Taxpayer Standing and \u3cem\u3eDaimlerChrysler v. Cuno:\u3c/em\u3e Where Do We Go From Here?

In granting certiorari in the case of Daimler-Chrysler Corp. v. Cuno, the Supreme Court asked the parties to brief whether respondents have standing to challenge Ohio\u27s investment tax credit. This report applies modern standing doctrine to the Cuno case and concludes that the Cuno plaintiffs do no have standing to raise their claims in federal court. Moreover, the authors write, allowing the Cuno plaintiffs\u27 case to be resolved in federal court would open the federal court system to a wide range of taxpayer challenges better left to the political branches of government. Nevertheless, they recognize that there may be other litigants that would have standing to challenge Ohio\u27s investment tax credit in federal court

Using Time-Lapse Three Dimensional Vertical Seismic Profiling to Monitor Injected Fluids During Geologic Carbon Sequestration

Two three-dimensional vertical seismic profiles (3D-VSP) were acquired at the KGS Marvin Blan No. 1 CO2 sequestration research well outside of Cloverport in Hancock County, Ky. The initial (preinjection) survey was performed September 15-16, 2010, and was followed by the injection of 361.2 metric tons of supercritical CO2 and then 584 m3 of 2 percent potassium chloride water (to displace the remaining CO2 in the wellbore) on September 22, 2010. After injection, the well was shut in with a downhole pressure of 17.5 MPa at the injected reservoir depth of 1,545.3 m. A second 3D-VSP was acquired September 25-26, 2010. These two surveys were combined to produce a time-lapse 3D-VSP data volume in an attempt to monitor and image the subsurface changes caused by the injection. Less than optimum surface access and ambient subsurface noise from a nearby active petroleum pipeline compromised the quality of the data, preventing imaging of the CO2 plume in the subsurface. Some changes in the post-injection seismic response (both wavelet character and an apparent seismic pull-down within the injection zone) are interpreted to be a result of the injection process, however, and imply that the technique could still be valid under different circumstances

The Devil and the One Drop Rule: Racial Categories, African Americans, and the U.S. Census

For generations, the boundaries of the African-American race have been formed by a rule, informally known as the one drop rule, which, in its colloquial definition, provides that one drop of Black blood makes a person Black. In more formal, sociological circles, the rule is known as a form of hypodescent and its meaning remains basically the same: anyone with a known Black ancestor is considered Black. Over the generations, this rule has not only shaped countless lives, it has created the African-American race as we know it today, and it has defined not just the history of this race but a large part of the history of America

Major Lower Paleozoic Horizons of the Southern Illinois Basin

The geology exposed at the surface in the southern Illinois Basin has been mapped in great detail by countless workers over the past century. With the exception of limited and scattered exposures in incised river valleys, the oldest rocks exposed outside of the Jessamine, Nashville, and Ozark Domes surrounding the Illinois Basin are Mississippian in age. Extensive deposits of Cambrian–Devonian sediments occur in the subsurface above crystalline basement in this region, however. All available data for the region were analyzed to produce a single, comprehensive set of interpretations. The data used in this study include 1:24,000-scale geologic quadrangle maps, oil and gas well data from 1,764 wells, more than 900 mi of proprietary reflection-seismic profiles, and public-domain potential-fields data (gravity and aeromagnetic surveys). The data were used to interpret the structure of eight stratigraphic horizons in the subsurface: the top and base of the New Albany Shale, the top and base of the Maquoketa Shale, the top of the Knox Supergroup, the top of the Eau Claire Formation, the top of the Reelfoot Arkose, and the top of Precambrian basement rocks

Increasing Cervical Cancer Screening in Hiv Positive Women by Introduction of a Provider Prompted Algorithm Tool: A Quality Improvement Project

Continuous quality improvement projects and appropriate documentation are an essential component to continue to receive Ryan White grant funding. Compliance with mandated aspects of quality improvement is an extremely important concept-specifically for a clinic setting that cares for the largest HIV positive population in the state of Mississippi. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provides directives mandating that quality improvement projects should be applicable to areas of need and provide for outcomes that ensure quality care for HIV positive individuals (2016). Initially, this clinic’s rate of compliance with the HRSA Cervical Cancer Screening Performance Measure was subpar to the last reported national average. Due to the increased incidence of cervical dysplasia within the HIV positive female population, cervical cancer screening was chosen for improvement focus. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to increase the number of HIV positive women referred for cervical cancer screening within the clinic setting. The overall aim of the project was to increase cervical cancer screening within this vulnerable population. Literature has indicated that provider-initiated referrals provide for increased adherence. A visible, provider-initiated algorithm was introduced for a period of three months. At the end of the project period, pre-and post-intervention referral rates were compared to determine project success and significance. Comparison of collected data confirmed a significant difference between pre- and post-intervention referrals

Design considerations for lunar base photovoltaic power systems

A survey was made of factors that may affect the design of photovoltaic arrays for a lunar base. These factors, which include the lunar environment and system design criteria, are examined. A photovoltaic power system design with a triangular array geometry is discussed and compared to a nuclear reactor power systems and a power system utilizing both nuclear and solar power sources

The development and evaluation of analytical methods for the analysis of trace levels of moisture in high purity gas samples

A Dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science In the Faculty of Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Johannesburg, January 2015Three methods, for the analyses of low levels of moisture in gas samples, were developed and optimized. The analytical techniques included Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Pulsed Discharge Helium Ionization/Gas Chromatography (PDHID/GC). The methods included the direct analyses of moisture in gas samples using FTIR as well as the analysis of acetylene (C2H2) by FTIR and GC/PDHID. For the latter methods, the purpose was to convert the moisture in a gas sample to C2H2 by hydrolization of the calcium carbide (CaC2) with moisture to C2H2 and then analyze the resulting C2H2 content by FTIR or GC/PDHID. The C2H2 result was then converted back to moisture to obtain the moisture content of the sample. The FTIR moisture method developed provided eleven different wavenumbers for quantitation providing a wide analytical scope, specifically in complex gas matrices, where there is often peak overlap between matrix and moisture. A heated eight meter glass long path gas cell and a mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector were utilized. The FTIR method required much greater volumes of sample than the GC method but allowed for direct analysis of moisture without prior conversion to acetylene. Moisture permeation standards were used for calibration and the LOD’s ranged from 0.5 to 1 ppm with quantification possible from 0.5 to 10ppm. For the FTIR C2H2 method various concentration ranges were established from 50 up to 2000 ppm. Three wavenumbers were evaluated for C2H2 and methane was introduced as an internal standard. The use of methane as an internal standard provided better r2 values on the calibration data than for the tests run without internal standard. A gas chromatographic (GC), pulsed discharge helium ionization detector (PDHID) method for the determination of moisture content in small quantities of gases, based on the conversion of the moisture to acetylene (C2H2) prior to analysis, was developed. The method developed on the GC/PDHID for C2H2, provided a quantitation range from 0.6 to 7.7 ppm. Conversion of the moisture to acetylene was achieved by hydrolysing an excess of calcium carbide (CaC2) in a closed reaction vessel with a measured volume of a sample containing a known quantity of moisture. The gaseous reaction mixture was transferred, using helium (He) carrier gas, to a GC/PDHID, set up with “sample injection and heart cut to detector” to prevent matrix disturbances on the PDHID, for analysis. The acetylene concentration values thus obtained were converted back to moisture values and percentage recoveries calculated. A similar conversion process was applied on FTIR. The conversion of moisture to C2H2 using CaC2 was tested and proven to be viable. Quantification was not possible as the available sample holder could not be adequately sealed to prevent air ingress. This led to higher C2H2 values than expected. This process can be optimized by the design and production of a sealed sample holder