Digital Commons Network^™

Field Characterization Of Field Capacity And Root Zone Available Water Capacity For Variable Rate Irrigation, Tsz Him Lo, Derek M. Heeren, Luciano Mateos, Joe D. Luck, Derrel L. Martin, Keith A. Miller, J. Burdette Barker, Tim M. Shaver

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Accurate spatial characterization of field capacity (FC) and root zone available water capacity (R) can enhance site-specific management practices—such as variable rate irrigation—to lower input costs, reduce contaminant leaching, and/or improve crop yield. Measuring the volumetric water content after wet soils drain following substantial precipitation can provide a field estimate of FC. The average FC (FC_a) for the managed root zone was determined at thirty-two locations in a topographically variable field in south central Nebraska. The difference between FC and permanent wilting point estimates—computed using a pedotransfer function—yielded values for R for the observation locations. Sampling locations were …

Revising Racial Patents In An Era Of Precision Medicine, Jonathan Kahn

Faculty Scholarship

In 2006, I published an article examining the rising use of racial categories in biomedical patents in the aftermath of the successful completion of the Human Genome Project and the production of the first draft of a complete human genome. Ten years on, it now seems time to revisit the issue and consider it in light of the current era of “Precision Medicine” so prominently promoted by President Obama in his 2015 State of the Union address where he announced a $215 million proposal for the Precision Medicine Initiative as “a bold new research effort to revolutionize how we improve …

Winter 2017 Gsbms Alumni Connections, New York Medical College

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

• The Latest Issue of Chironian Magazine is Now Online
• Department of Microbiology and Immunology Hosts Research Forum
• STAR Alumnus Keeps Up the Good Work

Faculty Perceptions Regarding The Inclusion Of Military-Connected Children Into Educator Preparation Curriculum, Brianna Conway, Connie L. Schaffer

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The current study researched university faculty members’ knowledge and perceptions regarding military-connected children in the public-school setting. Faculty members from seven departments at a local university participated in the study. Faculty members completed a short survey regarding general knowledge of military-connected children and their families, as well as their inclusion of information about this population of students into their curriculum. Results suggest faculty members at the university received little to no educational training regarding military-connected children in their pre-service education. Furthermore, many faculty members at the university did not include information on military-connected families in their coursework, but were open …

Synaptic Up-Scaling Preserves Motor Circuit Output After Chronic, Natural Inactivity, Joseph Michael Santin, Mauricio Vallejo, Lynn K. Hartzler

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Neural systems use homeostatic plasticity to maintain normal brain functions and to prevent abnormal activity. Surprisingly, homeostatic mechanisms that regulate circuit output have mainly been demonstrated during artificial and/or pathological perturbations. Natural, physiological scenarios that activate these stabilizing mechanisms in neural networks of mature animals remain elusive. To establish the extent to which a naturally inactive circuit engages mechanisms of homeostatic plasticity, we utilized the respiratory motor circuit in bullfrogs that normally remains inactive for several months during the winter. We found that inactive respiratory motoneurons exhibit a classic form of homeostatic plasticity, up-scaling of AMPA-glutamate receptors. Up-scaling increased the …

Applying Theory Of Constraints To Timber Harvesting: A Case Study From The Northeast Usa, Matthew Kelly, René H. Germain

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Logging firms are a critical link in wood supply chains, connecting forest landowners with markets for wood products. Improving operational planning can benefit individual logging firms as well as the larger wood supply chain in which they operate. Applying concepts from Theory of Constraints (TOC) to timber harvesting may help achieve greater predictability and efficiency when planning harvest operations. However, examples that demonstrate how TOC can improve logging operations are lacking. This study focuses on the analysis of production and activity data collected during the harvest of a temperate mixed hardwood forest in the Northeast United States using a chainsaw-forwarder …

Our Green Story-2017, University Of Minnesota, Morris

Miscellaneous Campus Publications

No abstract provided.

Medical Board Of California, Kayla Watson, J. D. Fellmeth

California Regulatory Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Portland State Magazine, Portland State University. Office Of University Communications

Portland State Magazine

PSU’s alumni magazine, published 2-3 times a year. In this issue: Partnering with Daimler Trucks is giving students experience and jobs; inspiring the next generation of women leaders; what Antarctica is telling us about our warming planet; Robert Mercer has helped countless students navigate their way to a PSU degree; and more.

The Global Protection Of Traditional Knowledge: Searching For The Minimum Consensus, 17 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 42 (2017), Aman Gebru

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The protection of traditional knowledge (TK) – the know-how, skills, innovations and practices of indigenous peoples and local communities has been a subject of heated debate in many international forums. TK has proved to be useful as an input in modern industries. For instance, pharmaceutical companies have used medicinal TK to develop drugs more quickly. Despite its value, TK faces an alarming rate of loss and there are many initiatives that attempt to preserve it for posterity. However, almost every major issue on TK protection is contentious, including whether international TK protection is necessary or if domestic legislation alone would …

Samsung V. Apple, Life Technologies V. Promega, Sca Hygiene Products V. First Quality Baby Products, Tc Heartland V. Kraft, Impression Products V. Lexmark, And Sandoz V. Amgen: The U.S. Supreme Court Decides Six Patent Cases In 2016-17, 17 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 162 (2017), Sue Ann Ganske

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The United States Supreme Court decided six very important patent cases in the 2016-17 term, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. v. Apple Inc., called the “design patent case of the century,” Life Technologies Corp. v. Promega Corp., an international supply chain patent case, SCA Hygiene Products v. First Quality Baby Products, LLC, where the doctrine of laches was not a defense in a patent infringement case, TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC, which dealt with patent venue statute, Impression Products, Inc. v. Lexmark International, Inc., which held that the authorized first sale of a patented item exhausts the …

Avoiding The Rabbit Hole: An Ontological Model For Determining Section 101 Patent-Eligibility Under Alice, 17 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 192 (2017), Alan J. Gocha

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

In Alice Corp. Pty. v. CLS Bank International, 134 S. Ct. 2347 (2014), the Supreme Court established a two-part test for determining whether a patent claim is directed at the patent-ineligible category of abstract ideas. Unfortunately, however, the Supreme Court in Alice offered little clarification as to what constitutes an abstract idea—leaving innovators and competitors uncertain as to their legal rights. Likewise, instead of creating a definitive test, the Federal Circuit has proceeded by engaging in self-referential argument by analogy. This article, Avoiding the Rabbit Hole: An Ontological Model for Determining Section 101 Patent-Eligibility under Alice, argues that the Supreme …

Traditional Knowledge Digital Library: "A Silver Bullet" In The War Against Biopiracy?, 17 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 214 (2017), Seemantani Sharma

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

India has long been a victim of the emotionally expulsive wrong of biopiracy at the behest of Western corporations. Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a digital repository of traditional medicinal knowledge was a reaction to this act of “unjust enrichment”. While there is ample scholarly discourse on the biopiracy of Indian traditional knowledge (TK), there is scant literature critically evaluating TKDL as a tool for the protection of TK. This paper attempts to highlight some of the defects and inadequacies pervading TKDL, which inhibits its characterisation as a “silver bullet” in the war against biopiracy. Though laudatory, TKDL with its …

Avoiding The Chaos Of Maryjane - A Conventional Approach To Intellectual Property Protection Of Marijuana, 17 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 278 (2017), Kaylee Willis

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Whether you are considering the ever-popular recreational use, or recent medicinal developments, marijuana is a highly discussed controversial substance. With revenue from marijuana into the billions of dollars, it is no wonder it has been trying to reach into the intellectual property arena. This comment specifically looks into the patent arena and the obstacles that come with an attempt to seek, and enforce protection of marijuana-based patent applications. With the USPTO’s plant and utility patent options, there is perhaps more than one way to pass marijuana-based substances as patent-eligible subject matter. The largest obstacle for this type of intellectual property …

Improving Syntactic Parsing Of Clinical Text Using Domain Knowledge, Min Jiang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Syntactic parsing is one of the fundamental tasks of Natural Language Processing (NLP). However, few studies have explored syntactic parsing in the medical domain. This dissertation systematically investigated different methods to improve the performance of syntactic parsing of clinical text, including (1) Constructing two clinical treebanks of discharge summaries and progress notes by developing annotation guidelines that handle missing elements in clinical sentences; (2) Retraining four state-of-the-art parsers, including the Stanford parser, Berkeley parser, Charniak parser, and Bikel parser, using clinical treebanks, and comparing their performance to identify better parsing approaches; and (3) Developing new methods to reduce syntactic ambiguity …

Bulletin: General Catalog Issue 2017-2018, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

Volume 1 - Programs is available via the Download option, Volume 2- Courses is available in the Additional Files below

Nickel Reduces Calcium Dependent Dimerization In Neural Cadherin, Matthew Paul Dukes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cadherins are the primary transmembrane component in adherens junctions, structures that link the actin cytoskeleton in adjacent cells within solid tissues including neurological synapses, epithelium and endothelium. Cell-cell adhesion by cadherins requires the binding of calcium ions to specific sites in the extracellular region. Given the complexity of the cell adhesion microenvironment, we are investigating whether other divalent cations might affect calciumdependent dimerization of neural-(N-) cadherin. The first chapter focuses on studies to characterize the impact of binding physiological magnesium (II) or neurotoxic nickel (II) on calcium-dependent N-cadherin function. Physiological levels of magnesium have only a small effect on the …

Global Sustainable Farming And The Soco Soil Conservation Project, Shannon Avery Hughes

Denver Journal of International Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Beyond Isolation: The Mississippi Delta In A Global World, Stella D. Lindsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the paradoxes and complexities of the Mississippi Delta through an international lens. The fundamental premise guiding the research is that goods, people, ideas, technology, and capital cross national borders; therefore, local transformations can only be fully understood within a global context. The study concentrates on the evolution of the reciprocal, complex relationship between the region and the international community, along with the local and global consequences of a series of transnational exchanges. With a primary focus on agribusinesses, the research challenges traditional visions of the Delta as an isolated and provincial region immune to modernization. Instead the …

High School Contextual Variables And Act Scores, John-Mark Cain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study analyzes findings from the 2015 Crepe Myrtle High School (CMHS) graduates and determines if statistically significant relationships exist between student demographic and school participation variables with ACT composite scores. Utilizing both a Pearson product moment statistical correlation and t-test for continuous variables and a One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for categorical variables, the researcher identifies and presents significant relationships or differences in means, between the academic achievement of 2015 Crepe Myrtle High School graduates and ACT composite scores. The variables analyzed consists of: (a) the number of completed core classes; (b) high school grade points averages (HSGPAs); …

Differential Modulation Of Oxycodone Reward And Analgesia By A Cannabinoid Derivative, Hannah Marie Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Analysis For Characterization Of Novel Biomass Based Composities, Aarsh Jigish Shah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Resources from forests constitute a significant asset of Mississippi State. Forests cover around 19.7 million acres (65%) of the total land area of Mississippi. Total annual economic impact of Mississippi’s forest products is about $17 billion. Creation of high-value products will lead to a number of economic benefits to the region. This work focuses on the study of bio-composite. Bio-composite materials are a ‘Green’ alternative to conventional materials which are readily recyclable and biodegradable. Taylor made properties are achievable in bio-composites, this being one of the significant advantages. Producing biodegradable products has become a necessity due to petroleum-based products being …

Phylogenetics Of The Borage Family: Delimiting Boraginales And Assessing Closest Relatives, Kristen E. Hasenstab-Lehman

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The placement of Boraginales, and relationships within the family have remained elusive in modern, broad phylogenetic studies. In order to assess the phylogeny of Boraginales, and specifically to test the sister lineage of the order, a data matrix of the chloroplast markers rbcL, ndhF, and trnL-trnF was assembled from GenBank and de novo sequences (representing 132 new GenBank accessions). Phylogenies inferred using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian frameworks resulted in identical topologies. Tests for alternative topologies were used to assess whether any of the candidates for sister (Solanales, Gentianales, Lamiales, or Vahlia) to Boraginales could …

2016 Federal Legislative Review, Danielle Elefritz

Animal Law Review

Toronto Pig Save and the Save Movement gained worldwide at­tention with the Pig Trial. The defense, with the help of a coali­tion of animal rights groups, was able to put animal agriculture on trial by focusing on the ethics, animal suffering, environ­ment, and health aspects of animal agriculture. Meanwhile, the Save Movement is growing exponentially with 166 groups in seventeen countries bearing witness to animals headed to a slaughterhouse in local communities.

Same-Sex Sex And Immutable Traits: Why Obergefell V. Hodges Clears A Path To Protecting Gay And Lesbian Employees From Workplace Discrimination Under Title Vii, Matthew W. Green Jr.

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This article is set forth in five parts. Part II is largely descriptive and focuses on two aspects of Obergefell: (1) the Court's clarification that adult, private, consensual, same-sex sexual intimacy is a fundamental right, protected by the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause and (2) the Court's recognition that leading mental health and medical groups consider sexual orientation to be immutable. Part III examines how courts and the EEOC have treated sexual orientation discrimination under Title VII and contains a normative discussion which argues—consistent with the position of other commentators, some courts, and the EEOC—that sexual orientation …

Social Media Use Among Highly Mobile High-School Aged Populations: A Multiple Case Study Of A Student 2 Student Program For Military-Connected Students, Jennifer Mary Watson

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

This dissertation presents an examination of social media use among highly mobile, military-connected high school aged populations using a multiple case study of a Student 2 Student Program. On average, students from military families move six to nine times over the course of their K-12 education. Multiple and frequent parent deployments further exacerbate this situation. Both situations independently effect military-connected students’ social, emotional, and academic development. Offered through the Military Coalition Education Council, the Student 2 Student (S2S) Program was created for the precise purpose of providing military students with the social and instrumental support they need to successfully manage …

Determining How Campus Food Environment Influences Eating Behaviors Utilizing Focus Groups, Jennifer Swanstrom

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This study set out to explore what factors in a campus environment influence students’ eating behaviors through qualitative methods. The student researcher developed questions based on a similar study and with the help of the faculty advisors. Researchers conducted focus groups and asked 9 open-ended questions. This study utilized a qualitative focus group approach along with a demographic survey that yielded quantitative data. Findings in the present study suggest that students eat unhealthier options when healthier options are available because of time, convenience, and cost. Students would like to cook in the dorm kitchens to eat healthier, however, most participants …

Ruth Harris: Under The Prairie Moon, Mary Hays

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Ruth Harris: Under the Prairie Moon is rooted in the rural Illinois landscape and its communities. The stories follow Ruth from childhood to old age and offer multiple viewpoints on fidelity, home, forgiveness, and finally, love. Focus on one character through a lifetime allows perspective to shift as she ages.

A Numerical Study Of Construction Of Honey Bee Comb, Pamela Guerrero, Pamela C. Guerrero

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

We use finite difference methods in the treatment of an existing system of partial differential equations that captures the dynamics of parallel honeycomb construction in a bee hive. We conduct an uncertainty analysis by calculating the partial rank correlation coefficient for the parameters to find which are most important to the outcomes of the model. We then use an eFAST method to determine both the individual and total sensitivity index for the parameters. Afterwards we examine our numerical model under varying initial conditions and parameter values, and compare ratios found from local data with the golden mean by fitting images …

Habitat Useage Of Tri-Colored Bats (Perimyotis Subflavus) In Western Kentucky And Tennessee Post-White Nose Syndrome, Katherine Schaefer

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) has declined severely across its range since 2006 due to white nose syndrome, a fungal disease causing massive bat mortality in North America. My objective was to determine distinguishing characteristics of roost trees and habitat used by tri-colored bats so that the species’ needs can be considered in management plans. I mist-netted for tri-colored bats in western Kentucky and Tennessee during the summers of 2015 and 2016, and attached a radio transmitter to each captured adult bat. I tracked 15 bats to their day roosts and collected habitat data at 38 roost areas …