Best Practices For Drug Court: How Drug Court Judges Influence Positive Outcomes

Drug courts are an important component in the criminal justice system directed toward efforts of rehabilitation of drug and alcohol addiction that lessens the rate of recidivism. Drug court is the alternative to incarceration and traditional addiction treatment. Drug court has been characterized as therapeutic adjudication. Using Best Practices, drug courts staffed by a judge, court team, and community partners individualize treatment protocols to motivate participant compliance and lessen the impact of the social milieu that impacts his or her recovery. Drug courts have been deemed successful in part due to the role of the judge. This research sought to compare theoretical consideration of bureaucratic authority and the ethic of care to the actions of the judge that produced narratives of positive praise of drug court participants\u27 success in their program. Literature on adult drug courts in the United States found that recidivism rates were reduced when the drug court participant\u27s length of stay in the program was at least one year and they stayed engaged in the program with the help of the judge

System definition study of deployable, non-metallic space structures

The state of the art for nonmetallic materials and fabrication techniques suitable for future space structures are summarized. Typical subsystems and systems of interest to the space community that are reviewed include: (1) inflatable/rigidized space hangar; (2) flexible/storable acoustic barrier; (3) deployable fabric bulkhead in a space habitat; (4) extendible tunnel for soft docking; (5) deployable space recovery/re-entry systems for personnel or materials; (6) a manned habitat for a space station; (7) storage enclosures external to the space station habitat; (8) attachable work stations; and (9) safe haven structures. Performance parameters examined include micrometeoroid protection; leakage rate prediction and control; rigidization of flexible structures in the space environment; flammability and offgassing; lifetime for nonmetallic materials; crack propagation prevention; and the effects of atomic oxygen and space debris. An expandable airlock for shuttle flight experiments and potential tethered experiments from shuttle are discussed

Digital Monism: Our Mode of Being At The Nexus of Life, Digital Media and Art

Slides.International audienceDigital Monism is the idea that the contemporary human world is inseparably digital and non-digital, online and offline or, in obsolete terms, virtual and real. In contrast to Digital Dualism, “the belief that online and offline are largely distinct and independent realities” (Jurgenson 2011), Digital Monism states that the human reality is a digital-centered hybrid environment made of mixed systems and matters constantly interlinked, that tends to form a single continuous multimaterial artifactual substance. This idea was first presented by Stéphane Vial at #TtW13 under a theoretical form and is related to his recently published book ‘Being and Screen : How the Digital changes Perception’ (Paris, 2013). Thanks to Neal Stimler’s contribution, this paper is articulated as a brief, a memorandum for the public calling attention to our changing modes of being in response to the new convergences in life, digital media and art. The purpose of this paper is not only to introduce to the theoretical principles of Digital Monism, relating to other concepts such as Augmented Reality or Digital Humanities (1st section). It aims to further people’s awareness that they are in a Digital Monist world by identifying Scenarios of Practice (2nd section). Scenarios of Practice include the actions, platforms and roles utilized in multimodal Digital Monistic experiences. Scenarios of Practice are informed by media theory and social practice art, particularly as they are engaged using digital technologies within cultural institutions such museums. Museums are networked centers of consciousness and thus critical social sites for identifying Digital Monistic experiences. Humans connect to our sense of the past, our emerging present and possibilities for future when they bear witness to our pan-human ancestors in relationship with museums. For example, a scenario of practice may include an examination of how mobile devices are used to connect museum constituents to content and are subsequently used as instruments for new creation in community with others. A key source of inspiration for the convergence of these ideas is “Digital_Humanities” (Cambridge, 2012). We will conclude by exploring Digital Monism’s meanings and outcomes (3rd section). Here we aim to express what Digital Monism means for people’s lives and how it impacts their future. Digital Monism will be investigated in relation to the individual, institutions, the Digital Divide, collaborative production, learning, the environment, and humanistic value

Bryophyte gas-exchange dynamics along varying hydration status reveal a significant carbonyl sulphide (COS) sink in the dark and COS source in the light

Carbonyl sulphide (COS) is a potential tracer of gross primary productivity (GPP), assuming a unidirectional COS flux into the vegetation that scales with GPP. However, carbonic anhydrase (CA), the enzyme that hydrolyses COS, is expected to be light independent, and thus plants without stomata should continue to take up COS in the dark. We measured net CO2 (A(C) ) and COS (A(S) ) uptake rates from two astomatous bryophytes at different relative water contents (RWCs), COS concentrations, temperatures and light intensities. We found large A(S) in the dark, indicating that CA activity continues without photosynthesis. More surprisingly, we found a nonzero COS compensation point in light and dark conditions, indicating a temperature-driven COS source with a Q10 (fractional change for a 10°C temperature increase) of 3.7. This resulted in greater A(S) in the dark than in the light at similar RWC. The processes underlying such COS emissions remain unknown. Our results suggest that ecosystems dominated by bryophytes might be strong atmospheric sinks of COS at night and weaker sinks or even sources of COS during daytime. Biotic COS production in bryophytes could result from symbiotic fungal and bacterial partners that could also be found on vascular plants.Funding was provided by the European Research Council (ERC) early career starting grant SOLCA (grant no. 338264) and the French Agence National de la Recherche (ANR) project ORCA. T.E.G. was funded by the IdEx post-doctoral programme of the Université de Bordeaux and by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Intra-European fellowship (grant no. 653223). J.R. was funded by NERC grant NE/M00113X/1

Litter dominates surface fluxes of carbonyl sulfide in a Californian oak woodland

Carbonyl sulfide (COS) is a promising tracer for partitioning terrestrial photosynthesis and respiration from net carbon fluxes, based on its daytime co-uptake alongside CO2 through leaf stomata. Because ecosystem COS fluxes are the sum of plant and soil fluxes, using COS as a photosynthesis tracer requires accurate knowledge of soil COS fluxes. At an oak woodland in Southern California, we monitored below-canopy surface (soil + litter) COS and CO2 fluxes for 40 days using chambers and laser spectroscopy. We also measured litter fluxes separately and used a depth-resolved diffusion-reaction model to quantify the role of litter uptake in surface COS fluxes. Soil and litter were primarily COS sinks, and mean surface COS uptake was small (∼1 pmol m-2 s-1). After rainfall, uptake rates were higher (6–8 pmol m-2 s-1), and litter contributed a significant fraction (up to 90%) to surface fluxes. We observed rapid concurrent increases in COS uptake and CO2 efflux following the onset of rain. The patterns were similar to the Birch effect widely documented for soils; however, both COS and CO2 flux increases originated mainly in the litter. The synchronous COS-CO2 litter Birch effect indicates that it results from a rapid increase in litter microbial activity after rainfall. We expect that the drying-rewetting cycles typical for mediterranean and other semiarid ecosystems create a pronounced seasonality in surface COS fluxes. Our results highlight that litter uptake is an important component of surface COS exchange that needs to be taken into account in ecosystem COS budgets and model simulations

Anaphylatoxin C3a receptors in asthma

The complement system forms the central core of innate immunity but also mediates a variety of inflammatory responses. Anaphylatoxin C3a, which is generated as a byproduct of complement activation, has long been known to activate mast cells, basophils and eosinophils and to cause smooth muscle contraction. However, the role of C3a in the pathogenesis of allergic asthma remains unclear. In this review, we examine the role of C3a in promoting asthma. Following allergen challenge, C3a is generated in the lung of subjects with asthma but not healthy subjects. Furthermore, deficiency in C3a generation or in G protein coupled receptor for C3a abrogates allergen-induced responses in murine models of pulmonary inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. In addition, inhibition of complement activation or administration of small molecule inhibitors of C3a receptor after sensitization but before allergen challenge inhibits airway responses. At a cellular level, C3a stimulates robust mast cell degranulation that is greatly enhanced following cell-cell contact with airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells. Therefore, C3a likely plays an important role in asthma primarily by regulating mast cell-ASM cell interaction

Low atmospheric CO2 levels during the Little Ice Age due to cooling-induced terrestrial uptake

Low atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration during the Little Ice Age has been used to derive the global carbon cycle sensitivity to temperature. Recent evidence confirms earlier indications that the low CO2 was caused by increased terrestrial carbon storage. It remains unknown whether the terrestrial biosphere responded to temperature variations, or there was vegetation re-growth on abandoned farmland. Here we present a global numerical simulation of atmospheric carbonyl sulfide concentrations in the pre-industrial period. Carbonyl sulfide concentration is linked to changes in gross primary production and shows a positive anomaly during the Little Ice Age. We show that a decrease in gross primary production and a larger decrease in ecosystem respiration is the most likely explanation for the decrease in atmospheric CO2 and increase in atmospheric carbonyl sulfide concentrations. Therefore, temperature change, not vegetation re-growth, was the main cause of the increased terrestrial carbon storage. We address the inconsistency between ice-core CO2 records from different sites measuring CO2 and δ13CO2 in ice from Dronning Maud Land (Antarctica). Our interpretation allows us to derive the temperature sensitivity of pre-industrial CO2 fluxes for the terrestrial biosphere (γL = -10 to -90 Pg C K-1), implying a positive climate feedback and providing a benchmark to reduce model uncertainties

Focus on collagen: in vitro systems to study fibrogenesis and antifibrosis _ state of the art

Fibrosis represents a major global disease burden, yet a potent antifibrotic compound is still not in sight. Part of the explanation for this situation is the difficulties that both academic laboratories and research and development departments in the pharmaceutical industry have been facing in re-enacting the fibrotic process in vitro for screening procedures prior to animal testing. Effective in vitro characterization of antifibrotic compounds has been hampered by cell culture settings that are lacking crucial cofactors or are not holistic representations of the biosynthetic and depositional pathway leading to the formation of an insoluble pericellular collagen matrix. In order to appreciate the task which in vitro screening of antifibrotics is up against, we will first review the fibrotic process by categorizing it into events that are upstream of collagen biosynthesis and the actual biosynthetic and depositional cascade of collagen I. We point out oversights such as the omission of vitamin C, a vital cofactor for the production of stable procollagen molecules, as well as the little known in vitro tardy procollagen processing by collagen C-proteinase/BMP-1, another reason for minimal collagen deposition in cell culture. We review current methods of cell culture and collagen quantitation vis-à-vis the high content options and requirements for normalization against cell number for meaningful data retrieval. Only when collagen has formed a fibrillar matrix that becomes cross-linked, invested with ligands, and can be remodelled and resorbed, the complete picture of fibrogenesis can be reflected in vitro. We show here how this can be achieved. A well thought-out in vitro fibrogenesis system represents the missing link between brute force chemical library screens and rational animal experimentation, thus providing both cost-effectiveness and streamlined procedures towards the development of better antifibrotic drugs

Stratospheric aerosol - Observations, processes, and impact on climate

Interest in stratospheric aerosol and its role in climate have increased over the last decade due to the observed increase in stratospheric aerosol since 2000 and the potential for changes in the sulfur cycle induced by climate change. This review provides an overview about the advances in stratospheric aerosol research since the last comprehensive assessment of stratospheric aerosol was published in 2006. A crucial development since 2006 is the substantial improvement in the agreement between in situ and space-based inferences of stratospheric aerosol properties during volcanically quiescent periods. Furthermore, new measurement systems and techniques, both in situ and space based, have been developed for measuring physical aerosol properties with greater accuracy and for characterizing aerosol composition. However, these changes induce challenges to constructing a long-term stratospheric aerosol climatology. Currently, changes in stratospheric aerosol levels less than 20% cannot be confidently quantified. The volcanic signals tend to mask any nonvolcanically driven change, making them difficult to understand. While the role of carbonyl sulfide as a substantial and relatively constant source of stratospheric sulfur has been confirmed by new observations and model simulations, large uncertainties remain with respect to the contribution from anthropogenic sulfur dioxide emissions. New evidence has been provided that stratospheric aerosol can also contain small amounts of nonsulfate matter such as black carbon and organics. Chemistry-climate models have substantially increased in quantity and sophistication. In many models the implementation of stratospheric aerosol processes is coupled to radiation and/or stratospheric chemistry modules to account for relevant feedback processes