Montclair State University

ABSTRACT Since the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against race-conscious admissions, anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts have grown, creating challenges for leaders committed to advancing racial equity on their campuses. Using racialized change work as a lens, we analyze faculty cluster hiring as a potential strategy toward racial equity that could hold up in the current political climate. This study uses data from four historically white research universities, focusing on how leaders used faculty cluster hiring as a strategy to promote racial equity. Our findings reveal that cluster hire leaders leveraged racialized expertise as hiring capital, creating a “strategic side door” to diversify faculty demographics while sidestepping risks associated with affirmative-action-like approaches. Cluster hire leaders also leveraged faculty lines to challenge — or attempt to challenge — practices that sustain a racist status quo. However, this approach could also create additional racialized labor expectations on newly hired Faculty of Color. We offer recommendations for leaders to consider when designing and implementing cluster hiring initiatives to support racial equity effectively.

Hydrothermal carbonization has garnered significant attention in recent studies due to potential applications of the hydrochar produced, which overlap with those of torrefied biochar, including soil improvement, carbon sequestration, and energy production. However, unlike the relatively uniform properties of biochar, hydrochar characteristics can vary greatly depending on the feedstock used. Advanced characterization techniques are essential to better understand these materials and enhance their practical applications. Research on hydrochar requires a multi-faceted approach, including molecular-level studies, to optimize production processes and identify specific applications. In this regard, analytical methods commonly used in organic geochemistry could play a crucial role in deepening our knowledge of hydrochar and biochar. Thus, this study evaluates the properties and key characteristics of five types of hydrochar and a reference biochar using a range of advanced analytical techniques. Among these, HAWK® pyrolysis with flame ionization and infra-red detectors (Py-FID/IRD) — typically employed in petroleum geochemistry — has proven to be a rapid and effective method for assessing some key properties and facilitating quick comparisons. Additionally, thermal desorption and pyrolysis analysis followed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (TD-Py-GC-MS) provided detailed molecular characterizations of the hydrochars. These findings demonstrate that traditional techniques used in fossil fuel and environmental geochemistry are equally applicable in this field. Consequently, these techniques offer valuable insights into hydrochar composition, addressing critical knowledge gaps and leveraging advanced geochemical methods to assist in optimizing carbonaceous materials for practical applications including production of biofuels and platform chemicals for bio-refining. Highlights • Hydrothermal carbonization of “real world” waste materials at pilot plant scale. • Hydrochars characterized using traditional organic geochemical techniques. • Pyrolysis-FID/IRD and thermodesorption-pyrolysis-GC-MS especially useful. • Lipid-rich food waste hydrochars suggest biodiesel potential. • Lignocellulosic waste hydrochars suggest potential as platform chemical sources.

Purpose This study aims to address the lack of emphasis within forensic mental health assessment (FMHA) on formal appraisal of race- and ethnicity-related experiences, despite their profound impact on minoritized groups. It provides theoretical and ethical justification for integrating explicit appraisal of race and ethnicity into FMHA. Design/methodology/approach The study conducted a scoping review of 108 existing race- and ethnicity-focused (REF) psychological measures to identify those that are psychometrically sound (i.e. reliable, valid), recent and sufficiently documented for potential use in forensic contexts. Measures were evaluated against these criteria and narrowed down to a final set of 16. Findings Only one measure, the UConn racial/ethnic stress and trauma survey, was deemed currently appropriate for use in FMHA without revision. The remaining 15 require further development or adaptation to meet the standards for forensic application. The study outlines considerations for revising these tools for such use. Research limitations/implications The authors view this publication as a starting point for the further empirical work that will be required to validate revised or newly developed measures for forensic use and to understand how these assessments may influence FMHA outcomes. Social implications Formal inclusion of race and ethnicity appraisals in FMHA may reduce bias, enhance fairness and improve the relevance of forensic evaluations for minoritized individuals. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to systematically evaluate race- and ethnicity-related psychological measures for their applicability in FMHA, filling a critical gap in the literature and advancing the discussion of equity and cultural competence in forensic practice.

Urban adolescents of color experience disproportionately high rates of trauma, depression, anxiety, and substance use. Yet, limited research has examined how protective factors-such as social support, psychological resilience, and psychological sense of community (SOC) or community connectedness-interact to influence these outcomes. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 2002 adolescents (ages 12-18) from two urban high schools in Northeastern New Jersey. Participants completed validated measures assessing trauma (Child Trauma Screen), depression (PHQ-9A), anxiety (GAD-7), alcohol use, social support (MSPSS), sense of community (BSCS-Y), and psychological resilience (BRS). Multiple regression, logistic regression, and moderation analyses were used, controlling for demographic covariates. Higher social support was significantly associated with lower trauma-related symptom severity, depression, anxiety, and alcohol use (p < .001). Sense of community was negatively related to anxiety (p < .001) but not to trauma or depression. Psychological resilience was positively associated with trauma reactions and distress (p < .001). Social support moderated these relationships, offsetting some of the impact of psychological resilience on trauma, depression, and anxiety, and reducing alcohol use risk at higher support levels. Findings highlight the protective influence of social support and suggest that psychological resilience among youth of color may reflect survival-based adaptation rather than the absence of distress. Prevention efforts should strengthen social support and SOC within culturally responsive, trauma-informed school and community frameworks.

Psychotic symptoms are a prevalent yet underrecognized feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD), with studies estimating their occurrence in up to 60% of patients. Despite their clinical and theoretical relevance, these phenomena are marginalized in contemporary diagnostic frameworks, which emphasize affective instability and interpersonal dysfunction while minimizing impairments in reality testing. We review the historical roots of BPD as a schizophrenia-like condition and examine the phenomenology of hallucinations and delusions in this population. Drawing on psychoanalytic object-relations theory, particularly the contributions of Otto Kernberg and John Gunderson, we propose that psychotic symptoms in BPD serve an object-restitutive function, preserving internal relational continuity amid psychic disintegration. We argue that these symptoms are neither incidental nor epiphenomenal but reflect core features of the disorder that warrant greater attention in diagnosis and treatment. Improved clinical recognition and theoretically informed interventions are essential to addressing this neglected dimension of BPD.

This study examined the effects of visual biofeedback approaches and nonbiofeedback motor-based treatment on generalization outcomes following speech therapy for children with residual speech sound disorders (RSSDs). A total of 108 children aged 9-15 years with RSSD affecting American English /ɹ/ were randomly assigned to receive 19 motor-based speech treatment sessions, with or without visual biofeedback (divided into ultrasound or visual-acoustic biofeedback). The treatment included practice designed to implement several motor learning principles, with task difficulty systematically adjusted based on the child's performance. Children's /ɹ/ accuracy on untreated words before and after treatment was rated as correct or incorrect by lay listeners who were blinded to participant characteristics, treatment conditions, and time points. The mixed-effects regression model revealed a statistically significant interaction between treatment type and time point. Specifically, both the biofeedback and nonbiofeedback motor-based treatment groups made progress over time, but the amount of generalization to untreated words was significantly greater in the biofeedback condition than in the motor-based treatment. In a subanalysis comparing biofeedback types, greater generalization was observed following ultrasound biofeedback than visual-acoustic biofeedback, although this effect was strongest at one treatment site. This randomized controlled trial found that adding biofeedback to motor-based treatment can increase the rate of accurate production of the American English /ɹ/ in untreated words.

Abstract The sediments of “Iceberg Alley,” north of the Weddell Sea Embayment of Antarctica, are a key archive of Antarctic Ice Sheet and Southern Ocean history but are challenging to date at orbital timescales due to lack of foraminifera. We present a relative paleomagnetic intensity (RPI) chronology for sediments deposited across the Pliocene‐Pleistocene Transition (3.14–1.75 Ma) at Dove Basin, International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Sites U1536 and U1537. Leveraging the well‐defined magnetizations of these deep‐sea contourite deposits, for the first time we correlate a Dove Basin RPI proxy to a North Atlantic RPI template that is intercalibrated with benthic δ 18 O and lithologic signals that record the history of Northern Hemisphere glaciation intensification (iNHG) from ∼2.7 Ma. Our new RPI chronology demonstrates a close relationship between sedimentation rates and physical lithology, with high accumulation occurring at times of high biogenic silica concentrations. This relationship is found at both long periods that reflect the amplitude modulation of orbital forcing and at glacial‐interglacial timescales. Moreover, the chronology indicates a transition in the pacing of lithologic variability during iNHG from having greater precession‐paced variations than benthic δ 18 O prior to 2.8 Ma and obliquity‐paced variations after 2.6 Ma that are nearly identical to benthic δ 18 O. A clear and persistent influence of precession, especially during extreme early Pleistocene interglacial intervals (high biogenic silica and high accumulation rates) nevertheless persisted during times of high variance in both precession and obliquity forcing—most notable during Marine Isotope Stages 87, 89, and 91.

Hydrodynamic electrochemicalcells have broad utilityin sensing,electrocatalysis, mechanistic studies, and electroanalysis. Here,we report on the expansion of hydrodynamic electrochemical devicesthat can be fabricated using 3D printing beyond channel flow electrodesto include impinging jet electrodes, a dilution/mixing circuit forin-channel detection of electroactive species, and dual-electrodegenerator–collector cells. These examples highlight the abilityof 3D printing to produce intricate structures with internal voids,enhance analytical functionality, and enable sophisticated operationssuch as fluid mixing and generation–collection in simple, monolithicdevices that do not require alignment, clamping, or assembly. To promoteadoption by the wider electrochemical community, we provide printable.stl files as part of the manuscript. Device performance was evaluatedin both stagnant and flowing solutions of ferrocene methanol, an outer-sphereredox mediator suitable for characterizing the transport characteristicsand electrochemical performance of the devices. All devices exhibitedresponses consistent with Levich behavior for their respective geometries.The mixing circuit achieved 100-fold dilutions with results in excellentagreement with solutions prepared using volumetric glassware, whilethe generator–collector cell demonstrated high collection efficienciesunder optimized conditions. These results establish 3D printing asa versatile, accessible approach for fabricating hydrodynamic electrochemicaldevices with advanced capabilities and pave the way for customizable,high-performance devices suitable for electroanalysis, electrocatalysis,and sensing applications.

Purpose: Due to an increased risk for developing reading and writing difficulties, research literature recommends integrating literacy targets into speech sound therapy for children with speech sound disorders. Translating guidance from research into daily practice warrants looking closely at applying evidence-based practices from more controlled environments into authentic settings because most speech-language pathologists practice in these real-world settings. This clinical focus article describes how embedding phonics and phonemic awareness activities into speech sound therapy in a real-world setting influenced speech sound production, letter naming, grapheme–phoneme correspondence, and phonemic segmentation in a preschool client with a speech sound disorder. Method: A female aged 4;5 (years;months) with a speech sound disorder was seen for 10 individual therapy sessions in a university speech clinic collaboratively with a graduate student clinician. The parent observed all sessions and was given specific feedback on how to implement strategies at home that were introduced in therapy. Data were collected for speech sound production, letter naming, grapheme–phoneme correspondence, and phonemic segmentation prior to therapy at the beginning, at midpoint, and at the end of the therapy sessions. Results: The client's speech sound errors decreased, phonemic repertoire expanded, phonological processes such as phoneme collapse decreased, and both letter naming and grapheme–phoneme correspondence increased; however, analyses indicated that the differences were not statistically significant. Phonemic segmentation remained unchanged. Conclusions: It is feasible to apply recommendations to integrate phonics and phonemic awareness activities into speech sound therapy. However, a clear understanding of literacy development is an important consideration when selecting targets. Results are discussed in the context of balancing clinical and statistical significance, and therapeutic decision making may benefit from integrating both.

Intensive longitudinal methods (ILMs) represent a class of longitudinal designs used to understand the flow of people's thoughts, feelings, physiology, and behaviors in their natural settings. This term encompasses daily diaries, experience sampling, ecological momentary assessment, ambulatory assessment, and related methods. Research on ILMs has grown exponentially, evolving into a core approach that complements more traditional designs. This article builds on this journal's first review on this topic, published in 2003. In the quarter-century since, there have been marked advances in design, technology, and statistical modeling. Three core ideas permeate this review: To build adequate theories of psychological functioning in natural settings, researchers must focus on (a) kinematics, (b) dynamics, and (c) heterogeneity. Kinematics answers the question, What happened? Dynamics answers the question, Why did it happen? Heterogeneity answers the question, How much do people vary in the whats and whys? ILMs can address these three goals of psychological science.