Digital Commons Network^™

Thinking Of The Children: The Failure Of Violent Video Game Laws, Gregory Kenyota

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Adaptive Evolution Of The Mammalian Mitochondrial Genome, Rute R. Da Fonseca, Warren E. Johnson, Stephen J. O'Brien, Maria J. Ramos, Agostinho Antunes

Biology Faculty Articles

Background

The mitochondria produce up to 95% of a eukaryotic cell's energy through oxidative phosphorylation. The proteins involved in this vital process are under high functional constraints. However, metabolic requirements vary across species, potentially modifying selective pressures. We evaluate the adaptive evolution of 12 protein-coding mitochondrial genes in 41 placental mammalian species by assessing amino acid sequence variation and exploring the functional implications of observed variation in secondary and tertiary protein structures.

Results

Wide variation in the properties of amino acids were observed at functionally important regions of cytochrome b in species with more-specialized metabolic requirements (such as adaptation to …

Death Is Unconstitutional: How Capital Punishment Became Illegal In America—A Future History, Jur. Eric Engle Ph.D.

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “A constitution is an organic fact of every state: it is a part of the being of the state. People, like the state, also have a constitution—a character. Just as people change over time, so do states. But just as there are natural limits on what people can or cannot become, so there are natural limits on what the state can and cannot fairly do. No man, nor any group of men, ex ante may justly take the life of another person, though perhaps their killing may be excused (or forgiven) ex post.”

"The death of Death would surely …

Gordie News, March 2008, West Chester University Of Pennsylvania

Gordon Natural Area History & Strategic Plan Documents

No abstract provided.

Liturgical Prayers In Honor Of Saint Vincent De Paul, John E. Rybolt C.M., Ph.D.

Vincentian Studies

Nineteen sets of short liturgical prayers, honoring Vincent de Paul are presented in Latin and English, accompanied by brief summaries of the texts. They span the time from 1668 to 1973. The prayers cite Vincent’s piety and ministry. They ask for the supplicants to be inspired by and endowed with his virtues, especially his charity, to continue his service. His intercession is also requested. A twentieth Anglican prayer in English is included for completeness. As John Rybolt writes, “What the Church believes about Saint Vincent, lex credendi, shows a shift in emphasis from the earliest official collects to the …

Take Two: Stare Decisis In Antitrust/The Per Se Rule Against Horizontal Price-Fixing, Randal C. Picker

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

No abstract provided.

The Film Title Sequence As An Influence On The Design Of Print Promotion, Rajat Khullar

Theses

Graphic design solutions for promotional purposes pose a special challenge for designers who must not only make certain that the design is conceptually strong and engaging in itself, but also that it is successful in conveying the worth of a product, a brand, an organization or company to a diverse audience. Promotional design is all about presenting its subject in the most attractive manner possible in order to draw viewer attention to that which is being promoted. Such design solutions aim at creating a need or demand for a specific type of goods or services offered by a client. Alternatively …

Physiological Characterization Of Stolon Regression In A Colonial Hydroid, Neil W. Blackstone, Kimberly S. Cherry Vogt, Gabrielle Geddes, Lori Bross

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

As with many colonial animals, hydractiniid hydroids display a range of morphological variation. Sheet-like forms exhibit feeding polyps close together with short connecting stolons, whereas runner-like forms have more distant polyps and longer connecting stolons. These morphological patterns are thought to derive from rates of stolon growth and polyp formation. Here, stolon regression is identified and characterized as a potential process underlying this variation. Typically, regression can be observed in a few stolons of a normally growing colony. For detailed studies, many stolons of a colony can be induced to regress by pharmacological manipulations of reactive oxygen species (e.g. hydrogen …

Redefining Quaker Simplicity: The Friends Committee On National Legislation Building, 2005, Carl Abbott, Margery Post Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 2005, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, the major Quaker peace and justice lobbying organization in the United States, completed a substantial remodeling and expansion of its office building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The building exemplifies a self-conscious effort to express Quaker values of simplicity and stewardship in architectural choices. Examining the changing meanings of simplicity as expressed in Quaker meeting houses, this article argues that contemporary Friends in the United States have given nontraditional meanings to the concept and now associate simplicity with environmental stewardship in personal and community life. For example, the use of natural …

Acoustic Model Adaptation For Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza Hortulana L.) Song-Type Classification, Jidong Tao, Michael T. Johnson, Tomasz S. Osiejuk

Dr. Dolittle Project: A Framework for Classification and Understanding of Animal Vocalizations

Automatic systems for vocalization classification often require fairly large amounts of data on which to train models. However, animal vocalization data collection and transcription is a difficult and time-consuming task, so that it is expensive to create large data sets. One natural solution to this problem is the use of acoustic adaptation methods. Such methods, common in human speech recognition systems, create initial models trained on speaker independent data, then use small amounts of adaptation data to build individual-specific models. Since, as in human speech, individual vocal variability is a significant source of variation in bioacoustic data, acoustic model adaptation …

An Improved Snr Estimator For Speech Enhancement, Yao Ren, Michael T. Johnson

Dr. Dolittle Project: A Framework for Classification and Understanding of Animal Vocalizations

In this paper, we propose an MMSE a priori SNR estimator for speech enhancement. This estimator has similar benefits to the well-known decision-directed approach, but does not require an ad-hoc weighting factor to balance the past a priori SNR and current ML SNR estimate with smoothing across frames. Performance is evaluated in terms of estimation error and segmental SNR using the standard logSTSA speech enhancement method. Experimental results show that, in contrast with the decision-directed estimator and ML estimator, the proposed SNR estimator can help enhancement algorithms preserve more weak speech information and efficiently suppress musical noise.

Forage Fertilization Based On Yield And Management Goals, Edward Barrow Rayburn

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

WVU-Extension fact sheet

Arthur C. Clarke’S Childhood’S End: A Prescription For Producing Humanity’S Psychological Maturity, Bill Koch

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Earlier this year, when I would tell people that my Intro to Lit class was reading Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End, they would react with smiles and nods of recognition.

Many said, “Yes, I read that long ago—it’s about spaceships coming to earth, right?”

Indeed it is, and more.

It was the first Clarke book I had read (several years ago for some forgotten reason), but when I finished the book I felt that Clarke had conveyed something of importance, even if in the form of science fiction. There was a gravitas to it I hadn’t expected. I read several …

Non-Invasive Raman Tomographic Imaging Of Canine Bone Tissue, Matthew V. Schulmerich, Jacqueline H. Cole, Kathryn A. Dooley, Michael D. Morris, Jaclynn M. Kreider, Steven A. Goldstein, Subhadra Srinivasan, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

Raman spectroscopic diffuse tomographic imaging has been demonstrated for the first time. It provides a noninvasive, label-free modality to image the chemical composition of human and animal tissue and other turbid media. This technique has been applied to image the composition of bone tissue within an intact section of a canine limb. Spatially distributed 785-nm laser excitation was employed to prevent thermal damage to the tissue. Diffuse emission tomography reconstruction was used, and the location that was recovered has been confirmed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) images.

With recent advances, diffuse tomography shows promise for in vivo clinical imaging.^{1, …}

Economics Of Soil Conservation Adoption In High-Rainfall Areas Of The Ethiopian Highlands, Menale Kassie, Stein Holden, Gunnar Köhlin, Randall Bluffstone

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study measures the impact of fanya juu bunds (an important soil and water conservation technology and the most popular type of contour bund in east Africa) on the value of crop production in a high-rainfall area in the Ethiopian highlands using cross-sectional multiple plot observations. We applied switching regression, stochastic dominance analysis (SDA), and decomposition and propensity score matching methods to ensure robustness. The switching regression, SDA, and decomposition analyses relied on matched observations, which was important because regression and SDA often do not ensure that comparable plots with conservation technology (conserved) and plots without (unconserved) actually exist in …

Nation Building, Utopia, And The Latin American Writer/Intellectual, María Odette Canivell

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Nation Building, Utopia, and the Latin American Writer/Intellectual," María Odette Canivell discusses the role of utopia in the foundational myths of Latin American cities and its nations. Nation building, in Latin America, Canivell claims, is tied to European myths regarding the New World, as well as to the function of writers' (escribidores) and intellectuals' (letrados) re-formulation of these myths along with their own desires/dreams as to what the ideal of Latin America means. Escribadores and letradas, who make history while re-writing the story/history of their nations, have a direct effect on the policy making and construction of …

Achebe, Conrad, And The Postcolonial Strain, Eric Sipyinyu Njeng

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Achebe, Conrad, and the Postcolonial Strain" Eric Sipyinyu Njeng presents an analysis of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart in a context of postcolonial thought and argues that while Achebe's text is often placed against Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness as a counter discourse -- thus interrogating Conrad's portraiture of Africans as savages -- Achebe's text in fact represents anti-Africanism and subservience to Occidental values. Examining Achebe's authorial intention in Things Fall Apart, especially as epitomized in the character of Okonkwo, the protagonist, Njeng argues that Achebe corroborates Conrad's portrait of the African. In writing Things Fall Apart, …

Simulation-Based Training For Patient Safety: 10 Principles That Matter, Eduardo Salas, Katherine A. Wilson, Elizabeth Lazzara, Heidi B. King, Jeffery S. Augenstein

Publications

Simulation-based training can improve patient care when factors influencing its design, delivery, evaluation, and transfer are taken into consideration. In this paper, we provide a number of principles and practical tips that organizations in health care can use to begin implementing effective simulation-based training as a way to enhance patient safety. We commend the health care community for their efforts thus far. We hope that the information provided in this paper will encourage thinking beyond the "bells and whistles" of the simulation and bring to light full potential of simulation-based training in health care and patient safety.

Computational Models Of Tandem Src Homology 2 Domain Interactions And Application To Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase, Dipak Barua, James R. Faeder, Jason M. Haugh

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Intracellular signal transduction proteins typically utilize multiple interaction domains for proper targeting, and thus a broad diversity of distinct signaling complexes may be assembled. Considering the coordination of only two such domains, as in tandem Src homology 2 (SH2) domain constructs, gives rise to a kinetic scheme that is not adequately described by simple models used routinely to interpret in vitro binding measurements. To analyze the interactions between tandem SH2 domains and bisphosphorylated peptides, we formulated detailed kinetic models and applied them to the phosphoinositide 3-kinase p85 regulatory subunit/platelet-derived growth factor β-receptor system. Data for this system from different in …

Life In The Shadows Of Oil Derricks, Ilta S. Hall

East Texas Historical Journal

No abstract provided.

Could And Should America Have Made An Ottoman Republic In 1919?, Paul D. Carrington

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Leveling The Playing Field: Epitomizing Devolution Through Faith-Based Organizations, Robert J. Wineburg, Brian L. Coleman, Stephanie C. Boddie, Ram A. Cnaan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The original New-Federalism agenda that emerged with the Reagan administration weakened federal programs and transferred power to states and localities. While Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush's years were characterized by block grants and dismantling public assistance, the Clinton years will be remembered for the dismantling of AFDC. Recruiting faith-based organizations to provide social services epitomized the second Bush presidency. In this article, we demonstrate how the seeds for recruiting faith-based groups were planted before and during the Reagan years, and how two waves of devolution chipped away at our national commitment to welfare. These first two waves provided …

Projecting Pyongyang: The Future Of North Korea's Kim Jong Il Regime, Andrew Scobell Dr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

The author seeks to assist planners and decisionmakers in thinking about and preparing for possible future contingencies concerning North Korea. He does not dwell on war or conflict scenarios involving North Korea because military planners have already focused considerable effort and attention on these. It is entirely possible that the fate of the country as a political, territorial, and juridical entity is intimately bound up with the fate of the Kim Jong Il regime, but one should not assume this to be so. In other words, the collapse of the Kim regime may not lead to the collapse of North …

Spatial Variations In Nutrient And Microbial Transport From Feedlot Surfaces, John E. Gilley, Elaine D. Berry, Roger A. Eigenberg, David B. Marx, Bryan L. Woodbury

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nutrient and microbial transport by runoff may vary at different locations within a beef cattle feedlot. If the areas making the largest contributions to nutrient and microbial transport can be identified, it may be possible to institute site‐specific management practices to reduce runoff nutrient and microbial transport. The objectives of this study were to: (1) measure selected feedlot soil properties and nutrient and microbial transport in runoff from various feedlot locations, (2) compare the effects of unconsolidated surface materials (USM) (loose manure pack) and consolidated subsurface materials (CSM) (compacted manure and underlying layers) on nutrient and microbial transport, and (3) …

Use Of A Geometric Rule Or Absolute Vectors: Landmark Use By Clark’S Nutcrackers (Nucifraga Columbiana), Debbie M. Kelly, Sarah Kippenbrock, Jennifer J. Templeton, Alan Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Clark’s nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana) were trained to search for a hidden goal located in the center of a four-landmark array. Upon completion of training, the nutcrackers were presented with tests that expanded the landmark array in the east-west direction, north-south direction and in both directions simultaneously. Although the birds learned to search accurately at the center of the landmark array during training, this search pattern did not transfer to the expansion tests. The nutcrackers searched at locations defined by absolute distance and/or direction relationships with landmarks in the training array. These results contrast with those from experiments with …

Our Experiences In Surgical Repair Of Secundum Atrial Septal Defect In Adults: Early And Mid-Term Results, Bilgehan S. Oz, Bulent Saritas, Erkan Kuralay, Mehmet Yokusoglu, Emre Ozker, Harun Tatar

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Renal Failure In Patients With Multiple Myeloma: A Single Center Experience, Samir H. Al-Mueilo, Ali M. Al-Amri

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Arabidopsis Trithorax1 Dynamically Regulates Flowering Locus C Activation Via Histone 3 Lysine 4 Trimethylation, Stephane Pien, Delphine Fleury, Joshua S. Mylne, Pedro Crevillen, Dirk Inze, Zoya Avramova, Caroline Dean, Ueli Grossniklaus

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Trithorax function is essential for epigenetic maintenance of gene expression in animals, but little is known about trithorax homologs in plants. ARABIDOPSIS TRITHORAX1 (ATX1) was shown to be required for the expression of homeotic genes involved in flower organogenesis. Here, we report a novel function of ATX1, namely, the epigenetic regulation of the floral repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). Downregulation of FLC accelerates the transition from vegetative to reproductive development in Arabidopsis thaliana. In the atx1 mutant, FLC levels are reduced and the FLC chromatin is depleted of trimethylated, but not dimethylated, histone 3 lysine 4, suggesting a specific …

Revisiting The Vincentian Family Tree, Betty Ann Mcneil D.C.

Vincentian Studies

Betty Ann McNeil presents an update to the findings of The Family Tree Project, which were published as The Vincentian Family Tree in 1996. The project was to trace the Vincentian Family’s development and worldwide expansion. In 2006, the total of “institutes of consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, lay associations, and non-Catholic religious institutes” with a Vincentian connection had risen to 305 from the 268 that had originally been identified. The project’s criteria were revised in some cases. Corrections, additions, exclusions, and other kinds of updates to The Vincentian Family Tree are explained. The project’s uses are discussed. Areas …

Low Reproductive Success Of Mallards In A Grassland-Dominated Landscape In The Sandhills Of Nebraska, Johann A. Walker, Zach J. Cunningham, Mark P. Vrtiska, Scott E. Stephens, Larkin Powell

The Prairie Naturalist

The Sandhills of Nebraska comprise approximately 5,000,000 ha of native grassland interspersed with numerous groundwater-fed wetlands. A substantial population of the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) nests in this region. Previous investigations of nest survival probability of ducks in the Sandhills have estimated surprisingly low rates of nest survival for a grassland-dominated landscape. These investigations were conducted on public lands and most nest searching took place near wetlands where activity of nest predators might be highest. We predicted that mallards would nest at varying distances from wetlands and that survival probability of a representative sample of duck nests would increase …