Nepotistic patterns of violent psychopathy: evidence for adaptation?

Psychopaths routinely disregard social norms by engaging in selfish, antisocial, often violent behavior. Commonly characterized as mentally disordered, recent evidence suggests that psychopaths are executing a well-functioning, if unscrupulous strategy that historically increased reproductive success at the expense of others. Natural selection ought to have favored strategies that spared close kin from harm, however, because actions affecting the fitness of genetic relatives contribute to an individual’s inclusive fitness. Conversely, there is evidence that mental disorders can disrupt psychological mechanisms designed to protect relatives. Thus, mental disorder and adaptation accounts of psychopathy generate opposing hypotheses: psychopathy should be associated with an increase in the victimization of kin in the former account but not in the latter. Contrary to the mental disorder hypothesis, we show here in a sample of 289 violent offenders that variation in psychopathy predicts a decrease in the genetic relatedness of victims to offenders; that is, psychopathy predicts an increased likelihood of harming non-relatives. Because nepotistic inhibition in violence may be caused by dispersal or kin discrimination, we examined the effects of psychopathy on (1) the dispersal of offenders and their kin and (2) sexual assault frequency (as a window on kin discrimination). Although psychopathy was negatively associated with coresidence with kin and positively associated with the commission of sexual assault, it remained negatively associated with the genetic relatedness of victims to offenders after removing cases of offenders who had coresided with kin and cases of sexual assault from the analyses. These results stand in contrast to models positing psychopathy as a pathology, and provide support for the hypothesis that psychopathy reflects an evolutionary strategy largely favoring the exploitation of non-relatives

Psychopathy, adaptation, and disorder

In a recent study, we found a negative association between psychopathy and violence against genetic relatives. We interpreted this result as a form of nepotism and argued that it failed to support the hypothesis that psychopathy is a mental disorder, suggesting instead that it supports the hypothesis that psychopathy is an evolved life history strategy. This interpretation and subsequent arguments have been challenged in a number of ways. Here, we identify several misunderstandings regarding the harmful dysfunction definition of mental disorder as it applies to psychopathy and regarding the meaning of nepotism. Furthermore, we examine the evidence provided by our critics that psychopathy is associated with other disorders, and we offer a comment on their alternative model of psychopathy. We conclude that there remains little evidence that psychopathy is the product of dysfunctional mechanisms

University Students’ Perceptions of Social Justice: The Impact of Implementing a Summer Camp for Children with Disabilities

University students who experience real‐world service tend to develop a more inclusive world view and enhanced understandings outside of their personal perspectives. This project combined course objectives, community collaboration, and service provision to identify the impact of students’ understanding of social justice and disability access realities. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a service‐learning university course on social justice education. The study explored how constructs including empathy, attitudes towards diversity, self‐efficacy, and personal communication (of undergraduate university students) were impacted by interactions with children with disabilities in a summer camp setting that included various activities (e.g., art, equestrian). The study utilized surveys completed by university students prior to a service‐learning experience and again after the project. Pre‐ and during‐ camp reflection data were also analyzed

Digital Silicon Photomultipliers with OR/XOR Pulse Combining Techniques

A recently proposed XOR-based digital silicon photomultiplier (dSiPM) is compared against the OR-based counterpart. We show experimental data from a set of single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) pixel arrays in 130-nm CMOS process with selectable OR tree and XOR tree for direct comparison. We demonstrate how XOR-based dSiPMs solve the limitation caused by monostable circuits and reach higher maximum count rates compared with optimized OR-based dSiPMs. The increased throughput of the SPAD array allows higher sampling rates for the digitization of the light signal enhancing dynamic range and linearity

A SPAD-Based QVGA Image Sensor for Single-Photon Counting and Quanta Imaging

A CMOS single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD)-based quarter video graphics array image sensor with 8-μm pixel pitch and 26.8% fill factor (FF) is presented. The combination of analog pixel electronics and scalable shared-well SPAD devices facilitates high-resolution, high-FF SPAD imaging arrays exhibiting photon shot-noise-limited statistics. The SPAD has 47 counts/s dark count rate at 1.5 V excess bias (EB), 39.5% photon detection probability (PDP) at 480 nm, and a minimum of 1.1 ns dead time at 1 V EB. Analog single-photon counting imaging is demonstrated with maximum 14.2-mV/SPAD event sensitivity and 0.06e- minimum equivalent read noise. Binary quanta image sensor (QIS) 16-kframes/s real-time oversampling is shown, verifying single-photon QIS theory with 4.6× overexposure latitude and 0.168e- read noise

Analysis of Photon Detection Efficiency and Dynamic Range in SPAD based Visible Light Receivers

We investigate the photon detection efficiency (PDE) and the dynamic range for digital silicon photomultipliers (dSiPMs) over a selection of design parameters: dSiPM unit cell dead time, PDE, unit cell area and fill factor, number of cells, and total dSiPM active area. Two receiver scaling scenarios are con-sidered: varying the number of cells for 1) a fixed unit cell area or 2) a fixed total dSiPM area. Theoretical and simulated results are confirmed with experimental data from a selection of dSiPMs realised on a test chip in130-nm CMOS process

A Simulation Model for Digital Silicon Photomultipliers

We propose a simulator model to estimate the performance of digital Silicon Photomultipliers (dSiPM) based on Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) in terms of detection rate of photons incident on the sensor. The work provides guidelines for efficient array structure depending on: the number of SPADs, fill factor, area of both SPADs and array. A comparison of the main techniques present in the literature to digitally combine multiple outputs into single channel is included with simulated results showing promising higher detection rates for XOR-based dSiPMs. Mathematical expressions are derived to estimate dSiPM parameters such as maximum detection rate and detector dead time as functions of the mentioned design parameters

The "Ram Effect": A "Non-Classical" Mechanism for Inducing LH Surges in Sheep

During spring sheep do not normally ovulate but exposure to a ram can induce ovulation. In some ewes an LH surge is induced immediately after exposure to a ram thus raising questions about the control of this precocious LH surge. Our first aim was to determine the plasma concentrations of oestradiol (E2) E2 in anoestrous ewes before and after the "ram effect" in ewes that had a "precocious" LH surge (starting within 6 hours), a "normal" surge (between 6 and 28h) and "late» surge (not detected by 56h). In another experiment we tested if a small increase in circulating E2 could induce an LH surge in anoestrus ewes. The concentration of E2 significantly was not different at the time of ram introduction among ewes with the three types of LH surge. "Precocious" LH surges were not preceded by a large increase in E2 unlike "normal" surges and small elevations of circulating E2 alone were unable to induce LH surges. These results show that the "precocious" LH surge was not the result of E2 positive feedback. Our second aim was to test if noradrenaline (NA) is involved in the LH response to the "ram effect". Using double labelling for Fos and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) we showed that exposure of anoestrous ewes to a ram induced a higher density of cells positive for both in the A1 nucleus and the Locus Coeruleus complex compared to unstimulated controls. Finally, the administration by retrodialysis into the preoptic area, of NA increased the proportion of ewes with an LH response to ram odor whereas treatment with the α1 antagonist Prazosin decreased the LH pulse frequency and amplitude induced by a sexually active ram. Collectively these results suggest that in anoestrous ewes NA is involved in ram-induced LH secretion as observed in other induced ovulators

City Know-How

Human health and planetary health are influenced by city lifestyles, city leadership, and city development. For both, worrying trends are leading to increasing concern and it is imperative that human health and environmental impacts become core foci in urban policy. Changing trajectory will require concerted action; the journal Cities & Health is dedicated to supporting the flow of knowledge, in all directions, to help make this happen. We wish to foster communication between researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, communities, and decision-makers in cities. This is the purpose of the City Know-how section of the journal. ‘Research for city practice’ disseminates lessons from research by explaining key messages for city leaders, communities, and the professions involved in city policy and practice. ‘City shorts’ provide glimpses of what is being attempted or achieved ‘on the ground’ and ’case studies’ are where you will find evaluations of interventions. Last, ‘Commentary and debate’ extends conversations we are having to develop and mobilize much needed new thinking. Join in these conversations. In order to strengthen the community of interest, we would like to include many and varied voices, including those from younger practitioners and researchers who are supporting health and health equity in everyday urban lives