Challenges And Strategies For Hypertension Control In The Young Generation In Indonesia: A Bibliometric Review, Gina Maratus Solihah, Dwi Prijatmoko, Novia Luthviatin

Preventia: The Indonesian Journal of Public Health

Hypertension among young people in Indonesia has become an increasingly alarming public health problem due to lifestyle changes, low awareness, and limited access to preventive health services. This review aims to analyze the challenges and strategies for controlling hypertension in young populations based on national and international literature, supported by bibliometric analysis. Data were obtained from the Web of Science (WOS) database and analyzed using VOSviewer to map research trends, keyword relationships, and collaboration networks related to hypertension in youth. The 2018 Riskesdas data showed that 34.1% of Indonesian adults aged ≥18 years had hypertension, with major risk factors including …

The Influence Of Health Students' Attitudes On Tobacco Control And Tobacco Education On Family Smoking Cessation, Lies Permana, Riza Hayati Ifroh, Annisa Nurrachmawati

Preventia: The Indonesian Journal of Public Health

Health students are aware of how smoking affects people's health. They are typically well-equipped to help smokers quit and play a significant role in tobacco control. The purpose of this study was to determine the role that students have in encouraging their families to quit smoking both before and after studying in health faculty, as well as the impact that health students' attitudes and tobacco control education have on these inquiries. In March and April of 2024, a cross-sectional survey was conducted using the GHPSS questionnaire, with 123 student in Universitas Mulawarman, grade 2nd public health faculty. The findings showed …

The Effect Of Early Intervention Programs On Literacy Performance Scores Of Kindergarten Students In One Central Arkansas School District, Abigail M. Stone

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

This study was conducted in a central Arkansas school district to see if going to the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) Early Intervention Program located in that central Arkansas school district made a difference in how well kids did on their kindergarten reading test (NWEA MAP Growth). This was a quantitative, causal-comparative study, meaning the researcher looked at archived test scores from kindergarteners in Fall 2021 where some of the participants attended ABC Pre-K, and some did not.

The main goal of the study was to answer this research question: Is there a significant difference in kindergarten readiness literacy scores between …

Disaster Risk Reduction In Rural Indonesia: Evaluation Of The Japan Red Cross Program In Pujiharjo Village, Meyralda Dara Adisa, Pujo Widodo, Anwar Kurniadi, Wilopo Wilopo

Preventia: The Indonesian Journal of Public Health

Pujiharjo Village in Malang Regency, Indonesia, is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. In 2021, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) partnered with the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) to implement a community-based disaster preparedness program. This study evaluates the program's effectiveness in terms of community participation, institutional support, and alignment with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. Using a qualitative case study, data were collected through document analysis of Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments (VCA), Community Action Plans (CAP), and local SOPs. Thematic analysis explored disaster risk perception, governance, mitigation investment, and emergency preparedness. The program successfully improved risk awareness, …

Validating The Use Of Natural Language Processing And Text Mining For Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs And Criminal Justice Articles, Cyril S. Ku, Katheryne Pugliese, Jared R. Dmello, Morgan R. Peltier, Robert Green, Sheetal Ranjan

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) are a form of community violence intervention designed to address trauma resulting from violent injuries. This public health approach has been implemented across the United States since the 1990s, with numerous qualitative and quantitative studies evaluating its effectiveness. Manual systematic reviews by domain experts have helped identify major themes and research gaps. While these reviews are valuable for synthesizing the existing literature, thisprocess can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, given the vast amount of research in public health and criminal justice. To meet the urgent need for accessible insights into the violence-related literature, more efficient methods …

Impact Of Career Services On Graduation Rates At An Hbcu In Tennessee, Angela Marie Davis

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Career services have been shown to have a positive impact on students’ academic success and post-graduation outcomes, including retention and graduation rates (Weisman, 2020). This dissertation investigated the role of career services in enhancing graduation rates at an HBCU in Tennessee. This study examined the impact of career services on graduation rates at an HBCU in Tennessee and sought to answer the following research questions: (1) How does the utilization of career services at an HBCU in Tennessee impact students’ post-graduation employment opportunities? (2) To what extent do career services impact academic performance? (3) To what extent did specific components …

Conditional Generative Adversarial Network Framework For Iot Anomaly Detection, Henry Onyeka

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

The growing scale and complexity of Internet-of-Things (IoT) edge networks complicate anomaly detection, particularly in identifying sophisticated Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and zero-day behaviors under highly dynamic and imbalanced traffic conditions. This thesis proposes SD-CGAN, a Conditional Generative Adverserial Network optimzied with Sinkhorn Divergence as a geometry-aware one-class framework for robust IoT anomaly detection. SD-CGAN trains solely on benign traffic flows to learn a stable representation of normal traffic. To address class imbalance and improve the variety of the sample, we combine SD-CGAN with CTGAN-based synthetic data augmentation. Replacing the adversarial objective function with Sinkhorn Divergence yields smooth …

A Functional Mri Meta-Analysis Encoding In Alzheimer’S Disease, Joanne Ha

Master's Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by episodic memory impairment. Numerous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have examined brain activity differences between individuals with AD and age-matched controls during memory encoding. However, small sample sizes and methodological variability across studies have limited the ability to draw meaningful conclusions regarding brain activity underlying encoding impairments. We conducted a meta-analysis to identify consistent patterns of hyperactivity and hypoactivity in AD during episodic memory encoding. Using PubMed to identify studies that met our inclusion criteria, 1,002 studies were screened; ultimately, seven studies were included in …

2025.12.11 - Board Of Trustees Meeting Minutes, Northeastern Illinois University Board Of Trustees

Board of Trustees - 2025

Meeting materials for the NEIU Board Trustees

Collaboration As A Strategy For Member Engagement, Kathryn Keane, Viji George

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Purpose: Professional organizations which offer members opportunities to collaborate at local, state, national, and international levels promotes member engagement. Proactive leadership strategies improves engagement (George & Massey, 2020). The skills developed through collaboration within professional organizations often translate to enhanced performance in members' workplace settings (Sullivan & Stevenson, 2009). Collaborative efforts guide the development of nurses' professionalism (He et al., 2024). Collaboration fosters deeper connections, boosts participation, and promotes innovation by leveraging diverse perspectives, shared goals, and collective problem-solving. Recent studies highlight that such collaborative efforts improve organizational performance by building trust, accountability, and psychological safety within teams (Scager et …

Warehouse Reconfiguration With Ats Lab, Ed Cantor, Dana Pazhouhesh, Mathew Oshinski, Samantha Sanchez

Senior Design Project For Engineers

The ATS Lab Warehouse Reconfiguration project is a collaborative effort between Kennesaw State University’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and ATS Lab, located in Marietta, GA. The goal of this project is to redesign the current warehouse layout to enhance operational efficiency, reduce travel time, and implement sustainable inventory management practices, including 5S and Kanban. Aaron Roob, ATS Operations Manager, and Franklin Hungerford, Continuous Improvement Manager, led this initiative. Our team, “Sick Sigma’s,” is composed of Ed Cantor, our Project Manager, who is working as an intern at ATS during this process; Dana Pazhouhesh (Process Engineer); Matthew Oshinski (Quality …

Making Space For Learning: Textile Based Learning Resources For Material Reuse, Mary-Evelyn Mcconkie Howell

Instructional Psychology and Technology Graduate Student Projects

This paper outlines two textile-based learning resources that I created for Making Space Thrift (MST), a community-focused creative thrift store in Utah. MST expressed a need for instructional materials that promote intentional material use, support customer well-being, and strengthen ties with their community. To address these needs, I conducted interviews with stakeholders and local textile hobbyists to understand what learning resources would benefit MST. As a result, I created two projects. The first is called Making Peace with Materials, an interactive, decision-based digital experience housed on the MST website. This resource helps learners navigate the emotional, practical, and sustainable …

Challenges And Succession Planning Among Beginning, Young, And Minority Farmers In Tennessee, Christian Alexander Smith

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Tennessee has over 77,300 farms covering 10.8 million acres that counts for about forty-one percent of the state’s 26.4 million land acres (DeLong et al., 2023). However, access to land for young, beginning, or minority farmers who need farmland and starting their farm enterprise journey can be challenging. The challenges identified by farmers in general in the U.S. range from factors of production such as financial resources, labor, management, and physical resources. Land prices and insecure leasing terms have also been identified as factors that affect farm land ownership (Horst & Gwin, 2018). This study highlights and discusses the challenges …

Toxic Behaviors In Higher Education Institutions: Examining Demographic Factors Affecting Faculty Perceptions, Patrice C. Elder

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examined the relationship between demographic factors and faculty perceptions of organizational toxicity at four-year higher education institutions. Using the Perceived Organizational Toxicity Scale (POTS), data were collected from 131 faculty members across Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The study investigated four dimensions of toxic behaviors: narcissistic, aggressive, unethical, and rigid behaviors. Key findings revealed that unethical behaviors were the most prevalent form of organizational toxicity (M=2.59, SD=1.05), followed by narcissistic behaviors (M=2.32, SD=.93). Significant demographic differences emerged across academic rank and seniority. Assistant and associate professors reported significantly higher levels of …

Generative Ai Professional Development: Balancing Teaching And Ethics At A Christian University, Janice Elaine Carter

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Integrating generative artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education is expected to reshape teaching and faculty development, presenting opportunities and ethical challenges for Christian institutions. This study examined how a Christian university can implement an AI-focused professional development program that aligns with its faith-based values while addressing concerns related to academic integrity, AI bias, and ethical responsibility (Selwyn, 2022). The research employed a qualitative methodology, utilizing various interviews and document analysis to explore faculty perceptions, institutional policies, and best practices for AI adoption in Christian education (Harrison & Dearden, 2023). It also investigated the ethical implications of AI use, including …

Educational Leadership's Role In Understanding Nil Policy Perceptions Among College Football Players, Carlton Rice

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

This study examined educational leadership's role in understanding Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy perceptions among college football players at an American Athletic Conference institution. Using Expectancy-Value Theory as the theoretical framework, the research explored how educational leaders interpret and communicate NIL policies to student-athletes, assessed student-athlete perceptions of leadership effectiveness, and investigated how leadership experiences influence attitudes toward NIL policies. The mixed-methods study surveyed 97 college football student-athletes and conducted interviews with athletic administrators. Key findings revealed a moderately positive correlation (r=.340, p<.001) between administrative support and student-athlete knowledge of NIL policies, demonstrating that institutional investment in educational support directly impacts policy comprehension. The research found that 67% of student-athletes indicated NIL opportunities would influence their school choice decisions, fundamentally altering recruitment dynamics. Additionally, 57.7% of participants agreed that NIL affects team culture, though responses indicated this impact is highly contextual and dependent on institutional management. The study identified significant variation in educational leadership approaches across institutions, with some employing dedicated NIL strategy teams while others integrate responsibilities within existing compliance departments. A notable gap emerged between student-athlete NIL expectations and institutional support, with many athletes reporting they "do everything on our own." For higher education institutions, findings suggest the need for comprehensive NIL education programs extending beyond basic compliance to include financial literacy, contract negotiation, and personal branding. Institutions should develop values-based frameworks aligning NIL opportunities with institutional missions while protecting student-athlete interests. The research contributes valuable insights for navigating the evolving NIL landscape while supporting student-athlete success.

Teacher Perceptions On Commitment To Teaching In High-Poverty Urban Middle Schools, Ruth Michelle Hayslett

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined teacher perceptions of factors influencing retention in high-poverty urban middle schools within Metro Nashville Public Schools. The research addressed the critical issue of teacher turnover in challenging educational environments, where retention rates significantly impact student outcomes. The study surveyed 68 teachers from five high-poverty middle schools, followed by in-depth interviews with six participants. Using Herzberg's Two-Factor Motivation Theory as the theoretical framework, the research investigated four key areas: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, professional development, and demographic factors affecting teacher commitment. Quantitative findings revealed that extrinsic factors demonstrated the strongest correlation with teacher commitment …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Culturally Responsive Curriculum On Pre-K Social-Emotional Development, Deeanne Elaine Miree

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Fostering social-emotional intelligence (SEI), which affects relationships with peers, emotional regulation, and long-term academic success, requires early childhood development. One popular SEI program that supports social-emotional development in diverse Pre-K classes is the Second Step curriculum. However, little study has been done on the relationship between students' social-emotional development and teachers' use of Second Step, especially in culturally diverse settings. This study employed a correlational research design with a mixed methods approach to examine the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of the Second Step curriculum and its impact on Pre-K students’ social-emotional development and behavior. It also investigated the potential effects …

The Role Of Toll-Like Receptors In Tributyltin, Dibutyltin, And Pentachlorophenol Stimulation Of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Production By Human Immune Cells, Latoya Michelle Daniel

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Tributyltin (TBT), Dibutyltin (DBT), and Pentachlorophenol (PCP) are persistent environmental contaminants that have been shown to increase immune-cell production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and thus have the capacity to cause chronic inflammation and its associated pathologies such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and autoimmune conditions. TBT has been detected in human blood at concentrations up to 260 nM, DBT up to 0.3 µM, and PCP between 0.15 and 5 µM. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine produced by immune cells in response to pathogen- or damage-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs/DAMPs) via Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Dysregulated TNF-α production contributes to chronic inflammatory …

Bilstm-Based Zero-Aware Traffic Forecasting Using Lidar Data For Intersection Safety, Md Atiqur Rahman Mallick

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

LSTM retains information from long-term data and is highly effective in generating time-based forecasts. Recently, BiLSTM has enhanced the precision of traffic predictions by assimilating information from both antecedent and subsequent directions via bidirectional data flow. BiLSTM demonstrates exceptional efficacy in the analysis of long-term traffic data. Our study presents a custom forecasting model that leverages advanced LiDAR sensor technology in combination with state-of-the-art deep learning techniques to improve road conditions. Eight LiDAR sensors were strategically deployed along the 26th Clarksville Pike corridor to collect high-resolution traffic data—including vehicle speed and count/flow—over the period from September 1, 2024 to November …

Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing For Learnable Encryption Artificial Intelligence In E-Health, Al Amin

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare AI requires large datasets for clinical-grade performance, yet privacy regulations prevent direct inter-institutional data sharing. While traditional federated learning (FL) enables collaborative training without centralizing data, it suffers from four critical limitations: accuracy degradation, gradient leakage vulnerabilities, high communication costs, and limited interpretability. Accordingly, the overarching research goal is to design a privacy-first FL framework for e-health that preserves clinical-grade accuracy on obfuscated data while substantially reducing information leakage, minimizing communication overhead, and enabling interpretable decision support without sharing weights, gradients, or raw pixels. This thesis systematically addresses these challenges through a three-method framework that progressively enhances privacy, efficiency, …

Monitoring The Response Of Herpetofauna And Ophidiomyces Ophidiicola To Longleaf Pine Restoration, Samuel Mccabe Robinson

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

The combination of habitat loss and disease has dramatically reduced wildlife populations globally. Given this, widespread habitat restoration and monitoring is needed to conserve vulnerable populations. In recent decades, there have been efforts to restore longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forests across its historic range. Simultaneously, a fungal pathogen known to infect snakes, Ophidiomyces ophidiicola (Oo), has been detected throughout the eastern United States. In this study, I investigated how herpetofauna in the William B. Bankhead National Forest responded to longleaf pine restoration while monitoring for the presence of Oo across a gradient of habitat types, species, and individual characteristics. From …

Socioeconomic Influences On Parent Engagement From Birth To Age Five, Mercedes Ford-Miller

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how socioeconomic status influences the level and nature of parent engagement during the early learning years, defined as birth to age 5. Grounded in the Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) framework, it explored how income and education disparities shape opportunities, barriers, and perceptions of engagement among families enrolled in early learning programs in Middle Tennessee. Using a grounded theory approach, data were collected through demographic surveys, one-on-one interviews, and focus groups with parents representing diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Findings revealed that while all parents valued engagement as vital to their child’s development, socioeconomic conditions …

Building Our Own Curriculum: Black Women’S Stories Of Higher Education Leadership Development, Sabrina Louise Brown

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Despite increasing attention to gender equity in higher education leadership, Black women remain disproportionately underrepresented in senior administrative roles. Women's Leadership Development Programs (WLDPs) emerged to cultivate leadership talent, yet often reflect race-evasive, gender-centered frameworks that marginalize Black women's intersectional experiences. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Black women who participated in a women-only higher education leadership development program in North Carolina. Guided by Black Feminist Thought and Endarkened Feminist Epistemology, this research centered Black women's knowledge systems and ways of knowing as legitimate sources of insight and resistance. Through interviews with eight Black women who completed the …

A Fault Tolerant Honeybee Behaviour Load Balancing Algorithm, Charmaine Adegbite

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Cloud computing enables flexible, scalable access to virtualised infrastructure but remains challenged by maintaining performance in fault-prone environments. Faults such as virtual machine failures can degrade task allocation and system reliability. However, traditional load balancing algorithms and bio-inspired strategies, including the Honeybee Behaviour Load Balancing algorithm, assume fault-free conditions. This thesis introduces a Fault-Tolerant Honeybee Behaviour Load Balancing algorithm that enhances the original Honeybee Behaviour Load Balancing algorithm by integrating fault detection. The proposed algorithm monitors the health of VMs and dynamically reallocates workloads when faults are detected which improves stability and reliability. The proposed fault tolerant algorithm was implemented …

Perceived Value Of Radiologic Technology Degrees Among Community College Students In Tennessee, Tiffanie Harris

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This study explored how adult alumni perceive the value of earning an Associate of Applied Science in Radiologic Technology from a northern Middle Tennessee community college. It examined four questions: (1) How do alumni perceive the financial return on investment (ROI)? (2) What non-financial benefits or challenges do they report? (3) How did the program influence their career readiness and workforce entry? and (4) How did institutional support or barriers affect their educational experience? Using a convergent mixed-methods design, 18 alumni from the 2021–2024 cohorts (85.7% response rate) completed a survey with Likert and open-ended items. Quantitative data were …

Tennessee’S Green Industry: An Economic Impact Assessment, Savannah R. Lewis

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

This study estimates the economic contributions of the greenhouse and nursery industry, commonly known as the "green industry," in Tennessee for 2023. Utilizing data on employment, labor income, value added, and industry output, alongside economic multipliers generated from the Input-Output modeling software, IMPLAN (Impact Analysis for Planning), we provide a comprehensive analysis of the green industry's impact on the state's agricultural economy. The findings are presented in 2025 dollars, highlighting the industry's significance for informing future policy decisions. The primary objectives were to assess total contributions at the state, regional, and county levels. Direct employment across all sectors was estimated …

The Impact Of Teacher Effectiveness Factors On Student Achievement: A Case Study, Renita Joy Perkins

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative, correlational study examined the relationship between teacher, evaluation scores and student achievement using Tennessee's Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM) evaluation system at Spencer Elementary School in rural Van Buren County. The study analyzed data from nine teachers across grades 3-5 and 150 students, investigating correlations between TEAM evaluation scores, Level of Effectiveness (LOE) ratings, and student performance on Tennessee Ready assessments in mathematics, English Language Arts, and science. Key findings revealed a counterintuitive experience-performance paradox: while teacher years of experience positively correlated with evaluation scores (r=.422, p<.001) and LOE ratings (r=.132, p=.024), it negatively correlated with student English Language Arts achievement (r=- .174, p=.039). The study demonstrated strong internal consistency within the TEAM evaluation system, with significant correlations between LOE scores and teacher evaluation ratings (r=.375, p<.001). However, only weak correlations emerged between teacher evaluation scores and student achievement outcomes, with a slight positive relationship found only in English Language Arts (r=.165, p=.049). The research revealed robust cross-subject correlations in student achievement (r=.706, p<.001), suggesting that effective teaching impacts learning holistically rather than in subject specific ways. These findings challenge assumptions about the predictive validity of observation-based evaluation systems and highlight the complexity of measuring teaching effectiveness. Implications for educational leaders include reconsidering the relationship between teacher experience and effectiveness, implementing differentiated professional development based on evaluation data rather than years of service, and developing more nuanced approaches to using evaluation systems that integrate multiple measures of teacher impact on student learning outcomes.

Predicting First-Year Retention Rates Of First Generation College Students, Trena Barksdale

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

First-generation college students (FGCS) often encounter academic, financial, and social commitments that elevate their risk of attrition. Although academic preparation and engagement are recognized persistence factors, predictive research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) remains scarce. This quantitative study utilized binary logistic regression to identify key predictors of first-year retention among FGCS at a public HBCU. The analysis specifically tested the influence of high school GPA, Pell Grant status, and on-campus housing. Findings confirmed that both GPA and on-campus housing were strong, statistically significant predictors of retention, while Pell Grant status was not. These results underscore the vital role …

Power Resilience In Utah's Water Sector: A Survey Of Stakeholder Practices, Preferences And Potential, Tyler Christopher Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Drinking water and wastewater services are vulnerable to disruptions because they rely heavily on the electric grid. As a result, power outages can lead to water outages, creating cascading failures that compromise sanitation, firefighting, healthcare, and daily routines. Although an important topic, there are little to no studies of water and wastewater power resilience at a geographic or state level. In this study we investigate the extent of existing backup power and renewable energy integration as well as the motivations and barriers around their power resilience. We collect our data through semi-structured interviews with staff at 19 urban and rural …