Navigating the Non-Fungible Token

$91.8 million,$69 million, and $52.7 million. These are the amounts associated with the three most sought after Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) sold in 2021. Although NFTs were first created in 2014, 2021 saw a massive rise in their global popularity. In fact, Google reported that in 2021, “How to buy an NFT?” was one of its most searched questions. NFTs can alternatively represent a collectible, a financial instrument, or a permanent record associated with a person, physical or digital object, or data—each presenting an entirely distinct set of legal issues. The lack of governmental expertise in emerging technologies accompanied by the shortage of regulatory guidance has created a frustrating environment for innovators. Despite being one of the fastestgrowing industries in the world, there is a remarkable deficit in legal scholarship regarding these devices. NFTs, with their attendant blockchain and smart contract technologies, can create new paradigms around ownership and identification and inspire entirely new business models. In addition to clarifying what NFTs are, this Article seeks to fill the gap in the literature by analyzing how the specific use of an NFT implicates different areas of the law. Examining the way NFTs function in sectors ranging from fine arts to finance, this Article suggests how tokenization law and policy must advance to leverage the incredible opportunities that NFTs present

Taboo Transactions: Selling Athlete Biometric Data

As consumers begin to realize the extent to which their biometric and health data are being tracked through wearable devices, new privacy concerns have arisen. These concerns are more than hypothetical as the unregulated sharing and disclosure of biometric and health data may have serious repercussions. This is especially true for the athletes whose data is tracked with precision and where a lucrative market of multiple parties anxious to obtain this data already exists. The ownership and use of this data have become an incredibly complex issue, as sports leagues, teams, and the device makers wrangle over how this data should be used, shared, and potentially commercialized. Recent advances in data analytics have resulted in insights into athletic performance that a little over a decade ago were unimaginable. In Michael Lewis\u27 Moneyball, he described how Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland A\u27s, used advanced data analytics to build a winning baseball team. But biometric data promises even greater insight. This promise has made biometric data a priority across professional and amateur sports, however, it is not just teams and scouts with a major interest in this data, bookmakers and gamblers would also love to get access to this information. In light of the recent expansion of legalized sports gambling in the United States and the desirability of this in formation, we propose that measures need to be taken to protect the interests of professional athletes. We begin our examination by noting the sensitive nature of this type of data, which may include health, location, and performance in formation, requires the establishment of rules regarding how this data can be used with input from the players themselves. Currently, the use of this data may be controlled by the device maker or league rather than the athletes themselves. The concerns that the data collected from an athlete can be used against her in contract negotiations, made publicly available, discovered by competing teams through negligence or cyberespionage, or by gamblers or bookmakers looking to gain an edge must be addressed. We then investigate the important issue of ownership. To what extent should the league or the device maker be able to profit from a player\u27s athlete bometric data (ABD)? Not only do very few states have regulations addressing these issues, the current handling of ABD through bilateral agreements which do not include all stakeholders is insufficient. We conclude by proposing a new paradigm for addressing these concerns: Data Trusts

Dimethylsulfide Release during Macroinvertebrate Grazing and Its Role as an Activated Chemical Defense

Almost half the biogenic sulfur emitted globally originates as dimethylsulfide (DMS) in marine algae. Yet, despite its importance to climate and the global sulfur cycle, the reasons why many diverse algal taxa produce DMS remain unclear. DMS is produced when dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is cleaved by the enzyme DMSP lyase into DMS and acrylic acid. Because acrylic acid can deter feeding by some herbivores, the production of DMSP has been postulated to be part of an antiherbivore chemical defense system, with DMS being a by-product of the production of the defensive compound acrylic acid. However, we found that DMS plays a more direct role in herbivore deterrence. Using laboratory bioassays, we demonstrated that DMS functions as a potent feeding deterrent against sea urchins Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis at a wide range of concentrations. The defensive function of DMSP cleavage is further supported by the results of a multiple-choice feeding preference assay in which we offered urchins a choice of 8 algal species. In these assays, algae containing DMSP tended to be consumed at lower rates than species that lacked it. By measuring headspace DMS concentrations during grazing, we showed that DMS is produced when urchins feed on algae containing DMSP, but not when urchins feed on algae without it. DMS production occurred while the urchins were feeding on the algae and for 18 h after the algae were removed, suggesting that post-ingestive processes might be playing a role in activation. These results demonstrate that DMS is produced when urchins feed on algae containing DMSP and that it functions as an herbivore deterrent, causing species that produce DMSP to be avoided by some herbivores

Anti-inflammatory effects of methoxyphenolic compounds on human airway cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The respiratory epithelium plays a central role in the inflammatory response in asthma and other diseases. Methoxyphenolic compounds are purported to be effective anti-inflammatory agents, but their effects on the airway epithelium have not been well characterized.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Human airway cells were stimulated with TNF-α in the presence or absence of 4-substituted methoxyphenols and resveratrol. The expression of various cytokines was measured by qPCR, ELISAs, and protein arrays. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was measured with a reactive fluorescent probe (3',6'-diacetate-2',7'-dichlorofluorescein). Activation of NF-κB was measured by nuclear translocation and phosphorylation. Ribonuclear protein association with mRNA was assessed with a biotin-RNA affinity isolation assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Multiple inflammatory mediators were inhibited by methoxyphenols, including: CCL2, CCL5, IL-6, IL-8, ICAM-1, MIF, CXCL1, CXCL10, and Serpin E1. IC₅₀values were obtained for each compound that showed significant anti-inflammatory activity: diapocynin (20.3 μM), resveratrol (42.7 μM), 2-methoxyhydroquinone (64.3 μM), apocynin (146.6 μM), and 4-amino-2-methoxyphenol (410 μM). The anti-inflammatory activity did not correlate with inhibition of reactive oxygen species production or NF-κB activation. However, methoxyphenols inhibited binding of the RNA-binding protein HuR to mRNA, indicating that they may act post-transcriptionally.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Methoxyphenols demonstrate anti-inflammatory activity in human airway cells. More potent compounds that act via similar mechanisms may have therapeutic potential as novel anti-inflammatory agents.</p

Steak Location Within the Semitendinosus Muscle Impacts Metmyoglobin Accumulation on Steaks During Retail Display

Beef color is a major attribute consumers utilize to make purchasing decisions. It is estimated poor color shelf-life of beef steaks costs the meat industry more than $1 billion annually. Shelf-life color is influenced by a balance of two biochemical processes within steaks: metmyoglobin reducing ability and oxygen consumption. Steaks that exhibit a greater metmyoglobin reducing and a reduced oxygen consumption are typically characterized as more color stable. Characteristics of the muscle fiber or muscle cell are what determine the properties of a steak. Commonly, muscles with more oxidative fibers have an elevated oxygen consumption and reduced metmyoglobin reducing ability. The Semitendinosus muscle or eye of round possesses a divergent muscle fiber isoform distribution based on the location steaks are fabricated. The objective of this study was to examine effects of steak location on muscle fiber type distribution and metmyoglobin accumulation of Semitendinosus steaks

Freezing Improves Instrumental Tenderness of Strip Steaks Purchased at Retail Grocery Stores

When meat is frozen cell membranes can be damaged, which may lead to lower water holding capacity and higher cooking losses. Several researchers have indicated that freezing Longissimus muscle (strip loin) steaks may lower Warner-Bratzler shear force, a measurement to objectively measure beef tenderness, compared with steaks not previously frozen. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of freezing on beef tenderness and cooking characteristics of strip steaks purchased from grocery store outlets

Premium Choice Steaks Purchased from Grocery Outlets Are Generally More Tender Throughout the Year than Lower Quality Grade Steaks

Consumers typically have the opportunity to select steaks from a variety of marketing categories that relate to quality, price, and expected tenderness. Research on quantifying characteristics of strip steaks from different marketing programs available in self-serve retail display cases and establishing benchmark data for strip steak comparisons for future years is needed. The purpose of this study was to determine mechanical tenderness as well as physical and cooking characteristics of strip steaks purchased from self-serve display cases in grocery store outlets throughout the year

Tapered whisker reservoir computing for real-time terrain identification-based navigation

This paper proposes a new method for real-time terrain recognition-based navigation for mobile robots. Mobile robots performing tasks in unstructured environments need to adapt their trajectories in real-time to achieve safe and efficient navigation in complex terrains. However, current methods largely depend on visual and IMU (inertial measurement units) that demand high computational resources for real-time applications. In this paper, a real-time terrain identification-based navigation method is proposed using an on-board tapered whisker-based reservoir computing system. The nonlinear dynamic response of the tapered whisker was investigated in various analytical and Finite Element Analysis frameworks to demonstrate its reservoir computing capabilities. Numerical simulations and experiments were cross-checked with each other to verify that whisker sensors can separate different frequency signals directly in the time domain and demonstrate the computational superiority of the proposed system, and that different whisker axis locations and motion velocities provide variable dynamical response information. Terrain surface-following experiments demonstrated that our system could accurately identify changes in the terrain in real-time and adjust its trajectory to stay on specific terrain

A Comparison of the November 1990 and November 1995 Floods along the Main Stem Nooksack River, Whatcom County, Washington

During November 1990 two floods on the Nooksack River breached flood control structures near the city of Everson, sending floodwater into the Sumas Overflow. The Sumas Overflow is a low area lying north of the Nooksack River stretching from Everson to the Vedder River in British Columbia, Canada. The 1990 floods resulted in more than $7 million in damage to the Sumas Overflow. The economic impacts of this loss prompted the construction of a levee extension to protect the Everson area from inundation. Many residents of the Nooksack River floodplain, including Everson Mayor Matt Lagerway, claimed that the levee extension was responsible for keeping floodwater out of the Sumas Overflow during two subsequent floods in November 1995. The purpose of this thesis is to determine if the levee extension played a major role in reducing the amount of flood damage during the 1995 events. Examination of the levee extension revealed that its construction did not raise the elevation of the drainage divide at the main overflow point between the cities of Everson and Nooksack. The levee extension protects part of the city of Everson, but its construction did not alleviate the flood hazard in the Sumas Overflow. The floods of 1995 did not cause damage in the Sumas Overflow because the floods were too small to send significant amounts of water over the drainage divide. A flood on 29 November 1995 had a large enough peak discharge to overtop the divide, but its duration was too short to allow enough water to flow into the Sumas Overflow to result in damage

Coarse Marbled Beef is Juicier and More Flavorful Than Fine or Medium Marbled Beef

Beef palatability and eating experience is driven primarily by U.S. Department of Agriculture quality grade and marbling levels. Beef USDA quality grade consists of both marbling levels and maturity. Conventionally, marbling texture has not been a consideration of quality grades. Currently, only one study has assessed the effects of marbling texture on beef palatability. Despite this, preferences for fine or medium marbling exist with both packers and retailers, as approximately 75% of branded beef programs under the supervision of USDA-AMS require fine or medium textured marbling, which equates to losses of premiums for packers and producers (USDA, 2016). The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of marbling texture on trained sensory panel ratings of beef strip loin steaks of varying USDA quality grades and marbling textures