Network Rules

Crawford compares the debate between the telcos and the online companies over broadband access regimes often called the network neutrality debate to the ongoing tussle between intellectual property maximalists and free culture advocates which are strikingly parallel sets of arguments. The maximalists claim that creativity comes from lone genuises (the romantic author) who must be given legal incentives to works but intellectual property scholars have carefully examined the incentives of their arguments and have pointed out that granting overly strong property rights to copyright holders might not be socially appropriate. Moreover, the network providers claim that they (the romantic builders) must be allowed by law to price-discriminate vis-a-vis content sources in order to be encouraged to build the network

The Internet and the Project of Communications Law

The internet offers the potential for economic growth stemming from online human communications, but recent industry and government actions have disfavored these possibilities by treating the internet like a content-delivery supply chain. This article recommends that the internet be at the center of communications policy and that laws affecting internet access be evaluated in terms of whether they further U.S. economic growth by facilitating increased emergent online diversity. It criticizes the nearly exclusive focus of communications policy on the private economic success of infrastructure and “application” providers, and suggests that communications policy be focused on facilitating communications themselves

Examining the Health Action Process Approach for Predicting Physical Activity Behavior in Adults with Back Pain

This study investigated the appropriateness of the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) as it relates to physical activity (PA) behavior in the back pain population. The motivational and volitional constructs of the HAPA, PA, and back pain-related disability variables were assessed in a sample of 350 men and women with back pain. HAPA model fit was satisfactory accounting for 21% of the variance in PA intentions and 28% of PA behavior. All motivational phase constructs relate to PA intention. Action/coping planning and recovery self-efficacy do not relate to PA behavior. PA intentions are the strongest predictor of PA behavior. An expanded model, including disability-specific variables, satisfactorily fit the data, accounting for 32% of PA intentions and 29% of PA participation. These data partially support assumptions of the HAPA for the back pain population. For the back pain population, interventions designed to affect PA behavior must account for disability-specific variables

Ultraviolet Imaging Observations of the cD Galaxy in Abell 1795: Further Evidence for Massive Star Formation in a Cooling Flow

We present images from the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope of the Abell 1795 cluster of galaxies. We compare the cD galaxy morphology and photometry of these data with those from existing archival and published data. The addition of a far--UV color helps us to construct and test star formation model scenarios for the sources of UV emission. Models of star formation with rates in the range \sim5-20M_{\sun}yr$^{-1}$ indicate that the best fitting models are those with continuous star formation or a recent ($\sim4$ Myr old) burst superimposed on an old population. The presence of dust in the galaxy, dramatically revealed by HST images complicates the interpretation of UV data. However, we find that the broad--band UV/optical colors of this cD galaxy can be reasonably matched by models using a Galactic form for the extinction law with $E_{B-V}=0.14$. We also briefly discuss other objects in the large UIT field of view.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal. 14 AAS preprint style pages plus 7 figure

Thrombospondin-1 Is a Major Activator of TGF-β1 In Vivo

AbstractThe activity of TGF-β1 is regulated primarily extracellularly where the secreted latent form must be modified to expose the active molecule. Here we show that thrombospondin-1 is responsible for a significant proportion of the activation of TGF-β1 in vivo. Histological abnormalities in young TGF-β1 null and thrombospondin-1 null mice were strikingly similar in nine organ systems. Lung and pancreas pathologies similar to those observed in TGF-β1 null animals could be induced in wild-type pups by systemic treatment with a peptide that blocked the activation of TGF-β1 by thrombospondin-1. Although these organs produced little active TGF-β1 in thrombospondin null mice, when pups were treated with a peptide derived from thrombospondin-1 that could activate TGF-β1, active cytokine was detected in situ, and the lung and pancreatic abnormalities reverted toward wild type

Animal shelter management of feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus infections in cats

Approximately 5% of cats in animal shelters in the United States test positive for either feline leukemia virus (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), which translates to more than 100,000 positive cats managed by shelters each year. Little is known about the current status of retroviral management in animal shelters, particularly in regions burdened by chronic pet overpopulation and high shelter admissions, such as the southern United States. The purpose of this study was to describe feline retroviral management in Florida shelters. Shelters were surveyed on practices including selection of cats for testing, diagnostic techniques, and outcome options for cats with positive test results. Responses were received from 139 of 153 animal shelters known to admit cats, including 55 municipal shelters (40%), 70 private shelters (50%), and 14 private shelters with municipal contracts (10%). A total of 115 shelters (83%) performed at least some testing, most using combination point-of-care devices for simultaneous FeLV antigen and FIV antibody screening. Of shelters that performed any testing, 56 (49%) tested all cats for FeLV and 52 (45%) tested all cats for both FeLV and FIV. The most common reason for testing was screening adoptable cats (108 shelters; 94%) and cats available for transfer to other organizations (78; 68%). Testing cats in trap-neuter-return/return-to-field programs was least common (21; 18%). Most common outcome options for positive cats included adoption (74; 64%), transfer (62; 54%), and euthanasia (49; 43%). Euthanasia following a positive test result was more common for cats with FeLV (49; 43%) than for cats with FIV (29; 25%) and was more common in municipal shelters, rural shelters, shelters taking in <500 cats a year, and shelters with overall live outcome rates for cats <70%. Although Florida shelter compliance with national guidelines for identification and management of FeLV and FIV positive cats was variable, most had live outcome options for at least some of their cats with positive test results. Increased access to training and practical programmatic tools may help more shelters implement cost-effective testing protocols, reduce risk for transmission to other cats, and support the best outcomes for this vulnerable population of cats

C7a, a Biphosphinic Cyclopalladated Compound, Efficiently Controls the Development of a Patient-Derived Xenograft Model of Adult T Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a highly aggressive disease that occurs in individuals infected with the human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). Patients with aggressive ATLL have a poor prognosis because the leukemic cells are resistant to conventional chemotherapy. We have investigated the therapeutic efficacy of a biphosphinic cyclopalladated complex {Pd2 [S(−)C2, N-dmpa]2 (μ-dppe)Cl2}, termed C7a, in a patient-derived xenograft model of ATLL, and investigated the mechanism of C7a action in HTLV-1-positive and negative transformed T cell lines in vitro. In vivo survival studies in immunocompromised mice inoculated with human RV-ATL cells and intraperitoneally treated with C7a led to significantly increased survival of the treated mice. We investigated the mechanism of C7a activity in vitro and found that it induced mitochondrial release of cytochrome c, caspase activation, nuclear condensation and DNA degradation. These results suggest that C7a triggers apoptotic cell death in both HTLV-1 infected and uninfected human transformed T-cell lines. Significantly, C7a was not cytotoxic to peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy donors and HTLV-1-infected individuals. C7a inhibited more than 60% of the ex vivo spontaneous proliferation of PBMC from HTLV-1-infected individuals. These results support a potential therapeutic role for C7a in both ATLL and HTLV-1-negative T-cell lymphomas