University at Albany, State University of New York
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Lay judges vs. lawyer judges : how much difference can a law degree make?
Get PDFWith about 13.2 million misdemeanor cases processed through the criminal justice system each year, an increasing number of researchers has shifted their interests from felony courts to lower criminal courts (Smith & Maddan, 2019). One aspect of these lower criminal courts that is of particular interest is the eligibility of non-lawyers to run for and hold judgeships. Although New York and 18 other states have permitted the employment of lay judges, court reformers have long questioned their ability to safeguard defendant’s due process rights. However, at no point in the history of agitation against lay judges have their critics sought to differentiate carefully between educational background and other characteristics of these justice courts, such as limited facilities and personnel. Recognizing this gap in prior literature, this dissertation provides the first quantitative examination on pretrial release decisions and sentencing outcomes by judge type (lay vs law-trained) and court type (town/village courts vs city/county courts) in one upstate New York county – the Hudson County. Findings from logistic and multinomial logistic regression analyses showed no statistically significant differences on both outcome variables. Additional analyses also showed that most extra-legal and legal factors had similar impact on pretrial release decisions and sentencing outcomes for both judge types and court types
The impacts of Atlantic and Pacific sea surface temperature variability on South American and Arctic climate
Get PDFAtlantic and Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) variations mainly include El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on interannual timescales and Pacific multidecadal variability (PMV) and Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) on decadal-interdecadal timescales. Understanding their impacts on South American and Arctic climate is crucial for studying climate variability and helpful to constrain climate model projections for these regions on multidecadal timescales. Prior studies focused mainly on their impacts on global climate, but multidecadal impacts on South American climate are poorly understood due to the lack of long observational records. Furthermore, earlier research investigated primarily the isolated impacts on global climate from the Atlantic or Pacific, but how they jointly affect South American precipitation and surface air temperature is not well documented.Arctic sea-ice concentration and thickness have been declining in recent decades largely due to greenhouse gas (GHG)-induced warming, but climate models forced with historical forcing underestimate recent Arctic sea-ice loss rates. This underestimation may be caused by multidecadal internal variability, such as the AMV and PMV. Therefore, understanding the AMV and PMV’s impacts on Arctic climate is critical. Here I first analyzed the AMV and PMV’s impacts on South American precipitation and temperature in observations and the associated anomalous atmospheric circulation in atmospheric reanalyses. The results show that South American precipitation and temperature anomaly patterns associated with the AMV and PMV depend on the phase of the other basin’s variability, and the precipitation and temperature anomalies are likely due to the changes in large-scale convection and subsidence associated with regional Hadley and Walker circulation anomalies over South America and the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ). During an AMV warm (cold) phase, PMV-induced July-June-August (JJA) precipitation anomalies are more positive (negative) over 0o-10oS and southeastern South America, but more negative (positive) over the northern Amazon and central Brazil. PMV-induced precipitation anomalies in December-January-February (DJF) are more positive (negative) over Northeast Brazil and southeastern South America during the warm (cold) AMV phase, but more negative (positive) over the central Amazon Basin and central-eastern Brazil. PMV’s impact on AMV-induced precipitation anomalies shows similar dipole patterns. In JJA, PMV- and AMV-induced temperature anomalies are more positive (negative) over all of South America when the other basin is in a warm (cold) phase, but in DJF temperature anomalies are more positive (negative) only over the central Andes and central-eastern Brazil and more negative (positive) over southeastern South America and Patagonia. Precipitation and temperature anomalies over central Brazil in JJA and southern Bolivia and northern Argentina in DJF are anti-correlated, suggesting that cloud cover and soil moisture feedbacks associated with the precipitation anomalies affect temperatures in these regions. Second, I compared South American precipitation and temperature anomalies associated with unsmoothed Atlantic and Pacific SST variations with those associated with the AMV and PMV. This analysis was performed using both observations and Community Atmospheric Model version 5 (CAM5) Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) simulations. The model can reproduce the general precipitation and temperature anomalies seen in observations, such as warm-phase PMV-related drying over northern South America and wetting over northern Argentina during DJF, warm-phase AMV-related wetting over northern South America and drying over eastern Brazil during DJF; but the model also shows some discrepancies with observations with generally weaker signals, especially over the SACZ region. The results show that the Pacific SST variability’s influences on South American precipitation and temperature are different on the decadal and interannual timescales. ENSO and AMV signals dominate the unsmoothed Pacific and Atlantic SST variations, respectively. However, CAM5 cannot simulate the difference between the unsmoothed and smoothed Pacific SST variations’ impacts on South American precipitation and temperature. The Atlantic and Pacific SST variations modulate each other’s influences on South American rainfall in similar ways, and the modulation is generally similar in terms of pattern for interannual and multidecadal variability although its magnitude is stronger on the interannual timescale. The Atlantic and Pacific modulate each other’s influences on South American precipitation through changes in the horizontal moisture flux and vertical motion, which are responsible for precipitation changes over the SACZ and River Plate basin during DJF and equatorial regions during JJA, respectively. The results also show that, on multidecadal timescales, the AMV and PMV have the potential to modulate the anthropogenically-forced wetting trend over southeastern South America and the warming trend over all of South America, but their modulation effect is not large enough to account for the historical simulations’ underestimation of southeastern South American wetting trend. Third, I used CESM1 idealized and time-varying pacemaker ensemble simulations to investigate AMV and PMV’s contribution to Arctic sea ice changes in recent decades, and the underlying mechanisms. The pacemaker simulations nudge SST to observations only over the AMV or PMV regions while the rest of the world is fully coupled with observed radiative forcing in the atmosphere. These experiments show that recent PMV can contribute up to 0.32 1014 m2 (3.4% of the 1920-2013 mean) to Arctic sea-ice area variations and 0.31 1015 m3 (10.9%) to Arctic sea-ice volume variations during 1920-2013, while recent AMV may be responsible for 0.26 1014 m2 (2.8% of the 1920-2013 mean) and 0.32 1015 m3 (11.1%) of the Arctic sea-ice area and volume variations, respectively. The sea-ice concentration variability is mainly over the marginal Arctic Ocean, while the sea-ice thickness variations occur over the whole of Arctic Ocean. The AMV/PMV can speed up or slow down the multidecadal sea-ice loss rates over the Labrador Sea, Greenland Sea, Barents Sea, Bering Sea, and Sea of Okhotsk by more than 50%. The AMV and PMV can affect Arctic sea ice through anomalous atmospheric and oceanic energy convergence, anomalous low cloud cover and the related downward longwave radiation, and changes in sea-ice motion. Anomalous atmospheric energy convergence/divergence contributes to the summertime Arctic sea ice variability. Anomalous horizontal and vertical oceanic heat convergence/divergence is the dominant thermodynamic factor for the wintertime Arctic sea ice variability; it can not only cause sea ice variations but also be an effect of sea ice variations. During DJF, the AMV- and PMV-related low cloud cover anomalies can affect downward longwave radiation and hence influence the Arctic surface air temperature and sea-ice concentration and thickness. The AMV- or PMV-induced sea-ice drift contributes to the DJF Arctic sea ice variations as much as the thermodynamic contributors, but it contributes less (more) to the JJA Arctic sea ice variability than the thermodynamic processes over the marginal Arctic Ocean (the central Arctic Ocean near the Beaufort Sea). The model simulations confirm a positive feedback process: the reduction (increase) of sea ice is further amplified through the enhanced (weakened) air-sea heat fluxes, which warms (cools) near-surface air and the lower-troposphere, resulting in further sea ice loss (increase). Results also suggest that the AMV- and PMV-induced atmospheric circulation anomalies project onto the Arctic Dipole and the Arctic Oscillation and hence have the potential to influence Arctic sea ice indirectly
Cyber Insurance As An Effective Cyber Risk Management Strategy For Local Government Resiliency: The Case Of Municipalities In New York State
Get PDFIn an era of escalating cyber risks, municipal governments grapple with mounting challenges stemming from their increasing reliance on IT systems and limited resources. This dissertation presents a novel exploration into the uncharted realm of cyber insurance adoption within municipalities, aimed at enhancing their cyber resiliency by exploring to what extent municipalities utilize cyber insurance to manage their cyber risks and what effect this has had on their cyber resiliency. With a focus on New York State, a dynamic backdrop offering diverse municipalities, notable cyber incidents, robust security regulations, and economic influence, this study delves deep into the extent to which municipalities are embracing cyber insurance as a means to manage cyber risks and fortify their defenses.Through qualitative interviews involving key stakeholders from 22 municipalities and insurance entities, the research unveils a multifaceted landscape. Varied levels of cyber insurance adoption emerge, influenced by factors such as municipality size and experience. For those who embrace it, cyber insurance acts as a critical lifeline, facilitating post-incident recovery and optimal resource allocation. Yet, challenges loom, including the evolving threat landscape, financial restrictions, awareness gaps, and intricate insurance applications. The path to bolstering cyber resiliency rests on tailored solutions, open communication, and proactive engagement. The study\u27s significance extends beyond its academic boundaries, fostering profound impacts in the realm of municipal cybersecurity and cyber insurance. By offering fresh insights and bridging crucial research gaps, this work equips insurers and municipal governments alike with actionable insights. These insights empower stakeholders to navigate the intricate terrain of cyber insurance and cyber risk management more adeptly, thus safeguarding vital digital assets in the face of ever-evolving threats
Understandings of audience in first year composition
Get PDFWhile understanding the concept of audience is an important step in learning to write, few studies have explored how student writers conceptualize audience in academic and nonacademic settings. This dissertation explores how college students enrolled in a first-year composition course conceptualize and operationalize audience and examines how the school context mediates students’ knowledge of audience. Nine students participated in the study, and data was collected from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and relevant documents. Findings suggest that student conceptions of audience are more sophisticated and complex than previously thought. Additionally, students used a variety of strategies to analyze and adapt their writing for their audiences, even when they were writing for a teacher-audience. These findings challenge the view that writing for the teacher-audience does not promote genuine learning about audience and suggest that teachers and researchers should place more emphasis on the teacher as a legitimate audience for student writing
Masculinity and colorectal cancer screening intent among men: examining moderated mediational effects
Get PDFMasculinity has been theorized to affect engagement in health behaviors and may be helpful in predicting men’s colorectal cancer (CRC) screening intentions. Christy and colleagues’ (2014) proposed a model in which masculinity and social support predict men’s CRC screening intentions by way of engagement in health behaviors, cancer fear, and cancer-related stigma. This study examined how the theory might differ for males based on previous colonoscopy status. 422 men above the age of 45 were recruited using an online survey. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test a modified version of Christy and colleagues’ (2014) theory. A modified measurement model and structural model offered adequate fit or better in all groups. While configural invariance was observed, metric invariance was not observed; suggesting, therefore, that between group differences may be occurring at the measurement level. The models for both the previous colonoscopy group and the no previous colonoscopy group are presented and discussed descriptively but statistical comparisons could not be made due to a lack of metric invariance. The path from cancer stigma to CRC screening intent and the correlation between perceived social support and masculinity – breadwinners were significant in the previous colonoscopy group but not the no previous colonoscopy group. The paths from perceived social support to cancer related stigma and masculinity- breadwinners to CRC screening intent were significant in the no previous colonoscopy group but not the previous colonoscopy group. Clinical implications for psychologists and medical professionals are discussed
Overexpression Of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 (Pai-1) In Human Kidney Cells
Get PDFThe research focuses on two key objectives: Mapping renal epithelial cells\u27 response to PAI-1 overexpression and investigating the potential activation of signaling kinases in this context. Utilizing Proteome profiler kits and western blot analysis, the aim is to unravel the underlying mechanisms and signaling pathways involved. By exploring these complexities, the thesis aims to advance our understanding of kidney inflammation and its potential contribution to targeted therapeutic approaches in the future
Recognizing And Seizing Opportunities For Teachable And Learnable Moments During A French Summer Study Abroad
Get PDFThis ethnographic study seeks to analyze teachable and learnable moments in a study abroad program in the south of France. Students in the program had different levels of language competency upon arrival, teachers had different pedagogical styles and philosophies of language education, students resided in various contexts, and students had different levels of engagement with the target community. Through analysis of the observational data and existing research on study abroad, teachable and learnable moments were identified and analyzed for effectiveness in the study abroad context. Missed opportunities for learning were also identified and compared to teachable/learnable moments in order to better understand how those missed opportunities could have been harnessed for student growth
An Investigation Into Past And Future Freezing Level Height And Equilibrium Line Altitude In The Tropical Andes Using Cmip6
Get PDFThe freezing level height (FLH) in the tropical Andes has increased over the past several decades, as is evident with the receding of alpine glaciers in this region. The accuracy of Global Climate Models (GCMs)—specifically previous generations of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP)—in this region remains an issue, as the complex terrain and climate characteristics are difficult to simulate realistically. The changes seen in these tropical alpine glaciers in the past few decades are a clear indicator of the effects climate change is having in this tropical mountain region, making it important to better understand current and projected future glacial changes in the area. In this study, we use different atmospheric reanalysis products to examine historical changes of FLH in four glacierized regions of the tropical Andes: Antisana in Ecuador, Cordillera Blanca in Peru, Quelccaya Ice Cap (QIC) in Peru, and Zongo in Bolivia. The changes in FLH estimated by the reanalysis products for each site are compared to historical simulations from 35 CMIP6 models using different metrics such as mean biases and standard deviation. This comparison allows us to better constrain future projections by performing bias correction and by narrowing the number of models to those that have an equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) within the IPCC AR6 likely range of 2.5°C - 4°C. By utilizing the significant linear relationship between FLH and equilibrium line altitude (ELA), we estimate the lifetime of the accumulation zone of glaciers in this region to better understand the impact of climate change on the glaciers of the tropical Andes. This project found that by 2100, Quelccaya Ice Cap will likely be shrinking rapidly with no hope of gaining mass. Under the high-emissions scenario SSP5-8.5, Antisana and Artesonraju Glaciers will lose their accumulation zones by 2100, with Zongo Glacier not too far behind
Exploring The Molecular Landscape Of Hepatitis C Virus: Insights Into Viral Replication And Host Interactions
Get PDFHepatitis C Virus (HCV) remains a pressing global health concern, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Gaining a thorough understanding of the virus\u27s life cycle is pivotal for devising effective treatment strategies. This thesis takes a deep dive into the various stages of HCV\u27s lifecycle, encompassing viral entry, replication, assembly, and release. By unraveling the intricacies of these processes, researchers can pinpoint potential targets for therapeutic interventions
Immigration Stress & Maternal Sensitivity In Mexican American Mothers: The Role Of Parasympathetic Activity & Cultural Resiliency Factors
Get PDFThe immigration process is associated with a host of cultural stressors that may impact family and parental wellbeing. The present study examined whether immigration stress was related to reduced maternal sensitivity, and whether lower PNS activity would account for their associations. A secondary aim was to test the buffering effect of cultural resiliency factors (i.e., familism values, cultural orientation) on maternal PNS activity. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of Mexican American mothers (N = 322; M age = 27 years). Contrary to hypotheses, higher immigration stress was significantly associated with higher maternal resting RSA (B = 0.15, SE = .07, p = .04). However, immigration stress and maternal sensitivity were not significantly associated (β = 0.09, SE = .06, p = .15). Moderation analyses revealed that the association between immigration stress and maternal RSA varied depending on certain familism values, but not on acculturation. Specifically, immigration stress was associated with higher RSA among mothers who endorsed a stronger belief that their decisions should involve and represent their families (B = 0.14, SE = 0.06, p = 0.02). Strong familism values and high basal RSA may afford Mexican American mothers the capacity to adaptively navigate and overcome immigration stress, and thus to recast immigration stress into an opportunity to act in accordance with their cultural beliefs and create meaning from stressful immigration-related events. The current study contributes to our understanding of the sequelae of immigration stress in Mexican American mothers and the cultural factors that may alter its effects