LEADERSHIP TO ENABLE 21ST-CENTURY TEAMS TO SOLVE ILL-STRUCTURED PROBLEMS

Although contemporary literature overwhelmingly shows that high-performing teams are greater than the sum of their parts, the current Marine Corps manpower model systematically creates ad-hoc teams. Ad-hoc teams are temporary teams, which are formed to accomplish a specific task, in contrast to enduring, cohesive teams, which possess teamwork skills, share mental models, and have refined team processes to successfully accomplish a range of tasks. Due to the changing character of war, ad-hoc teams are tasked to operate in an increasingly complex environment. While manpower model initiatives have begun under Talent Management, the effect and timeline of these initiatives are yet to be seen. This thesis addresses current team challenges by synthesizing cross-discipline scholarly research findings into four recommendations for tactical-level Marine teams. The thesis presents a two-part, decision-forcing case study and teaching note that provides a mechanism to train teams in practical methods to improve team performance. Tactical Marine units cannot afford to wait for structural changes to address team dynamics. The tactical leader should use contemporary scholarly research findings to augment their current team practices to create an environment for high-performing teams to solve the ill-structured problems they will face.Outstanding ThesisMajor, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Supporting Collaborative Health Tracking in the Hospital: Patients' Perspectives

The hospital setting creates a high-stakes environment where patients' lives depend on accurate tracking of health data. Despite recent work emphasizing the importance of patients' engagement in their own health care, less is known about how patients track their health and care in the hospital. Through interviews and design probes, we investigated hospitalized patients' tracking activity and analyzed our results using the stage-based personal informatics model. We used this model to understand how to support the tracking needs of hospitalized patients at each stage. In this paper, we discuss hospitalized patients' needs for collaboratively tracking their health with their care team. We suggest future extensions of the stage-based model to accommodate collaborative tracking situations, such as hospitals, where data is collected, analyzed, and acted on by multiple people. Our findings uncover new directions for HCI research and highlight ways to support patients in tracking their care and improving patient safety

2021-2022 Statewide Utah Angler Survey Report

Continuing an effort that dates to 1967, we collected data through a statewide survey of licensed anglers in an effort to understand their preference and behaviors. Anglers were surveyed across the state of Utah, as well as nonresident anglers who purchased a Utah fishing license. This research was guided by objectives developed by the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) as and our research team at the Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism at Utah State University. In the report, we provide statewide statistics and comparisons between the DWRs five management regions. The objectives and key findings are:Objective 1. Define the characteristics of Utah anglersObjective 2. Produce a snapshot of angling in Utah over a 12-month periodObjective 3. Identify what motivates Utah anglersObjective 4. Identify what fish species anglers expected to catch, caught, and prefer to catchObjective 5. Gauge anglers’ perceptions and knowledge of native and nonnative fish species in UtahObjective 6. Explore Utah anglers’ perceptions of, and experiences with, crowdingObjective 7. Identify potential areas where managers can create or promote opportunities for Utah anglers to combine recreational activities to enhance the angling experienceThe report provides tables and figures and explanations pertaining to each of the research objectives outlined above. In addition, statewide and regional statistics are provided to showcase the unique trends associated with Utah anglers and angling resources in Utah

Integrating Moral Norms and Stewardship Identity Into the Theory of Planned Behavior to Understand Altruistic Conservation Behavior Among Hunters in Southwestern Utah (USA)

We integrate moral norms and stewardship identity into the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to predict the use of non-lead ammunition in the California condor recovery zone of southwestern Utah. Data were collected from licensed hunters via an online survey. Structural equation models of the TPB without and with the moral norms and stewardship identity constructs were compared to evaluate the utility of integrating these constructs into the TPB. Moral norms did have a significant direct influence on hunters’ behavioral intentions. Both moral norms and stewardship identity had significant indirect influences on behavioral intentions via the core constructs of the TPB. The inclusion of moral norms and stewardship identity into the TPB marginally improved model fit and predictive power. Managers can emphasize a moral obligation to use non-lead ammunition and tap into hunters’ desire to steward the landscape and the hunting tradition in their communication and outreach efforts

Ternatin and improved synthetic variants kill cancer cells by targeting the elongation factor-1A ternary complex.

Cyclic peptide natural products have evolved to exploit diverse protein targets, many of which control essential cellular processes. Inspired by a series of cyclic peptides with partially elucidated structures, we designed synthetic variants of ternatin, a cytotoxic and anti-adipogenic natural product whose molecular mode of action was unknown. The new ternatin variants are cytotoxic toward cancer cells, with up to 500-fold greater potency than ternatin itself. Using a ternatin photo-affinity probe, we identify the translation elongation factor-1A ternary complex (eEF1A·GTP·aminoacyl-tRNA) as a specific target and demonstrate competitive binding by the unrelated natural products, didemnin and cytotrienin. Mutations in domain III of eEF1A prevent ternatin binding and confer resistance to its cytotoxic effects, implicating the adjacent hydrophobic surface as a functional hot spot for eEF1A modulation. We conclude that the eukaryotic elongation factor-1A and its ternary complex with GTP and aminoacyl-tRNA are common targets for the evolution of cytotoxic natural products

The growth of ZnO crystals from the melt

The peculiar properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) make this material interesting for very different applications like light emitting diodes, lasers, and piezoelectric transducers. Most of these applications are based on epitaxial ZnO layers grown on suitable substrates, preferably bulk ZnO. Unfortunately the thermochemical properties of ZnO make the growth of single crystals difficult: the triple point 1975 deg C., 1.06 bar and the high oxygen fugacity at the melting point p_O2 = 0.35 bar lead to the prevailing opinion that ZnO crystals for technical applications can only be grown either by a hydrothermal method or from "cold crucibles" of solid ZnO. Both methods are known to have significant drawbacks. Our thermodynamic calculations and crystal growth experiments show, that in contrast to widely accepted assumptions, ZnO can be molten in metallic crucibles, if an atmosphere with "self adjusting" p_O2 is used. This new result is believed to offer new perspectives for ZnO crystal growth by established standard techniques like the Bridgman method.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, accepted for J. Crystal Growt

Hacking events: project development practices and technology use at hackathons

Hackathons are techno-creative events during which participants get together in a physical location. They may be hosted by civic communities, corporations or public institutions. Working individually or in teams, usually for several days, participants develop projects such as hardware or software prototypes. Based on a digital ethnography of two events in the Netherlands and Denmark, this article investigates project development practices at hackathons. In particular, it analyses how participants organized their project work and which technologies were used in support of their creative endeavours. Hackathons are increasingly competitive rather than collaborative events, involving time pressure, inducements such as prizes, and requiring efficient skills utilization. I argue that this facilitates the following tendencies: Firstly, strategic effort is put into final presentations. Projects need to be convincingly presented, and persuasively pitching an idea becomes crucial. Secondly, there is only limited time for personal learning, since participants’ existing skills need to be efficiently applied if a team wants to stay competitive. This encourages division of labour within groups: a tendency which seems especially problematic given that IT skills biases are often expressed in terms of gender. Thirdly, participants are more inclined to use technologies that are proprietary but appear ‘open enough’. In light of this observation and by drawing on the concept of technology as resource and opportunity, I discuss the techno-political implications of utilized technologies. With this analysis, I aim at contributing to the critical debate on hackathons as productive but likewise ideologically significant fields of ‘hacking cultures’

Biventricular adaptation to volume overload in mice with aortic regurgitation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Aortic valve regurgitation is usually caused by impaired coaptation of the aortic valve cusps during diastole. Hypercholesterolemia produces aortic valve lipid deposition, fibrosis, and calcification in both mice and humans, which could impair coaptation of cusps. However, a link between hypercholesterolemia and aortic regurgitation has not been established in either species. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of aortic regurgitation in hypercholesterolemic mice and to determine its impact on the left and right ventricles.</p> <p>Methods and Results</p> <p>Eighty <it>Ldlr</it>^-/-/<it>Apob</it>^100/100/<it>Mttp</it>^fl/fl/Mx1Cre^+/+("Reversa") hypercholesterolemic mice and 40 control mice were screened for aortic regurgitation (AR) with magnetic resonance imaging at age 7.5 months. The prevalence of AR was 40% in Reversa mice, with moderate or severe regurgitation (AR⁺) in 19% of mice. In control mice, AR prevalence was 13% (p = 0.004 <it>vs</it>. Reversa), and was invariably trace or mild in severity. In-depth evaluation of cardiac response to volume overload was performed in 12 AR-positive and 12 AR-negative Reversa mice. Regurgitant fraction was 0.34 ± 0.04 in AR-positive <it>vs</it>. 0.02 ± 0.01 in AR-negative (mean ± SE; p < 0.001). AR-positive mice had significantly increased left ventricular end-diastolic volume and mass and reduced ejection fraction in both ventricles. When left ventricular ejection fraction fell below 0.60 in AR-positive (<it>n </it>= 7) mice, remodeling occurred and right ventricular systolic function progressively worsened.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Hypercholesterolemia causes aortic valve regurgitation with moderate prevalence in mice. When present, aortic valve regurgitation causes volume overload and pathological remodeling of both ventricles.</p

Diffusion Monte Carlo calculations for the ground states of atoms and ions in neutron star magnetic fields

The diffusion quantum Monte Carlo method is extended to solve the old theoretical physics problem of many-electron atoms and ions in intense magnetic fields. The feature of our approach is the use of adiabatic approximation wave functions augmented by a Jastrow factor as guiding functions to initialize the quantum Monte Carlo prodecure. We calcula te the ground state energies of atoms and ions with nuclear charges from Z= 2, 3, 4, ..., 26 for magnetic field strengths relevant for neutron stars.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, proceedings of the "9th International Conference on Path Integrals - New Trends and Perspectives", Max-Planck-Institut fur Physik komplexer Systeme, Dresden, Germany, September 23 - 28, 2007, to be published as a book by World Scientific, Singapore (2008

How Do High Levels of Wind and Solar Impact the Grid? The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study

This paper is a brief introduction to the scope of the Western Wind and Solar Integration Study (WWSIS), inputs and scenario development, and the key findings of the study