Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Workplace Environment On Performance In University Libraries Of Lahore, Pakistan, Muhammad Shahzad Shahzad Chaudhry Dr., Muhammad Ubaid Ullah Mr., Khurram Shahzad Mr., Imran Ghaffar Sulehri Mr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Goals of this study were to know the effect of library’s work environment for job performance of librarians and existence of any relationship between work environment and job performance of librarians. A quantitative study design was carried out to explore phenomenon through the librarian’s perceptions, delights and choices about their administrative center surroundings. Survey method was used in this study. The target population of this study was Librarians of HEC recognized Public and Private Universities of Lahore City. The structured questionnaire was used for data collection from respondents. There had been a hundred and twenty questionnaires dispensed among librarians, the …

Quantum Clustering Drives Innovations: A Bibliometric And Patentometric Analysis, Shradha Deshmukh, Preeti Mulay

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper presents a bibliometric analysis from 2014 to 2020 of the emerging and engaging field of quantum computing called Quantum Machine Learning (QML). The study discusses the analysis results from the comprehensive high indexed databases worldwide such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), Google Scholar and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Tools like iMapbuilder, IBM and SPSS Statistics are used to provide meaningful insights and flawless representations of the extracted data. There has been little research to provide a macroscopic overview of renowned authors, subject areas, funding agencies and patent applications …

Knowledge Management For Innovativeness And Sustainable Organizational Development: A Case Study Of Selected Corporate Institutions In Kenya, Arnold Mwanzu, Dickens Rodriguez Wendo, Felix Kibet

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The birth of knowledge-based economies placed a great significance to effective knowledge management. Knowledge management is now a critical component for organizations in the 21^st century in their effort to ensure sustainable organizational development. Organizations need to have strategies to create, adapt, and manage knowledge so as to maintain their innovation ability, consequently enhancing their sustainability. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of Knowledge Management on innovativeness and sustainable organizational development. The study took a quantitative approach through a descriptive research design. The study population included selected corporate organization that had embraced knowledge management …

Mapping The Research Output Of Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanities (Jssh): A Bibliometric Study, Muhammad Jawwad, Muhammad Shahid Soroya Dr, Pervaiz Ahmad Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The aim of this study is to map the trends of research published in the Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (JSSH), currently a six-monthly research journal of the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU, Islamabad, Pakistan) being published since 1995. AIOU is a federally chartered university publishing 22 research journals. Most of AIOU’s research journals are recognized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan including JSSH.

All the bibliographic data of 378 research articles from 27 volumes and 48 issues retrieved from print copies and journal website were filtered and analyzed employing bibliometrics with MS Excel. Data analysis and …

User’S Satisfaction Level On Physical Facilities And Services Available In The Library: With Special Reference To Francis Xavier Engineering College, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, A. Ganesa Murthy, Dr. M. Mani, A. Eronimus

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Due to the information explosion in the modern world, people are craving knowledge, and libraries worldwide face a tough challenge to meet their needs. The library, as an organization, is undergoing a multi-dimensional change. Only by satisfying the needs of its users, a library can justify its existence. All the services provided by the library are for the benefit of the users. The study’s objective is to determine the user’s satisfaction level with different physical facilities available and services provided in the library. The primary data were collected from 100 respondents using library facilities in Francis Xavier Engineering College, Tirunelveli …

Young People’S Perceptions Towards Librarians: An Exploratory Study Of Students Of Five Senior High Schools In Ghana, Samuel Abban, Reuben Saah

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study sought to discover young people’s impressions of librarians and their work. Three Hundred and Fifty Three Senior High School (SHS) students were selected using proportionate stratified sampling technique for the study. Using the survey descriptive method, structured questionnaires were randomly administered. Three Hundred and Twenty Six, representing 92% of the questionnaires were retrieved and found usable. The study includes a comparison of a librarian with nine other professional groups based on five criteria considered to be essential determining factors when choosing a profession. The study revealed that the students’ had low level of awareness of librarians, lacked understanding …

Resilience For Multi-Filter All-Source Navigation Framework With Integrity, Jonathon S. Gipson, Robert C. Leishman

Faculty Publications

The Autonomous and Resilient Management of All-source Sensors (ARMAS) framework monitors residual-space test statistics across unique sensor-exclusion banks of filters, (known as subfilters) to provide a resilient, fault-resistant all-source navigation architecture with assurance. A critical assumption of this architecture, demonstrated in this paper, is fully overlapping state observability across all subfilters. All-source sensors, particularly those that only provide partial state information (altimeters, TDoA, AOB, etc.) do not intrinsically meet this requirement.
This paper presents a novel method to monitor real-time overlapping position state observability and introduces an "observability bank" within the ARMAS framework, known as Stable Observability Monitoring (SOM). SOM …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Examine Racial Disparities In Adherence To Surveillance Mammography Among Breast Cancer Survivors, Megan C. Edmonds

Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: Annual surveillance mammography is a critical part of routine cancer care for breast cancer (BC) survivors; reducing mortality by 39%. However, disparities exist with regard to adherence to surveillance mammograms among BC survivors; Black women are 44% less likely to adhere than their White counterparts. Despite the existence of this racial disparity for over a decade, little is known about factors that explain reasons for Black BC survivors’ non-adherence. This is because most studies have not evaluated the role of healthcare delivery or psychosocial factors. Guided by the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations, the purpose of this mixed methods …

Art Museum Docent Coordinators’ Perceptions: A Difficult Kind Of Balancing Act, Jennifer E. Schero

Theses and Dissertations

With visitors numbering in the millions, museums provide numerous entry points for attendees to engage with the objects in their care, including offering tours of their collections. Looking specifically at art museums, many institutions utilize volunteers to facilitate these guided looking experiences. Considerable research within the field of museum education focuses on the qualities of effective touring and methods and theories to support these endeavors. However, there is a lack of research focusing on the docent coordinators who oversee these volunteer guides. This study utilizes interpretive phenomenological analysis to explore perceptions of encyclopedic art museum docent coordinators concerning their preparation …

Coaching Paraeducators To Accurately Record Student Response Data During Direct Instruction, Paige J. Carter Phd

Theses and Dissertations

Paraeducators serving students with disabilities outnumber special education teachers in the United States (Stewart, 2019; U. S. Department of Education et al., 2018). Paraeducators regularly provide instruction without the benefit of regular and effective training. One of the duties associated with instruction is the collection of instructional data. The purpose of this study was to examine a combination of training and coaching on the accuracy of recording student responses. In addition, a teacher-as-coach model was examined for feasibility with existing time and resources. A multiple baseline across participants design was planned. Special education teachers and paraeducators at a public separate …

Third Culture Kids - Playing To Heal, Amna Sana

Theses and Dissertations

With increased globalization and a large expat population, Qatar is home to increasing numbers of Third Culture Kids (TCKs). TCKs are children who live in a country where their parents are non-native, children who grow up between cultures. Young TCKs, especially children between the ages of three and seven, do not possess the skills to adequately vocalize their feelings, but fortunately, play therapy allows them to articulate problems and feelings on their own terms. This thesis addresses the emotional hurdles facing TCKs, using concepts derived from play therapy and offering a series of interactive objects designed to reflect emotional expression …

Why We Follow Celebrities: An Examination Of Parasocial Interaction And Fan Engagement In A Celebrities’ Social Media Pages, Mohammed A. Alasmari

Theses and Dissertations

Social media sites have become essential for organizations and celebrities, allowing them to build relationships and interact with fans. Previous research found openness and perceived interactivity to improve social media engagement. The current study used the concepts of parasocial interactions and relationships to enhance the current knowledge of how celebrities influence their followers through Twitter. The study looked at perceived openness, perceived interactivity, and media engagement in relation to parasocial interaction and relationships using the Qualtrics survey response from 905 participants on Fayez Al-Malki’s Twitter page. The results indicated that both celebrities' and followers' posts employed openness and perceived interactivity, …

A Novel Immunostimulatory Platform For Amplifying The Abscopal Response Rates Of Radiation Therapy, Patrick A. Paez

Theses and Dissertations

Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the primary treatment modalities for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). At the time of diagnosis two-thirds of HNSCC patients have local-advanced disease and 50-60% of these patients will experience a local-regional or metastatic relapse within three years. Improving the immunogenic response of RT may help address this clinical problem. However, current RT regimens have failed to reliably generate robust antitumor immunity as evidenced by the rarity of clinical abscopal responses. Recently we engineered a chimeric fusion molecule called Flagrp170, a novel immunostimulatory agent highly capable of promoting antigen presentation and T-cell activation. …

Impact Of Targeting Glycosylated Ceramides On Tumorigenic Properties, And Characterization Of Sphingolipids In Head And Neck Tumors, Katherine E. Hylton

Theses and Dissertations

Sphingolipids play a crucial role in signaling, membrane structure, and migration, making them important molecules in cancer development, metastasis, and drug resistance. While some sphingolipids have been associated with pro-apoptotic or pro-survival behaviors, the role of many sphingolipids in cancer remains poorly defined. Chapter 1 of this study investigated the impact of three enzymes that compose most of the ceramide to Lc3 ceramide pathway – UGCG, GBA, and B3GNT5 – and how their alteration impacts chemoresistance and basal membrane invasion in vitro. It was found that the CΒE-induced inhibition of GBA, which converts glucosylceramide to ceramide, has no effects on …

The Impact Of Healthcare Professional Students' Racial, Hiv-Related, And Abortion-Related Biases On Recommendations For Prenatal Care, Alison J. Patev

Theses and Dissertations

Black women and HIV-positive women have increased maternal mortality rates and other negative pregnancy outcomes, in part due to disparate prenatal care. Although women who seek abortions do not have the same negative outcomes, abortion stigma exists and is normalized in healthcare. Limited work has examined prenatal care provision for women in these groups, and even less work has explored the prenatal care provision by healthcare trainees (i.e., medical, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant students). Examining the role of bias on the prioritization of prenatal care items by healthcare trainees is imperative. Healthcare education sets the stage for future practice, …

Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation: Application To Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation And Computational Modeling, Neil Mittal

Theses and Dissertations

Loss of motor function from spinal cord injuries (SCI) results in loss of independence. Rehabilitation efforts are targeted to enhance the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), but outcomes from physical therapy alone are often insufficient. Neuromodulation techniques that induce neuroplasticity may push the limits on recovery. Neuromodulation by intermittent theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (iTBS) induces neuroplasticity by increasing corticomotor excitability, though this has most frequently been studied with motor targets and on individuals not in need of rehabilitation. Increased corticomotor excitability is associated with motor learning. The response to iTBS, however, is highly variable and unpredictable, …

From Social Alienation To Physical Health Concerns: Depression And Alcohol Proneness As Disconnection Pathways, Benjamin F. Shepherd, Paula M. Brochu

Archives of Assessment Psychology

It is well established that social isolation is a robust predictor of poor health outcomes, both mental and physical, yet little is known about whether and how personality characteristics related to social isolation (e.g., social alienation) affect health. Grounded in relational-cultural theory, the present study examined depression and alcohol proneness as parallel mechanisms underlying the association between social alienation and physical health concerns. As hypothesized, social alienation was positively associated with depression and alcohol proneness, and depression and alcohol proneness were both positively associated with health concerns. Notably, social alienation was indirectly associated with health concerns through depression for both …

Threat Assessment Team Activity And Outcomes In K-12 Public Schools: Integrating Methods To Better Understand School Safety, Jessica C. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The use of threat assessment teams in schools is recommended as a violence prevention measure in K-12 public schools. The present study focused on the threat assessment process in the K-12 environment in Virginia and is the first to examine the association between threat assessment and school safety in tandem over time and the first to incorporate the views of K-12 threat assessment practitioners. Findings from this study demonstrate that while the number of threat assessments has increased overtime, threat assessment practitioners identified numerous concerns regarding threat assessment training, expressed doubts about fidelity to the recommended process, and revealed an …

The Gut Microbiome And Alzheimer’S Disease, Alejandra Lopez, Charles J. Golden

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Alzheimer’s Disease’s pathophysiology and pathogenesis are still poorly understood despite being one of the most researched neurocognitive diseases. This review examines a new area of research that explores the link between the gut microbiome and Alzheimer’s Disease pathology. Potential treatments and therapeutic interventions stemming from microbiome research are discussed as well. Overall, while the research so far is promising, the literature in this area is still in its infancy, and there is much to be done to establish a causal role between microbiome dysbiosis and AD pathology. Moreover, assuming that microbiome research continues to support new models of AD, implications …

The Association Between Social Media Use And Personality Dysfunction, Keefe Maccarone, Anthony Michael Tarescavage

Archives of Assessment Psychology

The association between social media site use and personality dysfunction has not yet been thoroughly explored. Existing studies focus on specific mental illnesses rather than dysfunctional personality traits. Moreover, the effects of social media use on individual functioning is debated within the literature. While some literature asserts that social media site use is harmful (e.g., Oberst et al., 2017), other studies have concluded that moderated social media site use may improve functioning (e.g., Barker, 2016). The purpose of the current study was to investigate the association between social media site use and various forms of personality dysfunction. Participants were administered …

Development And Evaluation Of A Combinatorial Rt-Qpcr Multiplex For Forensic Body Fluid Identification, Carolyn A. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Body fluid identification is essential in the forensic biology workflow that assists DNA analysts in determining where to collect DNA evidence. Current presumptive tests lack the sensitivity and specificity molecular techniques can achieve; therefore, molecular methods, such as microRNA and microbial signatures, have been extensively researched in the forensic community. Limitations of each method suggest combining molecular markers to increase discrimination efficiency of multiple body fluids from a single assay. While microbial signatures have been successful in identifying fluids with high bacterial abundances, microRNAs have shown promise in fluids with low microbial abundance. A disadvantage of RNA analysis in forensic …

Train Your Frontline Personnel From Newbie To Master It Users: A Three-Phase Longitudinal Experiment Focusing On Technology Compatibility, J. Song, Suning Zhu

School of Business Faculty Research

Background: Although many decision makers have recognized the importance of training to the success of their frontline personnel and organizations, hidden technological compatibility issues can lead to training failure especially when different generations, or iterations, of hardware and software are involved. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of different levels (high vs. low) of compatibility between software and hardware on frontline trainees’ gained understanding of the related IT.

Method: Grounded in experiential learning, we designed a three-stage training experiment that involved the use of cloud-based geographical information systems and radio-frequency identification devices. The experiment included compatibility between …

Self-Distancing And Avoidance Mediate The Links Between Trait Mindfulness And Responses To Emotional Challenges, Kate Petrova, Michael D. Nevarez, Robert J. Waldinger, Kristopher J. Preacher, Marc S. Schulz

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Objectives Mindfulness has been linked to better emotion regulation and more adaptive responses to stress across a number of studies, but the mechanisms underlying these links remain to be fully understood. The present study examines links between trait mindfulness (Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire; FFMQ) and participants' responses to common emotional challenges, focusing specifically on the roles of reduced avoidance and more self-distanced engagement as key potential mechanisms driving the adaptive benefits of trait mindfulness. Methods Adults (n = 305, age range: 40-72) from the Second Generation Study of the Harvard Study of Adult Development completed two laboratory-based challenges-public speaking …

Coherence Between Feelings And Heart Rate: Links To Early Adversity And Responses To Stress, Kate Petrova, Michael D. Nevarez, Jenna Rice, Robert J. Waldinger, Kristopher J. Preacher, Marc S. Schulz

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Surgical Management Of Complex Post-Tuberculous Kyphosis Among African Patients: Clinical And Radiographic Outcomes For A Consecutive Series Treated At A Single Institution In West Africa, Ali M. Maziad, Owoicho Adogwa, Henry Ofori Duah, Kawdwo P. Yankey, Derrick Nyantakyi Owusu, Arthur Sackeyfio, Mabel Adobea Owiredu, Tyler Wilps, Gerhard Ofori-Amankwah, Franklin Coleman, Harry Akoto, Irene Wulff, Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, Focos Spine Research Group

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Study design Retrospective review of consecutive series. Objective To assess the clinical and radiographic outcomes after surgical management of post-tuberculous kyphosis. Summary of background data Post-tuberculous (TB) kyphosis can lead to progressive pulmonary and neurological deterioration. Surgery is indicated to decompress neural elements and correct the spine deformity. Although posterior vertebral column resection (PVCR) has been established as the treatment of choice for severe TB kyphosis, there is paucity of studies on the clinical outcomes among patients treated in West Africa. Methods Clinical and radiographic data of 57 patients (pts) who underwent surgical correction of post-TB kyphosis at a single …

Effectiveness Of Using A Simulation Combined With Online Learning Approach To Develop Discharge Teaching Skills, Marianne E. Weiss, Linda B. Piacentine, Lori Candela, Kathleen L. Bobay

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Despite evidence of the impact of discharge teaching on patient outcomes, nursing students are poorly prepared in the pedagogical skills necessary for their role as patient and family educators in clinical practice. This study evaluated the effectiveness of simulation combined with online learning to improve nursing students’ discharge teaching skills.

Methods

The module included simulations before and after an online module on patient/family teaching for hospital discharge. Evaluation measures were student and independent rater evaluations using the Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale- Evaluation form (QDTS-E).

Results

Students (n=153) improved their performance on both content and delivery subscales of the …

When Pandemics Collide: The Impact Of Covid-19 On Childhood Obesity, Nancy T. Browne, Julia A. Snethen, Cindy Smith Greenberg, Marilyn Frenn, Jill F. Kilanowsky, Bonnie Gance-Cleveland, Pamela J. Burke, Linda Lewandowski

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

• Children with obesity face increased biopsychosocial risks during COVID-19.

• Stress exacerbates inflammation and immune response in obesity and COVID-19.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly interrupted children's daily routines.

• The health effects of the obesogenic environment are exacerbated by COVID-19.

• Access to timely, comprehensive healthcare is critical during COVID-19.

Youth And Parent Health-Related Quality Of Life And Association With Glycemic Outcomes In Preadolescents And Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, Joan P. Totka, Julia A. Snethen, Elizabeth D. Cox

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction

We explored differences in Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and the youth's glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) of preadolescent and adolescent youths with type 1 diabetes (T1D) by individual (age, sex, race) and family (socioeconomic status) factors, and associations between youths’ HRQOL, their parents’ HRQOL, and youth's A1c.

Method

Correlational secondary analysis of baseline data from a randomized controlled trial testing a developmental intervention for youths with T1D and their parents from two diabetes clinics.

Results

Better adolescent HRQOL was associated with better glycemic control. Better preadolescent HRQOL was associated with better parent HRQOL. Non-White adolescents had worse HRQOL than White …

An Engaged Community-Academic Partnership To Promote Positive Youth Development, Kristin Haglund, Angela Ortiz, Johanna De Los Santos, Mauricio Garnier-Villarreal, Ruth Ann Belknap

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

In this paper, we discuss how we cultivated a sustainable community-academic partnership and describe how our community-based participatory research project, Bembé Drum and Dance, contributed to youth development. Bembé Drum and Dance is an Afro-Latino performing arts program based on the positive youth development theory. Thirteen children ages 9–13 participated in the ensemble. We used a multimethod descriptive design. Data were gathered using surveys, participant observation, and interviews. Increases in the Five Cs (competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring) were noted among youth, most notably in competence and confidence. Recognizing that the project belonged to the community and supporting this …

Intensive Care Unit Nurse: Could We Call A Palliative Care Consult? Intensive Care Unit Provider: It's Too Early. Palliative Care Integration In The Intensive Care Unit: The Struggle To Translate Evidence Into Practice, Natalie S. Mcandrew, Jill L. Guttormson, Sean Marks, Mary Rhodes, Jayshil Patel, Colleen Mccracken

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Despite evidence regarding the value of palliative care, there remains a translation-to-practice gap in the intensive care setting. The purpose of this article is to describe challenges and propose solutions to palliative care integration through the presentation and discussion of a critical care patient scenario. We also present recommendations for a collaborative palliative care practice framework that holds the potential to improve quality of life for patients and families. Collaborative palliative care is characterized by close working relationships with families, interprofessional intensive care unit healthcare teams, and palliative care specialists. The shortage of palliative care specialists has become a pressing …