Research Practices Survey 2015-16

2015 marks the first year of Carleton\u27s participation in the Research Practices Survey sponsored by the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). The HEDS Consortium is comprised of a nationwide group of private colleges and universities, who collaboratively collect and share data institutional data. The HEDS Research Practices Survey is uses the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) competency standards in information literacy to assess student information literacy as well as student research experience. The five-section survey takes roughly fifteen minutes to complete. Entering first year students were asked to take this survey at the beginning of fall term, and will be asked to take the survey again at the end of spring term to assess the changes in their research experiences and level of information literacy

THE OTHER AMERICA: Inequality, Taxes, and the Very Rich

Effective tax rates are lower than statutory rates for wealthy people because they receive much income from capital, capital income receives preferential treatment, and recognition of capital income is often voluntary. I calculate taxes paid as a percentage of wealth using linked estate- income data. Single itemizers with wealth of at least $2 million in 2007 paid less than 3 percent of wealth in annual taxes, with the richest paying the smallest fraction. Changes enacted in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 favor those at the top. The estate tax remains one tool that may curb extreme wealth accumulation

Sensitization and Extraordinary Persistence

We propose a behavioral model in which an agent’s attitude toward loss is affected by memories of prior losses. Due to the availability heuristic, memories of prior loss sensitize the agent and increase the weight assigned to prospective losses. Because memories of firsttime experiences exhibit multi-decade persistence in recall, our model helps explain recent empirical findings that major events can have multi-decade effects on choices. We further demonstrate consistency with stochastic dominance, so that sensitized individuals will prefer distributions demonstrating first- and second-order stochastic dominance. In an overlapping generations version of Tirole’s (2006) liquidity-scale framework, our model generates procyclical investment

Who Actually Benefits from Changes in Legal Standards? Evidence from Water Disputes in 19th Century California?

This paper attempts to answer a fundamental question about the effect of a change in a legal standard on the parties to a dispute: How do we know who is benefited by a change in a legal standard? The answer to this question may seem obvious, particularly if you state it concretely: Who will benefit from a change in a legal standard that is more likely to find drivers at fault in automobile-pedestrian collisions? 1 Surely the answer is pedestrians. Stated more generally, how do we know that a rule change that seems to benefit a class of parties to a dispute actually does

In Vivo Effects of Bisphenol A in Laboratory Rodent Studies

Concern is mounting regarding the human health and environmental effects of bisphenol A (BPA), a high-production-volume chemical used in synthesis of plastics. We have reviewed the growing literature on effects of low doses of BPA, below 50 mg/kg/day, in laboratory exposures with mammalian model organisms. Many, but not all, effects of BPA are similar to effects seen in response to the model estrogens diethylstilbestrol and ethinylestradiol. For most effects, the potency of BPA is approximately 10 to 1,000-fold less than that of diethylstilbestrol or ethinylestradiol. Based on our review of the literature, a consensus was reached regarding our level of confidence that particular outcomes occur in response to low-dose BPA exposure. We are confident that adult exposure to BPA affects the male reproductive tract, and that long-lasting, organizational effects in response to developmental exposure to BPA occur in the brain, the male reproductive system, and metabolic processes. We consider it likely, but requiring further confirmation, that adult exposure to BPA affects the brain, the female reproductive system, and the immune system, and that developmental effects occur in the female reproductive system

A Streamlined Molecular Biology Module for Undergraduate Biochemistry Labs

Site-directed mutagenesis and other molecular biology techniques, including plasmid manipulation and restriction analysis, are commonly used tools in the biochemistry research laboratory. In redesigning our biochemistry lab curricula, we sought to integrate these techniques into a term-long, project-based course. In the module presented here, students use structural data to design a site-directed mutant and make the mutation using the Ku¨ nkel method. A second, silent mutant, that creates or removes a restriction site, is simultaneously introduced. Restriction digestion and agarose gel electrophoresis are used to assess the success of mutagenesis. Placing these procedures in the context of continuous, studentdriven project serves to create a ‘‘research style’’ laboratory environment

When Should Philosophers Be Silent?

Are there general precepts governing when philosophers should not conduct inquiry on a given topic? When, if ever, should a philosopher just be silent? In this paper we look at a number of practical, epistemic, and moral arguments for philosophical silence. Some are quite general, and suggest that it is best never to engage in philosophical inquiry, while others are more domain – or context – specific. We argue that these arguments fail to establish their conclusions. We do, however, try to identify and defend several substantive constraints on philosophical dialogue and inquiry. In practice, though, respecting these constraints needn’t lead to much philosophical silence

Electronic Resources: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?

This article examines the impact of electronic technology on libraries and scholarship. It focuses on some of the challenges of using electronic resources in research libraries, which include the cost of acquiring electronic formats and the effect that such expenditures have on other library services and collection development practices. The article also explores how electronic resources have changed the way students and scholars conduct research. The goal of this essay is not to criticize or condemn electronic formats but, rather, to illustrate that electronic technology is simply one tool, among others, for the dissemination of information. As such, electronic resources should complement rather than replace other formats

Mellon Information Literacy Initiative Grant Report (2000-2003)

In 2000 Carleton received a three-year Mellon grant. We wanted to integrate information literacy into the curriculum, focusing on the discipline major. Our call for participants resulted in five departments agreeing to participate. The departments are Classical Languages (including Hebrew), Economics, English, Geology, and History. The initiative offered the library and the departments a wonderful opportunity to focus on information literacy within these disciplines