Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Psychological Profile Of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athletes, Leandro De Lorenco-Lima

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Martial arts and combat sports have been shown to influence several desirable psychological factors positively. This quantitative study aimed to explore the differences in mental strength, resilience, grit, self-efficacy, self-control, aggression, life satisfaction, and mental health between belt ranks in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) athletes. A sample of 410 BJJ participants (323 males and 87 females) from 18 to 60 years of age was included in this study. Data was collected anonymously via Google Form and included the Mental Strength Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, Grit Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Brief Self-Control Scale, Brief Aggression Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Mental Health …

The Forgotten American Heroes: A Phenomenological Study, Lynda Burke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study explored the experiences of service providers who work first-hand with homeless veterans in Tennessee. Americans seem to view homeless people as inferior to others without considering the factors that have led these individuals to become homeless. They fail to acknowledge the hardships they face, the daily challenges to their mental health, and the invisible wounds that go unnoticed and are often overlooked. As more men and women have returned to the United States following their service in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other global locations, a significant number of combat veterans are struggling with untreated or unmanaged mental health …

Recovering Christian Women Self-Care And Mentorship: A Qualitative Study, Clara Graves Hopkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe Christian women in recovery's experiences serving as a mentor to other addicts in Florida. This heuristic phenomenological qualitative research study aimed to understand the phenomenon of recovering Christian women how they function in their various roles as ministers, leaders, and mentors, and what they do for psychological and physical self-care when faced with challenges and barriers in society, why they are employed as ministers, counselors, and therapists who promote positive wellbeing and provide support in the success of recovery from addiction, trauma, and psychological issues, and how they maintain mental, emotional, …

Pastor's Cultural Intelligence And Personal Character Influence Within Youth Ministries, Linwood J. Sealey Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Within this study, the logic was to understand the natural development of cultural Christlike character traits among youth pastors who serve in the 6th-12th grade youth ministry loneliness environment. The sample population comprised between 22 church pastors within the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The sample included participants with different experience levels in pastoral and bi-vocational pastoral ministries. The guiding rationale was that the pastor's cultural Christlike character should be a positive factor in their ministry in the loneliness environment of the youth they serve. The sample covered the geographical settings within rural, suburban, and city environments. A purposive …

Impact Of Efavirenz On Hormone-Positive Breast Cancer Survival In Women Living With Hiv, Arthur T Johnson, Taolo Ntloedibe, Jose Euberto Mendez Reyes, Mogomotsi S Matshaba, Scott L Dryden-Peterson, Elizabeth Y Chiao

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Women living with HIV and breast cancer have poorer survival than HIV-negative women. Efavirenz-estrogen interactions are documented; however, the survival impact is unknown. Survival between women with estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer taking efavirenz (n = 38) and nonefavirenz regimens (n = 51) were compared. The 5-year overall-survival was 48.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 33.0-72.2 and 51.1% (95% CI 34.0-76.8)] in the efavirenz and nonefavirenz groups, respectively suggesting efavirenz is unlikely driving poorer survival in women living with HIV and estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer.

A Mixed Methods Acceptability And Feasibility Study Of A Patient-Initiated Approach To Increasing Weight Communication In Primary Care, Jocelyn E. Remmert, Leon Mccrea, Nicole T. Crane, Adam Gilden, Meghan L. Butryn

The Journal of Integrated Primary Care

Background: Weight discussions between patients and physicians can have a positive impact on patients’ health, yet they occur infrequently in primary care. No study to date has promoted patient-initiated weight discussions. This study aimed to test the feasibility, acceptability, and explore trends of the effect of a waiting room-based pamphlet intervention to promote patient-initiated weight discussions.

Methods: Adults (n=60) with overweight or obesity attending a primary care appointment were recruited from the waiting room and randomized to receive the intervention pamphlet or to a non-intervention control condition. All participants attended their appointment and completed post-appointment assessments.

Results: Three …

Case Report Of A Brief Modular Anxiety Intervention For Integrated Primary Care: Addressing Clinician Feasibility Concerns And Barriers To Using Manualized Treatments, Katherine Buckheit, Robyn L. Shepardson, Luke Mitzel, Risa B. Weisberg, Stephen A. Maisto, Jennifer Funderburk

The Journal of Integrated Primary Care

Individuals with anxiety symptoms commonly present in primary care settings and prefer behavioral health (versus pharmacotherapy) treatment, but behavioral health interventions are underutilized. Primary care behavioral health (PCBH) models, in which embedded behavioral health providers deliver behavioral treatment in primary care, may help address the gap in provision of anxiety treatment. However, evidence-based anxiety treatment options feasible for delivery in primary care are limited, and clinicians often report concerns about using manualized interventions. Recent recommendations by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force to increase anxiety screening among adults in primary care may result in increased identification of individuals with anxiety …

Lithium And Water: Hydrosocial Impacts Across The Life Cycle Of Energy Storage, James J. A. Blair, Noel Vineyard, Dustin Mulvaney, Alida Cantor, Ali Sharbat, Kate Berry, Elizabeth Bartholomew, Ariana Firebaugh Ornelas

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a key ingredient of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), lithium plays a significant role in climate change mitigation, but lithium has considerable impacts on water and society across its life cycle. Upstream extraction methods—including open-pit mining, brine evaporation, and novel direct lithium extraction (DLE)—and downstream processes present different impacts on both the quantity and quality of water resources, leading to water depletion and contamination. Regarding upstream extraction, it is critical for a comprehensive assessment of lithium's life cycle to include cumulative impacts related not only to freshwater, but also mineralized or saline groundwater, also known as brine. Legal frameworks …

A Case Study Of Endocrine And Immune Responses To Traditional Hand-Tap Tattooing, Lauren A. Landgraf, Tomasz Nowak, Jeffrey Gassen, Michael Muehlenbein, Christopher D. Lynn

Pacific Journal of Health

Tattooing is a stressor that could have adaptive benefits. Previous research indicates that endocrine and immune systems adjust to the stress of modern electric tattooing over lifetime experience, but it is unclear how these systems react to traditional hand-tap tattooing. The objective of this study was to explore how the body responds to this intense cultural stressor through examining traditional tattooing in Samoa, where saliva samples were collected throughout the first day from a Samoan man receiving the tattoo. Morning elevations and diurnal profiles of cortisol, C-reactive protein (CRP), secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), and bacteria killing activity (BKA) are described, …

Transnational(Izing) African Communication: A Post-/Decolonial Approach To Nollywood And Globalization, Tomide Oloruntobi

Communication ETDs

In this dissertation, I examine culture and communication in transnational Nigeria, focusing on Nollywood and its industrial politics. Through a critical ethnographic examination of Nollywood’s reception among global and transnational audiences, I critique the evolving patterns of difference, power, and politics informing production, distribution, consumption, and performance/communication of otherness. With four composite dimensions of decoloniality: structural, epistemic, personal, and relational as theoretical foundation, I analyzed observations and interviews with 21 transnational Nigerians, online focus group discussions, user reviews, movies/series, and blogposts. I discuss the emergent themes of coloniality of space, mobility, and culture; re-making of racial otherness and hetero-patriarchy/normativity; cultural …

Unpacking Influence: Dissecting Engagement Drivers And Dynamics For Effective Influencer Marketing Strategies, Nichole W. Santee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite influencer marketing's growing significance, brands face challenges in identifying the most effective influencers for their campaigns. This dissertation addresses a gap in influencer marketing engagement literature, focusing on the determinants of consumer engagement in social media interactions.

The impact of specific characteristics found within the proposed influencer marketing sender-receiver communication model on eight behavioral social media engagement metrics is analyzed through a non-traditional content analysis of 218 Instagram influencers utilizing AI analytics platforms. Results reveal several characteristics that significantly affect behavioral engagement, while others have conflicting effects, highlighting the complex nature of the IM industry. Eight hierarchical regressions showed …

Volume 63-2 Complete Issue, Casey D. Allen

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 63-2 Complete Issue

Transforming The Applied Learning Experience Through Interdisciplinary Fieldwork, Dawn M. Drake, Ashley Elias, Carissa Ganong, Michael L. Grantham, Mark S. Mills

The Geographical Bulletin

This paper introduces an interdisciplinary field research project undertaken by faculty at Missouri Western State University in an effort to improve student learning outcomes and enrich student experience. The project uses a single ecosystem, the nine human-built ponds on the campus, and combines five different faculty members’ areas of research across ecology, microbiology, and geography to immerse students in an interactive applied learning opportunity that not only helps them develop research skills, but also learn to present their research to a variety of audiences. The paper reviews the nature of the project, the conditions that allowed the project to emerge, …

Reflections On Fieldwork In Romania: Subjectivities, Risks, Benefits, And Ethics, Georgeta Stoian Connor

The Geographical Bulletin

Romania, one of the largest and most ruralized Eastern European countries, has a very complex agrarian history: from the traditional free communal villages and serfdom to the communist collective farms, followed by the agricultural alignment to the Common Agricultural Policy. Because the European Union (EU) has had a preconceived vision of what a modern agricultural landscape should look like, when this vision has been implemented within Romania’s agricultural landscape, it has produced deeply contradictory outcomes. In this context, by examining the archive records and information from extended fieldwork in Romania, this study investigates how Romania’s efforts to join the EU …

Left Behind In Lockdown: Covid-19 And The Denver Unhoused Community, Lucy Briggs

The Geographical Bulletin

The population experiencing homelessness in Denver, Colorado, increased by nearly 15% from 2018 to 2019. This trend, combined with the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020, led to a distinct crisis for unhoused communities. This research attempted to answer the question, “How has COVID-19 impacted the locational strategies and spatial patterns of the Denver unhoused population in relation to public spaces and resources in the city core?” More specifically, this research has three objectives: (1) To explore the impact of COVID-19 on the shelter availability in Denver, (2) to develop an understanding of COVID-19’s impact upon public restrooms in Denver, and …

Reflecting On Interdisciplinary Trends In Artificial Reef Design, Monitoring, And Assessment In The Us Southeast: Insight From Recent Developments And Hope In The Restoring Resilient Reefs Act, Johnathan D. Johnson, Clayton J. Whitesides

The Geographical Bulletin

Although artificial reefs (Figs. 1 and 2) have long been the focus of biological and ecological research, “the economics and social impact of artificial reefs … have not been carefully examined” (Bohnsack and Sutherland 1985, 11). Since the time of that statement in the mid-1980s, we are pleased to report that much research on the economics and social impacts of artificial reefs has been published in the academic literature (e.g., Sutton and Bushnell 2007, Whitmarsh et al. 2008, Stolk, Markwell, and Jenkins 2009, and Islam et al. 2014).

An Overview Of Environmental Themes In The Video Game Industry, Michael A. Davis

The Geographical Bulletin

Video games of the early 1990s have an appreciable depth of environmental tones that seem prophetic by today’s standards as climate change and environmental degradation have emerged as significant topics of scientific and geographic inquiry. The political and cultural environment of the late 1980s and early 1990s played a significant role in the development of environmentally-minded video games. Since the 20th century, the depiction of these environmental themes have changed with a greater understanding of environmental science literature, have incorporated educational qualities to game play, and have migrated from large video game developers (e.g., Sega and Nintendo) to independent developers …

Front Matter And Editorial Note, Casey D. Allen

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 63 Issue 2 Front Matter including Editorial Note

Defining Humanity In The Popular Imagination: The Neanderthal And The Early Modern Human In H.G. Wells And Yuval Noah Harari, Laurel Bayless

The Geographical Bulletin

Popular depictions of Neanderthals place them in a liminal position between the human and nonhuman. Examination of how such depictions have changed over time reveals evolving and enduring ideas about humanity and nature. Descriptions of Neanderthals and the prehistoric anatomically modern humans who encountered them in Europe reveal the features their authors see as essential to humanity. Not only do authors project their contemporary ideas onto Neanderthals, but doing so but then naturalizes those ideas. H.G. Wells, one of the f irst popular writers to discuss Neanderthals, depicted Neanderthals as shambling, inhuman brutes, whereas he used colonial ideas about the …

Making Space For Yeast: Toward A Zymurpolitics, Walter W. Furness

The Geographical Bulletin

Geographic scholarship on craft brewing has characteristically fixated on place as a lens through which to understand and valuate ostensibly “local” beer, wherein fermentation acts as an alchemistic shorthand, transmuting far-flung ingredients into a product emphatically rooted in a particular location. However, yeast tends to receive little attention in this literature, even though it is a primary agent (alongside humans) in acting on raw materials to produce beer. Defying the notion of “hyperlocal,” yeast is frequently sourced from distant laboratories, though some breweries maintain their own cultures in-house. This paper draws on existing literature, observation, and interviews with brewers to …

Cover And Forewords, Casey D. Allen

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 63 Issue 1 Cover and Forewords

From Mayberry To Merlot: Shifting Geographies Of Wine In The Yadkin Valley, North Carolina, Aron Massey

The Geographical Bulletin

The Yadkin Valley of North Carolina is in a period of transition. Tobacco has been the most important crop, and the tourism to the region focused on Mt. Airy, inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry. Local officials are promoting wine tourism as a tactic to update these industries. Through qualitative fieldwork utilizing in-depth interviews with Yadkin Valley winemakers, tourism officials, business leaders, and a Baptist preacher, this project reveals the numerous geographies of wine evolving together as the industry grows in this region. The paper discusses the physical environment suitable for producing high-quality wines from European grape styles and …

Volume 63-1 Complete Issue, Casey D. Allen

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 63-1 Complete Issue

Exploring The Geographies Of Food, Fermentation, And Drink, Nancy Hoalst-Pullen, Mark W. Patterson

The Geographical Bulletin

Food is inherently geographic. So many of us enjoy the notion of eating locally with the farm to table movement, yet simultaneously relish in globalization that allows for ingredients from far off lands to exist on the shelves of our local grocery store. Food is in many ways a geographical construct, as it provides a sense of place by embodying the use of ingredients and flavors to communities and locales, social interactions, spatial experiences, and place identities. In many ways, food is embedded into the historical, economic, cultural, and political fabrics of society (Atkins and Bowler 2016).

Dining Out With Allergies: Examining Boston’S Allergy-Friendly Restaurant Landscape, Rebecca Marie Shakespeare

The Geographical Bulletin

According to a recent national survey, about ten percent of American adults, estimated 26 million, are likely to have food allergies (Gupta, et al. 2019). Food allergies have many psychosocial outcomes for adults, including social isolation, anxiety, and loneliness. Framing restaurants as a site of social engagement, this article seeks to describe the restaurant landscape for adults with food allergies in Boston. Using online user reviews from TripAdvisor and AllergyEats to identify locations of restaurants with mostly positive allergy-related reviews, this paper uses GIS to assess the geographic accessibility of allergy-friendly restaurants for locations across Boston. Reported allergy-friendly restaurants tend …

Connecticut Avas: Exploring And Understanding Wine In The Nutmeg State, Forrest J. Bowlick, Katie Carroll Bowlick

The Geographical Bulletin

Exploring the 260 AVAs in the United States is an exciting journey in geographic variation. An under-explored area of interest is the Nutmeg State – Connecticut. Despite ranking in the bottom quarter of wine producing states, Connecticut’s wine geography is varied and nuanced. With three distinct AVAs, 79 bonded wineries, and hundreds of millions of dollars of estimated annual economic impact, wine in Connecticut deserves a deeper look. This essay reflects on the nature of wine production in Connecticut by reviewing the establishment of its three AVAs, considering the factors that went into their establishment by reviewing documentation from initial …

10 Miles From A Brewery: Population Demographics And Beer Consumption Patterns In The United States, Mark W. Patterson, Nancy Hoalst-Pullen, Winston S. Chu

The Geographical Bulletin

The number of craft breweries in the United States has increased dramatically in the last few decades, with the Brewers Association (2021a) recognizing that “more than 80 percent of Americans live within 10 miles of a brewery.” However, little is known about the population geographies within – as well as outside of – these 10-mile buffers surrounding breweries. Using 10-mile drive distance polygons, various demographics and beer consumption patterns were established at both national (U.S.) and regional levels. Results validate the Brewers Association’s pronouncement at the national level but showcase unique regional patterns in population, median household economics, and beer …

The Oneal Project - Eresources Fusion Friday, Courtney Fuson

Library Faculty Scholarship

An overview of the ONEAL Project, its mission, the curriculum and research so far. ONEAL stands for Open Negotiation Education for Academic Librarians and is a project generously funded by IMLS grant RE-252353-OLS-22.

Essays Analyzing Economic Consequences Of Caste Dynamics In India, Nikhil Ganvir

Economics ETDs

Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are historically disadvantaged communities that face discrimination on the grounds of their lower social positioning in society. This dissertation comprises 5 Chapters. Chapter 1 provides a brief outline regarding the stratification in India based on Caste and illustrates the importance of studying the economic consequences of caste-based discrimination in India. Chapter 2 analyses the effect of caste-based residential segregation in rural India and its effect on marginalized children's education outcomes. The results show that caste residential segregation dampens the education outcomes for children belonging to SC/ST communities with no discernable effects on students …

Looking To The Past And Abroad To Enhance U.S. Presidential Debates, Jacob W. Justice, Talya P. Slaw, John Koch

Studies in Debate and Oratory

Presidential debates are a valuable, but flawed, method of educating voters about policy issues and candidates. Growing dissatisfaction with presidential debates, and polling evidence suggesting they are failing to inform audiences, creates exigence to reconsider the format of future debates. In this essay, we propose modifications to the format of United States presidential debates, in the interest of facilitating greater clash and audience education. To improve U.S. presidential debates, we draw upon two sources of inspiration: the history of U.S. presidential debates and international experiences with political debates. We recommend exploration of new debate formats that include (1) a narrow …