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2014

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The Effects Of "Stress Inoculation" On Anxiety-Related Behaviors In A Rodent Model, Rebecca Ruth Clouse Jan 2014

The Effects Of "Stress Inoculation" On Anxiety-Related Behaviors In A Rodent Model, Rebecca Ruth Clouse

Master's Theses

Problem. Humans may face psychological stressors in their everyday life due to their ability to contemplate future events. While long-term stress exposure may be detrimental to health, this study examines the possibility that exposure to unpredictable/controllable, moderate stress may cause resilience against future stressors. This is referred to as the "stress inoculation hypothesis." The effects of unpredictable/controllable stress can be illustrated as a rightward shift in an inverted U-shaped curve, where optimal performance (the top of the curve) can be maintained at higher stress levels. -- Method. Thirty-three male Sprague-Dawley rats were tested on the elevated-plus maze (EPM) for trait …


Feeding Interactions Between Juvenile And Adult Flightless Cormorants., James Hayward, Libby C. Megna, Brianna G. Payne Jan 2014

Feeding Interactions Between Juvenile And Adult Flightless Cormorants., James Hayward, Libby C. Megna, Brianna G. Payne

Faculty Publications

We report observations on chick feedings by adult Flightless Cormorants Phalacrocorax harrisi, indicating that, contrary to the literature, the sequence of interaction is similar to that of other Pelecaniformes.


Egg Cannibalism In A Gull Colony Increases With Sea Surface Temperature, Lynelle M. Weldon, Shandelle M. Henson, James Hayward, Brianna G. Payne, Libby C. Megna, Andre E. Moncrieff Jan 2014

Egg Cannibalism In A Gull Colony Increases With Sea Surface Temperature, Lynelle M. Weldon, Shandelle M. Henson, James Hayward, Brianna G. Payne, Libby C. Megna, Andre E. Moncrieff

Faculty Publications

Cannibalism occurs regularly across a broad range of taxa with a variety of ecological and evolutionary consequences. Rises in sea surface temperature (SST) have been linked to increased cannibalism in some species, including polar bears (Ursus maritimus), Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens), and Peruvian hake (Merluccius gayi peruanus), and might be expected in birds that depend on marine food webs for sustenance. Increased SSTs are associated with lowered ocean thermoclines and weakened upwellings. These changes, in turn, lead to decreased productivity in surface water and movement of surviving forage fish to deeper water, thereby food-stressing surface feeders such as gulls, diminishing …


Effects Of Plastic Pollution Density On The Crawling Rates Of Hawksbill Hatchlings In Utila, Honduras, Kyungje Sung Jan 2014

Effects Of Plastic Pollution Density On The Crawling Rates Of Hawksbill Hatchlings In Utila, Honduras, Kyungje Sung

Honors Theses

The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered species. Hence, various conservation efforts by groups such as ProTECTOR are taking place to stabilize its population. To support such efforts, my study focused on the turtle population in and around the island of Utila, Honduras. Specifically, I sought to determine if various densities of plastic pollution had an effect on crawling times during the migration of hawksbill turtle hatchlings from nest to water. A reduction in crawling time could increase predation time and cause the hatchling to expend additional energy before they reach the ocean. We constructed four experimental corridors …


Hcnabc Operon Transcription Of Pseudomonas Putida Under Varying Iron And Oxygen Concentrations And Culture Age, Christine Lee Jan 2014

Hcnabc Operon Transcription Of Pseudomonas Putida Under Varying Iron And Oxygen Concentrations And Culture Age, Christine Lee

Honors Theses

The species Pseudomonas putida produces hydrogen cyanide (HCN) through the transcription of the hcnABC operon. Previous research by Myrna Biswas (2010) demonstrated that microaerobic +FeCl3 cultures had the greatest HCN production, but the effects of varying iron and oxygen levels on HCN production were unclear. Isaac Kim (2011) assessed HCN production of P. putida in sand versus soil using different iron concentrations and found that iron was necessary for HCN production. The purpose of this experiment was to determine how the hcnABC operon is affected by varying levels of iron and oxygen, and the age of bacteria culture. To test …


The Effect Of Celite Formulated Rhizobium Rubi At3-4rs/6 And Tryptophan On Velvetleaf Plant Growth, Jonathon Ahn Jan 2014

The Effect Of Celite Formulated Rhizobium Rubi At3-4rs/6 And Tryptophan On Velvetleaf Plant Growth, Jonathon Ahn

Honors Theses

Rhizobium rubi AT3-4RS/6 and tryptophan may be useful in replacing chemical herbicides as biological control agents (Kennedy et al., 1990). Previous research has shown that Rhizobium rubi AT3-4RS/6 produces IAA-like compounds that are deleterious to weed growth. In this project R. rubi AT3-4RS/6 will be formulated in Celite, a granular, diatomaceous earth carrier. The purpose of this research is to analyze if tryptophan influences R. rubi AT3-4RS/6 populations in the velveltleaf rhizosphere, and if this colonization is associated with reduced root weight and shoot length. The experiment design consists of five soil treatments (bacteria+tryptophan+celite, tryptophan+celite, bacteria+celite, celite alone, and soil …


Factors Affecting Phonotaxis In Male House Crickets, Acheta Domesticus, Erik Thordarson Jan 2014

Factors Affecting Phonotaxis In Male House Crickets, Acheta Domesticus, Erik Thordarson

Honors Theses

This research addresses some of the possible factors that affect male Acheta domesticus phonotactic responses to calls of males of the same species. The study examines cricket age and social interaction with females as possible factors affecting this behavior. Through Friedman rank test analysis, the study attempts to demonstrate a link between these factors and the responsiveness of the male crickets in the study. As the crickets aged, they responded to a wider ranges of syllable periods, which may imply that they follow a similar pattern of decreasing selectivity in their response with age as their female counterparts. A Friedman's …


A Republic 'On Earth As It Is In Heaven': The Freedom Of The Fall In Paradise Lost And His Dark Materials, Jordan Arellano Jan 2014

A Republic 'On Earth As It Is In Heaven': The Freedom Of The Fall In Paradise Lost And His Dark Materials, Jordan Arellano

Honors Theses

The epic poem Paradise Lost (1667, 74) retells the Biblical creation story through the blind eyes of the Christian political-poet John Milton. Three hundred years later, Milton's work is recast by the atheist children's and fantasy novelist Philip Pullman in the His Dark Materials trilogy (1995, 97, 2000). Although one might assume that these two writers' perspectives would contradict one another, Pullman's adaptation - though a perverted story of the Fall - still pursues the same goal as Milton's by imagining a new and better social structure. And not only do they share that goal, but they also explore the …


Editor's Page, Randall W. Younker Jan 2014

Editor's Page, Randall W. Younker

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.


Mentoring And Discipling The Early Adolescents Of The Kitchener-Waterloo Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Jiwan S. Moon Jan 2014

Mentoring And Discipling The Early Adolescents Of The Kitchener-Waterloo Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Jiwan S. Moon

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

From 1951 to 2001, at the Kitchener-Waterloo Seventh-day Adventist Church, only one family from the founding generation has its children and grandchildren attending and active in the church. Most of the second and third generation members of the church who once attended, no longer practice their inherited Adventist religious beliefs. As the church membership was aging, the church was dying and membership continued to decrease, especially the number of young people. It was becoming evident that the church needed intervention to prevent continuous loss of members. In order to prevent a repeat of history, there was a need for …


Potomac Conference Adcom Team Transitional Journey From Hierarchical To Servant Leadership, William K. Miller Jan 2014

Potomac Conference Adcom Team Transitional Journey From Hierarchical To Servant Leadership, William K. Miller

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. The research of Wong and Page (2003) has suggested that no denominational church leadership models utilize a biblical servant leadership model. Most denominational leadership models utilize some form of an authoritarian hierarchical model. This suggests the need for a curriculum that can assist a denominational leadership team to transition to a biblical servant leadership model.

Methodology. This project utilized a qualitative methodology. A curriculum was developed utilizing assessments, seminars, coaching, and group feedback in order to create an environment to transition to a biblical servant leadership model for the Potomac Conference ADCOM team.

Results. There were seven members of …


Health And Social Ministries: A Holistic Approach To Ministering In Contemporary Society, Ezekiel Adeyemi Oyinloye Jan 2014

Health And Social Ministries: A Holistic Approach To Ministering In Contemporary Society, Ezekiel Adeyemi Oyinloye

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

It has been observed for thirty years that Adventists conventional way of doing outreach ministries especially in the cities, fail to have expected response that fulfills goals. Attitudes of people are apathetic and reserved they stand aloof and are removed from sharing in what has been offered. They cannot be bothered. The inner city of Ibadan especially displays this type of attitude. Thus, inner city Ibadan has remained unentered by the Adventists since the inception of the Church in Ibadan a century ago. There is no single church of the Seventh-day Adventists in inner city Ibadan.

Method

A strategy …


A Strategy To Train Local Church Elders For Effective Assimilation And Nurture Of New Converts, Enock Chifamba Jan 2014

A Strategy To Train Local Church Elders For Effective Assimilation And Nurture Of New Converts, Enock Chifamba

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In most multi-church districts the pastoral burden rests with the local church elders. However, these elders receive little or no training concerning the important pastoral duty of assimilation and nurture of new converts into a local church fellowship. Thus, new converts often feel isolated and neglected and some either backslide or remain inactive in their new-found faith. In the East Zimbabwe Conference 18,349 new members were added in 2010 bringing its membership to 247,935 with only 56 district pastors. The conference needs a cost effective strategy to nurture new members.

Method

The role of elders as pastoral care givers …


Pharmacological Modulation Of Nad Alters Tnf-Α Responses In Macrophage Subsets, A Al-Shabany, Aj Moody, Ad Foey, Ra Billington Jan 2014

Pharmacological Modulation Of Nad Alters Tnf-Α Responses In Macrophage Subsets, A Al-Shabany, Aj Moody, Ad Foey, Ra Billington

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Steps Toward A Shared Governance Response For Achieving Good Environmental Status In The Mediterranean Sea, Sergio Cinnirella, R Sarda, Suarez De Vivero J Luis, Ruth Brennan, Alberto Barausse, John Icely, Tiziana Luisetti, David March, Carla Murciano, Alice Newton, T O'Higgins, Luca Palmeri, Maria Giovanna Palmieri, Pascal Raux, Sian Rees, J Albaiges, Nicola Pirrone, Kerry Turner Jan 2014

Steps Toward A Shared Governance Response For Achieving Good Environmental Status In The Mediterranean Sea, Sergio Cinnirella, R Sarda, Suarez De Vivero J Luis, Ruth Brennan, Alberto Barausse, John Icely, Tiziana Luisetti, David March, Carla Murciano, Alice Newton, T O'Higgins, Luca Palmeri, Maria Giovanna Palmieri, Pascal Raux, Sian Rees, J Albaiges, Nicola Pirrone, Kerry Turner

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Effects Of Silver Nanoparticles (Nm-300k) On Lumbricus Rubellus Earthworms And Particle Characterization In Relevant Test Matrices Including Soil, Der Ploeg Mjc Van, Rd Handy, Pl Waalewijn-Kool, Den Berg Jhj Van, Zeh Rivera, J Bovenschen, B Molleman, Jm Baveco, P Tromp, Rjb Peters, Gf Koopmans, Imcm Rietjens, Den Brink Nw Van Jan 2014

Effects Of Silver Nanoparticles (Nm-300k) On Lumbricus Rubellus Earthworms And Particle Characterization In Relevant Test Matrices Including Soil, Der Ploeg Mjc Van, Rd Handy, Pl Waalewijn-Kool, Den Berg Jhj Van, Zeh Rivera, J Bovenschen, B Molleman, Jm Baveco, P Tromp, Rjb Peters, Gf Koopmans, Imcm Rietjens, Den Brink Nw Van

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Looking Forward Through The Past. Identification Of Fifty Priority Research Questions In Palaeoecology., A Seddon, A Mackay, A Baker, Et Al Jan 2014

Looking Forward Through The Past. Identification Of Fifty Priority Research Questions In Palaeoecology., A Seddon, A Mackay, A Baker, Et Al

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Priority question exercises are becoming an increasingly common tool to frame future agendas in conservation and ecological science. They are an effective way to identify research foci that advance the field and that also have high policy and conservation relevance. To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of key questions and priority research areas for palaeoecology, which combines biological, geochemical and molecular techniques in order to reconstruct past ecological and environmental systems on time-scales from decades to millions of years. We adapted a well-established methodology to identify 50 priority research questions in palaeoecology. Using a set of criteria designed …


Functional Diversity Of Marine Ecosystems After The Late Permian Mass Extinction Event, Wj Foster, Rj Twitchett Jan 2014

Functional Diversity Of Marine Ecosystems After The Late Permian Mass Extinction Event, Wj Foster, Rj Twitchett

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Late Permian mass extinction event was the most severe such crisis of the past 500 million years and occurred during an episode of global warming. It is assumed to have had significant ecological impact, but its effects on marine ecosystem functioning are unknown and the patterns of marine recovery are debated. We analysed the fossil occurrences of all known Permian-Triassic benthic marine genera and assigned each to a functional group based on their inferred life habit. We show that despite the selective extinction of 62-74% of marine genera there was no significant loss of functional diversity at the global …


Comparative Studies To Assess Bacterial Communities On The Clover Phylloplane Using Mlst, Dgge And T-Rflp, A Prabhakar, Ah Bishop Jan 2014

Comparative Studies To Assess Bacterial Communities On The Clover Phylloplane Using Mlst, Dgge And T-Rflp, A Prabhakar, Ah Bishop

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) were used to characterise the changes that occurred in Bacillus cereus group strains present in the phylloplane of clover Trifolium hybridum over 4 months. These strains had previously been analysed by multiple locus sequence typing (MLST). DGGE displayed many equally intense bands which indicated many equally abundant ribotypes. The bacterial community composition was variable and the leaves sampled as little as a week apart were found to have some temporal variability, indicating that diverse phylloplane bacterial communities follow sequential patterns from time to time. The B. cereus group …


Social Experience During Adolescence Influences How Male Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia Guttata) Group With Conspecifics, Tim Ruploh, Hans Joachim Bischof, N Von Engelhardt Jan 2014

Social Experience During Adolescence Influences How Male Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia Guttata) Group With Conspecifics, Tim Ruploh, Hans Joachim Bischof, N Von Engelhardt

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


The Inclusion Of Pregnant Women In Clinical Research, Barbara A. Noah Jan 2014

The Inclusion Of Pregnant Women In Clinical Research, Barbara A. Noah

Faculty Scholarship

In the past three decades, there has been unprecedented growth in medical research utilizing human subjects, with much promise for new treatments that extend life, improve quality of life, and prevent disease and disability. Safe prescribing of drug therapies requires that researchers design clinical trials to test products for the benefit of all persons who are likely to utilize them, not just a limited population. For this reason, it is essential that clinical trials include women, pregnant women, children, and racial minorities, as appropriate, because these populations sometimes exhibit different patterns of response or adverse reactions.

Despite some significant progress …


Computer Science Concept Inventories: Past And Future, Cynthia Taylor, Daniel Zingaro, Leo Porter, Kevin C. Webb, C. B. Lee, Michael Clancy Jan 2014

Computer Science Concept Inventories: Past And Future, Cynthia Taylor, Daniel Zingaro, Leo Porter, Kevin C. Webb, C. B. Lee, Michael Clancy

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Concept Inventories (CIs) are assessments designed to measure student learning of core concepts. CIs have become well known for their major impact on pedagogical techniques in other sciences, especially physics. Presently, there are no widely used, validated CIs for computer science. However, considerable groundwork has been performed in the form of identifying core concepts, analyzing student misconceptions, and developing CI assessment questions. Although much of the work has been focused on CS1 and a CI has been developed for digital logic, some preliminary work on CIs is underway for other courses. This literature review examines CI work in other STEM …


Cellulose-Chitosan-Keratin Composite Materials: Synthesis, Immunological And Antibacterial Properties, Meghann Rosewald, Fang Yao Stephen Hou, Tamutsiwa Moven Mututuvari, April L. Harkins, Chieu D. Tran Jan 2014

Cellulose-Chitosan-Keratin Composite Materials: Synthesis, Immunological And Antibacterial Properties, Meghann Rosewald, Fang Yao Stephen Hou, Tamutsiwa Moven Mututuvari, April L. Harkins, Chieu D. Tran

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Novel composites were synthesized from keratin (KER), cellulose (CEL) and chitosan (CS). The method is recyclable because majority (>88%) of [BMIm+Cl-], an ionic liquid (IL), used as the sole solvent, was recovered for reuse. Experimentally, it was confirmed that unique properties of each component remain intact in the composites, namely bactericide (from KER and CS) and anti-inflammatory property (from KER). Specifically, the composites were examined for their anti-inflammatory influence on macrophages. The cells were imaged and immunophenotyped to determine the quantity using the macrophage marker CD11b. The 75:25 [KER+CS] composite was found to have the …


Symbolic Providers Help People Regulate Affect Relationally: Implications For Perceived Support, Brian Lakey, Corey Cooper, Arika Cronin, Travis Whitaker Jan 2014

Symbolic Providers Help People Regulate Affect Relationally: Implications For Perceived Support, Brian Lakey, Corey Cooper, Arika Cronin, Travis Whitaker

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Relational regulation theory (Lakey & Orehek, 2011) predicts that the correlation between perceived support and mental health emerges through ordinary conversation and shared activities rather than through conversations about stress and how to cope with it. Observing the conversations and activities of others also helps regulate mental health. Symbolic providers (known only through media) mimic how real providers regulate affect in that recipients observe the conversations and shared activities of symbolic providers. Thus, many perceived support findings obtained for real providers should also be found for symbolic providers. We found the same links between perceived support and affect when recipients …


Isomer Dependence In The Assembly And Lability Of Silver(I) Trifluoromethanesulfonate Complexes Of The Heteroditopic Ligands, 2-, 3-, And 4-[Di(1H-Pyrazolyl)Methyl]Phenyl(Di-P-Tolyl)Phosphine, James R. Gardinier, Jeewantha S. Hewage, Sergey V. Lindeman Jan 2014

Isomer Dependence In The Assembly And Lability Of Silver(I) Trifluoromethanesulfonate Complexes Of The Heteroditopic Ligands, 2-, 3-, And 4-[Di(1H-Pyrazolyl)Methyl]Phenyl(Di-P-Tolyl)Phosphine, James R. Gardinier, Jeewantha S. Hewage, Sergey V. Lindeman

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Three isomers of a new heteroditopic ligand that contains a di(1H-pyrazolyl)methyl (−CHpz2) moiety connected to a di(p-tolyl)phosphine group via a para-, meta-, or ortho-phenylene spacer (pL, mL, and oL, respectively) have been synthesized by using a palladium(0)-catalyzed coupling reaction between HP(p-tolyl)2 and the appropriate isomer of (IC6H4)CHpz2. The 1:1 complexes of silver(I) trifluoromethanesulfonate, Ag(OTf), were prepared to examine the nature of ligand coordination and the type of supramolecular isomer (monomeric, cyclic oligomeric, or polymeric) that would be obtained. …


Synthesis And Spectroscopic Characterization Of High-Spin Mononuclear Iron(Ii) P-Semiquinonate Complexes, Amanda E. Baum, Heaweon Park, Sergey V. Lindeman, Adam T. Fiedler Jan 2014

Synthesis And Spectroscopic Characterization Of High-Spin Mononuclear Iron(Ii) P-Semiquinonate Complexes, Amanda E. Baum, Heaweon Park, Sergey V. Lindeman, Adam T. Fiedler

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Two mononuclear iron(II) p-semiquinonate (pSQ) complexes have been generated via one-electron reduction of precursor complexes containing a substituted 1,4-naphthoquinone ligand. Detailed spectroscopic and computational analysis confirmed the presence of a coordinated pSQ radical ferromagnetically coupled to the high-spin FeII center. The complexes are intended to model electronic interactions between (semi)quinone and iron cofactors in biology.


Distinct Activation Phenotype Of A Highly Conserved Novel Hla-B57-Restricted Epitope During Dengue Virus Infection, Elizabeth Townsley, Marcia Woda, Stephen J. Thomas, Siripen Kalayanarooj, Robert V. Gibbons, Ananda Nisalak, Anon Srikiatkhachorn, Sharone Green, Henry A.F. Stephens, Alan L. Rothman, Anuja Matthew Jan 2014

Distinct Activation Phenotype Of A Highly Conserved Novel Hla-B57-Restricted Epitope During Dengue Virus Infection, Elizabeth Townsley, Marcia Woda, Stephen J. Thomas, Siripen Kalayanarooj, Robert V. Gibbons, Ananda Nisalak, Anon Srikiatkhachorn, Sharone Green, Henry A.F. Stephens, Alan L. Rothman, Anuja Matthew

Institute for Immunology and Informatics Faculty Publications

Variation in the sequence of T cell epitopes between dengue virus (DENV) serotypes is believed to alter memory T cell responses during second heterologous infections. We identified a highly conserved, novel, HLA-B57-restricted epitope on the DENV NS1 protein. We predicted higher frequencies of B57-NS126-34-specific CD8+ T cells in PBMC from individuals undergoing secondary rather than primary DENV infection. However, high tetramer-positive T cell frequencies during acute infection were seen in only 1 of 9 subjects with secondary infection. B57-NS126-34-specific and other DENV epitope-specific CD8+ T cells, as well as total CD8+ T cells, expressed an activated phenotype (CD69+ and/or CD38+) …


Comparison Of Phenotypic Value Changes In Pure Lines Of Bombyx Mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) During Consecutive Generations Following Initial Selection On Cocoon Weight, Alireza Seidavi, Marian R. Goldsmith Jan 2014

Comparison Of Phenotypic Value Changes In Pure Lines Of Bombyx Mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) During Consecutive Generations Following Initial Selection On Cocoon Weight, Alireza Seidavi, Marian R. Goldsmith

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The experiments reported here were conducted to investigate the effect of selection on three quantitative traits, namely cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight, and cocoon shell percentage, during four generations by rearing six pure breeds of domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) of Chinese and Japanese origin compared with random unselected groups as controls. All stages of rearing and data recording were performed over four rearing periods, with generations 1–3 during successive spring seasons and generation 4 during the autumn season in year 3. Each pure line contained two groups of selected and random (control) groups. Comparisons included the effect …


Terpene Chemistry Of Eastern Hemlocks Resistant To Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, E. Alexa Mckenzie, Joseph S. Elkinton, Richard A. Casagrande, Evan L. Preisser, Mark Mayer Jan 2014

Terpene Chemistry Of Eastern Hemlocks Resistant To Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, E. Alexa Mckenzie, Joseph S. Elkinton, Richard A. Casagrande, Evan L. Preisser, Mark Mayer

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Recent studies have identified a small number of individual eastern hemlock trees that demonstrate relative resistance to the introduced sap-feeding insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid. Using gas chromatography, we compared concentrations of twenty-two terpenoids in susceptible and relatively resistant trees, both in the forest and in propagated cuttings in a common-garden setting. Terpenoid concentrations were higher in twig tissue of resistant versus susceptible trees, across six sampling dates and at both sites. These changes may be particularly important because the hemlock woolly adelgid feeds on twig tissue. Because the common-garden cuttings were free of herbivores, the higher terpenoid concentrations are …


Rate Of False Conviction Of Criminal Defendants Who Are Sentenced To Death, Samuel R. Gross, Barbara O'Brien, Chen Hu, Edward H. Kennedy Jan 2014

Rate Of False Conviction Of Criminal Defendants Who Are Sentenced To Death, Samuel R. Gross, Barbara O'Brien, Chen Hu, Edward H. Kennedy

Articles

The rate of erroneous conviction of innocent criminal defendants is often described as not merely unknown but unknowable. There is no systematic method to determine the accuracy of a criminal conviction; if there were, these errors would not occur in the first place. As a result, very few false convictions are ever discovered, and those that are discovered are not representative of the group as a whole. In the United States, however, a high proportion of false convictions that do come to light and produce exonerations are concentrated among the tiny minority of cases in which defendants are sentenced to …