Application of a Linear Center Identification Scheme to Deterministic Polar Positioning

In a number of manufacturing applications, parts of circular cross-section must be centered for optimal processing or measurement. However, part form is never perfect, making accurate determination of the “centered” state of a part difficult. Imperfect inputs to the manufacturing process such as rough-processed parts, deformation due to heat treatment, or raw formed materials present difficulty in centering by the traditional manual method. This paper presents a filtering and quantification technique for identifying the true center of an imperfect round part through isolation of the lowest polar frequency component. A low-cost device is presented that centers parts based on this frequency domain identification of center

Mouse Ifit1b is a cap1-RNA binding protein which inhibits mouse coronavirus translation and is regulated by complexing with Ifit1c.

Knock-out mouse models have been extensively used to study the antiviral activity of interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats (IFIT). Human IFIT1 binds to cap0 (m7GpppN) RNA, which lacks methylation on the first and second cap-proximal nucleotides (cap1, m7GpppNm, and cap2, m7GpppNmNm, respectively). These modifications are signatures of 'self' in higher eukaryotes, while unmodified cap0-RNA is recognised as foreign and, therefore, potentially harmful to the host cell. IFIT1 inhibits translation at the initiation stage by competing with the cap-binding initiation factor complex, eIF4F, restricting infection by certain viruses that possess 'non-self' cap0-mRNAs. However, in mice and other rodents the IFIT1 orthologue has been lost and the closely-related Ifit1b has been duplicated twice, yielding three paralogues: Ifit1, Ifit1b and Ifit1c. While murine Ifit1 is similar to human IFIT1 in its cap0-RNA binding selectivity, the roles of Ifit1b and Ifit1c are unknown. Here, we found that Ifit1b preferentially binds to cap1-RNA, while binding is much weaker to cap0- and cap2-RNA. In murine cells, we show that Ifit1b can modulate host translation and restrict wildtype mouse coronavirus infection. We found that Ifit1c acts as a stimulatory cofactor for both Ifit1 and Ifit1b, promoting their translation inhibition. In this way, Ifit1c acts in an analogous fashion to human IFIT3, which is a cofactor to human IFIT1. This work clarifies similarities and differences between the human and murine IFIT families, to facilitate better design and interpretation of mouse models of human infection, and sheds light on the evolutionary plasticity of the IFIT family

Contracting in Mexico: A Legal and Practical Guide to Negotiating and Drafting.

This Article is intended as a primer in contracting for the United States attorney counseling clients doing business in Mexico. Thus, this Article begins by surveying the legal foundations of contracting in Mexico. This includes basic contract principles in Mexico’s civil-law system, the distinction between civil and commercial contracts, and procedural formalities applicable to contracts in Mexico. Following the introduction is a discussion of successful contract negotiations in Mexico, including certain cultural factors and Mexican business customs which can affect negotiations. This section includes suggestions for preparing for negotiations and managing the negotiation process to obtain the best result. Next, the Article explores several types of business contracts, including sales of goods, agencies and distributorships, licensing and franchising arrangements, joint ventures, real estate, and service contracts. Finally, the Article concludes by discussing four special contracting issues—letters of intent, translations, drafting style, and planning for dispute resolution. The process of contracting—negotiation, drafting, and execution—is central to business relationships between United States and Mexican parties. In Mexico, contracting provides special challenges for the United States businessperson. They must negotiate a successful agreement while being aware of differences in culture, business customs, negotiating styles, and procedural formalities which may affect the contracting process. Notwithstanding such differences, the freedom of parties to negotiate and define their business relationship is a fundamental principle respected under Mexican law. It provides the foundation for business contracting in Mexico, as it does throughout the world. With careful preparation, attention to business and legal issues, and assistance of competent legal counsel, contracting in Mexico can be the basis of successful transactions and lasting business relationships

Ethics and Due Diligence: A Lawyer\u27s Perspective on Doing Business with Mexico.

The focus of this study is to survey ethical issues faced by legal practitioners in providing legal counsel for international business transactions, with special attention to lawyers counseling clients who are doing business with Mexico. This paper is intended for lawyers who practice in the United States (U.S.), involved in counseling clients outside the U.S. The purpose of this study is to highlight only those issues that raise special difficulties for such a practitioner, and then to provide practical advice on how to avoid ethical problems in U.S.-Mexico transactions. The Model Rules of Professional Conduct (MPRC), the International Code of Ethics, and case law provide a framework for the types of ethical dilemmas lawyers can face in international business transactions. The American Bar Association (ABA), the European Community (EC) and the International Bar Association (IBA) have guidelines for lawyers on how to avoid and navigate through ethical dilemmas. Although the EC code is not widely recognized and holds no real enforcement power outside its region it is an effective model for future cross-border professional codes. The International Code is not widely supported and has no real regulatory enforcement for international practitioners. The MPRC drafted by the ABA has a regulatory enforcement for U.S. attorneys practicing international law because any violations of the code are subject to discipline by their jurisdictions. The lawyer should also be sensitive to the ethical standards of the foreign jurisdictions, and the laws of both countries that may directly impact business activity and standards of professional conduct. Most importantly, a fundamental dilemma must be resolved, how to provide zealous advocacy of the client\u27s interests and yet ensure diligent and competent representation in the foreign country

The Effects of the Fast Start Program on the Reading Achievement of Emergent and Beginning Readers: A Replication and Extension

This study replicated the Stevenson (2001) study to determine the effectiveness of the Fast Start parent tutoring program on student success in reading achievement. The current study attempted to enlarge the original study\u27s sample size, include kindergarten students in the program, and determine the optimal length of training time for parents needed. Additionally, data gathered from the parent participants were analyzed including parent\u27s perceptions of the program, their confidence level in tutoring their child, and the parents\u27 level of mastery of the concepts of tutoring before working with their child. At the beginning of the school year, 36 kindergarten parent-student dyads and 52 first grade parent-student dyads were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups or the control group for an 1 1-week study. Parents in the first treatment group received one hour of training and parents in treatment two received two hours of training. Students in both treatment groups received homework material published by Scholastic (Padak & Rasinski, 2005) consisting of poems and differentiated emergent and beginning reading activities and materials. Parents in the control group did not receive training and the students in the control group received poems to take home without the activities. Fall pretest scores from Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills (DIBELS) were compared to winter DIBELS scores. Raw score results did not show statistically significant reading gains for the treatment groups, however, more growth was evident in the treatment groups when the instructional recommendation level for each student and their level of being at risk was considered. Parents and students had favorable comments about the program. Parents receiving two training sessions had a higher level of confidence to tutor their child than those who attended only one session

Arms control and missile defense: explaining success and failure in U.S.-Russian cooperation

Russia can no longer be considered a world superpower, but it remains a great power in terms of strategic global security. Russias importance is based on its nuclear arsenal and permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. This research analyzed arms control and ballistic missile defense (BMD) in order to explain the success and failure of cooperation between the United States and the Russian Federation. Utilizing international relations theory, realist and constructivist frameworks were applied to two separate case studies: U.S.-Soviet cooperation on the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty and U.S.-Russian failure to cooperate on BMD. Each case was started with material factors that opened the opportunity for the Soviet and Russian Federation elite to be responsive to new ideas. The elite then turned to the states intellectual entrepreneurs to find new ideas. In the case of the Soviet era, the elite chose to cooperate due to the influence of the international organizations they were associated with. In the present day, the elite, many of whom have a background in the Soviet and Russian Federation secret service, have chosen to defect from cooperation due to the socialization received during their time as KGB or FSB officers.http://archive.org/details/armscontrolndmis1094537676Lieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Population-level linkages between urban greenspace and health inequality : the case for using multiple indicators of neighbourhood greenspace

Exposure to greenspace in urban environments is associated with a range of improved health and well-being outcomes. There is a need to understand which aspects of greenspace influence which components of health. We investigate the relationship of indicators of greenspace quantity (total and specific types of greenspace), accessibility and quality with poor general health, depression, and severe mental illness, in the city of Sheffield, UK. We find complex relationships with multiple greenspace indicators that are different for each health measure, highlighting a need for future studies to include multiple, nuanced indicators of neighbourhood greenspace in order to produce results that can inform planning and policy guidance