Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

An Evaluation Of The Us High Production Volume (Hpv) Chemical-Testing Programme: A Study In (Ir)Relevance, Redundancy And Retro Thinking, Andrew Nicholson, Jessica Sandler, Troy Seidle

Troy Seidle, PhD

Under the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Programme, chemical companies have volunteered to conduct screening-level toxicity tests on approximately 2800 widely-used industrial chemicals. Participating companies are committed to providing available toxicity information to the EPA and presenting testing proposals for review by the EPA and posting on the EPA Web site as public information. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and a coalition of animal protection organisations have reviewed all the test plans submitted by the participating chemical companies for compliance with the original HPV framework, as well as with animal welfare guidelines …

Health Professionals’ Roles In Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, And Human Health, Aysha Z. Akhtar, Michael Greger, Hope Ferdowsian, Erica Frank

Michael Greger, MD, FACLM

What we eat is rapidly becoming an issue of global concern. With food shortages, the rise in chronic disease, and global warming, the impact of our dietary choices seems more relevant today than ever. Globally, a transition is taking place toward greater consumption of foods of animal origin, in lieu of plantbased diets. With this transition comes intensification of animal agriculture that in turn is associated with the emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases, environmental degradation, and the epidemics of chronic disease and obesity. Health professionals should be aware of these trends and consider them as they promote healthier and more …

In Service For Sharing: Leadership And Leader - Follower Relationship Factors As Influencers Of Tacit Knowledge Sharing In The It Industry, Billy Whisnant, Odai Khasawneh

Odai Khasawneh

Corporate Security: Using Knowledge Construction To Define A Practising Body Of Knowledge, David Brooks

David J Brooks Dr.

Security is a multidimensional concept, with many meanings, practising domains, and heterogeneous occupations. Therefore, it is difficult to define security as a singular concept, although understanding may be achieved by its applied context in presenting a domicile body of knowledge. There have been studies that have presented a number of corporate security bodies of knowledge; however, there is still restricted consensus. From these past body of knowledge studies, and supported by multidimensional scaling knowledge mapping, a body of knowledge framework is put forward, integrating core and allied knowledge categories. The core knowledge categories include practise areas such as risk management, …

Depicting Estimates Using The Intercept In Meta-Regression Models: The Moving Constant Technique, Blair T. Johnson Dr., Tania B. Huedo-Medina Dr.

Blair T. Johnson

In any scientific discipline, the ability to portray research patterns graphically often aids greatly in interpreting a phenomenon. In part to depict phenomena, the statistics and capabilities of meta-analytic models have grown increasingly sophisticated. Accordingly, this article details how to move the constant in weighted meta-analysis regression models (viz. “meta-regression”) to illuminate the patterns in such models across a range of complexities. Although it is commonly ignored in practice, the constant (or intercept) in such models can be indispensible when it is not relegated to its usual static role. The moving constant technique makes possible estimates and confidence intervals at …

Personality And Programming, Amy B. Woszczynski, Tracy C. Guthrie, Sherri Shade

Sherri Shade

Information systems students continue to struggle to successfully complete computer programming classes. Learning how to program is difficult, and failure and attrition rates in college level programming classes remain at an unacceptably high rate. Since many IS students take a programming course as part of their program of study, IS educators should better understand why IS students tend to achieve low success rates in programming courses and what can be done to improve success rates. Little research to date has addressed potential reasons for student failure in programming principles courses. Many educators simply assume that high failure rates are acceptable …

A Call To Is Educators To Respond To The Voices Of Women In Information Security, Amy B. Woszczynski, Sherri Shade

Sherri Shade

Much prior research has examined the dearth of women in the IT industry. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of women in IT within the context of information security and assurance. This paper describes results from a study of a relatively new career path to see if there are female-friendly opportunities that have not existed in previous IT career paths. Research methodology focuses on a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with women who are self-described information security professionals. A primary goal of the study is to understand the perceptions of women in information security and determine …

Architectural Control And Value Migration In Layered Ecosystems: The Case Of Open-Source Cloud Management Platforms, Richard Tee, C. Jason Woodard

C. Jason Woodard

Our paper focuses on strategic decision making in layered business ecosystems, highlighting the role of cross-layer interactions in shaping choices about product design and platform governance. Based on evidence from the cloud computing ecosystem, we analyze how concerns about architectural control and expectations regarding future value migration influence the design of product interfaces and the degree of openness to external contributions. We draw on qualitative longitudinal data to trace the development of two open-source platforms for managing cloud-based computing resources. We focus in particular on the emergence of a layered "stack" in which these platforms must compete with both vertically …

Cugar: A Model For Open Innovation In Science And Technology Parks, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu

Arcot Desai NARASIMHALU

This paper reviews key elements of a Science or Technology Park in the context of open innovation. Insights into and recommendations on key issues related to intellectual property, licensing and venture capital that would be of interest to any Science Park are presented later.

Innovating Services In Science And Technology Parks, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu

Arcot Desai NARASIMHALU

Science and Technology Parks are in the business of providing services to their tenants, a mix of large companies, Small and Medium Enterprises and startups. The service needs of each of these types of companies will be different. The quality of services can be improved by understanding the needs of the tenants both, prior to building the Science and Technology Parks as well as on an ongoing basis. This paper introduces the CUGAR model for Science and Technology Parks as well as Service Innovation Design framework. It then proceeds to discuss how the Service Innovation framework could be applied to …

Designing Optimal Innovation Portfolio, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu

Arcot Desai NARASIMHALU

There have been many approaches towards investing in innovation projects. There has been very little discussion about the need to align such investments with the mission, vision, goals, leadership style, value discipline and risk appetite of an organization. This paper reviews existing approaches to innovation related investments and suggests the setting up of a proper innovation portfolio management process along with three dashboards that will help make innovation related investment decisions in an informed manner. The resulting innovation portfolio will be optimal in its alignment with an organizations mission and vision. We expect this method to be used by all …

Direct Neighbor Search, Jilian Zhang, Kyriakos Mouratidis, Hwee Hwa Pang

Kyriakos MOURATIDIS

In this paper we study a novel query type, called direct neighbor query. Two objects in a dataset are direct neighbors (DNs) if a window selection may exclusively retrieve these two objects. Given a source object, a DN search computes all of its direct neighbors in the dataset. The DNs define a new type of affinity that differs from existing formulations (e.g., nearest neighbors, nearest surrounders, reverse nearest neighbors, etc.) and finds application in domains where user interests are expressed in the form of windows, i.e., multi-attribute range selections. Drawing on key properties of the DN relationship, we develop an …

Budgeted Personalized Incentive Approaches For Smoothing Congestion In Resource Networks, Pradeep Varakantham, Na Fu, William Yeoh, Shih-Fen Cheng, Hoong Chuin Lau

Shih-Fen CHENG

Congestion occurs when there is competition for resources by sel sh agents. In this paper, we are concerned with smoothing out congestion in a network of resources by using personalized well-timed in- centives that are subject to budget constraints. To that end, we provide: (i) a mathematical formulation that computes equilibrium for the re- source sharing congestion game with incentives and budget constraints; (ii) an integrated approach that scales to larger problems by exploiting the factored network structure and approximating the attained equilib- rium; (iii) an iterative best response algorithm for solving the uncon- strained version (no budget) of the …

A Multi-Objective Memetic Algorithm For Vehicle Resource Allocation In Sustainable Transportation Planning, Hoong Chuin Lau, Lucas Agussurja, Shih-Fen Cheng, Pang Jin Tan

Shih-Fen CHENG

Sustainable supply chain management has been an increasingly important topic of research in recent years. At the strategic level, there are computational models which study supply and distribution networks with environmental considerations. At the operational level, there are, for example, routing and scheduling models which are constrained by carbon emissions. Our paper explores work in tactical planning with regards to vehicle resource allocation from distribution centers to customer locations in a multi-echelon logistics network. We formulate the bi-objective optimization problem exactly and design a memetic algorithm to efficiently derive an approximate Pareto front. We illustrate the applicability of our approach …

An Agent-Based Simulation Approach To Experience Management In Theme Parks, Shih-Fen Cheng, Larry Junjie Lin, Jiali Du, Hoong Chuin Lau, Pradeep Reddy Varakantham

Shih-Fen CHENG

In this paper, we illustrate how massive agent-based simulation can be used to investigate an exciting new application domain of experience management in theme parks, which covers topics like congestion control, incentive design, and revenue management. Since all visitors are heterogeneous and self-interested, we argue that a high-quality agent-based simulation is necessary for studying various problems related to experience management. As in most agent-base simulations, a sound understanding of micro-level behaviors is essential to construct high-quality models. To achieve this, we designed and conducted a first-of-its-kind real-world experiment that helps us understand how typical visitors behave in a theme-park environment. …

Interacting Knapsack Problem In Designing Resource Bundles, Truong Huy D. Nguyen, Pradeep Reddy Varakantham, Hoong Chuin Lau, Shih-Fen Cheng

Shih-Fen CHENG

In many real-life businesses, the service provider/seller keeps a log of the visitors’ behavior as a way to assess the efficiency of the current business/operation model and find room for improvement. For example, by tracking when visitors entering attractions in a theme park, theme park owners can detect when and where congestion may occur, thus having contingency plans to reroute the visitors accordingly. Similarly, a Cable TV service provider can track channel switching events at each household to identify uninteresting channels. Subsequently, the repertoire of channels up for subscription can evolve over time to better serve the entertainment demand of …

Understanding The Influence Of Blog On The Development Of Social Capital, Reza Vaezi, Gholamreza Torkzadeh, Jerry Cha-Jan Chang

Reza Vaezi

The rapid use and application of blogs in diverse areas such as education, marketing, journalism, and human resource management in recent years underlines the need for a better understanding of the impact of this new technology on social capital. Social capital reflects the norm of reciprocity and the level of trust among individuals who connect, interact, and benefit from one another. Blog is expected to influence the extent and the scope of this interaction by providing new means of networking among people. This paper examines the relationship between blog use and social capital and reports on the results of an …

The Public Health Impacts Of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations On Local Communities, Michael Greger, Gowri Koneswaran

Michael Greger, MD, FACLM

Large-scale farm animal production facilities, also known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), release a significant amount of contaminants into the air and water. Adverse health effects related to exposure to these contaminants among CAFO workers have been welldocumented; however, less is known about their impact on the health of residents in nearby communities. Epidemiological research in this area suggests that neighboring residents are at increased risk of developing neurobehavioral symptoms and respiratory illnesses, including asthma. Additional research is needed to better understand community-scale exposures and health outcomes related to the management practices and emissions of CAFOs.

Environmental Education In Small Business: The Owner-Manager's Perspective, Janice Redmond, Elizabeth Walker

Janice Redmond Dr

Traditionally, environmental education has been aimed at the community or in primary schools and governmental pressure to reduce environmental damage has focussed on large businesses. More recently, the role and importance of small business and how to engage them in the environmental debate has come under scrutiny. Researchers have identified education as one method of increasing the understanding of small business owner-managers’ role and knowledge of practices that, when implemented, will reduce the negative impacts of their businesses. However, there is little attention given in the literature to the perspective of the small business owner-manager and environmental education. This research …

The Association Between Aircraft Fleet Variety And Fuel Efficiency, Matthew J. Judd

Matthew J. Judd

One consideration for aircraft operators is how to have the most efficient fleet composition. Fleet makeup could be a diversified fleet makeup or a standardized fleet makeup. The decision is important because it shapes the way the fleet is operated. I examined the effect of aircraft type variety on fleet-wide fuel efficiency. The research hypothesis was that a varied fleet is more fuel efficient than a homogenous fleet. The hypothesis was tested through an analysis of academic and government literature and data. A correlation analysis through evaluation of scatterplots between number of aircraft types and fuel use per seat mile …

Compound Interest And The Power Of Saving, Richard H. Serlin

Richard H. Serlin

This is an article with an included assignment that I give to my personal finance 1 students. The first part talks about the power of compound interest. I go into depth about the intuition why it's so powerful, why it takes off, and has been called the eighth wonder of the world. I've haven't seen anywhere else an extensive explanation of the intuition like I have here.

In the second part I give the students a nice assignment to see how much their savings can grow if they invest even a modest amount consistently, month in and month out, in …

Mining And Communities In The Arctic: Lessons From Baker Lake, Canada, Leo Paul Dana, Robert Brent Anderson

Leo- Paul Dana

In this paper, we explore mining in Arctic Canada from the perspective of the people on the communities there, in particular the Inuit, the pre-colonial people of the area. To do so, we first provide a brief overview of the history of mining in Canada including recent incursions into Nunavut. Then, we examine the place of aboriginal people including the Inuit in the modern global economy. We focus on their desire to participate in this economy on their own terms, meaning the respect of traditional land rights, and the respect and incorporation of traditional environmental knowledge, culture, values and practices …

Tsu Faculty Research Interest Database, David Owerbach

David Owerbach

The TSU faculty research interest database was constructed by the Office of Research and was last updated on November 20, 2014.

A Regression Model To Investigate The Performance Of Black-Scholes Using Macroeconomic Predictors, Timothy A. Smith, Ersoy Subasi, Aliraza M. Rattansi

Timothy Smith

Tsu Faculty Publication Database, David Owerbach

David Owerbach

THE TSU faculty publication database is for the years 2012-2014. The database was constructed by the Office of Research and was last updated on November 20, 2014.

Boundaries Of A Complex World, Isbn 978-3-662-49078-5 (2016), Andrei Ludu

Andrei Ludu

From Amazon To Apple: Modeling Online Retail Sales, Purchase Incidence And Visit Behavior, Anastasios Panagiotelis, Michael S. Smith, Peter Danaher

Michael Stanley Smith

In this study we propose a multivariate stochastic model for website visit duration, page views, purchase incidence and the sale amount for online retailers. The model is constructed by composition from carefully selected distributions, and involves copula components. It allows for the strong nonlinear relationships between the sales and visit variables to be explored in detail, and can be used to construct sales predictions. The model is readily estimated using maximum likelihood, making it an attractive choice in practice given the large sample sizes that are commonplace in online retail studies. We examine a number of top-ranked U.S. online retailers, …