Criminal Law - Evidence - Competency of Minor Witness - Obligation of Oath

The Pennsylvania Superior Court has held that in the absence of an understanding and comprehension of an oath, and the Divine punishment it implies, minor witnesses are incompetent to testify. Commonwealth v. Rimmel, 221 Pa. Super. 84, 289 A.2d 116 (1972)

Computed Potential Energy Surfaces for Chemical Reactions

A manuscript describing the calculations on the (1)CH2 + H2O, H2 + HCOH, and H2 + H2CO product channels in the CH3 + OH reaction, which were described in the last progress report, has been accepted for publication in J. Chem. Phys., and a copy of the manuscript is included in the appendix. The production of (1)CH2 in this reaction is important in hydrocarbon combustion since (1)CH2 is highly reactive and would be expected to insert into N2, possibly leading to a new source for prompt NO(x) (vide infra). During the last six months new calculations have been carried out for the NH2 + NO system, which is important in the thermal de-NO(x) process

Oblique Shock Breakout in Supernovae and Gamma-Ray Bursts: II. Numerical Solutions For Non-Relativistic Pattern Speeds

Non-spherical explosions develop non-radial flows as the pattern of shock emergence progresses across the stellar surface. In supernovae these flows can limit ejecta speeds, stifle shock breakout emission, and cause collisions outside the star. Similar phenomena occur in stellar and planetary collisions, tidal disruption events, accretion-induced collapses, and propagating detonations. We present two-dimensional, nested-grid Athena simulations of non-radial shock emergence in a frame comoving with the breakout pattern, focusing on the adiabatic, non-relativistic limit in a plane stratified envelope. We set boundary conditions using a known self-similar solution and explore the role of box size and resolution on the result. The shock front curves toward the stellar surface, and exhibits a kink from which weak discontinuities originate. Flow around the point of shock emergence is neither perfectly steady nor self-similar. Waves and vortices, which are not predominantly due to grid effects, emanate from this region. The post-shock flow is deflected along the stellar surface, and its pressure disturbs the stellar atmosphere upstream of the emerging shock. We use the numerical results and their analytical limits to predict the effects of radiation transfer and gravity, which are not included in our simulations.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Ap

USDA PERSPECTIVE ON THE OUTLOOK FOR COTTON

Crop Production/Industries,

Computed potential energy surfaces for chemical reactions

A new global potential energy surface (PES) is being generated for O(P-3) + H2 yields OH + H. This surface is being fit using the rotated Morse oscillator method, which was used to fit the previous POL-CI surface. The new surface is expected to be more accurate and also includes a much more complete sampling of bent geometries. A new study has been undertaken of the reaction N + O2 yields NO + O. The new studies have focused on the region of the surface near a possible minimum corresponding to the peroxy form of NOO. A large portion of the PES for this second reaction has been mapped out. Since state to state cross sections for the reaction are important in the chemistry of high temperature air, these studies will probably be extended to permit generation of a new global potential for reaction

Evaluating clinics' use and adaptation of techology to the unique barriers faced by at-risk, HIV-positive individuals in the development of medication adherence plans

This research reports on a case study of Whitman-Walker Health, an urban clinic that serves at-risk patients who are HIV positive. Interviews were conducted with administrators and clinicians to gain insight into the medication adherence barriers faced by their patients, and also study the methods and technological adaptations the clinic employs to help overcome the barriers faced by their patients. The study found a well-developed workflow and adept use of technology to create and keep patients on a path of medication adherence.Master of Science in Information Scienc