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Understanding The Interaction Of Intrapersonal And Interpersonal Dynamics: A Study Of Identity Development Among Highly Able College Students
No full textUnderstanding identity development among individuals with gifts and talents (IWGT) can empower its stakeholders to support their journey towards well-being and life success. In an era where educational institutions are struggling to prioritize students’ social-emotional skills, it is imperative to prioritize the psychosocial development and identity achievement of IWGT. With the help of structural equation modeling, the present study aimed to assess how intrapersonal aspects (indicated by hope, purpose, curiosity, and exploration); interpersonal factors (indicated by school environment and family environment); and their interaction influence the identity development of IWGT. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 238 participants in the undergraduate program (18-25 years) at a university known for its high selectivity in admissions, which was used as an indication for giftedness. Among the total number of participants, 70% identified themselves as female, 62% were first-year students, and 67% identified themselves as White. The study found a strong positive relationship between intrapersonal factors and identity development within the hypothesized model. However, there was no significant relationship between interpersonal factors and identity development. This suggests that IWGT may rely more on intrapersonal resources for identity development, emphasizing the significance of understanding their internal dynamics in identity development during emerging adulthood. However, further research across diverse contexts is needed to explore the influence of family and school environments to understand the ideology and relationship domains. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at fostering the intrapersonal aspects (hope, purpose, curiosity, and exploration) may have a positive impact on identity development among IWGT.EducationDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.
Adverse Childhood Experiences on College Student’s Immune Function Status: An Analysis of Socioeconomic Status and COVID-19 Stress
No full textPsychoneuroimmunology is a new field of research that highlights the effects of psychological factors, such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), on immune function. The present study aimed to investigate how ACEs, COVID-19 related stress, and low socioeconomic (SES) status, interact to affect immune function among young adults. More specifically, we were interested in investigating COVID-19 stress and SES as moderators on the relationship between ACEs and immune function. College students (n=1,938) were recruited from five universities across the U.S. from December 2021 to July 2023. Participants answered survey questions as part of a larger study investigating the long-term impact of COVID-19 on physical health, mental health, and substance use. The demographics of the analytic sample showed that the majority of participants identified as cis woman (n=1,169, 60.3%) and White (n=1,277, 65.9%), with an average age of 19.56 years old (SD=2.78). For our SES moderation model, we did not find a significant interaction. However, we did find that COVID-19 related stress significantly moderated the relationship between ACEs and poor immune function. Specifically, individuals who experienced more childhood ACEs reported significantly reduced immune function in young adulthood and this relationship was strongest for those endorsing higher COVID-19 related stress. Overall, our study findings identified COVID-19 related stress as a significant moderator of the relationship between ACEs and poor immune function. As COVID-19 effects are still present, this calls for a need for more targeted interventions for at-risk college students that may be implemented at the university level. Keywords: Adverse Childhood Experiences, COVID-19 Stress, Socioeconomic Status, Immune FunctionPsychologyBachelors of Science (BS
Review: Salvaging Empire: Sovereignty, Natural Resources, and Environmental Science in the South Atlantic by James Blair
No full textThe Self in the Mirror of Despair: Søren Kierkegaard on the Authentic Christian Life
No full textSøren Kierkegaard describes a human life as a dialectic of three stages: the esthetic, the ethical, and the religious. He argues that there is a qualitative break between the ethical and religious spheres, which requires a “leap” for the individual to cross. In this thesis, I argue that the key to understanding the concept of the leap is to focus on its inevitable failure. Failure is essential to an individual’s transformation to becoming a Christian, as no human beings in this life can ever achieve authentic faith, become a knight of faith, or arrive at Religiousness B. For an individual, the progression towards the religious stage is a development of his consciousness of the self. In the process of a continuous self-deepening, the subject eventually reaches the moment where he is fully conscious of his ideal self, the truly authentic lifestyle, and his negative self, consisting of past faults and wrongdoings. In this moment, the individual is pushed to the apex of his existential pathos, thereby arriving at the brink of the ethical, and taking the leap. Here, the failure of the leap is critical because the individual is far from landing secure in the religious sphere after the leap. Instead, as the failure is inevitable and predestined, the subject is ushered into aporia, a liminal stage between the ethical and religious. This individual in aporia is marked by despair and emptiness due to the complete annihilation of the self. That is, the subject realizes the impossibility of becoming a complete self and the inability to eradicate its negative self. In aporia, the individual is offered the final chance to bring himself before God in a total submission, as he truthfully accepts his guilt as sin in humility. In doing so, the individual ultimately remains content in an eternal striving to be a better ethical being without daring to claim himself as the faithful.PhilosophyBachelors of Arts (BA
The Study of the Potential for Positive and Negative Color Connotation Through Associations
No full textThis project explored word associations with colors and shades of colors in a controlled manner to test the hypothesis that people associate negative descriptor and emotion words with darker shades and colors and positive descriptor and emotion words with lighter shades and colors. Two parts were completed. In the first, participants saw 8 colors in 3 different shades for a total of 24 colors presented, one at a time. In a first round of trials, participants were instructed to give the first three words that came to mind when they saw each color. In a second set of trials, participants were instructed to give the first three emotion words that came to mind when they saw each color. In the second part of the study, the words gathered from the first part were presented to a new set of participants who ranked the three-word sets on a scale that ranged from negative to neutral to positive. A main effect of color was found, such that brighter colors yielded word sets judged to be more positive. A main effect of shade was also found, such that the lighter colors yielded word sets judged to be more positive. This research provided an opportunity to discover how individuals' perceptions might affect association of colors in guidance with examination of general biases, the larger implication of skin color biases, and an additional route to studying where color biases originate and how expansive they may be.NeuroscienceBachelors of Science (BS
There Is No Instruction Manual for This
No full textFive connected short stories about unsettled women and the men and mothers in their lives.EnglishBachelors of Arts (BA
Bivalve molluscs as recorders of ocean bottom water temperature: the role of juvenile ocean quahogs (Arctica islandica) in the mid-Atlantic
No full textArctica islandica, ocean quahogs, have growth annuli that form similarly to terrestrial tree rings as records of yearly growth. Early growth increases linearly, however, the rate at which this growth occurs is impacted by extant environmental conditions. By recording growth trends of the first four years of life from a sample of juvenile A. islandica collected on Southeast Long Island and comparing these trends to previously unpublished data from Georges Bank and Long Island collections, I was able to identify different patterns of growth among the three sites. Southeast Long Island clams were subject to much warmer winters than either Georges Bank or Long Island and, while size at year one was larger, shell growth in subsequent years was quickly surpassed by the other sites, which both had a relatively similar growth rate. A. islandica growth has been shown to increase with increasing temperatures; the results of Southeast Long Island, however, suggest an upper boundary temperature at which growth can no longer occur. Additionally, higher growth rates in highly productive Georges Bank produced clams with the fastest overall growth rate, even with the smallest year one size. Both the temperature threshold and the impact of food availability in highly productive regions on growth need to be calculated in order to perform a day-degree analysis accurate enough to have growth serve as a proxy for temperature.BiologyBachelors of Science (BS
Mathematical Modeling and Examination into Existing and Emerging Parkinson’s Disease Treatments: Levodopa and Ketamine
No full textParkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease across the world, affecting over 6 million people worldwide. This disorder is characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons within the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) due to the aggregation of α-synuclein within the brain. Patients with PD develop motor symptoms such as tremors, bradykinesia, and postural instability, as well as a host of non-motor symptoms such as behavioral changes, sleep difficulties, and fatigue. The reduction of dopamine within the brain is the primary cause of these symptoms. The main form of treatment for PD is levodopa, a precursor to dopamine that can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Levodopa reduces PD symptoms by increasing dopamine levels. While L-Dopa is often used as the primary pharmaceutical for PD, it comes with many drawbacks with long-term use. 40% of patients develop complications with levodopa within five years of treatment. A new emerging Parkinson’s treatment is ketamine, which has been shown to produce long-lasting benefits for PD patients. Ketamine reduces motor complications and produces neuroprotective effects within the brain. Using current neuroscience literature, a mathematical model created in CellDesigner depicts the neurological pathways of these medications within the brain. Using a biochemical system simulator, COPASI, these models investigate the effects of levodopa and ketamine on a diseased brain system. Model results aligned with current literature and highlighted key areas for future research.NeuroscienceBachelors of Science (BS
Integrating Wellness With Professional Skills In The Liminal Spaces Of The Military-To-Civilian Transition Experience: A Program Evaluation
No full textThe purpose of this formative program evaluation of a military-to-civilian transition program at a university sought to evaluate participant perceptions of the program. The evaluation focused on the perceptions of program effectiveness after one year of program participation. Because the program was in its first year, it was appropriate to examine the participants’ perceptions formatively as a means of determining the effectiveness of the program’s short-term outcomes. The 2-week transition program was an early adopter of integrating wellness interventions with career support. Existing literature has suggested integrating wellness content into military transition programming, but less information exists about the outcomes of these kinds of transition programs. Participants in the evaluation were selected after 1 year of program completion. A mixed methods approach was used to collect and analyze data from application essays, an online survey, and a focus group. The findings suggested program alumni perceived they learned to redefine their identities during transition, and they changed their coping behaviors because of the program. Findings also indicated wellness content had higher levels of satisfaction and direct usability. The findings in this evaluation suggested that integrating wellness and business into transition curricula may be necessary for a successful transition into civilian life. The changes in practice resulting from this study include strategies for continued career identity support, follow-up opportunities for military service self-reflection, and peer support beyond an isolated program. Suggestions for the work of practitioners include considering military spouse transition cohorts and mental health in transition programs.EducationDoctor of Education (Ed.D.
Survival Challenge: Can Marine Animals Adapt to Climate Change?
No full textGrades: 6-8. Subjects: Life Science | Biology | Environmental Science | Oceanography Create adaptations that will help a marine animal survive in their new climate-change impacted environmentsVirginia Institute of Marine Scienc