Innovativeness and Innovation: Implications for the Renewable Materials Supply Chain

innovativeness, innovation, supply chain management, triple bottom line, corporate social responsibility, Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Demand and Price Analysis, Financial Economics, Q10, Q27, Q42, Q47,

Critical and Liberative Theories: Applications in Engineering Education

Background. Higher educational programs in engineering today are seeking to correct disproportionately low enrollment and success rates of minoritized students. However, most diversity-related programming fails to address systems of structural oppression that cause particular students to be underrepresented in higher education. In addition, typical engineering pedagogical methods fail to address the reality and impacts of structural oppression, as educators cannot overcome the effects of structurally oppressive systems through traditional methods of controlling classroom and curriculum.Purpose. This paper explores the relationship between existing critical and liberative theories and engineering educational systems and re-frames the goals and problems of diversity and equity within engineering education from a critical and liberative lens.Methodology/Approach. We describe existing liberative pedagogies and their aim to dismantle oppressive systems through recognition of hegemonic structures, critical classroom discourse, and opportunities to build solidarity. We present an overview of previous uses of these pedagogies in engineering classrooms under the premise of Freirean critical theory, which is class-based, and other anti-oppressive theories based on race, gender, and sexual orientation. We propose a new model that situates these theories relative to one another within the broader classification of identity-based theories.Conclusions. Class-based exploitation under capitalist economic and governmental structures is identified as the root cause of inequitable educational outcomes. Thus, in order to correct inequities in education, the role of current educational systems in the perpetuation of capitalist oppression must itself be addressed. This will require pedagogical changes as well as explicitly restructuring the goals of engineering education to include equity and solidarity.Implications. Through an embrace of critical and liberative theories and their accompanying pedagogies, engineering educators and engineering education researchers can plant the seeds for change. When engineers develop the skills necessary to recognize and combat oppression, they will be able to work toward liberation for all oppressed peoples

Heavy Metal Chemistry of Sediments in Caves of the Springfield Plateau, Missouri-Arkansas-Oklahoma: A Link to Subterranean Biodiversity

We used X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to compare the heavy metal chemistry of sediments in caves in rural and urban areas to the chemistry of sediments from a control cave in a relatively undisturbed watershed in the Springfield (MO) Plateau. Sediment from Smallin Cave near Ozark, MO, the control cave, has the smallest peak sizes for Zn and Mn and a moderately-sized Pb peak. Sediment from the rural cave exhibited larger peaks of Zn and Mn and a smaller Pb peak. Sediment from the urban cave had the largest Zn, Mn and Pb peaks. Interestingly, smaller peak sizes appear to correlate to the presence of aquatic troglobites. The control cave hosts the most diverse troglobitic fauna and has sediment with smaller peak sizes. Ruark caves are rural caves, and are barren of troglobites and have sediment with larger peak sizes. Giboney Cave, an urban cave in Doling Park in Springfield, MO, provides the most interesting evidence. Giboney Cave splits into two branches, each of which has a unique chemical fingerprint. One channel is barren of cave life and has sediment that exhibits large metal peaks. The second channel hosts aquatic troglobites and has sediment that has small metal peaks. These findings are of particular importance because the caves of the Springfield Plateau host abundant troglobitic species, including the endangered Ozarks cavefish (Amblyopsis rosae). Sediment metal concentrations may indicate which cave systems are capable of supporting life, with XRF analysis providing a non-destructive, rapid way to identify such systems

Examining Experienced Teachers’ Noticing of and Responses to Students’ Engineering

Engineering design places unique demands on teachers, as students are coming up with new, unanticipated ideas to problems along often unpredictable trajectories. These demands motivate a responsive approach to teaching, in which teachers attend their students’ thinking and flexibly adapt their instructional plans and objectives. A great deal of literature has focused on responsive teaching in science and mathematics, but there has been little research or professional development on this approach in engineering. In this work, we conducted clinical video-based interviews with six elementary teachers experienced in teaching engineering to discuss what they noticed in their students’ thinking and how they responded. Using analytical methods based on the grounded theory approach, we identified four themes in what teachers noticed in their students’ engineering: how students (1) framed (or interpreted) the project, (2) engaged in the engineering design process, (3) exhibited informed designer patterns, and (4) communicated with each other in ways that supported their engineering. Although none of these teachers had a formal background in engineering, we show how these themes connect to disciplinary aspects of engineering design. We also identified challenges that teachers perceived facing when responding to students’ work. By showing teachers’ abilities and challenges for responsive teaching, these findings motivate a research and professional development agenda to support teachers in eliciting, noticing, and responding to their students’ engineering

Time since injury influences eccentric hamstring force imbalance in collegiate American football players

Hamstring injuries (HSI) are among the most common non-contact injuries in American football. Understanding effects of duration since injury may inform how coaches, trainers, and athletes approach rehabilitation and return to play decisions. PURPOSE: To compare hamstring imbalance in athletes injured more than 12 months ago to hamstring imbalance in athletes with no HSI and compare hamstring imbalance in athletes injured within the last 12 months to imbalance in those with no HSI. METHODS: Sixty-one collegiate football players (age: 22.5 ± 1.8, height: 187.6 ± 6.2 cm, weight: 105 ± 21.6 kg) rostered in 2022 self-identified as having either (1) no HSI (n=45), or (2) having injured only one hamstring since grade 9. We separated those reporting previous injuries into two groups: those with injury longer ago than 12 months (historical HSI, n=12) and those injured with the last 12 months (recent HSI, n=4). All players performed eccentric hamstring curls on a Nordbord. For the group with no HSI, imbalance between legs was calculated as the stronger minus weaker leg. For both injured groups, imbalance was calculated as the difference between uninjured and injured legs. RESULTS: Analysis of the means was performed via Bayesian methods, assuming separate standard deviations for each group. Analysis of posterior chains indicated all parameters converged appropriately. The posterior mean of imbalance for players with no HSI was 34.7 ± 27.4 N. The posterior mean of imbalance in those with historical HSI was 10.8 ± 51.1 N. The posterior mean of imbalance in players with recent HSI was 48.9 ± 46.4 N. The posterior probability that the difference between imbalance of the no HSI group and the imbalance of the historical HSI group is greater than zero was 0.948, and the posterior probability that the imbalance of those with recent HSI and the imbalance of the no HSI group is greater than zero is 0.767. CONCLUSION: Collegiate football players with no HSI have greater hamstring imbalance than do those with historical HSI, implying healing process, rehabilitation efforts, and habitual movement patterns may reduce imbalance between hamstrings over a period of at least 12 months. As expected, players who have recent HSI demonstrate greater hamstring imbalance than players with no HSI

Aging Male Runners Show Achilles Tendon Thinning Following a 10k Run While Females Do Not - Pilot Analysis

The Achilles tendon experiences large amounts of force while running, which leads to Achilles tendon adaptation. One known Achilles tendon adaptation to running is Achilles tendon thinning. The Achilles tendon thinning response has not been examined at multiple locations of the Achilles tendon and has not been studied in an aging (\u3e50 y) population. PURPOSE: We examined the effect of a 10k run on Achilles tendon cross sectional area in three locations of the Achilles tendon in runners aged 50 years and older. METHODS: Seven runners - three male (age = 73.6 y ±8.2, height = 174.4 cm ±2.9, weight = 69.0 kg ±5.3) and four female (age = 58.3 y ±4.8, height = 165.4 cm ±5.1, weight = 55.3 kg ±3.5) participated in this study. Runners were ages 53+, free from injury and running in the Huntsman Senior Games 10k race. Prior to the run, participants were marked at three locations along the Achilles tendon. The first marked location was directly between the apex of the medial and lateral malleoli (malleolar line). The next marked location was 50% of the distance from the malleolar line to the most posterosuperior aspect of the calcaneus. The third location was the same distance as the second mark, but superior from the malleolar line. With the ankle at 90 degrees, the Achilles was imaged at each of these locations using ultrasound imaging. Runners ran the 10k race and, immediately following, were imaged again in the three previously marked locations. RESULTS: Males experienced significant thinning at two of the three measured locations along the Achilles tendon - at the malleolar line (p=0.005) and nearest the soleus (p=0.013). Males experienced a disproportionate amount of thinning at the malleolar line when compared with the measurements nearest the calcaneus (p=0.007) and nearest the soleus (p=0.042). However, females experienced no statistically significant Achilles tendon thinning at any measured location (pCONCLUSION: Aging males appear to have an Achilles tendon thinning response similar to that of a young adult population, as reported in previous research, while aging females do not (Sponbeck et al., 2021). These findings may hold important implications about Achilles tendon fluid movement, tendon nutrition, and tendinopathy in males and females

Functional Comparison of Six-Minute Walk Tests Between Shod and Minimalist Footwear Individuals in Mid-Life: A Preliminary Pilot Study Analysis

Research has shown that wearing minimalistic footwear can increase intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscle size and strength,although the effect of transitioning from shod to minimalist footwear on gait functionality–such as performance on a six-minute walk test–is not well documented. PURPOSE: We observed the differences in a six-minute functional walk test between mid-life (45yrs-65yrs) individuals who transitioned to minimalist footwear (MF) over a fourteen month period compared to habitually shod (HS) individuals. METHODS: Twenty mid-life individuals participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to either the MF (n=8, age= 56.5 ± 5.18 yrs, height= 162.71 ± 7.69 cm, weight= 82.71 ± 16.24 kg,) or HS (n=12, age= 57.36 ± 5.43 yrs, height= 162.91 ± 7.44 cm, weight= 73.48 ± 15.65 kg) group. MF participants were coached through a nine-week training to safely transition to MF. Participants assigned to the HS group were instructed to continue normal activity. Each participant underwent a data collection at 1 week, 9 weeks, 8 months, and 14 months. At each data collection, the individual was instructed to walk as far as possible around a set track for 6 minutes. Every lap around the track was 208 feet and partial laps were measured to the distance completed. RESULTS: A repeated measures ANOVA indicated a significant increase in distance walked at 8 months (1703.5 ± 190.2 ft, p=0.009) and 14 months (1708.1 ± 181.1 ft, p=0.025) compared to week 1 (1634.6 ± 194.7 ft). There was no significant difference between groups in the increase in walking distance (p=0.950). Significant covariates were biological sex (p=0.007) and height (p=0.034). CONCLUSION: Overall, participants in the study increased walking distance in the six-minute walk test regardless of group. Therefore, minimalist shoes do not appear to affect gait functionality in mid-life adults during the six-minute walk test

Vascular Alteration with Postural Change as Observed Using the Anterior Tibial Artery: A Pilot Study

Plantar fasciopathy and plantar fasciosis are common lower extremity conditions. Vascular health is an important aspect of plantar fascia health. Footwear choices are thought to influence lower extremity vascular flow, but how the anterior tibial artery is affected by purely postural changes over time is unknown. PURPOSE: To observe the anterior tibial artery vascular alterations over a ten-minute period after transitioning from a sitting to a standing position while barefoot. METHODS: Nine participants (age= 23.8yrs ±2.5, height= 176.0cm ±8.0, weight= 69.8kg ±10.2) were recruited from Brigham Young University for a single 30-minute visit. The participants had no previous lower extremity injuries within 6 months. The individual’s dominant foot arch height index was recorded, and the participant had a 3-lead ECG placed on their trunk. A Logic Fortis machine with an L8-18i probe was used to capture pulse wave (PW) images of the anterior tibial artery of the dominant foot. The participant sat barefoot on an elevated platform for five minutes and baseline PW was recorded. The participant then stood on the platform for 11 total minutes. PW images were captured once at the end of every minute for the first five minutes and a final PW measurement was captured after ten minutes of standing. A paired t-test was used to compare standing time points to baseline (α=0.05). RESULTS: After standing, time-averaged mean velocity (TAMean) significantly dropped through minutes one (pCONCLUSION: Blood flow through the anterior tibial artery is significantly altered with postural changes likely through cardiovascular responses. Vascular recovery is observed after three minutes while the average increase in vascular response occurs around ten minutes

Assessing the Muscle Size and Size Asymmetry of the Gluteus Maximus and the Hamstring

Injury, adverse circumstances, or habitual movement patterns can cause imbalance throughout the body’s muscular system, which can impact performance and injury risk in sports such as football. PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the relationship between 1) overall gluteus maximus (GM) and hamstring (HS) muscle volume and 2) observed asymmetry between GM and HS muscles in the BYU subset of collegiate football players from the HAMIR research study, and any players within the subset with clinically important asymmetry. METHODS: The study utilized Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to determine the raw volume of the GM muscle and HS muscles (combined volume of the long and short heads of the biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendonosus muscles) of 77 Division 1 football players (age: 23.1 ± 1.91 years, height 73.91 ± 2.36 in., weight: 229.8 ± 44.75 lbs.), and 16 of the 77 players with observed muscle asymmetry. MR images were taken preseason with a Siemens 3T TIM-TRIO system. Post-processing segmentation provided a volume estimate of each muscle of interest. The volume of individual HS muscles was summed and used in the data analysis. A percent asymmetry was calculated from these measurements. A Pearson‘s-product correlation was determined between GM and HS muscle volumes and muscle size asymmetry. RESULTS: There is a moderate to strong correlation (R-values ranged from .70 to .65) between the raw muscle sizes of the GM and HS. However, there was no correlation between the percent asymmetry of the GM and HS muscles (R-values ranged from .15 to .01) when analyzing all players. When considering the subset of players with clinically important asymmetry, there was a negligible to weak correlation (R-values ranged from .24 to -.01). CONCLUSION: While GM and HS sizes are generally correlated, observed asymmetry in the HS muscles has weak to no relationship with observed asymmetry in the GM. Although the HS and GM are a functional muscle group (hip extension), GM asymmetry is not indicative of the presence of an HS asymmetry. Healthcare professionals and coaches can use this information as they create plans for a return to play to focus specifically on the rehabilitation of an asymmetric muscle group