State courts may be the next frontier for protecting the right to vote

This midterm cycle has been characterized by fierce debates over voter identification measures in some states that some see as restricting the rights of minorities to vote. While the Supreme Court’s decisions on state voter ID laws have been important, state courts play a significant role as well, write Joshua A. Douglas and Christopher K. Stewart. They argue that in issues such as voter ID, liberal-leaning judges are more likely to think of the right to vote in broad terms as compared to more conservative judges, as are appointed judges compared to those that are elected

Regional Aviation Early Career Pilot Attributes Study

The Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA) has identified a need to better understand the concerns of its members in the attraction and retention of early career pilots. RAAA has further identified the need to better understand any shortcomings in professional aviation training programs in Australia so as to provide appropriate guidance from an industry point of view. The RAAA Training and Education Committee (TEC) facilitated the undertaking of this study with its members. This study provides insight into the technical and non-technical attributes that aviation manager’s value in early career pilots

An epidemiologic profile of pediatric concussions: Identifying urban and rural differences

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology of concussions presenting to the emergency department (ED). METHODS: A retrospective cohort of concussions for pediatric (age G 18 years) patients treated in the ED of a regional pediatric Level 1 trauma center from 2006 to 2011 was examined. Descriptive and geographic analyses were completed, with comparisons by age groups and residence (urban/rural). RESULTS: There were a total of 2,112 treated pediatric concussions. Two thirds of the concussions occurred in males (67%), with a median age of 13 years (interquartile range [IQR], 6). Nearly half of the pediatric concussions were sports related (48%); 36% of these concussions were from hockey. Significant differences were found in the distribution of the mechanism of injury across age groups (p G 0.001). Falls were most prevalent among young children, and sports concussions, for children 10 years and older. Two fifths of concussions occurred during winter months. Discharge disposition significantly differed by age ( p G 0.001), with home discharge increasing with age up to 14 years. There were a total of 387 rural (19%) and 1,687 urban (81%) concussed patients, for a mean ED concussion visit rate of 2.2 per 1,000 and 3.5 per 1,000, respectively. Rural patients were older (14 [IQR, 6] vs. 13 [IQR, 6], p = 0.019] and sustained 2.5 times more concussions from a motor vehicle crash compared with urban youth patients ( p G 0.001). CONCLUSION: Males in early adolescence are at highest risk for concussion, particularly from sport-related activities. Urban and rural children have differences in their etiology and severity of concussions. Concussions are predictable, and their prevention should be targeted based on epidemiologic and environmental data

Deconstructing tumor heterogeneity: The stromal perspective

Significant advances have been made towards understanding the role of immune cell-tumor interplay in either suppressing or promoting tumor growth, progression, and recurrence, however, the roles of additional stromal elements, cell types and/or cell states remain ill-defined. The overarching goal of this NCI-sponsored workshop was to highlight and integrate the critical functions of non-immune stromal components in regulating tumor heterogeneity and its impact on tumor initiation, progression, and resistance to therapy. The workshop explored the opposing roles of tumor supportiv

Sesquinary Catastrophe For Close-In Moons with Dynamically Excited Orbits

We identify a new mechanism that can lead to the destruction of small, close-in planetary satellites. If a small moon close to the planet has a sizable eccentricity and inclination, its ejecta that escape to planetocentric orbit would often re-impact with much higher velocity due to the satellite's and the fragment's orbits precessing out of alignment. If the impacts of returning ejecta result in net erosion, a runaway process can occur which may end in disruption of the satellite, and we term this process ``sesquinary catastrophe''. We expect the moon to re-accrete, but on an orbit with significantly lower eccentricity and inclination. We find that the large majority of small close-in moons in the Solar System, have orbits that are immune to sesquinary catastrophe. The exceptions include a number of resonant moonlets of Saturn for which resonances may affect the velocities of re-impact of their own debris. Additionally, we find that Neptune's moon Naiad (and to a lesser degree, Jupiter's Thebe) must have substantial internal strength, in line with prior estimates based on Roche limit stability. We also find that sesquinary instability puts important constraints on the plausible past orbits of Phobos and Deimos or their progenitors.Comment: Accepted for Ap

An evidence-based method for targeting an abusive head trauma prevention media campaign and its evaluation

BACKGROUND: A triple-dose abusive head trauma (AHT) prevention program (Period of PURPLE Crying) was implemented. The third dose consisted of an education media campaign. The study objectives were to describe the qualitative and spatial methods developed to target AHT prevention and to evaluate this campaign. METHODS: A questionnaire on the level of importance of factors, rated on a 7-point Likert scale, was distributed to a panel of experts to determine the best advertising locations. Ranked factors were used to create weights for statistical modeling and mapping within a Geographic Information Systems to determine optimal ad locations. The media campaign was evaluated via a telephone survey of randomly selected households. RESULTS: The survey found locations of new families, high population density, and high percentage of lone parents to be the most important factors for selecting billboard sites. Spatial analysis revealed six areas that ranked highest in our factors. Five billboards, four media posters, and six transit shelters were selected for our advertisements. A population-based telephone survey revealed that 23% of respondents knew the campaign. Nearly half (42%) heard the radio public service announcements, and 9% saw billboards. CONCLUSION: Extending primary prevention efforts to the public helps to create a cultural change in the way inconsolable crying, the trigger for AHT, is viewed. With the use of ranked factors and Geographic Information Systems, geographic locations with high visibility and specific risk factors for AHTwere identified for targeting the campaign, facilitating the likelihood that our message was reaching the population in greatest need

High Speed Production of Large Coal to Facilitate Easier and More Effective Cleaning

Track I: Power GenerationIncludes audio file (14 min.)Due to technical difficulties, the audio portion of this presentation is joined in progress.Most modern mining equipment extracts coal through grinding it from the solid using a set of rotating picks. This produces coal that is quite small in average size and generates a lot of dust in the process. The coal is also more expensive to collect and process to remove contained undesirable components. The use of high-pressure water jets as a cutting tool has been shown to provide a product that is larger in size, while con-commitantly eliminating the generation of dust (which carries with it the risk of ignition and explosion) and reducing the energy required for the mining process. Two different mining machines are described, one for use on longwall faces and one in room and pillar mines, and the potential for their development is discussed

N-methyl-N-alkylpyrrolidinium nonafluoro-1-butanesulfonate salts : Ionic liquid properties and plastic crystal behaviour

A series of N-methyl-N-alkylpyrrolidinium nonafluoro-1-butanesulfonate salts were synthesised and characterised. The thermophysical characteristics of this family of salts have been investigated with respect to potential use as ionic liquids and solid electrolytes. N-Methyl-N-butylpyrrolidinium nonafluoro-1-butanesulfonate (p1,4NfO) has the lowest melting point of the family, at 94 &deg;C. Electrochemical analysis of p1,4 NfO in the liquid state shows an electrochemical window of ~6 V. All compounds exhibit one or more solid&ndash;solid transitions at sub-ambient temperatures, indicating the existence of plastic crystal phases.<br /

Jet-induced ground effects on a parametric flat-plate model in hover

The jet-induced forces generated on short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft when in close proximity to the ground can have a significant effect on aircraft performance. Therefore, accurate predictions of these aerodynamic characteristics are highly desirable. Empirical procedures for estimating jet-induced forces during the vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) portions of the flight envelope are currently limited in accuracy. The jet-induced force data presented significantly add to the current STOVL configurations data base. Further development of empirical prediction methods for jet-induced forces, to provide more configuration diversity and improved overall accuracy, depends on the viability of this STOVL data base. The data base may also be used to validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis codes. The hover data obtained at the NASA Ames Jet Calibration and Hover Test (JCAHT) facility for a parametric flat-plate model is presented. The model tested was designed to allow variations in the planform aspect ratio, number of jets, nozzle shape, and jet location. There were 31 different planform/nozzle configurations tested. Each configuration had numerous pressure taps installed to measure the pressures on the undersurface of the model. All pressure data along with the balance jet-induced lift and pitching-moment increments are tabulated. For selected runs, pressure data are presented in the form of contour plots that show lines of constant pressure coefficient on the model undersurface. Nozzle-thrust calibrations and jet flow-pressure survey information are also provided