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Climate Regulation And The Limits Of Cost-Benefit Analysis, Eric A. Posner, Jonathan Masur

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Ethanol And Water Introduction Via Fumigation On Efficiency And Emissions Of A Compression Ignition Engine Using An Atomization Technique, Grant S. Janousek

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Performance of a diesel engine, equipped for ethanol and water fumigation, was studied. The method implemented allowed for non-destructive introduction of liquids in advance of the turbocharger. Engine torque, speed, emission components, diesel and ethanol fuel rates were recorded and analyzed for each mixture of inputs. Based on the results of the study, thermal efficiency was not significantly different from the baseline diesel performance when using several ethanol and water mixtures. On the other hand, ethanol fumigation caused a significant reduction in NOx emissions and an increase in HC and CO emissions. No significant changes in CO2 or O2 occurred.

The He's Variational Iteration Method For Solving The Integro-Differential Parabolic Problem With Integral Conditions, Saeid Abbasbandy, Hadi R. Ghehsareh

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper, the variational iteration method is applied for finding the solution of an Integro-differential parabolic problem with integral conditions. Convergence of the proposed method is also discussed. Finally, some numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Revised Variational Iteration Method For Solving Systems Of Ordinary Differential Equations, Elham Salehpoor, Hossein Jafari, Merieh A. Afrapoli

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

A modification of the variational iteration method applied to systems of linear/non-linear ordinary differential equations, which yields a series solution with accelerated convergence, has been presented. Illustrative examples have been given.

Characterization Of Regulatory Mechanisms For Alternative Splicing In Alpha Thyroid Hormone Receptor Mrna, Chao Zhang

Master's Theses (2009 -)

In eukaryotes, alternative splicing is an essential post transcriptional modification process for functional gene expression and a major contributor to protein diversity. The regulation of alternative splicing generally involves the engagements of RNA sequences cis-acting elements) and corresponding protein factors (trans-acting factors). The cisacting RNA motifs can be categorized depending on positional and functional differences. Trans-acting protein factors will then bind to RNA sequences and affect the corresponding splicing activity. Recently, factors associated with 3’ polyadenylation have also been identified to affect alternative splicing.

In mammals, the α-thyroid hormone receptor gene (TRα) produces transcripts for two functionally antagonistic isoforms, TRα1 …

Spectroelectrochemical Studies Of Metalloporphyrins In Room Temperature Ionic Liquid, Yong Soo Hoo

Master's Theses (2009 -)

The oxidation/reduction reactions of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins play an important role in medicinal, industrial and biochemical reactions. Metalloporphyrins are particularly useful as potential catalysts for a variety of processes including catalytic oxidations. The unique properties of metalloporphyrins make them good candidates as electrocatalysts for fuel cells. Metalloporphyrins also play some important roles in biological functions.

By incorporating spectroscopic experiments such as UV-visible or infra-red spectroscopy along with electrochemical experiments such as cyclic voltammetry, one is able to determine the structural changes of the molecule when oxidation or reduction reaction is carried out.

A Molecular Dynamics Study On The Transport Of A Charged Biomolecule In A Polymeric Adsorbent Medium And Its Adsorption Onto A Charged Ligand, Enrico Riccardi, Jee-Ching Wang, Athanasios I. Liapis

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The transport of a charged adsorbate biomolecule in a porous polymeric adsorbent medium and its adsorption onto the covalently immobilized ligands have been modeled and investigated using molecular dynamics modeling and simulations as the third part of a novel fundamental methodology developed for studying ion-exchange chromatography based bioseparations. To overcome computational challenges, a novel simulation approach is devised where appropriate atomistic and coarse grain models are employed simultaneously and the transport of the adsorbate is characterized through a number of locations representative of the progress of the transport process. The adsorbate biomolecule for the system studied in this work changes …

Examining The Inner Experience Of Left-Handers Using Descriptive Experience Sampling, Aadee Mizrachi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research suggests that there are anatomical asymmetries of the human brain in relation to hand preference. In addition, left-handedness has been related to a wide range of psychological and physical problems. Despite these relationships, little is known about the inner experience of left-handers. The present study used Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) to explore the inner experience of 6 left-handed participants. Descriptive Experience Sampling is a nonquantitative sampling method designed to explore and describe inner experience. Undergraduate psychology students were recruited from UNLV to participate in the study. Recruitment consisted of three phases: screening, qualification, and sampling. Students who reported writing …

Phospholemman: A Novel Cardiac Stress Protein., Joseph Y Cheung, Xue-Qian Zhang, Jianliang Song, Erhe Gao, Joseph E Rabinowitz, Tung O Chan, Jufang Wang

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Phospholemman (PLM), a member of the FXYD family of regulators of ion transport, is a major sarcolemmal substrate for protein kinases A and C in cardiac and skeletal muscle. In the heart, PLM co-localizes and co-immunoprecipitates with Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger, and L-type Ca(2+) channel. Functionally, when phosphorylated at serine(68), PLM stimulates Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase but inhibits Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger in cardiac myocytes. In heterologous expression systems, PLM modulates the gating of cardiac L-type Ca(2+) channel. Therefore, PLM occupies a key modulatory role in intracellular Na(+) and Ca(2+) homeostasis and is intimately involved in regulation of excitation-contraction (EC) coupling. Genetic ablation of PLM results …

Synthesis Of Polyfunctionalized 1,2-Disubstituted Cyclopropene Compounds, Kate E. Higgins

Theses

The objective of this thesis project is to synthesize 1,2-disubstituted cyclopropene compounds from internal alkynes and diazoacetate compounds via (2÷1] cycloaddition reactions catalyzed by rhodium acetate (Rh2(OAc)4). To date, there is no known synthetic transformation to achieve this substitution pattern. 1,2-disubstituted cyclopropene compounds are versatile synthetic intermediates because their functionalization enables further synthetic manipulation. In this work, three cyclopropene compounds were synthesized using this methodology. Their syntheses are described herein.

Comparison Of Abundance Of Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi On Sun- And Shade-Grown Coffea Arabica Plants, August 2010, John A. Colantonio

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Large-scale coffee agriculture can have significantly detrimental effects on the environment. However, organic coffee production lowers these impacts and helps to conserve tropical diversity by reducing need for soil inputs. Natural, healthy soils contain beneficial vesicularmycorrhizal (VAM) fungi. These fungi help cycle nutrients, and support plant health and growth. Mycorrhizal mutualisms are abundant and effective in particular habitats, particularly those in which the fungi do not exhaust carbon resources for the plant. This study compares the abundance of VAM fungi vesicles on the roots of organic shade-grown coffee plants and those grown in the sun. Root samples were collected from …

Effect Of Color And Territoriality On Hummingbird Visitation To Feeders In Monteverde, Costa Rica, August 2010, Tiffany Reeves

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Many plants evolve to specialize in attracting hummingbirds by using color, timing, and flower shape. Depending on the quality and quantity of flowers some species of hummingbirds become very territorial and protective of the area. Using three different colors, I studied which color was preferred by the hummingbirds and if there was a preference in the position of the feeder. A common belief is that red is the most favored color of hummingbirds. Another factor observed was territoriality. Its effect on other hummers’ visitations and color preference was noted. The movement of feeders and territoriality was also studied. Only one …

Importance Of Flower Size And Yellow Coloration As Influencing Factors In The Reproductive Success Of Pleurothallis Sanchoi (Orchidaceae), August 2010, Elizabeth Ott

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Reproductive success can be linked to pollination success because pollination is needed for plants to reproduce and put out seeds. Factors that affect pollination success include color, nectar, scent, flower shape and size. Past research on Pleurothallis sanchoi has indicated that of the three color morphs, yellow, purple, and yellow with purple petals (YPP), yellow is the most attractive color. This study examines the importance of flower size and color in attracting pollinators in P. sanchoi. A total of 51 individuals were observed and the number of days required for pollinia removal was noted. The flowers were measured with a …

Inflorescence Size And Butterfly Visitation In Lantana Camara (Verbenaceae), August 2010, Calli Thompson

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Pollinators greatly influence the fitness of most tropical plants, and how effective plants are at attracting pollinators is key to their success. This investigation focuses on how inflorescence size of Lantana camara affects butterfly visitation. Naturally occurring inflorescence size was determined by counting how many flowers per inflorescence and how many inflorescences were in bloom per branch. The average number of flowers per inflorescence is 37 and the average number of inflorescences in bloom per branch is 2. To assess the impact of inflorescence size on butterfly visitation, five different sizes of L. camara inflorescences were created by bundling from …

Species Richness Of Epiphytic Vascular Plants Living On Catura And Híbrido Coffee Varieties In San Luís, Costa Rica, August 2010, Trevor Biggs

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Coffea arabica is a widespread crop, existing both in monocultures as a cultivated variety of tree and in mixed organic farms in numerous varieties. This study takes place on an organic farm where the varieties host diverse species of vascular epiphytes. This study compares the species richness of vascular epiphytes on trunks and stumps of the cultivated variety known locally as caturra and also several closely related traditional varieties collectively known locally as híbrido. Results show that exposure to sunlight was significantly more influential than the type of coffee variety in determining the average richness per tree. However, the caturra …

Menopause: A Qualitative Study Of Women’S Perceptions In Santa Elena And San Luis [Powerpoint], August 2010, Bernice Lopez, Kara Mcginnis, Lauren Gottfredson, Michaela Valenti, Nathalie Fish

Monteverde Institute: Culture, Community, and Health

A report how women in Santa Elena and San Luis, Costa Rica experience and view menopause.

¿Lo Que No Mata, Engorda?: An Exploratory Profile Of Elderly Nutrition In The Monteverde Region, August 2010

Monteverde Institute: Culture, Community, and Health

This research seeks to explore the nutritional profile of older generations living in and around Santa Elena and San Luis, Monteverde Region, Costa Rica as impacted by increased globalization. An additional goal of this study is to determine a baseline of factors that contribute to food selections among older generations. This research further seeks to understand generational changes in perceptions of food and to explore nutritional knowledge among older people in the region.

Age And Sex-Related Activity In White-Nosed Coatis (Nasua Narica), August 2010, Rachel Munro

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

The time allocation theory mentions that sociality increases an individual’s fitness because it cannot efficiently forage and watch for predators at the same time on its own, but if in a group vigilance can be shared and time to forage and participate in other activities can be increased, therefore increasing fitness (Caraco, 1979). White-nose coatis,Nasua narica, (Procyonidae) are diurnal and social mammals. Adult females and juveniles live together in bands whereas males are solitary and only join a band when mating. Because and individual cannot perform two activities at once, I studied how age and sex influence how coatis spend …

Comparison Of Nest Predation In Two Riparian Habitats, August 2010, Alexandra Kaye

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Clearing of riparian habitat in Monteverde, Costa Rica is prohibited up to 50 meters from the bank of the waterway. Unfortunately, this regulation is often disregarded, and forests bordering streams are cleared for a variety of purposes. Deforestation creates edge effects where there once was continuous forest, and it has been shown that rates of avian nest predation are higher on forest edges. In this study, I examined the proportions of eggs removed or damaged from artificial nests in four riparian habitats. Two of the chosen sites were forested, and two had been cleared for human use. The artificial nests …

Modeling Of Micro-Scale Touch Sensations For Use With Haptically Augmented Reality, Adam Woodrow Weissman

Theses

Possessing dexterity and sensory perceptions, the human hand is a versatile tool that can grasp, hold, and manipulate objects using various postures and forces interacting with the environment. Many industrial tasks are replacing human hands with anthropomorphic robotic hands. In skillful tasks such as micro surgical operations, a master-slave interface system of robotic hands is required to emulate a human hand's dexterity by using glove controllers with force sensors for telemanipulation. Although these interface techniques are widely applied for large scale robots, little has been accomplished for micro-scale robots due to the constraints and complexity imposed by miniaturization. To provide …

Event-Driven Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Protein Mixtures, Marek Cyran

Theses

The structure of liquids is central to their thermodynamic properties and is described in a probabilistic manner. The structure is a consequence of the forces between the molecules and may be investigated with the use of many techniques. One of these techniques is the use of computer simulation, and in particular the techniques are called Monte Carlo Statistical Thermodynamic simulation, and Molecular Dynamics. In this thesis we construct a program that is capable of carrying out Event-Driven Molecular Dynamics simulation of mixtures of particles that have stepwise constant pair potential energies. We have implemented our simulation for the case of …

Shape-Based Detection Of Cortex Variability For More Accurate Discrimination Between Autistic And Normal Brains., Matthew Joseph Nitzken 1987-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life, and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2009, about 1 in 110 American children will fall somewhere in the autistic spectrum. Although the cause of autism is still largely not clear, researchers have suggested that genetic, developmental, and environmental factors may be the cause or the predisposing effects towards developing autism. While …

The Temple Recommend: A Solution To The Free-Rider Problem, Austin Bowles

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Temple worship and geographical boundaries are unique features of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Our research uses economic theory to understand how the organizational benefits of the temple recommend system and the geographical ward boundaries may solve the market failures associated with religious organizations. These features of the LDS Church will be used to create a framework for understanding how the church limits free-riding and sub-optimal participation, which would result in increased efficiency and production of large religious benefits. Because the market failures faced by the church are the same as those faced by other …

Properties Of Microbes In Natural Fire Burn Soils, Holly Anderson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Soil underlying a natural fire develops a hydrophobic soil sub-layer. This hydrophobicity decreases with time although the mechanisms are unresolved, but are thought to be biotic and abiotic. Some of the compounds accounting for hydrophobicity are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of which pyrene is an example.

Bacteria that grew on pyrene were isolated from burned soils at two sites in Utah in order to analyze the biotic microbial degradation of the hydrophobic soil sub-layer. The two sites were Wood Camp (Logan, UT) and Milford Flats (Central UT). Identifications of the genera of nine isolated bacteria were made through l6S rRNA …

Biphasic Effects Of Ankaferd Blood Stopper On Renal Tubular Apoptosis In The Rat Partial Nephrectomy Model Representing Distinct Levels Of Hemorrhage, Emre Huri, Ibrahim C. Haznedaroglu, Turgay Akgul, Muzeyyen Astarci, Huseyin Ustun, Cankon Germiyanoulu

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS), on renal tubular apoptosis and on expressions of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and apoptosis protease-activating factor-1 (Apaf-1) in the ipsilateral kidney after an experimentally formed partial nephrectomy in a rat model. METHODS: The study was performed in 2009 at the Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Animal Laboratory Center, Ankara, Turkey. We divided 24 Wistar rats into the following 4 groups. Group I (GI) - partial nephrectomy (PN) with hilar control as the conventional technique, Group II (GII)-the conventional technique with ABS, Group III (GIII) …

Morphological And Morphometric Study Of Cultured Fibroblast From Treated And Untreated Abnormal Scar, Soad S. Ali, Nahid H. Hajrah, Nasra N. Ayuob, Sabah S. Moshref, Osama A. Abuzinadah

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the morphology of cultured fibroblasts derived from abnormal scars and compare it to those of human normal skin. METHODS: This study was carried out in the Surgical Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between December 2008 and March 2010. Fifty-two samples of hypertrophic and keloid scar were collected. An in vitro study was conducted in which fibroblasts from normal foreskin; abnormal scars were cultured, studied morphologically and morphometrically. RESULTS: There was a highly significant increase in the length and breadth of fibroblasts from the hypertrophic and keloid scars, and highly significant …

Algal Community Structure In Water Bodies Of Mississippi: The Role Of Environmental Factors In Its Spatial And Temporal Dynamics, Nestor Raul Anzola

Dissertations

A meta-analysis was done on studies that included six major taxa groups: Cyanobacteria, Chlorophyta, Chrysophyta (primarily diatoms), Euglenophyta, Pyrrophyta, and Rhodophyta and six aquatic habitats of Mississippi to determine the abundance and richness of the algal community and to identify relevant environmental drivers of algal assemblage composition. Twenty algae data sets on small order streams, large streams and rivers, lakes and reservoirs, fish production ponds, brackish water, and marine water were analyzed. Chlorophyta was dominant in lakes and reservoirs and was the most diverse taxa in the phytoplankton of small order streams and large streams and rivers. Cyanobacteria were the …

Implications Of Napping Into And Beyond Kindergarten On Sleep, Diet, And The Awakening Cortisol Response, Alyssa Anne Cairns

Dissertations

This study is an examination of sleep distribution, dietary intake, and endocrine function of caregiver-reported Nap and Non-Nap Groups of children before and after they transition to an all-day kindergarten where napping is reduced or eliminated. Measures were assessed the summer prior to kindergarten, within two weeks, and after a month of the transition to kindergarten. The study revealed that the transition to kindergarten was associated with changes in sleep and dietary intake. Endocrine function remained stable as children transitioned to kindergarten. On average, Nap and Non-Nap Groups equally lost total sleep time as they transitioned to kindergarten. However, the …

Bullying And Gender: The Social/Emotional, Psychological, And Physical Effects On Middle School Students In South Mississippi, Cassundra Peyton-Brown

Dissertations

Bullying is a great concern in schools today. When bullying occurs, it hinders school success and academic performance. During the late 1980s and 1990s, school violence was prevalent in middle school characterized by events such as the Columbine shooting. This forced both students and school personnel to deal with school shootings, gang activities and other violent acts. According to subsequent investigations, some of these incidents occurred because students were bullied and teased. This supports the maxim that students can only be successful academically in a safe and orderly environment.

The first interest of this study was to assess the effects …

Criterion-Referenced Assessment Literacy Of Educators, James David King

Dissertations

This study investigated the assessment literacy of educators in regard to criterion-referenced tests. For the purpose of this study, administrators included principals and assistant principals within a school. First, the study determined the degree of training in measurement, assessment, and statistics that educators have received. Second, the study investigated the assessment knowledge of educators based on their performance on the Criterion-Referenced Questionnaire. Third, the study investigated if years experience, type of certification, or highest degree held had a significant difference on their performance on the Criterion-Referenced Questionnaire. Fourth, the study investigated educators’ attitudes toward the use of measurement, assessment, and …