The Orphan Drug Act: How the FDA Unlawfully Usurped Market Exclusivity

The Board of KV Pharmaceutical bet the company on the success of Makena®, a pre-term birth drug. However, in the midst of a public outcry over the excessive pricing of Makena®, the FDA declared that it would not honor the market exclusivity that KV Pharmaceutical had obtained for Makena® under the Orphan Drug Act. As a result, KV Pharmaceutical filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This Note analyzes the situation under the lens of the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Specifically, I argue that market exclusivity for Makena® was private property and thus, the FDA unlawfully usurped KV Pharmaceutical’s private property without just compensation

What Can We Learn from #StopHateForProfit Boycott Regarding Corporate Social Irresponsibility and Corporate Social Responsibility?

In July 2020 more than 1,100 companies paused their paid advertising on Facebook to demand clear and unequivocal actions to stop its platform from being used to spread and amplify racism and hate. This Business-to-Business (B2B) boycott phenomenon is related to both corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) and corporate social responsibility (CSR), as Facebook and other social media platforms can be seen to be engaging in CSI, while the boycotting advertisers are engaging in CSR. Understanding how consumers respond to this hybrid form of B2B boycotting, involving both CSI and CSR elements, is critical for marketing and branding practice and theories. This research develops a preliminary framework on the factors influencing consumer responses to both the transgressing brand (i.e., Facebook) and the boycotting brands (i.e., the advertisers). We then discuss the implications for the literature on traditional CSI and CSR. Finally, future research directions are presented on this under-studied issue

GUAR GUM HYDROGEL MICROBIAL FUEL CELL USING B.MEGATERIUM

The main factors of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) are the anode and the microorganisms around it that produce electrons. This research focuses on increasing the efficiency of a MFC in plantMFC (PMFC) or aquarium-like conditions by inoculating microorganisms that help produce electrons to the soil. Guar gum was used as a base structure as it can culture microorganisms and create a hydrogel by cross-linking with borax.[1,2] Bacillus megaterium was added to the hydrogel as it can survive under the basic conditions of borax while producing electrons.[3] Glucose was added as well to help culture the bacteria. Then, the change of voltage was observed along with the growth of B.megaterium. A compound consisting of 0.5% glucose, 1% Guar gum, 10% Borax, and B.megaterium culture medium was created with a volume ratio of 1:25:1:1 in each order. This compound will be named GGB-B. GGB-B was able to keep its shape as a hydrogel along with a voltage increase of 250mV compared to control due to the stable growth of B.megaterium. 100g of GGB-B was placed inside a beaker and was covered with aquarium soil. Two goldfishes (Carassius auratus) were added. Voltage, pH, and the health of goldfishes were observed for 9 days. The result was approximately a 150mV increase in voltage compared to control (tap water). pH decrease was about 1.3, showing a pH of 6.12. There was no change in the goldfishes, and the GGB-B under the aquarium soil fused with the soil as it disintegrated. Therefore, when electron-producing microorganisms such as B.megaterium are added to guar gum, the microorganisms would slowly spread over the soil, thereby increasing the efficiency of MFC. This could also apply to PMFC and aquarium-like conditions as well

Effect of Cr and N on the Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior of Fe-18Mn Steel

High-Mn steels developed for offshore industries require good resistance to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in seawater. Elements like Cr and N are often added to improve the resistance to SCC. In this study, the SCC behavior of Fe18Mn3Cr0.1N and Fe19Mn19Cr0.6N steels in artificial seawater was examined. Slow strain rate tests were conducted at a nominal strain rate of 10(-6)/sec in air and artificial seawater under anodic and cathodic applied potentials. The tensile ductility drop in artificial seawater was compared to air and evaluated as the resistance to SCC. It was found that both specimens showed intergranular cracking in artificial seawater under both anodic and cathodic applied potentials. The intergranular SCC was more severe under anodic applied potential than cathodic applied potential. However the sensitivity to SCC in artificial seawater was substantially reduced in Fe19Mn19Cr0.6N specimen with higher Cr and N content, as compared to the Fe18Mn3Cr0.1N specimen under both applied potentials. Potentiodynamic tests in artificial seawater showed an increase in pitting corrosion potential, rather than corrosion potential, with increasing Cr and N content in high-Mn steel. The SCC behavior of high-Mn steels with different Cr and N contents was discussed based on micrographic and fractographic observations.11Ysciescopuskc

Simulating the Productivity of Desert Woody Shrubs in Southwestern Texas

In the southwestern U.S., many rangelands have converted from native grasslands to woody shrublands dominated by creosotebush (Larrea tridentate) and honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), threatening ecosystem health. Both creosotebush and mesquite have well-developed long root systems that allow them to outcompete neighboring plants. Thus, control of these two invasive shrubs is essential for revegetation in arid rangelands. Simulation models are valuable tools for describing invasive shrub growth and interaction between shrubs and other perennial grasses and for evaluating quantitative changes in ecosystem properties linked to shrub invasion and shrub control. In this study, a hybrid and multiscale modeling approach with two process-based models, ALMANAC and APEX was developed. Through ALMANAC application, plant parameters and growth cycles of creosotebush and mesquite were characterized based on field data. The developed shrub growth curves and parameters were subsequently used in APEX to explore productivity and range condition at a larger field scale. APEX was used to quantitatively evaluate the effect of shrub reductions on vegetation and water and soil qualities in various topological conditions. The results of this study showed that this multi modeling approach is capable of accurately predicting the impacts of shrubs on soil water resources

A 94-GHz Frequency Modulation Continuous Wave Radar Imaging and Motion Compensation

A compact and lightweight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that can be loaded on a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was recently developed. The higher the frequency is, the smaller is the antenna size and the microwave characteristics are improved. Thus, a high frequency is favorable for miniaturization and weight reduction. In this chapter, a method of obtaining a radar image through a 94-GHz frequency modulation continuous wave (FMCW) radar is proposed. In addition, a method of motion compensation is described, and the W-band SAR image after motion compensation is confirmed. This kind of SAR imaging can provide geographic information and characteristics of extreme environments, disaster scenes, and information on sites where human access is difficult