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Empowering College Students to Resist Digital Distractions: A Mixed-Methodological Study of a Training Program and Its Evaluation
No full textRegulating digital device usage among college students in the learning context has become increasingly important, as students frequently divert their attention to non-academic activities. Previous research suggests that digital distractions reduce students’ cognitive capacity, adversely affecting their metacognition, learning outcomes, and ability to implement effective self-regulation strategies. Additionally, individuals who misjudge their multitasking ability are prone to off-task behaviors, while intense online vigilance can lead students to automatic multimedia consumption. Consequently, interventions are necessary to help students recognize their attention challenges, reassess their media multitasking ability, and organize self-regulation strategies on their digital devices.
This dissertation study developed and implemented a Smart Focus training program to help undergraduate students regulate their digital media multitasking and ensure attention on cognitive processing. Alongside the training implementation, this study evaluated the effectiveness of the training using a mixed-methodological approach.
In April and May of 2024, 120 undergraduate students at Auburn University participated in attention knowledge training and a seven-day screen time online journal. Alongside the training evaluation, participants completed anonymous longitudinal Qualtrics surveys on three occasions: a pre-test before the training activities (T1), a post-test after the in-person training (T2), and a second post-test following the seven-day journal (T3). These surveys gathered demographic information and included ten subscales from four instruments: three subscales of perceived attention challenges and two regulation scales from Online Learning Motivated Attention and Regulation Strategies v.2 (OL-MARS v.2); three subscales from the Online Vigilance Scale (OVS); media multitasking self-efficacy (MMSE); as well as the Time and Study Environment Recources Management subscale from the Motivation Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Twenty participants participated in online focus groups and shared their training experiences one week after the training.
A one-way repeated measures MANOVA was used to analyze the longitudinal differences in the multivariate outcomes across T1, T2, and T3. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons were performed to identify the specific time point at which the differences occurred. Additionally, focus group data were thematically analyzed, and three themes related to participants’ experiences with the Smart Focus training were explored.
The longitudinal results demonstrated that the training achieved the majority of its objectives, with nine out of ten indicators showing significant changes following the completion of training. Specifically, the training program effectively enhanced the awareness of problematic media multitasking, decreased media multitasking self-efficacy, reduced the salience and reactibility aspect of online vigilance, encouraged the usage of mental and behavioral regulations and time and environment self-regulation strategies. Participants in the focus groups provided positive feedback about the training organization and offered suggestions for future improvements. Overall, the Smart Focus program serves as a cohesive framework comprising of multiple training activities, which are essential for achieving their objectives, while also allowing for the possibility of combining and implementing the activities separately. Participants perceived the training as helpful and feasible and positively expressed a willingness to continue the exercises and self-regulated strategies. The study also discussed the benefits of training activities in alignment with Pintrich’s (2000) four phases of self-regulated learning strategies and offered insights for future research and training techniques improvement
Lifestyle Interventions to Improve Health in Female Shift Workers
No full textNight shift work disrupts circadian rhythms and is strongly associated with increased risks of metabolic and mental health disorders, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression. This dissertation explores these health consequences and investigates targeted interventions aimed at mitigating them. Chapter 1 provides a comprehensive review of circadian misalignment and its physiological effects linking shift work to adverse metabolic outcomes. Chapter 2 presents a systematic review of 23 clinical trials examining dietary interventions in night shift workers. Findings reveal that altering meal timing, improving diet quality, and overnight fasting significantly improved glycemic control, anthropometric markers, and cardiovascular health. Chapter 3 details a randomized controlled crossover trial evaluating the effects of an 8-week lifestyle intervention focused on increased protein intake, reduced overnight carbohydrate consumption, and improved sleep in female healthcare night shift workers. While trends toward improved physical and mental health were observed, no statistically significant changes were noted in visceral fat or inflammatory markers likely due to small sample size and short duration. Chapter 4 investigates the impact of this same intervention on gut microbiome diversity. Although alpha diversity measures remained unchanged, beta diversity showed that they were compositionally different across all time points. This work underscores the complex relationship between circadian disruption and metabolic health, advocating for multifaceted, individualized strategies encompassing diet, sleep, and microbiome modulation to improve health outcomes in night shift workers. Further longitudinal research with larger cohorts is warranted to validate these findings and develop practical interventions
Evaluation of broiler chicken strain and diet on growth performance, carcass yield, Wooden Breast incidence, severity, and Pectoralis major compression properties
No full textBroiler production has advanced significantly, increasing global output by 68% from 1992 to 2022 through improved genetics, nutrition, and management practices. However, rapid growth and higher breast yields have also resulted in broilers with the Wooden Breast (WB) meat quality defect. WB results in muscle rigidity, fibrosis, and quality defects, costing the U.S. industry $200 million annually, with its etiology still unclear. Previous research demonstrated that reducing metabolizable energy (ME), digestible lysine (dLys), and digestible methionine (dMet) delays but does not prevent WB in fast-growing (FG) broilers. While lowering growth rates and breast yield may mitigate WB severity, trade-offs include reduced meat yield, higher costs, and lower productivity, limiting commercial use but still offering a valuable tool for research applications. Manual palpation is the standard method for assessing WB severity in commercial and research settings due to its practicality, but it is subjective, especially for mild cases, necessitating objective validation through mechanical methods such as compression analysis. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using a slow-growing (SG) broiler strain as an unaffected control in WB research and to validate manual palpation, the primary diagnostic method for WB, through objective mechanical compression analysis (CA). Fast-growing broilers were fed either a control commercial diet (FGC) or a reduced-energy, reduced-amino acid diet (FGR), while SG broilers were fed the control diet (SGC). Birds were reared in floor pens, and body weight (BW), feed intake (FI), and WB severity were assessed weekly. On d 47 post-hatch, birds were processed, and Pectoralis major muscle compression (PMC) properties of breast fillet were assessed. Data were analyzed as a 1-way ANOVA using SAS (v9.4) PROC GLIMMIX and PDIFF for mean separation at P ≤ 0.05. Spearman correlation analysis was used to determine the association between WB score and PMC. Slow-growing broilers had higher initial BW than FG (P < 0.0001); FGC were heaviest and SGC were lightest on d 46 (P < 0.0001). Fast-growing broilers fed the R diet yielded the heaviest carcasses and breast yield, and SGC yielded the lightest (P < 0.0001). Fast-growing broilers fed the R diet consumed the most feed overall and SGC the least (P < 0.0001). Feed conversion ratio was the lowest in FGC and greatest in SGC (P < 0.0001). Notably, SGC broilers maintained 100% normal fillets throughout the study, whereas FGC broilers were 100% WB-affected by d 28 (P < 0.0001). Fast-growing broilers fed the C diet and FGR breast fillets with WB score 3 were tougher and firmer compared to SGC fillets and those with WB score 0 (P < 0.0001). Cranial portions of the fillets among all treatments were toughest and firmest, the medial portion intermediate and caudal the least firm and tough. Furthermore, live WB scores were positively and strongly correlated with PMC values (r² = 0.77; P < 0.0001), validating the reliability of the manual palpation method for WB assessment. These findings demonstrate the utility of SG broilers as a control model in WB research and confirm the reliability of the 4-point palpation system for assessing WB severity. Future efforts should focus on optimizing current WB diagnostic approaches to enhance their predictive power and applicability in both research and industrial settings, for both live birds and carcasses. Additionally, muscle immunofluorescence cryohistology analysis should be employed to validate performance data and postmortem sampling results
A Comprehensive Analysis of U.S. Biological Field Station Goals, Operations, Land Management, and Recreational Opportunities
Full text linkThere is a project aimed to protect thirty percent of the planet’s lands and oceans by 2030. This project, known as The Thirty by Thirty Project (30x30), stemmed from the Paris Climate Agreement and was developed by the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity. Several projects have used the 30x30 framework as a start to their efforts to prevent the extinction crisis and address climate change, conservation, and sustainability (Galloway, 2021). Within the US, there are various types of land stewards that contribute to the 30x30 goal. For the purpose of this research, we are solely focusing on U.S. biological field stations. Field stations are outdoor environmental research, teaching, and engagement centers (OBFS, 2024). Historically, they have been established and run by individual universities, government agencies, NGOs, or private research institutions. In the U.S., field stations are located in a variety of ecosystems and habitats. The range of field stations across the continent have supported research that has contributed to decades of data, specimens, and knowledge (Mitchener, 2009). The Organization of Biological Field Stations is a community of 313 field stations across the U.S. and U.S. territories designed to connect, network, and help field stations to focus on research and their common goals. Unfortunately, the combined contribution of research stations have been overlooked due to their independence and sometimes isolated community of researchers. With little summary documentation about field stations as a system, they can be a bit of a mystery (National Research Council, 2014), resulting in unknown information about their missions, conservation goals and issues, contribution to 30x30 goals, land management, and collaborations. Recognizing gaps in the literature, we developed a study to document and investigate the following; 1) background and missions, 2) conservation issues and land management strategies, 3) collaborative partnerships, and 4) outdoor recreation opportunities of field stations. Findings from this survey reveal field stations share common goals in research, education, community, outreach, conservation and management. Most respondents report active land management and goals, with invasive species management and active forest and hydrological restoration and manipulation being common. Current literature highlights the research, education, outreach mission and goals, but seldom mentions how active land management on field stations is or can be used as a tool to achieve these ends
Impact of hope, humor, and self-stigma on flourishing and acceptance in adults who stutter
Full text linkThis study’s purpose was to understand how humor is used as a coping strategy for people who stutter (PWS) and how humor contributes to an individual who stutters’ (IWS) overall quality of life. Five factors were examined to encompass the overall experience of an IWS related to moments of disfluency including: (1) stigma, (2) coping, (3) humor, (4) well-being and flourishing, (5) hope, and (6) acceptance. Adults who stutter over the age of 19 were recruited through joining groups on social media platforms with consent from group hosts in addition to distribution through the National Stuttering Association (NSA). In summary, conclusions revealed that the use of positive humor led to greater flourishing, high hope led to increased self-stigma, and high hope was correlated with decreased flourishing in the lives of IWS
Undergraduates who CARE: An evaluation of Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE) training with undergraduate students
No full textChild-Adult Relationship Enhancement training (CARE) is an empirically-based, trauma-informed, behaviorally grounded training aimed at equipping any adult interacting with any child with the skills and benefits of parent management training (Gurwitch et al., 2016). Despite growing evidence for the effectiveness of CARE training across a variety of populations (e.g., biological parents, foster parents, social workers, pediatricians, and teachers), little research has examined dissemination elements which lead to successful training. For example, CARE does not yet have a standardized method of direct measurement of skill-use for non-caregiver adults. To add, while CARE is intended for use by any adult engaging with any child (e.g., 2-18 years of age) , there have been no investigations of trainee characteristics which predict success in skill acquisition and knowledge gains following CARE training. The current study aimed to 1) evaluate CARE training among a multidisciplinary sample of undergraduate students utilizing a novel, standardized, observation-based assessment of CARE skill acquisition and 2) investigate trainee-related predictors of skill recognition, skill acquisition, and CARE training knowledge. Results revealed the feasibility of utilizing an observational method of assessment to measure trainee skill acquisition and training effectiveness for a sample of undergraduate students. Undergraduate trainees demonstrated gains in positive skill acquisition, skill recognition, and CARE knowledge from pre- to post-training. Grade point average was found to be significant as selection criterion for skill recognition and CARE skill application. Future research should continue the implementation of technology utilized in this study to enhance both training delivery and skill acquisition measurement and evaluate the effectiveness of an online training format
The Officers’ Perspective of Academy Training and Transferability of Knowledge: Comparing the Effectiveness of Pedagogical to an Andragogical Method of Instruction
Full text linkAbstract
The training for law enforcement officers has a history steeped in a militaristic style method that has not evolved, even though demands have been made for the profession to evolve. There have been numerous calls for change regarding the training officers receive. However, most police academies remain anchored in a teaching methodology rooted in pedagogy. In the past decade there have been a number of high-profile instances of police brutality and some of these incidents led to the death of innocent citizens. The findings of the investigations conducted after these occurrences have reached a similar conclusion – there is a failure to train officers properly. The skills officers use the most, communicating and problem solving, when interacting with the communities they serve, are the skills that get the least amount of focus during academy training. This study was conducted to determine whether the opinions of police officers early in their careers reflect a belief that the academy training they received prepared them to perform their duties effectively during real-world scenarios. A sample was obtained of police officers in the state of Alabama to determine if the opinions differed among various demographics. The demographics were categorized by groups with and without military backgrounds, male and female, those with various levels of education, and by race/ethnicity. For the groups comprised of male and female, and military experience and no military experience, independent-sample t-tests were conducted. For the groups comprised of multiple levels of education and race/ethnicity, re-coding of variables was conducted, and independent-sample t-tests were conducted to obtain statistical data allowing comparisons between the groups. There were no statistically significant differences observed between the groups related to their opinions about academy training. However, this research is the first step in a process to hopefully expand the study of training on police officers and assist the profession in evolving to provide the quality police service expected and deserved by citizens
Analytical, Numerical, and Experimental Investigation of Air- and Liquid-Based Synthetic Jet Devices for Next-Generation Solid-State Cooling in Data Centers and High-Flux Electronics
No full textModern high-power electronic systems, specifically high-power computer chips, demand transformative liquid cooling solutions as traditional air cooling struggles to meet ever-increasing heat fluxes. In data centers, rising microprocessor thermal design powers—escalating from air cooling limits of 280 W to beyond 700 W—necessitate a shift toward liquid cooling. Thus, this dissertation begins with a literature survey on the necessity of liquid cooling in data centers. One key observation from this review establishes that while single-phase immersion cooling offers potential, it requires localized enhancement to overcome inherent inefficiencies. Rec- ognizing the promise of synthetic jet devices for targeted heat removal, this work pioneers the development of mesoscale Liquid Synthetic Jet Devices, a class previously explored mostly in air. To bridge this gap, dual air and water, analytical, numerical, and experimental studies were performed.
Regarding air-based synthetic jet cooling, a new fabrication approach based on additive manufacturing was presented. This method enabled the production of ultra-thin devices— as thin as 4 mm—without mechanical fasteners and with complete freedom in device cavity design. Hotwire anemometry tests revealed air jet exit velocities exceeding 106 m/s using a single piezoelectric diaphragm, among the highest reported in the literature. Diaphragm deflection measurements were performed using a laser displacement sensor. Next, lumped element modeling, tuned solely on diaphragm deflection behavior, accurately predicted device performance and was validated using hotwire anemometry. By fabricating and testing multiple synthetic jet devices with different geometries, it was demonstrated that the impulse generation rate—which accounts for both jet velocity and flow rate—better correlates with enhanced heat transfer capabilities than jet velocity alone. Thermal tests showed that, compared to natural convection, the manufactured devices achieved over 13 times greater heat removal rates, with an average heat transfer coefficient exceeding 120 W/(m2·K) over a 30 mm × 30 mm heated surface.
Next, the fabrication extended to liquid synthetic jet device design and manufacturing. The devices were waterproofed and operated at higher voltages than air-based devices. Due to reduced operating frequencies, they achieved operational jet generation with minimal power consumption as low as 50 mW. In an immersion cooling test setup designed to evaluate liquid- based synthetic jet devices in deionized water, liquid synthetic jet impingement showed a heat transfer coefficient of up to 1.52 W/(cm2·K). Compared to existing methods, superior heat removal per unit of consumed power was achieved. This work demonstrates an advancement in sustainable thermal management, showing that such a small and inexpensive device can improve the coefficient of performance of single-phase immersion cooling by up to 12 times. Furthermore, the first lumped element model for liquid synthetic jet devices was proposed.
Lastly, the analytical model was further studied in conjunction with numerical computa- tional fluid dynamics simulations and additional thermal tests in harsher environments. Fab- rication improvements increased the device’s operational frequency from 155 Hz to 210 Hz. Results demonstrated heat transfer enhancement, with the liquid synthetic jet device achieving a peak heat transfer coefficient of 1.7 W/(cm2·K), an 8.7-fold improvement over mixed convec- tion cooling, while maintaining low power consumption (0.22 W). The device cooled a 144 W heated surface from 72 °C to 31.5 °C under a crossflow rate of 2 GPM at 20 °C. Particle Image Velocimetry experiments and high-speed videography helped determine diaphragm deflection values based on a parametric study using computational fluid dynamics simulations. Later, lumped element models tuned with computational fluid dynamics results were used to under- stand liquid synthetic jet operation in an expanded frequency domain. This enabled the first report on the jet formation criterion for water-based liquid synthetic jet devices, with a value of
+6 for circular orifices.
Collectively, this dissertation charts a roadmap that unites immersion liquid cooling strate- gies with liquid synthetic jet technology, offering scalable, energy-efficient, and solid state and sustainable thermal management solution for next-generation data centers and high-power elec- tronics. Future work will explore multi-jet array configurations, enhanced surface integrations, optimized voltage amplification, and long-term reliability—particularly in two-phase immer- sion cooling environments—to further refine and commercialize this approach
A Psychometric Evaluation of the Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder – 2nd Edition: Replication and Extension in a Trauma-Exposed Community Sample
No full textTrauma exposure is common and can result in a complex clinical presentation, including the manifold symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well a range of comorbid conditions such as dissociation, depression and suicidality, and substance misuse. Accordingly, comprehensive and accurate assessment of trauma survivors is challenging. Structured interviews by expert clinicians are considered the gold standard, but these may not be feasible in resource-limited contexts. Questionnaires are more widely used because they are generally brief and low cost. However, they are subject to response bias and most are focused only on PTSD symptoms. The present study examines the psychometric performance of a comprehensive questionnaire for PTSD and related constructs, the Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder – 2nd Edition (DAPS-2). The current study replicated and extended previous psychometric evaluations of the DAPS-2 in a community sample of adult individuals with PTSD (N = 85). Analyses included evaluation of the internal consistency of the DAPS-2 PTSD and associated features scales, as well as evaluation of several sources of validity evidence for the DAPS-2 PTSD Total scale, including convergent and discriminant validity and diagnostic utility for predicting PTSD diagnosis on the original and recently revised versions of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5 and CAPS-5-R). Results indicated high internal consistency for all DAPS-2 PTSD and most associated features scales, with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from .58 (Substance Use scale) to .97 (PTSD Total scale). The DAPS-2 PTSD Total scale demonstrated strong convergent and discriminant validity and moderately strong agreement with the CAPS-5-R/CAPS-5 (efficiency = .79). These findings support the use of the DAPS-2 as part of a comprehensive assessment battery for trauma survivors or as a stand-alone clinical tool when structured interviews are not practicable
Tridimensional Acculturation and Mental Health of Black Caribbean Immigrants to the U.S.
Full text linkThere are many immigrants to the U.S., notably a large population of Black Caribbean first- or second-generation immigrants. To date, there is little research about the acculturation of this large group. Moving beyond the traditional bidimensional models of acculturation, this study used a tridimensional framework that incorporated Caribbean, European American, and African American cultural orientations. Using both dimensional and categorical approaches to acculturation, the study tested whether cultural affiliations and/or acculturation strategies were associated with psychological well-being. Findings from the dimensional approach revealed that Caribbean cultural orientation was positively associated with life satisfaction, but neither African American nor European American orientations were significantly related to psychological distress or life satisfaction. Findings from the categorical approach showed no significant differences in psychological distress across acculturation strategies. However, significant differences were found in life satisfaction. Overall the findings highlighted the potential benefits to well-being from maintaining a strong connection to Caribbean heritage and underscored the complexity of cultural adaptation in a racially stratified society. Implications for acculturation theory, culturally-sensitive mental health interventions, and future research were discussed.
Keywords: tridimensional acculturation, Black Caribbean immigrants, psychological distress, life satisfaction, cultural orientation, identity integratio