A Narrative Inquiry on Experiences of Title IX Coordinators in the Southeastern Conference

There is a lack of understanding about the leadership experiences of Title IX Coordinators in higher education. Title IX Coordinators are not only compliance officers; they are campus leaders, positioned within the university’s organizational structure with the authority to impact their institution around the issue of discrimination on the basis of sex. Currently, there is a lack of scholarly research about the experiences of Title IX Coordinators as they work to create and sustain living, learning, and working environments free from sexual misconduct. Therefore, the purpose of this narrative study is to understand the stories of Title IX Coordinators in their work to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct at public, Research 1: Doctoral Universities in the Southeastern Conference. The research questions that guided this study were: 1) What are the stories of Title IX Coordinators that have brought them to their position as Title IX Coordinator? 2) What are the stories of the leadership experiences of Title IX Coordinators? 3) What are the shared stories of the learning experiences as they lead institutional Title IX compliance? For the purposes of this study, Title IX Coordinators in the Southeastern United States were interviewed, and interview transcriptions were analyzed via a thematic narrative analysis process. Research findings will have potential implications for higher education practice, research, and the field of adult learning

Examining Varroa-resistant Honey Bee Queens from Commercial Breeders: Colony Productivity, Hygienic Behavior, Suppression of Mite Reproduction, and the Relationship of Juvenile Hormone III to Mite Abundance

This research was conducted to assess the performance of commercially bred honey bee queens sold as resistant to the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor. The study’s objectives were to: 1) Compare honey and pollen stores and V. destructor infestation in colonies established with hybrid Russian, SMR, and control queens, 2) Determine levels of hygienic behavior and mite non-reproduction in the same colonies, and 3) Determine the relationship between juvenile hormone III in honey bee larvae and V. destructor reproduction. In Part One, when honey, pollen, and V. destructor levels were measured, no significant differences were found among types of queens. The similarity of V. destructor levels among study colonies with hybrid queens suggests that hybridization has diminished the effectiveness of the mite-resistance found in artificially inseminated mite-resistant queens. In Part Two, two traits associated with mite tolerance in honey bee colonies were measured, hygienic behavior and mite non-reproduction. Again, no significant differences were found in the levels of either trait among queen types. However, significant relationships were found between both traits and V. destructor concentrations in the colonies at the end of the season. Data suggest that, while the levels of resistant traits in hybrid SMR and Russian queens available from commercial breeders do not differ significantly from controls, these traits are present in the honey bee population as a whole and contribute to lower parasite infestations. In Part Three, the possible influence of honey bee juvenile hormone III levels on V. destructor reproduction was examined. A short test was conducted to determine juvenile hormone titers during the honey bee’s fifth larval instar, a period coincident with initial mite feeding. Radioimmunoassay was used to detect juvenile hormone in the bees’ hemolymph. Positive relationships were found between juvenile hormone titers and V. destructor reproduction and between juvenile hormone titers and V. destructor concentration in the colonies at the end of the season. Results suggest that low host juvenile hormone levels might diminish the reproductive capacity of the Varroa mite, both in terms of absolute non-reproduction and in reduced fecundity. Recommendations are made to queen breeders for the increased use of Varroa-resistant drones in mating yards to ensure the preservation of resistant traits in hybrid queens. Broader studies of juvenile hormone and V. destructor reproduction are also recommended

The Waiting Game: A Primary Care Intervention to Improve Access to Specialist Care to Patients with Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) commonly presents in the knee, contributing to pain and impairment in those affected. Given appropriate candidacy, surgical treatment for end-stage knee OA such as total knee replacement (TKR) and high tibial osteotomy (HTO) are highly successful with negligible risk. Just as the population has aged over the past decade, so too has the demand for surgical treatment of OA increasing wait times across Canada. Cipriano et al. identified that wait times for TKR in Ontario are longer than clinically appropriate. Several North American studies have demonstrated that general practitioner referrals to specialists do not result in subsequent surgery. Targeting increasing the proportion of referrals that result in a surgical booking has the potential to decrease the wait for initial consult, an important piece of the wait time continuum for knee OA

Role of Socioeconomic Status and Obesity in African American Adults

African Americans have a higher prevalence of obesity compared to any other racial/ethnic group due to a variety of factors, including socioeconomic status. This research paper presents a semi-systematic literature review revealing the impact socioeconomic status has on obesity among African American adults in the United States. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of this public health issue, we examined the risk factors, risk behaviors, and health outcomes surrounding obesity among this population. An informational web-based search was conducted using various research databases including PubMed, CINAHL, and EBSCOHost. The terms “obesity,” “African Americans, “ and “socioeconomic status” were utilized as common keywords, along with other MeSH terms. The overall pattern of results display a positive association between socioeconomic status and obesity among African Americans in the United States. Findings indicate that certain health behaviors such as unhealthy eating, physical inactivity, and lack of sleep can increase the chances of an individual becoming obese. Not only does indulging in these harmful activities pose an increased risk, but other health outcomes may arise as a result of being obese such as a reduced life expectancy and a variety of chronic conditions. It is essential that further examination is completed to serve as a foundation for creating preventative strategies for this population. Researchers can utilize the findings provided from this literature review to help decrease the obesity rates among African American adults in the United States.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2022_healthsciences/1011/thumbnail.jp

Breaking the Language Barrier: Promoting Community Health through Community-Campus Partnerships

Through her involvement with UM\u27s Center for Community Engagement and the Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement, an undergraduate student majoring in Public Health learned that language barriers were preventing the Spanish-speaking community from accessing primary and preventive care in the Pontotoc area. After facilitating community engagement roundtables around health disparities, this student then connected M Partner with MississippiCare, a federally qualified health center serving Pontotoc County. This team quickly engaged a professor of BioMolecular Sciences who had piloted a bilingual health fair in Oxford, as well as a longstanding community partner with Catholic Charities. This team then engaged collaborators on campus and in the community to offer a free bilingual health fair in July 2021 that provided health screenings, COVID vaccines, referrals to dental and mental health providers, and legal services. Over 250 people attended this event. The presentation will share lessons learned from the needs assessment and planning processes, as well as plans for the growth and sustainability of the partnership. An earlier version of this presentation (2022) is also available

Cupreines and cupreidines: an established class of bifunctional cinchona organocatalysts

Cinchona alkaloids with a free 6'-OH functionality are being increasingly used within asymmetric organocatalysis. This fascinating class of bifunctional catalyst offers a genuine alternative to the more commonly used thiourea systems and because of the different spacing between the functional groups, can control enantioselectivity where other organocatalysts have failed. In the main, this review covers the highlights from the last five years and attempts to show the diversity of reactions that these systems can control. It is hoped that chemists developing asymmetric methodologies will see the value in adding these easily accessible, but underused organocatalysts to their screens

Caring helps: trait empathy is related to better coping strategies and differs in the poor versus the rich

Coping has been extensively studied in health psychology; however, factors influencing the usage of different coping strategies have received limited attention. In five studies (N = 3702), we explored the relationship between trait empathy and coping strategies, and how subjective socioeconomic status (SES) moderates this relationship. In Studies 1–4, we found that people with higher level of empathic concern use more adaptive coping strategies, seek more social support, and use fewer maladaptive coping strategies. Moreover, higher trait empathy related to more adaptive coping strategies among the poor, and fewer maladaptive coping strategies among the rich. In Study 5, we tested the potential biological basis of the relationship between trait empathy and coping by examining the effect of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) rs53576 polymorphism on coping. We found that individuals with the GG phenotype—who in previous research have been found to be more empathic—were more likely to seek social support than AG or AA individuals. Furthermore, in line with findings in Studies 1–4, amongst people with low SES, individuals with GG genotype used more adaptive coping strategies than AG or AA individuals. Our results highlight the selective role trait empathy plays in influencing coping strategy deployment, depending on the SES of individuals

Genetics And Retinal Degeneration: Challenges In Optogenetic Therapy And Indentifying Pathogenic Variants

Inherited retinal degenerative diseases are one of the leading causes of childhood blindness. While over 200 causative genes have been identified, many cases still have an unknown underlying genetic cause. With the advent of next generation sequencing (NGS), it should be possible to identify the genetic cause in almost every case, provided enough relatives are willing to participate. However, the massive amount of data generated by NGS can make identifying the pathogenic variant challenging. It is necessary to filter the data in order to create a manageable candidate list, but overly strict filtering or erroneous assumptions can result in filtering out the pathogenic variant. Identifying the genetic cause of retinal degeneration in each patient will allow us to better identify candidate genes for gene therapy and bring us a step closer to precision medicine. Here we developed an efficient screening system to find candidate mutations with minimal assumptions to avoid screening out pathogenic variants and better identify good candidates for novel gene discovery. Out of an initial cohort of 69 patients we identify the pathogenic variant(s) in 44 of them and identified 11 subjects as good candidates for novel gene discovery. We also need a broad treatment for retinal degeneration to help those who have mutations in genes that are poor candidates for gene therapy or who have an unknown genetic cause. We tested the efficacy of using the GRM6 minimal promoter as a bipolar cell specific promoter to express channelrhodopsin in bipolar cells after photoreceptor degeneration to make the bipolar cells directly respond to light. Surprisingly, we found that unlike in the wildtype mouse retina, the GRM6 promoter is not bipolar cell specific in multiple mouse models of retinal degeneration. This suggests that the genetic profiles of the cells in the inner retina change during retinal degeneration. Understanding these fundamental changes in cell specific gene expression during retinal degenerative processes will be critical in order to develop effective therapeutic strategies for late stage retinal degeneration

Perceptions of Gifted Male Underperformance

The underperformance of gifted students is a concern facing all educators. Having students who do not work up to their potential, who make grades lower than test scores show they could, and who choose to focus on other interests instead of academics are issues that occur in many schools. This study sought to learn the perceptions of educational leader in regard to this underperformance. The Palmer Model, a proposed intervention plan, was developed based on a Response to Intervention (RtI) model using a 3-tier intervention approach. Using online questionnaires and focus groups, perceptions were examined and critiques of the proposed intervention plan were determined. The findings showed relevance, relationships, and competing interests as the perceptions leaders have regarding gifted underperformance. The Palmer Model was recognized as an intervention method that was appropriate to address the issues facing underperforming gifted males

Faculty Career-Enhancing Training Opportunity Effects on Perceived Organizational Support, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment

Research has shown that organizations outside of academia that provide career-enhancing training opportunities have employees with greater levels of perceived organizational support, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment than do organizations without such training. Increasingly, colleges and universities are looking to attract and retain the most talented individuals; providing opportunities for growth through career-enhancing training opportunities may be one way to do so. This study examined whether or not faculty at institutions providing career-enhancing training opportunities showed a similar positive relationship between perceived organizational support, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment as have employees at organizations outside of academia; this study also examined if those levels varied by gender. A sample of 90 faculty members at both private and public academic institutions was recruited via LinkedIn and the Walden Participant Pool and were administered a 13-item demographic questionnaire, followed by The Survey of Perceived Organizational Support, The Job Satisfaction Survey, and The Three Component Model of Organizational Commitment Survey. Both a correlation and moderation analysis showed no significant relationship between the variables, suggesting the need for a larger sample. Although this study had non-significant results, it contributes to positive social change by promoting discussion of effective ways to improve faculty recruitment and retention and by highlighting the need for further research into the relationship between career enhancement and perceptions of organizational support, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment