Weber State University

Journal Article Regeneration through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier, 1600–1860 Get access Regeneration through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier, 1600–1860. By Slotkin Richard. (Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 1973. 670 p. Notes, bibliography, index. $25.00.) Levi S. Peterson Levi S. Peterson Weber State College Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Western Historical Quarterly, Volume 5, Issue 1, January 1974, Pages 72–73, https://doi.org/10.2307/967199 Published: 01 January 1974

An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics is a comprehensive, well-organized and engaging text covering every major area of modern astrophysics, from the solar system and stellar astronomy to galactic and extragalactic astrophysics, and cosmology. Designed to provide students with a working knowledge of modern astrophysics, this textbook is suitable for astronomy and physics majors who have had a first-year introductory physics course with calculus. Featuring a brief summary of the main scientific discoveries that have led to our current understanding of the universe; worked examples to facilitate the understanding of the concepts presented in the book; end-of-chapter problems to practice the skills acquired; and computational exercises to numerically model astronomical systems, the second edition of An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics is the go-to textbook for learning the core astrophysics curriculum as well as the many advances in the field.

A recent MIS Quarterly article rightfully points out that service is an important part of the role of the information systems (IS) department and that most IS assessment measures have a product orientation (Pitt et al. 1995). The article went on to suggest the use of an IS-context- modified version of the SERVQUAL instrument to assess the quality of the services supplied by an information services provider (Parasuraman et al. 1985, 1988, 1991).2 However, a number of problems with the SERVQUAL instrument have been discussed in the literature (e.g., Babakus and Boiler 1992; Carman 1990; Cronin and Taylor 1992, 1994; Teas 1993). This article reviews that literature and discusses some of the implications for measuring service quality in the information systems context. Findings indicate that SERVQUAL suffers from a number of conceptual and empirical difficulties. Conceptual difficulties include the operationalization of perceived service quality as a difference or gap score, the ambiguity of the expectations construct, and the unsuitability of using a single measure of service quality across different industries. Empirical problems, which may be linked to the use of difference scores, include reduced reliability, poor convergent validity, and poor predictive validity. This suggests that (1) some alternative to difference scores is preferable and should be utilized; (2) if used, caution should be exercised in the interpretation of IS-SERVQUAL difference scores; and (3) further work is needed in the development of measures for assessing the quality of IS services.

Abstract We examined the intersection of students' understanding and acceptance of evolution and their epistemological beliefs and cognitive dispositions. Based on previous research, we hypothesized there would be a relation between understanding and acceptance. We also hypothesized that students who viewed knowledge as changing and who have a disposition toward open‐minded thinking would be more likely to accept the scientific explanation of human evolution, and that beliefs and dispositions would not be related to acceptance of a topic that is generally perceived as noncontroversial. Ninety‐three undergraduate students enrolled in a nonmajors biology class completed measures of their (a) content knowledge of evolution and photosynthesis and respiration; (b) acceptance of theories of animal evolution, human evolution, and photosynthesis; and (c) epistemological beliefs and cognitive dispositions. Although our findings did reveal a significant relation between knowledge and reported acceptance for photosynthesis, there was no relation between knowledge and acceptance of animal or human evolution. Epistemological beliefs were related to acceptance, but only to the acceptance of human evolution. There was no relation between students' epistemological beliefs and their general acceptance of animal evolution or photosynthesis. Three subscales, Ambiguous Information, Actively Open‐Minded Thinking, and Belief Identification, were significantly correlated with understanding evolutionary theory. We argue these findings underscore the importance of intentional level constructs, such as epistemological beliefs and cognitive dispositions, in the learning of potentially controversial topics. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 510–528, 2003

Genomic traces of symbiosis loss A symbiosis between certain bacteria and their plant hosts delivers fixed nitrogen to the plants. Griesmann et al. sequenced several plant genomes to analyze why nitrogen-fixing symbiosis is irregularly scattered through the evolutionary tree (see the Perspective by Nagy). Various genomes carried traces of lost pathways that could have supported nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. It seems that this symbiosis, which relies on multiple pathways and complex interorganismal signaling, is susceptible to selection and prone to being lost over evolutionary time. Science , this issue p. eaat1743 ; see also p. 125

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the inhibitory effect of essential oils against a broad spectrum of microorganisms including bacteria, yeast, molds, and two bacteriophage. The inhibitory effects of 45 oils on eight bacteria (four Gram positive and four Gram negative), two fungi, and one yeast were examined using the disk assay method. Phage inhibition was measured by mixing the oils with a phage suspension, incubating the mixture at 4°C for 24 h, then plating on a lawn of indicator bacteria and assaying for plaque production. Of the oils tested, all oils exhibited inhibition over activity relative to controls. However, a number exhibited only weak inhibition against several gram positive bacteria. Gram negative bacteria were generally more resistant than Gram positive bacteria to oil treatment with Pseudomonas aeruginosa being the most resistant bacteria. Only cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) and tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oils showed an inhibitory effect against all the test organisms and phage. Coriander oil (Coriandrum sativum) highly inhibited Gram positive bacteria and fungi. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) and Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) oils showed a high degree of inhibition against both phage types, while 8 oils showed no inhibition against either phage. Angelica (Angelica archangelicd) and pine (Pinus sylvestris) oils inhibited the bacteria, but had no effect on any fungi. Oils that exhibited high antimicrobial properties and the broadest range of inhibition included cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), savory (Satureja montana), Roman chamomile (Cbamaemelum nobile), rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora), spearmint (Mentha spicata) and tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia).

Abstract On the surface, the constructs of place attachment and community attachment appear to be quite similar; however, there are substantial differences between the multidisciplinary place literature and community sociology literature it comes from. For scholars trained in a relatively single-disciplinary area such as community sociology, the immensity and complexity of place literature can be difficult to navigate. This article is a primer on these two constructs, written from the perspective of a community sociologist. To give context to place attachment, an overview of the place literature is presented, including brief descriptions of various strands of place scholarship, along with the primary debates within the scholarship. Place attachment and related place concepts are introduced, followed by a brief review of the work on community attachment seen in community sociology. After contrasting the two, the overlap between constructs is discussed. The reader is left with suggestions for future work. Keywords: community attachmentcommunity sociologyplaceplace attachmentsense of place I am grateful to Rick Krannich, Linda Kruger, Matt Carroll, and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and encouragement on earlier drafts. I am also indebted to Dan Williams, Rich Stedman, and Tom Beckley for their assistance in helping me sort out the place literature. Notes I thank Matt Carroll and an anonymous reviewer in particular for this encouragement. Considering the enormity of the place literature, this essay can only provide a relatively brief review. A more complete review can be found in Farnum, Hall, and Kruger (Citation2005). For example, sociology, psychology, and geography, as well as anthropology, economics, political science, history, social policy, planning, landscape architecture, and other disciplinary areas. Academic departments include, for example, Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management; Environment and Society; Natural Resources Science and Management; Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; etc. This work has included developing a scale for the place attachment construct, testing the scale, its refinement, further testing and refinement across multiple data sets, and eventually a meta-analysis across 10 data sets. Since an interactionist perspective maintains that meaning is socially created through social interactions, and one of the central concerns within place literature is with place meanings, I include interactionist works with this body of social constructionist scholarship. I use "paradigm" here following Patterson and Williams (Citation2005), who present a framework for differing approaches to research. At the level of scientific application, where theoretical concepts are developed and tested empirically, they refer to research programs, typically organized within a discipline. They link research programs to paradigms, the source of "normative philosophical commitments" for the approach. "Paradigms often transcend disciplinary boundaries" (363). Worldviews inform paradigms. My use of "paradigm" is in this sense of a particular approach informing multiple research programs, at a level that transcends disciplines. An example within place literature would be the paradigm of phenomenology, which has been used by geographers, psychologists, and sociologists. In this evolutionary process, an initial stage of energetic enthusiasm and apparent consensus about a topic with emergent salience erodes as the topical work achieves increasing breadth and depth. A second stage brings increased rigor and precision, however, the increasing breadth brings more scattered representations and widely varying descriptions and explanations of the phenomenon in question. The authors see their book as an attempt to usher in the second stage. A third stage consists of "development of systematic theoretical positions and clearly delineated programs of research and application of knowledge to the solution of practical problems" (Low and Altman Citation1992, 3). Patterson and Williams illustrate the language differences well with a discussion of contrasting uses of the word "particularistic" within these debates (Citation2005, 370–371). Place identity has also been used to describe a more reciprocal identity process. Here, individuals and groups contribute to and shape the identity of places while the places in turn help shape the identities of these same people (e.g., Petrzelka Citation2004). The place attachment construct has been used to examine micro places, such as buildings (e.g., Milligan Citation1998) or rooms within buildings (e.g., Mazumdar and Mazumdar Citation1993), large places like national parks or other public lands (e.g., Mitchell et al. Citation1993; Warzecha et al. Citation2000), and places in between, like neighborhoods (e.g., Brown et al. Citation2003). Kasarda and Janowitz (Citation1974) measured community attachment with three questions: to what degree residents felt "at home" in their community; how interested they were in knowing what goes on in their community; and how sorry or pleased they would be to leave if for some reason they had to move away from their community (331). Other positive predictors include income/employment class (e.g., Goudy Citation1990; Kasarda and Janowitz Citation1974) and religious participation (e.g., Liu et al. Citation1998; Stinner et al. Citation1990); age has been inconsistent, with some studies finding a linear relationship (e.g., Goudy Citation1990; Theodori and Luloff Citation2000), while in others the relationship is curvilinear (e.g., Kasarda and Janowitz Citation1974). Gender has been tested repeatedly, but the findings have been mixed. This is not to say that the broader community sociology literature is this unified; however a majority of the community attachment scholarship is.

Building upon Eck and Clarke’s (2003) ideas for explaining crimes in which there is no face-to-face contact between victims and offenders, the authors developed an adapted lifestyle–routine activities theory. Traditional conceptions of place-based environments depend on the convergence of victims and offenders in time and physical space to explain opportunities for victimization. With their proposed cyberlifestyle–routine activities theory, the authors moved beyond this conceptualization to explain opportunities for victimization in cyberspace environments where traditional conceptions of time and space are less relevant. Cyberlifestyle–routine activities theory was tested using a sample of 974 college students on a particular type of cybervictimization—cyberstalking. The study’s findings provide support for the adapted theoretical perspective. Specifically, variables measuring online exposure to risk, online proximity to motivated offenders, online guardianship, online target attractiveness, and online deviance were significant predictors of cyberstalking victimization. Implications for advancing cyberlifestyle–routine activities theory are discussed.

ABSTRACT We develop a model of internal governance where the self‐serving actions of top management are limited by the potential reaction of subordinates. Internal governance can mitigate agency problems and ensure that firms have substantial value, even with little or no external governance by investors. External governance, even if crude and uninformed, can complement internal governance and improve efficiency. This leads to a theory of investment and dividend policy, in which dividends are paid by self‐interested CEOs to maintain a balance between internal and external control.

SUMMARY We study a unique sample of 1,547 nascent entrepreneurs in Germany and analyze which factors are associated with their self‐reported satisfaction regarding their start‐up. Our study identifies a new facet of procedural utility and offers new insights about the motivations and goals of nascent entrepreneurs. Most importantly, we identify a group of nascent entrepreneurs that ‘cannot get satisfaction’ with their start‐up—not because their start‐up fails to deliver financial returns, but because they did not choose to become entrepreneurs in the first place. This group of unsatisfied entrepreneurs includes individuals starting a business after a period of long‐term unemployment and those individuals with a lack of better employment alternatives (necessity entrepreneurs). In addition, we provide additional evidence for the importance of both financial and non‐financial incentives of entrepreneurs. While financial success is the most important determinant of start‐up satisfaction, achievement of independence and creativity is also highly important. Our results emphasize the relevance of procedural utility for understanding economic behavior. We show that the process leading to a decision has an impact on the later satisfaction with the outcome of that decision.

This Review highlights basic and transition metal conducting and semiconducting oxides. We discuss their material and electronic properties with an emphasis on the crystal, electronic, and band structures. The goal of this Review is to present a current compilation of material properties and to summarize possible uses and advantages in device applications. We discuss Ga2O3, Al2O3, In2O3, SnO2, ZnO, CdO, NiO, CuO, and Sc2O3. We outline the crystal structure of the oxides, and we present lattice parameters of the stable phases and a discussion of the metastable polymorphs. We highlight electrical properties such as bandgap energy, carrier mobility, effective carrier masses, dielectric constants, and electrical breakdown field. Based on literature availability, we review the temperature dependence of properties such as bandgap energy and carrier mobility among the oxides. Infrared and Raman modes are presented and discussed for each oxide providing insight into the phonon properties. The phonon properties also provide an explanation as to why some of the oxide parameters experience limitations due to phonon scattering such as carrier mobility. Thermal properties of interest include the coefficient of thermal expansion, Debye temperature, thermal diffusivity, specific heat, and thermal conductivity. Anisotropy is evident in the non-cubic oxides, and its impact on bandgap energy, carrier mobility, thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, phonon modes, and carrier effective mass is discussed. Alloys, such as AlGaO, InGaO, (AlxInyGa1−x−y)2O3, ZnGa2O4, ITO, and ScGaO, were included where relevant as they have the potential to allow for the improvement and alteration of certain properties. This Review provides a fundamental material perspective on the application space of semiconducting oxide-based devices in a variety of electronic and optoelectronic applications.

The Teacher-Centered Systemic Reform model (TCSR) recognizes teaching context, teacher characteristics, teacher thinking, and their interactions as influential factors in attempts to implement classroom reform. Using the TCSR model, teachers’ personal practical theories, and conceptual change as a framework, the authors of this article studied three college science faculty members as they designed and implemented an integrated, inquiry-based science course. The documentation and analysis of context, instructors’ knowledge and beliefs, and teaching episodes allowed the authors to identify and study the interaction of factors, including grant support, that shape reform attempts. The results suggest that grant-supported mitigation of structural barriers is a necessary but insufficient precursor to change and that personal practical theories are the most powerful influence on instructional practice. The findings highlight the critical role of pedagogical and contextual dissatisfaction in creating a context for fundamental change.

Based on the metachromatic property of Toluidine Blue O, three, convenient agar-diffusion methods have been developed that enable detection of the nuclease of Staphylococcus aureus at concentrations as low as 0.005 mug/ml in agar and broth cultures. The interactions of agar and deoxyribonucleic acid with Toluidine Blue O are discussed.

▪ Abstract We summarize the influences of harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex on communities and ecosystems. Because of nest densities, the longevity of nests, and the amount of seed harvested and soil handled, harvester ants have significant direct and indirect effects on community structure and ecosystem functioning. Harvester ants change plant species composition and diversity near their nests. These changes result from differential seed predation by the ants, their actions as seed dispersers and competitors with other granivores, and the favorable soil conditions they create through their digging. Their nest building creates islands of increased nutrient density. In some areas, the effects of their activities may be so pervasive that plant community structure is strongly influenced. Ant removal studies, which would reveal their total impact, have generally not been done. Granivore removals have been conducted in North America where ants are of lesser importance than small mammals, in contrast to other areas (except Israel) where ants are dominant granivores. We review the influence of harvester ants on their competitors, predators, and nest associates, and catalog the factors that influence their foraging patterns and consequently their local distribution. The harvesting habit in ants since it was first scientifically confirmed by Moggridge has excited an exceptional degree of interest and surprise. But in truth, when one considers all the conditions, the wonder is that it is not more widely distributed. Henry Christopher McCook ( 138 , p. 116)

ABSTRACT Private equity funds are important to the economy, yet there is little analysis explaining their financial structure. In our model the financial structure minimizes agency conflicts between fund managers and investors. Relative to financing each deal separately, raising a fund where the manager receives a fraction of aggregate excess returns reduces incentives to make bad investments. Efficiency is further improved by requiring funds to also use deal‐by‐deal debt financing, which becomes unavailable in states where internal discipline fails. Private equity investment becomes highly sensitive to aggregate credit conditions and investments in bad states outperform investments in good states.

Purpose Research on expatriation and global leadership has been characterized by wide variations in defining what constitutes intercultural competence. Greater progress can be achieved if a comprehensive definition of the intercultural competence domain can be established, particularly with regard to the specific context of global leadership. This paper aims to focus on the issues. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct an extensive review of the global leadership and expatriation literatures, integrating and synthesizing prior theoretical and empirical efforts to develop a comprehensive domain definition for intercultural competence in the context of global leadership. Findings The domain of intercultural competence in the context of global leadership comprised three dimensions – perception management, relationship management and self management. Each dimension is characterized by facets that further delineate aspects of intercultural competence. Research limitations/implications The domain definition of intercultural competence for global leadership appears to be well supported in prior theoretical and empirical work focusing on expatriation and global leadership; however that work was fragmented in nature. A test of the comprehensive model, i.e. all three dimensions and 17 facets, is called for, as well as the validation of an instrument that measures them. Originality/value The paper integrates and synthesizes the extensive body of theoretical and empirical work related to intercultural competence and clearly establishes the content domain, thereby enhancing the efficacy of future theoretical and empirical efforts.

Objectives: The purpose of the current study was to extend recent work aimed at applying routine activity theory to crimes in which the victim and offender never come into physical proximity. To that end, relationships between individuals' online routines and identity theft victimization were examined. Method: Data from a subsample of 5,985 respondents from the 2008 to 2009 British Crime Survey were analyzed. Utilizing binary logistic regression, the relationships between individuals' online routine activities (e.g., banking, shopping, downloading), individual characteristics (e.g., gender, age, employment), and perceived risk of victimization on identity theft victimization were assessed. Results: The results suggest that individuals who use the Internet for banking and/or e-mailing/instant messaging are about 50 percent more likely to be victims of identity theft than others. Similarly, online shopping and downloading behaviors increased victimization risk by about 30 percent. Males, older persons, and those with higher incomes were also more likely to experience victimization, as were those who perceived themselves to be at greater risk of victimization. Conclusions: Although the routine activity approach was originally written to account for direct-contact offenses, it appears that the perspective also has utility in explaining crimes at a distance. Further research should continue to explore the online and offline routines that increase individuals' risks of identity theft victimization.

Many strains of Streptococcus thermophilus synthesize extracellular polysaccharides. These molecules may be produced as capsules that are tightly associated with the cell, or they may be liberated into the medium as a loose slime (i.e., "ropy" polysaccharide). Although the presence of exopolysaccharide does not confer any obvious advantage to growth or survival of S. thermophilus in milk, in situ production by this species or other dairy lactic acid bacteria typically imparts a desirable "ropy" or viscous texture to fermented milk products. Recent work has also shown that exopolysaccharide-producing S. thermophilus can enhance the functional properties of Mozzarella cheese, but they are not phage-proof. As our understanding of the genetics, physiology, and functionality of bacterial exopolysaccharides continues to improve, novel applications for polysaccharides and polysaccharide-producing cultures are likely to emerge inside and outside the dairy industry. This article provides an overview of biochemistry, genetics, and applications of exopolysaccharide production in S. thermophilus.

An approach to SWOT analysis is delineated and illustrated that mitigates shortcomings fostered by prevailing SWOT analysis conventions. SWOT analysis - the identification and assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats - is intended to yield strategic insights. However, typical procedural guidelines consist largely of catchall questions devoid of explicit theoretical underpinnings. Too often, they produce shallow misleading results. As shown in this article, more penetrating strategic insights can be gained by following SWOT analysis guidelines derived from contemporary strategic management theory, especially the resource-based view of the firm.

Background While spending to prepare precollege students for engineering at universities increases, the number of engineering graduates continues to decrease, and attrition rates for engineering undergraduates remain high. Universities are motivated to understand the factors contributing to low retention of engineering undergraduates. Purpose/Hypothesis This article explores the experiences of four undergraduates who chose to leave engineering and provides insight into their reasons for leaving. Through attention to their experiences, this study captures participants' points of view as they explain how they made their decisions. Design/Method Students who recently left engineering were interviewed and completed a journey-mapping exercise describing their motivations and experiences. Analysis identified institutional and individual factors that contributed to their decisions to leave. Results Common themes of nonpersisting engineering undergraduates included individual factors (such as poor performance, feeling unprepared for demands of the engineering program, difficulty fitting into engineering) and institutional factors (such as disappointment with engineering advising). Concepts uncovered in this article not present in existing research include an emotional attachment between participants and the concept of being an engineer, students' sense of loss and failure, and their easy transition from engineering to another major. Conclusions Individual factors leading to attrition include unwillingness of students to adapt to the rigor of the engineering program and loss of confidence due to poor performance. Institutional factors also contribute to attrition. The key to understanding why students leave engineering is at the confluence of institutional and individual factors.