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Essential Health Benefits And The Affordable Care Act: Law And Process, Nicholas Bagley, Helen Levy

Law & Economics Working Papers

Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will require private insurance plans sold in the individual and small-group markets to cover a roster of “essential health benefits.” Precisely which benefits should count as essential, however, was left to the discretion of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The matter was both important and controversial. HHS nonetheless announced its policy on essential health benefits by posting on its website a 13-page bulletin stating that it would allow each state to define essential benefits for itself by choosing a “benchmark” plan modeled on existing plans in the state. On …

Understanding Local Political Participation In West Africa, Kelly Ann Krawczyk

Wayne State University Dissertations

A growing body of research suggests that institutional performance affects citizen participation (see Holzner 2010; Bratton, Mattes et al 2005; Hiskey and Bowler 2005). But despite this recognition of the importance of institutions, there is relatively limited research into the institutional determinants of political participation, particularly with respect to developing countries. This dissertation fills this gap by examining local political participation in Ghana and Liberia using an institutional approach. I employ qualitative analyses based on field work and primary source documents, as well as quantitative analyses at both the individual and contextual level.

At the individual leveI, I find the …

Managing Soil Microbial Communities With Organic Amendments To Promote Soil Aggregate Formation And Plant Health, Shawn T. Lucas

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The effects of managing soil with organic amendments were examined with respect to soil microbial community dynamics, macroaggregate formation, and plant physio-genetic responses. The objective was to examine the possibility of managing soil microbial communities via soil management, such that the microbial community would provide agronomic benefits. In part one of this research, effects of three amendments (hairy vetch residue, manure, compost) on soil chemical and microbial properties were examined relative to formation of large macroaggregates in three different soils. Vetch and manure promoted fungal proliferation (measured via two biomarkers: fatty acid methyl ester 18:2ω6c and ergosterol) and also stimulated …

Transformations, Bioavailability And Toxicity Of Manufactured Zno Nanomaterials In Wastewter, Sewwandi Rathnayake

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

In order to properly evaluate the ecological and human health risks of ZnO Manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) released to the environment, it is critical to understand the likely transformation products in the wastewater treatment process and in soils receiving biosolids. To address this critical knowledge gap, we examined the transformation reactions of 30 nm ZnO MNMs in single component and multi-component systems, with phosphate and natural organic matter (NOM). We also assessed the influence of nano ZnO transformation on the bioavailability, and toxicity of ZnO transformation products to Triticum aestivum. The data revealed that ZnO MNMs react with phosphate at …

Comparing Spoken Language Treatments For Minimally Verbal Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Rhea Paul, Daniel Campbell, Kimberly Gilbert, Ioanna Tsiouri

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Preschoolers with severe autism and minimal speech were assigned either a discrete trial or a naturalistic language treatment, and parents of all participants also received parent responsiveness training. After 12 weeks, both groups showed comparable improvement in number of spoken words produced, on average. Approximately half the children in each group achieved benchmarks for the first stage of functional spoken language development, as defined by Tager-Flusberg et al. (J Speech Lang Hear Res, 52: 643–652, 2009). Analyses of moderators of treatment suggest that joint attention moderates response to both treatments, and children with better receptive language pre-treatment do better with …

The Student's Perspective: Exploring Ethnic Group Variances In Bullying Behavior Using Mixed Methods Research, Stephanie Grunewald

Dissertations

Although bullying is a widely recognized problem among school-aged youth, current research has failed to adequately consider whether ethnicity impacts students' involvement in, and perceptions of, bullying behaviors. This study employed a mixed methodology to examine how an ethnically diverse sample of students in seventh and eighth grade described and perceived bullying within their school. Initially, the Student Comprehensive Assessment of Bullying Behavior-Revised (SCABB-R) (Varjas, Henrich & Meyers, 2008a) was administered to students attending a suburban middle school in the Midwest (N = 750; 391 males, 359 females). Individual interviews were then conducted to further explore students' perspectives of bullying …

Synthesis And Assembly Of Dihydroindolizines On Gold Surfaces For Light Induced Work Function Alterations, Matthew Alan Bartucci

Dissertations

Taking advantage of surfaces' response to interfacial dipoles, a class of photochromophores (dihydroindolizine) is demonstrated to alter the work function of the underlying substrate (170 meV). This same molecule also provides spectroscopic signatures for correlating the change in molecular structure to the induced change in the surfaces' electronic properties. Polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) allows analysis of the characteristic dihydroindolizine C=C (1559 cm-1) and pyridinium (1643 cm-1) stretch as a function of photoexcitation. Structural assignments of this photochromophore are corroborated to density function theory calculations. Conformational changes in the monolayers appear in parallel with work function changes and …

Risk Perception In Cardiovascular Disease, Michelle Ellen Block

Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains among the leading causes of death in the United States despite widespread knowledge about risk factors as well as effective primary prevention strategies. Risk perception is a complex phenomenon that plays an important role in how persons view disease and ultimately how they make health behavior choices. This study is supported by the knowledge that few studies have examined how persons perceive cardiovascular risk or the variables thought to contribute to the formation of risk perception.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how accurately persons perceive personal risk for cardiovascular disease and identify …

Prospective, Open-Label Trial Measuring Satisfaction And Convenience Of Two Formulations Of Lamotrigine In Subjects With Mood Disorders, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Lamotrigine is an anticonvulsant drug indicated for the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder and for various types of epilepsy. An orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) of lamotrigine was developed to provide a formulation option that might increase patient convenience and satisfaction. Methods: Subjects with mood disorders who reported difficulty swallowing currently prescribed lamotrigine immediate-release medication (baseline) were enrolled and treated with lamotrigine ODT for three weeks (end of treatment). Subject satisfaction and convenience were measured using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM). Also measured were global psychopathology using the Clinical Global Impression severity index (CGI-S) and depressive symptoms …

Collaborative Departmentalism, Matthew Steilen

Journal Articles

This article examines the effect of departmentalism on presidential compliance with constitutional law. Most commentators agree that departmentalism weakens the influence of courts in the determination of constitutional meaning and the control of non-judicial actors. The article takes a different view. It defines “moderate departmentalism” as the authority of the President to refuse to adopt a constitutional interpretation announced by the Supreme Court. Drawing on ideas developed in the literature on “new governance” and administrative law, it then argues that moderate departmentalism increases the capacity of the federal courts to control presidential conduct.

The Increasing Privatization Of Environmental Permitting, Jessica Owley

Journal Articles

This article examines the increasing privatization of environmental law by taking a close look at mitigation measures in permitting programs. As mitigation has become an increasingly important element of permitting programs, permitting agencies have looked for outside organizations to help design, monitor, and enforce the mitigation projects. Thus, compensatory mitigation projects provide a good lens for examining the role of private organizations in environmental law. There are good reasons for drawing on the power of private organizations. They can provide flexibility and expertise as well as increased capacity. However, concerns regarding democracy and accountability arise when government agencies hand off …

"The Rise And Fall Of Welfare Health Legislation In 20th Century Chile: A Case Study In Political Economy Of Law", Jaime Llambias-Wolff

PhD Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the economic and political dynamics of health legislation in Chile throughout the 20th century. Law is understood as a process, in which legislation is the consequence of the political interaction between different stakeholders within a specific socio-economic and political reality. Law thus performs as a function of its political dynamics. This case study discusses lawmaking in its multifaceted character fulfilling different roles, understanding health legislation in Chile as the expression of how society articulates and represents different interests and how health reforms are determined by the influence and capabilities of interest groups. The legal framework is situated …

What It Is-What It Should Be: An Empirical Analysis Of The Effect Of Procedures And Substantive Arguments On Adjudicative Tribunal Resource Allocation Decisions, Lydia Christine Stewart Ferreira

PhD Dissertations

Our current understanding of tribunal resource allocation decision-making is via judicial review of tribunal decisions and/or the capacity, independence and appointment process of tribunal members. This analysis of tribunals provides incomplete information. This qualitative five year case study, however, asked the three following questions: Research Question #1: Do procedures statistically affect the resource allocation decisions of the Board? If so, what elements of the procedures create this statistical effect? The author analyzed the quantitative research results relative to the A4R theory’s four procedural conditions of transparency and concluded that the A4R theory it was not ‘fine grain’ enough to identify …

Striking A Balance Between Privacy And Online Commerce, Mark Bartholomew

Journal Articles

It is becoming commonplace to note that privacy and online commerce are on a collision course. Corporate entities archive and monetize more and more personal information. Citizens increasingly resent the intrusive nature of such data collection and use. Just noticing this conflict, however, tells us little. In "Informing and Reforming the Marketplace of Ideas: The Public-Private Model for Data Production and the First Amendment" Professor Shubha Ghosh not only notes the tension between the costs and benefits of data commercialization, but suggests three normative perspectives for balancing privacy and commercial speech. This is valuable because without a rich theoretical framework …

Orientation Invariant Ecg-Based Stethoscope Tracking For Heart Auscultation Training On Augmented Standardized Patients, Nahom Kidane, Salim Chemlal, Jiang Li, Frederic D. Mckenzie, Tom Hubbard

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

Auscultation, the act of listening to the heart and lung sounds, can reveal substantial information about patients’ health and other cardiac-related problems; therefore, competent training can be a key for accurate and reliable diagnosis. Standardized patients (SPs), who are healthy individuals trained to portray real patients, have been extensively used for such training and other medical teaching techniques; however, the range of symptoms and conditions they can simulate remains limited since they are only patient actors. In this work, we describe a novel tracking method for placing virtual symptoms in correct auscultation areas based on recorded ECG signals with various …

Publications And Reports: Research And Extension, 2011 Annual Summary, Department Of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Table of Contents:
[Page] 4 Introduction
[Page] 6 Departmental faculty list
[Page] 7 Departmental Graduate Students
[Page] 13 Peer-reviewed publications
[Page] 20 Publications in proceedings and other journals
[Page] 22 Books or book chapters
[Page] 24 Extension reports and electronic media
[Page] 26 Other reports (e.g., agency reports, completion reports)
[Page] 30 Popular articles

Topographic Home Range Of Large Mammals: Is Planimetric Home Range Still A Viable Method?, W. David Walter, Justin W. Fischer, Teresa J. Fink, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Jonathan A. Jenks, Kurt C. Vercauteren

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Topography influences movement trajectories, quality of forages used, and behavioral response of large herbivores to anthropogenic disturbances, but research is lacking on the influence of terrain complexity on size of home range. Size of home range usually is based on planimetric area and therefore rarely accounts for the true surface area traversed by an animal. We conducted radiotelemetry on bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) equipped with VHF collars at three sites from 2002 to 2006 to document size of home range in areas that ranged from 400 …

Passing The Sniff Test: Police Dogs As Surveillance Technology, Irus Braverman

Journal Articles

In October 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States will review the case of Florida v. Jardines, which revolves around the constitutionality of police canine Franky’s sniff outside a private residence. Essentially, the Court will need to decide whether or not the sniff constitutes a “search” for Fourth Amendment purposes. This Article presents a review of the often-contradictory case law that exists on this question to suggest that underlying the various cases is the Courts’ assumption of a juxtaposed relationship between nature and technology. Where dog sniffs are perceived as a technology, the courts have been inclined to also …

Identifying Most Significant Predictors Of Low Mathematics Achievement In African American Male Middle School Students, Kelley Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that African American males have been singled out due to the fact most local and national data of academic achievement finds the group to underachieve significantly (Garibaldi, 2007). The purpose of this study is to examine variables which significantly predict lower levels of math achievement in regards to African American males. This study also examines variables that predict low math achievement for African American males to determine the most significant of the predictors. This quantitative case study includes sixth, seventh, and eighth grade African American male subjects from a middle school in the Southeast. Socioeconomic status, attendance, …

With Strong Arms And Callused Hands: A Study Of Mexican Racial Identity In The Bracero Program From 1942-1964, Maricela Metraux

Senior Independent Study Theses

This Independent Study examines the racial images that existed in Mexican contract labor from 1942-1964, or the bracero program. Specifically, it focuses on perceptions of braceros from the Mexican government, agribusiness employers, American unions and Mexican civil rights groups, while lastly analyzing braceros' own self-perceived identity.

Microrna-138 Regulates Hypoxia-Induced Endothelial Cell Dysfunction By Targeting S100a1., Anagha Sen, Shumei Ren, Carolin Lerchenmüller, Jianxin Sun, Norbert Weiss, Patrick Most, Karsten Peppel

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

The Ca(2+) sensor S100A1 is essential for proper endothelial cell (EC) nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) activation. S100A1 levels are greatly reduced in primary human microvascular ECs subjected to hypoxia, rendering them dysfunctional. However mechanisms that regulate S100A1 levels in ECs are unknown. Here we show that ECs transfected with a S100A1-3' untranslated region (UTR) luciferase reporter construct display significantly reduced gene expression when subjected to low oxygen levels or chemical hypoxia. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that microRNA -138 (MiR-138) could target the 3'UTR of S100A1. Patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) or mice subjected to femoral artery resection (FAR) displayed …

Adp Protects Cardiac Mitochondria Under Severe Oxidative Stress., Niina Sokolova, Shi Pan, Sarah Provazza, Gisela Beutner, Marko Vendelin, Rikke Birkedal, Shey-Shing Sheu

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

ADP is not only a key substrate for ATP generation, but also a potent inhibitor of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). In this study, we assessed how oxidative stress affects the potency of ADP as an mPTP inhibitor and whether its reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production might be involved. We determined quantitatively the effects of ADP on mitochondrial Ca(2+) retention capacity (CRC) until the induction of mPTP in normal and stressed isolated cardiac mitochondria. We used two models of chronic oxidative stress (old and diabetic mice) and two models of acute oxidative stress (ischemia reperfusion (IR) and tert-butyl …

Beholding Nietzsche: Ecce Homo, Fate, And Freedom, Christa Davis Acampora

Publications and Research

That Ecce Homo, with its subtitle "How One Becomes What One is;' is Nietzsche's self-presentation of sorts seems rather easy to conclude. But why does Nietzsche do this? What is evident? What do we really learn from the work? Is it primarily a behind-the-scenes peek at Nietzsche's thought, the ideas that truly or actually motivated him? How complete is it as an autobiography, given that it seems devoted largely to his writings? To what extent can we put much stock in the account at all given that Nietzsche would slip into madness not long after the first draft was …

Introduction To Mobile Money In Developing Countries: Financial Inclusion And Financial Integrity Conference Special Issue, Jane K. Winn, Louis De Koker

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

This special issue of the Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts contains papers contributed to a conference held at the University of Washington School of Law on April 20, 2012. The conference, entitled Mobile Money in Developing Countries: Financial Inclusion and Financial Integrity, was organized by the University of Washington School of Law with the support of the Linden Rhoads Dean’s Innovation Fund, Deakin University School of Law, Australia, and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

Privacy And Security Concerns Associated With Mobile Money Applications In Africa, Andrew Harris, Seymour Goodman, Patrick Traynor

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

The rapid adoption of mobile money use in Africa raises concerns regarding the privacy and security of users, particularly in light of Financial Action Task Force recommendations requiring user transparency and the collection of transaction data. The transparency required of the now-financially-included—particularly in nations with weak adherence to the rule of law and limited privacy protections—leaves users vulnerable to abuse. Further, the increasing complexity of mobile phone use that is indicative of mobile money applications raises concerns regarding Africa’s preparedness for heightened security threats that come hand in hand with increased use. To address these problems, the authors of this …

Mobile Money As An Engine Of Financial Inclusion And Lynchpin Of Financial Integrity, Claire Alexandre, Lynn Chang Eisenhart

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

Few people would dispute that mobile money can be an engine of financial inclusion and has the potential to reach millions of customers, including those at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid. Fewer though would characterize mobile money as the lynchpin of financial integrity. But financial inclusion and financial integrity have at least three tangential points to mobile money: (1) mobile money will help reduce dependency on cash, which is the common enemy of both financial inclusion and financial integrity, (2) mobile money generates data which is instrumental to the health and growth of both financial inclusion and financial integrity, …

The Uniqueness Of The English Language Learner : Research Based Strategies For English Language Learners, Carolyn Lindgren Dietz

Graduate Research Papers

Currently, the United States is experiencing a growth in the number of English Language Learners. At the same time, the US economy has shifted to a more knowledge based focus, making higher education a requirement (in order to be) able to compete for higher paying jobs. Using a "scientifically validated approach" (Short, Vogt, & Echevarria, 2008), the SIOP model is a framework for instructing English Language Learners. This research targets research based professional development for teachers, to provide the essential programming to meet the literacy learning needs of the English Language Learner.

Volunteer Satisfaction: An Examination Of The Pertinent Literature About Volunteer Satisfaction And A Nonprofit Organization, Ginger J. Sakas

Graduate Research Papers

Volunteers play a crucial role in the success of nonprofit organizations. Even though their role and service is vitally important, little attention is paid to the volunteer experience and understanding of their satisfaction is thus unknown to nonprofit managers. This paper outlines what contributes to a volunteer's satisfaction with their nonprofit volunteer service. It addresses the positive rewards and negative consequences that come from a satisfied and unsatisfied volunteer experience. It looks at employees who chose to volunteer. This paper identifies various personality characteristic traits of volunteers and how those traits can affect satisfaction and effectiveness. Lastly, this literature review …

Technology, Toddlers And Vocabulary Development, Gwendolyn Dayton

Graduate Research Papers

Emergent literacy with toddler age children has a strong foundation in vocabulary development. There are many methods currently being employed to foster vocabulary development. Dialogic reading, sign language, finger plays and songs are just a few of those methods. It is important to look for a curriculum that provides a format to combine these strategies into a cohesive presentation. Understanding the increasing importance that technology plays in the lives of our children is also crucial. Selecting the right technology may provide the solution for infusing vocabulary development into the early learning environment. This project will design a curriculum to implement …

Early Childhood Library Resources And Support, Lisa Catherine Riese

Graduate Research Papers

The increasing demands on teachers' time and the extra strain that small districts face in trying to meet the needs of all students, can mean that sometimes programming or certain groups may be overlooked. In the Colo-Nesco district, realignment of district buildings has caused a loss of library access and resources for the preschool program. This research project created an annotated list of library resources that align with the Iowa Early Learning Standards. Titles were found within the Children's Core database, have been published within the past ten years, and align with the seven content areas of the standards. This …