Establishing Processing Priorities: Recommendations from a 2017 Study of Practices in US Repositories

Building upon archival scholarship and previous solutions addressing backlog collections, this study seeks to identify a comprehensive, integrated, and effective strategy to establish and maintain processing priorities. This study is based on supporting research, which includes the results of a survey of archivists and the findings of five focus group discussions about processing priorities. Using these findings, the authors (a) consider whether this focus on an old problem has motivated archivists to find innovative solutions; (b) determine whether archivists are using these tools; (c) consider whether and how archivists have changed processing priority practices and policies; and (d) seek to clarify current metrics to establish overall processing priorities

The Impact of Groundwater and Well Characteristics on Irrigator Energy Contract Choice

The thesis uses cross sectional data from the year 2009 to analyze irrigator choice of electricity contract. The data includes irrigators from the Midwest Electric Cooperative Corporation (MECC), which covers portions of three of Nebraska’s Natural Resource Districts (the Middle Republican, Twin Platte, and Upper Republican NRDs). Each of these institutions tries to reduce the pressure its users place on limited natural resources. To accomplish this the MECC has established interruptible contracts with irrigators. These contracts allow the MECC to control the electricity supply for an irrigator’s well for a pre-determined number of days, which allows it to better manage stress on the electricity grid. In return, the MECC provides a discount on the irrigator’s electricity charge. For the NRDs, groundwater allocation limits are used to restrict the amount of water an irrigator can use. However, if interruptible electricity contracts increase the amount of water an irrigator extracts, these policies may not jointly be as effective as possible. Determining if this is the case requires an understanding of how an irrigator chooses his/her electricity contract. The objective of this study is to determine which factors affect an irrigator’s choice of contract, and how those factors are correlated with water and energy use. If these interruptible contracts conflict with the goals of either institution, policy changes could help to achieve agency goals. Results show that well yield (defined as well capacity in gallons per minute) is positively associated with total water use and uncorrelated with total energy use, and that soil quality significantly affects both outcomes. A multinomial logistic regression is used to determine what factors affect an irrigator’s contract choice. We then use the results of the model to predict contract choice. Results show that irrigators with a low well yield (defined as gallons per minute of capacity) and a low water holding capacity in the soil are less likely to select interruptible energy supply contracts. Advisors: Karina Schoengold, and Taro Mien

Conquering the Fear: A Journey of Triumph Through the Exploration of Creating the Role of Masha in Anton Chekhov\u27s Three Sisters

This thesis is a documentation of my process for undertaking the role of Masha in Anton Chekhov\u27s Three Sisters, performed in the Gladys G. Davis Theatre at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center. This document will serve to archive the application of my graduate training while performing a major role; as well as, record my personal growth in a single production. In a reflective tone, I expound on the pressures and fears that I encountered, and the techniques that informed my self-realizations throughout the production process. The production process is composed of the three major sections. The first section reflects the nerve-racking initial audition and callbacks. The most intensive section of my process encompasses the day-to-day discoveries in the rehearsal hall. The rehearsal section will include a thorough dissection of my research into the history of Russian society in the 1900s and the playwright; as well as, my application of techniques as created by Sanford Meisner and Michael Chekhov. The last section will examine the performance process of Three Sisters. Though I have chosen this specific role to encapsulate the mastery of my graduate studies, I would be remiss if I did not give recognition to how this process has influenced my career beyond my graduate studies. This role has challenged me to observe how my fears and hesitations have influenced my acting, and provided a solid process to conquer my fears in future endeavors. This thesis role was a true testament to my training at West Virginia University and my capabilities as a theatre artist

Davis v. Department of Revenue of Kentucky: A Preliminary Impact Assessment

States with income taxes frequently exempt municipal bond interest from state taxation. Such exemptions, referred to as double exempts, are tax expenditures that reduce state revenues, but are viewed as a subsidy to the cost of capital for the state and its localities. All but a few states provide the income tax exemption for state based issues while taxing interest from municipal bonds issued by muni issuers in other states. A recent court case, Davis vs. Department of Revenue of Kentucky, declared state statutes limiting the state income tax exemptions to ”in-state” issues unconstitutional. This paper provides some legal background and context for the current case and addresses two key fiscal implications of this case. First, the paper presents a basic model that suggests that bonds issued by states with higher marginal tax rates would see the yields increase on their obligations while states with lower than average marginal tax rates would see their yields decline. The yields would converge at new market equilibrium due to the elimination of tax preferences across the states. Second, the preliminary estimates suggest a good deal of variance in how much tax revenue each state will lose if the case is upheld by the Supreme Court.

Investigating the Mechanism of the Coronavirus Endoribonuclease in Antagonizing Innate Immune Signaling

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are positive-sense RNa viruses that can emerge from endemic reservoirs and infect zoonotically, causing significant morbidity and mortality. CoVs encode an endoribonuclease (EndoU) that cleaves RNa in biochemical assays, but the target and function of EndoU activity during viral replication was not known. My work focused on characterizing the functions of EndoU during infection. I report that EndoU is an innate immune antagonist. to function as an immune antagonist, EndoU cleaves the 5\u27-Poly-Uridines from Negative-sense viral RNA, termed PUN RNA, which is the product of polyA-templated RNa synthesis. Using a virus containing an EndoU catalytic-inactive mutation, I detected a higher abundance of PUN RNa in the cytoplasm of infected cells compared to wild type CoV-infected cells. Furthermore, we found that transfecting PUN RNa into cells stimulates a robust, MDA5-dependent interferon response, and that removal of the polyU-extension on the RNa dampens the response. Overall, the results of this study reveal the PUN RNa to be a novel CoV MDA5-dependent pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP). We also establish a mechanism for EndoU activity to cleave and limit the accumulation of this novel PAMP. Since EndoU activity is highly conserved in all coronaviruses, inhibiting this activity may serve as an approach for therapeutic interventions against existing and emerging CoV infections

If One Wants a Good Result, One Needs a Good Consult

Imagine having all the staff, time, knowledge, and resources to work on those long-awaited projects that keep getting put on the back burner. Although the staff of any archives would like to do it all, from planning to execution, this may be beyond its normal workload. In this situation, a qualified, specialized consultant can make the completion of one or more projects a reality. A consultant can deliver specific work or a certain product in a shorter time frame than may be possible in-house

A Hint of Scandal: Problems in Acquiring the Papers of U.S. Senator Herman E. Talmadge - A Case Study

On May 30, 1994, Roll Call, a weekly newspaper for Capitol Hill, boasted an emphatic headline on its front page that read, Congress Has Strictest Ethics Rules in World, According to a New CRS Study of 24 Nations. But the ethics of Congress proved less scandalous than the headline for the Thursday edition that same week which announced in heavy bold type, Rosty Indicted on 17 Counts. These telling words condemned Representative Dan Rostenkowski, Democrat of Chicago and chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, for his graft charges

Managing Processing Staff: Hiring, Training and Retaining

Chuck Tanner, left fielder and manager in Major League Baseball, noted “There are three secrets to managing. The first secret is have patience. The second is be patient. And the third most important secret is patience.” Effectively managing processing staff in an archives or special collections permits supervisors to marshal the strengths of staff to accomplish processing goals. Successful processing programs facilitate the hiring, development, and retention of top-notch staff. Henry Mintzberg, Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies at McGill University, states simply, “Management is, above all, a practice where art, science, and craft meet