A Call to the Bullpen: Alternatives to the Morality Clause as Endorsement Companies’ Main Protection Against Athletic Scandal

High-profile scandals in the sports world, exemplified by Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods, expose endorsement companies to financial and reputational risks. Endorsement contracts today rely on morality clauses to mitigate this risk of exposure, which unduly restricts a company’s response to an athlete’s misconduct. Clawback clauses, on the other hand, provide companies with a mechanism to fully protect their investment in the employee or sponsored athlete. This Note discusses the practicality of introducing clawback clauses into athletic endorsement contracts. Although many factors inhibit endorsement companies from implementing clawback clauses into endorsement contracts, more beneficial alternatives exist that companies can pursue to better protect themselves rather than relying solely on morality clauses. This Note argues that the most practical alternative to the morality clause includes adopting specific contracting techniques in contrast to the untried clawback provision

An investigation of a bloom of the desmid Gonatozygon.

We investigated a bloom of the desmid Gonatozygon aculeatum var. aculeatum in Walker's Lake, Chippeaw County, Michigan. A Pearson's correlation was used to determine the degree of correlation between substrate, temperature, pH, depth, and relative abundances of Gonatozygon, Bulbochaete, Oedogonium, and Oscillatoria in samples taken from Walker's Lake. No significant correlation affecting Gonatozygon distribution was found between the variables. Walker's Lake was limed in August, 1989. To determine the part that the liming played in the Gonatozygon bloom, we designed an experiment in which samples from Walker's Lake were acidified, and samples from an adjacent lake in which Gonatozygon was absent were limed. Only the Whitmarsh Lake treatment showed a significant difference from its control, the limed samples had a greater percent abundance of healthy Gonatozygon cells. The experimental results supported our hypothesis that liming positively affects Gonatozygon health, but did not support the hypothesis that acidification adversely affects Gonatozygon health.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/54233/1/2669.pd

Simulation of Changes in Stormwater Quality at Four Potential Flow-Attenuation Sites in the Irondequoit Creek Watershed, Monroe County, New York

The potential for improving stormwater quality in the Irondequoit Creek watershed, New York, using flow attenuation basins was analyzed by deterministic simulations of sediment retention. Simulations are based on \u27 plug-flow \u27 concepts and settling of particulate matter according to Stoke \u27s law in (1) temporary storage basins, which retain storm runoff but allow normal runoff to pass unimpeded, and (2) maximum storage basins, which maintain a permanent pool of water. The rate of suspended-sediment retention varies with particle size and detention time. The detention time is a function of basin size, rate of inflow, and type of basin simulated and is greater in maximum storage basins, which produce an 8 to 84% greater suspended-sediment load reduction than temporary storage basins. The predicted annual suspended-sediment-load retention ranges from 28 to 32% in temporary storage basins and from 33 to 60% in maximum storage basins. Total annual loads of phosphorous, lead, and zinc, constituents that are often absorbed to sediment particles, would be reduced by 22 to 59%, 20 to 47% and 16 to 38 %, respectively, according to suspended-sediment simulations. Actual sediment-retention and chemical-retention rates may be less than predicted, however, because (1) the sediment may be resuspended mechanically, (2) anaerobic conditions may cause release of adsorbed constituents into the dissolved phase, and (3) metals may become remobilized in the presence of high concentrations of chlorides from road salts. (USGS

Secondary Prevention Among Uninsured Stroke Patients: A Free Clinic Study

OBJECTIVES: Free clinics manage a diversity of diseases among the uninsured. We sought to assess the medical management of stroke in a population of uninsured patients. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted to collect chronic disease statistics from 6558 electronic medical records and paper charts at nine free clinics in Tampa, Florida, from January 2016 to December 2017. Demographics and risk factors were compared between stroke patients and non-stroke patients. Medication rates for several comorbidities were also assessed. RESULTS: Two percent (107) of patients had been diagnosed with a stroke. Stroke patients were older (mean (M) = 56.0, standard deviation (SD) = 11.2) than the rest of the sample (M = 43.3, SD = 15.4), p \u3c 0.001 and a majority were men (n = 62, 58%). Of the stroke patients with hypertension (n = 79), 81% (n = 64) were receiving anti-hypertensive medications. Of the stroke patients with diabetes (n = 43), 72% (n = 31) were receiving diabetes medications. Among all stroke patients, 44% were receiving aspirin therapy (n = 47). Similarly, 39% of all stroke patients (n = 42) were taking statins. CONCLUSIONS: Uninsured patients with a history of stroke may not be receiving adequate secondary prevention highlighting the risk and vulnerability of uninsured patients. This finding identifies an area for improvement in secondary stroke prevention in free clinics

The Impacts of Water Conservation Strategies on Water Use: Four Case Studies1

We assessed impacts on water use achieved by implementation of controlled experiments relating to four water conservation strategies in four towns within the Ipswich watershed in Massachusetts. The strategies included (1) installation of weather-sensitive irrigation controller switches (WSICS) in residences and municipal athletic fields; (2) installation of rainwater harvesting systems in residences; (3) two outreach programs: (a) free home indoor water use audits and water fixture retrofit kits and (b) rebates for low-water-demand toilets and washing machines; and (4) soil amendments to improve soil moisture retention at a municipal athletic field. The goals of this study are to summarize the effectiveness of the four water conservation strategies and to introduce nonparametric statistical methods for evaluating the effectiveness of these conservation strategies in reducing water use. It was found that (1) the municipal WSICS significantly reduced water use; (2) residences with high irrigation demand were more likely than low water users to experience a substantial demand decrease when equipped with the WSICS; (3) rainwater harvesting provided substantial rainwater use, but these volumes were small relative to total domestic water use and relative to the natural fluctuations in domestic water use; (4) both the audits/retrofit and rebate programs resulted in significant water savings; and (5) a modeling approach showed potential water savings from soil amendments in ball fields

Dynamics of N removal over annual time periods in a suburban river network

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2008. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 113 (2008): G03038, doi:10.1029/2007JG000660.River systems are dynamic, highly connected water transfer networks that integrate a wide range of physical and biological processes. We used a river network nitrogen (N) removal model with daily temporal resolution to evaluate how elevated N inputs, saturation of the denitrification and total nitrate removal processes, and hydrologic conditions interact to determine the amount, timing and distribution of N removal in the fifth-order river network of a suburban 400 km2 basin. Denitrification parameters were based on results from whole reach 15NO3 tracer additions. The model predicted that between 15 and 33% of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) inputs were denitrified annually by the river system. Removal approached 100% during low flow periods, even with the relatively low and saturating uptake velocities typical of surface water denitrification. Annual removal percentages were moderate because most N inputs occurred during high flow periods when hydraulic conditions and temperatures are less favorable for removal by channel processes. Nevertheless, the percentage of annual removal occurring during above average flow periods was similar to that during low flow periods. Predicted river network removal proportions are most sensitive to loading rates, spatial heterogeneity of inputs, and the form of the removal process equation during typical base flow conditions. However, comparison with observations indicates that removal by the river network is higher than predicted by the model at moderately high flows, suggesting additional removal processes are important at these times. Further increases in N input to the network will lead to disproportionate increases in N exports due to the limits imposed by process saturation.This work was funded by NSF-DEB- 0614282, NSF-OCE-9726921, NSF-DEB-0111410, and NSF-BCS- 0709685

Thinking outside the channel : modeling nitrogen cycling in networked river ecosystems

Author Posting. © Ecological Society of America, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of Ecological Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 9 (2011): 229–238, doi:10.1890/080211.Agricultural and urban development alters nitrogen and other biogeochemical cycles in rivers worldwide. Because such biogeochemical processes cannot be measured empirically across whole river networks, simulation models are critical tools for understanding river-network biogeochemistry. However, limitations inherent in current models restrict our ability to simulate biogeochemical dynamics among diverse river networks. We illustrate these limitations using a river-network model to scale up in situ measures of nitrogen cycling in eight catchments spanning various geophysical and land-use conditions. Our model results provide evidence that catchment characteristics typically excluded from models may control river-network biogeochemistry. Based on our findings, we identify important components of a revised strategy for simulating biogeochemical dynamics in river networks, including approaches to modeling terrestrial–aquatic linkages, hydrologic exchanges between the channel, floodplain/riparian complex, and subsurface waters, and interactions between coupled biogeochemical cycles.This research was supported by NSF (DEB-0111410). Additional support was provided by NSF for BJP and SMT (DEB-0614301), for WMW (OCE-9726921 and DEB-0614282), for WHM and JDP (DEB-0620919), for SKH (DEB-0423627), and by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for AMH, GCP, ESB, and JAS, and by an EPA Star Fellowship for AMH

Separation of river network–scale nitrogen removal among the main channel and two transient storage compartments

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Water Resources Research 47 (2011): W00J10, doi:10.1029/2010WR009896.Transient storage (TS) zones are important areas of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) processing in rivers. We assessed sensitivities regarding the relative impact that the main channel (MC), surface TS (STS), and hyporheic TS (HTS) have on network denitrification using a model applied to the Ipswich River in Massachusetts, United States. STS and HTS connectivity and size were parameterized using the results of in situ solute tracer studies in first- through fifth-order reaches. DIN removal was simulated in all compartments for every river grid cell using reactivity derived from Lotic Intersite Nitrogen Experiment (LINX2) studies, hydraulic characteristics, and simulated discharge. Model results suggest that although MC-to-STS connectivity is greater than MC-to-HTS connectivity at the reach scale, at basin scales, there is a high probability of water entering the HTS at some point along its flow path through the river network. Assuming our best empirical estimates of hydraulic parameters and reactivity, the MC, HTS, and STS removed approximately 38%, 21%, and 14% of total DIN inputs during a typical base flow period, respectively. There is considerable uncertainty in many of the parameters, particularly the estimates of reaction rates in the different compartments. Using sensitivity analyses, we found that the size of TS is more important for DIN removal processes than its connectivity with the MC when reactivity is low to moderate, whereas TS connectivity is more important when reaction rates are rapid. Our work suggests a network perspective is needed to understand how connectivity, residence times, and reactivity interact to influence DIN processing in hierarchical river systems.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation through DEB- 0614282, BCS-0709685 and the Plum Island Long Term Ecological Research site (NSF OCE-0423565)