Proposition 47 and Crime: A Difference in Differences Analysis of Incarceration Rates and Crime using border counties

California passed Proposition 47 by vote and changed the way the state punishes drug and theft. I find an increase in crime using a difference in differences model by computing the change in thefts with the change in inmates. This effect sides with anecdotal claims and disagrees with empirical studies

Cross-Correlation in the Auditory Coincidence Detectors of Owls

Interaural time difference (ITD) plays a central role in many auditory functions, most importantly in sound localization. The classic model for how ITD is computed was put forth by Jeffress (1948). One of the predictions of the Jeffress model is that the neurons that compute ITD should behave as cross-correlators. Whereas cross-correlation-like properties of the ITD-computing neurons have been reported, attempts to show that the shape of the ITD response function is determined by the spectral tuning of the neuron, a core prediction of cross-correlation, have been unsuccessful. Using reverse correlation analysis, we demonstrate in the barn owl that the relationship between the spectral tuning and the ITD response of the ITD-computing neurons is that predicted by cross-correlation. Moreover, we show that a model of coincidence detector responses derived from responses to binaurally uncorrelated noise is consistent with binaural interaction based on cross-correlation. These results are thus consistent with one of the key tenets of the Jeffress model. Our work sets forth both the methodology to answer whether cross-correlation describes coincidence detector responses and a demonstration that in the barn owl, the result is that expected by theory

Multiplicative Auditory Spatial Receptive Fields Created by a Hierarchy of Population Codes

A multiplicative combination of tuning to interaural time difference (ITD) and interaural level difference (ILD) contributes to the generation of spatially selective auditory neurons in the owl's midbrain. Previous analyses of multiplicative responses in the owl have not taken into consideration the frequency-dependence of ITD and ILD cues that occur under natural listening conditions. Here, we present a model for the responses of ITD- and ILD-sensitive neurons in the barn owl's inferior colliculus which satisfies constraints raised by experimental data on frequency convergence, multiplicative interaction of ITD and ILD, and response properties of afferent neurons. We propose that multiplication between ITD- and ILD-dependent signals occurs only within frequency channels and that frequency integration occurs using a linear-threshold mechanism. The model reproduces the experimentally observed nonlinear responses to ITD and ILD in the inferior colliculus, with greater accuracy than previous models. We show that linear-threshold frequency integration allows the system to represent multiple sound sources with natural sound localization cues, whereas multiplicative frequency integration does not. Nonlinear responses in the owl's inferior colliculus can thus be generated using a combination of cellular and network mechanisms, showing that multiple elements of previous theories can be combined in a single system

The Road Home Program: An Efficient Model of PTSD Treatment in Veterans

This thesis details my experiences at Rush University’s Road Home Program during the summer of 2021. The Road Home Program is an intensive treatment program for veterans suffering from PTSD. It is unique from conventional PTSD treatments in that it provides the equivalent of six months of treatment in just two weeks. The Road Home Program approaches PTSD in a comprehensive way by implementing a variety of therapies and supplemental treatments to veterans. These therapies include Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Mindfulness Based Resiliency Training (MBRT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Art Therapy. The supplemental treatments include cognitive seminars, acupuncture, and individual consultations with clinicians. During the summer of 2021 I watched the drastic change that occurred in veterans as they journeyed through the Road Home Program. At the end of two weeks, veterans experienced less intense PTSD symptoms as well as symptoms of comorbidities such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Some of these veterans no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD upon treatment completion. In addition, there has been research, done by the Road Home Program, that supports that these effects are retained up to a year after treatment (Held et al., 2020). I was inspired by the Road Home Program and how drastically it changed veterans’ lives in such a short amount of time. Moreover, my goal in writing this thesis is to share with others the hope and potential that exists for veterans at The Road Home Program. I argue that greater consideration and research be allocated towards intensive treatment programs such as the Road Home Program. Most veterans who attend the Road Home Program attest that it saved their lives and as such, this program merits greater consideration from the PTSD treating community in America. 1.Held, P., Zalta, A.K., Smith, D.L., Bagley, J.M., Steigerwald, V.L., Boley, R.A., Miller, M., Brennan, M.B., Van Horn, R., & Pollack, M.H. (2020). Maintenance of treatment gains up to 12-months following a three-week cognitive processing therapy-based intensive PTSD treatment programme for veterans. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 11(1), doi: 10.1080/20008198.2020.178932

Emergence of Multiplicative Auditory Responses in the Midbrain of the Barn Owl

Space-specific neurons in the barn owl's auditory space map gain spatial selectivity through tuning to combinations of the interaural time difference (ITD) and interaural level difference (ILD). The combination of ITD and ILD in the subthreshold responses of space-specific neurons in the external nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICx) is well described by a multiplication of ITD- and ILD-dependent components. It is unknown, however, how ITD and ILD are combined at the site of ITD and ILD convergence in the lateral shell of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICcl) and therefore whether ICx is the first site in the auditory pathway where multiplicative tuning to ITD- and ILD-dependent signals occurs. We used extracellular recording of single neurons to determine how ITD and ILD are combined in ICcl of the anesthetized barn owl (Tyto alba). A comparison of additive, multiplicative, and linear-threshold models of neural responses shows that ITD and ILD are combined nonlinearly in ICcl, but the interaction of ITD and ILD is not uniformly multiplicative over the sample. A subset (61%) of the neural responses is well described by the multiplicative model, indicating that ICcl is the first site where multiplicative tuning to ITD- and ILD-dependent signals occurs. ICx, however, is the first site where multiplicative tuning is observed consistently. A network model shows that a linear combination of ICcl responses to ITD–ILD pairs is sufficient to produce the multiplicative subthreshold responses to ITD and ILD seen in ICx

Variation beneath the surface: Quantifying complex thermal environments on coral reefs in the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida

Analysis of in situ temperature records collected on six coral reefs in the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Florida Keys reveal significant variability across a range of temporal and spatial scales from minutes to seasons, across depths, and among sites. Subsurface variability occurring at daily and faster frequencies is prevalent across the region, likely driven by combinations of diurnal heating and cooling, wind driven advection, and internal waves at tidal and faster frequencies. This high frequency variability is not detected in records of remotely-sensed sea surface temperature alone. Diurnal variability likely caused by diurnal solar heating and cooling and possibly by advection associated with diurnal winds (daily sea breeze) was significant at all sites and showed greatest magnitude of variation at shallowest depths. Temperature fluctuations at tidal and faster frequencies were common at 5 out of the 6 sites. The magnitude of this variability is not well explained by measured vertical temperature stratification combined with oscillations of the water column associated with barotropic surface tides. Rather, the magnitude and nature of the temperature changes point to the presence of internal waves generated at tidal and faster frequencies. Power spectra calculated seasonally show greatest variability within both diurnal and semi-diurnal frequency bands in Spring and Summer at Florida, Bahamas, Jamaica, and St. Croix. Variability within the semi-diurnal frequency band at Belize and Bonaire was greatest in Winter. Warming in Summer estimated as degree-hours per day above 29.0°C increased with increasing latitude and varied significantly among sites and depths in a manner not predictable from remotely sensed SST data alone. Site latitude was directly related to the amplitude of the seasonal thermal variability, but was not tightly related to variability at daily and faster frequencies which was greatest at the highest and lowest latitude sites. The interactions of depth, site, and season across the study region are associated with distinct signals of thermal variability, and have significant implications for the physiology and ecology of corals and other reef organisms

Germination of Silene regia Seeds from Four Sites in Lawrence County, Illinois, Following Scarification or Stratification

Silene regia Sims is an endangered prairie forb in Illinois where small isolated colonies are scattered. In La·wrence County, two sites (Allison Prairie and Chauncey Marsh) have fewer plants (6-23) than two other sites (Cmmty Road and Cemetery) with 26-45 plants. Information on seed germination in these isolated colonies is needed. Our goal was to evaluate seed germination of S. regia from colonies in Lawrence County, illinois. S. regia fruits were collected from these four sites on August 9 and 19, 1999. Seeds were scarified by cutting the seed coat, or they were stratified at 2 C for 12 or 15 weeks. Seeds from Chaun.cey Marsh weighed less than those from other sites. With the exception of seeds from Chauncey Marsh, scariiication increased gemrination within each site. When significant germination differences occurred due to site, they were apparent on stratified seed, where frequently Allison Prairie was highest and Chauncey Marsh was lowest. Germination clifferences between stratified and control seeds were inconsistent, although stratified seeds had up to 67% higher gemrination than control seeds when significant differences occurred. These increases in seed germination were most evident in seeds collected on August 9th and stratified for 12 weeks. Seed that was neither scarified nor stratified gemrinated after storage, indicating that scarification and stratification are not absolute gemrination requirements with after-ripened seeds. Seed germination at different sites did not correspond directly with population sizes, and multiple mechanisms were present for breaking seed donnancy in S. regia

Germination of Silene regia Seeds from Four Sites in Lawrence County, Illinois, Following Scarification or Stratification

Silene regia Sims is an endangered prairie forb in Illinois where small isolated colonies are scattered. In La·wrence County, two sites (Allison Prairie and Chauncey Marsh) have fewer plants (6-23) than two other sites (Cmmty Road and Cemetery) with 26-45 plants. Information on seed germination in these isolated colonies is needed. Our goal was to evaluate seed germination of S. regia from colonies in Lawrence County, illinois. S. regia fruits were collected from these four sites on August 9 and 19, 1999. Seeds were scarified by cutting the seed coat, or they were stratified at 2 C for 12 or 15 weeks. Seeds from Chaun.cey Marsh weighed less than those from other sites. With the exception of seeds from Chauncey Marsh, scariiication increased gemrination within each site. When significant germination differences occurred due to site, they were apparent on stratified seed, where frequently Allison Prairie was highest and Chauncey Marsh was lowest. Germination clifferences between stratified and control seeds were inconsistent, although stratified seeds had up to 67% higher gemrination than control seeds when significant differences occurred. These increases in seed germination were most evident in seeds collected on August 9th and stratified for 12 weeks. Seed that was neither scarified nor stratified gemrinated after storage, indicating that scarification and stratification are not absolute gemrination requirements with after-ripened seeds. Seed germination at different sites did not correspond directly with population sizes, and multiple mechanisms were present for breaking seed donnancy in S. regia

Distinct sensory representations of wind and near-field sound in the Drosophila brain

Behavioural responses to wind are thought to have a critical role in controlling the dispersal and population genetics of wild Drosophila species^(1, 2), as well as their navigation in flight^3, but their underlying neurobiological basis is unknown. We show that Drosophila melanogaster, like wild-caught Drosophila strains^4, exhibits robust wind-induced suppression of locomotion in response to air currents delivered at speeds normally encountered in nature^(1, 2). Here we identify wind-sensitive neurons in Johnston's organ, an antennal mechanosensory structure previously implicated in near-field sound detection (reviewed in refs 5 and 6). Using enhancer trap lines targeted to different subsets of Johnston's organ neurons^7, and a genetically encoded calcium indicator^8, we show that wind and near-field sound (courtship song) activate distinct populations of Johnston's organ neurons, which project to different regions of the antennal and mechanosensory motor centre in the central brain. Selective genetic ablation of wind-sensitive Johnston's organ neurons in the antenna abolishes wind-induced suppression of locomotion behaviour, without impairing hearing. Moreover, different neuronal subsets within the wind-sensitive population respond to different directions of arista deflection caused by air flow and project to different regions of the antennal and mechanosensory motor centre, providing a rudimentary map of wind direction in the brain. Importantly, sound- and wind-sensitive Johnston's organ neurons exhibit different intrinsic response properties: the former are phasically activated by small, bi-directional, displacements of the aristae, whereas the latter are tonically activated by unidirectional, static deflections of larger magnitude. These different intrinsic properties are well suited to the detection of oscillatory pulses of near-field sound and laminar air flow, respectively. These data identify wind-sensitive neurons in Johnston's organ, a structure that has been primarily associated with hearing, and reveal how the brain can distinguish different types of air particle movements using a common sensory organ

Identifying Young Stellar Objects in the Outer Galaxy: l = 224 deg Region in Canis Major

We study a very young star-forming region in the outer Galaxy that is the most concentrated source of outflows in the Spitzer Space Telescope GLIMPSE360 survey. This region, dubbed CMa-l224, is located in the Canis Major OB1 association. CMa-l224 is relatively faint in the mid-infrared, but it shines brightly at the far-infrared wavelengths as revealed by the Herschel Space Observatory data from the Hi-GAL survey. Using the 3.6 and 4.5 $\mu$m data from the Spitzer/GLIMPSE360 survey, combined with the JHK$_s$ 2MASS and the 70-500 $\mu$m Herschel/Hi-GAL data, we develop a young stellar object (YSO) selection criteria based on color-color cuts and fitting of the YSO candidates' spectral energy distributions with YSO 2D radiative transfer models. We identify 293 YSO candidates and estimate physical parameters for 210 sources well-fit with YSO models. We select an additional 47 sources with GLIMPSE360-only photometry as `possible YSO candidates'. The vast majority of these sources are associated with high H$_2$ column density regions and are good targets for follow-up studies. The distribution of YSO candidates at different evolutionary stages with respect to Herschel filaments supports the idea that stars are formed in the filaments and become more dispersed with time. Both the supernova-induced and spontaneous star formation scenarios are plausible in the environmental context of CMa-l224. However, our results indicate that a spontaneous gravitational collapse of filaments is a more likely scenario. The methods developed for CMa-l224 can be used for larger regions in the Galactic plane where the same set of photometry is available.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series; 54 pages including appendice