Digital Commons Network^™

Community Collateral Damage: A Question Of Priorities, Andrea Boyack

Faculty Publications

Today’s soaring mortgage default rate and the uncertainty and delay associated with mortgage foreclosure proceedings threatens to cause financial tragedies of the commons in condominiums and homeowner associations across the country. Assessment defaults in privately governed communities result in an inequitable allocation of upkeep costs, and current law provides no way to prevent this spillover effect. But the collateral damages caused by delayed foreclosures and insufficient recoveries can be minimized by gradually increasing the priority position of the association lien.

In a majority of states, association liens are completely subordinate to the first mortgage lien. At foreclosure of the mortgage …

Reason And Passion: Justice Jackson And The Second Flag Salute Case (Part Ii), Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Arbitration Ambush In A Policy Polemic, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

Arbitration has been demonized in the media and consumer protection debates, often without empirical support or consideration of its attributes. This has led to renewed efforts to pass the Arbitration Fairness Action, which would bar enforcement of pre-dispute arbitration clauses in consumer, employment, and civil rights contexts. It also inspired Dodd-Frank’s preclusion of arbitration clauses in mortgage contracts, along with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s charge to prohibit or limit enforcement of pre-dispute arbitration agreements in consumer financial products and services contracts. Some of this negativity toward arbitration is warranted, especially in the wake of the United Supreme Court’s recent …

Pharmacokinetic Pilot Study Of The Antiangiogenic Activity Of Standardized Platycodi Radix, Emma M. Twiner, Zhijun Liu, Jeffrey Gimble, Ying Yu, Frank Greenway

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Platycodi radix is a radish used in food, such as Korean kimchi, and has been shown to cause weight loss in rodents. Platycodin D is considered its active ingredient and has been shown to inhibit lipases. The authors hypothesized that platycodi radix and the platycodin D it contains inhibit angiogenesis; another mechanism for weight loss. Methods: This study tested platycodi radix extract, platycodin D, and an extract of platycodi radix standardized to platycodin D for their ability to inhibit angiogenesis in a human adipose tissue assay. This study treated five healthy volunteers, orally, with platycodi radix extract standardized to …

Pparγ-Independent Increase In Glucose Uptake And Adiponectin Abundance In Fat Cells, Olga Dubuisson, Emily J. Dhurandhar, Rashmi Krishnapuram, Heather Kirk-Ballard, Alok K. Gupta, Vijay Hegde, Elizabeth Floyd, Jeffrey M. Gimble, Nikhil V. Dhurandhar

Faculty Publications

Although thiazolidinediones (TZD) effectively improve hyperglycemia and increase adiponectin, a proinsulin-sensitizing adipokine, they also increase adipogenesis via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ induction, which may be undesirable. Recent safety concerns about some TZD have prompted the search for next generation agents that can enhance glycemic control and adiponectin independent of PPARγ or adipogenesis. Reminiscent of TZD action, a human adenovirus, adenovirus 36 (Ad36), up-regulates PPARγ, induces adipogenesis, and improves systemic glycemic control in vivo. We determined whether this effect of Ad36 requires PPARγ and/or adipogenesis. Glucose uptake and relevant cell signaling were determined in mock-infected or human adenoviruses Ad36 or Ad2-infected …

Profanity In Media Associated With Attitudes And Behavior Regarding Profanity Use And Aggression, Sarah Coyne, Laura Ann Stockdale, David A. Nelson, Ashley Michelle Fraser

Faculty Publications

We hypothesized that exposure to profanity in media would be directly related to beliefs and behavior regarding profanity and indirectly to aggressive behavior.

Environmental Tort Litigation In China, Tseming Yang, Adam Moser

Faculty Publications

This paper provides an introduction to environmental tort law and practice in China, and briefly reviews China's 2009 Tort Law and its chapter on environmental torts. This paper, one of several, was prepared for U.S. Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency officials participating in a set of roundtables and discussions on environmental law enforcement in China with senior officials from the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Supreme People's Court, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Guangzhou Maritime Court, and environmental law scholars.

Engaging The Legal Academy In Disaster Response, Susan Kuo, Davida Finger, Laila Hlass, Anne Hornsby, Rachel Van Cleave

Faculty Publications

This article discusses three models of law school engagement that have been used to respond to natural disasters. The three models discussed are a disaster law clinic, a course on disaster law, and a student-led initiative featuring non-credit, pro bono placements. Each model offers a conceptual approach for integrating community-based, justice-oriented initiatives into academic and clinical teaching. Taken as templates for a more permanent model of engagement in the area of post-disaster law and social justice, these models demonstrate that the legal academy can meet its service obligation to the community while training lawyers to better appreciate the central tenets …

Should Laptops Be Banned? Providing A Robust Classroom Learning Experience Within Limits, Robin A. Boyle

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)
/="/">Technology abounds today’s law students. Laptops, iPods, iPads, and BlackBerrys are just a few of the newly developed modes of communication, notetaking, and music-storing devices that creep into our vocabulary – and students’ backpacks. Given the competitive nature of law school, students understandably bring laptops to class hoping to maximize their performance. Unfortunately for all involved, students use their laptops beyond the task of note-taking. The distractions that present themselves in class have led law professors to complain on various fora about the frequency of laptop use in the classroom. Some posit that students’ inappropriate use of laptops …

Combined Impact Of Lifestyle Factors On Cancer Mortality In Men, Chong-Do Lee, Xuemei Sui, Steven P. Hooker, James R. Hébert, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

PURPOSE - The impact of lifestyle factors on cancer mortality in the U.S. population has not been thoroughly explored. We examined the combined effects of cardiorespiratory fitness, never smoking, and normal waist girth on total cancer mortality in men.

METHODS - We followed a total of 24,731 men ages 20-82 years who participated in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. A low-risk profile was defined as never smoking, moderate or high fitness, and normal waist girth, and they were further categorized as having 0, 1, 2, or 3 combined low-risk factors.

RESULTS - During an average of 14.5 years of follow-up, …

Visual Framing Of Patriotism And National Identity On The Covers Of Der Spiegel, Andrea Pyka, Scott B. Fosdick, William Tillinghast

Faculty Publications

Patriotism in Germany has been a controversial issue since the Nazi era. Despite the fear and hesitations surrounding the idea of German pride and national identity, Der Spiegel, one of Germany's major national news magazines, showed an increasing visual presence of national identity symbols on its covers following key historical events: the building of the Berlin Wall, the reunification of Germany, the adoption of the euro, and the 2006 World Cup.

Civil Recourse As Social Equality, Jason M. Solomon

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Using Mixed-Methods To Measure The Perception Of Community Capacity In An Academic-Community Partnership For A Walking Intervention, Charkarra Anderson-Lewis, Diana Cuy-Castellanos, Arnecca Byrd, Karen Zynda, Alicia Sample, Vickie Blakely Reed, Mary Beard, Latessa Minor, Kathleen Yadrick

Faculty Publications

H.U.B. City Steps is a 5-year community-based participatory research walking intervention designed to help lower blood pressure in a majority African American population in southern Mississippi via community collaboration and capacity building, increased walking, culturally tailored health education sessions, and motivational interviewing. Building community capacity for physical activity is a key component of this intervention. Qualitative and quantitative methods have been used to assess how project stakeholders perceive the community capacity-building efforts of the project. This article illustrates the baseline results of this mixed methods approach from the perspective of three groups of stakeholders: project researchers and staff, community advisory …

Consistency Of A Causal Theory Of Radiative Reaction With The Optical Theorem, F. Intravaia, R. Behunin, P. W. Milonni, G. W. Ford, R. F. O'Connell

Faculty Publications

The (nonrelativistic) Abraham-Lorentz equation of motion for a point electron, while suffering from runaway solutions and an acausal response to external forces, is compatible with the optical theorem. We show that a nonrelativistic theory of radiative reaction that allows for a finite charge distribution is not only causal and free of runaway solutions but also consistent with the optical theorem and the standard formulas for the Rayleigh and Thomson scattering cross sections. © 2011 American Physical Society.

A Once And Future Gulf Of Mexico Ecosystem: Restoration Recommendations Of An Expert Working Group, Charles H. Peterson, Felicia C. Coleman, Jeremy B. C. Jackson, R. Eugene Turner, Gilbert T. Rowe, Richard T. Barber, Karen A. Bjorndal, Robert S. Carney, Robert K. Cowen, Jonathan M. Hoekstra, James T. Hollibaugh, Shirley B. Laska, Richard A. Luettich, Jr., Craig W. Osenberg, Stephen E. Roady, Stanley Senner, John M. Teal, Ping Wong

Faculty Publications

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) well blowout released more petroleum hydrocarbons into the marine environment than any previous U.S. oil spill (4.9 million barrels), fouling marine life, damaging deep sea and shoreline habitats and causing closures of economically valuable fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. A suite of pollutants—liquid and gaseous petroleum compounds plus chemical dispersants—poured into ecosystems that had already been stressed by overfishing, development and global climate change. Beyond the direct effects that were captured in dramatic photographs of oiled birds in the media, it is likely that there are subtle, delayed, indirect and potentially synergistic impacts of these …

Tracking Spectral Shapes And Temporal Dynamics Along A Femtosecond Filament, Emilia Schulz, Daniel S. Steingrube, Thomas Binhammer, Mette B. Gaarde, Arnaud Couairon, Uwe Morgner, Milutin Kovačev

Faculty Publications

The spectral evolution of a high-intensity light channel formed by filamentation is investigated in a detailed experimental study. We also track the spatio-temporal dynamics by high-order harmonic generation along the filament. Both the spectral and temporal diagnostics are performed as a function of propagation distance, by extracting the light pulses directly from the hot filament core into vacuum via pinholes that terminate the nonlinear propagation. We compare the measured spectral shapes to simulations and analyze numerically the temporal dynamics inside the filament. © 2011 Optical Society of America.

Cryopreservation Of Spin-Dried Mammalian Cells, Nilay Chakraborty, Michael A. Menze, Jason Malsam, Alptekin Aksan, Steven C. Hand, Mehmet Toner

Faculty Publications

This study reports an alternative approach to achieve vitrification where cells are pre-desiccated prior to cooling to cryogenic temperatures for storage. Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells suspended in a trehalose solution were rapidly and uniformly desiccated to a low moisture content (< 0.12 g of water per g of dry weight) using a spin-drying technique. Trehalose was also introduced into the cells using a high-capacity trehalose transporter (TRET1). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to examine the uniformity of water concentration distribution in the spin-dried samples. 62% of the cells were shown to survive spin-drying in the presence of trehalose following immediate rehydration. The spin-dried samples were stored in liquid nitrogen (LN 2) at a vitrified state. It was shown that following re-warming to room temperature and re-hydration with a fully complemented cell culture medium, 51% of the spin-dried and vitrified cells survived and demonstrated normal growth characteristics. Spin-drying is a novel strategy that can be used to improve cryopreservation outcome by promoting rapid vitrification. © 2011 Chakraborty et al.

Structure-Based Development Of Small Molecule Pfkfb3 Inhibitors: A Framework For Potential Cancer Therapeutic Agents Targeting The Warburg Effect, Minsuh Seo, Jeong Do Kim, David Neau, Inder Sehgal, Yong Hwan Lee

Faculty Publications

Cancer cells adopt glycolysis as the major source of metabolic energy production for fast cell growth. The HIF-1-induced PFKFB3 plays a key role in this adaptation by elevating the concentration of Fru-2,6-BP, the most potent glycolysis stimulator. As this metabolic conversion has been suggested to be a hallmark of cancer, PFKFB3 has emerged as a novel target for cancer chemotherapy. Here, we report that a small molecular inhibitor, N4A, was identified as an initial lead compound for PFKFB3 inhibitor with therapeutic potential. In an attempt to improve its potency, we determined the crystal structure of the PFKFB3•N4A complex to 2.4 …

Landscapes Of Wealth & Desire, Ryan B. Anderson

Faculty Publications

This paper explores the historical background to a proposed study of political disputes over the value of large-scale tourism development in Baja California Sur. The paper starts with a review of anthropological discussions of value — focusing on the work of Kluckhohn, Graeber, Elyachar and Appadurai. The aim is to use an anthropological approach to value to place current conflicts over land and resources arising from recent developments within a historical perspective. The paper then investigates how actors in different time periods have contributed to collective and often contradictory constructions of the area as a place of subsistence, adventure, possibilities, …

The Association Between Consumer Debt And The Likelihood Of Divorce, Jeffrey P. Dew

Faculty Publications

As part of the Center for Financial Security’s 2010 symposium, this study examined the association between consumer debt and divorce. Longitudinal data from the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 4,574 couples) indicated that consumer debt was positively associated with divorce. Financial conflict completely mediated this association for both husbands and wives and marital satisfaction also completely mediated the association for wives. These findings suggest that when families take financial steps to secure their financial stability they may also be taking steps to secure their relationship stability.

Documenting Horror: The Use Of Sound In Non-Fiction 9/11 Films, Jesse Schlotterbeck

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Amination Reaction On Copper And Germanium Β-Nitrocorrolates, Manuela Stefanelli, Federica Mandoj, Marco Mastroianni, Sara Nardis, Pruthviray Mohite, Frank R. Fronczek, Kevin M. Smith, Karl M. Kadish, Xiao Xiao, Zhongping Ou, Ping Chen, Roberto Paolesse

Faculty Publications

Copper and germanium complexes of β-substituted nitrocorroles were reacted with 4-amino-4H-1,2,4-triazole to give the corresponding β-amino-β-nitro derivatives, in moderate to good yields. This is the first successful example of a vicarious nucleophilic substitution performed on corrole derivatives, because the same reaction carried out on silver complexes afforded the corresponding 6-azahemiporphycenes by way of corrole ring expansion. The first step of this work is related to the modification of a synthetic protocol for preparation of the β-substituted nitro corroles. The nitration reaction was carried out on a copper corrole using NaNO 2 as the primary source of NO 2- coupled with …

Stat5a Expression In Swiss 3t3 Cells Promotes Adipogenesis In Vivo In An Athymic Mice Model System, William C. Stewart, Lisa A. Pearcy, Z. Elizabeth Floyd, Jacqueline M. Stephens

Faculty Publications

Many studies from our laboratories and others have shown that STAT5 expression and activity are increased during adipogenesis of murine and human adipocytes. Ectopic expression of STAT5A in fibroblasts or preadipocytes can confer or enhance adipogenesis. To determine whether STAT5A also plays a role in adipogenesis in vivo, we injected athymic mice with Swiss 3T3 cells expressing an empty pBABE retrovirus, Swiss cells expressing a pBABE retrovirus-containing STAT5A, or 3T3-F442A preadipocytes. Athymic mice injected with either 3T3-F442A cells or Swiss 3T3 cells expressing STAT5A resulted in fat pad formation at the site of injection. However, mice injected with Swiss cells …

Arabidopsis Rtnlb1 And Rtnlb2 Reticulon-Like Proteins Regulate Intracellular Trafficking And Activity Of The Fls2 Immune Receptor, Hyoung Yool Lee, Christopher Hyde Bowen, George Viorel Popescu, Hong Gu Kang, Naohiro Kato, Shisong Ma, Savithramma Dinesh-Kumar, Michael Snyder, Sorina Claudia Popescu

Faculty Publications

Receptors localized at the plasma membrane are critical for the recognition of pathogens. The molecular determinants that regulate receptor transport to the plasma membrane are poorly understood. In a screen for proteins that interact with the FLAGELIN-SENSITIVE2 (FLS2) receptor using Arabidopsis thaliana protein microarrays, we identified the reticulon-like protein RTNLB1. We showed that FLS2 interacts in vivo with both RTNLB1 and its homolog RTNLB2 and that a Ser-rich region in the N-terminal tail of RTNLB1 is critical for the interaction with FLS2. Transgenic plants that lack RTNLB1 and RTNLB2 (rtnlb1 rtnlb2) or overexpress RTNLB1 (RTNLB1ox) exhibit reduced activation of FLS2-dependent …

Bioactive Properties And Clinical Safety Of A Novel Milk Protein Peptide, Richard B. Kreider, Mike Iosia, Matt Cooke, Geoffrey M. Hudson, Chris Rasmussen, Helen Chen, Olof Mollstedt, Men-Hwei Tsai

Faculty Publications

Background: Milk protein fractions and peptides have been shown to have bioactive properties. This preliminary study examined the potential mechanisms of action and clinical safety of novel milk protein peptide ( MP).

Findings: A novel MP mixture inhibits the tyrosine kinase activity of epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), and insulin receptor (IR) with IC(50) of 9.85 mu M, 7.7 mu M, and 6.18 mu M respectively. In vitro, this multi-kinase inhibitor causes apoptosis in HT-29 colon cancer cells, and in a C. elegans worm study, showed a weak but significant …

Associations Of American Indian Children's Screen-Time Behavior With Parental Television Behavior, Parental Perceptions Of Children's Screen Time, And Media-Related Resources In The Home, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson, Jayne A. Fulkerson, Mary Smyth, John H. Himes, Peter J. Hannan, Bonnie Holy Rock, Mary Story

Faculty Publications

Introduction: American Indian children have high rates of overweight and obesity, which may be partially attributable to screen-time behavior. Young children's screen-time behavior is strongly influenced by their environment and their parents' behavior. We explored whether parental television watching time, parental perceptions of children's screen time, and media-related resources in the home are related to scree time (ie, television, DVD/video, video game, and computer use) among Oglala Lakota youth residing on or near the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Methods: We collected baseline data from 431 child and parent/caregiver pairs who participated in Bright Start, a group-randomized, controlled, school-based …

The Law Of Reputation And The Interest Of The Audience, Laura A. Heymann

Faculty Publications

Although an individual has control over many of the statements, acts, and other biographical data points that are used to construct her reputation, she does not ultimately have control over the result of that reputational assessment, the pronouncement of which is a task reserved to others. Reputation is fundamentally a social concept; it does not exist until a community collectively forms a judgment about an individual or firm that has the potential to guide the community’s future interactions. Despite reputation’s relational nature, discussions of the law’s interest in reputation tend to focus on one of two parties: the individual or …

Equating Accelerometer Estimates Of Moderate-To-Vigorous Physical Activity: In Search Of The Rosetta Stone, Daniel B. Bornstein, Michael W. Beets, Wonwoo Byun, Gregory J. Welk, Matteo Bottai, Marsha Dowda, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Purpose - No universally accepted ActiGraph accelerometer cutpoints for quantifying moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) exist. Estimates of MVPA from one set of cutpoints cannot be directly compared to MVPA estimates using different cutpoints, even when the same outcome units are reported (MVPA min•d^-1). The purpose of this study was to illustrate the utility of an equating system that translates reported MVPA estimates from one set of cutpoints into another, to better inform public health policy.

Design - Secondary data analysis.

Methods - ActiGraph data from a large preschool project (N=419, 3-6yr-olds, CHAMPS) was used to conduct the analyses. …

An Empirical Study Of Patent Litigation Timing: Could A Patent Term Reduction Decimate Trolls Without Harming Innovators?, Brian J. Love

Faculty Publications

This article reports the findings of an empirical analysis of the relative ages of patents litigated by practicing and non-practicing patentees. Studying all infringement claims brought to enforce a sample of recently expired patents, I find considerable variance. Product-producing companies predominately enforce their patents soon after issuance and complete their enforcement activities well before their patent rights expire. NPEs, by contrast, begin asserting their patents relatively late in the patent term and frequently continue to litigate to the verge of expiration. This variance in litigation timing is so dramatic that all claims asserting the average product-company patent are resolved before …

Separation Of River Network–Scale Nitrogen Removal Among The Main Channel And Two Transient Storage Compartments, Robert J. Stewart, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Michael N. Gooseff, Martin A. Briggs, Jennifer M. Jacobs, Bruce J. Peterson, Charles S. Hopkinson

Faculty Publications

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 …