Psychopathic traits in a large community sample: Links to violence, alcohol use, and intelligence.

Numerous studies conducted with offender or forensic psychiatric samples have revealed that individuals with psychopathic traits are at risk for violence and other externalizing psychopathology. These traits appear to be continuously distributed in these samples, leading investigators to speculate on the presence of such traits in the general population. Nonetheless, few studies of psychopathy have been conducted with large random samples of individuals from the community. The community sample from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study provides an opportunity to examine the prevalence and structural nature of psychopathic traits, as well as their association with external correlates in an urban community. The community data (N = 514) represent a stratified random sample of persons between the ages of 18 and 40 who were assessed on the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL: SV) and also for violent behavior, alcohol use, and intellectual functioning. Structural equation model analyses revealed that a 4-factor model found in offender and forensic psychiatric samples fit the community data well and was invariant across sex and ethnicity. Also, a superordinate factor comprehensively accounted for the 4 psychopathy first-order factors and significantly predicted the external correlates. The findings offer insight into the dimensional nature of the psychopathy construct. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diacyclops Nanus (Cyclopoida:Copepoda), A New Record from the Saint Lawrence Great Lakes

Diacyclops nanus (Sars), a cyclopoid copepod rare in North America, is recorded for the first time from the Saint Lawrence Great Lakes and for the second from Canada as a whole.     

Bayes estimation of the mixture of hazard-rate model

Engineering systems are subject to continuous stresses and shocks which may (or may not) cause a change in the failure pattern of the system with unknown probability q( =1 − p), 0 < p < 1. Conceptualising a mixture of hazard-rate or failure-rate patterns representing a realistic situation, the failure time distribution is given in the corresponding case. Classical and Bayesian estimation of the parameters and reliability characteristics of this failure time distribution is the subject matter of the present study.     

Identification and synthesis of a kairomone inducing oviposition by parasitoidAphytis melinus from California red scale covers

The parasitoid waspAphytis melinus uses a kairomone from the cover of its scale host, California red scale (Aonidiella aurantii), as an oviposition stimulant. The kairomone was isolated from extracts of scale covers, and identified asO-caffeoyltyrosine by a combination of spectroscopic methods. The kairomone was synthesized, and the synthetic compound was determined to be as active as the chemical isolated from scale covers.     

Why,when and how to use augmented reality agents (AuRAs)

Over the last number of years, multiple research projects have begun to create augmented reality (AR) applications that use augmented reality agents, or AuRAs, as their principle interaction and development paradigm. This paper aims to address this new and distinct field of AuRAs by asking three questions: why should AuRAs be researched, when are they a useful paradigm, and how can they be developed? The first question explores the motivation behind applying AuRAs to AR. Specifically, it investigates whether AuRAs are purely an interaction paradigm, or whether they can also serve as a development paradigm, by outlining in which circumstances it is appropriate for a project to use AuRAs and where their addition would only add unnecessary complexity. A navigational experiment, performed in simulated AR, explores the second question of when AuRAs can be a useful concept in AR applications. Results from this experiment suggest that an embodied virtual character allows for faster navigation along a shorter route than directional arrows or marking the target with an AR “bubble”. An exploration of the limitations of the simulated AR environment illuminates how faithfully the experiment recreated the environmental challenges that AuRAs can help to address. Finally, the question of how to develop such applications is addressed through the introduction of the agent factory augmented reality toolkit that allows the rapid prototyping of such applications. Results from a usability study on the toolkit are also presented.     

Quality of olive oil reformulated MRE entrée packaged in oxygen-absorbing film

An iron-based oxygen absorber (ABSO₂RB^®) activated by moisture was incorporated into a retort laminate and used to package chicken pesto with noodles. The effect of packaging material (regular MRE and oxygen-absorbing pouches) and reformulation with olive oil on the quality and shelf life of the entrée were investigated. Physical properties (color, texture, moisture, water activity), chemical properties (pH, TBARS), and microbiological quality (Total aerobic, coliforms, Escherichia coli, Yeast and Molds, Anaerobic plate counts) were measured in triplicates in an accelerated shelf-life study for 6 months at 37.8 °C. Samples stored at 26.7 °C for 12 months served as calibrated controls. Consumer and trained panel tests were carried out using a 9-point hedonic scale. The ABSO₂RB^® pouches performed well in terms of seal integrity and strength and limited the formation of rancid fatty acids in olive oil throughout the shelf-life study. Soybean formulations in ABSO₂RB^® pouches had the lowest (p < 0.05) Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) value. Consumer and trained panelists accepted the olive oil formulations, in both packages. Results from this study will help MRE developers to expand the number of items using healthier oils. If future considerations to replace MRE packaging are needed, the ABSO₂RB^® film will be a suitable alternative.     

Adolescent peer relationships and behavior problems predict young adults’ communication on social networking websites.

This study examined online communication on social networking web pages in a longitudinal sample of 92 youths (39 male, 53 female). Participants’ social and behavioral adjustment was assessed when they were ages 13–14 years and again at ages 20–22 years. At ages 20–22 years, participants’ social networking website use and indicators of friendship quality on their web pages were coded by observers. Results suggested that youths who had been better adjusted at ages 13–14 years were more likely to be using social networking web pages at ages 20–22 years, after statistically controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, and parental income. Overall, youths’ patterns of peer relationships, friendship quality, and behavioral adjustment at ages 13–14 years and at ages 20–22 years predicted similar qualities of interaction and problem behavior on their social networking websites at ages 20–22 years. Findings are consistent with developmental theory asserting that youths display cross-situational continuity in their social behaviors and suggest that the conceptualization of continuity may be extended into the online domain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of glassy carbon and boron doped diamond electrodes: Resistance to biofouling

Carbon based electrodes are widely used for in vivo and in vitro electrochemical studies. In particular, monoamine neurochemistry has been investigated using carbon microfibre electrodes. Similarly, glassy carbon (GC) is the preferred material for many biochemical applications, such as electrochemical detection in chromatography. More recently, boron doped diamond (BDD) has been utilized for biosensing, as its carbon sp³ structure is expected to provide better resistance to analyte fouling. However, the main factor limiting the use of electrochemical sensors for biological studies is the effect of the biological matrix. Indeed, in vivo or in situ measurements expose the sensor to a complex matrix of proteins, which adsorb on the sensing surface and interfere with the electrochemical measurements.Here, we compare the performance of three carbon based electrodes: GC, GC with low surface oxides and BDD. The redox species ruthenium(III) hexaammine (outer-sphere), ferrocyanide (surface sensitive) and the biologically significant dopamine have been investigated in protein and blood-mimicking matrices. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy have been used to examine the effect of spectator molecules and reaction products on electrode mechanisms.Our results show that BDD generally exhibits the best performance for most conditions and reactions and should therefore be preferred for measurements in biologically fouling environments. Furthermore, surface oxides seem also to improve resistance of the GC electrode to biofouling.     

Survival rates and productive herd life of dairy cattle in the United States

Survival rates and productive herd life were examined for 13.8 million US dairy cows that calved from January 1, 1980, through March 2, 2005. Cows that left the herd for dairy purposes or were from herds that discontinued Dairy Herd Improvement testing were excluded from any calculations to prevent underestimation of population longevity. Mean lactation length for cows without subsequently recorded lactations ranged from 205 to 235 d across breed-parity subsets and were 4 to 29 d longer for parities 2 through 7 than for parity 1. Mean survival rates were 73% to parity 2; 50% to parity 3; 32% to parity 4; and 19, 10, 5, and 2% to parities 5 through 8, respectively. The mean number of parities for Holsteins declined from 3.2 for those first calving in 1980 to 2.8 for those first calving in 1994. Mean numbers of parities for other breeds first calving in 1994 were 2.9 for Ayrshires and Brown Swiss, 2.4 for Guernseys, and 3.2 for Jerseys. Breed means for productive herd life (through parity 8) ranged from 28 to 36 mo. All regressions of mean number of parities or mean productive herd life on year were negative. The trend for decline of many of those indicators of longevity slowed or ended after the early 1990s. Between 31 (Jersey) and 39% (Guernsey) of herds were made up of first-calf heifers.     

Preparation of diamond like carbon thin films above room temperature and their properties

Diamond like carbon (DLC) thin films were deposited on p-type silicon (p-Si), quartz and ITO substrates by microwave (MW) surface-wave plasma (SWP) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at different substrate temperatures (RT ∼ 300 °C). Argon (Ar: 200 sccm) was used as carrier gas while acetylene (C₂H₂: 20 sccm) and nitrogen (N: 5 sccm) were used as plasma source. Analytical methods such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), FT-IR and UV–visible spectroscopy were employed to investigate the structural and optical properties of the DLC thin films respectively. FT-IR spectra show the structural modification of the DLC thin films with substrate temperatures showing the distinct peak around 3350 cm^− 1 wave number; which may corresponds to the sp² C–H bond. Tauc optical gap and film thickness both decreased with increasing substrate temperature. The peaks of XPS core level C 1 s spectra of the DLC thin films shifted towards lower binding energy with substrate temperature. We also got the small photoconductivity action of the film deposited at 300 °C on ITO substrate.