Administrative Compensation for Medical Injuries: Lessons From Three Foreign Systems

Examines "no-fault" systems in New Zealand, Sweden, and Denmark, in which patients injured by medical negligence can file for compensation through governmental or private adjudicating organizations. Considers lessons for U.S. medical malpractice reform

Evaluation of Transmissible Gastroenteritis and Porcine Respiratory Coronavirus Immunologic Interaction in Seronegative Pregnant Gilts

19 leaves. Advisor: Mark WelterThe primary objective of this study was to determine if Porcine Respiratory Coronavirus (PRCV) sensitized gilts responded to intranmuscular (IM) vaccination with Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus (TGEV) in a similar fashion as gilts sensitized to TGEV alone. It was demonstrated that pregnant gilts sensitized to PRCV, prior to TGEV vaccination, do not produce significantly higher TGEV serum neutralizing antibody titers when compared with gilts sensitized to either PRCV or TGEV alone, Anti-TOEV IgG and IgA levels were assayed for in post-farrow milks from all gilt groups. Only IgG was detected which indicated a lack of mucosal priming. The second objective of this study was to determine if animals, which have recovered from a TGEV infection, can be infected with PRCV. TGEV antibodies circulating in these exposed piglets prevented PRCV infection as demonstrated by the absence of PRCV shedding during the post-challenge period. It was found that these piglets had an eight-fold boost in TGEV serum neutralizing antibody titers 21-days post PRCV challenge. Piglets that had not been exposed to TGEV significantly shed virus during this same post-challenge period and exhibited a three-fold boost in TGEV neutralizing antibody titer. Piglets that had suckled TGEV immune dams were also, for the most part, protected from PRCV shedding but exhibited no boost in TGEV serum neutralizing antibody titer

I, Too, Am a Woman: an Emancipatory Text on the Intersections of Race, Gender, and Sexuality

This inquiry builds upon Black Feminism and Critical Race Feminist frameworks by exploring the juxtaposition between Black Women and Queer Black Women. It is also an exploration of the similarities between Queer Black Women and Black Women and how they interact with femininity and masculinity, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. Claiming digital space through podcasting, it honors the power of counter narratives by employing autoethnographical story telling. It examines the multivalent ways in which critical geographies, safe spaces, and homeplaces nurture or alienate Black Women on the basis of sexual orientation, gender performance, race, and social class. Employing tenets of Black Feminist Thought, Critical Race Feminism, Black Queer Studies, and Black Cultural Studies this work reveals that the gap between margins of Queer Black Womanhood and Black Womanhood is a critical geography ripe with the fertile soil necessary to nourish a reimagined Black Feminist Agenda that is complex, progressive, and inclusive

A Comparison of Analytical Methods for Quantifying Denatured Whey Proteins and Their Correlation to Solubility

Protein structure affects the bioactivity and functionality of whey protein ingredients in food systems. Bioactivity of whey proteins and their derivatives are highly dependent upon primary, secondary and tertiary structure. The degree of denaturation of whey proteins is an important factor for determining how whey protein ingredients will perform in a food system. Several analytical methods have been developed to quantify protein denaturation of whey proteins. The goal of this project was to use a variety of analytical methods to quantify whey protein denaturation and to evaluate the correlation of denaturation to the functionality of whey protein powders. The objective of the first series of experiments was to compare three different analytical methods to measure denaturation of whey proteins in liquid whey obtained by various methods of separation and with varying degrees of heat treatment. A split plot experimental design was used. Raw bovine milk was skimmed and liquid whey was separated from the skim milk at natural pH. Three separation methods: 1) centrifugation, 2) membrane filtration and 3) enzyme coagulation, made up the first split plot. Each sub-plot of liquid whey was then divided into three split plots to receive heat treatment. Heat treatments were no heat, 76°C for fifteen seconds and 85°C for three minutes. Each of the resulting nine treatment combinations was analyzed by 1) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, 2) bicinchoninic acid-soluble protein assay and 3) fluorescence spectroscopy to determine the amount of denatured protein in the liquid whey. Fluorescence spectroscopy was found to be the most sensitive and reliable method for detecting differences in structure due to denaturation, while native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was found to be the least sensitive method. The sample which received the centrifugal treatment of isolation with no heat was found to be the most undenatured in structure while the sample which received the enzyme treatment of isolation with high heat was found to be the most denatured in structure. The objective of the second series of experiments was to evaluate the effect of denaturation on whey protein solubility in dried whey protein powders. Solubility is one of the most important functional properties to consider when selecting a whey protein ingredient, especially for beverage systems. Processing parameters are often manipulated in efforts to improve solubility. The protein structures of whey are considered to have an effect on solubility. Specifically, the degree of denaturation of whey proteins is thought to play a role in solubility. In this experimental design, raw bovine milk was skimmed and pasteurized then enzyme-coagulated at natural pH to separate the whey. Liquid whey was then split into three aliquots and each received one of the following treatments: 1) mild heat/ freeze dry, 2) mild heat/spray dry and 3) high heat/spray dry. Heat treatment was applied to liquid whey prior to concentration. Heat treated whey was then concentrated and dried. Powders were reconstituted and analyzed for denaturation using 1) bicinchoninic acid assay for soluble protein and 2) fluorescence spectroscopy and for solubility using an insolubility index. pH 4.6 solubility and fluorescence spectroscopy for quantifying denaturation correlated well to one another. Both found that the low heat treated samples were less denatured in structure than the sample which received the high heat treatment, regardless of drying method. However, the drying method of the protein powders was correlated to solubility rather than heat treatment. A correlation of denaturation measured in whey protein powders and solubility was apparent for the low heat, freeze dried sample and the high heat, spray dried sample. Several conclusions were made in this research. 1) Centrifugal force causes less denaturation than membrane filtration and enzyme coagulation, thus unheated liquid whey obtained by centrifugal force can be used as a control in research on denaturation. 1) Fluorescence spectroscopy is a better method for quantifying denaturation in liquid and powdered whey compared to native PAGE and pH 4.6 solubility measured by BCA. 3) Functional solubility is dependent on denaturation and can be correlated to analytical methods of measuring denaturation

A Revamped Menu for Information Literacy Instruction: Catering to Newly Admitted Doctoral Students

A review of the library literature has uncovered very little research about effective instruction for newly admitted university doctoral students. Library instruction for these students is mainly focused on workshops for conducting a literature review. This assistance is relevant later in their studies, when they are publishing journal articles and writing a dissertation proposal, but doctoral students also have unique needs their first year, when they are adjusting to the program demands and preparing for comprehensive exams. Faculty buy-in and enthusiasm were the most important factors for getting approval from my department in the spring of 2011 to develop an information literacy series for first year doctoral students in the Broad College of Business (COB) at Michigan State University. The support I had from the Senior Associate Dean, individual faculty members, and in particular faculty serving on the Doctoral Program Committee was positive right from the start and unwavering. Not only did they provide information about the student skills’ gap, but they also strongly encouraged attendance at the sessions

Sensitivity Analysis of Optimum Tutor Staffing Schedule Using Discrete Event Simulation

This study utilized the discrete-event simulation (DES) approach to optimize the daily tutor cost for the Unified Tutoring Center, located at the Daytona Beach campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The simulation model was built using Arena version 12, and the objective of the study was to determine an optimum tutor staffing schedule to minimize operating costs, while also servicing as many students as possible and with the students experiencing a minimal wait time. Data was collected by videotaping four weeks (or 20 nights) worth of evening tutoring sessions, held Sunday through Thursday between 6-9pm. Two models, the General Study Room and the Physics & Chemistry Lab, were validated by comparing the observed tutor utilization with the model\u27s output utilization. A sensitivity analysis was conducted on both models using constrained optimization, based on average wait time, maximum wait time and maximum tutor utilization. A more practical tutor staffing schedule was found for the General Study Room and the Physics & Chemistry Lab, yielding an overall decrease in the weekly operational cost of tutors by $204.00. These results are discussed and conclusions are given at the end of this paper

Rationalizing Noneconomic Damages: A Health-Utilities Approach

Studdert et al examine why making compensation of noneconomic damages in personal-injury litigation more rational and predictable is socially valuable. Noneconomic-damages schedules as an alternative to caps are discussed, several potential approaches to construction of schedules are reviewed, and the use of a health-utilities approach as the most promising model is argued. An empirical analysis that combines health-utilities data created in a previous study with original empirical work is used to demonstrate how key steps in construction of a health-utilities-based schedule for noneconomic damages might proceed

A highly scalable Met Office NERC Cloud model

Large Eddy Simulation is a critical modelling tool for scien- tists investigating atmospheric flows, turbulence and cloud microphysics. Within the UK, the principal LES model used by the atmospheric research community is the Met Office Large Eddy Model (LEM). The LEM was originally devel- oped in the late 1980s using computational techniques and assumptions of the time, which means that the it does not scale beyond 512 cores. In this paper we present the Met Office NERC Cloud model, MONC, which is a re-write of the existing LEM. We discuss the software engineering and architectural decisions made in order to develop a flexible, extensible model which the community can easily customise for their own needs. The scalability of MONC is evaluated, along with numerous additional customisations made to fur- ther improve performance at large core counts. The result of this work is a model which delivers to the community signifi- cant new scientific modelling capability that takes advantage of the current and future generation HPC machine