George Mason University Research Articles

Graduate certificate programs provide both motivation and flexibility for careers in bioinformatics and biomedicine: experience of George Mason University, Virginia, USA

Graduate certificate programs provide both motivation and flexibility for careers in bioinformatics and biomedicine: experience of George Mason University, Virginia, USA

Front Matter

Next article FreeFront MatterPDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Supreme Court Economic Review Volume 262018 Sponsored by the Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/706088 Views: 141Total views on this site © 2019 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.PDF downloadCrossref reports no articles citing this article.

Internal Redox Polarity of an Individual G. sulfurreducens Bacterial Cell Attached to an Inorganic Substrate

AbstractInvited for this month cover is the work of a multidisciplinary dynamic team from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, consisting of the biophysicist Dr. Nikolai Lebedev, the bioengineer Dr. Matthew Yates, the electrochemist Dr. Leonard Tender and the mathematician Prof. Igor Griva from George Mason University. The image shows how the information about the cell environment is coded inside an individual bacterium and how the researchers can read this code with a Raman microscope. Read the full text of the Article at 10.1002/cphc.201800289.

Henry Manne’s subtle but important influences on environmental law

Henry Manne had little to say about environmental law and policy. Yet he had a significant impact on the approach that others took to those topics. These indirect influences on environmental law and policy were threefold. His creation at George Mason University of a highly successful, specialized, law school curriculum demonstrated that law schools could not only survive, but thrive with a subject-matter or methodological focus. His central role in introducing economics to the law school curriculum had a significant and lasting impact on legal education in general and environmental law in particular. And his study and advocacy of markets as effective institutions for the allocation of scarce resources has contributed to the development of environmental law and policy, notwithstanding a predisposition among environmentalists and government officials for a command and control approach.

Federative Republic of Brazil, Before the Administrative Council for Economic Defense ((CADEE), Draft Guidelines Concerning Antitrust Remedies, Comment of the Global Antitrust Institute, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

This comment provides recommendations to the Brazilian Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) on Draft Guidelines Concerning Antitrust Remedies, which describe CADE's policies and practices for ordering relief in cases involving structural transactions. The comment commends CADE for publishing the guidelines and for adopting best practices based extensively on accepted international standards. The comment describes why economic analysis suggests flexibility in regard to relief policies, given the wide range of factual possibilities, so that competition is preserved or restored with minimum compliance, administrative, and enforcement costs, and with minimum loss of efficiencies. The comment then identifies several areas where the guidelines could benefit from improved flexibility. These include: (a) a preference for structural remedies, even though behavioral remedies might be preferable in vertical cases; (b) a presumption in favor of an upfront buyer requirement, although such a requirement is usually unnecessary where an effective divestiture package is well defined and qualified buyers are identifiable; (c) a critical stance on remedies requiring monitoring, even though firewalls and other conduct remedies are often successful where circumstances favor them; and (d) a strong presumption against mix-and-match divestiture packages, although such divestiture may be the preferable option in some cases involving multiproduct firms. The comment concludes by encouraging ex-post empirical analysis of merger remedies.

Lack of flexible attendance resulted in lower grade, student says

Case name: Letter to: George Mason University, No. 11‐16‐2083 (OCR 09/26/16).

University resolves allegations with plans for accessible stage at events

Case name: Letter to: George Mason University, No. 11‐15‐2252 (OCR 09/13/16).

United States Department of Justice, Antitrust Division Public Roundtable Series on the Relationship between Competition and Regulation, Third Roundtable on Anticompetitive Regulations: Comment of the Global Antitrust Institute, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

The Comment outlines the basic economic analysis that applies to agency consideration of whether to resolve cases by consent decree or by litigation. It describes past experience with government antitrust decrees that required modification or termination due to the passage of time or significant changes in the affected markets, as well as certain decrees whose effectiveness in serving antitrust objectives was questionable even at the time of initial entry. The Comment points out certain dangers to the consumer interest in vigorous competition that are associated with excessive agency reliance on consent decrees, and recommends institutional vigilance as a safeguard against such dangers. Finally, the Comment notes the continuing potential value of so-called conduct remedies, as distinct from structural remedies, particularly in the context of vertical acquisitions, while recognizing that structural remedies are properly accepted as the preferable mode of relief, especially in cases involving horizontal acquisitions.

Addressing Women's Health

Disparities in women's health and health care increasingly fuel concerns, prompt studies, and advance international policies. The World Medical Association has consistently highlighted the need to address inequities in women's health care, and the World Health Organization continues to include improvements to women and children's health prominently among its goals (World Health Organization, 2009 2018; World Medical Association, 2002, 2008). Until recently, women's health suffered from a void in knowledge to appropriately inform practice and medical policies (Institute of Medicine, 2010), despite the fact that women represent the largest segment of the world population. Until the post-World War II era, male subjects were exclusively used in animal or human biomedical experiments and drug trials. The results of these studies were extrapolated to female, elderly, and child patients. For example, common medications used in men were administered to children, but in smaller doses, and aspirin was administered to women to prevent heart attacks. does not now have appropriate management systems to monitor how many women are in clinical trials, to be assured that NDAs and IND annual reports are in compliance with pertinent regulations for presenting outcome data by sex and tabulating the number of women included in ongoing trials, or to confirm that its medical officers have adequately addressed sex-related issues in their reviews. While FDA has taken some promising initial steps to address these deficiencies, it is important that the agency finalize the pilot programs it has underway and give sustained attention to these management issues. (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2001, pp. 19–20) The figure below highlights further global socioeconomic, physical, and medical obstacles to delivering adequate health care to women. For centuries, the focus on women's health was limited to “reproductive health.” Women of all ages have also historically been disproportionately subjected to abuse and neglect. Providing preventive care to women, and reducing disparities and violence (including human trafficking) will contribute a long way to ensuring healthy and productive life spans for women. A major policy objective to achieve this goal is an aggressive literacy program for women (including health literacy). These considerations are included in the WHO millennium goals. Health-care funding and access are, of course, influenced by politics. An evidence-based approach to health-care delivery for all men, women, and children, without the influence of prejudice or personal convictions, is a major driver to ensure effective patient care and disease prevention. Continued debates over rationing health-care services, ensuring universal access, reproductive rights, and social justice in medicine are political discussions that influence policy. Acknowledging and addressing the difference between opinions and evidence in these debates is essential to appropriately informing and educating individuals on risks and outcomes in health care. Health literacy and education of the public are essential for better health care, lifestyle choices, and family security, particularly for women. Cultural, societal, and ethical values play a significant role in the formulation of policies dealing with health and medical practice and should be all inclusive of race, age, and sex. No individual should be excluded from participation in informed health-care decisions or access. The WHO charter for health promotion produced in 1986 in Ottawa defined health as, “a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities” (World Health Organization, 1986). Sex, female or male, matters in health and disease. Male and female bodies react differently to the same stimuli. Sex differences manifest in the function of many bodily organs, beyond the reproductive and genitourinary systems, including the brain, musculo-skeletal system, heart, and lungs. Additional interdisciplinary research is required to recognize these differences. More information is needed in the areas of pain and pharmacodynamics of medications, central nervous system (CNS) functioning, digestive tract, and immune system responses to environmental stresses and challenges. World Medical & Health Policy is committed to addressing health issues related to sex and gender. Under the leadership of Professor Stabile, co-editor of World Medical & Health Policy, The Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, along with the Policy Studies Organization, is supporting a biennial workshop dedicated to Women's Health in Global Perspective. Many of the participants have the opportunity to publish excellent papers in World Medical & Health Policy (Stabile & Nicogossian, 2016, 2017). The second successful workshop was held in March 2018, and the editors look forward to receiving additional manuscripts to advance knowledge and thought, and improve policy, with regard to women's health.

Book Reviews

Peter Boettke of George Mason University reviews “Liberalism and the Welfare State: Economists and Arguments for the Welfare State,” edited by Roger E. Backhouse, Bradley W. Bateman, Tamotsu Nishizawa, and Dieter Plehwe. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Ten papers explore the role of economists in laying the intellectual foundations for arguments for and against the welfare state, illustrating the complexity of the relationship between liberalism and the welfare state in the twentieth century through case studies of Britain, Germany, and Japan.”

Business regulation and business investment: evidence from US manufacturing 1970–2009

Regulation is often portrayed as placing a substantial burden on US businesses and the overall US economy. Moreover, policy options of “cutting red tape” and “reducing federal bureaucracy” are often asserted to be a way to stimulate investment and, through this channel, a way to promote economic growth. This paper examines the relationship between growth in regulatory restrictions in the Code of Federal Regulations and manufacturing investment in the United States over the 1970–2009 period. An industry-level dataset is constructed by mapping the novel industry-specific RegData dataset from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University to the comprehensive industry-specific manufacturing data in the NBER-CES Manufacturing Industry Database. In total, the constructed dataset includes 337 manufacturing industries. This approach yields substantial evidence that increased business regulation is associated with decreased business investment.

The Constitutional Economics of the Natural Rights Constitution

Introduction: The late James Buchanan, a professor of constitutional economics, at George Mason University, explained the relationship between a nation’s rate of economic growth and the institutional rules that govern financial transactions in a free competitive economy. It was clear from his entire contributions that he believed that there was a single configuration of constitutional rules that would lead society to a social optimum rate of welfare. While his work hinted at what this specific constitutional framework looked like, he never wrote out his entire constitution. This article extends Buchanan’s work by placing his theoretical framework into a natural rights constitution. The single constitutional configuration that leads to maximum economic welfare begins by protecting the natural rights of citizens to pursue happiness.

Progress and Prospects—The 50th Anniversary of the 1967 President's Crime Commission Report in Today's Criminal Justice Environment

Criminology & Public PolicyVolume 17, Issue 2 p. 265-269 EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION Progress and Prospects—The 50th Anniversary of the 1967 President's Crime Commission Report in Today's Criminal Justice Environment Cynthia Lum, Corresponding Author Cynthia Lum [email protected] George Mason UniversityDirect correspondence to Cynthia Lum, Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MS 6D12, Fairfax, VA 22030 (e-mail: [email protected]).Search for more papers by this authorTed Gest, Ted Gest Criminal Justice JournalistsSearch for more papers by this author Cynthia Lum, Corresponding Author Cynthia Lum [email protected] George Mason UniversityDirect correspondence to Cynthia Lum, Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MS 6D12, Fairfax, VA 22030 (e-mail: [email protected]).Search for more papers by this authorTed Gest, Ted Gest Criminal Justice JournalistsSearch for more papers by this author First published: 19 April 2018 https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12372Citations: 1Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume17, Issue2May 2018Pages 265-269 RelatedInformation

The Japan Patent Office (JPO) Guide to Licensing Negotiations Involving Standard Essential Patents, Comment of the Global Antitrust Institute, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

The GAI submitted comments in response to a public consultation by the Japan Patent Office (JPO) regarding its Draft Guide for SEP (standard-essential patent) Licensing Negotiations. The GAI comments encouraged the JPO to acknowledge the platform characteristics of standard-setting organizations (“SSOs”), which link technology innovators directly with technology implementers, and to recognize the key role of SSOs in determining how patents necessary to the provision of standardized products and services should be licensed. The comment also asked the JPO to accept that substantial flexibility is necessary for SSOs and parties engaged in SEP licensing, in light of the wide variation in technologies, standards, and the competitive conditions prevailing in affected markets.

The Anthropology of Corruption

The Anthropology of Corruption

The United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division Public Roundtable Series on Competition and Deregulation, First Roundtable on State Action, Statutory Exemptions and Implied Immunities, Comment of the Global Antitrust Institute, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

This comment is submitted in connection with the first session of the Antitrust Division’s Public Roundtable Series on Competition and Deregulation, focusing on statutory exemptions, implied immunities and the State Action doctrine, scheduled for March 14, 2018. The Global Antitrust Institute’s (GAI’s) Competition Advocacy Program commends the Division for inviting discussion on these important issues. The GAI submission reviews the key economic considerations that should guide resolution of the main issues that arise when claims of implied immunity and/or the State Action defense are asserted by those accused of antitrust violations. To improve the public accountability of state government for anticompetitive regulatory policies, the GAI recommends that State Action immunity be restricted or withdrawn when state regulations impose most of their anticompetitive effects on non-residents.

Dominican Republiccs Resolution on Cartel Leniency, Comment of The Global Antitrust Institute, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

This comment is submitted in response to the Dominican Republic National Commission for the Defense of Competition’s (“Procompetencia”) public consultation on the Proposed Regulation for the Establishment of a System for Reduction of Sanctions for Cooperation in Cartel Investigations. The Global Antitrust Institute’s Competition Advocacy Program commends Procompetencia’s transparency, its recognition of the economic harm inflicted by cartels, and its willingness to establish a leniency program. The comment provides a number of specific suggestions to enhance the effectiveness of the proposed Regulation, including adjustments to the available sanction discount levels provided to successful leniency applicants, and by limiting to a reasonable minimum the requirements for applicants to obtain a “marker” or “bookmark” that would be issued by Procompetencia to indicate whether and to what extent leniency may be available to such applicants.

Procompetenciaas Regulations for the Processing of Commitment Proposals by Economic Agents, Comment of the Global Antitrust Institute, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

This comment is submitted in response to the Dominican Republic National Commission for the Defense of Competition’s (“Procompetencia”) public consultation on the Proposed Regulation for Considering Proposed Settlements by Firms in Investigations Based on the General Law for the Defense of Competition. The Global Antitrust Institute’s Competition Advocacy Program commends Procompetencia’s transparency, and its willingness to clarify the requirements and procedures for consideration of settlement proposals by firms subject to investigations by Procompetencia. The comment provides several specific suggestions to improve the flexibility of the requirements and the efficiency of the process for negotiating such settlements. The comments ask Procompetencia to limit certain proposed restrictions on the circumstances in which settlement offers may be considered, and to take care that the relief negotiated is in full accord with sound antitrust economics and that such relief remain within the scope of that which could be obtained under the organic competition law in fully contested proceedings.

Parity associated with telomere length among US reproductive age women.

Is telomere length related to parity among a nationally representative sample of US reproductive age women? History of live birth was associated with shorter telomere length. Shorter telomeres have been linked with a range of chronic health conditions and mortality and parity has been associated with health indicators. However, there is a lack of research on how parity relates to telomere length. This nationally representative, cross-sectional study included 1954 women from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2002, the only survey period which includes measurement of telomere length. Women aged 20-44 were included. Parity, defined as number of previous live births, was ascertained by questionnaire. Leukocyte telomere length was measured by polymerase chain reaction and reported as a ratio in relation to standard reference DNA (T/S ratio). The relationship between leukocyte T/S ratio and parity was examined using survey weighted linear regression. Models were adjusted for race/ethnicity, age, BMI, income-to-poverty ratio, education, early age at menarche and smoking status. Among reproductive age women in the US, the adjusted mean leukocyte T/S ratio was 4.2% (95% CI: 0.9, 7.3) shorter in parous compared with nulliparous women. Parity was associated with 116 fewer base pairs (95% CI: 26, 204) on average, using estimated coefficients from the adjusted linear regression models and mean covariate values. This study was cross-sectional and therefore was unable to establish temporality. The dataset lacked information on social factors, stress and fertility status, which may help explain these findings. Only two previous studies have examined this question and our findings should be interpreted with caution. These findings in a nationally representative sample of US reproductive age women suggest that history of live birth may be associated with accelerated cellular aging. The magnitude of the observed association was greater than that of the impact of smoking or obesity on telomere length, suggesting that parity may have an independent influence on cellular aging and warrant further study. The study was funded in part by the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program at George Mason University. The authors have no conflicts of interest. NA.

Streaming Media in an Uncertain Legal Environment: A Model Policy and Best Practices for Academic Libraries

As VCRs and DVD players become obsolete, online course offerings increase, and flipped pedagogy becomes ubiquitous, academic librarians are frequently confronted with requests from instructors for streaming media. The authors of this article describe the reasoning for and process by which a policy and best practices to manage streaming media requests were developed at a large public university. This policy is guided by the principles set forth in U.S. Copyright Act’s fair use doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107) and ARL’s Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries (2012). The policy also includes a workflow for delivering streaming, ADA-compliant video content that cannot be licensed via conventional library means. Moreover, the comparative costs of purchasing subscription video collections versus licensing individual streaming videos at George Mason University are provided for the fiscal years 2013 through 2016.