Self-Injury in the Schools: A Survey of Educators

Self-injury (SI) is a growing concern for professionals working in educational settings who desire more information on SI and express a lack of confidence in working with youth who self injure (Carlson, DeGreer, Deur, & Fenton, 2005; Heath, Toste, & Beettam, 2008). A sample of 263 teachers from a small, rural Kentucky county completed a survey (response rate of 45.5%) designed to address educators’ knowledge of SI, training needs, and knowledge of school response plans for working with youth who self-injure. A 20-item measure developed by Jeffery and Warm (2002) assessed SI knowledge. Educators evidenced significantly lower scores on the knowledge measure than school psychologists (Beld, 2007), and professionals working in a medical setting (Jeffrey & Warm, 2002) with the exception of psychiatrists. Analysis of the response patterns of the educators on the knowledge measure indicated 11 out of 20 items evidenced serious inaccurate understandings of basic fact and myths, prevalence, relationship of SI to psychopathology and suicide, and media influences. There were no gender differences when comparing self-rated knowledge of SI; however, female educators evidenced greater mean scores on the knowledge measure. Females evidence significantly greater knowledge of SI than males. There is no relation between knowledge of SI and the amount of experience working with youth who self-injure for this sample. Knowledge of SI and amount of experience working with students who SI was not correlated. Further, educators who report knowledge of school plans did not report higher confidence in helping students. Descriptive information regarding knowledge of SI and school response plans, confidence, and training indicate the majority of educators in this sample do not have any experience working with youth who self-injure. Further, most lacked knowledge of a school response plan and did not know the existence of or steps included in the district’s school response plan. A majority of participants indicated never attending in-service training on SI; however, they did indicate an interest in receiving more information on SI. Results support the need for districts to educate staff on school response plans and/or to develop a specific school response plan for dealing with youth who engage in SI. Also supported are training needs regarding the school plan, basic knowledge of SI, and extended areas of SI such as media and suicide. Lastly, follows the discussion of practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research in relation to results

Comparison of Handgrip Strength and Endurance in Collegiate Male Athletes

According to Wang et al. (2018), handgrip strength is an indicator of overall strength and a predictor of strength outcomes. Handgrip strength reflects muscular strength as well as motor unit recruitment and coordination, and neuromuscular control. Elite and successful athletes tend to show greater handgrip strength in comparison to sub-elite and less successful counterparts (Fry et al., 2004; Cronin et al., 2017). This may be due to the sport-specific nature of neuromuscular adaptations (Shields et al., 1999). For men between the ages of 18 and 24, absolute dominant (D) handgrip strength averages 47.0 kg +/- 8.1 kg (Wang et al., 2018). The purpose of this study was to compare relative handgrip strength and endurance between college-aged males that participate in four different sports: CrossFit, Tennis, Swimming, and Soccer. It was hypothesized that both relative handgrip strength and endurance would be higher in grip-intensive sports (CrossFit and tennis) than in nongrip- intensive sports (swimming and soccer) due to training specificity. Further, it was hypothesized that tennis players would show the greatest difference between dominant (D) and non-dominant (ND) handshttps://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/exercise-science-research-proposal-posters/1106/thumbnail.jp

Next-generation Electrode Materials for Na- and Li-ion Batteries

With climate change upon us, the development of energy storage technologies to increase the integration of renewable energy systems is critical. Thus, a variety of energy storage systems are required to meet the wide array of demands from grid-level storage to high-power, fast-charging electric vehicles. This dissertation presents the introduction of novel Li- and Na-ion chemistries and materials systems for energy storage (Chapter 3 and 5) and demonstrates further development of full-cell chemistries for industrial applications (Chapter 4). In Chapter 3, we present a method for high-power electrode development from high ionic conductivity solid-state electrolytes in a model Na-ion system: Na-β alumina (NBA). The substitution of a redox active ion, Fe, for Al within the NBA structure enabled development of a high-power Na-ion battery electrode with 75% capacity retention at a 20C-rate. This work demonstrates a new avenue for materials research development in high-power materials design and improved interface compatibility of electrodes with solid state electrolytes. In Chapter 4, we present high-power Li-ion devices, which can deliver charge in a matter of minutes instead of hours, that could transform the electric vehicle market as well as consumer electronics and ‘internet-of-things’ (IOT) devices. The Nb2O5-based devices demonstrate the advantage of pseudocapacitive materials, those with capacitor-like kinetics, in full-cell battery systems. Energy storage devices with the demonstrated power-density capabilities are necessary to realize the clean energy goals of the upcoming decades and mark a significant step from lab-scale to practical applications. Finally, in Chapter 5, a combination of high-power and high-energy is demonstrated in amorphous sulfides: a-WSx and a-TaSy. This is the first demonstration to date of high-power, amorphous materials for energy storage with evidence of multielectron, anionic redox. The development of amorphous sulfide materials highlights the advantage of amorphous over crystalline structures for multielectron, anionic redox reversibility as well as the importance of local atomic ordering compared with long-range order for fast charging capabilities. Taken together, the work presented here delivers pathways for future materials development and design in Na- and Li-ion battery systems from fundamental materials properties for high energy and high power to full-cell, prototype devices

The ePANDDA project: linking the Paleobiology Database, iDigBio, and iDigPaleo for biological and paleontological research, collections management, and outreach

There are several online paleontological resources that serve a diversity of needs: the Paleobiology Database (PaleoBioDB), a database of fossil occurrences built largely from the primary scientific literature; iDigBio, the national hub for neontological and paleontological specimen data; and iDigPaleo, a specimen-based website built for educational use. While each resource is useful on its own, aggregating data from them is laborious and problematic, as the connectivity between modern and fossil, and specimen and literature-based, resources does not currently exist.  Funded by the NSF EarthCube initiative (ICER 1821039), the enhancing Paleontological and Neontological Data Discovery API (ePANDDA) project is using application programming interfaces (APIs) to integrate the paleontological and neontological resources of these three sites. The ePANDDA API returns comprehensive data to the user on all aspects of specimens and taxa. For example, a neontologist could search the ePANDDA API (available at: https://api.epandda.org) using a taxonomic name. In addition to modern specimen records available in iDigBio, they will receive paleontological collections information from iDigPaleo and the PaleoBioDB. The connectivity of these resources facilitates addressing research questions currently difficult to answer, even with multiple researchers working as a group. The ePANDDA API was demonstrated to programmers and end users at a “hackathon” in the fall of 2017, resulting in significant modifications to the API based on end user needs.  The epandda team also sought the input of end users in the creation of software widgets that use the API via two workshops in 2016. During this presentation, we will demonstrate several of these software widgets (available at: https://epandda.org), including one that geolocates a user and displays records from all three databases of all organisms within a specified radius. We will also showcase how the PaleoBioDB will use the ePANDDA API to display links to specimen images within iDigBio. The presentation will also include examples and plans for how ePANDDA can collaborate with other existing geological and biological resources

The ePANDDA project: linking the Paleobiology Database, iDigBio, and iDigPaleo for biological and paleontological research, collections management, and outreach

There are several online paleontological resources that serve a diversity of needs: the Paleobiology Database (PaleoBioDB), a database of fossil occurrences built largely from the primary scientific literature; iDigBio, the national hub for neontological and paleontological specimen data; and iDigPaleo, a specimen-based website built for educational use. While each resource is useful on its own, aggregating data from them is laborious and problematic, as the connectivity between modern and fossil, and specimen and literature-based, resources does not currently exist.  Funded by the NSF EarthCube initiative (ICER 1821039), the enhancing Paleontological and Neontological Data Discovery API (ePANDDA) project is using application programming interfaces (APIs) to integrate the paleontological and neontological resources of these three sites. The ePANDDA API returns comprehensive data to the user on all aspects of specimens and taxa. For example, a neontologist could search the ePANDDA API (available at: https://api.epandda.org) using a taxonomic name. In addition to modern specimen records available in iDigBio, they will receive paleontological collections information from iDigPaleo and the PaleoBioDB. The connectivity of these resources facilitates addressing research questions currently difficult to answer, even with multiple researchers working as a group. The ePANDDA API was demonstrated to programmers and end users at a “hackathon” in the fall of 2017, resulting in significant modifications to the API based on end user needs.  The epandda team also sought the input of end users in the creation of software widgets that use the API via two workshops in 2016. During this presentation, we will demonstrate several of these software widgets (available at: https://epandda.org), including one that geolocates a user and displays records from all three databases of all organisms within a specified radius. We will also showcase how the PaleoBioDB will use the ePANDDA API to display links to specimen images within iDigBio. The presentation will also include examples and plans for how ePANDDA can collaborate with other existing geological and biological resources

Avoiding dendrite formation by confining lithium deposition underneath Li-Sn coatings

The use of interfacial layers to stabilize the lithium surface is a popular research direction for improving the morphology of deposited lithium and suppressing lithium dendrite formation. This work considers a different approach to controlling dendrite formation where lithium is plated underneath an interfacial coating. In the present research, a Li-Sn intermetallic was chosen as a model system due to its lithium-rich intermetallic phases and high Li diffusivity. These coatings also exhibit a significantly higher Li exchange current than bare Li thus leading to better charge transfer kinetics. The exchange current is instrumental in determining whether lithium deposition occurs above or below the Li-Sn coating. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and cryogenic focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy were used to identify the features associated with Li deposition. Atomic scale simulations provide insight as to the adsorption energies determining the deposition of lithium below the Li-Sn coating.</p

Avoiding Dendrite Formation by Confining Lithium Deposition Underneath Li-Sn Coatings

The use of interfacial layers to stabilize the lithium surface is a popular research direction for improving the morphology of deposited lithium and suppressing lithium dendrite formation. This work considers a different approach to controlling dendrite formation where lithium is plated underneath an interfacial coating. In the present research, a Li-Sn intermetallic was chosen as a model system due to its lithium-rich intermetallic phases and high Li diffusivity. These coatings also exhibit a significantly higher Li exchange current than bare Li thus leading to better charge transfer kinetics. The exchange current is instrumental in determining whether lithium deposition occurs above or below the Li-Sn coating. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and cryogenic focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy were used to identify the features associated with Li deposition. Atomic scale simulations provide insight as to the adsorption energies determining the deposition of lithium below the Li-Sn coating. </p

Operando Calorimetry Informs the Origin of Rapid Rate Performance in Microwave-Prepared TiNb2O7 Electrodes

The shear-phase compound TiNb2O7 has recently emerged as a safe and high-volumetric density replacement for graphite anodes in lithium ion batteries. An appealing feature of TiNb2O7 is that it retains capacity even at high cycling rates. Here we demonstrate that phase pure and crystalline TiNb2O7 can be rapidly prepared using a high-temperature microwave synthesis method. Studies of the charging and discharging of this material, including through operando calorimetry, permit key thermodynamic parameters to be revealed. The nature of heat generation is dominated by Joule heating, which sensitively changes as the conductivity of the electrode increases with increasing lithiation. The enthalpy of mixing, obtained from operando calorimetry, is found to be small across the different degrees of lithiation pointing to the high rate of lithium ion diffusion at the origin of rapid rate performance.</div