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Examining The Impact Of Religious Coping On Institutional Racism And Alcohol Use Among African American Adults
No full textDespite the frequency of racist events experienced by African Americans in institutional settings (Morris, 2014), institutional racism has been understudied (Arday, 2022; Utsey et al., 2002). Institutional racism is critical to assess as discriminatory policies and practices may foster toxic environments (Arday, 2022; Garcia et al., 2021). To manage stress from institutional racism, individuals may use maladaptive coping mechanisms, such as alcohol (Su et al., 2020). However, culturally salient coping methods, such as religious coping, may reduce alcohol use (Mekawi, 2021; Walker et al., 2018). The specific hypotheses for the current study were as follows: (1) higher levels of institutional racism, will be associated with higher levels of alcohol use; (2) each religious coping style, that is, deferring, self-directing, and collaborative, will individually moderate the association between institutional racism and alcohol use, resulting in decreased alcohol consumption. Depression was included as a covariate. Method: The sample consisted of 144 African American adults (male = 45.4%; female = 51.1%;no gender reported = 3.5%), with a mean age of 34.20. Results: Institutional racism was associated with increased alcohol consumption (p =
Keywords: institutional racism, religious coping, African Americans, alcohol use, community sampl
Voices Of Departure: A Phenomenological Study On African American College Students’ First-Year Decisions To Drop Out In Predominantly White Instutions
Get PDFThis study explored the lived experiences of first- year African American college dropouts from predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Guided by Swail’s Geometric Model of Student Persistence and Achievement, the study examined the factors influencing dropout rates among first- year African American PWI students. The study sought to foster dialogue and drive positive change in higher education, aiming to prevent further dropout rates among this student demographic. This study revealed that African American students who dropped out of predominantly white institutions (PWIs) within their first year faced significant barriers across social, cognitive, and institutional dimensions. By amplifying student narratives, this study highlights practical strategies to improve retention and promote success among first year, African American students in predominantly white institutions.
Keywords: dropout, retention, persistence, African American, predominantly White institution
(R2101) Analysis of MAP/PH/1 Queueing Inventory System with Two Commodity, Working Vacation, (s, S) Replenishment Policy, Essential and Optional Repair
Get PDFWe examine a queueing inventory model with single server which can offer two types of inventory items: main item (commodity I) and complementary item (commodity II). We assume both commodities have a finite capacity Si, i = 1, 2. Customers reach the system by following the Markovian arrival process (MAP). The service times are considered to be phase-type (PH) distribution. We have considered no customer in the system, even inventory level is positive; the server will start the working vacation, and any customer that arrives during working vacation, the server provides slow service. If an item is not available, the customer will stay in the waiting line. When the server is affected by a breakdown during normal busy period, the server will move on to the repair process, considered an essential repair. The server then has the option to move on to another repair process, going for another optional repair with probability p, or return to the service system with probability q. Utilising the matrix-analytic method, we examined our model and investigated the stability condition of our model. We have also carried out the cost analysis for our model. At the end, some numerical results are presented for clear insight into our model
Leadership Reflections of the Pandemic: Perceptions from Aspiring Assistant Principals
Get PDFThe initial COVID-19 outbreak within the United States necessitated the implementation of rapid safety measures, prompting educational leadership to establish unprecedented protocols. In the spring of 2020, schools throughout Tennessee closed for in-person learning before re-opening with new protocols in the fall. The purpose of this study was to gain insight from Tennessee educators about the challenges they faced because of these educational protocols enacted by leadership. The study employed a phenomenological qualitative design. The study sample was comprised of ten educators enrolled in the Tennessee Department of Education\u27s Aspiring Assistant Principal Network. The data were collected using open-ended interview questions about participants’ experiences with educational protocols enacted by leadership in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were analyzed utilizing the content analysis method to identify emergent themes. The results of the study indicate that improving communication from leadership, addressing educator workload with additional support, providing support systems to prevent burnout, enhancing technology integration through training and resources, and the review and revision of impractical policies, could support educators implementing protocols in a similar context
(R2102) Chaos Measure in a Discrete SIR Epidemic Model with Constant Recovery
Get PDFA discrete SIR epidemic model with constant recovery and bilinear incidence rate is investigated for emergence of regular and chaotic behaviour in the context of non linear dynamics and different viable settings. The Euler’s discretization method is employed to transform the continuous epidemic model into discrete model which has been used as the study model. Attention is paid to various bifurcation plots obtained by varying certain system parameters while keeping other parameters constant. Bifurcations indicate regular evolution followed by chaos. Regular and chaotic attractors have been drawn in the process. As part of chaos measure, numerical studies are extended to calculate Lyapunov exponents (LCEs), topological entropies and correlation dimensions of chaotic attractors for different sets of parameter values. Results obtained are presented through graphics and analysed properly to demonstrate the complexity of the model
Evaluation Of A Weight Loss Support Group Program For Postoperative Bariatric Patients
No full textPurpose: This D.N.P. project aimed to assess the alignment of a recently implemented bariatric support group program with the standards set by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) and to gauge patient satisfaction with the support group program using an amended Short Assessment of Patient Satisfaction Likert survey in a selected organization. The project also evaluated the impact of the support group on weight loss at two weeks and six months after surgery.
Methodology: The Bariatric Support Group Evaluation Tool assessed the accreditation standards. In January 2024, the survey was administered via Qualtrics to patients who underwent bariatric surgery in 2023 to gather feedback on the relevance and usefulness of the support sessions and overall program satisfaction. An independent t-test was used to compare weight data between the pre- and post-intervention groups at two weeks post-surgery. A Mann–Whitney U test was used to measure the 6-month data for the groups. Results: The results revealed that the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Center’s bariatric support group program met the MBSAQIP accreditation criteria. Half of the patients showed overall satisfaction with the support group program. Notably, fifty percent expressed high satisfaction with the educational materials and appreciated the virtual format of the meetings. The results showed a notable variance in weight loss between the pre- and post-intervention groups at two weeks postoperatively. However, by six months, the two groups had no noticeable difference in weight.
Conclusion/Recommendations: In conclusion, the support group program met the accreditation standards, and patients who participated in the support group demonstrated satisfaction with the information disseminated. However, the weight loss outcomes of the intervention were sub-marginal and did not offer significant insight into whether support group engagement was the exact cause of weight loss. Recommendations for future research include a longitudinal support group study to understand the impact on weight loss outcomes and a study to assess strategies for enhancing support group engagement among postoperative bariatric patients.
Keywords: bariatric surgery, support groups, patient satisfaction, weight loss outcomes, accreditation standards, MBSAQIP, program evaluation, bariatric care, patient-centered care
Highly Luminescent Eu\u3csup\u3e3+\u3c/sup\u3e-Incorporated Zr-MOFs as Fluorescence Sensors for Detection of Hazardous Organic Compounds in Water and Fruit Samples
No full textConsidering the risk of toxic organic compounds to both human health and the environment, highly luminescent Eu3+-incorporated amino-functionalized zirconium metal-organic frameworks, namely, Eu/MOF and Eu@MOF were synthesized via the solvothermal method. The synthesized luminescent europium-incorporated MOFs act as outstanding sensor materials for diphenylamine and dinitrobenzene detection in water and fruit samples. The synergistic effect of Eu3+ metal ions and amino-functionalized MOFs enhances the luminescent properties of the MOFs improving the fluorescence sensing ability toward the analytes. The enhancement in the detection capacity of the Eu3+-incorporated sensors than the sole MOF toward toxic organic compounds was confirmed using the Stern-Volmer equation of limit of detection (LOD) measurements along with fluorescence lifetime measurements. The sensors exhibited turn-on fluorometric detection toward their respective analytes due to the inner filter effect. The plausible fluorescence sensing mechanism has been studied. The DFT calculations have been integrated to study the structure, stability, and charge transfer processes
Untold Stories: Exploring Queer And Genderqueer Students’ Perceptions Of Sense Of Belonging And Experiences At One Historically Black University
No full textThis study used a basic interpretative qualitative design, using a case study as the theoretical approach to examine the experiences of Black queer students, particularly as they foreground a sense of belonging on a historically Black college and university (HBCU) campus. Extant literature demonstrated that queer cohorts are likely to experience isolation and a sense of not belonging at HBCUs due to tradition (Davis, et al., 2020; Lenning, 2017; Mobley & Johnson, 2019). Queer students’ sense of belonging can influence behaviors such as persistence, engagement, academic achievement, and a sense of self (Garvey, 2020; Squire et al., 2018; Strayhorn, 2019). Consequently, constructing and cultivating a sense of belonging is crucial to their welfare and overall academic success. Although educational attainment is an important goal for Black queer students, research detailing strategies that cultivated foregrounding of a sense of belonging as a path to academic success among this population is needed to fill the gaps in the literature. The objectives of this study were to research queer students making meaning of their experiences as well as to discover how these students focused on creating an environment of belonging and succeeding in a conservative space. Research detailing the strategies toward college completion is necessary to inform educational leaders on policies and practices that encouragingly influence queer students. This study informs queer students on becoming agents of their own development and success in college. The conceptual framework guiding this study was extracted tenets from College Students’ Sense of Belonging, Queer Theory, and Quare Theory. Data collected through interviews, artifacts, observation, and field notes were analysis utilizing thematic analysis. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant. The interviews provided thick, rich descriptions and details that gleaned the lived experiences of the participants. Data analysis revealed two master themes: Contextualizing A Sense of Belonging: Navigating A Non-Culturally Responsive Classroom and Learning How to Just Do Me: Attaining Self-Actualization. The findings support the importance of educational leaders cultivating welcoming spaces and the importance of self-agency in foregrounding a sense of belonging.
Keywords: queer, genderqueer, sense of belonging, academic success, historically Black colleges and universitie