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Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder in Early Adulthood: Improving the Transition to Autonomy
Full text linkBACKGROUND: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has many far-reaching effects as older adolescents transition to young adults, affecting success in college, work, relationships, finances, and mental health. This often leads to increased risks such as substance use disorders, incarceration, and many mental health issues. This pivotal transition period must be addressed to improve long-term outcomes.
LOCAL PROBLEM: The setting of this project was at a large university in the southeastern United States. No toolkits or other resources were available within Student Disability Services (SDS) for students with a diagnosis of ADHD. The purpose was to implement a toolkit with an educational component, resources, and coping strategies for college students with ADHD. This project aim was to improve self-efficacy in students presenting to SDS with a diagnosis of ADHD as evidenced by incremental improvement from baseline in New Generalized Self-Efficacy scale within the twelve-week implementation period.
METHODS: The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Quality Improvement Model guided this project. A toolkit was developed to teach coping strategies for navigating college life with ADHD. Self-efficacy was measured by comparing NGSE scores at 3 time points: pre-intervention, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks.
INTERVENTIONS: The toolkit provided education on the long-term effects of ADHD on adults, coping strategies and campus resources. The toolkit was offered to incoming freshmen seeking services through SDS.
RESULTS: While no statistically significant change was noted, clinically significant improvements in self-efficacy were found, with all participants reporting that the toolkit helped them achieve academic success.
CONCLUSIONS: Improving the knowledge base of the possible implications of ADHD in adulthood and utilizing a toolkit designed to foster healthy coping skills increased self-efficacy in college freshmen with a diagnosis of ADHD. Sustainability plans include extending the toolkit to students beyond the participation population of incoming freshmen and sharing these findings with other relevant offices on campus for possible distribution of the toolkit
A Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve Human Milk Feeding Intention Through the Implementation of a Prenatal Educational Toolkit
Full text linkBACKGROUND: Tennessee\u27s human milk feeding (HMF) initiation rates are lower than the national average, with 79.1% in Tennessee compared to 84.1% nationwide in 2021. This gap may result from limited healthcare provider knowledge, inadequate patient education, a lack of support for HMF, and reduced maternal confidence. Evidence indicates that understanding patient preferences and offering early prenatal education may improve mothers\u27 intention, knowledge, and confidence in HMF.
LOCAL PROBLEM: An obstetric practice in East Tennessee identified gaps in provider knowledge and prenatal education about HMF. The project aimed to enroll 40% of pregnant individuals between 28- and 36-weeks gestation in five educational videos developed by BrightCourse to improve their intention, knowledge, and confidence before birth.
METHODS: The Evidence-Based Practice Improvement (EBPI) Model guided the project\u27s implementation and evaluation. Patient surveys were collected before and after the education to evaluate changes in HMF intention, knowledge, and confidence.
INTERVENTIONS: At the 28-week appointment, the provider offered a survey to evaluate patients\u27 intentions, knowledge, and confidence about HMF and interest in receiving education. Patients who chose to receive education were sent a text message with a link to five online videos. At the 36-week appointment, viewers completed the same survey, evaluating BrightCourse.
RESULTS: Thirty percent of patients (n=31) completed the initial survey and received educational videos, below the 40% aim. Seven patients viewed an average of three videos and completed a post-education survey, with 13% (n=1) showing improved intention, knowledge, and confidence in HMF. All video viewers expressed their intention to HMF.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small sample size, prenatal education improved one patient\u27s intention, knowledge, and confidence in HMF. The type, quality and timing of HMF education may impact early infant feeding decisions. Therefore, exploring alternative HMF education strategies is recommended to ensure all pregnant individuals access essential information for informed feeding choices
SACSCOC Response - New Program Notification - Ecological Sustainability Graduate Certificate
Full text linkSACSCOC Response - New Program Notification - Sustainable Policy and Governance Graduate Certificate
Full text linkAn Analytical Investigation into Scholarly Publication Trends
No full textIn recent years, the landscape of scholarly publishing has seen several changes due to various factors. This has led to major universities and publishing organizations to closely examine publication trends to best navigate these shifts. At the University of Tennessee, the Office of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (ORIED) has taken particular interest in this issue after its new director identified a recent decline in university publications. Further investigations by the Research Impact Librarian and Collection Data Analyst at the UT Libraries revealed a similar phenomenon in broader scholarly publishing, sparking interest in the factors driving this decline with a Graduate Research Assistant’s literature review./= / \u3eThis study assesses the combined factors contributing to the decline in scholarly publishing over a five-year period (2019–2023). Literature review and quantitative descriptive research methods are used to systematically describe or summarize phenomena. Journal article citation counts are selected by searching through key citation databases such as Web of Science, Scopus and Dimensions. Data analysis tools are used to analyze publishing trends. Connections between topics are grouped into clusters, as seen through network visualization. This research aims to advance the understanding of scholarly publishing patterns before and after the COVID-19 pandemic within the academic research community./= / \u3eThe poster presents an overview of the decline in scholarly research output across different countries, exploring potential contributing factors and their implications. By highlighting these trends, this presentation seeks to provide insight into the evolving landscape of academic publishing and inform future strategies for researchers and institutions adapting to these changes
Municipal E-News: Issue 116: Quarter 2, June 2025
Full text linkThe Municipal E-News was created by MTAS in 2009 as part of our continuing efforts to meet our mission of providing timely, valuable information and assistance to Tennessee cities
The Chemical and Physical Impacts of Magma Ocean Solidification: Insights into Lunar Magma Ocean Solidification, Mantle Formation, and Mantle Evolution.
Full text linkSolidification of a lunar magma ocean (LMO) after a giant planetary collision event formed the Moon’s gravitationally unstable juvenile mantle. Hybridization of the lunar mantle during the overturn of late-crystallized Ti- rich ilmenite-bearing cumulates (IBC) in the lunar interior is called upon to explain the variable Ti and REE abundances of melts. We experimentally investigated hybridization reactions in experiments that juxtapose an IBC glass against presynthesized dunite in a reaction couple at temperatures of 1100-1300 ºC and pressures of 0.5-2.02 GPa for 0.33-31.66 hours. We then model chemical fractionation during LMO solidification, mantle hybridization, and partial melting of hybridized and unhybridized cumulates to evaluate the formation of lunar basalts, picritic glasses, and crustal cumulates. Subsolidus experiments produce garnet in the IBC at 2 GPa. Supersolidus experiments exhibit dissolution of olivine material into the IBC melt and the formation of clinopyroxene at the IBC melt-dunite interface. Simple numerical simulations suggest that mechanical mixing may be required in addition to dissolution-precipitation reactions to produce volumetrically significant hybridized mantle sources capable of producing lunar melts over geologically relevant timescales. Geochemical models indicate that plagioclase floatation efficiency during LMO solidification and crustal formation must be \u3e90% to explain the negative Eu anomaly demonstrated by lunar melts. Melting models demonstrate that unhybridized cumulates could produce low-Ti melts, and hybridized garnet-free sources can generate many intermediate to high-Ti melts. The Heavy Rare Earth Element depleted compositions of some high-Ti lunar melts require a ~0.25-5% garnet component in the downwelling IBC or hybridized sources. The need for garnet combined with isotope ratios of high-Ti lunar basalts indicates the cumulate overturn is likely required. Geochemical models of LMO solidification also demonstrate that the Moon likely contains90% of the lunar HPE budget should initially be concentrated in the lunar crust and upper mantle cumulates following LMO solidification
Network Resilience Analysis and Traffic Control Strategies under Infrastructure Failures and Disaster Response
No full textThis dissertation investigates strategies to enhance the robustness and efficiency of transportation networks under severe disruptions, particularly infrastructure failures and disaster scenarios. It presents a comprehensive framework for monitoring and managing network resilience, and explores the potential of electric vehicles (EVs) to facilitate more effective traffic evacuation. Firstly, the dissertation develops a resilience assessment methodology to evaluate transportation network performance following infrastructure disruptions, exemplified by the closure of the Hernando de Soto Bridge on Interstate 40. Integrating the Resilience Triangle framework with advanced statistical methods, this study underscores the critical influence of large-scale queue distributions and the heavy-tailed characteristics of extreme congestion events. Secondly, the research introduces a percolation-based evacuation strategy designed to prevent rapid gridlock in scenarios of urgent evacuation. Through microscopic simulations, it demonstrates how strategically monitoring and regulating the inflow of vehicles can mitigate widespread spillback congestion and accelerate evacuation efficiency. Lastly, this dissertation evaluates how the unique characteristics of electric vehicles can enhance evacuation processes and overall network resilience. Empirical analyses highlight EVs\u27 superior agility, including accelerated lane-changing capabilities and rapid acceleration compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. Furthermore, a novel model predictive control (MPC) framework integrated with the MOBIL lane-changing model demonstrates how EV agility facilitates efficient lane-changing behaviors, enabling evacuees to utilize available traffic gaps effectively. The study also explores EVs\u27 implications for autonomous vehicle (AV) performance during evacuations, concluding from experimental data that EVs exhibit lower delays and greater precision in executing AV trajectories. Real-time analyses further illustrate that the operational advantages of EVs can reduce shockwave propagation and enhance traffic throughput during peak demand or emergency conditions. Collectively, the findings contribute novel insights into designing transportation networks capable of withstanding routine stresses and dynamically responding to significant disruptions. The outcomes of this research provide valuable guidance for transportation engineers, planners, and policymakers tasked with developing resilient, efficient, and future-oriented infrastructure systems
Common-Mode EMI Filter Integration for WBG Power Module Package
No full textWide-bandgap (WBG) devices are widely adopted in power electronics systems for their superior characteristics, reducing system size while improving efficiency. However, their implementation introduces electrical, thermal, and mechanical concerns, necessitating advanced WBG power module packaging techniques.
Despite progress, two critical challenges remain in WBG power module packages: (1) lack of integration, and (2) severe electromagnetic interference (EMI) issues. Rapid voltage and current transients from WBG device switching worsen EMI, however, existing power module packaging struggles to deliver highly integrated solutions with effective EMI mitigation. Conventional EMI mitigation methods, such as bulky EMI filters, increase system size and reduce power density. Therefore, innovative packaging solutions that address EMI while maintaining compactness are essential.
Hence, this dissertation addresses these challenges by integrating a π-type common-mode filter (CMF) into a GaN-based half-bridge power module, combining the traditional EMI mitigation method with advanced WBG power module packaging. Common-mode equivalent circuit analysis and parasitics management validate improved EMI noise attenuation achieved by CMF integration, verified by simulations and EMI measurements for both hard-switching operations and converter applications of the power module.
One major drawback of CMF integration is the reduced package power density due to integrating magnetic core. To overcome this, a novel, air-cured, flexible magnetic composite, and corresponding package-compatible manufacturing methodology are developed for over-molding the common-mode choke (CMC) within the module, enabling a low-profile CMF, and improving space utilization and power density. Issues such as low inductance of the over-molded CMC, caused by complicated CMC coil structure and air voids in the over-molded magnetic composite, are addressed through a coil optimization method based on design-of-experiments (DoE) and an improved manufacturing process incorporating coating and degassing. Effectiveness of the over-molded CMF in EMI noise reduction and power density improvement is confirmed through impedance and EMI measurements.
Furthermore, the influence of over-molded CMF on parasitics and thermal performance of the package is analyzed, with design recommendations provided.
Finally, this dissertation concludes its main contributions and proposes future work, including reliability evaluation and system-level application of the CMF-integrated GaN power module, and broader uses of the developed flexible magnetic composite, manufacturing and coil optimization methodologies