Digital Commons Network^™

The Negotiable Implementation Of Environmental Law, Dave Owen

Faculty Scholarship

tional wisdom describes environmental law as a field filled with rigid mandates. ith that rigidity as a key premise, and they allege that inflexibility is a central failing or, alternatively, a squandered virtue. Influential reform proposals follow from both allegations. This Article demonstrates that these premises are often mistaken. Based on literature reviews and interviews with environmental-law practitioners, it shows that flexibility pervades environmental law, and regulators, regulated entities, and other interest groups routinely use negotiations to navigate that flexibility. Indeed, negotiation is so central to the field that one cannot understand environmental law, either in theory or practice, without …

Teaching Interdisciplinary Perspectives On Citizenship And Immigration, Ming Hsu Chen

Faculty Scholarship

This essay reflects on the use of interdisciplinary perspectives in teaching survey and seminar classes on immigration and citizenship. It focuses on three benefits. First, empirical research gives the doctrine a reality check. Second, normative inquiry evaluates the doctrine against desired values. Third, policy analysis opens up possibilities for reforming and improving on doctrine.

Hemocytes Are Essential For Drosophila Melanogaster Post-Embryonic Development, Independent Of Control Of The Microbiota, Holly N. Stephenson, Robert Streeck, Florian Grüblinger, Christian Goosmann, Alf Herzig

Peninsula Medical School

ABSTRACT Proven roles for hemocytes (blood cells) have expanded beyond the control of infections in Drosophila. Despite this, the crucial role of hemocytes in post-embryonic development has long thought to be limited to control of microorganisms during metamorphosis. This has previously been shown by rescue of adult development in hemocyte-ablation models under germ-free conditions. Here, we show that hemocytes have an essential role in post-embryonic development beyond their ability to control the microbiota. Using a newly generated strong hemocyte-specific driver line for the GAL4/UAS system, we show that specific ablation of hemocytes is early pupal lethal, even under axenic conditions. …

Punitive Surveillance, Kate Weisburd

Faculty Scholarship

Budget constraints, bipartisan desire to address mass incarceration, and the COVID-19 crisis in prisons have triggered state and federal officials to seek alternatives to incarceration. As a result, invasive electronic surveillance—such as GPS-equipped ankle monitors, smartphone tracking, and suspicionless searches of electronic devices—is often touted as a humane substitute for incarceration. This type of monitoring, which I term “punitive surveillance,” allows government officials, law enforcement, and for-profit companies to track, record, search, and analyze the location, biometric data, and other meta-data of thousands of people on probation and parole. With virtually no legal oversight or restraint, punitive surveillance deprives people …

Laws Prohibiting Vaccine Mandates: An Overview, Dorit Rubenstein Reiss

Faculty Scholarship

During the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time, a significant minority of states passed laws limiting or outright prohibiting vaccines mandates. The laws varied greatly in what they covered, the way they addressed the issue, and their intended results. This Article provides a detailed overview of these mandate bans. Consequently, this Article demonstrates that most of the bans target potential vaccine mandates limiting access to government buildings and services—and points out that no states adopted such mandates. That said, a growing sub-set of states also adopted laws or executive orders prohibiting private actors from imposing mandates—either on customers or on …

Flexible And Robust Real-Time Intrusion Detection Systems To Network Dynamics, Kicho Yu, Khanh Nguyen, Younghee Park

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Deep learning-based intrusion detection systems have advanced due to their technological innovations such as high accuracy, automation, and scalability to develop an effective network intrusion detection system (NIDS). However, most of the previous research has focused on model generation through intensive analysis of feature engineering instead of considering real environments. They have limitations to applying the previous methods for a real network environment to detect real-time network attacks. In this paper, we propose a new flexible and robust NIDS based on Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) with a multi-classifier to generate a detection model in real time. The proposed system adaptively …

Loot Boxes And Problem Gambling: Investigating The “Gateway Hypothesis”, Stuart Gordon Spicer, Chris Fullwood, James Close, Laura Louise Nicklin, J Lloyd, H Lloyd

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Death By Dehumanization: Prosecutorial Narratives Of Death-Sentenced Women And Lgbtq Prisoners, Jessica Sutton, John Mills, Jennifer Merrigan, Kristin Swain

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Cop Tracing, Jonathan Abel

Faculty Scholarship

What happens to an officer’s old cases when that officer is exposed as corrupt? Often, the answer is nothing. This Article calls for “cop tracing”: an effort to identify and investigate the past cases handled by dishonest cops. The Article first describes the existing action and inaction with respect to such tracing. Next, it examines the logistical and legal barriers to cop tracing. Finally, the Article considers the implications of cop tracing’s absence. The failure to engage in cop tracing is symptomatic of the failure to see the misconduct of even a single bad officer in systemic terms.

Drafting Agricultural Legislation, Jessica Vapnek

Faculty Scholarship

"Agricultural legislation” is an umbrella term that covers a broad range of topics, including food, veterinary matters, plant protection, seeds, forestry, fisheries, water, and land. Agricultural legislation also intersects with other discrete subject areas, including environment, health, and trade. Because of these interconnections the borderlines – where agriculture begins and these related topics end – are debatable. How different countries view agriculture varies significantly. In the developed world, agriculture is mostly a commercial enterprise, and “agricultural law” is considered largely to apply to the business of agriculture, including agricultural finance, supply chains, marketing, insurance (crop, drought, pest), real estate, intellectual …

Advertising Medicine: Selling The Cure, Robin Feldman

Faculty Scholarship

Although most countries forbid advertising medicine to patients, “direct-to- consumer advertising” has flourished in the United States over the past century. Research shows that the practice prompts inappropriate prescriptions and disadvantages generic competitors, leading to adverse drug reactions and increased prescription drug spending. Nevertheless, a comprehensive regulatory system for direct-to-consumer advertising continues to escape the grasp of policymakers. Regulatory authority has bounced between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where primary jurisdiction now resides. Since the FDA assumed responsibility, the agency’s only major regulatory initiative has been to minimize disclosure requirements for advertisements. Enforcement …

Transparency Deserts, Christina Koningisor

Faculty Scholarship

Few contest the importance of a robust transparency regime in a democratic system of government. In the United States, the “crown jewel” of this regime is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Yet despite widespread agreement about the importance of transparency in government, few are satisfied with FOIA. Since its enactment, the statute has engendered criticism from transparency advocates and critics alike for insufficiently serving the needs of both the public and the government. Legal scholars have widely documented these flaws in the federal public records law. In contrast, scholars have paid comparatively little attention to transparency laws at the …

Commuter Mobility Patterns In Social Media: Correlating Twitter And Lodes Data, Andreas Petutschnig, Jochen Albrecht, Bernd Resch, Laxmi Ramasubramanian, Aleisha Wright

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) are an important city planning resource in the USA. However, curating these statistics is resource-intensive, and their accuracy deteriorates when changes in population and urban structures lead to shifts in commuter patterns. Our study area is the San Francisco Bay area, and it has seen rapid population growth over the past years, which makes frequent updates to LODES or the availability of an appropriate substitute desirable. In this paper, we derive mobility flows from a set of over 40 million georeferenced tweets of the study area and compare them with LODES data. …

Lenses Of Understanding: Socially Constructed Meaning Making In Education Abroad, Callie Dominique Speer

Education

The purpose of this study was to explore meaning making in the context of education abroad. This was conducted through three articles exploring elements of this process, including how programs may be framed through marketing and advising practices; the foundational importance of social and geographic place; the dialectical interactions between embodied experience with conceptual schema, figurative language, and narratives; and the role of student agency within these processes.The first article explored the relationship between virtual delivery and student development as mediated by embodied experience. Through this analysis, concerns about the possibility for the creation of a simulacrum of education abroad …

“It’S Like Bluetooth. I Felt Like I Was In Rhythm With Him:” An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Ipa) Of The Lived Experiences Of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth (Csey) In A Residential Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (Eap) Program, Jenna Hershberger

Education

Human sex trafficking is a grave human rights violation that impacts the dignity of millions both globally and in the United States. The International Labor Organization estimates 4.5 million children are trafficked around the global at any given time (International Labour Organization [ILO], 2017). Within the United States, approximately two in five human trafficking offenses reported to federally funded human trafficking task forces from 2008 to 2010 involved the sex trafficking of minors (Banks & Kyckelhahn, 2011). Childhood traumas, including childhood sexual abuse and rape, emotional abuse, running away from home, and family members’ involvement in sex work or friends …

Artificial Intelligence-Empowered Structural Health Monitoring, Damage Diagnosis, And Prognosis Of Metallic Structures, Zi Zhang

Civil and Environmental Engineering

etallic structures are the key backbone of the society and economy, which are often subjected to different types of loadings resulting cracking, corrosion, and other material discontinuity, and affecting structural integrity and safety. Therefore, ultrasonic guided wave (UGW) has been widely used for structural health monitoring (SHM) to gain a deep understanding of structural performance, assess the current state of structural conditions, and avoid potential catastrophic events. Despite advances in technologies and methods in data process, microdamage detection still posts great challenges in their detectability. Different from conventional physics-based methods, artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) has recently fueled profound …

Filling The Gaaapps: Generating Affirming Asian American Perinatal Psychological Services, Jennifer Yuen

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Women in the perinatal period face a unique set of mental health challenges, as they must navigate both physical changes and transitions in their life. Perinatal mental health has been linked to child outcomes, such as social emotional development, cognitive development, and physical growth. In addition, women of racial and ethnic minority groups are confronted with barriers to accessing services and are therefore less likely to utilize mental health services. While international attention has recently focused on the experiences of women of color in the perinatal period, Asian American women have been largely overlooked. This systemic literature review explores the …

Modification Of Diglycidyl Ether Of Bisphenol-A Epoxy Primer For Multi-Substrate Application, Gwendorlene Chea

Coatings and Polymeric Materials

Traditional vehicles and aircraft have consisted primarily of steel and aluminum alloys which due to their density, has resulted in various logistic problems including transportation, maneuverability, fuel efficiency. These hindrances have led to a major increase in the incorporation of composites material into this equipment. As the use of these composite increases, multi-substrate coating systems that can provide adequate corrosion protection to metal components, as well as superior adhesion and flexibility to the composites, are needed. The goal of this work is the modification of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A epoxy coating systems for improved flexibility and adhesion for the development …

Invited Perspective - Engaging Aspirations To Nurture Communities, Kentaro Toyama

Subsistence Marketplaces

For subsistence communities, the question is whether aspirations can be applied to motivate behavior that is, on the one hand consistent with people’s aspirations, but which might otherwise be difficult to elicit. Could poorer households be encouraged to save, to spend more on their children’s education, or to act against unhealthy social norms? A couple of examples suggest this is not only possible, but highly successful in contexts where other appeals fail.

A Study Of Conformal Metasurfaces On Passive Beam Steering For Arrays, Ruisi Ge

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Beam-steering has drawn significant interest due to the expansion of network capacity. However, a traditional beam steering system involves active phase shifters and controlling networks which can be complex. This work proposes a passive conformal metasurface design on beam steering. The phase shifting is achieved by changing the curvature of a conformal metasurface. In addition, three conformal prototypes were fabricated and tested using different techniques such as 3D printing. The simulations and test results indicate up to 20° of beam shifting. This study can be extended to higher frequency bands for lower power consumption beam steering systems.

Cervical Cancer In Northern Tanzania–What Do Women Living With Hiv Know, Dorah Mrema, James Samwel Ngocho, Alex Mremi, Maryam Amour, Rogathe Machange, Benjamin C Shayo, Julius P Alloyce, Evaline Ndosi, Beatus T Shirima, Device Fande, Rahma Shehoza, Emmanuel Balandya, Bruno Sunguya, Stephen E Mshana, Alfred K Mteta, Eligius Lyamuya, John Bartlett, Blandina T Mmbaga

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer (CC) is more prevalent in women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection compared to the general population. The magnitude is high among all countries burdened with HIV-Tanzania is no exception. Despite the unprecedented risk, women living with HIV (WLHIV) may not be aware of the risk and might have unfounded beliefs thereof. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, awareness, and beliefs on CC screening among WLHIV attending a clinic at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Northern Tanzania.

METHODS: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 327 WLHIV attending care and treatment clinic (CTC) …

Il-17 Producing Lymphocytes Cause Dry Eye And Corneal Disease With Aging In Rxrα Mutant Mouse, Jehan Alam, Ghasem Yazdanpanah, Rinki Ratnapriya, Nicholas Borcherding, Cintia S De Paiva, Dequan Li, Rodrigo Guimaraes De Souza, Zhiyuan Yu, Stephen C Pflugfelder

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: To investigate IL-17 related mechanisms for developing dry eye disease in the Pinkie mouse strain with a loss of function RXRα mutation.

METHODS: Measures of dry eye disease were assessed in the cornea and conjunctiva. Expression profiling was performed by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to compare gene expression in conjunctival immune cells. Conjunctival immune cells were immunophenotyped by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. The activity of RXRα ligand 9-cis retinoic acid (RA) was evaluated in cultured monocytes and γδ T cells.

RESULTS: Compared to wild type (WT) C57BL/6, Pinkie has increased signs of dry eye disease, including decreased tear …

Contracts In The Age Of Smart Readers, Yonathan A. Arbel, Becher, Shmuel I.

Articles

No abstract provided.

"My 'Eh' Is Authentic"; Commodification Of Language And Identity In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Meg Elaine Perry

English

The following paper is an investigation of the historic, economic, social, and ideological processes that have shaped dialect awareness in Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas. The goal of this study is to explore dialect perceptions between “Yoopers” and “Trolls” with a specific focus on the tourist industry and material items. This work performs textual analysis of various commodified dialect features in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to examine the complex relationship between language use and identity. Secondary research is used to synthesize the historical, political, and cultural circumstances resulting in present day dialect features, while textual analysis reveals that material artifacts circulate …

Thermal Biology, Overwintering, And A Degree-Day Model For The Adult Emergence Of The Red Sunflower Seed Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Shawna Pantzke

Entomology

Red sunflower seed weevil, Smicronyx fulvus LeConte, is a univoltine seed-feeding weevil that is a primary pest of cultivated sunflower, Helianthus annuus, in North America, especially within the upper Great Plains region. This pest spends its final larval stage overwintering in the soil before pupating in the summer and emerging as an adult to feed on sunflower pollen and lay eggs in developing achenes. Larval feeding can damage of up to 83% of seeds on a head. Growers typically manage S. fulvus by using insecticides; however, early planting dates have also been demonstrated to reduce weevil damage. It is important …

Community Development Supporting Ecological Conversion, As Identified In Laudato Si’: On Care For Our Common Home, Anne Jennings

Theses

In this extraordinary time of multiple, intersecting crises with compounded costs in social, economic, and environmental degradation, calls for transformative change are emerging from all levels of humanity – global to local. Within that setting, my study concentrated on investigating change at a local level to address the research question ’How can community development theory and practice contribute to ecological conversion, as identified in Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home?’

Since its release, Laudato Si’ has provoked considerable academic/theological and scientific/environmental debate that does not necessarily contain local people’s views and everyday lived experiences, given their often-limited access …

Identity & Activism: Helping Educators Understand Intersectionality & Cultivate Intersectional Acceptance Through Young Adult Literature, Meghan Anna Devries Stinar

English

The issue I address is intersectionality in K-12 education. To address this issue, the purpose of this paper is to identify intersectionality, explore ways to help educators understand and accept intersectionality, and then bring the new knowledge into their classrooms. This will be done by the creation of a continuing education course using Young-Adult and Middle-Grade literature and appropriate supplemental materials on identity, activism, and intersectionality. The primary goals are to eliminate a color-blind approach to teaching and to showcase rich diverse texts that educators can learn from and bring into their classrooms.

Nostalgia For The 24th Century: How Nerd Billionaires Use Star Trek For Self-Promotion, Kurt Eggers

English

This paper examines how tech industry leaders, who I dub “nerd billionaires,” use references to Star Trek (ST) as a way to connect with the positive impression fans have of its utopian world. I show how they use ST to imply that their business interests serve to benefit, and potentially save, humanity. My study provides background on ST’s utopia and uses Pierre Bourdieu's Field Theory to demonstrate why ST at first appears incompatible with the goals of big business. By applying post-Marxist critical theory to ST media, I examine ST’s ideological implications and analyze why ST has proven to be …

Multiplex Hextuple Luciferase Assaying, Alejandro Sarrion-Perdigones, Yezabel Gonzalez, Lyra Chang, Tatiana Gallego-Flores, Damian W Young, Koen J T Venken

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We recently expanded the commonly used dual luciferase assaying method toward multiplex hextuple luciferase assaying, allowing monitoring the activity of five experimental pathways against one control at the same time. In doing so, while our expanded assay utilizes a total of six orthogonal luciferases instead of two, this assay, conveniently, still utilizes the well-established reagents and principles of the widely used dual luciferase assay. Three quenchable D-luciferin-consuming luciferases are measured after addition of D-Luciferin substrate, followed by quenching of their bioluminescence (BL) and the measurement of three coelenterazine (CTZ)-consuming luciferases after addition of CTZ substrate, all in the same vessel. …

Stealing Organs?, Benjamin J. Mcmichael

Articles

Every nine minutes, a new person joins a waitlist for an organ transplant, and every day, seventeen people die waiting for an organ that will never come. Because the need for organ transplants far outstrips the number of available organs, the policies and rules governing organ allocation in the United States are critically important and highly contentious. Recently, proponents of a new allocation system one focused more on sharing organs across the nation instead of allocating organs primarily to local transplant candidates have gained ground. Bolstered by two separate lawsuits in the past five years, advocates of greater national sharing …