Digital Commons Network^™

A Framework For Developing And Integrating Effective Routing Strategies Within The Emergency Decision Support System, Joseph W. Yu

Master's Theses

In recent years transportation professionals have shown increasing interest in evacuation planning. With the advances in computing technologies it is possible to simulate urban transportation networks with great detail. These details from the traffic simulation model can be used for devising strategies for evacuation and emergency response in case of a disaster.

This thesis describes the modeling, calibration, and validation of the VISSIM traffic simulation model coded for downtown San Jose. The network is then used to test various evacuation scenarios to assess evacuation strategies that would be effective in case of a human-caused disaster.

The network modeled in the …

Digitally-Controlled Deep Brain Stimulation Lead Implant System, Matthew Joseph Phillips

Master's Theses

Deep brain stimulation, the treatment of disorders by applying electrical stimulation to brain tissue, is a relatively new field of medicine with great potential to provide cures for neurological disorders. It utilizes a system very similar to a cardiac pacemaker and lead to electrically stimulate brain tissue. This electrical stimulation is programmed to disrupt or mask aberrant brain signals while not impeding the normal function of the brain. The advances in implantable pulse generators designed for deep brain stimulation have been remarkable, and the applications for deep brain stimulation continue to grow including multiple sclerosis (Berk, et al. 2002), severe …

Ecology Of Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) In Shelterbelts Of Southeastern Nebraska, Matthew W. Yans

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Shelterbelts in the agricultural landscape provide valuable habitat to a variety of animals that in turn may be hosts to ixodid ticks. The purpose of this study is to determine if shelterbelt associated factors influence tick ecology. In 2010 and 2011, ticks were collected from several shelterbelts in southeast Nebraska in Lancaster and Saunders counties. Four tick species were identified.

Adjacent land use, shelterbelt composition, and time of day were all factors which did not influence the number of questing ticks collected. Differences in relation to aspect and distance from the shelterbelt were significant. The east side had continually higher …

Movement Ecology Of An Intercontinental Migratory Bird During Spring Stopover, Emily Beth Cohen

Dissertations

Movement ecology is a component of nearly all aspects of animal behavior and an animal’s decision to move is likely influenced by a complex combination of exogenous and endogenous factors. Therefore, an examination of the causes and consequences of organismal movement provides a conceptual framework for understanding complex behavioral strategies. My dissertation research is focused on the movement ecology of an intercontinental migratory songbird during spring migration. I adopted experimental approaches to study the factors influencing how a songbird migrant, red-eyed vireos (Vireo olivaceus), makes decisions in unfamiliar landscapes from the initiation of spring stopover.

I simulated the …

Norms And Survival In The Heat Of War: Normative Versus Instrumental Rationalities And Survival Tactics In The Blockade Of Leningrad, Jeffrey K. Hass

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

When war challenges civilian survival, what shapes the balance between normative and instrumental rationalities in survival practices? Increasing desperation and uncertainty can lead civilians to focus on their own material interests and to violate norms in the name of survival or gain—to the detriment of the war effort and of other civilians. Do norms, boundaries against transgressions, and considerations of collective interests and identities persist, and, if so, through what mechanisms? Using diaries and recollections from the 872-day Blockade of Leningrad (1941–1944)—an extreme case of wartime desperation—this article examines how three forms of cultural embeddedness shape variation in the strength …

Financing The Real Sector For Sustainable Economic Growth In Nigeria: Performance, Challenges And Prospects, O. B. Obembe

Economic and Financial Review

This paper examines some of the challenges constraining the financial sector in stimulating sustainable growth in Nigeria. It observes that for a successful real sector financing in Nigeria, a culture of accountability and transparency in the conduct of our national affairs must be taken seriously. The quality of governance must also be improved, to ensure that the legal framework for economic activities is well strengthened, such that the protection of creditors‘ rights may not be jeopardised.

The Millennium Development Goals: What Role For The Financial Sector In Nigeria., J. Aremu

Economic and Financial Review

Explanations from this paper revealed that financial sector development can make an important contribution to economic growth and poverty reduction. This is especially likely to be true in Nigeria, whose financial sectors is still developing, and without which economic development of the country as well as achievement of the MDGs may be constrained, even if other necessary conditions are met. It was discovered that the poor in the country, who are the target for the achievement of the MDGs often do not have access to ongoing, formal financial services, and are forced to rely instead on a narrow range of …

Tennessee Forestry Commission Annual Report 2011, Tennessee. Department Of Agriculture.

Forestry Commission Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Toward A Constructive Engagement: Agricultural Biotechnology As A Public Health Incentive In Less-Developed Countries, Chidi Oguamanam

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Discourses on global public health crises, especially as they impact the less-developed world, focus mostly on the issue of access to life-saving drugs for needy populations. Also, they implicate the misalignment of global pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) agenda with the health needs of the poor. Equally attracting significant attention is the role of intellectual property in driving up the cost of drugs and exacerbating the drug access freeze to needy populations. More often, the conceptual strings of these discussions are woven around a complex interaction of themes, including those of globalization, the development narrative, and strategic changes in international …

Legitimate Exercises Of The Police Power Or Compensable Takings: Courts May Recognize Private Property Rights, Terence J. Centner

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Under their police power, governments regulate nuisances and take actions in emergency situations. For protecting humans, animals, and plants from diseases and other pests (jointly referred to as diseases), governments order inoculations, quarantine items and people, and seize and destroy property.' With respect to plants and animals, the United States Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to prohibit the importation and movement of items than may be infested. The Secretary also has the authority to hold, treat, and destroy items to prevent the dissemination of plant and animal pests. State governments take additional actions to prevent the introduction and dissemination of …

Current And Emerging Issues In The New Urban Agriculture: A Case Study, Kathryn A. Peters

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Urban agriculture takes many forms, including individual gardens on privately owned land, neighborhood gardens, community gardens, and gardens located on church and school grounds, housing developments, and other publicly owned property. The most essential factors for successful urban agriculture efforts include land acquisition, zoning ordinances, access to affordable water, infrastructure, and support services such as education and outreach. Cities across the United States have formed task forces with the mission of making their cities more sustainable or strengthening the local food supply system; urban agriculture is instrumental in both of these missions. Major cities across the United States are recognizing …

The Tragedy Of The Horse, American Icon, Tim Opitz

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Whether a prohibition on slaughter improves the welfare of the American horse population is the focus of this article. At the time it was written, winter of 2010-2011, a confluence of Federal and State legislative action had ended domestic slaughter. These actions are detailed in the body of this article. Since 2007, the legal status of horse slaughter remained static. Just as Sir Isaac Newton's first law of motion explained, an object at rest tends to stay at rest. Legislative inertia is the perspective from which this article was originally written. However, Newton's first law also stated that the object …

Journal Of Food Law & Policy - Fall 2011, Journal Editors

Journal of Food Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Multiple Paths To Encephalization And Technical Civilizations, David Schwartzman, George Middendorf

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

We propose consideration of at least two possible evolutionary paths for the emergence of intelligent life with the potential for technical civilization. The first is the path via encephalization of homeothermic animals; the second is the path to swarm intelligence of so-called superorganisms, in particular the social insects. The path to each appears to be facilitated by environmental change: homeothermic animals by decreased climatic temperature and for swarm intelligence by increased oxygen levels.

The Ins And Outs Of Prostitution: A Moral Analysis, Kathryn Alice Zawisza

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prostitution is illegal in almost all parts of the United States. Regardless of whether one considers this to be positive or negative, prostitution is still a booming business and thrives despite the legal ramifications of the practice. The pervasiveness of prostitution despite its prohibition may lead one to question the point of the legislation if enforcement is so costly and ineffective. Is prostitution illegal because it harms the well being of society as a whole and the prostitute in particular? Or perhaps it is simply distasteful or worse, immoral and must be forbidden by the law. This, however, leads to …

The Lived Experiences Of Families Who Have Attended A Cardiogenetics Clinic, Esma D. Paljevic

Education Doctoral

This study explored the lived experiences of the family members who have participated in a Cardiogenetics Clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, which utilizes an interprofessional approach to care. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experience of the families. Families that are referred to the clinic have suffered the loss of a family member to sudden cardiac death (SCD). This interprofessional model of care offers information regarding SCD, a genetic profile to determine risk for SCD, an integrative collaborative approach to care as well as nursing, medical interventions, psychological support, and counseling. The theory of …

Identifying Polyglutamine Protein Species In Situ That Best Predict Neurodegeneration, Jason Miller, Montserrat Arrasate, Elizabeth Brooks, Clare Peter Libeu, Justin Legleiter, Danny Hatters, Jessica Curtis, Kenneth Cheung, Preethi Krishnan, Siddhartha Mitra, Kartika Widjaja, Benjamin A. Shaby, Gregor P. Lotz, Yvonne Newhouse, Emily M. Sontag, Alex Osmand, Michelle Gray, Vanitha Thulasiramin, Frederic Saudou, Mark Segal, X William Yang, Eliezer Masliah, Leslie M. Thompson, Paul J. Muchowski, Karl H. Weisgraber, Steven Finkbeiner

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Polyglutamine (polyQ) stretches exceeding a threshold length confer a toxic function to proteins that contain them and cause at least nine neurological disorders. The basis for this toxicity threshold is unclear. Although polyQ expansions render proteins prone to aggregate into inclusion bodies, this may be a neuronal coping response to more toxic forms of polyQ. The exact structure of these more toxic forms is unknown. Here we show that the monoclonal antibody 3B5H10 recognizes a species of polyQ protein in situ that strongly predicts neuronal death. The epitope selectively appears among some of the many low-molecular-weight conformational states assumed by …

The Millenium Development Goals: What Roles For The Financial Sector In Nigeria, Jonathan A. Aremu

Economic and Financial Review

The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to redefine the role of the Nigerian financial sector towards meeting the MDGs by 2015. The paper is, thus, structured into four parts. Part I, briefly analyses the targets of the MDGs and the situation in Nigeria. In part II, an attempt is made to examine the various areas where the financial sector can offer helping hands in the implementation of the MDGs targets in Nigerian economy. While Part III examines the reasons why financial services in Nigeria are not within the reach of the MDGs target group (the poor), Part IV addresses …

Financing The Real Sector For Sustainable Economic Growth In Nigeria: Performance, Challenges And Prospects., O. B. Obembe

Economic and Financial Review

This paper examined some of the challenges constraining the financial sector in stimulating sustainable growth in Nigeria. The challenges highlighted in this work includes: poor property right protection; poor corporate governance system; lack of competitiveness of the real sector; lack of competition in the economy; poor entrepreneurship development and lack of development of rating agencies in Nigeria. It observed that for a successful real sector financing in Nigeria, a culture of accountability and transparency in the conduct of our national affairs must be taken seriously. The quality of governance must also be improved, to ensure that the legal framework for …

Quantitative Comparison Of Cis-Regulatory Element (Cre) Activities In Transgenic Drosophila Melanogaster, William A. Rogers, Thomas M. Williams

Biology Faculty Publications

Gene expression patterns are specified by cis-regulatory element (CRE) sequences, which are also called enhancers or cis-regulatory modules. A typical CRE possesses an arrangement of binding sites for several transcription factor proteins that confer a regulatory logic specifying when, where, and at what level the regulated gene(s) is expressed. The full set of CREs within an animal genome encodes the organism′s program for development¹, and empirical as well as theoretical studies indicate that mutations in CREs played a prominent role in morphological evolution^2-4. Moreover, human genome wide association studies indicate that genetic variation in CREs …

Dividing Stereotyping And Religion: The Legal Implications Of The Ambiguous References To Voodoo In U.S. Court Proceedings., Danielle N. Boaz

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

In human rights law, freedom of religion generally possesses three main components: the right to freedom of thought and conscience, freedom to manifest religion or beliefs, and freedom to profess, disseminate, or share religion or beliefs. The latter two are typically subject to restrictions such as public safety, health, morals, and the rights and freedoms of others. They are also the two most often litigated components. For centuries, colonizers deprived practitioners of their freedom of religion in the Americas – specifically African-based traditions, such as Voodoo. Stereotypes about Voodoo, which stem from early colonizer observance and belief that Haitians were …

Density, Shell Use And Species Composition Of Juvenile Fiddler Crabs (Uca Spp.) At Low And High Impact Salt Marshes On Georgia Barrier Islands, Michelle D. Carlson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Coastal wetlands offer refuge for juveniles of many species, with protection often coming in the form of dense vegetation. Human impacts have led to a 67% loss of coastal wetlands worldwide in the past 300 years, thus decreasing available refuges. There are no studies that show what affect this has on fiddler crabs (Uca spp.), a key species in salt marsh habitats. The present study looks at how human impacts are affecting juvenile fiddler crab densities, shell use, and species compositions. This study was conducted at 3 low and 3 high impact sites on Tybee and Skidaway Island, Georgia. Six …

Investigations Of The Tribological Effects Of Engine Oil Dilution By Vegetable And Animal Fat Feedstock Biodiesel On Selected Surfaces, Sultana Mahbuba Shanta

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Biodiesels have become attractive alternative fuel to replace traditional fossil fuels. Biodiesels can be used in diesel engines with no major modification, but its use leads to some degree of engine oil dilution because of biodiesel leaking and scrapping to engine oil pan. Biodiesels can be made from vegetable and animal fat feedstocks. Therefore, the fatty acid methyl ester components of biodiesel may vary upon these sources of feedstock. In this thesis work, engine oil is diluted with vegetable (canola oil, peanut oil and soybean oil biodiesel) and animal (chicken fat) feedstock biodiesels at known percentages and these mixtures are …

Age-Associated Periodontal Bone Loss In Normal And Tlr2- Or Myd88-Deficient Mice., Paul A. Ciero 1986-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Age-related alterations in innate immunity are poorly understood. The identification of those mechanisms, which are dysfunctional in old age, will shed light on potential therapeutic strategies for chronic inflammatory diseases prevalent in the elderly, such as periodontitis. Mice naturally develop chronic periodontitis as a function of age, which is characterized by periodontal bone loss. TLR2, a pattern-recognition receptor of leukocytes which mediates inflammatory responses in the periodontium, was expressed at higher levels in the gingivae of old mice (>18 months) compared with young mice (8 to 10 weeks). MyD88 is a signaling adaptor protein for TLR2 and other TLRs. …

Widespread Regulation Of Mirna Biogenesis At The Dicer Step By The Cold-Inducible Rna-Binding Protein, Rbm3, Julie Pilotte, Esther E. Dupont-Versteegden, Peter W. Vanderklish

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in diverse cellular events through their effects on translation. Emerging data suggest that modulation of miRNA biogenesis at post-transcriptional steps by RNA-binding proteins is a key point of regulatory control over the expression of some miRNAs and the cellular processes they influence. However, the extent and conditions under which the miRNA pathway is amenable to regulation at posttranscriptional steps are poorly understood. Here we show that RBM3, a cold-inducible, developmentally regulated RNA-binding protein and putative protooncogene, is an essential regulator of miRNA biogenesis. Utilizing miRNA array, Northern blot, and PCR methods, we observed that over …

The Dynamics Of Stage Structured Prey-Predator Model Involving Parasitic Infectious Disease, Raid K. Naji, Dina S. Al-Jaf

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper a prey-predator model involving parasitic infectious disease is proposed and analyzed. It is assumed that the life cycle of predator species is divided into two stages immature and mature. The analysis of local and global stability of all possible subsystems is carried out. The dynamical behaviors of the model system around biologically feasible equilibria are studied. The global dynamics of the model are investigated with the help of Suitable Lyapunov functions. Conditions for which the model persists are established. Finally, to nationalize our analytical results, numerical simulations are worked out for a hypothetical set of parameter values.

Mechanisms Of Brain Edema Formation In Mouse Models Of Intracerebral Hemorrhage, Qingyi Ma

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Perihematomal edema causes major neurologic deterioration following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), mainly resulting from the disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by multiple mediators, including inflammatory mediators and thrombin. The objective of our study was to investigate the mechanisms by which inflammation and thrombin respectively lead to the formation of brain edema following ICH. Our long-term goal is to develop new therapeutic strategies against ICH-induced brain edema by targeting: (1) VAP-1 mediated inflammatory response and (2) PDGFR-α orchestrated BBB impairment. Vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) was previously shown to promote leukocyte adhesion and transmigration. Additionally, PDGFR-α was also found to play a …

Age, Stratigraphy And Depositional Environment Of The Pliocene Copper Canyon Formation, Death Valley, California, Torrey Nyborg

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Copper Canyon Formation, a fluvial-lacustrine deposit exposed within the Black Mountains of Death Valley National Park, has only previously been broadly included in regional tectonic and depositional analyses. The formation is significant because it preserves numerous shoreline-playa features including highly abundant and diverse mammal and bird tracks. The formation represents a basin fill sequence consisting of approximately 1800 m of conglomerates, basalt flows, and lacustrine deposits. A measured type section along with x-ray diffraction, isotopic analysis, and thin section petrography shows an evolution of the ancient Copper Canyon lake from an hypersaline evaporative lake to a perennial saline lake …

Role Of Vima In Cell Surface Biogenesis In Porphyromonas Gingivalis, Devon Osbourne Jr.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Porphyromonas gingivalis is an important etiological agent of periodontal disease - a disease that affects an estimated 49,000,000 people in the United States of America. Periodontal disease includes gingivitis – inflammation of the gums, and periodontitis – destruction of the teeth and their supporting tissues. Porphyromonas gingivalis is associated with the chronic form of periodontal disease in addition to several systemic diseases.

The vimA gene of P. gingivalis has been previously shown to play a significant role in the biogenesis of gingipains (trypsin-like cysteine proteases). The vimA has also been demonstrated to play a role in hemolysis, hemagglutination, autoaggregation, posttranslational …

Chronic Hypoxia Induces Epigenetic Modifications In The Fetal Rat Heart, Andrew James Grant Patterson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. As a result of studies done by Barker and associates, our awareness of the significance of stress during gestation as a risk factor for heart diseases has expanded. We now know that events in utero can significantly alter gene expression patterns in heart tissue leading to increase susceptibility to ischemia reperfusion injury in adulthood. The focus of this project was to elucidate the role of chronic hypoxia in the programming of the cardio-protective gene, Protein Kinase C epsilon (PKCε) in fetal rat heart. We used an animal, organ base, and cell …