Efficacy of standard deviational ellipses in the application of criminal geographic profiling

The premise for this study is that the physical and cultural landscape has a deterministic effect on the location and distribution of serial crime. As a consequence, the distribution of linked crime scenes should exhibit a shape and orientation that is consistent with the underlying landscape. Geographic Profiling models that are able to account for these effects will provide more accurate results than those models that do not. Utilizing basic geographic principles of central tendency and spatial diffusion, this research first analyzed the output of circular and elliptical profile models generated for 30 serial burglaries (n = 164) and 67 serial robberies (n = 370) in Baltimore, Maryland between 1994 and 1997. A comparative analysis of the model output reveals that the Standard Deviational Ellipse is significantly (p = 0.000) better able to predict the home location of a serial offender than profiles generated from circles. Next, the relationship between the orientation of elliptical profiles and the mean linear orientation of the corresponding landscape was assessed to reveal a moderate but significant correlation (r = 0.511, p < 0.001). Together, these findings demonstrate that landscape does impact the locations of crime, and is a measurable parameter that can improve the efficacy of geographic profiling. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Circle of Security parenting program efficacy for improving parental self-efficacy in a South African setting: Preliminary evidence

This pilot study examined the cross-cultural transportability of a western Circle of Security (COS) parenting program to improve on levels of parental self-efficacy in a South African setting. Participants (n = 9) were sampled from a fishing community on the West Coast of South Africa. The participants completed the COS with pre-test and post-test measures of their parenting self-efficacy. Furthermore, they completed an open-ended measure of their satisfaction with the parenting program. The data were analysed using the Wilcoxon sign-rank test and the Sign test to determine the significance in differences between pre-to-post-test change scores. In addition, a thematic analysis was conducted on participant’s satisfaction with the parenting program. Results indicated significant and possible change scores for the efficacy scores: ability to handle parenting pressures, control, and learning. The participants considered the COS program appropriate to their context and situation. These preliminary findings support the need for further study of the COS parenting program within the broader context of South Africa.     

Continuous and Discontinuous Drawing: High Temporal Variability Exists Only in Discontinuous Circling in Young Children

The authors studied whether the drawing variability in young children is best explicable by (a) demands on the explicit timing system, (b) an underdeveloped ability to control limb dynamics, or (c) both. The explicit timing demands were lower in continuous drawing in comparison with the discontinuous task. The authors manipulated limb dynamics by changing the number of joints involved, with line drawing requiring fewer joints than circle drawing. Results showed that young children had high temporal variability in discontinuous circling but not in other conditions. The authors argue that both explicit timing and dynamic complexity of limb control may be determinants of temporal consistency and may thus play an important role in the development of drawing and writing skills in children.     

品管圈对卒中偏瘫患者肢体功能锻炼的效果观察

探讨品管圈活动在卒中偏瘫患者肢体功能锻炼中的应用效果。将66例患者随机分为对照组（常规锻炼组）和试验组（品管圈组）,分别行不同模式的功能锻炼。采用康复护理日常生活活动（RNADL）量表分别对其日常生活活动能力（ADL）进行评定。试验组自理能力高于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）,且其依从性与对照组比较,差异有统计学意义（P〈O．05）。品管圈有助于提高卒中偏瘫患者功能锻炼的依从性。     

5～9岁儿童极限概念认知发展的实验研究

皮亚杰(1985)认为儿童非要到11或12岁时才能掌握极限的概念。这个观点十分让人感兴趣,然而在众多文献中却很难发现相关研究。本研究运用实验法研究了5、6、7、9四组儿童的极限概念。结果表明:儿童在极限概念的发展存在两个快速期,即5~6岁和6~7岁;5岁儿童处于极限概念萌芽状态,6岁儿童有了部分极限概念,7岁儿童极限概念有了进一步发展但不稳定;9岁儿童开始接近有了极限概念,但仍未到达完全理解。本研究结果支持了皮亚杰的相关观点。     

Aristotle's Thesis between paraconsistency and modalization

If the arrow → stands for classical relevant implication, Aristotle's Thesis ¬(A→¬A) is inconsistent with the Law of Simplification (AB)→B accepted by relevantists, but yields an inconsistent non-trivial extension of the system of entailment E. Such paraconsistent extensions of relevant logics have been studied by R. Routley, C. Mortensen and R. Brady. After examining the semantics associated to such systems, it is stressed that there are nonclassical treatments of relevance which do not support Simplification. The paper aims at showing that Aristotle's Thesis may receive a sense if the arrow is defined as strict implication endowed with the proviso that the clauses of the conditional have the same modal status, i.e. the same position in the Aristotelian square. It is so grasped, in different form, the basic idea of relevant logic that the clauses of a true conditional should have something in common. It is proved that thanks to such definition of the arrow Aristotle's Thesis subjoined to the minimal normal system K yields a system equivalent to the deontic system KD.     

SYNCRETISM OR CORRELATION: TEILHARD AND TILLICH'S CONTRASTING METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO SCIENCE AND THEOLOGY

Abstract. I revisit Paul Tillich's theological methodology and contrast his practice of correlation with the syncretistic methodological practices of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. I argue that the method of correlation, as referred to in Robert John Russell's 2001 Zygon article, fails to uphold Tillich's self‐limitation of his own methodology with regard to Tillich's insistence upon the theological circle. I assert that the theological circle, as taken from Tillich's Systematic Theology I, is a central facet within his methodology and that this often‐ignored concept needs to be resuscitated if one is to remain authentically Tillichian in one's approach to the science‐and‐theology dialogue.     

论汉末经学的反复:以郑玄、王肃为例

东汉末,雄居汉代统治思想宝座二百余年的官方正宗学术的经学开始走向衰亡,经学的衰亡成为历史的必然,经学衰微的总趋势是任何人也改变不了的,但是从某一历史局部来看,这时候经学却出现一统的盛世,即历史上所谓的"郑玄时代",为什么呢?从思想学术发展的自身规律去看,任何一种思想学术的聚与散都不同于其他事物,有着区别于其他事物的显著特征,那就是即便是体现着共同旨趣的学术群体瓦解了,或者所主张的学术思潮处于低潮而被世人所淡忘、冷落,但只要它曾经是流行于世的学术潮流,它就不可能完全消逝,而是以一种崭新的面貌或其他的形式再现于世的.换而言之,它们是不会轻易退出历史舞台的.这个道理同样适用于经学.在从经学到玄学的演进过程中,并不是一帆风顺的,中间有些反复也是很自然的.我们把这一特定的历史阶段叫着"经学的反复",而在这一阶段中,又以郑玄、王肃最具代表性,所以我们以他们俩为例加以说明.     

Passion,grit and mindset in young adults: Exploring the relationship and gender differences

The main aim of the study was to explore the associations between passion, grit and mindset in a group of young Icelandic adults. The sample consisted of 146 participants. The eight item Passion Scale was used to assess passion, and the Grit-S scale was used to assess grit. Mindset was measured with the Theories of Intelligence Scale (TIS). The scale has 8-items.The results show significant difference between female and male in the passion factor only, in favor of males. In addition the results indicated a significant correlation between all factors for the group as a whole; passion and grit, r = .435; passion and mindset, r = .260; grit and mindset, r = .274. The results for the gender separate indicate a same pattern for the females, significant correlation between all the factors; passion – grit, r = .382, passion-mindset, r = . 299 and grit-mindset, r = .356. For the males the pattern was different. Significant correlation was between passion-grit, r = .500 and for passion-mindset r =.260. For grit-mindset there was not significant correlation r = .215. The results indicate gender differences in associations between passion, grit and mindset.     

Behavioural coherence in group robbery: a circumplex model of offender and victim interactions

The behaviour of offenders and victims in 116 cases of group robbery (61 commercial, 55 personal) was examined. Four interpersonal themes were evident: dominance, submission, co‐operation and hostility. These themes are governed by the principles of complementarity such that offender dominance elicits victim submission (reciprocity) and vice versa, while co‐operative offenders tend to elicit victim co‐operation (correspondence). Hostile offences were hypothesised as eliciting hostility in victims, but few victims in the sample demonstrated active resistance. The existence of behavioural themes suggests that offenders within the same group behave in a homogenous fashion, which is explained by reference to group norms and processes of modelling. Further, differences in interpersonal themes were evident between commercial and personal robberies. Commercial robberies tend to involve greater levels of co‐operation than personal robberies, while personal robberies involve more hostility than commercial robberies. This is discussed in terms of situational and motivational elements of the robberies. Aggr. Behav. 32:330–342, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.