COOPERATION BETWEEN THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION AND THE STATE COMMISSIONS IN RAILROAD REGULATION

Cooperation between the Interstate Commerce Commission and the state commissions in railroad regulation has been developed to increase the effectiveness of public control under our dual regulatory system. The division of power between federal and state governments, based upon the traditional distinction between interstate and intrastate commerce, has led to a multitude of diverse and conflicting statutes and administrative orders applicable to the same set of transportation agencies. In large measure the problem of dual control has been solved by giving to the federal government a virtually complete occupancy of the fields of rate, finance, and service regulation of interstate railways. This recognition of the predominance of the national interest in the transportation system has resulted in a large diminution of the powers formerly exercised by the individual states

How could a SME supplier\u27s value chain be evaluated by circular production principles?

Increased demands for circularity in manufacturing industry put pressure on transformation in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. Small-and-medium-sized-enterprises (SME)\u27s have an important role, supplying value chains with material and components for larger companies and original-equipment-manufacturers (OEMs). SME suppliers\u27 net environmental footprint contributes to the OEM\u27s overall footprint, however, SME suppliers are characterized by limited resources and competence to perform circularity activities. SME net environmental footprint consists of both production related targets combined with product related targets. Circular product performance evaluation have raised a demand for easy-to-use, self-assisting tools as a complement or substitute for standardised life-cycle-assessment (LCA) methods, often considered as costly with advanced calculations, and highlights the need for the development of accessible tools and guides that support the SMEs\u27 circularity work. An established industrial tool based on previous research called the Green Performance Map (GPM), has successfully been used to assist circularity performance in production operations. This paper sets out to test the GPM tool in a new setting, addressing circularity in an extended value chain context, including three main areas; production and sourcing, product use and product end-of-life. The research presented is based on an in-depth case study with an interactive research approach and aims to explore how to reach a full value chain perspective on circularity in production. The result indicates that a joint and inclusive collaboration centred on the adapted GPM-tool, identifies and structures circular production principles as well as product use and end-of-life performance as a basis for evaluation. Findings from research study show that a comprehensive input-output tool could be used with limited competence and time, achieve increased employee awareness of circularity in the product value chain. This single case study brings a small empirical contribution to existing literature on SME circular production transformation, however it clearly shows on the urgency to evaluate circularity along the value chain in order to support a full industrial circular production transformation

User Centered Design

MOBIUS Annual Conference, Columbia, MO, June 3, 2014. Libraries purportedly operate with our users’ needs and desires in mind, but how do we know what those needs and desires really are? The University of Missouri-Kansas City Libraries are committed to observing user behavior and collecting data to inform the design of virtual and real-world services and spaces to meet user needs. A user-centered design department and a usability team were formed to deliver an organization-wide user-centered design process with associated training opportunities, online tools, and job responsibilities. A photo survey will contribute rich data to dreaming and planning library space for a future Downtown Campus for the Arts. Students take snapshots of specified places, people, and things in their lives, then verbally expand on those pictures in a follow-up interview.MOBIU

Applying tools for end of use outlook in design for recirculation

Circular economy is widely embraced as one major path towards sustainability goals by contributing to resource efficiency and reaching climate targets. The research need at hand lies in how to implement changes. To achieve a circular system, design for recirculation is advised when introducing new products and production processes. However, in practical applications it is a challenge to foresee the complex nature of a real circular production system with many stakeholders in a system in transition. Product systems are embedded in a use context, where the user is a key stakeholder. Collection and systematization of experience and ideas from the field is here a key. This research draws on the experiences of assessing and improve circulation in industrial practice deploying the Recirculation Strategies Decision Tree and the Eco-design-strategy-wheel. Through two case studies, practitioners have been supported in action to evaluate their products and production processes in term of circularity. Cases showed a process from current status and recirculation challenges to a more circular future state in production and end of life was scrutinized. As a result, emphasis differed between the two tools. The Eco strategy wheel supported product design phase with an engineering perspective, The Recirculation Strategies Decision Tree on end-of-life phase with a market perspective. Common for both tools was the dependency on user or operator\u27s handling. Outcome from this study is to emphasise the importance on social dimension in CE/user role in a circular product system. The interactive, user centered research with manufacturing companies is suggested for development to effectively close product loops

Distributional Preferences in Adolescent Peer Networks

We study distributional ("social") preferences in adolescent peer networks. Using incentivized choices between allocations for themselves and a passive agent, children are classified into efficiency-loving, inequality-loving, inequality-averse, and spiteful types. We find that pairs of students who report a friendship link are more likely to exhibit the same preference type than other students that attend the same school. The relation between types is almost completely driven by inequality-loving and spiteful types. Further analyses suggest that preference peer networks are mainly formed by selection into the network and, to a smaller degree, by preference transmission. The role of peer networks in explaining distributional preferences goes beyond network composition effects. A low rank in academic performance and a central position within the network relate positively to a higher likelihood of being classified as spiteful. Hence, social hierarchies seem to be correlated with distributional preference types

Biophysical and structural characterization of proton-translocating NADH-dehydrogenase (complex I) from the strictly aerobic yeast Yarrowia lipolytica

AbstractMitochondrial proton-translocating NADH-dehydrogenase (complex I) is one of the largest and most complicated membrane bound protein complexes. Despite its central role in eukaryotic oxidative phosphorylation and its involvement in a broad range of human disorders, little is known about its structure and function. Therefore, we have started to use the powerful genetic tools available for the strictly aerobic yeast Yarrowia lipolytica to study this respiratory chain enzyme. To establish Y. lipolytica as a model system for complex I, we purified and characterized the multisubunit enzyme from Y. lipolytica and sequenced the nuclear genes coding for the seven central subunits of its peripheral part. Complex I from Y. lipolytica is quite stable and could be isolated in a highly pure and monodisperse state. One binuclear and four tetranuclear iron–sulfur clusters, including N5, which was previously known only from mammalian mitochondria, were detected by EPR spectroscopy. Initial structural analysis by single particle electron microscopy in negative stain and ice shows complex I from Y. lipolytica as an L-shaped particle that does not exhibit a thin stalk between the peripheral and the membrane parts that has been observed in other systems

Longitudinal Study of Selected Bacterial Zoonoses in Small Ruminants in Tana River County, Kenya

Brucellosis, Q fever, and leptospirosis are priority zoonoses worldwide, yet their epidemiology is understudied, and studies investigating multiple pathogens are scarce. Therefore, we selected 316 small ruminants in irrigated, pastoral, and riverine settings in Tana River County and conducted repeated sampling for animals that were initially seronegative between September 2014 and June 2015. We carried out serological and polymerase chain reaction tests and determined risk factors for exposure. The survey-weighted serological incidence rates were 1.8 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.3-2.5) and 1.3 (95% CI: 0.7-2.3) cases per 100 animal-months at risk for Leptospira spp. and C. burnetii, respectively. We observed no seroconversions for Brucella spp. Animals from the irrigated setting had 6.83 (95% CI: 2.58-18.06, p-value = 0.01) higher odds of seropositivity to C. burnetii than those from riverine settings. Considerable co-exposure of animals to more than one zoonosis was also observed, with animals exposed to one zoonosis generally having 2.5 times higher odds of exposure to a second zoonosis. The higher incidence of C. burnetii and Leptospira spp. infections, which are understudied zoonoses in Kenya compared to Brucella spp., demonstrate the need for systematic prioritization of animal diseases to enable the appropriate allocation of resources

Fungal ecological strategies reflected in gene transcription - a case study of two litter decomposers.

Microbial communities interplay with their environment through their functional traits that can be a response or an effect on the environment. Here, we explore how a functional trait-the decomposition of organic matter, can be addressed based on genetic markers and how the expression of these markers reflect ecological strategies of two fungal litter decomposer Gymnopus androsaceus and Chalara longipes. We sequenced the genomes of these two fungi, as well as their transcriptomes at different steps of Pinus sylvestris needles decomposition in microcosms. Our results highlighted that if the gene content of the two species could indicate similar potential decomposition abilities, the expression levels of specific gene families belonging to the glycoside hydrolase category reflected contrasting ecological strategies. Actually, C. longipes, the weaker decomposer in this experiment, turned out to have a high content of genes involved in cell wall polysaccharides decomposition but low expression levels, reflecting a versatile ecology compare to the more competitive G. androsaceus with high expression levels of keystone functional genes. Thus, we established that sequential expression of genes coding for different components of the decomposer machinery indicated adaptation to chemical changes in the substrate as decomposition progressed

The role of the CCR1 receptor in the inflammatory response to tobacco smoke in a mouse model

Objective: The aim was to create pathological changes in mice relevant to human smoke exposure that can be used to further understand the mechanisms and pathology of smoke-induced inflammatory disease. Methods: Mice were exposed to tobacco smoke or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to generate an inflammatory infiltrate within the lungs. Results: Tobacco smoke exposure over a 4 day period led to neutrophilia in the lungs of BALB/c mice. Within the inflammatory exudates, significant changes were also seen in protein levels of IL-1B, IL-6, MIP-2, KC (IL-8) and TIMP-1 as measured by ELISA. Further protein changes, as measured via multiplex analysis revealed increased levels of MMP-9, MDC, LIF and MCP-1, amongst other mediators. Major changes in whole lung tissue gene expression patterns were observed. The neutrophilia seen after smoke exposure was steroid-insensitive, relative to doses of steroid needed to reduce LPS-driven neutrophilia in controls. This exposes pathological switches that are changed upon exposure to tobacco smoke, rendering steroids less effective under these conditions. Challenge of chemokine receptor type 1 (CCR1) KO mice in the tobacco smoke model showed that lack of this gene protected the mice from smoke-induced inflammation. Conclusions: This suggests the CCR1 receptor has a key role in the pathogenesis of smoke-induced inflammation