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Establishing a Neuronal Cell Model to Probe the Toxicity of Commonly Used Phthalate-free Alternatives
No full textPhthalate plasticizers are noncovalently bound chemicals widely used to impart flexibility into plastics in a variety of products including plastic food wrap, personal care products, toys, and medical tubing. Phthalates have been shown to leach out of these plastic products and compromise organismal health by disrupting the nervous and reproductive systems. As a result of these detrimental effects, non-phthalate plasticizers have been developed and are being used as alternatives, but the impacts of phthalate-free alternative plasticizers on organisms have not been extensively tested. Thus, our goal was to examine the effects of the alternative plasticizer Acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC), commonly found in medical devices, cosmetics, and children’s toys, on neurons using the mouse neuroblastoma cell line, Neuro2a cells. Previous studies in our lab determined that at concentrations ranging from 10-200 μM ATBC resulted in a decreased number of Neuro2a cells after three days. To further examine the mechanism mediating the decrease in cell number, we continued this study by examining effects on cell cycle arrest and senescence pathways using flow cytometry, quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR, and the senescence associated β-galactosidase expression assay. Together, our results suggest that ATBC is causing stress-induced premature senescence in dividing Neuro 2a cells, as well as death-evoking effects in terminally differentiated neurons. In the context of the aging brain and neurodegenerative diseases, this could have profound implications when considering the outcomes of increased loss of glial cell function via senescence as well as increased neuronal cell death
Comparison of Midwifery and Obstetric Care Among American Indian and Alaska Native Birthing People
Get PDFDespite making up only 3% of the U.S. population, American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals have the second highest maternal mortality rate in the United States, and the leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity among AI/AN is postpartum hemorrhage. Many interventions used during childbirth have been identified as common causes of hemorrhage, such as lacerations of the vagina and cervix, operative vaginal deliveries, & augmentation of labor. Research has found that individuals who had midwives as their care providers have been found to be less likely to experience instrumental deliveries, epidural analgesia, labor augmentation, episiotomy or perineal lacerations, cesarean sections, and postpartum hemorrhage. While many research studies have found these associations, the specific population of American Indian/Alaska Native birthing people has not been investigated for these potential benefits. The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare the labor interventions and maternal health outcomes between American Indian and Alaska Native birthing people who received care from midwives to those who received care from physicians.
Using secondary birth data obtained from the Oregon Health Authority, labor interventions and morbidity outcomes and type of birth attendant were tested for association using chi-square tests. Relative risks were then calculated for each intervention and outcome. Results found that for all labor interventions, care provided by midwives was associated with statistically less intervention. There was no statistically significant difference between the midwife and physician group for perineal lacerations. Results from this study could support future advocacy and policy work to encourage greater use of the midwifery-led continuity model of care to help improve and strengthen the maternal health of American Indians and Alaska Natives
The Influence of Behaviorally Matched Play Gestures on the Duration of Social Play Bouts in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
No full textPlay is one of the many behavioral contexts in a chimpanzee’s repertoire. Chimpanzees engage in complex social play behaviors and produce various types of signals during play. Behavioral matching of signals appears in several primate species. Matching signals during play may help facilitate social play interactions and maintain play bouts. Previous researchers have examined matching in various types of play signals during play bouts in primates, but a limited number of researchers have assessed on how matching gesture signals affect duration in play bouts. In this study, matching gestures, gesture types and play bout durations were recorded in chimpanzee groups from three African sanctuaries. This study analyzed the presence of matching gestures and the duration of play bouts. The results showed that the duration of play bouts was significantly longer when matched gestures were present, compared to play bouts where matched gestures were absent. These findings can help us understand the role of matching behaviors in social play
PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER WEIGHT AND RACIAL BIAS: TREATMENT DECISIONS FOR FEMALES LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN
No full textAs many as 21.7% of females in the U.S. experience chronic pain, which lasts three months or longer. Chronic pain management often requires a multidisciplinary approach due to its involvement in multiple Central Nervous System (CNS) networks. Patients typically visit their Primary Care Provider (PCP) first to manage and treat their chronic pain symptoms. This presents a challenge for females of higher weight and/or non-white races. Research documents alarming rates of weight and racial bias, and discrimination in the healthcare system, especially for females. The presence of prejudice and discrimination in the healthcare domain is problematic due to the biopsychosocial nature of pain and the ability of perceived discrimination to contribute to pain. It was hypothesized that primary care providers with higher levels of weight bias would recommend more weight-related treatments and fewer treatments related directly to chronic pain.
Additionally, it was predicted that black females would receive more frequent psychological-type referrals. PCPs were the target participant population; however, due to a low response rate, students at Central Washington University (N = 82) were utilized. Participants were assigned to one of nine groups, manipulated by weight and race. A significant difference (p = .046) was observed in direct weight-related treatment recommendations between the normal weight condition and the overweight condition. Non-significant results with regard to racial bias, other partially supported hypotheses, study limitations, and future directions are discussed
Perceptions of sex educators: A qualitative analysis
Get PDFThe fear of children getting victimized by strangers is the basis for several current pieces of legislation, specifically Megan’s law, despite the lack of corresponding empirical data. This legislation causes significant negative consequences for those who are on the registry, especially for juvenile offenders as they have unique challenges they face regarding labeling and societal reintegration. As most juveniles receive most of their sex education in school, and a lack sex education is a contributing factor to the commission of sex offenses, this study aims to explore a proactive method of preventing sex offenses. This study includes exploratory interviews with sex education teachers to highlight the critical gap between training for sex education and teaching sex education, and the difference between teaching sex education and knowledge about sex offenses. This study opens the dialogue regarding these connections and calls for proactive thinking in preventing juvenile sex offenses
Preservice Teacher Education Programs, Novice Teachers, and Classroom Management Preparation
Get PDFClassroom management is one of the biggest challenges first-, second, and third-year (referred to as novice) teachers face. Research has shown novice teachers feel unequipped to manage their classrooms due to inadequate preservice training. In this study, 96 novice elementary school teachers from school districts throughout South Carolina completed an online survey that addressed preservice classroom management experiences and teachers’ beliefs about classroom management preparation. It was found that although 80% of participants did receive preservice classroom management training, some of these participants felt unprepared to manage their classrooms. Over 90% of participants agreed that a preservice classroom management course in college is beneficial for future teachers. The results indicate a need for strong preservice courses in classroom management that offer both strategies and classroom experiences, as well as inservice professional development opportunities, to provide educators with the tools necessary to successfully manage their classrooms
MASCUP! Mask Surveillance & Adherence Project @ Stockton University
Get PDFStockton University was one of over 50 Colleges and Universities across the nation to participate in a study sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control to gauge compliance with mask wearing during the Spring 2021 semester. Five undergraduate Public Health students supervised by a Public Health Faculty member, observed mask wearing behaviors of individuals on campus over an 8-week period of time. Observations ranged from 40-90 minutes at various times of day and at 15 different locations on campus. During that time there were a total of 2,548 observations, of which 2,357 people were wearing masks. Of that group, 92.5%, were wearing the mask correctly. Other variables that were observed and recorded were type of mask and how masks were worn incorrectly along with possible explanations for this mistake. Results indicate the most common type of mask was cloth, with more than half (54%), while the most common mistake was not covering the nose. Although observers were unable to determine the exact reason, the following were observed for those not wearing masks from most to least: eating / drinking, then, outdoors / not within 6 ft of anyone, and finally exercise / playing a sport. Lastly, Stockton’s results are compared to all institutions that participated in the study
Art and Violence in Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced: Reading Western Domination over Muslim Representation in Amir and Emily’s Relationship
Get PDFAyad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Disgraced, grapples with Islamophobia, post-9/11 racialization of South Asians, and the possibilities of Muslim identity. The play recounts the tragic descent of Amir, a New York Lawyer and South Asian Muslim, from his precarious belonging in upper-class New York society to the devastating fulfillment of violent racial stereotypes about Muslim men. This paper considers Amir’s relationship with his wife Emily, a white artist, as a location of multifaceted and mutually inflicted violence that invites audiences to interrogate stereotypes about Muslim men and confront the harm of white domination over Muslim representation. Emily’s well-intentioned yet problematic control over her husband’s identity and appropriation of Islamic art traditions reflect Western domination over Muslim representation. By highlighting these tensions within Amir and Emily’s marriage, Akhtar deftly locates the impact of Islamophobia and post-9/11 racialization of South Asians in the realm of the personal, confronting audiences with their devastating consequences
Cast Off Body and Mind: Realization of the Self in Phenomenology and Soto Zen
Get PDFThroughout much of the history of Western philosophy, the works of non-Western philosophers were often categorized as belonging to that of mystics and was not worthy of rational discourse. This attitude began to change in the mid-19th century with philosophers such as Arthur Schopenhaur, but even more so in the 20th century as exploration of Eastern philosophy began in full earnest. Of particular note is Martin Heidegger’s examination of Buddhism in his phenomenological work. Heidegger is not the only phenomenologist to have connections to Buddhism. Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the leading French phenomenologist of the 20th century, argued that the body was not only necessary for experiencing the world, but also for the attainment of authentic self-hood. In a similar vein, centuries earlier, the Zen master Dogen was formulating a philosophy of the body that closely corresponds with what Merleau-Ponty discusses in his seminal work The Phenomenology of Perception by claiming that the body was the necessary component of attainment of enlightenment through its practice of zazen, or seated meditation. Drawing from these two philosophers, and contemporary commentators, this paper argues that the divide between philosophy in the East and West is not as great as one might think. By providing a space for dialogue between Dogen and Merleau-Ponty, we see how their philosophies discourse with one another, especially in regards to their understanding of the body’s importance in realization of authentic self-hood. And in providing this space, the foundations of a greater discourse between East and West may begin
S5, God and Numbers
Get PDFIt has become somewhat ontologically fashionable for theists to embrace anti-realist views of abstract objects.1 On pain of consistency, however, I will argue that any theist who accepts the S5 ontological argument for the existence of God should also accept a parallel S5 ontological argument for the existence of abstract objects. This is because the same ontological and modal inferences thought to demonstrate the existence of God can also be used to demonstrate the existence of numbers. I further argue that being ontologically consistent here might come at the price of being theologically unacceptable, as the argument for numbers would seem to vindicate a platonistic view of abstracta—but platonism is incompatible with the traditional concept of God. I conclude by suggesting what I see as the only way out of this dilemma, which is to embrace a view akin Augustine’s where abstracta exist “nowhere but in the very mind of the Creator.” Something like the Augustinian view of abstracta, therefore, can be seen as an indirect theological consequence of the S5 ontological argument for the existence of God