The Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1984: An Unconstitutional Vesting of Subject Matter Jurisdiction

This Comment examines Congress\u27 recent enactment of the Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1984, which removed the trial of a debtor who is also a defendant in a tort action to the federal district court from the state court in which the case is pending. The author uses the example of asbestosis litigation as a backdrop for their analysis. The author concludes that certain portions of the Act unconstitutionally expand federal subject matter jurisdiction in the bankruptcy context

Physically-based image editing on mobile devices

The increasing processing power of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, along with the touch and gesture-based user interaction they provide, make them very interesting platforms for exploring brand-new image editing tools with natural interfaces. We present two different applications that rely heavily on fluid dynamics solvers for simulating image formation. The first one allows the user to add liquid to a virtual lens. Then refraction of light through the modified optical system is calculated, obtaining interesting creative distortions from the source image. The second tool simulates the wet plate collodion process, the first mainstream photographic technique, very popular on the 19th century. In this application, the user starts mixing the chemicals for the collodion film, which is created by spreading the liquid over a plate. This plate is then exposed and developed for obtaining an accurate depiction of the final image. All the calculations are based on real measured data, ensuring a close match with the real process. These example applications make full use of the available resources, providing instant feedback for an organic and engaging user experience

Reducing Obesity Risks During Childhood: The Role of Public and Private Health Insurance

In a widely publicized decision issued in 2004, the United States Department of Health and Human Services removed language from the Medicare Coverage Issues Manual which stated that obesity is not an illness, a pronouncement that paves the way for Medicare coverage of evidence-based obesity treatments. This determination by HHS also has important implications for public and private insurance coverage of health care services and interventions that have the potential to reduce the risk of lifelong obesity in children. This Report assesses the implications of the 2004 HHS obesity ruling into the context of public and private health insurance for children. It begins with an overview of what is known about obesity risk in childhood, as well as its short-term and long-term health consequences and then reviews the evidence of effective health interventions for children at risk. The Report then considers the implications of the 2004 decision for private health insurance coverage for children, followed by a more extended discussion of its implications for children covered under Medicaid and the State Children\u27s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The Report concludes with a discussion of strategies for engaging both public and private insurers in a systematic effort to increase investment in preventive health services for children at risk of obesity

Professionalism and the Millbank Tendency: The Political Sociology of New Labour's employees

This article analyses party employees, one of the most under-researched subjects in the study of British political parties. We draw on a blend of quantitative and qualitative data in order to shed light on the social and political profiles of Labour Party staff, and on the question of their professionalisation. The latter theme is developed through a model derived from the sociology of professions. While a relatively limited proportion of party employees conform to the pure ideal-type of professionalism, a considerably greater number manifest enough of the core characteristics of specialisation, commitment, mobility, autonomy and self-regulation to be reasonably described as 'professionals in pursuit of political outcomes'

Cultivating Forgiveness and Compassion Through a Mindfulness-based Program for Teachers: Results from Two Field Interventions

The aim of this research was to determine if a mindfulness-training (MT) program for teachers cultivated habits of mind (e.g., mindfulness, emotion regulation, compassion and forgiveness) conducive to effective teaching. Data were gathered in two randomized control trials. Results from pre- to post-test and follow-up showed that MT was associated with increases in mindfulness, efficacy for regulating emotion on the job, and the tendency to forgive others. Linguistic analyses revealed that teachers who underwent MT expressed more positive affect when discussing their most challenging student than those in the waitlist control group. Results warrant further investigation using behavioral-, observational-, and third-person measures of these habits of mind in the target individual

Cultivating Forgiveness and Compassion Through a Mindfulness-based Program for Teachers: Results from Two Field Interventions

The aim of this research was to determine if a mindfulness-training (MT) program for teachers cultivated habits of mind (e.g., mindfulness, emotion regulation, compassion and forgiveness) conducive to effective teaching. Data were gathered in two randomized control trials. Results from pre- to post-test and follow-up showed that MT was associated with increases in mindfulness, efficacy for regulating emotion on the job, and the tendency to forgive others. Linguistic analyses revealed that teachers who underwent MT expressed more positive affect when discussing their most challenging student than those in the waitlist control group. Results warrant further investigation using behavioral-, observational-, and third-person measures of these habits of mind in the target individual

Modelling of Multi-Agent Systems: Experiences with Membrane Computing and Future Challenges

Formal modelling of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) is a challenging task due to high complexity, interaction, parallelism and continuous change of roles and organisation between agents. In this paper we record our research experience on formal modelling of MAS. We review our research throughout the last decade, by describing the problems we have encountered and the decisions we have made towards resolving them and providing solutions. Much of this work involved membrane computing and classes of P Systems, such as Tissue and Population P Systems, targeted to the modelling of MAS whose dynamic structure is a prominent characteristic. More particularly, social insects (such as colonies of ants, bees, etc.), biology inspired swarms and systems with emergent behaviour are indicative examples for which we developed formal MAS models. Here, we aim to review our work and disseminate our findings to fellow researchers who might face similar challenges and, furthermore, to discuss important issues for advancing research on the application of membrane computing in MAS modelling.Comment: In Proceedings AMCA-POP 2010, arXiv:1008.314

Gridded and direct Epoch of Reionisation bispectrum estimates using the Murchison Widefield Array

We apply two methods to estimate the 21~cm bispectrum from data taken within the Epoch of Reionisation (EoR) project of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). Using data acquired with the Phase II compact array allows a direct bispectrum estimate to be undertaken on the multiple redundantly-spaced triangles of antenna tiles, as well as an estimate based on data gridded to the $uv$-plane. The direct and gridded bispectrum estimators are applied to 21 hours of high-band (167--197~MHz; $z$=6.2--7.5) data from the 2016 and 2017 observing seasons. Analytic predictions for the bispectrum bias and variance for point source foregrounds are derived. We compare the output of these approaches, the foreground contribution to the signal, and future prospects for measuring the bispectra with redundant and non-redundant arrays. We find that some triangle configurations yield bispectrum estimates that are consistent with the expected noise level after 10 hours, while equilateral configurations are strongly foreground-dominated. Careful choice of triangle configurations may be made to reduce foreground bias that hinders power spectrum estimators, and the 21~cm bispectrum may be accessible in less time than the 21~cm power spectrum for some wave modes, with detections in hundreds of hours.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in PAS