Digital Commons Network^™

Considering Convergence: A Policy Dialogue About Behavioral Genetics, Neuroscience, And Law, Brent Garland, Mark S. Frankel

Law and Contemporary Problems

Garland and Frankel issue a call for scientists, lawyers, courts and lawmakers to begin a critical dialogue about the implications of scientific discoveries and technological advances in criminal law, behavioral genetics and neuroscience.

Genetics And Responsibility: To Know The Criminal From The Crime, Nita A. Farahany, James E. Coleman Jr.

Law and Contemporary Problems

No abstract provided.

Addiction, Genetics, And Criminal Responsibility, Stephen J. Morse

Law and Contemporary Problems

In light of the abundance of studies focusing on the genetic contributions to addiction, Morse develops a meaningful background on the legal and scientific images of behavior, the disease concept of addiction, and the aspects of addiction for which a person may be held legally accountable.

Revisiting The Legal Link Between Genetics And Crime, Deborah W. Denno

Law and Contemporary Problems

In 1994, convicted murderer Stephen Mobley became a cause celebre when he appealed his death sentence before the Georgia Supreme Court in the case of Mobley v. State. Denno describes the potential implications arising from the high-profile case of Stephen Mobley. He sought to introduce a then-cutting-edge theory that violence could be based on a genetic or neurochemical abnormality as mitigating evidence during capital sentencing.

Behavioral Genetics Research And Criminal Dna Databases, D. H. Kaye

Law and Contemporary Problems

Kaye discusses DNA databanks and the potential use of such databanks for behavioral genetics research. He addresses the concern that DNA databanks serve as a limitless repository for future research and that the samples used in the databanks could be used for research into a crime gene.

Genetic Predictions Of Future Dangerousness: Is There A Blueprint For Violence?, Erica Beecher-Monas, Edgar Garcia-Rill

Law and Contemporary Problems

Beecher-Monas and Garcia-Rill consider the unfortunate probability that behavioral genetics evidence will be misused to substantiate predictions of future dangerousness.

Re-Defining Superwoman: An Essay On Overcoming The “Maternal Wall” In The Legal Workplace, Nicole Buonocore Porter

Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Sexual Harassment, Misconduct, And The Atmosphere Of The Laboratory: The Legal And Professional Challenges Faced By Women Physical Science Researchers At Educational Institutions, Ellen Sekreta

Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Birth Control As A Labor Law Issue, Lorraine Schmall

Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Joe Camel Explains It To The Board: Corporate Law, Women In The Workforce, And The Exploitation Of Children, Theresa A. Gabaldon

Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

On The Need To Expand Article 23 Of The Trips Agreement, Aaron C. Lang

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

No abstract provided.

Charting A Course Toward Ecosystem-Based Management In The Gulf Of Mexico, Ingrid Nugent, Laura Cantral

Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum

No abstract provided.

Regional Governance And Ecosystem-Based Management Of Ocean And Coastal Resources: Can We Get There From Here, Andrew A. Rosenberg

Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum

No abstract provided.

You Say Takings, And I Say Takings: The History And Potential Of Regulatory Takings Challenges To The Endangered Species Act, Darren Botello-Samson

Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum

No abstract provided.

Research View, Spring 2006

Research View

Contents of this issue include:

Going Global: UM's international efforts link Montana to the world

Speeding Glaciers: UM researchers study movement of ice rivers

Ranching Human Lice: This story will make you itch

An Angry Earth: Researcher delves into terrible Pakistan quake

Main Hall To Main Street, April 2006, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

Main Hall to Main Street, 2005-2010

This is volume 12, number 4 of Main Hall to Main Street.

The Proliferation Security Initiative As A New Paradigm For Peace And Security, Mark R. Shulman Dr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

The author examines the Proliferation Security Initiative—a multinational activity launched in 2003 to enable the United States and like-minded countries to interdict the flow of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). This Initiative also may bring dramatic changes the international security system by enabling concerned states to interdict international trade in WMD regardless of the location or nationality of their owners. As such, the Proliferation Security Initiative not only addresses one of the most urgent threats to peace and security that the world has ever witnessed, but it does so in an innovative way that has the potential to change the …

Preventive War And Its Alternatives: The Lessons Of History, Dan Reiter Dr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

The 2002 National Security Strategy suggested preventive attacks, diplomacy, deterrence, and other policies as means of curtailing threats presented by the spread of nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons to terrorists and rogue states. The author analyzes which mix of these policies might best and most cost effectively address the NBC threat, with special focus on preventive attacks. The past performances of preventive attacks, diplomacy, deterrence, and other policies as means of curtailing the NBC threat are analyzed. The central findings are that preventive attacks are generally unsuccessful at delaying the spread of NBC weapons; that deterrence, especially nuclear deterrence, …

Creating & Evaluating Artificial Domiciles For Bumble Bees, Douglas A. Golick, Marion D. Ellis, Brady Beecham

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Most biologists agree that the availability of suitable nesting sites is a limiting factor for bumble bee populations (Free, 1959). Bumble bees always select areas with preexisting insulation for nesting. Fur-lined abandoned rodent dens are especially attractive, but occasionally, abandoned man-made materials are inhabited. It is not rare to find multiple dead queens in a nest indicating that they have fought for ownership.

Despite our knowledge of bumble bee nest site selection, most efforts to attract bumble bees to artificial domiciles have been met with limited success (Fye & Medler, 1954; Hobbs et al.,1960). Creating and evaluating artificial domiciles provides …

Method Of Predicting Splice Sites Based On Signal Interactions, Alexander Churbanov, Igor B. Rogozin, Jitender S. Deogun, Hesham Ali

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Background: Predicting and proper ranking of canonical splice sites (SSs) is a challenging problem in bioinformatics and machine learning communities. Any progress in SSs recognition will lead to better understanding of splicing mechanism. We introduce several new approaches of combining a priori knowledge for improved SS detection. First, we design our new Bayesian SS sensor based on oligonucleotide counting. To further enhance prediction quality, we applied our new de novo motif detection tool MHMMotif to intronic ends and exons. We combine elements found with sensor information using Naive Bayesian Network, as implemented in our new tool SpliceScan.

Results: According to …

Modeling The Evolution Of Natural Organic Matter In The Environment With An Agent-Based Stochastic Approach, Xiaorong Xiang, Yingping Huang, Gregory Madey, Steve Cabaniss, Leilani Arthurs, Patricia Maurice

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Natural organic matter (NOM) is ubiquitous in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and it plays a crucial role in the evolution of soils, the transport of pollutants, and the global carbon cycle. NOM is a complex mixture of molecules and is thus heterogeneous in structure and composition. As NOM passes through an ecosystem, it is acted upon by a variety of processes, such as microbial degradation, adsorption to mineral surfaces, and photochemical reactions that can change its properties and reactivity. The evolution of NOM in space and time thus is an important research area in biology, geochemistry, ecology, soil science, and …

Assessing Risk Of Resistance To Aerial Applications Of Methyl-Parathion In Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Michael A. Caprio, Tim Nowatski, Blair Siegfried, Lance J. Meinke, Robert J. Wright, Larry D. Chandler

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

We validated a stochastic model of the evolution of resistance to adulticidal sprays of methyl-parathion in western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, populations in Nebraska. The population dynamics predicted by the model resembled that reported for field populations, and time until control failures occurred closely matched reports by commercial crop consultants. We incorporated uncertainty about the values used for 18 model parameters by replacing default values with random draws taken from a normal distribution. One parameter, the initial resistance allele frequency, was no longer measurable because of the evolution of resistance. We therefore proposed five candidate initial allele frequencies …

Phycodnaviruses: A Peek At Genetic Diversity, David Dunigan, Lisa A. Fitzgerald, James L. Van Etten

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The family Phycodnaviridae encompasses a diverse collection of large icosahedral, dsDNA viruses infecting algae. These viruses have genomes ranging from 160 to 560 kb. The family consists of six genera based initially on host range and supported by sequence comparisons. The family is monophyletic with branches for each genus, but the phycodnaviruses have evolutionary roots that connect with several other families of large DNA viruses, referred to as the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDV). The genomes of members in three genera in the Phycodnaviridae have recently been sequenced and the purpose of this manuscript is to summarize these data. The …

A Quantitative Model Of Error Accumulation During Pcr Amplification, Elsje Pienaar, M. Theron, M. Nelson, Hendrik J. Viljoen

Hendrik J. Viljoen Publications

The amplification of target DNA by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) produces copies which may contain errors. Two sources of errors are associated with the PCR process: (1) editing errors that occur during DNA polymerase-catalyzed enzymatic copying and (2) errors due to DNA thermal damage. In this study a quantitative model of error frequencies is proposed and the role of reaction conditions is investigated. The errors which are ascribed to the polymerase depend on the efficiency of its editing function as well as the reaction conditions; specifically the temperature and the dNTP pool composition. Thermally induced errors stem mostly from …

Controlled Surface-Associated Delivery Of Genes And Oligonucleotides, Tatiana Segura, Lonnie D. Shea, Angela K. Pannier, Zain Bengali, Jae-Hyung Jang, Peter Chung, Brian C. Anderson

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A system and methods for controlled gene delivery comprising condensed nucleic acids complexed with polylinkers, wherein the complexes are covalently and/or noncovalently bound to the surface of a substrate capable of supporting cell adhesion. The gene delivery system achieves temporal and spatial control of nucleic acid delivery to a target cell or cells through control of complex density on the surface of the support substrate, and reversibility of the attachment of the polylinker to the support substrate. The system and method of the invention can be used to create spatial patterns of gene expression, and in tissue engineering, high throughput …

Retrofit Of Distillation Columns Using Thermodynamic Analysis, Yaşar Demirel

Papers in Physical Properties

Thermodynamic analysis provides the column grand composite curves and exergy loss profiles, which are becoming readily available for a converged distillation column simulation. For example, the Aspen Plus simulator performs the thermodynamic analysis through its Column–Targeting tool for rigorous column calculations. This study uses the column grand composite curves and the exergy loss profiles obtained from Aspen Plus to assess the performance of the existing distillation columns, and reduce the costs of operation by appropriate retrofits in a methanol plant. Effectiveness of the retrofits is also assessed by means of thermodynamics and economics. The methanol plant utilizes two distillation columns …

Updated Asabe Standard Manure Excretion Standard, Richard K. Koelsch

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

This newsletter introduces the new ASABE (American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers) Standard D384.2, Manure Production and Characteristics. This new standard provides an equation-based approach that integrates animal feeding program and performance into the final estimate of total solids, nitrogen, and phosphorus excretion for seven livestock and poultry species. This article reviews the opportunity this standard provides for improving accuracy of farm-specific nutrient management planning and introduces an educational opportunity for users to be introduced to new software for using the standard.

I propose to conduct one or more workshops on the standard and supporting software tool in June. …

Farnesol Restores Wild-Type Colony Morphology To 96% Of Candida Albicans Colony Morphology Variants Recovered Following Treatment With Mutagens, Ellen C. Jensen, Jacob M. Hornby, Nicole E. Pagliaccetti, Chuleeon M. Wolter, Kenneth Nickerson, Audrey L. Atkin

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

Candida albicans is a diploid fungus that undergoes a morphological transition between budding yeast, hyphal, and pseudohyphal forms. The morphological transition is strongly correlated with virulence and is regulated in part by quorum sensing. Candida albicans produces and secretes farnesol that regulates the yeast to mycelia morphological transition. Mutants that fail to synthesize or respond to farnesol could be locked in the filamentous mode. To test this hypothesis, a collection of C. albicans mutants were isolated that have altered colony morphologies indicative of the presence of hyphal cells under environmental conditions where C. albicans normally grows only as yeasts. All …

Comparing The Clinical, Histopathological And Myoepithelial Features Of Estrogen Receptor Positive And Negative Mammary Carcinomas, Zuhal Gucin, Bilgin Aksoy, Feray Gunver, Esra Pasaoglu, Fadime Bahadir

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between hormone-receptor status and histological parameters, considering that some estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast carcinoma are suggested to be of myoepithelial origin or differentiation; and to examine the presence of significant difference by myoepithelial markers and define their morphologies. METHODS: For this research, 30 estrogen receptor-negative and 31 estrogen receptor-positive breast carcinomas diagnosed at the Pathology Department, Istanbul Training and Education Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, between February 2003 and October 2004 were considered and compared clinically, microscopically and immunohistochemically considering myoepithelial markers using SMA, S100, keratin14. RESULTS: We found a higher …

Protein–Protein Interactions Of Tandem Affinity Purification-Tagged Protein Kinases In Rice, Jai S. Rohila, Mei Chen, Shuo Chen, Johann Chen, Ronald Cerny, Chris Dardick, Patrick Canlas, Xia Xu, Michael Gribskov, Siddhartha Kanrar, Jian-Kang Zhu, P C. Ronald, Michael E. Fromm

Ronald Cerny Publications

Forty-one rice cDNAs encoding protein kinases were fused to the tandem affinity purification (TAP) tag and expressed in transgenic rice plants. The TAP-tagged kinases and interacting proteins were purified from the T1 progeny of the transgenic rice plants and identified by mass spectrometry. Ninety-five percent of the TAP-tagged kinases were recovered. Fifty-six percent of the TAP-tagged kinases were found to interact with other rice proteins. A number of these interactions were consistent with known protein complexes found in other species, validating the TAP-tag method in rice plants. Phosphorylation sites were identified on four of the kinases that interacted with either …