Digital Commons Network^™

Leniency As A Miscarriage Of Race And Gender Justice, Aya Gruber

Publications

No abstract provided.

Re-Problematizing Anger In Domestic Violence Advocacy, Deborah Cantrell

Publications

Feminist advocacy commits wholeheartedly to a woman’s autonomous choices about how to respond to domestic violence, prioritizing a woman’s own lived experiences and her own assessments of her needs and goals over other supposedly “objective” assessments. Feminists robustly privilege individual choices of women in part as a way of revealing anti-woman bias in the dominant, patriarchal legal system as well to reject male constructions of feminine behavior. In feminist domestic violence advocacy, scholars and advocates have argued that a woman’s autonomous choices include capacious choices about the kinds of emotions that a woman might express about being subjected to abuse. …

Professionalism And The New Normal, Philip J. Weiser

Publications

No abstract provided.

American Gangsters: Rico, Criminal Syndicates, And Conspiracy Law As Market Control, Benjamin Levin

Publications

In an effort to reexamine legal and political decisions about criminalization and the role of the criminal law in shaping American markets and social institutions, this Article explores the ways in which criminal conspiracy laws in the United States have historically been used to subdue nonstate actors and informal markets that threatened the hegemony of the state and formal market. To this end, the Article focuses primarily on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) as illustrative of broader trends in twentieth-century criminal policy. Enacted in 1970, RICO provides criminal sanctions for individuals engaged in unacceptable organized activities and …

Prostitution 3.0?, Scott R. Peppet

Publications

This Article presents an entirely novel approach to prostitution reform focused on incremental market improvement facilitated by information law and policy. Empirical evidence from the economics and sociology of sex work shows that new, Internet-enabled, indoor forms of prostitution may be healthier, less violent, and more rewarding than traditional street prostitution. This Article argues that these existing "Prostitution 2.0" innovations have not yet improved sex markets sufficiently to warrant legalization. It suggests that creating a new "Prostitution 3.0" that solves the remaining problems of disease, violence, and coercion in prostitution markets is possible, but would require removing legal barriers to …

Real Masks And Real Name Policies: Applying Anti-Mask Case Law To Anonymous Online Speech, Margot E. Kaminski

Publications

The First Amendment protects anonymous speech, but the scope of that protection has been the subject of much debate. This Article adds to the discussion of anonymous speech by examining anti-mask statutes and cases as an analogue for the regulation of anonymous speech online. Anti-mask case law answers a number of questions left open by the Supreme Court. It shows that courts have used the First Amendment to protect anonymity beyond core political speech, when mask-wearing is expressive conduct or shows a nexus with free expression. This Article explores what the anti-mask cases teach us about anonymity online, including proposed …

Coase Minus The Coase Theorem--Some Problems With Chicago Transaction Cost Analysis, Pierre Schlag

Publications

In law as well as economics, the most well-known aspect of Coase's "The Problem of Social Cost," is the Coase Theorem. Over the decades, that particular notion has morphed into a crucial component of Chicago law and economics--namely, transaction cost analysis.

In this Article, I deliberately bracket the Coase Theorem to show that "The Problem of Social Cost" contains far more interesting and unsettling lessons--both for law as well as for economics. Indeed, while Coase's arguments clearly target the Pigouvian attempts to "improve on the market" through government correctives, there is, lurking in those arguments, a much more profound critique …

The Development Of The Rapport Scales For Investigative Interviews And Interrogations, Misty Christina Duke

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop the Rapport Scales for Investigative Interviews and Interrogations (RS3i), a measure of rapport for use in the context of investigative interviews and interrogations. Eighty "source" participants were interviewed by 80 "interview" participants. Each source rated the interview using the Prototype RS3i-Source Version. Observer participants each viewed and rated two interviews. Exploratory analyses were done on 374 observer ratings of 20 interviews to explore the factor structure of the items and develop the final scales. The final version of the RS3i contained 32 items comprising 8 rapport scales and one Commitment to Communication …

A Comparison Of Performance On The Wii Basic Balance Test Between Concussed And Non-Concussed Collegiate Students, Vanessa Eileen Fernandez-Vivar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Wii Board Basic Balance Test has served as a useful tool for assessing balance in concussion management. In the event that an athlete is concussed, baseline data will be useful when managing a concussion. In cases where baseline data is not available, having normative data is useful to refer to in order to make appropriate return-to-play decisions. To date, normative data on the Wii Board Basic Balance Test is not available. Purpose: This study will compare the performance of concussed and nonconcussed individuals on the Wii Basic Balance Test. Method: A between subject design between the two groups of …

Reits And Stock Market Cointegration, Jessie E. Felix

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Real Estate is popular among investors looking for attractive total returns, predictable price movements, and low correlations to the general equity markets. The financial crisis of 2007 led by real estate mortgage defaults led to a universal bear market, and a credit freeze which impacted REITs ability to raise capital. REITs long viewed perception as a distinct asset class was questioned as a result. Research analyzing REITs long run trends find evidence of an existing long run relationship between REITs, and the S&P. This paper employs the same cointegration framework of prior studies using a longer sample period, and favors …

The Impact Of Baby Sign On Motor Development In Typically Developing Infants And Toddlers, Melissa Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

"Baby Sign is an augmentative communication approach that teaches babies keyword signing that they can use to communicate before they talk." (Sneddon 2003). Baby sign has become popular among parents of infants as a means to communicate before the child can verbally express wants and needs. Programs and classes are now becoming available in many areas of the country to help teach parents basic signs to use with their children. This study aimed to assess the impact of baby

sign on motor development in typically developing infants. The study found that the impact of baby sign language on motor development …

Examining The Effects Of Impression Management And Self-Deception On Self-Reports Of Alcohol Use And Alcohol Related Problems In Hispanic College Students And Municipal Firefighters, Kristen Eileen Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Researchers use survey methods in a variety of settings to assess health behaviors, chronic disease, and other health outcomes. Since most surveys rely on self-report from respondents, prevalence rates have been regarded with criticism on the assumption that some respondents are unwilling to divulge personal information about behaviors due to people's desires to maintain a good impression. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which self-reported drinking behavior correlates with measures of two known biases that may affect the validity of such report: Impression management and self-deception. The present study consisted of a secondary analysis …

Assessment Of Abaqus Capabilities For Crack Growth And Calculation Of Energy Release Rate, Luis Alonso Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to benchmark ABAQUS modeling capabilities for crack propagation and calculation of energy release rate against closed-form analytical solutions. The crack growth capability for this study was evaluated using the following techniques: virtual crack closure technique (VCCT), X-FEM coupled with VCCT, and X-FEM coupled with cohesive segments. The capability of calculating the energy release rate was assessed by using the J-integral routine. A Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) specimen was used to conduct the study for mode I propagation, and a mixed mode bending (MMB) specimen was used to study the propagation for mixed mode I/II …

Automatic Memory Management Policies For Low Power, Memory Limited, And Delay Intolerant Devices, Md Abu Jahid

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are energy and memory limited, and implement graphical user interfaces that are intolerant of computational delays. Mobile device platforms supporting apps implemented in languages that require automatic memory man- agement, such as the Dalvik (Java) virtual machine within Google's Android, have become dominant. It is essential that automatic memory management avoid causing unacceptable interface delays while responsibly managing energy and memory resource usage. Dalvik's automatic memory management policies for heap growth and garbage collection scheduling utilize heuristics tuned to minimize memory footprint. These policies result in only marginally acceptable response times and garbage …

Using Emotion As Inferred From Prosody In Language Modeling, Shreyas Ashok Karkhedkar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research has focused on using prosody as an alternative source of information for language modeling. However, prosody is a surface phenomenon and to develop deeper models of language production, the underlying mental processes need to be considered. There are several cognitive factors, such as dialog-states and formulation, that have been given attention. However, emotion { as a cognitive factor, has been neglected so far. Speakers' emotional state plays an important role in spoken dialog. Participants seem to infer each others emotional state from multiple cues and react accordingly. In particular, these states manifest themselves moment-by-moment in the speakers voice. This …

Homelessness And Migration At The Edge Of America: Transnational Mobility And Survival On The Streets Of El Paso, Josue Gilberto Lachica

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examined both homelessness and migration, as they pertain to border transnationalism, by addressing the social phenomena of homelessness as it is theoretically and fundamentally viewed in both the U.S., Mexico, and the border region between. This thesis simultaneously observes and compares the phenomena of homelessness within the cross-border shared experience of migration between Mexico and the United States. There is limited sociological research that combines homelessness with migration, but the interrelationship between migrants experiencing homelessness and homeless people migrating has often co-existed. This study attempts to address this limitation.

As with many things along the U.S. - Mexico …

Mental Health And Medication Adherence As A Function Of Early Life Physical And Sexual Trauma In Hiv+ Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men, Carolina Lara

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of the study is to understand sexual risk and medication adherence among Latino HIV+ men who have sex with men (MSM) and who have a history of childhood trauma (CT; which may include unwanted sexual experiences, physical threats, physical harm and /or verbal abuse prior to the age of 16). We sampled 150 Latino adult MSM living with HIV at a clinic in El Paso, Texas that offers comprehensive HIV/AIDS services to those living on the U.S.-Mexico Border. We assessed self-reported histories of childhood abuse and participants' control expectancies not only toward sexual impulsivity, but also more generally. …

Geology And Geochemistry Of The Sierra Blanca Rare Earth Complex, Sierra Blanca, Texas, Nicole Kyger

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With an increasing standard of living comes an increase in demand for high tech goods, environmentally friendly (green) and military technologies, and the inherent need to procure the necessary raw materials. Demand for the rare earth elements (REE) is on the rise, and there is no foreseeable decline in the need for accessible deposits. Between 2010 and present, the United States Congress has heard numerous reports on the importance of REE, and in 2012 the Department of Defense(DoD)declared REE a critical resource, with implications for national security. The Sierra Blanca laccoliths, 150 kilometers southeast of El Paso, TX represent a …

Brooklyn And The Bicycle, David V. Herlihy

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Strength Of Family Bonds: A Look Into The Lives Of A Family That Has Overcome Adversity And Marginality, Angelique Nevarez Maes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the recent literature that entails the effectiveness of parent/child bonds in deterring children from crime and related deviant activities, little information is mentioned about the effectiveness of Kinship (extended family members) and its possible effectiveness in deterring an individual from crime and related deviant activities. Adverse events such as drug abuse, early death, prostitution and gang activity can plague a family and threaten its unity when parental bonds are absent or non-consistent during adolescence. Marginalities such as poverty and racism take the family unit to the edge of society only serve to further the extent of the damage that …

Mental Health In A Colonia, Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Mental health outcomes in colonias are the main focus of this thesis. They were examined in the colonia of Westway, which is an unplanned settlement in El Paso County with high poverty rates and adjacent to the Interstate highway, a steel plant and other polluting industries with a 97.3% Hispanic population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census). Data were collected through a door-to-door social survey in order to achieve three research objectives. In the first objective, I compared the prevalence of mental health outcomes in Westway and El Paso and found that the colonia residents do have significantly higher rates of …

Modeling Visibility In The El Paso Del Norte (Pdn) Region, Richard Medina Calderon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Poor visibility is a subject of growing public concern throughout the U.S, and an active area of research. Its societal impacts on air quality, aviation transport and traffic are significant. Aerosols play a fundamental role in the attenuation of solar radiation, and also affect visibility. The scattering and extinction coefficients of aerosol particles in the Paso del Norte Region have been calculated using the T- matrix model in conjunction with a laser particle counter. Inter-comparison of the model's results of the scattering and absorption coefficients against the corresponding data from a Photoacustic extinctiometer instrument (which measures in-situ absorption and scattering …

When Medicine Divorces Morality: The Effects Of Immigration Status On Health Care Access In The United States, Angelica Menchaca

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study highlights the importance of noting the heterogeneity of citizenship statuses among Latina/os when analyzing access to health care and health insurance attainment. A significant breakthrough in health care in the U.S. came on March 23, 2010 when President Barack Obama signed [H.R. 3590] The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) legislating a "universal" health care system in the U S. While the passing of this legislation might have been a historical accomplishment it was not a panacea for all those suffering from lack of health insurance. The objectives of this study were three fold: 1) to analyze …

The False Promise Of Proffit, Stephen K. Harper

University of Miami Law Review

No abstract provided.

Innocence And Its Impact On The Reassessment Of The Utility Of Capital Punishment: Has Time Come To Abolish The Ultimate Sanction?, Vincent R. Jones, Bruce Wilson

University of Miami Law Review

No abstract provided.

Experimental Study On The Fabrication Of Advanced Materials For Energy Applications Using High Energy Mechanical Milling, Ashvin Kumar Narayana Swamy

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The reaction of aluminum (Al) powder with water has the potential for on demand hydrogen generation. Conventional Al powders, however, react with water slowly due to a highly protective oxide layer on the particle surface. Current methods for Al activation involve harmful and expensive materials. The nano-scale Al powders also remain very expensive and have problems such as a large amount of oxide on the surface. The use of aluminum in an energy generation cycle is also hindered by the fact that, although Al is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, its recovery from ore consumes a lot …

The Development And Validation Of A Domestic Violence Scale Administered To Ged Program Participants To Determine The Effect On Test Performance, Andres Muro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Overwhelming evidence shows that domestic violence is a very serious problem affecting women in the United States. Black et al. (2010) report that approximately 34 million women in the United States, or approximately 30%, have experienced some form of violence including rape, physical, violence, and/or stalking in their lifetimes. Twenty-two percent of the victims have experienced PTSD, 15% have been injured, and 8% have needed medical care. While these statistics show that domestic violence is a serious problem, there are virtually no statistics about the extent to which domestic violence is a barrier to the academic success of Latina immigrant …

An Econometric Approach For Modeling Population Change In Arkansas, David Alexandro Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study models population in the state of Arkansas using a small econometric model, and is similar to a previous demographic model developed by Fullerton and Barraza de Anda (2008). The components of population change consist of births, deaths, and net migration. Births minus deaths equal natural increase, and population in the current period is population from the previous period plus natural increase plus net migration. Births and deaths are modeled as functions of a one period autoregressive lag as well as national trends. Net migration is also modeled as a one period lag of itself in addition to relative …

Adsorption Of Arsenic, Chromium, And Uranium From Saline Water On Clinoptilolite And The Treatment Of The Spent Regenerant By Duffusion Dialysis, Mutiu Olaitan Tanimola

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Among various water purification and recycling technologies, adsorption is a fast, inexpensive and universal method. The development of low-cost adsorbents has led to the rapid growth of research interests in this field. The objective of this present study is the optimization of process parameters in adsorption of arsenic, chromium and uranium ions. The adsorption behavior of natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) has been studied in order to determine its applicability in treating water containing arsenic, chromium and uranium. The multiple adsorption of arsenic As (V), trivalent chromium Cr (III)] and uranium (VI) on natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) in single component and multiple component …

Effect Of Hafnium-Incorporation On The Microstructure And Dielectric Properties Of Cobalt Ferrite Ceramics, Stephen Josiah Wells

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The effect of hafnium ion (Hf⁴⁺) incorporation in cobalt ferrite (CFO) was studied. Samples of Hf substituted CFO ceramic (CoFe_2-xHf_xO₄), were synthesized in the laboratory with hafnium concentrations ranging from x=0.000 to x=0.200. X-ray diffraction scans show that the Hafnium CFO crystalizes in the inverse spinel phase. Inclusion of hafnium causes lattice expansion, increasing the lattice parameter from 8.374 í? for pure CoFe2O4 to 8.391 í? for the highest concentration of hafnium tested (x=0.020). The dielectric properties of CFO are greatly enhanced by inclusion of hafnium. The enhancement is due to the …