Showing papers by "Oklahoma City University published in 2008"

Media Ion Composition Controls Regulatory and Virulence Response of Salmonella in Spaceflight

Abstract: The spaceflight environment is relevant to conditions encountered by pathogens during the course of infection and induces novel changes in microbial pathogenesis not observed using conventional methods. It is unclear how microbial cells sense spaceflight-associated changes to their growth environment and orchestrate corresponding changes in molecular and physiological phenotypes relevant to the infection process. Here we report that spaceflight-induced increases in Salmonella virulence are regulated by media ion composition, and that phosphate ion is sufficient to alter related pathogenesis responses in a spaceflight analogue model. Using whole genome microarray and proteomic analyses from two independent Space Shuttle missions, we identified evolutionarily conserved molecular pathways in Salmonella that respond to spaceflight under all media compositions tested. Identification of conserved regulatory paradigms opens new avenues to control microbial responses during the infection process and holds promise to provide an improved understanding of human health and disease on Earth.

Seeking serendipity: The paradox of control

Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to present selected findings of a recent study of serendipity in information seeking, exploring the paradox of control inherent in the concept of “seeking serendipity”.Design/methodology/approach – After providing an overview of the research study, the paper locates the research findings in the context of the literature. The discussion explores the research findings in relation to both the paradox of control and the related concept of “seeking serendipity”.Findings – The definition/description of serendipity is examined, the concept of process‐perception duality is introduced, and links with the literature are explored. The discussion reassesses the paradox of control in light of the research findings, raising the possibility that information literacy educators have a role to play in developing the perception aspect of serendipity.Practical implications – The paper proposes that, despite the possibly uncomfortable challenges presented by the paradox of control, serendipity deserv...

Comparing the Academic Performance of Students in Traditional and Second-Degree Baccalaureate Programs

Abstract: Programs offering accelerated baccalaureate (BSN) curricula to students with bachelor's degrees in other fields are growing in popularity. Such students' academic ability may differ from that of students pursuing the BSN as their first degree, due to academic maturity, greater confidence, and polished study skills. This study directly compared accelerated second-degree BSN and traditional BSN students under controlled conditions matched for identical instruction and performance measures. Outcomes analyzed included class test scores, nationally standardized examination scores, skills laboratory performance, and final course grades. Age, as a possible factor of any such differences, was also analyzed. The accelerated students performed significantly higher on every measure than did the students in the traditional program. Age was not found to be predictive of success in either group. Recommendations include modification of teaching strategies to accommodate accelerated students capable of higher performance.

Children with Sexual Behavior Problems

Abstract: Sexual behaviors in children span a continuum from typical to problematic Behaviors that involve sexual body parts and are developmentally inappropriate or harmful are considered to be problematic (ie, sexual behavior problems, SBP) There are multiple pathways to the development and maintenance of SBP in children For children with developmental disabilities, their SBP can be due to the unique circumstances of their disability Children with SBP are heterogeneous and distinct from adolescents with illegal sexual behaviors or adult sex offenders Focused clinical assessment facilitates treatment planning For many children with SBP, short-term, outpatient therapy that includes the primary caregiver(s) and focuses on behavioral parent training has been shown to reliably reduce and eliminate SBP in children and promote long-term sustainability of treatment gains

The Hardy inequality and nonlinear parabolic equations on Carnot groups

Abstract: In this paper we shall investigate the nonexistence of positive solutions for the following nonlinear parabolic partial differential equation: { ∂ u ∂ t = Δ G , p u + V ( x ) u p − 1 in Ω × ( 0 , T ) , 1 p 2 , u ( x , 0 ) = u 0 ( x ) ≥ 0 in Ω , u ( x , t ) = 0 on ∂ Ω × ( 0 , T ) , where Δ G , p is the p -sub-Laplacian on a Carnot group G and V ∈ L loc 1 ( Ω ) .

The Citation of Wikipedia in Judicial Opinions

Abstract: Wikipedia has been cited in over four hundred American judicial opinions. Courts have taken judicial notice of Wikipedia content, based their reasoning on Wikipedia entries, and decided dispositive motions on the basis of Wikipedia content. The impermanent nature of Wikipedia entries and their questionable quality raises a number of unique concerns. To date, no law review article has comprehensively examined the citation of Wikipedia in judicial opinions or considered its long-range implications for American law.This article reports the results of an exhaustive study examining every American judicial opinion that cites a Wikipedia entry. The article begins with a discussion of cases that cite Wikipedia for a significant aspect of the case before the court. The impact of these citations on litigants’ constitutional and procedural rights, the law of evidence, judicial ethics, and the judicial role in the common law adversarial system are explored. Part II discusses collateral references to Wikipedia entries. Part III proposes a set of best practices for when and how Wikipedia should be cited. Detailed statistics on the quality of Wikipedia entries cited in judicial opinions and the completeness and accuracy of citations to Wikipedia entries are provided. The article concludes with a discussion of the impact of Wikipedia citations in judicial opinions on the future of the law.

The Relationship Between Labor Market Structure and Clergy Compensation in Protestant Denominations

Abstract: Many recent economic studies have shown that traditional economic theory applies to nontraditional settings such as religious organizations. This paper contrasts two labor markets for clergy that result from different denominational polities to examine the impact of labor market structure on clergy compensation in Protestant denominations. Many Protestant churches operate autonomously and clergy and congregations negotiate contracts in a free market. However, in a distinct sub-group of Protestant denominations there is involvement by denominational hierarchy in order to raise the level of clergy compensation and benefits. Regression analysis using a unique, random sample of US clergy suggests that different labor market structures result in economically important and statistically significant differences in the distributions of clergy salaries and benefits.

The Freedom of 3D Thought: The First Amendment in Virtual Reality

Abstract: Unlike the virtual worlds of the present, which appear to us on two-dimensional computer screens, the virtual worlds of the near future will likely be 3D worlds that swallow our perceptual universe. In such an electronic environment, we don't merely move an "Avatar" on a virtual street; we have the experience of walking upon it ourselves. The street life we see consists not of computer animations confined to a rectangular interface, but pedestrians, street vendors, and cars that appear to move all around us. Such virtual reality (or VR) technology has long had a prominent place in science fiction - from the first episode of the Twilight Zone almost fifty years ago, to the cyberpunk of writers like William Gibson and Neal Stephenson, to Star Trek: The Next Generation's Holodeck, to the film, The Matrix. Thanks to Robert Nozick's "Experience Machine," it has also has a place in philosophy. According to a recent news report, an "immersive cocoon" - set to be available in 2014 - may soon give it a place in people's living rooms. This article seeks to understand its place in First Amendment law. My question, in short, is whether the actions we take in our personal Holodeck would count as "speech" or other First Amendment-protected activity. The First Amendment right to freedom of speech generally protects expression, not non-expressive conduct, such as driving a car, flying an airplane, or having sex. So where in this familiar First Amendment dichotomy does one place the convincing replica of non-expressive conduct that becomes possible inside a fully immersive VR world? Are we engaging in First Amendment "speech" when we drive a phantom car, pilot an illusory plane, or have virtual sex, and if so, why do activities such as these - which generally count as "non-expressive" conduct, unprotected by the First Amendment, in the physical world - suddenly become "expressive" in a 3D virtual world? In short, courts confronting such questions will have to decide whether VR's convincing illusions are First Amendment "speech," like the movies or video games of which they are arguably three-dimensional analogues, or "conduct" like the actions they mimic. Perhaps the most natural way to address this challenge is to ask, using the Supreme Court's test in Spence v. Washington, whether the virtual conduct is an activity that conveys a "particularized message" under circumstances in which an audience will be likely to understand that message ("the Spence test"), or, alternatively (under the exception to the Spence test established in Hurley v. Irish-American, Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Group of Boston) is analogous to a medium already recognized as expression, such as a parade, a painting, or a musical composition. Under such a framework, a virtual reality car ride or sexual encounter will not count as speech when people seek it for the same (non-expressive and non-artistic) reasons they seek out the real-life equivalent. This article, however, argues that such an approach is a flawed one when it applies to a private and solitary VR experience, like the one an individual would have in an adventure inside a real-life Experience Machine. When VR is used privately, I argue, it is best conceived as a technologically-sophisticated representation of individuals' fantasy life and, as such, should receive the same First Amendment protection that individuals receive when they draw sequences from a daydream or write thoughts in a journal. In fact, I argue, recognizing this helps us better mark out both the scope of First Amendment freedom of speech as well as the distinct protection that the First Amendment offers for our freedom of thought (as recognized in cases such as Stanley v. Georgia and Wooley v. Maynard). While the Spence test may help draw the boundaries of what counts as "speech" in communication or other dialogue, it should not guide us in determining what counts as "speech" or "thought" in unshared representations of our imagined worlds or actions. I argue here that private VR experience can help mark out these boundaries by clarifying (1) why such experience should count as solitary and protected speech of the kind we engage in when we draw a picture or write a poem for our own benefit and (2) why such experience should also come under the coverage of the First Amendment freedom of thought set out in Stanley v. Georgia. The same protections, I further argue, should also bar the government from thwarting our use of "telepresence" to create the illusion of being transported to another place in the real world, even though such VR experiences link us to the outside world in ways not true of films or books we watch or read in our own homes. Apart from providing us with an initial framework for applying the First Amendment to the revolutionary changes promised by VR, this analysis of VR's status under the First Amendment can also help us to think more carefully and systematically about how First Amendment freedom of thought might apply to other activity in the external world that is closely intertwined with thought (such as use of psychotropic medication or drugs to generate certain mental states, or observations that we make of the natural world or surrounding environment to gather certain kinds of information from sources other than speech).

Developing a library toolbar

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this article is to review the toolbar creation service, Conduit™ and provide instruction for configuring the toolbar search box.Design/methodology/approach – This article is based on the experience of the Dulaney‐Browne Library while developing a library toolbar using Conduit™.Findings – Conduit™ is a free service for creating toolbars to use with Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. Conduit™ is user‐friendly and initiative. However, there is a compatibility issue with the internet explore version and the Ebrary Reader ActiveX Control.Originality/value – This paper offers helpful tips on developing a library toolbar.

Data Quality and Failures Characterization of Sensing Data in Environmental Applications

Abstract: Environmental monitoring, targeting at discovering and understanding the environmental laws and changes, is one of the most important sensor network application domains. Environmental monitoring is one of the most important sensor network application domains. The success of those applications is determined by the quality of the collected data. Thus, it is crucial to carefully analyze the collected sensing data, which not only helps us understand the features of monitored field, but also unveil any limitations and opportunities that should be considered in future sensor system design. In this paper, we take an initial step and analyze one-month sensing data collected from a real-world water system surveillance application, focusing on the data similarity, data abnormality and failure patterns. Our major findings include: (1) Information similarity, including pattern similarity and numerical similarity, is very common, which provides a good opportunity to trade off energy efficiency and data quality; (2) Spatial and multi-modality correlation analysis provide a way to evaluate data integrity and to detect conflicting data that usually indicates appearances of sensor malfunction or interesting events; and (3) External harsh environmental conditions may be the most important factor on inflicting failures in environmental applications. Communication failures, mainly caused by lacking of synchronization, contribute the largest portion among all failure types.

The Use of Foreign Law by the Advocates General of the Court of Justice of the European Communities

Abstract: In her article inspiring this symposium Lyonette Louis-Jacques observed While citation analyses exist for American legal materials, there are none for foreign and international law. The Opinions of the Advocates General of Court of Justice of the European Communities (hereafter Court or E.C.J.) are fertile ground for such an analysis yet they have almost never been the subject of study. Citations to foreign law can be found in Advocates Generals' Opinions. The citation of United States law in Advocates General's Opinions has been the subject of two previous studies. Peter Herzog's 1998 article United States Supreme Court Cases in the Court of Justice of the European Communities looked at ten Advocates General Opinions from 1980 through 1995. Dr. Carl Baudenbacher's 2003 article Judicial Globalization: New Development or Old Wine in New Bottles? looked at references in eight opinions from 1985 through 1998, including several opinions mentioned in Herzog's article. Both articles only discuss the Advocates Generals' citation to the law of the United States. To date no study has looked beyond citations to United States law when examining the use of foreign law in Advocates Generals' Opinions. With this study I intend to mind the gap and examine references in Advocates Generals' Opinions to the laws of all non-Member States. This study will also update the Herzog and Baudenbacher articles by examining citation to foreign law in Opinions from 1998 through 2007. Part I of this article discusses Opinions citing U.S. law over the past decade and compares those Opinions with the Opinions identified in the Herzog and Baudenbacher articles. The theories posited in the Herzog and Baudenbacher articles are examined in light of the past decade of citation to U.S. law in Advocates Generals' Opinions. Part II explores the citation of non-Member State jurisdictions other than the United States in Advocate Generals' Opinions. Part III critically analyzes the citation of foreign law by Advocates General. This section explores why Advocates General cite foreign law, why they typically provide complete numerical citations when referring to U.S. law, and why they devote more textual space to discussing U.S. law. The study concludes with predictions for the future.

Has a Robotic Dog the Buddha-nature? Mu!

Abstract: Japanese Zen Buddhism offers a perspective on humanrobot interaction (HRI) that notably differs from views normally encountered in the Abrahamic religious traditions of the West. Professor Masahiro Mori’s book, The Buddha in the Robot: A Robot Engineer’s Thoughts on Science and Religion, supplies an especially clear articulation of a Buddhist vision of contemporary robotic technology. The present paper critically reviews Professor Mori’s account, focusing particularly upon the important chapter of his book titled “The Buddha-nature in the Robot.” Beyond the objective of helping to improve understanding of HRI in a broad multicultural context, this review aims also to identify philosophical/theological issues raised by Mori’s views that appear to hold practical implications for social acceptance of the subject technology.

Ethical Views, Religious Views, and Acceptance of Robotic Applications: A Pilot Study

Abstract: This paper reports a pilot study investigating relations of people’s moral and religious beliefs with their acceptance of specific suggested scenarios for human-robot interaction (HRI) involving life-like personal robots. Data collected via a multiple-choice survey that was focused upon these three classes of variables were subjected to k-means cluster analysis, disclosing some interesting prototype patterns of responses that recommend specific hypotheses for follow-on research.

Gaussian Estimates and Instantaneous Blowup

Abstract: For L a second order linear elliptic differential operator on $${\mathbb{R}}^N$$ , one is usually interested in finding positive solutions of the heat equation $$\frac{\partial u}{\partial {t}}=Lu+Vu,$$ where V is a nonnegative potential. But for L the Laplacian, it was discovered by [BG] in 1984 that positive solutions may not exist if V is too singular. We use Gaussian estimates to extend this result to the case when L is not symmetric.

A Floristic Study of the Vascular Plants of the Gypsum Hills and Redbed Plains Area of Southwestern Oklahoma

Abstract: The vascular floras of gypsum and redbed soils in southwestern Oklahoma were collected and studied during the growing season (April-October) of 1975. A total of 359 taxa and 230 genera and 63 families were included in the study. Thirteen taxa are considered to be gypsophiles and indicators of gypsum soils in Oklahoma. Nine taxa are considered calicoles occurring only on gypsum and limestone derived soils. Two introduced species, Bromus catharticus Vahl (syn. = Bromus willdenowii) and Caesalpinia gilliesii, are believed to be new additions to Oklahoma’s flora. Editor’s note: The abstract and a brief summary of this thesis was published as “Floristic Components of the Gypsum Hills and Redbed Plains Area of Southwestern Oklahoma” in The Southwestern Naturalist 24(3):431- 437 September 15, 1979 and is included here by permission.

Copyright and the Academic Library: The Ambiguities of Fair Use

Abstract: Copyright compliance presents a number of challenges to academic libraries including providing electronic access to materials to patrons and colloquia members, serving as copyright experts to faculty, negotiating advantageous licensing agreements, and keeping up with continually changing federal and international standards. Currently, digitization and electronic dissemination of materials dominate the academic library discourse regarding copyright. These technologies were not anticipated by the original Copyright Law (2008) and have yet to be effectively included . Current laws such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), Section 108, library and archives exemptions to the Copyright Law (Section 108), and the Technology Education and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH Act), all of which are intended to establish guidelines for librarians and educators, simply highlight the law’s shortcomings. The exemptions and guidelines these rules create do not address all possible scenarios forcing librarians to turn to Section 107 of the Copyright Law (2008), the vague fair use balancing test. To add to the confusion several important developments occurred in copyright law in October of 2008, which will impact academic libraries’ fair use copyright policies: the passage of the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act (PRO IP), the filing of Cambridge University Press et. al. v. Patton et. al, and Google’s settlement of multiple lawsuits targeting their Google Books project.

What if Employees Owned Their Copyrights

Abstract: This short article is based on a presentation at a 2007 conference on alternative intellectual property and cyberlaw stories at Michigan State University College of Law. I first assess the traditional copyright story that adoption of the work for hire doctrine was necessary to provide incentives for copyright industries. That story proves unconvincing in light of the history of the copyright industries and the ready availability of contractual assignments. I then posit an alternative story in which the doctrine was never adopted and industries were forced to rely entirely on copyright assignments. Exploration of that scenario suggests that, while failure to adopt the work for hire doctrine would have had little impact on incentives for creation of works, it would have posed serious barriers to the licensing of works in the later years of their copyright terms, thereby limiting public access to such works.

The Corporation as Administrative Agency: Tax Expenditures and Institutional Design

Abstract: Tax expenditure analysis asserts that an income tax system is a poor vehicle for implementing non-tax goals. The traditional analysis argues that government subsidies now made available through tax deductions, tax credits, and the like should be converted into direct government expenditures administered by a specialized agency. This Article reconsiders tax expenditure analysis in light of institutional economics. The Article suggests that a complete analysis of the use of tax expenditures must include a comparison of an administrative agency with corporations as administrators of collective decisions. The analysis should not only compare an organization in the public sector to organizations in the private sector, but should also compare a centralized administrator to a decentralized group of administrators. The Article concludes that, under specified circumstances, tax expenditures may be appropriate means for implementing non-tax goals. By blending the public and private spheres and by blending centralization with decentralization, tax expenditures are a means of reducing the burden of transaction costs inherent in collective action.

Medellin and Originalism

Abstract: In Medellin v. Texas, the Supreme Court permitted Texas to proceed with the execution of a Mexican national who had not been given timely notice of his right of consular notification and consultation in violation of the United States' obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. It did so despite its finding that the United States had an obligation under treaty law to comply with an order of the International Court of Justice that Medellin's case be granted review and reconsideration. The international obligation, the Court found, was not domestically enforceable because the treaties at issue were not self-executing. The five Justices who signed the Chief Justice's Majority opinion, including the Court's self-proclaimed originalists, thus joined an opinion that construed the Constitution's Supremacy Clause without any serious consideration of its language or the history of its drafting, ignoring evidence of the Supremacy Clause's original meaning cited by the dissenting Justices. This Article explores the meaning of originalism in the context of the Court's Medellin decision and contends that the Majority's opinion, while perhaps defensible on other grounds, cannot be reconciled with any identifiable version of originalism. Rather it is best understood as a decision reflecting the conservative Majority's political commitment to favor principles of U.S. sovereignty and federalism over compliance with international obligations, even when the consequences of such a commitment is to enable state governments to undermine the foreign policy decisions of the political branches of the federal government. Ultimately, however, the Article concludes that Medellin's case never should have come before the Court. The President has a duty to take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed. The Court determined that the Bush administration did not satisfy this duty by issuing an Executive Memorandum directing states to comply with the judgment of the International Court of Justice. That being the case, the President now must comply with his Take Care Clause duties by working with Congress to make certain that federal law compels compliance with the International Court of Justice's judgment. Indeed, this Article contends that the Medellin case is emblematic of the U.S. executive branch's broader failure to ensure that all treaties requiring domestic implementation are in fact implemented so as to avoid placing the United States in violation of its international obligations.

Verb-subject word order in Albanian English: Verb-subject word order in Albanian English

Abstract: This paper examines some verb–subject constructions which were found in a number of articles in English published in Albanian newspapers and magazines. These inverse-order constructions are in contrast with the fixed subject–verb word order of English. Based on (the preverbal) sentence-initial element, three main groups of verb–subject constructions have been identified in the English texts of the Albanian periodicals: the ones preceded by (a) a topicalized adverbial, prepositional object, or subject complement, (b) the introductory it, and (c) the dummy subject there. The data show that these verb–subject constructions are used to render the discourse function of focus, i.e. new information in discourse. The presence of these constructions in Albanian English provides support for the complementary hypothesis on languages in contact, which highlights the competing influences of both the substrate (L1) and the superstrate (L2) languages. It is suggested that the frequent use of verb–subject word order of Albanian to render focus and the saliency of it and there constructions in English may have contributed to the emergence of these types of construction in Albanian English.

Hegel on the Place of Corporations Within Ethical Life

Abstract: and incapable of providing ethical actors with grounds that will motivate them consistently to pursue the good. In this section, I will work to clarify the theoretical basis of Hegel’s ethical philosophy and to counter a common objection to this theory, namely that it is merely descriptive of social practices and has no normative or critical capacity. Countering this objection will allow us to see Hegel’s theory of the corporation as a prescriptive ethical model for business practices that is still applicable today. The term ‘ethical life’ is the accepted English translation of Hegel’s German term ‘Sittlichkeit’. The term ‘Sitte’ means ‘custom’ in German, and Sittlichkeit could best be translated as: an ethics that is rooted in customs. In contrast to this notion of ethical life, Hegel uses the term ‘morality’ to describe a normative perspective that considers the moral worth of an action in terms of subject-oriented standards: the goodness of a person’s intentions, the consistency with which one can will a course of action, the results of an action for one’s own well being or that of others.1 ‘Ethical life’ on the other hand implies a normative perspective that takes into account the social context of an action: how does the action represent a response to social norms and institutional structures? How does the action work to change a defective social practice, or how does it conform to a good social practice?2 Hegel does not completely deny the validity of the perspective that he calls morality. As agents who have a limited knowledge of the world and how our actions fit into it, we are forced to turn inwards and focus on our actions form this moral perspective. What is more, the development of a moral perspective on the world shows the autonomy that people gain in certain societies to abstract themselves from the social norms around them and take up a critical stance. Hegel considers such autonomy to be one of the most valuable aspects of modern, Western cultures. But he argues that if philosophy is to give a fully consistent account of the way in which people manage to actualize their moral goals, it must take into account the actual political and social structure of the world, how it motivates them to act, how their actions relate to it, and how the meaning that they give to their actions is shaped through institutions and practices. This argument by Hegel could be compared to the moment in Plato’s Republic where Socrates claims that if we want to know what justice is,