Macroperiodic Oscillations: A Potential Novel Biomarker of Outcome in Neonatal Encephalopathy.

PURPOSE: Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is a common cause of neurodevelopmental morbidity. Tools to accurately predict outcomes after therapeutic hypothermia remain limited. We evaluated a novel EEG biomarker, macroperiodic oscillations (MOs), to predict neurodevelopmental outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of neonates with moderate-to-severe NE who underwent standardized clinical examination, magnetic resonance (MR) scoring, video EEG, and neurodevelopmental assessment with Bayley III evaluation at 18 to 24 months. A non-NE cohort of neonates was also assessed for the presence of MOs. The relationship between clinical examination, MR score, MOs, and neurodevelopmental assessment was analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 37 neonates with 24 of whom survived and underwent neurodevelopmental assessment (70%). The strength of MOs correlated with severity of clinical encephalopathy. MO strength and spread significantly correlated with Bayley III cognitive percentile (P = 0.017 and 0.046). MO strength outperformed MR score in predicting a combined adverse outcome of death or disability (P = 0.019, sensitivity 100%, specificity 77% vs. P = 0.079, sensitivity 100%, specificity 59%). CONCLUSIONS: MOs are an EEG-derived, quantitative biomarker of neurodevelopmental outcome that outperformed a comprehensive validated MRI injury score and a detailed systematic discharge examination in this small cohort. Future work is needed to validate MOs in a larger cohort and elucidate the underlying pathophysiology of MOs.

Changes in ImPACT Cognitive Subtest Networks Following Sport-Related Concussion.

OBJECTIVE: High school athletes are administered ImPACT at the start of the academic year or sport season and again after suspected concussion. Concussion management involves the comparison of baseline and post-injury cognitive scores with declines in scores providing evidence for concussive injury. A network framework may provide additional information about post-concussive cognitive changes and expand characterization of sport-related concussion (SRC) recovery. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: High school. PARTICIPANTS: High school athletes (n = 1553) were administered ImPACT at baseline (T1), post-SRC (T2 = 72 h of injury), and prior to return to play (T3 = within two weeks post-injury). INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: ImPACT cognitive subtest scores. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cognitive networks were calculated and compared over three time points. Centrality indices were calculated to determine the relative importance of cognitive variables within networks. RESULTS: Network connectivity increased from T1 to T2 and remained hyperconnected at T3. There was evidence of network reorganization between T1 and T3. Processing speed was central within each network, and visual memory and impulsivity became more central over time. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest potential evidence of cognitive network change over time. Centrality findings suggest research specific to visual memory and impulse control difficulties during the post-concussion recovery period is warranted. Network analysis may provide additional information about cognitive recovery following SRC and could potentially serve as an effective means of monitoring persisting cognitive symptoms after concussion.

Cluster analysis of negative symptoms identifies distinct negative symptom subgroups.

The heterogeneity of schizophrenia has been acknowledged for decades because of the diverse presentation of symptoms, illness course, and treatment response noted between individuals diagnosed with the disorder. Cluster analysis has been used as a statistical method to determine whether schizophrenia subgroups might be identified based on symptom heterogeneity. However, there is very limited research examining whether heterogeneity in negative symptoms might be useful in establishing schizophrenia subtypes, particularly research examining newer models of negative symptoms based on five latent constructs including anhedonia, asociality, avolition, blunted affect, and alogia. The Brief Negative Symptom Scale was used to assess the five negative symptoms domains in a sample of 220 outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Cluster analysis supported a four-cluster solution, comprising clusters of subjects with low negative symptoms (LNS), severe negative symptoms (SNS), and two clusters with moderate negative symptoms, one with predominantly elevated blunted affect (BA) and one with elevated avolition (AV). The LNS, SNS, BA, and AV clusters significantly differed on external validators including clinical characteristics, neurocognition, and functional outcome. Findings suggest that schizophrenia heterogeneity can be parsed according to negative symptom subtypes that have distinct clinical and neuropsychological profiles. Implications for diagnosis and treatment are discussed.

Retrospective Evaluation of First-line Levetiracetam use for Neonatal Seizures after Congenital Heart Defect repair with or without Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

OBJECTIVE: Levetiracetam (LEV) efficacy for neonatal seizures is debated. We evaluated LEV as a first line anti-seizure medicine (ASM) in neonates following neonatal congenital heart defect (CHD) repair who did not require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) vs neonates who required ECMO. METHODS: A single center retrospective review of neonates with CHD from 2015 to 2020 was conducted. Neonates were included if seizures were present on continuous EEG after CHD repair either on or off ECMO, and they received LEV as a first line ASM. Primary outcomes were seizure resolution with LEV, adverse events and response to subsequent ASM. RESULTS: Eighteen total neonates were evaluated, 10 with seizures post-CHD repair who did not require ECMO and 8 who required ECMO. In the non-ECMO cohort, nine of ten were successfully treated with LEV monotherapy with no adverse events. In comparison, the eight neonates who required ECMO had a higher initial seizure burden (1.6% vs 17%, p=0.003), were more likely to have injury on neuroimaging (12.5 vs 75%, p= 0.04), and all neonates required multiple ASMs. Seizure burden did not decrease with LEV, but significantly decreased with phenobarbital and fosphenytoin (14.4% and 10.5%, p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Neonates with CHD and seizures on and off ECMO demonstrated divergent seizure characteristics including seizure burden and response to LEV. LEV may reduce neonatal seizure burden after uncomplicated CHD repair. However, in neonates requiring ECMO, multiple ASMs were required. A prospective evaluation of ASM efficacy and safety in this high-risk population is urgently needed.

Optimized Benzodiazepine Treatment of Pediatric Status Epilepticus Through a Standardized Emergency Medical Services Resuscitation Tool.

BACKGROUND: Optimized benzodiazepine (BZD) dosing decreases morbidity and mortality in children with status epilepticus (SE), but previous studies have documented widespread underdosing. Prior interventions have focused on in-hospital SE treatment, although more than 75% of pediatric patients with SE are initially treated by emergency medical services (EMS). Our goal was to assess whether an EMS-focused, collaboratively developed dosing resuscitation aid (Medic One Pediatric [MOPed] cards) and training could improve BZD dosing and pediatric SE outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of patients aged 12 years and younger treated by EMS for SE and transferred to Seattle Children's Hospital during the 1 year before and immediately after MOPed card training. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients receiving underdosed BZD treatment. Secondary outcomes included time to second-line antiseizure medication (ASM), intubation, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. RESULTS: The 44 children before and 33 after MOPed implementation were similar with respect to age, gender, and pre-existing epilepsy diagnosis. The percentage of children receiving underdosed BZDs fell from 52% to 6% after MOPed implementation (P < 0.001). There was no significant decrease in requirement for intubation and ICU admission. The interval to treatment with a second-line ASM remained prolonged. CONCLUSIONS: EMS-focused training significantly increased the percentage of outpatient pediatric patients with SE who received recommended initial BZD treatment. This improvement in management of SE did not significantly alter the rate of intubation or ICU admission, suggesting the need for further optimization of out-of-hospital SE care, particularly access to and timely use of second-line ASMs.

Treatment of Neonatal Seizures: Comparison of Treatment Pathways From 11 Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

OBJECTIVE: Seizures are a common neonatal neurologic emergency. Many centers have developed pathways to optimize management. We evaluated neonatal seizure management pathways at level IV neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the United States to highlight areas of consensus and describe aspects of variability. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive analysis of 11 neonatal seizure management pathways from level IV NICUs that specialize in neonatal neurocritical care including guidelines for electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring, antiseizure medication (ASM) choice, timing, and dose. RESULTS: Study center NICUs had a median of 70 beds (interquartile range: 52-96). All sites had 24/7 conventional EEG initiation, monitoring, and review capability. Management pathways uniformly included prompt EEG confirmation of seizures. Most pathways included a provision for intravenous benzodiazepine administration if either EEG or loading of ASM was delayed. Phenobarbital 20 mg/kg IV was the first-line ASM in all pathways. Pathways included either fosphenytoin or levetiracetam as the second-line ASM with variable dosing. Third-line ASMs were most commonly fosphenytoin or levetiracetam, with alternatives including topiramate or lacosamide. All pathways provided escalation to continuous midazolam infusion with variable dosing for seizures refractory to initial medication trials. Three pathways also included lidocaine infusion. Nine pathways discussed ASM discontinuation after resolution of acute symptomatic seizures with variable timing. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a paucity of data from controlled trials regarding optimal neonatal seizure management, there are areas of broad agreement among institutional pathways. Areas of substantial heterogeneity that require further research include optimal second-line ASM, dosage, and timing of ASM discontinuation.

Cognitive profiles following sport-related concussion in high school athletes.

OBJECTIVE: Heterogeneity is common following traumatic brain injury (TBI) with important implications for clinical outcome. Research in moderate to severe TBI identifies differentiated cognitive profiles. There is little research investigating potential clusters following sport concussion. METHODS: Cluster analysis was used to determine patterns of Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) performance at three time points (72 hr, 4-7 days, and 8-30 days postconcussion). Participants included 1,817 high-school athletes (Mage = 15.5; 37.9% female) who completed ImPACT following concussion. RESULTS: Separate cluster analyses of cognitive scores were conducted at each postconcussion timepoint. Results indicated three clusters of cognitive performance within 1 week postinjury, while a two-cluster solution was identified at longer intervals (8-30 days). Clusters differed primarily by level of performance and also exhibited stratified differences in symptom severity and magnitude of change in cognitive function and symptom-reporting from pre- to postconcussion. The lowest performing cluster in each PC group was Mildly-to-Moderately Impaired and exhibited the highest rates of complicated recovery, suggesting an association between the current clusters and protracted recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide preliminary evidence that ImPACT can identify clusters of athletes based on cognitive performance postconcussion that differ in clinically meaningful ways, including symptoms, magnitude of change from baseline, and concussion recovery outcomes. Discriminant functions can classify athletes into clusters based on postconcussion scores and a supplemental excel calculator is provided for such purposes. Absence of full demographic data regarding race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status may limit generalizability. Future work should investigate whether these clusters may assist in return-to-play decision-making by identifying at-risk athletes who may benefit from targeted intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Scavenging versus predation: shark-bite injuries in stranded sea turtles in the southeastern USA.

Injuries inflicted by sharks are a frequent observation in stranded sea turtles. Sharks prey on live turtles and scavenge carcasses, which can create uncertainty as to the cause of stranding when sea turtles are found dead with shark-bite wounds. Consequently, attributing the cause of stranding to a shark attack based purely on the presence of the characteristic wounds can overestimate predation by sharks as a cause of mortality. To better characterize the timing of shark-bite wounds relative to death of sea turtles in the southeastern USA, we performed necropsies on 70 stranded turtles that were found dead in which the predominant observation was bite wounds without any grossly evident vital responses (inflammation or healing). Postmortem examination included assessment for evidence of exsanguination and histopathological evaluation of skeletal muscle comprising wound margins. We characterized wounds as antemortem, perimortem, or postmortem based on specific criteria related to the presence or absence of supravital and intravital responses. Most (80%) shark-bite wounds were postmortem, 10% were antemortem, and 10% were perimortem. We found that antemortem and postmortem wounds were similar in extent and location except for wounds that primarily involved the shell, which were never found in cases of scavenging. For sea turtles found dead in the southeastern USA, our findings suggest that most shark-bite wounds without externally evident vital responses are due to scavenging. Additionally, this scavenging can significantly damage a carcass, potentially obscuring the detection of other causes of mortality. These findings should be considered when using data derived from stranded sea turtles to conduct mortality assessments.

The Use of Online Health-Management Tools and Health Care Utilization Among Older Americans.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The digital divide, or differences in access to technology, can have far-reaching consequences. This study identified disparities in access to online health-related technology. It then investigated associations between online health-related technology use and health care utilization among older adults in the United States. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The study used a cross-sectional data set of 1,497 adults aged 51 and older from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study (HRS)'s supplemental module (Health Behaviors) and the RAND version of the HRS fat file. RESULTS: Older age, being a racial/ethnic minority, married, uninsured, and having lower educational attainment, lower income, and reporting poorer health were each associated with lower levels of use of online health-management tools. The use of online health-management tools was associated with a 34% greater mean number of doctor visits (incidence rate ratio = 1.34, SE = 0.10, p < .05) than nonuse. However, such use was not associated with the number or type of hospitalizations. Indeed, only health care needs as measured by self-rated health status (odds ratio [OR] = 0.58, SE = 0.18, p < .05) and the number of chronic conditions were associated with hospitalizations (OR = 1.68, SE = 0.07, p < .05). DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: While more research is needed to clarify the purposes (e.g., prevention vs. treatment) and outcomes of health care service utilization as a function of technology use, it may be wise to proactively tackle the digital divide as one upstream strategy for improving various health and health care outcomes among older adults.

Deconstructing Cognitive Heterogeneity in Puerto Rican Spanish-Speaking Children With ADHD.

OBJECTIVE: There is limited understanding of the cognitive profiles of Spanish-speaking children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The current study investigated the cognitive cluster profiles of Puerto Rican Spanish-speaking children with ADHD using the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children-Fourth Edition Spanish (WISC-IV Spanish) Index scores and examined the association between cognitive cluster profiles with other potentially relevant factors. METHOD: Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify WISC-IV clusters in a sample of 165 Puerto Rican children who had a primary diagnosis of ADHD. To examine the validity of the ADHD clusters, analysis of variances and chi-square analyses were conducted to compare the clusters across sociodemographics (e.g., age and education), type of ADHD diagnosis (ADHD subtype, Learning Disorder comorbidity), and academic achievement. RESULTS: Clusters were differentiated by level and pattern of performance. A five-cluster solution was identified as optimal that included (C1) multiple cognitive deficits, (C2) processing speed deficits, (C3) generally average performance, (C4) perceptual reasoning strengths, and (C5) working memory deficits. Among the five clusters, the profile with multiple cognitive deficits was characterized by poorer performance on the four WISC-IV Spanish Indexes and was associated with adverse sociodemographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Results illustrate that there is substantial heterogeneity in cognitive abilities of Puerto Rican Spanish-speaking children with ADHD, and this heterogeneity is associated with a number of relevant outcomes.

Underlying Motivations of Volunteering Across Life Stages: A Study of Volunteers in Nonprofit Organizations in Nevada.

Volunteering is beneficial not only for individuals' well-being but also for society's well-being; yet only a fraction of U.S. citizens regularly engage in volunteer activities. This study examined how underlying motivations are associated with interest in volunteering for individuals in three major life phases: early, middle, and later adulthood. Data were collected from 1,046 adults who volunteered through nonprofit organizations in Nevada (USA). Exploratory factor analysis revealed that community service, career advancement, and well-being were common underlying motivations for individuals across life stages. However, generativity among the later adulthood group, and social networking among the early and middle adulthood groups were unique motivations for volunteering. Regression analysis showed that the community service motivation was significantly associated with individuals' interest in volunteering among all life stages. Simultaneously, generativity for the later adulthood group, and career advancement for the early adulthood group were unique motivations linked to their actual interest in volunteering.

A testbed for optimizing electrodes embedded in the skull or in artificial skull replacement pieces used after injury.

BACKGROUND: Custom-fitted skull replacement pieces are often used after a head injury or surgery to replace damaged bone. Chronic brain recordings are beneficial after injury/surgery for monitoring brain health and seizure development. Embedding electrodes directly in these artificial skull replacement pieces would be a novel, low-risk way to perform chronic brain monitoring in these patients. Similarly, embedding electrodes directly in healthy skull would be a viable minimally-invasive option for many other neuroscience and neurotechnology applications requiring chronic brain recordings. NEW METHOD: We demonstrate a preclinical testbed that can be used for refining electrode designs embedded in artificial skull replacement pieces or for embedding directly into the skull itself. Options are explored to increase the surface area of the contacts without increasing recording contact diameter to maximize recording resolution. RESULTS: Embedding electrodes in real or artificial skull allows one to lower electrode impedance without increasing the recording contact diameter by making use of conductive channels that extend into the skull. The higher density of small contacts embedded in the artificial skull in this testbed enables one to optimize electrode spacing for use in real bone. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: For brain monitoring applications, skull-embedded electrodes fill a gap between electroencephalograms recorded on the scalp surface and the more invasive epidural or subdural electrode sheets. CONCLUSIONS: Embedding electrodes into the skull or in skull replacement pieces may provide a safe, convenient, minimally-invasive alternative for chronic brain monitoring. The manufacturing methods described here will facilitate further testing of skull-embedded electrodes in animal models.

Complete Genome Sequence of Caulobacter crescentus Siphophage Seuss.

Caulobacter crescentus is a water-dwelling bacterium known to have a dimorphic life cycle. Here, we announce the complete genome of Seuss, a C. crescentus icosahedral siphophage, and describe key features. Seuss is unique among phages deposited in GenBank, with genes encoding novel hypothetical proteins composing 45% of its genome.

Evaluation of hospice care by family members of Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients.

The Hispanic older adult population is increasing rapidly and past research suggests that this demographic group underutilizes hospice services, highlighting the need to improve our understanding of their needs in end of life. This study relied upon information from the family evaluation of hospice care survey provided by 2980 caregivers, 152 of whom cared for a Hispanic patient and 2828 who cared for a non-Hispanic patient. Caregivers of Hispanic patients were more likely to report that hospice was inconsistent with the patient's wishes, and that they received more attention than desired for emotional issues. Caregivers of Hispanic patients were also more likely to express that emotional/spiritual forms of support were insufficient. Similar levels of satisfaction were reported for caregivers of Hispanics and non-Hispanics regarding dignity/respect, information received, care coordination, and overall satisfaction.

Family evaluation of hospice care: Examining direct and indirect associations with overall satisfaction and caregiver confidence.

OBJECTIVE: The Family Evaluation of Hospice Care (FEHC) survey is widely employed by hospices, and several studies have examined this information to help inform and enhance end-of-life services. However, these studies have largely focused on examining relatively straightforward associations between variables and have not tested larger models that could reveal more complex effects. The present study aimed to examine the direct and mediating (i.e., via information/education, patient care, and family support) effects of demographic factors, length of stay, timing of referral, patient symptom severity, location of services, and relationship to caregiver on two outcome variables: overall satisfaction and caregiver confidence. METHOD: Surveys were collected from 3226 participants who had lost a loved one who received hospice services. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine the direct and mediating effects of the independent variables on the two outcomes of interest. RESULTS: Participants reporting on racial minority patients, patients with more symptoms, and those referred too late or too early were the most likely to express some discontentment with hospice services. The information/education these individuals received was the only mediating factor significantly associated with caregiver confidence. More positive perceptions of patient care and information/education were both significantly related to greater overall satisfaction. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: These findings help to (1) pinpoint those most at risk for being less satisfied with hospice, (2) identify which aspects of care may be most strongly related to overall outcomes, and (3) provide a model for examining complex associations among FEHC variables that may be employed by other researchers.

Sadness, anxiety, and experiences with emotional support among veteran and nonveteran patients and their families at the end of life.

BACKGROUND: Although many veterans are progressing into older adulthood and a substantive subset of people who die each year in the United States served in the military, there is limited evidence on the role of military service at the end of life. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to examine differences in caregivers' perceptions of sadness and anxiety at the end of life between veteran and nonveteran patients and levels of contentment with the emotional support provided to the patient and family by hospice staff. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used clinical information from the Family Evaluation of Hospice Care (FEHC) survey administered to caregivers of a patient who received hospice services. The sample in this study included 560 individuals who completed the FEHC survey (from December 2007 to April 2013) after receiving services at a large hospice in an urban southwestern U.S. city. Caregivers responded to questions on the FEHC survey about demographic information, perceptions of the patient's level of sadness/anxiety, and the emotional support the patient and family received from hospice staff. In addition, information regarding veteran status was obtained from patients' medical records. RESULTS: Caregivers of veterans were significantly more likely to report that the patient experienced sadness/anxiety at the end of life, as well as a desire for more emotional support for the family from hospice staff after the death. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide preliminary evidence for veteran status being a risk factor for emotional distress at the end of life, highlighting the possible need for augmented support services for veterans and their families in hospice and palliative care.

Licking microstructure reveals rapid attenuation of neophobia.

Many animals hesitate when initially consuming a novel food and increase their consumption of that food between the first and second sessions of access-a process termed attenuation of neophobia (AN). AN has received attention as a model of learning and memory; it has been suggested that plasticity resulting from an association of the novel tastant with "safe outcome" results in a change in the neural response to the tastant during the second session, such that consumption increases. Most studies have reported that AN emerges only an hour or more after the end of the first exposure to the tastant, consistent with what is known of learning-related plasticity. But these studies have typically measured consumption, rather than real-time behavior, and thus the possibility exists that a more rapidly developing AN remains to be discovered. Here, we tested this possibility, examining both consumption and individual lick times in a novel variant of a brief-access task (BAT). When quantified in terms of consumption, data from the BAT accorded well with the results of a classic one-bottle task-both revealed neophobia/AN specific to higher concentrations (for instance, 28mM) of saccharin. An analysis of licking microstructure, however, additionally revealed a real-time correlate of neophobia-an explicit tendency, similarly specific for 28-mM saccharin, to cut short the initial bout of licks in a single trial (compared with water). This relative hesitancy (i.e., the shortness of the first lick bout to 28-mM saccharin compared with water) that constitutes neophobia not only disappeared between sessions but also gradually declined in magnitude across session 1. These data demonstrate that the BAT accurately measures AN, and that aspects of AN-and the processes underlying familiarization-begin within minutes of the very first taste.

The Caulobacter crescentus phage phiCbK: genomics of a canonical phage.

BACKGROUND: The bacterium Caulobacter crescentus is a popular model for the study of cell cycle regulation and senescence. The large prolate siphophage phiCbK has been an important tool in C. crescentus biology, and has been studied in its own right as a model for viral morphogenesis. Although a system of some interest, to date little genomic information is available on phiCbK or its relatives. RESULTS: Five novel phiCbK-like C. crescentus bacteriophages, CcrMagneto, CcrSwift, CcrKarma, CcrRogue and CcrColossus, were isolated from the environment. The genomes of phage phiCbK and these five environmental phage isolates were obtained by 454 pyrosequencing. The phiCbK-like phage genomes range in size from 205 kb encoding 318 proteins (phiCbK) to 280 kb encoding 448 proteins (CcrColossus), and were found to contain nonpermuted terminal redundancies of 10 to 17 kb. A novel method of terminal ligation was developed to map genomic termini, which confirmed termini predicted by coverage analysis. This suggests that sequence coverage discontinuities may be useable as predictors of genomic termini in phage genomes. Genomic modules encoding virion morphogenesis, lysis and DNA replication proteins were identified. The phiCbK-like phages were also found to encode a number of intriguing proteins; all contain a clearly T7-like DNA polymerase, and five of the six encode a possible homolog of the C. crescentus cell cycle regulator GcrA, which may allow the phage to alter the host cell's replicative state. The structural proteome of phage phiCbK was determined, identifying the portal, major and minor capsid proteins, the tail tape measure and possible tail fiber proteins. All six phage genomes are clearly related; phiCbK, CcrMagneto, CcrSwift, CcrKarma and CcrRogue form a group related at the DNA level, while CcrColossus is more diverged but retains significant similarity at the protein level. CONCLUSIONS: Due to their lack of any apparent relationship to other described phages, this group is proposed as the founding cohort of a new phage type, the phiCbK-like phages. This work will serve as a foundation for future studies on morphogenesis, infection and phage-host interactions in C. crescentus.

The effects of age, authority, and gender on perceptions of statutory rape offenders.

Using a sample of 2,838 students from a Southwestern university in the United States, the authors examine the effect of respondent's gender, the adult's gender, the age gap between the adult and teen, and the adult's authority, on students' perceptions of vignettes describing adult-teen sexual relationships. Specifically, the authors investigate four dependent variables related to perceptions of the crime: the adult offender's emotional motivation, whether the adult is a sexual predator, whether the adult should have limited interactions with children, and whether the adult should be included on a sex offender registry. ANOVA analysis revealed that a large age gap between the adult and teen, the presence of authority in the relationship, and respondent's gender were significant predictors of perceptions of the offender as a predator and sex offender. The offender's gender significantly predicted respondents' perceived motivations but had no effect on opinions regarding sex offender registration. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for perceptions of statutory rape.

Grandfather caregivers: race and ethnic differences in poverty.

We use data from the 2006 American Community Survey to examine race and ethnic differences in the effects of marital status and co-residence of the middle generation on the likelihood of poverty among grandfathers who have primary responsibility for co-resident grandchildren (N = 3,379). Logistic regression results indicate that race/ethnicity and household composition are significant predictors of poverty for grandfather caregivers: non-Hispanic white grandfathers, those who are married, and those with a co-resident middle generation are the least likely to be poor. The effects of race/ethnicity, marital status, and the presence of a middle generation are, however, contingent upon one another. Specifically, the negative effect of being married is lower among grandfathers who are Hispanic, African American, non-Hispanic, and non-Hispanics of other race/ethnic groups compared to whites. In addition, having a middle generation in the home has a larger negative effect on poverty for race/ethnic minority grandfathers than for non-Hispanic whites. Finally, the combined effects of marriage and a middle generation vary across race/ethnic group and are associated with lower chances of poverty among some groups compared with others. We use the theory of cumulative disadvantage to interpret these findings and suggest that race/ethnicity and household composition are synergistically related to economic resources for grandfather caregivers.