Digital Commons Network^™

A Theory Of Interests In The Context Of Hybrid Warfare: It's Complex, Cynthia Alkon, Sanda Kaufman

Faculty Scholarship

We will begin with a discussion about how the hybrid warfare context is different from other conflict contexts. We will describe some complexity aspects that make hybrid warfare challenging to negotiators. We will then discuss whether classical negotiation theory prescriptions apply to a hybrid warfare context, especially regarding interests. We will argue that these prescriptions related to classical negotiations are unlikely to work in this context. We will focus our analysis on a subset of hybrid warfare attacks, consisting of short-term, time-sensitive, high-risk crises, where negotiations are possible and necessary, such as ransom demands, rather than on hybrid warfare situations …

Initiation Payments, Scott Hirst

Faculty Scholarship

Many of the central discussions in corporate governance, including those regarding proxy contests, shareholder proposals, and other activism or stewardship, can be understood as a single question: Is there under-initiation of corporate changes that investors would collectively prefer?

This Article sheds light on this question in three ways. First, the Article proposes a theory of investor initiation, which explains the hypothesis that there is under-initiation of collectively-preferred corporate change by investors. Even though investors collectively prefer that certain corporate changes take place, the costs to any individual investor from initiating such changes through high-cost proxy contests, or even low-cost shareholder …

Estimating The Impact Of The Age Of Criminal Majority: Decomposing Multiple Treatments In A Regression Discontinuity Framework, Michael Mueller-Smith, Benjamin David Pyle, Caroline Walker

Faculty Scholarship

This paper studies the impact of adult prosecution on recidivism and employment trajectories for adolescent, first-time felony defendants. We use extensive linked Criminal Justice Administrative Record System and socio-economic data from Wayne County, Michigan (Detroit). Using the discrete age of majority rule and a regression discontinuity design, we find that adult prosecution reduces future criminal charges over 5 years by 0.48 felony cases (↓ 20%) while also worsening labor market outcomes: 0.76 fewer employers (↓ 19%) and $674 fewer earnings (↓ 21%) per year. We develop a novel econometric framework that combines standard regression discontinuity methods with predictive machine learning …

Harnessing Artificial Intelligence For Early And Evolution Of Alzheimer’S Disease Detections And Enhancing Senior Mental Health Through Innovative Art-Singing Therapies: A Multidisciplinary Approach, Jocelyne Kiss, Geoffreyjen Edwards, Rachel Bouserhal, Elaine Champagne, Thierry Belleguic, Valéry Psyché, Charles Batcho, Carol Hudon, Sylsvie Ratté, Ingrid Verdruyckt, Marie-Hélène Parizeau, Aaron Liu-Rosenbaum, James Hudson, Marie-Louise Bourbeau, Marie Lemieux, Annik Charbonneau

Faculty Scholarship

The well-documented therapeutic potential of group singing for patients living with Alzheimer’s disease (PLAD) has been hindered by COVID-19 restrictions, exacerbating loneliness and cognitive decline among seniors in residential and long-term care centers (CHSLDs). Addressing this challenge, the multidisciplinary study aims to develop a patient-oriented virtual reality (XR) interaction system facilitating group singing for mental health support during confinement and enhancing the understanding of the links between Alzheimer’s disease, social interaction, and singing. The researchers also propose to establish an early AD detection system using voice, facial, and non-invasive biometric measurements and validate the efficacy of selected intervention practices. The …

When Will A Changing Climate Outpace Adaptive Evolution?, Ryan A. Martin, Sarah E. Diamond

Faculty Scholarship

Decades of research have illuminated the underlying ingredients that determine the scope of evolutionary responses to climate change. The field of evolutionary biology therefore stands ready to take what it has learned about influences upon the rate of adaptive evolution—such as population demography, generation time, and standing genetic variation—and apply it to assess if and how populations can evolve fast enough to “keep pace” with climate change. Here, our review highlights what the field of evolutionary biology can contribute and what it still needs to learn to provide more mechanistic predictions of the winners and losers of climate change. We …

Validation Of A New Species For Studying Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation: Swine Sterile Pericarditis Model, Seungyup Lee, Celeen Khrestian, Daniel Laurita, Dragan Juzbasich, Don Wallick, Albert Waldo

Faculty Scholarship

Background: The canine sterile pericarditis model associated with atrial inflammation is an experimental counterpart of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF). However, the use of canines for research is restricted by ethics committees in many countries, and social acceptance is declining. Objective: To validate the feasibility of the swine sterile pericarditis model as an experimental counterpart to study POAF. Methods: Seven domestic pigs (35–60 kg) underwent initial pericarditis surgery. On two or more postoperative days in the closed‐chest state, we performed electrophysiological measurements of pacing threshold and atrial effective refractory period (AERP) while pacing from the right atrial appendage (RAA) and the …

Exploring The Inhibition Of The Soluble Lytic Transglycosylase Cj0843c Of Campylobacter Jejuni Via Targeting Different Sites With Different Scaffolds, Vijay Kumar, Jacob Boorman, Focco Van Den Akker

Faculty Scholarship

Bacterial lytic transglycosylases (LTs) contribute to peptidoglycan cell wall metabolism and are potential drug targets to potentiate β-lactam antibiotics to overcome antibiotic resistance. Since LT inhibitor development is underexplored, we probed 15 N-acetyl-containing heterocycles in a structure-guided fashion for their ability to inhibit and bind to the Campylobacter jejuni LT Cj0843c. Ten GlcNAc analogs were synthesized with substitutions at the C1 position, with two having an additional modification at the C4 or C6 position. Most of the compounds showed weak inhibition of Cj0843c activity. Compounds with alterations at the C4 position, replacing the -OH with a -NH2, and C6 position, …

National Telecommunications And Information Administration: Comments From Researchers At Boston University And The University Of Chicago, Ran Canetti, Aloni Cohen, Chris Conley, Mark Crovella, Stacey Dogan, Marco Gaboardi, Woodrow Hartzog, Rory Van Loo, Christopher Robertson, Katharine B. Silbaugh

Faculty Scholarship

These comments were composed by an interdisciplinary group of legal, computer science, and data science faculty and researchers at Boston University and the University of Chicago. This group collaborates on research projects that grapple with the legal, policy, and ethical implications of the use of algorithms and digital innovation in general, and more specifically regarding the use of online platforms, machine learning algorithms for classification, prediction, and decision making, and generative AI. Specific areas of expertise include the functionality and impact of recommendation systems; the development of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) and their relationship to privacy and data security laws; …

Balkinization Symposium On Christian G. Fritz, Monitoring American Federalism: The History Of State Legislative Resistance, Christian G. Fritz

Faculty Scholarship

Balkinization, the blog founded by Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment Jack Balkin (Yale Law School), hosted a symposium on Christian Fritz's book Monitoring American Federalism: The History of State Legislative Resistance (Cambridge University Press, 2023) June 14-26, 2023. Six scholars from law schools across the United States discussed the book and the symposium concluded with Professor Fritz's response to the commentators.

Editorial: Developments In Sickle Cell Disease Therapy And Potentials For Gene Therapy, Robert W. Maitta, Hollie M. Reeves

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Neighbourhood‐Level Social Deprivation And The Risk Of Recurrent Heart Failure Hospitalizations In Type 2 Diabetes, Salil V. Deo, Sadeer Al-Kindi, Yakov Elgudin, Eiran Gorodeski, Sanjay Rajagopalan

Faculty Scholarship

Background: The importance of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in heart failure hospitalizations (HFH) is acknowledged. As information on the prevalence and influence of social deprivation on HFH is limited, we studied this issue in a racially diverse cohort. Methods: Linking data from US Veterans with stable T2D (without prevalent HF) with a zip-code derived population-level social deprivation index (SDI), we grouped them according to increasing SDI as follows: SDI: group I: ≤20; II: 21-40; III: 41-60; IV: 61-80; and V (most deprived) 81-100. Over a 10-year follow-up period, we identified the total (first and recurrent) number of HFH episodes …

Behavioral Paradigm For The Evaluation Of Stimulation-Evoked Somatosensory Perception Thresholds In Rats, Jeffrey R. Capadona

Faculty Scholarship

Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the somatosensory cortex via penetrating microelectrode arrays (MEAs) can evoke cutaneous and proprioceptive sensations for restoration of perception in individuals with spinal cord injuries. However, ICMS current amplitudes needed to evoke these sensory percepts tend to change over time following implantation. Animal models have been used to investigate the mechanisms by which these changes occur and aid in the development of new engineering strategies to mitigate such changes. Non-human primates are commonly the animal of choice for investigating ICMS, but ethical concerns exist regarding their use. Rodents are a preferred animal model due to their availability, …

Treatment Of Trauma Using Horse Assisted Education In Poland, Kathleen J. Farkas, Jaroslaw Richard Romaniuk

Faculty Scholarship

Trauma-informed care requires a sound therapeutic relationship to address trauma symptoms. People with trauma symptoms often cannot use their communication skills or do not possess the emotional stability to talk with others, and many drop out of treatment. Horse Assisted Education employs a partnership of horse and humans which leads to engagement and participation in experiential and narrative trauma treatment leading to sustained change and recovery. This paper illustrates a model of Horse Assisted Education in Poland, its application in the treatment of trauma symptoms. Three case studies are used to discuss the ways in which the human-animal partnerships foster …

Effects Of Fucoidan Supplementation On Inflammatory And Immune Response After High-Intensity Exercise, Bridget A. Mcfadden, Caroline S. Vincenty, Alexa J. Chandler, Harry P. Cintineo, Blaine S. Lints, Gianna F. Mastrofini, Shawn M. Arent

Faculty Scholarship

Introduction: High-intensity exercise (HIE) can damage the musculotendon complex and impact the immune response, resulting in post-exercise inflammation. Sufficient rest and recovery will improve muscular resilience against future damaging bouts; however, HIE with minimal durations of rest is common in athletic competitions that facilitate persistent inflammation and immune dysregulation. Fucoidans are fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharides with demonstrated anti-inflammatory and pro-immune responses. Fucoidans may improve inflammation and immune responses, which may prove beneficial for individuals who regularly engage in repeated HIE. The research purpose was to investigate the safety and efficacy of fucoidans on inflammatory and immune markers following HIE.

Methods …

Using The Hands To Learn About The Brain: Testing Action-Based Instruction In Brain Anatomy, Fey Parrill

Faculty Scholarship

Brain anatomy is typically taught using static images. We asked participants to use their own hands to represent the brain and perform gestures during learning. We measured learning via a pretest/postest design. We compared five video trainings in which participants heard similar audio and repeated terminology aloud. Conditions were: (1) Image: Participants saw images of a physical model of the brain. (2) Physical model: Participants saw hands pointing to the physical model. (3) Physical model + action: Participants performed actions on the physical model. (4) Hand model: Participants saw images of hands being used to represent the brain. (5) Hand …

A Novel Approach To Legacy Donations With Long-Term Benefits Supported By Numerical Illustrations, Daniel Solow, Robin Symes

Faculty Scholarship

Philanthropic donors face challenges in matching the causes to which they donate, the time horizon—and thus impact—of their donations, and the charitable vehicles they choose for making contributions. Wealthier donors may elect to create their own foundations and customize their charitable support. Less wealthy donors have limited choices: they may contribute to a nonprofit's current operations or to existing nonprofit endowments. We present a novel approach for making charitable donations, blending aspects of each of these strategies. Our approach has potential long-term financial benefits, allows donors to control their charitable donations in a convenient and easy-to-implement manner, can be established …

Understanding The Rhodopsin Worldview Through Atomic Force Microscopy (Afm): Structure, Stability, And Activity Studies, Subhadip Senapati, Paul S. Park

Faculty Scholarship

Rhodopsin is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) present in the rod outer segment (ROS) of photoreceptor cells that initiates the phototransduction cascade required for scotopic vision. Due to the remarkable advancements in technological tools, the chemistry of rhodopsin has begun to unravel especially over the past few decades, but mostly at the ensemble scale. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a tool capable of providing critical information from a single-molecule point of view. In this regard, to bolster our understanding of rhodopsin at the nanoscale level, AFM-based imaging, force spectroscopy, and nano-indentation techniques were employed on ROS disc membranes containing rhodopsin, …

Weaponizing Peace, Yuvraj Joshi

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Human-Ai Collaboration For Smart Education: Reframing Applied Learning To Support Metacognition, James Hutson, Daniel Plate

Faculty Scholarship

This chapter investigates the profound influence of intelligent virtual assistants (IVAs) on the educational domain, specifically in the realm of individualized learning and the instruction of writing abilities and content creation. IVAs, incorporating generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion, hold the potential to bring about a paradigm shift in educational programs, emphasizing the enhancement of advanced metacognitive capacities rather than the fundamentals of communication. The subsequent recommendations stress the need to cultivate enduring proficiencies and ascertain tailored learning approaches for each learner, which will be indispensable for success in the evolving job market. In this context, prompt …

Exploring The Educational Potential Of Ai Generative Art In 3d Design Fundamentals: A Case Study On Prompt Engineering And Creative Workflows, James Hutson, Bryan Robertson

Faculty Scholarship

AI will be increasingly integrated into artistic practices and creative workflows with prompt engineering assuming an increasingly important role in the process. With readilyavailable generative AI, such as Midjourney, DALL-E 2, and Craiyon (formerly DALLE-mini), anyone can seemingly create "art,” prompting questions about the future necessity of art and design education. However, whereas the ease with which content can be created has seen an outcry from the traditional artmaking community, fears over widespread adoption replacing the need for a firm foundation in art and design principles and fundamentals is unfounded. Instead, these tools should be seen and adopted as other …

Generative Ai Tools In Art Education: Exploring Prompt Engineering And Iterative Processes For Enhanced Creativity, James Hutson, Peter Cotroneo

Faculty Scholarship

The rapid development and adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the art and design education landscape have introduced both opportunities and challenges. This timely study addresses the need to effectively integrate these tools into the classroom while considering ethical implications and the importance of prompt engineering. By examining the iterative process of refining original ideas through multiple iterations, verbal expansion, and the use of OpenAI’s DALL E2 for generating diverse visual outcomes, researchers gain insights into the potential benefits and pitfalls of these tools in an educational context. Students in the digital at case study were taught prompt …

Enhancing Employability For Autistic Graduates: Using Triz Theory To Design Virtual Reality Solutions For Fostering Inclusive Communications In Workplace Environments, Jonathan Proulx Guimond, Jocelyn Kiss, Reyes Consuelo, Miguel Alejandro, Dominique Michaud, Rency Inson Michel, Alexandre Ménard, Isabelle Feillou, Geoffreyjen Edwards, James Hutson, Claude Vincent, Julie Ruel, Sylvain Letscher, Valéry Psyché, Cathia Papi, Martin Caouette

Faculty Scholarship

The underemployment of post-secondary graduates with autism (AP-PSD) is a critical concern. This issue often stems from difficulties in workplace integration and communication. This research explores the potential of virtual reality (VR) systems to alleviate these challenges by simulating work environments. The methodology, rooted in the TRIZ Theory, a problem-solving algorithm, refines the use of VR systems for enhanced adaptability and efficiency. The primary objectives include enhancing employers' understanding of AP-PSD-related issues and identifying significant workplace challenges faced by AP-PSDs. Through literature reviews, surveys, and focus groups, the study investigates the factors impacting AP-PSDs and identifies key components to develop …

Life, Death, And Ai: Exploring Digital Necromancy In Popular Culture—Ethical Considerations, Technological Limitations, And The Pet Cemetery Conundrum, James Hutson, Jay Ratican

Faculty Scholarship

This article explores the rise of generative AI, particularly ChatGPT, and the combination of large language models (LLM) with robotics, exemplified by Ameca the Robot. It addresses the need to study the ethical considerations and potential implications of digital necromancy, which involves using AI to reanimate deceased individuals for various purposes. Reasons for desiring to engage with a disembodied or bodied replica of a person include the preservation of memories, emotional closure, cultural heritage and historical preservation, interacting with idols or influential figures, educational and research purposes, and creative expression and artistic endeavors. As such, this article examines historical examples …

Interposition: A State-Based Constitutional Tool That Might Help Preserve American Democracy, Christian G. Fritz

Faculty Scholarship

Interposition was not a claim that state sovereignty could or should displace national authority, but a claim that American federalism needed to preserve some balance between state and national authority.

http://commonplace.online/article/interposition/

Beneath The Property Taxes Financing Education, Timothy M. Mulvaney

Faculty Scholarship

Many states turn in sizable part to local property taxes to finance public education. Political and academic discourse on the extent to which these taxes should serve in this role largely centers on second-order issues, such as the vices and virtues of local control, the availability of mechanisms to redistribute property tax revenues across school districts, and the overall stability of those revenues. This Essay contends that such discourse would benefit from directing greater attention to the justice of the government’s threshold choices about property law and policy that impact the property values against which property taxes are levied.

The …

Rethinking Education Theft Through The Lens Of Intellectual Property And Human Rights, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

This Essay problematizes the increased propertization and commodification of education and calls for a rethink of the emergent concept of “education theft” through the lens of intellectual property and human rights. This concept refers to the phenomenon where parents, or legal guardians, enroll children in schools outside their school districts by intentionally violating the residency requirements. The Essay begins by revisiting the debate on intellectual property rights as property rights. It discusses the ill fit between intellectual property law and the traditional property model, the impediments the law has posed to public access to education, and select reforms that have …

Personhood, Property, And Public Education: The Case Of Plyler V. Doe, Rachel F. Moran

Faculty Scholarship

Property law is having a moment, one that is getting education scholars’ attention. Progressive scholars are retooling the concepts of ownership and entitlement to incorporate norms of equality and inclusion. Some argue that property law can even secure access to public education despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s longstanding refusal to recog- nize a right to basic schooling. Others worry that property doctrine is inherently exclusionary. In their view, property-based concepts like resi- dency have produced opportunity hoarding in schools that serve affluent, predominantly white neighborhoods. Many advocates therefore believe that equity will be achieved only by moving beyond property-based claims, …

"They Don't Know What They Don't Know": A Study Of Diversion In Lieu Of Lawyer Discipline, Leslie C. Levin, Susan Saab Fortney

Faculty Scholarship

Lawyer misconduct can have devastating consequences for clients. But what is the appropriate regulatory response when lawyers make less serious mistakes? For almost thirty years, jurisdictions have offered some lawyers diversion in lieu of discipline. Diversion is intended to help educate lawyers or treat those with impairments so that they do not reoffend. Yet remarkably little is known about how diversion operates, whether it is used appropriately, and how well it seems to work. This Article addresses these questions. It draws on the limited published data and on interviews with disciplinary regulators in twenty-nine jurisdictions about their use of diversion. …

Forum Fights And Fundamental Rights: Amenability’S Distorted Frame, James P. George

Faculty Scholarship

Framing—the subtle use of context to suggest a conclusion—is a dubious alternative to direct argumentation. Both the brilliance and the bane of marketing, framing also creeps into supposedly objective analysis. Law offers several examples, but a lesser known one is International Shoe’s two-part jurisdictional test. The framing occurs in the underscoring of defendant’s due process rights contrasted with plaintiff’s “interests” which are often dependent on governmental interests. This equation ignores, both rhetorically and analytically, the injured party’s centuries-old rights to—not interests in—a remedy in an open and adequate forum.

Even within the biased frame, the test generally works, if not …

Foreword: Property And Education, Timothy M. Mulvaney, Latoya Baldwin Clark

Faculty Scholarship

Education policy is today a flashpoint in public discourse at both the national and state levels. This focus is for good reason. Public schools are highly segregated. School spending is stratified. The need for infrastructural renovations is extensive and expanding. Student debt has reached historic highs. For-profit companies are exploiting school districts’ limited resources for everything from curricular content to lunch menus. The list goes on.
This moment presents an opportunity to highlight a threshold issue on which it seems prudent for this discourse to direct greater attention: the interconnections between education and property law. Indeed, decisions surrounding property—crafting district-mapping …