Digital Commons Network^™

Lgbt Rights And The Mini-Rfra: A Return To Separate But Equal, Terri R. Day, Danielle Weatherby

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Pulse: Finding The Meaning In A Massacre Through Gay Latino Intersectional Justice, Judith E. Koons

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Contingent Constitutionality, Legislative Facts, And Campaign Finance, Michael T. Morley

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Sleuthing Scientific Evidence Information On The Internet, Diana Botluk

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

North American Botanic Garden Strategy For Plant Conservation 2016-2020, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, American Public Gardens Association, Asociacion Mexicana De Jardines, Center For Plant Conservation, Plant Conservation Alliance, Pam Allenstein, Robert Bye, Jennifer Ceska, John Clark, Jenny Cruse-Sanders, Gerard Donnelly, Christopher Dunn, Anne Frances, David Galbraith, Jordan Golubov, Gennadyi Gurman, Kayri Havens, Abby Hird Meyer, Douglas Justice, Edelmira Linares, Maria Magdalena Hernandez, Beatriz Maruri Aguilar, Mike Maunder, Ray Mims, Greg Mueller, Jennifer Ramp Neale, Martin Nicholson, Ari Novy, Susan Pell, John J. Pipoly Iii, Diane Ragone, Peter Raven, Erin Riggs, Kate Sackman, Emiliano Sanchez Martinez, Suzanne Sharrock, Casey Sclar, Paul Smith, Murphy Westwood, Rebecca Wolf, Peter Wyse Jackson

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

A Novel Approach Reveals High Zooplankton Standing Stock Deep In The Sea, Alexander Vereshchaka, Galina Abyzova, Anastasia Lunina, Eteri Musaeva, Tracey Sutton

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

In a changing ocean there is a critical need to understand global biogeochemical cycling, particularly regarding carbon. We have made strides in understanding upper ocean dynamics, but the deep ocean interior (> 1000 m) is still largely unknown, despite representing the overwhelming majority of Earth's biosphere. Here we present a method for estimating deep-pelagic zooplankton biomass on an ocean-basin scale. We have made several new discoveries about the Atlantic, which likely apply to the world ocean. First, multivariate analysis showed that depth and Chl were the basic factors affecting the wet biomass of the main plankton groups. Wet biomass of …

Impact Of The Siena College Tech Valley Scholars Program On Student Outcomes, Larry Medsker, Lee Allard, Lucas J. Tucker, Jodi L. O’Donnell, Rachel Sterne-Marr, Jon Bannon, Rose Finn, Allan T. Weatherwax

Physics Faculty Publications

The experimental group for this study included 38 students who entered the Tech Valley Scholars (TVS) program over the course of three academic years, from 2009-10 through 2011-12. Two groups of controls were used: a randomly selected sample of STEM students who matriculated in the same time frame; and a matched sample. The TVS students and controls were compared on two primary outcome variables: graduation (or retention to senior year), and final cumulative GPA. The major findings of this study are that (1) the TVS students had better outcomes than both the randomly selected comparison group and the matched control …

Sex On The Reef: Observations Of Coral Spawning In Dry Tortugas National Park, Karen L. Neely, Tracy A. Ziegler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

In Florida’s remote Dry Tortugas National Park, coral reefs are an important management priority. Reproduction of coral species is difficult to monitor, however, and the reproductive potential of coral colonies at the park has been a matter of concern for several years. Two threatened species, elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus), were targeted for observation during their predicted annual spawning event in August 2014. Over a three-night period, both species were observed releasing gametes in near synchrony with observations at other sites in the Florida Keys. That these organisms are capable of being …

Model Suggests Potential For Porites Coral Population Recovery After Removal Of Anthropogenic Disturbance (Luhuitou, Hainan, South China Sea), Meixia Zhao, Bernhard Riegl, Kefu Yu, Qi Shi, Qiaomin Zhang, Guohui Liu, Hongqiang Yang, Hongquiang Yan

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Population models are important for resource management and can inform about potential trajectories useful for planning purposes, even with incomplete monitoring data. From size frequency data on Luhuitou fringing reef, Hainan, South China Sea, a matrix population model of massive corals (Porites lutea) was developed and trajectories over 100 years under no disturbance and random disturbances were projected. The model reflects a largely open population of Porites lutea, with low local recruitment and preponderance of imported recruitment. Under no further disturbance, the population of Porites lutea will grow and its size structure will change from predominance of …

Full Issue, Number 43, Spring 2016, The Congregational And Synodical Mission Unit, The Evangelical Lutheran Church In America

Intersections

No abstract provided.

The Vocation Of Intersections On Its Twentieth Birthday, Bob Haak, Jason Mahn, Tom Christenson

Intersections

No abstract provided.

Development Of Three-Dimensional Lung Multicellular Spheroids In Air- And Liquid-Interface Culture For The Evaluation Of Anticancer Therapeutics, Samantha A. Meenach, Alexandran N. Tsoras, Ronald C. Mcgarry, Heidi M. Mansour, J. Zach Hilt, Kimberly W. Anderson

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Three-dimensional (3D) lung multicellular spheroids (MCS) in liquid-covered culture (LCC) and air-interface culture (AIC) conditions have both been developed for the evaluation of aerosol anticancer therapeutics in solution and aerosols, respectively. The MCS were formed by seeding lung cancer cells on top of collagen where they formed spheroids due to the prevalence of cell-to-cell interactions. LCC MCS were exposed to paclitaxel (PTX) in media whereas AIC MCS were exposed to dry powder PEGylated phospholipid aerosol microparticles containing paclitaxel. The difference in viability for 2D versus 3D culture for both LCC and AIC was evaluated along with the effects of the …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Nanocomposite Microparticles (Ncmp) For The Treatment Of Cystic Fibrosis-Related Infections, Zimeng Wang, Samantha A. Meenach

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Purpose:

Pulmonary antibiotic delivery is recommended as maintenance therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients who experience chronic infections. However, abnormally thick and sticky mucus present in the respiratory tract of CF patients impairs mucus penetration and limits the efficacy of inhaled antibiotics. To overcome the obstacles of pulmonary antibiotic delivery, we have developed nanocomposite microparticles (nCmP) for the inhalation application of antibiotics in the form of dry powder aerosols.

Methods:

Azithromycin-loaded and rapamycin-loaded polymeric nanoparticles (NP) were prepared via nanoprecipitation and nCmP were prepared by spray drying and the physicochemical characteristics were evaluated.

Results:

The nanoparticles were …

A Century Of Morphological Variation In Cyprinidae Fishes, Stephen J. Jacquemin, Mark Pyron

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Aquatic habitats have been altered over the past century due to a variety of anthropogenic influences. Ecomorphology is an area of aquatic ecology that can both directly and indirectly assess the effects of habitat alterations on organisms. However, few studies have explored long term trends in morphological variation. Long term changes in morphology can potentially impact niche and ultimately contribute to organismal success and the ecosystem. Therefore, in this study we assessed long term morphological variation with body size, sex, time, and hydrology using museum collections of five species of Cyprinidae (Minnows) from lentic and lotic systems over the …

Teaching Evolution: Blog As A Liminal Space, Shylaja Akkaraju, Alexander Wolf

Publications and Research

A threshold concept is a challenging concept that acts as a doorway leading to deeper understanding and a dramatic shift in perception. A learner that is in- volved in grasping a threshold concept is said to be undergoing a threshold expe- rience within a liminal space or learning environment. We used the blog as a lim- inal space for our students to engage with the theory of evolution, which is a threshold concept. In order to teach evolution effectively it is necessary to address both understanding and acceptance of evolutionary theory. To explore the latter in an introductory biology course, …

The Mapmaker’S Dilemma In Evaluating High-End Inequality, Daniel N. Shaviro

Faculty Articles

The last thirty years have witnessed rising income and wealth concentration among the top 0.1% of the population, leading to intense political debate regarding how, if at all, policymakers should respond. Often, this debate emphasizes the tools of public economics, and in particular optimal in-come taxation. However, while these tools can help us in evaluating the issues raised by high-end inequality, their ex-treme reductionism—which, in other settings, often offers significant analytic payoffs—here proves to have serious drawbacks. This Article addresses what we do and don’t learn from the optimal income tax literature regarding high-end inequality, and what other inputs might …

Dreadlocked, Peggy C. Davis

Faculty Articles

Many are eager to celebrate the Obergefell decision as a civil rights—and, indeed, a human rights—victory. Others, like Professor Franke, are reluctant to celebrate Obergefell because celebrating the right to marry lends legitimacy to an institution that is patriarchal, puritanical, a tool for policing intimate conduct, and a tool for the degradation of non-conforming lifestyles. I observe the debate between eager and reluctant celebrants with the strong feeling that both sides are right: We should celebrate loudly and with confidence, but we should take care to do so in ways that further the cause of human freedom and dignity, rather …

Dynamic Patent Disclosure, Jeanne C. Fromer

Faculty Articles

Those who tout the role of disclosure as a benefit of the patent system emphasize — as the Supreme Court has — that the information in patents “add[s] to the general store of knowledge [and is] of such importance to the public weal that the Federal Government is willing to pay the high price of . . . exclusive use for its disclosure, which disclosure . . . will stimulate ideas and the eventual development of further significant advances in the art.” As I excavate in this Article, the current state of patent disclosure — which many think is poor …

Pedagogy For The Pedosphere, Loren B. Byrne, Rachel K. Thiet, V Bala Chaudhary

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Mutual Dependency Of Force And Law In American Foreign Policy, Richard A. Epstein, Mario Loyola

Faculty Articles

A successful American grand strategy requires a close integration of international and domestic institutions and practices. This Essay explores the vital interdependence of grand strategy and law, both international and domestic. First, it asks how the United States should formulate its foreign policy strategy by pointing to the three primary components that must be deployed in tandem to forge a successful American foreign policy—persuasion, inducements, and force. Second, this Essay shows that in light of the distribution of powers between the president and Congress, and within the executive branch, the execution of that strategy requires a high level of bipartisan …

Marked Variation Between Winter And Spring Gut Microbiota In Freeranging Tibetan Macaques (Macaca Thibetana), Binghua Sun, Xi Wang, Sofi Bernstein, Michael A. Huffman, Dong-Po Xia, Zhiyuan Gu, Rui Chen, Lori K. Sheeran, R. Steven Wagner, Jinhua Li

Anthropology and Museum Studies Faculty Scholarship

Variation in the availability and distribution of food resources is a strong selective pressure on wild primates. We explored variation in Tibetan macaque gut microbiota composition during winter and spring seasons. Our results showed that gut microbial composition and diversity varied by season. In winter, the genus Succinivibrio, which promotes the digestion of cellulose and hemicellulose, was significantly increased. In spring, the abundance of the genus Prevotella, which is associated with digestion of carbohydrates and simple sugars, was significantly increased. PICRUSt analysis revealed that the predicted metagenomes related to the glycan biosynthesis and metabolic pathway was significantly increased in winter …

A Community College Liberal Arts Teacher’S Story, Lloyd Miller

Special Topic Papers

No abstract provided.

Macro Self-Portraiture And The Feminine Grotesque, Emily C. Wages

Scripps Senior Theses

According to the Mirriam-Webster online dictionary, “grotesque” is defined as “a style of decorative art characterized by fanciful or fantastic human and animal forms often interwoven with foliage or similar figures that may distort the natural into absurdity, ugliness, or caricature.” Originating from the Old Italian grottesca, cave painting, feminine of grottesco of a cave, from the time of its conception, the grotesque has been inexorably linked to art and the female. The work of other female artists that explore themes of the feminine grotesque are discussed, including Katheryn Wakeman, Jenny Saville, and Maria Lassnig. In my current work, I …

Using Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequence (Caps) Genetic Markers To Determine The Extent Of Hybridization Between Castilleja Affinis And Castilleja Mollis As A Mechanism For Adapting To Climate Change On Santa Rosa Island, Elizabeth Medford

Scripps Senior Theses

Hybridization, the process of interbreeding between individuals of different species, is one method by which plants and animals adapt to a changing environment. One example of such adaptation through hybridization may be occurring on the California Channel Islands with two species of Castilleja. While United State Geological Survey (USGS) researchers have been studying the populations of Castilleja affinis and Castilleja mollis to determine if hybridization is occurring on Santa Rosa Island since the early 1990s, up until this point primarily overt phenotypic characteristics have been used to differentiate between the two species. Genetic methods of differentiation were adopted to …

Essays On The Economics Of Gender, Melanie Wasserman

Dissertation Awards

This dissertation seeks to understand gender disparities in labor market and educational outcomes. Two essays analyze determinants of the low representation of women in historically highly compensated and competitive occupations. The third essay explores whether childhood environmental influences contribute to the female advantage in elementary and secondary educational outcomes that has emerged throughout developed countries.

Barriers To Biosimilar Approval: Creating Clarity Through The Publication Of Product-Class Specific Guidances, Martin Mcenrue

Maryland Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Export Controls And Economic Sanctions, John Boscariol, J. Patrick Briscoe, Geoffrey Goodale, Jahna Hartwig, Jonathan Meyer, Christopher Stagg, Lawrence Ward

The International Lawyer

No abstract provided.

Aerospace And Defense Industries, R. Locke Bell, Johny Chaklader, Donna A. Dulo, Priya Iyengar, Kevin J. Lombardo, Jason M. Silverman

The International Lawyer

No abstract provided.

Investigating And Expanding The Functionality Of Rna Catalysts: Studies Of The Hepatitis Delta Virus, The Hammerhead, And The Aminoacyl-Trna Synthetase-Like Ribozymes, Ji Chen

Open Access Dissertations

Ribozymes, just like protein enzymes, catalyze diverse chemical reactions. The first goal of this dissertation is to understand the mechanism of ribozyme-mediated phosphodiester cleavage reaction. Biochemical assays and X-ray crystallography were used for probing the active site of two small self-cleaving ribozymes, the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozyme and the hammerhead ribozyme. Results presented here suggest that divalent metal ions play critical roles in the catalytic mechanisms of both the HDV and the hammerhead ribozymes. In the HDV ribozyme, the result is consistent with an active site Mg2+ being directly involved in catalysis. In the hammerhead ribozyme, however, Mg2+ ions …

A New Reality: Funding Formula Changes And Property Tax Caps And Their Effects On The Role Of The School Superintendent In The State Of Indiana, Patrick L. Gentry

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how school superintendents were using general fund referenda to meet their school district’s operational budgets. However, after interviews began it became clear that the superintendents wanted to tell a different story and that was how the current school funding mechanism and property tax caps has changed the job of the school superintendent. The research consisted of one-on-one guided interviews of a mixed qualitative methods framework combining theories of hermeneutics and phenomenology. The interviews combined open-ended, guided questions and conversations and were with superintendents who were leaders of school districts that have …