Looking for pyromania: Characteristics of a consecutive sample of Finnish male criminals with histories of recidivist fire-setting between 1973 and 1993

BACKGROUND: As pyromania is a rare diagnosis with questionable validity, we aimed to describe a forensic psychiatric population of arson recidivists. METHODS: The medical records as well as the forensic psychiatric examination statements of 90 arson recidivists referred for pretrial psychiatric assessment in Helsinki University Hospital Department of Forensic Psychiatry between 1973 and 1993 were reviewed. RESULTS: The most important diagnostic categories of arson recidivists were personality disorders, psychosis and mental retardation, often with comorbid alcoholism. In all, 68% of arsonists were under alcohol intoxication during the index crime. Psychotic as well as mentally retarded persons with repeated fire-setting behaviour were mostly "pure arsonists"- persons guilty only of arsons during their criminal careers. Arson recidivists with personality disorder, in contrast, often exhibited various types of criminal behaviour and arson appeared to be only one expression of a wide range of criminal activity. Comorbid alcoholism was apparently a more rarely observed phenomenon among pure arsonists than in "nonpure arsonists". We found only three subjects fulfilling the present diagnostic criteria for pyromania. CONCLUSION: Using the criteria of the DSM-IV-TR, pyromania must be regarded as an extremely rare phenomenon. Especially the question of substance intoxication as an exclusion criterion for pyromania should be reconsidered

Anaerobic Digestion of Solid Agricultural Biomass in Leach-Bed Reactors

This study focuses on the feasibility of the dry anaerobic digestion of solid agricultural biomass for efficient renewable-energy production and nutrient recycling. Methane production and the amount of nitrogen in the digestates were measured in pilot- and farm-scale leach-bed reactors. In the pilot scale, with a digestion time of 133 days, the methane production of a mixture of whole crop fava bean and horse manure corresponded to 94% and 116%, respectively, of the methane potentials of the solid substrates. The mono-digestion of fava beans resulted in relatively low methane production (production/potential ratios of 59% and 57%). In two full-scale experiments, the methane production of mixtures of clover-grass silage, chicken manure, and horse manure corresponded to 108% and 100% of their respective methane potentials with digestion times of 117 and 185 days. In co-digestion, the production/potential ratios were similar in the pilot and farm experiments. High nitrogen loss was observed in the farm scale when the digestate was stored in a stack covered with a tarpaulin during summertime. Thus, although the technology seems promising, attention needs to be paid to management practices to minimise nitrogen losses and greenhouse gas emissions

Anaerobic Digestion of Solid Agricultural Biomass in Leach-Bed Reactors

This study focuses on the feasibility of the dry anaerobic digestion of solid agricultural biomass for efficient renewable-energy production and nutrient recycling. Methane production and the amount of nitrogen in the digestates were measured in pilot- and farm-scale leach-bed reactors. In the pilot scale, with a digestion time of 133 days, the methane production of a mixture of whole crop fava bean and horse manure corresponded to 94% and 116%, respectively, of the methane potentials of the solid substrates. The mono-digestion of fava beans resulted in relatively low methane production (production/potential ratios of 59% and 57%). In two full-scale experiments, the methane production of mixtures of clover-grass silage, chicken manure, and horse manure corresponded to 108% and 100% of their respective methane potentials with digestion times of 117 and 185 days. In co-digestion, the production/potential ratios were similar in the pilot and farm experiments. High nitrogen loss was observed in the farm scale when the digestate was stored in a stack covered with a tarpaulin during summertime. Thus, although the technology seems promising, attention needs to be paid to management practices to minimise nitrogen losses and greenhouse gas emissions.Peer reviewe

Psychopathic traits among a consecutive sample of Finnish pretrial fire-setting offenders

Background: Psychopathy, a severe disorder of personality, is well represented in the criminal and forensic psychiatric population and is significantly associated with increased risk of violence and crime. Fire-setting is a major source of property damage, injury, and death in many Western countries. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate psychopathic traits in a consecutive sample of Finnish male pretrial fire-setting offenders. Further, we wanted to investigate whether fire-setting recidivists show higher traits of psychopathy than one-time firesetters and whether exclusive firesetters show lower traits of psychopathy than those with criminal versatility. Methods: The forensic psychiatric examination statements for male firesetters who underwent a pretrial forensic psychiatric evaluation during a 10-year period (1989 - 1998) were reviewed. The sample comprised 129 firesetters with normal IQ, 41 of whom were fire-setting recidivists. Fifty men were exclusive firesetters. Assessment of psychopathy-like personality character was performed using the 20-item Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. Results: Two individuals (1.6%, 95% CI: 0.0-3.7) scored >= 30 points and 19 (14.7%, 95% CI: 8.6-20.8) >= 25 points on the PCL-R. The mean PCL-R total score was 16.1 (SD 6.88), the mean Factor 1 score 5.0 (SD 3.41), and the mean Factor 2 score 9.9 (SD 3.86). No significant differences emerged between the recidivists and the one-time firesetters. The versatile firesetters exhibited significantly higher mean total and factor scores than the exclusive ones. Conclusion: Among firesetters, there is a subgroup of persons with significant psychopathic traits, which should be recognized in legal and health care organizations. Although psychopathy was associated with greater criminal versatility, it bore no relationship to fire-setting recidivism.Peer reviewe

Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire data on alcoholic violent offenders: specific connections to severe impulsive cluster B personality disorders and violent criminality

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The validity of traditional categorical personality disorder diagnoses is currently re-evaluated from a continuous perspective, and the evolving DSM-V classification may describe personality disorders dimensionally. The utility of dimensional personality assessment, however, is unclear in violent offenders with severe personality pathology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The temperament structure of 114 alcoholic violent offenders with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) was compared to 84 offenders without ASPD, and 170 healthy controls. Inclusion occurred during a court-ordered mental examination preceded by homicide, assault, battery, rape or arson. Participants underwent assessment of temperament with the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) and were diagnosed with DSM-III-R criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The typical temperament profile in violent offender having ASPD comprised high novelty seeking, high harm avoidance, and low reward dependence. A 21% minority scored low in trait harm avoidance. Results, including the polarized harm avoidance dimension, are in accordance with Cloninger's hypothesis of dimensional description of ASPD. The low harm avoidance offenders committed less impulsive violence than high harm avoidance offenders. High harm avoidance was associated with comorbid antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results indicate that the DSM based ASPD diagnosis in alcoholic violent offenders associates with impulsiveness and high novelty seeking but comprises two different types of ASPD associated with distinct second-order traits that possibly explain differences in type of violent criminality. Low harm avoidance offenders have many traits in common with high scorers on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). Results link high harm avoidance with broad personality pathology and argue for the usefulness of self-report questionnaires in clinical praxis.</p

Pohjois-Savon maakunnalliset erityispiirteet biokaasun tuotannossa ja ravinteiden kierrätyksessä : FarmGas-PS 1 -hankkeen loppuraportti

Kun halutaan tavoitella kasvavaa biokaasutuotantoa ja nykyistä tehokkaampaa ravinteiden kierrätystä, puhutaan usein maatalouden biomassojen, eli kotieläintuotannon lantojen ja erilaisten kasvibiomassojen hyödyntämisestä. Tässä taustaselvityksessä koottiin aiempien selvitysten perusteella Pohjois-Savon maakunnalliset erityispiirteet ja mahdollisuudet biokaasutuotantoon sekä sen yhteydessä ravinteiden kierrättämiseen. Lisäksi selvityksessä on avattu biokaasualaan liittyvää lainsäädäntöä ja tukipolitiikkaa. Selvitysten perusteella Pohjois-Savossa merkittävin biokaasuntuotannossa hyödynnettävä biomassa on nautojen lanta. Maakunnassa ei ole huomattavaa lantafosforin ylijäämää, mutta kuntien lantafosforin saatavuuden ja tarpeen välillä on kuitenkin epätasapainoa. Lantaravinteiden käyttö voisi tehostua osittaisesta lantafosforin ja -typen erottamisesta erillisiin lannoitevalmisteisiin. Mädätteen vähäisempikin jatkojalostaminen ja paikallinen uusjako biokaasulaitosten yhteydessä olisi resurssitehokkuuden ja lannan ympäristövaikutusten kannalta suositeltavaa. Tilakoon kasvu tulevaisuudessa ja mahdolliset muutokset kasvinviljelyssä (esim. viljelykiertojen monipuolistuminen) voivat parantaa tulevaisuudessa biokaasutuotannon kannattavuutta maatilojen laitoksilla. Yksittäisten nautakarjatilojen biokaasulaitoksissa sähkön ja lämmön yhteistuotannon ongelmana on kuitenkin lämpöenergian heikko hyödynnettävyys. Liikennekaasun haasteena on kaasuautokannan kasvu, kaasun hinnan kehitys ja tarve ratkaista kaasunpuhdistuksen ja -jakelun malli maakunnan olosuhteisiin sopivaksi. Pohjois-Savoon parhaiten soveltuvan biokaasutuotantomallin tarkastelussa on selvitettävä hajautetun biokaasutuotannon mahdollisuudet. Siinä on huomioitava sekä liikennekaasun tuotanto ja jakelu että ravinteiden kierrätys. Biokaasulaitoksen rakentamista ja toimintaa säädellään ja tuetaan usealla lailla ja asetuksella. Eri mittaluokan ja toimintaperiaatteen laitoksia koskevat eri säädökset, joten biokaasulaitosta harkitsevan on oltava tarkkana, mitkä asetukset koskevat omia suunnitelmia ja millaisia tukia laitoksen rakentamiseen voidaan hakea