The development of a post-test diagnostic system for rocket engines

An effort was undertaken by NASA to develop an automated post-test, post-flight diagnostic system for rocket engines. The automated system is designed to be generic and to automate the rocket engine data review process. A modular, distributed architecture with a generic software core was chosen to meet the design requirements. The diagnostic system is initially being applied to the Space Shuttle Main Engine data review process. The system modules currently under development are the session/message manager, and portions of the applications section, the component analysis section, and the intelligent knowledge server. An overview is presented of a rocket engine data review process, the design requirements and guidelines, the architecture and modules, and the projected benefits of the automated diagnostic system

Review of the Status of Cyberbullying and Cyberbullying Prevention

Cyberbullying may be one of the “diseases” of the 21th Century. Despite efforts to curtail its incidence and prevalence over the past 20 years, its direct and indirect harmful effects have made it a public concern about the wellbeing of children, adolescents, and adults. Empirical studies as well as psychological theories have addressed different aspects of cyberbullying (e.g. characteristics of victims, bullies, and bystanders, prevalence rates, specific types of cyberbullying behavior, gender differences, intervention/prevention strategies, legal/legislative measures, etc.). While consensus is evident in some areas researched, significant findings in other areas are inconsistent, indicative of the inherent complexities of this phenomenon and the methodological problems hampering insight into the nature of this problem and its possible solutions. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the current status of the research and theoretical perspectives on cyberbullying in hopes of encouraging good scholarship, improved methodologies and thoughtful inquiries to better inform educators, parents, mental health service providers, policy makers and others so that they can more effectively promote healthy online and offline behaviors among digital users. This discussion reviews the definition and characteristics of cyberbullying, its prevalence, populations affected, gender differences, theoretical perspectives and issues of intervention and prevention

Servant Leadership and Conflict Adaptivity in Local Government Leaders

Government organizations’ focus on public service provides a fertile ground for conflict due to competing interests and goals. Conflicts exist and persist because of workplace pressures such as unstable political climates, budget restrictions, technological advances, a diverse workforce, disruptive change, and organizational transformation. Although typically risk-averse, these organizations need flexible and adaptive leaders who exhibit the appropriate behaviors in the best interests of the organization and the community. Servant-leaders seem likely to demonstrate conflict adaptivity due to their focus on serving the needs of followers and other stakeholders, which may require different conflict styles at different times and in different situations. This study’s aim was to discover if a relationship exists between servant leadership and conflict adaptivity in government leaders. A quantitative, nonexperimental, and cross-sectional approach was used to survey leaders and their followers. Leaders completed a measure of conflict adaptivity, and their followers rated them as servant-leaders. No correlation was found between servant leadership and conflict adaptivity. Therefore, the expectation that the leader’s conflict adaptivity would predict increased perceptions of servant leadership by the follower was not supported in this sample. However, replication studies are needed to determine if this result is found with larger samples in different contexts. Further research is needed to determine if organizational culture moderates the relationship between conflict adaptivity and servant leadership as governments’ organizational cultures may prescribe certain approaches to both conflict and leadership, potentially masking a relationship between servant leadership and conflict adaptivity

Antitrust Law - Sherman Act - Home Rule Municipalities - Municipal Ordinances

The United States Supreme Court has held that a home rule municipality is not exempt from liability under the Sherman Antitrust Act unless the municipality\u27s action constitutes an action of the state itself or is municipal action in furtherance or implementation of a clearly articulated and affirmatively expressed state policy to displace competition. Community Communications Co. v. City of Boulder, 102 S. Ct. 835 (1982)