A Mission to Test the Pioneer Anomaly

Analysis of the radio tracking data from the Pioneer 10/11 spacecraft has consistently indicated the presence of an anomalous small Doppler frequency drift. The drift can be interpreted as being due to a constant acceleration of a_P= (8.74 +/- 1.33) x 10^{-8} cm/s^2 directed towards the Sun. Although it is suspected that there is a systematic origin to the effect, none has been found. The nature of this anomaly has become of growing interest in the fields of relativistic cosmology, astro- and gravitational physics as well as in the areas of spacecraft design and high-precision navigation. We present a concept for a designated deep-space mission to test the discovered anomaly. A number of critical requirements and design considerations for such a mission are outlined and addressed.Comment: Final changes for publication. Honorable Mention, 2002 Gravity Research Foundation Essay

Suppression of displacement in severely slowed saccades

Severely slowed saccades in <I>spinocerebellar ataxia</I> have previously been shown to be at least partially closed-loop in nature: their long duration means that they can be modified in-flight in response to intrasaccadic target movements. In this study, a woman with these pathologically slowed saccades could modify them in-flight in response to target movements, even when saccadic suppression of displacement prevented conscious awareness of those movements. Thus saccadic suppression of displacement is not complete, in that it provides perceptual information that is sub-threshold to consciousness but which can still be effectively utilised by the oculomotor system

Defining Disability Under the Maine Human Rights Act After Whitney v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

In Whitney v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, sitting as the Law Court, was asked to determine whether the Maine Human Rights Act (MHRA) requires plaintiffs alleging disability discrimination to show that their condition substantially limits one or more major life activities. In determining that the MHRA does not require such a showing, the court effectively established that the MHRA was intended to protect a much broader range of medical conditions than its federal counterparts, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). In so doing, the Whitney court invalidated a regulation adopted by the Maine Human Rights Commission that had been in place for nearly twenty years. The primary reasoning articulated by the majority in reaching this decision was that the statutory definition of disability within the MHRA is unambiguous and, by its own terms, includes no qualification of substantiality. Two dissents found ambiguity within the statute and called for deference to the Commission\u27s regulation. This Note considers the history of the MHRA and its construction in both state and federal courts since its promulgation. It looks to the adoption of the Maine Human Rights Commission regulation as a valid and reasonable interpretation of the MRHA and briefly explores the rationale underlying that interpretation. Additionally, it examines the rules of statutory construction practiced by Maine courts and identifies the appropriate deference granted to administrative regulations during the course of such construction. This Note concludes that the Law Court erred when it neglected to recognize the ambiguity within the MHRA\u27s definition of “disability,” and thus failed to give the proper deference to the Commission\u27s interpretation of the statute. Furthermore, this Note argues that, by declaring the regulation void on account of the overwhelming clarity of the statute, the Whitney court stripped employers, practitioners, and courts of any true guidance on what constitutes a disability under Maine law, invalidating years of precedent in the process. Finally, this Note recommends that the Maine Legislature address this lack of guidance by clarifying the statutory definition of disability under the MHRA

The Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Review of: The Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. McJimsey, George

Preparation and Characterization of Palladium Catalysts

There is a critical need for improved combustion-oxidation catalysts to reduce emissions of toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from exhaust gas of gasoline combustion in automotive vehicles. Materials and systems currently available, such as the three way catalytic converter (TWC), have low activity below 400 °C in the catalytic process. Palladium catalysts were prepared by alternative methods including: preparation by wet impregnation or incipient wetness, drying by room temperature or air-oven, and support choice between silica and alumina. These catalysts were prepared to meet the demand for low temperature oxidation. Results indicated a 5% increase in percent dispersion of metal across the support due to room temperature drying conditions, a higher surface area and crystallite size favoring alumina or silica support, a much larger monolayer uptake for alumina supported catalysts, and characteristic site strength of 600 chemisorption characterized by temperature programmed desorption (TPD)

Workshop - Amundsen Sea Embayment Tectonic and Glacial History - Programme and Abstracts

Overall Objective: Review existing data and identify priorities for future geoscience research (terrestrial, marine and airborne) in the Amundsen Sea embayment (ASE) region required to develop a better understanding of the past, present and future behaviour of this sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). Background: The ASE is the most rapidly changing sector of the WAIS and contains enough ice to raise global sea level by 1.2 m. Over the past few years considerable efforts have been made to acquire new data to improve knowledge of the geological structure, subglacial topography, continental shelf bathymetry and glacial history of this remote region. In this workshop we aim to review the current state of knowledge on the tectonic and glacial evolution of the Amundsen Sea embayment. Particular emphasis will be placed on work that will improve boundary conditions for ice sheet models (e.g. subglacial topography, shelf bathymetry, palaeotopography, heat flow and substrate types) and provide palaeo-data against which model outputs can be compared. There will also be a focus on plans and targets for future scientific drilling that will reveal the history of this sector of the WAIS and its sensitivity to major climate changes

Oil, the economy, and monetary policy

An examination of the theoretical impact of an oil shortage on the U.S. economy and the problems that such shortages present for monetary policy.Power resources - Prices ; Monetary policy

Phenology and Infestation Patterns of the Cottonwood Twig Borer (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Iowa

Cottonwood twig borer, Gypsonoma haimbachiana (Lepidoptera: Totricidae), phenology and infestation patterns on Populus spp. were examined over a 2-year period in Iowa. Weekly sampling of infested shoots during the host growing season verified the existence of five instars. Head capsule size increased nonlinearly from the first to the fifth instar and corresponded to a concomitant geometric increase in the volume of larval feeding galleries. The sampling indicated that the cottonwood twig borer had two generations per year in Iowa. Corresponding with the two generations, two peaks of larval abundance were observed; one in the second week of June and the other in the first week of August. Greater volume of feeding galleries occurred in the early season generation compared with the late season generation. Sampling of infested shoots revealed that more than 80% of infested terminals contained only one active attack (freshly bored hole in tree terminal with frass present); more than 88% of feeding galleries contained only one larva; and more than 80% of the larvae were found in the first active attack nearest the terminal apex. These data were compared with results published on the phenology and attack patterns of the cottonwood twig borer in the southern United States