Self-Actualization,Human Nature,and Global Social Problems

Abraham Maslow’s classic theory of motivation was in some ways a precursor to modern evolutionary approaches to human behavior, in that he posited multiple independent and universal motivational systems. Maslow’s hierarchical model, often conceptualized as a pyramid of motives, has recently been renovated to fit with the last half century of research and theory at the interface of evolutionary biology and the social sciences. Adopting a modern evolutionary life history approach to human motivation could be useful to understand important social problems.     

Photogrammetry vs CT Scan: Evaluation of Accuracy of a Low-Cost Three-Dimensional Acquisition Method for Forensic Facial Approximation

Photogrammetry is a three-dimensional acquisition method potentially applicable to the forensic field. This possibility requires the verification of its accuracy. In this study, 3D volumes of skulls are generated to compare the photogrammetry versus the CT scan. In order to provide eligible material to the photogrammetric software, photographs were captured at a distance of 30 cm from the skull placed on a support 1 m in height and illuminated with diffused laboratory ceiling artificial light. A Nikon Coolpix P7100 camera was used. Photographs capture common elements with the previous and the next photograph so as to allow the photogrammetric software to recognize these common points between photographs and create a 3D puzzle. The Zephyr Lite (3DFlow©) software was employed to register the 3D volume. CT-based skulls are taken as a metric reference. The photogrammetry-based skulls are then enlarged according to the measurements of some landmarks or Zygion and Zygion, the distance between end of nasal and base of nasal pyramid for frontal projection, and minimum breadth of the mandibular ramus for the right lateral projection. The accuracy of the photogrammetry is compared to that of the CT scan by measuring the 3D volumes of the skulls studied. Specific landmarks are used as reference points for the measures in both frontal and lateral views. Bland–Altman graph shows homogeneity. The mean difference (1.28 mm) indicates that the measurements taken on the photogrammetry-based skull tend to slightly overestimate compared with the measurements taken on the CT-based skull.     

Curriculum Reform in The Common Core Era: Evaluating Elementary Math Textbooks Across Six U.S. States

Can a school or district improve student achievement simply by switching to a higher-quality textbook or curriculum? We conducted the first multi-textbook, multi-state effort to estimate textbook efficacy following widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and associated changes in the textbook market. Pooling textbook adoption and student test score data across six geographically and demographically diverse U.S. states, we found little evidence of differences in average achievement gains for schools using different math textbooks. We found some evidence of greater variation in achievement gains among schools using pre-CCSS editions, which may have been more varied in their content than post-CCSS editions because they were written for a broader set of standards. We also found greater variation among schools that had more exposure to a given text. However, these differences were small. Despite considerable interest and attention to textbooks as a low-cost, “silver bullet” intervention for improving student outcomes, we conclude that the adoption of a new textbook or set of curriculum materials, on its own, is unlikely to achieve this goal.     

Measuring employees' psychological capital using data mining approach

In this research, the logistic regression model was employed to develop a classifier that measures psychological capital of workers in organization. Psychological capital (PsyCap) is the positive state of an individual, comprising of self‐efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience. Employees with high psychological capital contribute positively to objectives and business strategy of an organization. An experimental dataset comprising of the psychological capital information of 329 employees in an organization was used to fit a data mining classification model. To ensure model accuracy, 220 observations were used as training set, whereas 109 were set aside to validate the model. Various statistical tests for goodness of fit and predictive accuracy were deployed to test model performance. The model has the ability to classify an individual's psychological capital into either high or low class with a predictive accuracy of 93%. The classification model is expected to serve as a tool in human resource management when measuring psychological capital of employees during recruitment interviews and promotion appraisals.     

Cost–benefit analysis: New foundations on shifting sand

New Foundations of Cost–Benefit Analysis, by Matthew Adler and Eric Posner, represents the most ambitious and credible effort to date to build a solid theoretical defense of the use of cost–benefit analysis (CBA) in evaluating government regulation. In this review, three cost–benefit “skeptics” offer their reactions to this ambitious and important book. We note its virtues – its humility, its scrupulousness, its open‐mindedness. We also explore its vices. If preferences are to be “laundered,” is it intellectually defensible to remove the bad but not consider adding the good? Does Adler's and Posner's welfarism really play the limited role they suppose, or does it risk “crowding out” other important deontological and distributional values? If CBA is merely a decision procedure that provides an imperfect proxy of welfare – the moral criterion we really care about – how do we know that the proxy it provides in practice will actually be accurate enough to be useful? Isn't this at bottom an empirical question that cannot be answered by this thoroughly theoretical book? If CBA is no more than an imperfect proxy for welfare, then alternative imperfect decision procedures may perform better in the real world.     

Research integrity in forensic anthropology

Research represents the driving force for change and advancement in the forensic sciences [1]. Of course, forensic science features casework and the application of our scientific knowledge to medicolegal issues. However, that scientific knowledge is largely based upon research conducted over decades.     

Outcome Trajectories in Drug Court: Do All Participants Have Drug Problems?

Graduation rates in drug courts average 50% to 70%, but it is unclear what proportion of graduates responded to the drug court services and what proportion might not have had serious drug problems upon entry. This study cluster-analyzed urine drug screen results during the first 14 weeks of treatment on 284 participants from three misdemeanor drug courts. A four-cluster solution (R(2) > .75) produced distinct subgroups characterized by (1) consistently drug-negative urine specimens (34% of the sample), (2) consistently drug-positive specimens (21%), (3) consistently missed urine specimens (26%), and (4) urine specimens that began as drug-positive but became progressively drug-negative over time (19%). These data suggest that approximately one-third of the participants might not have had serious drug problems upon entry. Approximately one-fifth appeared to respond to drug court services, and nearly one-half continued to exhibit problems after 14 weeks. Implications for adaptive programming in drug courts are discussed.     

Structural Budget Balance as a Fiscal Rule in the European Union—Good,Bad, or Ugly?

The EU's Fiscal Compact requires member states to legislate structural budget balance rule(s) (SBR). We use elite interviews and government documents from Austria, Ireland, and Portugal to assess the extent to which SBRs are perceived to have resulted in improved accountability, coordination, and credible commitment on the part of elected officials. We find that establishing the SBRs in legislation has not resulted in domestic ownership on the part of the member states. Furthermore, SBRs do not appear to have improved accountability due to questions about their accuracy. There is some evidence that SBRs aid finance ministries' coordination efforts.     

Prodromal psychosis as an etiology of suicide: a case report and review of the literature

Suicides without apparent antecedent causes present great difficulties for medical examiners and families alike. A case is presented of a young male suicide victim whose antemortem course did not demonstrate apparent psychopathology to either his family or fellow students. A journal written by the decedent was found, however, which revealed extensive ruminations on death, depressive symptomatology, and evidence of possible delusions, and hallucinations. We opine that this represents the prodrome of a psychotic process, possibly schizophrenia, and the decedent's suicide was a response to his awareness of his deteriorating mental status. The prodrome of schizophrenia is a well-described entity that manifests as a decline in social and occupational functioning, along with increasingly bizarre behavior. Prodromal psychosis could represent an explanation for some cases of suicide seemingly without causation.     

A preliminary investigation of insect colonisation and succession on remains in New Zealand

A preliminary, systematic field study on the process of decomposition and associated insects was conducted, for the first time, in New Zealand. Using pig carcasses as an animal model for human decomposition, insect colonisation and succession was monitored in three different habitats in the Auckland region where remains are likely to be found. A significant difference in the rates of decomposition was found among the three different habitats of an open field, coastal sand dune area and native bush during the autumn/winter season. The primary colonisers of all carcasses were Calliphora stygia Fabricius (Calliphoridae), Chrysomya rufifacies Macquart (Calliphoridae) and Hydrotaea rostrata Robineau-Desvoidy (Muscidae). Two species were identified as possible representatives of the habitats in which they were found; Fannia sp. (Fanniidae) in the open field habitat and Calliphora hilli Patton (Calliphoridae) in the native bush habitat. Also identified was Sylvicola sp. (Anisopodidae) as a possible indicator of damp habitats as well as a likely indicator of a longer postmortem interval. This preliminary investigation presents a broad outline of the insects associated with remains and the order in which they appear in the Auckland region.