The influence of poverty on the development and maintenance of conduct disorder and perpetuation of crime and violence

Jamaica has one of the highest murder rates per capita in the world, as well as a high rate of other crimes. With this study, I examined how factors such as income, socialecological factors of poverty (S-E factors of poverty), and symptoms of conduct disorder (CD) were related to criminality in a sample of 79 male Jamaican parolees and probationers. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 74 years old and were all of African descent. I interviewed participants using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WHO-CIDI), a survey to assess S-E factors associated with poverty, and the Historical/Clinical/Risk Management (HCR-20). My results indicate that my measure of respondents’ income was not associated with propensity for crime. However, severity of CD and an increased number of S-E factors of poverty were positively associated with propensity for crime in adulthood. Results also indicate that S-E factors of poverty mediate the relationship between severity of CD and propensity for crime. These findings provide evidence that psychologists should pay attention to S-E factors when diagnosing and treating CD. They also suggest that Jamaican officials working to reduce the level of crime in Jamaica may make greater strides by focusing their efforts on developing policies to eliminate social and environmental risk factors

Methodological Background of Decision Rules and Feedback Tools for Outcomes Management in Psychotherapy

Systems to provide feedback regarding treatment progress have been recognized as a promising method for the early identification of patients at risk for treatment failure in outpatient psychotherapy. The feedback systems presented in this article rely on decision rules to contrast the actual treatment progress of an individual patient and his or her expected treatment response (ETR). Approaches to predict the ETR on the basis of patient intake characteristics and previous treatment progress can be classified into two broad classes: Rationally derived decision rules rely on the judgments of experts, who determine the amount of progress that a patient has to achieve for a given treatment session to be considered “on track.” Empirically derived decision rules are based on expected recovery curves derived from statistical models applied to aggregated psychotherapy outcomes data. Examples of each type of decision rule and of feedback systems based on such rules are presented and reviewed

CONVENTIONAL vs COMPLEX TRAINING: A SET BY SET AND SESSIONAL COMPARISON OF KINETIC AND KINEMATIC VARIABLES

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of complex sets on kinetic and kinematic variables in a countermovement jump (CMJ) compared to a conventional training session. Twenty-three recreationally trained males completed two familiarisation and two experimental conditions. No significant differences (

CONVENTIONAL vs COMPLEX TRAINING: A SET BY SET AND SESSIONAL COMPARISON OF KINETIC AND KINEMATIC VARIABLES

The purpose of this study was to evaluate moments and shear forces at the hip and knee during step ups and single leg squats. Subjects were 12 weight trained adults. Each subject performed 3 repetitions of step ups and single leg squats using 70% of 1 repetition maximum. 2 X 2 (lift X phase (eccentric/concentric)) repeated measures ANOVAs were performed for each dependent variable. Significant interaction effects (

High-resolution x-ray diffraction study of the heavy-fermion compound YbBiPt

YbBiPt is a heavy-fermion compound possessing significant short-range antiferromagnetic correlations below a temperature of $T^{\textrm{*}}=0.7$ K, fragile antiferromagnetic order below $T_{\rm{N}}=0.4$ K, a Kondo temperature of $T_{\textrm{K}} \approx1$ K, and crystalline-electric-field splitting on the order of $E/k_{\textrm{B}}=1\,\textrm{-}\,10$ K. Whereas the compound has a face-centered-cubic lattice at ambient temperature, certain experimental data, particularly those from studies aimed at determining its crystalline-electric-field scheme, suggest that the lattice distorts at lower temperature. Here, we present results from high-resolution, high-energy x-ray diffraction experiments which show that, within our experimental resolution of $\approx6\,\textrm{-}\,10\times10^{-5}$ \AA, no structural phase transition occurs between $T=1.5$ and $50$ K. In combination with results from dilatometry measurements, we further show that the compound's thermal expansion has a minimum at $\approx18$ K and a region of negative thermal expansion for $9<T<18$ K. Despite diffraction patterns taken at $1.6$ K which indicate that the lattice is face-centered cubic and that the Yb resides on a crystallographic site with cubic point symmetry, we demonstrate that the linear thermal expansion may be modeled using crystalline-electric-field level schemes appropriate for Yb$^{3+}$ residing on a site with either cubic or less than cubic point symmetry.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

CONTRIBUTION OF THE ARMS IN THE SPRINT START AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON FORCE AND VELOCITY CHARACTERISTICS

The purpose of this case study was to quantify the contribution of the arms in the sprint start and compare the difference in force and velocity characteristics when arm forces are not accounted for. One elite student athlete performed 6 starts with the same block position whilst forces were measured independently for front and rear legs and left and right hands. The arms were found to apply force for 0.14s, initiated a peak force of 593N (0.83 BW) and accounted for 18% of the total vertical impulse generated. Inclusion of the arm forces increased the first vertical peak force by 118N, movement time by 0.03s, vertical toe-off velocity by 0.6m/s and projection angle by 10 degrees. Differences in vertical velocity and projection angle were halved by modifying the vertical system load to BW at the onset of movement. Peak horizontal forces and velocities were similar

Structural and ferromagnetic properties of an orthorhombic phase of MnBi stabilized with Rh additions

The article addresses the possibility of alloy elements in MnBi which may modify the thermodynamic stability of the NiAs-type structure without significantly degrading the magnetic properties. The addition of small amounts of Rh and Mn provides an improvement in the thermal stability with some degradation of the magnetic properties. The small amounts of Rh and Mn additions in MnBi stabilize an orthorhombic phase whose structural and magnetic properties are closely related to the ones of the previously reported high-temperature phase of MnBi (HT~MnBi). To date, the properties of the HT~MnBi, which is stable between $613$ and $719$~K, have not been studied in detail because of its transformation to the stable low-temperature MnBi (LT~MnBi), making measurements near and below its Curie temperature difficult. The Rh-stabilized MnBi with chemical formula Mn$_{1.0625-x}$Rh$_{x}$Bi [$x=0.02(1)$] adopts a new superstructure of the NiAs/Ni$_2$In structure family. It is ferromagnetic below a Curie temperature of $416$~K. The critical exponents of the ferromagnetic transition are not of the mean-field type but are closer to those associated with the Ising model in three dimensions. The magnetic anisotropy is uniaxial; the anisotropy energy is rather large, and it does not increase when raising the temperature, contrary to what happens in LT~MnBi. The saturation magnetization is approximately $3$~$\mu_B$/f.u. at low temperatures. While this exact composition may not be application ready, it does show that alloying is a viable route to modifying the stability of this class of rare-earth-free magnet alloys.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figure

Assessing Impacts of Rural Gentrification on an Appalachian Community in Watauga County, NC

Appalachia is a region of contradictions. While Appalachia resides in the wealthiest country in the world, it is characterized by a poor population that appears unable to keep up with the demands of modern American life. Explanations for this observation have traditionally been either a Culture of Poverty model or a view of Appalachia as a domestic colony of the United States. This research uses the domestic colony model to understand modern Appalachian experience in Watauga County, North Carolina. In particular, it examines the impact that newcomers have on old-timers’ ability to reproduce their native Appalachian culture. Previous work has identified two distinct drivers of rural gentrification, one being amenity or recreation based and the other being primarily an extension of suburban sprawl. Most research on rural gentrification has focused on housing areas in the mountain west where patterns have been characterized by very low density developments or hobby farms. On the surface, patterns emerging in rural western North Carolina’s Appalachian region appear to be similarly driven by natural amenities. However, rural landscape change in this region indicates more dense development patterns and stark land value contrasts. This research therefore uses mixed methods analysis to determine the nature of socioeconomic change to the primarily rural Watauga County. This research integrates Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis, quantitative assessment of housing density changes, and qualitative data gathered from interviews with six old-timers in the Triplett community, a relatively underdeveloped section of the county, and six newcomers to Watauga County. Comparison of interviews with old-timers and newcomers indicates differing perspectives on land ownership, land use, and the overall direction of development in Watauga County. Responses generally varied by the length of time the family has been established in Triplett. Triplett residents also voiced concern over land ownership as they describe newcomers as persons who value land ownership solely as an economic asset rather than a lifetime commitment. In addition, many residents report development in Triplett has occurred at a much slower pace, leaving residents of the area far behind others in the county in terms of income and access to more urban amenities. However, resentment and appreciation intertwine in this community as several residents have also reported benefiting financially directly from the region’s exurban growth. These interviews are placed within the context of countywide housing property value change and demographic transition. Results from this triangulation approach indicate the Triplett community residents’ perceptions of remaining underdeveloped and being left further behind economically to be strongly associated with quantitative evidence and GIS analysis of housing density changes and growth rates. This study provides a portrait of recent experiences in Watauga County that may be characterized as rural gentrification

Mechanisms of Phenazine-Mediated Extracellular Electron Transfer by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Extracellular electron transfer (EET), the process whereby cells access electron acceptors or donors that reside many cell lengths away, enables metabolic activity by microorganisms, particularly under oxidant-limited conditions that occur in multicellular bacterial biofilms. Although different mechanisms underpin this process in individual organisms, a potentially widespread strategy involves extracellular electron shuttles, redox-active metabolites that are secreted and recycled by diverse bacteria. Here, I first review general aspects of the electron shuttling strategy, such as the chemical diversity and potential distribution of electron shuttle producers and users, and the costs associated with electron shuttle biosynthesis. Then I address the long-standing question: how do these electron shuttles catalyze electron transfer within biofilms without being lost to the environment? I show that phenazine electron shuttles mediate efficient EET through interactions with extracellular DNA (eDNA) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms, which are important in nature and disease. Retention of pyocyanin (PYO) and phenazine carboxamide in the biofilm matrix is facilitated by binding to eDNA. In vitro, different phenazines can exchange electrons in the presence or absence of DNA and phenazines can participate directly in redox reactions through DNA; the biofilm eDNA can also support rapid electron transfer between redox-active intercalators. Electrochemical measurements of biofilms indicate that retained PYO supports an efficient redox cycle with rapid EET and slow loss from the biofilm. Together, these results establish that eDNA facilitates phenazine metabolic processes in P. aeruginosa biofilms, suggesting a model for how extracellular electron shuttles achieve retention and efficient EET in biofilms.</p