Doctoring Prescriptions: Federal Barriers to Combating Prescription Drug Fraud Against On-Line Pharmacies in Washington

Prescription drug abuse represents a significant portion of drg abuse in the United States. Drug-seeking individuals alter, steal, or forge prescriptions to sustain their own dependence on prescription medications or to divert the drugs to sell to others at inflated rates. On-line pharmacies are a relatively new source for prescription medications and a potential target for prescription drug fraud. The federal government recently enacted the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN), which governs electronic signatures and preempts inconsistent provisions of state laws, such as the Washington Electronic Authentication Act (WEAA). WEAA is a legal framework that could be effectively amended to eliminate nearly all prescription drug fraud perpetrated against on-line pharmacies. However, E-SIGN preempts a crucial WEAA provision and prohibits enacting a key recommended amendment to WEAA, both of which are necessary to combat this problem. Options permissible after E-SIGN, such as voluntary self-regulation by the on-line pharmacy industry and amendment of WEAA, will not comprehensively and effectively prevent this type of fraud. Therefore, E-SIGN fundamentally alters Washington\u27s ability to protect the public\u27s health, safety, and welfare from prescription fraud perpetrated against online pharmacies

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationIn this work, single molecule fluorescence microscopy techniques are used to investigate the role of electrostatics in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hybridization, and in the interactions of DNA and colloidal particles with charged surfaces. Single molecule total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy provides the sensitivity and interfacial specificity needed to probe electrostatic interactions in the microscopic electrical double-layer region between charged molecules and surfaces. Image analysis has been developed to quantitatively detect single molecule spots in TIRF images by sampling their diffraction-limited point-spread function by multiple pixels on the imaging sensor. By detecting spots with multiple pixels above an intensity threshold, single molecules can be located with signal-to-noise ratios as low as 2.5, minimizing false positive and false negative probabilities. Single molecule imaging was used to monitor the time-course of individual complementary strand DNA hybridization events. Target single stranded DNA (ssDNA) was immobilized at an interface, and its absolute surface density and association constant were determined from the binding isotherm of fluorescently labeled complimentary strand probe ssDNA. Dissociation rate constants of the DNA duplex were determined from the dissociation times, and association rates were calculated from the association constant and the dissociation rate assuming a two-state binding model. From the dependence of association constants, association rates, and dissociation rates on ionic strength, an Eyring model was used to determine the electrostatic contribution to the free energy of the transition state and the fully hybridized double-helix. The electrostatic interactions between large DNA plasmids and a potential-controlled indium tin oxide (ITO) semiconductor surface were investigated by measuring DNA populations and diffusion near the semiconductor surface as a function of applied potential. DNA populations increased exponentially with positive applied potentials, while maintaining free-solution-like diffusion coefficients and no surface adsorption. A Boltzmann model indicates that interfacial DNA has a net charge less than one electron equivalent, suggesting that much of its charge is screened by counterions. Similar accumulation with increasing positive applied potential was observed with 100 nm carboxylate-polystyrene colloidal particles. These colloidal particles were used to investigate shifts in surface charge of the ITO-aqueous interface induced by photoexcitation of charge carriers in the semiconductor

ON SUPPOSING, IMAGINING, AND RESISTING

My research focuses on the philosophy of imagination. Within the analytic tradition, there recently has been a growing interest in imagination. The current research lies at the crossroads of various sub-disciplines of philosophy, including aesthetics, moral psychology, ethics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind. My work joins this choir as a voice from within philosophy of mind. My dissertation addresses two questions within philosophy of imagination. What I call the Relation Question asks what is the proper relation between supposition and imagination, and what I call the Unification Question asks what is the imagination. With regards to the Relation Question, philosophers answer it in one of two ways: either supposition and imagination are distinct mental capacities (what I call two-nature views) or supposition is a kind of imagination (what I call one-nature views). I argue that both views fail to explain all of the features central to the relation. With regards to the Unification Question, many philosophers doubt it has an answer because there is no clear way to unify the disparate activities of imagination. I argue that this skepticism is the result of mischaracterizing the relation between imagining and supposing. Thus, I answer both the Relation and Unification Questions by arguing that both imagining and supposing (as we typically understand these terms) are both instances of what I call the as-if-true attitude. I call this the as-if-true attitude view of imagining. The explanatory payoff of this is that my view can explain all of the features central to the relation without positing two distinct mental capacities (as two-nature views do) and without getting facts about supposition wrong (as one-nature views do). It also gives us a way of seeing how we might unify the different activities of imagination. Finally, I demonstrate that my view has application to what is known in the literature as the phenomenon of imaginative resistance. This phenomenon has to do with competent imaginers failing to comply with invitations to imagine certain propositions. It has been noted in the literature that there is variation to this phenomenon, where some people experience it and some do not. Some philosophers attempt to explain this by appealing to contextual factors. Thus, I call them Contextual Variant Views. I argue that these views fail to account for all of variation. I show that from my as-if-true attitude view comes another view that I call Constraint Variant View. I argue that this view can account for all of the variation of imaginative resistance

An Approach to Onshore Facility Hazard Analysis

PresentationOnshore oil and gas operators face challenging cost efficiency targets while pressing for higher production volumes. Within this tension is a need to reduce planned facility foot prints while maintaining primary focus of personnel and environmental protection. This will be examined in this paper

State of the States 2005

Summarizes major state policy developments in 2004 and projects likely trends for 2005. Includes health care, education, homeland security, tax and budget policy, the same-sex marriage controversy, and profiles of governors elected in November 2004

Network Security Using Self Organized Multi-Agent Swarms

Computer network cyber-security is a very serious concern in many commercial, industrial, and military environments. This paper proposes a new computer network security approach defined by self organized agent swarms (SOMAS) which provides a novel computer network security management framework based upon desired overall system behaviors. The SOMAS structure evolves based upon the partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) formal model and the more complex interactive-POMDP and decentralized-POMDP models. Example swarm specific and network based behaviors are formalized and simulated. This paper illustrates through various statistical testing techniques, the significance of this proposed SOMAS architecture

Impact of Different Fecal Processing Methods on Assessments of Bacterial Diversity in the Human Intestine.

The intestinal microbiota are integral to understanding the relationships between nutrition and health. Therefore, fecal sampling and processing protocols for metagenomic surveys should be sufficiently robust, accurate, and reliable to identify the microorganisms present. We investigated the use of different fecal preparation methods on the bacterial community structures identified in human stools. Complete stools were collected from six healthy individuals and processed according to the following methods: (i) randomly sampled fresh stool, (ii) fresh stool homogenized in a blender for 2 min, (iii) randomly sampled frozen stool, and (iv) frozen stool homogenized in a blender for 2 min, or (v) homogenized in a pneumatic mixer for either 10, 20, or 30 min. High-throughput DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA V4 regions of bacterial community DNA extracted from the stools showed that the fecal microbiota remained distinct between individuals, independent of processing method. Moreover, the different stool preparation approaches did not alter intra-individual bacterial diversity. Distinctions were found at the level of individual taxa, however. Stools that were frozen and then homogenized tended to have higher proportions of Faecalibacterium, Streptococcus, and Bifidobacterium and decreased quantities of Oscillospira, Bacteroides, and Parabacteroides compared to stools that were collected in small quantities and not mixed prior to DNA extraction. These findings indicate that certain taxa are at particular risk for under or over sampling due to protocol differences. Importantly, homogenization by any method significantly reduced the intra-individual variation in bacteria detected per stool. Our results confirm the robustness of fecal homogenization for microbial analyses and underscore the value of collecting and mixing large stool sample quantities in human nutrition intervention studies

Geology and Aquifer Sensitivity of Quaternary Glacial Deposits Overlying a Portion of the Mahomet Buried Bedrock Valley Aquifer System

To characterize the distribution of Holocene and Late Quaternary deposits and to assess the contamination potential of the Mahomet Aquifer, surficial geologic and aquifer sensitivity maps of the Gibson City East 7.5-Minute Quadrangle were created. Geologic data, extent, and thickness of the geologic materials were coupled with LiDAR topographic data and analyzed using ESRI’s ArcGIS 10.6.1. Aquifer sensitivity to contamination was calculated based on the depth to the first aquifer unit, aquifer thickness, and the lithology of the aquifer materials. The surficial geologic mapping identified five lithostratigraphic units: the Cahokia Formation, the Equality Formation, the Henry Formation, and the Yorkville and Batestown Members of the Lemont Formation. The southeast to northwest trending Illiana Morainic System is the most prominent feature in the study area and delineates the maximum extent of the glaciers during the Livingston Phase of glaciation. Postglacial deposits of the Cahokia Formation, alluvium, interfinger, and overlie with glacial outwash of the Henry Formation along channels and drainage ways downslope of the moraine. The areas of least sensitivity are located over the Illiana Morainic System, whereas the greatest potential to contamination occurs where the thickest deposits of the Henry Formation and Cahokia Formation lie at or just below the land surface

Application of SAE ARP4754A to Flight Critical Systems

This report documents applications of ARP4754A to the development of modern computer-based (i.e., digital electronics, software and network-based) aircraft systems. This study is to offer insight and provide educational value relative to the guidelines in ARP4754A and provide an assessment of the current state-of-the- practice within industry and regulatory bodies relative to development assurance for complex and safety-critical computer-based aircraft systems