Curing cut or ritual mutilation? Some remarks on the practice of female and male circumcision in Graeco-Roman Egypt

Ancient texts and archaeological artifacts provide the starting point for a review of the surgical aspects of female genital mutilation (FGM) in ancient Egypt. Analysis of the ancient surgical procedure incorporates modern experience on the subject as well as ancient literary and cultural perspectives. Comparison of FGM with ancient Egyptian male circumcision and consideration of motivations for the practice contribute to our understanding of FGM. In particular, the documented association between male circumcision and generative ability suggests a novel comparison with a natural process in the female--the breaking of the hymen on first intromission--and ultimately a new hypothesis for the origin of ancient FGM.     

Combining peer discussion with instructor explanation increases student learning from in-class concept questions

Use of in-class concept questions with clickers can transform an instructor-centered "transmissionist" environment to a more learner-centered constructivist classroom. To compare the effectiveness of three different approaches using clickers, pairs of similar questions were used to monitor student understanding in majors' and nonmajors' genetics courses. After answering the first question individually, students participated in peer discussion only, listened to an instructor explanation only, or engaged in peer discussion followed by instructor explanation, before answering a second question individually. Our results show that the combination of peer discussion followed by instructor explanation improved average student performance substantially when compared with either alone. When gains in learning were analyzed for three ability groups of students (weak, medium, and strong, based on overall clicker performance), all groups benefited most from the combination approach, suggesting that peer discussion and instructor explanation are synergistic in helping students. However, this analysis also revealed that, for the nonmajors, the gains of weak performers using the combination approach were only slightly better than their gains using instructor explanation alone. In contrast, the strong performers in both courses were not helped by the instructor-only approach, emphasizing the importance of peer discussion, even among top-performing students.     

Effects of previous lateral ankle sprain and taping on the latency of the peroneus longus

The latency of the peroneus longus may be a key factor in the prevention of lateral ankle sprains (LASs). In addition, ankle taping is often applied to help prevent LASs. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a previous LAS and ankle taping on the latency of the peroneus longus after an inversion perturbation. Twenty-six participants, including 13 participants with no previous history of a LAS and 13 participants with a history of a single LAS completed the testing. Ankle taping was applied in a closed basket weave technique on one of the two testing days. The latency of the peroneus longus was determined by the onset of muscle activity exceeding 10 SD from baseline activity, after initiation of the 25° inversion perturbation. A significant main effect (p < 0.05) was present for the ankle support condition, with ankle taping causing a significant reduction in latency of the peroneus longus (65.04 ± 10.81 to 57.70 ± 9.39 ms). There was no difference (p>0.05) in latency between the injury groups. Ankle taping, immediately after application, reduces the latency of the peroneus longus among participants with and without a history of a LAS.     

Trajectories of early childhood family instability and the development of externalizing behaviors from middle childhood to adolescence: A prospective study of at-risk families

This study examined associations between trajectories of family instability across early childhood and trajectories of externalizing behaviors from middle childhood to adolescence. Growth mixture models were fit to annual caregiver reports of instability from child ages 2–5 (N = 731; 49% girls, 50% White). A curve of factors model was fit to externalizing behaviors from child ages 7.5–14. Chronic, elevated instability across early childhood predicted elevated externalizing behaviors from middle childhood to adolescence. Data collection spanned from 2002 to 2017. Increasing or declining levels of instability predicted elevated externalizing behaviors in middle to late childhood, but not in adolescence. Caregiver depressive symptoms mediated the association between instability and the externalizing behavior intercept. Intervening on chronic instability may reduce child externalizing problems.     

Defining maltreatment according to substantiation: distinction without a difference?

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether children with substantiated maltreatment reports between 4 and 8 years of age differ from children with unsubstantiated reports on any of 10 behavioral and developmental outcomes. METHOD: Longitudinal data from 806 children and their adult caregivers collected in four US study sites were pooled and analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the mean scores of children with unsubstantiated and substantiated maltreatment reports filed between 4 and 8 years of age for any of the 10 behavioral and developmental outcomes. In the multivariate analysis, substantiation status was not significantly associated with any of the 10 outcomes after adjusting for prior functioning, prior maltreatment status, and sociodemographic characteristics. Findings from within-site analyses were generally consistent with the pooled analyses in finding no association between substantiation status and the outcomes examined. CONCLUSIONS: In this high-risk sample, the behavioral and developmental outcomes of 8-year-old children with unsubstantiated and substantiated maltreatment reports filed between ages 4 and 8 were indistinguishable. Future research should attempt to replicate these findings on probability samples that represent the full range of childhood maltreatment risk and with models that control for the impact of social services.     

What's so hard about teaching science?

Early Childhood Education Journal - Do you feel that science is sifficult to understand and hard to teach? Do you designate only a small amount of time for a science period? Are you afraid of the...     

Investigatory behavior inthe plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix) and several additional species

Garter snakes (Thamnophis radix), hognose snakes (Heterodon platyrhinos), and rattlesnakes (Crotalus species) flick their tongues and crawl about in an open field containing no food or sexual (i.e., reproductive) odors. As Experiment I shows, the taxa differ reliably in both rate of tongue flicking and rate of locomotion. In Experiment II, garter snakes (Thamnophis radix) placed into an open field for 5 min showed more tongue flicking than snakes that were handled and placed directly back into their home cages, indicating that the first group was exploring the apparatus rather than responding only to handling. During Minutes 3 through 5 (Experiment III) in the open field, garter snakes emitted fewer tongue flicks than they did during the first minute, and after 20 min, the rate of tongue flicking was virtually zero. However, snakes were capable of responding to presentation of new objects and/or odors, indicating that the previous response decrement was not derived from effector fatigue but rather from some habituatory process. Experiment IV revealed that satiated snakes habituated more rapidly than hungry snakes during exploration of the open field. Hence, exploratory behavior in these snakes is at least partially under the control of the same factors which mediate food-related appetitive activities.