Why Genetic Testing Should be Mandated

This paper examines genetic testing and its importance in promoting both individual health and public health. The original purpose of genetic testing was to prevent disabilities, whereas the focus has now shifted to understanding the complexities of the human genome and using this information to promote health and well-being. Genetic testing offers many benefits including determining genetic links for disease, developing proactive treatment plans, and preventing the spread of disease through reproductive genetic testing. Mandating genetic testing provides benefits to people of all ages. Child welfare is promoted because early detection of certain diseases can result in a successful treatment. Public health is promoted because those who are unknowingly carrying a mutation can now seek preventative treatment. Aside from aiming to decrease the prevalence of disease in society, research and awareness about diseases that currently do not have a cure will be promoted. The importance of genetic testing travels far beyond individual health; promoting public health can be one of the most beneficial things we can do together, as a society

Free to Squander? Democracy, Institutional Design, and Economic Sustainability, 1975–2000

While democracy’s effect on economic growth has come under intense empirical scrutiny, its effect on economic sustainability has been noticeably neglected. We assess the effects of regime type and democratic institutional design on economic, or “weak” sustainability. Sustainability requires that stocks of capital do not depreciate in value over time. The World Bank gauges the rate of net investment in manufactured, human, and natural capital, a unified indicator of weak sustainability (the genuine savings rate). All four indicators of democracy we examine show that freer societies have higher genuine savings rates because they invest more in human capital, create less CO2 damage, and extract fewer natural resources per economic unit produced, even if they show lower net investment in manufactured capital. Democracies may trade off immediate material welfare gains for future pay-offs. This finding justifies why scholars should assess the effects of regime type on more than just immediate growth or the rate of change of manufactured capital. Among democracies, we find that pure parliamentary systems spend more on education than do presidential ones, but exhibit no statistically significant difference for the overall genuine savings rate. Proportional representation electoral systems fare worse than plurality when it comes to genuine and net national savings, even though they do better on education spending. The results taken together show that differences in regime type and democratic institutional design allow for different trade-offs. The results are robust to a range of specifications and a developing country only sub- sample.

Thesis Proposal and Project: The Cave

This piece is a work of creative writing, inspired by a true story. Slowly, it transitioned from creative nonfiction to a work of science fiction

A genomic and quantitative evaluation of modern Charolais sired calves versus multigenerational Angus sired calves for growth and carcass quality and compostion traits

The objective of this study is to evaluate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms with growth, performance, and carcass quality and composition characteristics in a population of cattle consisting of multigenerational Angus sired calves and modern characteristic Charolais sired calves. A total of 132 calves were evaluated. Due to a limited sample population statistical difference was set at p ˂ 0.05 and statistical trends were set at p ˂ 0.1. Mean birth weights were significantly higher for Charolais sired calves as compared to Angus sired calves. Significant differences were observed between the two breed types for mean weaning weights with Angus sired calves having heavier weaning weights as compared to Charolais sired calves. Charolais sired animals had significantly larger rib eye areas as compared to the Angus sired animals. A significant difference was observed between the two groups for back fat thickness with the Angus sired animals having a larger amount than the Charolais sired animals. Angus sired animals had significantly higher marbling scores as compared to the Charolais sired animals. Eleven SNP on CAPN3 and two SNP on CAST were found to be associated with at least one of the traits observed. Two of these SNP were significantly associated with weaning weight. Three of these SNP were significantly associated with hip height. One SNP was significantly associated with average daily gain. Three of these SNP were significantly associated with hot carcass weight. One of the SNP was significantly associated with marbling score. One was significantly associated with rib eye area and two of these SNP were significantly associated with back fat thickness

Search to Clarify an Elusive Standard: What Relationships between Arbitrator and Party Demonstrate Evident Partiality - ANR Coal Co. v. Cogentrix of North Carolina, Inc., The

In Commonwealth Coatings Corp. v. Continental Casualty Co.,3 the Supreme Court adopted a standard to determine and define an arbitrator\u27s evident partiality in arbitration proceedings. Lower courts have relied on the Court\u27s treatment of the issue, but this reliance has proved problematic, and led to both federal and state courts adopting inconsistent standards of evident partiality. This Casenote will examine the problems of Commonwealth, its impact on the standards of arbitrator partiality over the past thirty years, its continuing influence on the recent Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in ANR Coal Co. v. Cogentrix of North Carolina, Inc., and the future of Commonwealth as continuing precedent

Mediator\u27s Privilege: Can a Mediator Be Compelled to Testify in a Civil Case - California Privilege Law Says Yes - Olam v. Congress Mortgage Co., The

In the present case, Olain v. Congress, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California has, in a precedent-setting opinion, forced a mediator to testify in a subsequent civil procedure. 9 This Note will examine two recurring issues regarding mediation: first, the appropriate law to be applied when a case sits in federal court; and second, the history of the mediation privilege, the present state of the mediation privilege within the federal and state courts, and the consequences of the instant case

Mediator\u27s Privilege: Can a Mediator Be Compelled to Testify in a Civil Case - California Privilege Law Says Yes - Olam v. Congress Mortgage Co., The

In the present case, Olain v. Congress, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California has, in a precedent-setting opinion, forced a mediator to testify in a subsequent civil procedure. 9 This Note will examine two recurring issues regarding mediation: first, the appropriate law to be applied when a case sits in federal court; and second, the history of the mediation privilege, the present state of the mediation privilege within the federal and state courts, and the consequences of the instant case

Search to Clarify an Elusive Standard: What Relationships between Arbitrator and Party Demonstrate Evident Partiality - ANR Coal Co. v. Cogentrix of North Carolina, Inc., The

In Commonwealth Coatings Corp. v. Continental Casualty Co.,3 the Supreme Court adopted a standard to determine and define an arbitrator\u27s evident partiality in arbitration proceedings. Lower courts have relied on the Court\u27s treatment of the issue, but this reliance has proved problematic, and led to both federal and state courts adopting inconsistent standards of evident partiality. This Casenote will examine the problems of Commonwealth, its impact on the standards of arbitrator partiality over the past thirty years, its continuing influence on the recent Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in ANR Coal Co. v. Cogentrix of North Carolina, Inc., and the future of Commonwealth as continuing precedent