In the past decade, the increasing prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and domestic violence (DV) on college and university campuses has been given considerable attention. This abuse, including physical, sexual, emotional, and coercive control, often leads to impairment in victims (Ross, 2017; Straus, Gelles & Steinmetz). While the overall rates of IPV and DV have been relatively well-studied on college campuses, the differential impact of survivor-offender relationship on type of abuse has not been fully examined. As a result, there may be important correlates between survivor-offender relationship and the nature of abusive acts. Data for this project were obtained from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s online incident-based reporting system. Reported incidents of DV/IPV in 2017 were examined in the current analysis with variables divided by survivor-offender relationship and type of abuse. Survivor- offender relationship included intimate, acquaintance, stranger, and family, while types of abuse included kidnapping, incest, forcible rape and statutory rape, aggravated assault, simple assault, murder, intimidation stalking, forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling. A preliminary χ2 16 x 4 contingency table illustrated a significant difference between survivor-offender relationship and type of abuse χ2(33) = 185.43, p <.001, with a significant difference between relationship and offense types. Further analyses indicated higher rates of simple assault in intimate relationships compared to acquaintances and forcible rape proving more evident in acquaintances compared to intimate relationships. Interestingly, intimidation was higher in African Americans acquaintances compared to Caucasian individuals’ where intimidation was more evident in intimate relationships. Further analyses will investigate specific racial and ethnic breakdowns, gender considerations, and the influence and possession of a firearm. To our knowledge, this area of research on college campuses has not examined the lethality and influence of a firearm, types of injury, and the survivor-offender relationship. Few have theorized regarding DV/IPV and survivor-offender relationship and type of abuse, but the current findings are similar to research regarding characteristics of sexual assault survivors who present to the emergency room. For example, Logan, Cole and Capillo (2007) discovered that there is a difference in injury patterns depending on the survivor-offender relationship. With domestic violence being insidiously pervasive, this topic necessitates investigation due to research suggesting there are differences in mental health outcomes based on injuries sustained, and certain assault characteristics depending on the survivor-offender relationship (Culbertson & Dehle, 2001). Implications of the current study will be further discussed.

Female infertility is a prevalent global health concern. Social class has been examined in relation to interpretations of formal infertility diagnoses. However, this study sought to investigate subjective self-definitions of infertility experiences. This study compared reported length of time trying to conceive and self-perceptions of infertility status, which created four groups: women who met the medical definition of infertility and considered themselves to be experiencing infertility, women who met the medical definition and did not consider themselves to be experiencing infertility, women who did not meet the medical definition but did consider themselves to be experiencing infertility, and women who did not meet the medical definition of infertility and did not consider themselves to be experiencing infertility. We were interested in examining subjective socioeconomic status as a predictor of group membership, operating on the idea that women who perceive themselves as lower SES might be less likely to acknowledge a subjective infertility status due to more limited resources for treatment. Female participants (N = 1233) were recruited from the social networking site Reddit to complete online self-report surveys created via the REDCap survey platform. A subset of female participants (n = 548) who reported they were currently trying to conceive was utilized for this study’s sample. A chi-square test of independence was conducted to examine the relationship between reported length of time trying to conceive and self-perceptions of infertility status. Results indicated a significant association between these variables, χ2 (1, N = 594) = 239.08, p < .001, indicating that women’s self-perception of whether or not they were experiencing infertility was largely in line with the medical definition of infertility. We intended to conduct logistic regression analysis to examine subjective socioeconomic status as a predictor of group membership, specifically for women who met the medical definition of infertility but did not perceive themselves as experiencing infertility. However, logistic regression was not performed due to a lack of statistical power for this group (n = 14). Future research should expand upon this rationale to inclusively investigate factors contributing to self-identification of infertility experiences. Understanding the role of psychosocial factors involved in infertility status perceptions could facilitate specific interventions to promote infertility treatment-seeking behaviors.

Visuospatial memory supports cognitive functioning and guides one’s navigation through the environment. Spatial processing allows individuals to remember procedural sequence of steps to achieve a certain goal. It plays a vital role in learning, reasoning, problem solving and language comprehension. Additionally, aerobic fitness enhances cognitive functions such that children that have higher levels of aerobic fitness and motor skills also have better attention, spatial memory, and school achievement. The current study measured spatial memory in children (2nd – 5th grade) to assess developmental differences. Moreover, the study investigated whether spatial memory and running speed were related. It was hypothesized that the data will reconstruct the classic serial position effect and there will be developmental differences in spatial memory performance. Furthermore, participants’ running speed will be negatively associated with their performance on the spatial memory task. That is, the faster their running time, the higher their spatial memory score. Two tasks were presented to children as part of a larger project. The first was a visual-spatial memory task that was presented on a computer using an eye-tracker. The second was a 100-ft shuttle run. Fifty-one children (M age = 104 months, SD = 25.05; 27 female) were introduced to the spatial memory task with a story about a dog walker who lost a puppy. The task had three periods: presentation, retention, and recall. During the presentation period, participants saw the puppy appear in five spatial positions. Next, participants had the opportunity to see all of the positions the puppy visited as teal boxes reappeared in the same locations and remained on the screen for ten seconds. Lastly, during the recall period, participants were asked to recall the order that the puppy visited the five positions. The percentage of correctly recalled items was the dependent measure. A mixed analysis of variance was conducted on percent correct with item position (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th) as a within-subject factor and participant grade (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th) as a between-participant factor. There were main effects of sequential position, F(4, 188) = 10.46, p< .001, h2 = .18 and grade, F(1, 47) = 5.32, p= .003, h2 = .25. The extent of serial position effect was comparable across grade levels, with no sign of floor or ceiling effect in any group. Overall, older participants had a higher percentage correct recall than younger participants. Additionally, across grade-levels, first-item primacy and last-item recency effects were apparent. Furthermore, there was a significant association between running speed and spatial memory performance, r= -0.396, p= .004. In summary, the results of the current study suggest that the serial position effect is present by 5-years of age and that children’s memory for spatial locations improves with age. Moreover, children with higher percentages of recalled items on the spatial memory task had faster times on the shuttle run. Future research should consider other measurements of physical activity (e.g., strength, agility, coordination) to see whether physical activity, more broadly, relates to spatial memory performance in children.

Coal Mining has been the economic backbone of many communities in Southern Appalachia for over a century. As our nation and the world begin to feel the concrete effects of climate change, communities need to prepare for the necessary transition to renewable energy. We sought to gain a better understanding of how the transition away from industrial coal mining into renewable energy sources has changed the lives of not only the miners and their families but also the community at large, presently. Results were limited to peer reviewed academic journal materials and publications that are published by reputable and relevant sources with publication dates ranging from 2013 to 2023. The Key Search Terms were: “Coal” “Appalachia” “Renewable” “Energy” and “Just Transition.” Of the 109 articles that resulted roughly 82 were eliminated due to not aligning fully with our topic. Another 14 were removed because they did not deal with Appalachia. Out of the 13 remaining, eight were from scholarly journals, three were from scientific websites, and two were from both a book and a doctoral dissertation concerning the “Just Transition.” The review of our chosen sources supports the facts that there is a social movement away from coal and into renewable energy resources. The growing pains associated with this transformation have been taxing for the communities involved but, research indicates, the gains from new renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal far outweigh any temporary financial booms gained from continuing to invest community resources in mining coal and cutting timber. These outdated modes of wealth accumulation have proven to be both harmful and ephemeral. The cost in the deteriorating health of both the miners and their families has been catastrophic for Appalachians. Black Lung and other pulmonary ailments as well as the Opioid Epidemic have lowered average life expectancies for the first time in generations. The transition into both natural gas and the use of renewables has made coal companies cut costs in both supervision and safety. The results have crippled and disabled many coal miners, driven them to the use of powerful opioids and the resulting black market even caused a small coal mine support town in Southwest Virginia, Norton, to become the “Oxycontin Capital of the World.” The technologies involved with renewable energy sources and subsequent cleaning up of the environment around reclaimed mines will create more jobs than the mines ever did and the extra capital will allow these towns, communities, and this region to grow robust and thriving public service and utility infrastructures that will heal both the great land and great people of Southern Appalachia.

Storytelling is recognized as an important skill in many fields including, but not limited to communication, education, and business. A professional storyteller is dependent on their voice, which is their biomedically imbedded work tool. This study, guided by research questions, examines the effects of voice loss on professional voice users. Employing a qualitative method, using one-one-one interviews and a focus group, this study investigates the experiences of a singer/actor, a singer/storyteller, a storyteller/public speaker, a teacher/storyteller, and an administrator to examine impacts of their varying degrees of voice loss on their quality of life. Findings indicate that vocal dysfunction, or dysphonia, had the following impacts for storytellers and professional voice users. First, it impaired their ability to work. Participants experienced from limited to complete inability to perform their job. This suggests that professional vocal performers are at risk for economic distress if they lose full use of their voice. Second, dysphonia created emotional distress. The implications of voice loss for those who heavily rely on their voices for work, include reduced quality of life. Finally, dysphonia impacted identity. Specifically, the participants described the challenge of losing their defined role as speaker or singer and having to let go of their former identity. This suggests that when voice professionals experience voice loss, they may be faced with relinquishing their identity and seeking a new one. The author makes suggestions for future research on voice loss for specific groups of professional voice users, such as storytellers, singers, teachers, actors, and others. These individuals may use this knowledge to better negotiate challenges of vocal dysfunction if it occurs. Understanding the relationship of a vocal professional and their voice will enable healthcare providers and other professionals to better provide care and support.

Stories reveal forces and conditions under which particular experiences are shaped. Drawing on a personal-storied approach, the author examines weight-related communication. More specifically, this presentation explores communication around and stigmatization of eating disorders. Blending reflexivity and secondary research, the author contends that weight-related scripts, arguably, legitimatize eating disorders within certain performing arts communities. A three-part blog series was used to extend the analysis of weight(y) scripts to lay audiences. Resulting from the above procedure are compelling pieces of literature, as weaving relevant excerpts from personal narrative offer an element of relatability which strictly academic writing cannot always accomplish. Capitalizing on the goal of exposing especially damaging narratives within culture, the work done within the context of these blogs is positioned in such a way which enables it to reach the desired audiences.

This study determines the activation energy parameters for the hydrolysis of acetic anhydride in water/tetrahydrofuran solutions. These values are needed for studies to quantify the effect of the bulk electrostatic environment solvent-solute interactions on the hydrolysis reaction rate. Hydrolysis of an acetic anhydride with water or under basic conditions yields acetic acid. The current study is based on simple hydrolysis of acetic anhydride which produces acetic acid decreasing the pH over time. Simple hydrolysis is monitored by measuring pH versus time at temperatures ranging from 20.0 to 35.0 oC and mole fraction of water ranging from 0.75 to 1.00. Measuring pH over time has advantages over other methods such as conductivity, UV-vis spectroscopy, temperature scanning, FTIR, calorimeter as it is simple, inexpensive and reproducible. Experimental results were used to determine activation enthalpy and entropy for hydrolysis of acetic anhydride using tetrahydrofuran as the co-solvent. These values were determined using the Eyring rate equation under iso-mole fraction and isothermal conditions. Analysis was performed to determine if the activation enthalpy and entropy are temperature dependent. Eyring plots are expected to be linear for iso-mole fractions and isothermal conditions of tetrahydrofuran.