11 research outputs found
Understanding graduate student’s constraints to engaging in campus recreation: A case study
No full textCampus recreation facilities on university campuses across the nation offer students a plethora of opportunities to participate in informal recreation, group fitness classes, intramural games, and club sports. Previous research indicates that campus recreation programming helps students feel welcome (Henchy, 2011) and provides them with a sense of belonging and identity (Lindsey, 2012). Further research shows positive relationships between the number of unique student visits to campus recreation facilities and positive academic outcomes. According to Huesman, Brown, Lee, Kellogg, & Radcliffe, (2009), first year students who use campus recreation facilities more than 25 times significantly increased their chances of retention at the university and graduating in five years. Regardless of this correlation, many students continually choose not to maximize or participate in campus recreation due to constraints (Stankowski, Trauntvein & Hall, 2017). This is particularly true of graduate students. Henchy’s (2013) study found that undergraduate students were more than twice as likely to use campus recreation facilities as graduate students. To better understand this phenomenon, more research is needed to understand what prevents graduate students from using campus recreation facilities. The purpose of this study is to explore graduate students’ perspectives on constraints they encounter to using CRFs. The study will use Hierarchal Leisure Constraints Theory to identify common barriers that limited or prevented use of campus recreation facilities. Understanding these constraints will be useful for Campus Recreation Professionals to understand optimal ways to increase participation of graduate students in campus recreation.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2021-05-01The student, Racheal Weiland, accepted the attached license on 2019-04-11 at 13:26.The student, Racheal Weiland, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2019-04-11 at 13:31.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2019-04-17 at 15:58.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #13566 on 2019-08-22 at 15:05:54Made available in DSpace on 2019-08-23T20:35:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Previous issue date: 2019-04-17Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 112125
Lift date: 2021-08-23T20:36:18Z
Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemU of I Only Restriction Lifted for Item 112125 on 2021-08-24T09:15:10Z
"Show me how to fix it" : health care experiences of women diagnosed with borderline personality disorder
No full textThe purpose of this research was to gain an understanding of how women diagnosed with borderline personality disorder empower themselves within the health care system. The concept of empowerment was introduced as a process of self-determination and finding the courage to advocate for oneself in the midst of adversity. A feminist lens was used to examine the dynamics of gender characteristics and its relationship to power and social marginalization within the health care experiences of the participants. Interpretive phenomenology analysis (IPA) was used to facilitate an in-depth understanding of the health care experiences of the participants. IPA focused on the interpretation of the participants’ accounts while considering context as essential to gaining insight into the lives of these women. Four women were recruited through purposive sampling. They were all recruited at two mental health sites within a regional health authority. Four superordinate themes were identified: disempowering experiences, empowering experiences, path to recovery, and suggestions for improving health care relationships. Communication of client care was identified as the most salient sub-theme amongst the participants. Participants found communication by health care professionals as inadequate when interacting with individuals with a diagnosis of BPD. Participants believed that lack of communication could yield negative health care outcomes for this population. Implications for health care professionals is to gain a comprehensive understanding of this population through enhanced education so they can be able to provide care that is supportive and respectful.Includes bibliographical references (pages 61-71)."In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Psychiatric Nursing.
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Re-sounding Harlem Renaissance narratives : the repetition and representation of identity through sound in Nella Larsen's Passing and Toni Morrison's Jazz
No full textThe cultural and historical construction of African American identity in the United States has been closely tied to the dialectical relationship formed between sound and silence. This thesis examines the modernist and postmodernist representation of sound and silence in the African American novels Passing (1929), by Nella Larsen, and Jazz (1992), by Toni Morrison, as indicators of African American identity and racial oppression during the Harlem Renaissance. I analyze the soundscapes of both texts to expose the mobility of language, power, and space, especially as these soundscapes relate to the production of sound (both musical and non-musical) by African Americans, and the surveillance of these sounds by white audiences. Through my analysis of repetitive sound-images and embodied silence in Passing and Jazz, as well as textual representations of oral performance, I argue that there is harm in restricting African American voices to approved modes of audibility and/or limiting African American voices to one a singular narrative. This thesis introduces critics and theories from the disciplines of sound studies and African American studies, and applies the widely known theory of double consciousness, established by critic and author W.E.B. Du Bois, as the foundation for my literary and cultural analysis of sound in print
Evaluation of filtration characteristics of different Face mask substrates
No full textFace masks have been used as physical barriers to stop respiratory infections for many years. Due to insufficient and low supply of certified masks, alternative face covers such as face shields, neck gaiters and fabric reusable masks gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, for these alternate face masks to fulfill their intended function, they must be effective. Additionally, the level of breathability provided by the makeshift masks must be at a certain level. The work reported in this paper was carried out to determine the relationship between filtration efficiency (FE), breathability, and important characteristics of mask substrates. The fiber diameter and the core filter layer were also determined using a scanning electron microscope. Five types of face masks (two types of N95, two types of surgical masks and a 100% knitted cotton fabric) were tested for their FE and breathability using Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate (MVTR). The cotton knitted mask had the lowest FE (5.10% - 26.47%), while the NIOSH-certified N95 mask had the highest FE values (92.10% - 99.65%). However, the cotton mask outperformed the N95 in terms of the pressure drop meaning higher comfort. In general, the N95 face mask provided the best protection against aerosolized particles. According to the regression analysis, the fiber diameter of the masks filter substrate serves as an important predictor of FE of mask substrates. In this study it was confirmed that fiber diameter is directly related to the porosity of the fabric substrate and is inversely related to the filtration ability. Results show that compact structure with finer fibers will enable higher filtration efficiency. The study lends itself to developing layered facemasks to obtain optimum filter with filtration, better fit, and acceptable comfort for the wearer.Embargo status: Restricted until 09/2024. To request the author grant access, click on the PDF link
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Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Dependency In Nigeria: A Mixed Method Approach.
No full textThis thesis explores the impact of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on Nigeria’s economy, political landscape, and societal structures, highlighting dependency and corruption. The investigation reveals how Chinese FDI negatively impacts Nigeria’s GDP growth, unlike the beneficial effects of non-Chinese FDI. Using Dependency Theory, Nigeria’s economic underdevelopment stems from the outflow of national resources to the wealthier People’s Republic of China and other nations – causing its dependence on China. By digging into Nigerian political and social realities, the reader will discover how Chinese FDI has fostered corruption and collusion between Nigerian politician’s FDI and Chinese investors. This undemocratic behaviour impedes most Nigerians from benefiting from investments. While flagging the positive effects of China’s Nigerian enterprise, the study points to some improvements in Nigeria’s infrastructure but, in parallel, notes concerns about the quality and long-term benefits due to the lack of maintenance, corruption and dependency. The evidence from the investigation shows how the Nigerian manufacturing sector suffers because it relies on Chinese imports at the expense of the development of local industries—endemic corruption threads the pages of this work where bribery and dishonesty overpower institutional frameworks – a situation exacerbated by poor governance and the lack of accountability raises concerns about economic and sociopolitical stability,
sectarian-based terrorism, mass unemployment and inequality. The author criticises Nigeria’s disadvantaged trade imbalance with China. This imbalance favours China and perpetuates the dependency cycle. The study recommends policy reforms,
governance changes, the relevance of local industries and sustainable development; corruption, and unacceptable labour practices – ethical concerns underline the thematic structure of this study and suggest that Chinese FDI’s are China’s doorway
to revised imperialism
Dataset of technical, economic, and environmental parameters of microgrids: A literature-based analysis
No full textLiterature-derived dataset comprising: article details (year, author, title, and journal); microgrid applications (country, configuration, and use case); key component parameters (capital, replacement, and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs, capacity, lifespan, and technical characteristics); and system-level aspects (capacity, production, capital, replacement, and O&M costs, net present cost (NPC), payback period (PBP), cost of energy (COE), and carbon emissions)
Effect of social instability stress in adolescence or adulthood on sensitivity to sucrose concentration in a social context in male and female Long-Evans rats
No full textAlthough there is evidence of sex differences in responding to social stress, and that age when stressed matters, females are understudied and adult-stress comparisons are few. Here, we investigated stress effects on reward sensitivity by examining rats' choice of social versus sucrose reward in a continuous spatial allocation design. We predicted social instability stress (SS) in adolescence would result in greater social discounting (spend less time near a novel peer when provided access to sucrose) relative to nonstressed controls (CTLs) and relative to SS in adulthood. All increased sucrose intake as the concentration increased, with no evidence of social discounting. SS males tested soon after the stress had a decrease in intake, whereas those tested long after had an increase in both time near the peer and in intake. CTL and SS females did not differ in intake, although their dose-response curves differed when tested soon after the SS. We also tested whether SS changed the stimulus value of the rat as a social peer; when tested in triads, CTL rats spent similar time in interaction with SS versus CTL rats. In sum, effects of SS on reward sensitivity were greater for males irrespective of administered in adolescence versus adulthood
A vision-based deep learning approach for non-contact vibration measurement using (2+1)D CNN and optical flow
No full textThis paper introduces a proof-of-concept vision-based deep learning approach for vibration measurement, proposing a factorized (2+1)D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model to predict four vibration metrics: acceleration, velocity, displacement, and frequency, with a focus on rigid body motion. Unlike conventional neural network models that primarily focus on frequency prediction alone, this approach uniquely enables the simultaneous estimation of four critical vibration metrics, offering a comprehensive and cost-effective alternative to traditional contact-based sensors such as accelerometers. The framework relies on the visibility of a training fiducial marker, eliminates the need for calibration in controlled settings, enhancing scalability across specific environments. A curated dataset was generated using a controlled experimental setup comprising a single object in a lab-scale environment, augmented synthetically to enhance frequency diversity. An optical flow-based preprocessing algorithm synchronized motion features in recorded video inputs with measured vibration labels, improving measurement accuracy. The proposed model achieved an average Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 7.51 %, with acceleration predictions exhibiting the lowest error at 4.84 % and displacement the highest at 8.80 % across varying brightness levels and object-camera distances. Techniques such as Region of Interest (ROI) cropping and multi-section frame extraction were implemented to reduce computational complexity while further enhancing accuracy. These results highlight the framework’s potential for non-invasive vibration analysis, though its generalizability is limited by the single-object dataset. Future work will expand the dataset, integrate multi-sensor inputs, explore marker-less tracking methods, and enable real-time deployment for predictive maintenance and structural health monitoring
Characterization of zebrafish models of filamin C related cardiomyopathy
No full text2019 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Cardiomyopathies are a group of cardiac muscle diseases characterized by abnormal function and/or structure of the myocardium which cause arrhythmia, heart failure or sudden death. In many cases, cardiomyopathy is a genetic disease and the majority of inherited cases are caused by mutations in genes that encode cardiac costameric and sarcomeric proteins. Cardiomyopathies include different types, such as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM), and arrythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ARCM). These groups of disorders can have common cellular phenotypes and mechanisms. To date, few studies have described the roles of filamin C in cardiac development or explained how mutations in filamin C cause cardiomyopathic disease. Due to the lack of a suitable animal model, the pathological mechanisms underlying this disease and the role of filamin C in cardiac development remain unclear. Here, we created a zebrafish loss-of-function model for two flnc paralogous genes. We investigated several genetic lines bearing mutations in filamin C that target different sites of the gene. As for humans, zebrafish mutants exhibited variable penetrance and variable expressivity. Double flnca and flncb mutant hearts exhibited more pronounced cardiac morphological defects compared to single mutants, leading to the conclusion that these paralogs play redundant roles in zebrafish heart development. The cardiac morphological phenotype of double flnc mutant embryos is characterized by a decrease in cardiac output and stroke volume as is also observed in patients who suffer from cardiomyopathies. Using a transgenic line expressing GFP in cardiac z-discs, we find that knockdown of flnca and flncb via morpholinos and double flnca and flncb mutant hearts exhibited irregular z-discs. In support of this finding, ultrastructural analysis by transmission electronic microscopy for flncb morphant embryos and double flnca and flncb mutants indicated disorganized myofibrils with fewer consecutive sarcomeres. Particularly, z-discs were irregular or apparently absent, and numerous small vacuoles and potentially autophagous vesicles were observed. Additionally, through double flnca and flncb mutant, we demonstrated that filamin C is required for normal cardiomyocyte morphology and microfilament arrangement. In summary, the zebrafish model demonstrates an essential requirement for filamin C function during heart and skeletal muscle development. Depletion of filamin C impairs both sarcomerogenesis and alters the cytoskeletal architecture of cardiomyocytes
UK Alcohol Treatment trial: client-treatment matching effects
No full textAim
To test a priori hypotheses concerning client–treatment matching in the treatment of alcohol problems and to evaluate the more general hypothesis that client–treatment matching adds to the overall effectiveness of treatment.
Design
Pragmatic, multi-centre, randomized controlled trial (the UK Alcohol Treatment Trial: UKATT) with open follow-up at 3 months after entry and blind follow-up at 12 months. Setting Five treatment centres, comprising seven treatment sites, including National Health Service (NHS), social services and joint NHS/non-statutory facilities.
Treatments
Motivational enhancement therapy and social behaviour and network therapy.
Measurements
Matching hypotheses were tested by examining interactions between client attributes and treatment types at both 3 and 12 months follow-up using the outcome variables of percentage days abstinent, drinks per drinking day and scores on the Alcohol Problems Questionnaire and Leeds Dependence Questionnaire.
Findings
None of five matching hypotheses was confirmed at either follow-up point on any outcome variable.
Conclusion
The findings strongly support the conclusion reached in Project MATCH in the United States that client–treatment matching, at least of the kind examined, is unlikely to result in substantial improvements to the effectiveness of treatment for alcohol problems. Possible reasons for this failure to support the general matching hypothesis are discussed, as are the implications of UKATT findings for the provision of treatment for alcohol problems in the United Kingdom
