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Divergent Neighbors: Post-Revolution Development in Tunisia and Libya
No full textThe uprisings that swept across the Middle East and North Africa from late 2010 to 2012, frequently referred to collectively as the “Arab Spring,” brought about swift and far-reaching change in the political life of several Arab states. Several of these democratic uprisings resulted in the fall of long-reigning autocratic regimes, two notable examples being Tunisia and Libya. Both of these countries succeeded in knocking dictators out of power, but the governments that replaced them were drastically different: Libya was left in a power vacuum that has yet to be filled by a widely recognized authority, while Tunisia was able to form a robust and competitive democracy. This project will attempt to explain why such contrasting results were found in the two neighboring countries, focusing on their varying degrees of access to political participation offered by the pre-revolution regimes. In Tunisia, a democratic government was possible because Tunisians were more able to participate in political life prior to toppling the despot than Libyans were
Embodied Virtues: A Review of Peripheral Physiological Associations with Human Strengths
No full textThe theological and cardinal virtues have provided the traditional framework for understanding virtue. Within the past 20 years, researchers in positive psychology have developed a framework outlining six core virtues and 24 key human character strengths. Research within this domain has demonstrated that human health is related to positive psychological traits and states associated with these strengths. Specific autonomic nervous system markers of health include heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of self-regulation, heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP). In this project, we conducted a comprehensive search of the 24 strengths and peripheral physiology measures in established databases. We hypothesized that character strengths would have adaptive physiological associations (e.g., higher HRV, lower BP). Overall, our results indicated that character strengths tended to have healthy physiological associations. We specifically found that the literature is most heavily concentrated in the areas of forgiveness, religiosity/spirituality, love/charity, and humor. Concerning forgiveness, correlational studies found lower BP with higher forgiveness. Experimental work inducing forgiveness produced reductions in facial muscle tension, BP, and skin conductance, while also buffering HRV from the negative effects of rumination. Religiosity and spirituality appeared to reliably predict only lower BP, especially in the elderly. Most other parameters (e.g., HR, cortisol, skin conductance) had little or no association with religiosity and spirituality. Research on love/charity revealed one physiological association: having a new loving relationship predicted greater vagal activity in response to stress. Humor predicted a healthier immune response and illness protection. Overall, we found a general physiological benefit to demonstrating virtues, although these associations differed across specific traits and responses. Future studies will need to address the virtues that currently lack physiological research and experimentally assess virtues’ associations to create a clearer picture of embodied virtues and peripheral physiology
Impact of a Problem-Solving Curriculum on Pre-Service Elementary Teachers\u27 Affect toward Mathematics
No full textMath is often seen as a curse word, and revulsion of math is common and even celebrated at times by the general public. The dislike of math is even more common among pre-service elementary teachers. Research has shown that pre-service elementary teachers tend to have the highest levels of math anxiety among all college students. These college students are going to be teaching and shaping our youngest and most impressionable children in only a few years, so the general level of math anxiety is worrisome. This work-in-progress study investigates the effect of a problem-solving curriculum on pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward and beliefs about mathematics. Affect is a multi-faceted construct that encompasses emotions, anxieties, beliefs, and attitudes, among other psychological concepts. This study focused on the attitudes and beliefs aspects of affect. Students taking MATH 205, a math content course for pre-service elementary teachers, were surveyed in September 2015 about their attitudes toward and beliefs about mathematics, along with their prior experiences with mathematics and demographic information. The same survey, minus the questions about the students’ experiences with mathematics, was administered to students at the end of MATH 206, the final math content course for pre-service elementary teachers, in February 2016. The curricula of both MATH 205 and MATH 206 were based on problem-solving and discussion and contained very little lecture. Final analysis and results about the effectiveness of these curricula on the attitudes and beliefs of pre-service elementary teachers regarding mathematics are pending
Injury to the Hip in Military Personnel: A Case Study
No full textThe prevalence of injury in the military is one of the leading causes of delay of graduation or withdrawal from basic combat training. This case study was a college-aged female who serves in the Army National Guard. On January 24, 2015, this client suffered a third degree rectus femoris, iliopsoas strain, as well as a labral tear in the left hip. The mechanism of injury was a sit-up. Because of her need to complete AIT (Advanced Individual Training), her recovery was placed on a “rushed” status. Throughout her three month period of recovery, she underwent a variety of diagnostic testing and visits to various medical specialists. She was cleared for active military duty on April 30, 2015. This study explores the frequency of injury during military training and the experiences of this client throughout her recovery
Microplastic Beach Pollution
No full textMicroplastic (plastics \u3c 1 mm) pollution is a growing environmental concern. Primary sources of microplastics involve the direct release of microplastics into the environment, such as synthetic fibers released in washing machine effluent, microbeads in cosmetic products, and pre-production pellets that are spilled during transport. Secondary sources involve the breakdown of macroplastics into smaller particles. Microplastics are an environmental problem because they can carry persistent organic pollutants and can easily be mistaken as food and ingested by animals. Here we investigated the presence of microplastics in sediment samples from two Lake Michigan beaches—Oval Beach, Saugatuck, and North Beach, Ferrysburg. Samples (approx. 1.5 L each) were collected at 5 m intervals along a 20 m transect line placed along the beach’s storm strandline. Each sample was then fluidized in an elutriation column to separate out the lighter particles, which then underwent a density separation from the remaining sediment using NaI. The supernatant of this density separation was visually inspected using a dissecting microscope to quantify the amount of microplastic particles. While macroplastics were found in all 10 samples, only 9 out of the 10 contained microplastics, with abundances ranging from 0 to 25 particles/L. The average microplastic abundance for Oval Beach was 6 particles/L and the average abundance for North Beach was 14 particles/L. These preliminary results demonstrate that microplastic pollution is present along Lake Michigan beaches. Further research is needed in order to determine the recovery efficiency of the elutriation tower, which will help us better quantify the abundance of plastic at various beach sites
Perceptual Differentiation of African American and European American Children
No full textPrevious research presented by Thomas and Reaser (2004) has demonstrated that adult speakers can be perceptually differentiated by listeners with respect to gender and ethnicity. Their study presented data from various studies with respect to adult speakers; however none were presented for children. The goal of our research is to examine how age, gender and ethnicity of child speakers ages 8-12 affect the perceptual accuracy of adult listeners. Following the onset of puberty, these acoustic parameters begin to emerge, enabling listeners to reliably identify speaker characteristics in adulthood (Berger, 2008). The question remains, at what point across the pubertal transition does perceptual accuracy meet the level for adult speakers? Undergraduate college students listened to audio recordings of European American and African American children producing words and sentences containing /h-vowel-d/ target stimuli in General American English. Each block contained items spoken by children of each ethnicity, age, and gender. The listeners identified which ethnicity and gender they believed the speaker to be, as well as how confident they were of their choice. We expect greater accuracy, faster reaction times, and higher median ratings for forward blocks, sentences, and female speakers. We do not expect there to be a difference in identification of European American voices versus African American voices. We also anticipate that accuracy of identification will improve as the age of the speaker increases due to the changing of the voice as a result of puberty. The study will provide greater knowledge of how the age of a child speaker impacts the ability of the listener to identify the speaker’s gender and ethnicity. The implications of this data can be extended as a framework for individuals who work with children and in speech-related professions to reduce biases that occur as a result of personal language experience
Self-Determination Skills: Are Ready for Life Students Prepared for the Future?
No full textReady for Life is a program on Hope College’s campus that works with post-secondary students with developmental and intellectual disabilities who are seeking a college experience. These individuals, who would normally not be able to be involved in higher education, are given the opportunity to attend selected Hope College courses in conjunction with receiving specialized transition skills instruction from their Ready for Life instructors. These skills are essential for these students to possess in order for a smooth transition from the program to the adult world. The Transition Planning Inventory-2 (TPI-2) was administered to the Ready for Life students in the fall of 2015, in order to measure their level of competence with specific transition skills according to Michael Wehmeyer’s ARC definition of self-determination autonomy abilities. Descriptive statistics, a one sample T-test, and a Pearson Correlation reveal the transition skill areas with a satisfactory level of competence compared to those skills that should be improved upon before leaving this unique program
Sleep in Preschoolers: Memory, Health, and Environment
No full textInsufficient sleep is a public health concern. The National Institutes of Health have reported that preschoolers need 11-12 hours of sleep daily. Good sleep hygiene includes going to bed at the same time each night, rising at the same time each morning, and avoiding light sources in the evening. However, children today spend more time in front of screens than any previous generation. It is not yet known how these devices affect sleep, memory, and health in preschoolers, at a time when sleep need is very high and sleep patterns are being shaped for the rest of the child’s life. In this study, we are measuring the amount of sleep and amount of light at night received by children. The data will be gathered by asking parents to fill out a sleep journal for their preschooler(s) for four weeks and by asking a subset of children (n=20) to wear a FitBit. Also, a survey will be distributed to the teachers and parents asking about sleep and general behavior of the preschooler. We will assess the relationships between sleep and light at night with health (BMI), memory performance, and activity preference. We expect to find a negative correlation between sleep and preschoolers’ BMI scores, such that greater amounts of sleep will be associated with lower (healthier) BMI percentiles. In addition, we expect to find a positive correlation between sleep and memory performance. Finally, we predict that increased light at night will be negatively correlated with sleep quality and quantity. This project seeks to increase awareness of the importance of sleep in young children. If parents appreciate the importance of sleep, this will likely lead to healthier lives in their children, and the children will have an excellent opportunity to reach their fullest potential
Learning Needs Assessment: Comparison of Perceived Learning Needs of Registered Nurses Based on Age and Shift Type
No full textStudies have examined various learning needs of Registered Nurses (RNs) to improve their continuing education. However, learning needs based on age and shift types have not been closely examined. Shift types tend to be segregated based on age due to more experienced RNs working day shifts. The purpose of this study was to examine differences between self-identified learning needs of Direct-Care RNs in three major categories (Interdisciplinary Team, Professional Issues, and Client Care) and age categories and shift types. Benner’s Stages of Clinical Competence theory was used to guide the research. This theory explains that through acquisition and development of skills, RNs pass through five levels of proficiency from novice to expert. An electronic survey sent out to all RNs at a large tertiary care hospital in the Midwest gathered information from 654 Direct-Care RNs. Of this sample, 61% were on day shifts, 6.4% on evening shifts, 28% on night shifts, 0.6% on weekends only, and 4% on rotating shifts. Data were entered into SPSSv.22 and a one-way ANOVA test was conducted. Results indicated no significant effect of shift type on learning needs and a significant effect (p\u3c 0.05) of age on learning needs in two categories; Interdisciplinary Team [F(6, 647)=2.723, p=.013] and Client Care [F(6, 647)=4.037, p=.001]. Results from the post hoc analysis using the Bonferroni procedure indicated a significant mean difference (.289, p=.029) between 20-29 year olds and 50-59 year olds for the Interdisciplinary Team category and a significant difference for the Client Care category between the 20-29 year olds and two age range categories: 30-39 year olds (.251, p=.029) and 40-49 years old (.321, p=.011). Using these results, educational programs could be tailored to different age groups. Limitations include the potential for self-report bias and lack of generalizability due to results from RNs at only one hospital system
The Qualitative Fundamental Motor Performance Characteristics of Preadolescent Obese Children
No full textThis study examined the qualitative motor performance characteristics of 35 preadolescent obese children (18 female, 17 male) in the Midwest of the United States. An available sample of children ages 6 to 13 were classified as obese based on a BMI score of 30 or greater. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) was used to assess all subjects. This test measures the qualitative motor ability of children using two subtest categories of fundamental motor skills including locomotors (running, hopping, skipping, jumping, leaping and galloping) as well as object control skills (throwing, catching, kicking, bouncing a ball, rolling a ball and striking). All participants received a raw score, standardized score, sum of standards and gross motor quotient score. All scores were compared to national norms established by the authors of the TGMD-2. The results indicated that the group norms of the obese children were significantly below the mean scores of the national average for all measures including locomotor standard scores (M=3.80, SD=2.44, p\u3c 0.001) and object-control standard scores (M=4.43, SD=2.89, p\u3c 0.001) and the gross motor development quotient (M=64.69, SD=15.05, p\u3c 0.001). The researchers concluded that the significantly lower motor performance scores of obese children may lead this population to participate less in health enhancing movement opportunities as they grow into adolescence and adulthood. The authors noted that the TGMD-2 is designed for children ages 3-10 and has a significant ceiling effect for older children. A younger population may reveal more robust conclusions in further study. Additionally, further study is recommended to determine whether programs aimed at lowering obesity levels in children can have an impact on qualitative fundamental motor skill performance