Going Postal: Analyzing the Abuse of Mail Covers Under the Fourth Amendment

Since at least the late 1800s, the United States government has regularly tracked the mail of many of its citizens. In 2014 alone, for example, the government recorded all data on the outside of the mail parcels of over 50,000 individuals via a surveillance initiative known as the mail covers program. In the current age of mass surveillance, this program-like all surveillance initiatives-has grown exponentially. Unbeknownst to most citizens, the government now photographs and records the exterior of each of the roughly 160 billion mail parcels delivered by the USPS every year. Still, despite its ability to allow governmental authorities to uncover a startlingly accurate picture of citizens\u27daily lives, the long-abused mail covers program continues to be implemented without any judicial oversight. This Note provides the first comprehensive legal analysis of the mail covers program in the modern era. In doing so, it also analyzes current Fourth Amendment jurisprudence and advocates for the adoption of the mosaic theory to privacy protection better capable of safeguarding citizens in an age of unprecedented government surveillance capability

Economic Feasibility of Ethanol Production from Sweet Sorghum Juice in Texas

The economic feasibility of producing ethanol from sweet sorghum juice is projected using Monte Carlo simulation models to estimate the price ethanol plants will likely have to pay for sweet sorghum and the uncertain returns for ethanol plants. Ethanol plants in high yielding regions will likely generate returns on assets of 11%-12% and in low yield areas the returns on assets will be less than 10%.Sweet Sorghum, Ethanol, Monte Carlo Simulation, Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Risk and Uncertainty, D20 G10 D81 C15,

Persistent current formation in a high-temperature Bose-Einstein condensate: an experimental test for c-field theory

Experimental stirring of a toroidally trapped Bose-Einstein condensate at high temperature generates a disordered array of quantum vortices that decays via thermal dissipation to form a macroscopic persistent current [T. W. Neely em et al. arXiv:1204.1102 (2012)]. We perform 3D numerical simulations of the experimental sequence within the Stochastic Projected Gross-Pitaevskii equation using ab initio determined reservoir parameters. We find that both damping and noise are essential for describing the dynamics of the high-temperature Bose field. The theory gives a quantitative account of the formation of a persistent current, with no fitted parameters.Comment: v2: 7 pages, 3 figures, new experimental data and numerical simulation

Scanning Electron Microscopy of the Pericarp and Testa of Several Sorghum Varieties

Pericarp thickness (determined by Z gene) varies greatly among sorghum varieties ranging· from very thin (8 ~ m) to very thick (160 ~m ) . Pericarp thickness also varies within an individuual kernel. The areas below the style and near the hilum are the thickest with the sides of the kernel being thinnest . Scanning electron microscopy was used to document differences in pericarp thickness and to explain milling differences . Varieties with a thick pericarp had starch granules in the mesocarp cell layers. Sorghums with a thin pericarp did not have starch granules in the mesocarp except near the hilum and stylar area. U.S. sorghum varieties studied had a testa thickness of 16-40 ~m (side of the kernel) but recently four Malian sorghums from a recent collection had very thin testae of 8-16 ~ m. The Sudanese sorghum Shawaya had a testa ranging in thickness from 28-40~m

Structural Characteristics of Pennisetum Americanum (Pearl Millet) Using Scanning Electron and Fluorescence Microscopy

Fluorescence bright field and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the structure of selected mature pearl millet caryopses from the World Germplasm Collection. Kernel shape (globose, lanceolate, obovate and hexagonal). kernel endosperm color (while. yellow and grey) and external appearance (color) of the samples were documented for 96 varieties. Color of the pearl millet kernel was due to the combined effects of pigmentation in the pericarp. aleurone and endosperm. as well as the pericarp thickness. White kernels had few pigmented areas. yellow kernels had pigments primarily in the epicarp and endosperm. and brown kernels had pigments in the epicarp. aleurone and endosperm. The majority of white, yellow and brown kernels had a thick pericarp. Purple kernels also had pigments in the epicarp, aleurone and endosperm, but had a thin pericarp. Grey kernels had pigments in the aleurone and endosperm. and had a thin pericarp. The periicarp was different from that found in sorghum in that the epicarp cells could be large, round, multilayered and full of pigments, or flat. single-layered and empty. The seed coat and a leurone layer were similar to those found in sorghum. Phytin and nicotinic acid were present in the germ. B-D-glucans were present in the cell walls in the endosperm

Thermal Studies on Rubidium Dinitramide

The present study has been carried out to investigate conflicting reports in the literature on the nature of the thermal decomposition of the energetic oxidant rubidium dinitramide in the liquid state. The techniques employed included DSC, simultaneous TG-DTA, simultaneous TG-mass spectrometry and thermomicroscopy. The measurements were supplemented by quantitative chemical analysis of the reaction products. The results showed that, following fusion at 106 °C, the overall decomposition proceeded in a single exothermic reaction stage forming a mixture of rubidium nitrate and rubidium nitrite in the molar ratio 1.2 : 1

Herbicide-resistant Grain Sorghum

A fluazifop-resistant sorghum cultivar designated ‘21534_ACCase-R’ and plants comprising a polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 39 are disclosed herein. The present invention provides seeds, plants, and plant parts derived from sorghum cultivar ‘21534_ACCase-R’ and those including SEQ ID NO: 39. Further, it provides methods for producing a sorghum plant by crossing ‘21534_ACCase-R’ with itself or another sorghum variety. The invention also encompasses any sorghum seeds, plants, and plant parts produced by the methods disclosed herein, including those in which additional traits have been transferred into ‘21534_ACCase-R’ through the introduction of a transgene or by breeding ‘21534_ACCase-R’ with another sorghum cultivar

IL-21 receptor expression in human tendinopathy

The pathogenetic mechanisms underlying tendinopathy remain unclear, with much debate as to whether inflammation or degradation has the prominent role. Increasing evidence points toward and early inflammatory infiltrate and associated inflammatory cytokine production in human and animal models of tendon disease. The IL-21/IL-21R axis is a proinflammatory cytokine complex that has been associated with chronic inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. This project aimed to investigate the role and expression of the cytokine/receptor pair IL-21/IL-21R in human tendinopathy. We found significantly elevated expression of IL-21 receptor message and protein in human tendon samples but found no convincing evidence of the presence of IL-21 at message or protein level. The level of expression of IL-21R message/protein in human tenocytes was significantly up regulated by proinflammatory cytokines (TNFα/IL-1β) in vitro. These findings demonstrate that IL-21R is present in early human tendinopathy mainly expressed by tenocytes and macrophages. Despite a lack of IL-21 expression these data again suggest that early tendinopathy has an inflammatory/cytokine phenotype, which may provide novel translational targets in the treatment of tendinopathy

Herbicide-resistant Grain Sorghum

A fluazifop-resistant sorghum cultivar designated ‘21534_ACCase-R’ and plants comprising a polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 39 are disclosed herein. The present invention provides seeds, plants, and plant parts derived from sorghum cultivar ‘21534_ACCase-R’ and those including SEQ ID NO: 39. Further, it provides methods for producing a sorghum plant by crossing ‘21534_ACCase-R’ with itself or another sorghum variety. The invention also encompasses any sorghum seeds, plants, and plant parts produced by the methods disclosed herein, including those in which additional traits have been transferred into ‘21534_ACCase-R’ through the introduction of a transgene or by breeding ‘21534_ACCase-R’ with another sorghum cultivar