Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Research into intellectual property theft, especially concerning copyright infringement, has quickly become a topic of interest. Many studies focus on the legal or economic side of copyright infringement, with much of this work investigating software piracy and the impact copyright infringement has on the copyright holders. The illegal copying and downloading of copyrighted materials has particularly become an area of interest as the media industry, such as record labels and production studios, began to fight against copyright infringement. Few studies investigate the phenomena of illegally downloading media files from a theoretical perspective. The purpose of the present research is to examine the extent of downloading media files, factors associated with the behavior, and the theoretical implications by examining how and why undergraduate students copy and download copyrighted material. Preliminary findings and implications are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: State political behavior is an important,and frequently studied area of poltical science, yet it is characterized by a number of problems, including a lack of sufficient sample size for many states, and a lack of uniform measurement instruments. Voter files have the potential to help solve these problems. In this paper, we address the potential usefulness of voter files for state politics research. We also examine how to obtain voter files for each state, and describe the variables available for each state.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper presents preliminary results from the Employment Discrimination Litigation Research Project. It presents analyses of the EEOC confidential allegations file and of a large random sample of federal court filings for the period 1990-2003. No other research project has gained access to both sets of data for the period in question. The paper examines the changing composition of employment discrimination claims in these two venues to examine the impact of changes in statutory and case law, changes in economic conditions, and changes in EEOC procedures on the system of employment discrimination disputing.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: According to a public health/harm reduction perspective, homicide can be construed as one of three types of violent deaths, the other two being suicide and accident. Epidemiological research on the topic thus focuses not on the use of police-type data, but rather on mortality statistics. In keeping with such an approach, but in order to provide additional analytical depth to the understanding of homicide as part of a larger violence cluster, the proposed research aims at delineating the differences between all three types of violent deaths using medico-legal narratives. Data for this research were collected in a medical examiner’s office in an urban area of the Northeast and encompass a sample 288 investigated deaths between 2002 and 2005. Reports narratives will be analyzed in order to achieve an event-structure typology of violent deaths.

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: Objective: Assess the impact of digitally recorded lecture audio files on student attendance and examination performance. Methods: Digitally recorded audio files were made available for download to campus students enrolled in a team-taught pharmacotherapeutics course for the spring semester of 2005. At the conclusion of the course, students were administered a questionnaire to assess their utilization of the audio files, perceived benefit and impact on attendance. Participating faculty were likewise asked to provide an estimate of attendance as compared to the previous year. Lastly, exam scores were compared to the previous year’s class. Results: One-hundred five students (100%) returned completed questionnaires. Ninety-six respondents (91%) reported using the audio files as a replacement to attending lecture with 22% replacing lecture attendance with the audio file often (16-30 times during the semester ) or always. Likewise a majority of students (82%) agreed with a statement that the availability of audio files aided their learning, with an equal percentage reportedly using the audio files as a resource to study for exams. A poll of faculty who had taught in the previous year unanimously estimated an attendance decrease of least 25%. Average exam scores for verses 2004 showed a statistically significant (p<0.0001) improvement, 80.92 and 76.97 respectively. Implications: The availability of lecture audio files had a negative impact on lecture attendance, however, exam performance improved markedly.