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Gardner-Webb Alpha Chi Inducts 40 New Members And Surprises Honorary Member, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

At the 49th annual induction ceremony, the Gardner-Webb University North Carolina Zeta Chapter of Alpha Chi National College Honor Society welcomed 40 new members and surprised GWU President Dr. William Downs with an honorary membership. The event was held on Nov. 14 in Blanton Auditorium.

Identifying Sinorhizobium Meliloti Genes That Determine Fitness Outcomes, Alexander B. Benedict

Theses and Dissertations

The remarkable metabolic capacity of the soil-dwelling bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti is encoded on its three circular replicons: the chromosome and two large megaplasmids, pSymA and pSymB. Despite making up 45% of the genome, the pSymA and pSymB megaplasmids can be cured from S. meliloti. This unique attribute provides an opportunity to study the essentiality of chromosomal genes in the presence or absence of nearly half the genome. By interrogating chromosomal genes via massively parallel transposon insertion sequencing (Tn-seq) in the presence and absence of pSymA and pSymB, we identified 307 genes as being essential for viability regardless of the genomic …

The Lumberjack, December 08, 2021

Cal Poly Humboldt's Student Newspaper

The student newspaper of Humboldt State University.

Barriers And Facilitators Of Nonprofit Community Involvement, Claire Galvin

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Community-facing organizations have recently been critiqued for catering to donors instead of prioritizing community involvement. This lack of community engagement can lead to organizations not being as effective at the work they aim to do within these communities. Studies also show that organizations that have a more equal distribution of power engage more with their communities. This research project investigated how power distribution in Richmond- area nonprofits impacted the way that their communities were involved within their organizations. Findings from this study suggest that nonprofit fundraisers are more invested in creating community representation within their organization rather than cultivating a …

2021-December-08-Dr. Casey Balio Publishes Study In Health Affairs, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – A number of states found ways to expand Medicaid without increasing their administrative spending, according to the results of a 10-year study published last month in the journal Health Affairs.

Dr. Casey P. Balio of East Tennessee State University is the lead author of the study, which was selected for the November issue of Health Affairs that focuses on “Hospitals, ACA Marketplace & More.” Balio is a research assistant professor at the Center for Rural Health Research and the Department of Health Services Management and Policy in the ETSU College of Public Health.

At the time …

Homegrown Stl 4th Annual Regional Summit On The State Of Opportunities For Black Boys And Young Men: Closing The Health, Growth, And Opportunity Gaps, Sean Joe, Maribeth Clifton, Demeisha Carlton-Brown

Center for Social Development Research

Convened annually, HomeGrown StL’s annual regional summit brings together service providers, government officials, private-sector partners, and residents to strengthen, align, and accelerate local collective-impact strategies that support the health, development, and economic mobility of Black boys and young men in St. Louis City and in St. Louis County.

This report summarizes developments from the 4th Regional Summit on the State of Opportunities for Black Boys and Young Men: Closing the Healing, Growth, & Opportunity Gaps, which convened June 3, 2021. Priority Objectives and Key Results developed during the summit are described. In addition, the report details the progress of HomeGrown …

Sheltering Wings Inc. Business Plan, Josiah D. Barnes, John-Michael Daniel, Philip M. Dinius, Hayes R. Henagan, Corrie E. Kimbril, Schlitz M. Masheleni, Tucker J. Palen, Dr. William T. Crawford, Dr. Joel S. Dash, Dr. Doris K. Feltham, Mr. Michael J. Jelsing, Mrs. Jane B. Malcolm

Business Undergraduate Work

Sheltering Wings Inc. (SW) is a missions management nonprofit based out of Leasburg, Missouri, and registered under NAICS code 813110 – Nonprofit Religious Organization. Four core staff members run daily operations: David Thomas, Philip Matheny, Jade Becker, and John Blackmore. The organization generates revenues by retaining a percentage of the funds raised by missionaries; it provides tax benefits for missionaries' donors and provides missionaries with administrative services. The organization falls into the industries of nonprofits and religious organizations, which will grow 3–4% over the next four years. Missionaries and donors are the primary target markets of SW, though the organization …

The Distributed Trust Model Applied To The Energy Grid Of Things, Narmada Sonali Fernando

Dissertations and Theses

Electric power system operators can manage distribution system utilization and usage by coordinating end customer usage of distributed energy resources. The end customers in this regard are Service Provisioning Customers, who provide their energy resources to a Grid Service Provider, which in turn dispatches large aggregations of distributed energy resources to provide reliable service to the power system. The security of this system relies upon information protection mechanisms, as described in IEEE 2030.5. However, in addition to preventive security measures, a monitoring function is required to ensure trustworthiness.

Trust models are a method to detect and respond to both expected …

Minimizing Musculoskeletal Injury Risk In Health Care Professionals With Education On Safe Patient Handling, Aubrey Graves

Honors College Theses

Introduction: Nursing is a high-risk occupation for musculoskeletal injuries due to the strenuous activity of patient handling. These tasks include, assisting a patient in bed, moving a patient from the bed to a wheelchair, and assisting with walking. These work-related tasks can create a large amount of stress on the body, especially the back if proper technique is not utilized and/or if excessive loads are applied. The purpose of this study is to examine if teaching proper body mechanics and the dangers of not performing the tasks properly is an effective way of reducing musculoskeletal injuries.

Methods: The NUR 202 …

Embarking On A Professional Development Journey: Building The Future You, Jose Arnold Tariga

General Webinars

This webinar will help nurses and other healthcare professionals explore practical strategies to venture on a professional development journey, while at the same time, identifying and overcoming possible roadblocks as they build their future selves and careers.

Customized Alarm Settings Benchmark, Leigh A. Barksdale

MSN Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to highlight the need for alarm management to combat alarm fatigue and improve patient safety. The target audience for this presentation includes, but is not limited to, the University of Texas at Tyler students and professors. Technology is always changing and healthcare must stay to stay up-to-date with the most recent technology for quality and safe patient care. Technology helps to improve efficiency, patient safety, reduce cost, and reduce errors. Although technology intends to improve patient outcomes, unintended situations also occur for patients and care providers as a result of technology (Karapas & Bobay, …

Mentoring New Nurses To Increase Retention: A Benchmark Study, Maria J.V Hartnauer

MSN Capstone Projects

New nurse retention and nurse satisfaction are two significant areas of concern for healthcare organizations. The financial burden that results from decreased retention and increased turnover rates can create severe distress for the hiring facility. Organizations struggle to retain new graduate nurses beyond the first year of practice. The transition to practice for many new nurses is often complex, challenging, and stressful. New nurses need multiple interventions to provide physical, spiritual, and moral support to adapt to their new role. Many hospitals have implemented new nurse orientation, educational opportunities, and preceptor programs. However, there is still room for improvement. This …

Macrophages Expressing Uncoupling Protein 1 Increase In Adipose Tissue In Response To Cold In Humans, Brian S. Finlin, Hasiyet Memetimin, Amy L. Confides, Beibei Zhu, Philip M. Westgate, Esther E. Dupont-Versteegden, Philip A. Kern

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Acute cold induces beige adipocyte protein marker expression in human subcutaneous white adipose tissue (SC WAT) from both the cold treated and contralateral leg, and the immune system regulates SC WAT beiging in mice. Cold treatment significantly increased the gene expression of the macrophage markers CD68 and 86 in SC WAT. Therefore, we comprehensively investigated the involvement of macrophages in SC WAT beiging in lean and obese humans by immunohistochemistry. Cold treatment significantly increased CD163/CD68 macrophages in SC WAT from the cold treated and contralateral legs of lean and obese subjects, and had similar effects on CD206/CD68 macrophages, whereas the …

Overruling Louisiana: Horizontal Stare Decisis And The Concept Of Precedent, Santiago Legarre, Christopher R. Handy

Louisiana Law Review

The article discusses two U.S. Supreme Court cases, Ramos v. Louisiana and June Medical v. Russo, which deal with the concept of stare decisis that approached horizontal precedent and overruling.

It’S What You Said And How You Said It: The Nlrb’S Attempt To Separate Employee Misconduct From Protected Activity In General Motors Llc, Casey Thibodeaux

Louisiana Law Review

The article discusses a court case involving automobile company General Motors LLC which deals with the company's obligations under the National Labor Relations Act, antidiscrimination laws, and the application of employee discipline cases relating to protected activities.

Omnipotent Doctrine Of Law: The Ministerial Exception After Our Lady Of Guadalupe School V. Morrissey-Berru, Madeleine Breaux

Louisiana Law Review

The article discusses the U.S. Supreme Court case Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru which deals with the ministerial exception, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the separation of the church and the state.

The Zoom Paradox: Schrodinger’S Witness, Christopher J. Vidrine

Louisiana Law Review

The article explains the role of the common law and federal civil statutes in the evolution of convenience concept in civil procedure through the development of videoconferencing technology.

The Qui Tam Question: Proper Pleading Requirements For Relators Under The Fca, P. Cullen Mcdonald

Louisiana Law Review

The article offers information on the provisions of the False Claims Act in the U.S. including its history and complexities relating to lawsuits and pleading requirements.

Human Skin Triglycerides Prevent Bed Bug (Cimex Lectularius L.) Arrestment, Sudip Gaire, Zachary C. Devries, Russell Mick, Richard G. Santangelo, Grazia Bottillo, Emanuela Camera, Coby Schal

Entomology Faculty Publications

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) have proliferated globally and have become one of the most challenging pests to control indoors. They are nocturnal and use multiple sensory cues to detect and orient towards their human hosts. After feeding, usually on a sleeping human, they return to a shelter on or around the sleeping surface, but not directly on the host. We hypothesized that although human skin odors attract hungry bed bugs, human skin compounds may also prevent arrestment on hosts. We used arrestment assays to test human skin swabs, extracts from human skin swabs, and pure compounds identified from …

Modernizing The School Calendar To Fit The Needs Of The 21st-Century Student, David K. Baker

Dissertations

Ever since the 1983 landmark study, A Nation at Risk, was released, educators have been examining the effectiveness of instructional time in American schools (Pedersen, 2012). However, school calendars have remained stagnant and seemingly a product of society and economy, tied to agriculture, for over 100 years (Turner & Finch, 2018). In Missouri, a growing number of schools are reevaluating the five-day school week and implementing a four-day school week in response (Turner & Finch, 2018). As stated by Thompson (2020), the impact of the four-day school week on student achievement requires more study. This study involved investigating the impact …

Effects Of Inclusive Social Skills Training On Preschoolers, Lauren E. Weiss

Special Education ETDs

Social interventions for children with disabilities are generally conducted in small groups and outside of the classroom; therefore, little is known about inclusive and classwide social interventions in early childhood educational settings. This study evaluated the effects of inclusive social skills training (ISST), a program delivered remotely to inclusive preschool classrooms via direct instruction, video modeling, rehearsal, and feedback, to teach social skills. Educators rated preschoolers' social skills in a nonequivalent pretest-posttest design and evaluated the social validity of ISST. I examined the differences in scores. A significant interaction effect was detected in the program group between abilities. Overall, educators …

3d Permeability Characterization Of Sheared Fiber Reinforcement For Liquid Composite Molding Process Simulation, Collin William Childs

Theses and Dissertations

Resin transfer molding (RTM) is an infusion-based closed-mold manufacturing process where resin is injected into a preform of dry reinforcement to create a net shape part. Often, when a preform is draped over a mold with complex geometry, such as the double curvature of a dome, a reorientation of the fibers takes place in the form of in-plane shear. This deformation of the reinforcement structure has the potential to adversely affect the resin flow and the filling of the mold during RTM if the manufacturer fails to properly account for the shear effects. Various process simulation tools are being developed …

The Impact Of Inquiry-Based Professional Development On Educator Self-Efficacy, Kaia Grant

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This 2021 study focuses on the impact of inquiry based professional development on educator self-efficacy. The study works to understand how practices like cognitive coaching and inquiry-based practices assist educators in developing self-efficacy related to their practice. Educators were given the New General Self-Efficacy Scale (Chen et al., 2001), before and after an observation process and were interviewed as a part of their post-observation. The research took place in a rural Minnesota school district with both primary and secondary education staff. The data and results that follow display both a consistent and increased level of self-efficacy as it pertains to …

Closely Related Gull Species Show Contrasting Foraging Strategies In An Urban Environment, K. A. Lato, D. J. Madigan, R. R. Veit, L. H. Thorne

Publications and Research

The expansion of urban landscapes has both negative and positive effects on wildlife. Understanding how different species respond to urbanization is key to assessing how urban landscapes influence regional wildlife behavior and ecosystem structure. Gulls are often described as strong urban adapters, but few studies have explored species-specific differences in habitat use. Here, we use GPS tracking in conjunction with stable isotope analysis (SIA) to quantify the habitat use and trophic ecology of great black-backed gulls (Larus marinus) and herring gulls (L. argentatus) in an urbanized area. Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) of foraging locations revealed significant differences in the habitat …

Characterization Of Novel Adhesive For Use As Topical Hemostatic Agent, Mae H. Hubel, Nick Payne

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study

In this independent study, we explored the adhesive properties of a novel hydrogel, termed MusSeal, developed by Dr. Fuzhong Zhang in the context of sealing ruptured blood vessels during neurosurgery. The gel is made of synthesized hybrid mussel foot protein and polyacrylic acid (PAA). We developed a burst pressure testing apparatus to measure the pressure the gel could withstand while adhered to a patch of bovine aorta, the easiest substitute for human blood vessels. Varying compositions of the gel were tested under different application time periods to try and optimize the adhesion strength of the gel. Ultimately, it was found …

The Development Of A Social And Emotional Well-Being Scale Using Esem And Cfa: Synergistic Stories In Complex Models, Christopher Hughes Busath

Theses and Dissertations

School districts face unique challenges as they implement social and emotional learning (SEL) initiatives, particularly when choosing or developing a high-quality scale to measure non-academic competencies. Like collaborations with the CORE school districts described by West, Buckley, et al. (2018) and the Washoe County School District described by Davidson et al. (2018), Alpine School District (ASD) partnered with Brigham Young University (BYU) to develop a scale (80 items) that reflected their Vision for Learning framework. In this pilot study, I describe the collaborative and iterative process used to develop a shortened version of the ASD Social and Emotional Well-Being Scale …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Risky Behaviors And Health Changes In African-American Smokers Who Are Eligible For Ldct Screening, Tung-Sung Tseng, Mirandy Li, Yu Hsiang Kao, Lei Shih Chen, Hui Yi Lin

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted much of day-to-day life in the US and around the world. Smokers have a higher risk of adverse outcomes due to COVID-19. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on risky behaviors and health changes in lower income African-American smokers eligible for Low dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening, who may be more adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 22 African-American daily smokers who were eligible for LDCT screening participated in this study. The mean age of participants was 61.2 years old (SD = 4.7), 77.3% of the smokers were female, all participants …

Trademarks And Genericide: A Corpus And Experimental Approach To Understanding The Semantic Status Of Trademarks, Richard B. Bevan

Theses and Dissertations

Genericide is the process by which a trademarked term is used generically by the public and ultimately loses its legal trademark protections. The linguistic methods that courts have used to determine whether a given term is in the process of or has undergone genericide have historically relied on dictionaries. However, there has a been recent push to use corpus linguistics as a tool to aid in that determination for not only trademarks but word meaning in general (Hoopes, 2019; Lee & Mouritsen, 2018). In addition to corpus data, I argue that the use of experimental data via a linguistic questionnaire …

Injectable Decellularized Nucleus Pulposus Tissue Exhibits Neuroinhibitory Properties, Logan M. Piening, David J. Lillyman, Fei San Lee, Alvaro Moreno Lozano, Jeremy R. Miles, Rebecca A. Wachs

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability, but treatments for LBP are limited. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc due to loss of neuroinhibitory sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs) allows nerves from dorsal root ganglia to grow into the core of the disc. Treatment with a decellularized tissue hydrogel that contains sGAGs may inhibit nerve growth and prevent discassociated LBP.

Methods: A protocol to decellularize porcine nucleus pulposus (NP) was adapted from previous methods. DNA, sGAG, α-gal antigen, and collagen content were analyzed before and after decellularization. The decellularized tissue was then enzymatically modified to be …

Advancing The Industrial Sectors Participation In Demand Response Within National Electricity Grids, Alexander Brem, Dominic T.J O'Sullivan, Ken Bruton

Publications

Increasing the level and diversifying the sources of flexible capacity available to transmission system operators will be a pivotal factor for maintaining reliable control of national electricity grids. These response capacities are widely available; however, one area with large capacities that could benefit from advancements is the industrial sector. This sector’s highly regulated nature ensures that structured procedures and thorough investigations are required to implement significant change. This study presents a systematic methodology to effectively categorise assets and evaluate their perceived risk of participation in demand response, allowing industries to present a sustainable portfolio of flexible capacity to the grid. …