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Adaptable Psychopathic Traits: Military and Para-Military Organizations
No full textAlthough culturally distinct, both military and law enforcement careers demand individuals to operate effectively in high-risk environments; a characteristic shaped through processes of military and para-military occupational socialization, reinforced by an adaptable personality. Understanding the distinctions between military and law enforcement cultures provides a foundation for examining individual-level factors such as personality, behavior, and mental health. Recent research (e.g. Anestis et al., 2019; Batastini et al., 2023; Falkenbach et al., 2017; Falkenbach et al., 2018; McKinley & Verona, 2023; Patton et al., 2018; Preston et al., 2020; Roșca et al., 2021) has increasingly applied a psychopathic framework to study these professions, highlighting the potentially adaptive roles of traits such as social dominance, a lack of empathy, and fearlessness. This study builds on that work by comparing law enforcement officers (LEOs) with and without military backgrounds to explore differing psychological profiles, using psychopathic personality theory to investigate trait differences across groups. Despite the growing body of research on psychopathy in high-risk occupations, no known studies have specifically compared psychopathic traits between LEOs with and without military experience. To address this gap, the study analyzes participant responses on the Psychopathic Personality Inventory Revised (PPI-R), Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). The goal is to determine: (1) the level of psychopathic traits and related correlates in law enforcement officers with versus without military experience, and how those trait levels compare to a correctional sample; (2) the relationship between psychopathic traits and associated correlates; and (3) how prior military experience moderates the relationship of time spent in the profession with psychopathic traits and correlates
Improving Efficiency in NOMA Schemes Having Inter-User Interference Using Mechanism Design
No full textModern wireless systems utilize non-orthogonal multiple access to increase their rate capacities; however, the efficiency of the individual utility defined in bits per Joule has yet to be considered. Multiple variations of non-orthogonal multiple access have the interference of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio as a function of the received power from multiple other users due to code implementations that are non-orthogonal or non-ideal cancellation in successive-interference-cancellation methods. Game theoretic concepts are used to improve user bits-per-Joule performance. Previous solutions increment transmit power and are not based on closed form systematic methods. The mechanism design presented here led to a non-cooperative Nash equilibrium solution based on detrimental inter-user effects. The resulting algorithm not only converged but also yielded a Nash bargaining and Pereto optimal solution that Pareto dominated the non-cooperative solution sans mechanism. Operating power may decrease 20 dB–45 dB, while utility gains may increase between 28 dB–46 dB
Ubiquitination of glucose and lipid metabolic proteins is altered in diabetic rat livers
No full textAim: Post-translational modifications in the form of phosphorylation of key insulin signaling proteins are known to contribute to insulin resistance by regulating the activity and function of proteins such as IR, IRS, and Akt. However, little is known about the ubiquitination code in an insulin-resistant state. Several studies have connected the ubiquitin-proteasome system to dysfunctional insulin signaling. We aimed to investigate how reduced sensitivity to insulin affects hepatic ubiquitination in vivo.
Materials and methods: We studied hepatic ubiquitination patterns in a high-fat diet and low-dose (40 mg/kg) streptozotocin (HF-STZ) animal model of diabetes. Affinity pull-down and proteomics techniques were employed to explore differential ubiquitination as well as lysine-48 (K48)- and lysine-63 (K63)-linkage-specific differences between control and diabetic animals. Bioinformatic tools such as gene ontology, KEGG pathway, and STRING analysis were used to categorize the ubiquitinated proteins. Western blotting and immunoprecipitation were used to validate the proteomics results of selected hits. Lipid metabolism was further investigated using triglyceride content assay and expression of lipid metabolic proteins.
Key findings: Proteomics data showed that both the overall and linkage-specific ubiquitination were higher in diabetic rat livers. Bioinformatic analysis of the top 150 protein hits in each ubiquitination category revealed enrichment in metabolic processes involving glucose and lipid metabolism. Glycogen synthase 2 (GYS2) levels were moderately elevated with reduced total and K48-polyubiquitination in HF-STZ rat livers.
Significance: Our study provides insight into hepatic ubiquitination in an animal model of insulin resistance; further studies could tease out potential targets for the pharmacotherapy of metabolic disorder
The Digital Divide in Political Redistricting: AI\u27s Impact on Minority Representation
No full textTechnology plays a significant role in people\u27s daily lives worldwide. It has infiltrated many aspects of our lives, from education and healthcare to politics. With our increasing reliance on technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has become well-enmeshed in our political systems, affecting people everywhere, especially minority groups. This essay will investigate the potential effects of AI on the political influence of racial and ethnic minorities, specifically focusing on its role in altering voting district boundaries— a practice referred to as redistricting. There are several areas of concern under which AI could unintentionally worsen gerrymandering, impact equity in the representation of minority groups, and have technological implications regarding algorithmic bias and transparency, as well as fairness and representation regarding legal and policy decisions. The technological changes that arise with the use of AI could potentially make it much more difficult for minority groups to assert themself in politics, further marginalizing their voices. By examining and evaluating this issue, I hope to provide insight into how AI-driven redistricting algorithms may perpetuate gerrymandering practices that diminish the political power of racial and ethnic minority communities, further marginalizing their voices in the political process, bringing into question the fairness and inclusivity of our democratic system.
The use of AI algorithms in redrawing electoral district boundaries may have both intentional and unintentional consequences. The optimization of specific criteria, such as equality, compactness, or partisan advantage, may result in biased outcomes that result in gerrymandered districting, which fragments racial and ethnic minority communities by separating them into different districts or concentrating them in a single district as part of a packing and cracking strategy. All of this may reduce minority communities\u27 ability to elect representatives that truly represent their interests. How does algorithmic bias in AI-driven redistricting impact minority political representation compared to human-led redistricting?
AI redistricting and human-led redistricting have similar intentions: to create fair, balanced, and representative electoral districts. However, they differ significantly in their methodologies and potential for bias. Both approaches must maintain compliance with legal standards (i.e., population equality, compactness, and respect for community boundaries), and both encounter challenges such as preventing gerrymandering and guaranteeing effective representation of diverse communities. Human redistricting typically involves manual processes involving political intuition, judgment, and sometimes partisan interests. These manual processes often lead to subjective decisions, as humans may unintentionally or intentionally introduce biases based on personal or political motivations. This tendency can result in districts that favor one party or demographic over another, exacerbating existing inequalities.
AI redistricting, by contrast, utilizes data-driven algorithms to optimize district boundaries based on predefined criteria. The use of AI in the political redistricting process allows for greater efficiency and scalability than human-led redistricting, as it can process extensive amounts of demographic and geographic data at rates much faster than people. However, this does not mean that AI is empty of bias, as algorithms can reflect the biases in the data that is used to develop machine learning systems. This type of bias can lead to outcomes that may disadvantage certain groups. This is why transparency and accountability are pivotal in both approaches. While human redistricting processes are often more open to public scrutiny, AI processes require detailed documentation and open algorithms to address the black box problem, where the decision-making process of the AI is not easily understood by humans. Moreover, AI redistricting benefits from greater computational power and the ability to run numerous simulations to find the most balanced district configurations. However, human oversight remains essential. People are needed to design the algorithms, select and pre-process the data, interpret the results, and guarantee that the results comply with established legal and ethical standards. This oversight helps to mitigate biases in the process and adjust for any unintended consequences the AI might produce.
While AI can significantly enhance the redistricting process by handling large datasets and complex calculations more efficiently than humans, it requires continuous human involvement to ensure fairness and representation. Both AI and human redistricting aim for equitable outcomes, but the integration of AI offers a promising tool to support and improve the transparency and objectivity of the redistricting process, provided that it is carefully managed and monitored by humans. This thesis proposes that AI technologies, while potentially promising, may inadvertently perpetuate gerrymandering practices that marginalize minority voices in the political process
Shielding the State, Shaking the Regime: Military Alliances, Domestic Deterrence, and Internal Conflict
No full textWhy do some states experience instability in certain domains of domestic security—such as coups—but not in others, including civil wars and terrorism? This dissertation addresses this puzzle by examining the domestic role of military alliances. Although military alliances are widely understood by scholars and practitioners as instruments of international security, their potential to reshape the internal political landscapes of member states has received limited systematic attention. I argue that alliances alter the balance of power between governments and domestic challengers—rebels, coup plotters, and terrorist groups—through two primary mechanisms: signaling and capacity building. Crucially, these domestic effects are not uniform. Instead, they vary systematically with the content of alliance obligations imposed on member states and across different forms of domestic insecurity, including civil wars, coups, and terrorism.
The statistical results indicate that defense pacts—alliances obligating members to defend one another—deter irregular civil wars by signaling credible external support to incumbent governments and by increasing governments’ military capacities, thereby discouraging rebellion. At the same time, however, defense pacts increase the risk of coups. This paradox stems from ambiguity over who within the regime can credibly claim allied backing, which emboldens both incumbents and rival elites. Defense pacts also deter domestic terrorism, but not transnational terrorism. Consultation pacts—alliances obligating members to consult over security concerns—are associated with lower levels of both domestic and transnational terrorism, likely because these two pacts facilitate coordination and information sharing to address lower-intensity security threats. Nonaggression and neutrality pacts, by contrast, exhibit no systematic effects on any domain of domestic security.
Through the dissertation, I find the conditions under which international security commitments not only deter or provoke adversaries abroad but also recalibrate the incentives and strategies of actors at home—the central government, rival elites, and non-state challengers alike, and advance both alliance theory and the study of domestic conflict, showing why and how international commitments extend their shadow inward to reshape the prospects for peace and instability at home
Lawyers, Litigation, and the Loosening of Religious Constraints in Eighteenth-Century Edinburgh
No full textThis dissertation studies the role that the law, lawyers, and litigation played in relaxing the Church of Scotland’s doctrinal requirements, thereby facilitating the acceptance of new theories of knowledge, nontraditional forms of sociability, and theatrical entertainment in eighteenth-century Edinburgh. This study examines the historical interplay between law and religion in the context of the political changes effected by the 1707 Act of Union, joining Scotland and England. It argues that the successful defense of heresy prosecutions by lawyers, coupled with their enhanced social standing and participation in nontraditional activities, compelled the Established Presbyterian Church of Scotland (“the Church”) to allow greater autonomy for intellectual and artistic pursuits and permit secular authorities to govern Edinburgh without illegal interference.
Organized in five chapters, this dissertation contextualizes lawyers’ involvement in eighteenth-century Church court trials by tracing the evolution of law’s relationship with religion. Post-Union, orthodox ministers brought prosecutions against individuals who engaged in novel, non-spiritual pursuits, accusing them of violating doctrinal standards. This dissertation examines specific Church court trials, occurring in the early, middle, and end of the eighteenth century and the freedom from religious censure that the verdicts gained for Enlightenment activities. The Church’s reputation was adversely affected as newspapers informed the public about the conflicts. Scotland moved towards modernity by replacing its previous inquisitorial Church court trials with an adversarial approach, embracing legal concepts such as evidentiary sufficiency and due process. This shift reflected a greater emphasis on the rights of an individual, rather than the traditional corporate model of society. Its implementation of legal maneuvers mirror tactics used in today’s legal practice. By examining both lawyers’ direct actions—as defense counsel, collaborators, and theatrical producers—and their indirect support—as club members, Church Elders, and financial sponsors—this dissertation argues that lawyers in eighteenth-century Edinburgh were instrumental in shifting societal focus from rigid adherence to Calvinist doctrine toward advancing ways to improve Edinburgh’s civic life
Visualizing Six Decades of Polish Migration: An Interactive Analytics Approach (1966–2024)
No full textThis project presents an interactive, data-driven visualization of Polish migration patterns between 1966 and 2024. Using multi-series line chart, cumulative flow analysis, and an animated geospatial map, the project explores six decades of demographic mobility shaped by political, economic, and social forces. Major historical events - including the fall of the Berlin Wall, Poland’s accession to the European Union, Schengen integration, and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine - are incorporated directly into the visualization to contextualize shifts in migration. The dataset, compiled from historical migration statistics published by the Polish Central Statistical Office (GUS), is transformed into a browsable digital interface using D3.js. This white paper describes the methodological decisions, data preparation, design choices, and historical insights that underpin the project. The result demonstrates how interactive visualization allows users to understand both the long-term “shape” of migration and the year-to-year geographic dynamics of Polish mobility.
Website: https://alexgilarowski.github.io/PolishMigrationProject
Courts of New York: A Visual Atlas of the City’s Public Basketball Spaces
No full textBasketball courts in New York City are recreation facilities, community anchors and part of the city’s cultural image. In the basketball capital of the world, New Yorkers are rarely more than a few blocks away from a court. The visual diversity of these courts, however, is not widely documented in systematic ways.
This project makes that diversity visible to the public, combining open data, aerial imagery and computational analysis to document this important public space across the five boroughs. It is a narrative story and digital atlas of New York City’s public basketball courts, using surface color as a way to explore the design and aesthetic diversity of the city’s basketball spaces.
The piece is available at the following URL: https://naterattner.com/courts-of-new-york
Organizing and Advocacy Analysis and Innovation
No full textThis assignment emphasizes students’ evaluation and creation skills while connecting to their broader coursework on advocacy and community engagement. Students analyze a real-world advocacy campaign, applying a SWOT framework to evaluate its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. They then generate at least two original ideas to enhance or expand the campaign’s impact, drawing on their lived experiences, critical thinking, and social awareness. The assignment encourages the use of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to support brainstorming, research, and content generation, with reflection on how AI contributed to their process. By integrating personal perspective, analytical rigor, and creative problem-solving, students develop skills in critique, innovation, and inclusive advocacy while preparing for future project proposals
Cecil Taylor, 1950–1976: Theory & Practice in His Own Words
No full textCecil Taylor (1929–2018) was a poet, composer, pianist, and dancer who is widely regarded as one of the founding figures of Free Jazz. Despite this historical significance, Taylor has not been a subject of substantial archival research. Some scholars have written his name into music scholarship through explicitly or implicitly reiterating the notion of “freedom” that circulated among contemporary jazz critics of the late 1950s and the 1960s. Others have focused on analyzing Taylor’s solo piano music, often reducing Taylor’s musical theories and practices into the formal structures of the music itself. To date, the scholarship has simplified Taylor’s work as a stylistic innovation of jazz history, and as a result, the sources that document Taylor describing his own music have been marginalized from the historical narrative.
“Cecil Taylor, 1950–1976: Theory & Practice in His Own Words” addresses this gap by examining a wide variety of previously unexamined archival sources that document Taylor’s music and poetry through the words of the composer and poet himself. Approaching him as an “open book,” as he once described his life, I track Taylor’s theorization of sound from the early 1950s to the mid-1970s, arguing that, throughout these decades, Taylor insisted on the inseparability of music and life. The chapters are organized to show how Taylor’s work and the social circumstances in which he lived were creative of the original music for which he is widely known. From a conservatory student advocating for “Modern Popular Music” to a teacher of “the black esthetic,” a young musician in search of the “swing concept” to a theorist of “Sound Structure,” and finally, from an established jazz pianist to a composer of an opera that stages “Black communal gathering,” I elaborate on the theories and practices of Taylor in the early decades of his career. “Cecil Taylor, 1950–1976: Theory & Practice in His Own Words” shows the depth and breadth of Taylor’s work of the 1950s to the mid-1970s as exceeding the figure of Cecil Taylor as it has been constructed by the genres of jazz