Daniel Chudnov, Jeffrey Barnett, Raman Prasad and Matthew Wilcox
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the Unalog software system, a free and open source toolkit for social book marking in academic environments.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the Unalog software system, a free and open source toolkit for social book marking in academic environments.
Design/methodology/approach
The history, objectives, features, and technical design of Unalog is presented, along with a discussion of planned enhancements.
Findings
The Unalog system has been very useful for information sharing among members of the digital library community and a group of beta testers at Yale University, leading its developers to plan several new features and to capitalize on opportunities for integration with other campus systems.
Originality/value
This paper describes a freely available toolkit, which can be used to provide new services through libraries to academic communities, and how those new services might be enhanced by merging the potential they offer for easier information sharing with long‐standing practices of librarianship.
Details
Keywords
Danuta A. Nitecki, Carol Jones and Jeffrey Barnett
This paper aims to describe the development and operation of an unmediated book‐lending service between seven academic libraries in the USA.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe the development and operation of an unmediated book‐lending service between seven academic libraries in the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach is descriptive and analytical.
Findings
It was found that, after a decade of operations, Borrow Direct continues to be a successful service.
Originality/value
The paper offers insights that may be of value to other groups exploring ways to lower costs, improve service quality, and respond to continuing demand for books not available locally.
Details
Keywords
Rui Zhou, Johnny Siu-Hang Li and Jeffrey Pai
The purpose of this paper is to examine the reduction of crop yield uncertainty using rainfall index insurances. The insurance payouts are determined by a transparent rainfall…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the reduction of crop yield uncertainty using rainfall index insurances. The insurance payouts are determined by a transparent rainfall index rather than actual crop yield of any producer, thereby circumventing problems of adverse selection and moral hazard. The authors consider insurances on rainfall indexes of various months and derive an optimal insurance portfolio that minimizes the income variance for a crop producer.
Design/methodology/approach
Various regression models are considered to relate crop yield to monthly mean temperature and monthly cumulative precipitation. A bootstrapping method is used to simulate weather indexes and corn yield in a future year with the correlation between precipitation and temperature incorporated. Based on the simulated scenarios, the optimal insurance portfolio that minimizes the income variance for a crop producer is obtained. In addition, the impact of correlation between temperature and precipitation, availability of temperature index insurance and geographical basis risk on the effectiveness of rainfall index insurance is examined.
Findings
The authors illustrate the approach with the corn yield in Illinois east crop reporting district and weather data of a city in the same district. The analysis shows that corn yield in this district is negatively influenced by excessive precipitation in May and drought in June–August. Rainfall index insurance portfolio can reduce the income variance by up to 51.84 percent. Failing to incorporate the correlation between temperature and precipitation decreases variance reduction by 11.6 percent. The presence of geographical basis risk decreases variance reduction by a striking 24.11 percent. Allowing for the purchase of both rainfall and temperature index insurances increases variance reduction by 13.67 percent.
Originality/value
By including precipitation shortfall into explanatory variables, the extended crop yield model explains more fluctuation in crop yield than existing models. The authors use a bootstrapping method instead of complex parametric models to simulate weather indexes and crop yield for a future year and assess the effectiveness of rainfall index insurance. The optimal insurance portfolio obtained provides insights on the practical development of rainfall insurance for corn producers, from the selection of triggering index to the demand of the insurance.
Details
Keywords
Gary J. Cornwall, Jeffrey A. Mills, Beau A. Sauley and Huibin Weng
This chapter develops a predictive approach to Granger causality (GC) testing that utilizes
Abstract
This chapter develops a predictive approach to Granger causality (GC) testing that utilizes
Details
Keywords
In the context of debates about the performance of Higher Education (HE) in which quantitative measures proliferate, this chapter reports the top line observations of an initial…
Abstract
In the context of debates about the performance of Higher Education (HE) in which quantitative measures proliferate, this chapter reports the top line observations of an initial exploration of the preparedness for practice of recent graduates of a Public Relations (PR) course at a post-1992 United Kingdom (UK) Higher Education Institution (HEI). Preparedness for practice is chosen as a conceptual lens (as preparedness for the uncertainty of practice) because HEIs frequently promise it. Using a Bourdieusian framework, preparedness is considered in relation to habitus-field match and HE performance as capital-added in habitus transformation. The chapter offers a complementary way of considering the dynamic between educator and recent graduate agency and how that might be applied when studying course and student performance, designing curricula and developing appropriate ‘signature pedagogies’, especially for those HE actors tasked with delivering against the ‘promise’ of graduate preparedness. In considering preparedness for practice as a performative function of HE, the chapter is located in wider societal debates about the ‘worth’ of HE and offers insight for educators of future PR practitioners.
Details
Keywords
This chapter attempts to explain why the community of scholars at Stanford University generated an unparalleled amount of highly influential theory and research on organizations…
Abstract
This chapter attempts to explain why the community of scholars at Stanford University generated an unparalleled amount of highly influential theory and research on organizations in the last three decades of the 20th century.1
This chapter examines jury nullification, through which American juries refuse to convict criminal defendants in the face of overwhelming evidence of guilt to express disapproval…
Abstract
This chapter examines jury nullification, through which American juries refuse to convict criminal defendants in the face of overwhelming evidence of guilt to express disapproval of specific criminal laws or of their application to particular defendants, through the political theory of Carl Schmitt. It distinguishes liberal components of American jurisprudence, especially the rule of law, from democratic sovereignty, and shows how the two are in deep tension with one another. In light of this tension it argues that jury nullification amounts to democratic sovereignty applied counter to the liberal state in a way that paradoxically upholds individual liberty.
Details
Keywords
Marianne Snow and Margaret Robbins
This article examines, elementary leveled graphic history, a genre of literature relatively untouched by research. Due to graphic nonfiction’s growing popularity in the realm of…
Abstract
This article examines, elementary leveled graphic history, a genre of literature relatively untouched by research. Due to graphic nonfiction’s growing popularity in the realm of children’s literature and its potential benefits for young readers, teachers may want to incorporate this genre of literature into their social studies curriculum. Despite the genre’s appeal, educators should be careful when introducing graphic histories to their students, as nonfiction texts of any kind can possibly contain inaccuracies and biases that might foster misconceptions. In this study, we used a critical content analysis approach to investigate both images and text in four graphic histories on the Battle of the Alamo. We found these books contain several instances of factual errors and biased perspectives. After our analyses, we discussed implications for using these types of books in the classroom to help students enhance critical literacy skills. We connected recommended critical literacy activities to Common Core State Standards for informational texts and writing.