Digital Commons Network^™

2012 Southern Nevada Existing Conditions Report, Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coaltion, Lincy Institute, Unlv Urban Sustainability Initiative, Unlv School Of Community Health Sciences, Jennifer Pharr Phd, Courtney Coughenour

Lincy Institute Reports and Briefs

No abstract provided.

The Promise Of Priority Review Vouchers As A Legislative Tool To Encourage Drugs For Neglected Diseases, Lesley Hamming

Duke Law & Technology Review

Despite the intellectual property system’s success in promoting the economic well-being of the United States, this system has not achieved all socially valuable ends. Insufficient treatments are applied both to diseases endemic in developing countries, such as malaria, and rare diseases, such as rare childhood cancers. Several legislative tools aim to promote socially valuable drugs and biologics through market incentives. The priority review voucher (PRV) program is the latest and most unique of these legislative tools aimed at encouraging the development of drugs for neglected diseases without burdening taxpayers. The Creating Hope Act—recently signed into law as part of the …

Copyright's Hand Abstractions Test For Patent's Section 101 Subject-Matter Eligibility, Mark R. Carter

Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal

Since the Federal Circuit’s 2007 In re Bilski decision and the Supreme Court’s 2008 Bilski v. Kappos decision, patent law’s subject-matter eligibility standard under 35 U.S.C. §101 has been uncertain. This paper posits patent law’s patent-ineligible abstract ideas are science concepts and science laws, composed of science concepts, as defined by science philosophers. Somewhat analogous to copyright law, it also presents a downward patent-eligibility Hand abstractions test from an alleged abstract idea, natural law, or natural phenomenon to independent claims as a coherent, systematic, and practical approach to judging utility-patent eligibility. Patent claims manifest an innate vertical abstractions ladder, so …

An Evaluation Of Inferential Procedures For Adaptive Clinical Trial Designs With Pre-Specified Rules For Modifying The Sample Size, Greg P. Levin, Sarah C. Emerson, Scott S. Emerson

UW Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Many papers have introduced adaptive clinical trial methods that allow modifications to the sample size based on interim estimates of treatment effect. There has been extensive commentary on type I error control and efficiency considerations, but little research on estimation after an adaptive hypothesis test. We evaluate the reliability and precision of different inferential procedures in the presence of an adaptive design with pre-specified rules for modifying the sampling plan. We extend group sequential orderings of the outcome space based on the stage at stopping, likelihood ratio test statistic, and sample mean to the adaptive setting in order to compute …

Daily Eastern News: January 08, 2013, Eastern Illinois University

January

No abstract provided.

The Necessity Of Changing What Is Possible: Implementing Large-Scale Wildlands Protection, David Johns

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Presentation on the Wildlands Project approach to conservation

Fluorescent Xanthenes And White Light Fluorophores, Robert M. Strongin, Isiah M. Warner, Youjun Yang, Mark Lowry, Sayo O. Fakayode, Jorge O. Escobedo, Xiangyang Xu

College of Science Patents

Xanthene compounds are disclosed having fluorescence at multiple wavelengths. Also disclosed are methods for their synthesis and use. Some of the compounds fluoresce at three wavelengths, emitting white light. Uses include the imaging of biological tissues, illumination, and display technologies. Many of the compounds have large Stokes shifts, and are resistant to photobleaching. The fluorescence may be readily distinguished from that of endogenous fluorophores, and from that of most existing, commercially-available fluorescent probes. The compounds are well suited for use in “multiplexing” techniques. They exhibit clear isosbestic and isoemissive points, and have broad absorption and emission ranges.

Growing Empathy : An Exploratory Study On The Effects Of School Gardens On Children's Social And Emotional Development : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At Berkeley Independent Study, Berkeley, California, Emily W. Mcmane

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this research study was to explore the effects of school garden programs on children's social and emotional development, specifically the development of empathy as measured by prosocial behaviors. This exploratory study employed qualitative research methods to interview six children, three parents, and two teachers involved in the Berkeley Independent Study (BIS) garden in Berkeley, California, gathering data regarding the participants' observations and experiences of the garden program. The findings suggest that there are many aspects of school garden programs that may positively influence children's social and emotional development. The significance of community, attachment, teaching respect for life, …

Method To Identify Cancer Fusion Genes, George Blanck

USF Patents

Numerous cancer fusion genes have been identified and studied, and in some cases therapy or diagnostic techniques have been designed that are specific to the fusion protein encoded by the fusion gene. However, there has been little progress in understanding the general features of cancer fusions genes in a way that could provide the foundation for an algorithm for predicting the occurrence of a fusion gene once the chromosomal translocation points have been identified by karyotype analyses. In this study, characterization of 59 cancer fusion genes indicated that all but a small percentage of the genes involved in fusion events …

Device And Method To Prevent Hair Growth, Mark J. Jaroszeski, Gabriel A. Lopez-Diaz, Richard J. Connolly, Andrew M. Hoff

USF Patents

A device and method to cause hair loss or prevent or inhibit hair growth. The invention uses plasma (ionized gas) that is generated by flowing gas in close proximity to an electrode that has a high potential applied to it. The result is a stream of charged gas particles that are directed to the skin that contains hair. The flowing stream of gas is held above the surface of the skin. Additionally, a grounded conductive material is affixed to the skin to dissipate any charge buildup on the skin and focus the plasma.

Nano-Based Device For Detection Of Disease Biomarkers And Other Target Molecules, Shyam S. Mohapatra, Arun Kumar

USF Patents

The present invention pertains to a nano-based sensing device (a sensor) comprising a nano-scale working electrode that can be used for the ultra-sensitive detection of blood analytes, disease biomarkers, and other target molecules. The present invention also pertains to a method for detecting target molecules using the sensor as the sensor element of a microfluidic device.

A Comparison Of Producer Gas, Biochar, And Activated Carbon From Two Distributed Scale Thermochemical Conversion Systems Used To Process Forest Biomass, Nathaniel Anderson, J. Greg Jones, Deborah Page-Dumroese, Daniel Mccollum, Stephen Baker, Daniel Loeffler, Woodam Chung

Forest Management Faculty Publications

Thermochemical biomass conversion systems have the potential to produce heat, power, fuels and other products from forest biomass at distributed scales that meet the needs of some forest industry facilities. However, many of these systems have not been deployed in this sector and the products they produce from forest biomass have not been adequately described or characterized with regards to chemical properties, possible uses, and markets. This paper characterizes the producer gas, biochar, and activated carbon of a 700 kg h⁻¹ prototype gasification system and a 225 kg h⁻¹ pyrolysis system used to process coniferous sawmill and forest …

Risk Score Modeling Of Multiple Gene To Gene Interactions Using Aggregated-Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction, Hongying Dai, Richard J. Charnigo, Mara L. Becker, J. Steven Leeder, Alison A. Motsinger-Reif

Statistics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MDR) has been widely applied to detect gene-gene (GxG) interactions associated with complex diseases. Existing MDR methods summarize disease risk by a dichotomous predisposing model (high-risk/low-risk) from one optimal GxG interaction, which does not take the accumulated effects from multiple GxG interactions into account.

RESULTS: We propose an Aggregated-Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (A-MDR) method that exhaustively searches for and detects significant GxG interactions to generate an epistasis enriched gene network. An aggregated epistasis enriched risk score, which takes into account multiple GxG interactions simultaneously, replaces the dichotomous predisposing risk variable and provides higher resolution in the quantification …

Long-Term Data For Endemic Frog Genera Reveal Potential Conservation Crisis In The Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, David J. Gower, Roman K. Aberra, Silvia Schwaller, Malcolm J. Largen, Ben Collen, Stephen Spawls, Michele Menegon, Breda M. Zimkus, Rafael O. De Sá, Et Al.

Biology Faculty Publications

Populations of many frogs have declined alarmingly in recent years, placing nearly one third of the > 6,000 species under threat of extinction. Declines have been attributed largely to habitat loss, environmental degradation and/or infectious diseases such as chytridiomycosis. Many frogs undergo dramatic natural population fluctuations such that long-term data are required to determine population trends without undue influence of stochastic factors. We present long-term quantitative data (individuals encountered per person hour of searching) for four monotypic frog genera endemic to an Afromontane region of exceptional importance but growing conservation concern: one endemic to the Ethiopian highlands (Spinophrynoides osgoodi) and three …

Reference Gene Selection For Qrt-Pcr Analysis In The Sweetpotato Whitefly, Bemisia Tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), Rumei Li, Wen Xie, Shaoli Wang, Qingjun Wu, Nina Yang, Xin Yang, Huipeng Pan, Xiaomao Zhou, Lianyang Bai, Baoyun Xu, Xuguo Zhou, Youjun Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Accurate evaluation of gene expression requires normalization relative to the expression of reliable reference genes. Expression levels of "classical" reference genes can differ, however, across experimental conditions. Although quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) has been used extensively to decipher gene function in the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci, a world-wide pest in many agricultural systems, the stability of its reference genes has rarely been validated.

RESULTS: In this study, 15 candidate reference genes from B. tabaci were evaluated using two Excel-based algorithms geNorm and Normfinder under a diverse set of biotic and abiotic conditions. At least two reference genes were …

An Exploratory Survey Of Some Christian Leaders' Views Re: Causes And Treatment Of Mental Health And Substance Abuse Problems : "Let Go And Let God?" Or More?, Katryn A. Little

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study was undertaken to determine the attitudes of leaders in Christian churches toward problems with mental health or substance abuse issues. As beliefs about causation of these problems may directly impact types of help offered to those suffering, leaders were also asked to identify particular types of treatment they recommended. This study was conducted in two parts. The first part involved a snowball sampling of known associates of the researcher who were asked for their help to enroll volunteers for an online survey. The survey asked about: how many and for what purpose the leaders met with congregants; …

Parental Involvement And Academic Performance In Ghana, Gina Chowa, David Ansong, Issac Osei-Akoto

Center for Social Development Research

Parental Involvement and Academic Performance in Ghana

2012 Judges’ Bench Memorandum

Pace Environmental Law Review Online Companion

No abstract provided.

Differential Transcriptional Regulation Of Meis1 By Gfi1b And Its Co-Factors Lsd1 And Corest, Asif H. Chowdhury, Johnny R. Ramroop, Ghanshyam Upadhyay, Ananya Sengupta, Anna Andrzejczyk, Shireen Saleque

Publications and Research

Gfi1b (growth factor independence 1b) is a zinc finger transcription factor essential for development of the erythroid and megakaryocytic lineages. To elucidate the mechanism underlying Gfi1b function, potential downstream transcriptional targets were identified by chromatin immunoprecipitation and expression profiling approaches. The combination of these approaches revealed the oncogene meis1, which encodes a homeobox protein, as a direct and prominent target of Gfi1b. Examination of the meis1 promoter sequence revealed multiple Gfi1/1b consensus binding motifs. Distinct regions of the promoter were occupied by Gfi1b and its cofactors LSD1 and CoREST/Rcor1, in erythroid cells but not in the closely related megakaryocyte lineage. …

Undergraduate Research

News Releases

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Simulation Study On Classification Of Large Molecules By Newly Designed Cascade Type Differential Mobility Analyzer (Ctdma), Chenxi Zhu

Student Theses and Dissertations

Differential mobility analyzer (DMA), coupled with other instrumentation analyzers, such as mass spectrometry (MS), can classify size, masses and shapes by their different gas-phase electrophoretic mobility. In order to obtain the high resolution in classifying large particles (50 kD ~ 1 MD), our laboratory designed several versions of cylindrical cascade type differential mobility analyzers (CTDMA). Because CTDMAs consist of two cylindrical particle classifiers in one housing, target particles are guided through "gaps" and "stairs", a unique feature to this new particle classification device. Two modes of operation--outward cross flow mode and no-cross flow mode--both reduce the flow rate in the …

Daily Eastern News: January 07, 2013, Eastern Illinois University

January

No abstract provided.

Triacylglyceride Profiles Of Integumentary Lipids Isolated From Three Bat Species Determined By Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry, Evan Lacy Pannkuk

Student Theses and Dissertations

Lipids secreted from sebaceous glands in bat integument may play a role in determining host pathogenicity by the fungus Geomyces destructans in White-Nose Syndrome (WNS). To investigate this, I have developed analytical methods to determine the triacylglycerol (TAG) profiles for three bat species: Eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis, Müller, 1776), evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis, Rafinesque, 1818), and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus, Beauvois, 1796). Neutral lipids extracted from the hair and wing tissue were fractionated by preparative thin-layer chromatography (TLC) into four major lipid bands corresponding to cholesterol, free fatty acids (FFAs), TAGs, and sterol/wax esters. Densitometry showed higher proportions …

Autophagy Plays An Essential Role In Mediating Regression Of Hypertrophy During Unloading Of The Heart, Nirmala Hariharan, Yoshiyuki Ikeda, Chull Hong, Ralph R. Alcendor, Soichiro Usui, Shumin Gao, Yasuhiro Maejima, Junichi Sadoshima

Publications and Research

Autophagy is a bulk degradation mechanism for cytosolic proteins and organelles. The heart undergoes hypertrophy in response to mechanical load but hypertrophy can regress upon unloading. We hypothesize that autophagy plays an important role in mediating regression of cardiac hypertrophy during unloading. Mice were subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC) for 1 week, after which the constriction was removed (DeTAC). Regression of cardiac hypertrophy was observed after DeTAC, as indicated by reduction of LVW/BW and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area. Indicators of autophagy, including LC3-II expression, p62 degradation and GFP-LC3 dots/cell, were significantly increased after DeTAC, suggesting that autophagy is induced. Stimulation …

A Neural Network Model To Translate Brain Developmental Events Across Mammalian Species, Radhakrishnan Nagarajan, Jeffrey N. Jonkman

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Translating the timing of brain developmental events across mammalian species using suitable models has provided unprecedented insights into neural development and evolution. More importantly, these models can prove to be useful abstractions and predict unknown events across species from known empirical event timing data retrieved from published literature. Such predictions can be especially useful since the distribution of the event timing data is skewed with a majority of events documented only across a few selected species. The present study investigates the choice of single hidden layer feed-forward neural networks (FFNN) for predicting the unknown events from the empirical data. A …

The Thermal Performance Study Of Biomass Field-Erected Water Tube Boilers Using Analytical Model / Sivabalan Tanapala, Tanapala Sivabalan

Student Works (2010-2019)

Renewable Energy is one of the major contributors in fulfilling the world’s energy demand. Biomass is one of the renewable energy sources which are currently being exploited by the community. Palm oil industries use the waste from processed palm fruits, shell and empty fruit bunch as fuel to generate steam in order to cook the fresh fruits and generate power for the whole plant. Tropical climate in Malaysia provides the best platform for the palm trees to grow and maintain Malaysia’s ranking as second largest palm oil producer in the world. Stoker firing water tube boilers are used widely in …

Bmi Health Report Cards: Parents' Perceptions And Use, Cassie Huffer

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine if BMI health report cards impacted parent's knowledge or actions regarding their child's health, and to determine if parents accurately perceive their child as underweight, normal weight, or overweight according to the child's BMI assessment .The questionnaire was developed with the help of physical educators, pediatricians, and exercise scientists, and was previously used in a study conducted by Michael Carnes (2011). This study sought to answer three hypotheses. The questionnaire was distributed to parents/guardians of children who sought medical care at two pediatrician's offices in Jonesboro, AR. The main finding of this …

Nitrogen Dynamics Of Switchgrass, Eastern Gamagrass And High Biomass Sorghum From Different Sources Of Chemical And Organic Nitrogen Fertilizers, Lucia Margarita Acosta Gamboa

Student Theses and Dissertations

Use of biomass to produce energy is a renewable source. A field experiment was established during 2009 in Northeast Arkansas to evaluate eastern gamagrass, switchgrass and biomass sorghum response to nitrogen fertilization on nitrogen dynamics and dry biomass yield. Nitrogen fertilizers included municipal biosolids, poultry litter, urea and a control. Throughout 2010 and 2011, switchgrass yielded greater biomass compared to gamagrass. Nitrogen fertilization increased yield compared to the control. In 2010, nitrogen use efficiency was greater for switchgrass compared to gamagrass. During 2011 NUE was lesser for biomass sorghum than for gamagrass. Switchgrass yielded greater biomass than gamagrass and biomass …

Lateral Mobility Of L-Type Calcium Channels In Synaptic Terminals Of Retinal Bipolar Cells., Wallace B. Thoreson, Aaron J. Mercer, Karlene M. Cork, Robert J. Szalewski

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

PURPOSE: Efficient and precise release of glutamate from retinal bipolar cells is ensured by the positioning of L-type Ca(2+) channels close to release sites at the base of the synaptic ribbon. We investigated whether Ca(2+) channels at bipolar cell ribbon synapses are fixed in position or capable of moving in the membrane.

METHODS: We tracked the movements of individual L-type Ca(2+) channels in bipolar cell terminals after labeling channels with quantum dots (QDs) attached to α(2)δ(4) accessory Ca(2+) channel subunits via intermediary antibodies.

RESULTS: We found that individual Ca(2+) channels moved within a confined domain of 0.13-0.15 μm(2) in bipolar …

In Privity With The Public Domain: The Standing Doctrine, The Public Interest, And Intellectual Property, Russell W. Jacobs

Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal

This Article explores two recent Supreme Court cases—Association of Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. and Golan v. Holder—and other intellectual property litigation in the context of the standing doctrine and the public interest.

These cases present significant public policy questions, but the adversarial nature of the courts makes them ill-equipped to consider the multiple public interests and multiple stakeholder perspectives. As a result, adjudication of these cases in the courts results in propertization of the intellectual property interests, the exclusion of non-parties from the formation of policy, and the exhaustion of any further policy debate after the court decision. …