Digital Commons Network^™

Missouri Charter Schools And Educational Reform, Phillip James Guy

Dissertations

In 1998, Missouri‟s two largest school districts, St. Louis and Kansas City, had become, in the eyes of many, completely dysfunctional. In court-ordered attempts to end desegregation and improve academically, each district built costly and extravagant magnet schools; however, low test scores and high dropout rates continued. These problems, and others, would cause both districts to lose their state accreditations in the next ten years. In an effort to put the focus back on student learning and force these districts to improve, Missouri lawmakers passed Senate Bill 781. This bill allowed charter schools to open and operate within the Kansas …

Late Pleistocene Paleohydrography And Diatom Paleoecology Of The Central Basin Of Lake Malawi, Africa, Jeffery R. Stone, Karlyn S. Westover, Andrew S. Cohen

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Analysis of sedimentary diatom assemblages (10 to 144 ka) form the basis for a detailed reconstruction of the paleohy­drography and diatom paleoecology of Lake Malawi. Lake-level fluctuations on the order of hundreds of meters were in­ferred from dramatic changes in the fossil and sedimentary archives. Many of the fossil diatom assemblages we observed have no analog in modern Lake Malawi. Cyclotelloid diatom species are a major component of fossil assemblages prior to 35 ka, but are not found in significant abundances in the modern diatom communities in Lake Malawi. Salinity- and alkalin­ity-tolerant plankton has not been reported in the modern …

“Instead Of Growing Under Her Heart, I Grew In It”: The Relationship Between Adoption Entrance Narratives And Adoptees’ Self-Concept, Haley Kranstruber, Jody Koenig Kellas

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Adoptees are partially or entirely disconnected from those involved in their birth stories, so adoptive families create adoption entrance narratives to fill that void. Scholars assert that these narratives impact adopted child well-being later in life, but that assumption has yet to be empirically tested. The goal of this study was to examine themes emerging from adoption entrance narratives (n = 105), and to then determine the impact of story content on adoptees’ self-concept. Seven themes emerged: openness, deception, chosen child, fate, difference, rescue, and reconnection. Results indicate the salience of the chosen child, negative reconnection, and difference themes …

Genomic And Resistance Gene Homolog Diversity Of The Dominant Tallgrass Prairie Species Across The U.S. Great Plains Precipitation Gradient, Matthew N. Rouse, Amgad A. Saleh, Amadou Seck, Kathleen H. Keeler, Steven E. Travers, Scot H. Hulbert, Karen A. Garrett

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Environmental variables such as moisture availability are often important in determining species prevalence and intraspecific diversity. The population genetic structure of dominant plant species in response to a cline of these variables has rarely been addressed. We evaluated the spatial genetic structure and diversity of Andropogon gerardii populations across the U.S. Great Plains precipitation gradient, ranging from approximately 48 cm/year to 105 cm/year.

Methodology/Principal Findings: Genomic diversity was evaluated with AFLP markers and diversity of a disease resistance gene homolog was evaluated by PCR-amplification and digestion with restriction enzymes. We determined the degree of spatial genetic structure …

Identification And Characterization Of The Contact Zone Between Short-Tailed Shrews (Blarina) In Iowa And Missouri, Cody W. Thompson, R. S. Pfau, Jerry R. Choate, Hugh H. Genoways, Elmer J. Finck

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Short-tailed shrews (genus Blarina Gray, 1838) are characterized by divergent karyotypes and are genetically distinct. Blarina species are similar morphologically but, in most cases, can be distinguished morphometrically. Blarina distributions tend to be parapatric along well-defined contact zones; however, it has been suggested that the northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda (Say, 1823)) and Elliot’s short-tailed shrew (Blarina hylophaga Elliot, 1899) occur sympatrically in Iowa and Missouri. To evaluate this possibility, 179 specimens were collected in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri. Karyotypes and total length were used for field identification, and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was used …

N5-Phosphonoacetyl-L-Ornithine (Palo): A Convenient Synthesis And Investigation Of Influence On Regulation Of Amino Acid Biosynthetic Genes In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Brad Johnson, Rachel Steadman, Krista D. Patefield, Jeffrey J. Bunker, Audrey L. Atkin, Patrick Dussault

Patrick Dussault Publications

A scalable four-step synthesis of the ornithine transcarbamylase inhibitor N⁵-phosphonoacetyl-L-ornithine (PALO) is achieved through boroxazolidinone protection of ornithine. Investigations in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae found that, in contrast to a previous report, PALO did not influence growth rate or expression of genes involved in arginine metabolism.

Registration Considerations For Chemical Bird Repellents In Fruit Crops, John D. Eisemann, Scott J. Werner, Jeanette R. O’Hare

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird damage has plagued orchardists since the earliest times of cultivation. In a matter of minutes, a flock of birds can literally strip a tree of all harvestable fruit or render hanging fruit unmarketable. While this level of damage is rare, significant economic impact can occur to those orchards where birds select to forage. Crop protection techniques available to orchardists are primarily limited to hazing (scarecrows, propane cannons, flagging) and physical exclusion (netting). Given the propensity of birds to habituate to hazing techniques, hazing methods offer limited protection for crops. Although exclusion devices may offer the best protection from birds, …

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: Implementation Of Electric Fencing For Establishing Effective Livestock-Protection Dogs, Thomas M. Gehring, K. C. Vercauteren, Anna C. Cellar

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

To be effective, livestock protection dogs (LPDs) must be carefully integrated with the livestock they will be protecting. Others have developed guidelines to assist producers in this training and assimilation process. In many areas fencing is necessary; however, guidelines for containing LPDs and their livestock behind electric fencing are lacking. We present results from larger projects involving LPDs where we encountered issues with fencing and preventing LPDs from roaming from their owner’s property. We found that ranging and escaping from pastures was exhibited by LPDs that were not properly introduced and trained to electric fencing at an early age. LPDs …

Rna Secondary Structure Prediction Tool, Meenakshee Mali

Master's Projects

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is one of the major macromolecules essential to all forms of life. Apart from the important role played in protein synthesis, it performs several important functions such as gene regulation, catalyst of biochemical reactions and modification of other RNAs. In some viruses, instead of DNA, RNA serves as the carrier of genetic information. RNA is an interesting subject of research in the scientific community. It has lead to important biological discoveries. One of the major problems researchers are trying to solve is the RNA structure prediction problem. It has been found that the structure of RNA is …

Similarity Tests For Metamorphic Virus Detection, Mahim Patel

Master's Projects

A metamorphic computer virus generates copies of itself using code morphing techniques. A new virus has the same functionality as the parent but it has a different internal structure. The goal of the metamorphic virus writer is to produce viral copies that have no common signature. If the viral copies are sufficiently different, they can evade signature detection, which is the most widely-used anti-virus technique.
In previous research, hidden Markov models (HMMs) have been used to detect some metamorphic viruses. However, recent research has shown that it is possible for carefully designed metamorphic viruses to evade HMM-based detection.
In this …

Improving Molecular Fingerprint Similarity Via Enhanced Folding, Victor Chen

Master's Projects

Drug discovery depends on scientists finding similarity in molecular fingerprints to the drug target. A new way to improve the accuracy of molecular fingerprint folding is presented. The goal is to alleviate a growing challenge due to excessively long fingerprints. This improved method generates a new shorter fingerprint that is more accurate than the basic folded fingerprint. Information gathered during preprocessing is used to determine an optimal attribute order. The most commonly used blocks of bits can then be organized and used to generate a new improved fingerprint for more optimal folding. We thenapply the widely usedTanimoto similarity search algorithm …

Preliminary Analysis Of An Agent-Based Model For A Tick-Borne Disease, Holly Gaff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ticks have a unique life history including a distinct set of life stages and a single blood meal per life stage. This makes tick-host interactions more complex from a mathematical perspective. In addition, any model of these interactions must involve a significant degree of stochasticity on the individual tick level. In an attempt to quantify these relationships, I have developed an individual-based model of the interactions between ticks and their hosts as well as the transmission of tick-borne disease between the two populations. The results from this model are compared with those from previously published differential equation based population models. …

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Anxiety Disorders In Youth, Laura D. Seligman, Thomas H. Ollendick

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) have been shown to be efficacious for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Randomized clinical trials indicate that approximately two-thirds of children treated with CBT will be free of their primary diagnosis at posttreatment. Although several CBT treatment packages have been investigated in youth with diverse anxiety disorders, common core components have been identified. A comprehensive assessment, development of a good therapeutic relationship and working alliance, cognitive restructuring, repeated exposure with reduction of avoidance behavior, and skills training comprise the core procedures for the treatment of anxiety disorders in youth.

'Til Death Do Us File Joint Income Tax Returns (Unless We're Gay), Daniel Milstein

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The note examines the legal and constitutional challenges posed by the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in relation to same-sex marriage, arguing that DOMA unconstitutionally infringes on state authority and denies equal protection to same-sex couples. It highlights how DOMA's definition of marriage as between a man and a woman conflicts with evolving state laws recognizing same-sex unions and the federal government's traditional deference to state marriage determinations. The analysis centers on key court rulings, including Massachusetts v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Merrill v. Commissioner, which address DOMA's validity and its implications for federal tax …

Arden 2011, Deena Brabant

The Arden

An amalgamation of creative student works. Items contained include, but are not limited to, art, photography, short stories, prose, poetry, and other avenues of creative composition.

Blended Biogeography-Based Optimization For Constrained Optimization, Haiping Ma, Daniel J. Simon

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Biogeography-based optimization (BBO) is a new evolutionary optimization method that is based on the science of biogeography. We propose two extensions to BBO. First, we propose a blended migration operator. Benchmark results show that blended BBO outperforms standard BBO. Second, we employ blended BBO to solve constrained optimization problems. Constraints are handled by modifying the BBO immigration and emigration procedures. The approach that we use does not require any additional tuning parameters beyond those that are required for unconstrained problems. The constrained blended BBO algorithm is compared with solutions based on a stud genetic algorithm (SGA) and standard particle swarm …

Macro-Risks: The Challenge For Rational Risk Regulation, Michael P. Vandenbergh, Jonathan A. Gilligan

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Drawing on the recent financial crisis, we introduce the concept of macro-risk. We distinguish between micro-risks, which can be managed within conventional economic frameworks, and macro-risks, which threaten to disrupt economic systems so much that a different approach is required. We argue that catastrophic climate change is a prime example of a macro-risk. Research by climate scientists suggests disturbingly high likelihoods of temperature increases and sea level rises that could cause the kinds of systemic failures that almost occurred with the financial system. We suggest that macro-risks should be the principal concern of rational risk assessment and management, but they …

The Persistent Cultural Script Of Judicial Dispassion, Terry A. Maroney

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

In contemporary Western jurisprudence it is never appropriate for emotion - anger, love, hatred, sadness, disgust, fear, joy - to affect judicial decision-making. A good judge should feel no emotion; if she does, she puts it aside. To call a judge emotional is a stinging insult, signifying a failure of discipline, impartiality, and reason. Insistence on judicial dispassion is a cultural script of unusual longevity and potency. But not only is the script wrong as a matter of human nature - emotion does not, in fact, invariably tend toward sloppiness, bias, and irrationality - but it is not quite so …

Light Sensor Platform Based On The Integration Of Bacteriorhodopsin With A Single Electron Transistor, Karl A. Walczak, Paul L. Bergstrom, Craig Richard Freidrich

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

This paper reports on the integration of an optical protein with single electron transistors to form a nano-bio-hybrid device for sensing. Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is an optoelectric protein that translocates a proton across a distance of several nanometers in response to an absorbed photon of incident light. This charge gradient results in a measurable voltage in the dried state. Single electron transistors (SETs) have active regions consisting of one or more quantum islands with a size typically 10 nanometers or less. Integrating bacteriorhodopsin with the gate of a SET provides a device capable of a modulated electrical output in response to …

The Divine Nature And Destiny Of Women, Glenn L. Pace

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Becoming Master Teachers, Joseph Fielding Mcconkie, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Vol. 12 No. 1 Religious Educator, Religious Educator

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

No Place For Children: Addressing Urban Blight And Its Impact On Children Through Child Protection Law, Domestic Relations Law, And "Adult-Only" Residential Zoning, James G. Dwyer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Heat Expands All Things: The Proliferation Of Greenhouse Gas Regulation Under The Obama Administration, Jonathan H. Adler

Faculty Publications

Although Congress did not put climate change legislation on President Obama’s desk, the Obama Administration still moved ahead with various regulatory measures to control GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions. Using authority under the Clean Air Act and other existing environmental statutes, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies have been expanding existing regulatory programs to cover GHG emissions and address climate change concerns. Several measures are already in place and others are in the regulatory pipeline, although citizen suit litigation could produce still more.

The extension of federal regulatory authority to control GHG emissions under existing statutory frameworks is a …

Ethics Brewed In An African Pot, Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

Doing ethics in African Christianity raises the challenge of over-generalization in the midst of diversity and variety. This essay surveys the wide ethical landscape of Africa, explores key ethical issues on the continent within the context of the world church, and proposes priorities for action in view of a global ethical partnership.

Study On Safety Of Benjakul Recipies Extract Tablets In Normal Volunteers., Punyanut Amorndoljai, Somboon Kietinun, Nuntiya Somparn

Asian Medical Journal and Alternative Medicine

Benjakul, a Thai Traditional medicine recipe, is composed of five herbs: Piper chaba fruit, Piper sarmentosum root, Peper interruptum stem, Plumbago indica root and Zingiber officinale rhizome. It is a balance body recipe in theory of Thai Traditional Medicine. From selective interviews of folk doctors in Southern Thailand, it was found that Benjakul was used as the adatogen drug for cancer patients. This research design was a clinical trial open label study, which was approved by ethical review committee Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University.

The main objectives of research were to study on safety of Benjakul recipies extract tablets in …

The Story Of The National Basketball Association V. Motorola, William Nesnidal

DePaul Journal of Sports Law

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Animal Facility Construction On Basal Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal And Renin-Aldosterone Activity In The Rat, Hershel Raff, Eric D. Bruder, William E. Cullinan, Dana R. Ziegler, Eric P. Cohen

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Nearby construction can cause subtle, but important activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in laboratory rats.

Although loud noise and intense vibration are known to alter the behavior and phenotype of laboratory animals, little is known about the effects of nearby construction. We studied the effect of a nearby construction project on the classic stress hormones ACTH, corticosterone, renin, and aldosterone in rats residing in a barrier animal facility before, for the first 3 months of a construction project, and at 1 month after all construction was completed. During some of the construction, noise and vibrations were not obvious to investigators …

When Myriad Genetics Prohibited A Myriad Of Options: Association For Molecular Pathology V. Uspto, Lamis G. Eli

DePaul Journal of Art, Technology & Intellectual Property Law

No abstract provided.

Balancing Expectations Of Online Privacy: Why Internet Protocol (Ip) Addresses Should Be Protected As Personally Identifiable Information, Joshua J. Mcintyre

DePaul Law Review

No abstract provided.