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The perception of hybrid nutrition education among limited income families in Tennessee
Get PDFThe issue of obesity continues to be a concern in the US. Throughout the years, research has shown that adopting healthier eating habits and increasing physical activity can help people lead healthier lives. Families of low socioeconomic status suffer disproportionately from poor health. Nutrition education programs have been successful in supporting program participant’s efforts towards health; however, recruiting and retaining program participation has been challenging. Completing a series of face-to-face classes has been difficult for this population due to various barriers they face. Providing distance-based opportunities, such as hybrid nutrition education programs, could assist in overcoming some of these barriers. The purpose of this research is to determine how low-income audiences in Tennessee perceive nutrition education delivered in a blended learning method. Data was collected from Tennesseans from six rural, three suburban, and four urban counties, who received supplemental assistance or whose income was at or below 185% of the poverty guidelines developed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Eighty participants complete an online Likert-style survey consisting of questions concerning their experiences with technology, nutrition education and nutrition information. A thematic analysis of the qualitative data identified what participants wanted to experience in a hybrid nutrition education program. The findings of this study indicated a relationship between participants’ perception and where they live, and how they currently receive nutrition information. There was no significant relationship between participants’ preferred delivery method and where they live, their access to technology, and how they currently receive nutrition information. Most participants would like to see some form of technology incorporated into a nutrition education program. The majority of the participants disagreed that it would be difficult to participate in a hybrid nutrition education program. Participants expressed they would want to see food demonstrations, receive accurate nutrition information, and kid friendly recipes in a hybrid program. The findings provide direction for future research and future practices in nutrition education
Kokkos-Enhanced ExaMPI: Modern Parallel Programming for Exascale
Get PDFKokkos provides in-memory advanced data structures, concurrency, and algorithm to support performance portable C++ parallel pro- gramming across CPUs and GPUs. MPI provides the most widely used message passing model for inter-node communication. Many programmers use both Kokkos and the Message Passing Interface (MPI) together. In this thesis, Kokkos is integrated within an MPI im- plementation to obtain performance and functionality benefits both for the MPI itself, and for applications that use both Kokkos+MPI. For instance, it will be possible in this model to pass first-class Kokkos objects directly to extended C++-based MPI APIs. In particular, efforts to achieve this type of integrated model is expressed using ExaMPI, a C++17-based subset implementation of MPI-4 developed at UTC with collaborators. Working with C++- friendly APIs, and Kokkos extensions, examples of the benefits of functionality and performance are shown. We explain why direct use of Kokkos within the certain parts of the MPI implementation are crucial to getting added performance in addition to expressivity. We also motivate why making Kokkos memory spaces visible to the MPI implementation generalizes the idea of “CPU memory” and “GPU memory” in ways that provide for further optimizations in heterogeneous Exascale architectures. Besides showing the current state of the prototype, we describe future goals, and show how these mesh both with a possible future C++ API for MPI-5 as well as the potential for accelerating MPI on architectures that incorporate accelerator
Mapping urban forest extent and modeling sequestered carbon across Chattanooga, TN using GIS and remote sensing
Get PDFChattanooga, Tennessee is among many cities experiencing rapid urbanization and subsequent losses to urban forest area. Using remote sensing and digital image processing, this research 1) applied supervised hybrid classification across Landsat imagery that quantified the extent of urban forest loss across Chattanooga between 1984 and 2021, 2) modeled the carbon sequestered in the biomass of Chattanooga’s urban trees using field data and vegetation indices, and finally 3) developed the first city-wide high-resolution land cover map across Chattanooga using SkySat imagery and object-based classification. Results found that Chattanooga has lost up to 43% of its urban tree canopy and gained up to 134% of urban land area. Additionally, a methodology for modeling sequestered carbon across urban forests was identified. Finally, using high-resolution imagery and the object-based workflow as described here, it is capable of producing accurate maps of urban tree canopy distribution with overall accuracy quantified in excess of 93%
Assessing the programming efficacy of teachers through workshop learning combining drones and STEM activities
Get PDFThis program focused on work with the DJI (2023b) Tello EDU drone, which is programmable through an app or can be flown with an app or a controller. The DroneBlocks App (DroneBlocks, n.d.) was used for flying through drag-and-drop, block coding, and the DJI (2023a) Tello App was used for flying without programming. Each teacher self-evaluated knowledge and skills, before and after a multi-day workshop.
Balogun and Miller (2022) developed, and pilot-tested, a drone club model for out-of-school STEM learning and career pathway exploration. K-12 educators and subject-matter experts provided feedback for revision. Feedback topics ranged from safety to instruction to assessment. Goodnough et al. (2019) collected data regarding teacher pedagogical content knowledge while presenting a unit using drones to study animal habitats. Teacher efficacy was strengthened as they created inquiry-based, classroom environments to engage learners in science. Tsai et al. (2019) developed a computer programming self-efficacy scale. The five subscales included Logical Thinking, Cooperation, Algorithm, Control, and Debug.
During summer 2022 and spring 2023, 16 teachers provided survey data for the self-efficacy scale (Tsai et al., 2019) and responded to open-ended questions. The goal was to provide high-quality, teacher professional development to increase knowledge and instructional skills for integrating drones into the elementary, middle, and secondary grades classroom. Measurable objectives included:
1. There will be a statistically significant increase in teachers’ scores on a 16-item, computer programming self-efficacy survey, between administrations of the instrument. 2. There will be a statistically significant increase in teachers’ scores on the five sub-scales of the computer programming self-efficacy survey, between administrations of the instrument. 3. Responses to open-ended questions will be analyzed for trends.
Results showed a significant increase in computer programming self-efficacy and significant increases in sub-scale scores.
References
Balogun, A. O., & Miller, J. (2022). Drone club: Exploring engineering and employability skills outside the classroom. TechTrends, 66, 923-930.
DJI. (2023a). Download center. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://www.dji.com/downloads/djiapp/tello
DJI. (2023b). Tello EDU. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://m.dji.com/product/tello-edu
DroneBlocks. (n.d.). Download the DroneBlocks Apps. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://droneblocks.io/app
Goodnough, K., Azam, S., & Wells, P. (2019). Adopting drone technology in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics): An examination of elementary teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 19, 398-414.
Tsai, M.-J., Wang, C.-Y., & Hsu, P.-F. (2019). Developing the computer programming self-efficacy scale for computer literacy education. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 56(8), 1345-1360
The Relationship Between Religiosity and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Quarantine
Get PDFSocial isolation has become a public policy under the current circumstances. This isolation can lead to a life imbalance that is believed to affect physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being. Previous research shows that both, a defined sense of religiosity or affirmative secularity, can yield progressive emotional outcomes due to multiple factors such as community support, sense of structure, life guidance, mindfulness and a sense of unity with the world. However, a gap exists in the extant literature regarding the relationship between mental health and religiosity during global pandemics. To address this gap, this study sought to answer the following question: Does religiosity significantly affect mental health in those that have reported being impacted by COVID-19? The present study found no statistically significant differences in the levels of anxiety or depression as a function of religiosity. There also was no significant correlation between anxiety and the different dimensions of religiosity or depression and religiosity
Effects of a Brief Exposure to Nature or Social Media on Psychological Well-Being
Get PDFSocial media has enhanced our ability to connect with each other globally; however, social media is not necessarily beneficial. Given the potential negative impact of social media use on psychological well-being, it is important to identify resources that may buffer this impact. One resource may be exposure to nature. Participants exposed to nature scenes experienced less negative affect compared to those exposed to social media. Those who spent more time outside tended to experience decreased negative affect when they viewed both social media and nature photos, but when viewing only social media, they experienced increased negative affect. Relations between humans, social media, and nature, are complex, and further research into these relations and their underlying causes may be beneficial
The Impacts of Siblings on Development Across the Lifespan
Get PDFMost individuals grow up with siblings, and sibling relationships are some of the longest lasting relationships experienced. Studies that have investigated sibling effects on developmental domains and stages throughout an individual’s life indicate that older siblings have some of the greatest impacts on younger siblings’ social, psychological, and cognitive development. During childhood, sibling relationships revolve around older and younger siblings’ prosocial behaviors. During adolescence, sibling power dynamics shift as older siblings relinquish power to younger siblings. In adulthood, siblings tend to experience increased closeness and decreased conflict as they mature and move away from one another. Information on siblings’ impacts on development and sibling relationships across the lifespan can provide mental health professionals with better insight on individual developmental differences
Impact of Pandemic Induced Stress on Health Behaviors Related to COVID-19 Susceptibility
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has encompassed not only a public health crisis due to the range of symptoms and rapid spread associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but it has also resulted in daily life changes due to public health mandates implemented to reduce the spread of the disease. The current study (N = 148) tested two hypotheses: that individuals experiencing increased stress due to the pandemic would be more likely to engage in protective behaviors that would limit exposure to the virus (e.g., limiting in-person contact) and that individuals experiencing increased stress would also engage in behaviors that may increase their risk for other health concerns (e.g., increased screen time increasing sedentary lifestyles). Using an online survey design with data collected from a college student sample, correlational analyses found that individuals reporting greater levels of stress were more likely to report reduced in-person contact and to identify COVID-19 as a public health threat. Stress did not relate to adherence to safety guidelines, however, considering COVID-19 as a public health threat did. Stress also correlated with increased screen time and caffeine consumption, but not alcohol or nicotine use. The results of the study highlight the importance of assessing both protective and maladaptive health behaviors when researching the relationship between public health concerns and stress
A study of higher education alumni perceptions of in-person or online engagement
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to investigate the preferred methods of communication and alumni engagement of higher education institution alumni donors in an era with increased social media and electronic communications. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, Alumni Relations Offices (AROs) were challenged with a changing world environment and new ways in which people were interacting with each other and especially their alma maters. Through a quantitative formatted questionnaire and qualitative focus groups, a Stratified Alumni Engagement Model is suggested to create a varied engagement approach for AROs. This research is based upon the social exchange theory, the theory of planned behaviors, and the discretionary collaborative behavioral theory. Each of these theories were investigated in terms of how they relate to the alumni/university relationship. The research questions were developed based upon these theories. Throughout the research, it was determined that there is a relationship between certain alumni demographic information and preference on in-person or virtual engagement. It was also found that alumni who are engaged with the university have a higher propensity to make a gift. Alumni or donors who identify with a higher education institution are more likely to donate and support the institution through nonfinancial means such as volunteerism. Additional findings of this research include that alumni prefer a range of communication preferences. The research also found there is a relationship between alumni engagement and alumni giving
Effect of heat treatment on the mechanical and corrosion properties of the CoCrNiFeAl HEAs
Get PDFHigh entropy alloys (HEAs) are a relatively new class of metallic materials that have shown great potential for use in extreme environments, such as high temperatures and corrosive conditions. Among the different types of HEAs, CoCrNiFeAl HEAs are potential materials for a wide range of applications, including aerospace, biomedical, and energy storage. This work focused on the effects of heat treatment temperatures from 800 °C to 1100 °C on the microstructure and mechanical properties of these alloys, as well as their electrochemical corrosion behavior. A thermodynamic model was implemented to predict the performance of the material. The results of this study provide a good insight into the potential of CoCrNiFeAl HEAs to be employed in different applications, as the heat treatment improved the corrosion properties and decreased the corrosion rate compared to the as-cast alloys, while the surface hardness was affected negatively by increasing the heat treatment conditions