Digital Commons Network^™

Using Short-Term Memory Measures To Assess Long-Term Memory In Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease, Scott O. Burkhart

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Dominican Related Dissertations In The U.S.: An Analytical Approach (1939-2009), Sarah Aponte

Publications and Research

This article seeks to present an overview of Dominican-related dissertations produced in the United States from 1939 to 2009. All dissertations that are known to deal in any way with Dominican affairs have been included. Some factors explored include: 1) trends in the annual production of doctoral degrees; 2) characteristics of doctorate recipients, including race/ethnicity and gender; 3) significant topics, concepts, and institutions that have shaped this diverse list; and 4) the most popular fields of study and the most frequently attended institutions of higher education. Entries include highlights on seminal works, lesser-known important dissertations and feature essays that will …

Refractory Pain, Existential Suffering, And Palliative Care: Releasing An Unbearable Lightness Of Being, George P. Smith Ii

Scholarly Articles

Since the beginning of the hospice movement in 1967, “total pain management” has been the declared goal of hospice care. Palliating the whole person’s physical, psycho-social, and spiritual states or conditions is central to managing the pain which induces suffering. At the end-stage of life, an inextricable component of the ethics of adjusted care requires recognition of a fundamental right to avoid cruel and unusual suffering from terminal illness. This Article urges wider consideration and use of terminal sedation, or sedation until death, as an efficacious palliative treatment and as a reasonable medical procedure in order to safeguard the “right” …

An Originalist Congress?, Joel Alicea

Scholarly Articles

Among the campaign promises Republicans made to voters this fall was a pledge that every piece of proposed legislation would cite the constitutional provision that authorizes it. Given lawmakers' reliance on the courts to determine the constitutionality of our laws, the new majority's promise could open some fascinating — and useful — debates. Chief among them: Just how should Congress interpret the Constitution?

Ecological Strategies In California Chaparral: Interacting Effects Of Soils, Climate, And Fire On Specific Leaf Area, B L. Anacker, N Rajakaruna, D D. Ackerly, S P. Harrison, J E. Keeley, M C. Vasey

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Background: High values of specific leaf area (SLA) are generally associated with high maximal growth rates in resource-rich conditions, such as mesic climates and fertile soils. However, fire may complicate this relationship since its frequency varies with both climate and soil fertility, and fire frequency selects for regeneration strategies (resprouting versus seeding) that are not independent of resource-acquisition strategies. Shared ancestry is also expected to affect the distribution of resource-use and regeneration traits. Aims: We examined climate, soil, and fire as drivers of community-level variation in a key functional trait, SLA, in chaparral in California. Methods: We quantified the phylogenetic, …

Dynamic Simulation Of A High Pressure Regulator, A. Shahani, H. Esmaili, Ashkan Aryaei, S. Mohammadi, M. Najar

Faculty Publications

In this paper, the dynamic simulation for a high pressure regulator is performed to obtain the regulator behavior. To analyze the regulator performance, the equation of motion for inner parts, the continuity equation for diverse chambers and the equation for mass flow rate were derived. Because of nonlinearity and coupling, these equations are solved using numerical methods and the results are presented. Additionally, the dynamic analysis results consist of the output pressure change versus time, the displacement of the moving parts versus time, the regulator mass flow rate versus time and the output pressure versus mass flow rate in different …

Changes In Apparent Molar Water Volume And Dkp Solubility Yield Insights On The Hofmeister Effect, Daryl K. Eggers, A. Y. Payumo, R. M. Huijon, D. D. Mansfield, L. M. Belk, A. K. Bui, A. E. Knight

Faculty Publications, Chemistry

This study examines the properties of a 4 × 2 matrix of aqueous cations and anions at concentrations up to 8.0 M. The apparent molar water volume, as calculated by subtracting the mass and volume of the ions from the corresponding solution density, was found to exceed the molar volume of ice in many concentrated electrolyte solutions, underscoring the nonideal behavior of these systems. The solvent properties of water were also analyzed by measuring the solubility of diketopiperazine (DKP) in 2.000 M salt solutions prepared from the same ion combinations. Solution rankings for DKP solubility were found to parallel the …

Developing A Sustainability Plan At A Large U.S. College Of Education, Grinell Smith

Faculty Publications

Despite growing awareness of its importance, most sustainability education efforts in tertiary institutions do not significantly impact curricula. This paper details some of the activities and processes used to draft a sustainability strategic plan designed to address sustainability at the curricular level rather than merely the operational level within a large college of education at a large U.S. public university. The plan is also presented. Our goal was not to articulate a fixed policy but rather to produce a coherent plan that (1) fosters awareness and encourage people to join the effort and (2) readily accommodates input as more people …

A Critical Look At The Role Of Technology As A Transformative Agent, Grinell Smith

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Etf Volatility Around The New York Stock Exchange Close., Stoyu Ivanov

Faculty Publications

In this study we extend the work of Chang, Jain and Locke (1995) who study the Standard and Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index futures contract volatility around NYSE close by examining three ETFs, the Spider, the Diamonds and the Cubes price volatilities after market close. Similar to the S&P 500 Index futures contract ETFs continue trading until 16:15, which is 15 minutes after their underlying indexes are reported. This is the first study to the best of our knowledge to examine the volatility of ETFs around the NYSE close. We document that similar to the findings of Chang, Jain and …

Alignment Within The Corporate It Unit: An Analysis Of Software Testing And Development, Colin Onita, Jasbir Dhaliwal

Faculty Publications

Strategic alignment between an organization's business strategy/capabilities and those of its information technology (IT) unit is an extensively researched subject that addresses the issue of fit between business and technology strategies. A key gap in the literature is lack of recognition that underlying this macro level of alignment are other, more granular levels of alignment involving the interdependent subunits within the corporate IT unit. Given the critical interdependencies between development and testing subunits in software engineering, this paper focuses on an alignment model for ensuring that these two functions work together effectively. A development-testing alignment (DTA) model is described, and …

A Phenomenological Approach To Understanding Early Adult Friendships Of Third Culture Kids, Kyoung Choi, Melissa Luke

Faculty Publications

A phenomenological qualitative approach was used to explore the experiences of six Third Culture Kid (TCK) participants regarding their early adult friendships at one midsize university in the United States. The term TCK refers to a person who has spent a significant amount of his or her childhood outside of his or her own country and culture of origin and who has assimilated these cultures into a third culture. TCK participants identified making friends as the most challenging issue in their adjustment to the United States. Four themes emerged from the participants’ narratives, with four illustrative metaphors drawn from the …

Distribution Of The Hermit Crabs Clibanarius Vittatus And Pagurus Maclaughlinae In The Northern Indian River Lagoon, Florida: A Reassessment After 30 Years, Christopher J. Kelly, Richard L. Turner

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The present distribution of two hermit crabs, Clibanarius vittatus and Pagurus maclaughlinae, was assessed for comparison with a study done more than 30 yr ago on decapods of the region. Clibanarius vittatus presently occurs in low or moderate density only at Sebastian Inlet. Retreat of C. vittatus from sites that it formerly occupied is attributed to intolerance of its larvae to low salinities recorded in the lagoon during recent reproductive seasons. Pagurus maclaughlinae remains the most abundant and widespread hermit crab in the lagoon. Its present distribution seems unchanged from the reference study despite prolonged periods, sometimes years, during which …

3-D Computational Investigation Of Viscoelastic Biofilms Using Gpus, Paisa Seeluangsawat

Theses and Dissertations

A biofilm is a slimy colony of bacteria and the materials they secrete, collectively called “extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)”. The EPS consists mostly of bio-polymers, which cross link into a network that behave viscoelastically under deformation. We propose a single-fluid multi-component phase field model of biofilms that captures this behavior, then use numerical simulations on GPUs to investigate the biofilm’s growth and its hydrodynamics properties.

Kimberly Lanegran On Child Soldiers: Sierra Leone’S Revolutionary United Front. By Myriam Denov. Cambridge, Uk: Cambridge University Press. 2010. 234 Pp., Kimberly Lanegran

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Child Soldiers: Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front. By Myriam Denov. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2010. 234 pp.

Steven M. Schneebaum On The Death Penalty And Human Rights. By Sir Fred Phillips. Q.C. Kingston, Jamaica: Caribbean Law Publishing Company. 2009. 101pp., Steven M. Schneebaum

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

The Death Penalty and Human Rights. By Sir Fred Phillips. Q.C. Kingston, Jamaica: Caribbean Law Publishing Company. 2009. 101pp.

Donald W. Jackson On Prisoners Of America’S Wars: From The Early Republic To Guantanamo. By Stephanie Carvin. New York: Columbia University Press, 2010. 336pp., Donald W. Jackson

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Prisoners of America’s Wars: From the Early Republic to Guantanamo. By Stephanie Carvin. New York: Columbia University Press, 2010. 336pp.

David P. Forsythe And Charles J. Mach On Empire Of Humanity: A History Of Humanitarianism. By Michael Barnett. Ithaca, Ny: Cornell University Press, 2011. 312pp., David P. Forsythe, Charles J. Mach

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Empire of Humanity: A History of Humanitarianism. By Michael Barnett. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2011. 312pp.

Introduction: Minority Rights, Joel R. Pruce

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The central thread woven through this Digest is the concept of vulnerability. Minority status, broadly construed, represents a core characteristic that carries with it particular human rights implications. Historically, minorities are frequently targeted for exploitation and scapegoated when things go badly. Without the capacity to protect themselves and without spokespersons to stand with them in solidarity, minority groups are specifically susceptible to gross exercises of power and abuse and too often denied access to channels through which to make claims and demand redress. Violations of minority rights are commonly structural in nature, as discriminatory practices are built into political and …

Human Rights And The Search For Common Ground: A Comparative Study Of Islamic And Christian Thought, Joseph Prud'homme

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Common Ground: Islam, Christianity, and Religious Pluralism. By Paul Heck. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press. 2009.

Human Trafficking And Minorities: Vulnerability Compounded By Discrimination, Heidi Box

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Human trafficking is an extreme human rights violation that impacts all populations across the globe and is characterized by force, fraud, and coercion intended for exploitation (Palermo Protocol 2000). Currently, human trafficking research is particularly limited by non-standard terminology and a clandestine research population. While estimates of the number of trafficked persons vary widely and are notoriously unsubstantiated, we can still arrive at some conclusions regarding the overall number of trafficked persons. One low estimate suggests that in 2005, at least 2.4 million people had been trafficked into forced labor situations and approximately 12.3 million people were victims of forced …

Lost In Translation: Linguistic Minorities In The European Union, Nirvana Bhatia

Human Rights & Human Welfare

“A nation without a language is a nation without a soul,” declares a Gaelic proverb. Indubitably, language is a product of national identity; it preserves heritage, reflects societal beliefs and values, and expresses a cultural spirit. The current international human rights regime, however, does not recognize an individual’s right to language choice; instead, it promises freedom from linguistic discrimination. The implications are not quite the same and, as a result, states have successfully repressed minority populations by controlling their language options. The European Union in particular—with its panoply of languages—demonstrates an inconsistent approach toward linguistic minorities; it attempts to promote …

Tibetan Refugees' Rights And Services In India, Claudia Artiles

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The Chinese invasion of Tibet, and the Dalai Lama’s subsequent decision to flee in 1959, resulted in the mass influx of Tibetan refugees into India that continues today. It has become clear to the Indian government, as well as to the Tibetan community in exile, that repatriation is unlikely in the near future. Consequently, an evaluation of India’s protection of, and assistance for Tibetan refugees is necessary to ensure their treatment is in accordance with international standards. Unfortunately, such an assessment shows that there is a lack of proper protections and services; this ought to be of particular concern to …

Untouchability Today: The Rise Of Dalit Activism, Christine Hart

Human Rights & Human Welfare

On July 19, 2010, the Hindustan Times reported that a Dalit (“untouchable”) woman was gang-raped and murdered in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The crime was an act of revenge perpetrated by members of the Sharma family, incensed over the recent elopement of their daughter with a man from the lower-caste Singh family. Seeking retributive justice for the disgrace of the marriage, men from the Sharma family targeted a Dalit woman who, with her husband, worked in the Singh family fields. Her death was the result of her sub-caste status; while the crime cost the Singh family a valuable …

American Muslim Minorities: The New Human Rights Struggle, Ashley Moore

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The ramifications of the attacks of September 11, 2001 are felt throughout the United States. However, no minority community is as deeply affected as the American-Muslim minority. Since the attacks on the World Trade Center, Muslims residing in the United States have experienced violations of economic and political liberties, as well as ongoing social discrimination. Media stereotypes and government legislation continually exacerbate these human rights abuses and entrench institutional, social, and economic discrimination deeper in American society. At the heart of this discrimination are clear misunderstandings about Islam and those who practice the faith. In an effort to combat these …

Combating Discrimination Against The Roma In Europe: Why Current Strategies Aren’T Working And What Can Be Done, Erica Rosenfield

Human Rights & Human Welfare

In the summer of 2010, the forced expulsion of many Roma from Western to Eastern Europe captured headlines and world attention, yet this practice simply represented the latest manifestation of anti-Roma sentiment in Europe. Indeed, the Roma—numbering over ten million across Europe, making them the continent’s largest minority—face discrimination in housing, education, healthcare, employment, and law enforcement; widespread prejudice against this group shows no evidence of receding. There is, however, certainly no shortage of national and supranational policies aiming to promote inclusion and equality for the Roma.

January Roundtable: The Haiti Earthquake, One Year Later, Introduction

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“Haiti's Blame Game” by Poooja Bhatia. Foreign Policy. November 23 2010.

The Scourge Of Occupation, Christina Cerna

Human Rights & Human Welfare

“Haiti’s Blame Game” suggests that Haitians are wondering why they should bother voting when it is unclear that their government is running the country. The anger of the Haitians, according to the author, is focused on MINUSTAH, the UN mission that was created in 2004 to stabilize Haiti and to coordinate the work of the different UN agencies active in the country.¹ Some Haitians perceive MINUSTAH to be an occupying force, but is it really, and who is running the country?

Bring Back Aristide, Louis Edgar Esparza

Human Rights & Human Welfare

My friend Annie recently had her trip to Haiti postponed because of the political instability surrounding the November elections. Annie totes modest sums of cash, medicine, and clothing collected from sympathetic friends and has a resolute willingness to help. Together with the partner organizations she is working with, she is hiring Haitians to build an orphanage. Another colleague of mine, Tonya, traveled to the country very soon after the earthquake. She described her experience in The Nation, lamenting that the major US airlines, which had agreed to waive baggage fees for relief aid to Haiti, did not do so for …

Building Meaningful Participation In (Re)Integration Among War-Affected Young Mothers In Liberia, Sierra Leone And Northern Uganda, S Mckay, A Veale, Miranda E. Worthen, M Wessells

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.