6834 research outputs found
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Gendered adolescent social networks : identifying pathways between high school social networks and adult depressive symptoms through gender stratified peer networks.
No full textPrevious literature has shown that adolescent peer networks impact mental health trajectories through early adulthood, and that these trajectories differ by the gender of the respondent. However, male and female ties separately may provide unique advantages and disadvantages to mental health across the life course because of differences found in peer networks based on gender. I estimate path models to identify possible mechanisms peer networks work through to impact mental health including marriage, future friendships, employment, and pursuing higher education. Results show that for both male and female respondents, popularity with male peers and nominating more female friends predicts lower depressive symptoms in later adulthood (30s-40s). Future research should do more to acknowledge the unique effect male and female ties have on both future social interactions and mental health
Continuous monitoring, continuous communication : how patients with diabetes perceive AI technologies in their care journey.
No full textThis exploratory study uses textual data from Reddit, and a patient-centered communication theoretical approach (PCC) to analyze how diabetic patients perceive the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) powered communication technologies i.e. technologies that communicate information about their health to them in their diabetes management. Meaning extraction method (MEM), contextualizers, and a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation analyses reveal that while patients recognize the potential benefits of AI tools such as continuous glucose monitors and automated alerts, their adoption is shaped by trust, perceived risk, and usability. Specifically, diabetic patients are authentically discussing the roles of these technologies in revolutionizing their care with consideration to the risks of data security and privacy. Theoretically, this study evidences the worth of using technologies in developing patient centered communication and offers suggestion on continually improving patient-centered communication
Christian spirituality and silence experienced through the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, and Arvo Pärt.
No full textIn this thesis, I combined my love for music and the Great Texts. As I began the project, I did not know how this would take form, but the culmination has become a contemplative recital that will combine music and spoken text. I studied the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, and Arvo Pärt because of how each of these composers embodies their Christian faith in different ways through their works. From each composer, I selected a piece of music and paired them with a text. The music and texts have each shaped my intellectual, spiritual, and personal growth over the past four years. They have offered me an understanding of how these different disciplines interconnect. Because music is an inanimate thing that we experience through our sense of hearing, this often causes us to explain the meaning of music through words. The mediums of Psalms and poetry offer some of the most powerful descriptions of music. Psalm 95 will be read before Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor by Bach, “Hear my prayer” before Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 2, and “Burnt Norton” from T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets before Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel
Uncovering historical evidence of resilience among wartime evacuees : an analysis of personal narratives from Operation Pied Piper.
No full textThis thesis examines evidence of resilience in the context of childhood evacuation during the Second World War, focusing on the resilience of individuals displaced by Operation Pied Piper. Through an analysis of firsthand narratives from former evacuees and the application of psychological resilience frameworks, this study explores how early adversity shaped their lives. Drawing on the compensatory model and the challenge model of resilience, this research demonstrates that factors such as social support, personal agency, and cognitive reframing played a crucial role in mitigating trauma and fostering positive long-term outcomes
To whom do we belong? : re-examining the ends of medicine through the lens of membership.
No full textModern medicine faces a crisis of purpose. As its technological capabilities have expanded, clarity regarding its proper ends has diminished. This thesis submits that resolving this crisis requires first asking a more fundamental question concerning membership: To whom do we belong? Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates bioethics, philosophy, and theology, this thesis explores three competing models of membership—secular, particular, and theological—and how each vision shapes our understanding of health, personhood, and the purpose of medicine. Secular membership prioritizes autonomy but risks reducing medicine to serving consumer preferences. Particular membership recovers belonging and tradition but lacks a universally applicable moral foundation. Theological membership, grounded in the conviction that we are not our own, offers a richer anthropology rooted in re-enchantment, redemptive communal suffering, and covenantal personhood. Ultimately, this thesis affirms medicine as a techne: a moral craft ordered toward health, rightly constrained yet morally accountable. If we are not our own, then neither is medicine—it must belong to the body, the community, and to God
Making disciples of Christian student-athletes in college sports ministry : orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy in the culture of sports.
No full textThis project explores how a theological reimagining of sport influenced elite competitive athletes’ perceptions, participation, engagement, and feelings about sport. Over five days, a test group of Baylor student-athletes learned biblical concepts and tools to “love God with their heart, mind, soul, and strength, and their neighbor as themselves” in the context of sports. A control group of Baylor student-athletes took a semester-long chapel class, which also focused on integrating faith and sport but lacked the retreat’s intentional disorienting immersive experience and holistic educational pedagogy. A pre-intervention survey provided a foundational assessment of how faith interacts with sport in student-athletes’ lives. The experience concluded with a post-intervention survey administered to both groups, supplemented by long-form interviews with several student-athletes from both cohorts. The goal was to understand better how the faith-sport retreat or the semester chapel curriculum affected student-athletes’ views, participation, and feelings about the sport. This project aims to demonstrate how a five-day immersion experience can reshape student-athletes’ imagination and calling in sports by teaching them the language of Christian discipleship through stories, practices, and virtues
Joan of Corona.
No full textThe inspiration for this work of fictional creative writing comes from the story of Saint Joan of Arc and her strength and persistence against rising conflict and the restraints on her gender and identity. The draft syncretizes various elements of modern young adult literature to create a new and original work of fantasy that tells a story of a young woman bringing justice to her city and its people. Other figures that are inspired by this work include Hua Mulan and Katniss Everdeen. The method of creating the work includes several drafts and revisions by faculty to produce the final literary product. The aim of this work is to bring the young adult literary audience a novel that tackles themes such as identity conflict and loyalty to one’s peers. The work also studies ways of experimenting with the plot and structure of a story as the characters develop and change over time
Harmonizing virtue : an anaylsis of American gospel music through the framework of Plato's "Republic."
No full textAs Plato prominently elucidates, “…music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” In its unornamented form, music can serve as a form of reconciliation for even the most culturally opposing communities. It can transcend the vehement nature of societal strife. For many, music remains a mechanism of hope in times of adversity. Specifically, American history has provided an idiosyncratic perspective on music and its relevant correlation to social disputations. One contested category of music that has been the center of these issues is the Gospel genre. This project examines American Gospel songs through varying historical time frames while relating various findings to convictions regarding music as identified in Plato’s Republic
Thomistic justice within Texas’ capital punishment.
No full textThis thesis explores the topic of capital punishment within Texas through the scope of Thomistic justice. The Summa Theologica, data from the state of Texas, and individual cases from death row inmates have served as the primary sources for this thesis. Analysis of this research has shown where the state of Texas has fallen short within the Thomistic idea of common good, human dignity, and justice. This project is structured in four chapters which include a discussion about the state of Texas, a discussion on Thomistic philosophy, application of Thomistic philosophy onto the state of Texas, and counterarguments. This thesis will demonstrate that the state of Texas has fallen short of Thomistic standards in its practice of capital punishment due to its failure to uphold the common good, human dignity, or justice
C-reactive protein detection and fluid flow investigation using an optical cavity-based biosensor.
No full textEarly and accurate diagnosis of diseases is essential for improving patient outcomes and survival rates. Point-of-care (POC) biosensors have been developed to provide affordable, accessible, and highly sensitive early disease detection. This thesis presents an optical cavity-based biosensor (OCB) for POC biomarker detection that is fabricated and tested with low-cost optical components. The goal of this research was to detect C-reactive protein (CRP). We detected CRP at concentrations of 1, 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001 µg/mL. The limit of detection (LOD) is the lowest theoretical concentration that can be detected with the biosensor. The LOD achieved was 46.3 pg/mL. Additionally, alternative methods for microfluidic fluid control were investigated for incorporation into the biosensing system, identifying low-cost vacuum pumps with an additional resistive element for further consideration. The selected vacuum pump was $8.50, had dimensions of 1.85” x 0.47” x 0.83”, and achieved a flow rate range of 2.97 to 23.08 µL/min. The results demonstrated the potential of our OCB as a POC biosensor with low-cost components and high sensitivity