Successful Admissions in a Time of Great Uncertainty: A Case Study of Employees\u27 Perceptions of Employee Well-Being and Emotional Intelligence

This qualitative embedded single-case study explores admissions employees’ perceptions of departmental success and individual employee well-being, including the role emotional intelligence has on these outcomes, through the lens of Bolman and Deal’s Four Frame Model (1984). This study is necessary because of the turbulent higher education landscape and because social factors contributing to this turbulence are expected to stay the same. More specifically, this study is situated in a thriving Office of First-Year Admissions at an institution within a public university system in a rural setting experiencing an unstable organizational landscape. I interviewed sixteen employees in a successful mid-size public university’s enrollment management division. In addition, I conducted two days of observation. Three themes related to employee well-being emerged from the one-on-one semi-structured interviews and observation hours: contributions to success, professional development, and work-life balance. Regarding perceptions of emotional intelligence on success and employee well-being, participants emphasized empathy when referring to other staff members and the students they serve. Bolman and Deal’s Four Frame Model (1984) guides this study, emphasizing the model’s structural and human resource frames. This qualitative study adds to the limited literature focused on the obstacles experienced by admissions professionals today and provides enrollment leaders with an example of success to emulate. This study emphasizes the value of investing in the well-being of employees and the positive impact emotional intelligence has on the success of an institution

Examination of personality characteristics among cybersecurity and information technology professionals

An influx of cyber-attacks throughout the past decade has resulted in an increase in demand for cybersecurity professionals. However, the rapid growth of this field has led to a general lack of knowledge regarding the characteristics of individuals and job roles of cybersecurity professionals. This study addresses this gap in the existing literature by evaluating personality characteristics among information technology and cybersecurity professionals. Following an analysis of the facets of the IPIP NEO short form, it was discovered that cybersecurity professionals scored significantly different on Trust, Intellect, Vulnerability, Self-Consciousness, Assertiveness, and Adventurousness when compared to other information technology professional indicating the need for specialized training, assessment, and selection procedures for cybersecurity professionals

Depression Education As Primary Prevention: The Erika’s Lighthouse School-Based Program For High School Students

Major depression is a treatable and common mental health disorder for youth. Untreated depression is a major risk factor for youth who become suicidal and die by suicide. Recent focus in the school-based literature on creating universal mental health promotion programs have recognized the need for effective depression awareness education programs to assist youth in identifying symptoms of depression in themselves and their peers, and to encourage those youth to seek trusted adults for help. A quasiexperimental design (QED) was employed in two suburban Chicago high schools (n=652) to evaluate the intervention, Real Teenagers Talking About Adolescent Depression (RTTAAD), a video-based universal classroom discussion intervention created by clinical social workers, parents, and youth. The analysis showed that RTTAAD led to statistically significant changes in adolescent knowledge about depression and their stated willingness to seek help from trusted adults at 6-week follow-up compared to a control classroom condition. This study supports the notion that school social workers and other school mental health professionals need to allocate more time to primary prevention work to help build mental health awareness in their school communities and to help prevent depression and suicidal behavior

Depression Education As Primary Prevention

Major depression is a treatable and common mental health disorder for youth. Untreated depression is a major risk factor for youth who become suicidal and die by suicide. Recent focus in the school-based literature on creating universal mental health promotion programs have recognized the need for effective depression awareness education programs to assist youth in identifying symptoms of depression in themselves and their peers, and to encourage those youth to seek trusted adults for help. A quasi-experimental design (QED) was employed in two suburban Chicago high schools (n=652) to evaluate the intervention, Real Teenagers Talking About Adolescent Depression (RTTAAD), a video-based universal classroom discussion intervention created by clinical social workers, parents, and youth. The analysis showed that RTTAAD led to statistically significant changes in adolescent knowledge about depression and their stated willingness to seek help from trusted adults at 6-week follow-up compared to a control classroom condition. This study supports the notion that school social workers and other school mental health professionals need to allocate more time to primary prevention work to help build mental health awareness in their school communities and to help prevent depression and suicidal behavior

Understanding and influencing agency and behavior change - Work Package 5 Activity Guidance, CGIAR Initiative on Agroecology

This document provides guidance on two activities conducted under Work Package 5 if the CGIAR Initiative on Agroecology in 2022: 1) a theories of change review and 2) a participatory timeline of agency and behaviour change in agroecological transformation. The guidance includes research methods for Activities 1 and 2 as well as data analysis and writeup for Activity 1

Performance of ICD‐10‐CM diagnosis codes for identifying children with Sickle Cell Anemia

ObjectiveTo develop, test, and validate the performance of ICD‐10‐CM claims‐based case definitions for identifying children with sickle cell anemia (SCA).Data SourcesMedicaid administrative claims (2016) for children <18 years with potential SCA (any D57x diagnosis code) and newborn screening records from Michigan and New York State.Study DesignThis study is a secondary data analysis.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsUsing specific SCA‐related (D5700, D5701, and D5702) and nonspecific (D571) diagnosis codes, 23 SCA case definitions were applied to Michigan Medicaid claims (2016) to identify children with SCA. Measures of performance (sensitivity, specificity, area under the ROC curve) were calculated using newborn screening results as the gold standard. A parallel analysis was conducted using New York State Medicaid claims and newborn screening data.Principal FindingsIn Michigan Medicaid, 1597 children had ≥1 D57x claim; 280 (18 percent) were diagnosed with SCA. Measures of performance varied, with sensitivities from 0.02 to 0.97 and specificities from 0.88 to 1.0. The case definition of ≥1 outpatient visit with a SCA‐related or D571 code had the highest area under the ROC curve, with a sensitivity of 95 percent and specificity of 92 percent. The same definition also had the highest performance in New York Medicaid (n = 2454), with a sensitivity of 94 percent and specificity of 86 percent.ConclusionsChildren with SCA can be accurately identified in administrative claims using this straightforward case definition. This methodology can be used to monitor trends and use of health services after transition to ICD‐10‐CM.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154614/1/hesr13257.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154614/2/hesr13257_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154614/3/hesr13257-sup-0001-Authormatrix.pd

Adopting Immunization Recommendations: A New Dissemination Model

Objective: This paper presents a new approach for understanding factors related to physician adoption of clinical guidelines, using children's vaccine recommendations as a case study. Methods: The model traces sequential steps, from awareness to agreement to adoption and, finally, adherence to the guideline. Movement through these stages can be catalyzed or retarded by many influences, grouped into two major categories: environmental characteristics of the physician's practice, and information characteristics of the guideline. Environmental characteristics include sociocultural factors, professional characteristics, and practice organization factors. Information characteristics include the guideline's relative advantage, complexity, and compatibility with existing guidelines and protocols, as well as mechanisms of guideline dissemination. Implications: This model can be used to identify characteristics that will likely impede or facilitate guideline adoption, and to focus dissemination efforts on key issues.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45322/1/10995_2004_Article_412802.pd

Stakeholders prioritization of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in the rice-based production systems of Mali

Agriculture, food and nutrition security, and the livelihoods of millions of people are affected by climate change. Given the scarce resources of most of the West African countries, there is a need to prioritize the technologies that need to be taken at scale to mitigate the climate change impacts. This study uses a stakeholders prioritization framework to assess the locally suitable interventions in the diverse rice-based production systems in Mali. The prioritization was made in two steps. First, all interventions were evaluated by stakeholders based on their climate-smart performance indicator (ability to increase farm productivity, income, and resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emission). Second, the interventions were evaluated based on their implementation feasibility (technical feasibility, cost, gender inclusivity, demand by the market, and alignment with the social and cultural context). The technologies’ CSA performance indicator was more determined by their ability to increase farm productivity and income, while their implementation feasibility was more driven by their technical feasibility and cost of implementation. Best bet CSA technologies and practices with high CSA performance indicator and high implementation feasibility score were RiceAdvice, submergence tolerant varieties, integrated rice – vegetable, and mechanical thresher in the irrigated lowland; submergence tolerant varieties, drought-tolerant varieties, RiceAdvice, and ASI thresher in the rainfed lowland; drought-tolerant varieties and RiceAdvice in the rainfed upland, and submergence tolerant varieties and RiceAdvice in the submergence system. This study shows the potential of using a stakeholders prioritization framework to inform investment in climate change adaptation and mitigation at the local level

Stakeholders prioritization of climate information services (CIS) in the rice-based production systems of Mali

This study used a stakeholder prioritization framework to assess and rank locally suitable climate information services (CIS) and implementation suitability with key stakeholders: Center for Mechanized Agriculture, seed companies (Faso Kaba), Green Innovation Centers, National Institute for Rural Economy, NGOs (GIE-GNELENI, JMI), Niger Office, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, Women Association and Youth Association. The prioritization was made in two steps for each of the four major rice production systems in Mali (irrigated lowland, rainfed lowland, rainfed upland, and submergence). The first step consisted of the review and evaluation of location-specific CIS based on their contribution to increasing farm productivity, reducing yield loss due to climatic risks, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The second step consisted of the evaluation of the implementation feasibility, gender inclusivity, readiness to scale, cost of implementation, and demand by the market. In all the four production systems, the overall CIS performance score was more determined by the ability of the CIS to increase resilience than to increase productivity, income and to enhance gender inclusivity. In the irrigated lowland, the CIS technologies with a high score include cropping calendar construction, cold occurrence and duration, flooding occurrence and duration, information on dam water level, pest and disease occurrence, and suitable area for rice cultivation. In the rainfed lowland, the CIS technologies with a high score include flooding occurrence and duration, suitable area for rice cultivation, onset and cessation of the rainy season, cropping calendar construction, and pest and disease occurrence. In the rainfed upland, the CIS technologies with a high score include onset and cessation of the rainy season, pest and disease occurrence, seasonal rainfall amount, cropping calendar construction, and drought occurrence and duration. In the submergence system, the CIS technologies with a high score include suitable area for rice cultivation, pest and disease occurrence, flooding occurrence and duration, and cropping calendar construction. The framework used in this study provides a decision support tool for policymaking in adaptation and mitigation activities in the rice-based sector at the local level

EWI-2 Inhibits Cell-Cell Fusion at the HIV-1 Virological Presynapse.

Cell-to-cell transfer of virus particles at the Env-dependent virological synapse (VS) is a highly efficient mode of HIV-1 transmission. While cell-cell fusion could be triggered at the VS, leading to the formation of syncytia and preventing exponential growth of the infected cell population, this is strongly inhibited by both viral (Gag) and host (ezrin and tetraspanins) proteins. Here, we identify EWI-2, a protein that was previously shown to associate with ezrin and tetraspanins, as a host factor that contributes to the inhibition of Env-mediated cell-cell fusion. Using quantitative fluorescence microscopy, shRNA knockdowns, and cell-cell fusion assays, we show that EWI-2 accumulates at the presynaptic terminal (i.e., the producer cell side of the VS), where it contributes to the fusion-preventing activities of the other viral and cellular components. We also find that EWI-2, like tetraspanins, is downregulated upon HIV-1 infection, most likely by Vpu. Despite the strong inhibition of fusion at the VS, T cell-based syncytia do form in vivo and in physiologically relevant culture systems, but they remain small. In regard to that, we demonstrate that EWI-2 and CD81 levels are restored on the surface of syncytia, where they (presumably) continue to act as fusion inhibitors. This study documents a new role for EWI-2 as an inhibitor of HIV-1-induced cell-cell fusion and provides novel insight into how syncytia are prevented from fusing indefinitely