Product liability and the technical expert

The refinement of the product liability litigation process requires a continuing substantive dialogue between the legal and technical communities. The common problem-solving orientation of the two disciplines bodes well for such interaction. We have shared in the exciting beginnings of this legaltechnical interaction (7) and hope that in the field of product liability such joint efforts will lead to a more sophisticated and technologically sound litigation process, one in which the technologist can be true to himself while operating within a strong and responsive adversary system.     

Household valuation of energy development in amenity‐rich regions

The juxtaposition of oil and gas wells against the Rocky Mountains on Colorado's Front Range provides a picture of the complicated interaction between Colorado's natural resources above and below ground. As hydraulic fracturing has increased oil and gas development—bringing jobs and money to an already highly sought after amenity‐rich area—it has also increased concerns about the impact on natural amenities, such as water quality and mountain views. Using data on housing sales between 2006 and 2014, we estimate how shale development is capitalized into housing prices in a booming market when households are in close proximity to other natural amenities. We find that shale development negatively impacts house prices, more so for houses with private water and houses that are closer to the mountains, but that competition for land along the Front Range has driven up house prices overall in the region. Our results also suggest the policy responses to shale development may differ for growing, amenity‐rich regions.     

Codon recognition by enzymatically mischarged valine transfer ribonucleic acid

Direct evidence for the adaptor hypothesis has been obtained by examining the codon recognition of a purified Escherichia coli valine transfer ribonucleic acid which was enzymatically mischarged with phenylalanine labeled with carbn-14 by reaction with purified phenylalanyl-transfer ribonucleic acid synthetase from Neurospora crassa. The mischarged transfer ribonucleic acid recognized the valine codons but failed to recognize the phenylalanine codon when tested in trinucleotide-directed ribosomal binding assay.     

gridlock, an HLH gene required for assembly of the aorta in zebrafish

The first artery and vein of the vertebrate embryo assemble in the trunk by migration and coalescence of angioblasts to form endothelial tubes. The gridlock (grl) mutation in zebrafish selectively perturbs assembly of the artery (the aorta). Here it is shown that grl encodes a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein belonging to the Hairy/Enhancer of the split family of bHLH proteins. The grl gene is expressed in lateral plate mesoderm before vessel formation, and thereafter in the aorta and not in the vein. These results suggest that the arterial endothelial identity is established even before the onset of blood flow and implicate the grl gene in assignment of vessel-specific cell fate.     

Gypsum Application Reduces Selenium Uptake by Vegetation on a Coal Ash Landfill

Selenium, a potentially toxic trace element, is present in coal fly ash and is accumulated by plants growing on ash landfills. Application of gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O) can reduce Se accumulation. The persistence of this effect and the efficacy of repeated gypsum applications were investigated in forbs and grasses on a soil-capped, fly ash landfill near Lansing, New York. Gypsum was applied as a top-dressing at a rate of 0 or 11.2 t ha-1 in 1990 to three plots, and one-half of each of these plots received an additional top dressing of gypsum at 11.2 t ha-1 in 1991, producing four treatments – no gypsum, gypsum only in 1990, gypsum only in 1991, and gypsum in both years. Vegetation was harvested in July and October of 1991 and in July of 1992 and analyzed for Se, S, and Ca. Application of gypsum: (1) decreased Se accumulation by forbs and grasses harvested later in the season; (2) decreased Se accumulation in a subsequent year; (3) produced no further decrease when reapplied in a second year; and (4) did not decrease Se accumulation two years after a single application. The decrease in Se accumulation was not due to dilution caused by S fertilization. Variation in Se accumulation was not explained by variation in the pH and Se concentration of the soil and ash.