Showing papers by "Carleton University published in 1994"

The Psychology of Criminal Conduct

Abstract: Throughout the last decades the so-called Psychology of criminal conduct, which agglutinates scientific knowledge surrounding criminal phenomena, has been taking shape. We can find among the principal fields of interests an explanation for antisocial behaviour where learning theories, analyses of individual characteristics, strain-agression hypotheses, studies on social vinculation and crime, and the analyses of criminal careers are relevant. This last sector, also denominated ‘developmental criminology’, investigates the relationship between the beginning and maintenance of criminal activity and diverse risk predictors (singular and social, static and dynamic). Their results have had great relevance in the creation of crime prevention and treatment programs. Psychological treatments of offenders are aimed at the modification of those risk factors, known as ‘criminogenic needs’, which are considered to be directly related to their criminal activity. In particular, treatment programs attempt to provide criminals (whether juveniles, abusers, sexual aggressors, etc.) with new repertoires of prosocial behaviour, develop their thinking, regulate their choleric emotions, and prevent relapses or recidivisms in crime. Lastly, nowadays the Psychology of criminal conduct places special emphasis on the prediction and management of the risk for violent and antisocial behaviour, a field which will be addressed in a subsequent paper of this same monograph.

Conservation of fragmented populations

Abstract: In this paper we argue that landscape spatial structure is of central importance in understanding the ef- fects of fragmentation on population survival. Landscape spatial structure is the spatial relationships among habitat patches and the matrix in which they are embedded. Many general models of subdividedpopulations make the assump- tions that (1) all habitatpatches are equivalent in size and quality and (2) all local populations (in the patches) are equally accessible by dispersers. Models that gloss over spa- tial details of landscape structure can be useful for theoret- ical developments but will almost always be misleading when applied to real-world conservation problems. We show that local extinctions of fragmented populations are com- mon. From this it follows that recolonization of local ex- tinctions is criticalfor regional survival offragmented pop- ulations. The probability of recolonization depends on (1) spatial relationships among landscape elements used by the population, including habitat patches for breeding and ele- ments of the inter-patch matrix through which dispersers move, (2) dispersal characteristics of the organism of inter- est, and (3) temporal changes in the landscape structure. For endangered species, which are typically restricted in their dispersal range and in the kinds of habitat through which they can disperse, these factors are of primary importance and must be explicitly considered in management decisions.

Work-Family Conflict A Comparison by Gender, Family Type, and Perceived Control

Abstract: The objective of this research was to examine the relationships between the dependent variable of work-family conflict (operationalized as overload, work to family interference, family to work interference) and the independent variables of gender, family type, and perceived control. The sample consisted of 1,989 single-parent and dual-income employees with children ages 6 through 12. The findings indicated that individuals with higher perceived control have lower levels of overload and interference. Women had higher levels of overload and interference than did men. Single parents had similar levels of overload and interference from family to work as married individuals.

Intervalence Charge Transfer and Electron Exchange Studies of Dinuclear Ruthenium Complexes

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the theory of mixed-valence systems and theory of electron exchange. In the case of strong coupling, for which it is no longer appropriate to use perturbation theory, the interaction of states is so great that bonding and antibonding potential energy curves result. Because the ground state is delocalized between metal ions, it is not strictly appropriate to describe the intervalence transition band of a class III complex as a metal-to-metal charge transfer transition. The metal-to-metal charge transfer (MMCT) designation is used for the sake of simplicity. The dependence of intervalence transition energy on the activation barrier to thermal electron transfer allows the solvent dependence of intervalence transitions to be understood in terms of relationships developed for the Marcus Theory of electron transfer. The Hush model is the preferred method of analysis of mixed valence complexes for the experimentalist because of its readily understandable derivation, its overlap with the Marcus theory of electron transfer, and the facility of its application. However, it is applicable only to weakly coupled class II complexes. A quantitative theory that is applicable to all mixed valence complexes is desirable.

The calibration and resolution of confidence in perceptual judgments.

Abstract: Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontariot Canada Confidence rating based calibration and resolution indices were obtained in two experiments requiring perceptual comparisons and in a third with visual gap detection. Four important results were obtained. First, as in the general knowledge domain, subjects were underconfident when judgments were easy and overconfident when they were difficult. Second, paralleling the clear dependence of calibration on decisional difficulty, resolution decreased with increases in decision difficulty arising either from decreases in discriminability or from increasing demands for speed at the expense of accuracy. Third, providing trial-by-trial response feedback on difficult tasks improved resolution but had no effect on calibration. Fourth, subjects can accurately reportsubjective errors (i.e., trials in which they have indicated that they made an error) with their confidence ratings. It is also shown that the properties of decision time, conditionalized on confidence category, impose a rigorous set of constraints on theories of confidence calibration.

A Nitrogen-Fixing Endophyte of Sugarcane Stems (A New Role for the Apoplast).

Abstract: The intercellular spaces of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) stem parenchyma are filled with solution (determined by cryoscanning microscopy), which can be removed aseptically by centrifugation. It contained 12% sucrose (Suc; pH 5.5.) and yielded pure cultures of an acid-producing bacterium (approximately 104 bacteria/mL extracted fluid) on N-poor medium containing 10% Suc (pH 5.5). This bacterium was identical with the type culture of Acetobacter diazotrophicus, a recently discovered N2-fixing bacterium specific to sugarcane, with respect to nine biochemical and morphological characteristics, including acetylene reduction in air. Similar bacteria were observed in situ in the intercellular spaces. This demonstrates the presence of an N2-fixing endophyte living in apoplastic fluid of plant tissue and also that the fluid approximates the composition of the endophytes9s optimal culture medium. The apoplastic fluid occupied 3% of the stem volume; this approximates 3 tons of fluid/ha of the crop. This endogenous culture broth consisting of substrate and N2-fixing bacteria may be enough volume to account for earlier reports that some cultivars of sugarcane are independent of N fertilizers. It is suggested that genetic manipulation of apoplastic fluid composition may facilitate the establishment of similar symbioses with endophytic bacteria in other crop plants.

The Attitudes of Incest Offenders - Sexual Entitlement and Acceptance of Sex With Children

Abstract: The attitudes of child molesters often are considered to contribute to their offenses, and the accurate identification of these cognitive distortions can be important to assessment and treatment. Through the administration of a newly created questionnaire, the attitudes of 50 male incest offenders were compared with those of 25 male batterers and 25 men not seeking treatment. Compared to the other groups, the incest offenders showed deviant attitudes in three domains: (a) endorsing attitudes supportive of male sexual privilege (sexual entitlement), (b) perceiving children to be sexually attractive and sexually motivated, and (c) minimizing the harm caused by sexual abuse of children. Implications of the findings for theories of father-daughter incest are discussed.

Multiple identity enactments and multiple personality disorder: a sociocognitive perspective.

Abstract: People who enact multiple identities behave as if they possess 2 or more selves, each with its own characteristic moods, memories, and behavioral repertoire. Under different names, this phenomenon occurs in many cultures; in North American culture, it is frequently labeled multiple personality disorder (MPD). This article reviews experimental, cross-cultural, historical, and clinical findings concerning multiplicity and examines the implications of these findings for an understanding of MPD. Multiplicity is viewed from a sociocognitive perspective, and it is concluded that MPD, like other forms of multiplicity, is socially constructed. It is context bounded, goal-directed, social behavior geared to the expectations of significant others, and its characteristics have changed over time to meet changing expectations.

Model-independent global constraints on new physics.

Abstract: Using effective-Lagrangian techniques we perform a systematic survey of the lowest-dimension effective interactions through which heavy physics might manifest itself in present experiments. We do not restrict ourselves to special classes of effective interactions (such as "oblique" corrections). We compute the effects of these operators on all currently well-measured electroweak observables, both at low energies and at the $Z$ resonance, and perform a global fit to their coefficients. Despite the fact that a great many operators arise in our survey, we find that most are quite strongly bounded by the current data. We use our survey to systematically identify those effective interactions which are not well bounded by the data---these could very well include large new-physics contributions. Our results may also be used to efficiently confront specific models for new physics with the data, as we illustrate with an example.

Essential Components of Successful Rehabilitation Programs for Offenders

Abstract: A quantitative analysis of 44 rigorously controlled offender treatment studies, published between 1970 and 1991, was undertaken to determine if the factors suggested by previous reviewers to be essential to program success are in fact related to efficacy. The results indicated that only six factors were significantly associated with the efficacy of programs. These factors included: (a) a sound conceptual model; (b) multifaceted programming; (c) the targeting of "criminogenic needs"; (d) the responsivity principle; (e) roleplaying and modeling; and (f) social cognitive skills training. The study raised several questions about the adequacy of research on offender rehabilitation and about the validity of many assertions that have been made about the essential characteristics of effective programs.

Formation and stabilization of rhizosheaths of zea mays l. : effect of soil water content

Abstract: Field observations have shown that rhizosheaths of grasses formed under dry conditions are larger, more coherent, and more strongly bound to the roots than those formed in wet soils. We have quantified these effects in a model system in which corn (Zea mays L.) primary roots were grown through a 30-cm-deep prepared soil profile that consisted of a central, horizontal, “dry” (9% water content) or “wet” (20% water content) layer (4 cm thick) sandwiched between damp soil (15–17% water content). Rhizosheaths formed in dry layers were 5 times the volume of the subtending root. In wet layers, rhizosheaths were only 1.5 times the root volume. Fractions of the rhizosheath soil were removed from individual roots by three successive treatments; sonication, hot water, and abrasion. Sonication removed 50 and 90% of the soil from rhizosheaths formed in dry and wet soils, respectively. After the heat treatment, 35% of the soil still adhered to those root portions where rhizosheaths had developed in dry soil, compared with 2% where sheaths had formed in wet soil. Root hairs were 4.5 times more abundant and were more distorted on portions of roots from dry layers than from wet layers. Drier soil enhanced adhesiveness of rhizosheath mucilages and stimulated the formation of root hairs; both effects stabilize the rhizosheath. Extensive and stable rhizosheaths may function in nutrient acquisition in dry soils.

Small‐area estimation by combining time‐series and cross‐sectional data

Abstract: A model involving autocorrelated random effects and sampling errors is proposed for small-area estimation, using both time-series and cross-sectional data. The sampling errors are assumed to have a known block-diagonal covariance matrix. This model is an extension of a well-known model, due to Fay and Herriot (1979), for cross-sectional data. A two-stage estimator of a small-area mean for the current period is obtained under the proposed model with known autocorrelation, by first deriving the best linear unbiased prediction estimator assuming known variance components, and then replacing them with their consistent estimators. Extending the approach of Prasad and Rao (1986, 1990) for the Fay-Herriot model, an estimator of mean squared error (MSE) of the two-stage estimator, correct to a second-order approximation for a small or moderate number of time points, T, and a large number of small areas, m, is obtained. The case of unknown autocorrelation is also considered. Limited simulation results on the efficiency of two-stage estimators and the accuracy of the proposed estimator of MSE are presentes. Un modele impliquant des effets aleatoires autocorreles et des erreurs d'echantillonnages est propose pour l'estimation des petites surfaces, utilisant a la fois des series chronologiques et des donnees transversales. Les erreurs d'echantillonnages sont presumees avoir une matrice connue de variance-covariance bloc diagonale. Ce modele est une extension d'un modele bien connu du a Fay et Herriot (1979) pour donnees transversales. Un estimateur a deux niveaux pour la moyenne d'une petite surface pour la periode en cours est obtenu sous les hypotheses du modele propose avec autocorrelation connue, en derivant d'abord l'estimateur de la meilleure prediction lineaire non biaisee (MPLNB), en assumant connues les variances et en les remplacant par leurs estimateurs consistants. Generalisant l'approche de Prasad et Rao (1986, 1990) pour le modele de Fay-Herriot, on a obtenu un estimateur de l'erreur quadratique moyenne (EQM) de l'estimateur a deux niveaux, qui est une bonne approximation d'ordre deux lorsque le nombre de points dans le temps, T, est petit ou moderement grand, et que le nombre de petites surfaces, m, est relativement grand. Le cas ou l'autocorrelation est inconnue, est aussi considere. Des resultats limites bases sur des etudes de simulations et portant sur l'efficacite des estimateurs a deux niveaux et la precision de l'EQM, sont presentes.

Kant and the mind

Abstract: 1. The contemporary relevance of Kant's work 2. Kant's theory of the subject 3. Kant's conception of awareness and self-awareness 4. Kant's theory of apperceptive self-awareness 5. The mind in the Critique of Pure Reason 6. The first-edition subjective deduction: the object of 'one experience' 7. Kant's diagnosis of the Second Paralogism 8. The Third Paralogism: unity without identity over time 9. The second-edition subjective deduction: self-representing representations 10. Nature and awareness of the self.

Functional Categories and Acquisition Orders

Abstract: We analyzed some earlier studies of English L1 and L2 morpheme orders, basing our analysis on current functional categories theory. Our analysis meets two long-standing charges against morpheme order data; namely, that the heterogeneity of the morphemes does not yield up any insights into L2 acquisition and that the English language-based orders lack generalizability. We suggest that the salient differences between the L1 and the L2 orders reduce to a number of simple contrasts. These involve (a) the category-specific emergence of functional categories in L1 versus their cross-category development in L2; (b) an L2 ordering hinging crucially on the lexical head versus inflectional head distinction in L2 and its absence in L1; (c) the at least coequal, or possibly even spearheading, role that inflections play vis-a-vis free functional categories in L1 versus the earlier and independent emergence of the latter in L2; and (d) the apparently greater difficulty that affix-movement poses for L2 learners.

A Note on the Influence of Outliers on Parametric and Nonparametric Tests

Abstract: Extremely deviant scores, or outliers, reduce the probability of Type I errors of the Student t test and, at the same time, substantially increase the probability of Type II errors, so that power declines. The magnitude of the change depends jointly on the probability of occurrence of an outlier and its extremity, or its distance from the mean. Although outliers do not modify the probability of Type I errors of the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test, they nevertheless increase the probability of Type II errors and reduce power. The effect on this nonparametric test depends largely on the probability of occurrence and not the extremity. Because deviant scores influence the t test to a relatively greater extent, the nonparametric method acquires an advantage for outlier-prone densities despite its loss of power.

The classification of affine SU(3) modular invariant partition functions

Abstract: A complete classification of thephysical modular invariant partition functions for the WZNW models is known for very few affine algebras and levels, the most significant being all levels ofSU(2), and level 1 of all simple algebras. In this paper we solve the classification problem forSU(3) modular invariant partition functions, all levels. Our approach will also be applicable to other affine Lie algebras, and we include some preliminary work in that direction, including a sketch of a new proof forSU(2).

The advantage of long-distance clonal spreading in highly disturbed habitats

Abstract: Classical theory states that cover of annual plants should increase relative to perennials as disturbance frequency increases. However, it has been suggested that long-distance clonal spreading can allow some perennial plants to survive in highly disturbed areas by quickly spreading into disturbed patches. To evaluate these hypotheses, we analysed data of plant distributions in two different ecosystems, a barrier island and a short-grass steppe. The disturbances studied were sand deposition during storms (overwash) on the barrier island and grazing by cattle in the short-grass steppe. In each case the disturbance frequency varied over the ecosystem; we categorized different areas in terms of their disturbance frequencies. All plant species in each area were categorized as one of four plant life forms (1) annual or biennial, (2) herbaceous perennial without long-distance clonal spreading (3) herbaceous perennial with long-distance clonal spreading (i.e guerilla form) and (4) woody plant. Percentage cover of each plant life form in each disturbance frequency category was calculated. In both ecosystems, (1) there was an increase in the relative cover of annuals as one moved from areas of low to moderate disturbance frequencies, but then a decrease in cover of annuals as one moved into the areas of highest disturbance frequency and (2) the guerilla forms showed the greatest relative increase in cover from moderately to highly disturbed areas. The combination of two factors can explain this pattern: (1) long-distance clonal spreading effectively reduces the time to colonization of recently disturbed sites and (2) effects of the disturbances in these two systems are probably more severe for seeds than for stems. We illustrate these effects using a spatially explicit simulation model of the population dynamics of plants in a disturbed landscape.

Suppression of adjacent-channel, cochannel, and intersymbol interference by equalizers and linear combiners

Abstract: We describe the ability of a linear equalizer/combiner or decision-feedback equalizer to suppress all received adjacent-channel, intersymbol, and cochannel interference. The emphasis is on values among transmitter bandwidth, receiver bandwidth, carrier spacing, and antenna diversity which provide the best opportunities for interference suppression. Through analyses of the number of degrees of freedom and constraints in generalized zero-forcing equalizers, and partial comparisons to calculations of equalizer minimum-mean-square performance, four results are obtained. First, with one antenna and a linear equalizer, arbitrarily large receiver bandwidths allow for marginal improvements in spectral efficiency through decreased carrier spacing, because the carrier spacing cannot be reduced to a value below the symbol rate without incurring unsuppressible interference. Second, large receiver bandwidths assist multiple antennas in improving the spectral efficiency in that carrier spacing values may go below the symbol rate, even in the presence of cochannel interference. Third, the use of equalizers and linear combiners, together with large receiver bandwidths, allows large transmitter bandwidths to be used. Fourth, for cochannel interference and intersymbol interference, the number of interferers that may be suppressible by a generalized zero-forcing linear equalizer/combiner increases linearly with the product of the number of antennas and the truncated integer ratio of the total bandwidth to the symbol rate. >

Subduction-modified pelagic sediments as the enriched component in back-arc basalts from the Japan Sea: Ocean Drilling Program Sites 797 and 794

Abstract: Ocean Drilling Program Legs 127 and 128 in the Yamato Basin of the Japan Sea, a Miocene-age back-arc basin in the western Pacific Ocean, recovered incompatible-element-depleted and enriched tholeiitic dolerites and basalts from the basin floor, which provide evidence of a significant sedimentary component in their mantle source. Isotopically, the volcanic rocks cover a wide range of compositions (e.g., 87Sr/86Sr=0.70369–0.70503, 204Pb/204Pb=17.65–18.36) and define a mixing trend between a depleted mantle (DM) component and an enriched component with the composition of EM II. At Site 797, the combined isotope and trace element systematics support a model of two component mixing between depleted, MORB-like mantle and Pacific pelagic sediments. A best estimate of the composition of the sedimentary component has been determined by analyzing samples of differing lithology from DSDP Sites 579 and 581 in the western Pacific, east of the Japan arc. The sediments have large depletions in the high field strength elements and are relatively enriched in the large-ion-lithophile elements, including Pb. These characteristics are mirrored, with reduced amplitudes, in Japan Sea enriched tholeiites and northeast Japan arc lavas, which strengthens the link between source enrichment and subducted sediments. However, Site 579/581 sediments have higher LILE/REE and lower HFSE/REE than the enriched component inferred from mixing trends at Site 797. Sub-arc devolatilization of the sediments is a process that will lower LILE/REE and raise HFSE/REE in the residual sediment, and thus this residual sediment may serve as the enriched component in the back-arc basalt source. Samples from other potential sources of an enriched. EM II-like component beneath Japan, such as the subcontinental lithosphere or crust, have isotopic compositions which overlap those of the Japan Sea tholeiites and are not “enriched” enough to be the EM II end-member.

Planing frozen hydrated plant specimens for SEM observation and EDX microanalysis

Abstract: A procedure is described for forming a flat face on a frozen piece of plant tissue, which may then be observed fully-hydrated or lightly etched, and coated or uncoated with a metal film, in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The frozen sample was planed with a glass knife at -80°C in cryo-ultramicrotome. The sections were discarded, and the planed block face placed on the cold stage in the microscope column, either for observation uncoated at low kV, or for light etching (-90°C) to reveal the cell outlines. If a higher accelerating voltage was needed, the face was given an evaporative coating of Al in the cryo-preparation chamber and returned to the column. The advantages of the planed face over the usual fracture face are illustrated: imaging at a chosen rather than a chance position; clearer cellular and subcellular detail; preservation of hydrated gels like mucilage and swollen cell walls; the possibility of making serial parallel sections through the same piece of tissue; opportunities for accurate morphometric analyses on the planed face; capacity to produce longitudinal sections; preservation of very delicate structures that are destroyed by fixation and drying. A major advantage of the Al-coated planed face is the increased accuracy of energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalyses on a smooth rather than a rough surface. Tests are included which show that neither the light etching employed, nor successive planing, interferes with the analyses of elements in the frozen face.

Risk-taking by female ducks: intra- and interspecific tests of nest defense theory

Abstract: We tested several predictions of nest defense theory by observing variation in flushing distance and probability of nest abandonment within and between six species of waterfowl. In these species, only the females incubate eggs and attend offspring. First, we examined whether flushing distance by females varied in relation to clutch size, stage of incubation, and time of season, after controlling for the number of visits made to nests by observers. Revisits by observers appeared to affect flushing distance by females for reasons unrelated to the relative value of the current clutch. We found that as incubation progressed, females allowed observers to approach more closely before flushing from the nest. In some species, females with larger clutches allowed closer approaches to nests before flushing which was also consistent with nest defense theory. In contrast, time of season (Julian date) did not relate to flushing distance for any species. When species were compared, we found that species with moderate to high yearly mortality and high reproductive output per breeding attempt (e.g., northern shoveler and blue-winged teal) were less likely to abandon nesting attempts and exhibited “riskier” behavior (remained at nests when approached closely by observers) than species that had lower yearly mortality (e.g., mallard). Our results show that flushing distance and patterns of nest abandonment by female ducks conform to several predictions of nest defense theory.

Effects of forest fragmentation on the spatial genetic structure of Acer saccharum Marsh. (sugar maple) populations

Abstract: Effects of forest fragmentation on the spatial genetic structure of Acer saccharum Marsh. (sugar maple) populations

The branch roots of Zea

Abstract: SUMMARY The late metaxylem (LMX) in the first-order branch roots of maize matures slowly. Fully lignified elements remain as individual cells of mean diameter 67 μm and length about 2 mm for considerable distances proximal from the tip of branches that retain an active meristem (indeterminate branches). Such branches, depending on their age, have from 0 to 45%, of the Total length of LMX conduits mature and open for unrestricted conduction of the transpiration stream. In determinate branches (those that have lost their meristem), up to 60% of LMX length is open for conduction. The closed portion of the xylem conduits is at the distal end of the branches. In both indeterminate, and the youngest determinate branches, immature, living xylem elements provide the block in the conduits. Later, progressive decay in the determinate branches passes basipetally beyond the immature elements, bus the distal ends of the conduits remain closed, plugged initially by mucilaginous materials apparently of root origin, and subsequently by invading microbes. It is proposed that the closed ends of the xylem conduits restrict leakage from the more proximal regions, and also prevent their blockage by embolisms. The presence of mature LMX conduits open for unrestricted water conduction is consistent with the major role in water uptake assigned to the branch roots in earlier studies.

Federalism and the growth of government revisited

Abstract: Recent research in public economics has been testing for a relationship in federal states between the decentralization of governments and the total and individual size of government shares in GNP. According to one view, economic theory offers no unambiguous empirical predictions. Provided there is a competitive political environment at each government level, the rivalry between political parties will result in an outcome that conforms approximately to the preferences of the citizens, as interpreted in the conventional median-voter model. Under this scenario, it is not certain what differences might be caused by more decentralization (Oates, 1985). To determine any difference we would have to possess considerable knowledge about the distribution of tastes and the location of the populace. It has been hypothesized, nevertheless, that increased decentralization could result in a higher level of government expenditure. Quoting the economic historian John Wallis, Oates(1985: 749) suggests that "since individuals have more control over public decisions at the local than at the state or national level, they will wish to empower the public sector with a wider range of functions and responsibility where these activities are carried out at more localizedlevels of government."