CORPORATIONS - UNORTHODOX PREFERRED STOCK PROVISIONS IN PRIORITY LITIGATION

To one who has accumulated sufficient savings to earn the position of a prospective purchaser of corporate securities there is presented an impressive and somewhat mystifying list of interests from which he may choose, advisedly or otherwise. Between orthodox common stock at one extreme and secured bonds at the other, ranges an endless variety of stocks embodying some bond characteristics, bonds bearing stock attributes, and a welter of certificates professing to be neither stocks nor bonds. Because individual sources of funds needed for industry do differ in their convictions as to relative advantages of different characteristics of securities, issuing corporations, in an effort to attract every available dollar under every imaginable market or credit condition, over a long period of time have devised the amazing spectrum of hazily distinguishable investments currently displayed to potential purchasers

Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia National Laboratories has identified technology transfer to U.S. industry as a laboratory mission which complements our national security mission and as a key component of the Laboratory's future. A number of technology transfer mechanisms - such as CRADA's, licenses, work-for-others, and consortia - are identified and specific examples are given. Sandia's experience with the Specialty Metals Processing Consortium is highlighted with a focus on the elements which have made it successful. A brief discussion of Sandia's potential interactions with NASA under the Space Exploration Initiative was included as an example of laboratory-to-NASA technology transfer. Viewgraphs are provided

Titanacyclobutanes Derived from Strained, Cyclic Olefins: A New Living Polymerization System

Reaction of precursors of "Cp2Ti=CH2" (Cp = η5-C5H5) with cyclobutene yields polybutadiene. The preparation of the titanacyclobutane 3 by the addition of 3,3-dimethylcyclopropene to "Cp2Ti=CH2" is described. When phosphines PMeR2 (R = Me, Ph) are added to 3, phosphine adducts of the isomeric α-substituted titanium-carbene compound are obtained. Reaction with AlMe2Cl affords a heterobimetallic complex. Poly(dimethylpropenamer) is produced from reaction of 3 with excess olefin. The observed reactivity is consistent with productive cleavage of the metal-containing ring in 3 to "Cp2Ti=CHC(CH3)2CHCH2." Titanacyclobutanes 7 and 11 have been prepared from the reaction of norbornene with precursors of "Cp2Ti=CH2" and with metallacycle 3, respectively. On thermolysis, both 7 and 11 produce products consistent with the intermediacy of α-substituted titanocene-carbene compounds. Thermolysis at 65°C in the presence of excess norbornene affords ring-opened polynorbornene with a cis to trans ratio of 38:62. The polymerizations are highly efficient in catalyst and yield polymers of controlled molecular weight. Polymer prepared from 11 shows polydispersities as low as 1.07 based on gel permeation chromatography versus polystyrene standards. The molecular weight distributions of polymers obtained with 7 are always broader than those obtained with 11. The kinetics of both polymerizations are zero-order in monomer with ΔG‡338 = 24 kcal/mol, ΔH‡ = 27 kcal/mol, and ΔS‡ = 9 e.u. Polymerization with 7 shows an induction period corresponding to a first-order decay of 7 with t1/2 = 80 min at 65°C, whereas the polymerization with 11 is linear throughout. Simultaneous incorporation of d2-norbornene into the polymer by all active sites confirms that this system is best described as a living polymer. The polymerization mechanism is discussed as an olefin metathesis with rate-limiting cleavage of trisubstituted titanacyclobutanes affording high energy carbene intermediates. Reaction of endo-dicyclopentadiene with "Cp2Ti=CH2" and 3 affords titanacyclobutanes 15 and 16 with exclusive addition to the bicyclic double bond. The X-ray diffraction study of 15 indicates a puckered metal-containing ring. Polymerization of endo-dicyclopentadiene occurs with cleavage of the bicyclic ring system. Preliminary results demonstrate that cyclopentene can be polymerized with 3 at high monomer concentrations. The polymerization of norbornadiene to a linear ring-opened polymer is described. Reaction of these catalysts with 1,4-epoxy-1,4-dihydronapthalene occurs at the double bond and yields oligomers. Analysis of the microstructure of polymers prepared from methyl-norbornenes indicates that the double bonds in these polymers are predominantly trans. The catalysts exhibit a moderate head-to-tail selectivity. The preferred tacticity of dyads at trans double bonds is racemic while that at cis double bonds is meso.</p

Surety of the nation`s critical infrastructures: The challenge restructuring poses to the telecommunications sector

The telecommunications sector plays a pivotal role in the system of increasingly connected and interdependent networks that make up national infrastructure. An assessment of the probable structure and function of the bit-moving industry in the twenty-first century must include issues associated with the surety of telecommunications. The term surety, as used here, means confidence in the acceptable behavior of a system in both intended and unintended circumstances. This paper outlines various engineering approaches to surety in systems, generally, and in the telecommunications infrastructure, specifically. It uses the experience and expectations of the telecommunications system of the US as an example of the global challenges. The paper examines the principal factors underlying the change to more distributed systems in this sector, assesses surety issues associated with these changes, and suggests several possible strategies for mitigation. It also studies the ramifications of what could happen if this sector became a target for those seeking to compromise a nation`s security and economic well being. Experts in this area generally agree that the U. S. telecommunications sector will eventually respond in a way that meets market demands for surety. Questions remain open, however, about confidence in the telecommunications sector and the nation`s infrastructure during unintended circumstances--such as those posed by information warfare or by cascading software failures. Resolution of these questions is complicated by the lack of clear accountability of the private and the public sectors for the surety of telecommunications

Agronomic and Economic Performance Characteristics of Conventional and Low-External-Input Cropping Systems in the Central Corn Belt

We conducted a 9-ha field experiment near Boone, IA, to test the hypothesis that yield, weed suppression, and profit characteristics of low-external-input (LEI) cropping systems can match or exceed those of conventional systems. Over a 4-yr period, we compared a conventionally managed 2-yr rotation system {corn (Zea mays L.)/soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]} with two LEI systems: a 3-yr corn/soybean/small grain + red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) rotation, and a 4-yr corn/soybean/small grain + alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)/alfalfa rotation. Synthetic N fertilizer use was 59 and 74% lower in the 3- and 4-yr systems, respectively, than in the 2-yr system; similarly, herbicide use was reduced 76 and 82% in the 3- and 4-yr systems. Corn and soybean yields were as high or higher in the LEI systems as in the conventional system, and weed biomass in corn and soybean was low (≤4.2 g m−2) in all systems. Experimentally supplemented giant foxtail (Setaria faberi Herrm.) seed densities in the surface 20 cm of soil declined in all systems; supplemented velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medik.) seed densities declined in the 2- and 4-yr systems and remained unchanged in the 3-yr system. Without subsidy payments, net returns were highest for the 4-yr system ($540 ha−1 yr−1), lowest for the 3-yr system ($475 ha−1 yr−1), and intermediate for the 2-yr system ($504 ha−1 yr−1). With subsidies, differences among systems in net returns were smaller, as subsidies favored the 2-yr system, but rank order of the systems was maintained

Predicting growth curves of early childhood externalizing problems: Differential susceptibility of children with difficult temperament

Using an accelerated longitudinal design, the development of externalizing problems from age 2 to 5 years was investigated in relation to maternal psychopathology, maternal parenting, gender, child temperament, and the presence of siblings. The sample consisted of 150 children selected at age 2-3 years for having high levels of externalizing problems. Parenting was measured using observational methods, and maternal reports were used for the other variables. Overall, mean levels of externalizing problems decreased over time, and higher initial levels (intercept) were related to a stronger decrease (negative slope) in externalizing problems. Results showed that higher levels of maternal psychopathology were related to less decrease in early childhood externalizing problems. Parental sensitive behavior predicted a stronger decrease in externalizing problems, but only for children with difficult temperaments. A stronger decrease of externalizing problems in children with older siblings also pertained only to children with difficult temperaments. Thus, temperamentally difficult children appear to be more susceptible to environmental influences on the development of externalizing behaviors. Our results indicate that the role of siblings in early childhood externalizing problems deserves more research attention, and that intervention efforts need to take into account temperamental differences in children's susceptibility to environmental influences. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Intergenerational Transmission of Multiple Problem Behaviors: Prospective Relationships between Mothers and Daughters

Much of the research examining intergenerational continuity of problems from mother to offspring has focused on homotypic continuity (e.g., depression), despite the fact that different types of mental health problems tend to cluster in both adults and children. It remains unclear whether mothers with multiple mental health problems compared to mothers with fewer or no problems are more likely to have daughters with multiple mental health problems during middle childhood (ages 7 to 11). Six waves of maternal and child data from the Pittsburgh Girls Study (n = 2,451) were used to examine the specificity of effects of maternal psychopathology on child adjustment. Child multiple mental health problems comprised disruptive behavior, ADHD symptoms, depressed mood, anxiety symptoms and somatic complaints, while maternal multiple mental health problems consisted of depression, prior conduct problems and somatic complaints. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) was used to examine the prospective relationships between mother’s single and multiple mental health problems and their daughter’s single and multiple mental health problems across the elementary school-aged period (ages 7–11 years). The results show that multiple mental health problems in the mothers predicted multiple mental health problems in the daughters even when earlier mental health problem of the daughters, demographic factors, and childrearing practices were controlled. Maternal low parental warmth and harsh punishment independently contributed to the prediction of multiple mental health problems in their daughter, but mediation analyses showed that the contribution of parenting behaviors to the explanation of girls’ mental health problems was small

Perturbation of lipids and glucose metabolism associated with previous 2,4-D exposure: a cross-sectional study of NHANES III data, 1988-1994

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Results from previous population studies showed that mortality rates from acute myocardial infarction and type-2 diabetes during the 1980s and 1990s in rural, agricultural counties of Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota, were higher in counties with a higher level of spring wheat farming than in counties with lower levels of this crop. Spring wheat, one of the major field crops in these four states, was treated for 85% or more of its acreage with chlorophenoxy herbicides. In the current study NHANES III data were reviewed for associations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) exposure, one of the most frequently used chlorophenoxy herbicides, with risk factors that are linked to the pathogenesis of acute myocardial infarction and type-2 diabetes, such as dyslipidemia and impaired glucose metabolism.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To investigate the toxicity pattern of chlorophenoxy herbicides, effects of a previous 2,4-D exposure were assessed by comparing levels of lipids, glucose metabolism, and thyroid stimulating hormone in healthy adult NHANES III subjects with urinary 2,4-D above and below the level of detection, using linear regression analysis. The analyses were conducted for all available subjects and for two susceptible subpopulations characterized by high glycosylated hemoglobin (upper 50^thpercentile) and low thyroxine (lower 50^thpercentile).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Presence of urinary 2,4-D was associated with a decrease of HDL levels: 8.6% in the unadjusted data (p-value = 0.006), 4.8% in the adjusted data (p-value = 0.08), and 9% in the adjusted data for the susceptible subpopulation with low thyroxine (p-value = 0.02). An effect modification of the inverse triglycerides-HDL relation was observed in association with 2,4-D. Among subjects with low HDL, urinary 2,4-D was associated with increased levels of triglycerides, insulin, C-peptide, and thyroid stimulating hormone, especially in the susceptible subpopulations. In contrast, subjects with high HDL did not experience adverse 2,4-D associated effects.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results indicate that exposure to 2,4-D was associated with changes in biomarkers that, based on the published literature, have been linked to risk factors for acute myocardial infarction and type-2 diabetes.</p

Studying Children's Intrapersonal Emotion Regulation Strategies from the Process Model of Emotion Regulation

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The concept of 'the everyday': ephemeral politics and the abundance of life

Against the background of a continuing interest in the everyday in international relations, this article asks what kind of analytics upon and within the world mobilises one through the concept of the everyday and what consequences this may have for thinking about politics. In particular, it explores a conception of the the everyday that foregrounds the abundance of human life and ephemeral temporalities. The abundance of life invites a densification of politics combined with an emphasis on displacing levels or scales by associative horizontal relations. The ephemeral introduces a conception of temporality that foregrounds the political significance of fleeting practices and the emergent nature of life. When applied to politics, this conception of the everyday performs politics as emergent, as possibilities that are not already defined by fixing what politics can possibly be. The order of politics is then understood as an immanently precarious succession of situations and practices in which lived political lives remain inherently aleatory, momentary and emergent rather than as an order of mastering the political. The concept of the everyday, thus draws attention to the immanent elusiveness and fragility of politics as it loses its ground, its referent