Promulgating Requirements for Admission to Prosecute Patent Applications

Among federal agencies, the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office is unique in its ability to require attorneys to submit to special requirements, such as passing a six hour examination, before being permitted to practice before it in patent cases. Indeed, the Supreme Court has held that an individual so admitted to practice before the PTO need not comply with state requirements otherwise applicable to those practicing law. The first part of this article discusses how this requirement came to be. It then discusses how the PTO determines whether an individual is fit to sit for the patent examination, focusing particularly on provisions contained in a bulletin mailed by its Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) to all would-be patent practitioners. It also briefly discusses rule-making requirements (and exceptions) generally applicable to federal agencies and examines the nature of the aforesaid provisions intended to affect admission to prosecute patent applications. This article concludes that the detailed provisions sent to applicants, fitting none of the rule-making exceptions, should be promulgated in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. It also concludes that, in the meantime, those provisions should not be regarded as binding on applicants to practice before the PTO in patent cases. Finally, the article contains an appendix that should be of particular interest to persons involved with software patents

Automated control of hierarchical systems using value-driven methods

An introduction is given to the Value-driven methodology, which has been successfully applied to solve a variety of difficult decision, control, and optimization problems. Many real-world decision processes (e.g., those encountered in scheduling, allocation, and command and control) involve a hierarchy of complex planning considerations. For such problems it is virtually impossible to define a fixed set of rules that will operate satisfactorily over the full range of probable contingencies. Decision Science Applications' value-driven methodology offers a systematic way of automating the intuitive, common-sense approach used by human planners. The inherent responsiveness of value-driven systems to user-controlled priorities makes them particularly suitable for semi-automated applications in which the user must remain in command of the systems operation. Three examples of the practical application of the approach in the automation of hierarchical decision processes are discussed: the TAC Brawler air-to-air combat simulation is a four-level computerized hierarchy; the autonomous underwater vehicle mission planning system is a three-level control system; and the Space Station Freedom electrical power control and scheduling system is designed as a two-level hierarchy. The methodology is compared with rule-based systems and with other more widely-known optimization techniques

Stormwater Drainage Manual 2015

This manual is a comprehensive catalog of procedures, design methods and criteria, and general background information which will enable the designer to quickly learn or review the basic principles of storm drainage design. Subjects included are precipitation and hydrological cycle, runoff and its estimation, open channels, flow in gutters and inlets, stormwater storage, storm sewer system design, computer applications for computing watershed runoff, and water quality. Included in the appendices are basics of statistical analysis, fundamentals of hydraulics, and a list of regulatory agencies and governmental bodies which may have jurisdiction over drainage projects. A chapter on green infrastructure has been added with this revision

Stormwater Drainage Manual 2008

This manual is a comprehensive catalog of procedures, design methods and criteria, and general background information which will enable the designer to quickly learn or review the basic principles of storm drainage design. Subjects included are precipitation and hydrological cycle, runoff and its estimation, open channels, flow in gutters and inlets, stormwater storage, storm sewer system design, computer applications for computing watershed runoff, and water quality. Included in the appendices are basics of statistical analysis, fundamentals of hydraulics, and a list of regulatory agencies and governmental bodies which may have jurisdiction over drainage projects

Detecting Malingering on the MMPI-2: An Examination of the Utility of Combining the Validity Scales in a Non-Compensatory Model

The MMPI-2 is the most commonly used self-report measure for the assessment of psychopathology in forensic and psychiatric disability assessments (Bacchiochi & Bagby, 2006; Bagby, Marshall, & Bacchiochi, 2005). The MMPI-2 includes a variety of validity scales designed to detect content responsive faking (e.g., faking good or faking bad) as well as content nonresponsivity (randomly responding). The present study was conducted to determine whether a combination of validity scales to detect malingering of a psychotic disorder in a non-compensatory model would be more or less effective than using only a select few of the validity scales in a compensatory model. The results supported the use of the specified validity scales (F, Fb, Fp, F – K, and FBS) in a non-compensatory model to identify correctly whether test takers faked their profiles. The results also supported the use of a smaller subset of the validity scales (Fp, F – K, and FBS) in a non-compensatory model to identify correctly whether test takers faked their profiles. The results, limitations of the current study, and future research considerations are then discussed

AN ANALYSIS OF ALBERTA\u27S FIRST NATIONS, METIS, AND INUIT SCHOOL-COMMUNITY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT PROJECT

The First Nations, Métis, and Inuit School-Community Learning Environment Project was one of the programs through which the Aboriginal Branch of Alberta Education attempted to increase the academic success rate of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students. Sixteen school jurisdictions in Alberta were asked to choose one school within their district on which to focus the resources offered by the Project. These resources included a large amount of money and print materials prepared by the Aboriginal Branch. The schools were asked to consult with the school community and area residents, including elders, to prepare strategies they believed would fulfill the goals of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit School-Community Learning Environment Project. The first goal of the Project, and the one this quantitative study examines, was to increase the number of students who obtained the acceptable standard on the Provincial Achievement Tests. The Project was initiated in the 2003-2004 school year and ended in 2004-2005. This study compares the means of the numbers of students who obtained the acceptable standard on the Provincial Achievement Tests in the two years before the Project began, 2001-2002 and 2002-2003; two years during the Project, 2003-2004 and 2004-2005; and two years after the Project ended, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. This study also compares the strategies each school used to achieve the goal of increasing the numbers of students attaining the acceptable standard on the Provincial Achievement Tests. In addition, 12 schools were purposefully quota sampled that were not part of the Project; the numbers of students who obtained the acceptable standard on the Provincial Achievement Tests in these schools were compared with the numbers of students who obtained the acceptable standard in schools that were part of the Project. Analysis of the results indicated that, generally speaking, the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit School-Community Learning Environment Project resulted in only nominal improvements in increasing the academic success of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students attending schools that took part in the Project