Consanguineous marriage, prepregnancy maternal characteristics and stillbirth risk: A population-based case-control study

Introduction. Consanguineous marriage is associated with increased risks for congenital anomalies, low birthweight, and other adverse perinatal outcomes. In this population-based, case-control study we investigated the association between consanguineous marriage (first-cousin marriage) and stillbirth risk, using prospectively collected information from prepregnancy visits. Material and methods. From 2007 to 2009, we identified 283 stillbirths (cases) and 2088 randomly selected live control births through prepregnancy visits in rural Golestan, Iran. The associations between consanguinity and prepregnancy maternal characteristics and stillbirth risk were examined using multivariate logistic regression. Results. The rate of consanguineous marriage was 19.4% among cases and 13.6% among controls. Consanguinity was associated with increased stillbirth risk [odds ratio (OR) 1.53; 95% CI 1.10-2.14]. The association was significantly increased for preterm stillbirth (< 37 gestational weeks) (OR 2.43; 95% CI 1.46-4.04) but not for term stillbirth (≥ 37 weeks) (OR 1.14; 95% CI 0.75-1.74). Low and high maternal age, underweight, obesity, nulliparity, a history of infertility or miscarriage, previous obstetric complications (preeclampsia, preterm delivery, and stillbirth in previous pregnancies) were also associated with increased stillbirth risks. Conclusions. Consanguineous marriage is associated with increased risk of stillbirth, particularly preterm stillbirth. Findings for other maternal risk factors for stillbirth in rural Iran are consistent with previously reported findings from high-income countries. © 2015 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology

The Combined Roles of Moral Emotion and Moral Rules in Explaining Acts of Violence Using a Situational Action Theory Perspective

The roles of shame and guilt, and their relationships to empathy, have not been modeled adequately as key factors in moral decision-making in the study of violence. The role of moral emotion has been neglected in existing criminological research and this study seeks to develop current explanations of the comprehensive myriad of factors that play a role in moral crime decision-making. This research will test the different roles of empathy, shame, and guilt in violence decision-making using a situational action theory (SAT) perspective. Data taken from the Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Development Study (PADS+), a longitudinal study with a large representative sample, provide quantitative questionnaire indices to enable comparison of a persistent and frequent violent offender subsample (N = 48) with the remaining PADS+ study sample (N = 607). A striking majority of violent offenders report that they do not think it is wrong to commit violence, and do not care about it, that is, they lack shame and guilt, and report that violence comes as a morally acceptable and natural action alternative. Furthermore, violent offenders do not register the predicament of their victims; there is a distinct lack of empathy. This article demonstrates a key finding which has rarely been explored to date; regression analyses reveal an interaction effect whereby individuals with weak shame and guilt, combined specifically with weak moral rules, are more likely to commit acts of violence. The study findings provide strong support for the SAT of the role of weak morality in violence decision-making. To reduce the possibility of crime being seen as an action alternative, moral development programs should be developed and administered in childhood

Superweakly interacting dark matter from the Minimal Walking Technicolor

We study a superweakly interacting dark matter particle motivated by minimal walking technicolor theories. Our WIMP is a mixture of a sterile state and a state with the charges of a standard model fourth family neutrino. We show that the model can give the right amount of dark matter over a range of the WIMP mass and mixing angle. We compute bounds on the model parameters from the current accelerator data including the oblique corrections to the precision electroweak parameters, as well as from cryogenic experiments, Super-Kamiokande and from the IceCube experiment. We show that consistent dark matter solutions exist which satisfy all current constraints. However, almost the entire parameter range of the model lies within the the combined reach of the next generation experiments.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figure

Victimization, crime propensity and deviance: a multinational test of general strain theory

General Strain Theory (GST) identifies victimization as one of the strains most strongly related to crime which, like other sources of strain, is moderated by individual and social factors. Recently, Agnew (2013) extended the theorization of coping strategies by proposing that the effects of strain on deviance are conditioned by individual and social factors in combination, rather than singly, which he labelled crime propensity. Tests of the propensity hypothesis have so far yielded mixed results, highlighting the value of additional studies. Whereas previous tests have focused on single countries, either in North America or Asia, we test the propensity hypothesis using data on adolescents in 25 countries collected through the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3; n= 57,760). A series of OLS regressions show that the relationship between victimization and delinquency/substance use is conditioned by the effects of individuals’ crime propensity, thereby supporting the recent extension to GST

Developing and validating an experience sampling measure of aggression:The Aggression-ES Scale

Experience sampling methodologies are likely to play an important role in advancing our understanding of momentary influences on aggression, including short-term antecedent psychological states and situations. In this study, we evaluate whether a newly developed experiencing sampling measure of aggression, the Aggression Experience Sampler (Aggression-ES), provides a valid and reliable measure of aggression in experience sampling contexts. Participants were a convenience sample of 23 young adults recruited from the local University community. Data were collected using an experience sampling smartphone application over 8 days. They were analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling. Our results support the within- and between-person reliability and the criterion validity of the Aggression-ES. The Aggression-ES represents a good choice of measure for use in experience sampling studies of aggression. Further work in other samples will help to provide further validity evidence for the measure

Effectiveness of a family-, school- and community-based intervention on physical activity and its correlates in Belgian families with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus: the Feel4Diabetes-study

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the European Feel4Diabetes intervention, promoting a healthy lifestyle, on physical activity and its correlates among families at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (based on the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score) in Belgium. METHODS: The Feel4Diabetes intervention involved three components: family, school and community component, with the family component consisting of 6 counseling sessions for families at risk. Main outcomes were objectively measured physical activity levels and its subjectively measured correlates. The final sample consisted of 454 parents (mean age 39.4¿years; 72.0% women) and 444 children (mean age 8.0¿years; 50.1% girls). Multilevel repeated measures analyses were performed to assess intervention effectiveness after 1 year. RESULTS: In parents, there was no significant intervention effect. In children, there were only significant negative effects for moderate to vigorous physical activity (p¿=¿0.05; ¿p2¿=¿0.008) and steps (p¿=¿0.03; ¿p2¿=¿0.006%) on weekdays, with physical activity decreasing (more) in the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: The F4D-intervention lacks effectiveness on high-risk families'' physical activity and its correlates in Belgium. This could partially be explained by low attendance rates and a large drop-out. To reach vulnerable populations, future interventions should invest in more appropriate recruitment (e.g. more face-to-face contact) and more bottom-up development of the intervention (i.e. co-creation of the intervention with the target group)

Nanoparticle–membrane interactions

Engineered nanomaterials have a wide range of applications and as a result, are increasingly present in the environment. While they offer new technological opportunities, there is also the potential for adverse impact, in particular through possible toxicity. In this review, we discuss the current state of the art in the experimental characterisation of nanoparticle-membrane interactions relevant to the prediction of toxicity arising from disruption of biological systems. One key point of discussion is the urgent need for more quantitative studies of nano-bio interactions in experimental models of lipid system that mimic in vivo membranes

Calibration and Characterization of the IceCube Photomultiplier Tube

Over 5,000 PMTs are being deployed at the South Pole to compose the IceCube neutrino observatory. Many are placed deep in the ice to detect Cherenkov light emitted by the products of high-energy neutrino interactions, and others are frozen into tanks on the surface to detect particles from atmospheric cosmic ray showers. IceCube is using the 10-inch diameter R7081-02 made by Hamamatsu Photonics. This paper describes the laboratory characterization and calibration of these PMTs before deployment. PMTs were illuminated with pulses ranging from single photons to saturation level. Parameterizations are given for the single photoelectron charge spectrum and the saturation behavior. Time resolution, late pulses and afterpulses are characterized. Because the PMTs are relatively large, the cathode sensitivity uniformity was measured. The absolute photon detection efficiency was calibrated using Rayleigh-scattered photons from a nitrogen laser. Measured characteristics are discussed in the context of their relevance to IceCube event reconstruction and simulation efforts.Comment: 40 pages, 12 figure