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Using GIS to Visualize Daily Routines at the Neighborhood and Household Scales: A Feminist Approach Using a Nineteenth-Century Diary
Get PDFFeminist scholars in the discipline of geography have noted the ways that routine activities at the household and neighborhood scales contribute to power relations and identity formation. Geographic information systems (GIS), with their ability to create multiple visual representations of people’s experiences in space at any scale, hold great potential for revealing these local processes and patterns that are often lost or invisible in broader historical narratives, especially when they pertain to women and children. This article contributes an example by using GIS to encode and map everyday events in a diary kept by Elisabeth Koren, a nineteenth-century Norwegian immigrant to the midwestern United States. Combining GIS methods with a careful cataloging of the text, I create maps showing social and economic connections developed during Elisabeth’s routine walks; geographic realms of pleasant and unpleasant emotions she encountered while traversing the landscape; and differing ways that women, men, and children used domestic space in the home where she boarded. I demonstrate that even highly computational GIS methods, such as kernel density estimation, can be appropriated toward the portrayal of nuanced and uncertain types of phenomena such as feelings, wanderings, and sites of household chores. This case study is intended to inspire researchers of social topics to look closely for ways that life writings, interviews, or other personal data may contain themes that could be better understood using GIS and mapping tools
Evaluating the Appropriateness of Vitamin K (phytonadione) Usage for Reversing an Elevated International Normalized Ratio Secondary to Warfarin Therapy
Get PDFBackground: Supratherapeutic warfarin therapy can lead to major bleeding events if left uncorrected. The effects of warfarin can be reversed with exogenous vitamin K. Guidelines recommended use of vitamin K to reverse warfarin therapy based on INR level and presence of patient bleeding. The objective of this study is to examine and evaluate the appropriateness of vitamin K (phytonadione) use at the Providence VA Medical Center (PVAMC) when administered orally or intravenously for the purpose of reversing an elevated international normalized ratio (INR) caused by warfarin therapy. The primary outcome was the rate of adherence to the 2012 CHEST guidelines.
Methods: Study design: retrospective electronic chart review. Vit K administration deemed appropriated if INR was between 4.5 and 10 with evidence of bleeding or INR \u3e10 with no evidence of bleeding or any warfarin-associated major bleeding. Inclusion criteria: admitted for any reason from January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2019 and active outpatient warfarin prescription at the time of vitamin K administration, and received vitamin K either orally or intravenously, at any dose or frequency. Patients were excluded if prescribed a DOAC (ie. apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, or rivaroxaban), received vitamin K alone for any reason other than for warfarin reversal such as perioperative use, hepatic disease (i.e. cirrhosis, hepatitis, etc.), or had a contraindication to vitamin K such as allergy or anaphylaxis. Descriptive statistics were employed.
Results: 152 individual vitamin k administrations were screened and 70 were included for data analysis. Twenty-seven percent of vitamin k administrations were found to be appropriate (n = 19). Ninety-four percent of patients were male. The most common warfarin indications were atrial fibrillation (78%) and venous thromboembolism (16%). Mean INR at the time of vit K administration was 4.9 overall and was higher in the appropriate vs inappropriate administration group (6 vs 4.4, respectively). Mean INR was higher for oral vs parenteral doses (5.2 vs 3.98, respectively). Major and minor bleeding rates were 58% and 21% in the appropriate administration group and 0% (n=0) and 31% (n=16) in the inappropriate group, respectively.
Conclusions: According to the 2012 CHEST guidelines, the majority of vitamin K doses administered and recorded for warfarin reversal at the PVAMC during the study period were found to be inappropriate. Strategies for improving appropriate use at this institution such as implementation of a vitamin K administration protocol and/or provider education should be explored. Further investigation is needed on vitamin K use in patients not prescribed warfarin for anticoagulation
Planetary Drift: Flotsam as Empathic Medium in Ruth Ozeki\u27s A Tale for the Time Being
No full textRuth Ozeki’s semi-autobiographical novel A Tale for the Time Being (2013) appeared just two years after the historically unprecedented Tōhoku tsunami and earthquake displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Northeast Japan, amassing a death toll of nearly twenty thousand and ravaging the region’s economy in the years to come.
Ozeki’s narrative combines parataxis and irony with innovative exposition in first and third-person to dramatize the empathic relationship between protagonists whose lives become enmeshed through the appearance of a specimen whose sedimented histories unravel across the novel. The presence of this material yet spectral object enables readers to trace affective and ethical possibilities between differentiated human lives and planetary ecosystems spanning the Earth’s complex metabolism. Building on a wide range of analytical frameworks, namely, post-human narratology, critical ocean studies, and cognitive literary criticism, Bowden’s presentation treats A Tale for the Time Being as a viable test case for discussing modes of narrative empathy or recognition which simultaneously exceed and subsume the “human” during our catastrophic era known as the Anthropocene. Moreover, it aims to contribute to ongoing debates regarding the problem of empathy and literary production (as well as reception) by foregrounding an alternative narrative ontology of the present which hinges upon the changing temporal relationship between “humans” and their environments.
Bowden’s presentation is a chapter within his dissertation project entitled, “Textual Sediments: Genre and the Planetary Novel,” where he investigates the stakes of competing temporal frameworks in coming to terms with narrative portrayals of climate change, nuclear catastrophe, and ocean acidification. Bowden’s presentation anticipates an April 11 talk by Ozeki herself at URI’s Spring Humanities Festival
Performance of Fabrics with 3D-Printed Photosensitive Acrylic Resin on the Surface
Get PDFAdditive manufacturing (AM), also known as three-dimensional printing (3DP), has been widely applied to various fields and industries, including automotive, healthcare, and rapid prototyping. This study evaluates the effects of 3DP on textile properties. The usability of a textile and its durability are determined by its strength, washability, colorfastness to light, and abrasion resistance, among other traits, which may be impacted by the application of 3DP on the fabric’s surface. This study examines the application of photosensitive acrylic resin on two fabric substrates: 100% cotton and 100% polyester white woven fabrics made of yarns with staple fibers. A simple alphanumeric text was translated into braille and the braille dots were 3D printed onto both fabrics. The color of the printed photosensitive acrylic resin was black, and it was an equal mixture of VeroCyanV, VeroYellowV, and VeroMagentaV. The 3D-printed design was the same on both fabrics and was composed of braille dots with a domed top. Both of the 3DP fabrics passed the colorfastness to washing test with no transfer or color change, but 3D prints on both fabrics showed significant color change during the colorfastness to light test. The tensile strength tests indicated an overall reduction in strength and elongation when the fabrics had 3DP on their surface. An abrasion resistance test revealed that the resin had a stronger adhesion to the cotton than to the polyester, but both resins were removed from the fabric with the abrader. These findings suggest that while 3DP on textiles offers unique possibilities for customization and design, mechanical properties and color stability trade-offs need to be considered. Further evaluation of textiles and 3D prints of textiles and their performance in areas such as colorfastness and durability are warranted to harness the full potential of this technology in the fashion and textile industry
Can Marketing Transcend Entrenched Gender Biases?
Get PDFThrough a feminist lens, Maclaran and Chatzidakis (2022) challenge conventional assumptions about gender, emphasizing its performative nature shaped by social practices rather than inherent traits. This commentary extends analyses of key themes such as gender performativity, the male gaze, and subject-object binaries within marketing. It critiques how marketing strategies reinforce existing power imbalances and systemic biases rooted in historical narratives. The writing also reflects on media interpretations of gender issues through films like \u27Turning Red\u27 and \u27Barbie\u27. By contextualizing gendered marketing within broader societal frameworks, this writing contributes to ongoing dialogues in media studies, sociology, and gender studies, highlighting the pivotal role of individuals and corporations in challenging norms to foster a more inclusive world
Online Video-Mediated Compassion Training Program for Mental Health and Well-Being of University Students
Get PDFCollege students experiencing psychological distress have significantly greater negative emotions than students who practice compassionate thinking. We have developed Eight Steps to Great Compassion (ESGC), an innovative brief and no-cost online video training program about how to increase compassion among busy and young adult university students. To examine the effectiveness and benefits of the ESGC, a single-group pre-test–post-test quantitative design with undergraduate university students (N = 92; Mage = 20.39) evaluated its effects. The results from the post-test showed that the ESGC had a significant positive impact on increased feelings of compassion towards oneself, compassion for others, and the sense of personal well-being from the pre-test. The analysis of the PERMA-Profiler subscales also reflected a statistically significant increase in overall well-being and health and a decrease in negative emotions and loneliness. From the Post-Survey Lesson Feedback, 88% of the participants reported significant positive changes in themselves and the way that they live due to the program. These findings appear to show important implications for improving healthy minds and reducing negative emotions among university students
Finding non-fluorinated alternatives to fluorinated gases used as refrigerants
Get PDFHydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and so-called hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) are used as refrigerants in air conditioning, refrigeration, chillers, heat pumps and devices for dehumidification and drying. However, many HFCs, including R-134a and R-125, have a high global warming potential and some of the HFCs and HFOs degrade atmospherically and form trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as a persistent degradation product. Rising levels of TFA around the globe reveal an urgent need to replace fluorinated refrigerants with non-fluorinated working fluids to avoid direct emissions due to leakage, incorrect loading or removal. It is important, however, also to select refrigerants with high efficiencies to avoid increasing indirect CO2 emissions due to higher energy consumption during the use phase. The present study investigates the available non-fluorinated alternatives to fluorinated refrigerants and shows that a transition to non-fluorinated refrigerants, in general, is possible and has happened in many sectors already. Technically, there are only slight barriers to overcome in order to replace fluorinated refrigerants in almost all newly developed systems conforming to existing standards. Additionally, we show that alternatives are available even for some use cases for which derogations have been proposed in the EU PFAS restriction proposal and suggest making these derogations more specific to support a speedy transition to non-fluorinated refrigerants in all sectors
Exploring the Current Landscape of the United States Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce
Get PDFThis study provides the challenges and opportunities facing the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) workforce in the United States. Acknowledging the pivotal role of early educators in children’s development, the authors argue for comprehensive policy reforms to address economic and societal challenges faced by the ECCE workforce. Examining national best practices, offers a roadmap for enhancing the ECCE sector in the United States, emphasizing the need for improved compensation, professional development opportunities, and greater societal recognition of the ECCE workforce’s value. The discussion extends to the implications of these challenges for the quality of early childhood education and the well-being of educators, suggesting a future research agenda focused on evaluating the effects of proposed reforms and exploring innovative strategies to support the ECCE workforce. This forward-looking approach aims not only to improve the status and quality of early childhood education but also to ensure a brighter future for children through a more supported, recognized, and valued ECCE workforce
Multicultural attitudes among early childhood teachers: characteristics, sense of teacher efficacy, and efficacy to implement inclusive practices
Get PDFThis study, guided by the socio-cultural theory of learning, investigated the attitudes of early childhood teachers toward multicultural practice and its association with their characteristics, sense of teacher efficacy, and attitude toward inclusive practices. This study included 144 early childhood teachers who attended professional development (PD) workshops at a university in the Northeastern region of the United States. The study revealed that early childhood teachers’ attitudes toward multiculturalism varied based on their language, with English speakers demonstrating a higher level of multicultural sensitivity and awareness. Furthermore, the results indicated that there was a positive relationship among teachers’ multicultural attitudes, their sense of teacher efficacy, and their attitudes toward inclusive practices. This study highlights the importance of improving multicultural attitudes among early childhood teachers to better serve the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse young learners. Additionally, there is a need for further comprehensive research in this area to explore the influence of various factors on teachers’ multicultural attitudes and teacher efficacy
