For Whom the School Bell Tolls but Not the Statute of Limitations: Minors and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

This Article explores whether claims under the federal special education statute should be tolled on account of minority. Adult disabled students typically assert this type of tolling claim when alleging statutory violations dating back ten or more years, when they were minors. However this tolling claim is decided, there may be undesired results. First, even if the student has a very strong case, the merits are never reached if the court dismisses the hearing request as untimely. Second, if the hearing request is timely and the case proceeds to the merits, the student must remain in her current educational placement, potentially at great cost, during the lengthy IDEA hearing and appeals process as mandated by the IDEA\u27s stay put provision. Moreover, the school may face difficulties defending the claim on the merits because under the IDEA, schools must allow parents and adult students to request destruction of their special education records to the extent the records are not currently required in order to provide services. Finally, unique challenges arise for schools because parents help develop their child\u27s special education program. Accordingly, schools rely on both the parents\u27 approval of the educational program, as well as the parents\u27 choice not to request a due process hearing for their minor child. The IDEA specifically assigns the right to make this decision to the parents of minor students, and not the minor students themselves, as part of the IDEA\u27s panoply of procedural safeguards. Congress first addressed statute of limitations issues under the IDEA in the 2004 amendments. This Article surveys the relevant case law on whether to borrow tolling provisions from state statutes and reveals great variation among the courts. Specifically, the courts vary in their adherence to Supreme Court precedent, their application of this precedent, and their conclusions about whether tolling on account of minority should apply in IDEA disputes. The Article concludes that, because of the unique role the IDEA assigns to parents, the correct approach under the pre-2004 amendments is not to toll claims for minors. The Article then examines the new IDEA language, which creates explicit statutes of limitation, but does not explicitly address the issue of tolling for minor students. Consequently, in future litigation, students and parents are likely to claim that tolling for minors should be judicially read into the IDEA\u27s new statutes of limitations. However, this Article concludes, through an application of the Supreme Court\u27s guidance in this area, that a tolling rule for legal minors should not be read into the IDEA\u27s new statutes of limitation. Tolling for minors is inconsistent with congressional intent as evidenced by the pre-2004 amendments analysis, and further strengthened by the new amendments. Finally, the consequences of tolling are harsher than those of not tolling

In-office needle arthroscopic assessment after primary ACL repair. Short-term results in 15 patients

Purpose: In-office needle arthroscopy has been reported as a diagnostic tool for different knee pathologies. In addi- tion, ACL repair has seen a resurgence with the advent of innovative orthopedic devices. The aim of this study was to assess clinical, radiological, and in-office needle arthroscopic findings in 15 adult patients who underwent acute (within 14 days from injury) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair. Methods: Fifteen patients voluntarily participated in the study. A second-look arthroscopy was performed with an in-office needle arthroscopy at an average of 7.2 months after the primary repair. The parameters included in the investigation were the continuity of the anatomical footprint of the repaired ACL, subjective assessment of the ACL tension with the probe, and synovial coverage of the ACL. All patients had a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at 6 months after repair and an arthrometric evaluation with the KT-1000. Clinical evaluation with the scores, Tegner Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale (TLKSS), the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) was performed at the final follow-up of 2 years. Moreover, a correlation between the characteristics of ACL appearance at the time of the second look in-office needle arthroscopy, MRI and KT-1000 was performed. Results: The mean TLKSS was 97.86, the mean KOOS was 98.08 and the mean subjective IKDC was 96.71. The objec- tive IKDC was A in 10 patients and B in 5 patients. ACL healing was graded as A in 11 patients and B in 4 patients. Synovial coverage was graded as good in 10 patients and fair in 5 while MRI assessment showed a type I ACL in 10 patients, type II in 4 patients and type III in 1 patient. Conclusion: In-office needle arthroscopy is a reliable tool to assess the condition of a repaired ACL. In addition, ACL repair performed in acute proximal tears demonstrated excellent clinical results

Design of Force Fields from Data at Finite Temperature

We investigate the problem of how to obtain the force field between atoms of an experimentally determined structure. We show how this problem can be efficiently solved, even at finite temperature, where the position of the atoms differs substantially from the ground state. We apply our method to systems modeling proteins and demonstrate that the correct potentials can be recovered even in the presence of thermal noise.Comment: 10 pages, 1 postcript figure, Late

Can Water-Injected Turbomachines Provide Cost-Effective Emissions and Maintenance Reductions?

An investigation has been performed to evaluate the effect of water injection on the performance of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB)) experimental trapped vortex combustor (TVC) over a range of fuel-to-air and water-to-fuel ratios. Performance is characterized by combustor exit quantities: temperature and emissions measurements using rakes, and overall pressure drop, from upstream plenum to combustor exit. Combustor visualization is performed using gray-scale and color still photographs and high-frame-rate videos. A parallel investigation evaluated the performance of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool for the prediction of the reacting flow in a liquid fueled combustor (e.g., TVC) that uses water injection for control of pollutant emissions and turbine inlet temperature. Generally, reasonable agreement is found between data and NO(x) computations. Based on a study assessing the feasibility and performance impact of using water injection on a Boeing 747-400 aircraft to reduce NO(x) emissions during takeoff, retrofitting does not appear to be cost effective; however, an operator of a newly designed engine and airframe might be able to save up to 1.0 percent in operating costs. Other challenges of water injection will be discussed

Protein dynamics with off-lattice Monte Carlo moves

A Monte Carlo method for dynamics simulation of all-atom protein models is introduced, to reach long times not accessible to conventional molecular dynamics. The considered degrees of freedom are the dihedrals at C$_\alpha$-atoms. Two Monte Carlo moves are used: single rotations about torsion axes, and cooperative rotations in windows of amide planes, changing the conformation globally and locally, respectively. For local moves Jacobians are used to obtain an unbiased distribution of dihedrals. A molecular dynamics energy function adapted to the protein model is employed. A polypeptide is folded into native-like structures by local but not by global moves.Comment: 10 pages, 4 Postscript figures, uses epsf.sty and a4.sty; scheduled tentatively for Phys.Rev.E issue of 1 March 199

Tradeoffs in jet inlet design: a historical perspective

The design of the inlet(s) is one of the most demanding tasks of the development process of any gas turbine-powered aircraft. This is mainly due to the multi-objective and multidisciplinary nature of the exercise. The solution is generally a compromise between a number of conflicting goals and these conflicts are the subject of the present paper. We look into how these design tradeoffs have been reflected in the actual inlet designs over the years and how the emphasis has shifted from one driver to another. We also review some of the relevant developments of the jet age in aerodynamics and design and manufacturing technology and we examine how they have influenced and informed inlet design decision

Molecular dynamics simulations of the temperature-induced unfolding of crambin follow the Arrhenius equation

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used extensively to model the folding and unfolding of proteins. The rates of folding and unfolding should follow the Arrhenius equation over a limited range of temperatures. This study shows that molecular dynamic simulations of the unfolding of crambin between 500K and 560K do follow the Arrhenius equation. They also show that while there is a large amount of variation between the simulations the average values for the rate show a very high degree of correlation

Boundary-Layer-Ingesting Inlet Flow Control

This paper gives an overview of a research study conducted in support of the small-scale demonstration of an active flow control system for a boundary-layer-ingesting (BLI) inlet. The effectiveness of active flow control in reducing engine inlet circumferential distortion was assessed using a 2.5% scale model of a 35% boundary-layer-ingesting flush-mounted, offset, diffusing inlet. This experiment was conducted in the NASA Langley 0.3-meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel at flight Mach numbers with a model inlet specifically designed for this type of testing. High mass flow actuators controlled the flow through distributed control jets providing the active flow control. A vortex generator point design configuration was also tested for comparison purposes and to provide a means to examine a hybrid vortex generator and control jets configuration. Measurements were made of the onset boundary layer, the duct surface static pressures, and the mass flow through the duct and the actuators. The distortion and pressure recovery were determined by 40 total pressure measurements on 8 rake arms each separated by 45 degrees and were located at the aerodynamic interface plane. The test matrix was limited to a maximum free-stream Mach number of 0.85 with scaled mass flows through the inlet for that condition. The data show that the flow control jets alone can reduce circumferential distortion (DPCPavg) from 0.055 to about 0.015 using about 2.5% of inlet mass flow. The vortex generators also reduced the circumferential distortion from 0.055 to 0.010 near the inlet mass flow design point. Lower inlet mass flow settings with the vortex generator configuration produced higher distortion levels that were reduced to acceptable levels using a hybrid vortex generator/control jets configuration that required less than 1% of the inlet mass flow

Anatomic and histological study of the anterolateral aspect of the knee: a SANTI Group investigation

Background: The structure and function of the anterolateral aspect of the knee have been significantly debated, with renewed interest in this topic since the description of the anterolateral ligament (ALL). Purpose: To define and describe the distinct structures of the lateral knee and to correlate the macroscopic and histologic anatomic features. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Twelve fresh-frozen human cadavers were used for anatomic analysis. In the left knee, a layer-by-layer dissection and macroscopic analysis were performed. In the right knee, an en bloc specimen was obtained encompassing an area from the Gerdy tubercle to the posterior fibular head and extending proximally from the anterior aspect to the posterior aspect of the lateral femoral epicondyle. The en bloc resection was then frozen, sliced at the level of the joint line, and reviewed by a musculoskeletal pathologist. Results: Macroscopically, the lateral knee has 4 main layers overlying the capsule of the knee: the aponeurotic layer, the superficial layer including the iliotibial band (ITB), the deep fascial layer, and the ALL. Histologically, 8 of 12 specimens demonstrated 4 consistent, distinct structures: the ITB, the ALL, the lateral collateral ligament, and the meniscus. Conclusion: The lateral knee has a complex orientation of layers and fibers. The ALL is a distinct structure from the ITB and is synonymous to the previously described capsulo-osseous layer of the ITB. Clinical Relevance: Increasingly, lateral extra-articular procedures are performed at the time of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Understanding the anatomic features of the anterolateral aspect of the knee is necessary to understand the biomechanics and function of the structures present and allows surgeons to attempt to replicate those anatomic characteristics when performing extra-articular reconstruction

Excitons in a Photosynthetic Light-Harvesting System: A Combined Molecular Dynamics/Quantum Chemistry and Polaron Model Study

The dynamics of pigment-pigment and pigment-protein interactions in light-harvesting complexes is studied with a novel approach which combines molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with quantum chemistry (QC) calculations. The MD simulations of an LH-II complex, solvated and embedded in a lipid bilayer at physiological conditions (with total system size of 87,055 atoms) revealed a pathway of a water molecule into the B800 binding site, as well as increased dimerization within the B850 BChl ring, as compared to the dimerization found for the crystal structure. The fluctuations of pigment (B850 BChl) excitation energies, as a function of time, were determined via ab initio QC calculations based on the geometries that emerged from the MD simulations. From the results of these calculations we constructed a time-dependent Hamiltonian of the B850 exciton system from which we determined the linear absorption spectrum. Finally, a polaron model is introduced to describe quantum mechanically both the excitonic and vibrational (phonon) degrees of freedom. The exciton-phonon coupling that enters into the polaron model, and the corresponding phonon spectral function are derived from the MD/QC simulations. It is demonstrated that, in the framework of the polaron model, the absorption spectrum of the B850 excitons can be calculated from the autocorrelation function of the excitation energies of individual BChls, which is readily available from the combined MD/QC simulations. The obtained result is in good agreement with the experimentally measured absorption spectrum.Comment: REVTeX3.1, 23 pages, 13 (EPS) figures included. A high quality PDF file of the paper is available at http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Publications/Papers/PDF/DAMJ2001/DAMJ2001.pd