Sarkeesian and Copyright: Testing the Boundaries of ‘Transformative’ Fair Use in Online Critique

A recent controversy within online gaming community involves the video blogger Anita Sarkeesian and her video series “Tropes vs. Women in Video Games.” Sarkeesian’s video critiques the portrayal of women in video games and related media. However, this controversy is particularly interesting because it involves a claim of copyright infringement. This post was originally published on the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal website on April 8, 2014. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above

“Look What They’ve Done To My Song, Ma” – “Baby Got Back,” Glee, and Moral Rights

The story of Jonathan Coulton and song copying on Glee was one of the biggest copyrightrelated stories of 2012, with plenty of media coverage (and even a fictionalized TV adaptation). For the uninitiated: In 1992, Anthony Ray, a.k.a. Sir Mix-A-Lot, released the song “Baby Got Back.” The song, a “chart-topping multi-platinum Grammy-winning hip-hop celebration of female pulchritude,” is widely considered a modern classic. In October 2005, an artist named Jonathan Coulton released a humorous “cover” arrangement of “Baby Got Back” that retained Sir Mix-A-Lot’s lyrics, but also added new melodic and rhythmic material set against a smooth, folk-style acoustic guitar-led accompaniment. Coulton’s “joke” arrangement became an overnight viral hit due to the absurd juxtaposition of Sir Mix-A-Lot’s lyrics and Coulton’s crooning. This post was originally published on the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal website on March 13, 2014. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above

Resistive MHD Evolution of Shaped RFP Equilibria

Computational modeling of the resistive MHD evolution of reverse-field-pinch (RFP) plasmas with boundary shaping is undertaken. The VMEC code obtains equilibria that are similar to quasi-single helicity (QSH) states in an RFP with a helical axis and a symmetric boundary [J.D. Hanson, et al., Nuclear Fusion 53, 083016 (2013)]. Previous work has shown that axisymmetric boundary shaping affects whether an axisymmetric or QSH equilibrium is obtained in VMEC and it affects the extent of the swing of the helical axis in the QSH state. In this work, these equilibria are used as initial conditions for the NIMROD code [C.R. Sovinec, et al., Phys. Plasmas 10, 1727 (20030]. Resistive MHD behavior will be explored and particular attention will be paid to the evolution of global tearing modes in both axisymmetric and helical equilibria. * This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Grant DE-FG02-03ER54699 at the University of Montana

Social Media for Emergency Management (SMEM): Promoting Cross-sector Collaboration

CPACS Urban Research Awards Part of the mission of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS) is to conduct research, especially as it relates to concerns of our local and statewide constituencies. CPACS has always had an urban mission, and one way that mission is served is to preform applied research relevant to urban society in general, and the Omaha metropolitan area and other Nebraska urban communities in particular. Beginning in 2014, the CPACS Dean provided funding for the projects with high relevance to current urban issues, with the potential to apply the findings to practice in Nebraska, Iowa, and beyond

Trajectory Mapping and Applications to Data from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

The problem of creating synoptic maps from asynoptically gathered trace gas data has prompted the development of a number of schemes. Most notable among these schemes are the Kalman filter, the Salby-Fourier technique, and constituent reconstruction. This paper explores a new technique called trajectory mapping. Trajectory mapping creates synoptic maps from asynoptically gathered data by advecting measurements backward or forward in time using analyzed wind fields. A significant portion of this work is devoted to an analysis of errors in synoptic trajectory maps associated with the calculation of individual parcel trajectories. In particular, we have considered (1) calculational errors; (2) uncertainties in the values and locations of constituent measurements, (3) errors incurred by neglecting diabatic effects, and (4) sensitivity to differences in wind field analyses. These studies reveal that the global fields derived from the advection of large numbers of measurements are relatively insensitive to the errors in the individual trajectories. The trajectory mapping technique has been successfully applied to a variety of problems. In this paper, the following two applications demonstrate the usefulness of the technique: an analysis of dynamical wave-breaking events and an examination of Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite data accuracy

Soils and Climate... Of the Texas A&M University Research and Extension Center at Stephenville in Relation to the Cross Timbers Land Resource Area.

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Intermittent phase dynamics of non-autonomous oscillators through time-varying phase

Oscillatory dynamics pervades the universe, appearing in systems of all scales. Whilst autonomous oscillatory dynamics has been extensively studied and is well understood, the very important problem of non-autonomous oscillatory dynamics is less well understood. Here, we provide a framework for non-autonomous oscillatory dynamics, within which we can define intermittent phenomena such as intermittent phase synchronisation. Moreover, we demonstrate this framework with a coupled pair of non-autonomous phase oscillators as well as a higher-dimensional system comprising of two interacting phase-oscillator networks

Using Thermocouple, Thermistor, and Digital Sensors to Characterize the Thermal Wake Below Ascending Weather Balloons

In this paper we present additional results from our on-going research effort to characterize the thermal wake that trails below ascending latex weather balloons on flights into the stratosphere; a wake which interferes with the ability of temperature sensors in payload boxes hanging from the balloon (and hence enveloped by the wake) to correctly measure the ambient temperature of the atmosphere through which the balloon is ascending. A “wake boom” is used to measure temperature variations up to 1.5 m horizontally from varying distances directly below the neck of the balloon. Results to date agree with the literature that especially above the tropopause the thermal wake is warmer than the ambient air during daytime ascents, due to solar radiation warming the balloon skin, but colder than ambient air during night-time ascents, due to adiabatic cooling of the gas inside the balloon (which also occurs in the daytime, but is smaller than the daytime warming effect). In particular we report on thermal wake characterization using (Neulog) thermocouple sensors, as compared to (HOBO) thermistors and (Arduino-logged) DS18B20 digital temperature sensors. We also present additional results from X-shaped 2-dimensional wake booms or “X-Booms” which allow us to compare wake temperatures on the sun side versus the shade side of the balloon, looking for asymmetries in the horizontal temperature profile

NIA Long Life Family Study: Objectives, design, and heritability of cross-sectional and longitudinal phenotypes

The NIA Long Life Family Study (LLFS) is a longitudinal, multicenter, multinational, population-based multigenerational family study of the genetic and nongenetic determinants of exceptional longevity and healthy aging. The Visit 1 in-person evaluation (2006-2009) recruited 4 953 individuals from 539 two-generation families, selected from the upper 1% tail of the Family Longevity Selection Score (FLoSS, which quantifies the degree of familial clustering of longevity). Demographic, anthropometric, cognitive, activities of daily living, ankle-brachial index, blood pressure, physical performance, and pulmonary function, along with serum, plasma, lymphocytes, red cells, and DNA, were collected. A Genome Wide Association Scan (GWAS) (Ilumina Omni 2.5M chip) followed by imputation was conducted. Visit 2 (2014-2017) repeated all Visit 1 protocols and added carotid ultrasonography of atherosclerotic plaque and wall thickness, additional cognitive testing, and perceived fatigability. On average, LLFS families show healthier aging profiles than reference populations, such as the Framingham Heart Study, at all age/sex groups, for many critical healthy aging phenotypes. However, participants are not uniformly protected. There is considerable heterogeneity among the pedigrees, with some showing exceptional cognition, others showing exceptional grip strength, others exceptional pulmonary function, etc. with little overlap in these families. There is strong heritability for key healthy aging phenotypes, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, suggesting that at least some of this protection may be genetic. Little of the variance in these heritable phenotypes is explained by the common genome (GWAS + Imputation), which may indicate that rare protective variants for specific phenotypes may be running in selected families

Crummer/Suntrust Portfolio: Analysis and Recommendations [2009]

The first consideration was determining the amount of risk that should be taken. At present, the portfolio has a defensive position, guarding against a turbulent economy. However, as the portfolio trades only once a year, the question facing the team was when the market will rebound. If we believe the market will rebound between now and May, 2010, it would be prudent to position the portfolio more aggressively than it is currently allocated. Conversely, if the market remains uncertain, continuing a defensive position is sensible. The determination of the team was to take a more aggressive position than the portfolio has in its current form, but to approach that added risk judiciously. The team still believes there is a relationship between risk and return; however, the fiduciary responsibility to provide scholarship funding dictates that the team remain conservative. The goal is to position the portfolio for success in the event of a market recovery while also guarding against significant losses in the event of a prolonged recession. To accomplish this, each company in the portfolio has been scrutinized regarding their fundamentals, cash positions, dividend policies, and overall risk of bankruptcy. Generally speaking, only companies with strong cash positions and consistent, sustainable dividend policies have been included. Additionally, a z-statistic was evaluated for the companies in the portfolio to quantify their risk of bankruptcy, and the companies we are keeping remain fundamentally sound. The portfolio will essentially be rebalanced toward market weighting. The key growth sectors in the portfolio will be healthcare and technology, with energy also being overweighted compared to the market. Financials, will potentially selling at a value, are still risky in the team’s opinion, and that sector has been cut to slightly below market weight. Finally, the team is reallocating some money from our fixed asset portfolio back into equities. The current portfolio consists of 70% equities and 30% bonds, representing roughly $580,000 for the total portfolio. The team is shifting 5 percent from bonds to equities for a 75-25 breakdown. The bond portfolio will also have a greater allocation in corporate bonds, moving away from low-yield treasuries. If the market does not begin to recover during the next year, the portfolio is still guarded against significant losses. However, if a recovery does occur, and no action is taken this year, there will be no opportunity to trade again until May, 2010, missing significant gains that may occur during that time. The suggested allocation takes sensible risks while maintaining the fiduciary responsibility needed in managing this portfolio