Digital Commons Network^™

Error In Dna Mixture Analysis: Why The Application Of Forensic Dna Is Not A Perfect Science, Rachel Bisbee

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Ever since the first use of DNA evidence in 1986, it has been heavily relied on in court as a means of both convicting felons and exonerating wrongfully imprisoned people. It is a valuable tool in investigations, but like everything else, is not perfect. There have been studies on the accuracy of DNA mixture interpretation in the past with varying results. This is because mixture interpretation is a complicated process that is not always as specific as would be ideal. This study attempted to determine if two students with the exact same education in forensic science and, more specifically, DNA …

Mcnair Challenger, October 2020, Mcnair Scholars Program

EMU McNair Challenger

No abstract provided.

Leaf-Tip Morphology Does Not Support Species Status For The Seagrass Halodule Beaudettei In Florida, Usa, Michael E. Wheeler, Bradley T. Furman, Margaret O. Hall

Gulf and Caribbean Research

No abstract provided.

Title Ix And Menstruation, Margaret E. Johnson, Emily Gold Waldman, Bridget J. Crawford

All Faculty Scholarship

“Oh no. Could I borrow a tampon or pad?” These (or similar) words are familiar to almost everyone who has ever had a period. Even for adults, menstruation can at times be a challenge. For some schoolchildren, it can be an insurmountable obstacle to receiving an education. Students are subject to constant observation by classmates and teachers; they may not have autonomous access to a bathroom during the school day; or they may not be able to afford menstrual products. They may experience menstruation-related peer harassment, restrictive school policies, a lack of access to menstrual products, and inadequate menstruation-related education. …

Civil Cases In The Supreme Court’S October Term 2019, Thomas M. Fisher

Court Review: Journal of the American Judges Association

With thanks to Professor Todd E. Pettys for his past years of service writing this column, it is my honor to summarize, for Court Review, the civil case docket for the Supreme Court’s 2019 Term. The Court’s term was most memorable for its blockbuster cases involving gay and transgender rights, abortion rights, religious liberties, and presidential power. But it also supplied important decisions governing remedies for constitutional violations. It also decided a handful of environmental law cases, and, with even less profile and fanfare, the Court ultimately disposed of a significant number of intellectual property cases, as well. Along …

Nutritional Adequacy Comparison Of Paleo And Healthy U.S. Dietary Patterns Followed By Athletic Adults, Emily L. Sherwood

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Paleo diet has become popular for promoting good health, but there is little available research on its nutritional adequacy or its long-term effects. The present literature review explores the strengths and limitations of the research on health-related outcomes and nutritional adequacy derived from following a Paleo dietary pattern. An original pilot study is also presented which uses survey and diet journal data to qualitatively explore the nutritional adequacy of the Paleo diet and the Healthy U.S.-style Pattern (HUS) recommended within the Dietary Guidelines for Americans as followed through self-adherence in an American population. Analysis of week-long diet journals of …

Undergraduate Symposium, 2020, College Of Arts & Sciences

Undergraduate Symposium Programs

No abstract provided.

The Establishment Of A Pelagic Sargassum Population In The Tropical Atlantic: Biological Consequences Of A Basin-Scale Long Distance Dispersal Event, Elizabeth M. Johns, Rick Lumpkin, Nathan F. Putman, Ryan H. Smith, Frank E. Muller-Karger, Digna T. Rueda-Roa, Chuanmin Hu, Mengqiu Wang, Maureen T. Brooks, Lewis J. Gramer, Francisco E. Werner

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Starting in 2011, coastal areas of the Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic Ocean began to experience extraordinary yearly accumulations of pelagic Sargassum brown alga. Historical reports place large quantities of Sargassum only in the North Atlantic (mostly in the Gulf of Mexico and the Sargasso Sea). Accumulations of Sargassum in the tropical Atlantic have continued. We used a numerical particle-tracking system, wind and current reanalysis data, drifting buoy trajectories, and satellite imagery to determine the origin of the Sargassum that is now found persistently in the tropical Atlantic. Our analyses suggest that during the extreme negative phase of the winter …

Wage-Productivity Analysis Of U.S. Domestic Airlines, Jesse Lucas, Khairul Azuar, Justin Tan, Syed Ilyas

Introduction to Research Methods RSCH 202

This study examines the impact of wages on productivity by examining US domestic airlines.

Current literature places emphasis on jobs conducted in-flight, specifically pilots and cabin crew. This paper considers all job titles involved in the operations of the airline, including executives and management. Existing research focuses on factors such as governance, domestic economic level, and personal attributes such as intrinsic motivation, gender, and age. There is insufficient research regarding the relationship between wage and productivity. Thus, it is uncertain if high wage leads to high productivity. Preliminary findings suggest higher wage equates to higher productivity.

Occupational Radiation Exposures In Aviation: Air Traffic Safety Systems Considerations, Adeyinka Olumuyiwa Osunwusi

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Radiation from both natural and artificial sources is an inescapable and undeniable reality of human existence. Aside from exposure to radiation from a wide variety of natural sources including background ionizing radiation and electromagnetic fields from the earth, the increasing multiplicity of scientific and technological advancements and the growing complexities of the urbanization process are combining to elevate the susceptibility of mankind to non-ionizing radiation from electromagnetic fields. Debates regarding the health outcomes of occupational radiation exposures in aviation have been intense in recent times with a focus that appears predominantly riveted on in-flight radiation exposures. Whereas the vast majority …

Primer Registro De Asiothrixus Antidesmae (Takahashi) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) En La República Dominicana, José Francisco García Ochaeta

Insecta Mundi

Asiothrixus antidesmae (Takahashi) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), una especie de mosca blanca asiática, fue encontrada sobre Ixora sp. en la República Dominicana, lo cual representa un nuevo registro en el país. Se presenta información básica sobre la especie, una diagnosis e ilustraciones para ayudar en su identificación.

Asiothrixus antidesmae (Takahashi) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), an Asian whitefly species, was found on Ixora sp. in the Dominican Republic and represents the first record of this species in the country. Basic information on this whitefly species, including a diagnosis and illustrations to aid in its identification, are provided.

El Género Aleuroparadoxus Quaintance Y Baker 1914, Con Descripción De Tres Nuevas Especies, Nuevos Registros Y Clave Para Las Especies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), José Francisco García Ochaeta, Gregory A. Evans

Insecta Mundi

Se revisa el género Aleuroparadoxus Quaintance y Baker (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae: Aleyrodinae) y se describen e ilustran A. gabrieli García-Ochaeta y Evans, sp. nov., de Guatemala y México, A. elmarrojasi García- Ochaeta y Evans, sp. nov., de Guatemala y A. carapiai García-Ochaeta y Evans, sp. nov., de México. Se registran A. sapotae Russell y A. gardeniae Russell por primera vez para Guatemala. Se proporciona una clave ilustrada para la identificación de los grupos y especies del género.

The genus Aleuroparadoxus Quaintance and Baker (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae: Aleyrodinae) is revised and A. gabrieli García-Ochaeta and Evans, sp. nov., from …

Nomenclatural Notes On Some Currently Known Species Of Eupogonius Leconte, 1852 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) And Description Of Seven New Species, James E. Wappes, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

The following new species of Eupogonius LeConte, 1852 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) are described: E. tlanchinolensis Wappes and Santos-Silva (Mexico, Hidalgo); E. albofasciatus Wappes and Santos- Silva (Mexico, Puebla); E. sonorensis Wappes and Santos-Silva (Mexico, Sonora); E. guerrerensis Wappes and Santos-Silva (Mexico, Guerrero); E. boteroi Wappes and Santos-Silva (Mexico, Guerrero); E. nascimentoi Wappes and Santo-Silva (Mexico, Jalisco and Colima); and E. monzoni Wappes and Santos-Silva (Guatemala, Alta Verapaz). Additionally, a detailed description of the female of Eupogonius fulvovestitus Schaeffer, 1905 is provided for the first time, along with notes on the likely host of the species. New state records in Mexico …

Brave New Worlds: Transcending The Humanities/Stem Divide Through Creative Writing, Adam Watkins, Zahra Tehrani

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Creative writing offers a critical and innovative form of inquiry promoting integrative learning that transcends disciplinary barriers. Authors first provide an overview of the scholarship on creative writing pedagogy, its unique capacity to engage a range of knowledge domains, and its significance for honors education. They then offer primary examples of incorporating creative writing projects into two honors classes that bridge STEM fields and the humanities. Analyses of student reflections (n = 35) in relation to learning outcomes strongly suggest that creative writing helps students explore course concepts through several ways of knowing—critical, situational, and affective—while fostering new perspectives on …

A Meaningful And Useful Twofer: Enhancing Honors Students’ Research Experiences While Gathering Assessment Data, Mary Scheuer Senter

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Engaging students in assessment practice benefits honors students, faculty, and administrators. Students gain meaningful research experience while honors programs receive data to help assess student learning and prepare for program review. A one-semester course, Program Evaluation Experiences, tasks students (n = 10) with collecting and analyzing data from peers and faculty and then articulating its value for their personal academic development. Qualitative and quantitative instruments and measures include an online survey (Qualtrics), personal interviews (Rev), and focus groups (rev, n = 30). Students complete various analyses of data using SPSS and NVivo. Results indicate that students’ active participation in applied …

A Head-To-Head Comparison Of The Efficacy And Safety Of Ixekizumab And Adalimumab In Biological-Naïve Patients With Active Psoriatic Arthritis: 24-Week Results Of A Randomised, Open-Label, Blinded-Assessor Trial., Philip Mease, Josef S Smolen, Frank Behrens, Peter Nash, Soyi Liu Leage, Lingnan Li, Hasan Tahir, Melinda Gooderham, Eswar Krishnan, Hong Liu-Seifert, Paul Emery, Sreekumar G Pillai, Philip S Helliwell

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

OBJECTIVES: To compare efficacy and safety of ixekizumab (IXE) to adalimumab (ADA) in biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug-naïve patients with both active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and skin disease and inadequate response to conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARDs).

METHODS: Patients with active PsA were randomised (1:1) to approved dosing of IXE or ADA in an open-label, head-to-head, blinded assessor clinical trial. The primary objective was to evaluate whether IXE was superior to ADA at week 24 for simultaneous achievement of a ≥50% improvement from baseline in the American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR50) and a 100% improvement from baseline in the …

Bridgewater Magazine, Volume 30, Number 1, Spring 2020, Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater Magazine

Hear from four undergraduate research students and faculty members from BSU's Undergraduate Research Program. International students speak to local residents, a music instructor performs on Grammy-winning recording, a professor’s documentary shines a light on little-known WWII story, and aviation science program seeks to diversify industry. Also featured, Bears grappling with Pandemic, a message from President, plus Bridgewater and alumni news.

Bridgewater Magazine, Volume 30, Number 2, Fall 2020, Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater Magazine

Contents include features about the BSU community overcoming the challenges of COVID-19 and racial justice at BSU. Also featured, a message from President, plus Bridgewater and alumni news.

Pretreatment Of Loblolly Pine Tree Toppings (Needled) Using Dess, Prathima Gujjula

Master's Theses

Contemporary industrial development and swift urbanization require environmentally sustainable energy sources. Ethanol made from biomass provides unique environmental and economic strategic benefits and can be considered a safe and clean liquid fuel alternative to fossil fuels. Ethanol’s significant advantages, such as low cost, biodegradability, and abundance, make the application of biomass for production of biorenewable energy favorable. However, biomass must be subjected to pretreatment processes to liberate the components needed for effective enzymatic hydrolysis that converts cellulose to sugars prior to fermentation to create biofuel. Production of valueadded co-products besides biofuels, through coordinated bio refinery processes, requires selectivity during pretreatment. …

Co-Authoring Strategies In Business Research, Deirdre Mcquillan (Ed)

Books/Book Chapters

students to help assist their peers along the academic writing journey. This handbook addresses co-authoring strategies in business research. The students are discovering much to debate about co-authoring in academic writing. While co-authoring has shown to lead to higher research output and productivity for researchers, there are challenges. Not least ensuring a fair contribution of each author can be expected in an ethical approach. Recognising different co-authoring strategies is very helpful before embarking on a co-writing exercise. Strategic approaches to co-authoring might be because of multidisciplinary expertise that can speed up the socially constructed process of developing a paper. It …

Shining A Light On High Seas Transhipment: The Need To Strengthen Observer Reporting Of Transhipments In The Western And Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, Chris Wold, Alfred “Bubba” Cook

UC Law Environmental Journal

No abstract provided.

Wildlife Is Not Crying Wolf: How Fish & Wildlife Service Can Utilize The Endangered Species Act To Mitigate Hybridization Threats To Listed Species, Kimberly Willis

UC Law Environmental Journal

As humans modify Earth’s landscapes and climate change fundamentally alters ecosystems, separately evolving wildlife populations may once again meet and interbreed with one another. This hybridization process may ultimately drive the less prolific of the two populations into extinction. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (“FWS”) has failed to fully utilize the tools within the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) to adequately address the unique problems of species hybridization. Although FWS has resisted attempts to delist species undergoing hybridization, their recovery plans and critical habitat designations fall short of maximizing the potential for species recovery. This paper first explores the current regulatory …

Research And Innovation As A Catalyst For Food System Transformation, A.C.L. Den Boer, K.P.W. Kok, M. Gill, J. Breda, Jean Cahill, C. Callenius, P. Caron, Z. Damianova, M. Gurinovic, L. Lähteenmäki, T. Lang, R. Sonnino, G. Verburg, H. Westhoek, T. Cesuroglu, B.J. Regee, J. E. W. Broerse

Research and Innovation - Articles

Background: Food systems are associated with severe and persistent problems worldwide. Governance approaches aiming to foster sustainable transformation of food systems face several challenges due to the complex nature of food systems. Scope and Approach: In this commentary we argue that addressing these governance challenges requires the development and adoption of novel research and innovation (R&I) approaches that will provide evidence to inform food system transformation and will serve as catalysts for change. We first elaborate on the complexity of food systems (transformation) and stress the need to move beyond traditional linear R&I approaches to be able to respond to …

The Double Movement Of National Origin Discrimination, Aziz Huq

Articles

No abstract provided.

Migratory Birds And The Administrative State, David Strauss

Articles

No abstract provided.

Space And Colonial Alterity: Interrogating British Residential Segregation In Nigeria, 1899-1919, Bright Alozie

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The policy of segregation is undoubtedly a resented feature of colonial rule in Africa. However, discussions of the residential racial segregation policy of the British colonial administration in Africa invariably focus on “settler colonies” of South, Central, and East Africa. British colonial West Africa hardly features in such discussions since it is widely believed that these areas, which had no large-scale European settler populations, had no experience relevant to any meaningful discussion of multi-racial colonial relationships. Some studies even deny the existence of racially segregated areas in places other than the settler colonies. Despite evidence that residential racial segregation formed …

Current Status And Future Prospects Of Genome-Scale Metabolic Modeling To Optimize The Use Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Regenerative Medicine., Þóra Sigmarsdóttir, Sarah Mcgarrity, Óttar Rolfsson, James T Yurkovich, Ólafur E Sigurjónsson

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Mesenchymal stem cells are a promising source for externally grown tissue replacements and patient-specific immunomodulatory treatments. This promise has not yet been fulfilled in part due to production scaling issues and the need to maintain the correct phenotype after re-implantation. One aspect of extracorporeal growth that may be manipulated to optimize cell growth and differentiation is metabolism. The metabolism of MSCs changes during and in response to differentiation and immunomodulatory changes. MSC metabolism may be linked to functional differences but how this occurs and influences MSC function remains unclear. Understanding how MSC metabolism relates to cell function is however important …

Simultaneous Isolation Of Circulating Nucleic Acids And Ev-Associated Protein Biomarkers From Unprocessed Plasma Using An Ac Electrokinetics-Based Platform., Juan Pablo Hinestrosa, David J Searson, Jean M Lewis, Alfred Kinana, Orlando Perrera, Irina Dobrovolskaia, Kevin Tran, Robert Turner, Heath I Balcer, Iryna Clark, David Bodkin, Dave Hoon, Rajaram Krishnan

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The power of personalized medicine is based on a deep understanding of cellular and molecular processes underlying disease pathogenesis. Accurately characterizing and analyzing connections between these processes is dependent on our ability to access multiple classes of biomarkers (DNA, RNA, and proteins)-ideally, in a minimally processed state. Here, we characterize a biomarker isolation platform that enables simultaneous isolation and on-chip detection of cell-free DNA (cfDNA), extracellular vesicle RNA (EV-RNA), and EV-associated proteins in unprocessed biological fluids using AC Electrokinetics (ACE). Human biofluid samples were flowed over the ACE microelectrode array (ACE chip) on the Verita platform while an electrical signal …

Intravenous Lidocaine As A Non-Opioid Adjunct Analgesic For Traumatic Rib Fractures., Jeff Choi, Kirellos Zamary, Nicolas B Barreto, Lakshika Tennakoon, Kristen M Davis, Amber W Trickey, David A Spain

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

INTRODUCTION: Pain management is the pillar of caring for patients with traumatic rib fractures. Intravenous lidocaine (IVL) is a well-established non-opioid analgesic for post-operative pain, yet its efficacy has yet to be investigated in trauma patients. We hypothesized that IVL is associated with decreased inpatient opioid requirements among patients with rib fractures.

METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated adult patients presenting to our Level 1 trauma center with isolated chest wall injuries. After 1:1 propensity score matching patients who received vs did not receive IVL, we compared the two groups' average daily opioid use, opioid use in the last 24 hours of …

Triggering Receptor Expressed On Myeloid Cell 2 R47h Exacerbates Immune Response In Alzheimer's Disease Brain., Olena Korvatska, Kostantin Kiianitsa, Alexander Ratushny, Mark Matsushita, Neal Beeman, Wei-Ming Chien, Jun-Ichi Satoh, Michael O Dorschner, C Dirk Keene, Theo K Bammler, Thomas D Bird, Wendy H Raskind

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The R47H variant in the microglial triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 2 (TREM2) receptor is a strong risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). To characterize processes affected by R47H, we performed an integrative network analysis of genes expressed in brains of AD patients with R47H, sporadic AD without the variant, and patients with polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy (PLOSL), systemic disease with early-onset dementia caused by loss-of-function mutations in TREM2 or its adaptor TYRO protein tyrosine kinase-binding protein (TYROBP). Although sporadic AD had few perturbed microglial and immune genes, TREM2 R47H AD demonstrated upregulation of interferon type I …