Leveraging Legal Analytics and Spend Data as a Law Firm Self-Governance Tool

This paper discusses the advantages that law firms can get by using legal analytics (big data) to analyze how they do their work for their clients (and how their clients can benefit as well). We discuss the external forces that are reshaping the economics of today’s legal industry; the types of decisions, in determining how best to represent a client in a given matter, that tend to drive up costs; the possible reasons for those decisions; how law firms can use data-analytics tools to examine their own choices; and the benefits that stem from a data-driven analysis of those choices

MAGNETIC DATING OF VESUVIAN LAVAS

A palaeomagnetic study has been carried out on Vesuvian lava flows emplaced since 79 AD. This involved both palaeodirection and palaeointensity investigations of samples from sites on the W, S and SE slopes of the volcano. Thermal demagnetization of 3 component IRMs, susceptibility measurements and coercivity analyses have been carried out on one pilot specimen per site in order to identify the magnetic carriers and to estimate the magnetic grain size. The identificatìon of the primary direction of TRM was carried out following very stringent criteria (Incoronato, 1996). Palaeointensities were evaluated using both a modification of the Modified Thellier & Thellier method (McClelland et al., 1996) and the innovatìve microwave technique (Shaw et al., 1999). This study has shown that establishing whether or not different exposures or flows are contemporaneous can be established and, in most, but not all, cases can be undertaken successfully using magnetic information recorded by Vesuvian lavas to define the geomagnetic field direction and intensity at the time of their eruption. It is shown that numerous lava flows, outcropping on the W to S slopes of the volcano, must be associated to a large eruption in AD 1631, confirming some previous studies. A new age for a lava flow, ascribed in literature to the 1697 event, is suggested on the basis of both palaeodirection and palaeointensity investigations. Significantly different properties have been found between microwave and thermal experiments although they showed an exceptional level of agreement for the AD 1631 lava flow. In general the trend the palaeointensity variations was similar to that obtained by thermal processes for the last few centuries from other European, Mediterranean and Near East regions (Aitken et al., 1989).Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra Università' degli Studi di Napoli "Federico H

Stabilizing proton exchange membranes using Cerium(III) ions

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) represent an innovative and promising technology for transportation applications due to their low weight, lower operative temperature, and pressure ranges. One of the most challenging limiting factors for the adoption of PEMFC in everyday life is the durability of the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM), the true core of this type of device. The internal environment of PEMFCs is naturally rich in free radicals (such as HO• and HOO•), which react with the PEM backbone, damage the PEM, and ultimately lead to the PEMFC failure. One way to improve the stability of PEMs against these species is the incorporation of an additive that can act as a radical scavenger and become the preferential site for radical oxidation. One of the most used radical scavengers for this kind of application is cerium in its Ce3+ oxidation state. In this thesis work, a set of sulfophenylated polyphenylenes (sPPB) membranes were synthesized by introducing different amounts of Ce3+ (sPPB-Ce3+), and efforts were made to identify the multiple degradation pathways (chemical, thermal, mechanical). The stability of sPPB-Ce3+ membranes to radical degradation was enhanced almost threefold, they maintained their structural integrity, shape, and thickness and their proton conductivity was comparable to that of the pristine materials. Several other properties such as dimensional stability, polydispersity and solubility also underwent important changes. As observed through these analyses, the effects of Ce3+ on the original material properties can be advantageous in improving the characteristics of proton exchange membranes

Religious and Denominational Problems in Nevada

Ever since the earliest civilizations, humans have sought to make sense of their relationship with other beings, the universe, and the unknown through religious beliefs and practices. Shamans and healers interpreted phenomena for their followers, nuns cared for the sick and dying, ministers spearheaded anti-slavery movements, and religious activists joined campaigns for prison reform, worked for charitable organizations, and promoted novel educational institutions. Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Lama and other world leaders with strong religious convictions have shown us what love in action mean

Managing classroom behavior of Head Start children using response cost and token economy procedures

The efficacy of three behavior management techniques used in a Head Start classroom was examined. The three techniques included: (a) techniques currently used by the teacher, (b) response cost, and (c) the Level System (token economy). The current study used an ABACA single subject withdrawal design with follow-up where all conditions were implemented until stability was reached. Classroom behavior was evaluated by both behavioral observation and teacher report. Children\u27s behavior, teacher skill, number of time-outs, and satisfaction with behavior management techniques (i.e., teacher, parent, and child) were examined. No conclusions could be made concerning the efficacy (i.e., inappropriate behavior, class manageability, number of time-outs) of the techniques. The teacher reported more satisfaction with current strategies, parents with the Level System, and students with the response cost program. Finally, teachers used more labeled praise statements and fewer critical statements during the Level System condition than all other conditions

Same-sex families e genitorialit\ue0 omosessuale. Controversie internazionali e spazi di riconoscimento in Italia

Lesbian and gay parenthood is the most adversed topics of the recognition of lesbian and gay families, both from the point of view of the concession of rights and the one of social legitimation. In Italy, the sociological research on the recognition of lesbian and gay families with children is not comparable to the international one. Nevertheless, the development of a political discourse on the rights of lesbian and gay people \u2013 with or without families, with or without children \u2013 by European institutions is broadening the interest of Italian sociologists. The article analyses the experiences of 12 gay Italian lesbian and gay parents in order to understand how they negotiate and achieve social legitimation in front of their families of origin, local institutions and neighbours. Results show that lesbian and gay families with children give an important contribution for the pluralization of practices and meanings related to the family. At the same time, they reproduce some crucial features supporting the hegemonic interpretation of the family: the centrality of the couple and the importance of blood ties for the definition of kinship

Therapeutic potential of co-enzyme Q10 in retinal diseases

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) plays a critical role in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation by serving as an electron carrier in the respiratory electron transport chain. CoQ10 also functions as a lipid-soluble antioxidant by protecting lipids, proteins and DNA damaged by oxidative stress. CoQ10 deficiency has been associated with a number of human diseases including mitochondrial diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and with the ageing process. In many of these conditions CoQ10 supplementation therapy has been effective in slowing or reversing pathological changes. Oxidative stress is a major contributory factor in the process of retinal degeneration. In this brief review, we summarize the functions of CoQ10 and highlight its use in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. In light of these data we propose that CoQ10 could have therapeutic potential for other retinal diseases