Digital Commons Network^™

Model For Measuring U.S. Army Warfighter’S Critical Thinking Skills: A Meta-Analysis, Danita Kornegay Ladson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of Conservative Management Versus Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy In The Prevention Of Recurrent Symptoms And Complications In Adults With Uncomplicated Symptomatic Gallstone Disease (C-Gall Trial): Pragmatic, Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial, Irfan Ahmed, Jemma Hudson, Karen Innes, Rodolfo Hernández, Katie Gillies, Rebecca Bruce, Victoria Bell, Alison Avenell, Jane Blazeby, Miriam Brazzelli, Seonaidh Cotton, Bernard Croal, Mark Forrest, Graeme Maclennan, Peter Murchie, Samantha Wileman, Craig Ramsay, C-Gall Study Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of conservative management compared with laparoscopic cholecystectomy for the prevention of symptoms and complications in adults with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstone disease.

DESIGN: Parallel group, pragmatic randomised, superiority trial.

SETTING: 20 secondary care centres in the UK.

PARTICIPANTS: 434 adults (>18 years) with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstone disease referred to secondary care, assessed for eligibility between August 2016 and November 2019, and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive conservative management or laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

INTERVENTIONS: Conservative management or surgical removal of the gallbladder.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary patient outcome was quality of life, measured …

Demographic History Shapes North American Gray Wolf Genomic Diversity And Informs Species' Conservation, Bridgett M. Vonholdt, Daniel R. Stahler, Kristin Brzeski, Marco Musiani, Rolf O. Peterson, Michael Phillips, John Stephenson, Kent Laudon, Erin Meredith, John Vucetich, Jennifer A. Leonard, Robert K. Wayne

Michigan Tech Publications

Effective population size estimates are critical information needed for evolutionary predictions and conservation decisions. This is particularly true for species with social factors that restrict access to breeding or experience repeated fluctuations in population size across generations. We investigated the genomic estimates of effective population size along with diversity, subdivision, and inbreeding from 162,109 minimally filtered and 81,595 statistically neutral and unlinked SNPs genotyped in 437 grey wolf samples from North America collected between 1986 and 2021. We found genetic structure across North America, represented by three distinct demographic histories of western, central, and eastern regions of the continent. Further, …

A Comparison Of A Novel Optimized Gsdmm Model With K-Means Clustering For Topic Modelling Of Free Text, H Abdelmotaleb, M Wojtys, C Mcneile

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Statistical topic modelling has become an important tool in the text processing field, because more applications are using it to handle the increasing amount of available text data, e.g. from social media platforms. The aim of topic modelling is to discover the main themes or topics from a collection of text documents. While several models have been developed, there is no consensus on evaluating the models, and how to determine the best hyper-parameters of the model. In this research, we develop a method for evaluating topic models for short text that employs word embedding and measuring within-topic variability and separation …

Predicting Volunteerism Through Factors Of Emotional Intelligence, Self-Efficacy, And Education Level, Dan Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Scaffolded Simulation In Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Education, Lori Bobo, Stacy Mikel, Yolanda Chandler, Hungwei Tseng

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of using scaffolded clinical simulations on nursing students’ confidence in clinical reasoning, clinical judgment, and critical thinking skills. Next, we also attempted to gain insights into students’ perceptions of the benefits of scaffolded clinical simulations.

Method: We used a mixed-methods research design to investigate the impacts of using scaffolded clinical simulations on 133 second-semester baccalaureate nursing students’ confidence in clinical reasoning, clinical judgment, and critical thinking skills.

Results: Findings from this study indicate that students who perceived the benefits of scaffolded simulation activities (i.e., peer observations, debriefings, and self-reflections) …

Coarsening Dynamics Of Ternary Polymer Solutions With Mobility And Viscosity Contrasts, Jan Ulric Garcia, Douglas R. Tree, Alyssa Bagoyo, Tatsuhiro Iwama, Kris T. Delaney, Glenn H. Fredrickson

Faculty Publications

Using phase-field simulations, we investigate the bulk coarsening dynamics of ternary polymer solutions undergoing a glass transition for two models of phase separation: diffusion only and with hydrodynamics. The glass transition is incorporated in both models by imposing mobility and viscosity contrasts between the polymer-rich and polymer-poor phases of the evolving microstructure. For microstructures composed of polymer-poor clusters in a polymer-rich matrix, the mobility and viscosity contrasts significantly hinder coarsening, effectively leading to structural arrest. For microstructures composed of polymer-rich clusters in a polymer-poor matrix, the mobility and viscosity contrasts do not impede domain growth; rather, they change the transient …

Effects Of Foot And Ankle Mobilisations Combined With Home Stretches In People With Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Proof-Of-Concept Rct, Vasileios Lepesis, Joanne Paton, Alec Rickard, Jos M. Latour, Jonathan Marsden

School of Health Professions

Introduction People with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and limited joint mobility syndrome (LJMS) can experience increased forefoot peak plantar pressures (PPPs), a known risk factor for ulceration. The aim of this study was to investigate whether ankle and 1st metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint mobilisations and home-based stretches in people with DPN improve joint range of motion (ROM) and reduce forefoot PPPs. Design and methods Sixty-one people with DPN (IWGDF risk 2), were randomly assigned to a 6-week programme of ankle and 1st MTP joint mobilisations (n = 31) and home-based stretches or standard care only (n = 30). At baseline (T0); …

Benefits Of Sharing Neurophysiology Data From The Brain Initiative Research Opportunities In Humans Consortium, Vasiliki Rahimzadeh, Kathryn Maxson Jones, Mary A Majumder, Michael J Kahana, Ueli Rutishauser, Ziv M Williams, Sydney S Cash, Angelique C Paulk, Jie Zheng, Michael S Beauchamp, Jennifer L Collinger, Nader Pouratian, Amy L Mcguire, Sameer A Sheth

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Sharing human brain data can yield scientific benefits, but because of various disincentives, only a fraction of these data is currently shared. We profile three successful data-sharing experiences from the NIH BRAIN Initiative Research Opportunities in Humans (ROH) Consortium and demonstrate benefits to data producers and to users.

Understanding Drivers Of Local Opposition To Renewable Energy Projects To Improve Adoption Of Clean Energy, Bryson Russell

Theses

The world faces a crisis; climate change is beginning to show more damaging effects on our planet. Without human intervention to stop these effects from worsening, they are predicted to escalate, such as mass extinctions and more frequent natural disasters. In order to curb climate change, the world must begin a transition to renewable and green energy sources as soon as it is feasible. One of the potential forces slowing the transition to renewables is the public's perception and opposition. For example, a spot for a photovoltaic solar farm may be the most economically optimal, but if the community does …

Effect Of Fabrication Pressure And Nmc Cathode Composition On Lpscl Electrolyte For Solid-State Battery Performance Improvement, Winervil James

Theses

Batteries are a key energy storage solution for a sustainable energy future. They provide carbon free power to portable devices such as mobile phones, laptops, and even electric vehicles. With further improvements to battery performance¸ the diversity of machines that can be electrified will increase. Solid state batteries (SSBs) have the potential to provide much greater energy density compared to conventional batteries. Greater energy density will help address the power to size ratio limitation of conventional batteries. Despite improvements in these major areas, SSBs still face some significant operational challenges. The study herein focuses on improving the performance of a …

Evaluation Of Four Ground-Based Retrievals Of Cloud Droplet Number Concentration In Marine Stratocumulus With Aircraft In Situ Measurements, Damao Zhang, Andrew M. Vogelmann, Fan Yang, Edward Luke, Pavlos Kollias, Zhien Wang, Peng Wu, William I. Gustafson, Fan Mei, Susanne Glienke, Jason Tomlinson, Neel Desai

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Cloud droplet number concentration (Nd) is crucial for understanding aerosol–cloud interactions (ACI) and associated radiative effects. We present evaluations of four ground-based Nd retrievals based on comprehensive datasets from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA) field campaign. The Nd retrieval methods use ARM ENA observatory ground-based remote sensing observations from a micropulse lidar, Raman lidar, cloud radar, and the ARM NDROP (Droplet Number Concentration) value-added product (VAP), all of which also retrieve cloud effective radius (re). The retrievals are compared against aircraft measurements from the fast cloud droplet probe (FCDP) and …

Producing And Applying Runtime Adjustments To Semantic Textures, Omar Galal El Sheikh

Defensive Publications Series

Semantic textures are labels associated with objects or regions in a scene, map, or video, and they enable the accurate interpretation of geospatial content. Auto-generated semantic textures frequently include mislabeled regions, e.g., water labeled as ground (and vice-versa). This disclosure describes techniques to enable the touching-up (correcting of semantic labels) of two- or three-dimensional maps, scenes, or videos such that the touch-ups precisely correspond to real-world locations. Touch-up edits can be executed by painting over existing semantic textures using lat-long-centered, touch-up texture tiles as paint brushes within a photo-editing software. The parameters of the touch-up tile, e.g., its resolution, its …

Body, House, And City: The Intertwinings Of Embodiment, Inhabitation And Civilization, Bernd Jager

Duquesne Studies in Phenomenology

No abstract provided.

Reaching The Hard To Reach: Effective Early Detection Of Breast Cancer In Low Income Communities, Sapir Flank, Sacha Roberts, Klaudia Koziol, Giulia Diraimo, Abbas Smiley, Maria Castaldi

Journal of Health Research

Background: Breast cancer disproportionately affects low-income communities. A handheld, portable breast scanner (iBE, Intelligent Breast Exam) offers access to breast screening to improve early detection rates for these populations. The objective of this study is to assess usefulness of a handheld breast scanner, iBE, in screening breast lesions as a public health initiative in communities with historically low rates of breast cancer screening.

Methods: Women presenting to inner city and suburban community center outreach events May 2021 through October 2021 were recruited. Women overdue for mammography or with positive clinical breast exams (CBE) and/or iBE were referred for mammography. The …

Development And Implementation Of A Unique, Tailored School Lunch Training Program For Teachers And Their Stakeholders At Public Primary Schools In Thailand, Kantanit Chammari, Arisa Keeratichamroen, Kitti Sranacharoenpong, Punnee Ponprachanuvut, Nuttarat Srisangwan, Piyanit Churak, Panrawee Praditsorn

Journal of Health Research

Background: Although teachers responsible for the school lunch program were trained by the Ministry of Education (MOE) staff, they were not equipped with the basic knowledge of nutrition for children. This study aimed to develop and implement a unique, tailored school lunch training program for teachers and their stakeholders.

Methods: The training program was developed using the “Design for Learning (D4L) model.” Public primary schools run by the government from all regions of Thailand were selected. Target persons included principals, health teachers, nutrition teachers, cooks, and local staff from the MOE. All participants participated in a 5-day training course. …

The Same Threat, Differential Vulnerability: Invariances In Antecedents To Covid-19 Pandemic Preventive Behavior Among Malaysian And Filipino Undergraduates, Ian Phil Canlas, Mageswary Karpudewan

Journal of Health Research

Background: The differential approach made by various national governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic triggered differences in the number of recorded daily cases and deaths. This prompted the researchers to explore the interaction of and invariances in values, beliefs, and norms on COVID-19 pandemic preventive behavior among Malaysian and Filipino undergraduates.

Method: The study followed the survey research methods using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire whose items were adapted from literature, data were collected from 143 Malaysian and 157 Filipino undergraduates from two state universities between November and December 2020. Data were analyzed through partial least squares-structural equation modeling …

The Role Of Virtual Electronic Education In Rehabilitating Prison Inmates And Integrating Them Into Society From Their Viewpoint "The Experience Of The Syrian Virtual University In Damascus Central Prison As A Model". دور التعليم الإلكتروني الافتراضي في تأهيل نزلاء السجون ودمجهم في المجتمع من وجهة نظرهم "تجربة الجامعة الافتراضية السورية بسجن دمشق المركزي نموذجاً", Demaa Hasan

Association of Arab Universities Journal for Education and Psychology

This study aimed at investigating the role of virtual e-learning in rehabilitating prison inmates and integrating them into society from their viewpoint. A Descriptive analytical approach was undertaken in this study. The total number of participants was 60 student- prisoners in Damascus Central Prison during the first semester S22 of the academic year 2022-2023. The instrument of the study was a questionnaire included 22 items under three dimensions. The SPSS statistical program was used to analyze the study data and the hypotheses were tested at the level of significance (α= 0.05). The results confirmed the positive role of virtual e-learning …

Biological Sciences Report, Angela Brock

Program Review Committee

No abstract provided.

Social Work Report, Angela Brock

Program Review Committee

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Correlation Between Teachers’ Instructional Communication And Students’ Motivation, Reza Anggriyashati Adara, Josi Nur Panuntas Al Amin

Informasi

There is an anecdotal evidence that teachers’ instructional communication can affect students’ communication. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the correlation between teachers’ instructional communication and students’ motivation. The present study applies a quantitative approach by distributing a set of questionnaires to 52 participants in a senior high school in Bekasi, Indonesia. The findings of the present study indicate a strong correlation between teachers’ instruction communication and students’ motivation. In addition, the most salient factors of teachers’ instructional communication are feedback and organization of instructional units or teachers’ ability to deliver the materials. Regarding students’ motivation, the majority of …

Pisa In Brief 2022: Student Performance And Equity In Education, Lisa De Bortoli, Catherine Underwood, Sue Thomson

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an assessment that measures the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students, an age at which they have nearly completed compulsory schooling. PISA assesses young adults’ ability to apply their knowledge and skills to real-life problems and situations rather than how well they have learned a specific curriculum. This PISA in Brief report provides a summary of student performance in the PISA 2022 assessment and tells us about their capacity to apply knowledge and skills in the domains of reading, mathematical, and scientific literacy.

Spinoza And Enlightened Pleasures, Charlie Huenemann

Communication Studies and Philosophy Faculty Publications

Spinoza recognizes that worldly pleasures are not contrary to the life of the philosophical sage, but such pursuits must be carefully directed. He distinguishes between a joy that affects only some parts of the body (titillatio) and joy that extends through the body as a whole (hilaritas or "cheerfulness"). Titillation can be excessive, since it can blind us to our other needs. But cheerfulness cannot be excessive, since the whole body is improved at once. In his account of cheerfulness, Spinoza can be understood to be describing the life of a liefhebber, which is the Dutch …

Maria Del Rosario Hernandez V. Microbilt Corp

2023 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Usa V. Jamar Hunter

2023 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Usa V. Jabbar Pierce

2023 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Republic Franklin Insurance Co V. Travelers Casualty Insurance Co Of America

2023 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Christopher West V. Mark Emig

2023 Decisions

USDC for the District of Delaware

Is Your Computer Lying? Ai And Deception, Noreen L. Herzfeld

Reuter Professorship of Science and Religion Publications

Recent developments in AI, especially the spectacular success of Large Language models, have instigated renewed questioning of what remains distinctively human. As AI stands poised to take over more and more human tasks, what is left that distinguishes humans? One way we might identify a humanlike intelligence would be when we detect it telling lies. Yet AIs lack both the intention and the motivation to truly tell lies, instead producing merely bullshit. With neither emotions, embodiment, nor the social awareness that leads to a theory of mind, AIs lack the internal referents on which to judge truth or falsity. When …

Association Between Viral Infections And Glioma Risk: A Two-Sample Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Analysis, Sheng Zhong, Wenzhuo Yang, Zhiyun Zhang, Yangyiran Xie, Lin Pan, Jiaxin Ren, Fei Ren, Yifan Li, Haoqun Xie, Hongyu Chen, Davy Deng, Jie Lu, Hui Li, Bo Wu, Youqi Chen, Fei Peng, Vinay K Puduvalli, Ke Sai, Yunqian Li, Ye Cheng, Yonggao Mou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Glioma is one of the leading types of brain tumor, but few etiologic factors of primary glioma have been identified. Previous observational research has shown an association between viral infection and glioma risk. In this study, we used Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the direction and magnitude of the causal relationship between viral infection and glioma.

Methods: We conducted a two-sample bidirectional MR analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Summary statistics data of glioma were collected from the largest meta-analysis GWAS, involving 12,488 cases and 18,169 controls. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with exposures were used as instrumental …