UA Institutional Repository (Univ. of Alabama)
Not a member yet
16034 research outputs found
Sort by
Mass Shooter Frustration Typologies: an Analysis of Written Works
No full textElectronic Thesis or DissertationMass shootings are an increasingly relevant topic for academic research. The nature of research in this field is developing in terms of defining mass shootings, and exploring mental health conditions that are linked to offenders who commit these crimes. Previous work on frustration theories is used as a framework for a thematic content analysis of three bodies of written works from three different offenders of mass shootings. Themes of frustration related to validation, romantic and sexual connections, reclusiveness, and maturation were identified as core components within the writings of the three mass shooters. Implications and suggestions for future research and practice is discussed
Subseasonal variations in marine radiocarbon reservoir age from pre-bomb Donax obesulus and Protothaca asperrima shell carbonate.
No full textThe Role of Humanitarian Feelings, Behavioral Immune System, and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Shaping Attitudes Toward Welfare Policies and Medicaid Expansion
No full textElectronic Thesis or DissertationThis dissertation investigates how two core psychological predispositions—humanitarian values and the behavioral immune system (BIS)—shape public attitudes toward welfare policies and Medicaid expansion in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on political psychology and evolutionary theory, this study employs original survey data from 672 participants collected via Amazon Mechanical Turk. The analysis integrates both experimental treatments and observational indicators to assess how compassion and pathogen-avoidance psychology influence support for redistributive policies. Regression results reveal that humanitarian sentiment consistently predicts stronger support for welfare policies and Medicaid expansion, while the two BIS components—germ aversion and perceived infectability—exert divergent effects. Germ aversion is positively associated with policy support, particularly among those with greater COVID-19 experience, whereas perceived infectability is negatively related. Although experimental treatments designed to prime COVID-19 salience did not significantly alter humanitarianism or BIS levels, individuals' self-reported pandemic experiences significantly predicted both psychological orientations and moderated their impact on policy attitudes. These findings provide partial support for mediation and moderation hypotheses and highlight the conditional and multifaceted nature of psychological influences on public opinion. The study contributes to a more understanding of how moral emotions and disease psychology intersect with political behavior during times of collective crisis
Photographs of Long Prairie River and its Riparian Zone Along the Middle Section of the River from Clotho to Whiteville
No full textThis publication is a collection of photographs showing the Long Prairie River along with the riparian zone bordering the river, from Clotho east to Whiteville. The Long Prairie River is a major stream in central Minnesota
Standardization of Skin Cancer Screening During an Adult Annual Wellness Exam in the Primary Care Setting
No full textDNP ProjectSkin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S., with about 9,500 new cases daily. The American Cancer Society and the American Academy of Dermatology recommend skin cancer screening and counseling during annual wellness check-ups, especially for high-risk individuals. This quality improvement project aims to facilitate early detection and intervention for skin cancer within the primary care environment by standardizing skin cancer screenings during adult annual wellness visits. Four-week retrospective chart reviews were conducted to survey how many patients received skin cancer screenings and dermatology referrals during their adult annual wellness exams. Implementation lasted four weeks, and all adult patients undergoing wellness exams received skin cancer screenings using the SAMScore tool along with a dermatology referral if indicated. The four-week retrospective chart review of 23 patients revealed 0% documented screenings or dermatology referrals. After an educational in-service and integration of the SAMScore tool into the workflow, a four-week post implementation review showed that 100% of 22 patients received documented skin cancer screenings with no referrals needed. Statistical analysis using Chi-Square and Fisher’s exact test indicated a significant improvement in screening rates post intervention (χ² = 45.00, df = 1, p < .001). These results support the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing early skin cancer detection in the primary care setting
Helping Professionals' Decision-Making Practices with Intervening in Cases of Minor Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking: a Pragmatic Qualitative Inquiry
No full textElectronic Thesis or DissertationMinor sexual exploitation/trafficking (MSE/T) is a form of child maltreatment that requires intervention when suspected or confirmed by helping professionals. In the U.S., mandated reporting serves as the legal framework for such intervention. However, not all helping professionals adhere to reporting requirements, and little is known about how they make intervention decisions or what options they consider. Informed by Descriptive Decision Theory and Social Choice Theory, this study seeks to understand the decision-making practices of helping professionals when intervening in minor sexual exploitation/trafficking cases in the United States. Guided by Pragmatic Qualitative Inquiry, 16 helping professionals across four U.S. regions who served or are currently serving minors at risk of or who have experienced sexual exploitation/trafficking were interviewed via Zoom using a three-series semi-structured interview protocol. Through structured coding and thematic analysis, four themes emerged: 1) clinical judgment is not black and white, 2) attitudes and beliefs as blueprints for intervention, 3) responses to MSE/T suspicion or disclosure, and 4) finding solutions(?) through collaboration. The study revealed that the types of interventions helping professionals engage in depend on their attitudes and beliefs regarding the client or the case. When helping professionals are presented with a suspicion or a disclosure of sexual exploitation/trafficking, they typically respond by either fulfilling mandated reporting requirements, applying a harm-reduction approach, combining mandated reporting and harm-reduction, or doing nothing. The findings indicated that the decision-making process for intervention is complex, as helping professionals must navigate multiple barriers, including a lack of knowledge, discrepancies in laws, inadequate agency protocols, and challenges with collaborative partnerships. Study findings contribute to the literature by highlighting how helping professionals make decisions in MSE/T cases, the interventions they consider, and the factors that influence their decision priorities. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed, including the need for increased education and effective collaboration, reconsideration of the current legislative intervention framework, and a focus on research-informed interventions to facilitate successful outcomes within the helping process
Development of a Nursing Psychological Safety Assessment Toolkit for Nurse Leaders
No full textDNP ProjectIntroduction/Purpose: Assessing psychological safety within a nursing department is critical information for leaders that gives insight into the culture of teamwork and collaboration. Nursing leaders need the ability to assess their team's psychological safety quickly to help understand safety culture. The purpose of this project was to create a toolkit that nursing leaders can easily access to help assess and improve their team's psychological safety.
Methods: Nursing leaders at a single community hospital were administered a pre-test regarding their comfort in assessing psychological safety. The nursing leaders then used the psychological safety toolkit to help assess their department and built an action plan to increase psychological safety. A post-test was performed after the toolkit implementation was complete. The data was analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in scores from the pre-test and the post-test.
Results: The results identified improvement in all mean scores of nurse leaders' comfort in understanding psychological safety, confidence in its importance, ability to assess their team, and ability to build an action plan. Inferential statistics showed a statistically significant improvement in scores for leaders' confidence in creating an action plan. Discussion: Building a toolkit for nursing leaders to administer when they assess for psychological safety will allow leaders to obtain real-time information about their team. By guiding them on how to develop action plans to increase psychological safety, they can create high-functioning teams that invest in a culture of safety
The Implementation of Lifestyle Modifications in Patients Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
No full textDNP ProjectIntroduction: PCOS is a syndrome that impacts a female’s hormones, causing weight gain, acne, increased hair growth, and irregular periods. Implementing interventions focused on diet and exercise can reduce the risk of increased PCOS symptoms such as hirsutism and weight gain.
Methods: The practice intervention project provided participants with a 10-minute educational presentation from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology (ACOG) and World Health Organization (WHO). Following consent, four participants began a six-week intervention including a low-carbohydrate, high protein diet and 30 minutes of moderate to high intensity walking for 5 days per week. The Ferrimen-Gallwey Scoring system was utilized to assess for severity of hirsutism. Height and weight were obtained, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated pre and post intervention. A diet recall and exercise log were utilized during project intervention.
Results: The results of the dependent t-test showed a statistical difference in the participants BMI between pre-intervention (M = 40.43, SD = 9.085) and post- intervention (M = 38.575, SD = 9.7967). Ferrimen-Gallwey scores also showed a statistical difference between pre=intervention (M + 21.25, SD = 7.500) and post-intervention (M = 15.50, SD = 6.455). Overall, all four participants showed a decrease in BMI and decrease in Ferrimen-Gallwey score between pre and post intervention
Discussion: Achieving symptom control of PCOS can be challenging. Compliance is a large factor in controlling and managing symptoms of PCOS. Interventions aimed at lifestyle interventions using evidence-based guidelines must be initiated at time of diagnosis to reduce the symptoms and prevent complications of PCOS
Sensitivity Analysis of Sea Level and Streamflow Increases on Riverine Flood Inundation in a Southeast Louisiana Coastal Watershed
No full textElectronic Thesis or DissertationUrban areas along the Gulf of Mexico's coastal zone are highly vulnerable to riverine flooding due to high precipitation intensities, flat terrain, and rising sea levels. This study focuses on the Amite River Basin (ARB), which originates in Mississippi, flows through Louisiana, and flows into Lake Maurepas before reaching the Gulf of Mexico via Lake Pontchartrain. The ARB has experienced significant flood events, including the April 1983 "Great Flood" and the record-breaking August 2016 event. The basin's natural characteristics—flat terrain, low elevation, high precipitation, and low infiltration rates—contribute to a high flood hazard. To assess future flood risk, this study develops a hydraulic model using HEC-RAS to simulate flood impacts in the downstream portion of the ARB, from Denham Springs to Lake Maurepas. The model incorporates climate change-driven precipitation intensification, represented by increased streamflow rates derived from historical trends and projected climate models, along with regional Sea Level Rise (SLR) projections for 2100. Streamflow conditions are analyzed at key United States Geological Survey (USGS) gauge locations: Port Vincent and French Settlement, two sites along the Amite River between the model's inflow boundary at Denham Springs and the outlet at Lake Maurepas. Analysis shows that under the high SLR scenario, water levels near Lake Maurepas rise by 1.84 meters, worsening backwater effects. The high streamflow scenario assumes a 1.7× increase relative to the August 2016 event, leading to longer flood durations, greater flood extents, and higher peak water levels. Sensitivity analysis reveals that streamflow is the dominant driver of flood extent and depth, accounting for 97 to 100% of the variation. Flood extent increases by 22.2% under high streamflow without SLR, 4.4% under high SLR without streamflow intensification, and 25.3% under both extreme scenarios. At Port Vincent and French Settlement, peak streamflow increases by 17.2 and 18.5% under high streamflow (no SLR), while high SLR alone results in smaller increases of 0.2 and 0.7%. The combined high-SLR and high-streamflow scenario leads to peak streamflow increases of 17.2 and 19.2%. These findings underscore the increasing flood risk in the ARB, emphasizing the need for adaptive flood management strategies
Bioinspired Polypeptide Dendrimer-Modified Thin-FilmComposite Membranes for Selective Lithium-MagnesiumSeparation with DFT Insights
No full textOpen Access ArticleSelective ion transport in nanofiltration (NF) enables sustainable lithium (Li+) recovery. While many membranes rely on strong positive charge for Li⁺/Mg2⁺ separation, we show that negatively charged membranes can also excel using a biomimetic approach. Inspired by biological ion channels that achieve cation selectivity via specific binding sites despite their negative charge, we designed a nitrogen-rich polypeptide dendrimer (amino acid–based) bearing carboxylate coordination sites with higher affinity for Mg2⁺ than Li⁺, while moderating the membrane's net negative charge. This biomimetic design enhanced Li+ recovery by inhibiting Mg2+ transport through stronger interactions, thereby allowing for preferential Li+ permeation. This process occurred through a combination of electrostatic modulation and ligand-assisted coordination. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated strong oxygen-donor coordination: lysine motifs bind hydrated Mg2+ (E ≈ −170 kcal.mol−1) far more strongly than Li+ (E ≈ −50.2 kcal.mol−1). The optimized membrane achieved Li+/Mg2+ selectivity of 15.6 at neutral pH with 23 LMH flux, and 136 at pH 4, highlighting strong performance in acidic feeds. Long-term tests showed ∼0.4% leaching over 10 days with stable rejection and enrichment of Li⁺ (feed Li⁺/Mg2⁺ increased from 0.05 to 0.20). Antifouling tests showed a twofold lower flux-decline ratio and higher flux-recovery than the unmodified TFC.The financial support for this work, provided by Alberta Innovates, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), is gratefully acknowledged.Version of recor