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Front Matter

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

No abstract provided.

A Second Chance At Success: Using “Second Look” Laws To Modify Sentences Of Juvenile Offenders, Sophia M. Adams

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

“Second look” sentencing laws allow incarcerated individuals to petition to have their sentences reexamined and potentially reduced after they have served a significant period of incarceration. This rehabilitative relief is conditioned upon an offender showing that they have made meaningful positive changes while incarcerated and would not pose a threat to their community if released. Implementing second look laws is particularly appropriate in the context of offenders who have committed crimes as juveniles. The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that juvenile offenders are less culpable than their adult counterparts and psychological science supports this conclusion. This Comment examines and compares …

A Critical Assessment Of The First Step Act’S Recidivism-Reduction Measures, Raquel Wilson

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

The First Step Act of 2018 (“FSA”) is the most impactful federal sentencing reform of the past 40 years. While the Act represents a partial resurgence of the rehabilitative model of imprisonment, which had fallen out of favor decades before, it also represents a missed opportunity to fully integrate evidence-based rehabilitation programs for those offenders who pose the greatest risks to public safety.

The public has a strong interest in reducing recidivism, particularly among violent offenders, most of whom will be released from federal prison eventually. The FSA incentivizes participation in evidence-based, recidivism-reducing programs offered by the Bureau of Prisons …

The Fourteenth Amendment And The Vénus Noire, Farah Peterson

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

No abstract provided.

Measuring Positive Lgbtq+ Identity: Psychometric Properties Of The Turkish Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Positive Identity Measure, Yusuf Barburoğlu, Eda Çürükvelioğlu-Köksal, S. Burcu Özgülük Üçok, Yuvamathi Gandhi, Pamela J. Lannutti, Ashley K. Randall

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Previous research with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and various sexually and gender diverse (LGBTQ+) people has largely highlighted how experiences of discrimination and marginalization, and mental health outcomes are related. However, it is important that researchers operate from a strength-based approach to identify how aspects of one's identity may foster resilience. It is crucial that people working with LGBTQ+ individuals have empirically supported and culturally verified measures to assess such constructs. In this regard, the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Positive Identity Measure (LGB-PIM) developed by Riggle et al. (2014) was aimed to be translated into Turkish, examining its psychometric …

Retrenching Speech Protective Thresholds In Trademark Law, Jake Linford

Scholarly Publications

In their article, Raising the Threshold for Trademark Infringement to Protect Free Expression, Christine Haight Farley and Lisa Ramsey argue in favor of a speech-protective fair use test that would replace multiple tests applied by the U.S. Courts of Appeals when a defendant's alleged infringement has either informational or expressive elements. This Response explains why this raised threshold test is unlikely to be adopted following the U.S. Supreme Court's retrenchment of speech-protective thresholds in Jack Daniel's Properties, Inc. v. VIP Productions, LLC. That prediction is bolstered by the Court's likely holding in Vidal v. Elster. Readers persuaded that current defensive …

Government Debt On Money Growth, Inflation, And Real Gdp Growth, Jesse T. Wright

Journal of Business, Industry, and Economics

This study examines the question: how does government debt affect economic growth over time? The results of this research show that low-income countries use inflation, money growth, and borrowing to manage debt. As a group, high-income countries do not, or perhaps cannot, use any of these methods systematically. Theory indicates that countries may turn to money growth and inflation to manage debt levels, and that this in turn decreases growth of gross domestic product. The results of this paper are significant because they suggest that low-income countries use money growth and inflation as an alternative to taxation while simultaneously borrowing …

An Insurance Case That Develops Problem-Solving, Statistical Analysis, And Excel Skills, Ed Pappanastos, Jeffrey Bohler, Benjamin Larson, Charles Coco

Journal of Business, Industry, and Economics

Good Faith Insurance, a thriving hometown insurance company, has established itself by building strong, trust-based relationships within its community. After nearly a decade of consistent profitability, the company implemented three strategic initiatives to expand its footprint and enhance its brand as a high-quality regional insurer. This case study invites students to assess the financial impact of these strategic decisions, offering a valuable opportunity to refine their decision-making and problem-solving abilities. It is particularly well-suited for undergraduate courses in statistics or insurance.

An Occupational Therapy Approach To The Cumulative Trauma Disorder Of Trigger Finger: A Case Report, Makenzie Lynn Kroupa

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Background: The purpose of this product is to focus on furthering exposure to cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) of the upper extremity (UE) through the development of a case report. This will further explore treatment methods, therapy progression, and management for diagnoses that are associated with repetition and the overuse of the UE. The client of focus possesses the UE CTD of trigger finger as the primary diagnosis but has several concurrent conditions. This increases the complexity of the case since the client must navigate the symptomatology of UE CTDs to engage in occupational performance.

Case Presentation: The client was selected …

The Distinct Role: A Toolkit To Promote Occupational Therapy Services For Palliative Care Patients In Acute Care Hospitals, Kailey Ann Squier

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: Each year, 56.8 million people receive palliative care services and experience significant impacts overall quality of life. Occupational therapy is well-equipped to maximize engagement in meaningful activities and improve overall quality of life for this population. Despite evidence supporting the unique value of OT, it has had many barriers limiting the ability to expand into palliative care effectively. There is a need to provide education and increase resources to occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) in palliative care. The purpose of this scholarly project was to increase the understanding of OTs’ role in palliative care and promote increased OT services within …

Primary Reflex Testing And Integration Guide For Parents And Providers, Abby Jessen

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: Parents are often unaware of the signs and characteristics of retained reflexes making it difficult to identify if there is a problem (Grigg et al., 2018). Once a problem is identified parents are frequently uninformed of the effects primary reflexes can have on a child’s development and how to foster integration (Grigg et al., 2018). Therefore, demonstrating a need for parent and provider education to support reflex integration amongst the pediatric population. The purpose of this project was to educate parents and providers on retained primary reflexes in children ages four to 11.

Methods: Prior to the start of …

Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields Increase Antibiotic Susceptibility In Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Alexandra E. Chittams-Miles, Areej Malik, Erin B. Purcell, Claudia Muratori

Bioelectrics Publications

Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs). SSTIs caused by bacteria resistant to antimicrobials, such as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), are increasing in incidence and have led to higher rates of hospitalization. In this study, we measured MRSA inactivation by nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF), a promising new cell ablation technology. Our results show that treatment with 120 pulses of 600 ns duration (28 kV/cm, 1 Hz), caused modest inactivation, indicating cellular damage. We anticipated that the perturbation created by nsPEF could increase antibiotic efficacy if nsPEF were applied as a co-treatment. To test this …

Real Individuals Striving For Excellence (Rise): An Occupational Therapy Based Re-Entry Program For A Rural Jail Facility, Kennedy Tooke

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Title: Real Individuals Striving for Excellence (RISE): An occupational therapy based re-entry program for a rural jail facility.

Introduction: The United States criminal justice system continues to be known for currently holding over 2 million people within state, federal, local, and juvenile correctional facilities (prisonpolicy.org, 2021). Jail incarceration rates have increased 15% from 2020 to 2021 following a 26% decline from midyear 2019 (Zeng, 2022). Many individuals involved in the criminal justice system will be arrested again within the same year due to unsuccessful transitions back into the community. The purpose of this scholarly project was to develop a program …

Data Controllers As Data Fiduciaries: Theory, Definitions & Burdens Of Proof, Noelle Wilson, Amanda Reid

University of Colorado Law Review

As more U.S. states have begun to pass consumer privacy laws, there are growing calls for federal data privacy regulation to ease the burden of compliance with various, sometimes conflicting, state laws. However, scholars and lawmakers are divided on how best to balance robust privacy protections with privacy laws to which businesses can realistically comply. Two prominent regulatory models have emerged from scholarly debate. The Rights/Obligations Model grants consumers various rights and imposes obligations on businesses. This model has been trending in U.S. states, which have mirrored language from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by imposing different …

Pharmaceutical Messianism And The Politics Of Covid-19 In The United States, Gideon Lasco, Vincen Gregory Yu, Nishtha Bharti

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, public officials in the United States–from the President to governors, mayors, lawmakers, and even school district commissioners–touted unproven treatments for COVID-19 alongside, and sometimes as opposed to, mask and vaccine mandates. Utilising the framework of ‘pharmaceutical messianism’, our article focuses on three such cures–hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and monoclonal antibodies–to explore how pharmaceuticals were mobilised within politicised pandemic discourses. Using the states of Utah, Texas, and Florida as illustrative examples, we make the case for paying attention to pharmaceutical messianism at the subnational and local levels, which can very well determine pandemic responses and outcomes in contexts such …

A Comparison Between The Flexural Strength Of Milled, Conventional, And Carbon Fiber Pmma For Interim Implant-Supported Fixed Complete Dentures: An In Vitro Study, Jenny Abou Nader, Paul Boulos, Jihad Fakhouri, Nancy Chemaly, Carol Abi Ghosn

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Objectives: to investigate the flexural strength of three materials commonly used for interim implant-supported fixed complete dentures (ISFCDs): conventional heat cure PMMA, CAD/CAM milled PMMA, and carbon fiber-reinforced PMMA.

Methods: Sixty specimens (n=60) divided equally into three groups (heat cure, milled, carbon fiber) were prepared. Samples were inspected to ensure absence of voids or irregularities and when required, minor adjustments were made to adjust the dimensions. The samples underwent thermocycling (5-55°C for 2500 cycles) and were then tested using a three-point bend test.

Results: There was a statistically significant difference between heat cure PMMA and carbon fiber …

A Review Of Herpetofaunal Distributions In Arkansas With Special Emphasis On Contributions From Citizen Science: Part I – Snakes, R. Jacobs, N. Ortiz, J. Jackson, J.D. Willson, K.G. Roberts, R. Kannan

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We present a comprehensive updated review of the distributions of the 38 species of snakes in Arkansas. We compare historical and current distributions with citizen science data uploaded and verified in iNaturalist, a leading biodiversity monitoring online citizen science database. The Arkansas Herpetological Atlas, a website maintaining species occurrence records, is also used and compared. We highlight the role played by iNaturalist in enhancing our knowledge of snake distributions in Arkansas. 10,885 verified and vetted Research Grade (RG) observations of Arkansas snakes have been recorded in iNaturalist, expanding the known distributions of 36 of the 38 species. This is the …

Digital Image Correlation Guided Wearable Sensor Design And Fabrication Of Novel Microfluidic Pump For Human Movement Classification Using Machine Learning Models, Nick Cmager

Bioengineering Master's Theses

Wearable technologies are transforming healthcare and enabling physicians to customize treatments through continuous non-invasive data acquisition. Microfluidic sensors have been gaining attention due to their flexibility and ability to conform to the human skin. However, individual variations in skin properties necessitate personalized sensor designs. This thesis presents a novel approach for designing and fabricating wearable microfluidic sensors, leveraging digital image correlation (DIC) to guide the development of a microfluidic pump for human movement classification. An open-source DIC platform Ncorr was utilized for 2D and 3D DIC analysis of human skin strain. The results were used to guide the design of …

Police Vigilantism, Nadia Banteka

Scholarly Publications

This Article uncovers a critical yet unexplored dimension of policing: the strategic oscillation of police officers between their roles as state actors and private individuals, and its significant implications for police accountability frameworks. As officers toggle between these two roles to their legal advantage, they exploit a deep, systemic flaw in the structural design of policing. Tracing the trajectory of policing from its vigilante origins to its institutionalized form today, this Article argues that contemporary policing merges state-sanctioned power with vestiges of vigilantism to blur the public-private divide. This duality enables a form of state-sanctioned vigilantism through which officers exploit …

Juries And Tax: The Effect Of Income Taxation On Tort Damages, Jeffrey H. Kahn, John E. Lopatka

Scholarly Publications

In some shape or form, most tort damages for personal injuries have been excluded from federal income taxation since 1919. Despite this rule having celebrated its 1 0 0th birthday, the tax policy justification for the exclusion eludes consensus. Whether the policy is justified or not, the exclusion raises two other issues: should compensatory damage awards reflect non-taxability, and should juries be informed about tax treatment when determining awards? Like the disagreement over policy justifications for the exclusion, states are not in accord on their damage rule or approach to jury instructions. Proponents of a rule that awards should reflect …

Cognitive Content Moderation: Freedom Of Thought And The First Amendment Right To Receive Subconscious Information, Mason Marks

Scholarly Publications

In the television series Severance, employees of Lumon Industries receive brain implants that divide their memories of work and home life. When employees arrive at work, implants block access to memories of the outside world and unlock memories formed on the job. By manipulating the flow of information in employees' brains, Lumon engages in what this Article calls cognitive content moderation. Though Severance is science fiction, emerging technologies, including drugs and electronic devices, promote cognitive content moderation by influencing thought, memory, and perception. Constitutional law is unprepared. To clarify freedom of thought and make it more useful, this Article presents …

Towards Energy-Efficient Edge Computing For Tiny Ai Applications, Vamsi Krishna Bhagavathula

Theses and Dissertations

As artificial intelligence (AI) applications become more common on the edge of networks, like Raspberry Pi servers, it is crucial to optimize their energy use. This research project investigates how AI algorithms affect energy efficiency and resource usage on Raspberry Pi servers. Two models were created: one predicts resource usage, and the other predicts power consumption of AI algorithms on Raspberry Pi. Several factors are considered like CPU and memory use, algorithm speed, dataset size, and types of algorithms and datasets. Using regression-based methods, we model how these factors affect energy use. By converting categorical factors into numerical ones, we …

Optimizing Z/R Relationship For Radar-Based Precipitation Estimates, Jalon Gary

Theses and Dissertations

Z/R relationship is a power law relationship between radar reflectivity (Z) and rainfall rate (R). The relationship is expressed as Z = aRb where a and b are correlated with drop size distribution (DSD) and vary across locations. Using a Z/R relationship to translate radar reflectivity to rainfall rate can allow for real-time precipitation monitoring with a high temporal and spatial resolution. A dataset of 12 cases in Georgia from December 2021 to November 2022 was examined using the Georgia Weather Network rain gauge system and the KFFC radar to optimize the best Z/R relationship for each case. Radar-based precipitation …

Advanced Placement Teachers’ Perspectives On Effectiveness Of Georgia Gifted Legislation: A Generic Qualitative Study, Rebekah Annette Atkinson

Theses and Dissertations

Gifted students from minority backgrounds, including low SES, African American and Latinx students, are underrepresented in gifted education, specifically high school Advanced Placement (AP) programs. Despite national legislation and guidance, the federal government allows individual states, including Georgia, to create their own gifted policies and delegate implementation to individual districts. Georgia, like many other states, continues to show inequity in gifted education for minority students and deficiencies in gifted instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of inequity in gifted education for high school students in Georgia through a generic qualitative research design that analyzed AP …

A Qualitative Descriptive Study On Secondary School Administrators’ Perception Of Restorative Practices And The Impact Of Restorative Practice Program, Antron Murray

Theses and Dissertations

Zero tolerance behavior management policies in secondary schools contribute to high student suspension and dropout rates. Zero tolerance policies do not provide an alternative solution to correct undesired behaviors and do virtually nothing to target a solution to reduce suspensions and student dropout. The purpose of this qualitative research was to gain insight into secondary school administrators’ perceptions of restorative practices and the impact of restorative practice programs. The researcher analyzed participating administrators’ perspectives regarding their behavioral management beliefs towards restorative practices and practices through interviews and open-ended questionnaires. Five school administrators with some familiarity with the concept of restorative …

Advancing Explainability In Multi-Label Classification For Tomato Disease Detection Using Machine Learning Interpretability Techniques, Md. Nurullah

Theses and Dissertations

Plant diseases pose a significant threat to global food security, affecting crop yield, quality, and overall agricultural productivity. Traditionally, diagnosing plant diseases has relied on timeconsuming visual inspections by experts, which can often lead to errors. With the rapid growth of technology, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) have opened new possibilities for automating this process. One of the most promising technologies for plant disease diagnosis is Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), which have proven effective in image classification tasks. Plant leaves, often exhibiting symptoms such as discoloration and irregular textures, serve as key indicators for disease detection. By processing …

Determining Hydraulic Characteristics In Close Proximity Of Hymenocallis Coronaria Within The Flint River Basin, Georgia, Sarah K. Tash

Theses and Dissertations

Emergent macrophytes in river systems occupy a narrow habitat for optimal survival. Each plant species adapts to a set of conditions that meets the physiological requirements to grow and reproduce. The influence of hydraulic characteristics on plant morphology is significant within fluvial systems. Macrophytes must be able to withstand swift flowing water and changes in water surface levels in order to compete with other plant species for limited habitat availability. In addition, emergent macrophytes require water levels to be low enough to allow the reproductive portion of plants to remain above water during certain times of the year. Hymenocallis coronaria …

Social Engagement Gaps Between Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) F-1 Visa International Students And American Students In Us Universities, Sairagul Matikeeva-Kinney

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory descriptive study was to explore the perceptions of F1 visa STEM international students at a four-year private university about their social engagement experiences with their American peers, and how the absence of such engagement practices frames the international students’ sense of mattering and marginality and overall college experience. The study focused only on F-1 visa international students’ perceptions and utilized the marginality and mattering theory (MMT) (Schlossberg, 1989) as a theoretical framework. The social constructivism paradigm was utilized to explain how international students construct their knowledge and perceptions of social engagement with American peers, …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities, Niketta Christina Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the influences of a social emotional learning (SEL) focused professional learning community (PLC) participation with core content high school teachers. Numerous schools throughout the nation claim to be implementing PLCs by engaging in activities like book studies, attending conferences, or district led meetings. Simply labeling a meeting or initiative as a PLC does not align with the central tenets of true PLCs, and do not increase teaching practices or student learning. The sole purpose of real PLCs is to ensure all students learn at high levels. An authentically aligned PLC embodies a solid foundation of shared mission, …

Roundtable On Warhol V. Goldsmith: An Introduction To Warhol V. Goldsmith, Amy Adler, Lionel Bently, Susan Bielstein, Johanna Burton, Martha Buskirk, Noam M. Elcott, Jane Ginsburg, Branden W. Joseph, Joan Kee, Liz Linden, Rebecca Tushnet, Graeme Williams, Winnie Wong

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.