Digital Commons Network^™

Enhanced Content-Based Fake News Detection Methods With Context-Labeled News Sources, Duncan Arnfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work examined the relative effectiveness of multilayer perceptron, random forest, and multinomial naïve Bayes classifiers, trained using bag of words and term frequency-inverse dense frequency transformations of documents in the Fake News Corpus and Fake and Real News Dataset. The goal of this work was to help meet the formidable challenges posed by proliferation of fake news to society, including the erosion of public trust, disruption of social harmony, and endangerment of lives. This training included the use of context-categorized fake news in an effort to enhance the tools’ effectiveness. It was found that term frequency-inverse dense frequency provided …

Experiences Of Appalachian People With Conflicting Christian And Lgbtq+ Identities, Zacharias Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the experiences of six LGBTQ+ individuals living in Appalachia who have felt conflict between their LGBTQ+ and Christian identities. Using data from six one-on-one intensive interviews, the study examines the various kinds of conflict participants experienced, the strategies they used to manage those conflicts, and the role that Christianity played in their lives. The author found that participant conflicts were grounded in struggles to find acceptance from others while living authentically, to reconcile ideological disputes with the church, and to accept themselves as LGBTQ+ and/or Christian. Included among their various management strategies were finding accepting people and …

The Impact Of Aces On College Students And Their Major Choice, Britten Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research examining Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has mostly focused on the long-term effects of these experiences on adult mental and physical health. Less attention has been focused on the impact of ACEs on college student satisfaction, dropout rates, and major choice. The overarching questions for the current study sought to further research by (1) assessing if there is a relationship between the ACE scores of college students and their mental and physical health, (2) if ACEs play a role in student satisfaction or desire to drop out, and (3) determining if there is a connection between students with high ACE …

Monitoring External Workloads And Countermovement Jump Performance Throughout A Preseason In Division 1 Collegiate Women’S Basketball Players, Michelle Van Dyke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Monitoring external workloads and countermovement jump performance may be useful for coaches. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of external load on player performance as measured by a CMJ and specific blood biomarkers throughout the preseason. METHODS:10 female division 1 basketball athletes had PlayerLoad^TM (PL) monitored for all mandatory basketball training during six weeks of the preseason and CMJs were performed weekly. Blood biomarkers were collected before preseason and at the end of preseason. Data were analyzed via the Catapult Sport software (Openfield, Catapult, Innovations, Melbourne, VIC, Australia) to quantify all participant …

Investigating The Role Of Maternal Adiposity On Human Breast Milk And Preterm Infant Stool Short Chain Fatty Acid And Microbiome Profiles, Kristy L. Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Preterm birth is the number one cause of death in neonates, accounting for 35% of neonatal mortality. The preterm birth rate in the U.S. in 2021 was 10.5%, disproportionally affected by race and ethnicity. Obese women have an increased risk of preterm pregnancy, and if delivered before 37 weeks of gestation, the offspring have higher rates of complications that extend from the neonatal period into life-long metabolic and immune adverse outcomes. In the early months after delivery, preterm infants have higher rates of adverse health outcomes than term infants, including infections, extrauterine growth restrictions, respiratory, metabolic, and neurological complications, necrotizing …

Parent Choice: Learning Pods Or Public Education During Covid-19 Pandemic, Shari Kinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the decision-making process of K-12 parents living in the Appalachian Highlands who chose to remove their children from traditional public schools to join learning pods (sometimes referred to as pandemic pods) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to answer this overarching question, the researcher focused her study on two areas: first, what were the possible push factors that influenced parents to remove their children from public schools, and secondly, what were the pull factors that lead parents to choose learning pods over other school choice options. Through the data collected …

Childhood Trauma In Early Care And Education: Understanding School Administrators’ Perceptions, Olawale Olubowale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study explores childhood trauma with a primary focus on the beliefs and attitudes of elementary school administrators in their ability to offer trauma-informed leadership and assist their teachers in trauma-informed care (TIC) and education. Participants at various stages of their careers were recruited from elementary schools across 10 U.S. states (N = 240). Employing an explanatory sequential mixed method design, Phase I assessed school administrators’ attitudes using the attitudes related to trauma-informed care scale (ARTIC-45) (see Appendix A). Phase II employed semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data to explain further and clarify the quantitative results. Findings suggest …

A Bridge Between Graph Neural Networks And Transformers: Positional Encodings As Node Embeddings, Bright Kwaku Manu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Graph Neural Networks and Transformers are very powerful frameworks for learning machine learning tasks. While they were evolved separately in diverse fields, current research has revealed some similarities and links between them. This work focuses on bridging the gap between GNNs and Transformers by offering a uniform framework that highlights their similarities and distinctions. We perform positional encodings and identify key properties that make the positional encodings node embeddings. We found that the properties of expressiveness, efficiency and interpretability were achieved in the process. We saw that it is possible to use positional encodings as node embeddings, which can be …

The Disney College Experience: A Full Recollection Of Moments And Memories Of The Disney College Program Internship, Lauren Jumonville

Undergraduate Honors Theses

I decided to do the Disney College Program as my honors thesis because Disney is something I am very passionate about. I worked for the Disney Company before and knew that I wanted to continue my experience with them. I went into the program hoping to discover what the college program could do to prepare me (or any prospective programmer) for the profession and for a life in performance. In January of 2023, I made my way to Orlando, Florida, to start my next journey with the Walt Disney World Company. I went through four different orientation processes, as well …

Falling Down The Rabbit Hole: World Building In Ya Literature, Claire Webb

Undergraduate Honors Theses

World building is a key component to many young adult novels, but what is world building and what are some different styles and techniques that authors use when constructing fictional universes? In this thesis, Falling Down the Rabbit Hole: World Building Techniques in YA Literature, I will examine Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865), The Princess Bride by William Goldman (1973), and my own unpublished novel, The Sun Kingdom, to compare different techniques and styles of world building. These works will be explored through the aspect of world building, focusing specifically on the importance of the geography, language, …

Exploration Of Privilege And Preschool Teachers’ Demographics Associated With Teachers’ Self-Efficacy In Culturally Responsive Classroom Management, Katherine Madison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every child in America is entitled to a free public education; however, racial disparities in academics and discipline continue to grow in America’s school system (Glock et al., 2019; Muñiz, 2019). These racial disparities begin in preschool, following the students throughout their school years. African American students, specifically African American males, are three times more likely than their Caucasian peers to be suspended in preschool (CRDC, 2016; Musu-Gillette et al., 2016). Suspension at an early age correlates with students entering juvenile detentions, prisons and incompletion of schooling (Love, 2014; Meek & Gilliam,2016; Muñiz, 2019). Culturally responsive teaching and classroom management …

Professional Collaboration In Small Rural Schools: Teacher Perceptions Of The Role Of School Administrators, Brian A. Bettis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological, qualitative research study was to examine teachers’ perceptions of school administrators’ support of collaborative planning in small rural schools. Although there has been much research conducted on teacher collaboration through Professional Learning Communities, there has been little documentation of teacher collaboration in small rural schools (DuFour et al., 2020; Hansen, 2015; Moore, 2018). This research study examined teachers’ perceptions of collaboration and the role that school administrators play in the work to establish, support, and maintain collaborative teaming structures.

Data collection strategies included individual interviews of practicing teachers, serving in small rural schools. Analysis of …

2023-November-30-A Passion For Paleontology.Pdf, University Advancement, East Tennessee State University, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Technically, they met on the ETSU campus – not in a classroom, but in a lab at the Gray Fossil Site back in 2016.

And their official first date was an end-of-semester party for a geosciences class both were auditing.

Collins Chew and Janice Hornburg weren’t the typical college students. Both were relishing life in their golden years. Collins had been married for more than 60 years and was now a widower. Janice had been married when she was younger but had been single for 37 years…with no plans to change her status.

They volunteered at the site together, had …

2023-November-30-How To Manage Finals Week Stress.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Ever had that dream where you walk into class the day of the final exam, and in the very moment when you panic, realizing you’ve not been to class the entire semester, haven’t taken one note and haven’t cracked open the textbook, you wake up with a jolt?

Hopefully no East Tennessee State University students find themselves in the predicament of that common dream in reality, but the feelings of stress and anxiety surrounding end-of-semester projects and studying for final exams are all too real for many.

Finals Week as well as the week before – commonly called “Dead Week,” …

2023 November 29 - Undergraduate Curriculum Council Minutes, Undergraduate Curriculum Council, East Tennessee State University

Undergraduate Curriculum Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

2023-November-29-Roundup- Etsu Arts Events In December.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

As the calendar turns to December, East Tennessee State University’s campus is a flurry of activity as students and faculty wrap up the fall semester and prepare for finals week and commencement. And much of that activity takes place in the arts.

ETSU is home to a thriving arts community, and the university invites the community to celebrate the holidays with music and film and take in an art exhibit in the days ahead.

Department of Music

• An ETSU Percussion Faculty Recital featuring the world premieres of two new works for percussion will be held Friday, December 1, …

2023-November-28-Alumnus Utilizes Pharmacy Informatics Training In New Role, Bill Gatton College Of Pharmacy, East Tennessee State University, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

The nearly 1,000 alumni at ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy serve all over the country in a variety of career specialties that continue to expand beyond traditional roles in community pharmacies.
 
One alumnus from the Class of 2023 has taken a unique role in pharmacy informatics, which focuses on utilizing medication-related data and knowledge within healthcare systems to help deliver optimal medication-related patient care and health outcomes. Dr. Jonathan Holan recently moved to Verona, Wisconsin, near Madison for a new position as a Clinical Project Manager at a company called Epic.
 
“My role is a clear departure from the conventional …

2023-November-28-Better Workplaces Tennessee Launches Workplace Recognition Program.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Better Workplaces Tennessee, an innovative, data-driven initiative designed to transform workplace culture, announced its official launch, marking a historic collaboration between the Tennessee Department of Health and the Strong BRAIN Institute at East Tennessee State University.

Supported by the Appalachian Promise Alliance, internationally recognized author and speaker Becky Haas and the ETSU Research Corporation, this initiative is set to transform workplace experiences for both employees and the people they serve.

Better Workplaces Tennessee is committed to applying trauma-informed science and training best practices to revolutionize organizational cultures, creating safer, more inclusive and empowering work environments. This groundbreaking recognition …

2023-November-28-Etsu Great Lecture Series Continues December 8.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Drs. Lee Bidgood, Nick Hagemeier and Gary Henson will be featured in the second installment of East Tennessee State University’s Great Lecture Series.

The new lecture series, which began in October, celebrates and showcases the work of faculty who have recently been promoted to full professor at ETSU. Faculty play an integral role in the mission of ETSU through their teaching, research and service, and this lecture series provides them an opportunity to share their work with the broader community.

The second installment will be held Friday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m. in the East Tennessee Room on the second …

2023-November-27-Etsu Will Screen 1954 Classic, ‘White Christmas’.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

East Tennessee State University is doing its part to ignite the holiday spirit in the Appalachian Highlands.

That trend continues on Friday, Dec. 1, when the 1954 musical, “White Christmas,” will be screened at the newly renovated Bud Frank Theater.

The screening starts at 7 p.m.

“We invite the community to visit our campus and enjoy this free screening,” said Dr. Chelsea Wessels, associate professor in the Department of Literature and Language. “This is a fabulous way to get into the holiday spirit and join ETSU as we strive to enrich the Appalachian Highlands through the arts.”

For generations, …

2023-November-27-‘Creating Better Workplaces’.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

“Creating Better Workplaces: A Trauma-Informed Approach” is the topic of an upcoming presentation in the East Tennessee State University Ballad Health Strong BRAIN Institute (SBI) Resilience Series.

Dr. Wallace E. Dixon Jr. will be the speaker for the free virtual presentation on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at noon. Participants may register for the Zoom link.

In his presentation, Dixon, founding director of the SBI and a professor in the Department of Psychology at ETSU, will discuss how workplace leaders can maximize the productivity of their units by promoting employee satisfaction and belongingness through a sustainable commitment to trauma-informed practices.

This Resilience …

2023-November-25-Etsu Plays Critical Role In State Mitigation Plan.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Continuous downpours in August 2021 created catastrophic flooding.

The wildfires that raged in November 2016 scorched more than 90,000 acres.

And the tornadoes that roared through in 2011 left several dead.

Natural disasters occur on occasion in the Volunteer State, and having thorough plans in place to help minimize the destruction is critical.

East Tennessee State University is playing an important role on this front.

Earlier this month, the state of Tennessee announced that the 2023 Tennessee State Hazard Mitigation Plan had earned formal approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“This report provides the most current understanding of risk …

2023-November-24-Yao Named Quillen College Of Medicine’S Dishner Chair Of Excellence.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Dr. Zhi Q. Yao, division chief of research and director of East Tennessee State University’s Center of Excellence in HIV/AIDS in the Quillen College of Medicine, has been named the college’s Paul Dishner Chair of Excellence in Medicine.

Established in 1989, the primary focus of the Dishner Chair of Excellence in Medicine is to enhance research efforts in the Quillen College of Medicine.

He is well-suited for the task.

During his time at ETSU, Yao has brought more than $10 million in grant funding for his research either as the principal or co-principal investigator on numerous research projects and …

2023-November-22-Etsu Professor Named Rural Health Fellow By National Rural Health Association, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Balio’s research focus at ETSU is centered on Medicaid, governmental public health systems and social determinants of health.  

Dr. Casey P. Balio, an assistant research professor with East Tennessee State University’s Center for Rural Health Research in the College of Public Health, has been named a 2024 Rural Health Fellow by the National Rural Health Association.

The NRHA announced its incoming class of Rural Health Fellows last month, with 17 fellows selected to participate. Each year, the NRHA selects highly motivated individuals who have proven their dedication to improving the health of rural America through their educational and professional …

2023-November-22-Balio Named Rural Health Fellow By National Rural Health Association.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Dr. Casey P. Balio, an assistant research professor with East Tennessee State University’s Center for Rural Health Research in the College of Public Health, has been named a 2024 Rural Health Fellow by the National Rural Health Association.

The NRHA announced its incoming class of Rural Health Fellows last month, with 17 fellows selected to participate. Each year, the NRHA selects highly motivated individuals who have proven their dedication to improving the health of rural America through their educational and professional experiences.

The yearlong program aims to develop leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling vision for rural …

2023-November-21-Etsu Presents 2023 Alumni Awards.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Nine East Tennessee State University alumni and friends were recently honored with 2023 Alumni Awards on Friday, Nov. 17.

The George L. Carter Award was presented to Lt. Gen. Ronald V. Hite, a member of the Class of 1964. Hite led a decorated career in the military that spans more than three decades, commanding at every level and holding many unique positions during assignments throughout the United States, Germany, Vietnam and Korea.

These assignments included leadership and command positions in two infantry divisions, including commanding a battalion in the 7th Infantry Division. He also held a battalion staff position and …

2023-November-21-Etsu To Host Indigenous Heritage Celebration For Native American Heritage Month.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

East Tennessee State University will host an Indigenous Heritage Celebration on Wednesday, Nov. 29, in observance of Native American Heritage Month.

This event will take place in The Cave on the first level of the D.P. Culp Student Center from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. It is sponsored by the Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center and Native American Student Organization at ETSU.

November is Native American Heritage Month, and its observance is important for educating people on the history and contributions of the Indigenous peoples.

“We have over 550 federally recognized tribes in the United States alone,” said Dr. Deborah Thibeault, …

2023-November-20-Wets-Fm Promoting Npr College Podcast Challenge.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Local college students who are aspiring podcasters can compete for their podcast to be showcased nationally in the third annual “College Podcast Challenge,” hosted by NPR.

The competition is open for submissions until Jan 5, 2024. As in years past, the challenge is the same: produce a podcast between three and eight minutes on a topic, issue or story of your choosing. The winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship and $500 will be awarded to finalists. The grand prize winner and finalists will be notified in February 2024.

Chad Barrett, station director at WETS-FM, recently interviewed Janet Woojeong Lee, …

2023 November 27 - Faculty Senate Agenda And Minutes, Faculty Senate, East Tennessee State University

Faculty Senate Agendas and Minutes

No abstract provided.

2023-November-17-Semester Recap, Bill Gatton College Of Pharmacy, East Tennessee State University, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Greetings!

I want to share with you a quick recap of our semester achievements and noteworthy headlines within our college. 

August had lots of milestones, including welcoming our Class of 2027 during Gatton Ready and our White Coat Ceremony. 

We celebrated the accomplishments of Dr. Jessica Burchette, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, who was honored with the prestigious Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching at our university's Faculty Convocation. Dr. Burchette's dedication and commitment to excellence in teaching have significantly contributed to our academic success.  

In addition, Drs. Burchette and Katelyn Alexander, Director of Experiential Education, were both named new …