Production and Marketing Characteristics of U.S. Pork Producers, 2006

Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,

Enhancing efficiency of single, large-aperture antennas

Numerical analysis method provides means of describing energy distribution in focal plane of parabolic surface in terms of phase and wavelength. Two approaches for enhancing antenna efficiency include single, large reflector focused to feeding element, and array of smaller apertures whose individual outputs are summed

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Small Molecules in the Discovery of Novel Antimicrobial Agents

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis, pushes us to discover new antibacterial agents to maintain adequate patient coverage. This body of work highlights the use of medicinal chemistry methodologies that encompass cross-disciplinary fields of study. Chapter 1 gives an introduction to the antibacterial drug targets, resistance, and how scientists are working to overcome obstacles encountered with drug-resistant bacteria. It also details modern medicinal chemistry applications in antimicrobial drug discovery. Chapter 2 details the use of a structure-guided library approach to drug design, in which large virtual libraries against the target are generated and filtered, based on pharmacophoric and structural constraints, to produce smaller and more structurally complex libraries prioritized for synthesis. In this work, bi-aryl sulfonamide libraries using contemporary medicinal chemistry techniques were synthesized as potential inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall biosynthesis via the rhamnose pathway. Chapter 3 describes the discovery of novel inhibitors of the PlsX/PlsY pathway to phosphatidic acid, a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of phospholipids in Gram-positive bacteria. Substrate mimics, incorporating various bioisosteric replacement head groups, were discovered demonstrating good enzyme inhibition and good antimicrobial activity against clinically relevant bacteria. Finally, Chapter 4 provides an overall discussion of the work detailed in this dissertation and future directions that will continue the advancement of these projects

Review of \u3cem\u3eSociological Theory: From the 1950s to the Present.\u3c/em\u3e Richard Munch. Reviewed by Michael D. Frimes, Louisiana State University.

Richard Munch, Sociological Theory: From the 1850s to the Present. Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall, 1994. $51.95 hardcover

Review of Human Pathogenic Bacteria in Marine Animals with Emphasis on Sharks

Bacteria belonging to the genus Vibn\u27o were demonstrated as etiologic agents of disease in captive sharks, following their isolation from a dead sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, and from experimentally infected lemon sharks, Negaprion brevirostris. Studies were expanded to healthy, freeranging sharks captured and sampled for bacteria at Bimini, Bahamas. The bacterial flora of 28 neritic sharks, comprising five species, were examined. All 28 sharks were colonized with bacteria, primarily the genus Vibrio. All tissues and organs sampled contained Vibrio spp.• including liver, spleen, kidney, eye, mouth, skin, pancreas, intestine, stomach, gall bladder, gill slits, and fetuses (from a pregnant sharpnose). The conclusion, based on over 300 bacterial isolates from over 50 healthy sharks, is that sharks contain an autochthonous flora in most tissues and organs. The bacteria typically number between 102 and 105 bacteria per gram of tissue except blood, which is free from both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Human pathogens among the isolates included V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus, Listonella damsela, and Clostridium spp. While their ecological niche remains an enigma, it is clear that bacteria in healthy sharks can derive nutrients from elasmobranchs and, under conditions of stress to the host, cause death. Equally clear is the fact that when used as food, shark meat must be thoroughly cooked to destroy potential pathogens. If not properly cooked, pathogens such as V. parahaemolyticus could initiate gastroenteritis

Aligning Judicial Elections with Our Constitutional Values: The Separation of Powers, Judicial Free Speech, and Due Process

This Note consists of five Parts. Part II traces the historical development of state judicial elections from the perspective of the Framers\u27 doctrine of separation of powers. It shows that judicial elections were borne more of historical contingency than constitutional design. Part II then assesses the recent history of elections to the Ohio Supreme Court. It determines that Ohio\u27s judicial elections share two problems with many other states: millions of dollars given to judicial candidates by special interests likely to appear before the court, and candidates\u27 broad freedom of speech to earn the political and financial support of these special interests. Part III analyzes the important cases discussing judicial candidates\u27 free speech rights and litigants\u27 due process right to an impartial tribunal. Further, it explores how these conflicting constitutional rights may be reconciled. Part III then looks at recent cases where litigants or their counsels have sought judges\u27 recusal because of perceived bias. Finally, Part III weighs the rights of judicial candidates, litigants, and contributors and concludes that there is a compelling state interest in severely limiting those of contributors by instituting full public financing of judicial campaigns. Part IV looks at several ways in which current judicial election systems may be improved to bring back judicial independence and impartiality. It argues that the standard of judicial recusal must be changed to require judges to bow out of many more cases than current practice dictates. Part IV then sketches out the possibilities (and perils) of full public funding of judicial elections. The best plan, which would require no taxpayer money, would allow states to retain judicial elections while reclaiming the Framers\u27 separation of powers interest in judicial independence. Part V concludes this Note with alternate visions of the near future where both “worse-case” and “better-case” scenarios have taken hold