Along For The Journey: Graduate Student Perceptions Of Research, Alissa Droog, Kari D. Weaver, Frances Brady

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Graduate student identities and personal lives are heavily tied to their experiences of research, and many struggle to find, understand, and use information for research purposes. Using a drawing exercise rooted in visual research methods combined with semi-structured interviews, a research team in the United States and Canada explored graduate student perceptions of research with 19 participants. Thematic analysis identified six themes: research is abstract; research is an odyssey; social support makes or breaks the student experience; research is an emotional continuum; interplay between identity/values; information is problematic. The study has implications for how librarians support graduate student research.

Impact Of Processed Food On Heart Health, Elizabeth Moxley

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Impact of Processed Food on Heart Health

March 14, 2024|Elizabeth Moxley

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), remains the leading cause of death on a global scale.^[i],[ii] CVD is also the leading cause of death in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), specifically in low- and middle-income countries.^[iii] In spite of the improvement in ASCVD outcomes in recent decades, pervasive levels of ASCVD morbidity and mortality continue to be unfavorable.^[iv] According to the American Heart Association,⁵ effectively promoting dietary improvements and engagement in regular physical activity help prevent the ongoing risk …

How Mathematicians Characterize And Attempt To Develop Understanding Of Concepts And Definitions In Proof-Based Courses, Rachel Rupnow, Timothy Fukawa-Connelly

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Mathematics education research has long focused on students’ conceptual understanding, including highlighting conceptions viewed as problematic and looking for ways to develop more desirable conceptions. Nevertheless, limited research has examined how mathematicians characterize understanding of concepts and definitions or promote activities beneficial for students. Based on interviews with 13 mathematicians, we present thematic characterizations of what it means to understand a concept and definition, highlight activities mathematicians believe assist students’ learning, and examine their reasons for promoting these activities.

Results include mathematically grounded descriptions of what it means to understand a concept but general descriptions of approaching and supporting learning. …

A New Hope? Restoring Self-Compassion In Response To Abusive Supervision, James P. Burton, Brittany C. Buis, Larissa K. Barber

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Given the persistent financial and psychological costs of abusive supervision in organizations, a greater understanding of the mechanisms that employees can use to cope with abuse is warranted. In the present study, abusive supervision is expected to be negatively related to a key employee coping mechanism – self-compassion – and this hindered mechanism would lead to higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of hope. However, a written meditation targeting self-compassion could break the link between abuse and employee anxiety or hope. The hypotheses and the written self-compassion meditation were tested across two studies incorporating both a highly controlled laboratory …

A Survey Of Fear For Others, Fear For Self, And Pandemic Anxiety Predicting Intention To Take The First Booster Vaccine To Combat Covid-19, Joseph N. Scudder, Dennis P. Debeck

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

This study examined the impact of fear and anxiety on the intent to take the first COVID-19 booster vaccine. The objective of this study is to provide guidance for messaging campaigns of public health practitioners. A survey approach provided insights about individuals’ emotions of fear and anxiety related to adopting the first booster vaccine for the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: Three independent variables were considered in their ability to predict the intent to take the first COVID-19 booster vaccine (BINT): Fear for Others (FOTH), Fear for SELF (FSELF), and COVID-19 Anxiety (CANX). Results: The confirmatory factor analysis supported an …

Snail Races: An Inquiry-Based Approach To Learn Invasive Species Ecology, Emma Grindle, Heather E. Bergan-Roller, Ashton Johnson, Grace Lunaburg, Jennifer A.H. Koop

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Inquiry-based lessons allow learning that is hands-on and student-driven, fostering engagement and retention of knowledge in any discipline. Here, we use this learning framework to engage students in exploring the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on animal dispersal as a means of connecting students to multiple ecological concepts. Instructors are provided with a guided lecture on key ecological concepts including the impacts of invasive species, dispersal mechanisms, and species interactions with the environment. Furthermore, the interactive lecture introduces students to the snail study system and explains the experimental process, which involves low-cost, readily available materials (e.g., kiddie pools). Students …

Weight Management: Lifestyle Versus Pharmacotherapy, Elizabeth Moxley

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Amidst the escalating obesity crisis affecting a substantial portion of the population, exploring tailored weight management strategies is increasingly imperative. What role do pharmacotherapy and lifestyle interventions play in weight management? This article looks at prioritizing lifestyle interventions before pharmacology and the evidence showing that physical activity improves cardiovascular health and reduces mortality in overweight and obese individuals.

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Is Heart Health As Simple As Gut Microbiota?, Elizabeth Moxley

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

The current mortality statistics for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the United States (US) and on a global scale are staggering. CVD is responsible for approximately 31% of global deaths,¹ and approximately 25% of adults in the United States (US) have CVD.² The American Heart Association has identified eight primary measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health: Life’s Essential 8.³ However, a lesser recognized measure that has a profound effect on cardiovascular health has recently emerged,^4-5 that of the gut microbiome. The link between cardiovascular health and diet is not merely due to essential nutrients found in …

Norms Of Mathematical Definitions: Imposing Constraints, Permitting Choice, Or Both?, Rachel Rupnow, Brooke Randazzo

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Definitions play an important role in mathematics by stipulating objects of interest to mathematicians in order to facilitate theory building. Nevertheless, limited research has examined how mathematicians approach writing definitions or the values of the mathematical community that are upheld through norms related to definition use and writing. Based on interviews with nine algebraists/category theorists, we characterize two mathematical values upheld through definitions: clarity in and for communication, and freedom of choice in the use and writing of definitions. Further results highlight the norms and values related to defining that participants do and do not claim to discuss through their …

Additivity Of Diene Substituent Gibbs Free Energy Contributions For Diels–Alder Reactions Between Me2c=Cme2 And Substituted Cyclopentadienes, Thomas M. Gilbert, Austin S. Flemming, Brendan C. Dutmer

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Systematic computational studies of pericyclic Diels–Alder reactions between (H3C)2C═C(CH3)2, 1, and all permutations of substituted cyclopentadienes c-C5R1R2R3R4R5aR5b (R = H, CH3, CF3, F) allowed isolation of substitutional effects on Gibbs free energy barrier heights and reaction Gibbs free energies. “Average Substitution Gibbs Free Energy Correction” ΔGASC#‡/ΔGASC# values for each substituent in each position appeared to be additive. Substituent effects on barriers showed interesting contrasts. Methyl substitution at positions 5a and 5b increased barriers significantly, while substitution at all other positions had essentially no impact. In contrast, fluoro substitution at positions 5a and 5b lowered barriers more than substitution at other …

Preparing Secondary Mathematics Preservice Teachers For Rural Schools In Colombia, Ricela Feliciano-Semidei, Mariana Alvayero Ricklefs, Yolima A. Rocha Fontalvo, Kevin A. Palencia Infante, R. BeltráN Hoyos

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

This article describes a qualitative research case study that aimed to explore the complexity levels and types of mathematical thinking and national mathematics standards that a group of preservice teachers (PSTs) used to write mathematics word problems for secondary school students. The context was a teacher preparation course at a public university located in a rural region in Colombia, South America. The collected data included PSTs’ community reports, audio recordings of small-group discussions, and mathematics word problems. The data analysis process encompassed inductively created codebooks, several rounds of coding, and the inter-rater technique. The findings of the study demonstrated that …

Cardiovascular Health Through Vitamin C Intake, Elizabeth Moxley

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin, coenzyme, and cofactor in the biosynthesis of carnitine, a molecule that is required to oxidize fatty acids or convert fat in the body into energy. An adequate intake of vitamin C helps to facilitate osteoblast and osteodentin formation, synthesize catecholamines, reduce urinary folic acid excretion, and improve the absorption of dietary iron.¹ Since humans lack endogenous synthesis of vitamin C, it is necessary to obtain adequate levels in the diet. Vitamin C is found in foods such as citrus fruits (oranges, kiwi, lemon, grapefruit), tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, white potatoes, …

Perpetrators’ And Victims’ Folk Explanations Of Aggressive Behaviors And Desires For Apologies, Randy J. Mccarthy, Jared Wilson

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

After an aggressive interaction, perpetrators most want to offer apologies when they have unintentionally harmed another person and victims most want to receive an apology when another person intentionally harmed them. Perpetrators and victims also explain aggressive behaviors differently—perpetrators often explain their own aggressive behaviors by referring to beliefs they considered that led to their behaviors (i.e., “belief” explanations), whereas victims explain perpetrators’ behaviors by referring to background factors that do not mention the perpetrators’ mental deliberations (i.e., “causal history explanations”). Putting these ideas together, the current Registered Report had participants recall either a time they intentionally harmed another person …

The Effectiveness Of Community-Based Palliative Care Program Components: A Systematic Review, M. Courtney Hughes, Erin Vernon, Allison Hainstock

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: there is evidence that community-based palliative care programs can improve patient outcomes and caregiver experiences cost-effectively. However, little is known about which specific components within these programs contribute to improving the outcomes.

Aim: to systematically review research that evaluates the effectiveness of community-based palliative care components.

Design: a systematic mixed studies review synthesizing quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods study findings using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PROSPERO: ID # CRD42022302305.

Data sources: four databases were searched in August 2021 (CINAHL, Web of Science, ProQuest Federated, and PubMed including MEDLINE), and a close …

Policy Matters: Edi Evaluation Of An Academic Library's Policies, Kimberly Shotick, Michele N. Hunt, Sata Prescott, Alissa Droog, Sarah Mchone-Chase

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Why does policy matter, and how can libraries reform their policies to create a more equitable library for library workers and library users? The authors discuss their experience in reviewing the policies of their library with an EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) lens. The authors describe how they initiated and developed this project, the factors that they considered in forming their evaluation rubric, and what they learned from the process.

Hdl Cholesterol: Too Much Of A Good Thing? Cardiovascular, Elizabeth Moxley

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

It is considered a well-established fact that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is a robust, inverse predictor of the risk of experiencing an atherosclerotic cardiovascular (ASCVD) event.[i] Whereas, low HDL-C characterizes an atherogenic dyslipidemia that reflects adverse lifestyle choices, impaired metabolism, and increased cardiovascular risk.[ii]

Construction And Case Study Of A Novel Lung Cancer Risk Index, Ali Faghani, Lei Guo, Mahdi Vaezi, Margaret Wright Geise, M. Courtney Hughes

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Purpose

This study constructs a lung cancer risk index (LCRI) that incorporates many modifiable risk factors using an easily reproducible and adaptable method that relies on publicly available data.

Methods

We used meta-analysis followed by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to generate a lung cancer risk index (LCRI) that incorporates seven modifiable risk factors (active smoking, indoor air pollution, occupational exposure, alcohol consumption, secondhand smoke exposure, outdoor air pollution, and radon exposure) for lung cancer. Using county-level population data, we then performed a case study in which we tailored the LCRI for use in the state of Illinois (LCRIIL).

Results

For …

Where Are They Now? The 2020 Status Of Early (1996-2003) Online Digital Humanities Projects And An Analysis Of Institutional Factors Correlated To Their Survival, Drew E. Vandecreek

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Researchers have suggested that free-use digital humanities websites remain online for an average of five years and that larger, more functionally specialized and wealthier institutions are more likely than other organizations to continue to make them available online for a long period after their initial development. A study of 59 websites created with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities Education Development and Demonstration program 1996–2003 reveals a different situation. The data show that 68% of these websites remained online for free use in September, 2020, suggesting an online lifespan of approximately eleven to sixteen years. Further statistical …

Ideal Exercise Prescription For Cardiovascular Health, Elizabeth Moxley

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

What is the ideal exercise prescription? It is well established that exercise improves cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, although an ideal exercise dose is unknown.^1-2 What is known, and perhaps most concerning, is that physical inactivity has increased^3-4 in recent decades to the extent that it affects all strata of society: every age, culture, race, gender, and ethnic background.⁵

Unpacking The Graduate Student Research Experience: Findings From A Drawing-Based Interview Study, Alissa Droog, Frances Brady, Kari D. Weaver

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

What do graduate students think research is? How do they come to be scholars and how can we as information professionals better support their needs?

Using a drawing exercise rooted in visual research methods (Hartel, 2017; Doucette & Hoffman, 2019; Bryans & Mavin, 2006), a cross-institutional research team in the United States and Canada explore these questions through an interview-based study of graduate student perceptions of research.

At present, the existing body of knowledge examining student perceptions of research strongly focuses on undergraduates (Griffioen, 2019; Insua et al., 2018), leaving a critical gap in theory and pedagogy needed to support …

Sameness In Algebra: Views Of Isomorphism And Homomorphism, Rachel Rupnow, Peter Sassman

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Isomorphism and homomorphism are topics central to abstract algebra, but research on mathematicians’ views of these topics, especially with respect to sameness, remains limited. This study examines open response survey data from 197 mathematicians on how sameness could be helpful or harmful when studying isomorphism and homomorphism. Using thematic analysis, we examined whether sameness was viewed as helpful or harmful for isomorphism and homomorphism before examining rationales for those views. Making use of values of the mathematical community, we note that mathematicians saw conceptual and pedagogical benefits to connecting isomorphism and sameness, which connects to leveraging intuition and valuing ways …

Sameness In Mathematics: A Unifying And Dividing Concept, Rachel Rupnow, Brooke Randazzo, Eric Johnson, Peter Sassman

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

While many aspects of the teaching and learning of specific advanced mathematics courses have been studied, limited work has examined mathematical themes like sameness or its instantiations across disciplines. In this paper, we explore algebraists’ collective example space for mathematical sameness. We used qualitative methods to analyze survey responses from 197 algebraists in order to identify specific mathematical concepts that the algebraists associated with sameness and relevant factors to consider when determining sameness of objects. Using variation theory, we introduce the notion of a community example space for algebraists to highlight specific dimensions of variation in sameness as well as …

Physical Activity To Prevent Cvd Across The Lifespan: Local And Global Burden., Elizabeth Moxley, Kashica J. Webber-Ritchey

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

The current mortality statistics for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the United States (US) and on a global scale are staggering. CVD is responsible for approximately 31% of global deaths,¹ and approximately 25% of adults in the United States (US) have CVD.² The American Heart Association has identified eight primary measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health: Life’s Essential 8.³ However, a lesser recognized measure that has a profound effect on cardiovascular health has recently emerged,^4-5 that of the gut microbiome. The link between cardiovascular health and diet is not merely due to essential nutrients found in …

Simulation, Optimization, And Economic Assessment Of Pelamis Wave Energy Converter, Hana Ghaneei, Mohammadreza Mahmoudi

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Wave energy and power is accessible on almost any body of water. One of the most widely known floating structures to generate renewable energy from the seas and the ocean is wave energy converter Pelamis. In this study, an attempt was made to simulate the dynamic behaviour of Pelamis P2 in the software AQWA under the influence of a nonlinear second-order Stokes wave. Pelamis P2 was simulated in different marine conditions including different water depths, wave heights, periods, and angles to assess its optimal operation. With the results in mind, it can be argued that with an increase in water …

Green Space And Heart Health: What’S The Connection?, Elizabeth Moxley

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

While cardiovascular professionals across the globe are well-versed in applying guidelines-based care to help their patients prevent, or manage, cardiovascular disease, one important therapy may come not from a prescription bottle, but from just outside the front (or back) door. According to recent research, the key to improved cardiovascular health may be as simple as spending more time in nature. In fact, the health benefits from green space exposure are significant enough for practitioners and policymakers to recommend spending more time in nature.^1-8 It is becoming more common for health care providers in the U.S., Canada, and beyond to …

Temperature-Induced Multi-Species Cohort Effects In Sympatric Snakes, Richard B. King

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

In reptiles, reproductive maturity is often determined by size rather than age. Consequently, growth early in life may influence population dynamics through effects on generation time and survival to reproduction. Because reproductive phenology and pre- and post-natal growth are temperature dependent, environmental conditions may induce multi-species cohort effects on body size in sympatric reptiles. I present evidence of this using 10 years of neonatal size data for three sympatric viviparous snakes, Dekay's Brown snakes (Storeria dekayi), Red-bellied Snakes (S. occipitomaculata), and Common Garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis). End-of-season neonatal size varied in parallel across species such that snout–vent length was 36%–61% …

The Role Of Word Knowledge In Error Detection: A Challenge To The Broken-Error-Monitor Account Of Dyslexia, Lindsay N. Harris, Benjamin Creed, Charles A. Perfetti, Benjamin Rickles

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Dyslexic children often fail to correct errors while reading aloud, and dyslexic adolescents and adults exhibit lower amplitudes of the error-related negativity (ERN)—the neural response to errors—than typical readers during silent reading. Past researchers therefore suggested that dyslexia may arise from a faulty error-detection mechanism that interferes with orthographic learning and text comprehension. An alternative possibility is that comprehension difficulty in dyslexics is primarily a downstream effect of low-quality lexical representations—that is, poor word knowledge. On this view the attenuated ERN in dyslexics is a byproduct, rather than a source, of underdeveloped orthographic knowledge. Because the second view implies a …

Comparison Of Gps Imputation Methods In Environmental Health Research, Sungsoon Hwang, Kashica Webber-Ritchey, Elizabeth Moxley

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Assessment of personal exposure in the external environment commonly relies on global positioning system (GPS) measurements. However, it has been challenging to determine exposures accurately due to missing data in GPS trajectories. In environmental health research using GPS, missing data are often discarded or are typically imputed based on the last known location or linear interpolation. Imputation is said to mitigate bias in exposure measures, but methods used are hardly evaluated against ground truth. Widely used imputation methods assume that a person is either stationary or constantly moving during the missing interval. Relaxing this assumption, we propose a method for …

Introducing Conditional Probability Using The Monty Hall Problem, Ricela Feliciano-Semidei

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

This study developed a teaching module that incorporated the Monty Hall problem to introduce conditional probability in a college introductory statistics course. This teaching module integrated a guess – experiment – discussion approach with game-based instruction. The researchers piloted this module and made modifications. The work of 20 non-mathematics major undergraduate students was examined for changes in their perceptions about conditional probability through a pre-and-post survey design. The Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy was used for data analysis to show the quality of the student work. Findings suggest that most students’ perceptions were at higher levels after …

Review Of The Book Academic Librarianship: Anchoring The Profession In Contribution, Scholarship, And Service, Alissa Droog

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

No abstract provided.