Digital Commons Network^™

How Our Health Depends On Biodiversity, Eric Chivian M.D., Aaron Bernstein M.D., M.P.H.

Ecosystem Disruption & Climate Change

The eminent Harvard biology Professor Edward O.Wilson once said about ants, “We need them to survive, but they don’t need us at all.” The same, in fact, could be said about countless other insects, bacteria, fungi, plankton, plants, and other organisms. This fundamental truth, however, is largely lost to many of us. Rather, we humans often act as if we are totally independent of Nature, as if our driving thousands of other species to extinction and disrupting the life-giving services they provide will have no effect on us whatsoever.

This summary, using concrete examples from our award-winning Oxford University Press …

Jewish Heritage Sites And Monuments In Moldova, Samuel D. Gruber

Religion - All Scholarship

2010 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on historic Jewish sites in Romania. Includes information on the history and current conditions of synagogues, cemeteries, and holocaust memorials.

Historic Jewish Sites In Romania, Samuel D. Gruber

Religion - All Scholarship

2010 report from the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad on historic Jewish sites in Romania. Includes information on the history and current conditions of synagogues, cemeteries, and holocaust memorials.

Intercultural Communications: Medicine Across Cultures, Danielle Tomeck

Intertext

No abstract provided.

Save As... Knowledge And Transmission In The Age Of Digital Technologies, Diana Taylor

Imagining America

Diana Taylor, university professor and professor of Performance Studies and Spanish, New York University, provides a rich entry point into complex questions about digital media and its implications for scholarly practice. Drawing on her experience with the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, a multinational collaboration of artists and scholars grounded in an on-line archive of performance work across the Americas, Taylor insists that we need to imagine communities that are not only local or national and publics that are not exclusive to the present. Attending to the ways in which digital innovations inflect earlier technologies for creating and transmitting …

Affordable Private Education And The Middle Class City, Nicole Stelle Garnett

University of Chicago Law Review

City leaders, who have struggled for decades with public education reform, are well aware that good schools are needed to attract residentially mobile families to urban neighborhoods. But, while critically important, public education reform alone is not enough. Rather, state and local officials hoping to make our central city neighborhoods attractive places to raise children should come to understand that affordable private schools serve an important urban-development function: they partially unbundle the residential and educational decisions of families with children. Most middle class families, however, cannot afford to send their children to private schools. Thus, state and local officials hoping …

Rethinking The Theory And Practice Of Local Economic Development, Richard C. Schragger

University of Chicago Law Review

Scholars of urban law and policy tend to assume that local officials can exert some influence over city well-being. More specifically, the literature assumes that government policies—either at the federal, state, or local level—can influence local economic growth and decline, the most important determinants of a city's health. This connection between policy and local economic outcomes implies a theory of how cities form and grow, however, and legal scholars have not adequately articulated such a theory. This Article argues that we need a better (and more self-conscious) account of city formation and local economic growth. The Article then tests our …

The Foreclosure Crisis And The Antifragmentation Principle In State Property Law, David A. Dana

University of Chicago Law Review

This Article explains how excessive fragmentation of property interests in mortgages has prevented reasonable modifications in loan terms and helped to create the current foreclosure crisis. The Article argues that Anglo-American property law reflects an antifragmentation principle. This principle offers historical grounding for and constitutional legitimacy to proposals to restructure the servicing of troubled loans so as to produce loan modifications when doing so would produce more net economic value than foreclosure. The Article also considers some reforms that could be adopted to prevent future cycles of excessive fragmentation of property interests in mortgages.

Venetian Glass Beads And The Slave Trade From Liverpool, 1750-1800, Saul Guerrero

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

The competition within the slave trade during the 18th century forced slave traders to search for an assortment of barter cargo that would attract the preferential attention of the African suppliers of slaves. An enterprising group of Liverpool slave traders that formed William Davenport & Co. rose to the occasion and in three years became the supplier of half of all the glass beads re-exported to Africa from England. An analysis of barter values in Bonny, West Africa, reveals that glass beads were one of the main categories of trade goods of great interest to the African slave traders. The …

Lucayan Beads From San Salvador, Bahamas (Ca. A.D. 900-1500), Jeffrey P. Blick, Richard Kim, Tyler G. Hill

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

A variety of Lucayan shell, stone, and coral beads as well as beadmaking waste was recovered from several sites on San Salvador, Bahamas. Following detailed analysis, comparisons to other beadmaking sites in the Greater Caribbean region indicate that fabrication, material, color preference, and even general forms are similar across great distances from the Maya region to the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the Bahamian Archipelago. In some cases, beads appear to have been made at the household level (Middle Pre-Classic Maya, Post Saladoid Lucayans), although certain stratified societies (later Maya, Classic Taíno) seem to have exerted more control or monopoly …

Graduate Programs Commencement, 11th Class (2010), Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine

Commencements

No abstract provided.

Growth Patterns Of Shoal Grass Halodule Wrightii And Manatee Grass Syringodium Filiforme In The Western Gulf Of Mexico, Melissa A. Gutierrez, Annette A. Cardona, Delbert L. Smee

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Although manatee grass is becoming increasingly abundant in Texas bays, its growth characteristics have not been measured in the western GOM. Changes in seagrass species composition can have significant community effects (Micheli et al. 2008), but the effects of a transition from shoal to manatee grass in the LM have not been extensively studied (but see Tolan et al. 1997). The goals of our study were to measure growth patterns of these two seagrass species in two locations in the western GOM that vary in salinity, epiphyte loads, and nutrient inputs.

Equal Bmd After Daily Or Triweekly Exercise In Growing Rats, B. D. Kayser, J. K. Godfrey, R. M. Cunningham, R. A. Pierce, S. V. Jaque, Ken D. Sumida

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of continuous resistance training (3 days/wk) compared to interrupted resistance training where 20-24 h separated an exercise bout (i.e. 6 days/wk) for enhancing bone mineral density (BMD) in growing male rats. The total volume of work performed per week between the two resistance training programs was equivalent by design. Young male rats were randomly divided into Control (Con, n = 9), 3 days/wk resistance trained group (RT3, n = 9), and 6 days/wk resistance trained group (RT6, n = 9). The RT3 and RT6 groups were conditioned to climb a …

Trust And The Green Consumer: The Fight For Accountability In Renewable Energy Credits, Kelly Crandall

University of Colorado Law Review

Renewable energy credits ("RECs")--commodities representing a megawatt-hour of renewable electricity but tradable separately from the electricity itself-developed to encourage renewable energy investment and to allow individuals and corporations without direct access to renewable energy to subsidize its construction. RECs can be sold voluntarily or applied to state-imposed renewable energy purchase obligations. These state mandates, known as renewable portfolio standards, have contributed dramatically to the demand for RECs. Yet, despite their popularity, RECs are regulated inconsistently: neither federal nor state consumer protection law fully mitigates the opportunities they create for deceptive advertising. This Comment critiques the existing regulatory scheme (or lack …

Definitions Of The Phenotypic Manifestations Of Sickle Cell Disease., Samir K Ballas, Susan Lieff, Lennette J Benjamin, Carlton D Dampier, Matthew M Heeney, Carolyn Hoppe, Cage S Johnson, Zora R Rogers, Kim Smith-Whitley, Winfred C Wang, Marilyn J Telen

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a pleiotropic genetic disorder of hemoglobin that has profound multiorgan effects. The low prevalence of SCD ( approximately 100,000/US) has limited progress in clinical, basic, and translational research. Lack of a large, readily accessible population for clinical studies has contributed to the absence of standard definitions and diagnostic criteria for the numerous complications of SCD and inadequate understanding of SCD pathophysiology. In 2005, the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers initiated a project to establish consensus definitions of the most frequently occurring complications. A group of clinicians and scientists with extensive expertise in research and treatment of …

'Struck' By Stereotype: Ruth Bader Ginsburg On Pregnancy Discrimination As Sex Discrimination, Neil S. Siegel, Reva B. Siegel

Faculty Scholarship

This is an attempt at recovery. This Essay hopes to call attention to then-Professor Ruth Bader Ginsburg's merits brief in Struck v. Secretary of Defense. The brief has been under appreciated in part because the Supreme Court declined to decide the case. But anyone seeking to understand the origins and nature of Justice Ginsburg's views on sex discrimination would be well advised to read this brief. So would anyone interested in reimagining the bounds of constitutional possibility in the realm of gender equality.

A Coase Theorem For Constitutional Theory, Neil S. Siegel

Faculty Scholarship

There is much to admire about Barry Friedman’s new book, The Will of the People. Explaining how the institution of judicial review was made safe for democracy in America, Friedman’s story is extensively researched, beautifully written, scrupulously nonpartisan about the modern Court, and frequently humorous. What is more, his primary claim - that the Supreme Court of the United States is very much a democratic institution because judicial review always has been responsive to public opinion - is, to a large extent, convincing. I have taught The Will of the People in my first-year constitutional law course, and I plan …

Statutory Good-Faith Immunity For Government Physicians: Cogent Policy Or A Denial Of Justice?, Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Recent events such as the SARS outbreak and the controversy over pediatric forensic pathology in Ontario have increased awareness and scrutiny of physicians employed by the government, including medical officers of health, coroners, and pathologists. At common law, physicians are held to a standard of care that can be summarized as reasonable professional competence. Statutory provisions effectively neutralize this standard of care for government physicians by providing civil immunity so long as they act in “good faith”. The appropriate-ness of this protection from civil liability is assessed in this paper.

The author argues that statutory good-faith immunity is inconsistent with …

A Survey Of The Vascular Flora Of Beaufort County, South Carolina, Daniel Payne

All Theses

Beaufort County has historically been one of the most poorly botanized counties in the state. Geographically, it lies farther from the major research institutions than most other counties and has therefore received little attention from modern botanists. Major waterways, numerous private communities and an oppressive summer climate further complicate botanical research. Beaufort has one of the fastest growing human populations in the state. Natural areas are rapidly being converted into residential and commercial developments. An understanding of the county's flora is necessary to focus conservation efforts to preserve critical habitat and develop management plans for maintaining biodiversity. This project was …

Pathogenic And Opportunistic Microorganisms In Caves, Valme Jurado, Leonila Laiz, Veronica Rodriguez-Nava, Patrick Boiron, Bernardo Hermosin, Sergio Sanchez-Moral, Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez

International Journal of Speleology

With today’s leisure tourism, the frequency of visits to many caves makes it necessary to know about possible potentially pathogenic microorganisms in caves, determine their reservoirs, and inform the public about the consequences of such visits. Our data reveal that caves could be a potential danger to visitors because of the presence of opportunistic microorganisms, whose existence and possible development in humans is currently unknown.

Karst Geology And Cave Fauna Of Austria: A Concise Review, Erhard Christian, Christoph Spötl

International Journal of Speleology

The state of cave research in Austria is outlined from the geological and zoological perspective. Geologic sections include the setting of karst regions, tectonic and palaeoclimatic control on karst, modern cave environments, and karst hydrology. A chapter on the development of Austrian biospeleology in the 20th century is followed by a survey of terrestrial underground habitats, biogeographic remarks, and an annotated selection of subterranean invertebrates.

An Abundance Of Violence And Scarcity Of Words (Book Review), Sandra F. Joireman

Political Science Faculty Publications

It is hard to avoid knowing something about the conflict in Darfur. There are divestment movements, student campaigns, actors raising awareness and the ‘genocide olympics’ to remind us of the ongoing conflict. There is also an increasingly ugly exchange in which two sides are talking and neither is listening. This exchange is not between the combatants, as one might expect, but among activists and scholars who disagree on the best way to portray the conflict. While it is difficult to avoid knowing something about the violence in Darfur, finding a deeper analysis that goes beyond the attempts to gain attention …

Virtue, Richard Dagger

Political Science Faculty Publications

In political theory, the word virtue usually refers to the disposition or character traits appropriate to a citizen. Someone who takes the responsibilities of citizenship seriously, to the point of putting the common good ahead of his or her personal interests, is thus said to display civic virtue. Political theorists have frequently warned that such virtue cannot be taken for granted, however, and many of them have urged that steps be taken to promote or foster civic virtue. This concern for the fragility of civic virtue is a clear theme in ancient (or classical) political thought, but it has …

Constructing Credibility: Using Technoscience To Legitimate Strategies In Agrifood Governance, Carmen Bain, Elizabeth Ransom, Michelle R. Worosz

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Agrifood scholars working within a political economy framework increasingly draw upon the concept of governance to analyze the regulation of global agricultural and food systems. An important limitation of this approach is that it fails to explain how governance strategies are legitimated. Drawing on three diverse cases that span three continents, our paper examines how standards makers appeal to technoscientific norms and values to establish both credibility for their standards and their authority in constructing them. These cases explore the development and implementation of a standard requiring complete elimination of a tart cherry insect pest in the United States; the …

Interrogating Iqbal: Intent, Inertia, And (A Lack Of) Imagination, Victor C. Romero

Faculty Scholarship

In Ashcroft v. Iqbal, the Court reaffirmed the long-standing equal protection doctrine that government actors can only be held liable for discriminatory conduct when they purposefully rely on a forbidden characteristic, such as race or gender, in promulgating policy; to simply know that minorities and women will be adversely affected by the law does not deny these groups equal protection under the law. This Essay interrogates this doctrine by taking a closer look at Iqbal and Feeney, the thirty-year-old precedent the majority cited as the source of its antidiscrimination standard. Because Feeney was cited in neither of the …

What Is '(Im)Partial Enough' In A World Of Embedded Neutrals?, Nancy A. Welsh

Faculty Scholarship

The Supreme Court’s decision in Caperton v. A. T. Massey Coal Co. highlighted the fragility of judicial independence and impartiality in the United States. A similar, less-noticed fragility of independence and impartiality exists among the arbitrators, mediators and administrative hearing officers who resolve an increasing number of disputes. Everywhere one looks, there is unremarked yet remarkable evidence of the rise of - embedded neutrals, particularly in uneven contexts between one-time and repeat players. This phenomenon becomes particularly worrisome when the embedded neutral’s role is due to their special relationship with the repeat player, and the one-time player is not as …

The Supreme Court's Legislative Agenda To Free Government From Accountability For Constitutional Deprivations, Gary S. Gildin

Faculty Scholarship

In Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, the Supreme Court adopted a new standard of factual particularity a plaintiff must meet to satisfy the requirement of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) that a complaint plead a “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” In Ashcroft v. Iqbal, the Court made clear that the Twombly pleading standard extended to civil actions seeking redress for deprivation of constitutional rights in particular, and universally to all Complaints filed in federal court. Commentators have debated whether after Iqbal, victims of constitutional wrongdoing will be able to …

Private Regulation And Foreign Conduct, Adam I. Muchmore

Faculty Scholarship

Current U.S. policy on safety regulation for imported food is based largely on ex post measures. Several reform proposals seek to strengthen the ex ante component of this regulatory program. These proposals rely on one or more of three basic strategies: direct extraterritorial regulation; delegation of regulatory authority to private entities; and delegation of regulatory authority to foreign government agencies. This paper explores the ability of each strategy to respond to several principal-agent problems relevant to imported-food safety: the regulatory license problem; interest group capture; and the reality of bribery and threats in many food-exporting countries. Through the lens of …

A Gulf United: Canada-Us Transboundary Marine Ecosystem-Based Governance In The Gulf Of Maine, Lawrence Hildebrand, Aldo Chircop

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

In 1989, the Northeastern states of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire in the United States and the neighboring Canadian Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia embarked upon a new form of regional marine environmental cooperation when their governors and premiers adopted the Agreement on Conservation of the Marine Environment of the Gulf of Maine Between the Governments of the Bordering States and Provinces.

Cosmopolitan Theory And Anthropological Practice In Brazil, Jan Hoffman French

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In relation to the theme of this volume - to inquire into transformations marked by knowledge-making projects and the role played by intellectuals - in this chapter I will focus on Brazilian anthropologists. In considering how impoverished or marginalized communities become integrated into global claims about the human condition, I analyze the efforts of Brazilian anthropologists on behalf of rural black communities in the northeastern backlands in light of cosmopolitan theory.