Ethnic Disparities in Sentencing and the Washington Sentencing Reform Act: The Case of Yakima County

An important issue confronting the criminal justice system is sentencing disparity. Sentencing disparity involves inequitable sanctions imposed on individuals who have committed similar offenses. These inequalities in sentencing patterns have allegedly centered on group differences and may reflect an ethnic or racial bias

Lunar magnetization concentrations (MAGCONS) antipodal to young large impact basins

Electron reflection measurements from Apollo 15 and 16 subsatellites show that patches of strong surface magnetic fields ranging in size from less than about 7 km to greater than 500 km are distributed over the surface of the Moon. With the exception of a few regions, no obvious association to surface geology has been found. Researchers examined the antipodes of 23 winged impact basins for which electron reflection measurements are available. It was concluded that the apparent temporal variations for the basin antipodes may reflect real variations in the lunar magnetic field

Systematic reduction of sign errors in many-body calculations of atoms and molecules

The self-healing diffusion Monte Carlo algorithm (SHDMC) [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 79}, 195117 (2009), {\it ibid.} {\bf 80}, 125110 (2009)] is shown to be an accurate and robust method for calculating the ground state of atoms and molecules. By direct comparison with accurate configuration interaction results for the oxygen atom we show that SHDMC converges systematically towards the ground-state wave function. We present results for the challenging N$_2$ molecule, where the binding energies obtained via both energy minimization and SHDMC are near chemical accuracy (1 kcal/mol). Moreover, we demonstrate that SHDMC is robust enough to find the nodal surface for systems at least as large as C$_{20}$ starting from random coefficients. SHDMC is a linear-scaling method, in the degrees of freedom of the nodes, that systematically reduces the fermion sign problem.Comment: Final version accepted in Physical Review Letters. The review history (referees' comments and our replies) is included in the source

Building one molecule from a reservoir of two atoms

Chemical reactions typically proceed via stochastic encounters between reactants. Going beyond this paradigm, we combine exactly two atoms into a single, controlled reaction. The experimental apparatus traps two individual laser-cooled atoms (one sodium and one cesium) in separate optical tweezers and then merges them into one optical dipole trap. Subsequently, photoassociation forms an excited-state NaCs molecule. The discovery of previously unseen resonances near the molecular dissociation threshold and measurement of collision rates are enabled by the tightly trapped ultracold sample of atoms. As laser-cooling and trapping capabilities are extended to more elements, the technique will enable the study of more diverse, and eventually more complex, molecules in an isolated environment, as well as synthesis of designer molecules for qubits

Surface spin-flop phases and bulk discommensurations in antiferromagnets

Phase diagrams as a function of anisotropy D and magnetic field H are obtained for discommensurations and surface states for a model antiferromagnet in which $H$ is parallel to the easy axis. The surface spin-flop phase exists for all $D$. We show that there is a region where the penetration length of the surface spin-flop phase diverges. Introducing a discommensuration of even length then becomes preferable to reconstructing the surface. The results are used to clarify and correct previous studies in which discommensurations have been confused with genuine surface spin-flop states.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, 2 Postscript figure

Shock-Wave Heating Model for Chondrule Formation: Prevention of Isotopic Fractionation

Chondrules are considered to have much information on dust particles and processes in the solar nebula. It is naturally expected that protoplanetary disks observed in present star forming regions have similar dust particles and processes, so study of chondrule formation may provide us great information on the formation of the planetary systems. Evaporation during chondrule melting may have resulted in depletion of volatile elements in chondrules. However, no evidence for a large degree of heavy-isotope enrichment has been reported in chondrules. In order to meet this observed constraint, the rapid heating rate at temperatures below the silicate solidus is required to suppress the isotopic fractionation. We have developed a new shock-wave heating model taking into account the radiative transfer of the dust thermal continuum emission and the line emission of gas molecules and calculated the thermal history of chondrules. We have found that optically-thin shock waves for the thermal continuum emission from dust particles can meet the rapid heating constraint, because the dust thermal emission does not keep the dust particles high temperature for a long time in the pre-shock region and dust particles are abruptly heated by the gas drag heating in the post-shock region. We have also derived the upper limit of optical depth of the pre-shock region using the radiative diffusion approximation, above which the rapid heating constraint is not satisfied. It is about 1 - 10.Comment: 58 pages, including 5 tables and 15 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Neuronal activation in nucleus tractus solitarius and area postrema of young and aged female rats induced by hypotension

It is well documented that blood pressure changes with age, and the effect is particularly pronounced in females. However, few studies have examined blood pressure in aged individuals, and most animal studies have been done with male rats. Our goal was to investigate responses to experimental hypotension in aged females, comparing activity in central nervous system areas implicated in blood pressure control in young and aged female rats. Isoproterenol (ISOP) is a B-adrenergic agonist that produces hypotension, thereby activating the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and baroreceptors located in the aorta and great veins. Input from baroreceptors terminates in the hindbrain Nucleus of the Solitary Tract (NTS), whereas circulating hormones are detected by the adjacent Area Postrema (AP). Accordingly, we assessed neural activation in these areas using immunohistochemical labeling for the fos protein.The results showed a marked difference in numbers of fos+ neurons between young and aged female rats across both areas in response to ISOP. Fos in aged females was blunted in both caudal and middle levels of the NTS and throughout the AP. We conclude that aged females have an impaired response to baroreceptor input after hypotension and are less sensitive to hormones, such as Ang II, that are associated with hypotension. Thus, neurons in the hindbrain areas involved in cardiovascular control may play a role in age-related changes in blood pressure in females

Characterization of Hypertension Risk Factors at the Committee on Temporary Shelter

Introduction: The health of homeless populations is at risk due to a high prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension (HTN) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The interaction of housing and socioeconomic status with the risk factors for HTN and CVD remains unclear. Prevention of HTN through a healthy diet, exercise, adequate sleep, and avoidance of tobacco has been well described, but financial limitations and competing priorities for shelter and food make blood pressure (BP) control difficult for this population. By characterizing the risk factors and awareness of hypertension within the homeless population at the Committee on Temporary Shelter Daystation (COTS) in Burlington, Vermont, we may be able to identify promising avenues for therapeutic intervention.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1226/thumbnail.jp