Digital Commons Network^™

Climate Change, Intergenerational Equity, And International Law, Edith Brown Weiss

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Climate change is an inherently intergenerational problem with extremely serious implications for equity between ourselves and future generations and among communities in the present and the future. More than twenty years ago I wrote an article entitled Climate Change, Intergenerational Equity and International Law. The basic issues and the analysis remain the same, though a number of international agreements relevant to climate change have been concluded since then.

Disintegration, Girardeau A. Spann

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The silver lining behind the Supreme Court's decision to disintegrate the Seattle and Louisville public schools is that the decision also runs the risk of disintegrating judicial review. Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 holds that the Constitution bars voluntary, race-conscious efforts by two local school boards to retain the racial integration that they worked so hard to achieve after Brown. In so holding, the Court curiously reads the Equal Protection Clause as preventing the use of race to pursue actual equality, and instead insists on a type of formal "equality" that has historically …

Differences In The Performance Of Knowledge Transfer Across Projects: A Study Of Gender And Role Of Key Project Stakeholders, Rafael E. Landaeta, Catherine Vergopia, Rey N. Diaz

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This investigation contributes empirical results of differences identified in key project stakeholders with respect to their use of knowledge transferred across projects. Gender and role were the two individual characteristics investigated. Project managers and members of project teams were the key stakeholders analyzed. Data was collected from 71 closed projects using a survey composed of closed-ended questions. The data collected was cross tabulated and statistically analyzed using Friedman's test and Spearman's correlation. The results provide evidence of the association of the performance of knowledge transfer across projects with (a) the individual factors of gender and role of key project stakeholders …

Introduction To Special Section On Microcosms In Ice: The Biogeochemistry Of Cryoconite Holes, Andrew G. Fountain, Martyn Tranter

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cryoconite holes are small, water filled, cylindrical melt-holes on glacial ice surface. Cryoconite, 'cold dust,' refers to the thin layer of sediment at the hole bottom. The holes form from surficial sediment patches that absorbs more solar radiation than the surrounding ice and which preferentially melt into the glacier forming a cylindrical water-filled hole. These holes form on the ice-covered, as opposed to snow covered, parts of glaciers world-wide, wherever there is sufficient energy for melting. Biogeochemically, cryoconite holes are interesting because the sediment is inncoculated with biologic material, a fraction of which thrives in the cryoconite environment of near-freezing …

Kinetics And Thermodynamics Of Salt-Dependent T7 Gene 2.5 Protein Binding To Single- And Double-Stranded Dna., Leila Shokri, Boriana Marintcheva, Mootaz Eldib, Andreas Hanke, Ioulia Rouzina, Mark C. Williams

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacteriophage T7 gene 2.5 protein (gp2.5) is a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein that has essential roles in DNA replication, recombination and repair. However, it differs from other ssDNA-binding proteins by its weaker binding to ssDNA and lack of cooperative ssDNA binding. By studying the rate-dependent DNA melting force in the presence of gp2.5 and its deletion mutant lacking 26 C-terminal residues, we probe the kinetics and thermodynamics of gp2.5 binding to ssDNA and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). These force measurements allow us to determine the binding rate of both proteins to ssDNA, as well as their equilibrium association constants to dsDNA. …

Truncated Toeplitz Operators On Finite Dimensional Spaces, William T. Ross, Joseph A. Cima, Warren R. Wogen

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

In this paper, we study the matrix representations of compressions of Toeplitz operators to the finite dimensional model spaces H²ƟBH², where B is a finite Blaschke product. In particular, we determine necessary and sufficient conditions - in terms of the matrix representation - of when a linear transformation on H²ƟBH² is the compression of a Toeplitz operator. This result complements a related result of Sarason [6].

Indestructible Blaschke Products, William T. Ross

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Bar-Natan Skein Module Of The Solid Torus And The Homology Of (N,N) Springer Varieties, Heather M. Russell

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

This paper establishes an isomorphism between the Bar-Natan skein module of the solid torus with a particular boundary curve system and the homology of the (n, n) Springer variety. The results build on Khovanov's work with crossingless matchings and the cohomology of the (n, n) Springer variety. We also give a formula for comultiplication in the Bar-Natan skein module for this specific three-manifold and boundary curve system.

G-Perfect Nonlinear Functions, James A. Davis, Laurent Poinsot

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

Perfect nonlinear functions are used to construct DES-like cryptosystems that are resistant to differential attacks. We present generalized DES-like cryptosystems where the XOR operation is replaced by a general group action. The new cryptosystems, when combined with G-perfect nonlinear functions (similar to classical perfect nonlinear functions with one XOR replaced by a general group action), allow us to construct systems resistant to modified differential attacks. The more general setting enables robust cryptosystems with parameters that would not be possible in the classical setting. We construct several examples of G-perfect nonlinear functions, both Z₂ -valued and Z^{a …}

Length Bias In The Measurements Of Carbon Nanotubes, Paul H. Kvam

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

To measure carbon nanotube lengths, atomic force microscopy and special software are used to identify and measure nanotubes on a square grid. Current practice does not include nanotubes that cross the grid, and, as a result, the sample is length-biased. The selection bias model can be demonstrated through Buffon’s needle problem, extended to general curves that more realistically represent the shape of nanotubes observed on a grid. In this article, the nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator is constructed for the length distribution of the nanotubes, and the consequences of the length bias are examined. Probability plots reveal that the corrected length …

Degradation Models, Suk Joo Bae, Paul H. Kvam

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

Reliability testing typically generates product lifetime data, but for some tests, covariate information about the wear and tear on the product during the life test can provide additional insight into the product’s lifetime distribution. This usage, or degradation, can be the physical parameters of the product (e.g., corrosion thickness on a metal plate) or merely indicated through product performance (e.g., the luminosity of a light emitting diode). The measurements made across the product’s lifetime are degradation data, and degradation analysis is the statistical tool for providing inference about the lifetime distribution from the degradation data.

Abolition In The U.S.A. By 2050: On Political Capital And Ordinary Acts Of Resistance, Bernard E. Harcourt

Faculty Scholarship

The United States, like the larger international community, likely will tend toward greater abolition of the death penalty during the first half of the twenty-first century. A handful of individual states – states that have historically carried out few or no executions – probably will abolish capital punishment over the next twenty years, which will create political momentum and ultimately a federal constitutional ban on capital punishment in the United States. It is entirely reasonable to expect that, by the mid-twenty-first century, capital punishment will have the same status internationally as torture: an outlier practice, prohibited by international agreements and …

When Does Nitrate Become A Risk For Humans?, David S. Powlson, Tom M. Addiscott, Nigel Benjamin, Kenneth G. Cassman, Theo M. De Kok, Hans Van Grinsven, Jean-Louis L'Hirondel, Alex A. Avery, Chris Van Kessel

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Is nitrate harmful to humans? Are the current limits for nitrate concentration in drinking water justified by science? There is substantial disagreement among scientists over the interpretation of evidence on the issue. There are two main health issues: the linkage between nitrate and (i) infant methaemoglobinaemia, also known as blue baby syndrome, and (ii) cancers of the digestive tract. The evidence for nitrate as a cause of these serious diseases remains controversial. On one hand there is evidence that shows there is no clear association between nitrate in drinking water and the two main health issues with which it has …

Cloning And Characterization Of A Caesalpinoid (Chamaecrista Fasciculata) Hemoglobin: The Structural Transition From A Nonsymbiotic Hemoglobin To A Leghemoglobin, Sabarinathan K. Gopalasubramaniam, Frank A. Kovacs, Fernando Violante-Mota, Paul Twigg, Raul Arredondo-Peter, Gautam Sarath

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Nonsymbiotic hemoglobins (nsHbs) and leghemoglobins (Lbs) are plant proteins that can reversibly bind O₂ and other ligands. The nsHbs are hexacoordinate and appear to modulate cellular concentrations of NO and maintain energy levels under hypoxic conditions. The Lbs are pentacoordinate and facilitate the diffusion of O₂ to symbiotic bacteroids within legume root nodules. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that all plant Hbs evolved from a common ancestor and that Lbs originated from nsHbs. However, little is known about the structural intermediates that occurred during the evolution of pentacoordinate Lbs from hexacoordinate nsHbs. We have cloned and characterized a …

Effect Of Sorghum Seedlings, And Previous Crop, On Soil Fluorescent Pseudomonas Spp., Deanna L. Funnell-Harris, Jeffrey Pedersen, David B. Marx

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Hypotheses in which sorghum seedlings [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] of different genotypes will differentially modify soil microorganisms and will affect subsequent planting of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings, were tested. Wheat cultivar Lewjain, and sorghum genotypes Redlan and RTx433, were planted into soils previously planted with wheat or sorghum in growth chamber experiments. Total culturable fungi and oomycetes, and fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. numbers (cfu) were determined. Pseudomonads were screened for hydrogen cyanide (HCN) production, for the presence of the phlD gene for 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol production (Phl) and for a region of the operon involved in phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) production. …

Switchgrass Biomass Simulation At Diverse Sites In The Northern Great Plains Of The U.S., Jim R. Kiniry, Marty R. Schmer, Kenneth P. Vogel, Robert B. Mitchell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The Agricultural Land Management Alternatives with Numerical Assessment Criteria (ALMANAC) model, originally developed and tested in Texas, needs to be tested for switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) simulation in more northerly locations. The Northern Great Plains of the U.S. has regionally adapted native populations of switchgrass and has excellent potential for growing switchgrass as a biofuel crop. The objective of this study was to adjust switchgrass parameters (potential leaf area index (DMLA) and degree days to maturity (PHU)) for northern sites and populations and to validate the model against switchgrass data from diverse sites in this region. Three or 4 …

Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate And Weather Dictate Nutritive Value Of Fall Stockpiled Bermudagrass, John A. Guretzky, Jeff Ball, Billy J. Cook

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Stockpiled bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. ‘Midland’] as a standing forage may meet nutritional needs of beef cows during winter. Our objective was to evaluate accumulation and nutritive value of fall stockpiled bermudagrass in response to N fertilization rate, N application date, and harvest date. Research was conducted near Burneyville, OK from 2000 to 2003. Fertilization rates included 0, 50, 100, and 150 lb N per acre applied on 15 August, 1 September, 15 September, 1 October, and 15 October. Forage accumulation was measured 10 days after the first killing frost; thereafter, crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), …

Forage Yields From 2007-2008 Small Grains, John A. Guretzky, M. Saha, J. Baker, S. Norton

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Introduction

In an effort to assist producers in Oklahoma and Texas judge variety performance, the Noble Foundation has held trials to determine forage and grain yields of commercially available varieties and advanced experimental lines of small grains. The objective of this report is to summarize yields from the 2007-2008 trials.

Trial Procedures

The small grains tests were conducted at the Noble Foundation Dupy Farm near Gene Autry and the Red River Demonstration and Research Farm (RRF) near Burneyville, Okla. Soils were a Dale silt loam at Dupy and a Minco fine sandy loam at RRF. Ten sources contributed entries to …

Whole-Plant Mineral Partitioning Throughout The Life Cycle In Arabidopsis Thaliana Ecotypes Columbia, Landsberg Erecta, Cape Verde Islands, And The Mutant Line Ysl1ysl3, Brian M. Waters, Michael A. Grusak

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Minimal information exists on whole-plant dynamics of mineral flow through Arabidopsis thaliana or on the source tissues responsible for mineral export to developing seeds. Understanding these phenomena in a model plant could help in the development of nutritionally enhanced crop cultivars. A whole-plant partitioning study, using sequential harvests, was conducted to characterize growth and mineral concentrations and contents of rosettes, cauline leaves, stems, immature fruit, mature fruit hulls, and seeds of three WT lines (Col-0, Ler, and Cvi) and one mutant line (Col-0::ysl1ysl3). Shoot mineral content increased throughout the life cycle for all minerals, although tissue-specific …

Integrating Accommodation, Elizabeth F. Emens

Faculty Scholarship

Courts and agencies interpreting the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) generally assume that workplace accommodations benefit individual employees with disabilities and impose costs on employers and, at times, coworkers. This belief reflects a failure to recognize a key feature of ADA accommodations: their benefits to third parties. Numerous accommodations – from ramps to ergonomic furniture to telecommuting initiatives – can create benefits for coworkers, both disabled and nondisabled, as well as for the growing group of employees with impairments that are not limiting enough to constitute disabilities under the ADA. Much attention has been paid to how the integration of …

U.S. Law Of The Sea Cruise To Map The Western Insular Margin And 2500-M Isobath Of Guam And The Northern Mariana Islands. Cruise Report, James V. Gardner

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

U.S. Law of the Sea cruise to map the western insular margin and 2500-m isobath of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. CRUISE BD07-1 November 16, to December 17, 2007 Garapan, Saipan, to Garapan, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Development And Assessment Of Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Products For Shoreline Mapping, Lynnette V. Morgan, Shachak Pe'eri, Andy Armstrong

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Accurate and consistent shoreline determinations play a major role in nautical charting and coastal management boundary assessment. Delineations along this dynamic margin are dependent upon the stage of tide and are demarcated by tidal datums such as Mean High Water (MHW) and Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW). This study investigated airborne lidar bathymetry (ALB) as a potential tool to support shoreline mapping. A computerized process was devised to obtain shoreline determinations from a lidar dataset processed using various algorithms and by devising a threshold to distinguish land and water. The algorithm-derived land-water interfaces are analyzed against the reference shoreline constructed …

Tertiary Climate Change And The Diversification Of The Amazonian Gecko Genus Gonatodes (Sphaerodactylidae, Squamata), Tony Gamble, Andrew M. Simons, Guarino R. Colli, Laurie J. Vitt

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The genus Gonatodes is a monophyletic group of small-bodied, diurnal geckos distributed across northern South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. We used fragments of three nuclear genes (RAG2, ACM4, and c-mos) and one mitochondrial gene (16S) to estimate phylogenetic relationships among Amazonian species of Gonatodes. We used Penalized Likelihood to estimate timing of diversification in the genus. Most cladogenesis occurred in the Oligocene and early Miocene and coincided with a burst of diversification in other South American animal groups including mollusks, birds, and mammals. The Oligocene and early Miocene were periods dominated by …

Seismic-Py: Reading Seismic Data With Python, Kurt Schwehr

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The field of seismic exploration of the Earth has changed dramatically over the last half a century. The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) has worked to create standards to store the vast amounts of seismic data in a way that will be portable across computer architectures. However, it has been impossible to predict the needs of the immense range of seismic data acquisition systems. As a result, vendors have had to bend the rules to accommodate the needs of new instruments and experiment types. For low level access to seismic data, there is need for a standard open source library …

Rrh Library Newsletter, January 2008, Libraries At Rochester Regional Health

Rochester Regional Health authored publications and proceedings

Newsletter sections include: Caring

Plasma Medicine, Mounir Laroussi, Alexander Fridman

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Recent demonstrations of plasma technology in the treatment of living cells, tissues, and organs are creating a newfield at the intersection of plasma science and technology with biology and medicine - Plasma Medicine.

Towards A Metric For The Assessment Of Safety Critical Control Systems, Oscar R. Gonzalez, Jorge R. Chavez-Fuentes, W. Steven Gray

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

There is a need for better integration of the fault tolerant and the control designs for safety critical systems such as aircraft. The dependability of current designs is assessed primarily with measures of the interconnection of fault tolerant components: the reliability function and the mean time to failure. These measures do not directly take into account the interaction of the fault tolerant components with the dynamics of the aircraft. In this paper, a first step to better integrate these designs is made. It is based on the observation that unstable systems are intrinsically unreliable and that a necessary condition for …

Pvn-648-Excavation Report, Edward Schortman

Four Valleys Archive

No abstract provided.

An Efficient Algorithm For Biomarker Identification, Jiang Li, Rick Mckenzie, Lisa Cazares, Richard Drake, John Semmens

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Pvn-Cat-202-Ks-031-001-Plcn, Zachary Lee

Four Valleys Archive

No abstract provided.