seed dispersal mutualisms trigger natural regeneration and range expansion of animal-dispersed trees. Yet we lack empirical studies addressing whether frugivore activity counteracts influences founder effects, which reduce genetic diversity at the colonization front of expanding populations. 2.Here we evaluate the contribution, from both demographic and genetic perspectives, of animal frugivores dispersing seeds across an expansion gradient. We used DNA barcoding for frugivores identification and highly polymorphic genetic markers (SSRs) for maternal analysis of juniper seeds to investigate how (1) stand maturity, (2) microhabitat types, and (3) foraging patterns shape the distribution of the maternal progenies along this gradient. 3.We expect a reduced seed rain density and low numbers of source trees contributing to the seed rain at the colonization front, with limited availability of local fruiting trees. We also anticipated that larger frugivore species would promote maternally rich seed rain due to their capability to mix progenies in their stomachs and move further distances across the landscape. 4.Contrary to our expectations, we found that all identified frugivores produced dense and genetically diverse seed rains across the expansion gradient, even at the colonization front characterized by the scarcity of local fruiting trees.Contrary to our expectations, we found that frugivores generated dense, genetically diverse seed rains across the entire expansion gradient, even at the colonization front with a scarcity of local fruiting trees. 5.Our findings shed light on the fundamental and applied implications of plant-frugivore interactions in shaping highly diverse second-growth forests. These results emphasize the necessity of preserving plant-animal mutualistic interactions to ensure the persistence and expansion of natural tree populations, particularly in formerly fragmented landscapes
Restorative justice in safeguarding adults with hate crime and discriminatory abuse:exploring the evidence
Get PDFPurposeThe purpose of this paper is to consider what safeguarding responses to discriminatory abuse and hate crime might learn from existing research on restorative justice and to drive practice development based on available evidence.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a scoping review of literature using four academic databases and reference harvesting. This comprised a critical appraisal of 30 articles, which were thematically analysed to appreciate the benefits and challenges of restorative justice responses to hate crime and how this might inform safeguarding responses to discriminatory abuse and hate crime.FindingsThe analysis identifies four domains where learning can be drawn. These relate to theory on restorative justice; restorative justice practices; perspectives from lived experience of restorative justice and hate crime; and an appraisal of critiques about restorative justice.Originality/valueThis paper connects the emerging evidence on restorative criminal justice responses to hate crime to the “turn” towards strengths-based practices in adult safeguarding. Although this provides a fertile environment for embedding restorative practices, the authors argue certain precautions are required based on evidence from existing research on hate crime and restorative justice
Preservation of plant-wax biomarkers in deserts:implications for Quaternary environment and human evolutionary studies
Get PDFThe violent death toll from the Iraq War:2003–2023
Get PDFFrom the beginning of the Iraq war, in March of 2003, to the present day, controversy has swirled around the death toll of the war. This paper narrows down the range of uncertainty for the numbers and trends in violent deaths in the war. I assemble and appraise all primary sources that cover the period from March of 2003 onwards—six sample surveys plus a casualty recording project (Iraq Body Count [IBC]). Data permitting, I present cumulative monthly figures with, for the surveys, 95% bootstrapped uncertainty intervals. The analysis uncovers a core of high-quality mainstream sources that are highly consistent with each another. In addition, there are three outlier surveys that are compromised by serious flaws and produce estimates far outside the mainstream. Discarding the outlying and flawed surveys reveals a clear picture of the violent death toll from the Iraq war. IBC figures, extended to include combatants, occupy a central position within the mainstream range of estimates. The strong consistency across the high-quality sources provides a rare validation of three war-death-measurement methodologies—household-based surveys, sibling-based surveys, and casualty recording. Methodological success notwithstanding, we must transcend the numbers to truly comprehend the human costs of the war
How policy interventions influence burning to meet cultural and small-scale livelihood objectives
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Developing a Tanshinone IIA Memetic by Targeting MIOS to Regulate mTORC1 and Autophagy in Glioblastoma
Get PDFTanshinone IIA (T2A) is a bioactive compound that provides promise in the treatment of Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), with a range of molecular mechanisms including inhibition of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and the induction of autophagy. Recently, T2A has been demonstrated to function through sestrin 2 (SESN) to inhibit mTORC1 activity, but this pathway has not been investigated regarding autophagy. Here we employed the model system Dictyostelium discoideum and GBM cell lines to investigate the role of T2A in autophagy induction, focusing on the regulation of SESN via a GATOR2 component MIOS, to mTORC1. We show that in D. discoideum, T2A treatment induces autophagy, and both this effect and mTORC1 inhibition is lost upon ablation of either SESN (sesn-) or MIOS (mios-). We then investigated targeting MIOS to reproduce this effect of T2A. Here, computational analysis identified 25 novel compounds predicted to strongly bind the human MIOS protein, and one compound (MIOS inhibitor 3; Mi3) that reduced cell proliferation in two GBM cell lines. Furthermore, Mi3 specificity was demonstrated through the reduction of D. discoideum cell proliferation and induced autophagy, dependent upon MIOS. These effects were also confirmed in GBM cells, where Mi3 treatment also inhibited mTORC1 activity and induced autophagy. Thus, we identify a potential T2A mimetic with demonstrated effects on inhibition of mTORC1 and induction of autophagy in GBM cells
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