An Analysis of Reported Paid and Unpaid Time Off for Administrative Employees at Selected Public Universities in Tennessee

Lack of research on the use of the leave fringe benefit (paid and unpaid time off) as it related to administrators in higher education was the problem of this study. The main purpose of this study was to increase the body of knowledge by analyzing the differences among paid and unpaid time off and selected demographic data for administrators at four selected public universities in Tennessee (Austin Peay State University, East Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University, and Tennessee Technological University). This descriptive study was conducted to provide a historical data base on the use of paid and unpaid time off in higher education in Tennessee. Data collection was accomplished using specialized computer programs to select information from existing data bases of the four universities. Conclusions of this study were based on reported paid and unpaid time off for 480 administrative employees from four public universities in Tennessee. Female administrators used reported annual and sick leave at significantly higher rates. Administrators with 11 to 15 years of seniority had significantly higher reported use of annual leave. Administrators in the state retirement plan had a higher use of reported sick leave. Administrators with salary ranges of $55,001 to \$65,000 had the lowest use of reported sick leave. Employees with doctorate degrees had significantly lower use of reported sick leave. There were no significant differences for reported annual and sick leave between the four age categories and the four institutions in the study. Recommendations were based on the analyses that significant differences exist in the amount of paid leave used and various demographic variables. Calculations on the research questions indicated that the cost for unpaid leave and paid leave types (jury duty, civil leave, military leave, and bereavement leave) were minimal. However, the calculated mean cost per employee for paid leave types (holiday, annual leave, and sick leave) were more costly. Public institutions should manage and market the leave fringe benefit as a major component of personnel cost

Attitudes Towards Prenatal Genetics Among Southeast and East Asian Women: A Qualitative Pilot Study

From 2000-2010, the Asian population in the United States grew five times faster than the overall US population. As Asians become incorporated into the US health care system, it is important to recognize cultural differences that may arise between Asian patients and their health care providers. Prior studies show that cultural values influence genetic perceptions within Asian populations. The reputation of the family unit factors into decisions such as pregnancy termination and disclosure of family medical history, and the non-directive model of American genetic counseling conflicts with the historical Asian model of paternalistic health care. Previous studies also provide conflicting evidence regarding correlations between education, acculturation, age, and awareness and perceptions of genetic testing. Recognizing the heterogeneity of the Asian population with regards to acculturation, education, health awareness, and cultural values is vital for tailoring culturally sensitive and appropriate care. The aims of this study were to describe attitudes towards prenatal genetics among Southeast and East Asian women and to explore sociocultural factors influencing those attitudes. 23 Asian women who were members of Asian cultural organizations in the US were interviewed via telephone about their attitudes towards prenatal genetic counseling, prenatal genetic testing, and termination of pregnancy. Responses were transcribed and coded for common themes using a grounded theory approach. Five major themes emerged. Participants had diverse expectations for genetic counselors with regards to emotional support and non-directiveness. Attitudes towards genetic testing and pregnancy termination varied widely and were influenced primarily by religious and spiritual beliefs, risk-benefit analysis, and cultural factors including societal stigma of disabilities, availability of resources, and family authority. These findings may allow prenatal genetic counselors to gain a richer, more nuanced understanding of their Asian patients and to offer culturally tailored genetic counseling

The VisPort Project: Visualization of Port Logistics

The article focuses on the introduction of Visualization in Port Logistics (VisPort) web-based tool project for the visualization of port careers and logistics in the U.S. It outlines the educational objectives of the project including the virtual reality experience associated with port operation, the multimedia environment for the learning of students, and the simulation of port logistics. It mentions that the scientific and technical visualization curriculum offered to students enhances the skills related to scientific and mathematical concepts as well as the experience on graphic techniques

Effects of a Pedagogical Agent's Emotional Expressiveness on Learner Perceptions

The use of animated pedagogical agents or avatars in instruction has lagged behind their use in entertainment. This is due in part to the cost and complexity of development and implementation of agents in educational settings, but also results from a lack of research to understand how emotions from animated agents influence instructional effectiveness. The phenomenological study presented here assesses the perceptions of eight learners interacting with low and high intensity emotionally expressive pedagogical agents in a computer-mediated environment. Research methods include maximum variation and snowball sampling with random assignment to treatment. The resulting themes incorporate perceptions of importance, agent humanness, enjoyment, implementation barriers, and suggested improvements. Design recommendations and implications for future research are presented

Patient and Physician Perceptions of Dimensions of Necessity of Medical Utilization

The goal of this research was to understand better the perspectives held by physicians and patients regarding what factors determine the appropriateness of medical visits. We also wished to create a convenient measure of those perspectives. In our first study, we conducted focus groups separately composed of 22 physicians and 16 patients to determine their respective views. In our second study, a 40-item measure derived from Study 1 themes was administered to a sample of 202 patients. Study 1 identified 20 themes, collapsing into 6 dimensions. Physicians held views that some patients were manipulative when seeking medical care. Study 2 revealed factors of Symptom Experience and Doctor Expertise. The two studies revealed that the perception of medical utilization varies between patients and physicians, but both groups share many similar beliefs

Going remote: Implementing digital research methods at an academic medical center during COVID-19

COVID-19 has forced medical research institutions to conduct clinical research remotely. Here, we describe how a university\u27s mHealth Research Core helped facilitate the shift to remote research during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019 (pre-pandemic), we conducted stakeholder interviews and leadership group sessions to identify, create, and implement resources and core functions to support investigator-initiated mHealth research. Between April 2019 and February 2020, we identified four investigator needs: 1)

Welcome to the Excerpts in Pharmacy Research Journal

The editorial board at Cedarville University School of Pharmacy welcomes you to the inaugural issue of the Excerpts in Pharmacy Research Journal (ISSN 2374-4693)

Auditory Attention and Comprehension During a Simulated Night Shift: Effects of Task Characteristics

OBJECTIVE: The current study investigated performance on a dual auditory task during a simulated night shift. BACKGROUND: Night shifts and sleep deprivation negatively affect performance on vigilance-based tasks, but less is known about the effects on complex tasks. Because language processing is necessary for successful work performance, it is important to understand how it is affected by night work and sleep deprivation. METHOD: Sixty-two participants completed a simulated night shift resulting in 28 hr of total sleep deprivation. Performance on a vigilance task and a dual auditory language task was examined across four testing sessions. RESULTS: The results indicate that working at night negatively impacts vigilance, auditory attention, and comprehension. The effects on the auditory task varied based on the content of the auditory material. When the material was interesting and easy, the participants performed better. Night work had a greater negative effect when the auditory material was less interesting and more difficult. CONCLUSION: These findings support research that vigilance decreases during the night. The results suggest that auditory comprehension suffers when individuals are required to work at night. Maintaining attention and controlling effort especially on passages that are less interesting or more difficult could improve performance during night shifts. APPLICATION: The results from the current study apply to many work environments where decision making is necessary in response to complex auditory information. Better predicting the effects of night work on language processing is important for developing improved means of coping with shiftwork

Sex and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Treatment and Control Among Individuals With Diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

OBJECTIVE To examine sex and racial/ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk factor treatment and control among individuals with diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This study was an observational study examining mean levels of cardiovascular risk factors and proportion of subjects achieving treatment goals. RESULTS The sample included 926 individuals with diabetes. Compared with men, women were 9% less likely to achieve LDL cholesterol <130 mg/dl (adjusted prevalence ratio 0.91 [0.83-0.99]) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) <130 mmHg (adjusted prevalence ratio 0.91 [0.85-0.98]). These differences diminished over time. A lower percentage of women used aspirin (23 vs. 33%; P < 0.001). African American and Hispanic women had higher mean levels of SBP and lower prevalence of aspirin use than non-Hispanic white women. CONCLUSIONS Women with diabetes had unfavorable cardiovascular risk factor profiles compared with men. African American and Hispanic women had less favorable profiles than non-Hispanic white women