ENRICHING JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE: SEEKING TO IMPROVE THE RETENTION VOTE PHASE OF AN APPOINTIVE SELECTION SYSTEM

This article discusses the problems and potential solutions with the system of judicial appointment in the state of Nebraska. The article focuses on how improving public awareness about the existing system, its goals, and its current weaknesses, and implementing steps to address those weaknesses, will help to keep everyone moving toward the best possible system. While changing attitudes and interest in judicial retention elections is certainly not an easy task, it is only through seeking such change that reformers of an elective retention system can hope to near its potential effectiveness

Observation of small scale structure using sextupole lensing

Weak gravitational lensing seeks to determine shear by measuring induced quadrupole (elliptical) shapes in background galaxy images. Small impact parameter (a few kpc) gravitational lensing by foreground core masses between 2 10^{9} and 2 10^{12} M_\odot will additionally induce a sextupole shape with the quadrupole and sextupole minima aligned. This correlation in relative orientation of the quadrupole and sextupole provides a sensitive method to identify images which have been slightly curved by lensing events. A general theoretical framework for sextupole lensing is developed which includes several low order coefficients in a general lensing map. Tools to impute map coefficients from the galaxy images are described and applied to the north Hubble deep field. Instrumental PSFs, camera charge diffusion, and image composition methods are modelled in the coefficient determination process. Estimates of Poisson counting noise for each galaxy are used to cut galaxies with signals too small to reliably establish curvature. Curved galaxies are found to be spatially clumped, as would be expected if the curving were due to small impact parameter lensing by localized ensembles of dark matter haloes. Simulations provide an estimate of the total required lensing mass and the acceptable mass range of the constituent haloes. The overdensities and underdensities of visible galaxies and their locations in the Hubble foreground is found to be consistent with our observations and their interpretation as lensing events.Comment: 40 pages, 44 figure

Coal in Alaska requirements to enhance environmentally sound use in both domestic and Pacific Rim markets

This document originates from three meetings held in 1989 with the leaders of the Alaskan Coal Industry and coal technologists from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)~ Mineral Industry Research Laboratory (MIRL) and Geophysical Institute - University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, the Alaska Science and Technology Commission, several of the Alaska Native Corporations, and a number of coal experts from private industries. The information included is intended to illustrate the vast resource base and quality of Alaskan coals, show the projected size of the Pacific Rim steam coal market, discuss policy changes necessary to facilitate the development of an expanded coal industry, and describe the technology development needs for Alaskan coals to compete in the world market. It is aimed at increasing the general knowledge about the potential of coal in Alaska and providing data for use in marketing the resource.Prepared for the Governor and Legislators - State of Alaska under the Direction of Dr. Henry Cole, Science and Technology Advisor. Technical Editor - Dr. Warrack G. Willson, Energy and Environmental Research Center, University of North Dakota; and Mineral Industry Research Laboratory, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Co-authors - W. (Bill) Irwin, Consultant, Calgary, Alberta; Dr. John Sims, Usibelli Coal Mine Inc.; Dr. p.o. Rao, Mineral Industry Research Laboratory; and Bill Noll, Suneel Alaska Corp

PART-FARM GENERAL CROPLAND RETIREMENT: EFFECTS OF SOME ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM SPECIFICATIONS

Land Economics/Use,

Quantifying biogenic bias in screening libraries.

In lead discovery, libraries of 10(6) molecules are screened for biological activity. Given the over 10(60) drug-like molecules thought possible, such screens might never succeed. The fact that they do, even occasionally, implies a biased selection of library molecules. We have developed a method to quantify the bias in screening libraries toward biogenic molecules. With this approach, we consider what is missing from screening libraries and how they can be optimized

A mitotic kinase scaffold depleted in testicular seminomas impacts spindle orientation in germ line stem cells.

Correct orientation of the mitotic spindle in stem cells underlies organogenesis. Spindle abnormalities correlate with cancer progression in germ line-derived tumors. We discover a macromolecular complex between the scaffolding protein Gravin/AKAP12 and the mitotic kinases, Aurora A and Plk1, that is down regulated in human seminoma. Depletion of Gravin correlates with an increased mitotic index and disorganization of seminiferous tubules. Biochemical, super-resolution imaging, and enzymology approaches establish that this Gravin scaffold accumulates at the mother spindle pole during metaphase. Manipulating elements of the Gravin-Aurora A-Plk1 axis prompts mitotic delay and prevents appropriate assembly of astral microtubules to promote spindle misorientation. These pathological responses are conserved in seminiferous tubules from Gravin(-/-) mice where an overabundance of Oct3/4 positive germ line stem cells displays randomized orientation of mitotic spindles. Thus, we propose that Gravin-mediated recruitment of Aurora A and Plk1 to the mother (oldest) spindle pole contributes to the fidelity of symmetric cell division

Lensing signals in the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field using all 2nd order shape deformations

The long exposure times of the HST Ultra-Deep Field plus the use of an empirically derived position-dependent PSF, have enabled us to measure a cardioid/displacement distortion map coefficient as well as improving upon the sextupole map coefficient. We confirmed that curved background galaxies are clumped on the same angular scale as found in the HST Deep Field North. The new cardioid/displacement map coefficient is strongly correlated to a product of the sextupole and quadrupole coefficients. One would expect to see such a correlation from fits to background galaxies with quadrupole and sextupole moments. Events that depart from this correlation are expected to arise from map coefficient changes due to lensing, and several galaxy subsets selected using this criteria are indeed clumped

Management of Children With Chronic Wet Cough and Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis CHEST Guideline and Expert Panel Report

BACKGROUND: Wet or productive cough is common in children with chronic cough. We formulated recommendations based on systematic reviews related to the management of chronic wet cough in children (aged METHODS: We used the CHEST expert cough panel\u27s protocol for systematic reviews and the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) methodologic guidelines and GRADE framework (the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Data from the systematic reviews in conjunction with patients\u27 values and preferences and the clinical context were used to form recommendations. Delphi methodology was used to obtain consensus for the recommendations/suggestions made. RESULTS: Combining data from the systematic reviews, we found high-quality evidence in children aged 4 weeks\u27 duration) wet/productive cough that using appropriate antibiotics improves cough resolution, and further investigations (eg, flexible bronchoscopy, chest CT scans, immunity tests) should be undertaken when specific cough pointers (eg, digital clubbing) are present. When the wet cough does not improve following 4 weeks of antibiotic treatment, there is moderate-quality evidence that further investigations should be considered to look for an underlying disease. New recommendations include the recognition of the clinical diagnostic entity of protracted bacterial bronchitis. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the 2006 Cough Guidelines, there is now high-quality evidence for some, but not all, aspects of the management of chronic wet cough in specialist settings. However, further studies (particularly in primary health) are required