Circumventing Authority: Loopholes in the DMCA’s Access Controls

In a world where digital pirates freely roam the internet, seemingly plundering at will, the providers of digital content must find a way to protect their valuable assets. Digital fences afford that protection--but not very well. Fortunately (for content owners), 17 U.S.C. §1201, passed as part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, was designed to fill the numerous gaps in those fences by forbidding activities designed to circumvent them. In its present state, however, §1201 does not adequately serve that purpose. Substantial flaws in the language of the statute render it virtually powerless to thwart piracy. If §1201 is to fulfill its intended role (without the need for creative judicial interpretation), it must be amended to rectify the discrepancies between Congress’ supposed intent and the language it chose

Collisional and viscous damping of MHD waves in partially ionized plasmas of the solar atmosphere

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves are widely considered as a possible source of heating for various parts of the outer solar atmosphere. Among the main energy dissipation mechanisms which convert the energy of damped MHD waves into thermal energy are collisional dissipation(resistivity) and viscosity. The presence of neutral atoms in the partially ionized plasmas of the solar photosphere, chromosphere and prominences enhances the efficiency of both these energy dissipation mechanisms. A comparative study of the efficiency of MHD wave damping in solar plasmas due to collisional and viscous energy dissipation mechanisms is presented here. The damping rates are taken from Braginskii 1965 and applied to the VAL C model of the quiet Sun (Vernazza et al. 1981). These estimations show which of the mechanisms are dominant in which regions. In general the correct description of MHD wave damping requires the consideration of all energy dissipation mechanisms via the inclusion of the appropriate terms in the generalized Ohm’s law, the momentum, energy and induction equations. Specific forms of the generalized Ohm’s Law and induction equation are presented that are suitable for regions of the solar atmosphere which are partially ionised

A zinc transporter gene required for development of the nervous system.

The essentiality of zinc for normal brain development is well established. It has been suggested that primary and secondary zinc deficiencies can contribute to the occurrence of numerous human birth defects, including many involving the central nervous system. In a recent study, we searched for zinc transporter genes that were critical for neurodevelopment. We confirmed that ZIP12 is a zinc transporter encoded by the gene slc39a12 that is highly expressed in the central nervous systems of human, mouse, and frog (Xenopus tropicalis).Using loss-of-function methods, we determined that ZIP12 is required for neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth and necessary for neurulation and embryonic viability. These results highlight an essential need for zinc regulation during embryogenesis and nervous system development. We suggest that slc39a12 is a candidate gene for inherited neurodevelopmental defects in humans

Simple Power-Law Characterization of Transient Ground-Borne Vibrations

Practical characterization of transient ground-borne vibrations in civil and geotechnical engineering problems is often a difficult and frustrating task. Some modem engineering seismographs now routinely permit the collection of histogram-type data where the peak vibration for a pre-set time interval can be measured and stored for significant time periods. Such data is amenable to analysis utilizing concepts of fractal geometry and self-ordered criticality. Resulting data trends tend to follow power-law relationships that plot as essentially straight lines in log-log space. This application is similar to the Gutenberg-Richter relationship for earthquakes where the relationship between magnitude and frequency is fractal. However, the largest vibrations appear to follow another power-law trend appropriate to characterizing extreme events. Four cases of monitoring apparently random transient ground-borne vibrations are examined using this power-law approach: traffic induced vibrations near the curb of an urban arterial street, an unidentified vibration interfering with a precision machining operation, vibrations induced by vacationing children using the front door of a residence, and vibrations induced by water transport in a pipeline. All cases could be characterized by this approach

Reconciling Femininity and Athleticism: The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, 1943-1954

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI

Incidence and Significance of Inconclusive Results in Ultrasound for Appendicitis in Children and Teenagers

AbstractPurposeFrustratingly, sonography to assess for appendicitis in children often leads to an inconclusive report (eg, “suspicious for appendicitis”) or nonvisualization of the appendix. To aid in planning who to image and how to interpret the results, we investigated whether these 2 results were more frequent in teenagers than preteens and the prevalence of appendicitis associated with each result.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed sonographic and surgical findings in patients <18 years (n = 189) referred with clinical suspicion of appendicitis over a 12-month period. Children (≤12.0 years old; n = 86) and teens (>12.0 years old; n = 103) were compared.ResultsPrevalence of appendicitis was 34% in each group, similar to other centres; 0% for those with negative ultrasound reports (0/35), 10% for nonvisualized appendix (8/84), 68% for inconclusive report (15/22), and 85% for positive ultrasound (41/48). Teens were significantly more likely to have an inconclusive ultrasound. Inconclusive reports were because of borderline findings (eg, appendix size near 6 mm; 9/22), body habitus, bowel gas, or unusual findings due in retrospect to perforation. The rate of nonvisualization of the appendix did not vary significantly with age (42% vs 47%).ConclusionAn inconclusive result of ultrasound for appendicitis was significantly more frequent in teens than in preteens and carried a high (68%) likelihood of appendicitis. Conversely, a nonvisualized appendix was equally frequent in teens and preteens, and had a low likelihood of appendicitis (only 10% positive). These findings encourage the use of ultrasound in preteens in particular and can assist interpretation of these common results

1895 Code Vol. 3

https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/ga_code/1026/thumbnail.jp