STR data for nine Y-chromosomal loci in Guinea Equatorial (central Africa)

Allele and haplotype frequencies for nine Y-specific STR loci (DYS19, DYS389-I, DYS389-II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS393, DYS434, DYS437, and DYS439) were obtained from a sample of 57 males from Guinea Equatorial.     

Genetic profile of the Açores Archipelago population using the new PowerPlex 16 system kit

Allele and haplotype frequencies of 16 chromosome STR loci, 15 of them included in the Kit PowerPlex16 System from Promega were determined in a sample of unrelated males from the A?ores Archipelago. All subjects were subjected to an interview in order to make sure that their ancestors belonged to the same island at least back to three generations. This way we intended to look for possible inter-islands differences. PowerPlex16 includes STRs not studied before in the A?ores population. The Kit includes two new allele markers (Penta D and Penta E), which proved to be extremely useful for paternity testing (PD=0.921 and 0.971, respectively). The study revealed that the A?ores population is considerable different from the previous studied Madeira population, but does not differ from that of the north Portugal. Nevertheless, some loci presented alleles not previously reported for Portugal.     

Creating a political image: Shaping appearance and manipulating the vote

The key question addressed is whether political consultants can shape a candidate's appearance in such a way as to influence voters' preferences. To explore this question, an attempt was made to discover the components of a favorable political image and then use that information to manipulate voters' preferences. Photographs of over 200 women were analyzed and the features of the women's appearance which affected the quality of the image projected were isolated. Using this information, a make-up artist and photographer were employed to shape the appearance of six women. Photographs of the women were then placed on campaign flyers along with information on the women's political party affiliation and their position on several key issues. Pairs of flyers were used to create mock elections. The result of these elections suggest that it is possible to shape a political candidate's image in a way which may effect electoral outcomes. The implications of this for electoral politics are discussed.     

No borders: the case against immigration controls

This article presents the case against immigration controls. Nation states, which are giving up controls on the movement of goods and capital, nevertheless still try to control the movement of people. Like controls under apartheid, immigration controls will eventually become untenable. They are also a relatively recent phenomenon. The actions of the governments of the rich countries, their international agencies and corporations increase both the opportunities and the need for migration. Together with arms sales and support for right-wing repressive regimes, they bear much responsibility for the wars and persecution from which people are forced to flee. The strongest reason for abolishing immigration controls is the increasingly harsh suffering they impose on refugees and migrants, largely to deter others. In the process, they undermine many human rights, including potentially those of existing residents.     

Problem discovery,divergent thinking,and the creative process

Previous empirical research suggests that problem discovery is an important step in the creative process. The present investigation was conducted to examine the role of problem discovery in the divergent thinking and creative performance of adolescents. Three divergent thinking tests were administered to a group of adolescents. Each test contained three presentedproblems and one discoveredproblem. The discovered problem allowed the adolescents to think of a problem and then to provide solutions. Comparisons indicated that the adolescents generated significantly more responses to the discovered problems than the presented problems. Most important was that the unique variance of the discovered problems (controlling the variance shared with scores from the presented problems) was reliable and significantly related to five indices of creative performance. These results support the componential theory of divergent thinking and creativity, and are consistent with the developmental view of problem finding.Received Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from the Claremont Graduate School. Research interests include the psychometrics of creativity and giftedness, and the developmental antecedents of eminence and genius.Current interests include gifted children and creativity.