Risk and Protective Factors for Recidivism Among Juveniles Who Have Offended Sexually

Literature on risk factors for recidivism among juveniles who have sexually offended (JSOs) is limited. In addition, there have been no studies published concerning protective factors among this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of risk and protective factors to sexual and nonsexual recidivism among a sample of 193 male JSOs (mean age = 15.26). Youths were followed for an average of 7.24 years following discharge from a residential sex offender treatment program. The risk factor opportunities to reoffend, as coded based on the Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offense Recidivism, was associated with sexual recidivism. Several risk factors (e.g., prior offending; peer delinquency) were associated with nonsexual recidivism. No protective factors examined were associated with sexual recidivism, although strong attachments and bonds as measured by the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth was negatively related to nonsexual recidivism. These findings indicate that risk factors for nonsexual recidivism may be consistent across both general adolescent offender populations and JSOs, but that there may be distinct protective factors that apply to sexual recidivism among JSOs. Results also indicate important needs for further research on risk factors, protective factors, and risk management strategies for JSOs

WASP-107b’s Density Is Even Lower: A Case Study for the Physics of Planetary Gas Envelope Accretion and Orbital Migration

With a mass in the Neptune regime and a radius of Jupiter, WASP-107b presents a challenge to planet formation theories. Meanwhile, the planet's low surface gravity and the star's brightness also make it one of the most favorable targets for atmospheric characterization. Here, we present the results of an extensive 4 yr Keck/HIRES radial-velocity (RV) follow-up program of the WASP-107 system and provide a detailed study of the physics governing the accretion of the gas envelope of WASP-107b. We reveal that WASP-107b's mass is only 1.8 Neptune masses (M_b = 30.5 ± 1.7 M_⊕). The resulting extraordinarily low density suggests that WASP-107b has a H/He envelope mass fraction of >85% unless it is substantially inflated. The corresponding core mass of <4.6 M_⊕ at 3σ is significantly lower than what is traditionally assumed to be necessary to trigger massive gas envelope accretion. We demonstrate that this large gas-to-core mass ratio most plausibly results from the onset of accretion at gsim1 au onto a low-opacity, dust-free atmosphere and subsequent migration to the present-day a_b = 0.0566 ± 0.0017 au. Beyond WASP-107b, we also detect a second, more massive planet (M_c sin i = 0.36 ± 0.04MJ ) on a wide eccentric orbit (e _c = 0.28 ± 0.07) that may have influenced the orbital migration and spin–orbit misalignment of WASP-107b. Overall, our new RV observations and envelope accretion modeling provide crucial insights into the intriguing nature of WASP-107b and the system's formation history. Looking ahead, WASP-107b will be a keystone planet to understand the physics of gas envelope accretion

Multiple Grasp-Specific Representations of Tool Dynamics Mediate Skillful Manipulation

SummarySkillful tool use requires knowledge of the dynamic properties of tools in order to specify the mapping between applied force and tool motion [1–3]. Importantly, this mapping depends on the orientation of the tool in the hand. Here we investigate the representation of dynamics during skillful manipulation of a tool that can be grasped at different orientations. We ask whether the motor system uses a single general representation of dynamics for all grasp contexts or whether it uses multiple grasp-specific representations. Using a novel robotic interface [4], subjects rotated a virtual tool whose orientation relative to the hand could be varied. Subjects could immediately anticipate the force direction for each orientation of the tool based on its visual geometry, and, with experience, they learned to parameterize the force magnitude. Surprisingly, this parameterization of force magnitude showed limited generalization when the orientation of the tool changed. Had subjects parameterized a single general representation, full generalization would be expected. Thus, our results suggest that object dynamics are captured by multiple representations, each of which encodes the mapping associated with a specific grasp context. We suggest that the concept of grasp-specific representations may provide a unifying framework for interpreting previous results related to dynamics learning

Genome-enabled insights into the biology of thrips as crop pests

Background The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), is a globally invasive pest and plant virus vector on a wide array of food, fiber, and ornamental crops. The underlying genetic mechanisms of the processes governing thrips pest and vector biology, feeding behaviors, ecology, and insecticide resistance are largely unknown. To address this gap, we present the F. occidentalis draft genome assembly and official gene set. Results We report on the first genome sequence for any member of the insect order Thysanoptera. Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Ortholog (BUSCO) assessments of the genome assembly (size = 415.8 Mb, scaffold N50 = 948.9 kb) revealed a relatively complete and well-annotated assembly in comparison to other insect genomes. The genome is unusually GC-rich (50%) compared to other insect genomes to date. The official gene set (OGS v1.0) contains 16,859 genes, of which ~ 10% were manually verified and corrected by our consortium. We focused on manual annotation, phylogenetic, and expression evidence analyses for gene sets centered on primary themes in the life histories and activities of plant-colonizing insects. Highlights include the following: (1) divergent clades and large expansions in genes associated with environmental sensing (chemosensory receptors) and detoxification (CYP4, CYP6, and CCE enzymes) of substances encountered in agricultural environments; (2) a comprehensive set of salivary gland genes supported by enriched expression; (3) apparent absence of members of the IMD innate immune defense pathway; and (4) developmental- and sex-specific expression analyses of genes associated with progression from larvae to adulthood through neometaboly, a distinct form of maturation differing from either incomplete or complete metamorphosis in the Insecta. Conclusions Analysis of the F. occidentalis genome offers insights into the polyphagous behavior of this insect pest that finds, colonizes, and survives on a widely diverse array of plants. The genomic resources presented here enable a more complete analysis of insect evolution and biology, providing a missing taxon for contemporary insect genomics-based analyses. Our study also offers a genomic benchmark for molecular and evolutionary investigations of other Thysanoptera species

Wisc-R and Wisc Subtest Scatter in a Clinical Population

Two indexes of scatter (range and mean deviation) were measured from the protocols of 86 WISC-R\u27s and 670 WISC’s drawn from the files of a psychological clinic. Scatter scores were significantly different compared to Kaufman\u27s normative data (1976), but substantial overlap still existed between distributions. Scatter indexes were nonsignificantly related to sex; whereas they were modestly correlated with Full Scale IQ and age. The different indexes themselves were significantly intercorrelated and judged equivalent. GPA scores for a subsample (n = 42) of the WISC group were uncorrelated with the scatter indexes. The practical and theoretical implications for using scatter indexes as diagnostic tools or indicators of future functioning were discussed

Neuropsychological correlates of assaultive behavior among incarcerated males

It was predicted that individuals with a history of assaults would exhibit neuropsychological deficits in nonverbal problem solving, focused auditory attention and complex verbal analysis in contrast to property offenders. Assuming that assaultives would not demonstrate diffuse neuropsychological impairment, it was also predicted that assaultives would not significantly differ on tasks of visual-spatial analysis or expressive speech from property offenders. Subjects were administered a full neuropsychological battery measuring nonverbal problem solving, focused auditory attention, complex verbal abilities, visual-spatial analysis and expressive speech. Assaultives scored significantly higher on focused auditory attention and expressive speech tasks compared to property offenders. A subgroup of all assaultives, sexual assaulters also scored significantly higher on focused auditory attention and expressive speech tasks compared to property offenders. Post hoc analysis assessed the clinical significance of findings. This analysis revealed that both property and assaultive offenders demonstrated specific neuropsychological deficits. Clinical significance was assessed by the percentage of assaultive and property subjects scoring above a designated critical value, for each test, which has been found to be indicative of neuropsychological impairment. Both assaultive and property offenders demonstrated deficits of nonverbal problem solving and focused auditory attention. Moreover, assaultives demonstrated clincally significant impairment on complex verbal items which are processed auditorily, compared to property offenders. Although statistically significant when compared to property offenders, assaultive\u27s performance on the expressive speech task was not found to be clinically significant. In addition, assaultive\u27s performance on visual-spatial tasks was neither statistically significant or found to be clinically significant. In addition, assaultive\u27s performance on visual-spatial tasks was neither statistically significant or found to be clinically significant. Hence, the original predictions of specific neuropsychological deficits (nonverbal problem solving, focused auditory attention, complex verbal abilities) and competencies (visual-spatial analysis and expressive speech) was generally supported for the group of assaultive subjects. Since both assaultive and property offenders demonstrated neuropsychological deficits, it is suggested future research examine the broader independent variable of impulse control disorder as associated to neuropsychological dysfunction. Lastly, future research needs to continue defining the breadth of attentional deficits as related to assaultiveness or sociopathy in general. Attention was only measured through an auditory mode in this study, and is therefore limited in scope. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.