Record Labels, Federal Courts, and the FCC: Using Uncertainty in Communications Law to Fight Online Copyright Infringement

Illegal downloading continues to plague the music industry. Furthermore, the music industry has little to show for its significant investment in costly, labor-intensive copy-right litigation. Federal courts have been increasingly unsympathetic to copyright holders, refusing to let substantial damages awards in several high-profile cases stand. In addition, the Southern District of New York recently ruled that YouTube should not be held liable for widespread copyright infringement on its site in spite of substantial evidence that YouTube had actual knowledge of the infringement. Meanwhile there is great uncertainty in the world of communications law. After the D.C. Circuit thwarted the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) efforts to stop Comcast from “throttling,” or purposefully slowing, peer-to-peer file-sharing traffic on its network, the FCC drafted a new set of regulations for broadband providers. The new regulations have been challenged from every angle, and will likely be tied up in litigation for years. These legal developments have coincided with the availability of new, legal, online music services such as Spotify and Google Music. This Comment argues that music industry groups such as the Recording Industry Association of America should take advantage of the uncertainty in communications law and attempt to shift consumer behavior away from illegal downloading and toward legal online music services by engaging in a lobbying effort designed to convince Internet service providers to resume throttling peer-to-peer file-sharing services

Randomized comparison of ePTFE/nitinol self-expanding stent graft vs prosthetic femoral-popliteal bypass in the treatment of superficial femoral artery occlusive disease

BackgroundA randomized prospective study comparing the treatment of superficial femoral artery occlusive disease percutaneously with an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE)/nitinol self-expanding stent graft (stent-graft) vs surgical femoral to above knee popliteal artery bypass with synthetic graft material.MethodsOne hundred limbs in 86 patients with superficial femoral artery occlusive disease were evaluated from March 2004 to May 2005. Patient symptoms included both claudication and limb threatening ischemia with or without tissue loss. The TransAtlantic InterSociety Consensus (TASC) II A (N = 18), B (N = 56), C (N = 11), and D (N = 15) lesions were included. Patients were randomized prospectively into one of two treatment groups; a percutaneous treatment group (group A; N = 50) with angioplasty and placement of one or more stent-grafts or a surgical treatment group (group B; N = 50) with a femoral to above knee popliteal artery bypass using synthetic conduit (Dacron graft or ePTFE). Patients were followed for a total of 24 months. Follow-up evaluation included clinical assessment and physical examination, ankle-brachial indices (ABI), and color flow duplex sonography at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months.ResultsThe mean total lesion length of the treated arterial segment in the stent-graft group was 25.6 cm (SD ± 15 cm). The stent-graft group demonstrated a primary patency of 81%, 72%, and 63% with a secondary patency of 86%, 83%, and 74% at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. The surgical femoral-popliteal group demonstrated a primary patency of 84%, 77%, and 64% with a secondary patency of 89%, 86%, and 76% at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. No statistical difference was found between the two groups with respect to primary (P = .716) or secondary patency (P = .695). Grouping of less severe (TASC II A/B) vs more severe (TASC II C/D) lesions demonstrated patency at 24 months for the femoral-popliteal arm of 63% and 67%, respectively while that of the stent-graft arm was 64% and 47%, respectively. Secondary patency was 76% in both TASC classifications for the femoral-popliteal arm with 78% and 47% patency found respectively in the stent-graft group. These resulted in no significant difference for primary (P = .978) or secondary (P = .653) patency overall, although there is a trend for decreased patency with higher TASC II lesions.ConclusionManagement of superficial femoral artery occlusive disease with percutaneous stent-grafts exhibits similar primary patency at 24-month follow-up when compared with conventional femoral-popliteal artery bypass grafting with synthetic conduit. This treatment method may offer an alternative to treatment of the superficial femoral artery segment for revascularization when prosthetic bypass is being considered or when autologous conduit is unavailable

Designing a Viral Reduction System for FDA approval in Fibrin Sutures

To ensure patient safety and gain regulatory approval for a fibrin based suture, viral reduction must be incorporated into the manufacturing process. A process was designed in which, thrombin and fibrinogen were treated at the liquid phase, thrombin was treated with an acid pH alteration and fibrinogen with solvent detergent. Threads were formed and underwent a dry heat procedure. Viral reduction was validated against bacteriophage and quantified using a plaque assay. The viral reduction of the acid pH, solvent detergent and dry heat was greater than 6, 3.6 and greater than 2, respectively. The viral reduction process did not significantly alter the mechanical properties of the sutures. These results demonstrate process efficiency that is likely to gain regulatory approval

Stimulating a Response: Does Exposure to the Confederate Flag Impact People’s Attitudes Regarding Social Dominance Orientation, Ethnocultural Empathy, and their Political Beliefs?

Minimal psychological research has looked at whether priming participants with the Confederate flag impacts psychological functioning. The current study examined whether Confederate flag priming and people’s political orientation would account for various indicators of how people reconcile in-group/out-group divisions- social dominance orientation (SDO) and ethnocultural empathy (EE). Previous research noted that exposing people to the Confederate flag activates schemas resulting in biased judgments of out-group members (Becker, Enders-Comber, Wagner, Christ, & Butz, 2012; Callahan & Ledgewood, 2016; Kemmelmeier & Winter, 2008). Other studies noted that exposure to the Confederate flag changed voter’s preferences for political candidates, such as Barack Obama due to the activation of negative feelings towards Blacks (Ehrlinger et al., 2011). The current study builds from such work by examining the political attitudes of 194 participants enrolled in a midsized, primarily minority-serving university in the southern United States. Participants were exposed to 30 seconds of either the Confederate flag or a control group condition (an Olympic flag). After the exposure, participants’ attitudes towards SDO and EE were reported. Findings indicated that political ideology interacted with the flag condition and that the disparities were most pronounced when people of a particular political orientation were exposed to the Confederate rather than Olympic flag condition. Specifically, when exposed to the Confederate flag conservatives reported more SDO (i.e., less endorsement of group equality) and less EE (e.g., empathic feelings). By contrast, for liberals EE empathic awareness subscale scores were especially higher in the Confederate flag condition. Multiple main effects also emerged in which liberals generally reported lower SDO and higher EE than conservatives did (regardless of the flag priming). Implications concerning the current political climate in the U. S. and information shortcuts for potential voting behavior are also discussed

Determinants of the empiric use of antibiotics by general practitioners in South Africa : observational, analytic, cross-sectional study

The overuse of antibiotics is the main driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, there has been limited surveillance data on AMR and antibiotic prescribing at a primary healthcare level in South Africa. An observational, analytic, cross-sectional study was undertaken to assess key factors associated with empiric antibiotic prescribing among private sector general practitioners (GPs) in the eThekwini district in South Africa, particularly for patients with acute respiratory infections (ARIs). A semi-structured web-based questionnaire was used between November 2020 – March 2021. One hundred and sixteen (55.5%) responding GPs prescribed antibiotics empirically for patients with ARIs more than 70% of the time, primarily for symptom relief and the prevention of complications. GPs between the ages of 35-44 years (OR: 3,38; 95%CI: 1,15-9,88), > 55 years (OR: 4,75; 95% CI 1,08-21) and in practice < 15 years (OR: 2,20; 95%CI: 1,08-4,51) were significantly more likely to prescribe antibiotics empirically. Three factors - workload/time pressures; diagnostic uncertainty, and the use of a formulary, were significantly associated with empiric prescribing. GPs with more experience and working alone were slightly less likely to prescribe antibiotics empirically. These findings indicate that a combination of environmental factors are important underlying contributors to the development of AMR. As a result, guide appropriate interventions using a health system approach, which includes pertinent prescribing indicators and targets

Our Members’ Settler Stories

Our Members’ Settler Storie

Identification and Functional Testing of Novel Interacting Protein Partners for the Stress Sensors Wsc1p and Mid2p of \u3cem\u3eSaccharomyces cerevisiae\u3c/em\u3e

Wsc1p and Mid2p are transmembrane signaling proteins of cell wall stress in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When an environmental stress compromises cell wall integrity, they activate a cell response through the Cell Wall Integrity (CWI) pathway. Studies have shown that the cytoplasmic domain of Wsc1p initiates the CWI signaling cascade by interacting with Rom2p, a Rho1-GDP-GTP exchange factor. Binding of Rom2p to the cytoplasmic tail of Wsc1p requires dephosphorylation of specific serine residues but the mechanism by which the sensor is dephosphorylated and how it subsequently interacts with Rom2p remains unclear. We hypothesize that Wsc1p and Mid2p must be physically associated with interacting proteins other than Rom2p that facilitate its interaction and regulate the activation of CWI pathway. To address this, a cDNA plasmid library of yeast proteins was expressed in bait strains bearing membrane yeast two-hybrid (MYTH) reporter modules of Wsc1p and Mid2p, and their interacting preys were recovered and sequenced. 14 previously unreported interactors were confirmed for Wsc1p and 29 for Mid2p. The interactors’ functionality were assessed by cell growth assays and CWI pathway activation by western blot analysis of Slt2p/Mpk1p phosphorylation in null mutants of each interactor under defined stress conditions. The susceptibility of these strains to different stresses were tested against antifungal agents and chemicals. This study reports important novel protein interactions of Wsc1p and Mid2p that are associated with the cellular response to oxidative stress induced by Hydrogen Peroxide and cell wall stress induced by Caspofungin

Novel Interactome of \u3cem\u3eSaccharomyces cerevisiae\u3c/em\u3e Myosin Type II Identified by a Modified Integrated Membrane Yeast Two-Hybrid (iMYTH) Screen

Nonmuscle myosin type II (Myo1p) is required for cytokinesis in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Loss of Myo1p activity has been associated with growth abnormalities and enhanced sensitivity to osmotic stress, making it an appealing antifungal therapeutic target. The Myo1p tail-only domain was previously reported to have functional activity equivalent to the full-length Myo1p whereas the head-only domain did not. Since Myo1p tail-only constructs are biologically active, the tail domain must have additional functions beyond its previously described role in myosin dimerization or trimerization. The identification of new Myo1p-interacting proteins may shed light on the other functions of the Myo1p tail domain. To identify novel Myo1p-interacting proteins, and determine if Myo1p can serve as a scaffold to recruit proteins to the bud neck during cytokinesis, we used the integrated split-ubiquitin membrane yeast two-hybrid (iMYTH) system. Myo1p was iMYTH-tagged at its C-terminus, and screened against both cDNA and genomic prey libraries to identify interacting proteins. Control experiments showed that the Myo1p-bait construct was appropriately expressed, and that the protein colocalized to the yeast bud neck. Thirty novel Myo1p-interacting proteins were identified by iMYTH. Eight proteins were confirmed by coprecipitation (Ape2, Bzz1, Fba1, Pdi1, Rpl5, Tah11, and Trx2) or mass spectrometry (AP-MS) (Abp1). The novel Myo1p-interacting proteins identified come from a range of different processes, including cellular organization and protein synthesis. Actin assembly/disassembly factors such as the SH3 domain protein Bzz1 and the actin-binding protein Abp1 represent likely Myo1p interactions during cytokinesis

Lyman‐α imaging of the SO 2 distribution on Io

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94916/1/grl12620.pd