Characteristics of internet sexual offenders: a review

The review presented in this paper provides some descriptive findings regarding Internet Sex Offenders (ISOs) in comparison to contact sex offenders. In general, Internet Sex Offenders are found to be Caucasian, male, relatively young, highly educated, intelligent, and well-employed. ISOs also appear to be highly sexualised, in both their current lifestyle as well as childhood experiences as victims. ISOs can also be classified into several subgroups, such as child pornography offenders, who again are a heterogeneous group themselves. Professionals dealing with ISOs should be aware that they seem to share similar deficits with contact sex offenders but might differ in some important areas. This information should be kept in mind when reading their files, establishing treatment needs, and interpreting psychometric test results. To date no personality and risk measure is validated on this 'new' or emerging offender category, hence any results should be interpreted with caution

An Evaluation of Performance Metrics for High Efficiency Tube-and-Wing Aircraft Entering Service in 2030 to 2035

An analysis of basic vehicle characteristics required to meet the Fundamental Aeronautics Program s 70 percent energy consumption reduction goal for commercial airliners in the 2030 to 2035 timeframe was conducted. A total of 29 combinations of vehicle parasitic drag coefficient, vehicle induced drag coefficient, vehicle empty weight and engine Specific Fuel Consumption were used to create sized tube-and-wing vehicle models. The mission fuel burn for each of these sized vehicles was then compared to a baseline current technology vehicle. A response surface equation was generated of fuel burn reduction as a function of the four basic vehicle performance metrics, so that any values of the performance metrics up to a 50 percent reduction could be used to estimate fuel burn reduction of tube-and-wing aircraft for future studies

Renal ammonia in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Renal ammonia in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Recent studies have suggested that defective medullary trapping of ammonia underlies the acidosis associated with renal failure and sets in motion maladaptive compensatory mechanisms that contribute to the progression of renal disease. Since a renal concentrating defect is an early functional abnormality in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), defective medullary trapping and urinary excretion of ammonia may also occur early and have important pathophysiological consequences. The urinary pH and excretions of ammonia, titratable acid, and bicarbonate, were measured during a 24-hour baseline period and following the administration of ammonium chloride (100 mg/kg body wt) in ADPKD patients with normal glomerular filtration rate and in age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects. The distal nephron hydrogen ion secretory capacity was assessed during a bicarbonate infusion. Ammonia, sodium, pH, C3dg, and C5b-9 were measured in cyst fluid samples. The excretion rates of ammonia during the 24-hour baseline period and following the administration of ammonium chloride were significantly lower, and the relationship of ammonia excretion to urinary pH was significantly shifted downward in ADPKD. No difference in the increment of urinary pCO2 (Δ pCO2) or the peripheral blood-urine pCO2 gradient (U-B pCO2) between ADPKD patients and control subjects was detected during a sodium bicarbonate infusion. Calculated concentrations of free-base ammonia in cyst fluid samples exceeded those calculated from reported concentrations of ammonia in renal venous blood of normal subjects. C3dg and C5b-9 were detected in some cyst fluids. The urinary excretion of ammonia is reduced in ADPKD patients with normal glomerular filtration rate. This reduction is not explained by a lower production of ammonia in the renal cortex or by a defect of proton secretion in the collecting ducts. It is likely due to an impaired renal concentrating mechanism and reduced trapping of ammonia in the renal medulla. It may contribute to the pathogenesis of nephrolithiasis and, more importantly, to the progression of the interstitial inflammation and cystic changes seen in ADPKD

Designing brutal multiplayer video games

Non-digital forms of play that allow players to direct brute force directly upon each other, such as martial arts, boxing and full contact team sports,are very popular. However, inter-player brutality has largely been unexplored as a feature of digital gaming. In this paper, we describe the design and study of 2 multi-player games that encourage players to use brute force directly against other players. Balance of Poweris a tug-of-war style game implemented with Xbox Kinect, while Bundleis a playground-inspired chasing game implemented with smartphones. Two groups of five participants(n=10) played both games while being filmed, and were subsequently interviewed. A thematic analysis identified five keycomponents ofthe brutalmultiplayer video gameexperience, which informsa set of sevendesign considerations.This work aims to inspire the design of engaging game experiences based on awareness and enjoyment of our own and others’ physicality

The Nuclear Ionized Gas in the Radio Galaxy M84 (NGC 4374)

We present optical images of the nucleus of the nearby radio galaxy M84 (NGC 4374 = 3C272.1) obtained with the Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Our three images cover the H$\alpha$ + [N II] emission lines as well as the V and I continuum bands. Analysis of these images confirms that the H$\alpha$ + [N II] emission in the central 5'' (410 pc) is elongated along position angle (P.A.) \approx 72\arcdeg, which is roughly parallel to two nuclear dust lanes.Our high-resolution images reveal that the H$\alpha$ + [N II] emission has three components, namely a nuclear gas disk,an `ionization cone', and outer filaments. The nuclear disk of ionized gas has diameter $\approx 1'' = 82$ pc and major axis P.A. \approx 58\arcdeg \pm 6\arcdeg. On an angular scale of 0\farcs5, the major axis of this nuclear gas disk is consistent with that of the dust. However, the minor axis of the gas disk (P.A. \approx 148\arcdeg) is tilted with respect to that of the filamentary H$\alpha$ + [N II] emission at distances > 2'' from the nucleus; the minor axis of this larger scale gas is roughly aligned with the axis of the kpc-scale radio jets (P.A. \approx 170\arcdeg). The ionization cone (whose apex is offset by \approx 0\farcs3 south of the nucleus) extends 2'' from the nucleus along the axis of the southern radio jet. This feature is similar to the ionization cones seen in some Seyfert nuclei, which are also aligned with the radio axes.Comment: 11 pages plus 4 figure

Advanced Technology Subsonic Transport Study: N+3 Technologies and Design Concepts

Conceptual Research Corporation, the Science of the Possible, has completed a two-year study of concepts and technologies for future airliners in the 180-passenger class. This NASA-funded contract was primarily focused on the ambitious goal of a 70 percent reduction in fuel consumption versus the market-dominating Boeing 737-800. The study is related to the N+3 contracts awarded in 2008 by NASA s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate to teams led by Boeing, GE Aviation, MIT, and Northrop Grumman, but with more modest goals and funding. CRC s contract featured a predominant emphasis on propulsion and fuel consumption, but since fuel consumption depends upon air vehicle design as much as on propulsion technology, the study included notional vehicle design, analysis, and parametric studies. Other NASA goals including NOx and noise reduction are of long-standing interest but were not highlighted in this study, other than their inclusion in the propulsion system provided to CRC by NASA. The B-737-800 was used as a benchmark, parametric tool, and design point of departure. It was modeled in the RDS-Professional aircraft design software then subjected to extensive parametric variations of parasitic drag, drag-due-to-lift, specific fuel consumption, and unsized empty weight. These studies indicated that the goal of a 70 percent reduction in fuel consumption could be attained with roughly a 30 percent improvement in all four parameters. The results were then fit to a Response Surface and coded for ease of use in subsequent trade studies. Potential technologies to obtain such savings were identified and discussed. More than 16 advanced concept designs were then prepared, attempting to investigate almost every possible emerging concept for application to this class airliner. A preliminary assessment of these concepts was done based on their total wetted area after design normalization of trimmed maximum lift. This assessment points towards a Tailless Airliner concept which was designed and analyzed in some detail. To make it work, a retracting canard and an all-moving chin rudder were employed, along with the use of the Active Aeroelastic Wing technology. Results indicate that a 60 percent savings in fuel burn may be credibly attained, but this depends upon a lot of technology maturation, concept development, and risk reduction. This should be expected-such a dramatic reduction in fuel consumption is a "game changer" in the world of commercial aviation. It won t be easy

Constraining the Kahler Moduli in the Heterotic Standard Model

Phenomenological implications of the volume of the Calabi-Yau threefolds on the hidden and observable M-theory boundaries, together with slope stability of their corresponding vector bundles, constrain the set of Kaehler moduli which give rise to realistic compactifications of the strongly coupled heterotic string. When vector bundles are constructed using extensions, we provide simple rules to determine lower and upper bounds to the region of the Kaehler moduli space where such compactifications can exist. We show how small these regions can be, working out in full detail the case of the recently proposed Heterotic Standard Model. More explicitely, we exhibit Kaehler classes in these regions for which the visible vector bundle is stable. On the other hand, there is no polarization for which the hidden bundle is stable.Comment: 28 pages, harvmac. Exposition improved, references and one figure added, minor correction

Oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in neurons correlates with mitochondrial DNA base excision repair pathway imbalance

Neurodegeneration can occur as a result of endogenous oxidative stress. Primary cerebellar granule cells were used in this study to determine if mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) repair deficiencies correlate with oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in neuronal cells. Granule cells exhibited a significantly higher intracellular oxidative state compared with primary astrocytes as well as increases in reductants, such as glutathione, and redox sensitive signaling molecules, such as AP endonuclease/redox effector factor-1. Cerebellar granule cultures also exhibited an increased susceptibility to exogenous oxidative stress. Menadione (50 μM) produced twice as many lesions in granule cell mtDNA compared with astrocytes, and granule cell mtDNA repair was significantly less efficient. A decreased capacity to repair oxidative mtDNA damage correlates strongly with mitochondrial initiated apoptosis in these neuronal cultures. Interestingly, the mitochondrial activities of initiators for base excision repair (BER), the bifunctional glycosylase/AP lyases as well as AP endonuclease, were significantly higher in cerebellar granule cells compared with astrocytes. The increased mitochondrial AP endonuclease activity in combination with decreased polymerase γ activity may cause an imbalance in oxidative BER leading to an increased production and persistence of mtDNA damage in neurons when treated with menadione. This study provides evidence linking neuronal mtDNA repair capacity with oxidative stress-related neurodegeneration