Dangerous incentives : examining the need for an ethical standard for forensic economists

Since the 1970\u27s, the field of forensic economics has grown considerably into a major sub-field within the greater discipline of economics. However, the growing demand for forensic economists, coupled with the rapid growth of financial compensation for forensic economists, has fueled concerns about the effect this expansion is having on the overall tone of economic debate, the individual behavior of forensic economists, and the ethical credibility of economics as a whole. Through the use of an illustrative case study, this paper synthesizes the current discussion regarding the lack of ethical standards in forensic economics while evaluating various proposals that have been put forth to restore confidence and credibility within forensic economics. The case study demonstrates that serious shortfalls still exist in regards to comprehensive ethical standards to guide forensic economists and ultimately highlights the need for continued research into the issue to find a suitable standard

Analysis of Ball Corporation's Fairfield can manufacturing plant and the potential for industrial wastewater recycling

2016 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Ball Corporation is an American manufacturing company based in Broomfield, CO, which is best known for its work in the aluminum can and packaging industry. Ball Corporation has a vision of becoming a more sustainable and environmentally responsible manufacturer around the globe. With this in mind, Ball Corporation approached Colorado State University in the spring of 2015 with a request to conduct a study on the feasibility of conserving water use in its manufacturing plants. This study is the result of that initial request. Ball Corporation’s can manufacturing plant in Fairfield, California was studied in three different phases. The first phase involved a water audit of the Fairfield plant. The can washers at the plant produce 80% of the plants wastewater and were quickly identified as the primary opportunity for recycling. City of Fairfield municipal water quality was characterized and set as the target water quality for the treatment and recycling process. By comparing the effluent industrial wastewater quality to the city’s municipal water quality, macro parameters of most concern such as suspended solids, total organic carbon (TOC), and dissolved solids were determined. Effluent water from the plant averaged a turbidity of 23 NTUs, a conductivity of 6.46 mS/µm, and a TOC of 105 mg/L, while the municipal water quality reported 0.065 NTUs, 0.346 mS/µm, and 2 mg/L of TOC. The second phase of the study involved the actual bench scale testing of treatment processes at CSU. From June 2015 to March 2016, ten different grab samples of industrial wastewater from the Fairfield plant were sent to CSU. These samples were treated through coagulation, filtration, granular activated carbon, and reverse osmosis processes. The main results suggested that chemical coagulation was effective in removing some suspended solids, but not TOC. Electrocoagulation showed more promise in removing TOC. Ultrafiltration was very effective at eliminating suspended solids, but was unable to reduce TOC. TOC concentrations remained high after 0.05 µm ultrafiltration and even after 1 kDa filtration. Granular activated carbon (GAC) was able to reduce and completely remove 100% of TOC concentration with high enough doses. This reduction of TOC, was helpful in reverse osmosis. Reduction in TOC with GAC proved to increase flux across the membranes and produce a more pure permeate. After bench testing, a full treatment train of electrocoagulation, ultrafiltration, GAC, and reverse osmosis was proposed. This treatment train produced water quality with a turbidity of 0 NTU, conductivity of 0.32 mS/µm, and a TOC of 0 mg/L. This matches the municipal water quality goal. The third phase of the project involved a cost analysis of the proposed treatment train. WaterTectonics, a water treatment company out of Everett, WA, assisted CSU in providing pilot scale treatment options for Ball to consider. A 20 GPM treatment train consisting of electrocoagulation, ultrafiltration, GAC, and reverse osmosis was compared to an identical treatment train without the electrocoagulation step. The price difference for Ball to consider between the two pilots was $30,000

Evaluating High School Students’ Constitutional and Civic Literacy: A Case Study of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project

The United States maintains a reputation as a vibrant, participatory democracy. Yet, paradoxically, formal civics education has essentially disappeared from America’s public high schools, particularly urban public schools serving low-income and minority students. The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, which is offered at almost zero cost to public schools and districts, developed as a response to the need for civics education in high schools and as a way to train future lawyers in public speaking, leadership, and counseling. In an effort to support the growth of the Marshall-Brennan Project all over the country, the authors of this piece came together to study the Marshall-Brennan Project’s efficacy in Washington, DC during the 2010-2011 academic year. This Essay is based on a comprehensive data set of students in fifteen classes in twelve Washington, DC public and public charter schools during the 2010-2011 academic year. Students were asked substantive questions related to the curriculum, as well as their likelihood of participating in civic activities such as voting and jury service. The results indicate increased constitutional knowledge and higher likelihood of civic participation, although there is room for improvement. The Essay ends with two conclusions. First, the authors seek to inspire a subsequent, larger study of the efficacy of the Marshall-Brennan model of training law students to teach high school students about the Constitution. Second, until a larger study is conducted, the authors draw from the 2010-2011 data to suggest changes to the current model, including a greater focus on drawing connections between civic knowledge and civic action

Motor Vehicle Injuries among Semi Truck Drivers and Sleeper Berth Passengers

Introduction: Injuries and fatalities due to large truck and other vehicle crashes have decreased over the last decade, but motor vehicle injuries remain a leading cause of death for both the working and general populations. The present study was undertaken to determine semi truck driver and sleeper berth passenger injury risk in a moving semi truck collision using a matched-pair cohort study. Method: Study data were obtained from the Kentucky Collision Report Analysis for Safer Highways (CRASH) electronic files for 2000 - 2010. A matched-pair cohort study was used to compare the odds of injury of both drivers and sleeper berth passengers within the same semi truck controlling for variables specific to the crash or the semi truck. The crude odds ratio of injury was estimated and a statistical model for a correlated outcome using generalized estimating equations was utilized. Results: In a moving semi truck collision, the odds for an injury were increased by 2.25 times for both semi truck drivers and sleeper berth passengers who did not use occupant safety restraints compared to semi truck drivers and sleeper berth passengers who used occupant safety restraints at the time of the collision. The driver seat or sleeper berth position in the vehicle was not a significant factor (p-value= 0.31) associated with a moving semi truck collision injury. Conclusion: Nonuse of occupant safety restraints by either drivers or sleeper berth passengers significantly increased the odds of an injury in a moving semi truck collision; semi truck seating position (driver’s seat or sleeper berth) did not increase the odds for an injury in moving collisions. Impact on Industry: Trucking companies should include the mandatory use of occupant safety restraints by both semi truck drivers and sleeper berth passengers in their company safety policies

The Beirut Coffeehouse and Café

Beirut, a city with multiple histories, multiple profiles, and contested cultural identities, remains at the heart of cultural production. I argue that the Beirut coffeehouse and cafe shed light on Beirut’s identity, serving as a place that both represents and reflects culture, and a place that produces and informs culture. This thesis aims to study the arrival and history of coffee and the coffeehouse in Beirut, the transformation of the urban space, the significance and importance of the coffeehouse, and the multilayered representations of the coffeehouse and cafe through film and literature in Lebanon. The introduction of coffee in Beirut predates this paper by a few centuries, as this paper focuses on the 1950s through the 1980s, with a special emphasis on the 1960s and 1970s. The reasons behind this chosen time period include Lebanon’s independence in 1943 and the importance of looking at Lebanon through the lens of its nation-building period, the second Arab Nahda that speaks volumes of the cultural production in the region, and the years leading up to and leading through the first half of the Lebanese civil war, which begs the questions of national identity and national representation. To reiterate, I argue that coffeehouses serve as a lens in which to study the culture of Beirut and attempt to define the culture of Beirut as I study the movements that came out of these spaces. In order to take one step further in understanding cultural production, I will highlight a few case studies which will look at national icons, films, and historic moments

A Toolbox for Research – Population Data BC’s tools for overcoming challenges in the data access process

Introduction Navigating the regulatory environment of data access is complex. Where there are common challenges, there are opportunities to develop systems and services that can help researchers. These tools are designed to ensure secure and smooth navigation of the process of data access and data analysis. Objectives and Approach There is increasing focus on technical solutions to support data requests and analysis. We have responded to existing challenges by developing a suite of tools and services including: MetaData Central, DARonline, AppTracker, Snippets, and REDCap. We will describe the obstacles that motivated each tool, how it was built, and how it addresses the original issue. We will also discuss the overall challenges in building these tools, including technical complexity and getting buy-in from data stewards and researchers. Finally, we will touch on some of the progress we have seen based on these tools, and our plans for future development. Results Major obstacles included providing information to researchers to help form their data request, communications among researchers, data stewards and PopData, general automation of procedures, and sharing among researchers. The tools developed in response include: MetaData Central, AppTracker (for project tracking); DARonline (for data requests); REDCap (for primary data collection); and Snippets (for code sharing). MetaData Central has proven to be a valuable resource for all stakeholders to learn basic data descriptions without needing access to the record level data. This helps in making sure the data requested meets the needs of the research project. AppTracker is helpful for monitoring applications, and reduces the time it takes for us to monitor compliance and provide reports. Other tools are newer and have less evaluation information. Conclusion/Implications User-friendly, flexible tools are beneficial for making the data access process smoother and for meeting the evolving needs of researchers and data stewards. These tools can create both transparency through a common source of information and efficiency by automating routine processes