Uber, Lyft, and Regulating the Sharing Economy

The “sharing economy” goes by many names such as the “gig economy,” the “1099 economy,” and the “on-demand economy,” all of which describe the economic system that uses online platforms to connect workers and sellers with clients and consumers, primarily through smartphone applications. Many of the sharing economy companies are also called the “tech disruptors.” They earned this title because they have changed the way that people do business. But in changing the way that people do business, they have also created unique regulatory challenges for governments across the country. The news is rife with stories about when these regulations go wrong. For example, tenants have been evicted from their apartments in many cities for renting their apartments through the “home sharing” company Airbnb. Another example is the standoff between Uber and Lyft against the City of Austin over a law requiring drivers to pass a background check before they can operate in the city, resulting in Uber and Lyft ceasing operations in Austin and costing 10,000 drivers their jobs. In response to these stories, some governments have begun experimenting with innovative solutions to the unique regulatory challenges created by the sharing economy. One solution that stands out is the ordinance adopted by the City of Seattle. Seattle’s ordinance created a system that allows Uber and Lyft drivers to create a union to collectively bargain with their “driver coordinators.” However, it is possible that Seattle’s ordinance itself violates federal antitrust law. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has already sued on behalf of Uber in federal district court, but the case was dismissed without prejudice for lack of standing. This Note will explore the labor issues presented by the sharing economy before taking a deeper look into the terms and viability of Seattle’s innovative ordinance. Section I of this Note will provide an overview of the sharing economy and labor relations within the sharing economy. Section II will explore some of the ways in which Uber’s worker classification has been challenged throughout the country, focusing primarily on the class action lawsuit Uber settled in 2016. Section III will discuss the specifics of Seattle’s ordinance and the challenges to the ordinance raised by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Finally, Section IV will discuss the state action doctrine as a defense to federal antitrust law before determining whether the ordinance would survive federal antitrust scrutiny under the state action doctrine. Ultimately, this Note will conclude that Seattle’s ordinance, as written, would not survive an antitrust challenge under the state action doctrine

Comparison of a vertical electric and a vertical magnetic source for cross well CSEM monitoring of CO2 injection

Controlled source electromagnetic transmitters create highly geometric coupled electric and magnetic vector fields that propagate in a way that is dependent on both the orientation of the transmitter and electrical conductivity distribution. There may be a good case for using cross well controlled source electromagnetic methods for monitoring injection of CO2 into deep saline or brackish sandstone reservoirs. The expected range of geo-electrical frameworks that can be used to represent CO2 injection into a saline or brackish sandstone water saturated reservoir is reasonable constrained. That is injection of CO2 would likely create an expanding zone of elevated electrical resistivity that would move out from the injector well into the reservoir. The reservoir would typically be confined above and possibly below by conductive clay or shale dominated sediments. Given this type geo-electrical framework we consider the relative merits of a time harmonic vertical electric and vertical magnetic source for monitoring CO2 injection. We compare numerically generated electric and magnetic fields created in a heterogeneous horizontally layered injection zone with and without injection of CO2. Examples are first provided for a layered earth and then for an expanding 3D volume within permeable layers. We provide images indicating that the vertical electric dipole source is sensitive to CO2 injection into thin resistive sandstone layers in a conductive background.We explore why the more common vertical magnetic dipole source is comparatively insensitive to an increase in resistivity in thin sandstone layers. In summary the vertical magnetic dipole source is a common and practical in-hole source, however in principle the vertical electrical dipole source is likely to be more suitable for monitoring CO2 injection. Certainly the use of a vertical electric dipole source would need to be facilitated within the monitoring well design. Ideally the monitoring interval should be open hole or at least the casing should be slotted, non-metallic and have considerable open area to the formation

For the Love of the Name: Professional Athletes Seek Trademark Protection

Brett Pavony & Jaia Thomas wrote an article that explores the burgeoning relationship between professional sports and trademark law. After providing an overview of the various requirements outlined by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the article transitions into exploring the emerging trend of sports figures seeking federal trademark protection. Brett & Jaia blend their expertise and research to present an article that focuses on an analytical examination of professional athletes seeking trademark protection. The article also offers a glimpse into the future of intellectual property law as it pertains to professional athletes. As more and more athletes seek to take advantage of the legal tools afforded through U.S. trademark law, the article concludes by offering practical advice for athletes as they continue to protect and monetize their personal brands

Eder, Tower of

Permeability is a key parameter for the evaluation of subsurface formations in groundwater and hydrocarbon exploration. We utilize broadband full-waveform sonic data to exploit Pride's relationship between P-wave velocity dispersion and permeability for porous, fluid-filled media. Frequency dependent P-wave velocities are extracted from multi-channel sonic data during a two-step process: computation of semblance-based velocity spectra at two or more center frequencies followed by a 2D cross-correlation of the velocity spectra. A comparison with MRI-derived permeability logs confirm that P-wave velocity dispersion logs can be used to map permeability variations

Senior Recital: Brett Harris, Trombone; Lu Witzig, Piano; October 27, 2023

Kemp Recital HallOctober 27, 2023Friday Evening 9:00 p.m

Extracting frequency dependent velocities from full waveform sonic data

In porous, fluid-filled rock formations, compressional seismic wave velocities show a strong dependence on frequency. The potential linkage between P-wave velocity dispersion and permeability would make the use of broadband sonic waveform data suitable for determining reservoir parameters. Automatic velocity analysis of multi-channel sonic data can be tailored to detect and measure frequency dependent velocities.This seismic data processing strategy enables the creation of velocity dispersion logs for fluid-filled porous media

Reliability assessment of torque measures during a unilateral pressing movement.

The context for this project was that a perceived overemphasis on conventional flat bench press training could be interfering with the ‘natural’ shoulder girdle functional movement patterns and, consequently influencing performance and injury susceptibility. The width of the conventional flat bench press exercise can obstruct and restrict the scapulae movements, potentially leading to compromised shoulder girdle function. This project sought to establish the reliability of assessing pressing strength with a novel isokinetic strength task with two seat-back conditions. OBJECTIVES: 1) To assess the reliability of torque measurements obtained during a novel unilateral chest press movement; and 2) observe the effect of a narrow (uninhibited scapula) seat-back on torque-angle profiles. METHODS: Twenty participants performed maximal effort (3 sets of 5 reps) unilateral pressing movement repetitions using an Isokinetic Dynamometer with a modified Lever arm attachment. Both arms were tested under two movement conditions (a narrow bench back, MOD; and a standard width bench back, STD) across three testing sessions. Reliability was determined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). RESULTS: Measures of peak torque and total work were measured reliably (ICCs all >0.68) both eccentrically and concentrically with two testing sessions using a novel unilateral pressing motion. There was no difference evident between movement conditions for any test measure (all p>0.078). CONCLUSIONS: Strength (torque) can be reliably measured in a full range pressing motion. This reliability permits future studies to explore the effect of different training intervention on eccentric and concentric shoulder strength. The results also indicate that participants can safely test through a full pressing range, which may benefit activities that involve full horizontal abduction under load

'Invisible' Indicators: White Identity & European Politics

In the wake of the elections of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump, the growing influence of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the COVID-19 pandemic, racial constructs and systems of oppression have been subject to renewed scrutiny and investigation, particularly in the US. In addition to making clear the effects of structural racism—for example, as it impacts communities of color in the forms of voter suppression (Hajnal, et al. 2017; Darrah-Okike, et al. 2021; Klain et al. 2020), policing and criminal justice (Lerman & Weaver 2014; Baumgartner, et al. 2015), and political efficacy and engagement (Phoenix 2019; Bowen & Clark 2014)—some strands also interrogate the causal mechanisms of these phenomena.While theories of whiteness and white politics are gaining traction in the US, such studies are conspicuously absent in the context of European politics. Resulting from recent waves of migration to the continent and consequent rises in white nationalism and populism across Europe, scholars are devoting more attention to the experiences of immigrants, refugees, and ethnoracial minorities in European states (Givens & Maxwell 2012; Bloemraad & Schönwälder 2013; Loftsdottir, Smith, & Hipfl 2018; Barrett 2014; Modood 1997.) Though white racial solidarity often appears as an implicit driver of intercultural conflict in these occurrences, very little to no work has been devoted to empirically describing the impact of racial identity on European politics.As such, I contribute to research on right-wing populism and attitudes toward migrants in Europe by theorizing whiteness as a salient, quantifiable factor in European politics. Specifically, I ask the following question: To what extent can indicators of (white) racial identity and solidarity explain variation in individuals’ political views, such as their attitudes toward immigrants or ethnoracial minorities?Master of Art

Personality stability from age 14 to age 77 years.

There is evidence for differential stability in personality trait differences, even over decades. The authors used data from a sample of the Scottish Mental Survey, 1947 to study personality stability from childhood to older age. The 6-Day Sample (N = 1,208) were rated on six personality characteristics by their teachers at around age 14. In 2012, the authors traced as many of these participants as possible and invited them to take part in a follow-up study. Those who agreed (N = 174) completed a questionnaire booklet at age 77 years, which included rating themselves and asking someone who knew them well to rate them on the same 6 characteristics on which they were rated in adolescence. Each set of 6 ratings was reduced to the same single underlying factor, denoted dependability, a trait comparable to conscientiousness. Participants' and others' older-age personality characteristic ratings were moderately correlated with each other, and with other measures of personality and wellbeing, but correlations suggested no significant stability of any of the 6 characteristics or their underlying factor, dependability, over the 63-year interval. However, a more complex model, controlling rater effects, indicated significant 63-year stability of 1 personality characteristic, Stability of Moods, and near-significant stability of another, Conscientiousness. Results suggest that lifelong differential stability of personality is generally quite low, but that some aspects of personality in older age may relate to personality in childhood. (PsycINFO Database Recor