When Stuff Becomes Art: The Protection of Contemporary Art Through the Elimination of VARA’s Public-Presentation Exception

The Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA) grants an artist the broad power to “prevent any intentional distortion, mutilation, or other modification of the work which would be prejudicial to [the artist’s] honor or reputation.” This right is significantly circumscribed, however, by VARA’s public-presentation exception, which states that a modification “which is the result . . . of the public presentation, including lighting and placement, of the work is not a destruction, distortion, mutilation, or other modification” that would otherwise violate VARA. This Note argues that the public-presentation exception is injudicious in light of the rise of the contemporary art movement. Much more than artists of earlier movements, contemporary artists rely on precise arrangement of elements and engagement with the physical space surrounding these elements in the creation of a work of art. Yet it is control over those critical contextual elements, arguably the most critical element of a contemporary work, that VARA explicitly denies to the contemporary artist. The public-presentation exception threatens more than just the personal interests of artists—a greater societal interest in preserving authentic cultural heritage for future generations is continually undermined as long as the public-presentation exception remains codified in VARA. Lasting protection of the integrity of works of contemporary art thus requires the elimination of the public-presentation exception

Measurements of the neutron electric to magnetic form factor ratio G_(En)/G_(Mn) via the ^2H(e, e'n)^1H reaction to Q^2 = 1.45 (GeV/c)^2

We report values for the neutron electric tomagnetic form factor ratio,G_(En)/G_(Mn), deduced frommeasurements of the neutron’s recoil polarization in the quasielastic ^2H(e, e'n)^1H reaction, at three Q^2 values of 0.45, 1.13, and 1.45 (GeV/c)^2. The data at Q^2 = 1.13 and 1.45 (GeV/c)^2 are the first direct experimental measurements of G_(En) employing polarization degrees of freedom in the Q^2 > 1 (GeV/c)^2 region and stand as the most precise determinations of G_(En) for all values of Q^2

The Super Bigbite Project: a Study of Nucleon Form Factors

A proposed set of instrumentation, collectively referred to as the Super Bigbite project, is presented. Used in three different configurations it will allow measurements of three nucleon electromagnetic form factors GEn, GEp, and GMn with unprecedented precision to Q2-values up to three times higher than existing data

An overview of neV probes of PeV scale physics --- and of what's in between

Low-energy experiments which would identify departures from the Standard Model (SM) rely either on the unexpected observation of symmetry breaking, such as of CP or B, or on an observed significant deviation from a precise SM prediction. We discuss examples of each search strategy, and show that low-energy experiments can open windows on physics far beyond accessible collider energies. We consider how the use of a frequentist analysis framework can redress the impact of theoretical uncertainties in such searches --- and how lattice QCD can help control them.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, prepared for the proceedings of MENU 2013, the 13th International Conference on Meson-Nucleon Physics and the Structure of the Nucleon, Rome, Sept. 30 - Oct. 4, 201

Repurposing human α-defensin 6, an antimicrobial peptide, as a beta amyloid inhibitor

Amyloid aggregation and microbial infection have been identified as the two main pathological risk factors that can result in amyloid diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), type II diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. These two risk factors have been well studied separately, however only targeting one of these risk factors has shown to not be successful in preclinical trials since amyloid diseases are multifactorial. In this study, a new approach has been proposed to determine the effects of an antimicrobial and anti-amyloid aggregation approach by looking at the inhibition abilities of a heterocomplex of human α-defensin 6 (HD-6), whose secondary structure is rich in β-sheets, with beta amyloid (Aβ, associated with AD). Experimental results from thioflavin T assays, circular dichroism spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and cell and bacteria assays demonstrate that HD-6 could (1) prevent the aggregation and misfolding of amyloid peptides, (2) reduce cell toxicity due to amyloid peptides, and (3) retain its antimicrobial function after forming these heterocomplexes. Therefore, this study provides a new approach of repurposing an antimicrobial peptide as an amyloid inhibitor by blocking two interlinked pathological pathways and thus taking advantage of the dual functions of antimicrobial peptides to combat both amyloid aggregation and microbial infection

Precision Measurement Of The Neutron's Beta Asymmetry Using Ultra-Cold Neutrons

A measurement of A_β, the correlation between the electron momentum and neutron (n) spin (the beta asymmetry) in n beta-decay, together with the n lifetime, provides a method for extracting fundamental parameters for the charged-current weak interaction of the nucleon. In particular when combined with decay measurements, one can extract the V_(ud) element of the CKM matrix, a critical element in CKM unitarity tests. By using a new SD_2 super-thermal source at LANSCE, large fluxes of UCN (ultra-cold neutrons) are expected for the UCNA project. These UCN will be 100% polarized using a 7 T magnetic field, and directed into the β spectrometer. This approach, together with an expected large reduction in backgrounds, will result in an order of magnitude reduction in the critical systematic corrections associated with current n β-asymmetry measurements. This paper will give an overview of the UCNA Aβ measurement as well as an update on the status of the experiment

Language Development and Behavior Problems in Young Preschool Children: Relationship to Teacher and Parent Ratings of Behavior Problems.

This study analyzed the relationship between young children’s language development and behavior problem ratings from their teachers and parents. It examined this relation to determine to what extent children’s language delays are associated with clinically significant levels of behavior problems, the degree to which the level of language delay is related to behavior problem ratings by both teachers and parents, and the degree of correlation between teachers’ and parents’ ratings of behavior. Participants were teachers and parents of children between two to five years of age in Washington County early intervention classrooms. Parents and teachers of the children returned Informed Consent Documents and were asked to complete the appropriate version of the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1 ½ to 5 (CBCL 1 ½ -5) about their student or child (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000). A measure of language development from the Battelle Developmental Inventory was obtained from the child’s existing language assessment data in his or her school record (Newborg, Stock,Wnek,Guidubaldi, & Svinicki, 1984). The expressive and receptive language age equivalent score from the Commjunication sub-test of the Battelle Developmental Inventory was analyzed for each child (Newborg, Stock,Wnek,Guidubaldi, & Svinicki, 1984). Low negative correlations were found between the Total Behavior Problem score and Receptive Language, as well as between Total External Behavior Problem score and Receptive Language. Teachers and parents showed moderate to high agreement on child behavior ratings. Implications for understanding the reciprocal role of language and behavior development and for future research were discussed