Simulation Studies of Delta-ray Backgrounds in a Compton-Scatter Transition Radiation Detector

In order to evaluate the response to cosmic-ray nuclei of a Compton-Scatter Transition Radiation Detector in the proposed ACCESS space-based mission, a hybrid Monte Carlo simulation using GEANT3 and an external transition radiation (TR) generator routine was constructed. This simulation was employed to study the effects of delta-ray production induced by high-energy nuclei and to maximize the ratio of TR to delta-ray background. The results demonstrate the ability of a Compton-Scatter Transition Radiation Detector to measure nuclei from boron to iron up to Lorentz factors ~ 10^5 taking into account the steeply falling power-law cosmic ray spectra.Comment: Presented at TRDs for the 3rd millennium: Third Workshop on advanced Transition Radiation Detectors for accelerator and space applications, Ostuni, Italy, September 2005, 4 pages, 2 figure

AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS FOR HIGH-RISK AREAS OF THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Repeal of the Pennsylvania motorcycle helmet law: reflections on the ethical and political dynamics of public health reform

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In June of 2003 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania passed S. 259 which repealed the state's 35-year old motorcycle helmet safety law. Motorcycle helmets are now only required for riders who are under the age of 21 and for those who are 21 years or older who have had a motorcycle operator's license for less than two years, or who have not completed an approved motorcycle safety course.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Prior to the repeal, and in the years that have followed, there has been intense debate and controversy regarding Pennsylvania's decision to repeal the law that required universal and mandatory use of motorcycle helmets for all riders. Proponents of the helmet repeal have argued in favor of individual rights and freedom, whereas advocates for mandatory helmet laws have voiced concerns over public health and safety based on available data.</p> <p>Summary</p> <p>This commentary will discuss the policy-making process that led to Pennsylvania's repeal of the motorcycle helmet safety law from an ethical, political, and economic perspective.</p

Kinesthetic perception and schizophrenia

It was the purpose of this study to compare normals with schizophrenic psychiatric patients as to their ability to reproduce movements perceived by kinesthetic stimulation. Kinesthetic perception, for the purpose of this study, was restricted to the reproduction of single arm-hand movements in a horizontal plane, away from the body. The magnitude of errors as a function of distance moved was defined as an indicator of kinesthetic perception

Expression and in vitro phosphorylation of the yeast transcriptional activator ADR1

The ADR1 protein activates transcription of the gene coding for the glucose repressible alcohol dehydrogenase II (ADH2) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previous characterization of ADR1\sp{\rm c} mutations, which allow ADH2 to escape glucose repression, led to the hypothesis that ADR1 is inactivated post-translationally by a cAMP-dependent phosphorylation mechanism. This hypothesis was tested by investigating the in vitro phosphorylation of ADR1 and ADR1\sp{\rm c} proteins in which ADR1\sp{\rm c} proteins were predicted to display a diminished level of phosphorylation. A fragment of the ADR1 gene coding for the N-terminal 658 amino acids was fused to the lacZ gene of E. coli to allow for identification and assay of the ADR1 protein. The fused gene was placed under the control of the E. coli tac promotor to ensure efficient production. Beta-galactosidase activities in plasmid-bearing E. coli indicated that ADR1/$\beta$-galactosidase fusion proteins were being expressed. SDS-polyacrylamide gel analysis of E. coli extracts revealed discrete plasmid-encoded fusion proteins. Fusion proteins contained in crude E. coli extracts were phosphorylated in vitro using purified catalytic subunit of mammalian cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK). Peptide mapping results indicated that ADR1 was phosphorylated at two discrete sites in vitro. The primary phosphorylation site was identified as serine-230. A secondary site to the N-terminal side of serine-230 was also identified. ADR1 DNA sequences were replaced in the expression plasmids with three sequences containing ADR1\sp{\rm c} mutations, each of which encodes a single amino acid substitution within the phosphorylation sequence located between residues 227-231 (Arg-Arg-Ala-Ser-Phe). The in vitro phosphorylation of ADR1 and ADR1\sp{\rm c} containing fusion proteins were compared using both bovine cAPK and the yeast cAPK catalytic subunit encoded by the TPK1 gene. Addition of purified yeast regulatory subunit completely blocked fusion protein phosphorylation by the yeast kinase in the absence of cAMP. The ADR1-2\sp{\rm c} and ADR1-5\sp{\rm c} mutations were found to diminish phosphorylation at serine-230. The ADR1-7\sp{\rm c} mutation, which substitutes a leucine residue for serine-230, completely eliminated phosphorylation. The results of this work support the hypotheses that the ADR1\sp{\rm c} proteins bypass glucose repression by avoiding phosphorylation and suggest that ADR1 is regulated by a cAMP-dependent phosphorylation. Possible mechanisms by which phosphorylation may regulate ADR1 activity are discussed

Tiresias and the Justices: Using Information Markets to Predict Supreme Court Decisions

This Article applies the emerging field of information markets to the prediction of Supreme Court decisions. Information markets, which aggregate information from a wide array of participants, have proven highly accurate in other contexts such as predicting presidential elections. Yet never before have they been applied to the Supreme Court, and the field of predicting Supreme Court outcomes remains underdeveloped as a result. We believe that creating a Supreme Court information market, which we have named Tiresias after the mythological Greek seer, will produce remarkably accurate predictions, create significant monetary value for participants, provide guidance for lower courts, and advance the development of information markets

Markets for Markets: Origins and Subjects of Information Markets

This Article focuses on why information markets have covered certain subject areas, sometimes of minor importance, while neglecting other subject areas of greater significance. To put it another way, why do information markets exist to predict the outcome of the papal conclave and the Michael Jackson trial, but no information markets exist to predict government policy conclusions, Supreme Court decisions, or the rulings in Delaware corporate law cases? Arguably, from either a dollar value or a social utility perspective, these areas of law and business would be more important than the outcome of, say, the Jackson trial. Why, then, do these frivolous markets on celebrities like Michael Jackson thrive, while others with more serious aims have yet to be started? To answer this question, we present data from interviews with market founders about their motivations in starting various information markets. In Section III, we insert the data into an analytical framework, exploring where markets exist (primarily politics and entertainment), where they do not, and some of the reasons, including legal considerations and microeconomic decisions, that affect the subjects that information markets cover. In particular, the laws about gambling seem to have had a significant impact on the development of information markets. Despite a trend toward information markets in entertainment and politics, the emergence of an information market in any particular subject area is at least partially the product of a random walk, meaning that it cannot be predicted in advance from past data. Finally, in the last part of our Article, we contemplate whether information markets must endure the vagaries of the random walk or whether they could develop in a more organized and systematic way, either through private institutions or through government action

Markets for Markets: Origins and Subjects of Information Markets

This Article focuses on why information markets have covered certain subject areas, sometimes of minor importance, while neglecting other subject areas of greater significance. To put it another way, why do information markets exist to predict the outcome of the papal conclave and the Michael Jackson trial, but no information markets exist to predict government policy conclusions, Supreme Court decisions, or the rulings in Delaware corporate law cases? Arguably, from either a dollar value or a social utility perspective, these areas of law and business would be more important than the outcome of, say, the Jackson trial. Why, then, do these frivolous markets on celebrities like Michael Jackson thrive, while others with more serious aims have yet to be started? To answer this question, we present data from interviews with market founders about their motivations in starting various information markets. In Section III, we insert the data into an analytical framework, exploring where markets exist (primarily politics and entertainment), where they do not, and some of the reasons, including legal considerations and microeconomic decisions, that affect the subjects that information markets cover. In particular, the laws about gambling seem to have had a significant impact on the development of information markets. Despite a trend toward information markets in entertainment and politics, the emergence of an information market in any particular subject area is at least partially the product of a random walk, meaning that it cannot be predicted in advance from past data. Finally, in the last part of our Article, we contemplate whether information markets must endure the vagaries of the random walk or whether they could develop in a more organized and systematic way, either through private institutions or through government action

Prediction Markets and the First Amendment

The continuing development of prediction markets is important because of their success in foretelling the future in politics, economics, and science. In this article, we identify the expressive elements inherent in prediction markets and explore how legislation such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 might harm such predictive speech. This article is the first to explore First Amendment protections for prediction markets in such depth, and in so doing, we distinguish prediction markets from other regulated areas such as gambling and securities trading. The article\u27s examination of prediction markets also illustrates the limitations of current commercial speech doctrine. We conclude by discussing how the executive, legislative, and judicial branches might resolve the First Amendment challenges of regulating prediction markets, and we propose a new legal test, modeled on existing free speech jurisprudence, which may assist courts in adjudicating any constitutional challenges