My Ears Hear More Than English: Granting Multilingual Jurors Accommodations and Treating Multilingualism as a Common Type of Juror Expertise

To find an example of court-sanctioned discrimination against Spanish-speaking prospective jurors, one need not look further than the 2011 U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit decision in United States v. Cabrera-Beltran. Three multilingual jurors were struck for cause during voir dire for not agreeing to ignore all Spanish-language evidence that would be presented at trial and adhere solely to the English-language interpretation, even if they detected errors in the interpretation. Although these jurors could have been accommodated, the court upheld the decision to strike them. In other cases, jurors with other types of expertise typically have not been asked to abandon their expertise during a trial, nor have they been subject to for-cause challenges on the basis of their skills. This Note argues that multilingual jurors should be provided appropriate accommodations for their linguistic skills, and that they, like other expert jurors, should typically not be subject to for-cause challenges because they possess particular skills

Transient and steady-state photoconductivity of a solid C60 film

Journal ArticleWe report the experimental results of the subnanosecond time-resolved transient photoconductivity (PC) of solid C60 film at various photon energies, and the spectral response of the steady-state PC in the energy range between 1.5 and 4.5 eV. The initial fast transient PC response decays exponentially in the subnanosecond time regime, followed by a weak slower component. Decay time at ħω>=2.0 eV is longer than that at ħω=2.6 and 2.9 eV. At ħω=2.0 eV, transient PC peak shows a superlinear intensity dependence, suggesting carrier generation via exciton-exciton collision ionization, consistent with the recent results of fast photoinduced absorption. However, the linear intensity dependence of the transient PC at ħω=2.6 and 2.9 eV and a sharp increase of the transient and steady-state PC response at ħω>=2.3 eV indicate direct photogeneration of free electrons and holes at ħω> 2.3 eV

Advanced Ceramics for Use as Fuel Element Materials in Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Systems

With the recent start (October 2011) of the joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Nuclear Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (NCPS) Program, there is renewed interest in developing advanced ceramics for use as fuel element materials in nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) systems. Three classes of fuel element materials are being considered under the NCPS Program: (a) graphite composites - consisting of coated graphite elements containing uranium carbide (or mixed carbide), (b) cermets (ceramic/metallic composites) - consisting of refractory metal elements containing uranium oxide, and (c) advanced carbides consisting of ceramic elements fabricated from uranium carbide and one or more refractory metal carbides [1]. The current development effort aims to advance the technology originally developed and demonstrated under Project Rover (1955-1973) for the NERVA (Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application) [2]

Pure power

Manfaatkan kekuatan tertinggi Anda untuk melakukan pemberdayaan diri terbesar. James Lee Valentine memiliki gairah akan kehidupan yang tak terpuaskan. Dalam buku PURE POWER yang lugas dan mamberdayakan ini, ia berbagi pada Anda suatu formula yang sudah pasti dapat mengubah diri Anda secara positif dan membuat Anda menjadi lebih berdaya dalam menghadapi kehidupan! Melalui penuaian kekuatan tertinggi Anda, Anda dapat merancang kehidupan untuk meraih kesuksesan total. Kesehatan, kekayaan, kebijakan, dan kebahagiaan yang fenomenal... semua dapat benar-benar Anda miliki. PURE POWER adalah panduan menyeluruh untuk mencapai segala yang paling Anda inginkan dalam hidup Anda dengan sukses. Anda akan menjadi termotivasi dan terinspirasi dengan keyakinan diri penulis, yang menjadi warna buku ini

Intrinsic Variability of GM Density Maps and its Implications to VBM Studies

Voxel Based Morphometry (VBM) has been gaining popularity as an unbiased objective neuroimaging technique for identifying structural changes in the brain. VBM involves a voxel-wise comparison of the local concentration of gray matter (GM) in whole brain MRI scans. Although it was originally devised to examine structural abnormalities in patients, the technique has also been used successfully with healthy subjects. Recent VBM studies have investigated the impact of learning and practice on brain structure. Unlike certain medical conditions that may cause dramatic structural changes, effects observed in healthy subjects are expected to be small, therefore imposing stringent requirements on the sensitivity of the technique. The success of such studies depends on high quality imaging and subsequent accurate segmentation of GM. Segmentation results are inevitably affected by the presence of other tissues with similar intensity (dura matter, large blood vessels etc.), imaging artifacts (blood flow and eye movement, susceptibility artifacts etc.). Since these factors are non-homogeneous throughout the brain, segmentation is highly reproducible in some areas of cortex while it is less reliable in other areas. This non-homogeneity makes VBM sensitivity selective to areas where segmentation happens to be more robust. We studied the intrinsic variability of GM density maps derived from scans obtained under identical conditions, i.e. the same subject, scanner and protocol. The data was acquired on GE Signa 1.5, (SPGR) and Philips Achieva 3T (MPRAGE) scanners. A distinction should be made between variability observed among scans acquired within the same session and that observed for different sessions, since the latter will also be affected by such factors as different head positioning and the somewhat altered state of both the subject and the scanner. The figure summarizes within-session variability of GM density maps observed using the GE Signa. Six SPGR scans were obtained in each of four subjects in one session, and the scan sessions were repeated nine weeks later as a part of longitudinal VBM study. Variability for one subject/session was estimated by computing the standard deviation of six GM density maps obtained using SPM5 unified segmentation/normalization framework and VBM5 toolkit. These were normalized by applying a transformation estimated as follows: all six scans were coregistered and averaged to obtain a low noise structural image volume and a single normalization transformation was estimated from it. Eight variability maps in standard (MNI) space corresponding to session/subject pairs were averaged to produce a map shown in the Figure. The color coded variability map is superimposed onto the GM probability density map (only the right hemisphere is shown in the figure). We will present the findings of within and between session variability analyses derived from our data and from data obtained in other laboratories, and discuss implications and methodological considerations for planning and interpreting VBM studies of GM density. Preliminary results indicate that although different scanners and protocols produce varying patterns of GM variability maps, certain areas (e.g. tip of the temporal lobe) may consistently show increased variability

Facile O-atom insertion into C-C and C-H bonds by a trinuclear copper complex designed to harness a singlet oxene

Two trinuclear copper [CuICuICuI(L)]1+ complexes have been prepared with the multidentate ligands (L) 3,3'-(1,4-diazepane-1,4-diyl)bis(1-((2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)(methyl)amino)propan-2-ol) (7-Me) and (3,3'-(1,4-diazepane-1,4-diyl)bis(1-((2-(diethylamino) ethyl)(ethyl) amino)propan-2-ol) (7-Et) as models for the active site of the particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO). The ligands were designed to form the proper spatial and electronic geometry to harness a "singlet oxene," according to the mechanism previously suggested by our laboratory. Consistent with the design strategy, both [CuICuICuI(L)]1+ reacted with dioxygen to form a putative bis(µ3-oxo)CuIICuIICuIII species, capable of facile O-atom insertion across the central C-C bond of benzil and 2,3-butanedione at ambient temperature and pressure. These complexes also catalyze facile O-atom transfer to the C-H bond of CH3CN to form glycolonitrile. These results, together with our recent biochemical studies on pMMO, provide support for our hypothesis that the hydroxylation site of pMMO contains a trinuclear copper cluster that mediates C-H bond activation by a singlet oxene mechanism

Long-term survival in lung transplant recipients after successful preoperative coronary revascularization

ObjectiveCoronary artery disease is considered a contraindication to lung transplantation. We studied effect of pre-lung transplantation nonobstructive coronary artery disease and revascularized coronary artery disease on long-term lung transplant survival.MethodsClinical courses of 172 lung transplant recipients from December 1990 to May 2003 were reviewed. Significant coronary artery disease, defined as left main stenosis of greater than 50% or other epicardial vessel stenosis of greater than 70%, was present in 7 patients; 6 received percutaneous coronary intervention and 1 received coronary artery bypass grafting before transplantation.ResultsGroups were similar with regard to sex, race, or length of intensive care days. The group with normal coronary arteries was significantly younger than the groups with coronary artery disease. The revascularized group had a significant increase in dysrhythmias (P < .003) and 1-, 3-, and 5-year survivals of 85%, 85%, and 69%, respectively. Those with insignificant coronary artery disease (14 patients) demonstrated a 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival of 64%, 40%, and 32%, respectively. The normal coronary group (151 patients) had a 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival of 75%, 58%, and 40%, respectively. The revascularized group had a significant survival advantage compared with that of the insignificant coronary artery disease group (P < .04, log-rank test).ConclusionLong-term survival of lung transplant recipients with revascularized coronary arteries is similar to that of subjects with normal coronary arteries, despite an increased incidence of dysrhythmias. Lung transplant recipients with insignificant coronary artery disease had a worse survival than the revascularized group. More studies are needed to ascertain the cause and determine the optimal management for lung transplant recipients with insignificant coronary artery disease

Time-of-flight imaging of invisibility cloaks

As invisibility cloaking has recently become experimental reality, it is interesting to explore ways to reveal remaining imperfections. In essence, the idea of most invisibility cloaks is to recover the optical path lengths without an object (to be made invisible) by a suitable arrangement around that object. Optical path length is proportional to the time of flight of a light ray or to the optical phase accumulated by a light wave. Thus, time-of-flight images provide a direct and intuitive tool for probing imperfections. Indeed, recent phase-sensitive experiments on the carpet cloak have already made early steps in this direction. In the macroscopic world, time-of-flight images could be measured directly by light detection and ranging (LIDAR). Here, we show calculated time-of-flight images of the conformal Gaussian carpet cloak, the conformal grating cloak, the cylindrical free-space cloak, and of the invisible sphere. All results are obtained by using a ray-velocity equation of motion derived from Fermat's principle.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, journal pape

Overview of C/C-SiC Composite Development for the Orion Launch Abort System

Past and present efforts by the authors to further understanding of the ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material used in the valve components of the Orion Launch Abort System (LAS) Attitude Control Motor (ACM) will be presented. The LAS is designed to quickly lift the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) away from its launch vehicle in emergency abort scenarios. The ACM is a solid rocket motor which utilizes eight throttleable nozzles to maintain proper orientation of the CEV during abort operations. Launch abort systems have not been available for use by NASA on manned launches since the last Apollo ]Saturn launch in 1975. The CMC material, carbon-carbon/silicon-carbide (C/C-SiC), is manufactured by Fiber Materials, Inc. and consists of a rigid 4-directional carbon-fiber tow weave reinforced with a mixed carbon plus SiC matrix. Several valve and full system (8-valve) static motor tests have been conducted by the motor vendor. The culmination of these tests was the successful flight test of the Orion LAS Pad Abort One (PA ]1) vehicle on May 6, 2010. Due to the fast pace of the LAS development program, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center assisted the LAS community by performing a series of material and component evaluations using fired hardware from valve and full ]system development motor tests, and from the PA-1 flight ACM motor. Information will be presented on the structure of the C/C-SiC material, as well as the efficacy of various non ]destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques, including but not limited to: radiography, computed tomography, nanofocus computed tomography, and X-ray transmission microscopy. Examinations of the microstructure of the material via scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy will also be discussed. The findings resulting from the subject effort are assisting the LAS Project in risk assessments and in possible modifications to the final ACM operational design

How Integrated is Integrated Reporting? From a Malaysian Perspective

The lack of coherence, transparency and accountability in traditional financial reporting, led the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) to developed Integrated Reporting (IR) in 2010. This study draws the attention towards the top 50 public listed companies listed in Malaysian Stock Exchange as per asset size, and their fulfilment towards voluntary IR disclosures. This study was also conducted to examine the organisational characteristics that foster the IR initiative. A comparison was made with ISO 26000, GRI G4 and IR framework against the annual reports. This study was qualitative and descriptive in nature. The findings revealed that although there were traces of the fulfilment of all requirements with regard to ISO 26000, GRI and IR respectively, there were much to be done to encourage PLCs to incorporate such reporting guidelines. It was also found that, government-linked companies have greater fulfilment of these requirements