Interventions implemented outside of the juvenile justice system are widely utilized with youth offenders to decrease the likelihood of future offending and justice system involvement, both of which ...are well-documented as being costly to youth and society at large. Olsson et al. (2021) conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of these types of interventions for youth aged 12-17 and failed to find any of the interventions examined to be more effective than control treatments in reducing future criminality. This commentary further examines the evidence for one of these interventions, mentoring, based on an expanded search of the literature that identified several additional studies of mentoring for recidivism prevention that meet the eligibility criteria utilized by Olsson et al. A meta-analysis of these studies and those identified by Olsson et al. finds mentoring to be more effective than control treatments (typically services as usual within the juvenile justice system): risk difference between groups of 0.09 (random effect model; 95% confidence interval .03-.15). This reanalysis thus indicates greater promise for mentoring as a tool in reducing juvenile crime and juvenile justice system involvement than was suggested by the results of Olsson et al. Importantly, it also underscores the potential for the results of meta-analyses to be sensitive to not only unidentified studies with null or negative results (the so-called "file-drawer problem") but also missed studies with positive findings. Recommendations for literature search procedures in systematic reviews and sensitivity analyses in meta-analyses are provided with this concern in mind.
One of the hallmarks of the parasitic phylum of Apicomplexa is the presence of highly specialised, apical secretory organelles, called the micronemes and rhoptries that play critical roles in ...ensuring survival and dissemination. Upon exocytosis, the micronemes release adhesin complexes, perforins, and proteases that are crucially implicated in egress from infected cells, gliding motility, migration across biological barriers, and host cell invasion. Recent studies on Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium species have shed more light on the signalling events and the machinery that trigger microneme secretion. Intracellular cyclic nucleotides, calcium level, and phosphatidic acid act as key mediators of microneme exocytosis, and several downstream effectors have been identified. Here, we review the key steps of microneme biogenesis and exocytosis, summarising the still fractal knowledge at the molecular level regarding the fusion event with the parasite plasma membrane.
Are the rich more unethical than the poor? To answer this question, the current research introduces a key conceptual distinction between selfish and unethical behavior. Based on this distinction, the ...current article offers 2 novel findings that illuminate the relationship between social class and unethical behavior. First, the effects of social class on unethical behavior are not invariant; rather, the effects of social class are moderated by whether unethical behavior benefits the self or others. Replicating past work, social class positively predicted unethical behavior; however, this relationship was only observed when that behavior was self-beneficial. When unethical behavior was performed to benefit others, social class negatively predicted unethical behavior; lower class individuals were more likely than upper class individuals to engage in unethical behavior. Overall, social class predicts people's tendency to behave selfishly, rather than predicting unethical behavior per se. Second, individuals' sense of power drove the effects of social class on unethical behavior. Evidence for this relationship was provided in three forms. First, income, but not education level, predicted unethical behavior. Second, feelings of power mediated the effect of social class on unethical behavior, but feelings of status did not. Third, two distinct manipulations of power produced the same moderation by self-versus-other beneficiary as was found with social class. The current theoretical framework and data both synthesize and help to explain a range of findings in the social class and power literatures.
The study of mentoring has generally been conducted within disciplinary silos with a specific type of mentoring relationship as a focus. The purpose of this article is to quantitatively review the ...three major areas of mentoring research (youth, academic, workplace) to determine the overall effect size associated with mentoring outcomes for protégés. We also explored whether the relationship between mentoring and protégé outcomes varied by the type of mentoring relationship (youth, academic, workplace). Results demonstrate that mentoring is associated with a wide range of favorable behavioral, attitudinal, health-related, relational, motivational, and career outcomes, although the effect size is generally small. Some differences were also found across type of mentoring. Generally, larger effect sizes were detected for academic and workplace mentoring compared to youth mentoring. Implications for future research, theory, and applied practice are provided.
A strategic model of human resource management is proposed as a framework to support sustainable adaptation to the disruptive and dynamic challenges in the business context related to environmental ...sustainability. The implications of a whole‐systems ecological approach to the design and implementation of human resource systems are explored, and the literature on best HR practices to support environmental sustainability is summarized. Implications for practice and research are presented.
To efficiently enter host cells, apicomplexan parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii rely on an apical complex composed of tubulin‐based structures as well as two sets of secretory organelles named ...micronemes and rhoptries. The trafficking and docking of these organelles to the apical pole of the parasite is crucial for the discharge of their contents. Here, we describe two proteins typically associated with microtubules, Centrin 2 (CEN2) and Dynein Light Chain 8a (DLC8a), that are required for efficient host cell invasion. CEN2 localizes to four different compartments, and remarkably, conditional depletion of the protein occurs in stepwise manner, sequentially depleting the protein pools from each location. This phenomenon allowed us to discern the essential function of the apical pool of CEN2 for microneme secretion, motility, invasion and egress. DLC8a localizes to the conoid, and its depletion also perturbs microneme exocytosis in addition to the apical docking of the rhoptry organelles, causing a severe defect in host cell invasion. Phenotypic characterization of CEN2 and DLC8a indicates that while both proteins participate in microneme secretion, they likely act at different steps along the cascade of events leading to organelle exocytosis.
Centrin 2 (CEN2) and Dynein Light Chain 8a (DLC8a) are associated with tubulin‐rich structures in Toxoplasma gondii, playing pivotal roles at the apical pole of the parasite. CEN2 is essential for microneme exocytosis supporting motility, invasion and egress. DLC8a appears responsible for sustained microneme replenishment in addition to its role in rhoptry positioning and discharge. Overall, DLC8a acts as an important player in trafficking and apical anchoring of secretory organelles, while CEN2 acts as a gateway for organelle exocytosis, possibly via Ca2+‐dependent contractions.
In many mentoring programs, mentor–youth pairs have the latitude to engage in a wide range of activities together across varying community settings. Within this context, program staff are tasked with ...supporting development of high‐quality relationships between mentors and youth. To date, however, this role of program staff has been largely overlooked in research. The current study investigates potential contributions of program staff to mentoring relationships in the Big Brothers Big Sisters community‐based mentoring program over their first 15 months of relationship development with a sample of 450 mentor–youth pairs that were supported by 76 program staff across 10 agencies. Two‐level analyses (mentoring relationships nested within program staff) examined characteristics and approaches of program staff as prospective predictors of several facets of mentoring relationship quality as reported by youth: closeness, help with coping, youth‐centeredness, growth orientation, and attachment. Staff‐reported work engagement and emphasis on adherence to program guidelines as well as supervisor‐rated staff competence predicted more favorable mentoring relationship quality. By contrast, a nondirective approach to supporting mentors, as reported by staff, predicted lower relationship quality. These findings suggest that further investigation of program staff influences on mentoring relationship development could be fruitful and ultimately provide a basis for enhancing program effectiveness.
Background: The Theory of Triadic Influence (TTI) provides a comprehensive framework for understanding adolescent substance use. Objectives: We examined mechanisms by which a TTI-guided ...social-emotional and character development program, Positive Action (PA), influences adolescent substance use. Study data come from the PA-Chicago, longitudinal matched-pairs cluster-randomized control trial. A diverse, dynamic cohort of approximately 1,200 students from 14 low-performing schools were assessed at eight points of time, between grades 3-8, across a six-year period. Students completed scales related to substance use, self-control, deviant peer affiliation, and school attachment, adapted from the Risk Behavior Survey, Social-Emotional and Character Development Scale, Conventional Friends Scale, and People in My Life Scale. After testing the overall effect of PA on substance use, we used latent growth modeling to assess whether effects on each outcome were mediated by longitudinal changes in three composite measures aligning with the TTIs three streams. Results: Students in PA schools reported fewer experiences with drinking, getting drunk, and overall substance use. In the multiple mediator models, significant indirect effects of PA on substance use via changes in self-control were evident. Conclusions/Importance: Findings are consistent with theory and past research suggesting the influence of self-control on youth substance use. Future studies should include implementation in different settings and additional theory-based measures.
Trial RegistrationThis trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01025674.
Schools can benefit from understanding how to use community volunteers to achieve academic goals. A randomized control evaluation, involving 1,139 students from 71 schools, of the school‐based ...mentoring program of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America found modest but statistically significant improvements in the teacher‐rated academic performance and self‐reported scholastic efficacy of mentored students. The present study explores the causal mechanism behind these effects. We find that a close relationship between mentor and protégé appears key to better academic outcomes. Because relationship closeness is not randomly assigned, we use two‐stage least squares and other methods to control for potential selection bias. The role of emotional closeness as a mediator of program effects is evident across mentoring relationships of various lengths and statuses. Students were more likely to feel close to their mentors in programs that included weekly meetings and opportunities for mentor–protégé pairs to interact outside of a large‐group setting.
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