Addict First, Criminal Second – Addiction Fueled Crimes Should be Ineligible for the Three-Strikes Penalty

The author of this article argues that drug addicts who finance their addiction through crime should be ineligible to receive a prison sentence under a recidivist statute like the three-strikes penalty. Part I introduces the problem, addiction and crime among current prisoners reported by the Department of Justice. Part II discusses Gary Ewing, an addict, a criminal, and a third strike offender. The story of Gary Ewing represents the injustices levied upon an addict/criminal by enhanced sentenced statutes like the three-strikes penalty. Part III is a discussion of the history of repeat offender statutes, primarily focusing on the inception of California’s three-strikes policy and its later modification. Part IV is an analysis of the relationship between the theories of punishment and the three strikes policy and, more importantly, how these models do not fit the addict/criminal. Part V is a discussion of the various constitutional issues that surround the three-strikes penalty. Part VI discusses both the various statutory and the medical community’s definitions of addiction. Part VII explores defenses that are not available to the addict/criminal, but should be. Lastly, Part VIII discusses why breaking the cycle among family generations is so important and the statistics that support this proposition. This section also discusses treatment, the important role it plays in breaking this cycle, why treatment is failing in the country’s penal systems, and the ultimate cost benefit of treatment compared to incarceration

Dihydropyrimidine-thiones and clioquinol synergize to target beta-amyloid cellular pathologies through a metal-dependent mechanism

The lack of therapies for neurodegenerative diseases arises from our incomplete understanding of their underlying cellular toxicities and the limited number of predictive model systems. It is critical that we develop approaches to identify novel targets and lead compounds. Here, a phenotypic screen of yeast proteinopathy models identified dihydropyrimidine-thiones (DHPM-thiones) that selectively rescued the toxicity caused by β-amyloid (Aβ), the peptide implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. Rescue of Aβ toxicity by DHPM-thiones occurred through a metal-dependent mechanism of action. The bioactivity was distinct, however, from that of the 8-hydroxyquinoline clioquinol (CQ). These structurally dissimilar compounds strongly synergized at concentrations otherwise not competent to reduce toxicity. Cotreatment ameliorated Aβ toxicity by reducing Aβ levels and restoring functional vesicle trafficking. Notably, these low doses significantly reduced deleterious off-target effects caused by CQ on mitochondria at higher concentrations. Both single and combinatorial treatments also reduced death of neurons expressing Aβ in a nematode, indicating that DHPM-thiones target a conserved protective mechanism. Furthermore, this conserved activity suggests that expression of the Aβ peptide causes similar cellular pathologies from yeast to neurons. Our identification of a new cytoprotective scaffold that requires metal-binding underscores the critical role of metal phenomenology in mediating Aβ toxicity. Additionally, our findings demonstrate the valuable potential of synergistic compounds to enhance on-target activities, while mitigating deleterious off-target effects. The identification and prosecution of synergistic compounds could prove useful for developing AD therapeutics where combination therapies may be required to antagonize diverse pathologies.D.F.T was funded by NRSA Fellowship NIH 5F32NS061419. D.F.T. and S.L. were supported by WIBR funds in support of research on Regenerative Disease, the Picower/JPB Foundation, and the Edward N. and Della L. Thome Foundation. G.A.C. and S.L. were funded by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Collaborative Innovation Award. L.E.B., R.T., and S.E.S. were funded by NIH GM086180, NIH GM067041, and NIH GM111625. (5F32NS061419 - NRSA Fellowship NIH; WIBR funds in support of research on Regenerative Disease; Picower/JPB Foundation; Edward N. and Della L. Thome Foundation; Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Collaborative Innovation Award; GM086180 - NIH; NIH GM067041 - NIH; NIH GM111625 - NIH)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5705239/Accepted manuscrip

Nocturnal position in the Panamanian Golden Frog, Atelopus zeteki (Anura, Bufonidae), with notes on fluorescent pigment tracking

La rana dorada de Panamá, Atelopus zeteki, una especie en peligro de extinción, habita en los ríos de los bosques lluviosos de mediana elevación del istmo panameño. Con el propósito de conocer mejor ésta especie para su conservación, decidimos determinar los sitios de descanso nocturno de estos animales, los cuales se caracterizan por ser activos durante el día. Suponíamos que los machos adultos y los juveniles podrían ocupar micro hábitat distintos durante la noche, basándose en las diferencias en tamaños y patrones de coloración. Los resultados presentados aquí demuestran que, al caer la noche los machos adultos trepan significativamente más alto que los juveniles y que la distancia de estos movimientos desde el punto inicial hasta la posición final de descanso es también significativamente diferente. Estos cambios de posición durante el día y la noche de los machos adultos podrían estar relacionados con una conducta antipredatoria. Finalmente este estudio demuestra que con el uso de pigmentos fluorescentes es posible rastrear anfibios en los bosques lluviosos con habitates húmedos a mojados a través de distancias cortas a moderadas de manera exitosa.The endangered Panamanian golden frog, Atelopus zeteki, is a stream dweller of middle elevation rain forests of the Panamanian isthmus. In order to better understand this species for conservation, we set out to determine the nocturnal whereabouts of this diurnally active animal. It was expected that adult males and juveniles might occupy different nocturnal microhabitats based on differences in size, coloration and patterning. Findings presented here demonstrate that adult males climb significantly higher than juveniles at night and that movement distances to final resting positions also significantly differed. This change in diurnal and nocturnal position in adult males may be related to predator vigilance and avoidance. Lastly, this study demonstrated that individual rain forest amphibians can be successfully tracked over short to moderate distances in humid to wet environments using fluorescent pigments

Diffusion tensor imaging correlates with cytopathology in a rat model of neonatal hydrocephalus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a non-invasive MRI technique that has been used to quantify CNS abnormalities in various pathologic conditions. This study was designed to quantify the anisotropic diffusion properties in the brain of neonatal rats with hydrocephalus (HCP) and to investigate association between DTI measurements and cytopathology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>DTI data were acquired between postnatal day 7 (P7) and P12 in 12 rats with HCP induced at P2 and in 15 age-matched controls. Animals were euthanized at P11 or P22/P23 and brains were processed with immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule (Iba-1), and luxol fast blue (LFB) to assess astrocytosis, microglial reactivity and degree of myelination, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Hydrocephalic rats were consistently found to have an abnormally low (at corrected <it>p</it>-level of <0.05) fractional anisotropy (FA) value and an abnormally high mean diffusivity (MD) value in the cerebral cortex (CX), the corpus callosum (CC), and the internal capsule (IC). Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated trends of increasing astrocyte and microglial reactivity in HCP rats at P11 that reached statistical significance at P22/P23. A trend toward reduced myelination in the HCP rats was also found at P22/P23. Correlation analysis at P11 for the CC demonstrated statistically significant correlations (or trends) between the DTI measurement (the decreased FA and increased MD values) and the GFAP or Iba-1 rankings. The immunohistochemical rankings in the IC at P22/P23 were also significantly correlated or demonstrated a trend with both FA and MD values.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study demonstrates the feasibility of employing DTI on the brain in experimental hydrocephalus in neonatal rats and reveals impairments in multiple regions of interest in both grey and white matter. A strong correlation was found between the immunohistochemical results and the changes in anisotropic diffusion properties.</p

Transcriptomic response of the mycoparasitic fungus Trichoderma atroviride to the presence of a fungal prey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Combating the action of plant pathogenic microorganisms by mycoparasitic fungi has been announced as an attractive biological alternative to the use of chemical fungicides since two decades. The fungal genus <it>Trichoderma </it>includes a high number of taxa which are able to recognize, combat and finally besiege and kill their prey. Only fragments of the biochemical processes related to this ability have been uncovered so far, however.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We analyzed genome-wide gene expression changes during the begin of physical contact between <it>Trichoderma atroviride </it>and two plant pathogens <it>Botrytis cinerea </it>and <it>Rhizoctonia solani</it>, and compared with gene expression patterns of mycelial and conidiating cultures, respectively. About 3000 ESTs, representing about 900 genes, were obtained from each of these three growth conditions. 66 genes, represented by 442 ESTs, were specifically and significantly overexpressed during onset of mycoparasitism, and the expression of a subset thereof was verified by expression analysis. The upregulated genes comprised 18 KOG groups, but were most abundant from the groups representing posttranslational processing, and amino acid metabolism, and included components of the stress response, reaction to nitrogen shortage, signal transduction and lipid catabolism. Metabolic network analysis confirmed the upregulation of the genes for amino acid biosynthesis and of those involved in the catabolism of lipids and aminosugars.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The analysis of the genes overexpressed during the onset of mycoparasitism in <it>T. atroviride </it>has revealed that the fungus reacts to this condition with several previously undetected physiological reactions. These data enable a new and more comprehensive interpretation of the physiology of mycoparasitism, and will aid in the selection of traits for improvement of biocontrol strains by recombinant techniques.</p

Nursing clinical trial of breast self-examination education in China

LIU C.-Y., XIA H.-O., ISAMAN D.M., DENG W. & OAKLEY D. (2010) Nursing clinical trial of breast self-examination education in China. International Nursing Review 57 , 128–134The aim of this study was to test community-based nursing education about breast self-examination to see whether self-examination frequency could be increased.Breast cancer rates in China are rising rapidly, especially in cities. The majority of Chinese women does not know about breast self-examination, and the Chinese health care system cannot provide mammograms for the millions of at-risk women throughout China.This study was a randomized clinical trial of nurse-provided, community-based teaching of breast self-examination in the urban and rural areas of Tianjin and urban and suburban areas of Shanghai. Women ( n  = 1510) never diagnosed with breast cancer and 40 years and older were randomized by community and stratified by urban vs. other residences.At baseline, 9% of the intervention and 6% of the control groups did breast self-examination at least every other month. After 12 months, 34% of the intervention, but only 11% of the control, group did breast self-examination that often ( P  < 0.001). There was a significant impact in urban, suburban and rural areas, and intervention effects were stronger than any of the other influences tested.The clinical trial showed a statistically significant increase in breast self-examination after the nursing education intervention. As no other breast cancer screening method is available in most of China, this method is best suited for the masses of people currently at risk in China.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79233/1/j.1466-7657.2009.00756.x.pd

From 3D landscape visualization to environmental simulation: The contribution of sound to the perception of virtual environments

This research investigated the perceptual interaction of combining sound with 3D landscape visualizations. Images sourced from Google Earth at St. James’s Park, London, UK, showing terrain only,terrain with built form or terrain with primarily vegetation were paired with four sound conditions using recordings from the park (i.e. ‘no sound’, anthropogenic, mechanical and natural). Perceived realism and preference were evaluated using a survey delivered via the Internet and in a controlled laboratory environment (N = 199 total). Analysis using repeated measures ANOVA indicated the interaction of sound and 3D visualizations significantly alters environmental perception both positively and negatively. Sounds and visuals that are congruent receive higher realism and preference ratings while the more incongruent the combination is, the lower the corresponding ratings. The lowest realism and preference ratings are given to visualizations showing terrain only combined with speech. The highest realism ratings overall correspond to visualization with built form combined with speech, and visualizations showing primarily vegetation paired with a birdcall. The absolute highest realism rating was for the visualization with primarily vegetation and some built form paired with speech, while the highest preference ratings correspond to visualizations showing vegetation paired with birdcall or no sound. Aural-visual data collected via the web-based survey was comparable to data collected in the laboratory and overall realism ratings for the Google Earth visualizations were low (e.g. below 3 on a 1–5 likert type scale). The results suggest there is an opportunity to increase experiential authenticity of 3D landscape visualizations with sound