The Federal Minimum Wage: The Effects of the Minimum Wage on the Youth Employment and School Enrollment

The minimum wage has been a prominent topic of discussion among labor economists. According to Neumark and Wascher, the minimum wage has been a core element of public policy for several decades. The effects of minimum wage were brought back to light during the State of the Union address by President Obama, in which he proposed increasing the minimum wage to $9.00, a 24% increase. This capstone project contributes to the discussion in determining the effects of the change in minimum wage on the youth population. The study uses aggregate data spanning nineteen years, from 1985 and 1990 to 2007. The youth population is divided into four mutually exclusive categories of youth activity distinguished by employment status and enrollment status. The data are analyzed with the help of a time-series regression model. The results of the time series regression analysis suggests that, in general, the state of the economy has a higher effect on the youth enrollment and youth employment rather than the change in the minimum wage, over the time period 1985, 1990-2007. The change in the minimum wage only affected one group of youth - the proportion of individuals enrolled in school and not employed. Other groups were not affected by the change in the minimum wage. Furthermore, this study finds a statistically significant relationship between change in the minimum wage and the change in the youth labor force participation rate. The conclusion is that, overall, as the minimum wage goes up, fewer teenagers participate in the labor force

Effects of Racing Surface and Turn Radius on Fatal Limb Fractures in Thoroughbred Racehorses

North American Thoroughbred racing is conducted on three types of surfaces—dirt, turf, and synthetic. The tracks are oval, and races are run counterclockwise. The loading on right and left limbs is expected to differ as a function of turn radius, banking, surface, and gait asymmetry. Hind limbs and forelimbs also have different functions related to propulsion and turning, respectively. This study uses the Equine Injury Database for race starts from 1 January 2009 through 31 December 2014, to compare injury rates across participating North American racetracks. The data are limited to catastrophic injuries in which horses died or were euthanized due to a fracture within 72 h of the start of the race. Overall injury rates were lower on turf and synthetic surfaces and the pattern of limb injuries in left vs. right and fore vs. hind limbs were different. Regardless of surface, forelimbs were more likely to fracture. Dirt surfaces showed higher rates of forelimb injuries compared to other surfaces, hind limbs were more likely to experience a fatal fracture on turf than on dirt. The left fore and right hind limbs were more likely to experience a fatal fracture but only on dirt surfaces

Renovation of multi-story old building in downtown

Deterioration of old buildings in urban areas due to outdated structural, geotechnical, and architectural designs calls for the need of renovation in order to reuse those buildings. Renovation is becoming an effective way to extend service life of aging buildings, which are emerging as a crucial factor effecting resident’s wellbeing. Through performing renovation structure’s service live is extended, the living condition of its residents is improved, sustainable design is implemented, as well as structural strength, architectural and geotechnical designs are improved. For this project, a Soviet Union 5-storey precast concrete panel building located in the downtown area of Astana is chosen for renovation. The renovation includes downwards and upwards extension of the structure, namely construction of 2-storey underground parking and additional 2 storeys on existing building. Due to increased gravity load from additional storeys, the existing structure’s walls, slabs and connections between them are going to be strengthened and the old foundation is planned to be replaced to support the load of the new 7-storey structure and 2-storey underground parking. The project scope includes architectural modification of the structure’s exterior design presented as a 3D model in SketchUp software. The architectural plan of existing building is presented in AutoCAD drawings. As the entire project is performed based on American codes and the existing structure is constructed based on Soviet Union codes, the consistency of the existing structure’s space use and occupancy is checked and verified to be in an agreement with American codes. The data on interior environment, ceiling and flooring of the existing structure is collected and described in architectural design section. The modifications, in addition to construction of the parking and 2 storeys, also include construction of elevators, the selection and design of which is also described in architectural design section. The structural design includes analysis of existing building’s structural elements, specifically their strength and ability to withstand additional loads from upward modification, and the procedure and results of strengthening details. In order to proceed in this, design loads, which include dead, live, snow and wind loads, were calculated. Then, 3D model was built in SAP2000 software, from which internal design loads for each wall, slab and connections were obtained. Additionally, the internal design loads of specific members for one vertical and one horizontal case were calculated manually. The values obtained from SAP2000 for these cases and manual calculations were compared and verified. In addition to this, lateral drift analysis and check under wind load was performed. Based on the data on existing building’s structural members, namely reinforcement detailing, the design strength of each wall is calculated and presented in the form of M-N interaction curve. Design strengths of walls and joints are also calculated. From this analysis of design load and design strength, it is ensured that strengthening is not required as the walls, slabs and joints are able to sustain additional loads from vertical extension. Structural detailing of all members are provided in AutoCAD drawings. The geotechnical design was initiated by collecting data on soil profile of the region where the building is located. Based on the load from the structure, parking columns, slabs, micropiles and micropile connections are designed. Due to foundation replacement and excavation, dewatering is performed. Excavation process is designed in Plaxis to determine the settlement and ensure that it is within allowable limit. Sheet piles are also designed in Plaxis, as well as new foundation. The project management section involves the scope of the project, risk assessment and mitigation plan, health and safety plan, waste management plan, cost and time estimations, and risk management. Additionally, detailed Work Breakdown Structure and scheduling are prepared

Renovation of multi-story old building in downtown

Deterioration of old buildings in urban areas due to outdated structural, geotechnical, and architectural designs calls for the need of renovation in order to reuse those buildings. Renovation is becoming an effective way to extend service life of aging buildings, which are emerging as a crucial factor effecting resident’s wellbeing. Through performing renovation structure’s service live is extended, the living condition of its residents is improved, sustainable design is implemented, as well as structural strength, architectural and geotechnical designs are improved. For this project, a Soviet Union 5-storey precast concrete panel building located in the downtown area of Astana is chosen for renovation. The renovation includes downwards and upwards extension of the structure, namely construction of 2-storey underground parking and additional 2 storeys on existing building. Due to increased gravity load from additional storeys, the existing structure’s walls, slabs and connections between them are going to be strengthened and the old foundation is planned to be replaced to support the load of the new 7-storey structure and 2-storey underground parking. The project scope includes architectural modification of the structure’s exterior design presented as a 3D model in SketchUp software. The architectural plan of existing building is presented in AutoCAD drawings. As the entire project is performed based on American codes and the existing structure is constructed based on Soviet Union codes, the consistency of the existing structure’s space use and occupancy is checked and verified to be in an agreement with American codes. The data on interior environment, ceiling and flooring of the existing structure is collected and described in architectural design section. The modifications, in addition to construction of the parking and 2 storeys, also include construction of elevators, the selection and design of which is also described in architectural design section. The structural design includes analysis of existing building’s structural elements, specifically their strength and ability to withstand additional loads from upward modification, and the procedure and results of strengthening details. In order to proceed in this, design loads, which include dead, live, snow and wind loads, were calculated. Then, 3D model was built in SAP2000 software, from which internal design loads for each wall, slab and connections were obtained. Additionally, the internal design loads of specific members for one vertical and one horizontal case were calculated manually. The values obtained from SAP2000 for these cases and manual calculations were compared and verified. In addition to this, lateral drift analysis and check under wind load was performed. Based on the data on existing building’s structural members, namely reinforcement detailing, the design strength of each wall is calculated and presented in the form of M-N interaction curve. Design strengths of walls and joints are also calculated. From this analysis of design load and design strength, it is ensured that strengthening is not required as the walls, slabs and joints are able to sustain additional loads from vertical extension. Structural detailing of all members are provided in AutoCAD drawings. The geotechnical design was initiated by collecting data on soil profile of the region where the building is located. Based on the load from the structure, parking columns, slabs, micropiles and micropile connections are designed. Due to foundation replacement and excavation, dewatering is performed. Excavation process is designed in Plaxis to determine the settlement and ensure that it is within allowable limit. Sheet piles are also designed in Plaxis, as well as new foundation. The project management section involves the scope of the project, risk assessment and mitigation plan, health and safety plan, waste management plan, cost and time estimations, and risk management. Additionally, detailed Work Breakdown Structure and scheduling are prepared

The Impacts of Lifetime Violence on Women's Current Sexual Health

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV), nonpartner sexual violence (SV), child sexual and physical abuse, and neglect have detrimental impacts on women's reproductive and sexual health. More empirical studies are needed to investigate the negative impacts of lifetime violence, including physical or sexual child abuse, nonpartner SV, physical, sexual, and psychological IPV on women's sexual health to better understand long-term impacts from IPV and physical or sexual child abuse. Materials and Methods: We used data from Wellness, Health and You, an ongoing health registry. A total of 1,213 women were included in data analysis. Our aim was to investigate the associations between lifetime IPV, nonpartner SV, child abuse, and women's current sexual health defined using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures of sexual health (e.g., sexual satisfaction, interest, and functioning), sexual assertiveness, female sexual subjectivity, and use of online resources to address sexual needs. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to investigate demographic factors (e.g., age and current relationship) as potential correlates of current sexual health. Results: Women with lifetime experiences of physical, sexual, or psychological IPV, nonpartner SV, and child physical or sexual abuse reported lower sexual satisfaction compared to women with no history of lifetime violence (p?<?0.0001). However, lifetime violence was not correlated with sexual interest, sexual functioning, sexual subjectivity, nor sexual assertiveness. Conclusion: Lifetime experiences of violence (i.e., IPV, nonpartner SV, child abuse) are associated with poorer sexual health. Asking questions about past sexual and physical violence/abuse in ways that support disclosure is important toward improving women's physical and sexual health and wellbeing