Strategic Group Analysis of U.S. Food Businesses Using the Two-step Clustering Method

strategic group, planning, strategy, performance, Agribusiness, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Marketing, Productivity Analysis, M0, M14, M2, M30,

Star-Crossed Consumers: The Effects Of Online Rating Scale Length On Product Evaluations

Consumers’ ratings of products are ubiquitous in the online marketplace (e.g., Amazon; Yelp). The rating scales provided by online businesses typically comprise a set of stars that appear in the form of linear scales. Consumers looking to purchase a certain product likely rely on product ratings based on these rating scales. Although past research confirms the intuitive expectation that a higher star rating for a product elicits more favorable responses from consumers, there is a paucity of research related to effects of the properties of the scales themselves on consumers’ psychology. The literature on cognitive processing of information suggests that varying properties of scales might affect people’s processing of them and in turn their perceptions. Both 5-point and 10-point star-based rating scales, i.e., scales with a total of 5 and 10 stars respectively, are common in the online marketplace. Using relevant theories from the cognitive processing literature, this dissertation investigates whether the number of scale points in a rating scale affects consumers’ perceptions of product quality and their purchase intention. The results of three studies show that when a specific rating (e.g., 80%) is presented on a 10-point star-based scale (i.e., 8 out of 10 stars), perceptions of product quality and consumers’ intention to purchase the product are higher compared to when the same rating is presented on a 5-point scale (i.e., 4 out of 5 stars). Implications and limitations of this research are discussed, and directions for further research are provided

Antipredator Behavior in Desmognathus ochrophaeus: Threat-Specific Responses to Chemical Stimuli in a Foraging Context

Prey species may reduce the likelihood of injury or death by engaging in defensive behavior but often incur costs related to decreased foraging success or efficiency. To lessen these costs, prey may adjust the intensity or type of antipredator behavior according to the nature of the perceived threat. We evaluated the potential for threat-sensitive responses by Allegheny Mountain dusky salamanders (Desmognathus ochrophaeus) exposed to chemical stimuli associated with predation by asking three questions:(1) Do individual D. ochrophaeus respond to chemical cues in a threat-sensitive manner? (2) Do salamanders exhibit the same pattern of behavioral response while foraging? and (3) Is foraging efficiency reduced when focal individuals are exposed to stimuli from predators or predation events? In our first experiment, we evaluated salamander chemosensory movements (nose-taps), locomotor activity (steps), and edge behavior in response to chemical stimuli from disturbed and injured conspecifics as well as predatory Gyrinophilus porphyriticus and found that individual D. ochrophaeus show a significant graded increase in nose-taps when exposed to cues from conspecifics and a reduction in activity when exposed to the predator. In our second experiment, we again observed salamander responses to the same chemical stimuli but in this instance added five Drosophila prey to the test dishes. We found that salamanders exhibited a similar pat-tern of response to the chemical stimuli in the presence of prey, showing a graded increase in nose-taps to cues from conspecifics and a reduction in activity when exposed to the predator. However, foraging efficiency (i.e. the proportion of successful strikes) did not vary significantly among treatments. Our data show that individual D. ochrophaeus detect and differentially respond to chemical stimuli associated with predation, but do not significantly reduce foraging efficiency. Overall, the type and relative intensity of these responses is largely unaffected by the presence of potential prey

Retail Patterns Across Nebraska, a 10-Year Perspective

Retail activity is very dynamic and highly variable, across both time and space. We have been following total retail activity, using taxable retail sales from the Nebraska Department of Revenue as a proxy for many years. Over time, we have witnessed the continuing trend towards increasing concentration of retail activity in the larger trade centers and urban communities, and away from rural and small trade centers. While state sales tax data provides some clear perspectives on overall changes and trends, even down to town and county levels, details as to the specific type of retail activity is precluded

Drift and Activity Responses of Black Flies (Simulium vittatum) in the Field: Influences of Tactile and Injury-Released Stimuli from Simulated Predation

Prey must manage threat from many types of predators; therefore, selection should favor sensory mechanisms that allow the refinement of defensive behavior. To assess responses to tactile and chemical stimuli related to predation, we observed drift and activity of larval black flies ( Simulium vittatum) to simulated predator contact intended to imitate benthic and drift predators as well as a combination of tactile and injury-released stimuli. In the field, larvae responded to tactile stimuli applied to the head with a higher frequency of curling and posterior abdominal segments with a higher frequency of drifting. Additionally, chemical cues from injured conspecifics followed by tactile stimuli applied to the head resulted in a higher frequency of drifting than to either cue independently and this effect was more pronounced at night. The results of our study indicate that larval black flies may utilize multiple cues to determine their antipredator and predator avoidance strategies

The Effects of tDCS Across the Spatial Frequencies and Orientations that Comprise the Contrast Sensitivity Function

Richard B, Johnson AP, Thompson B and Hansen BC (2015) The Effects of tDCS Across the Spatial Frequencies and Orientations that Comprise the Contrast Sensitivity Function. Front. Psychol. 6:1784. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01784Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has recently been employed in traditional psychophysical paradigms in an effort to measure direct manipulations on spatial frequency channel operations in the early visual system. However, the effects of tDCS on contrast sensitivity have only been measured at a single spatial frequency and orientation. Since contrast sensitivity is known to depend on spatial frequency and orientation, we ask how the effects of anodal and cathodal tDCS may vary according to these dimensions. We measured contrast sensitivity with sinusoidal gratings at four different spatial frequencies (0.5, 4, 8, and 12 cycles/°), two orientations (45° Oblique and Horizontal), and for two stimulus size conditions [fixed size (3°) and fixed period (1.5 cycles)]. Only contrast sensitivity measured with a 45° oblique grating with a spatial frequency of 8 cycles/° (period = 1.5 cycles) demonstrated clear polarity specific effects of tDCS, whereby cathodal tDCS increased and anodal tDCS decreased contrast sensitivity. Overall, effects of tDCS were largest for oblique stimuli presented at high spatial frequencies (i.e., 8 and 12 cycles/°), and were small or absent at lower spatial frequencies, other orientations and stimulus size. Thus, the impact of tDCS on contrast sensitivity, and therefore on spatial frequency channel operations, is opposite in direction to other behavioral effects of tDCS, and only measurable in stimuli that generally elicit lower contrast sensitivity (e.g., oblique gratings with period of 1.5 cycles at spatial frequencies above the peak of the contrast sensitivity function).Portions of the current study were funded by a discovery grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to AJ, and by the Colgate Research Council Grant to BH. BR was supported by the Fonds de Recherche du Quebec – Nature et Technologie (FQRNT), and a bursary from the Ministère de l’Éducation, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (MEESR)

Autonomous Legged Hill and Stairwell Ascent

This paper documents near-autonomous negotiation of synthetic and natural climbing terrain by a rugged legged robot, achieved through sequential composition of appropriate perceptually triggered locomotion primitives. The first, simple composition achieves autonomous uphill climbs in unstructured outdoor terrain while avoiding surrounding obstacles such as trees and bushes. The second, slightly more complex composition achieves autonomous stairwell climbing in a variety of different buildings. In both cases, the intrinsic motor competence of the legged platform requires only small amounts of sensory information to yield near-complete autonomy. Both of these behaviors were developed using X-RHex, a new revision of RHex that is a laboratory on legs, allowing a style of rapid development of sensorimotor tasks with a convenience near to that of conducting experiments on a lab bench. Applications of this work include urban search and rescue as well as reconnaissance operations in which robust yet simple-to-implement autonomy allows a robot access to difficult environments with little burden to a human operator

Examining College Students’ Attitudes Toward Poverty During the Adult Role of the Community Action Poverty Simulation

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) and Extension professionals need to understand the lived experience of poverty because it affects every aspect of an individual’s life. Poverty is related to inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, lack of access to health care, insufficient child care, unsafe neighborhoods, lack of affordable housing, under-resourced schools, and a lower quality of life. Attitudes toward poverty vary widely among Americans and can be categorized as either internal/individual attributions (e.g., laziness, welfare dependency, etc.) or systemic/structural attributions (e.g., unemployment, inflation, etc.). Individuals holding internal attributions toward poverty are more likely to have negative feelings toward impoverished individuals. As such, efforts to educate FCS college students, Extension agents, and all Americans on the day-to-day reality of those in poverty are important. Extension-sponsored Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) programs are effective in changing participants’ attitudes toward poverty. This research used Reflexive Thematic Analysis to analyze 56 reflection papers written by college students enrolled in a family resource management course. Three themes emerged from the research: (a) empathy, (b) a turn from internal attributions, and (c) systematic attributions. This research has implications for Extension and FCS professionals offering CAPS programming in higher education settings