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Factors that Influenced Faculty Satisfaction with Transition to Online Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFThe swift transition to remote learning in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic presented substantial challenges for faculty at many universities. This study explores faculty perceptions that influenced their satisfaction with the transition to online classes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Challenges relating to teaching online classes and the supportive environment provided by the institution had the strongest effects. Other important factors were comfort with online teaching and perceived quality of interactions with students. Teaching experience, tenure status, and other demographic variables had no significant effect on satisfaction with transition to online teaching. Application of lessons learned to future emergencies as well as online and blended classes are discussed
Book Review
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Medicine and Healing in the Age of Slavery Edited by Sean Morey Smith and Christopher D.E. Willoughby (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2021. Foreword, acknowledgements, notes, contributors, index. Pp. vii, 224. $45 hardcover. ISBN: 0807171219.
An Aggregation of the Pandalid Shrimp, Heterocarpus ensifer, on Deep Reef Habitats of the West Florida Slope, Eastern Gulf of Mexico
Get PDFHeterocarpus ensifer A. Milne—Edwards (1881) (Crustacea: Pandalidae), armed nylon shrimp, is widely distributed in the western and eastern North Atlantic Ocean. In the western Atlantic this shrimp occurs from off North Carolina to Brazil and in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), western Bahamas, and Caribbean Sea at depths of 170—885 m. Despite its widespread occurrence, ecology or biology information for this species are sparse, and in situ observations of abundance, behavior and habitat preferences are particularly lacking. During extensive submersible and ROV observations on and near deep—reefs in the north—central and eastern GOM, a remarkably large aggregation of H. ensifer was observed on the West Florida Slope (WFS). On one ROV dive it was estimated that thousands of these shrimp occupied an area m2. They were most abundant on transition (near reef) and prime high—profile reef habitats composed of dead and live Desmophyllum pertusum, sponges, rocks, and other coral species. Collected males (n=14) exhibited a broader size range, 17.74—33.72 mm CL, than females (n=12, 23.08— 30.15 mm CL); however, mean carapace length was similar for both sexes at 27.47 mm (females) and 26.40 mm (males). All but 3 collected females were ovigerous with Stage 1 embryos, and ROV video revealed that many of the shrimp were ovigerous females with clearly visible dark blue embryo masses on the abdomen. Evidence supports that the purpose of this aggregation was likely for mating and spawning. Although the frequency and locations of such aggregations are unknown, they are further indication of the importance of deep—sea complex habitats
Enhancing Light Upconversion by Singlet-Sink-Type Triplet-Triplet Annihilation in Polymer Glasses
No full textHigh efficiency photon upconversion via triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA-UC) is challenging to achieve in glassy materials due to hindered mobility of the upconverting chromophores and increased back Förster resonance energy transfer (back-FRET) to the triplet sensitizer at the chromophore concentrations necessary to facilitate sensitizer- annihilator energy transfers. In this dissertation, we demonstrate how to prevent back- FRET to the sensitizer by decoupling the annihilation and emission mechanism through the introduction of a third highly emissive singlet sink: 9-phenyl-10-(p-tolylethynyl)- anthracene (PTEA). The addition of PTEA dramatically improves the overall upconversion quantum yield (out of 50%) from 2.7% to 5% for compression-molded PMMA films containing a platinum (II) octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP) sensitizer and a 9,10- diphenylanthracene (DPA) annihilator. We then illustrate that by covalently tethering DPA and PTEA to the polymer backbone we can increase the practical chromophore load past the previous limits of doped systems. Acrylate-based DPA and PTEA monomers were synthesized and prepared via reversable addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT), permitting facile tunability of chromophore load and placement. Direct polymerization of these aromatic chromophores makes advanced thermal processing unnecessary for manufacturing strictly glassy upconverting films. Additionally, we demonstrate that attaching chromophores directly to the polymer chain permits facile tunability of amorphous upconverting systems through the application of a sensitizer- containing chain transfer agent with reduced aggregation tendencies - thereby permitting increased sensitizer concentrations while theoretically limiting aggregation-induced quenching and back-FRET towards the full potential of TTA-UC
Vaccines at the Intersection of Religion and Politics
Get PDFVaccine hesitancy – a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite their availability – is a rising threat to global health and has increased in recent years in higher income countries. This is a complex phenomenon with the potential to undo decades of progress toward eradicating communicable diseases. The recent COVID-19 pandemic introduced a new wave of vaccine hesitancy, with evangelical Christians as leading actors in the movement away from vaccines in the United States. The present study investigated factors related to vaccine hesitancy and sources of health-related information among members of evangelical Christian churches in and around Hattiesburg, MS.
Data was collected using passive participation at evangelical church events and services, and an online survey focusing on vaccine beliefs and experiences, perspectives on the relationship between religion and government, and sources of vaccine information. Survey responses were analyzed using one-way ANOVAs and Pearson correlations to identify sources of vaccine information and relationships between information sources, vaccine beliefs, and Christian national sentiments. In this sample, vaccine hesitancy was related to distrust of doctors, government organizations, charitable organizations, and books as sources of vaccine information. Christian national beliefs were also significantly correlated with vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitant participants reported less distrust in sources related to their social network and support, lower belief in the severity of and susceptibility to vaccine-preventable diseases, and that there were neither benefits nor barriers to getting vaccinated. These results can be used to inform public health campaigns aimed at improving protection from vaccine preventable diseases in hesitant individuals
Scalable Solution of Time-Dependent PDEs Through Component-Wise Exponential Integrator
No full textExponential integrators, such as exponential Runge-Kutta or Rosenbrock methods, are designed specifically for the time integration of stiff systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and allow the use of larger time steps than other general-purpose ODE solvers. However, these methods rely on computing matrix function-vector products that are traditionally computed using a Krylov projection, such as Lanczos or Arnoldi iteration, that involves substantial computational expense at high spatial resolution. Krylov Subspace Spectral (KSS) methods\u27 frequency-dependent approach, designed to circumvent stiffness in linear problems, computes these products with greater scalability. We propose the combination of such KSS methods with exponential integrators in order to produce superior scalability in the solution of time-dependent partial differential equations (PDEs)
Delta-shaped Approximation Based Homotopy Analysis Method for Nonlinear Poisson-Type Partial Differential Equations
No full textThis research aims to solve nonlinear Poisson-type partial differential equations (PDEs) by the approach of the homotopy analysis method (HAM) incorporated with approximate particular solutions (APS) using Delta-shaped basis (DSB) approximations.
With the inclusion of the h auxiliary parameters, we tackle nonlinear problems by studying the mathematical characteristics of the h curve. This is to ensure the numerical convergence of the HAM.
In the solution process, we use the homotopy analysis method to convert a nonlinear PDE into linear inhomogeneous PDEs, which are solved using the method of approximate particular solutions with DSB.
A proper value of the h is used in each iteration. We solve the h-parameter dependent equations using the method of approximate particular solutions with DSB approximation. We use the analytical particular solutions of the DSB functions and the fundamental solutions associated with the differential operator to solve h-parameter dependent equations.
This is an accurate, efficient, and meshless method that uses the domain information and boundary conditions. The effectiveness of the delta-shaped basis approximation is demonstrated by allowing ghost points in the collocation approach for solving a Poisson equation.
Numerical examples for nonlinear Poisson-type PDEs are solved on various irregular shaped domains. The maximum error and mean square root error with an increasing number of iterations illustrate the accuracy and validity of the proposed method
Exploring the Relationship of the Noncognitive Variables of Grit and Mindset in Baccalaureate Nursing Students and Their Impact on Academic Success
Get PDFThe study aimed to evaluate how the noncognitive variables of grit and mindset could impact the academic success of baccalaureate nursing students. With the present and growing shortage of nurses, attrition within nursing programs is cause for concern. Attrition is a multifaceted problem; however, academic failure is one contributing factor. While cognitive factors, such as the standardized aptitude test (SAT), pre-nursing science GPA, pre-nursing GPA, and standardized entrance exams (Al-Alawi et al., 2020; Chisholm-Burns et al., 2021), have traditionally been used for admission criteria, increasing evidence suggests that noncognitive factors, like grit and mindset, play a crucial role in academic success (Barbouta et al., 2020; Kannangara et al., 2018; Karlen et al., 2019). This study addressed a gap in the literature as research on mindset and grit in nursing academia is scarce.
This quantitative cross-sectional descriptive correlation study investigated the relationship between grit, mindset, and academic success (GPA and class average) among baccalaureate nursing students at a public university in the southern United States. The study was grounded in the implicit theories of intelligence or mindset theory by Carol Dweck (Dweck et al., 1995). The study took a postpositivist approach, emphasizing the importance of empirical evidence. A convenience sample of 111 baccalaureate nursing students completed an online survey between weeks eight and 10 of the Spring 2024 semester, using a survey method through Qualtrics®. This study is significant as it evaluated the relationship between mindset and grit and their impact on academic success among baccalaureate students, which has not been evaluated in this population.
The results of the study revealed a significant positive correlation between grit and mindset, with mindset particularly associated with the perseverance of effort aspect of grit (rho = 0.23, p = .015). However, neither grit nor mindset significantly correlated with academic success, as measured by previous semesters\u27 GPA and midterm class averages. Interestingly, no significant differences in grit and mindset levels were found based on years of study. Logistic regression models identified age and grit as the only two variables closely associated with midterm class averages, although no significant relationship was found. While age was a potential predictor of GPA, no significance was found. These findings suggest that while noncognitive factors may not directly influence academic success, they still play a role in nursing students\u27 academic journey and can potentially improve retention.
The findings suggest that while grit and mindset are related constructs, their impact on academic performance in this nursing student population was limited. Further research is needed to explain the role of noncognitive factors in nursing education and their potential use in admission criteria, identify at-risk students, and develop interventions to help cultivate essential attributes and nursing student success to combat the nursing shortage