440 research outputs found
Recent Decisions
ACT OF STATE--Act of State Doctrine Not a Bar to Adjudication of a Counterclaim
Robert M. Erickson
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ADMIRALTY--Ship Mortgage Act of 1920--Deficiency Judgment against Mortgagor in Personam Not Precluded by State Law when Vessels were Sold at Public Foreclosure Auction without Prior Appraisal
Jack F. Stringham, II
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ALIENS--Immigration and Naturalization--Restriction of Commuter Aliens\u27 Access to Domestic Employment by Attorney General is Abuse of Discretion
Alan Marchisotto
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EXTRADITION--Principle of Specialty--Specialty does not Preclude Prosecution for Similar Offense when Asylum Nation Would Not Consider it a Breach of Faith
Attorney General of the United States, 462 F.2d 475 (2d Cir. 1972),petition for cert. filed, 41 U.S.L.W. 3114 (U.S. Aug. 26, 1972) (No.332).
James T. Campbell
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JURISDICTION--Forum Selection Clauses--United States Courts will Enforce Forum Selection Clauses in International Towage Contracts Absent Exceptional Circumstances
Ralph C. Oser
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TAXATION--Foreign Tax Credit--Foreign Income Tax Credit Under Section 901 Allowable Only for Taxes Imposed on Net Gain or Profit
David A. Boillo
A Unified Theoretical Description of the Thermodynamical Properties of Spin Crossover with Magnetic Interactions
After the discovery of the phenomena of light-induced excited spin state
trapping (LIESST), the functional properties of metal complexes have been
studied intensively. Among them, cooperative phenomena involving low spin-high
spin (spin-crossover) transition and magnetic ordering have attracted
interests, and it has become necessary to formulate a unified description of
both phenomena. In this work, we propose a model in which they can be treated
simultaneously by extending the Wajnflasz-Pick model including a magnetic
interaction. We found that this new model is equivalent to
Blume-Emery-Griffiths (BEG) Hamiltonian with degenerate levels. This model
provides a unified description of the thermodynamic properties associated with
various types of systems, such as spin-crossover (SC) solids and Prussian blue
analogues (PBA). Here, the high spin fraction and the magnetization are the
order parameters describing the cooperative phenomena of the model. We present
several typical temperature dependences of the order parameters and we
determine the phase diagram of the system using the mean-field theory and Monte
Carlo simulations. We found that the magnetic interaction drives the SC
transition leading to re-entrant magnetic and first-order SC transitions.Comment: 30pages, 11figure
New Gravity Map of the Western Galicia Margin:The Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone Project
Since 1995, the most intensive mapping of
the seafloor off the Spanish coast has been
carried out in the framework of the Spanish
Exclusive Economic Zone Project (ZEEE).The
main objectives of this project are to obtain
improved multibeam bathymetric cartography
of the areas off Spanish coastlines, and to perform
a geophysical survey,well-suited with a
10-knot navigation velocity (some techniques
requires lower navigation velocity).
The geophysical survey includes gravity, geomagnetism,
and low-penetration seismic techniques
in order to infer the geological structure
of the seafloor. Other oceanographic variables
such as current, surface salinity, and temperature
profiles, can be recorded without compromising
this systematic survey effort.
The ZEEE Project has carried out its survey
activities for one month every year.Data
acquisition is achieved aboard the Spanish
R/V Hesperides. Until 1997, surveying efforts
concentrated on the Balearic Sea and Valencia
Gulf, both in the western Mediterranean Sea.
Between 1998 and 2000, the ZEEE Project
investigations were conducted offshore the
Canary Archipelago. Since 2001, the third
phase of the program has been focused on
the West Galicia Margin in the northeastern
Atlantic Ocean.
Survey results on the West Galicia Margin area
are of interest for two key reasons. First, there
is great scientific interest in the improvement
of the knowledge of this non-volcanic rifting
margin, since this margin offers good conditions
for the study of the processes that take
place in this type of geological context,because
it is sediment-starved.
Second, the obtained results also have major
socioeconomic repercussions because they
can prove significant to defining the expansion
of the Spanish shelf,beyond Spain’s Economic
Exclusive Zone distance of 200 nautical miles.
All of the gravity data acquired to date on
this area have been stored as a database, with
the aim of preparing gravity anomaly maps
on a scale 1:200,000.The database and gravity
anomaly charts from the ZEEE Project will
provide the most coherent and complete gravity
perspective available for this area.
This article describes the efforts and accomplishments
of the project to date
The formation of passive margins: constraints from the crustal structure and segmentation of the deep Galicia margin, Spain
The crustal structure of the Mesozoic deep Galicia margin and adjacent ocean-continent boundary (OCB) was investigated by seismic reflection (including pre-stack depth migration and attenuation of seismic waves with time). The seismic data were calibrated using numerous geological samples recovered by drilling and/or by diving with submersible.
The N-S trending margin and OCB are divided in two distinct segments by NE-SW synrift transverse faults locally reactivated and inverted by Cenozoic tectonics. The transverse faulting and OCB segmentation result from crustal stretching probably in a NE-SW direction during the rifting stage of the margin in early Cretaceous times. The Cenozoic tectonics are related to Iberia-Eurasia convergence in Palaeogene times (Pyrenean event). In both segments of the deep margin, the seismic crust is made of four horizontal layers: (1) two sedimentary layers corresponding to post- and syn-rift sequences, where velocity ranges from 1.9 to 3.5 km s−1, and where the Q factor is low, the two sedimentary layers being separated by a strong reflector marking the break-up unconformity; (2) a faulted layer, where velocity ranges from 4.0 to 5.2 km s−1, and where the Q factor is high. This layer corresponds to the margin tilted blocks, where continental basement and lithified pre-rift sediments were sampled; (3) the lower seismic crust, where the velocity (7 km s−1 and more) and the Q factor are the highest. This layer, probably made of partly serpentinized peridotite, is roofed by a strong S-S’ seismic reflector, and resting on a scattering, poorly reflective Moho.
A composite model, based both on analogue modelling of lithosphere stretching and on available structural data, accounts for the present structure of the margin and OCB. Stretching and thinning of the lithosphere are accommodated by boudinage of the brittle levels (upper crust and uppermost mantle) and by simple shear in the ductile levels (lower crust and upper lithospheric mantle). Two main conjugate shear zones may account for the observations and seismic data: one (SZ1), located in the lower ductile continental crust, is synthetic to the tilting sense of the margin crustal blocks; another (SZ2), located in the ductile mantle, accounts for the deformation of mantle terranes and their final unroofing and exposure at the continental rift axis (now the OCB). The S-S′ reflector is interpreted as the seismic signature of the tectonic contact between crustal terranes and mantle rocks partly transformed into serpentinite by syn-rift hydrothermal activity. It is probably related to both shear zones SZ1 and SZ2. The seismic Moho is lower within the lithosphere, at the fresh-serpentinized peridotite boundary
Recent Decisions
Recent Decisions
ADMIRALTY--COGSA--BILL OF LADING CARGO DESCRIPTION AND PACKER IDENTITY DETERMINE WHEN A CONTAINER IS A PACKAGE IN COGSA LIABILITY PROCEEDINGS
Alan L. Marchisotto
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ADMIRALTY--JURISDICTION OVER AVIATION TORT CLAIMS--ADMIRALTY JURISDICTION DOES NOT EXTEND TO AVIATION TORT CLAIMS IN THE ABSENCE OF A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TORT AND TRADITIONAL MARITIME ACTIVITIES
W. H. Schwarzschild III
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ALIENS--ALIENS MAY MAINTAIN A CAUSE OF ACTION FOR PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION UNDER 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (1970)
Mark M. Greisberger
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ANTITRUST--ARTICLE 86 OF THE EEC TREATY APPLIES TO CERTAIN CHANGES IN INTERNAL CORPORATE STRUCTURE
Richard P. Granfield
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CONSTITUTIONAL LAW--EXECUTIVE POWER--PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORITY TO NEGOTIATE FOREIGN COMMERCIAL AGREEMENTS PURSUANT TO FOREIGN AFFAIRS POWER IS NOT CIRCUMSCRIBED ABSENT EX-PLICIT LEGISLATION
Donald B. Cameron, Jr.
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JURISDICTION--SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934--SECTION 10(b) APPLIES TO A TRANSACTION IN UNLISTED FOREIGN SECURITIES WHEN SIGNIFICANT FRAUDULENT CONDUCT OCCURS IN THE UNITED STATES
Isaac H. Braddock
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TARIFFS--TRADE AGREEMENT CONCESSIONS MAY BE SUSPENDED ON A MOST-FAVORED-NATION BASIS WHEN SUCH TREATMENT IS REQUIRED BY INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
David A. Boillo
Overview of the recent operation of the AAC and LEAR for the low-energy antiproton physics programme
This paper reviews the recent performance of the AAC and LEAR. Activities on the AAC include the successful exploitation of a magnetic horn as an antiproton collector lens and an energy-saving mode of operation, which has been possible since 1992, when LEAR became the only client of the AAC. LEAR worked in its full momentum range between 100 MeV/c and 2 GeV/c, with perform-ance (intensities, ejection modes and spill length) exceeding the design specifications. Improvements are described, which contributed to the quality of the beam delivered to experiments. The reliability and availability of the antiproton machines are also discussed
Pressure-induced switching properties of the iron(iii) spin-transition complex [FeIII(3-OMeSalEen)2]PF6
We investigated the effect of an externally applied pressure on the iron(III) Schiff-base compound [Fe(3-OMeSalEen)2]PF6 (H-3-OMeSalEen, condensation product of 3-methoxy-substituted salicylaldehyde and N-ethylethylenediamine), which at ambient pressure displays a thermal spin transition with a 3 K wide hysteresis loop centered at 164 K. Raman spectrometry revealed the occurrence of a complete spin-state switching process for a pressure of P1/2 = 8–9 kbar at room temperature. The evolution of lattice parameters as a function of pressure was followed by X-ray diffraction measurements on single crystals, highlighting the important microscopic aspects at the origin of the pressure-induced transition, i.e. an anisotropic response and a high compressibility of the HS molecular lattice. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements at different applied pressures revealed the smoothening of the spin transition curves and a linear increase of the transition temperatures by ca. 16.4 (1.0) K kbar?1, in good agreement with the Clausius–Clapeyron law. The non-negligible influence of the pressure transmitting oils on the intrinsic transition properties was also evidenced and attributed to mechanical interactions between the particles and the solidified matrix
DNA adducts in fish following an oil spill exposure
On 12 December 1999, one third of the load of the Erika tanker, amounting to about 10,000 t crude oil flowed into sea waters close to the French Atlantic Coast. This oil contained polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) that are known to be genotoxic. Genotoxic effects induce DNA adducts formation, which can thus be used as pollution biomarkers. Here, we assessed the genotoxic impact of the “Erika” oil spill by DNA adducts detection in the liver of immature fishes (Solea solea) from four locations of the French Brittany coasts. Two months after the spill, a high amount of DNA adducts was found in samples from all locations, amounting to 92–290 DNA adduct per 109 nucleotides. Then total DNA adduct levels decreased to reach about 50 adducts per 109 nucleotides nine months after the spill. In vitro experiments using human cell cultures and fish liver microsomes evidence the genotoxicity of the Erika fuel. They also prove the formation of reactive species able to create DNA adducts. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo DNA adducts fingerprints are similar, thus confirming that DNA adducts are a result of the oil spill
Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks
In this chapter, we present a literature survey of an emerging, cutting-edge,
and multi-disciplinary field of research at the intersection of Robotics and
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) which we refer to as Robotic Wireless Sensor
Networks (RWSN). We define a RWSN as an autonomous networked multi-robot system
that aims to achieve certain sensing goals while meeting and maintaining
certain communication performance requirements, through cooperative control,
learning and adaptation. While both of the component areas, i.e., Robotics and
WSN, are very well-known and well-explored, there exist a whole set of new
opportunities and research directions at the intersection of these two fields
which are relatively or even completely unexplored. One such example would be
the use of a set of robotic routers to set up a temporary communication path
between a sender and a receiver that uses the controlled mobility to the
advantage of packet routing. We find that there exist only a limited number of
articles to be directly categorized as RWSN related works whereas there exist a
range of articles in the robotics and the WSN literature that are also relevant
to this new field of research. To connect the dots, we first identify the core
problems and research trends related to RWSN such as connectivity,
localization, routing, and robust flow of information. Next, we classify the
existing research on RWSN as well as the relevant state-of-the-arts from
robotics and WSN community according to the problems and trends identified in
the first step. Lastly, we analyze what is missing in the existing literature,
and identify topics that require more research attention in the future
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