Prevalence and correlates of psychopathic traits in the household population of Great Britain

There are no previous surveys of psychopathy and psychopathic traits in representative general population samples using standardized instruments. This study aimed to measure prevalence and correlates of psychopathic traits, based on a two-phase survey using the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL: SV) in 638 individuals, 16-74 years, in households in England, Wales and Scotland. The weighted prevalence of psychopathy was 0.6% (95% CI: 0.2-1.6) at a cut score of 13, similar to the noncriminal/nonpsychiatric sample described in the manual of the PCL: SV. Psychopathy scores correlated with: younger age, male gender; suicide attempts, violent behaviour, imprisonment and homelessness; drug dependence; histrionic, borderline and adult antisocial personality disorders; panic and obsessive-compulsive disorders. This survey demonstrated that, as measured by the PCL: SV, psychopathy is rare, affecting less than 1% of the household population, although it is prevalent among prisoners, homeless persons, and psychiatric admissions. There is a half-normal distribution of psychopathic traits in the general population, with the majority having no traits, a significant proportion with non-zero values, and a severe subgroup of persons with multiple associated social and behavioral problems. This distribution has implications for research into the etiology of psychopathy and its implications for society

Expatriation of Xyrichtys novacula (Pisces: Labridae) larvae: Evidence of rapid cross-slope exchange

Larvae of Xyrichtys novacula (Pisces: Labridae) have been collected in the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) hundreds of kilometers north of reported adult ranges by both the Marine Monitoring and Assessment Program (MARMAP) and by our ichthyoplankton cruises. These larvae could be from a previously unknown population north of Cape Hatteras or they could have been transported north from southern populations. In order to examine these two hypotheses both biological and physical oceanographic data were considered, including size-specific larval distribution, larval age, vertical distribution of larvae, satellite imagery of sea surface temperature, and temperature and salinity measurements. Larvae captured during our 1988 ichthyoplankton cruises ranged from 3.11 mm to 13.13 mm in length with small larvae (≤5 mm) found in association with the shelf break and larger larvae (\u3e5 mm) found distributed across the outer shelf and shelf break. Based on aging of daily otolith increments larval age was found to range from 7 to 36 days and backcalculated birthdates, derived from estimated age and date of capture, were found to be from mid-June to early August. Larvae occurred predominantly near the surface (≤10 m) at night and deeper (\u3e10 m) during the day. Concurrent hydrographic data revealed that small larvae were found in shelf water (\u3c35 psu) but with underlying slope water (\u3e35 psu) at depths of 15–30 m suggesting that small larvae were in shelf water at night but either at the boundary with or within slope water during the day. Satellite imagery from 1988 revealed a warm-core ring offshore of our 1988 sampling area. An analysis of historical warm-core ring data from Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization data reports in conjunction with captures of X. novacula during the years 1984–1987 demonstrated that the presence of warm-core rings offshore was associated with the occurrence of X. novacula on the MAB shelf, north of Chesapeake Bay. The feasibility of northward transport associated with the Gulf Stream and cross-slope transport associated with a warm-core ring was examined with a simple model which demonstrated that the required transport velocities were within the range of velocities presented in the literature. It is suggested that larvae are rapidly transported from south of Cape Hatteras to the MAB shelf break by advection associated with the Gulf Stream and a concomitant cross-slope flow related with the western edge of warm-core rings

Psychopathy and the DSM-IV criteria for antisocial personality disorder.

The Axis II Work Group of the Task Force on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) has expressed concern that antisocial personality disorder (APD) criteria are too long and cumbersome and that they focus on antisocial behaviors rather than personality traits central to traditional conceptions of psychopathy and to international criteria. R. D. Hare et al describe an alternative to the approach taken in the DSM-III—Revised (DSM-III—R; American Psychiatric Association, 1987), namely, the revised Psychopathy Checklist. The authors also discuss the multisite APD field trials designed to evaluate and compare 4 criteria sets: the DSM-III—R criteria, a shortened list of these criteria, the criteria for dyssocial personality disorder from the 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (World Health Organization, 1990), and a 10-item criteria set for psychopathic personality disorder derived from the revised Psychopathy Checklist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved

Examination of radiation levels in Rowan County using dosimeters

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1013/thumbnail.jp

A Comparison of Girls\u27 Achievement in Unisexual and Bisexual Physics Classes

A battle cry heard for the past few years is, Why have physics enrollments not increased? There have been many possible solutions to the problem, and many of them have had some success. For example, the Physical Science Study Committee and Harvard Project Physics have done much in creating interest in physics and thus have helped to increase physics enrollment. Also, the emphasis on laboratory experiences and the increase in audiovisual aids have contributed in making the physics classroom more enticing. It is the writer\u27s opinion that a possible source of physics students might come from those of the female sex

The construct of psychopathy in a Chilean prison population

Objective: To test the four-factor model of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) empirical construct of psychopathy in a Chilean prison population by using instruments that supply different types of data. Methods: Two hundred and nine male inmates of the Prison of Los Andes, Chile, were evaluated. Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out with the PCL-R and the Self-Report of Psychopathy-III-Short Form (SRP-III-SF). Results: The distributions of total PCL-R and SRP-III-SF scores were normal (Kolmorogov-Smirnov [K-S] = 1.04, p = 0.230; K-S = 0.812, p = 0.525, respectively), with means of 20.9±6.8 for the former and 61.6±15.2 for the latter. Model fit was good for the PCL-R (Tucker Lewis index [TLI] = 0.96; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.04) and for the SRP-SF (TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.04). Conclusions: The results obtained with the PCL-R and the SRP-SF showed adequate fit to the empirical four-factor model of psychopathy and support this model. As foreseeable, fit was better for the PCL-R, which combines several sources of information.Facultad de Ciencias Médica

Practical advice on variable selection and reporting using Akaike information criterion

The various debates around model selection paradigms are important, but in lieu of a consensus, there is a demonstrable need for a deeper appreciation of existing approaches, at least among the end-users of statistics and model selection tools. In the ecological literature, the Akaike information criterion (AIC) dominates model selection practices, and while it is a relatively straightforward concept, there exists what we perceive to be some common misunderstandings around its application. Two specific questions arise with surprising regularity among colleagues and students when interpreting and reporting AIC model tables. The first is related to the issue of ‘pretending’ variables, and specifically a muddled understanding of what this means. The second is related to p-values and what constitutes statistical support when using AIC. There exists a wealth of technical literature describing AIC and the relationship between p-values and AIC differences. Here, we complement this technical treatment and use simulation to develop some intuition around these important concepts. In doing so we aim to promote better statistical practices when it comes to using, interpreting and reporting models selected when using AIC.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe