Digital Commons Network^™

A Case For Civil Marriage, Carol Sanger

Faculty Scholarship

There has been a frenzy of legislative activity aimed at nailing down the legal definition of marriage to make sure that there will be no more nonsense about same-sex monograms or same-sex marriage applications. In an effort to slow down the frenzy, and to encourage those within the academy to think harder about the on-going problem of what to do about marriage, Professor Edward Stein has posed a straightforward question: Should civil marriage simply be abolished? In this mini-symposium, Professors Edward Zelinsky and Daniel Crane have provided two answers to his question: yes and yes.

Although I am a Contract …

The Influence Of Sustained Cb1 Blockade During Adolescence On Breakpoints In A Progressive-Ratio Paradigm, Mayo Jerry Wright Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The developmental psychopharmacology of cannabinoids is poorly understood and little is known about the developmental consequences of repeated exposure to cannabinoid antagonists. In these experiments, male Long-Evans rats were treated with SR141716A, a cannabinoid antagonist, throughout adolescence and allowed unrestricted access to food. Control groups were treated with vehicle during the same developmental period and allowed either unrestricted access to food or were pair-fed with a member of the SR-treated group. Motivation to work for food was measured in progressive-ratio sessions at varying levels of food deprivation. For rats that consumed fewer calories throughout adolescence, whether because of pharmacological intervention …

Images Of Jenny Lind And The Construction Of Identity For The Nineteenth-Century Female Performer, Joanna Elizabeth Penick

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how images of the Swedish singer Jenny Lind worked to distance her from the typical nineteenth-century view. Because of their position within the public sphere, female performers were thought to be sexually available and often had the reputation of prostitute. Lind achieved a level of success that made her one of the most famous women of the mid-nineteenth-century. She was known not only for her talent as a performer but also for her morality and piety. Examining the Lind images in the context of nineteenth-century social codes and feminist theatre history, it becomes evident that Lind was …

Implicit Theories Of Weight Management: A Social Cognitive Approach To Motivation, Jeni L. Burnette

Theses and Dissertations

Just as scientists develop general conceptual explanations of the phenomena they investigate, individuals also develop intuitive theories about such human characteristics as intelligence, personality, and athletic ability. These theories, unlike scientist's theories, are not explicitly articulated or documented, and so they are termed implicit theories. Implicit theories, in achievement motivation, distinguish between the belief that human attributes are fixed (entity theory) or malleable (incremental theory) and have been shown to have far-reaching consequences for motivation, goal-orientations, and regulatory strategies in an array of domains. This dissertation extended implicit theories research to the domain of body-weight management. Drawing from an elaborate …

Hospitals' Decision To Vertically Integrate Skilled Nursing Units Before And After The Balanced Budget Act, Betty C. Lucente

Theses and Dissertations

The decision to vertically integrate services and deliver care has both management and policy concerns for healthcare in the United States. The change in reimbursement, which was enacted with the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, influenced the availability of post acute services for acute hospital inpatients. Prior to this change, post acute services were reimbursed based on cost similar to the pre DRG era of Medicare reimbursement. The change in payment had the potential to make discharging patients more difficult resulting in a prolonged length of stay without additional payment and at increased costs for hospitals. As a result of …

Degenerate Oligonucleotide Primed-Pcr: Thermalcycling Modifications And Comparison Studies, Denise N. Rodier

Theses and Dissertations

Degenerate Oligonucleotide Primed-PCR (DOP-PCR) can potentially enhance analysis of low copy number DNA samples. Theoretically, this procedure replicates fragments of the genome that can then be used for downstream multiplex STR analysis. The objective of this study is to optimize DOP-PCR by examining ramplelongation times and cycle numbers in the non-specific amplification portion of DOP-PCR, and by modifying the degenerate primer. Additionally, other methods such as Multiple Displacement Amplification (MDA) and Low Copy Number PCR (LCN PCR) were examined for their ability to create accurate DNA profiles from low DNA input amounts. Increasing the ramplelongation times showed no effect on …

Relationships Among Stress, Blood Pressure, And Heart Rate Variability In Meditators, Sangthong Terathongkum

Theses and Dissertations

PROBLEM STATEMENT: Growing evidence indicates that psychological stress contributes to cardiovascular diseases through complex neuroendocrine mechanisms. Psychological stress leads to several physiological responses including increased heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) as well as decreased heart rate variability (HRV) through alterations in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), specifically increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity and decreased parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity. Meditation is thought to induce an innate relaxation response leading to reduced psychological stress. Findings from past studies have provided inconclusive evidence regarding the direction and strength of relationships among stress, BP, HRV, and meditation practice. PROCEDURES: A …

Detection, Identification And Classification Of Suck, Swallow And Breathing Activity In Premature Infants During Bottle-Feeding, Fedra Adnani

Theses and Dissertations

Prematurity, especially if extreme, is one of the leading causes of problems and/or death after delivery. Among all the problems encountered by premature infants, feeding difficulties are very common. Many premature infants are fed intravenously at first, and they progress to milk feedings provided by a tube passed into the stomach. At around 34 weeks of gestation, premature infants should be able to breastfeed or take a bottle. At the same time such premature infants are usually faced with difficulty making the transition from tube-feeding to full oral feeding. In this study three physiological measurements of premature infants including sucking, …

Understanding How African-American Middle School Students Cope With Peer Victimization: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Suzanne C. Linkroum

Theses and Dissertations

A mixed-methods approach was used to determine how African-American middle school students cope with peer victimization and to identify factors that inhibit and promote the use of prosocial coping strategies. In a previous study, participants had been categorized into four social clusters: well-adjusted, rejected, passively-victimized, or aggressively-victimized based on a cluster analysis of self-reported psychosocial variables. Interviews with a sub sample of 80 students focusing on identifying both how students thought they would respond and how they thought they should respond to hypothetical situations involving peer victimization were analyzed. Interviews also elicited factors that would support or impede the use …

The Impact Of No Child Left Behind On Charter School Legislation And Practices - Policy Implications, Joice Eaddy Conyers

Theses and Dissertations

The charter school movement is considered one of the fastest growing education reform efforts in the United States today, serving over 1 million children nationwide. The demand to improve the quality of education in the United States has been paramount over the last twenty years.In December 2001, Congress approved a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and renamed it the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), P.L. 107-ll0, H.R. 1. Although ESEA was enacted in 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson to supplement state and local efforts to provide all children with high-quality education, NCLB has …

The Effect Of Adding Drag-Reducing Polymers To Resuscitation Fluid During Hemorrhagic Shock On Skeletal Muscle Microcirculation, Geoffrey C. Alexander

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have shown an increase in survival when a minute amount of drag-reducing polymers were added to a resuscitation fluid. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of adding a minute amount of the drag-reducing polymer polyethylene glycol to a resuscitation fluid, on the microcirculation of skeletal muscle during a volume-controlled hemorrhage model. The spinotrapezius muscle in twelve male Sprague Dawley rats was exteriorized for microvascular measurements of the arterioles. The diameters of the three levels of arterioles, interstitial fluid PO2, and RBC velocity in the feed arteriole were measured. Flow in the feed arteriole was …

The Ins And Outs Of School Provider Literature: A Multi-Year Content Analysis On Lgbt Youth, Caitlin Conor Ryan

Theses and Dissertations

This study is based on a content analysis of two primary sources: 1) literature published on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth in professional journals for school providers (school counselors, nurses, psychologists and social workers) over more than a 30-year period; and 2) materials developed for school providers on LGBT youth by states with laws, regulations and professional policies related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity in schools. Fifteen professional journals were identified that serve as primary and secondary journals for school providers. A total of 41 articles were published in these journals on LGBT youth between 1937 and …

Knowledge And Perceived Ambiguity Of Physical Activity Recommendations And Physical Activity In Men And Women In The United States, Laura G. Kiken

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The majority of Americans - especially women - do not meet physical activity recommendations. Having physical activity goals has been associated with physical activity participation, and physical activity recommendations set by public health experts can be viewed as externally set goals. However, past research has shown that goals that are specific rather than ambiguous are more likely to be achieved, and variations in recommendations over time and across sources may have created perceived goal ambiguity.Objectives: This study aimed to (1) examine the extent of physical activity recommendation knowledge among adults in the United States, (2) quantify perceptions of the …

Design And Analysis Methods For Cluster Randomized Trials With Pair-Matching On Baseline Outcome: Reduction Of Treatment Effect Variance, Misook Park

Theses and Dissertations

Cluster randomized trials (CRT) are comparative studies designed to evaluate interventions where the unit of analysis and randomization is the cluster but the unit of observation is individuals within clusters. Typically such designs involve a limited number of clusters and thus the variation between clusters is left uncontrolled. Experimental designs and analysis strategies that minimize this variance are required. In this work we focus on the CRT with pre-post intervention measures. By incorporating the baseline measure into the analysis, we can effectively reduce the variance of the treatment effect. Well known methods such as adjustment for baseline as a covariate …

Molecular Localization Of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1-Alpha In Post-Ischemic Myocardium Following In Vivo Prolyl-4 Hydroxylase-2 Gene Silencing, Julia Antoinette Messina

Theses and Dissertations

Administration of small interfering RNA (siRNA) specific for prolyl-4 hydroxylase-2 (PHD2) results in PHD2 inhibition, Hypoxia Inducible Factor-I (HIF-1) activation, and cardioprotection versus Ischemia Reperfusion (IR). This study observes the effects of siRNA-mediated PHD2 inhibition on the distribution of cardioprotective proteins by immunofluorescence and basic histology. Fifteen mice were divided into 5 groups: PHD2 Control, Non-Targeting scramble (NTS) Control, IR Control, PHD2 IR, and NTS IR. Histologically, tissue damage was reduced dramatically in the PHD2 IR group compared to the NTS IR and IR control groups. From confocal images, total fluorescent pixels and intensities were quantified. The PHD2 IR group …

Preliminary Research On Taiwanese Art Curriculum Design Based On Visual Culture, Jui-Jung Chang

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, art education has started an on-going discussion on the issue of visual culture. In the past few years this issue also becomes topical due to the necessity to improve art education in Taiwan. Currently, art education based on visual culture has become a very important concern in Taiwan. However, the concept of visual culture has its origin in foreign theories. In order for our art professional to remain independent, it is essential that Taiwanese art teachers begin to address the issue of how to properly incorporate the concept of visual culture into the design of our art …

Improving Student Art Vocabulary Retention, Michelle Bena Mckenna

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to research vocabulary strategies that could help improve student art vocabulary retention. The subjects were five intact 3rd grade classes at a culturally diverse elementary school outside of Washington, DC. The vocabulary strategies, concept wheel and semantic mapping, were modified and incorporated into a string printmaking unit for two of the five classes. The remaining three classes were taught the same printmaking unit, with the exclusion of the modified vocabulary activities. The results of a labeling assessment given to each class on three separate occasions indicate that the incorporation of vocabulary activities does help …

Transforming Growth Factor-Β1 (Tgf-Β1) Induces Mast Cell Apoptosis, Farnaz Norozian

Theses and Dissertations

Mast cells are potent effectors of the inflammatory response, playing an important role in atopy, bacterial immunity, and animal models of arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease. Hence controlling mast cell numbers and responsiveness is essential for preventing inflammatory disease. This work demonstrated that the cytokine TGF-β1 is a potent inducer of mast cell apoptosis, a finding that was consistent for cultured mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells, peritoneal mast cells, and human mast cells. Cell death appeared to be the result of TGF-mediated repression of IL-3 receptor expression and function, leading to mitochondria1 damage and activation of an apoptotic cascade …

Surface Stories, Patricia Bruce Franklin

Theses and Dissertations

As an artist, I am fascinated by surfaces and the stories they tell. I have observed that places and objects, like people, wear the effects of age in different ways. Their stories are revealed through pealing paint, rusty metal, and surface patina. My photographs are a record of their state of existence at the moment I am present. I have chosen a point in time when each is at rest, with only the aged surface to hint of a life of use. Their stories unfold with observation through the lens of my camera.

Tinged With Fire, Margo J. Nolan

Theses and Dissertations

I have created art that has evolved from my own personal experiences. Life is capricious, and with the changes wrought by age, joy, and grief, I have found this self-referential work inevitable. Here, I have documented the journey that has brought me through personal wars, battles, and truces. I have come to believe that although my individual experiences may be unique, my responses to them are not. Loss and victory are universal.

Are Advisers Contributing To Fund Rule Avalanche?, Tamar Frankel

Shorter Faculty Works

The SEC has been prolific in the past few years. By its own initiative, or because of congressional directives, the Commission has issued a record number of rules directed at the mutual funds advisory profession.

From 1975 to 2000 the SEC enacted about 135 substantive rules. However, it has enacted 70 such rules over the five-year span from 2001 to 2006. These rules are progressively more specific, eliminating flexibility, putting the profession in a straight-jacket, and imposing significant costs. The costs of these rules are especially irritating to advisors who have done no wrong.

Professional advisors blame the SEC for …

On The Applicability Of The Silica Mdl Proceeding To Asbestos Litigation, Lester Brickman

Articles

The article argues that the findings from the silica multidistrict litigation (MDL), presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Janis Jack, have significant implications for understanding the fraudulent practices in asbestos litigation. The author contends that both silica and asbestos litigations share a common "entrepreneurial model" where a small group of doctors and screening companies generate specious claims for financial gain, often without proper medical oversight. Judge Jack's findings in the silica MDL, which revealed widespread fraud and manipulation of medical diagnoses, corroborate the author's long-standing critique of asbestos litigation practices.

Antidiscrimination Law In The Administrative State, Julie C. Suk

Articles

The article argues that antidiscrimination law in the U.S. should shift its focus from corrective justice, which addresses individual wrongs, to distributive justice, which aims to eradicate systemic inequalities and promote equal opportunities. This shift would require enhancing the role of administrative agencies, such as the EEOC, to enforce antidiscrimination laws more effectively through proactive regulation and rulemaking. The article draws on the British model, where administrative agencies have stronger enforcement powers, to suggest reforms for the EEOC.

Public Law Limitations On Privatization Of Government Functions, Paul R. Verkuil

Articles

The privatization movement is on the verge of succeeding too well. The fact that some of what government does can be done better and cheaper by the private sector has gained such momentum that the public sector is sometimes seen as redundant or irrelevant. But the economist's make-or-buy choice simply fails to capture the full range of responsibilities that government faces in deciding whether to outsource a particular function to private contractors.

This Article illuminates the public dimension of government functions. By exploring the public-private distinction and relating it to constitutional, statutory, and administrative requirements, it structures an argument that …

The Rollamo 2006, University Of Missouri - Rolla

Yearbooks

No abstract provided.

Beautiful Dreamer: Review Of A Life Of H.L.A. Hart: The Nightmare And The Noble Dream, By Nicola Lacey, Jeanne L. Schroeder

Articles

H.L.A. Hart is probably the most important legal theorist in the modern English-speaking world. The intriguing subtitle of Nicola Lacey's intimate biography, "The Nightmare and the Noble Dream, " echoes the name of Hart's 1997 Georgia Law Review paper, in which he identifies two warring, equally inadequate, visions of law in American jurisprudence: the "nightmare" of complete indeterminacy and unbridled judicial discretion and the "noble dream " of a closed, deterministic legal system of judicial restraint. Lacey implies that Hart's life itself was both a nightmare and a noble dream. This book review expands on Lacey's work and suggests how …

Barry Scheck Lectures On Wrongful Convictions, Barry Scheck

Articles

The article discusses the systemic issues leading to wrongful convictions, emphasizing the role of mistaken eyewitness identification and flawed forensic science. It highlights the importance of postconviction DNA exonerations in revealing these injustices and advocates for reforms to improve the criminal justice system.

A Reply To Professor Johnson, Marci A. Hamilton

Articles

No abstract provided.

What Is Rehnquist Federalism?, Marci A. Hamilton

Articles

No abstract provided.

Church Autonomy Is Not A Better Path To "Truth", Marci A. Hamilton

Articles

No abstract provided.