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The Deadliest Mental Disorder: Borderline Personality Disorder
No full textBorderline personality disorder is the most fatal mental disorder in the DSM-5. The difference between life and death could be a mental health professional who is knowledgeable in BPD and its treatments. To better understand what BPD is and how to treat it, it’s paramount to know how the diagnosis of BPD came about and how it originated from the diagnosis of psychosis and neurosis. Mental health professionals also need to be educated in personality disorders as a whole and what symptoms meet the criteria for a personality disorder. The DSM-5-TR is an excellent resource for those in the mental health profession as it gives information and criteria for mental disorders. They can use the DSM-5-TR as a reference for what borderline personality disorder is and how to diagnose the disorder. In the diagnosis of BPD, there are 9 criteria, and an individual needs to show 5 of the 9 to be eligible for a diagnosis of BPD. When researching the causes of borderline personality disorder, we can see how the development of BPD progresses and how mental health professionals can gear treatment towards the individual. Once a diagnosis of BPD is established, psychotherapy treatment can begin, and those with BPD can begin their journey to a healthier life. Lastly, by bringing awareness to the stigma that those with BPD face, we can begin to dismantle the barriers facing those seeking treatment. This research concludes that the awareness and education of borderline personality is necessary for those in the mental health profession.
Keywords: borderline personality disorder, personality disorders, mental health, psychosis, neurosis, the borderline group, BPD treatment, BPD stigm
How Has NIL Impacted College Athletes
No full textSince the NCAA’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy shift in 2021, college football has undergone one of the most transformative changes in its history. This essay explores the various ways NIL has impacted college football athletes, both on and off the field. At its core, the policy has opened doors for athletes to gain financial independence, turning their personal brands into real-world assets. For many, this newly found earning potential has provided critical support for themselves and their families, while also teaching them business skills, financial literacy, and professional responsibility. Yet, NIL has also introduced a slight imbalance the college scene itself. The paper examines the that have emerged between high profile stars and lesser known players, as well as between athletes at major programs versus those at smaller schools. It also addresses the growing role of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which have become key tools for athletes to increase their marketability but have also added pressure to perform both athletically and digitally. Additionally, the essay highlights how NIL opportunities are beginning to influence recruiting decisions, transfer choices, and even athlete retention, reshaping the competitive balance within college football. While NIL has not been without its challenges including regulatory inconsistencies and ethical concerns the overall picture painted in this essay suggests that the policy has empowered athletes in unprecedented ways. By tracing these developments, the work ultimately argues that NIL is not just a financial shift but a cultural and structural evolution in college football, one that is preparing athletes for life far beyond their playing days
Miss Big Fat Movie Star : Degradation of the Grande Dame
No full textThe Grande Dame Guignol, a horror subgenre made popular in the early 1960s by films like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte, foregrounds aging actresses cast in grotesque, psychologically unbalanced roles that reflect societal anxieties about female aging. This trend uniquely positions aging women as objects of revulsion, projecting various psychoses onto the caretaker figure in a deliberate subversion of traditional feminine archetypes to horrific effect. This weaponization of age itself, caricaturized as a state of resentment, depravity, and rage, likewise contributed to the real-world marginalization of actresses considered “past their prime,” as attitudes toward women were (and, to a large extent, still are) dependent on the expiration date culturally imposed upon them.
This paper posits that the Grande Dame Guignol operates as a paradoxical cinematic space: it provides seasoned actresses with psychologically & emotionally complex leading roles while simultaneously compounding the social prejudices they face. Focusing primarily on the career trajectories of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, whose screen personas evolved alongside and soon became entwined with the genre, I trace how the tropes embodied in the Grande Dame were informed by earlier screen types (e.g., noir femmes fatales, maternal melodramas), and how these roles both echoed and exacerbated offscreen industry misogyny. Ultimately, this paper contends that the Grande Dame is not merely a genre curiosity; rather, she presents a compelling case study of Hollywood’s inequitable valuation of women, underscoring the kinds of social erasure still perpetuated in contemporary cinema
Integrated Messaging Strategies in Conservation Education: The Role of Story and Song in Teaching Invasive Species Management
No full textConservation education is one way we can help youth better understand the management tools we use and why. However, conservation education messaging strategies must be evaluated to determine the most effective. The objective of our research was to determine the effectiveness of using different strategies related to messaging format and the use of music to teach middle school-aged children about invasive species ecology and management. Specifically, we used a 2 x 2 factorial design with messaging type (traditional lecture versus storytelling) and song inclusion (included or not) as factors and taught four sections of sixth or seventh-grade students about invasive species at two different schools (n = 2 per treatment combination; 8 total sections). We provided a pre-survey to the students before the lesson to determine their prior knowledge and perceptions of invasive plants and their management. Following the pre-survey, we completed the lesson about invasive plants. This lesson was followed by a post-survey that included the same questions as the pre-survey and additional questions to assess how they felt about the messaging strategy used. We analyzed the surveys to measure the effectiveness of messaging type and the use of music on student learning gains. The lecture lesson was best for the students with no prior knowledge of invasive species. Conversely, learning gains were greatest with the story + song lesson for students with prior knowledge of invasive species. Enjoyment of each of the lesson types did not differ, though males enjoyed all lesson types less than females. Ultimately, a combined messaging strategy approach to teaching management-related topics, such as invasive plants, may be most effective for student learning at the middle school level
The Effects of Plastic Mulch and Irrigation on Hemp Chemistry and Leaf Endophytes
No full textAs an emerging crop, cultivation techniques for industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) are still being developed and optimized. For example, irrigation and plastic mulching are some management practices that have been touted for their benefits in improving crop quality. Both techniques ensure ample water availability, which has often been attributed to improving hemp cannabinoid and terpene composition. In this study, we examined how supplemental irrigation implemented in a plastic mulch system influenced the cannabinoid and terpene profiles of one cultivar of CBD hemp, Lifter. We grew industrial hemp in field with plastic mulch and applied regular irrigation to one group while growing a control group without supplemental water. We found that the cannabinoid content and terpene profiles of industrial hemp did not differ between groups that received irrigation or not. We further examined the leaf endophytic fungal community, as another possible effect elicited by water availability, and found that communities did not differ between the two treatment groups. However, regardless of treatment group, hemp chemical composition was predictive of fungal community, suggesting that terpene and cannabinoid profiles shape or are shaped by the microbiome. Together, our results indicate that hemp is resistant to moderate changes in soil water availability and supplemental irrigation may not be necessary in a plastic mulch system. We encourage future studies to compare the chemical composition of hemp grown in bare ground vs. plastic mulch and in irrigated bare ground soil vs. non-irrigated soil to further improve hemp cultivation techniques
Bugles and Boundaries: a comparative analysis between free ranging and restricted elk breeding behavior
No full textEastern elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) were pronounced extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the late 1800s (Shoemaker, 1939). Since that time, efforts have been made to reintroduce elk from western states into their native eastern range, and now inhabit Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky. Elk were first brought to Kentucky from Elk Island National Park, Alberta, Canada, as part of an experiment to demonstrate their ability to help maintain healthy prairie habitats. These elk reside in the Land Between the Lakes, Elk and Bison Prairie (EBP), which includes 700 acres of fenced-in grassland habitat shared between elk and bison. This EBP herd has been instrumental for continued restoration of elk into Tennessee, North Carolina, and West Virginia. This large amount of space creates an environment for elk to thrive; however, not being able to roam freely may influence their behavior.
Elk rut, or their mating season, typically occurs early September through mid October (Wichrowski, 2005). During this time, bull (male) elk use vocalization, called bugling, to attract females (cows) and ward off rival bulls. These bugles can vary in pitch, frequency, and duration, depending on the male’s age and intentions (Thomas, 1980). The vocalization as well as mating behavior are tightly related in larger elk populations. A study done in Rocky Mountain National Park found the frequency of male elk bugles displayed a specific function when attracting mates (Feighny, et al., 2006). However, few studies have compared how elk mating behavior and bugling frequency differs in captive situations like the EBP. Because successful reproduction is important at EBP for future restoration efforts, understanding how mating behavior differs in a captive setting may help future management efforts while also assisting in future restoration of the species in the wild.
Because the male elk in EBP are constrained into a limiting space, they are not able to move females away from other males as they would in a free-range population. A possible outcome of this could lead to more frequent and aggressive bugling. Additionally, the restricted area may shift male behavior from following and defending harems, to more territorial patterns. In this case we would expect to observe the same males and females occupying the same areas, rather than moving in circles and having a wide range.
Here we propose to analyze elk calls and behavior to test these hypotheses. The behavioral observations and audio recording will be analyzed to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of breeding behavior across the rut and different locations within the prairie. The data will be compared to published data and research from free-ranging elk populations, including the source population, to identify any potential difference in breeding behavior due to captivity (McCullough 1969; Geist, 1966; Struhsaker 1967).
All of the data collected will provide an understanding of elk mating behavior and vocalization within a managed setting. During the Spring 2026 semester, we will use the collected data to compare elk behavior in captive elk at EBP to free-ranging elk in other studies. To complete this project, we request $800. Our budget includes a spotting scope used for behavioral data, gas money, the cost of batteries for the audiomoths, and a potential AI software to help combine audiomoth data
BOTTOMLAND HARDWOOD TREES CONTRIBUTE TO ATMOSPHERIC METHANE: MEASURING PATTERNS AND DRIVERS
No full textThere is high uncertainty in quantifying carbon (C) source-sink dynamics of freshwater mineral soil wetlands. While these wetlands store significant amounts of C in soils and trees, they also have a high potential to emit methane (CH4), specifically through tree stems. There is limited data on the spatial and temporal drivers of tree stem CH4 fluxes, especially in temperate forested wetlands. In this study, we measured CH4 fluxes from the stems of bottomland hardwood tree species (Taxodium distichum, Acer rubrum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus pagoda, and Quercus stellata) across a year (i.e., measured ~ per season) and topographic settings (i.e., a pond edge, reservoir edge, floodplain, and terrace) to capture spatial and temporal variation in flux rates. Averaging across all CH4 flux measurements, tree stems had a mean efflux of 7.30 ± 40.80 (SD) nmol CH4 m-2 sec-1 and soils had a mean efflux of 1.18 ± 13.16 nmol CH4 m-2 sec-1. Seasonal patterns appeared to covary with high water tables and high subsurface temperatures. For example, the reservoir edge, driven primarily by surface water, had peak fluxes on stems in summer during high water and high temperatures and was low during the rest of the year. T. distichum was the only species that showed a direct effect of height on the stem and CH4 fluxes, with higher effluxes lower on the stems. However, across all stems we found that the magnitude of the difference between fluxes taken at lower and upper positions on the stem increased with mean CH4 tree stem efflux. T. distichum at the pond edge also had an exponential decay relationship between efflux and diametric stem size, which was present across the annual cycle. In summation, the strongest relationships were found in T. distichum at the pond edge, which also releases magnitudes more CH4 than floodplain and terrace systems. We note, that while we failed to capture summer flooding events in these latter systems that could promote higher CH4 efflux, our sampling captured the most common environmental conditions these systems experience. We suggest future research efforts focus on capturing those extremes and increasing spatial and temporal sampling in the higher emitting systems
Plants Effect on Mental Health
No full textIn this section of the IRB-approved study, the researcher aims to examine the effect of plants on human mental health and stress levels. This will be examined by having participants attach a Polar chest strap to measure their heart rate throughout and participate in a stress-inducing task before entering an intervention room. The stress-inducing task is a multiple-choice test that is composed of 20 questions from different fields. They will be sent to an intervention room, which will either A.) A room where they will be surrounded by plants without physically interacting with them, B.) A room where they will be presented with different plants for them to transplant and repot, and C.) A room with no plants. After their intervention room they will be debriefed and released. After the stress task and intervention room, they will have their heart rate and blood pressure measured for comparison to the baseline measurements taken at the beginning of the study
Tracking Brain Drain into The United States
No full textImmigration is a hot topic in the United States. What is even more complex is the immigration patterns that we see coming from other countries. The “brain drain” phenomenon refers to when the highly skilled workers of one country immigrate to another. There are many reasons for this but the most common are better economic opportunities and political asylum. In order to fully understand the scale of this phenomenon, data was collected surrounding the immigration of individuals into the United States, then input from Excel spreadsheets to ArcGIS Pro and used to represent the phenomenon using a choropleth map. The choropleth map has graduated colors with an increasing hue corresponding to a higher number of immigration from each country. After analyzing this map, another map was created to represent the data in an easier to understand form. This map instead used arrows of increasing width to help the viewer understand the flow of migration into the United States. This second map only focused on the top 10 populations that are entering the United States for simplicity