Digital Commons Network^™

In The Best Interests Of The Child: An Analysis Of Wisconsin Supreme Court Rulings Involving Same-Sex Couples With Children, Amy Persin Linnert

UC Law SF Journal on Gender and Justice

The children of same-sex couples are often the unintended victims of legal discrimination against homosexuals. This note examines the Wisconsin Supreme Court's approach to the issues of adoption, custody and visitation involving the children of same-sex couples. Wisconsin was chosen as the focus of this note because it is widely recognized as a legally progressive state and is one of the few states that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. This note urges the Wisconsin courts and legislature to reexamine the issue of same-sex marriage as a means of protecting the best interests of the children of same-sex …

Federal Regulation Of Isolated Wetlands After Swancc, Stephen M. Johnson

Articles

This past January the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Clean Water Act (CWA) did not authorize the federal government to prohibit a landfill operator from filling isolated ponds on its property merely because the ponds were used as habitat by migratory birds. The National Association of Home Builders claimed that the decision in Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SWANCC) was "a major legal victory for home builders and other private property owners." Critics of the SWANCC decision argued that it jeopardizes "perhaps a fifth of the water bodies in the United …

A Geographic Analysis Of Vegetation Deterioration In The Tabuk Area, Saudi Arabia, Khalid Musallam Alharbi

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vegetation deterioration has received an increasing amount of attention in the last few decades. It is considered a main indicator of land degradation processes. The Tabuk area, located in the northwest region of Saudi Arabia, has experienced vegetation deterioration as the major facet of land degradation processes. The study utilized Landsat-5 TM data, professional agricultural reports, and topographic maps, supported with intensive fieldwork to monitor vegetation deterioration and its causes and consequences. The data used in this study has been analyzed using remotely sensed methods by pre-processing data, visual interpretation, and Normalized Differences Vegetation Index (NDVI). Climatic analysis also applied, …

Immunogenicity And Effectiveness Of An Idiotype-Based Tumor Vaccine, Sreenivas Laxmanan

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives . The broad objective of this study was to develop and characterize plasmid DNA anti-tumor vaccines encoding the likely immunogenic form of a TAA, in this case the variable region (idiotype), of a B-cell lymphoma/hybridoma cell, 2C3. Methods . The tumor model used in this study is a BALB/c B-cell lymphoma, 2C3, expressing clonotypic immunoglobulin (Ig) that is unique and highly immunogenic. The plasmid vector construct used in the study encoded 2C3 Id in the form of scFv designed to be expressed cytosolically. Purified plasmids were used as vaccines, with or without a plasmid encoding murine GM-CSF, in BALB/c …

Microvillar Disruption And F -Actin Sequestration In Anoxic Proximal Tubular Cells, Peter A. White

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ischemic or anoxic ATP depletion is the primary cause of acute renal failure (ARF) and is estimated to occur in 5% of all hospitalized patients. ATP depletion results in the rapid disruption of the actin cytoskeleton in renal proximal tubule (PT) cells. The disruption of the actin cytoskeleton initiates a cascade of structural and functional alterations in anoxic PT, including microvilli retraction, loss of membrane polarity, membrane bleb formation, and the detachment of PT cells into the urinary lumen. These alterations progress in a duration-dependent manner and are reversible during the recovery phase. Understanding of the cellular mechanisms that mediate …

Proximate And Ultimate Factors Contributing To The Variation In A Sexually Dimorphic Signal In Sceloporus Lizards, Vanessa S. Quinn

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Animals communicate in many different ways using a variety of signals to send information to conspecifics and heterospecifics. These systems consist of at least two individuals, signalers and receivers. Signalers produce and physiologically control the production of signals and send the signal into the environment. Receivers obtain signals via sensory receptors, process information in the central nervous system, and respond in some manner. Selective forces could act on any one, or a combination of, these factors to lead to sex and species differences. Thus, to properly study the evolution of these systems, evolutionary biologists must examine multiple levels. I have …

Fabrication Of Nanometer-Sized Protein Patterns Using Atomic Force Microscopy And Selective Immobilization, Kapila Wadu-Mesthrige, Nabil A. Amro, Jayne C. Garno, Song Xu, Gang Yu Liu

Faculty Publications

A new methodology is introduced to produce nanometer-sized protein patterns. The approach includes two main steps, nanopatterning of self-assembled monolayers using atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based nanolithography and subsequent selective immobilization of proteins on the patterned monolayers. The resulting templates and protein patterns are characterized in situ using AFM. Compared with conventional protein fabrication methods, this approach is able to produce smaller patterns with higher spatial precision. In addition, fabrication and characterization are completed in near physiological conditions. The adsorption configuration and bioreactivity of the proteins within the nanopatterns are also studied in situ.

Colonialism And Landscape In The Americas: Material/Conceptual Transformations And Continuing Consequences, Andrew Sluyter

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ganadería Española Y Cambio Ambiental En Las Tierras Bajas Tropicales De Veracruz, México, Siglo Xvi, Andrew Sluyter

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Genomic And Predicted Amino Acid Sequences Of Respiratory And Enteric Bovine Coronaviruses Isolated From The Same Animal With Fatal Shipping Pneumonia, V. N. Chouljenko, X. Q. Lin, J. Storz, K. G. Kousoulas, A. E. Gorbalenya

Faculty Publications

The complete genome sequences are reported here of two field isolates of bovine coronavirus (BCoV), which were isolated from respiratory and intestinal samples of the same animal experiencing fatal pneumonia during a bovine shipping fever epizootic. Both genomes contained 31028 nucleotides and included 13 open reading frames (ORFs) flanked by 5′- and 3′-untranslated regions (UTRs). ORF1a and ORF1b encode replicative polyproteins pp1a and pp1ab, respectively, that contain all of the putative functional domains documented previously for the closest relative, mouse hepatitis virus. The genomes of the BCoV isolates differed in 107 positions, scattered throughout the genome except the 5′-UTR. Differences …

Elucidation Of The Genomic Nucleotide Sequence Of Bovine Coronavirus And Analysis Of Cryptic Leader Mrna Fusion Sites, Vladimir N. Chouljenko, Timothy P. Foster, Xiaoqing Lin, Johannes Storz, Konstantin G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Variation In Reproductive Mode Within An Australian Lizard (Saiphos Equalis, Scincidae), Sarah A. Smith, Christopher C. Austin, Richard Shine

Faculty Publications

Saiphos equalis, a semi-fossorial scincid lizard from south-eastern Australia, is one of only three reptile species world-wide that are known to display geographic variation in reproductive mode. Uniquely, Saiphos equalis includes populations with three reproductive modes: oviparous with long (15-day) incubation periods; oviparous with short (5-day) incubation periods; and viviparous (0-day incubation periods). No Saipho populations show 'normal' scincid oviparity (>30-day incubation period). We used mitochondrial nucleotide sequences (ND2 and cytochrome b) to reconstruct relationships among populations from throughout the species' distribution in New South Wales, Australia. Under the phylogenetic species concept, phylogenetic analyses are consistent with the oviparous …

Patterns Of Ancestral Human Diversity: An Analysis Of Alu-Insertion And Restriction-Site Polymorphisms, W. S. Watkins, C. E. Ricker, M. J. Bamshad, M. L. Carroll, S. V. Nguyen, M. A. Batzer, H. C. Harpending, A. R. Rogers, L. B. Jorde

Faculty Publications

We have analyzed 35 widely distributed, polymorphic Alu loci in 715 individuals from 31 world populations. The average frequency of Alu insertions (the derived state) is lowest in Africa (.42) but is higher and similar in India (.55), Europe (.56), and Asia (.57). A comparison with 30 restriction-site polymorphisms (RSPs) for which the ancestral state has been determined shows that the frequency of derived RSP alleles is also lower in Africa (.35) than it is in Asia (.45) and in Europe (.46). Neighbor-joining networks based on Alu insertions or RSPs are rooted in Africa and show African populations as separate …

Identity Crisis: "Intersectionality," "Multidimensionality," And The Development Of An Adequate Theory Of Subordination, Darren Lenard Hutchinson

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

This Article arises out of the intersectionality and post-intersectionality literature and makes a case against the essentialist considerations that informed the Human Rights Campaign's endorsement of United States Senator Alfonse D'Amato. Part I discusses the pitfalls that occur when scholars and activists engage in essentialist politics and treat identities and forms of subordination as conflicting forces. Part II examines how essentialism negatively affects legal theory in the equality context. Part III considers the historical motivation for and the efficacy of the "intersectionality" response to the problem of essentialism. Part III also extensively analyzes the "multidimensional" critiques of essentialism offered by …

To Investigate The Reasons For Moisture Ingress In Ready To Drink Mixes, Rahul N. Eklahare

Theses

The objective of this study was to determine the reasons for moisture ingress in ready to drink mixes. The containers for this product were supposed to be moisture resistant. However, after a certain period it was observed that the product inside was prone to caking and lump formation due to moisture ingress.

The dimensions of the containers were compared with the actual dimensions and the containers were exposed to accelerated aging to simulate a longer duration of shelf life. Several recommendations were made for new design of containers which were also tested for moisture ingress. Some observations were also made …

Utb/Tsc Graduate Catalog 2001-2002, University Of Texas At Brownsville

UTB/TSC Archives - Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Utb/Tsc This Week 2001-01, University Of Texas At Brownsville And Texas Southmost College. Office Of News And Information

UTB/TSC Archives - This Week Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Racial Profiling In Health Care: An Institutional Analysis Of Medical Treatment Disparities, René Bowser

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

This Article links unscientific, race-based medical research to a broader, institutionalized pattern of racial profiling of Blacks in clinical decision-making. Far from providing a solution to the problem of racial health disparities, this Article shows that race-based health research fuels a collection of dubious background assumptions, creates a negative profile of Black patients, and reinforces taken-for-granted knowledge that leads to inferior medical treatment. This form of racial profiling is unjust, and also causes countless unnecessary deaths in the Black population.

Seeking Redress For Gender-Based Bias Crimes- Charting New Ground In Familiar Legal Territory, Julie Goldscheid, Risa E. Kaufman

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

This Essay will analyze how courts have defined gender-motivation, focusing on the Civil Rights Remedy cases decided before the law was struck down, in an attempt to cull from those cases the standards federal courts have used to assess gender-motivation. The article will first provide an overview of existing and proposed laws that offer some form of redress for gender-motivated crimes. It will then analyze cases decided under the Civil Rights Remedy, focusing on two key issues that have arisen as policymakers struggle with whether and how gender-based bias crimes fit in the rubric of hate crimes legislation. The first …

A General Theory Of Cultural Diversity, Steven A. Ramirez

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

This Article seeks to extend the analysis of these developments in the corporate world to anti-discrimination law under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This Article will show that discrimination based upon cultural insights or experiences is distinct from race discrimination and will articulate a general theory of why and under what circumstances this holds true. The difference between culture-based discrimination and using culture as a proxy for race (Which would then be race discrimination) requires a careful and non-mythological understanding of what race is, and what race is not. Moreover, showing that culture discrimination is not prohibited …

Utpa Institutional Fact Book 2001, University Of Texas-Pan American

UTPA Archives - Stats At A Glance

No abstract provided.

Coastal Ocean Morphodynamics And The Resulting Erosion And Deposition: An Analytical Approach, Shejun Fan

OES Theses and Dissertations

Coastal ocean morphodynamics is the study of the morphological change of the coastal ocean system. Environmental conditions, such as climatic and geological controls, are exogenous inputs of the system, which are responsible for geographic variation among coastal oceans. In the coastal ocean system, coastal morphological changes are the results of a series of morphodynamical processes. In this treatise, quantitative, dynamical sedimentary models are developed to provide an analytical understanding of morphodynamical processes in coastal ocean environments. These dynamical sedimentary models numerically simulate the sedimentary processes over a range of time scales from an event time scale, based on the fundamental …

Utb/Tsc Undergraduate Catalog 2001-2002, University Of Texas At Brownsville, Texas Southmost College

UTB/TSC Archives - Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Wolves In Sheeps' Clothing: Creationist Manipulation Of Kansas Science Standards, Nathan Christopher Gehlert

Honors Theses

So the question that animates this paper is this: what happens when a state's education policy seeks to make popular social and religious values a central part of its education standards in direct confrontation with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution? I will try to answer that question in three ways. First, I will examine the tactics used in the manipulation of curricula to reflect social and religious values, with special focus on the Kansas case. Second, I will try to ascertain the determinants of success in these efforts; under what conditions are movements to …

Photochemical Degradation Of 2,4-D And Atrazine In Well-Defined Media, Asher D. Ghertner

Honors Theses

Atrazine and 2,4-D are common herbicides used for crop, lawn, and rangeland management. Photochemical degradation has been proposed as one safe and efficient remediation strategy for both 2,4-D and Atrazine. In the presence of iron(llI) and hydrogen peroxide these herbicides decay by both thermal and light induced oxidation. Past studies have focused primarily on sun light as an energy source. This work provides a mechanistic description of herbicide degradation incorporating intermediate degradation products produced in the dark and under well-defined light conditions.

Study Of The Effects Of Co2(G) On The Fe(Ii)-Luminol Chemiluminescence System: Application To Ultra-Trace Analysis Of Fe(Ii), Sara Beth Lovitz

Honors Theses

The Fe(II)-catalyzed oxidation of luminol has been a well-accepted chemiluminescence method for the trace and ultra-trace analysis of Fe(II) and Fe(III) in natural waters. Investigation into this chemiluminescence system has shown that COlg) is essential to Fe-catalyzed luminol chemiluminescence. In absence of CO2(g) there is no chemiluminescent signal. These reactions worked well in the past because CO2 is present in most laboratory H20 supplies. Intentional saturation of CO2 results in a 5-fold increase for this conventional system. We propose a mechanism for CO 2(g) enhancement that includes formation of a CO2-superoxide intermediate, which serves as the oxidant of luminol to …

Exploratory Chemistry In Route To Aromatic Natural Products, Nicholas P. Bizier

Honors Theses

The focus of this research was the synthesis of two natural products, 1-methyl-s-(1,2,2-trimethy1cyclopentyl)-benzene (formally cuparene), and 3-(1,2dimethylcyclopenty1)-5-methylbenzene-l,2-diol (formally herbertene diol). Cuparene possesses anti-fungal and anti-arthritic properties. This molecule has been the target of a number of syntheses. Herbertene diol, a natural product itself, represents one retrosynthetic step back from mastigophorane; a compound isolated form the liverwort Mastigophora diaclolades. Mastigophorane has been shown to have neural network forming capabilities and has warranted complete synthetic efforts. Through the same chemistry involve in the formation of cuparene, we sought a route to herbertene diol in two steps. We report a successful route to …

Yield-Per-Recruit Analysis For Black Drum, Pogonias Cromis, Along The East Coast Of The United States And Management Strategies For Chesapeake Bay, Cynthia M. Jones, Brian K. Wells

OES Faculty Publications

Black drum, Pogonias cromis along the U.S. East Coast is subject to commercial and recreational harvest. However, prior to this study no modeling had been undertaken to examine the potential for overfishing in the Chesapeake Bay region. We present evidence from yield-per-recruit models that growth overfishing of black drum is unlikely under current fishing practices in this region. Particular attention was given to fishing practices in the Chesapeake Bay region where old, large fish predominate in the commercial and recreational catches (mean age=26 years: mean total length=108.4 cm; mean weight 22.1 kg). Yield-per-recruit model results showed that growth overfishing was …

Uptake Of Dissolved Organic Selenides By Marine Phytoplankton, Stephen B. Baines, Nicholas S. Fisher, Martina A. Doblin, Gregory A. Cutter

OES Faculty Publications

Se is present in multiple oxidation states in nature, each of which has unique chemical and biological reactivities. As a consequence, the rate of Se incorporation into food webs or its role as either a limiting nutrient or a toxic substance is a function of complex biogeochemistry. In particular, little is understood about the accumulation of dissolved organic selenides by phyto- or bacterioplankton. We assessed the bioavailability of dissolved organic selenides to marine and estuarine phytoplankton by presenting various algal species with filtered lysates of the diatom, Thalassiosira pseudonana, grown on media amended with radiolabeled selenite (⁷⁵Se[IV]). …

Control Of Phytoplankton Growth By Iron Supply And Irradiance In The Subantarctic Southern Ocean: Experimental Results From The Saz Project, P. W. Boyd, A. C. Crossley, G. R. Ditullio, F. B. Griffiths, D. A. Hutchins, B. Queguiner, Peter N. Sedwick, T. W. Trull

OES Faculty Publications

The influence of irradiance and Fe supply on phytoplankton processes was studied, north (47°S, 142°E) and south (54°S, 142°E) of the Subantarctic Front in austral autumn (March 1998). At both sites, resident cells exhibited nutrient stress (F_v/F_m 0 at 47°S and 9% I₀ at 54°S because of MLDs of 40 (47°S) and 90 m (54°S), when these stations were occupied. The greater MLD at 54°S is reflected by tenfold higher cellular chlorophyll a levels in the resident phytoplankton. In the 47°S experiment, chlorophyll a levels increased to >1 μg/L^-1 only in the high-Fe treatments, regardless …