The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina

About: The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina is a education organization based out in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Stars & Population. The organization has 526 authors who have published 1316 publications receiving 18940 citations.

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 ...

Sociological and Criminological Explanations of Terrorism

Abstract: Theories are essential for scientific advances, allowing researchers to test assumptions and to dispel superstitions and prejudices. Early theories of terrorism however were often the byproduct of thought pieces, and have since been derided by esteemed scholars for dubiously mischaracterizing terrorism. In recent years both sociological and criminological theories have been advanced to motivate a host of research that has supplanted earlier intuitive but inaccurate theories of terrorism. Testing these theories with the benefit of analytic advances and more comprehensive datasets has revealed numerous insights that have guided more effective counterterrorism strategies. This work has also provided compelling evidence that sociology and criminology have much to offer our understanding of terrorism. This chapter documents some of these major theoretical contributions for understanding terrorists’ motives and for informing efforts to prevent terrorism, while highlighting the existing strengths and gaps in this burgeoning research.

Transesterification activity of a novel lipase from Acinetobacter venetianus RAG-1

Abstract: Transesterification activity and the industrial potential of a novel lipase prepared from Acinetobacter ventiatus RAG-1 were evaluated. Purified lipase samples were dialyzed against pH 9.0 buffer in a single optimization step prior to lyophilization. The enzyme and organic phase were pre-equilibrated (separately) to the same thermodynamic water activities (a (w)) ranging from a (w) 0.33 to 0.97. Production of 1-octyl butyrate by lipase-catalyzed transesterification of vinyl butyrate with 1-octanol in hexane was monitored by gas chromatography. Production of 1-octyl butyrate and initial rate of reaction depended on water activity. Product synthesis and rate of transesterification increased sharply with increase from a (w) 0.33 to 0.55. Highest product concentration (218 mM) and rate of reaction (18.7 micromol h(-1) . 10 microg protein) were measured at a (w) 0.86. Transesterification activity in hexane represented 32% of comparable hydrolytic activity in aqueous buffer.

Patterns of differentiation among endangered pondberry populations

Abstract: Pondberry, Lindera melissifolia, is an endangered and partially clonally reproducing shrub species found in isolated populations that inhabit seasonally wet depressions in forested areas of the lower Mississippi River alluvial valley and southeastern regions of the United States. With eleven microsatellite loci, we quantified population genetic differentiation and diversity among 450 genets in 10 locations distributed across pondberry’s range. We used estimates of F st and Jost’s D est to measure genetic differences between populations and between geographic regions. The largest pairwise regional difference was found between eastern and western regional population groups (F st = 0.23, D est = 0.67), with the northern-most population groups in each region exhibiting larger divergence from each other than the southern-most population groups. Genetic diversity was lowest in the Sand Pond Conservation Area (A e = 1.9, H e = 0.36), which was the northern-most pondberry population, and highest in the Francis Marion National Forest (A e = 4.1, H e = 0.69), although we identified only 17 genets in that admixed population. Following adjustments for estimated null allele frequencies, we identified heterozygote excess in four eastern populations and found no evidence for inbreeding in any population. The observed patterns of differentiation indicate a phylogeography that exhibits an Appalachian Mountain discontinuity coupled with northward migrations along the Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain and into the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. The genetic consequences of this proposed phylogeographical structure may affect selection of germplasm sources for population reestablishment programs across pondberry’s range.