Digital Commons Network^™

Cardiac Function, Structural, And Electrical Remodeling By Microgravity Exposure, Mary R Sy, Joshua A Keefe, Jeffrey P Sutton, Xander H T Wehrens

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Space medicine is key to the human exploration of outer space and pushes the boundaries of science, technology, and medicine. Because of harsh environmental conditions related to microgravity and other factors and hazards in outer space, astronauts and spaceflight participants face unique health and medical challenges, including those related to the heart. In this review, we summarize the literature regarding the effects of spaceflight on cardiac structure and function. We also provide an in-depth review of the literature regarding the effects of microgravity on cardiac calcium handling. Our review can inform future mechanistic and therapeutic studies and is applicable to …

The Indirect Association Of Personality With Perceived Stress As Mediated By Humor In University Students During Covid-19, Jacqueline Sterghos

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Humor is known to be an effective coping strategy due to its stress-reducing capabilities (Overholser, 1992; Peterson & Seligman, 2004). However, more recent research into humor has revealed it can also lead to increased levels of stress (Fritz et al., 2017; Martin et al., 2003). Extraverts tend to have positive emotions and are better able to cope with stressful emotions (Ford et al., 2016). However, individuals higher in neuroticism are more likely to engage in maladaptive types of coping strategies and humor (Greengross et al., 2011), putting them at a higher risk for increased stress levels. The current research utilized …

Investigating The Mediation Effects Of Student-Teacher Relationships Between Extracurricular Activities And Students' Academic Achievement In High School, Rachael C. Schofield

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While there is evidence to support the notion that extracurricular activities have a positive impact on student success and development, the reasons why students participate in these activities, why they continue to participate in these activities, and why these activities lead to better educational outcomes are unclear. This study was conducted at three high schools in a county in northeast Florida with a total n of 131 students. This study used three theories as lenses to examine how student-teacher relationships impacted student engagement in extracurricular activities and in turn student achievement: Self-Systems Processing (Connell & Wellborn, 1991), Attachment Theory (Bowlby, …

Gender And Race Influence Young Adults' Impressions Of People With Dementia, Angel Collie

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) are becoming more common among older adults around the United States, including African Americans, who are twice as likely to be clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Though it is counter-intuitive, young adults are important when examining the future projections of ADRD because they will be the future caretakers of older adults. The current study investigated whether impressions of people with dementia are influenced by the interaction of gender and race among young adults. In Phase 1, young adults (N = 157, ages 18-25, median age = 20) completed a reverse correlation task where they …

Motivation Differences Of Males And Females In The Pact Study: An Exploratory Study, Maria E. Vander Meulen

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A cure for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is not yet a reality, however, research on preventative interventions for AD has demonstrated promise. An issue this research has encountered and will continue to contend with is the recruitment of a generalizable sample. There are several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in various disciplines that do not reach their target sample or must extend their recruitment period to reach their sample size. Challenges like this will aid in the delay of finding an AD prevention method. That impedes the help it could provide future generations. The current study explores research participants’ (2,617) open-ended responses …

Relation Between Parent Feeding And Emotional Overeating In Preschoolers As Mediated By Emotion Regulation, Lindsay Nicole Baker

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emotional overeating is defined as eating in response to negative emotions, and the shift from emotional undereating to overeating around the preschool years indicates environmental influences. Parent feeding practices such as using food to regulate emotions and behavior may impede children’s ability to regulate their emotions, leading to emotional overeating. This study analyzed the relation between parent feeding practices, child emotion regulation, and emotional overeating in 4- and 5-year-old children. For study 1, mothers of 4- and 5-year-old children completed online questionnaires through MTurk and Prolific. Questionnaires measured parent feeding practices, emotion regulation, and emotional overeating. Parent use of food …

Educator Perceptions Of Giftedness In Florida, Casey Leone

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Educators, including teachers and administrators, have a responsibility to increase knowledge and achievement for all students. Gifted students who demonstrate increased abilities and proficiencies are often given less attention as schools continue to increase their focus on the lower quartile of students. To address this need, gifted programs are implemented to foster excellence in identified students. However, educational policies pertaining to identification and qualifications for gifted programs can serve as gatekeepers denying students that could potentially benefit from rigorous and enriching programs. In this quantitative study, the perceptions of educators in Florida towards gifted policy were explored through a series …

Homecoming: Examining Built Relationships That Influence Historically Black College And University Student Experiences, Alvenia Effie Derban

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Maintaining and increasing student retention is a challenge for small institutions especially small private Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). There are factors which contribute to this problem of practice and solutions that could increase student retention given more research and analysis. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore and examine the campus professional-student relationships to better understand the first-generation/first-time college student’s experience and how these relationships may influence their retention. This study examined the experiences of three Edward Waters University students to understand a problem of practice experienced at Edward Waters University and many others, student …

A New Mindset: The Effects Of A Strategic Mindset On Women Under Stereotype Threat, Jessica A. Mckay

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women completing math tasks under stereotype threat underperform and experience increased negative outcomes compared to women under no threat and men. While previous interventions for stereotype threat focus on self-affirmation or role models as a means to reduce the effects of stereotype threat, the current study examines whether using a strategic mindset to increase self-reflection mitigates the negative effects of stereotype threat on women in math. Undergraduate women (N=149) were randomly assigned to read an article about the benefits of having a strategic mindset or taking cold showers. Participants were then randomly assigned to a stereotype threat condition (women perform …

Physiological Responses Regarding Stress And Trauma: The Freeze Response, Emma Arie Von Holten

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fight-or-flight is a commonly known response to threatening situations, but the freeze response is another defensive mechanism that might arise in such situations. There is also evidence that exposure to trauma can impact physiological reactions when defensive mechanisms are not required, such as freezing in response to non-threatening situations. The current study aimed to replicate and expand upon a limited number of previous studies on the human freeze response by implementing measurements of postural sway, heart rate, and infrared thermography while valenced images were shown to participants. Ninety-two participants were recruited from the University of North Florida and participants were …

Thermal Temperatures And Social Network Position In Bonobos, Dain Rust

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In a variety of species, the maintenance of stable social connections is associated with lower levels of stress in individuals. Understanding how physiological stress responses interact reciprocally with social connections in bonobos, humans closest living relative, can provide useful information about both the emergence of social connections in our own species, as well as provide guidance for animal welfare procedures. Infrared thermography (IRT) has been shown to be a reliable non-invasive measure of stress response in some species, specifically non-human primates. The current study examines the relationship between baseline facial temperatures, social network position, and demographic variables in a population …

The Perspectives Of Saudi Arabian Professionals Regarding The Most Important Soft Skills For Leaders To Possess In Telecommuting Environments During Crisis: A Q Methodology Study, Shatha Abdulghani Khalifah

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this Q methodology study was to explore Saudi Arabian professionals’ perspectives regarding the soft skills they considered most important for leaders to possess in telecommuting environments during crises.

Q methodology was developed to study human subjectivity and uses both quantitative and qualitative procedures to do so. As is the convention for a Q methodology study, a single question guided the research: What are the perspectives collectively held among Saudi Arabian professionals regarding the soft skills they consider most important for leaders to possess in telecommuting environments during crises?

The researcher developed a 44-item Q sample of opinion …

Exploring The Perceptions Of Recent High School Graduates Regarding Pk-12 School Safety Measures Considering Increased Occurrences Of Mass School Shootings: A Q Method Study, Marie Farjian

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

School violence and mass school shootings are increasing at an alarming rate in our nation (Arnold, 2015; Ash & Sanders, 2018; Baird, Roellke, & Zeifman, 2017; Beland & Kim, 2016; De Apodaca, Brighton, Perkins, Jackson, & Steege, 2012; Duplechain & Morris, 2016; Elliott, 2015; Gerard, Whitefield, Porther, & Browne, 2016; Haan & Mays, 2013; Jonson, 2017). Institutions of learning that were once deemed safe and sacred have turned into metaphorical and literal battlegrounds (Jonson, 2017). As a result of the increased risk of mass school shootings many states have implemented laws to assist in implementing more rigid safety measures within …

Eye Of The Tiger: Does Cultural Mismatch Affect The Evaluation Of Graduate Program Brochures?, Roshonda Bissainthe

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although first-generation college students (FGCS) are enrolling in graduate school at the same rate as continuing-generation students (CGCS), they are earning their degrees significantly slower or not at all. We add to the growing literature by examining whether the independent culture encouraged at many American universities clashes with the interdependent culture of FGCS. We hypothesized that when participants are randomly assigned to read an independently focused brochure, FGCS compared with CGCS will report a lower tendency to seek college resources, self-efficacy, and persistence. FGCS and CGCS read an independent or interdependent focused ecopsychology graduate program brochure and indicated their self-efficacy …

Nutrition Care For The Transgender Population: A Retrospective Study To Investigate Relationships Between The Nutrition Care Process Model And Patient Outcomes, Alana Minnee Marrero Gonzalez

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the most important roles of the registered dietitian nutritionist is to provide medical nutrition therapy that is fitting to an individual’s culture, reality, ethnicity, and dietary preferences. A review of existing literature exposes the lack of information available on LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) health, for transgender communities. The purpose of this research was to generate knowledge of the nutrition-related problems and barriers to adequate nutrition and health, and their impact in nutrition assessment in a sample of Hispanic transgender adult patients living in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A retrospective observational study was conducted, data from 114 …

The Experiences Of Transgender And Gender Diverse Individuals Seeking Mental Health Treatment, Brice T. Marks

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) individuals are underserved in communities despite experiencing disproportionately higher rates of mental health distress. The cisheteronomativity of society creates chronic stressors that impact the mental health outcomes of TGD individuals. TGD individuals face the highest rates of discrimination in healthcare settings. Yet, little is known about the population's specific experiences seeking mental health care. Using a phenomenological approach, this study interviewed eight TGD individuals to understand the experience of seeking mental health care. There were six themes: facilitation of seeking behaviors, barriers, type of care, characteristics of providers, identity disclosure, and burden of advocacy and …

How Performing Arts High School Students Experienced Involvement In A Black, Student-Created And Student-Led Organization Focused On Uplifting Black Art And Artists: A Critical Phenomenological Study With Implications For Culturally Responsive And Sustaining Educational Practices, Shaneka R. Ferrell

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This critical phenomenological study aims to understand the perspectives and experiences of members of Black Arts, a student-created, student-led organization focused on uplifting Black art and artists. The following research question guided this inquiry: What are the experiences of students involved in Black Arts, a student-created, student-led organization focused on uplifting Black art and artists? In addition, three sub-questions were explored: (a) How do students experience their involvement in Black Arts, a student-created, student-led organization focused on uplifting Black art and artists in ways that uplift and magnify their voices and agency? (b) How do student experiences in Black Arts, …

Designing A Fulfilling Life In The Law, Bridgette Carr, Vivek Sankaran, Taylor J. Wilson

Articles

There is a mental health crisis in the legal profession. This isn’t news; in 2017, the National Task Force on Lawyering Well-Being acknowledged that the profession has failed to give adequate regard to the well-being of lawyers. High rates of chronic stress, depression, and substance use suggest that “the current state of lawyers’ health cannot support a profession dedicated to client service and dependent on the public trust.”

Semiparametric Multivariate Analysis Of Covariance Test Of Treatment Effects, Leonard Allan F. Almero, Elfred John C. Abacan

Journal Article

Traditional multivariate analysis of covariance test is based on restrictive assumptions like homoscedasticity and normality of errors. A semiparametric multivariate analysis of covariance model is postulated. Nonparametric regression and multivariate analysis of variance are imbedded into the backfitting algorithm to estimate the model. The responses are adjusted for covariate effect through a nonparametric function of the covariates. Simulation study indicates that a bootstrap-based test for treatment effects is correctly sized. The proposed semiparametric multivariate analysis of covariance is shown to be powerful in detecting multivariate differences in the presence of nonlinear covariates and is robust to different error distributions with …

Measuring Self-Regulated Learning Skills Of Uplb Students Enrolled In Hk 12 Walking For Fitness, Joanna L. Israel

Journal Article

This paper aims to develop a questionnaire that measures the self-regulated learning skills of students enrolled in HK 12 Walking for Fitness, which was offered in a mode of blended online learning and distance education. All students enrolled in HK 12 Walking for Fitness for the first and second semesters of the academic year 2021 to 2022 at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), were invited to answer the self-reported questionnaire via electronic mail or e-mail. Out of the 1,168 students, 117 or 10.02% participated. The reliability of a scale and Principal Axis Factoring were calculated in validating …

Covid-19 Two Years On: A Review Of Covid-19-Related Empirical Research In Major Tourism And Hospitality Journals, Songshan (Sam) Huang, Xuequn Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This study aims to provide a timely review of the COVID-19-related empirical research published in 19 quartile one (Q1) and quartile two (Q2) tourism and hospitality journals in social science citation index (SSCI).

Design/methodology/approach: A total of 407 COVID-19-related empirical papers were collected from the 19 SSCI Q1 and Q2 tourism and hospitality journals via Scopus database. Thematic content analysis was supplemented with Leximancer software to identify the research themes/subthemes, research methods and countries/regions of research.

Findings: The study found studies of COVID-19’s impact on consumer behaviour predominate in number, followed by studies on response actions and recovery strategies, …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Career Success Among Aspiring And Early Career Accountants And The Role Of Organisational Support, Denise Jackson, Julia Richardson, Grant Michelson, Rahat Munir

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Positive perceptions of career success are critical among accounting professionals, given their connection with performance, turnover and organisational commitment. Drawing on career stage theory, this study explores the perceptions and experiences of career success among 475 aspiring (Accounting/Finance students), 305 early career accountants (ECAs) and 165 managers/recruiters in Australia. Findings reflected both objective and subjective dimensions of career success alongside notable differences between aspiring accountants and ECAs, highlighting shifting views across the career stages of exploration and establishment. While ECAs were largely positive about their access to career success, managers/recruiters identified ways to create further opportunities for ECAs' career success.

Leukocyte Surface Biomarkers Implicate Deficits Of Innate Immunity In Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease, Xin Huang, Yihan Li, Christopher Fowler, James D. Doecke, Yen Ying Lim, Candace Drysdale, Vicky Zhang, Keunha Park, Brett Trounson, Kelly Pertile, Rebecca Rumble, John W. Pickering, Robert A. Rissman, Floyd Sarsoza, Sara Abdel-Latif, Yong Lin, Vincent Doré, Victor Villemagne, Christopher C. Rowe, Jurgen Fripp, Ralph Martins, James S. Wiley, Paul Maruff, Jacobo E. Mintzer, Colin L. Masters, Ben J. Gu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction:

Blood-based diagnostics and prognostics in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) are important for identifying at-risk individuals for therapeutic interventions.

Methods:

In three stages, a total of 34 leukocyte antigens were examined by flow cytometry immunophenotyping. Data were analyzed by logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses.

Results:

We identified leukocyte markers differentially expressed in the patients with AD. Pathway analysis revealed a complex network involving upregulation of complement inhibition and downregulation of cargo receptor activity and Aβ clearance. A proposed panel including four leukocyte markers – CD11c, CD59, CD91, and CD163 – predicts patients’ PET Aβ status with an …

Plasma Aβ42/40 Ratio, P-Tau181, Gfap, And Nfl Across The Alzheimer's Disease Continuum: A Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Study In The Aibl Cohort, Pratishtha Chatterjee, Steve Pedrini, James D. Doecke, Rohith Thota, Victor L. Villemagne, Vincent Doré, Abhay K. Singh, Penghao Wang, Stephanie Rainey-Smith, Christopher Fowler, Kevin Taddei, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Mark P. Molloy, David Ames, Paul Maruff, Christopher C. Rowe, Colin L. Masters, Ralph N. Martins, Aibl Research Group

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction:

Plasma amyloid beta (Aβ)1-42/Aβ1-40 ratio, phosphorylated-tau181 (p-tau181), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament light (NfL) are putative blood biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, head-to-head cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons of the aforementioned biomarkers across the AD continuum are lacking.

Methods:

Plasma Aβ1-42, Aβ1-40, p-tau181, GFAP, and NfL were measured utilizing the Single Molecule Array (Simoa) platform and compared cross-sectionally across the AD continuum, wherein Aβ-PET (positron emission tomography)–negative cognitively unimpaired (CU Aβ−, n = 81) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI Aβ−, n = 26) participants were compared with Aβ-PET–positive participants across the AD continuum (CU Aβ+, n = …

Research On The Factors Influencing New Tobacco Consumption Behavior, Yuqing Wen

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In the global environment of tobacco control, along with the increasing concern for health, electronic companies around the world have focused on the research and production of "non-combustible alternatives to cigarettes" to meet the psychology of consumers to quit smoking and the pursuit of fashion, and the most popular products are "Electronic Cigarette” (E-cig) and its similar products. In recent years, domestic E-cig-related products have gradually known by the public, with increasing exposure in the news media and rapid growth in sales. Among them, HnB E-cig has smoking taste closer to the characteristics of traditional cigarettes and therefore is gradually …

Intersections And Conflicts Between Adolescent Boys’ Musical Possible Selves, University Study, And Parent Values, Jason Goopy

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Adolescents require meaningful and achievable musical possible selves to imagine a future that includes music. Previous research has investigated how to support tertiary music students in their career identity development; however, adolescents make consequential decisions regarding future music study and career intentions in secondary school. This article reports on the intersections and conflicts between adolescent boys’ musical possible selves, university study intentions, and parent values. Research was conducted at an Australian independent K-12 boys’ school using one-on-one semi-structured interviews incorporating a “draw and tell” artifact elicitation technique with Year 12 students and their parents. Two resonating narratives of adolescent boys …

Toward A Synthesis Of The Board-Strategy Relationship: A Literature Review And Future Research Agenda, Pieter-Jan Bezemer, Amedeo Pugliese, Gavin Nicholson, Alessandro Zattoni

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Research Question/Issue

The strategy role of the board of directors is a contentious topic in both theory and practice and the debate on what boards should or should not do around firm strategy has intensified with changes in global corporate governance. Boards face interventionist regulatory developments, calls for changes in their composition, growing owner engagement, and societal questioning on the corporation's very purpose. With this review, we aim to assess how the research agenda in this area has evolved with these developments.

Research Findings/Results

Our analysis of 152 articles published in 45 high-quality journals between 2008 and 2020 reveals that …

Nursing Students Doing Gender: Implications For Higher Education And The Nursing Profession, Lesley J. Andrew, Ken Robinson, Julie Dare, Leesa N. Costello

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The average age of women nursing students in Australia is rising. With this comes the likelihood that more now begin university with family responsibilities, and with their lives structured by the roles of mother and partner. Women with more traditionally gendered ideas of these roles, such as nurturing others and self-sacrifice, are known to be attracted to nursing as a profession; once at university, however, these students can be vulnerable to gender role stress from the competing demands of study. A qualitative research design, guided by Gadamer's hermeneutic philosophy, explored the gendered behaviours and experiences of 22 women nursing students, …

Autonomy Versus Support: Self-Reliance And Help-Seeking For Mental Health Problems In Young People, Amelia Ishikawa, Debra Rickwood, Emily Bariola, Navjot Bhullar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose:

Many young people with mental ill-health do not seek support, and developmental growth in self-reliance may be a barrier to help-seeking. Increasing autonomy is a positive developmental task for youth and a key aspect of resilience. This study examined the influence of perceived social support and resilience on the previously unexamined relationship between self-reliance and intentions to seek help from informal, professional, and self-help sources for mental health problems.

Methods:

An online survey was completed by a representative Australian community sample of 5,203 young people aged 12–25 years (half female), in May–June 2020.

Results:

Path analysis showed the hypothesised …

Communety: Deep Learning-Based Face Recognition System For The Prediction Of Cohesive Communities, Syed Afaq Ali Shah, Weifeng Deng, Muhammad Aamir Cheema, Abdul Bais

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Effective mining of social media, which consists of a large number of users is a challenging task. Traditional approaches rely on the analysis of text data related to users to accomplish this task. However, text data lacks significant information about the social users and their associated groups. In this paper, we propose CommuNety, a deep learning system for the prediction of cohesive networks using face images from photo albums. The proposed deep learning model consists of hierarchical CNN architecture to learn descriptive features related to each cohesive network. The paper also proposes a novel Face Co-occurrence Frequency algorithm to quantify …