Digital Commons Network^™

Product Variety, Across-Market Demand Heterogeneity, And The Value Of Online Retail, Thomas W. Quan, Kevin R. Williams

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Online retail gives consumers access to an astonishing variety of products. However, the additional value created by this variety depends on the extent to which local retailers already satisfy local demand. To quantify the gains and account for local demand, we use detailed data from an online retailer and propose methodology to address a common issue in such data - sparsity of local sales due to sampling and a significant number of local zeros. Our estimates indicate products face substantial demand heterogeneity across markets; as a result, we find gains from online variety that are 30% lower than previous studies.

Product Variety, Across-Market Demand Heterogeneity, And The Value Of Online Retail, Thomas W. Quan, Kevin R. Williams

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Online retail gives consumers access to an astonishing variety of products. However, the additional value created by this variety depends on the extent to which local retailers already satisfy local demand. To quantify the gains and account for local demand, we use detailed data from an online retailer and propose methodology to address a common issue in such data-sparsity of local sales due to sampling and a significant number of local zeros. Our estimates indicate products face substantial demand heterogeneity across markets; as a result, we find gains from online variety that are 45% lower than previous studies.

Product Variety, Across-Market Demand Heterogeneity, And The Value Of Online Retail, Thomas W. Quan, Kevin R. Williams

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Online retail gives consumers access to an astonishing variety of products. However, the additional value created by this variety depends on the extent to which local retailers already satisfy local demand. To quantify the gains and account for local demand, we use detailed data from an online retailer and propose methodology to address a common issue in such data - sparsity of local sales due to sampling and a significant number of local zeros. Our estimates indicate products face substantial demand heterogeneity across markets; as a result, we find gains from online variety that are 30% lower than previous studies.

Shared Phylogeographical Breaks In A Caribbean Coral Reef Sponge And Its Invertebrate Commensals, Melissa B. Debiasse, Vincent P. Richards, Mahmood S. Shivji, Michael E. Hellberg

Faculty Publications

© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: To test whether phylogeographical barriers in the brooding sponge Callyspongia vaginalis match breaks previously identified in the Caribbean. We also compared patterns of subdivision in the sponge to those of three of its commensals, the broadcast spawning brittle star Ophiothrix suensonii and the brooding amphipods Leucothoe ashleyae and L. kensleyi, and tested whether any shared breaks arose simultaneously. Location: Florida, Bahamas and the Caribbean. Methods: Subdivision of C. vaginalis populations was inferred from one mitochondrial (COI) and six nuclear loci using clustering analyses. We identified phylogeographical breaks in the sponge and its …

Getting A Grip At The Edge: Recolonization And Introgression In Eastern Pacific Porites Corals, Michael E. Hellberg, Carlos Prada, Maxine H. Tan, Zac H. Forsman, Iliana B. Baums

Faculty Publications

© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: To infer species identity, population isolation, and geographical variation in inter-specific hybridization among corals of the genus Porites from the central and eastern tropical Pacific, with a focus on the timing of separation between populations of P. evermanni and P. lobata divided by the Eastern Pacific Barrier. Location: Hawaii, American Samoa, Panama and the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. Methods: Maximum likelihood gene trees were obtained for mitochondrial DNA (COI), the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and 5 single-copy nuclear (scn) gene regions. Allelic networks were used to group multi-locus scn data into species …

Pragmatic Hydraulic Theory Predicts Stomatal Responses To Climatic Water Deficits, John S. Sperry, Yujie Wang, Brett T. Wolfe, D. Scott Mackay, William R.L. Anderegg, Nate G. Mcdowell, William T. Pockman

Faculty Publications

Ecosystem models have difficulty predicting plant drought responses, partially from uncertainty in the stomatal response to water deficits in soil and atmosphere. We evaluate a ‘supply–demand’ theory for water-limited stomatal behavior that avoids the typical scaffold of empirical response functions. The premise is that canopy water demand is regulated in proportion to threat to supply posed by xylem cavitation and soil drying. The theory was implemented in a trait-based soil–plant–atmosphere model. The model predicted canopy transpiration (E), canopy diffusive conductance (G), and canopy xylem pressure (Pcanopy) from soil water potential (Psoil) and vapor pressure deficit (D). Modeled responses to D …

Perspectives On The Development Of A Local Food System: The Case Of Dayton, Ohio, Diana Cuy Castellanos, John C. Jones, Joanne Christaldi, Katherine A. Liutkus

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

Multiple sectors play vital roles in a community’s development and maintenance of a sustainable local food system. This study explored the perceptions of twenty-two representatives from the civil society, public, and private sectors in Dayton, Ohio, about the development of the region’s local food system. The researchers employed grounded theory methodology for data collection and analysis. Core themes from the participants of each sector group emerged from the data and areas of convergence and divergence among groups were reported.

Productivity And Resistance To Weed Invasion In Four Prairie Biomass Feedstocks With Different Diversity, Jessica E. Abernathy, Dustin R. J. Graham, Mark E. Sherrard, Daryl D. Smith

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

High-diversity mixtures of native tallgrass prairie vegetation should be effective biomass feedstocks because of their high productivity and low input requirements. These diverse mixtures should also enhance several of the ecosystem services provided by the traditional monoculture feedstocks used for bioenergy. In this study, we compared biomass production, year-to-year variation in biomass production, and resistance to weed invasion in four prairie biomass feedstocks with different diversity: one species – a switchgrass monoculture; five species – a mix of C4 grasses; 16 species – a mix of grasses, forbs, and legumes; and 32 species – a mix of grasses, forbs, legumes, …

Recovery For All? A Snapshot Of Women’S Economic Status In New England, Ann Bookman, Christa Kelleher, Kristin Smith

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

This November 2016 report, based on pre-recession and post-recession earnings data from the American Community Survey, demonstrates that while women’s overall earnings are now higher than pre-recession levels, other key indicators demonstrate a growing wage gap for many women—especially minorities and low-wage workers.

Minority women in New England who are employed full-time, year-round earned 62 percent as much as white men, both before and after the recession. While the gap between minority women’s and white women’s earnings decreased in Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island after the recession, it stayed the same in Massachusetts and widened in Connecticut and Vermont. …

Failure Of Multiculturalism? Immigration, Radical Islamism, And Identity Politics In Europe, Fatos Tarifa, Monica Di Monte

International Dialogue

This paper addresses the issue of how Europe’s ethnic and cultural mix is changing drastically by the large numbers of culturally diverse, especially Muslim immigrants, as well as problems that Western European governments face today as they try to deal with unintended consequences of their liberal policies of multiculturalism. In light of this discussion, radical Islamism and identity politics are seen as long-term challenges for all liberal democracies. We argue that extremist voices among the right-wing populist parties in many Western European countries opposed to immigration and increasingly mobilized around the issue of Muslim minorities, may spur resentment and political …

The Health Care Expenditure And Income: A Global Perspective, Badi H. Baltagi, Raffaele Lagravinese, Francesco Moscone, Elisa Tosetti

Center for Policy Research

This paper investigates the long-run economic relationship between health care expenditure and income in the world using data on 167 countries over the period 1995-2012, collected from the World Bank data set. The analysis is carried using panel data methods that allow one to account for unobserved heterogeneity, temporal persistence, and cross-section dependence in the form of either a common factor model or a spatial process. We estimate a global measure of income elasticity using all countries in the sample, and for sub-groups of countries, depending on their geo-political area and income. Our findings suggest that at the global level, …

License Plate Reader Technology: Transportation Uses And Privacy Risks, Johanna Zmud, Jason Wagner, Maarit Moran, James P. George

Faculty Scholarship

NCHRP Report/Task 136: License Plate Reader Technology: Transportation Uses and Privacy Risks, presents a review of transportation uses of license plate reader (LPR) technology, relevant regulatory and judicial cases, and current trends in public opinion. Detailed case studies were completed for five transportation uses to assess current context, benefits, and challenges. Guidance on strategies and practices is provided to guide transportation agencies in balancing between beneficial uses of LPR data and the protection of individual privacy. These best practices should be understood as the minimum aspirations for an agency’s policies, procedures, and controls. Due to the unique requirements of individual …

2016-The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Of Spinifex Press, Kathleen Barry

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Caroline Alexander, The Iliad: A New Translation By Caroline Alexander. New York: Ecco, An Imprint Of Harper Collins Publishers, 2015. Pp. Xli + 558. Cloth (Isbn 978-0-06-204627-7) $39.99., Max Gabrielson

New England Classical Journal

No abstract provided.

Planetary-Scale Low-Level Circulation And The Unique Development Of Hurricane Wilma In 2005, Jinwoong Yoo, Robert V. Rohli, Jennifer Collins

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Large‐scale atmospheric and oceanic conditions in the western Atlantic basin were analyzed to understand the unique tropical cyclogenesis (TCG) and intensification mechanism of Hurricane Wilma in 2005, the most intense Atlantic basin tropical cyclone (TC) on record. An analysis of 850 hPa circulations depicted in the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis data suggests that anomalous development of the 850 hPa circulation pattern triggered by Hurricane Vince (October 8–11, 2005) contributed to the development of a large‐scale low‐level vortex that preceded Wilma's TCG in the eastern Caribbean. In particular, weakened easterly winds in the central …

The Methods Behind 2015 Informatics Capacity And Needs Assessment Study, Gulzar H. Shah

Health Policy & Management: Faculty Publications (2006-2018)

The 2015 Informatics Needs and Capacity of Local Health Departments (LHDs) survey is the most recent comprehensive source of quantitative data on LHD informatics. Conducted by the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO), this is the third nationally representative quantitative study of LHD informatics since 2009. The previous 2 comprehensive quantitative assessments were conducted by NACCHO in 2009-2010 and 2011. Given that public health informatics is rapidly evolving, the 2015 Informatics survey is a much-needed country-wide assessment of the current informatics needs and capacities of LHDs. This article outlines detailed methodology used in the 2015 Informatics survey, …

Site Layout Optimization Using Gis, Sulyn Gomez, Mohd Samrah, Jenan Almullaali

Purdue GIS Day

The aim of the research if to analyze the use of ArcGIS to optimize site layout and reduce the cost associated with the construction of a university campus by: - Optimizing the productivity of the equipment fleet after selecting the spatial position, type, and number of equipment with GIS. - Minimizing travel time (Noncontributory activity or waste) and maximizing labor productivity by selecting the spatial position and the number of warehouses. Although there are many temporary facilities in the construction site, the study is focused in managing warehouses and the lifting equipment (cranes). One important step for site layout optimization …

Utilizing Gis To Locate Endangered Gravel Hill Prairies Of The Wabash River Valley, Ryan W.R. Schroeder, Darrell Schulze

Purdue GIS Day

The Gravel Hill Prairies (GHP's) of the Wabash River Valley are an endangered ecosystem in the state of Indiana and provide optimal growing conditions for a number of state endangered plants. Currently only four remnants are known to exist near Lafayette, IN, found by a previous study conducted in 1980 by Post, Bacone, and Aldrich (Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, 1984, vol. 94: 457-464). These unique ecosystems have been found to occur almost exclusively on soils classified as Rodman Gravelly Loams and Strawn-Rodman complexes which occur predominantly along the outwash terraces of the Wabash River and its tributaries. …

An Analysis Of The Barriers To Cross Border Trade In Hydroelectricity In The Himalayas, Eric Strahorn

Himalayan Policy Research Conference

There are many assumptions held by policymakers and scholars about the potential for hydroelectricity in the Himalayas. The first assumption is that the Himalayan rivers of Bhutan, India, and Nepal are a vast untapped source of hydroelectricity. The second is that the benefits of realizing this potential will provide for a routine cross border trade in relatively clean and sustainable electricity. The third is that despite the perceived benefits there are longstanding barriers that have prevented large scale hydroelectric development. Oseni and Pollitt (2016) argue that it would be worth understanding what barriers stand in the way of expanding cross …

Weapons Of Mass Destruction: Challenges For The New Administration, John P. Caves , Jr.

WMD Proceedings

The 2015 National Security Strategy identifies the proliferation and/or use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) among the top strategic risks to the Nation’s interests. This paper examines four pressing WMD challenges for the next U.S. administration. First, the prospects of a direct clash between the United States and a nuclear-armed adversary that could escalate to the nuclear level are likely to grow. Russia in particular has become more assertive in challenging U.S. interests and has developed concepts for the limited use of nuclear weapons in a conflict with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Second, the scope of North …

Bridgewater Review, Vol. 35, No. 2, November 2016

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Photo Essay: Iceberg Alley, Ronald F. Reynolds

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

The Mapmaker’S Dilemma In Evaluating High-End Inequality, Daniel Shaviro

University of Miami Law Review

The last thirty years have witnessed rising income and wealth concentration among the top 0.1% of the population, leading to intense political debate regarding how, if at all, policymakers should respond. Often, this debate emphasizes the tools of public economics, and in particular optimal income taxation. However, while these tools can help us in evaluating the issues raised by high-end inequality, their extreme reductionism—which, in other settings, often offers significant analytic payoffs—here proves to have serious drawbacks. This Article addresses what we do and don’t learn from the optimal income tax literature regarding high-end inequality, and what other inputs might …

Future Changes In Mean And Extreme Monsoon Precipitation In The Middle And Lower Yangtze River Basin, China, In The Cmip5 Models, Yanjuan Wu, Shuang-Ye Wu, Jiahong Wen, Felipe Tagle, Ming Xu, Jianguo Tan

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

In this study, the potential future changes of mean and extreme precipitation in the middle and lower Yangtze River basin (MLYRB), eastern China, are assessed using the models of phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). Historical model simulations are first compared with observations in order to evaluate model performance. In general, the models simulate the precipitation mean and frequency better than the precipitation intensity and extremes, but still have difficulty capturing precipitation patterns over complex terrains. They tend to overestimate precipitation mean, frequency, and intensity while underestimating the extremes. After correcting for model biases, the spatial variation …

Country Roads, Take Me Home ... To My Friends: How Intelligence, Population Density, And Friendship Affect Modern Happiness, Norman P. Li, Satoshi Kanazawa

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We propose the savanna theory of happiness, which suggests that it is not only the current consequences of a given situation but also its ancestral consequences that affect individuals’ life satisfaction and explains why such influences of ancestral consequences might interact with intelligence. We choose two varied factors that characterize basic differences between ancestral and modern life – population density and frequency of socialization with friends – as empirical test cases. As predicted by the theory, population density is negatively, and frequency of socialization with friends is positively, associated with life satisfaction. More importantly, the main associations of life satisfaction …

Immigrant Student Identities: How Bakhtin And Hermans'' Theories Conceptualize Their Fluidity, Xiaodi Zhou

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

This essay discusses how Bakhtin's conception of double-voicedness and cultural identities, along with Hermans's theories of I-positionality and subjectivities, helps frame researchers' characterization of immigrant students' complex and fluid identities. This age of globalization has increased the number and dimensions of positions anyone can assume. Immigrant identities, particularly students, can especially be conceptualized as dynamic and in flux, fluctuating between at least two cultural positions. Sometimes their transnational identities can be conceived as hybridized and dialogic between these cultural norms.

Distributive Outcomes In Contested Maritime Areas: The Role Of Inside Options In Settling Competing Claims, Áslaug Ásgeirsdóttir, Martin Steinwand

All Faculty Scholarship

Outside options can induce bargaining asymmetries that influence the outcome of international negotiations. This article focuses, however, on the impact of a regime-provided inside option on the willingness to cooperate and the distributive outcomes reached. Using a new data set covering 417 maritime boundaries, that fall under the Law of the Sea framework, this article shows that the ability to find agreement is closely linked to the distributional outcomes that states are able to realize. Different potential gains from cooperation result in bargaining asymmetries that influence both the ability to settle a maritime boundary and the distributive outcome reached when …

Registration Open For Um Museum Photography Workshop, Christina Steube

University of Mississippi News

Participants get hands-on experience under guidance of fine art photographer Brooke White

China’S Future Ssbn Command And Control Structure, David C. Logan

Strategic Forums

China’s ongoing modernization program is transforming the country’s nuclear arsenal from one consisting of a few liquid-fueled, silo-based missiles carrying single warheads to a larger force of more advanced mobile solid-fueled missiles, some of which are capable of carrying multiple warheads. Perhaps most significant for its nuclear policies, China is also on the verge of fielding its first credible sea-based nuclear deterrent, having already completed four nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and with a fifth vessel currently under construction.

A Massively Parallel Evolutionary Computation Approach For Redistricting Optimization And Analysis, Wendy K. Tam Cho, Yan Liu

Purdue GIS Day

No abstract provided.