Digital Commons Network^™

Validity In Qualitative Research: A Processual Approach, Paulo Hayashi Jr, Gustavo Abib, Norberto Hoppen

The Qualitative Report

Validity and reliability of research and its results are important elements to provide evidence of the quality of research in the organizational field. However, validity is better evidenced in quantitative studies than in qualitative research studies. As there is diversity within qualitative research methods and techniques, there is no universally accepted criteria to assess validity in qualitative studies; its usefulness is also questioned. Therefore, in this paper, we argue that qualitative research should adopt a processual view approach of validity since it should not be the product of a single test or just one step in the research. Processual validity …

Natural Strategies For Controlling Virulence And Antibiotic Resistance In Clostridium Difficile, Abraham Joseph Pellissery

Doctoral Dissertations

Clostridium difficile is a significant enteric pathogen causing a toxin-mediated infection and diarrhea in humans. There has been an increased incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) in the United States with the emergence of hypervirulent strains and community associated outbreaks. CDI is commonly observed among hospital in-patients undergoing protracted antibiotic therapy, which results in gastrointestinal dysbiosis, creating a conducive environment for spore germination, pathogen colonization in the gut, and subsequent toxin production. An ideal anti-C.difficile therapeutic agent should inhibit critical virulence factors of the pathogen such as toxin production, sporulation and spore germination without inducing gut dysbiosis. Such agents …

Integration Of Pretreatment With Simultaneous Counter-Current Extraction Of Energy Sorghum For High-Titer Mixed Sugar Production, Daniel L. Williams, Rebecca Ong, John E. Mullet, David B. Hodge

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) offers substantial potential as a feedstock for the production of sugar-derived biofuels and biochemical products from cell wall polysaccharides (i. e., cellulose and hemicelluloses) and water-extractable sugars (i.e., glucose, fructose, sucrose, and starch). A number of preprocessing schemes can be envisioned that involve processes such as sugar extraction, pretreatment, and densification that could be employed in decentralized, regional-scale biomass processing depots. In this work, an energy sorghum exhibiting a combination of high biomass productivity and high sugar accumulation was evaluated for its potential for integration into several potential biomass preprocessing schemes. This included counter-current …

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda, January 14, 2019, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

Meeting agenda from the Faculty Senate of the University of Northern Iowa.

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, January 14, 2019, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

Meeting minutes from the Faculty Senate of the University of Northern Iowa.

Dc-Rts Noise: Observation And Analysis, Benjamin William Hendrickson

Dissertations and Theses

Dark current random telegraph signal (DC-RTS) is a physical phenomenon that effects the performance of solid state image sensors. Identified by meta-stable stochastic switching between two or more dark current levels, DC-RTS is an emerging concern for device scientists and manufacturers as a limiting noise source. Observed and studied in both charge coupled devices (CCDs) and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors, the metastable defects inside the device structure that give rise to this switching phenomenon are known to be derived from radiation damage. An examination of the relationship between high energy photon damage and these RTS defects is presented and …

Exploring Microaggressions Among Trans Populations: Effects On Feelings Of Social Exclusion, Stephanie M. Aubuchon

Theses and Dissertations

Those who identify as transgender face subtle discrimination in the form of microaggressions, which are behaviors and statements, often unconscious or unintentional, that communicate hostile or derogatory messages, particularly to members of marginalized social groups (Nadal et al., 2016). This study explored the microaggressions that transgender participants experience and the psychological effects on their feelings of social exclusion. Specifically, we hypothesized that transgender individuals experience microaggressions that make them feel socially excluded. The participants’ ages ranged from 18-66 and identified as nonbinary, agender, demiboy, genderqueer, male, or female. The study used an online survey that had the participants recall memories …

Hall Ways Magazine, Georgia Southern University

Auxiliary Services (2013-2021)

• Understanding Your Responsibilities in the Conduct Process
• Winter is Coming: Tips for Safe Driving
• Michaela's Staff Picks
• Save Money Next Year
• Campus Partner: Wellness Ambassadors
• Replacing Your Steady Stream of Caffeine
• Resources Around You
• Statesboro Campus Calendar
• Armstrong Campus Calendar

Glastonbury Lake Village Revisited: A Multi-Proxy Palaeoenvironmental Investigation Of An Iron Age Wetland Settlement, Tcb Hill, Ge Hill, R. Brunning, R. Y. Banerjea, R. M. Fyfe, A. G. Hogg, J. Jones, M. Perez, D. N. Smith

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Molecular And Translational Advances In Meningiomas, Suganth Suppiah, Farshad Nassiri, Wenya Linda Bi, Ian F. Dunn, Clemens Oliver Hanemann, Craig M. Horbinski, Rintaro Hashizume, Cd James, Christian Mawrin, Houtan Noushmehr, Arie Perry, Felix Sahm, Andrew Sloan, Deimling A Von, Patrick Y. Wen, Kenneth Aldape, Gelareh Zadeh, Kenneth Aldape, Karolyn Au, Jill Barnhartz-Sloan, Wenya Linda Bi, Priscilla K. Brastianos, Nicholas Butowski, Carlos Carlotti, Michael D. Cusimano, Francesco Dimeco, Katharine Drummond, Ian F. Dunn, Evanthia Galanis, Christel Herold-Mende, Roland Goldbrunner, Brent Griffith, Rintaro Hashizume, Clemens Oliver Hanemann, Christel Herold-Mende, Craig M. Horbinski, Raymond Y. Huang, D James, Michael D. Jenkinson, Christine Jungk, Timothy J. Kaufman

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

High-Throughput Cultivation Of Bacterioplankton From The Gulf Of Mexico And Genomics Of The First Cultured Ld12 Representative, Michael Winslow Henson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cultivation of microorganisms facilitates characterization of metabolism, interspecies dependencies, virus-host interactions, and other information necessary to resolve the functions and distribution of individual taxa. However, the metabolic and physiological capacities for the majority of microbes remains unresolved because of the lack of cultivated representatives for many groups limits our ability to test cultivation-independent observations. The Northern Gulf of Mexico offers a diversity of ecosystems under the continuous threat from natural and anthropogenic disturbances, yet little is known about its native bacterioplankton community. This dissertation sought to use high-throughput cultivation over three-years at six sites to isolate important coastal bacteria to …

Factors Influencing Healthy Eating Habits Among Low-Income African Americans In Tennessee, Kushal Patel, Jonathon Smith, Jemal Gishe 9637046, Mohamed Kanu, Rosemary Theriot, Jianguo Liu, Yuan Zhou, Margaret Hargreaves

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction: Poor nutrition and diet are significant contributors to the development of chronic illnesses such as cancer and diabetes, particularly among individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES).This study examined demographic and lifestyle factors that influenced decisions to engage in healthy eating behaviors among low-income African Americans in three urban Tennessee cities.

Methods: As part of the Meharry Community Networks Program (CNP) needs assessment, a 123-item community survey was administered to assess demographic characteristics and eating behaviors among low-income African Americans. The total sample size was 1116. The primary outcome of interest was the healthy eating habits score which was calculated …

Who Speaks For Me?: Addressing Variability In Informed Consent Practices For Minimal Risk Research Involving Foster Youth, Mary V. Greiner, Sarah J. Beal, Antonio Allen, Vikash Patel, Jareen Meinzen-Derr, Armand Antommaria

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Youth in protective custody (i.e., foster care) are at higher risk for poorer physical and mental health outcomes compared with those who are not. These differences may be due in part to the lack of research on the population to create evidence-based recommendations for health care delivery. A potential contributor to this lack of research is difficulties in obtaining informed consent for empirical studies in this population. The objective of this study was to describe the approaches to obtaining informed consent in minimal risk studies of foster youth and provide recommendations for future requirements.

Methods: We conducted a …

Racial Discrimination And Preterm Birth Among African American Women: The Important Role Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Amelia Gavin, Nancy Grote, Kyaien Conner, Taurmini Fentress

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Among African American infants, preterm birth (PTB) is the most frequent cause of infant mortality. In the United States, there remains a stark African American-Non-Hispanic White difference in PTB (< 37 weeks of completed gestation). When compared to Non-Hispanic White infants, African American infants have greater than three times the risk of preterm-related mortality. Prior research studies have examined whether traditional prenatal risk factors explain the African American-Non-Hispanic White difference in PTB. However identification of these factors fails to explain the disparity. The lack of progress in addressing the African American - Non-Hispanic White difference in PTB suggests that exposures to risk factors across the life-course may be vital to addressing the African American-Non-Hispanic White difference in PTB. One potential life-course risk exposure is racial discrimination, which has been shown to influence the increased risk of PTB among African American women. However, research is needed to reveal the mechanisms that underlie the association between racial discrimination and PTB. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be one potential mechanism by which African American women's exposure to racial discrimination contributes to increased risk of PTB. This concept paper strives to advance our understanding of the increased risk of PTB among African American women. Recommendations are suggested to mitigate the impact of racial discrimination and PTSD on the PTB risk among African American women.

Prehypertensive Risk Among African-American Undergraduates: Do The Extra Pounds Really Matter?, Cecile N. Yancu, Amber Debono, Anna K. Lee, Correll Mcrae, Daphne Witherspoon

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The objective of this study is to examine prehypertension among young African American adults and evaluate the predictive value of easily obtained standard measures of adiposity. Data for this study of 155 primarily African-American undergraduates was collected between April 2010-11. Participants provided family health history and anthropometric measures, including body weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist to hip (WHR) ratio. Percentages were calculated for demographics. The average systolic blood pressure measured over two time periods within a single semester generated prehypertension rates. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression examined the impact of BMI, WHR, weight, and family medical history on …

Evaluating The Bioactivity And Biocompatibility Of Nylon Coated Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (Uhmwpe), Nancy Hassanein

Theses and Dissertations

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) semi crystalline biomaterial is one of the gold standard materials that are used as a bearing surface in total joint replacement surgeries. However, wear particles generated by UHMWPE due to the relative motion between the different components of the bearing, would eventually result in osteolysis and implant failure. For this, many attempts to enhance the properties of UHMWPE were done, including coating the UHMWPE with nylon 6,6 which was reported to improve its mechanical properties and biocompatibility. In this study, the antibacterial activity, moisture and SBF absorption, pH effect, bioactivity, biocompatibility and wound healing ability …

Development Of A Novel Electroless Plating Approach For Coating Aluminum (Al) On Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (Mwcnts) And Investigating Their Use In Reinforcing Cast And Powder Compacted Aluminum Composites, Mohammed Elsharkawi

Theses and Dissertations

Due to their superior mechanical properties, Aluminum-Carbon Nanotube (Al-CNT) composites have been widely investigated by various researchers using several processing techniques. One of the most successful techniques in creating Al-CNT composites is the ball milling technique followed by hot compaction and hot extrusion for powder consolidation. However, this technique has some drawbacks including the limited design flexibility of the produced parts, the high initial cost of milling equipment, and the damage of CNTs during milling that has been reported to take place due to the harsh impact of milling balls on CNTs leading to the formation of brittle Al4C3 phases …

Geology And Fluid Discharge At Dorado Outcrop, A Low Temperature Ridge-Flank Hydrothermal System, C. Geoffrey Wheat, Anne M. Hartwell, James Mcmanus, Andrew T. Fisher, Beth N. Orcutt, Lucy E. M. Schlicht, Sara Niedenzu, Wolfgang Bach

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Two expeditions to Dorado Outcrop on the eastern flank of the East Pacific Rise and west of the Middle America Trench collected images, video, rocks, and sediment samples and measured temperature and fluid discharge rates to document the physical and biogeochemical characteristics of a regional, low-temperature (~15 °C) hydrothermal system. Analysis of video and images identified lava morphologies: pillow, lobate, and sheet flows. Glasses from collected lavas were consistent with an off-axis formation. Hydrothermal discharge generally occurs through pillow lavas but is patchy, sporadic, and sometimes ceases at particular sites of discharge. Yearlong temperature measurements at five of these discharge …

Water Beetles As Models In Ecology And Evolution, Dt Bilton, I Ribera, Aez Short

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Salary Compression Among University Faculty: A Review And Case Study Of Remediation And Prevention In A Collective Bargaining Environment, Brent M. Graves, Dale Kapla

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

Salary compression has been an issue in higher education for almost four decades, during which a diverse literature on the topic has accumulated. Perhaps because of the absence of a compilation and review of this literature, administrations and collective bargaining agents commonly develop their own methods for identifying and rectifying salary compression on each campus. Most responses are short-term and do not prevent the problem from recurring. We review the literature concerning salary compression in higher education, then summarize our approach to correcting salary structure and preventing future compression.

Finding The Clitoris: Societal Clitoridectomies Created From Pushing (For) The G-Spot In The 20th And 21st Centuries, Giannina Ong

Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II

No abstract provided.

Rape As An Act Of Genocide: Definitions And Prosecutions As Established In Bosnia And Rwanda, Bailey Fairbanks

Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II

No abstract provided.

Measuring & Monitoring Plant Populations, Caryl L. Elzinga, Daniel W. Salzer, John W. Willoughby

United States Bureau of Land Management: Staff Publications

The root of the word monitoring means "to warn," and an essential purpose of monitoring is to raise a warning flag that the current course of action is not working. Monitoring is a powerful tool for identifying problems in the early stages, before they become dramatically obvious or crises. If identified early, problems can be addressed while cost-effective solutions are still available. For example, an invasive species that threatens a rare plant population is much easier to control at the initial stages of invasion, compared to eradicating it once it is well established at a site. Monitoring is also critical …

Regulation Of Limbal Stem Cells By Native Niche In Hc-Ha/Ptx3 Purified From Amniotic Membrane, Szu-Yu Chen

Open Access Dissertations

On the ocular surface, corneal epithelial stem cells (SC) reside in the limbus bordered between the cornea and the conjunctiva. To explore how limbal epithelial progenitor/stem cells (LEPC) control quiescence, self-renewal, and corneal fate decision by their native niche, our laboratory was the first to develop the in vitro isolation and expansion methods of limbal niche cells (LNC) and established a SC-LNC reunion model on 3D Matrigel that mimics the in vivo where there is close contact between LNC and LEPC. Pax6, an evolutionally conserved transcription factor essential for eye development, is expressed in post-natal corneal and limbal epithelia progenitors …

Identification And Localization Of Tospovirus Genus-Wide Conserved Residues In 3d Models Of The Nucleocapsid And The Silencing Suppressor Proteins, Cristian Olaya, Badri Adhikari, Gaurav Raikhy, Jianlin Cheng, Hanu R. Pappu

Computer Science Faculty Works

Background: Tospoviruses (genus Tospovirus, family Peribunyaviridae, order Bunyavirales) cause significant losses to a wide range of agronomic and horticultural crops worldwide. Identification and characterization of specific sequences and motifs that are critical for virus infection and pathogenicity could provide useful insights and targets for engineering virus resistance that is potentially both broad spectrum and durable. Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), the most prolific member of the group, was used to better understand the structure-function relationships of the nucleocapsid gene (N), and the silencing suppressor gene (NSs), coded by the TSWV small RNA. Methods: Using a global collection of orthotospoviral sequences, …

Dissociable Cognitive Impairments In Two Strains Of Transgenic Alzheimer's Disease Mice Revealed By A Battery Of Object-Based Tests, Samantha D. Creighton, Ari L. Mendell, Daniel Palmer, Bettina E. Kalisch, Neil J. Maclusky, Vania F Prado, Marco A.M Prado, Boyer D. Winters

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Object recognition tasks detect cognitive deficits in transgenic Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models. Object recognition, however, is not a unitary process, and there are many uncharacterized facets of object processing with relevance to AD. We therefore systematically evaluated object processing in 5xFAD and 3xTG AD mice to clarify the nature of object recognition-related deficits. Twelve-month-old male and female 5xFAD and 3xTG mice were assessed on tasks for object identity recognition, spatial recognition, and multisensory object perception. Memory and multisensory perceptual impairments were observed, with interesting dissociations between transgenic AD strains and sex that paralleled neuropathological changes. Overreliance on the widespread …

Inhibition Of 5-Lipoxygenase Downregulates Stemness And Kills Prostate Cancer Stem Cells By Triggering Apoptosis Via Activation Of C-Jun N-Terminal Kinase, Sivalokanathan Sarveswaran, Nadimpalli Rs Varma, Shravan Morisetty, Jagadananda Ghosh

Urology Articles

The cancer stem cell (CSC) concept suggests that neoplastic clones are maintained exclusively by a rare group of cells possessed with stem cell properties. CSCs are characterized by features that include self-renewal, pluripotency and tumorigenicity, and are thought to be solely responsible for tumor recurrence and metastasis. A hierarchically organized CSC model is becoming increasingly evident for various types of cancer, including prostate cancer. The CD44 (+), CD133 (+) cell subpopulations were isolated from human prostate tumors which exhibit stem-like properties showing therapeutic-resistance, capacity of self-renewal, and exact recapitulation of the original tumor in vivo. Thus, an important challenge is …

Catalyst-Free, Highly Selective Synthesis Of Ammonia From Nitrogen And Water By A Plasma Electrolytic System, Ryan Hawtof, Souvik Ghosh, Evan Guarr, Cheyan Xu, R. Mohan Sankaran, Julie N. Renner

Faculty Scholarship

There is a growing need for scalable ammonia synthesis at ambient conditions that relies on renewable sources of energy and feedstocks to replace the Haber-Bosch process. Electrically driven approaches are an ideal strategy for the reduction of nitrogen to ammonia but, to date, have suffered from low selectivity associated with the catalyst. Here, we present a hybrid electrolytic system characterized by a gaseous plasma electrode that facilitates the study of ammonia formation in the absence of any material surface. We find record-high faradaic efficiency (up to 100%) for ammonia from nitrogen and water at atmospheric pressure and temperature with this …

Psychosocial Assessment Of The Family In The Clinical Setting, Arwa Nasir, Andrea Zimmer, David Taylor, Jonathan Santo

Psychology Faculty Publications

Abstract

Children develop in the context of the family. Family functioning prominently shapes the psychosocial adaptation and mental health of the child. Several family psychosocial risk factors have been shown to increase the risk of behavioral problems in children. Early identification of families with psychosocial profiles associated with a higher risk of having children with behavioral problems may be valuable for targeting these children for prevention and early intervention services.

Methods

We developed the Family Health Questionnaire (FHQ) for the purpose of evaluating families’ psychosocial risk profiles in the primary care setting. The questionnaire included 10 formative indicators that have …

Latent Space Models For Temporal Networks, Jasper Alt

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

In many contexts we may expect the structure of networks to be derived from some kind of abstract distance between actors. We refer to this phenomenon as homophily: like nodes connect to like. For example, people with similar beliefs may be more likely to form social relations.

We formalize this notion by positioning the nodes in a latent space representing the possible values of the homophilous attributes. Realistically, we should expect latent attributes like beliefs to change over time in some nontrivial way, and the structures of temporal networks to evolve accordingly. We introduce a model of latent space dynamics …