Perceived Healthfulness of the Environment of Communities with Low Income: Focus Groups and Interviews with Extension Nutrition Educators

This study explored Extension nutrition educators’ (NEs) perceptions of community members’ challenges and opportunities for achieving a healthy lifestyle. NEs represented various communities with low income across nine states. NEs across locations identified similar barriers (i.e., lack of access and availability of healthy and affordable foods; access to transportation; and financial insecurity) and opportunities (i.e., trustworthy and free nutrition education resources and programs; and access to food banks, food pantries, and health care professionals) that prevented or facilitated a healthful lifestyle. Future research should explore key community stakeholder and community member perceptions to guide the development of community-driven interventions

Best Practices for Hybrid Positive Youth Development Programming

CLOVER by 4-H is an online learning platform that creates a space for youth to explore interactive learning experiences across a range of 4-H program areas. This article provides an overview of a pilot conducted around the implementation of CLOVER by 4-H to provide positive youth-development experiences in 4-H programming. As a result of the pilot, three distinct models for hybrid program delivery and a set of seven best practices for hybrid positive youth development have been identified. This article outlines the hybrid models that were examined and discusses the best practices for hybrid PYD with examples from the pilot sites to illustrate how these best practices can be implemented in hybrid-learning programs

Item 1: SOC 1100 - Introduction to Sociology (civic engagement emphasis) Syllabus

This is an Introduction to Sociology course syllabus with a civic engagement emphasis. Sociology is one of the most well-suited disciplines to address civic issues and civic engagement. Sociology examines social life, social problems, and civic issues from “private troubles” to “public issues” and how these are interconnected (see C. Wright Mills). Social activism, which is a form of civic engagement, is one of sociology’s core commitments

Item 6: Activity: Finding Your Civic Fit

This activity introduces students to civic organizations and their importance in community building. The exercise guides students in defining “civic organization,” exploring interests, and researching civic organizations. Students identify local civic organizations and understand how these organizations contribute to the community

Item 4: Activity 1: “My Vote Don’t Count”

This activity asks students to consider voter predispositions about whether or not voting “matters.” Students are given the choice to share one of two texts with a small group of friends or family outside the class: either a music video for hip-hop artist YelloPain’s song “My Vote Don’t Count” (2020) or an article reporting on current research about young voter disengagement. Students then record their subjects’ responses to the message and mode of the video, attending to convergences and differences about attitudes towards the efficacy of voting. The activity works well to introduce a course or unit about voter engagement and the factors that contribute to voter behavior in the United States

Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation as a Sustainable Weed Management Practice in Organic Watermelon Production in South Carolina

Currently used weed control options are expensive and limited for organic watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] production due to lack of effective practices and the absence of organic herbicides. The available options are either expensive or not very effective. Available organic herbicides are also not labelled for watermelon which increases the risk of crop damage. Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.) and Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.) are problematic weed in the Southeastern vegetable plasticulture production system and cause significant yield loss in watermelon. Weed management in organic watermelon production requires alternative and sustainable practices. Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) has shown potential to fit into organic production. ASD is a promising soil fumigation practice to control weed and soilborne pathogens. The research focused on evaluating various locally available carbon sources and plastic mulches for ASD on weed control, evaluating the performance of cottonseed meal (a promising locally available carbon source), broccoli waste under field conditions, and evaluating the Rhizobacteria SC-27 (a mix of Streptomyces spp.) treatments whether SC-27 addition improved crop vigor and performance under ASD. A series of high tunnel, greenhouse and field experiments were conducted at the United States Department of Agriculture Vegetable Laboratory, Clemson University Coastal Research and Education Center (CREC), and Edisto REC. The objective of the first study was to evaluate watermelon genotypes and weed response to ASD treatments in organic watermelon production. The second study was conducted to determine the best plastic mulch for ASD. The third study was carried out to evaluate the grafted and nongrafted watermelon response to ASD and Rhizobacteria SC-27 application. The fourth study was set up to evaluate and compare the response of a locally available carbon sources cottonseed meal with Florida standard carbon sources chicken manure and molasses. The results suggested that ASD treatments significantly improved weed control and suppressed the emergence of yellow nutsedge. ASD also enhanced the watermelon crop vigor and marketable yield. Cottonseed meal (a locally available carbon source) can be utilized in ASD practice to manage weeds in organic watermelon production in South Carolina. Future research should explore the effects of ASD on long-term weed seed bank management

Understanding the Elements of Sterile Processing Workflow: OR, Sterilization and Personnel

The Sterile Processing Department (SPD), also known as the Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD), is an essential part of hospitals and healthcare facilities and is responsible for ensuring the cleanliness, sterility, and proper functioning of medical instruments. Sterile processing departments (SPDs) are key drivers of productivity, effectiveness, safety, and infection control in hospitals. A well-designed SPD workflow can enhance patient safety, reduce operating room (OR) delays, and improve productivity. To understand the flow of sterile processing and interactions between the OR and SPD, process maps and task analyses were developed through direct observations of the basic SPD functions: decontamination, assembly, sterilization, storage, and case cart preparation. In this research, we focus on the following functional units and personnel behavior factors: (1) Surgeon / OR behavior, (2) SPD behavior, and (3) Administration behavior. Each functional unit can be the source of challenges, such as (1) duplicate tray requests, replacement tray needs, on-time start pressures, (2) flash sterilization, fast tracking trays, staff shortages, and (3) wages, training, and turnover, respectively. Using the instrument tray as the basis for assessing flow through the SPD and the OR, we explore the behavioral decisions originating from the three functional units mentioned. Historical data, statistical analysis, and simulation modeling are employed to assist administrators in analyzing the impact of the following on sterile processing: surgical volume and schedules, tray and instrument requirements, staffing, equipment capacities, and cart-washing requirements. In some instances, OR personnel request additional trays beyond what is needed to make sure they have every instrument they might possibly need. This results in putting undue strain on the SPD’s inventory of trays and its ability to process dirty trays and instruments. This risk-averse approach to instrument and tray requests can lead to front-line staff considering workarounds to sterilization or other procedures in order to deliver instruments to the ORs on time. For this reason, we identify the likelihood of surgical delays and the required tray turnaround times at various levels of surgical volumes and additional tray requests. This study demonstrates how simulation modeling can be effectively leveraged to inform employee retention strategies and structured onboarding programs, as well as using data-driven methods to guide resource allocation and tray inventory decisions

Culturally Responsive STEM Education: Integrating Mapping Techniques and Drone Technology for Youth

Integrating drone and geospatial technologies with participatory techniques offers a promising approach to culturally responsive STEM education. However, these areas are rarely combined in existing literature. Drone and geospatial education for youth generally focuses on technical skills, while participatory methods in youth-led initiatives often aim to foster community connection and a sense of place. Unfortunately, these approaches typically exist in isolation within youth programming. This disconnect limits the potential to engage underrepresented youth in STEM by not linking spatial data to local contexts and culturally meaningful narratives. By combining these approaches, both technical learning and personal engagement could be enhanced, fostering spatial awareness, cultural relevance, and critical thinking. This article introduces a series of learning activities designed for underserved youth, offering hands-on experiences that merge participatory mapping and drone science. Through community science techniques, youth engaged in activities focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice, linking their lived experiences to broader community and environmental contexts. Geospatial technology and drones connected realworld phenomena with digital tools, exposing youth to career opportunities and the practical applications of these technologies

Designing Self-Healable Aromatic Copolymers and Olefinic Composites

Self-healing polymers capable of recovering from mechanical damage are promising materials for advanced applications, especially those involving mechanical and/or physical fatigue. In these studies, we have developed techniques to achieve autonomous self-healing in commodity Styrene/n-butyl acrylate copolymers. The mechanism of self-healing in the designed polymers involves inter-and/or intrachain non-covalent interactions between π-cloud and polar linkages of acrylic nBA in random/preferentially alternating copolymers. A combination of spectroscopic tools, thermo-mechanical analysis, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations has been used to elucidate the mechanism of self-healing. These studies further show the incorporation of dipolar C-F groups to understand the effect of having fluorinated aromatics on self-healing functionality. This dissertation also describes the effect of an interplay between dipolar and polar forces on the self-healing of novel polyionic liquids containing ionic species. Lastly, self-healing composites composed of commodity self-healing matrix and fiber reinforcements were developed, which can retain self-healing functionality for 25,000 damages and a temperature range of -196 to 85 °C

Communicators in Crisis: Lessons Learned From Communications Professionals During the Great Resignation

This study investigated the experiences of communication professionals who participated in the Great Resignation phenomenon between 2020-2022. The research questions focused on the role participants’ working relationship with leadership as it related to their decision to leave their role or pursue a new job. Ten communication professionals participated in a qualitative study comprising of an online interview discussing their experiences during the Great Resignation. Using the interview transcripts, the researcher employed grounded theory to extract recurring codes and draw conclusions based on the participants’ answers. The results of this study inform recommendations for improved working relationships between communication professionals and leadership