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Kundiman Fellow (Fellowship)
No full textRana was accepted as a 2019 Kundiman Fellow. She will be attending the retreat at Fordham College this summer. Kundiman is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing generations of writers and readers of Asian American literature
Know How to Play the Accordion, but Don’t (and Other Things I Learned While Implementing a Discovery Layer: A Top Ten List)
No full textBetween May and November of 2018, Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) implemented BiblioCore, a discovery service from BiblioCommons that would become the public interface for our existing Polaris catalog. We had a successful launch on November 14, with positive feedback from both staff and patrons. It was a highly visible project with a tight timeline. The project team was small—I was the solo cataloger and responsible for all the parts of the project that were cataloging related.
My office oversees the catalog in general, but each library manages the cataloging of their own items, so there were staff in all our libraries who needed to be kept up to speed on the changes brought by BiblioCore. That was also my responsibility.
Until the project was underway, I didn’t know what work would be required, but I discovered the knowledge I had gained on previous projects was tremendously useful. Additionally, earlier cleanup projects had improved the condition of our catalog in a way which made the implementation go much more smoothly than it might have otherwise. There were, of course, things I wish I had done differently, and a few solutions I had to come up with along the way that I will use again on future projects. Every discovery layer, migration, and catalog is different, but I hope some of what I learned can be useful to others, whether or not you work in technical services, have to plan projects, or are considering a discovery service.
And what better way to organize and share what I learned than in that most ancient of organizational systems, a top ten list
ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF WATER CONSUMPTION ON DRY EYE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS USING OCT-A RETINAL VASCULATURE AS A POTENTIAL MARKER OF HYDRATION STATUS
No full textPurpose: To identify the effects of increased water intake on dry eye signs and symptoms and their association to retinal vessel diameter changes in healthy optometry students using the OCT-A.
Methods: Candidates were screened for their hydration status and only dehydrated candidates (those who drink less than what is required for their weight) were eligible to participate. All individuals self-reported having no systemic conditions or ocular conditions linked with dry eyes. Thirty-six qualified subjects were evaluated for dry eye signs by assessing tear break-up time, tear volume, lipid layer thickness, blink rate, and Meibomian gland health. The Standardized Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) Questionnaire was used to screen subjects for severity of dryness as well as evaluate dry eye symptoms during the study. OCT-A was used to evaluate blood vessel changes pre- and post-water consumption. Qualifying subjects were asked to drink a specified amount of water within 24 hours. Signs and symptoms of dry eye were re-evaluated the next day.
Results: ANCOVA analysis compared each subject’s post-treatment results to their pre-treatment (baseline) results. There was a significant difference between the control group and the experimental group for the SPEED score (p \u3c 0.05). There was no significant difference for tear break-up time, tear volume, lipid layer thickness, blink rate and Meibomian gland health between the control group and experimental group. Retinal vessel diameter changes were compared between the two groups using a simple scatterplot. Retinal vessel diameter changes showed mixed results for water intake and retinal diameter correlations. Overall, there was no significance in vessel diameters between groups.
Conclusions: Increased water intake does not improve signs of dry eye. However, subjects in the experimental group of this study experienced improved symptoms after increased water intake. This effect must be further investigated. The study also showed inconclusive data on the effect of retinal vessel diameter changes after increased water intake. This also requires further investigation
The Relationship Between Online Dating Apps and Self-Esteem
No full textPursuing and engaging in romantic relationships is a common goal for many emerging adults. The present study examined the relationship between use of online dating applications and self-esteem. A non-experimental investigation was conducted to examine the relationship between frequency of online dating application use and self-esteem. A moderation/mediation analysis was conducted to identify demographic factors (i.e. gender, race/ethnicity, total family income, and age) that might impact the relationship between the two variables. The sample consisted of 55 emerging adults aged 19-30. The participants were asked to answer questions about their socio-demographic information, frequency of dating application usage, self-esteem and social desirability. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was used to tap into the participants’ global self-worth and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale was used to determine the level of participant concern with social approval. The results indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between scores on the RSES and the number of days per week spent using Tinder and OkCupid. Researchers also found that the socio-demographic variables did not significantly moderate/mediate the relationship between frequency of dating app usage and self-esteem. The results of the study are intended to provide more data on how use of dating applications may impact the mental health of emerging adults
Mental Health Benefits Associated with Participation in A Dog Training Program at a Psychiatric Facility
No full textAnecdotal reports and preliminary evidence have suggested that psychiatric patients who have participated in animal programs experience wide-ranging benefits, such as decreased psychiatric symptoms, fewer aggressive behavioral demonstrations, and reduced stress. However, there are few high-quality studies that provide quantitative data to support these findings. The purpose of the proposed study was to provide an empirical, quantitative evaluation of the effect of participation in a service dog program at Oregon State Hospital on participants’ mental health, medication use, skill development, and social engagement. This study also aimed to provide an example for how other evaluators could derive meaningful, quantitative data on the impact of psychiatric animal programs on participants. I utilized a quasi-experimental single subject AB design and reported data from three program participants. Cumulative findings indicated some preliminary support for hypothesized gains in subjective mental health and vocational skill development associated with program participation. No clear trends were found in other variables studied relative to participants’ participation (i.e., reduction in medication use or increased social engagement)
With middal smal and wel ymake : Objectification and Power in Medieval English Love Songs
No full textThrough reading sets of medieval love songs one can notice trends that are connected to the conventions of fin’amor or courtly love. Troubadours, medieval French poets, would compose and sing songs that reflect the trends of courtly love during the time period. Within the lyrics of these songs there are two main trends when it comes to the objectification of the female beloved. First, they spend a great deal of time in describing the physicality of the beloved, but make no inferences or connections to her interior life—going so far as to animalize her. Even when those beautiful features may be manufactured, their artificiality still supersedes her personhood. Second, they use the lyric technique of reprisal to formally reinforce sense of woman as inanimate. Using the anonymous “Alison” and Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Complaint to his Purse” as example cases, in this essay I demonstrate the techniques that effect this displacement of power, as well as how they are still prevalent in popular music today
Strenuous Exercise Increases the Risk of Oxidative Stress in Ironman Triathlon Participants
Full text linkRegular physical activity has been linked to greater overall health. Literature review and studies have also defined regular physical activity as a reducer of life-threatening illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. However, long increments of strenuous exercise can produce oxidative stress and muscle fatigue in the human body. The increase in oxygen consumption during strenuous exercise leads to elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS). Cells continuously produce free radicals and reactive oxygen species as part of metabolic processes in the body. These free radicals are neutralized by an antioxidant defense system in the body consisting of enzymes, such as catalase, and non-enzymatic antioxidants. An Ironman Triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run, raced in that order and without a break. It is widely considered by athletes to be one of the most demanding sporting events in the world. It is hypothesized that a physically challenging event such as the Ironman Triathlon can be linked to elevated cortisol levels, increased occurrence of DNA damage, elevated concentrations of ROS, and consequently increased oxidative stress in humans. In order to derive conclusive results regarding the hypothesis, groups containing athletes who completed the full Ironman race, the half Ironman race, and a control group of moderately active individuals were established and individuals were required to report Garmin Smartwatch health and wellness data. The half Ironman consists of a 1.2-mile (1.93 km) swim, a 56-mile (90.12 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run, raced in that order and without a break. Several protocols were then applied to derive data necessary to complete the research. After the participants were selected, their saliva was collected in a non-invasive fashion and was used in the Elisa Saliva Kit to determine cortisol concentration. The saliva samples were also utilized to perform DNA and RNA extraction; and the resulting products were analyzed for quantity and quality of the DNA and RNA. Real time PCR allows scientists to monitor PCR while it is occuring. In this technique, luminescence is produced by reporter molecules as the PCR products increase with every cycle. To determine ROS concentration, the ROS-Glo assay, which provides a light signal that is proportional to the ROS in a given sample, was utilized. An additional marker of oxidative stress is 8-oxo-2-deoxyguanosine(8-oxo-dG). The OxiSelect™ Oxidative DNA Damage ELISA uses antibody and antigen interactions to report the concentration of 8-oxo-dG in a sample. Furthermore, the results indicate an increase in enzymatic indicators of elevated ROS, elevated cortisol levels, and disruption of sleep in the participating athletes after the race. In conclusion, the athletes who completed the full Ironman triathlon experienced increased amounts of oxidative stress than their less active counterparts in the control group, as was denoted by the elevated cortisol levels, increased 8-oxo-dG concentrations, and increased ROS concentrations.Such a rigorous event negatively impacted participants and caused oxidative stress