Digital Commons Network^™

Meeting Report: Risk Assessment Of Tamiflu Use Under Pandemic Conditions, Ac Singer, Bm Howard, Ac Johnson, Cj Knowles, S Jackman, C Accinelli, Ab Caracciolo, I Bernard, S Bird, T Boucard, A Boxall, Jv Brian, E Cartmell, C Chubb, J Churchley, S Costigan, M Crane, Mj Dempsey, B Dorrington, B Ellor, J Fick, J Holmes, T Hutchinson, F Karcher, Sl Kelleher, P Marsden, G Noone, Ma Nunn, J Oxford, T Rachwal, N Roberts, M Roberts, Ml Saccà, M Sanders, Jo Straub, A Terry, D Thomas, S Toovey, R Townsend, N Voulvoulis, C Watts

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Less Than Equal: Secularism, Religious Pluralism And Privilege, Anne Aly, Lelia Rosalind Green

Research outputs pre 2011

In its preamble, The Western Australian Charter of Multiculturalism (WA) commits the state to becoming: “A society in which respect for mutual difference is accompanied by equality of opportunity within a framework of democratic citizenship”. One of the principles of multiculturalism, as enunciated in the Charter, is “equality of opportunity for all members of society to achieve their full potential in a free and democratic society where every individual is equal before and under the law”. An important element of this principle is the “equality of opportunity ... to achieve ... full potential”. The implication here is that those who …

Bots Trained To Play Like A Human Are More Fun, Bhuman Soni, Philip Hingston

Research outputs pre 2011

Computational intelligence methods are well-suited for use in computer controlled opponents for video games. In many other applications of these methods, the aim is to simulate near-optimal intelligent behaviour. But in video games, the aim is to provide interesting opponents for human players, not optimal ones. In this study, we trained neural network-based computer controlled opponents to play like a human in a popular first-person shooter. We then had gamers play-test these opponents as well as a hand-coded opponent, and surveyed them to find out which opponents they enjoyed more. Our results show that the neural network-based opponents were clearly …

Pax7 Is Requisite For Maintenance Of A Subpopulation Of Superior Collicular Neurons And Shows A Diverging Expression Pattern To Pax3 During Superioir Collicular Development, Jennifer Thompson, Andreas Zembrzycki, Ahmed Mansouri, Melanie Ziman

Research outputs pre 2011

Pax7 encodes a transcription factor well-established as an important determinant of mesencephalic identity and superior collicular development. Pax7 mutant mice, however, present with no obvious morphological impairments to the superior colliculus. This finding is paradoxical and has been attributed to functional redundancy afforded by its paralogue Pax3. Here we utilise Pax7 mutant mice to investigate the precise role of this important developmental regulator during superior collicular development and neuronal specification/differentiation. We also assess its spatiotemporal relationship with Pax3 during embryonic development. Analysis of the superior colliculus of Pax7 mutant and wildtype mice at a variety of developmental timepoints revealed that …

Performance Evaluation Of Ieee 802.15.4 For Mobile Sensor Network, Kartinah Zen, Daryoush Habibi, Alexander Rassau, Iftekhar Ahmad

Research outputs pre 2011

The IEEE 802.15.4 standard medium access control (MAC) protocol for low rate wireless personal area networks (LRWPAN) is design mainly for static sensor networks and its capability to support mobile sensor networks has not yet been established. To the best knowledge of authors, this is the first paper that evaluates the suitability of IEEE 802.15.4 MAC in mobile sensor networks environment. We evaluate the performance based on node's speed and beacon order, and observe the effect on energy usage, packet delivery ratio and time required to associate with its coordinator. From the experiment we observe that the moving nodes experienced …

Towards Automated Test Sequence Generation, Usman Farooq, Chiou Peng Lam, Huaizhong Li

Research outputs pre 2011

The article presents a novel control-flow based test sequence generation technique using UML 2.0 activity diagram, which is a behavioral type of UML diagram. Like other model-based techniques, this technique can be used in the earlier phases of the development process owing to the availability of the design models of the system. The activity diagram model is seamlessly converted into a colored Petri net. We proposed a technique that enables the automatic generation of test sequences according to a given coverage criteria from the execution of the colored Petri nets model. Two types of structural coverage criteria for AD based …

Morphology Independent Dynamic Locomotion Control For Virtual Characters, Adrian Boeing

Research outputs pre 2011

Physically based animation of virtual characters is an attractive technology for computer games. It enables characters to dynamically react to interactions with the environment. Existing dynamic simulation controllers are often complex to understand and manipulate, and so are of limited use for animators. This paper presents an extended spline-based control strategy similar to splines used in standard keyframe animation techniques. Unlike existing dynamic control strategies, this allows animators to modify the control system parameters in a manner similar to traditional kinematic animation techniques. A genetic algorithm is employed to produce the initial control parameters for the desired gait, and extend …

The Potential Role Of Life-Writing Therapy In Facilitating 'Recovery' For Those With Mental Illness, Philip Max Neilsen, Ffion Murphy

Research outputs pre 2011

This article addresses the experience of designing and conducting life-writing workshops for a group of clients with severe mental illness; the aim of this pilot study was to begin to determine whether such writing about the self can aid in individual ‘recovery’, as that term is understood by contemporary health professionals. A considerable amount has been written about the potential of creative writing in mental health therapy; the authors of this article provide a brief summary of that literature, then of the concept of ‘recovery’ in a psychology and arts therapy context. There follows a first-hand account by one of …

Diet Formulation And Manufacturing Technique Interactions Affect Pellet Quality And Broiler Growth., Nancy P. Buchanan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The majority of broilers are fed pelleted diets. Feeding pelleted diets results in an improvement in weight gain and feed conversion compared to feeding mash diets. However, improvements in performance are contingent upon pellet quality. Manipulation of diet formulation and manufacturing technique has been associated with pellet quality changes. However, the interaction between the two factors is rarely explored. The objectives of this series of research were (1) to explore the main effects and interactions that occur when small inclusions of fiber, protein, and moisture are added to a corn-soybean based diets; and (2) to explore the main effects and …

Utilization Of Excess Manure Within The Chesapeake Bay Watershed: A Cost Minimization Approach., Serkan Catma

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As livestock production has become spatially concentrated, the amount of manure nutrients that need to be managed off-farm have expanded. Chesapeake Bay Watershed has been particularly impacted by trend. Kellogg (2000) reports that this watershed is among the highest ranked priority watersheds in the U.S. that is in need of protection from manure nutrients. This study focuses evaluating cost-effective ways of utilizing excess manure from poultry, dairy and swine production in Chesapeake Bay region. Alternatives examined are crop and forest land application, composting, pelletization, and electricity generation. A capacitated mixed linear integer programming is used in this study. This model …

An In Vivo Examination Of The Pulmonary Toxicity Of Ultrafine And Fine Carbon Black And Titanium Dioxide: Defining The Role Of Particle Surface Area., Tina Marie Sager

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to test this hypothesis examining the in vivo effects of ultrafine and fine particles on certain parameters of pulmonary damage and inflammation in the rat model. To do this each treatment group received a dosage based on mass particles. This dosage was then expressed as surface area of the particles (instead of mass) to determine if surface area rather than mass is the more appropriate metric of dose for pulmonary toxicity studies. To assess inflammation, BAL was conducted harvested and PMNs were counted as an indicator of pulmonary inflammation. LDH activity was also measured …

The Effect Of Follicular Aging On Gene Expression In Oocytes And Granulosal Cells., Brandon Michael Lingenfelter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mammalian oogenesis usually occurs concomitantly with folliculogenesis, coordinated through paracrine effects and physical contacts. During this time, the oocyte acquires the ability to resume meiosis, undergo fertilization and sustain embryonic development. Synthesis of RNA occurs during oogenesis and is largely responsible for early embryonic development. Any perturbations that delay either activation or ovulation can result in early embryonic loss. Therefore, the interacting effects at the genomic level were investigated using a persistent follicle model. Experiment 1. The present study was conducted to analyze global gene expression profiles in granulosal cells from ovarian follicles in cows. Analysis of the microarray data …

One Continuous Flow: Revelations Surrounding The New Translation, Kerry M. Muhlestein

Faculty Publications

We often underestimate both the complexity and continuity of Joseph Smith's revelatory life. His visions rolled, he said, "like an overflowing surge before [his] mind." Now that they have been compartmentalized into different sections, chapters, and books, we tend to compartmentalize them in our minds. Such a practice, however, limits our ability to see how powerful and continuous this "overflowing surge" really was.

State Administration Vs. Self-Government In The Slovak And Czech Republics, Phillip J. Bryson

Faculty Publications

In the transition experience, the Czech and Slovak Republics have made some effort to achieve fiscal decentralization. From independence to EU accession, the devolution of power designed to strengthen the autonomy of local governments according to the principles of subsidiarity have also included a reform of public administration. The nature of reform efforts and their implications for the fiscal decentralization are analyzed. The failure to achieve a robust autonomy for subnational governments is due to the ongoing adherence to the notion of the "state administration" as opposed to self-government in both republics.

Development Of Criteria And Indicators For Evaluating Forest-Based Ecotourism Destinations: A Delphi Study., Maureen Young Bender

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to 1) identify and develop criteria and indicators for forestbased ecotourism in West Virginia based on the input of academic experts in the field as well as nature-based tour operators, 2) compare similarities and differences between the two groups utilizing Spearman’s statistic and 3) create a point evaluation system. The study was conducted through two rounds of the Delphi method. E-mailed and mailed self-complete questionnaires were distributed among the participants. They were asked to rate the importance level of criteria and indicators using a Likert scale. In addition, the participants were asked to rank …

Urban Tree Phenology: A Comparative Study Between New York City And Ithaca, New York., Ishwar Dhami

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Studies on phenology have demonstrated that "Global warming" effect is influencing vegetation phenological processes. In order to accurately predict how climate warming affects vegetation phenology, a clear understanding of vegetation phenology and its relationship to temperature is needed. Although finding the effects of global warming on phenology across larger areas is difficult, heat island phenomena associated with urbanized area presents a unique place to investigate the local effect of warming on phenology. Thus, this study looked at the response of trees to increasing temperatures by comparing the phenological patterns of trees in a highly urbanized New York City (NYC) and …

Youth Health Promotion In West Virginia: The Helping H.A.N.D. (Health Awareness & Nutritious Decisions) Program., Megan Christine Govindan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia is the second most rural state in the nation, with 24% of its families having incomes of less than 100% of the federal poverty level. Children of low income families are a vulnerable population at high risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular complications. The Helping H.A.N.D. (Health Awareness & Nutritious Decisions) program is a socioeconomic focused health initiative designed by Megan Govindan B.S. and Cindy Fitch Ph.D., RD to improve the diet and activity of West Virginian children from low-income families. Funded by the 2007 General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids grant, this 23-week nutrition & wellness initiative …

Focal Adhesion Kinase Mediates Caveolin-1 Expression During Epithelial To Mesenchymal Transition: A Novel Pathway Regulating Aspects Of Cell Motility In Cancer., Kelly M. Bailey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Caveolin-1, the protein coat of caveolae membrane invaginations, was originally hypothesized to function solely as a tumor suppressor in human cancers. However, since the early 1990s, caveolin-1 has been found to be up-regulated in a number of metastatic cancers. This expression has been shown to correlate with disease progression and decreases in overall patient survival in some tumor types. Further, caveolin-1 expression is elevated in multi-drug resistant cancer cells and caveolae are thought to participate in the efflux pathway to pump drugs out of these tumor cells. The overall goal of these studies was to examine changes in and regulation …

Microbiology, Steelman Library, B Mcconchie Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Repossessing Identity: The Work Of Rita Ann Higgins, Jeanine Alene Bator

All Master's Theses

William Butler Yeats's (1865-1939) work harkens back to an idyllic Ireland-a mythic land of heroes. Through his and others' depiction of Ireland as an idealized space, Yeats furthered the myth of the Mother Ireland figure. Due to this representation, female Irish writers, like Eavan Boland (1944- ), find that Irish women have not only been written out of the canon, but also out of the fabric of history. Thus, this study examines the works of lrish poet Rita Ann Higgins (1955-) through the lens of the Yeatsian tradition, which has long defined Irish identity. Higgins writes in direct contrast to …

Waterhole Dynamics And Chemical Signals Of African Elephants ( Loxodonta Africana ), Stacie Marie Castelda

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The distribution of mammals in a savanna environment is influenced by abiotic and biotic factors. The African savanna experiences distinct wet and dry seasons. Species become spatially restricted around water resources during the dry season, resulting in increased intraspecies and interspecies resource-based aggregation. A dominate species, such as the African elephant (Loxodonta africana), may influence this aggregation. I examined the influence of wet and dry seasons and ambient temperature on the use of a waterhole by elephants as well as the co-occurrence of elephants and other mammals at the waterhole. Biodiversity scans (October 2004-June 2007) and were performed at a …

Aquaporin 3 Water Channel Protein Gene Expression In Squalis Acanthias Dogfish Shark, Debra Lee Murray

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Aquaporins are a family of membrane proteins that provide channels for the rapid movement of water molecules and some small solutes across the cellular membrane. Since the discovery of the first water channel protein, hundreds of homologous proteins have been found in all forms of life and much has been learned about their complex role in body water homeostasis. This is the first study to use molecular and immunological techniques to demonstrate that an orthologue of mammalian AQP3 is present in the epithelial cells of Squalus acanthias dogfish shark kidney, gills, rectal gland, esophagus, stomach, eye and brain. The full-length …

Beyond Patient Satisfaction: Physician Ambivalence, Authenticity, And The Challenges To Patient-Centered Medicine, Kiera S. Levine

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Despite tremendous and increasing clinical opportunities for cure and comfort, patients often still feel dissatisfied in their relationship with their doctor. That patient dissatisfaction has endured, even in the face of increasing medical knowledge and capacity, suggests a failing not in the quality of medical treatment but in the way it is administered. Increasingly, the modern medical movement toward patient-centered medical care (and away from doctor-centered care) has attempted to address this failing, looking to patient-satisfaction as one of its primary measures of success in these efforts. However, its willingness to overlook the importance of the basis of reported satisfaction, …

Reconstituting Japanese Law: International Norms And Domestic Litigation, Timothy Webster

Faculty Publications

This paper examines a number of lawsuits challenging racial discrimination in Japan’s private sector. Since Japan does not have a law banning private acts of racial discrimination, victims of racial discrimination invoke international human rights law to buttress their claims for compensation. I argue that Japanese judges are, by and large, receptive to these international law claims, but that the system for adjudicating racial discrimination disputes is inadequate. Specifically, a law that bans private acts of racial discrimination would put Japan in line with recently emergent global norms of equality.

"Dirty Pretty Things" And The Law: Curing The Organ Shortage & Health Care Crises In America, Jennifer M. Smith

Journal Publications

There is an organ shortage crisis in the world, especially for kidneys and livers, resulting in approximately 6,000 deaths annually in the United States alone. There is also a health care crisis in the United States, with roughly sixteen percent of the population uninsured, resulting in approximately 18,000 deaths annually. In 1984, the National Organ Transplant Act ("NOTA') banned the acquisition of human organs in exchange for valuable consideration, primarily to prevent the exploitation of poor people--those who are most likely to sell their organs. Transplant professionals are increasingly pushing to legalize the outright sale of human organs from living …

Transport Of Blue Crab Larvae In The Middle Atlantic Bight: A Wet And Windy Journey, Charles E. Epifanio, Charles E. Tilburg

Journal of Marine Research

This paper describes the 25-year evolution of a program of research into the larval ecology of the Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) near the mouth of Delaware Bay on the east coast of the USA (38.5N, 75.1W). The investigation began as a biological study; eventually incorporated a physical component; and finally added a mathematical modeling aspect. Early work was strictly biological and demonstrated that C. sapidus larvae are exported from the estuary to the adjacent coastal ocean where larval development occurs. Once this fact was established, it was clear that further progress demanded an understanding of shelf circulation. …

Alan Wald's The New York Intellectuals And The Discourse Of Shifting Alliances: Anticommunist Liberalism, Neo-Conservatism, And The Rise Of Israelism As A Manifestation Of Jewish Nationalism, Matthew Abraham

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The U.S. invasion of Iraq and its resulting occupation have placed American Jewry in a difficult - and largely undeserved - position, resulting in an unfortunate caricaturing of American Jews' political perspectives, which are presumably as diverse as any ethno-religious groups' might be [1]. Such caricaturing enables reactionaries to resurrect, and to deploy with great effectiveness, the nasty "dual loyalty" charge against prominent American Jews who have served in the Bush administration, unfairly suggesting that - within the context of formulating Middle East policy as U.S. officials - these American Jews will always place Israel's interests ahead of …

Massachusetts V. Epa And The Future Of Environmental Standing In Climate Change Litigation And Beyond, Randall S. Abate

Journal Publications

This Article focuses on the future scope of environmental standing after Massachusetts v. EPA. Injury in fact has been and remains the most controversial component of the environmental standing test within and outside the context of global environmental harms. Part I of this Article discusses the background context of environmental standing for global environmental harms and its corresponding origins in procedural and substantive injury claims in cases involving purely domestic environmental harms. Part II examines the landmark decision in Massachusetts v. EPA and considers how it confirms and extends standing jurisprudence for global environmental harms, yet fails to resolve some …

A Prairie Perspective On Global Warming And Climate Change: The Use Of Law, Technology, And Economics To Establish Private Sector Markets To Compliment Kyoto, Ronald C. Griffin

Journal Publications

We are in the midst of an environmental calamity that few perceive as grave. The climate is changing. Civilization is suffering. One person can do little to cope with these problems on a global scale. But farmers can do something about their farming operations to contribute less to climate change.

Today, two percent of the population feeds us. With mechanical advancements, new farm machinery, innovative practices, products, commodities, securities, and markets folk can do something to reward farmers for their efforts to slow the pace of climate change.

Collateral Damage, David Lefkowitz

Philosophy Faculty Publications

The phrase "collateral damage" refers to harm done to persons, animals, or things that agents are not morally permitted to target in the conduct of war, as a side effect of attacks on persons, animals, or things that agents are morally permitted to target in the conduct of war. Call the first category that is, those persons, animals, or things that agents are not morally permitted to target - illegitimate targets of war, and the second category legitimate targets of war. Collateral damage, then, refers to harm done to illegitimate targets of war as a side effect of attacks on …