Keeping Courts Afloat in a Rising Sea of Litigation: An Objective Approach to Imposing Rule 38 Sanctions for Frivolous Appeals

As their dockets swell, federal judges\u27 tolerance for attorney misconduct wears thin. More than ever, judges are willing to impose sanctions for abuses of federal court processes, including frivolous appeals. As one judge explained, [w]ith courts struggling to remain afloat in a constantly rising sea of litigation, a frivolous appeal can itself be a form of obscenity. Aside from the need to reduce caseloads, other factors underlie the courts\u27 willingness to impose sanctions for frivolous appeals. One concern is that the costs to responsible, ethical litigants increase sharply when the court system\u27s resources are diverted to meritless claims. Another motivating factor is the simple desire to insur[e] justice to the appellee. Also exacerbating courts\u27 frustrations with frivolous appeals is their realization that, as the judiciary and bar have grown, attorneys\u27 incentive to regulate themselves has weakened because it is now less likely that any attorney will have to appear regularly before the same judge

The elemental composition of the Sun II. The iron group elements Sc to Ni

We redetermine the abundances of all iron group nuclei in the Sun, based on neutral and singly-ionised lines of Sc, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni in the solar spectrum. We employ a realistic 3D hydrodynamic model solar atmosphere, corrections for departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE), stringent line selection procedures and high quality observational data. We have scoured the literature for the best quality oscillator strengths, hyperfine constants and isotopic separations available for our chosen lines. We find $\log \epsilon_\mathrm{Sc}=3.16\pm0.04$, $\log \epsilon_\mathrm{Ti}=4.93\pm0.04$, $\log \epsilon_\mathrm{V}=3.89\pm0.08$, $\log \epsilon_\mathrm{Cr}=5.62\pm0.04$, $\log \epsilon_\mathrm{Mn}=5.42\pm0.04$, $\log \epsilon_\mathrm{Fe}=7.47\pm0.04$, $\log \epsilon_\mathrm{Co}=4.93\pm0.05$ and $\log \epsilon_\mathrm{Ni}=6.20\pm0.04$. Our uncertainties factor in both statistical and systematic errors (the latter estimated for possible errors in the model atmospheres and NLTE line formation). The new abundances are generally in good agreement with the CI meteoritic abundances but with some notable exceptions. This analysis constitutes both a full exposition and a slight update of the preliminary results we presented in Asplund, Grevesse, Sauval & Scott (arXiv:0909.0948), including full line lists and details of all input data we employed.Comment: 10 figures, 24 pages + 10 online-only pages of tables. v2. Matches version accepted by A&

The elemental composition of the Sun III. The heavy elements Cu to Th

We re-evaluate the abundances of the elements in the Sun from copper ($Z=29$) to thorium ($Z=90$). Our results are mostly based on neutral and singly-ionised lines in the solar spectrum. We use the latest 3D hydrodynamic solar model atmosphere, and in a few cases also correct for departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) using non-LTE (NLTE) calculations performed in 1D. In order to minimise statistical and systematic uncertainties, we make stringent line selections, employ the highest-quality observational data and carefully assess oscillator strengths, hyperfine constants and isotopic separations available in the literature, for every line included in our analysis. Our results are typically in good agreement with the abundances in the most pristine meteorites, but there are some interesting exceptions. This analysis constitutes both a full exposition and a slight update of the relevant parts of the preliminary results we presented in Asplund, Grevesse, Sauval & Scott (arXiv:0909.0948), including full line lists and details of all input data that we have employed.Comment: 5 figures, 18 pages + 6 online-only pages of tables. v2. Matches version accepted by A&

Still flat after all these years

The Universe could be spatially flat, positively curved or negatively curved. Each option has been popular at various times, partly affected by an understanding that models tend to evolve away from flatness. The curvature of the Universe is amenable to measurement, through tests such as the determination of the angles of sufficiently large triangles. The angle subtended by the characteristic scale on the Cosmic Microwave sky provides a direct test, which has now been realised through a combination of exquisite results from a number of CMB experiments. After a long and detailed investigation, with many false clues, it seems that the mystery of the curvature of the Universe is now solved. It's an open and shut case: the Universe is flat.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, submitted to the Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition for 200

Aerodynamic drag area of cyclists determined with field-based measures

pre-printAerodynamic drag is an important factor in the performance of competitive track and road cyclists. Recently we used wind-tunnel testing to validate a practical measure of aerodynamic drag derived from a field test. We present here instructions for performing the field test on a straight flat road or in a velodrome, and we include a spreadsheet for performing the calculations