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Negotiating Normality: Using Digital Media to Combat the Stigma and Perceptions of Islam in the West
No full textIn the aftermath of a terrorist attack on an Islamic community in New Zealand, how has the stigma and perceptions of the West about Islam impacted the reaction of audiences? Drawing on Tweets (Twitter) and the statements of Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, this paper explores how individuals construct their messages to establish a discourse that aspires to blend Islam into the “norm” of Western ideas and values. Applying the Goffman framework, we observe how the two compose their messages to resist the West’s stigma and perceptions of Islam and plea to being “normal.” Specifically, attention is placed on how normality is constructed through the presentation of Muslim’s place of worship, mosques, and their communities. A qualitative textual analysis revealed different interpretations of how these places of worship and their communities identify “normalness” in an attempt to de-stigmatize the negative construction of Islam in the West. Therefore, we consider how these interpretations produce normality amongst a perceived stigma of Islam in the West in the aftermath of a terrorist attack
Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors of Dietetics Students
No full textThe study of disordered eating in dietetics students is vital for health outcomes and ethical consequences for students and their future clients. The eating attitudes and behaviors of 317 undergraduate health students were examined using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Findings indicated 5.1% of dietetics students had scores symptomatic of eating disorders. In addition, dietetics students who completed more nutrition courses had lower EAT-26 scores than students who completed fewer nutrition courses. Given the personal and professional consequences of disordered eating, resources for preventing, identifying, and treating disordered eating are needed in dietetics education programs
Medial Olivocochlear Reflex Effect on Cochlear Response in Humans: Elicitor Side and Level
No full textBackground: Understanding the functional differences between crossed and uncrossed medial olivocochlear (MOC) neurons has been of interest to researchers for decades. Previous reports revealed conflicting results about which MOC pathway, crossed or uncrossed, is stronger in humans. Both crossed and uncrossed MOC neurons synapse at the base of the outer hair cells (OHCs) in each ear. OHCs generate the cochlear microphonic, which is a major contributor to the cochlear response (CR) PURPOSE: The current study investigated the effects of eliciting the crossed and uncrossed MOC reflex (MOCR) on CR in humans with three levels of noise.
Research Design: Normal-hearing, young adults ( = 16) participated in this study. The CR was recorded using 500 Hz tone-burst stimuli presented at 80 dB nHL. To examine the crossed and uncrossed MOCR, CR was recorded without and with continuous ipsilateral or contralateral broadband noise (BBN) at three levels (40, 50, and 60 dB SPL).
Data Analysis: Analysis of the CR was completed using the amplitude of the response extracted using fast Fourier transform. Statistical analysis was completed using repeated measures analysis of variance and analysis.
Results: Compared with baseline, the presentation of BBN, specifically contralaterally, resulted in CR enhancement with no significant difference as a function of the three BBN levels. Greater enhancement of the CR amplitude was observed with contralateral than ipsilateral BBN elicitor.
Conclusions: The current findings suggest that a contralateral elicitor of the uncrossed MOC pathway results in a larger CR amplitude enhancement compared with an ipsilateral elicitor of the crossed MOC pathway, regardless of the elicitor level. Eliciting the MOCR appears to modulate the OHCs function. Furthermore, assessing the MOCR with the 500 Hz CR with BBN elicitors at moderate levels should separate its effects (i.e., increase response amplitude) from those associated with the middle ear muscle reflex (i.e., reduce response amplitude)
Quasi-layered Crystal Structure Coupled with Point Defects Leading to Ultralow Lattice Thermal Conductivity in n-Type Cu2.83Bi10Se16
No full textCu2.83Bi10Se16, a new n-type thermoelectric material, was synthesized via a high-temperature solid-state routine. The quasi-layered structure features of Cu2.83Bi10Se16 were established by a comprehensive study including variable-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction, synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction, DFT calculations, and resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. The structural relationship between Cu2.83Bi10Se16 and two previously reported compounds, Cu1.6Bi4.8Se8 and Cu1.78Bi4.73Se8, is addressed. The quasi-layered structure of Cu2.83Bi10Se16 coupled with point defects accounts for its ultralow lattice thermal conductivity. First-principles simulations predict that the electrical properties of Cu2.83Bi10Se16 are sensitive to Cu content, which is confirmed by the thermoelectric property measurements of Cu2.83-xBi10Se16 (x = 0, 0.1, and 0.2) samples. Through tuning the Cu content, Cu2.73Bi10Se16 shows the best performance due to the highest Seebeck coefficient combined with a moderate electrical conductivity, achieving zT = 0.42 at 775 K. This work proves that crystal structure engineering can achieve extremely low lattice thermal conductivity in crystalline solids
Adult Transracial Adoptees\u27 Childhood Experiences and Decision-Making in Forming Families of Creation
No full textThis study examined adult transracial adoptees’ (TRAs) childhood experiences and determined how specific factors influenced their likelihood to choose biological procreation, adoption, fostering, a combination of these options, or the choice to be child-free when forming their own families. These adoptees were Black, Indigenous and people of color adopted by white parents in the United States through domestic or international adoption. Childhood experiences included the TRAs’ sense of belonging, cultural socialization, and preparation for bias. The only dependent variable option predicted by a childhood experience was the preference to be child-free. TRAs who experienced higher levels of belonging were less likely to prefer a child-free family. Higher levels of both cultural socialization and preparation for bias approached significance in predicting less likelihood to prefer a child-free family. Data were collected via mixed methods including an online survey and interviews. The aim was to expand representation of adult TRAs in the literature and to inform best social work and parenting practices involving TRAs
Changes in Big Five Personality Characteristics During Law Enforcement Academy Training
No full textPersonality is considered a relatively stable construct. However, research indicates personality is more malleable when facing adverse life events and as an individual ages across the lifespan. Some research suggests personality could be used to predict performance. The current study seeks to examine changes in personality characteristics following law enforcement academy completion. Given the demands of a job in law enforcement, one would expect certain changes to occur. The law enforcement academy curriculum includes topics such as, justification-use-of-force, confessions, and arrests, in the first week alone. The curriculum reflects the reality law enforcement professionals will face. It is a dangerous and stressful job. Participants include cadets from a University based law enforcement academy located in a mid-sized midwestern town. As part of a larger study examining the relationship between law enforcement graduates/probationary officers and field training officers, cadets in the law enforcement academy were administered several instruments at the start of their training and immediately prior to graduation. These included a demographic survey (gender, age, ethnicity, and education), the Shipley Institute of Living Scale-2, and the NEO Personality Inventory-3. We hypothesized there will be changes in personality traits and facets associated with academy training, particularly in the areas of agreeableness and extraversion
Reviewing the Review Process: Designing Better Review Forms for Student Editors of Undergraduate Research Publications
No full textIn 1998, the Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University suggested that undergraduate students should be involved in research to improve their learning. Undergraduate research publications arose partially as a response to this suggestion because they allow students to engage in experiential learning. They also allow students to see research as serving a larger purpose rather than simply satisfying a requirement for a grade. Students, especially undergraduates, often serve as editors on undergraduate publications, but it is unclear what they understand about research, both as it applies to their own work as well as work from different disciplines, and how well they grasp key research competencies. Through an analysis of completed student editor review forms, written interviews with managing editors from three regional undergraduate publications, and a usability test of the review form with prospective student editors, I argue student editors of an undergraduate research journal appear to have knowledge gaps related to research competencies and they, as well as their managing editors, may be aware of them. Journal leadership can begin to fill knowledge gaps by supplementing classroom learning about research methods and writing and by revising their review forms and materials to better serve the student editors’ needs. Ultimately, to remain sustainable and as impactful to student editors as they are to authors, leaders and advisors of undergraduate research publications should consider running usability tests of their materials so they might diagnose usability problems and revise with their student editors as the focus
On the Rocks: Changes in Substrate Alter Antipredator Behavior in Benthic Stream Fish
No full textNatural selection should strongly favor characteristics that make prey difficult for predators to distinguish from the background, including both morphological and behavioral crypsis. The Rainbow Darter (Etheostoma caeruleum) is a small, cryptic, benthic fish that inhabits gravel-bottomed streams and is preyed upon by predators such as the benthic Knobfin Sculpin (Cottus immaculatus) and the pelagic Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis). In three experiments, I tested whether the behavior of darters was influenced by the opportunity for crypticity offered by their substrate and by the presence of cues from benthic and pelagic predators. First, darters in the non-breeding season chose substrates that were most similar in reflectance values to their bodies. This choice was expressed as preferential occupation of a darker mixture of dark and light rocks in comparison to a homogeneous mixture of light rocks only. This preference was present regardless of the level of predation risk by the benthic (sculpin) predator. Second, during the breeding season, the behavior of darters was counter to what I hypothesized, with darters showing higher levels of activity on the darker background when predation risk was high. This result could be due to changes in reflectance values from bright breeding coloration leading to the light rocks offering a more cryptic background. Third, in the non-breeding season, darters showed the predicted response of decreasing activity on the darker substrate, particularly when predators were present. Effects appeared stronger to a benthic predator (sculpins) than to a pelagic predator (sunfish). In addition, darters increased vigilance behavior in response to presence of cues from both predators regardless of substrate type and showed less swimming behavior in the predator treatments compared to the control treatment. Therefore, behavior of darters is influenced by the levels of both predation risk and habitat crypticity, which may vary between breeding and non-breeding seasons
Use of Force under Scrutiny: Impacts of Body-Worn Cameras on Types of Force Used by Police
No full textWhile several studies have examined the impact of body-worn cameras (BWCs) on the frequency of use of force incidents with mixed results, research evaluating the impact of BWCs on types of force is scant. Utilizing 86-months of use of force report data from a medium-sized mid-Atlantic police department (36 months pre, and 50 months post-BWC implementation), the current study addresses limitations in prior BWC research and explores the potential relationship between BWCs and the level/types of force used through the use of Vector Autoregression Analysis