Digital Commons Network^™

Liquid Dielectric Spectroscopy And Protein Simulation, Brett Lee Mellor

Theses and Dissertations

Protein electrical properties have been studied using dielectric relaxation measurements throughout the past century. These measurements have advanced both the theory and practice of liquid dielectric spectroscopy and have contributed to understanding of protein structure and function. In this dissertation, the relationship between permittivity measurements and underlying molecular mechanisms is explored. Also presented is a method to take molecular structures from the Protein Data Bank and subsequently estimate the charge distribution and dielectric relaxation properties of the proteins in solution. This process enables screening of target compounds for analysis by dielectric spectroscopy as well as better interpretation of protein relaxation …

Three Dimensional Characterization Of Vocal Fold Fluid Structure Interactions, Joseph R. Nielson

Theses and Dissertations

Voice quality is strongly linked to quality of life; those who suffer from voice disorders are adversely affected in their social, family, and professional relationships. An effort has been made to more fully understand the physics behind how the voice is created, specifically the fluid structure interactions that occur during vocal fold vibration. Many techniques have been developed and implemented to study both the motion of the vocal folds and the airflow that creates the motion. Until recently these techniques have sought to understand a highly three-dimensional phenomenon with 1D or 2D perspectives.This research focuses on the development and implementation …

Tissue Specific Porcupine Deletion Reveals A Novel Role For Ectodermal Wnts In Musculotendon Development, Aaron P. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The Wnt family of secreted proteins consists of 19 family members (in the mouse) and is known to signal through multiple pathways that regulate crucial processes in the development of almost all tissues. Dissecting the roles of individual Wnts has been hampered due to functional redundancy that exists between family members. We made use of a conditional allele of the acyltransferase, Porcupine (Porcn), that is required for the secretion of all Wnt ligands, and the Msx2Cre deleter to eliminate the secretion of all Wnt ligands from the ventral limb ectoderm, ventral abdominal ectoderm, and urogenital ectoderm. Phenotypically the …

Investigation Of Internal Wave Spectra Due To Observed Interactions, Benjamin Lee Hillyard

Theses and Dissertations

Observational data are analyzed and decomposed to reveal internal ocean waves and their interactions with one another. Particularly, the interaction of small-scale internal waves with a large inertia wave packet is examined. Using the governing internal wave equations, an analysis is made of the energy propagation of a small scale internal wave with a large-scale inertia wave. With that, an assessment is made of the frequency of occurrence of various encounter types. Next, the possibility of energy transfer during an interaction is explored. The relative energy of the small wave before interacting with the large-scale inertia wave is calculated and …

Sustainable Regional Legal Experiences In Biotechnology In The European Union, Claudia Colmenarez Ortiz

Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads

Genetic modification in plant cells in the early 80´s allowed Biotechnology to introduce characteristics in plants creating stronger crops (compared to the ones created by conventional breeding) to be used in different sectors: Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Production and Industry. A new technology was developed to face the upcoming global challenges: climate change, overpopulation, erosion, and a new socio-economic environment.

This new technology is subject to international regulations to ensure environmental sustainability of crop production on the basis of which genetically modified organisms have to be assessed for safety before being released in to the environment or on the market. Although …

The Use Of Delphi For The Listing Of Species And Ecological Communities, Angela Dwyer

Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads

This paper considers the limitations of the current methodologies and the potential for the use of the Delphi method as part of the regulatory response to biodiversity loss through the listing of species and ecological communities.

Decision-making in relation to threatened species and ecological communities, especially when the ubiquitous ‘listing’ may be the required outcome to attract a conservation response, is particularly susceptible to challenges over methodology.

Many decisions are made under circumstances where the available scientific evidence is uncertain, inadequate, or inexact; the decisions are generally science-based and the link between science and policy is clouded; and there is …

An Appraisal Of The International Governance Of Transboundary Movements Of Gmo's Twenty Years After Rio, Odile Lim Tung

Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads

Biotechnology or the engineering of the genetic material of species can give way to avenues of possibilities for the benefit of people, fauna and flora but also has the potential of untold and undiscovered threats to humanity and living organisms. One of the first attempts to legislate on international rules on biotechnology can be traced back to Article 19 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992. The CBD is indeed the first international legal instrument apart from the then European Community’s relevant directives to suggest that biotechnology is a matter of concern for the international community while providing …

Teaching Comparative Environmental Law From A Global Resources Perspective: Are National Environmental Laws Doing Their Job?, Lin Harmon

Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads

Many environmental law courses provide instruction in national environmental laws and their application. Some environmental law courses compare one system of environmental law with another system to see what each system can learn from the other. Most recently, there has been a move towards a more global approach to comparative environmental law, looking at the global development of legal institutions and procedures in the enforcement of environmental statutes and regulations.

As the world faces increasingly difficult conditions with advancing climate change and ocean acidification, continuing loss of biological diversity, the growth of megacities, massive public health problems from pollution, and …

Incorporating Values Within Environmental Risk Assessment, Ceri Warnock

Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads

Public participation in environmental decision making can be seen as constituting a spectrum: from the right to be informed, to the right to make submissions and / or be consulted, to the right to play an active role in the decision–making process. In the context of environmental risk assessment, many theorists argue that a significant and meaningful role should be given to the public in the decision-making process. There are two primary reasons for this: the first is to ensure the legitimacy of the decision and the second is because of the importance of ascertaining values in risk assessment. This …

Teaching The Art Of Environmental Diplomacy, Ann Powers

Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads

International Environmental Law is a framework of obligations, measurable norms, and consultative procedures associated with elaborating these norms and facilitating their implementation. It is through the practice of multilateral environmental diplomacy that Nations primarily establish international environmental law. These multilateral negotiations take place in the General Assembly or the Economic & Social Council of the United Nations or in other treaty organizations, such as the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity or the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Such environmental diplomatic negotiations are on-going and …

Legal Challenges In Promoting Sustainability- The Bioenergy Case, Helle Tegner Anker, Birgitte Egelund Olsen

Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads

Addressing climate concerns and reducing reliance on fossil fuels has been a broadly accepted sustainability objective for decades. But, to what extent are alternatives to fossil fuels sustainable in themselves and what are the different legal or regulatory challenges and options in ensuring a certain level of sustainability of such alternatives?

Bioenergy or biofuels, i.e. energy based on biological material (biomass) is often being promoted as an alternative to fossil fuels.[1] There are many different types of bioenergy determined either by the type of biomass (e.g. crops, wood or waste) or by the type or purpose of use (e.g. …

On The Improvement Of Bioenergy Law In China, Lei Guo

Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads

China has a long history of using bioenergy. But the utilization of modern bioenergy in China started late, and come up against the inferior of technology, the low level of industrialization and the imperfect laws and policies. During the 11^th five-year plan for national economic and social development (2006-2010), Chinese government set up series of bioenergy development goals and obtained initial achievements in development of modern bioenergy, such as biomass power generation, liquid biofuels and biogas. Moreover, the latest 12^th five-year plan (2011-2015) will further advance the use of bioenergy through the upcoming bioenergy plan which is included …

It Pays To Cheat: Tactical Deception In A Cephalopod Social Signalling System, Culum Brown, Martin P. Garwood, Jane E. Williamson

Communication Skills Collection

Signals in intraspecific communication should be inherently honest; otherwise the system is prone to collapse. Theory predicts, however, that honest signalling systems are susceptible to invasion by cheats, the extent of which is largely mediated by fear of reprisal. Cuttlefish facultatively change their shape and colour, an ability that evolved to avoid predators and capture prey. Here, we show that this ability is tactically employed by male mourning cuttlefish (Sepia plangon) to mislead conspecifics during courtship in a specific social context amenable to cheating 39 per cent of the time, while it was never employed in other social contexts. Males …

Want To Terminate Life Support? Not In New York: Time To Give New Yorkers A Choice , Bernadette Tuthill

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Life After Death: The Authority Of Estate Fiduciaries To Dispose Of Decedents' Reproductive Matter, Ilene S. Cooper, Robert M. Harper

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Co-Management Of Natural Resources By Indigenous People And States: A Method To Promote Environmental Justice And Sustainability, Bradford Morse

Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads

This paper will explore the potential contributions that could be made to achieving environmental justice, as well as local, regional and global efforts toward environmental sustainability, through embracing the concept of co-management of nature in which the natural world is a participant represented by those humans retaining traditional knowledge of sustainable co-existence. In particular, my focus will be on the potential of partnerships between settler governments with access to ‘modern’ scientific knowledge combining with Indigenous peoples relying on their ‘traditional’ ecological knowledge. I will examine how recent reinterpretation of longstanding international human rights, along with the development of international environmental …

Rio +20, Agenda 21, And Progress Towards Ocean Protection, Anastasia Telesetsky

Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads

Twenty years ago, States produced the Agenda 21, an ambitious blueprint for sustainable development, and presented it at the 1992 Rio Conference. This paper queries how the international community has done in achieving its Agenda 21 goals related to ocean protection. Are we on track? Or do we need to rethink some of our strategies for ocean protection and pursue new directions?

In this empirical study, the author compares international and domestic law and policy covering seven main Agenda 21 implementation areas: integrated management of coastal and marine areas, marine environmental protection, sustainable use and conservation of high seas marine …

The Protection Of Brazilian Forests And The Effectiveness Of International Global Law, M. Luiza M. Granziera, Vladimir Garcia Magalhaes

Global Environmental Law at a Crossroads

Brazil is a mega-diverse country and one of the largest parts of the world's forests lies within its territory. The Brazilian Forest Code, a national law that protects all kinds of vegetation, contributes significantly to the achievement of the objectives of the Conventions on Biological Diversity and Climate Changes. Currently, the rapid expansion of the agricultural frontier over the forests, mainly in the Amazon Biome and the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna species), aims towards the cultivation of soya and sugar cane. These cultures increase the profit of agrobusiness and the economic development of Brazil besides being considered sources of renewable energy. …

Book Reviews, Criticism Editors

Criticism

A Culture of Teaching: Early Modern Humanism in Theory and Practice (Rebecca W. Bushnell) (Reviewed by Richard Halpern)

Shakespeare's Universal Wolf: Studies in Early Modern Reification (Hugh Grady) (Reviewed by Douglas Bruster)

Revision and Romantic Authorship (Zachary Leader) (Reviewed by Terence Allan Hoagwood)

Wordsworth and Feeling: The Poetry of an Adult Child (G. Kim Blank) (Reviewed by Bruce Graver)

Manet's Modernism, or, The Face of Painting in the 1860s (Michael Fried) (Reviewed by Nancy Locke)

After the Future: The Paradoxes of Postmodernism and Contemporary Russian Culture (Mikhail Epstein) (Reviewed by Ilya Kutik)

The McDonaldization of Society: An Investigation into the …

Innovation And Negation, Steven Shaviro

Criticism

Review ofMultitude: Between Innovation and Negation by Paolo Virno. Trans. Isabella Bertoletti, James Cascaito, and Andrea Casson. (Los Angeles: Semiotext(e), 2008. Pp. 188. $14.95 paper.)

What A Bitch: The Complexities Of Gender In Playwriting, Lawrence Chavez

Theatre & Dance ETDs

Harvesting pain to create difficult female characters that serve as the emotional catalysts for the plot is explored in my plays, Caballos Muertos and Señora de la Pinta. I discuss why I have chosen to reclaim the word "bitch" to describe angry Chicanas that have been a thematic necessity in my writing because of internal violence resulting from the colonization of the female body. I also reflect upon the use of contemporary feminist playwriting as an educational tool that teaches New Mexico history while at the same time allows for sensitivity concerning sexual identity and gender expression. Everyone is marginalized …

Does Gratitude Promote Reciprocity In Response To All Benefits, Or Just Those Rendered By Novel Relationship Partners? Testing The Role Of Gratitude In The Establishment Of Reciprocal Relationships, Adam D. Cohen

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation was designed to examine whether people feel more gratitude in response to benefits rendered by strangers and acquaintances than in response to benefits provided by established reciprocal relationship partners and genetic relatives, and whether the gratitude experienced in response to benefits provided by those novel non-kin benefactors is more likely to lead to motivation to reciprocate than is the gratitude elicited by benefits rendered by genetic relatives and established reciprocal altruism partners. It was hypothesized that gratitude would be more salient when benefits are rendered by strangers and acquaintances than by well-known individuals in already-established reciprocal relationships or …

Expanding The Healthy Schizotype Model: Profiles Of Schizotypy As Predictors Of Creativity, Religion And Mental Health, Naomi Tuchman

Open Access Dissertations

Converging evidence suggests that schizotypal personality traits exist on a continuum (Rawlings, Williams, Haslam, & Claridge, 2008). In fact, although scant research has been conducted on this topic to date, some evidence suggests that there may be a subset of schizotypes (“healthy schizotypes”) who function well in spite of unusual experiences and proneness to the development of psychosis (McCreery & Claridge, 2002). In the present study, a latent profile analysis was conducted on a sample of 420 undergraduates, using data from the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (O-LIFE) scale. Six profiles emerged from the analysis. Confirming study expectations, with …

Eggplant, Amanda Spackman, Jillian Cartwright, Amanda Hawks

USU Student Organic Farm Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Root Niche Partitioning Among Grasses, Saplings, And Trees Measured Using A Tracer Technique, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Niche partitioning of resources by plants is believed to be a fundamental aspect of plant coexistence and biogeochemical cycles; however, measurements of the timing and location of resource use are often lacking because of the difficulties of belowground research. To measure niche partitioning of soil water by grasses, planted saplings, and trees in a mesic savanna (Kruger National Park, South Africa), we injected deuterium oxide into 102,000 points in 15, 154-m2 plots randomly assigned to one of five depths (0–120 cm) and one of three time periods during the 2008/2009 growing season. Grasses, saplings and trees all demonstrated an exponential …

Estimating The Potential Impacts Of Large Mesopredators On Benthic Resources: Integrative Assessment Of Spotted Eagle Ray Foraging Ecology In Bermuda, Matthew J. Ajemian, Sean P. Powers, Thaddeus J. T. Murdoch

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Declines of large sharks and subsequent release of elasmobranch mesopredators (smaller sharks and rays) may pose problems for marine fisheries management as some mesopredators consume exploitable shellfish species. The spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) is the most abundant inshore elasmobranch in subtropical Bermuda, but its predatory role remains unexamined despite suspected abundance increases and its hypothesized specialization for mollusks. We utilized a combination of acoustic telemetry, benthic invertebrate sampling, gut content analysis and manipulative experiments to assess the impact of spotted eagle rays on Bermudian shellfish resources. Residency and distribution of adult spotted eagle rays was monitored over …

Anonymous Donor Gives $100,000 Endowment In Um Retiree's Honor, Rick Hynum

University of Mississippi News

No abstract provided.

Calling All Prospective Csis: Unh Offers New Program In Forensics, Lori Wright

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: July 03, 2012, Eastern Illinois University

July

No abstract provided.

The Becoming Of Age: How Discourses Of Aging And Old Age In Contemporary, Popular Film Both Reinforce And Reimagine The Narrative Of Aging As Decline, Pamela H. Gravagne

American Studies ETDs

This dissertation examines how to think critically about the ways in which aging and old age are understood, represented, and problematized in American popular film. Rather than subscribe to the narrative of decline that views growing older as a linear process of chronological and biological deterioration with no possibility of gain, this dissertation reveals the shared meanings, discourses, narratives, and philosophical positions that underlie constructions such as the narrative of decline, and that populate the screen in contemporary film, to be both historical and open to revision. Chapter 2, therefore, explores the ways in which film simultaneously relies on stereotypical …