The frequency of muscle protein polymorphism in Menidia menidia (Atherinidae) along the Atlantic coast

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Bone mechanical properties in healthy and diseased states

The mechanical properties of bone are fundamental to the ability of our skeletons to support movement and to provide protection to our vital organs. As such, deterioration in mechanical behavior with aging and/or diseases such as osteoporosis and diabetes can have profound consequences for individuals’ quality of life. This article reviews current knowledge of the basic mechanical behavior of bone at length scales ranging from hundreds of nanometers to tens of centimeters. We present the basic tenets of bone mechanics and connect them to some of the arcs of research that have brought the field to recent advances. We also discuss cortical bone, trabecular bone, and whole bones, as well as multiple aspects of material behavior, including elasticity, yield, fracture, fatigue, and damage. We describe the roles of bone quantity (e.g., density, porosity) and bone quality (e.g., cross-linking, protein composition), along with several avenues of future research.Author manuscrip

Translatory shock absorber for attitude sensors

A translatory shock absorber is provided for mounting an attitude sensor thereon for isolating a sensor from translatory vibrations. The translatory shock absorber includes a hollow block structure formed as one piece to form a parallelogram. The absorber block structure includes a movable top plate for supporting the attitude sensor and a fixed base plate with opposed side plates interposed between. At the junctions of the side plates, and the base and top plates, there are provided grooves which act as flexible hinges for attenuating translatory vibrations. A damping material is supported on a pedestal which is carried on the base plate between the side plates thereof. The top of the damping material rests against the bottom surface of the top plate for eliminating the resonant peaks of vibration

A formalised performance assessment process to improve audit committee performance in South Africa: A conceptual exploration

There is concern worldwide about corporate governance, director liability, litigations and business failures, the economic recession and the quality of fi nancial reporting. Owing to these factors, new regulations and legislation aff ecting organisations and the related responsibilities imposed on audit committees, it is imperative that the performance of audit committees and individual members be enhanced and sustained. The King III Report and other corporate governance principles specify that the board, its committees and individual members should be evaluated regularly, which was not a requirement for individual committee members in King II. Thisarticle examines formal guidelines and requirements to identify the factors aff ecting the audit committee and individual members’ performance, to determine whether their performance could be improved by formalising the assessment process and to develop a framework for measuring their performance. The balanced scorecard as a method of assessment or evaluation is examined and proposed to help audit committees to meet their requirements and improve the quality of their oversight  responsibilities. This article should be of value to boards of directors, audit committees and regulators in that the contributions of a more formalised performance assessment process as an internal governance mechanism towards facilitating the professional development of audit committee members are demonstrated

Metastable Flux Configurations and de Sitter Spaces

We derive stability conditions for the critical points of the no-scale scalar potential governing the dynamics of the complex structure moduli and the axio-dilaton in compactifications of type IIB string theory on Calabi-Yau three-folds. We discuss a concrete example of a T^6 orientifold. We then consider the four-dimensional theory obtained from compactifications of type IIB string theory on non-geometric backgrounds which are mirror to rigid Calabi-Yau manifolds and show that the complex structure moduli fields can be stabilized in terms of H_{RR} only, i.e. with no need of orientifold projection. The stabilization of all the fields at weak coupling, including the axio-dilaton, may require to break supersymmetry in the presence of H_{NS} flux or corrections to the scalar potential.Comment: 24 page

Identification of Trace Organic Components in the CR Chondrites by 4D TOFMS

This paper reports preliminary results of a 4D TOFMS study of CR chondrite organic material, highlighting the low-level organic species that may further reveal the complexity of parent body modification of interstellar precursors

Playing by the Rules: Due Process and Errors of State Procedural Law

A striking example of the Court\u27s failure to elevate violations of established state procedural safeguards to a violation of due process is found in Barclay v. Florida. In Barclay, the Court upheld a death sentence admittedly imposed in violation of state law. The first section of this Article examines the foundations and support for the respective approaches of Justices Rehnquist, Marshall, and Blackmun in the Barclay case. The second part of this Article argues that due process requires compliance with established procedural safeguards when a government seeks to deprive a person of life, liberty, or property. This Article proposes a fair play approach to defining due process that builds upon Justice Blackmun\u27s rule of law approach in Barclay. This approach recognizes that procedural unfairness may occur in two ways. First, the procedural rules themselves may be unfair. Second, the government\u27s disregard of established procedural safeguards also is unfair. This second variety of unfairness exists regardless of whether the Constitution would otherwise require that the particular safeguard be provided. The fair play interpretation, therefore, posits that both unfair rules and failure to play by established rules violate due process. The final section of this Article discusses some effects the fair play approach would have upon traditional notions of federalism