Digital Commons Network^™

Do Tourists Tip More Than Local Consumers? Evidence Of Taxi Rides In New York City, Amir Borges Ferreira Neto, Adam Nowak, Amanda Ross

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

We revisit the mechanisms that drive tipping behavior by comparing tourists and locals in New York City. It is unlikely a tourist will tip as a way of enforcing repeated interactions since they are not from the area, while a local may tip as an enforcement mechanism. However, if people tip because of social norms, we should see both tourists and locals tipping similar amounts. We compare locals and tourists who are theatergoers to control for education and income, as these factors are likely to affect tipping behavior. Using data from the New York City and Limousine Commission on yellow …

A Comparison Of Attitudes Towards Stuttering Of Non-Stuttering Preschoolers In The United States And Turkey, Mary E. Weidner, Kenneth O. St. Louis, Egemen Nakisci, Ramazan S. Ozdemir

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background and objectives: Extensive research documents ubiquitous negative attitudes towards stuttering, but when and how they develop is unclear. This non-experimental, comparative study examined US and Turkish preschoolers to explore the origin of stuttering attitudes cross-culturally.

Method: The authors compared stuttering attitudes of 28 US and 31 Turkish non-stuttering preschoolers on English and Turkish versions of experimental prototypes of the newly developed Public Opinion Survey on Human Attributes–Stuttering/Child (POSHA–S/Child). Children first watched a short video of two stuttering avatar characters and then answered oral questions about stuttering. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire. Differences in the US and Turkish …

The Effects Of Attribute Non-Attendance, Simple Validation Questions, And Their Interactions On Willingness To Pay Estimates For Meat Choice Experiments, Elizabeth S. Beth, Nicole J O Widmar, Jacob E. Ricker-Gilbert

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

During an online survey, respondents were randomly assigned to a choice experiment for either pork chops or chicken breasts and were then explicitly asked which attributes they did not consider while making their choices. A simple validation question, which directed respondents to choose a specific answer, was also included. Accounting for either stated or inferred attribute non-attendance alone had no statistically significant effect on willingness-to-Pay (WTP) estimates. Those who passed the validation question had statistically significant and higher WTP for some attributes of pork chops and chicken breasts when the variable was interacted with inferred or stated attribute non-attendance (ANA). …

Show Me The Money: Importance Of Crowdfunding Factors On Backers’ Decisions To Financially Support Kickstarter Campaigns, Rita Colistra, Kevin Duvall

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Through the use of an online survey and supporting interviews of funders, this study explores which factors are most influential in people’s decisions to financially back Kickstarter projects. Findings suggest that Kickstarter has several distinct benefits for those who support its projects and offers them an experience that traditional production channels cannot. The results also indicate that backers typically feel involved in the process of creating the projects they support, and they are willing to take risks to see projects that are important to them come to fruition. This research helps to improve our understanding of the attitudes that drive …

An Assessment Of Mean Areal Precipitation Methods On Simulated Stream Flow: A Swat Model Performance Assessment, Sean Zeiger, Jason Hubbart

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Accurate mean areal precipitation (MAP) estimates are essential input forcings for hydrologic models. However, the selection of the most accurate method to estimate MAP can be daunting because there are numerous methods to choose from (e.g., proximate gauge, direct weighted average, surface-fitting, and remotely sensed methods). Multiple methods (n = 19) were used to estimate MAP with precipitation data from 11 distributed monitoring sites, and 4 remotely sensed data sets. Each method was validated against the hydrologic model simulated stream flow using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). SWAT was validated using a split-site method and the observed stream …

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress And Inflammation In The Central Nervous System, Neil T. Sprenkle, Savannah G. Sims, Cristina L. Sánchez, Gordon P. Meares

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Persistent endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is thought to drive the pathology of many chronic disorders due to its potential to elicit aberrant inflammatory signaling and facilitate cell death. In neurodegenerative diseases, the accumulation of misfolded proteins and concomitant induction of ER stress in neurons contributes to neuronal dysfunction. In addition, ER stress responses induced in the surrounding neuroglia may promote disease progression by coordinating damaging inflammatory responses, which help fuel a neurotoxic milieu. Nevertheless, there still remains a gap in knowledge regarding the cell-specific mechanisms by which ER stress mediates neuroinflammation. In this review, we will discuss recently uncovered inflammatory …

Deflategate: What's The Steelworkers Trilogy Got To Do With It?, Anne M. Lofaso

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Detecting Pulsars In The Galactic Centre, K. M. Rajwade, D. R. Lorimer, L. D. Anderson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Although high-sensitivity surveys have revealed a number of highly dispersed pulsars in the inner Galaxy, none have so far been found in the Galactic Centre (GC) region, which we define to be within a projected distance of 1 pc from Sgr A*. This null result is surprising given that several independent lines of evidence predict a sizable population of neutron stars in the region. Here, we present a detailed analysis of both the canonical and millisecond pulsar populations in the GC and consider free–free absorption and multipath scattering to be the two main sources of flux density mitigation. We demonstrate …

Challenge Of Engaging All Students Via Self-Paced Interactive Electronic Learning Tutorials For Introductory Physics, Seth Devore, Emily Marshman, Chandralekha Singh

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

As research-based, self-paced electronic learning tools become increasingly available, a critical issue educators encounter is implementing strategies to ensure that all students engage with them as intended. Here, we first discuss the effectiveness of electronic learning tutorials as self-paced learning tools in large enrollment brick and mortar introductory physics courses and then propose a framework for helping students engage effectively with the learning tools. The tutorials were developed via research in physics education and were found to be effective for a diverse group of introductory physics students in one-on-one implementation. Instructors encouraged the use of these tools in a self-paced …

Investigation Of Rope Formation In Gas–Solid Flows Through A 90° Pipe Bend Using High-Speed Video And Cfd Simulations, Sai S. Guda, Steven L. Rowan, Tao Yang

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

A study of rope formation in gas–solid flows through abrupt turns has been conducted. Experiments in which high-speed video was recorded and analyzed for solid concentration profiles were compared to CFD simulations utilizing both RANS and large eddy simulation turbulence models. In both simulations and experiments, particle-laden flows of air and ground flaxseed, with solid loadings of 35, 42, and 51% were considered. The results of the study demonstrate that both RANS and large eddy simulation can accurately predict particle roping. Furthermore, simulations show that the roping phenomenon is strongly dependent upon selection of an appropriate value for the coefficient …

Harmonic Syntax Of The Twelve-Bar Blues Form: A Corpus Study, Jonah Katz

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE CONSTRUCTION AND analysis of a corpus of harmonic progressions from 12-bar blues forms included in the jazz repertoire collection The Real Book. A novel method of coding and analyzing such corpus data is developed, with a notion of ‘‘possible harmonic change’’ derived from the corpus and logit mixed-effects regression models that describe the difference between actually occurring harmonic events and possible but non-occurring ones in terms of various sets of theoretical constructs. Models using different sets of constructs are compared using the Bayesian Information Criterion, which assesses the accuracy and efficiency of each model. The principal …

Exercise And Cancer-Related Fatigue In Adults: A Systematic Review Of Previous Systematic Reviews With Meta-Analyses, George A. Kelley, Kristi S. Kelley

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Conduct a systematic review of previous systematic reviews with meta-analysis to determine the effects of exercise (aerobic, strength or both) on cancer-related-fatigue (CRF) in adults with any type of cancer.

Methods

Systematic reviews with meta-analyses of previous randomized controlled trials published through July of 2016 were included by searching six electronic databases and cross-referencing. Dual-selection and data abstraction were conducted. Methodological quality was assessed using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) instrument. Standardized mean differences (SMD) that were pooled using random-effects models were included as the effect size. In addition, 95% prediction intervals (PI), number needed-to-treat (NNT) and …

Setiburst: A Robotic, Commensal, Realtime Multi-Science Backend For The Arecibo Telescope, Jayanth Chennamangalam, David Macmahon, Jeff Cobb, Aris Karastergiou, Andrew P. V. Siemion, Kaustubh Rajwade, Wes Armour, Vishal Gajjar, Duncan R. Lorimer, Maura A. Mclaughlin

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Radio astronomy has traditionally depended on observatories allocating time to observers for exclusive use of their telescopes. The disadvantage of this scheme is that the data thus collected is rarely used for other astronomy applications, and in many cases, is unsuitable. For example, properly calibrated pulsar search data can, with some reduction, be used for spectral line surveys. A backend that supports plugging in multiple applications to a telescope to perform commensal data analysis will vastly increase the science throughput of the facility. In this paper, we present

The Southern H Ii Region Discovery Survey (Shrds): Pilot Survey, C. Brown, C. Jordan, John M. Dickey, L. D. Anderson, W. P. Armentrout, Dana S. Balser, T. M. Bania, J. R. Dawson, N. M. Mcclure-Griffiths, Trey V. Wenger

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Gender Gap In The Conceptual Survey Of Electricity And Magnetism, Rachel Henderson, Gay Stewart, John Stewart, Lynnette Michaluk, Adrienne Traxler

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The “gender gap” on various physics conceptual evaluations has been extensively studied. Men’s average pretest scores on the Force Concept Inventory and Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation are 13% higher than women’s, and post-test scores are on average 12% higher than women’s. This study analyzed the gender differences within the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) in which the gender gap has been less well studied and is less consistent. In the current study, data collected from 1407 students (77% men, 23% women) in a calculus-based physics course over ten semesters showed that male students outperformed female students on …

Childhood Obesity And Adult Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis, Amna Umer, George A. Kelley, Lesley E. Cottrell, Peter R. Giacobbi Jr., Kim Innes, Christa L. Lilly

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

Overweight and obesity is a major public health concern that includes associations with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors during childhood and adolescence as well as premature mortality in adults. Despite the high prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity as well as adult CVD, individual studies as well as previous systematic reviews examining the relationship between childhood obesity and adult CVD have yielded conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to use the aggregate data meta-analytic approach to address this gap.

Methods

Studies were included if they met the following criteria: (1) longitudinal and cohort studies …

Occupational Exposure To Blood And Bodily Fluids Among Health Care Workers, Riyadh Alhazmi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Health Care workers (HCWS) must handle with a variety of occupational exposure. One significant exposure for HCWS in a hospital and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers in out of hospital expose to blood and bodily fluids during the performance of their duties , resulting in concerns regarding transmission of blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). To manage the unpleasant effects of exposure to blood and bodily fluids, HCWs including EMS providers and other health care occupations must completely comply with standard precautions (SPs) recommendations and to attend continuing education …

Monitoring And Control Framework For Advanced Power Plant Systems Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques, Ghassan Khalil Ismaeel Al-Sinbol

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation presents the design, development, and simulation testing of a monitoring and control framework for dynamic systems using artificial intelligence techniques. A comprehensive monitoring and control system capable of detecting, identifying, evaluating, and accommodating various subsystem failures and upset conditions is presented. The system is developed by synergistically merging concepts inspired from the biological immune system with evolutionary optimization algorithms and adaptive control techniques.;The proposed methodology provides the tools for addressing the complexity and multi-dimensionality of the modern power plants in a comprehensive and integrated manner that classical approaches cannot achieve. Current approaches typically address abnormal condition (AC) detection …

The Transformation Of Occupations: A Case Study Of Professionalism In Cocktail Bartending, Jacqueline Fowler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

One focus in the sociology of work and occupations literature concerns the phenomena by which occupations transform into skilled professions. This study focuses on a craft cocktail bar and the attending cocktail bartenders as a case study of occupational professionalization. Cocktail bartenders are uniquely suited for this type of inquiry, as many aspects of their occupation carry the markers of professionalism, such as mastery of a skill, a deep understanding of their field, and their potential to be cultural intermediaries.;This study utilizes observation and interviews to elucidate how bartenders define themselves, their work, and their occupation as a whole. By …

Social Capital Structure And Dynamics In Stream Restoration: A Social Network Analysis Approach To The Upper Shavers Fork, West Virginia, Paul J. Kinder Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Streams are common pool resources embedded in watersheds representing complex socio-ecological systems that provide ecological goods and services as well as economic and social benefits. They have been referred to as the lifeblood of civilization. Streams, however, are among the most vulnerable natural resources globally to anthropocentric impacts and are all too often in need of restoration. While the primary objective of stream restoration is to bring back healthy ecological functions, other benefits and outcomes from restoration efforts exist, but are often overlooked. These benefits and outcomes relate to effective natural resource governance systems, which rely on social networks comprised …

A Study Of Nikolai Kapustin's Sonata No. 12, Op. 102: A Contemporary Jazz Sonata In Two Movements, Mark Peters

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin emerged as a musical figure during the latter part of the 20th century. Kapustin's virtuosic piano ability (trained in the traditional Russian school of technique) and fascination for American jazz music equally contributed to his unique compositional style. Despite an early interest in jazz, he continued his traditional studies as a concert pianist. In the face of resistance from the Russian government, jazz continued to gain traction throughout the middle of the twentieth century.;Inspired by the styles and harmonic colors that defined jazz, Kapustin decided to merge his knowledge of Classical piano with his admiration for this …

Student-Athletes' Experiences With Racial Microaggressions In Sport: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, Sae-Mi Lee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite growing research on racial microaggressions as a subtle but prevalent form of racial discrimination, research on microaggressions in sport and their effects on the psychosocial wellbeing of athletes is scarce. Moreover, some researchers question the legitimacy of microaggressions due to their subtle nature and the inconsistency among individuals in how microaggressions are experienced (Lilienfeld, 2017). The purpose of this study was to examine U.S. collegiate student-athletes-of-colors' experiences with racial microaggressions in sport through a new theoretical lens, Foucauldian poststructuralist theory. I theorized microaggressions as an example of the daily panoptic gaze that leads to self-surveillance and the production of …

Evidence Utility In Forensic Intelligence Models, Jamie S. Spaulding

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Forensic intelligence is the accurate, timely, and useful product of logically processing forensic case data for investigation and/or intelligence purposes. The most important facet of any investigation is the decision making process due to significant influence and direction of the downstream investigation. Wrong decisions can lead to an unsolved case or implication of an innocent individual. Accurate decision making can be reinforced by linkages or relationships uncovered within a case. Analysis of evidence can also create a link between cases leading to more effective case closure. Application of forensic intelligence seeks to rectify this problem; more open and fluid communication …

If A Rail Keks And No One Is Around, Does It Make A Sound?: Investigating The Use Of Autonomous Recording Units To Monitor King And Clapper Rails, Lydia Lenora Stiffler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Secretive marsh birds are challenging to monitor due to the difficulty in locating and trapping them within the dense emergent vegetation they occupy. Recently autonomous recording units (ARUs) have emerged as a novel alternative method to survey birds, although the technology has only been applied to a few species in specific field settings. There is limited information on how ARUs compare to human surveyors or how best to use ARU data that can be collected continuously. This thesis examines the applicability of ARUs for monitoring King (Rallus elegans) and Clapper ( R. crepitans) rails (collectively "rails") in two tidal marsh …

Presidential Executive Orders: The Bureaucracy, Congress, And The Courts, Michael Edward Thunberg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Primary immune deficiencies (PIDs) are genetic disorders that lead to defects in normal immune responses. While the causative gene for many of the more severe defects is known, new defects leading to additional syndromes are being described with increasing frequency. The most common group of PIDs are the primary antibody deficiencies (PADs), which manifest with low serum immunoglobulin levels, defective responses to vaccinations, and, for most, recurrent infections. In this work, we explore the genetic basis of common variable immune deficiency (CVID), the most common symptomatic PID, and related PADs using next-generation sequencing technology. In a large cohort of patients …

C-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Signaling Guides The Migration Of Interneurons During Cortical Development, Abigail K. Myers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The cerebral cortex, responsible for higher order functions, is a layered structure that relies on the precise wiring of two main types of neurons, excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons. In order to maintain a critical balance of excitation and inhibition in the cortex, a smaller, yet very diverse, population of cortical interneurons provides inhibition to a much larger cohort of excitatory neurons. This makes interneurons a vulnerable population where the slightest perturbations to their location and wiring with excitatory neurons can contribute to the acquisition of neurological disorders like autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy.;During development, cortical interneurons migrate tangentially from the …

Retrospective Evaluation Of Skeletal, Dentoalveolar, And Periodontal Changes Of Microimplant Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion (Marpe) In Skeletally Matured Patients, Uyen Kelly Nguyen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Microimplant-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) has recently been offered to adult patients as a treatment option for correcting maxillary transverse deficiency. However, there is a lack of information in the literature on the effects of this newer expansion technique specifically related to skeletal maturity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate skeletal, dentoalveolar, and periodontal response to MARPE in skeletally matured patients, as assessed by the cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) method, using cone-beam computed tomography.;Experimental Design and Methods: Eight patients (2 females, 6 males; mean age of 21.9 +/- 1.5 years) treated with the maxillary skeletal …

Costuming "The Trojan Women", Produced At West Virginia University, Cody K. Lorich

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis describes the development of the design from the initial reaction to the script, meetings with the director and other designers, research, execution and final evaluation for West Virginia University School of Theatre & Dance's production of The Trojan Women. Additional support includes sketches, research images, renderings, paperwork and production photos.;Euripides' The Trojan Women adapted by Gwendolyn MacEwen depicts a moment in the lives of victims of the Trojan War. This version of the Greek Tragedy utilizes contemporary poetic language paired with a stylized design approach.;From the start, the director intended for this production to be stylized. That is, …

The Influence Of External Load Configuration On Trunk Musculature And Spinal Stability During Manual Material Handling, Seyed Saman Madinei

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The performance of manual material handling (MMH) tasks is highly associated with lower back injuries due to the excessive acute and/or cumulative mechanical loading that spinal tissues experience. Therefore, it is critical to understand how different characteristics of MMH tasks could become potential risk factors that change back injury risks and to develop proper MMH strategies that could reduce their biomechanical impacts to the spine. In this study, we explored the effects of external load configuration on trunk musculature and spinal stability during static loading and sudden loading scenarios.;The main objective of the current research was to explore how the …

The Influence Of Police Profanity On Public Perception Of Excessive Force, Christina Patton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Previous research has examined elements of police performance impacting community policing and police-citizen relationships, but no study has considered the impact of police use of profanity during arrest on public rating of force. Police profanity may negatively bias police-citizen interactions, and this bias could shape later interactions with community members, decrease the quality of police-community relations, or even result in public outcry over excessive use of force (White, Cox, & Baseheart, 1994). Further, profanity increases recipient physiological arousal in some settings (LaPointe, 2006) and aggressive behavior, which may exacerbate risk to the officer during an arrest and lead to more …