A Multispectral Look at Oil Pollution Detection, Monitoring, and Law Enforcement

The problems of detecting oil films on water, mapping the areal extent of slicks, measuring the slick thickness, and identifying oil types are discussed. The signature properties of oil in the ultraviolet, visible, infrared, microwave, and radar regions are analyzed

Evolutionary Divergence in Developmental Strategies and Neuromodulatory Control Systems of Two Amphibian Locomotor Networks

Attempts to understand the neural mechanisms which produce behaviour must consider both prevailing sensory cues and the central cellular and synaptic changes they direct. At each level, neuromodulation can additionally shape the final output. We have investigated neuromodulation in the developing spinal motor networks in hatchling tadpoles of two closely related amphibians, Xenopus laevis and Rana temporaria to examine the subtle differences in their behaviours that could be attributed to their evolutionary divergence. At the point of hatching, both species can swim in response to a mechanosensory stimulus, however Rana embryos often display a more forceful, non-locomotory coiling behaviour. Whilst the synaptic drive that underlies these behaviours appears similar, subtle inter-specific differences in neuronal properties shape motor outputs in different ways. For example, Rana neurons express N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)/serotonin (5-HT)-dependent oscillations, not present in hatchling Xenopus and many also exhibit a prominent slow spike after-hyperpolarisation. Such properties may endow the spinal circuitry of Rana with the ability to produce a more flexible range of outputs. Finally, we compare the roles of the neuromodulators 5-HT, noradrenaline (NA) and nitric oxide (NO) in shaping motor outputs. 5-HT increases burst durations during swimming in both Xenopus and Rana, but 5-HT dramatically slows the cycle period in Rana with little effect in Xenopus. Three distinct, but presumably homologous NO-containing brainstem clusters of neurons have been described, yet the effects of NO differ between species. In Xenopus, NO slows and shortens swimming in a manner similar to NA, yet in Rana NO and NA elicit the non-rhythmic coiling pattern

The B(s)→D(s)lνB_{(s)} \to D_{(s)}l\nu Decay with Highly Improved Staggered Quarks and NRQCD

We report on progress of a lattice QCD calculation of the $B\to Dl\nu$ and $B_s\to D_s l\nu$ semileptonic form factors. We use a relativistic staggered action (HISQ) for light and charm quarks, and an improved non-relativistic (NRQCD) action for bottom, on the second generation MILC ensembles.Comment: Presented at Lattice 2017, the 35th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory at Granada, Spain (18-24 June 2017

Using Narrow Band Photometry to Detect Young Brown Dwarfs in IC348

We report the discovery of a population of young brown dwarf candidates in the open star cluster IC348 and the development of a new spectroscopic classification technique using narrow band photometry. Observations were made using FLITECAM, the First Light Camera for SOFIA, at the 3-m Shane Telescope at Lick Observatory. FLITECAM is a new 1-5 micron camera with an 8 arcmin field of view. Custom narrow band filters were developed to detect absorption features of water vapor (at 1.495 microns) and methane (at 1.66 microns) characteristic of brown dwarfs. These filters enable spectral classification of stars and brown dwarfs without spectroscopy. FLITECAM's narrow and broadband photometry was verified by examining the color-color and color-magnitude characteristics of stars whose spectral type and reddening was known from previous surveys. Using our narrow band filter photometry method, it was possible to identify an object measured with a signal-to-noise ratio of 20 or better to within +/-3 spectral class subtypes for late-type stars. With this technique, very deep images of the central region of IC348 (H ~ 20.0) have identified 18 sources as possible L or T dwarf candidates. Out of these 18, we expect that between 3 - 6 of these objects are statistically likely to be background stars, with the remainder being true low-mass members of the cluster. If confirmed as cluster members then these are very low-mass objects (~5 Mjupiter). We also describe how two additional narrow band filters can improve the contrast between M, L, and T dwarfs as well as provide a means to determine the reddening of an individual object.Comment: 43 pages, 17 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal 27 June 200

‘Kazakh Means Freedom’ - Kazakh Language Policy and National Identity Before and During the Ukraine War

This thesis examines the link between language policy and national identity in Kazakhstan, tracing the relationship between the two across history and describing how they have been affected by the Ukraine War. The Kazakh government has put considerable effort into developing a national identity for contemporary Kazakhstan, but conflicting standards of production make it difficult for a cohesive, well-defined Kazakh national identity to be put forth. Through qualitative and quantitative analyses, phenomenological critical discourse analysis, and ethnographic research, this thesis strives to alleviate existing gaps in Central Asian studies research while arguing that language policy is a lens through which researchers can study the production of national identity in post-colonial and post-Soviet states. I begin with an exploration into the historical forms of Kazakh identity and their connection to the Kazakh language before examining the impact of Soviet language and nation-building processes on the production of Kazakh national identity. I then analyze the ways that the Ukraine War, and more specifically, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, have impacted contemporary language and nation-building policies on both the political and social levels, using ethnographic research conducted in Kazakhstan in July 2023 to investigate their impact on the average person in Kazakhstan

Minority Shareholders and Cashout Mergers: The Delaware Court Offers Plaintiffs Greater Protection and a Procedural Dilemma—Weinberger v. UOP, Inc., 457 A.2d 701 (Del. 1983)

Before Weinberger, Delaware law allowed a minority shareholder, dissatisfied with a cashout merger, to seek either the sure but conservative remedy of an appraisal action or the less certain but more liberal remedy of an equitable action. The new fairness action combines allegations of unfair price and unfair dealing. However, the court appears to ground plaintiffs\u27 monetary remedies in the appraisal statute which was designed only to remedy unfair price. More important, the court requires plaintiffs to follow the technical procedures outlined in the appraisal statute. While these procedures allow sufficient time for allegations of unfair price, they would severely limit the time allowed for discovery for the more complex fair dealing allegations. Hence, plaintiffs may lose access to this new remedy because they properly followed the court\u27s instructions for seeking it. In this Note, the new combined action will be examined in order to determine how prospective claimants may avail themselves of its remedies

Alien Registration- Mclean, John T. (Milo, Piscataquis County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/8577/thumbnail.jp