How a new inmate triage system could reduce the use of solitary confinement and improve prison safety

Across the political spectrum in the United States, there are growing concerns regarding the effectiveness and utility of solitary confinement - a practice also referred to as restrictive housing. However, for a country that has grown reliant on the use of solitary confinement in its prisons, there are still more questions than answers about how to reduce its use while also ensuring institutional safety and security. Ryan M. Labrecque created a new tool for use by corrections staff to triage inmates by risk. He argues that this tool can be effective in reducing the use of restrictive housing and increasing prison safety by proactively targeting high-risk inmates for treatment services upon their entry into the prison system

Low temperature impact strength of heavy section ductile iron castings: effects of microstructure and chemical composition

A foundry research project has been recently initiated at RTIT in order to better understand the fabrication of as-cast heavy section DI parts meeting high impact energy requirements at low temperatures. The experimental castings have the following dimensions 180 mm x 180 mm x 190 mm. The achieved as-cast Charpy impact strengths were as follows: 17 J (RT), 16 J (-20°C) and 11 J (-40°C). The foundry process, the chemical composition and the microstructure of this experimental casting are compared to the ones of various examples in order to show the detrimental effects of residual elements, microshrinkage and microcarbide on the impact properties. Finally, quality index empirical models (based on casting chemical compositions) are used to analyse the impact tests results. This paper illustrates that an adequate nodule count can contribute to reducing the detrimental effects of the residual elements and microsegregation

An Evaluation of the Impact of Solitary Confinement on Offenders with Mental Illness

The primary goal of the current study is to examine the impact of solitary confinement (SC) on institutional misconducts in offenders with mental illness. The presentation focuses on the following questions: Does the experience of SC reduce institutional misconducts in offenders with mental illness? Does the length of time spent in SC influence subsequent institutional misconducts in offenders with mental illness

Graves, Gifts, and the Bereaved Consumer: A Restorative Perspective of Gift Exchange

When a gifting relationship is disrupted by death, why might a living consumer continue to invest in it? Consumer spending on deceased loved ones does not end with the funeral. Given the embodying power of a physical gravesite, this article examines the practice of gift giving to the deceased in the context of American cemeteries. We employ a longitudinal approach, in which 180 cemetery gravesites were photographed. The photographic data are coupled with a netnography of grief and bereavement communities. Findings support a restorative perspective of gift exchange. Bereaved consumers utilize restorative giving as a mechanism to cope with loss and maintain relationships with deceased loved ones. We outline five categories of gifts given to the deceased and present a framework of restorative giving practices. Implications are discussed in terms of identity development, symbolic communication, and reciprocity in gift giving, as deceased consumers continue to be recipients of tangible goods

Sex Attraction in the House Fly, Musca Domestica L.

Author Institution: Entomology Research Division, Agric. Res. Serv., U.S.D.A., Gainesville, Fla.Attraction tests have shown that virgin female house flies attract both virgin males and females but the degree of attraction is relatively small. A tentative hypothesis of chemical sex attraction is suggested. The attraction does not appear to be due to moisture, motion, or sound effects

Studies on the Mating Behavior of the House Fly, Musca Domestica L.

Author Institution: Entomology Research Division, Agric, Res. Serv., U.S.D.A. Gainesville, Fla

Frequency and patterns of early recanalization after vasectomy

BACKGROUND: Our understanding of early post-vasectomy recanalization is limited to histopathological studies. The objective of this study was to estimate the frequency and to describe semen analysis patterns of early recanalization after vasectomy. METHODS: Charts displaying serial post-vasectomy semen analyses were created using the semen analysis results from 826 and 389 men participating in a randomized trial of fascial interposition (FI) and an observational study of cautery, respectively. In the FI trial, participants were randomly allocated to vas occlusion by ligation and excision with or without FI. In the cautery study, sites used their usual cautery occlusion technique, two with and two without FI. Presumed early recanalization was based on the assessment of individual semen analysis charts by three independent reviewers. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus. RESULTS: Presumed early recanalization was characterized by a very low sperm concentration within two weeks after vasectomy followed by return to large numbers of sperm over the next few weeks. The overall proportion of men with presumed early recanalization was 13% (95% CI 12%–15%). The risk was highest with ligation and excision without FI (25%) and lowest for thermal cautery with FI (0%). The highest proportion of presumed early recanalization was observed among men classified as vasectomy failures. CONCLUSION: Early recanalization, occurring within the first weeks after vasectomy, is more common than generally recognized. Its frequency depends on the occlusion technique performed

Occupational Asthma: New Low-Molecular-Weight Causal Agents, 2000–2010

Background. More than 400 agents have been documented as causing occupational asthma (OA). The list of low-molecular-weight (LMW) agents that have been identified as potential causes of OA is constantly expanding, emphasizing the need to continually update our knowledge by reviewing the literature. Objective. The objective of this paper was to identify all new LMW agents causing occupational asthma reported during the period 2000–2010. Methods. A Medline search was performed using the keywords occupational asthma, new allergens, new causes, and low-molecular-weight agents. Results. We found 39 publications describing 41 new LMW causal agents, which belonged to the following categories: drugs (n = 12), wood dust (n = 11), chemicals (n = 8), metals (n = 4), biocides (n = 3), and miscellaneous (n = 3). The diagnosis of OA was confirmed through SIC for 35 of 41 agents, peak expiratory flow monitoring for three (3) agents, and the clinical history alone for three (3) agents. Immunological tests provided evidence supporting an IgE-mediated mechanism for eight (8) (20%) of the newly described agents. Conclusion. This paper highlights the importance of being alert to the occurrence of new LMW sensitizers, which can elicit OA. The immunological mechanism is explained by a type I hypersensitivity reaction in 20% of all newly described LMW agents