Grandparent Molesting: Sexual Abuse of Elderly Nursing Home Residents and its Prevention

Nursing home residents, especially those with diminished capacity and/or no close relatives nearby, are probably at much greater risk of abuse (especially sexual abuse) than available statistics would indicate. Hawks explains why abuse is underreported, how reporting requirements vary, and describes the effects of elder sexual abuse and its treatment. Legal actions that abused victims and government agencies can or should take and possible legislative changes are also explored

Measuring Selenoprotein Content in False Map Turtles (Graptemys pseudogeographica) Along the Missouri River

Metals and metalloids are becoming more prevalent in lakes and reservoirs of South Dakota which are toxic and hazardous in high concentrations or when biomagnified through trophic levels. Selenium is of particular concern as it can bind into the structures of proteins in place of other elements, changing protein structure and function within affected organisms. Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are an invasive filter-feeding metal-bioaccumulating species that are rapidly spreading upstream through the Missouri River. They can take up selenium and directly transfer it to higher trophic level taxa. False map turtles (Graptemys pseudogeographica) are a common predator of zebra mussels and serve as a model organism to detect selenium levels in higher trophic level organisms. It was predicted that there would be a higher selenoprotein content in turtles residing in downstream vs upstream reservoirs of the Missouri River due the prevalence of zebra mussels downstream that may contribute to dietary selenium intake. To test this hypothesis, false map turtles were randomly sampled from Lake Francis Case (upstream) and the 59 Mile Stretch of the Missouri River (downstream). Blood samples were randomly selected from both sites and tested for selenoprotein concentration using an ELISA assay. Based on a Bayesian statistical model, there is a 96.3% probability that Lake Francis Case absorbance values are higher than the 59 Mile Stretch absorbance values. Higher absorbance values are indicative of higher concentrations of selenoprotein. These results suggest that the turtles of the 59 Mile Stretch are exposed to lower levels of selenium than those of Lake Francis Case. This indicates that there are other factors to consider. More work must be done to understand the reason for variance in selenoprotein absorbance values between sites and what impact the invasive zebra mussels truly have on other marine inhabitants

Pretreatment cognitive and neural differences between sapropterin dihydrochloride responders and non-responders with phenylketonuria

Sapropterin dihydrochloride (BH4) reduces phenylalanine (Phe) levels and improves white matter integrity in a subset of individuals with phenylketonuria (PKU) known as “responders.” Although prior research has identified biochemical and genotypic differences between BH4 responders and non-responders, cognitive and neural differences remain largely unexplored. To this end, we compared intelligence and white matter integrity prior to treatment with BH4 in 13 subsequent BH4 responders with PKU, 16 subsequent BH4 non-responders with PKU, and 12 healthy controls. Results indicated poorer intelligence and white matter integrity in non-responders compared to responders prior to treatment. In addition, poorer white matter integrity was associated with greater variability in Phe across the lifetime in non-responders but not in responders. These results underscore the importance of considering PKU as a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional disorder and point to the need for additional research to delineate characteristics that predict response to treatment with BH4

Bibliography of the Published Works of Stephen L. Williams

Bibliography of the published works of Stephen Lory Williams (1948-2018)

What Obstetrician-Gynecologists Think of Preconception Care

Objectives: To describe obstetrician-gynecolog-ists’ opinions of preconception care (PCC) and ascertain patient uptake for this service. Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to 1105 ACOG members in August 2004. Results: There was a 60% response rate. Most physicians think PCC is important (87%) and almost always recommend it to women planning a pregnancy (94%); 54% do so with women who are sexually active. Around a third (34%) thought their patients usually do not plan their pregnancies and 49% said very few pregnant patients came in for PCC. Of those who obtain PCC, they were believed to do so more likely to assure a healthy pregnancy (83%) than because of an elevated risk for birth defects (20%). Of 11 issues presented, cigarette smoking and folic acid supplementation were rated the most important for PCC counseling; exercise and environmental concerns were the least important. Conclusions: Physicians are willing to provide PCC but few patients are accessing such services

Stephen Lory Williams (1948-2018), In Memoriam

Obituary and biography of Stephen Lory Williams (1948-2018). Excerpts: His move in 1990 returned him to Texas Tech University, taking up positions as Collection Manager in the Museum, and Adjunct Professor in the Museum Science Program. His final professional move was made in 1995 to the Department of Museum Studies at the Strecker Museum now known as the Mayborn Museum Complex at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he took positions as Assistant Professor and Collections Manager. Steve retired from Baylor in 2007. Steve was present at the birth of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, serving as one of the seven founding members who met at the Buffalo Museum of Science on November 6, 1985. He was one of three members of the original Election Committee. Steve went on to hold the offices of Council Member (1987-1988), President-Elect (1988-1990), President (1990-1992), and Past-President (1992-1994). In 1999, Steve received the SPNHC President’s Award for exceptional service to the organization. Steve was an active researcher and writer, authoring 134 publications. Early in his career his publications primarily concerned mammals, much of it based on extensive field work. ... Foreshadowing Steve’s later shift to work in management and preventive conservation, in 1977 he coauthored “A guide to the management of Recent mammal collections,” which brought together for the first time the techniques and materials used in the management of these collections

The Metallurgical Study of Fort Ligonier Bayonet Sections, Hand Forged Spikes, and Copper Powder Keg Hoop Sections

No abstract is available at this time

Performance Metrics for the Objective Assessment of Capacitive Deionization Systems

In the growing field of capacitive deionization (CDI), a number of performance metrics have emerged to describe the desalination process. Unfortunately, the separation conditions under which these metrics are measured are often not specified, resulting in optimal performance at minimal removal. Here we outline a system of performance metrics and reporting conditions that resolves this issue. Our proposed system is based on volumetric energy consumption (Wh/m$^3$) and throughput productivity (L/h/m$^2$) reported for a specific average concentration reduction, water recovery, and feed salinity. To facilitate and rationalize comparisons between devices, materials, and operation modes, we propose a nominal standard testing condition of removing 5 mM from a 20 mM NaCl feed solution at 50% water recovery for CDI research. Using this separation, we compare the desalination performance of a flow-through electrode (fte-CDI) cell and a flow between membrane (fb-MCDI) device, showing how significantly different systems can be compared in terms of generally desirable desalination characteristics. In general, we find that performance analysis must be considered carefully so to not allow for ambiguous separation conditions or the maximization of one metric at the expense of another. Additionally, for context we discuss a number of important underlying performance indicators and cell characteristics that are not performance measures in and of themselves but can be examined to better understand differences in performance