Digital Commons Network^™

Private Law Aspects Of Suborbital Flights: Second- And Third-Party Liability And Insurance, Tanja Masson-Zwaan

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Two companies carried private citizens to the edge of space in July 2021. Although suborbital flights have so far taken place within one jurisdiction—they start and end in the same state, do not pass through foreign airspace, or meet both criteria—they will become international when transportation between two points in different states via outer space becomes a reality. International law is ambiguous about the regulation of suborbital flights; neither international air law nor international space law explicitly apply. It is also unclear which organization or institution should be mandated with the international regulation of suborbital flights. The legal uncertainties must …

Pulsed Nuclear Space Propulsion And International Law: Some Preliminary, Glenn Reynolds, Leigh Outten

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Pulsed Nuclear Space Propulsion, researched in the 1950s and 1960s by such eminent physicists as Freeman Dyson, Ted Taylor, Theodore von Karman, and Hans Bethe, involves propelling large spacecraft using compact nuclear explosions from specialized atomic devices. This technology is often known by the name of the Air Force project in which it was developed: Orion. It has long been believed that the 1962 Limited Test Ban Treaty prohibits the use of nuclear pulse space propulsion. After a survey of the Orion project and its results and a review of the applicable law, this Article concludes that language in the …

Vertiports: Ready For Take-Off … And Landing, Benjamyn Scott

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

While aviation has been used in transportation for decades, the use of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft for large-scale, low-cost, green, sustainable, and integrated mobility in populated areas is a new phenomenon. Despite the importance of ground infrastructure for embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, cargo, and mail, questions remain on how these “vertiports” are or should be regulated and how they will relate to existing regulated ground infrastructure such as aerodromes, airports, and heliports. Therefore, several questions arise: what is a vertiport; how do vertiports relate to other aviation infrastructure; what are the legal implications of having different terms; …

Cabotage And Deregulatory Anomalies, Timothy M. Ravich

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

The strangest airline route in America is between Pago Pago and the Manu’a Islands in American Samoa. No U.S. carrier serves this “domestic” route. Therefore, it is the only route between two points in the United States (or, more accurately, its territories) that is regularly scheduled service by a non-U.S.-flagged airline. The Pago Pago–Manu’a Islands flight is thus an unprecedented and unique exception to a federal law that permits only U.S. carriers operating U.S.-registered aircraft to fly between U.S. states and territories. Under existing U.S. cabotage policies, moreover, states and U.S. territories are divested of all power to manage …

Course Outline And Weekly Plans For Eds 705 Eds 705 Practicum In Curriculum And Instruction For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Young Children, Lisa Cavallero

Open Educational Resources

Topics covered in this course include: interest inventories, assessing students, online tools for assessment, lesson planning, standards, IEPs, diverse classroom, growth mindset.

This course outline includes:

• all assignments for the course (link to assignments packet).
• links to lecture slides
• instructor notes
• additional resources

Note: users will be prompted to make their own copy of documents when clicking on links to Google Docs and Google Slides.

Ece 302 Children, Families, Communities, And Schools In Sociocultural Contexts—Birth To Grade 6, Lisa Cavallero

Open Educational Resources

Topics covered in this course include: home, school, and community influences, family diversity, roles and experiences of families, early learning, special needs, protecting children, influences of the home and community, working with families.

This course outline includes:

• all assignments for the course (link to assignments packet).
• links to lecture slides
• instructor notes
• additional resources

Note: users will be prompted to make their own copy of documents when clicking on links to Google Docs and Google Slides.

Building An Understanding Of The Common Core State Standards And Complex Texts, While Supporting Upper Elementary Readers With Complex Text Through Shared Reading, Joanna Mae Carlson

Graduate Research Papers

The Common Core State Standards have caused changes to happen within classrooms. Teachers are teaching using complex text, and students are expected to read and comprehend grade-level complex texts. In order to successfully teach with these types of texts, teachers must have an understanding of what makes a text complex and how text complexity is measured. Building an understanding of these ideas will help teachers support all students with comprehension. Shared reading is a teaching strategy that teachers can implement in their classrooms to support students with the reading of complex texts. In upper elementary classrooms, shared reading can be …

The Fourth Amendment In The Age Of Autonomous Vehicles, Tracy Hresko Pearl

Faculty Articles

Autonomous vehicles exist at the intersection of two extremely turbulent areas of Fourth Amendment jurisprudence—traffic stops and emerging technologies—and have implications for virtually every major search and seizure doctrine developed over the last century. Complicating matters even further is the fact that car manufacturers are developing these vehicles at varying rates, meaning that vehicles with differing levels of automation are being introduced onto the consumer market at different (and often unpredictable) times. Each level of vehicle automation, in turn, poses unique issues for law enforcement. Semi-autonomous (Levels 2 and 3) vehicles make it extremely difficult for police to distinguish between …

Corporate Resiliency And Relevancy In The Private Ordering Era, Megan Wischmeier Shaner

Faculty Articles

Firm-specific private ordering has flourished in the twenty-first century. Public companies are seeing more and more governance contracting in traditional venues such as the bylaws and charter, as well as in less conventional places like shareholder agreements and dual-class-like contracts. Decisions legitimizing private ordering in the corporate setting contain strong contractarian language and rely heavily on contract – and not corporate – principles to justify their holdings. In addition, recent statutory amendments have chipped away at traditionally mandatory features of the corporation, thereby reinforcing the contractual view of the corporate form and fueling the private ordering movement. All told, the …

Inequality By Unnatural Selection: The Impact Of Tax Code Bias On The Racial Wealth Gap, Phyllis C. Taite

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Modeling And Performance Optimization Of A Compact Three-Petalled Flower-Like Microstrip Patch Antenna For Iot Applications, Nancy Gupta, Navneet Gill, Fidele Maniraguha

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Abstract

Using Incremental Ensemble Learning Techniques To Design Portable Intrusion Detection For Computationally Constraint Systems, Promise Ricardo Agbedanu, James Rwigema, Richard Musabe, Ignace Gatare

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Computers have evolved over the years, and as the evolution continues, we have been ushered into an era where high-speed internet has made it possible for devices in our homes, hospital, energy, and industry to communicate with each other. This era is known as the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT has several benefits in a country’s economy’s health, energy, transportation, and agriculture sectors. These enormous benefits, coupled with the computational constraint of IoT devices, make it challenging to deploy enhanced security protocols on them, making IoT devices a target of cyber-attacks. One approach that has been used in traditional computing …

Comprehensive Assessment Of Heat Pump Dryers For Drying Agricultural Products, Alde Belgard Loemba Tchicaya, Baraka Kichonge, Thomas Kivevele

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Fruits and vegetables are agricultural products that require preservation toenhance and protect shelf life, encapsulate natural flavour, and retainnutritional content. Globally, agricultural products are preserved by a rangeof means, the most prevalent of which is the heat pump dryer, which producesthe best results even in unfavourable climatic conditions. Heat pump dryerscome in different types and their performance varies depending on the type.This study aims to evaluate recently developed heat pump dryers based on keyperformance indicators, impacts on food colour and nutritional content,techno‐economic, exergoeconomic, and environmental issues associated withthe development of heat pump dryers, which are underrepresented in most ofthe existing …

A Comprehensive Review On The Decontamination Of Lead(Ii) From Water And Wastewater By Low-Cost Biosorbents, Jonas Bayuo, Mwemezi Rwiza, Kelvin Mtei

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

The disadvantages of conventional methods in water and wastewater management including the demand for high energy consumption, the creation of secondary toxic sludge, and operation cost are much too high for developing countries. However, adsorption using low-cost biosorbents is the most efficient non-conventional technique for heavy metals removal. The high adsorption capacities, cost-effectiveness, and the abundance of agricultural waste materials in nature are the important parameters that explain why these biosorbents are economical for heavy metals removal. The present investigation sought to review the biosorption of lead [Pb(II)] onto low-cost biosorbents to understand their adsorption mechanism. The review shows that …

Recent Advances In Thermochemical Conversion Of Biomass Into Drop-In Fuel:A Review, Ishaq Kariim, Hulda Swai, Thomas Kivevele

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

The global evolutional changes towards the use of renewable energy sources for transportation purposes are on the increase in an attempt to mitigate the environmental hazard and the proposed depletion associated with fossil fuel resources. Pyrolysis and hydrothermal processes of biomass conversion into renewable biofuels are resulted into the production of biocrude with high oxygen content due to the presence of large amount of oxygenates in biomass feedstocks. The presence of oxygen content in bio-oil causes corrosion, low heating value, instability and high viscosity in bio-oil. These challenges have necessitated the application of upgrading techniques such as catalytic hydrodeoxygenation process …

The Effect Of Bone Ash On The Physio-Chemical And Mechanical Properties Of Clay Ceramic Bricks, Linda Bih Numfor, Assia Aboubaka Mahamat, Chukwuemeka Chinweze, Olugbenga Ayen, Hounkpè Jechonias Bidossèssi, Peter Azikiwe Onwualu, Emmanuel E. Boakye

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Bone ash waste can be used to fabricate clay ceramic bricks, consequently managing their pollution of the environment. This is because bone ash (BA) and clay predominantly consist of calcium and alumina-silicate, respectively, which are components of clay ceramic brick (CCB) materials. This study aims to investigate the effect of bone ash and temperature on the physio- chemical and mechanical properties of CCB. Different percentages of bone ash (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) were added to clay and heat treated at temperatures of 100 ◦C, 300 ◦C, 600 ◦C, and 900 ◦C, and their compressive strengths were measured. Prior to …

Remediation Of Soils Contaminated By Fluoride Using A Fermentation Product Of Seaweed (Eucheuma Cottonii), Ruth Lorivi Moirana, Josephine Mkunda, Marcos Paradelo, Revocatus Machunda, Kelvin Mtei

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

This study investigated the efficacy of fermented seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii) on the remediation of fluoride-contaminated soil. The soil was amended with either 1.25, 3.0, or 5.0% (w/w) fermented seaweed (FSW), parallel with the controls (0%). The amendment improved the physicochemical properties of the soil particularly pH regulated from strong alkaline (9.3) to neutral (7.0) which is essential for germination, crop growth, and yield. The amount of water soluble-fluoride (Ws-F) dropped from 81.7 ± 3.1 mg/kg to 42.7 ± 2.4, 33.7 ± 1.2, 19.6 ± 0.9, and 12 ± 1.3 mg/kg following 0, 1.25, 3, and 5% amendment dosage, re- spectively. …

Capacitive Deionization: A Promising Technology For Water Defluoridation: A Review, Tusekile Alfredy, Joyce Elisadiki, Yusufu Abeid Chande Jande

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is among the promising technologies employed for water purification. CDI has been studied for the removal of various ionic species from water including fluoride ion (F⁻) with promising results. However, there is no comprehensive literature that summarizes the use of CDI for water defluoridation applications. Therefore, this review paper critically analyzes different electrode materials that have been studied for water defluoridation, their electrosorption capacities and F⁻ removal efficiencies. It further discussed the parameters that influence CDI efficiency during defluoridation and point out the issues of F⁻ selectivity when co-existing with other ions in …

Effects Of Polyethylene Oxide Particles On The Photo-Physical Properties And Stability Of Fa-Rich Perovskite Solar Cells, Richard Kipyegon Koech, Yusuf A. Olanrewaju, Reisya Ichwani, Moses Kigozi, Deborah O. Oyewole, Omolara V. Oyelade, Dahiru M. Sanni, Sharafadeen A. Adeniji, Erika Colin‑Ulloa, Lyubov V. Titova, Julia L. Martin, Ronald L. Grimm, Abdulhakeem Bello, Oluwaseun K. Oyewole, Esidor Ntsoenzok, Winston O. Soboyejo

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

n this paper, we use Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) particles to control the morphology of Formamidinium (FA)‑rich perovskite films and achieve large grains with improved optoelectronic properties. Consequently, a planar perovskite solar cell (PSC) is fabricated with additions of 5 wt% of PEO, and the highest PCE of 18.03% was obtained. This solar cell is also shown to retain up to 80% of its initial PCE after about 140 h of storage under the ambient conditions (average relative humidity of 62.5 ± 3.25%) in an unencapsulated state. Furthermore, the steady‑state PCE of the PEO‑modified PSC device remained stable for long (over …

Seed System And Seed Quality Of Kersting’S Groundnut In Benin, H.S Sossou, E.E Agoyi, K.M Kafoutchoni, Sodedji Frejus Ariel Kpedetin, S Agbahoungba, Fl Fl Quenum, R Sikirou, A.E Assogbadjo, B.A Sinsin

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Swift delivery of quality seeds to farming communities is a fundamental step in mainstreaming the value chain of orphan crops. The objective of this study was to characterise seed production and delivery systems of the orphan Kersting’s groundnut (KG) [Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Maréchal & Baudet] and their influence on seed quality in Benin. A survey was conducted among 305 farmers from the major KG growing areas in Benin. A total of 60 seed samples were collected from different sources (farmer own seed, local markets and agro-dealers) for quality tests. The results showed that seed sources, acquisition modes and perceived quality …

First-Principle Calculations To Investigate Structural, Electronic, Elastic, Mechanical, And Optical Properties Of K2cux (X=As, Sb) Ternary Compounds, Mwende Mbilo, Robinson Musembi

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Efficient materials with good optoelectronic properties are required for the good performance of photovoltaic devices. In this
work, we present findings of a theoretical investigation of the structural, electronic, elastic, mechanical, and optical properties of  ternary compounds. The computations were carried out by using the density functional theory (DFT) formalism as implemented in the quantum espresso (QE) software package. The calculated lattice constants of 19.1414 a.u (K 2 CuAs) and 20.0041 a.u (K2 CuSb) are in agreement with the experimental results from the literature. The materials under study
were found to have bandgaps of  and . The valence band was …

Maize Production Systems, Farmers’ Perception And Current Status Of Maize Lethal Necrosis In Selected Counties In Kenya, Faith Njeri Njeru, Samuel Mwaura, Paul Mbogo Kusolwa, Gerald Misinzo

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) is a disease of maize reported in Kenya in 2012 that results in yield lossesof up to 100%. The epidemiology of MLN is complex as the disease is caused by the synergisticinteraction of 2 viruses (Maize chlorotic mottle virus(MCMV) and a potyvirus). In addition, multiplereservoirs and transmission pathways exist for the spread of MLN. The current study was conductedto understand farmers’ maize production practices, their understanding of MLN, and the status ofMLN in Kenya. Therefore, a survey of 406 randomly selected farmers was conducted in Bomet, Narok,Kirinyaga, Embu, and Nakuru. To confirm the presence of MLN, …

African Animal Trypanosomiasis: A Systematic Review On Prevalence, Risk Factors And Drug Resistance In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ivy Sylvia Okello, Eliakunda Mafie, Jahashi Nzalawahe, Leonard E.G Mboera

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

African animal trypanosomiasis (AAT) a parasitic disease of livestock in sub-Saharan Africa causing tremendous loses. Sub-Saharan continental estimation of mean prevalence in both large and small domestic animals, risk factors, tsetse and non-tsetse prevalence and drug resistance is lacking. A review and meta-analysis was done to better comprehend changes in AAT prevalence and drug resistance. Publish/Perish software was used to search and extract peer-reviewed articles in Google scholar, PubMed and CrossRef. In addition, ResearchGate and African Journals Online (AJOL) were used. Screening and selection of articles from 2000–2021 was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses …

The Impact Of Location Tax Incentives On The Growth Of Rural Economy: Evidence From Ghana, Nana Okyir Baidoo, Eric Amankwaah, Nicholas Mensah

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Over the last two decades, location tax incentives programs serving as a motivating force have been progressively well known as activities to draw in and/or hold foreign direct investments (FDIs) in economically blighted areas. The study examined the impact of location tax incentives on the growth of the rural economy of Ghana from the period of 1994 to 2018. The data were sourced from Ghana Investment Promotion, UNCTAD, and the World Tax Database. Using ARDL Cointegration and Error Correction Models were estimated to examine the static and dynamic long-run effects as well as the short-run dynamics of the system and …

Drivers Of Post-Harvest Aflatoxin Contamination: Evidence Gathered From Knowledge Disparities And Field Surveys Of Maize Farmers In The Rift Valley Region Of Kenya, Grace Wanjiku Gachara, Rashid Suleiman, Sara El Kadili, Essaid Ait Barka, Beatrice Kilima, Rachid Lahlali Rachid Lahlali

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Maize-dependent populations in sub-Saharan Africa are continually exposed to aflatoxinpoisoning owing to their regular consumption of this dietetic cereal. Being a staple in Kenyanhouseholds, consumption of maize-based meals is done almost daily, thereby exposing consumers toaflatoxicoses. This study assessed awareness levels, knowledge disparities, and perceptions regardingaflatoxin contamination at the post-harvest phase among farmers in the Rift Valley Region of Kenya.Households were randomly selected using a geographical positioning system (GPS) overlay of theagro-ecological zones within Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties. Face-to-face interviewswere conducted in 212 smallholder and large-scale farms. The study documented the demographicprofiles of farmers and knowledge, awareness, and …

Glioma And The Gut-Brain Axis: Opportunities And Future Perspectives, Antonio Dono, Jack Nickles, Ana G Rodriguez-Armendariz, Braden C Mcfarland, Nadim J Ajami, Leomar Y Ballester, Jennifer A Wargo, Yoshua Esquenazi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The gut-brain axis has presented a valuable new dynamic in the treatment of cancer and central nervous system (CNS) diseases. However, little is known about the potential role of this axis in neuro-oncology. The goal of this review is to highlight potential implications of the gut-brain axis in neuro-oncology, in particular gliomas, and future areas of research. The gut-brain axis is a well-established biochemical signaling axis that has been associated with various CNS diseases. In neuro-oncology, recent studies have described gut microbiome differences in tumor-bearing mice and glioma patients compared to controls. These differences in the composition of the microbiome …

A Novel Group Of Genes That Cause Endocrine Resistance In Breast Cancer Identified By Dynamic Gene Expression Analysis, Arvand Asghari, Katherine Wall, Michael Gill, Natascha Del Vecchio, Farnaz Allahbakhsh, Jacky Wu, Nan Deng, W Jim Zheng, Hulin Wu, Michihisa Umetani, Vahed Maroufy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in women. Among female cancer deaths, BC is the second leading cause of death worldwide. For estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive) breast cancers, endocrine therapy is an effective therapeutic approach. However, in many cases, an ER-positive tumor becomes unresponsive to endocrine therapy, and tumor regrowth occurs after treatment. While some genetic mutations contribute to resistance in some patients, the underlying causes of resistance to endocrine therapy are mostly undetermined. In this study, we utilized a recently developed statistical approach to investigate the dynamic behavior of gene expression during the development of …

Effects Of Tamoxifen Inducible Mercremer On Gene Expression In Cardiac Myocytes In Mice, Leila Rouhi, Siyang Fan, Sirisha M Cheedipudi, Melis Olcum, Hyun-Hwan Jeong, Zhongming Zhao, Priyatansh Gurha, Ali J Marian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The Cre-LoxP technology, including the tamoxifen (TAM) inducible MerCreMer (MCM), is increasingly used to delineate gene function, understand the disease mechanisms, and test therapeutic interventions. We set to determine the effects of TAM-MCM on cardiac myocyte transcriptome. Expression of the MCM was induced specifically in cardiac myocytes upon injection of TAM to myosin heavy chain 6-MCM (Myh6-Mcm) mice for 5 consecutive days. Cardiac function, myocardial histology, and gene expression (RNA-sequencing) were analyzed 2 weeks after TAM injection. A total of 346 protein coding genes (168 up- and 178 down-regulated) were differentially expressed. Transcript levels of 85 genes, analyzed …

An Ensemble-Based Deep Convolutional Neural Network For Computer-Aided Polyps Identification From Colonoscopy, Pallabi Sharma, Bunil Kumar Balabantaray, Kangkana Bora, Saurav Mallik, Kunio Kasugai, Zhongming Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer death globally. Early detection and removal of precancerous polyps can significantly reduce the chance of CRC patient death. Currently, the polyp detection rate mainly depends on the skill and expertise of gastroenterologists. Over time, unidentified polyps can develop into cancer. Machine learning has recently emerged as a powerful method in assisting clinical diagnosis. Several classification models have been proposed to identify polyps, but their performance has not been comparable to an expert endoscopist yet. Here, we propose a multiple classifier consultation strategy to create an effective and powerful classifier for …

A Deep Learning-Based Framework For Supporting Clinical Diagnosis Of Glioblastoma Subtypes, Sana Munquad, Tapas Si, Saurav Mallik, Asim Bikas Das, Zhongming Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Understanding molecular features that facilitate aggressive phenotypes in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains a major clinical challenge. Accurate diagnosis of GBM subtypes, namely classical, proneural, and mesenchymal, and identification of specific molecular features are crucial for clinicians for systematic treatment. We develop a biologically interpretable and highly efficient deep learning framework based on a convolutional neural network for subtype identification. The classifiers were generated from high-throughput data of different molecular levels, i.e., transcriptome and methylome. Furthermore, an integrated subsystem of transcriptome and methylome data was also used to build the biologically relevant model. Our results show that deep learning model outperforms …