The Erosion of Rights: Declining Civil Rights Enforcement Under the Bush Administration

The erosion of civil rights across our nation over the past six years is the result of willful neglect and calculated design. The Bush administration continues to use the courts and the judicial appointment process to narrow civil rights protections and repeal remedies for legal redress while allowing the traditional tools of the executive branch for civil rights enforcement to wither and die. The resulting inequality of opportunity, deteriorating civil liberties, and rising religious and racial discrimination are sad commentaries on the priorities of the current administration

Star Formation in the Northern Cloud Complex of NGC 2264

We have made continuum and spectral line observations of several outflow sources in the Mon OB1 dark cloud (NGC 2264) using the Heinrich Hertz Telescope (HHT) and ARO 12m millimeter-wave telescope. This study explores the kinematics and outflow energetics of the young stellar systems observed and assesses the impact star formation is having on the surrounding cloud environment. Our data set incorporates 12CO(3-2), 13CO(3-2), and 12CO(1-0) observations of outflows associated with the sources IRAS 06382+1017 and IRAS 06381+1039, known as IRAS 25 and 27, respectively, in the northern cloud complex. Complementary 870 micron continuum maps were made with the HHT 19 channel bolometer array. Our results indicate that there is a weak (approximately less than 0.5%) coupling between outflow kinetic energy and turbulent energy of the cloud. An analysis of the energy balance in the IRAS 25 and 27 cores suggests they are maintaining their dynamical integrity except where outflowing material directly interacts with the core, such as along the outflow axes.Comment: 28 pages including 6 figures, to be published in ApJ 01 July 2006, v645, 1 issu

Antiapoptotic Actions of Methyl Gallate on Neonatal Rat Cardiac Myocytes Exposed to H 2

Reactive oxygen species trigger cardiomyocyte cell death via increased oxidative stress and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. The prevention of cardiomyocyte apoptosis is a putative therapeutic target in cardioprotection. Polyphenol intake has been associated with reduced incidences of cardiovascular disease and better overall health. Polyphenols like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) can reduce apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, resulting in better health outcomes in animal models of cardiac disorders. Here, we analyzed whether the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) or polyphenols EGCG, gallic acid (GA) or methyl gallate (MG) can protect cardiomyocytes from cobalt or H2O2-induced stress. We demonstrate that MG can uphold viability of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes exposed to H2O2 by diminishing intracellular ROS, maintaining mitochondrial membrane potential, augmenting endogenous glutathione, and reducing apoptosis as evidenced by impaired Annexin V/PI staining, prevention of DNA fragmentation, and cleaved caspase-9 accumulation. These findings suggest a therapeutic value for MG in cardioprotection

Star Formation in Massive Protoclusters in the Monoceros OB1 Dark Cloud

We present far-infrared, submillimetre, and millimetre observations of bright IRAS sources and outflows that are associated with massive CS clumps in the Monoceros OB1 Dark Cloud. Individual star-forming cores are identified within each clump. We show that combining submillimetre maps, obtained with SCUBA on the JCMT, with HIRES-processed and modelled IRAS data is a powerful technique that can be used to place better limits on individual source contributions to the far-infrared flux in clustered regions. Three previously categorized "Class I objects" are shown to consist of multiple sources in different evolutionary stages. In each case, the IRAS point source dominates the flux at 12 and 25 microns. In two cases, the IRAS point source is not evident at submillimetre wavelengths. The submillimetre sources contribute significantly to the 60 and 100 micron fluxes, dominating the flux in the 100 micron waveband. Using fluxes derived from our technique, we present the spectral energy distribution and physical parameters for an intermediate-mass Class 0 object in one of the regions. Our new CO J=2-1 outflow maps of the three regions studied indicate complex morphology suggestive of multiple driving sources. We discuss the possible implications of our results for published correlations between outflow momentum deposition rates and "source" luminosities, and for using these derived properties to estimate the ratio of mass ejection rates to mass accretion rates onto protostars.Comment: 12 pages, 11 gzipped gif figures, LaTex file and MNRAS style files, accepted by MNRAS, v2: reference typos and author affiliation have been correcte

Grounding topologies for resilient, integrated composite electrical power systems for future aircraft applications

The upwards trend for the use of electrical power on state of the art more-electric aircraft (MEA) has resulted in a significant changes to the electrical power system (EPS) for these platforms due to increased use of DC, higher voltage and power levels, and decentralized architectures. A dual trend is the increasing use of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) for aircraft structures, due to the superior mechanical properties of CFRP compared to metallic structures. However, the poorer electrical conductivity of CFRP results in the aircraft structure no longer being fully integrated with the electrical power system. There is a need to integrate these two systems to fully maximize the performance benefits of CFRP, and optimize the weight and volume of the electrical power system. A first step in this integration is to identify an appropriate fault management strategy, which enables the detection of higher resistance ground faults through CFRP. This includes the consideration of appropriate grounding topologies. This paper proposes the implementation of a high resistance grounding topology, which enables the detection and location of a fault via spectral analysis of the voltage across the grounding resistor. From this, implications for wider EPS and CFRP designs to enable the reduction in the use of bulky cable harnesses, providing the first step to CFRP becoming an integral part of the EPS, are discussed