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Beginnings: A Letter From The Editors, Akesis Editors

Akesis

The editors would like to welcome you to the inaugural issue of Akesis.

Antillean Scorpions Deposited At The Montana State University (Arachnida: Scorpiones), Luis F. De Armas

Euscorpius

A total of 71 specimens of Antillean scorpions belonging to three families [Liochelidae, Scorpionidae (Diplocentrinae), and Buthidae] and seven genera are deposited at the Montana Entomology Collection (MTEC) of the Montana State University. The most represented genus is Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836, which contains seven species from Dominican Republic. Those materials are from the following countries: Cuba, Dominican Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, and St. Kitts. The male of Tityus septentrionalis Armas & Abud Antun, 2004 is described for the first time.

Contents

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The Crystalline Lens Gradient Refractive Index Using Laser Ray Tracing And Optical Coherence Tomography, Bianca Maceo Heilman

Open Access Dissertations

The human crystalline lens is a complex and intricate structure that continuously grows throughout our lifetime. The crystalline lens has a non-uniform distribution of protein concentrations which produces an optical gradient within the lens in both the optical and equatorial axes. This gradient refractive index is a unique property of the crystalline lens that significantly contributes to its optical power and aberrations. The objective of this dissertation is to gain a better understanding of the relationship between the crystalline lens shape, its non-uniform gradient refractive index, the lens optical power and aberrations, and their changes with accommodation and age. The …

Remembering The Holocaust With Rosalie Franks, Jill Rodrigues

Featured News Story

From her work on Steven Spielberg’s Holocaust survivors project to her RWU classroom, adjunct professor instills the importance of human rights and social justice.

Eet-Dependent Potentiation Of Pulmonary Arterial Pressure: Sex-Different Regulation Of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase, Sharath Kandhi, Jun Qin, Ghezal Froogh, Houli Jiang, Meng Luo, Michael S. Wolin, An Huang, Dong Sun

NYMC Faculty Publications

We tested the hypothesis that suppression of epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) metabolism via genetic knockout of the gene for soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH-KO), or female-specific downregulation of sEH expression, plays a role in the potentiation of pulmonary hypertension. We used male (M) and female (F) wild-type (WT) and sEH-KO mice; the latter have high pulmonary EETs. Right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) in control and in response to in vivo administration of U46619 (thromboxane analog), 14,15-EET, and 14,15-EEZE [14,15-epoxyeicosa-5(z)-enoic acid; antagonist of EETs] were recorded. Basal RVSP was comparable among all groups of mice, whereas MABP …

The Young Solar Analogs Project. I. Spectroscopic And Photometric Methods And Multi-Year Timescale Spectroscopic Results, R. O. Gray, Jon M. Saken, C. J. Corbally, M. M. Briley, R. A. Lambert, I. M. Newsome, M. F. Seeds, Y. Kahvaz

Physics Faculty Research

This is the first in a series of papers presenting methods and results from the Young Solar Analogs Project, which began in 2007. This project monitors both spectroscopically and photometrically a set of 31 young (300–1500 Myr) solar-type stars with the goal of gaining insight into the space environment of the Earth during the period when life first appeared. From our spectroscopic observations we derive the Mount Wilson S chromospheric activity index (SMW), and describe the method we use to transform our instrumental indices to SMW without the need for a color term. We introduce three photospheric …

Teachers' Attitudes And Their Effect On Placement Recommendations For Students With Cognitive Disabilities, Kathleen M. Everett

Doctor of Education in Special Education Dissertations

The implementation of Public Law 94-142 in 1974 guaranteed that students with disabilities had the right to be educated alongside their peers in the least restrictive environment. However, decades later, administrators, teachers, and parents continue to struggle to resolve the issue on how to include students with disabilities in general education classrooms, as well as how to recognize why students with cognitive disabilities were embodied more in self-contained classrooms than in comprehensive environments. In this study, I aimed to understand how special education teachers’ attitudes about inclusion, LRE, and students with cognitive disabilities influence placement recommendations. Through the qualitative thematic …

Physical Activity And Aging Research: A Bibliometric Analysis, A.M. Müller, P. Ansari, N. Ale Ebrahim, S. Khoo

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Physical activity and aging research has burgeoned in the past few decades. Despite the increase in scholarly publications no attempts have been made to summarize the publication landscape and to identify works that had great impact to physical activity and aging research. We conducted a bibliometric analysis and collected publication data from 1980 to February 6, 2015 in the Web of Science Core Collection. Of the overall 9,935 publications most were published after 2007 and almost 60% were in the category of Geriatrics and Gerontology or Sport Sciences. Highly cited publications (n = 45) were mostly authored by researchers from …

Reducing The Risk Of Suicide On An Inpatient Acute Behavioral Health Unit, Thomas I. Coleman Mr

Master's Projects and Capstones

Evidence suggest for those who have successfully committed suicide in the form of asphyxiation inside locked facilities are more than likely due to patient bathroom doors. The current unit consists of 30 inpatient medical-psychiatric beds serving the adult and geriatric populations. The goal is to ensure patient safety by removing patient bathroom doors and replacing them with breakaway shower curtains for those exhibiting direct signs and symptoms of suicidal ideations with a plan. The specific aim is to improve patient outcomes by decreasing the number of deaths or attempted suicides. With great results, this type of project has been implemented …

Case Study Of The Eastern State Hospital As Evidence Of English Influence On American Ideas About Mental Illness, Grace Devries

James W. Jackson Award for Excellence in Library Research in the Social Sciences

Grace DeVries, Class of 2016 at the University of Richmond, received the James W. Jackson Award for Excellence in the Social Sciences. Her research paper is entitled, Case Study of the Eastern State Hospital as Evidence of English Influence on American Ideas about Mental Illness.

An Incongruent Amalgamation: John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism On Naturalism, Jeffrey M. Robinson

Liberty Theological Review

John Stuart Mill's utilitarian principle of the greatest happiness for the greatest number, often surfaces in cultural debates in the contemporary West over the extent and foundations of moral duties. Given the drift from its historical Judeo-Christian moorings, naturalism now provides much of the epistemic grounding in Western culture in relation to moral duties. The amalgamation of Mill’s utilitarianism and naturalism has resulted in a cultural and epistemic disconnect. Naturalism is hard-pressed to provide consistent epistemic support for Mill’s utilitarian principle. This essay provides a number of suggestions as to why Mill’s utilitarianism may be inconsistent on naturalism.

Theoretical Analysis And Sph Simulation For The Wave Energy Captured By A Bottom-Hinged Owsc, Yu-Chi Chang, Da-Wei Chen, Yi-Chih Chow, Shiaw-Yih Tzang, Chen-Chou Lin, Jiahn-Horng Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This paper examines one type of wave energy converter, the Oscillating Wave Surge Converter (OWSC) with its bottom hinged on the sea bed. The simplest form of OWSC is a flapper connected with a power take-off (PTO). Theoretical analysis based on a 2D linear potential theory elucidates the mechanisms of the wave energy capture by a bottom-hinged OWSC in terms of impedances associated with the wave field, the flapper body, and the PTO. Criteria of impedance canceling and matching to maximize the energy capture factor can be deduced. Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) is established for simulating the same problem, and …

Improved Boundary Values Of Ocean Wave Fields Using A Data Assimilation Scheme, Yang-Ming Fan, Heinz Günther, Dong-Jiing Doong, Chia Chuen Kao

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of numerical wave forecasts through data assimilation of boundary values. A sequential data assimilation scheme was adopted to utilise altimeter data. The performance of the system in terms of operational applications, specifically for typhoon waves, was investigated. Two typhoons that occurred in 2006 around Taiwan (Kaemi and Shanshan) were used as case studies. The proposed data assimilation increased the forecast accuracy of the boundary values in terms of the wave parameters, such as the wave heights and periods. The results showed that after the assimilation, the assimilation model was significantly …

Evaluation Of Tidal Stream Energy Around Radial Sand Ridge System In The Southern Yellow Sea, Jinhai Zheng, Jisheng Zhang, Jun Wang, Aifeng Tao

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Tidal stream energy as a new type of marine renewable energy attracts more and more attention of coastal engineers due to its advantages of great power density, long-term predictability and low environment impact. The radial sand ridge (RSR) system is located in the southern Yellow Sea off the Jiangsu coast, China, and it is characterized by a radial current field. The exploitation of tidal stream energy in the RSR system means great significance to the local industry and ecosystem of this region. In this study, a two-dimensional depthaveraged hydrodynamic model was established to predict one-year tidal hydrodynamics in the RSR …

The Latest Progress In Wave Energy Conversions In China And The Analysis Of A Heaving Buoy Considering Pto Damping, Hong-Da Shi, Fei-Fei Cao, Na Qu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Wave energy conversions are being widely researched and developed in China; two key factors of significance with these devices are safety and efficiency. This paper provides information on the latest techniques of wave energy devices investigated in China, introduces their working principles, and describes performance briefly. To design a wave device, the conversion efficiency needs to be estimated. This paper describes a method for doing such analysis on a heaving buoy considering the power take-off, which is an important step for achieving wave-to-wire simulation.

Current-Induced Seabed Scour Around A Pile-Supported Horizontal-Axis Tidal Stream Turbine, Jisheng Zhang, Peng Gao, Jinhai Zheng, Xiuguang Wu, Yuxuan Peng, Tiantian Zhang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Tidal stream energy has attracted more and more attentions of researchers and engineers of coastal studies in recent years, as it is renewable, predictable and environmentally friendly. Although many efforts have been made for the application of tidal stream energy, the scouring process in the vicinity of a pile-supported tidal stream turbine remains unclear. This study develops a mathematical model, consisting of hydrodynamic module, General Moving Object (GMO) module and sediment scour module, to numerically investigate the fluidstructure interaction and its induced sediment scour process around such a combined structure. Only a steady current is considered in the model, and …

Inter-Organizational Network Effects On The Implementation Of Public Health Services, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Background: The Affordable Care Act created new incentives for hospitals, insurers, public health agencies, and others to contribute to disease prevention and health promotion activities, potentially changing inter-organizational relationships and expanding implementation of strategies that improve population health. This study uses data from the 1998-2014 National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems to examine: (1) the extent and nature of change in inter-organizational contributions to public health activities; (2) whether network changes attenuate or exacerbate disparities in public health implementation across communities; and (3) how network changes affect preventable mortality and resource use.

Methods: We follow a longitudinal cohort of …

Community Emergency Medicine: Benefits And Challenges Of Screening For Elder Abuse In The Emergency Department Of A Developing Country, Muhammad Akbar Baig, Asad Mian, Erfaan Hussain, Shahan Waheed

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents (V. 24, No. 2)

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

(Same) Sex, Lies, And Democracy: Tradition, Religion, And Substantive Due Process (With An Emphasis On Obergefell V. Hodges), Stephen M. Feldman

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Substantive due process issues implicitly concern voice. Whose voice will be heard? Although such issues often remain submerged, the Justices occasionally translate them into disputes over democratic participation and power. The Supreme Court’s most important substantive due process decision in years, Obergefell v. Hodges, entailed such a battle over democracy. The multiple dissenting opinions insisted that the decision demeaned the opponents of same-sex marriage, many of whom were inspired by traditional values and religious convictions. The majority explicitly disagreed, reasoning that the case resolved the rights of same-sex couples to marry and did not diminish the opponents’ voices. The dissenters …

The (Not So Dire) Future Of The Necessary And Proper Power After National Federation Of Independent Business V. Sebelius, Celestine Richards Mcconville

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

The Establishment Clause, State Action, And Town Of Greece, Nathan S. Chapman

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The Establishment Clause forbids the government from engaging in the same religious exercise that the law protects when performed by a private party. Thus, an establishment case often turns on whether religious activity is “state action.” Too often, however, courts ignore the state action analysis or merge it with the substantive Establishment Clause analysis. This muddles both doctrines and threatens individual religious liberty.

This Article argues that the state action doctrine should account for the government’s distribution of private rights. Accordingly, the Constitution applies to the government’s distribution of rights, but not to a private party’s use of those rights. …

Extralegal Supreme Court Policy-Making, Joëlle Anne Moreno

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The Colbert Report aired its final episode on December 18, 2014.1 Nine years earlier, on the first episode, Stephen Colbert coined the word “truthiness.” Truthiness satirized contemporary disinterest in empirical information in a country increasingly “divided between those who think with their head and those who know with their heart.” Truthiness was not just the Merriam-Webster word of the year. Over the past decade, it has been the unspoken mantra of reporters who give equal time to climate science denialists, faith healers, and vaccine refusers. When Justices of the Supreme Court decide questions of scientific or empirical fact—such as whether …

The Eighth Amendment And Tax Evasion: Whether Fatca Non-Compliance Fines And Fbar Penalties Are Excessive, Tyler R. Murray

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Human Rights States And Societies: A Reflection From Kenya, Willy Mutunga

The Transnational Human Rights Review

A human rights state is conceptualized as a liberal democratic state with a social democratic content, the modern day version of the capitalist welfare state. With the “collapses” of communism and neoliberalism, the paradigms of human rights and social justice have taken a center state. The birth of transformative constitutions and transformative constitutionalism linked to modern and comprehensive Bills of Rights have enriched the intellectual, ideological, and political debates of human rights and social justice paradigms. On one hand they have the ingredients of mitigating neo-liberalism while on the other hand they reflect some of the features of the paradigms …

Theorizing International Criminal Procedure Review Essay: Christoph Safferling's International Criminal Procedure, Sujith Xavier

The Transnational Human Rights Review

No abstract provided.

Fan Perceptions Of Selling Alcoholic Beverages At A College Football Stadium, Danielle E. Hennessy

Honors Theses

Consuming alcohol while watching a sporting event has become a tradition within the sport commnnity. Almost one in ten sports fans leave major league stadiums with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit, with 40% of spectators consuming alcohol during the game (Lopatto, 2011). Due to this tradition, many colleges and universities have struggled to answer the question, should alcohol be sold at our athletic events? To answer this question research has been done on many factors including binge drinking, violence and safety, alcohol control policies, tailgating and attendance.

Yet Another 100yr Storm Surge Event: The Role Of Individual Storm Surges On Design Water Levels, Jürgen Jensen, Arne Arns, Thomas Wahl

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

On December 6th 2013 the German coastline was hit by the extra tropical cyclone “Xaver”, which caused the highest water levels on record in some places. In the media, the resulting storm surge was quickly referred to as a “once in one hundred years” event or a “century storm surge”. Based on 12 tide gauges in the German Bight, we estimate return periods of the observed water levels during Xaver and find that they were much lower than 100 years. However, in some places Xaver caused increases in the 200-year return water level estimates, which are often used for the …

African Lessons For Post-2015 Global Right To Development Conceptualization And Practice, Obiora Chinedu Okafor

The Transnational Human Rights Review

No abstract provided.