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Front Matter, Maya America Editors

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Includes Cover Art, Definitions, and Table of Contents

Introductory Note: Maya America Volume 7 Issue 1 2025, Robin Chancer, Alan Lebaron

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Maya America Volume 7 Issue 1 presents essays, commentaries, and literature that directly or indirectly address our theme for this journal issue: “Maya Cosmic Health.” The authors examine various topics of health, and the collective work addresses the meaning of health as understood through Maya cosmovision. The editors of this special issue aim to encourage bridge-building between Maya health cosmovision and biomedical or psychological practitioners. In addition, we recognize the opportunity to address rapidly changing technological realities, the responses of Maya peoples, and the emerging potentialities for partnerships.

Guatemalan Maya Women’S Attitudes Towards Biomedical Contraception After Migrating To The United States, Shreenaya Prabu, Iris Parshley, Robert Malkin

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Medical providers in the United States who discuss the use of contraceptives with Maya women migrants might discover strong reluctance and complex beliefs about the social and physical benefits of biomedical contraceptive measures. This research report presents information about contraceptive usage among Maya in Guatemala and how usage or attitudes toward contraception might have changed while living in the United States. The research team, during 2024, interviewed six adult female Guatemalan Maya refugees over Zoom to understand their thoughts toward contraceptive use before and after migrating. Discussion points included: lack of sexual education in Guatemala, health concerns arising from using …

Full Issue - Maya America V7, I1, Maya America Editors

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Full issue of Maya America, volume 7, issue 1.

Jose Suchite-Salguero V. Attorney General United States Of America

2025 Decisions

Agency

Exploring The Association Between Smartphone-Based Place Visitation Data And Neighborhood-Level Coronary Heart Disease In The United States, Temitope Akinboyewa, Zhenlong Li, Huan Ning, M. Naser Lessani, Louisa M. Holmes, Shan Qiao Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, affecting over 20.5 million adults. Previous studies link health behaviors – such as dietary behavior, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption – to CHD risk. These studies typically use surveys and interviews, which, despite their benefits, are resource-intensive and limited by small sample sizes. Using large-scale national level anonymized smartphone-based location data, our study examines whether health behaviors that are proxy measured by place visitation are associated with CHD prevalence across US census tracts. This study utilized data from multiple sources, including demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, …

Scent Of The South: Fragrance And Identity In The 19th Century, Sarah Donahua Peters

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the role of personal fragrance as a cultural marker in the 19th-century American South, examining how scent reflected identity, status, and social norms in a region shaped by colonialism, capitalism, and religious influence. Drawing on historical sources, botanical knowledge, and public history practices, the project traces the evolution of fragrance from home-crafted perfumes to mass-marketed products, highlighting how access to scent was shaped by race, class, and gender. Central to the thesis is a public history exhibition designed for the Esse Purse Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas, which invites visitors to engage with scent as a medium …

Understanding The Interplay Between The Digital And The Physical In Shared Augmented Reality Gaming: Probing Through Urban Legends, Jiangnan Xu, Sanzida Mojib Luna, Garreth W. Tigwell, Nicolas Lalone, Michael Saker, Samuli Laato, John Dunham, Yihong Wang, Alan Chamberlain, Konstantinos Papangelis

Articles

Shared Augmented Reality (Shared AR) is an emerging technology that enables multiple users to interact synchronously within a collocated AR environment. Yet, there is limited research on the group interactions and dynamics in Shared AR, particularly in the context of gaming. To address this gap, we investigate Shared AR group interactions using a phone-based Shared AR mobile game called Urban Legends. Through in-situ observations, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews with 22 participants, we examine how users collaborate and communicate within the game. Our findings reveal that while verbal communication predominates, non-verbal cues are often overlooked by collocated participants, and …

People’S Plate: The Recipe For Equitable Food Distribution, Bayleigh Nicole Thurston

Theses

Food insecurity remains a pressing issue in the United States that disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, leaving millions without access to nutritious meals. In 2023 alone, over 50 million people turned to food assistance programs for additional support1. While traditional nutrition programs like food banks and soup kitchens provide a vital service to many communities, they often lack the capacity to address the multifaceted nature of hunger. The social stigma and alienation associated with seeking food assistance become of little concern when organizations are grappling with daunting challenges of limited resources, logistical hurdles, and the need to provide quality, nutritious meals. …

Disentangling The Effect Of Criminal Legal System Involvement On Mental Health In The United States, Pui Ying Chan

Dissertations and Theses

BACKGROUND: Interactions with the criminal legal system (CLS), such as through arrest or incarceration, are relatively common in the United States (US) and are increasingly recognized as social risk factors for poor mental health. Previous studies have reported a positive association between CLS involvement and poor mental health, with some theoretical frameworks, including the ecosocial theory and the stress process paradigm, supporting a plausible causal relationship. However, prior research has significant limitations in providing casual evidence given possible reverse causation in cross-sectional studies and insufficient consideration for the dynamics between CLS exposures, mental health status, and related confounders over time …

August 14, 2025, James Madison University

The Breeze, 2020-

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Career: Flavones As Safe, Sustainable Additives To Tune Biodegradable Plastic Stability, Kyle Moor

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Executive Functioning And Mental Health In Emerging Adults: Type 1 Diabetes Status As A Moderator, Hannah Margot Mcdaniel

Theses and Dissertations

Emerging adults (ages 18-26) with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are especially vulnerable to diabetes management challenges when taking on increased disease responsibility during this critical period of development. They may experience higher cognitive and psychological demands compared to peers. The study examined whether having T1DM moderated the association between executive functioning (EF) and mental health symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress, and disordered eating) in emerging adults. Exploratory analyses investigated the associations between EF, disease management, and mental health symptoms. Participants were 35 emerging adults with T1DM and 35 healthy controls. Participants completed questionnaire measures of mental health and performance-based …

Using The Epic (Exposure, Persuasion, Identification, And Commitment) To Develop A Measure Of Student Buy-In To Laboratory Learning Goals, Elizabeth Blanche Vaughan, A. Montoya-Cowan, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Buy-in has been described as the series of judgements students make when deciding to engage with a pedagogical practice. Buy-in to pedagogical practices is known to have a meaningful impact on students’ engagement in learning environments, making it a construct of interest for researchers and practitioners. This study develops a measure of student buy-in to faculty defined laboratory learning goals by adapting an existing measure which operationalizes the construct in terms of Exposure, Persuasion, Identification, and Commitment (EPIC). The adapted measure presented in this study, deemed the EPIC-LaG (Laboratory Goals), was developed using learning goals for general and organic chemistry …

Unpalatable: Stories Of Pain And Pleasure In Southern Cookbooks, Adam Johnson

The Southeastern Librarian

Carrie Helms Tippen Jackson: University Press of Mississippi , 2024 ISBN: 9781496854803 264 p. $30.00 (Pbk)

An Interview With Dan Leach, Author Of Junah At The End Of The World, Melissa Lockaby

The Southeastern Librarian

Dan Leach Spartanburg: Hub City Press, 2025 ISBN: 9798885740494 217 p. $17.95 (Pbk)

From Livestream To Table: Psychological Drivers Of Purchase Intention In Restaurant Livestreaming, Qingchuo Zhang, Rong Huang, Qian Chen, Jinhua Zhang

Plymouth Business School

Purpose – Restaurant livestreaming, where consumers interact with real-time digital content that promotesphysical dining experiences, has emerged as a distinctive form of digital marketing. It integrates onlineengagement with offline consumption in a novel way.Design/methodology/approach – Thisstudy builds upon the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework.It incorporates insights from flow theory and perceived value theory to examine how emotional immersion andcognitive evaluation influence consumer purchase intentions in the context of restaurant livestreaming.A structural model is then tested using survey data collected from 482 livestream consumers.Findings – Using a sequential mixed methods design, this study first identifies key environmental stimuli throughin-depth interviews. These stimuli include …

Post-Fire Succession In An Old-Growth Coast Redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens) Forest In The Santa Cruz Mountain Bioregion, Mojgan Mahdizadeh

Master's Theses

Fire is a common disturbance in the western United States, and variation in its frequency and intensity can significantly impact species recovery and distribution across ecosystems. While fire frequency and intensity are increasing in coast redwood forests, little is known about how this forest type responds to high-intensity wildfires. In 2020, a high-intensity wildfire burned large portions of the coast redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains, including over 1,700 ha of old-growth. This event created a unique opportunity to evaluate post-fire succession. This research assessed vegetation recovery across high and low to moderate severity burned areas using random sampling …

Warehouse Management Practices And Retail Supermarkets Performance: The Case Of Ugandan Retail Supermarkets, Gerald Zachary Paga Tinali, Shallon Mpirirwe, Patrick Christopher Singogo

Business Management Review

This study examined the role of warehouse management practices on the retail supermarkets' performance in Uganda. The study was guided by Dynamic Capabilities Theory and empirical literature to develop research hypotheses. The study employed a cross-sectional research design with a quantitative approach, and a structured questionnaire was used as the main instrument for data collection. The study used partial least squares structural equation modelling aided by Smart PLS to validate measures of constructs employed in the model and test the hypotheses using data from 100 key respondents from warehouse and operations units of retail supermarkets in Uganda. Findings indicate that …

Staff Education To Reduce Compassion Fatigue Among Emergency Department Nurses, Ruth Anne Dirschuweit

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

I created this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project as a staff education initiative to inform emergency department (ED) nurses about the emotional toll of caring for patients in distress. This condition, known as compassion fatigue (CF), is characterized by emotional exhaustion from ongoing exposure to trauma and can lead to increased stress, reduced job satisfaction, and a decline in care quality. A gap in staff support and coping strategies was identified among frontline nurses in a large, urban healthcare environment. I developed the project to increase nurses’ knowledge and self-awareness of CF through an evidence-based educational session. The guiding …

Ocean And Coastal Acidification Monitoring Priorities For The Northeast Us And Eastern Canada, Christopher Hunt, Austin Pugh, Jake Kritzer, Samantha Siedlecki, Kumiko Azetsu-Scott, Parker Gassett, Diane Lavoie, Adam Pimenta, Amy Trice, Elizabeth Turner

Faculty Publications

The Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification Monitoring Prioritization Plan 2024 calls for Coastal Acidification Networks to identify the ocean and coastal acidification (OCA) monitoring needs most important for their regions. The Northeast Coastal Acidification Network (NECAN) organized a webinar series to study regional needs, which culminated with a workshop in November 2023. This workshop led to the identification of six priority new Monitoring Needs in addition to the maintenance of current monitoring efforts:

• Improve spatial and temporal scale of monitoring co-located OCA variables and biological measurements to better resolve variability of acidification dynamics in concert with biological processes …

Solving A Nonhomogeneous Differential Equation And Error Analysis, Tayler Braga, Maryam Khazaei Pool

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Linear nonhomogeneous differential equations appear in many physical, biological, and engineering systems where input or forcing terms act on otherwisse linerar dynamics. Solving such equations helps model real-world phenomena, ranging from population growth under external influencse to the otion of damped systems with external forcing. The ability to compare exact olutions with numerical and matrix-based approximations is crucial for understanding th accuracy and limitations of each approach.

Defining Antisemitism Or Activism?: An Analysis Of Congressional Debate Over The Antisemitism Awareness Act Of 2023, John Carpenter

University Honors Theses

Introduced amid widespread campus protests against the Israeli militarys actions in the Gaza Strip, the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (AAA) directs the Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism during investigations of potential discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. This study investigates congressional debate on the AAA using the Discourse Historical Approach to Critical Discourse Analysis to assess how members of Congress portray the victims and perpetrators of antisemitism and whether these portrayals align with the stated aim to "improve safety and security for Jewish Communities." Findings reveal that …

Re: Butte Mine Flooding Site Cd, Cv 02-35 Bu-Rfc, 2025 Second Quarter Report, Mark Thompson, Dave Griffis

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Middle School Special Education Math Teachers’ Perceptions On The Use Of Quality-Plus Teaching Strategies, Lisa Williams Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed through this study was that middle school special education math teachers’ use of quality-plus teaching strategies (QPTS) is not known at a large Georgia school district (GSD, a pseudonym). The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore middle school special education math teachers’ perceptions about using QPTS to improve standardized test scores for students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) at GSD. The study was grounded in Piaget’s theory of constructivism, which holds that knowledge is best gained through a process of action, reflection, construction, and the interaction of experiences and ideas. For this basic qualitative …

Adolescent Social Media Use During Covid-19 Isolation And Subsequent Loneliness, Anxiety, And Depression, Nadine Dalheim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents spent time in social isolation from their peers due to periods of mandated lockdown. It was unclear how social media use during lockdown could have influenced adolescents’ mental health after the pandemic. Psychosocial development theory and self-socialization theory formed the theoretical framework for this study. This study examined 158 adolescents aged 13-17 who experienced lockdowns and movement restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The independent variables were a) the social media sites most frequented during lockdowns, and b) the purposes of their use. The RCADS and the UCLA Loneliness Scale provided participants’ levels of anxiety, depression, …

Establishing Policies And Standards To Implement Socially Sustainable Practices, Josephine Joe Wiles-Warner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Liberia and sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries lag behind the rest of the world due to substandard social and physical infrastructure development. Poverty is persistently increasing, and fewer than half of the countries in SSA did not meet the development goal for reducing extreme poverty. SSA countries could progress much faster by developing their core infrastructure and reforming their institutions. The purpose of the qualitative, policy Delphi study was to determine how a panel of 16 purposively selected global experts on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) in multinational organizations in the United States and Africa view the desirability, feasibility, …

Phenotypic Evaluation Of F10 Soybean Generations From Grobogan X Slamet Cross For Large Seed Size Selection, Ponendi Hidayat, Nurtiati, Zulfa Ulinnuha, Adellansyah

Jurnal Kultivasi

Soybeans are an important crop with high nutritional value and diverse uses. Current consumer and industry preference is for soybean varieties with large seeds and high productivity. To meet these demands, one effective approach is through hybridization. This study aims to evaluate the phenotype of F10 soybean line from a cross between Grobogan and Slamet for large-seeded and high-yield. The study was conducted in the screenhouse and Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Jenderal Soedirman University. The experiment used a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications, testing genotypes from Slamet x Grobogan crosses and three check …

Effect Of Eco-Enzyme Application On Soil Nutrient And Plant Productivity Of Green Mustard-Peanut In Inceptisol, Idris Abd Rachman, Buhari Umasugi, Krishna Aji, Nurul Fahira A Hakim, Adnan Sofyan, Asrul Dedy Ali Hasan

Jurnal Kultivasi

Appropriate land management has a long-term impact on soil performance and is believed to improve soil fertility. This study investigated the effect of eco-enzymes on soil nutrients and plant productivity of green mustard-peanut in inceptisol. The research was conducted from February to April 2025. The experiment used a randomized block design (RBD) consisting of 5 treatments and replicated 3 times, so that there were 15 units, including N0 = without Eco-enzyme, N1 = Eco-enzyme 2cc/L. N2= Eco-enzyme 4cc/L, N3= Eco-enzyme 6cc/L, and N4= Eco-enzyme 8cc/L. The commodities used were green mustard (Brassica juncea L) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea Linn). Soil …

Career: Algebra And Representation Theory For Non-Semisimple Topological Field Theory, Matthew Young

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.