Via Sapientiae: The Institutional Repository at DePaul University
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The Choice of Law for Nazi-Looted Art Restitution: Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation, California Assembly Bill 2867, and the Balance Between State, Federal, and Foreign Law
Get PDFFair or Unfair? Customer Reactions to Restaurant Pricing and Disclosure
Get PDFAmid rising inflation and operating cost pressure, this study investigates how restaurant pricing strategies—a 5% surcharge versus a 5% menu price increase—and prior disclosure affect customers\u27 perceptions of price fairness and transparency. Utilizing a 2 (pricing strategy: surcharge vs. price increase) × 2 (disclosure: presence vs. absence) experimental design, 193 responses were collected via a scenario-based survey. Results revealed that customers perceive a 5% price increase as significantly fairer and more transparent than a surcharge. While prior disclosure signage did not significantly influence perceptions of fairness, it marginally improved transparency, especially with the surcharge strategy. These findings suggest that restaurants aiming to maintain customer trust should consider implementing direct price increases rather than surcharges. If surcharges are used, clear prior disclosure can help mitigate negative perceptions. The study emphasizes the importance of transparent pricing communication to foster positive customer experiences and long-term loyalty
Race/Ethnicity, Living Arrangements, and Access to Healthcare Among Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease in the United States: Multiple Systematic Reviews in Relation to Health Outcomes
Get PDFAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition primarily affecting older adults. It is a growing public health crisis that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. The number of adults aged 65 and older is projected to reach 98.2 million by 2060, leading to a continued rise in the prevalence of AD. Understanding the socioeconomic factors that influence health outcomes in patients with Alzheimer\u27s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) is essential in addressing the disparities within patient care and quality of life. This systematic review examined three socioeconomic factors - race/ethnicity, living arrangements, and access to healthcare - and their related health outcomes amongst older adults with ADRD in the United States. The systematic review identified studies that investigated the three aforementioned socioeconomic factors and health outcomes in older adults with ADRD. Our goal is not to categorize specific health outcomes within or across each selected socioeconomic factor. Instead, the focus is on the broader physical, economic, emotional, and psychological impacts of individuals facing barriers in race/ethnicity, living arrangements, and healthcare access. This includes health outcomes such as mortality, preventable hospital visits, schizophrenia diagnoses, and psychological distress. Findings indicate that socioeconomic factors play a role in influencing health outcomes among individuals with ADRD. These factors were selected as they encompass a broad range of challenges that individuals with ADRD may encounter. Currently, there is limited research on a standardized health outcome measure for patients with ADRD, such as activities of daily living (ADLs), which could serve as a baseline for comparison. As a result, health outcomes in this research vary across the three socioeconomic factors. However, despite this variability, it remains crucial to recognize how each health outcome impacts individuals with ADRD. Furthermore, each socioeconomic factor—living arrangements, access to healthcare, and race/ethnicity—encompasses various subcategories. For instance, access to healthcare can be assessed in multiple ways, including geographic landscape and insurance coverage. These subcategories may influence different health outcomes, such as the frequency of primary care visits, cognitive disease diagnoses, or access to specialized care, depending on the scope of the study. Ultimately, this review highlights the critical yet relatively underexplored influence of socioeconomic factors on the health outcomes of ADRD patients. It also emphasizes the need for a more standardized framework for comparing health outcomes, particularly given that individuals often fall into multiple socioeconomic categories
Using Synchrotron Wide-Angle X-Ray Scattering to Study Collagen Degradation in Second Metacarpal Bones
Get PDFThe study examines female human second metacarpal (mc2) bones from early medieval cemetery at Greding, Germany, using high-energy Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) at beamline 1-ID of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory. Rietveld refinement showed that carbonated apatite lattice parameters did not correlate with estimated age-at-death. For six of the mc2, widths of 00.2 and 00.4 diffraction peaks were substantially narrower than those of a modern (non-diagenetically altered) mc2 and of the other four ancient mc2. The peak width results are interpreted as indicating that four of the ten ancient mc2 retain substantial collagen and six of mc2 have lost their collagen and suffered cAp crystallite coarsening. The WAXS peak width results align with independent analytical methods, highlighting its utility as a non-invasive technique for assessing bone diagenesis and collagen preservation in archaeological specimens
Modified 2-Quinolinones For Photocatalysis: The Fluorescence Quantum Yield (ΦF) Of Novel 2-Quinolinone Derivatives
Get PDFThe photophysical properties of novel 2-quinolinone derivatives were examined to evaluate their potential as photocatalysts using fluorescence and UV-Vis absorbance spectroscopy. The fluorescence quantum yields were determined via the relative comparative method, using target absorbance values at a specific wavelength to prepare solutions and comparing these measurements to the reference molecule carbostyril-124. Molar absorptivity values were also calculated to assess the light absorption properties for each compound. Among the derivatives, PAV-3 presented with the highest molar absorptivity and fluorescence quantum yield values (ε= 15297.3 M-1 cm-1, ΦF= 17.1%), while PAV-5 showed the lowest (ε= 4796.2 M-1 cm-1, ΦF= 2.3%). The reduced photophysical properties of PAV-5 were a direct result of the derivative\u27s rigid structure, which allowed for a greater portion of absorbed light to be dissipated through non-radiative pathways, marking this derivative as the most promising 2-quinolinone derivative for photocatalytic applications
Our Lady of Peace: John Joseph Lynch’s Pilgrimage to Niagara Falls
Get PDFThis article relates how John Joseph Lynch established Niagara Falls as a pilgrimage site, which he envisioned as being the first such site in the United States. In the nineteenth century, Niagara was viewed as such a spectacular natural wonder that it frequently inspired religious devotion, a history that Lynch encouraged and continued. The evolution of nineteenth- and twentieth-century views of Niagara and of pilgrimage in general are discussed. Niagara\u27s role in American history is also explored
Measuring and Mapping Spatial Distributions of Soil Lead Concentrations Across an Urban-to-Rural Gradient in Chicagoland
Get PDFLead (Pb), a highly toxic chemical has found its way into many aspects of our communities through a plethora of different pathways such as paint, gasoline, and industrial activity. Exposure to lead poses harmful risks to all age groups as a higher blood lead level is associated with higher mortality. Although actions have been taken to eliminate lead from the atmosphere, it remains in the environment, especially accumulating in urban areas where the use of automobiles and highly industrialized landscapes are prevalent. This study examines the soil lead concentrations along an urban-to-rural gradient connecting Humboldt Park, Skokie, and Buffalo Grove, Illinois. This study hypothesizes that the soil lead concentration decreases on the urban-to-rural gradient due to the decrease in industrialization and commercial land use.
Soil samples were collected from five randomly generated locations in the parkways of each census tract in Humboldt Park, Skokie, and Buffalo Grove. It is important to note that only the Cook County census tracts of Buffalo Grove were utilized for this study, the Lake County census tracts of Buffalo Grove were not analyzed.
The average soil lead concentrations for each census tract and the interpolation of soil lead concentrations were mapped using ArcGIS Pro. There was a statistically significant difference between the soil lead concentrations of Humboldt Park, Skokie, and Buffalo Grove. The soil lead concentrations decreased significantly from Humboldt Park to Skokie to Buffalo Grove which rejected the null hypothesis. This finding has implications for citizens of the communities containing high lead soil concentration, as caution needs to be considered when planting crops, such as those with deep roots. Further research should be conducted to analyze the relationships between other variables impacted by soil lead concentration, such as child blood lead levels and median household income.
Lead (Pb), a highly toxic chemical has found its way into many aspects of our communities through a plethora of different pathways such as paint, gasoline, and industrial activity. Exposure to lead poses harmful risks to all age groups as a higher blood le ad level is associated with higher mortality. Although actions have been taken to eliminate lead from the atmosphere, it remains in the environment, especially accumulating in urban areas where the use of automobiles and highly industrialized landscapes are prevalent. This study examines the soil lead concentrations along an urban-to-rural gradient connecting Humboldt Park, Skokie, and Buffalo Grove, Illinois. This study hypothesizes that the soil lead concentration decreases on the urban -to-rural gradient due to the decrease in industrialization and commercial land use.
Soil samples were collected from five randomly generated locations in the parkways of each census tract in Humboldt Park, Skokie, and Buffalo Grove. It is important to note that only the Cook County census tracts of Buffalo Grove were utilized for this study, the Lake County census tracts of Buffalo Grove were not analyzed.
The average soil lead concentrations for each census tract and the interpolation of soil lead concentrations were mapped using ArcGIS Pro. There was a statistically significant difference between the soil lead concentrations of Humboldt Park, Skokie, and Buffalo Grove. The soil lead concentrations decreased significantly from Humboldt Park to Skokie to Buffalo Grove which rejected the null hypothesis. This finding has implications for citizens of the communities containing high lead soil concentration, as caution needs to be considered when planting crops, such as those with deep roots. Further research should be conducted to analyze the relationships between other variables impacted by soil lead concentration, such as child blood lead levels and median household income
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton as a Mystic
Get PDFSung-Hae Kim describes how three key spiritual experiences in Elizabeth Seton’s life confirm her identity as a mystic according to William James’s four characteristics of the mystic state. These traits are ineffability, noetic quality, transiency, and passivity, and such experiences must lead to union with God. Elizabeth wrote about these experiences, which occurred when she was fourteen in New Rochelle, New York; twenty-nine in the lazaretto of Livorno, Italy; and sometime near her death at the age of forty-six in Emmitsburg. As Kim says, these “purify[ied] her ability to love, leading to serene peace and union with God and his creation.” They happened after periods of extreme stress and sadness and enabled Elizabeth to continue to follow or carry out God’s will. Nature played a great role in them, and Elizabeth also saw herself as part of nature, as part of God’s ordering of the universe. She described herself in three images, a coral, a rotten tree, and as part of a spider web of interdependent relationships. For the most part, Elizabeth was a kataphatic mystic, which is one who “ascribes positive attributes to God such as beauty, goodness, mercy, justice, and compassion.