Navigating Some Deep and Troubled Jurisprudential Waters: Lawyer–Expert Witnesses and the Twin Dangers of Disguised Testimony and Disguised Advocacy

Expert testimony is indispensable to the uniquely American system of adversary justice. Without the assistance of expert witnesses with specialized knowledge, based on either science or experience and practice, jury verdicts would often be the result of pure whim and prejudice, or random and arbitrary decision-making. At the same time, the use of compensated, partisan expert witnesses poses significant dangers to the fair and just determination of disputes. This Article examines the enhanced dangers that can appear when the expert witness is a lawyer, chiefly the pervasive use of “disguised testimony” and “disguised advocacy.” The Article concludes with some suggestions for reform to minimize or eliminate these problems

The Retardation of Enamel Dissolution Rates by Adsorbed Long-Chain Ammonium Chlorides

Dissolution rate studies were conducted with hydroxyapatite and enamel in the presence of adsorbed surfactants. In general, the ability of the surfactant to retard the dissolution rate was directly related to its ability to adsorb onto apatite. Cetylpyridinium chloride adsorbed poorly onto apatite, and its influence on the dissolution rate was marginal. The long-chain protonated amines were much more effective as rate retarding agents, sometimes of the order of 1,000-, to 10,000-fold. These compounds were also found to adsorb much more strongly. A systematic dependence of the dissolution rate on chain length was found for these amines.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68179/2/10.1177_00220345690480040301.pd

Applicant Reactions to Artificial Intelligence in the Selection Process

The use of advanced technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) in the selection process has become an increasingly popular practice within organizations. However, little research has examined how applicants react to these new procedures and how those reactions may affect outcomes such as perceptions of fairness, organizational attraction, and job pursuit intentions. Previous research has suggested that the use of technology in the selection process may lead to more negative outcomes when compared to using traditional selection procedures such as face-to-face interviewing. The purpose of this study is to examine applicant reactions to the use of advanced decision-making technologies in the selection process, such as artificial intelligence systems that make hiring decisions. Determining how applicants react to the use of technology in the selection process serves to help organizations better understand how these practices affect job seekers’ perceptions of the organization. The results of this study may help organizations weigh the pros and cons of using computer information systems to select applicants instead of using a traditional selection procedure

Kinetics and Mechanism of Hydroxyapatite Crystal Dissolution in Weak Acid Buffers Using the Rotating Disk Method

The dissolution rates of synthetic hydroxyapatite pellets under sink conditions were measured using the rotating disk method. The experimental data were analyzed by means of a physical model that yielded an ionic activity product of KHAP = a10Ca2+ a6 PO4 3- a2OH- = 1 × 10-124.5±1.0 that was found to govern the dissolution reaction. Also, a surface resistance factor of k' equal to about 174 sec/cm was deduced from the data.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67157/2/10.1177_00220345760550033201.pd

Both telomeric and non-telomeric DNA damage are determinants of mammalian cellular senescence

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cellular senescence is a state reached by normal mammalian cells after a finite number of cell divisions and is characterized by morphological and physiological changes including terminal cell-cycle arrest. The limits on cell division imposed by senescence may play an important role in both organismal aging and in preventing tumorigenesis. Cellular senescence and organismal aging are both accompanied by increased DNA damage, seen as the formation of γ-H2AX foci (γ-foci), which may be found on uncapped telomeres or at non-telomeric sites of DNA damage. However, the relative importance of telomere- and non-telomere-associated DNA damage to inducing senescence has never been demonstrated. Here we present a new approach to determine accurately the chromosomal location of γ-foci and quantify the number of telomeric versus non-telomeric γ-foci associated with senescence in both human and mouse cells. This approach enables researchers to obtain accurate values and to avoid various possible misestimates inherent in earlier methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using combined immunofluorescence and telomere fluorescence <it>in situ </it>hybridization on metaphase chromosomes, we show that human cellular senescence is not solely determined by telomeric DNA damage. In addition, mouse cellular senescence is not solely determined by non-telomeric DNA damage. By comparing cells from different generations of telomerase-null mice with human cells, we show that cells from late generation telomerase-null mice, which have substantially short telomeres, contain mostly telomeric γ-foci. Most notably, we report that, as human and mouse cells approach senescence, all cells exhibit similar numbers of total γ-foci per cell, irrespective of chromosomal locations.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results suggest that the chromosome location of senescence-related γ-foci is determined by the telomere length rather than species differences <it>per se</it>. In addition, our data indicate that both telomeric and non-telomeric DNA damage responses play equivalent roles in signaling the initiation of cellular senescence and organismal aging. These data have important implications in the study of mechanisms to induce or delay cellular senescence in different species.</p