15133 research outputs found
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Development of a High-Level Model of Remote Work\u27s Psychological Consequences Using a Large International Data Set
Get PDFRemote work has proven to be an enduring fixture of the post-pandemic global economy. Despite research on the construct proliferating in recent years, it has not yet coalesced into a unified model of why, and in which contexts, remote work produces favorable or unfavorable outcomes for employees. The present study represents the first attempt to produce such a model, utilizing a global database of over 8 million employee surveys. The findings of the present study suggest that remote work is associated with small increases in job satisfaction, intent to stay and task performance, with the former two relationships mediated by improved autonomy and work-life balance. Results further suggest that managers receive fewer benefits from remote work than do non-managers, and that individualism moderates the relationship between remote work and the two job attitudes: job satisfaction and intent to stay. While the study ultimately used a combination of confirmatory and exploratory methods, rather than a strictly confirmatory approach, it nonetheless resulted in a plausible draft of an international, modern, high-level model of remote work. A further contribution of the investigation is that it is the first to empirically examine person-level individualism in connection to remote work—a connection which has been frequently hypothesized in the literature, but had not been practical to test prior to this study due to the global sampling frame required to examine it
Advancing Drug-Drug Interaction Prediction Using Multi-Modal Feature Integration with Graph Neural Networks
No full textPharmaceutical treatments are essential for managing medical conditions, but drug-drug interactions (DDIs) pose significant risks to patient safety and healthcare outcomes. This research integrates Knowledge Graphs and Graph Neural Networks to predict DDIs by exploring complex drug relationships. We construct a comprehensive knowledge graph using DrugBank data (1,000 drugs, 155,774 interactions) enriched with molecular features from PubChem. Our methodology introduces a novel multi-modal approach by integrating transformer-based embeddings (ChemBERTa, SPECTER, and SBERT) to create 1152-dimensional feature vectors that capture structural, biomedical literature, and semantic properties of drugs. Formulating DDI prediction as a link prediction task, we compare three Graph Neural Network architectures: Graph Convolutional Network (GCN), GraphSAGE, and Graph Attention Network (GAT). With basic molecular features, GCN achieved 75.65% accuracy (80.17% F1 score). After multi-modal integration, performance improved significantly across all models, with GAT showing the greatest enhancement (80.61% accuracy, 82.57% F1 score). Case studies with documented drug interactions demonstrate the models\u27 clinical relevance, particularly for cardiovascular and antimicrobial medications. This work demonstrates the importance of integrating diverse data modalities for DDI prediction and has important implications for enhancing medication safety in polypharmacy scenarios, especially for elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions
Women Disrupting the Roundness in No Name Woman and Sula: How Maxine Hong Kingston\u27s and Toni Morrison\u27s Titular Characters Combat Restrictive Communal Norms Surrounding Sex
No full textThis thesis examines how Maxine Hong Kingston’s “No Name Woman,” the opening chapter of her memoir, The Woman Warrior, and Toni Morrison’s novel, Sula, portray communal perceptions of women who contradict traditional gender norms surrounding sex. The titular characters in each of these stories express their sexualities in ways deemed unfit by their people and are accordingly demonized and outcast from their communities. These characters are afforded some subtle admiration for their personal power by the artists who are portraying them, but this reverence is inevitably rescinded and replaced by the disdain of the tight-knit communities surrounding them. This tension also reflects the authors’ own complex views on female rebellion and how unconventional women are not allowed the same heroic status that nonconforming men are, both stories containing social lawbreaking men who go unpunished. Both texts use circular imagery to represent an ordered reality, emphasizing how acts of sexual nonconformity threaten this societal order and provoke communal retaliation, especially in the case of women. Ultimately, I argue that while the No Name Woman and Sula are vilified and cast aside, their presence is essential to the moral and social self-definition of their respective communities and that their stories offer compelling critiques of the fragility and hypocrisy within traditional patriarchal systems of virtue and order
Assessment of Gastrointestinal/Feeding Symptoms, Impacts, Treatments, and Clinical Trial Needs in Patients Affected by Peroxisomal Disorders
No full textPeroxisomal disorders (PD) are rare genetic conditions that impact multiple organs. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, including liver dysfunction and bleeding, often affect patients\u27 health outcomes. Many GI symptoms result in acute impacts, such as hospitalization. Currently, limited treatments for PD exist, and there are few reports on the side effects of treatment. This study aims to characterize GI symptoms and impacts, determine efficacy and side effects of current treatments, and identify desired outcomes from future clinical trials. This information will help develop future treatments addressing GI needs in PD, improving the quality of life for patients. Data was collected from patients and caregivers as part of an Externally-Led Patient-Focused Drug Development effort for PD, specifically, focus groups, online surveys, facilitated discussion, and live polling from participants. Data was then analyzed for relevant themes and trends in responses. Among focus group discussions (n=42 participants), symptoms included those related to dentition, feeding, reflux, diarrhea, constipation, liver dysfunction, and bleeding. Online survey results (n=57) showed the most frequently reported GI symptoms impacting patients\u27 daily lives were feeding challenges, other hypotonia-related GI issues, and liver dysfunction. Many PD patients experience chronic hospitalizations, progressive feeding issues, and difficulties with weight and nutritional status. Over 60% of survey respondents reported patients being treated for GI symptoms and 35% being treated for bleeding problems. Treatments for GI symptoms are common in PD patients, but feedback suggests enteral nutrition, cholic acid therapy, and bleeding treatments have inadequate efficacy and various side effects. Desired GI-related treatment outcomes for patients include improved liver function, reduced bleeding, and fewer feeding issues. Future clinical trials should consist of meaningful endpoints that address these symptoms that have direct impacts on nutrition, growth, and development
Life Cycle Analysis of Cosmetic Products -- Assessing Environmental Sustainability and Potential Impacts
No full textThe cosmetic industry has a significant environmental footprint due to its reliance on water, energy, petrochemical-derived ingredients, and plastic-based packaging. This study performs a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of three cosmetic products: CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion, bareMinerals Gen Nude Powder Blush, and Gillette Foamy Regular Shave Cream. The analysis was conducted using OpenLCA software and free databases, modeling each product across raw materials, packaging, manufacturing, transportation, use and end-of-life phases. The results showed that the shave cream had the highest environmental burden to three out of the four categories, especially in consumption and carbon emission, due to its intensive use phase. The blush showed lower water and energy use, but higher toxicity primarily linked to titanium dioxide (TiO2). The lotion presented moderate impacts across categories but a significant water print. Raw material sourcing, manufacturing, and packaging process emerged as the most impactful stages across the lotion and blush. Sensitivity analysis confirmed that electricity, water, and key raw materials strongly influence environmental outcomes. This study underscores the need to integrate life cycle analyses to product design and manufacturing. It also demonstrates that accessible tools can help companies make meaningful decisions related to sustainability, offering a practical framework for companies and researchers who aim to reduce the environmental impact of this sector
Exploration of lower-extremity range of motion in national collegiate athletic association Division-III field hockey players
No full textBackground: Field hockey requires speed, agility, and coordination, which are influenced by the range of motion (ROM) in the knee and hip joints. This is particularly important during dribbling, which demands rapid footwork and lower kinetic chain control. However, the relationship between ROM and previous musculoskeletal injuries in field hockey players is not well-established due to a lack of research specific to the sport. Purpose: This study aims to examine the ROM in the knee and hip joints of collegiate female field hockey players to establish normative ROM values for the sport. Methods: NCAA Division-III field hockey players without severe upper-extremity, lower-extremity, or systemic injuries will be recruited. After providing consent, participants will perform a self-guided 10-minute warm-up. They will then complete double-leg and single-leg squats in front of a 3D motion capture camera to measure knee ROM. Following the squat assessments, participants will lie on a table and perform active hip internal and external rotations while a digital goniometer is attached to their mid-femur to measure hip ROM. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze the data. Results: Data collection is ongoing, and it is hypothesized that the ROM values for field hockey players will differ from those of other athletes. Conclusion: Establishing normative knee and hip ROM values for field hockey players will enable future studies to better explore the relationship between lower-extremity ROM deficits and musculoskeletal injuries in this population
Dietary tribulations of Portuguese émigré consumers in a northeast U.S. Portuguese neighborhood: A qualitative investigation
No full textThis investigation adds new context and nutritional understandings to the existing body of literature as it assesses the uniqueness of the contemporary Portuguese-American dietary situation: the socio-cultural eating practices, environmental influences, and the consequent nutritional outcomes. The objective is to investigate the dietary changes experienced by Portuguese-American immigrants post-migration making them susceptible to chronic diseases. An in-depth interview guide was developed from validated acculturation instruments exploring dietary behaviors before and after migration. Participants were recruited and interviewed at 4 retail sites selected to reflect a generally balanced perspective of purposefully selected consumers in a prominent Northeast US Portuguese neighborhood. Transcribed interviews were thematically analyzed based on recognized protocols to provide transparency and rigor, whereby codes were generated and triangulated among the 3 investigating researchers. The setting included a traditional Portuguese restaurant, a Portuguese grocery, a fish market and a neighborhood gym in a culturally significant and commercial Portuguese hub in Northern New Jersey, US. Ten Portuguese émigrés were comprehensively interviewed with follow up in situ. Four themes were inductively culled from the literature: Perceptions of Nutritional Knowledge; Environmental Isolation; Contemporary Stress; and Developing Unhealthy Eating Patterns: Temptations, Acknowledgement and Struggles. The investigated participants were aware of their nutritional environment, but nutritional knowledge alone was not sufficient to promote healthy eating practices for the Portuguese émigrés of this study. Environmental changes are needed to mitigate feelings of isolation, stress and other contemporary pressures that could lead to unhealthy dietary practices and thus the potential onset of chronic diseases
The photoprotection of Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide and Riboflavin by 5,10-methenyltetrahydrofolate
No full textFlavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and 5,10-methyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF) are two essential molecules present in enzymes and proteins that harness light for DNA repair, as well as for signaling in plant growth and the regulation of circadian rhythms in animals. This research explores the hypothesis that MTHF offers protective advantages to FAD under conditions of an elevated light intensity. This hypothesis is examined through experimental procedures involving the two molecules in solution, followed by comprehensive analysis within the context of enzymatic and protein functions. The potential protection of FAD by MTHF is significant, considering its classification as a vital cofactor in numerous enzymatic and protein activities. The effects of irradiation on of FAD, both in the presence and absence of MTHF, will be investigated utilising various advanced methodologies, including absorption spectroscopy, liquid chromatography (LC), and LC-mass spectrometry, to clarify the reaction intermediates and products to develop a better understanding of how MTHF protects FAD. In addition, riboflavin or vitamin B2 is studied to determine the effect of MTHF on its stability. Riboflavin is an essential vitamin and plays an important role within the food industry. Riboflavin is prevalent in numerous products available on store shelves, and its stability during storage is of great importance. In summary, this study aims to better understand the role of MTHF in protecting FAD in critical enzymes as well as its potential in stabilizing riboflavin in consumer products
ESG scores and true environmental impact
No full textIn investment banking, disjoint information regarding the firm\u27s environmental impact is suspected to exist between shareholders, consumers, and corporate employees. While ESG scores can be easily falsified, absolute values related to a portfolio\u27s true impact on climate change can show a very different narrative than the firm depicts. The study examines 50 high-yield index funds; 25 are ESG-oriented, and 25 are not. Both short- and long-term ROIs and several sustainability-related criteria released by MorningStar, a financial firm specializing in investment management research, are examined. A model is then developed through statistical analysis, which can be used to predict if a portfolio has a real impact on combating climate change or if its unreasonably high ESG score is due to corporate greenwashing
Special immigrant juveniles, the law, and mental health abstract
No full textSpecial Juvenile Immigrant Status (SIJS) is a federal program allowing undocumented immigrants under age 21 who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by one or both parents to apply for permanent residence status. Successful applicants are protected from deportation. However, SIJS has its drawbacks. The criteria for SIJS means that the program might exacerbate preexisting trauma. A successful SIJS applicant might be separated from their family. An unsuccessful SIJS applicant might be deported. The process can be lengthy, complex, and expensive. Without a green card or deferred action by the USCIS, an applicant may not be able to work lawfully in the United States. What can and should be done to improve the SIJS program? This is a complex problem requiring interdisciplinary research to understand it more fully. Using qualitative research methodology, from September 2024 through March 2025, I analyzed relevant sources from the disciplines of law and mental health. Those sources included statutes and regulations, scholarly articles, and government publications. I identified conflicting insights from each discipline, and by determining common ground between and integrating the insights per Repko and Szostak’s (2021) Interdisciplinary Research Process, I obtained a more comprehensive understanding of the problem. As a result of my research, I conclude that the SIJS program should be streamlined. The USCIS should update and clarify its SIJS guidelines. Congress should amend the program to permit successful applicants to petition on behalf of family members to lawfully remain in the country, something not currently allowed