Characterizing criminal recidivists by means of tests- of cognition

Previous investigations providing psychological tests for identifying the adult, habitual criminal have neglected the concrete-abstract facets of cognition. The present study explores the usefulness of the concrete-abstract dimension for such a purpose by means of the Kahn Test of Symbol Arrangement (the K.T.S.A.), and a Symbolization Test for Criminals (the S.T.C.), which was constructed by the author. Two selected groups were employed; an incarcerated 'criminal recidivists' group and a control group of 'non- criminals' from a vocational rehabilitation centre. The groups were matched for social-class and level of education. Controls as a group, however, were significantly older and scored higher on intelligence (p<.0l). Product moment correlations and analysis of co-variance indicated that the performance of both groups on these tests was independent of age and intelligence (measured by the AH4 part II). The results showed that controls scored significantly higher (more abstract responses) than criminals, on both tests. The criminals displayed a typical pattern of more concrete and repetitive types of symbolizations and fewer abstract responses. This has led to the formulation of typical K.T.S.A. and S.T.C. criminal ‘Symbol-Pattern’ which identified correctly 72% and 77% of all participants, respectively (chi-square, p < .001). A combined K.T.S.A + S.T.C. score elicited the best classification (80% correct identifications, chi-square, p < .001).).The results were interpreted in terms of the hypothesis that criminality is associated with an "arrested cognitive (and emotional) development on the decriminalization process", i.e. the process of socialisation. Future refinements of the S.T.C. were also discussed

Análise sensorial mediante teste triangular da carne de bovinos submetidos a diferentes sistemas de terminação.

SIEPE

The rapid evolution of the born-again giant Sakurai’s object

The extraordinarily rapid evolution of the born-again giant Sakurai’s object following discovery in 1996 has been investigated. The evolution can be traced both in a continued cooling of the stellar surface and dramatic changes in chemical composition on a timescale of a mere few months. The abundance alterations are the results of the mixing and nuclear reactions which have ensued due to the final He-shell flash which occurred during the descent along the white dwarf cooling track. The observed changes in the H and Li abundances can be explained by ingestion and burning of the H-rich envelope and Li-production through the Cameron-Fowler mechanism. The rapidly increasing abundances of the light s-elements (including Sc) are consistent with current s-processing by neutrons released from the concomitantly produced 13C. However, the possibility that the s-elements have previously been synthesized during the AGB-phase and only mixed to the surface in connection with the final He-shell flash in the pre-white dwarf cannot be convincingly ruled out either. Since Sakurai’s object shows substantial abundance similarities with the R CrB stars and has recently undergone R CrB-like visual fading events, the “birth” of an R CrB star may have been witnessed for the first time ever. Sakurai’s object thus lends strong support for the suggestion that at least some of the R CrB stars have been formed through a final He-shell flash in a post-AGB star

Common DNA sequence variation influences 3-dimensional conformation of the human genome.

BACKGROUND:The 3-dimensional (3D) conformation of chromatin inside the nucleus is integral to a variety of nuclear processes including transcriptional regulation, DNA replication, and DNA damage repair. Aberrations in 3D chromatin conformation have been implicated in developmental abnormalities and cancer. Despite the importance of 3D chromatin conformation to cellular function and human health, little is known about how 3D chromatin conformation varies in the human population, or whether DNA sequence variation between individuals influences 3D chromatin conformation. RESULTS:To address these questions, we perform Hi-C on lymphoblastoid cell lines from 20 individuals. We identify thousands of regions across the genome where 3D chromatin conformation varies between individuals and find that this variation is often accompanied by variation in gene expression, histone modifications, and transcription factor binding. Moreover, we find that DNA sequence variation influences several features of 3D chromatin conformation including loop strength, contact insulation, contact directionality, and density of local cis contacts. We map hundreds of quantitative trait loci associated with 3D chromatin features and find evidence that some of these same variants are associated at modest levels with other molecular phenotypes as well as complex disease risk. CONCLUSION:Our results demonstrate that common DNA sequence variants can influence 3D chromatin conformation, pointing to a more pervasive role for 3D chromatin conformation in human phenotypic variation than previously recognized

Recovering 3D structural properties of galaxies from SDSS-like photometry

Because of the 3D nature of galaxies, an algorithm for constructing spatial density distribution models of galaxies on the basis of galaxy images has many advantages over surface density distribution approximations. We present a method for deriving spatial structure and overall parameters of galaxies from images and estimate its accuracy and derived parameter degeneracies on a sample of idealised model galaxies. The test galaxies consist of a disc-like component and a spheroidal component with varying proportions and properties. Both components are assumed to be axially symmetric and coplanar. We simulate these test galaxies as if observed in the SDSS project through ugriz filters, thus gaining a set of realistically imperfect images of galaxies with known intrinsic properties. These artificial SDSS galaxies were thereafter remodelled by approximating the surface brightness distribution with a 2D projection of a bulge+disc spatial distribution model and the restored parameters were compared to the initial ones. Down to the r-band limiting magnitude 18, errors of the restored integral luminosities and colour indices remain within 0.05 mag and errors of the luminosities of individual components within 0.2 mag. Accuracy of the restored bulge-to-disc ratios (B/D) is within 40% in most cases, and becomes worse for galaxies with low B/D, but the general balance between bulges and discs is not shifted systematically. Assuming that the intrinsic disc axial ratio is < 0.3, the inclination angles can be estimated with errors < 5deg for most of the galaxies with B/D < 2 and with errors < 15deg up to B/D = 6. Errors of the recovered sizes of the galactic components are below 10% in most cases. In general, models of disc components are more accurate than models of spheroidal components for geometrical reasons.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in RA

Freshly ionized matter around the final Helium shell flash object V4334 Sgr (Sakurai's object)

We report on the discovery of recently ionized hydrogen-deficient gas in the immediate circumstellar environment of the final helium shell flash star V4334 Sgr (Sakurai's object). On spectra obtained with FORS2 multi-object spectroscopy we have found spatially extended (about 2") emission from [N II], [O I], [O II] and very faint Halpha and [S II]. In the [N II] (ll6548,83) lines we have identified two components located at velocities -350 +/-50 and +200 +/-50 km/s, relative to V4334 Sgr itself. The full width of the [N II] l6583 feature at zero intensity corresponds to a velocity spread of about 1500 km/s. Based on the available data it is not possible to conclusively determine the mechanism of ionization. Both photo-ionization, from a rapidly evolving central star, and shock excitation, as the result of the collision of the fast ouflows with slower circumstellar matter, could account for the observed lines. The central star is still hidden behind strong dust absorption, since only a faint highly reddened continuum is apparent in the spectra. Theory states that it will become hotter and will retrace its post-asymptotic giant branch evolution towards the planetary nebula domain. Our detection of the ionized ejecta from the very late helium shell flash marks the beginning of a new phase in this star's amazingly rapid evolution.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures. Accepted by ApJ

Variability in content and dissolution profiles of MDMA tablets collected in the UK between 2001 and 2018-A potential risk to users?

Official Student Newspaper Issue is 12 pages long