Digital Commons Network^™

Prognostic Influence Of Weight Loss On Overweight/Obese Young Heart Failure Patients, Shan He, Xiaonan Guan, Jianjun Zhang

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To explore the prognostic influence of weight loss (WL) on young overweight/obesity (OW/OB) individuals with heart failure (HF). Methods: Heart failure enrollees (younger than 45 years, body mass index [BMI] of ≥25 kg/m 2 ) who received medical treatment at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Beijing, China, were classified into 2 groups according to whether they experienced significant WL (≥5% from baseline one year after discharge). One-year occurrence rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) comprising cardiac death and rehospitalization for HF was determined. Results: Of the 191 individuals recruited for this study, 47 had significant WL. The incidence of ischemic …

Outcomes Of Carotid Endarterectomy: Insights From A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study, Sultan Alsheikh, Badr Aljabri, Tariq Alanezi, Mussaad Al-Salman, Mohammed Y. Aldossary, Abdulatif H. Almashat, Hend S. Elmutawi, Rakan A. Aldoghmani, Talal Altuwaijri, Kaisor Iqbal, Abdulmajeed Altoijry

Saudi Medical Journal

ABSTRACT Objectives: To analyze the outcomes of carotid endarterectomy in individuals with carotid artery stenosis in the context of a tertiary care center. Methods: We carried out a retrospective cohort investigation between 2015-2022. Patient data includes demographics, risk factors, preoperative medications, and operative details. The primary outcomes were 30-day postoperative stroke and mortality rates, while the secondary outcome of the study was to assess the morbidity of the procedure. Results: The mean age of the 54 patients was 66.9±9.88 years, and 57.4% were men. The 30-day stroke rate was 3.7%, and the mortality rate was 1.9%. Most patients did not …

Borderplex Business Barometer, Volume 8, Number 4, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Steven L. Fullerton, Zifeng Feng

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

How Does The Pace Of Digital Transformation Affect Team Viability And Performance? — The Role Of Adaptive Response, Jing Tian

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The national strategy of “Digital China” implemented in 2021 has catalyzed efforts to bolster the digital ecosystem across industries. With pervasive claims of digital transformation and upgrading by nearly all enterprises, digital technology permeates various sectors. This study explores, from the perspective of working teams—the smallest unit within enterprise production organizations—how the pace of digital transformation influences team viability and performance. It investigates the transmission mechanism of this effect and identifies influencing factors.

Drawing from extant research on the impact of digital technology on organizations, trends in organizational change, and psychological research on team behavior, this study establishes a theoretical …

The Impact Of Vr-Based Service Innovation On Brand Equity, Pan Cheung

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The increasingly fierce competition in the service market have made service innovation a focal point of continuous attention and exploration in both academic and industry. The development of VR technology has provided new options for enterprises to innovate in services. However, employing VR technology for service innovation requires a certain level of cost investment and entails risks. Moreover, how using VR technology for service innovation will impact consumer cognition and behavior, and how this cognition will affect brand equity, remains unknown. These uncertainties hinder the application and development of VR technology in the service sector. Therefore, clearly understanding the benefits …

Research On Futures, Profit Hedging, And Enterprise Price Risk Management In The Bulk Commodity Industry Chain — A Case Study Of Hot-Rolled Coil Industry Chain, Shengxi Liu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Traditional hedging strategies usually center around a single product, commonly involving companies hedging against the price of their endproducts or essential production materials. At present, traditional hedgingstrategies are no longer sufficient to address the production and management requirements of physical enterprises. There is a need to develop hedgingstrategies aligning with the significant changes in both domestic andinternational markets.

The thesis presents a new profit hedging model based on product manufacturing processes within the industry chain. This method involves hedging production profits by buying (selling) end products and selling(buying) raw materials according to the proportional relationships in the production process on …

Diversification, Policy Shock, And Firm Performance: An Empirical Study Of The Game Industry In China, Weiwei Li

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Based on the reform of the game licence approval system in 2018, this thesis studied how diversification strategies influence the ability of game enterprises to withstand risk shocks. Specifically, using financial data from A-share enterprises and third-party game product data, this thesis applied econometric methods to examine and obtain a comprehensive picture of the policy effect on the performance of game enterprises, and explored how different diversification strategies affect risk.

Taking other application software enterprises as the control group, this thesis explored the effect of the policy shock on business performance using a difference-in-differences method. The profitability of game enterprises …

Channel Of Exposure And Its Effect On Purchase Decision: Evidence From An Online Retailer, Lei Li

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In the digital era, online retailers engage consumers through a variety of channels, making it critical to understand how multi-channel exposure impacts consumer behavior, purchase conversion and firm outcomes. Drawing upon information overload and attention theories as well as extant research on conversion models, this study examines how channel-specific browsing time and channel diversity influence online users’ conversion and revenue contribution. By utilizing a multi-touch attribution approach, this study analyzes user-level visit data from an online eyewear retailer including millions of visits over a three-month period and finds that cumulative browsing time has a positive impact on both conversion and …

Social Distance In Workplace Relationships And Its Impact On Employee Well-Being, Jha Nilotpal

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In modern collaborative work environments, interactions with colleagues span a spectrum from close relationships to those perceived as socially distant. While close relationships are traditionally emphasized for their benefits on well-being, distant ties often go overlooked despite their prevalence and ease of maintenance. Building on construal-level theory, I first propose a theory of relational construing, emphasizing how the perceived psychological distance with colleagues influences mental representations and shifts in these representations, termed mindful construing. Leveraging the full spectrum of workplace relationships, from close to distant, can enhance well-being by alleviating the burdens of maintaining solely close connections. I then use …

Enabling Sustainable Mining Via Ai-Based Techniques, Nurul Asyikeen Binte Azhar

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The precedence-constrained production scheduling problem (PCPSP) in Long-Term Mine Planning (LTMP) is NP-hard and conventionally prioritizes the Net Present Value (NPV) of profits. Even so, heightened sustainability concerns necessitate heightened sustainable practices. Yet, research still lags. This dissertation addresses this paucity by integrating sustainability elements through Multi-Objective Optimization (MOO), introducing novel algorithms and proposing an uncertainty assessment within a dual Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) setup.

Firstly, our systematic review of past LTMP research focused on the PCPSP and highlighted sustainability elements. Overall, it furnished real-world components incorporated into mathematical formulations, trends, quality of solutions (efficacy) and computation time (efficiency) of …

The Information Literacy Class As Theatrical Performance: A Qualitative Study Of Academic Librarians’ Understanding Of Their Teacher Identity, Mark Aaron Polger

Publications and Research

This qualitative study examines how academic librarians understand, conceptualize, and describe their teacher identity. The role of the academic librarian has greatly changed due to the advent of information technology. Traditionally, they were generalists, who were responsible for selecting and maintaining library collections. Academic librarian roles have evolved into web developers, information literacy (IL) instructors, emerging technology innovators, marketing and outreach coordinators, open education resources (OER) advocates, and scholarly communication experts. This research investigates the academic librarian as teacher phenomenon, how they describe their professional identity as teachers, the skills, knowledge, and competencies they teach, and their beliefs of how …

J Mich Dent Assoc April 2024

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Every month, The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association provides news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200+ members. It stands as the primary publication reaching Michigan dentists.

In the April 2024 issue, the Journal focuses on the landscape of practicing in rural settings. Original content includes:

• A cover story highlighting Michigan’s Donated Dental Service Program
• A feature on Michigan’s Revised Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment Law
• A feature article on the origins, future, and use of the CDT Code
• Profiles of the 2024-25 MDA Officer, Trustee and ADA Delegation candidate
• An …

Spanish-Speaking English Learners’ Experience In Spanish/English Dual Language Immersion Schools, Sara Worthington

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has demonstrated that dual language immersion (DLI) schools provide one of the most viable pathways for students of families who speak a language other than English to maintain and develop their home language proficiencies while also learning and improving their proficiencies in English. The professional development (PD) designed for this project focuses on maximizing the English instruction time in Spanish/English dual language immersion schools. Across the United States, the number of DLI programs has increased dramatically in the past few decades yet often the educators employed in the programs have little or no specific training in teaching English as …

Self-Regulated Learning For English Language Learners In Asynchronous Online Community College Courses, Nicole Olalde

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The number of students who take asynchronous online courses has soared, notably since the onset of COVID in 2020. Success in these courses requires a significant amount of self-discipline. Students who struggle in this context have cited a lack of support, feelings of isolation, and difficulties regulating their learning. For adult English language learners, (ELLs) this is an additional burden because they are taking post-secondary education courses in a language that is not their first language. There is a positive correlation between the use of self-regulated learning (SRL) and academic performance. The ability of students to self-regulate accounts for a …

Supporting Biliteracy In English Language Classrooms, Maria White

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project was inspired by a large influx of Spanish-speaking students in the past year. This project is designed to answer the following research question: How can teachers support the Spanish literacy of their Spanish-speaking students in ways that will transfer to English and support their English literacy development? The literature review synthesizes research on different language models and their use of heritage language instruction, foundational literacy skills in English and in Spanish and a comparison of the two languages, followed by a review of the research on what literacy skills transfer across languages. The resulting project is a four-hour …

Culturally Responsive Professional Development: Facilitating Transformational Learning Experiences, Kiana Erickson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Non Profit Organizations that engage culturally diverse populations as volunteers need support in delivering volunteer training that meets the learning needs of culturally diverse adults. Due to lack of staff capacity, non profit organizations often rely on cohorts of volunteers to train their peers in executing responsibilities of the volunteer roles. These volunteers often do not have background in adult learning nor do they have tools related to engaging culturally diverse groups of adult learners. This capstone aims to answer the question: How can adult educators and trainers use culturally responsive engagement strategies and emerging frameworks to effectively facilitate professional …

Components Of Successful Distance Learning Programs For Adult English Language Learners, Trisha Mcintyre

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs in the United States to quickly pivot from traditional in-person classes to Distance Learning (DL). After the end of the pandemic, many ABE programs continue to provide flexible and accessible DL options to meet their learners’ needs. This project sought to research different components of DL programming for adult English Language Learners (ELLs) and to look at the indicators of success of those components. Important programmatic considerations are looked at such as technology, instruction, learner onboarding and orientation, and teacher and staff support. This project consists of web pages and …

How Do We Expand Current Notions Of Technology In Science Classrooms, Emanuel Calderon

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this study was: How do we expand current notions of technology in science classrooms? The topics reviewed in the literature include the history of technology in secondary education, the use of technology in classrooms, the use of technology in science pedagogy, technology standards in education, technology training for teachers, use of technology during and post-pandemic, job-related stress during covid, technology use of adolescence before and post COVID, and student behavior and mental health. The website created for the project focuses on defining the purpose of technology, providing a training resource that assists teachers in incorporating …

Connecting Urban Elementary Students To Watershed Health Through Aquatic Macroinvertebrates, Evangeline Holley

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Bodies of water play many important roles in the lives of everyone, but climate change and other human interference continue to threaten their health. In order to support the health of our watersheds for years to come, it is important that we find ways to help students develop environmental stewardship of their local watersheds. This capstone project answers the question: How can educators help urban elementary students become more connected to supporting the health of their local watersheds through the use of aquatic macroinvertebrates? Through research into this topic, it is concluded that place-based environmental education that allows students to …

Social-Emotional Learning Skills Embedded Within Math And Reading During The Primary Years, Cassandra Sutherland

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question asked in this capstone project was: How can social-emotional learning skills be taught within academic lessons to promote academic progress in primary years? Just like it is necessary to teach reading and math concepts; students need to be explicitly taught social-emotional learning skills. Students should feel a sense of belonging, feel successful and treat others with respect. All of these skills should lead to encountering academic success. This capstone project explores research about the importance of teaching social skills during primary years. The project portion of this capstone is a supplemental curricular resource that includes math and …

Parks And Education, Carson Law

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Parks and education have a substantial correlation. People of all ages, from young to old, learn from their surroundings by spending time in parks. Public parks can play a significant role in a child's education, simultaneously offering a place for learning and free play. Outdoor education is crucial to a child's development, from mental and physical health to social skills and developmental benefits. Outdoor education has two branches: adventure and environmental education. Understanding these branches will help us explore how these experiences must be accessible. The experiences of outdoor, adventure, and environmental education should be accessible to the masses. Race, …

Using Diverse Literature To Increase Empathy And Cultural Understanding In The Classroom, Joanna Sevre

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research demonstrates a direct connection between reading literature and building empathy, aiming to foster a more inclusive classroom. This capstone explores the pivotal role of diverse literature in nurturing empathy and cultural understanding within a classroom. The first part of this project will focus on personal and professional insights to understand the significance of this topic. Then, the research delves into the origins of empathy as well as the connection between curating empathy during key points of adolescent development as a way to positively impact relationships and social understanding. Research also emphasizes the critical need for educators to create inclusive …

Supporting Learning Experiences For English Learners At Environmental Learning Centers Through The Creation Of Pre-Teaching Materials, Nicole Bolduc

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Environmental education should not be limited to those who speak a specific language. All students benefit from the integration of environmental education into their curriculums and spending time outdoors. Environmental learning centers are just one of the many places that students can visit to increase their environmental literacy, yet the lessons are not always easy for language learners to access. My capstone project seeks to answer the question: How can Environmental Learning Centers improve learning experiences for English Learners through pre-teaching resources and strategies? For this project, I partnered with an environmental learning center to create supplemental vocabulary curriculum based …

Service Learning In The Secondary Classroom, Kristine Putz

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project is entitled “Service Learning in the Secondary Classroom” and explores the question: How can service learning be integrated into high school units to strengthen the connection between the classroom and the community and to make instruction more relevant? This question is answered through the creation of a six to seven week length unit that integrates service learning into a research and writing unit within an upper-level writing course. Specifically, this project is intended for students taking a concurrent enrollment course at their high school through a local community college partnership. Key influences in the creation of this …

The History Of The Philosophy Of Science And Its Impacts On Modern Science Education, Rebecca Steele

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project explores the question of the philosophical ideas that have given rise to modern conventions of teaching and learning science, and what alternatives exist to these methods. By exploring the philosophies that underpin our modern methods of science teaching and learning, and how have they come to dominate the space of scientific thought, the author has created a website resource for teachers to use for professional development, to learn about the philosophical history of science, in order to fully understand the reasons why science operates within specifically empirical and mechanistic paradigms. The project includes an interactive historical timeline …

The Impact Of Teacher-Led Read Alouds On Middle School Students’ Reading Comprehension And Literacy Skills, Lauren Moberg

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone curriculum project seeks to answer the question: How will middle school students' literacy and reading comprehension be impacted when using the intervention of read alouds? Current research shows that the instructional practice of read alouds encourages students’ reading comprehension, literacy skills, and fosters a love of reading. Based on the resources found in the current literature, this unit was designed as a novel study of Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein that regularly applies read alouds into the curriculum. These lessons provide students with opportunities to apply their learning and includes assessments for teachers to measure comprehension. This unit could be …

Second Language Acquisition For General Educators: An Accessible Professional Development Course, Angela Cabreana

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project was built in response to the research question “How can general education educators learn the process of language acquisition in an accessible way?” With the population of multilingual learners (MLs) in public schools steadily increasing and teacher preparation programs often not preparing teachers for these students, many general education teachers are looking for professional development (PD) on best practices for teaching MLs. Thus the idea for developing a free, asynchronous website professional development course that instructs general educators on the process of second language acquisition (SLA) was born. The literature review explores the theories and processes that …

How Can Educators Develop Relationships With Students That Positively Impact A Student’S Academic And Social Well Being?, Adam Arnst

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project explores how a well-structured and supportive school environment can impact students socially, emotionally and academically. I want to shed light on the importance of inclusion, connection, and community within a school, and the positive ripple effects it has on students as individuals. The literature review provides more information about student relationships, benefits of positive relationships, students' sense of belonging, and positive reinforcement systems. Chapter three provides a description of the project and how I plan to share and implement my project with my colleagues. The focus of my project is to provide teachers with ways to develop …

Trauma And Executive Function: Discovering And Developing Academic Motivation Interventions For Adolescents In Residential Mental Health Treatment, Jamie Jensen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project is a curriculum for adolescents in mental health treatment to address the impact of trauma on academic performance and determine interventions for the development of executive function (EF) skills, including metacognition, perseverance, planning, and organization. The project's central question explored how teaching these skills alongside academic standards can impact self-efficacy and academic performance. The project examined trauma's impact on EF and academics, emphasizing EF's role in academic success. Trauma can hinder EF development, affecting working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility critical for goal-oriented tasks. The project explored how academic motivation, influenced by mindset and resilience, drives …

Characterizing The Ecological Impacts Of Utility-Scale Solar Energy (Usse) On Fallowed Farmland, Amanda Gersoff

Master's Theses

Large-scale carbon-free energy generation projects such as utility-scale solar energy (USSE) arrays help mitigate the energy sector’s contribution to climate change and are rapidly expanding throughout the U.S. However, the expansion of USSE sites is associated with immediate and longer-term ecological impacts, many of which have yet to be assessed. Quantifying the ecological impacts of USSE arrays will help to identify synergies and trade-offs between energy generation and terrestrial conservation goals. The overall goal of this research is to characterize the ecological impacts of USSE sites located on fallowed farmlands in San Luis Obispo County, California in a seasonally explicit …