Digital Commons Network^™

Diets Of Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) And Bonnethead (Sphyrna Tiburo) In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Tyler Harrington, Jeff Plumlee, J. Marcus Drymon, David Wells

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Diets of two coastal sharks, Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) and Bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo), were examined along the Texas and Alabama coasts in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks were collected from the northwest (n= 209) and northcentral (n= 245) GOM regions while Bonnetheads were collected from two locations within the northwest GOM (Galveston, Texas, n= 164; Matagorda, Texas, n= 79). Dietary analysis was conducted using stomach contents identified to the lowest taxonomic level, which were quantified using the index of relative importance (IRI) and non-parametric statistical analyses. Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks were revealed to …

Maternal Allostatic Load During Pregnancy: Predicting Length Of Gestation, Molly Malany Sayre

Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Faculty Publications

Allostatic load, or the “wear and tear” on the body due to stress, is thought to have a negative impact on length of pregnancy and contribute to health disparities in preterm birth. However, the magnitude of the effect on birth outcomes is unknown, in part due to questions of timing of measurement of allostatic load during pregnancy. This study used linear regression analysis of data from 156 pregnant women to test whether allostatic load is a predictor of length of gestation in the study sample, finding that third trimester allostatic load predicted length of gestation among women with full-term births. …

Two Sudden And Unexpected Deaths Of Patients With Schizophrenia Associated With Intramuscular Injections Of Antipsychotics And Practice Guidelines To Limit The Use Of High Doses Of Intramuscular Antipsychotics, Nasratullah Wahidi, Katie M. Johnson, Allen Brenzel, Jose De Leon

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

Intravenous haloperidol has been associated with torsades de pointes (TdP). These two sudden deaths were probable adverse drug reactions (ADRs) following intramuscular (IM) antipsychotics. The autopsies described lack of heart pathology and were highly compatible with the possibility of TdP in the absence of risk factors other than the accumulation of antipsychotics with a high serum peak after the last injection, leading to death within hours. The first case was a 27-year-old African-American male with schizophrenia but no medical issues. His death was probably caused by repeated IM haloperidol injections of 10 mg (totaling 35 mg in 2 days). The …

Telomerase Inhibition By Everolimus Suppresses Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation And Neointima Formation Through Epigenetic Gene Silencing, Jun Aono, Ernesto Ruiz-Rodriguez, Hua Qing, Hannes M. Findeisen, Karrie L. Jones, Elizabeth B. Heywood, Dennis Bruemmer

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) during neointima formation is prevented by drug-eluting stents. The replicative capacity of mammalian cells is enhanced by telomerase expression; however, the contribution of telomerase to the proliferative response underlying neointima formation and its potential role as a pharmacological target are unknown. The present study investigated the mechanisms underlying the mitogenic function of telomerase, and tested the hypothesis that everolimus, which is commonly used on drug-eluting stents, suppresses SMC proliferation by targeting telomerase. Inhibition of neointima formation by everolimus was lost in mice overexpressing telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), indicating that repression of telomerase confers the …

Adolescent Methylphenidate Treatment Differentially Alters Adult Impulsivity And Hyperactivity In The Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat Model Of Adhd, Sucharita S. Somkuwar, Kathleen M. Kantak, Michael T. Bardo, Linda P. Dwoskin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Impulsivity and hyperactivity are two facets of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Impulsivity is expressed as reduced response inhibition capacity, an executive control mechanism that prevents premature execution of an intermittently reinforced behavior. During methylphenidate treatment, impulsivity and hyperactivity are decreased in adolescents with ADHD, but there is little information concerning levels of impulsivity and hyperactivity in adulthood after adolescent methylphenidate treatment is discontinued. The current study evaluated impulsivity, hyperactivity as well as cocaine sensitization during adulthood after adolescent methylphenidate treatment was discontinued in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR) model of ADHD. Treatments consisted of oral methylphenidate (1.5 mg/kg) or water …

Critical Needs In Drug Discovery For Cessation Of Alcohol And Nicotine Polysubstance Abuse, C. E. Van Skike, Sarah E. Maggio, A. R. Reynolds, E. M. Casey, Michael T. Bardo, Linda P. Dwoskin, M. A. Prendergast, Kimberly Nixon

Psychology Faculty Publications

Polysubstance abuse of alcohol and nicotine has been overlooked in our understanding of the neurobiology of addiction and especially in the development of novel therapeutics for its treatment. Estimates show that as many as 92% of people with alcohol use disorders also smoke tobacco. The health risks associated with both excessive alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking create an urgent biomedical need for the discovery of effective cessation treatments, as opposed to current approaches that attempt to independently treat each abused agent. The lack of treatment approaches for alcohol and nicotine abuse/dependence mirrors a similar lack of research in the neurobiology …

Biogas From Slaughterhouse Waste In Ireland: Assessment Of Potential Energy Recovery Pathways, Aidan Ware

Theses

This study was undertaken to investigate the potential energy recovery from the anaerobic digestion (AD) of slaughterhouse wastes in Ireland. The research was approached in two ways; laboratory scale evaluation of methane production of the industrial waste streams from cattle, pig and chicken slaughtering facilities and a life cycle assessment (LCA) and energy balance to assess the potential utilisation pathways. This thesis includes; the evaluation of the potential biogas production from individual and combined slaughterhouse waste streams in Ireland on an equal footing through standardised laboratory testing, the effects of mandatory pre-treatments on the AD of slaughterhouse waste streams and …

Estudio Etnozoológico Kichwa De La Nutria Gigante Pteronura Brasiliensis (Zimmerman, 1780) En La Baja Amazonía Central Del Ecuador, Iván Jácome-Negrete

Neotropical Biodiversity

The giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis is the largest mustelid of Neotropical riparian and lacustrine environments. It is endangered throughout the Amazon basin, and in Ecuador is critically endangered because of intensive hunting in past decades, especially in the northeast of the country. Very little is known about their status in the central Amazon region of Ecuador, but it is presumed the existence of more stable populations than those of the northeast remnant populations. The territory of the Pastaza province covers a major portion of the central Amazon and is still well preserved because it is the birthplace of various indigenous …

Ocelot (Leopardus Pardalis) Density In Eastern Ecuador Based On Capture–Recapture Analyses Of Camera Trap Data, Diego Mosquera, John G. Blake, Kelly Swing, David Romo

Neotropical Biodiversity

The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is one of the most widespread neotropical felids but data on its distribution and population status in several countries are scarce. Here, we present estimates of density for lowland forest of eastern Ecuador. We used camera trap data and capture–recapture analyses to estimate ocelot density within a local area (~650 ha) within Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, recognized as a globally important area for biodiversity conservation. We estimated densities for dry and wet seasons (~2200 trap days total) using CAPTURE and both half and full values of the mean maximum distance moved (MMDM), as recommended for estimating densities. …

Nocturnal Flowering And Pollination Of A Rare Caribbean Sage, Salvia Arborescens (Lamiaceae), Martin Reith, Scott Zona

Neotropical Biodiversity

The phenology, floral biology and pollination ecology of Salvia arborescens Urb. & Ekman (Lamiaceae) are reported, based on field and garden observations. The flowers of S. arborescens are white, fragrant and rich in nectar. Anthesis begins in the late afternoon, and flowers wilt by late morning of the following day. Floral features fit the moth pollination syndrome. S. arborescens flowers are visited by a variety of nocturnal moths in the wild, including Celiptera levinum (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea: Erebidae), which was observed carrying pollen of this Salvia. This is the first report of a night-blooming, moth-pollinated Salvia. Hummingbirds, butterflies and beetles may …

Macrophytes And Metaphyton As Habitats For Insects In Temporary And Permanent Tropical Aquatic Ecosystems, Julio Díaz-Valenzuela, Rafael Barva-Alvarez, Angel Merlo-Galiazzi, Luis Zambrano

Neotropical Biodiversity

Insect community structures in tropical regions appear to be related to the hydrological regime and energy paths trough autochthonous and allochthones sources. Macrophyte and metaphyton permanent coverage throughout the year generate conditions and resources, such as food and refuge, allowing the establishment of a large number of aquatic insect species. The hydrological regime is based on rain seasonality and has a direct influence on insect lifecycles. We evaluated insect community structures in five systems with differences in macrophyte/metaphyton coverage and hydrological regimes (two temporary wetlands and three permanent cenotes) in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve in southeast Mexico. The insect …

Effects Of Climate Change On Andean Biodiversity: A Synthesis Of Studies Published Until 2015, Selene Báez, Liliana Jaramillo, Francisco Cuesta, David A. Donoso

Neotropical Biodiversity

Understanding how GCC is affecting the biological diversity of the Andes is of utmost importance and timeliness given the relevance of the region for biological conservation. Our research questions were (1) what is the spatial (country-level) and temporal distribution of the scientific research exploring links between GCC and biodiversity in the Andean region? (2) What are the methodological approximations, areas of research and subjects of study most commonly considered? And (3) What are the trends in biodiversity responses most commonly found under different GCC stressors? We found that the first paper on GCC and biodiversity in the Andes was published …

Recent Advances In Optical Spectroscopic And Imaging Methods For Medicine And Biology, Yu Shang, Zhiyu Qian, Rickson C. Mesquita, Mathieu Dehaes

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Five Easy Pieces: Recurrent Themes In American Property Law, Gregory S. Alexander

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

There's No Such Thing As A Computer-Authored Work - And It's A Good Thing, Too, James Grimmelmann

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Treating computers as authors for copyright purposes is a non-solution to a non-problem. It is a non-solution because unless and until computer programs can qualify as persons in life and law, it does no practical good to call them "authors" when someone else will end up owning the copyright anyway. And it responds to a non-problem because there is nothing actually distinctive about computer-generated works.

There are five plausible ways in which computer-generated works might be considered meaningfully different from human-generated works: (1) they are embedded in digital copies, (2) people create them using computers rather than by hand, (3) …

Incidental Burdens And The Nature Of Judicial Review, Michael C. Dorf

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Activists and scholars contesting the meaning of the Second Amendment argue over a startling number of its twenty-seven words: "regulated," "Militia," "State," "people," "keep," "bear," and "Arms." Heller and McDonald sought to resolve most of these debates, but before Professors Joseph Blocher and Darrell Miller, no one noticed the potential for contestation over the Second Amendment's final word: "infringed." When does the application of a gun-neutral law infringe the right? In that deceptively simple question lurk important future debates over the Second Amendment, the Constitution, and law itself.

Host Location And Host-Associated Divergence In Parasitoids Of The Gall Midge, Asteromyia Carbonifera, Jeffrey L. Howell

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Some of the world's greatest mysteries are the series of ecological and behavioral processes that promote adaptive radiation: when one species rapidly diverges into multiple descendants due to ecological selective pressures. Selective pressures from natural enemies have the potential to drive such radiations, as has been suggested in the diversification of the goldenrod gall-midge, Asteromyia carbonifera (Stireman et al., 2008, 2012). This complex, multitrophic system involves the midge species complex, their goldenrod host plants (Solidago sp.), and a suite of parasitoid enemies in the diverse wasp superfamily, Chalcidoidea. There is evidence that the midge is undergoing host-associated differentiation (HAD), in …

A Comparison Of Small Mammal Communities Among Three Habitats In Western North Dakota, Samantha R. Pounds

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

There is recent oil and natural gas development within western North Dakota, which makes it imperative to update outdated and incomplete small mammal records. Small mammals are vital components to many ecosystems, including grasslands. Small mammals contribute to grazing, seed dispersal, and provide food for other animals. I surveyed small mammals in three habitats, grassland, badland, and wet meadow, in the summers of 2014 and 2015 in western North Dakota. In 2014, I surveyed in 8 badland and 10 grassland habitats and in 2015 I surveyed in 1 badland, 13 grassland, and 4 wet meadow habitats, with 1 transect per …

The Veneration Motif In The Temptation Narrative Of The Gospel Of Matthew: Lessons From The Enochic Tradition, Andrei Orlov

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Biotic Effects Of Tertiary Geoclimatic Change In The Southern Hemisphere, Stuart Val Nielsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I explore how pre-Quaternary geoclimatic phenomena and geographical heterogeneity influenced sub-continental speciation processes and contemporary biogeographic patterns across the Southern Hemisphere, with particular focus on two regions that have experienced elevated levels of ongoing aridification – sub-Saharan (particularly Southern) Africa and Australia. I used standard methods from the molecular phylogeneticists’ toolbox (e.g. tree building using maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches, haplotype networks, uncorrected p-distances) combined with environmental niche modeling, morphometric principal components and fossil calibrated molecular dating analyses in order to ascertain the role that Miocene geo-climatic events played in promoting lineage accumulation and diversification through time. I found a …

Between Species: Biopolitics, Resistance, And Interspeciesality, Temple Jo Gowan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines three twentieth-century novels—Carson McCullers’s Reflections in a Golden Eye, Charles Johnson’s Oxherding Tale, and Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats—in the context of posthumanist animal studies. A Foucauldian biopolitical lens foregrounds the inextricably linked ways that both human and nonhuman animal bodies are governed and controlled in a biopolitical era. Each chapter focuses on textual links between speciesism and the oppression of particular human groups based on gender, sexuality, and race, arguing that each novel offers new ways of thinking about both our own species, other animal species, and how humans relate to the nonhuman world.

Bluesman, Guitar, And Migration, Yaeko Takada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project examines how the bluesman, guitar, and migration have interacted with each other and brought about transformations to American popular music, based upon scholarly works, magazine articles, and the sound recordings of the prewar blues performers. In popular theory, the blues sprang out of the cotton fields and articulated the life experiences of the oppressed people in isolated areas, particularly the Jim Crow south. These are certainly truths of the blues. Also true is that the blues was a product of modernization in every way and a representation of the African American bluesman's aspiring life. The bluesman's mobile lifestyle …

Boxing Men: Ideas Of Race, Masculinity, And Nationalism, Robert Bryan Hawks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: Jack Johnson and Joe Louis were African American boxers who held the title of world heavyweight champion in their respective periods. Johnson and Louis constructed ideologies of African American manhood that challenged white hegemonic notions of masculinity and nationalism from the first decade of the twentieth century, when Johnson held the title, through Joe Louis’s reign that began in the 1930's. This thesis investigates the history of white supremacy from the turn of the twentieth century when Johnson fought and does so through several lenses. The lenses I suggest include evolving notions of masculinity, Theodore Roosevelt’s racially deterministic agendas, …

Pre-School & Kindergarten Language Art Curriculum Unit, Victoria Sutton

Honors Projects

This is a curriculum unit with lessons for language arts for pre-school and kindergarten. There is a lesson plan that meets each of the Ohio Early Learning Reading Comprehension Standards for Pre-School and a lesson that meets of the reading literature standards for Kindergarten from the Common Core Standards. In total, there are seven lesson plans per grade. Each lesson plan incorporates a book as the engagement to help teach the skill the children will need. The pre-school lessons had more of a focus on the author of Laura Numeroff and the kindergarten lessons had more of a focus on …

A Day In Their Shoes: Lived Experiences Of Five Agricultural Education Teachers Working With English Learners, Julie A. Ketterling

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation took a phenomenological approach in order to take a deeper look into the experiences of five agricultural education teachers that taught English Learner (EL) students and factors that affected those experiences. Dunkin and Biddle’s (1973) Teacher Model provided the conceptual framework and underpinnings for the literature review. The study identified a pilot study teacher with EL experience and 4 agricultural education teachers that taught agricultural education at schools with at least a 15% EL student population. The interviews were semi-structured in nature and each was audiotaped and later transcribed. Each of the transcribed interviews was coded. Through a …

Exploring Anthropological Monism For Pastoral Care Practice In A Local Church, Michael Robert Mcleod

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project explored the viability and benefits of anthropological monism for pastoral care practice in a local church. Monism, as it relates to human nature, refers to humanity consisting solely of materiality or physicality from which emerge all capacities and functions of the human individual⎯feeling, thinking, relating, acting, or experiencing God, self, others, or the world in general. Biblically and theologically, anthropological monism can point to integration for holism to overcome life disruption and fragmentation due to sin. It can also highlight embodiment and refocus the church towards human physicality and the prominence of resurrection for end-of-life outcomes rather …

The Roles Of Introduced Eucalyptus In The Conservation And Expansion Of Ethiopian Orthodox Church Forests In The Northern Ethiopian Highlands, Janice Liang

Honors Theses

Species of the genus Eucalyptus (common name eucalyptus) are widely planted all across Ethiopia – including on large areas of land previously allocated to food production. In recent decades eucalyptus has also increasingly been planted on lands around and within “church forests,” sacred groves of old-aged Afromontane trees surrounding Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido churches. These revered holy sites have long been recognized for their cultural values and also for their ecosystem services – including their potential to support species conservation and restoration, as church forests are some of the only remaining sanctuaries for many of Ethiopia’s indigenous and endemic plant and …

The Faith At Work Movement At Westwood Community Church, Daniel Albert Bolt

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the faith at work (FAW) movement through the lens of philosophical hermeneutics. The work concepts of both Old and New Testaments were explored, along with theologian’s voices on the intersection of work and faith. The literature review demonstrated the one-dimensional emphasis of the FAW for the church and the working world. The church and world need the FAW as an ethos with an emphasis on the whole person. The research was a mixed method of case study utilizing qualitative and quantitative method. This mixed method helped underline the shallowness of current scholarship of the FAW as an …

Emerging Policy And Practice Issues (2016), Steven L. Schooner, Neal J. Couture

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

This paper, presented at the West Government Contracts Year in Review Conference (covering 2015), attempts to identify the key trends and issues in U.S. federal procurement. Consistent with prior practice, this chapter offers extensive coverage of the federal procurement, grant, and defense spending trends and attempts to predict what lies ahead, particularly with regard to legislative and executive activity. The paper discusses, in addition to the macro-level data, initiatives from OFPP and DoD, including the Better Buying Power 3.0's less-than-obvious focus on innovation, the need for investment in research and development, information technology and category management, acquisition performance measurement (or …

Reinvigorating Innovation: Lessons Learned From The Wright Brothers, Steven L. Schooner, Nathaniel E. Castellano

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

The Department of Defense (DOD) increasingly recognizes that it must do more to spur innovation to maintain its technological superiority. This article suggests that DOD’s leadership make time for David McCullough’s recent biography, The Wright Brothers, as an aviation anecdote chock full of fundamental lessons that DOD must embrace to succeed.

Among other things, this article encourages DoD to consider - in light of the Wright Brothers' experiences and successes - experimenting with prizes and contests; looking outside the inner circle (including conventional contractors and sources of R&D) for new ideas; appreciating that bigger isn’t always better; recognizing that prototyping …