Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Contractors As Military Professionals?, Gary Schaub, Jr., Volker Franke

Faculty Articles

The article presents information on a research study which compared the mindsets of military officers and private security contractors. The results are discussed in terms of U.S. military professionalism. The study indicated a need for better clarification of legal responsibilities in terms of contractor relations with the military. The study is also said to support the view that military combat roles should not be outsourced.

Predatory Senescence In Ageing Wolves, Daniel R. Macnulty, Douglas W. Smith, John A. Vucetich, L. David Mech, Craig Packer

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

It is well established that ageing handicaps the ability of prey to escape predators, yet surprisingly little is known about how ageing affects the ability of predators to catch prey. Research into long-lived predators has assumed that adults have uniform impacts on prey regardless of age. Here we use longitudinal data from repeated observations of individually-known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park to demonstrate that adult predatory performance declines with age and that an increasing ratio of senescent individuals in the wolf population depresses the rate of prey offtake. Because this ratio fluctuates independently of …

Problems With The Claim Of Ecotype And Taxon Status Of The Wolf In The Great Lakes Region, Matthew A. Cronin, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Koblmuller et al. (2009) analyzed molecular genetic data of the wolf in the Great Lakes (GL) region of the USA and concluded that the animal was a unique ecotype of grey wolf and that genetic data supported the population as a discrete wolf taxon. However, some of the literature that the researchers used to support their position actually did not, and additional confusion arises from indefinite use of terminology. Herein, we discuss the problems with designation of a wolf population as a taxon or ecotype without proper definition and assessment of criteria.

Koblmuller et al. (2009) wrote ‘The GL …

A Serological Survey Of Infectious Disease In Yellowstone National Park’S Canid Community, Emily S. Almberg, L. David Mech, Douglas W. Smith, Jennifer W. Sheldon, Robert L. Crabtree

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Background: Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park (YNP) after a .70 year absence, and as part of recovery efforts, the population has been closely monitored. In 1999 and 2005, pup survival was significantly reduced, suggestive of disease outbreaks.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We analyzed sympatric wolf, coyote (Canis latrans), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) serologic data from YNP, spanning 1991–2007, to identify long-term patterns of pathogen exposure, identify associated risk factors, and examine evidence for disease-induced mortality among wolves for which there were survival data. We found high, constant exposure to canine …

Understanding Generalist Function, F. Matthew Mihelic

Faculty Publications

A major concern in dealing with multi-agent complex adaptive systems is the understanding of how such systems build order in the midst of an otherwise chaotic universe. The ordering principles of such systems that are found at the biological level can be applied to better understanding human organizations, and can also be used to develop or modify highly complex intelligent agent software systems for greater efficacy. This paper describes the theoretical mechanism of how huge multi-agent complex adaptive systems overcome the exponential increases in entropy that would otherwise cause system collapse, through the use of agents that function to maintain …

Weaving Color Lines: Race, Ethnicity, And The Work Of Leadership In Social Change Organizations, Sonia Ospina, Celina Su

Publications and Research

For social change organizations working to address intractable social problems throughout the USA, tackling race may not only be unavoidable; it may represent a way to fully engage stakeholders in social change work. We argue that illuminating the relationship between race and leadership can advance our under- standing of how social change leadership happens in practice. We build upon scholarship that emphasizes the ways in which seemingly essentialist, intractable racial categories are actually mutable, and the simultaneous emergence of academic research calling attention to the constructed and collective dimensions of leadership. Using a constructionist lens to analyze narratives from 22 …

On-Board Three-Dimensional Object Tracking: Software And Hardware Solutions, Ajay Kumar Mandava

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

We describe a real time system for recognition and tracking 3D objects such as UAVs, airplanes, fighters with the optical sensor. Given a 2D image, the system has to perform background subtraction, recognize relative rotation, scale and translation of the object to sustain a prescribed topology of the fleet. In the thesis a comparative study of different algorithms and performance evaluation is carried out based on time and accuracy constraints. For background subtraction task we evaluate frame differencing, approximate median filter, mixture of Gaussians and propose classification based on neural network methods. For object detection we analyze the performance of …

Red De Salud -- Network Of Health : Structural Violence, Exclusion And Inclusion In Venezuela, Steven John Bates

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is a study of the socio-economic changes in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela since the new government came into office in 1999. The research hypothesis for this thesis is that the changes and parallel socioeconomic structures being implemented in Venezuela since 1999 have decreased structural violence, and have provided more inclusion for previously excluded people. As the methodology used is qualitative, utilizing textual analysis to conduct a case study, academic journals from the fields of conflict resolution, sociology, political science, public health, cultural studies and economics were relied upon for the most part. This study of structural violence …

How Efficient Are Military Hospitals? A Comparison Of Technical Efficiency Using Stochastic Frontier Analysis, Linda Gail Kimsey

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Attainment of greater efficiency in hospital operations has become a goal highly sought after as a result of several factors including skyrocketing costs. The possibility that the different incentives associated with ownership type might affect efficiency has been covered thoroughly in the literature. There are numerous studies comparing for-profit to not-for-profit hospitals or public to private hospitals. Analysis of federal ownership, however, has been less studied. In particular, comparisons involving military hospitals are non-existent, attributed to data availability and an assumption that military hospitals are too different from civilian facilities.

This dissertation employs a cross-sectional Stochastic Frontier Analysis (“SFA”) of …

The Social Construction Of Client Participation: The Evolution And Transformation Of The Role Of Service Recipients In Child Welfare And Mental Disabilities, Terry Mizrahi, Mayra Humphreys-Lopez, Denise Torres

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article presents a comparative analysis of client participation (CP) in child welfare and mental health and mental retardation systems. It identifies three rationales for client participation (philosophical, pragmatic, and political), along with the limitations surrounding each rationale. It uses social construction theory to examine the historical and ideological underpinnings of organized, institutionally-sanctioned client involvement inside and outside government. In order to enhance the capacity of clients to influence service and benefit systems, their role must evolve through the mutual efforts of government-strengthening client participation policies and independent organizing from the bottom up through community development and advocacy programs.

Transition Teams Matter, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

As President-elect Obama comes to office, his administration faces daunting challenges and yet many expect that his diverse team of cabinet appointees may serve as a model for future transitions. In order for this administration to be truly successful, more is required. There must be functional teams in place not only at the cabinet level but also at the public administration level within each agency that operate according to clearly defined decision-making protocols and understand what they are accountable for and are willing to own the results achieved. This requires leadership, team skill and an alignment process so that progress …

Emergency Managers As Change Agents, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Since 2001, FEMA and others have been defining and refining competencies for emergency management professionals. In so doing, they have addressed directly and indirectly the qualities of leaders. We know that leadership is not a person or a position. It is a complex relationship between people, based on trust, obligation, commitment, emotion, and a shared vision of the good. We also know that transformational or change-based leadership has become an organizational necessity given the fact that emergency management as a profession is just now coming into its own and emergency management jobs are not traditional in terms of the how, …

City Of Las Vegas Green Building Program, City Of Las Vegas, Nevada

Publications (SD)

No abstract provided.

Economic Development In Downtown Ossining Since 1969, Lutonya Russell-Humes

Master in Public Administration Theses

No abstract provided.

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Michelle Mouton, Cate Weeks, Stephanie Strow

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Lsuhsc Facilities Daily Update: January 2009, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates: 2009

LSUHSC Dailly Facilities Updates from January 2009. These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

Lsuhsc Facilities Biweekly Update: January 2009, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates: 2009

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates from January 16 and 30, 2009.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

The Social Bottom Line Of Community Development Financial Institutions: What Facilitates Or Inhibits The Uptake And Use Of Meaningful Social And Community Impact Reporting?, Kelly Haines

Dissertations and Theses

Businesses, governments and communities are increasingly interested in measuring the non-financial impacts of their activities and investments. This assessment often takes the form of measurement models that utilize a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework, namely looking at the areas ofthe environment, the economy, and the social simultaneously. Despite its many accounting flaws, more and more organizations adopt this philosophy by applying it literally in the form of impact reports. In this framework, the social dimension is the most challenging to measure. Because of its complexities, this aspect of TBL reporting has often been vague and lack rigor.

The research question …

Beyond Public Health : The Cultural Politics Of Tobacco Control In Hong Kong, Wai Yin Chan

Lingnan Theses

This work provides cultural and political explanations on how and why cigarette smoking has increasingly become an object of intolerance and control in Hong Kong. Since the 1980s, the smoking population has been falling. Smoking behavior, sales and promotion of cigarette products have been under close surveillance by the government, medical experts and society at large. Cigarette smoking, as well as smokers, has increasingly been rejected and demonized in the public discourse. What are the conditions that make the growing intolerant discourses and practices against cigarette smoking possible and dominant? Why and how has the tobacco control campaign become prevalent …

Managing Performance [In Child Welfare Supervision], Megan E. Paul, Michelle Graef, Erika J. Robinson, Kristin Saathoff

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

One of the primary roles of a supervisor is to manage worker performance. Performance management is the "continuous process of identifying, measuring, and developing the performance of individuals and teams and aligning performance with the strategic goals of the organization" (Aguinis, 2007, p. 2). Supervisors must regularly assess current performance levels and take steps to improve performance in a way that is congruent with agency goals. The ultimate goal is to achieve agency objectives through individual and team performance.

To effectively manage performance, supervisors must know what the performance expectations are for workers and clearly communicate these expectations to workers. …

Making Sustainable Creative/Cultural Space In Shanghai And Singapore, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Shanghai and Singapore are two economically vibrant Asian cities that have recently adopted creative/cultural economy strategies. In this article I examine new spatial expressions of cultural and economic interests in the two cities: state-vaunted cultural edifices and organically evolved cultural spaces. I discuss the simultaneous precariousness and sustainability of these spaces, focusing on Shanghai's Grand Theatre and Moganshan Lu and on Singapore's Esplanade-Theatres by the Bay and Wessex Estate. Their cultural sustainability is understood as their ability to support the development of indigenous content and local idioms in artistic work. Their social sustainability is examined in terms of the social …

Assuming Personal Responsibility For Improving The Environment: Moving Toward A New Environmental Norm, Hope M. Babcock

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

There is general agreement that we are nearing the end of achieving major gains in pollution abatement from traditional sources, that a significant portion of the remaining environmental problems facing this country is caused by individual behavior, and that efforts to control that behavior have either failed or not even been made.

The phenomenon of individuals as irresponsible environmental actors seems counterintuitive when polls show that people consistently rate protecting the environment among their highest priorities, contribute to environmental causes, and are willing to pay more to protect environmental resources.

This article is the author's second effort at understanding why …

2009 January, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for January of 2009.

Summer Youth Housing Career Camp, Carol Goodemann

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

With the recent growth of the Hispanic population in Nobles County from 0.6% in 1980 to 18.2% in 2008 and Watonwan County from 1.8% to 18.6% in 2008 (Northwest Area Foundation, 2009), a need to assist in the development of professionals within emerging markets populations was identified as a primary goal of Southern MN Emerging Markets Homeownership Initiative. The Summer Youth Housing Careers Camp was on approach to achieving the goal.

Factors Influencing Effectiveness Of Interorganizational Networks Among Crisis Management Organizations: A Comparative Perspective, Bahadir Sahin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Crisis management has become one of the most important public policy areas in recent decades with greater numbers of manmade and natural disasters. History showed that well-implemented crisis management policies can save lives and reduce costs in a disaster. Literature offered various suggestions for more effective crisis management policies with different techniques utilizing different theoretical frameworks. Informal relationships among crisis management employees were suggested to have a positive impact on crisis management effectiveness. Yet it was not demonstrated with advanced statistical tools if there is such a relationship. This study considers crisis management effort as a network effort and employs …

“Peace At Home, Peace In The World”: The Rise And Role Of Nationalism In Turkish Political Life, Morgan Beach

Pepperdine Policy Review

There have been many arguments over recent years regarding the role of nationalism in an ever-globalizing world. Is nationalism becoming irrelevant? Will the nation become a political entity of the past? Or has increased global cohesion caused an in-creased affinity to a local identity? While the specifics are still debated, most observers point to one fact: nationalism and its political harbingers are stronger than ever. These ethnic nationalisms are generally thought to provide and maintain a solid identity for groups who otherwise see their cultural distinctiveness slipping away into what is, in many cases, a homogenous Westernization. Many scholars see …

Does Microcredit Facilitate Socioeconomic Development?, Arundhati Pal

Pepperdine Policy Review

In order to assess the effectiveness of microcredit on socioeconomic development, one must evaluate current microcredit loans and practices. The question that must be asked is to what extent are socioeconomic opportunities expanded through supplemental income from microcredit loans? To answer this question, measurable indicators that display characteristics of socioeconomic development need to be utilized. The following indicators are often used in impact assessments as representative of such development: investment in higher education, socioeconomic empowerment of women, access and utilization of health services, and prioritization of savings and investment. This paper will identify the observed deficiencies of the aforementioned indicators …

Beyond Greenspan, Rich Danker

Pepperdine Policy Review

With the economy dominating today’s headlines and conversations it is hard to remember that we were preoccupied with economic events during the last decade, too. The 1990s were mostly a time of tremendous growth and innovation, but they were not without their own trials and crises. In fact, the conventional wisdom was that only one man truly understood what was happening, and he was leading the economy to prosperity amidst the perils of capitalism. Alan Greenspan was a rock star to the political and financial establishments of his time.

Message From The Editor, Nicolas Valbuena

Pepperdine Policy Review

An introduction to this issue by the editor-in-chief.

The Domestic Causes And International Consequences Of The U.S. Government’S Sugar Price Support Programs, Shannon Anderson

Pepperdine Policy Review

Life-long farmer Thomas Jefferson prioritized agriculture in his presidential administration because he envisioned a nation of yeoman farmers laboring upon the fertile New World soil, nourishing the nascent American society with the food they produced. Today, nearly two hundred years removed from the lifetime of Thomas Jefferson, the goal of supporting this noble profession has spawned several agricultural price support programs. However, these numerous programs seem to have a convoluted rationale and, at best, questionable justifications in today‘s neo-liberal trade climate. In fact, they seem to fly in the face of both classical Liberal economic theories and the American tradition …