Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 68311 - 68340 of 1824816

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Calibration And Validation Of The Thermal Finite Element Model For Er120s-G Wire Arc Directed Energy Deposition Using Infrared Cameras And Thermocouples, Joshua Mykl Bassett Aug 2025

Calibration And Validation Of The Thermal Finite Element Model For Er120s-G Wire Arc Directed Energy Deposition Using Infrared Cameras And Thermocouples, Joshua Mykl Bassett

Theses and Dissertations

Wire Arc Directed Energy Deposition (WA-DED) is a promising additive manufacturing method for producing large metallic components with high deposition rates and low costs. However, its rapid heat input can lead to residual stress, microstructural changes, and dimensional inaccuracies. Accurate thermal modeling is essential to mitigate these effects. This study presents a thermal calibration of a finite element model (FEM) for ER120S-G using thermocouples and infrared (IR) imaging. Thermal data were gathered from three experiments to complete the calibration of the FEM . Calibration focused on tuning the Goldak heat source parameters, power efficiency, and heat transfer coefficients to minimize …

Go to article

Tools We Use: Evaluating Uav And Photogrammetry Workflows For Early-Stage Site Documentation; Comparative Analysis For Small Landscape Architecture Firms, Bryant Baugus Aug 2025

Tools We Use: Evaluating Uav And Photogrammetry Workflows For Early-Stage Site Documentation; Comparative Analysis For Small Landscape Architecture Firms, Bryant Baugus

Theses and Dissertations

Landscape architects utilize advanced technologies in the design process. Advancements in automation and data capture have opened up new opportunities for UAVs and photogrammetry to produce high-resolution imagery, contours, and 3D models. By leveraging UAVs early in the design process, landscape architects are able to maximize advantages: site analysis through computational software, 3D sectional information, and hydrology prediction. This research focuses specifically on the advantages UAVs offer compared to established workflow methods. It examines four unique workflows for early-stage site documentation: capturing the site with UAVs through photogrammetry, generating a site plan from publicly available GIS data, gathering information from …

Go to article

Development And Application Of A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Panel For Individual Identification And Population Genetic Assessment Of Swamp Rabbits, Chloe S. Beall Aug 2025

Development And Application Of A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Panel For Individual Identification And Population Genetic Assessment Of Swamp Rabbits, Chloe S. Beall

Theses and Dissertations

Swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) are a potentially useful indicator species for bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem health and can be monitored using fecal pellet surveys. Advances in genetic sequencing technology have allowed researchers to obtain genetic information about wildlife using non-invasive sampling. Genotyping-in-thousands by sequencing (GT-seq) allows researchers to target specific genetic markers selected to meet their objectives, such as differentiating individuals. We investigated the utility of GT-seq for genotyping DNA derived from swamp rabbit fecal pellets. We designed a GT-seq panel for swamp rabbits, then tested the panel on fecal samples collected in the Mississippi Delta. We developed a real …

Go to article

Extreme Artifacts Removal With Curriculum Learning, Sushant Gautam Aug 2025

Extreme Artifacts Removal With Curriculum Learning, Sushant Gautam

Theses and Dissertations

Restoring severely blurred images remains a significant challenge in computer vision, impacting applications in autonomous driving, medical imaging, and photography. This thesis introduces a novel training strategy based on curriculum learning to improve the robustness of deep learning models for extreme image deblurring. Unlike conventional approaches that train on only low to moderate blur levels, this method progressively increases the difficulty by introducing images with higher blur severity over time, allowing the model to adapt incrementally. Additionally, perceptual loss and hinge loss were integrated during training to enhance fine detail restoration and improve training stability. Various curriculum learning strategies were …

Go to article

Towards Applying Artificial Intelligence To Solve Np-Complete Problems Using Quantum Computing, Andrew Robert Haverly Aug 2025

Towards Applying Artificial Intelligence To Solve Np-Complete Problems Using Quantum Computing, Andrew Robert Haverly

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the methodology for more thoroughly entangling artificial intelligence and quantum computing. This is explored through a background search of problems solved using Grover’s quantum algorithm, a new quantum protein folding and drug discovery algorithm, using Grover’s algorithm to train quantum artificial neural networks, using quantum artificial neural networks for reinforcement learning, mapping classical assembly instructions to quantum circuits to make quantum programming easier, and using prompt engineering to get a classical artificial intelligence agent to solve an NP-Complete problem using a Grover’s algorithm. This method not only simplifies the creation of algorithms but also opens new avenues …

Go to article

Topnet R1: A Multi-Stage Ai Framework For Topic Discovery In Scientific Abstracts, Md Elias Hossain Aug 2025

Topnet R1: A Multi-Stage Ai Framework For Topic Discovery In Scientific Abstracts, Md Elias Hossain

Theses and Dissertations

Scientific abstracts are rich sources of knowledge, yet extracting meaningful topics remains challenging due to limitations in existing topic modeling techniques. Traditional methods often struggle with interpretability, scalability, and contextual understanding. To overcome these issues, we introduce TopNet R1, a multi-stage ensemble framework that integrates traditional topic models with contextual embeddings from Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) and Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4 (GPT-4) large language models (LLMs). Top- Net R1 operates in three phases: (1) topic generation using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), Non-Negative Matrix Factorization (NMF), Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA), and Hierarchical Dirichlet Process (HDP); (2) LLM-assisted pattern recognition …

Go to article

Documenting Children’S Use, Physical Activity, And Social Play In Tom Lee Park’S Playscape, Laurel Kelton Aug 2025

Documenting Children’S Use, Physical Activity, And Social Play In Tom Lee Park’S Playscape, Laurel Kelton

Theses and Dissertations

The benefits of nature and physical activity on children’s health and development are well documented. However, many children lack access to nature and physical activity. Researchers have found that “innovative playgrounds” —which, by definition, are more likely to include natural elements that facilitate nature immersion— are associated with increased physical activity and duration of stay. This thesis is a case study of a public innovative playground at Tom Lee Park. It sought to understand the playground’s areas and physical characteristics that have higher levels of use, physical activity, and social play and longer durations of stay. Data was collected over …

Go to article

Spray Characterization And Fuel Property Analysis Of Tier 3 Gasoline In A Gdi System Using Machine Learning, Kyungwon Lee Aug 2025

Spray Characterization And Fuel Property Analysis Of Tier 3 Gasoline In A Gdi System Using Machine Learning, Kyungwon Lee

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the spray behavior of Tier 3 gasoline in gasoline direct injection engines using experimental methods. Tier 3 gasoline, formulated with lower sulfur content, enhances aftertreatment system efficiency and supports cleaner combustion. A comparative fuel property analysis between Tier 3 gasoline and PACE-20, surrogate fuel, was conducted to understand compositional effects on spray. A constant volume spray chamber and optical diagnostics, including diffuse back-illumination extinction, Schlieren, microscopic, and 3D CT reconstruction imaging, were used to examine spray morphology under varying injection conditions. Key spray parameters such as liquid volume fraction, projected liquid volume, droplet size, and cone angle …

Go to article

Finite Element Modeling Of Plasma Membrane Injury From Mechanical Stress: A Combined Finite Element And Machine Learning Approach, Eric Flynn Mabowitz Aug 2025

Finite Element Modeling Of Plasma Membrane Injury From Mechanical Stress: A Combined Finite Element And Machine Learning Approach, Eric Flynn Mabowitz

Theses and Dissertations

Low back pain is a leading cause of disability across a wide range of occupations and environments. Exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) has been linked to an increased prevalence of low back pain, as well as certain neurophysiological complications. While current understanding of WBV effects is largely based on tissue- and whole-body-level studies, a significant gap remains in knowledge regarding how vibrational forces propagate through individual cells. This knowledge gap limits a comprehensive understanding of how these forces affect the human body at the microscopic level. To address this, the present study employs both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) finite …

Go to article

Exploring The Use Of A Random Forest In Correcting Gfs Tropical Cyclone Landfall Errors, Victoria Grace Maxwell Aug 2025

Exploring The Use Of A Random Forest In Correcting Gfs Tropical Cyclone Landfall Errors, Victoria Grace Maxwell

Theses and Dissertations

While Tropical Cyclone (TC) track forecasting has improved over the years it has been slow. These improvements can be attributed to increased computer capability and better model inputs. Machine learning has been used for forecasting different TC track and intensity. The study here looks to use a Random Forest to predict the TC latitude/longitude “landfall” at 72-hr and quantify improvements to the GFS forecast. Principal Component Analysis was used to reduce the dimensionality of the meteorological variables. Stepwise regression was used to determine the principal components that were important for forecasting landfall. These variables were then tested with a multivariate …

Go to article

Family Matters: How Caregiver Influence And Internal Locus Of Control Relate To Academics, Maia Mclin Aug 2025

Family Matters: How Caregiver Influence And Internal Locus Of Control Relate To Academics, Maia Mclin

Theses and Dissertations

Academics in college predicts life outcomes; students from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds often face greater challenges. One such population, consisting of many individuals from marginalized backgrounds, are those raised by nontraditional parents. This study investigated predictors of academics among 357 college students, examining authoritative parenting style, intrinsic motivation, academic locus of control (LoC), SES, and caregiver type (parental vs. non-traditional). Academics was assessed using two composite scores: 'academic knowledge' (GPA/ACT) and 'compensatory attention' (working memory via n-back task accuracy and attention/concentration via SMALSI-C). Hierarchical regressions revealed that higher authoritative parenting, higher SES, and being raised by biological parents significantly …

Go to article

Unboxing The Black Box: Graph-Based Interpretability In Transformer Models, Ramak Nassiri Aug 2025

Unboxing The Black Box: Graph-Based Interpretability In Transformer Models, Ramak Nassiri

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis introduces a novel interpretability framework for transformer encoder models by hypothesizing that their internal embedding updates define a state transition system. We propose that transformers implicitly learn token-to-token influence dynamics, which can be analyzed using graph-theoretic methods. To validate this, we construct transition graphs from embedding changes and rank token importance using the PageRank algorithm. We develop two transformer models from scratch: a self-supervised model that incorporates serotype tokens to learn contextualized embeddings, and a supervised model initialized with these embeddings. Cosine similarity analysis of their token influence patterns reveals strong structural alignment, with values exceeding 93%. This …

Go to article

Evaluating The Impacts Of Cover Crops At Different Nitrogen Rates On Soil Microbial Dynamics Within A Sweetpotato Production System, Lahari Nekkalapudi Aug 2025

Evaluating The Impacts Of Cover Crops At Different Nitrogen Rates On Soil Microbial Dynamics Within A Sweetpotato Production System, Lahari Nekkalapudi

Theses and Dissertations

A field study was conducted from 2023 to 2024 at Pontotoc, Mississippi, to evaluate the effects of cover crops and nitrogen (N) fertilizer on soil microbial communities in sweet potato production. The study followed a randomized split-block design with three cover crops (Clover, Wheat, and Fallow) and three N rates (0, 50, and 100 lb N acre⁻¹), each replicated four times. Soil samples were collected at cover crop termination, sweet potato planting, and harvest. Bacterial and fungal communities were analyzed using Illumina HiSeq sequencing. Soil properties such as total carbon, total nitrogen, pH, POXC, and microbial activity (AWCD) were also …

Go to article

In Good Times & Bad: Measuring Ambivalence In Custodial Grandparents, Marin Gail Olson Aug 2025

In Good Times & Bad: Measuring Ambivalence In Custodial Grandparents, Marin Gail Olson

Theses and Dissertations

Like other forms of caregivers, custodial grandparents experience both the joys and trials of raising their grandchildren. This culmination of positive and negative feelings is called “caregiver ambivalence." It has only recently been studied in relation to caregiver burden and wellness in the form of caregiver ambivalence theory (CAT). By collecting data from approximately 395 custodial grandparents via an online survey, the current study aimed to test if custodial grandparents’ feelings of burden influence their perceived well-being and if feelings of ambivalence mediate this relation. Implications of this research include identifying areas of strength and growth within custodial grandparents and …

Go to article

Motivating Factors Leading To Job Satisfaction Of Teacher Assistants And Their Perceptions Of Such, Jon Oswalt Aug 2025

Motivating Factors Leading To Job Satisfaction Of Teacher Assistants And Their Perceptions Of Such, Jon Oswalt

Theses and Dissertations

This research study investigated the role perceptions, motivating factors, and perceptions of job satisfaction from the perspective of elementary teacher assistants. While key in the field of education, research focused on the position of teacher assistant is lacking, suggesting the need for a critical view of the role. A qualitative study was designed to examine the key components of the perceptions of job satisfaction, the motivating factors leading to it, and the perceptions of the position through the lens of the teacher assistant. Five elementary teacher assistants from a single school in a southern state participated in semi-structured interviews. Key …

Go to article

Neural Architecture Search-Driven Unsupervised Domain Adaptation For Enhanced Wood Chip Quality Evaluation In Forest Industries, Abdur Rahman Aug 2025

Neural Architecture Search-Driven Unsupervised Domain Adaptation For Enhanced Wood Chip Quality Evaluation In Forest Industries, Abdur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Reliable and efficient measurement of wood chip moisture content is crucial for forest-reliant industries, including biofuel production, pulp and paper manufacturing, and bio-refineries, as it directly influences product quality and energy output. Traditional methods like the oven-drying technique, despite their widespread use, are time-consuming and impractical for real-time applications, while modern alternatives such as NIR spectroscopy, electrical capacitance, and microwave analysis are often costly, less portable, and require specialized expertise. This dissertation addresses these limitations by leveraging deep learning and machine vision to develop a scalable, accurate, and portable method for moisture content measurement using RGB images of wood chips. …

Go to article

Mastering Skills Together: Effects Of Video Modeling On Parent-Implemented Academic Intervention, Chelsea S. Thorpe Aug 2025

Mastering Skills Together: Effects Of Video Modeling On Parent-Implemented Academic Intervention, Chelsea S. Thorpe

Theses and Dissertations

Reading proficiency is a fundamental skill for academic success and long-term developmental outcomes. Yet, despite ongoing efforts to strengthen literacy education, a significant number of students continue to face reading difficulties that hinder comprehension, critical thinking, and overall academic achievement. National data demonstrate the urgency of this issue. The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that 40% of fourth-grade students and 33% of eighth-grade students scored below the Basic level in reading, marking the highest rate on record for eighth graders. Early reading challenges can often lead to other academic and psychosocial challenges such as low achievement, low …

Go to article

Non-Thermal Dbd Plasma-Induced Co₂ Capture And Conversion To Value Added Chemicals, Chinwendu Theresa Umeojiakor Aug 2025

Non-Thermal Dbd Plasma-Induced Co₂ Capture And Conversion To Value Added Chemicals, Chinwendu Theresa Umeojiakor

Theses and Dissertations

Electrified CO2 conversion via nonthermal dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) plasma presents a promising pathway for integrating renewable energy into the carbon cycle, addressing the dual challenges of CO2 reduction and sustainable fuel generation. In this research, DBD plasma technology was integrated with a sorbent material and/or catalytic materials for CO2 desorption and conversion. Specifically, with Ni/Al2O3 as the catalyst, we investigated CO2 splitting (CO2 to CO and 0.5O2) and hydrogenation (CO2 and H2 to CO and H2O) under adiabatic and subcooled conditions. We find that CO2 splitting shows higher efficiency than hydrogenation, particularly at relatively lower power inputs. While CO2 hydrogenation …

Go to article

Bridging Physics And Machine Learning: Physics-Informed Neural Networks (Pinn) For Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing (Waam) Thermal Prediction, Haiye (Justin) Xie Aug 2025

Bridging Physics And Machine Learning: Physics-Informed Neural Networks (Pinn) For Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing (Waam) Thermal Prediction, Haiye (Justin) Xie

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, additive manufacturing (AM) has gained substantial use in industry and research. It is a promising alternative to traditional subtractive and casting manufacturing. AM not only saves time and materials but can also construct intricate structures within components for specific purposes. Wire-Arc Directed Energy Deposition (WA-DED) is one of the additive manufacturing technologies that offers a high extrusion rate of metal wire materials to fabricate near-net-shape metal components. Accurate temperature control is crucial for controlling the microstructure of metal components fabricated through the AM process. Machine learning has the ability to analyze real-time sensor data, such as …

Go to article

Optical Trapping For The Study Of The Chemical And Physical Dynamics Of Single Particles, Yukai Ai Aug 2025

Optical Trapping For The Study Of The Chemical And Physical Dynamics Of Single Particles, Yukai Ai

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the combined technique of optical trapping and Raman spectroscopy (OT-RS) to study the physical and chemical properties, as well as the dynamic surface changes, of single aerosol particles in air. The study covers a wide range of aerosol types, including bioaerosols (such as pollen, bacteria, and fungi), dust particles (such as black carbon, terrestrial, and extraterrestrial materials), and liquid droplets (such as sea-spray aerosols). The optical trapping system used in this work is based on the universal optical trap (UOT), which is capable of trapping and manipulating a wide variety of particle types. These include both transparent …

Go to article

Policy Recommendations For Higher Education Institutions To Begin Advancing From Digital Transformation To Bifurcation, Noel Fitzpatrick, Paul Hayes, Jan Cornelius Schmidt, Ester Toribio-Roura, Ceri Almrott, Camila D’Bastiani, Dominik Gager, Gerald Gallagher, Paul Grimm, Alessandra Sannella, Stela Stoykova Aug 2025

Policy Recommendations For Higher Education Institutions To Begin Advancing From Digital Transformation To Bifurcation, Noel Fitzpatrick, Paul Hayes, Jan Cornelius Schmidt, Ester Toribio-Roura, Ceri Almrott, Camila D’Bastiani, Dominik Gager, Gerald Gallagher, Paul Grimm, Alessandra Sannella, Stela Stoykova

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Effects Of Psychological Arousal And Relaxation On Muscle Performance, Activation, And Heart Rate Variability During Maximal Muscle Strength And Precision Tasks, Allison Ann Brown Aug 2025

Effects Of Psychological Arousal And Relaxation On Muscle Performance, Activation, And Heart Rate Variability During Maximal Muscle Strength And Precision Tasks, Allison Ann Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Psychological arousal plays a vital role in athletic performance, with the optimal point of arousal and performance level varying by task complexity. A common manipulator of arousal is music, which can produce multiple physiological effects. This study investigated whether unfamiliar arousing or relaxing music influences heart rate variability, muscle activation, maximal muscle strength, and muscle precision. Theoretically, if participants are found to have differing muscle performance responses as a result of differing music selections, this would further support the notion that the optimal point of arousal and performance is dependent upon the complexity of the task at hand. Thus, coaches …

Go to article

Variables That Affect Designers’ Use Of Edible Planting In Residential Landscape Design, Emily Margaret Butler Aug 2025

Variables That Affect Designers’ Use Of Edible Planting In Residential Landscape Design, Emily Margaret Butler

Theses and Dissertations

Edible landscaping or “foodscaping” has had a resurgence into the mainstream. Though many trailblazers aim to encourage edible landscaping through homeowners and renters, there seems to be a lack of initiative from designers. To identify the variables that can affect a designer’s use of edible planting in the residential Southeastern United States, research and statistical methods were employed. Beyond interviewing an expert in the field of edible planting in the residential space, a survey consisting of both Likert and open-ended questions was sent to licensed landscape architects in the Southeastern U.S. The survey was conducted using Qualtrics and analyzed using …

Go to article

Soil Ethics In Practice: Harvesting Conservation Choices Among Puerto Rican Coffee Farmers, Patricia Marie Cordero-Irizarry Aug 2025

Soil Ethics In Practice: Harvesting Conservation Choices Among Puerto Rican Coffee Farmers, Patricia Marie Cordero-Irizarry

Theses and Dissertations

Coffee farming in Puerto Rico has declined over recent decades, partly due to deteriorating soil quality. However, the decision-making process behind farmers’ adoption of soil conservation practices remains unclear, particularly the overlooked role of soil ethics, which emphasizes the moral principles guiding human relationships with the soil. This mixed-methods study examined coffee farmers’ adoption of soil conservation practices by integrating the Values-Beliefs-Norms (VBN) theory and a newly developed Soil Ethics Survey (SES) instrument for the quantitative component, while using Decision-Making Theory and Social Cognitive Theory to qualitatively explore how farmers’ experiences and reflections shape their soil ethics. Quantitative findings revealed …

Go to article

Ex Vivo Evaluation Of Polyethylene Cable Compared To Stainless Steel Cerclage Wire In A Canine Fracture Model, Seila Natasha Day Aug 2025

Ex Vivo Evaluation Of Polyethylene Cable Compared To Stainless Steel Cerclage Wire In A Canine Fracture Model, Seila Natasha Day

Theses and Dissertations

A long oblique osteotomy model was created using paired canine cadaveric femurs. The osteotomies were stabilized with either three ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) cables (n=10) or three 18 gauge stainless steel loop cerclage wires (n=10). Cyclic testing was performed in four-point bending by applying increasing force at 2 Hz until construct failure, defined as ≥2mm of actuator displacement. Data analyzed included cycles to failure, load at failure, and dynamic stiffness. There was no statistically significant difference in any of the outcomes tested between constructs. Visible loosening was noted in all loop cerclage constructs. No visible loosening of the UHMWPE …

Go to article

Social Validity Of Functional Analysis Variations, Rita M. Druffner Aug 2025

Social Validity Of Functional Analysis Variations, Rita M. Druffner

Theses and Dissertations

The functional analysis was developed to systematically identify the antecedent and consequent conditions mediating challenging behavior. Modifications to the traditional procedures have been developed to address barriers to implementation, including duration, environmental control, and safety. Much of the research surrounding functional analyses addresses effectiveness, barriers to implementation, and practitioner acceptability. However, there is a lack of research assessing caregiver social validity of functional analysis procedures. Social validity is the assessment of the goals, procedures, and outcomes of behavior analytic practice. Even though there has been advocacy for including measures of social within behavior analytic research and practice, there is limited …

Go to article

Regulating Artificial Intelligence In The U.S.: A Historical-Innovation-Inspired Framework, Di Kevin Gao Aug 2025

Regulating Artificial Intelligence In The U.S.: A Historical-Innovation-Inspired Framework, Di Kevin Gao

Theses and Dissertations

The emergence of OpenAI\textquotesingle s ChatGPT has marked the dawn of a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) era, unleashing a wave of user excitement, moral panic, and apocalyptic warnings. Yet, these concerns have done little to slow the breakneck pace of AI development and deployment. Should the United States adopt the European Union\textquotesingle s top-down, legislation-first approach, or follow the United Kingdom\textquotesingle s bottom-up, court-driven model? This research draws from historical legislative parallels in the U.S. By examining past regulatory frameworks for disruptive technologies, including electricity, automobiles, the telephone, broadband internet, nuclear technology, cryptocurrency, commodity futures, modern pharmaceuticals, and social media, …

Go to article

Understanding How Nws Meteorologists Tailor Hazardous Weather Messaging To Core Partners And Identify Local Vulnerabilities, Allison Camille Harvey Aug 2025

Understanding How Nws Meteorologists Tailor Hazardous Weather Messaging To Core Partners And Identify Local Vulnerabilities, Allison Camille Harvey

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few decades, the National Weather Service (NWS) has continued to improve impact-based decision support services (IDSS) efforts to strengthen communication with core partners. This study addressed how a new spatially hazard-specific vulnerability tool called the Brief Vulnerability Overview Tool (BVOT) may impact how NWS meteorologists tailor messaging to their core partners. It was found that relationship building between NWS meteorologists and core partners is key to enhancing trust, especially during blue sky days. This was done by learning core partners’ needs, thresholds, and communication styles when presenting weather information. Core partners also noticed cues from NWS meteorologists …

Go to article

My Grandparents Raised Me: The Role Of Formative Individual And Family Experiences In Predicting Emerging Adult Substance Use, Attachment, And Mental Health Outcomes, Acacia Lopez Aug 2025

My Grandparents Raised Me: The Role Of Formative Individual And Family Experiences In Predicting Emerging Adult Substance Use, Attachment, And Mental Health Outcomes, Acacia Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals raised in a grandfamily, or family structure in which a grandparent raises their grandchildren, experience higher rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), insecure attachment, and negative mental health outcomes during childhood. Literature on outcomes of these individuals across the lifespan is extremely limited, however, and it is unclear how formative individual and family experiences of being raised by grandparents carry into emerging adulthood (e.g., 18 to 25-years-old). Emerging adulthood is a developmental stage marked by significant instability and unpredictability that is linked with increased vulnerability to mental health concerns and substance use. It has been identified as an important …

Go to article

Older Adult Men’S Well-Being: The Impact Of Masculinity And Negative Perceptions Of Aging, Darby D. Mackenstadt Aug 2025

Older Adult Men’S Well-Being: The Impact Of Masculinity And Negative Perceptions Of Aging, Darby D. Mackenstadt

Theses and Dissertations

Stereotype embodiment theory states that individuals who hold negative aging stereotypes may internalize them, and thus view their own aging process as negative. This study aimed to evaluate how older adult men may be influenced by their adherence to masculinity standards, such as men are expected to be strong and independent, in older adulthood. A sample of 438 men aged 55 and older living in the southern United States was analyzed, finding that beliefs of masculinity moderated the relationship between negative perceptions of aging and depression. Participants who reported a high adherence to masculinity beliefs and a negative perception of …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last