Digital Commons Network^™

2023 Teacher Working Conditions In South Carolina Rural And Town Schools, Angela Starrett, Svetlana Dmitrieva, Alyssa Raygoza, Brian Cartiff, Ruiqin Gao, Shea Ferguson, Beatrice Quiroz, Henry Tran

Reports

This report builds off of the 2023 SC Teacher Working Conditions Survey to better understand nuances in teacher perceptions by location. Using National Center for Educations Statistics (NCES) designations of “town” and “rural,” key questions investigate how school profiles and working conditions vary within these categories to potentially inform distinct improvement strategies.

A Socio-Cultural Analysis Of Work, Love And Family In South Korean Dramas, Emily Stier Adler, Emily Farmer

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

Plastics And The Environment, I. E. Napper, R. C. Thompson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Plastics are persistent and pervasive throughout the environment and have now been reported from the deepest parts of the ocean to the tops of the highest and most remote mountains. There is a body of information on the sources, degradation, and transport of plastics as well as a variety of research investigating the ecotoxicological and wider ecological consequences of plastic ingestion and accumulation. Such knowledge has been obtained with developments in field and laboratory methods for plastic identification and then well-publicized in the media and wider public communications. However, although there has been a large focus on plastic pollution within …

The Echo: November 13, 2023, Taylor University

2023-2024 (Volume 111)

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Exosome Protein Panels As Predictive Biomarkers For Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Bin Luo, Zujun Que, Xinyi Lu, Dan Qi, Zhi Qiao, Yun Yang, Fangfang Qian, Yi Jiang, Yan Li, Ronghu Ke, Xiaoyun Shen, Hua Xiao, Hegen Li, Erxi Wu, Jianhui Tian

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, primarily due to its propensity for metastasis. Patients diagnosed with localized primary cancer have higher survival rates than those with metastasis. Thus, it is imperative to discover biomarkers for the early detection of NSCLC and the timely prediction of tumor metastasis to improve patient outcomes.

Methods: Here, we utilized an integrated approach to isolate and characterize plasma exosomes from NSCLC patients as well as healthy individuals. We then conducted proteomics analysis and parallel reaction monitoring to identify and validate the top-ranked proteins of plasma exosomes.

Results: …

Conduct Relating To The Practice Of Law: Aba Model Rule 8.4(G) And Its History In Light Of The Constitution, Nathan Moelker

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

The ABA adopted a revision to the Model Rules in 2016, prohibiting harassment and discrimination against a list of protected classes. The Rule, while well-intentioned and targeted at a serious problem, was broadly phrased to include a large category of protected speech and behavior. The Rule has already faced extensive and well-crafted challenges from the perspective of the Free Speech Clause. This article argues that two additional provisions of the First Amendment—the Free Exercise Clause and Freedom of Association—further illustrate the failure of the Rule and the alarmingly wide-ranging effects of such a prohibition on attorney conduct.

Improving The Thermal Comfort Of Industrial Building Using Insulation Materials, Hosam Amr, Androw Khairy

Journal of Engineering Research

industrial buildings are one of the larges used t worldwide, and every day it grows noticeably in many different forms of projects so , the introduction of insulation materials was very essential, and their development for enhancing a variety of parameters such as thermal comfort inside the building which became one of the very important aspects in industrial buildings. Design of any industrial building should be to the lowest cost keeping in consideration importance of thermal comfort and its contribution in the productivity improvement of the workers as well as the administrative employee as well as reducing the high costs …

Improving The Thermal Comfort Of Industrial Building Using Insulation Materials, Hosam Amr, Androw Khairy

Journal of Engineering Research

industrial buildings are one of the larges used t worldwide, and every day it grows noticeably in many different forms of projects so , the introduction of insulation materials was very essential, and their development for enhancing a variety of parameters such as thermal comfort inside the building which became one of the very important aspects in industrial buildings. Design of any industrial building should be to the lowest cost keeping in consideration importance of thermal comfort and its contribution in the productivity improvement of the workers as well as the administrative employee as well as reducing the high costs …

Patient Navigational Tool Increase Resource Use In A Latino Population, Kimberly Burrus

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: The practice problem is a patient navigation tool in a mobile health clinic for the Latino population to help improve utilization of resources within Daviess County, Indiana, and improve overall health literacy and health of those populations?

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In a mobile health clinic serving Latino populations (P), does a navigation tool (I) compared to current practices (C) improve utilization of services (O) within a 12-week timeframe (T)?

Evidence: The evidence that guided this project showed patients with limited English proficiency, immigrant families have a disparity of health literacy, and an …

Association Of Anemia With Mortality In Young Adult Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage, Yixin Tian, Yu Zhang, Jialing He, Pengfei Hao, Tiangui Li, Yangchun Xiao, Liyuan Peng, Yuning Feng, Xin Cheng, Haidong Deng, Peng Wang, Weelic Chong, Yang Hai, Lvlin Chen, Chao You, Fang Fang

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

This study aimed to examine the association of hemoglobin concentration with a 90-day mortality of young adult patients with ICH in a large retrospective cohort. A retrospective observational study was conducted between December 2013 and June 2019 in two tertiary academic medical centers in China. We defined patients with hemoglobin concentration < 80 g/L as severe anemia and 80-120/130 g/L as mild to moderate anemia. We also defined patients with hemoglobin concentration > 160 g/L as high hemoglobin. Associations of hemoglobin and outcomes were evaluated in multivariable regression analyses. The primary outcome was mortality at 90 days. We identified 4098 patients with ICH who met the inclusion criteria. After adjusting primary confounding variables, the 90-day mortality rate was significantly higher in young …

Usp38 Exacerbates Atrial Inflammation, Fibrosis, And Susceptibility To Atrial Fibrillation After Myocardial Infarction In Mice, Yang Gong, Tingting Yu, Wei Shuai, Tao Chen, Jingjing Zhang, He Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF) after myocardial infarction (MI). The role of USP38, a member of the ubiquitin-specific protease family, on MI-induced atrial inflammation, fibrosis, and associated AF is unclear.

METHODS: In this study, we surgically constructed a mouse MI model using USP38 cardiac conditional knockout (USP38-CKO) and cardiac-specific overexpression (USP38-TG) mice and applied biochemical, histological, electrophysiological characterization and molecular biology to investigate the effects of USP38 on atrial inflammation, fibrosis, and AF and its mechanisms.

RESULTS: Our results revealed that USP38-CKO attenuates atrial inflammation, thereby ameliorating fibrosis, and abnormal electrophysiologic properties, …

Enforcing Equity, Daiquiri J. Steele

Northwestern University Law Review

Federal administrative agencies that enforce workplace laws have dual responsibilities: (1) to prevent or remedy noncompliance with the underlying workplace law and (2) to prevent or remedy noncompliance with the law’s antiretaliation provisions. Disparities based on race, sex, and their intersection exist with respect to both of these types of employer noncompliance, as female workers and workers of color experience more violations of the substantive provisions and the retaliation provisions of these laws. While effective enforcement is vital to preserving workplace regulation as a whole, there is also an equity component to enforcement. Because workplace law violations disproportionately harm women …

The Importance Of A Healthy Microbiome In Pregnancy And Infancy And Microbiota Treatment To Reverse Dysbiosis For Improved Health, Herbert L Dupont, Madeleine Mary Hines Salge

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The microbiome of newborn infants during the first 1000 days, influenced early on by their mothers' microbiome health, mode of delivery and breast feeding, orchestrates the education and programming of the infant's immune system and determines in large part the general health of the infant for years.

METHODS: PubMed was reviewed for maternal infant microbiome health and microbiota therapy in this setting with prebiotics, probiotics, vaginal seeding and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT).

RESULTS: A healthy nonobese mother, vaginal delivery and strict breast feeding contribute to microbiome health in a newborn and young infant. With reduced microbiome diversity (dysbiosis) during …

Community Exercise Program Participation And Mental Well-Being In The U.S. Texas-Mexico Border Region, Alma G. Ochoa Del-Toro, Lisa A. Mitchell-Bennett, Michael Machiorlatti, Candace A. Robledo, Amanda C. Davé, Rebecca N. Lozoya, Belinda M. Reininger

School of Medicine Publications

Hispanics are disproportionately affected by low rates of physical activity and high rates of chronic diseases. Hispanics generally and Mexican Americans specifically are underrepresented in research on physical activity and its impact on mental well-being. Some community-based interventions have been effective in increasing physical activity among Hispanics. This study examined data from a sample of low-income Hispanic participants in free community exercise classes to characterize the association between self-reported frequency of exercise class attendance, intensity of physical activity, and participant well-being. As part of two cross-sectional samples recruited from a stratified random sample of community exercise classes, 302 participants completed …

The Influence Of The “Hayah Karima” Initiative On The Standard Of Living Of Egyptian Citizens: Evidence From The Menofia Governorate, Merihan Sharara

Theses and Dissertations

Social protection programs have been used in several developing countries in order to aid in their development efforts. In Egypt, “Hayah Karima”, an initiative which represents a developmental initiative endorsed by Egypt’s President Al-Sisi, aims to minimize the developmental gaps among citizens in terms of standards of living. “Hayah Karima” is based on governmental finance in partnership with the private sector. This paper covers this initiative and its different aspects as well as their possible impact on the standards of living for citizens in El- Menofia Governorate. The paper also includes 71 surveys conducted with different partners and beneficiaries of …

Afghan State Survival: How Education Influences Political Development, Fumiko Hedlund

Space and Defense

Student Contribution

The United States poured over fifty-two billion dollars of aid, ten years of operations, and 1,854 military members’ lives into war-torn Afghanistan, but these investments did not create a stable state.1 The successful recovery of the country and its long-term stability depend on the Afghan state’s ability to mature in capability and permanency. Although many factors influence political development, education remains a dynamic part of long-term development, and in Afghanistan’s case, can reduce the populace’s support of radicalism. Education allows political participation, increasing political development and improving the probability of state survival.

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - November 10, 2023, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the November 10, 2023 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include:

• Whiddon College of Medicine representatives host sessions at AAMC annual meeting
• Members of the USA SRFC present posters at national conference
• Bauer discusses potential of extracellular vesicles at international lung vascular biology conference
• Whiddon College of Medicine staff recognized for excellence
• Medical students educate Greek chapters about opioids
• Pierce awarded 2023 Mayer Mitchell Award for Excellence in Cancer Research
• Crews receives Marsha Raulerson Advocacy Award
• Miller to present Frazer/Leigh Memorial Lecture

The Beacon, November 10, 2023, Beacon Staff

The Beacon, 2023-2024

Veterans Day: Paying Tribute at NW; Explanation of U.S. support for Israel; Artist Poppy's counter-cultural album; Much anticipated movie lacking direction; Theatre Professor shares story of grief; Behind the scenes of Northwestern's "Matilda"; Students enjoy various activities in the cold; The Israel/U.S. "Special Relationship"; What does Monsma's office contain; Honoring American Veterans; Is it really not that deep?; A moniker of the male lifestyle; Raider volleyball ranked first in NAIA; Women's basketball season with strong start; Cold temperatures did not affect player performance; Collective pursuit of vocational thriving; NW hosts "Disability and the Gospel" conference;

The Student Movement Volume 108 Issue 8: Conducting Us Into The Season, Brooklyn Anderson, Grace No, Colin Cha, Aiko J. Ayala Rios, Amelia Stefanescu, Nate Miller, Madison Vath, Reagan Mccain, Melissa Moore, Katie Davis, Kiheon Chung, Ruben Colón, Corinna Bevier, Erin Beers, Reagan Westerman, Lexie Dunham, Anna Rybachek, Elianna Fisher, Gio Lee

The Student Movement v. 108 (2023-2024)

HUMANS

Eating Healthier at Andrews, Brooklyn Anderson

Honors Research with Shania Watts, Grace No

Social Media: Is It Really Social?, Colin Cha

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Journey to the Marvelous God - A double conducting recital, Aiko J. Ayala Rios

Love, Murder, and Secrets: A Night At The MSU French Film Festival, Amelia Stefanescu

What To Do About National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day, Nate Miller

Places to Go: The Lake Michigan College Mendel Center, Madison Vath

NEWS

Argentina Election Article, Regan McCain

Qualitative Research Writing Group: Your Research Accountability Partner, Melissa Moore

Self-Driving Taxis, Katie Davis

Students' reactions to Andrews's …

Factors Affecting Forage Quality And The Subsequent Response In Production And Energy Metabolism In Lactating Jersey Cows, Kassidy Kate Buse

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Forage quality is the potential of a forage to produce a production response in animals. Because of how essential they are in dairy cattle rations, forages can have major influence on the behavior and production of dairy cattle. In experiment 1, the effect of forage fragility on the rumen environment and digestibility was evaluated. Increasing the inclusion of a less fragile forage led to greater rumen retention time, which resulted in lower rumen pH and greater NDF digestibility. Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of diets high in either corn silage or alfalfa haylage supplemented with either corn- or soy-based protein …

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fiducial Placement For Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy In Patients With Pancreatic Cancer, Irina M Cazacu, Ben S Singh, Rachael M Martin-Paulpeter, Sam Beddar, Stephen Chun, Emma B Holliday, Albert C Koong, Prajnan Das, Eugene J Koay, Cullen Taniguchi, Joseph M Herman, Manoop S Bhutani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Accurate delivery of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to pancreatic tumors relies on successful EUS-guided placement of fiducial markers. The aim of this study is to report the technical feasibility and safety of EUS-guided fiducial placement and to evaluate the characteristics and technical benefit of SBRT in a cohort of patients with pancreatic cancer (PC). A retrospective chart review was performed for all (n = 82) PC patients referred for EUS-guided fiducial placement by a single endosonographer at a tertiary cancer center. Data regarding EUS-related technical details, SBRT characteristics, adverse events, and continuous visibility of fiducials were recorded and analyzed. …

Employing A Fractional Basis Set To Solve Nonlinear Multidimensional Fractional Differential Equations, Md. Habibur Rahman, Muhammad I. Bhatti, Nicholas Dimakis

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Fractional-order partial differential equations have gained significant attention due to their wide range of applications in various fields. This paper employed a novel technique for solving nonlinear multidimensional fractional differential equations by means of a modified version of the Bernstein polynomials called the Bhatti-fractional polynomials basis set. The method involved approximating the desired solution and treated the resulting equation as a matrix equation. All fractional derivatives are considered in the Caputo sense. The resulting operational matrix was inverted, and the desired solution was obtained. The effectiveness of the method was demonstrated by solving two specific types of nonlinear multidimensional fractional …

Synthetic Studies Of Potential New Ketogenic Molecules, Mohammad Nazmus Sakib

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ketogenic diet has gained popularity in the past few decades among people and physicians due to its various health benefits. A significant amount of research has been done for the modification of the original ketogenic diet and investigation of its potential health benefits. However, synthesis of novel ketogenic compounds as a dietary supplement has not received the same level of attention. That is the primary objective of this research project. The first chapter of this manuscript describes the synthesis of various short and medium chain esters of different polyols that have been done so far, and areas of their …

Psychological Distress, Resilience, And The Impact On Quality Of Life In Breast Cancer Survivors With Taxane-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy, Lauren Schwab

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation study was to longitudinally examine psychological distress (depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms), resilience, and the impact on quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer survivors (BCS) with taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy (TIPN). The specific aims were 1) to describe psychological distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms) in BCS with TIPN and the impact on QOL using a scoping review; 2) to determine the relationship between psychological distress, QOL, and resilience in BCS with TIPN over time in a 16-week randomized controlled trial (RCT); and 3) to determine if resilience moderates psychological distress and QOL in BCS with …

Correlations Between Mental Health, Physical Activity, And Body Composition In American College Students After The Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown, Luis Torres, Manuela C Caciula, Alin S Tomoiaga, Carmen Gugu-Gramatopol

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic had forced American college students to significantly reduce their daily energy expenditure and increase their sedentary behaviors, thus presumably increasing mental health symptoms, decreasing physical activity levels, and enhancing the promotion of unhealthy eating habits. This study aimed to explore the correlations between mental health symptoms, physical activity levels, and body composition in college students in the years following the pandemic, focusing on the lingering effects of lockdown measures. American college students completed pre-existing, well-validated surveys for both mental health (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire—Long Form). Body …

Barriers And Enablers Of Weight Loss Maintenance After Bariatric Surgery, Shukri Farah Mohamed

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Weight loss maintenance following bariatric surgery is still a challenging task, with a great probability of failure and weight regain. Aims: This qualitative study aimed to use the socialecological model to better understand barriers and facilitators of weight loss maintenance in adult Emiratis who have undergone bariatric surgery. Methods: This qualitative research involved in-depth individual interviews of 35 adults who performed bariatric surgery at Altaie Center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates between January 2018, and December 2019 (40 % male) with a mean age of 36.3±8.6 years. The only two surgeries included in this study were sleeve gastrectomy (SG) …

Assessing The Validity Of Several Heart Rate Monitors In Wearable Technology While Mountain Biking, Bryson Carrier, Robert W. Salatto, Dustin W. Davis, Jacquelyn Sertic, Brenna Barrios, Graham R. Mcginnis, Tedd Girouard, Benjamin E. Burroughs, James W. Navalta

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(7): 1440-1450, 2023. Purpose: This study sought to assess the validity of several heart rate (HR) monitors in wearable technology during mountain biking (MTB), compared to the Polar H7® HR monitor, used as the criterion device. Methods: A total of 20 participants completed two MTB trials while wearing six HR monitors (5 test devices, 1 criterion). HR was recorded on a second-by-second basis for all devices analyzed. After data processing, validity measures were calculated, including 1. error analysis: mean absolute percentage errors (MAPE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean error (ME), and 2. Correlation analysis: …

The Effects Of Pre-Exercise Ice-Slurry Ingestion On Thermoregulation And Exercise Performance Of Highly Trained Athletes: A Scoping Review, Gopathi Pranita Ms., Keren Susan Cherian [email protected], Kommi Kalpana Dr

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(2): 1398-1412, 2023. Ice-slurry prepared from plain ice, crushed ice, or sports drink has been used as a cooling strategy before exercise to regulate body temperature and improve exercise performance. However, consensus regarding the benefit is unclear. Therefore, the present review aimed to study the effects of pre-exercise ice-slurry ingestion on thermoregulation and exercise performance of highly trained athletes. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist was used. The data extraction was done using the search engine Google Scholar, and digital repositories such as Cochrane, Scopus, Medline, …

Food For Thought: Rituals In Place Based Learning, Natalia Pilato

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

In my mother’s kitchen lasting bonds among family, friends, and newcomers are created. Using that space as a point of departure, I explore the significance of pedagogical places outside of classrooms that serve as flavorful ingredients for performative and participatory learning. This article articulates ways in which rituals associated with Sicilian cultural traditions are interwoven and complicit in establishing dispositions for socially engaged learning and teaching in the arts, showing how an ethic of care can transcend generations. With a focus on place-based learning, making art and enjoying food are investigated to show how healthy productive relationships, appreciation for beauty, …

A Novel Machine-Learning Framework Based On A Hierarchy Of Dispute Models For The Identification Of Fish Species Using Multi-Mode Spectroscopy, Mitchell Sueker, Amirreza Daghighi, Alireza Akhbardeh, Nicholas Mackinnon, Gregory Bearman, Insuck Baek, Chansong Hwang, Jianwei Qin, Amanda M. Tabb, Jiahleen Roungchun, Rosalee S. Hellberg, Fartash Vasefi, Moon Kim, Kouhyar Tavakolian, Hossein Kashini Zadeh

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Seafood mislabeling rates of approximately 20% have been reported globally. Traditional methods for fish species identification, such as DNA analysis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are expensive and time-consuming, and require skilled technicians and specialized equipment. The combination of spectroscopy and machine learning presents a promising approach to overcome these challenges. In our study, we took a comprehensive approach by considering a total of 43 different fish species and employing three modes of spectroscopy: fluorescence (Fluor), and reflectance in the visible near-infrared (VNIR) and short-wave near-infrared (SWIR). To achieve higher accuracies, we developed a novel machine-learning framework, where groups of …