THE INFLUENCE OF CONTEXTUAL FACTORS ON COMMUNITY REINTEGRATION AMONG SERVICE MEMBERS INJURED IN THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM

Community reintegration among military service members with physical and psychological injuries sustained during combat has been an emerging issue since the beginning of the Global War on Terror (GWOT) in 2001. Injured service members from the GWOT, including Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn, are much more likely to survive their injuries when compared to previous wars such as the Vietnam War and World War II (Holcomb, Stansbury, Champion, Wade, & Bellamy, 2006). Therefore, many more injured service members are receiving physical rehabilitation and mental health services to assist them in transitioning back into their homes and communities. Recent studies have indicated that injured service members are at risk of poor community reintegration (Resnik & Allen, 2007; Resnik, Plow, & Jette, 2009). However, these studies have neglected to account for personal and environmental factors (e.g., contextual factors) that influence community reintegration. These contextual factors have the potential to greatly affect an injured service members ability to reintegrate (Resnik et al., 2012). Therefore, the purpose of this mixed methods study was to identify and explain the influence of contextual factors on community reintegration among service members who have sustained physical and/or psychological injuries while serving in the GWOT

The development and evolutionary origin of barbels in the channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae)

Understanding the origin of morphological novelties is an important goal of evolutionary developmental biology. In pursuit of this goal, we have examined the developmental genetic mechanisms that underlie growth and patterning in a largely overlooked group of morphological novelties: the barbels of fishes. Barbels are appendages that project from the head region in a large and disparate assortment of fish taxa, ranging from hagfishes to gobies. They often bear sensory organs and can be supported by a rod of connective tissue, muscle, cartilage, or bone. Considering the scattered distribution of barbels among fishes, along with the variability of barbel position and composition, it is likely that barbels have originated independently in multiple groups. We investigated the roles of genes known to be involved in the development of other appendages in the developing barbels of the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae). Similar to other appendages, the barbels of I. punctatus express members of the Bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp), Distal-less (Dlx), Fibroblast growth factor (Fgf), Hedgehog (Hh), Tumor necrosis factor (Tnf), and Tnf receptor families. Other genes with roles in appendage development were absent from barbels, however, including members of the Dachshund (Dach) and Hox families. Treatment with pharmacological inhibitors of Hh signaling revealed that this pathway is necessary for barbel outgrowth. I conclude that while the barbels of catfishes arose via deployment of a general vertebrate outgrowth mechanism (an Fgf/Hh feedback loop), additional features of the gene regulatory network underlying their development overlap, but are distinct from, those of other appendages

Your I.R.A. and You

After thorough discussions with my senior academic advisor, Dr. Grange, and the Honors advising department, I decided to conduct my honors senior project on a topic that involved both my educational training and my professional activities. The project addresses the issue that most students outside the college of business do not understand investments. For the past 3 years I have been employed as an intern with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. In this capacity I have had opportunities to meet with a wide variety of students looking for financial and investment advice. I observed that there was a general lack of investment knowledge among these students. My senior project was centered on providing a forum for students to gain free financial investment advice

The ethical ambiguity of AI data enrichment: Measuring gaps in research ethics norms and practices

The technical progression of artificial intelligence (AI) research has been built on breakthroughs in fields such as computer science, statistics, and mathematics. However, in the past decade AI researchers have increasingly looked to the social sciences, turning to human interactions to solve the challenges of model development. Paying crowdsourcing workers to generate or curate data, or data enrichment, has become indispensable for many areas of AI research, from natural language processing to reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF). Other fields that routinely interact with crowdsourcing workers, such as Psychology, have developed common governance requirements and norms to ensure research is undertaken ethically. This study explores how, and to what extent, comparable research ethics requirements and norms have developed for AI research and data enrichment. We focus on the approach taken by two leading conferences: ICLR and NeurIPS, and journal publisher Springer. In a longitudinal study of accepted papers, and via a comparison with Psychology and CHI papers, this work finds that leading AI venues have begun to establish protocols for human data collection, but these are are inconsistently followed by authors. Whilst Psychology papers engaging with crowdsourcing workers frequently disclose ethics reviews, payment data, demographic data and other information, similar disclosures are far less common in leading AI venues despite similar guidance. The work concludes with hypotheses to explain these gaps in research ethics practices and considerations for its implications.Comment: 10 page

“You Got To Know Us”: A Hopeful Model for Music Education in Urban Schools

Urban schools, and the students and teachers within, are often characterized by a metanarrative of deficit and crisis, causing the complex realities of urban education to remain unclear behind a wall of assumptions and stereotypes. Within music education, urban schools have received limited but increasing attention from researchers. However, voices from practitioners are often missing from this dialogue, and the extant scholarly dialogue has had a very limited effect on music teacher education. In this article, five music educators with a combined thirty years of experience in urban schools examine aspects of their experiences in the light of critical pedagogy in an attempt to disrupt the metanarrative of deficit, crisis, and decline that continues to surround urban music education. By promoting the lived-stories of successful urban music students, teachers, and programs, the authors hope to situate urban music education as a site of renewal, reform, and meaningful learning. This paper emerged from a panel discussion regarding promising practices in secondary general music with urban youth that took place at the New Directions in Music Education conference held at Michigan State University in October of 2011

Assessing the Prevalence of Gendered Ageism Among Long-Term Care Employees

Ageism, discrimination based on age, particularly against older adults, intersects with other forms of discrimination, including sexism. In long-term care settings, gendered ageism can manifest in various ways, influencing both the quality and type of care older adults receive based on their gender. Understanding and addressing ageism in these settings is essential to ensuring the dignity, respect, and quality of life for older adults. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore long-term care (LTC) employees’ attitudes towards age and gender. A theoretical framework of feminist disability theory and compulsory youthfulness allows for an intersectional critique of ageism, sexism, and ableism and how each contributes to the oppression of long-living adults (age 80 and over) and disabled long-living adults. Triangulation of data was achieved through surveys, interviews, and artifacts. Sixty employees completed an on-line survey consisting of demographic questions (age, race, gender, years employed in LTC, highest level of education, employment) and the Fraboni Scale of Ageism during the Coronavirus pandemic between August 21, 2020 and September 22, 2020. Data were analyzed using an independent samples t-test, One Way ANOVA, and One Sample Median Test. Twenty-one of these employees also participated in a phone interview during the time period of survey collection. Interview data were analyzed using open coding, axial coding, then thematic analysis. Cultural artifacts available to the primary researcher, and relating to the study, were noted. Considering the primary researcher was not allowed to enter the facility, the types of artifacts collected included social media posts via Twitter, Facebook, and the organization’s blog. Blog and social media posts ranged from September 1, 2020 to February 1, 2021. Mixing of qualitative and quantitative data was completed for the final results by merging them via side by side comparison table. Quantitative findings indicated there was a statistical difference in FSA scores for younger adults (M = 49.33, SD = 6.08), adults (M = 52.97, SD = 8.66), and older adults (M = 46.76, SD = 7.85). Middle age adults had significantly higher FSA scores than younger adults and older adults. Qualitative data provided the strongest connection that sexist and ageist attitudes exist among employees as it demonstrated that some employees had different expectations of residents based on the residents’ gender. A review of social media and policy artifacts concluded there was no resident perspective present in research topics, research trials, blog posts, or community events. Overall, findings indicated employees’ interactions with, and attitudes towards, residents were influenced by themes of compassionate ageism, ableism, and identity, which resulted in meta-theme caregiver validation and reward. Although most employees felt a deep connection with residents, they detached themselves from the aging process, instead seeking affirmation and recognition from residents through gratitude and positive interactions. Results from this study indicated certain power dynamics and suggested that employees actively sought positive care interactions with residents. Most employees preferred to care for residents who appeared to need assistance, were appreciative, and interacted with the employee in a positive way. When this occurred, employees enjoyed relationships with these residents and caring for them on a continuous basis. Essentially, employees preferred to care for someone who conformed to that employee’s expectations for care

An Innovative Solution to NASA's NEO Impact Threat Mitigation Grand Challenge and Flight Validation Mission Architecture Development

This final technical report describes the results of a NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) Phase 2 study entitled "An Innovative Solution to NASA's NEO Impact Threat Mitigation Grand Challenge and Flight Validation Mission Architecture Development." This NIAC Phase 2 study was conducted at the Asteroid Deflection Research Center (ADRC) of Iowa State University in 2012-2014. The study objective was to develop an innovative yet practically implementable solution to the most probable impact threat of an asteroid or comet with short warning time (less than 5 years). The technical materials contained in this final report are based on numerous technical papers, which have been previously published by the project team of the NIAC Phase 1 and 2 studies during the past three years. Those technical papers as well as a NIAC Phase 2 Executive Summary report can be downloaded from the ADRC website (www.adrc.iastate.edu)

Insights into the evolution of Darwin’s finches from comparative analysis of the Geospiza magnirostris genome sequence

Background: A classical example of repeated speciation coupled with ecological diversification is the evolution of 14 closely related species of Darwin’s (Galápagos) finches (Thraupidae, Passeriformes). Their adaptive radiation in the Galápagos archipelago took place in the last 2–3 million years and some of the molecular mechanisms that led to their diversification are now being elucidated. Here we report evolutionary analyses of genome of the large ground finch, Geospiza magnirostris. Results: 13,291 protein-coding genes were predicted from a 991.0 Mb G. magnirostris genome assembly. We then defined gene orthology relationships and constructed whole genome alignments between the G. magnirostris and other vertebrate genomes. We estimate that 15% of genomic sequence is functionally constrained between G. magnirostris and zebra finch. Genic evolutionary rate comparisons indicate that similar selective pressures acted along the G. magnirostris and zebra finch lineages suggesting that historical effective population size values have been similar in both lineages. 21 otherwise highly conserved genes were identified that each show evidence for positive selection on amino acid changes in the Darwin's finch lineage. Two of these genes (Igf2r and Pou1f1) have been implicated in beak morphology changes in Darwin’s finches. Five of 47 genes showing evidence of positive selection in early passerine evolution have cilia related functions, and may be examples of adaptively evolving reproductive proteins. Conclusions: These results provide insights into past evolutionary processes that have shaped G. magnirostris genes and its genome, and provide the necessary foundation upon which to build population genomics resources that will shed light on more contemporaneous adaptive and non-adaptive processes that have contributed to the evolution of the Darwin’s finches.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

An Innovative Solution to NASA's NEO Impact Threat Mitigation Grand Challenge and Flight Validation Mission Architecture Development

To develop an innovative yet practically implementable mitigation technique for the most probable impact threat of an asteroid or comet with short warning time(i.e., when we don't have sufficient warning times for a deflection mission

An Optimal Mitigation Strategy Against the Asteroid Impact Threat with Short Warning Time

To develop an innovative yet practically implementable mitigation technique for the most probable impact threat of an asteroid or comet with short warning time (i.e., when we don't have sufficient warning times for a deflection mission)