Prosecuting Dark Net Drug Marketplace Operators Under the Federal Crack House Statute

Over 70,000 Americans died as the result of a drug overdose in 2017, a record year following a record year. Amidst this crisis, the popularity of drug marketplaces on what has been called the “dark net” has exploded. Illicit substances are sold freely on such marketplaces, and the anonymity these marketplaces provide has proved troublesome for law enforcement. Law enforcement has responded by taking down several of these marketplaces and prosecuting their creators, such as Ross Ulbricht of the former Silk Road. Prosecutors have typically leveled conspiracy charges against the operators of these marketplaces—in Ulbricht’s case, alleging a single drug conspiracy comprising Ulbricht and the thousands of vendors on the Silk Road. This Note argues that the conspiracy to distribute narcotics charge is a poor conceptual fit for the behavior of operators of typical dark net drug marketplaces, and that the federal “crack house” statute provides a better charge. Though charging these operators under the crack house statute would be a novel approach, justice is best served when the crime accurately describes the behavior, as the crack house statute does in proscribing what dark net drug marketplace operators like Ulbricht do

HPC4Mobilty w/ UCB

The purpose of this project is to examine the energy impact of urban-scale traffic for the Los Angeles Basin by developing and implementing a scalable traffic assignment model. An energy optimization function will be posed and when integrated into the optimization code for travel assignment it can be mathematically proven to converge. The energy optimization function can then be compared to the typical travel time optimization that is traditionally used in traffic assignment models. The analysis will begin with static traffic assignment models with the routing for all origin and destinations computed in parallel on high performance computing facilities. Convergence of the numerical methods rely on the solution of convex programs (or extensions of these). This step will mostly consist of demonstrating the ability to parallelize the Frank Wolfe algorithm on various platforms. This work will contribute to LBNL’s efforts to develop new processes, analytical tools, program designs, and business models to advance the state of the art in next-generation sustainable transportation solutions

Technique for abrasive cutting of thick-film conductors for hybrid circuits

Abrasive jet technique, producing prototype conductor networks for thick-film hybrid microcircuits, does not require screening and fixing procedures. Pantograph engraver is used to perform abrasive cutting of the conductor network

Flight-measured inlet pressure transients accompanying engine compressor surges on the F-111A airplane

Two-F-111A airplanes were subjected to conditions that caused engine compressor surges and accompanying duct hammershock pressure transients. Flight speed ranged from Mach 0.71 to Mach 2.23, and altitude varied from approximately 3200 meters to 14,500 meters. A wide range of compressor pressure ratios was covered. Stabilized free-stream, engine, and duct conditions were established before each compressor surge. Dynamic pressure instrumentation at the compressor face and in the duct recorded the pressure transients associated with the surges. Hammershock pressures were analyzed with respect to the stabilized conditions preceding the compressor surges. The hammershock transients caused large pressure rises at the compressor face and in the duct. Hammershock pressure ratios at the compressor face were not affected by free-stream Mach number or altitude but were functions of engine variables, such as compressor pressure ratio. The maximum hammershock pressure ratio of approximately 1.83 occurred at a compressor pressure ratio of approximately 21.7

The Yarkovsky Drift's Influence on NEAs: Trends and Predictions with NEOWISE Measurements

We used WISE-derived geometric albedos (p_V) and diameters, as well as geometric albedos and diameters from the literature, to produce more accurate diurnal Yarkovsky drift predictions for 540 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) out of the current sample of \sim 8,800 known objects. As ten of the twelve objects with the fastest predicted rates have observed arcs of less than a decade, we list upcoming apparitions of these NEAs to facilitate observations.Comment: Accepted for publication by The Astronomical Journal. 41 pages, 3 figure

Exploratory wind tunnel tests of a shock-swallowing air data sensor at a Mach number of approximately 1.83

The test probe was designed to measure free-stream Mach number and could be incorporated into a conventional airspeed nose boom installation. Tests were conducted in the Langley 4-by 4-foot supersonic pressure tunnel with an approximate angle of attack test range of -5 deg to 15 deg and an approximate angle of sideslip test range of + or - 4 deg. The probe incorporated a variable exit area which permitted internal flow. The internal flow caused the bow shock to be swallowed. Mach number was determined with a small axially movable internal total pressure tube and a series of fixed internal static pressure orifices. Mach number error was at a minimum when the total pressure tube was close to the probe tip. For four of the five tips tested, the Mach number error derived by averaging two static pressures measured at horizontally opposed positions near the probe entrance were least sensitive to angle of attack changes. The same orifices were also used to derive parameters that gave indications of flow direction

Stennis Space Center (SSC) B-1 Test Facility Liquid Hydrogen Run Tank Vacuum Anomaly and Repair

No abstract availabl