IS THE BUSINESS OF INSURANCE COMMERCE? A RE-EXAMINATION IN THE LIGHT OF MODERN TIMES

A question of considerable import which has arisen time and again in recent years, particularly since the enactment of the various federal regulatory acts within the past decade, is whether the business of insurance is commerce. Although not a new question, and by no means unanswered by the courts, it has been a subject of recent reconsideration and in all probability will be reviewed by the United States Supreme Court

Structural analysis consultation using artificial intelligence

The primary goal of consultation is definition of the best strategy to deal with a structural engineering analysis objective. The knowledge base to meet the need is designed to identify the type of numerical analysis, the needed modeling detail, and specific analysis data required. Decisions are constructed on the basis of the data in the knowledge base - material behavior, relations between geometry and structural behavior, measures of the importance of time and temperature changes - and user supplied specifics characteristics of the spectrum of analysis types, the relation between accuracy and model detail on the structure, its mechanical loadings, and its temperature states. Existing software demonstrated the feasibility of the approach, encompassing the 36 analysis classes spanning nonlinear, temperature affected, incremental analyses which track the behavior of structural systems

Deciding Relaxed Two-Colourability: A Hardness Jump

We study relaxations of proper two-colourings, such that the order of the induced monochromatic components in one (or both) of the colour classes is bounded by a constant. A colouring of a graph G is called (C1, C2)-relaxed if every monochromatic component induced by vertices of the first (second) colour is of order at most C1 (C2, resp.). We prove that the decision problem ‘Is there a (1, C)-relaxed colouring of a given graph G of maximum degree 3?' exhibits a hardness jump in the component order C. In other words, there exists an integer f(3) such that the decision problem is NP-hard for every 2 ≤ C < f(3), while every graph of maximum degree 3 is (1, f(3))-relaxed colourable. We also show f(3) ≤ 22 by way of a quasilinear time algorithm, which finds a (1, 22)-relaxed colouring of any graph of maximum degree 3. Both the bound on f(3) and the running time greatly improve earlier results. We also study the symmetric version, that is, when C1 = C2, of the relaxed colouring problem and make the first steps towards establishing a similar hardness jum

Using monoclonal antibodies to label living root hairs: a novel tool for studying cell wall microarchitecture and dynamics in <i>Arabidopsis</i>

Background&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; The Arabidopsis root hair represents a valuable cell model for elucidating polar expansion mechanisms in plant cells and the overall biology of roots. The deposition and development of the cell wall is central to the root hair expansion apparatus. During this process, incorporation of specific wall polymers into the growing wall architecture constitutes a critical spatio-temporal event that controls hair size and growth rate and one that is closely coordinated with the cell’s endomembrane, cytoskeletal and signal transduction apparatuses.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Results&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; In this study, the protocol for live cell labeling of roots with monoclonal antibodies that bind to specific wall polymers is presented. This method allows for rapid assessment of root hair cell wall composition during development and assists in describing changes to cell wall composition in transgenic mutant lines. Enzymatic “unmasking” of specific polymers prior to labeling allows for refined interpretation of cell wall chemistry. Live cell immunofluorescence data may also be correlated with transmission electron microscopy-based immunogold labeling.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Conclusions&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Live Arabidopsis root hairs may be labeled with cell wall polymer-specific antibodies. This methodology allows for direct visualization of cell wall dynamics throughout development in stable transgenic plant lines. It also provides an important new tool in the elucidation of the specific interactions occurring between membrane trafficking networks, cytoskeleton and the cell wall deposition/remodeling mechanism

NATURE OF LYMPHOCYTE-TUMOR INTERACTION : A GENERAL METHOD FOR CELLULAR IMMUNOABSORPTION

The binding of sensitized lymphocytes to tumor cells that leads to tumor cell lysis in vitro has been investigated using poly-L-lysine-fixed tumor cell monolayers and lymphocytes obtained from the anatomical site of tumor allograft rejection. The results show that magnesium is an important prerequisite for this interaction and that the extent of lymphocyte-tumor cell binding depends upon temperature as well as pH. Binding can occur in the absence of serum, although serum factors are necessary for the completion of the cytolytic process. The poly-L-lysine technique is applicable to the formation of confluent monolayers with virtually any normal or neoplastic cell type, including those that are otherwise nonadherent to surfaces. Cells immobilized by this technique can be used for the specific immunoabsorption and subsequent recovery of effector lymphocytes sensitized against transplantation or tumor cell antigens

Globus pallidus dynamics reveal covert strategies for behavioral inhibition

Flexible behavior requires restraint of actions that are no longer appropriate. This behavioral inhibition critically relies on frontal cortex - basal ganglia circuits. Within the basal ganglia the globus pallidus pars externa (GPe), has been hypothesized to mediate selective proactive inhibition: being prepared to stop a specific action, if needed. Here we investigate population dynamics of rat GPe neurons during preparation-to-stop, stopping, and going. Rats selectively engaged proactive inhibition towards specific actions, as shown by slowed reaction times (RTs). Under proactive inhibition, GPe population activity occupied state-space locations farther from the trajectory followed during normal movement initiation. Furthermore, the state-space locations were predictive of distinct types of errors: failures-to-stop, failures-to-go, and incorrect choices. Slowed RTs on correct proactive trials reflected starting bias towards the alternative action, which was overcome before progressing towards action initiation. Our results demonstrate that rats can exert cognitive control via strategic adjustments to their GPe network state

Structural Optimization Using the Newton Modified Barrier Method

The Newton Modified Barrier Method (NMBM) is applied to structural optimization problems with large a number of design variables and constraints. This nonlinear mathematical programming algorithm was based on the Modified Barrier Function (MBF) theory and the Newton method for unconstrained optimization. The distinctive feature of the NMBM method is the rate of convergence that is due to the fact that the design remains in the Newton area after each Lagrange multiplier update. This convergence characteristic is illustrated by application to structural problems with a varying number of design variables and constraints. The results are compared with those obtained by optimality criteria (OC) methods and by the ASTROS program

Writing The Nation

A concise introduction to American Literature from 1865 to present. The book is broken into chapters based on time period and writing style from Late Romanticism to recent post-modernism

In the footsteps of Alfred Werner: The institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Zurich

Inorganic chemistry has a long-standing tradition at the University of Zurich starting with Carl Jacob Lowig, the first professor of chemistry. The influence of Nobel Prize winner Alfred Werner in coordination, organometallic, and bioinorganic chemistry extends right up to the present day as can be seen in many of the research fields of the current professors and young research scientists. With all due respect for the long tradition in inorganic chemistry the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry is also looking forwards to define its role to meet the challenges of the future