Middle Tennessee State University
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Connected Creativity: Exploring Dyadic Dynamics Across Settings
No full textThe present study investigated hybrid and in person environments and regarding creativity at the dyadic level over time. Participants met three separate times to work together on a creativity task and were assigned to either meeting face to face for the duration of the study or meeting in person for the first session and then moving to a virtual environment. A total of 42 graduate and undergraduate students from Middle Tennessee State University participated in this study. The Guilford Consequences Tasks were used to assess creativity. Measures for demographics, cognitive ability, personality, and psychoaffective variables were also collected. There were 11 dyads in the hybrid condition and 10 dyads in the in person condition. A factorial ANOVA was conducted and found no difference in creative outcomes regardless of condition but a difference in the number of scores generated depending on the session number. Overall, ideas directly related to the creativity task increased over time and ideas indirectly related to the creativity task decreased over time. These findings suggest hybrid and in person environments facilitate similar idea generation abilities.M.A
An Exploration of Community Within the Context of a University’s Tennis Program
No full textWithin sport management studies, scholars have overlooked the importance of the involvement and engagement of the surrounding community in relation to sport organizations. Using an ethnographic methodology to guide the research, this study analyzed the conceptualization of a tennis community within the context of a university’s tennis program. The study also explored the power relation and sources of power between a city and university partnership. In particular, this study was guided by the following questions: 1) What has shaped the participants’ subjective understanding of the concept of community around the university’s tennis programs? and 2) How have power dynamics (social, political, economic, cultural) in the context of the community and the university’s tennis program played a role in shaping the meaning-making of community around the university’s tennis program? The methods used to answer the research questions included six months of ethnographic participant observations, 23 semi-structured interviews, and records kept through a research journal. Analysis of the data, generated results that have been developed into two separate manuscripts. The first manuscript showed the factors identified by the community members in the development of place identity with the Tennis Complex. The second manuscript presented the way in which sources of power were created within the community and the ways in which power has been exercised in the research context. Overall findings serve to provide leaders of sport organizations with additional evidence-base literature emphasizing the several benefits of community, the importance of place and identity, the strategies to adapt for community engagement, and the importance of partnerships and forms of collaborations.Ph.D
Validation of a Low-Cost Mobile EEG Device for Studying Language-Related ERP Components
No full textInteraXon’s Muse 2 is a commercial EEG headband designed to provide neurofeedback during mindfulness exercises. The Muse’s low-cost, ease of use, and mobility provide an attractive alternative to the limitations associated with a traditional wired EEG system. The goal of this study was to validate the Muse for conducting language ERP (event-related potential) research using a Semantic Relatedness Judgment Task (SRJT) and a Stroop Task. The Muse measured distinct N1, P2, and N400 components in both tasks. Monte Carlo permutation tests showed significant differences between Match and Mismatch conditions in the SRJT but not the Stroop Task. These results indicate that the Muse can measure language-related ERPs in certain contexts and supports the implementation of the Muse headband for future ERP studies of language. Potential benefits of the Muse include increasing sample size and diversity and democratizing ERP research. Further research is needed to refine the parameters that determine the ideal range of use for the Muse EEG device in ERP studies.M.A
A Biographical Sketch of Julian Wehr (1898-1970): American Master of the Movable Book
No full textIn the emerging popular and scholarly attention given to movable books, the name Julian Wehr often figures as an outstanding illustrator and paper engineer who in the 1940s and early 1950s published over 40 children's books notable for their appealing illustrations, but remarkable for their innovative pull-tab animations. Cleverly simple in design and widely imitated at the time, Wehr's approach to animated illustration revived a children's book format that had all but vanished from publishers' trade lists after the First World War because of production impracticalities. For although animated books had enjoyed considerable popularity in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they were typically lavish and expensive novelties that involved the manual assembly of an elaborate array of paper parts and minuscule hardware. By contrast, Wehr's animation technique--yielding pictorial movement as complex as any achieved by earlier methods--relied on only one or two pieces of paper and, moreover, his animated books were easily adapted to low-cost mass production. And mass-produced they were, for it is likely that upwards of nine million copies of Wehr's various titles--some translated into Spanish, French, German, and Icelandic--were sold in the United States, Canada, France, Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Iceland, and elsewhere.
Accordingly, we offer in this essay a brief biographical sketch of Wehr's life and career. It is based chiefly on interviews conducted across the spring, summer, and autumn of 2001 with his four children, Camilla West Molinari (Wehr's daughter from his first marriage), David Wehr, Paul Wehr, and Jeanine Wehr Jones (Wehr's sons and daughter from his second marriage). The Wehr children also have made available to us their father's art work, letters, and other materials
Validating the Mindfulness Skill Scale
No full textThe purpose of this study was to replicate and extend the work of Stremic (2020), who created the Mindfulness Skill Scale (MSS). Stremic (2020) argued that mindfulness should be best measured as a skill that can be learned, rather than a personality trait or a psychological state. We recruited 150 working professionals from Prolific who were asked to complete the MSS, a series of other mindfulness measures that measured state, trait, and skill mindfulness, along with other mindfulness related outcomes (happiness, perceived stress, and anxiety). Participants in the intervention group were asked to engage in a mindful meditation, while participants in the control group were asked to watch a video about stress management techniques. Analyses examined correlations between mindfulness measures and outcome variables. We also examined whether the MSS demonstrated a stronger relationship to the outcomes compared to other mindfulness measures. In addition, we conducted Fisher’s r-to-z transformation to compare mindfulness measures to the outcome variables. Results showed that the mindfulness training did not work, therefore it is unclear if the MSS is accurately measuring mindfulness skill. Additionally, the mindfulness skill did not change over time and did not differ between conditions. Despite the mindfulness intervention not having an impact on mindfulness skill, the MSS was found to be significantly correlated with happiness, anxiety, and perceived stress. Overall, partial validity for the MSS was found. Future research is needed to further validate the MSS to be accurate and useful for organizational use.M.A
The Effects of Country's Socioeconomic Status on its Citizens' Health
No full textThis research examines the relationship between the economic status of countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and health outcomes by analyzing the relationship between leading economic factors, such as GDP per capita, income, and educational attainment, and health outcomes, such as life expectancy, mortality rate, obesity rate, and opioid overdose rate. Using data from 2016 to 2022, I employ linear regression methods to evaluate the relationship between economic factors and health outcomes. I find that income has the most pronounced impact on health outcomes, positively affecting life expectancy and decreasing preventable and treatable mortality. Education has some positive effects on preventable mortality rates and obesity rates. However, the impact of education becomes negligible after a certain level. In contrast, GDP per capita has a minimal impact on all health outcomes. My findings suggest that health outcomes in OECD countries can be significantly enhanced by implementing policies prioritizing raising individual income levels. Specifically, increasing individualized income directly and positively impacts health outcomes more than initiatives that only increase the nation’s total income
Intimate Partner Violence from the Viewpoint of the Abuser
No full textDomestic violence is a social issue that affects one in four women and one in seven men over the age of eighteen. While extensive research has been done on the effects of domestic violence on victims, there has been little research on the perpetrators of domestic violence. Being able to recognize domestic violence and support those who have been victims of domestic violence is incredibly important but is not the extent of the issue. There is also importance in recognizing why perpetrators of domestic violence engage in violent acts. Current research on domestic violence perpetrators from legal systems or therapeutic samples is constrained by the ability to obtain accurate accounts of their actions that are filtered through these systems. One of the main constraints within research is the lack of anonymity for those who share their side of the story. The intent of this research is to analyze the viewpoints of perpetrators of domestic violence using an anonymous forum. This allows these perpetrators to share their uncensored stories
Unsparingly: a Podcast Exploring the Mental Health of Medical Professionals Working in an Acute Care Setting Before, During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textThe topic of mental health has slowly grown to be less taboo, with online therapy services like Better Help thriving and the hashtag #selfcare having over 77 million posts on Instagram. According to the World Health Organization (2022), “for some [the pandemic] sparked or amplified much more serious mental health problems... there have been worrying signs of more widespread suicidal thoughts and behaviors, including among health care workers.” These providers are the backbone of our society, and their mental and physical health should be a priority, especially in times of crisis. This podcast, and the accompanying website, serves to amplify their voices, giving them a platform to share their stories, struggles and needs
ESSAYS IN FINANCIAL ECONOMICS, POLITICAL ECONOMY, AND BUSINESS
No full textThis dissertation explores the multifaceted impacts of legislation and policy on economic outcomes and business dynamics. Chapter 1 focuses on the U.S. government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the CARES Act and foreclosure moratorium. Utilizing a Fama-French five-factor asset pricing model event study hybrid approach, this chapter investigates whether these legislative measures distorted the efficient returns of the housing finance sector. The findings reveal that the CARES Act led to short-term abnormal stock returns in the housing sector, with mortgage-related firm stocks experiencing negative shocks. In contrast, real estate and residential construction firms saw modest positive returns. This analysis underscores the sensitivity of mortgage firm stock returns to legislative interventions and the resilience observed in other housing-related sectors. Building on the theme of legislative impacts, Chapter 2 examines the unintended economic consequences of Proposition 47, which is aimed at decarceration of non-violent criminals in California. The research in Chapter 2 uses synthetic control design, difference-in-difference, and synthetic difference-in-difference models to determine whether Proposition 47 inadvertently caused higher prices for California consumers through increased property crime. The research finds evidence that Proposition 47 increased prices for nondurable and commodity goods when looking at the city level but found that at the state level, the effects are less clear. These results highlight the trade-offs voters face when implementing criminal justice reforms and the broader economic implications of such policies. In Chapter 3, the dissertation focuses on family business dynamics, specifically examining succession readiness. This chapter presents a novel survey-based succession readiness index developed from responses from 310 family-owned businesses. Through path analysis, logit, and probit modeling, the study investigates the relationship between succession readiness and various factors, including the characteristics of potential successors, firm attributes, business owner profiles, and family communication levels. The results indicate that among the measured characteristics in the survey, communication, firm size, firm governance, and perceived importance of the firm owner play the largest roles in determining business succession readiness. This dissertation aims to understand the complex interplay between legislation, economic outcomes, and business dynamics to offer tangible and valuable insights for policymakers and business practitioners.Ph.D
OPTIMIZATION OF CANNABINOID EXTRACTION CONDITIONS INCLUDING SOLVENT CHOICES USING MICROWAVE AND ULTRASONICATION METHODS
No full textCannabinoid compounds extracted from Cannabis sativa have demonstrated high therapeutic potential. Hence, efficient extraction together with reliable quantitative determination of these compounds is crucial for utilization of hemp extract. This research focuses on the optimal extraction conditions for hemp samples, which involves the comparison of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) using ethanol as a primary solvent.
The effects of varying parameters such as extraction time, temperature, solvent-to-sample ratio and the ratio of mixed solvents were evaluated to determine their impact on the yield and chemical profile of extracted cannabinoids. The extraction solvents evaluated for UAE and MAE are ethanol, limonene, olive oil, propylene glycol, and glycerol mixed in different volume ratios.
The comparison of cannabinoid yields for MAE and UAE under different extraction conditions including the use of solvent mixtures containing various combinations of ethanol, glycerol, propylene glycol, limonene, and olive oil. The solvent mixtures producing the highest MAE yields in cannabidiol (CBD), delta.8-tetrahydrocanabinol (delta.8-THC) and delta.9-tetrahydro-canabinol (delta.9-THC) were further evaluated for UAE yields using the optimized extraction procedures.
The comparison of the percent yields of cannabinoid compounds between cannabis flower and cannabis stem was also examined.
In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of selecting the appropriate extraction method and conditions to achieve the optimal yield and cannabinoid quality.
The profile of cannabinoid compounds extracted using different solvent mixtures that are generally regarded as (GRAS) is discussed.M.S