Digital Commons Network^™

Introduction To Analytics, Information Systems And Decision Technologies For Sustainability Minitrack, Omar F. El-Gayar, Arno Scharl, Pingsun Leung

Research & Publications

No abstract provided.

Discovering Design Principles For Persuasive Systems: A Grounded Theory And Text Mining Approach, Mohammad Al-Ramahi, Omar F. El-Gayar, Jun Liu

Research & Publications

Persuasive systems aim to change users' behavior and lifestyle. These systems have been gaining popularity with the proliferation of wearable devices and recent advances in information technology. In that regard, recent research aims at identifying system design principles that are specific to persuasive systems. In this article we extend the existing literature by discovering design principles for persuasive systems from a systematic analysis of users feedback from the actual use of persuasive systems. Specifically, we use grounded theory and text mining (topic modeling) to extract design concepts from online user reviews of mobile diabetes applications. Overall, the results extend existing …

Using Semi-Supervised Learning For The Creation Of Medical Systematic Review: An Exploratory Analysis, Prem Timsina, Jun Liu, Omar F. El-Gayar, Yanyan Shang

Research & Publications

In this research, we explore semi-supervised learning based classifiers to identify articles that can be included when creating medical systematic reviews (SRs). Specifically, we perform comparative study of various semi-supervised learning algorithm, and identify the best technique that is suited for SRs creation. We also aim to identify whether semisupervised learning technique with few labeled samples produce meaningful work saving for SRs creation. Through an empirical study, we demonstrate that semi-supervised classifiers are viable for selecting articles for systematic reviews and situations when only a few numbers of training samples are available.

Health Literacy: Exploring Health Knowledge Transfer In Online Healthcare Communities, Yanyan Shang, Jun Liu

Research & Publications

The knowledge-intensive nature of healthcare enables health literacy playing a key role on the quality of healthcare. This study aims at understanding the factors that affect the effectiveness of health knowledge transfer in online healthcare communities. The findings can be used as guidelines for the development and management of the online healthcare communities to improve user experience, and to provide a means to disseminate healthcare information, to enhance healthcare education, and to facilitate a wide range of interactions between patients and healthcare delivery system.

Assessment Of The Environmental And Genetic Factors Influencing Prevalence Of Metabolic Syndrome In Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim M. Gosadi

Saudi Medical Journal

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a combination of factors that increases the risk of cardiovascular atherosclerotic diseases including diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure. Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death in the adult Saudi population where the increase in cardiovascular-related mortality is augmented by the rise in the prevalence of MS. Metabolic syndrome is a multi-factorial disorder influenced by interactions between genetic and environmental components. This review aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of studied environmental and genetic factors explaining the prevalence of MS in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, this review aims to illustrate …

Kleine-Levin Syndrome: Familial Cases And Comparison With Sporadic Cases

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To highlight the occurrence of familial cases and addresses, whether familial Kleine-Levine syndrome (KLS) presents the same spectrum of disease, as that seen in sporadic KLS. Methods: Between September and December 2014, reports of familial cases of KLS were identified by searching the Library of Congress, PubMed, and Web of Science databases restricted to the English language, with no restriction on date of publication. All cases were reviewed to identify familial cases consistent with current diagnostic criteria for sporadic KLS. Results: Six reviews and 11 case reports describing cases of familial KLS were identified. In 17 of the 29 …

Correlation Between Hormone Receptor Status And Age, And Its Prognostic Implications In Breast Cancer Patients In Bahrain, Aysha S. Alzaman, Saad A. Mughal, Yahya S. Alzaman, Entisar S. Alzaman

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To assess the correlation between hormone receptor status (HRS) and age, and its significance as a predictor of outcome in patients with breast cancer (BC). Methods: This retrospective review was conducted on 109 patients diagnosed with BC at Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain from 2010-2013. Patients were divided into 2 age groups; under and over 40 years, and were analyzed for tumor histology, lymph node status, stage, and HRS. Results: Younger patients with BC were more likely to be of higher stage, grade, and of larger size. Older women were more likely to be estrogen receptor (ER) positive (72.6% …

Association Of Doripenem Resistance With Oxa-Type Carbapenemases In Acinetobacter Baumannii Isolates, Huseyin-Agah Terzi, Ali-Rıza Atasoy, Sadiye-Berna Aykan, Engin Karakece, Gulsah Asık, Ihsan-Hakkı Ciftci

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To evaluate the in vitro activity of doripenem in Acinetobacter baumannii ( A. baumannii ) clinical isolates that possess different OXA-type carbapenemases, and to evaluate the roles of these enzymes in the development of carbapenem resistance. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted with 25 A. baumannii isolates at Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital, Sakarya, Turkey from June to October 2014. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out using the Vitek-2 automated system (bioMérieux, Marcy l’Etoile, France). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined using Etest strips (bioMérieux, Marcy l’Etoile, France). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed in a Fluorion Instrument …

Prevalence Of Intimate Partner Violence And Its Associated Risk Factors Among Saudi Female Patients Attending The Primary Healthcare Centers In Western Saudi Arabia, Turki A. Alzahrani, Bahaa A. Abaalkhail, Iman K. Ramadan

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) among female patients, age 18-60 years, attending primary health care centers (PHCCs) and to measure its determinants, and reporting behavior. Methods: A cross-sectional study design using validated, translated, and self-administered questionnaire among 497 Saudi female patients attending PHCCs in Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from January to February 2015 was employed. A 2-stage probability sampling was adopted for selection of PHCCs in the first stage, and then participants in the second stage. Results: The estimated prevalence of IPV during the last year was 11.9%. Predictors of IPV related to …

Evaluation Of Health Care Services Provided For Older Adults In Primary Health Care Centers And Its Internal Environments, Hakan Yaman

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

The Association Between The Cc Chemokine Ligand 5-28>G And Tuberculosis Susceptibility, Marwan Hmoud Adwan

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Who Checklist Targets Major Causes Of Maternal And Newborn Deaths In Health Facilities

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Marcellus Shale Development On Hotel Revenues In Pennsylvania, Daniel J. Mount, Timothy W. Kelsey, Kathryn J. Brasier

ICHRIE Research Reports

New technologies have allowed for new drilling in oil and gas deposits throughout the world. In the Northeast United States, the Marcellus Shale formation has been one of the most active regions for new wells. This new drilling activity has created a visible economic impact to communities in and around the drilling sites. The increase in hotel activity metrics such as occupancy percentage and average daily rate has been noted but there has been no research that determines the total revenue impact of the drilling activity. This research does not attempt to factor in the social and environmental costs that …

University Lodging Demand: An Analysis Of Its Stability And Guidance For Estimating Its Growth Potential At The Market Level, John O'Neill

ICHRIE Research Reports

This translational research study analyzes university-related lodging demand over a 24-year period through 2013. In so doing, this research project focuses on 27 university towns in an attempt to best isolate the dynamics of lodging supply and demand related to universities. Also, the study compares the supply and demand in university towns to U.S. averages and to similarly-sized cities that are not dominated by a university. This study finds that lodging demand in university towns is more stable than both U.S. averages and to similarly-sized small cities. This study also evaluates factors that hotel developers and analysts should consider when …

Extreme Minimum Wages: Effects On The U.S. Hotel Industry, John O'Neill, Sean P. Mcginley

ICHRIE Research Reports

The subject report analyzes literature regarding minimum wages to explore the potential effects of what could be described as extreme increases in the minimum wage on the American hotel industry. The current presidential administration as well as several large municipalities are actively seeking, or recently passed laws that increase the minimum wage by an extreme amount. The subject report quantifies the forecasted effect on the U.S. hotel industry. The study concludes that the hotel industry in the U.S. would have a negative economic impact estimated at $2.53 billion if the current national minimum wage proposal is approved.Min

Motivation, Place Attachment, And Loyalty In A Country Club, Jim Butler, Jo Jung Lee

ICHRIE Research Reports

Introduction

Club members are the lifeblood of the private country club business. However, country club research is understudied because of the private nature of the business and lack of recognition of studying members’ behaviors in the club. The research investigated the relationship between motivation of joining factors of members in a private country club, place attachment of members to the club, and membership loyalty to the country club. The study also examined the effects of demographic factors in motivation, forming place attachment, and loyalty to the club.

Relevance and Significance of the topic

Private country clubs, an important part of …

Where Is It Going? An Overview Of Technology Decision Makers’ Perceptions In The U.S. Lodging Industry, Mehmet Erdem

ICHRIE Research Reports

This study has attempted to examine and document perceptions and opinions of hotel executives about issues and trends in information technology. Respondents have a wide variety of titles including CEOs, owners, and general managers of numerous different properties in lodging industry. The results of this study provide empirical evidence to substantiate current technology issues and trends within the lodging context. The results shows that hotel executives have recognized the importance of connectivity between hotel guests and hotel technologies. Findings in this study offers an opportunity to examine the status quo of technology’s influence on the U.S. lodging industry. It is …

Skill Mastery And The Formation Of Graduate Identity In Bachelor Graduates: Evidence From Australia, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Mastery of certain generic skills and the successful formation of pre-professional identity are widely considered to influence graduate work-readiness and job attainment. Given their links with enhanced productivity, performance and innovation, skill development and graduate identity appear critical amidst ongoing global stagnation in advanced economies. This paper focuses on the success of higher education in developing generic skills and graduate identity using national data (n = 80,891) for 51 providers. It investigates the influence of certain demographics, study and degree characteristics on these important areas of undergraduate curricula. Furthermore, it gauges recent graduate perceptions on the importance of skill development …

Northern Utah Organic Peach Orchard Costs And Returns, 20 Acres, 2015, Trevor Knudsen, Kyna Curtis, Jennifer Reeve, Brent Black

All Current Publications

This publication contains average costs and returns for establishing and maintaining a 20-acre organic peach orchard in Northern Utah. Unless otherwise indicated, information in this publication is based upon grower surveys and pricing data collected in 2014. The establishment and operating costs are meant to be “representative” of a Utah organic peach orchard, but should be adjusted where necessary to reflect individual situations. Site selection, peach variety, pest management and other practices will also affect the establishment and operating costs of an orchard and should be considered by the producer.

Perinatal Nurses: Key To Increasing African American Breast-Feeding Rates, Karen Marie Robinson

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Breast milk is the ideal source of nutrition for infants for at least the first 6 months of life. Despite women in the United States reaching national objectives for breast-feeding initiation (75%), racial disparities persist. According to the most recent data, 83% of white mothers initiated breast-feeding whereas only 66% African American mothers did so. Breast-feeding initiation may be amenable to perinatal nursing intervention. Breast-feeding may be a practice that helps bridge the racial divide in perinatal outcomes among African American families. Nurses have an essential role in embracing breast-feeding promotion and support to patients who are least likely to …

The Lawyer's Guide To Writing Well (Third Edition) (2016), Tom Goldstein, Jethro K. Lieberman

Books

In this critically acclaimed book, Tom Goldstein and Jethro K. Lieberman demystify legal writing, outline the causes and consequences of poor writing, and prescribe easy-to-apply remedies to improve it. Reflecting changes in law practice over the past decade, this revised edition includes new sections around communicating digitally, getting to the point, and writing persuasively. It also provides an editing checklist, editing exercises with a suggested revision key, usage notes that address common errors, and reference works to further aid your writing. This straightforward guide is an invaluable tool for practicing lawyers and law students.

Gendered Law In American History (2016), Richard Chused, Wendy Williams

Books

Gendered Law in American History is a remarkable compendium of over thirty years of research and teaching in the field. It explores an array of social, cultural, and legal arenas from the turn of the nineteenth to the middle of the twentieth centuries, including concepts of citizenship at the founding of the republic, the development of married women’s property laws, divorce, child custody, temperance, suffrage, domestic and racial violence before and after the Civil War, protective labor legislation, and the use of legal history testimony in legal disputes. It is both an invaluable reference tool and an important new teaching …

Special Education Law And Practice: Cases And Materials (2016), Deborah N. Archer, Richard D. Marsico

Books

Special Education Law and Practice is an experientially-focused casebook that also serves as a reference for attorneys who practice special education law and anyone interested in learning about the special education process. The casebook covers substantive special education rights, racial disparities in special education, discipline, procedural protections, federal court litigation, remedies, and attorneys' fees. Each chapter begins with a problem, rich in facts and law, that places the student in the position of an attorney trying to resolve a problem for a client using that chapter's materials. Comprehensive notes expand the areas covered by featured cases.

Private Land Use Arrangements: Easements, Real Covenants And Equitable Servitudes - Third Edition (2016), Gerald Korngold

Books

Table of Contents Only

Private Land Use Arrangements: Easements, Real Covenants, and Equitable Servitudes - Third Edition is the most comprehensive and integrated treatment available on the interrelated areas of easements, covenant and servitudes. The book provide answers to both practical and theoretical issues, and is an essential resource for lawyers and others working in this field. This third edition follows the successful previous editions of the book which were hailed by practitioners and academics. Earlier editions were cited as an authority in numerous federal and state court decisions as well as over 25 times in the American Law Institute's …

The U.S.-Taiwan-China Relationship In International Law And Policy (2016), Lung-Chu Chen

Books

For a country of its size, Taiwan has a tremendous influence on world affairs and U.S. policy. The U.S.-Taiwan-China Relationship in International Law and Policy describes the central issues animating the dynamic U.S.-Taiwan-China relationship and the salient international and domestic legal issues shaping U.S. policy in the Asia Pacific region. In this book, Lung-chu Chen gives particular attention to Taiwan's status under international law, and the role of the U.S. Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) in the formulation and execution of U.S. policy toward Taiwan. This book endorses the central purpose of the Taiwan Relations Act--achieving a peaceful resolution to the …

Sexuality, Disability, And The Law: Beyond The Last Frontier? (2016), Michael L. Perlin, Alison Lynch

Books

Sexuality, Disability, and the Law approaches issues of sexual autonomy and disability from multiple perspectives, including constitutional law, international human rights, therapeutic jurisprudence, history, cognitive psychology, dignity studies, and theories and findings on gender constructs and societal norms. Perlin and Lynch determine that if our society continues to assert that persons with mental disabilities possess a primitive morality, we allow ourselves to censor their feelings and their actions. By denying their ability and desires to show love and affection, we justify this disparate treatment. Our reliance on stereotypes has warped our attitudes and our policies, and has allowed us to …

Utah Air Quality: Pm 2.5, Randy Martin, Roger Coulombe, Roslynn Brain

All Current Publications

Particulate matter two-point-five (PM_2.5) is a tiny suspended particle of air pollution that can penetrate deeply into our lungs and potentially enter the bloodstream. The 2.5 unit means that the particles are smaller than 2.5 micrometers (a micrometer is one millionth of a meter). In Cache Valley and along the Wasatch Front, these tiny particles form and accumulate to unhealthy levels when air is trapped in the bottom of the valley during cold winter days.

Benefits Of Exercise On Mind Function, Cindy Nelson, Shannon Cromwell

All Current Publications

Regular physical activity is one of the best ways to improve overall health. This fact sheet discusses exercise and the brain, exercise and cognition, exercise and stress, and effective strategies for boosting physical and mental health.

Tree/Sidewalk Conflicts: One Way To Save Trees, Megan Dettenmaier, Michael R. Kuhns

All Current Publications

This factsheet describes a project undertaken by USU Forestry Extension and the City of Logan, Utah, to replace damaged sidewalks with flexible sidewalk panels made from 100% recycled plastic. These tiles allowed trees and most tree roots to remain intact. We explain the project methods, as well as the pros and cons of undertaking such a project. These materials and methods have the potential to change sidewalk and urban tree management practices.

Vegetables, Fruits & Herbs Book, Utah State University

All Current Publications

This book is a compilation of 58 researched-based fact sheets written and compiled by Utah State University faculty and students. For more gardening resources provided by USU Extension please visit our gardening website at garden.usu.edu.