2270 research outputs found
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Usage of Decision Support Tools in Agriculture
No full textThis research project focuses around the importance of decision support tools in agriculture. For this research project it was decided to focus on reaching out to the community to understand how much impact these types of tools have on people in agriculture. Focusing on if these tools are even considered to make management decisions on farms, or by others in the agriculture sector. Information gathered from this research will help determine if changes need to be made for these tools to help improve the agriculture industry. For example, if farmers can not understand how these tools work then farmers need to be able to help make changes to the programs so they can utilize these tools to their fullest extent. Efficiency equals money in the agriculture industry and every tool created should be designed in a way to improve efficiency
How Does Populism in Poland and Hungary Lead to Democratic Backsliding?
No full textGlobal scholars have witnessed a consistent trend of democratic backsliding in recent years. Particular findings that even some well-established democracies are trending toward autocratization has left political scientists puzzled. This study looks at Poland and Hungary, two nations who once stood out among their peers for their remarkable transition from post-communist autocratic Soviet states to successful consolidated democracies. Now these nations find themselves among the most prominently identified nations threatened by democratic backsliding. This study uses process tracing methods, data gathered from The Freedom House, and other models and methods. The study investigates how changes in the government infrastructure in Poland and Hungary, specifically the role of the courts and the legislature, carved the path for the ruling parties to make significant changes that favored their organization, limited opportunities for opposition parties, and potentially hindered the political freedoms of individuals and the sanctity of political institutions within the state government
How Power Tool Packaging Affects Consumer Understanding
No full textPower drill packaging tends to be messy. Companies like Milwaukee, Makita, Ryobi, and Bosch include things such as too many labels, being wordy, photos on every side, and repeated specifications. Labeling guidelines make a few issues unchangeable, but clarity in communication can affect how consumers view the product or the company. My research involves a redesigned, simplified packaging of 18-Volt drills and comparing it to the current, messy packaging. I used media scanning and visual anthropology to explore company brands and websites and look at product packaging in stores. I also looked at demographics and psychographics like homeowners and industry users to understand how consumers think and how packaging subconsciously changes their perceptions. The results will be discussed during the colloquium presentation. Companies looking to target certain demographics of consumers can use this research in their design processes
Cultural Education Interventions Impact on Cultural Competence
Get PDFProblem: In the United States, there is a substantial increase in diversity. This increase in diversity poses multiple challenges for healthcare workers and healthcare systems. Because nurses care for patients with various cultural backgrounds, health beliefs and practices, and languages, cultural competency plays a pivotal role in providing patient-centered care. There is a need to enhance cultural education for healthcare workers to ensure that healthcare workers have the skills and knowledge to effectively engage with all patient populations. Implementing cultural education interventions seeks to increase healthcare workers\u27 competency, communication, and patient outcomes. Purpose: The purpose of this research question is to assess the effectiveness of cultural educational interventions on healthcare workers. It aims to determine whether increasing these interventions, in comparison to not having them, results in enhanced cultural competency among healthcare workers. Methods: This research project is a mixed methods design using the Cultural Competence Self-assessment Checklist of the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society. A control group and an experimental group will complete a pretest using the Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Checklist. The experimental group will participate in a three-month cultural education course covering topics such as cultural awareness, communication skills, cultural humility, and addressing health disparities. The control group will not receive cultural competency training. At the end of three- months, both groups will complete the same Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Checklist. A semi-structured interview will be used to gather participant perspectives on the course Conclusion: It is expected that healthcare workers with cultural education will have an increased score on the cultural competence self-assessment compared to the healthcare workers who did not receive education. The implementation of cultural education for healthcare workers can increase their own cultural competency but there is still not enough evidence on this topic and more research is needed
A TDMA Algorithm for Dual-Hop Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks
No full textIn this paper, we propose a time division multiple access (TDMA) algorithm and system for a dual-hop energy harvesting wireless sensor network. We assume that the network is divided into clusters, where each cluster has a cluster head and cluster members. A cluster head collects data from its respective cluster members and then transmits the data in one packet to the base station. The proposed algorithm first synchronizes the network and then enables each node to transmit over its designated time slot. The proposed algorithm allows each node to synchronize not only based on a synchronization packet from the base station, but also based on a data packet from another node that is within its communication range. Moreover, the proposed algorithm synchronizes clusters individually, i.e., if a cluster becomes out-of-sync, the algorithm only synchronizes that cluster while allowing the remaining clusters to continue normal operation. The proposed algorithm works also for single-hop networks, and achieves network synchronization without the need for acknowledgment packets, which reduces the average energy consumption and average delay by approximately 1.36 and 1.46 times, respectively, compared to the most recent single-hop algorithm
Preliminary Analysis of the Antimicrobial and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Lobelia Species Medicinally Used by Native Americans
No full textHistorical use of Lobelia species suggests antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity. We screened the following constituents for antimicrobial activity: perilla ketone, δ-carene, myrcene, isophytol, allyl nonanoate, limonene, camphorquinone and lobelin hydrochloride. These constituents were applied at ~ 10 µg/6mm filter paper dot for Kirby-Bauer assay against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. Zones of inhibition were observed against S. pneumoniae for perilla ketone (21 mm), allyl nonanoate (14.5 mm) and myrcene (8 mm). Synergy studies with these 3 constituents are on-going. Ethanolic extracts of Lobelia species cardinalis, inflata and siphilitica were applied at 100 µg plant material/dot for Kirby-Bauer assays against Streptococcus pyogenes, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis and the previously screened microbes. S. pneumoniae again developed zones of inhibition: cardinalis (10.3 mm), inflata, (9.3 mm) and siphilitica (9.7 mm), showing moderate antibiotic efficacy with all species. Anti-inflammatory activity was examined by immunocytochemistry. Lobelia spp. extracts were used to treat mouse granulosa cells at 30 minutes and 1 hour following LPS-induced inflammation. Cardinalis showed minimal suppression of inflammation. Siphilitica was shown to suppress inflammation within the 30-minute treatment, followed by Inflata suppression within the 1 hour treatment
Focus Group Analysis for Remediating Factors of IP Scores
No full textObjective: Imposter phenomenon (IP) is associated with high performing individuals who present with self-criticism, achievement pressures, fraudulent ideals, and negative emotions. IP is easy to identify with the Clance IP Scale (CIP), but finding literature on dealing with IP feelings is more difficult. The objective was to identify potential interventions to reduce the impact of IP in pharmacy students. Method: Students were given the CIP between 10/11-10/25/2023. Those completing the survey, received an invitation to participate in focus groups. Students expressing interest were randomized to two dates in 2024. At the focus group, students were given the CIP, information on IP, and participated in focus groups utilizing the Delphi method. Thematic analysis was used to group similar data. Descriptive statistics described the themes. Results: Students in group one averaged 67, while students in group two averaged 70. The median IP was 70. When dealing with feelings of IP, six students recommended self removal from stress/use of distractor, five students discussed peer input/review, three students reported calling parents, and three students said reflecting on past experiences. When dealing with situations to control feelings of IP, six students said self-gratification, six students talked to their support system, and three students discussed completion of stressor. Conclusion: Data suggests IP impacts people of all backgrounds. These focus groups suggested removal of stress, a strong support system, and self-gratification could result in reduced feelings of IP. Future directions include exploring the implementation of such interventions and evaluating the IP impact