Digital Commons Network^™

Murder On The Hearsay Trail, Jeffrey Bellin

Faculty Publications

Judges, lawyers, and law students struggle to apply American evidence law’s most distinctive feature—the hearsay prohibition. The problem is that hearsay is difficult to master and somewhat dull. At the same time, hearsay evidence is ubiquitous and important. Every litigator has a story about a judge’s eccentric hearsay rulings; mine is the trial judge who waved his hand dismissively at hearsay objections, letting witnesses answer on the grounds that “I want to hear it.” And the case law is littered with appellate opinions scolding trial judges for erroneous hearsay rulings while introducing errors of their own.

That is just the …

Legal Support For Local Election Officials, Rebecca Green

Faculty Publications

Local election officials (“LEOs”) face enormous pressure. They must administer elections when a wide swath of the American public has grown mistrustful of their work; they increasingly face ominous personal attacks and threats; they cope with chronic underfunding of elections; and they must navigate frequent changes in the law governing elections. Lawyers provide a critical avenue of support for local election officials. They provide guidance on how to implement legislative mandates and judicial orders; they anticipate and prevent disputes from arising; and they represent election officials when they or their offices are sued—a more common occurrence today than ever. Although …

"The Law Doesn't Work Like A Computer": Exploring Software Licensing Issues Faced By Legal Practitioners, Nathan Wintersgill, Trevor Stalnaker, Laura A. Heymann, Oscar Chaparro, Denys Poshyvanyk

Faculty Publications

Most modern software products incorporate open source components, which requires compliance with each component’s licenses. As noncompliance can lead to significant repercussions, organizations often seek advice from legal practitioners to maintain license compliance, address licensing issues, and manage the risks of noncompliance. While legal practitioners play a critical role in the process, little is known in the software engineering community about their experiences within the open source license compliance ecosystem. To fill this knowledge gap, a joint team of software engineering and legal researchers designed and conducted a survey with 30 legal practitioners and related occupations and then held 16 …

An Integrated Space Test Lexicon: A Taxonomy For The Integrated Test And Evaluation Of Space Systems, Stephen K. Tullino, Andrew S. Keys, Robert A. Bettinger, Amy M. Cox, David R. Jacques

Faculty Publications

The proposed Integrated Space Test Lexicon is intended to amalgamate the numerous definitions of integrated (IT or IT&E), development test (DT or DT&E), and operational test (OT or OT&E) into unified, service-wide definitions, aligned with the Space Test Enterprise Vision. Refining such definitions will help distill the core characteristics of these fundamental test types to first identify space system activities composing what is traditionally known as DT and OT, then to provide a means of how these activities fit into the IT paradigm and support space system development. In forging a common understanding of how DT and OT support space …

Persevering Through Communication Challenges: A Qualitative Descriptive Exploration Of Communication Experiences In Aphasia, Tyson G. Harmon, Camille Williams, Garrett Cardon, William S. Evans

Faculty Publications

Background

People with aphasia often experience activity limitations and participation restrictions despite wanting to engage in communication activities that are satisfying and meaningful. Communication partner support, the complexity of the communication environment, and the thoughts and feelings of people with aphasia have important implications for both language processing and communicative participation. The perspectives of PWA about the role that environmental and personal factors (e.g. thoughts and feelings) play in their communication experiences could inform clinical practice.

Aims

To qualitatively explore the communication experiences of people with aphasia and how environmental demands and personal factors (especially emotional responses) affect these experiences. …

Sediment Ballast Accelerates Sinking Of Alaska North Slope Crude Oil Measured Ex Situ With Surface Water From Cook Inlet, Jesse Ross, Nancy Kinner, Susan Saupe, Kai Ziervogel

Faculty Publications

Oil spilled into the ocean interacts with suspended matter forming aggregates that transport oil into subsurface layers and towards the bottom. We conducted a series of laboratory experiments to explore aggregation of oil with natural phytoplankton assemblages from Cook Inlet, Alaska at three times during a spring bloom. Oil and phytoplankton formed marine oil snow (MOS) that remained positively buoyant with a small fraction of MOS sinking to the bottom of our experimental bottles. Seawater treatments amended with suspended sediments formed oil-mineral aggregates (OMAs) with an oil capacity similar to MOS (∼20% of aggregate area was covered with oil). OMAs …

Children’S Reading Of Visuals In Informational Picturebooks And Biographies, Sunah Chung

Faculty Publications

Visuals in picturebooks play an important role in supporting children’s reading comprehension and literacy development. This qualitative case study analyzes three American families’ shared reading practices at home by analyzing their online surveys for family literacy environments, reading logs for a month, mother interviews, and video observation of their shared reading at home. The analysis of the collected data categorizes children’s responses to visuals into three major themes: reflecting personal preferences and thoughts on visuals, interpreting visuals based on prior knowledge, and misreading visuals that interfere with understanding content. The discussion focuses on the roles of visuals in informational picturebooks …

A Multivariate Statistical Approach For Mineral Geographic Provenance Determination Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy And Electron Microprobe Chemical Data: A Case Study Of Copper-Bearing Tourmalines, Barbara L. Dutrow, Nancy J. Mcmillan, Darrell J. Henry

Faculty Publications

The geographic provenance of minerals provides key insights into a range of geologic problems, including the source of gem materials. The tourmaline supergroup is unparalleled in its ability to record and preserve extensive chemical signatures of its formational environment. To evaluate the likelihood that tourmalines of similar compositions from separate geographic localities could be differentiated, a multivariate statistical approach has been utilized on two complementary data sets. These chemical analytical data sets of copper-bearing "Paraiba"tourmaline include data sets acquired with Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA). Fifty-four samples of copper-bearing tourmalines from known source locations from …

Moving Slow And Fixing Things, Hannibal Travis

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Short- And Medium-Term Impacts Of Small-Scale Vegetable Support On Food Security: Evidence From Syria, Ghassan Baliki, Melodie Al Daccache, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Tilman Brück

Faculty Publications

Small-scale agricultural and horticultural interventions play a critical role in improving nutrition and food security of vulnerable households in peaceful settings. However, scant rigorous evidence exists on the impacts and sustainability of such interventions in conflict settings. In this paper, we address this knowledge gap by analyzing the short- and medium-term impacts of a small-scale vegetable input support program involving asset transfers on food security and diets in war-time Syria. We use longitudinal panel household survey data from a quasi-experimental study collected at three rounds: before, one year, and two years after the horticultural intervention ended. We use propensity score …

Effects Of Single-Session Practice Structure On Motor Skill Acquisition And Alpha And Beta Eeg Oscillations, Aubrey Porter, Ronald Victor Croce, Wayne Smith

Faculty Publications

Background: Although it is known that practicing a motor skill updates the associated internal model, it is still unclear as to how cortical oscillations linked with the motor skill change under differing practice schedules. The current study investigated α- and β-power changes associated with motor skill acquisition. Objectives: Firstly, we investigated the behavioral effects of practice on motor learning and retention during repetitive (RP) and variable (VP) practice schedules on an anticipation timing task. Secondly, we investigated changes in cortical α (10 - 13 Hz) and β (15 - 30 Hz) event-related synchronization and desynchronization (ERS/ERD) under RP and VP …

Effects Of Single-Session Practice Structure On Motor Skill Acquisition And Alpha And Beta Eeg Oscillations, Aubrey Porter, Ronald Victor Croce, Wayne Smith

Faculty Publications

Background: Although it is known that practicing a motor skill updates the associated internal model, it is still unclear as to how cortical oscillations linked with the motor skill change under differing practice schedules. The current study investigated α- and β-power changes associated with motor skill acquisition. Objectives: Firstly, we investigated the behavioral effects of practice on motor learning and retention during repetitive (RP) and variable (VP) practice schedules on an anticipation timing task. Secondly, we investigated changes in cortical α (10 - 13 Hz) and β (15 - 30 Hz) event-related synchronization and desynchronization (ERS/ERD) under RP and VP …

Under Pressure: The Interplay Of Hypertension And White Matter Hyperintensities With Cognition In Chronic Stroke Aphasia, Jade Hannan, Natalie Busby, Rebecca Roth, Janina Wilmskoetter, Roger Newman-Norlund Ph.D., Chris Rorden, Leonardo Bonilha, Julius Fridriksson Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

While converging research suggests that increased white matter hyperintensity load is associated with poorer cognition, and the presence of hypertension is associated with increased white matter hyperintensity load, the relationship among hypertension, cognition and white matter hyperintensities is not well understood. We sought to determine the effect of white matter hyperintensity burden on the relationship between hypertension and cognition in individuals with post-stroke aphasia, with the hypothesis that white matter hyperintensity load moderates the relationship between history of hypertension and cognitive function. Health history, Fazekas scores for white matter hyperintensities and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Matrix Reasoning subtest scores for …

Interactive Cue Matters: The Moderation Role Of Situational Factors In The Effects Of User Comments On News Sharing, Nicky Chang Bi, Ruonan Zhang, Peigin Chen

Faculty Publications

Communicators often find it challenging to prioritize the public and manage their comments during risk communication. This study explored the effects of comments as interactivity cues on news diffusion while considering situational factors under the framework of the Situational Theory of Problem Solving in the context of the US-China trade conflict. For this purpose, the researchers conducted an experiment to investigate the effects of interactivity cues and public segmentations on news sharing. The findings suggest that comments elicit different news-sharing behaviors among different segments of the public. The aware public shares more news than the activists/active public who are more …

Colombia As A Future Tourism Destination From U.S. Travelers’ Perspective, Maricela I. Montes-Guerra, Natalia Zapata-Cuervo, Miyoung Jeong Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

This research identified the perceptions of U.S. travelers regarding Colombia as a potential tourism destination, including their perception of risk. The framework of destination image and travelers’ behavior, including perceived risk, cognitive and affective images, and perceived value for the trip, was adopted. Data for these behaviors were collected using a self-administered online survey with U.S. citizens who had not visited Colombia. Hypotheses were tested employing Confirmatory Factor Analysis and the Partial Least Squares method to analyze the measurement and structural models. The results indicated that U.S. citizens had a positive affective and cognitive perception of Colombia, which led to …

Flying Base Station Channel Capacity Limits: Dependent On Stationary Base Station And Independent Of Positioning, Sang-Yoon Chang, Kyungmin Park, Jonghyun Kim, Jinoh Kim

Faculty Publications

Flying base stations, also known as aerial base stations, provide wireless connectivity to the user and utilize their aerial mobility to improve communication performance. Flying base stations depend on traditional stationary terrestrial base stations for connectivity, as stationary base stations act as the gateway to the backhaul/cloud via a wired connection. We introduce the flying base station channel capacity to build on the Shannon channel capacity, which quantifies the upper-bound limit of the rate at which information can be reliably transmitted using the communication channel regardless of the modulation and coding techniques used. The flying base station’s channel capacity assumes …

The Acceptability Of Relationship-Centered Communication Partner Training For Couples Impacted By Aphasia: A Mixed Methods Pilot Investigation, Kathryn-Anne Pertab, Tyson G. Harmon, Jonathan Sandberg, Jon L. Pertab, William S. Evans

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study explored the acceptability and impact of Relationship-Centered Communication Partner Training (RC-CPT) in couples impacted by aphasia. In particular, couples considered whether discussing their relationship roles and responsibilities was important and relevant to the changes they desire. Preliminary quasi-experimental data regarding perceived communication confidence and the marriage relationship were also obtained.

Method: Three couples participated in RC-CPT across two sessions. Surveys were used to measure communication confidence and the marital relationship before and after participation in RC-CPT. The quantitative findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Couples also participated in a semi-structured interview about the acceptability of RC-CPT, during …

Visual Images As A Gateway To Scholarly Inquiry In Information Literacy Instruction, Carolyn White Gamtso, Susanne F. Paterson

Faculty Publications

In this interactive session, participants will engage in activities that use student-generated questions about visual images as entry points to research literary criticism of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. The presenters collaborated on a student-centered, inquiry-based information literacy lesson (IL) focused on visual literacy, critical thinking, and research question design in an introductory literary analysis course. The co-instructors decentralized the classroom by empowering students to ask probing questions about illustrations from an early 20th-Century edition of Hamlet. Workshop participants will experience the presenters’ lesson firsthand by using the Right Question Institute’s Question Formulation Technique (QFT) as a springboard to research question development, …

Age, Growth, And Mortality Of Blackfin Tuna In The Gulf Of Mexico, E. M. Gutierrez, E. T. Lang, M. S. Lovell, J. Lang, B. J. Falterman, S. R. Midway, M. A. Dance

Faculty Publications

Objective: An otolith-based aging approach was used to evaluate age and growth relationships, sexual dimorphism in growth, and derive mortality estimates for Blackfin Tuna Thunnus atlanticus in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Methods: Blackfin Tuna (n = 395) were sampled from recreational fisheries and aged from 0 to 13 years, representing an increase over previous estimates of longevity for the species. Result: Rapid growth was exhibited during the first two years of life, and the Richards growth function provided a better fit (L∞ = 907 mm, k = 0.112 /year, a = 1.05, b = 0.25) to the data compared …

A Snapshot Of How Mediators Use Technology These Days, John Lande

Faculty Publications

All professional mediators inevitably use technology these days. Indeed, they use it more than they realize. And, with the accelerating rate of technological developments, they generally will use it a lot more in the future. But it's not easy to incorporate technological developments into daily practice and keep up with the rapid pace of change. Part of the challenge is that mediators have their own unique complex practice systems that they aren't fully conscious of. And technology is integrated throughout their systems.

Consumer Engagement In Fashion Circularity In China: Exploring Consumer Online Fashion Resale Through The Lens Of Social Practice Theory, Sujun Liu, Chuanlan Liu, Chunmin Lang

Faculty Publications

Fashion resale has emerged as a notable strategy for the fashion industry to reduce its environmental footprint by promoting fashion circularity. Despite extensive research on consumer awareness of resale and the purchase of pre-owned items, there remains a gap in understanding the factors that influence consumers’ participation in resale markets, encompassing both selling and buying practices. Drawing on social practice theory (SPT), this qualitative study examines the nuanced factors influencing consumers’ online resale practices and investigates how online fashion resale practices (OFRPs) have become integrated into their daily consumption patterns. In-depth interviews were conducted with thirty experienced Chinese consumers engaged …

Phytochemical Profiling And Bioactive Potential Of Grape Seed Extract In Enhancing Salinity Tolerance Of Vicia Faba, Doaa E. Elsherif, Fatmah A. Safhi, Prasanta K. Subudhi, Abdelghany S. Shaban, Mai A. El-Esawy, Asmaa M. Khalifa

Faculty Publications

Salinity stress poses a significant threat to crop productivity worldwide, necessitating effective mitigation strategies. This study investigated the phytochemical composition and potential of grape seed extract (GSE) to mitigate salinity stress effects on faba bean plants. GC–MS analysis revealed several bioactive components in GSE, predominantly fatty acids. GSE was rich in essential nutrients and possessed a high antioxidant capacity. After 14 days of germination, GSE was applied as a foliar spray at different concentrations (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 g/L) to mitigate the negative effects of salt stress (150 mM NaCl) on faba bean plants. Foliar application of 2–8 …

Stacked Noise Reduction Auto Encoder–Ocean: A Novel Personalized Recommendation Model Enhanced, Bixi Wang, Wenfeng Zheng, Ruiyang Wang, Siyu Lu, Lirong Yin, Lei Wang, Zhengtong Yin, Xinbing Chen

Faculty Publications

With the continuous development of information technology and the rapid increase in new users of social networking sites, recommendation technology is becoming more and more important. After research, it was found that the behavior of users on social networking sites has a great correlation with their personalities. The five characteristics of the OCEAN personality model can cover all aspects of a user’s personality. In this research, a micro-directional propagation model based on the OCEAN personality model and a Stacked Denoising Auto Encoder (SDAE) was built through the application of deep learning to a collaborative filtering technique. Firstly, the dimension of …

Borderline Personality Disorder Subtypes And Public Stigma, Seth A. Brown

Faculty Publications

Despite high public stigma towards individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD), no research has examined whether stigma differs among the various proposed BPD subtypes. The primary purpose of this research was to examine two potential contributors to stigma towards individuals with BPD: 1) gender, and 2) BPD subtype of the individuals. The three subtypes utilized in this study were emotional, low anxiety, and inhibited (Sleuwaegen, 2018). A total of 415 participants read 1 of 6 randomly assigned vignettes about an individual and then completed the Attribution Questionnaire which encompasses 6 aspects of stigma. Male individuals (featured in a vignette) led …

City Of Leaf Collaborative Drinking Water Emergency Response Serious Game, Jingyan Huang, Weiwei Mo

Faculty Publications

The City of Leaf serious game is a five-party role-playing game designed to simulate a response to a drinking water contamination crisis. The game involves five roles: chemical manufacturer, local resident, water treatment plant, environmental agency, and health department, each with distinct knowledge, responsibilities, capabilities, and objectives. Participants assume one of these roles and exchange information, strategize responses, and work towards a solution that satisfies all parties involved throughout the game. This game aims to deepen participants' understanding of the complexities involved in managing a drinking water emergency, with a particular focus on emphasizing the critical role of inter-organizational communication …

Phase Error Scaling Law In Two-Wavelength Adaptive Optics, Milo W. Hyde Iv, Matthew Kalensky, Michael J. Spencer

Faculty Publications

We derive a simple, physical, closed-form expression for the optical-path difference (OPD) of a two-wavelength adaptive-optics (AO) system. Starting from Hogge and Butts’ classic OPD variance integral expression, we apply Mellin transform techniques to obtain series and asymptotic solutions to the integral. For realistic two-wavelength AO systems, the former converges slowly and has limited utility. The latter, on the other hand, is a simple formula in terms of the separation between the AO sensing (i.e., the beacon) and compensation (or observation) wavelengths. We validate this formula by comparing it to the OPD variances obtained from the aforementioned series and direct …

A Theory Of Genetic Dimensions In The Law, Yaniv Heled, Liza Vertinsky, Ana Santos Rutschman

Faculty Publications

Since the biotechnology revolution of the 1970s, genetic science and genetic technology have captured the public imagination. They have become a centerpiece of how we understand ourselves, our relationship with other humans, other living beings, our environment, and—indeed—with the universe. Through this evolution of understanding, genetic phenomena have acquired many meanings, some rooted in objective reality and others subjective and dependent on individual perceptions and sentiments.

However, legal decision-making and policymaking have not kept pace and reflect only a partial understanding of the multiple dimensions of genetic phenomena, which are forced into narrowing legal pathways, neglecting vital interests. As the …

Development And Validity Of The ‘Modified Mediterranean Prime Screen’ To Assess Dietary Intake Among Women Of Reproductive Age In Lebanon, Mariam Assaad, Sara Ajjour, Maya Rahme, Laila Al-Shaar, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan, Jana Jabbour

Faculty Publications

The Mediterranean Region registers an increasing prevalence of obesity. The region lacks a diet screener to assess obesogenic nutrients. This study aimed to evaluate the reproducibility and validity of the Modified Mediterranean Prime Screen (MMPS) in estimating obesogenic nutrients’ intake among women of reproductive age, as compared with a culturally validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), in Lebanon. We developed the MMPS consisting of thirty-two food/beverage items specific to the Lebanese Mediterranean culture. The MMPS and FFQ were administered in two visits (2 weeks–6 months apart), face to face and via telephone during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The reproducibility and …

San Antonio Storyscapes: Student Storytelling Partnerships, Lindsey Passenger Wieck, Jenny Hay

Faculty Publications

In spring 2020 and 2021, the City of San Antonio’s Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) ScoutSA team, led by Dr. Jenny Hay, joined Dr. Lindsey Wieck and students in her St. Mary’s University Digital Public History graduate course to implement a community- based pedagogy partnership. Together, we challenged Wieck’s students to produce innovative digital projects for the OHP using a consultant- in- training model to create a project- based learning experience. As a Hispanic- Serving Institution, St. Mary’s Public History program uses projects like these to better ensure that the campus’s predominantly BIPOC students can grow as knowledge producers, providing …

Showcasing Faculty Projects: Beyond Traditional Types Of Publications, Ellen Neuhaus

Faculty Publications

There is value in collecting and preserving faculty projects which gives a broader perspective of faculty work than just the traditional publications (books and journal articles). The projects give a fuller picture of the faculty work at UNI than if just traditional publications were collected.