Digital Commons Network^™

Beyond The Pixelated Mirror: Understanding Avatar Identity And Its Impact On In-Game Advertising And Consumer Behavior, Kyle Coble, Jay Ratican, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the complex dynamics between avatars and in-game advertising, probing how virtual representations influence consumer behavior within digital environments. It delves into the psychological interplay between self-perception and avatar embodiment, suggesting that while younger users may treat avatars as accessories showcasing personal interests, adults tend to opt for idealized selves, affecting their interaction with and responsiveness to virtual marketing. The study contemplates the avatar’s function as both a consumer and influencer in the expanding metaverse, considering the escalating integration of branded items in games. It also highlights potential shifts in consumption patterns as digital and physical realities converge. …

College Major Area And Career Commitment: Rethinking Steam In Educational- Vocational Guidance, James Hutson, Sara Bagley, Colleen Biri

Faculty Scholarship

Objective: The exigency for higher education to exhibit outcomes aligning with career competencies has intensified, driven by external pressures favoring job-specific training. Amidst shifting career tendencies of Generations Y and Z and the advent of artificial intelligence-led automation, the valuation of different college majors has come under scrutiny. This study aims to dissect the prevailing assumptions and explore the satisfaction and career commitment levels among individuals with career-focused degrees.

Methods: Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study delves into the relationships among areas of study, career commitment, self-esteem, and self-efficacy among alumni from a private Midwestern liberal arts college. Instruments …

Demographic And Clinical Associations To Employment Status In Older-Age Bipolar Disorder: Analysis From The Gage-Bd Database Project, Amulya Mallu, Carol K. Chan, Kaylee Sarna, Joy Yala, Farren B.S. Briggs, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Objective: The current literature on employment in older adults with bipolar disorder (OABD) is limited. Using the Global Aging and Geriatric Experiments in Bipolar Disorder Database (GAGE-BD), we examined the relationship of occupational status in OABD to other demographic and clinical characteristics. Methods: Seven hundred and thirty-eight participants from 11 international samples with data on educational level and occupational status were included. Employment status was dichotomized as employed versus unemployed. Generalized linear mixed models with random intercepts for the study cohort were used to examine the relationship between baseline characteristics and employment. Predictors in the models included baseline demographics, education, …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Pre-Hospital Delay Among Acute Stroke Patients At Mulago And Kiruddu National Referral Hospitals, Kampala: A Cross-Sectional Study, Chris Burant, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Despite advancements in acute stroke care, acute stroke patients present late for care resulting in high mortality and poor functional outcomes. This study determined the prevalence of pre-hospital delay and associated factors among adult acute stroke patients in Uganda. Methods: In a hospital based, cross-sectional study, one hundred and forty-three study participants with confirmed acute stroke presenting to the emergency units of Mulago and Kiruddu national referral hospitals were enrolled. Using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, details on sociodemographics, onset of stroke, arrival at the tertiary facility, health system and clinical factors were collected. Descriptive statistics and modified Poisson regression analyses …

Demystifying Artificial Intelligence (Ai) For Early Childhood And Elementary Education: A Case Study Of Perceptions Of Ai Of State Of Missouri Educators, Kathryn Arnone, James Hutson, Karen Woodruff

Faculty Scholarship

Artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on society have received a great deal of attention in the past five years since the first Stanford AI100 report. AI already globally impacts individuals in critical and personal ways, and many industries will continue to experience disruptions as the full algorithmic effects are understood. However, with regard to education, adopting in disciplines remains limited largely to Computer Science and Information Technology in postsecondary education. Recent advances with technology are especially promising for their potential to create and scale personalized learning for students, to optimize strategies for learning outcomes, and to increase access to …

Changes In Energy Expenditure, Dietary Intake, And Energy Availability Across An Entire Collegiate Women’S Basketball Season: Erratum, Breyannah R. Zanders, Brad S. Currier, Patrick Harty, Hannah A. Zabriskie, Charles R. Smith, Richard A. Stecker, Scott R. Richmond, Andrew R. Jagim, Chad Kerksick

Faculty Scholarship

Erratum

The Effects Of Protein And Carbohydrate Supplementation, With And Without Creatine, On Occupational Performance In Firefighters, Kaia Elstad, Conley Malone, Joel Luedke, Salvadore J. Jaime, Ward C. Dobbs, Thomas Almonroeder, Chad M. Kerksick, Adam Markert, Andrew R. Jagim

Faculty Scholarship

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of protein and carbohydrate supplementation, with and without creatine, on occupational performance in firefighters. Methods: Using a randomized, double-blind approach, thirty male firefighters (age: 34.4 ± 8.4 yrs., height: 1.82 ± 0.07 m; weight: 88.6 ± 12.5 kg; BF%: 17.2 ± 5.8%) were randomized to receive either (A.) 25 g of whey protein isolate + 25 g of carbohydrate powder (ProCarb group); or (B.) ProCarb + 5 g of creatine (Creatine group) in a double-blind fashion over a period of 21–26 days (depending on shift rotations) to evaluate …

Leveraging Generative Agents: Autonomous Ai With Simulated Personas For Interactive Simulacra And Collaborative Research, James Hutson, Jay Ratican

Faculty Scholarship

The advent of large language models (LLMs) and AI learning have fundamentally reshaped the research landscape, paving the way for novel problem-solving approaches. This paper introduces a unique framework that leverages the capabilities of autonomous AI agents with simulated personas to drive collaborative research in groundbreaking ways. Inspired by a recent study of autonomous agents mirroring human behavior, this concept encourages the use of a cadre of AI agents, each possessing specialized expertise for collective endeavors. By replicating human diversity in teamwork, this approach targets complex and hitherto unsolvable issues. The key to this strategy is persona and emotional simulation, …

The Futures Of Law, Lawyers, And Law Schools: A Dialogue Authors, Sameer M. Ashar, Benjamin H. Barton, Michael J. Madison, Rachel F. Moran

Faculty Scholarship

On April 19 and 20, 2023, Professors Bernard Hibbitts and Richard Weisberg convened a conference at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law titled “Disarmed, Distracted, Disconnected, and Distressed: Modern Legal Education and the Unmaking of American Lawyers.” Four speakers concluded the event with a spirited conversation about themes expressed during the proceedings. Distilling a lively two days, they asked: what are the most critical challenges now facing United States legal education and, by extension, lawyers and the communities they serve? Their agreements and disagreements were striking, so much so that Professors Hibbitts and Weisberg invited those four to extend …

A Perfect Storm For Legal Education: Privatization, Polarization, And Pedagogy, Rachel F. Moran

Faculty Scholarship

Today, the legal profession faces new challenges to its integrity and legitimacy due to technological change, rising political polarization, and a stratified bar. In this Article, I first explore how technological innovations are undermining lawyers’ claims to a unique monopoly based on expert professionalism. These technologies are designed to transform routinized law practice in ways that improve efficiency. With little focus on attorneys’ obligations to serve the greater good, technology entrepreneurs emphasize practical advantages over traditional forms of representation. These proponents promise reduced costs and superior results through a single-minded commitment to market dynamics. Those promises in turn depend on …

Reporte Final Del Estudio Del "Proyecto De Reintegración Mexicana", Guillermo J. Garcia Sanchez, Sonia Hernandez, Luz E. Herrera, Angela D. Morrison, Huyen Pham, Nancy Plankey-Videla

Faculty Scholarship

El fenómeno de los mexicanos que estan regresando a México después de una estadía prolongada en Estados Unidos es cada vez más importante. Aunque las estimaciones para el período de 2014 a 2019 muestran que más mexicanos han migrado a Estados Unidos de los que se fueron, la migración neta todavía está muy por debajo del pico de migración neta de 1995 a 2000. En el período de 2014-2019, la migración neta de mexicanos a Estados Unidos era de tan solo 160,000 versus 2.3 millones durante el periodo de 1995 a 2000. Entre 2005 y 2014, Estados Unidos experimentó una …

Use Of Ai To Recreate And Repatriate Lost, Destroyed Or Stolen Paintings: The 1785 Parisian Salon Case Study, Charles E. O'Brien, James Hutson, Trent Olsen, Jay Ratican

Faculty Scholarship

This study investigates the efficacy of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of artwork restoration, focusing on lost, stolen, or destroyed artworks. Employing a dual approach that combines traditional manual restoration techniques with advanced generative AI tools, the research centers on a case study of the 1785 Parisian Salon. It specifically examines the reconstitution of Antoine François Callet's painting, Achilles Dragging the Body of Hector, unveiled alongside Jacques-Louis David's Oath of the Horatii. The study utilizes Easy Diffusion and Stable Diffusion 2.1 technologies for inpainting and colorization processes. These AI tools are employed in concert with manual restoration practices to …

Brief Of Amici Curiae Privacy And First Amendment Law Professors In Support Of Defendant-Appellant And Reversal, G. S. Hans, Hannah Bloch-Wehba, Danielle K. Citron, Julie E. Cohen, Mary Anne Franks, Woodrow Hartzog, Margot E. Kaminski, Gregory P. Magarian, Frank Pasquale, Neil Richards, Daniel J. Solove

Faculty Scholarship

STATEMENT OF INTEREST: Amici curiae are law professors and scholars of data privacy, constitutional law, and the First Amendment. Amici write to provide the court with scholarly expertise on the complexities of data privacy law and its intersection with the First Amendment. Amici have collectively written scores of academic articles and multiple books on data privacy, technology, the First Amendment, and constitutional challenges to state and federal privacy regulation.

Amici submit this brief pursuant to Fed. Rule App. P. 29(a) and do not repeat arguments made by the parties. No party’s counsel authored this brief, or any part of …

High Stakes, Bad Odds: Health Laws And The Revived Federalism Revolution, Nicole Huberfeld

Faculty Scholarship

The Supreme Court’s 2021 term produced a remarkable number of blockbuster decisions, nearly hiding an underlying federalism agenda that surfaced in health care, reproductive rights, administrative law, and public health related domains. Health law has been a vehicle for constitutional change before, but the stakes for older laws, most of which rely on states to accomplish national goals, have been raised. The Court has doubled down on interpretive methods that limit governmental power, using formalist tools like clear statement rules that demand specificity and offer little deference to lawmakers or regulators. These rules have constitutional dimensions, including separation of powers …

Competing For Talent: Large Firms And Startup Growth, James Bessen, Felix Poege, Ronja Röttger

Faculty Scholarship

This paper explores the impact of large firms’ hiring in local labor markets on the salaries offered by startups and on startup growth and performance. We analyze firm data matched to help-wanted ads and find strong evidence of “crowding out.” A standard deviation increase in the share of ads posted by large firms raises startup pay offers by 5-10% for critical managerial, STEM, and sales jobs, and it reduces expected startup growth by 36%. Crowding is diminished by employee mobility and by spillovers to startups in closely related businesses. It is increased by big firm markups, which may have a …

Metaresearch, Psychology, And Law: A Case Study On Implicit Bias, Jason Chin, Alexander Holcombe, Kathryn Zeiler, Patrick Forscher, Ann Guo

Faculty Scholarship

When can scientific findings from experimental psychology be confidently applied to legal issues? And when applications have clear limits, do legal commentators readily acknowledge them? To address these questions, we survey recent findings from an emerging field of research on research (i.e., metaresearch). We find that many aspects of experimental psychology’s research and reporting practices threaten the validity and generalizability of legally relevant research findings, including those relied on by courts and policy-setting bodies. As a case study, we appraise the empirical claims relied on by commentators claiming that implicit bias deeply affects legal proceedings and practices, and that training …

Essence As Algorithm: Public Perceptions Of Ai-Powered Avatars Of Real People, James Hutson, Jay Ratican, Colleen Biri

Faculty Scholarship

This paper investigates the intersection of generative AI, Large Language Models (LLM), and robotics. Exemplified by systems like ChatGPT and technological marvels such as Ameca the Robot, the combination of technologies will allow humans to transcend the limitations of death. Through digital necromancy, a practice encompassing the technological resurrection of deceased individuals, the ability to not only passively see recordings of loved ones but to interact with them is made possible, leading to ethical and psychological considerations. Therefore, examining these trends extends into the motives underlying engagement with both incorporeal and corporeal reproductions of individuals, with reasons ranging from memory …

The Wto Dsu 2.0: How Can We Go Back To The Future?, Aris Georgopoulos, Petros C. Mavroidis

Faculty Scholarship

In this chapter, Aris Georgopoulos and Petros Mavroidis examine the contribution of the WTO dispute settlement body to the resolution of trade disputes. This chapter documents the problems and challenges faced by the WTO’s dispute settlement body and reveals their debilitating impact on its work. This chapter then puts forward concrete proposals for the establishment of a new WTO Court and explains why such a course of action has a realistic chance of breaking the current impasse and creating an effective dispute settlement body for trade disputes.

Social Costs Of Dobbs' Pro-Adoption Agenda, Malinda L. Seymore

Faculty Scholarship

Abortion opponents have long claimed that women denied access to abortion can simply give their children up for adoption. Justice Alito repeated this argument in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. Of course, this claim assumes away the burdens of the pregnancy itself, which can result in economic strife, domestic violence, health risks, and potentially death in childbirth. But even on its own terms, the argument that adoption is an adequate substitute for abortion access makes normative assumptions about adoption as a social good in and of itself, ignoring the social costs of adoption for birth parents and adoptees. Idealizing adoption …

After Ftx: Can The Original Bitcoin Use Case Be Saved?, Mark Burge

Faculty Scholarship

Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies spawned by the innovation of blockchain programming have exploded in prominence, both in gains of massive market value and in dramatic market losses, the latter most notably seen in connection with the failure of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange in November 2022. After years of investment and speculation, however, something crucial has faded: the original use case for Bitcoin as a system of payment. Can cryptocurrency-as-a-payment-system be saved, or are day traders and speculators the actual cryptocurrency future? This article suggests that cryptocurrency has been hobbled by a lack of foundational commercial and consumer-protection law that …

A Public Technology Option, Hannah Bloch-Wehba

Faculty Scholarship

Private technology increasingly underpins public governance. But the state’s growing reliance on private firms to provide a variety of complex technological products and services for public purposes brings significant costs for transparency: new forms of governance are becoming less visible and less amenable to democratic control. Transparency obligations initially designed for public agencies are a poor fit for private vendors that adhere to a very different set of expectations.

Aligning the use of technology in public governance with democratic values calls for rethinking, and in some cases abandoning, the legal structures and doctrinal commitments that insulate private vendors from meaningful …

Outlawing Corporate Prosecution Deals When People Have Died, Peter Reilly

Faculty Scholarship

Two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft crashes, occurring less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019, resulted in 346 deaths—possibly the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) used an alternative dispute resolution tool called a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) to resolve criminal charges against Boeing and to immunize the company’s senior-level managers from prosecution. In the end, the company admitted to engaging in the criminal behavior, paid a monetary fine, and agreed to cooperate fully with the government—meaning there would be no courtroom trial, no formal adjudication of guilt, and no possibility of …

Swimming Together Upstream: How To Align Mlp Services With U.S. Healthcare Delivery, William M. Sage, Keegan D. Warren

Faculty Scholarship

Medical-legal partnership (MLP) embeds attorneys and paralegals into care delivery to help clinicians address root causes of health inequities. Notwithstanding decades of favorable outcomes, MLP is not as well-known as might be expected. In this essay, the authors explore ways in which strategic alignment of legal services with healthcare services in terms of professionalism, information collection and sharing, and financing might help the MLP movement become a more widespread, sustainable model for holistic care delivery.

Team-Based Learning In The Internal Medicine Clerkship Didactics, Madeline Garb, Melissa Jenkins, Elaine Cruz

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Active-learning approaches, such as team-based learning, are infrequently used in internal medicine clerkship didactics even though there is increasing evidence to suggest medical students prefer it over traditional lecture-based learning. In this study, five team-based learning sessions were incorporated into three blocks of a 12-week internal medicine clerkship. Methods: The goal of this quasi-experimental study was to compare learner engagement, satisfaction and preference between team-based learning and lecture-based learning in the internal medicine clerkship didactics. Outcomes were compared using the Classroom Engagement Survey, a satisfaction questionnaire and the Team-Based Learning Student Assessment Instrument (TBL-SAI). Findings: There was a statistically …

Evidence-Supported Interventions For Reducing Secondary Stroke Risk In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review, Alyssa M. Edwards, Christopher J. Burant, Shirley M. Moore, Carol Blixen, Maratha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

The study set out to perform a systematic literature review of evidence-based interventions that target the reduction of secondary stroke risk in Africa. The review analyzed longitudinal intervention studies conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on adult participants who had suffered a prior stroke. It encompassed publications and peer-reviewed papers sourced from reputable databases, including PubMed, Ovid, Cochrane, and Web of Science. Three randomized clinical trial (RCT) studies were included with sample sizes ranging from 16 to 400 participants, mean age ranged between 50 and 66 years, with 64.5% male participants. All studies applied multidisciplinary team interventions of enhanced patient follow-up …

Preliminary Content And Construct Validity Of A New Model To Differentiate Research Skills From Evidence‐Based Practice Skills: Core, Evidence Application, Research (Cear) Model, Raeanne Jordan, Rosanna P. Watowicz, Catherine Phillips, Rita Obeid, Rosa K. Hand

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Research is the scientific basis for the profession of dietetics, as it must be located and applied in evidence‐based practice (EBP). EBP is often presented as a foundational skill for research. CEAR – Core, Evidence Application, Research – is a newly proposed model that separates Research and Evidence Application skills into distinct domains, jointly supported by a set of Core skills, thus acknowledging that education and advancement in one domain neither requires nor precipitates education and advancement in the other. The goal was to investigate the content and construct validity of the new CEAR Model. Methods: A cross‐sectional online …

Reply Brief For Petitioner, Ferguson V. America, Brian Wolfman, Madeline H. Meth

Faculty Scholarship

The Government concedes that the circuits are divided over whether 28 U.S.C. § 2255 limits a district court’s discretion in reviewing 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A) motions. And because it cannot dispute that this issue is cleanly presented, unaffected by the Sentencing Commission’s policy statement, and exceptionally important, it instead rewrites the question presented. The Government’s effort to replace a question about the relationship (if any) between Section 3582(c)(1)(A) and Section 2255 with one about whether the district court abused its discretion should be rejected, and with it the Government’s attempt to gloss over the intractable circuit split, its misguided argument …

Association Between Trigeminal Neuralgia And Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Cross‐Sectional Study Using Us Data, Robert J. Trager

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Limited research has suggested that trigeminal neuralgia (TN), an often-idiopathic pain disorder affecting the face and head, may arise from compression of the cervical spinal cord due to involvement of the spinal trigeminal tract. We hypothesized that adults with TN would have a greater likelihood of concurrent degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) compared to matched adults without TN. Methods: We retrieved de-identified data from a US network (TriNetX, Inc.) including medical records of >113 million patients, with a query date of October 1, 2023, and data spanning the previous 20 years. We created two groups of adults (aged ≥18 years): …

Social Activity Restriction And Psychological Health Among Caregivers Of Older Adults With And Without Dementia, Elliane Irani, Kylie Meyer, Scott Emory Moore, Kedong Ding

Faculty Scholarship

Objectives: We examined associations between social activity restriction and psychological distress and well-being for caregivers of older adults with and without dementia, and if the identified associations are different for the two groups. Methods: Using data from the 2017 National Study of Caregiving, we identified caregivers of older adults with (N = 541) and without (N = 1701) dementia. Linear regression models were estimated, adjusting for caregivers’ age, gender, race, education, relationship to care recipient, and self-rated health. Results: Restriction in visiting friends and family and attending religious services were associated with higher distress in dementia caregivers. Restriction in visiting …

Limitations And Possibilities Of Digital Restoration Techniques Using Generative Ai Tools: Reconstituting Antoine François Callet’S Achilles Dragging Hector’S Body Past The Walls Of Troy, Charles O'Brien, James Hutson, Trent Olsen, Jay Ratican

Faculty Scholarship

Digital restoration offers new avenues for conserving historical artworks, yet presents unique challenges. This research delves into the balance between traditional restoration methods and the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, using Antoine François Callet’s portrayal of Achilles Dragging Hector’s Body Past the Walls of Troy as a case study. The application of Easy Diffusion and Stable Diffusion 2.1 technologies provides insights into AI-driven restoration methods such as inpainting and colorization. Results indicate that while AI can streamline the restoration process, repeated inpainting can compromise the painting’s color quality and detailed features. Furthermore, the AI approach occasionally introduces unintended …