Digital Commons Network^™

Inequitable Sentencing For Possession Of Child Pornography: A Failure To Distinguish Voyeurs From Pederasts, Jesse P. Basbaum

UC Law Journal

This Note identifies several infirmities of United States Sentencing Guideline section 2 G2.2, the sentencing scheme for possession of child pornography. The production and web-based dissemination of child pornography images has increased substantially over the past decade. The Department of Justice has aggressively prosecuted these crimes under the rationale that (r) possession of child pornography leads to contact offenses, (2) demand drives supply, and (3) the mere availability of an image or video constitutes continued and indirect abuse of the child depicted. In light of these and other concerns, Congress has enacted dramatic increases in the potential sentences for possessors …

Public Opinion, Cultural Change, And Constitutional Adjudication, Calvin Massey

UC Law Journal

When do courts pay attention to public opinion in deciding constitutional issues? When should courts do so? This Article provides a limited answer to those questions. Courts often pay attention to public opinion when deciding constitutional issues, especially when the issue is one that involves a challenge to a long-standing cultural norm. That pattern is present, for example, in each of Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education. The Court changed its view of equal protection because public opinion about racial segregation changed. Today, the long-standing cultural understanding of marriage is challenged by those who claim that its …

Multiple-Choice Questions You Wouldn’T Put On A Test: Promoting Deep Learning Using Clickers, Derek Bruff

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Classroom response systems (“clickers”) can turn multiple-choice questions—often seen to be as limited as assessment tools—into effective tools for engaging students during class. When using this technology, an instructor first poses a multiple-choice question. Each student responds using a handheld transmitter (or “clicker”). Software on the classroom computer displays the distribution of student responses. Although many multiple-choice questions found on exams work well as clicker questions, there are several kinds of multiple-choice questions less appropriate for exams that function very well to promote learning, particularly deep learning, during class when used with clickers.

Family Level Phylogenies Reveal Modes Of Macroevolution In Rna Viruses, Andrew Kitchen, Laura Shackelton, Edward Holmes

United States Public Health Resources

Despite advances in understanding the patterns and processes of microevolution in RNA viruses, little is known about the determinants of viral diversification at the macroevolutionary scale. In particular, the processes by which viral lineages assigned as different “species” are generated remain largely uncharacterized. To address this issue, we use a robust phylogenetic approach to analyze patterns of lineage diversification in five representative families of RNA viruses. We ask whether the process of lineage diversification primarily occurs when viruses infect new host species, either through cross-species transmission or codivergence, and which are defined here as analogous to allopatric speciation in animals, …

Patterns Of Drug Use And Abuse Among Aging Adults With And Without Hiv: A Latent Class Analysis Of A Us Veteran Cohort, Traci C. Green, Trace Kershaw, Haiqun Lin, Robert Heimer, Joseph L. Goulet, Kevin L. Kraemer, Adam J. Gordon, Steve A. Maisto, Nancy L. Day, Kendall Bryant, David A. Fiellin, Amy C. Justice

United States Public Health Resources

This study characterized the extent and patterns of self-reported drug use among aging adults with and without HIV, assessed differences in patterns by HIV status, and examined pattern correlates. Data derived from 6351 HIV-infected and uninfected adults enrolled in an eight-site matched cohort, the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS). Using clinical variables from electronic medical records and sociodemographics, drug use consequences, and frequency of drug use from baseline surveys, we performed latent class analyses (LCA) stratified by HIV status and adjusted for clinical and socio-demographic covariates. Participants were, on average, age 50 (range 22–86), primarily male (95%) and African-American (64%). …

Tac-Cell Inputs To Human Hand And Lip Induces Shortterm Adaptation Of The Primary Somatosensory Cortex, Lalit Venkatesan, Steven M. Barlow, Mihai Popescu, Anda Popescu, Edward T. Auer

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

A new pneumatic tactile stimulator, called the TAC-Cell, was developed in our laboratory to noninvasively deliver patterned cutaneous stimulation to the face and hand in order to study the neuromagnetic response adaptation patterns within the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in young adult humans. Individual TAC-Cells were positioned on the glabrous surface of the right hand, and midline of the upper and lower lip vermilion. A 151-channel magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanner was used to record the cortical response to a novel tactile stimulus which consisted of a repeating 6-pulse train delivered at three different frequencies through the active membrane surface of the …

Refuge Update – January/February 2010, Volume 7, Number 1

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:
Encouraging Kids to Look Closely A falconer and a Friend connect young people with nature. Page 5
FOCUS: Citizen Science Citizens of all ages engage with refuges by collecting data about buds and birds or raising turtle hatchlings. Pages 8 to 13
Protected Stopovers Help Restore Shorebirds Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, MA, plays a key role in researching and restoring red knots. Page 16
Leaders on the Move Relocation. Incentives. Motivations. Page 18

Structure And Properties Of Cocoons And Silk Fibers Produced By Hyalophora Cecropia, Narendra Reddy, Yiqi Yang

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Faculty Publications

This paper shows that silk fibers produced by cecropia (Hyalophora cecropia) have similar tensile properties but different amino acid composition than that of mulberry (Bombyx mori) silk. The cecropia fibers are also much finer and have better strength and modulus than tasar silk, the most common non-mulberry silk. Cecropia is one of the largest silk producing moths and has similar lifecycle to that of mulberry silk but is easier to grow and produces larger cocoons than mulberry silk. In this study, we have characterized the composition, morphology, physical and tensile properties, and thermal behavior of the …

Developing Water Stable Gliadin Films Without Using Crosslinking Agents, Narendra Reddy, Yiqi Yang

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Faculty Publications

Abstract For the first time, gliadin films with excellent strength and water stability have been developed without using any crosslinking agents. So far, it has not been possible to obtain water stable gliadin films even after crosslinking. In this research, a novel method of using aqueous urea and ethanol has been developed to obtain highly water stable gliadin films without using crosslinking chemicals. The effects of concentrations of gliadin, urea and ethanol on the strength of the films and the stability of the films in water at high temperatures and various pH conditions has been studied. Gliadin films developed in …

From Energy Gradient And Natural Selection To Biodiversity And Stability Of Ecosystems, Bo Deng

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to incorporate well-established ecological principles into a foodweb model consisting of four trophic levels --- abiotic resources, plants, herbivores, and carnivores. The underlining principles include Kimura's neutral theory of genetic evolution, Liebig's Law of the Minimum for plant growth, Holling's functionals for herbivore foraging and carnivore predation, the One-Life Rule for all organisms, and Lotka-Volterra's model for intraand interspecific competitions. Numerical simulations of the model led to the following statistical findings: (a) particular foodwebs can give contradicting observations on biodiversity and productivity, in particular, all known functional forms -- - positive, negative, sigmoidal, and …

Child Sexual Abuse Victims And Their Families Receiving Services At A Child Advocacy Center: Mental Health And Support Needs, Tara K. Cossel

McNair Scholars Research Journal

The present study aimed to document the effects of child sexual abuse among children, non-offending parents, and siblings to further address the needs of child victims and their families. Following abuse, children are often referred to Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) for mental health and other support needs. Today most sexually abused children receive homogenized treatment from CACs; however, there is variability in the needs these children and their family members present with (Finkelhor & Berliner, 1995). Research has begun to investigate the variability in symptom patterns of sexual abuse victims, finding aspects of the abuse including severity, duration, frequency, and …

Insight And Locus Of Control As Related To Aggression In Individuals With Severe Mental Illness (Smi), Bethany L. Ridling

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) are often stereotyped as aggressive, although research has shown that the majority of these individuals are not aggressive. Nonetheless, closer examination of factors that differentiate high-aggressors from low-aggressors may predict which individuals are more likely to become verbally and/or physically aggressive. Previous studies have investigated the relationship between insight and aggression in this population. Some studies have found a relationship between poor insight and aggression, while others have not. Other studies have also examined the relationship between locus of control and aggression, and many have found that an external locus of control is related …

A Modelling Approach To Evaluate Potential Management Actions Designed To Increase Growth Of White Perch In A High-Density Population, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope, G.R. Wilde

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

A deterministic, age-structured population model was developed to simulate potential management scenarios designed to increase growth of individuals (quantified by maximum length) in a hypothetical population of white perch, Morone americana (Gmelin). Four scenarios were developed that included non-selective mortality of adult white perch, increased mortality of age groups most influential on population growth, increased age-0 mortality and inhibiting recruitment after spawning. The greatest increase in maximum length occurred with nonselective adult mortality when population biomass was reduced by 97%; lesser increases in maximum length were achieved with the other management scenarios. Populations returned to their original state after control …

Nisc Newsletter: September 2010

National Invasive Species Council

Invasive Species In the News

Great Lakes: White House Names Asian Carp Czar (Paul Quinlan)

Experts testify in 5-state carp lawsuit

Snails seized at Dulles Airport

International News

National Invasive Species Strategy for Mexico

NISC Agencies News

Friends of Wild Amphibians

Federal/State News

Restoration for Aleutian Seabirds Brings New Life to Refuge “Rat” Island

Wasps Wage War on Behalf of Wiliwili Trees

Special Event!!

Winds of Change: Great Lakes, Great Oceans, Great Communities

Conferences

Nisc Newsletter: June-July 2010

National Invasive Species Council

Invasive Species In The News

Asian Carp Discovered Near Lake Michigan

International News

New: CBD - Subsidiary Body for Science, Technology and Technological Assistance (SBSTTA) meeting in Nairobi, Kenya

UK: Exploring Fish Invasion

Follow the money: wealth, population are key drivers of invasive species

NISC Agencies News

EPA

Climate Change Indicator Report

USDA

USDA/APHIS PPQ Moratorium for Biological Control of Saltcedar (Tamarix species) using the bilological control agent Diorhabda Spe-cies (Coleoptera: Chrytsomelidae)

APHIS

Risk Assessment of the Movement of Fire-wood within the United States

DOI

National Park Service

DOC

NOAA

State News

Research Project: Developing a Regional Risk-Assessment Model for …

Nisc Newsletter- Special Issue: September 2010

National Invasive Species Council

Invasive Species Employment Opportunity

Below is summary information supporting two vacancy announcements and e-mail links for a full-time Biologist (Invasive Species, GS -401-11) working for the USFWS - Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office in Honolulu, Hawaii. The vacancy announcements (one for merit promotion and a second for open competition) will close on 15 September. This position will specialize on aquatic invasive species (30% time) issues in addition to broader, regional invasive species and disease issues (70% time).

Recent Regulation Changes Regarding Invasive Species In Mexico And The Development Of Mexico’S National Strategy On Invasive Species, Francisco Abarca

National Invasive Species Council

Between November 2008 and February 2010, Mexico made several modifications to existing environmental and wildlife regulations regarding invasive species.

On November 2008, the Deputy Chamber made several modifications to the Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection General Law (LGEEPA by its Spanish acronym; equivalent to NEPA), and the Wildlife General Law. These modifications were published in the Federal Register until February 2010.

The intent of these modifications was to strengthen existing regulations by incorporating more specific language dealing with invasive species and make these regulations more in tune with other regulations outside of the wildlife arena, such as the Forestry, …

Vegetation Community Monitoring At Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Nebraska, K. M. James

United States National Park Service: Publications

Vegetation community monitoring was conducted by the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network beginning in 1998 and concluded in 2009. During this period, eleven monitoring sites were established and sampled seven times. This report presents summary findings of that monitoring effort and concludes network vegetation monitoring efforts at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. The Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network will continue long-term vegetation monitoring at the park. The eleven monitoring sites were categorized into three community types: prairie sandreed – sand bluestem native prairie; needle-and-thread grass – blue grama – threadleaf sedge native prairie; and riparian community. A summary …

Aquatic Invertebrate Monitoring At Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Lusha Tronstad

United States National Park Service: Publications

Aquatic invertebrates are excellent indicators of ecosystem quality, and these animals have been used to monitor ecosystems since the 1870s (Cairns and Pratt 1993). Growth, survival, and reproduction of aquatic invertebrates are sensitive to declines in environmental quality allowing analysis of assemblage structure to monitor lakes, streams, and wetlands (Johnson et al. 1993). Aquatic invertebrates are ideal indicator species, because they are ubiquitous, abundant, relatively long-lived, diverse, and typically sedentary (Rosenberg and Resh 1993b). In contrast, water samples can be directly analyzed for suspected pollutants, but such samples are snapshots of water quality only and can easily miss discrete discharges …

Methods For Assessing Fish Populations, Kevin L. Pope, Steve E. Lochmann, Michael K. Young

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Fisheries managers are likely to assess fish populations at some point during the fisheries management process. Managers that follow the fisheries management process (see Chapter 5) might find their knowledge base insufficient during the steps of problem identification or management action and must assess a population before appropriate actions can be taken. Managers will implement some type of assessment during the evaluation step as a means of measuring progress relative to objectives. Choosing how to assess a population is an important decision because managers strive to maximize their knowledge of a population while minimizing the time and money expended to …

Novelty, Adaptive Capacity, And Resilience, Craig R. Allen, C. S. Holling

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

We present a conceptual framework that explores some of the forces creating innovation and novelty in complex systems. Understanding the sources of variability and novelty may help us better understand complex systems. Understanding complex phenomena such as invasions, migration, and nomadism may provide insight into the structure of ecosystems and other complex systems, and aid our attempts to cope with and mitigate these phenomena, in the case of invasions, and better understand and or predict them. Our model is broadly applicable to ecological theory, including community ecology, resilience, restoration, and policy. Characterizing the link between landscape change and the composition …

Red Imported Fire Ant Impacts On Upland Arthropods In Southern Mississippi, D. M. Epperson, C. R. Allen

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) have negative impacts on a broad array of invertebrate species. We investigated the impacts of fire ants on the upland arthropod community on 20-40 ha study sites in southern Mississippi. Study sites were sampled from 1997–2000 before, during, and after fire ant bait treatments to reduce fire ant populations. Fire ant abundance was assessed with bait transects on all sites, and fire ant population indices were estimated on a subset of study sites. Species richness and diversity of other ant species was also assessed from bait transects. Insect biomass and diversity was determined …

Place As Text: Approaches To Active Learning (Second Edition), Bernice Braid, Ada Long

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs

CONTENTS

Dedication and Acknowledgments

Preface to the Second Edition — Ada Long and Bernice Braid

Introduction — Bernice Braid

Honors Semesters: Anatomy of Active Learning — William Daniel

Honors Semesters: An Architecture of Active Learning — Bernice Braid

Internal Assessment of Honors Semesters — Ann Raia

External Evaluation of Honors Semesters — Ada Long

Student Perspectives on Honors Semesters — Elizabeth Beck

Other Structural Models of Active Learning

City as Text™ — Bernice Braid

Faculty Institutes — William Daniel

Summer High School Field Experiences — Bernice Braid

Sleeping Bag Seminars — Joan Digby

College Recruitment Exercises — Bernadette Low

Orientation …

Connecting Researchers With Funding Opportunities: A Joint Effort Of The Libraries And The University Research Office, Leslie M. Delserone, Julia A. Kelly, Jody L. Kempf

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

In early 2007, staff from the University of Minnesota Libraries and the Office of the Vice President for Re-search began a collaboration to present a workshop covering grant resources. The session introduced fa-culty, staff, and graduate students to four key databases of external granting opportunities as well as intramural funding sources. We explain the context, development, and implementation of this ongoing, popular workshop; mention extensions of the workshop effort; and hope to inspire fellow librarians to identify and explore routes to broad institutional engagement.

Thirty Years Of Mortality Assessment In Whooping Crane Reintroductions: Patterns And Implications, Barry K. Hartup, Marilyn G. Spalding, Nancy J. Thomas, Gretchen A. Cole, Young Jun Kim

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We reviewed postmortem data to identify primary causes of mortality in reintroduced whooping cranes (Grus americana) and assess their potential for mitigation in future reintroduction efforts. In total, 240 cases from 3 populations were reviewed for causes of death, including the Rocky Mountain migratory population (n = 24, release dates 1975-1989), the Florida resident population (n = 186, 1993-2005), and the Wisconsin migratory population (n = 30, 2001-ongoing). Traumatic injury was the leading cause of mortality among the reintroduced whooping cranes, most commonly from predation (n = 120 or 50%, range 8-58% per project) or collision with fixed …

Morbidity And Mortality Of Captive Whooping Cranes At The International Crane Foundation 1976–2008, Barry K. Hartup, Jennifer N. Niemuth, Bridget Fitzpatrick, Maureen Fox, Cristin Kelley

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Tracking the incidence of morbidity and mortality in captive animal collections helps inform husbandry and preventive medicine programs aimed at improving population health and viability. Carpenter and Derrickson (1982) and Olsen et al. (1997) published summary reports of captive whooping crane (Grus americana) mortality that served to identify key problem areas for the primary breeding flock and potential reintroduction programs involving this endangered species. We expanded on this approach and conducted an initial evaluation of morbidity and mortality factors for whooping cranes at the International Crane Foundation (ICF). The purpose of our study was to identify overrepresented factors …

Endoparasites Of Greater Sandhill Cranes In South-Central Wisconsin, Somer Hartman, Betsy Reichenberg, Jane Fanke, Anne E. Lacy, Barry K. Hartup

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Windingstad and Trainer (1977) used both fecal sampling and postmortem examinations to document the occurrence of parasites in greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) from Wisconsin in the fall. We conducted repeated fecal sampling of a well-known population to expand on results of their study. Our objective was to determine whether seasonal differences exist in the prevalence of endoparasites of Wisconsin sandhill cranes. We collected 7 to 10 fecal samples approximately every other week from a consistent roost site on the Wisconsin River (43°34'52.99''N, 89°36'38.42''W) near Briggsville, Wisconsin, from 29 May through 25 September 2008. The sample size …

Impacts Of Global And Regional Climate On Whooping Crane Demography: Trends And Extreme Events, Karine Gil, William Grant, R. Douglas Slack, Enrique Weir

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We analyzed long-term demographic and environmental data to understand the role of large scale climatic factors (the Pacific Decadal Oscillations [PDO]) and environmental factors in 3 regions of North America on natality and mortality of the remnant migratory whooping crane (Grus americana) population. This is an endangered species that spends winters at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Texas, breeds at Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) in Canada and “…uses Nebraska as a primary stopover”. Long term data (27 years) of demography and environmental factors (PDO index, temperature and precipitation at WBNP, Nebraska and ANWR, pond water depth …

Longevity Records Of Rocky Mountain Greater Sandhill Cranes Banded During 1969–1987 In Idaho, Montana, Utah, And Wyoming, Roderick C. Drewien, Wendy M. Brown, Kent R. Clegg

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Cranes species throughout the world are renowned for their longevity; however, most records are based on individuals in captivity. We compiled longevity records for wild Rocky Mountain greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) banded in Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming during 1969-1987. Our analysis was based on over 180 band recoveries and over 1,700 visual observations of known-age individually marked birds from 1969 to 2008. We present only those birds of age >20 years for this summary. Our results yielded 56 birds known to be >20 yrs of age when killed or last observed. Of 7 band recoveries, …

Demography Of Whooping Cranes In The Eastern Migratory Population, Sarah J. Converse, Richard P. Urbanek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The ultimate success of the whooping crane (Grus americana) reintroduction to eastern North America rests on adequate demographic performance of the population. We are undertaking a population viability analysis (PVA) of the eastern migratory population in order to evaluate progress toward the fundamental population objective, to better understand the critical demographic thresholds that must be met to fulfill this objective, and, most importantly, to support management decision-making. The initial phase in the PVA development process involves estimation of demographic parameters to be used in later population modeling phases. Multi-state models provide an appropriate analytic framework for estimation, wherein …