Key to the terrestrial slugs (Gastropoda) of Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada

Three species of terrestrial slugs (Gastropoda) are native to Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada. At least twelve additional species have been accidentally introduced from Europe. Many of the introduced species are now widespread throughout the region; some are commonly found in natural forested habitats. Because of the complexity of the systematics of some of the introduced species, dissection of internal anatomical structures and DNA and other biochemical analyses may be required to distinguish cryptic species. Although this key to the terrestrial slugs of the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada was developed in 1973, it remains the best tool in identifying the terrestrial slug species of the region. Because it was published in a relatively obscure journal that is not readily available, we are placing it on this web site where it can be readily accessed.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Phenalene-phosphazene complexes: effect of exocyclic charge densities on the cyclotriphosphazene ring system

The synthesis and properties of a new series of 1,9-diamino-substituted phenalene complexes of the cyclotriphosphazene ring system is described. One of the compounds is shown to be amphoteric, and this behavior allows an examination of the response of the phosphazene linkage to variations in exocyclic charge density at the spiro center in a plane perpendicular to the cyclotriphosphazene ring system. ^(31)P NMR spectroscopy indicates that substituent lone pairs with this orientation are not effective in long-range delocalization within the phosphazene linkage (in accord with our theoretical model of spiro delocalization). An X-ray crystal structure of one compound (7) identifies the presence of clathrated molecules of chloroform together with doubly hydrogen-bonded pairs of the phenalene-phosphazene complexes in the lattice. Crystal data for 7 (C_(13)H_8Cl_4N_5P_3•CHCl_3): monoclinic space group P2_1/c, a = 12.401 (4) Å, b = 28.404 (6) Å, c = 12.962 (3) Å, β = 91.76 (2)°, V = 4564 (2) Å^3, Z = 8, R = 0.050 for 4525 reflections

Decentralized provenance-aware publishing with nanopublications

Publication and archival of scientific results is still commonly considered the responsability of classical publishing companies. Classical forms of publishing, however, which center around printed narrative articles, no longer seem well-suited in the digital age. In particular, there exist currently no efficient, reliable, and agreed-upon methods for publishing scientific datasets, which have become increasingly important for science. In this article, we propose to design scientific data publishing as a web-based bottom-up process, without top-down control of central authorities such as publishing companies. Based on a novel combination of existing concepts and technologies, we present a server network to decentrally store and archive data in the form of nanopublications, an RDF-based format to represent scientific data. We show how this approach allows researchers to publish, retrieve, verify, and recombine datasets of nanopublications in a reliable and trustworthy manner, and we argue that this architecture could be used as a low-level data publication layer to serve the Semantic Web in general. Our evaluation of the current network shows that this system is efficient and reliable

Utilizing Service Learning in the Analytical Chemistry Classroom

Service learning has been incorporated into the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory to give students a real world sampling experience including both soil and water, alongside professionals in their fields. Analysis of the soil and water includes metals, suspended solids, phosphorus and nitrogen containing compounds requiring knowledge of several different instrumental and wet chemical techniques. Most educational experiences do not afford students the chance to see the real world applications of their classroom knowledge, but with the service learning aspects this deficiency has been resolved. In the soil experience, students provide homeowners from the Highland Park and South Wedge neighbors with lead analysis of their soil as well as written reports of those levels and information on removing or working with lead contaminated soil. For the water project, students are providing baseline analysis of nutrients and metals found in Buckland Creek for the Department of Environmental Services, Division of Pure Waters, which studies the effects of industrial expansion and human activity on water quality in Rochester. The analytical chemistry students further their experience in an advanced analytical chemistry course the following year by performing further analysis on the soil and water, but on a more independent level. They use their previous learned skills to gather water after rainfall and perform analysis back in the laboratory with no structured guidance. The class is also expanding to include a plant biology section, where students will test the affects on growth and safety of plants grown in leaded soil. This experiment will allow students to provide proof to homeowners as to which plants are healthy to eat and which can be used for phytoremediation. In addition to feeling like active contributors to the community, the students and homeowners have been interviewed and photographed for an article detailing lead contamination issues

Field desorption ion source development for neutron generators

A new approach to deuterium ion sources for deuterium-tritium neutron generators is being developed. The source is based upon the field desorption of deuterium from the surfaces of metal tips. Field desorption studies of microfabricated field emitter tip arrays have been conducted for the first time. Maximum fields of 30 V/nm have been applied to the array tip surfaces to date, although achieving fields of 20 V/nm to possibly 25 V/nm is more typical. Both the desorption of atomic deuterium ions and the gas phase field ionization of molecular deuterium has been observed at fields of roughly 20 V/nm and 20-30 V/nm, respectively, at room temperature. The desorption of common surface adsorbates, such as hydrogen, carbon, water, and carbon monoxide is observed at fields exceeding ~10 V/nm. In vacuo heating of the arrays to temperatures of the order of 800 C can be effective in removing many of the surface contaminants observed

National Iranian Oil Co. v. Israel: France Reinterprets Its Code to Prevent “Denial of Justice,” Leaving Israel Between Iran and a Hard Place

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“The cracked pots of humanity”: Post-World War II American Literary Perspectives on Psychiatric Treatment/Containment of Mental Disorders

This thesis examines the ways in which characters in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and The Bird’s Nest, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces grapple with the concept of “madness” on individual and societal levels. Each of these Post-World War II novels question whether “madness” is a social construct. Is the person mad, or is society? These three novels, written in an era when inpatient psychiatric care was losing its prominence as a method for treating those deemed insane, reflect the growing trend of deinstitutionalization in the 1950s and 60s, which was most fully realized as a movement in the 1980s and 90s. Infused within the works of Jackson, Kesey, and Toole are also sub-layers of perceptions of “madness.” Relational disconnections – especially those between parents and their children and among significant others – create seeming disruptions in the characters’ perceptions of reality and sanity (and the inverses of each). Also, differences in perceptions of gender and sexuality are prevalent throughout each novel, illustrating the power that hegemonic order has in defining and confining those who do not conform. Thirdly, socioeconomic status and race play vital roles in determining who gets trapped by what Kesey terms “the Combine” and who controls it, or at least thinks they control it. Finally, the uniting element of humor in each work demonstrates the importance of laughter in overcoming the repressive ideologies which seek to entrap the “mad.” Despite the humor contained in these works, serious elements pervade as each novel ends with an “escape” – or, at least an attempt at such. However, for the real-life men and women who were either institutionalized or communally ostracized for their differences, there could never truly be an escape from the repressive confines of the society that labeled them as “mad” and, therefore, “other.

A Management System Approach to Operational Excellence in the Energy Industry

Chevron, an international integrated energy corporation has installed the Operational Excellence Management System (OEMS) to achieve world-class performance in environmental, health, safety, efficiency, and reliability concerns. This management system is fully described in this research. It shares many attributes with the international standard for environmental management systems known as ISO 14001, although the OEMS is designed to include concerns in safety, health efficiency and reliability, in addition to environmental issues. This research investigates the comparability of the OEMS to the international standard. Through direct comparison of requirements of the standard to features of the OEMS it is determined that the OEMS compares favorably with most requirements of the standard. A few areas are identified where improvements to the system would clarify alignment with the standard. Several Chevron business units have had experience with deploying the ISO 14001 system and the OEMS. Leaders in these businesses were interviewed to assess their opinions of the comparability of the systems. In general, each leader felt the OEMS was quite comparable to the ISO 14001 standard and exceeded its requirements in areas. The research also investigates the management system approaches employed by other international integrated energy companies as they are described in their external websites and compares them to the Chevron approach. One company, ExxonMobil, has extensive documentation on their Operations Integrity Management System available on their external website. A comparison of the OEMS with the ExxonMobil system is also included. The ExxonMobil system has been maintained over several years, an external attestation to its conformance to the international standard. The high degree of comparability between the ExxonMobil system and the OEMS indicates that the OEMS could qualify as an ISO 14001 compliant management system