Browsing by Author "Moffitt, Michael"
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Item Open Access Accessible Lighting in the Workplace: Reducing the Negative Impact of Photosensitivity and Migraines(University of Oregon, 2021) Bechtle, Alejandro; Kwok, Alison; Tepfer, Fred; Moffitt, MichaelLighting design in the workplace influences productivity, quality of life, and ability to come in to work the following day. For people with photosensitivity, especially those with migraines, poor lighting design is a serious concern. Migraine disorder affects 12% of the general population and women are three times as likely to suffer from migraines as men. Migraines can last for hours or days, cause significant pain, and reduced productivity is positively correlated with an attack’s severity. This study investigates the relationship between migraine headaches and lighting design in the workplace. The study begins with existing research on migraines and considers other conditions, including epilepsy, autism, aging eyes, and depression. Lighting case studies of Lawrence Hall 405 and Gerlinger Hall 143 and 144 apply principles deduced from secondary research. Physical analysis includes illuminance values, daylight factor plans, and HDR images from data collected on September 22nd, 2020 and March 22nd-23rd, 2021. The spaces selected are disparate examples of workplaces that are occupied around the clock. A survey was conducted from April 1st-30th, 2021 to show users’ opinions on the spaces investigated for this study. Both spaces could potentially induce migraines and have inconsistent lighting, which can dampen productivity.Item Open Access Alternatives to Incarceration for High Risk Offenders in the United States(University of Oregon, 2022) Bland, Hannah; Gash, Alison; Lininger, Thomas; Moffitt, MichaelThe United States has the world’s highest incarceration rate. Over time, prison sentences have gotten longer through mandatory minimum sentencing laws, which were motivated by policymakers wanting to seem tough on crime. Since then, scholars and activists have challenged these ineffective mandatory minimums, and in turn, alternatives to incarceration have become available for nonviolent drug offenders. Yet, violent offenders make up a majority of the prison system. Further, violent offenders have distinctly lower recidivism rates than nonviolent offenders. My research aims to shed light on what happens after mandatory minimums for violent (high-risk) offenders. First, I outline the context and the theoretical framework that guides criminal punishment. Next, I examine what alternatives to incarceration (ATIs) exist for low-risk offenders, for juveniles, and in other jurisdictions. Finally, I argue that mandatory minimums should be replaced with a sentencing procedure that fits the victim and offender’s needs in each situation, whether that be with a form of probation, restorative justice, or a combination of both. Further, I argue that we can implement ATIs for high-risk offenders by taking the same political route as ATIs for low-risk offenders, which is to reframe the conversation as helping those affected by violence.Item Embargo Approach to Secession: Can United Nations Involvement Contribute to a Favorable Outcome for Secessionist Struggles?(University of Oregon, 2016-10-27) Wickramasekera, Amanda; Moffitt, MichaelEthnic groups fear of marginalization has triggered a number of secessionist movements, which have often resulted in long and destructive conflicts that threaten international peace and human life. Scholars have written about domestic and international explanations as factors that can affect the outcome of secession (Bert 2004, Dion 1996, Hechter 1992, Aspinall and Berger 2001, Horowitz 1985, Santos 2007). I argue that in a secessionist movement, if one or more bodies of the United Nations apply pressure on the host state, then it improves the prospect of a favorable outcome for the secessionist movement. I will focus on the international explanations as factors that can affect the outcome of secession by using South Sudan and Tamil Eelam as case studies.Item Open Access Dave Frohnmayer: The Legacy of a Life of Leadership and Law(University of Oregon School of Law, 2016-07-06) Moffitt, MichaelItem Open Access "Don't Kill my Buzz, Man!" - Explaining the Criminalization of Psychedelic Drugs(University of Oregon, 2021) Sproul, Conrad; Tichenor, Dan; Moffitt, Michael; Karns, ChristinaIn the 1950s, psychedelic drugs were the subject of extensive psychiatric research in the United States. By 1960, they had been found to be non-addictive, to have remarkable safety profiles, and to potentially be able to treat a range of psychological conditions. However, in 1968, the possession of psychedelics was criminalized by the US federal government. Consequently, medical research has been stifled, and today the possession and distribution of psychedelics are punished more severely than for more dangerous recreational drugs such as methamphetamine. Most scholars argue that psychedelics were criminalized due to a “moral panic” in the late 1960s. However, this theory overlooks several important aspects of the political process that led to psychedelic criminalization. This essay takes an alternative stance. First, early 20th century temperance advocates instilled an anti-drug moral framework into the American cultural consciousness. Then, in the early 1960s, safety concerns and professional biases led most mainstream psychiatrists to reject the therapeutic use of psychedelics. These factors interacted to cause both a moral panic and severe criminalization, but the moral panic did not itself cause criminalization.Item Open Access ENERGY, ASYMMETRIC DEPENDENCE, AND NATIONAL SECURITY: EXPLAINING HUNGARY AND POLAND’S DIFFERENT RESPONSES TO THE WAR IN UKRAINE(University of Oregon, 2023) Leof, Nathaniel; Skalnes, Lars; Moffitt, Michael; Cramer, JaneOn February 24th, 2022, Russia invaded parts of eastern Ukraine, significantly escalating the war that began in 2014 with the Russian annexation of Crimea. Since the invasion, the European Union (EU) has rallied support from its member countries to support Ukraine with military arms, by imposing sweeping sanctions on Russia, and by continuing to support Ukrainian territorial integrity. Hungary has been a unique exception in the EU, withholding support for Ukraine in a number of ways. Poland, a country with a similar recent political history and ideological leadership, has done the opposite, arguably supporting Ukraine the most of any EU country. This paper uses a most similar systems design method approach to examine what is causing these two countries to respond so differently to the invasion of Ukraine. This paper finds that the difference in each country’s energy infrastructure is the most likely explanation for their difference in response to the war in Ukraine. With these findings, it discusses new factors that international alliances should consider when constructing their security policies.Item Open Access Eye of the Beholder: Truth and Deception in Shakespeare's Sonnets(University of Oregon, 2022) Graumann, Frida; Bovilsky, Lara; Dawson, Brent; Moffitt, MichaelMy thesis, Eye of the Beholder: Truth and Deception in Shakespeare’s Sonnets, considers the use and abuse of deception in Shakespeare’s sonnet sequence. The sequence is through the eyes of the sonnet speaker, who expresses his complicated experiences of truth and lies in his relationships with his beloveds. The speaker’s relationships with the youth and the mistress embody emotions of love, hate, trust, and betrayal. These conflicting and confusing experiences in love expose the speaker of his relationship with and understanding of deception. The speaker is a particular character who appears capable of believing lies. He experiences self-deception throughout the sequence. Despite his seemingly constant association to lies, the speaker seems to strive for a sense of truth, or more specifically, his sense of truth. Overall, this thesis seeks to unravel the complicated nature of truth and deception between the speaker and his beloveds and the effects of such in Shakespeare’s Sonnets.Item Open Access Hyperquantifying Athletes: Opportunities and Problems in Modern Collegiate Sports(University of Oregon, 2022) Heckman, Amelia; McMorran, Ben; Cox, Courtney; Moffitt, MichaelIn recent years, collegiate sports have started turning to data analysis to assist in improving performance and training tactics. There are many opportunities in utilizing data-driven – or “hyperquantified” –approaches, such as talent identification, injury reduction, in-game decision making, and increasing profits. Many universities and professional organizations utilize models to predict success. While there are many benefits, there is less emphasis on the broader wellbeing of the athlete—which “success” in this context does not include. This thesis investigated one specific example of creating a predictive model of success at the University of Oregon as well as the issues that arise from using such a model. Three ethical implications that arise from hyperquantifying athletes discussed in this thesis include data reliability, data security, and athlete autonomy. Further research is recommended into how athlete wellbeing can be emphasized at the collegiate sport levels.Item Open Access In Lieu of Paper Tigers: An analysis on the Biological Weapons Convention’s Negotiations and Suggestions of the Future(University of Oregon, 2016-10-27) Arsenault, Katherine; Moffitt, MichaelThe Biological Weapons Convention has been criticized for its lack of measures that prevent biological and toxin weapons from being used on civilians around the globe. The Biological Weapons Convention is the main international disarmament treaty that attempts to prohibit the development, production, and stockpiling of bacteriological and toxin weapons. In the 1990’s, the State Parties of this treaty entered into negotiations in an attempt to create mandates that would further prevent biological warfare, by focusing on facets of this treaty that are weak (Littlewood, 2012). From 1994 to 2001, the Ad Hoc Group for the Biological Weapons Convention negotiated these measures. Though there were multiple areas of the negotiation process that amplified the failure, one measure ended the Biological Weapons Convention’s negotiations completely in 2001—the verification protocol. This thesis argues for the removal of the verification protocol from the negotiation table in lieu of stalemate and paper tigers.Item Open Access Invasive annuals increase with fire frequency in the Northern Great Basin(University of Oregon, 2023) Bailey, Zoey; Hallett, Lauren; Aoyama, Lina; Moffitt, MichaelWildfire, although a natural part of the sagebrush-steppe ecology in the Great Basin, is poised to occur at more frequent intervals due to the combined influence of rampant annual grass invasion and increasingly long dry seasons. Deviations from the historic fire return interval of 25-75 years to a mere 3-5-year cycle disrupt the establishment of later-seral species, such as the keystone shrub, sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata). More frequent fire can further alter the structure of plant communities by favoring early colonizing annual grass and forbs. As fire frequency increases, the resilience of native species is diminished, and the site becomes more vulnerable to vegetation compositional conversions. The conversion of mixed sagebrush and perennial grass-dominated sites to monocultures of invasive annual species jeopardizes human and wildlife needs on the landscape. To better understand the effects of increased fire frequency on annual species invasion, I surveyed vegetation cover in sites with variable burn history at the North Great Basin Experimental Range in July of 2022. The relative abundance of plant functional groups, as well as two critical invasive annual species, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and desert alyssum (Alyssum desertorum), were recorded in plots burned in 5, 10, and 20 year intervals since 2002. The relationship between forb cover and fire frequency was the only statistically significant difference identified (p=0.02). General trends in the data supported the hypotheses that the mean percent cover of Bromus tectorum and Alyssum desertorum would be higher in sites burned more frequently. These preliminary findings indicate the relationship between fire frequency and invasive annual species warrants greater attention with future larger-scale vegetation surveys. A better understanding of fire frequency effects on vegetation conversion may help restoration practitioners effectively prioritize areas for post-fire restoration to limit loss of native species.Item Open Access Massacre on the Plains: A Better Way to Conceptualize Genocide on American Soil(University of Oregon, 2017-09-06) Kell, Keaton; Moffitt, MichaelThis thesis examines the massacres of the Plains Indian Wars in the United States (1851-1890) and how they relate to contemporary theories of genocide. By using the Plains Indian Wars as a case study, a critique can be made of theories which inform predictive models and genocide policy. This thesis analyzes newspaper articles, histories, congressional investigations, presidential speeches, and administrative policies surrounding the four primary massacres perpetrated by the United States during this time. An ideology of racial superiority and fears of insecurity, impurity, and insurgency drove the actions of the white settler-colonialists and their military counterparts. Still, despite the theoretical emphasis on massacre in genocide theory, massacres on the Plains were relatively rare compared to the use of other genocidal tactics. This demonstrates that contemporary genocide theorists must be careful not to unintentionally limit thinking on genocide to strict military or militia led violence.Item Open Access Misfolded but not Malicious: Prion Proteins in Budding Yeast(University of Oregon, 2022) Capage, Mikala; Garcia, David; von Dassow, George; Moffitt, MichaelPrion proteins, although frequently associated with neurodegenerative diseases, are not universally harmful to cells. Instead, prions may serve as a beneficial epigenetic mechanism, allowing cells to alter their phenotype to adapt to adverse environmental conditions. Prions form when a protein adopts alternate and stable folding conformation. The Garcia Lab aims to identify beneficial prions using the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We are particularly interested in prion conformations of RNA modifying enzymes (RMEs), because these proteins can affect the expression of many genes simultaneously. After screening hundreds of yeast strains, the Garcia Lab identified six strains of yeast – associated with potentially alternate conformations of the RMEs Abd1, Cet1, Ppm2, Pus4, Pus6 and Trm5 – that exhibited resistance to harmful chemicals. Extensive tests are needed to confirm that their resistance to stress is caused by a prion-based conformation of the RNA modifying enzymes. Here, experiments describing the meiotic inheritance, protein dependance, and cytoplasmic inheritance of these resistance phenotypes are presented. The initial results are key to attributing the previously identified growth states to a prion conformation of each of the six RNA modifying enzymes. The Garcia lab will continue to investigate these putative prions in future experiments to determine the mechanism for resistance. This research represents an important contribution to our understanding of prions as a protein-based epigenetic mechanism and their effects on key cell processes.Item Open Access Oregon Law Review : Vol. 90, No. 4, p. 945-954 : Arthur Miller Scared the Hell out of Me(University of Oregon School of Law, 2012) Moffitt, MichaelItem Open Access Strictly Fundamental: A Comparison of Strict Constitutionalism and Religious Fundamentalism(University of Oregon, 2023-05) Warthen, Liz; Gash, Alison; Schroeder, Jeff; Moffitt, MichaelThis research investigates the extent to which strict constitutionalists and religious fundamentalists might be intertwined and what implication this might have on the American legal system. Findings suggest close ties between strict constitutionalism and religious fundamentalism, enough so to consider strict constitutionalism itself a form of fundamentalism. Strict constitutionalists were discovered to share ample core values, ideologies, and practices with religious fundamentals. Supreme Court decisions based on originalist and textualist interpretations were found to be openly endorsed by religious groups. The public eye has begun to associate strict constitutionalism with religion, which has resulted in extensive media traction on the topic. The overlap between religious fundamentalists and strict constitutionalists suggests several potential problems for the American public, including a risk to the separation of church and state and a threat to legitimacy of the judicial branch.Item Open Access The Drone and the Dove: Fighting Al-Qa'ida While Negotiating Peace in Yemen(University of Oregon, 2016-10-27) Chauhan, Shashank; Moffitt, MichaelInternational conflicts are becoming more complex. Many involve multiple intra-state parties with multiple and at times opposing interests. With increasing globalization and the resulting growth in connectivity, the United States and other Western nations will likely find themselves increasingly involved in these conflicts. Recent history has shown that the ‘military option’ is not as effective as previously thought in dealing with inter-state conflicts. Thus, studies that explore other options in the management and resolution of these conflicts are critical. This thesis will explore and analyze the option of a systems theory based model as a model for conflict resolution by specifically analyzing the use of such a model in the present conflict in Yemen.Item Open Access Tribute to Distinguished Professor and Dean Emeritus Eugene F. Scoles(University of Oregon School of Law, 2014-07-01) Moffitt, Michael; Gary, Susan N.; Vetri, Dominick R.; Harris, Leslie J.Item Open Access UNDERSTANDING HOW ELECTRICAL BRAIN WAVES MODULATE WITH MOVEMENT SPEED AND UNCERTAINTY(University of Oregon, 2021) Leriche, Ryan; Swann, Nicole; Jarmallio, Santiago; Moffitt, MichaelParkinson’s Disease (PD) patients often struggle with daily function due to their slowed and rigid movements. Electrical brain waves in the "beta band” (frequencies between 13-30 Hz) fluctuate throughout movement, but PD patients have elevated beta band synchrony across brain thalamo-cortical-basal ganglia networks. Currently, it is unclear if beta synchrony causes impaired movement in PD or slowed movement in general. My project addressed how the beta band modulates with movement speed in healthy people. Our task led participants to have longer reaction times in Slow blocks than Fast blocks. As they completed the task, electrodes were recording from their scalps (i.e., electroencephalography). We saw that Slow blocks had reduced beta activity after movement compared to fast blocks and also examined movement uncertainty but did not observed any systematic differences. Since the beta band was modulated less in slow blocks, like in PD patient studies, this could mean that participants were in an experimentally induced “slowed movement state” and perhaps did not form comprehensive motor plans. We conclude that beta synchronization after movement may influence motor speed on a continuum with PD patients as an extreme example of impaired movement.Item Open Access VISUAL FEEDBACK IMPROVES THE EFFICIENCY OF ANTICIPATORY FORCE CONTROL EVEN WHEN OBJECT PROPERTIES ARE NOT SALIENT(University of Oregon, 2023) Bethers, Sydney; Marneweck, Michelle; Moffitt, MichaelAnticipatory force control is the ability to plan the amount of force needed to successfully manipulate an object and is known to predominantly rely on two key aspects: sensorimotor memories derived from previous experience with the same or similar object and visual feedback of object properties (e.g., size, texture, density). However, visual feedback does not always provide congruent information about an object’s properties. In such instances, it has been assumed that subjects predominantly anticipate forces through learned experience with the object (i.e., sensorimotor memory). I question whether anticipatory force control that relies on sensorimotor memories is aided by visual feedback of the hand and of the object, even when these visual cues are incongruent with an underlying key property. To study the contribution of visual feedback for planning object manipulation when it is incongruent with a key property of the object, we manipulated the availability of visual feedback as subjects learned to lift and minimize tilt of a symmetrical object with a hidden uneven mass distribution (N=48). Participants had to generate a torque anticipatorily at lift onset to successfully minimize tilt of the object. The results of this study support the hypothesis that even when visual feedback cues are incongruent with a key property of an object, the availability of visual feedback helps access the sensorimotor memories needed to anticipate the forces required to successfully manipulate an object.