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Microbial Biodiversity of the James River Rock Pool Ecosysten
No full textRock pools are ephemeral aquatic environments that offer a unique opportunity to study complex communities and their responses to environmental changes. The urban James River rock pool system consists of over 700 individual rock pools varying in size and depth. The microbial community of this system was characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and the influence of environmental variables on the community composition was analyzed. Findings show there is variation in microbial community composition across pools in relation to flood height, shade cover, temperature, and nutrient concentrations, while pool depth and chlorophyll a concentrations had a lesser impact on microbial composition. At the phylum level pools were mostly dominated by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria, however at the ASV level there was significant variability, with 14,063 ASVs observed only in a single pool. The strongest environmental drivers of microbial community composition were flood height, temperature, shade, and urea concentration. Ammonia concentrations affected the differential abundances of the highest number of microbial classes, followed by temperature and depth, while no microbial classes were differentially abundant in response to chlorophyll a or nitrite concentration. This study provides a baseline for long-term studies investigating how the microbial community in the James River rock pool ecosystem changes over time and in response to changes in environmental conditions
Developing resilience in first year collegiate athletes: The effectiveness of a resilience and strengths based course
No full textResearch shows that college students have increased levels of mental health difficulties with freshmen transitioning into college experiencing even more strain. What further contributes to these difficulties includes having experienced the COVID pandemic in high school, low socioeconomic status (SES), and racial minority status. Student-athletes, although known to have better mental health than non-student-athletes, still underutilize their abundance of resources. Generally, a skill that has been established as beneficial in managing the difficulties related to college is resilience, suggesting the implementation of a more accessible resource to support the mental health of student-athletes transitioning into college. One such resource is the Changing Minds Changing Lives (CMCL) course to help students manage their obstacles by building their resiliency. The current study evaluated the utility of the CMCL course in developing resilience in incoming collegiate freshmen student-athletes. Informed by Sarkar and Fletcher (2013), the current study utilized protective factors, positive adaptation, and adversity as components of resilience. Participants included 18 NCAA Division I football players participating in the course as well as an equal number in the control group. Data were collected prior to the beginning of the course, immediately following the course, and three months after its conclusion. Results of this study did not identify any significant differences between the experimental and control group, as well as no significant difference between time-points for the experimental group. Qualitative inquiry revealed important aspects for improvement of the course, personal benefits of the course, as well as related general experiences in sport and academics that can be utilized for course improvements. Results of this study are valuable for identification of course improvements as well as establishment of other resources beneficial to the transition to college
Lessons from a Six-Year Drug Treatment Court Evaluation: Improving Program Processes and Participant Outcomes
No full textAbstract Lessons from a Six-Year Drug Treatment Court Evaluation: Improving Program Processes and Participant Outcomes This paper presents findings from a comprehensive evaluation of the Rockingham-Harrisonburg Adult Recovery Court (RHARC), a post-adjudication problem-solving court targeting high-risk/high-need nonviolent offenders with substance use or co-occurring disorders. Funded by a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant awarded in October 2018, the project sought to expand the capacity of RHARC to deliver evidence-based substance abuse treatment and recovery support services. RHARC is the only high-risk/high-need diversion intervention in the region, serving residents of Rockingham County and the City of Harrisonburg, Virginia. The initial goal of the SAMHSA-funded project was to enroll 200 participants. Between 2018 and 2024, RHARC referred 406 individuals and successfully enrolled 202 participants, surpassing its target. This final technical report evaluates the program\u27s implementation, participant characteristics, outcomes, and overall impact over the six-year grant period, including a final no-cost extension year. This paper has evaluated seven key categories of variables across six years of its implementation. Those variables include demographics (e.g., age, gender, race, veteran status), substance use and mental health (drug of choice, diagnoses, MAT use), program engagement (referrals, time to entry, phase completion), treatment received (therapy hours, peer support, insurance access), behavioral compliance (violations, sanctions, incentives), recovery and self-sufficiency (employment, housing, education, court payments), and outcomes (drug abstinence, recidivism, health, and social support at six-month and long-term follow-ups). RHARC utilized a five-phase recovery court model integrating judicial supervision, clinical treatment, case management, and peer support. The court’s operations were informed by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (All Rise) best practices and included Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT), relapse prevention services, individual therapy, and drug screening. During the extension year, RHARC launched new initiatives such as the Transitional and Recovery Housing Assistance Program and the Peer Recovery Alumni Group, both designed to address persistent barriers like housing instability and the need for long-term peer support. Despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing challenges, RHARC demonstrated impressive performance across multiple indicators. At the six-month follow-up, 87.2% of participants reported abstaining from drug use, and significant improvements were seen in health, employment, and perceived social support. Recidivism rates were lower among program graduates compared to non-graduates, affirming the long-term effectiveness of the recovery court model. However, the evaluation also identifies areas for improvement. Many participants received fewer treatment hours than recommended, particularly in individual therapy. Peer support services were primarily concentrated in the later phases of the program, though early integration is shown to improve outcomes. Housing insecurity and inconsistent access to community-based mental health services continued to challenge participants. Recommendations include expanding early assessments for mental health and health insurance, improving referral and enrollment processes, offering more robust employment and educational support, and using less punitive sanctions in response to relapse. This paper provides a detailed account of RHARC’s evolution into a comprehensive, evidence-based recovery court and offers actionable insights to inform future program development. With continued commitment to participant-centered services, peer engagement, and data-driven decision-making, RHARC serves as a replicable model for recovery courts nationwide
Advancing Mental Health Equity through Out-of-School Time Programming at the Boys and Girls Club
No full textAn estimated 1 in 5 U.S. children ages 3–17 has a mental, emotional, behavioral, or developmental disorder. Furthermore, 42% of high school respondents to the national 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported feeling persistent sadness or hopelessness. Greater rates were observed among those who identify as female (57%), Hispanic (46%), multiracial (49%), and LGBQ+ (69%) (Centers for Disease Control, 2021). Out-of-School Time (OST) has been a growing focus for its central role in improving academic achievement, school suspension and absence rates, and skills related to emotional regulation and socialization (Cross et al.; 2016; Kang-Yi et al., 2018; Lauer et al., 2016). This highlights the need for further mental health interventions via OST programming. The current study will review the process of designing and building a mental health wellness initiative at a Boys & Girls Club as well as provide data from the first year of program implementation. In July 2023, The Boys & Girls Club of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County (BGCHR) in Virginia received a grant to address mental health disparities. BGCHR serves youth ages 5 to 18, with a significant portion coming from low-income and racially marginalized groups. Last year over 379 City youth attended BGCHR. BGCHR’s initiative, launched in June 2024. At a systems level, BGCHR spent time reviewing and adjusting current policies and procedures to identify areas that may be creating barriers to equitable care. This review resulted in the integration of restorative justice approaches to disciplinary actions. BGCHR also hired a Mental Health Advocate who provides case management services to families and staff consultation, including support for incorporating trauma-informed principles into practice. The Mental Health Advocate also provides weekly group social-emotional programming at the clubs. Finally, the clubs began a formal partnership with local schools to provide targeted training for both club and student support staff. We will describe the process of designing and evaluating this program at BGCHR, while discussing facilitators and barriers in implementation. We will also provide lessons learned and recommendations for other OST programs, and future directions of the program which include incorporating on-site individual therapeutic services. Other results will include connections to services, disciplinary referrals, and youth outcomes in social-emotional literacy, stigma for seeking support, prosocial behavior, and overall wellbeing. The presentation will benefit attendees interested in community-based research and OST mental health programming that addresses inequities in mental health services
Comparing Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) to Surgical Approaches for Patients with Secondary Mitral Regurgitation
No full textComparing Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair to surgical approaches for secondary mitral regurgitatio
The relationship among oral contraceptive use, sleep, and sexual behavior
No full textThe purpose of this study was to discover if individuals taking oral contraceptives differed on measures of sleep and sexual behavior compared to those who are taking no form of birth control. Participants wore motion loggers every night for two-weeks to track their sleep and filled out a questionnaire every morning asking them about their sleep, sexual feelings, sexual behavior, and affect from the day before. Research in this area of study is very sparse and results are conflicting, therefore we aimed to obtain comprehensive information to derive a basic understanding on if sexual behavior variables and sleep variables are in fact related and the extent to which oral contraceptive use impacts either. Although the literature demonstrated inconsistent and conflicting findings that often lacked the inclusion of female participants focusing on the impact of estrogen and progesterone on sleep and sexual behavior, it is anticipated that during the mid-follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, when estrogen is known to increase, participants will demonstrate better sleep outcomes, greater sexual desire, and increased sexual behavior compared to the mid-luteal phase, when progesterone increases, and the late-luteal phase and menstruation, when estrogen and progesterone dip. Between users and non-users, it is anticipated that scores on the Female Sexual Functioning Index will be higher for users. Focusing on the correlational relationship between variables, it is predicted that measures of the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, wake after sleep onset, sleep duration, and sexual desire will be significantly correlated. Results will be discussed during the presentation. Implications of the predicted results could encourage others to critically examine how oral contraceptives are impacting other major life areas aside from reduction of pregnancy risk and additional factors for consumption (e.g. acne, painful periods, heavy bleeding). Furthermore, results should lead to a greater understanding of the relationship and potential impact of commonly prescribed drugs as well as add to the scare literature. This study can encourage others to obtain more information on oral contraceptives and how the addition of exogenous hormones can affect major components of quality of life, such as sleep and sexual behavior
Out of Print: Gay Periodicals and the Construction of Gay Community, 1969-1980
Full text linkAs the Gay Liberation movement spread across the cities of the United States during the 1970s, one institution bolstered it more than any other: the gay press. This thesis examines the role of the gay press in constructing an imagined community of gay men during the 1970s, uncovering the methods in which it fashioned a gay world that both encompassed and reached beyond the temporal and geographic boundaries of the United States. Throughout its three chapters, it argues that writers in gay periodicals built gay community and the Gay Liberation movement in numerous ways, such as reporting on gay history (Chapter One), uncovering foreign gay communities and culture (Chapter Two), and by solidifying the concerns and aspirations of the movement through public discussions of its multifarious struggles (Chapter Three). Furthermore, It aims to show how the gay press’ reportage not only built a gay world by mapping the universality of homosexuality across time and space, but also how it fostered harmful divisions within the gay community just as it was pulling it together. By looking at how racist and imperialist thought was utilized in the construction of a global gay community, the thesis highlights a dual relationship where gay periodicals brought men from around the world together into a singular gay community, while at the same time stratifying this community through the language of race and empire. It accomplishes this task by utilizing nearly a dozen periodicals catered to gay men from the era, including Gay Liberation periodicals such as Gay Liberator and Gay Sunshine, gay entertainment and tourism magazines like QQ and Ciao!, and local gay newspapers such as Boston’s Gay Community News, examining repeated coverage on gay history, foreign gay communities, and gay politics throughout this diverse selection of publications. In turn, this thesis provides insight into how print cultures can construct social movements and imagined communities through a variety of mechanisms, while also spotlighting how they represent and even foster malignant divisions within the worlds they are building. Moreso, it also aims to demonstrate the challenges faced by the American Gay Liberation movement and other movements for sexual liberation throughout the twentieth century in addressing the intersectional struggles shared by many LGTBQ+ individuals. By uncovering these “pitfalls of sexual liberation,” as described by historian Laurie Marhoefer, a better understanding of the American Gay Liberation movement and the manners in which it conceived and constructed gay community, a community largely made for white gay men, can be obtained
Real or fake? Connecting student learning and grades
No full textGraduation rates have steadily increased since the 1990s (Denning et al., 2022). On the surface, this upward trend provides an optimistic view of the state of education; students are successfully reaching the standards necessary to obtain their degree, indicating that they are adequately prepared to enter the workforce and become productive members of society. Individuals with college degrees have been shown to receive higher incomes, have healthier lifestyles, and be more active in their communities (College Board, 2023). While this increase in collegiate success should ultimately mean an increase in student learning, suspicions have arisen as to whether this is truly the case. The upward trend in graduation rates observed over the past few decades is not sufficient to conclude that students are truly learning.
In higher education, we make the explicit assumption that Grade Point Average (GPA) is a direct measure of student learning/achievement. Grades assigned to students are deemed to be reflective of demonstrated learning. Importantly, GPA is directly tied to graduation status, as students are required to obtain a certain GPA to graduate college. However, GPA has the potential to be susceptible to grade inflation (i.e., an increase in grades awarded without a subsequent increase in achievement). When grade inflation is present, grades begin to show a ceiling effect as they increase to a maximum (Kamber & Biggs, 2003). As the number of students receiving grades of A grows due to grade inflation, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish amongst those whose grades are valid versus those whose grades have been inflated. The question becomes, how do we determine if grade inflation is occurring? Said differently, how do we determine whether GPA is related to student learning and achievement?
To be able to demonstrate true student learning across time, a measure of learning administered to the student body is necessary across multiple time points. Unfortunately, most colleges/universities are not able to access or implement such a measure. Fortunately for James Madison University, such measures are administered on a regular basis. The current study utilized longitudinal student learning data from James Madison University’s biannual Assessment Day to determine if GPA could be predicted by student learning while controlling for student demographics. Change scores on the Natural World Test, Version 9 (NW9) were used as an indicator of student learning over time. A multiple regression model containing NW9 Change Scores, NW9 Fall Exam Score, Sex, and Race was significant, with NW9 Change Scores significantly contributing to the prediction of GPA. Implications, limitations, and directions of future study are described
The JMU Lab Band Initiative
No full textThe primary objective of the JMU Lab Band is to facilitate equitable access to music education within the Shenandoah Valley while providing JMU music education students with an authentic and well-supported teaching environment. This initiative offers a fun platform for collaborative ensemble experiences and musical skill development aimed at band students in grades 7-10. No formal application, fee, or audition process is required for participation. All local students within the specified grade range are welcome in the program, which is hosted by JMU students, faculty, and staff.
The conception and implementation of the JMU Lab Band, beginning in Spring 2023, stemmed from my vision to mitigate educational barriers for young musicians and aspiring music educators alike. Today, the program flourishes, catering to a diverse cohort of over 70 middle and high school students across six school districts, spanning four adjacent counties: Rockingham, Augusta, Page, and Shenandoah. My presentation will explore the launching, development, and maintenance of this creative project, a comprehensive community music education engagement program
The use of the “international” public order institute as an evasion in international private law.
No full textABSTRACT
The main objective of this dissertation is the research and analysis of the use of the international public policy institute as an exception in private international law. Using various tools and methods, I have managed to analyze and explain the concept, meaning, content, role, impact, reasons, and consequences of the application of this institute, among other things.
To achieve this objective, a wide range of literary materials, methods, and instruments have been employed, through which we have been able to draw several conclusions. One of the most significant conclusions of this work consists of the importance of this institute in private international law and the reasons why this institute should be used.
In this diploma thesis, I have endeavored to use both international and national literature, aiming to make my objective as easily attainable and understandable as possible for the readers of this topic. In addition to the main objective, this work also aims to motivate students to study and research exceptions to competent norms (choice of law rules) in private law in general, giving special importance to the \u27international\u27 public policy institute.
Keywords: policy, international, private, exception