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Industrial Establishments and their Impacts on the Surrounding Communities: The Case of Tigray Regional State, Ethiopia
Full text linkThis study aims at investigating the community level socioeconomic impacts in line with industrial establishments in one of the fast-growing urban centers- Mekelle, Ethiopia. Employing qualitative research designs, data were collected from two purposively selected kebeles. Key-informant interviews, focus group discussions and field observations were used to gather data on the community level socio-economic impacts of the industrial establishment. Findings of the study reveal that at the community level, the industrial establishment has brought a few positive assistances such as infrastructural and community service provisions; construction of grand projects and contribution to the national government; supported sports and other social activities. There were also economic contributions of the industry including provision of training and knowledge transfer; job creation and employment opportunities (permanent, daily, and indirect). The study concludes that expansion of industries while bringing advantages at the national level, it enables the local communities to benefit positively in different facets
The Attitudes of Special Education Teachers Towards the Impact of Covid-19 on Student Outcomes
Full text linkGlobally, the coronavirus (COVID-19) has significantly impacted special education teachers and educational institutions. The onset of the coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020 led to an almost complete closure of school buildings, triggering a significant disruption to K -12 education across the United States (Education Week, 2020). The quick transition to online and remote learning presented one of the biggest obstacles, especially for special education teachers. The routine and social connections essential for the development of special education students were disturbed by the closing of the schools. Teachers had to develop innovative ways to keep students interested and connected, which could have led to skill regression and decreased sociability. Special education teachers had to make significant adjustments to lesson planning, communication with parents, and providing their mandated Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Through the unknown expectations of a pandemic on education, teachers still faced balancing their professional responsibilities with personal commitments and challenges of caring for family members, managing their health concerns, and adapting to their new daily routines. This study examines special education teachers\u27 attitudes toward the impact of COVID-19 on student outcomes. The student outcomes concern academic achievement, social behaviors, socioemotional development, and absenteeism. The researcher developed and used the Dixon Attitudes of Special Education Teachers Regarding Student Outcomes (DASETSO) instrument to collect data. Secondary data analysis was collected to determine if there was a difference in general education teachers\u27 attitudes
The Myth of Expertise in Academia: A Collaborative Autoethnography
Full text linkMyths are powerful stories we share that shape our world and worldviews. Myths become so ingrained they often become the big-T truth. In this paper, we explore what we call the myth of expertise that usually guides how one can fit into academic spaces and places. The myth of expertise focuses on a specific, technocratic knowledge focused on certain empirical training with a goal of production. This arises especially when universities are commodified and marketized. Using our own experiences via collaborative autoethnography, we share how the myth reinforces these exclusionary practices while also offering a counternarrative – also based on our experiences – rooted in an ethic of care. The new myth ideally shows how academic places and spaces, and the people in them, can – and do – balance technocratic expertise with empathy and understanding
ChatGPT: What is it? How does it work? Can it be a teaching tool for an introductory programming course in higher education?
Full text linkAbstract:
ChatGPT is an interactive chatbot that uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand user input and generate responses. (Ruby, 2023) OpenAI.com released it in November of 2022, creating a buzz in many areas, including higher education. The focus of higher education on this new tool has primarily been academic dishonesty. Although this is a significant concern with ChatGPT, this paper focuses on its usage as a learning tool to help teach programming to management information systems students.
The paper’s brief literature review focuses on ChatGPT’s background and history. A study of how ChatGPT works at a high level is conducted, along with a walk-through of the process it uses to perform conversational modeling. (Ruby, 2023) Large language modeling is explained in terms that can be easily understood by management information systems students. After reviewing what ChatGPT is and how it works, the paper outlines and conducts an experiment using ChatGPT as a tool to assist students new to programming, in completing a simple programming assignment.
The experiment aims to see if a new programming student can use ChatGPT’s responses to complete the assignment. The experiment uses conversational prompts to describe the steps in the coding assignment and has ChatGPT return responses in the form of Python code blocks.
The paper describes each step in the process, including the prompts written and responses received from ChatGPT. This experimental assignment is to create a console application that will take input from the end user in the form of the user’s first name, last name, and year born. The input feature of the program must validate each piece of end-user data. This validation will be performed in conditional while loops. The program will then write the end-user data into a tuple that will also be stored in a list. An outer conditional while loop should terminate when the index reaches five (5) total tuples with individual end-user data in the tuples. Once all the data is entered, the program will process the data into unique usernames and evaluate the usernames for duplicates.
The preliminary results of this experiment will determine whether ChatGPT can be successfully used as a learning tool in assisting students in completing programming assignments. The prompts written for and the responses received from ChatGPT will be evaluated as to their usefulness and repeatability
Experimental Analysis Of Mybl1, Vcpip1 And Ubxn2b In Triple Negative Breast Cancers
Full text linkThe focus of our laboratory is to characterize triple negative breast cancers. In a previous study we identified six genes over-expressed in a subset of the cancers. MYBL1 was one of the genes. MYBL1 is a strong transcriptional activator responsible for regulation of genes associated with cell cycle signaling, differentiation and apoptosis, all processes that drive cancers. Because of MYBL1’s involvement in processes key to cancer pathogenesis, in an earlier study, we knocked down the MYBL1 gene in efforts to identify genes that were either directly or indirectly associating with the gene to affect the triple negative breast cancer processes. The implication is that MYBL1, being a strong transcriptional activator, can affect the cancer processes. Analyses of the knockdown dataset show that when MYBL1 is knocked down, the VCPIP1 gene is also knocked down. Both MYBL1 and VCPIP1 gene are located at the chromosomal 8q13.1 locus. And bioinformatic analyses of pan cancers and breast cancers show some of the same patients with MYBL1 alterations have VCPIP1 alterations, with almost complete concordance. The precise nature of the alterations in TNBC has not been identified, but the alterations in cell lines lead to over-expression of the genes. Data mining via STRINGTM analyses show high confidence associations between MYBL1, VCPIP1 and another gene UBXN2B, which is in a VCPIP1 mitotic signaling pathway. Although direct interactions have not been identified, all three genes are involved in mitotic signaling mechanisms. As summary, the current project describes bioinformatic and experimental data validating the possible relationship between MYBL1 and VCPIP1, and possibly the UBXN2B gene. Our data convincingly demonstrate an association between MYBL1 and VCPIP1 and we suspect this association is related to cooperation between the genes in mitotic signaling events
Third Ward CASPER 2023 Final Report
Full text linkThe 2023 Third Ward CASPER Final Report conducted by Texas Southern University (TSU) and the Houston Health Department assessed public health conditions in Houston\u27s Third Ward community. The initiative utilized the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) methodology to gather household-based data, informing public health decisions, emergency responses, and future resource allocation.
Objective and Key Findings: The mission aimed to assess health needs, promote health resources, and build community relationships. Notable findings include that over 36% of households reported hypertension, while 19% experienced poor mental health. Access barriers to healthcare persisted, particularly due to lack of insurance. Nearly half of households tested positive for COVID-19, with 18% reporting long-term symptoms. Behavioral data indicated good engagement in physical activity and moderate fruit/vegetable consumption but highlighted issues like smoking and obesity.
Recommendations: The report suggests expanding health coverage outreach, enhancing preventative care services, providing free COVID testing, and addressing mental health needs. Special attention to the impact of gentrification and demographic shifts is emphasized, as these factors may affect public health trends and resource distribution within the community
Seniors Seeking Housing, Health, and Climate Justice, An Oral History of Hurricane Recovery in the Gulf Coast
Full text linkOn the Gulf Coast of Texas, a large disparity exists between the number of homes still in need of repair after Hurricane Harvey and the number of homes actually repaired by the City of Houston, Housing and Community Development, 6 years after the storm. This research was conducted through the lens of environmental justice, with attention to climate change impacts and the vulnerability of previously segregated neighborhoods over extended periods of time. The most vulnerable, seniors, were interviewed to collect their personal experiences post Hurricane Harvey to determine the true extent of home damage, how they recovered from the storm, and what impact that recovery period post-storm had on their health and displacement from the home. In the context of a just planning model and through the lens of environmental justice, their ecological knowledge and participation should be used to improve housing recovery. Oral histories allow others an alternative perspective to their own and offer policy makers insight into complex nuances, actors, and events that have transpired post-disaster
An Analysis of White-Collar Crime in Fort Bend County, Texas.
Full text linkIn many respects, white-collar crimes are invisible, with offenses characteristically cloaked within organizational routines that often render them undetectable by observers, victims, or law enforcers. The prosecution of such crimes is unique in different states and distinct on a case-by-case basis. Studies have shown that despite the increased number of white-collar crimes fostered by explosive advancements in technology, many white-collar crime cases still go undetected and are not subjected to the criminal justice system. This dissertation will examine the approach of the Office of the District Attorney for Fort Bend County, Texas, in the prosecution of white-collar crimes in the county. A quantitative methodology (questionnaire) consisting of 18 questions/items and a sample population of 200 subjects obtained from the District Attorney’s Office in Fort Bend County, Texas was examined. The 200 subjects were divided into fraud (1) and non-fraud (0). Analyzing empirical studies, court dispositions, and questionnaire responses will help elucidate the nature of the white-collar crimes committed between 2015 and 2020 in the county. Edwin Sutherland\u27s application of the social learning theory (differential association in particular), with the rational choice and routine activity theories, was used to explain and comprehend the nature of white-collar crime in Fort Bend County. A logic regression was conducted, and the findings revealed that demographic factors and criminal history were statistically significant predictors of white-collar crimes. This study also found that African Americans were .59 times less likely to engage in white-collar crime compared to other ethnic groups in the Fort Bend County population that was analyzed. Such findings appear to be comparable with previous empirical studies. This study contributes to the education of the local public on the impact of white-collar crimes, which includes financial crimes, such as tax evasion, embezzlement, and fictitious sale of insurance plans, to name a few; as well as money laundering, debit, and credit card abuse that are financial sector crimes. This study also contributes to the development of appropriate policies for such offenses prosecuted in Fort Bend County, Texas
An Evaluation of Silent Sexually Assaulted Female Survivors on HBCU Campuses: Silent Sedation
Full text linkOften, we are conditioned to think about Sexual Assault as something that is taboo, rare, and unheard of unless you happen to be in a terrible situation. However, the reality is that it occurs so often that people are silent about their situation. Why are people quiet? They are silent because they tend to feel ashamed and blame themselves. Seriously, what about the young ladies and men that never speak up? “The Majority of Sexual Assaults are not reported to the police. Only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to the police. That means more than 2 out of 3 go unreported.” (Rainn,2022). Imagine being a student on a Historically Black University Campus and dealing with sexual assault. Unfortunately, the black community often looks down upon situations like this because of this do not ask, don’t tell culture we have embedded in them. Sexually assaulted female scholars on Historically Black University Campuses are silent because they do not feel they have a haven on campus, at home, or within their community. If they were provided with the right resources and security, silence would be eradicated from these vicious cycles of sexual assault
