Trajectories of dynamic risk factors during forensic treatment:Growth trajectory of clinical risk factors in a sample of Dutch forensic patients

In this study, growth trajectories (from admission until unconditional release) of crime-related dynamic risk factors were investigated in a sample of Dutch forensic patients (N = 317), using latent growth curve modeling. After testing the unconditional model, three predictors were added: first-time offender versus recidivist, age, and treatment duration. Postanalyses were chi-square difference tests, t tests, and analyses of variance (ANOVAs) to assess differences in trajectories. Overall, on scale level, a decrease of risk factors over time was found. The predictors showed no significant slope differences although age and treatment duration differed significantly at some time points. The oldest age group performed worse, especially at later time points. Treatment duration effects were found at the second time point. Our results that forensic patients show a decrease in crime-related risk factors may indicate that treatment is effective. This study also found differences in growth rates, indicating the effect of individual difference

Collimation for the LHC high intensity beams

The unprecedented design intensities of the LHC require several important advances in beam collimation. With its more than 100 collimators, acting on various planes and beams, the LHC collimation system is the biggest and most performing such system ever designed and constructed. The solution for LHC collimation is explained, the technical components are introduced and the initial performance is presented. Residual beam leakage from the system is analysed. Measurements and simulations are presented which show that collimation efficiencies of better than 99.97 % have been measured with the 3.5 TeV proton beams of the LHC, in excellent agreement with expectations.peer-reviewe

Needed: researchers with access to forsensic psychiatric patient samples for longitudinal project

This 2-year longitudinal study aims to investigate different trajectories of self-regulation in a sample of forensic psychiatric patients. There will be five measurement times, each containing several measures of self-regulation (including delay of gratification, impulsivity, emotion regulation and goal setting). Furthermore, measures of attachment, childhood trauma, identity and personality are included and file information will be used to determine criminal, clinical and risk factors

The Application of the Good Lives Model in a Student Population

The Good lives model (GLM) approach to treatment is to help offenders build on their strengths. According to Ward et al. (2007), all humans seek to achieve certain Primary Goods (PG). When people strive to achieve the whole PG in a balanced way, they are said to have a good life. Studies have found that the achievement of the PG is related to psychological well-being. According to Ward and Gannon (2006), offenders commit crimes because they may (1) lack scope about their PG, (2) may face conflict among some of their good life goals, (3) use inappropriate means to achieve their PG, and (4) may lack the competence to achieve the PG. Though there has been evidence supporting some of the assumptions of the model, there is a gap in how the importance of the PG to a person affects whether they achieve the PG and engage in antisocial behaviour. The purpose of our study is to investigate how the importance of the PG affects the achievement of the PG, academic success, and antisocial behaviour. We will also investigate whether these relationships are moderated by self-regulation. This will provide support for the core assumptions of the GLM

Self-regulation all bass-ackwards:Similarities and differences in component structure in community and forensic psychiatric populations

Self-regulation is a multifaceted construct that is defined as the ability to change thoughts, emotions, and behavior to achieve a desired state or effect. Despite its relevance for forensic psychology and other fields within psychology, its complexity and varied operationalization make it difficult to compare and draw conclusions from research. The present study aimed to elucidate the construct of self-regulation by applying a Bass-Ackwards component analysis to multiple scales of self-regulatory components in both a general population sample of males (n = 200) and females (n = 118) and in a forensic psychiatric sample (n = 94). Results indicated that although there are some differences between the component structure in each group, three general components of self-regulation emerged, capturing emotion regulation, risk behavior, and cognitive regulation. This suggests that although sample-specific measures might be useful, any comprehensive measure of self-regulation should contain elements of each of these three domains. This study contributes to clinical practice by emphasizing that interventions aimed at increasing self-regulation should focus on emotion regulation, risk behavior, and cognitive regulation. Public Significance Statement  The current manuscript investigated the structure of self-regulation across a sample of community men and women and a sample of forensic patients. Findings showed that although structure varied, an emotional, behavioral, and cognitive elements were seen in each sample. These findings can help to guide future research and instrument development, making sure self-regulation is measured as a multidimensional construct

Trajectories of self-control in a forensic psychiatric sample stability and association with psychopathology, criminal history, and recidivism

The current study examined trajectories of two indicators of self-control—impulsivity and coping skills—in 317 forensic psychiatric patients, as well as associations with psychopathology, crime, and recidivism. Violent recidivism was positively associated with coping skills at admission to the clinic and with impulsivity at discharge. Only a small correlation was found between self-control and criminal history, and there was no association with psychopathology. We found multiple trajectories of self-control using Latent Class Growth Models: more than 89% improving over time. In addition, patients with Cluster C personality disorders showed greater improvement in coping skills. Patients showing less improvement in impulsivity had greater rates of crime and recidivism. We conclude that self-control can be influenced by interventions or treatment, and that both starting values and trajectories of self-control provide valuable information. Interestingly, the associations between self-control and psychopathology, crime and recidivism were not as strong as reported in other populations

Regulation of bacterioplankton activity in Fram Strait (Arctic Ocean) during early summer: The role of organic matter supply and temperature

The bacterial turnover of organic matter was investigated in Fram Strait at 79°N. Both Atlantic Water (AW) inflow and exported Polar Water (PW) were sampled along a transect from Spitsbergen to the eastern Greenland shelf during a late successional stage of the main annual phytoplankton bloom in summer. AW showed higher concentrations of amino acids than PW, while organic matter in PW was enriched in combined carbohydrates. Bacterial growth and degradation activity in AW and PW were related to compositional differences of organic matter. Bacterial production and leucine-aminopeptidase along the transect were significantly correlated with concentrations of amino acids. Activity ratios between the extracellular enzymes β-glucosidase and leucine-aminopeptidase indicate the hydrolysis potential for polysaccharides relative to proteins. Along the transect, these ratios showed a higher hydrolysis potential for polysaccharides relative to proteins in PW than in AW, thus reflecting the differences in organic matter composition between the water masses. Q10 values for bacterial production ranged from 2.4 (± 0.8) to 6.0 (± 6.8), while those for extracellular enzymes showed a broader range of 1.5 (± 0.5) to 23.3 (± 11.8). Our results show that in addition to low seawater temperature also organic matter availability contributes to the regulation of bacterial growth and enzymatic activity in the Arctic Ocean