Feasibility and Promise of a Remote-Delivered Preconception Motivational Interviewing Intervention to Reduce Risk for Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancy

Background: Alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP) is a leading cause of birth defects. Effective face-to-face preconception interventions based on motivational interviewing (MI) exist and should be translated into remote formats for maximum public health impact. This study investigated the feasibility and promise of a one-session, remote-delivered, preconception, MI-based AEP intervention (EARLY Remote) for non-treatment-seeking community women. Subjects and Methods: This was a single-arm, prospective pilot intervention study. All participants received the intervention via telephone and mail. Feasibility of remote-delivery methods, treatment engagement, treatment credibility, MI treatment integrity, and therapeutic alliance were examined. Outcomes were 3- and 6-month drinks per drinking day (DDD), rate of unreliable contraception, and proportion of women at risk for AEP due to continued risk drinking and no or unreliable contraception use. Results: Feasibility of remote delivery was established; participants were engaged by the intervention and rated it as credible. Integrity to MI and therapeutic alliance were good. Both DDD and rate of unreliable contraception decreased significantly over time. Proportions of women who drank at risk levels, used unreliable or no contraception, and/or were at risk for AEP in the past 90 days decreased significantly from baseline to 6 months. Conclusions: Remote delivery was feasible, and the translated remote intervention may reduce AEP risk. Refinement of EARLY Remote may facilitate its placement within a spectrum of effective MI-based preconception AEP interventions as part of a stepped-care approach. EARLY Remote may have an important role within a stepped-care model for dissemination to geographically disperse women at risk for AEP. This could result in substantial public health impact through reduction of AEP on a larger scale

Taking Voluntariness Seriously

Courts and commentators commonly claim that criminal law contains a voluntary act requirement. Despite the ubiquity of this assertion, there is remarkably little agreement on what the voluntary act requirement entails. This lack of uniformity is particularly problematic because, for some crimes, whether a defendant is guilty or innocent will turn on which conception of voluntariness is applied. In this Article, we critique the various conceptions of the voluntary act requirement, and propose an alternative set of principles for applying the notion that person is only criminally culpable for crimes committed voluntarily. First, culpability requires that the actus reus as a whole (rather than merely one element of the actus reus) be voluntary. Second, the voluntariness requirement is an affirmative element of every offense, with the prosecution bearing the burden of proving voluntariness. Third, the Constitution requires that voluntariness is a necessary condition of criminal liability. These principles resolve the inconsistent understandings of the voluntariness requirement and ensure that criminal liability is limited to those defendants who are responsible for prohibited activity

Analysis of Archived Residual Newborn Screening Blood Spots After Whole Genome Amplification

Deidentified newborn screening bloodspot samples (NBS) represent a valuable potential resource for genomic research if impediments to whole exome sequencing of NBS deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), including the small amount of genomic DNA in NBS material, can be overcome. For instance, genomic analysis of NBS could be used to define allele frequencies of disease-associated variants in local populations, or to conduct prospective or retrospective studies relating genomic variation to disease emergence in pediatric populations over time. In this study, we compared the recovery of variant calls from exome sequences of amplified NBS genomic DNA to variant calls from exome sequencing of non-amplified NBS DNA from the same individuals. Results: Using a standard alignment-based Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK), we find 62,000-76,000 additional variants in amplified samples. After application of a unique kmer enumeration and variant detection method (RUFUS), only 38,000-47,000 additional variants are observed in amplified gDNA. This result suggests that roughly half of the amplification-introduced variants identified using GATK may be the result of mapping errors and read misalignment. Conclusions: Our results show that it is possible to obtain informative, high-quality data from exome analysis of whole genome amplified NBS with the important caveat that different data generation and analysis methods can affect variant detection accuracy, and the concordance of variant calls in whole-genome amplified and non-amplified exomes.National Institute of Health P01HD067244, NS076465, R01ES021006Nutritional Science

Understanding the Organization, Operation, and Victimization Process of Labor Trafficking in the United States

This study examines the organization, operation, and victimization process of labor trafficking across multiple industries in the United States. It examines labor trafficking victim abuse and exploitation along a continuum, from victims' recruitment for work in the United States; through their migration experiences (if any), employment victimization experiences, and efforts to seek help; to their ultimate escape and receipt of services. Data for this study came from a sample of 122 closed labor trafficking victim service records from service providers in four US cities. In addition, interviews were conducted with labor trafficking survivors, local and federal law enforcement officials, legal advocates, and service providers in each site to better understand the labor trafficking victimization experience, the networks involved in labor trafficking and the escape and removal process, and the barriers to investigation and prosecution of labor trafficking cases

Pattern formation in self-propelled particles with density-dependent motility

We study the behaviour of interacting self-propelled particles, whose self-propulsion speed decreases with their local density. By combining direct simulations of the microscopic model with an analysis of the hydrodynamic equations obtained by explicitly coarse graining the model, we show that interactions lead generically to the formation of a host of patterns, including moving clumps, active lanes and asters. This general mechanism could explain many of the patterns seen in recent experiments and simulations

Postmortem changes in brain cell structure: a review

Brain cell structure is a key determinant of neural function that is frequently altered in neurobiological disorders. Following the global loss of blood flow to the brain that initiates the postmortem interval (PMI), cells rapidly become depleted of energy and begin to decompose. To ensure that our methods for studying the brain using autopsy tissue are robust and reproducible, there is a critical need to delineate the expected changes in brain cell morphometry during the PMI. We searched multiple databases to identify studies measuring the effects of PMI on the morphometry (i.e. external dimensions) of brain cells. We screened 2119 abstracts, 361 full texts, and included 172 studies. Mechanistically, fluid shifts causing cell volume alterations and vacuolization are an early event in the PMI, while the loss of the ability to visualize cell membranes altogether is a later event. Decomposition rates are highly heterogenous and depend on the methods for visualization, the structural feature of interest, and modifying variables such as the storage temperature or the species. Geometrically, deformations of cell membranes are common early events that initiate within minutes. On the other hand, topological relationships between cellular features appear to remain intact for more extended periods. Taken together, there is an uncertain period of time, usually ranging from several hours to several days, over which cell membrane structure is progressively lost. This review may be helpful for investigators studying human postmortem brain tissue, wherein the PMI is an unavoidable aspect of the research

3D Scanning in the Library!

Experimenting with new uses of technologies can be a great way to engage library users. We will teach workshop participants how to use an Xbox Kinect, the motion sensing device that allows for gesture control, and Skanect software to create 3D scans of participants. Users can manipulate their scan files in any way they choose, including creating a 3D print of it. In demonstrating how to use this technology, we will show how the activity can be done using a basic swivel chair to make “busts” of participants or, for the especially adventurous, building your own motorized rotating platform for full body scans. Finally, we will share our workflow that we applied to multiple events, including a city-wide art festival and multiple Libraries’ events. This activity allows participants to explore gaming technology in interactive and new ways and hopefully inspire participants to try this at their own institutions