Automated legal sensemaking: the centrality of relevance and intentionality

Introduction: In a perfect world, discovery would ideally be conducted by the senior litigator who is responsible for developing and fully understanding all nuances of their client’s legal strategy. Of course today we must deal with the explosion of electronically stored information (ESI) that never is less than tens-of-thousands of documents in small cases and now increasingly involves multi-million-document populations for internal corporate investigations and litigations. Therefore scalable processes and technologies are required as a substitute for the authority’s judgment. The approaches taken have typically either substituted large teams of surrogate human reviewers using vastly simplified issue coding reference materials or employed increasingly sophisticated computational resources with little focus on quality metrics to insure retrieval consistent with the legal goal. What is required is a system (people, process, and technology) that replicates and automates the senior litigator’s human judgment. In this paper we utilize 15 years of sensemaking research to establish the minimum acceptable basis for conducting a document review that meets the needs of a legal proceeding. There is no substitute for a rigorous characterization of the explicit and tacit goals of the senior litigator. Once a process has been established for capturing the authority’s relevance criteria, we argue that literal translation of requirements into technical specifications does not properly account for the activities or states-of-affairs of interest. Having only a data warehouse of written records, it is also necessary to discover the intentions of actors involved in textual communications. We present quantitative results for a process and technology approach that automates effective legal sensemaking

Space-resolved dynamics of a tracer in a disordered solid

The dynamics of a tracer particle in a glassy matrix of obstacles displays slow complex transport as the free volume approaches a critical value and the void space falls apart. We investigate the emerging subdiffusive motion of the test particle by extensive molecular dynamics simulations and characterize the spatio-temporal transport in terms of two-time correlation functions, including the time-dependent diffusion coefficient as well as the wavenumber-dependent intermediate scattering function. We rationalize our findings within the framework of critical phenomena and compare our data to a dynamic scaling theory.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Journal of Non-Crystalline Solid

Collective rearrangement at the onset of flow of a polycrystalline hexagonal columnar phase

Creep experiments on polycrystalline surfactant hexagonal columnar phases show a power law regime, followed by a drastic fluidization before reaching a final stationary flow. The scaling of the fluidization time with the shear modulus of the sample and stress applied suggests that the onset of flow involves a bulk reorganization of the material. This is confirmed by X-ray scattering under stress coupled to \textit{in situ} rheology experiments, which show a collective reorientation of all crystallites at the onset of flow. The analogy with the fracture of heterogeneous materials is discussed.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Bildungsungleichheit in Österreich: Maßgebliche Faktoren für eine erfolgreiche Übergangsphase in die Sekundarstufe I.

Ungleichheit im Bildungssystem, ein zentrales Merkmal moderner Gesellschaften, ist das Thema dieser Diplomarbeit. Nachdem in der Bildungs- Ungleichheitsfor-schung bisher vor allem auf die Unterschiede zwischen sozialen Gruppen einge-gangen wurde, wird in dieser Arbeit der Versuch unternommen zu zeigen, dass es auch innerhalb einer sozialen Gruppe eine ungleiche Chancenverteilung bezüglich des Bildungserfolges gibt. Dabei werden Kinder aus sozioökonomisch benachtei-ligten Schichten mit Migrationshintergrund in Wien in den Fokus genommen. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, Faktoren und Mechanismen herauszuarbeiten welche den Bil-dungserfolg dieser Kinder beim Übertritt von der Grundschule in die Sekundarstufe I maßgeblich beeinflussen und dabei sollen die Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten innerhalb dieser Gruppe aufgezeigt werden. Hierfür wird eine qualitative Analyse zu insgesamt 17 Kindern durchgeführt, wo-bei für die Analyse jeweils Eltern-, Kinder-, LehrerInnen- und DirektorInnen- Interviews, sowie weitere Daten-Quellen zur Verfügung stehen. Die Ergebnisse der Analyse zeigen, dass die institutionelle Zuteilung von Bil-dungserfolg tatsächlich nicht ausschließlich auf die Schichtzugehörigkeit zu redu-zieren ist, sondern dass es innerhalb der Gruppe sozioökonomisch benachteiligter Kinder ebenso Unterschiede gibt. Es zeigt sich anhand dieser Untersuchung, dass der Bildungserfolg dieser Kinder beeinflusst wird durch die schulischen Erfah-rungen der Mütter, durch das Selbstbewusstsein und den Mut zur Nachfrage bei Nichtwissen der Eltern, aber auch durch Vorannahmen bis hin zu Vorurteilen der LehrerInnen. Zudem spielen die elterlichen Sprachkenntnisse und die Sprach-transmission in der Familie, sowie erfolgreiche ältere Geschwister und die Be-schäftigung der Eltern mit dem Kind eine entscheidende Rolle für den Bildungserfolg des Kindes.Educational inequality, a feature of modern societies, is the topic of this diploma thesis. Until now, the investigation of inequality in education has above all shown especially differences between social groups; however, in this thesis it will be demonstrated, that there are also educational- success inequalities within one and the same social group. Thus, children from socioeconomically underprivileged families with migration background in Vienna are focused on. The aim of this thesis is to identify factors and mechanisms that significantly influence the educa-tional success of our sample`s children at the transition from elementary school to secondary education. The differences and similarities within this group will be discussed in detail. The qualitative analysis comprises 17 children, the data having been collected by interviewing parents, children and headmasters, to name just the core data sources. The results of the analysis show that the institutional ascription of educational success can not only be attributed to social background or ethnicity; rather, there are also differences within one and the same group. Our data shows that educa-tional success is also influenced by the school experience of the children`s moth-ers, by the parents` self confidence and the courage to ask in case of a lack of knowledge, as well as by the teachers` presuppositions up to prejudices. In addi-tion, parental language skills and language transmission in the family, as well as successful older siblings and the parents` engagement make a considerable differ-ence for their children`s educational success

Inzidenz einer postoperativen Nierenschädigung nach elektiver aortokoronarer Bypassoperation bei Patienten mit und ohne schlafbezogene Atmungsstörungen

Der Zusammenhang zwischen Schlafapnoe und einer postoperativen AKI nach herzchirurgischen Eingriffen ist bis dato kaum untersucht. Aus diesem Grund wurde im Rahmen einer Subanalyse der laufenden prospektiven Beobachtungsstudie CONSIDER AF (NCT02877745) die Inzidenz einer AKI nach ACB-Eingriffen bei Patienten mit und ohne SBAS erforscht. Im Rahmen der Untersuchung erfolgte eine Erfassung der Prävalenz SBAS bei den Studienteilnehmern unmittelbar präoperativ mittels PG. Das Vorliegen einer SBAS wurde dabei als AHI ≥15/h definiert. Eine Unterteilung in OSA und CSA erfolgte nach den AASM- bzw. ICSD-3-Kriterien. Die im postoperativen Verlauf durchgeführte Klassifikation in die einzelnen AKI Stadien fand gemäß den KDIGO Kriterien statt. Zusammenfassend konnte hierbei gezeigt werden, dass AKI eine durchaus häufige Komplikation nach herzchirurgischen Eingriffen darstellt. Zudem zeigte sich – wenn auch nicht statistisch signifikant – ein Zusammenhang zwischen Entwicklung einer postoperativen AKI und Vorliegen einer SBAS. Nach altersabhängiger Aufteilung des Patientenkollektivs konnte zusätzlich festgestellt werden, dass einen AHI ≥15/h bei Patienten ≤70 Jahren, im Gegensatz zu älteren Studienteilnehmern, einen signifikanten Prädiktor für das Auftreten einer AKI darstellt. Ein statistisch relevanter Zusammenhang konnte hierbei auch bei Vorliegen einer CSA mit AHI ≥15/h nachgewiesen werden. Hinzukommend konnten auch DM Typ II und v. a. kardiale Vorerkrankungen als weitere unabhängige Risikofaktoren für eine erhöhte Inzidenz einer AKI nach ACB-Operation ausgemacht werden

Perceptions of online self- and peer-assessment : accounting students in a large undergraduate cohort

PURPOSE : Self-assessment (SA) and peer-assessment (PA) are considered useful tools in the development of lifelong learning and reflective skills. The authors implemented a teaching intervention using SA and PA amongst a large cohort of final year undergraduate students. The purpose of this study was to investigate students' perceptions of online SA and PA in order to understand the differences between these perceptions and to allow instructors to adopt differentiated instruction in developing a diverse student group's professional skills. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : The research design adopted a mixed methods approach through the use of surveys that were administered before and after the SA and peer-assessment intervention in a taxation module taught at a large public South African university. Through the use of a series of open and closed questions students' perceptions on SA and peer-assessment were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. FINDINGS : The findings show that student perceptions of SA and peer-assessment differed significantly, where perceptions of SA were more positive than those towards PA. The findings indicate that SA and peer-assessment still present a challenge in an online context for large student cohorts, despite improved tracking, faster feedback and anonymity. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : The study contributes to the literature by analysing students' perceptions about SA and peer-assessment in an accounting education context and in an online setting in South Africa.http://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/jarhehj2022Taxatio

MINE - Mobile Learning in Higher Education

Mobile technologies are an important part of our daily life and we carry them with us all the time. Mobile learning is already used a lot in informal and non-formal learning, but in the context of formal learning it is not much used, yet. In the area of formal learning at universities, there is a great need for pedagogic scenarios to encourage educatorsto use these new technologies. It is suggested that educators will need to move beyond the didactic approaches still frequently found in higher education. Social constructivist approaches have been advocated, along with the development of communities of practice to support educators. In addition, more emphasis on learners is required, to understand how they are already using mobile devices to support their learning and to encourage their active participation in mobile learning in formal settings. This paper will present some of the work of the ERASMUS+ funded MINE project which has brought together teachers and learners from a range of European institutions to help develop competencies for active mobile learning in higher education. On the one hand, mobile learning is defined by the use of different mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and notebooks and on the other hand, by the use of free and open knowledge resources. Additionally, the development of an open feedback culture and new forms of performance assessments are important components. The European teaching and research project MINE - Mobile Learning in Higher Education aims to increase the use of mobile technologies in higher education and contribute to the development of teaching and learning scenarios in this field. The use of mobile learning in higher education should also increase the participation of the learner in the learning process. Within this project, a curriculum for university teachers will be developed to prepare university teachers with all competences they need to implement mobile learning in their teaching. But also students need some preparation, because most of them are not used or have not enough media competences to use mobile learning. Because of that a second curriculum for a students course will be developed as well within this project. The aim is to produce open educational resources (OER) on the way, especially to be used for mobile learning, but there will also be practical examples of mobile learning, which can be easily adapted for other teaching subjects. All relevant documents and results of this project will be published under the creative commons license and can be downloaded from the project website. At the conference, we would like to present our findings from the international project in 2016 and 2017. At the intensive program in February 2018 teachers and learners from a range of European higher education institutions discussed different possibilities to integrate scenarios of mobile learning in education. These included the use of podcasts, augmented and virtual reality, the production of videos with students and teachers, the use of learning management systems and the integration of social media (for example blogs, Instagram, and Twitter) for learning. The presentation will use some of the MINE scenarios to elaborate on the possibilities and problems for active mobile learning in higher education across Europe.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Facultative secondary lecithotrophy in the megalopa of the shrimp Lysmata seticaudata (Risso, 1816) (Decapoda : Hippolytidae) under laboratory conditions

Certain decapod crustaceans can catabolize internal reserves to undergo partial or full larval development. This feature is termed secondary lecithotrophy, if energy used results from plankton derived organic matter accumulated Ig earlier larval stages. The present work reports the ability of Lysmata seticaudata megalopa to moll to the first juvenile stage in the absence of food. Unlike previous records of secondary lecithotrophy displayed by nonfeeding last larval stages of hermit crabs and spiny lobsters, the megalopa of L. seticaudata retains its feeding capacity. This is the first time such a feature has been reported in decapods, and the term facultative secondary lecithotrophy is proposed. The build up of energy reserves continues during the last zoeal stage of L. seticaudata, with starved zoea IX failing to molt to megalopa. Energy reserves that enable starved megalopa to molt to juvenile seem to be partially depleted, with starved juveniles produced either from, starved or fed megalopae being unable to molt to the next juvenile stage. The longer resistance of starved juveniles produced from fed megalopae (nine days), compared to that of starved juveniles produced from starved megalopae (five days), indicates that some energy reserves may pass to juvenile, not being totally depleted at metamorphosis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genetically engineered mesenchymal stem cells as a proposed therapeutic for Huntington's disease.

There is much interest in the use of mesenchymal stem cells/marrow stromal cells (MSC) to treat neurodegenerative disorders, in particular those that are fatal and difficult to treat, such as Huntington's disease. MSC present a promising tool for cell therapy and are currently being tested in FDA-approved phase I-III clinical trials for many disorders. In preclinical studies of neurodegenerative disorders, MSC have demonstrated efficacy, when used as delivery vehicles for neural growth factors. A number of investigators have examined the potential benefits of innate MSC-secreted trophic support and augmented growth factors to support injured neurons. These include overexpression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial-derived neurotrophic factor, using genetically engineered MSC as a vehicle to deliver the cytokines directly into the microenvironment. Proposed regenerative approaches to neurological diseases using MSC include cell therapies in which cells are delivered via intracerebral or intrathecal injection. Upon transplantation, MSC in the brain promote endogenous neuronal growth, encourage synaptic connection from damaged neurons, decrease apoptosis, reduce levels of free radicals, and regulate inflammation. These abilities are primarily modulated through paracrine actions. Clinical trials for MSC injection into the central nervous system to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and stroke are currently ongoing. The current data in support of applying MSC-based cellular therapies to the treatment of Huntington's disease is discussed