AI Questions; The AI Tea

This section includes a series of questions related to AI and the exhibit content, as well as button designs by WVU students and Art in the Libraries committee members, a list of the exhibition sponsors, and information on the exhibition launch panel

Three Chapters in International Macroeconomics: Navigating Risk, Development, and Policy with Emphasis on Low-Income Economies

This dissertation explores how structural vulnerabilities and external shocks interact with economic policy tools in shaping development outcome. Each chapter addresses a distinct dimension of risk—environmental, macroeconomic, and political—and evaluates mechanisms through which these challenges can be mitigated or amplified. The focus on low-income economies ensures their unique vulnerabilities are integrated into the research question, addressing critical gaps in economic literature. Chapter 1 addresses how the Sub-Saharan African regions can balance sustainability and development. It uses a time-series methodology to estimate the impact of trade in “green goods” on environmental outcomes. It finds that increases in the trade of environmentally-friendly goods reduce environmental effects. This result has implications for policymakers seeking to align economic growth with environmental preservation in resource-dependent economies. Chapter 2 challenges the assumption that low inflation is always benign for development. Using a nonlinear methodology and updated data, results find that inflation rates negatively impact growth at lower rates of inflation that previously estimated, and even modest inflation rates strongly and adversely affect populations in poverty. The analysis underscores that central banks in these economies face a dual mandate: stabilizing prices is not just about growth but directly protecting vulnerable populations from impoverishment. Chapter 3 investigates how political risk reshapes financial lifelines for fragile economies through remittances. Remittances respond asymmetrically to global versus domestic political shocks. Migrants increase flows to home countries facing instability, offsetting consumption declines by 0.4% of GDP. This highlights remittances’ unique role as an informal safety net, urging policymakers to leverage these flows in crisis response strategies. Together, these chapters provide empirical insights into how risk factors affect macroeconomic outcomes with emphasis on low-income economies. The findings highlight the importance of evidence-based policies that recognize the unique constraints and opportunities across the globe

Project FORESIGHT Annual Report, 2023-2024

Project FORESIGHT is a business-guided self-evaluation of forensic science laboratories across the globe. The participating laboratories represent local, regional, state, and national agencies. Economics, accounting, finance, and forensic faculty provide assistance, guidance, and analysis. Laboratories participating in Project FORESIGHT have developed standardized definitions for metrics to evaluate work processes, linking financial information to work tasks and functions. Laboratory managers can then assess resource allocations, efficiencies, and value of services—the mission of Project FORESIGHT is to measure, preserve what works, and change what does not. The benchmark data for the 2023-2024 performance period includes laboratory submissions for a variety of fiscal year definitions. However, all submissions have December 31, 2023 as part of their fiscal year accounting. The majority of submissions follow a July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 convention. Others follow a year that begins as early as January 1, 2023 (ending December 31, 2023) while the other extreme includes laboratories with a fiscal year originating October 1, 2023 and ending September 30, 2024

From Creek to Community:Restoring Deckers Creek Watershed

This project was conducted out of the Center for Resilient Communities in partnership with local non-profit Friends of Deckers Creek. This research explored the impacts of industrialization and water contamination on the health and well-being of community members in the Deckers Creek Watershed. West Virginia’s rolling mountains, steep slopes, and low hollers are a place where many families and individuals call home. Our beautiful landscape is full of mountains and rivers that continue to be a source of joy for many of the people living within the region. When West Virginians reflect on what makes them feel connected to this place, it is often the people and the landscape that come to mind. The Appalachian landscape is distinctive, but it has suffered from significant environmental degradation due to various economic industries. More specifically, the Deckers Creek watershed has experienced the boom and bust of coal mining along the banks of its streams. Stretching 24.6 miles through Monongalia and Preston Counties, the watershed touches the lives of tens of thousands of residents. Unfortunately, pollution from historical mining and other sources has compromised the health of the creek, leading to the loss of natural beauty, recreational opportunities, and, most critically, access to clean water. Through a historical analysis of newspaper archives, community mapping exercise, community surveys, and water sampling, this research focuses on the benefits of conducting a holistic assessment of watersheds and how to build more just, vibrant, and resilient communities

Authoritarian Control Over Election Administration

Street-level election bureaucracy (SLEB) remains one of the least studied aspects of authoritarian elections. Our current understanding of micro-level election administration in autocracies is fragmented and unsystematic. In this dissertation, I develop and test a theory of authoritarian SLEB that comprehensively addresses key elements of election administration: the incentivization and mobilization of election commissioners, the establishment of control over election commissions, the monitoring of their performance, and the post-election reshaping of their personnel composition. Drawing on rational choice theory, I propose a framework in which autocrats are seen as outcome-maximizers who strategically design SLEB to achieve their electoral goals. The empirical tests and their results support the idea that autocrats act strategically in shaping SLEB and consolidating control over it. To illustrate this, I examine both modern Russian elections and elections in the Soviet Union, showing how authoritarian regimes adapt their SLEB strategies to varying structural conditions and constraints. The analysis is based on several sources: polling data from Russian election experts and members of precinct election commissions (PECs); occupational and socio-demographic data on PEC members in selected regions of modern Russia and the USSR; archival materials on Soviet election administration practices; and data on PEC compositions before and after the 2018 Russian presidential election, combined with precinct-level election results. The key findings demonstrate that the Russian authoritarian regime relies more on positive than negative incentives in its design of SLEB. It mobilizes diverse professional and social groups, adapts its strategies based on the availability of personnel, and strategically reshapes PEC compositions according to their electoral utility. Overall, this dissertation offers a comprehensive and alternative perspective on street-level election bureaucracy in authoritarian regimes – one in which autocrats are viewed as clients seeking contractors – the election commissioners – who voluntarily participate in election administration and contribute to the regime’s electoral success in exchange for positive incentives

Bankruptcy, Ownership Turnover and the Fate of U.S. Coal Mines

This paper examines the survival dynamics of U.S. coal mines following ownership turnover, with particular attention to the role of financial distress and bankruptcy procedures. Using mine-level data on production, employment, and ownership from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, we show that mines transferred through private workouts are substantially more likely to close within a few years. In contrast, court-supervised transfers reduce the likelihood of rapid shutdown relative to private transactions, but their survival rates remain indistinguishable from mines without ownership turnover. These results speak to the efficiency of bankruptcy institutions: private transactions, in line with White’s (1994) model, may produce pooling equilibria where nonviable and distressed-but-viable firms are indistinguishable, leadingto inefficient continuation or liquidation decisions. Court supervision appears to mitigate shortterm inefficiency by screening and reallocating viable assets, but without delivering sustained survival gains

A Quality Improvement Initiative to Decrease Sugammadex Expenditures

Abstract A Quality Improvement Initiative to Decrease Sugammadex Expenditures Jordan Gardo Introduction/Background: The manufacturer’s suggestion in the dosing of the Sugammadex is generally dosed at 2-4 mg/kg of total body weight (TBW) depending on the extent of neuromuscular blockade. Evidence suggests that in the morbidly obese population, this can lead to excessive dosing due to the drug\u27s hydrophilic properties, making it less cost- effective. Dosing based on adjusted body weight (ABW) leads to dose reductions while achieving full reversal of neuromuscular blockade as measured by quantitative train-of- four monitoring, resulting in lower costs from decreased vial usage. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to implement adjusted body weight dosing of sugammadex to decrease the cost associated with the drug while maintaining patient safety. The project utilized a combination of evidence-based education, intraoperative decision support, and email feedback to promote ABW dosing while ensuring complete neuromuscular blockade reversal occurred, as indicated by train-of-four monitoring. Intervention: The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiology (CRNA) department at a community hospital received education via PowerPoint presentation on the new dosing method, the evidence supporting it, and how to determine the dose. To maintain consistency, the department received cyclical, specific feedback and support throughout the project. Methods: This project employed the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) improvement model as its framework. Within this model, the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) system functioned as a cyclical process to guide the quality improvement initiative for implementing adjusted body weight dosing for sugammadex in morbidly obese patients. Results: Nineteen post-intervention and thirteen pre-intervention patients with BMI ≥ 40 were included. ABW-based sugammadex dosing was utilized in 6 of 19 post-intervention cases (31%). Compared to TBW dosing, ABW dosing reduced the average drug cost from $238.34 to$139.03. Total cost savings over three PDSA cycles equaled $595.85, with projected annual savings of$5,164.03 at the observed adoption rate. A t-test comparing post-intervention ABW vs. TBW costs yielded a statistically significant result (p = 0.004), supporting the intervention’s effectiveness in reducing expenditures without compromising neuromuscular recovery. Neuromuscular blockade reversal was 100% effective. However, provider adherence was lower than expected (31%), indicating a need for improved engagement strategies. No adverse clinical outcomes were observed, and the project showed strong potential for cost savings with further optimization. Conclusions: ABW dosing for sugammadex offers a feasible and cost-effective alternative to recommended TBW-based dosing in morbidly obese patients. With just a 50% adoption rate, dosing based on ABW could save approximately $8,333.11 annually. This highlights the financial benefits and suggests that higher adoption rates could lead to even greater savings. Future efforts should focus on increasing provider engagement, adding a permanent display of ABW in the electronic medical record, and expanding implementation to enhance its impact. These findings support ABW dosing as a viable strategy for reducing medication costs while maintaining clinical efficacy

Soft Infrastructure and the Location Choice of Multinational Firms:Evidence from Japanese Investment in the United States in the 1980s

We examine whether culture-specific educational infrastructure influenced the location decisions of multinational enterprises by analyzing Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States during the 1980s. Using the quasi-natural experiment of politically-driven Japanese FDI following Reagan-era trade tensions, we test whether pre-existing Japanese Studies programs in U.S. universities predict subsequent Japanese investment across 722 commuting zones. We find that zones with Japanese Studies programs in 1980 were 21-29% more likely to receive new Japanese manufacturing investment by 1992, controlling for traditional determinants likemanufacturing infrastructure, agglomeration, and market access. Our results suggest that soft infrastructure —culture-specific human capital pipelines—represents an overlooked location advantage that complements traditional hard infrastructure in attracting FDI. These findings have implications for understanding how regions can strategically develop cultural competencies to attract foreign investment