Digital Commons Network^™

Purpose Machines, Douglas Edric Stanley

SWITCH

This article explores how machines can be designed to have purpose - not just to follow instructions, but to react, adapt, and change based on their environment. The author compares early ideas from cybernetics and computer science with modern technologies, showing how machines today can be flexible, creative, and open-ended. He also questions the idea that artists can “re-purpose” machines, since machines are already made to be re-used.

Carbon Neutral? Exploring Electronic Waste., Jessica Issler

SWITCH

This interview with Ted Smith, founder of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, explores the environmental and human health issues caused by electronic waste and toxic materials in the tech industry. Smith discusses his advocacy work, experiences meeting global leaders, and the efforts needed to make the electronics industry more sustainable. He shares insights on policy change, personal eco-practices, and the need for public access to environmental data.

Louis Vuitton Malletier V. Dooney & Bourke, Inc.: Resisting Expansion Of Trademark Protection In The Fashion Industry, Ashley E. Hofmeister

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

The Future Of Enterprise Regulation: Corporate Social Accountability And Human Freedom, Lindsay J. Thompson

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

Shutting The Door On Pension Fund Investment In Hedge Funds - Protecting Investors That Need Protection, Jonathan H. Bliley

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

School Libraries Serving Rural Communities In China: The Evergreen Model, Geoffrey Liu

Faculty Publications

This article presents a case study of Evergreen school libraries in the northwestern region of China, with a focus on their innovative approaches to community services and strategies of reaching out to local town residents and villagers. The data gathered for the case study included patron/school librarian interviews, observation of brainstorming by school librarians and principals, and analysis of library use data gathered from project schools. In view of known issues identified from existing literature, this study attempts to identify factors that potentially contribute to a school library's success or failure in serving its local community.

Decreasing Physical And Verbal Aggression In A Brain Injured Nursing Home Resident, Erin L. Woodhead, B. A. Edelstein

Faculty Publications

Following a traumatic brain injury, patients often suffer a series of psychological and psychiatric sequalae. This study presents the case of Mr. K, a 52-year-old brain-injured nursing home resident who exhibited problematic physical aggression and verbal abuse toward staff and residents. His problem behaviors were intertwined with an ethical issue involving a heterosexual relationship with another resident who also was brain injured. Following a functional assessment of antecedents and consequences, a differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) schedule was implemented. Specifically, the resident was rewarded with short-term and long-term reinforcers following periods of time during which behaviors other than the …

The Impact Of A Marketing Information System: A Case Study Of Smart-Baltimore, Tanvi Kothari, D. R. Fesenmaier, Z. Xiang

Faculty Publications, School of Management

The purpose of this study is to use existing theories of technology and organizational change to assess the impact of technology implementation within the context of the tourism industry. The framework is applied as a case study to analyze the perceived implications of implementing a destination marketing information system by the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. The results of the study indicate that the most important value of the system is the richness and timeliness of information. The key informants perceive that this system will not only impact the marketing activities at the organization but will not influence the …

Historical, Entrepreneurial And Supply Chain Management: Perspectives On The Semiconductor Industry, William Y. Jiang, X. Quan, S. Zhou

Faculty Publications, School of Management

No abstract provided.

Testing The Nature Of S0 Galaxies Using Planetary Nebula Kinematics In Ngc 1023, E. Noordermeer, M. R. Merrifield, L. Coccato, M. Arnaboldi, M. Capaccioli, N. G. Douglas, K. C. Freeman, O. Gerhard, K. Kuijken, F. De Lorenzi, N. R. Napolitano, Aaron J. Romanowsky

Faculty Publications

We investigate the manner in which lenticular galaxies are formed by studying their stellar kinematics: an S0 formed from a fading spiral galaxy should display similar cold outer disc kinematics to its progenitor, while an S0 formed in a minor merger should be more dominated by random motions. In a pilot study, an attempt to distinguish between these scenarios, we have measured the planetary nebula (PN) kinematics of the nearby S0 system NGC 1023. Using the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph, we have detected and measured the line-of-sight velocities of 204 candidate planetary nebulae (PNe) in the field of this galaxy. Out …

Stochastic Hard-Sphere Dynamics For Hydrodynamics Of Non-Ideal Fluids, Alejandro Garcia, A. Donev, B. J. Alder

Faculty Publications

A novel stochastic fluid model is proposed with a nonideal structure factor consistent with compressibility, and adjustable transport coefficients. This stochastic hard sphere dynamics (SHSD) algorithm is a modification of the direct simulation Monte Carlo algorithm and has several computational advantages over event-driven hard-sphere molecular dynamics. Surprisingly, SHSD results in an equation of state and a pair correlation function identical to that of a deterministic Hamiltonian system of penetrable spheres interacting with linear core pair potentials. The fluctuating hydrodynamic behavior of the SHSD fluid is verified for the Brownian motion of a nanoparticle suspended in a compressible solvent.

The Scientist, Spring 2008, San Jose State University, College Of Science

The Scientist (College of Science)

No abstract provided.

The Legal Implications Of Establishing A Pilot Cooperative Sector In The Fluke Fishery Of Rhode Island, Kathleen M. Haber

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

No abstract provided.

Court Grants Stay Of Injunction In Navy Sonar Case, Alicia Schaffner

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

No abstract provided.

Gun Control And America's Cities: Public Policy And Politics, Carl Bogus

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Genuine Tort Reform, Carl Bogus

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Roger Williams University School Of Law Mediation Clinic, Bristol, Rhode Island, Usa, Gail I. Winson

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Optimal In-Situ Bioremediation System Design Using Simulated Annealing, H. J. Shieh, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The presented procedure combines continuous simulated annealing (CSA) heuristic optimization with BIOPLUME II simulation for optimizing in-situ bioremediation system design. The design goal is to minimize the total cost of facility installation and operation needed to achieve contaminant plume containment and cleanup. System design elements include pumping rates and well locations. During optimization, pumping rates are treated as continuous variables, differing from previously reported simulated annealing combinatorial optimization for groundwater management. To improve computation efficiency, CSA annealing schedules employing four different temperature update functions (TUF) are contrasted. Each yields somewhat different optimal designs and requires different computation effort. An adaptive …

Dissolution Of Aerosol Iron In Sea Water Using Flow-Injection With Chemiluminescence Detection, Marie Josiane Mireille Seguret

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Iron is an essential micronutrient for the metabolism of marine organisms and impacts on primary productivity and hence indirectly on climate change. The dominant source of iron to the sea surface in open ocean regions is from the atmosphere by aeolian dust transport but the solubility of iron from dust is poorly constrained. In this thesis, chemical and physical factors impacting on the process of dust dissolution and iron release in seawater were investigated using FI-CL detection. A manual FI manifold was automated and optimised for the determination of iron, at nanomolar concentrations, released from aerosols in seawater. The limit …

Table Of Contents, South Dakota Law Review

South Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Organic Law Of A Great Commonwealth: The Framing Of The South Dakota Constitution, Jon Lauck

South Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

Foundations In Wisconsin: A Directory [27th Ed. 2008], Marquette University, Mary Frenn, Melanie Baier, Jeremy Blackwood, Joseph Flipper, Sarah Martin, Katie Morrison

Foundations in Wisconsin: A Directory

The 2008 release of Foundations in Wisconsin marks the 27th edition of the print directory and the 8th year of the online version (www.wifoundations.org). The directory is designed as a research tool for grantseekers interested in locating information on private, corporate, and community foundations registered in Wisconsin. Each entry in this new edition has been updated or reviewed to provide the most current information available. Most of the data was drawn from IRS 990-PF tax returns filed by the foundations. However, additional information was obtained from surveys, foundation Web sites, annual reports, and newsletters.

Wisconsin foundations have shown continued growth …

Fitness, Motor Competence And Body Composition As Correlates Of Adolescent Neck/Shoulder Pain: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study, Mark Perry, Leon Straker, Peter O'Sullivan, Anne Smith, Beth P. Hands

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Background: Adolescent neck/shoulder pain (NSP) is a common and sometimes debilitating problem. Several risk factors for this condition have been investigated, but no studies have previously evaluated associations between fitness, motor competence, body composition and adolescent NSP.

Methods: 1608 males and females of mean age 14 years answered questions on their history of NSP (4 measures), and were tested for aerobic fitness, upper and lower limb power, trunk endurance, grip strength, shoulder flexibility, motor competence and anthropometric factors. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to test for associations between NSP and physical variables.

Results: There were significant gender differences …

The Relationship Between Physical Activity, Motor Competence And Health-Related Fitness In 14-Year-Old Adolescents, Beth P. Hands, Dawne Larkin, Helen Parker, Leon Straker, Mark Perry

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Physical activity, physical fitness, and motor competence are important health-related constructs. However, the relationship between them, particularly among children and adolescents, is still unclear. In this study, motor competence (measured by the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development), pedometer-determined physical activity and physical fitness (aerobic fitness, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility and body composition) were examined in a cohort of 1585 adolescents (771 girls, 814 boys) of mean age 14.1 yrs. Significant gender differences were observed for all measures except motor competence. Apart from hip and shoulder flexibility, males outperformed females. For both males and females, motor competence was associated with …

Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain – Sub-Groups Or A Single Mechanism?, Benedict M. Wand, Neil E. O'Connell

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Low back pain is a substantial health problem and has subsequently attracted a considerable amount of research. Clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of a variety of interventions for chronic non-specific low back pain indicate limited effectiveness for most commonly applied interventions and approaches.

Many clinicians challenge the results of clinical trials as they feel that this lack of effectiveness is at odds with their clinical experience of managing patients with back pain. A common explanation for this discrepancy is the perceived heterogeneity of patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. It is felt that the effects of treatment may be …

"Goin' 'Round In Circles" ... And Letting The Bad Loans Win: When Subprime Lending Fails Borrowers: The Need For Uniform Broker Regulation, Cassandra Jones Havard

All Faculty Scholarship

This Article provides a framework for regulating mortgage brokers. After introductory comments about the prevalence of this industry and its functional importance in today's consumer mortgage finance market, the article briefly explores the underlying structural framework of the mortgage broker industry. Explaining the market in which mortgage brokers make sub-prime loans as a largely unregulated one, it examines the economics of the mortgage loan transaction from the perspective of the borrower and concludes that lenders are comfortable with the reckless nature of sub-prime home lending. Next, the article examines the dual banking system and its attendant concern of federalism. It …

Frozen In Time: The State Action Doctrine's Application To Amateur Sports, Dionne L. Koller

All Faculty Scholarship

The state action doctrine has as its central goal the preservation of liberty by limiting the intrusion of the government into the "private" sphere. It achieves this by applying the Constitution only to government, and not private, action. Traditionally, amateur sports regulators such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) have been viewed by courts as private. As a result, this article explains that courts generally give great deference to amateur sports organizations such as the NCAA and USOC to regulate sports with little judicial interference, including in the area of constitutional litigation. …

How The United States Government Sacrifices Athletes' Constitutional Rights In The Pursuit Of National Prestige, Dionne L. Koller

All Faculty Scholarship

This Article is about the United States Government trading off athletes' constitutional rights in the pursuit of national prestige through sport. The Olympic Movement has for decades provided an incentive for governments of all ideologies to use elite athletes to enhance national prestige or demonstrate national supremacy. This phenomenon is commonly known as "sportive nationalism." Unlike countries such as the former East Germany and Soviet Union, the United States Government has not readily acknowledged its own practice of sportive nationalism, preferring instead to assert that Olympic Movement sport in the United States is a private endeavor. This Article, however, demonstrates …

Eocene To Oligocene Provenance And Drainage In Extensional Basins Of Southwest Montana And East-Central Idaho: Evidence From Detrital Zircon Populations In The Renova Formation And Equivalent Strata, C. N. Stroup, P. K. Link, Susanne U. Janecke, C. M. Fanning, G. M. Yaxley, L. P. Beranek

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Middle Eocene to Early Miocene sedimentary rocks in southwest Montana and east-central Idaho were deposited within an actively extending north-trending rift system (Cabbage Patch beds and Medicine Lodge beds) and a broad depositional basin on the eastern flank of this rift (Renova Formation). Distinct sediment sources for sandstones from different parts of this extensional system are identified using detrital zircon SHRIMP geochronology and LA-MC-ICPMS Hf isotope geochemistry. Sedimentary petrology independently shows strong compositional similarities among sandstones grouped by provenance. The Muddy-Grasshopper detachment system was the eastern boundary of the Paleogene rift and controlled sediment dispersal patterns. Hf isotope ratios and …

Patents, Taxes And The Nuclear Option: Do We Need A “Tax Strategy Patent” Ban?, Max Oppenheimer

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.