The Case of Sacred Heart Parish

This article discusses a controversy regarding the Catholic Diocese of Maine’s decision to create a second church, Sacred Heart, in Waterville. The existing church, St. Francis de Sales was considered a French church, which Sacred Heart was staffed by Irish clergy. The author uses this event to discuss the poor relationship between Irish and French Roman Catholics

Term-End Exam Scheduling at United States Military Academy/West Point

Scheduling term-end exams (TEE) at the United States Military Academy in West Point is unlike any other exam timetabling problem we know of. Exam timetabling normally produces a conflict-free timetable covering a reasonably long exam period, where every exam is scheduled exactly once for all the students enrolled in the corresponding class. The situation is quite different at West Point. There are hundreds of exams to schedule over such a short time period that there is simply no feasible solution. The challenge is then to allow something that is not even considered elsewhere, that is, creating multiple sessions of some exams, scheduled at different times within the exam period, to allow each student to take all exams he/she must take. The overall objective is to find a feasible exam schedule with a minimum number of such duplicate exams. The paper describes a system that has been developed at GAMS Development Corp. in close cooperation with the scheduling staff at West Point, and that has been used successfully since 2001. It uses mathematical optimization in several modules, and some of the techniques proposed are new. It is fast and flexible, and allows for human interaction, such as adding initially unexpected constraints, coming for instance from instructors’ preferences and dislikes, as well as their hierarchical rankings. It is robust and can be used by people familiar with the organization at West Point, without the need for them to be technically-trained. Overall, using the course and student information databases, it is an effective decision support system that calls optimization tools in an unobtrusive way

Genome size rather than content might affect call properties in toads of three ploidy levels (Anura: Bufonidae: Bufo viridis subgroup)

In vertebrates, genome size has been shown to correlate with nuclear and cell sizes, and influences phenotypic features, such as brain complexity. In three different anuran families, advertisement calls of polyploids exhibit longer notes and intervals than diploids, and difference in cellular dimensions have been hypothesized to cause these modifications. We investigated this phenomenon in green toads (Bufo viridis subgroup) of three ploidy levels, in a different call type (release calls) that may evolve independently from advertisement calls, examining 1205 calls, from ten species, subspecies, and hybrid forms. Significant differences between pulse rates of six diploid and four polyploid (3n, 4n) green toad forms across a range of temperatures from 7 to 27 °C were found. Laboratory data supported differences in pulse rates of triploids vs. tetraploids, but failed to reach significance when including field recordings. This study supports the idea that genome size, irrespective of call type, phylogenetic context, and geographical background, might affect call properties in anurans and suggests a common principle governing this relationship. The nuclear-cell size ratio, affected by genome size, seems the most plausible explanation. However, we cannot rule out hypotheses under which call-influencing genes from an unexamined diploid ancestral species might also affect call properties in the hybrid-origin polyploids

The Effect of Ear Canal Orientation on Tympanic Membrane Motion and the Sound Field Near the Tympanic Membrane

The contribution of human ear canal orientation to tympanic membrane (TM) surface motion and sound pressure distribution near the TM surface is investigated by using an artificial ear canal (aEC) similar in dimensions to the natural human ear canal. The aEC replaced the bony ear canal of cadaveric human temporal bones. The radial orientation of the aEC relative to the manubrium of the TM was varied. Tones of 0.2 to 18.4 kHz delivered through the aEC induced surface motions of the TM that were quantified using stroboscopic holography; the distribution of sound in the plane of the tympanic ring PTR was measured with a probe tube microphone. The results suggest that the ear canal orientation has no substantial effect on TM surface motions, but PTR at frequencies above 10 kHz is influenced by the ear canal orientation. The complex TM surface motion patterns observed at frequencies above a few kilohertz are not correlated with simpler variations in PTR distribution at the same frequencies, suggesting that the complex sound-induced TM motions are more related to the TM mechanical properties, shape, and boundary conditions rather than to spatial variations in the acoustic stimulus.National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (U.S.) (Grants NRSA 1F32DC009949-01, 1R03DC011617-01, and R01-DC008642)Lakshmi Mitta

A bone-thickness map as a guide for bone-anchored port implantation surgery in the temporal bone

The bone-anchored port (BAP) is an investigational implant, which is intended to be fixed on the temporal bone and provide vascular access. There are a number of implants taking advantage of the stability and available room in the temporal bone. These devices range from implantable hearing aids to percutaneous ports. During temporal bone surgery, injuring critical anatomical structures must be avoided. Several methods for computer-assisted temporal bone surgery are reported, which typically add an additional procedure for the patient. We propose a surgical guide in the form of a bone-thickness map displaying anatomical landmarks that can be used for planning of the surgery, and for the intra-operative decision of the implant’s location. The retro-auricular region of the temporal and parietal bone was marked on cone-beam computed tomography scans and tridimensional surfaces displaying the bone thickness were created from this space. We compared this method using a thickness map (n = 10) with conventional surgery without assistance (n = 5) in isolated human anatomical whole head specimens. The use of the thickness map reduced the rate of Dura Mater exposition from 100% to 20% and OPEN ACCESS Materials 2013, 6 5292 suppressed sigmoid sinus exposures. The study shows that a bone-thickness map can be used as a low-complexity method to improve patient’s safety during BAP surgery in the temporal bone

Nickel isotope fractionation during metal-silicate differentiation of planetesimals: Experimental petrology and ab initio calculations

Metal-silicate fractionation of nickel isotopes has been experimentally quantified at 1623 K, with oxygen fugacities varying from 10−8.2 to 10−9.9 atm and for run durations from 0.5 to 1 h. Both kinetic and equilibrium fractionations have been studied. A wire loop set-up was used in which the metal reservoir is a pure nickel wire holding a silicate melt droplet of anorthite-diopside eutectic composition. During the course of the experiment, diffusion of nickel from the wire to the silicate occurred. The timescale to reach chemical equilibrium was fO2 dependent and decreased from 17 to 1 hour, as conditions became more reducing. The isotopic composition of each reservoir was determined by Multicollector-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) after Ni purification. The isotopic composition was found to be constant in the metallic wire, which therefore behaved as an infinite reservoir. On the contrary, strong kinetic fractionation was observed in the silicate melt (δNi down to −0.98‰.amu−1 relative to the standard). Isotopic equilibrium was typically reached after 24 hours. For equilibrated samples at 1623 K, no metal-silicate fractionation was observed within uncertainty (2SD), with ΔNiMetal-Silicate = 0.02 ± 0.04‰.amu−1. Theoretical calculations of metal-silicate isotope fractionation at equilibrium were also performed on different metal-silicate systems. These calculations confirm (1) the absence of fractionation at high temperature and (2) a weak temperature dependence for Ni isotopic fractionation for the metal-olivine and metal-pyroxene pairs with the metal being slightly lighter isotopically. Our experimental data were finally compared with natural samples. Some mesosiderites (stony-iron meteorites) show a ΔNiMetal-Silicate close to experimental values at equilibrium, whereas others exhibit positive metal-silicate fractionation that could reflect kinetic processes. Conversely, pallasites display a strong negative metal-silicate fractionation. This most likely results from kinetic processes with Ni diffusion from the silicate to the metal phase due to a change of Ni partition coefficient during cooling. In this respect we note that in these pallasites, iron isotopes show metal-silicate fractionation that is opposite direction to Ni, supporting the idea of kinetic isotope fractionation, associated with Fe-Ni interdiffusion

Le Forum, Vol. 44 #1

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/francoamericain_forum/1103/thumbnail.jp

Le Forum, Vol. 45 #1 & #2

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/francoamericain_forum/1107/thumbnail.jp

Le Forum, Vol. 42 No. 3

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/francoamericain_forum/1096/thumbnail.jp