Homicide in the context of psychosis: analysis of prior service utilisation and age at onset of illness and violence

Background Public stigma and fear are heightened in cases of extreme violence perpetrated by persons with serious mental illness (SMI). Prevention efforts require understanding of illness patterns and treatment needs prior to these events unfolding. Aims To examine mental health service utilisation by persons who committed homicide and entered into forensic care, to investigate the adequacy of mental healthcare preceding these offences. Method Forensic patients across two mental health hospitals in Ontario with an admitting offence of homicide between 2011 and 2021 were identified (n = 112). Sociodemographic, clinical and offence-related variables were coded from the health record and reports prepared for the forensic tribunal. Results Most patients (75.7%) had mental health contacts preceding the homicide, with 28.4% having a psychiatric in-patient admission in the year prior. For those with service contacts in the year preceding, 50.9% had had only sporadic contact and 70.7% were non-adherent with prescribed medications. Victims were commonly known to the individual (35.7%) and were often family members in care-providing roles (55.4%). Examination of age at onset of illness and offending patterns suggested that most persons admitted to forensic care for homicide act in the context of illness and exhibit a low frequency of pre-homicide offending. Conclusions Many individuals admitted to forensic care for homicide have had inadequate mental healthcare leading up to this point. Effective responses to reduce and manage risk should encompass services that proactively address illness-related (e.g. earlier access and better maintenance in care) and criminogenic (e.g. substance use treatment, employment and psychosocial supports) domains

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Cold-Blooded and on Purpose: A Review of the Biology of Proactive Aggression

Proactive aggression (PA) is a planned and unprovoked form of aggression that is most often enacted for personal gain or in anticipation of a reward. Frequently described as “cold-blooded” or goal oriented, PA is thought to be associated with low autonomic arousal. With this view in mind, we performed a scoping review of the biological correlates of PA and identified 74 relevant articles. Physiological findings indicated a robust association between PA and reduced resting heart rate, and to a lesser extent a relationship between PA and decreased heart rate and skin conductance reactivity, perhaps indicating dampened sympathetic function. The twin literature identified PA as a heritable trait, but little evidence implicates specific genes in the pathogenesis of PA. Neuroimaging studies of PA pinpoint impaired amygdala function in the assessment and conditioning of aversive stimuli, which may influence the establishment of behavioral patterns. Nodes of the default mode network were identified as possible neural correlates of PA, suggesting that altered function of this network may be involved in the genesis of PA. Given the overlap of PA with reactive aggression and the overall behavioral complexity of PA, it is clear that multiple endophenotypes of PA exist. This comprehensive review surveys the most salient neurobiologically informed research on PA

Cold-Blooded and on Purpose: A Review of the Biology of Proactive Aggression

Proactive aggression (PA) is a planned and unprovoked form of aggression that is most often enacted for personal gain or in anticipation of a reward. Frequently described as “cold-blooded” or goal oriented, PA is thought to be associated with low autonomic arousal. With this view in mind, we performed a scoping review of the biological correlates of PA and identified 74 relevant articles. Physiological findings indicated a robust association between PA and reduced resting heart rate, and to a lesser extent a relationship between PA and decreased heart rate and skin conductance reactivity, perhaps indicating dampened sympathetic function. The twin literature identified PA as a heritable trait, but little evidence implicates specific genes in the pathogenesis of PA. Neuroimaging studies of PA pinpoint impaired amygdala function in the assessment and conditioning of aversive stimuli, which may influence the establishment of behavioral patterns. Nodes of the default mode network were identified as possible neural correlates of PA, suggesting that altered function of this network may be involved in the genesis of PA. Given the overlap of PA with reactive aggression and the overall behavioral complexity of PA, it is clear that multiple endophenotypes of PA exist. This comprehensive review surveys the most salient neurobiologically informed research on PA

Regression analysis of processing tomato profit margins in 2010 and 2011 ^a.

<p>Regression analysis of processing tomato profit margins in 2010 and 2011 <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180500#t006fn002" target="_blank">^a</a>.</p

Soil mineral N (nitrate-N and ammonium-N) at pre-tomato transplanting from three sampling depths in 2010 and 2011^a.

<p>Soil mineral N (nitrate-N and ammonium-N) at pre-tomato transplanting from three sampling depths in 2010 and 2011<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180500#t001fn001" target="_blank">^a</a>.</p

Winter cover crops on processing tomato yield, quality, pest pressure, nitrogen availability, and profit margins

<div><p>Much of cover crop research to date focuses on key indicators of impact without considering the implications over multiple years, in the absence of a systems-based approach. To evaluate the effect of three years of autumn cover crops on subsequent processing tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) production in 2010 and 2011, a field split-split-plot factorial design trial with effects of cover crop type, urea ammonium nitrate fertilizer rate (0 or 140 kg N ha^-1 preplant broadcast incorporated) and tomato cultivar (early vs. late) was conducted. The main plot factor, cover crop, included a no cover crop control, oat (<i>Avena sativa</i> L.), winter cereal rye (hereafter referred to as rye) (<i>Secale cereale</i> L.), oilseed radish (OSR) (<i>Raphanus sativus</i> L. var. <i>oleiferus</i> Metzg Stokes), and mix of OSR and rye (OSR + rye) treatments. Cover crop biomass of 0.5 to 2.8 and 1.7 to 3.1 Mg ha^-1 was attained in early Oct. and the following early May, respectively. In general, OSR increased soil mineral N during cover crop growth and into the succeeding summer tomato growing season, while the remaining cover crops did not differ from the no cover crop control. The lack of a cover crop by N rate interaction in soil and plant N analyses at harvest suggests that growers may not need to modify N fertilizer rates to tomatoes based on cover crop type. Processing tomato fruit quality at harvest (rots, insect or disease damage, Agtron colour, pH, or natural tomato soluble solids (NTSS)) was not affected by cover crop type. In both years, marketable yield in the no cover crop treatment was lower or not statistically different than all planted cover crops. Partial profit margins over both years were 1320 $ha^-1 higher with OSR and$960 higher with oat compared to the no cover crop control. Thus, results from a systems-based approach suggest that the cover crops tested had no observed negative impact on processing tomato production and have the potential to increase marketable yield and profit margins.</p></div

Processing tomato profit margins over N rate and cover crop costs, broken down by treatment ($ ha^-1) in 2010 and 2011^a.

<p>Processing tomato profit margins over N rate and cover crop costs, broken down by treatment ($ ha^-1) in 2010 and 2011<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180500#t005fn001" target="_blank">^a</a>.</p

Impact of cover crop, N rate and cultivar on processing tomato yields in 2010 and 2011^a^b.

<p>Impact of cover crop, N rate and cultivar on processing tomato yields in 2010 and 2011<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180500#t004fn001" target="_blank">^a</a><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180500#t004fn002" target="_blank">^b</a>.</p

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

10.1111/gcb.14904GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY261119-18