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Here we present a newly developed ice core gas-phase proxy that directly samples a component of the large-scale atmospheric circulation: synoptic-scale pressure variability. Surface pressure changes weakly disrupt gravitational isotopic settling in the firn layer, which is recorded in krypton-86 excess (86Krxs). The 86Krxs may therefore reflect the time-averaged synoptic pressure variability over several years (site “storminess”), but it likely cannot record individual synoptic events as ice core gas samples typically average over several years. We validate 86Krxs using late Holocene ice samples from 11 Antarctic ice cores and 1 Greenland ice core that collectively represent a wide range of surface pressure variability in the modern climate. We find a strong spatial correlation (r=-0.94, p) between site average 86Krxs and time-averaged synoptic variability from reanalysis data. The main uncertainties in the analysis are the corrections for gas loss and thermal fractionation and the relatively large scatter in the data. Limited scientific understanding of the firn physics and potential biases of 86Krxs require caution in interpreting this proxy at present. We show that Antarctic 86Krxs appears to be linked to the position of the Southern Hemisphere eddy-driven subpolar jet (SPJ), with a southern position enhancing pressure variability. We present a 86Krxs record covering the last 24 kyr from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice core. Based on the empirical spatial correlation of synoptic activity and 86Krxs at various Antarctic sites, we interpret this record to show that West Antarctic synoptic activity is slightly below modern levels during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), increases during the Heinrich Stadial 1 and Younger Dryas North Atlantic cold periods, weakens abruptly at the Holocene onset, remains low during the early and mid-Holocene, and gradually increases to its modern value. The WAIS Divide 86Krxs record resembles records of monsoon intensity thought to reflect changes in the meridional position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) on orbital and millennial timescales such that West Antarctic storminess is weaker when the ITCZ is displaced northward and stronger when it is displaced southward. We interpret variations in synoptic activity as reflecting movement of the South Pacific SPJ in parallel to the ITCZ migrations, which is the expected zonal mean response of the eddy-driven jet in models and proxy data. Past changes to Pacific climate and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) may amplify the signal of the SPJ migration. Our interpretation is broadly consistent with opal flux records from the Pacific Antarctic zone thought to reflect wind-driven upwelling. We emphasize that 86Krxs is a new proxy, and more work is called for to confirm, replicate, and better understand these results; until such time, our conclusions regarding past atmospheric dynamics remain speculative. Current scientific understanding of firn air transport and trapping is insufficient to explain all the observed variations in 86Krxs. A list of suggested future studies is provided.

Preventive detention provisions in the US and Canada assume we can identify, in advance, individuals at high risk for sexual recidivism. To test this assumption, 377 adult males with a history of sexual offending were followed for 20 years using Canadian national criminal history records and Internet searches. Using previously collected information, a high risk/high need (HRHN) subgroup was identified based on an unusually high levels of criminogenic needs ( n = 190, average age of 38 years; 83% White, 13% Indigenous, 4% other). A well above average subgroup of 99 individuals was then identified based on high Static-99R (6+) and Static-2002R (7+) scores. In the HRHN group, 40% reoffended sexually. STATIC HRHN norms overestimated sexual recidivism at 5 years (Static-99R, E/O = 1.44; Static-2002R, E/O = 1.72) but were well calibrated for longer follow-up periods (20 years: Static-99R, E/0 = 1.00; Static-2002R, E/O = 1.16). The overall sexual recidivism rate for the well above average subgroup was 52.1% after 20 years, and 74.3% for any violent recidivism. The highest risk individuals (top 1%) had rates in the 60%–70% range. We conclude that some individuals present a high risk for sexual recidivism, and can be identified using currently available methods.

Here we present a newly developed ice core gas-phase proxy that directly samples a component of the large-scale atmospheric circulation: synoptic-scale pressure variability. Surface pressure variability weakly disrupts gravitational isotopic settling in the firn layer, which is recorded in krypton-86 excess (86Krxs). We validate 86Krxs using late Holocene ice samples from eleven Antarctic and one Greenland ice core that collectively represent a wide range of surface pressure variability in the modern climate. We find a strong correlation (r = -0.94, p < 0.01) between site-average 86Krxs and site synoptic variability from reanalysis data. The main uncertainties in the method are the corrections for gas loss and thermal fractionation, and the relatively large scatter in the data. We show 86Krxs is linked to the position of the eddy-driven subpolar jet (SPJ), with a southern position enhancing pressure variability. We present a 86Krxs record covering the last 24 ka from the WAIS Divide ice core. West Antarctic synoptic activity is slightly below modern levels during the last glacial maximum (LGM); increases during the Heinrich Stadial 1 and Younger Dryas North Atlantic cold periods; weakens abruptly at the Holocene onset; remains low during the early and mid-Holocene, and gradually increases to its modern value. The WAIS Divide 86Krxs record resembles records of monsoon intensity thought to reflect changes in the meridional position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) on orbital and millennial timescales, such that West Antarctic storminess is weaker when the ITCZ is displaced northward, and stronger when it is displaced southward. We interpret variations in synoptic activity as reflecting movement of the South Pacific SPJ in parallel to the ITCZ migrations, which is the expected zonal-mean response of the eddy-driven jet in models and proxy data. Past changes to Pacific climate and the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) may amplify the signal of the SPJ migration. Our interpretation is broadly consistent with opal flux records from the Pacific Antarctic zone thought to reflect wind-driven upwelling. We emphasize that 86Krxs is a new proxy, and more work is called for to confirm, replicate and better understand these results; until such time, our conclusions regarding past atmospheric dynamics remain tentative. Current scientific understanding of firn air transport and trapping is insufficient to explain all the observed variations in 86Krxs.

The present study is part of a larger project aiming to more closely integrate theory with empirical research into dynamic risk. It seeks to generate empirical findings with the dynamic risk factors contained in the Violence Risk Scale—Sexual Offense version (VRS-SO) that might constrain and guide the further development of Thornton’s theoretical model of dynamic risk. Two key issues for theory development are (a) whether the structure of pretreatment dynamic risk factors is the same as the structure of the change in the dynamic risk factors that occurs during treatment, and (b) whether theoretical analysis should focus on individual dynamic items or on the broader factors that run through them. Factor analyses and item-level prediction analyses were conducted on VRS-SO pretreatment, posttreatment, and change ratings obtained from a large combined sample of men ( Ns = 1,289–1,431) convicted and treated for sexual offenses. Results indicated that the latent structure of pretreatment dynamic risk was best described by a three-factor model while the latent structure of change items was two dimensional. Prediction analyses examined the degree to which items were predictive beyond prediction obtained from the broader factor that they loaded on. Results showed that for some items, their prediction appeared to be largely carried by the three broad factors. In contrast, other items seem to operate as funnels through which the broader factors’ predictiveness flowed. Implications for theory development implied by these results are identified.

We examined the incremental contributions of static and dynamic sexual violence risk assessment in a multisite sample of 1,289 men treated for sexual offending. The study extends validation work that established new risk categories and recidivism estimates for the Violence Risk Scale–Sexual Offense version (VRS-SO), using the risk assessment common language (CL) framework. Different rates of sexual recidivism were observed at different thresholds of static risk (Static-99R) as a function of dynamic risk and treatment change, particularly for men who were actuarially above or well above average risk (Levels IVa and IVb, respectively). A framework integrating CL risk levels for Static-99R and VRS-SO dynamic scores into overall CL risk levels is presented. We discuss implications for dynamic sexual violence risk assessment regarding the language used for risk communication and the importance of dynamic risk instruments in sexual violence evaluations, particularly when credible agents of risk change may be present.

Most sexual recidivism risk assessment tools focus primarily on risk factors and deficits without consideration for strengths or protective factors which might mitigate reoffense risk. The current study is the first in a research program designed to develop and validate the Structured Assessment of PROtective Factors for violence risk—Sexual Offence version (SAPROF-SO), a measure of protective factors against sexual reoffending. The study aimed to test interrater reliability and construct validity of the SAPROF-SO with a high-risk ( n = 40) and routine ( n = 40) sample. Interrater reliability between three independent raters was generally good to excellent for the SAPROF-SO domain and Total scores across both samples and compared favorably with validated measures of dynamic risk. Moreover, the SAPROF-SO demonstrated construct validity and was moderately independent of existing measures of risk. Findings open the door for a more balanced, strengths-based, and accurate approach to recidivism risk assessment.

Abstract. The overall aim of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effect of a long-term fatty fish intervention during winter time on psychophysiological responses, that is, heart rate variability (HRV), to mental workload. Forty-seven forensic inpatients were randomly assigned into a fish group (FG) or a control group (CG). HRV responses to an experimental test procedure consisting of a resting baseline, mental workload, and a resting recovery were measured pre- and post-intervention. The results revealed that the FG showed attenuated physiological responses to mental workload from pretest to posttest by a significant increase in HRV. Additionally, the FG showed a higher HRV during recovery compared to the baseline and test conditions at both pretest and posttest. The CG showed no changes in psychophysiological responses from pretest to posttest to mental workload. Importantly, the CG showed impaired recovery at posttest, indicating a sustained physiological arousal after the stressor (mental workload) ended. Thus, the results indicate that increased fatty fish intake has the potential to increase resilience to mild cognitive stress in human beings with psychiatric illnesses.

Sexual sadists derive pleasure from humiliation, domination and infliction of pain on victims. They display increased penile arousal and activation of brain regions involved in sexual arousal and emotional states when viewing stimuli depicting individuals in physical distress. Neuroactive hormones modulate these regions, but it is unknown if sexual sadists also have endocrine responses to depictions of individuals in distress. The present study examined endocrine responses, elicited by viewing a video depicting an individual in extreme emotional distress, in incarcerated adult male sexual offenders (n = 23) with varying levels of sadistic traits. Sadism, was measured by the Severe Sexual Sadism Scale (SeSaS). Testosterone (T), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and oxytocin (OT) were assayed before and after participants watched a video depicting an individual in emotional distress. T responses to the video were significantly and positively associated with SeSaS scores. There were no significant associations between sexual sadism and OT or ACTH. Our findings provide physiological evidence of atypical processing of distress cues in sadism consistent with the role of testosterone in sexual arousal and aggressive behaviors. These findings have implications for the evaluation and treatment of sexual sadists.

Empirically supported risk factors are predictive of sexual re-offense regardless of whether individuals suffer from a major mental illness. A small subgroup of individuals with major mental illness may be more likely to demonstrate acute psychotic symptoms at the time of their sexual offending behavior (Smith & Taylor, 1999). This study reviewed archival data from a high-risk sample to identify 55 individuals with major mental illness who had committed a total of 176 sex offenses. The relationship between acute psychiatric symptoms and criminogenic needs was explored. Most sex offenses were not temporally related to acute psychiatric symptoms. The apparent effect of mental health symptoms on criminogenic factors over the individual’s life was rated. Where acute symptoms were associated with worsened criminogenic factors, this most often involved Grievance Thinking, Poor Emotional Control, and Poor Problem-Solving. Typologies emerged based on the pattern of criminogenic needs along with demographic and offense characteristics. Assessment and treatment implications are discussed.

Ice core records of the major atmospheric greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O) and their isotopologues covering recent centuries provide evidence of biogeochemical variations during the Late Holocene and pre-industrial periods and over the transition to the industrial period. These records come from a number of ice core and firn air sites and have been measured in several laboratories around the world and show common features but also unresolved differences. Here we present revised records, including new measurements, performed at the CSIRO Ice Core Extraction LABoratory (ICELAB) on air samples from ice obtained at the high-accumulation site of Law Dome (East Antarctica). We are motivated by the increasing use of the records by the scientific community and by recent data-handling developments at CSIRO ICELAB. A number of cores and firn air samples have been collected at Law Dome to provide high-resolution records overlapping recent, direct atmospheric observations. The records have been updated through a dynamic link to the calibration scales used in the Global Atmospheric Sampling LABoratory (GASLAB) at CSIRO, which are periodically revised with information from the latest calibration experiments. The gas-age scales have been revised based on new ice-age scales and the information derived from a new version of the CSIRO firn diffusion model. Additionally, the records have been revised with new, rule-based selection criteria and updated corrections for biases associated with the extraction procedure and the effects of gravity and diffusion in the firn. All measurements carried out in ICELAB–GASLAB over the last 25 years are now managed through a database (the ICElab dataBASE or ICEBASE), which provides consistent data management, automatic corrections and selection of measurements, and a web-based user interface for data extraction. We present the new records, discuss their strengths and limitations, and summarise their main features. The records reveal changes in the carbon cycle and atmospheric chemistry over the last 2 millennia, including the major changes of the anthropogenic era and the smaller, mainly natural variations beforehand. They provide the historical data to calibrate and test the next inter-comparison of models used to predict future climate change (Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project – phase 6, CMIP6). The datasets described in this paper, including spline fits, are available at https://doi.org/10.25919/5bfe29ff807fb (Rubino et al., 2019).

Sensorimotor activity in speech perception tasks varies as a function of context, cognitive load, and cognitive ability. This study investigated listener sex as an additional variable. Raw EEG data were collected as 21 males and 21 females discriminated /ba/ and /da/ in quiet and noisy backgrounds. Independent component analyses of data from accurately discriminated trials identified sensorimotor mu components with characteristic alpha and beta peaks from 16 members of each sex. Time-frequency decompositions showed that in quiet discrimination, females displayed stronger early mu-alpha synchronization, whereas males showed stronger mu-beta desynchronization. Findings indicate that early attentional mechanisms for speech discrimination were characterized by sensorimotor inhibition in females and predictive sensorimotor activation in males. Both sexes showed stronger early sensorimotor inhibition in noisy discrimination conditions versus in quiet, suggesting sensory gating of the noise. However, the difference in neural activation between quiet and noisy conditions was greater in males than females. Though sex differences appear unrelated to behavioral accuracy, they suggest that males and females exhibit early sensorimotor processing for speech discrimination that is fundamentally different, yet similarly adaptable to adverse conditions. Findings have implications for understanding variability in neuroimaging data and the male prevalence in various neurodevelopmental disorders with inhibitory dysfunction.

Introduction Corona-virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a huge impact on the delivery of healthcare worldwide, particularly elective surgery. There is a lack of data regarding risk of postoperative COVID-19 infection in children undergoing elective surgery, and regarding the utility of pre-operative COVID-19 testing, and preoperative “cocooning” or restriction of movements. The purpose of this present study was to examine the safety of elective paediatric Otolaryngology surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to incidence of postoperative symptomatic COVID-19 infection or major respiratory complications. Materials and methods Prospective cohort study of paediatric patients undergoing elective Otolaryngology surgery between September and December 2020. Primary outcome measure was incidence of symptomatic COVID-19 or major respiratory complications within the 14 days after surgery. Parents of prospectively enrolled patients were contacted 14 days after surgery and enquiry made regarding development of postoperative symptoms, COVID-19 testing, or diagnosis of COVID-19. Results 302 patients were recruited. 125 (41.4%) underwent preoperative COVID-19 RTPCR testing. 66 (21.8%) restricted movements prior to surgery. The peak 14-day COVID-19 incidence during the study was 302.9 cases per 100,000 population. No COVID-19 infections or major respiratory complications were reported in the 14 day follow up period. Conclusion The results of our study support the safety of elective paediatric Otolaryngology surgery during the pandemic, in the setting of community incidence not exceeding that observed during the study period., Graphical abstract Image 1

This study aimed to gain deeper knowledge about the relationship between vitamin D and physical activity in a sample of forensic inpatients. Sixty-seven male forensic inpatients participated. Participants were randomly assigned into an Intervention group (vitamin D) or a Control group (placebo). The Physical Activity–Rating (PA-R) questionnaire was used to measure physical activity from January to May. Vitamin D status was measured as 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) pre- and post-intervention. The results revealed that vitamin D status at post-test was positively correlated with physical activity, but there was no effect of vitamin D supplementation looking at the two randomized groups. However, controlling for body mass index (BMI), the results showed an effect of BMI and a main effect of groups with a higher level of physical activity in the Intervention group. No interaction effects were found. Participants were also assigned into High and Low vitamin D groups based on the vitamin D status at post-test, i.e., the upper (75.1 nmol/L) and lower quartile (46.7 nmol/L). T-tests revealed that participants with a vitamin D status above 75 nmol/L showed significantly higher levels of physical activity than participants with a vitamin D status below 46.7 nmol/L. Thus, a vitamin D status above 75 nmol/L seems to be an optimal level.

Vitamin D status may be important for stress resilience. This study investigated the effects of vitamin D supplements during winter on biological markers of stress resilience such as psychophysiological activity, serotonin, and cortisol in a placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Eighty-six participants were randomly assigned to the Intervention (vitamin D) or Control (placebo) groups. Before and after the intervention participants were exposed to an experimental stress procedure. Psychophysiological activity was measured during three main conditions: baseline, stress, and recovery. Fasting blood samples were taken in the morning and saliva samples were collected at seven different time points across 24 h. Prior to intervention both groups had normal/sufficient vitamin D levels. Both groups showed a normal pattern of psychophysiological responses to the experimental stress procedure (i.e., increased psychophysiological responses from resting baseline to stress-condition, and decreased psychophysiological responses from stress-condition to recovery, all p &lt, 0.009). Post-intervention, the Intervention group showed increased vitamin D levels (p &lt, 0.001) and normal psychophysiological responses to the experimental stress procedure (p &lt, 0.001). Importantly, the Control group demonstrated a classic nadir in vitamin D status post-intervention (spring) (p &lt, 0.001) and did not show normal psychophysiological responses. Thus, physiologically the Control group showed a sustained stress response. No significant effects of vitamin D were found on serotonin and cortisol.

The Southern Ocean occupies 14% of the Earth’s surface and plays a fundamental role in the global carbon cycle and climate. It provides a direct connection to the deep ocean carbon reservoir through biogeochemical processes that include surface primary productivity, remineralization at depth and the upwelling of carbon-rich water masses. However, the role of these different processes in modulating past and future air–sea carbon flux remains poorly understood. A key period in this regard is the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR, 14.6–12.7 kyr bp), when mid- to high-latitude Southern Hemisphere cooling coincided with a sustained plateau in the global deglacial increase in atmospheric CO2. Here we reconstruct high-latitude Southern Ocean surface productivity from marine-derived aerosols captured in a highly resolved horizontal ice core. Our multiproxy reconstruction reveals a sustained signal of enhanced marine productivity across the ACR. Transient climate modelling indicates this period coincided with maximum seasonal variability in sea-ice extent, implying that sea-ice biological feedbacks enhanced CO2 sequestration and created a substantial regional marine carbon sink, which contributed to the plateau in CO2 during the ACR. Our results highlight the role Antarctic sea ice plays in controlling global CO2, and demonstrate the need to incorporate such feedbacks into climate–carbon models.

Significance Fifty years ago, it was speculated that the marine-based West Antarctic Ice Sheet is vulnerable to warming and may have melted in the past. Testing this hypothesis has proved challenging due to the difficulty of developing in situ records of ice sheet and environmental change spanning warm periods. We present a multiproxy record that implies loss of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Last Interglacial (129,000 to 116,000 y ago), associated with ocean warming and the release of greenhouse gas methane from marine sediments. Our ice sheet modeling predicts that Antarctica may have contributed several meters to global sea level at this time, suggesting that this ice sheet lies close to a “tipping point” under projected warming., The future response of the Antarctic ice sheet to rising temperatures remains highly uncertain. A useful period for assessing the sensitivity of Antarctica to warming is the Last Interglacial (LIG) (129 to 116 ky), which experienced warmer polar temperatures and higher global mean sea level (GMSL) (+6 to 9 m) relative to present day. LIG sea level cannot be fully explained by Greenland Ice Sheet melt (∼2 m), ocean thermal expansion, and melting mountain glaciers (∼1 m), suggesting substantial Antarctic mass loss was initiated by warming of Southern Ocean waters, resulting from a weakening Atlantic meridional overturning circulation in response to North Atlantic surface freshening. Here, we report a blue-ice record of ice sheet and environmental change from the Weddell Sea Embayment at the periphery of the marine-based West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), which is underlain by major methane hydrate reserves. Constrained by a widespread volcanic horizon and supported by ancient microbial DNA analyses, we provide evidence for substantial mass loss across the Weddell Sea Embayment during the LIG, most likely driven by ocean warming and associated with destabilization of subglacial hydrates. Ice sheet modeling supports this interpretation and suggests that millennial-scale warming of the Southern Ocean could have triggered a multimeter rise in global sea levels. Our data indicate that Antarctica is highly vulnerable to projected increases in ocean temperatures and may drive ice–climate feedbacks that further amplify warming.

Background: Fish consumption has been shown to have beneficial effects on biological and subjective measures of health and well-being. However, little is known about the effects of fish consumption at the behavioral level. Objective: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the influence of diet on behavior such as physical activity during winter in forensic inpatients. The secondary aim was to investigate the relationship between vitamin D status and physical activity. Design: Eighty-one male forensic inpatients participated in this study. Participants were randomized into two different diet groups: a Fish group receiving fatty fish three times per week and a Control group receiving an alternative meal (e.g. chicken, pork, and beef); while the Fish group received their fish, the Control group received an alternate meal, but with the same nutritional value as their habitual diet. The duration of the food intervention was 6 months. Results: The results revealed that the Fish group had a regular pattern of physical activity throughout the intervention period. The participants in the Control group showed a more irregular pattern of physical activity in addition to a significant reduction in physical activity over time. Conclusion: Behavior such as physical activity during winter seemed to be influenced by the diet. publishedVersion

To investigate the effect of a long-term fatty fish intervention on a pure cognitive mechanism important for self-regulation and mental health, i.e. working memory (WM), controlling for age and IQ. A randomized controlled trial. A forensic facility. Eighty-four young to middle aged male forensic inpatients with psychiatric disorders. Consumption of farmed salmon or control meal (meat) three times a week during 23 weeks. Performance on WM tasks, both accuracy and mean reaction time, were recorded pre and post intervention. Performance on a cognitive functioning tasks taxing WM seemed to be explained by age and IQ. Fatty fish consumption did not improve WM performance in a group of young to middle aged adults with mental health problems, as less impressionable factors such as aging and intelligence seemed to be the key components. The present study improves the knowledge concerning the interaction among nutrition, health and the aging process.

Relative to the general population, individuals with psychotic disorders have a higher risk of suicide. Suicide risk is also elevated in criminal offenders. Thus, psychotic-disordered individuals with antisocial tendencies may form an especially high-risk group. We built upon prior risk analyses by examining whether neurobehavioral correlates of social cognition were associated with suicidal behavior in criminal offenders with psychotic disorders. We assessed empathic accuracy and brain structure in four groups: (i) incarcerated offenders with psychotic disorders and past suicide attempts, (ii) incarcerated offenders with psychotic disorders and no suicide attempts, (iii) incarcerated offenders without psychotic disorders and (iv) community non-offenders without psychotic disorders. Established suicide risk variables were examined along with empathic accuracy and gray matter in brain regions implicated in social cognition. Relative to the other groups, offenders with psychotic disorders and suicide attempts had lower empathic accuracy and smaller temporal pole volumes. Empathic accuracy and temporal pole volumes were significantly associated with suicide attempts independent of other risk variables. The results indicate that brain and behavioral correlates of social cognition may add incremental value to models of suicide risk.

Biodiesel from waste cooking oil (WCO) requires antioxidants to meet oxidation stability specifications set forth in ASTM D6751 or EN 14214. In contrast, unrefined cottonseed oil (CSO), containing tocopherols and gossypol, produces biodiesel of higher oxidation stability. However, only a portion of these CSO endogenous antioxidants are suspected to be retained in biodiesel. Because the economics of biodiesel manufacturing rely upon inexpensive sources of triglycerides, emphasis was placed on developing improved alternative processing methods where WCO was the main source of methyl esters (WCOME) and CSO was used as a supplemental source of triglycerides and antioxidants in a 4:1 ratio. This study compared four processing methods for their ability to produce biodiesel of increased oxidative stability prepared from a 4:1 ratio of WCO:CSO. Two novel processing methods developed for this study utilise solvent properties of fatty acid methyl esters and glycerol to avoid additional chemical inventory fo...

Nominal risk categories for actuarial risk assessment information should be grounded in nonarbitrary, evidence-based criteria. The current study presents numeric indicators for interpreting one such tool, the Risk Matrix 2000, which is widely used to assess the recidivism risk of sexual offenders. Percentiles, risk ratios, and 5-year recidivism rates are presented based on an aggregated sample ( N = 3,144) from four settings: England and Wales, Scotland, Germany, and Canada. The Risk Matrix 2000 Sex, Violence, and Combined scales showed moderate accuracy in assessing the risk of sexual, non-sexual violent, and violent recidivism, respectively. Although there were some differences across samples in the distributions of risk categories, relative increases in recidivism for ascending risk categories were remarkably consistent. Options for presenting percentiles, risk ratios, and absolute recidivism estimates in applied evaluations are offered, with discussion of the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of these risk communication metrics.

The Wilson Sex Fantasy Questionnaire (WSFQ) assesses the use of 40 specific sexual fantasies, which are grouped into four overarching themes (Intimate, Exploratory, Impersonal, and Sadomasochistic). It also includes two items that reflect characteristics associated with children. Since sexual fantasies are a key factor in sex offender treatment, the present study tested the validity of the WSFQ for use with men who have sexually offended against children (SOC). Differential validity was assessed by comparing 54 SOC, 22 community males with a sexual interest in children (C-SI), and 79 community males with no sexual interest in children (C-NSI) on each WSFQ subscale and child-related item. Results showed that SOCs scored lower on each subscale than both community groups. On the two child-related items, the SOCs and C-SIs scored higher than C-NSIs. For the “Sex with someone much younger than yourself” item, younger SOCs had greater scores than younger C-NSIs, while older C-NSIs had greater scores than older SOCs. Construct validity was assessed using the SOC sample by examining relationships between WSFQ variables and 1) the self-reported use of deviant sexual fantasies assessed via the Thoughts and Fantasies Questionnaire and 2) offending behavior derived from crime scene data. The WSFQ Intimacy subscale was unrelated to any deviant sexual fantasies, while the other subscales were most strongly associated with sadistic fantasies. The child-related WSFQ items were most strongly associated with sexual fantasies about prepubescent children. Very few relationships were observed between the WSFQ variables and crime scene behaviors. The implications of the results are discussed, along with the study’s limitations and suggestions for future research.

The present study investigated whether a latency-based Go/No-Go Association Task (GNAT) could be used as an indirect measure of sexual interest in children. A sample of 29 individuals with a history of exclusive extrafamilial offenses against a child and 15 individuals with either a history of exclusive intrafamilial or mixed offenses (i.e., against both adults and children) were recruited from a treatment center in the United States. Also, a sample of 26 nonoffenders was recruited from a university in the United Kingdom. All participants completed the Sexual Fantasy-GNAT, a Control-GNAT, and two self-report measures of sexual fantasy. It was hypothesized that, relative to the two comparison groups, the extrafamilial group would respond faster on the block that paired "sexual fantasy" and "children." Also, GNAT scores were expected to correlate with child-related sexual fantasies. Support was found for both hypotheses. Response-latency indices were also found to effectively distinguish the extrafamilial group, as well as those who self-reported using child-related sexual fantasies. The implications of these findings, along with the study's limitations and suggestions for future research, are discussed.

Psychotic disorders are associated with neurobehavioral impairments in mental state attribution (mentalizing). These impairments are most severe in psychotic patients with elevated symptom levels, particularly negative and cognitive symptoms. There have been few studies of functional connectivity related to mentalizing in psychotic disorders and associations with symptoms. We conducted a functional MRI study of affective mentalizing in individuals with psychotic disorders and varying symptom levels (positive, negative, cognitive). Participants were drawn from an adjudicated inpatient forensic psychiatric population (criminal offenders). Functional MRI scans were acquired using a 32-channel ultra-fast multiband imaging sequence. Mentalizing task performance and functional connectivity were assessed in psychotic criminal offenders (n = 46) and nonpsychotic offenders (n = 41). Temporal coherent brain networks were estimated with group independent component analysis (ICA). Relative to nonpsychotic offenders, psychotic offenders showed impaired task performance and reduced activation in a component comprising the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, superior temporal gyrus, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Positive and cognitive symptoms were inversely correlated with component activity and task performance. The results are discussed with reference to potential mechanisms underlying impaired social cognition in psychotic disorders and across symptom types.

Neutrophils represent the most abundant immune cells recruited to inflamed tissues. A lack of dedicated tools has hampered their detection and study. We show that a synthesized peptide, MUB

Reconstructing the dynamic response of the Antarctic ice sheets to warming during the Last Glacial Termination (LGT; 18,000–11,650 yrs ago) allows us to disentangle ice-climate feedbacks that are key to improving future projections. Whilst the sequence of events during this period is reasonably well-known, relatively poor chronological control has precluded precise alignment of ice, atmospheric and marine records, making it difficult to assess relationships between Antarctic ice-sheet (AIS) dynamics, climate change and sea level. Here we present results from a highly-resolved ‘horizontal ice core’ from the Weddell Sea Embayment, which records millennial-scale AIS dynamics across this extensive region. Counterintuitively, we find AIS mass-loss across the full duration of the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR; 14,600–12,700 yrs ago), with stabilisation during the subsequent millennia of atmospheric warming. Earth-system and ice-sheet modelling suggests these contrasting trends were likely Antarctic-wide, sustained by feedbacks amplified by the delivery of Circumpolar Deep Water onto the continental shelf. Given the anti-phase relationship between inter-hemispheric climate trends across the LGT our findings demonstrate that Southern Ocean-AIS feedbacks were controlled by global atmospheric teleconnections. With increasing stratification of the Southern Ocean and intensification of mid-latitude westerly winds today, such teleconnections could amplify AIS mass loss and accelerate global sea-level rise.

Introduction: Hospital pharmacists' have traditionally focused on the manufacture and supply of medicines. However, the increasing complexity and range of medicines and a greater awareness of medication errors has facilitated a change towards a patient-centred role. Given this movement, it is surprising that a search of the published literature shows very little research that evaluated patients' views of hospital-based pharmacy services. Objective: To explore inpatients' expectations and experiences of hospital-based pharmacy services. Study setting and design: Face-to-face semi-structured interviews with inpatients admitted to acute medical wards of three NHS general hospitals. Principal findings: Seventy-four inpatients were interviewed: 37 were male with average age 73 years (age range of 19 -86 years). The predominate number of participants (62/74, 84%) being in the 65-80 years of age group. Thematic analysis of the data was driven by three themes; patients' expectations of the pharmacist's involvement in their treatment and care, the patients' experiences of any interaction that may have taken place and the patients' evaluation of their interaction with the pharmacist. Conclusions: There was a dichotomy of expectations and opinions from patients about the role of hospital pharmacists and the services being provided. As pharmacists' roles are developing towards a patient-orientated model in which pharmacists have direct contact with patients and their care, it is important to ensure that patients are aware of these developments to help them maximize the benefit they derive from their country's health-care system.

This paper summarizes our developing knowledge of factors that contribute added risk of sexual recidivism (risk factors) and factors that are associated with a reduced risk of sexual recidivism (protective factors). Specific im plications for the design of future treatment programs are drawn. This information is contrasted with the common foci of sexual offender treatment programs that were designed before these research findings emerged, and suggestions made about how common clinical tasks might be re-revisited and revised in the light of this new knowledge.