Digital Commons Network^™

The Homosexual Law And Policy In The Military: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" . . . Don't Be Absurd!, Debra A. Luker

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The violent murder of Army Private First Class Barry Winchell, a suspected homosexual, is a gruesome example of how the military does not tolerate homosexuals. The military’s current homosexual policy – referred to as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue, Don’t Harass – is ineffective. The policy creates an atmosphere of intolerance that leads to discrimination among homosexual service members, and this discrimination often has violent ends. This comment analyzes the ways other countries implement policies for their homosexual service members, and also offers proposals to improve the current homosexual policy in the United States. The author discusses how the …

What Induces Female Kicking In Callosobruchus Maculatus? Disentangling The Effects Of Male Traits On Female Mating Decisions, William I. Licht

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Sexual conflict over mating duration drives the evolution of male and female adaptations that facilitate the manipulation of mating interactions in their favor. This conflict drives the evolution of traits that improve the fitness of the focal sex despite inflicting costs on mates. However, males can express multiple traits that increase and decrease female fitness simultaneously. When the effects of male traits on female fitness increase or decrease with duration of exposure, females traits that influence mating duration are selected upon. Females of Callosobruchus maculatus, a bruchid bean beetle, kick mates to forcefully end copulation. Although both negative effects …

Separate Gender Activity, Maureen Miller, Hope Bragg, Christy Keefer

Integrated Math & Social Studies Lessons

The activities in this lesson support the students to investigate the development of STEM fields. The lessons incorporate single and mixed gender activities to encourage free discussion. Students will explore their own biases regarding those who have contributed to STEM knowledge. Through research and discourse, students will examine how society reinforces our preconceived notions and how that effects career choices. The video clips permit the students to examine how media can influence our opinions and ideas. The final activity, creation of a Woman in STEM poster, emphasizes the importance of leaving a legacy for future generations.

Identifying Parkinson’S Patients: A Functional Gradient Boosting Approach, D. S. Dhami, Ameet Soni, D. Page, S. Natarajan

Computer Science Faculty Works

Parkinson’s, a progressive neural disorder, is difficult to identify due to the hidden nature of the symptoms associated. We present a machine learning approach that uses a definite set of features obtained from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) study as input and classifies them into one of two classes: PD (Parkinson’s disease) and HC (Healthy Control). As far as we know this is the first work in applying machine learning algorithms for classifying patients with Parkinson’s disease with the involvement of domain expert during the feature selection process. We evaluate our approach on 1194 patients acquired from Parkinson’s Progression …

Legal Issues In Child Welfare Cases Involving Children With Disabilities, Joshua B. Kay, Frank E. Vandervort

Book Chapters

This chapter examines the legal framework applicable when child maltreatment and disability intersect. It begins with a brief description of the constitutional foundation forparent-child-state relations. It provides an overview of relevant federal child welfare laws, which today shape each state’s child protection system. It then considers the application of various federal laws governing work with children and families when a child has a disability. In doing so, we consider the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and we touch upon Social Security benefits for children. This chapter does not …

Callianassid Shrimp Diversity Around San Salvador Island, Bahamas: Why Marine Biologists And Geologists Should Care, H. Allen Curran, Koji Seike

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

Reprinted from: Carol L. Landry, Lee J. Florea, & Daniel S. Kjar (eds.), Proceedings of the 1st Joint Symposium on the Natural History and Geology of The Bahamas: San Salvador, Gerace Research Centre

Bitter Taste Preference And Psychopathy: A Partial Replication Of Sagioglou And Greitemeyer, 2016, Lauren A. Waymire

Honors Program Theses

In this study, we did a partial replication of Sagioglou and Greitemeyer’s 2016 study concerning bitter taste preferences and malevolent personality traits. Undergraduate students (n=40, mean age=19.40, 75% females) completed a laboratory component consisting of 24 samples of 8 different solutions (sucrose, sodium chloride, quinine, and citric acid with a higher and lower concentration of each) for 3 iterations, as well as PTC testing and tongue staining in order to count fungiform papillae. This was followed by a survey component that utilized HEXACO (which assesses six major domains of personality) and the IPIP-NEO scale for psychopathy (measured with the factors …

Synthesis Of A 1,2,4-Substituted Imidazole For A Fragment-Based Drug Discovery Library, Tyler Lafferty

Honors Program Theses

The field of medicinal chemistry requires efficient, novel drug development processes to sustain and advance the landscape of current pharmaceutical agents. To this end, fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) is a methodology that aims to provide a balanced approach to the hit detection and lead optimization stage in the identification of small molecule agents (fragments). These small, low-molecular weight (mw<300 amu) molecules are employed in various biochemical assays to identify leads against a biological target. One challenge in FBDD is the synthesis of novel fragments containing heterocycles with a selective synthetic handle, a functional group designed to allow further modification. Heterocyclic fragments that allow for straightforward synthesis and modification are underrepresented in fragment libraries and offer the intriguing opportunity for rapid diversification into a fragment library from single, heterocyclic parent fragment. The imidazole is a heterocycle that presents a unique synthetic challenge for organic chemists, as current imidazole syntheses do not allow for regioselective synthesis of a 1,2,4-substitued imidazole. The research herein describes the approaches taken towards the challenge of synthesizing the 1,2,4-substituted imidazole parent fragment containing a hydrophilic moiety, synthetic handle, and phenyl ring derivative.

The Supreme Court’S Devaluation Of U.S. Patents, Christopher M. Holman

Faculty Works

In a span of three weeks during the spring of 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court issued three patent decisions, bringing the total number of patent decisions for the 2016-2017 term to six. This means that the October 2016 term ties the previous record of six patent decisions in the October 2014 term. This represents a tremendous increase in the number of patent decisions compared to earlier times, and particularly the early days of the Federal Circuit. For reference, during the first quarter of a century the Federal Circuit was in existence, the Supreme Court heard on average less than one …

Caught Between A Rock And A Hard Place: How Limelight Compounds The Challenges Facing Biotechnology Innovators After Mayo And Myriad, Christopher M. Holman

Faculty Works

The Supreme Court’s decision in Limelight Networks v. Akamai Technologies limiting the ability of patentees to establish liability in cases of divided infringement effectively undermines the value of method claims. The combined impact of Limelight and the Court’s previous patent eligibility decisions in Mayo and Myriad will be particularly felt in the area of personalized medicine and diagnostics, but could also threaten a broad swath of other important innovations in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Some of the potentially dire consequences of Limelight for some patentees, particularly in the biotechnology and pharma sectors, are reviewed in this article. But there could be …

Episodic Salutary Experiences (Ese): A New Type Of Positive Affect And Its Relationship To Physical Health, Natalie Nusinow

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Prior work has shown that positive affect is related to and can foster physical health. Recently, a subtype of positive affect has been identified, known as episodic salutary experiences (ESE). These experiences seem to be a type of positive affect or, alternatively, may produce a type of affective state that has not previously been studied. ESE is defined as spontaneous episodes of inner peace and lack of conflict that are noticeably different from one’s normal state. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine if ESE is associated with physical health, and if so, which aspects of ESE are most close …

Disordered Eating Habits And Theory Of Mind In Undergraduate Students, Stephanie Kuhlman

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Theory of mind, the ability to ascribe mental states to oneself and others, has intimate connections with mental disorders like autism and schizophrenia. Recent research has suggested a connection between eating disorders and theory of mind ability, but these findings have been mixed. The idea that disorders lie along a continuum (Johns & van Os, 2001) leads to the hypothesis that people with disordered eating habits will have a lesser theory of mind ability than those without. Data was collected on 25 undergraduate students at Butler University. Results showed a positive correlation between theory of mind and negative eating attitudes. …

The Use And Preservation Of Grasslands: The Logic Of Hard Lessons, Irma S. Russell

Faculty Works

Planning for preservation of grasslands and all environmental resources is essential for the long-term well-being of the environment and humans. The interrelated nature of all resources of the physical world requires sustainable practices to maintain productivity and life. Recognition that the often-overlooked resource of grasslands is foundational to economic, environmental, and political stability of the region leads to the conclusion that planning for the long-range health of grasslands is essential to the economy as well as to the environment. Part II of this article explores the history of grasslands of the Midwest. It identifies the historical mismanagement of grasslands and …

Subaltern Pedagogy: A Critical Theorizing Of Pedagogical Practices For Marginalized Border-Crossers, Shireen Keyl

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Given the ever-increasing migration in today’s globalizing world and the pervasive xenophobic behaviors and attitudes of some U.S. school stakeholders toward vulnerable groups such as refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, I argue for a paradigm shift in the theorizing of educational pedagogy. Based on my qualitative study conducted in Lebanon that examines the lived experiences of African women as border-crossers who migrated to Beirut for economic reasons, I forward a subaltern pedagogy. Three critical theoretical frameworks inform this pedagogical shift: critical pedagogy, post/decolonial thought, and a critical spatial analysis. The latter idea in particular situates marginalized, subaltern groups in their …

Field-Observed Angles Of Repose For Stored Grain In The United States, Rumela Bhadra, Mark E. Casada, Sidney A. Thompson, Josephine M. Boac, Ronaldo G. Maghirang, Michael D. Montross, Aaron P. Turner, Samuel G. Mcneill

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Bulk grain angle of repose (AoR) is a key parameter for inventorying grain, predicting flow characteristics, and designing bins and grain handling systems. The AoR is defined for two cases, piling (dynamic) or emptying (static), and usually varies with grain type. The objective of this study was to measure piling angles of repose for corn, sorghum, barley, soybeans, oats, and hard red winter (HRW) wheat in steel and concrete bins in the United States. Angles were measured in 182 bins and 7 outdoor piles. The piling AoR for corn ranged from 15.7° to 30.2° (median of 20.4° and standard deviation …

Automated Calibration Of Electrochemical Oxygen Sensors For Use In Compost Bedded Pack Barns, John T. Evans, Michael P. Sama, Joseph L. Taraba, George B. Day

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to develop an automated calibration process for a galvanic cell type oxygen sensor. The manufacturer recommended a two-point calibration at room temperature; however, testing revealed that the response was not linear when both the temperature and oxygen concentrations varied. Thus, additional points were needed to generate a representative calibration equation and to reduce the sensor prediction interval. The calibration process needed to be capable of automatically recording sensor response (voltage) at an array of temperatures and oxygen concentrations. Calibration gases were used to precisely control the oxygen concentration inside a small manifold, and an …

Application Of Hyperspectral Imaging And Acoustic Emission Techniques For Apple Quality Prediction, Nader Ekramirad, Ahmed Rady, Akinbode A. Adedeji, Reza Alimardani

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

There is a growing demand for developing effective non-destructive quality assessment methods with quick response, high accuracy, and low cost for fresh fruits. In this study, hyperspectral reflectance imaging (400 to 1000 nm) and acoustic emission (AE) tests were applied to ‘GoldRush‘ apples (total number, n = 180) to predict fruit firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), and surface color parameters (L*, a*, b*) during an eight-week storage period. Partial least squares (PLS) regression, least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM), and multivariate linear regression (MLR) methods were used to establish models to predict the quality attributes of the apples. The results …

Ammonia And Carbon Dioxide Emissions Of Three Laying-Hen Housing Systems As Affected By Manure Accumulation Time, Timothy A. Shepherd, Hongwei Xin, John P. Stinn, Morgan D. Hayes, Yang Zhao, Hong Li

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Laying-hen housing design and management are the most significant factors affecting the generation and release of gaseous ammonia to the atmosphere. Transitioning the hen housing type from traditional high-rise (where manure is stored within the house for about one year) to modern manure-belt style (where manure is removed every 1 to 4 d and placed into long-term storage) has significantly improved in-barn air quality and reduced farm-level ammonia emissions. As a direct result of the advantages, 100% of new construction for U.S. egg production incorporates manure-belt systems that regularly remove manure from the houses. However, manure-belt system designs (e.g., active …

Development And Evaluation Of A Low-Cost Probe-Type Instrument To Measure The Equilibrium Moisture Content Of Grain, Paul R. Armstrong, Samuel G. Mcneill, Naomi Manu, Augustine Bosomtwe, James K. Danso, Enoch Osekre, George Opit

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Storage of grain in bags is common in Africa, Asia, and many other less developed countries making a bag probing method well-suited for moisture content (MC) measurement. A low-cost meter was developed under a USAID project to reduce post-harvest loss (PHL). The meter, referred to as the PHL meter, measures the MC of maize and other grains based on relative humidity (RH) and temperature (T) measurements obtained by a small digital sensor located in the tip of a tubular probe that can be inserted into bags of grain or other grain bulks. Measurements are used by equilibrium moisture content (EMC) …

Evaluating Ventilation Rates Based On New Heat And Moisture Production Data For Swine Production, Yanxi Lu, Morgan D. Hayes, John P. Stinn, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Hongwei Xin

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Heat and moisture production (HMP) rates of animals are used for calculation of ventilation rate (VR) in animal housing. New swine HMP data revealed considerable differences from previously reported data. This project determined new design VRs and evaluated differences from previously recommended VRs. The swine production stages evaluated included gestation, farrowing, nursery, growing, and finishing. The ranges of ambient temperature and ambient relative humidity (RH) evaluated for VR were -25°C to 15°C in 10°C increments and 15% to 75% in 15% increments, respectively. Indoor set points for temperature and RH were, respectively, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C and 60%, 70%, 80% for …

Evaluation Of Flocculation, Sedimentation, And Filtration For Dewatering Of Scenedesmus Algae, Nicholas A. Rhea, Jack Groppo, Czarena Crofcheck

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Algae can be used as a feedstock for agricultural fertilizers, livestock and poultry feeds, anaerobic digestion, and biofuel production. For each end product, the requirements for moisture content (or solids content) vary, such that a desirable water removal strategy needs to be adaptable to varying levels of water removal. Flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration were evaluated as possible strategies for thickening and dewatering of algae. The goal of this study was to validate that algae cells treated by such means could be processed by vacuum belt filters and to determine the conditions under which the solids content could be increased to …

Effects Of Biochar Treatment Of Municipal Biosolids And Horse Manure On Quality Of Runoff From Fescue Plots, Rachel Williams, Dwayne R. Edwards

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Land-applied horse manure and municipal biosolids can increase nutrient and bacteria concentrations in runoff. Biochar has been demonstrated to have beneficial impacts on nutrient retention and runoff quality when used to treat other land-applied organic soil amendments (e.g., poultry manure). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of biochar addition to horse manure and municipal biosolids on runoff concentrations of nutrients and fecal coliforms. Biochar was added at 5% to 8% (wet basis) to horse manure and biosolids that were applied to 2.4 m x 6.1 m fescue plots followed by application of simulated rainfall (102 mm …

Changing Motherhood Paradigms: Jewish Law, Civil Law, And Society, Avishalom Westreich

UC Law SF Journal on Gender and Justice

This paper indicates initial signs of a far-reaching interaction between Jewish law, civil law, and society, which goes to the very heart of the concept of motherhood in cases of assisted reproductive technologies. The paper argues that both civil law and Jewish law are dynamic. They influence one another very deeply, and both are affected by the social reality (which itself is, of course, dynamic by nature). But this influence is not only on the practical level. Within Jewish law, the paper reveals a fascinating process of a conceptual paradigmatic change: from a substantive approach to parenthood to a functionalist …

Mixed Goblet Cell Carcinoid-Adenocarcinoma: A Case Series, Jairo Espinosa M.D., Timothy Truong, Julia Miladore M.D., John T. Collins, Saad Shebrain M.D., Gitonga Munene M.D.

Research Day

INTRODUCTION: Mixed goblet cell carcinoid-adenocarcinoma (GCC) tumors are a group of rare heterogenous neoplasms of the appendix accounting for < 5% of all primary appendiceal tumors. They are characterized as an intermediate between classic carcinoid tumors and appendiceal adenocarcinomas, exhibiting both neuroendocrine and glandular/mucinous morphology that most commonly presents in Caucasian females in the fifth and sixth decades. We present three cases of mixed GCC presenting as acute appendicitis. CASE PRESENTATION: Case #1 A 65-year-old male presented with RLQ pain, nausea, emesis, and leukocytosis. CT of the abdomen revealed perforated appendicitis. The patient underwent a laparoscopic appendectomy. Pathology revealed a high-grade adenocarcinoma ex goblet cell carcinoid, signet ring type extending through the muscularis propria into the mesoappendix measuring >3cm. The patient subsequently underwent a colonoscopy that revealed diverticulosis, but was otherwise normal. Patient then underwent a right hemicolectomy and partial omentectomy. Pathology revealed normal ileal, omental, and colonic tissue without evidence of carcinoma. 0/12 nodes were positive. Case #2 A 49-year-old male presented with periumbilical pain, nausea, emesis, and leukocytosis. CT of the abdomen revealed appendicitis. The patient underwent a laparoscopic appendectomy. Pathology revealed a high-grade, poorly differentiated, adenocarcinoma ex goblet cell carcinoid invading through the muscularis propria into …

Mechanical Loading As Potential Treatment For Wnt Inhibitor Induced Bone Loss, Juraj Zahatnansky Md, Daniel Dick, Gabrielle Foxa, Robert Baker, Bart Williams Phd

Research Day

The Wnt signaling pathway has been shown to play a role in bone homeostasis and carcinogenesis. On the one hand, a decrease in signaling has been associated with a decrease in bone mass, on the other, an increase in signaling with cancer development. LGK974 is a Wnt signaling inhibitor currently being investigated as a potential cancer therapeutic agent. This molecule inhibits Porcupine, a transmembrane protein necessary for Wnt ligand secretion. In light of the above and based on our preliminary data, treatment with LGK974 leads to bone mass loss. Our investigation aims to address whether such bone loss can be …

Social Determinants - Impacting Or Causing Disparities In Patient Care?, Shaena Faye Freeman Md, Kristi Vanderkolk Md

Research Day

Health disparities secondary to social factors including socioeconomic status, race, gender and ethnicity are well known to the health community and are a troubling issue in the United States. Social determinants are defined by the WHO as the structural “conditions people are born, live, grow, work and age in…determined by wealth distribution and available resources…that are mostly responsible for health inequalities.” We present here the case of TL, a 49 year old African American female who presented to the emergency department three times with atypical coronary disease symptoms in the setting of recent NSTEMI with subsequent 3 vessel CABG. At …

Considerations For Prep Introduction To Adolescent Girls And Young Women: Implementation Science Research In Tanzania, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

In collaboration with the National AIDS Control Programme and CSK Research Solutions Ltd., a Tanzania-based research organization, the Population Council is conducting implementation science research in Tanzania to build needed evidence to inform decisionmaking around the introduction of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), ages 15–24. This research will actively engage key stakeholders throughout the study, including gaining their insights on key study questions, interpreting the findings, crafting initial programming recommendations based on findings, and supporting their adoption in Tanzania and beyond. Findings from this study and other observational studies and demonstration trials in progress …

Patent: Nestorone®/Estradiol Transdermal Gel, Régine Sitruk-Ware, Dario Norberto Ramon Carrara, Arnaud Grenier

Formulation/Product Development

The invention discloses compositions and methods for ensuring in both women of fertile age where it ensures also a contraception with additional health benefits and in postmenopausal women where it offers a hormonal therapy with additional medical benefits such as the potential for lower risk of thrombosis. The compositions comprising NES as a potent progestational and antiovulatory agent with no androgenic nor estrogenic nor glucocorticoid effect, and combined with estradiol formulated for non-oral transdermal administration as specific daily doses.

Financial Analysis With Artificial Neural Networks Short-Term Stock Market Forecasting, Andrew Linzie

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Excerpt from Introduction

Seldom reward is absent from risk, and stock markets are a prime example. Stock markets across the world are viewed as profitable and risky at the same time. Companies have made a business out of forecasting these markets. Quantitative analysis companies use mathematicians, financial analysts, and computer scientists to compete in the stock market. The old days of floor trading have progressed towards high-frequency trading with supercomputers housed within the exchange. For example, the New York Stock exchange has created regulations for these companies so that there’s competitive equality. The computer’s power, length of cable to the …

Fp-17-15 American Children's Family Structure: Two Biological Parent Families, Kasey J. Eickmeyer

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.