Digital Commons Network^™

Speakers, Artists Open Siue To The Community, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Economies And Cultures Can’T Be Separated, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Still Unconstitutional: Our Nation’S Experiment With State-Sponsored Sex Segregation In Education, David S. Cohen, Nancy Levit

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

Military Child Custody Disputes: The Need For Federal Encouragement For The States' Adoption Of The Uniform Deployed Parents Custody And Visitation Act, Amy C. Gromek

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

Semantics In Support Of Biodiversity Knowledge Discovery: An Introduction To The Biological Collections Ontology And Related Ontologies, Ramona L. Walls, John Deck, Robert Guralnick, Steve Baskauf, Reed Beaman, Stanley Blum, Shaun Bowers

Computer Science Faculty Scholarship

The study of biodiversity spans many disciplines and includes data pertaining to species distributions and abundances, genetic sequences, trait measurements, and ecological niches, complemented by information on collection and measurement protocols. A review of the current landscape of metadata standards and ontologies in biodiversity science suggests that existing standards such as the Darwin Core terminology are inadequate for describing biodiversity data in a semantically meaningful and computationally useful way. Existing ontologies, such as the Gene Ontology and others in the Open Biological and Biomedical Ontologies (OBO) Foundry library, provide a semantic structure but lack many of the necessary terms to …

What Is 'Financial Stability' -The Need For Some Common Language In International Financial Regulation, Hilary Allen

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Post-Crisis international financial regulation is animated by the buzzwords 'financial stability, " but surprisingly little attention has been paid to what these buzzwords actually mean. This Article argues that there are many-largely unexplored- disagreements regarding the meaning of 'financial stability, " and that this lack of consensus has the potential to cause a host of problems. Chief amongst these is that disagreement about the meaning of "financial stability" can thwart harmonized national implementation of international financial stability regulation. To draw attention to this largely-ignored definitional problem, and to start the process of addressing it, this Article proposes a working definition …

Anxiety Disorders And School-Based Treatments: Assessing School Pyschologists' Knowledge And Perceptions, Kelly A. Myhasuk

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Anxiety disorders are common in children and youth. Despite high prevalence rates, most children with anxiety disorders do not receive treatment. In fact, for the few children who are receiving treatment, schools are the primary source of mental health care. When left untreated, children experience significant disruptions in their academic, social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. Therefore, it is important for those working in schools to recognize and treat children with anxiety disorders. The present study surveyed school psychologists (n = 178) to assess their knowledge about anxiety disorders and about empirically supported school-based treatments. Also, this study sought to investigate …

The Effects Of Terrorism And Bias Against Muslims And Evangelical Christians In An Online Adult Sample: A Test Of Terror Management Theory, Angelo L. Rannazzisi

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Considering the sociopolitical events of the past decade, the effect of terrorism on the behavior of others has gathered interest in the field of social psychology. Terror Management Theory has been used to conceptualize responses to individual’s fears of mortality. Because one of the goals of terrorism is to generate fear in a specific population, using Terror Management Theory to conceptualize responses to terrorism is appropriate. The current study attempts to ascertain if participants’ responses to stimuli that are indirectly related to Islam can be conceptualized using Terror Management Theory. The results of the study did not support this interpretation. …

Educators' Knowledge Of And Attitudes Toward Concussions And The New Jersey Concussion Law, Einat Katz-Delong

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Recent media attention, lawsuits from retiring athletes, and the early retirement of famous athletes have increased public awareness of sports-related head injuries. High school student athletes are more susceptible to concussions than older athletes. Athletes suffering from concussions may experience long-lasting effects on their lives, particularly in cognitive, emotional, and school functioning. Given the increased rates of concussions and their ramifications, state governments and the federal government have taken action. Beginning with the start of the 2011–2012 school year, the state of New Jersey has implemented legislation that requires all school districts with interscholastic sports programs to develop a written …

Effect Of Nanosized Tio_2 Particles On The Development Of Xenopus Laevis Embryos, Ayşe Bi̇rhanli, Fatma Bi̇lge Emre, Funda Sayilkan, Abbas Güngördü

Turkish Journal of Biology

This paper reports the toxic properties of nano-TiO_2 on 2 different early life stages of Xenopus laevis. Synthesis of nano-TiO_2 particles was carried out by the hydrothermal method. Characterization of nanoparticles was performed using spectral techniques including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and a particle-size analyzer. Embryos at the 8th stage and tadpoles at the 46th stage were exposed to 7 concentrations of nano-TiO_2 in the range of 5 to 320 ppm. After 96 h of exposure, the mortality percentage of each exposure concentration was calculated and the activity of enzyme biomarkers acetylcholinesterase, carboxylesterase, glutathione S-transferase, glutathione reductase, lactate dehydrogenase, …

Genome-Wide Identification And Analysis Of Growth Regulating Factor Genes In Brachypodium Distachyon: In Silico Approaches, Ertuğrul Fi̇li̇z, İbrahi̇m Koç, Hüseyi̇n Tombuloğlu

Turkish Journal of Biology

Growth-regulating factor (GRF) genes may play important roles for regulating growth and development in different plant tissues and organs. Here we report the first genome-wide analysis of the GRF gene family in Brachypodium. We performed in silico comparative analysis of GRF genes, including their structure, duplication in the genome, conserved motifs, and phylogenetic relationship. At the end of the study, 10 BdGRF genes were identified. The highest number of GRF genes was identified on chromosome 1 with 5 members, whereas the least number of genes (only 1 member) was found on chromosomes 2, 4, and 5. Of those, a single …

Investigation Of Potential Virulence Genes And Antibiotic Resistance Characteristics Of Enterococcus Faecalis Isolates From Human Milk And Colostrum Samples, Si̇ne Özmen Toğay, Ayhan Temi̇z, Ayten Çelebi̇, Leyla Açik, Siddi̇ka Songül Yalçin

Turkish Journal of Biology

Enterococci may improve the typical taste and flavor of fermented foods through their proteolytic and lipolytic activities. However, some enterococcal strains are recognized as nosocomial pathogens, which have virulence genes and resistance to certain antibiotics. Enteroccocci are also found in human milk microflora. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential virulence genes and antibiotic resistance characteristics of Enterococcus faecalis isolates from human milk and colostrum samples. In total, 23 Enterococcus faecalis strains were identified from human milk and colostrum samples. Antibiotic-resistant E. faecalis isolates were determined using the disk diffusion method. Vancomycin resistance genes (vanA, vanB) and …

Herbicide-Tolerant Sugarcane (Saccharum Officinarum L.) Plants: An Unconventional Method Of Weed Removal, Idrees Ahmad Nasir, Bushra Tabassum, Zahida Qamar, Muhammad Aslam Javed, Muhammad Tariq, Abdul Munim Farooq, Shahid Javed Butt, Abdul Qayyum, Tayyab Husnain

Turkish Journal of Biology

Unnecessary weed growth in sugarcane fields forces plants to compete for nutrients and sunlight for survival, which most often leads to significant yield losses. As chemical herbicides cannot differentiate between crop plants and weeds, the development of herbicide-tolerant crops is anticipated. Four sugarcane varieties, CPF-234, CPF-213, HSF-240, and CPF-246, were used to develop glyphosate herbicide tolerance. A glyphosate-tolerant gene of 1368 bp cloned directionally under the 35S promoter with the \Beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene was used as the transgene. Through the biolistic transformation of sugarcane, calli of all cultivars were transformed with glyphosate-tolerant gene constructs. Efficient regeneration conditions were optimized …

Expression And Purification Of Porcine Pid1 Gene In Escherichia Coli, Huan Wang, Xiaoling Chen, Zhiqing Huang, Bo Zhou, Gang Jia, Guangmang Liu, Hua Zhao

Turkish Journal of Biology

In this study, in order to scale up the production of recombinant porcine phosphotyrosine interaction domain containing 1 (pPID1), a pET-28a (+)-pPID1 expression plasmid was constructed and transformed into Escherichia coli Rosetta (DE3). The recombinant pPID1 was then purified and identified by western blotting, and was also analyzed in vitro for its function. The recombinant protein was tagged with only a His6 tag at its C-terminus, which could be conveniently purified by affinity column. The protein could be induced for efficient expression with 0.75 mM IPTG for 8 h at 30 °C, yielding approximately 3 mg/L. In vitro biological activity …

Evaluation Of Orange Peel, An Industrial Waste, For The Production Of Aspergillus Sojae Polygalacturonase Considering Both Morphology And Rheology Effects, Ni̇han Göğüş, Bengi̇ Hakgüder Taze, Hande Demi̇r, Canan Tari, Sevcan Ünlütürk, Marcelo Fernandez Lahore

Turkish Journal of Biology

Orange peel is an agroindustrial waste rich in pectin and known to be an inducer for pectinase production. The use of this low-cost substrate for the production of an industrially important enzyme, polygalacturonase (PG), can be an alternative way to turn this waste into a value-added product, contributing to the reduction of environmental waste disposal problems. Enzyme productions by fungal microorganisms are affected by environmental and nutritional factors, demanding the determination of optimum conditions for maximum enzyme production with the desired fungal morphology and broth rheology. Therefore, complex and additional carbon sources were optimized with respect to PG production by …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of Peste Des Petits Ruminants Virus From Outbreaks In Turkey During 2008-2012, Leyla Güler, Murat Şevi̇k, Mustafa Hasöksüz

Turkish Journal of Biology

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an important viral disease of sheep and goats and is endemic in all regions of Turkey. In this study, PPR virus infection was investigated by RT-PCR assay based on the fusion (F) gene in PPR-suspected sheep and goat samples. PPR virus RNA was detected in 65 small ruminants (51 sheep, 14 goats) from independent outbreaks during 2008-2012 in provinces in the central and Mediterranean regions and the central-west part of the Aegean region in Turkey. The virus was detected in an aborted sheep fetus sample by RT-PCR, and diagnosis was also confirmed by virus …

Glycosylation Changes Leading To The Increase In Size On The Common Core Of N-Glycans, Required Enzymes, And Related Cancer-Associated Proteins, Sabi̇re Karaçali, Savaş İzzetoğlu, Remzi̇ye Deveci̇

Turkish Journal of Biology

Glycan parts of glycoconjugates on the surfaces of cells regulate many kinds of interactions between the cells and their immediate environments. Alterations in glycosylation on the cancer-associated glycoproteins are responsible for changes in their molecular interactions and biological functions. Glycosylation changes occur in the core and/or at the nonreducing end of the oligosaccharide chains of N-glycans. In this review, we focus on the branching of the common core structure of N-glycans, the responsible enzyme, and the extensions of some of the branches causing size increases on the surface of tumor cells. Abnormal branching, elongation of the branches, and increasing size …

Progesterone Receptor Modulators In Breast Cancer, Ronald D. Wiehle

Turkish Journal of Biology

Breast cancer has been treated successfully with selective estrogen receptor antagonists (SERMs) such as tamoxifen, receptor-depleting agents such as fulvestrant, and aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole. Selective progesterone receptor modulators (SPRMs or PRMs) have not been studied as much and are currently under investigation for inhibition of mammary carcinogenesis in animal models and breast cancer prevention trials in women. They might follow tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancers with acquired resistance. These uses have not provoked ground-breaking progress or studies and PRMs do not have a high profile. Most in vitro and in vivo studies …

The Role Of Abc Transporters In Anticancer Drug Transport, Serhan Karvar

Turkish Journal of Biology

The main clinical problem in cancer treatment is the development of multidrug resistance. Tumors can be intrinsically drug-resistant or develop resistance to chemotherapy. Multidrug resistance can develop by diverse mechanisms including decreased rate of drug uptake, increased drug efflux, alterations in drug metabolism, mutation of drug targets, activation of DNA repair mechanisms, and evasion of apoptosis. The use of modern genomic, proteomic, bioinformatic, and systems biology approaches has resulted in a substantial increase in our ability to identify molecular mechanisms that are involved in multidrug resistance in cancer and to find drugs that may block or reverse the development of …

Noncoding Rnas And Cancer, Hesna Begüm Akman Tuncer, Ayşe Eli̇f Erson Bensan

Turkish Journal of Biology

New and diverse groups of noncoding RNAs are beginning to be discovered. These noncoding RNAs are grouped based on their sizes, genomic positions, or distinctive functions ranging from the regulation of chromatin structure and gene expression to genome stability maintenance. Among noncoding RNAs, microRNAs are the best studied and understood small RNAs with direct and indirect roles in normal and in cancer cells. Given the high rate of transcription from noncoding parts of the genome, other noncoding elements are also of great interest. It is also of interest to understand that there may be interesting cases of crosstalk and/or coregulation …

Analysis Of “Bimbam”, A Novel Glucocorticoid-Induced Bh3-Only Transcript In Cell Lines And Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Muhammad Mansha, Muhammad Wasim, Ali Raza Awan, Asma Abdul Latif

Turkish Journal of Biology

Glucocorticoids (GCs) induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in lymphoid cells and are fundamental components of therapeutic regimens of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We previously identified a panel of GC-induced candidate genes in children with ALL and in other biological systems using whole genome expression profiling. Of those, a novel transcript from the BCL2L11/Bim locus, named \"Bimbam\", was functionally analyzed in the current study. The postulated Bimbam mRNA consists of the 5' portion of Bim including the BH3-containing exon 8 and the 3' portion of Bam, a small 2-exon gene embedded in the BCL2L11/Bim locus. The expression and GC induction …

Induction Of Apoptosis In The Cervical Cancer Cell Line Hela By A Novel Metabolite Extracted From The Fungus Aspergillus Japonicus Saito, Apoorva Prabhu, Prerana Venkat, Bharath Gajaraj, Varalakshmi Kilingar Nadumane

Turkish Journal of Biology

Natural bioactive compounds have been found superior to chemical compounds for use in pharmaceutical applications. Such natural compounds include biologically active compounds present as a part of fungal metabolism that originate through different biochemical pathways and contain different structural groups like benzopyranones, phenols, toxins, and steroids. One such novel compound is a secondary metabolite extracted from the filamentous fungus Aspergillus japonicus Saito. The compound exhibited anticancer properties and was found to be harmless to normal human lymphocytes. The metabolites were separated by thin layer chromatography and screened for their cytotoxic potential through 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay in the cervical cancer …

Cancer Chemopreventive Effect Of Dietary Zataria Multiflora Essential Oils, Abolfazl Dadkhah, Faezaeh Fatemi, Mohammad Reza Mohammadi Malayeri, Azadeh Rasooli

Turkish Journal of Biology

Zataria multiflora Boiss., with the common name Avishan-e-Shirazi, is native to Iran. This herb has been found to possess varied pharmacological properties. In the present study, for the first time, colon chemopreventive effects of Z. multiflora essential oils (0.01% and 0.1% in the diet) in rats treated with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) were demonstrated. For this purpose, the oxidative stress/antioxidant parameters (lipid peroxidation, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ferric reducing ability of plasma) concomitant with xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (CYP450 and GST) were considered. Moreover, the colonic Beta-catenin protein was examined in colon tissues followed by histopathological analysis. The results showed that the …

Anticancer Activities And Mechanism Of Action Of 2 Novel Metal Complexes, C_{16}H_{34}N_{8}O_{5}Ag_{2}Cd And C_{11}H_{16}N_{7}O_{2}Ag_{3}Ni, Ali̇ Aydin, Nesri̇n Korkmaz, Şaban Teki̇n, Ahmet Karadağ

Turkish Journal of Biology

The discovery of anticancer activity in cisplatin triggered the development of novel drugs containing metals such as platinum or ruthenium. Extremely diverse structural chemistry and the interaction of metal complexes with biomolecules resulted in the exploration of novel metal complexes with drug potential. In the present study, the anticancer and cytotoxic activities and the mechanisms of action were investigated for C_{16}H_{34}N_{8}O_{5}Ag_{2}Cd (AN1) and C_{11}H_{16}N_{7}O_{2}Ag_{3}Ni (AN7), 2 newly synthesized dicyanidoargentate(I) complexes. The anticancer and cytotoxic activities of AN1 and AN7 on several cancer cell lines were tested by cell proliferation and cytotoxic activity assays, respectively. The apoptotic and replication inhibitory potentials …

Reconciling Brundibár: Practical Considerations For Producing Hans Krása’S Children’S Opera, Daniel W. Chetel

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Brundibár, the children’s opera by Czech composer Hans Krása (1899–1944), is the story of two children who go to town to seek some milk to help their sick mother. When they arrive the children are bullied by the Brundibár, a mean adult who plays the organ grinder and takes the children’s money. To fight back against the overbearing Brundibár the children seek the help of the town’s young people—along with three fairy-tale animals—to make the town square a safe place again.

The piece was performed in 1942 by the children of Prague’s Jewish orphanage, and then presented with child singers …

The Effect Of Family Centered Music Therapy Sessions On Relaxation States Of Informal Caregivers Of Hospice And Palliative Care Patients, Adrienne Claire Steiner

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Advances in healthcare and shifts toward patient and family centered care have allowed healthcare professionals to focus on the entirety of a patient and what affects his/her health. In noting such changes, and in consideration of what affects quality of life, findings in the literature address the physiological and physiological differences between those who are caregivers versus those who are not caregivers. This study investigated the relaxation state of those who were considered informal caregivers of hospice and palliative patients in an acute hospitalized setting.

A family centered music therapy session was conducted utilizing a music-­‐ assisted relaxation intervention incorporating …

The Effects Of A Cooperative Learning Environment On Preservice Elementary Teachers' Interest In And The Application Of Music Into Core Academic Subjects, John Okley Egger

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of cooperative learning on preservice elementary teachers’ interest in, and the application of music into, core academic subject lesson plans. Participants (N = 59) were preservice elementary teachers enrolled in four class sections of a music method course designed for elementary education majors at a large southern university. All members participating in the study were placed by section for eight weeks in one of two groups-an individualistic learning group or cooperative learning group.

During the first 6 weeks of the study, participants worked on the Music Integration Project. …

Identifying Landscape-Level Trends In Prairie Songbirds With Fragmented Habitats, Jessica Shahan

Theses and Dissertations

Grassland songbirds are experiencing significant population declines due to habitat loss and degradation. This study investigated the relationship between landscape-level patterns and prairie-level patterns in presence/absence, richness, and diversity for seven individual species, the total grassland songbird community, and three community subgroups. Overall, grassland songbirds did respond to landscape-level variables, although the strength of the relationship and the variables involved differed by species and functional group.

Automated Vehicles Are Probably Legal In The United States, Bryant Walker Smith

Texas A&M Law Review

This article provides the most comprehensive discussion to date of whether so-called automated, autonomous, self-driving, or driverless vehicles can be lawfully sold and used on public roads in the United States. The short answer is that the computer direction of a motor vehicle’s steering, braking, and accelerating without real-time human input is probably legal. The long answer, which follows, provides a foundation for tailoring regulations and understanding liability issues related to these vehicles.

The article’s largely descriptive analysis, which begins with the principle that everything is permitted unless prohibited, covers three key legal regimes: the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road …

The Precarious Position Of Same-Sex Divorce In Texas, Shawna M. Young

Texas A&M Law Review

Currently, same-sex couples that are legally married in a jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex marriage may not be able to divorce if they move to Texas. Of the few cases tried in Texas, most courts refused to grant the samesex divorce because the courts refused to recognize the underlying marriage. Because these couples cannot simply return to the granting state due to most states’ divorce residency requirements, they cannot divorce and face untold issues due to this inability. While Texas does offer the opportunity for the couple to declare the marriage void, declaring the marriage void is not an adequate legal …