Digital Commons Network^™

Attacking Innovation, Xuan-Thao Nguyen, Jeffrey A. Maine

Articles

Economists generally agree that innovation is important to economic growth and that government support for innovation is necessary. Historically, the U.S. government has supported innovation in a variety of ways: (1) a strong legal system for patents; (2) direct support through research performed by government agencies, grants, loans, and loan guarantees; and (3) indirect support through various tax incentives for private firms. In recent years, however, we have seen a weakening of the U.S. patent system, a decline in direct funding of research, and a weakening of tax policy tools used to encourage new innovation. These disruptive changes threaten the …

Commuting To Mars: A Response To Professors Abraham And Rabin, Ryan Calo

Articles

The remarks that follow are less about the particular wisdom of manufacturer enterprise responsibility (MER) for driverless cars, and more about the limits of legal scholarship in grappling with unfolding technologic change. The contingency of technology and its social impacts caution against sweeping interventions. And the role of law and technology scholarship—as opposed to legal scholarship that touches upon technology—is arguably to recognize the unique challenges that arise at this intersection.

Us Supreme Court Bars Punitive Damages In Unseaworthiness Claims, Craig H. Allen

Articles

To appreciate the reach of the Court's decision on punitive damages for unseaworthiness claims, it is important to understand the federal courts' steady expansion of the class of workers who now qualify as "seamen," the class of floating vessels and structures that now qualify as "vessels," and the strict liability standard for determining whether a vessel is seaworthy.

Cost-Effective, Time-Efficient Passenger Rail System For The Eastern United States, James A. Mathias, Dal Hyung Kim

Articles

A program was developed using a genetic algorithm and automated lookup features to design an efficient passenger rail system for the eastern-half of the United States connecting large cities, metropolitan populations greater than two million, with overnight rail service. The results of the program predicted a passenger starting at the farthest point of the system boards the train at 16:02 on average and arrives at a different point of the system at 07:57 on average the following day, assuming the train travels an average speed of 70 mph. The design used actual distances by train track where possible. The system …

The Most Revealing Word In The United States Reports, Richard Primus

Articles

The most prominent issue in NFIB v. Sebelius was whether Congress’s regulatory power under the Commerce Clause stops at a point marked by a distinction between “activity” and “inactivity.” According to the law’s challengers, prior decisions about the scope of the commerce power already reflected the importance of the distinction between action and inaction. In all of the previous cases in which exercises of the commerce power had been sustained, the challengers argued, that power had been used to regulate activity. Never had Congress tried to regulate mere inactivity. In NFIB, four Justices rejected that contention, writing that such …

Assessment Of Imagining And Material Characteristics Of A Radiopaque, Thermoresponsive Hydrogel For Intratumoral Administration To Solid Tumours, Seona Rossi, Timothy E. Murray, John Cassidy, Michael J. Lee, Helena M. Kelly

Articles

Introduction

Thermoresponsive hydrogels are gels which have different properties at varying temperatures. The objective of this study was to assess the material characteristics, imaging properties and chemotherapeutic drug release profile of a novel radiopaque thermoresponsive hydrogel, which is liquid at room temperature but solidifies at body temperature, to determine potential suitability for intratumoral delivery.

Materials and Methods

An iodinated radiopaque thermoresponsive hydrogel was formulated using iodixanol at a range of concentrations and assessed for sol-gel transition, radiopacity and imaging using CT and US. A lead formulation containing 9.22% w/w iodixanol was evaluated for injectability, disintegration and dual drug release of …

Relationship Of Ndvi And Oak (Quercus)Pollen Including A Predictive Model In The Sw Mediterranean Region, Rocío González-Naharro, Elia Quirós, Santiago Fernández-Rodríguez, Inmaculada Silva-Palacios, J. M. Maya-Manzano, Rafael Tormo-Molina, Raúl Pecero-Casimiro, Alejandro Monroy-Colin, Ángela Gonzalo-Garijo

Articles

Techniques of remote sensing are being used to develop phenological studies. Our goal is to study the correlation among the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) related with oak trees included in three set data polygons (15, 25 and 50 km to aerobiological sampling point as NDVI-15, 25 and 50), and oak (Quercus) daily average pollen counts from 1994 to 2013. The study was developed in the SW Mediterranean region with continuous pollen recording within the mean pollen season of each studied year. These pollen concentrations were compared with NDVI values in the locations containing the vegetation under a study based …

The Effect Of Curing And Zirconium Content On The Wettability And Structure Of A Silicate Hybrid Sol-Gel Material, Emma Machugh, Maikki Cullen, Alicja Kaworek, Brendan Duffy, Mohamed Oubaha

Articles

Functional hybrid sol-gel coatings have been developed for numerous applications with a wide range of wettabilities. This study proposes to investigate the relationship between the structure and the wetting properties of a zirconium modified silicate hybrid sol-gel coating. The structures of the coatings were altered by varying the content of zirconium, and the curing process, while keeping the sol-gel preparation conditions identical. The structure of the materials was characterized by FTIR, 29Si NMR and SEM. The thermal properties and the wettability are identified by DSC and contact angle measurements, respectively. By corroborating the structural and wettability analyses, it is shown …

From The Laboratory To The Vineyard—Evolution Of The Measurement Of Grape Composition Using Nir Spectroscopy Towards High-Throughput Analysis, Aoife Power, Vi Khanh Truong, James Chapman, Daniel Cozzolino

Articles

Compared to traditional laboratory methods, spectroscopic techniques (e.g., near infrared, hyperspectralimaging)provideanalystswithaninnovativeandimprovedunderstandingofcomplex issuesbydeterminingseveralchemicalcompoundsandmetabolitesatonce,allowingforthecollection of the sample “fingerprint”. These techniques have the potential to deliver high-throughput options for the analysis of the chemical composition of grapes in the laboratory, the vineyard and before or during harvest, to provide better insights of the chemistry, nutrition and physiology of grapes. Faster computers, the development of software and portable easy to use spectrophotometers and data analytical methods allow for the development of innovative applications of these techniques for the analyses of grape composition.

Preliminary Results From The Farce 2015 Campaign: Multidisciplinary Study Of The Forest–Gas–Aerosol–Cloud System On The Tropical Island Of Laréunion, Valentin Duflot, Pierre Tulet, Olivier Flores, Christelle Barthe, Aurélie Colomb, Laurent Deguillaume, Mickael Vaïtilingom, Anne Perring, Alex Huffman, Markt. Hernandez, Karine Sellegri, Ellis Robinson, David J. O'Connor, Odessa M .Gomez, Frédéric Burnet, Thierry Bourrianne, Dominique Strasberg, Manon Rocco, Allan K Bertram, Patrick Chazette, Julien Totems, Pierre Stamenoff, Jean-Marc Metzger, Mathilde Chabasset, Clothilde Rousseau, Eric Bourrianne, Martine Sancelme, Anne-Marie Delort, Rachel E. Wegener, Cedric Chou, Pablo Elizondo

Articles

The Forests gAses aeRosols Clouds Exploratory (FARCE) campaign was conducted in March–April 2015 on the tropical island of La Réunion. For the first time, several scientific teams from different disciplines collaborated to provide reference measurements and characterization of LaRéunionvegetation,volatileorganiccompounds(VOCs), biogenic VOCs (BVOCs), (bio)aerosols and composition of clouds, with a strong focus on the Maïdo mountain slope area. The main observations obtained during this 2-month intensivefieldcampaignaresummarized.Theyincludecharacterizations of forest structure, concentrations of VOCs and precursors emitted by forests, aerosol loading and optical properties in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), formation of new particles by nucleation of gas-phase precursors, icenucleatingparticlesconcentrations,andbiologicalloadingin bothcloud-freeandcloudyconditions.SimulationsandmeasurementsconfirmthattheMaïdoObservatorylieswithinthe PBL from …

Magnetic Field Sensor Based On A Tri-Microfiber Coupler Ring In Magnetic Fluid And A Fiber Bragg Grating, Fangfang Wei, Dejun Liu, Arun Kumar Mallik, Gerald Farrell, Qiang Wu, Gang-Ding Peng, Yuliya Semenova

Articles

In this paper we propose and investigate a novel magnetic field sensor based on a Tri-microfiber coupler combined with magnetic fluid and a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in a ring. A sensitivity of 1306 pm/mT was experimentally demonstrated in the range of magnetic fields from 0 to 15 mT. The reflection peak in the output spectrum associated with the FBG serves as a reference point allowing to avoid ambiguity in determining the spectral shift induced by the magnetic field. Due to its high sensitivity at low magnetic fields, the proposed structure could be of high interest in low field biosensing …

Guest Editorial Special Issue On Using Enquiry-And-Design-Based Learning To Spur Epistemological And Identity Development Of Engineering Students, Shannon Chance, Bill Williams, Tom Goldfinch, Robin S. Adams, Lorraine N. Fleming

Articles

This Special Issue of the IEEE Transactions on Education focuses on using enquiry-based design projects to spur engineering students’ development, so as to increase understanding and application of the relevant theories, foster higher rates of student development and achieve this in healthy and productive ways.

A Twelve-Wavelength Thulium-Doped Fibre Laser Based On A Microfibre Coil Resonator Incorporating Black Phosphorus, Shi Li, Yu Yin, Elfed Lewis, Gerald Farrell, Pengfei Wang

Articles

A novel multi-wavelength continuous Thulium-doped fibre laser incorporating a microfibre coil resonator based on black phosphorus (MCR-BP) material has been successfully fabricated and demonstrated. A twelve-wavelength spectrum with 0.54 nm channel spacing has been achieved by simply adjusting the pump source power. A single peak extinction ratio of more than 40 dB was observed. The superior performance of the MCR-BP described in this article compared to conventional MCR based fibre lasers can be attributed the inclusion of the Black Phosphorous Material. The enhanced lasing is primarily due to the twin properties of the MCR-BP device combining a comb-like filter effect …

Improved Performance Of Near Infrared Excitation Raman Spectroscopy Using Reflective Thin-Film Gold On Glass Substrates For Cytology Samples, Sinead J. Barton, Kevin O'Dwyer, Marion Butler, Adam Dignam, Hugh Byrne, Luke O'Neill, Bryan M. Hennelly

Articles

Confocal near-infrared Raman spectroscopy has been shown to have applications in the area of clinical biology. A source wavelength in the near infrared is preferred over visible wavelengths for inspecting biological samples due to superior wavenumber resolution and reduced photodamage. However, these excitation sources have a number of drawbacks when compared to lasers in the visible wavelength region, including the requirement to use expensive highly pure crystal substrates such as Raman grade calcium fluoride as well as long acquisition times due to the lower Raman scattering efficiency. This paper investigates the use of a reflective substrate comprising a low cost …

A Deep Recurrent Q Network Towards Self-Adapting Distributed Microservice Architecture, Basel Magableh, Muder Almiani

Articles

One desired aspect of microservice architecture is the ability to self-adapt its own architecture and behavior in response to changes in the operational environment. To achieve the desired high levels of self-adaptability, this research implements distributed microservice architecture model running a swarm cluster, as informed by the Monitor, Analyze, Plan, and Execute over a shared Knowledge (MAPE-K) model. The proposed architecture employs multiadaptation agents supported by a centralized controller, which can observe the environment and execute a suitable adaptation action. The adaptation planning is managed by a deep recurrent Q-learning network (DRQN). It is argued that such integration between DRQN …

Some Transitivity-Like Concepts In Abelian Groups, Gabor Braun, Brendan Goldsmith, Ketao Gong, Lutz Strungmann

Articles

The classical notions of transitivity and full transitivity in Abelian p-groups have natural extensions to concepts called Krylov and weak transitivity. The interconnections between these four types of transitivity are determined for Abelian p-groups; there is a marked difference in the relationships when the prime p is equal to 2. In the final section the relationship between full and Krylov transitivity is examined in the case of mixed Abelian groups which are p-local in the sense that multiplication by an integer relatively prime to p is an automorphism.

Daylight: What Makes A Difference, M. Knoop, O. Stefani, B. Bueno, B. Matusiak, R. Hobday, A. Wirz-Justice, K. Martiny, T. Kantermann, M. Aarts, N. Zemmouri, S. Appelt, Brian Norton

Articles

Light is necessary for vision; it enables us to sense and perceive our surroundings and in many direct and indirect ways, via eye and skin, affects our physiological and psychological health. The use of light in built environments has comfort, behavioural, economic and environmental consequences. Daylight has many particular benefits including excellent visual performance, permitting good eyesight, effective entrainment of the circadian system as well as a number of acute non-image forming effects and the important role of vitamin D production. Some human responses to daylight seem to be well defined whilst others require more research to be adequately understood. …

Optimization Of Pv Powered Spd Switchable Glazing To Minimise Probability Of Loss Of Power Supply, Aritra Ghosh, Brian Norton

Articles

Suspended particle device (SPD) glazing is an electrically actuated switchable glazing. It requires alternate current (AC) power supply to switch from opaque to transparent state. To power this glazing using PV device requires inverter. Optimization of AC powered switchable SPD glazing using photovoltaic (PV) device has been evaluated using loss of power supply probability (LPSP). Electrically switchable direct current (DC) powered electrochromic glazing was also considered in this investigation as it doesn't need any inverter to couple with PV. It is concluded that behaviour of these glazings is the dominant factor in performance optimization outweighting than azimuthal orientation and inclination …

Segmentation Of Quantity Surveying Professional Services For Focus Strategy And Diversification, Michael Adesi, De-Graft Owusu-Manu, Frank Boateng

Articles

Purpose – Notwithstanding that numerous studies have focused on strategy in quantity surveying (QS) professional service firms, there is a paucity of investigation on the segmentation of QS professional services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the segmentation of QS services for diversification and a focus strategy formation.

Design/methodology/approach – This study adopts the positivist stance and quantitative approach in which a simple random sampling technique was used to select participants. In total, 110 survey questionnaires were administered to registered professional QS, out of which 79 completed questionnaires were returned for analysis.

Findings – The paper identifies three …

"Scientific Inference" Vs. "Legal Reasoning"? Not So Fast! ¿"Inferencia Cientifíca" Vs."Razonamiento Jurídico"? -- No Tan Rápido!, Susan Haack

Articles

No abstract provided.

"Scientific Inference" Vs. "Legal Reasoning"? -Not So Fast!, Susan Haack

Articles

To understand why the interactions of science with the legal system can be so problematic, it's not enough to gesture vaguely towards a supposed contrast between scientific and legal "modes of thinking"; we need to look, instead, to the consequences of the different purposes of science and the law, the different constraints under which they pursue those purposes, and the different cultures of the two enterprises. From this perspective we can see why the law sometimes asks more of science than science can give, and sometimes gets less from science than science could give; and also why a simple dichotomy …

Feigned Consensus: Usurping The Law In Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma Prosecutions, Keith A. Findlay, D. Michael Risinger, Patrick D. Barnes, Julie A. Mack, David A. Moran, Barry Scheck, Thomas L. Bohan

Articles

Few medico-legal matters have generated as much controversy-both in the medical literature and in the courtroom-as Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), now known more broadly as Abusive Head Trauma (AHT). The controversies are of enormous significance in the law because child abuse pediatricians claim, on the basis of a few non-specific medical findings supported by a weak and methodologically flawed research base, to be able to "diagnose" child abuse, and thereby to provide all of the evidence necessary to satisfy all of the legal elements for criminal prosecution (or removal of children from their parents). It is a matter, therefore, in …

The Integrity Of Our Convictions: Holding Stakeholders Accountable In An Era Of Criminal Justice Reform, Barry Scheck

Articles

The article argues for the implementation of systemic mechanisms to ensure accountability and transparency among criminal justice stakeholders to move away from a "win-at-all-costs" mentality. It proposes a transition toward a "just culture" that prioritizes learning from error and forward-looking accountability through structural reforms in discovery, misconduct tracking, and indigent defense.

The Progressive Idea Of Democratic Administration, William J. Novak

Articles

The first thing to acknowledge about administration is that administration is coincident with governance. Far from being a modern invention or some kind of radical departure from an original political or legal tradition, administration is among the oldest practices of governments. Indeed, it is impossible to conceive of government without administration. Laws need to be enforced, legislation needs to be implemented, and collective goods need to be secured. Governance is mostly a matter of actions and practices, making administration perhaps the most truly reflective aspect of legal and political culture.

Imi – Myopia Control Reports Overview And Introduction, James S. Wolffsohn, Daniel Ian Flitcroft, Kate L. Gifford, Monica Jong, Lyndon Jones, Caroline C. W. Klaver, Nicola S. Logan, Kovin Naidoo, Serge Resnikoff, Padmaja Sankaridurg, Earl L. Smith Iii, David Troilo, Christine F. Wildsoet

Articles

With the growing prevalence of myopia, already at epidemic levels in some countries, there is an urgent need for new management approaches. However, with the increasing number of research publications on the topic of myopia control, there is also a clear necessity for agreement and guidance on key issues, including on how myopia should be defined and how interventions, validated by well-conducted clinical trials, should be appropriately and ethically applied. The International Myopia Institute (IMI) reports the critical review and synthesis of the research evidence to date, from animal models, genetics, clinical studies, and randomized controlled trials, by more than …

Clown Eggs, Dave Fagundes, Aaron Perzanowski

Articles

Since 1946, many clowns have recorded their makeup by having it painted on eggs that are kept in a central registry in Wookey Hole, England. This tradition, which continues today, has been referred to alternately as a form of informal copyright registration and a means of protecting clowns’ property in their personae. This Article explores the Clown Egg Register and its surrounding practices from the perspective of law and social norms. In so doing, it makes several contributions. First, it contributes another chapter to the growing literature on the norms-based governance of intellectual property, showing how clowns—like comedians, roller derby …

Privacy In The Age Of Medical Big Data, W. Nicholson Price Ii, I. Glenn Cohen

Articles

Big data has become the ubiquitous watch word of medical innovation. The rapid development of machine-learning techniques and artificial intelligence in particular has promised to revolutionize medical practice from the allocation of resources to the diagnosis of complex diseases. But with big data comes big risks and challenges, among them significant questions about patient privacy. Here, we outline the legal and ethical challenges big data brings to patient privacy. We discuss, among other topics, how best to conceive of health privacy; the importance of equity, consent, and patient governance in data collection; discrimination in data uses; and how to handle …

An American Approach To Social Democracy: The Forgotten Promise Of The Fair Labor Standards Act, Kate Andrias

Articles

There is a growing consensus among scholars and public policy experts that fundamental labor law reform is necessary in order to reduce the nation’s growing wealth gap. According to conventional wisdom, however, a social democratic approach to labor relations is uniquely un-American—in deep conflict with our traditions and our governing legal regime. This Article calls into question that conventional account. It details a largely forgotten moment in American history: when the early Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) established industry committees of unions, business associations, and the public to set wages on an industry-by-industry basis. Alongside the National Labor Relations Act, …

A U-Net Deep Learning Framework For High Performance Vessel Segmentation In Patients With Cerebrovascular Disease, Michelle Livne, Jana Rieger, Orhun Utku Aydin, Abdel Aziz Taha, Ela Marie Akay, Tabea Kossen, Jan Sobesky, John D. Kelleher, Kristian Hildebrand, Dietmar Frey, Vince I. Madai

Articles

Brain vessel status is a promising biomarker for better prevention and treatment in cerebrovascular disease. However, classic rule-based vessel segmentation algorithms need to be hand-crafted and are insufficiently validated. A specialized deep learning method—the U-net—is a promising alternative. Using labeled data from 66 patients with cerebrovascular disease, the U-net framework was optimized and evaluated with three metrics: Dice coefficient, 95% Hausdorff distance (95HD) and average Hausdorff distance (AVD). The model performance was compared with the traditional segmentation method of graph-cuts. Training and reconstruction was performed using 2D patches. A full and a reduced architecture with less parameters were trained. We …

Surface Waves Over Currents And Uneven Bottom, Alan Compelli, Rossen Ivanov, Calin I. Martin, Michail D. Todorov

Articles

The propagation of surface water waves interacting with a current and an uneven bottom is studied. Such a situation is typical for ocean waves where the winds generate currents in the top layer of the ocean. The role of the bottom topography is taken into account since it also influences the local wave and current patterns. Specific scaling of the variables is selected which leads to approximations of Boussinesq and KdV types. The arising KdV equation with variable coefficients, dependent on the bottom topography, is studied numerically when the initial condition is in the form of the one soliton solution …