Digital Commons Network^™

Interpreting Neurologic Outcomes In A Changing Trial Design Landscape: An Analysis Of Heartware Left Ventricular Assist Device Using A Hybrid Intention To Treat Population, Claudius Mahr, Duc Thinh Pham, Nahush A. Mokadam, Scott C. Silvestry, Jennifer Cowger, Michael S. Kiernan, David A. D'Alessandro, Erin E. Coglianese, Muhammad Faraz Masood, Robert L. Kormos, Mary V. Jacoski, Jeffrey J. Teuteberg

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Efficacy And Safety Of Eluxadoline In Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Diarrhea Who Report Inadequate Symptom Control With Loperamide: Relief Phase 4 Study, Darren M. Brenner, Gregory S. Sayuk, Catherine R. Gutman, Esther Jo, Steven J. R. Elmes, Louis W. C. Liu, Brooks D. Cash

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Determining Population Stratification And Subgroup Effects In Association Studies Of Rare Genetic Variants For Nicotine Dependence, Ai-Ru Hsieh, Li-Shiun Chen, Ying-Ju Li, Cathy S. J. Fann

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Challenges To Curing Primary Brain Tumours, Kenneth Aldape, David H. Gutmann, Et Al.

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Clinical Performance Of A Novel Fully Synthetic Dura Substitute, Umang Khandpur, Wilson Ray, Matthew Macewan

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

A Strategy For Building And Using A Human Reference Pangenome, Bastien Llamas, Allison Regier, Et Al

Open Access Publications

In March 2019, 45 scientists and software engineers from around the world converged at the University of California, Santa Cruz for the first pangenomics codeathon. The purpose of the meeting was to propose technical specifications and standards for a usable human pangenome as well as to build relevant tools for genome graph infrastructures. During the meeting, the group held several intense and productive discussions covering a diverse set of topics, including advantages of graph genomes over a linear reference representation, design of new methods that can leverage graph-based data structures, and novel visualization and annotation approaches for pangenomes. Additionally, the …

Somatosensory Predictors Of Response To Pregabalin In Painful Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study, Alexander Hincker, Karen Frey, Lesley Rao, Nina Wagner-Johnston, Arbi Ben Abdallah, Benjamin Tan, Manik Amin, Tanya Wildes, Rajiv Shah, Pall Karlsson, Kristopher Bakos, Katarzyna Kosicka, Leonid Kagan, Simon Haroutounian

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Branding And Marketing For An Environmental Nonprofit Organization: Revitalizing A Brand In Southern Illinois, Erik Fitzgerald

Research Papers

Due to its ‘social image’ nonprofits have avoided marketing in the past, focusing their efforts on fundraising and promotional activities. Growing competition within the nonprofit sector has forced these organizations to re-evaluate how they think about marketing. Marketing- oriented nonprofits are out-performing their competitors who have been slow to adapt to this increasingly competitive environment. This project takes a look at a local nonprofit, the Friends of the Shawnee National Forest, that has yet to adopt this marketing orientation. This research gives insight into how a small environmental nonprofit in southern Illinois can use branding and marketing strategies to increase …

Personal Universes: A Solution To The Multi-Agent Value Alignment Problem, Roman V. Yampolskiy

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

AI Safety researchers attempting to align values of highly capable intelligent systems with those of humanity face a number of challenges including personal value extraction, multi-agent value merger and finally in-silico encoding. State-of-the-art research in value alignment shows difficulties in every stage in this process, but merger of incompatible preferences is a particularly difficult challenge to overcome. In this paper we assume that the value extraction problem will be solved and propose a possible way to implement an AI solution which optimally aligns with individual preferences of each user. We conclude by analyzing benefits and limitations of the proposed approach.

Acute Effects Of Ballistic And Non-Ballistic Bench Press On Plyometric Push-Up Performance, David Bodden, Timothy J. Suchomel, Alexandra Lates, Nicholas G. Anagnost, Matthew F. Moran, Christopher Taber

Exercise Science Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a ballistic or non-ballistic concentric-only bench press (COBP) on subsequent plyometric push-up performance. Fourteen resistance trained men completed two separate one-repetition-maximum (1RM) testing sessions followed by three randomized experimental explosive push-up sessions. These sessions combined a heavy concentric bench press with plyometric push-ups. Using a series of 3 × 10 (condition × time) repeated measures ANOVA, comparisons were made between the effects of ballistic and non-ballistic bench presses on performance of plyometric push-ups to investigate push-up performance variables. Compared with the control condition, both ballistic and non-ballistic bench presses …

Effects Of Online Aba Training On Stress Levels Of Parents With A Child With Autism, Kristen Duffney

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study investigated the effects of an online training program in applied behavior analysis (ABA) on stress levels of parents that have a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The online ABA training program is comprised of 22 videos which take a total of 4½ hours to complete. Parenting stress levels were assessed using the Parenting Stress Inventory Short Form (PSI-SF, Abidin, 1995) and general stress levels were self-reported scores immediately before and after the training. The assessment and questionnaire were completed online immediately before the ABA training was made available and immediately after the ABA training was completed. …

Evaluating The Performance Of Cooperative Merging Assistance System For Aging Drivers, Flavius Matata

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Freeway merging maneuvers demand considerable attention by drivers and are among the more complex operations drivers must perform on freeways. Aging drivers, a growing population in the United States, face added challenges when merging. This study utilized Vissim models created in a previous study that modeled the behavior of aging drivers during freeway merging. An algorithm for Cooperative Merging Assistance System (CMAS) that utilizes Connected Vehicle (CV) technology was developed in this study. The Vissim models were created for two interchanges on I-75 in Fort Myers, Florida, each with different geometric characteristics. Acceleration lane lengths of 1000ft and 1500ft were …

Leadership Skills, Promoting Flow And Generating Profit: A Study Of Millennial Managers Through Gamification, Junior Badibanga

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increased number or organizations are shifting away from traditional hierarchical, command and control business strategies which focus solely on generating profit to focusing on both people and profit. In this study, Csíkszentmihályi’s flow state (1975/2000) is considered to correspond with the people side of the social enterprise model, where organizations focus on both people and profit. Csíkszentmihályi (1990) describes the flow experience as a mental state which occurs when a person is motivated and fully immersed in an activity, resulting in feelings of energized focus and profound enjoyment. The current study analyzed secondary data from 1,184 millennial managers that …

Exploring Applicability Of Blockchain To Enhance Single Sign-On (Sso) Systems, Samuel Matloob

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Single-Sign-On (SSO) systems usage has been on the rise exponentially. One of the major benefits of having an SSO system is to have a central authentication service, which other applications can use. However, SSO services are also prone to failure. If an SSO service becomes unavailable due to failure, every application that uses the SSO service become simultaneously inaccessible to users. The goal of this research is to explore a technique to mitigate the availability issue of the SSO by customizing its functionality, and distributing its data using blockchain technology over the network. The Blockchain data structure possesses inherent properties …

Front Matter - Table Of Contents

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Resign!!!: Acrimony And Protest On President Trump's @Realdonaldtrump Twitter Account, Saman Talib

Iowa Journal of Communication

A major feature of the Trump election and presidency is President Trump's use of Twitter. He has used @realdonaldtrump, his personal Twitter account, to state policy positions, berate various people, and even announce firings. While news coverage focuses on President Trump's tweets, the account itself has been and continues to be the recipient of copious numbers of negative posts from ordinary citizens. The court 's designation of this Twitter account as a 'designated public space' and the large number of negative posts warrants a closer examination of these tweets. This study employed the grounded theory method to analyze the account …

The Rhetoric Of Rhetorical Reactance: Pork Producers' Responses To The Animal Activist Movement, Kathleen German, Adam Rottinghaus

Iowa Journal of Communication

Animal activists made inroads against the fur industry, laboratory research, veal production, and horse slaughter during the 1980s and 1990s. While pork producers were not directly targeted, they nevertheless reacted, perceiving a dire threat to their own industry and a bleak future for pork production. This fear was magnified by their sense that activists were supported by a broad population of non/armers who were naively susceptible to irrational and emotional appeals. This case study points out the complexity of public discourse rippling outward from the animal rights movement. As animal activists raised their voices against fur ranchers, animal researchers, and …

Making The Case: A College Physical And Mental Health Integration, Tamara L. Laursen

Iowa Journal of Communication

Much research has been done linking physical disorders and depressive disorders. Although this topic is highly relevant to college populations, administrative structures and clinical practices vary as to how college health, health promotion, and counseling services are delivered. Understanding current operational relationships and possible strengths and weaknesses of an integrated physical and mental health service can provide notable benefits for college students. Recognized standards exist for college health services, health promotion, and counseling services. Exploration of current integrated models offers an understanding of benefits and challenges encountered when establishing an integrated model. Health and well-being are life-long endeavors, and by …

Alcohol And Marijuana: Substitutes Or Complements And A Deeper Evaluation Of Marijuana Prohibition, Nicholas Andrew Brown

Honors Program Theses

This paper first looks to determine whether alcohol and marijuana are substitutes or complements. This economic relationship between alcohol and marijuana could influence policy decisions regarding marijuana’s legal status in the United States. My method is a meta study and evaluates the current literature on alcohol and marijuana’s economic connection. I find that more empirical research is needed before we can definitively say whether alcohol and marijuana are substitutes or complements. Second, the paper compares the prohibitions of alcohol and marijuana and gives reasons why the United States should learn from its experience during alcohol prohibition and legalize marijuana

Analysis Of The Tcr Repertoire In Hiv-Exposed But Uninfected Infants, Benjamin Gabriel, Carey Medin, Jeremiah Alves, Ruth Nduati, Rose Kerubo Bosire, Dalton Wamalwa, Carey Farquhar, Grace John-Steward, Barbara L. Lohman-Payne

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Maternal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has been shown to leave profound and lasting impacts on the HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) infant, including increased mortality and morbidity, immunological changes, and developmental delays compared to their HIV-unexposed (HU) counterparts. Exposure to HIV or antiretroviral therapy may influence immune development, which could increase morbidity and mortality. However, a direct link between the increased mortality and morbidity and the infant’s immune system has not been identified. To provide a global picture of the neonatal T cell repertoire in HEU versus HU infants, the diversity of the T cell receptor beta chain (TRB) expressed in …

Valuation Of The External Costs Of Unconventional Oil And Gas Development: The Critical Importance Of Mineral Rights Ownership, Andrew Boslett, Todd Guilfoos, Corey Lang

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Faculty Publications

We quantify the externalities associated with unconventional oil and gas development using hedonic valuation. One complication in determining local impacts is that some but not all properties are unified with mineral rights, which enable the residents to financially benefit from drilling, and this information is typically unobserved by researchers. To overcome this issue, we exploit the mineral severance legacy of the homestead act extensions of the twentieth century to identify properties in western Colorado that do not have mineral rights and are therefore only impacted negatively by drilling. We find housing prices decline about 35% when drilling occurs within 1 …

The Burden Of Invisibility: A Case Study Of The Fisheries Crisis In Ghana, And Usaid/Ghana Sustainable Fisheries Management Project’S Gender Mainstreaming Strategy, Danielle Bilecki

Open Access Master's Theses

The Sustainable Fisheries Management Project’s primary goal is to create a more sustainable artisanal fishery in Ghana, in order to increase food security within the nation. One of SFMP’s strategies within this fisheries-based project was to implement a gender mainstreaming strategy in order to empower previously overlooked women stakeholders. This chapter will present the results of a study on the impacts of SFMP’s gender mainstreaming strategy on members of Ghana’s artisanal fisheries sector.

This study focuses on impacts primarily associated with fishers, fish processors, members of client and partner organizations, as well as the organizations themselves, and on the Ministry …

Foreign-Born Workers' Effect On Agricultural Industry In Iowa, Hannah Mcdevitt

Honors Program Theses

It is no secret that Iowa’s reputation relies heavily on farms. Several years ago, a woman from California actually asked me if I ride my tractor to school. I wish I could tell you that was just a fun hook to get you interested in my paper, but it happened. Farming is a part of Iowa’s culture and an essential piece of the state’s economy. Iowa is one of the main pork, corn, and soybean producers in the United States, and its farming roots extend deep into the state’s rich soil.

Price And Prejudice: An Empirical Test Of Financial Incentives, Altruism, And Racial Bias, Kristen Underhill

Faculty Scholarship

Many argue that paying people for good behavior can crowd out beneficial motivations like altruism. But little is known about how financial incentives interact with harmful motivations like racial bias. Two randomized vignette studies test how financial incentives affect bias. The first experiment varies the race of a hypothetical patient in need of a kidney transplant (black or white), an incentive ($18,500 or none), and addition of a message appealing to altruism. Incentives encouraged donation but introduced a significant bias favoring white patients. The second experiment assesses willingness to donate to a patient (black or white) without an incentive and …

Patently Uncertain, Daniel R. Cahoy

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

Innovation is an inherently uncertain process. Success is typically coupled with risk and we can only hope that those with great ideas will persevere. To encourage innovation, society reduces some of the innovation risk through structures like funding systems, regulation, and of course intellectual property rights. But what happens when uncertainty strikes the legal protection devices themselves? Faced with unclear rules and increasingly speculative rewards, some innovators may simply stop playing the game.

Such uncertainty has recently been a topic of great concern in the U.S. patent system. Some believe that the suddenly unknowable nature of fundamental questions like what …

Claiming Admissions Data Trade Secrets— Taking Advantage Of Statutory Ambiguity?, Pallavi Mathur

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

The release of documents in recent legal battles between elite collegiate institutions and the Students for Fair Admissions, a nonprofit group seeking to eradicate the consideration of race in university admissions, has brought to question measures taken by the universities to shield information relating to their admissions processes from public view. These materials included admissions training materials, procedures for evaluating applications, and admitted applicant profiles and statistics. An examination of the universities’ justifications to prevent public disclosure of this information provides insight into their varying reliance on intellectual property protections derived for trade secrets. These varying justifications help illustrate the …

The Itc Is Here To Stay: A Defense Of The International Trade Commission’S Role In Patent Law, Linda Sun

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

The International Trade Commission (ITC) is a quasi-judicial federal agency that is responsible for investigating unfair trade practices. Although the ITC is widely believed to be an expert court in patent law, it is often criticized for its role in the field. This Note advances a novel analysis of the overlooked contributions of the ITC to the development and enforcement of patent law. By exploring the background of the ITC, the procedural advantages it offers, and the ways it substantively enriches patent law doctrine, this Note concludes that the ITC is an important player in patent law.

"A Global Environmental Movement That Protects Us All:" Racial Scripts, Counterscripts, And Advocating For Social Change In An Environmental Justice Context, Christopher Scott Thomas

Iowa Journal of Communication

This essay explores the means of advocacy in a letter sent by the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) in 1990 that charges mainstream environmentalists with environmental racism. Although the letter is known for its importance in shaping the relationship between environmentalism and environmental justice, engaging the document's collaborative rhetorics illuminates the means by which its signatories crafted resistance and solidarity. To these ends, I argue that the letter crafts links between its signatories based on corresponding structural forces and common concerns. The letter also constructs and advances counter advocacies that work simultaneously as critiques of mainstream environmentalists as well as calls …

Economic Democracy And Enterprise Form In Finance, William H. Simon

Faculty Scholarship

This article considers the relative advantages of alternative enterprise forms in finance from the point of view of public accountability. The business corporation is compared to the state agency or authority, the cooperative, the state corporation, and the charitable nonprofit. These forms can be distinguished according to whether they aspire to enhance general electoral democracy or stakeholder democracy and whether their democratic controls operate directly or indirectly. The article suggests that the indirect democratic forms may be more promising than the direct ones. It also argues that the project of democratizing finance depends on the development of practices of multifactor …

Promiscuous Coxiella Burnetii Cd4 Epitope Clusters Associated With Human Recall Responses Are Candidates For A Novel T-Cell Targeted Multi-Epitope Q Fever Vaccine, Anja Scholzen, Guilhem Richard, Leonard Moise, Laurie A. Baeten, Patrick M. Reeves, William D. Martin, Timothy A. Brauns, Christine M. Boyle, Susan Raju Paul, Richard Bucala, Richard A. Bowen, Anja Garritsen, Anne S. De Groot, Ann E. Sluder, Mark C. Poznansky

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium transmitted via aerosol. Regulatory approval of the Australian whole-cell vaccine Q-VAX^® in the US and Europe is hindered by reactogenicity in previously exposed individuals. The aim of this study was to identify and rationally select C. burnetii epitopes for design of a safe, effective, and less reactogenic T-cell targeted human Q fever vaccine. Immunoinformatic methods were used to predict 65 HLA class I epitopes and 50 promiscuous HLA class II C. burnetii epitope clusters, which are conserved across strains of C. burnetii. HLA binding …