550 research outputs found

    Coastal Planning: The Designation and Management of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern

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    This Article will first briefly examine legislation in several states concerning the designation and management of areas of particular concern. Attention will be focused on the North Carolina statute, which lodges much of the responsibility for critical area planning and management in a state-level administrative body. Secondly, two broad areas of legal problems-the limitations of administrative law and the constitutional restrictions of due process and equal protection as they apply to these administrative processes-will be discussed in light of the North Carolina planning scheme. A third section will discuss the troublesome taking problem and how agencies can minimize the risk that their actions will be found to be unconstitutional takings for public purposes without just compensation

    Neural Correlates of Stimulus–Response and Response–Outcome Associations in Dorsolateral Versus Dorsomedial Striatum

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    Considerable evidence suggests that there is functional heterogeneity in the control of behavior by the dorsal striatum. Dorsomedial striatum may support goal-directed behavior by representing associations between responses and outcomes (R–O associations). The dorsolateral striatum, in contrast, may support motor habits by encoding associations between stimuli and responses (S–R associations). To test whether neural correlates in striatum in fact conform to this pattern, we recorded single-units in dorsomedial and dorsolateral striatum of rats performing a task in which R–O contingencies were manipulated independently of S–R contingencies. Among response-selective neurons in both regions, activity was significantly modulated by the initial stimulus, providing evidence of S–R encoding. Similarly, response selectivity was significantly modulated by the associated outcome in both regions, providing evidence of R–O encoding. In both regions, this outcome-modulation did not seem to reflect the relative value of the expected outcome, but rather its specific identity. Finally, in both regions we found correlates of the available action–outcome contingencies reflected in the baseline activity of many neurons. These results suggest that differences in information content in these two regions may not determine the differential roles they play in controlling behavior, demonstrated in previous studies

    Orbitofrontal cortex and learning predictions of state transitions

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    Genesis and pathogenesis of the 1918 pandemic H1N1 influenza A virus

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    The source, timing, and geographical origin of the 1918–1920 pandemic influenza A virus have remained tenaciously obscure for nearly a century, as have the reasons for its unusual severity among young adults. Here, we reconstruct the origins of the pandemic virus and the classic swine influenza and (postpandemic) seasonal H1N1 lineages using a host-specific molecular clock approach that is demonstrably more accurate than previous methods. Our results suggest that the 1918 pandemic virus originated shortly before 1918 when a human H1 virus, which we infer emerged before ∼1907, acquired avian N1 neuraminidase and internal protein genes. We find that the resulting pandemic virus jumped directly to swine but was likely displaced in humans by ∼1922 by a reassortant with an antigenically distinct H1 HA. Hence, although the swine lineage was a direct descendent of the pandemic virus, the post-1918 seasonal H1N1 lineage evidently was not, at least for HA. These findings help resolve several seemingly disparate observations from 20th century influenza epidemiology, seroarcheology, and immunology. The phylogenetic results, combined with these other lines of evidence, suggest that the highmortality in 1918 among adults aged ∼20 to ∼40 y may have been due primarily to their childhood exposure to a doubly heterosubtypic putative H3N8 virus, which we estimate circulated from ∼1889–1900. All other age groups (except immunologically naive infants) were likely partially protected by childhood exposure to N1 and/or H1-related antigens. Similar processes may underlie age-specific mortality differences between seasonal H1N1 vs. H3N2 and human H5N1 vs. H7N9 infections

    Lateral orbitofrontal cortex anticipates choices and integrates prior with current information

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    Adaptive behavior requires integrating prior with current information to anticipate upcoming events. Brain structures related to this computation should bring relevant signals from the recent past into the present. Here we report that rats can integrate the most recent prior information with sensory information, thereby improving behavior on a perceptual decision-making task with outcome-dependent past trial history. We find that anticipatory signals in the orbitofrontal cortex about upcoming choice increase over time and are even present before stimulus onset. These neuronal signals also represent the stimulus and relevant second-order combinations of past state variables. The encoding of choice, stimulus and second-order past state variables resides, up to movement onset, in overlapping populations. The neuronal representation of choice before stimulus onset and its build-up once the stimulus is presented suggest that orbitofrontal cortex plays a role in transforming immediate prior and stimulus information into choices using a compact state-space representation

    Design of the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS)

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    The Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS) is a multi‐component epidemiological and neurobiological study designed to generate actionable evidence‐based recommendations to reduce US Army suicides and increase basic knowledge about the determinants of suicidality. This report presents an overview of the designs of the six components of the Army STARRS. These include: an integrated analysis of the Historical Administrative Data Study (HADS) designed to provide data on significant administrative predictors of suicides among the more than 1.6 million soldiers on active duty in 2004–2009; retrospective case‐control studies of suicide attempts and fatalities; separate large‐scale cross‐sectional studies of new soldiers (i.e. those just beginning Basic Combat Training [BCT], who completed self‐administered questionnaires [SAQs] and neurocognitive tests and provided blood samples) and soldiers exclusive of those in BCT (who completed SAQs); a pre‐post deployment study of soldiers in three Brigade Combat Teams about to deploy to Afghanistan (who completed SAQs and provided blood samples) followed multiple times after returning from deployment; and a platform for following up Army STARRS participants who have returned to civilian life. Department of Defense/Army administrative data records are linked with SAQ data to examine prospective associations between self‐reports and subsequent suicidality. The presentation closes with a discussion of the methodological advantages of cross‐component coordination. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd .Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102177/1/mpr1401.pd

    Prognostic Indicators of Persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms after Deployment-Related Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Prospective Longitudinal Study in U.S. Army Soldiers

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    Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion, is prevalent in the military. The course of recovery can be highly variable. This study investigates whether deployment-acquired mTBI is associated with subsequent presence and severity of post-concussive symptoms (PCS) and identifies predictors of persistent PCS among US Army personnel who sustained mTBI while deployed to Afghanistan. We used data from a prospective longitudinal survey of soldiers assessed 1?2 months before a 10-month deployment to Afghanistan (T0), on redeployment to the United States (T1), approximately 3 months later (T2), and approximately 9 months later (T3). Outcomes of interest were PCS at T2 and T3. Predictors considered were: sociodemographic factors, number of previous deployments, pre-deployment mental health and TBI history, and mTBI and other military-related stress during the index deployment. The study sample comprised 4518 soldiers, 822 (18.2%) of whom experienced mTBI during the index deployment. After adjusting for demographic, clinical, and deployment-related factors, deployment-acquired mTBI was associated with nearly triple the risk of reporting any PCS and with increased severity of PCS when symptoms were present. Among those who sustained mTBI, severity of PCS at follow-up was associated with history of pre-deployment TBI(s), pre-deployment psychological distress, more severe deployment stress, and loss of consciousness or lapse of memory (versus being ?dazed? only) as a result of deployment-acquired mTBI. In summary, we found that sustaining mTBI increases risk for persistent PCS. Previous TBI(s), pre-deployment psychological distress, severe deployment stress, and loss of consciousness or lapse of memory resulting from mTBI(s) are prognostic indicators of persistent PCS after an index mTBI. These observations may have actionable implications for prevention of chronic sequelae of mTBI in the military and other settings.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140173/1/neu.2015.4320.pd

    Response bias, weighting adjustments, and design effects in the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS)

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    The Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS) is a multi‐component epidemiological and neurobiological study designed to generate actionable recommendations to reduce US Army suicides and increase knowledge about determinants of suicidality. Three Army STARRS component studies are large‐scale surveys: one of new soldiers prior to beginning Basic Combat Training (BCT; n  = 50,765 completed self‐administered questionnaires); another of other soldiers exclusive of those in BCT ( n  = 35,372); and a third of three Brigade Combat Teams about to deploy to Afghanistan who are being followed multiple times after returning from deployment ( n  = 9421). Although the response rates in these surveys are quite good (72.0–90.8%), questions can be raised about sample biases in estimating prevalence of mental disorders and suicidality, the main outcomes of the surveys based on evidence that people in the general population with mental disorders are under‐represented in community surveys. This paper presents the results of analyses designed to determine whether such bias exists in the Army STARRS surveys and, if so, to develop weights to correct for these biases. Data are also presented on sample inefficiencies introduced by weighting and sample clustering and on analyses of the trade‐off between bias and efficiency in weight trimming. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd .Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102203/1/mpr1399.pd

    Clinical reappraisal of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Screening Scales (CIDI‐SC) in the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS)

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    A clinical reappraisal study was carried out in conjunction with the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS) All‐Army Study (AAS) to evaluate concordance of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM‐IV) diagnoses based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Screening Scales (CIDI‐SC) and post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist (PCL) with diagnoses based on independent clinical reappraisal interviews (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV [SCID]). Diagnoses included: lifetime mania/hypomania, panic disorder, and intermittent explosive disorder; six‐month adult attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder; and 30‐day major depressive episode, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, and substance (alcohol or drug) use disorder (abuse or dependence). The sample ( n  = 460) was weighted for over‐sampling CIDI‐SC/PCL screened positives. Diagnostic thresholds were set to equalize false positives and false negatives. Good individual‐level concordance was found between CIDI‐SC/PCL and SCID diagnoses at these thresholds (area under curve [AUC] = 0.69–0.79). AUC was considerably higher for continuous than dichotomous screening scale scores (AUC = 0.80–0.90), arguing for substantive analyses using not only dichotomous case designations but also continuous measures of predicted probabilities of clinical diagnoses. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102145/1/mpr1398.pd
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