Digital Commons Network^™

Cost-Effective Approach To Reducing Collisions With Elk By Fencing Between Existing Highway Structures, Jeffrey W. Gagnon, Chad D. Loberger, Scott C. Sprague, Kari S. Ogren, Susan L. Boe, Raymond E. Schweinsburg

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Collisions with large ungulates cause serious human and animal injuries and significant property damage. Therefore, wildlife crossing structures are increasingly included in new road construction to reduce wildlife–vehicle collisions, while still allowing wildlife to safely cross roads. Recently, state and federal transportation budgets have declined, concomitantly reducing the construction of wildlife crossing structures, which are generally tied to large-scale reconstruction projects that are delayed for decades into the future. Nevertheless, even during times of fiscal constraint or temporal delay, it is still necessary to reduce collisions with wildlife and maintain habitat connectivity. Therefore, it is important to find cost-effective and …

Administering GonaconTm To White-Tailed Deer Via Hand-Injection Versus Syringe-Dart, Charles S. Evans, Anthony J. Denicola, John D. Eisemann, Robert J. Warren

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Immunocontraceptive vaccines have shown some promise for fertility control of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in urban and suburban habitats where traditional methods of population control may not be applicable. Currently, the only contraceptive vaccine approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in white-tailed deer is GonaCon^TM Immunocontraceptive Vaccine, but it is registered for use via hand-injection only. It has been suggested that remote-delivery of immunocontraceptives would be more cost-effective than hand-injection, but there is the potential for incomplete injection from a syringe-dart. Therefore, the purpose of our research was to: (1) conduct a dart configuration …

Bioaccumulation Of Mercury In Wilson’S Snipe From Alabama, Lindsay J. Brooks, Joshua W. Campbell, Julia W. Murphy

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Mercury is a persistent, toxic heavy metal that can bioaccumulate in organisms, causing diseases and other health problems. Wilson’s snipe (Gallinago delicata) feed primarily on aquatic invertebrates, which makes them prone to mercury bioaccumulation. In this study, we measured total mercury in Wilson’s snipe. Total mercury was measured in the feathers and muscle tissue. Mean concentration (ppm ± SE) of mercury was 1.33 (± 0.22) and 0.087 (± 0.03) in the feathers and muscle tissue, respectively. Mercury concentration was significantly higher in feathers than muscle. Our data indicate that Wilson’s snipe, an aquatic-invertebrate predator that bioaccumulates mercury from …

Arresting Contagion: Science, Policy, And Conflicts Over Animal Disease Control, David D. Vail

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Race, Dignity, And The Right To Marry, Robin A. Lenhardt

Fordham Law Review

Justice Kennedy’s majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges asserts legal marriage’s capacity to afford same-sex couples a measure of “equal dignity” and belonging too long denied. In this Essay, I ask whether there is any reason to believe that marriage could do the same for African Americans. Could broader entrance into marriage, as some conservatives suggest, provide Blacks—gay and straight—a measure of belonging that has been frustratingly elusive, even as the nation prepares to celebrate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Thirteenth Amendment’s ratification?

Modeling Neuromorphic Persistent Firing Networks, Ning Ning, Guoqi Li, Wei He, Kejie Huang, Li Pan, Kiruthika Ramanathan, Rong Zhao, Luping Shi

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Neurons are believed to be the brain computational engines of the brain. A recent discovery in neurophysiology reveals that interneurons can slowly integrate spiking, share the output across a coupled network of axons and respond with persistent firing even in the absence of input to the soma or dendrites, which has not been understood and could be very important for exploring the mechanism of human cognition. The conventional models are incapable of simulating the important newly-discovered phenomenon of persistent firing induced by axonal slow integration. In this paper, we propose a computationally efficient model of neurons through modeling the axon …

Legal Myths Of Ebola Preparedness And Response, James G. Hodge Jr.

Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy

In March 2014, Ebola viral disease (“EVD”) emerged from several

West African countries as a substantial threat to global health.

Through a series of core legal powers pursuant to its declaration of a

public health emergency of international concern (“PHEIC”) on

August 8, 2014, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) averted a

global health disaster by requiring member countries to engage in mul- tiple public health interventions. These efficacious WHO-mandated

measures included implementation of border closures to limit the

spread of EVD within and outside of countries like Guinea, Liberia,

Senegal, and Sierra Leone. Industrialized nations, including the

United States, responded …

The People's Nih? Ethical And Legal Concerns In Crowdfunded Biomedical Research, Joshua E. Perry

Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy

Over the last decade, online crowdfunding has become a mainstream source of capital formation for a range of artistic and entrepreneurial endeavors. Low-barrier websites such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo that fund production of a movie or recording of an album, in addition to charity conduits such as Kiva that facilitate the dissemination of microloans in the developing world, are trusted fundraising mechanisms that offer alternatives to traditional financing through banks and venture capitalists. Moreover, these models predicated on the solicitation of relatively modest amounts of money create a more egalitarian investment environment wherein donors can join the effort—and often receive …

No Longer Left To Their Own Devices: Evaluating The Non-Traditional Medical Device Excise Tax, Kensington A. Wolgamott

Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy

When the United States federal government entered a shutdown in the fall of 2013, the budget crisis took center stage in the political debate. The Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) was one of the most contentious issues on the agenda, and among the bargaining chips in the discussion was the disputed issue of the medical device excise tax (“MDET”). The excise tax, imposed upon the sale of certain medical devices, has raised quite a bit of bipartisan opposition and has been up for repeal or reform over a dozen times to date. The increasing attention the tax has received since its …

Cherokee Freedmen And The Color Of Belonging, Lolita Buckner Inniss

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

This article addresses the Cherokee tribe and their historic conflict with the descendants of their former black slaves, designated Cherokee Freedmen. This article specifically addresses how historic discussions of black, red and white skin colors, designating the African-ancestored, aboriginal (Native American) and European-ancestored people of the United States, have helped to shape the contours of color-based national belonging among the Cherokee. This article also suggests that Homi K. Bhabha’s notion of postcolonial mimicry offers a potent source for analyzing the Cherokee’s historic use of skin color as a marker of Cherokee membership. The Cherokee past practice of black slavery and …

Science And The New Rehabilitation, Meghan J. Ryan

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Rehabilitation’s making a comeback. Long thought to be an outdated approach to punishment, rehabilitation is reemerging in the wake of scientific advances. Not only have these advances in the fields of pharmacology, genetics, and neuroscience brought new rehabilitative possibilities, but the media’s communication of these advances to the general public have set the stage for rehabilitation’s reprise. The media constantly pummels the general public with reports of scientific breakthroughs like functional magnetic resonance imaging, prepping the public to be more accepting of deterministic viewpoints and to be more open to the possibility of transforming individuals. The rehabilitation that is emerging, …

A Military Justice Solution In Search Of A Problem: A Response To Vladeck, Geoffrey S. Corn, Chris Jenks

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

In “Military Courts and Article III,” law professor Steve Vladeck proposes a wholesale replacement of the foundation upon which court-martial jurisdiction has stood since the inception of the United States. In an effort to provide a unifying theory grounded in international law, Professor Vladeck fails to properly distinguish the jurisdiction established by Congress to regulate the armed forces from the jurisdiction established to punish violations of the laws of war. This conflation yields confusion about military jurisdiction which ripples throughout the theory. Our response, which centers on courts-martial, argues that Professor Vladeck has offered a solution in search of a …

The Ecology Of Lianas In Tropical Forests, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Multi-Cultural Model Of Relational Personhood And Implementing Philosophy For Children (P4c): A Refusal Of The Illusion Of Individualism In America, Aron J. Burnett

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this thesis is to influence a re-evaluation of self conceptions in America in order to influence an alternative relational understanding of one’s self and others. This thesis begins based on the premise that individualism is a prominent aspect of American societies meaning its member’s understandings of their selves are self-centered, often non-empathetic, and in general more concerned with their own lives than that of others. The first half of this thesis is dedicated analyzing the American situation through an analysis of the sources of individualism and proving that individualism is actually an illusion that individuals falsely believe …

The Expression Pattern Of Death Associated Protein Kinase1 In Normal Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons And Following Peripheral Nerve Injury, Maryam Sulaiman Mohammed Al Saadi

Dissertations

Death-associated protein kinase1 (DAPK1) is a calcium/calmodulin (Ca2+/CaM) regulated serine/threonine kinase. An increasing body of evidence supports the significance of DAPK1 protein in cancer and CNS diseases. The role of DAPK in peripheral nerve regeneration and neuropathic pain remains completely unexplored. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression pattern of DAPK1 along with key proand anti-apoptotic cell signaling molecules (p53, Bax, Akt, ERK5, p38) and to verify the possibilities of DAPK1-NMDA NR2B relationship in dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRG) after 2 hours, 7 days and 14 days following a sciatic nerve injury. Gene expression analysis and immunohistochemistry …

The Jekyll And Hyde Of First Amendment Limits On The Regulation Of Judicial Campaign Speech, Gardner C. Geyh

Vanderbilt Law Review

No abstract provided.

Family Support And Supporting Families, Courtney G. Joslin

Vanderbilt Law Review

No abstract provided.

Spokeo, Inc. V. Robins And The Constitutional Foundations Of Statutory Standing, Maxwell L. L. Stearns

Vanderbilt Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Stereotyped Offender: Domestic Violence And The Failure Of Intervention, Carolyn B. Ramsey

Publications

Scholars and battered women's advocates now recognize that many facets of the legal response to intimate-partner abuse stereotype victims and harm abuse survivors who do not fit commonly accepted paradigms. However, it is less often acknowledged that the feminist analysis of domestic violence also tends to stereotype offenders and that state action, including court-mandated batterer intervention, is premised on these offender stereotypes. The feminist approach can be faulted for minimizing or denying the role of substance abuse, mental illness, childhood trauma, race, culture, and poverty in intimate-partner abuse. Moreover, those arrested for domestic violence crimes now include heterosexual women, lesbians, …

Quantifying Seabird Influence On Recovering Island Ecosystems, Stephanie Kong

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Species that compose island ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to extinctions. In New Zealand alone, since human settlement began around 1285AD, 41% of bird species have been driven to extinction. Seabirds play an important role on land and in terrestrial, intertidal and subtidal zones by subsidizing island ecosystems with guano. Additionally, burrow-nesting seabirds churn up the soil by digging the burrows in which they nest, resulting in significant soil disturbance, also called biopedturbation. Unfortunately, invasion of exotic species is among the leading causes of native species extinctions and consequent transformation of ecosystem function globally. One of the most damaging and widespread …

Lateral Tracheal And Esophageal Displacement In Avialae And Morphological Implications For Theropoda (Dinosauria : Saurischia), Jeremy Joseph Klingler

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research examines the evolution, phylogenetic distribution, and functional explanations for a peculiar and often overlooked character seen in birds, herein called tracheal and esophageal displacement. Of special interest to this study is examining whether the trait was present in non-avian theropod dinosaurs. This study found that essentially all birds are characterized by a laterally displaced trachea and/or esophagus. The displacement may occur gradually along the neck, or it may happen immediately upon exiting the oropharynx. Displacement of these organs is the result of a heavily modified neck wherein muscles that create mobility restrictions in lizards, alligators, and mammals (e.g., …

Exploring The Impact And Benefits Of A Health Education Program At Turtle Mountain, Shane Michael Martin

Theses and Dissertations

The Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribal members in North Dakota have long suffered from severe poverty and accompanying social stresses that threaten the social fabric of the community. Ninety percent of students attending college from the Turtle Mountain Reservation qualify for educational assistance based on financial need (Northwest Area Foundation, 2014). Youth, between the ages of 10 and 18, struggle with historic and present day, multi-generational, trauma and poverty exhibiting risk factors exemplified by suicide attempts; depression; hopelessness; despair; alcohol, meth and/or other substance abuse; increased anger; conflicts; aggression, violence; and poor performance in school. Schools on the Turtle Mountain Reservation …

Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Facilitates Epileptiform–Activity In The Entorhinal Cortex Via Crf2 Signaling Mechanisms, Lalitha Kurada

Theses and Dissertations

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is characterized by hyperexcitability of limbic structures. The entorhinal cortex (EC) is involved in the initiation and maintenance of TLE. Layers II and III of the EC in particular are hyperexcitable and are more susceptible to epileptogenesis. TLE is influenced in a complex manner by the stress-released epileptogenic neuropeptide, corticotropin-releasing factor or hormone (CRF/CRH). Nevertheless, the action site and underlying mechanisms of CRF in epilepsy are not fully understood. Here we found that the EC expresses high levels of CRF and CRF2 receptors without the expression of CRF1 receptors. CRF increased the frequency of picrotoxin (PTX)-induced …

N-Cadherin Expression And Emt Progression In Arsenic- And Cadmium-Transformed Urotsa, Elizabeth Sandquist

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental agents are common causes of bladder cancer. Specifically, arsenic (As3+) and cadmium (Cd2+) are known carcinogens implicated in the development of bladder cancer. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that As3+ and Cd2+ can cause malignant transformation of normal immortalized bladder urothelial cells, which can form tumors when injected subcutaneous or intraperitoneal into nude mice. Microarray analysis of repeated metal transformation in parallel revealed that N-cadherin was the most upregulated gene in As3+ transformants, and a top induced gene in Cd2+-transformed cells. The switch from E-cadherin to N-cadherin is a well-known indicator of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition occurring in …

Prevalence And Distribution Of Ranavirus, Chytrid Fungus, And Helminths In North Dakota Amphibians, Melanie Paige Firkins

Theses and Dissertations

Worldwide reports of population declines and extinctions of amphibians have continued for at least two decades. Factors frequently reported in association with these declines include habitat loss, infectious diseases, and environmental degradation. Three sources of disease have been a concern for amphibians: chytrid fungus, Ranavirus, and some helminth parasites. Much of the existing reporting on disease results from anecdotal accounts associated with localized outbreaks, but understanding the scope and dynamics of infectious agents in host populations requires a regional perspective. My objectives were to estimate geographic distribution and prevalence of Ranavirus, chytrid fungus, and helminths in amphibians across the state …

Characterization Of Dopamine Transporter Palmitoylation, Danielle Elizabeth Rastedt

Theses and Dissertations

The dopamine transporter (DAT) is an integral membrane protein that mediates the reuptake of synaptic dopamine and thus regulates the spatio-temporal dynamics of dopaminergic neurotransmission. DAT is also the target of powerful addictive psychostimulants, including cocaine and methamphetamine that resulted in dysregulation of dopaminergic signaling. Complex control of DAT is exerted by various regulatory processes, including posttranslational modifications. We previously found that DAT is palmitoylated via the addition of a 16-carbon palmitic acid moiety to Cys 580. Pharmacological and mutagenic studies determined that depalmitoylation conditions led to reductions in Vmax and transporter levels, suggesting palmitoylation controls one or more functions …

Effect Of Extrusion Pre-Treatment On Physical Properties And Sugar Recovery Of Cold Press And Solvent Extracted Canola, Camelina And Carinata Meal, Jasmeen Kaur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Canola/rapeseed meal (CM) ranks second behind soybeans in global production of protein from oil cakes and meals. Commercial CM has been investigated as a feed ingredient in diets of a number of fish species. Camelina (Camelina sativa) has been a potential oilseed crop. The fat extracted meal contains over 40% protein. Camelina yields an average of 420–640 L/ha, and the protein and fiber content in its meal byproduct is comparable to that of soybean meal. Brassica carinata possesses many positive agronomic traits, and it can grow well in hot, dry, and semiarid climates and seed oil from these species and …

Analysis Of Ground Vibrations Produced By An 80 In3 Water Gun In The Chicago Sanitary And Ship Canal, Lemont, Illinois, Carolyn Michelle Koebel

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Since its completion in 1910, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) has become a pathway for invasive species (and potentially Asian carp) to reach the Great Lakes. Currently, an electric barrier is used to prevent Asian carp migration through the canal, but the need for a secondary method is necessary, especially when the electric barrier undergoes maintenance. The underwater Asian carp "cannon" (water gun) provides such a method. Analysis of the ground movement produced by an 80 in3 water gun in the CSSC was performed in order to establish any potential for damage to the either the canal or …

Gene Expression And Alzheimer's Disease: Evaluation Of Gene Expression Patterns In Brain And Blood For An Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model, Amanda Hazy

Senior Honors Theses

Previous studies have established a causative role for altered gene expression in development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These changes can be affected by methylation and miRNA regulation. In this study, expression of miRNA known to change methylation status in AD was assessed by qPCR. Genome-wide expression changes were determined by RNA-sequencing of mRNA from hippocampus and blood of control and AD mice. The qPCR data showed significantly increased expression of Mir 17 in AD, and sequencing data revealed 230 genes in hippocampus, 58 genes in blood, and 8 overlapping genes showing significant differential expression (p value ≤ 0.05). Expression data …

The Failure Of “She:" An Evaluation Of Solutions To Gendered Language, Mary L. Bobbitt

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis looks at the prevalence of gendered language in modern day English in North America. Drawing upon different analyses of masculine pronouns and slang, this paper argues that modern solutions to gendered language fail to come to terms with the contextual elements of language. While acknowledging that gendered language is a significant problem, the author argues that the solutions thus far presented, specifically replacing the generic pronoun “he” with “she,” cannot combat the way language reflects societal masculinization. Using Wittgenstein to criticize a Heidegger’s notion of language, this paper argues that societal change is a prerequisite to the success …