Identifying persistently antisocial offenders using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist and DSM antisocial personality disorder criteria.

Early starting, lifetime criminal persistence has been called sociopathy, antisocial personality disorder, and psychopathy. There is, however, disagreement about its core features and which measure is best for identifying such individuals. In the 1st of 2 studies of male offenders (n = 74), we found a large association between scores on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 1991) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) antisocial personality disorder criteria scored as a scale. The second study (n = 684) replicated this finding and found that, as previously shown for PCL-R scores, a discrete class (or taxon) also underlies scores on items reflecting antisocial personality disorder. The high association among these sets of items and their similarity in predicting violence suggested that the same natural class underlies each. Results indicated that life-course-persistent antisociality can be assessed well by measures of psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Colorectal cancer complicating pregnancy

Colorectal carcinoma complicating pregnancy is rare but associated with a high maternal mortality rate. Stage for stage the survival data are the same for pregnant patients and nonpregnant controls, however diagnosis is often delayed due to pregnancy-associated gastrointestinal symptoms masking cancer symptoms. A high degree of suspicion, especially in high-risk patients, is the key to early detection and improved prognosis. Digital rectal exams, occult fecal blood tests, and flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy are performed as indicated. Treatment primarily consists of en-bloc resection of the malignancy and regional lymph nodes; timing of colorectal surgery and delivery are based upon clinical presentation, fetal age, and maternal desires.     

Field cancerization: why late "recurrent" ovarian cancer is not recurrent

OBJECTIVE: Late "recurrence" of ovarian cancer may result from either regrowth of dormant tumor cells or from development of a new cancer caused by the phenomenon of field cancerization. Clinically, some recurrent ovarian cancers show the same therapeutic sensitivities to chemotherapy and surgery as did the primary disease, whereas others are refractory to all therapy. We hypothesize that recurrent ovarian cancers are distinguishable on the basis of a molecular genetic fingerprint and that some are actually new primary cancers of the peritoneum rather than recurrent ovarian cancer. STUDY DESIGN: We constructed molecular genetic fingerprints of 13 paired primary and late recurrent ovarian cancers to study their clonal relationships. The tumor pairs were analyzed for p53 mutations and allelotypes, patterns of X-chromosome inactivation, loss of heterozygosity, and microsatellite instability at 12 different loci on 6 different chromosomes. Techniques used included single-strand conformational polymorphism mutation screening and polymerase chain reaction-based sequence analysis of the p53 locus, restriction digestion of the androgen receptor locus to determine X-chromosome inactivation, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of highly polymorphic dinucleotide, trinucleotide, and tetranucleotide repeats. RESULTS: The average age at initial diagnosis for this cohort was 54.7 years (range 45.3 to 65.5). Mean interval to recurrence was 42.7 months (range 28 to 62). Molecular fingerprints were characterized for 4 to 8 informative loci per tumor pair. The fingerprints of 10 (77%) differed significantly, strongly suggesting that a second primary cancer had developed. The remaining 3 tumor pairs demonstrated identical allelotypes consistent with regrowth of dormant tumor cells. CONCLUSION: Our results are consistent with the "field cancerization" hypothesis of ovarian carcinogenesis but could also be explained by a polyclonal tumor origin, which contrasts with the currently accepted monoclonal theory of ovarian carcinogenesis. Late development of a new primary cancer may herald the proband as a member of a familial cancer phenotype. These studies provide a molecular genetic rationale that both explains and prognosticates the clinical course of recurrent ovarian cancer.     

Probabilistic data analysis: an introductory guide

Quantitative science requires the assessment of uncertainty, and this means that measurements and inferences should be described as probability distributions. This is done by building data into a probabilistic likelihood function which produces a posterior 'answer' by modulating a prior 'question'.
Probability calculus is the only way of doing this consistently, so that data can be included gradually or all at once while the answer remains the same. However, probability calculus is only a language; it does not restrict the questions one can ask by setting one's prior. We discuss how to set sensible priors, in particular for a large problem like image reconstruction.
We also introduce practical modern algorithms (Gibbs sampling, Metropolis algorithm, genetic algorithms, and simulated annealing) for computing probabilistic inference.     

Remote sensing and geologic mapping of glaciovolcanic deposits in the region surrounding Askja (Dyngjufjöll) volcano,Iceland

The surface geology of the Northern Volcanic Zone in Iceland is dominated by volcanic ridges, central volcanoes, shield volcanoes, and tuyas. The largest features are typically ice-confined (glaciovolcanic) in origin, and are overlain by voluminous Holocene (subaerial) lavas and glacial outwash deposits. The literature has focused heavily on prominent or very young features, neglecting small and older volcanic features. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the application of remote-sensing mapping techniques to the glaciovolcanic environment in order to identify dominant lithologies and determine locations for textural, stratigraphic, and age studies. The deposits targeted in this study occur on and around Askja volcano, in central Iceland, including Pleistocene glaciovolcanic tuffs and subaerial pumice from the 1875 rhyolitic eruption of Askja. Data from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) were used in conjunction with previously published geologic and remote-sensing data sets and recent field work on glaciovolcanic deposits of Askja for validation. Remotely acquired data sets include aerial photographs and one ASTER scene obtained in August 2010. Visible and near-infrared (VNIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) classifications and linear deconvolution of the TIR emissivity data were performed using end-members derived from regions of interest and laboratory spectra. End-members were selected from samples of representative lithologic units within the field area, including glaciovolcanic deposits (pillow lavas, tuffs, etc.), historical deposits (1875 pumice, 1920s basaltic lavas), and Holocene basaltic lavas from Askja. The results demonstrate the potential for remote sensing-based ground cover mapping of areas of glaciovolcanic deposits relevant to palaeo-ice reconstructions in areas such as Iceland, Antarctica, and British Columbia. Remote sensing-based mapping will benefit glaciovolcanic studies, by determining the lithologic variability of these relatively inaccessible massifs and serving as an important springboard for the identification of future field sites in remote areas.     

Nucleoside‐Based Self‐Assembling Drugs for Localized Drug Delivery

We have synthesized a range of gelators based on the nucleoside analogues gemcitabine and lamivudine, characterizing representative gels from the series using rheology and transmission electron microscopy. Growth inhibition studies of gemcitabine derivatives confirmed the feasibility of these compounds as novel treatments, indicating the potential of nucleoside‐based gelators for localized drug delivery.     

Gas distribution and particle mobility in a model fluid-bed polymer recycling reactor

The effect on fluidisation quality of a number of sieve-tray and tuyere distributor designs has been investigated in a cold scale model of a proposed pyrolytic fluid-bed polymer recycling reactor. Fluidisation quality in a scale model of the proposed reactor design was assessed visually, by comparing bed pressure drop to solids weight per unit area, by measuring activity of individual nozzles and by the use of probes measuring film heat transfer coefficients at a number of locations across the bed. It was found that all the distributors gave good-quality fluidisation at fluidising velocities greater than three times the minimum-fluidising value, except in a dead zone near the distributor. This appears to support the standard models of fluid-bed distribution, however a more surprising observation was that uniform activity of all orifices did not necessarily mean that fluidisation was uniform elsewhere in the bed. These dead areas could trap incompletely reacted polymer particles and hence favour the accumulation of carbonised plastic agglomerates in the full-scale reactor bed.The effect of the configuration of internals on the dispersion coefficient of polymer particles was also appraised, by injecting a representative polymer sample, defluidising the bed, dissecting it and recording the position of sample particles. Experiments using Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) were conducted, giving insight into circulation patterns of the particles in the bed. Both dispersion experiments and PEPT demonstrated the presence of recirculation vortices in the free space between successive stacks of internals and extending into the stacks. These results suggest injecting the polymer at several locations, in order to make use of these vortices for dispersion without overloading them during the initial melting stage.     

In vitro isolation and characterization of a calicivirus causing a vesicular disease of the hands and feet

Cognitive-behavioral and physical therapies are incorporated into multidisciplinary chronic pain programs because changes in pain cognitions and physical capacity may represent therapeutic processes that facilitate favorable outcome. Decreases in depression, however, may explain treatment responses more parsimoniously. Measures of pain helplessness, lifting capacity, walking endurance, depression, pain severity, and activity level were collected from 94 chronic pain patients at pre- and posttreatment and at 3- to 6-month follow-up evaluations. Decreases in pain helplessness were linked to pain severity reduction, whereas walking endurance increases were related to improvements in activity levels and downtime even after controlling for effects of depression decreases. Thus, cognitive and physical capacity changes that occur through pain treatment may make unique contributions to long-term outcome.     

épée A support environment for process engineering software

This paper describes épée, a distributed environment for the integration of software applications. It was developed with the aim of aiding the process of design by providing the necessary support for a design information management system. The software environment is first described in general terms and then our specific application of épée to process engineering design is presented. épée uses an object-oriented approach to data management. Data are represented as objects whose definitions, via templates, reflect the process engineering design environment. The use of focussed methods promotes a consistent look and feel to the tools in the environment. Method reuse reduces software development costs and increases users' confidence in the reliability of the methods. The benefits of the history recording mechanism in épée and its object publishing facilities are described. A history record is a critical component of a high level design management system. This, together with the sharing of data through object publishing, provides the necessary support for collaborative design. The application of épée to process engineering design illustrates the benefits of object-oriented techniques to the process systems and design community. The inherent extensibility of object definitions facilitates the application of the support system to any area of design. The dynamic nature of object definitions in épée encourages exploration and experimentation with new data types and methods.