3286 research outputs found
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Examining the Evolution of the Community College
Full text linkCommunity colleges created opportunities for expansion to feed into four-year institutions in the United States. Community colleges served high school students, military veterans, and diverse student populations in U.S. communities. In the twenty-first century, various educational needs and rebuilding processes existed for many community colleges in the United States. Community colleges serve as educational hospitals, assisting four-year institutions in higher education
Understanding challenges of tourism supply chain during disruption: a topic modeling approach
No full textThis research will investigate the interdependence and meso (e.g. interorganisational) risks in the service supply chain with platformisation during the disruption. The tourism supply chain (e.g. Booking, Expedia, and TripAdvisor) during the pandemic was examined by using SEC-mandated public risk disclosures to quantify risk using Dirichlet distribution-based topic modelling with a natural language processing method. The results revealed the interdependence to constitute vulnerability and challenges in managing risks, which helps understand the service supply chain compared to the traditional supply chain. For academics, this paper has contributed to advancing our understanding of the role of platformisation and service redesign with reconfigurability of service supply chain. Practitioners in the tourism supply chain may obtain insights to navigate and negotiate service supply chain relationships at the interorganisational level during the disruption. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved
Performance of shariah-compliant and non-shariah-compliant ETFs: a comparative study
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the performance discrepancies between shariah-compliant and non-shariah-compliant exchange-traded funds (ETFs), aiming to enrich the academic and practical understanding of Islamic finance‘s nuances in the ETF sector. Design/methodology/approach: Initiating with a broad literature review to cement a theoretical backdrop on Islamic investment principles and the mechanics of shariah-compliant ETFs, the research progresses to devise a comparative analytical framework. This framework focuses on assessing ETF performance through metrics like net asset value returns and volatility, specifically analyzing Blackrock ETFs to draw distinctions in portfolio outcomes and asset compositions. Findings: The examination highlights discernible variances in portfolio performance between shariah-compliant and their conventional counterparts, presenting instances where shariah-compliant ETFs, such as ISUS from Blackrock, deliver competitive returns despite their generally lower net assets compared to conventional ETFs like VUSA from Vanguard. Moreover, the ISUS ETF‘s holdings investigation revealed discrepancies with AAOIFI standards, questioning its strict Shariah compliance and adding depth to the analysis of Islamic financial instruments‘ integrity. Originality/value: This paper significantly advances the scholarly dialogue on Islamic financial practices within the ETF landscape, providing empirical evidence of performance differentials and compliance intricacies. While prior research has touched upon Islamic investing, this study pioneers a detailed comparative scrutiny, equipped with a novel methodological approach, to dissect the shariah-compliant ETFs‘ operational and ethical frameworks, offering invaluable insights for investors, financial analysts and Islamic finance scholars. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved
Analysis of Demographic Characteristics and Drinking Habits at a Southern College Provide Critical Information for Developing an Effective Prevention Program
No full textImportance: To examine the associations of basic demographics (age, race, and gender identity) on alcohol consumption among college students at a mid-sized university. Objective: To evaluate the drinking habits of students using the survey tool that will measure basic demographics to collect data. Design: A cross-sectional study that included college students ages 17-21 at Columbus State University in the fall of 2021. Setting: Columbus, Georgia. Participants: University students (n = 260, mean age 20.5 ± 3.8). Analysis: One-way ANOVA and independent t-tests were used to test differences in age on alcohol consumption and binge drinking. Chi-Square tests and Fisher’s Exact were used to estimate differences in proportions of binge drinking for race and gender. Results: Underage students (57.7%) reported having consumed alcohol in the past. Frequency of alcohol consumption increased with age (P = 0.004). Caucasian students reported drinking most frequently, with 14.8% (n = 12) drinking at least once a week, compared to 0 African American students reporting they drank at least once per week (P \u3c 0.001). There were no significant findings when examining differences in binge drinking for demographics assessed in this sample (P \u3e 0.05). Conclusion: and Relevance: In this cross-sectional research study, the prevalence of underage drinking among college-aged students, there is a need for targeted prevention methods to reduce adverse health outcomes among this vulnerable population. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved
“EVERY MAN HAS HIS DAY IN COURT”: PROVERBS, SAYINGS, AND PROVERBIAL EXPRESSIONS OF THURGOOD MARSHALL
No full textThis essay explores some of the proverbs, sayings, and proverbial expressions used by Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice (1967). It argues that Marshall’s proverbial language use conveys several aspects of his worldview including his philosophy concerning race, class, and social justice in American society. The essay also aims to illustrate ways that Marshall’s multifaceted proverbial language use demonstrates the sound knowledge he possessed in the area of legal studies and the exceptional talent he possessed in the areas of rhetoric and deliberation. Furthermore, the essay reveals some of the ways Marshall used proverbial language to connect with other people as he incorporated various proverbs and phrases into his speech which would help make legal language more accessible to common folk (especially the people he would represent as an NAACP and LDF attorney) while also allowing him to capitalize on opportune rhetorical moments in the courtroom. The essay utilizes several Marshall biographies, interviews, and legal documents as source material. It also incorporates the scholarship of other paremiologists such as Wolfgang Mieder, Anna T. Litovkina, Sanda Eretescu Golopentia, Harvey Sack, and others to address issues concerning: categorization, definition, origin, meaning, interpretation, and context. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved
Rank-and-file revolt: insurgency, power, and democracy in the UAW, 2019–25
No full textThis piece examines the capture of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union by a rank-and-file members’ caucus and details its efforts to reform the organization from below. Drawing on archival materials and reflections from caucus organizers, it shows how workers operating under the banner Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) transformed the UAW from a one-party state with a deep tradition of hierarchy and exclusionary practices into an activist union with social movement-like characteristics. Though its fate now hangs in balance, UAWD achieved remarkable success in its foundational goals, including spearheading the ‘One Member, One Vote’ campaign, which successfully amended the UAW’s constitution to allow rank-and-file members to directly elect their top officers, paving the way for the election of a UAWD-backed slate. Beyond electoral reform, UAWD played a critical role in mobilizing for and supporting the 2023 Stand-Up Strike against the Big Three automakers, yielding substantial gains for workers. Yet simultaneously, the UAWD has grappled with complex internal ideological divisions, culminating in an attempted dissolution and formal split in 2025. In the final analysis, its trajectory offers crucial insights into the complexities of union reform, highlighting the challenges of maintaining rank-and-file independence after achieving electoral victories. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved
Exploration of Black/African American College Survivors of IPV During COVID-19 Utilizing Descriptive Analysis
No full textThe last few decades have ushered in an increase in scholarship focused on campus-based violence, specifically sexual violence, sexual assault, and unwanted sexual experiences. This rise in sexual violence scholarship has promoted the examination of current campus-based interventions, resources, and response systems. However, there exists a dearth of research exploring the experience of intimate partner violence for college students within college/university settings. In this descriptive analysis, we capture the prevalence of intimate partner violence for a nationwide sample of 1,035 college students across diverse college and university campuses within the United States. Researchers utilized a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Intimate Partner Violence Screening Questionnaire to capture and measure college students’ experiences of intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. To analyze the data, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 28) was used. Univariate analyses and cross-tabulation analyses were conducted to examine the data. Specifically, due to the majority of research focusing on cisgender, White heterosexual women respondents, we focus our analysis on the experiences of Black and/or African American survivors of intimate partner violence on college campuses, in hopes of capturing the prevalence of intimate and relationship violence for Black/African American college students across colleges and universities. Results of this study revealed the prevalence of all types of intimate partner violence and abuse such as emotional/psychological, physical, and sexual violence within Black/African American college students. Findings from this database study produce implications for college/university campuses to consider capacity to address enduring psychological concerns and outcomes tied to intimate partner violence within college/university campuses, while also considering culturally responsive prevention and intervention efforts. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved
In silico genomic insights into bacteriophages infecting ESBL-producing Escherichia coli from human, animal, and environmental sources
No full textBackground: The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Escherichia coli, particularly extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing E. coli (ESBL-EC), is a global public health concern. Bacteriophages (phages) play a significant role in bacterial evolution and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This study investigates prophages integrated within ESBL-EC genomes to assess their diversity, gene content, and potential contributions to ESBL-EC persistence across human, animal, and environmental reservoirs. Between May and December 2020, a cross-sectional study was conducted in Abuja and Lagos, collecting 448 stool, cecal, and environmental samples from abattoir workers, slaughtered cattle, and the abattoir environment. ESBL-EC genomes from these samples, obtained in an earlier study, were analyzed for phage regions using PHASTER. Intact prophages were analyzed in silico using computational tools to detect ARGs, ESBL genes, virulence factors, and heavy metal resistance. Their genomic relationships were examined with statistical significance of p \u3c 0.05. Results: Out of 448 samples, ESBL-EC prevalence was 21.7% (97/448). Among 97 ESBL-EC isolates, 646 prophage regions were detected, with 30% (194/646) classified as intact phages. Among the 158 phages with genus assignments, Punavirus was the most prevalent (60.1%). Escherichia was the most frequent predicted host (308/646), particularly in cattle (n = 143) and human (n = 124) sources. Among ESBL-EC genomes, 83.5% (81/97) with intact phages carried phage-associated ARGs, 76.3% (74/97) carried phage-associated ESBL genes, 18.6% (18/97) harbored phage-associated virulence factors, 15.5% (15/97) contained phage-associated plasmids, and 10.3% (10/97) had heavy metal resistance. The most prevalent phage-associated ARGs detected were qnrS1 (73/81) and blaCTX-M-15 (72/81). Two isolates recovered from abattoir workers carried two phage-like plasmids, each harboring either tet(A) or blaCTX-M-55 gene. The predominant phage lifestyles were temperate (n = 182), mainly in the Peduoviridae family, and lytic (n = 12) in the Punavirus genus. Conclusion: This is the first study in Nigeria to characterize phages in ESBL-EC isolates at the One Health interface. The presence of intact phages in humans, animals, and the environment underscores the complex interactions shaping phage ecology. The discovery of ARGs, virulence genes, and heavy metal resistance within prophages suggests a potential role in AMR dissemination. Future research should focus on elucidating mechanisms of ARG transfer mediated by phages in One Health settings. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved
MXene/graphitic carbon nitride-supported metal selenide for all-solid-state flexible supercapacitor and oxygen evolution reaction
No full textWe report a new type of combination of rare earth metal selenides (Ce2Se3 and Er2Se3) with a Ti3C2Tx/S-doped graphitic carbon nitride heterostructure for bifunctional application in flexible supercapacitors and oxygen evolution reactions. The incorporation of S-doped graphitic carbon nitride in MXenes reduced the layer stacking tendency of both two-dimensional sheets and eliminated volume expansion by forming a heterostructure. Cerium and erbium rare earth metal centers induce reactive surface sites, whereas binary layers of Ti3C2Tx/S-doped graphitic carbon nitride provide a conducting matrix for the homogeneous growth of the metal selenides. The assembled all-solid-state flexible asymmetric supercapacitor exhibited a high specific capacitance of 60 F g−1, an energy density of 10.1 W h kg−1 (volumetric energy density: 0.9 mW h cm−3) at 2 A g−1, and 100% capacitance retention after 10 000 charge-discharge cycles with good flexibility for real-time applications. Furthermore, the optimum nanohybrid showed a low overpotential of 280 mV and a Tafel slope of 99 mV dec−1 with durable electrocatalytic performance. This work is the first to investigate the bifunctional energy efficiency of rare earth metal selenides grown over MXene materials. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved
Ti3C2 and Ti2C MXenes-Based Distributed Bragg Reflectors in Fabry Pérot Cavity’s Resonance Tuning
No full textWe have semi-analytically studied the reflection and transmission spectra of the Fabry Pérot interferometer constructed from (1) two distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) and (2) silica sandwiched between these DBRs. Optical properties of comparatively high refractive Ti3C2 and Ti2C MXenes and TiO2 compound and low refractive MgF2, MgO, and SiO2 compounds have been calculated using first-principles quantum mechanical calculations based on density function theory (DFT). The refractive indices determined from DFT calculations have been used in the multilayer system’s transmittance and reflectance relationships, which are theoretically derived from Maxwell’s equations. A DBR is made by stacking a high-refractive material alternatively with a low-refractive material. The cavity formed between two DBRs causes the formation of a transmission peak within the photonic stop band in the transmittance versus wavelength plot, with the transmission coefficient of almost 1, indicating that the system becomes almost transparent to incident light, and that the light behaves as if there is no Fabry Pérot interferometer at all. We reveal that the wavelength corresponding to the transmission peak depends on the thickness of the cavity. As the thickness increases, we found that the resonance peak shifts towards the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved