Measurement and simulation of laser-induced fluorescence from non-equilibrium ultracold neutral plasmas

We report new measurements and simulations of laser-induced fluorescence in ultracold neutral plasmas. We focus on the earliest times, when the plasma equilibrium is evolving and before the plasma expands. In the simulation, the ions interact via the Yukawa potential in a small cell with wrapped boundary conditions. We solve the optical Bloch equation for each ion in the simulation as a function of time. Both the simulation and experiment show the initial Bloch vector rotation, disorder-induced heating, and coherent oscillation of the rms ion velocity. Detailed modeling of the fluorescence signal makes it possible to use fluorescence spectroscopy to probe ion dynamics in ultracold and strongly coupled plasmas

Measurement and simulation of laser-induced fluorescence from non-equilibrium ultracold neutral plasmas

We report new measurements and simulations of laser-induced fluorescence in ultracold neutral plasmas. We focus on the earliest times, when the plasma equilibrium is evolving and before the plasma expands. In the simulation, the ions interact via the Yukawa potential in a small cell with wrapped boundary conditions. We solve the optical Bloch equation for each ion in the simulation as a function of time. Both the simulation and experiment show the initial Bloch vector rotation, disorder-induced heating, and coherent oscillation of the rms ion velocity. Detailed modeling of the fluorescence signal makes it possible to use fluorescence spectroscopy to probe ion dynamics in ultracold and strongly coupled plasmas

Big Data, Digitization, and Social Change (Ubiquity Symposium)

The term “big data” is something of a misnomer. Every generation of computers since the 1950s has been confronted with problems where data was way too large for the memory and processing power available. This seemed like an inconvenience of the technology that would someday be resolved when the next generation of computers came along. So what is different about big data today? The revolution is happening at the convergence of two trends: the expansion of the internet into billions of computing devices, and the digitization of almost everything. The internet gives us access to vast amounts of data. Digitization creates digital representations for many things once thought to be beyond the reach of computing technology. The result is an explosion of innovation of network-based big data applications and the automation of cognitive tasks. This revolution is introducing what Brynjolfsson and McAfee call the “Second Machine Age.” This symposium will examine this revolution from a number of angles

An Analysis of Dyslexia Legisation and Implementation Guidelines in Midwestern States

The purpose of this thesis is to describe dyslexia legislation and implementation guidelines in South Dakota and selected surrounding states. Dyslexia has been defined as a language-learning disability that affects a person\u27s reading and writing skills negatively. Federal legislation, The Individuals with Disabilities in Legislation Act (2004), identifies dyslexia as a specific learning disability; however, distinguish dyslexia from a broader category. Legislation and requirements are being recently passed in multiple states, affecting dyslexia policy. This thesis will provide an overview of the legislation and guidelines of dyslexia in Midwest region. Best practices in assessment and instruction for dyslexia have been reviewed, identified, and used as the standard for the evaluation within this paper. This research is important because it can inform legislators about dyslexic specific legislation, particularly in South Dakota. This document will help parents, speech-language pathologists, and other professionals understand better what the eligibility laws for dyslexia explicitly state. Researching Midwest states\u27 law and policy on dyslexia will provide a comparison of legislation in similar states providing a framework in establishing legislation that would best serve the needs of students in the K-12 schools, particularly students with dyslexia and specifically in the state of South Dakota

A BIOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATION OF STABILITY, LIGAND BINDING, AND IRON STATE OF CYP102A1

Cytochrome P450s (CYPs) are cysteine ligated Fe-heme monooxygenases that are found in all domains of life. In mammals, they have a role in xenobiotic metabolism and steroid synthesis, making them a fundamental requirement for survival. In addition, their ability to perform a variety of chemical reactions on an array of substrates makes CYPs highly sought for biotechnical applications such as wastewater remediation, production of potential drug candidates, and creation of drug metabolites. By mutating specific amino acids, these enzymes can be engineered to change their substrate binding profiles and achieve stereo- and regio-specific chemistry. While these mutations are essential to change CYP activity, the major drawback to using them on an industrial scale is a decrease in stability of the enzyme. This work elaborated how CYP stability is effected by mutations, binding of native and non-native substrates, and changes in iron oxidation state. Cytochrome P450BM3 (BM3, or CYP102A1), a bacterial enzyme, was used as a model system. In contrast to membrane associated human CYPs, BM3 is soluble and has efficient turnover due to the fusion of the reductase partner the heme domain. BM3 is naturally selective, but mutations can be incorporated to make it promiscuous, similar to CYPs responsible for xenobiotic breakdown. This allowed for the comparison of a selective vs. a promiscuous CYP while conserving the greatest possible sequence identity. An approach was used combining experimental solution phase data, x-ray crystallography, and molecular dynamic simulations. The results showed that mutations resulted in an cumulative decrease in stability as promiscuity increased. This reduction in stability was due to a decrease in the number of salt bridges and disruption of hydrophobic contacts. Regions of P450BM3 were found that could be targeted through mutation to increase the stability of a highly promiscuous and active variant known as the pentuple mutant (PM). Further investigations demonstrated the impact of native and non-native substrate binding. The Gibbs free energy of binding (ΔGb°) was determined for a small library of molecules and was rationalized computationally, concluding that attractive dispersion forces negated the impact of electrostatic and repulsive forces. In addition, the impact of the iron-heme charge state on CYP stability was examined as a function of promiscuity. In general, there was an association between promiscuity and similarities in the stability of the Fe(III) and Fe(II) states. This is consistent with a model where the promiscuous variants of the enzyme are in a more “reduction-ready” state, and can undergo catalysis with greater ease than the wild type enzyme. These findings have implications for the role of CYPs in human health and for biotechnical applications

The Future of the Dormant Commerce Clause: Abolishing the Prohibition on Discriminatory Taxation

Professor Edward A. Zelinsky, of the Cardozo School of Law, argues that [i] t is time to abolish the dormant Commence Clause prohibition on discriminatory taxation. This is so, he writes, because the prohibition is today doctrinally incoherent and politically unnecessary. The incoherence, Zelinsky maintains, stems from the disparate treatment by the United States Supreme Court of economically identical activities: discriminatory taxation favoring local industries, which the doctrine prohibits, and direct expenditures subsidizing those same industries, which it permits. It is unnecessary, Zelinsky argues, because Congress is able, and better suited, to police any state abuses. In short, [l]ike a once-great champion who refuses to leave the ring, the dormant Commerce Clause prohibition on discriminatory taxation stumbles along well past its prime. Professor Brannon P. Denning, of the Cumberland School of Law, finds in Zelinsky\u27s proposal a slippery slope. As Denning argues, taking Zelinsky\u27s argument on its own terms, there is no reason to restrict his proposal to tax cases. And yet, writes Denning, if the antidiscrimination principle is to be jettisoned in nontax cases as well, then we might as well do away with the [dormant Commerce Clause doctrine (DCCD)] altogether, since the antidiscrimination principle is the DCCD\u27s most robust branch. Pretty quickly, writes Denning, it appears that Professor Zelinsky is really proposing nothing less than the abandonment of the DCCD in toto

New and emerging treatments for fungal infections

Although several new antifungal drugs have been licensed in the last 5 years, some patients remain difficult to treat. The main reasons for this include intrinsic or acquired antifungal resistance, organ dysfunction preventing the use of some agents and drug interactions. In addition, some drugs pene-trate poorly into sanctuary sites including eye and urine, and others are associated with considerable adverse events. Here, we review the preclinical and clinical development progress with four new anti-fungal agents: isavuconazole, ravuconazole, albaconazole and aminocandin. Isavuconazole and ravu-conazole are extremely similar, with a broad spectrum of activity, a very long half-life and large volume of distribution and good in vivo data supporting their efficacy in invasive aspergillosis and candidosis. Both compounds are in early Phase 3 development. Albaconazole has also shown very potent activity against species of Candida, Cryptococcus and Aspergillus. It was well tolerated and effective in women with vaginal candidosis. Aminocandin is an intravenous-only echinocandin with in vivo activity against Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp. Its extended half-life probably permits dosing less fre-quently than once a day. Overall these new antifungal agents in development offer extended half-lives, possibly reduced drug interaction profiles and good tolerance. Their antifungal spectrum is narrower than posaconazole and probably similar to voriconazole (isavuconazole and ravuconazole) and caspo-fungin (aminocandin). Licensure and determination of their place in clinical practice requires random-ized clinical studies, which are or will be underway

The Future of the Dormant Commerce Clause: Abolishing the Prohibition on Discriminatory Taxation

Professor Edward A. Zelinsky, of the Cardozo School of Law, argues that [i] t is time to abolish the dormant Commence Clause prohibition on discriminatory taxation. This is so, he writes, because the prohibition is today doctrinally incoherent and politically unnecessary. The incoherence, Zelinsky maintains, stems from the disparate treatment by the United States Supreme Court of economically identical activities: discriminatory taxation favoring local industries, which the doctrine prohibits, and direct expenditures subsidizing those same industries, which it permits. It is unnecessary, Zelinsky argues, because Congress is able, and better suited, to police any state abuses. In short, [l]ike a once-great champion who refuses to leave the ring, the dormant Commerce Clause prohibition on discriminatory taxation stumbles along well past its prime. Professor Brannon P. Denning, of the Cumberland School of Law, finds in Zelinsky\u27s proposal a slippery slope. As Denning argues, taking Zelinsky\u27s argument on its own terms, there is no reason to restrict his proposal to tax cases. And yet, writes Denning, if the antidiscrimination principle is to be jettisoned in nontax cases as well, then we might as well do away with the [dormant Commerce Clause doctrine (DCCD)] altogether, since the antidiscrimination principle is the DCCD\u27s most robust branch. Pretty quickly, writes Denning, it appears that Professor Zelinsky is really proposing nothing less than the abandonment of the DCCD in toto

The Five Stages of Law Review Submission

The Five Stages of Law Review Submissions, is a humorous look at the law review submissions process from the author\u27s perspective. My colleague Miriam Cherry and I suggest that the process of submitting to law reviews tracks Elisabeth Kubler-Ross\u27s five stages of grief

Non-interference for deterministic interactive programs

We consider the problem of defining an appropriate notion of non-interference (NI) for deterministic interactive programs. Previous work on the security of interactive programs by O'Neill, Clarkson and Chong (CSFW 2006) builds on earlier ideas due to Wittbold and Johnson (Symposium on Security and Privacy 1990), and argues for a notion of NI defined in terms of strategies modelling the behaviour of users. We show that, for deterministic interactive programs, it is not necessary to consider strategies and that a simple stream model of the users' behaviour is sufficient. The key technical result is that, for deterministic programs, stream-based NI implies the apparently more general strategy-based NI (in fact we consider a wider class of strategies than those of O'Neill et al). We give our results in terms of a simple notion of Input-Output Labelled Transition System, thus allowing application of the results to a large class of deterministic interactive programming languages