It\u27s Not the Load That Breaks You Down, It\u27s the Way You Carry It: An Examination of the Relationship between Negative Identity and Consumer Behavior

Research examining Social identity and consumer behavior often centers on groups with positive Social identities, exploring the influence of similar identities (i.e., shared values, shared gender, shared political affiliations, shared ethnicity…etc.) or desired identities (e.g., sports celebrities, actors, and actresses). For example, research has shown that people display an increased attention to identity-based stimuli following the activation of a Socially distinct identity (Forehand, Deshpandé, and Reed 2002) and that heightening the self‐importance of a consumer Social identity leads to a preference for identity-related brands (Reed 2004). An important but often overlooked aspect of the influence of Social identity on consumption, however, is the link between negative Social identity and consumer behavior. This dissertation aims to address this gap in the literature by examining how Social stigmas influence the consumption outcomes of consumers who possess the negative identity (targets) and consumers who fear obtaining the negative identity (nontargets). Using weight status as the research context, I bridge Social identity (Tajfel and Turner 1979) and stigma (e.g., Goffman (1963) literatures to provide a framework for understanding how the objective and subjective aspects of Socially stigmatized identities affect consumers’ self evaluations and appraisals of identity-related products. In particular, I examine how an individual’s weight status coupled with the importance they ascribe to their weight identity, coincide to affect self-evaluation and identity-relevant consumption outcomes. In particular, I posit and find support for the assertion that following activation of the weight concept, target group members (i.e., overweight consumers) low in weight identity self-importance will express greater dieting self-efficacy and identity-incongruent evaluations of high calorie food items. I also experimentally manipulate weight identity self-importance to demonstrate that these effects can be generalized to members of a particular weight status group and examine the psychological processes associated with these effects. More specifically, I show that for overweight consumers, lowering weight identity self-importance boosts dieting self-efficacy perceptions and negatively impacts evaluations of unhealthy food products, but that this effect is attenuated under high cognitive load. I also show that for normal weight individuals, heightening weight identity self-importance leads to lower levels of dieting self-efficacy and less favorable evaluations of unhealthy food and that avoidance coping is the underlying mechanism driving these effects. Taken together, this research offers theoretical and practical implications for marketers, public policy makers, and consumer welfare advocates and provides direction for further research concerning consumer psychology and food-related judgments and consumption decisions

Violence Prevention Task Force: A Health System’s Journey Towards Zero

VCU Health\u27s mission is to be the safest most caring hospital with zero events of preventable harm to patients, team members, and visitors. Our goal cannot be achieved if our staff suffer from workplace violence injuries thus, our executive leaders sponsored a Violence Task Force in 2017 comprised of leaders and bedside staff from all disciplines to implement evidence-informed strategies to aid in the prevention, response or recovery to a violent event. Review of data and measures of our outcomes are based on our worker\u27s compensation, behavioral rapid response, and safety culture surveys. Event drill-downs are achieved by our post-assault huddle form to identify systemic root causes. Our data shows delirium and mental health issues as predictors of violence thus, proactive assessment and interdisciplinary rounding have demonstrated a reduction in lost or restricted days from work saving money. We have also invested in no tolerance signage and personal duress alarms

TNF Receptor 2 and Disease: Autoimmunity and Regenerative Medicine

The regulatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) exerts its effects through two receptors: TNFR1 and TNFR2. Defects in TNFR2 signaling are evident in a variety of autoimmune diseases. One new treatment strategy for autoimmune disease is selective destruction of autoreactive T cells by administration of TNF, TNF inducers, or TNFR2 agonism. A related strategy is to rely on TNFR2 agonism to induce T-regulatory cells (Tregs) that suppress cytotoxic T cells. Targeting TNFR2 as a treatment strategy is likely superior to TNFR1 because of its more limited cellular distribution on T cells, subsets of neurons, and a few other cell types, whereas TNFR1 is expressed throughout the body. This review focuses on TNFR2 expression, structure, and signaling; TNFR2 signaling in autoimmune disease; treatment strategies targeting TNFR2 in autoimmunity; and the potential for TNFR2 to facilitate end organ regeneration

Quality Assurance for Clinical fMRI

The functional MRI (fMRI) procedure has several sources of variance that determine the success of the examination. These include the scanner, patient, and paradigm. As blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contrast is a small effect, high signal‐to‐noise performance is mandatory. Because the preparation of a functional activation map requires averaging multiple images over time, the scanner must produce high temporal stability of the signal intensity. This unit presents the for achieving scanner stability. There are many determinants of such performance but not all possibilities need to be checked separately. An adequate approach has been to verify total system performance under the conditions of a functional MRI study on a phantom. This testing is done daily prior to patient studies.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145361/1/cpmia0602.pd

The Pancreas Secreting Insulin for Decades after Onset of Type I Diabetes — Implications for Care and Management

Up until recently, the prevailing dogma was that insulin secretion ceased within a couple of years after the diagnosis of type I diabetes, a clinical time period called the honeymoon. But a series of recent studies have established that release of C-peptide, which is the best measure of endogenous insulin production, can commonly persist for decades after disease onset. The release of C-peptide, even at low levels, is shown to have functional and clinical significance. For example, C-peptide levels >10 pmol/l are associated with fewer diabetes complications, i.e., nephropathy, neuropathy, foot ulcers, and retinopathy. The diabetic population may also be heterogeneous in risk for fall in C-peptide, with early age of diabetes onset a risk factor for more rapid C-peptide decline. The persistence of insulin release for decades and its functional and clinical significance suggest that assays for C-peptide should be a regular part of diabetes management. Furthermore, patients with established diabetes should be eligible to participate in clinical trials of immune therapies since preservation of these low levels appears clinically important to prevent complications

In the Middle of Appalachia: Balancing Teacher Talk with Student Discourse

Appalachian students co-constructed knowledge with their teacher while examining a non-fiction book about Thanksgiving. Fifth grade students used an informational trade book to promote student discourse while using text-based evidence. Students learned about Native Americans and Pilgrims as they engaged in student discourse balanced with teacher talk. Students used an inquiry arc that involved questioning texts and examining sources, and inquiry helped students to investigate narrative text as a source of data. Students used inquiry to enhance their metacognition about historical events. Students exercised agency as they recounted family history and their heritage as part of their memory. Remembering was an important part of family rituals. Students worked within the disciplinary framework of history and shared their conclusions with one another

College Success for all Students: An Investigation of Early Warning Indicators of College Readiness

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine early warning indicators of college readiness among early college high school students at selected Texas institutions of higher education. Participants in this study included 134 of the class of 2010 from two early college high schools. The graduates were 86% Hispanic, 8% African American, 3% White, 2% Asian, 1% American Indian and 72% economically disadvantaged. A causal-comparative research design using multiple regression analysis of the data collected revealed that each one unit increase in world history was associated with a .470 (p < .05) increase in college GPA, while each one unit increase in Algebra I was associated with a .202 (p < .05) increase. Therefore, student grades in high school Algebra I and world history were the strongest statistically significant indicators that a student will maintain a 2.5 college GPA during the first year of college. According to the early warning indicators, students who maintain a grade of A or B in Algebra I are 10 times more likely to be college ready while having a 78% chance of maintaining a 2.5 or better in college courses. Further, the findings from this study found no significant relationship between TAKS assessment, socioeconomic status, gender or ethnicity and a student's ability to maintain a 2.5 or higher college GPA. Based on the findings from this study, the author recommends an examination of the high school curriculum with the goal of ensuring that students gain competency in courses that indicate college readiness

Early- Versus Late-Onset Type 1 Diabetes: Two Different Pathophysiological Subtypes with Implications for Therapy

Insulin, as measured by C-peptide, is produced for decades after onset of type 1 diabetes, and even very low levels of C-peptide have clinical significance. In this chapter we show that two distinct pathophysiological subtypes of type 1 diabetic subjects can be distinguished. Early-onset diabetic subjects (≤20 years) have rapid loss of C-peptide, whereas late-onset diabetic subjects (>20 years) have slower C-peptide declines over decades. Early-onset diabetics have significantly lower levels of persistent autoreactive CD8+ T cells than do late-onset diabetic subjects. In late-onset disease, robust production of autoreactive T-cells occurs even in the absence of C-peptide. Metabolomics analysis reveals frequent differences between the two subtypes of subjects in the levels of amino acids, carbohydrates, cofactors, lipids, peptides, and xenobiotics. There are statistically significant differences related to protective islet functions, islet health, development, blood sugar control, and regulation of exocrine pancreas function. Taken together these findings suggest that pancreas pathobiology, as well as durability of abnormal T-cell response should be considered in immune targeting treatments. Therapies aimed at immune defects alone are likely to work best in late-onset diabetics. Therapies aimed at islet cell preservation in early-onset diabetic subjects likely have greater efficacy if administered shortly after disease onset

Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2008-2009

Based on a survey of public libraries, examines trends in demand for, provision of, and quality of free computer and Internet services and in library budgets. Includes state data and suggestions for improving public access connectivity and infrastructure

Effect of Gender on the Relationship Between Leadership Style and Employee Engagement

This study examined the degree to which the views of transformational and transactional leadership style, based on gender, influence leader-follower employee engagement. The study was conducted using a non-experimental quantitative research design, resulting in a proposed theoretical model that defines gender as a moderating variable on leadership style that predicts leader-follower employee engagement. The sample frame was drawn from entry-level front-line employees located in the Southeastern US region. Employing multiple regression analysis, this quantitative investigation analyzed participants utilizing MLQ-5X leadership scores and employees’ ISA Engagement Scale scores. Participants (N = 102) completed both survey instruments. The research examined one research question: To what extent does gender moderate the relationship between leadership style and leader-follower employee engagement? The interaction term was statistically significant (β = -0.32, t = -2.66, p = .009). When examining both female leaders and male leaders, at the equally highest levels of transformational leadership for both male and female leaders, male leaders had significantly higher leader-follower employee engagement than female leaders. The findings indicate that a more extensive investigative study providing a deeper exploration and analysis into leadership styles of supervisors’ and gender could impact employee engagement at all levels. The social or general problem associated with this study was that there may be a disproportional level of a specific gender of a leader resulting in the opposite gender being more successful, which can cause employees to perceive the leadership styles differently and engage at different levels