Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Realism, Collin Rice

Philosophy Faculty Research and Scholarship

Catherine Elgin has recently argued that a nonfactive conception of understanding is required to accommodate the epistemic successes of science that make essential use of idealizations and models. In this paper, I argue that the fact that our best scientific models and theories are pervasively inaccurate representations can be made compatible with a more nuanced form of scientific realism that I call Understanding Realism. According to this view, science aims at (and often achieves) factive scientific understanding of natural phenomena. I contend that this factive scientific understanding is provided by grasping a set of true modal information about the …

Pandemic, Plague, Pestilence And The Tropics: Critical Inquiries From Arts, Humanities And Social Sciences, Anita Lundberg, Kalala J. Ngalamulume, Jean Segata, Arbaayah Ali Termizi, Chrystopher J. Spicer

History Faculty Research and Scholarship

The Tropics have long been associated with exotic diseases and epidemics. This historical imaginary arose with Aristotle’s notion of the tropics as the ‘torrid zone’, a geographical region virtually uninhabitable to temperate peoples due to the hostility of its climate, and persisted in colonial imaginaries of the tropics as pestilential latitudes requiring slave labour. The tropical sites of colonialism gave rise to urgent studies of tropical diseases which lead to (racialised) changes in urban planning. The Tropics as a region of pandemic, plague and pestilence has been challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The novel coronavirus did not (simply) originate in …

Magnetic Field Tuning Of Mechanical Properties Of Ultrasoft Pdms-Based Magnetorheological Elastomers For Biological Applications, Andy T. Clark, Alexander Bennett, Emile Kraus, Katarzyna Pogoda, Andrejs Cēbers, Paul Janmey, Kevin T. Turner, Elise A. Corbin, Xuemei Cheng

Physics Faculty Research and Scholarship

We report tuning of the moduli and surface roughness of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) by varying applied magnetic field. Ultrasoft MREs are fabricated using a physiologically relevant commercial polymer, Sylgard^TM 527, and carbonyl iron powder (CIP). We found that the shear storage modulus, Young's modulus, and root-mean-square surface roughness are increased by ∼41×, ∼11×, and ∼11×, respectively, when subjected to a magnetic field strength of 95.5 kA m⁻¹. Single fit parameter equations are presented that capture the tunability of the moduli and surface roughness as a function of CIP volume fraction and …

Floating Roots: Agnes Varda's Uncle Yanco, Homay King

History of Art Faculty Research and Scholarship

This article traces one source of Agnès Varda's artistic inspiration to Jean “Yanco” Varda, the subject of her 1967 short film Uncle Yanco (US/France). Jean Varda was a peripatetic artist who lived on a houseboat and was part of a bohemian circle that included Henry Miller, Anaïs Nin, Alan Watts, and other luminaries of the San Francisco counterculture. Both Vardas were gleaners and artists. The author argues that both saw the imagination as a place where matter and spirit were reconciled. The article builds on previous work about Varda's The Gleaners and I (Les glaneurs et la glaneuse, …

Review Of Rediscovering Political Friendship: Aristotle’S Theory And Modern Identity, Community, And Equality, Written By Paul W. Ludwig, Joel A. Schlosser

Political Science Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Review Of 'Trauma And Transcendence: Suffering And The Limits Of Theory', Jeremy Elkins

Political Science Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Self-Distancing And Avoidance Mediate The Links Between Trait Mindfulness And Responses To Emotional Challenges, Kate Petrova, Michael D. Nevarez, Robert J. Waldinger, Kristopher J. Preacher, Marc S. Schulz

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Objectives Mindfulness has been linked to better emotion regulation and more adaptive responses to stress across a number of studies, but the mechanisms underlying these links remain to be fully understood. The present study examines links between trait mindfulness (Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire; FFMQ) and participants' responses to common emotional challenges, focusing specifically on the roles of reduced avoidance and more self-distanced engagement as key potential mechanisms driving the adaptive benefits of trait mindfulness. Methods Adults (n = 305, age range: 40-72) from the Second Generation Study of the Harvard Study of Adult Development completed two laboratory-based challenges-public speaking …

Lower Neural Value Signaling In The Prefrontal Cortex Is Related To Childhood Family Income And Depressive Symptomatology During Adolescence, Esther E. Palacios-Barrios, Jamie L. Hanson, Kelly R. Barry, Dustin Albert, Stuart F. White, Ann T. Skinner, Kenneth A. Dodge, Jennifer E. Lansford

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Lower family income during childhood is related to increased rates of adolescent depression, though the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Evidence suggests that individuals with depression demonstrate hypoactivation in brain regions involved in reward learning and decision-making processes (e.g., portions of the prefrontal cortex). Separately, lower family income has been associated with neural alterations in similar regions. Motivated by this research, we examined associations between family income, depression, and brain activity during a reward learning and decision-making fMRI task in a sample of adolescents (full n = 94; usable n = 78; mean age = 15.2 years). We focused on …

Tensions In Welcoming Lgbt Older Adults: Discourses Of Legitimization And Silence In A Senior Center, Megan C. Mccoy

Bryn Mawr College Dissertations and Theses

Researchers are actively exploring how historical institutionalized silences contribute to health disparities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Yet, none have considered LGBT elders within the specific context of community-based senior centers. My study addressed the research question: how does the discourse of senior centers create welcoming environments, or alternately construct silences, for LGBT older adults? Through an integrated conceptual framework engaging the critical lens of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice in tandem with conceptualizations of silence found in feminist theory and scholar of Black women’s intellectual history, I employed an embedded single case design …

The Berlin-Tokyo Film Axis And A Troubled Co-Production: The Makers Of New Earth/The Samurai's Daughter (1937), Qinna Shen

German Faculty Research and Scholarship

Co-productions are often notoriously difficult, and this was certainly the case in 1936–37 for the most important co-production between Nazi Germany and Japan. What should have been one joint film for the international market turned out to be two different versions: New Earth in Japanese and English by Itami Mansaku and The Samurai’s Daughter in German and Japanese by Arnold Fanck. This article focuses on three filmmakers – producer Kawakita Nagamasa and the directors Fanck and Itami – to better understand the production and reception of the films and what led to the split between the directors. The push for …

Validation Of The Substance Abuse Scale Of The Personal And Relationships Profile, Kerry Lee, R Anna Hayward, Paul Sacco

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

There have been limited measurement studies of the substance abuse scale of the Personal and Relationships Profile (PRP) and the impact of social desirability on alcohol and drug use reporting. This study aimed to (a) model the factor structure of the eight-item substance abuse scale of the PRP and (b) examine the relationship of substance use factors with sociodemographic variables—race, income, age, marital status—and social desirability on substance use reporting among a sample of low-income fathers. The study included secondary data analysis of 665 fathers, who participated in a fatherhood program between 2011 and 2015. The two-factor model with the …

An Exploratory Study Of The Prosecution Of Fatal Child Maltreatment: Criminal Charges Filed Against Presumed Perpetrators In The United States In 2017, Kerry Lee, Emily M. Douglas

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

In the United States child maltreatment fatalities (CMFs) do not usually meet the standard for manslaughter or murder, resulting in convictions of lesser crimes and little jail time. This exploratory study examined the charges brought against suspected CMF perpetrators in 2017. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted using data obtained from the Nexis Uni newspaper database, that has over 40,000 high quality media sources, for the year 2017. We found that the most frequently used charges were endangering the welfare of a child and murder, the former of which was more related to neglect-deaths and the latter to physical abuse-deaths. …

Vegetation Effects On Coastal Foredune Initiation: Wind Tunnel Experiments And Field Validation For Three Dune-Building Plants, Bianca Reo Charbonneau, Stephanie M. Dohner, John P. Wnek, Don Barber, Phoebe Zarnetske, Brenda B. Casper

Geology Faculty Research and Scholarship

As the land-sea interface, foredunes buffer upland habitats with plants acting as ecosystem engineers shaping topography, and thereby affecting storm response and recovery. However, many ecogeomorphic feedbacks in coastal foredune formation and recovery remain uncertain in this dynamic environment. We carried out a series of wind tunnel experiments testing how the morphology, density, and configuration of three foredune pioneer dune building plant species influence the most basic stage of dune initiation — nebkha formation around individual plants. We established monocultures of native Ammophila breviligulata and Panicum amarum and invasive Carex kobomugi in 1 m × 1 m planter boxes of …

Development Of An Integrated Medical And Behavioral Health Care Model For Children In Foster Care: The Rees-Jones Center For Foster Care Excellence, Kimberly Stone, Sara Moore, Sara Pollard

Integrated, Trauma-Informed Care

Children in foster care are classified as a population with special health care needs. They face multiple adverse childhood experiences and disrupted relationships, yet face barriers accessing consistent, high-quality health care. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends integrated physical and behavioral health care for children in foster care, but little is known about the implementation of integrated care for this population. As a pediatrician, doctor of nursing practice, and psychologist in an academic medical setting, we describe the development and implementation of the Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence, emphasizing the role of medical and behavioral health providers in promoting …

Barring Married Same-Sex Couples From Joint Adoption: Comparative Perspectives And The Case Of Taiwan, Holning S. Lau

Faculty Publications

Taiwan is the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, but it forbids married same-sex couples from jointly adopting children. This article examines this restriction through the lens of comparative law, which brings into focus two main insights. First, we see that, out of all countries that have legalized same-sex marriage, Taiwan is one of only two that bar married same-sex couples from joint adoption. As this article will explain, the fact that Taiwan’s policy is so anomalous should spur skepticism of the policy’s appropriateness. Second, judicial opinions from around the world contain persuasive reasoning that further calls into …

Foodborne Pathogens And Water Quality In Commercial-Scale Aquaponic Systems With Rapid Micro Screen Solids Removal, Sean Zachary Fogarty

Master's Theses and Capstones

To meet global nutritional needs, humans need to produce an ever-increasing amount of food with dwindling natural resources. Demand for nutritious foods, particularly lean meat, fruits, and vegetables, is rapidly accelerating. To increase the intensity of production and utilize non-arable land, many growers are turning to controlled environment agriculture systems like hydroponic crop production and aquaculture (fish farming), but these are inherently inefficient in terms of water and nutrient utilization. Aquaponics is a relatively novel agricultural method that combines hydroponic and aquacultural production models to mitigate many of the costs—both realized and implicit, environmental and economic—associated with either production model …

1925 May, West Tennessee State Teachers College Bulletin

Bulletins

Vol. 14, No. 2 of the West Tennessee State Teachers College bulletin featuring a preliminary announcement of 1925-26 for the fall quarter, 1925 May.

Politics, Power, And Purpose: An Orientation To Political Science, Jay Steinmetz

All Open Educational Resources

This textbook provides an overview of the political science discipline and is suitable for introductory courses at the undergraduate level. In Part I, the book covers important themes for political science undergraduate majors, such as defining politics, ideologies, institutions of governance, concepts in democracy, and public law. Part II provides an overview of the major subdisciplines in political science: political theory, international relations, comparative politics, American politics, public policy and public administration, and methods. This textbook serves as an excellent resource in courses such as Introduction to Political Science or Orientation to Political Science

A Step Closer To Elastogenesis On Demand; Inducing Mature Elastic Fibre Deposition In A Natural Biomaterial Scaffold, Francisco R. Almeida-González, Arlyng González-Vázquez, Suzanne M. Mithieux, Fergal J. O'Brien, Anthony S. Weiss, Claire Brougham

Articles

Elastic fibres play a key role in bodily functions where fatigue resistance and elastic recovery are necessary while regulating phenotype, proliferation and migration in cells. While in vivo elastic fibres are created at a late foetal stage, a major obstacle in the development of engineered tissue is that human vascular smooth muscle cells (hVSMCs), one of the principal elastogenic cells, are unable to spontaneously promote elastogenesis in vitro. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to activate elastogenesis in vitro by hVSMCs seeded in fibrin, collagen, glycosaminoglycan (FCG) scaffolds, following the addition of recombinant human tropoelastin. This combination …

Uncoverings: The Research Papers Of The American Quilt Study Group, Volume 42 (2021), Joanna E. Evans, Diana Bell-Kite, Alice M. Hines, Anita B. Loscalzo, Raelana Poteat, Meta M. Van Nostran

Uncoverings Journal

Preface by Joanna E. Evans

Searching for Margaret: Race, Memory, and a North Carolina Quilt by Diana Bell-Kite and RaeLana Poteat

The Threads of Redwork: Outline Embroidered Textiles by Meta M. Van Nostran

A Tompkins County, New York, Quilt Top Mystery by Anita B. Loscalzo

Glendora Hutson’s Friendship Quilt and the Origins of a Vibrant and Innovative Quilting Community by Alice M. Hines

Contributors

Index

Progress Towards The New International Legal Framework For Protecting Biodiversity In Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, Chandler J. Farris

North Carolina Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

From Automation To Autonomy: Legal And Ethical Responsibility Gaps In Artificial Intelligence Innovation, David Nersessian, Ruben Mancha

Michigan Technology Law Review

The increasing prominence of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in daily life and the evolving capacity of these systems to process data and act without human input raise important legal and ethical concerns. This article identifies three primary AI actors in the value chain (innovators, providers, and users) and three primary types of AI (automation, augmentation, and autonomy). It then considers responsibility in AI innovation from two perspectives: (i) strict liability claims arising out of the development, commercialization, and use of products with built-in AI capabilities (designated herein as “AI artifacts”); and (ii) an original research study on the ethical practices …

Fpga Implementation Of Lsd-Omp For Real-Time Ecg Signal Reconstruction, Önder Polat, Sema Kayhan

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Compressed sensing is widely used to compress electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, but the major challenges of the compressed sensing algorithms are their highly complex signal reconstruction processes. In this paper, a reconfigurable high-speed and low-power field-programmable gate array (FPGA) implementation of the least support denoising-orthogonal matching pursuit (LSD-OMP) algorithm for the real-time reconstruction of the ECG signals is presented. The contribution of this study is two-fold: Firstly, LSD-OMP can pick more than one element at each iteration and reconstruct the sparse signal using less number of iterations as compared to the standard OMP algorithms. Latency of the proposed design is therefore …

Robust And Efficient Ebg-Backed Wearable Antenna For Ism Applications, Ayesha Saeed, Asma Ejaz, Humayun Shahid, Yasar Amin, Hannu Tenhunen

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

A structurally compact, semiflexible wearable antenna composed of a distinctively miniaturized electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structure is presented in this work. Designed for body-centric applications in the 5.8 GHz band, the design draws heavily from a novel planar geometry realized on Rogers RT/duroid 5880 laminate with a compact physical footprint spanning lateral dimensions of $0.6$$\lambda$$_0$$\times$$0.06$$\lambda$$_0$. Incorporating a 2$\times$2 EBG structure at the rear of the proposed design ensures sufficient isolation between the body and the antenna, doing away with the performance degradation associated with high permittivity of the tissue layer. The peculiar antenna geometry allows for reduced backward radiation and …

Raman Spectroscopy Of Liquid-Based Cervical Smear Samples As A Triage To Stratify Women Who Are Hpv-Positive On Screening, Damian Gordon, Cara Martin, Christine White, Stephen Reynolds, Tom D’Arcy, John J. O’Leary, Fiona Lyng

Articles

Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection can lead to cervical precancer and cancer. Recently, HPV testing has been introduced for primary cervical screening, but the HPV DNA test cannot distinguish between transient and persistent HPV infection. Thus, there is an unmet clinical need to develop a new test to identify women with a high-risk persistent HPV infection. Raman spectra were recorded from cervical smear samples (n = 60) and, on the basis of HPV DNA and HPV mRNA test results, a classifier was developed to identify persistent HPV infection. A further blinded independent test set (n = 14) was used …

Should Parents Make Martyrs Of Their Children?: An Argument For Private Regulation Of Savior Siblings, Samantha Stoma

Student Works

No abstract provided.

No Payment, No Procreative Liberty: The Case Against Restrictions And Prohibitions On Payment For Gametes, Chloe Nelson

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Religion In Public Schools, Irene Karsos

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Wills & Trusts, Gerry W. Beyer

SMU Annual Texas Survey

This article is a survey of the relevant developments in law of wills and trusts from December 1, 2019, through November 30, 2020. The article focuses on law likely to be influential to Texas practitioners.

Poised For Change: University Students Are Positively Disposed Toward Food Waste Diversion And Decrease Individual Food Waste After Programming, Manar Arica Alattar, Jennifer L. Morse

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Eaters (consumers of food) are responsible for 60% of waste along the food cycle in developed countries. Programs that target individual and household food waste behavior change are essential to addressing such waste. School cafeterias worldwide offer an opportune microcosm in which to educate on food and nutrition skills and change related behavior. No Scrap Left Behind, a cafeteria food waste diversion program, was developed, piloted, and assessed based on measures of both direct and indirect food waste behavior, and attitudes, knowledge, and emotions related to food waste. Participants had positive attitudes towards food waste reduction, engaged in food waste …