Digital Commons Network^™

Cloud Computing Technology: Leveraging The Power Of The Internet To Improve Business Performance, Mohsen Attaran

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

In recent years, Cloud Computing Technology (CCT) has emerged as a meaningful technology that could contribute to operational efficiency of an IT platform by providing infrastructure and software solutions for the whole IT needs of an enterprise via Internet. The cloud has revolutionized IT infrastructure. It is predicted that 2017 will mark the rapid proliferation of enterprises transitioning to the cloud-based computing technology. The utilization of this innovative technology makes collaboration easier among companies and has the potential to create financial and operational benefits. This study discusses potential strategic benefits of this technology, highlights its evolving technologies and trends and …

Blockchain Technology Adoption Status And Strategies, Joseph M. Woodside, Fred K. Augustine Jr., Will Giberson

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the acceptance and future use of blockchain technology. Given the rapid technological changes, this paper focuses on a managerial overview and framework of how the blockchain, including its implementations such as Bitcoin have advanced and how blockchain can be utilized in large-scale, enterprise environments. The paper begins with a technological overview that covers the history of the technology, as well as describing the computational, cryptographic theory that serves as the basis for its notable security features. This paper also covers several key application areas such as finance, accounting, and marketplaces where …

Professional And Personal Social Networking And Enhancement Of Social Capital In Young Adults, Maria Malu H. Roldan, Janejira Sutanonpaiboon, Richard Burkhard

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL SOCIAL NETWORKING AND ENHANCEMENT OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN YOUNG ADULTS

ABSTRACT

This study compares the use of personal and professional social networking sites by young adults for social capital enhancing activities. The research is based on a survey of college-age adults (n=292) who were asked about their use of two social networking sites of contrasting architectures: the more interactive, social/personal\-oriented site Facebook, and the relatively less interactive, professional/business-oriented site LinkedIn. Data were analyzed to determine the relationships among demographic and technology experience factors, and respondents’ use of these sites for social capital enhancing activities. Findings suggest that …

Differentiating Sexual Offender Type On Measures Of Impulsivity And Compulsivity, Tara J. Ryan, Matthew T. Huss, Mario Scalora

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

It is suspected that rapists, child molesters, and offenders with both child and adult victims (mixed offenders) may have different motivations and offending patterns—that they are heterogeneous. A central difference between these groups of offenders may be their propensity toward sexually impulsive behaviors and compulsive behavior. Analyses were conducted to assess the mean differences between the various offender types across four measures related to sensation seeking and compulsivity as well as several other proxy behavioral measures. Results suggest that there are differences in sexual impulsive and compulsive behavior among the different types of offenders. Treatment implications are discussed.

Palynological Investigation Of Mummified Human Remains, Karl Reinhard, Marina Milanello Do Amaral, Nicole Wall

Karl Reinhard Publications

Pollen analysis was applied to a mummified homicide victim in Nebraska, U.S.A., to determine the location of death. A control sample showed the normal ambient pollen in the garage crime scene. Ambient windborne types, common in the air of the region, dominated the control. Internal samples were analyzed from the sacrum, intestine, and diaphragm. Microfossils were recovered from the rehydrated intestine lumen. The intestinal sample was dominated by Brassica (broccoli). The sacrum sample was high in dietary types but with a showing of ambient types. The pollen from the diaphragm was dominated by ambient pollen similar to the control samples. …

Self- Assessed Level Of Competence Of Experienced Expatriate Nurses In Rural And Remote Settings, Salah Aqtash, Walter Frederick Robb, Lyndal Heather Hunter, Majdi Almuhtasib, Abeer Hamad, Sharon Brownie

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

We aimed to measure the self-assessed level of competence among nurses working in the public hospitals of Al-Gharbia Region, a remote rural region of United Arab Emirates, and to explore the factors associated with the nurses’ self-perceived competency. The Nurse Competency Scale, which measures the self-assessed level of competency of nurses, has been validated in a variety of clinical settings, in facilities of various sizes, and in small and large cohorts. However, its application among an expatriate nursing workforce working in small hospitals and health facilities in remote and rural areas has not been examined. We used the Nurse Competency …

Native And Agricultural Forests At Risk To A Changing Climate In The Northern Plains, Linda A. Joyce, Gary Bentrup, Antony S. Cheng, Peter Kolb, Michele Schoeneberger, Justin Derner

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Native and agricultural forests in the Northern Plains provide ecosystem services that benefit human society—diversified agricultural systems, forest-based products, and rural vitality. The impacts of recent trends in temperature and disturbances are impairing the delivery of these services. Climate change projections identify future stressors of greater impact, placing at risk crops, soils, livestock, biodiversity, and agricultural and forest-based livelihoods. While these native and agricultural forests are also a viable option for providing mitigation and adaptation services to the Northern Plains, they themselves must be managed in terms of climate change risks. Because agricultural forests are planted systems, the primary approaches …

Are We Certain About Which Measure Of Intolerance Of Uncertainty To Use Yet?, Vincenzo G. Roma, Debra A. Hope

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) has been understood as a dispositional tendency to view the presence of negative events as unacceptable and threatening, regardless of the likelihood of those events occurring. The preference over the 12-item vs. 27-item of the IUS has been central to debate. The goals of the present study were to evaluate two competing models of measuring IU with model-fitting analyses and explore model invariance of gender (e.g., men vs. women). A sample of 980 individuals completed an online IUS survey. Results indicated that the two-factor short-form model provided better fit to the data compared to the full-length …

Multimorbidity: Constellations Of Conditions Across Subgroups Of Midlife And Older Individuals, And Related Medicare Expenditures, Siran M. Koroukian, Nicholas K. Schiltz, David F. Warner, Jiayang Sun, Kurt C. Strange, Charles W. Given, Avi Dor

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Introduction: The Department of Health and Human Services’ 2010 Strategic Framework on Multiple Chronic Conditions called for the identification of common constellations of conditions in older adults. Objectives: To analyze patterns of conditions constituting multimorbidity (CCMM) and expenditures in a US representative sample of midlife and older adults (50–64 and ≥65 years of age, respectively). Design: A cross-sectional study of the 2010 Health and Retirement Study (HRS; n=17,912). The following measures were used: (1) count and combinations of CCMM, including (i) chronic conditions (hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, lung disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and psychiatric conditions), (ii) functional limitations …

Within-Household Selection In Mail Surveys: Explicit Questions Are Better Than Cover Letter Instructions, Kristen Olson, Jolene Smyth

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Randomly selecting a single adult within a household is one of the biggest challenges facing mail surveys. Yet obtaining a probability sample of adults within households is critical to having a probability sample of the US adult population. In this paper, we experimentally test three alternative placements of the within-household selection instructions in the National Health, Wellbeing, and Perspectives study (sample n = 6,000; respondent n = 998): (1) a standard cover letter informing the household to ask the person with the next birthday to complete the survey (control); (2) the control cover letter plus an instruction on the front …

Nonprofit Pay In A Competitive Market: Wage Penalty Or Premium?, Christian King, Gregory B. Lewis

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Two competing theories argue that the nonprofit sector pays differently: Nonprofit employees may accept lower pay to be able to do meaningful work for a good cause, or they may earn higher pay due to nonprofit organizations’ tax exemptions and weaker incentives to hold down wages. To test these opposing expectations, we use the 2005-2013 American Community Surveys to examine pay differences among registered nurses working for nonprofit, for-profit, and public hospitals. We also test hypotheses that public and nonprofit hospitals have smaller pay disparities by gender, race, and relationship status. We find that pay is highest in nonprofit hospitals, …

Role Of Oxygen Free Radicals, Nitric Oxide And Mitochondria In Mediating Cardiac Alterations During Liver Cirrhosis Induced By Thioacetamide, G. Jayakumar Amirtharaj, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Anna Pulimood, K. A. Balasubramanian, Aparna Venkatraman, Anup Ramachandran

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Thioacetamide (TAA) administration is widely used for induction of liver cirrhosis in rats, where reactive oxygen radicals (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) participate in development of liver damage. Cardiac dysfunction is an important complication of liver cirrhosis, but the role of ROS or NO in cardiac abnormalities during liver cirrhosis is not well understood. This was investigated in animals after TAA-induced liver cirrhosis and temporal changes in oxidative stress, NO and mitochondrial function in the heart evaluated. TAA induced elevation in cardiac levels of nitrate before development of frank liver cirrhosis, without gross histological alterations. This was accompanied by an …

Flood Effects Provide Evidence Of An Alternate Stable State From Dam Management On The Upper Missouri River, K. Skalak, A. Benthem, C. Hupp, E. Schenk, J. Galloway, R. Nustad

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We examine how historic flooding in 2011 affected the geomorphic adjustments created by dam regulation along the approximately 120 km free flowing reach of the Upper Missouri River bounded upstream by the Garrison Dam (1953) and downstream by Lake Oahe Reservoir (1959) near the City of Bismarck, ND, USA. The largest flood since dam regulation occurred in 2011. Flood releases from the Garrison Dam began in May 2011 and lasted until October, peaking with a flow of more than 4200m³ s^-1. Channel cross-section data and aerial imagery before and after the flood were compared with historic rates …

Estimating Population Density For Disease Risk Assessment: The Importance Of Understanding The Area Of Influence Of Traps Using Wild Pigs As An Example, Amy J. Davis, Bruce Leland, Michael J. Bodenchuk, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Population density is a key driver of disease dynamics in wildlife populations. Accurate disease risk assessment and determination of management impacts on wildlife populations requires an ability to estimate population density alongside management actions. A common management technique for controlling wildlife populations to monitor and mitigate disease transmission risk is trapping (e.g., box traps, corral traps, drop nets). Although abundance can be estimated from trapping actions using a variety of analytical approaches, inference is limited by the spatial extent to which a trap attracts animals on the landscape. If the “area of influence” were known, abundance estimates could be converted …

Wetland Bird Abundance And Safety Implications For Military Aircraft Operations, Kent Andersson, Craig A. Davis, Bradley F. Blackwell, Jason R. Heinen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wetlands with associated avifauna can pose a substantial hazard to aviation safety, potentially increasing bird–aircraft collision (strike) risk when located near air operations areas.We modeled year-round use by wetland avifauna of Drummond Flats Wildlife Management Area (Drummond Flats), a wetland complex located within 10 km of Vance Air Force Base (AFB), Enid, Oklahoma, USA. Our objectives were to 1) quantify seasonal avifauna abundances at Drummond Flats; 2) test a priori models reflecting use by bird species recognized as hazardous to aviation safety relative to environmental factors including flooded wetland habitat and vegetation cover; 3) use these models to predict maximal …

Extending The Habitat Concept To The Airspace, Robert H. Diehl, Anna C. Peterson, Rachel T. Bolus, Douglas Johnson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Habitat is one of the most familiar and fundamental concepts in the fields of ecology, animal behavior, and wildlife conservation and management. Humans interact with habitats through their senses and experiences and education to such a degree that their perceptions of habitat have become second nature. For this reason, it may be difficult at first to accept the airspace as habitat, an area that is invisible, untouchable, highly dynamic, and its occupants difficult to see. Nonetheless, the habitat concept, by definition and in practice, applies readily to the airspace. Some ecological and behavioral processes including habitat selection, foraging, and reproduction …

Adaptation Of The Aesop’S Fable Paradigm For Use With Raccoons (Procyon Lotor): Considerations For Future Application In Non‑Avian And Non‑Primate Species, Lauren Stanton, Emily Davis, Shylo Johnson, Amy T. Gilbert, Sarah Benson-Amram

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

To gain a better understanding of the evolution of animal cognition, it is necessary to test and compare the cognitive abilities of a broad array of taxa. Meaningful interspecies comparisons are best achieved by employing universal paradigms that standardize testing among species. Many cognitive paradigms, however, have been tested in only a few taxa, mostly birds and primates. One such example, known as the Aesop’s Fable paradigm, is designed to assess causal understanding in animals using water displacement. To evaluate the universal effectiveness of the Aesop’s Fable paradigm, we applied this paradigm to a previously untested taxon, the raccoon ( …

Extending The Habitat Concept To The Airspace, Robert H. Diehl, Anna C. Peterson, Rachel T. Bolus, Douglas Johnson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Habitat is one of the most familiar and fundamental concepts in the fields of ecology, animal behavior, and wildlife conservation and management. Humans interact with habitats through their senses and experiences and education to such a degree that their perceptions of habitat have become second nature. For this reason, it may be difficult at first to accept the airspace as habitat, an area that is invisible, untouchable, highly dynamic, and its occupants difficult to see. Nonetheless, the habitat concept, by definition and in practice, applies readily to the airspace. Some ecological and behavioral processes including habitat selection, foraging, and reproduction …

Admissions Viewbook, 2017-2018, Illinois State University, Office Of Admissions

Admissions Viewbook

Recruitment booklet created by Illinois State University's Office of Admissions

Identifying Barriers To Implementing Guidelines For Monitoring Metabolic Syndrome In Patients Prescribed Second-Generation Antipsychotics In Incarcerated Populations, Carol-Ann Margaret Cenac

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) have increased rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. Also, the evidence indicates that second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs, a conventional treatment) increase the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) often leading to weight gain, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (DM 2). U. S. correctional institutions, faced with increased rates of mental illness in its population, are confronted with the need to assure adequate monitoring for its patients treated with SGAs. This paper reviews guidelines for monitoring incarcerated patients to ensure early intervention that can improve clinical outcomes. Characteristics of the incarcerated population and institution-related …

Exploratory Descriptive Review Of Certified Nurse-Midwifery Outcomes Related To Scope Of Practice Legislation, Rebecca Huffer Burpo

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

.Abstract

Limited access to care and rising perinatal mortality rates have pivoted attention once again to practice barriers. Despite numerous studies reporting that CNM care is equal quality to physician care for the scope of practice provided, legislated restrictions remain in 25 states. The goal of this project was to determine if legislated restrictions affect the outcomes of care provided by midwives. Following a literature search, a retrospective descriptive review of “before and after” perinatal outcomes following midwifery care in three states was conducted. Three years of data from the period when the state had some form of supervisory regulation …

Improving Provider Compliance With Adult Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patient Care Guidelines In The Ambulatory Setting Through The Use Of Electronic Health Records, Nana Bernasko

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems have the ability to improve the quality of patient care, patient safety and provide benefits to providers and clinic practices. These systems can transform quality measurement and quality improvement methods, facilitate workflow, and track patients over time to ensure that they receive guideline-recommended, and evidence-based, care. Simply having an EHR system, however, may not be enough to improve the quality and safety of healthcare, especially if the system is not designed to include features specific to the treatment population. In terms of the complex care necessary to treat adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), …

Identifying Barriers To Implementing Guidelines For Monitoring Metabolic Syndrome In Patients Prescribed Second-Generation Antipsychotics In Incarcerated Populations, Carol-Ann Margaret Cenac

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) have increased rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. Also, the evidence indicates that second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs, a conventional treatment) increase the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) often leading to weight gain, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (DM 2). U. S. correctional institutions, faced with increased rates of mental illness in its population, are confronted with the need to assure adequate monitoring for its patients treated with SGAs. This paper reviews guidelines for monitoring incarcerated patients to ensure early intervention that can improve clinical outcomes. Characteristics of the incarcerated population and institution-related …

Increasing Access To Evidence-Based Pediatric Palliative Care Through Continuing Education Of Nurses, Taryn J. Hamre

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

BACKGROUND

Each year approximately 42,000 children die and 400,000 children cope with chronic or life threatening illnesses in the U.S. Improved access to evidence based pediatric palliative care is essential to ease suffering, manage distressing symptoms and to improve quality of life.

METHODS

A literature review was conducted. A panel of national pediatric palliative care experts validated and rated educational subcategories identified in the review in accordance to relevance and importance.

RESULTS

The panel of experts rated 25 of 53 sub categories with a 0.78 percent agreement in both relevance and importance. Nine of those twenty-five sub categories had 100% …

Team-Based Care To Support Physiologic Birth: A Review Of Literature, Annemarie Heath

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Abstract

Introduction: Physiologic birth practices support the normal processes of childbirth, are associated with improved outcomes, and can prevent unnecessary intervention. Defensive maternity practice contributes to the overuse of medical interventions and decrease in physiologic birth practices. Team-based maternity care has been studied as a method to improve safety through improved communication and teamwork skills. The purpose of this literature review was to explore whether team-based care can be used as a strategy to promote physiologic birth through decreasing defensive maternity practices.

Methods: The search engines OVID, CINAHL, Pub Med, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library were used to identify …

Language In The Korean Workplace: An Analysis Of Hierarchical Language Use In The Drama Misaeng, Jessie Nicole Mcneill

University Honors Theses

The influences of Confucian and neo-Confucian values can be seen in contemporary Korean culture and language (Seth 2016). The Korean language is hierarchical, meaning that the language demonstrates a clear social hierarchy between speakers through the use of various determined linguistic techniques (Agha 1998). Native Korean speakers employ a combination of speech styles and levels, honorifics, politeness and humbling strategies to convey their reception of the hearer’s social location in the hierarchy (Choo 2006). The environment of the Korean workplace is shaped by these cultural values with very apparent social stratification by rank (Lee 2012). The emphasis on social stratification …

Making Makeup: A Recipe Book For All-Natural Cosmetics, Jessica Arlich

University Honors Theses

In the past five years, there has been increasing demand for organic consumables in the United States every year by mainstream culture. Also, with the prevalence of the Internet, people can find resources to make almost anything. Do-it-yourself culture is huge. The marriage of these two facts allowed me to explore my thesis topic.

The goal of my thesis project was to create a book of recipes for all-natural cosmetics, similar to a cookbook. I engaged in lots of research and experimentation to create my own recipes. I used modern layout with a humanist typeface and brush-script to emphasize the …

Bowerbird : The Bowerbird Project Brand Book, Ryan Morse

University Honors Theses

The Bowerbird Project is the result of using graphic design to create more effective recycling systems in hotels. The goal of this project was to have a system that would be both intuitive, approachable, and aesthetically pleasing. Drawing from social marketing and research, the Bowerbird Project creates a visual language that is both easy to understand and easily adaptable. Ultimately, it will not only make the recycling experience easier for the user, but also more effective for the hotel.

The Role Of Divalent Metals In Dna Replication During Periods Of Oxidative Stress, Corinne Hutfilz

University Honors Theses

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated through regular aerobic metabolism and iron-catalyzed degradation of hydrogen peroxide (Fridovich, 1995). ROS are known to induce single strand breaks (SSBs) in DNA via sugar or base modification (Lindahl, 1993), and double strand breaks (DSBs) can also occur when the replicative polymerase complex (replisome) polymerizes over oxidative lesions (Andrews et al., 2003), or when clustered oxidative lesions are misrepaired (Semenenko and Stewart, 2005; Semenenko et al., 2005). Intracellular ROS production has also been shown to increase after UV-induced and endogenous DNA damage (Rowe et al., 2008). All DNA lesions must be repaired for the …

People Of Color In The United States: Contemporary Issues In Education, Work, Communities, Health, And Immigration, Rob Tench

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Review of People of Color in the United States: Contemporary Issues in Education, Work, Communities, Health, and Immigration by Kofi Lomotely.