The effect of leadership on job morale for graduate students

Leadership techniques have a vast effect on job morale and intentions to remain with an organization. Studies often base their inquiries on how to apply leadership strategies in a versatile, hierarchical format to situations that require astute leadership practices (Maslow, 1954), but do not assess the opinions of graduate students with some degree of workforce experience. Given the lack of research on the graduate student population with workforce experience, the current study sought to understand which leadership techniques have positive and negative impacts on their job morale and employee satisfaction utilizing a web-based survey. The following research questions were addressed: How have positive and negative leadership techniques been defined by graduate students who have workforce experience, and what have been the effects of positive and negative leadership techniques on job morale for these graduate students? The results of this study suggest that positive leadership techniques involving high trust levels, empowerment, and learning opportunities yielded increased levels of job morale, while poor leadership methods that involved a lack of support during times of change yielded decreased morale. The implementation of incentives did not yield significant results in either direction in terms of productivity. Future studies may wish to address in greater depth the factors that affect employee satisfaction. In order to gain a clearer understanding of this relationship, how these factors contribute to graduate student turnover rates could also be explored

Periodontitis and the link with heart disease: can common oral bacteria b e eliminated to prevent heart disease?

The importance of oral health on systemic health is a highly researched area of study in recent years. There has been a shift in dental visits from acute emergencies to ongoing preventative care due to the knowledge connecting oral and systemic health. One of the commonly researched connections is the link between periodontal disease and heart disease. Periodontal disease is defined as inflammation of the gum tissue, resulting in periodontal pockets that can lead to infection, bone loss and even loss of the tooth. Cardiovascular disease, or heart disease, is a term that encompasses many different conditions of the heart, including heart failure, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis and angina. There is constant research to better understand the relationship between the two diseases, as well as any causality that may exist. Recent studies have been able to link the diseases, but no causal link has been found. The role of the bacteria involved in both diseases has recently been considered to see if these organisms are related to a potential causal link. Two particular bacteria that are known to be involved with periodontal disease are Porphyromona gingivalis and Treponema denticola. These bacteria are present when a patient develops periodontal disease, but they are not usually present in a healthy individual. Additionally, the bacteria that make up the contents of plaque found in the heart have been studied to see if there are any similarities with oral microbes. It has been found that oral bacteria can be present in arterial plaque samples. This research may allow a better understanding of how and why heart disease occurs and potentially serve as a way to treat heart disease accompanied by periodontal disease, if a causal relationship is elucidated. Heart disease is usually a devastating disease, sometimes resulting in the death of the patient. If more patients attend the dentist as a preventative measure, the risk of periodontal disease and associated pathologies may be reduced. Additionally, those that have already developed periodontal disease can work with a dental professional to reverse the disease. It is known that the bacteria in the mouth can enter the bloodstream upon infection, so patients with suspected periodontitis should be treated to avoid the bacteria from entering the blood and affecting other organs such as the heart. An examination of the bacteria commonly found in the oral cavity at times of periodontal disease may lead to a better understanding of how and why these bacteria invade the bloodstream. It would be beneficial to compare the microbiota of both the plaque in the mouth and the plaque in a vessel supplying the heart in a patient suffers from heart disease. This understanding may lead to therapeutic interventions that aid in the prevention of bacteria traveling in the bloodstream. For many Americans, oral health care was believed to end at home by brushing and flossing. However, it is important to see a dental professional to avoid any possible complications that may not be apparent to the untrained eye. A simple dental cleaning may be important to detect the start of periodontal disease, and treatment can be initiated to end the potential spread of bacteria. It is important to maintain positive oral health in order to maintain overall systemic health, including the avoidance of heart disease

Mary of the Yellow Sea

Maria del Mar is the third of five children born to a poor seventh-generation Hispanic-Indigenous family in rural southern Colorado. Maria’s grandmother is a highly regarded midwife, and she herself is born with the healing gift. When she is twelve years old a gypsy reads her palm and predicts that she will soon receive a letter from the man that she will marry. Soon after the prophecy is made, Maria’s beloved father, Don Antonio suffers a heart attack and is left unable to work the family ranch, part of a land grant by the Spanish crown to their ancestors. Responsibility for running the ranch falls to Maria’s 15-year old brother, Ranger, but the family’s survival is in doubt. Investors begin to inquire about the ranch, and Maria’s mother invites one of them to visit and discuss the sale of the ranch. When he arrives she tells him he must marry one of her daughters, and though he initially focuses on fair-skinned Lourdes, the mother insists he marry Maria. Ranger strikes a deal with their father to purchase the ranch himself, thus thwarting Maria’s marriage and the fulfillment of the prophecy. The family moves into town, and Maria begins to spend more time in the company of the local witch and prostitute, Chavela. Under Chavela’s influence, Maria begins to explore her own burgeoning sexuality and gets pregnant. Per local custom, her illegitimate baby is given to her brother, and she sets about searching for an influential husband who will enable her to recover her baby. With Chavela’s help and for the price of giving up her healing abilities, she successfully seduces her former fiancé away from Lourdes, to whom he returned, marries him, and recovers her baby, though the child is unhappy. She returns the child to her brother and sinks into a depression. To recover her spirit, she goes to live in Chimayo with an old curandero who guides her back to her healing powers, which she never lost

Physician assisted suicide and Midwest social workers: Are they ready?

Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is explicitly legal in four states, legal by court decision in one, and bills have been introduced in 25 other states including Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. This quantitative study was designed to understand Midwest, end of life social workers attitudes towards PAS, their preparedness for the implementation of PAS into their practice, and their awareness of PAS legislation where they practice. Sixty-two end of life social workers from Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin completed an anonymous online survey. The results indicate that over half of the participants support PAS legislation and ¼ are neutral or undecided which is consistent with previous research done on social workers from other areas of the country. There are diverse feelings of preparedness with a majority feeling moderately to very prepared and found that their professional values, professional experience, and professional values influence their perceived preparedness. Very few social workers had accurate awareness of PAS legislation in their state and few have attended events to gain education or advocate for their position. Implications for practice emphasize the need for end of life social workers to address and analyze their attitudes, values, and beliefs towards PAS and to become involved on a macro-level in order to provide best care to patients on an individual and systemic level

Physician assisted suicide and Midwest social workers: Are they ready?

Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is explicitly legal in four states, legal by court decision in one, and bills have been introduced in 25 other states including Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. This quantitative study was designed to understand Midwest, end of life social workers attitudes towards PAS, their preparedness for the implementation of PAS into their practice, and their awareness of PAS legislation where they practice. Sixty-two end of life social workers from Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin completed an anonymous online survey. The results indicate that over half of the participants support PAS legislation and 1/4 are neutral or undecided which is consistent with previous research done on social workers from other areas of the country. There are diverse feelings of preparedness with a majority feeling moderately to very prepared and found that their professional values, professional experience, and professional values influence their perceived preparedness. Very few social workers had accurate awareness of PAS legislation in their state and few have attended events to gain education or advocate for their position. Implications for practice emphasize the need for end of life social workers to address and analyze their attitudes, values, and beliefs towards PAS and to become involved on a macro-level in order to provide best care to patients on an individual and systemic level

Cultural Responsiveness in Assessing Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder​

In 2013, the new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) introduced the diagnosis of Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SPCD) as a disorder characterized by deficits in pragmatic abilities. Many professionals often compare this diagnosis to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) due to their similarities in diagnostic criteria. However, unlike ASD, SPCD currently has no standardized assessments created specifically for this diagnosis. Furthermore, SPCD lacks culturally valid assessment tools. Considering recent research and data on SPCD and methods to provide culturally valid evaluations, this poster aims to provide a resource for Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) to self-educate and improve their cultural responsiveness in this area and in general. While there is a need for more research in this area and the formal assessments used to help assess social communication skills in culturally and linguistically diverse individuals, clinicians must harness the resources available to educate themselves and provide the best possible diagnosis and intervention for clients and their families.https://griffinshare.fontbonne.edu/slp-posters-2023/1013/thumbnail.jp

Data Fusion Methods for Improved Demographic Resolution of Population Distribution Datasets

Despite the availability of multiple global population distribution datasets, these datasets are limited by their lack of demographic depth. Although large area spatial datasets of population distributions currently exist, similar spatial representations of other demographic and socioeconomic characteristics are scarce. Spatial microdata that include detailed demographic information are rarely available for small areas, thus limiting the complex analysis of population subgroups. To address the lack of demographic resolution in existing population distribution datasets, a first step would be to develop large area microdata that can be attached to a country- or global-level population distribution dataset. This can be achieved by reweighting a national level sample so as to estimate the detailed socioeconomic characteristics of populations and households at a small area level. In essence, this modelling approach combines individual or household-level microdata for large spatial areas with spatially disaggregate data in order to create synthetic microdata estimates for small areas. Methods to build synthetic spatiodemographic microdata are well documented in literature, yet these efforts have been implemented on limited geographic extent in data rich environments. More specifically, these methods have been tailored to fit specific local, regional, or national data sources with no plan or requirement for adaptation for other geography or data. To address this gap, this research will present a generalizable method for developing synthetic spatial microdata which in turn can be used to increase the demographic resolution of global population distribution data

Power relations in employment disputes

This article reconceptualizes the operation of power relations in employment disputes. We draw on Foucault's theory of neo‐liberal governance to inform our analysis of empirical data exploring how low‐income workers make decisions about whether to engage with the Employment Tribunal system. Particular focus is placed on the ways the state governs employment disputes to achieve ideologically driven objectives. We conclude: first, that power relations in employment disputes operate across a range of institutions and individuals, and that the state's role is powerful and ongoing; secondly, that power relations operate to shape not just the objective context that workers find themselves in when experiencing an employment dispute but also workers' subjective moral codes about appropriate courses of action to take; and thirdly, that despite the powerful influence of the state, workers continue to hold non‐economic values that guide their perception of the appropriate basis for relations between employers and workers

The Effect of Cadmium on Chicken Embryo Heart Development

This study aims to elucidate the effect of cadmium (Cd) on chicken embryo heart development. Cd is a hazardous chemical found commonly in cigarette smoke and in food sources due to environmental contaminants. Cd is known to bioaccumulate in organ tissues to cause carcinogenic effects. Our study investigates the effect of Cd exposure during early gestation on embryonic heart development. Phenotypic results show an increasingly hyperplastic myocardial wall associated with increasing CdCl2 dosage and earlier exposure. This semester, we will be using staining through apoptotic markers to determine the mechanism of transport of zinc and cadmium through the embryo. Biochemical analyses and assays will be conducted to further inquire the biological and molecular processes that result in the observed phenotypic changes associated with CdCl2 exposure. We hope to elucidate the mechanism of Cd cardiotoxicity in embryonic development to contribute to identifying susceptibility and treatments for Cd exposure in utero

E-Learning in der postgradualen Weiterbildung an sächsischen Hochschulen

Dieser Beitrag reflektiert den E-Learning-Einsatz in der postgradualen Weiterbildung aus der Perspektive des hochschulübergreifenden Strategie- und Unterstützungsprojektes Q2P (Qualitätssicherung und Qualitätsmanagement in der postgradualen Weiterbildung). Ausgehend von der regionalen Bestandsaufnahme hinsichtlich der E-Learning-Nutzung im akademischen Weiterbildungsbereich werden die Zielstellungen und Leistungsbereiche des Projekts vorgestellt. Die zentralen Projekterfahrungen werden in Form von begründeten Hypothesen präsentiert und sollen somit das gegenwärtige und zukünftige Handlungsfeld von E-Learning- und Weiterbildungsakteuren bereichern. (DIPF/Orig.