Next Steps to Reform the Regulations Governing Offshore Oil and Gas Planning and Leasing

The Department of the Interior manages offshore oil and gas activities in federal waters. While the agency has proposed and/or enacted important improvements to the rules that govern some of those activities, it has not modernized the regulations that govern offshore oil and gas planning, lease sales, or the review and permitting of exploratory drilling. These phases of the process are overseen by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and, as was shown in our earlier publication on this topic, are ineffective and in need of modernization. In this Article, we argue that fundamental reform is necessary and highlight a series of key themes and topics that must be addressed to improve the regulatory process and promote better, more consistent management outcomes. While the Article draws on examples from frontier areas—in particular the U.S. Arctic Ocean—the recommended changes would apply to and benefit all areas of the OCS

Jason Waller: The Existence of God: A Simple Argument that Changed the Mind of a Long-time Atheist, with response by Dr. Richard Foley

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/humanitiescenter_transformations1213/1003/thumbnail.jp

A novel system for classifying tooth root phenotypes.

Human root and canal number and morphology are highly variable, and internal root canal form and count does not necessarily co-vary directly with external morphology. While several typologies and classifications have been developed to address individual components of teeth, there is a need for a comprehensive system, that captures internal and external root features across all teeth. Using CT scans, the external and internal root morphologies of a global sample of humans are analysed (n = 945). From this analysis a method of classification that captures external and internal root morphology in a way that is intuitive, reproducible, and defines the human phenotypic set is developed. Results provide a robust definition of modern human tooth root phenotypic diversity. The method is modular in nature, allowing for incorporation of past and future classification systems. Additionally, it provides a basis for analysing hominin root morphology in evolutionary, ecological, genetic, and developmental contexts

Model-Based Estimation of the Anisotropic Thermal Properties of Materials from Photothermal Deflection Spectroscopy Data Using Bayesian Inference

Estimating the thermal properties of thin film on substrate material systems is important in many thermal engineering applications. The photothermal deflection spectroscopy technique is extended for the in situ characterization of anisotropic thin films on substrates. A comprehensive thermal model is developed for systems with an arbitrary number of films on a substrate that includes the effects of anisotropic thermal conductivity and thermal boundary resistance. Using the thermal model, the beam deflections in a photothermal deflection spectroscopy experiment are found for a system with finite probe beams. The theoretical beam deflection model is used to infer material properties within a Bayesian statistical framework. A maximum a posteriori estimator based on the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is used to solve the resulting ill-posed inverse problem. Synthetic data from bulk, thin film on substrate, and multilayered film samples is analyzed to demonstrate the ability and limitations of the estimator to infer the true thermal properties. The estimation of effective thermal properties for multilayer material systems is also discussed and demonstrated. Methods for evaluating the validity of estimates and subsequently improving these estimates using design of experiments are given

Race to the Paycheck: Merit Pay and Theories of Teacher Motivation

Abstract is available to download

Race to the Paycheck: Merit Pay and Theories of Teacher Motivation

Recent reforms in teacher evaluation tie these evaluations to student performance as measured by test scores and merit pay has been offered as a way to reward high test scores and improve teacher performance. Thus, the federal Race to the Top program has led several states toward teacher evaluation instruments that incorporate outcome data in the form of student achievement. In most states, this is the first step in the plan to institute a pay for performance program for teachers, also known as merit pay. This paper analyzes the concept of merit pay through the lens of equity theory. Equity theory provides a framework to organize a workplace that is equitable, consistent, and free of self-interest. Readers are challenged to consider the implications of merit pay in light of equity theory and resultant issues for educational policy and practice

Realising lead-oriented synthesis

The concept of lead-oriented synthesis (LOS) seeks to address to the paucity of diverse compounds with appropriate properties for biological screening. This thesis focuses on the preparation of diverse scaffolds, which, following decoration, may provide access to lead-like compounds. Key polyfunctionalised building blocks were prepared to enable the synthesis of such scaffolds by applying small tool-kits of robust synthetic methodologies. Computational tools were used to guide the development of key methodologies and to target the preparation of specific scaffolds. In addition, computational tools were used to retrospectively analyse the ability of the scaffolds prepared to provide access to lead-like space. Chapter 1 discusses ideal molecular properties for drugs and leads, modern synthetic approaches to the preparation of diverse screening compounds, and the emergence of LOS as a concept to resolve the challenge of sourcing large numbers of ideal screening compounds. Chapter 2 details the preparation of small polyfunctionalised building blocks through the allylation of amino acid-derivatives. A building-up (‘bottom-up’) approach was used to prepare scaffolds, exploiting the intramolecular capture of pendant nucleophiles at alkene or ester functionalities, and the use of transition metal-catalysed cyclisations. Four building blocks were used to prepare 22 scaffolds. A virtual library of 1110 compounds was enumerated from the scaffolds, of which 66% were found to be lead-like. Chapter 3 describes the preparation of larger polycycles using an intramolecular [5+2] oxidopyrylium cycloaddition. The two polycyclic assemblies prepared were deconstructed using a ‘top-down’ approach to give six scaffolds. A virtual library of 798 compounds was enumerated from the scaffolds, of which 72% would be lead-like. Chapter 4 compares the value of the different LOS approaches developed, this considers the ability of the scaffolds to provide access to lead-like space, their three-dimensionality, and the synthetic economy of their preparation

Missing safer sex strategies in HIV Prevention: A call for further research

Despite the efforts of educators, public health officials, and HIV/AIDS prevention experts, condom promotion has failed to stop the HIV epidemic in most of sub- Saharan Africa and most researchers and policy makers have focused on risk reductions for interventions for penetrative sex. We consider another HIV prevention option: female-to-male oral sex (fellatio). Extensive medical evidence indicates that fellatio is roughly as protective against HIV transmission as vaginal sex with a condom, and much safer than unprotected sex, but it is rarely emphasized in HIV prevention curricula. Moreover, available data on the practice of oral sex in Africa suggests that the practice is very rare compared to the practice in the United States. This paper reviews some of the existing evidence on the efficacy and prevalence of oral sex, discusses the potential of this safer sex strategy for mitigating the spread of HIV in Africa, and stresses the need for further research

The Development of an Educational Digital Library for Human-Centered Computing

Digital libraries have great potential to improve the educational experience. There are a wide variety of such repositories, especially those that focus on specifically on education. However, a survey of existing work shows that that there are relatively few which have both a narrow subject focus and ample affordances for content browsing. We present our prototype design and implementation for the HCC Education Digital Library (HCC EDL), which addresses this relatively sparse portion of the digital library design space. We also discuss our process for requirements gathering and its results, including the development of an HCI topic taxonomy