203435 research outputs found
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The Effects of the Implementation of State-Sponsored Free Community College Programs on Enrollment and Net Price
No full textState-sponsored, free community college programs have been implemented with the goal of increasing access to higher education, especially for financially disadvantaged students. This study seeks to determine the impact of the implementation of the Tennessee Promise and the Oregon Promise on enrollment and net price by student family income level using a difference-in-differences methodology comparing in-state, public, two-year institutional outcomes with: in-state, public four-year institutions; national, public, two-year institutions; and, public, two-year institutions in states that border Tennessee/Oregon. Enrollment was, on average, found to have increased between 44 and 167 students at Tennessee public, two-year institutions for all students with a family income level below 30,000 as compared with institutions from all three models. Net price was, on average, found to have reduced between 3712 for students at Tennessee public, two-year institutions for students from all family income levels, while the net price outcomes were mixed for those students attending Oregon public, two-year institutions. Overall, the implementation of state-sponsored, free community college programs is positively impacting enrollment and net pricing for students attending eligible public, two-year institutions
It Takes Two to Tango: The Overlooked Process of Co-creation in Services Marketing
No full textThis dissertation investigates the mechanisms of effective co-creation in patient-provider interactions within the U.S. healthcare system, a critical area given pervasive systemic frustrations and the dyadic nature of care. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and Service-Dominant Logic, the research proposes a conceptual model where patient self-efficacy fosters cooperation, mediated by the dimensions of symmetry, alignment, and agreement, ultimately influencing patient outcomes. Perceived response efficacy is hypothesized to moderate this relationship. A mixed-methods approach was employed, consisting of two complementary studies. Study 1 utilized qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 20 patients and 5 healthcare providers to deeply explore how self-efficacy, perceived response efficacy, and the cooperative triad manifest in real-world clinical encounters. Key findings revealed that patient self-efficacy is a relationally shaped construct, often reinforced by social support, and reconceptualized perceived response efficacy as trust in the effectiveness of the interaction process with the provider. Symmetry, alignment, and agreement emerged as a cumulative progression, with symmetry serving as a foundational entry point for deeper collaboration. Emergent themes also highlighted the significant influences of spirituality, historical/institutional trauma, gendered communication preferences, relational memory, and provider emotional labor on co-creation dynamics. Study 2 quantitatively tested the revised model using a cross-sectional survey of 372 patients with long-term conditions. The results largely supported the hypotheses: higher patient self-efficacy significantly predicted increased symmetry, alignment, and agreement, and was associated with lower psychological distress and greater adherence. Both symmetry and alignment emerged as significant predictors of patient satisfaction, while alignment also promoted adherence. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, perceived response efficacy did not significantly moderate the link between self-efficacy and cooperation; instead, it emerged as a strong direct predictor of cooperation components and patient satisfaction. Cluster analysis identified three distinct patient personas—Skeptical Observers, Empowered Collaborators, and Cautious Partners—differentiated by their levels of self-efficacy and perceived response efficacy, offering practical insights for tailored communication strategies. Collectively, this research validates and expands the patient-provider co-creation framework, underscoring the interplay between patient agency, relational trust, and cooperative communication in achieving improved satisfaction, emotional well-being, and adherence. The findings offer actionable insights for healthcare providers to optimize engagement strategies and contribute theoretically by refining co-creation and perceived response efficacy concepts within the healthcare context
Mitochondrial Function and Therapeutic Interventions for Simulated Staphylococcus Aureus Prosthetic Joint Infection Model: Opportunities for a Novel Clinical Paradigm
No full textPeriprosthetic joint infection (PJI) represents one of the most debilitating complications following total joint arthroplasty, driving high rates of morbidity, mortality, and revision surgery. Existing paradigms focus primarily on infection eradication through surgery and prolonged systemic antibiotics, but these approaches often fail to address the profound local tissue damage, metabolic disruption, and immunological imbalance that contribute to treatment failure. A growing body of literature implicates mitochondrial dysfunction as a key player in infection pathogenesis, yet its role in PJI has remained unexplored. With rising surgical volumes and limited efficacy of current treatment protocols, particularly against biofilm-forming bacteria, there remains a critical need for novel therapeutic strategies that protect local tissues and preserve mitochondrial function. This dissertation investigates the mitochondrial consequences of PJI and evaluates adjunct therapeutic strategies that aim to preserve host bioenergetics and enhance infection control. Using a validated methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) rat model of PJI, we first demonstrated that infected musculoskeletal tissues exhibit significant suppression of mitochondrial respiration and Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) production despite preserved electron transport chain (ETC) complex activity. This respiratory suppression, characterized by reduced oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and elevated extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), reflected a shift toward glycolysis, suggestive of bioenergetic stress in infected tissues. Notably, this phenotype was confirmed across two independent experiments using Seahorse XF ATP coupling assays, validating the reproducibility of this metabolic signature. Building on these findings, we then explored whether targeted antibiotic delivery via intra-articular (IA) vancomycin could improve local infection control while preserving mitochondrial function. Escalating IA doses (5–100 mg/kg) were compared to standard intraperitoneal (IP) systemic vancomycin. IA-Van100 achieved the greatest bacterial clearance and bone tissue vancomycin concentrations, while IA-Van50 demonstrated superior mitochondrial respiration and ATP synthesis compared to other groups, with no evidence of systemic toxicity. These results suggest that IA delivery not only enhances local drug concentrations but also mitigates bioenergetic compromise in periprosthetic tissues. Finally, we evaluated metformin, a clinically available antidiabetic agent with emerging anti-inflammatory and mitochondrial-protective properties, as a host-directed therapy. Infected animals treated with IP metformin showed restored mitochondrial respiration, reduced ECAR, and trends toward reduced Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β ) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels, compared to both untreated and vancomycin-treated groups. While bacterial clearance was not significantly different, the observed metabolic recovery and anti-inflammatory profile highlight metformin’s potential as an adjunct strategy to bolster host resilience during infection. Taken together, these studies define a novel metabolic dimension of PJI, underscoring the importance of mitochondrial function in infection response and therapeutic success. This work supports a shift in treatment paradigms, from pathogen-directed therapies alone to strategies that preserve and restore host tissue metabolism. Intra-articular vancomycin and metformin represent promising candidates in this regard. Further translational research should explore combination approaches, timing of administration, and intermediate IA dosing (e.g., 75 mg/kg), as well as validate mitochondrial endpoints in clinical samples. Ultimately, integrating host-targeted bioenergetic preservation into PJI management may improve outcomes and reduce the burden of this complex and costly complication
Soft Infrastructure and the Location Choice of Multinational Firms:Evidence from Japanese Investment in the United States in the 1980s
Full text linkWe examine whether culture-specific educational infrastructure influenced the location decisions of multinational enterprises by analyzing Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States during the 1980s. Using the quasi-natural experiment of politically-driven Japanese FDI following Reagan-era trade tensions, we test whether pre-existing Japanese Studies programs in U.S. universities predict subsequent Japanese investment across 722 commuting zones. We find that zones with Japanese Studies programs in 1980 were 21-29% more likely to receive new Japanese manufacturing investment by 1992, controlling for traditional determinants likemanufacturing infrastructure, agglomeration, and market access. Our results suggest that soft infrastructure —culture-specific human capital pipelines—represents an overlooked location advantage that complements traditional hard infrastructure in attracting FDI. These findings have implications for understanding how regions can strategically develop cultural competencies to attract foreign investment
Temporal Simulation of Boiler Efficiency Projects for Environmental Performance in Industrial Facilities
No full textSustainability has become a significant focus for industries due to customer demand and environmental regulations. Energy efficiency and emissions reduction play a significant role in improving the environmental performance in the industries. However, facility managers often lack effective tools to determine the right projects to achieve the environmental improvement targets. Boiler systems were studied to evaluate their impact on energy and carbon emissions reduction. A simulation tool using Excel VBA to evaluate the impacts of energy efficiency measures on boiler energy consumption was developed. The user can simulate baseline consumption and emissions using the current boiler operating parameters and the changes based on modifications to the boiler operating parameters and implementation of energy-saving measures.
The model was validated with 12 months of utility bills from a manufacturing plant. The maximum absolute error percentage between the monthly simulated data and utility bills was observed to be 12.09% and the minimum absolute error percentage was observed to be 1.49%. The error between the model and real data was attributed to differences in load factors, weather impacts, simplification of the model, and real-world performance. A total of nine improvement scenarios were evaluated under the specified boiler operating conditions. Among the individual measures assessed, the recovery of heat from condensate demonstrated the greatest reduction in energy consumption. This was followed in descending order of effectiveness by burner replacement, optimization of the air-fuel ratio, reduction of steam pressure, recovery of blowdown heat, reduction of blowdown rates, flue gas heat recovery, and the application of insulation to exposed hot surfaces. Additionally, a combined scenario incorporating condensate heat recovery, air-fuel ratio optimization, and steam pressure reduction was analyzed
Functionalized Carbon Nanohoops: Synthesis, Structural Insights, and Pathways to Carbon Nanobelts
No full textThe development of structurally defined carbon nanostructures has gained significant attention due to their unique electronic, optical, and mechanical properties. Cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs), also known as carbon nanohoops, and carbon nanobelts (CNBs) represent key molecular segments of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), offering a bottom-up approach to precise nanotube construction. This dissertation focuses on the synthesis, structural characterization, and functionalization of CPPs, as well as the development of novel synthetic pathways for CNBs. A series of functionalized CPPs, including [9]-, [12]-, [15]-, and [18]CPPs, were synthesized using a modular approach involving a Diels-Alder adduct formation followed by a Ni(cod)2/bpymediated macrocyclization reaction. The influence of precursor design, catalyst loading, and oxidative aromatization conditions on macrocyclization efficiency and product distribution was systematically investigated. Structural analysis via X-ray crystallography and spectroscopic techniques provided insights into the correlation between molecular conformation and reaction outcomes. In addition to CPP synthesis, novel methodologies for CNB construction were explored, addressing the challenges associated with strain energy and regioselective closure. Strategies leveraging sequential coupling reactions and oxidative cyclization provided access to structurally well-defined CNBs. The methodologies developed in this work not only enhance synthetic accessibility but also contribute to the broader understanding of carbon nanostructure formation. This research advances the field of nanocarbon chemistry by expanding synthetic approaches to CPPs and CNBs, offering new insights into their structural properties, and laying the groundwork for future applications in molecular electronics, optoelectronics, and nanomaterials science
Determination of Spatial Origin of Striations on Fired Projectiles
Full text linkFirearms examination has been a mainstay of Forensic Science for over a century. One of the principal assessments performed by firearm examiners is the comparison of fired projectiles to a suspect firearm. The AFTE theory of identification, as it pertains to firearms and toolmarks, supports the basis that the barrel of a firearm will impart class and individualizing characteristics onto the fired projectile. The characteristics are developed by the interaction of the projectile surface with the lands of the barrel. Features on the lands, which are incidental to the process of manufacturing, dictate the characteristics observed on the fired projectile. There is also a general opinion that features on lands around the muzzle of the barrel impart majority of the striations seen on fired projectiles, as it is the last point of contact. While there have been many studies looking at individualizing characteristics on fired projectiles, no other study to the best of our knowledge has been conducted to address this opinion nor to understand the location and distribution of features within a barrel. The aim of this study was to identify the features on the lands within the barrels of three 9 mm pistols that impart striations on fired projectiles and understand the general spread of those features. The barrels of these three firearms were rifled with three different manufacturing techniques, broach, button, and hammer forge rifling. Additionally, each of the three firearm barrels were cast in triplicate and the topographies of these casts were captured via confocal microscopy. Within this exploratory data set, it has been shown that potential contributing features were found along the entire length of all three barrels, contradicting the general opinion that these potential contributing features would be clustered near the muzzle. Though these results require further validation this study still provides useful foundational information to firearm examiners. The findings of this study also aid the validity of performing comparisons between fired projectiles and suspect firearms where part of barrel has been sawn off
Thrill Kill (Beta)
No full texthttps://researchrepository.wvu.edu/fixation-db-video-games/3930/thumbnail.jp