Adjustment of Status under Section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act

This Comment examines the legislative development of section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and how the adjustment of status procedure has been slowly liberalized to allow virtually any alien present in the United States to quality to apply for adjustment. The author argues that this procedure has been abused and applied unfairly, in that aliens who apply for adjustment while in the United States are afforded due process and judicial review while those who apply while in their home countries are denied these protections. The author further argues that the recent passage of the Simpson-Mazzoli Bill will not prevent such manipulation of the immigration system and the adjustment of status procedure, but will instead penalize those aliens who require the aid of section 245

Hamka's Doctoral Address at Al-Azhar: the Influence of Muhammad Abduh in Indonesia

This is a translation of the doctoral address given by Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah (Hamka) when he received a doctorate honouris causa from al-Azhar University. Although Hamka assigned his talk the title ‘The Influence of Muham- mad Abduh in Indonesia', the primary topic is actually the evolution of Islam in Indonesia and the development of Islamic reformism and the address minimally touches on the Egyptian thinker. For the 1950s, this can be taken as a normative, indigenous view of Indonesia in an Islamic, especially reformist, contex

Probing Catalyst Degradation in Metathesis of Internal Olefins: Expanding Access to Amine-Tagged ROMP Polymers

Ruthenium-promoted ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) offers potentially powerful routes to amine-functionalized polymers with antimicrobial, adhesive, and self-healing properties. However, amines readily degrade the methylidene and unsubstituted ruthenacyclobutane intermediates formed in metathesis of terminal olefins. Examined herein is the relevance of these decomposition pathways to ROMP (i.e., metathesis of internal olefins) by the third-generation Grubbs catalyst. Primary alkylamines rapidly quench polymerization via fast adduct formation, followed by nucleophilic abstraction of the propagating alkylidene. Bulkier, Brønsted-basic amines are less aggressive: attack competes only for slow polymerization or strong bases (e.g., DBU). Added HCl limits degradation, as demonstrated by the successful ROMP of an otherwise intractable methylamine monomer.publishedVersio

Modeling the Effects of Regional Hydrostratigraphy and Topography on GroundWater Flow, Palo Duro Basin,Texas

A cross-sectional ground-water flow model was constructed of the Palo Duro Basin to analyze available hydrogeologic data and better understand the causes of underpressuring below the Evaporite Aquitard and mechanisms of recharge and discharge to and from the Deep-Basin Brine Aquifer. Various effects of lithostratigraphy and topography on subhydrostatic conditions in the deep section were investigated in different simulations. The model indicates that the subhydrostatic pressures beneath the Evaporite Aquitard are caused by segregation of deep and shallow flow systems by the low-permeable evaporite section and drainage of the deep system by relatively permeable granite wash deposits. The Pecos River, which allows underflow of some groundwater recharging in the New Mexico area to the west, enhances underpressuring beneath the western half of the High Plains by serving as a discharge area for water that would otherwise move downdip into the Deep-Basin Brine Aquifer. In addition to this recharge, about 26% of the groundwater in the Deep-Basin Brine Aquifer originates from leakage through the evaporite section, assuming K2 = 2.8 x 10-4 md, the upper limit of aquitard permeability suggested by the model. The groundwater flow pattern within the Deep-Basin Brine Aquifer is governed by the spatial distribution of more permeable strata, particularly the granite wash deposits. In the cross-sectional model, most of the groundwater in the Deep-Basin Brine Aquifer discharges laterally through the eastern boundary and eventually by upward leakage in the easternmost part of the cross-section. Ground-water travel times through the Deep-Basin Brine Aquifer from the westernmost recharge area in New Mexico to the eastern boundary of the model range between 1.2 and 4 million years, depending on the flow path depicted by the streamtubes and average porosities of the different units.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Evidence of traffic-related pollutant control in soil-based Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS)

SUDS are being increasingly employed to control highway runoff and have the potential to protect groundwater and surface water quality by minimising the risks of both point and diffuse sources of pollution. While these systems are effective at retaining polluted solids by filtration and sedimentation processes, less is known of the detail of pollutant behaviour within SUDS structures. This paper reports on investigations carried out as part of a co-ordinated programme of controlled studies and field measurements at soft-engineered SUDS undertaken in the UK, observing the accumulation and behaviour of traffic-related heavy metals, oil and PAHs. The field data presented were collected from two extended detention basins serving the M74 motorway in the south-west of Scotland. Additional data were supplied from an experimental lysimeter soil core leaching study. Results show that basin design influences pollutant accumulation and behaviour in the basins. Management and/or control strategies are discussed for reducing the impact of traffic-related pollutants on the aqueous environment

Medium-term performance and maintenance of SUDS:a case-study of Hopwood Park Motorway Service Area, UK

One of the main barriers to implementing SUDS is concern about performance and maintenance costs since there are few well-documented case-studies. This paper summarizes studies conducted between 2000 and 2008 of the performance and maintenance of four SUDS management trains constructed in 1999 at the Hopwood Park Motorway Service Area, central England. Assessments were made of the wildlife value and sedimentation in the SUDS ponds, the hydraulic performance of the coach park management train, water quality in all management trains, and soil/sediment composition in the grass filter strip, interceptor and ponds. Maintenance procedures and costs were also reviewed. Results demonstrate the benefits of a management train approach over individual SUDS units for flow attenuation, water treatment, spillage containment and maintenance. Peak flows, pond sediment depth and contaminant concentrations in sediment and water decreased through the coach park management train. Of the 2007 annual landscape budget of £15,000 for the whole site, the maintenance costs for SUDS only accounted for £2,500 compared to £4,000 for conventional drainage structures. Furthermore, since sediment has been attenuated in the management trains, the cost of sediment removal after the recommended period of three years was only £554 and, if the design is not compromised, less frequent removal will be required in future

Structure of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (DeoD) from Bacillus anthracis

Protein structures from the causative agent of anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) are being determined as part of a structural genomics programme. Amongst initial candidates for crystallographic analysis are enzymes involved in nucleotide biosynthesis, since these are recognized as potential targets in antibacterial therapy. Purine nucleoside phosphorylase is a key enzyme in the purine-salvage pathway. The crystal structure of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (DeoD) from B. anthracis has been solved by molecular replacement at 2.24 Å resolution and refined to an R factor of 18.4%. This is the first report of a DeoD structure from a Gram-positive bacterium

Effects of Hydrostratigraphy and Basin Development on Hydrodynamics of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

A two-dimensional groundwater flow model was developed along a cross-section through the Palo Duro Basin to understand regional groundwater flow paths and investigate factors influencing underpressuring below the Evaporite aquitard, as well as recharge and discharge mechanisms to and from the Deep-Basin Brine aquifer. Steady-state flow simulations were employed to examine the effects of lithostratigraphy and topography on groundwater flow. Additionally, transient flow simulations were used to describe changes in regional hydrodynamics resulting from various tectonic and geomorphologic processes. The groundwater flow pattern in the Palo Duro Basin is characterized by a shallow groundwater flow system primarily controlled by topography. Deeper flow regimes recharge in the New Mexico area and pass beneath the Pecos River into the deep section of the Palo Duro Basin. The Evaporite aquitard effectively separates the deeper flow regime from the more rapidly circulating shallow aquifer system, although leakage through the aquitard is significant and could contribute up to 27 percent of the water passing through the deep section. Within the Deep-Basin Brine aquifer, groundwater flow patterns are strongly influenced by the spatial distribution of more permeable strata, such as granite-wash deposits, which facilitate drainage of the deep aquifer system more readily than recharge occurs.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Theoretical study of metal borides stability

We have recently identified metal-sandwich (MS) crystal structures and shown with ab initio calculations that the MS lithium monoboride phases are favored over the known stoichiometric ones under hydrostatic pressure [Phys. Rev. B 73, 180501(R) (2006)]. According to previous studies synthesized lithium monoboride tends to be boron-deficient, however the mechanism leading to this phenomenon is not fully understood. We propose a simple model that explains the experimentally observed off-stoichiometry and show that compared to such boron-deficient phases the MS-LiB compounds still have lower formation enthalpy under high pressures. We also investigate stability of MS phases for a large class of metal borides. Our ab initio results suggest that MS noble metal borides are less unstable than the corresponding AlB$_2$-type phases but not stable enough to form under equilibrium conditions.Comment: 14 pages, 15 figure