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COVID-19 cases in the United States, first reported on January 22, 2020, began to increase in March 2020 (1). The pandemic resulted in a substantial number of employed persons being [...]

Some human settlements endure for millennia, while others are founded and abandoned within a few decades or centuries. The reasons for variation in the duration of site occupation, however, are rarely addressed. Here, the authors introduce a new approach for the analysis of settlement longevity or persistence. Using seven regional case studies comprising both survey and excavation data, they demonstrate how the median persistence of individual settlements varies widely within and among regions. In turn, this variability is linked to the effects of environmental potential. In seeking to identify the drivers of settlement persistence in the past, it is suggested that archaeologists can contribute to understanding of the sustainability and resilience of contemporary cities. Keywords: urbanism, settlement systems, comparative analysis, statistical modelling, sustainability, Introduction Why do some cities and settlements last longer than others? Although archaeologists have studied thousands of early sites--particularly through regional surveys--the question of settlement persistence has rarely been addressed. [...]

A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg. Volume 1: From the Crossing of the James to the Crater. By A. Wilson Greene. Civil War America. (Chapel Hill: University of [...]

Two breeding populations of the non-native Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky), a pest of broadleaf trees in its native China, were discovered in Ontario in 2003 and 2013, respectively. Both populations were eradicated by removing all trees injured by the beetle and all uninjured trees deemed at high risk of injury. We used data collected during this removal to study host selection. Signs of A. glabripennis injury were observed on 732 stems from seven (i.e., Acer, Salix, Populus, Betula, Ulmus, Fraxinus, and Tilia) of the 45 tree genera available. Complete beetle development was confirmed on only the first four of these seven genera. Most signs of injury were on the genus Acer and on trees with a diameter at 130 cm above ground ranging between 15 and 40 cm. On most trees, the lowest sign of injury was within 3 m of the ground or within 40% of tree height. Tree height explained 63% of the variance in the location of the lowest sign of injury. Initial attacks were typically near the middle of the tree and expanded both upward and downward with successive attacks over time. We discuss how these findings could improve survey efforts for A. glabripennis. Key words: Asian longhorned beetle, host availability, host range, Acer, forest invasive alien pest, urban forest pest, exotic, eradication. Deux populations reproductrices non indigenes du longicorne asiatique (Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky), un ravageur des essences feuillues en Chine d'ou il est originaire, ont ete decouvertes en Ontario respectivement en 2003 et 2013. Les deux populations ont ete eradiquees en eliminant tous les arbres endommages par le longicorne et tous les arbres non endommages mais juges a risque de l'etre. Nous avons utilises les donnees collectees lors de cette intervention pour etudier la selection de l'hote. Des signes de degats causes par A. glabripennis ont ete observes sur 732 tiges appartenant a sept (c.-a-d. Acer, Salix, Populus, Betula, Ulmus, Fraxinus, et Tilia) des 45 genres d'arbres pouvant servir d'hotes. Le developpement complet de l'insecte n'a ete confirme que sur les quatre premiers de ces sept genres. La plupart des signes de degats ont ete observes sur le genre Acer et sur des arbres dont le diametre a 130 cm au-dessus du sol mesurait entre 15 et 40 cm. Sur la plupart des arbres, le signe de degat le plus bas etait situe a moins de 3 m du sol ou 40% de la hauteur de l'arbre. La hauteur de l'arbre expliquait 63% de la variance de la localisation du signe de degats le plus bas. Les attaques initiales etaient typiquement situees pres du milieu de l'arbre et s'etendaient avec le temps vers le haut et vers le bas a la suite d'attaques successives. Nous discutons de la facon dont ces resultats pourraient ameliorer les efforts d'inventaire de A. glabripennis. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : longicorne asiatique, disponibilite des hotes, aire de repartition des hotes, Acer, ravageur forestier exotique invasif, ravageur forestier en milieu urbain, exotique, eradication., Introduction A large proportion of non-native terrestrial arthropods that arrive in Canada feed on woody plants (Langor et al. 2009). One of these alien invasive species is the Asian longhorned [...]

To the Editor.--We read with interest the well-illustrated review article by Karamchandani et al, (1) 'New Kids on the Block: A Review of the Latest Iatrogenic Foreign Materials Seen in [...]

Objective State medicaid programs provide access to effective contraception for people with lower incomes. This study examined contraception use and pregnancy among reproductive-age women enrolled in the South Carolina Medicaid, by eligibility program and socio-demographic sub-groups. Methods A retrospective cohort of women aged 15-45 who were newly eligible for South Carolina Medicaid from 2012 to 2016 was examined. Log-binomial regression and average marginal effects assessed relationships between contraception use and pregnancies ending in live and non-live births. Contraception was categorized as permanent, long acting reversible contraception (LARC), short-acting hormonal contraception (SAC), or no contraceptive claims. Women with family planning or full-benefit medicaid coverage were included. Results Approximately 11% of women used LARC methods, 41% used SAC methods, and 46% had no evidence of contraceptive claims. Method utilization varied by eligibility program, race/ethnicity and age. The likelihood of pregnancy was lower among SAC users and lowest among LARC users compared to women with no evidence of contraception across all three programs (family planning APR = 0.44; 95% CI 0.41-0.49 and APR = 0.13, 95% CI 0.10-0.17; Low income families APR = 0.82; 95% CI 0.77-0.88 and APR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.28-0.38; Partners for Healthy Children APR = 0.72; 95% CI 0.68-0.77 and APR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.30-0.43, respectively). Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic teens were less likely to experience a pregnancy than non-Hispanic white teens. Conclusions for Practice The likelihood of pregnancy was lower among women using SAC methods and markedly lower among women using LARC. Variation in contraceptive use among racial/ethnic groups was noted despite Medicaid coverage. As new policies and initiatives emerge, these findings provide important context for understanding the role of Medicaid programs in reducing financial barriers to contraceptive services and ensuring access to effective contraception, while fostering reproductive health autonomy among women., Author(s): Nathan Hale [sup.1] , Wondimu S. Manalew [sup.1] , Edward Leinaar [sup.1] , Michael Smith [sup.1] , Bisakha Sen [sup.2] , Pradeep Sharma [sup.3] , Amal Khoury [sup.1] Author [...]

Archaeologists are increasingly publishing articles proclaiming the relevance of our field for contemporary global challenges, yet our research has little impact on other disciplines or on policy-making. Here, the author discusses three reasons for this impasse in relevance: archaeologists do not understand how relevance is constructed between fields; too little of our work follows a rigorous scientific epistemology; and we are confused about the target audiences for our messages concerning our discipline's relevance. The author suggests two strategies for moving forward: transdisciplinary collaborative research and the production of quantitative scientific results that will be useful to scientists in disciplines more closely involved in today's global challenges. Keywords: archaeology, relevance, policy-making, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinarity, Introduction A steady stream of publications enthusiastically proclaims the relevance of archaeology for important contemporary global challenges, while at the same time despairing that those outside of the discipline seem [...]

Purpose To document and compare prevalences of pulmonary pathology diagnoses among US Service members deployed during the Global War on Terrorism and non-deployed US service members. Difficulties establishing associations between deployment-related exposures and pulmonary pathology reported among US military service members deployed during the Global War on Terrorism include retrospective estimations of exposures, documenting medical outcomes and lack of comparison groups. Methods Pulmonary diagnoses reported between 2002 and 2015 were identified from the records of the former Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and The Joint Pathology Center. Military service and deployment were confirmed by the Defense Manpower Data Center. Diagnoses were reviewed and coded due to variations in diagnostic terminology. Propensity matching and adjusted binomial modeling were applied to comparisons between the deployed and non-deployed to address possible confounding variables. Results 404 deployed and 2006 non-deployed service members were included. Demographic differences and the date of pathology report complicate unadjusted comparisons. The deployed had no significant increased prevalence of neoplastic conditions. Propensity matching identified a significant increased prevalence of organizing pneumonia in the non-deployed. An adjusted binomial model identified significant increased prevalences of small airways disease, constrictive bronchiolitis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis in the deployed. Both diagnoses were strongly associated with the date of pathology report. Small airways disease, constrictive bronchiolitis comprised 5% of deployed surgical lung biopsy diagnoses. Conclusion This is the largest study of post-deployment pulmonary pathology diagnoses to date, and contains a comparison group. It provides context for studies of pulmonary outcomes among the deployed., Author(s): Michael R. Lewin-Smith [sup.1], Adriana Martinez [sup.2] [sup.3], Daniel I. Brooks [sup.4], Teri J. Franks [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) The Joint Pathology Center, , Silver Spring, MD, USA (2) [...]

I. Introduction 516 11. The Public Trust Doctrine 520 A. The Public Trust Doctrine and the States 522 B. The Public Trust Doctrine and the Federal Government 524 III. Illinois [...], The public trust doctrine imposes obligations and restrictions on governments in their exercise of sovereign power over property and resources of great public value. For environmental plaintiffs alleging that the federal government has breached its fiduciary obligation as a steward of natural resources, the vitality of the public trust doctrine hinges on whether courts conclude that it is exclusively a state law doctrine or also applies to the federal government. Courts have split on the issue, disagreeing over the proper scope and application of the U.S. Supreme Court's seminal 1892 public trust case, Illinois Central Railroad v. Illinois. Several courts, including the D.C. Circuit, have leaned on an isolated quotation from Appleby v. City of New York--an obscure 1926 U.S. Supreme Court breach-of-contract case that discussed Illinois Central--for their conclusions that the public trust doctrine does not apply to the federal government. That presumed pillar of support, however, crumbles under scrutiny of the facts and reasoning of Appleby. The Appleby Court in fact recognized and ratified the broad principle of Illinois Central, under which public trust obligations inhere in sovereignty and would thus bind the federal government along with states. This Comment offers a thorough analysis of Appleby that may enable environmental plaintiffs to counter assertions that the Supreme Court has foreclosed the possibility of a federal public trust obligation. Although later Supreme Court dicta suggest otherwise, Appleby supports a conclusion that the public trust doctrine binds all sovereigns, including the federal government.

The objective of this study was to examine the day-to-day associations between partner support, pain catastrophizing and pain intensity in individuals with end-stage knee osteoarthritis. In this microlongitudinal cohort study, participants (N = 124) with end-stage knee osteoarthritis completed baseline measures of trait pain catastrophizing and negative affect. Participants also provided daily diary assessments of partner support, pain catastrophizing and pain intensity for a period of 7 days using a personal digital assistant. Multilevel analyses revealed that day-to-day fluctuations in pain catastrophizing were associated with pain intensity. Data from multilevel analyses indicated that the main effect of partner support was not significantly associated with pain intensity. Results also indicated the interactions between partner support and both trait and state pain catastrophizing were significant, suggesting that both trait and state pain catastrophizing moderated the relationship between daily partner support and pain intensity. That is, on days when participants experienced low levels of partner support, high catastrophizers reported higher levels of pain intensity than low catastrophizers. In the presence of higher levels of partner support, pain intensity did not differ between high and low catastrophizers. These results are consistent with the Communal Coping Model of pain catastrophizing, and highlight the interpersonal context within which pain catastrophizing impacts pain outcomes. These findings also suggest that future interventions designed to specifically target the dynamic between pain catastrophizing and partner support may improve pain outcomes in individuals with end-stage knee OA., Author(s): Junie S. Carriere [sup.1] , Asimina Lazaridou [sup.1] , Marc Olivier Martel [sup.2] , Marise Cornelius [sup.1] , Claudia Campbell [sup.3] , Michael Smith [sup.3] , Jennifer A. Haythornthwaite [...]

On nights my grandparents drove home to their bungalow on Rideau Street, Kemptville, Ontario with crickets scissoring their legs at every stop sign the Nova met, wind whistling to a [...]

Background: Nighttime noise carries a significant disease burden. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published guidelines for the regulation of environmental noise based on a review of evidence published up to the year 2015 on the effects of environmental noise on sleep. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review and meta-analysis will update the WHO evidence review on the effects of environmental noise on sleep disturbance to include more recent studies. Methods: Investigations of self-reported sleep among residents exposed to environmental traffic noise at home were identified using Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO. Awakenings, falling asleep, and sleep disturbance were the three outcomes included. Extracted data were used to derive exposure-response relationships for the probability of being highly sleep disturbed by nighttime noise [average outdoor A-weighted noise level ([L.sub.night]) 2300-0700 hours] for aircraft, road, and rail traffic noise, individually. The overall quality of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) criteria. Results: Eleven studies (n = 109,070 responses) were included in addition to 25 studies (n = 64,090 responses) from the original WHO analysis. When sleep disturbance questions specifically mentioned noise as the source of disturbance, there was moderate quality of evidence for the probability of being highly sleep disturbed per 10-dB increase in [L.sub.night] for aircraft [odds ratio (OR) =2.18; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.01, 2.36], road (OR = 2.52; 95% CI: 2.28, 2.79), and railway (OR = 2.97; 95% CI: 2.57, 3.43) noise. When noise was not mentioned, there was low to very low quality of evidence for being sleep disturbed per 10-dB increase in [L.sub.night] for aircraft (OR= 1.52; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.93), road (OR= 1.14; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.21), and railway (OR = 1.17; 95% CI: 0.91, 1.49) noise. Compared with the original WHO review, the exposure-response relationships closely agreed at low (40 dB [L.sub.night]) levels for all traffic types but indicated greater disturbance by aircraft traffic at high noise levels. Sleep disturbance was not significantly different between European and non-European studies. Discussion: Available evidence suggests that transportation noise is negatively associated with self-reported sleep. Sleep disturbance in this updated meta-analysis was comparable to the original WHO review at low nighttime noise levels. These low levels correspond to the recent WHO noise limit recommendations for nighttime noise, and so these findings do not suggest these WHO recommendations need revisiting. Deviations from the WHO review in this updated analysis suggest that populations exposed to high levels of aircraft noise may be at greater risk of sleep disturbance than determined previously. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10197, Introduction Sleep is a vital component of human life that serves many critical roles in physical and mental health and well-being. (1) Sufficient quantity and quality of sleep are requirements [...]

I thank the four respondents for engaging with my remarks (Smith 2021) and for providing excellent insights into the question of relevance in archaeology. I find the diversity of examples [...]

Purpose: Many communication disorders result in speech sound errors that listeners perceive as phonemic errors. Unfortunately, manual methods for calculating phonemic error frequency are prohibitively time consuming to use in large-scale research and busy clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to validate an automated analysis based on a string metric--the unweighted Levenshtein edit distance--to express phonemic error frequency after left hemisphere stroke. Method: Audio-recorded speech samples from 65 speakers who repeated single words after a clinician were transcribed phonetically. By comparing these transcriptions to the target, we calculated the percent segments with a combination of phonemic substitutions, additions, and omissions and derived the phonemic edit distance ratio, which theoretically corresponds to percent segments with these phonemic errors. Results: Convergent validity between the manually calculated error frequency and the automated edit distance ratio was excellent, as demonstrated by nearly perfect correlations and negligible mean differences. The results were replicated across 2 speech samples and 2 computation applications. Conclusions: The phonemic edit distance ratio is well suited to estimate phonemic error rate and proves itself for immediate application to research and clinical practice. It can be calculated from any paired strings of transcription symbols and requires no additional steps, algorithms, or judgment concerning alignment between target and production. We recommend it as a valid, simple, and efficient substitute for manual calculation of error frequency., In the context of communication disorders that affect speech production, sound error frequency is often linked to the severity of the condition. Error frequency measures have clinical value across a [...]

Objectives To describe the creation of a multigenerational linked dataset with social mobility measures for South Carolina (SC), as an example for states in the South and other areas of the country. Methods Using unique identifiers, we linked birth certificates along the maternal line using SC birth certificate data from 1989 to 2014, and compared the subset of records for which linking was possible with two comparison groups on sociodemographic and birth outcome measures. We created four multi-generational social mobility measures using maternal education, paternal education, presence of paternal information, and a summary score incorporating the prior three measures plus payment source for births after 2004. We compared social mobility measures by race/ethnicity. Results Of the 1,366,288 singleton birth certificates in SC from 1989 to 2014, we linked 103,194, resulting in 61,229 unique three-generation units. Mothers and fathers were younger and had lower education, and low birth weight was more common, in the multigenerational linked dataset than in the two comparison groups. Based on the social mobility summary score, only 6.3% of White families were always disadvantaged, compared to 30.4% of Black families and 13.2% of Hispanic families. Moreover, 32.8% of White families were upwardly mobile and 39.1% of Black families were upwardly mobile, but only 29.9% of Hispanic families were upwardly mobile. Conclusions for Practice When states are able to link individuals, birth certificate data may be an excellent source for examining population-level relationships between social mobility and adverse birth outcomes. Due to its location in the Deep South, the multigenerational SC dataset may be particularly useful for understanding racial/ethnic difference in social mobility and birth outcomes., Author(s): Nancy L. Fleischer [sup.1] , Chelsea Abshire [sup.2] , Claire E. Margerison [sup.3] , Daniela Nitcheva [sup.4] , Michael G. Smith [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000000086837370, grid.214458.e, Department of [...]

National accreditation standards require all educator preparation programs to consider carefully the degree to which their curricular and field experiences cultivate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to educate all learners. Therefore, teacher educators must think critically about the course products and pedagogical processes used to prepare culturally responsive educators. This pilot study investigates a two-part facilitated reflection assignment designed to explore graduate teacher candidates' perspectives related to working with culturally and linguistically diverse students, families, and communities. Using a facilitated writing prompt, the authors gathered data about the ways in which candidates report course texts confirming, clarifying, or complicating the beliefs they brought into the course. Thematic analysis of participants' reflection papers suggest that texts about (a) power, privilege, and difference; (b) culturally responsive pedagogy; and (c) cultural identity development were particularly influential., Introduction The literature on educator preparation programs (EPPs) is replete with scholarship describing multilayered concerns about the cultural discontinuities between teacher candidates and the increasingly diverse student population awaiting them [...]

A number of mechanisms contribute to the gender earnings gap--both its level and trends in it. We focus on three of them: occupational demand, the cumulation of disadvantage that originates in the unequal domestic division of labour, and labour market statuses which also may originate in the domestic division of labour. We show that changes in occupational demand associated with the dot-com boom and what followed it have caused substantial shifts in the relative earnings of young male and female university graduates. We provide evidence of how one consequence of the domestic division of labour--differences in hours worked by gender - contribute to the size and growth of the female earnings disadvantage. And, even in our generally young sample, human capital accumulation is more likely to be disrupted for women than for men. We identify several methodological and substantive implications of our results. Keywords: Earnings, gender, university graduates, occupational demand, cumulated disadvantage, tech boom. Plusieurs mecanismes contribuent au niveau et a l'evolution de l'ecart des revenus entre les hommes et les femmes. Nous en examinons trois: la demande professionnelle, le cumul de desavantages provenant de la division inegale du travail domestique et la situation du marche du travail. Nous montrons qu'une expansion de la demande professionnelle liee a la bulle technologique a considerablement modifie les revenus relatifs des jeunes diplomes et diplomees universitaires. Nos resultats suggerent qu'une consequence de la division du travail domestique - les differences dans le nombre d'heures travaillees selon le sexe - contribue au niveau moindre et a la croissance inferieure des revenus des femmes. Meme dans notre echantillon generalement jeune, l'accumulation de capital humain est plus susceptible d'etre perturbee pour les femmes que pour les hommes. Nous identifions plusieurs consequences methodologiques et substantives de nos resultats. Mots cles: Revenus, sexe. diplomes de l'universite, demande professionnelle, desavantages cumules, bulle technologique., INTRODUCTION University graduates account for a disproportionate share of research on the gender earnings gap (e.g., Davies, et al., 1996; Finnie and Wannell, 2004; Morgan, 2008; Weinberger, 2011; Li and [...]

Digital distribution introduces many new strategic questions for the creative industries--notably, how the use of new digital channels will impact sales in established channels. We analyze this question in the context of e-book and hardcover sales by exploiting a natural experiment that exogenously delayed the release of a publisher's new Kindle e-books in April and May 2010. Using new books released simultaneously in e-book and print formats in March and June 2010 as the control group, we find that delaying e-book availability results in a 43.8% decrease in e-book sales but no increase in print book sales on Amazon.com or among other online or offline retailers. We also find that the decrease in e-book sales is greater for books with less prerelease buzz. Together, we find no evidence of strong canriibalization between print books and e-books in the short term and no support for the sequential distribution of books in print versions followed by e-book versions. History: Accepted by Lorin Hitt, information systems. Funding: Generous financial support was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 71628102]. Keywords: digital distribution * channel * publishing industry * natural experiment, 1. Introduction Digital distribution channels introduce a variety of new opportunities and challenges for the creative industries (e.g., music, film, publishing). The book market represents one prominent (and understudied) setting [...]

GREG WOOLF. 2020. The life and death of ancient cities: a natural history. New York: Oxford University Press; 978-0-19-966473-0 hardback 25 [pounds sterling]. This book is both an urban history [...]

We partner with a major multinational telecommunications provider to analyze the effect of subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) services on digital piracy. For a period of 45 consecutive days, a group of randomly selected households who used BitTorrent in the past were gifted with a bundle of TV channels with movies and TV shows that could be streamed as in SVoD. We find that, on average, households that received the gift increased overall TV consumption by 4.6% and reduced Internet downloads and uploads by 4.2% and 4.5%, respectively. However, and also on average, treated households did not change their likelihood of using BitTorrent during the experiment. Our findings are heterogeneous across households and are mediated by the fit between the preferences of households in our sample for movies and the content available as part of the gifted channels. Households with preferences aligned with the gifted content reduced their probability of using BitTorrent during the experiment by 18% and decreased their amount of upload traffic by 45%. We also show using simulation that the size of the SVoD catalog and licensing window restrictions limit significantly the ability of content providers to match SVoD offerings to the preferences of BitTorrent users. Finally, we estimate that households in our sample are willing to pay at most $3.25 USD per month to access a SVoD catalog as large as Netflix's in the United States. Together, our results show that, as a stand-alone strategy, using legal SVoD to curtail piracy will require, at the minimum, offering content much earlier and at much lower prices than those currently offered in the marketplace, changes that are likely to reduce industry revenue and that may damage overall incentives to produce new content while, at the same time, curbing only a small share of piracy. History: Accepted by Chris Forman, information systems. Funding: This research was partially funded by the Carnegie Mellon University Initiative for Digital Entertainment Analytics (IDEA), which receives unrestricted (gift) funding from the Motion Picture Association of America. This research was conducted independently without any oversight or editorial control. M. Godinho de Matos was supported by the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology [Grant UID/GES/00407/2013], Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2875. Keywords: randomized experiment * digital piracy * movies * BitTorrent * downloads * Internet, 1. Introduction Digitization is transforming the entertainment industries: books, music, and video. On the supply side, digitization reduced the fixed cost of content creation (Waldfogel 2012) as well as the [...]

A limited and simplified discovery system should broaden access to courts, resolve disputes quickly, and expedite relief to injured parties. It should not in centivize procedural gamesmanship or increase the [...]

Author(s): Timothy A. Kohler (corresponding author) [1, 2, 3]; Michael E. Smith (corresponding author) [4]; Amy Bogaard [2, 5]; Gary M. Feinman [6]; Christian E. Peterson [7]; Alleen Betzenhauser [8]; [...]

Is archaeology a social science? Most archaeologists would probably agree that the goal of our discipline is to learn about the people, societies and cultures of the past. Thus there [...]

Paladin (Letters, October 14), the hero of the television series Have Gun--Will Travel, from a longer line in fiction of the surprisingly literate tough guy than some realize, could not [...]

Peer ratings have become increasingly important sources of product information, particularly in markets for information goods. However, in spite of the increasing prevalence of this information, there are relatively few academic studies that analyze the impact of peer ratings on consumers transacting in 'real-world' marketplaces. In this paper, we partner with a major telecommunications company to analyze the impact of peer ratings in a real-world video-on-demand market where consumer participation is organic and where movies are costly and well known to consumers. After experimentally changing the initial conditions of product information displayed to consumers, we find that, consistent with the prior literature, peer ratings influence consumer behavior independently from underlying product quality. However, we also find that, in contrast to the prior literature, there is little evidence of long-term bias as a result of herding effects, at least in our setting. Specifically, when movies are artificially promoted or demoted in peer rating lists, subsequent reviews cause them to return to their true quality position relatively quickly. One explanation for this difference is that consumers in our empirical setting likely had more outside information about the true quality of the products they were evaluating than did consumers in the studies reported in prior literature. Although tentative, this explanation suggests that in real-world marketplaces where consumers have sufficient access to outside information about true product quality, peer ratings may be more robust to herding effects and thus provide more reliable signals of true product quality than previously thought. Keywords: herding behavior; randomized experiment; likes; video on demand History: Received May 28, 2014; accepted March 2, 2015, by Lorin M. Hitt, information systems. Published online in Articles in Advance February 15, 2016., 1. Introduction Consumers constantly acquire information to make purchase decisions. This is particularly true in the context of 'experience goods' where the quality and fit of the product are important [...]

Since its foundation in 1945, the United Nations has conducted an astonishing number of peace operations, commencing in Indonesia in 1948. To deal with the changing international security order, the [...]

Previous research indicates that involvement in curricular and co-curricular activities are important and necessary components of student development and academic success (Astin, 1999; Komives & Johnson, 2009). Through involvement, students [...]