Showing papers by "The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina published in 2013"

Does firm innovativeness enable effective responses to supply chain disruptions? An empirical study

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nexus of relationships linking firm innovativeness, innovation magnitude, disruption severity, and supply chain resilience. These relationships are examined within a supply chain disruptions context. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed between subjects scenario-based experimental methodology combined with a survey method. Participants in the study were senior level logistics/supply chain and operations managers in US and European manufacturing companies. The hypotheses were tested via linear regression models. Findings – Findings suggest that both firm innovativeness and innovation magnitude are positively associated with supply chain resilience. In addition, it was found that disruption severity is positively associated with innovation magnitude. Research limitations/implications – Based on the findings, the authors expect that firm innovativeness as a dynamic capability should have a positive impact on achieving supply chain resilie...

Picomonas judraskeda Gen. Et Sp. Nov.: The First Identified Member of the Picozoa Phylum Nov., a Widespread Group of Picoeukaryotes, Formerly Known as ‘Picobiliphytes’

Abstract: In 2007, a novel, putatively photosynthetic picoeukaryotic lineage, the ‘picobiliphytes’, with no known close eukaryotic relatives, was reported from 18S environmental clone library sequences and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Although single cell genomics later showed these organisms to be heterotrophic rather than photosynthetic, until now this apparently widespread group of pico-(or nano-)eukaryotes has remained uncultured and the organisms could not be formally recognized. Here, we describe Picomonas judraskeda gen. et sp. nov., from marine coastal surface waters, which has a ‘picobiliphyte’ 18S rDNA signature. Using vital mitochondrial staining and cell sorting by flow cytometry, a single cell-derived culture was established. The cells are biflagellate, 2.5–3.8×2–2.5 µm in size, lack plastids and display a novel stereotypic cycle of cell motility (described as the “jump, drag, and skedaddle”-cycle). They consist of two hemispherical parts separated by a deep cleft, an anterior part that contains all major cell organelles including the flagellar apparatus, and a posterior part housing vacuoles/vesicles and the feeding apparatus, both parts separated by a large vacuolar cisterna. From serial section analyses of cells, fixed at putative stages of the feeding cycle, it is concluded that cells are not bacterivorous, but feed on small marine colloids of less than 150 nm diameter by fluid-phase, bulk flow endocytosis. Based on the novel features of cell motility, ultrastructure and feeding, and their isolated phylogenetic position, we establish a new phylum, Picozoa, for Picomonas judraskeda, representing an apparently widespread and ecologically important group of heterotrophic picoeukaryotes, formerly known as ‘picobiliphytes’.

Psychiatric Problems and Trauma Exposure in Nondetained Delinquent and Nondelinquent Adolescents

Abstract: This study examined the prevalence of and associations between specific psychiatric disorders, substance use problems, and trauma exposure in a sample of delinquent and nondelinquent adolescents. A nationally representative sample of adolescents (n = 3,614; M age = 14.5 years, SD = 1.7; 51% male; 71% White, non-Hispanic, 13.3% African American, non-Hispanic, 10.7% Hispanic) was interviewed via telephone about engagement in delinquent acts and their experience of posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive episode, substance use, interpersonal violence, and other forms of trauma exposure. Delinquent adolescents were more likely than nondelinquent adolescents to experience trauma; they were also more likely to report past-year posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive episode, alcohol abuse, and nonexperimental drug use. After accounting for the effects of demographics and trauma exposure, delinquency was associated with increased likelihood of posttraumatic stress disorder and problematic substan...

Policing the homeless: policy, practice, and perceptions

Abstract: Purpose – The homeless are a common sight in many cities and their actions frequently bring them into contact with the police. However, little is known about police policy and the homeless. The aim of this research was to examine policy, practices, and perceptions of the police and the homeless.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was mailed to 100 police departments in the United States to gather information about their policies, resources, and amount of contact with the homeless. A Chi square statistical analysis was conducted to assist in comparing departments on key issues. In addition, interviews were conducted with police officers and homeless individuals to gain further insight into their perceptions and experiences.Findings – Policing issues with the homeless were examined by size of the department, municipality, and size of the population served. Law enforcement agencies of all sizes and jurisdictions encountered homeless individuals. Large municipal agencies had the most frequent contact, and ...

The Only Thing That Stops a Guy with a Bad Policy is a Guy with a Good Policy: An Examination of the NRA’s “National School Shield” Proposal

Abstract: With the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, the public and the government are looking for solutions to school violence. The National Rifle Association (NRA), a Second Amendment, pro-gun advocacy group, has proposed an “education and training emergency response program” called The National School Shield, which advocates the placement of armed security in schools. Although the program sounds provocative, serious questions complicate its plausibility, necessity, motive, and effectiveness. Furthermore, the potential policy and practical ramifications of encouraging armed security forces in U.S. schools are complex. The authors examined the proposal’s key elements from a public policy perspective and determined that the NRA program would be expensive in terms of both implementation and civil and/or criminal liability, would increase juvenile contact with the criminal justice system, would increase the potential for injuries and deaths from firearms, and would potentially only serve to increase profits for those invested in security industries. More potentially effective and safe policy alternatives are offered.

Identifying students with emotional disturbance: school psychologists’ practices and perceptions

Abstract: From its inception as a disability category in the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, serving students under the special education category Emotional Disturbance (ED) has been a challenging task for school psychologists. In particular, the vague and ambiguous federal definition has created an environment in which inconsistent assessment practices and decision making are almost inevitable. In this study, we examined school psychologists’ (N = 214) assessment practices when determining initial eligibility for ED, as well as their perceptions regarding the language contained within the federal ED definition. Findings indicated that although school psychologists recognize the need for a multimethod, multisource assessment model when ED is a classification consideration, in many instances, their actual assessments are missing commonly recommended sources of data for making eligibility decisions, including classroom observations; parent, teacher, and student interviews; and behavior rating scales. The results from the study provide a useful overview of school psychologists’ assessment practices and are couched within the questions and confusion that have surrounded the federal ED definition since its codification into law.

A home-based exercise intervention to increase physical activity among people living with HIV: study design of a randomized clinical trial

Abstract: While combination antiretroviral therapy has extended the life expectancy of those infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there is a high prevalence of comorbidities that increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) The side effects associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) lead to multiple metabolic disorders, making the management of these metabolic issues and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in those treated with ART a critical issue Clinical research trials, primarily clinical exercise, rarely include this population due to unique challenges in research methods with underserved minority populations living with a life threatening illness like HIV/AIDS This paper describes the rationale and design of a randomized clinical trial evaluating the feasibility of a home-based exercise program designed to increase physical activity (PA) and reduce the risk of CVD in PLWHA PLWHA being treated with ART will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: a home-based PA intervention or standard care All participants will receive an educational weight loss workbook and pedometer for self-monitoring of PA Only those in the intervention group will receive additional elastic Thera-bands® for strength training and behavioral telephone based coaching This study will evaluate the feasibility of a home-based program designed to increase PA among PLWHA Further, it will evaluate the effectiveness of such a program to decrease modifiable risk factors for CVD as a secondary outcome This study was funded by the NIH/NINR R21 Grant 1R21NRO11281 Clinical Trial Identifier NCT01377064

Ostracism in pediatric populations: review of theory and research.

Abstract: Ostracism, ignoring and excluding a target individual, has recently emerged as one of the more common and damaging forms of social exchange. This article reviews the theoretical and empirical foundations of ostracism and its impact on the targeted individual, especially threats to the fundamental psychological needs of belonging, self-esteem, meaningful existence, and sense of control. Ostracism in children and adolescents is under-researched compared to bullying in general, in both the general youth population and in populations of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). Basic and applied studies on ostracism and its impact are reviewed with special emphasis on recent findings about ostracism in CYSHCN. Evidence is presented that ostracism may pose an even greater threat to children's adjustment and need-threat levels than bullying. Resources for clinician and researcher engagement in this emerging area are provided.

The provision of counseling services among school psychologists: an exploration of training, current practices, and perceptions

Abstract: Although school psychologists have been called on in recent literature to assume a leadership role in a collective and comprehensive effort to address students’ mental health needs, many practitioners find that their professional roles continue to be narrowly focused on special education-related activities, such as individualized assessment and eligibility determination. Meanwhile, students’ mental health needs have never been greater. The current study focused specifically on school psychologists’ provision of school-based counseling, an activity that has been shown to be effective in addressing students’ mental health needs, as well as a professional role that many practitioners have expressed a desire to expand. A national sample of school psychologists responded to an Internet survey related to various aspects of counseling service delivery, including their training to provide services, current practices, and perceptions of the importance for school psychologists to assume the responsibility of providing school-based counseling services.

Street Gangs, Organized Crime Groups, and Terrorists: Differentiating Criminal Organizations

Abstract: Individually street gangs, organized crime (OC) groups, and terrorists all present serious problems for national and international law enforcement agencies. Imagine though if these three were connected or linked in substantive ways. Whether we want to accept this or not, the lines between these structures are often blurred and ill-defined. Each of these groups often takes on the characteristics of the other group, if not in motive then in technique. Additionally, these groups sometimes form alliances with one another further complicating law enforcement efforts to combat their criminal activity. Distinguishing these groups from one another, as well as outlining areas in which they overlap will help direct law enforcement toward a more successful pursuit of these groups.

What can we learn from school-based emotional disturbance assessment practices? implications for practice and preparation in school psychology

Abstract: The federal definition of emotional disturbance (ED) provides limited guidance to educational professionals charged with making Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act eligibility determinations. Despite calls to revise the definition, the ED category remains largely unchanged nearly four decades after being codified into federal law. To navigate the vague, ambiguous, and outdated eligibility criteria, school psychologists must adhere to comprehensive assessment strategies whenever an ED placement is considered. In this study, we examined the ED assessment practices of 214 school psychologists. The results indicated that respondents all too frequently relied on only select sources of data (e.g., behavior rating scales), rather than taking a multimethod, multisource approach, when evaluating children referred for emotional and behavioral concerns. Implications for both the practice and preparation of school psychologists are discussed.

Emotional intelligence and academic performance of engineering students

Abstract: Professional technical expertise is no longer the main standard by which employers evaluate college graduates. ‘Soft skills’, such as emotional intelligence (EI also referred to as EQ), are viewed as effective ways to distinguish potential high-performance workers. It is posited that high performing students will also exhibit more proficiency at these ‘soft skills’ than students with more modest academic success. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to correlate EI with the academic performance of civil engineering students. A student's grade point ratio (GPR) is the criterion used in this research to measure academic performance. The hypothesis is that students with high GPRs will score better on measures of EI than other students. Literature reviews found that there is a growing area of research into EI and its relationship with job performance, specifically through the research presented in Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ [Goleman, D. (1995) Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can ...

Developing Critical Thinking Skills For Information Seeking Success

Abstract: Critical thinking skills are required to successfully navigate the overwhelming amount of information sources available today. To address the challenge of developing critical thinking skills, this empirical study examines the effectiveness of exercises in developing thinking skills in college freshmen students. The workbook exercises were designed to develop specific skills related to academics and critical thinking. Two groups of college freshmen participated in the study: one group was given the workbook, the other group was not. At the end of the semester, both groups completed a critical thinking assessment test. A comparison of the test scores confirms the effectiveness of these exercises on improving the critical thinking skills of college freshmen.

Phenomenological Study of the Interplay between IR-Improved DGLAP-CS Theory and the Precision of an NLO ME Matched Parton Shower MC

Abstract: We present a phenomenological study of the current status of the application of our approach of {\it exact} amplitude-based resummation in quantum field theory to precision QCD calculations, by realistic MC event generator methods, as needed for precision LHC physics. We discuss recent results as they relate to the interplay of the attendant IR-Improved DGLAP-CS theory of one of us and the precision of exact NLO matrix-element matched parton shower MC's in the Herwig6.5 environment as determined by comparison to recent LHC experimental observations on single heavy gauge boson production and decay. The level of agreement between the new theory and the data continues to be a reason for optimism. In the spirit of completeness, we discuss as well other approaches to the same theoretical predictions that we make here from the standpoint of physical precision with an eye toward the (sub-)1% QCD \otimes EW total theoretical precision regime for LHC physics.

Six degrees of separation in barnacles? Assessing genetic variability in the sea-turtle epibiont Stomatolepas elegans (Costa) among turtles, beaches and oceans

Abstract: The barnacles Stomatolepas elegans and Stomatolepas praegustator are epibionts of sea turtles. The former is described as inhabiting the external skin of turtles and the latter the inside of the mouth and gullet. This study evaluated genetic divergence among 69 traditionally defined individual S. elegans and six individual S. praegustator from 18 sea turtles representing four host species and five geographic locations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Genetic variation was compared for a 658-base-pair portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene locus. Our findings indicate that S. praegustator may be a junior synonym of S. elegans and that selection of hosts is variable. Results also suggest genetic exchange between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans post-dating separation of the oceans by the Isthmus of Panama, and that species-level complexity for S. elegans may be greater than currently recognized.

Ideal multipole ion traps from planar ring electrodes

Abstract: We present designs for multipole ion traps based on a set of planar, annular, concentric electrodes which require only rf potentials to confine ions. We illustrate the desirable properties of the traps by considering a few simple cases of confined ions. We predict that mm-scale surface traps may have trap depths as high as tens of electron volts when parameters of a magnitude common in the field are chosen. Under similar conditions, micromotion amplitudes in a 2D ion crystal as low as tens of nanometers could be realized. Several example traps are studied, and the scaling of those properties with voltage, frequency, and trap scale, for small numbers of ions, is derived. Applications of these traps include quantum information science, frequency metrology, and cold ion–atom collisions.

Notes on the quantum mechanics of particles constrained to curved surfaces

Abstract: In the course of one's studies, it may be desired to approximate a particle constrained to a curved surface, such as a sheet of graphene or a fullerene, but without modelling the lattice of Coulomb potentials. This can be done using the machinery of differential geometry to formulate a Schr?dinger equation for a particle constrained so by applying an infinitely narrow infinite square well potential normal to the surface. The purpose of this paper is to clarify two mistakes that might be made when attempting to formulate this equation. These mistakes are: (1) incorrectly assuming that the Laplacian of the surface is the same as the Laplacian of the space, with the constrained term removed; and (2) neglecting to include the effective potential energy due to the curvature of the surface. It is also noted that the constrained approach produces results that, if the resulting Schr?dinger equation is separable, will produce one constant of separation instead of the traditional two. The emergence of the second quantum number is demonstrated and, hence, the apparent inconsistency is resolved. The prolate spheroid is given as a non-trivial example because it highlights the issues presented.

A Methodology for Estimating and Comparing the Lifecycles of High-Build and Conventional Waterborne Pavement Markings on Primary and Secondary Roads in South Carolina

Abstract: Highway pavement markings constitute a vital component in roadway transportation systems and provide crucial visual cues for drivers to follow the road. In 2008, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) initiated a study to evaluate pavement markings on noninterstate primary and secondary roads in South Carolina. This article discusses development of a method for estimating and comparing the lifecycles of high-build waterborne and conventional waterborne pavement markings based on retroreflectivity levels. The method was developed using nearly 3 years of field data from 66 sites throughout South Carolina. The article provides an overview of data collection and analysis methods employed in model development. The analysis indicates that high-build markings are predicted to considerably outlast waterborne markings and are also more cost-effective, based on cost per linear foot per year, for two-way Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) volume levels up to 2,000 vehicles per day.

Description and Classification of Lindera melissifolia Habitat in the Southeastern Coastal Plain

Abstract: Lindera melissifolia is a federally endangered wetland shrub endemic to the Southeastern Coastal Plain and the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Lindera melissifolia is known to occupy seasonally flooded habitats, but little work has been done to describe habitat characteristics in the Southeastern Coastal Plain region. This research uses vegetation and environmental data collected from 50 plots in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia to develop a habitat classification and description for L. melissifolia in the Southeastern Coastal Plain. Cluster analysis, nonmetric multidimensional scaling, indicator species analysis, and analysis of variance were used to assign plots to four distinct isolated wetland habitat types. Swamp Tupelo Depression Pond and Successional Swamp Forest communities supported the densest and healthiest L. melissifolia populations, followed by Pond-Cypress Pond and Pocosin, and Limestone Sink Forest habitats. Habitat degradation and other forms of disturbance were fou...

The American Landscape in the Poetry of Frost, Bishop, and Ashbery: The House Abandoned

Abstract: Significantly changing the way readers think about one major modern poet is impressive enough; changing the way readers think about three such writers makes a critical book a must-read. Marit MacAr...

Acts of Meaning: The Legitimization of New Ventures

Abstract: Using the lens of institutional theory and the legitimization construct, we discuss how new ventures select an organizational structure, how new ventures obtain legitimacy for their organizational structure, and change institutional norms. We examine how institutional forces may influence the organizational structure of new ventures in both established and new fields and discuss how institutional theory may provide an explanation of the organizational structures available to new venture firms entering into established business fields. Additionally, institutional theory is evoked to better understand the process by which new ventures may establish an organizational structure where no institutionalized (legitimated) structure currently exists.

GAAP vs. IFRS Treatment of Leases and the Impact on Financial Ratios

Abstract: As of January 1, 2011 most of the world financial market economies are using International Reporting Standards (IFRS) as the required framework for financial statements. A non-comprehensive listing includes the European Union Countries, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the United States, US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is still required but adoption of IFRS has support of many accounting firms and professional organizations and is under consideration by the SEC. This case study focuses on differences in the treatment of leases and the impact of these differences on financial statements and selected financial ratios. Students take GAAP financial statements and prepare an IFRS based balance sheet and income statement. The need to understand both GAAP and IFRS rules regarding leases is required to adequately address this case study. This case study is suitable for use at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. It could be used in an Intermediate Accounting II, Accounting Theory, Financial Statement Analysis or an International Accounting class, as well as an Investment Finance course.

Recognizing and treating ADHD in adults.

Abstract: Patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) commonly present in primary care settings. Because untreated adult ADHD can impair patients' quality of life, clinicians need to know how to recognize and treat this potentially lifelong disorder.