Microscopes and computers combined for analysis of chromosomes

Scanning machine CHLOE, developed for photographic use, is combined with a digital computer to obtain quantitative and statistically significant data on chromosome shapes, distribution, density, and pairing. CHLOE permits data acquisition about a chromosome complement to be obtained two times faster than by manual pairing

Probing Hadronic Structure with The Decay Δ→Nl+l−\Delta\rightarrow Nl^+l^-

We compute the branching ratio for $\Delta\rightarrow Ne^+e^-$ and $\Delta\rightarrow N\mu^+\mu^-$ in chiral perturbation theory and find that both decays should be observable at CEBAF. With sufficiently low thresholds on the $e^+e^-$ invariant mass a branching ratio of $\sim 10^{-5}$ may be observed for $\Delta\rightarrow Ne^+e^-$. For the $\Delta\rightarrow N\mu^+\mu^-$ decay mode we predict a branching ratio of $3\times 10^{-7}$. The dependence of the M1 and E2 amplitudes on the momentum transfer will provide a useful test of chiral perturbation theory which predicts $\sim 20\%$ variation over the allowed kinematic range.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, UCSD/PTH 93-06, QUSTH-93-02, Duke-TH-93-4

Reassessment of the evidence for postcranial skeletal pneumaticity in Triassic archosaurs, and the early evolution of the avian respiratory system.

Uniquely among extant vertebrates, birds possess complex respiratory systems characterised by the combination of small, rigid lungs, extensive pulmonary air sacs that possess diverticula that invade (pneumatise) the postcranial skeleton, unidirectional ventilation of the lungs, and efficient crosscurrent gas exchange. Crocodilians, the only other living archosaurs, also possess unidirectional lung ventilation, but lack true air sacs and postcranial skeletal pneumaticity (PSP). PSP can be used to infer the presence of avian-like pulmonary air sacs in several extinct archosaur clades (non-avian theropod dinosaurs, sauropod dinosaurs and pterosaurs). However, the evolution of respiratory systems in other archosaurs, especially in the lineage leading to crocodilians, is poorly documented. Here, we use µCT-scanning to investigate the vertebral anatomy of Triassic archosaur taxa, from both the avian and crocodilian lineages as well as non-archosaurian diapsid outgroups. Our results confirm previous suggestions that unambiguous evidence of PSP (presence of internal pneumatic cavities linked to the exterior by foramina) is found only in bird-line (ornithodiran) archosaurs. We propose that pulmonary air sacs were present in the common ancestor of Ornithodira and may have been subsequently lost or reduced in some members of the clade (notably in ornithischian dinosaurs). The development of these avian-like respiratory features might have been linked to inferred increases in activity levels among ornithodirans. By contrast, no crocodile-line archosaur (pseudosuchian) exhibits evidence for unambiguous PSP, but many of these taxa possess the complex array of vertebral laminae and fossae that always accompany the presence of air sacs in ornithodirans. These laminae and fossae are likely homologous with those in ornithodirans, which suggests the need for further investigation of the hypothesis that a reduced, or non-invasive, system of pulmonary air sacs may be have been present in these taxa (and secondarily lost in extant crocodilians) and was potentially primitive for Archosauria as a whole

The relational ethics of conflict and identity

The contemporary psychoanalytically inflected vocabulary of relational ethics centres on acknowledgement, witnessing and responsibility. It has become an important code for efforts to connect with otherness across fractures of hurt, oppression and suffering. One can see the deployment of this vocabulary to challenge patterns of exclusion and dehumanisation in zones of intense political conflict in many situations in which destructive hatred reigns. This paper traces some of the use of and disputes over this ‘acknowledgement-based’ relational ethics in the recent work of Jessica Benjamin and Judith Butler. The field of application is their response to Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, given their position as Jews. The challenge of the acknowledgement agenda leads back to an issue of general concern – the degree to which relational ethics can prise open apparently closed and defensive psychosocial identities

Tackifier for addition polyimides

A modification to the addition polyimide, LaRC-160, was prepared to improve tack and drape and increase prepeg out-time. The essentially solventless, high viscosity laminating resin is synthesized from low cost liquid monomers. The modified version takes advantage of a reactive, liquid plasticizer which is used in place of solvent and helps solve a major problem of maintaining good prepeg tack and drape, or the ability of the prepeg to adhere to adjacent plies and conform to a desired shape during the lay up process. This alternate solventless approach allows both longer life of the polymer prepeg and the processing of low void laminates. This approach appears to be applicable to all addition polyimide systems

The output distribution of important LULU-operators

Two procedures to compute the output distribution phi_S of certain stack filters S (so called erosion-dilation cascades) are given. One rests on the disjunctive normal form of S and also yields the rank selection probabilities. The other is based on inclusion-exclusion and e.g. yields phi_S for some important LULU-operators S. Properties of phi_S can be used to characterize smoothing properties of S. One of the methods discussed also allows for the calculation of the reliability polynomial of any positive Boolean function (e.g. one derived from a connected graph).Comment: 20 pages, up to trivial differences this is the final version to be published in Quaestiones Mathematicae 201

Tidal influence on self-potential measurements

DJM was supported by NERC CASE studentship NE/I018417/1. The authors would also like to thank Southern Water for access to the borehole at Saltdean. Atkins Global and Southern Water are thanked for funding installation of the equipment and for additional funding under the NERC studentship. The laboratory components of this work were carried out in the TOTAL Reservoir Physics Laboratory at Imperial College London and their support is gratefully acknowledged. Jackson acknowledges partial support from TOTAL under the TOTAL Chairs programme. The data supporting the conclusions of this work are available through the corresponding author.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Protective telescoping shield for solar concentrator

An apparatus is described for use with a solar concentrator such as a parabolic dish which concentrates sunlight onto a small opening of a solar receiver, for protecting the receiver in the event of a system failure that could cause concentrated sunlight to damage the receiver. The protective apparatus includes a structure which can be moved to a stowed position where it does not block sunlight, to a deployed position. In this position, the structure forms a tube which substantially completely surrounds an axis connecting the receiver opening to the center of the concentrator at locations between the receiver and the concentrator

Writing in your own voice: An intervention that reduces plagiarism and common writing problems in students' scientific writing.

In many of our courses, particularly laboratory courses, students are expected to engage in scientific writing. Despite various efforts by other courses and library resources, as instructors we are often faced with the frustration of student plagiarism and related writing problems. Here, we describe a simple Writing in Your Own Voice intervention designed to help students become more aware of different types of plagiarism and writing problems, avoid those problems, and practice writing in their own voice. In this article, we will introduce the types of plagiarism and writing problems commonly encountered in our molecular biology laboratory course, the intervention, and the results of our study. From the evaluation of 365 student reports, we found the intervention resulted in nearly 50% fewer instances of plagiarism and common writing problems. We also observed significantly fewer instances of severe plagiarism (e.g. several sentences copied from an external source). In addition, we find that the effects last for several weeks after the students complete the intervention assignment. This assignment is particularly easy to implement and can be a very useful tool for teaching students how to write in their own voices. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(5):589-598, 2019