Digital Commons Network^™

Chemical Weapons And Other Atrocities: Contrasting Responses To The Syrian Crisis, Tim Mccormack

International Law Studies

Why has the use of chemical weapons in Syria engendered such a substantive multilateral response in stark contrast to almost every other egregious international law violation perpetrated against the civilian population? Various theories have been offered but the explanation has little to do with humanitarian concerns for Syrian victims and is more readily explicable by unusual (in the Syrian context) alignment of U.S. and Russian national interests. Bashar al-Assad was convinced to accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention, to surrender his stockpiles of chemical weapons and to co-operate with international investigators deployed under UN Security Council auspices amid a cacophony …

A Genome-Wide Characterization Of Differentially Expressed Genes Encoding Mrnas And Mirnas And Methylation Analysis Of Phytochrome Genes In A Cotton Phytochrome A1 Rnai Line, Qing Miao

Theses and Dissertations

Silencing phytochrome A1 gene (PHYA1) by RNA interference in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. Coker 312) had generated PHYA1 RNAi lines with increased fiber length, strength and low micronair (finer fiber). In order to identify and characterize mRNAs and miRNAs that are differentially expressed in the RNAi plants, transcriptome and miRNAome analyses via high-throughput RNA sequencing were performed. Total RNA isolated from 10-DPA (days post anthesis) fibers and small RNAs isolated from 5-, 10-, and 15-DPA fibers of RNAi and Coker 312 lines were used to construct 6 RNA libraries and 18 small RNA libraries, respectively, which were sequenced …

A Study Of Wheat Flour Tortillas, Combustion, Selected Gaseous And Nuclear Surrogate Samples Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (Libs), Charles Tarshi Ghany

Theses and Dissertations

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an efficient tool for identification of elemental composition and characterization of materials. The concept of this technique is to focus a laser pulse of sufficiently high power on to a sample to create a plasma plume of atoms, ions, and molecules. The measurement of the resulting optical emission from these species provides the basis of the spectral analysis. Spectroscopic analysis of the plasma generated by Nd:YAG laser irradiation of wheat flour tortillas was carried out. A careful selection of spectral lines of Ca, Na and K which do not suffer from spectral interference was made. …

A Theoretical Analysis Of Multiproduct Mergers: Application In The Major Meat Processing Sectors, Benjamin Lee Sanderson

Theses and Dissertations

The research is motivated by the significant increase in multiproduct mergers in the meat-protein processing sector, whereby the largest firms now process beef, pork, and chicken. This thesis conducts a theoretical merger analysis, accounting for both within- and across-submarket substitution of demand related goods. The model developed is suitable for analyzing markets in which there are identifiable consumer submarkets within a larger market. The results indicate two primary findings. The first finding is that Bertrand firms have a unilateral incentive to merge. Firms involved in a given merger increase profit, as well as those not included in the merger. Second, …

America Reads-Mississippi/Americorps Reading Program's Impact On Mississippi Community College Attendance, Charity Yarbrough

Theses and Dissertations

Since the inception of AmeriCorps programs, reading, education and civic engagement has been emphasized in a large portion of the United States. Members enlist to serve schools and communities for 1 year, possibly 2. Upon completion of a member’s year(s) of service an education award is given which can be used to attend a community college, university or repay student loans. This study showed how AmeriCorps/America Reads programs partnered with community colleges and universities which recruited members to volunteer at school sites and community centers tutoring students in classrooms to improve reading, grades, engage in community service activities, use education …

American White Pelicans Hand Raised Until Fledging And Examination Of The Trematode Infection Bolbophorus Damnificus In These Birds, Treena Lee Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations

Because little is known about juvenile American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) this study was conducted to gather more information on disease, general ecology and growth of American White Pelicans from hatching to fledging. In July 2011, American White Pelican regurgitate samples from North and South Dakota sub-colonies were collected/analyzed in preparation for a captive trial. Nutrient content compared between the colonies was found to be significantly different. Concentrations of Immunoglobulin Y and A in regurgitate samples were significantly different between colonies. A captive trial began 29 May 2012 and ended 30 July 2012, in which 16 American White Pelicans were …

The Role Of Ephb3 In Cortical Vascular Integrity Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Poincyane Assis-Nascimento

Open Access Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) continues to be a major health concern worldwide. One of the earliest and most profound deficits comes from vascular damage and breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Despite the consequences of blood vessel destruction, little is known of the cellular responses that occur in vessel integrity following TBI. B class ephrins and Eph receptors are membrane bound proteins that initiate bidirectional signals during cell-cell interactions, and are indispensable for developmental and pathological neovascularization. The role of EphB3 and its ligand ephrinB3 was investigated in vascular integrity in a murine controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury model of …

Condos, Connectivity, And Catch: Analyzing The State Of The Bahamian Spiny Lobster Fishery., Karlisa Alicia Callwood

Open Access Dissertations

Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) is a heavily exploited seafood throughout its range and supports the primary fishery in The Bahamas. However, its long pelagic larval duration and, thus, potential for long-range dispersal increases the difficulty in determining the origins of local populations and complicates management. In recent years, the Bahamian fishery has transitioned to the use of condos (or casitas) as the primary fishing method. Condos are relatively inexpensive to construct and deploy, and it is estimated there are now over a million deposited throughout the Bahama banks. Collectively, these factors, coupled with an increased level of effort in …

Ecological And Genomic Patterns Of The Threatened Coral Acropora Cervicornis, Crawford Reeves Drury

Open Access Dissertations

The staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is an important reef-building species on Caribbean reefs that has undergone severe population declines in recent decades. As the abundance of this species has diminished, restoration efforts using the coral gardening method have become increasingly common as a method of mitigating these losses. Using a large scale outplanting experiment, we find evidence of high phenotypic plasticity and low local adaptation driven by coral genotype and the environment, which subtly interact. The flexibility of the growth and survivorship response in this species gives concrete value to genetic diversity, which is variable across regional spatial scales and …

The Disconnect Of Hawaiian Culture And Marine Management In West Hawaii: A Case Study On The Aquarium Trade, Alohi L. Nakachi

Open Access Theses

In West Hawaii, marine management and the Hawaiian culture share common goals and ideals. However, the reasoning, beliefs and ethnic identities behind such goals greatly differ. As such, there is a lack of communication and even cooperation between groups. This paper seeks to understand the conflict and interactions between these groups and other interest groups involved with the aquarium trade. The area studied is in West Hawaii where the majority of fish in the state are caught for the aquarium trade (Walsh, 2014). The aquarium trade is analyzed to asses the extent in which social and Hawaiian cultural aspects are …

Predictive Modeling Of Black Spruce (Picea Mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) Wood Density Using Stand Structure Variables Derived From Airborne Lidar Data In Boreal Forests Of Ontario, Bharat Pokharel, Art Groot, Douglas G. Pitt, Murray Woods, Jeffery P. Dech

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Our objective was to model the average wood density in black spruce trees in representative stands across a boreal forest landscape based on relationships with predictor variables extracted from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) point cloud data. Increment core samples were collected from dominant or co-dominant black spruce trees in a network of 400 m2 plots distributed among forest stands representing the full range of species composition and stand development across a 1,231,707 ha forest management unit in northeastern Ontario, Canada. Wood quality data were generated from optical microscopy, image analysis, X-ray densitometry and diffractometry as employed in SilviScan™. …

Curricular Report No. 2016-17-2 From The Graduate Council To The Faculty Senate: Program Changes., University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

Curricular Report No. 2016-17-2 From The Graduate Council To The Faculty Senate., University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Bills

No abstract provided.

Reproductive Timing Of The Striped Shiner (Lythrurus Fasciolaris) In Northern Alabama, Chelsie Kay Smith

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Setonian, December 8, 2016, Seton Hall University

2016

No abstract provided.

College Senate Minutes December 8, 2016, Bronx Community College Senate

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the College Senate on December 8, 2016.

Population Demographics And Sexual Reproduction Potential Of The Pillar Coral, Dendrogyra Cylindrus, On The Florida Reef Tract, Lystina Kabay

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, has been commonly described as widely distributed, but rare throughout its geographical range in the Caribbean. Having recently been listed as Threatened under the US Endangered Species Act, an understanding of population status is needed to promote species conservation and population recovery. Previous to this study the status of the pillar coral population in the state waters of Florida, U.S.A, was relatively unknown primarily due to few colonies being recorded and no comprehensive summary of population abundance, distribution or health being completed. Along with various environmental and anthropogenic factors affecting the pillar coral population …

Can They Use It? Studying The Usability Of The Canvas Learning Management System At Bowling Green State University, James Faisant

Honors Projects

Students’ use of the Canvas learning management system (LMS) as implemented by Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a substantial part of their learning experience. A well designed and easy to use LMS not only allows students to be more efficient, it allows students to engage effectively with their coursework. Students’ ability to effectively use the LMS is examined to understand whether the system is usable, and if not, what changes should be made. Research included two distinct elements. First, students were asked to complete nine tasks identified as common tasks within Canvas, while being timed. Additionally, students responded to …

Towards Quantitative Viromics For Both Double-Stranded And Single-Stranded Dna Viruses., Simon Roux, Natalie E Solonenko, Vinh T Dang, Bonnie T Poulos, Sarah M Schwenck, Dawn B Goldsmith, Maureen L Coleman, Mya Breitbart, Matthew B Sullivan

Marine Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Viruses strongly influence microbial population dynamics and ecosystem functions. However, our ability to quantitatively evaluate those viral impacts is limited to the few cultivated viruses and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viral genomes captured in quantitative viral metagenomes (viromes). This leaves the ecology of non-dsDNA viruses nearly unknown, including single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses that have been frequently observed in viromes, but not quantified due to amplification biases in sequencing library preparations (Multiple Displacement Amplification, Linker Amplification or Tagmentation).

METHODS: Here we designed mock viral communities including both ssDNA and dsDNA viruses to evaluate the capability of a sequencing library preparation …

Daily Eastern News: December 08, 2016, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Manual And Automated Solid Phase Synthesis Of Peptides For Breast Cancer Cell Targeting, Savannah Carlson

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Four peptides were synthesized using solid phase peptide synthesis. The two target peptides synthesized were based off peptide 18-4 and its negative analog. Each were synthesized once manually, and once using an automatic peptide synthesizer. Peptide 18-4 has a high affinity for breast cancer cells, allowing it to be used to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood (Kaur et. al, 2015). Manual solid phase peptide synthesis is performed by anchoring the first amino acid to Wang resin and coupling each Fmoc protected amino acid individually until the target sequence is achieved. To synthesize the peptides automatically, the automated Tribute …

The Theoretical Application And Comparison Of The Olfactory Sensory Organs In Swine Vs Canines For Accelerant And Explosives Detection, Naomi M. Sigler

Honors Theses

Swine may be able to work alongside scent detection canines, or replace them completely, in the scent detection field. Miniature pigs are the focus of this study since their larger counterparts can cause damage to potential evidence and to the scene itself. Ignitable Liquid Residues (ILRs) are searched for in post-fire conditions, and unconsumed explosives are searched for in major transportation hubs. Swine have more functional olfactory genes and less pseudogenes than humans, canines, and mice. Swine also have a highly functioning and exceedingly organized olfactory system. Swine are social creatures, which allows them to bond with a distinct handler. …

Studying Soft-Matter And Biological Systems Over A Wide Length-Scale From Nanometer And Micrometer Sizes At The Small-Angle Neutron Diffractometer Kws-2, Aurel Radulescu, Noemi Kinga Szekely, Marie Sousai Appavou, Vitaliy Pipich, Thomas Kohnke, Vladimir Ossovyi, Simon Staringer, Gerald J. Schneider, Matthias Amann, Bo Zhang-Haagen, Georg Brandl, Matthias Drochner, Ralf Engels, Romuald Hanslik, Günter Kemmerling

Faculty Publications

© 2016 Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. The KWS-2 SANS diffractometer is dedicated to the investigation of soft matter and biophysical systems covering a wide length scale, from nm to µm. The instrument is optimized for the exploration of the wide momentum transfer Q range between 1x10-4 and 0.5 Å-1 by combining classical pinhole, focusing (with lenses), and time-of-flight (with chopper) methods, while simultaneously providing high-neutron intensities with an adjustable resolution. Because of its ability to adjust the intensity and the resolution within wide limits during the experiment, combined with the possibility to equip specific sample environments and ancillary …

Hawks' Herald -- Dec. 8 , 2016, Roger Williams University

Hawk's Herald

No abstract provided.

The Pacifican December 8, 2016, University Of The Pacific

All Issues - Student Newspaper, The Pacifican, Pacific Weekly

No abstract provided.

Vista: December 8, 2016, University Of San Diego

USD Vista (1965-)

No abstract provided.

Sea Surface Temperature Rises Shift Migration Patterns Due To Ecosystem Changes, Alexia Skrbic, Hesham El-Askary

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The continuing climate change is negatively impacting ecosystems, specifically oceans which are declining and food webs are being altered by the increase of greenhouse gases. The increase of the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is increasing sea surface temperature of the world’s oceans. Certain organisms lower on the food chain like phytoplankton and zooplankton are directly affected by the warming which alters how they process nutrients and their productivity. The limited amount of these primary producers in the oceans and specifically the location they inhabit directly affects all the organisms above them on the food chain. Several marine animals …

Exploring The Inadequacies Of The Imprisoned Mentally Ill: Barriers To Sufficient Care, Elizabeth A. Mittett

Nursing Capstones

No abstract provided.

Lingnan Gardeners Newsletter (No. 25) = 嶺南彩園通訊 (第25期), Lingnan Gardeners, Kwan Fong Cultural Research And Development Programme, Lingnan University

Lingnan Gardeners Newsletter 嶺南彩園通訊

Winter Solstice 冬至

The Interplay Between Plasticity And Evolution In Response To Human-Induced Environmental Change, Sarah E. Diamond, Ryan A. Martin

Faculty Scholarship

Some populations will cope with human-induced environmental change, and others will undergo extirpation; understanding the mechanisms that underlie these responses is key to forecasting responses to environmental change. In cases where organisms cannot disperse to track suitable habitats, plastic and evolved responses to environmental change will determine whether populations persist or perish. However, the majority of studies consider plasticity and evolution in isolation when in fact plasticity can shape evolution and plasticity itself can evolve. In particular, whether cryptic genetic variation exposed by environmental novelty can facilitate adaptive evolution has been a source of controversy and debate in the literature …