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Childhood bullying is a grave breach of children's human rights and a serious public health issue. The phenomenon has warranted research attention in developed societies and shown to have serious short- and long-term implications for individuals, families, and society as a whole. This article provides an overview of the school bullying phenomenon in Jamaica. Using the scant data from that context, we conclude that there is a high prevalence of bullying in Jamaican schools. Furthermore, a separate body of literature, albeit meager, has indicated an elevated incidence of mental health challenges among Jamaican children. Taken together, there is a compelling need for comprehensive anti-bullying policies and programs to reduce the level of violence to which children are exposed and involved. We offer theoretical and data-driven anti-bullying suggestions that have proven useful in preventing and reducing bullying in schools, and perhaps ultimately the wider society.

Context: An Optimizing Performance through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning theory-based motor learning intervention delivering autonomy support and enhanced expectancies (EE) shows promise for reducing cognitive-motor dual-task costs, or the relative difference in primary task performance when completed with and without a secondary cognitive task, that facilitate adaptive injury-resistant movement response. The current pilot study sought to determine the effectiveness of an autonomy support versus an EE-enhanced virtual reality motor learning intervention to reduce dual-task costs during single-leg balance. Design: Within-subjects 3 x 3 trial. Methods: Twenty-one male and 24 female participants, between the ages of 18 and 30 years, with no history of concussion, vertigo, lower-extremity surgery, or lower-extremity injuries the previous 6 months, were recruited for training sessions on consecutive days. Training consisted of 5 x 8 single-leg squats on each leg, during which all participants mimicked an avatar through virtual reality goggles. The autonomy support group chose an avatar color, and the EE group received positive kinematic biofeedback. Baseline, immediate, and delayed retention testing consisted of single-leg balancing under single- and dual-task conditions. Mixed-model analysis of variances compared dual-task costs for center of pressure velocity and SD between groups on each limb. Results: On the right side, dual-task costs for anterior-posterior center of pressure mean and SD were reduced in the EE group (mean Δ = -51.40, Cohen d = 0.80 and SD Δ = -66.00%, Cohen d = 0.88) compared with the control group (mean Δ = -22.09, Cohen d = 0.33 and SD Δ = -36.10%, Cohen d = 0.68) from baseline to immediate retention. Conclusions: These findings indicate that EE strategies that can be easily implemented in a clinic or sport setting may be superior to task-irrelevant AS approaches for influencing injury-resistant movement adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment evaluated the effects of injection of buffered vinegar [e(Lm)inate V, Hawkins Inc., Minneapolis, MN] at pH 5.0 on quality attributes of high pH beef strip loins. Strip loins ( = 16) were sectioned and treatments assigned to evenly represent each section, and on d 6 after harvest and fabrication treatments were injected into each section using a multi needle injector. One control and three treatments were used: 0 (T0), 0.4 (T0.4), 1.2 (T1.2), and 1.6% (T1.6) of the green weight of steaks was injected, and quality characteristics of strip loins were evaluated. Sections were then vacuumed packaged for an additional 3 d to simulate transport to retail outlets, then fabricated into steaks and overwrapped for an addition 3 d for simulation of retail storage. High pH control (T0) final pH (FpH) values were the highest, with a pH of 5.87. While there were similarities between treatments, overall as percentage of injection increased, FpH decreased. There was no difference among location ( > 0.05) when evaluating FpH. There were no difference in cook loss or TBARS for location or treatment. Drip loss was greatest for T1.2 injection and in the most caudal section. Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) was different due to the location of the section ( ≤ 0.05), with section Y (the third section) having the greatest value. Off flavor intensity increased ( ≤ 0.05) as percentage of injection increased. Final L*, a*, and b* values were different ( ≤ 0.05) for treatment levels in the loins with the control having the lowest L* and b* values. While this product was sufficient at altering final raw color and pH, it may not be feasible for industry use, due to minimal impacts on drip loss, cook loss, oxidation, and sensory characteristics with an increase in off flavor. Nonetheless, investigation of application with an antioxidant and/or functional ingredient could prove beneficial for industry use.

Norepinephrine (NE) produces multifaceted regulatory patterns in T-lymphocytes. Recently, we have shown that NE utilizes redox signaling as evidenced by increased superoxide (O2●-) causally linked to the observed changes in these cells; however, the source of this reactive oxygen species (ROS) remains elusive. Herein, we hypothesized that the source of increased O2●- in NE-stimulated T-lymphocytes is due to disruption of mitochondrial bioenergetics. To address this hypothesis, we utilized purified mouse splenic CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes stimulated with NE and assessed O2●- levels, mitochondrial metabolism, cellular proliferation, and cytokine profiles. We demonstrate that the increase in O2●- levels in response to NE is time-dependent and occurs at later points of T-lymphocyte activation. Moreover, the source of O2●- was indeed the mitochondria as evidenced by enhanced MitoSOX Red oxidation as well as abrogation of this signal by the addition of the mitochondrial-targeted O2●--scavenging antioxidant MitoTempol. NE-stimulated T-lymphocytes also demonstrated decreased mitochondrial respiratory capacity, which suggests disruption of mitochondrial metabolism and the potential source of increased mitochondrial O2●-. The effects of NE in regards to redox signaling appear to be adrenergic receptor-dependent as specific receptor antagonists could reverse the increase in O2●-; however, differential receptors regulating these processes were observed in CD4+ versus CD8+ T-lymphocytes. Finally, mitochondrial O2●- was shown to be mechanistic to the NE-mediated T-lymphocyte phenotype as supplementation of MitoTempol could reverse specific changes in cytokine expression observed with NE treatment. Overall, these studies indicate that mitochondrial metabolism and O2●--mediated redox signaling play a regulatory role in the T-lymphocyte response to NE.

This study aimed to understand the effects of a custom-developed, artificial intelligence--based, asynchronous remote invigilation system on the student user experience. The study was conducted over 3 years at a large Australian university, and findings demonstrate that familiarity with the system over time improved student attitudes towards remote invigilation. Positive experiences were found to be related to ease of use and convenience for test sitting. The majority of students reported that it was important for the institution to have approaches such as remote invigilation to discourage cheating and they believed that the system was useful in this regard. Perceived technical problems were found to invoke feelings of anxiety with being remotely invigilated, and students suggested that greater clarity on expectations of appropriate behaviour, privacy and data security would help alleviate discomfort and improve the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated whether bullying victimization and parental involvement were associated with internalizing distress, suicidal thoughts and behavior, and substance use in Jamaican adolescents as well as whether parental involvement moderated the relation between bullying victimization and measures of psychological and behavioral distress. Analyses were based on a sample of 1,595 adolescents who were participating in the 2010 Global School-Based Student Health Survey. Data were collected using a complex survey design. Regression models were estimated using weighted data, which allowed us to draw conclusions about the population of Jamaican adolescents. Consistent with findings from international studies, bullying victimization was uniquely and positively associated with feelings of loneliness, sleep difficulties due to worry, smoking frequency, and suicidality for both male and female adolescents as well as with alcohol use frequency for female adolescents. Our pattern of findings also suggested that parental involvement is a more robust correlate of psychological and behavioral adjustment for female adolescents. Female adolescents who reported higher levels of parental involvement were less lonely and less likely to consider or plan suicide. For boys, parental involvement was only negatively related to loneliness. Finally, we found evidence that parental involvement moderated the relation between bullying victimization and cigarette use and considering suicide, although the latter finding was at the level of a nonsignificant trend. Our findings suggest parental involvement may attenuate the relation between bullying victimization and considering suicide but may strengthen the relation between bullying victimization and smoking. We discuss our findings in the context of Jamaican cultural socialization and with an appreciation for the social challenges faced by adolescents experiencing bullying victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]