Middle Tennessee State University
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A Detailed Description of Corrupt Events in Argentina's History: The Role of Corruption in Argentine Politics, 1966 to 2022
No full textKEYWORDS: Economics, Political Science, Corruptio
Cytopathic Effects of Aurones in a Mouse Cell Line L929 Cells
No full textCancer has been one of the major concerns in healthcare. The disease is most
lethal when it becomes metastatic, Fibroblast aids in this process through
microenvironment formation. The extracellular matrix around the cancer site is
remodeled, enhancing cancer progression. Therefore, there has been research ongoing to
find compounds with medicinal implications by targeting the fibroblast and restraining
cancer site progression. A potential compound is aurones, that are naturally found in the
pigmentation of yellow rocket snapdragon flowers. Due to the versatility of aurones for
many treatments, the compound has been chemically modified and screened on TNFinduced
L929 cells for their effects on cytotoxicity. A cell viability test was used to gather
data on the effect of aurones and the ANOVA and posthoc Dunnett test the following
three groups were categorized: death inhibitory, death enhancing, and neutral. The
aurones 1 & 2 were death inhibitory, while 4, 5, & 8 were found to be neutral, and the
rest had death-enhancing effects. Based on the categories further studies will be done on
the specific pathway affected by the aurones
Racial Disparities in Federal Drug Sentencing
No full textRacial disparity in the criminal justice field is a widely debated topic and impacts the lives of millions of American citizens, and individuals across the world. This thesis aims to analyze the discrepancies within the criminal justice system, in relation to sentencing. The literature review within this thesis will delve into disparity within other avenues of the criminal justice system, such as policing, arrests, and traffic stops. This thesis suggests that federal judges sentence African American people more harshly for drug offenses. In order to test this hypothesis, data from the Federal Prisoner Report was pulled from the ICPSR website. This thesis analyzed cases from 2016-2021, with a sample size of 103,000 offenders. After analyzing the research, it was determined that African American men receive a sentence that is approximately 30% longer than Caucasian men for similarly committed drug crimes.M.C.A
Focusing on the Positive: An Examination of the Relationships between Flourishing Mental Health, Self-Reported Academic Performance, and Psychological Distress in a National Sample of College Students
No full textMental illness and psychological distress have increased greatly among college students such that college counseling centers are unable to keep up with the swelling demand. To stem this tide, upstream prevention strategies will be necessary, but any potential strategy will likely need a connection to academic success to achieve full buy-in for a comprehensive, institution-wide implementation. Using a retrospective, cross-sectional research design, this study, grounded in a dual continua model of mental health, examines how positive mental health may impact student academic performance and be related to psychological distress. Prior research in this area has been limited to inquiries focused on students at a single institution and thus has limited generalizability. To address that gap, this research study uses aggregate data from a national sample of college students who completed the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment III (ACHA-NCHA III) in the Spring 2022 semester.
Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the impact of flourishing mental health as measured by the Flourishing Scale on students’ self-reported overall GPA. Additionally, correlation analysis was completed to determine the direction and degree of relationship between flourishing mental health and psychological distress. Results indicate that flourishing mental health has a direct and highly significant relationship to academic performance and that flourishing mental health has a strong inverse relationship to psychological distress. The implications of these findings to student success research, policy, and practice are addressed.Ed.D
Where Burnout and Leadership Intersect: Implications From, and for, Academic Library (and Other Higher Education) Stakeholders
No full textAs evidenced by both the Chronicle of Higher Education and Harvard Business Review issuing special reports on the topic in early 2021, burnout has become a hot-button issue in American workplaces. While burnout can manifest in individuals in numerous ways, it can also be catastrophic and expensive for organizations, including academic libraries, if it is left unaddressed by leadership. As a result, this chapter looks at how leadership changes can create uncertainty that exacerbates employee burnout. We present three case studies from three different points of view to show how leadership can make a difference in librarian and library staff burnout. Ultimately, we argue that the renewed focus on burnout, performance measurement, and assessment presents university and academic library leaders with the opportunity to prevent their organizations from being consumed by burnout
The Impact of Intermittent Pain in Women with Osteoarthritis of the Knee on Biomechanics and Muscle Activation Patterns during Level Walking and Stair Descent
No full textOsteoarthritis of the knee (KOA) is a degenerative, incurable, and highly debilitating disease. Among those experiencing KOA symptoms, most diagnoses are female. Of the symptoms associated with KOA, none are more detrimental than pain. Existing evidence has established that chronic pain results in irregular muscle activity above and below the knee during activity. This phenomenon, in turn, leads to abnormal joint loading and substantial alterations in gait patterns. However, the understanding of the effects of intermittent pain remains limited.
Therefore, the primary objective of study one was to evaluate the impact of intermittent pain on muscle activity above and below the knee during walking and stepdown tasks in women with KOA (n = 7), compared to controls (n = 10). Study two aimed to investigate the influence of intermittent pain on gait parameters, and foot pressure distribution during walking and stepdown tasks among women with KOA (n = 7) compared to controls (n = 10).
The findings from study one revealed that intermittent pain significantly altered mean and mean peak muscle activity, in the semitendinosus of the pain group, during the load acceptance phase of a stepdown task. There was no discernible influence of intermittent pain on muscle activity during walking. Study two revealed that there was no significant impact of intermittent pain on gait parameters and foot pressure distribution. Essentially, intermittent pain altered muscle activity, without significantly altering participants' walking patterns or the way force was distributed across the foot.
In conclusion, intermittent pain primarily affects muscle activity rather than walking patterns or force distribution. Consideration of additional controls such as disease severity, foot arch height, fitness level, and motion analysis assessment might provide more insights. Given the significance impact of pain, future researchers should incorporate these controls, and others, to precisely investigate the effects of intermittent pain.Ph.D
The Production Process: A Behind-the-Scenes Look into the Live Video Production Industry
No full textThis project examines the live video production workflow. It explores the
different crew positions and breaks down the production process into three phases. I
photographed multiple productions that took place with Media Arts Productions, Blue
Raider Student Television, and the Advanced Multi-camera Production classes at Middle
Tennessee State University. Through this behind-the-scenes photographic documentation,
the elaborate production process that brings live events to screens is illustrated in this
creative project. The final photos were compiled into a photo book that is intended to
highlight the people and general process that make viewing live events in homes and on
phones possible
Boys Love (Danmei) Fiction: A Critical Content Analysis of Heteronormativity and Performativity
No full textDanmei is a Chinese fiction genre depicting male-male romance and erotica that is widely accessible across the internet (Feng, 2009; Madill & Zhao, 2021; Yu, 2021). Researchers are divided on whether the Danmei genre is a form of women’s empowerment (Feng, 2009; Madill & Zhao, 2021; Zhang, 2017; Yu, 2021), queer literature (Ge, 2021), or a combination of both (Zhou, Bryant & Sherman, 2018). This research explores and analyzes aspects of heteronormative standards as well as deviations from traditional Chinese gender norms within the male-male romance depicted within these novels. This research is significant due to the current negative social climate within Mainland China regarding the LGBTQ+ community despite Danmei novels’ focus on MxM romantic relationships. Several themes identified from the data gathered from twenty Danmei novels suggest that heteronormative standards as well as traditional Chinese gender norms are widespread throughout the main characters’ romance despite both partners being male. Of the few deviations from traditional norms, the majority were regarding the submissive partner. Results are further analyzed using Judith Butler’s (2015) theory of performativity for further discussion on social implications for the Danmei genre, its authors, and the queer community in Mainland China.M.A
Core planar cell polarity function in migrating gastrula cells – analysis of a novel zebrafish prickle1a mutant line
No full textPlanar cell polarity (PCP) is one of the many important events that occur during zebrafish gastrulation, playing a key role in cell movements that underlie convergence and extension (C&E) of the embryonic body axis. Identifying and understanding the driving forces of this phenomenon will provide further insight into the embryonic development of organisms. Previously, numerous studies performed in the fly have established a six-member core protein PCP pathway, however, many details regarding a core PCP pathway in vertebrates have yet to be elucidated. VANGL planar cell polarity protein 2 (Vangl2) is the zebrafish ortholog of the fly core PCP protein Van Gogh/Strabismus (Vang/Stbm) and has been established as a crucial component of zebrafish PCP. Nonetheless, it is still unclear whether other homologs of the fly core PCP proteins serve similar roles in higher vertebrate organisms, such as zebrafish. In this study, we evaluated Prickle1a, which is a zebrafish homolog to another core fly PCP protein (Prickle) that is known to interact with Vangl2. Using a previously generated nonsense prickle1a mutant (the sa24579 allele), we performed RT-PCR and microinjection of embryos with prickle1a mRNA and vangl2 antisense morpholino to genetically characterize this mutant. Furthermore, we evaluated the morphology, alignment, and directed migration of mediolateral mesodermal cells at the end of gastrulation (tailbud stage) through differential interference contrast microscopy. We also examined defects in the body axis and C&E visualized in live and fixed whole embryos. While the genetic characterization of this mutation is still not fully understood, we did determine that PCP in the prickle1a sa24579 mutant is interrupted, suggesting that the Prickle1a protein is involved in zebrafish PCP.M.S
The Power of Positive Conversations
No full textThis study examines whether positive or negative talk directly affects Instagramrelated
conflict resolution in a romantic relationship. The research was conducted through
the use of a Qualtrics survey aimed toward understanding how Instagram-addictive
personalities and conflict related to jealousy, tracking, and other deceitful behaviors
connect with a couple's level of relational satisfaction. Lastly, to gain deeper insights into
Instagram-related conflicts, this research wanted to understand whether or not positive
talk has a deep correlation with resolving conflict and increasing relational satisfaction.
As hypothesized, Instagram does, in fact, have a significant impact on relational
satisfaction, especially as it relates to negative conflicts. However, when positive talk is
used, results show that relational satisfaction increases