Right of Possession: A Comparative Legal Analysis of NAGPRA

Repatriation attempts to reconcile opposing values regarding human skeletal remains. Repatriation has sometimes been contentious because it raises the question of which aspect of human remains is more important, cultural or scientific values. Repatriation is also an issue of power. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) provides a procedural framework with which to negotiate power relationships between scholars, tribes, and the U.S. government. Property rights are integral to power, as the holder controls the use of and access to and interpretation of indigenous skeletal remains. Property rights concerning Native American human remains are an integral part of indigenous cultural self-representation. Property rights over human remains are part of the struggle of Native American communities for political and cultural sovereignty. Applying the concept of ownership to human remains is controversial, however, because such rights determines who controls access and interprets human remains and associated cultural materials. NAGPRA is a multifaceted law that strives to address the issue of possession of indigenous human remains and cultural objects. NAGPRA draws upon many aspects of the American legal system, such as property, constitutional, and tribal sovereignty law. The Act has equally complex regulations, some of which have sparked controversy and animosity between repatriation advocates and opponents. This thesis creates a legislative history of NAGPRA by examining the socio-historical processes that lead up its passage. The Act has been described as a property law, a procedural law, and as human rights legislation. The Act is partly all of these, which creates conflict in interpreting and applying its regulations. This thesis addresses the need for an examination of NAGPRA through the various fields of law that make up its legislative history and legal framework. This thesis will also examine the different legal aspects of the Act, such as property law and tribal sovereignty. Repatriation polices and case studies from the United States and abroad will be briefly discussed to examine NAGPRA in an international context

Non-Reacting Spray Characteristics of Gasoline and Diesel With a Heavy-Duty Single-Hole Injector

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) is a promising combustion technology that could help alleviate the projected demand for diesel in commercial transport while providing a pathway to achieve upcoming CO2 and criteria pollutant regulations for heavy-duty engines. However, relatively high (i.e., diesel-like) injection pressures are needed to enable GCI across the entire load range while maintaining soot emissions benefits and managing heat release rates. There have only been a limited number of previous studies investigating the spray characteristics of light distillates with high-pressure direct-injection hardware under charge gas conditions relevant to heavy-duty applications. The current work aims to address this issue while providing experimental data needed for calibrating spray models used in simulation-led design activities. The non-reacting spray characteristics of two gasoline-like fuels relevant to GCI were studied and compared to ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD). These fuels shared similar physical properties and were thus differentiated based on their research octane number (RON). Although RON60 and RON92 had different reactivities, it was hypothesized that they would exhibit similar non-reacting spray characteristics due to their physical similarities. Experiments were conducted in an optically accessible, constant volume combustion chamber using a single-hole injector representing high-pressure, common-rail fuel systems. Shadowgraph and Mie-scattering techniques were employed to measure the spray dispersion angles and penetration lengths under both non-vaporizing and vaporizing conditions. Gasoline-like fuels exhibited similar or larger non-vaporizing dispersion angle compared to ULSD. All fuels followed a typical correlation based on air-to-fuel density ratio indicating that liquid density is the main governing fuel parameter. Injection pressure had a negligible effect on the dispersion angle. Gasoline-like fuels had slower non-vaporizing penetration rates compared to ULSD, primarily due to their larger dispersion angles. As evidenced by the collapse of data onto a non-dimensional penetration correlation over a wide range of test conditions, all fuels conformed to the expected physical theory governing non-vaporizing sprays. There was no significant trend in the vaporizing dispersion angle with respect to fuel type which remained relatively constant across the entire charge gas temperature range of 800–1200 K. There was also no discernable difference in vapor penetration among the fuels or across charge temperature. The liquid length of gasoline-like fuels was much shorter than ULSD and exhibited no dependence on charge temperature at a given charge gas pressure. This behavior was attributed to gasoline being limited by interphase transport as opposed to mixing or air entrainment rates during its evaporation process. RON92 had a larger non-vaporizing dispersion angle but similar penetration compared to RON60. Although this seems to violate the original similarity hypothesis for these fuels, the analysis was made difficult due to the use of different injector builds for the experiments. However, RON92 did show a slightly larger vapor dispersion angle than RON60 and ULSD. This observation was attributed to nuanced volatility differences between the gasoline-like fuels and indicates that vapor dispersion angle likely relies on a more complex correlation beyond that of only air-to-fuel density ratio. Finally, RON92 showed the same quantitative liquid length and insensitivity to charge gas temperature as RON60

Feasibility of Obtaining Surface Layer Moisture Flux Using an IR Thermometer

This paper evaluates the feasibility of a method using a single hand-held infrared (IR) thermometer and a mini tower of wet and dry paper towels to psychometrically obtain surface layer temperature and moisture gradients and fluxes. Sling Psychrometers have long been standard measuring devices for quantifying the thermodynamics of near-surface atmospheric gas–vapor mixtures, specifically moisture parameters. However, these devices are generally only used to measure temperature and humidity at one near-surface level. Multiple self-aspirating psychrometers can be used in a vertical configuration to measure temperature and moisture gradients and fluxes in the first 1–2 m of the surface layer. This study explores a way to make multiple vertical psychrometric measurements with a single non-contact IR temperature sensor rather than using two in situ thermometers at each level. The surface layer dry- and wet-bulb temperatures obtained using an IR Thermometer are compared to Kestrel 4000 Weather Meter and Bacharach Sling Psychrometer measurements under various atmospheric conditions and surface types to test the viability of the method. To evaluate the results obtained using this new approach, standard meteorological surface data are collected during each experiment, and moisture parameters are derived via psychrometric equations. The results indicate that, not only is the method possible and practical, but they suggest that the IR Thermometer method may provide more surface layer temperature and moisture gradient and flux sensitivity than other single instrument methods

Section 5: Cumulative Ecosystem Effects

Section 5 introduces cumulative effects and brings in brief case discussions focused on herring, salmon, and orcas. Understanding the layers of stressors the ecosystem faces is integral to gaining a full picture of declines in ecosystem function

The effect of solvent choice on the gelation and final hydrogel properties of Fmoc–diphenylalanine

Gels can be formed by dissolving Fmoc–diphenylalanine (Fmoc–PhePhe or FmocFF) in an organic solvent and adding water. We show here that the choice and amount of organic solvent allows the rheological properties of the gel to be tuned. The differences in properties arise from the microstructure of the fibre network formed. The organic solvent can then be removed post-gelation, without significant changes in the rheological properties. Gels formed using acetone are meta-stable and crystals of FmocFF suitable for X-ray diffraction can be collected from this gel

Structural and functional interactions between six-transmembrane mu-opioid receptors and beta(2)-adrenoreceptors modulate opioid signaling

The primary molecular target for clinically used opioids is the mu-opioid receptor (MOR). Besides the major seven-transmembrane (7TM) receptors, the MOR gene codes for alternatively spliced six-transmembrane (6TM) isoforms, the biological and clinical significance of which remains unclear. Here, we show that the otherwise exclusively intracellular localized 6TM-MOR translocates to the plasma membrane upon coexpression with beta(2)-adrenergic receptors (beta(2)-ARs) through an interaction with the fifth and sixth helices of beta(2)-AR. Coexpression of the two receptors in BE(2)-C neuroblastoma cells potentiates calcium responses to a 6TM-MOR ligand, and this calcium response is completely blocked by a selective beta(2)-antagonist in BE(2)-C cells, and in trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia. Co-administration of 6TM-MOR and beta(2)-AR ligands leads to substantial analgesic synergy and completely reverses opioid-induced hyperalgesia in rodent behavioral models. Together, our results provide evidence that the heterodimerization of 6TM-MOR with beta(2)-AR underlies a molecular mechanism for 6TM cellular signaling, presenting a unique functional responses to opioids. This signaling pathway may contribute to the hyperalgesic effects of opioids that can be efficiently blocked by beta(2)-AR antagonists, providing a new avenue for opioid therapy.Peer reviewe

The expression of the ubiquitin ligase SIAH2 (seven in absentia homolog 2) is mediated through gene copy number in breast cancer and is associated with a basal-like phenotype and p53 expression

Introduction: The seven in absentia homolog 2 (SIAH2) protein plays a significant role in the hypoxic response by regulating the abundance of hypoxia-inducible factor-α; however, its role in breast carcinoma is unclear. We investigated the frequency and expression pattern of SIAH2 in two independent cohorts of sporadic breast cancers.Methods: Immunohistochemical evaluation of SIAH2protein expression was conducted in normal breast tissues and in tissue microarrays comprising ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and a cohort of invasive breast carcinomas. Correlation analysis was performed between SIAH2 and clinicopathological variables and intrinsic breast cancer subgroups and validated in a cohort of 293 invasive ductal carcinomas. Promoter methylation, gene copy number and mRNA expression of SIAH2 were determined in a panel of basal-like tumors and cell lines.Results: There was a significant increase in nuclear SIAH2 expression from normal breast tissues through to DCIS and progression to invasive cancers. A significant inverse correlation was apparent between SIAH2 and estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor and a positive association with tumor grade, HER2, p53 and an intrinsic basal-like subtype. Logistic regression analysis confirmed the significant positive association between SIAH2 expression and the basal-like phenotype. No SIAH2 promoter methylation was identified, yet there was a significant correlation between SIAH2 mRNA and gene copy number. SIAH2-positive tumors were associated with a shorter relapse-free survival in univariate but not multivariate analysis.Conclusions: SIAH2 expression is upregulated in basal-like breast cancers via copy number changes and/or transcriptional activation by p53 and is likely to be partly responsible for the enhanced hypoxic drive through abrogation of the prolyl hydroxylases

Estimating cumulative pathway effects on risk for age-related macular degeneration using mixed linear models

BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible visual loss in the elderly in developed countries and typically affects more than 10 % of individuals over age 80. AMD has a large genetic component, with heritability estimated to be between 45 % and 70 %. Numerous variants have been identified and implicate various molecular mechanisms and pathways for AMD pathogenesis but those variants only explain a portion of AMD’s heritability. The goal of our study was to estimate the cumulative genetic contribution of common variants on AMD risk for multiple pathways related to the etiology of AMD, including angiogenesis, antioxidant activity, apoptotic signaling, complement activation, inflammatory response, response to nicotine, oxidative phosphorylation, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. While these mechanisms have been associated with AMD in literature, the overall extent of the contribution to AMD risk for each is unknown. METHODS: In a case–control dataset with 1,813 individuals genotyped for over 600,000 SNPs we used Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis (GCTA) to estimate the proportion of AMD risk explained by SNPs in genes associated with each pathway. SNPs within a 50 kb region flanking each gene were also assessed, as well as more distant, putatively regulatory SNPs, based on DNaseI hypersensitivity data from ocular tissue in the ENCODE project. RESULTS: We found that 19 previously associated AMD risk SNPs contributed to 13.3 % of the risk for AMD in our dataset, while the remaining genotyped SNPs contributed to 36.7 % of AMD risk. Adjusting for the 19 risk SNPs, the complement activation and inflammatory response pathways still explained a statistically significant proportion of additional risk for AMD (9.8 % and 17.9 %, respectively), with other pathways showing no significant effects (0.3 % – 4.4 %). DISCUSSION: Our results show that SNPs associated with complement activation and inflammation significantly contribute to AMD risk, separately from the risk explained by the 19 known risk SNPs. We found that SNPs within 50 kb regions flanking genes explained additional risk beyond genic SNPs, suggesting a potential regulatory role, but that more distant SNPs explained less than 0.5 % additional risk for each pathway. CONCLUSIONS: From these analyses we find that the impact of complement SNPs on risk for AMD extends beyond the established genome-wide significant SNPs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12859-015-0760-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Linking Symptom Inventories using Semantic Textual Similarity

An extensive library of symptom inventories has been developed over time to measure clinical symptoms, but this variety has led to several long standing issues. Most notably, results drawn from different settings and studies are not comparable, which limits reproducibility. Here, we present an artificial intelligence (AI) approach using semantic textual similarity (STS) to link symptoms and scores across previously incongruous symptom inventories. We tested the ability of four pre-trained STS models to screen thousands of symptom description pairs for related content - a challenging task typically requiring expert panels. Models were tasked to predict symptom severity across four different inventories for 6,607 participants drawn from 16 international data sources. The STS approach achieved 74.8% accuracy across five tasks, outperforming other models tested. This work suggests that incorporating contextual, semantic information can assist expert decision-making processes, yielding gains for both general and disease-specific clinical assessment