The Effectiveness Of Homeland Security Training For Rural Communities: A Comparative Analysis Of Web-Based And Instructor-Led Training Delivery

The development of advanced training technologies such as Web Based Training (WBT), coupled with the proliferation of computer and Internet availability, has increased training opportunities for rural communities. This advancement is critical to meeting the training needs of emergency response personnel in rural communities who routinely face the challenge of providing continuous services to their community with limited resources. Despite the perceived convenience of WBT for emergency responders, little research has been conducted in homeland security on the knowledge acquisition of those who are trained using an electronic medium as compared to those in a traditional, Instructor-Led Training (ILT) delivery. For purposes of this study, data from two U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) courses (each offering both a WBT and ILT version) were analyzed. Through the participant data from these nationally delivered awareness and management level courses, a comparative analysis was conducted to determine if significant differences existed between the delivery modalities. Results indicate that while ILT provided greater learner outcomes on course examinations, each modality was effective in increasing both gain scores and producing satisfactory scores on the course posttest. The findings can be used to further plan and develop strategies for training this nation\u27s rural responders, especially in light of budget and human resource deficits

Regional Engagement through the Roger’s Explorers Program: Linking Higher Education to Appalachian Counties

A key contribution of regional, comprehensive universities should be the development of meaningful and effective programs that will further the communities within their service areas. One example of an effective regional engagement program is highlighted in the following reflection. For five years, the Rogers Explorers program has introduced high school students to higher education. These transitioning eighth graders (many of whom would be first-generation college students) are introduced to critical and creative thinking, teamwork, and leadership development skills during the summer program. This reflection was developed by two university professors who took part in the Rogers Explorers program in an effort to further explain the benefits of the experience which could serve as a national best practice example for regional engagement

The Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 Early Release Science data: Panchromatic Faint Object Counts for 0.2-2 microns wavelength

We describe the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) Early Release Science (ERS) observations in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) South field. The new WFC3 ERS data provide calibrated, drizzled mosaics in the UV filters F225W, F275W, and F336W, as well as in the near-IR filters F098M (Ys), F125W (J), and F160W (H) with 1-2 HST orbits per filter. Together with the existing HST Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) GOODS-South mosaics in the BViz filters, these panchromatic 10-band ERS data cover 40-50 square arcmin at 0.2-1.7 {\mu}m in wavelength at 0.07-0.15" FWHM resolution and 0.090" Multidrizzled pixels to depths of AB\simeq 26.0-27.0 mag (5-{\sigma}) for point sources, and AB\simeq 25.5-26.5 mag for compact galaxies. In this paper, we describe: a) the scientific rationale, and the data taking plus reduction procedures of the panchromatic 10-band ERS mosaics; b) the procedure of generating object catalogs across the 10 different ERS filters, and the specific star-galaxy separation techniques used; and c) the reliability and completeness of the object catalogs from the WFC3 ERS mosaics. The excellent 0.07-0.15" FWHM resolution of HST/WFC3 and ACS makes star- galaxy separation straightforward over a factor of 10 in wavelength to AB\simeq 25-26 mag from the UV to the near-IR, respectively.Comment: 51 pages, 71 figures Accepted to ApJS 2011.01.2

Picture this:A review of research relating to narrative processing by moving image versus language

Reading fiction for pleasure is robustly correlated with improved cognitive attainment and other benefits. It is also in decline among young people in developed nations, in part because of competition from moving image fiction. We review existing research on the differences between reading or hearing verbal fiction and watching moving image fiction, as well as looking more broadly at research on image or text interactions and visual versus verbal processing. We conclude that verbal narrative generates more diverse responses than moving image narrative. We note that reading and viewing narrative are different tasks, with different cognitive loads. Viewing moving image narrative mostly involves visual processing with some working memory engagement, whereas reading narrative involves verbal processing, visual imagery, and personal memory (Xu et al., 2005). Attempts to compare the two by creating equivalent stimuli and task demands face a number of challenges. We discuss the difficulties of such comparative approaches. We then investigate the possibility of identifying lower level processing mechanisms that might distinguish cognition of the two media and propose internal scene construction and working memory as foci for future research. Although many of the sources we draw on concentrate on English-speaking participants in European or North American settings, we also cover material relating to speakers of Dutch, German, Hebrew, and Japanese in their respective countries, and studies of a remote Turkish mountain community

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Non-structural carbohydrates in woody plants compared among laboratories

Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) in plant tissue are frequently quantified to make inferences about plant responses to environmental conditions. Laboratories publishing estimates of NSC of woody plants use many different methods to evaluate NSC. We asked whether NSC estimates in the recent literature could be quantitatively compared among studies. We also asked whether any differences among laboratories were related to the extraction and quantification methods used to determine starch and sugar concentrations. These questions were addressed by sending sub-samples collected from five woody plant tissues, which varied in NSC content and chemical composition, to 29 laboratories. Each laboratory analyzed the samples with their laboratory-specific protocols, based on recent publications, to determine concentrations of soluble sugars, starch and their sum, total NSC. Laboratory estimates differed substantially for all samples. For example, estimates for Eucalyptus globulus leaves (EGL) varied from 23 to 116 (mean = 56) mg g⁻¹ for soluble sugars, 6–533 (mean = 94) mg g⁻¹ for starch and 53–649 (mean = 153) mg g⁻¹ for total NSC. Mixed model analysis of variance showed that much of the variability among laboratories was unrelated to the categories we used for extraction and quantification methods (method category R² = 0.05–0.12 for soluble sugars, 0.10–0.33 for starch and 0.01–0.09 for total NSC). For EGL, the difference between the highest and lowest least squares means for categories in the mixed model analysis was 33 mg g⁻¹ for total NSC, compared with the range of laboratory estimates of 596 mg g⁻¹. Laboratories were reasonably consistent in their ranks of estimates among tissues for starch (r = 0.41–0.91), but less so for total NSC (r = 0.45–0.84) and soluble sugars (r = 0.11–0.83). Our results show that NSC estimates for woody plant tissues cannot be compared among laboratories. The relative changes in NSC between treatments measured within a laboratory may be comparable within and between laboratories, especially for starch. To obtain comparable NSC estimates, we suggest that users can either adopt the reference method given in this publication, or report estimates for a portion of samples using the reference method, and report estimates for a standard reference material. Researchers interested in NSC estimates should work to identify and adopt standard methods.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the author(s) and published by Oxford University Press. The published article can be found at: http://treephys.oxfordjournals.org/Keywords: soluble sugars, starch, particle size, reference method, standardization, non-structural carbohydrate chemical analysis, extraction and quantification consistenc

Homeland Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection - 2nd Edition

The poster will focus on the new 2nd edition of Homeland Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection by Drs. Ryan Baggett and Brian Simpkins. The textbook will be released in July 2018 by Praeger Security International and is currently in the editing and publication phase. The book provides a compelling overview of the systems and strategies that have been designed and implemented to safeguard U.S. resources from a plethora of threats and hazards, the vulnerabilities and security gaps in these infrastructure systems, and options to enable the future security of the homeland. Further, the revised edition includes enhanced strategies such as risk analysis and assessment, public/private partnerships, information sharing, and continuity planning. The authors focus on relevant and timely threats and hazards facing specific infrastructure components including, but not limited to, agriculture and food, banking and finance, water, energy, telecommunications, and transportation. The dynamic posture of critical infrastructure security and resilience (CISR) underscores the importance of an integrated, layered all-hazards approach. In describing this approach, the book includes new chapters on planning and guidance, public/private partnerships, cyber issues/threats, and future trends in infrastructure protection.https://encompass.eku.edu/swps_facultygallery/1033/thumbnail.jp

Homeland Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection - 2nd Edition

The poster will focus on the new 2nd edition of Homeland Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection by Drs. Ryan Baggett and Brian Simpkins. The textbook will be released in July 2018 by Praeger Security International and is currently in the editing and publication phase. The book provides a compelling overview of the systems and strategies that have been designed and implemented to safeguard U.S. resources from a plethora of threats and hazards, the vulnerabilities and security gaps in these infrastructure systems, and options to enable the future security of the homeland. Further, the revised edition includes enhanced strategies such as risk analysis and assessment, public/private partnerships, information sharing, and continuity planning. The authors focus on relevant and timely threats and hazards facing specific infrastructure components including, but not limited to, agriculture and food, banking and finance, water, energy, telecommunications, and transportation. The dynamic posture of critical infrastructure security and resilience (CISR) underscores the importance of an integrated, layered all-hazards approach. In describing this approach, the book includes new chapters on planning and guidance, public/private partnerships, cyber issues/threats, and future trends in infrastructure protection

Mobile Firearm Simulation Training Systems: Perceptions of Officers from Small and Rural Law Enforcement Agencies

One hundred and one small and rural law enforcement officers from Kentucky, Washington and Texas were surveyed and interviewed regarding their perceptions of a mobile use-of-force simulation training system. PRiSim. Specifically, attitudes toward comfort level with interactivity, value of the mobility of the system and overall usefulness of the simulator system are focused upon. Overwhelmingly, officers felt the PRiSim system was an effective law enforcement training tool and considered the mobility a valuable aspect in receiving use-of-force training