Why China will not become the dominant power in Asia

With the Defence White Paper due for release in 2015, this paper argues the government should bear in mind that planning for an era of Chinese dominance in the region - or even its emergence as an American strategic peer in Asia - would be premature if not improbable. Abstract The belief that China will soon become the dominant power in Asia is based on assumptions that its continued and rapid economic rise, and its emergence as a regional peer of America’s in military terms is all but assured. Such a belief underpins arguments that a fundamental strategic reorganisation of Asia is inevitable, and that it will be necessary and perhaps even desirable to concede to China significant ‘strategic space’. Dependent largely on linear extrapolations about the future, such arguments ignore the implications of China’s economic, social and national fragilities, its lack of major friends or allies in the region as well as the considerable military deficiencies and challenges faced by the People’s Liberation Army. With the Defence White Paper due for release in 2015, the government should bear in mind that planning for an era of Chinese dominance in the region—or even its emergence as an American strategic peer in Asia—would be premature if not improbable. Australia should not design its defence force for war with China, but it should be able to counter Chinese coercion and contribute to Allied military operations if necessary

Design of supersonic Coanda jet nozzles

The thrust vectoring of supersonic Coanda jets was improved by designing a nozzle to skew the initial jet velocity profile. A new nozzle design procedure, based on the method of characteristics, was developed to design a nozzle which produces a specified exit velocity profile. The thrust vectoring of a simple convergent nozzle, a convergent-divergent nozzle, and a nozzle which produces a skewed velocity profile matched to the curvature of the Coanda surface were expermentially compared over a range of pressure ratios from 1.5 to 3.5. Elimination of the expansion shocks with the C-D nozzle is shown to greatly improve the thrust vectoring; elimination of turning shocks with the skewed profile nozzle further improves the vectoring

AMD-Associated Genes Encoding Stress-Activated MAPK Pathway Constituents Are Identified by Interval-Based Enrichment Analysis

Purpose To determine whether common DNA sequence variants within groups of genes encoding elements of stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways are, in aggregate, associated with advanced AMD (AAMD). Methods: We used meta-regression and exact testing methods to identify AAMD-associated SNPs in 1177 people with AAMD and 1024 AMD-free elderly peers from 3 large-scale genotyping projects on the molecular genetics of AMD. SNPs spanning independent AAMD-associated genomic intervals were examined with a multi-locus-testing method (INRICH) for enrichment within five sets of genes encoding constituents of stress-activated MAPK signaling cascades. Results: Four-of-five pathway gene sets showed enrichment with AAMD-associated SNPs; findings persisted after adjustment for multiple testing in two. Strongest enrichment signals (P = 0.006) existed in a c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/MAPK cascade (Science Signaling, STKE CMP_10827). In this pathway, seven independent AAMD-associated regions were resident in 6 of 25 genes examined. These included sequence variants in: 1) three MAP kinase kinase kinases (MAP3K4, MAP3K5, MAP3K9) that phosphorylate and activate the MAP kinase kinases MAP2K4 and MAP2K7 (molecules that phosphorylate threonine and tyrosine residues within the activation loop of JNK); 2) a target of MAP2K7 (JNK3A1) that activates complexes involved in transcriptional regulation of stress related genes influencing cell proliferation, apoptosis, motility, metabolism and DNA repair; and 3) NR2C2, a transcription factor activated by JNK1A1 (a drugable molecule influencing retinal cell viability in model systems). We also observed AAMD-related sequence variants resident in genes encoding PPP3CA (a drugable molecule that inactivates MAP3K5), and two genes (TGFB2, TGFBR2) encoding factors involved in MAPK sensing of growth factors/cytokines. Conclusions: Linkage disequilibrium (LD)-independent genomic enrichment analysis yielded associations of AAMD with aggregates of functionally related genes encoding constituents of the JNK MAPK signaling pathway. FDA-approved drugs now exist to target constituents of stress-activated MAPK pathways and may offer reasonable approaches to preventing or treating AAMD

Juvenile Detention Law in the District of Columbia: A Practitioner’s Guide

On each and every day of the year (excluding Sundays), children are presented for an initial hearing in the Family Division, Juvenile Branch of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Because of unusually broad and often misapplied preventive detention laws, children charged with property offenses such as theft, or status offenses such as truancy and ungovernability, are subject to detention for an indefinite period of time through summary procedures which do not adequately ensure the reliability of the detention decision. Because the detention of juveniles has become routine in superior court, its potential harm to the child is often easy to ignore. The child is deprived of liberty and of the home and family support system he or she has known. The injurious consequences of this confinement, such as stigmatization, negative self-labeling, and institutionalization have been well noted. In addition, detention increases the likelihood that the child will be committed if found delinquent. Given these grave consequences, detention should be used sparingly, and imposed through procedures which ensure the decision to detain will be a considered and reliable one. This article will examine the District of Columbia preventive detention statute and its application to the children appearing in Juvenile Court. Intended as an aid to counsel practicing in Juvenile Court, this article will describe the operation of the preventive detention law, highlight important issues in the detention process, and consider the viability of constitutional attacks upon the statute

Juvenile Detention Law in the District of Columbia: A Practitioner’s Guide

On each and every day of the year (excluding Sundays), children are presented for an initial hearing in the Family Division, Juvenile Branch of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Because of unusually broad and often misapplied preventive detention laws, children charged with property offenses such as theft, or status offenses such as truancy and ungovernability, are subject to detention for an indefinite period of time through summary procedures which do not adequately ensure the reliability of the detention decision. Because the detention of juveniles has become routine in superior court, its potential harm to the child is often easy to ignore. The child is deprived of liberty and of the home and family support system he or she has known. The injurious consequences of this confinement, such as stigmatization, negative self-labeling, and institutionalization have been well noted. In addition, detention increases the likelihood that the child will be committed if found delinquent. Given these grave consequences, detention should be used sparingly, and imposed through procedures which ensure the decision to detain will be a considered and reliable one. This article will examine the District of Columbia preventive detention statute and its application to the children appearing in Juvenile Court. Intended as an aid to counsel practicing in Juvenile Court, this article will describe the operation of the preventive detention law, highlight important issues in the detention process, and consider the viability of constitutional attacks upon the statute