Gender: An Important Factor in the Implementation of Services for Juvenile Offenders

The Child Welfare League of America (2003) reported that between 1980 and 2000 the arrest rate for boys declined by 11% but increased for girls by 35%. A well tested case management approach being applied more commonly in juvenile justice is the Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) approach, which suggests that interventions and services should be commensurate with ones level of risk and specific dynamic risk factors (criminogenic needs). The RNR model tends to be seen as gender-neutral , based on assumption that it works equally well with both sexes. Few studies have examined whether gender differences exist in the effectiveness of RNR-type case planning. Vitopoulos et al., (2012) examined possible RNR differences between justice-involved boys and girls using the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI). Across all of the criminogenic need areas (e.g. antisocial attitudes, peer affiliations), only the personality domain was significantly different by gender, such that more girls than boys seemed to have a problem inthis area. They did not find any gender differences in the matching of services to needs identified; however, a higher match between clinician-recommended needs and assigned treatment services (service-to-needs match) predicted a decrease in boys\u27 re-offending but not in girls\u27 reoffending. Given the paucity of research, we are left to question the applicability of some RNR principles or the quality of their implementation for girl offenders. Using the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk for Youth (SAVRY)) in three probation officies to measure both risk level and dynamic risk factors (criminogenic needs), we examined whether within a large sample of youth there were gender differences in the (a) criminogenic needs identified, (b) ability of probation officers (POs) to match services to needs in their case planning and (c) the association of the serve-need match to recidivism

Comparative analysis of MIS capacitance structures with high-k dielectrics under gamma, 16O and p Radiation

MIS capacitance structures, with Hafnium Oxide, Alumina and nanolaminate as dielectrics were studied under gamma photons Co, 25 MeV oxygen ions and 10 MeV protons radiation using capacitance-voltage (C-V) characterization. The main trend of the results shows that the nanolaminates stack presents the highest levels of hysteresis and stretch-out of the C-V curves, suggesting that interface layers between dielectrics could play a relevant role in the study of the radiation response.Fil: Quinteros, C. P.. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Sambuco Salomone, Lucas Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Redin, Eduardo Gabriel. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Rafí, J. M.. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; EspañaFil: Zabala, M.. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; EspañaFil: Faigón, A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Palumbo, Félix Roberto Mario. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Campabadal, F.. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; Españ

Effective Lagrangians for Orientifold Theories

We construct effective Lagrangians of the Veneziano-Yankielowicz (VY) type for two non-supersymmetric theories which are orientifold daughters of supersymmetric gluodynamics (containing one Dirac fermion in the two-index antisymmetric or symmetric representation of the gauge group). Since the parent and daughter theories are planar equivalent, at N\to\infty the effective Lagrangians in the orientifold theories basically coincide with the bosonic part of the VY Lagrangian. We depart from the supersymmetric limit in two ways. First, we consider finite (albeit large) values of N. Then 1/N effects break supersymmetry. We suggest seemingly the simplest modification of the VY Lagrangian which incorporates these 1/N effects, leading to a non-vanishing vacuum energy density. We analyze the spectrum of the finite-N non-supersymmetric daughters. For N=3 the two-index antisymmetric representation (one flavor) is equivalent to one-flavor QCD. We show that in this case the scalar quark-antiquark state is heavier than the corresponding pseudoscalar state, `` eta' ''. Second, we add a small fermion mass term. The fermion mass term breaks supersymmetry explicitly. The vacuum degeneracy is lifted. The parity doublets split. We evaluate the splitting. Finally, we include the theta-angle and study its implications.Comment: LaTeX, 21 page

Partial Deconfinement in Color Superconductivity

We analyze the fate of the unbroken SU(2) color gauge interactions for 2 light flavors color superconductivity at non zero temperature. Using a simple model we compute the deconfining/confining critical temperature and show that is smaller than the critical temperature for the onset of the superconductive state itself. The breaking of Lorentz invariance, induced already at zero temperature by the quark chemical potential, is shown to heavily affect the value of the critical temperature and all of the relevant features related to the deconfining transition. Modifying the Polyakov loop model to describe the SU(2) immersed in the diquark medium we argue that the deconfinement transition is second order. Having constructed part of the equation of state for the 2 color superconducting phase at low temperatures our results are relevant for the physics of compact objects featuring a two flavor color superconductive state.Comment: 9 pp, 4 eps-figs, version to appear in PR

Análisis de requerimientos y determinación preliminar de la potencia de actuación para el TVC de un vehículo lanzador con tobera flexible

En los vehículos lanzadores se requiere de un sistema de control de dirección del vector de empuje (TVC) que permita desarrollar un vuelo a lo largo de una trayectoria programada, así como también compensar las perturbaciones que se presenten durante la fase propulsiva. Existen distintos mecanismos para lograr este objetivo, siendo uno de los más utilizados el basado en modificar la dirección de la tobera de empuje. En el caso de combustibles sólidos, la tobera incluye una junta flexible conformada mediante la unión de un elastómero con aros de acero que posibilita ajustar la orientación del eje de empuje, mediante un actuador lineal montado de manera conveniente entre la tobera y la estructura del vehículo, el que provoca la deformación elástica de la junta. Se abordará la problemática de utilizar un actuador electromecánico (AEM), basado en tecnología de un motor eléctrico sin escobillas (brushless), para conformar el sistema de control de orientación de una tobera flexible. Dichas toberas imponen fuertes requerimientos operativos a los sistemas de actuación, debido a los elevados valores de rigidez y rozamiento que presentan. En lo metodológico se ha procedido formulando el modelo matemático mecánico, con el que se llevó a cabo la simulación numérica de funcionamiento empleando software especializado de acuerdo a los requerimientos impuestos para determinar a priori las potencias requeridas para los diferentes casos de maniobras planteados. Luego, en las condiciones de peor caso, se pasó a optimizar la relación de transmisión teniendo asimismo en cuenta los requerimientos de respuesta en frecuencia para condiciones de funcionamiento lineal.www.caim2014.unne.edu.arFil: Salomone, Javier E. Centro de Investigaciones Aplicadas. Departamento Sistemas Electromecánicos; Argentina.Fil: Pedroni, Juan P. Centro de Investigaciones Aplicadas. Departamento Sistemas Electromecánicos; Argentina.Fil: Jazni, Jorge E. Centro de Investigaciones Aplicadas. Departamento Sistemas Electromecánicos; Argentina.Fil: Dutto, Esteban A. Centro de Investigaciones Aplicadas. Departamento Sistemas Electromecánicos; Argentina.Fil: Cova, Walter J. D. Centro de Investigaciones Aplicadas. Departamento Sistemas Electromecánicos; Argentina.Fil: Lagier, Santiago. Centro de Investigaciones Aplicadas. Departamento Sistemas Electromecánicos; Argentina.Ingeniería Aeroespacia

Developmental change in look durations predicts later effortful control in toddlers at familial risk for ASD

Background: Difficulties with Executive Functioning (EF) are common in individuals with a range of developmental disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Interventions that target underlying mechanisms of EF early in development could be broadly beneficial, but require infant markers of such mechanisms in order to be feasible. Prospective studies of infants at high familial risk (HR) for ASD have revealed a surprising tendency for HR toddlers to show longer epochs of attention to faces than low-risk (LR) controls. In typical development, decreases in look durations towards the end of the first year of life are driven by the development of executive attention – a foundational component of EF. Here, we test the hypothesis that prolonged attention to visual stimuli (including faces) in HR toddlers reflects early differences in the development of executive attention. Methods: In a longitudinal prospective study, we used eye-tracking to record HR and LR infants’ looking behaviour to social and non-social visual stimuli at ages 9 and 15 months. At age 3 years we assessed children with a battery of clinical research measures and collected parental report of Effortful Control (EC) – a temperament trait closely associated with EF and similarly contingent on executive attention. Results: Consistent with previous studies, we found an attenuated reduction in peak look durations to faces between 9 and 15 months for the HR group compared with the LR group, and lower EC amongst the HR-ASD group. In line with our hypothesis, change in peak look duration to faces between 9 and 15 months was negatively associated with EC at age 3. Conclusions: We suggest that for HR toddlers, disruption to the early development of executive attention results in an attenuated reduction in looking time to faces. Effects may be more apparent for faces due to early biases to orient towards them; further, attention difficulties may interact with earlier-emerging differences in social information processing. Our finding that prolonged attention to faces may be an early indicator of disruption to the executive attention system is of potential value in screening for infants at risk for later EF difficulties and for evaluation of intervention outcomes

Acute mesenteric ischemia : guidelines of the World Society of Emergency Surgery

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is typically defined as a group of diseases characterized by an interruption of the blood supply to varying portions of the small intestine, leading to ischemia and secondary inflammatory changes. If untreated, this process will eventuate in life threatening intestinal necrosis. The incidence is low, estimated at 0.09-0.2% of all acute surgical admissions. Therefore, although the entity is an uncommon cause of abdominal pain, diligence is always required because if untreated, mortality has consistently been reported in the range of 50%. Early diagnosis and timely surgical intervention are the cornerstones of modern treatment and are essential to reduce the high mortality associated with this entity. The advent of endovascular approaches in parallel with modern imaging techniques may provide new options. Thus, we believe that a current position paper from World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) is warranted, in order to put forth the most recent and practical recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of AMI. This review will address the concepts of AMI with the aim of focusing on specific areas where early diagnosis and management hold the strongest potential for improving outcomes in this disease process. Some of the key points include the prompt use of CT angiography to establish the diagnosis, evaluation of the potential for revascularization to re-establish blood flow to ischemic bowel, resection of necrotic intestine, and use of damage control techniques when appropriate to allow for re-assessment of bowel viability prior to definitive anastomosis and abdominal closure.Peer reviewe

Recurrent Modification of a Conserved Cis-Regulatory Element Underlies Fruit Fly Pigmentation Diversity

The development of morphological traits occurs through the collective action of networks of genes connected at the level of gene expression. As any node in a network may be a target of evolutionary change, the recurrent targeting of the same node would indicate that the path of evolution is biased for the relevant trait and network. Although examples of parallel evolution have implicated recurrent modification of the same gene and cis-regulatory element (CRE), little is known about the mutational and molecular paths of parallel CRE evolution. In Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, the Bric-à-brac (Bab) transcription factors control the development of a suite of sexually dimorphic traits on the posterior abdomen. Female-specific Bab expression is regulated by the dimorphic element, a CRE that possesses direct inputs from body plan (ABD-B) and sex-determination (DSX) transcription factors. Here, we find that the recurrent evolutionary modification of this CRE underlies both intraspecific and interspecific variation in female pigmentation in the melanogaster species group. By reconstructing the sequence and regulatory activity of the ancestral Drosophila melanogaster dimorphic element, we demonstrate that a handful of mutations were sufficient to create independent CRE alleles with differing activities. Moreover, intraspecific and interspecific dimorphic element evolution proceeded with little to no alterations to the known body plan and sex-determination regulatory linkages. Collectively, our findings represent an example where the paths of evolution appear biased to a specific CRE, and drastic changes in function were accompanied by deep conservation of key regulatory linkages. © 2013 Rogers et al

Modulation of EEG theta by naturalistic social content is not altered in infants with family history of autism

Theta oscillations (spectral power and connectivity) are sensitive to the social content of an experience in typically developing infants, providing a possible marker of early social brain development. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting early social behaviour, but links to underlying social brain function remain unclear. We explored whether modulations of theta spectral power and connectivity by naturalistic social content in infancy are related to family history for autism. Fourteen-month-old infants with (family history; FH; N = 75) and without (no family history; NFH; N = 26) a first-degree relative with autism watched social and non-social videos during EEG recording. We calculated theta (4–5 Hz) spectral power and connectivity modulations (social–non-social) and associated them with outcomes at 36 months. We replicated previous findings of increased theta power and connectivity during social compared to non-social videos. Theta modulations with social content were similar between groups, for both power and connectivity. Together, these findings suggest that neural responses to naturalistic social stimuli may not be strongly altered in 14-month-old infants with family history of autism