Delaware Fiduciary Duty Law After QVC and Technicolor: A Unified Standard (and the End of Revlon Duties?)

This Article seeks to analyze and understand Paramount Communications, Inc. v. QVC Network, Inc. and Cede & Co. v. Technicolor, Inc. as part of a movement in Delaware fiduciary law toward a single, more unified standard, away from doctrinal fragmentation. In addition, the Article considers Delaware law leading up to QVC and Technicolor, tracing both the growing fragmentation of Delaware law in the 1980s and the growing judicial concern about fragmentation. This Article will argue that the concern over fragmentation and the desire for a unified standard were not the result of external pressures or policy concerns, but of internal judicial concerns about potential inequity, manipulability and lack of coherence in Delaware law. Finally, this Article will look at the practical significance of these new cases and the seeming trend toward a more unified conception of fiduciary law

A Time Series Analysis of Air Pollution and Preterm Birth in Pennsylvania, 1997–2001

Preterm delivery can lead to serious infant health outcomes, including death and lifelong disability. Small increases in preterm delivery risk in relation to spatial gradients of air pollution have been reported, but previous studies may have controlled inadequately for individual factors. Using a time-series analysis, which eliminates potential confounding by individual risk factors that do not change over short periods of time, we investigated the effect of ambient outdoor particulate matter with diameter ≤10 μm (PM(10)) and sulfur dioxide on risk for preterm delivery. Daily counts of preterm births were obtained from birth records in four Pennsylvania counties from 1997 through 2001. We observed increased risk for preterm delivery with exposure to average PM(10) and SO(2) in the 6 weeks before birth [respectively, relative risk (RR) = 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.98–1.18 per 50 μg/m(3) increase; RR = 1.15; 95% CI, 1.00–1. 32 per 15 ppb increase], adjusting for long-term preterm delivery trends, co-pollutants, and offsetting by the number of gestations at risk. We also examined lags up to 7 days before the birth and found an acute effect of exposure to PM(10) 2 days and 5 days before birth (respectively, RR = 1.10; 95% CI, 1.00–1.21; RR = 1.07; 95% CI, 0.98–1.18) and SO(2) 3 days before birth (RR = 1.07; 95% CI, 0.99–1.15), adjusting for covariates, including temperature, dew point temperature, and day of the week. The results from this time-series analysis, which provides evidence of an increase in preterm birth risk with exposure to PM(10) and SO(2), are consistent with prior investigations of spatial contrasts

Quantitative mineral resource assessment of undiscovered porphyry copper resources in South America

A quantitative resource assessment to be published this fall identifies and evaluates 26 tracts in South America where the geology isconsidered permissive for the occurrence of porphyry copper deposits. For each tract, information is provided on: (1) the rationale fordelineating the tract, (2) examples of important deposits in the tract, (3) the rationale for choosing the mineral deposit model used forthe assessment, (4) exploration history, and (5) expected spatial distribution of undiscovered deposits in the tract. The scale used toevaluate geologic information and define tracts is 1:1,000,000. There are about 600 million tonnes of copper in known porphyry copper deposits in South America. This study estimates there areapproximately 720 million tonnes of additional copper in undiscovered porphyry copper deposits, yielding a combined endowment ofabout 1.3 billion tonnes of copper. There are about 69 known porphyry copper deposits using the criteria adopted here to define a well-explored deposit. This study estimates that a mean of about 140 deposits remain to be found. In other words, about twice as manynew deposits might be found as have already been found. Overall, deposit densities in South America are comparable to those in therest of the world but differ in important details that are reflected in mapped distributions of deposits, metal densities, and percentagesof undiscovered deposits in each tract. The deposits in the tracts that include Chuquicamata and El Teniente are significantly larger intonnage and grade and are reported in a separate model that is more representative of their characteristics. The results of theassessment afirm that not all porphyry copper deposits in South America are located in the Andes. Geologic indications support thepresence of undiscovered deposits in Patagonia as well as the Amazon of Brazil. A preliminary 1:4,000,000 map of the 26 tracts will bedisplayed

Gastrostomy Tube Outcomes Among Surgical and Non-Surgical Services: A Retrospective Review

Background: Our objective was to evaluate differences in baseline characteristics, complications, and mortality among patients receiving a gastrostomy tube (GT) by surgical or non-surgical services. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of adult patients who underwent GT placement from 2014 to 2017 at a single institution. Using bivariate and multivariable analyses, we compared baseline characteristics, complications, and overall 30-day mortality of patients undergoing GT placement with surgical or non-surgical services. Results: Of the 1339 adults who underwent GT placement, surgical and non-surgical services performed 45% (n = 609) and 55% (n = 730) procedures, respectively. Gastrostomy tube-related complications were similar (29.6% surgical vs 28.8% non-surgical, P =.76). Thirty-day mortality was higher among non-surgical services (23.7% vs 16.5%, P =.004). On multivariable analysis, this was not significant (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.83; 1.77). Conclusion: Surgical and non-surgical service placement of GTs had equivalent GT-related mortality and complication rates

A preliminary quantitative mineral resource assessment of undiscovered porphyry copper resources in the Andes mountains of South America

Quantitative information on the probable locations and amounts of undiscovered porphyry copper resources of the world is important to international exploration managers, land-use and environmental planners, economists, and policy makers. The U.S. Geological Survey is organizing and facilitating a cooperative assessment, in collaboration with interested geological surveys and geological organizations, of the likely global distribution, quantity, and quality of selected undiscovered nonfuel mineral resources. This report on undiscovered porphyry copper deposits of the Andes Mountains was produced jointly with the geological surveys of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, and is a summary of the more extensive report (>300 pages) that will be published soon. Reports on undiscovered copper resources of other regions of the world are being prepared and will be followed by assessments of the global undiscovered resources of platinum-group minerals and potash

Potential risks of antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes in bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soils

Bioremediation represents a sustainable approach to remediating petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soils. One aspect of sustainability includes the sourcing of nutrients used to stimulate hydrocarbon-degrading microbial populations. Organic nutrients such as animal manure and sewage sludge may be perceived as more sustainable than conventional inorganic fertilizers. However, organic nutrients often contain antibiotic residues and resistant bacteria (along with resistance genes and mobile genetic elements). This is further exacerbated since antibiotic resistant bacteria may become more abundant in contaminated soils due to co-selection pressures from pollutants such as metals and hydrocarbons. We review the issues surrounding bioremediation of petroleum-hydrocarbon contaminated soils, as an example, and consider the potential human-health risks from antibiotic resistant bacteria. While awareness is coming to light, the relationship between contaminated land and antibiotic resistance remains largely under-explored. The risk of horizontal gene transfer between soil microorganisms, commensal bacteria and/or human pathogens needs to be further elucidated, and the environmental triggers for gene transfer need to be better understood. Findings of antibiotic resistance from animal manures are emerging, but even fewer bioremediation studies using sewage sludge have made any reference to antibiotic resistance. Resistance mechanisms, including those to antibiotics, have been considered by some authors to be a positive trait associated with resilience in strains intended for bioremediation. Nevertheless, recognition of the potential risks associated with antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes in contaminated soils appears to be increasing and requires further investigation. Careful selection of bacterial candidates for bioremediation possessing minimal antibiotic resistance as well as pre-treatment of organic wastes to reduce selective pressures (e.g., antibiotic residues) are suggested to prevent environmental contamination with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes

Challenging notions of gendered game play: teenagers playing `The Sims`

This paper challenges notions of gendered game playing practice implicit in much research into young women\u27s involvement with the computer gaming culture. It draws on a study of Australian teenagers playing The Sims Deluxe as part of an English curriculum unit and insights from feminist media studies to explore relationships between gender and game playing practices. Departing from a reliance on predetermined notions of &ldquo;gender&rdquo;, &ldquo;domestic space&rdquo;, and &ldquo;successful game play&rdquo;, it conceptualizes The Sims as a game in which the boundaries between gender and domestic space are disturbed. It argues that observing students\u27 constructions of gender and domestic space through the act of game play itself provides a more productive insight into the gendered dimensions of game play for educators wishing to work computer games such as The Sims into curriculum development.<br /