Digital Commons Network^™

A Guide For Buying Electronic Resources In A Consortial Environment: Using Georef As An Example, Adonna Fleming

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

Two cultural phenomena have greatly impacted library purchasing trends in the last few years. One, the Internet and its ability to provide instant access to electronic information, which in tum has created a huge demand for libraries to provide their information resources in electronic format; and two, the spiraling downward oflibrary budgets ITom which to pay for these electronic resources. In other words, the "perfect storm" has struck libraries at hurricane force. In order to survive, libraries have formed consortia to increase their purchasing power while offsetting costs. This in tum creates a "one package fits all" purchasing environment with …

An Enhanced Least-Squares Approach For Reinforcement Learning, Hailin Li, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents an enhanced least-squares approach for solving reinforcement learning control problems. Model-free least-squares policy iteration (LSPI) method has been successfully used for this learning domain. Although LSPI is a promising algorithm that uses linear approximator architecture to achieve policy optimization in the spirit of Q-learning, it faces challenging issues in terms of the selection of basis functions and training samples. Inspired by orthogonal least-squares regression (OLSR) method for selecting the centers of RBF neural network, we propose a new hybrid learning method. The suggested approach combines LSPI algorithm with OLSR strategy and uses simulation as a tool to …

Combining Evolving Neural Network Classifiers Using Bagging, Sunghwan Sohn, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The performance of the neural network classifier significantly depends on its architecture and generalization. It is usual to find the proper architecture by trial and error. This is time consuming and may not always find the optimal network. For this reason, we apply genetic algorithms to the automatic generation of neural networks. Many researchers have provided that combining multiple classifiers improves generalization. One of the most effective combining methods is bagging. In bagging, training sets are selected by resampling from the original training set and classifiers trained with these sets are combined by voting. We implement the bagging technique into …

Welcome To The Special Issue: The Best Of The Best, Donald C. Wunsch, Mike Hasselmo, De Liang Wang, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Innocent Until Proven Guilty: The Origins Of A Legal Maxim, Kenneth Pennington

Scholarly Articles

The maxim,' Innocent until proven guilty', has had a good run in the twentieth century. The United Nations incorporated the principle in its Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 under article eleven, section one. The maxim also found a place in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights in 1953 [as article 6, section 2] and was incorporated into the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [as article 14, section 2]. This was a satisfying development for Americans because there are few maxims that have a greater resonance in Anglo-American, common law jurisprudence. The Anglo-American …

John Noonan On Marriage And The Family: Continuity And Change In Doctrine, William J. Wagner

Scholarly Articles

In support of its critique, this article first analyzes Judge Noonan's general methodological vantage and shows how he proceeds, within that vantage, to formulate general moral norms. Next, it compares Judge Noonan's work with trends in the reasoning of the United States Supreme Court between 1965 and the present to suggest that some of Noonan's assumptions about the longer-term consequences of his own methodology for stability and continuity in moral theology may be unwarranted. Finally, it argues that Noonan is not justified in assuming that adjudicative reasoning, without more, suffices for the formulation of general moral norms, or that transcendent …

Latin American Hybrid Constitutionalism: The United States Presidentialism In The Civil Law Melting Pot, Rett R. Ludwikowski

Scholarly Articles

Commentators have often suggested that Latin American countries incorporate more features of parliamentary systems or experiment with "mixed" models of governance. This article presents arguments that such a recommendation should be carefully analyzed. First, the article demonstrates that, since the early stages of post-colonial history, the Latin American states modified U.S. presidentialism. The states have already experimented with many features of a parliamentary system, adopted a model of judicial review which was an amalgam of several well-known models, and wrestled with their own ethnic, cultural and legal problems not linked to the U.S. system of governance. Second, the article examines …

Posse Comitatus: Preparing For The Hearings, Michael F. Noone Jr.

Scholarly Articles

This Essay is intended for Congressional committee staff-whether employed by the committee or by members assigned to the committee-if they are called to review an administration legislative proposal to amend or repeal The Posse Comitatus Act ("The Act").2 It will be in two parts: background (to ensure that you and your members understand the statute's origins and implications); and separate Sections on expected issues and positions that will be asserted, or should be explored, as you prepare for testimony by supporters and opponents of the Bill.

Law School Leviathan: Explaining Administrative Growth, Ronald A. Cass, John H. Garvey

Scholarly Articles

The administrative apparatus of American law schools - indeed, the entire infrastructure of American law schools - seems to be expanding without end. Soon, one would think, administrators must outnumber all other participants in the educational process. Or so it has been said.

Is this a fair characterization of the facts of legal education? If so, what explains this trend? Does it describe a problem or an inevitable, even desirable, state of affairs? We endeavor to answer these questions, looking at the evidence at our disposal and the kinds of speculation that deans can do on short notice.

Breaking The Stereotypes: Influences And Characteristics Of Academically Talented Women, Joy Leigh Daggs

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

I was in fifth grade when I heard the word "gifted" for the first time. I had little idea what it meant, but once I was identified that way, my life as a student began to change. I was suddenly expected to perform at my highest level with very little room for error. I learned about the expectations of my performance from my peers, teachers, and parents. They sent me very clear messages about how I was to perform as an academically talented woman. My experience has shaped my research interest for this thesis. In this thesis, I will explore …

Composition Goulash: A Recipe For Successful Writing, Joe Frankfurth

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

No abstract provided.

Opening Words: Why We Celebrate Teaching In Michigan, Jonathan Bush, Allen Webb

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

No abstract provided.

Celebrating And Exploring Michigan History Through Writing, Kelli Kilbourne

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

No abstract provided.

Facing The Mirror: Hmong Students Struggle And Thrive In Saginaw, Nancy Renko

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

No abstract provided.

Lessons Along The Way, Susan A. Schiller

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

No abstract provided.

Teaching In/About Michigan: Resources For Teachers, Julie King

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

No abstract provided.

Searching For Michigan In The Midwest (Or, Learning And Teaching The Writing Of Place), Mary Elizabeth Pope

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

No abstract provided.

Negotiating Voices: Ethnography Of Interactive Theatre Techniques Within A Classroom, Jana Gymer-Koch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

During the Spring 2001 semester I had the opportunity to conduct an ethnography of Dr. Karen Mitchell's course "Texts and Contexts: Performance and Social Change" at the University of Northern Iowa. This course is designed to link performance with social change issues, by utilizing personal narrative and Augusto Boal' s Theatre of the Oppressed techniques: forum theatre, image theatre, and invisible theatre. These techniques were chosen by Dr. Mitchell on the basis of their capacity to involve both actors and audiences in the issues to be addressed and because they are based on Paulo Freire' s principles of liberatory education. …

Sensitivity To Hand Path Curvature During Reaching, Kyle P. Lillis, Robert A. Scheidt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

People optimize reaching to make straight and smooth movements. We performed experiments characterizing human sensitivity to hand path deviations from a straight reach. Vision of the arm was blocked. Subjects either moved the hand along paths of constrained curvature, or a robot moved the relaxed limb along similar trajectories (active and passive conditions, respectively). Subjects responded after each trial whether or not they thought the movement curved convex right. In a series of three experiments, we tested the effects of modifying visual feedback of hand position to suppress curvature, isotonic muscle activation, and a distracter task on subjects ability to …

Portrayal Of Women In Magazine Advertisements Targeted Toward Three Age Groups Of Women : A Content Analysis, Stephanie Lynn Cummings

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Prior research has established that women are portrayed in sex roles in magazine advertisements. The purpose of this study was to explore this trend and to examine if the trend appears across audiences of various ages of women. Content analysis was used to analyze advertisements in magazines with female target audiences. Additionally, three categories of magazines, which correspond to the three age groups of women, were explored to see if the advertisements with sex role images of women appear across all three groups of women. The results of the advertisements revealed that teen and young women's magazines contained ads, which …

Resource Consultation : A Study Of The Relationship Between An Elementary Mathematics Teacher And The Talented And Gifted Coordinator, Janine Kane

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to document the relationship between a fourth grade teacher and the talented and gifted (TAG) coordinator as they provided services to advanced learners in mathematics. The participants' conversations during consultation sessions were transcribed and analyzed. Categories included curriculum and methods, grouping, relationship, barriers, and mentoring. Interviews, questionnaires, and observations of classroom instruction provided supporting data. Little mentoring occurred during the participants' interactions and a pull-out model of service provision was followed. Possible reasons for the continued use of the pull-out model were barriers (e.g., time, space, and class assignment practices), the participants' beliefs, the …

Reading Recovery, Wendy C. Williams

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Reading Recovery students' performance was compared to Title One and Comparison students' performance on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Curriculum Based Measurement reading probes, and teacher ranking. The following questions were addressed in order to answer the primary question, "Do Reading Recovery students maintain their reading gains when compared to other groups of students who did not participate in Reading Recovery?" 1. Does the number of Reading Recovery, Title One, and Comparison students who scored above the 40th percentile change from second through fifth grade? 2. Are there statistically significant differences in ITBS Total Reading scores between groups (i.e., …

The Effects Of The Breathe-Right Nasal Strip On Oronasal Maximum Voluntary Ventilation, Sean Michael Linck

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In recent years coaches and athletes have given attention to the Breathe-Right nasal strip (BRNS) to help improve breathing and possibly enhance exercise performance. The BRNS is placed on the outer nose and is supposed to lift and expand the flexible cartilage of the nasal valve and make it "easier to breathe." This study was conducted to determine whether the application of the BRNS will improve maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) using both nasal and oral breathing ( oronasal breathing). An MVV test is often used to simulate breathing at peak exercise and is the best indicator of overall function of …

Researching English Case Law, Stephen E. Young

Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

Toward A Unified Theory Of Cognition: A Kantian Analysis, Clayton Daniel Austin

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this paper is to provide classroom teachers a more unified theory of cognition. The current cognitive theories of information processing, schema theory, and constructivism exhibit limitations and a lack of cohesion that make their implications for teachers unclear. This paper will be presented in five sections. 1) The first describes problems with current cognitive theories and the need for a unified theory of cognition 2) The second provides a review of the literature of current cognitive theories. 3) The third section consists of research in the history of cognitive theory both in philosophy and psychology. 4) The …

Practice Before The Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel In 17 U.S.C. § 111 Distribution Proceedings, Mark J. Davis

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The 1976 Act showed foresight in extending the section 115 compulsory phonorecord license model to secondary transmissions under section III. Congress' intent was to encourage flexible market forces to set the value of cable rebroadcasts. Instead of statutory rates, they fixed minimal guidelines for the distribution of collected retransmission royalties. Originally an obscure and very technical section of the Copyright Act, the impact of section III has expanded with the merger of cable television, radio, cable, satellite, and broadband distribution of digital media. The millions of dollars in royalties paid annually by cable systems provide a tempting target for copyright …

Lack Of Copyright Term Harmony With The European Union Strikes A Sour Chord For Performing Artists And Labels, Alisa Roberts

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Everyday, more performing artists and labels in the United States lose a valuable revenue stream as their sound recordings fall into the public domain in the European Union (E.U.). While the rights of authors, composers, visual artists, and even film directors are protected under the E.U.'s copyright scheme for the life of the author plus seventy years, "related rights"--which include sound recordings--receive protection for a term of only fifty years. The fifty-year term, established by a 1993 European Union Council Directive ("Directive"), is not only lacking synchrony with author's rights within the E.U., but also puts the term of protection …

Making A Mountain Out Of A Mogul: Jeremy Bloom V. Ncaa And Unjustified Denial Of Compensation Under Ncaa Amateurism Rules, Gordon G. Gouveia

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Note argues that the NCAA's interpretation of the amateurism provisions of the NCAA Division I Manual, with respect to Jeremy Bloom, is unreasonable, particularly in light of the NCAA's treatment of other dual-sport professional athletes. Consequently, the NCAA should create an exception to its amateurism provisions allowing Bloom and similarly-situated student-athletes to earn income from sources unrelated to the amateur sport in which they compete. Furthermore, since the NCAA Bylaws constitute a contract to which student-athletes are third-party beneficiaries, courts should provide a forum to ensure the consistent and equitable application of the provisions of that contract. Part I …

Major League Baseball's Answer To Salary Disputes And The Strike:, Brien M. Wassner

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Initially, this paper will briefly consider arbitration in general and then discuss the evolution of FOA and its implementation into MLB salary disputes. This paper will thereafter analyze the praises and criticisms of FOA, and establish that FOA is a superior mechanism for resolving salary disputes in professional sports because the FOA system is designed to facilitate negotiation and settlement rather than to resolve the dispute subsequent to adversarial hearings.

Almost Famous: Reality Television Participants As Limited-Purpose Public Figures, Darby Green

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Note begins with an overview of the basic facets of privacy law, focusing on the tort of the public disclosure of private facts and its interaction with the First Amendment. Next, this Note explores the differences in rules for public, private, and involuntary public figures. The law of defamation is offered as a model for privacy law to emulate, specifically, the limited-purpose public figure created under Gertz and its progeny. Then, the issue of whether one's status as a public figure may diminish over the passage of time is considered. This Note posits that limited-purpose public figures should exist …