Digital Commons Network^™

Wrongs, Rights, And Third Parties, Nicholas Cornell

Articles

In philosophical and legal arguments, it is commonly assumed that a person is wronged only if that person has had a right violated. This assumption is often viewed almost as a necessary conceptual truth: to be wronged is to have one's right violated, and to have a right is to be one who stands to be wronged. I will argue that this assumption is incorrect—that having a right and standing to be wronged are distinct and separable moral phenomena.

My argument begins from cases in which third parties are affected by the violation of someone else's rights. I will introduce …

Balancing Effects Across Markets, Daniel A. Crane

Articles

In Philadelphia National Bank (PNB), the Supreme Court held that it is improper to weigh a merger's procompetitive effects in one market against the merger's anticompetitive effects in another. The merger in question, which ostensibly reduced retail competition in the Philadelphia area, could not be justified on the grounds that it increased competition against New York banks and hence perhaps enhanced competition in business banking in the mid-Atlantic region. I will refer to the Supreme Court's prohibition on balancing effects across markets as a "market-specificity" rule. Under this rule, efficiencies that may counterbalance anticompetitive aspects must be specific to …

Mattrack: A Matlab-Based Quantitative Image Analysis Platform For Investigating Real-Time Photo-Converted Fluorescent Signals In Live Cells, Jane Courtney, Elena Woods, Dimitri Scholz, William Hall, Virginie Gautier

Articles

We introduce here MATtrack, an open source MATLAB-based computational platform developed to process multi-Tiff files produced by a photo-conversion time lapse protocol for live cell fluorescent microscopy. MATtrack automatically performs a series of steps required for image processing, including extraction and import of numerical values from Multi-Tiff files, red/green image classification using gating parameters, noise filtering, background extraction, contrast stretching and temporal smoothing. MATtrack also integrates a series of algorithms for quantitative image analysis enabling the construction of mean and standard deviation images, clustering and classification of subcellular regions and injection point approximation. In addition, MATtrack features a simple user …

Age-Related Sexual Dimorphism In Temporal Discrimination And In Adult-Onset Dystonia Suggests Gabaergic Mechanisms, John Butler, Ines M. Beiser, Laura Williams, Eavan Mcgovern, Fiona Molloy, Timothy Lynch, Dan G. Healy, Helena Moore, Richard Walsh, Richard B. Reilly, Sean O'Riordan, Cathal Walsh, Michael Hutchinson

Articles

Background: Adult-onset isolated focal dystonia (AOIFD) presenting in early adult life is more frequent in men, whereas in middle age it is female predominant. Temporal discrimination, an endophenotype of adult-onset idiopathic isolated focal dystonia, shows evidence of sexual dimorphism in healthy participants. Objectives: We assessed the distinctive features of age-related sexual dimorphism of (i) sex ratios in dystonia phenotypes and (ii) sexual dimorphism in temporal discrimination in unaffected relatives of cervical dystonia patients. Methods: We performed (i) a meta-regression analysis of the proportion of men in published cohorts of phenotypes of adult-onset dystonia in relation to their mean age of …

Congruent Visual Speech Enhances Entrainment To Continuous Auditory Speech In Noise-Free Conditions, Michael Crosse, John S. Butler, Edmumd Lalor

Articles

Congruent audiovisual speech enhances our ability to comprehend a speaker, even in noise-free conditions. When incongruent auditory and visual information is presented concurrently, it can hinder a listener’s perception and even cause him or her to perceive information that was not presented in either modality. Efforts to investigate the neural basis of these effects have often focused on the special case of discrete audiovisual syllables that are spatially and temporally congruent, with less work done on the case of natural, continuous speech. Recent electrophysiological studies have demonstrated that cortical response measures to continuous auditory speech can be easily obtained using …

Genetic Models For The Study Of Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Function, Prema Narayan

Articles

The luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) is essential for fertility in men and women. LHCGR binds luteinizing hormone (LH) as well as the highly homologous chorionic gonadotropin. Signaling from LHCGR is required for steroidogenesis and gametogenesis in males and females and for sexual differentiation in the male. The importance of LHCGR in reproductive physiology is underscored by the large number of naturally occurring inactivating and activating mutations in the receptor that result in reproductive disorders. Consequently, several genetically modified mouse models have been developed for the study of LHCGR function. They include targeted deletion of LH and LHCGR that mimic …

The Discovery Sombrero And Other Metaphors For Litigation, William Hubbard

Articles

No abstract provided.

Novel Nucleosomal Particles Containing Core Histones And Linker Dna But No Histone H1, Hope A. Cole, Feng Cui, Tara L. Burke, Tatiana Nikitina, Vivekananthan Nargarajavel, Naoe Kotomura, Victor B. Zhurkin, David J. Clark

Articles

Eukaryotic chromosomal DNA is assembled into regularly spaced nucleosomes, which play a central role in gene regulation by determining accessibility of control regions. The nucleosome contains ∼147 bp of DNA wrapped ∼1.7 times around a central core histone octamer. The linker histone, H1, binds both to the nucleosome, sealing the DNA coils, and to the linker DNA between nucleosomes, directing chromatin folding. Micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digests the linker to yield the chromatosome, containing H1 and ∼160 bp, and then converts it to a core particle, containing ∼147 bp and no H1. Sequencing of nucleosomal DNA obtained after MNase digestion (MNase-seq) …

Cold Plasma Inactivation Of Bacterial Biofilms And Reduction Of Quorum Sensing Regulated Virulence Factors, Dana Ziuzina, Daniela Boehm, Sonal Patil, Patrick J. Cullen, Paula Bourke

Articles

The main objectives of this work were to investigate the effect of atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) against a range of microbial biofilms commonly implicated in foodborne and health- care associated human infections and against P. aeruginosa quorum sensing (QS)-regu- lated virulence factors, such as pyocyanin, elastase (Las B) and biofilm formation capacity post-ACP treatment. The effect of processing factors, namely treatment time and mode of plasma exposure on antimicrobial activity of ACP were also examined. Antibiofilm activity was assessed for E. coli, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus in terms of reduction of cultur- ability and retention of metabolic activity using …

Applications And Comparison Of Continuous Wavelets Transforms On Analysis Of A-Wave Impulse Noise, Jun Qin, Pengfei Sun

Articles

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a serious occupational related health problem worldwide. The A-wave impulse noise could cause severe hearing loss, and characteristics of such kind of impulse noise in the joint time-frequency (T-F) domain are critical for evaluation of auditory hazard level. This study focuses on the analysis of A-wave impulse noise in the T-F domain using continual wavelet transforms. Three different wavelets, referring to Morlet, Mexican hat, and Meyer wavelets, were investigated and compared based on theoretical analysis and applications to experimental generated A-wave impulse noise signals. The underlying theory of continuous wavelet transform was given and …

The Role Of Social Enterprise In Renewable Energy Production, Gerard Joseph Doyle

Articles

No abstract provided.

Student Educational Background, Perceptions And Expectations Towards Optometry: An Emerging Eye Health Profession Mozambique., James Loughman, Ving Fai Chan, Vanessa Raquel Moodley, Luigi Bilotto, Kovin Naidoo

Articles

Background: The University of Lurio, School of Optometry in Mozambique is a new program in Africa. The school, the first to serve Portuguese-speaking Africa, can act as a template for such initiatives in other African countries and other limited-resource settings around the world. A major challenge facing such programs is the lack of knowledge about the profession, which impacts the recruitment of students and their expectations of the program. This study was conducted to understand students’ pre-enrollment educational background, perceptions and career expectations as an optometrist in Mozambique so as to inform future enrollment and other similar initiatives. Methods: First-year …

Unusual Behavior In Parental Care By A House Wren (Troglodytes Aedon): Post Fledging Use Of An Old Nest During Cold Nights, Micah N. Scholer

Articles

I report on the unusual behavior of an adult House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) leading recently fledged young back to the nest for two consecutive nights. The ambient temperature reached below 0°C during both nights. Despite disadvantages associated with remaining in the nest, this observation suggests that adult birds may assess trade-offs between perceived risks versus the benefits of engaging in other activities, in this case roosting communally for thermoregulation.

Don't Ask, Must Tell—And Other Combinations, Adam M. Samaha, Lior Strahilevitz

Articles

No abstract provided.

Eaf1p Is Required For Recruitment Of Nua4 In Targeting Tfiid To The Promoters Of The Ribosomal Protein Genes For Transcriptional Initiation In Vivo., Bhawana Uprety, Rwik Sen, Sukesh R. Bhaumik

Articles

NuA4 (nucleosome acetyltransferase of H4) promotes transcriptional initiation of TFIID (a complex of TBP and TBP-associated factors [TAFs])-dependent ribosomal protein genes involved in ribosome biogenesis. However, it is not clearly understood how NuA4 regulates the transcription of ribosomal protein genes. Here, we show that NuA4 is recruited to the promoters of ribosomal protein genes, such as RPS5, RPL2B, and RPS11B, for TFIID recruitment to initiate transcription, and the recruitment of NuA4 to these promoters is impaired in the absence of its Eaf1p component. Intriguingly, impaired NuA4 recruitment in a Δeaf1 strain depletes recruitment of TFIID (a TAF-dependent form of TBP) …

Acus - And Administrative Law - Then And Now, Michael Herz

Articles

The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) both shapes and reflects the intellectual, policy, and practical concerns of the field of administrative law. Its recommendations are therefore a useful lens through which to view that field. Also, because of an unfortunate hiatus, ACUS has gotten underway not once but twice. Those two beginnings provide a kind of natural experiment, and they make a revealing contrast. This article traces the transformations of American administrative law, as well as the field’s perpetual concerns, by comparing the initial recommendations of ACUS 1.0 (1968 to 1970) with the initial recommendations of ACUS 2.0 …

Diagnostics Need Not Apply, Rebecca S. Eisenberg

Articles

Diagnostic testing helps caregivers and patients understand a patient's condition, predict future outcomes, select appropriate treatments, and determine whether treatment is working. Improvements in diagnostic testing are essential to bringing about the long-heralded promise of personalized medicine. Yet it seems increasingly clear that most important advances in this type of medical technology lie outside the boundaries of patent-eligible subject matter. The clarity of this conclusion has been obscured by ambiguity in the recent decisions of the Supreme Court concerning patent eligibility. Since its 2010 decision in Bilski v. Kappos, the Court has followed a discipline of limiting judicial exclusions from …

Establishing A Common Geospatial Approach To Public Transport Service Area Analysis, David O'Connor

Articles

Previous studies (Harrison & O’Connor, ITRN 2012; O’Connor (2), ITRN 2014) have analysed the walking catchment area for bus, light rail and metropolitan rail stops in suburban parts of Dublin city. Public transport users were sampled at each stop and their absolute trip origin identified. This information was then used to identify and approximate the catchment area for public transport at that location. The purpose of this paper is to collate existing information and establish a common appraisal format using geospatial analysis. Specifically, data from earlier studies will be fed into a geodatabase design and a spatial analytical framework developed …

Quantitative Trait Loci Underlying Seed Sugars Content In “Md96-5722” By “Spencer” Recombinant Inbred Line Population Of Soybean, Masum Akond, David A. Lightfoot, My Abdelmajid Kassem, Khalid Meksem, Shiming Liu, Stella K. Kantartzi, Nacer Bellaloui

Articles

Sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose are important soluble sugars in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seeds. Seed sucrose is a desirable trait for taste and flavor. Raffinose and stachyose are undesirable in diets of monogastric animals, acting as anti-nutritional factors that cause flatulence and abdominal discomfort. Therefore, reducing raffinose and stachyose biosynthesis is considered as a key quality trait goal in soy food and feed industries. The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions containing quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose in a set of 92 F5:7 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between …

Religious Objections To The Death Penalty After Hobby Lobby, Danieli Evans

Articles

In Glossip v. Gross, the Supreme Court held that in order to prevail on the claim that a method of execution is cruel and unusual punishment, petitioners must prove that there is an available alternative that entails a lesser risk of pain. In this case, the state was using a method that is allegedly more painful than drugs used in the past because manufacturers of the preferable drugs objected to selling them for the purpose of executions. These manufacturers are not alone in their desire to boycott the death penalty. Many religious groups have declared opposition to the death …

Adopting Agile Practices When Developing Medical Device Software, Martin Mchugh, Fergal Mccaffery, Garret Coady

Articles

Agile methods are gaining momentum amongst the developers of non-safety critical software. They offer the ability to improve development time, increase quality and reduce development costs. Despite this, the rate of adoption of agile methods within safety critical domains remains low. On face value agile methods appear to be contradictory to regulatory requirements. However while they may appear contradictory, they align on key values such as the development of the highest quality software. To demonstrate that agile methods could in fact be adopted when developing regulatory compliant software they were implemented on a medical device software development project. This implementation …

Peer Victimization And Drd4 Genotype Influence Problem Behaviors In Young Children, Lisabeth Fisher Dilalla, Kyle Bersted, Sufna Gheyara John

Articles

Decades of research supports the presence of significant genetic influences on children’s internalizing (emotional), externalizing (acting out), and social difficulties, including victimization. Additionally, being victimized has been shown to relate to further behavioral problems. The current study assessed the nature of the gene-environment relationships between the DRD4 gene, peer victimization, and externalizing and internalizing difficulties in 6- to 10-year- old children. 174 children (56% girls; 88.6% Caucasian, 3.4% African American, 8% mixed race or Mayan) and their parents were administered victimization and problem behavior questionnaires, and DRD4 was genotyped for the children. An interaction between genes (DRD4) and environment (victimization) …

15 Years On Sirna Delivery: Beyond The State-Of-The-Art On Inorganic Nanoparticles For Rnai Therapeutics, Joao Conde, Furong Tian, Alfredo Ambrosone, Yulán Hernandez, Mark Mccully, Catherine C. .Berry, Pedro Baptista, Claudia Tortiglione, Jesus M. De La Fuented

Articles

RNAi has always captivated scientists due to its tremendous power to modulate the phenotype of living organisms. This natural and powerful biological mechanism can now be harnessed to downregulate specific gene expression in diseased cells, opening up endless opportunities. Since most of the conventional siRNA delivery methods are limited by a narrow therapeutic index and significant side and off-target effects, we are now in the dawn of a new age in gene therapy driven by nanotechnology vehicles for RNAi therapeutics. Here, we outlook the “do's and dont's” of the inorganic RNAi nanomaterials developed in the last 15 years and the …

Protective Properties Of Functionalised Tetrazine On An Aerospace Aluminium Alloy (Aa 2024-T3), Swarna Jaiswal, P.C. Rajath Varma, Brendan Duffy, Felicia Mutuma, Patrick Mchale

Articles

Environmental health concerns over conventional chromium based surface treatments on aluminium substrates are well known. Current research efforts have concentrated on developing protective technologies for multiple applications. Such properties would enable manufacturers to address both corrosion and bacterial threats in areas such as fuel tanks and delivery systems.

The present study explores the anticorrosion properties of 1,2-dihydro 1, 2, 4, 5 tetrazine-3, 6-dicarboxylic acid (H₂DCTZ) on a copper rich aerospace aluminium alloy (AA 2024-T3). Furthermore the antimicrobial activity of the tetrazine is evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, both capable of inducing corrosion. The protective action of the …

Leaving The “Big Deal” … Five Years Later, Jonathan Nabe, David Fowler

Articles

Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) and the University of Oregon each withdrew from several Big Deals with major commercial journal publishers from 2008 to 2010. Analysis of the impact of these decisions was originally conducted and reported in 2011 and 2012. This article provides updated analysis based on interlibrary loan statistics, financial savings, and impact on the collections. Results show that interlibrary loan of lost content still represents a small fraction of prior use, savings have been considerable, and the libraries have been able to address other needs in their collections because of the decision to withdraw.

Planning Past Pensions, Julie Roin

Articles

No abstract provided.

Constitutional Law, Moral Judgment, And The Supreme Court As Super-Legislature, Brian Leiter

Articles

No abstract provided.

Genetic Influences On Peer And Family Relationships Across Adolescent Development: Introduction To The Special Issue, Lisabeth Fisher Dilalla, Paula Y. Mullineaux

Articles

Nearly all aspects of human development are influenced by genetic and environmental factors, which conjointly shape development through several gene-environment interplay mechanisms. More recently, researchers have begun to examine the influence of genetic factors on peer and family relationships across the pre-adolescent and adolescent time periods. This article introduces the special issue by providing a critical overview of behavior genetic methodology and existing research demonstrating gene-environment processes operating on the link between peer and family relationships and adolescent adjustment. The overview is followed by a summary of new research studies, which use genetically informed samples to examine how peer and …

Hematoma Enlargement Among Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury: Analysis Of A Prospective Multicenter Clinical Trial, M Fareed K. Suri, Adnan I. Qureshi, Ahmed A. Malik, Malik M. Adil, Archie Defillo, Gregory T. Sherr

Articles

Observational studies suggest that hematomas continue to enlarge during hospitalization in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). There is limited data regarding factors associated with hematoma enlargement and on whether hematoma enlargement contributes directly to death and disability in patients with TBI.

We analyzed data collected as part of the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium Hypertonic Saline and TBI Study. Hematoma enlargement was ascertained and collected as a predefined safety endpoint. We evaluated the effect of hematoma enlargement on the risk of death and disability at 6 months based on the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) (dichotomized as >4 or ≤4) using …

Contemporary Practice Of The United States Relating To International Law, July 2015, Kristina Daugirdas, Julian Davis Mortenson

Articles

In this section: • United States Adjusts Aid to Egypt in Light of Legal and Political Developments • P51 and Iran Reach Agreement on Iranian Nuclear Program; Obama Administration Seeks Congressional Approval • United States Authorizes New Sanctions Program Aimed at Foreign Perpetrators ofCyberattacks and Cyberexploits • Normalization of Cuba-U.S. Relations Continues • U.S. Navy Continues Freedom of Navigation and Overflight Missions in the South China Sea Despite China’s “Island-Building” Campaign • U.S. Department of Justice Charges Leaders of FIFA, Affiliate Soccer Organizations, and Sports Marketing Companies in 47-Count Indictment