Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Stealing From Grandma Or Generating Knowledge? Constestations And Effects Of Cheating In Whyville, Deborah A. Fields, Y. B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Much research has described the various practices needed of gaining access and participation in multi-user game communities. Cheat sites are a continuation of game communities where players engage in knowledge building about game related challenges. In this paper we analyze the cheat sites created by players for a tween virtual world called Whyville.net, which encourages youth to participate in a range of social activities and play casual science games. Through analysis we created typologies for both the cheats and sites related to science content. Further, a case study of an exemplary cheat site elaborates on how some player generated sites …

Your Second Selves: Avatar Designs And Identity Play, Y. B. Kafai, Deborah A. Fields, M. S. Cook

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Avatars in online games and worlds are seen as players’ key representations in interactions with each other. In this article, we investigate the avatar design and identity play within a large-scale tween virtual world called Whyville.net, with more than 1.5 million registered players of ages 816. One unique feature of Whyville is the players’ ability to customize their avatars with various face parts and accessories, all designed and sold by other players in Whyville. Our findings report on the expressive resources available for avatar construction, individual tween players’ choices and rationales in creating their avatars, and online postings about avatar …

"Blacks Deserve Bodies Too!" Design And Discussion About Diversity And Race In A Tween Virtual World, Y. B. Kafai, M. S. Cook, Deborah A. Fields

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

In this paper, we investigate racial diversity in avatar design and public discussions about race within a large-scale tween virtual world called Whyville.net, with more than 1.5 million registered players of ages 8—16. One unique feature of Whyville is the player’s ability to customize their avatars with various face parts and accessories, all designed and sold by other players in Whyville. Our findings report on the racial diversity of available resources for avatar construction and online postings about the role of race in avatar design and social interactions in the community. With the growing interest in player-generated content for online …

Crisis - Europe, Anwar Shaikh Phd201

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes,

• Thomas, L. Jr. (2010, February 6). Under siege in Europe. The New York Times. New York, NY: The New York Times Company. With annotations by A. Shaikh, PhD [Handwritten notes]. Manuscript in possession of the author.

• Shaikh, A. (2010). Note regarding a “Crisis” event at Lecture Hall North [Handwritten note]. Manuscript in possession of the author.

• Krugman, P. (2011, January 12). Can Europe be saved? The New York Times. New York, NY: The New York Times Company.

• Eichengreen, B., & O’Rourke, K. H. (2009, June 4). A tale of two depressions. London, UK: …

Learning To Communicate In Multi-Disciplinary Teams, Stephanie Christopher

College of Professional Studies Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Inet Book Proposal, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• Shaikh, A. M. (2010). Inet proposal book. This file is an unpublished work. (p. 1)
• Shaikh, A. M. (2010). Turbulent dynamics and pattern recurrence: Economic analysis in a global context. This file is an unpublished work. (p. 2)
• Shaikh, A. M. (2010-09-10). Chapter 3 footnotes have shifted. Unpublished manuscript notes. (p. 3)
• Shaikh, A. M. (2010-10-05). How ew should be constructed economist view. Unpublished manuscript notes. (p. 4)
• Johnson, R. A. (2010-09-02). Update on your grant application from INET. Unpublished email correspondence. (p. 5)
• Johnson, R. (2010-09-10). Re: Stage I grant proposal …

A Critical Analyses Of How The Hse’S Communications And Public Relations Department Responded To The Swine Flu Pandemic In The Southern Region Of Ireland., Suzanne Mccarthy

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse how the HSE South handled the Swine Flu pandemic. This was largely focused on how the HSE communicated with their publics as well as how they carried out such a large public information campaign. It is also important to understand how the public felt about the management of this pandemic. This thesis was dependant on interviewing various individuals from relevant backgrounds. This included PR and communication personnel employed by the HSE, representative of the media and health care professionals who deal directly with different communities within the general public. The objectives of …

Re-Imagining The Nature Of Development: Biodiversity Conservation And Pastoral Visions In The Northern Areas, Pakistan, Nosheen Ali

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

Examines how, in the mountainous village of Shimshal, national parks and “community-based” conservation projects such as trophy hunting are deeply problematic, promoting exploitive ideologies of nature and development while delegitimizing the values and rights of pastoralists. The Shimshalis have creatively resisted the appropriations of their land by creating a Shimshal Nature Trust, implementing a model of ecological sovereignty instead of “community participation”—challenging the very logic of protected areas in international conservation.

Investigating The “Why” In Whypox: Explorations Of A Virtual Epidemic, Yasmin B. Kafai, Maria Quintero, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Learning scientists have created and used virtual worlds to support players’ historical, scientific, and ecological inquiries. Much less explored has been the impact of community events on players’ investigations in virtual worlds. The authors present here the case of a community event Whypox, a virtual epidemic whose annual outbreak in Whyville affects players’ communication and appearance. The authors analyze the different levels of participation ranging from casual to systematic in which players searched out more information about the Whypox, participated in online discussions about its causes and investigated different scenarios with simulations. The discussion examines ethical concerns, the contributions of …

Weedsin The Flower Garden: An Exploration Of Plagiarism In Graduate Students' Research Proposalsand Its Connection To Enculturation, Esl, And Contextual Factors, Joanna Gilmore, Denise Strickland, Briana Timmerman, Michelle Maher, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Existing literature provides insight into the nature and extent of plagiarism amongst undergraduate students (e.g., Ellery, 2008; Parameswaran & Devi, 2006; Selwyn, 2008). Plagiarism amongst graduate students is relatively unstudied, however, and the existing data are largely based on self-reports. This study investigated the rates and potential causes of plagiarism amongst graduate students in master’s and doctoral programmes in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and science or mathematics education by examining actual research proposals written by graduate students. Results indicate that plagiarism is a prevalent issue at each of the three university sites sampled and across all of the investigated disciplines. …

Going Digital: Questions To Ask When Outsourcing Digitization, Marisa Ramirez

Library Scholarship

Outsourcing digitization of library materials can be a daunting endeavor. Developing a clear sense of project scope, requirements, and expected deliverables can help make a first digitization undertaking a success.

Eportfolios: Good For The Student, Good For The Institution , Jennifer Vincent, Sarah Faye Cohen

Library Scholarship

Presentation on the possibilities and pitfalls of an ePortfolio assessment system. Uses our course-embedded, information literacy rubrics as an example of how ePorts can make a difference in teaching and in gaining faculty buy-in.

Preventing Security Breaches In Business, Pearl Jacobs, Linda Schain

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Technological advancements are constantly changing the world we live in. These advancements are not only changing how we work but also the security of our workplace. High level white collar crime is rapidly becoming a fact of corporate life. Businesses want to avoid becoming victims of these white collar criminals so they attempt to institute controls on all aspects of their operations. These controls are far from 100% effective. Businesses need to take a different approach to the prevention of white collar crime. Perhaps more effective prevention programs can be developed by exploring the various theories of crime causation and …

Applying The “Contextual Integrity” Model Of Privacy To Personal Blogs In The Blogoshere, Frances Grodzinsky, Herman T. Tavani

School of Computer Science & Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, we analyze some controversial aspects of blogging and the blogosphere from the perspective of privacy. In particular, we focus on Helen Nissenbaum’s theory of privacy as “contextual integrity” and apply it to personal blogs, in general, and the case of the “Washingtonienne” blogger, in particular. We examine the question of whether personal blogs that are not password protected can be considered “normatively private contexts” according to Nissenbaum’s principles of privacy. We argue that they cannot. Using Nissenbaum’s original model, we conclude that privacy expectations for those who disclose personal information in such blogs are unrealistic. We also …

Toward The Geography Of Business Incubator Formation In The United States, Junbo Yu, Mark Middleton, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

The geography of business incubators has seldom been examined against the public aspirations and beliefs that incubators should either inhabit economically distressed areas to alleviate unemployment and poverty (in the case of empowerment business incubators) or proliferate in technologically capable regions to adequately unleash and exploit local high-technology potentials (in the case of technology business incubators). In this paper, the geographic distribution of 719 U.S. business incubators, which are located in 465 out of the 3,141 counties, is examined drawing upon a newly built incubator population database. In addition, the location factors underlying the formation of business incubators are also …

A Spatial Analysis Of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program And Economic Conditions In The Appalachian Region, Nyakundi M. Michieka, Archana Pradhan, Tesfa Gebremedhin

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps low income people and families buy food they need for good health. The main objective of this study is to examine the effects of changes in the economic conditions and welfare on SNAP participation in the Appalachian region. The study employs county level data to capture variation in SNAP participation. Spatial econometric models are developed to examine the relationship among the economic and business cycle conditions, changes in welfare reforms, demographic and household attributes, institutional factors, and SNAP participation. The findings from this study could be helpful in improving welfare programs in this region.

A Dynamic Shift Share Analysis Of Economic Growth In West Virginia, Janaranjana Herath, Tesfa Gebremedhin, Blessing M. Maumbe

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

A regional economy consists of industries with a variety of economic potentials. A growth or decline in any of these sectors affects the overall growth of the economy. Analysis of economic growth by sector of a particular region helps policy makers, community leaders and researchers in better decision making and problem solving. This study attempts to analyze the employment growth pattern and policy implications in the economic development of West Virginia using a dynamic shift share analysis. The study uses employment data for 38 years from 1970 to 2007 for the empirical analysis. Results indicate that agriculture, mining and manufacturing …

What Causes Waste Flows? An Interregional Analysis Of Welsh Waste Shipments, Christa D. Jensen, Stuart Mcintyre

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Much of the waste flow literature focuses on international waste trade and oftentimes solely on trade in hazardous wastes. However, data is often available for waste flows within national borders and these flows could yield just as much information on the relationships that exist between origins and destinations. In a world where waste creation, transport, and disposal is becoming a global problem, understanding and modeling these flows is becoming increasingly important. This paper uses a gravity model approach and data on commercial waste shipments between local authorities within Wales to examine the characteristics that are responsible for origin-destination waste flow …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Interactions Between Environmental Regulations And Economic Growth, Chali Nondo, Peter V. Schaeffer, Tesfa Gebremedhin, Jerald J. Fletcher

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between environmental regulation and economic growth. A four-equation regional growth model is used to analyze the simultaneous relationships among changes in population, employment, per capita income, and environmental regulations for the 410 counties in Appalachia. Our results reveal that initial conditions for environmental regulation are negatively related to regional growth factors of change in population, per capita income, and total employment. From this, we infer that the diversion of resources from production and investment activities to pollution abatement is inadvertently transmitted to other sectors of the economy—thereby resulting in a …

A Spatial Analysis Of Poverty And Income Inequality In The Appalachian Region, Sudiksha Joshi, Tesfa Gebremedhin

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

The Appalachian Region has made progress in the various measures of development but still lags behind other national counterparts. Understanding the relationship between poverty and income inequality is important to evaluate how a development strategy would benefit the region. This paper presents a spatial simultaneous equations approach to determine the relationship between poverty and income inequality. Cross sectional county level data from 1990 and 2000 for the 420 counties in the Appalachian Region are used to examine the determinants of poverty and income inequality. The empirical results suggest that poverty and income inequality are inversely related. If the policy objective …

Who Generates Hazardous Wastes? Attribution Of Producer And Consumer Responsibility Within The Us, Christa D. Jensen

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Amid changing attitudes about the environment and increasing sustainability concerns, many countries around the world aim to curb waste generation, especially the generation of hazardous wastes. Beginning in the late 1970’s and occurring increasingly since, governments and international bodies are passing legislation and treaties dealing with the reduction of hazardous waste generation and waste minimization in general. For future waste minimization policies to have an impact on hazardous waste generation, methods for determining where the ultimate responsibility for hazardous waste generation lies need to be explored. This paper examines hazardous waste generation in the United States at the industry level …

National And State Economic Impact Of Netl, Randall Jackson, Amanda Krugh, Brian Lashier, Ronald Munson

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

This report documents the development of state-level input-output models for Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Oregon and the augmentation of the national input-output model that was developed previously for the project Valuing Domestically Produced Natural Gas and Oil . The state IO models were developed to assess the FY08 economic impacts of expenditures, employment, and research and development awards at the NETL sites located in Pittsburgh, PA; Morgantown, WV; and Albany, OR. The national IO model was developed to assess the FY08 economic impacts of NETL site expenditures, awards, and employment at the national level.

Energy Consumption And Economic Growth: Evidence From Comesa Countries, Chali Nondo

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

This study applies panel data techniques to investigate the long-run relationship between energy consumption and GDP for a panel of 19 African countries (COMESA) based on annual data for the period 1980-2005. In the first step, we examine the degree of integration between GDP and energy consumption and find that the variables are integrated of order one. In the second step, we investigate the long-run relationship between energy consumption and GDP; our results provide strong evidence that GDP and energy consumption move together in the long-run. In the third step, we estimate the long-run relationship and test for causality using …

Obesity Prevention: A Review Of The Interactions And Interventions, And Some Policy Implications, Anura Amarasinghe, Gerard D'Souza

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions especially in the developed and, more recently, in the developing world where the problem is compounded by myriad socio-economic, demographic, built and natural environmental factors. This review examines the possible causes, consequences and policy implications using a multilevel, multispectral framework. The causes of obesity clearly are multifaceted and involve numerous interactions. Together with economic incentives, allocation of physical and financial resources to community intervention strategies through educational programs as well as better land use planning would be helpful in promoting healthier and sustainable communities. Towards this goal, we proposed a dynamic and integrated Individual, Social, …

Time Dynamics And The Introduction Of New Technologies Within Io Analysis, Christa D. Jensen, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Although Input-Output (IO) models are widely accepted tools for regional scientists and economists alike, there are still many issues to confront during their application, including estimating impacts relative to future years, dynamic impacts, and the introduction of new technologies within economic systems. Oftentimes, especially within energy and environmental subject areas, applications call for not only the introduction of new technologies but also for forecasts of economic impacts that may take years, or even decades, to fully implement. Despite the static nature of the IO modeling framework, these types of situations can be handled successfully and in ways fully consistent with …

---

Go to article

Methodological Challenges And Institutional Barriers In The Use Of Experimental Method For The Evaluation Of Business Incubators: Lessons From The Us, Eu And China, Junbo Yu, Peter Nijkamp

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Despite their worldwide adoption by policy makers as the Holy Grail for entrepreneurship and business development, the effectiveness of business incubation programs remain elusive, primarily plagued by untenable evaluation methods. This paper develops an in-depth analysis on those methodological and institutional factors that prohibit the use of theoretically sound solutions such as the Experimental Method in evaluation practice.

The Relationship Between Obesity And Skin And Soft Tissue Infections, Juliana Swiney

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Problem:

It is well known that our country is experiencing an obesity epidemic: 33.9% of all adults are obese (BMI>30) and 67% of adults are either overweight or obese (BMI>25). Obesity is a risk factor for several serious disease states such as, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, heart disease and some types of cancer. It also has a less well defined relationship with skin and soft tissue infections.

Although it is known that excessive weight increases the opportunity for harmful skin conditions, this relationship has not been as well studied. Some of the mechanisms that predispose obese people to …

Race, Class, And Whiteness In Gifted And Talented Identification: A Case Study, Kathleen Barlow, C. Elaine Dunbar

Anthropology and Museum Studies Faculty Scholarship

What began fifteen years ago as a volunteer effort to promote desegregation via a gifted and talented magnet school has become a case study analyzing inequalities in the identification of young children for gifted and talented services. We use Cheryl Harris’ (1993) argument that “whiteness” is a form of property that creates and maintains inequalities through the conjoining of race and class. We show how gifted and talented status meets the criteria of white property interests and is defended by recourse to law and policy. Efforts to improve identification of students for gifted services reveal that the implicit operation of …

The Corporeal Idea, Brian A. Shaw

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The act of transforming the ever elusive idea to the glorified art that appears on the “silver screen” is neither glamorous nor easy. I find the process often misrepresented in the eyes of the common viewer, and until the last four years of my undergraduate career, I saw through those same skewed eyes. The art of filmmaking is in its very essence a battle of wills and a test of endurance. It takes more than a great idea to breathe life into a project. It takes perseverance, preparation, cooperation, and most of all, a lot of luck! My experiences as …

Raising A Ghost Town, Bethany Truax

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This video documents the town of Oakwood Acres in McKee, KY. Oakwood Acres is a 1920's era town built completely by eighty-eight year old McKee resident, Travis Sparks. With no blue-print, Sparks created the entire town by hand. Currently there are twenty-two buildings on site, including a farm house, blacksmith shop, general store, school house, doctor's office, service station, and a church. Raising a Ghost Town looks at the motivation behind Oakwood Acres and how it continues to grow. In three segments the video moves from an over view of the town, to Sparks tour guide, to the future Oakwood …