The Clash of Agricultural Exceptionalism and the First Amendment: A Discussion of Kansas\u27 Ag-Gag Law

Since the Nation’s founding, agricultural production has been treated differently than other industries. This concept, known as “agricultural exceptionalism,” has manifested in many different ways throughout U.S. history. Since the 1990s, one manifestation of agricultural exceptionalism has been the enactment of “Ag-gag laws,” state laws that limit information gathering activities at animal production facilities. Ag-gag laws are frequently criticized by animal welfare advocates and legal scholars for seeking to shield animal production facilities from public scrutiny, a state-sanctioned protection not afforded to other industries

Delzant-type classification of near-symplectic toric 4-manifolds

Delzant's theorem for symplectic toric manifolds says that there is a one-to-one correspondence between certain convex polytopes in $\mathbb{R}^n$ and symplectic toric $2n$-manifolds, realized by the image of the moment map. I review proofs of this theorem and the convexity theorem of Atiyah-Guillemin-Sternberg on which it relies. Then, I describe Honda's results on the local structure of near-symplectic 4-manifolds, and inspired by recent work of Gay-Symington, I describe a generalization of Delzant's theorem to near-symplectic toric 4-manifolds. One interesting feature of the generalization is the failure of convexity, which I discuss in detail. The first three chapters are primarily expository, duplicate material found elsewhere, and may be skipped by anyone familiar with the material, but are included for completeness.Comment: 45 pages, 8 figure

Section 1983: Absolute Immunity for Pretrial Police Testimony

This Note discusses the development of the Supreme Court\u27s approach to section 1983 immunity for trial witnesses. Central to this discussion is an overview of the history of common-law immunities for government officials, the history and purpose of section 1983, and the history of the Supreme Court\u27s section 1983 immunity decisions. The author discusses the current disagreement in the circuits over extending section 1983 immunity to pretrial police testimony. The author also analyzes various possible answers to the question of whether to extend witness immunity under section 1983 to specific pretrial proceedings by applying the current Supreme Court functional categories immunity analysis and the policies for and against extension of absolute immunity to pretrial police testimony. The Note concludes that police officers should enjoy absolute immunity from section 1983 suits that are based solely on their perjured pretrial testimony. However, the author also suggests that a section 1983 plaintiff should be allowed to introduce such testimony as evidence that a police officer initiated a baseless or malicious prosecution against the plaintiff

Cleveland Hill Union Free School District and Cleveland Hill Education Association

Fact-finding proceeding between Cleveland Hill Union Free School District and Cleveland Hill Education Association. PERB Case No. M 2007-062. Before: Adam Kaufman, Esq. Fact Finde

Turbine disks for improved reliability

Advanced disk structural concepts were employed to improve the cyclic lives and reliability of turbine disks. Analytical studies were conducted to evaluate bore-entry disks as potential replacements for the existing first-stage turbine disks in the CF6-50 and JT8D-17 engines. Results of low cycle fatigue, burst, fracture mechanics, and fragment energy analyses are summarized for the advanced disk designs and the existing disk designs, with both conventional and advanced disk materials. Other disk concepts such as composite, laminated, link, multibore, multidisk, and spline disks were also evaluated for the CF6-50 engine

University Scholar Series: Michael Kaufman

H2O in Interstellar Space: How the Universe Conspires to Make Water Everywhere On October 28, 2015, Dr. Michael Kaufman spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Andy Feinstein at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. His talk was titled “H2O in Interstellar Space: How the Universe Conspires to Make Water, Water Everywhere.” Dr. Kaufman\u27s astrophysics research focuses on the interactions and feedback between newly formed stars and the interstellar medium—the raw material from which stars form. He constructs computational models of the radiative transfer, dynamics and chemistry that occur in regions of active star formation, and uses these models to interpret observations with ground-based, airborne, and space-based telescopes. Dr. Kaufman is Professor and Chair in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/uss/1024/thumbnail.jp

Wayne-Finger Lakes Board of Cooperative Educational Services and Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES Educators\u27 Association

In the Matter of the Fact-Finding between Wayne-Finger Lakes Board of Cooperative Educational Services and Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES Educators’ Association. Case Number M2008-309. Adam Kaufman, Esq., Fact Finder

State of the Library, 2010

Provides a summary of the last year at the UIUC University Library and looks ahead to future challenges and opportunitiesunpublishednot peer reviewe

Carpe Diem: Transforming Services in Academic Libraries

Amid a global economic crisis and spurred, in my country, by a great influx of funding intended to stimulate the economy quickly, librarians are confronted by other factors that could have transformative powers ??? if they choose to seize the opportunity. This paper focuses on the future of academic library services and the opportunities that await those who reject hunkering down in troubled times.unpublishednot peer reviewe