The LAIR at East Texas A&M
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The Effect of Lower Extremity Bilateral Asymmetries on Performance in Division I Soccer Players
No full textLeg power produced can vary based on leg dominance, previous injury, and current muscle imbalances (Hewit et al., 2012). Lower extremity bilateral asymmetries have been suspected to jeopardize performance, especially a greater than 10% asymmetry in force and power (Bell et al., 2014; Yanci & Camara, 2016). Depending on the volume of exposure to repeated unilateral movements in training, practice, and games, it is likely to impact the degree of asymmetry (Maloney, 2019). In this study, researchers examined lower extremity muscle mass asymmetries in collegiate soccer players as well as unilateral and bilateral vertical jump performance. Twenty-three Division 1 female soccer players (19.24 ± 1.1 years, 166.2 ± 6.7 cm, 65.4 ± 8.0 kg) were recruited. Participants underwent whole body Dual Exergy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) and performed a single bilateral vertical jump followed by a single unilateral vertical jump on each leg while being recorded by 8 video cameras using the DARI® Motion Capture. Variables examined included lean mass and bone mineral density (BMD) of each leg, jump height, and ground reaction forces (GRF). Participants were asked which leg they used to kick a ball; this was defined as their dominant leg. Data were analyzed using paired t-test. A significant difference was found in lean mass, with the dominant leg having greater than the non-dominant leg (mean = 8213.0 ± 1111.2, 7834.3 ± 1105.6, p \u3c 0.05). BMD showed no significant differences between the dominant and non-dominant legs (mean = 1.32 ± 0.09, 1.32 ± 0.08, p \u3e 0.05). Results also showed that the dominant leg showed greater jump height than the non-dominant leg in the unilateral jump (mean = 0.32 ± 0.06. 0.31 ± 0.05, p \u3c 0.05) and maximal unilateral GRF was greater in the dominant leg than the non-dominant leg (mean = 1280.2 ± 208.6, 1259.2 ± 208.6, p \u3e 0.05). Results of the study concluded that the dominant leg, also the kicking leg, had greater muscle mass and unilateral jump height, while BMD had no significant differences. The dominant leg showed a 5% greater lean muscle mass overall, which translated into a 5% greater jump height
A Study of the Relationship Between Assistant Principals’ Socio-Cognitive Mindfulness and Thriving Mediated by Psychological Capital
No full textThe assistant principal position is a middle management position that can be challenging and lead to burnout, attrition, and turnover. There is little research on the characteristics of the assistant principal position, the impact of policy, and the role that positive psychological resources play in explaining well-being. With a sample of 184 public school assistant principals in Texas, this mediation study tested the relationship between their socio-cognitive mindfulness, psychological capital, perceived supervisor support, and thriving. Findings indicated that assistant principals’ socio-cognitive mindfulness, psychological capital, and perceived supervisor support significantly correlated with thriving. Multiple linear regression revealed that psychological capital and perceived supervisor support predicted thriving. Also, psychological capital fully mediated the relationship between socio-cognitive mindfulness and thriving, but perceived supervisor support did not mediate that relationship. The findings prove the importance of placing early career assistant principals with highly supportive supervisors. Districts can consider providing training and professional development to increase socio-cognitive mindfulness and psychological capital to enhance assistant principals’ well-being
Factors Influencing Latinos to Pursue Chief Diversity Officer Positions in Higher Education
No full textIn the last 2 decades, there has been an increase in the number of higher education institutions (HEI) establishing Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) positions to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) gaps and priorities. CDOs play an increasingly significant role in developing, evaluating, and advocating for policies and practices at postsecondary institutions. At the same time, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of Latinos enrolling and graduating from HEIs. Latinos represent a very small portion of the CDOs appointed across the country. In this qualitative study, I examined the experiences and circumstances that influenced seven Latino CDOs at universities to pursue their DEI positions by applying Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory of human development, critical race theory, and Latino critical race theory. I also assessed if involvement in mentoring and leadership programs influenced their pursuit of these appointments. Utilizing data collected from a demographic questionnaire, semistructured interviews, and written artifacts, including curriculum vitae and LinkedIn profiles, I collected data to understand the following: (a) the significant experiences or circumstances that influenced the Latino CDOs to pursue their positions, (b) how previous appointments prepared the CDOs to pursue this role, and (c) if participation in informal and formal mentoring and leadership development programs impacted their pursuits of these appointments. The participants represented a mix of career paths, including tenure track faculty, administrators, or positions outside of academia. From the data analysis, six themes emerged as findings as follows: (a) becoming a CDO was not a planned career path; (b) experiences with discrimination and racism influenced the CDOs’ careers; (c) the ability to influence systemic change was a motivator; (d) the CDO’s intersectionality as Latinos along with other identities influenced their approach to this work; (e) CDO work is primarily viewed through a Black and White binary frame; and (f) mentorship and leadership development programs provided useful career and professional guidance. These findings provide additional context for the factors that influenced Latino CDOs and have practical implications in the development of pipelines to fill these and other senior administration positions in the academy
The Client Experience of Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Utilizing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Motivational Interviewing: A Case Study Reflection
No full textThe purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of clients in an integration model of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and motivational interviewing (MI) in affecting generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). EMDR is an effective treatment in various anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety, specific phobia, and reducing symptoms in other anxiety disorders; however, few studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of EMDR for the treatment of GAD and its main symptoms. As MI is a treatment module that directly addresses change, ambivalence, and treatment resistance, it may be effective to integrate with EMDR in the service of improving treatment response for GAD clients. In an integrated model, the primary focus will be less on trauma and more on the processing of motivational factors. Participants will be selected purposefully from the population of those having current or recent experiences with GAD that are negatively affecting the quality of their life. New clients of the therapist will be purposefully informed of the study and selected for the study. The sample size of this study will not exceed eight participants
Non-Invasive Detection of Bobcats and Coyotes in Texas’ Blackland Prairie Remnants
No full textUrban sprawling has led to decreased wildlife territories due to fragmentation, reduction of natural habitats, and an increase of human-wildlife conflicts (Eötvös et al. 2018). Texas’ population is expected to double by 2050 with considerable increased urbanization (Texas Demographic Center 2019). The impact of this on wildlife is not well studied within the Blackland Prairie Ecoregion. Mammalian predators, like bobcats (Lynx rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans), play vital roles in the ecosystem and therefore can help evaluate the status of the local environment. Due to their elusive nature, motion-triggered cameras can be beneficial in bobcat and coyote detection. For this study, I recorded the activity of bobcats and coyotes in urban and rural study sites in the Blackland Prairie Ecoregion using motion triggered cameras from March 2023 to October 2023, observing activity at varying times of day and year. I hypothesized a positive correlation with bobcats and coyotes in rural areas, and more coyote activity than bobcat. More bobcats and coyotes were detected in my rural study site (n=114) than the urban one (n=34) but showed no statistical difference (p=0.08). More bobcat activity was observed in the afternoon in the urban setting (20%) than rural (7%), which conflicts with other research. I was unable to confirm greater coyote activity than bobcats in my rural study sight, but my hypothesis was supported at my urban study site. (p= 0.72 and p= 0.04, respectively). Further research should include a larger sample size to increase statistical confidence and consider other factors like human activity and weather
Differences in Leg Dominance and Torque Production in Track and Field Division I Athletes
No full textAnalysis of differences in leg dominance and torque production in Track and Field athletes may allow athletes and coaches to develop a training plan based on results, where this is important because, during specific tests of flexibility, balance, and power, the Non-Dominant limb may show more flexibility (Samadi et al., 2009). Understanding which side of the body is more involved in movements helps to understand lateral dominance, characterized by the dominance of one side of the body over the other in performing voluntary movements, this predominance is established early in human development. (Carpes, Mota & Faria, 2010). Additionally, torque-the force applied over a distance that causes rotation around the fulcrum-offers an integrated assessment, as almost all movements generate torque at various levels, positively or negatively affecting the athlete\u27s performance (Dougherty et al., 2018). METHODS: In 2023, Division I athletes from the Texas A&M University-Commerce Track and Field team, specifically those competing as throwers, jumpers, and sprinters, participated in a study conducted in May and September. To qualify for inclusion, athletes had to meet the following criteria: be at least 18 years old, free from injury, and enrolled as full-time students. A total of 38 athletes met these criteria and completed tests using the DARI® motion capture movement analysis system, also self-reporting their Dominant side RESULTS: Unilateral vertical jumping motion was analyzed to determine whether differences existed in hip, knee, and ankle torque between Dominant and Non-Dominant legs. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a non-significant difference (p \u3e 0.05) in joint pairs and unilateral vertical jumping performance between the two legs. However, a positive correlation was found between Dominant hip concentric torque and Dominant hip eccentric flexion, r (38) = 0.326, p = 0.023. CONCLUSION: The current study has focused on asymmetry and torque differences between the ankle, knee, and hip. No strong correlations were found to improve or influence athletic performance, e.g., no significant difference in hip, knee, and ankle torque between the Dominant and Non-Dominant leg, suggesting that torque does not vary with leg dominance. Therefore, it is recommended that athletes train both limbs to ensure the absence of imbalance during movement and performance. Keywords: Joint, Unilateral Vertical Jump, Torque, Lateral Dominance, Bilateral Asymmetry, Track and Field
Detecting Anomalies in Time Series Using Kernel Density Approaches
No full textThis paper introduces a novel anomaly detection approach tailored for time series data with exclusive reliance on normal events during training. Our key innovation lies in the application of kernel-density estimation (KDE) to scrutinize reconstruction errors, providing an empirically derived probability distribution for normal events post-reconstruction. This non-parametric density estimation technique offers a nuanced understanding of anomaly detection, differentiating it from prevalent threshold-based mechanisms in existing methodologies. In post-training, events are encoded, decoded, and evaluated against the estimated density, providing a comprehensive notion of normality. In addition, we propose a data augmentation strategy involving variational autoencoder-generated events and a smoothing step for enhanced model robustness. The significance of our autoencoder-based approach is evident in its capacity to learn normal representation without prior anomaly knowledge. Through the KDE step on reconstruction errors, our method addresses the versatility of anomalies, departing from assumptions tied to larger reconstruction errors for anomalous events. Our proposed likelihood measure then distinguishes normal from anomalous events, providing a concise yet comprehensive anomaly detection solution. The extensive experimental results support the feasibility of our proposed method, yielding significantly improved classification performance by nearly 10% on the UCR benchmark data
Flexural Behavior of Pultruded GFRP–Concrete Composite Beams Strengthened with GFRP Stiffeners
No full textThe utilization and incorporation of glass fiber-reinforced plastics (GFRP) in structural applications and architectural constructions are progressively gaining prominence. Therefore, this paper experimentally and numerically investigates the use of GFRP I-beams in conjunction with concrete slabs to form composite beams. The experimental design incorporated 2600 mm long GFRP I-beams which were connected compositely to concrete slabs with a 500 mm width and 80 mm thickness. The concrete slabs are categorized into two groups: concrete slabs cast using normal strength concrete (NSC), and concrete slabs prepared using high-strength concrete (HSC). Various parameters like the type of concrete (normal and high-strength concrete), type of stiffeners bonded to the composite section (bolt–epoxy or bolt only), and inclusion of corrugated metal sheets were investigated. To obtain the full shear connection between the GFRP I-sections and concrete slabs, two rows of shear connectors in the form of bolts were utilized. These shear connectors were erected to the top flange of the GFRP I-sections to compositely connect between the GFRP I-beams and the concrete slabs as well as the corrugated metal sheets. The strengthening of the shear webs of GFRPI-beams with GFRP T-section stiffeners resulted in an enhancement in the flexural and shear strength. The failure loads in the case of the bolt–epoxy connection for the stiffeners were 8.2% and 10.0% higher than those in the case of bolt only when the concrete compressive strengths were 20.1 MPa and 52.3 MPa, respectively. Moreover, the effect of the concrete compressive strength was vital where the failure loads increased by 79.9% and 77.1% when HSC was used instead of NSC for the cases of bolt–epoxy and bolt only, respectively. The epoxy adhesive used in conjunction with mechanical connectors, specifically bolts, resulted in sufficient composite action and delayed shear failure within the web of the GFRP beam. For the specimens with bolt–epoxy connection, strain levels in the concrete slabs were consistently higher than in the other specimens with bolts alone at the same loading level. The concrete slabs integrated with HSC registered strain levels that were 20.0% and 21.8% greater for bolt–epoxy and bolt-only connections, respectively, when compared to those using normal-strength concrete (NSC). This discrepancy can likely be credited to the enhanced composite interaction between the concrete slabs and the GFRP I-beams. In addition, ABAQUS software (version 6.2) was used to develop FE models to analyze the tested composite beams and provide a parametric study using the verified models
The Correlation of Enabling School Structures on Student Achievement Through Academic Optimism in Rural Secondary Schools in Colorado
No full textEighty percent of Colorado’s students attend schools in rural or small rural school districts, but the majority of those students consistently perform below or well-below expectations on the state performance assessment (PSAT). In order to hold staff and stakeholders accountable for implementing successful strategies that lead to systemic changes, the principals are tasked with developing systems that use student achievement data as the metric to assess the effectiveness of the changes put in place. This research aimed to provide educators with a better understanding of the specific organizational leadership characteristics that lead to the development and implementation of enabling structures within rural high schools by examining the effects of enabling school structures and academic optimism on student achievement scores in rural high schools through principal- and teacher-reported data. The theory of academic optimism, which combines three school-based elements and has been shown to influence student success outcomes even when controlling for socioeconomic status, served as the conceptual framework for this study. Collective efficacy, the emphasis placed on academics in a given school, and faculty confidence in parents are some of these constructs. The study was framed by the theory of enabling school structures as an organizational leadership model in addition to the theory of academic optimism. In this study, school administrators’ views on enabling school structures and academic optimism were compared to student achievement data and outcomes for rural high school students in Colorado. Although the study’s findings did not corroborate the aforementioned theories, they did demonstrate that enabling school structures can produce beneficial effects in institutions serving students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds
Understanding The Experiences of School Principals Leading During Covid-19: An Interpretive Qualitative Study
No full textSchool leaders have faced unprecedented challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Though there is existing research into crisis management, the majority of the work focuses on other industries outside of education, such as the business sector, public management, government and military leadership, and nonprofit management. Thus, there is a continued need for research into school leadership through crisis. COVID-19, specifically, is a relatively new crisis school leaders have faced, and, therefore, there is a current lack of existing work describing the experience of school leaders, such as campus principals, guiding their schools through the pandemic. Most school leaders had never dealt with a crisis as long as COVID-19, a creeping crisis that, by nature, brought dangerous damage potential and developed slowly over time. There also exists a need for study in how school leaders grew and developed as a result of the pandemic, as learning has been determined to be an essential part of the crisis management process; however, many early studies focused primarily on the practical responses of the campus leaders during the pandemic. The purpose of this interpretive qualitative study was to understand how campus principals make sense of their experiences leading their schools during the COVID-pandemic. Additionally, the study sought to understand how campus principals make sense of their own change and growth as leaders as a result of leading their schools through the COVID-19 crisis. The interpretive qualitative methods allowed me to truly understand the experiences of principals from their own perspective. I accomplished these purposes through videoconference semi-structured interviews with 10 campus leaders who were principals in Texas during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. I conducted data analysis simultaneously alongside the data generation process using both inductive and deductive cycles of coding to identify recurring themes or patterns supported by the data. Through the data generation and analysis processes, I helped campus principal participants construct an understanding of their experiences leading their schools through the COVID-19 crisis. I developed nine themes, or roles, that emerged for research question one regarding the overall experience of campus principals leading during COVID-19. Additionally, I developed 13 themes that emerged from research question two regarding how campus principals learned and grew as a result of their experience leading a campus during COVID-19