The Seventh Circuit Steps Up on Clenaup of Hazardous Waste

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) is Congress\u27 vehicle for both encouraging timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and placing the costs of cleanup on those responsible for creating or maintaining the hazardous condition. Most courts have utilized the “remedial canon” of statutory construction to broadly construe the former goal of CERCLA to the detriment of the latter. In contrast, the Seventh Circuit employs the “public interest” theory instead of the “remedial canon” of statutory interpretation, and strikes a perfect balance between the two competing goals of CERCLA. Some courts apply “strict liability” in the context of § 107(a) recovery for a Potentially Responsible Party (“PRP”) who has voluntarily commenced environmental cleanup. The Seventh Circuit, in Metropolitan Water Reclamation of Greater Chicago v. North American Galvanizing & Coating, Inc., refused and allowed a PRP who had voluntarily commenced environmental cleanup to bring a cause of action against another PRP. This case illustrates how the Seventh Circuit closed a gaping hole in PRP recovery within CERCLA’s cost-shifting litigation scheme. As such, the Seventh Circuit continues to expand the rights of all environmentally aggrieved parties

Adipocyte Liver Kinase b1 Suppresses Beige Adipocyte Renaissance Through Class IIa Histone Deacetylase 4.

Uncoupling protein 1+ beige adipocytes are dynamically regulated by environment in rodents and humans; cold induces formation of beige adipocytes, whereas warm temperature and nutrient excess lead to their disappearance. Beige adipocytes can form through de novo adipogenesis; however, how "beiging" characteristics are maintained afterward is largely unknown. In this study, we show that beige adipocytes formed postnatally in subcutaneous inguinal white adipose tissue lost thermogenic gene expression and multilocular morphology at the adult stage, but cold restored their beiging characteristics, a phenomenon termed beige adipocyte renaissance. Ablation of these postnatal beige adipocytes inhibited cold-induced beige adipocyte formation in adult mice. Furthermore, we demonstrated that beige adipocyte renaissance was governed by liver kinase b1 and histone deacetylase 4 in white adipocytes. Although neither presence nor thermogenic function of uncoupling protein 1+ beige adipocytes contributed to metabolic fitness in adipocyte liver kinase b1-deficient mice, our results reveal an unexpected role of white adipocytes in maintaining properties of preexisting beige adipocytes

The Role of University in the Agricultural Advisory Framework in Tanzania

This Paper presents findings on the advisory role of universities in the agricultural extension system in Tanzania based on the literatures and household survey findings conducted in the Eastern Tanzania within 8 villages. The paper seeks to give highlights on the possible cause of disconnect based on the perceptions of farmers, extension workers and researchers in the country. The objective of the paper was to dissect the institutional framework of the agricultural advisory system in Tanzania and explain the interface of the key actors in the system by analyzing the extension services provision in Tanzania; Analyzing the role played by Sokoine university to the agricultural community; and assessing the impact of university extension services on community livelihood, and finally recommend on how to improve extension service delivery using the agricultural universities. The research used cross sectional design and participant observation technique. Data collected through household survey from a randomly selected sample of farmers in randomly selected villages which SUA and China Agriculture Universities were implementing dissemination of production technologies. Findings revealed that the extension system in Tanzania is to larger extent dominated by the public extension service providers than private providers, the role of university in extension services is vivid with significant impact to the agricultural communities’ livelihood. SUA had played some important roles which impacted on the agricultural crop production, income and communities livelihood. Hence recommend for support of the universities as well as increasing the pubic private partnerships in extension service provision in order to make the extension system be effective and efficient for increased production, productivity, food security and improved community livelihood. Keywords: Extension System; Advisory Role of University, Agricultural Advisory System

Chinese companies in Switzerland

In recent years, some of China’s leading firms have made headlines with their European expansion, by either opening new facilities or by acquiring or merging with significant enterprises in Europe. The goal of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature by examining Chinese enterprises expanding into Switzerland. The study also allows some conclusions for Chinese companies entering Central and Eastern Europe. We analyze via interviews the motivations of Chinese companies to expand into Switzerland as well as their behavior and the impediments in their internationalization process. Our findings show that Chinese companies fail to take advantage of certain benefits of western economies (such as open information and stable rule of law). To move forward efficiently, they should develop competence in dealing systematically with readily available market information, building professional networks that recognize a separation between business life and personal life, and managing their Chinese and foreign employees in the foreign cultural environment

Institutional Framework of the Social Security System in Tanzania: Challenges, Reforms and Elderly Copping Strategies

This paper examines the institutional framework of the social security system in Tanzania with special focus on the critical challenges facing the system and some reforms that have been undertaken. Coping strategies of old people with inadequate support from the social security system are also highlighted. Primary data were collected from 160 elderly in Morogoro Urban and Mvomero districts. The respondents were stratified into pensioners and non-pensioners and across gender. Primary data were complemented by interview of key informants and documentary reviews. The approach was basically qualitative analysis. It was found that the formal social security system in Tanzania comprises of five social security pension institutions; each of these traditionally covering a defined category of beneficiaries as per establishment piece of legislature. The system suffers fragmented legal and regulatory framework where schemes report to different ministries. To resolve this problem and enhance efficiency, a coordinating body, the Social Security Regulatory Authority (SSRA) has been established. Most of the products offered by the schemes are similar, albeit there are some variations. Complaints revolved around the inadequacy of benefits and delays in payments. The different strategies adopted by the elderly to cope with poor social security support are outlined. It is recommended that a special pension fund for all elderly (the Elderly Pension Fund- EPF) be established; monthly pension be transferred electronically via mobile phones in order to reduce transaction costs to the elderly; and in order to maintain the purchasing power of the pension beneficiaries an element of pension indexing be considered to accommodate inflationary pressure in the economy like in the case of pension benefits for senior government officials. Keywords: Pension schemes, Elder vulnerability, Social security reform, Coping strategies

A qualitative exploration of perceptions and experiences of contraceptive use, abortion and post-abortion family planning services (PAFP) in three provinces in China

Background: The INPAC project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of integrated post-abortion family planning (PAFP) services into existing hospital based abortion services in China. A qualitative study was conducted in three provinces to contribute to developing effective PAFP services through understanding influences on contraceptive use, experiences of abortion and existing PAFP, and their effect on future contraceptive practices from the perspective of users, in the context of social and institutional change. Methods: Twenty-nine in-depth interviews (IDIs) were undertaken with women who had experienced abortion between 1 and 6 months prior to interview, recruited from three urban and two rural facilities in each province. Thirteen IDIs were also conducted with male partners. Six focus group discussions (FGDs) were carried out with community members from different social groups, including unmarried and married women and men, urban residents and rural-to-urban migrants. Results: Social networks and norms are important in shaping attitudes and behaviour towards abortion and contraception. Widespread concerns were expressed about side-effects, reliability and effects on future fertility of some modern contraceptives. The combination of limited information and choices and a lack of person-centred counselling in PAFP with anxieties about side effects underlies the widespread use of unreliable methods. Gendered power relations significantly influence contraceptive (non) use, with several examples illustrating women's relative lack of power to decide on a method, particularly in the case of condoms. Although the availability of contraceptive information from respected providers can offer impetus for individual behaviour change, social distance from providers reduces opportunities for clients to discuss their difficulties regarding contraceptive use; particularly, but not exclusively for young, unmarried clients. Conclusions: Increased access to non-commercial, reliable information on contraceptive methods is needed. PAFP services must go beyond simple information provision to ensure that providers take a more personcentred approach, which considers the most appropriate method for individual clients and probes for the underlying influences on contraceptive (non) use. More sensitive reflection on gender norms and relationships is required during counselling and, where women choose this, efforts should be made to include their male partners. Specific attention to provider positionality and skills for counselling young, unmarried clients is needed

N-Terminal and Central Domains of APC Function to Regulate Branch Number, Length and Angle in Developing Optic Axonal Arbors in Vivo

During formation of neuronal circuits, axons navigate long distances to reach their target locations in the brain. When axons arrive at their target tissues, in many cases, they extend collateral branches and/or terminal arbors that serve to increase the number of synaptic connections they make with target neurons. Here, we investigated how Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) regulates terminal arborization of optic axons in living Xenopus laevis tadpoles. The N-terminal and central domains of APC that regulate the microtubule cytoskeleton and stability of β-catenin in the Wnt pathway, were co-expressed with GFP in individual optic axons, and their terminal arbors were then imaged in tectal midbrains of intact tadpoles. Our data show that the APCNTERM and APCβ-cat domains both decreased the mean number, and increased the mean length, of branches in optic axonal arbors relative to control arbors in vivo. Additional analysis demonstrated that expression of the APCNTERM domain increased the average bifurcation angle of branching in optic axonal arbors. However, the APCβ-cat domain did not significantly affect the mean branch angle of arbors in tecta of living tadpoles. These data suggest that APC N-terminal and central domains both modulate number and mean length of branches optic axonal arbors in a compensatory manner, but also define a specific function for the N-terminal domain of APC in regulating branch angle in optic axonal arbors in vivo. Our findings establish novel mechanisms for the multifunctional protein APC in shaping terminal arbors in the visual circuit of the developing vertebrate brain

Infusion Pump Mobile Application Biomedical Engineering Capstone Project

This project, sponsored by Baxter Healthcare, focuses on developing a user-friendly mobile application for the management of an infusion pump. Aimed at improving patient safety, minimizing manual data entry, and enhancing the overall convenience for healthcare providers, the application features key functionalities such as patient verification, barcode integration, and delivery confirmation. The system facilitates remote monitoring and programming of an infusion pump, offering a seamless integration with existing healthcare protocols and systems, thereby improving the efficacy and safety of medication delivery in clinical settings

Comparison of two deep reinforcement learning algorithms towards an optimal policy for smart building thermal control

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are the main providers of occupant comfort, and at the same time, they represent a significant source of energy consumption. Improving their efficiency is essential for reducing the environmental impact of buildings. However, traditional rule-based and model-based strategies are often inefficient in real-world applications due to the complex building thermal dynamics and the influence of heterogeneous disturbances, such as unpredictable occupant behavior. In order to address this issue, the performance of two state-of-the-art model-free Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) algorithms, Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) and Soft Actor-Critic (SAC), has been compared when the percentage valve opening is managed in a thermally activated building system, modeled in a simulated environment from data collected in an existing office building in Switzerland. Results show that PPO reduced energy costs by 18% and decreased temperature violations by 33%, while SAC achieved a 14% reduction in energy costs and 64% fewer temperature violations compared to the onsite Rule-Based Controller (RBC)