Aggressive Tendencies Research Articles

Aplikacija kanabisa izaziva alteraciju ekspresije gena za monoamino-oksidazu i serotoninski receptor 2c kod pacova Wistar soja

This study examined the probable effects of graded doses of Cannabis sativa (C. sativa) extract on the gene expressions of monoamine oxidase B and serotonin receptor 2C (HTR2C) in an attempt to correlate the duration of use with neurodegeneration tendencies in chronic marijuana users. Male Wistar rats weighing between 90 g ± 100 g were treated with graded doses of petroleum ether extract of C. sativa (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg body weight) orally. The exposure was monitored at 4, 8, and 12 weeks for each of the doses employed, after which the brain was removed. The gene expressions were determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Cannabis considerably (p < 0.05) reduced the relative expression of MAOB at 4 weeks. At 8 weeks, cannabis upregulated the relative expression of the MAOB gene by 60%. Following 12 weeks of exposure to the 50mg/kg body weight dose of C. sativa, 80% increase in the expression of MAOB was observed compared to the control group. C. sativa (50 mg/kg body weight) extract at 8 weeks resulted in about 47.7% decrease in the expression of the gene, however, prolonged exposure (12 weeks) to the extract significantly (p < 0.05) increased the relative expression of HTR2C. Cannabis-induced dysregulation of the MAOB genes may be one mechanism linking chronic use of cannabis to cognitive decline and improved likelihood of developing neurological diseases. Alterations observed in HTR2C gene expression as a result of exposure to high doses of C. sativa extract may partly account for the depression and aggressive tendencies observed in chronic users.

How social desirability influences the association between extraversion and reactive aggression: A suppression effect study

The relation between extraversion (E) and reactive aggression (RA) was unclear due to the complex nature of extraversion. Social desirability (SD) always contaminates the personality scales by weakening the predictive power of personality traits. This study discovered the suppression effect of SD in influencing the relation between E and RA through testing the mediation effect of SD within the framework of structural equation modeling. Results showed that SD, serving as a suppressor, carried out the negative association between E and RA. There was a statistically significant positive relationship between E and RA after controlling the effect of SD. It can be concluded that SD is a suppressor which can separate the mixed association between E and RA. The shared variances of social desirability and extraversion can explain the negative relation between extraversion and reactive aggression, which indicates that extraverts may hide their tendency of aggression due to the social desirability. After teasing out the effect of SD, the purified relation between E and RA would be shown: extraverts incline to have a higher level of reactive aggression.

Examination of toy preferences – play skills and aggression tendencies of 60–72-month-old children

The purpose of this research is the examination of toy preferences and play skills of 60–72-month-old children according to aggression tendencies. The study group of this research includes 307 people consisting of 60–72-month-old children continuing their kindergarten in Cukurova district of Adana and their parents. As data collection tools, ‘Personal Information Form’, ‘Informed Consent Form’ and ‘Toy Preference Form’ were prepared by the researchers to learn the toy preferences of the children after reviewing the relevant thesis. The ‘Aggression Tendency Scale’ and ‘Play Skill Scale’ were used. In accordance with the studies carried out, it is seen that the play skills of the participants differ according to the aggression tendency levels in all sub-dimensions of the aggression tendency scale and there is a negative interrelation. In addition to this, it is seen that the most preferred toys among the children with a high aggression tendency level in all sub-dimensions of the aggression tendency scale are the war toys. It is suggested to make attempts for the determination of the variables effective on the aggression tendency levels and play skills, realisation of more scientific researches regarding the issue of aggression that might have devastating results in social terms and the development of the play skills of the experts working with the children.
 
 Keywords: Toy preference, play skill, aggression tendency.

The incidence of aggressive behavior in cats naturally infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and its interaction with FIV disease progression.

A study was undertaken to determine the possible interaction between aggressive behavior and Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) disease progression based on semi‑quantitative viral load levels and health status in naturally FIV‑infected cats. FIV status was determined in ninety‑six owned and stray cats, using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Aggressive tendencies were assessed based on observation and the cats' demeanor as determined by the owners and shelter caretakers. Results showed that forty‑seven cats (49%) were PCR‑positive for FIV infection and all aggressive cats were FIV‑positive (100%). FIV infection was significantly linked to extreme aggressive tendencies and the extremely aggressive FIV‑infected cats were more likely to have an unhealthy status compared to the non‑aggressive individuals (p = 0.022). There was also a significant difference (p = 0.012) in the mean Cycle threshold (Ct) values between the aggressive and non‑aggressive FIV‑infected cats and also between the unhealthy FIV‑infected cats with extreme aggressive tendencies and the healthy FIV‑infected individuals without aggression (p = 0.001). Accordingly, results indicated that parameters associated with FIV disease progression are directly linked to aggression. The possible impact of FIV on the behavioral pattern of naturally infected cats should not be underestimated. However, there is an urgent need to conduct more experiments to support the assumptions about the possible exacerbation of aggression tendencies in naturally FIV‑infected cats following the direct effect of FIV through the course of the infection.

اتجاهات النخبة الأکادیمیة نحو تفعیل مبادئ التربیة الإعلامیة لدى طلاب الجامعات

تهدف الدراسة إلى التعرف على اتجاهات النخبة الأکاديمية نحو تطبيق التربية الإعلامية بالجامعات المصرية، وهي دراسة وصفية، تعتمد على منهج المسح، وتمثلت عينة الدراسة في عينة قوامها (200) مفردة من النخبة الأکاديمية بکليات الإعلام بالجامعات المصرية الحکومية والخاصة، وتمثلت أدوات البحث في أداة الاستبيان، وکانت أهم النتائج ما يلي: - جاءت أفضل طريقة لتدريس التربية الإعلامية هي: ورش العمل، والمناقشة والحوار، وتبادل وجهات النظر بين الطلاب والمعلم، والتجربة الفعلية من خلال إنتاج مواد إعلامية يشارک بها الطلاب، بينما جاءت طريقة الإلقاء من خلال محاضرات يلقيها المعلم للطلاب في مؤخرة طرق التدريس. - أشارت النتائج إلى أن أکثر المخاطر التي تراها النخبة الأکاديمية للتعامل غير الواعي مع وسائل الإعلام هي: تحفيز الغرائز الجنسية، وتحفيز الميول العدوانية، وانعزال الطلاب عن قضايا المجتمع، والتأخر في الدراسة، وهدم القيم الاجتماعية والدينية، واللامبالاة السلبية. - توجد فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية بين طبيعة الدرجة العلمية للنخبة الأکاديمية (مدرس- أستاذ مساعد- أستاذ- أستاذ متفرغ) واتجاهاتهم نحو أساليب تفعيل مبادئ التربية الإعلامية لدى طلاب الجامعات. - يوجد فرق دال إحصائيا بين متوسطات درجات النخبة الأکاديمية بالجامعات الخاصة ومتوسطات درجات النخبة الأکاديمية بالجامعات الحکومية نحو أساليب تفعيل مبادئ التربية الإعلامية لدى طلاب الجامعات. The attitudes academic elite towards activating the principles media education among university students The study sought to identify the academic elite's attitude towards implementation media education in Egyptian universities, and this study belongs to descriptive studies, and the study relied on the survey method, and the study sample was represented in a sample (200) single members the academic elite from the media in Egyptian and private universities, and the research tools were In the questionnaire tool, the study concluded to a number results as following: - -The best way to teach media education to students came as workshops, discussion, dialogue and exchange views between students and the teacher, actual experience through the production informational materials in which students participate, while the method of Lectures given by the teacher to students “at the back teaching methods.” - The results indicated that the most common risks that the academic elite see in the unconscious interaction students with the media are sexual instincts, stimulating aggressive tendencies and students' isolation from community issues and Delay in studying, ”the demolition social and religious values,” and “negative indifference.” - There are statistically significant differences between the academic degree nature the academic elite (teacher - assistant professor - professor - full-time professor) and their attitudes towards methods activating the principles media education among university students. - There is a statistically significant difference between the average academic elite scores in private universities and the elite scores averages The academy in public universities towards methods activating the principles media education among university students.

Do High-Risk Parents Use More Aggression During Competitive Play With Children?

The present study examined the extent to which the aggressive tendencies of parents at risk for perpetrating child physical abuse (CPA) generalize to situations other than discipline-related encounters (e.g., a competitive gaming interaction). Participants included parents who were either low (n = 90) or high (n = 75) risk for CPA. Parents were led to believe that they were playing a game against a child opponent with whom they exchanged sound blasts of varying intensities. Parental sound blast selections served as a proxy for aggressive behavior. Parents were randomly assigned to high or low loss conditions. The fictitious child opponent's responses were pre-programed so that sound blasts received by parents became louder (i.e., more provocative) over time. As predicted, high CPA risk parents exhibited higher levels of aggression than low CPA risk parents. Moreover, high-risk parents reported having higher levels of aggressive motives during the game than low-risk parents; and aggressive motives explained the link between parental CPA risk and parents' aggressive behavior. With one exception, higher levels of child provocation during the game prompted parents to send higher levels of sound blasts. The exception to this pattern occurred among low-risk parents who experienced high rates of loss during the game. Specifically, low-risk parents in the high loss condition continued to send low levels of sound blasts even as their child opponent became more provocative. Aggressive motives (and the ability to change motives as situations change) may help explain differences in aggressive tendencies evinced by parents with varying levels of CPA risk.

An Investigation into the Personality Profiles of Male Sexual Offenders in Limpopo Province

ABSTRACT A critical component in the management of sex offenders is an understanding of their personality traits, which relates to their childhood development, as this could contribute to more effective treatment interventions. This study sought to determine the personality profiles, pertaining to psychopathology, indicators of attachment, aggressive and paranoid characteristics of male sexual offenders. The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey at five correctional facilities. The data was collected from 112 sex offenders using the PAI questionnaire. Of the 112 participants, 87.5 percent were single and most of the offenders (56.3 %) did not have any psychopathology. Many sex offenders with Insecure Avoidant Attachment (25.0%) were from single parent families. Most of the respondents (51.8%) have paranoid characteristics, with no significant relationship between marital status and paranoid tendencies in male sex offenders. The most predominant type of attachment in male sex offenders is Insecure Avoidant Attachment with high levels of Personality Disorders in male sex offenders (Borderline and Anti-Social Personality Disorder). A high proportion of the sample displayed aggressive tendencies with those who were unemployed more likely to display more aggression. Respondents who were single displayed more psychopathology than those who were married.

Oxytocin and Three Kinds of Dangerous Behaviors in a Romantic Relationship: Playing, Suffering, and Stalking.

Romantic relationships are an essential element of healthy living. Although difficulties in love are encountered often, it seems that three kinds of behaviors in a romantic relationship are more susceptible to physical or psychiatric disorders: playing (sexually transmitted disease), suffering (major depressive disorder or suicide), and stalking (violence or homicide). Oxytocin plays an important role in pair-bonding. Elevated plasma oxytocin concentrations have been observed in new lovers when compared with singles. It is hypothesized that those who display these dangerous behaviors in a romantic relationship might possess specific oxytocin receptor gene aberrancy and the resultant deviant pair-bonding pattern is likely to recur in successive relationships. It is postulated that a blunted oxytocin surge might be observed in playing, whereas exaggerated oxytocin surge might be observed in suffering and stalking. The distinction between suffering and stalking might stem from the difference in their aggression tendencies. Those who suffer displays aggression toward self, while those who stalk displays aggression toward others. The exaggerated oxytocin concentrations in people who suffer and people who stalk might not be suppressed by the discouraging attitudes of their partners and might be maintained by rumination. Considering the whole-body influence of oxytocin, intranasal oxytocin application or gene therapy should be used exclusively for those who display these dangerous behaviors and not for the general population. Future research is warranted to confirm this hypothesis with analysis of modifiers such as gender.

Atypical Central Neurocytoma: An Investigation of Prognostic Factors

Central neurocytoma is a rare nervous tissue benign neoplasm. A subset of central neurocytoma has unfamiliar aggressive tendency: so-called atypical central neurocytoma (ACN). This retrospective study aims to analyze the prognostic factors and the impact of various therapy tools on atypical central neurocytoma. Twenty-two patients diagnosed with ACN between January 2009 and March 2018 were included. Data collected included the patient's age, gender, tumor location, presenting symptoms, and treatment received. Patients were followed up to detect recurrence and to assess survival. Median overall survival was 57 months, with a 5-year survival of 35%. Better survival was observed for patients <35 years old (66 vs. 47 months; P= 0.061) and patients with gross total resection over subtotal resection or biopsy (76, 45, and 22 months, respectively; P < 0.0001). Patients with a tumor located in the posterior half of the lateral ventricle had better survival, with no statistical significance (P= 0.053). Multivariate analysis showed prognostic significance with the extent of resection (P= 0.000). Progression-free survival ranged from 6 to 82 months, with a median value of 38 months and showed a significant relation with subtotal resection compared with biopsy (P= 0.006). Recurrence was less in patients who received radiotherapy and was statistically significant (P= 0.007). Long-term survival is possible for patients with atypical central neurocytomas treated with surgery and postoperative radiation. Multivariate analysis confirmed that gross total resection was an independent prognostic factor for survival. Adjuvant radiotherapy reduces tumor recurrence, especially after incomplete surgery.

A Case Report of Giant Cell Tumor of Proximal Fibula in Children

Giant cell tumour (GCT) is histopathologically benign tumor of long bone particularly in distal femur and the proximal tibia. It commonly occurs in adults of age 20-40 years but rare in children. GCT is considered to be locally aggressive tumor and tendency of recurrence is higher even after surgery. The clinical features are nonspecific, the principle symptoms are pain, swelling and limiting adjacent joint movements. Diagnosis is based on the radiographic appearance and histopathological findings .In our case X-ray showed ill defined lytic lesion on proximal fibula with cortical thinning and MRI finding revealed expansile lyticlesion in meta-epiphysis of right fibula 16×16×28mm adjacent to growth plate with fluid level. The sclerotic rim appears hypo intense on T1 &amp; hyper intense on T2. Core needle biopsy showed giant cell tumor on proximal fibula. Considering the risk of recurrence wide local excision was done. Management of GCT of proximal fibula in young patient is critical for preventing recurrence and enhancing functional outcomes by saving adjacent anatomical structure. No evidence of local recurrence and metastasis was found in 24 months of follow up.

Serotonin key for trap-jaw ant aggression

Any creature with the term ‘trap-jaw’ in its name is bound to be fairly ferocious, and trap-jaw ants make the most of their ballistic mandibles, turning them on foes and prey, in addition to using the structures to catapult themselves to safety when confronted by larger adversaries. While some trap-jaw ant nest residents are particularly aggressive, other inhabitants of the same nest simply turn and walk away when attacked. Wondering what lay at the heart of the insect's decision to withdraw or confront an opponent, Hitoshi Aonuma, from Hokkaido University, Japan, started prodding Odontomachus kuroiwae ants with a paintbrush to find out which members of the nest were most aggressive and which preferred simply to wander off.Surprisingly, only 10% of the 580 goaded insects took any interest in the intrusion: 14 of the ants turned around to confront the brush with their jaws disarmed (closed), while 29 wheeled about with mandibles cocked aggressively, ready to take on the intruder. The remaining nest-mates (90%) simply scurried away from the encounter. Curious to discover the difference between the aggressive ants and their docile companions, Aonuma compared the insects’ brains and found that the antagonistic ants had higher levels of octopamine, dopamine and serotonin, vital chemical messengers – neurotransmitters – that transmit signals between nerves. But which of these essential nervous system chemicals held the key to the insects’ hostility?This time, Aonuma collected meek nest-mates and fed one of the three neurotransmitters to the ants, to see whether any of the compounds could transform a placid ant into a belligerent aggressor. Impressively, the ants that had been fed serotonin became more confrontational, taking on the paintbrush instead of sauntering away, while the ants that consumed dopamine became slightly more combative. Aonuma was also able to amplify the ants’ aggressive tendencies by feeding them compounds that their bodies could convert into serotonin or dopamine. And when he fed drugs that counteract the effects of the essential neurotransmitters to naturally aggressive ants, the insects became more accommodating, preferring to walk away from an irritating tap on the rear instead of turning to confront the intrusion.‘This study demonstrates that the serotonergic system contributes to the initiation of defensive responses to unexpected tactile stimuli and that dopamine can weakly contribute to the initiation of defensive responses in the trap-jaw ant’, says Aonuma, who is keen to learn more about the mechanisms that make some ants docile and others more easily provoked.

The evolution of conflict, compassion and the social contract: A philosophical approach to human engagement

Abstract What is the essence of human nature and the behaviors that define our own existence? Philosophers have argued and debated this topic for centuries, but little research currently examines the relationship between the development of early philosophical theories and literature describing human nature and potential with topics that are currently associated with evolutionary theory (i.e., natural selection, compassion, greed and conflict). Human behaviors are complex in that they can often display contradictory characteristics (i.e., prosocial and benign as well as antisocial and aggressive tendencies) to different groups of people under similar kinds of environmental conditions. This article will identify how classic philosophical theories address essential qualities of human existence such as truth, knowledge, humility and virtue and how these qualities influenced and guided belief systems among individuals and group behaviors. This article will also address how the views of more recent philosophers, political philosophers and Romanticist authors (i.e., Thomas Hobbes, Alexis de Tocqueville, Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Locke and Mary Shelley) describe and rationalize human nature as biologically “brutish and savage” for essential purposes of survival that ultimately portrays human existence into chaos and conflict. In conclusion, the article will recognize the inherent contradiction and relationship between the evolved egoistic needs among individuals that are universal in human nature with the responsibilities and interpersonal needs of civic engagement and cooperation as a fundamental requirement of sustainable human existence within a democratic community.

Microaggressions Are a Form of Aggression

Most efforts to understand microaggressions have examined affected group members, but little work has been done to understand the motivations and characteristics of offenders. The purpose of this study was to determine whether microaggressions are best conceptualized as a form of aggression, as per common definitions advanced in social psychology, by examining correlations between propensity to commit microaggressions and aggressive tendencies. This cross-sectional study was conducted using MTurk Prime to survey a sample of White and Black adults across the United States (N = 610). Measures administered included the Cultural Cognitions and Actions Scale (CCAS) to assess the likelihood of committing microaggressions, Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), Inventory of Hostility and Suspicious Thinking (IHS), Overt–Covert Aggression Inventory (OCAI), and the Positive and Negative Affectivity Schedule (PANAS). The CCAS was found to be highly and significantly positively correlated with all three measures of aggression. There was a significant negative correlation between Black participants’ ratings of microaggressive interactions being racist and White participants’ likelihood of engaging in those same interactions. There was a significant positive correlation between negative affectivity and the propensity of White participants to commit microaggressions. In a regression predicting microaggressive propensity from aggressive tendencies, the BPAQ was highly significant, whereas negative affectivity was not. Findings indicate that microaggressions represent aggression and hostility on the part of offenders and a form of aggressive behavior that is generally socially unacceptable. Future research should explore the relationship between the many forms of microaggressions and aggression among different groups.

Corrigendum: Putting time in perspective: How and why construal level buffers the relationship between wait time and aggressive tendencies

Corrigendum: Putting time in perspective: How and why construal level buffers the relationship between wait time and aggressive tendencies

Winner\u2013loser effects overrule aggressiveness during the early stages of contests between pigs

Contest behaviour, and in particular the propensity to attack an unfamiliar conspecific, is influenced by an individual’s aggressiveness, as well as by experience of winning and losing (so called ‘winner–loser effects’). Individuals vary in aggressiveness and susceptibility to winner–loser effects but the relationship between these drivers of contest behaviour has been poorly investigated. Here we hypothesise that the winner–loser effect on initiation of agonistic behaviour (display, non-damaging aggression, biting and mutual fighting) is influenced by aggressiveness. Pigs (n = 255) were assayed for aggressiveness (tendency to attack in resident−intruder tests) and then experienced two dyadic contests (age 10 and 13 weeks). Agonistic behaviour, up to reciprocal fighting, in contest 2 was compared between individuals of different aggressiveness in the RI test and experiences of victory or defeat in contest 1. Winner–loser effects were more influential than aggressiveness in determining initiation of agonistic behaviour. After accruing more skin lesions in contest 1, individuals were less likely to engage in escalated aggression in contest 2. The interaction between aggressiveness and winner–loser experience did not influence contest behaviour. The results suggest that aggressiveness does not compromise learning from recent contest experience and that reducing aggressiveness is unlikely to affect how animals experience winning and losing.

Alcohol-Related, Drug-Related, and Non-Substance-Related Aggression: 3 Facets of a Single Construct or 3 Distinct Constructs?

Aggression often occurs alongside alcohol and drug misuse. However, it is not clear whether the latent and manifest relations among alcohol-related, drug-related, and non-substance-related aggression are separate manifestations of a single construct or instead are 3 distinct constructs. To examine these associations, we conducted a preregistered analysis of 13,490 participants in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. In a structured interview, participants reported their lifetime perpetration of these 3 aggression phenotypes. The data were better fit by a model that treated these aggression phenotypes as 3 distinct latent factors, as compared to models in which the items all loaded onto 1 ("general") or 2 ("substance-related" and "non-substance-related") aggression factors. This 3-factor model fit better for men than women. Subsequent exploratory analyses then showed that among these 3 factors, alcohol-related aggression explained the variance of overall aggression better than the other 2 factors. Our findings suggest that these 3 forms of aggression are distinct phenotypes (especially among men). Yet, people's alcohol-related aggression can accurately characterize their overall aggressive tendencies across these domains. Future research will benefit from articulating the unique and shared pathways and risk factors underlying each of these facets of aggression.

Prognostic Factors of Sinonasal Squamous Cell Carcinomas Arising De Novo and From Inverted Papilloma.

The prognostic factors and survival difference between inverted papilloma (IP)-associated sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and de novo SCC are unclear. This study aimed to compare the clinical features and oncologic outcomes in patients with IP-associated SCC and de novo SCC; and additionally, to analyze the prognostic factors of the two types of SCCs. Data from 173 SCC patients treated for IP-associated SCC (n = 89) and de novo SCC (n = 84), were reviewed retrospectively for demographic features, tumor characteristics, treatment modality, and clinical outcomes. 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze factors influencing prognosis. A higher proportion of IP-associated SCC occurred in frontal and sphenoid sinus compared to de novo SCC. The two groups demonstrated similar 5-year OS and DFS (5-year OS: 63.3% and 55.4%, DFS: 45.4% and 50.1%, respectively). The metachronous tumor had a relatively better prognosis outcome than synchronous tumor and de novo SCC (5-year OS: 73.1%, 54.5% and 55.4%, respectively). Both groups showed similar loco-regional recurrence rates (p > 0.05); however, de novo SCC tumors demonstrated an increased incidence of distant metastasis. Multivariate analysis indicated that age >70 years, advanced tumor stage and surgical margin were independent predictive factors for the risk of mortality (HR 2.047, 1.581 and 1.931, respectively). IP-associated SCCs have an aggressive loco-regional tendency, whereas de novo SCCs have a higher aggressive distant metastatic propensity. Age, tumor stage and surgical positive margin are key factors for poor prognosis and should be routinely taken into consideration during treatment planning and subsequent surveillance.

Adelante!Military Imaginaries, the Cold War, and Southern Africa's Liberation Armies

AbstractStudies of southern Africa's liberation movements have turned attention to the great importance of their transnational lives, but have rarely focused on the effects of the military training Cold War-era allies provided in sites across the globe. This is a significant omission in the history of these movements: training turns civilians into soldiers and creates armies with not only military but also social and political effects, as scholarship on conventional militaries has long emphasized. Liberation movement armies were however different in that they were not subordinated to a single state, instead receiving training under the flexible rubric of international solidarity in a host of foreign sites and in interaction with a great variety of military traditions. The training provided in this context produced multiple “military imaginaries” within liberation movement armies, at once creating deep tensions and enabling innovation. The article is based on oral histories of Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) veterans trained by Cuban and Soviet instructors in Angola in the late 1970s. These soldiers emerged from the Angolan camps with a military imaginary they summed up in the Cuban exhortation “Adelante!” (Forward!). Forty years later, they stressed how different their training had made them from other ZIPRA cadres, in terms of their military strategy, mastery of advanced Soviet weaponry, and aggressive disposition, as well as their “revolutionary” performance of politics and masculinity in modes of address, salute, and drill. Such military imaginaries powerfully shaped the southern African battlefield. They offer novel insight into the distinctive institutions, identities, and memories forged through Cold War-era military exchanges.

Effects of Separate and Combined Chronic Ingestion of Tramadol and Codeine on Aggressive Behaviour among Female Albino Rats

The relationship between drug use and aggressive behaviour and its consequences on social and financial burden on society is a source of recent concern. This study, therefore, examined the effects of acute exposure to Codeine and Tramadol on aggressive behaviour. Twenty-Eight (28) participants (Female Albino Rats) weighing between 120-150g and 4-6 weeks old, collected from the University of Ibadan Veterinary animal farm were used for this study. They were divided into 5 experimental groups of Codeine, Tramadol, combined Codeine and Tramadol, Control and intruder groups with 6 rats in each group except the intruder group with 4 rats. They were exposed to, 8mg/kg of codeine for the codeine group, 20mg/kg of tramadol for the tramadol group, combined 8mg/kg of codeine and 20mg/kg of tramadol for the combined group, normal saline for the control group and no treatment for the intruder group for 28 days. The rats were observed daily after treatment for, biting, dominant posture and scratching as attributes of aggressive behaviour. Randomized block ANOVA showed a significant effect of Codeine and Tramadol on aggressive behaviour among female albino rats, F (3,2010) = 53.53, p &lt; 0.001, η2= .07. Female albino rats in the tramadol treatment group significantly exhibited more aggression (x ̅= 14.08) than control group (x ̅=11.53) codeine group (x ̅=11.41) and combined group (x ̅=7.36). The mean differences were significant (p&lt;.001). It was concluded that chronic exposure to tramadol has implications for aggressive tendencies and combined exposure to tramadol and codeine may be injurious to health.

Is threat in the way they move? Influences of static and gait information on threat judgments of unknown people

Recognising intraspecies threat is essential for survival. However, this needs to be balanced against the undue avoidance of unknown others who may be useful to us. Research has shown that judgments of ‘aggression’ and ‘threat’ posed by an unknown person can accurately reflect that person’s general aggressive tendencies. To date, there has not been a within-sample comparison of the informativeness of static and walking stimuli for threat judgments. In this study, 193 participants rated the threat posed by 23 target people presented as both simplified gait presentations (point-light walkers) and still images. We analysed how threat judgments made by participants were predicted by the target’s self-reported aggression (accuracy), the sex of the targets and the medium of target presentation (point-light vs. still image). Our results showed that participants’ threat judgments accurately predicted targets’ aggression. Male targets received higher threat ratings than female targets and point-light displays were rated as more threatening than still images. There were no effects of target sex and presentation medium on accuracy of threat perception and no sex by medium interactions on judgments themselves. Overall, this study provides further evidence of the accuracy of threat judgments at detecting trait aggression. However, further research is needed to explain what features of the target people are enabling the accurate judgments of aggression.