Digital Commons Network^™

Employment-At-Will: Too Simple For A Complex World, Cynthia Estlund

Texas A&M Law Review

For Professor Epstein, the distinctively American rule of employment-at-will (“EAW”) in its original, harsh form—which allowed either party to terminate employment at any time for good reason, bad reason, or no reason at all—is an exemplar of “simple rules for a complex world.” This Essay will reflect on a few ways in which EAW, plain and simple, is too simple for our complex world—too simple in light of the complexities of labor markets and of human and organizational behavior, and too simple in light of evolving societal conceptions of justice. As things now stand, given the legal complexity that has …

Daoism And Design: Mapping The Conflict In Syria, Ned Beechinor Marsh, Heather S. Gregg

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

In contemporary military operations, some problems are so complex they do not give way to linear solutions but require problem management instead. Combining the fundamentals of Dao De Jing philosophy with the US military design process offers a new perspective to analyze complex security problems, devise management strategies, and plan military operations. Applying this new approach to the complex security environment in Syria allows for a nonlinear mapping of long-term goals and a new perspective on relationships between key actors, environmental factors that restrict changes in the security environment, and where planners should focus their attention.

Minotaurs, Not Centaurs: The Future Of Manned-Unmanned Teaming, Robert J. Sparrow, Adam Henschke

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Contesting Paul Scharre’s influential vision of “centaur warfighting” and the idea that autonomous weapon systems will replace human warfighters, this article proposes that the manned-unmanned teams of the future are more likely to be minotaurs, teams of humans under the control, supervision, or command of artificial intelligence. It examines the likely composition of the future force and prompts a necessary conversation about the ethical issues raised by minotaur warfighting.

Plagiarism Deterrence In Cs1 Through Keystroke Data, Kaden Hart, Chad Mano, John M. Edwards

Computer Science Student Research

Recent work in computing education has explored the idea of analyzing and grading using the process of writing a computer program rather than just the final submitted code. We build on this idea by investigating the effect on plagiarism when the process of coding, in the form of keystroke logs, is submitted for grading in addition to the final code. We report results from two terms of a university CS1 course in which students submitted keystroke logs. We find that when students are required to submit a log of keystrokes together with their written code they are less likely to …

V.Viii.G; 32-20 Poster - Mcnair Scholars Program.Pdf, Betty L. Brown-Chappell Phd

Program and Teaching Materials [Series V]

SSA Magazine - Spring 2008 - McNair

Accurate Estimation Of Time-On-Task While Programming, Kaden Hart, Christopher M. Warren, John Edwards

Computer Science Student Research

In a recent study, students were periodically prompted to self-report engagement while working on computer programming assignments in a CS1 course. A regression model predicting time-on-task was proposed. While it was a significant improvement over ad-hoc estimation techniques, the study nevertheless suffered from lack of error analysis, lack of comparison with existing methods, subtle complications in prompting students, and small sample size. In this paper we report results from a study with an increased number of student participants and modified prompting scheme intended to better capture natural student behavior. Furthermore, we perform a cross-validation analysis on our refined regression model …

A Result In The Theory Of Twin Primes, Nelson Carella

Publications and Research

This article determines a lower bound for the number of twin primes $p$ and $p+2$ up to a large number $x$.

Participant Engagement To Develop Report-Back Materials For Personal Air Monitoring, Patrick H. Ryan, Chris Wolfe, Allison Parsons, Cole Brokamp, Ashley Turner, Erin N. Haynes

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Studies that measure environmental exposures in biological samples frequently provide participants their results. In contrast, studies using personal air monitors do not typically provide participants their monitoring results. The objective of this study was to engage adolescents who completed personal air sampling and their caregivers to develop understandable and actionable report-back documents containing the results of their personal air sampling.

Methods: Adolescents and their caregivers who previously completed personal air sampling participated in focus groups to guide the development of report-back materials. We conducted thematic analyses of focus group data to guide the design of the report-back …

Modeling The Influence Of Fake Accounts On User Behavior And Information Diffusion In Online Social Networks, Sara G. Fahmy, Khaled M. Abdelgaber, Omar H. Karam, Doaa S. Elzanfaly

Information Systems

The mechanisms of information diffusion in Online Social Networks (OSNs) have been studied extensively from various perspectives with some focus on identifying and modeling the role of heterogeneous nodes. However, none of these studies have considered the influence of fake accounts on human accounts and how this will affect the rumor diffusion process. This paper aims to present a new information diffusion model that characterizes the role of bots in the rumor diffusion process in OSNs. The proposed SIh IbR model extends the classical SIR model by introducing two types of infected users with different infection rates: the users who …

The Power Of Algorithms And Big Data: A Marketing Perspective On Consumer Manipulation In Business, Jordan C'Rene Reuille-Dupont

University Honors Theses

In marketing, predictive analytics molds big data into tools that can create demographics, target pleasurable neuromodulator chemicals like dopamine, and influence individual and societal behavior patterns. Professionals and scholars alike can use machine-based computation to transform big data into usable knowledge that accurately represents and tracks human behavior. In the past couple of decades this has led to the acceleration of the attention economy and has fueled the age of information. It has pushed countries to not only enforce new laws and regulations, but also race to secure control over data science technologies. The research for this thesis will ultimately …

Diversity In Recruitment: The Role Of Realistic Website Job Previews For Racial And Ethnic Minority Applicants, Jennifer Saucedo

Dissertations and Theses

Prior research has examined the effects of diversity-related recruitment on racial and ethnic minority applicants, but less research has focused on how objective and realistic information about diversity influences applicant outcomes. Drawing from previous literature on realistic job previews (RJPs) and social identity theory (SIT), the current study investigates how recruitment material with objective racial demographic information (i.e., percentage of racial minorities employed) and leader diversity testimonials (i.e., positive or realistic) on diversity recruitment webpages affect racial and ethnic minority applicant outcomes (i.e., organizational attraction, sense of fit, and organizational trust) using a 3x2 between-person experimental design. Finally, the study …

Smart Wifi Thermostat-Enabled Thermal Comfort Control In Residences, Robert Lou, Kevin P. Hallinan, Kefan Huang, Timothy Reissman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The present research leverages prior works to automatically estimate wall and ceiling R-values using a combination of a smart WiFi thermostat, building geometry, and historical energy consumption data to improve the calculation of the mean radiant temperature (MRT), which is integral to the determination of thermal comfort in buildings. To assess the potential of this approach for realizing energy savings in any residence, machine learning predictive models of indoor temperature and humidity, based upon a nonlinear autoregressive exogenous model (NARX), were developed. The developed models were used to calculate the temperature and humidity set-points needed to achieve minimum thermal comfort …

Wrong-Way Driving: Data Collection, Analysis, And Safety Countermeasures, Parisa Hosseini

Theses and Dissertations

Wrong-way driving (WWD) crashes have been a long-lasting issue for transportation agencies during the past decades. According to the AAA Foundation's latest statistics, on divided highways, a total of 2,921 WWD fatal crashes were documented from 2010 to 2018, resulting in 3,546 fatalities. In order to analyze WWD events, this study attempts to initially develop a methodology to identify actual WWD crashes from potential WWD crashes in police reports by using text mining and machine learning techniques. Afterward, developing a hazard-based duration model, this study investigates the contributing factors related to the distance traveled by a wrong-way (WW) driver involved …

A Hedonic Analysis Of Thoroughbred Horses In Online Auctions, Madalynn Nicole Camp

Theses and Dissertations

A horse’s lifespan ranges from 20 to 30 years while a Thoroughbred racehorse’s career averages just 4.45 years. According to the American Horse Council Foundation, 33% of the horses in the United States are involved in the racing industry. Upon retiring from racing, Thoroughbreds have the option of being kept as breeding stock or sold to equestrians in the non-racing sector to begin second careers. Retired Thoroughbred racehorses may prove to be a great investment for equestrians wanting an athletic horse for an affordable price and provide a second career track for these retired racehorses. This study aims to analyze …

Indication Of Mobility Aids And Training Of Older Patients In A Geriatric Emergency Department: Abiding By International Guidelines, Mario C. De Andrade Junior, Christian V. Morinaga, Christina M M Brito, Igor G. Moraes, Wellington P. Yamaguti, Pedro K. Curiati

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Falls are the main cause of injuries, hospitalization, and loss of functionality among adults over 65 years of age. Thus, proper indication of assistive gait devices should be part of multidimensional fall prevention. However, many patients receive little or no professional assistance when selecting a mobility aid, and inadequate selection and use can result in a poor gait pattern.

All patients admitted to our emergency department (ED) undergo a medical evaluation, in which, based on their clinical condition, the protocol for indication and training in the use of walking aids can be triggered. Patients need to be clinically stable and …

The Relations Between Rumination, Thought Control, And Suicidal Thinking, Morgan Buerke

Master's Theses

Despite the far-reaching impact of suicide on our communities, we need more research to understand how suicidal thoughts develop, and what leads to their maintenance. As suggested by the depression distress-amplification model (Capron et al., 2013), emotion-regulation strategies such as rumination may cause or worsen suicidal ideation by amplifying the distress associated with negative thoughts. In addition, ruminative thoughts are often described as difficult to control, which may lead people to think about suicide as an escape from these uncontrollable thoughts. The current study examined the relationship between certain forms of rumination (i.e., brooding, reflection, anger rumination, and suicidal rumination) …

Iron-Catalyzed Oxidative Α-Amination Of Ketones With Primary And Secondary Sulfonamides, Fubin Song, So Hyun Park, Christine Wu, Alexandra E. Strom

Chemistry: Faculty Publications

We report the iron-catalyzed α-amination of ketones with sulfonamides. Using an oxidative coupling approach, ketones can be directly coupled with free sulfonamides, without the need for prefunctionalization of either substrate. Primary and secondary sulfonamides are both competent coupling partners, with yields from 55% to 88% for deoxybenzoin-derived substrates.

Preserving Healing: Understanding Historic Preservation Through The Lens Of Restorative Justice In Portland, Oregon, Bri Brady

University Honors Theses

This essay explores historic preservation through a lens of restorative justice focusing on community inclusion practices. Portland, Oregon serves as the case study for the research, and aims to better understand how the past examples of preservation have carried into our preservation practices today. This essay concludes with world building ideas that focus on restoring community impact and voice in preservation practices.

Navigating The Transition: Strategies For Supporting The Success Of At-Risk Youth From Middle School To High School And Beyond, Jessica L. Hlavinka

University Honors Theses

It has been demonstrated that small class sizes are beneficial for at-risk students transferring to high school. With fewer students, teachers are better able to give personalized attention and assistance, which can encourage students' engagement and motivation to study. Small class numbers can also foster a feeling of community and belonging, which is essential for at-risk students who may feel alienated at school. Also shown to be successful in assisting at-risk adolescents with the transition to high school are mentoring programs. High school students can get assistance and support from mentors as they negotiate the obstacles of the academic environment. …

Why Can’T Americans Agree On, Well, Nearly Anything? Philosophy Has Some Answers, James Steiner-Dillon

Materials from the University of Dayton Magazine Website

Why can’t Americans agree on, well, nearly anything? Philosophy has some answers

Fallacies In The Design Of Climate Change Policies: A Response To Richard Epstein, Richard L. Revesz

Texas A&M Law Review

This Essay criticizes Professor Richard Epstein’s approach to climate change regulation, which he characterizes as one involving taking modest steps at first, observing the results of these steps, and then using the lessons learned to inform the next steps. Epstein’s approach depends critically on a particular class of damage function determining how greenhouse gas emissions cause harm—specifically, damage functions that lack discontinuities. And it also depends on the ability to observe in real time how the function occurs. Neither of these conditions are met with respect to climate change. The Essay also shows that Epstein’s approach is further undermined by …

Toward Principled Background Principles In Takings Law, Rebecca Hansen, Lior Jacob Strahilevitz

Texas A&M Law Review

Oversights by lawyers, judges, and legal scholars have caused the Supreme Court’s opinion in Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid to be deeply misunderstood. In Cedar Point, the Court rewrote much of takings law by treating temporary and part-time entries by the government or third parties onto private property as per se takings. Prior to Cedar Point, these sorts of government-authorized physical entries would have been evaluated under a balancing framework that almost invariably enabled the government to prevail. As it happens, there was a well-established rule of black letter law that California’s lawyers and amici failed to invoke …

The Case For An Army Stability Professional, Andrew B. Colvin

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

The US Army is unprepared to occupy and stabilize territory because it does not adequately educate active-duty officers to do so. One way to professionalize the Army’s ability to carry out military government and stability operations is to develop active-duty functional area officers who can advise commanders and integrate staff planning for these operations. This article analyzes case studies, doctrine, and commentary to envision specialized staff officers with foreign language proficiency, cultural skills, advanced academic abilities, and a strong professional ethic. These officers would enhance the Army’s competence in stabilizing territory to achieve American policy objectives.

Defeat In Afghanistan: An Autopsy, Joseph J. Collins

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Policy initiatives in the Trump administration and the Biden-Harris administration significantly accelerated the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan. This article supports the conclusion that the major factors in this defeat were the historical difficulty in governing Afghanistan, the Afghan republic’s two inefficient and corrupt governments, an ineffective US strategy, operational shortcomings by US forces, an ineffective Afghan military, Pakistan’s duplicitous policy, and the strength and determination of the Taliban. This article rejects the claim that the United States’ nation-building effort was a major factor in its defeat and concludes with a discussion of lessons encountered.

When Dirty Data Leads To Dirty Policing, Madison Blevins

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

On May 25th, 2020, George Floyd was tragically killed by police officers in Minneapolis. While George Floyd’s death was the shock that catapulted the Black Lives Matter (“BLM”) movement to the center of international attention, it was also just the tip of the iceberg. Floyd’s death was not the first death of a black person at the hands of the police, nor would it be the last. “A black person is killed by a police officer in America at a rate of more than one [person] every other day.” These repeated incidents across the country have ignited a mass movement …

Nursing Students Strengthening Resiliency Through Educator Relationships: A Basic Qualitative Study, Sandra Mcdade

Dissertations

Nursing school attrition rates are steadily on the rise. Attrition rates are related to high course failure, program drop-out, and burnout. Resiliency is a critical quality that baccalaureate nursing students must attain to cope with nursing school stressors successfully. Nursing student resiliency is in the infancy stage of research investigation; however, literature shows the nurse educator-nursing student's influence on student resiliency; how do senior-level baccalaureate nursing students strengthen resiliency through the nurse educator-nursing student (NE-NS) relationship? The nursing student perspective is often overlooked; therefore, this dissertation focused on bringing forth the perspective of nursing students. Senior-level nursing students have 2 …

Results Of Duet: A Web-Based Weight Loss Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial Among Cancer Survivors And Their Chosen Partners, Laura Q Rogers, W Walker Cole, Harleen Kaur, David Farrell, Kelsey B Parrish, Hoda J Badr, Kathleen Y Wolin, Dori W Pekmezi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Simple Summary

Effective and scalable diet, exercise, and weight management interventions are needed for primary cancer prevention in the general public, as well as for cancer control and tertiary prevention among the growing population of cancer survivors. A 6-month online intervention, entitled “Daughters, dUdes, mothErs, and others Together” (DUET), was designed to promote weight loss, a healthful diet, and increased physical activity among cancer survivors and their chosen partners. Fifty-six cancer survivor-partner dyads (n = 112 participants in total) were recruited into a randomized controlled trial that compared DUET to a waitlist control. The trial surpassed all feasibility endpoints …

A Multiple Case Study Of Adolescent Piano Students: Examining Motivation Through The Lens Of Interest Development, Carla Lucia Salas Ruiz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

One way of understanding motivation is through the factors that influence it. These factors analyzed as psychological constructs give rise to the notion of motivation variables such as interest. Interest is a powerful variable that affects student motivation to learn (Hidi & Renninger, 2006; Hulleman et al., 2017; O’Keefe et al. 2017; Renninger & Hidi, 2016; Tin, 2013). In 2006, Hidi and Renninger proposed the “Four-Phase Interest Development Model” for the characterization of interest in learning. According to this model, learners can move from a situational level of interest development to a well-developed individual interest, in a sequential manner. This …

Observing Human Mobility Internationally During Covid-19, Shane Allcroft, Mohammed Metwaly, Zachery Berg, Isha Ghodgaonkar, Fischer Bordwell, Xinxin Zhao, Xinglei Liu, Jiahao Xu, Subhankar Chakraborty, Vishnu Banna, Akhil Chinnakotla, Abhinav Goel, Caleb Tung, Gore Kao, Wei Zakharov, David A. Shoham, George K. Thiruvathukal, Yung-Hsiang Lu

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This article analyzes visual data captured from five countries and three U.S. states to evaluate the effectiveness of lockdown policies for reducing the spread of COVID-19. The main challenge is the scale: nearly six million images are analyzed to observe how people respond to the policy changes.

Marketplace Of Ideas 3.0? A Framework For The Era Of Algorithms, Garrett Morrow, John P. Wihbey

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

For over a century, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’ metaphor of the “Marketplace of Ideas” has been central to Americans’ conceptualization of the First Amendment. However, the metaphor has evolved, and the today’s marketplace looks much different than the marketplace of the early twentieth century. We argue that the Marketplace of Ideas is now a dynamic environment of information exchange that is distributed throughout the internet and private applications and is guided by algorithms. The modern Marketplace of Ideas frames discussion of freedom of expression and content moderation. An updated understanding of the metaphor allows for an improved public …