UNcovering Graduate Student Achievement at Virginia Commonwealth University: An Exploration of Academic Advising & Administrative Processes

Virginia Commonwealth University\u27s (VCU) Graduate School submitted a Request for Partnership, with the problem being a lack of consistency and formal advising standards for graduate students across various academic units at VCU. As a result, the Graduate School observed an impact on student success, including retention and graduation of graduate students. A capstone team was constructed to determine, through focus group interviews, surveying, and document analysis what the best practices for graduate student advising are and what the administrative processes and challenges that program directors, support staff, and faculty face in administering their graduate programs and advising. Findings suggest that various academic units meet the needs of their graduate students based on the resources and structure currently set in place. Academic units have the challenge of high turnover in critical positions, a lack of continuity from year to year, and funding shortages to support graduate students; however, there is a collaborative relationship between the Graduate School and academic units. Recommendations provided by the capstone team focused on enhancing standardization between academic units to increase equity and the graduate student experience, streamlining records management, and deepening the relationship between the Graduate School and academic units to address faculty and staff concerns better and increase student success outcomes

Indiana Prison Writers Workshop: The Power of Group Cohesion and Creative Expression among Incarcerated Individuals

Objective: The present study describes the development of the Indiana Prison Writers Workshop (IPWW), a creative writing workshop, based in group theory and designed for incarcerated settings. Methods: Quantitative evaluation data from IPWW workshops conducted from 2023-2024 were analyzed using IBM SPSS V. 29. Prior to the workshop, 149 men responded to questions on class expectations and goals, and 115 men responded at workshop conclusion. Open-ended qualitative responses from post-workshop data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Quantitative data demonstrates the effectiveness of IPWW in teaching writing skills and reflects participants’ agreement that the workshops provide opportunities to share their work and receive feedback from peers and the facilitator. Five themes emerged from the qualitative data: 1) self-expression, 2) skill development, 3) self-reflection, 4) perspective, and 5) therapeutic. Conclusions: We discuss how these results influence group cohesion among incarcerated men and explore implications for future research and IPWW program development

The Accuracy of Tooth Movement with Artificial Intelligence-Based Clear Aligners

Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) may offer innovative solutions for the virtual planning of clear aligner therapy, enhancing precision and efficiency in orthodontic treatment. The purpose of this study is to assess the accuracy and reliability of an AI-based clear aligner system\u27s virtual treatment simulations (predictions). Purpose: The primary objective of this observational clinical study is to assess the accuracy of a virtual treatment plan utilizing ML algorithms by comparing the predicted tooth movements with the actual clinical movements at three and six months. The secondary objective is to determine whether the use of cone beam computed tomography and machine learning algorithms accurately predicts alveolar bone defects at six months of treatment. Methods: The models of the actual Crown-Only positions at three months and the Crown-Only and Crown-Root positions at six months were superimposed on the digital images of predicted tooth positions using Geomagic Control X Software. The mean absolute difference (MAD), root mean square (RMS), and percent within tolerance between the models was calculated to examine how well the software predicted tooth movements. Descriptive analysis was used to estimate the presence of bone defects. Results: Nine patients were recruited for this study, but only six completed and were included in the analyses, yielding a total of 12 arches. The mean absolute difference and root mean square were significantly higher for 6m Crown-Only than Crown-Root models. The percent within tolerance was higher at three months than six months for the Crown-Only models (71% vs. 63%), and higher for the Crown-Only models compared to the Crown-Root models at 6m (63% vs. 57%). The ML software predicted 14 instances of bone defects (8%) out of 168 sites. ML software predicted defects in 11 sites where none were present clinically (7%) and failed to predict defects in 3 sites where they were observed clinically (2%). Conclusions: AI-based clear aligners predicted tooth movements with a slight improvement in accuracy when compared to traditional clear aligners that do not utilize this technology when developing a virtual treatment plan. The predictions using Crown-Root model superimpositions were less accurate than those using the Crown-Only model superimpositions at six months. ML software demonstrated a tendency to overestimate the presence of bone defects

Men\u27s Perceptions of Autonomous Reproductive Choices

INTRODUCTION: Reproductive coercion (RC) impacts approximately 10.1 million women in he U.S. It is a specific form of intimate partner violence (IPV) that refers to behaviors from a partner through the use of fear or control that undermines the ability to make autonomous decisions regarding reproductive health. Because homicide is the leading cause of death among pregnant women in the U.S., the consequences of leaving RC unaddressed underscore the need for additional research to focus on obtaining a clearer definition of RC and correlates of this form of violence. Moreover, despite being frequently cited as a necessary research direction, studies have seldom assessed men’s perceptions of RC. METHODS: This study developed a vignette-based measure of perceptions of RC through expert panels and cognitive interviews. Once the measure was developed, a national sample of heterosexual men ages 18-40 using the online market research platform, Prime Panels (n=323) was used to examine men’s perceptions of RC and how those perceptions may differ by known predictors of other forms of sexual violence via a cross-sectional survey. RESULTS: The developed vignette measure showed strong psychometric properties as evidenced by an Exploratory Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Two multiple linear regressions were used to examine relationships between variables and how changes in values of rape myth acceptance, sexual double standards, gender role norms and hostile sexism collectively explain the change in men’s perceptions of reproductive coercion while accounting for relevant control variables. Rape myth acceptance and rigid gender role norms were significantly associated with men’s perceptions of pregnancy coercion. Rape myth acceptance and rigid gender role norms were also significantly associated with men’s perceptions of condom manipulation. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that condom manipulation and pregnancy coercion are distinct constructs, although they both fall under reproductive coercion. Men’s adherence to rape myths and rigid gender roles should be qualitatively explored further to gain a deeper understanding of how this may shape their perceptions of this specific form of violence

Climate change-induced shifts in Mediterranean fungal fruiting phenology and productivity

We used a 29-year dataset of mushroom fruiting from the Pinar Grande forest in northern Spain to investigate the effects of climate change on the phenology, productivity, and diversity of mycorrhizal and saprotrophic mushrooms. We investigated the long-term trends in fruiting season length, yield (by count, total weight, and average weight), and genus richness. Additionally, we identified associations between monthly temperature and monthly precipitation with these fungal responses across functional groups: mycorrhizal, saprotrophic, litter-decaying saprotrophic, and wood-decaying saprotrophic mushrooms, and the economically-important edible genera Boletus and Lactarius. We found that autumnal season length in the Pinar Grande has shortened over time across functional groups, apart from wood-decaying saprotrophs. Litter-decaying saprotroph genus richness trended slightly upwards over the course of the study period. Higher precipitation July through September was generally a predictor of longer fruiting seasons and higher yields across functional groups, while high temperatures during these times were generally negatively associated with mycorrhizal season length and productivity, and positively associated with saprotroph season length and productivity. The dependence of mushroom fruiting on weather depended on their functional group: the fruiting responses of mycorrhizal fungi and litter-decaying saprotrophs were more closely tied to weather than that of wood-decaying saprotrophs. We conclude that increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation alter mushroom fruiting in the Mediterranean region, particularly through the declining length of the fruiting season across functional groups and decreasing productivity of edible fungi, which carries potential consequences for both local forest ecosystems and myco-economies

S20, E04: Can He Do That? Sinking Venezuelan Boats (Aired 9/22/2025)

Aughie and Nia discuss the legal and Constitutional answers to the question: Can President Trump order the destruction of Venezuelan boats?https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/civil_discourse/1284/thumbnail.jp

It Starts at Home: An Exploration of Family Ethnic-Racial Socialization and Depressive Symptoms among Biracial Black-White Young People

Abstract A growing body of literature has suggested that ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) is a protective factor for Biracial youth as it can provide youth with skills to face different adversities like racial discrimination, ultimately improving their psychological well-being. Various types of ERS exist (e.g., verbal, non-verbal, etc) across different levels (e.g., parent-child, household/family) but some have been overlooked and understudied in research. This study sought to bridge this gap by exploring ERS at the family/household level and determining whether it relates to depressive symptoms among Biracial Black-White adolescents and emerging adults (N = 723). Specifically, the study examined if (a) family ERS around Multiracial and Monoracial Black topics related to depressive symptoms differently and (b) if any developmental differences were present in the association between both forms of ERS and depressive symptoms. The methods included a secondary analysis with three multiple linear regression models conducted in SPSS Version 28. Findings indicated significant negative associations between both forms of ERS and depressive symptoms in Biracial Black-White young people. Opposing patterns emerged among age groups regarding the types of Family ERS in predicting depressive symptoms. The results underscore the potential role that Family ERS may have regarding depressive symptoms in Biracial Black-White young people. Implications for research and practice are discussed

Physiological Responses and Plant Trait Interactions with Coastal Dune and Swale Development

Vegetation is crucial to coastal ecosystems experiencing climate change and storm-induced disturbance. Plant species interact with the physical environment and are considered “ecosystem engineers.” Sand dunes and barrier islands are at the forefront of climate change impacts as they are barriers that protect landward habitat and communities. Nature based solutions are utilized to protect infrastructure on developed coastlines. Understanding how dominant plant species interact with and alter the physical environment enhances our understanding of the mechanisms of change and consequences to the system. The goal of this research was to quantify physiological and functional trait differences in dominant species found in dunes and swales along the US mid-Atlantic coast to inform species distributions, interactions with the biotic and physical environment, and responses to temperature warming. A mixture of field studies, a field experiment, and growth chamber studies were used to disentangle the morphological and physiological differences between dominant species and how each is affected by or shapes the surrounding environment. Results here find significant species differences in dune morphology, root trait morphology, and physiological limitations. Dune vegetation is changing with a warming climate, which will change the erosion resistance of the dune systems. The final research chapter documents how expanding shrubs alter the species composition along the shrub edge relative to former grassland communities. This research documents how changes in species composition observed in coastal grasslands and dune systems are due to the physiological and functional traits of dominant species. Species impact the physical landscape by altering dune shape/size, modifying microclimate, and affecting resource availability (i.e., water, light, nutrients). Differences in how species and their traits affect the landscape may shift in response to climate warming. Our findings can inform models of dune and barrier island evolution to predict future response of these systems to climate change

Commonwealth Times 2025-01-29

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/com/3126/thumbnail.jp