Crowdfunding and online community: maximising mutual benefit

My research explores the relationship between crowd-funding and online community. My research hypothesis is that association with an online community can impact the success of crowdfunding projects. In the case of my research, success will be defined in financial terms, such as funding of projects by deadline, as well as in non-financial terms, including networking, collaboration and feedback. Furthermore, I’m investigating the reverse hypothesis suggesting that crowdfunding projects and platforms could help establish, grow, or sustain online community. My research will use qualitative research methods involving crowdfunding stakeholders, including funders, creators and platform managers

Advanced Conducting Project

American Visions by Travis J. Weller -- A Childhood Hymn by David Holsinger -- Renaissance Suite by Tielman Susato; arranged by James Curnow -- Suite Francaise: II. Valse by Guy Woolfenden -- English Folk Song Suite by Ralph Vaughan Williams -- Joy by Frank Ticheli -- Abracadabra by Frank Ticheli -- The Cave You Fear by Michael Markowski -- Alamo March by Karl King; arranged by James Swearingen -- Celebration for Winds by John Edmondson

How does crowdfunding work? Understanding the process through its activity

Crowdfunding is a process featuring incremental financial donations from a ‘crowd’ of backers to help fund a project initiated by a creator. In recent years, crowdfunding has generated significant revenue as well as great interest from industry, government, and creative entrepreneurs. However, rate of successful funding for crowdfunding projects remains around 35% for global crowdfunding leader Kickstarter1, and lower yet for other platforms. The identified gap between crowdfunding growth and crowdfunding success rates prompts the overarching question driving this thesis: how does crowdfunding work? This question is explored and answered through the lens of activity, as activity is largely observable, is featured in every project, and has some degree of control for creators. Activity was uncovered using semi-structured interviews, online observation, and daily monitoring of four crowdfunding projects from pre- to post-funding. By cataloguing the specifics of crowdfunding activity, this thesis reveals the breadth of activity common to crowdfunding projects: financial, non-financial, online, and offline. Further, in mapping activity along a timeline, five distinct periods of crowdfunding activity are identified, each with specific aims. Additionally, the relationships guiding activity are assessed through discussion of community within crowdfunding, accentuating both emotional and behavioural investment in a project. The resulting insights are summarised into two categories of contributions. The first is the consolidation of elements of importance to crowdfunding. By making implicit features of crowdfunding explicit, this adds precision to an understanding of the crowdfunding process. The second is the identification of underlying principles and essential steps to crowdfunding, which can be used by project creators to maximise success. This thesis provides a broader understanding of crowdfunding, emphasising the extent to which successful projects engage stakeholder communities with financial and non-financial activity and outcomes over time, as well as across various sites

Population Dynamics and Movements of Problem Black Bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

From 10 July 1967 to 6 December 1989, 341 black bears (Ursus americanus) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park were captured and relocated 570 times. Capture, release, and recovery locations of relocated bears were plotted on topographic maps using the Universal Transverse Mercator grid system. Objectives of this study were to delineate the sex and age structure of problem black bears and to determine factors contributing to the success of black bear relocations. Excluding cubs and dependent yearlings, mean ages at initial capture of male and female bears were 3.9 and 4.6 years, respectively. Males comprised 619% of all captured bears, and 54.7%, 72.9%, and 58.0% of cubs, subadults, and adults respectively. The higher percentage of males was likely due to their larger home ranges and wide dispersal patters of the subadult age class. Only 18 of 504 tagged research bears (3.6%) were subsequently captured for creating problems; this suggests that problem bears comprise a small percentage of the overall bear population. Seasonal distribution of captures of problem bears coincided with public visitation in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Most captures of problem bears were in summer (75.1%) and were associated with areas of high public visitation. A significant interaction (P=0.25) existed between the sex, age class, and season in which bears initially were captured. Seasonal differences in home range use and activities by different sex and age classes of bears were probably responsible for this interaction. The number of problem bear relocations each year ranged from 4 to 80. The number of individual problem bears captured each year ranged from 2 to 63 and may indicate fluctuations in the bear population. Changes in National Park Service policies regarding bears, advances in capture techniques, and financial and personal constraints also were partly responsible for yearly trends in captures of problem bears. Most relocated bears (55.6%) were never recovered, and 32.4% were recaptured due to persistent nuisance behavior. Recaptured bears (X̄=4.1 years) were significantly older (P=0.0052) than those not recaptured (X̄=3.0 years). Only 14.3% of bears relocated distances greater than 64 km were recaptured. Mean time elapsed between release and recapture was 297 days; males and females averaged 225 and 399 days, respectively. Bears with previous relocation experience were recaptured more frequently in fewer days than those relocated for the first time. Several bears returned distances near or exceeding 100 km, overcoming significant natural and artificial barriers such as lakes, rivers, major highways and human developments. At least 63 bears in this study (18.5%) were killed. Most bear mortality was due to legal harvest, however, no relocated bears were reported as part of the legal bear harvest in Tennessee. The percentage of males and females killed were 19.7% and 17.3%, respectively. Mean time from relocation to recovery was 253 days. Forty bears were killed the same year they were relocated. Bears were recovered a mean of 43.3 km from their release site and 84.5 km from their capture site. The success of black bear relocations can be enhanced by designing a definitive relocation strategy based on the sex and age of bears, season captured, relocation distance, release area, and previous experience. Relocations, however, are not practical for all problem bears, and some bears probably should be destroyed. Relocations should be used in combination with other methods to reduce nuisance behavior of bears, and the availability of human food and garbage

Embodied Technology and Monetary Shocks; Lumps, Bumps, and Humps

VAR analysis of monetary shocks suggest that an unanticipated, positive money shocks cause a drop in nominal interest rates, and increases in output, consumption, prices, and wages. Further, impulse responses indicate a hump shaped pattern with the maximum effect felt 1-2 years after the initial shock. Limited participation models can replicate the contemporaneous correlations of money shocks, but have difficulty with the longer run dynamics. This paper integrates a limited participation framework in a vintage capital model in an attempt to strengthen the monetary transmission mechanism

Effect of Mannitol on Cerebral Blood Volume in Patients With Head Injury

Mannitol has traditionally been the mainstay of medical therapy for intracranial hypertension in patients with head injury. We previously demonstrated that mannitol reduces brain volume in patients with cerebral edema, although whether this occurs due to a reduction in brain water, blood volume or both remains poorly understood

Civic crowdfunding: how do offline communities engage online?

Civic crowdfunding is a sub-type of crowdfunding whereby citizens contribute to funding community-based projects ranging from physical structures to amenities. Though civic crowdfunding has great potential for impact, it remains a developing field in terms of project success and widespread adoption. To explore how technology shapes interactions and outcomes within civic projects, our research addresses two interrelated questions: how do offline communities engage online across civic crowdfunding projects, and, what purpose does this activity serve both projects and communities? These questions are explored through discussion of types of offline communities and description of online activity across civic crowdfunding projects. We conclude by considering the implications of this knowledge for civic crowdfunding and its continued research

Propuesta de mejora en el proceso productivo de polos en la empresa Gil Gomez Humberto E.I.R.L. aplicando Lean Manufacturing para aumentar la productividad

El presente trabajo de investigación se realizó en la empresa de confección GIL GOMEZ HUMBERTO E.I.R.L., ubicada en la ciudad de Chiclayo, el objetivo fue elaborar una propuesta de mejora en el proceso productivo de polos cuello V para el aumento de la productividad. Para ello, se realizó un diagnóstico en su proceso de producción, usando herramientas como: el estudio de tiempos, cursograma analítico y diagrama hombre máquina, determinando la situación actual de la empresa y así identificando una baja productividad a causa de la variabilidad en los tiempos de producción, desperdicios de tiempo, generación de pedidos no atendidos. Además, se realizó una propuesta de solución basada en el aumento de la productividad, como la ingeniería de métodos y Kaizen; usando indicadores de productividad total, takt time y de producción. Las herramientas propuestas incrementan la productividad total a un 2,37 y por ende la producción en un 117 %, además de la reducción de tiempos de ocio a un 3% y el porcentaje de actividades productivas se incrementan en un 97%, reduciéndose el Takt time a 2,57 minutos/prenda. Para implementar la propuesta se requiere una inversión de 2 174,6 soles, la cual es recuperada en la primera semana de trabajo, para ello se realizó un análisis-costo obteniendo un beneficio de 2,58 soles por cada sol invertido