Construction Training Facility (ESSU Philippines)

The purpose of this project was to work hand in hand with engineers and construction managers from the non-profit organization Build Change in order to construct a training facility in the Philippines. The training facility would educate the locals how to build safer structures that would be more effective during earthquakes. The focus of this report is to elaborate on the process of the project, the difficulties encountered, and the benefits of the overall project when completed

“IN THE UNIVERSITY BUT NOT OF THE UNIVERSITY”: EXAMINING INSTITUTIONALIZED COUNTERSPACES THROUGH A STAFF PERSPECTIVE

Using a qualitative case study, this thesis examines a university counterspace that serves Students of Color through the perspective of the staff who work in that space. The case study aimed to explore four areas of investigation: the interviewees’ knowledge and perceptions of 1) the history of their counterspace; 2) the purpose of their counterspace; 3) the benefits of their counterspace; and 4) challenges of their counterspace. The counterspace was a program within a large, 4-year, public, R-1 research university. Five staff from the counterspace were interviewed. A thematic analysis of the data suggests that students were an essential part of the history of the counterspace, and staff were central to the institutionalization of the counterspace and intentionally shared the history through staff orientation and student training. The counterspace’s purpose disrupts the university’s negative campus climate by centering students’ voices and narratives and being a space in the community that acts as an accessible physical space and collaborative partner. Furthermore, findings suggest that the counterspace has a positive impact on the psychological, social, and academic experiences of Students of Color. However, the counterspace experiences institutional challenges, such as ideological differences with university administrators and a lack of institutional investment by the university through structural challenges that manifest as bureaucracy and limited resources. These findings are discussed with regard to implications for further research and practice in higher education

Multi-scale molecular descriptions of human heart failure using single cell, spatial, and bulk transcriptomics

Molecular descriptions of human disease have relied on transcriptomics, the genome-wide measurement of gene expression. In the last years the emergence of capture-based technologies have enabled the transcriptomic profiling of single cells both from dissociated and intact tissues, providing a spatial and cell type specific context that complements the catalog of gene expression changes reported from bulk technologies. In the context of cardiovascular disease, these technologies open the opportunity to study the inter and intra-cellular mechanisms that regulate myocardial remodeling. In this thesis I present comprehensive descriptions of the transcriptional changes in acute and chronic human heart failure using bulk, single cell, and spatial technologies. First, I describe the creation of the Reference of the Heart Failure Transcriptome, a resource built from the meta-analysis of 16 independent studies of human heart failure transcriptomics. Then, I report the first spatial and single cell atlas of human myocardial infarction, and propose a computational strategy to identify compositional, organizational, and molecular tissue differences across distinct time points and physiological zones of damaged myocardium. Finally, I outline a methodology for the multicellular analysis of single cell data that allows for a better understanding of tissue responses and cell type coordination events in cardiovascular disease and that links the knowledge of independent studies at multiple scales. Overall my work demonstrates the importance of the generation of reliable molecular references of disease across scales

HOW DID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACT EXTENDED FOSTER CARE SOCIAL WORKERS WHILE PROVIDING SOCIAL SERVICES

This study used ten interviews with Extended Foster Care (EFC) workers about their experiences with EFC youth from a county agency before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic using a qualitative research design. The purpose of the research was to learn from EFC social workers how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their ability to provide services to the EFC youth, negatively or positively, and how supported they felt in delivering these services. Data was collected by interviewing the ten participants via Zoom. Data was analyzed by categorizing the responses with different colors based on the responses. Significant findings were identified regarding agency policies on contacts with EFC youth prior to and during COVID-19, effectiveness of COVID-19 policy on worker safety, COVID-19 restrictions impact social services, and challenges of working with EFC youth during COVID-19 restrictions. Also, challenges in delivering mental health services and in building rapport with EFC youth during COVID-19 restrictions and obtaining employment and exceptions during COVID-19 restrictions were identified. Recommendations include strengthening the communication strategies to ensure effective communication with EFC youth and social workers which can involve utilizing multiple communication channels and having the social workers provide regular updates and guidance to the new youth since they might need additional support to establish rapport to allow them to connect with the social worker

Experiences and Attitudes of College Students towards Exercise during COVID-19 - Preliminary Results

Physical activity and exercise is known to help combat chronic diseases that can affect mental and physical health by boosting the human’s immune system (Jimenez-Pavon et al., 2020; Siordia, 2020). However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced individuals to quarantine, isolate, social distance, and change their lifestyle, causing a decrease in physical activity by 32% in individuals who had regularly performed exercise before (Meyer et al., 2020). College students are a unique population of study, because most universities converted to virtual format and students were advised to stay away from campus. PURPOSE: To determine the impact COVID-19 has had on college students’ experiences and attitudes towards exercise and the vaccine. METHODS: An invitation email with a link to a Qualtrics survey was sent to all students who were/are enrolled in the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, excluding student-athletes. The survey included questions regarding the amount of exercise they performed before and during COVID-19, how comfortable they feel exercising in indoor/outdoor spaces (0-10 scale, with 0 being extremely uncomfortable and 10 being extremely comfortable), and if they would get vaccinated when available. The survey will close at the end of the Spring 2021 semester. RESULTS: 458 students (327F/122M, 9 other gender, 28.8 ± 11.2 yrs) completed the survey during the first two weeks of the Spring semester. 79.7% reported that COVID-19 affected their exercise habits. 80% of students stated that COVID-19 had changed their exercise habits. 66% reported a decrease of exercise during the Fall 2020 semester compared to before March 2020, 27% reported an increase, and 7% reported no change of exercise. For the beginning of the Spring semester, 48% recorded a decrease of exercise, 37% recorded an increase and 15% recorded no change compared to before March 2020. Many students felt apprehensive to exercise in indoor public spaces and the campus recreation center (4.2 ± 3.3 and 4.0 ± 3.4, respectively) and more comfortable in outdoor public spaces (7.3 ± 2.7). Nevertheless, 92% claimed that they do some form of exercise on a weekly basis (aerobic, resistance, flexibility, and/or neuromotor exercise). In regards to the COVID-19 vaccination, 38% were extremely likely to get the vaccine, 17% were somewhat likely, 14% were neither likely nor unlikely, 11% were somewhat unlikely, and 21% were extremely unlikely to get the vaccine. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the exercise habits of the majority of college students, some for the better, but more for the worse. It has caused a sense of anxiety in using indoor recreational facilities. However, a third of students currently state that they do not want to get vaccinated

Using Fitbit Competitions to Increase Physical Activity in College Students

According to the World Health Organization (2018), physical inactivity is a leading risk factors for global mortality. Only one in four college students meet the current federal Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans of engaging in ≥150min/week of exercise (Raynor & Jankowiak, 2010). PURPOSE: The advancement of technology, especially in the acquisition of physical activity data combined with the desire for virtual social interaction, has not been studied in college students. It is unknown if physical activity trackers and accompanying mobile apps, such as Fitbit, could motivate college students to be more physically active. It was hypothesized that wearing a Fitbit watch and participating in weekly competitions via the app will increase weekly step counts in college students as compared with a simple pedometer. METHODS: Seventeen students were randomly assigned to either the Fitbit (6F/3M, 22 ± 1 yr) or the pedometer group (4F/4M, 21 ± 2 yr). All participants wore pedometers in Week 1 to compare baseline data. The control group continued wearing the pedometer for three more weeks. The Fitbit participants were outfitted with watches for the next four weeks and instructed on how to use the competition component of the accompanying mobile app. Pre- and post-data on weekly step counts were compared using repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in weekly step counts between groups during Week 1 (Fitbit: 37,014 ± 19,676 vs Pedometer: 43,631 ± 14,499, p \u3e 0.05). Analysis revealed a significant interaction (group*time, p = 0.005) with an increased step count by the Fitbit group (161 ± 76%), while the pedometer group showed a decrease (76 ± 33%). CONCLUSION: Fitbit participants were more motivated to be physically active, indicated by the continued increase in weekly step count throughout the weeks, whereas the pedometer group reduced their step count. The results confirm that merely tracking step count is not enough to maintain physical activity. Adding the social/competitive aspect of a mobile app can be a powerful motivator for college students

Towards a rethinking of the Doxey irritability model based on the attitudes of the local resident towards the visitor

Objetivo: Realizar una propuesta para el análisis de las actitudes del residente local hacia el visitante a través de una reconstrucción crítica del índice de irritación de Doxey. Diseño metodológico: En primera instancia, se realizó una búsqueda de bibliografía sobre documentos que pusieran a prueba de manera empírica el modelo de Doxey, identificando sus virtudes y limitaciones, para después generar una propuesta con base en éste. Resultados: El índice de irritación de Doxey ayuda a identificar la actitud de la comunidad local con respecto al turismo; sin embargo, ha recibido críticas a partir de su visión heterogénea de las actitudes, el proceso lineal y secuencial de sus etapas; y, por último, su visión a corto plazo. Limitaciones de la investigación: Al ser una propuesta, es necesaria la prueba empírica en diferentes destinos turísticos. Hallazgos: La propuesta generada trata de mitigar las limitaciones del índice de irritación de Doxey, con la integración de diferentes elementos; proponiendo una nueva posibilidad para explicar y analizar los impactos de la actividad turística y las actitudes de los residentes

Impactos del turismo en el capital social de los actores en Teotihuacán y San Martín de las Pirámides, México

La presente investigación identifica cómo ha sido abordado científicamente el binomio capital social y turismo. Derivado de este análisis se reconocen diversas limitaciones, entre las que destacan: diferentes conceptualizaciones de ambos conceptos y variados procedimientos para medir dicho capital. Asimismo, gran parte de las investigaciones que abordan el turismo y el capital social lo hacen de dos formas; en la primera, plantean que este binomio es un camino para desarrollar los destinos turísticos. En la segunda forma, consideran al turismo un agente de cambio en esos espacios y reconocen su influencia en el capital social de los actores vinculados con esta actividad. Tal situación es de suma importancia en este tipo de estudios, puesto que el turismo no sólo influye en el desarrollo en los destinos; también genera cambios en su estructura social y en sus relaciones sociales. La complejidad al abordar este binomio implica un enfoque integral y por tanto metodologías que incorporen al análisis a los diferentes actores que forman parte de tal rubro. Por ello, y para cubrir un vacío pendiente en la investigación científica, el objetivo de este documento es analizar el impacto del turismo sobre el capital social de los actores relacionados con el turismo en los municipios de Teotihuacán y de San Martín de las Pirámides, a partir de una metodología que integre la visión de los actores sociales, públicos y privados, pues los estudios existentes sólo incluyen a uno o a dos de estos grupos. Tal situación genera una visión parcial que impide conocer realmente el capital social de los actores en un destino turístico y generar estrategias de planificación turística. Con base en ello, esta investigación formula un acercamiento metodológico basado en el enfoque mixto y en el mapeo de actores para conocer el capital social de los actores sociales, públicos y privados; a diferencia de otras investigaciones que lo excluyen, esta propuesta contribuye a integrar al turista como parte del análisis. Así, al tomar en cuenta el punto de vista de todos los actores relacionados con el turismo, se reduce el sesgo del análisis sobre este rubro. El estudio se contextualizó en los municipios de Teotihuacán y de San Martín de las Pirámides, México, que territorialmente comparten la zona arqueológica de Teotihuacán, uno de los atractivos más importantes del país. Para alcanzar el objetivo general, cualitativamente se incluyeron entrevistas con actores que residen en esos municipios, además de una encuesta a los turistas. Con base en ello, una de las aportaciones de esta investigación es la propuesta metodológica diseñada para abordar el binomio capital social-turismo; en ella se realizó un mapeo de actores para identificar a personas, instituciones y organizaciones vinculadas con el turismo, con el fin de ampliar la perspectiva analítica a partir de una visión más completa. Uno de los hallazgos es la evidencia empírica sobre la forma en que esta actividad ha modificado el capital social de los actores, cuyas opiniones están divididas; algunos de ellos sostienen que sí lo ha modificado, particularmente respecto a la confianza, al compromiso cívico y al actuar colectivo de los actores. Mientras, otros por el contrario aseguran que el turismo no ha influido en estos elementos, dado que las relaciones fueron entabladas previo al despunte de dicho rubro en la región

Influencia de la implementación del sistema de información para el control del servicio de telefonía rural en Osiptel

La presente tesis evalúa el impacto del Sistema de Información para el Control del Servicio de Telefonía Rural en el área de Telefonía Rural de OSIPTEL. El objetivo es medir el éxito del sistema desde dos perspectivas: la satisfacción de usuario y el impacto sobre cada uno de los sub procesos, medidos a través de los indicadores definidos. Para ejecutar el proyecto, se propone un modelo de evaluación el cual abarca los dos enfoques: cuantitativo (se miden los indicadores del proceso antes y después de la implementación del sistema, para obtener el impacto en cada uno de ellos) y cualitativo (se evalúa el éxito del sistema, desde la percepción del usuario, usando el modelo de DeLone y McLean1 ). Para el primer enfoque, el análisis estadístico de los resultados de la pre y post prueba, indican que existe una mejora significativa en los indicadores, luego de la implementación del sistema de información. Los indicadores son definidos como el tiempo para el desarrollo de cada tarea del proceso y para su medición se usa la observación estructurada. Para el enfoque cualitativo, se toma como referencia el modelo de DeLone y McLean para la medición del éxito de los SI, en el cual se definen seis dimensiones o características de los SI a ser evaluadas por los usuarios del Sistema; las cuales medimos a través de la aplicación de encuestas. En esta evaluación se obtuvo un alto porcentaje de valoraciones positivas en cada una de las dimensiones evaluadas, mostrando un alto grado de satisfacción por parte de los usuarios.Tesi