“Cracking” the Code: Interpreting Sentence Reduction Requirements in Favor of Eligibility for Crack Cocaine Offenders Who Avoided a Mandatory Minimum for Their Substantial Assistance to Authorities

In 2010, the Fair Sentencing Act (“FSA”) increased the quantities triggering mandatory minimums for crack cocaine offenses and directed the U.S. Sentencing Commission (“USSC”) to make similar reductions to the crack cocaine guideline ranges. After the USSC made these changes retroactive, offenders sentenced in accordance with the previous scheme sought sentence reductions. Due to the circuit courts’ differing interpretations of the eligibility requirements for a reduction, similarly situated offenders who avoided a mandatory minimum for performing substantial assistance to authorities have experienced different outcomes. This Note argues that courts should consistently hold such offenders eligible for retroactive sentencing reductions because this interpretation comports with the text of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and furthers the policy goals behind the FSA, the USSC, and the criminal justice system in general

Space augmentation of military high-level waste disposal

Space disposal of selected components of military high-level waste (HLW) is considered. This disposal option offers the promise of eliminating the long-lived radionuclides in military HLW from the earth. A space mission which meets the dual requirements of long-term orbital stability and a maximum of one space shuttle launch per week over a period of 20-40 years, is a heliocentric orbit about halfway between the orbits of earth and Venus. Space disposal of high-level radioactive waste is characterized by long-term predictability and short-term uncertainties which must be reduced to acceptably low levels. For example, failure of either the Orbit Transfer Vehicle after leaving low earth orbit, or the storable propellant stage failure at perihelion would leave the nuclear waste package in an unplanned and potentially unstable orbit. Since potential earth reencounter and subsequent burn-up in the earth's atmosphere is unacceptable, a deep space rendezvous, docking, and retrieval capability must be developed

Dynamic self-assembling DNA nanosystems: design and engineering

Over the last thirty years, DNA has proven to be a great candidate for engineering nanoscale architectures. These DNA nanostructures have been applied in areas such as single-molecular analyses, nanopatterning, diagnostics and therapeutics. One of the most commonly-used techniques to engineer DNA-based two- and three-dimensional functional nanostructures is DNA origami, wherein a long single-stranded DNA (called scaffold) is folded into a predetermined shape with the help of a set of shorter oligonucleotides (called staples). This thesis discusses a brief overview of DNA nanotechnology (design, assembly and applications) and three primary projects undertaken in the area of dynamic self-assembling DNA nanosystems: 1, a self-assembly design strategy that vastly expands the utility of DNA origami, 2, a DNA origami-based reconfigurable nanosystem with potential as a force/energy balance and diagnostic tool, and 3, a collaborative initiative on computational analyses and experimental verification for improving efficiency of DNA nanoengineering

Solar proton forecast system and procedures used during the Mariner 5 mission

Solar proton forecast system and procedures used during Mariner 5 missio

THE ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIES EMPLOYED IN THE TRANSLATION OF MOVIE SUBTITLE FOR CHILDREN IN “FROZEN” FILM

Penelitian ini berfokus pada investigasi strategi-strategi yang digunakan dalam penerjemahan subtitel film “Frozen” berdasarkan teori yang dikemukakan oleh Gottlieb (1992) dan Newmark (1988), serta kualitas terjemahan berdasarkan teori Barnwell (1996). Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Data-data diperoleh dari naskah asli dan subtitel bahasa Indonesia film “Frozen” serta analisis penilaian kualitas yang dilakukan oleh peneliti dan rekan sesama mahasiswa Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris. Hasil temuan menunjukkan bahwa strategi yang paling sering digunakan dalam penerjemahan di film “Frozen” adalah paraphrase (52,94%), diikuti oleh transfer (13,93%), imitation (13,47%), deletion (12,85%), condensation (4,18%), resignation (1,08%), decimation (0,77%), expansion dan transcription (0,31%), dan yang terakhir adalah dislocation (0,15). Dari hasil penilaian, kualitas terjemahan termasuk ke dalam kategori baik dengan nilai 3,86 dalam skala satu sampai empat. Penelitian mengindikasi bahwa kualitas terjemahan adalah baik berdasarkan akurasi, kejelasan, dan kenaturalannya.---------- This study focuses on investigating the strategies used in translating a “Frozen” movie subtitle based on theory proposed by Gottlieb (1992) and Newmark (1988), and also the quality of the translation based on theory by Barnwell (1996). The research is a descriptive qualitative research. The data were obtained from the original script, the Bahasa Indonesia subtitle of the film. The findings reveal that the most frequently used strategy in the film is paraphrase (52.94%), followed by transfer (13.93%), imitation (13.47%), deletion (12.85%), condensation (4.18%), resignation (1.08%), decimation (0.77%), expansion and transcription (0.31%), and the last is dislocation (0.15%). The result of quality assessment is classified as good with the score 3.86 in a scale of one to four. The research indicates the quality of the translation is good in terms of its accuracy, clarity, and naturalness

The Rights-Based Approach to Development in Latin America

Many scholars and practitioners believe the rights-based approach represents a significant step forward in the development field towards the eradication of poverty. In lieu of blind service provision, aid organizations implementing the rights-based approach use human rights to address underlying causes of poverty such as exclusion, discrimination and corruption. However, integrating human rights into the development process is no clean, simple task. The rights-based approach has been conceptualized and implemented in many different ways around the world since its emergence in the 1990s. Scholars and practitioners now ask: Which rights-based approach is the most successful? I examine the rights-based approaches implemented by two organizations in Latin America, a region that has been especially receptive to the approach. I chose one international NGO, Plan, and one local organization, Puntos. These two organizations envision the role of human rights in development very differently, which resulted in very different strategies and outcomes. After conducting an extensive literature review, I found both approaches came with their own advantages and challenges depending on how each organization defined their role in their communities. Plan’s service-driven approach resulted in a more measurable increase in rights enjoyment, especially with regards to health and education. Puntos’ social change-focused approach worked to change the social context in which rights violations occur. Perhaps an ideal combination of the two approaches would address the shortcomings of each and expand the rights-based approach to its greatest potential. Regardless, a study of these two different rights-based approaches hold important implications for the future of the rights-based approach – whichever form it takes

Low-temperature Kinetics Measurements Of The Gas-phase Reactions Between Aromatic Species And The Cn Radical

It remains an open question as to whether polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can be efficiently formed in the ISM by bottom-up mechanisms involving growth from small aromatic precursors like benzene. However, the lack of dipole moment renders benzene invisible in the radio regime making estimation of the abundance of benzene in the ISM difficult. The recent detection of benzonitrile in the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC)-1 has caused excitement in the astrochemical community as it is the first aromatic molecule detected in the interstellar medium (ISM) using radio astronomy. Benzonitrile is thought to form via the neutral-neutral reaction between the CN radical and benzene, and therefore may serve as a chemical proxy to determine the abundance of benzene. The abundances of aromatic species in ISM environments are not well understood, in part due to a lack of experimental kinetics data. Both rate constants and product-branching ratios for the reactions of aromatic molecules must be measured at low temperature in order to input these reactions into astrochemical models and accurately predict abundances. Benzene and toluene are two of the aromatic species detected in the atmosphere of Titan and their reactions with the CN radical have been studied down to 105 K by Trevitt et al. Here, we have extended this study down to 15 K to approach dense cloud conditions and have measured the rate constants of the reactions of benzene and toluene with the CN radical using the well-established CRESU technique (Cin\'{e}tique de R\'{e}action en Ecoulement Supersonique Uniforme, or Reaction Kinetics in Uniform Supersonic Flow) combined with the Pulsed Laser Photolysis-Laser-Induced Fluorescence method. I will also discuss our recent progress in combining chirped-pulse micro/mm-wave spectroscopy with the CRESU method and how we plan to employ this technique to measure product branching ratios for reactions of the CN radical with aromatics at low temperatures

The gendered semiotics of far-right populism on Instagram: A case from Spain

Perhaps more than any other online social-networking platform, Instagram facilitates the construction and management of public image, serving as a potentially effective tool for political actors; nevertheless, it remains relatively understudied among digital communication strategies. In this article, I investigate the platform’s use by far-right populist politicians, turning to Santiago Abascal of Spain as a case study. Performing detailed analysis on a corpus of Abascal’s most popular posts determined by their “engagement rate,” I expose the gendered mode of self-presentation that resonates with Abascal’s public. In the second part of the article, I consider an equivalent corpus from President Pedro Sánchez, one of Abascal’s main political rivals at the time of writing. This comparative juxtaposition illustrates stark differences in approaches to social media and underscores how effective particular performances of masculinity can be for populist politicians. Ultimately, I aim to shed insight on the specific ways that Instagram serves far-right political projects, both in Spain and beyond

Observing Chemical Reactions In Low-temperature Supersonic Flows Using Chirped Pulse Fourier Transform Millimeter Wave Spectroscopy

The CPUF (Chirped Pulse in Uniform Flow) technique has been used previously in pulsed CRESU (Reaction Kinetics in Uniform Supersonic Flow) conditions to observe chemical reactions at low temperatures. We have adapted the technique to the continuous CRESU flows available in Rennes, and have observed the products of photolysis and chemical reactions using a chirped pulse Fourier transform millimeter wave spectrometer. We have characterized the flow conditions suitable for observing products of reactions and provide limits to the performance of these systems. In particular, pressure broadening is found to dominate these measurements, so steps had to be taken to resolve as much of the free induction decays as possible. We also observe the products of chemical reactions, particularly of CN radicals with hydrocarbons. The behavior of these products in CRESU environments as well as the results from these studies will be given and the application to observing the branching ratios of chemical reactions will be discussed