The Invalidation of the Maine Congressional Term Limits Law: A Vindication of Democracy

On November 8, 1994, the voters of Maine enacted a term limits law that arbitrarily limited the democratic right to vote for the candidate of their choice. The law provided that Maine\u27s United States Representatives could not appear on the ballot after six consecutive years of service and that Maine\u27s United States Senators could not appear on the election ballot after twelve consecutive years of service. On May 26, 1995, the United States District Court for the District of Maine found that the law was an unconstitutional violation of the Qualifications Clauses of the United States Constitution and permanently enjoined the Maine Secretary of State and the Maine Attorney General from implementing, carrying out, or enforcing the law. This ruling vindicated a fundamental constitutional principle that neither the United States Congress, the states, nor the people themselves can limit the right of a United States citizen to vote for the candidate of his choice. This Article reviews the Maine Act, traces the history of the Qualifications Clauses, analyzes the important cases that address these provisions, and concludes that the Maine Act was an unconstitutional violation of the Qualifications Clauses and an affront to our nation\u27s fundamental democratic principles. The United States District Court acted appropriately in striking it down

Strategic Review of Tropical Fisheries Management

This project addresses the constraints to tropical fisheries development with sustainable exploitation through a strategic assessment of tropical fisheries management with the following purposes: (1) To evaluate relevant research methods for the development of assessment models appropriate to the circumstances of tropical coastal fisheries; and (2) To evaluate the utility of existing strategies for the implementation of management advice. The report consists of three substantive chapters. Chapter 2 contains a detailed socio-economic assessment of various instruments and implementation strategies applicable to tropical capture fisheries. In Chapter 3, a detailed assessment of the fisheries for tropical large marine ecosystems has been conducted using a technique developed by FAO (Granger & Garcia 1996). The data used were the FAO statistics published regularly by FAO. This analysis has been conducted for each of the tropical large marine ecosystems and indicates that there is the potential for increased fishing in a number of these ecosystems. One of the clear requirements identified in Chapter 2 and implicit in Chapter 3, is that there is a significant need for simple and robust fisheries assessment methods which can estimate the potential of a particular resource, its capacity in terms of the level of fishing effort and its current status ie whether it is currently exploited sustainably or not. In Chapter 4, these problems are addressed directly and, using two approaches, significant simplification of fishery methods is developed. In the first approach, simple empirical relationships between the life history parameters of a species are used to develop models of potential yield which can be determined by a simple assessment of fish growth. In the second approach, optimal life history theory is applied to the key demographic parameters of exploited fish populations and using estimates of the Beverton & Holt invariants a significant simplifying of the basic stock assessment equations is developed

Experimentally-realizable PT\mathcal{PT} phase transitions in reflectionless quantum scattering

A class of above-barrier quantum-scattering problems is shown to provide an experimentally-accessible platform for studying $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric Schr\"odinger equations that exhibit spontaneous $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry breaking despite having purely real potentials. These potentials are one-dimensional, inverted, and unstable and have the form $V(x) = - \lvert x\rvert^p$ ($p>0$), terminated at a finite length or energy to a constant value as $x\to \pm\infty$. The signature of unbroken $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry is the existence of reflectionless propagating states at discrete real energies up to arbitrarily high energy. In the $\mathcal{PT}$-broken phase, there are no such solutions. In addition, there exists an intermediate mixed phase, where reflectionless states exist at low energy but disappear at a fixed finite energy, independent of termination length. In the mixed phase exceptional points (EPs) occur at specific $p$ and energy values, with a quartic dip in the reflectivity in contrast to the quadratic behavior away from EPs. $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry-breaking phenomena have not been previously predicted in a quantum system with a real potential and no reservoir coupling. The effects predicted here are measurable in standard cold-atom experiments with programmable optical traps. The physical origin of the symmetry-breaking transition is elucidated using a WKB force analysis that identifies the spatial location of the above-barrier scattering

Challenging EGNOS in the Swiss Alps

In view of the operational validation of EGNOS, some early tests are being performed with the EGNOS System Test Bed (ESTB). This prototype has been broadcasting an EGNOS-like signal since early 2000. The performance of ESTB is reduced compared to the full deployed EGNOS, but it gives the opportunity to test EGNOS equipment and gain experience. Eurocontrol, skyguide and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) are active in data collection and analysis in order to study the signal-in-space performance for the civil aviation users. The objective of this work was to analyse the system’s performance during flight tests in the Swiss Alps where the topography is a challenge for satellite-based navigation systems. Sion regional airport was selected for its location in a valley surrounded by very high mountains. Moreover, the use of EGNOS on regional places is expected to bring significant operational benefits. A new GNSS procedure including both the approach and a special missed-approach with a 89° turn in the valley was designed for these tests. A total of 13 approaches and missed-approaches were flown in November 2002 by a Dornier 128 belonging to the Technical University of Braunschweig (TUBS) and a King Air 100 belonging to SENASA (Sociedad para las Enseñanzas Aeronáuticas Civiles S.A.). Around 8 hours of data were recorded from different receivers on the ground and in the air. This paper shows that the accuracy and integrity obtained during the tests with the EGNOS System Test Bed fulfils the stringent requirements of civil aviation even in a difficult environment. However, some progress still has to be made on the availability and continuity parameters. This will be the case once the real EGNOS will be operational. It also demonstrates that EGNOS-based procedures are feasible and that it could bring important operational benefits to regional places with a limited ground navigation infrastructure

Contract Aware Components, 10 years after

The notion of contract aware components has been published roughly ten years ago and is now becoming mainstream in several fields where the usage of software components is seen as critical. The goal of this paper is to survey domains such as Embedded Systems or Service Oriented Architecture where the notion of contract aware components has been influential. For each of these domains we briefly describe what has been done with this idea and we discuss the remaining challenges.Comment: In Proceedings WCSI 2010, arXiv:1010.233

Characterization of multiple sclerosis lesions with distinct clinical correlates through quantitative diffusion MRI

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging can reveal quantitative information about the tissue changes in multiple sclerosis. The recently developed multi-compartment spherical mean technique can map different microscopic properties based only on local diffusion signals, and it may provide specific information on the underlying microstructural modifications that arise in multiple sclerosis. Given that the lesions in multiple sclerosis may reflect different degrees of damage, we hypothesized that quantitative diffusion maps may help characterize the severity of lesions "in vivo" and correlate these to an individual's clinical profile. We evaluated this in a cohort of 59 multiple sclerosis patients (62% female, mean age 44.7 years), for whom demographic and disease information was obtained, and who underwent a comprehensive physical and cognitive evaluation. The magnetic resonance imaging protocol included conventional sequences to define focal lesions, and multi-shell diffusion imaging was used with b-values of 1000, 2000 and 3000 s/mm2 in 180 encoding directions. Quantitative diffusion properties on a macro- and micro-scale were used to discriminate distinct types of lesions through a k-means clustering algorithm, and the number and volume of those lesion types were correlated with parameters of the disease. The combination of diffusion tensor imaging metrics (fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity) and multi-compartment spherical mean technique values (microscopic fractional anisotropy and intra-neurite volume fraction) differentiated two type of lesions, with a prediction strength of 0.931. The B-type lesions had larger diffusion changes compared to the A-type lesions, irrespective of their location (P < 0.001). The number of A and B type lesions was similar, although in juxtacortical areas B-type lesions predominated (60%, P < 0.001). Also, the percentage of B-type lesion volume was higher (64%, P < 0.001), indicating that these lesions were larger. The number and volume of B-type lesions was related to the severity of disease evolution, clinical disability and cognitive decline (P = 0.004, Bonferroni correction). Specifically, more and larger B-type lesions were correlated with a worse Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score, cerebellar function and cognitive performance. Thus, by combining several microscopic and macroscopic diffusion properties, the severity of damage within focal lesions can be characterized, further contributing to our understanding of the mechanisms that drive disease evolution. Accordingly, the classification of lesion types has the potential to permit more specific and better-targeted treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis

Diffusion tensor imaging metrics associated with future disability in multiple sclerosis

The relationship between brain diffusion microstructural changes and disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) remains poorly understood. We aimed to explore the predictive value of microstructural properties in white (WM) and grey matter (GM), and identify areas associated with mid-term disability in MS patients. We studied 185 patients (71% female; 86% RRMS) with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), timed 25-foot walk (T25FW), nine-hole peg test (9HPT), and Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) at two time-points. We used Lasso regression to analyse the predictive value of baseline WM fractional anisotropy and GM mean diffusivity, and to identify areas related to each outcome at 4.1 years follow-up. Motor performance was associated with WM (T25FW: RMSE = 0.524, R2 = 0.304; 9HPT dominant hand: RMSE = 0.662, R2 = 0.062; 9HPT non-dominant hand: RMSE = 0.649, R2 = 0.139), and SDMT with GM diffusion metrics (RMSE = 0.772, R2 = 0.186). Cingulum, longitudinal fasciculus, optic radiation, forceps minor and frontal aslant were the WM tracts most closely linked to motor dysfunction, and temporal and frontal cortex were relevant for cognition. Regional specificity related to clinical outcomes provide valuable information that can be used to develop more accurate predictive models that could improve therapeutic strategies

Nanotechnology of pinning centres in high temperature superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 films

For cost-efficient power applications of superconducting coated conductors based on YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$ (YBCO) films, in applied fields or in self-field, further improvement of critical current by artificial flux pinning centres is required. This project investigated the increase in critical current density (J$_c$) and related physical properties of YBCO films by self-assembling nanotechnology of pinning centres, using substrate decoration, quasi-multilayers (using noble metals and Pr$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$ (PBCO) in both cases), and targets containing BaZrO$_3$ (BZO) nano-inclusions. Samples were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on single crystal SrTiO$_3$ (STO) substrates and on Ni-W Rolling-Assisted Biaxially Textured Substrates (RABiTS). Optical lithography and chemical etching were used to prepare samples for transport measurements. The superconducting properties were characterised by AC susceptibility, magnetisation loops and transport measurements using a Magnetic Property Measurement System (MPMS) and a Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS). Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy (SEM) and (TEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction were also used to characterise the micro-structure of the films and the structure of artificially-induced pinning centres. The optimum conditions for the growth of YBCO films, Ag and PBCO nano-dots, and BZO nano-columns were investigated. Combinations of all three nana-structuring approaches resulted in a maximum J$_c$ in applied fields and self-field. The related physical properties such as angular dependence of J$_c$, vortex melting line, pinning force, frequency dependence of J$_c$, were also investigated to understand pinning mechanisms in the films. The combination of Ag nano-dots and BZO nano-inclusions in the YBCO target provided the greatest improvement of critical currents of the film in applied fields.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Childbearing intentions in a low fertility context: the case of Romania

This paper applies the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to find out the predictors of fertility intentions in Romania, a low-fertility country. We analyse how attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control relate to the intention to have a child among childless individuals and one-child parents. Principal axis factor analysis confirms which items proposed by the Generation and Gender Survey (GGS 2005) act as valid and reliable measures of the suggested theoretical socio-psychological factors. Four parity-specific logistic regression models are applied to evaluate the relationship between the socio-psychological factors and childbearing intentions. Social pressure emerges as the most important aspect in fertility decision-making among childless individuals and one-child parents, and positive attitudes towards childbearing are a strong component in planning for a child. This paper also underlines the importance of the region-specific factors when studying childbearing intentions: planning for the second child significantly differs among the development regions, representing the cultural and socio-economic divisions of the Romanian territory