Digital Commons Network^™

Serum Chemistry Values In Wild Black Vultures In Mississippi, Usa, Fred L. Cunningham, Sherman W. Jack, Amanda R. Deese, Eric R. Wengert, Kyle Van Why, Carla L. Huston, Scott Lemmons, Richard B. Minnis

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Vultures (Cathartidae and Accipitridae) play an important role in ecosystem balance by rapidly disposing animal carcasses and thus preventing the potential spread of pathogens. Blood chemistry values provide a means of assessing the health of wildlife and wild animal populations; however, there are significant differences in chemistries among species and when comparing captive and free-living New and Old World vultures. In 2007, we collected blood serum from 30 female and 14 male wild, healthy black vultures (Coragyps atratus) live-trapped by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services from a power substation in …

Using Bioenergetics And Radar-Derived Bird Abundance To Assess The Impact Of A Blackbird Roost On Seasonal Sunflower Damage, Bonne A. Clark, Page E. Klug, Phillip M. Stepanian, Jeffrey F. Kelly

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Methods aimed at reducing avian damage to agricultural crops are routinely implemented in situations where efficacy can be assessed by quantifying blackbird (Icteridae) abundance relative to environmental variables and extrapolating to ensuing crop damage. Concomitantly, Weather Surveillance Radar (WSR) data may have potential to enhance crop damage mitigation through improved monitoring of nuisance wildlife populations. We used WSR to derive daily abundance estimates of blackbirds at a fall roost in North Dakota, USA from 2012 to 2019. We integrated these estimates with previously developed bioenergetics-economic models to estimate local sunflower (Helianthus annuus) damage. The greatest losses usually occurred …

Viewing Bornean Human–Elephant Conflicts Through An Environmental Justice Lens, Elena C. Rubino, Christopher Serenari, Nurzhafarina Othman, Marc Ancrenaz, Fauzie Sarjono, Eddie Ahmad

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Sabah, on the northeastern corner of Borneo, is concurrently Malaysia’s largest producer of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and home to the endangered Bornean elephants (Elephas maximus borneensis; elephants). Concomitantly, Sabah has been experiencing increasing and unsustainable human–elephant conflicts (HECs), which have not been thoroughly investigated from a human dimensions standpoint. To address this void, in March 2019, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 37 villagers located in the Sabah districts of Lahad Datu, Tawau, and Telupid to investigate villager cognitions regarding elephants, behaviors toward elephants, the formal and informal village institutions employed to mediate HECs, and the …

Enabling The Best Interests Factors, Adrián E. Alvarez

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

For over a century, state courts and other child welfare agencies in the United States have been applying the “best interests of the child standard” to all decision-making concerning children. The standard is also enshrined within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)—a treaty that every nation in the world has ratified except the United States. Notwithstanding its widespread adoption in family law, the standard is, with only a few exceptions, noticeably missing from American laws and policies pertaining to children in the immigration system.

There is a rich literature arguing that children should enjoy special …

Gig Workers As Essential Workers: How To Correct The Gig Economy Beyond The Covid-19 Pandemic, Miriam A. Cherry, Ana Santos Rutschman

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, estimates suggest that approximately forty percent of U.S. workers shifted to working remotely from home. But for many gig workers, who performed grocery shopping for Instacart, delivered food and restaurant meals for DoorDash, or who picked up and delivered packages for Shipt, they were working in person and busier than ever. In fact, many of these gig jobs were considered "essential work," and the rules of state lockdowns across the country classified gig workers as "essential workers."

Paid by the task, and managed by algorithms that can automatically deactivate …

Elevating Physician-Patient Relationships In The Shadow Of Metric Mania, Benjamin Sundholm

Faculty Publications

Today, medical and health institutions devote significant time and resources to documenting, measuring, and reporting various metrics. These metrics are used to improve various aspects of care, from efficiency and quality to safety and access. Unfortunately, too often, medical and health institutions overemphasize metrics that are easily captured but too simplistic. As a result, insufficient attention is devoted to crucial, albeit complex and difficult to measure, facets of care. Physician-patient relationships are among the primary casualties resulting from the widespread penchant for overly simplistic metrics. This Article develops a strategy for improving such relationships. I suggest that enhancing physicians' interpersonal …

The Power Of A Positive Tweet, Patricia G. Montana

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

I am not naively suggesting that all we need are more positive tweets to solve the inequity problems that still plague many law schools’ treatment and advancement of legal writing faculty. But I do wonder whether more positive tweets from administrators, tenured colleagues, and others can help (and more instantaneously) spread positive feelings, heal past harms, build relationships, forge new connections, and ultimately help create more opportunities for success.

Economic Analysis Of Jewish Law, Keith Sharfman

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

Like any legal system, Jewish law is amenable to economic analysis, both positive and normative. Economic analysis can help to explain how and why the various rules comprising Jewish law arose and persisted over time. It also can facilitate a direct assessment of Jewish law on the merits. In practice, however, it is a mainly positive economic analysis of Jewish law that scholars have emphasized, while normative analysis has, for the most part, been underemphasized.

Take, for example, the application of law and economics to biblical exegesis. The legal-economic work in this field has been largely descriptive rather than …

Genetic Alterations In B Cell Lymphoma Subtypes As Potential Biomarkers For Noninvasive Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapy, And Disease Monitoring, Esra Esmeray, Can Küçük

Turkish Journal of Biology

Neoplastic transformation of germinal center B (GCB) cells may give rise to a variety of different B cell lymphoma subtypes, most of which show substantial heterogeneity in terms of genetic alterations and clinical features. The mutations observed in cancer-related genes in GCB cells are related to abnormalities in the immunogenetic mechanisms associated with germinal center reaction. Recent studies have rapidly identified genomic alterations in B cell lymphomas that may be useful for better subclassification, noninvasive diagnosis, and prediction of response to therapy. The WHO recognizes different lymphoma subsets classified within 2 major categories of B cell lymphoma: Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) …

The Effect Of R547, A Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor, On Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Death, Betül Hacioğlu, Gökhan Kuş, Hati̇ce Mehtap Kutlu, Selda Kabadere

Turkish Journal of Biology

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third main cause of cancer-related death. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and their cyclin partners regulate the cell cycle. Since inhibition of CDKs gives some guiding ideas for cancer studies, we aimed to determine the possible effects of R547, a cyclin kinase 1-2-4 inhibitor, on proliferation and apoptotic mechanisms of Hep G2 cells (human) and H-4- II-E cells derived from rat HCC. We determined in vitro survival rates with MTT assay, apoptosis with flow cytometry, morphological changes with confocal microscopy, and ultrastructural changes by transmission electron microscopy. Cisplatin was used as a positive control. After 24 h …

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Biology

No abstract provided.

Oncogenic And Tumor Suppressor Function Of Meis And Associated Factors, Bi̇rkan Gi̇rgi̇n, Medi̇ne Karadağ Alpaslan, Fati̇h Kocabaş

Turkish Journal of Biology

MEIS proteins are historically associated with tumorigenesis, metastasis, and invasion in cancer. MEIS and associated PBXHOX proteins may act as tumor suppressors or oncogenes in different cellular settings. Their expressions tend to be misregulated in various cancers. Bioinformatic analyses have suggested their upregulation in leukemia/lymphoma, thymoma, pancreas, glioma, and glioblastoma, and downregulation in cervical, uterine, rectum, and colon cancers. However, every cancer type includes, at least, a subtype with high MEIS expression. In addition, studies have highlighted that MEIS proteins and associated factors may function as diagnostic or therapeutic biomarkers for various diseases. Herein, MEIS proteins and associated factors in …

Expression Pattern Of Olfactory Receptor Genes In Human Cumulus Cells As An Indicator For Competent Oocyte Selection, Neda Daei-Farshbaf, Reza Aflatoonian, Fatemeh-Sadat Amjadi, Sara Taleahmad, Mahnaz Ashrafi, Mehrdad Bakhtiyari

Turkish Journal of Biology

Odorant or olfactory receptors are mainly localized in the olfactory epithelium for the perception of different odors. Interestingly, many ectopic olfactory receptors with low expression levels have recently been found in nonolfactory tissues to involve in local functions. Therefore, we investigated the probable role of the olfactory signaling pathway in the surrounding microenvironment of oocyte. This study included 22 women in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycle. The expression of olfactory target molecules in cumulus cells surrounding the growing and mature oocytes was evaluated by Western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, integrated bioinformatics analyses were carried out and 6 ectopic …

Expression Of Soluble, Active, Fluorescently Tagged Hephaestin In Cos And Cho Cell Lines, Eli̇f Si̇bel Aslan, Kenneth N. White, Basharut A. Syed, Kaila S. Srai, Robert W. Evans

Turkish Journal of Biology

Hephaestin (Hp) is a trans-membrane protein, which plays a critical role in intestinal iron absorption. Hp was originally identified as the gene responsible for the phenotype of sex-linked anaemia in the sla mouse. The mutation in the sla protein causes accumulation of dietary iron in duodenal cells, causing severe microcytic hypochromic anaemia. Although mucosal uptake of dietary iron is normal, export from the duodenum is inhibited. Hp is homologous to ceruloplasmin (Cp), a member of the family of multi copper ferroxidases (MCFs) and possesses ferroxidase activity that facilitates iron release from the duodenum and load onto the serum iron transport …

Sex Effect On The Correlation Of Immunoglobulin G Glycosylation With Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity, Altan Ercan

Turkish Journal of Biology

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease which affects females more than males with a presence of autoantibodies. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) produced by adaptive arm has 2 functional domains, Fc and Fab. The Fc domain binds Fc gamma receptors and C1q proteins of the innate arm. Therefore, the IgG Fc domain serves as a bridge between the innate and adaptive arms and is regulated by an evolutionarily conserved N-glycosylation with variable structures. These glycans are classified as agalactosylated G0, monogalactosylated G1, and digalactosylated G2, which are further modified by core-fucosylation (F) and bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (B) moieties such as G0F …

Genome-Wide Identification Of Chiari Malformation Type I Associated Candidate Genes And Chromosomal Variations, Ti̇muçi̇n Avşar, Şeyma Çaliş, Baran Yilmaz, Gülden Demi̇rci̇ Otluoğlu, Can Holyavki̇n, Türker Kiliç

Turkish Journal of Biology

Chiari malformation type I (CMI) is a brain malformation that is characterized by herniation of the cerebellum into the spinal canal. Chiari malformation type I is highly heterogeneous; therefore, an accurate explanation of the pathogenesis of the disease is often not possible. Although some studies showed the role of genetics in CMI, the involvement of genetic variations in CMI pathogenesis has not been thoroughly elucidated. Therefore, in the current study we aim to reveal CMI-associated genomic variations in familial cases. Four CMI patients and 7 unaffected healthy members of two distinct families were analyzed. A microarray analysis of the affected …

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Biology

No abstract provided.

The International Financial Reporting Standards And Firm Performance: A Systematic Review, Wafaa Salah

Business Administration

This study reviews the accounting literature which investigates the effects of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on firms’ financial performance to answer a debating question of how effective are the accounting standards in affecting financial performance and to provide guidance for future studies. The focus of the review is three primary streams, first, reasons and evidence of differences between countries in accounting practices; second, theories justifying the transition from local Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to IFRS; Third, the effect of accounting standards on firms’ financial performance regarding three broad groups: (1) Common law countries (2) Civil law countries, and …

Elements Of Safety Management System In The Construction Industry And Measuring Safety Performance – A Brief, Mostafa Elsebaei, Omar Elnawawy, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Mohamed Badawy

Architectural Engineering

Construction industry is considered to be one of the most hazardous industries in the world. The reason could be attributed to its hazardous nature as it is an accident-prone industry. Thus, a need for better understanding of safety management system is essential for improving safety performance in this sector. This paper discusses briefly the elements of safety management by presenting different systems (such as Oregon OSHA Occupational Health and Safety Administration, and OTAR Overseas Territories Aviation Circle) and elaborating their elements. It also discusses two types of measuring safety performance the first is the lagging indicators and the second is …

Architectural Design Firms’ Social Role To Develop Sustainable Heritage Communities In Egypt, Dalia Elweshahy, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman

Architectural Engineering

Cultural heritage buildings are a crucial element for future generations, as they preserve the cultural identity unique to where they are located. Moreover, they create one of the most dominant and memorable architectural achievement that have significant historical and cultural values. However, heritage buildings in Egypt suffer from a surge in demolition due to the deteriorated conditions of their surroundings areas, as well as, the maintenance of only the physical structures without considering the surrounding communities. Egypt constantly encounters many challenges such as poor coordination from the government due to shortage of skilled people, poor heritage awareness of local communities …

A Framework To Activate The Health And Safety Regulations In The Egyptian Construction Industry, Mostafa Adel Elsebaei, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Omar Elnawawy, Mohammed Badawy

Architectural Engineering

Purpose

The construction industry is considered one of the most dangerous industries especially in developing countries such as Egypt. Although safety in Egypt is regulated by mainly four pivotal legislations, namely, Law No. 12 (2003) and Ministerial Decrees No. 211, 126 and 134, construction accident records in Egypt are high. Accordingly, this paper aims to develop a framework to activate the health and safety regulations in the Egyptian construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve this aim, a research methodology consisting of a literature review and a survey questionnaire was developed to accomplish three objectives. First, a literature review was used to …

Achieving Sustainability Through Reducing Construction Waste During The Design Process: A Value Management Perspective, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Sherouk Mohamed Abdelrahim

Architectural Engineering

Purpose:

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of Value Management towards achieving sustainability through reducing the construction waste during the design process.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the abovementioned aim, a research methodology consisting literature review and survey questionnaire is designed to achieve the following objectives: first, building a comprehensive understanding of the research topic through reviewing literature related to the nature of the construction industry, waste in construction, sustainability, the design phase and Value Management; second, presenting and analysing two case studies to validate the role of Value Management towards reducing waste in construction projects; third, conducting …

A Lean Talent Management Framework For Maximizing Creativity In Architectural Design Firms, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Mohamed Hesham Khalil

Architectural Engineering

Being one of the creative industries worldwide, Architecture plays a significant role towards developing communities, fulfilling their needs and meeting their expectations. The divergence of societal problems and the complexity nature of projects called for creative and non-traditional solutions to address these problems and overcome complexities. Architectural Design Firms (ADFs) are responsible for achieving this mission, yet lack of motivation and demotivation acted as barriers for creativity. Recently, Talent Management (TM) was presented as an innovative approach for fostering creativity, balancing work-life commitments, enhancing motivation and reducing demotivation. However, lack of utilizing talented human capitals, which was counted as waste …

Pre-Service Teachers’ Knowledge Of Special Education Laws, Sherri L. Horner, Alicia Mrachko, Evelyn A. O'Connor, Anastasia E. Yasik

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

As more and more children are being identified as needing special services, all teachers need to know special education laws. One hundred and thirty-eight preservice teachers answered an online survey about their knowledge and confidence level of IDEA and Section 504. Our participants, on average, did not have accurate knowledge of IDEA or Section 504 laws (overall IDEA X = 42%; 504 X = 40%). Having coursework related to IDEA and Section 504 laws did increase participants’ scores, regardless of whether they were majoring in a special education related degree or not. However, their scores were still low, basically at …

Evaluating The Impact Of An Assessment Course On Preservice Teachers’ Classroom Assessment Literacy And Self-Efficacy, Lance Kruse, Whitney Impellizeri, Claire E. Witherel, Toni A. Sondergeld

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

While educational policy has resulted in many teachers being responsible for developing and interpreting student growth measures, they generally lack adequate assessment literacy and feel ill-prepared to manage such tasks. This quasi-experimental study explores the impact of an applied assessment course on preservice teachers’ assessment literacy and self-efficacy, while also examining the intersection between these variables. Results indicate a significant increase in assessment literacy and self-efficacy after completing the assessment course. Assessment literacy and self-efficacy held a significantly negative relationship at pre-test and a significantly positive relationship at post-test, suggesting meta-ignorance existed regarding classroom assessment skills among preservice teachers.

Is Counseling Ready For Rational Suicide? A Study Of Perceived Competence, Robin M. Defresne, Eric R. Baltrinic, John M. Laux, Jennifer Reynolds

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Many counselors believe suicidal ideation in a terminally ill client can be rational (Rogers et al, 2001). One hundred and fifty-three counselors rated their perceived competence to counsel individuals who are rationally suicidal. Data were analyzed with non-parametric statistics. Findings suggest participants with more education, more years of service, and more experience with terminally ill clients rated themselves more competent to work with rationally suicidal clients. Implications for counselors and counselor educators are discussed.

National Policies: Catalyst For Teacher Preparation Program Enrollment And Completion Decline?, Christopher Engledowl, David Rutledge

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

There is a concerning trend in teacher preparation program enrollment and completion rates from 2000–2017, using the most recent population data available from the US Department of Education, Higher Education Act Title II State Report Card System. Authors contextualize these trends alongside national education policies, such as No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and the Common Core State Standards to discuss the potential of these policies as catalysts for the substantial observed declines. Using a local context in New Mexico as an example, they discuss how such policies may be impacting teacher production.

The Impact Of Music On Language Acquisition, Courtney Rieb, James Cohen

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

As the culture of the American elementary classroom continues to diversify, teachers’ practices must also evolve to best meet the needs of students, specifically, English Learners (ELs). This article encourages elementary educators to include music in their general education curriculum by highlighting the lack of music education in the classroom, which fuels the discussion for its need; discusses the historical use of language to support the impact of music on Kingergarten-6th grade speakers; and dissects the linguistic, cognitive, cultural, and social aspects of music, all of which have a positive impact on language use and development. Research findings suggest that …

On "Being There" In A Pandemic: Are Classrooms Without Bodies Still "Real" Places Of Learning?, Lauren Angelone

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

In March 2020, schools and universities were abruptly shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as abruptly as they shut down, they were moved to fully online instruction. It was and continues to be an adjustment from classrooms with bodies to online classrooms without bodies, and now in-person classrooms with distanced masked bodies, or some combination of the two. As such, a discourse has appeared decrying the absence of what we know was the “real” educational environment. In this commentary, I use a series of vignettes to illuminate the ontological and epistemological dilemma of this discourse and then bring …

Mid-Western Educational Researcher Call For Papers: Special Issue On Anti-Racist Education, Starr E. Keyes, Katherine A. Brodeur, Kristina Lavenia

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Call for Papers