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The Effect Of Lower Extremity Asymmetries On Low Back And Lower Extremity Pain With Pregnancy, Erica Casto Jan 2016

The Effect Of Lower Extremity Asymmetries On Low Back And Lower Extremity Pain With Pregnancy, Erica Casto

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Approximately 50% of pregnant women experience low back and lower extremity pain during pregnancy, many of which continue to experience pain post-partum. It is known that many women experience changes in foot size, arch height and lower extremity alignment. However, the mechanism by which these changes are related to pain is relatively unknown, specifically in regard to asymmetric changes in alignment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess alignment during pregnancy in order to determine if asymmetries occurring in women during pregnancy are related to low back, hip, knee, and foot pain. Methods: Ten women in their third …

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The Opinions And Attitudes Of Police Officers To Proposed Changes To Law Enforcement, Jason C. Contessa Jan 2016

The Opinions And Attitudes Of Police Officers To Proposed Changes To Law Enforcement, Jason C. Contessa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The field of policing has recently come under the public scrutiny due to the events surrounding the deaths of several citizens at the hands of police officers. Although not the first time policing has been criticized, the issues have caused the country to become increasingly divided on whether or not American police forces are in need of reform. There has been an overwhelming amount of complaints against law enforcement and suggestions to improve policies. As political and public figures have taken sides and police administration has made statements regarding the issues, the voices of those that would be most affected …

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Comparative Analysis Of Uninhibited And Constrained Avian Wing Aerodynamics, Jordan A. Cox Jan 2016

Comparative Analysis Of Uninhibited And Constrained Avian Wing Aerodynamics, Jordan A. Cox

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The flight of birds has intrigued and motivated man for many years. Bird flight served as the primary inspiration of flying machines developed by Leonardo Da Vinci, Otto Lilienthal, and even the Wright brothers. Avian flight has once again drawn the attention of the scientific community as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are not only becoming more popular, but smaller. Birds are once again influencing the designs of aircraft. Small UAVs operating within flight conditions and low Reynolds numbers common to birds are not yet capable of the high levels of control and agility that birds display with ease. Many researchers …

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Development Of Inducible Anti-Influenza Therapies, Cynthia Marie Mcmillen Jan 2016

Development Of Inducible Anti-Influenza Therapies, Cynthia Marie Mcmillen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Influenza viruses continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality each year despite the development of vaccines and antiviral therapies targeting these viruses. The inherent ability of influenza viruses to accumulate mutations over time has led to the emergence of strains resistant to antiviral therapies. Furthermore, genetic reassortment creates antigenically diverse viruses, making it difficult to develop vaccines that yield broad protection. The objective of the following research studies is to develop two alternative approaches to current methods of antiviral therapeutics.;Six new siRNAs targeting influenza protein expression by RNA interference (RNAi) were characterized. Three siRNAs (M747, M776, M832) knocked down the …

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The Role Of Mirnas In Niche Regulation Of All Phenotype, Blake Stephen Moses Jan 2016

The Role Of Mirnas In Niche Regulation Of All Phenotype, Blake Stephen Moses

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

While modern acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment regimens have dramatically improved the survival of ALL patients, disease relapse still occurs in approximately 20% of cases. ALL relapse is, in part, due to the inability of traditional chemotherapeutic agents to efficiently target quiescent, non-dividing tumor cells. The number of viable remaining leukemia cells in patients after initial treatment, termed minimal residual disease (MRD), is directly correlated with likelihood of disease relapse. This reflects the proliferative potential of these refractory cells, consistent with the ability of their healthy hematopoietic progenitor pro- and pre-B cell counterparts. Developing novel therapies to combat refractory disease …

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Characteristics Of Bubble Behavior In Microgravity Conditions, Thilanka Munasinghe Jan 2016

Characteristics Of Bubble Behavior In Microgravity Conditions, Thilanka Munasinghe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The main objective of this thesis is to study the characteristics of bubbles in pool boiling under microgravity conditions with and without the influence of a magnetic field. In order to create microgravity conditions, the parabolic path of an aircraft was used for a period of 20-30 seconds, during which time the experiment was conducted. Two cylindrical tanks were used for the boiling process in the experiment. One tank had a permanent magnet attached at the bottom, and the other one was kept as the control. MnCl2 was dissolved in distilled water to make a paramagnetic liquid, and which used …

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Cardiac And Mitochondrial Impacts Of Acute Pulmonary Xenobiotic Exposure, Cody Edward Nichols Jan 2016

Cardiac And Mitochondrial Impacts Of Acute Pulmonary Xenobiotic Exposure, Cody Edward Nichols

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With every breath, we breathe in foreign materials, xenobiotic particles. These particles can interact with our tissues and influence the systems within. Airborne xenobiotic particles classically refer to ambient particulate matter (PM), but with technological advancement and the flourishing of nanotechnology, engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have become entwined in the definition. Because the term xenobiotic particles encompasses particles with a broad range of size, shapes and chemical composition, definition of the properties that induce toxicity can be difficult, yet crucial to understand and predicting which of these characteristics is capable of inducing toxicity. This concept is crucial as nanotechnology moves forward …

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Targeting The Peripheral Immune System As A Source Of Precision Stroke Biomarkers: Implications For Clinical Diagnostics And Immunotherapeutics, Grant C. O'Connell Jan 2016

Targeting The Peripheral Immune System As A Source Of Precision Stroke Biomarkers: Implications For Clinical Diagnostics And Immunotherapeutics, Grant C. O'Connell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Early and accurate diagnosis of stroke improves the probability of positive outcome, however the tools available to clinicians for the identification of stroke are limited. It is well established that the peripheral immune system responds robustly to ischemic brain injury, and thus may be a viable source of stroke biomarkers. The objective of this work was to utilize high throughput transcriptomics in combination with machine learning techniques to identify patterns of gene expression in peripheral whole blood with the potential to diagnose ischemic stroke, and to further determine the role of such gene expression patterns within the context of stroke …

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Effects Of Housing Condition And Acute Nicotine On Impulsive Choice In Lewis And Fischer 344 Rats, Jenny E. Ozga Jan 2016

Effects Of Housing Condition And Acute Nicotine On Impulsive Choice In Lewis And Fischer 344 Rats, Jenny E. Ozga

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Impulsive choice is defined as choice for a smaller, more immediate reinforcer relative to a larger, delayed reinforcer, and is commonly studied using delay-discounting procedures. There are many variables that contribute to impulsive choice, including biological and environmental determinants. The present study examined both of these variables by evaluating effects of housing condition (single versus paired) on impulsive choice in Lewis (LEW) and Fischer 344 (F344) rats, at baseline and following acute nicotine administration. A within-session procedure was used in which choice was between one food pellet delivered immediately and three food pellets delivered after a delay. The delay to …

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Elucidating Mechanisms Of Neurobehavioral Dysfunction In A Rodent Model Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Aric F. Logsdon Jan 2016

Elucidating Mechanisms Of Neurobehavioral Dysfunction In A Rodent Model Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Aric F. Logsdon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive deficits are common among victims of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and currently, there are no effective treatments to improve outcome. We first developed a clinically-relevant blast TBI model based on lung scaling parameters to elucidate mechanisms of neuronal cell death. In order to discover effective treatments to improve outcome, we had to validate our novel preclinical model of TBI. TBI is an external force that can cause damage to the neurovascular unit (NVU), which can lead to secondary effects, cell death and behavioral dysfunction. In our first study we observed that our model damaged the …

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Novel Immunoregulatory Elements In A Murine Model Of Epicutaneous Chemical Sensitization: A Role For Regulatory T Cells And Microrna 210, Carrie Mae Long Jan 2016

Novel Immunoregulatory Elements In A Murine Model Of Epicutaneous Chemical Sensitization: A Role For Regulatory T Cells And Microrna 210, Carrie Mae Long

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is a low molecular weight chemical sensitizer and a major cause of occupational allergic disease and asthma. The roles of immunomodulatory elements such as microRNAs, which alter gene expression, and regulatory T cells (Tregs), which suppress T cell-mediated responses, in chemical sensitization are not fully elucidated. In order to further investigate the functional role of miR-210 and Tregs during TDI sensitization, BALB/c mice were dermally exposed to a single, sensitizing dose of TDI (0.5-4% v/v) and evaluated for immunologic endpoints. dLN T regs were phenotyped during TDI sensitization and a heterogeneous, expanded population was observed. To examine …

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The Role Of Nad(P)H:Quinone Oxidoreductase 1 In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Tumorigenesis And Lung Cancer Stem Cell Maintenance, Brian Madajewski Jan 2016

The Role Of Nad(P)H:Quinone Oxidoreductase 1 In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Tumorigenesis And Lung Cancer Stem Cell Maintenance, Brian Madajewski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide. The five-year survival rates for those patients suffering from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), continues to be an abysmal 15%. One of the major reasons for the poor survival rate amongst NSCLC patients is the lack of early detection and subsequent late stage initial diagnosis. Tumors discovered at later stages are often refractory toward chemotherapy and radiation regimens. One theory as to why tumors become resistant to therapy relies heavily on the cells that make up the cancer stem cell (CSC) niche. This small percentage of cells within the …

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The Effect Of Ovine Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells On Haemonchus Contortus Larval Death In Vitro, Elizabeth Anne Shepherd Jan 2016

The Effect Of Ovine Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells On Haemonchus Contortus Larval Death In Vitro, Elizabeth Anne Shepherd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gastrointestinal nematode parasitism is the greatest problem facing small ruminant livestock, largely due to development of anthelmintic resistance. Of particular concern is Haemonchus contortus, a hematophagous trichostrongylid that can lead to death in lambs or immunocompromised sheep. Some breeds of sheep are resistant to Haemonchosis, e.g. St. Croix (STC) hair sheep. St. Croix sheep have well-documented resistance and have been shown to develop a robust immune response, generating a rapid cellular response to larval stages that does not occur in susceptible sheep. Studies evaluating effects of mononuclear cells, including monocytes and lymphocytes, indicate that these cells dramatically reduce motility of …

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Three Essays Analyzing The Pricing Of A Community Supported Agriculture System, Dwayne Bauknight Jan 2016

Three Essays Analyzing The Pricing Of A Community Supported Agriculture System, Dwayne Bauknight

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current landscape of small farms is approaching a major shift as more and more small farms are poised to come onto open marketplace around urban areas. A different farming business model called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has been utilized as new way for farmers to potentially earn above average revenue. However, small farmers still feel dissatisfied with their overall farm income, but when implementing the CSA business model the producers do feel that the CSA enhances their overall income satisfaction. Three essays were developed to examine this predicament. The first essay examined possible economic pricing models that a CSA …

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Cerebrovascular Dysfunction In Metabolic Syndrome And Depression: Mechanisms And Implications For Neurovascular Disease, Steven David Brooks Jan 2016

Cerebrovascular Dysfunction In Metabolic Syndrome And Depression: Mechanisms And Implications For Neurovascular Disease, Steven David Brooks

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cerebrovascular diseases are any pathological conditions that are caused by disruptions or alterations in the blood supply to the brain. The brain, which is only 2% of body mass, constantly requires a minimum of 20% of cardiac output to meet its unique metabolic demands. Cerebral tissue relies on aerobic respiration and therefore requires a constant, steady supply of blood to provide oxygen and glucose to make ATP. Insufficient perfusion of the brain, which occurs as a result of reduced or obstructed blood flow, results in cerebral ischemia; ischemic neurons quickly deplete their available ATP and die if blood flow is …

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Laugh With Me: Effects Of Shortcoms On Students' Motivation, Confidence, And Cultural Understanding In The French Classroom, Juliette Duthoit Jan 2016

Laugh With Me: Effects Of Shortcoms On Students' Motivation, Confidence, And Cultural Understanding In The French Classroom, Juliette Duthoit

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research has shown that authentic audio-visual materials have had a positive effect in foreign language classroom on learners' motivation and their confidence. Studies have also shown that humor can aid learners' memorization and improve their motivation, whether it is used in course material or through the instructor's interaction with the learners. Few researchers have focused, however, on the effect of humorous audio-visual material on foreign language learning. The aim of this thesis is to research the effects of humor in authentic video programming on the learning of French. In particular it examines the genre of the shortcom and how its …

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Directing The Total Program Of Agricultural Education As Perceived By Retired Secondary Agriculture Instructors In West Virginia, Dylan Demosthenes Johnson Jan 2016

Directing The Total Program Of Agricultural Education As Perceived By Retired Secondary Agriculture Instructors In West Virginia, Dylan Demosthenes Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine retired secondary agriculture educators' perceptions on the various challenges, barriers, as well as successes and satisfaction of teaching high school agriculture in West Virginia. The researcher chose to conduct a qualitative study through semi-structured interviews. This study was limited to five retired agriculture instructors who retired within the past 10 years. The researcher found the following: high satisfaction in career choice, strong support for the total programs from multiple facets including community, administration and parents, adult education programming is a vital part of the total program and support, FFA is vital to …

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A Lab-Based Study For The Generation And Characterization Of Particle Emission From Composite Materials Containing Carbon Nanotubes, Jonathan Kang Jan 2016

A Lab-Based Study For The Generation And Characterization Of Particle Emission From Composite Materials Containing Carbon Nanotubes, Jonathan Kang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An experimental setup was designed to measure and characterize the emission of particles during the sanding of composite materials containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The experimental setup consisted of a sand-blasting cabinet with HEPA-filtered air intakes. An electrical motor outside the cabinet was connected to a pulley through a v-belt. A material feeder with constant force was constructed. The system was tested with a belt sander by sanding 1) glass fiber/epoxy resin, 2) glass fiber/epoxy resin containing post-coated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), 3) acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) 4), ABS containing MWCNTs, 5) ABS containing glass-fiber-infused MWCNTs, 6) ABS containing carbon black, …

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Imaging Ductal Carcinoma Using A Hyperspectral Imaging System, Yasser M. Khouj Jan 2016

Imaging Ductal Carcinoma Using A Hyperspectral Imaging System, Yasser M. Khouj

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) is a non-invasive optical imaging modality that shows the potential to aid pathologists in breast cancer diagnoses cases. In this study, breast cancer tissues from different patients were imaged by a hyperspectral system to detect spectral differences between normal and breast cancer tissues, as well as early and late stages of breast cancer. If the spectral differences in these tissue types can be measured, automated systems can be developed to help the pathologist identify suspect biopsy samples, which will improve sample throughput and assist in making critical treatment decisions. Tissue samples from ten different patients were provided …

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Effects Of Anti-Viral Acute Phase Response On Hippocampal Glutamate Regulation, Holly C. Hunsberger Jan 2016

Effects Of Anti-Viral Acute Phase Response On Hippocampal Glutamate Regulation, Holly C. Hunsberger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A large body of clinical evidence suggests that viral infections in the periphery can exacerbate neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's, disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and seizures. The underlying mechanisms of these conditions involve the activation of the acute phase response (APR), part of the innate immune system, which recognizes viral molecular patterns. As neighboring cells become infected, inflammatory mediators are released into the bloodstream and relayed to the central nervous system where they produce a "mirror" inflammatory response. To induce the APR, polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (PIC), a viral mimetic, is commonly used. PIC produces a robust and transient …

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Interleukin-15 Overexpression Attenuates Muscle Fatigue Associated With Murine Eo771 Mammary Tumors, Joseph F. Bohlen Jan 2016

Interleukin-15 Overexpression Attenuates Muscle Fatigue Associated With Murine Eo771 Mammary Tumors, Joseph F. Bohlen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Severe muscle wasting and muscle dysfunction (cachexia) are considered incurable complications associated with a wide variety of chronic diseases. This loss of function and severe wasting causes an increase in fatigue in cancer patients, leading to reduced motivation for daily activities, further reducing prognosis for recovery in these patients leading to a severe increase in morbidity. Recent work from our lab suggests Interleukin-15 (IL-15) induces a pro-oxidative state in the muscle, reducing fatigue and promoting a more oxidative phenotype. One proposed mechanism behind this is the observation that IL-15 promotes mitochondrial biogenesis, lending more mitochondria for oxidative metabolic processes. Therefore, …

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Survival, Movement And Growth Of Juvenile Chinook ( Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) Salmon Over-Wintering In Twitter Creek, South-Central, Alaska, James Keith Boersma Jan 2016

Survival, Movement And Growth Of Juvenile Chinook ( Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) Salmon Over-Wintering In Twitter Creek, South-Central, Alaska, James Keith Boersma

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I investigated aspects of winter ecology of juvenile stream-type Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in Twitter Creek, a small tributary of the Anchor River, South-Central Alaska. A multistate modeling approach utilizing passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology to consider both live recaptures of individuals during discrete sampling occasions, and continuous data collected by monitoring movements of PIT-tagged fish was used to characterize both movement and survival. Juveniles emigrated from the stream throughout the winter peaking in the late fall and spring. Survival rates were eight times higher for juvenile Chinook that maintained stream fidelity during the entire winter period. The probability of …

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Risk Perception And Awareness Of Oil And Natural Gas Safety Among Local Populations In The Eastern Province Of Jubail, Saudi Arabia, Wajeeh Aljanabi Jan 2016

Risk Perception And Awareness Of Oil And Natural Gas Safety Among Local Populations In The Eastern Province Of Jubail, Saudi Arabia, Wajeeh Aljanabi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The main goal of this research was to examine the residents' and Saudi Aramco employees' awareness of risks to public health and the environment as a result of their close proximity to oil and natural gas production facilities in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. The research objective was to characterize social representations of industrial activities by different social actors in order to enhance public participation in the region's risk management plan. Social representation theory was adopted to understand the risk perception of members of the community, both residents and oil plus natural gas employees. Residents were represented by faculty and …

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The Effect Of Polymer Coatings On The Pulmonary Toxicity Of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Lindsey M. Bishop Jan 2016

The Effect Of Polymer Coatings On The Pulmonary Toxicity Of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Lindsey M. Bishop

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nanotechnology is the science of developing and manipulating molecular structures smaller than one hundred nanometers in at least one dimension. These structures are collectively called engineered nanomaterials. A subgroup of these engineered nanomaterials are multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). They are of great interest to industry because of their small size, large surface area, strength, and conductivity in comparison to materials currently used. Practical applications of MWCNT include improvements for water filtration systems, composites, and drug delivery. The same properties that make them advantageous for industry may also confer adverse health effects. For workers in the U.S. handling CNTs, the process …

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Changing The Rules Of The Game: Beyond Disclosure Framework For Securities Regulation, Jena Martin Sep 2015

Changing The Rules Of The Game: Beyond Disclosure Framework For Securities Regulation, Jena Martin

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

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Statutory Pooling And Unitization In West Virginia: The Case For Protecting Private Landowners, James E. Mcdaniel Sep 2015

Statutory Pooling And Unitization In West Virginia: The Case For Protecting Private Landowners, James E. Mcdaniel

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

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Inventing Patents: A Story Of Legal And Technical Transfer, L. R. Bradford Sep 2015

Inventing Patents: A Story Of Legal And Technical Transfer, L. R. Bradford

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

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Stepping Up Grazing Management-0615pfg., Edward Barrow Rayburn Jun 2015

Stepping Up Grazing Management-0615pfg., Edward Barrow Rayburn

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

balancing forage supply and livestock forage demand

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The Cowboy Code Meets The Smash Mouth Truth: Mediations On Worker Incivility, Michael C. Duff Apr 2015

The Cowboy Code Meets The Smash Mouth Truth: Mediations On Worker Incivility, Michael C. Duff

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

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Voluntary Action In New Commons, Roger A. Lohmann Jan 2015

Voluntary Action In New Commons, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

A major new social, economic, political and cultural space (actually, a sector of many spaces) we can call the new commons has gradually emerged outside of markets, governments and households. It currently goes by many names and reaches far beyond the recognized and incorporated nonprofit sector to include many additional forms of voluntary assembly and organized action. This space is legally defined and is the domain of fundraising, volunteering, advocacy, mutual aid, self-help and various forms of collective behavior. It includes associations, groups and clubs but also constitutionally protected assembly - not only public gatherings but also parades, festivals, cosmopolitan …

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