Veterans Treatment Courts: Do Status-Based Problem-Solving Courts Create an Improper Privileged Class of Criminal Defendants?

Although veterans treatment courts themselves are a recent and developing innovation, veteran status and its intersection with criminal sentencing considerations has an increasingly substantial legal basis to draw on. Prior to the expansion of problem-solving courts to reach veterans, many state-level trial court judges already considered military service-related disorders as potential mitigating factors. More recently, several states have either passed or proposed legislation designating veteran or active military status as a statutory mitigating factor, and current federal sentencing guidelines follow a 2009 Supreme Court decision affirming the proper role of a defendant’s military history in the penalty phase. Given the weight of political and legal decisions supporting veteran status as a mitigating factor in criminal cases, veterans treatment courts might ultimately demonstrate the advantages of treatment as an alternative to incarceration. Part II of this Note examines the origins and current operations of veterans treatment courts, and outlines the policy arguments articulated in their favor and the legal concerns raised by critics. Part III discusses the treatment of veteran status in sentencing outside of the specialty court context, highlighting statutory and non-statutory state sentencing guidelines and the recent federal response to military service-related crime. Part IV provides an analysis of the propriety of the veterans court model in light of the current state of the law outlined in Part III, and proposes a path forward for veterans courts, taking both legal sources of support and public criticism into consideration

Song recognition and heterospecific associations between 2 fairy-wren species (Maluridae)

Although heterospecific associations beneficial to one or both species involved (e.g. commensalisms or mutualisms) are common, it is generally assumed that interactions between species are transient and not particular to individuals. However, long-term interactions between individuals of different species do occur. In such heterospecific social groups, discrimination between heterospecific individuals may be beneficial, allowing individuals to direct beneficial or aggressive behaviors towards appropriate targets. Here, we describe heterospecific groups composed of splendid and variegated fairy-wrens (Malurus splendens and M. lamberti) and provide the first experimental evidence that recognition of heterospecific group members occurs across species. In these species, family groups live on overlapping territories and co-defend shared territories against both heterospecific and conspecific intruders. Individuals on shared territories were frequently observed traveling and foraging together. Socially dominant males of both species responded more aggressively to songs of neighboring and foreign heterospecific fairy-wrens than they did to those of their co-resident heterospecifics. Although splendid fairy-wrens did not change their behavior when associating with heterospecifics, variegated fairy-wrens spent more time foraging, were less vigilant, had greater first-nest fledging success, and fewer extra-group young. These findings suggest heterospecific associations between these 2 species benefit the variegated fairy-wren. Our findings are novel and show that recognition and discrimination among individuals, often considered a prerequisite for conspecific cooperation, can occur across species. Includes supplementary materials

A rapid, chromatography-free route to substituted acridine–isoalloxazine conjugates under microwave irradiation

Microwave irradiation was applied to a sequence of condensation reactions from readily available 9-chloroacridines to provide a range of novel acridine–isoalloxazine conjugates. The combination of these two moieties, both of biological interest, was achieved by a chromatography free route

Identifying Social Transformations and Crisis during the Pre-Monastic to Post-Viking era on Iona : New Insights from a Palynological and Palaeoentomological Perspective

Acknowledgements: Special acknowledgements go to Audrey Innes for her laboratory support, to Historic Environment Scotland and to the Leverhulme Trust who have helped fund this project and to the University of Glasgow who have helped support this work.Peer reviewedPostprin

Tracing the fate of wastewater viruses reveals catchment-scale virome diversity and connectivity

The discharge of wastewater-derived viruses in aquatic environments impacts catchment-scale virome composition and is a potential hazard to human health. Here, we used viromic analysis of RNA and DNA virus-like particle preparations to track virus communities entering and leaving wastewater treatment plants and the connecting river catchment system and estuary. We found substantial viral diversity and geographically distinct virus communities associated with different wastewater treatment plants. River and estuarine water bodies harboured more diverse viral communities in downstream locations, influenced by tidal movement and proximity to wastewater treatment plants. Shellfish and beach sand were enriched in viral communities when compared with the surrounding water, acting as entrapment matrices for virus particles. We reconstructed >40,000 partial viral genomes into 10,149 species-level groups, dominated by dsDNA and (+)ssRNA bacteriophages (Caudovirales and Leviviridae). We identified 73 (partial) genomes comprising six families that could pose a risk to human health; Astroviridae, Caliciviridae (sapovirus), Picornaviridae (cocksackievirus), Reoviridae (rotavirus), Parvoviridae and Circoviridae. Based on the pattern of viral incidence, we observe that wastewater-derived viral genetic material is commonly deposited in the environment, but due to fragemented nature of these viral genomes, the risk to human health is low, and is more likely driven by community transmission, with wastewater-derived viruses subject to cycles of dilution, enrichment and virion degradation influenced by local geography, weather events and tidal effects. Our data illustrate the utility of viromic analyses for wastewater- and environment-based epidemiology, and we present a conceptual model for the circulation of viruses in a freshwater catchment

Book Reviews

Essential Woodworker - Skills, Tools & Materials - reviewed by John EgglestonPower Tool Woodworking - reviewed by John EgglestonAir Brushing Automobiles - Tips, Techniques and Projects - reviewed by Steve SayerChair Seating - Techniques in Cane, Rush, Willow and Cords - reviewed by Steve SayerAuthentic Craftsmanship in Interior Design - reviewed  by John EgglestonA tool for Learning - Some functions of art in the primary school - reviewed  by Brian Allison";SKILLS"; - Video series for CDT - reviewed  by David JonesStarting Embroidery - reviewed  by Moira G SimpsonSantos Statures and Sculptures - reviewed  by Brian AllisonCompendium of Lettering Workbooks - reviewed  by John LancasterDrawn Thread Embroidery Starting Needlepoint Lace - reviewed  by E. WishartBinche Lace - reviewed  by E. Wishar

Viromic Analysis of Wastewater Input to a River Catchment Reveals a Diverse Assemblage of RNA Viruses

Enteric viruses cause gastrointestinal illness and are commonly transmitted through the fecal-oral route. When wastewater is released into river systems, these viruses can contaminate the environment. Our results show that we can use viromics to find the range of potentially pathogenic viruses that are present in the environment and identify prevalent genotypes. The ultimate goal is to trace the fate of these pathogenic viruses from origin to the point where they are a threat to human health, informing reference-based detection methods and water quality management.Detection of viruses in the environment is heavily dependent on PCR-based approaches that require reference sequences for primer design. While this strategy can accurately detect known viruses, it will not find novel genotypes or emerging and invasive viral species. In this study, we investigated the use of viromics, i.e., high-throughput sequencing of the biosphere’s viral fraction, to detect human-/animal-pathogenic RNA viruses in the Conwy river catchment area in Wales, United Kingdom. Using a combination of filtering and nuclease treatment, we extracted the viral fraction from wastewater and estuarine river water and sediment, followed by high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis on the Illumina HiSeq platform, for the discovery of RNA virus genomes. We found a higher richness of RNA viruses in wastewater samples than in river water and sediment, and we assembled a complete norovirus genotype GI.2 genome from wastewater effluent, which was not contemporaneously detected by conventional reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). The simultaneous presence of diverse rotavirus signatures in wastewater indicated the potential for zoonotic infections in the area and suggested runoff from pig farms as a possible origin of these viruses. Our results show that viromics can be an important tool in the discovery of pathogenic viruses in the environment and can be used to inform and optimize reference-based detection methods provided appropriate and rigorous controls are included