Single Incident Research Articles

Counter-Terrorizing: The Use of Torture in Peru's Counterterrorism Campaign

In this article I identify and evaluate numerous reasons why torture became common practice during the state counterterrorism campaign in Peru between 1980 and 2000, despite international and domestic legal obligations to protect human rights. I describe common structural conditions, organizational factors, and individual-level explanations often associated with torture practices. I then identify seven logics and motivations behind torture use in counterterrorism campaigns. I describe and analyze actual torture use in Peru using quantitative incident-level data, and I provide descriptive statistics concerning variation in the frequency and methods of torture. Finally, I examine specific incidents of torture to illustrate and assess the different logics and motivations for torture. I draw heavily from testimonies collected by Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I also rely on personal interviews carried out during fieldwork in the Junín and Ayacucho regions of Peru. I find that aggregate torture incidents generally coincide with political developments and shifts in violence levels and that the various state security forces used torture differently. A review of testimonies regarding specific incidents of torture suggests that multiple logics motivate state security forces, even for a single incident of torture, complicating academic efforts to formulate a parsimonious causal explanation.

Understanding the role of dysfunctional post-trauma cognitions in the co-occurrence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Two trauma samples

This report focuses on the co-occurrence of PTSD-GAD and examines a factor that could operate to maintain both conditions, specifically negative post-trauma cognitions about the self, the world, and self-blame. Two separate help-seeking samples were examined: (a) a mixed gender sample of 301 individuals who had experienced a serious motor vehicle accident (MVA), a single incident, non-interpersonal trauma; and (b) a sample of 157 women who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), a recurrent, interpersonal trauma. When examined at the diagnostic level, posttraumatic cognitions for one diagnosis did not vary as a function of whether the other diagnosis was present. In the MVA sample, both diagnosed PTSD and GAD were associated with elevations in negative thoughts about the self. Diagnosed GAD was also significantly associated with negative thoughts about the world. In the IPV sample, diagnosed PTSD was associated with elevations in negative thoughts about the self only. When continuously measured PTSD and GAD were examined, results indicated that negative thoughts about the self showed significant simultaneous associations with PTSD and GAD in both samples. In the MVA sample, negative thoughts about the world and self-blame showed significant associations with PTSD but not with GAD. In the IPV sample, negative thoughts about the world and self-blame were not significantly associated with either PTSD or GAD. Results are discussed in light of current treatment models for these conditions, with emphasis on the potential for addressing transdiagnostic processes as a more effective approach to treating comorbid conditions following trauma.

Impulsivity and aggression in schizophrenia: a neural circuitry perspective with implications for treatment.

Elevations of impulsive behavior have been observed in a number of serious mental illnesses. These phenomena can lead to harmful behaviors, including violence, and thus represent a serious public health concern. Such violence is often a reason for psychiatric hospitalization, and it often leads to prolonged hospital stays, suffering by patients and their victims, and increased stigmatization. Despite the attention paid to violence, little is understood about its neural basis in schizophrenia. On a psychological level, aggression in schizophrenia has been primarily attributed to psychotic symptoms, desires for instrumental gain, or impulsive responses to perceived personal slights. Often, multiple attributions can coexist during a single aggressive incident. In this review, I discuss the neural circuitry associated with impulsivity and aggression in schizophrenia, with an emphasis on implications for treatment. Impulsivity appears to account for a great deal of aggression in schizophrenia, especially in inpatient settings. Urgency, defined as impulsivity in the context of strong emotion, is the primary focus of this article. It is elevated in several psychiatric disorders, and in schizophrenia, it has been related to aggression. Many studies have implicated dysfunctional frontotemporal circuitry in impulsivity and aggression in schizophrenia, and pharmacological treatments may act via that circuitry to reduce urgency and aggressive behaviors; however, more mechanistic studies are critically needed. Recent studies point toward manipulable neurobehavioral targets and suggest that cognitive, pharmacological, neuromodulatory, and neurofeedback treatment approaches can be developed to ameliorate urgency and aggression in schizophrenia. It is hoped that these approaches will improve treatment efficacy.

Tunable, nonlinear Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer

We investigate the two-photon scattering properties of a Jaynes-Cummings (JC) nonlinearity consisting of a two-level system (qubit) interacting with a single mode cavity, which is coupled to two waveguides, each containing a single incident photon wave packet initially. In this scattering setup, we study the interplay between the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect arising due to quantum interference and effective photon-photon interactions induced by the presence of the qubit. We calculate the two-photon scattering matrix of this system analytically and identify signatures of interference and interaction in the second order auto- and cross-correlation functions of the scattered photons. In the dispersive regime, when qubit and cavity are far detuned from each other, we find that the JC nonlinearity can be used as an almost linear, in-situ tunable beam splitter giving rise to ideal Hong-Ou-Mandel interference, generating a highly path-entangled two-photon NOON state of the scattered photons. The latter manifests itself in strongly suppressed waveguide cross-correlations and Poissonian photon number statistics in each waveguide. If the two-level system and the cavity are on resonance, the JC nonlinearity strongly modifies the ideal HOM conditions leading to a smaller degree of path entanglement and sub-poissonian photon number statistics. In the latter regime, we find that photon blockade is associated with bunched auto-correlations in both waveguides, while a two-polariton resonance can lead to bunched as well as anti-bunched correlations.

Safety of intravenous β-adrenoceptor blockers for computed tomographic coronary angiography.

To assess the safety of our clinical practice using off-label intravenous metoprolol to facilitate computed tomographic (CT) coronary angiography. A retrospective analysis of scan reports and hospital admissions data was conducted to identify adverse events occurring following CT coronary angiography in patients who had received intravenous metoprolol prior to the scan. A total of 3098 patients were included, of whom 1871 received intravenous metoprolol. Nine hundred and one patients received more than 15 mg and 129 patients received metoprolol despite a resting heart rate <65 beats min(-1) . There was a single adverse incident, comprising transient loss of consciousness. The use of intravenous metoprolol to facilitate cardiac CT scanning appears safe. Dose limits recommended for other indications, generally in acutely unwell patients, may not need to be as stringent in this population.

Multiplicity of transmission coefficients in photonic crystal and split ring resonator waveguides with Kerr nonlinear impurities

Photonic crystal and split ring resonator (SRR) metamaterial waveguides with Kerr nonlinear dielectric impurities are studied. The transmission coefficients for two guided modes of different frequencies scattering from the Kerr impurities are computed. The systems are shown to exhibit multiple transmission coefficient solutions arising from the Kerr nonlinearity. Multiple transmission coefficients occur when different input intensities into a waveguide result in the same transmitted output intensities past its nonlinear impurities. (In the case of a single incident guided mode the multiplicity of transmission coefficients is known as optical bistability.) The analytical conditions under which the transmission coefficients are single and multiple valued are determined, and specific examples of both single and multiple valued transmission coefficient scattering are presented. Both photonic crystal and split ring resonator systems are studied as the Kerr nonlinearity enters the photonic crystal and SRR systems in different ways. This allows for an interesting comparison of the differences in behaviors of these two types of system which are described by distinctly different mathematical structures. Both the photonic crystal and SRR models used in the calculations are based on a difference equation approach to the system dynamics. The difference equation approach has been extensively employed in previous papers to model the basic properties of these systems. The paper is a continuation of work on the optical bistability of single guided modes interacting with Kerr impurities in photonic crystals originally considered by McGurn [Chaos 13, 754 (2003)] and work on the resonant scattering from Kerr impurities in photonic crystal waveguides considered by McGurn [J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 16, S5243 (2004)]. It generalizes this work making the extension to the more complex interaction of two guided modes at different frequencies. It extends the two guided mode treatment by McGurn [Organ. Electron. 8, 227 (2007)] which was limited to a special case of one of the photonic crystal systems considered here.

REMEMBERING THE MODOC WAR: Redemptive Violence and the Making of American Innocence by Boyd Cothran (review)

Reviewed by: REMEMBERING THE MODOC WAR: Redemptive Violence and the Making of American Innocence by Boyd Cothran Robert E. Walls REMEMBERING THE MODOC WAR: Redemptive Violence and the Making of American Innocence. By Boyd Cothran. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 2014. There has been much written lately about past Indian wars, massacres, mass executions, and vigilante justice—from Sand Creek to Camp Grant to the Mankato hangings to the lynching of Louie Sam in the Pacific Northwest. Indeed, it is about time we sought a more critical understanding of these injustices on our landscapes of violence, and how these past events have been distilled through collective memory and the rewritings of Native and settler history. To this body of recent work—conducted in the shadow of 9/11, our own national trauma—we now add Boyd Cothran’s examination of the Modoc War of 1872–73 in the volcanic-contoured terrain of the Klamath Basin. The author’s objective, in large part, is to dissect a violent episode in Indian-White relations and “interrogate the nature of innocence and its uses as well as its persistence and prevalence in American history” (7). Grounded in Judeo-Christian symbolism, and manifested early in the Puritan City on the Hill, innocence has been repeatedly invoked in nationalistic narratives and claims to destiny, exceptionalism, and the need for aggressive militancy. When Captain Jack and his Modoc followers resisted containment on a reservation and subsequently engaged U.S. troops, killing General Edward Canby during peace negotiations, he and three other Native men [End Page 166] were captured and executed, initiating a century-long process of historical knowledge production about the war in “marketplaces of remembering.” The author analyzes these marketplaces—newspapers, dramatic Indian show performances, books, reenactments, museums, local resource economies, petitions, tourism—as sites in which historical remembrances are made and remade, circulating in networks of exchange and commodification, “part of the commercialization of everyday life” (14). Non-Native dominance of these networks ensured that most Americans consumed remembrances of Modoc savagery and newcomer victimhood that justified violence in westward expansion, but obscured its underlying political and economic roots. The result has been a thickly mediated transformation of a single incident of “ethnic cleansing” into an enduring redemptive narrative of American innocence. Even recent remembrances—such as National Park Service commemorations—in which multiculturalism serves as vehicle for reconciliation, cannot escape perpetuating the theme of settler innocence, as the process of reparations obligates living Modoc to forgive those in the past and assume a shared blame for the historical violence, while continuing inequities are forgotten. Cothran demonstrates an impressive command of sources, helping him to illustrate his argument persuasively, and he is bold in his critique of historians’ own role in selectively remembering the war. Perhaps most valuable is the author’s use of personal interviews, archival research, and close readings of Native-authored written records to emphasize the agency of individual Modocs in shaping marketplace remembrances past and present. His descriptions of Toby Riddle and her stage appearances in public lectures soon after the war as a type of “Pocahontas of the Lava Beds” and Jeff Riddle’s often ignored historical narrative on the war’s origin, published in 1914, provide wonderful insights to indigenous people’s intellectual engagement with the making of historical knowledge to challenge settler colonialism. These culturally complex discussions help make this book an excellent contribution to Native American Studies, as well as to any deliberations on the market value of memory and the rhetorical regeneration of American innocence. Robert E. Walls University of Notre Dame Copyright © 2015 Mid-America American Studies Association

Non-linear incidental dynamics of frame structures

A simulation of failures on responsible elements is only one form of the extreme structural behavior analysis. By understanding the dynamic behavior in incidental situations, it is possible to make a special structural design from the point of the largest axial force, stress and redundancy. The numerical realization of one such simulation analysis was performed using FEM in this paper. The boundary parameters of transient analysis, such as overall structural damping coefficient, load accelerations, time of load fall and internal forces in the responsible structural elements, were determined on the basis of the dynamic experimental parameters. The structure eigenfrequencies were determined in modal analysis. In the study, the basic incidental models were set. The models were identified by many years of monitoring incidental situations and the most frequent human errors in work with heavy structures. The combined load models of structure are defined in the paper since the incidents simply arise as consequences of cumulative errors and failures. A feature of a combined model is that the single incident causes the next incident (consecutive timing) as well as that other simple dynamic actions are simultaneous. The structure was observed in three typical load positions taken from the crane passport (range-load). The obtained dynamic responses indicate the degree of structural sensitivity depending on the character of incident. The dynamic coefficient KD was adopted as a parameter for the evaluation of structural sensitivity.

A descriptive model of the offence chain for imprisoned adult male firesetters (descriptive model of adult male firesetting)

PurposeFiresetting has devastating consequences. Although some theoretical efforts have been made to explain firesetting (i.e., a small number of multi‐ and single‐factor theories), little effort has been devoted to understand how deliberate firesetting unfolds across time (i.e., micro or offence chain theories). This research aimed to produce the first descriptive offence chain theory for incarcerated adult male firesetters.MethodsThirty‐eight adult male firesetters – recruited from prison establishments in England and Wales – were interviewed about the events, thoughts, and feelings leading up to, surrounding, and immediately following a deliberate incident of firesetting.ResultsUsing grounded theory analysis, the descriptive model of adult male firesetting (DMAF) was developed documenting the cognitive, behavioural, affective, and contextual factors leading to a single incident of deliberate firesetting.ConclusionsNew information generated from the DMAF is presented and its contributions to the current evidence base are highlighted. Clinical implications, limitations, and future research directions are also discussed.

Violence against children and adolescents: the importance of knowledge of the spectrum of bruise colors in its diagnosis

One of the violence types more observed against children is the physical abuse, which produces many types of traumatic injuries. Contusions are common trauma signs and may indicate aggression when frequently present in locations where accidental injuries are rare. Contusions in skin undergo color changes with the passage of time, and such change in color is called “spectrum of bruise colors of Legrand du Saulle”. Thus, it is possible to estimate the age of the lesion based on the evaluation of color. Injuries caused by child abuse often reach regions of head, face and neck, because they are exposed and easily accessible. Therefore, the dentist is responsible with regard to the diagnosis and the actions to be undertaken against the cases of child abuse. Objective: To present and discuss the significance of the spectrum of bruise colors as a considerable visible trace in suspicion of violence against children and adolescents, during dentists’ clinical routine. Literature review:The study of the “spectrum of bruise colors of Legrand du Saulle” refers to the estimation of the age of the injury, in respect to the color change. The application of this study is of great value for identify if a lesion occurred from a single incident or from multiple incidents, especially in cases where it occurs in the same region of the body, indicative of repetitive trauma. Conclusion: The spectrum of bruise colors is very important for health professionals, such as dentists, for the identification or suspicion of cases of abuse against children and adolescents. As great part of the lesions originated of abuse involve the areas of head and neck, it is unacceptable that these professionals are unaware of the basic signs to help in early diagnosis, which is the case of the colors of the lesions. However, concerning the chronology of the spectrum of bruise colors, it is not possible to establish rigorous times.

Sunflower white blister rust – Host specificity and fungicide effects on infectivity and early infection stages

White blister rust is an economically important emerging disease of sunflower caused by Pustula helianthicola. Knowledge on the host range of the pathogen particularly on different Helianthus species and its relative cultivars is of high relevance for disease management. Natural infection in the field on 13 sunflower genotypes with differentiating resistance against sunflower downy mildew (Plasmopara halstedii) showed high susceptibility to P. helianthicola which was independent from the resistance against downy mildew. Similarly, numerous commercial sunflower lines used in Europe showed high susceptibility to white blister rust in the field. Leaf disk inoculation with sporangia of a single spore strain of P. helianthicola confirmed full susceptibility of these genotypes, whereas wild species of Helianthus could not be infected under the controlled conditions except for a single incident observed with Helianthus praecox. Investigation of pre and post penetration events on the leaf surface of selected Helianthus annuus cultivars and wild species revealed that zoospore discharge, encystment and germ tube development occurred similarly on cultivars and wild species. But in the latter no germ tube penetration of the stomata was found and no hyphal or haustoria development was observed after 72–96 hours post inoculation (hpi) in wild species. Studies on the effect of different fungicides showed that the phenylamide metalaxyl-M and the strobilurin azoxystrobin inhibited the infection of seedlings at 1 and 2 μg/mL concentration, respectively, whereas the carboxylic acid amide dimethomorph required ca. a 10 fold higher concentration. With the plant strengthener BABA more than 40% of the plants were infected even at 200 μg/mL treatments. These results corroborated with the effects on early developmental stages of the pathogen (zoospore discharge, encystment, and germ tube development) in host independent experiments. Our results suggest that fungicides provide an effective measure for controlling sunflower white blister rust. However, considering the residual effect of chemicals and the possibility of developing fungicide resistance, breeding for resistant genotypes appears to be a more promising way for long lasting and sustainable disease management.

Sexual violence in the lives of first-year university women in Canada: no improvements in the 21st century.

BackgroundSummarizes the frequency, type, and context of sexual assault in a large sample of first-year university women at three Canadian universities.MethodsAs part of a randomized controlled trial assessing the efficacy of a sexual assault resistance education program, baseline data were collected from women between ages of 17 and 24 using computerized surveys. Participants’ experience with sexual victimization since the age of 14 years was assessed using the Sexual Experiences Survey--Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV).ResultsAmong 899 first-year university women (mean age = 18.5 years), 58.7% (95% CI: 55.4%, 62.0%) had experienced one or more forms of victimization since the age of 14 years, 35.0% (95% CI: 31.9%, 38.3%) had experienced at least one completed or attempted rape, and 23.5% (95% CI: 20.7%, 26.4%) had been raped. Among the 211 rape victims, 46.4% (95% CI: 39.7%, 53.2%) had experienced more than one type of assault (oral, vaginal, anal) in a single incident or across multiple incidents. More than three-quarters (79.6%; 95% CI: 74.2%, 85.1%) of the rapes occurred while women were incapacitated by alcohol or drugs. One-third (33.3%) of women had previous self-defence training, but few (4.0%) had previous sexual assault education.ConclusionsFindings from the first large Canadian study of university women since the 1990s indicate that a large proportion of women arrive on campuses with histories of sexual victimization, and they are generally unprepared for the perpetrators they may face during their academic years. There is an urgent need for effective rape prevention programs on university campuses.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01338428. Registered 13 April 2011.

One lithium level >1.0 mmol/L causes an acute decline in eGFR: findings from a retrospective analysis of a monitoring database

ObjectivesLithium is a mainstay of bipolar disorder treatment, however, there are still differences in opinion on the effects of lithium use on renal function. The aim of this analysis was...

Impact of a predefined hospital mass casualty response plan in a limited resource setting with no pre-hospital care system

IntroductionPre-hospital triage is an intricate part of any mass casualty response system. However, in settings where no such system exists, it is not known if hospital-based disaster response efforts are beneficial. This study describes in-hospital disaster response management and patient outcomes following a mass casualty event (MCE) involving 200 victims in a lower-middle income country in South Asia. MethodsWe performed a single-center, retrospective review of bombing victims presenting to a trauma center in the spring of 2013, after a high energy car bomb leveled a residential building. Descriptive analysis was utilized to present demographic variables and physical injuries. ResultsA disaster plan was devised based on the canons of North-American trauma care; some adaptations to the local environment were incorporated. Relevant medical and surgical specialties were mobilized to the ED awaiting a massive influx of patients. ED waiting room served as the triage area. Operating rooms, ICU and blood bank were alerted. Seventy patients presented to the ED. Most victims (88%) were brought directly without prehospital triage or resuscitation. Four were pronounced dead on arrival. The mean age of victims was 27 (±14) years with a male preponderance (78%). Penetrating shrapnel injury was the most common mechanism of injury (71%). Most had a systolic blood pressure (SBP) >90 with a mean of 120.3 (±14.8). Mean pulse was 90.2 (±21.6) and most patients had full GCS. Extremities were the most common body region involved (64%) with orthopedics service being consulted most frequently. Surgery was performed on 36 patients, including 4 damage control surgeries. All patients survived. ConclusionThis overwhelming single mass-casualty incident was met with a swift multidisciplinary response. In countries with no prehospital triage system, implementing a pre-existing disaster plan with pre-defined interdisciplinary responsibilities can streamline in-hospital management of casualties.

Pose estimation using time-resolved inversion of diffuse light.

We present a novel approach for evaluation of position and orientation of geometric shapes from scattered time-resolved data. Traditionally, imaging systems treat scattering as unwanted and are designed to mitigate the effects. Instead, we show here that scattering can be exploited by implementing a system based on a femtosecond laser and a streak camera. The result is accurate estimation of object pose, which is a fundamental tool in analysis of complex scenarios and plays an important role in our understanding of physical phenomena. Here, we experimentally show that for a given geometry, a single incident illumination point yields enough information for pose estimation and tracking after multiple scattering events. Our technique can be used for single-shot imaging behind walls or through turbid media.

New scheme for dual readout of dose in polycrystalline Li2B4O7 irradiated with synchrotron X-rays from Indus-2

A new thermoluminescent (TL) dosimeter readout scheme was developed which allows for the measurement of both the single incident dose and the accumulated dose from multiple irradiations, through a novel dual readout procedure. Undoped, Mn doped and Cu doped polycrystalline Li2B4O7 pallets were irradiated by synchrotron X-rays from Indus-2 with different dose. Thermoluminescence glow curves were taken at various heating rates. Two glow peaks were observed in each sample. TL intensities of different samples were compared and it was found that TL counts are more in Cu doped Li2B4O7 sample. TL counts under each peak were calculated and a fixed ratio for two peaks was obtained. A new method of reading out the two peaks separately was formalized, allowing for greater flexibility in the use of TL based personnel dose monitoring devices.

Compact fiber-coupled three degree-of-freedom displacement interferometry for nanopositioning stage calibration

Heterodyne displacement interferometry is a widely accepted methodology capable of measuring displacements with sub-nanometer resolution in many applications. We present a compact heterodyne system capable of simultaneously measuring Z-displacement along with changes in pitch and yaw using a single measurement beam incident on a plane mirror target. The interferometer's measurement detector utilizes differential wavefront sensing to decouple and measure these three degrees of freedom. Reliable rotational measurements typically require calibration; however, two analytical models are discussed which predict the readout of rotational scaling factors.

Unique determination of balls and polyhedral scatterers with a single point source wave

In this paper, we prove uniqueness in determining a sound-soft ball or polyhedral scatterer in the inverse acoustic scattering problem with a single incident point source wave in (N = 2,3). Our proofs rely on the reflection principle for the Helmholtz equation with respect to a Dirichlet hyperplane or sphere, which is essentially a ‘point-to-point’ extension formula. The method has been adapted to proving uniqueness in inverse scattering from sound-soft cavities with interior measurement data deriving from a single point source. The corresponding uniqueness for sound-hard balls or polyhedral scatterers has also been discussed.

Different clinical courses of children exposed to a single incident of psychological trauma: a 30-month prospective follow-up study

We investigated the distinct longitudinal trajectories of posttraumatic stress symptoms in a sample of 167 children, who witnessed death of two mothers of their schoolmates. The cohort was followed-up at 2 days (T1), 2 months (T2), 6 months (T3), and 30 months (T4) after the traumatic event. The children's posttraumatic stress symptoms (T1-T4), depression (T1, T3 and T4), state anxiety (T1, T3 and T4), and quality of life (T4) were assessed, along with parental stress related to child rearing (T4). Different trajectory patterns of the children's posttraumatic stress symptoms were identified using growth mixture modeling (GMM). Four different patterns of symptom change were identified, which were consistent with the prototypical model, and were named Recovery (19.9%), Resilience (72.7%), Chronic Dysfunction (1.8%), and Delayed Reactions (5.6%). Significant differences were found in depression and anxiety scores, children's quality of life, and parental rearing stress according to the distinct longitudinal trajectories of posttraumatic stress symptoms. The present study suggests that individual differences should be taken into account in the clinical course and outcome of children exposed to psychological trauma. The two most common trajectories were the Resilience and the Recovery types, together suggesting that over 90% of children were evidenced with a favorable 30-month outcome. The latent classes were associated with significant mean differences in depression and anxiety scores, supporting the clinical validity of the distinct trajectories.

ANALISA DAMPAK KONVERGENSI IFRS KE DALAM PSAK 13, 16, DAN 30 TERHADAP AKTIVITAS PERDAGANGAN SAHAM PERUSAHAAN YANG TERDAFTAR DI BURSA EFEK INDONESIA

The application of PSAK has been revised in reference with the IAS in the convergence of IFRS perspective. The objective of the research is to elaborate influence of this application on Trading Volume Activity (TVA) companies that implement it. This research uses quantitative method that focus to a single incident within a certain period of publication an annual financial statements of 56 companies who implemented PSAK 13, 16, and 30 revised in 2007. This study indicates that the publication of financial statements has not give a significant influence on the TVA despite there is an increase in trading activity at the time after publication. JEL Classification : M 41, L51 Keywords : IAS, PSAK, Financial Statement Publication, Trading Volume Activity