Sexual motivation is reflected by stimulus-dependent motor cortex excitability

Sexual behavior involves motivational processes. Findings from both animal models and neuroimaging in humans suggest that the recruitment of neural motor networks is an integral part of the sexual response. However, no study so far has directly linked sexual motivation to physiologically measurable changes in cerebral motor systems in humans. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation in hetero- and homosexual men, we here show that sexual motivation modulates cortical excitability. More specifically, our results demonstrate that visual sexual stimuli corresponding with one's sexual orientation, compared with non-corresponding visual sexual stimuli, increase the excitability of the motor cortex. The reflection of sexual motivation in motor cortex excitability provides evidence for motor preparation processes in sexual behavior in humans. Moreover, such interrelationship links theoretical models and previous neuroimaging findings of sexual behavio

Eine gemeinsame Sprache für die Risikokommunikation bei Sexualstraftätern : Trenn- und Normwerte für das neue Fünf-Kategorienmodell des Static-99

Vorgestellt wird das neue Fünf-Kategorien-Modell für die Risikoeinschätzung von Sexualstraftätern von Hanson et al. (2017). Hierbei werden relatives und absolutes Risiko so zusammengeführt, dass die Rückfallrate der jeweiligen Mittelkategorie an der durchschnittlichen Rückfallbasisrate der Täterpopulation liegt. Sie dient als Bezugsgröße von jeweils zwei Kategorien mit höherem und niedrigerem Risiko. Anhand von n = 1679 aus der Strafhaft entlassenen und über mindestens fünf Jahre lang nachuntersuchten Sexualstraftätern (Gesamtgruppe, pädosexuelle Täter und Vergewaltiger) wurden einschlägige Rückfallraten beobachtet und berechnet. Die gebildete Mittelkategorie lag in allen drei Gruppen nahe an den Basisraten. Die zwei Kategorien mit höherem und niedrigerem Risiko konnten gut voneinander getrennt werden. Die Risikokommunikation nach dem neuen 5-Kategorien-Modell für Sexualstraftäter wird unabhängig vom angewandten Verfahren empfohlen

A spatially explicit database of wind disturbances in European forests over the period 2000-2018

Strong winds may uproot and break trees and represent a major natural disturbance for European forests. Wind disturbances have intensified over the last decades globally and are expected to further rise in view of the effects of climate change. Despite the importance of such natural disturbances, there are currently no spatially explicit databases of wind-related impact at a pan-European scale. Here, we present a new database of wind disturbances in European forests (FORWIND). FORWIND is comprised of more than 80 000 spatially delineated areas in Europe that were disturbed by wind in the period 2000-2018 and describes them in a harmonized and consistent geographical vector format. The database includes all major windstorms that occurred over the observational period (e.g. Gudrun, Kyrill, Klaus, Xynthia and Vaia) and represents approximately 30% of the reported damaging wind events in Europe. Correlation analyses between the areas in FORWIND and land cover changes retrieved from the Landsat-based Global Forest Change dataset and the MODIS Global Disturbance Index corroborate the robustness of FORWIND. Spearman rank coefficients range between 0.27 and 0.48 (p value < 0.05). When recorded forest areas are rescaled based on their damage degree, correlation increases to 0.54. Wind-damaged growing stock volumes reported in national inventories (FORESTORM dataset) are generally higher than analogous metrics provided by FORWIND in combination with satellite-based biomass and country-scale statistics of growing stock volume. The potential of FORWIND is explored for a range of challenging topics and scientific fields, including scaling relations of wind damage, forest vulnerability modelling, remote sensing monitoring of forest disturbance, representation of uprooting and breakage of trees in large-scale land surface models, and hydrogeological risks following wind damage. Overall, FORWIND represents an essential and open-access spatial source that can be used to improve the understanding, detection and prediction of wind disturbances and the consequent impacts on forest ecosystems and the land-atmosphere system. Data sharing is encouraged in order to continuously update and improve FORWIND

Effectiveness of an Alternative Forced Choice Paradigm in adolescent girls with eating disorders and depression and their reductions of negative body-related attitudes – A pilot study

Body Image Distortion (BID) is a complex, multifactorial condition most closely associated with eating disorders (EDs), but also found in other disorders including depression (DEP), especially in young people. Although BID predicts treatment outcomes and relapse rates, they are only addressed by a few studies and treatment interventions. Recently training interventions to shift an individual’s categorical boundary when judging other peoples’ bodies as “thin”/”fat” were proved to be able to shift that boundary towards higher BMIs with confrontational feedback about the choices made by adults with sub-clinical ED-symptoms. This shift was accompanied by improvements in BID-related symptoms and general ED pathology. This new pilot-study tests the feasibility and functionality of using this intervention in 24 female, adolescent in-patients, diagnosed with an ED or DEP. They participated in 8 interactive sessions, following a counterbalanced cross-over design, containing a 4-session interventional (corrective feedback) and 4-session control (maintaining feedback) condition. Follow-up measures were obtained after 2 weeks. The results revealed significant adaptive changes of the position of the categorical BMI boundary as well as clinically relevant improvements in ED-related psychometrics in both diagnostic groups in the intervention condition. In contrast to the previous studies, a negative impact on both psychophysical and psychometric measures could be observed in the control condition. The implications of these results are discussed for feasibility of using this training in this special target group with suggestions for improving the task for further studies

Mobile laser scanning with iPad Pro LiDAR

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Qualitative Analysis of Tree Canopy Top Points Extraction from Different Terrestrial Laser Scanner Combinations in Forest Plots

In forestry research, for forest inventories or other applications which require accurate 3D information on the forest structure, a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) is an efficient tool for vegetation structure estimation. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) can even provide high-resolution information in tree canopies due to its high penetration capability. Depending on the forest plot size, tree density, and structure, multiple TLS scans are acquired to cover the forest plot in all directions to avoid any voids in the dataset that are generated. However, while increasing the number of scans, we often tend to increase the data redundancy as we keep acquiring data for the same region from multiple scan positions. In this research, an extensive qualitative analysis was carried out to examine the capability and efficiency of TLS to generate canopy top points in six different scanning combinations. A total of nine scans were acquired for each forest plot, and from these nine scans, we made six different combinations to evaluate the 3D vegetation structure derived from each scan combination, such as Center Scans (CS), Four Corners Scans (FCS), Four Corners with Center Scans (FCwCS), Four Sides Center Scans (FSCS), Four Sides Center with Center Scans (FSCwCS), and All Nine Scans (ANS). We considered eight forest plots with dimensions of 25 m × 25 m, of which four plots were of medium tree density, and the other four had a high tree density. The forest plots are located in central Slovakia; European beech was the dominant tree species with a mixture of European oak, Silver fir, Norway spruce, and European hornbeam. Altogether, 487 trees were considered for this research. The quantification of tree canopy top points obtained from a TLS point cloud is very crucial as the point cloud is used to derive the Digital Surface Model (DSM) and Canopy Height Model (CHM). We also performed a statistical evaluation by calculating the differences in the canopy top points between ANS and the five other combinations and found that the most significantly different combination was FSCwCS respective to ANS. The Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of the deviations in tree canopy top points obtained for plots TLS_Plot1 and TLS_Plot2 ranged from 0.89 m to 14.98 m and 0.61 m to 7.78 m, respectively. The relative Root Mean Squared Error (rRMSE) obtained for plots TLS_Plot1 and TLS_Plot2 ranged from 0.15% to 2.48% and 0.096% to 1.22%, respectively

Treatment effectiveness of a mindfulness-based inpatient group psychotherapy in adolescent substance use disorder - study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Current treatments for adolescents with substance use disorder (SUD) have had only limited success. In recent years, research has underlined the role of self-regulatory processes and impulsivity in the development and maintenance of SUD in adolescents. Mindfulness has gained much attention due to its capacity to influence self-regulatory processes, particularly in adult populations. Initial studies have shown the potential of mindfulness-based approaches in younger SUD patients. The aim of the present clinical trial is to evaluate the added treatment effect of a mindfulness-based group psychotherapy (“Mind it!”) for adolescents with SUD in comparison to the current standard treatment. Moreover, we seek to explore the feasibility of the intervention and possible mediators of treatment effects. Methods/design There will be N = 340 participants aged between 13 and 19 years who are receiving child or adolescent psychiatric or psychotherapeutic inpatient or day treatment targeting their SUD and who have reported substance use 30 days before detoxification and do not show acute psychotic or suicidal symptoms at baseline. The study is a prospective randomized controlled multi-center trial in which patients are assessed: (1) after completing a prior detoxification phase (t 0), (2) at 4 weeks (t 1), (3) at 8 weeks (t 2), and (4) at 6 months after t 2 (t 3). Participants in the intervention group will receive mindfulness-based group psychotherapy in addition to their existing treatment regime. The primary outcome is substance use in the past 30 days at follow-up based on the Timeline Followback self-report. Secondary outcomes include craving, severity of dependence, and abstinence motivation. Mindfulness, impulsivity, and emotion regulation will be analyzed as possible mediators of treatment effects. Discussion This trial is expected to provide evidence of the added effect of a novel, safe, and feasible treatment option for adolescents with SUD. Trial registration German Register of Clinical Studies, DRKS00014041. Registered on 17 April 2018