Thinking about Crime: Race and Lay Accounts of Lawbreaking Behavior

Lay or commonsense accounts of the origins of criminal behavior may play a key role in sustaining a strong public appetite for harsh criminal justice policies and undergird large black-white differences in opinion in this domain. Using data from the nationally representative Race, Crime, and Public Opinion project’s 2001 survey, the authors develop an explanatory mode typology for accounts of involvement in criminal behavior. These include both individualistic and structural accounts of behavior in addition to a mixed-mode category. The authors identify key differences in the demographic and sociopolitical bases of the attributional types and find significant race differences in these attributional types. Attributions strongly affect how individuals wish to see public policy respond to the problem of crime and explain a small but significant fraction of the black-white difference in crime policy views.African and African American StudiesSociolog

LAURA Users Manual: 5.6

This users manual provides in-depth information concerning installation and execution of Laura, version 5. Laura is a structured, multiblock, computational aerothermodynamic simulation code. Version 5 represents a major refactoring of the original Fortran 77 Laura code toward a modular structure afforded by Fortran 95. The refactoring improved usability and maintainability by eliminating the requirement for problem-dependent recompilations, providing more intuitive distribution of functionality, and simplifying inter- faces required for multi-physics coupling. As a result, Laura now shares gas-physics modules, MPI modules, and other low-level modules with the Fun3D unstructured-grid code. In addition to internal refactoring, several new features and capabilities have been added, e.g., a GNU-standard installation process, parallel load balancing, automatic trajectory point sequencing, free-energy minimization, and coupled ablation and flow field radiation

Analysis of Compression Pad Cavities for the Orion Heatshield

Current results of a program for analysis of the compression pad cavities on the Orion heatshield are reviewed. The program was supported by experimental tests, engineering modeling, and applied computations with an emphasis on the latter presented in this paper. The computational tools and approach are described along with calculated results for wind tunnel and flight conditions. Correlations of the computed results are shown which can produce a credible prediction of heating augmentation due to cavity disturbances. The models developed for use in preliminary design of the Orion heatshield are presented

Local Population Structure and Patterns of Western Hemisphere Dispersal for Coccidioides spp., the Fungal Cause of Valley Fever.

UnlabelledCoccidioidomycosis (or valley fever) is a fungal disease with high morbidity and mortality that affects tens of thousands of people each year. This infection is caused by two sibling species, Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii, which are endemic to specific arid locales throughout the Western Hemisphere, particularly the desert southwest of the United States. Recent epidemiological and population genetic data suggest that the geographic range of coccidioidomycosis is expanding, as new endemic clusters have been identified in the state of Washington, well outside the established endemic range. The genetic mechanisms and epidemiological consequences of this expansion are unknown and require better understanding of the population structure and evolutionary history of these pathogens. Here we performed multiple phylogenetic inference and population genomics analyses of 68 new and 18 previously published genomes. The results provide evidence of substantial population structure in C. posadasii and demonstrate the presence of distinct geographic clades in central and southern Arizona as well as dispersed populations in Texas, Mexico, South America, and Central America. Although a smaller number of C. immitis strains were included in the analyses, some evidence of phylogeographic structure was also detected in this species, which has been historically limited to California and Baja, Mexico. Bayesian analyses indicated that C. posadasii is the more ancient of the two species and that Arizona contains the most diverse subpopulations. We propose a southern Arizona-northern Mexico origin for C. posadasii and describe a pathway for dispersal and distribution out of this region.ImportanceCoccidioidomycosis, or valley fever, is caused by the pathogenic fungi Coccidioides posadasii and C. immitis The fungal species and disease are primarily found in the American desert southwest, with spotted distribution throughout the Western Hemisphere. Initial molecular studies suggested a likely anthropogenic movement of C. posadasii from North America to South America. Here we comparatively analyze eighty-six genomes of the two Coccidioides species and establish local and species-wide population structures to not only clarify the earlier dispersal hypothesis but also provide evidence of likely ancestral populations and patterns of dispersal for the known subpopulations of C. posadasii

Recent Legal Literature

Thorpe: The Constitutional History of the United States; The American State Reports, containing the Cases of General Value and Authority Subsequent to those Contained in the American Decisions and the American Reports, Decided in the Courts of Last Resort of the Several States. Selected, Reported, and Annotated by A. C. Freeman, and the Associate Editors of the American Decisions. Vol. 82-85; Sibbley: The Right to and the Cause for Action; Mack and Nash (eds.): Cyclopedia of Law and Procedure; Page: A concise treatise on the Law of Wills; May: The Law of Insurance as Applied to Fire, Life, Accident, Guaranty and other Non-Maritime Risks; Elliott: A Treatise on the Law of Insurance, including Fire, Life, Accident, Caualty, Title, Credit and Guaranty Insurance in Every Form; Chatterton: Probate Law; Abbott: Trial Evidence; Hammon: A Treatise on Chattel Mortgages for Michigan; Hammon: A Treatise on Chattel, Mortgages for Illinois; Freeman: Void Judicial Sales; Hirsch: Tabulated Digest of the Divorce Laws of the United State

Development of Antibacterial Steel Surfaces Through Laser Texturing

[Abstract] The aim of the present study was to develop novel antibacterial touch surfaces through the laser texturing optimization of stainless steel. A wide range of laser fluence (2.11 J/cm2–5.64 J/cm2) and scanning interval (10 µm–30 μm) parameters were explored. The impact of surfaces with different patterns, wettability, and oxidation states on the antimicrobial behavior of Escherichia coli K-12 and biofilm hyper-producing Acinetobacter baumannii MAR002 was assessed. Modification of laser input enacted topographical changes with high scanning intervals leading to ordered surface patterns, while increasing the laser fluence to 5.64 J/cm2 created larger and less ordered plateaus and valleys. Texturing also drove a transition from a hydrophilic starting surface with a contact angle of 80.67° ± 3.35° to hydrophobic (138°–148°). Antimicrobial analysis and bioluminescence assays of E. coli, alongside biofilm forming test through A. baumannii MAR002 indicated the ability of laser texturing to produce effective bactericidal touch surfaces. No simple correlation was found between wettability and bacterial behavior, revealing that proliferation is dependent on roughness, oxidation, and wettability. For the conditions selected in this study, a laser fluence of 5.64 J/cm2 and a scanning interval of 10 µm showcased the lowest amount of recovered bacteria after 30 min.This research was supported by Project Nos. 592 p-01216A and IJCI-2016-29524 (awarded to A.P.G.), funded by the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC) and MINECO, respectively. This manuscript is part of Process Design to Prevent Prosthetic Infections (Grant No. EP/P02341X/1)Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica; 592 p-01216AReino Unido. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; EP/P02341X/

Efficacy, safety, and dose of Pafuramidine, a new oral drug for treatment of first stage sleeping sickness, in a phase 2a clinical study and phase 2b randomized clinical studies

Sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis [HAT]) is caused by protozoan parasites and characterized by a chronic progressive course, which may last up to several years before death. We conducted two Phase 2 studies to determine the efficacy and safety of oral pafuramidine in African patients with first stage HAT.; The Phase 2a study was an open-label, non-controlled, proof-of-concept study where 32 patients were treated with 100 mg of pafuramidine orally twice a day (BID) for 5 days at two trypanosomiasis reference centers (Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]) between August 2001 and November 2004. The Phase 2b study compared pafuramidine in 41 patients versus standard pentamidine therapy in 40 patients. The Phase 2b study was open-label, parallel-group, controlled, randomized, and conducted at two sites in the DRC between April 2003 and February 2007. The Phase 2b study was then amended to add an open-label sequence (Phase 2b-2), where 30 patients received pafuramidine for 10 days. The primary efficacy endpoint was parasitologic cure at 24 hours (Phase 2a) or 3 months (Phase 2b) after treatment completion. The primary safety outcome was the rate of occurrence of World Health Organization Toxicity Scale Grade 3 or higher adverse events. All subjects provided written informed consent.; Pafuramidine for the treatment of first stage HAT was comparable in efficacy to pentamidine after 10 days of dosing. The cure rates 3 months post-treatment were 79% in the 5-day pafuramidine, 100% in the 7-day pentamidine, and 93% in the 10-day pafuramidine groups. In Phase 2b, the percentage of patients with at least 1 treatment-emergent adverse event was notably higher after pentamidine treatment (93%) than pafuramidine treatment for 5 days (25%) and 10 days (57%). These results support continuation of the development program for pafuramidine into Phase 3

Complex-Temperature Singularities in the d=2d=2 Ising Model. III. Honeycomb Lattice

We study complex-temperature properties of the uniform and staggered susceptibilities $\chi$ and $\chi^{(a)}$ of the Ising model on the honeycomb lattice. From an analysis of low-temperature series expansions, we find evidence that $\chi$ and $\chi^{(a)}$ both have divergent singularities at the point $z=-1 \equiv z_{\ell}$ (where $z=e^{-2K}$), with exponents $\gamma_{\ell}'= \gamma_{\ell,a}'=5/2$. The critical amplitudes at this singularity are calculated. Using exact results, we extract the behaviour of the magnetisation $M$ and specific heat $C$ at complex-temperature singularities. We find that, in addition to its zero at the physical critical point, $M$ diverges at $z=-1$ with exponent $\beta_{\ell}=-1/4$, vanishes continuously at $z=\pm i$ with exponent $\beta_s=3/8$, and vanishes discontinuously elsewhere along the boundary of the complex-temperature ferromagnetic phase. $C$ diverges at $z=-1$ with exponent $\alpha_{\ell}'=2$ and at $v=\pm i/\sqrt{3}$ (where $v = \tanh K$) with exponent $\alpha_e=1$, and diverges logarithmically at $z=\pm i$. We find that the exponent relation $\alpha'+2\beta+\gamma'=2$ is violated at $z=-1$; the right-hand side is 4 rather than 2. The connections of these results with complex-temperature properties of the Ising model on the triangular lattice are discussed.Comment: 22 pages, latex, figures appended after the end of the text as a compressed, uuencoded postscript fil

Are Type, Frequency, and Daily Time Equally Valid Estimators of Support Needs in Children With Intellectual Disability? A Multitrait?Multimethod Analysis of the Supports Intensity Scale for Children (SIS-C)

ABSTRACT: Support needs represent the intensity of support required by a person with a disability in order to take part in the activities related to normative human functioning. The Supports Intensity Scale for Children (SIS-C) is possibly the most promising tool for assessing and designing individualized support programs in children with intellectual disability. The SIS-C measures support needs across 61 activities, each one assessed along three methods: type of support, frequency, and daily time during which support is to be given. We investigated the impact of method effects in the SIS-C through a bifactor approach to the analysis of multitrait?multimethod matrices. The results suggest that neither intensity nor frequency scales produced method effects that significantly distorted the measurement of support needs. However, the daily support time method had substantial undesirable effects on five of the seven subscales of support needs. Considerations about support needs assessment and future modifications of the scale are discussed.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Work on this research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of the Economy and Competitiveness (R&D Projects, PSI2012- 36278), and the Autonomous Community of Castile and Leon (R&D Projects, SA120U13)

Fundamental Properties of Kepler Planet-Candidate Host Stars using Asteroseismology

We have used asteroseismology to determine fundamental properties for 66 Kepler planet-candidate host stars, with typical uncertainties of 3% and 7% in radius and mass, respectively. The results include new asteroseismic solutions for four host stars with confirmed planets (Kepler-4, Kepler-14, Kepler-23 and Kepler-25) and increase the total number of Kepler host stars with asteroseismic solutions to 77. A comparison with stellar properties in the planet-candidate catalog by Batalha et al. shows that radii for subgiants and giants obtained from spectroscopic follow-up are systematically too low by up to a factor of 1.5, while the properties for unevolved stars are in good agreement. We furthermore apply asteroseismology to confirm that a large majority of cool main-sequence hosts are indeed dwarfs and not misclassified giants. Using the revised stellar properties, we recalculate the radii for 107 planet candidates in our sample, and comment on candidates for which the radii change from a previously giant-planet/brown-dwarf/stellar regime to a sub-Jupiter size, or vice versa. A comparison of stellar densities from asteroseismology with densities derived from transit models in Batalha et al. assuming circular orbits shows significant disagreement for more than half of the sample due to systematics in the modeled impact parameters, or due to planet candidates which may be in eccentric orbits. Finally, we investigate tentative correlations between host-star masses and planet candidate radii, orbital periods, and multiplicity, but caution that these results may be influenced by the small sample size and detection biases.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, 4 tables; accepted for publication in ApJ; machine-readable versions of tables 1-3 are available as ancillary files or in the source code; v2: minor changes to match published versio