Digital Commons Network^™

Interferon-Alpha, Dale L. Barnard

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Amarillo Biosciences is developing low-dose oral interferon-alpha (IFNalpha; Veldona) as a potential treatment for primary Sjøgren's syndrome, oral mucositis in cancer patients, hepatitis B and C virus (HBV and HCV) infections, and bone marrow disorders. The company is also developing a topical formulation of IFNalpha for the potential treatment of genital warts. The product is registered in Ghana for the treatment of HBV infection. In October 2001, Amarillo licensed rights to its low-dose oral IFNalpha to Atrix Laboratories for the Orphan indications of oral papillomavirus and Behçet's disease.

A Retrospective Cohort Study Of Workers' Compensation Indicators From An Occupational Safety And Health Perspective, Alan D. Verdonk

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Since 1984 the role of the government in Western Australia, has changed in relation to occupational safety and health. This study considers the effect of the occupational safety and health legislation using workers' compensation accident data. Academic and general staff accident data from a Western Australian University were researched. The time period is 20 years- 1979 through 1998 inclusive. 2,773 worker's compensation claims were analysed using Mann Whitney -U tests and cross-tabulations of safety prevention expenditure against the claims. The work environment provides the full spectrum of workplace activities ranging from domicile duties (student housing services) to heavy machinery work …

Crossing Over The Line : Becoming A Marijuana User Alters Perceptions Of Source And Message Credibility In Anti-Drug Campaigns, Fiona Perman

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Illicit-drug use is a major problem in our society. Policing, charging and incarcerating offenders incurs a significant strain on government resources, and results in criminal records for those found guilty. This study examines the attitudes and beliefs of young adults (18-24 years) toward social marketing messages about marijuana and other illicit-drug use. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect various levels of marijuana use have on young people’s acceptance of anti-drug messages. That is, do source and message credibility change as a result of young people’s experience of marijuana use?

Violence, Video Games, And A Voice Of Reason: Judge Posner To The Defense Of Kids' Culture And The First Amendment, Clay Calvert

San Diego Law Review

"We are in the world of kids' popular culture. But it is not lightly to be suppressed."' So wrote Judge Richard A. Posner on behalf of a unanimous three judge panel for the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in March 2001 in striking down, on First Amendment grounds, an Indianapolis ordinance that blocked minors' access to video games depicting violence. Judge Posner's erudite opinion could not have come at a more important time-a time when the entertainment industries in the United States seemingly are under government siege and when the media blame game is peaking. The judge's cogent reasoning and …

Responsibility In Capital Sentencing, Steven Semeraro

San Diego Law Review

Although modem doctrine is worth preserving, it could be improved significantly by focusing explicitly on heightening individual responsibility. Two concrete ways to improve it would be to (1) explain the sentencer' s role in the narrative voice, a way of speaking that, at least in American society, appears to be associated with the assignment of responsibility; and (2) require heightened scrutiny of death sentences by state appellate courts, bringing the responsibility of state appellate judges in capital cases in line with the responsibility they bear in constitutional cases dealing with analogous mixed questions of fact and law under the First, …

Ethnography And The Idealized Accounts Of Science In Law, David S. Caudill

San Diego Law Review

n Part I, I confirm the idealizations of science in law and their implications for legal scholarship and practice. In Part II, I describe the ethnographic method used by science studies scholars, with reference to my own ethnographic analysis of interviews with three neuroscientists. I conclude Part II by identifying various social aspects of science that comprise a complex picture of scientific activity. In Part ill, I discuss the implications of ethnomethodology for trial practice, including deposition analysis, Daubert-type hearings, cross-examination techniques, and drafting jury instructions. Part IV addresses anticipated criticisms of my arguments.

How Not To End Disability, Janet Radcliffe Richards

San Diego Law Review

When advances in genetic technology offer the chance of preventing or curing disease and disability, it is one thing to recommend caution on the grounds that these obvious benefits may be outweighed by associated harms. It is quite another to deny even that there are benefits to be outweighed, and that attempts to prevent disability by these means should be resisted outright. That, however, is a view that is increasingly widespread in the disability rights movement.

The Ethics Of Genetic Intervention: Human Research And Blurred Species Boundaries, Rebecca Dresser

San Diego Law Review

From Chance to Choice: Genetics and Justice1

is a well-written and tightly argued analysis. This Essay addresses two topics meriting more attention than they received from these authors. First, this Essay considers in greater detail a topic the book briefly addresses—the human research necessary to support clinical use of genetic interventions. What appears as simply a step along the way to clinical benefits may actually present serious impediments. Second, this Essay expands on a point the authors mentioned only in passing. They noted that developments in

genetics are blurring traditional species boundaries. Blurred boundaries between humans and other species raise …

Liberty Not Fully Evolved?: The Case Of Rodney Levake And The Right Of Public School Teachers To Criticize Darwinism, Francis J. Beckwith

San Diego Law Review

In 2001, the Minnesota Court of Appeals reviewed the case of Rodney LeVake, a public school teacher who sought to enhance his school

district’s required science curriculum by suggesting to students alternative viewpoints inconsistent with that curriculum. This case, LeVake v. Independent School District, should be of great interest to legal theorists. Its holding, and the reasoning on which it is based, may serve as a Socratic provocation regarding the extent to which public school teachers have constitutional academic freedom (apart from statutory requirements or permission) to voluntarily include criticisms of and alternatives to evolutionary theory.

New England Salt Marsh Pools: Analysis Of Geomorphic And Geographic Parameters, Macrophyte Distribution And Nekton Use, Susan C. Adamowicz

Open Access Dissertations

Salt marsh pools are shallow, steep-sided depressions that remain flooded throughout a tidal cycle and provide important habitat for nekton (fish and decapod crustaceans). Although New England pools are relatively unstudied, efforts are underway to expand pool habitat through an open marsh water management technique know as ditch plugging. The purpose of this study was to quantify pool geomorphic and geographic characteristics, to determine distribution of vegetative cover types and nekton species, and to evaluate effects of ditch plugging on nekton use of pools.

Over 30 ditched and unditched marshes were surveyed from the Connecticut shore of Long Island Sound …

And The Walls Came Tumbling Down: Sharing Grand Jury Information With The Intelligence Community Under The Usa Patriot Act, Jennifer M. Collins

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Regulation And Mechanisms Of Excitation-Contraction Coupling In The Ventricular Myocardium Of The Surf Clam, Spisula Solidissima, Leon Paul Collis

Open Access Dissertations

Extensive research has previously examined the extrinsic, neural regulation of the bivalve myocardium, via the action of such neurotransmitters as acetylcholine, serotonin and the tetrapeptide, FRMFamide. This investigation was performed in order to identify any intrinsic, autoregulatory (mechanical or pharmacological) processes, which attenuate or amplifier cardiac activity. For this purpose, the ventricular muscle of the bivalve, Spisula solidissima , was used. The ultrastructure was described in order to explain specific excitation-contraction (EC) coupling mechanisms that were elucidated in this study. Manuscript 1 identified and characterized shortening deactivation in ventricular trabeculae of the surf clam. This is defined as the loss …

An Antidote For Testosterone Poisoning: Ya Books Girls—And Boys—Should Read, Chris Crowe

Faculty Publications

Today's world is loaded with dangers and dangerous people; it's a place where kids-good and bad, naive and worldly, cautious and reckless-are at risk. The sources of these risks are sometimes masked in the mixed messages children learn from society-messages about gender roles, about behavior, about what's right and what's not.

Some of the fuzzy messages that concern me most are the ones that influence the behavior of young adult males. All teachers know that teenage boys can be some of the most obnoxious creatures on earth. I know this from personal experience as a former obnoxious boy and as …

Citation And Representation, Alex Glashausser

Vanderbilt Law Review

A war is raging in the legal citation field. Arbitrary changes in the Bluebook from one edition to the next have incited a populist rebellion in the form of the Association of Legal Writing Directors' ALWD Citation Manual. This Article traces the causes of the conflict and assesses its likely outcomes. Professor Glashausser compares the two citation guides to eighteenth- century Great Britain and America: the Bluebook is the elite empire clinging to its position, and the Manual is the challenger hoping to ride a wave of populism to revolution. Overall, Professor Glashausser's Article sides with the Manual as the …

Effects Of Mobile Fishing Gear On The Benthic Megafauna And Production Of Georges Bank, Jerome Michael Hermsen Jr.

Open Access Dissertations

Although the effects of mobile fishing gear on the habitat and productivity of the sea bottom has warranted attention for several centuries, recent concern has fueled an upsurge in research into the ecosystem effects of fishing over the last decade. This dissertation addresses the effects of mobile fishing gear disturbance on the benthic megafaunal productivity, scavenging amphipods and isopods, and benthic habitat-mediated survival of juvenile cod ( Gadus morhua). Using baited traps, scavenging amphipod and isopod populations were sampled at deep and shallow sites in disturbed and undisturbed areas on the northern part of Georges Bank and in the Great …

Geomagnetic Sensitivity And Orientation In Eastern Garter Snakes (Thamnophis Sirtalis), Douglas Eliot Smith

Open Access Dissertations

Thirteen eastern garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) were each kept in a terrarium for 10 to 15 days inside a solenoid made of electrical wire and attached to a DC power source. When activated, the solenoid reduced the intensity and reversed the direction of the ambient magnetic field inside the aquarium. Food was placed in an L-shaped corridor attached to the aquarium before the solenoid was turned on. The time between activation of the solenoid and the first strike at the food was measured. Snakes that were exposed to the magnetic cue learned to associate it with the presence of food …

The Relationships Between Teacher Self-Disclosure, Student Motives, Student Affect, Relational Certainty, And Student Participation., Jacob L. Cayanus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The concept of teacher self-disclosure has been studied using a variety of methods. A review of teacher self-disclosure literature found that operationalization of teacher self disclosure had yet to be agreed upon by researchers. This thesis applied a new teacher self-disclosure scale developed primarily for this research. It was hypothesized teacher self-disclosure would be related to (1) the student motives of functional, relational, and participatory, (2) class participation, (3) affect for class, (4) affect for teacher, and (5) relational certainty. Analysis of data collected show teacher self-disclosure mildly correlated with the student motive of relational and student participation, but was …

Factors Influencing Habitat Selection And Activity Of Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) In Central Appalachia. Part I. The Influence Of Soil And Soil Surface Characteristics On Habitat Selection By Carabidae. Part Ii. Precipitation And Temperature Fluctuations: Effects On Carabidae Activity. Part Iii. The Effects Of Two Microbial Insecticides For Gypsy Moth Control On Carabidae Populations., Terry R. Carrington

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A study was conducted in the George Washington National Forest in Virginia and the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. Carabid samples were collected over four years and compared to soil characteristics, surface characteristics and meteorological conditions to determine what role these factors play in carabid habitat selection. Opportunity also existed to compare carabid populations before and after the application of microbial insecticides on the sampling sites. This study was conducted as as part of a larger project investigating non-target impacts from gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.)(Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), insecticide applications and the interaction of Entomophaga maimaiga Humber, Shimazu, and Soper …

The Longest Distance Between Two Points., David Lee Chance

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Longest Distance Between Two Points is a collection of short fiction and nonficiton stories written between spring semester of 2000 and spring semester of 2002 and compiled for my master's thesis. Three of the pieces were written for this collection and the other two are revisions of works composed for graduate writing workshops. The stories all deal with people who have some type of personal limitation that causes them to have trouble functioning in the world. Some of the themes that are explored in these stories are poverty, addiction, mental illness, language barriers and physical handicaps. Each story deals …

An Evaluation Of Double-Observer Point Count Techniques And Avian Habitat Use On The Camp Dawson Collective Training Area, Preston County, West Virginia., Greg Michael Forcey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Double-observer point counts are a new method of inventorying avian fauna that allow detection probabilities to be calculated for each point or species of bird. These detection rates allow estimation of abundances that are more robust than estimates derived from single-observer counts because detection probabilities factor in birds present but not detected. The combined double-observer (DO) technique involves two observers recording data together on a single data sheet. The primary observer dictates the number of each species that is detected while the secondary observer records this information; the secondary observer also notes birds that the primary observer did not detect. …

The Identification Of Downstream Effectors Of The Rx Gene And Its Proposed Role In Anophthalmia/Microphthalmia., Christina Marie O'Kernick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Retinal homeobox (Rx) gene codes for a transcriptional regulator involved in retinal tissue development, and the protein sequence of this transcription factor has been highly conserved throughout evolution. Previous Rx-knock-out and over-expression experiments have identified Rx as an essential component for proper eye formation. Here we used gene sequencing to identify 2 different mutations in the hRx gene of three anophthalmic and microphthalmic patients. The Q147X mutation, located in helix 1 of the homeodomain most likely prevents Rx from binding to DNA, therefore preventing transcriptional regulation by Rx. The R192Q mutation located in helix 3 of the homeodomain is …

Environmental Justice Through Pollution Prevention: Development Of A Quantitative Method To Assess Community Vulnerability And Air Emission Hazard For Optimal Impact., John Lewis Boettner Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study develops a quantitative and objective method of analyzing community vulnerability combined with potential exposure to emission hazards. This extends earlier work concerning Environmental Justice Through Pollution Prevention (EJP2) initiatives for optimal selection of facilities for resource allocation for pollution prevention initiatives. A 1992 EPA report indicated that minority and low-income communities are exposed to higher levels of pollution in their neighborhoods than that of the general population. Environmental Justice is a grassroots derived term for addressing these disproportionate shares of negative environmental impacts, which are placed upon people of minority or low socio-economic status. The method developed identifies …

A Uses And Gratifications Analysis Of Consumer Satisfaction Correlated To Expectations In E-Commerce Retail Shopping., Stacey Ann Torjak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research is an exploration of how retail is moving from the mall to the Internet. It applies uses and gratifications analysis of consumer satisfaction and ecommerce Web sites. The study compares obtained and sought after e-commerce consumer gratifications. The participants for the study attended West Virginia University in the spring 2002 semester. The study produced 50 valid responses that found consumers sought after gratifications for product display and navigation features were not met. This research also shows that experienced Internet consumers trust e-commerce Web sites privacy/security features. Implications for companies with e-commerce Web sites are explored.

Personal Tobacco Use Behaviors And Tobacco Cessation Activities Of Dental And Dental Hygiene Students In United States Dental Schools., Amanda Suzanne Hatfield

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the tobacco use behaviors of dental and dental hygiene students enrolled in U.S. dental schools with their perceptions and performance of tobacco use cessation counseling activities (TUCCA). A survey was mailed to a stratified sampling of accredited dental schools with which dental hygiene programs (n=8) were affiliated. Results were reported in frequencies, cumulative frequencies, and percentages. With use of the JMP program, Chi Square analyses were performed to test for statistical significance. Response rates of 57.1% from the dental programs (n=7) and 100% from the dental hygiene programs (n=8) were …

The Induction Of Sensitization And Airway Hyperreactivity By 3-Amino-5-Mercapto-1,2,4-Triazole In A Murine Model., Kimberly Jean Klink

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An increase in the incidence of respiratory disease reported in a herbicide producing factory correlates with potential exposure to 3-Amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole (AMT) and AMT based product 1 (AMT-bp1). In animal studies, no signs of systemic toxicity or irritancy were observed with concentrations up to 25% AMT or 40% AMT-bp1. AMT-bp1 was negative while a dose dependent increase was observed following exposure to AMT in the LLNA. An increase in B220+IgE+ cells was observed at 25% AMT exposure. AMT was negative in the MEST (up to 25%). Following dermal exposure 5 days a week, animals exposed to 25% AMT demonstrated elevated levels …

A Model For Building A Better Academic Web Site: A Quantitative Analysis Of Foreign Language Departments On The World Wide Web., Margarita (Maria) M. Toro

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis defines what an effective academic web site is, and examines the utilization of web sites by the Land Grant colleges’ foreign language departments. A system with the parameters of evaluation was created from studies that observed web users’ perceptions of web sites. Four main factors were analyzed: informativeness, interactivity, entertainment, design and usability. The results showed that departments of foreign language are not projecting a positive image throughout their web sites. Moreover, the web masters of the foreign language departmental sites are not considering entertainment and interactivity features as fundamental elements in the development of academic web sites.

An Investigation Into The Mechanism Of 2-Oxohistidine Formation From The Peroxidase Activity Of Superoxide Dismutase., Joseph Andrew Peters

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The pathogenesis of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease that sometimes results from SOD1 mutations, may involve the peroxidase reaction of the SOD1 protein. The aim of this thesis was to test the hypothesis that the peroxidase reaction of SOD results in SOD-centered peroxyl radical formation. The source of oxygen incorporated into 2-oxohistidine was to have been determined using HPLC/Mass spectrometry. This aim was not accomplished. UV-Visible difference spectrometry provided evidence for a peroxyl radical in this reaction. 2-oxohistidine formation was shown to be oxygen dependent and inhibited by the spin-trap MNP (Gunther, Peters, and Sivaneri 2002 …

An Assessment Of Natural Cavity Abundance, Nest Box Use, And Management Recommendations For Birds On The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, West Virginia., Karen A. Sacilotto

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Islands on the Ohio River contain valuable habitats that are unique and irreplaceable on a national or ecoregion basis. Aquatic habitats connected with the islands and their back channels (areas where commercial traffic is prohibited) provide quality habitats for bottomland hardwood wildlife; however, quantitative data on the importance of these areas are lacking. The objectives of this study were to: 1) compare breeding bird abundance and quality of habitat for cavity-nesting birds between back channel and navigational channel sides of islands, and 2) analyze the effects of nest box placement on cavity-nesting bird-use on the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife …

Creating An Online Tutorial And Pathfinder, Peter A. Hook

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Mr Hook explores the educational potential of Web-based tutorials and pathfinders. He discusses how the multimedia environment can effectively reach a broad range of learner types, explaining how the disciplines of infor- mation architecture and information visualization can contribute to designing a successful tutorial and pathfinder.

Effects Of High -Dose Chemotherapy On The Bone Marrow Microenvironment, Brett Matthew Hall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The bone marrow microenvironment composed in part of stromal cells provides the niche in which normal hematopoiesis occurs. Hematopoiesis generates cellular components of the immune system and blood through proliferation and differentiation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). In preparation for bone marrow transplantation, radiation or chemotherapy treatment temporarily disrupts the balance of hematopoiesis as many HSC and progenitor cells are destroyed. Following treatment cessation, transplanted HSC and progenitor cells migrate, or "home", back to the bone marrow microenvironment and initiate productive hematopoiesis. While the mechanism of bone marrow homing is not completely understood, several soluble factors and adhesion molecules …