Making Deflection the New Diversion for Drug Offenders

The argument unfolds as follows. In Part I, we describe the origins and operation of deflection programs that currently exist in the United States and present the published empirical evidence about their effect on recidivism rates, as well as police and user population responses to them. We specifically discuss the LEAD template from Seattle, in addition to other models in Massachusetts and Texas. In Part II, we take a closer look at how conventional policing differs from the pre-arrest diversion program that was recently instituted in Atlanta. Using data from an original dataset of all 2012 felony drug arrests in Atlanta, we contrast the conventional approach to handling drug possession cases to the pre-arrest diversion approach and speculate about the savings that might have accrued had pre-arrest diversion been implemented years earlier. In Part III, we argue that prosecutors ought to become participants in and champions of county-wide deflection partnerships. As New Jersey\u27s Burlington County Prosecutor\u27s Office is the national leader in this effort, features of the Burlington program appear prominently in this discussion. We conclude on a comparative note, assessing how deflection measures up against conventional prosecution, diversion, and non-prosecution of substance users

Making Deflection the New Diversion for Drug Offenders

The argument unfolds as follows. In Part I, we describe the origins and operation of deflection programs that currently exist in the United States and present the published empirical evidence about their effect on recidivism rates, as well as police and user population responses to them. We specifically discuss the LEAD template from Seattle, in addition to other models in Massachusetts and Texas. In Part II, we take a closer look at how conventional policing differs from the pre-arrest diversion program that was recently instituted in Atlanta. Using data from an original dataset of all 2012 felony drug arrests in Atlanta, we contrast the conventional approach to handling drug possession cases to the pre-arrest diversion approach and speculate about the savings that might have accrued had pre-arrest diversion been implemented years earlier. In Part III, we argue that prosecutors ought to become participants in and champions of county-wide deflection partnerships. As New Jersey\u27s Burlington County Prosecutor\u27s Office is the national leader in this effort, features of the Burlington program appear prominently in this discussion. We conclude on a comparative note, assessing how deflection measures up against conventional prosecution, diversion, and non-prosecution of substance users

The gut microbiome defines social group membership in honey bee colonies

In the honey bee, genetically related colony members innately develop colony-specific cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, which serve as pheromonal nestmate recognition cues. Yet, despite high intracolony relatedness, the innate development of colony-specific chemical signatures by individual colony members is largely determined by the colony environment, rather than solely relying on genetic variants shared by nestmates. Therefore, it is puzzling how a nongenic factor could drive the innate development of a quantitative trait that is shared by members of the same colony. Here, we provide one solution to this conundrum by showing that nestmate recognition cues in honey bees are defined, at least in part, by shared characteristics of the gut microbiome across individual colony members. These results illustrate the importance of host-microbiome interactions as a source of variation in animal behavioral traits

Evaluating causal psychological models: A study of language theories of autism using a large sample

We used a large convenience sample (n = 22,223) from the Simons Powering Autism Research (SPARK) dataset to evaluate causal, explanatory theories of core autism symptoms. In particular, the data-items collected supported the testing of theories that posited altered language abilities as cause of social withdrawal, as well as alternative theories that competed with these language theories. Our results using this large dataset converge with the evolution of the field in the decades since these theories were first proposed, namely supporting primary social withdrawal (in some cases of autism) as a cause of altered language development, rather than vice versa.To accomplish the above empiric goals, we used a highly theory-constrained approach, one which differs from current data-driven modeling trends but is coherent with a very recent resurgence in theory-driven psychology. In addition to careful explication and formalization of theoretical accounts, we propose three principles for future work of this type: specification, quantification, and integration. Specification refers to constraining models with pre-existing data, from both outside and within autism research, with more elaborate models and more veridical measures, and with longitudinal data collection. Quantification refers to using continuous measures of both psychological causes and effects, as well as weighted graphs. This approach avoids “universality and uniqueness” tests that hold that a single cognitive difference could be responsible for a heterogeneous and complex behavioral phenotype. Integration of multiple explanatory paths within a single model helps the field examine for multiple contributors to a single behavioral feature or to multiple behavioral features. It also allows integration of explanatory theories across multiple current-day diagnoses and as well as typical development

Synchronizing Cardiac Cycle Phase with Foot Strike to Optimize Cardiac Performance in Patients with Chronic Systolic Heart Failure and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT)

Despite advances in medical and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT), patients with chronic systolic heart failure (HF) have persistent symptoms including dyspnea on exertion and exercise intolerance. Novel strategies to improve exercise performance in these patients, such as optimizing cardio-locomotor coupling, could be particularly beneficial to improve functional capacity. For example, runners display a lower heart rate and higher oxygen pulse, suggestive of a higher stroke volume (SV), when foot strike occurs in diastole. Whether patients with HF undergoing CRT can similarly increase SV is unknown. PURPOSE: To compare the effects of diastolic versus systolic foot strike timing on exercise hemodynamics in patients with HF and CRT. METHODS: Ten patients (Age: 58 ± 17 years, 40% Female) with HF and previously implanted CRT pacemakers completed repeated 5-minute bouts of walking on a treadmill at a fixed but individualized speed (range: 1.5-3mph). Participants were randomized to walking to an auditory tone to synchronize their foot strike to either the systolic (ECG R-wave; 0 or 100%±15% or R-R interval) or diastolic phase (45±15% of the R-R interval) of their cardiac cycle. Participants were included if ≥50% of their steps were valid (i.e. in time). Patients wore a chest strap with an attached ECG sensor and accelerometer (CounterpaceR). Foot strike timing and associated valid step counts were assessed via CounterpaceR or post-hoc analysis of foot strike waveforms. Cardiopulmonary parameters were measured breath by breath via indirect calorimetry and cardiac output was measured via acetylene rebreathing, with SV calculated as the quotient of cardiac output and heart rate. RESULTS: There was no difference in oxygen uptake between conditions (1.02 ± 0.44 vs. 1.04 ± 0.44 L/min, P=0.298). When compared to systolic walking, stepping in diastole was associated with higher SV (Diastolic: 80 ± 28 vs. Systolic: 74 ± 26 ml, P=0.003) and cardiac output (8.3 ± 3.5 vs. 7.9 ± 3.4 L/min, P=0.004); heart rate (paced) was not different between conditions (101 ± 15 vs. 103 ± 14 bpm, P=0.300). Mean arterial pressure was significantly lower during diastolic walking (85 ± 12 vs. 98 ± 20 mmHg, P=0.007). CONCLUSION: In patients with HF and previous CRT, synchronizing foot strike with diastole during walking increased SV and cardiac output and reduced arterial pressure. Our findings indicate that in such paced hearts, diastolic stepping increases oxygen delivery and decreases afterload, which may facilitate increased exercise capacity. Therefore, if added to pacemakers, this cardio-locomotor coupling technology may maximize CRT efficiency and increase exercise participation and quality of life in patients with HF

Photometric Observations of Three High Mass X-Ray Binaries and a Search for Variations Induced by Orbital Motion

We searched for long period variation in V-band, Ic-band and RXTE X-ray light curves of the High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) LS 1698 / RX J1037.5-5647, HD 110432 / 1H 1249-637 and HD 161103 / RX J1744.7-2713 in an attempt to discover orbitally induced variation. Data were obtained primarily from the ASAS database and were supplemented by shorter term observations made with the 24- and 40-inch ANU telescopes and one of the robotic PROMPT telescopes. Fourier periodograms suggested the existence of long period variation in the V-band light curves of all three HMXBs, however folding the data at those periods did not reveal convincing periodic variation. At this point we cannot rule out the existence of long term V-band variation for these three sources and hints of longer term variation may be seen in the higher precision PROMPT data. Long term V-band observations, on the order of several years, taken at a frequency of at least once per week and with a precision of 0.01 mag, therefore still have a chance of revealing long term variation in these three HMXBs.Comment: Accepted, RAA, May, 201

Spleen tyrosine kinase-mediated autophagy is required for epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity and metastasis in breast cancer

The ability of breast cancer cells to transiently transition between epithelial and mesenchymal states contributes to their metastatic potential. Therefore, driving tumor cells into a stable mesenchymal state, as opposed to complete tumor cell eradication, presents an opportunity to pharmacologically limit disease progression by promoting an asymptomatic state of dormancy. Here we compare a reversible model of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by TGF-β to a stable mesenchymal phenotype induced by chronic exposure to the ErbB kinase inhibitor lapatinib. Only cells capable of returning to an epithelial phenotype resulted in skeletal metastasis. Gene expression analyses of the two mesenchymal states indicated similar transition expression profiles. A potently downregulated gene in both datasets was spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK). In contrast to this similar diminution in mRNA, kinome analyses using a peptide array and DNA-conjugated peptide substrates showed a robust increase in SYK activity upon TGF-β-induced EMT only. SYK was present in cytoplasmic RNA processing depots known as P-bodies formed during the onset of EMT, and SYK activity was required for autophagy-mediated clearance of P-bodies during mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET). Genetic knockout of autophagy related 7 (ATG7) or pharmacological inhibition of SYK activity with fostamatib, a clinically approved inhibitor of SYK, prevented P-body clearance and MET, inhibiting metastatic tumor outgrowth. Overall, the current study suggests assessment of SYK activity as a biomarker for metastatic disease and the use of fostamatinib as a means to stabilize the latency of disseminated tumor cells