Applying psychology to forensic facial identification: perception and identification of facial composite images and facial image comparison

Eyewitness recognition is acknowledged to be prone to error but there is less understanding of difficulty in discriminating unfamiliar faces. This thesis examined the effects of face perception on identification of facial composites, and on unfamiliar face image comparison. Facial composites depict face memories by reconstructing features and configurations to form a likeness. They are generally reconstructed from an unfamiliar face memory, and will be unavoidably flawed. Identification will require perception of any accurate features, by someone who is familiar with the suspect and performance is typically poor. In typical face perception, face images are processed efficiently as complete units of information. Chapter 2 explored the possibility that holistic processing of inaccurate composite configurations will impair identification of individual features. Composites were split below the eyes and misaligned to impair holistic analysis (cf. Young, Hellawell, & Jay, 1987); identification was significantly enhanced, indicating that perceptual expertise with inaccurate configurations exerts powerful effects that can be reduced by enabling featural analysis. Facial composite recognition is difficult, which means that perception and judgement will be influence by an affective recognition bias: smiles enhance perceived familiarity, while negative expressions produce the opposite effect. In applied use, facial composites are generally produced from unpleasant memories and will convey negative expression; affective bias will, therefore, be important for facial composite recognition. Chapter 3 explored the effect of positive expression on composite identification: composite expressions were enhanced, and positive affect significantly increased identification. Affective quality rather than expression strength mediated the effect, with subtle manipulations being very effective. Facial image comparison (FIC) involves discrimination of two or more face images. Accuracy in unfamiliar face matching is typically in the region of 70%, and as discrimination is difficult, may be influenced by affective bias. Chapter 4 explored the smiling face effect in unfamiliar face matching. When multiple items were compared, positive affect did not enhance performance and false positive identification increased. With a delayed matching procedure, identification was not enhanced but in contrast to face recognition and simultaneous matching, positive affect improved rejection of foil images. Distinctive faces are easier to discriminate. Chapter 5 evaluated a systematic caricature transformation as a means to increase distinctiveness and enhance discrimination of unfamiliar faces. Identification of matching face images did not improve, but successful rejection of non-matching items was significantly enhanced. Chapter 6 used face matching to explore the basis of own race bias in face perception. Other race faces were manipulated to show own race facial variation, and own race faces to show African American facial variation. When multiple face images were matched simultaneously, the transformation impaired performance for all of the images; but when images were individually matched, the transformation improved perception of other race faces and discrimination of own race faces declined. Transformation of Japanese faces to show own race dimensions produced the same pattern of effects but failed to reach significance. The results provide support for both perceptual expertise and featural processing theories of own race bias. Results are interpreted with reference to face perception theories; implications for application and future study are discussed

Field-Induced Magnetic and Structural Domain Alignment in PrO2

We present a neutron diffraction study of the magnetic structure of single crystal PrO2 under applied fields of 0-6 T. As the field is increased, changes are observed in the magnetic Bragg intensities. These changes are found to be irreversible when the field is reduced, but the original intensities can be recovered by heating to T > 122 K, then re-cooling in zero field. The antiferromagnetic ordering temperature TN = 13.5 K and the magnetic periodicity are unaffected by the applied field. We also report measurements of the magnetic susceptibility of single crystal PrO2 under applied fields of 0-7 T. These show strong anisotropy, as well as an anomaly at T = 122 +/- 2 K which coincides with the temperature TD = 120 +/- 2 K at which a structural distortion occurs. For fields applied along the [100] direction the susceptibility increases irreversibly with field in the temperature range TN < T < TD. However, for fields along [110] the susceptibility is independent of field in this range. We propose structural domain alignment, which strongly influences the formation of magnetic domains below TN, as the mechanism behind these changes.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, 5 tables. Minor typographical changes in v

Cooperative Jahn-Teller Distortion in PrO2

We report neutron diffraction data on single crystal PrO2 which reveal a cooperative Jahn-Teller distortion at TD = 120 +/- 2 K. Below this temperature an internal distortion of the oxygen sublattice causes the unit cell of the crystallographic structure to become doubled along one crystal axis. We discuss several possible models for this structure. The antiferromagnetic structure below TN = 13.5 K is found to consist of two components, one of which shares the same doubled unit cell as the distorted crystallographic structure. We also present measurements of the magnetic susceptibility, the specific heat capacity and the electrical conductivity of PrO2. The susceptibility data show an anomaly at a temperature close to TD. From the specific heat capacity data we deduce that the ground state is doubly degenerate, consistent with a distortion of the cubic local symmetry. We discuss possible mechanisms for this. The conductivity shows an activated behaviour with an activation energy Ea = 0.262 +/- 0.003 eV.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables. Additional suggested structure in v

Acceptability of the female condom in different groups of women in South Africa - A multicentred study to inform the national female condom introductory strategy

Objectives. To assess the acceptability of the female condom to different groups of women and their partners in South Africa. Design. Descriptive, cross-sectional study. Setting. Multicentre study conducted in five sites. Subjects. The study recruited 678 women from five centres-to an acceptability trial of the female condom. Acceptability and successful use varied between the centres. Outcome measures. Factors affecting successful use and willingness and intention to use the method again. Results. In total, 209 women used the condom at least once. Discontinuation rates were high, with partner reluctance to try the method as the main reason given for discontinuation at all sites. Women who had previous experience with the male condom or who received a more intensive training session generally found the device easier to use. The main issues concerning women were over-lubrication (27%) and concern that the device was too large (28%). The majority of women said that they would be interested in using the method again (86%) and would recommend it to friends (95%). Conclusions. Overcoming partner opposition is an important issue to address when introducing the method. The study was used to address the national introductory strategy of the female condom, which began in 1998

A novel MC4R mutation associated with childhood-onset obesity: A case report

The melanocortin-4-receptor gene (MC4R) is a key regulator of energy homeostasis, food intake and body weight. MC4R gene mutations are associated with early-onset severe obesity. Most patients are heterozygotes, with some reports of homozygotes and compound het-erozygotes. The authors report a case involving an eight-year-old girl with progressive weight gain from infancy, body mass index 44 kg/m: (\u3e97th percentile), hyperphagia, hvperinsulinemia and increased linear growth. There was no phenotvpe of morbid obesity in the parents or sibling. Coding regions and intron-exon boundaries of the genes encoding leptin, Ieptin receptor, pro-opiomelanocortin and MC4R were analyzed. Two heterozygous coding mutations in the MCR4 gene (S94N and C293R) were detected, of which the second has not been previously reported. The mutations were on opposite chromosomes, confirming compound heterozygosity. The molecular findings and clinical features associated with this novel MC4R mutation are described. The authors emphasize that rare mutations can be found in some patients with severe childhood-onset obesity

Acceptability of the female condom in different groups Of women in South Africa-A Multicentred study to inform the national female condom introductory strategy

Objectives. To assess the acceptability of the female condom to different groups of women and their partners in South Africa.Design. Descriptive, cross-sectional study.Setting. Multicentre study conducted in five sites.Subjects. The study recruited 678 women from five centres to an acceptability trial of the female condom. Acceptability and successful use varied between the centres. Outcome measures. Factors affecting successful use and willingness and intention to use the method again.Results. In total, 209 women used the condom at least once. Discontinuation rates were high, with partner reluctance to try the method as the main reason given for discontinuation at all sites. Women who had previous experience with the male condom or who received a more intensive training session generally found the device easier to use. The main issues concerning women were over-lubrication (27%) and concern that the device was too large (28%). The majority of women said that they would be interested in using the method again (86%) and would recommend it to friends (95%).Conclusions. Overcoming partner opposition is an important issue to address when introducing the method. The study was used to address the national introductory strategy of the female condom, which began in 1998

LOW ENERGY SUPERSYMMETRY PHENOMENOLOGY

We summarize the current status and future prospects for low energy (weak scale) supersymmetry. In particular, we evaluate the capabilities of various $e^+e^-$, $p\bar p$ and $pp$ colliders to discover evidence for supersymmetric particles. Furthermore, assuming supersymmetry is discovered, we discuss capabilities of future facilities to dis-entangle the anticipated spectrum of super-particles, and, via precision measurements, to test mass and coupling parameters for comparison with various theoretical expectations. We comment upon the complementarity of proposed hadron and $e^+e^-$ machines for a comprehensive study of low energy supersymmetry.Comment: 74 page (Latex) file; a PS or uuencoded manuscript with embedded figures is available via anonymous ftp at ftp://hep.fsu.edu/preprints/baer/FSUHEP950401.ps or .uu . Contributed chapter to DPF study group on Electroweak Symmetry Breaking and Beyond the Standard Model

Electron mobility in surface- and buried- channel flatband In_0.53Ga_0.47As MOSFETs with ALD Al₂O₃ gate dielectric.

In this paper, we investigate the scaling potential of flatband III-V MOSFETs by comparing the mobility of surface and buried In&lt;sub&gt;0.53&lt;/sub&gt;Ga&lt;sub&gt;0.47&lt;/sub&gt;As channel devices employing an Atomic Layer Deposited (ALD) Al&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; gate dielectric and a delta-doped InGaAs/InAlAs/InP heterostructure. Peak electron mobilities of 4300 cm&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;/V·s and 6600 cm&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;/V·s at a carrier density of 3×1012 cm&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt; for the surface and buried channel structures respectively were determined. In contrast to similarly scaled inversion-channel devices, we find that mobility in surface channel flatband structures does not drop rapidly with electron density, but rather high mobility is maintained up to carrier concentrations around 4x10&lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt; cm&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt; before slowly dropping to around 2000 cm&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;/V·s at 1x10M&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt; cm&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;. We believe these to be world leading metrics for this material system and an important development in informing the III-V MOSFET device architecture selection process for future low power, highly scaled CM

Disclosure of conventional and complementary medicine use to medical doctors and complementary medicine practitioners: A survey of rates and reasons amongst those with chronic conditions.

Chronic conditions are prolonged and complex, leading patients to seek multiple forms of care alongside conventional treatment, including complementary medicine (CM). These multiple forms of care are often used concomitantly, requiring patient-provider communication about treatments used in order to manage potential risks. In response, this study describes rates and reasons for disclosure/non-disclosure of conventional medicine use to CM practitioners, and CM use to medical doctors, by individuals with chronic conditions. A survey was conducted online in July and August 2017 amongst the Australian adult population. Participants with chronic conditions were asked about their disclosure-related communication with CM practitioners (massage therapist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, naturopath) and medical doctors. Patients consulting different professions reported varying disclosure rates and reasons. Full disclosure (disclosed ALL) to medical doctors was higher (62.7%-79.5%) than full disclosure to CM practitioners (41.2%-56.9%). The most strongly reported reason for disclosing to both MDs and CM practitioners was I wanted them to fully understand my health status, while for non-disclosure it was They did not ask me about my CM/medicine use. Reasons regarding concerns or expectations around the consultation or patient-provider relationship were also influential. The findings suggest that patient disclosure of treatment use in clinical consultation for chronic conditions may be improved through patient education about its importance, direct provider inquiry, and supportive patient-provider partnerships. Provision of optimal patient care for those with chronic conditions requires greater attention to patient-provider communication surrounding patients' wider care and treatment use

Use of complementary medicine products: a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of 2019 Australian adults

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Objectives To provide a contemporary description of complementary medicine (CM) product use in Australia. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Online. Participants A nationally representative sample (n=2019) of the Australian adult population. Primary and secondary outcome measures Primary outcomes measures included the use and type of CM products used, and source of recommendation. Secondary measures included disclosure of CM product use to health practitioners, concomitant use of pharmaceuticals and predictors of use. Results Prevalence of CM product use was 50.3%, with the most frequently used being vitamin and mineral supplements (VMSs; 47.8%) and homoeopathic medicines the least used (6.8%). A majority of respondents using CM products were also using pharmaceutical products, and small but significant associations were found between the use of CM products and pharmaceuticals (p<0.05). Small statistically significant associations were found between use of vitamin products and disclosure of use to general practitioners (GPs; Cramer's V=0.13, p=0.004) and hospital doctors (Cramer's V=0.11, p=0.04), and between use of herbal medicines and disclosure to both GPs (Cramer's V=0.11, p=0.02) and hospital doctors (Cramer's V=0.12, p=0.03). Women, those with higher education and those with no private health insurance were more likely to use CM products (p<0.05), while those without chronic conditions were less likely to use CM products (p<0.05) (χ 2 (29)=174.70, p<0.001). Conclusions The number of Australians using CM products has remained relatively stable and substantial for nearly two decades. The majority of CM use relates to VMSs. Given the number of Australians using both CM products and pharmaceutical medicines, it is important to evaluate the potential clinical implications of such practices to ensure safe, effective and coordinated health policy and patient care