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Author Archive | Robbie Bolton

John Obradovich

By on July 7, 2015 in Faculty Publications

Gill, Amarjit, Léo-Paul Dana, and John Obradovich. “Independent directors and the decision of US manufacturing firms about the amount of dividends.” International Journal of Business and Globalisation 15, no. 1 (2015): 96-108. doi: 10.1504/IJBG.2015.070226

Abstract: One of the most important factors that stock investors use to make investment decision in the stock market is the amount of dividends that company has paid in the past and is expected to pay in the future. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of independent directors on the decision of US manufacturing firms about the amount of dividends. The study used a sample of 183 US manufacturing firms listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for a period of five years (from 2009-2013). By applying a co-relational and non-experimental research design, this study found that the presence of independent directors positively impacts the decision of US manufacturing firms about the amount of dividends. The results also show that the decision of US manufacturing firms about the amount of dividends is positively associated with audit committee, firm size, firm age and financial performance and negatively associated with operating risk. The findings may be useful for financial managers, operations managers, financial management consultants, stock market investors and other stakeholders.

Michael Buratovich

By on July 7, 2015 in Faculty Publications

Buratovich, Michael. “Where Are My Genes? Genomic Considerations on Darwin’s Doubt.” Reports of the National Center for Science Education 35, no. 4 (2015).

In his book Darwin’s Doubt (Meyer 2013), Discovery Institute philosopher of science and “intelligent design” proponent Stephen C Meyer makes some very unorthodox claims about animal origins. Evolutionary developmental biologists have shown over two decades of work that regardless of how animals look, most of them use a common “toolkit” of genes for their development. Furthermore, a respectable body of evidence shows that changes in animal body plans and body parts are driven by changes in gene regulation (Carroll 2000).

John S. Rinck

By on May 14, 2015 in Faculty Publications

Rinck, John S. “Some Advice Before Making That Decision.” Respiratory Care Management Bulletin for the American Association of Respiratory Care (Spring 2015).

Abstract: Some decisions never come easy; ones that do are rare. Managers face a multitude of daily decisions that demand time and attention. Information overload is the norm, yet the expectation is to make spontaneous, often high risk but sound decisions. Even the most seasoned managers experience delays or suboptimal choices under these conditions.

Fortunately, decision making is a skill that can be learned and should improve with experience. Theoretical models may be helpful and focus on willful choice, reality-based, or combinations of the two coupled with quantitative, qualitative, descriptive, or prescriptive considerations.1 Decision models address “what” and “how” without venturing to explain “why.” The more challenging task is to understand what boundaries, shortcomings, or blind spots affect the decisions we make.

Jeffrey Bilbro

By on April 30, 2015 in Faculty Publications

Bilbro, Jeffrey. Loving God’s Wildness: The Christian Roots of Ecological Ethics in American Literature. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2015.

Jogging with ChestertonWhen the Puritans arrived in the New World to carry out the colonization they saw as divinely mandated, they were confronted by the American wilderness. Part of their theology led them to view the natural environment as “a temple of God” in which they should glorify and serve its creator. The larger prevailing theological view, however, saw this vast continent as “the Devil’s Territories” needing to be conquered and cultivated for God’s Kingdom. These contradictory designations gave rise to an ambivalence regarding the character of this land and humanity’s proper relation to it.

Loving God’s Wildness rediscovers the environmental roots of America’s Puritan heritage. In tracing this history, Jeffrey Bilbro demonstrates how the dualistic Christianity that the Puritans brought to America led them to see the land as an empty wilderness that God would turn into a productive source of marketable commodities. Bilbro carefully explores the effect of this dichotomy in the nature writings of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Willa Cather, and Wendell Berry.

Thoreau, Muir, Cather, and Berry imaginatively developed the Puritan theological tradition to propose practical, physical means by which humans should live and worship within the natural temple of God’s creation. They reshaped Puritan dualism, each according to the particular needs of his or her own ecological and cultural contexts, into a theology that demands care for the entire created community. While differing in their approaches and respective ecological ethics, the four authors Bilbro examines all share the conviction that God remains active in creation and that humans ought to relinquish their selfish ends to participate in his wild ecology.

Loving God’s Wildness fills a critical gap in literary criticism and environmental studies by offering a sustained, detailed argument regarding how Christian theology has had a profound and enduring legacy in shaping the contours of the American ecological imagination. Literary critics, scholars of religion and environmental studies, and thoughtful Christians who are concerned about environmental issues will profit from this engaging new book.

Thomas Kuntzleman

By on April 11, 2015 in Faculty Publications

Kuntzleman, Thomas S., Nathan Ford, Jin-Hwan No, and Mark E. Ott. “A Molecular Explanation of How the Fog Is Produced when Dry Ice Is Placed in Water.” Journal Of Chemical Education 92, no. 4 (April 2015): 643-648. doi:10.1021/ed400754n

Abstract: Everyone enjoys seeing the cloudy white fog generated when solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) is placed in water. Have you ever wondered what physical and chemical processes occur to produce this fog? When asked this question, many chemical educators suggest that the fog is produced when atmospheric water vapor condenses on cold carbon dioxide gas that sublimes through the water. But this explanation is incorrect, as shown by Luck and co-workers in an article previously published in J. Chem. Educ. Herein, we extend this previous work by presenting some simple experiments and explanations that provide a model for how the fog forms when dry ice is placed in water. Many of these experiments can be carried out using materials found at the pharmacy, grocery store, or hardware store. The explanations involved draw from many concepts taught in general chemistry such as vapor pressure and Le Châtelier’s principle.

George Griffin

By on March 31, 2015 in Faculty Publications

Griffin, George, Maia Noniashvili, and Nino Enukidze. “Consumer Behavior in The Republic of Georgia regarding FMCG Products: The role of Russia in affecting Consumer Behavior after reaching DCFTA with EU countries.” Journal of Eastern European and Central Asian Research 2, no. 1 (2015).

Abstract: Until 2008, Russia was one of the major importers of Free Market Consumers Goods (FMCG) products from Georgia as well as a major exporter of FMCG products to Georgia. After conducting a large-scale aggression against Georgia in August, 2008; occupation of two territories in Georgia, ethnic cleansing of people in those territories; and giving recognition of independence to these two territories; Georgia terminated diplomatic relations with Russian Federation on September 2, 2008. After Russo-Georgian war in 2008 the amount of imported food products from Russia decreased. The aim of the research is to study Georgian consumer behavior; identify the factors which influence consumer behavior as a result of the Russo-Georgian War and The European Union Association Agreement; and to analyze the impact of the occupation of the Georgian territories had on trade relations with Russia.

Michael Buratovich

By on March 31, 2015 in Faculty Publications

Amin, Amr and Michael Buratovich.”The Anti-Cancer Charm of Flavonoids: A Cup of Tea Will Do You Good!.” In Frontiers in Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery, edited by Atta-ur-Rahman and M. Iqbal Choudhary, 552-587. N.p.: Bentham Science, 2015. 

Transformative Curriculum Design and Program Development: Creating Effective Adult Learning by Leveraging Psychological Capital and Self-Directedness through the Exercise of Human AgencyHormone-dependent cancers of the breast, prostate and colon have, in the past decade, become the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Billions of dollars have been spent to study cancers like these, and tremendous advancements in the understanding and treatment of cancer have been made. Nevertheless, as effective cures for a variety of cancers continue to elude us, natural protection against cancer has been receiving a great deal of attention lately not only from cancer researchers and patients, but also from physicians. Phytoestrogens, plantderived secondary metabolites, are diphenolic substances with structural similarity to naturally-occurring human steroid hormones. Phytoestrogens are normally divided into three main classes: flavonoids, coumestans and lignans. Flavonoids are found in almost all plant families in the leaves, stems, roots, flowers and seeds of plants, and are among the most popular anti-cancer candidates. Flavonoidic derivatives have a wide variety of biological actions that includes antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antiallergic activities. Some of these benefits are explained by the potent antioxidant effects of flavonoids, which include metal chelation and free-radical scavenging activities. However particular phytoestrogens show a marked ability to induce programmed cell death in specific cancer cells, and delay or prevent the onset of discrete cancers altogether. Patent applications regarding flavonoids range from protocols for extraction and purification from natural resources and the establishment of various biological activities for these extracts to novel methods for the production and isolation of flavonoids with known biological activities. This review will bring the reader up to date on the current knowledge and research available in the field of flavonoids and hormone-dependent cancers, and some of the submitted patents that exploit flavonoids.