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Between Physicalism And The New Dualism: The Moral Relevance Of The Human Body For Catholic Ethics, David J. Demboski Aug 2021

Between Physicalism And The New Dualism: The Moral Relevance Of The Human Body For Catholic Ethics, David J. Demboski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One could argue the remarkable changes to the landscape of Catholic moral theology over the course of the twentieth century were unparalleled in the history of the Church. Animated by anthropological and pastoral concerns, competing schools of Catholic ethicists introduced novel interpretations of natural law that sought to do greater justice to the entirety of the human person, not merely the physical dimension that tended to be emphasized throughout the manualist era. These unique and competing perspectives that emerged in the middle of the 1900s, found in the revisionist school and the New Natural Law Theory school, shaped the topography …


Multivariate Cluster Analysis Of The Teacher Stress Inventory (Tsi) Prior To And During Covid-19, Berenice Saez Aug 2021

Multivariate Cluster Analysis Of The Teacher Stress Inventory (Tsi) Prior To And During Covid-19, Berenice Saez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a negative situation with no precedents in the education system of the United States (U.S.). To mitigate the spread of the virus, many school closures occurred nationwide, and schools transitioned from face-to-face instruction to a mixture of self-directed guide home education or online teaching. These drastic changes could be causing teachers, as many other professionals exposed to sudden adjustments (e.g., medical doctors/firefighters), to express high levels of stress, emotional burden, and anxiety. The purpose of this study is to compare the profiles of the teacher stress inventory (TSI) before and during COVID-19. …


Excremental Ecofeminism: Unearthing Waste’S Feminine And Narrative Agency In Early Modern Literature, Courtney Druzak Aug 2021

Excremental Ecofeminism: Unearthing Waste’S Feminine And Narrative Agency In Early Modern Literature, Courtney Druzak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project seeks to understand the role of forms of waste in early modern literary texts. It both offers up a theory—known as early modern excremental ecofeminism—for reading period specific texts in relation to waste and articulates how we may do so through close analysis of Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queene, John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the elegies of Mary Sidney Herbert, the sonnet sequence Pamphilia to Amphilanthus by Mary Wroth, John Evelyn’s Fumifugium, and finally, William Shakespeare’s play Antony and Cleopatra. It chooses a variety of genres across texts from the 1580s to the 1660s both to interrogate …


A Phenomenology Of Challenging Psychedelic Experiences: From Relational Trauma To Relational Healing, Leland Guthrie Aug 2021

A Phenomenology Of Challenging Psychedelic Experiences: From Relational Trauma To Relational Healing, Leland Guthrie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Psychedelic medicine is a re-emerging therapeutic paradigm with potentially significant clinical applications. This study contributes to an understanding of the aspects of challenging psychedelic experiences that may contribute to therapeutic outcomes. Interview and written data from five participants about their challenging Ayahuasca experiences was analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The results of this analysis revealed a phenomenological structure of challenging psychedelic experiences consisting of a change process that moved the participants from a sense of disconnection to a sense of connection with themselves, others, nature and the cosmos. Findings from the study suggest that challenging psychedelic experiences may be …


The Role Of Mek1/2 And Mek5 In Melatonin-Mediated Actions On Osteoblasts And Osteoclasts Differentiation, Bone Formation, Bone Microarchitecture, And Bone Biomechanics, Fahima Akter Munmun Aug 2021

The Role Of Mek1/2 And Mek5 In Melatonin-Mediated Actions On Osteoblasts And Osteoclasts Differentiation, Bone Formation, Bone Microarchitecture, And Bone Biomechanics, Fahima Akter Munmun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Melatonin, the main endogenous hormone to entrain the circadian system, is not limited to its role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle; rather, it affects a wide variety of systems involving antioxidant, anti-inflammation, blood pressure regulation, seasonal reproduction, ovarian physiology, and immune function. Driven by the diversity of its action, melatonin for a long time has also been studied in the field of bone and mineral research both clinically and pre-clinically. Exogenous administration of melatonin in clinical trials in perimenopausal women (MOPS; NCT01152580); or postmenopausal women with osteopenia (MelaOST; NCT01690000 and MOTS; NCT01870115) confirmed improvement of bone mineral density (BMD) (MelaOST; …


Towards A "Universal Chemical Biology Toolbox" For Tackling Human Diseases, Christopher Swank Aug 2021

Towards A "Universal Chemical Biology Toolbox" For Tackling Human Diseases, Christopher Swank

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A lack of new drug targets and drug mechanisms, coupled with drug-pipeline attrition, represent significant problems in oncology drug discovery. Towards addressing this challenge, “fully-functionalized small-molecule probes” (FFSMPs) have been established, which are compounds that can be immediately used as “bait” to capture their protein targets under the same assay conditions used for oncology-based phenotypic screening. Specifically, each FFSMP library member contains one or more structural-diversity elements to promote interactions of the probe with different protein targets in living cells, an electrophile or photoreactive functional group for covalent attachment of the probe to interacting proteins via affinity or photoaffinity labeling, …


Inviting Friendship: A New Approach To Nonprofit Communication, Stacia Glenn Wetherington Aug 2021

Inviting Friendship: A New Approach To Nonprofit Communication, Stacia Glenn Wetherington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Beginning with Greeks’ concept of virtuous friendship philanthropy has been part of society. Metaphors of civitas, caritas and social responsibility dominated man’s understanding of charity until the explosion of neoliberal thought in the 1980s. The Band Aid movement in response to the Ethiopian famine permanently changed the way we view philanthropy. This movement created an environment of extreme commodification of charity which has created a highly competitive nonprofit sector and a loss of the collective spirit upon which it was founded. This competitive atmosphere has led nonprofits to chase dollars at the expense of their missions while also relying heavily …


Interdependence With Our Most Forgetful Elders: Alzheimer's In The Anthropocene, Christine Heller Aug 2021

Interdependence With Our Most Forgetful Elders: Alzheimer's In The Anthropocene, Christine Heller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation uses autoethnography and critical psychological and philosophical theories to explore what people with Alzheimer’s disease teach us about being, forgetting, and dying in the Anthropocene. The author collected personal memory data from her lived experience of being with her mother while she had Alzheimer’s disease, and organized these memories into a series of vignettes. Each vignette was analyzed with critical psychological and philosophical theories to illuminate intersubjective themes of denial, things, ancestors, place, dying, and time. These themes connected the personal to the epochal and articulated the wisdom that our most forgetful elders can share in the Anthropocene, …


The Construction Of Identity Through Tattoos: A Semiotic And Performative Exploration Of Trauma, Erin Lionberger Aug 2021

The Construction Of Identity Through Tattoos: A Semiotic And Performative Exploration Of Trauma, Erin Lionberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this current historical moment, tattoos and tattooing have become a glorified cultural phenomenon that has been thousands of years in the making. The idea that tattoos can be used to express one’s identity is not a new concept — various fields, such as anthropology, cultural studies, and sociology, have studied the relationship between tattoos and identity. In this dissertation, I explore the signification and performative aspects of Auschwitz concentration camp tattoos and 9/11 memorial tattoos, while also considering the changes in meaning and interpretation that occur within and throughout space and time. Chapter one introduces the topic and provides …


Development Of Standard Operating Procedure With Modified Method To Quantify Benzene And Other Volatile Organic Compounds In Air Samples Using Gas Chromatography, Heather Hall Aug 2021

Development Of Standard Operating Procedure With Modified Method To Quantify Benzene And Other Volatile Organic Compounds In Air Samples Using Gas Chromatography, Heather Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) Department of Environmental Science has recently invested in a gas chromatograph which can be used to analyze air samples for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX). The goal of this project was to develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) and modify the current method for the detection of VOCs associated with oil and gas drilling activity to accommodate the equipment and capabilities of SFASU Environmental Assessment Lab. This study aims to provide the framework for future research in air quality monitoring in the Eagle Ford Shale area. An …


Using Predator Vocalizations To Deter Raccoon Predation On Nests Of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys Terrapin), Colleen Elizabeth Naeger Aug 2021

Using Predator Vocalizations To Deter Raccoon Predation On Nests Of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys Terrapin), Colleen Elizabeth Naeger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Seasonal Habitat Use Of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys Terrapin) In North Inlet, Winyah Bay, Georgetown, South Carolina, Danielle Elizabeth Capella Aug 2021

Seasonal Habitat Use Of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys Terrapin) In North Inlet, Winyah Bay, Georgetown, South Carolina, Danielle Elizabeth Capella

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


The Effects Of Prescribed Burning On Soil Water Infiltration Rates And Other Select Soil Physical And Chemical Properties In East Texas, Cassady Pennington Dunson, Brian P. Oswald, Kenneth Farrish, Tyson Hart Aug 2021

The Effects Of Prescribed Burning On Soil Water Infiltration Rates And Other Select Soil Physical And Chemical Properties In East Texas, Cassady Pennington Dunson, Brian P. Oswald, Kenneth Farrish, Tyson Hart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on whether prescribed burning affects soil physical and chemical properties, especially water infiltration, in Western Gulf Coast forests. Soil water infiltration rates were measured 1) pre-burn (before the fire), 2) post-burn (one month after the fire), and 3) at vegetation green-up (three months after the fire). Soil samples were also collected to determine the effects of prescribed burning on soil pH, bulk density, particle density, pore space, soil strength, O-horizon weight and depth (organic matter), water stable aggregates, and soil fertility. This project was conducted on two different burn intervals. The National Forests and Grasslands of Texas …


Letting The Days Go By: An Investigation Into The Artistic And Functional Nature Of Calendars., Elise Alexandra Blankenship Aug 2021

Letting The Days Go By: An Investigation Into The Artistic And Functional Nature Of Calendars., Elise Alexandra Blankenship

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Calendars have been widely ignored as cultural objects in a contemporary context. Because of this lack of consideration, analyzing a calendar as a work of art is theoretically interesting. This thesis uses the theory of Kitsch, philosophies concerning art in the home, and the theory of relational aesthetics to express the impact that calendars can have when considered works of art. This thesis also discovers the forgotten provenance of block print calendars from the University of Louisville’s extensive print collection. This thesis attempts to coerce the viewer to consider the calendars in their homes as works of art.


Investigations Of Elastin Recoil On Molecular And Macroscopic Levels., Nour Mohammad Jamhawi Aug 2021

Investigations Of Elastin Recoil On Molecular And Macroscopic Levels., Nour Mohammad Jamhawi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Elastin is one of the most hydrophobic proteins, and it is extremely flexible when hydrated. The driving force for recoil is the decrease in entropy of the protein and/or the hydrating solvent. This dissertation is a study of both mechanisms. Following an introduction (Chapter 1), Chapters 2 and 3 investigate the recoil mechanism on the molecular level in the hydrating solvent and in the protein, respectively. Chapter 4 examines macroscopic properties of recoil by thermomechanics. Conclusions are discussed in Chapter 5. Using double quantum NMR, the deuterated water ordering at the elastin surface was studied quantitatively as a function of …


Investigating The Effects Of Perfluorooctanoic Sulfonate (Pfos) And Ethanol On Fatty Liver Disease Using A Modified Niaaa Model., Tyler Charles Gripshover Aug 2021

Investigating The Effects Of Perfluorooctanoic Sulfonate (Pfos) And Ethanol On Fatty Liver Disease Using A Modified Niaaa Model., Tyler Charles Gripshover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a family of man-made, surfactant-like compounds that are a major environmental contaminant. A multitude of studies have indicated that PFAS are able to induce fatty liver disease and modulate lipid metabolism. However, the distinct mechanism of PFAS influence on the liver and metabolism disruption remains to be elucidated. On the other hand, it is well documented that alcohol consumption has various adverse health impacts including fatty liver disease and subsequent progression to more adverse liver states. To date, there are no published studies on whether PFAS and alcohol can jointly exacerbate fatty liver progression or interact …


Decreased Kidney Mitochondrial Content And Pgc-1Α Following Repeated Low-Dose Cisplatin-Induced Kidney Injury., Andrew Joseph Orwick Aug 2021

Decreased Kidney Mitochondrial Content And Pgc-1Α Following Repeated Low-Dose Cisplatin-Induced Kidney Injury., Andrew Joseph Orwick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cisplatin is highly effective and one of the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of a number of different solid organ tumors. Unfortunately, the dose-limiting nephrotoxicity occurs in up to 30% of patients, which requires alterations to treatment regimens that are often less effective. The kidney’s function is to provide fluid homeostasis, and this is an energy-intensive process. Proper renal function is dependent on functional mitochondria. PGC-1α regulates mitochondrial number, respiratory capacity, and mitochondrial proteins in proximal tubule cells. We delivered low-dose cisplatin to mice via intraperitoneal injections once a week for 4 weeks. The mice were then …


Typological And Technological Analyses Of Multi-Component Lithic Collection From Eastern Kentucky., Isaac C. Garvin Aug 2021

Typological And Technological Analyses Of Multi-Component Lithic Collection From Eastern Kentucky., Isaac C. Garvin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to perform a typological and technological analysis of the Gibson Collection utilizing statistical analyses and carefully recorded metric data. The Gibson Collection consists of N=472 lithic artifacts from the southern tip of Fleming County in eastern Kentucky, located directly above the Cave Run Reservoir. The main research focus of this project was to assign types to previously unrecorded artifacts with the intention of observing diachronic technological change of eastern Kentucky’s archaeological timeline within the Gibson collection. This thesis uses post-processual archaeological ideology and inquiry as well as statistical analyses and interpretation. Further, through the …


Gis Predictive Modelling In The Daniel Boone National Forest: Settlement Patterns During The Intensification Or Horticulture., Jacob Max Ray Aug 2021

Gis Predictive Modelling In The Daniel Boone National Forest: Settlement Patterns During The Intensification Or Horticulture., Jacob Max Ray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I explore the Late Archaic and Woodland settlement patterns (3,000 BC – 1,000 AD) in the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky, and surrounding region within the context of the intensification of horticulture. GIS predictive modelling via automated learning algorithms are employed to explore various environmental variables that may have influenced where and why horticultural intensification occurred. Predictive models using random forest and maximum entropy are created and compared for the Late Archaic and Woodland periods. Results show only minimal variance between the Late Archaic and Woodland settlement patterns within the study area with slope and elevation identified …


A Qualitative Study Of 129 Police Lethal Force Incidents In 2016 Examining Participant Behavior Relating To Mental Illness That Contributes To The Use Of Lethal Force., Edward H. Byers Aug 2021

A Qualitative Study Of 129 Police Lethal Force Incidents In 2016 Examining Participant Behavior Relating To Mental Illness That Contributes To The Use Of Lethal Force., Edward H. Byers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This multi-case, exploratory research study examined videos and related news media articles of lethal police shootings and found commonalities and possible contributing factors. Videos and informational articles posted on news media websites in the public domain were used in a qualitative content analysis to identify common elements in police lethal force incidents. The results of this study revealed contributing behaviors by the participants related to mental illness that contribute to lethal force. The decision to use lethal force by a police officer is framed using four analytical themes.


Metabolic-Epigenetic Regulation Of Macrophage Polarization., Jordan T. Noe Aug 2021

Metabolic-Epigenetic Regulation Of Macrophage Polarization., Jordan T. Noe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tumor-associated macrophages polarized to an M2 phenotype (M2-TAMs) promote neo-angiogenesis, tumor-stromal matrix remodeling, and immuno-evasion, which, collectively, contribute to immunotherapeutic resistance and reduced cancer patient survival. Highly glycolytic “Warburg” cancer cells produce lactate that independently drives naïve M0→immunosuppressive M2 (M0→M2) macrophage polarization, but the mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. The atypical cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a fundamental underlying requirement for immunosuppressive M2 macrophage polarization. Still, it is unknown whether a molecular link exists between lactate-supported and MIF-dependent M2 macrophage polarization. Using a combination of gene expression assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and metabolomic analyses, we identified that M2 …


Mass Spectrometry Based Metabolomics And Lipidomics., Fang Yuan Aug 2021

Mass Spectrometry Based Metabolomics And Lipidomics., Fang Yuan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metabolomics and lipidomics studies are important to understand living organisms at the molecular level. In this dissertation, I conducted various untargeted and targeted metabolomics and lipidomics studies using mass spectrometry based analytical platforms. Firstly, I investigated the androgen depletion effects on fecal metabolites in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus and metabolite biomarkers for colorectal cancer using two-dimensional gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Secondly, I investigated the relationship between gut microbiota-mediated resistance and susceptibility to malaria and the production of short-chain fatty acids using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Thirdly, I developed a high-throughput liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method to profile long-chain …


Explosive Family Dinners: Bipolar Disorder, Temporal Lobe Epilepsy & Me Critical Afterword Convulsive Family Dynamics: When Mental And Neurological Disabilities Entangle And Isolate., Elizabeth Lane Glass Aug 2021

Explosive Family Dinners: Bipolar Disorder, Temporal Lobe Epilepsy & Me Critical Afterword Convulsive Family Dynamics: When Mental And Neurological Disabilities Entangle And Isolate., Elizabeth Lane Glass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a memoir that is about my nuclear family. The themes within the memoir itself include my father’s bipolar disorder, my temporal lobe epilepsy, and how volatile the combination was as I grew up, but also how loving my family was, despite all the issues. It also looks at the ramifications of having temporal lobe epilepsy, growing up queer (bi+) in a time when being queer at all was not accepted and being bi+ was not understood, and the issues I’ve had with my sisters, which were caused in part by my father The memoir is accompanied by …


Histone Deacetylases In Alcohol Associated Liver Disease., Srineil Bodduluri Aug 2021

Histone Deacetylases In Alcohol Associated Liver Disease., Srineil Bodduluri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol abuse is endemic worldwide and there is no FDA approved treatment for Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease (ALD). Many scholars have posited that targeting Histone Deacetylases (HDAC) may be therapeutic in ALD intervention. In this study, the changes in hepatic gene expression and immune phenotyping of mice undergoing chronic plus binge alcohol exposure was examined. The characterization of relative mRNA levels for all 18 HDAC were performed. Results showed decreased expression of the genes HDAC 1,7,9,10,11 and Sirtuin enzymes (SIRT) 3,4,5,7. Other pathways related to lipid metabolism as well as systemic inflammation and hepatic injury also exhibited significant changes. These altered …


Recent Studies On The Synthesis Of Medicinal Molecules., Paige Monsen Aug 2021

Recent Studies On The Synthesis Of Medicinal Molecules., Paige Monsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Medicinal chemistry interfaces synthetic organic chemistry, natural product chemistry and chemical biology, with a goal of yielding therapeutic agents. Natural products or compounds derived from natural sources such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, are often biologically active and render that compound a likely drug lead. For thousands of years humankind has utilized natural products for medicinal purposes and consequently scientists take advantage of both these compounds’ core structural characteristics and their modes of actions on selected targets as inspiration to develop therapeutics. Because the total synthesis of such complex molecules can be cumbersome and expensive, semi-synthetic methods on isolated natural …


Micelles And Lipid Nanoparticles: Catalysis And Biomedical Application., Faisal Ibrahim Aug 2021

Micelles And Lipid Nanoparticles: Catalysis And Biomedical Application., Faisal Ibrahim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

RNA-based therapeutics is a rapidly expanding field due to its enormous potential for treatment of diseases through knockdown of genes or expression of therapeutic proteins. However, due to the overall negative-charge of an RNA molecule, RNA-based therapeutics must rely on delivery systems to overcome the various biological barriers for ultimate release of an RNA payload into the cytosol. Over the past three decades, the development of lipid-based RNA delivery systems, especially lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), have been comprehensively studied due to their unique properties. LNPs represent the most widely used delivery systems for RNA-based therapeutics, as evidenced by the clinical approvals …


Passive Method For 3d Reconstruction Of Human Jaw: Theory And Application., Mohamad Ghanoum Aug 2021

Passive Method For 3d Reconstruction Of Human Jaw: Theory And Application., Mohamad Ghanoum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oral dental applications based on visual data pose various challenges. There are problems with lighting (effect of saliva, tooth dis-colorization, gum texture, and other sources of specularity) and motion (even inevitable slight motions of the upper/ lower jaw may lead to errors far beyond the desired tolerance of sub-millimeter accuracy). Nowadays, the dental CAM systems have become more compromised and accurate to obtain the geometric data of the jaw from the active sensor (laser scanner). However, they have not met the expectations and the needs of dental professionals in many ways. The probes in these systems are bulky { even …


Synthesis Of Flagellin 22 As A Probe For Plant Signaling And Molecular Trafficking Towards Improved Crops, Edward Offei Aug 2021

Synthesis Of Flagellin 22 As A Probe For Plant Signaling And Molecular Trafficking Towards Improved Crops, Edward Offei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plant signaling involves the transport of information within and between plant cells from receptors to effectors. Plants are affected by biotic and abiotic stress conditions like insect attack and extreme temperatures, respectively, which cause disease, the induction of senescence and the reduction of crop yield. To improve plant traits for feed, fiber, and energy applications, it is critical to understand the short- and long-range signaling mechanisms plants use to control growth, biomass composition, senescence and responses to environmental stresses. It is known that many plant signaling molecules have profound effects on plants, through mechanisms that remain largely obscure. A key …


The Influence Of Incubation Conditions On Oxygen Consumption During The Development Of Pantherophis Guttatus, Celeste Gallardo Aug 2021

The Influence Of Incubation Conditions On Oxygen Consumption During The Development Of Pantherophis Guttatus, Celeste Gallardo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The flexible shell of some oviparous reptiles has led to differences in nutrient mobilization and water relations when compared to their rigid-shelled counterparts. Flexible-shelled eggs gain more water during development, and because of the shell structure, yolk calcium content is higher than that of eggshells. When water availability is altered for reptiles with flexible-shelled eggs, differences in both energy and nutrient utilization are observed. This study was designed to determine the baseline metabolic rate during development for the snake, Pantherophis guttatus under normal conditions, and to observe how changes in eggshell calcium and water availability impact embryonic oxygen consumption. Eggshell …


A Comparative Analysis Of Levels Of Importance, Satisfaction, And Engagement Among Adult Learners And Tennessee Reconnect Recipients At Two Community Colleges, Kelly A. Moore-Roberts Aug 2021

A Comparative Analysis Of Levels Of Importance, Satisfaction, And Engagement Among Adult Learners And Tennessee Reconnect Recipients At Two Community Colleges, Kelly A. Moore-Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This primary goal of this study was to compare the levels of importance, satisfaction, and perceived engagement between adult learners and Tennessee Reconnect adult learners at two Tennessee community colleges. A two-group comparison research design using existing data from two survey instruments was used for this study. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics based on the scales and subscales of the two surveys: Adult Learner Inventory (ALI) and Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE). Because Tennessee Reconnect is a new program, very little literature has been conducted targeting this specific population. Therefore, this study attempted to add …