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Efficacy of an mHealth Intervention (BRAVE) to Promote Mental Wellness for American Indian and Alaska Native Teenagers and Young Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial
Full text linkBackground:Culturally relevant interventions are needed to help American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) teenagers and young adults navigate common risky situations involving family and friends, including drug and alcohol misuse, dating violence, and suicidality. Leveraging We R Native, a multimedia health resource for Native teenagers and young adults, staff of the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board designed the BRAVE intervention for Native youth. The program is delivered via SMS text messaging and includes role model videos, mental wellness strategies, links to culturally relevant resources, and social support from family and friends.Objective:We aim to conduct a randomized controlled trial of the BRAVE intervention among AI/AN teenagers and young adults (aged 15-24 years) to assess its impact on their physical, mental, and spiritual health; their resilience and self-esteem; and their coping and help-seeking skills.Methods:From October to December 2019, we recruited 2334 AI/AN teenagers and young adults nationwide via social media channels and SMS text messages and enrolled 1044 participants. AI/AN teenagers and young adults enrolled in the study received either BRAVE SMS text messages, designed to improve mental health, help-seeking skills, and cultural resilience, or 8 weeks of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) SMS text messages, designed to elevate and reaffirm Native voices in STEM and medicine and then received the BRAVE SMS text messages. The impacts of the BRAVE intervention were tested using linear mixed-effect models and linear regressions.Results:A total of 833 AI/AN teenagers and young adults were included in the analysis. Individuals in the BRAVE and STEM arms showed significant positive trends over the course of the study for all outcomes, except cultural identity and help-seeking behavior. Mean scores were significantly different for health (P<.001), resilience (P<.001), negative coping (P=.03), positive coping (P<.001), self-efficacy (P=.02), and self-esteem (P<.001). Changes in help-seeking self-efficacy were significant in those exhibiting risky behaviors at baseline to exit (P=.01). Those who reported positive coping scores at baseline also reported better health on average; however, no difference was found in risky drug and alcohol use (P<.001). The number of participants who used SMS text messages to help themselves increased from 69.1% (427/618) at 3 months to 76% (381/501; P<.001) at 8 months. Similarly, the number of participants who used SMS text messages to help friends or family members increased from 22.4% (138/616) at 3 months to 54.6% (272/498) at 8 months.Conclusions:This is the first national randomized controlled trial of a mobile health intervention among AI/AN teenagers and young adults to test the efficacy of a mental wellness intervention in relation to STEM career messages. This study provides new insights for supporting the next generation of AI/AN changemakers.Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04979481; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04979481JMIR Ment Health 2021;8(9):e26158doi:10.2196/2615
Utilizing the Constrained K-Means Algorithm and Pre-Class GitHub Contribution Statistics for Forming Student Teams
Full text linkIn modern software engineering education, team formation is crucial for mimicking real-world collaborative scenarios and boosting project-based learning outcomes. This paper introduces a simple, innovative, and universally adaptable method for forming student teams within a software engineering class. We utilize publicly avail- able pre-class GitHub metrics as our input variables (e.g., number of commits, pull requests, code size, etc.). For team formation, the constrained k-means algorithm is employed. This algorithm embraces domain-specific constraints, ensuring the resulting teams not only resonate with the inherent data clusters but also meet educational requirements. Preliminary results suggest that our methodology yields teams with a harmonious blend of skills, experiences, and collaborative potentials, thereby setting the stage for enhanced project success and enriched learning experiences. Quantitative analyses show that teams formed via our approach outperform both randomly assembled teams and student self-selected teams concerning project grades. Moreover, teams created using our method also display a reduced standard deviation in grades, suggesting a more consistent performance across the board
Working in the Liminal Space of Interim Leadership
Full text linkThe two authors of this chapter were in interim leadership roles at the same academic library, overlapping in their interim roles for much of the 2021–2022 academic year. Both at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, an institution that was itself going through major changes at the time, Stephanie was the interim associate director of academic and research engagement from June 2021 through May 2022, and Jason was the interim head of information technology and digital services from October 2021 to June 2022. In this chapter, we attempt to help interim leaders in academic libraries as they navigate through the liminal space of unplanned and unforeseen interim leadership roles with positive outcomes for ourselves as leaders, for our departments, and for the library as a whole. We will address strategies for self- and departmental advocacy, for gaining on-the-job leadership and management experience, for adapting to new relationships with former colleagues and former supervisors, and for negotiating the possible uncertainty of your future role in the library
Exploring the Security Landscape of Underwater Positioning and Navigation Systems: An Attack Surface Analysis
Full text linkUnderwater positioning and navigation systems are vital for maritime operations but face significant security threats like spoofing, jamming, interception, sensor manipulation, and algorithm exploitation. This paper categorizes underwater navigation techniques (acoustic, GPS buoys, multi-sensor fusion, vision-based, hybrid) and analyzes their potential attack surfaces. To mitigate these threats, a multi-layered defense strategy is proposed, encompassing cryptographic authentication, secure communications, physical security, sensor redundancy, data validation, image authentication, and algorithm robustness. Specific countermeasures against jamming, spoofing, interception, sensor attacks, and algorithm attacks are discussed. A holistic approach integrating secure software practices, anomaly detection, and fusion technique diversity is emphasized to fortify system resilience against advanced persistent threats, ensuring maritime safety and security. This research contributes to understanding security vulnerabilities and providing a comprehensive mitigation framework for enhancing the resilience of underwater navigation systems
Why those with chronic low back pain engage in physical activity
Full text linkLow back pain is the leading worldwide cause of years lost to disability and is a very common type of chronic pain. Exercise has been shown to be an effective treatment in the management of chronic low back pain (CLBP). While exercise has been shown to decrease acute pain perception, there are still many questions regarding why some individuals with CLBP are more active than others. The purpose of this study was to understand how and why individuals with CLBP engage in physical activity (PA). Survey responses were collected from individuals with CLBP or a history of CLBP that are currently physically active. The survey responses gauged PA level, pain and disability levels, self-efficacy for exercise, motivation for exercise, strategies to remain physically active, and a variety of open-ended questions to provide more insight and depth. Motivational data revealed the main reasons participants were motivated to remain physically active included enjoyment and decreased pain. This research study found that pain did not impact self-efficacy and motivation to be physically active in those with CLBP. Study findings indicate that those with CLBP that are motivated to exercise will find a way to exercise regardless of pain. These study findings could be used to educate individuals with CLBP or those who work with them about the importance of remaining physically active to decrease pain and increase enjoyment, and to develop educational materials about how to safely exercise despite CLBP
“I was left very unprepared" : how the racialized social system perpetuates a hostile campus climate and leads to ineffective first-year seminars for Students of Color
No full textThis dissertation investigates the impact of the racialized social system of white supremacy on the experiences of Students of Color in their first-year seminar course and their overall campus experience at a historically and predominantly white institution. Existing literature on higher education often overlooks the pervasive influence of racialized organizations and their implications for students, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds. Therefore, this study fills a critical void in understanding how racialized systems shape the academic and social environment for Students of Color. Drawing on critical race theory and employing a qualitative critical phenomenological design, this research delves into the lived experiences of 10 participants through semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal the ineffectiveness of first-year seminars in supporting the transition of Students of Color into predominantly white institutions and instead perpetuating environments that demand assimilation into white norms and values. This study underscores the urgent need for higher education institutions to address the racialized social system within their structures, particularly their first-year seminars. As the demographic landscape of college-bound students shifts towards greater racial diversity, institutions must confront systemic inequities to attract and retain a diverse student body. By centering the voices of marginalized students, this research aims to illuminate the pervasive influence of white supremacy in higher education and advocates for systemic interventions to promote racial equity and justice. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on racialized organizations, higher education, and first-year seminars, offering insights into how the racialized social system impacts student experiences and suggesting avenues for transformative change
Public Librarianship & Food Justice: Exploring the Intersections
No full textThis report explores and examines some of the intersections between public librarianship and food justice. Food justice is a topic many working in public libraries wish to understand and put into action. Many struggle to do so in a way that is sustainable for the institution of the public library. These findings emerged from focus groups with public library workers conducted from November 2023 to March 2024.This report introduces five themes based on focus group conversations. Three themes describe how public library workers think about the intersections of food justice and public librarianship (1-3). Two describe how library workers structure their labor around it (4-5). The five themes are: 1.The library is an evolving, multi-cultural community resource and hub2.Food access is essential to learning and literacy 3.Library workers feel pressure and guilt to address all needs and individuals 4.Procedures and policies integrate food work into library work 5.Partnerships integrate library work into food wor
Land Relations And Implications For Indigenous Health And Food Sovereignty
Full text linkDiffering conceptions of Land vs. land are born out of differing epistemologies and ontologies. Land is informed by Indigenous knowledges, and is grounded in relationships with humans and other nonhuman entities. Land is regarded as teacher, strength, and responsibility. Most important, Land is animate and has agency. Conceptions of land are informed by dominant Western epistemology, and are representative of solely physical territory that must be owned and transformed by labor to have value. Several Indigenous organizing ontologies contribute to the production of Land understandings and help one understand its reinforcement or reduction to land. Language is one of these, in which the animacy of Land and relationships with it or attitudes of domination over land are embedded in language itself - verb-based languages (Native languages such as Potawatomi) produce animacy and noun-based languages (English) deanimate. Space vs. place as organizing factors also contribute, with space furthering the separation between humans and land and place facilitating relationships between humans and Land. Land informs not only knowledge creation and production, but also decolonial movement. Food sovereignties are essential to Indigenous sovereignties and are grounded in Land relationships, but food apartheid and nutritional colonialism imposed onto Native populations has impacted not only physical Native health,but spiritual and cultural health
Assessing pediatric feeding disorders by domain in children with hypersensitive gagging
Full text linkThe purpose of this study was to improve our understanding of gagging in children with pediatric feeding disorder (PFD). This study explored prevalence and common triggers for gagging. Children with and without gagging were compared using the medical, nutrition, feeding skill, and psychosocial domains of PFD (Goday et al., 2019, Sharp et al., 2022). One-hundred and sixteen participants met inclusion criteria through a retrospective chart review of three months of new patients seen in a hospital-based feeding clinic. The gagging group and non-gagging group were compared by demographics, frequency of domain identification, specific items within each domain, and the number of domains identified per participant between groups. Results indicated that 60% of children in this sample had gagging as part of their PFD. Significant findings included that 70% of the gagging group was under the age of three years and was more likely to have issues in the medical domain, specifically gastrointestinal diagnoses (gastroesophageal reflux, emesis, and hypersensitivity). Additionally, the gagging group had more issues in the feeding skill domain, as well as signs of pharyngeal dysphagia, and oral motor delay as compared to the non-gagging group. The most common triggers were textured puree, mixed textures, dry solids, and non-preferred foods. Given these findings, when working with young children who experience gagging as part of their PFD, clinicians are encouraged to carefully explore gastrointestinal issues, swallowing, and oral motor function. Additional research is needed to better understand how these factors influence gagging and to explore assessment and treatment strategies
Prepared for a future? Experiences and perceptions of former students who were remanded to alternative programs while attending high school
Full text linkIn January 2000, the Alternative and Safe Schools Instructional and Support Division (ASSIS) of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) was charged with developing guidelines that determined how districts could establish and maintain effective Alternative Learning Programs (NC DPI, 2014). In 2003, ASSIS produced the first revision to the Alternative Learning Program Manual. Unfortunately, this manual was created by reviewing current policies, feedback from existing ALP staff members throughout North Carolina, and research-based information on best practices for improving students assigned to alternative learning programs. Student voice and parent participation were absent from the creation of the guidelines and manual for alternative programs that were designed to be the answer for students who were not finding success in traditional settings. Today, more attention still needs to be directed to the students’ perspectives on why they are disengaged from learning. Educators and legislators have spent time creating a model that conveniently fits the districts’ needs to justify how they are reaching students at risk of dropping out (Holquist, 2019), but they have done little to include the students’ perspectives. Examining the experiences of students who formerly attended alternative programs for disciplinary purposes will give educators information that could be utilized to provide the appropriate scaffolding and interventions that assist students in alternative high schools to reintegrate back into traditional settings successfully. In this qualitative study, I focused on acknowledging the voices of former students who spent some time in an alternative programs for discipline during their high school tenure. I asked, “What are the perspectives and experiences of former high school students ages 18-30 who spent time in an alternative educational program?” The research sub-questions that I addressed in this study were: 1. How effective did they feel the alternative school interventions prepared them to successfully reintegrate into their home schools and/or meet graduation requirements? 2. What did they feel worked best about the alternative educational program? 3. What changes did they think would have helped improve the alternative educational program? My study findings revealed that several students incurred greater academic struggles while participating in alternative disciplinary programs, affecting them throughout the remainder of their high school careers. My participants also revealed that resources were limited in the alternative setting and were lacking compared to the traditional schools. Following the theoretical framework that I chose for my research; some students did push on and find success while in the alternative school because of their self-determination to have a better life in the future. The data I found in my research includes students’ reflective perspectives on their past educational experiences. I truly believe that my findings can be beneficial in designing future alternative programs and possibly begin a dialogue regarding standards for consistency of programming across North Carolina that will benefit students who are remanded to these environments