Digital Commons Network^™

Invest In Farm Water Conservation To Curtail Buy And Dry, David E. Rosenberg

Publications

The term buy-and-dry plays to the fears of farm and ranch communities. In Owens Valley, CA in the early 1900s and Palo Verde Irrigation District, CA today, wealthy urban water providers buy up water rights, dry out farms and ranches, export purchased water out of basin to growing cities, or keep water in storage to counter reservoir draw down (James, 2021). As more farmers and ranchers sell their water rights, local businesses—irrigation, farm equipment, seed, and other agricultural firms—contract. Those contractions encourage more farmers and ranchers to sell 15 their water rights and farms. And a negative feedback loop gains …

Deconstructing Tiktok Videos On Mental Health: Cross-Sectional, Descriptive Content Analysis, Corey H. Basch, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan, Joseph Fera, Christie Jaime

Publications

BACKGROUND: Social media platforms that are based on the creation of visual media, such as TikTok, are increasingly popular with adolescents. Online social media networks provide valuable opportunities to connect with each other to share experiences and strategies for health and wellness. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the content of the hashtag #mentalhealth on TikTok. METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive content analysis study included 100 videos with the hashtag #mentalhealth on TikTok. All videos that included the hashtag #mentalhealth were analyzed and coded for the presence of content categories. Additionally, the comments to each video were viewed …

Mesosphere And Lower Thermosphere Changes Associated With The 2 July 2019 Total Eclipse In South America Over The Andes Lidar Observatory, Cerro Pachon, Chile, A. Liu, F. Vargas, G. Swenson, C. Segura, P. Vega, J. Fuentes, D. Pautet, M. Taylor, Y. Zhao, Y. Morton, H. Bourne

Publications

This article presents the results of a week of observations around the 2 July 2019, total Chilean eclipse. The eclipse occurred between 19:22 and 21:46 UTC, with complete sun disc obscuration at 20:38–20:40 UTC (16:38–16:40 LT) over the Andes Lidar Observatory (ALO) at (30.3°S, 70.7°W). Observations were carried out using ALO instrumentation with the goal to observe possible eclipse-induced effects on the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region (MLT; 75–105 km altitude). To complement our data set, we have also utilized TIMED/SABER temperatures and ionosonde electron density measurements taken at the University of La Serena's Juan Soldado Observatory. Observed events include …

Student Understanding Of Kinematics: A Qualitative Assessment, Andrew Cashman, Tom O'Mahony

Publications

In engineering, kinematics is widely regarded as a fundamental topic with the literature agreeing that students possess a wide range in understanding of the topic. This study aims to take a second-order approach by understanding and exploring the qualitatively different ways in which students approach solving kinematics problems. Phenomenography was used to collect data through ten semi-structured interviews with early-stage mechanical engineering students. Following data analysis, four distinct categories of students’ approaches were identified; unstructured, framing the problem, strategic, and conceptual. It was found that these categories could be arranged in a hierarchy and were also supported by secondary epistemic …

Insights From The Field: Project Execution Success And Failure, Tracey M. Richardson, James W. Marion Jr, Vittal S. Anantatmula, James R. Gibson

Publications

Project execution plays a decisive role in project success, but past research did not focus on the project manager’s perspective of what needs to be accomplished to achieve success. In this study, the authors used qualitative techniques to look for reoccurring themes related to 44project managers’ responses to interview questions associated with successful project execution and failed project execution. The study found that despite the project management profession growth, professional associations’ efforts, and their professional development endeavors, project management execution seems to be concerned with what has happened versus what is happening in a project. This study provides a conceptual …

Gender Employment Discrimination In Intercollegiate Sport: A Review Case Law, Joseph Sabin, Andrew L. Goldsmith, Caroline G. Fletcher, Sarah Stokowski

Publications

No abstract provided.

Discovering New Connections: Insights From Individual And Collective Reflexivity In A Mixed Methods Study, Ebru Cayir, Tisha M. Felder Phd, Msw, Chigozie A. Nkwonta, Joynelle R. Jackson Edd, Msn, Rnc-Mnn, Robin Dawson Phd, Rn, Cpnp-Pc

Publications

Through intentionally engaging in reflexivity, researchers can be transparent about potential areas of social inquiry and analysis that might be subject to a priori assumptions, personal biases, and interpretations that are not rooted in the data. In the context of conducting research with others, reflexivity also includes a collective dimension in which each researcher’s positionality interacts with the others and shapes research outcomes. Fostering collective reflexivity within interdisciplinary teams enables the researchers to process conflicting perspectives, allow creative and innovative approaches to emerge, and develop a shared vision of the research concepts, methods, and outcomes. Despite its acknowledged value, the …

A Monte Carlo Method For Evaluating Empirical Gyrochronology Models And Its Application To Wide Binary Benchmarks, Tomomi Otani, Ted Von Hippel, Derek Buzasi, Terry Oswalt, Alexander Stone-Martinez, Patrice Majewski

Publications

No abstract provided.

Conducting Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Research During A Pandemic: Challenges And Lessons Learned, Marliese Dion Nist, Sharon G. Casavant, Robin B. Dail Phd, Rn, Faan, Kayla C. Everhart Phd, Rn, Stephanie Sealschott, Xiaomei S. Cong

Publications

Background The coronavirus pandemic disrupted normal clinical operations and research. Nurse scientists conducting research studies in the neonatal intensive care unit experienced significant challenges to continuing their research studies amid national lockdowns and hospital visitation restrictions. Objectives The purpose of this article is to describe the challenges encountered by nurse scientists conducting research studies in the neonatal intensive care unit during the pandemic, the creative solutions devised to overcome these barriers, and the lessons learned during this unprecedented time. Methods Using our pandemic area studies as exemplars, we highlight the barriers encountered in continuing our research in the intense environment …

Numeric Forced Rank: A Lightweight Method For Comparison And Decision-Making, Erin Gannon, Barbara Chaparro

Publications

Comparing products, features, brands, or ideas relative to one another is a common goal in user experience (UX) and market research. While Likert-type scales and ordinal stack ranks are often employed as prioritization methods, they are subject to several psychometric shortcomings. We introduce the numeric forced rank, a lightweight approach that overcomes some of the limitations of standard methods and allows researchers to collect absolute ratings, relative preferences, and subjective comments using a single scale. The approach is optimal for UX and market research, but is also easily employed as a structured decision-making exercise outside of consumer research. We describe …

Home-Grown School Feeding: Implementation Lessons From A Pilot In A Poor Ethnic Minority Community In Vietnam, Sabina Di Prima, Dai Nguyen Dinh, Demi D. Reurings, E Pamela Wright Phd, Ms, Med, Rn, Cen, Dirk Essink, Jacqueline E. Broerse

Publications

BACKGROUND:

Undernutrition threatens the health and future of preschool children in disadvantaged remote communities. Home-grown school feeding (HGSF) in nursery schools could positively impact children's nutrition while creating multiple benefits for the whole community. However, evidence is lacking on implementation of HGSF within multi-sectoral programs in remote areas.

OBJECTIVE:

This study assessed an HGSF pilot intervention, part of a nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) program, in a mountain ethnic minority community in Vietnam. It aimed to identify the changes brought about by the intervention, in particular diversity of children's food, food sources, barriers and facilitators to change, and future challenges and strategies. …

Challenges In Kinetic-Kinematic Driven Musculoskeletal Subject-Specific Infant Modeling, Yeram Lim, Victor Huayamave, Tamara Chambers, Christine Walck, Safeer Siddicky, Erin Mannen

Publications

Musculoskeletal computational models provide a non-invasive approach to investigate human movement biomechanics. These models could be particularly useful for pediatric applications where in vivo and in vitro biomechanical parameters are difficult or impossible to examine using physical experiments alone. The objective was to develop a novel musculoskeletal subject-specific infant model to investigate hip joint biomechanics during cyclic leg movements. Experimental motion-capture marker data of a supine-lying 2-month-old infant were placed on a generic GAIT 2392 OpenSim model. After scaling the model using body segment anthropometric measurements and joint center locations, inverse kinematics and dynamics were used to estimate hip ranges …

‘The Chronicle Of Nightmares’: Emergency Nurses’ Frontstage And Backstage Communication In The Emergency Department, Sydney O'Shay

Publications

Effective emergency nurse-patient (EN) communication and ENs’ communication with other healthcare workers have implications for patient outcomes. Effective EN-patient communication informs and empowers patients. This study sought to better understand ENs frontstage and backstage interactions in a metropolitan emergency department (ED). The researcher engaged in participant observation of 15 different ENs’ healthcare interactions with patients and other healthcare workers in the ED for a total of 47 hours and 30 minutes. Iterative analysis of field notes builds reveal two key observations. First, frontstage and backstage spaces are fluid in nature, where healthcare workers simultaneously engage in backstage and frontstage communication …

Innocent Until Proven Guilty: Suspicion Of Deception In Online Reviews, Maria Petrescu, Philip Kitchen, Costinel Dobre, Selima Ben Mrad, Anca Milovan-Ciuta, Deborah Goldring, Anne Fiedler

Publications

- Purpose: This study formulates a new framework for identifying deception in consumer reviews through the lens of Interpersonal Deception Theory and the Persuasion Knowledge Model. It evaluates variables contributing to consumer intentions to purchase after reading deceptive reviews and proposes deception identification cues to be incorporated into the interpersonal communication theoretical framework.

- Methodology: The first study is qualitative and quantitative, based on sentiment and lexical analysis of 1000 consumer reviews. The second study employs a USA national consumer survey with a PLS-SEM and a Process-based mediation-moderation analysis.

- Findings: The study shows deceptive characteristics that cannot be dissimulated …

Retention Of Qualified Cybersecurity Professionals: A Qualitative Study, Andrew Ishmael, Leila Halawi

Publications

The current endeavors to retain cybersecurity professionals are not enough to sustain the needs of the U.S. workforce. The researchers aim to explore retention strategies for qualified cybersecurity professionals supporting U.S. government contracts at a leading global security company. The researchers interviewed a sample of qualified cybersecurity professionals supporting U.S. government contracts to get essential information on retention in the cybersecurity profession. The researchers proposed four distinct pillars to make up the strategic framework for retaining qualified cybersecurity professionals.

Google Translate And Biliterate Composing: Second-Graders' Use Of Digital Translation Tools To Support Bilingual Writing, Lindsey Rowe

Publications

Research is needed exploring how teachers and students in English-medium schools transform classrooms to welcome and value bilingualism and biliteracy. This article draws on social literacies and placed resources perspectives to explore how one classroom of second-grade students used Google Translate as a tool to support their biliterate composing. Constant comparative analyses revealed three patterns related to students' use of this tool. Students used Google Translate to support their inclusion of bilingual text and to interact with peers. They also negotiated limitations around the use of Google Translate. Examples of each pattern are used to illustrate how students interactionally engaged …

Improving White Dwarfs As Chronometers With Gaia Parallaxes And Spectroscopic Metallicities, Adam Moss, Ted Von Hippel, Elliot Robinson, Kareem El-Badry, David C. Stenning, David Van Dyk, Morgan Fouesneau, Coryn A.L. Bailer-Jones, Elizabeth Jeffery, Jimmy Sargent, Isabelle Kloc, Natalie Moticska

Publications

White dwarfs (WDs) offer unrealized potential in solving two problems in astrophysics: stellar age accuracy and precision. WD cooling ages can be inferred from surface temperatures and radii, which can be constrained with precision by high-quality photometry and parallaxes. Accurate and precise Gaia parallaxes along with photometric surveys provide information to derive cooling and total ages for vast numbers of WDs. Here we analyze 1372 WDs found in wide binaries with main-sequence (MS) companions and report on the cooling and total age precision attainable in these WD+MS systems. The total age of a WD can be further constrained if its …

Association Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration With Prior Hyperthyroidism And Hypothyroidism: A Case-Control Study, Shih-Han Hung, Sudha Xirasagar Mbbs., Ph.D., Tung-Mei Tammy Kuang, Wei-Wen Chang, Yen-Fu Cheng, Nai-Wen Kuo, Herng-Ching Lin

Publications

Prior studies suggest a possible association between thyroid disease and the subsequent development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), although it remains inconclusive. This study aimed to evaluate the association of AMD with prior hyper-/hypothyroidism based on nationwide population-based data. We retrieved records of the study patients from the National Health Insurance Research Database, 7522 patients with a first-time diagnosis of AMD and 7522 propensity score-matched controls. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the association of neovascular AMD with previously diagnosed hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. The Chi-square test shows that there was a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of …

Using Small Uas For Stem Education: Introducing Robotics And Mechatronics With Drones, Christian Janke, Kimberly Luthi, Stefan Kleinke, Yuetong Lin

Publications

Several global developments point to importance of STEM-related education and studies. Every industry sector faces challenges in the recruiting of qualified personnel, due to retiring employees and general economic growth. Also, several domains, foremost automotive and aviation are undergoing a tremendous shift towards electrification to achieve sustainability. Hence, sparking the interest in STEM studies, education and vocational training cannot start early enough. This paper introduces the benefits of the educational use of sUAS by identifying core benefits in the three domains of learning – cognitive, affective, psycho-motor. Preliminary data and survey results from from several science, technology, engineering and math …

Service-Learning In Undergraduate General Chemistry: A Review, Emily Faulconer, C. J. Y. Kam

Publications

Background: Service-learning is gaining recognition as a valuable pedagogy for students to gain both academic and psychosocial benefits. This high-impact practice allows students to achieve course learning objectives while contributing to their community's needs. A review from 2007 revealed a lack of research focused on the topic in the prior decade, despite the interest that was shown by the American Chemical Society in 2000. Purpose: This review of recent case studies on the topic provides future researchers and practitioners with an understanding of the current state of service-learning in undergraduate chemistry courses. Methodology/Approach: To create a representative sample of recent …

Using Cliftonstrengthstm For Professional Development: Recommendations For Practice, Nancy A. Watkins, Cynthia Gautreau, Daryl V. Watkins

Publications

This article explores how a culture of strengths-based leadership can positively impact professional development for school site administrators. The strengths of school district administrators were measured through the administration of CliftonStrengths™ assessment. Themes that emerged were determined through the assessment and qualitative analysis of responses. A sample of convenience 50 principals and assistant principals from a public school district in Southern California participated in this research. The findings revealed that the common talent themes among school site administrators were relationship building, executing, influencer, and learner. This study supports future practices to enable human resources personnel to design targeted professional development …

Prisma 2020 And Prisma-S: Common Questions On Tracking Records And The Flow Diagram., Melissa L Rethlefsen, Matthew J Page

Publications

The PRISMA 2020 and PRISMA-S guidelines help systematic review teams report their reviews clearly, transparently, and with sufficient detail to enable reproducibility. PRISMA 2020, an updated version of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement, is complemented by PRISMA-S, an extension to PRISMA focusing on reporting the search components of systematic reviews. Several significant changes were implemented in PRISMA 2020 and PRISMA-S when compared with the original version of PRISMA in 2009, including the recommendation to report search strategies for

Genome-Wide Identification, Expression Pattern And Sequence Variation Analysis Of Snrk Family Genes In Barley, Jiangyan Xiong, Danyi Chen, Tingting Su, Qiufang Shen, Dezhi Wu, Guoping Zhang

Publications

Sucrose non-fermenting 1 (SNF1)-related protein kinase (SnRK) is a large family of protein kinases that play a significant role in plant stress responses. Although intensive studies have been conducted on SnRK members in some crops, little is known about the SnRK in barley. Using phylogenetic and conserved motif analyses, we discovered 46 SnRK members scattered across barley's 7 chromosomes and classified them into 3 sub-families. The gene structures of HvSnRKs showed the divergence among three subfamilies. Gene duplication and synteny analyses on the genomes of barley and rice revealed the evolutionary features of HvSnRKs. The promoter regions of HvSnRK family …

Remote Vascular Interventional Surgery Robotics: A Literature Review, Yang Zhao, Ziyang Mei, Xiaoxiao Luo, Jingsong Mao, Qingliang Zhao, Gang Liu, Dezhi Wu

Publications

Vascular interventional doctors are exposed to radiation hazards during surgery and endure high work intensity. Remote vascular interventional surgery robotics is a hot research field, in which researchers aim to not only protect the health of interventional doctors, but to also improve surgical accuracy and efficiency. However, the current vascular interventional robots have numerous shortcomings, such as poor haptic feedback, few compatible surgeries and instruments, and cumbersome maintenance and operational procedures. Nevertheless, vascular interventional surgery combined with robotics provides more cutting-edge directions, such as Internet remote surgery combined with 5G network technology and the application of artificial intelligence in surgical …

Vulnerable Vegetables And Efficient Fishers: A Study Of Primary Production Food Losses And Waste In Ireland, Tracey O'Connor, Rosanna Kleeman, Jennifer Attard

Publications

From 2022, the European Union Waste Framework Directive (WFD) requires member states to report annual food waste from each food supply chain stage. Comprehensive food losses and waste (FLW) data can be challenging to obtain for the primary production stage, i.e., farming and fishing. However, this information is vital in developing FLW mitigation actions appropriate to each country. This study describes the nature and extent of FLW from primary production in Ireland, using methods approved for WFD reporting. Causes of FLW and FLW as a proportion of total production were determined through interviews with Irish primary production stakeholders and using …

The Effect Of Pre-Thermal And -Load Conditions On In-718 High Temperature Fatigue Life, Paulina De La Torre, Alberto Mello

Publications

Ni-based superalloys are largely used in the aerospace industry as critical components for turbine engines due to their excellent mechanical properties and fatigue resistance at high temperatures. A hypothesis to explain this atypical characteristic among metals is the presence of a cross-slip mechanism. Previous work on the role of thermal activation on cubic slip has shown strain accommodation in two sets of slip planes, which resembled the activation of {100} cubic slip systems along of the octahedral slip planes {111} in Ni-based superalloys under high strain and temperature, exhibiting a more homogeneous strain distribution and less strain localization. Following those …

Cross-Omics Analysis Of Fenugreek Supplementation Reveals Beneficial Effects Are Caused By Gut Microbiome Changes Not Mammalian Host Physiology, Katarina A. Jones, Allison J. Richard, J Michael Salbaum, Susan Newman Phd, Rn, Crrn, Faan, Richard Carmouche, Sara Webb, Annadora J. Bruce-Keller, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Shawn R. Campagna

Publications

Herbal remedies are increasing in popularity as treatments for metabolic conditions such as obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. One potential therapeutic option is fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenum-graecum), which have been used for treating high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. A proposed mechanism for these benefits is through alterations in the microbiome, which impact mammalian host metabolic function. This study used untargeted metabolomics to investigate the fenugreek-induced alterations in the intestinal, liver, and serum profiles of mice fed either a 60% high-fat or low-fat control diet each with or without fenugreek supplementation (2% w/w) for 14 weeks. Metagenomic analyses of intestinal …

Cross-Omics Analysis Of Fenugreek Supplementation Reveals Beneficial Effects Are Caused By Gut Microbiome Changes Not Mammalian Host Physiology, Katarina A. Jones, Allison J. Richard, J Michael Salbaum, Susan Newman Phd, Rn, Crrn, Faan, Richard Carmouche, Sara Webb, Annadora J. Bruce-Keller, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Shawn R. Campagna

Publications

Herbal remedies are increasing in popularity as treatments for metabolic conditions such as obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. One potential therapeutic option is fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenum-graecum), which have been used for treating high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. A proposed mechanism for these benefits is through alterations in the microbiome, which impact mammalian host metabolic function. This study used untargeted metabolomics to investigate the fenugreek-induced alterations in the intestinal, liver, and serum profiles of mice fed either a 60% high-fat or low-fat control diet each with or without fenugreek supplementation (2% w/w) for 14 weeks. Metagenomic analyses of intestinal …

Using Machine Learning In Estimating Changing Bed Shear Over A Flume Test Box, Ghada S. Ellithy, Siddharth S. Parida

Publications

A dam or levee breach caused by overflow erosion is difficult to evaluate during an overtopping event due to difficulty in accessibility and quickly changing conditions. However, for assessment of risk associated with breach time and ensuing downstream consequences, the erosion rate of embankment soils during this process needs to be evaluated. Soil erosion and water depth measurements were taken during flume tests using a Shallow Water Lidar (SWL) system scans. The tests were conducted in a 1-m-wide tilting flume on three cleans and gravel soil mixes with a median grain size D50of 2, 5,and 20 mm. The box measured …

The Development And Validation Of A Universal Enjoyment Measure: The Enjoy Scale, Joseph Keebler, Tianxin Zhang, Barbara Chaparro, Christina M. Frederick, Shayn S. Davidson, James Szalma

Publications

For decades, the concept of enjoyment has been used to measure the psychological benefits of activities and has been shown to determine future behavior toward activities and objects of interest. However, there has been little consensus on the definition and dimensionality of enjoyment. This study introduced a new measure of enjoyment with scale development and validation reported. CFA and EFA findings from 1466 participants across 739 different activities were reported. The instrument developed measured enjoyment across activities, with demonstrated content validity, internal consistency, discriminant and convergent validity. The final 25-item version of the ENJOY scale is composed of 5 factors: …