SPATIAL ECOLOGY AND HABITAT USE OF THE WESTERN MASSASAUGA (SISTRURUS TERGEMINUS) IN NEBRASKA

We used radiotelemetry during 2004 and 2005 to investigate seasonal movements and habitat use and to improve our understanding of how land management practices were affecting Western Massasauga (Sistrurus tergeminus) populations in Nebraska. We found Western Massasaugas to brumate in crayfish burrows 100% of the time, and spring emergence occurred during March - April. The longest movements occurred during May when snakes were moving away from brumation sites to summer habitat, after which movements decreased until a second peak in August. We did not find significant differences between male and female activity area, range length, total distance moved, daily movement, or distance from spring and fall brumation sites. However the core activity range of females was significantly less than that of males. During the active season, grassland habitat was used 75.6% of the time compared to habitats of grassland-shrubs (10.7%), hydrophilic vegetation (9.1%), woodlands (3.1%), and shrublands (1.5%). Identifying variations in a species spatial ecology is important for achieving long-term conservation goals because life history events, resource availability, and land management practices may have an effect on seasonal movements and habitat use. The results of our study demonstrate the need for, and some of the necessary data for, improved land management planning in order to meet conservation needs of the Western Massasauga in Nebraska

An Unfinished Journey: The Evolution of Crime Measurement in the United States

This article traces the history of crime measurement in the United States beginning with the U.S. census in 1790 while exploring several key pieces of history that influenced how crime is measured today. After discussing the origins of the U.S. census and its contributions to measuring crime, the Chicago School of Sociology is observed for its monumental influence on early criminology in America. Next, the division of sociology and criminal justice into two distinct fields had major implications for measuring crime. How crime is measured is often attributed to the ideological differences between these academic fields. Then, the three primary methods of crime measurement used today: (1) the Uniform Crime Reports; (2) self-report surveys; and (3) victimization surveys are given a critical gaze. More importantly, the social, political, and historical influences that led to the adoption of these methods are discussed and their ramifications reviewed. Finally, a mixed method approach based on the history of crime measurement development is suggested for future criminologists and sociologists alike

The Uncatchable Crook: Pursuing Effective State Crime Control

This article investigates an interesting conundrum of addressing crime when the state commits a crime itself, and most often is the primary apparatus of crime control. Even more difficult in pursuing state crime control, the state typically plays a major role in defining crime. Criminologists commonly suggest state sanctions to address crime, and states to sanctions other states for their crimes. However, such an approach struggles when faced with the punishment of a powerful state’s criminal actions such as the United States. After laying out the controversy at the heart of controlling state crimes, several criminological theories traditionally employed to deal with street crime (e.g., burglary, rape, murder) are applied to state crime in an attempt to develop novel ways of addressing state crime. A few critical crime approaches are also addressed. Finally, the article concludes by discussing a method for discovering which crime control techniques are most effective encouraging future researchers to employ such a technique to advance our limited knowledge on controlling state crimes

Problems in the Theory of Convergence Spaces

We investigate several problems in the theory of convergence spaces: generalization of Kolmogorov separation from topological spaces to convergence spaces, representation of reflexive digraphs as convergence spaces, construction of differential calculi on convergence spaces, mereology on convergence spaces, and construction of a universal homogeneous pretopological space. First, we generalize Kolmogorov separation from topological spaces to convergence spaces; we then study properties of Kolmogorov spaces. Second, we develop a theory of reflexive digraphs as convergence spaces, which we then specialize to Cayley graphs. Third, we conservatively extend the concept of differential from the spaces of classical analysis to arbitrary convergence spaces; we then use this extension to obtain differential calculi for finite convergence spaces, finite Kolmogorov spaces, finite groups, Boolean hypercubes, labeled graphs, the Cantor tree, and real and binary sequences. Fourth, we show that a standard axiomatization of mereology is equivalent to the condition that a topological space is discrete, and consequently, any model of general extensional mereology is indistinguishable from a model of set theory; we then generalize these results to the cartesian closed category of convergence spaces. Finally, we show that every convergence space can be embedded into a homogeneous convergence space; we then use this result to construct a universal homogeneous pretopological space

Fraud and Abuse Panel

A panel discussion on some concerns that we have about value based reimbursement structures. The panel today consists of two private practice attorneys and one government attorney. We have litigators and regulatory attorneys, so a good mix of attorneys across the spectrum

Forgive and Regret: A Comparative Analysis of the Role of Forgiveness in the US and Rwandan Criminal Justice Systems

Rwanda’s reconciliation process after the 1994 genocide highlights the power of forgiveness in successfully reintegrating people who have committed serious harms back into society. In contrast, the US criminal justice system has struggled with successful prisoner reenter. One possible factor contributing to this struggle is American’s levels of forgiveness and vengefulness. This study is a comparative analysis between Rwanda and the United States guided by a central research question: What are the sociocultural factors provided for a societal capacity of forgiveness? First, the importance of forgiveness at a societal and individual level and its consequences is documented. Then, through comparative analysis several key factors emerged as contributing to increasing societal forgiveness and/or decreasing societal vengefulness including violence in media and entertainment, a punitive criminal justice system including the highly publicized nature of crime and punishment, gender roles and gender equality, religion, and societal collectivism. Above all factors, the occurrence of a national tragedy such as the genocide in Rwanda was found to create the opportunity for radical criminal justice reform

Trends in immediate postmastectomy breast reconstruction in the United Kingdom

The study aimed to evaluate local and national trends in immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) using the national English administrative records, Hospital Episode Statistics. Our prediction was an increase in implant-only and free flap procedures and a decline in latissimus flap reconstructions.Data from an oncoplastic center were interrogated to derive numbers of implant-only, autologous latissimus dorsi (LD), LD-assisted, and autologous pedicled or free flap IBR procedures performed between 2004 and 2013. Similarly, Hospital Episode Statistics data were used to quantify national trends in these procedures from 1996 to 2012 using a curve fitting analysis.National data suggest an increase in LD procedures between 1996 (n = 250) and 2002 (n = 958), a gradual rise until 2008 (n = 1398) followed by a decline until 2012 (n = 1090). As a percentage of total IBR, trends in LD flap reconstruction better fit a quadratic (R(2) = 0.97) than a linear function (R(2) = 0.63), confirming a proportional recent decline in LD flap procedures. Conversely, autologous (non-LD) flap reconstructions have increased (1996 = 0.44%; 2012 = 2.76%), whereas implant-only reconstructions have declined (1996 = 95.42%; 2012 = 84.92%). Locally, 70 implant-assisted LD procedures were performed in 2003 -2004, but only 2 were performed in 2012 to 2013.Implants are the most common IBR technique; autologous free flap procedures have increased, and pedicled LD flap procedures are in decline