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2015

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Behavioral And Fmri-Based Characterization Of Cognitive Processes Supporting Learning And Retrieval Of Memory For Words In Young Adults, Binyam Nardos Dec 2015

Behavioral And Fmri-Based Characterization Of Cognitive Processes Supporting Learning And Retrieval Of Memory For Words In Young Adults, Binyam Nardos

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

A novel word is rarely defined explicitly during the first encounter. With repeated exposure, a decontextualized meaning of the word is integrated into semantic memory. With the overarching goal of characterizing the functional neuroanatomy of semantic processing in young adults, we employed a contextual word learning paradigm, creating novel synonyms for common animal/artifact nouns that, along with additional real words, served as stimuli for the lexical-decision based functional MRI (fMRI) experiment. Young adults (n=28) were given two types of word learning training administered in multiple sessions spread out over three days. The first type of training provided perceptual form-only training …

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The Identification Of Alkaloid Pathway Genes From Non-Model Plant Species In The Amaryllidaceae, Matthew B. Kilgore Dec 2015

The Identification Of Alkaloid Pathway Genes From Non-Model Plant Species In The Amaryllidaceae, Matthew B. Kilgore

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Secondary metabolites are often restricted in their distribution to different groups of organisms. For this reason, attempts to study these often useful and interesting products of metabolism require an ability to work in a diversity of non-model species. Methods for gene discovery with low investment and high efficiency are needed to effectively identify the biosynthetic genes in these diverse pathways. During this work, a workflow for efficiently identifying biosynthetic genes was developed and applied to Amaryllidaceae alkaloid biosynthesis. Genes discovered during this work include a norbelladine 4’-O-methyltransferase, a cytochrome P450 capable of phenol-phenol coupling 4’-O-methylnorbelladine to noroxomaritidine, and a short-chain …

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The Mechanism And Regulation Of Mammalian Photoreceptor Dark Adaptation, Yunlu Xue Dec 2015

The Mechanism And Regulation Of Mammalian Photoreceptor Dark Adaptation, Yunlu Xue

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The visual perception of vertebrates begins in rod and cone photoreceptors. Both photoreceptors require visual pigments to detect light. At the first step of light detection, a chromophore molecule (i.e. 11-cis retinal), which is conjugated to the visual pigment in photoreceptor outer segment, absorbs a photon. Photoisomerization of the chromophore activates the visual pigment, triggers the phototransduction cascade, and produces electrical signals. After photoisomerization, the chromophore is ultimately converted to all-trans retinol, which must be recycled to regenerate the visual pigment. This visual pigment regeneration process is called the visual cycle. It is the rate-limiting step of the photoreceptor dark …

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Applying Bayesian Machine Learning Methods To Theoretical Surface Science, Shane Carr Dec 2015

Applying Bayesian Machine Learning Methods To Theoretical Surface Science, Shane Carr

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Machine learning is a rapidly evolving field in computer science with increasingly many applications to other domains. In this thesis, I present a Bayesian machine learning approach to solving a problem in theoretical surface science: calculating the preferred active site on a catalyst surface for a given adsorbate molecule. I formulate the problem as a low-dimensional objective function. I show how the objective function can be approximated into a certain confidence interval using just one iteration of the self-consistent field (SCF) loop in density functional theory (DFT). I then use Bayesian optimization to perform a global search for the solution. …

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Science And Nature In The Medieval Ecological Imagination, Jessica Rezunyk Dec 2015

Science And Nature In The Medieval Ecological Imagination, Jessica Rezunyk

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the intersections between nature and culture in medieval literature and art with particular focus on Geoffrey Chaucer’s House of Fame, the thirteenth-century French Bible Moralisée (Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Codex Vindobonensis 2554), and William Langland’s Piers Plowman. Current academic paradigms tend to place the study of nature firmly within the sciences and the study of culture firmly within the humanities, creating a gap between the fields that effectively isolates their respective methodologies and vocabularies from one another. This dissertation seeks to bridge that gap between the sciences and the humanities by approaching medieval literature through the lens of …

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Functional Consequences Of Cantu Syndrome Associated Mutations In The Atp Sensitive Potassium Channel, Paige Cooper Dec 2015

Functional Consequences Of Cantu Syndrome Associated Mutations In The Atp Sensitive Potassium Channel, Paige Cooper

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels are composed of inward-rectifying potassium channel pore-forming subunits (Kir6.1 and Kir6.2, encoded by KCNJ8 and KCNJ11, respectively) and regulatory sulfonylurea receptor subunits (SUR1 and SUR2, encoded by ABCC8 and ABCC9, respectively). These channels couple metabolism to excitability in multiple tissues. Mutations in ABCC9 have been linked to Cantú syndrome (CS), a multi-organ disease characterized by congenital hypertrichosis, distinct facial features, osteochondrodysplasia, and cardiac defects. Additionally, two ABCC9 mutation-negative patients, exhibiting clinical hallmarks of CS, have been identified as having KCNJ8 mutations. This body of work is focused on determining the functional consequences and molecular mechanisms of …

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Thermally Evolved & Separated Composition Of Atmospheric Aerosols: Development And Application Of Advanced Data Analysis Techniques For A Thermal Desorption Aerosol Gas Chromatograph (Tag), Yaping Zhang Dec 2015

Thermally Evolved & Separated Composition Of Atmospheric Aerosols: Development And Application Of Advanced Data Analysis Techniques For A Thermal Desorption Aerosol Gas Chromatograph (Tag), Yaping Zhang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Atmospheric organic aerosols are composed of thousands of individual compounds, interacting with climate through changes in aerosol optical properties and cloud interactions, and can be detrimental to human health. Aerosol mass spectrometry (MS) and gas chromatography (GC)-separated MS measurements have been utilized to better characterize the chemical composition of this material that comes from a variety of sources and experiences continuous oxidation while in the atmosphere. This dissertation describes the development of a novel rapid data analysis method for grouping of major components within chromatography-separated measurements and first application using thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatograph (TAG) – MS data. Chromatograms …

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Structural Evolution, Chemical Order, And Crystallization Of Metallic Liquids And Glasses, Mark Johnson Dec 2015

Structural Evolution, Chemical Order, And Crystallization Of Metallic Liquids And Glasses, Mark Johnson

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Over the last 60 years, bulk metallic glasses have emerged as a new class of materials with highly desirable material properties. Their high strength, high elasticity, and corrosion resistance are attractive properties for viable commercial products. At its core, material properties are directly related to the underlying microstructure. By understanding the structural and chemical order in the liquid and undercooled liquid and their relationship to thermophysical properties such as viscosity, a greater understanding of bulk metallic glass formation can be achieved. In this dissertation, electrostatic levitation techniques are used to study the liquid in a containerless environment using a combination …

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Quaternary Chronology And Stratigraphy Of Mickey Springs, Oregon, Leslie Allen Mowbray Dec 2015

Quaternary Chronology And Stratigraphy Of Mickey Springs, Oregon, Leslie Allen Mowbray

Dissertations and Theses

Mickey Springs in the Alvord Desert, southeast Oregon, is analogous to other Basin and Range hydrothermal systems where the requisite conditions of heat source and permeable pathways are met through crustal thinning due to normal faulting. This study examines the morphology and lifespan of near-surface spring features through use of ground penetrating radar, thermoluminescence (TL) dating, and elevation modeling. Duration of hydrothermal activity at Mickey Springs has not previously been determined, and age determinations of sinter at the site are conflicting. The reason for and timing of this change in silica saturation in the hydrothermal fluid has not been resolved. …

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The Use Of Landsat 8 For Monitoring Of Fresh And Coastal Waters, Javier A. Concha Dec 2015

The Use Of Landsat 8 For Monitoring Of Fresh And Coastal Waters, Javier A. Concha

Theses

The most interaction between humankind and water occurs in coastal and inland waters (Case 2 waters) at a scale of tens or hundred of meters, but there is not yet an ocean color product (e.g. chlorophyll-a product) at this spatial scale. Landsat 8 could potentially address the remote sensing of these kinds of waters due to its improved features. This work presents an approach to obtain the color producing agents (CPAs) chlorophyll-a, colored dissolved organic material (CDOM) and suspended material (SM) from water bodies using Landsat 8. Adequate atmospheric correction becomes an important first step to accurately retrieving water parameters …

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Using Guided Math And Flipped Learning In A Fifth Grade Fractions Unit, Kristin Leigh Moore Dec 2015

Using Guided Math And Flipped Learning In A Fifth Grade Fractions Unit, Kristin Leigh Moore

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was: How can I design a math curriculum that will increase fifth grade students’ understanding of fraction concepts? The author began her research by investigating the struggles elementary students face when learning fraction concepts, which led to a study of four instructional strategies: ability grouping, differentiation, flipped learning, and guided math. The author considered the work of Boaler, Sammons, Tomlinson, Tucker, and Vann to inform her research. After careful reflection on the benefits and limitations of each strategy, the author chose to create a hybrid unit utilizing both guided math and flipped learning. …

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Increasing Number Sense At The Preschool Level, Sarah Marie Koenig Dec 2015

Increasing Number Sense At The Preschool Level, Sarah Marie Koenig

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This capstone addresses the question, “What strategies can be used to increase number sense at the preschool level?”. Current research states that preschoolers need opportunities to learn about numbers and math concepts through a balance of natural play and exploration, intentional teaching, and structured learning activities embedded in their daily routines. Through the process of curriculum design using McTighe and Wiggins’ Understanding By Design framework, the author created a learning plan that includes lessons, resources, and parent/child activities using a variety of instructional strategies to teach number sense at the preschool level. The learning plan includes a sequence of activities …

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Journey To Inclusion: A School’S Perspective From Self-Contained Ecse Classrooms To Inclusive Preschool Programs, Allison Marie Hirsch Dec 2015

Journey To Inclusion: A School’S Perspective From Self-Contained Ecse Classrooms To Inclusive Preschool Programs, Allison Marie Hirsch

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, How can a school effectively transition from a self-contained Early Childhood Special Education classroom to a full inclusion preschool program? What I have done in this capstone is set out with the objective of defining what is a successful inclusive preschool program, what are the best strategies for these programs, the benefits and barriers to the programs and how to best implement these programs into a school setting. This study details questions and answers from parents and teachers who are currently part of a full-inclusion preschool program.

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Engineering A Healthier Watershed: Middle School Students Use Engineering Design To Lessen The Impact Of Their Campus' Impervious Surfaces On Their Local Watershed, Elizabeth Claire Gardner Dec 2015

Engineering A Healthier Watershed: Middle School Students Use Engineering Design To Lessen The Impact Of Their Campus' Impervious Surfaces On Their Local Watershed, Elizabeth Claire Gardner

Dissertations and Theses

It is important that students understand not only how their local watershed functions, but also how it is being impacted by impervious surfaces. Additionally, students need experience exploring the scientific and engineering practices that are necessary for a strong STEM background. With this knowledge students can be empowered to tackle this real and local problem using engineering design, a powerful practice gaining momentum and clarity through its prominence in the recent Framework for K-12 Science Education. Twenty classes of suburban sixth-graders participated in a new five-week Watershed Engineering Design Unit taught by their regular science teachers. Students engaged in scientific …

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Using Landsat Tm Imagery To Monitor Vegetation Change Following Flow Restoration To The Lower Owens River, California, Lesley Crandell Bross Dec 2015

Using Landsat Tm Imagery To Monitor Vegetation Change Following Flow Restoration To The Lower Owens River, California, Lesley Crandell Bross

Dissertations and Theses

Rehabilitating river corridors to restore valuable riparian habitat consumes significant resources from both governments and private companies. Given these considerable expenditures, it is important to monitor the progress of such projects. This study evaluated the utility of using Landsat Thematic Mapper remotely-sensed data from 2002 and 2009 to monitor vegetation change induced by instream flow restoration to the Lower Owens River in central California. This study compared the results of an unsupervised classification with an NDVI threshold classification to appraise the resources required and effectiveness of each analysis method. The results were inspected by creating standard remote sensing accuracy error …

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Isn’T Citizen Science A Hoot? A Case-Study Exploring The Effectiveness Of Citizen Science As An Instrument To Teach The Nature Of Science Through A Local Nocturnal Owl-Monitoring Project, Tess Marie Kreofsky Dec 2015

Isn’T Citizen Science A Hoot? A Case-Study Exploring The Effectiveness Of Citizen Science As An Instrument To Teach The Nature Of Science Through A Local Nocturnal Owl-Monitoring Project, Tess Marie Kreofsky

Dissertations and Theses

Citizen science projects present a distinctive opportunity for professional and volunteer scientists to coordinate their efforts to gather unique sets of data that can benefit the scientific and local communities. These projects are assumed to be an effective educational tool to teach nature of science (NOS) to participants (Brossard, Lewenstein, Bonney, 2005). This case study evaluates the effectiveness of participation in a citizen science project as a way to learn about NOS. Through enhancement of the Tryon Creek Owl Monitoring Project the researcher reviewed the characteristics of a citizen science project that were thought to be necessary to impact the …

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Antisense Rna-Mediated Epigenetic Regulation Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor., Roya Pedram Fatemi Dec 2015

Antisense Rna-Mediated Epigenetic Regulation Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor., Roya Pedram Fatemi

Open Access Dissertations

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate chromatin remodeling through their interactions with epigenetic enzymes during development and disease. The inhibition of the natural antisense transcript of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF-AS), results in BDNF promoter de-repression and transcriptional upregulation, both in vitro and in vivo. Recently, we showed that BDNF-AS interacts with the histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) to suppress BDNF mRNA and protein expression. BDNF is an important neurotrophin that is required for neural development and maintenance of the nervous system. Dysregulation of BDNF occurs in a number of neurological disorders, including: Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Rett syndrome, …

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Sparse Representation And Dictionary Learning For Biometrics And Object Tracking, Rahman Khorsandi Dec 2015

Sparse Representation And Dictionary Learning For Biometrics And Object Tracking, Rahman Khorsandi

Open Access Dissertations

Biometrics attracted the attention of researchers in computer vision and machine learning for its use in many applications. We propose systems for face and ear recognition, gender classification and object tracking. First, we present a fully automated system for recognition from ear images based upon sparse representation. In sparse representation, extracted features from the training data is used to develop a dictionary. Classification is achieved by representing the extracted features of the test data as a linear combination of entries in the dictionary. In fact, there are many solutions for this problem and the goal is to find the sparsest …

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A Dynamic Adaptive Simulations Approach For Microgrid Control And Optimization, Aristotelis E. Thanos Dec 2015

A Dynamic Adaptive Simulations Approach For Microgrid Control And Optimization, Aristotelis E. Thanos

Open Access Dissertations

During the past two decades, the power systems witnessed vital changes in terms of centralized paradigm versus more decentralized and market driven approaches; technical advances on communications and computation; and generation technologies which collectively lead to the advancement of microgrids (MGs). In this thesis, a novel dynamic adaptive simulations (DAS) approach is introduced for addressing major challenges in the operation and control of MGs, such as solving the economic and environmental load dispatch problem, achieving a sophisticated autonomous control of microgrids, and promoting the cooperation between individual microgrids to increase the power network reliability and energy surety. Initially, a first …

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Volume 51 - Issue 11 - Monday, December 14, 2015, Rose Thorn Staff Dec 2015

Volume 51 - Issue 11 - Monday, December 14, 2015, Rose Thorn Staff

The Rose Thorn Archive

The Rose Thorn, Rose-Hulman's independent student newspaper.

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A Generally Efficient Targeted Minimum Loss Based Estimator, Mark J. Van Der Laan Dec 2015

A Generally Efficient Targeted Minimum Loss Based Estimator, Mark J. Van Der Laan

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Suppose we observe n independent and identically distributed observations of a finite dimensional bounded random variable. This article is concerned with the construction of an efficient targeted minimum loss-based estimator (TMLE) of a pathwise differentiable target parameter based on a realistic statistical model.

The canonical gradient of the target parameter at a particular data distribution will depend on the data distribution through an infinite dimensional nuisance parameter which can be defined as the minimizer of the expectation of a loss function (e.g., log-likelihood loss). For many models and target parameters the nuisance parameter can be split up in two components, …

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A Continuum From Clear To Cloudy Hot-Jupiter Exoplanets Without Primordial Water Depletion, David K. Sing, Jonathan J. Fortney, Nikolay Nikolov, Hannah R. Wakeford, Tiffany Kataria, Thomas M. Evans, Suzanne Aigrain, Gilda E. Ballester, Adam Burrows, Drake Deming, Jean-Michel Désert, Neale P. Gibson, Gregory W. Henry, Catherine M. Huitson, Heather A. Knutson, Alain Lecavelier Des Etangs, Frederic Pont, Adam P. Showman, Alfred Vidal-Madjar, Michael H. Williamson, Paul A. Wilson Dec 2015

A Continuum From Clear To Cloudy Hot-Jupiter Exoplanets Without Primordial Water Depletion, David K. Sing, Jonathan J. Fortney, Nikolay Nikolov, Hannah R. Wakeford, Tiffany Kataria, Thomas M. Evans, Suzanne Aigrain, Gilda E. Ballester, Adam Burrows, Drake Deming, Jean-Michel Désert, Neale P. Gibson, Gregory W. Henry, Catherine M. Huitson, Heather A. Knutson, Alain Lecavelier Des Etangs, Frederic Pont, Adam P. Showman, Alfred Vidal-Madjar, Michael H. Williamson, Paul A. Wilson

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

Thousands of transiting exoplanets have been discovered, but spectral analysis of their atmospheres has so far been dominated by a small number of exoplanets and data spanning relatively narrow wavelength ranges (such as 1.1–1.7 micrometres). Recent studies show that some hot-Jupiter exoplanets have much weaker water absorption features in their near-infrared spectra than predicted. The low amplitude of water signatures could be explained by very low water abundances, which may be a sign that water was depleted in the protoplanetary disk at the planet’s formation location, but it is unclear whether this level of depletion can actually occur. Alternatively, these …

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Impact Of Working Alliance On Clinical Outcomes In Veterans Enrolled In Suicide-Specific Group Therapy, Brittany N. Groh Dec 2015

Impact Of Working Alliance On Clinical Outcomes In Veterans Enrolled In Suicide-Specific Group Therapy, Brittany N. Groh

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Suicide is a global issue that has led researchers to seek interventions that will have a significant impact on mental health and wellbeing. Veterans comprise the largest number of suicides annually compared to other groups. There is a higher prevalence of mental disorders due to combat related experiences that may play a role in increased rates of suicide. Examined clinical diagnoses in this study include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcohol use and substance use. This study explores how group therapy and working alliance play a role in reducing suicidality in a group therapy setting. The first hypotheses is that …

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Women’S Perceptions Of Muscular Body Image And Its Impact On Eating Disorders, Juliana Eovino Dec 2015

Women’S Perceptions Of Muscular Body Image And Its Impact On Eating Disorders, Juliana Eovino

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD, 2015), the largest majority of people with an Eating Disorder (ED) are female college aged students. The current study suggests this is due to the differences in society’s portrayal of gender. Media suggests women should strive for a thinness that is unrealistic and unattainable for most women. Participants for the current study take two surveys at separate times to measure how media portrayals of the female body affects eating disorders. The surveys are made up of either a media influence stressing the importance of muscularity or a thinness …

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Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes (December 14, 2015), Dmacc Dec 2015

Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes (December 14, 2015), Dmacc

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

This file contains the minutes from the Des Moines Area Community College Board meeting held on December 14, 2015.

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Signs Of Friendship, Kaylee J. Kapalko, Ashley N. Brickner Dec 2015

Signs Of Friendship, Kaylee J. Kapalko, Ashley N. Brickner

Honors Projects

This children's book is about mainstreaming a deaf student into a public school composed of predominantly hearing children, and the eventual friendship between that student and a hearing student. The majority of deaf students are educated in hearing schools and experience high rates of social isolation as a result of the inability to communicate with their peers. In order to create this book, there was collaboration between a communication disorders major and a creative writing major in order to create a realistic portrayal yet creative learning tool for children at a young age. We chose to aim our book at …

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College Voice Vol. 99 No. 6, Connecticut College Dec 2015

College Voice Vol. 99 No. 6, Connecticut College

2015-2016

No abstract provided.

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Shemtov Michtavi V. William Scism Dec 2015

Shemtov Michtavi V. William Scism

2015 Decisions

USDC for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

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Martin Greenblatt V. Howard Klein Dec 2015

Martin Greenblatt V. Howard Klein

2015 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

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Usa V. Demetrius Brown Dec 2015

Usa V. Demetrius Brown

2015 Decisions

USDC for the District of Delaware

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