13251 research outputs found
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The Determinants of Food Insecurity in the United States: a State Level Analysis
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of food insecurity at the state level with the goal of providing policy guidance to reduce the prevalence of food insecurity in the United States. Data for the study was collected from various governmental and non-governmental sources. Linear regression models and sensitivity analyses were conducted. The study found that increase in household income is likely to significantly reduce the prevalence of food insecurity and very low food security. While poverty alleviation is more important than level of education for food insecure households, level of education is more important than poverty alleviation for very low food secure households. Therefore, investments on education could significantly reduce the prevalence of very low food security
Salient expectations? incongruence across capability and integrity signals and investor reactions to organizational misconduct
No full textResearch in signaling theory has recently begun to explore how audiences process signal sets and the incongruence across the signals within. However, prior studies have assumed homogenous compositions of signal sets, and thus unidimensional signal incongruence, although social evaluations tend to involve simultaneous processing of different dimensions. In this study, we examine audiences\u27 responses to the interdimensional incongruence between capability and integrity signals, particularly by focusing on how the salience of positive capability signals aggravates investor reactions to organizational misconduct, a negative integrity signal. Using irregular financial restatements as the negative integrity signals and prior alliance announcements as the positive capability signals, we find that investors react more negatively to restatements by firms whose alliance announcements are more salient-that is, the firms that announce more frequently and firms that create more positive expectations from those announcements. We also find that firm size and level of diversification weaken these negative effects. We contribute to research on signaling theory, social evaluations, organizational misconduct, and alliances
Outcome and postoperative complications in 73 dogs with thyroid carcinoma with gross vascular invasion managed with thyroidectomy
No full textExcellent outcomes have been reported following thyroidectomy for thyroid carcinoma in dogs, but outcomes for thyroid carcinomas with gross vascular invasion are poorly described. This study describes the clinical outcomes and complications in dogs with thyroid carcinomas with gross vascular invasion undergoing thyroidectomy. Medical records of dogs that underwent thyroidectomy between January 1st 2010 and December 31st 2019 were reviewed at 10 hospitals. Signalment, diagnostic data, primary and adjuvant treatments performed, and outcome were abstracted. Survival was calculated using Kaplan–Meier analysis. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with disease-specific survival. Seventy-three dogs were included, of which 58 underwent unilateral thyroidectomy and 15 underwent bilateral thyroidectomy. Complications were reported in five dogs (three major, two minor; 6.8%) intraoperatively and 12 dogs (two major leading to death, 10 minor; 16.4%) postoperatively. Seven (9.6%) dogs developed locoregional recurrence at a median of 238 days postoperatively (range: 15–730 days). Distant metastasis was suspected or confirmed in nine dogs (12.3%) at a median of 375 days postoperatively (range: 50–890 days). Twenty-seven dogs (37%) received adjuvant therapy (chemotherapy: n = 21; radiotherapy: n = 6). Thirty-nine dogs were euthanized or died, with 20 deaths related to disease (n = 10) or of unknown cause (n = 10), 19 due to unrelated causes, and nine lost to follow-up. Median overall and disease-specific survival were 621 days and not reached respectively. One-year disease-specific survival rate was 82.5%. No variables were associated with disease-specific survival in our dataset. Surgery may be considered for loco-regional therapy in dogs with thyroid carcinoma with gross vascular invasion
Conservation officer perceptions of search authority
No full textTo date, a great deal of confusion and misinformation surrounds the authority (and therefore potentially wider discretion) that conservation officers possess to search private property, vehicles, and residences. Utilizing a survey of approximately 1,600 officers employed in 15 state-level conservation agencies in the United States, the current inquiry examines conservation officer perceptions of their search authority. Findings indicate there is substantial state-level variation in statutory authority granted to conservation officers relative to their search and seizure capabilities. A substantial percentage of conservation officers believe that they possess authority to search private property beyond that granted to other law enforcement officers. Findings indicate that this perception is less common for vehicles or private residences. The findings from this study have implications for conservation officer training, policy, and procedure
Vehicle Cooperation Promotion Mechanism Based on Behavioral Economics Anchoring Theory
No full textVehicular Ad-hoc NETwork (VANET) is a wireless self-organising network composed of vehicles and Road Side Units (RSUs), which can provide users services. There are problems such as difficulty in maintaining end-to-end links between vehicles and RSUs, and limited bandwidth and channel resources. Incentive mechanisms are necessary to attract a sufficient number of vehicles to participate in data forwarding and make full use of resource sharing among vehicles to solve the above problems. There are two decision-making stages for a node. In the initial stage, a new node that has never participated decides whether to participate; in the following stage, the participating nodes decide whether to participate again. The current incentive mechanisms are based on traditional economics, which have two problems: 1) the role of anchors (that is, reference points) is not considered in both decision-making stages; 2) using the same utility function to evaluate two different decision-making stages which are actually affected by two different anchors. However, anchoring effect in behavioral economics has proved that people make decisions based on the experience of others (called Experimenter-Provided Anchoring, EPA) when they first participated in data forwarding. They rely on their own experience (called Self-Generated Anchoring, SGA) when they already have forwarding experience. Therefore, the users decision-making in the existing incentive mechanisms deviates from reality. Based on anchoring effect, we propose a Dual-Process Mechanism (DPM), which is composed of the user Attraction mechanism based on Experimenter-Provided Anchoring (AEPA) and the user Continuous Working mechanism based on Self-Generated Anchoring (CWSGA). AEPA is used to motivate those new nodes to participate in data forwarding. CWSGA is used to motivate those nodes which have participated to forward data again. Simulations show that DPM has a 10% increase in cooperation rate compared with the currently most used incentive mechanism based on traditional economics, and the node utility is also improved
The Role of the Medial Olivocochlear Reflex in Acceptable Noise Level in Adults
No full textBackground: The acceptable noise level (ANL) is a measurement used to quantify how much noise a person is willing to accept while listening to speech. ANL has been used to predict success with hearing aid use. However, physiological correlates of the ANL are poorly understood. One potential physiological correlate is the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR), which decreases the output of the cochlea and is thereby expected to increase noise tolerance.
Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between contralateral activation of the MOCR and tolerance of background noise.
Research Design: This study recruited 22 young adult participants with normal hearing. ANL was measured using the Arizona Travelogue recording under headphones presented at the most comfortable level (MCL) with and without multitalker babble noise. The MOCR strength was evaluated in all participants by measuring the cochlear microphonic (CM) with and without 40 dB sound pressure level contralateral broadband noise (CBBN).
Data Analysis: The CM observed in response to a 500-Hz tone was measured with and without CBBN, and changes in response to fast Fourier transform amplitude at 500 Hz were used as an indicator of the MOCR effect. The ANL was calculated by subtracting the maximum acceptable background noise level from the MCL. Participants were divided into two groups based on their ANL: low-ANL (ANL \u3c 7 dB) and moderate-ANL (ANL ≥ 7 dB). An independent samples t -test was used to compare CM enhancement between low-ANL and moderate-ANL groups. Additionally, Pearson\u27s correlation was used to investigate the relationship between the ANL and the MOCR effect on the CM.
Results: The results indicated that presentation of CBBN increased the CM amplitude, consistent with eliciting the MOCR. Participants in the low-ANL group had significantly larger CM enhancement than moderate-ANL participants. The results further revealed a significant correlation between the ANL and the MOCR effect on the CM.
Conclusion: This study suggests that a stronger MOCR, as assessed using CM enhancement, is associated with greater noise tolerance. This research provides a possible objective measure to predict background tolerance in patients and adds to our understanding about the MOCR function in humans
Ternary alkali ion thiogallates, A\u3csub\u3e5\u3c/sub\u3eGaS\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e(A = Li and Na), with isolated tetrahedral building units and their ionic conductivities
No full textTwo new ternary thiogallates in the A5GaS4(A = Li (i) and Na (ii)) series have been synthesized for the first time employing a gas passing route using oxide precursors and a high temperature solid state route using stoichiometric combinations of elements, respectively. Li5GaS4crystallizes in theP21/mspace group and the structure is built up of layers of corner sharing tetrahedra of LiS4and GaS4stacked along thea-axis and the octahedrally coordinated Li ions residing in the interlayer space. Na5GaS4crystallizes in thePbcaspace group and the structure consists of isolated (GaS4)5−tetrahedra held together by charge balancing sodium ions in distorted tetrahedral and octahedral coordination geometries. Measurements of ionic conductivity of the compounds showed room temperature ionic conductivities of 1.8 × 10−7and 4.0 × 10−7S cm−1with activation energies of 0.54 and 0.28 eV, respectively, forIandII. Density functional theory calculations show close agreement in structural parameters with the measured data and predict band gaps of 2.75 eV (I) and 2.70 eV (II). Single point hybrid functional calculations result in band gaps of 3.95 and 3.65 eV correspondingly, in better agreement with the experimental value of ∼4.1 eV for both. Bond valence energy landscape maps suggest the absence of any suitable diffusion path for Li in Li5GaS4. On the other hand, BVEL maps of Na5GaS4confirm that the tetrahedrally coordinated Na ions are responsible for ionic conduction, whereas the involvement of octahedrally coordinated Na ions in the conduction process could not be discerned
Characteristics of Resilient Hospice Workers From Their Administrators’ Perspectives: A Qualitative Study
No full textThis study explores hospice administrators’ perceptions of the characteristics of resilient hospice workers. This qualitative phenomenological study included ten participants from five hospice organizations in rural and urban Southwest Missouri communities. All participants were current hospice administrators. Administrators identified six characteristics of resilient hospice workers. These characteristics included (a) relationship building with clients, (b) having a supportive team, (c) ongoing education, (d) positivity, (e) strong boundaries, and (f) the importance of spirituality. Authors suggest identifying and encouraging these characteristics in hospice workers may lead to less employee turnover, healthier employees, and a better work environment
Physiological, Biochemical, and Metabolic Responses of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Exposed To Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS)
No full textThe effects of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) on agricultural plants is a serious environmental concern that needs to be addressed. PFOS is a member of a class of organic chemical compounds known as per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These compounds are utility chemicals in household, commercial, and industrial items, but have become environmental contaminants of global concern. Full lifecycle and short-term exposure studies of wheat grown in soil amended with 0, 25, and 50 mg/kg PFOS were conducted to assess the impacts of PFOS on wheat. PFOS uptake analysis, physiological assays, elemental analysis, and metabolomics were carried out in the full lifecycle study, while growth characters, chlorophyll content, and lipid peroxidation were assessed in the short-term exposure study. Data showed that PFOS was taken up by wheat roots and translocated to the shoots and grains; PFOS in the roots, shoots, and grains of the 50 mg/kg treated plants were 2588, 347, and 26-fold more than the respective tissues of the control plants. Furthermore, decreased grain yield (34%), root biomass (37%), chlorophyll a and b contents (49% and 41%, respectively), magnesium (15%), phosphorus (14%), and potassium (14%) concentrations, major carbohydrate sugars and their precursors, some amino acids were observed due to PFOS exposure. In addition, increased lipid peroxidation (49%), upregulation of oleic acid (216%), linolenic acid (310%), metabolites involved in nitrogen fixation, and iron toxicity was observed, indicating that PFOS induced phytotoxicity through oxidative stress in wheat and negatively impacted its nutritional quality
The Co-Requisite Collaboration: Building Self-Confidence, Self-Efficacy, and Rapport through Dialogue Journals in a Basic Writing Course
No full textResearch on dialogue journals has grown in the last fifty years, but a gap exists in understanding how and why these dialogue journals work. During the fall of 2020, I conducted a study utilizing quantitative data to examine how dialogue journals impact student’s self-confidence, self-efficacy, and rapport. The data has confirmed that dialogue journals are effective classroom tools and that various aspects such as word count and purpose can be impacted in connection to student’s perceptions of themselves. This project responds to the gap in the literature and provides data to support how and why dialogue journals promote growth in basic writing classrooms