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Supportive-Leadership Training to Improve Social Connection: A Cluster-Randomized Trial Demonstrating Efficacy in a High-Risk Occupational Context
Get PDFThe high, and rate of loneliness is a threat to public health (Office of the Surgeon General, 2023), with negative mental and physical health consequences (e.g., Holt-Lunstad, 2021). Given that loneliness is a risk factor for poor mental health, efforts to address loneliness are urgently needed. Workplaces can facilitate an employee\u27s social connection through supervisor support training, which can help mitigate loneliness. Among occupational groups, the military is at higher risk for mental health disorders, suicide, and loneliness (Fikretoglu et al., 2022; Naifeh et al., 2019). This study evaluated the efficacy of an evidence-based supportive-leadership training intervention targeting active-duty U.S. Army platoon leaders and targeting both proactive support behaviors that help bolster employee social connection and responsive support behaviors, including destigmatizing mental health. Ninety-nine platoon leaders (69.7% of eligible leaders) completed the 90-min training that consisted of both in-person and computer-based components. Using a cluster-randomized controlled trial design, intervention effects were tested using an intent-to-treat approach and revealed a significant effect, whereby loneliness of service members whose leaders were randomized to the intervention group ( = 118) was significantly reduced compared to loneliness reports for service members in the control group ( = 158). Additionally, service members with higher baseline loneliness were more strongly and positively impacted by the supervisor training, reporting higher levels of supportive behaviors from their leaders at 3 months postbaseline. In sum, these results suggest how workplaces, especially those that are considered high-risk occupations, and their leaders play a critical role in a national strategy to address Americans\u27 well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
2024 Commencement School of Business Ceremony 3 Video
No full textVideo presentation of Portland State University\u27s School of Business Commencement Ceremony, Part 3. This segment of the three-part ceremony honored undergraduates.
The ceremony was held on June 15, 2024, at the Viking Pavilion at Portland State University.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/commencement_2020s/1007/thumbnail.jp
Origins of Fine Structure in DNA Melting Curves
No full textWith the help of the one-dimensional random Potts-like model, we study the origins of fine structures observed on differential melting profiles of double-stranded DNA. We theoretically assess the effects of sequence arrangement on DNA melting curves through the comparison of results for random, correlated, and block sequences. Our results re-confirm the smearing out of the fine structure with the increase in chain length for all types of sequence arrangements and suggest that the fine structure is a finite-size effect. We have found that the fine structures on melting curves of chains comprised of blocks with correlations in sequence are more persistent, probably because of increased sequence disorder the blocks introduce. Many natural DNAs show a well-expressed fine structure of melting profiles. Our results for block sequences may suggest the existence of such sequence motifs in natural DNA sequences
The Basic Dualism in the World: Object-Oriented Ontology and Systems Theory
Get PDFGraham Harman writes that the “basic dualism in the world lies…between things in their intimate reality and things as confronted by other things.” However, dualism implies irreconcilable difference; what Harman points to is better expressed as a dyad, where the two components imply one another and interact. This article shows that systems theory has long asserted the fundamental character of Harman’s dyad, expressing it as the union of internal structure and external function, which correspond exactly to what Levi Bryant, characterizing Harman’s views, refers to as the intra-ontic and the inter-ontic, respectively. After interpreting Harman’s dyad in terms of the ontology of systems theory, the article illustrates his dyad with a variety of examples, including conceptions about truth, ethics, value, and intelligence. The structure–function dyad is a spatial conception of a system as an object. It is usefully augmented with a temporal dimension, expressed in a third component or with an additional orthogonal dyad. Adding a temporal dyad to the structure–function dyad joins the idea of an event and/or process to the idea of an object
Expanding the Scope: Multimodal Dimensions in Aphasia Discourse Analysis—preliminary Findings
Get PDFBackground:
Aphasia, resulting from acquired brain injury, disrupts language processing and usage, significantly impacting individuals’ social communication and life participation. Given the limitations of traditional assessments in capturing the nuanced challenges faced by individuals with aphasia, this study seeks to explore the potential benefits of integrating multimodal communication elements into discourse analysis to better capture narrative proficiency in this population.ObjectiveThis study examined how incorporating multimodal communication elements (e.g., physical gestures, writing, drawing) into discourse analysis may affect the narrative outcomes of persons with aphasia compared to those observed using methods that exclude multimodal considerations.
Methods:
Participants included individuals with chronic aphasia and age-and education-matched healthy controls who completed a storytelling task—the Bear and the Fly story. Macrolinguistic scores were obtained using verbal-only and multimodal scoring approaches. Additionally, the frequency and type of multimodal communication use during storytelling were examined in relation to aphasia characteristics. Statistical analyses included both within-group and between-group comparisons as well as correlational analyses.ResultsIndividuals with aphasia scored significantly higher in terms of their macrolinguistic abilities when multimodal scoring was considered compared to verbal-only scoring. Within the aphasia group, there were prominent differences noted in macrolinguistic scores for both fluent and nonfluent aphasia. Specifically, both groups scored higher on Main Concepts when multimodal scoring was considered, with the nonfluent group demonstrating significantly higher Main Concept and total macrolinguistic rubric scores in multimodal scoring compared to verbal scoring on the storytelling task. Additionally, aphasia severity showed moderate positive correlations with total macrolinguistic scores, indicating that individuals with less severe aphasia tended to produce higher quality narratives. Lastly, although persons with aphasia used different types of nonverbal modalities (i.e., drawing, writing), the use of meaning-laden gestures was most predominant during storytelling, emphasizing the importance of multimodal elements in communication for individuals with aphasia.
Conclusion:
Our preliminary study findings underscore the importance of considering multimodal communication in assessing discourse performance among individuals with aphasia. Tailoring assessment approaches based on aphasia subtypes can provide valuable insights into linguistic abilities and inform targeted intervention strategies for improving communication outcomes
Taking Thermally Modified Rock Seriously: An Analysis of Use-Wear Attributes
No full textRock is a durable and widely available resource that can store and transfer thermal energy, which is why people have used, and still use, rock in various forms of cooking techniques using different types of thermal facilities. Many of these facilities are important heritage resources associated with the long-term connection of Indigenous people to places, plants, and animals. In Oregon\u27s Willamette Valley there is an abundance of thermally modified rock (TMR) that archaeologists minimally record and then discard, with inadequate information retained to reconstruct past TMR use or answer other important questions about past relationships between peoples\u27 use of TMR, specific cooking technologies, land use and subsistence practices. To address these gaps, I address the question of whether or not this classification system accurately identifies thermal facilities associated with direct and indirect cooking technologies? To do so, I developed a new method of TMR analysis, applied the method to four sites in the Willamette Valley, and assessed the effectiveness of the method for distinguishing variations in thermal facilities and classifying cooking technologies.
The results of this study demonstrate the potential of this classification, given the appropriate attribute data, to accurately classify thermal facilities and cooking techniques. This study confirms that detailed TMR analysis can yield considerable information to our understanding of cooking facilities and techniques. Moreover, this research highlights the need to update our current methods of collecting and analyzing TMR use-wear attribute information. The methods of detailed data collection and analysis employed in this study provide an example for future use by those interested in studying cooking techniques and their associated thermal facilities. Identification and archaeological classification of these facilities will assist in the much-needed acknowledgement and protection of important spaces and places associated with Indigenous heritage resources and traditional ecological knowledge
Exploring Teacher Perspectives of STEM Outreach Sessions
Get PDFTeachers have a responsibility to create and foster engaging learning environments which encourage underrepresented persons in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Outreach programs have been shown to increase STEM engagement of students. We use a positive psychology lens to investigate STEM outreach and teacher wellbeing. This exploratory study uses a survey and focus group to assess how a STEM outreach program can create teacher feelings of support, confidence, and enjoyment. Results demonstrate that most teachers felt more confident in teaching STEM following the STEM-mentor facilitated outreach sessions. The positive benefits to teacher wellbeing from outreach program mentorship, is discussed
Teacher Retention Challenges: What we learned before and after COVID-19
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the already elevated stress levels among teachers, leading to contemplation of leaving the profession. As educators were compelled to transition to online teacher, they suddenly found themselves immersed in the households of their students, an entirely novel experience. This newfound proximity granted teachers insight into various aspects of the students’ lives, including family dynamics, home environments, levels of household stress, and the accessibility of essential resources. In addition to the teaching duties, educators were tasked with the development of online curricula, the acquisition of online learning resources, and providing support to parents and families during a particularly stressful period. The critical question arises: did these unique experiences influence teachers’ decisions to remain in the profession? The research findings suggest a number of teachers considering leaving the profession
BHT-QAOA: The Generalization of Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm to Solve Arbitrary Boolean Problems as Hamiltonians
Get PDFA new methodology is introduced to solve classical Boolean problems as Hamiltonians, using the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA). This methodology is termed the “Boolean-Hamiltonians Transform for QAOA” (BHT-QAOA). Because a great deal of research and studies are mainly focused on solving combinatorial optimization problems using QAOA, the BHTQAOA adds an additional capability to QAOA to find all optimized approximated solutions for Boolean problems, by transforming such problems from Boolean oracles (in different structures) into Phase oracles, and then into the Hamiltonians of QAOA. From such a transformation, we noticed that the total utilized numbers of qubits and quantum gates are dramatically minimized for the generated Hamiltonians of QAOA. In this article, arbitrary Boolean problems are examined by successfully solving them with our BHT-QAOA, using different structures based on various logic synthesis methods, an IBM quantum computer, and a classical optimization minimizer. Accordingly, the BHT-QAOA will provide broad opportunities to solve many classical Boolean-based problems as Hamiltonians, for the practical engineering applications of several algorithms, digital synthesizers, robotics, and machine learning, just to name a few, in the hybrid classical-quantum domain
Itagaki Paru\u27s Animalized Japan
Get PDFIn the earlier works of manga artist and author Itagaki Paru, animal characters are used to prompt a discussion of the uchi/soto ( in-group / out-group ) dynamic present in Japanese society. Throughout her most popular work, Beastars, and its supplemental short story collection Beast Complex, Itagaki tackles binary thinking and in-group versus out-group social politics using a blatantly obvious, yet nuanced and subtle herbivore-versus-carnivore, predator-versus-prey metaphor. The world she depicts in these works is full of misunderstandings caused by hastily made assumptions, sometimes instinctually quick. With her animalized characters, she explores human stigmatization and the poor treatment of those who do not want to and cannot fit neatly into one of the two sides of the established binary, either by choice or by their very nature. Itagaki paints a bleak picture of Japan using cartoony, light animal designs that starkly contrast the seriousness of her true subject matter. However, by carefully manipulating the lines of her beasts, she skillfully reflects how the society in her fictional world (and Japan, by extension) can avoid such a dark future by acknowledging and embracing people\u27s differences instead of forcing them into predefined boxes: herbivore and carnivore are just labels that demand to be understood and transcended. Within what Itagaki calls the animal manga and human drama of Beastars and Beast Complex, she refines a mixture of serious and graphic subject matter with a much more iconic art style (i.e, Scott McCloud\u27s comics definition), and manga, of all art forms, is the best medium to convey these subtleties that must be recognized