The Impact of Mental Illness Status on the Length of Jail Detention and the Legal Mechanism of Jail Release

Objective: This analysis investigated whether persons with serious mental illnesses have longer jail detentions than other detainees and whether they are released by different legal mechanisms. Methods: Jail records and mental health service records from a Medicaid database were matched for all admissions to the Philadelphia jail system in 2003. Survival analysis techniques were used to compare length of jail stays of persons with and without serious mental illnesses (N=24,290). Serious mental illness was defined as a diagnosis either in the schizophrenia spectrum (DSM-IV code 295.XX) or of a major affective disorder (DSMIV code 296.XX) recorded in Medicaid records (2001–2003). Mechanisms of release were also examined for those with release dates before September 1, 2005 (N=20,573) Results: Just over 50% of the 1,457 persons with serious mental illnesses were released from jail within 30 days of incarceration, compared with 56% of the other detainees. Mental illness status was not found to be a significant predictor of longer detentions. Forty-nine percent of those with serious mental illnesses were released from jails through unpredictable release mechanisms, such as bail, release from court, or withdrawal of a bench warrant, whereas only 19% were released through mechanisms that had release dates that allowed adequate time for discharge planning. Conclusions: The findings suggest that reentry programs and other jail-based interventions for persons with mental illnesses should ensure that they have the capacity to rapidly identify and serve clients with shorter and more unpredictable stays or risk not being responsive to the needs of a substantial proportion of this population

Prostanthera tallowa: a new species from New South Wales, Australia

Prostanthera tallowa B.J.Conn & T.C.Wilson (Lamiaceae) is possibly a vulnerable species that is here described from the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia

Two new species of Prostanthera (Lamiaceae) in New South Wales

Prostanthera gilesii and P. makinsonii (Lamiaceae) are described as new for New South Wales, Australia. These descriptions are accompanied by illustrations and general notes, including distribution and conservation status. A new identification key is provided for the species of Prostanthera in New South Wales

Prostanthera elisabethae (Lamiaceae, tribe Westringieae), a new species from northern New South Wales, Australia

The new species Prostanthera elisabethae B.J.Conn & T.C.Wilson (Lamiaceae) is described for the first time. The distribution and abundance of this species is inadequately known, having only been collected from near Ashby, on the North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Although very similar to P. linearis, this taxon is different by having longer pedicels. Measurements and figures accompany the description provided here to substantiate this as a new species

Nomenclatural changes in Coleus and Plectranthus (Lamiaceae): a tale of more than two genera

A synopsis of the genera Coleus Lour, Equilabium A.J.Paton, Mwany. & Culham and Plectranthus L’Hér. (Lamiaceae, Tribe Ocimeae, Subtribe Plecranthinae) is presented. Generic delimitation follows a recently published molecular phylogeny which identified Coleus as the sister of the remaining genera of Subtribe Plectranthinae; Plectranthus as sister to Tetradenia Benth. and Thorncroftia N.E.Br., and a separate phylogenetically distinct genus Equilabium comprising species previously placed in Plectranthus. In this treatment, 294 species of Coleus, 42 of Equilabium, and 72 of Plectranthus are recognized. All but one of the combinations in Equilabium are new as only the genus and type species have been previously published. Two-hundred and twelve names are changed to combinations in Coleus from Plectranthus, Pycnostachys Hook. and Anisochilus Benth

Molecular phylogenetics reveals a new species of Prostanthera from tropical Queensland with links to more southerly taxa

Prostanthera eungella B.J.Conn & K.M.Proft (Lamiaceae) is described as a new species from the South Kennedy botanical region of northern Queensland. Concatenated nuclear (ETS) and chloroplast (trnH–psbA) sequence data for 38 species of Prostanthera were analysed using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian-inference methods. These combined data recovered P. eungella as part of a polytomy that included P. galbraithiae, P. howelliae¸ and a P. tallowa + P. lasianthos clade. A detailed description, photograph of holotype specimen, and distribution map of P. eungella are provided

Sperm Quality of Hatchery-Reared Lake Trout Throughout the Spawning Season

The objective of this study was to investigate variation in sperm quality metrics (motility, velocity, linearity, longevity, and density) of hatchery-reared Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush throughout the spawning season. Seasonal variation in sperm quality was investigated using both a regression and repeated-measures approach. Sperm was collected from the same 16 individuals over four sampling periods, separated by 3-week intervals. Regression analyses showed that 727% of the variation in sperm traits could be explained by seasonal variation, indicating that seasonality can have a significant impact on the quality of sperm. Significant positive linear relationships were found for percent motility and linearity at 5s postactivation. Significant negative quadratic relationships were found for velocity at 5s postactivation, longevity, and density, whereas a positive quadratic relationship was found for linearity at 10s postactivation. Repeated measures ANOVAs showed a significant effect of season for percent motility and linearity at 5 and 10s postactivation, velocity at 10s postactivation, and longevity. Our findings are important for optimizing fertilization protocols for hatchery production and can also be used to understand reproductive biology and ecology of wild Lake Trout stocks. Received March 15, 2012; accepted June 30, 201

A conservation genomics workflow to guide practical management actions

Owing to decreasing costs and increased efficiency, it is now conceivable that conservation genomic information can be used to improve the effectiveness of recovery programs for many, if not most, threatened plants. We suggest that a simple genomic study be viewed as an initial step in conservation decision-making, as it informs long-term recovery efforts in various ways. We present biodiversity managers and conservation biologists with a simple, standardized workflow for genomic research that can guide efficient collection, analysis and application of genomic information across disparate threatened plants. Using two case studies, ‘Banksia vincentia’ and Daphnandra johnsonii, we demonstrate how a single round of genotyping by sequencing e a one-time cost e produces multiple directly applicable benefits, and how generating genomic information as early as possible can enhance conservation outcomes. We argue for a shift away from asking whether genomic information is needed or justified, and a shift towards consideration of the questions that need to be addressed. Such questions should aimed at cost-effectively guiding multiple practical aspects of a threatened plant’s management plan. The workflow presented here should help relevant stakeholders design a sampling strategy that directly suits their questions and needs

The statistical properties of solar wind temperature parameters near 1 AU

We present a long-duration ($\sim$10 years) statistical analysis of the temperatures, plasma betas, and temperature ratios for the electron, proton, and alpha-particle populations observed by the \emph{Wind} spacecraft near 1 AU. The mean(median) scalar temperatures are $T{\scriptstyle_{e, tot}}$ $=$ 12.2(11.9) eV, $T{\scriptstyle_{p, tot}}$ $=$ 12.7(8.6) eV, and $T{\scriptstyle_{\alpha, tot}}$ $=$ 23.9(10.8) eV. The mean(median) total plasma betas are $\beta{\scriptstyle_{e, tot}}$ $=$ 2.31(1.09), $\beta{\scriptstyle_{p, tot}}$ $=$ 1.79(1.05), and $\beta{\scriptstyle_{\alpha, tot}}$ $=$ 0.17(0.05). The mean(median) temperature ratios are $\left(T{\scriptstyle_{e}}/T{\scriptstyle_{p}}\right){\scriptstyle_{tot}}$ $=$ 1.64(1.27), $\left(T{\scriptstyle_{e}}/T{\scriptstyle_{\alpha}}\right){\scriptstyle_{tot}}$ $=$ 1.24(0.82), and $\left(T{\scriptstyle_{\alpha}}/T{\scriptstyle_{p}}\right){\scriptstyle_{tot}}$ $=$ 2.50(1.94). We also examined these parameters during time intervals that exclude interplanetary (IP) shocks, times within the magnetic obstacles (MOs) of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), and times that exclude MOs. The only times that show significant alterations to any of the parameters examined are those during MOs. In fact, the only parameter that does not show a significant change during MOs is the electron temperature. Although each parameter shows a broad range of values, the vast majority are near the median. We also compute particle-particle collision rates and compare to effective wave-particle collision rates. We find that, for reasonable assumptions of wave amplitude and occurrence rates, the effect of wave-particle interactions on the plasma is equal to or greater than the effect of Coulomb collisions. Thus, wave-particle interactions should not be neglected when modeling the solar wind.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures, 6 tables, submitted to Astrophys. J. Suppl. on Jan. 30, 201