Digital Commons Network^™

Susceptibility Genes To Plant Viruses, Hernan Garcia Ruiz

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Plant viruses use cellular factors and resources to replicate and move. Plants respond to viral infection by several mechanisms, including innate immunity, autophagy, and gene silencing, that viruses must evade or suppress. Thus, the establishment of infection is genetically determined by the availability of host factors necessary for virus replication and movement and by the balance between plant defense and viral suppression of defense responses. Host factors may have antiviral or proviral activities. Proviral factors condition susceptibility to viruses by participating in processes essential to the virus. Here, we review current advances in the identification and characterization of host factors …

Profile Of Genetically Modified Plants Authorized In Mexico, Mayra Teresa Garcia Ruiz, Aaron N. Knapp, Hernan Garcia Ruiz

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Mexico is a center of origin for several economically important plants including maize, cotton, and cocoa. Maize represents more than a food crop, has been declared a biological, cultural, agricultural and economic patrimony, and is linked to the national identity of Mexicans. In this review, we describe the historic and current use of genetically modified plants in Mexico and factors that contributed to the development of the biosafety regulation. We developed a database containing all permit applications received by the government to release genetically modified plants. A temporal and geographical analysis identified the plant species that have been authorized for …

Some Implications Of The Agency-Cost Theory Of The Nonprofit Firm, Benjamin Leff

Contributions to Books

Social enterprises are business enterprises that seek to pursue social goals. In order to do that, they need to be able to make binding commitments to a variety of stakeholders that they will indeed pursue such goals. At least since Henry Hansmann wrote his seminal works on nonprofit organizations in the early nineteen eighties, it has been widely understood that a significant value of the nonprofit organizational structure is the ability of the "nondistribution constraint" to serve as just such a commitment mechanism. In the case of for-profit social enterprises, where the nondistribution constraint does not apply, what mechanisms might …

Legal Scholarship And External Critique In Eu Law, Fernanda Giorgia Nicola Dr., Daniela Caruso

Contributions to Books

The propensity to engage in a sustained critique of EU law marbles several contributions in this Volume and certainly animates this chapter. This generally critical stance takes the present stage of legal Europeanization as a fact and aims to make full use of the possibilities for political and social justice it can currently support, but at the same time it decries its many structural and dynamic drawbacks. In doing so, this critical project borrows liberally from CLS without fear of misreading or misappropriation. Irreverence in this context is a feature, not a bug. The CLS toolkit is clearly useful to …

Introduction, Gary W. Witmer, William C. Pitt, James C. Beasley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vertebrate species have been introduced to almost all parts of the world for thousands of years. Within the United States and its territories alone, over 1000 vertebrate species have been introduced since the early sailing ships explored the world. This includes at least 86 species of mammals, 127 species of birds, 126 species of reptiles, 53 species of amphibians, and over 673 species of fish (Witmer and Fuller 2011). Many of these species were native to the United States, but were moved to novel regions, often unintentionally or intentionally by humans. While invasive vertebrates have been introduced to all parts …

Economics Of Invasive Species Damage And Damage Management, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Steven S. Shwiff, Jason Holderieath, William Haden-Chomphosy, Aaron M. Anderson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Annually, the estimated damage caused by invasive species in the United States has exceeded $100 billion, becoming one of the leading causes of environmental change and global biodiversity loss (Wilcove et al. 1998; Mack et al. 2000; Sala et al. 2000; Pimentel et al. 2005). Invasions by nonnative species highlight the undeniable link and feedback loops between ecological and economic systems (Perrings et al. 2002; Julia et al. 2007). Ecological systems determine if the conditions are suitable for invasion by nonnative species; however, economic systems help fuel the introduction of nonnative species and are themselves affected by invasive species when …

European Starlings, George M. Linz, Ron J. Johnson, James Thiele

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris, Sturnidae) are native to Europe, southwest Asia, and North Africa and have successfully established populations on every continent but Antarctica (Rollins et al. 2009). In 1890 and 1891, a member of the American Acclimatization Society, Eugene Scheiffelin, released 100 starlings into New York City’s Central Park, with the objective of introducing all the birds mentioned in the plays of William Shakespeare to North America (Cabe 1993). He was successful, as 16 pairs survived and reproduced prolifically. Starlings reached the Mississippi River in 1928 and were observed on the West Coast in 1942. In a …

Brown Tree Snakes Methods And Approaches For Control, Larry Clark, Craig S. Clark, Shane Siers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

This chapter summarizes the existing and emerging tools and strategies for the control of the invasive brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis, or BTS) on Guam and the prevention of its accidental transport to, and subsequent establishment on, other snake-free Pacific islands. The brown tree snake has long served as an example of the ecological and economic damages that can be wrought by a single generalist vertebrate predator upon introduction to ecosystems that evolved in isolation and without native predators (Fritts and Rodda 1998; Wiles et al. 2003; Rodda and Savidge 2007). Our attempt to summarize the state of …

Frogs (Coqui Frogs, Greenhouse Frogs, Cuban Tree Frogs, And Cane Toads), Karen H. Beard, Steve A. Johnson, Aaron B. Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Amphibians are perhaps most well known for their highly threatened status, which often masks appreciation for the great numbers of species that are widespread global invaders (Kraus 2009). Both purposeful and accidental introductions of amphibians have occurred worldwide. Motivations for purposeful amphibian introductions include their use as biocontrol agents and culinary ambitions (Storer 1925; Kraus 2009). However, there are an increasing number of amphibians that are being accidentally introduced and becoming widespread (Kraus 2009). These introductions are in some ways more disconcerting because they may be the most difficult to prevent in the future.

There are 19 nonnative amphibians that …

Estimating Interspecific Economic Risk Of Bird Strikes With Aircraft, Travis L. Devault, Bradley F. Blackwell, Thomas W. Seamans, Michael J. Begier, Jason D. Kougher, Jenny E. Washburn, Phyllis R. Miller, Richard A. Dolbeer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The International Civil Aviation Organization promotes prioritization of wildlife management on airports, among other safety issues, by emphasizing the risk of wildlife–aircraft collisions (strikes). In its basic form, strike risk comprises a frequency component (i.e., how often strikes occur) and a severity component reflecting the cost of the incident. However, there is no widely accepted formula for estimating strike risk. Our goal was to develop a probabilistic risk metric that is adaptable for airports to use. Our specific objectives were to 1) update species-specific, relative hazard scores (i.e., the likelihood of aircraft damage or effect on flight when strikes occur) …

Phase 2 Wildlife Management - Addressing Invasive And Overabundant Wildlife: The White-Tailed Deer Continuum And Invasive Wild Pig Example, Kurt Vercauteren, Amy Davis, Kim Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife managers in many countries around the world are facing similar challenges, which include: a lack of means to address invasive species and locally overabundant native species issues particularly in the face of declining fiscal resources, reduced capacity to achieve management goals, and a need to garner public support in the wake of changing societal values and increasing human populations. Meeting these challenges requires building off the profession’s successes and developing new paradigms and strategies to curtail the negative impacts invasive and overabundant species are having on our natural resources. Like our predecessors in conservation succeeded in developing our profession …

Potential Of Double-Crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax Auritus), American White Pelicans (Pelecanus Erythrorhynchos), And Wood Storks (Mycteria Americana) To Transmit A Hypervirulent Strain Of Aeromonas Hydrophila Between Channel Catfish Culture Ponds, Fred L. Cunningham, Madison M. Jubirt, Katie C. Hanson-Dorr, Lorelei Ford, Paul Fioranelli, Larry A. Hanson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Aeromonas hydrophila is a Gramnegative bacterium ubiquitous to freshwater and brackish aquatic environments that can cause disease in fish, humans, reptiles, and birds. Recent severe outbreaks of disease in commercial channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) aquaculture ponds have been associated with a hypervirulent Aeromonas hydrophila strain (VAH) that is genetically distinct from less virulent strains. The epidemiology of this disease has not been determined. Given that research has shown that Great Egrets (Ardea alba) can shed viable hypervirulent A. hydrophila after consuming diseased fish, we hypothesized that Doublecrested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), American White Pelicans ( …

Identifying Individual Cougars (Puma Concolor) In Remote Camera Images – Implications For Population Estimates, Peter D. Alexander, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context. Several studies have estimated cougar (Puma concolor) abundance using remote camera trapping in conjunction with capture–mark–recapture (CMR) type analyses. However, this methodology (photo-CMR) requires that photo-captured individuals are individually recognisable (photo identification). Photo identification is generally achieved using naturally occurring marks (e.g. stripes or spots) that are unique to each individual. Cougars, however, are uniformly pelaged, and photo identification must be based on subtler attributes such as scars, ear nicks or body morphology. There is some debate as to whether these types of features are sufficient for photo-CMR, but there is little research directly evaluating its feasibility …

Influence Of Behavioral State, Sex, And Season On Resource Selection By Jaguars (Panthera Onca): Always On The Prowl?, Eric M. Gese, Patricia A. Terletzky, Sandra M. C. Cavalcanti, Christopher M. U. Neale

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

How a predator uses its landscape to move through its territory and acquire prey is a fundamental question for scientific research. The influence of abiotic and biotic factors on space use of large carnivores has profound implications for their future management and conservation. In the Pantanal, Brazil, jaguars (Panthera onca) are the apex predator, but conflicts with cattle depredations pose a risk to their future conservation. We examined whether behavioral state, sex, and season influenced how jaguars used the landscape in the Pantanal. To accomplish this, we radio-collared four females and six males; radiocollared jaguars were monitored for 76 radio-months …

Cost–Benefit Analysis Of Controlling Rabies: Placing Economics At The Heart Of Rabies Control To Focus Political Will, Stephanie A. Shwiff, J. L. Elser, K. H. Ernst, S. S. Shwiff, A. M. Anderson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rabies is an economically important zoonosis. This paper describes the extent of the economic impacts of the disease and some of the types of economic analyses used to understand those impacts, as well as the trade-offs between efforts to manage rabies and efforts to eliminate it. In many cases, the elimination of rabies proves more cost-effective over time than the continual administration of postexposure prophylaxis, animal testing and animal vaccination. Economic analyses are used to inform and drive policy decisions and focus political will, placing economics at the heart of rabies control.

Disasters And Disclosures, Donald C. Langevoort

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Many securities fraud lawsuits follow corporate disasters of some sort or another, claiming that known risks were concealed prior to the crisis. Yet for a host of doctrinal, pragmatic and political reasons, there is no clear-cut duty to disclose these risks. The SEC has imposed a set of requirements that sometimes forces risk disclosure, but does so neither consistently nor adequately. Courts in 10b-5 fraud-on-the-market cases, in turn, have made duty mainly a matter of active rather than passive concealment and thus, literally, wordplay: there is no fraud-based duty to disclose risks unless and until the issuer has said enough …

User Participation In Value Creation, Itai Grinberg

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This article examines HM Treasury’s proposal to account for the active participation of users in value creation in certain digital platforms. The first key question is whether there is any reason to believe, as HM Treasury suggests, that users only meaningfully or actively contribute to value creation in the context of certain digital platforms. The article accordingly explores the factors HM Treasury sets out for the attribution of income to active user participation, including features such as network effects, multisided business models, and a lack of physical presence in the jurisdiction of the user. It concludes that if a user …

Collaborating With Undergraduates To Contribute To Biochemistry Community Resources, Louise K. Charkoudian, Kathyn Haas, Jennifer Heemstra, Marnix Medema

Chemistry Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, And The Global Climate Crisis, M. Alexander Pearl

Faculty Articles

The global climate crisis is an ongoing event the likes of which we have yet to experience. The science is clear, the phenomenon is traceable, and the effects are far-reaching. But, the consequences of the climate crisis affect particular populations more so than others, and often times the affected populations are voiceless. Among those most impacted are indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples stand in a unique place in the context of climate change. In general, indigenous peoples have a comprehensive relationship with their place and surroundings, which incorporates culture, livelihood, economy, and a defining sense of self. Land and resources are …

Song Of Six Rivers, Zev Levinson

Fiction and Poetry

Song of Six Rivers relates one man’s life-changing experiences throughout the Humboldt Bay region of northern California, depicting the area’s geography and history along the way, through both poetry and archival photography. When the muse of this epic poem, Guy Kuttner, died unexpectedly, Zev Levinson heard his voice imploring him to sing of the land they both love. As a roving teacher, Zev had come to know the Six Rivers terrain and communities intimately. He put his pen to the task of meeting Guy’s daunting challenge, confronting mortality and loss as he ventured to understand our connection to earth. At …

The Friendly Crocodile, Katia Karadjova, Emily Fernandes

Fiction and Poetry

The Friendly Crocodile loved to show off his big toothy smile.... But his marsh friends didn’t know it was friendly! What can he do to keep his friends around?

Al cocodrilo amigable le encantaba mostrar su gran sonrisa de enormes dientes, pero sus amigos del pantano no sabían que era amigable. ¿Qué podrá hacer para mantener cerca a sus amigos? (Translation by Dr. Lilianet Brintrup)

Le gentil crocodile aimait se vanter de son grand sourire avec ses grosses dents… Mais ses amis du marécage ne savaient pas que c’était un sourire sympa ! Que pouvait-il faire pour garder ses amis? …

Connotative Confluence: Imagery And Its Functions In Shakespeare’S King Lear, Shazia Aziz, Rabia Ashraf, Huma Ejaz, Rafi Amir-Ud-Din

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Written in the early 1600s, King Lear, an early modern tragedy with the human condition as its main premise, displays Shakespeare’s effective exploitation of complex imagery. Through various images and extended or long drawn out metaphors, Shakespeare not only comments on character, plot, action, man’s position in the universe in relation to Nature, offspring and siblings, but also addresses such questions as political legitimacy, treason, treachery, aristocracy and the relationship between land and the monarch. In a turbulent period marked by strict rules against commenting directly on politics and royalty even in the parliament, imagery also serves as advice for …

Autumn 2018

University of Richmond Magazine

No abstract provided.

Improving Subtropical Grass Pastures On The South Coast Of Western Australia, Paul Sanford, Ron Master, Eric Dobbe

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin reports on the findings of a research project funded by DPIRD and MLA that investigated methods to improve legume content and increase production of both kikuyuand panic-based pastures on the south coast of WA.

Intention Insertion: Activating An Action's Perceptual Consequences Is Sufficient To Induce Non-Willed Motor Behavior, James Colton, Patric Bach, Ben Whalley, Christopher Mitchell

School of Psychology

No abstract provided.

Model-Free And Model-Based Reward Prediction Errors In Eeg, T Sambrook, Aj Wills, B Hardwick, J Goslin

School of Psychology

No abstract provided.

Separate Neural Representations Of Prediction Error Valence And Surprise: Evidence From An Fmri Meta-Analysis., Elsa Fouragnan, Chris Retzler, Marios G. Philiastides

School of Psychology

Learning occurs when an outcome differs from expectations, generating a reward prediction error signal (RPE). The RPE signal has been hypothesized to simultaneously embody the valence of an outcome (better or worse than expected) and its surprise (how far from expectations). Nonetheless, growing evidence suggests that separate representations of the two RPE components exist in the human brain. Meta-analyses provide an opportunity to test this hypothesis and directly probe the extent to which the valence and surprise of the error signal are encoded in separate or overlapping networks. We carried out several meta-analyses on a large set of fMRI studies …

Power, Profit, And Political Participation: How Neoliberal Rationality Limits Citizen Influence In A Democracy, Emma Woods

Senior Independent Study Theses

Democracy’s promise is that citizens hold the ultimate power in government. However, the ascension of neoliberal rationality, an economic rationality that focuses primarily on economic growth with political activity being secondary or merely instrumental to economic growth, acts as a threat to that promise. This paper offers a critical analysis of political participation in a democracy, using two theoretical frameworks, liberalism and neoliberalism. Based in these theoretical frameworks, it provides an analysis of how changes in individual conceptions of self have institutional effects on politics. Laying out the framework of neoliberalism, tracing its ideological roots in liberalism and its subsequent …

Rethinking The Extraterritorial Scope Of The United States' Access To Data Stored By A Third Party, Sabrina A. Morris

Fordham International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Application Of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks In Semi-Supervised Video Object Segmentation, Jayadeep Sasikumar

Dissertations

This thesis investigates the different approaches to video object segmentation and the current state-of-the-art in the discipline, focusing on the different deep learning techniques used to solve the problem. The primary contribution of the thesis is the investigation of usefulness of Exponential Linear Units as activation functions for deep convolutional neural architectures trained to perform object semi-supervised segmentation in videos. Mask R-CNN was chosen as the base convolutional neural architecture, with the view of extending the image segmentation algorithm to videos. Two models were created, one with Rectified Linear Units and the other with Exponential Linear Units as the respective …