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An Outcome Evaluation of Centre Incorporated?s Responsive Risk Reduction for Women Program
Get PDFResearch on gender-responsive correctional programming has yielded mixed results. Contemporary literature proposes practices aimed at increasing the efficacy of gender-responsive programming. Prior research has highlighted differential characteristics between female and male offenders, leading some scholars to suggest that correctional programming that is constructed to respond to needs and risks that disproportionately affect female offenders is needed to address the growing female incarcerated population. The current study seeks to expand upon the literature of such programs by conducting an outcome evaluation of a gender-responsive community-corrections program in Fargo, North Dakota that serves biological female offenders. The study provides contextual information about the current issue, reviews the literature regarding the current state of the incarcerated female population, and discusses the theoretical bases for gender-responsive programming. The study then provides an overview of the methods used for the outcome evaluation and discusses the findings and possible implications of the study
Genetic Dissection and Improvement of Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Durum Wheat
Get PDFFusarium Head Blight (FHB) is a destructive and complex fungal disease in wheat. Durum wheat, an economically important crop for pasta production, is under the severe impact of FHB. While numerous favorable QTL/genes have been identified in common wheat, there are fewer resistance resources found in durum wheat. An interspecific cross between FHB resistant hard red spring wheat (HRSW) and durum wheat cultivar ?Riveland? has been conducted for the introgression of resistance resources to durum wheat. Given the complex quantitative trait of FHB resistance in wheat, a recurrent selection population was constructed by crossing durum wheat cultivars and durum breeding lines deviated from resistant tetraploid wheat and common wheat. Several FHB resistant breeding lines with lower FHB severity, lower plant height, and shorter flowering date than ?Riveland? were obtained from interspecies crosses and recurrent selection populations. These breeding lines can be used for the development of new durum wheat cultivars with high resistance to FHB. To explore the implementation of genome-wide markers to screen FHB resistance in the durum wheat breeding program, a genomic prediction model was built using breeding lines from 2012-2018 advanced yield trials (AYT) evaluated in multiple environments of scab nurseries. The genomic prediction accuracies were 0.53 and 0.47, respectively, based on ten-fold cross-validation and forward prediction to untested breeding lines. The results indicated that genomic selection could enhance FHB resistance improvement in the durum wheat breeding program
Systematic Intervention Component Analysis: Dose-Response for Therapeutic Ultrasound
Get PDFTherapeutic ultrasound has been well documented in the literature to affect human tissue. The four main parameters practitioners are able to influence are frequency, duty cycle, intensity, and treatment time. Alteration to one or more of these parameters will affect the total dose of acoustical energy delivered to the tissue resulting in a target tissue temperature increase or biophysical effect. The goal of this two-part study was to determine the appropriate energy dose of therapeutic ultrasounds needed to create a beneficial intervention when treating unhealthy human tissue. Prior to the investigation a non-systematic review was conducted to determine the dose-response and thermal outcome in laboratory studies. The first investigation used a systematic intervention component analysis (ICA) to determine the effectiveness and empirical relationship between the different parameters of an ultrasound intervention when treating unhealthy tissue. The second investigation included a four-part survey which addressed trends within parameter selection in the clinical setting and influences on clinical decision making. The first investigation findings indicated no one parameter had significant influence on the ultrasound treatment effectiveness. The second investigation findings indicated practitioners set a treatment goal of 2? and a mean predictive outcome between 1.85 and 2.56? regardless of the condition
Contributing Factors Promoting Success for Females in Computing: A Comparative Study
Get PDFDespite the growing global demand for Computer Science (CS) professionals, their high earning potential, and diversified career paths (U.S. BLS 2021, UNESCO 2017), a critical gap exists between enrollment and graduation rates among female students in computing fields across the world (Raigoza 2017, Hailu 2018, UNESCO 2017, Bennedsen and Caspersen 2007). The largest dropout point occurs during the first two years of their CS studies (Giannakos, et al., 2017). The purpose of this parallelly convergent mixed-methods research was to comparatively investigate, describe and analyze factors correlated to the experiences and perceptions of female undergraduates as it relates to their persistence in CS/Software Engineering (SE) degrees, conducted in two public universities in the U.S. & Ethiopia. Anchored in Tinto?s theory of retention, the quantitative part of the study examined three possible predictive factors of success for students who were enrolled in the first two CS/SE courses and evaluated differences between genders and institutions on those factors. Pearson?s correlation coefficient tests were applied to test the hypothesis that the perceptions of Degree?s Usefulness (DU), Previously Acquired Knowledge (PAK) and Cognitive Attitude (CA) correlate to the decision to persist for the research participants. The results showed a statistically significant positive correlation between perceptions of DU, the influence of PAK, and the decision to persist. Two sample t-tests revealed gender and institutional differences exhibited in the influence of PAK and CA. The qualitative part of the study reported 12 contributing factors of success for graduating class of females in CS/SE using a unique approach of sentiment analysis and topic modeling from the domain of Natural Language Processing (NLP) through the interpretation of auto transcribed interview responses
The Acceptance of Autonomous Vehicles and Their Impacts on Travel Behavior for an Academic Subpopulation in a Midsize U.S. Metropolitan Area with Extremely Cold Winters
Get PDFThe advent of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is one of the major advancements in technology that will revolutionize the future of transportation. Travel demand as one of the managerial sectors of the transportation industry will experience fundamental changes after the introduction of AVs. These changes stem from the attitude and perception of people towards this technology and include people?s willingness to pay for and adopt AVs at different time horizons, potential relocation to the areas with less expensive housing, mode of travel, and subsequent impacts on the roadways and land use. Most of the previous researches regarding the impact of AVs on travel demand have been conducted using nationwide data or in larger cities of the U.S., while in smaller metro areas with extremely cold winters and a considerable number of college students and staff, the approach of people towards AVs could vary because of less population density, high dependence on personal cars, and people?s different perception of traffic congestion. Using the data collected via a stated preference survey in the Fargo-Moorhead area and analyzing them by multivariate, ordered, and bivariate probit models, the respondents above 25 years who had boat trailers in their household appeared to be associated with a 15% reduction in the likelihood of trusting AVs in winters. Respondents under 25 were more likely to be a laggard in the adoption of personally owned AVs if they agreed with using an improved city bus more frequently. Additionally, respondents above 25 living or working in downtown Fargo were less likely to relocate to suburban areas. Moreover, contrary to a previous study, respondents above 25 driving less than 10,000 miles a year were more likely to use shared AVs. Transportation agencies and planners can use the results of this study to better manage the needs of the cities for a viable community and a sustainable transportation system in the future
Investigating the Effect of Temperature and Lighting on Learning Performance of Students Using Physiological Responses
Get PDFTemperature and lighting level are relatively important parameters of indoor environment in a university classroom because they affect students' learning performance. Previous research primarily focused on analyzing students' learning performance, ignoring the learning process involved and the impact of physiological reactions to their learning environment. This study investigates the learning process as well as the influence of students' sensations/comfort and physiological responses. Experiments were carried out in a university classroom with 17 students performing cognitive tests while wearing an EEG headset and an ECG wristband at different temperatures (20-23?C, 23-26?C, 26-29?C) and lighting levels (100-300 lux, 300-600 lux,600-900 lux). The results showed brighter light improved concentration, while neutral temperature was important for working memory, and a comfortable environment and emotional state were important in increasing motivation for better learning performance. The findings can be used to develop an IEQ management plan that will contribute to improve the learning environment
Genetic Characterization and Engineering of Disease Resistance to Spot Form Net Blotch and Fusarium Head Blight in Barley
Get PDFBarley spot form net blotch (SFNB) caused by Pyrenophora teres f. maculata (Ptm) and Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Fusarium graminearum are devastating diseases of barley requiring advanced molecular breeding tools for disease management. I used genetic mapping and host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) to identify novel host genes and target existing pathogen genes to improve disease resistance in barley. Barley resistance to SFNB is often isolate specific and the Idaho isolate 13MI8.3 has a unique virulence profile. Two recombinant inbred mapping populations were utilized to characterize and map 13IM8.3 resistance. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis revealed 10 significant resistance/susceptibility loci, including a previously unidentified QTL on chromosome 5H and the Rpt4 locus on chromosome 7H containing a dominant susceptibility gene (Sptm1) for broad-spectrum susceptibility to SFNB. Fine mapping of the Rpt4 locus in a F2:3 population derived from the cross Tradition (S) ? PI 67381 (R) anchored the Sptm1 gene to a 400 kb region on chromosome 7H, and a putative cold-responsive protein kinase gene (HORVU.MOREX.r3.7HG0735560) was identified as a strong candidate and potential target for gene editing. As for the FHB management, HIGS was employed to silence the fungal gene FgGCN5 using the barley line Golden Promise. The FgGCN5 gene encodes a histone acetyltransferase which is essential for the F. graminearum growth. Despite demonstrated production of FgGCN5 small-interfering RNAs in the transgenic barley; the disease severity, DON accumulation, and fungal biomass showed no difference from wild-type. This research allows for more in depth analysis for the use of HIGS against FHB. Use of genetic maps, QTL, molecular markers, and transgenic technology in this research will benefit barley breeders, growers, and the industry in developing resistance to these important diseases
A Narrative Review and Longitudinal Data Analysis Method to Evaluate the Association Between Head and Neck Cancer and Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Get PDFThe pathophysiological mechanisms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and head and neck cancers (HNCs) have not been fully investigated. Currently, investigating the relationship between HNCs and OSA is incomplete due to the restriction of histological, molecular, and clinical evidence. In this research, the first section reviews the common course of therapy in patients with HNCs and OSA, the causal relationship and association between HNCs and OSA, and the scope of statistical methods used to investigate the association between HNCs and OSA. According to the observation from the literature review, more rigorously designed studies with longitudinal data collection should be considered. To explore the potential in longitudinal data of HNCs patients with OSA, the second section concentrate on developing a framework that will determine the change over time of Apnea-Hypopnea index (AHI) in OSA patients and estimate the effect of treatment on the rate of change of AHI. Successfully address and confirm the relationship between HNCs treatment and OSA promise to support the management of cancer and OSA in adults
Social and Psychological Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Construction Projects
Get PDFAs the construction workers were impacted during the Covid-19 period from social distancing to eventual lack of human interaction, it is necessary to understand the changed social and psychological states of construction workers to manage and improve their performance. This study aims to investigate the social and psychological impact of Covid-19 on the performance of construction projects. The survey was carried out by construction professionals including construction managers, superintendents, and laborers. It was found that anxiety and depression, and health risk concern changed significantly in the pre and post-pandemic period. The results also highlighted health risk concerns, sense of belonging, income equality, job stability, stress management, knowledge, and financial stability as the most impactful factors influencing the workforce's performance on construction projects. This study contributes to providing the managerial implications and guidance for improving the construction workforce including managers' and site laborers' performance in the post-pandemic period
Multiracial Identity as a Factor in Body Image and Disordered Eating
Get PDFEmerging adulthood is a significant developmental stage where both ethnic-racial identitydevelopment and body dissatisfaction/disordered eating are salient. Past research suggests that
there are links between identity development and body image/disordered eating (Palmeroni et al.,
2020). Additionally, studies in the body image/disordered eating field have begun to examine
differences among ethnic-racial groups (see Bucchianeri et al., 2016). However, there is limited
research with Multiracial individuals (i.e., individuals with two or more ethnic-racial
backgrounds). It is undetermined how Multiracial identity development influences body image
and disordered eating behaviors. Thus, two studies were conducted to explore such connections.
Participants included 174 Multiracial emerging adults (M = 21.8 years, SD = 2.08 years) in the
U.S. Most participants were women (73.6%). The most common Multiracial identities were
Asian-White (36.2%) and Black-White (23.0%).
Study 1 was a mixed-method study that tested the racial identity-related factors of ethnic-racial
identity achievement (i.e., feeling secure in one?s identity), racial ambiguity, racial
incongruity, race esteem, and self-rated impact of identity and their associations with body
dissatisfaction, body appreciation, and disordered eating. Furthermore, participants provided
their overall thoughts and feelings on the impact of their Multiracial identity on their body
image. Study 2 was a qualitative study that further explored Multiracial participants? lived
experiences with exoticization, racial ambiguity, and racial incongruity and how those
experiences influenced their feelings towards their bodies. Quantitative results showed that
ethnic-racial identity achievement and race esteem were positively associated with body
appreciation. The qualitative findings provided mixed evidence, with an array of diverse
appraisals and feelings ranging from positive to negative. Together, this research illuminates the
ways in which being Multiracial plays a role in body image and disordered eating. The overall
findings have implications for medical professionals, families, prevention and intervention
programming, and Multiracial individuals themselves. Research with Multiracial participants is
particularly important given that the U.S. Multiracial population is growing at a swift pace and
that body image/disordered eating issues are prevalent for emerging adults