Digital Commons Network^™

Sustainable Hemp Industrial Panels (Ship) And Its Industrial Possibilities For The Replacement Of Oriented Strand Board (Osb), Anthony Ollins

Masters Theses

This study explores the feasibility of using industrial hemp fiber to create composite panels—termed Sustainable Hemp Industrial Panels (SHIP) as a potential competitor for oriented strand board (OSB), a commonly used structural wood product. Given hemp's historical and environmental advantages, including rapid growth, carbon sequestration capacity, and material strength, this research investigates its performance when combined with Urea-Formaldehyde (UF) resin, and in a hybrid form with Southern Yellow Pine (SYP). Two hemp-based composites were produced and tested: one with hemp and UF, and another with hemp and SYP. Using a custom-built hydraulic press, composite panels were fabricated and subjected to …

Vertical Transfer Students: Experiences With Orientation Programs And Transition, Gulmira Abdyrahmanova

Masters Theses

Community college students are a growing student population in the United States, however their transition to four-year institutions remains complex and students face different challenges. This study explores the student’s orientation and transition experiences. While academic integration was generally positively supported by articulation agreements, personalized academic advising, and family support many transfer students reported difficulties with social integration, impacting their sense of belonging. The findings suggest that successful transfer requires three stages of support as pre-transfer planning; orientation and initial transition; and continued personalized support throughout the first semester. Recommendations include stronger partnerships between institutions, more individualized advising, and ongoing …

Understanding First-Generation College Students’ Perceptions Of Sorority Recruitment, Megan Morecraft

Masters Theses

This study explores first-generation college students’ discovery of sororities, influences for going through a recruitment process, and motivations for selection. There is a gap in the literature when it comes to first-generation college students and greek organizations, specifically sororities, and this study aides in bridging the gap and providing information regarding strategies for recruitment and marketing practices. With more informed practices on first-generation student populations, an increased quality of marketing and programming could be implemented, as well as retention. This study and its findings allow for more intentionality and enhancements to occur, especially when promoting the greek experience and sorority …

Emotion Regulation And Social Support As Protective Factors To The Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Mental Health-Related Issues, Cassidy B. Mccarthy

Masters Theses

This study was designed to examine emotion regulation and perceived availability of social support as possible protective factors to the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health issues. The study explored both emotion regulation difficulties and perceived availability of social support (PASS) as mediators to the relationship between ACEs and mental health issues. Emotion regulation difficulties were also assessed as a mediator between PASS and mental health issues. PASS was tested as a moderator between ACEs and mental health issues by affecting emotion regulation.

Results indicated that emotion regulation and PASS each partially mediated the relationship between ACEs …

Mental Health Supports In The Public Schools, Elizabeth Walters

Masters Theses

Increasingly, young students experience mental health challenges, some as early as first grade. With mental health challenges reaching students at younger ages, teachers and school staff need to be ready to assist their students in need. Roughly a third of young people experience mental health challenges, and 70-80% are unable to receive mental health services. As a large portion struggle in school with mental health concerns, teachers and school staff are likely to be the first to see any potential signs of struggle. When teachers notice signs of a student struggling with mental health, the staff often do not know …

A Multitude In The In-Between: The Impact Of Perceived Social Support On Resilience For Neurodivergent And Gsd Identities, Along With Barriers To Receiving Support, Theo Edwards

Masters Theses

This study used intersectionality theory to examine how overlapping minority identities impact receiving social support and the cultivation of resiliency. Individuals who identify as in the Gender and Sexually Diverse (GSD) community or the neurodivergent (ND) community may experience unique stressors due to various barriers to support. Overlap of GSD and ND identities can present added struggles. Information from 46 GSD and/or ND college students was collected through self-report scales and recorded interviews to examine the effects of perceived social support on resiliency. Also assessed were common values in social support like having someone to talk to and being understood, …

Effects Of Perceived Procedural Justice On The Relationship Between Visa Application Outcome And Psychological Distress: Evidence From Ghanaians And Nigerians Applying For U.S. Student Visas, Harriet Swanzy-Baffoe

Masters Theses

Visa interviews are not just bureaucratic processes; they can have significant psychological effects on applicants. This study examined the impact of U.S. student visa outcomes on psychological distress among West African applicants, with particular attention to perceptions of procedural justice during the interview process. The study surveyed 203 Ghanaian and Nigerian individuals who had previously applied for a U.S. student visa. Psychological distress was measured using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and perceptions of fairness were measured with a custom-developed Procedural Justice Scale. Independent samples t-tests showed that denied applicants reported significantly higher distress, although elevated symptoms were also …

Barriers To Leisure-Time Physical Activity Among College Students, Ben Andrew Winfield

Masters Theses

Obesity is an increasing problem worldwide. In general, people eat more and exercise less, with a lot of individuals not meeting World Health Organization recommendation of 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity weekly. At times, individuals may face barriers which prevent or inhibit their ability to participate in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), exercise completed in one’s free time. These barriers are known as leisure constraints and are comprised of three categories: intrapersonal, feelings and psychological aspects; interpersonal, relationship aspects; and structural, physical aspects. Body image, the perception individuals have about their bodies and …

Overcoming Burnout: Resident Assistant Longevity And Resilience, Amberlyn H. Holman

Masters Theses

As demands on student affairs professionals intensify across United States colleges, resident assistants face increasing vulnerability to burnout while balancing roles as students, employees, and peer leaders. The purpose of this narrative study was to examine the experiences of three resident assistants who pursued a third year in their position after experiencing and overcoming burnout. It was determined that specific support systems and resilience components had substantial impact on their ability to persist, providing indication of what institutional support would be most beneficial. Participants discussed experiences with overwhelming stress balancing academic responsibilities, peer relationships, and administrative duties, alongside factors historically …

Optimization Of Transformation And Regeneration In The Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus), Sara M. Kilar

Masters Theses

In addition to their value as prized ornamentals, sunflowers are important crop species due to the nutritional value and high oil content of the seeds. Sunflower oil is a significant contributor to global seed oil production, which can be used as a food additive and cooking agent as well as a raw material for biodiesel production. While traditional breeding efforts have led to the development of many unique cultivars, genetically modified variations have proven more difficult due to the recalcitrance of sunflower plants to genetic transformation. As a result, facile and efficient transformation methods for sunflowers have the potential to …

Influence Of Thermophilic Biofilms On Proliferation Of Opportunistic Pathogens In Domestic Water Systems, Olajumoke Akinbami

Masters Theses

Domestic hot-water systems quietly grow biofilms under elevated temperatures that can serve as shelter to Opportunistic Premise Plumbing Pathogens. Although focus has been placed on microbes in domestic systems, there has been no clear conclusion on the mechanism of survival and persistence of opportunistic pathogens despite various disinfection strategies. In this study, we determined the distinction between showerhead and drip-flow biofilms at the whole-community level and analyzed the coexistence of thermotolerant organisms with opportunistic genera, such as Legionella. We sampled eight showerheads and simulated four biofilm samples in the laboratory using the drip-flow biofilm reactor.

We observed a strong …

December 5, 2024, Caa

Minutes

No abstract provided.

December 4, 2024 (Vol. 109, No. 14), Daily Eastern News

Daily Eastern News: 2024-2025

No abstract provided.

December 3, 2024, Council On Graduate Studies

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Social Capital, Post-Industrial Society, And Faulty Industry Experience: Higher Education’S Engagement Opportunity In Applied Disciplines, Asa B. Wilson, Steven A. Stovall, Edward Crowley

Journal of the North American Management Society

Higher education faces two currents - declining social capital support and the post-industrial transition. Both impact the academy and its students. The associated challenges are discussed as engagement opportunities for the academy in applied disciplines. Also, the instructional value of faculty industry experience (IE) is defined as an attribute of social capital. It fosters student engagement while building an experiential learning bridge from the classroom to the workplace. A composite case based on faculty social capital backgrounds illustrates how faculty IE augments program development, academic rigor, student readiness, research creativity, industry linkages, and community impact. Follow-up research opportunities are identified.

Building A Better Future For Christian Higher Education, Maria Ll Lam

Journal of the North American Management Society

This paper is an exploratory study concerning the perceptions of 16 diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officers at nine Protestant evangelical Christian universities and six Catholic universities. Among these 16 DEI officers, 15 are people of color. 13 possess Ph.D. degrees and hold the highest administrative positions at their institutions. They are often required to address justice issues in their diversity initiatives if they don’t want to reproduce systematic institutional injustices in historically white-dominated Christian universities. They are working across multiple boundaries (i.e., boundary spanners) for institutional-level diversity changes. They all voice motivations to make institutional changes and 11 DEI …

November 13, 2024 (Vol. 109, No. 12), Daily Eastern News

Daily Eastern News: 2024-2025

No abstract provided.

November 6, 2024 (Vol. 109, No. 11), Daily Eastern News

Daily Eastern News: 2024-2025

No abstract provided.

Successful Application Of Craniosacral Therapy In A Case Of Colic In An 8-Week-Old Baby, Caro O’Neill, Angie Butterfield

Journal of Transformative Touch

This case study reports on the effectiveness of CranioSacral Therapy (CST) for an eight-week-old baby boy experiencing colic. A CST pediatric protocol was utilized during two sessions, a week apart, in May 2023. An improvement in symptoms was recorded after the first treatment. After the second treatment the baby was no longer presenting with symptoms related to infant colic. This case suggests that CST can be an effective support for babies experiencing infant colic.

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October 31, 2024, Caa

Minutes

No abstract provided.

October 29, 2024, Council On Graduate Studies

Minutes

No abstract provided.

October 23, 2024 (Vol. 109, No. 9), Daily Eastern News

Daily Eastern News: 2024-2025

No abstract provided.

October 17, 2024, Caa

Minutes

No abstract provided.

October 16, 2024 (Vol. 109, No. 8), Daily Eastern News

Daily Eastern News: 2024-2025

No abstract provided.

October 9, 2024 (Vol. 109, No. 7), Daily Eastern News

Daily Eastern News: 2024-2025

No abstract provided.

October 2, 2024 (Vol. 109, No. 6), Daily Eastern News

Daily Eastern News: 2024-2025

No abstract provided.

The Lumpkin Letter (Fall 2024), Lumpkin College Of Business And Technology

Lumpkin College of Business & Technology Newsletters

No abstract provided.

October 1, 2024, Council On Graduate Studies

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Fall 2024 Community Program Guide, Academy Of Lifelong Learning

Program Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Issue 57, Anna Nelson

NoteBooth

Fall 2024