Digital Commons Network^™

An Operator-Based Account Of Semantic Processing, Deryle W. Lonsdale, C. Anton Rytting

Faculty Publications

This paper explores issues of psychological plausibility in modeling natural language understanding within Soar, a symbolic cognitive model. It focuses on constructing syntactic and semantic representations in simulated real time, with particular emphasis on word sense disambiguation (WSD). We discuss (i) what level of WSD should be modeled and (ii) how to use resources such as WordNet to inform these models. A preliminary model of coarse-grained WSD is included to show how syntactic, semantic, and other knowledge sources interact in Soar. Finally, we explore issues of interleaving, learning, and integrating other WSD approaches with Soar's native model of learning.

Non-Social Play As A Risk Factor In Social And Emotional Development, Charissa S. L. Cheah, Larry J. Nelson, Kenneth H. Rubin

Faculty Publications

Children spend much of their youthful energy engaged in play. Indeed, play, in its various forms, represents a serious business – not only for the active participations, but also for students of the phenomenon. To many researchers, play is viewed as a generative fore in children's social, emotional, and cognitive development (see Rubin, Fein, & Vandenberg, 1983; Saracho & Spodek, 1998; Fromberg & Bergen, 1998). The extent to which children engage in play with others is of added developmental significance. In light of the complexity and developmental significance of children's play and especially play with peers, it seems important to …

Varieties Of Religion-Family Linkages, John R. Snarey, David C. Dollahite

Faculty Publications

The 4 articles in this special issue make important contributions to both family and religious studies as well as to their interface. This commentary begins by considering 4 unifying themes present across all of the articles, including meaningful religion-family linkages, the importance of gender differences in the faith-family interface, the significance of intergenerational relationships, and the need for better theory. The authors then discuss the unique major strength and secondary limitations of each study. Finally, the commentary focuses on two challenges inhibiting the contemporary study of religion and the family–a relative lack of racial and religious diversity in samples and …

The Power Of Suggestion: Inertia In 401k Participation And Savings Behavior, Brigitte C. Madrian, Dennis F. Shea

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we analyze the 401(k) savings behavior of employees in a large U.S. corporation before and after an interesting change in the company 401(k) plan. Before the plan change, employees were required to affirmatively elect participation in the 401(k) plan. After the plan change, employees were automatically and immediately enrolled in the 401(k) plan unless they made a negative election to opt out of the plan. Although none of the economic features of the plan changed, this switch to automatic enrollment dramatically changed the savings behavior of employees. We have two key findings. First, 401(k) participation is significantly …

Bibliography On Secession And International Law, Mary D. Hood

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this bibliography is to bring together a variety of sources as a resource for the attendees of America's Regional Conference on Secession and International Law, sponsored by the International and Comparative Law Institute of Santa Clara University School of Law in cooperation with the Consortium on International Disputes Resolution (CIDIR). Issues discussed at this conference include:

• Secession in the history of international relations;
• Right of secession in comparative constitutional law;
• Secession in present international law:
• Rules and principles of international law with regard to secession;
• Self-determination and secession;
• Minorities, "peoples" and the right to self-determination at the …

"Language-Qualifying" Juries To Exclude Bilingual Speakers, Marina C. Hsieh

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Irs’S Voluntary Disclosure Policy, Allen Madison

Faculty Publications

When a taxpayer files a fraudulent return but amends it before the IRS begins a criminal investigation, the IRS has a long-standing policy that it will not refer that taxpayer to the Department of Justice for prosecution. This policy is known as the Voluntary Disclosure Policy. Such a policy allows taxpayers who have fallen off the tax rolls to get right with the government, which in turn helps the government by increasing revenues without the expense of investigation and enforcement. Over the Policy's history, the IRS has tinkered with it, at times keeping it in written form and at other …

Defining Terrorism As The Peace Time Equivalent Of War Crimes: A Case Of Too Much Convergence Between International Humanitarian Law And International Criminal Law, Michael P. Scharf

Faculty Publications

The problem of defining "terrorism" has vexed the international community for years. The United Nations General Assembly has repeatedly called for the convening of an international conference to define terrorism and distinguish it from legitimate acts in furtherance of national liberation struggles.' A decade ago, representing the United States, I gave a speech in the United Nations Sixth (Legal) Committee, in which I pointed out that general definitions of terrorism "are notoriously difficult to achieve and dangerous in what all but the most perfect of definitions excludes by chance." Today, we hear calls for a renewed effort to reach international …

Confronting The Agency In Battered Mothers, Elaine M. Chiu

Faculty Publications

Despite the progress of the last three decades, the American public and even feminists remain caught in a web of ambivalence and contradictory attitudes and beliefs about battered women. Are battered women traumatized victims who suffer at the hands of their individual abusers and from the systemic failures of a male-dominated culture? Are they, therefore, unable to save themselves or their children? In contrast, are these women survivors who manage to protect themselves as best they can under uniquely difficult circumstances? Do they deserve recognition for their efforts, or do battered women somehow contribute to or exacerbate their own abuse …

Law And International Relations: Introductory Remarks And Panel Discussion, Julian Knowles, Christopher J. Borgen, Arthur Rovine, William Paul, Carlos Manuel Vazquez

Faculty Publications

This panel was cosponsored by the American Society of International Law (ASIL). The ASIL was founded in 1906 by Secretary of State Elihu Root to inform and engage the public on issues of international law. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership association and research institute dedicated to providing both information about international law in all its forms and a forum for debate and discussion. This panel was one such forum. It was organized under the auspices of the ASIL Judicial Outreach Program, chaired by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. The Judicial Outreach Program provides information resources for federal and state judiciaries. …

Securites Law For The Next Millennium: A Forward-Looking Statement, Michael A. Perino

Faculty Publications

This article serves as the introduction to a symposium on the future of the securities markets and securities regulation which was held as part of St. John's University School of Law's year-long 75th anniversary celebration. The introduction serves to place the symposium in an historical context to set the stage for a discussion of the future.

Consensus Ontologies: Reconciling The Semantics Of Web Pages And Agents, Larry M. Stevens, Michael N. Huhns

Faculty Publications

As you build a Web site, it is worthwhile asking, "Should I put my information where it belongs or where people are most likely to look for it?" Our recent research into improving searching through ontologies is providing some interesting results to answer this question. The techniques developed by our research bring organization to the information received and reconcile the semantics of each document. Our goal is to help users retrieve dynamically generated information that is tailored to their individual needs and preferences. We believe that it is easier for individuals or small groups to develop their own ontologies, regardless …

Automating Supply Chains, Michael N. Huhns, Larry M. Stevens

Faculty Publications

A recent study found that supply-chain problems cost companies between 9 and 20 percent of their value over a six-month period (T.J. Becker, 2000). The problems range from part shortages to poorly utilized plant capacity. When you place this in the context of the overall business-to-business (B2B) market expected to reach US$7 trillion by 2004 (37 percent of which is projected to be e-commerce sales), it is easy to see that effective supply-chain management (SCM) tools could save companies billions of dollars. Attempts to automate solutions to these problems are complicated by the need for the different companies in a …

Not So Different: Tangible, Intangible, Digital, And Analog Works And Their Comparison For Copyright Purposes, I. Trotter Hardy

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Symposium Précis, Thomas E. Baker

Faculty Publications

This article is an introduction to and overview of the Drake University Law School symposium The Constitution and the Internet, held in February of 2001. It highlights important issues including the Constitution and the Internet, civil liberty and the application of a 200 year old document to the modern age of rapidly changing technology.

Renewable Bar Admission: A Template For Making "Professionalism" Real, Jayne W. Barnard

Faculty Publications

The citizens of this country should expect no less than the highest degree of professionalism when they have entrusted administration of the rule of law-one of the fundamental tenets upon which our society is based-to the legal profession. Re-examination was not originally required of medical specialists, but [the American Board of Medical Specialties] quickly recognized that a lifetime certification, even with required continuing education provided little incentive for doctors to keep up with new medical knowledge and techniques. Similarly, continuing [legal] education requirements alone are not sufficient to assure the integration of new law and procedure into a lawyer's practice. …

Safeguarding Juror Privacy: A New Framework For Court Policies And Procedures, Paula Hannaford-Agor

Faculty Publications

This article briefly discusses the difficulty courts face in balancing the privacy of citizens summoned for jury service with the rights of litigants and the public to information about those individuals. I propose that focusing on the content of the information re­quested of prospective jurors and the purposes for which juror infor­mation is used by courts provides a more helpful analysis than the legal framework traditionally employed in case law. Specifically, I argue that distinguishing between information that is relevant and information that is not relevant to the fairness or im­partiality of prospective jurors should be the primary analytical framework …

Carter, Reagan, And Khomeini: Presidential Transitions And International Law, Nancy Amoury Combs

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Impeachment Defanged And Other Institutional Ramifications Of The Clinton Scandals, Michael J. Gerhardt

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Allocution For Victims Of Economic Crimes, Jayne W. Barnard

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The International Judicial Dialogue: When Domestic Constitutional Courts Join The Conversation, Tara Leigh Grove

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Jeffersonian Vision Of Legal Education, Davison M. Douglas

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Congressional Factfinding And The Scope Of Judicial Review: A Preliminary Analysis, Neal Devins

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Congress As Culprit: How Lawmakers Spurred On The Court's Anti-Congress Crusade, Neal Devins

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

International Criminal Jurisprudence Comes Of Age: The Substance And Procedure Of An Emerging Discipline, Nancy Amoury Combs

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Hardball, Politics, And The Nlrb, Michael Ashley Stein

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Role Clarification And Role Dilemmas: New Challenges For Teacher-Librarians?, Ken Haycock

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Observable Behavior For Implicit User Modeling: A Framework And User Studies, Jinmook Kim, Douglas W. Oard

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a framework for observable behavior that can be used as a basis for user modeling, and it reports the results of a pair of user studies that examine the joint utility of two specific behaviors. User models can be constructed by hand, or they can be learned automatically based on feedback provided by the user about the relevance of documents that they have examined. By observing user behavior, it is possible to obtain implicit feedback without requiring explicit relevance judgments. Four broad categories of potentially observable behavior are identified: examine, retain, reference, and annotate, and examples of …

Modeling Information Content Using Observable Behavior, Douglas W. Oard, Jinmook Kim

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a framework for modeling the content of information objects such as documents and video programs based on observation of how users interact with those objects in the course of information seeking and use. Four categories of potentially observable user behaviors are identified: examination, retention, reference, and annotation. The framework draws together techniques from the information filtering, Web searching and citation indexing, and identifies the natural scope (portion of an object, complete object, or collection of objects) at which each behavior can be observed. The process of using observations as a basis for identifying information that may be …

User Modeling For Information Filtering Based On Implicit Feedback, Jinmook Kim, Douglas W. Oard, Kathleen Romanik

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.