Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Bridging The Gap: Insights Into Veteran Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, Nyasha Y. Boldon, Rosalinda V. Maury, Najaf Zahra, Ryan Van Slyke

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This research brief highlights some of the challenges veteran entrepreneurs face, provides insights into veteran businesses, and offers an overview of elements within the veteran entrepreneurial ecosystem that aim to address these challenges. Through this brief, we hope to highlight efforts and opportunities to provide further support and advance veterans in their entrepreneurial ventures.

Gender In Politics: A Comparative Study Of Female Representation In The New York State Senate, Kaylynn Enright

Public Administration & Policy

This paper utilizes data obtained from the New York State Senate spanning five elections between 2008 and 2016 to determine if gender impacts election outcomes. More specifically, I attempt to understand if the New York State Senate matches the common belief in the literature that women tend to fare less well than men in elections, and female Democrats have greater success than female Republicans in winning elections. By focusing on the New York State Senate, I seek to uncover whether the idiosyncrasies of New York State politics are reflected in any distinctions from the prominent conclusions made in the literature …

Healthcare Services For The Displaced: A Comparative Study Between Internally And Externally Displaced Populations In The Duhok Governorate Of Iraq, Shannon Moquin

Public Administration & Policy

Although forced displacement is not a new problem, the topic has gained increasing attention due to the Syrian refugee crisis. This paper serves to explore the legal, contextual and practical differences between internally and externally displaced populations. The correlation between legal displacement status and access to healthcare is explored. Information was gathered from surveys of displaced individuals residing in urban areas of the Duhok region of Iraq, as well as comparing the amount of services provided to displacement camps in the region. It is found that there is a statistically significant difference in health services accessed by internally displaced and …

Speech Excerpts: Bill Clinton On Poverty And Opportunity

Saffy Collection - All Textual Materials

Excerpt from speeches by Governor Bill Clinton regarding position on poverty in America. Printed on Bill Clinton for President Committee letterhead. No date given.

Speech Excerpts: Bill Clinton On Families

Saffy Collection - All Textual Materials

Excerpt from speeches by Governor Bill Clinton regarding his pro-family stance. Printed on Bill Clinton for President Committee letterhead. No date given.

Speech Excerpts: Welfare Reform: Making Work Pay

Saffy Collection - All Textual Materials

Excerpt from speeches by Governor Bill Clinton regarding welfare as we know it. Printed on Bill Clinton for President Committee letterhead. No date given.

Speech Excerpts: Giving Government Back To The People

Saffy Collection - All Textual Materials

Excerpt from speeches by Governor Bill Clinton regarding his position on revolutionizing government and challenging Congress to act responsibly. Printed on Bill Clinton for President Committee letterhead. No date given.

Speech Excerpts: A Revolution In The Workplace

Saffy Collection - All Textual Materials

Excerpt from speeches by Governor Bill Clinton regarding his position on the American workplace and the need to raise the status of the American worker and eliminate the wall between labor and management. Printed on Bill Clinton for President Committee letterhead. No date given.

Speech Excerpts: Protecting Our Ancient Forests

Saffy Collection - All Textual Materials

Excerpt from speeches by Governor Bill Clinton regarding the protection of the ancient forests of the Pacific North West and lumber industry jobs. . Printed on Bill Clinton for President Committee letterhead. No date given.

Advanced Geophysical Classification Of Wwii-Era Unexploded Bombs Using Borehole Electromagnetics, Laurens Beran, Stephen Billings

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The legacy of World War II-era unexploded bombs (UXB) is an ongoing public safety hazard throughout Europe, and especially in Germany. Large, air-dropped bombs that are a legacy of Allied bombing campaigns are discovered on a weekly basis in Germany, requiring evacuations and disposal efforts costing hundreds of thousands of Euros in some instances.

This article presents recent work done by Black Tusk Geophysics using advanced geophysical classification (AGC) to reliably identify hazardous ordnance at urban sites in Germany. After briefly describing electromagnetic (EM) sensors and data processing required for AGC, this article will discuss survey and design considerations for …

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 22.1 (2017), Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Editorial: The Evolution of PPE in HMA

Feature: BAC in Urban Areas

in the Spotlight: Europe

Field Notes

Research and Development

Field Notes

Lessons From The Past: The Rapid Clearance Of Denmark’S Minefields In 1945, Roly Evans

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The clearance of the vast majority of Denmark’s minefields during 1945 was remarkable. In just under five months, a force ranging between 750 and 2,600 German prisoners of war (POW) under the supervision of 250–350 Danish officers and noncommissioned officers cleared 1,389,281 mines from an area of 1,103.2 sq km (425.9 sq mi). Such speed of clearance stands in stark contrast with much of modern humanitarian mine action since the 1990s. This article will explain how such speed was possible and why it could not reasonably be repeated today. The article will also identify a number of important lessons that …

Determining The Value Of Uavs In Iraq, Brad Alford, Edward Curran, Shawn Cole

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As areas of Iraq and Syria controlled by ISIS are liberated, internally displaced persons (IDP) are returning to their homes to face widespread destruction and contamination from deadly improvised explosive devices (IED) implanted by ISIS to maim, kill, and terrorize. Janus Global Operations (Janus) currently operates throughout Iraq, clearing IEDs with a focus on bringing critical infrastructure online to allow IDPs to return safely and resume their lives.

Operating in urban environments has proven challenging due to the high volume of destroyed buildings and associated rubble. In urban environments, operators are exposed to uncertain situations when traditional detection methods can …

Why Is Water So Efficient At Suppressing The Effects Of Explosions?, Stephen Salter, John Parkes

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When most experienced explosives engineers first observe an explosion suppressed by bags of water, they are convinced that there has been a misfire. Depending on the amount of water and the way it is contained, the overpressure can be reduced by a factor of ten, sometimes more than twenty. The number of fragments from shell cases can be one hundred times less. Their velocities can be seven times. Slugs from focal point charges are stopped. Safety distances around magazines can be cut. The number of people evacuated from a bomb disposal site can be reduced. In June 1999, engineers from …

Clearing Safe Spaces For Drought Affected Communities In Somaliland, Edward Lajoie, Megan Dwyer

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) working in the Horn of Africa consistently identify conflict and climate change as two primary drivers of insecurity in the region. The HALO Trust’s landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) clearance in the Republic of Somaliland over the last 19 years has been at the intersection of these two issues.

Minefield Sketch Maps In Humanitarian Mine Action, Jesse Hamlin, Luan Jaupi

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Digital technology has the ability to bring minefield artifacts from the field to life. The HALO Trust (HALO) has been using Colortrac large format scanners in several programs around the world, to scan minefield sketch maps from the field, allowing these historical records to be viewed on desktop and laptop computers. Once the maps are scanned, they are geo-referenced in geographic information systems (GIS) to display alongside other layers, and used to allow HALO to build its database of activities through digitization of paper records alongside data that is recorded directly onto tablets.

Mitigating Adverse Environmental Impacts In Mine Action, Martin Jebens, Gianluca Maspoli

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In order to help mitigate adverse environmental impacts, this article supports the mainstreaming of environmental concerns into mine action. This is achievable by strengthening existing standards, and is motivated by two main factors.

Ppe Development And Needs In Hma, Andy Smith

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As written in the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) 10.30 on personal protective equipment (PPE), “the primary means of preventing explosive injury in the workplace is by the supervised use of demining tools and processes that reduce the likelihood of an unintended detonation.” The IMAS goes on to state that PPE “should be the final protective measure after all planning, training and procedural efforts to reduce risk have been taken.” To date the “final protective measure” has been to provide PPE that is practical but that does not provide full protection.

Covered International: A Proposal For Growth, Sarah Shumaker

Honors Projects

The following proposal examines the operation of Covered International, a nonprofit organization committed to helping women who have been victims of domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and trafficking, Contemporary ideas and suggested changes are detailed that will foster the growth of the organization through education and awareness, funding, and expansion.

Intersection: Orientation And Mobility As Interdisciplinary Conversation, Amy T. Parker, Prateek Dujari

PSU Transportation Seminars

Knowing where one wants to go and how to get there are essential life skills for all people. Community access and travel skills are not only important rites of passage for youth in becoming adults, they are linked to higher rates of employment and overall health. People who are blind and visually impaired (BVI) face challenges in accessing public transportation, yet studies have shown that with relevant orientation and mobility instruction, technology, and accessible design, vision loss need not preclude community travel.

Join PSU's Amy Parker and Intel's Prateek Dujari on the ways that knowledge from consumers and the field …

Small Scale Mining From The Perspective Of Disabled Miners, Karenna R. Versalovic, Dashka Otgon

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

"This project is based on a case study of the lives of people in Mongolia who have a disability as a result of working as a small scale miner (with a focus on artisanal and ninja miners). The research for this project was conducted after the culmination of a four month study abroad experience in Mongolia in Spring 2017. It was carried out over a four week period in Ulaanbaatar, Bayankhongor, and Naiklah and consisted of nine in person interviews, two phone interviews, two visits to mines (one coal mine and one gold mine), a visit to the Bayankhongor Aimag …

The Controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: America's Most Expensive Weapons System And Its Global Impact, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Creative Materials

Provides an overview on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program involving the U.S. and many allied countries. Describes the costs of this program, the technical problems it has experienced, its economic impact on the U.S. and allied countries, the JSF's operational capabilities, potential combat scenarios in which it could be used, and the campaign finance impact aerospace companies and unions have in the electoral process.

“I Forgive To Forget”: Implications For Community Restoration And Unity In Northern Uganda, Julaina A. Obika, Emilio Ovuga

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

As the people in northern Uganda begin to rebuild their lives after the devastating war that lasted more than twenty years, reconciliation and community restoration becomes paramount. Forgiveness of wrongs committed and past hurts is an important vehicle to achieve reconciliation and co-existence in a society that is wrought with past social upheavals, fragile relationships and painful memories. This study aimed at exploring and understanding the ‘local’ meanings and notions of forgiveness and its importance in re-cementing a ‘broken’ Acholi society. Personal accounts of wrongs committed and processes of forgiveness were recorded, edited and shared with the public in Awach …

The Dilemma Of Responsibility To Protect In The Great Lakes Region, Ruth B. Aluoch

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

This paper examines the underlying complexities that constitute a dilemma for the responsibility to protect in Africa most specifically the Great Lakes Region. I argue that clarifying the meaning and intention of the doctrine in any given context is predicated on understanding the distinct and complex environment in which the doctrine is invoked. These complexities and their differentiation on a case by case basis construe the doctrine as progressive; with political, legal and moral significance making it fit for its purpose. On the other hand the variation of prevention and protection amounts to the denunciation of it as being selective, …

Boko Haram's Covert Front, Akali Omeni

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

Waging a highly irregular war — an insurgency — in Northeast Nigeria since September 2010, Boko Haram over the years has escalated as a threat form. By 2014, this threat extended beyond Nigeria’s borders; and by 2017, thousands of people had become casualties of the conflict; with millions displaced in Northeast Nigeria. Boko Haram however did not necessarily achieve this threat escalation by fighting and defeating the Nigerian military on the battlefield. A large part of Boko Haram’s calculations, rather, have been focused on its covert front and on war avoidance altogether. Indeed, covert tactics have been the main vehicle …

Segregation Of Student Financial Aid In Higher Education: The Effects On Low-Income Students When Ebt Is Not Accepted At University Campuses In San Diego, Ca., Tanisha-Jean Martin

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

The student bodies of universities are made up of a diverse financial class of students which utilize various methods to cover financial obligations on campus, even with the use of welfare governmental assistance. Low-income students that are involved in government welfare programs are given an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card to support them while they are pursuing an education; however, every university in San Diego, CA (and nearly the entire United States), segregate EBT into an unacceptable category and refuse to accept the card at any venues on campus. The EBT card is a plastic card that can be used …

Webinar: Tools And Techniques For Teaching Collaborative Regional Planning And Enhancing Livability And Sustainable Transportation In Gateway & Natural Amenity Regions, Danya Rumore

TREC Webinar Series

Small towns and cities outside of national parks and other major natural amenities throughout the western United States are becoming increasingly popular places to visit and live. As a result, many of these gateway and natural amenity region (GNAR) communities—including places such as Jackson, Wyoming, and Moab, Utah—are facing a variety of “big city” issues, such as severe congestion, lack of affordable workforce housing, and concerns about sprawl and density. This webinar will introduce the planning and transportation concerns being experienced by GNAR communities throughout the west. It will then share the tools and resources developed by the University of …

What Are The Most Important Dimensions Of Quality For Addiction And Mental Health Services From The Perspective Of Its Users?, Priscilla Liu, Shawn Currie, Jassandre Adamyk-Simpson

Patient Experience Journal

There is a need to better engage service users in improving their experience with the care received in Addiction and Mental Health (A&MH). Dimensions of patient experience that are most salient to A&MH service users still remain to be properly defined from the patient perspective. This research focuses on identifying key domains of service experience important to patients of Addiction and Mental Health using patient focus groups. In addition, through a patient and family advisory committee, patients were also engaged as co-partners of the research team. The patient advisors had a major role in overseeing the research project, assisting with …

Exploring Workforce Confidence And Patient Experiences: A Quantitative Analysis, Katie M. Owens, Stephanie Keller

Patient Experience Journal

Confidence is recognized as one of the most influential factors to affect performance. Individual, leader, and team confidence play essential roles in achieving success and the absence of confidence has been connected with failure. While confidence is not a substitute for competency, it creates trusting relationships, empowerment, and resiliency to persevere when challenges arise. Objective: In this study, we examined workforce confidence in the patient experience and patient perceptions of their experience of care. Methods: We compared responses to the Patient-Centered Excellence Survey (PCES) from 41 United States hospitals, measuring workforce confidence in the patient experience provided, to patient’s ratings …

Nursing Transfer Of Accountability At The Bedside: Partnering With Patients To Pilot A New Initiative In Ontario Community Hospitals, Kristina Ba Miller, Aden Hamza, Kateryna Metersky, Dianne M. Gaffney

Patient Experience Journal

The transfer of accountability (TOA) for a patient from one nurse to another at change of shift is an important opportunity to exchange essential patient care information, as well as to enhance the safety and quality of patient care. This study was undertaken to explore nurses’, patients’ and family members’ perceptions associated with the implementation of bedside nurse to nurse TOA. Focus groups were conducted pre-implementation (two with nurses and two with patients and family members) and post-implementation (six with nurses and two with patients and family members). The focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using directed content analysis. …