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Abstract\nPLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARYIn the early 1970s, the FBI and federal prosecutors launched a war against state and local government public corruption. This crusade would not have been possible without the cooperation of the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal prosecutors. Federal courts broadly construed the scope of several federal criminal statutes to prohibit certain types of state and local public corruption, even though Congress never intended that federal prosecutors use these statutes to prosecute state and local government officials on federal public corruption charges. Recent decades have seen the U.S. Supreme Court reverse course and narrowly construe several statutes to ally only to traditional types of public corruption, such as bribery and extortion by state and local government officials, and not apply to non-quid pro quo public corruption offenses. The article argues that these decisions will force state governments to take responsibility for regulating non-quid pro quo public corruption offenses that seriously weaken public trust in state and local government officials.The commentary discusses the impact of several U.S. Supreme Court decisions on the ability of the FBI and Federal prosecutors to prosecute state and local government officials on federal public corruption charges. What is the purpose of this summary?: To help readers understand the impact of U.S. Supreme Court decisions on federal prosecution of state and local government officials on federal public corruption charges. This summary is about the impact of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on federal prosecution of state and local government officials on federal public corruption charges. What is known?: A series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions have made it more difficult for federal prosecutors to use several federal criminal statutes to prosecute state and local officials on federal public corruption charges. What is new?: The summary helps to explain why the U.S. Supreme Court has narrowed the use of several criminal statutes to prosecute state and local governments on federal public corruption statutes. The summary explains that these decisions do not block federal prosecutors from prosecuting state and local government officials for bribery, false claims, and extortion but do block federal prosecutors from prosecuting, allowing federal prosecutors to prosecute state and local government officials for bribery, false claims, and extortion. In a series of decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court found that federal prosecutors had overreached by too broadly construing the scope of several federal criminal statutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe article argues that government organizations and the discipline of public administration should embrace a New Public Integrity Management (NPIM) to bridge the gap between advocates of external and internal public integrity controls on the behavior of public employees and contract government employees. The article argues that external and internal controls are important in maintaining public trust in government. This includes the management of the acceptance of gifts and private hospitality by government and contract government employees. The article traces the evolution of federal executive branch public integrity management and argues that the discipline of public administration has demonstrated a long-standing hostility towards external ethics controls due to early 20th-century divorce between law and administration. Of particular importance, the NPIM requires the adoption of a much broader definition of public corruption, which includes the conduct of private sector partners of government agencies responsible for the delivery of public goods and services paid for with public funds. Finally, the article argues that government ethics programs need to integrate moral reasoning education into their public integrity training programs and discuss criminal and administrative rules of conduct directed at protecting public confidence in the impartiality of bureaucratic decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States Supreme Court in Kennedy v. Bremerton Sch. Dist. held that a local school district violated the First Amendment freedom of religious expression rights when it directed an assistant football coach to stop praying on the fifty-yard line of a high school football field after each game. In finding for the high-school football coach, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly narrowed the use of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution to limit workplace religious activities of public-school teachers, school administrators, and other school district employes. The article argues that the decision will force school districts across the country to reassess their policies regarding the workplace religious activities of their employes including teachers. The article examines how the decision will impact school districts' regulation of workplace prayers by public school teachers and several types of symbolic religious speech. Finally, the article argues that school districts may need to update their policies and practices governing the workplace religious activities of their employes including teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to use high-pressure-jet (HPJ) processing to produce functional properties in a low-fat (4.5% fat) ice cream mix similar to those seen when emulsifiers are used. Ice cream mix or serum (nonfat portion of the ice cream mix) were subjected to 200 or 400 MPa HPJ processing and compared with a non-HPJ-treated control. A similar non-HPJ-treated formulation but containing polysorbate 80 (0.075% wt/wt) was also used as a control. The mix samples were characterized in terms of their particle size, density, flow properties, stability, crystallization kinetics, and fat–protein interactions. The sample from the mix subjected to 400 MPa HPJ processing (HPJ-M-400) had increased consistency coefficient (5°C; 228 ± 102.7 mPa·s) and particle size (D[4,3]; 16.0 ± 2.5 μm) compared with the non-HPJ-treated control sample, with viscosity and particle size (volume-moment mean diameter, D[4,3]) values of 7.5 ± 0.4 mPa·s and 0.50 ± 0.1 μm, respectively. These differences were attributed to an increase in casein–fat interactions and casein–casein interactions caused by the 400 MPa HPJ treatment, which were observed using confocal scanning laser microscopy and inferred from an increase in protein and fat concentrations in the sediment after ultracentrifugation. Interestingly, the density of HPJ-M-400 was also lower (0.79 ± 0.17 g/mL) than that of the control (1.04 ± 0.00 g/mL) because bubbles were trapped within these complexes. The large casein–fat complexes formed in the HPJ-M-400 sample also appeared to act as steric barriers that slowed ice crystal growth during quiescent freezing. The alterations in physiochemical properties and apparent ice crystal growth induced by the 400 MPa treatment of low-fat ice cream mix have many potential applications, including clean-label confections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There have been few prospective studies on the association between anxiety disorders and adolescent obesity; none examine potential reciprocal effects.Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the prospective association between anxiety disorders and obesity among adolescents.Methods: Using data from a two-wave, prospective study of 3134 adolescents, we examined reciprocal effects between body weight and DSM-IV anxiety disorders.Results: Weight status did not increase future risk of anxiety disorders nor did anxiety disorders at baseline increase risk of future obesity in the overall sample. Stratifying by gender revealed an increased risk of overweight and obesity in males with anxiety disorders, but not for females. Major depression did not mediate these associations.Conclusion: Similar to prospective studies of depression, it appears anxiety disorders may increase risk of obesity. However, more research is needed on the role of psychopathology in adolescent obesity, in particular anxiety disorders and possible moderators (such as gender) and mediators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has two interrelated aims. First we explore a novel conceptual analysis of the “unity” of the virtues. Virtues come in clusters differentiated by broad functions within overall character. We identify three such clusters—virtues of intelligent caring, virtues of willpower, and virtues of humility. Virtues within a cluster are “unified” by some commonality, e.g., justice, compassion, and truthfulness all are kinds of intelligent caring. The allocentric virtues, a sub-class of the virtue of intelligent caring, are forms of intelligent caring about people. Virtues of willpower are capacities to manage impulses: desires, emotions, and habits. Virtues of humility are absences of vices of pride. These clusters support and exploit one another in a healthy character. Second, we explore whether empirical psychology can support conceptual analysis such as we propose. Our discussion of the conceptual analysis and empirical studies of the relations between pairs of allocentric virtues illustrates this exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. Supreme Court in McDonnell v. United States (2016) vacated the conviction of a former Virginia governor for accepting bribes. The court found that arranging a meeting, calling or contacting another official, or hosting an event does not, by itself, rise to the level of an official act under the Hobbs Act and the mail and wire fraud statutes. This article argues that the Supreme Court's decision in McDonnell v. United States will make it much more difficult for federal prosecutors to prosecute state and local governments for helping private individuals gain preferential access to government decision-makers at the state or local level. The article also argues that the decision will put pressure on state legislatures to significantly tighten state ethics laws to stop this type of conduct that reduces public trust in government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions are pivotal in the manifestation and functioning of character traits. Traits such as virtues and vices involve emotions in diverse but connected ways. Some virtues (justice, generosity, compassion, truthfulness) are exemplified, in important part, by feeling emotions. Others (self-control, perseverance, courage) are exemplified in managing, bypassing, or even eliminating emotions. And one virtue at least (humility) is exemplified in not-feeling a certain range of emotions. Emotions are a kind of perceptual state, namely construal, involving concern or caring (motivation) about something, in which the elements of a situation are organized and understood in terms of their significance or import. Emotional understanding can be morally right or wrong. As such construals, emotions can be morally excellent (the feeling of joy about a rectified injustice) or perverse (envy and contempt of persons). Emotions thus have a logic or grammar that is crucial to their entering into, or being set upon by, or simply not occurring because of, virtues. The virtuous person is attuned, implicitly or reflectively, to this grammar and that attunement constitutes one of the major dimensions of practical wisdom. An associationist psychology (behaviorist or Humean) attempts to reduce the conceptual and intentional richness of emotions to mere associations or correlations of pleasant or unpleasant "affect" with various things (behaviors, "values"). Such a psychology is fundamentally unfit to represent practical wisdom and thus the moral life. We sketch an account of the generation and degeneration of character traits using the above conceptual framework and contrasting it with an associationist framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a basic psychological mechanism by which beliefs about God affect the structure of virtues in human beings. Iris Murdoch calls it ‘the siege of the individual by concepts’. A premise is that appetites, desires, emotions, pleasures and pains have a conceptual dimension that can be trained by regular exposure to relevant concepts. Theological concepts are among the relevant ones. Another premise is that our virtues and vices are largely dispositions to appetites, desires, emotions, pleasures and pains. The argument is made by way of discussing two virtues, temperance and compassion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

I discuss two fundamental issues that come up in Matthew Johnson's literature review: the nature of emotion and the delineation or specification of the concept of joy. Emotions, I claim, are a kind of non-sensory perception, namely, concern-based construals. I argue that affect should not be thought of as fundamental to emotion as such (some emotions are not felt), and should not be regarded as non-cognitive (we learn truths from our feelings). In the second part of my response, I sketch my account of joy as the fundamental structure of positive emotions: that something I am concerned for (positively desire, for example) is, will, or might be actual. Joy is fundamental emotional satisfaction. (Its 'negative' counterpart is emotional distress.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study is to provide the first data on the prospective, reciprocal association between short sleep duration and DSM-IV anxiety disorders among adolescents.Methods: A community-based two-wave cohort study included 4175 youths aged 11-17 years at baseline, with 3134 of these followed up a year later, drawn from a metropolitan area with a population of over 4 million. Anxiety is defined as any DSM-IV anxiety disorder in the past year generalized anxiety: panic disorder, agoraphobia without panic, social phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Short sleep duration is defined as ≤6 h of sleep per night.Results/conclusions: In multivariate analyses, short sleep duration every night at baseline predicted anxiety disorders at follow-up, controlling for anxiety at baseline. Examining the reciprocal association, anxiety disorders at baseline did not predict short sleep duration at follow-up. We are the first to examine the reciprocal effects for anxiety disorders and sleep duration among adolescents using prospective data. The data suggest that reduced quantity of sleep may increase risk for anxiety, but anxiety does not increase risk for decreased sleep duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exciting new era has dawned for the prevention and management of coronary artery disease (CAD) utilizing genetic risk variants. The recent identification of over 60 susceptibility loci for CAD confirms not only the importance of established risk factors, but also the existence of many novel causal pathways that are expected to improve our understanding of the genetic basis of CAD and facilitate the development of new therapeutic agents over time. Concurrently, Mendelian randomization studies have provided intriguing insights on the causal relationship between CAD-related traits, and highlight the potential benefits of long-term modifications of risk factors. Last, genetic risk scores of CAD may serve not only as prognostic, but also as predictive markers, and carry the potential to considerably improve the delivery of established prevention strategies. This review will summarize the evolution and discovery of genetic risk variants for CAD and their current and future clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate prevalence, trends and persistence of discordance between measured body weight and perceived body weight and body satisfaction, and examine its association with gender, ethnicity, and family income.Methods: Using two-wave data from a prospective cohort study of adolescents sampled from Houston metropolitan area, aged 11-17years at baseline (n=4175) in 2000, and followed up in 2001 (n=3134). Survey logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios (OR).Results: Females, European Americans, and adolescents in families with higher income were more likely to overestimate their body weight, and to be dissatisfied with their body weight, compared with males, African Americans, or those with a lower family income, respectively. Healthy weight females had significantly elevated odds of perceiving themselves as overweight compared with healthy weight males: OR=1.82 (1.27-2.61) in Wave 1, OR=2.81 (1.82-4.34) in Wave 2, and OR=3.85 (1.58-9.38) in both waves. Similarly, healthy weight European Americans had about two times higher odds of perceiving themselves as overweight than healthy weight African Americans. Healthy weight females had over 1.5 odds of being dissatisfied with their body compared to healthy weight males. Compared with African Americans, European Americans were more likely to be dissatisfied with their body even they were within healthy weight range.Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of discordance between actual weight and perceived weight and body satisfaction among adolescents. Discordances differed by gender, ethnicity, and family income, and should be taken into account in interventions for preventing overweight and obesity, and other undesired outcomes in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a human genetic risk burden in relation to a global effort to prevent coronary artery disease (CAD) as of 2018, and it mentions decreased plasma cholesterol and the genetic risk variants for CAD. Saliva analysis, genetic risk score (GRS) measurements, and human DNA genotyping are examined, along with cardiology clinical practice guidelines and the management of CAD.

Objective: This is the first prospective study of the reciprocal association between sleep restriction and weight among adolescents. Evidence on sleep duration and obesity in youth is sparse and the results have been equivocal.Methods: Data are from a community-based, two-wave cohort study. The setting was a metropolitan area with a population of over 4 million. The cohort consisted of 4175 youths 11-17 at baseline and 3134 of these followed up a year later. Obesity was defined as body mass index >95th percentile for children of the same age and sex. Sleep restriction was defined as 6 or fewer hours of sleep per night on weeknights or on both weekends and weeknights. Covariates examined were age, gender, family income and depression.Results: Results clearly demonstrated that there was no association between sleep restriction and obesity at baseline. In prospective analyses, sleep restriction did not increase future risk of obesity, nor did obesity increase risk of future sleep restriction.Conclusions: These findings call into question previous research based primarily on cross-sectional data suggesting a positive correlation between sleep restriction and obesity. However, the results for adolescents in this study are supported by one study of adolescents and by studies of adults using prospective designs. At this point, there appears to be little evidence for a temporal relation between sleep duration and obesity among adults or adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The purpose of this paper is to reexamine the association between major depression and obesity in adolescents, testing the hypothesis that body image mediates this association. This is the first paper to examine this question using DSM-IV diagnosis of depression and data from a two-wave cohort of adolescents. Methods Participants were 4175 youths 11–17 years of age sampled from the community who were followed up a year later ( n =3134). Major depression was assessed using DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Body image was measured with perceived weight. Obesity was defined as BMI ≥95th percentile using measured height and weight. Results When we examined a model which included obesity, perceived weight, major depression and covariates, there was no association between major depression at baseline and obesity at follow-up. We found no independent association between major depression and body weight. Limitations The study was limited in that it is not a national sample, BMI was the only measure of adiposity, perceived weight was the only measure of body image, and there were no data on lifetime trajectories of depression, obesity, or body image. Conclusions If there is an etiologic link between major depression and body weight among adolescents, it most likely operates through processes involving components of body image, since controlling for body image eliminated the association between depression and obesity. Clinically, addressing body image in depressed patients who are obese may improve outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CAD and cancer account for over one-half of all deaths in the world. It is claimed that the 21st century is the last century for CAD. This is, in part, because CAD is preventable based on randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials, which show modifying known risk factors such as cholesterol is associated consistently with 40-60% reduction in morbidity and mortality from CAD. Comprehensive prevention will require modifying genetic risk factors that are claimed to account for 40-60% of predisposition to CAD. The 21st century is meeting this challenge with over 50 genetic risk variants discovered and replicated in large genome-wide association studies involving over 200,000 cases and controls. similarly, 157 genetic variants have been discovered that regulate plasma lipids including, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. A major finding from these studies is that only 15 of the 50 genetic variants for CAD act through known risk factors. Hence, the pathogenesis of CAD in addition to cholesterol and other known risk factors is due to various other factors, many of which remain unknown. secondly, genes regulating the plasma triglyceride levels are strongly associated with the pathogenesis of CAD. Thirdly, Mendelian randomization studies show no protection from genes that increase plasma HDL cholesterol. This is contrary to current opinion. These genetic risk variants have provided new targets for the development of novel therapies to prevent CAD. Already a new and potent drug has been developed targeting PCSK9, which is in phase 3 clinical trials and shows great efficacy and safety for prevention of CAD. The 21st century is looking very bright for the prevention of CAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We examine the impact of including subthreshold disorders on estimating psychiatric morbidity burden in adolescents. To more fully understand this burden it is important to focus on both full syndrome and subthreshold disorders and the impairment associated with each, since evidence suggests prevalence of subthreshold disorders is substantial as is impairment. Methods: Data were analyzed from a probability sample of 4,175 youths 11-17 years of age. We examine the prevalence of DSM-IV disorders (FS) and subthreshold (SUB) disorders, with and without impairment. Diagnostic categories examined were anxiety, mood, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, disruptive, and substance use disorders in the past year. Results: The prevalence of any FS disorders was 16.1 and 42.3 % for SUB. The combined prevalence was 58.4 %. By requiring impairment, the prevalence of any FS in the past year dropped to 8 % and for SUB to 15.7 %, with a combined overall rate of 23.7 %. For FS disorders, 49.6 % met criteria for moderate to severe impairment, compared to 37.8 % for SUB. One in four adolescents had either an FS or SUB disorder with impairment. Conclusion: The results indicate that SUB disorders constitute a major public health burden in terms of psychiatric morbidity among adolescents. Given their substantial impairment and their high prevalence, consideration should be given to including SUB disorders in estimates of the public health burden psychiatric morbidity. Doing so would provide a more accurate estimate of psychiatric morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of bacteriocin cytotoxicity is a critical first step in guaranteeing its safe use in food and therapeutic applications. In this study, the bacteriocins nisin, pediocin, and colicin ([Col] E1, E3, E6, E7, and K) were evaluated for cytotoxicity against cultured mammalian cells. Cellular membrane potential (ΔΨ) changes of bacteriocin-treated cells were used as an index of cytotoxicity. Simian virus 40-transfected human colon (SV40-HC) cells and African green monkey kidney epithelial cells (Vero) cells were cultured (35°C, 10% CO2, humidified air) as monolayers on tissue culture plates. Log phase cells (~104 cells/mL) were treated with partially purified, individual bacteriocin preparations at 170, 350, and 700 activity units (AU)/mL. Perturbations in cellular ΔΨ were measured using interactive laser-scanning imaging cytometry (ILIC) with 3,3'-dipentyloxacarbocyanine iodide (DiOC5[3]), a potentialsensitive, fluorescent dye. Cellular ΔΨ studies indicated significant levels of dose-dependent toxicity with nisin, pediocin, and colicins E6, E7, and K. In contrast, Col E1 and E3 had no definitive toxic impact on SV40-HC cells. The only colicin to significantly impact Vero cells negatively was the E6. Overall, SV40-HC cells demonstrated greater sensitivity to bacteriocins than Vero cells. Among all the fluorescence parameters and peak statistics measured, the integrated area under the curve appeared to correlate best with the prediction of cytotoxic events. Consequences were quickly apparent with maximum changes occurring within 3--5 minutes following the addition of test substances. Refinements in the ILIC protocol could potentially afford a unique tool for rapid, real-time cytotoxicity testing of bacteriocins in food preservation, and in human and animal health applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has adopted Correctional Offender Management and Profiling Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS), an actuarial risk- and needs-assessment instrument, as part of its reentry supervision and parole planning procedure. A large-scale 3-year prospective study was conducted to assess the instrument with regard to how well it predicted whether a parolee would be rearrested for (a) any crime and (b) a violent offense. This study followed, for up to 2 years, a total of 91,334 parolees who had been assessed with COMPAS prior to reentry into the community. The instrument achieved an acceptable level of predictive validity in general rearrests with an area under the curve value of 0.70, but its predictive power for subsequent violent offenses fell short of this conventional threshold. Moreover, a parsimonious model using four known risk factors from existing official records (i.e., gender, age, age of first arrest, and the number of prior arrests) performed just as well in predicting subsequent arrests. Findings from this study illustrate the challenges in applying group-based attributes to predict individual criminal behavior and suggest that, although COMPAS has other attractive features such as case management capability, existing official records may offer a lower cost alternative for assessing the risk of reoffending for community reentry purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Objective: To examine the association between perceived overweight in adolescents and the development of overweight or obesity later in life. Methods: This paper uses data from a prospective, two-wave cohort study. Participants are 2445 adolescents 11–17years of age who reported perceived weight at baseline and also had height and weight measured at baseline and at follow-up six years later sampled from managed care groups in a large metropolitan area. Results: Youths who perceived themselves as overweight at baseline were approximately 2.5 times as likely to be overweight or obese six years later compared to youths who perceived themselves as average weight (OR=2.45, 95% CI=1.77–3.39), after adjusting for weight status at baseline, demographic characteristics, major depression, physical activity and dieting behaviors. Those who perceived themselves as skinny were less likely to be overweight or obese later (OR=0.36, 95% CI=0.27–0.49). Conclusions: Perceived overweight was associated with overweight or obesity later in life. This relationship was not fully explained by extreme weight control behaviors or major depression. Further research is needed to explore the mechanism involved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In 2007, the first genetic risk variant, 9p21, was simultaneously discovered by two independent groups. 9p21 increases the risk of coronary artery disease in individuals with premature heart disease by twofold, and in the overall population the heterozygote is associated with a 25% increased risk and the homozygote with a 50% increased risk. It is of note that the risk mediated by 9p21 is independent of known risk factors. Since then, with the development of new technologies and the international consortium of CARDIoGRAM, there is now a total of 50 genetic risk variants confirmed and replicated for CAD. Of these 50, 35 mediate their risk by unknown mechanisms, indicating that the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction is due to additional factors as yet unknown. The role of genetic risk factors in the management of CAD is yet to be determined. Since many of them are independent of known risk factors, the genetic risk will in the future have to be incorporated into the guidelines, which recommend the target level of plasma LDL-C to be achieved based on the number of risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study examined the association between major depression, obesity and body image among adolescents. Methods: Participants were 4175 youths 11–17 years of age sampled from the community who were interviewed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children and Adolescents, Version IV, completed a self-report questionnaire, and had their weight and height measured. There were 2 measures of body image: perceived weight and body satisfaction. Obesity was associated with increased risk of depression, with no controls for covariates. However, when the association was examined in models which included weight, major depression, and body image measures and covariates, there was no association between major depression and body weight, nor between body satisfaction and major depression. Perceived overweight was strongly and independently associated with body weight (O.R. = 2.62). We found no independent association between major depression and body weight. If there is an etiologic link between major depression and body weight among adolescents, it most likely operates through processes involving components of body image. Future research should focus on the role of depression and body image in the etiology of obesity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study evaluated a community-based correctional program in California, in which parolees tested positive on illicit drugs were given the option of going into a treatment program or having their parole revoked and returned to prison in California. Two comparison groups were constructed to assess the treatment effect—a propensity-based comparison group extracted from the general parolee population and program dropouts. Although implicitly coercive, some parolees who finished the program were less likely to be reincarcerated 12 months following release than both comparison groups. However, the observed treatment advantage quickly eroded in the second observation year. Savings realized from the incarcerations avoided were more than enough to pay for the program. Findings from this study suggest that boosting participation in reentry services through coercive measures may yield currently unrealized individual and societal benefits. However, systemic efforts are needed to extend the short-term treatment effects. Design and data limitations in the study weaken the persuasiveness of these findings. Methodological implications and policy issues about coerced treatment are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A paradigm shift toward biology occurred in the 1990s and was subsequently catalyzed by the sequencing of the human genome in 2000. The cost of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing has gone from millions to thousands of dollars with sequencing of one''s entire genome costing only $1,000. Rapid DNA sequencing is being embraced for single gene disorders, particularly for sporadic cases and those from small families. Transmission of lethal genes such as associated with Huntington''s disease can, through in vitro fertilization, avoid passing it on to one''s offspring. DNA sequencing will meet the challenge of elucidating the genetic predisposition for common polygenic diseases, especially in determining the function of the novel common genetic risk variants and identifying the rare variants, which may also partially ascertain the source of the missing heritability. The challenge for DNA sequencing remains great, despite human genome sequences being 99.5% identical, the 3 million single nucleotide polymorphisms responsible for most of the unique features add up to 40 to 60 new mutations per person which, for 7 billion people, is 300 to 400 billion mutations. It is claimed that DNA sequencing has increased 10,000-fold while information storage and retrieval only 16-fold. The physician and health user will be challenged by the convergence of 2 major trends, whole genome sequencing, and the storage/retrieval and integration of the data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: No studies of adolescents have examined the prospective, reciprocal association between insomnia and major depression. Methods: A two-wave, community-based cohort of 3134 youths aged 11–17 at baseline. Major depression was assessed using DSM-IV criteria. Three measures of insomnia were used also following DSM-IV: P 1, any symptom of insomnia; P 2, any symptom plus impairment; P 3, P 2 with no comorbid mood, anxiety or substance use disorders. Results: In general, the association between insomnia and depression was stronger and more consistent for major depression than for symptoms of depression. Baseline insomnia (P 1 and P 2) increased subsequent risk of major depression 2–3-fold and P 1 2-fold in multivariate analyses. Major depression increased risk for subsequent insomnia 2–3-fold for P 1 and P 2 2-fold for P 2 in multivariate analyses. Results varied by measure of insomnia used. Limitations: Only symptoms of insomnia were assessed, so we could not examine the effects of comorbid sleep disorders nor did we have objective or biological measures of disturbed sleep. We also did not collect data on parental reports of youth depression nor insomnia or sleep problems. Conclusion: Our results provide the first prospective data on insomnia and major depression among adolescents indicating the two are reciprocally related. More studies are needed examining trajectories of insomnia and major depression in childhood and adolescence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We reexamine the effects of obesity on a wide range (n=17) of indicators of functioning drawn from five broad domains: interpersonal problems, psychological problems, suicidal behaviors, academic performance, and psychiatric disorders. Evidence on this question is mixed. Data are analyzed from a large community sample of adolescents 11–17 at baseline (n=4175) who were followed up a year later (n=3134). Using measured height and weight, overweight was defined as 95th>BMI≤85th percentile and obese as BMI >95th percentile. At baseline, obesity was associated with increased odds only for any mood disorder and poor perceived mental health. For boys, there were no significant associations, but girls had higher odds of problems at school, poor perceived mental health, and mood disorders. Results from the two-wave cohort reveal obesity increased future risk only for poor perceived mental health. For boys, the same pattern was observed, but for girls there were no significant associations. Overall, we found that weight status had few deleterious effects on adolescent social functioning, in multivariate, prospective analyses. If there is an effect of obesity on functioning, it may operate through mediators such as body image. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD) is claimed to be 40% to 60% inherited, but until recently genetic risk factors predisposing to CAD have been elusive. Comprehensive prevention of CAD requires manipulation of genetic risk. The availability of microarrays of single-nucleotide polymorphisms enabling genome-wide association studies (GWAS) led to the discovery of 33 genetic risk variants for CAD. Surprisingly, 23 risk variants mediate their risk through unknown mechanisms, with only 10 associating with hypertension or lipids. Thus, there are several mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of CAD yet to be elucidated. The first risk variant discovered by GWAS was 9p21.3, which occurs in 75% of all populations except African, with a mean increased risk of 25% per copy. Of the 33 variants for CAD, the increased risk varies from 6% to 92% with a mean increased risk of 18%, occurring on average in 47% of the population. The maximum number of risk alleles per individual would be 66. In the CARDIoGRAM (Coronary Artery Disease Genome-wide Replication and Meta Analysis) study of 23 variants, the average per individual was 17, the minimum 7, and the maximum 37. The top 10th percentile has an odds ratio of 1.88 and the lowest percentile an odds ratio of 0.55. Routine genetic screening is unlikely until management is improved by genetic testing. Risk variants should provide pathophysiological insights and targets for novel therapy. While risk variants are less potent predictors of CAD, compared with biomarkers, they have the advantage of not changing in one''s lifetime and are unaffected by diet, sex, age, or medication. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In Skilling v. United States (2010), the U. S. Supreme Court sharply limited the use of the honest service doctrine of the federal mail fraud statute to prosecute state and local officials on public corruption charges. The decision limits the application of the doctrine to bribes and kickbacks. The high court made clear that Congress has broad authority to criminalize "corrupt" conduct, but to do so must clearly define the conduct it wishes to regulate. This article evaluates the impact of the Skilling decision on federal prosecutions of state and local government officials, and proposes a new federal criminal prohibition on acceptance of high-value illegal gratuities by state and local employees. Despite the strong public policy argument for the passage of a high-value intergovernmental illegal gratuity statute, Congress has shown considerable reluctance to enact statutes giving prosecutors clear authority to pursue state and local officials for non quid pro quo offenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the argument that civil service systems should adopt market-based human resource management policies and practices similar to those frequently used by for-profit private organizations, in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public organizations. The article also examines the argument that public employees now typically enjoy job security and lucrative benefits not generally available to private sector employees, and that this situation needs to be adjusted in order to bring public sector compensation in line with private sector pay and benefits. The article argues that critics of the independence of civil servants in the United States have intentionally perpetrated the lie that incompetent, corrupt, and lazy individuals make up the majority of public employees. The fact that private sector employees have seen their economic well-being deteriorate over recent decades has made it much easier for critics of public employees to make public employees scapegoats for economic trends. The article also argues that if this trend continues, it presents a direct threat to the long-term independence of civil servants in the United States and opens the way for ideologically driven individuals and interest groups to again gain control over public agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study explored the extent to which trait aggression is associated with suicidal behavior in a nationwide school-based sample of adolescents. Methods: A nationwide sample of 14,537 high school students in urban areas of China was recruited. Information concerning suicide ideation, plans, attempts, trait aggression and other risk factors was collected by a self-reported questionnaire. Multivariate regression analyses were employed to predict suicidal behavior. Results: Approximately 18.5% of students reported suicide ideation, 8.7% reported suicide plans, and 4.1% reported attempts during the past one year. Hostility and trait anger had a significant positive association with suicidal ideation. Hostility and physical aggression were positively related to suicide plans. Hostility had a positive correlation with suicide attempts, while trait anger was inversely associated with suicide attempts. Conclusions: This study suggests that hostility, physical aggression and trait anger may be able to be used to predict suicidal behavior among adolescents. Suicide prevention programs should target at attenuating the severity of hostility, anger and physical aggression. But teachers and parents should also give close attention to students with low trait anger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than 50 years, epidemiological studies have indicated that genetic predisposition accounts for approximately 50% of the susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD) and its sequelae, including myocardial infarction. Since common diseases such as CAD are caused by multiple genes, the age-old method of linkage analysis used to map monogenic Mendelian disorders in families unfortunately lacks the required sensitivity. The technology to identify genes predisposing individuals to CAD and other common diseases did not become available until 2005. This technology provided computerized arrays containing hundreds of thousands of DNA markers in the form of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This made it possible to pursue an unbiased approach referred to as genome-wide association studies. The first gene for CAD was simultaneously identified by 2 independent groups in 2007. In a very short interval, a total of 23 loci were mapped that were linked to increased risk for CAD. The results of these studies confirm that CAD is caused by multiple genes, each contributing minimal risk. The most exciting and novel findings are that these loci do not act through known risk factors for CAD and that the loci are more likely to be in DNA regions that regulate transcription rather than being in coding regions for protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

abstract This paper clarifies how stability of character is a good thing and how it is related to being open to change for the better by considering four ways character can be stable or unstable and four stable characteristics that are forms of openness to improvement of character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The interactions of a commercial soy protein isolate (SPI) and a 2:1 SPI:high methoxy pectin (PEC) complex were evaluated over a range of pH values (3–7). The SPI formed very large (>50μm) and largely insoluble aggregates (<10%) close to its isoelectric point (IEP, pH 4 and 5) and smaller, more soluble (>80%) particles at higher and lower pH values. The addition of PEC increased the solubility of SPI close to its IEP (pH 4 and 5) and prevented the formation of very large aggregates. However, PEC reduced the solubility of SPI at higher and lower pH values presumably via a depletion mechanism. The ζ-potential of diluted SPI dispersions decreased from positive to negative with increasing pH, passing through zero at pH 4.6, the isoelectric point (IEP) of the protein. At pH<6, the addition of PEC reduced the charge of the protein suggesting the formation of a complex while at pH 6 or 7 there was no evidence of complex formation. The increased SPI solubility in the IEP in the presence of PEC is probably due to the formation of charged complex which do not aggregate while the decreased solubility of protein in the presence at high and low PEC is probably due to the formation of insoluble complexes and a depletion interaction respectively. Thermal treatment (30min, 90°C) enhanced the solubility of the SPI:PEC complexes close to the IEP (pH 4 and 5), but reduces it at low pH (pH 3). The SPI:PEC complexes could be manufactured in the form of a beverage at pilot scale where their solubility was enhanced by homogenization. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Therapeutic communities have become increasingly popular among correctional agencies with drug-involved offenders. This quasi-experimental study followed a group of inmates who participated in a prison-based therapeutic community in a California state prison, with a comparison group of matched offenders, for more than 5 years after their initial prison release. Contrary to successes reported elsewhere, this study found no difference in new arrests and returns to prison between therapeutic community participants and the comparison participants after 5 years. Overall, more than 60% of both groups were returned to prison within 2 years following their initial release. After 5 years, the return-to-prison rate reached about 73% for both groups. The average time spent in prison following initial release was about the same for both groups. Rearrest offenses were also similar in both groups. Policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the potential impact of FAR Subpart 3:10, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct on the system for regulating defense procurement integrity. The article argues that the adoption of the new Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct will not change the already heavy emphasis placed on full compliance with criminal and civil statutes directed at protecting procurement integrity. The article also argues that the defense procurement integrity program should devote equal attention to adoption of non-criminal standards of conduct directed at assuring the impartiality and objectivity of contractor employees. Finally, the article argues that in order to rebuild public trust in contractor employees the FAR Council should require contractor employees who perform duties similar to full-time federal employees to comply with a new uniform set of non-criminal standards of conduct rules directed at assuring the impartiality and objectivity of contractor employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We estimate prevalence, incidence and persistence of short sleep or sleep deprivation in a two wave cohort study of 4175 youths 11–17 years old at baseline and 3134 of these a year later. Data were collected using computer interviews and questionnaires. Sleep deprivation was defined as 6h or less per night during the past 4 weeks. Weighted logistic regression procedures were employed to calculate prevalence, incidence, persistence/chronicity, and odds ratios. Prevalence rates and rates of persistence suggest sleep deprivation is highly prevalent and chronic. Multivariate analyses indicate that short sleep increases risk across multiple domains of dysfunction, suggesting pervasive deleterious effects. The broad impact of sleep deprivation and its pervasiveness suggests interventions will need to focus on multilevel changes to increase sleep time and reduce the negative impact of sleep deprivation among adolescents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study estimated the impact of an in-prison, therapeutic community (TC) substance abuse treatment program on management costs in a California prison. A deconstruction method was developed to estimate the opportunity cost of staff time and other resources involved in various prison administrative tasks. Compared to “non-treatment” yards within the facility, the TC environment generated lower administrative costs for disciplinary actions, inmate grievances, and major disruptive incidents resulting in lockdowns. These findings suggest that, in addition to their intended rehabilitative outcomes, prison-based TCs may foster institutional environments that help to control prison management costs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Compliance-based ethics management has become the primary method of maintaining high ethical standards in governmental and non-governmental organizations. There are several reasons why organizations have embraced compliance regulation as the key method of keeping public confidence in their integrity. Compliance-based management (1) provides organizations a certain level of immunity from illegal acts committed by their employees and officials, and (2) significantly reduces pressures to implement integrity-based programs by lowering organizational ethical expectations. The heavy reliance on compliance ethics has made it much more difficult for employees and officials to hold organizations accountable for actions that fall outside the scope of compliance-based ethics laws and regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We have few data on incidence of psychiatric disorders among adolescents. This study examined first incidence of disorders among adolescents and baseline factors which increased or decreased risk of new onset cases a year later. Methods: Data were analyzed from Teen Health 2000 (TH2K), a probability sample of 4,175 youths 11–17 and their parents assessed at baseline and 3,134 of these youth–parent dyads followed up a year later. Disorders examined were anxiety, mood, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), disruptive, and substance abuse/dependence disorders in the past year. Risk and protective factors were assessed from three domains: status factors, personal and social resources, and stressors. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds of incident disorders for each risk and protective factor. Results: Incidence rates were 2.8% for anxiety, 1.5% for mood, 1.2% for ADHD, 2.5% for disruptive, 2.9% for substance abuse/dependence, and 7.5% for one or more DSM-IV disorders. Multivariate analyses identified few independent predictors of incidence. The most consistent factors across disorders involved indicators of stress. The role of adverse family context was particularly noteworthy, predicting incidence of every disorder examined. Personal resources such as mastery consistently enhanced resilience to onset of first episodes. The presence of multiple risk factors, cumulative burden, substantially increased risk of first incidence of all disorders examined. Conclusions: The incidence of any disorder of 7.5% was similar to two earlier studies using DSM-III-R criteria (8.9 and 10.6, respectively). This is the first study to estimate incidence of DSM-IV disorders for a range of diagnostic categories, and with the exception of substance use disorders, the rates are quite different from one earlier study using DSM-II-R criteria. A clear pattern emerged from the analyses. That is, psychiatric disorders, like other chronic diseases, are the product of multiple factors and these factors in turn have effects on multiple disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aristotle analyzes compassion in terms of three propositions. His analysis harmonizes with a conception of this emotion widespread in the ancient world and down to present times. However, a comparison of Christian compassion with the three Aristotelian propositions reveals that it deviates from each of them to a greater or lesser degree. It turns out, then, to be a distinctive type of compassion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gratitude is a concern-based construal of one's situation in terms of three elements: a benefit freely given, oneself as the beneficiary, and a benefactor. For there to be gratitude the beneficiary must consider that the benefit is desirable and the benefactor acts with benevolent motives. The transaction creates a debt that the beneficiary "pays" by feeling and expressing gratitude to the benefactor. We can give thanks in everything if we recognize that transitory goods are not the central gift, but rather redemption in Christ. Three obstacles to gratitude, all manifestations of a lack of humility, are: feeling that benefits received are owed to us, considering that receiving favors reduces our dignity, and resisting the recognition of our dependence on God. The Christian understanding of the universe and our place in it is hospitable to gratitude, for it underlines our dependence on God and on others and the magnitude of the gifts that we receive from God. To grow in gratitude we should look for blessings in adversity, remember that the central gift is redemption, and understand that our dignity does not derive from our self-sufficiency and merit, but rather from our being creatures of God and recipients of his grace. These concepts are illustrated in passages from Dickens, Johnson, Aristotle and Steinbeck. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions are concern-based construals. They manifest the degree of character maturity, for they reflect the quality of one's concerns. Passions are long-term concerns that dominate one's life and define character. Emotions are passions in an older sense too: they are something that happens to us, not something we do. However, they can be subject to our will, because we can sometimes change our perceptions voluntarily. Behavior sometimes helps to control emotions. Emotions also are shaped by concepts and narratives. Christian emotions are based on Christian passions and are perceptions in terms of Christian teachings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We present prevalence data for adolescents in a large metropolitan area in the US and the association of DSM-IV diagnoses to functional impairment and selected demographic correlates. We sampled 4175 youths aged 11–17 years from households enrolled in large health maintenance organizations. Data were collected using questionnaires and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Version IV (DISC-IV). Impairment was measured using the Child Global Assessment Scale and diagnostic specific impairment in the DISC-IV. 17.1% of the sample met DSM-IV criteria for one or more disorders in the past year; 11% when only DISC impairment was considered and 5.3% only using the CGAS. The most prevalent disorders were anxiety (6.9%), disruptive (6.5%), and substance use (5.3%) disorders. The most prevalent specific disorders were agoraphobia, conduct and marijuana abuse/dependence, then alcohol use and oppositional defiant disorder. Younger youths and females had lower odds for any disorder, as did youths from two parent homes. There was increased odds associated with lower family income. Females had greater odds of mood and anxiety disorders, males of disruptive and substance use disorders. There were greater odds of mood and disruptive disorders for older youths. Prevalences were highly comparable to recent studies using similar methods in diverse non-metropolitan populations. We found associations with age, gender, and to a lesser extent, socioeconomic status reported in previous studies. The inclusion of both diagnosis-specific impairment and global impairment reduced prevalence rates significantly. Our results suggest commonality of prevalences and associated factors in diverse study settings, including urban and rural areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

From the early 1960s through today, the federal executive branch has seen a significant expansion of an ethics management program designed to protect citizen confidence in the impartiality and objectivity of government decision-making. The program has placed a heavy emphasis on regulating financial conflicts of interest. Instead of protecting confidence in government decision-making, the program has actually lowered ethical expectations for federal employees and officials. The public and the media now largely view ethics as a process of complying with legalistic ethics rules and regulations. At the same time, critics of "petty ethics rules" argue that the legalization of public service ethics has made it much more difficult to recruit individuals to serve in government. This article deals with the failure of government ethics rules to maintain confidence in government, along with the criticism that ethics rules make it difficult to recruit and retain government personnel, by arguing for (a) the removal of criminal penalties for conflict-of-interest violations, (b) the adoption of a new ex parte contact- disclosure requirement for high-level federal officials, and (c) the shifting of responsibility for whistleblower protection from the Office of Special Counsel to the Office of Government Ethics. If adopted, these measures will help to refocus the primary purpose of the ethics program of protecting public confidence in government decision-making without imposing an undue burden on the recruitment and retention of personnel. They will, as well, make it clear that government ethics involves much more than complying with rules and regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent developments in direct injection foam processing using styrene-maleic anhydride (SMA) copolymer have resulted in a distinct and significant increase in the performance of foam packaging for food service applications. There are several problems that a consumer could experience when using a traditional polystyrene (PS) foam takeout container. To begin with, the heat of food at serving temperatures can cause warping of the package. In addition, oils and other ingredients from particular foods can quickly weaken a PS foam container making PS foam containers unsuitable for microwave reheating of food. SMA foam packages improve performance in all of these areas. Data are presented on the thermal stability of injection molded samples. Extruded foam sheet flexural properties are studied. Finally, microwave re-heat performances of clamshell containers made from rubber modified SMA copolymers are compared to containers made from PS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]