The Spin-dependent Structure Function of the Proton g_1^p and a Test of the Bjorken Sum Rule

The inclusive double-spin asymmetry, A_1^p, has been measured at COMPASS in deepinelastic polarised muon scattering off a large polarised NH3 target. The data, collected in the year 2007, cover the range Q2 > 1 (GeV/c)^2, 0.004 < x < 0.7 and improve the statistical precision of g_1^p(x) by a factor of two in the region x < 0.02. The new proton asymmetries are combined with those previously published for the deuteron to extract the non-singlet spin-dependent structure function g_1^NS(x,Q2). The isovector quark density, Delta_q_3(x,Q2), is evaluated from a NLO QCD fit of g_1^NS. The first moment of Delta_q3 is in good agreement with the value predicted by the Bjorken sum rule and corresponds to a ratio of the axial and vector coupling constants g_A/g_V = 1.28+-0.07(stat)+-0.10(syst).Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

Morphological integration in human skull and its possible role in etiogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders: Deciphering the link between evolution, development and disease

Structure-function interdependence is a universal phenomenon in biological systems. Any alteration in structural features may result in change in functions–leading to natural selection of a particular trait, or dysfunctions thereof. Many such alterations arise during the course of evolution of a species and may meticulously be traced during embryonic development of an organism. Through, the theoretical construct of morphological integration, a set of phenotypic traits alter in a coordinated and integrated manner during evolution and embryonic development of an organism yielding efficient and environmentally adapted physiological functions pertinent to those structures. Such integration may go awry sometimes, setting the basis for genesis of diseases. Morphological integration in human skull has been established through various methods. The brain-skull co-development is handcuffed through evolution and development, and the very basis of a neuropsychiatric disorder could be underlying in dysmorphogenesis of the skull, its consequent effect on structures, and thus functions of the pertinent brain components. Here we propose that morphological integration in human skull may be mechanistically implied in etiogenesis of certain neuropsychiatric disorders and should be borne in mind during clinical diagnosis and therapeutic interventions

Psychobiological determinants of ‘Blue Whale Suicide Challenge’ victimization: A proposition for the agency mediated mental health risk in new media age

Background: An internet game called Blue Whale Suicide Challenge (BWSC) has driven scores of teenagers and young adults to commit suicide globally. The challenge preferably runs through closed social media networks and has gained notoriety for its mysterious modus operandi. Methods: Descriptions of these cases, published online by credible news media around the world, were collected using combinations of keywords, viz., ‘blue whale suicide challenge’, ‘self-infliction’, ‘rescue’ etc. A comprehensive review of both, the reported descriptions and the scientific literature, was undertaken to evaluate the mental status of the victims and curators of the game, and to construct a psychobiological perspective of the victimization. Results and discussion: BWSC victimization cases were reported from different parts of the world, particularly from Russia, Europe and India. The victims of the challenge were largely teenagers and young adults with infrequent cases in other age groups. Teenagers with complicated upbringing and negative life experiences have a higher propensity to be easier targets. Analysis of instructions used in the game reveal a motivational program that exploits fear psychology and contains elements of induction, habituation and self-infliction. All in order to mentally groom the victim for eventual suicide. Conclusions: BWSC victimization seems to imply predatory and self-inflictive psychobiological mechanisms on the part of its curators and participants, respectively. This online agency mediated modus operandi uniquely exploits principles of psychology and could mischievously be applied to target individuals or masses in different settings

Psychobiological determinants of ‘Blue Whale Suicide Challenge’ victimization: A proposition for the agency mediated mental health risk in new media age

Background: An internet game called Blue Whale Suicide Challenge (BWSC) has driven scores of teenagers and young adults to commit suicide globally. The challenge preferably runs through closed social media networks and has gained notoriety for its mysterious modus operandi. Methods: Descriptions of these cases, published online by credible news media around the world, were collected using combinations of keywords, viz., ‘blue whale suicide challenge’, ‘self-infliction’, ‘rescue’ etc. A comprehensive review of both, the reported descriptions and the scientific literature, was undertaken to evaluate the mental status of the victims and curators of the game, and to construct a psychobiological perspective of the victimization. Results and discussion: BWSC victimization cases were reported from different parts of the world, particularly from Russia, Europe and India. The victims of the challenge were largely teenagers and young adults with infrequent cases in other age groups. Teenagers with complicated upbringing and negative life experiences have a higher propensity to be easier targets. Analysis of instructions used in the game reveal a motivational program that exploits fear psychology and contains elements of induction, habituation and self-infliction. All in order to mentally groom the victim for eventual suicide. Conclusions: BWSC victimization seems to imply predatory and self-inflictive psychobiological mechanisms on the part of its curators and participants, respectively. This online agency mediated modus operandi uniquely exploits principles of psychology and could mischievously be applied to target individuals or masses in different settings

Psychobiological determinants of ‘Blue Whale Suicide Challenge’ victimization: A proposition for the agency mediated mental health risk in new media age

Background: An internet game Blue Whale Suicide Challenge (BWSC) has driven scores of teenagers and young adults to suicide globally. The challenge preferably runs through the closed social media networks and has gained notoriety for its mysterious modus operandi. Methods: Descriptions of the cases published online by credible news media globally were collected using combinations of keywords, viz., ‘blue whale suicide challenge’, ‘self-infliction’, ‘rescue’ etc. A review of the scientific literature was undertaken to evaluate the mental status of the victims and curators, based on the reported descriptions, to construct a psychobiological perspective of victimization. Results and discussion: BWSC victimization cases were reported from different parts of the world, particularly from Russia, Europe and India. The victims of this challenge were largely teenagers and young adults with occasional cases in other age groups. Teenagers with complicated upbringing and negative life experiences have higher propensity to be easier targets. Analysis of instructions used in the game revealed a motivational program exploiting fear psychology and containing elements of induction, habituation and preparation for self-infliction, and to commit suicide as the ultimate goal. Conclusions: BWSC victimization seems to imply predatory and self-inflictive psychobiological mechanisms on the part of curators and participants respectively. The online agency mediated modus operandi uniquely exploits principles of psychology and could mischievously be applied to target individuals or masses in different settings

Morphological integration in human skull and its possible role in etiogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders: Deciphering the link between evolution, development and disease

Structure-function interdependence is a universal phenomenon in biological systems. Any alteration in structural features may result in change in functions–leading to natural selection of a particular trait, or dysfunctions thereof. Many such alterations arise during the course of evolution of a species and may meticulously be traced during embryonic development of an organism. Through, the theoretical construct of morphological integration, a set of phenotypic traits alter in a coordinated and integrated manner during evolution and embryonic development of an organism yielding efficient and environmentally adapted physiological functions pertinent to those structures. Such integration may go awry sometimes, setting the basis for genesis of diseases. Morphological integration in human skull has been established through various methods. The brain-skull co-development is handcuffed through evolution and development, and the very basis of a neuropsychiatric disorder could be underlying in dysmorphogenesis of the skull, its consequent effect on structures, and thus functions of the pertinent brain components. Here we propose that morphological integration in human skull may be mechanistically implied in etiogenesis of certain neuropsychiatric disorders and should be borne in mind during clinical diagnosis and therapeutic interventions

Psychobiological determinants of ‘Blue Whale Suicide Challenge’ victimization: A proposition for the agency mediated mental health risk in new media age

Background: An internet game called Blue Whale Suicide Challenge (BWSC) has driven scores of teenagers and young adults to commit suicide globally. The challenge preferably runs through closed social media networks and has gained notoriety for its mysterious modus operandi. Methods: Descriptions of these cases, published online by credible news media around the world, were collected using combinations of keywords, viz., ‘blue whale suicide challenge’, ‘self-infliction’, ‘rescue’ etc. A comprehensive review of both, the reported descriptions and the scientific literature, was undertaken to evaluate the mental status of the victims and curators of the game, and to construct a psychobiological perspective of the victimization. Results and discussion: BWSC victimization cases were reported from different parts of the world, particularly from Russia, Europe and India. The victims of the challenge were largely teenagers and young adults with infrequent cases in other age groups. Teenagers with complicated upbringing and negative life experiences have a higher propensity to be easier targets. Analysis of instructions used in the game reveal a motivational program that exploits fear psychology and contains elements of induction, habituation and self-infliction. All in order to mentally groom the victim for eventual suicide. Conclusions: BWSC victimization seems to imply predatory and self-inflictive psychobiological mechanisms on the part of its curators and participants, respectively. This online agency mediated modus operandi uniquely exploits principles of psychology and could mischievously be applied to target individuals or masses in different settings

Morphological integration in human skull and its possible role in etiogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders: Deciphering the link between evolution, development and disease

Structure-function interdependence is a universal phenomenon in biological systems. Any alteration in structural features may result in change in functions–leading to natural selection of a particular trait, or dysfunctions thereof. Many such alterations arise during the course of evolution of a species and may meticulously be traced during embryonic development of an organism. Through, the theoretical construct of morphological integration, a set of phenotypic traits alter in a coordinated and integrated manner during evolution and embryonic development of an organism yielding efficient and environmentally adapted physiological functions pertinent to those structures. Such integration may go awry sometimes, setting the basis for genesis of diseases. Morphological integration in human skull has been established through various methods. The brain-skull co-development is handcuffed through evolution and development, and the very basis of a neuropsychiatric disorder could be underlying in dysmorphogenesis of the skull, its consequent effect on structures, and thus functions of the pertinent brain components. Here we propose that morphological integration in human skull may be mechanistically implied in etiogenesis of certain neuropsychiatric disorders and should be borne in mind during clinical diagnosis and therapeutic interventions