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Canton and Carthage Railroad Train, Canton, Mississippi
Get PDFThis photo postcard shows train engine 102 is shown parked on the rails in front of the train station. Canton and Carthage, Canton, Miss is written on the back of the postcard above an ink stamp that reads C. W. Whitbeck with Witbeck\u27s address in Brookhaven, Mississippi.https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/mss-lampton-images-ms-pine-belt/1362/thumbnail.jp
The Impact of Cooperative Extension Programs on Late Life Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review
Get PDFRural-dwelling older adults have greater mental health disparities with higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to their urban counterparts; however, reaching these communities to understand and address the specific psychological needs of rural-dwelling older adults remains a barrier for gerontologists. Due to the extensive reach of the Cooperative Extension System, university Extension systems are primed to facilitate connections between researchers and rural communities to improve mental health outcomes for older adults. Despite the potential benefits of such partnerships, Extension is largely unknown and underutilized by gerontological researchers, leaving many older adults disconnected from resources available through land-grant universities that could improve their mental health outcomes. To better understand the benefits of such partnerships, we conducted a systematic review of gerontological articles that utilized Extension to reach and positively impact rural older adult mental health concerns. Using the published methods and results from 10 articles rendered from the systematic review process, we highlight the beneficial partnerships and characteristics important for collaborative relationships between researchers and Extension systems. This review will contribute to gerontological research by identifying an underutilized partnership that can benefit researchers, Extension systems, and the mental health outcomes of older adults
A Comprehensive Nutrition Education Program Promotes Behavior Change and Perception of Food Access Across the Older Adult Age Span
Get PDFStrategies to promote healthy behaviors among older adults are needed to mitigate vulnerabilities to negative health outcomes, especially for those with low income. Healthy Eating and Staying Active as We Age (HESA), a nine-lesson educational series for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-eligible older adults, was created to promote health among aging audiences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the behavior change of older adults following participation in HESA, which covers food resource management, nutrition, food safety, and physical activity behaviors, as well as perceived food affordability and accessibility, and to determine if HESA is appropriate across the age span of older adults. Pre- and post-evaluation data from HESA participants were collected at the first and last sessions of the HESA series. Paired samples t-tests were used to determine differences in outcome measures from pre- to post-HESA participation. There were statistically significant improvements in mean self-reported behaviors for all outcomes (p \u3c 0.001). There were no differences in mean self-perceived behavior changes between age groups. Based on these results, HESA is a promising curriculum that addresses key needs among this vulnerable population of older adults
Organizing Identities: The Power of Technofeudalism in a Precarious World – Milei, Youth Precarity, and Post-partisan (“Anti-Everything”) Identities in Contemporary Argentina
No full textThis article explains why an anti-state radical-right agenda can become politically effective in contemporary Argentina by shifting the focus from ideology to the organization of identities. Drawing on survey evidence (ENCResPA, 7,130 online cases collected in 2022) and a corpus of anonymized semi-structured interviews with young people (2024–2025), I argue that Milei’s appeal is best understood as a form of negative politicization: a post-partisan stance built around rejection of mediation (parties, unions, experts, public institutions) and condensed moral narratives (“caste,” “cuts,” “freedom”). I identify an “Anti-Everything/Anti-Todo” identity as an electorally available and affectively intense orientation that travels efficiently in platform environments, where algorithmic ranking and recommendation structures attention through visibility and repetition, reinforces certainty, and compresses shared reality into segmented moral worlds. Linking comparative work on inequality and democratic erosion with Azmanova’s framework on precarity, I show how insecurity and time scarcity shorten horizons of expectation and make “shock” politics feel plausible. Finally, I propose organization—understood as the power to structure visibility, credibility, incentives, and futures—as the superstructure of contemporary domination. In this frame, technofeudalism and intellectual monopoly (including Rikap’s sovereignty-oriented agenda) point to a democratic response that is institutional rather than nostalgic: rebuilding conditions of life and conditions of truth through anti-precarity policies and public digital infrastructures
Borderlands, Nepantla and Interdependence: Some Notes about Onto-epistemology in Gloria Anzaldúa’s Work
No full textThe purpose of this piece is to introduce some of the key concepts in Gloria Anzaldúa’s work. A Chicana feminist philosopher, Anzaldúa was born in a little town in Texas in 1942 and passed away in 2004. I am going beyond her idea of borderlands to point out that her idea of Nepantla offers multiple options for approaching our social reality, such as tracing diagnoses and evaluating the social conditions for the constitution of an emancipatory political subjectivity. Nepantla constitutes an analytical way for understanding the plurality of gender experience as well as a path of knowledge in the process of decolonizing our bodies. According to that, my thesis argues that Anzaldúa’s work can be useful to grasp a better understanding of the persistent effects of the colonizing process. We can say that the treatment of migrants in the EU and USA reflects the dichotomies in the assumption of a shared colonial past. This phenomenon, which permeates plural societies, is anchored in an individual ontology that hinders a joint review of the ways in which we have constituted ourselves as individuals and as collective subjects, but also as otherness. On the contrary, Nepantla or the space in between, lets us deepen an ontology of interdependence that does not elude conflict, but seriously considers overlapping social phenomena. It is a tool that can give us the chance of coming together to create other meanings, to imagine another world, and to constitute a different political kinship
DEM simulations for tractive performance of rigid wheel in granular media
No full textAccurately predicting vehicle mobility in granular media is essential for evaluating off-road mobility in agriculture, defense, and planetary exploration. Traditional empirical models often fail in capturing complex micromechanics of soil deformation, especially under dynamic conditions such as high slips and maneuvering. This study demonstrates the value of the discrete element method (DEM) in modeling wheel-soil interactions with higher fidelity. Using Altair EDEM and pre-calibrated GEMM materials, simulations were conducted for a range of forward (-5.9% to 54.8%) and side slip angles (3°, 6°, 12°) in dry sand. DEM enabled detailed analysis of sinkage, traction forces, and lateral loads, revealing trends consistent with experimental data. By illustrating DEM’s strengths and limitations in capturing tire-soil interactions, this work aims to support its use as a powerful tool for advancing vehicle design and simulation
The effects of bullying victimization and bullying perpetration on academic, social, and emotional self-efficacy among adolescents
No full textBullying remains a persistent challenge in schools and has been linked to diminished perceptions of capability across multiple domains. This quantitative, cross-sectional study examined how bullying victimization and bullying perpetration relate to domain-specific self-efficacy, academic, social, and emotional, among students in grades 4-12 in the southern United States. Students (N = 81) completed the Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument (APRI-BT) measuring victimization and perpetration across verbal, social, and physical behaviors. Students also completed the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C) measuring domain-specific self-efficacy. Analyses included descriptive statistics, internal consistency estimates, bivariate correlations, and hierarchical multiple regressions. Moderation by parental education and socioeconomic status were also tested. Associations were generally weak to modest. Bullying victimization was most consistently related to lower social self-efficacy, while patterns for emotional self-efficacy were less consistent. Bullying perpetration effects were modest overall but clearest for academic self-efficacy. Several effects were diminished after covariates were entered, and moderation by parental education or socioeconomic status were not consistent across models. Findings underscore the value of analyzing bullying behaviors by subtype alongside domain-specific beliefs. The links between everyday peer experiences and self-efficacy are not global but domain dependent. Results support targeting interventions to the most affected domains including social skills and peer-support structures for bullying victimization related social efficacy, and academic supports where perpetration co-occurs with academic risk. Future research should consider longitudinal and multi-informant designs to test reciprocity and reduce shared-method bias
Analysis of trends from mass concrete case studies
No full textWhile conventional mass concrete is well understood, high strength and ultra high performance concrete present unique challenges when placed in large volumes. This thesis compiles and analyzes thermal data from mass high strength and ultra high performance concrete placements collected over the past eight years by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in support of military construction projects. The datasets span a wide range of material types and volumes. The analysis identifies trends in temperature development, temperature differentials, and the influence of mixture constituents on heat generation. This thesis contributes to the improved understanding of thermal behavior in mass concrete. The findings provide a technical basis for updating design and construction guidance related to thermal control of high-performance concretes
High-leverage practices paired with evidence-based practices recommended for inclusion classrooms
No full textStudents with ASD are increasing in the general education inclusion classroom. This increasing incidence of ASD has impacted educators, as general education teachers need to learn appropriate teaching and support techniques to effectively teach this group of students. The primary purpose of this project was to aid in closing the gap between achievement of students with and without ASD, address the research-to-practice gap relating to EBPs proven effective for students with ASD, and address the classroom management gap in general education inclusion classrooms. Throughout this project, a theoretical framework built upon the Constructivist Learning Theory, cooperative learning, and Knowles’ Four Principles of Andragogy was utilized to answer four research questions, including the supports needed for inclusion teachers to effectively educate students with ASD, which EBPs and HLPs are most effective when educating students with ASD, and which specific PD formats are most effective for increasing the instructional capacity of inclusion teachers. This project utilized a desk-based approach, and research was conducted utilizing two databases, EBSCOHost Databases and Google Scholar, with peer-reviewed and time specific filters set, along with inclusive criteria utilized in order to focus the research on lower elementary, general education inclusion teachers. The culminating effort of this research was a multi-module professional development series, which provided a legislative overview, ASD student overview, and a sample of HLPs paired with EBPs. Overall, this PD training served as an aid to general education inclusion teachers, equipping them to be better prepared to teach and improve the quality of education for all students
Meeting the needs of State Departments of Transportation (DOTs): Bridging the gaps between transportation engineering practice and education
No full textAligning civil engineering education with industry requirements presents significant challenges. This dissertation addresses these issues through three interconnected studies examining employer skill requirements, student specialization decisions, and employee job satisfaction. Study 1 utilized a mixed-methods approach to analyze entry-level civil engineering competencies in job postings from various employers. The findings identified sector-specific competency requirements and specialization-based priorities. While technical skills remain fundamental, employers also prioritize collaboration, adaptability, and leadership. Study 2 assessed job satisfaction and attrition among State DOT employees using Herzberg\u27s motivator–hygiene framework. Regression analyses revealed that incentives had a negative impact on job satisfaction, whereas flexibility, family-friendly policies, and job security had positive effects. Study 3 examined the factors influencing students\u27 specialization choices, with an emphasis on transportation, drawing on Holland’s Theory of Career Choice and Social Cognitive Career Theory. Mann–Whitney U test results demonstrated significant differences across four domains. Non-transportation students placed greater value on improving the natural environment, leadership, faculty reputation, and working with machines, tools, and materials