Nonprofit Board of Director Training: The Experiences of Chief Executive Officers in Western Kentucky

This reality-oriented inquiry investigates chief executive officers’ experiences of board training within 501(c)(3) nonprofit acute care hospitals. This study provides an insight into the practices, barriers, and drivers of board training. Katz’s (1955) skillsbased leadership model serves as the theoretical framework for this study. The model suggests leadership skills are not innate but can be developed through training. This qualitative study includes nine in-depth interviews with chief executive officers to acquire a rich description of the phenomenon of interest throughout nine 501(c)(3) nonprofit acute care hospitals. A constant-comparative analysis and inductive analysis are employed to develop six themes related to board training: (1) training is multi-faceted, (2) training is a team approach, (3) time is a scarce commodity, (4) healthcare is exceedingly complex, (5) fiduciary duties are wide in scope, and (6) trained board members often are engaged board members. The research findings provide meaningful information for chief executive officers, senior level healthcare executives, board chairs, and board members interested in developing and refining practices of board training. Likewise, this study has implications for academicians with research interests concentrating on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, and board development

Organochloride Pesticides Present in Animal Fur, Soil, and Streambed in an Agricultural Region of Southeastern Arkansas

Animals in agricultural settings may be subject to bioaccumulation of toxins. For the last several years, we collected hair samples from bats and rodents in an agricultural area near Bayou Bartholomew in Drew County, Arkansas. Samples were submitted to the Center of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of Connecticut for wide-screen toxin analysis. Several of these samples contained measurable amounts of organochloride pesticides or their metabolites, including some that have been banned for decades, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and chlordane. In addition, we collected several samples of soil from within an agricultural field, from adjacent edge habitat, from alongside the bank of the Bayou, and from the bed of the Bayou itself. Although none of these samples tested positive for DDT or chlordane, all of the samples except one contained measurable amounts of metabolites from these pesticides. This study raises questions about environmental persistence of DDT/DDE and other organochlorides. There may be risk to wildlife populations, warranting further investigation into effects of long-term exposure to these toxins

Workplace Violence: Impact and Prevention

Workplace violence has been increasing in the United States for the past several decades. It affects everyone, not just those who have direct experience with it in employment situations. The authors describe the extent of the problem and provide recommendations regarding how managers and helping professionals can help prevent violent and abusive behavior from occurring in the workplace. They also describe proven strategies for effectively dealing with these kinds of incidents when they do materialize

Genetic Medical Clinic in Kentucky: A Needs Assessment of Anabaptist Households

The purposes of this study are to (a) describe the process of collecting survey data related to un/diagnosed genetic disorders in Anabaptist households, and (b) determine the need for a genetic medical clinic in Kentucky. A six-page adapted survey questionnaire was utilized to collect family status, un/diagnosed genetic conditions, reproductive history, history of deceased children, and demographics. The questionnaire was mailed to over 2,000 households; addresses were collected from Anabaptist directories. Data suggest that more than one-third of households include a family member with an un/diagnosed genetic condition. Collectively, 120 diagnosed conditions and 90 undiagnosed conditions were reported. Half of all households reported a miscarriage, while less than five percent reported a stillbirth. Information obtained from this survey helped Anabaptist leaders proceed with establishing a genetic medical clinic

Stress and Violence in the Workplace and on Campus: A Growing Problem for Business, Industry and Academia

Levels of stress and violence at work have been increasing globally for the past few decades. Whether the setting is business and industry or a college campus, this disturbing trend affects a growing number of people, including those who do not work directly in these environments. In this paper the authors describe the relationship between stress and violence and offer recommendations as to how managers and administrators can reduce employee and student stress levels and help to prevent hostile behaviour from occurring in private companies, public agencies and institutions of higher education. Proactive strategies for preventing violent incidents are included together with suggestions on how to deal effectively with such incidents when they do arise

Establishing and Maintaining Organizational Trust in the 21st Century

Recent corporate and academic scandals have led to decreasing levels of trust and confidence in many organizations. Whether the organization is a college or university, a government agency, a private company or a public corporation, the establishment and maintenance of trust is essential to both short-term success and long-term efficacy. This article deals with how managers and leaders can work to establish trust in their organizations via such strategies as fostering behavioural consistency, behavioural integrity, sharing of control, effective communication and demonstration of concern for employees. Also included are strategies of maintaining and enhancing trust, how the level of trust in an organization affects the individual as well as the entire enterprise, and the consequences of losing organizational trust

Optical Selection of Galaxies at Redshifts 1<z<3

Few galaxies have been found between the redshift ranges z < ~1 probed by magnitude-limited surveys and z > ~3 probed by Lyman-break surveys. Comparison of galaxy samples at lower and higher redshift suggests that large numbers of stars were born and the Hubble sequence began to take shape at the intermediate redshifts 1<z<3, but observational challenges have prevented us from observing the process in much detail. We present simple and efficient strategies that can be used to find large numbers of galaxies throughout this important but unexplored redshift range. All the strategies are based on selecting galaxies for spectroscopy on the basis of their colors in ground-based images taken through a small number of optical filters: GRi for redshifts 0.85<z<1.15, GRz for 1<z<1.5, and UGR for 1.4<z<2.1 and 1.9<z<2.7. The performance of our strategies is quantified empirically through spectroscopy of more than 2000 galaxies at 1<z<3.5. We estimate that more than half of the UV-luminosity density at 1<z<3 is produced by galaxies that satisfy our color-selection criteria. Our methodology is described in detail, allowing readers to devise analogous selection criteria for other optical filter sets.Comment: 13 pages including 20 figures. Accepted for publication in the Ap

Speed and Surface Speed and Magnitude of Knee Adduction

Frontal plane knee biomechanics, in particular speed and magnitude of knee adduction motion, are implicated in knee osteoarthritis development. Although individuals are between 50% to 90% more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R), it is unknown if ACL-R individuals exhibit knee adduction biomechanics related to OA development. This study sought to quantify speed and magnitude of knee adduction for knee OA and ACL-R individuals. We hypothesize that OA will exhibit larger, faster knee adduction biomechanics than ACL-R, which will increase at great walk speed and over a challenging surface. Six individuals with ACL-R and 8 individuals with knee OA had knee adduction quantified as they walked 1.3 m/s and at a self-selected speed over a flat and an uneven surface. Peak of stance, and average and maximum velocity of knee adduction joint angle and moment between heel strike and peak of stance were submitted to repeated measures ANOVA to compare main and interaction effects between group, speed and surface. There was a walk speed by group interaction for peak knee adduction moment (p = 0.048). Walk speed impacted maximum knee adduction joint angle (p=0.004) and moment velocity (p=0.041), while surface impacted peak knee adduction joint angle (p=0.035) and maximum knee adduction joint moment velocity (p=0.007). In partial agreement with our hypothesis, speed and magnitude knee adduction biomechanics increased with walk speed and surface, but OA did not consistently exhibit larger knee adduction biomechanics than ACL-R

Impact of Knee Injury and Disease on Frontal Plane Knee Biomechanics During Walk on Uneven Surfaces

Frontal plane knee biomechanics, in particular speed and magnitude of knee adduction motion, are implicated in knee osteoarthritis development. Although individuals are between 50% to 90% more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R), it is unknown if ACL-R individuals exhibit knee adduction biomechanics related to OA development. This study sought to quantify speed and magnitude of knee adduction for knee OA and ACL-R individuals. We hypothesize that OA will exhibit larger, faster knee adduction biomechanics than ACL-R, which will increase at great walk speed and over a challenging surface. Six individuals with ACL-R and 8 individuals with knee OA had knee adduction quantified as they walked 1.3 m/s and at a self-selected speed over a flat and an uneven surface. Peak of stance, and average and maximum velocity of knee adduction joint angle and moment between heel strike and peak of stance were submitted to repeated measures ANOVA to compare main and interaction effects between group, speed and surface. There was a walk speed by group interaction for peak knee adduction moment (p = 0.048). Walk speed impacted maximum knee adduction joint angle (p=0.004) and moment velocity (p=0.041), while surface impacted peak knee adduction joint angle (p=0.035) and maximum knee adduction joint moment velocity (p=0.007). In partial agreement with our hypothesis, speed and magnitude knee adduction biomechanics increased with walk speed and surface, but OA did not consistently exhibit larger knee adduction biomechanics than ACL-R

Energy Content of Seeds of Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the Diet of Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) in Southeastern New Mexico

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a common forage plant that grows over much of the United States. It has drawn interest as a possible feedstock for biofuels, is used as forage for livestock, is planted for soil conservation, and is a component of the diet of some species of wildlife. We analyzed the energy content of seeds of switchgrass obtained from the crops of mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) collected from plains-mesa sand-scrub in Lea and Eddy counties, New Mexico. Seeds were removed from crops and dried for 48 hours at 60°C to remove moisture and standardize masses. Seeds were then analyzed for gross caloric value (i.e., energy content) in an oxygen bomb calorimeter. Energy content of seeds of switchgrass from New Mexico averaged 18.4 J/kg (4.4 kcal/g—standard deviation, 0.7 J/kg [0.2 kcal/g]) and was lower than that of most other food items previously reported from the diet of mourning doves