Digital Commons Network^™

Customer Domination At Work: A New Paradigm For The Sexual Harassment Of Employees By Customers, Einat Albin

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

This Article introduces a novel legal paradigm—customer domination at work—to address the sexual harassment of employees by customers. This new approach challenges the prevailing paradigm, which focuses on the employer-employee binary relationship. I show how, under current Title VII law, the prevailing paradigm leads to a weaker form of employer liability than other instances where employers are liable for the sexual harassment of their employees. The protection for workers is also limited. The same is true of two other legal regimes discussed in the Article: Germany and Britain. More importantly, I argue that the prevailing paradigm precludes a true understanding …

Effect Of A Ubiquitous Moral Cue On Ethical Leadership, Moral Disengagement And Goal Difficulty: Real-World Outcomes Of A Novel Behavioural Intervention By Mobile Application Technology, Boon Heon Tan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Firms invest significant resources in their ethical infrastructure to influence the ethical decision-making of employees. The advent of mobile technology has extended the frontier of interventions that may discourage unethical behaviour, through the use of ubiquitously-present mobile-based moral cues. I conducted a prospective, randomized field experiment, to study how a ubiquitous moral cue may positively enhance ethical decision-making. Sales professionals working in a pharmaceutical firm in China were assigned randomly by teams to either receive, or not, a mobile application from their firm’s compliance department. Over six months, participants completed three cross-sectional surveys, and were randomly monitored by an independent …

The Considerations Given To Determining Authorship, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

Greetings GPNSS members! Over the past year, I have been asked by prospective authors and colleagues whether The Prairie Naturalist has criteria for authorship. Given that this issue continues to arise, it is comforting to know that I am not the only one who struggles with considerations given to determining authorship. I checked the current submission guidelines and found nothing specific, which in turn motivated me to explore what other journals such as the Journal of Wildlife Management, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Ecology recommend to prospective authors (Merrill 2015). Much to my surprise, discussions of authorship …

Rqgis: Integrating R With Qgis For Statistical Geocomputing, Jannes Muenchow, Patrick Schratz, Alexander Brenning

The R Journal

Integrating R with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) extends R’s statistical capabilities with numerous geoprocessing and data handling tools available in a GIS. QGIS is one of the most popular open-source GIS, and it furthermore integrates other GIS programs such as the System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA) GIS and the Geographic Resources Analysis Support System (GRASS) GIS within a single software environment. This and its QGIS Python API makes it a perfect candidate for console-based geoprocessing. By establishing an interface, the R package RQGIS makes it possible to use QGIS as a geoprocessing workhorse from within R. Compared to other …

Simulating Probabilistic Long-Term Effects In Models With Temporal Dependence, Christopher Gandrud, Laron K. Williams

The R Journal

The R package pltesim calculates and depicts probabilistic long-term effects in binary models with temporal dependence variables. The package performs two tasks. First, it calculates the change in the probability of the event occurring given a change in a theoretical variable. Second, it calculates the rolling difference in the future probability of the event for two scenarios: one where the event occurred at a given time and one where the event does not occur. The package is consistent with the recent movement to depict meaningful and easy-to-interpret quantities of interest with the requisite measures of uncertainty. It is the first …

Bayesbd: An R Package For Bayesian Inference On Image Boundaries, Nicholas Syring, Meng Li

The R Journal

Wepresent the BayesBD package providing Bayesian inference for boundaries of noisy images. The BayesBD package implements flexible Gaussian process priors indexed by the circle to recover the boundary in a binary or Gaussian noised image. The boundary recovered by BayesBD has the practical advantages of guaranteed geometric restrictions and convenient joint inferences under certain assumptions, in addition to its desirable theoretical property of achieving (nearly) minimax optimal rate in a way that is adaptive to the unknown smoothness. The core sampling tasks for our model have linear complexity, and are implemented in C++ for computational efficiency using packages Rcpp and …

Jittery Gauges: Combating The Polarizing Effect Of Political Data Visualizations Through Uncertainty, Bethany Blaire Hardy

Theses and Dissertations

Since the late 1800s, public data visualizations displaying election forecasts and results—such as the red and blue map of the United State—have presented an irreparably divided country. However, on November 8, 2016, the New York Times published a data visualization on their live presidential forecast page that broke over a century of visual expectations, inspiring many to tweet reactions to what popular media has dubbed the "jittery gauges." Not surprisingly, the tweets about this unique and difficult-to-interpret display were mostly negative. This paper argues, though, that the negative feedback indicates that the gauges, while imperfect, represent an important step away …

Strengths And Limitations Of Nitrogen Rate Recommendations For Corn And Opportunities For Improvement, Thomas F. Morris, T. Scott Murrell, Douglas B. Beegle, James J. Camberato, Richard B. Ferguson, John H. Grove, Quirine Ketterings, Peter M. Kyveryga, Carrie A.M. Laboski, Joshua M. Mcgrath, John J. Meisinger, Jeff Melkonian, Bianca N. Moebius-Clune, Emerson D. Nafziger, Deanna Osmond, John E. Sawyer, Peter C. Scharf, Walter Smith, John T. Spargo, Harold M. Van Es, Haishun Yang

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Nitrogen fi xation by the Haber–Bosch process has more than doubled the amount of fi xed N on Earth, significantly influencing the global N cycle. Much of this fi xed N is made into N fertilizer that is used to produce nearly half of the world’s food. Too much of the N fertilizer pollutes air and water when it is lost from agroecosystems through volatilization, denitrification, leaching, and runoff. Most of the N fertilizer used in the United States is applied to corn (Zea mays L.), and the profitability and environmental footprint of corn production is directly tied to N …

Wangari Maathai The Educator: Straddling Tradition And Modernity, Namulundah Florence

Journal of Global Education and Research

Wangari Muta Mary Jo Maathai’s (April 1, 1940 – September 25, 2011) public image highlights her nationality, her education both in and outside Kenya, her establishment of the Green Belt Movement (GBM) for which she received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, and her political activism. Advocates for female empowerment take solace in success stories like Maathai’s rise from a village girl to become a global icon of leadership. Yet, her mobility was more circumstantial than it was deliberate, and is inseparable from the uneasy compromise between the traditional gender roles of her youth with the critical consciousness nurtured in …

Geographical Scale, Industrial Diversity And Regional Economic Stability, Jing Chen

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

The empirical relationship between economic diversity and economic stability varies when it is measured at dfferent geographical scales. This paper evaluates the role of geographical scales in assessing this diversity-stability relationship among counties, states, Economic Areas (EAs), metropolitan counties and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the contiguous U.S. When choosing geographical units to analyze regional economic structure, it is necessary that the geographical units be large enough in population and employment to quantify effectively the regional economic structure. In addition, this paper proposes that geographical units also should be functionally aggregated regions as they better represent spatial interactions than formal …

Gendered Ecologies And Black Feminist Futures In Ibi Zoboi’S “The Farming Of Gods,” Wanuri Kahiu’S Pumzi, And Wangechi Mutu’S The End Of Eating Everything, Amanda Renee Rico

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

This paper addresses how the works of three female authors and artists from various parts of Africa and the Diaspora — Pumzi by Wanuri Kahiu, The End of eating Everything by Wangechi Mutu, and “The Farming of the Gods” by Ibi Zoboi — imagine a black feminist future through ecological imagery. My argument is twofold: first, I take my cue from Mutu’s assertion that imaginative forms of world-building must connect systemic corruption to consumptive practices. Second, I claim such Afrofuturist works use geographical spaces marked by ecological abuse (poisonous spores, pustules, desert landscapes), displacement (discarded objects) and violence (human limbs) …

Uni Grad Student News, V16n2, December 2017, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate College.

UNI Grad Student News

Inside this Issue:

--Alumni Profile
--Student Profile
--Conference Information
--Winter Break Activities
--Brown Bag Lectures
--Faculty Profile
--Professional Development
--Student Accolades

Exploring Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Development In Tanzanian Secondary Schools: A Case Study Of Two Public Secondary Schools In Ilala Municipality In Dar Es Salaam, Tatu Selemani Irunde

Master of Education

This study focused on mathematics teachers’ perceptions of professional development (PD) in Tanzanian secondary schools. The study was conducted in two public secondary schools in Ilala Municipality, in Dar es Salaam. The schools were selected purposively. The participants of this study were head teachers, academic teachers, heads of mathematics departments, and mathematics teachers. The data collection methods used in this study included interviews, surveys, focus group discussion (FGD), and document analysis. The findings of this study were analyzed qualitatively through thematic analysis. The study found out that, teachers perceived professional development as programs to improve teaching as well as continuous …

A Study To Explore Classroom Factors Influencing The Teaching And Learning Of Mathematics In Secondary Schools: A Case Of A Secondary School In Tanga Region Tanzania, Lola Selele Kamaghe

Master of Education

Mathematics has been a subject whereby much effort has been directed for a number of years for the aim of improving students‟ achievements. However the improvements seem to be catching up slowly. Efforts such as increasing the number of teachers and learning materials like books by the government have not succeeded to change the trend of performances. Although several studies have been conducted coming up with various recommendations still their implementation is a challenge. This study aims to find out what can be done in classrooms to improve achievement in mathematics. The study approach was qualitative because it aimed at …

Seeing Prehistory Through New Lenses: Using Geophysical And Statistical Analysis To Identify Fresh Perspectives Of A 15th Century Mandan Occupation, Amber Marie Mitchum

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Great Plains prehistoric research has evolved over the course of a century, with many sites like Huff Village (32MO11) in North Dakota recently coming back to the forefront of discussion through new technological applications. Through a majority of its studies and excavations, Huff Village appeared to endure as the final stage in the Middle Missouri tradition. Long thought to reflect only systematically placed long-rectangular structure types of its Middle Missouri predecessors, recent magnetic gradiometry and topographic mapping data revealed circular structure types that deviated from long-held traditions, highlighting new associations with Coalescent groups. A compact system for food capacity was …

S.T.O.R.I.E. Time, Fall Semester 2017, University Of Northern Iowa. Human Relations: Awareness And Applications (Fall 2017)

S.T.O.R.I.E. Time

Seniors Teach Others Real Intergenerational Experiences (S.T.O.R.I.E.)

Teacher Education Majors at the University of Northern Iowa are matched with senior adults residing at Western Home Communities. During their ten one-hour meetings, the students and residents are guided in their discussions by the book Gratitude: Affirming One Another through Stories (2013) written by UNI Emeritus Faculty, Dr. Len Froyen. Through conversations and stories, the seniors of both generations are enhancing their understanding, compassion and acceptance of each other. S.T.O.R.I.E. Time gives the seniors a chance to choose a story together that will be written for the book.

Interview With Peter Mclaren: “Critical Education Must Transform The World”, Javier Collado-Ruano, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Javier Collado-Ruano interviews Peter McLaren about his views on critical pedagogy and how to transform traditional formal education away from capitalist structures.

Species Are Not Most Abundant In The Centre Of Their Geographic Range Or Climatic Niche, Tad Dallas, Robin R. Decker, Alan Hastings

Faculty Publications

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS The pervasive idea that species should be most abundant in the centre of their geographic range or centre of their climatic niche is a key assumption in many existing ecological hypotheses and has been declared a general macroecological rule. However, empirical support for decreasing population abundance with increasing distance from geographic range or climatic niche centre (distance–abundance relationships) remains fairly weak. We examine over 1400 bird, mammal, fish and tree species to provide a thorough test of distance–abundance relationships, and their associations with species traits and phylogenetic relationships. We failed to detect consistent …

The Phylogeny Of Heliconia (Heliconiaceae) And The Evolution Of Floral Presentation, William J.D. Iles, Chodon Sass, Laura Lagomarsino, Gracie Benson-Martin, Heather Driscoll, Chelsea D. Specht

Faculty Publications

© 2016 Elsevier Inc. Heliconia (Heliconiaceae, order Zingiberales) is among the showiest plants of the Neotropical rainforest and represent a spectacular co-evolutionary radiation with hummingbirds. Despite the attractiveness and ecological importance of many Heliconia, the genus has been the subject of limited molecular phylogenetic studies. We sample seven markers from the plastid and nuclear genomes for 202 samples of Heliconia. This represents ca. 75% of accepted species and includes coverage of all taxonomic subgenera and sections. We date this phylogeny using fossils associated with other families in the Zingiberales; in particular we review and evaluate the Eocene fossil Ensete oregonense. …

Comparison Of Five Methods For Parameter Estimation Under Taylor's Power Law, Peijian Shi, David A. Ratkowsky, Ningtao Wang, Yang Li, Lei Zhao, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Bai Lian Li

Faculty Publications

Taylor's power law (TPL) can be applied to the mean-variance relationship for various quantities, e.g., population densities over space and time, biomass of plants in the growth processes, developmental rates and growth rates of arthropods at different temperatures, etc. When TPL holds in the grouped data (e.g., the biomass of plants at different investigation times with limited replicates at each investigation), we must consider the heterocedasticity when carrying out the parameter estimation for a given mathematical model. We propose two new target functions based on TPL and attempt to more accurately estimate the model parameter(s). By capturing the mean-variance relationship, …

Effects Of Isolation On Ant Assemblages Depend On Microhabitat, Xuan Chen, Benjamin Adams, Michael Layne, Christopher Swarzenski, David Norris, Linda Hooper-Bui

Faculty Publications

How isolation affects biological communities is a fundamental question in ecology and conservation biology. Local diversity (α) agnd regional diversity (γ) are consistently lower in insular areas. The pattern of species turnover (β diversity) and the influence of isolation on competitive interactions are less predictable. Differences in communities across microhabitats within an isolated patch could contribute to the variability in patterns related to isolation. Trees form characteristically dense and sparse patches (low vs. high isolation) in floating marshes in coastal Louisiana, and canopy and root areas around these trees could support distinct ant communities. Consequently, trees in floating marshes provide …

Industry Effect On Venture Capital And Private Equity Backed Transactions, Samarth Gupta

Open Access Theses

Purpose: The aim of this research is to contrast transaction multiples of mergers and acquisitions backed by private equity and venture capital investors against all other types of transactions. Design: The researcher conducted an independent samples t-test on 20-year historical data of mergers and acquisitions gathered through Capital IQ database. Findings: The researcher found that there is a statistically significant difference in transaction multiples of mergers and acquisitions backed by private equity and venture capital firms as compared to those mergers and acquisitions that were not backed by a private equity or venture capital firm. Originality and Value: The findings …

Analytics Protocol For Data-Driven Decision-Making In The Construction Industry, Ashwini Jain

Open Access Theses

Due to the unique nature of construction projects and the need for leaders in the business to have knowledge from multiple fields, it has become difficult for decision makers to confidently make choices in their complex working environment. Over time, data availability and computational power have both improved. Moreover, technological advancements from the past few years have overwhelmed the industry by generating a diverse amount data from various sources. This large amount of data makes it possible to find nuggets of information. However, in this digital era, collecting data is not the problem, but how to extract useful information is …

Border Relations: A Bioarchaeological Lnvestigation Of The Xiongnu Polity, Jeremy J. Beach

Open Access Dissertations

The Xiongnu were the first mobile pastoralist steppe polity to rise up from the Mongolian Steppe. Previous scholarship attributed the emergence of the Xiongnu to their peripheral location and interactions with sedentary China. It was argued that a polity the size of the Xiongnu could not be sustained on a pastoral economy, therefore they turned their attention to interactions with China to fuel their economic and political growth outside of the steppe. This line of thought has come to be known as Dependency Theory and food was at the center of this dependency argument. The expansion of a pastoral economy …

Developing And Measuring Effectiveness Of A New Evidence-Based Grain Storage And Handling Safety Curriculum Targeting Young And Beginning Workers, Yuan-Hsin Cheng

Open Access Dissertations

Research was conducted on the development, testing, and implementation of an original, evidence-based curriculum (Against the Grain) designed to reduce the frequency and severity of the most frequent types of injuries and fatalities involving young and beginning workers, ages 14-20, at grain storage and handling operations. This population has historically accounted for approximately 24% of documented entrapments, engulfments, asphyxiations, entanglements, falls, and electrocutions associated with grain handling and storage. This includes incidents during both workrelated and non-work or recreational activities. Curriculum contents were based upon data summarized from Purdue’s Agricultural Confined Spaces Incident Database (PACSID), review of relevant injury prevention …

Analysis Of Data Of Different Spatial Support: A Multivariate Process Approach, Kelly-Ann N. Dixon Hamil

Open Access Dissertations

Inherent to a spatial variable is the unit of support at which it is measured. In many studies, variables are observed at different support. For example, disease rates might be measured at an aggregated level while temperature is usually measured at specific points. It is still an interesting problem to study the relationship of variables having different support. However, it may be a different problem to statistically model the relationship of variables of different support, particularly when the supports do not have a hierarchical structure. Currently, cokriging, the use of one or more spatial variables to predict another variable, is …

Radical Manifest Destiny: Mapping Power Over Urban Green Space In The Age Of Protest, 1968-1988, Kera N. Lovell

Open Access Dissertations

My dissertation traces how conflicts concerning power over green space in the urban realm sparked a pattern of insurgent park creation as a form of political placemaking in the late Cold War era. While urban and environmental historians and spatial studies scholars have illuminated how cities became the context of political disputes over power and space in the twentieth century, my work sheds light on radical, community-driven environmental design as a method of protest between the late 1960s and late 1980s. While focused on a handful of central case studies across the U.S., my work situates them within a disconnected …

The Political Economy Of Tobacco In The Seventeenth Century English Atlantic, Ruth Savidge Turpin

Open Access Dissertations

This thesis examines the political economy of tobacco in England and the Chesapeake in the seventeenth century, including production and labor, distribution and shipping, markets, taxes, and consumers. Because of James I’s struggles with Parliament, tobacco achieved a special tax status and thus a special relationship to the English Crown. That relationship persisted through the reign of Charles I, across the Interregnum, and into the Restoration. Tobacco was grown as a cash crop in both England and the Chesapeake. In England, production was exclusively by independent landowners hungry for a cash crop. English tobacco growing was outlawed in 1619, but …

Creating Accountability With Interstate Cooperation: Unauthorized Water Use Enforcement On The Klamath River, Luke Fowler, Isaac Castellano

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

While lacking coercive power to compel enforcement, interstate compacts create accountability through multiple sources and layers connecting enforcement behavior to oversight. Using logistic regression, we test a model of accountability and enforcement of unauthorized water usage on the Klamath River. Findings indicate unauthorized water usage is far more likely to be reported and enforced on the Klamath River than on neighboring rivers in the same counties. Conclusions indicate the increased institutional layers of interstate compacts lead to more accountability and stringent enforcement and reporting of unauthorized water use.

A Constitutional Jurisprudence Of Children’S Vulnerability, Lois A. Weithorn

UC Law Journal

No abstract provided.