pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Public house patrons' engagement in hypothetical sexual assault: a test of Alcohol Myopia Theory in a field setting

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: FLOWE, H.D. ...et al., 2011. Public house patrons' engagement in hypothetical sexual assault: a test of Alcohol Myopia Theory in a field setting. Aggressive Behavior, 37(6), pp. 547-558., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ab.20410. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.Previous research has found that drinking establishments are often antecedent to sexual aggression outcomes. In the present study, male participants were randomly selected from public houses (i.e., “pubs”) and asked to imagine themselves in a hypothetical intimate encounter in which the female in the scenario stops consenting to sexual contact. Participants were given the option  to continue making sexual advances up to and including sexual intercourse against the woman’s will. It was hypothesised based on Alcohol Myopia Theory that participant blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels would be associated with hypothetical sexual aggression when stereotypical cues of a woman’s sexual availability (revealing clothing and alcohol use) were present in the scenario. Men’s engagement in hypothetical sexual aggression was associated with BAC levels, but only when the woman was wearing revealing clothing. The sobriety of the female actor was not associated with sexual aggression.  Results indicate that Alcohol Myopia Theory generalises to a field  setting
The effects of intimacy and target sex on direct aggression: Further evidence

The effects on aggression of target sex and relationship with the target were investigated using self-report data. One hundred and seventy-four participants (115 female) reported on acts of direct aggression in the last two years towards: intimate partners, known and unknown same-sex targets, and known and unknown opposite-sex targets. Women’s self-reported aggression was higher towards partners than other targets, replicating previous findings regarding women’s intimate partner aggression. Women’s aggression was consistently higher towards same-sex than opposite-sex targets, but the effect of knowing the target was inconsistent. Men’s self-reported aggression was more frequent towards same-sex than opposite-sex targets – including intimate partners – and more frequent towards known than unknown targets. Results are discussed with reference to a partner-specific reduction in women’s fear, and sex differences in threshold for classifying someone as ‘known well.’ Limitations of the present sample and suggestions for future work are discussed.PreprintPeer reviewe
Effects of oxytocin on women’s aggression depend on state anxiety.\ud

Research on oxytocin (OT) indicates that it has stress reducing effects. This leads to opposing predictions of decreased and increased aggression which we examine in this study. Following completion of a state anxiety measure and administration of OT or a placebo, female participants took part in a competitive aggression game (PSAP) for a monetary prize which, if won, would be paid to a loved one. In the game, three options were available: participants could earn points; attack their opponent by deducting points; and defend themselves against point deduction by their opponent. There was no main effect of OT on these responses, however there was an interaction with state anxiety. In the placebo condition, women higher in state anxiety showed a significantly higher ratio of Attack-to-Earn responses than low anxiety women. Under oxytocin, there was a significant reduction in their Attack:Earn ratio resulting in no significant difference between high and low state anxiety groups. There was a similar trend for the Defend:Earn ratio. The reduction of reactive aggression in state anxious women supports the view that OT may decrease negative behavior and increase constructive behavior even under conditions of provocation
High testosterone levels and sensitivity to acute stress in perpetrators of domestic violence with low cognitive flexibility and impairments in their emotional decoding process: a preliminary study.

Hormonal and neuropsychological impairment in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators could play a role in domestic violence. For characterising whether there is a specific psychobiological response to stress, participants who had previously been jailed for IPV and controls were compared for testosterone and cortisol levels, tested for 2D:4D ratios (as an indicator of masculinisation), and given several trait questionnaires and neuropsychological tests related to executive functions and theory of mind. After performing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), IPV perpetrators experienced decreases in salivary testosterone (T) levels, a moderate worsening of mood, slight anxiety, and a salivary cortisol (C) level increase. Moreover, high basal T was related with high levels of anger and anxiety and worse mood. However, that basal mood does not significantly alter T levels in response to stress. Nonetheless, controls experienced smaller changes in T and larger changes in C and psychological mood. With respect to neuropsychological and cognitive empathic features, IPV perpetrators showed poorer executive performance and emotional recognition than controls. In addition, deficits in both neuropsychological domains were positively associated. Regarding emotional empathy, IPV perpetrators showed higher levels of personal distress than controls. The 2D:4D ratio was lower in IPV than in controls. Moreover, in IPV perpetrators a smaller 2D:4D ratio was related to large increases in T in response to stress and poor emotional recognition. Together with social aspects involved in IPV, differences in psychobiological variables and their relationships could play a relevant role in the onset and perpetuation of violent behaviour
Reducing aggressive intergroup action tendencies : effects of intergroup contact via perceived intergroup threat

Katharina Schmid and Miles Hewstone gratefully acknowledge support from the Leverhulme Trust that facilitated the writing of this paper.Two studies tested the prediction that more positive intergroup contact would be associated with reduced aggressive intergroup action tendencies, an effect predicted to occur indirectly via reduced intergroup threat perceptions, and over and above well-established effects of contact on intergroup attitudes. Study 1, using data based on a cross-section of the general population of eight European countries (France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and the UK; N=7,042), examined this hypothesis in the context of aggressive action tendencies towards immigrants. Study 2, using longitudinal data obtained from a general population sample in Northern Ireland, considered effects on aggressive action tendencies between ethno-religious groups in conflict. Both studies confirmed our predictions, showing that while perceived threat was associated with greater intergroup aggressive tendencies, positive intergroup contact was indirectly associated with reduced aggressive action tendencies, via reduced intergroup threat. Findings are discussed in terms of the theoretical contributions of this research for understanding the relationship between intergroup contact and intergroup aggression.PostprintPeer reviewe
The animal in you: Animalistic descriptions of a violent crime increase punishment of perpetrator

Criminal acts are sometimes described using animal metaphors. What is the impact of a violent crime being described in an animalistic versus a non-animalistic way on the subsequent retribution toward the perpetrator? In two studies, we experimentally varied animalistic descriptions of a violent crime and examined its effect on the severity of the punishment for the act. In Study 1, we showed that compared to non-animalistic descriptions, animalistic descriptions resulted in significantly harsher punishment for the perpetrator. In Study 2, we replicated this effect and further demonstrated that this harsher sentencing is explained by an increase in perceived risk of recidivism. Our findings suggest that animalistic descriptions of crimes lead to more retaliation against the perpetrator by inducing the perception that he is likely to continue engaging in violence
The Role of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Rewards in Committing Violence During Combat: A Cross-Sectional Study With Former Combatants in the DR Congo

It has been postulated that the violent behavior that characterizes armed conflict is reinforced by the possibility of receiving rewards. The present study examined the potential influence of two types of rewards in an ongoing setting of conflict: extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Former combatants active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (N = 198) were interviewed and questioned about the way they were recruited, the offenses they committed during combat, their level of perceived intrinsic rewards (i.e., appetitive perception of violence), and the number of received extrinsic rewards during their time in the armed group (e.g., money, extra food, alcohol, or drugs). A moderated multiple regression analysis showed that the number of received extrinsic rewards and the level of intrinsic rewards were significantly positively related to the number of different types of offenses committed. In contrast to our expectations and previous findings, the recruitment type (forced conscription vs. voluntary enlistment) did not moderate this relation. Our findings suggest that both types of rewards play a role in committing violence during combat. We suggest, therefore, that reintegration programs should not only consider the influence of extrinsic rewards, but also need to address the influence of intrinsic rewards to counter violent behavior among former combatants
An experimental examination of alcohol consumption, alcohol expectancy, and self-blame on willingness to report a hypothetical rape.

This study experimentally examined the role of victim alcohol intoxication, and self-blame in perceiving and reporting rape to the police using a hypothetical interactive rape scenario. Participants (N = 79) were randomly assigned to consume alcohol (mean BAC = 0.07%) or tonic water before they engaged in the scenario. Alcohol expectancy was manipulated, and participant beliefs about the beverage they thought they had consumed and their feelings of intoxication were measured. Alcohol consumption and expectancy did not affect the likelihood that the nonconsensual intercourse depicted in the scenario was perceived and would be reported as rape. Participants with higher levels of self-blame were less likely to say they would report the hypothetical rape. Self-blame levels were higher for participants who believed they had consumed alcohol, and were associated with increased feelings of intoxication. The implications are discussed.This research was funded by an Economic and Social Research Council grant award (ES/J005169/1).Peer-reviewedPublisher Versio
The potential of bacterial isolates for emulsification with a range of hydrocarbons

A study was undertaken to investigate the distribution of biosurfactant producing and crude oil degrading bacteria in the oil contaminated environment. This research revealed that hydrocarbon contaminated sites are the potent sources for oil degraders. Among 32 oil degrading bacteria isolated from ten different oil contaminated sites of gasoline and diesel fuel stations, 80% exhibited biosurfactant production. The quantity and emulsification activity of the biosurfactants varied. Pseudomonas sp. DS10-129 produced a maximum of 7.5 ± 0.4 g/l of biosurfactant with a corresponding reduction in surface tension from 68 mN/m to 29.4 ± 0.7 mN/m at 84 h incubation. The isolates Micrococcus sp. GS2-22, Bacillus sp. DS6-86, Corynebacterium sp. GS5-66, Flavobacterium sp. DS5-73, Pseudomonas sp. DS10-129, Pseudomonas sp. DS9-119 and Acinetobacter sp. DS5-74 emulsified xylene, benzene, n-hexane, Bombay High crude oil, kerosene, gasoline, diesel fuel and olive oil. The first five of the above isolates had the highest emulsification activity and crude oil degradation ability and were selected for the preparation of a mixed bacterial consortium, which was also an efficient biosurfactant producing oil emulsifying and degrading culture. During this study, biosurfactant production and emulsification activity were detected in Moraxella sp., Flavobacterium sp. and in a mixed bacterial consortium, which have not been reported before
The mitochondrial ATP synthase is a shared drug target for aging and dementia

Aging is a major driving force underlying dementia, such as that caused by Alzheimer's disease (AD). While the idea of targeting aging as a therapeutic strategy is not new, it remains unclear how closely aging and age-associated diseases are coupled at the molecular level. Here, we discover a novel molecular link between aging and dementia through the identification of the molecular target for the AD drug candidate J147. J147 was developed using a series of phenotypic screening assays mimicking disease toxicities associated with the aging brain. We have previously demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of J147 in several mouse models of AD. Here, we identify the mitochondrial α-F 1 -ATP synthase (ATP5A) as a target for J147. By targeting ATP synthase, J147 causes an increase in intracellular calcium leading to sustained calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CAMKK2)-dependent activation of the AMPK/mTOR pathway, a canonical longevity mechanism. Accordingly, modulation of mitochondrial processes by J147 prevents age-associated drift of the hippocampal transcriptome and plasma metabolome in mice and extends lifespan in drosophila. Our results link aging and age-associated dementia through ATP synthase, a molecular drug target that can potentially be exploited for the suppression of both. These findings demonstrate that novel screens for new AD drug candidates identify compounds that act on established aging pathways, suggesting an unexpectedly close molecular relationship between the two.This work was supported by grants from the NIH
R01AG046153 (D.S) and NIH/NIA SBIR 2R44AG033427 (K.F. and
E.R.), the Nomis Foundation (AC), AI104034 and the Della Thome
Foundation (PM), Bundy Foundation (DD), the Hewitt Foundation
(JG), the Paul F. Glenn Center for Aging Research at the Salk Institute
(JG), NIH-NCI CCSG: P30 014195, NINDS Neuroscience Core
Grant: NS072031 and the Waitt Foundation (Flow Cytometry and
Waitt Biophotonics Core Facilities at the Salk Institute
Optimal slice thickness for object detection with longitudinal partial volume effects in computed tomography.

Longitudinal partial volume effects (z-axial PVE), which occur when an object partly occupies a slice, degrade image resolution and contrast in computed tomography (CT). Z-axial PVE is unavoidable for subslice objects and reduces their contrast according to their fraction contained within the slice. This effect can be countered using a smaller slice thickness, but at the cost of an increased image noise or radiation dose. The aim of this study is to offer a tool for optimizing the reconstruction parameters (slice thickness and slice spacing) in CT protocols in the case of partial volume effects. This optimization is based on the tradeoff between axial resolution and noise. For that purpose, we developed a simplified analytical model investigating the average statistical effect of z-axial PVE on contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). A Catphan 500 phantom was scanned with various pitches and CTDI and reconstructed with different slice thicknesses to assess the visibility of subslice targets that simulate low contrast anatomical features present in CT exams. The detectability score of human observers was used to rank the perceptual image quality against the CNR. Contrast and CNR reduction due to z-axial PVE measured on experimental data were first compared to numerical calculations and then to the analytical model. Compared to numerical calculations, the simplified algebraic model slightly overestimated the contrast but the differences remained below 5%. It could determine the optimal reconstruction parameters that maximize the objects visibility for a given dose in the case of z-axial PVE. An optimal slice thickness equal to three-fourth of the object width was correctly proposed by the model for nonoverlapping slices. The tradeoff between detectability and dose is maximized for a slice spacing of half the slice thickness associated with a slice width equal to the characteristic object width
Implementation of TomoEDGE in the independent dose calculator CheckTomo.

CheckTomo is an independent dose calculation software for tomotherapy. Recently, Accuray (Accuray Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA) released an upgrade of its tomotherapy treatment device, called TomoEDGE Dynamic Jaws, which improves the quality of treatment plans by enhancing the dose delivery with the help of jaws motion. This study describes the upgrade of CheckTomo to that new feature.
To account for the varying width and off-axis shift of dynamic jaws fields, the calculation engine of CheckTomo multiplies the treatment field profile by a penumbral filter and shifts the dose calculation grid. Penumbral filters were obtained by dividing the edge field profiles by that of the corresponding nominal field. They were sampled at widths 1.0, 1.8, and 2.5 cm at isocenter in the edges of the 2.5 and 5 cm treatment field.
The upgrade of CheckTomo was tested on 30 patient treatments planned with dynamic jaws. The gamma pass rate averaged over 10 abdomen plans was 95.9%, with tolerances of 3 mm/3%. For 10 head and neck plans, the mean pass rate was 95.9% for tolerances of 4 mm/4%. Finally, misplacement and overdosage errors were simulated. In each tested cases, the 2 mm/3% gamma pass rate fell below 95% when a 4 mm shift or 3% dose difference was applied.
These results are equivalent to what CheckTomo achieves in static jaws cases. So, in terms of dose calculation accuracy and errors detection, the upgraded version of CheckTomo is as reliable for dynamic jaws plans as the former release was for static cases
Potential benefits of crawl position for prone radiation therapy in breast cancer

Purpose: To investigate crawl position with the arm at the treated side alongside the body and at the opposite side above the head for prone treatment in patients requiring breast and regional lymph node irradiation. 
Methods: Patient support devices for crawl position were built for CT simulation and treatment. An asymmetric fork design resulted from an iterative process of prototype construction and testing. The fork's large horn supports the hemi-thorax, shoulder, and elevated arm at the nontreated side and the head. The short, narrow horn supports the arm at the treated side. Between both horns, the treated breast and its regional lymph nodes are exposed. Endpoints were pain, comfort, set-up precision, beam access to the breast and lymph nodes, and plan dose metrics. Pain and comfort were tested by volunteers (n = 9); set-up precision, beam access, and plan dose metrics were tested by means of a patient study (n = 10). The AIOTM (Orfit, Wijnegem, Belgium) prone breastboard (AIOTM) was used as a reference regarding comfort and set-up precision. 
Results: Pain at the sternum, the ipsilateral shoulder, upper arm, and neck was lower in crawl position than with bilateral arm elevation on AIOTM. Comfort and setup precision were better on the crawl prototype than on AIOTM. In crawl position, beam directions in the coronal and near-sagittal planes have access to the breast or regional lymph nodes without traversing device components. Plan comparison between supine and crawl positions showed better dose homogeneity for the breast and lymph node targets and dose reductions to all organs at risk for crawl position. 
Conclusions: Radiation therapy for breast and regional lymph nodes in crawl position is feasible. Good comfort and set-up precision were demonstrated. Planning results support the hypothesis that breast and regional lymph nodes can be treated in crawl position with less dose to organs at risk and equal or better dose distribution in the target volumes than in supine position. The crawl technique is a candidate methodology for further investigation for patients requiring breast and regional lymph node irradiation
Low-cost Kinect Version 2 imaging system for breath hold monitoring and gating: Proof of concept study for breast cancer VMAT radiotherapy

Voluntary inspiration breath hold (VIBH) for left breast cancer patients has been shown to be a safe and effective method of reducing radiation dose to the heart. Currently, VIBH protocol compliance is monitored visually. In this work, we establish whether it is possible to gate the delivery of radiation from an Elekta linac using the Microsoft Kinect version 2 (Kinect v2) depth sensor to measure a patient breathing signal. This would allow contactless monitoring during VMAT treatment, as an alternative to equipment–assisted methods such as active breathing control (ABC). Breathing traces were acquired from six left breast radiotherapy patients during VIBH. We developed a gating interface to an Elekta linac, using the depth signal from a Kinect v2 to control radiation delivery to a programmable motion platform following patient breathing patterns. Radiation dose to a moving phantom with gating was verified using point dose measurements and a Delta4 verification phantom. 60 breathing traces were obtained with an acquisition success rate of 100%. Point dose measurements for gated deliveries to a moving phantom agreed to within 0.5% of ungated delivery to a static phantom using both a conventional and VMAT treatment plan. Dose measurements with the verification phantom showed that there was a median dose difference of better than 0.5% and a mean (3% 3 mm) gamma index of 92.6% for gated deliveries when using static phantom data as a reference. It is possible to use a Kinect v2 device to monitor voluntary breath hold protocol compliance in a cohort of left breast radiotherapy patients. Furthermore, it is possible to use the signal from a Kinect v2 to gate an Elekta linac to deliver radiation only during the peak inhale VIBH phase