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Assessing Sleep and Its Benefits in Combat Veterans
No full textResearch Question: Does the delivery of Boot Campaign¿s existing novel, holistic virtual Resilience and Recovery program that teaches skills on the highest yield components of resilience in the veteran family population result in an increase in overall well-being and specifically an increase in quality and/or quantity of sleep? What are the most salient components of sleep that still need to be addressed and what is the best format in which to address these in order to construct a virtual program to address these and continue treatment for veterans all across the United States and eventually, internationally?Background and Significance: It is widely documented that a disproportionate number of U.S. military veterans suffer from invisible wounds of war, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Sequelae can result in disruption in daily life, including suffering from negative emotional responses, memory processing problems, disrupted social relationships and decreased physical fitness. Because many veterans living with PTSD and TBI experience drastic disturbances in their sleep habits, they can experience difficulty with processing memories, have flashbacks of traumatic events, and can have irrational emotional responses to small disruptions in their daily lives and social relationships. A lack of sleep can also result in decreased testosterone levels, contributing to lower muscle mass, slower metabolism and uneven body fat distribution, and overall decreased self-confidence. In concert with the impact from other invisible wounds of war, veterans can experience significantly lower quality of life. There is also evidence to suggest a correlation between insomnia and suicidality, which remains a problem that plagues the military and veteran community.Materials and Methods: Our objective was to identify if Boot Campaign¿s already existing holistic Resilience and Recovery virtual program addressing overall improvement in our veterans¿ lifestyle, emotional well-being and social relationships is sufficient to address sleep concerns. De-identified standardized self-report measure data provided by Boot Campaign was analyzed from veterans who completed this program. Our subject population was taken from veterans who are enrolled in Boot Campaign¿s Resilience and Recovery Program. All participants were former members of the United States Armed Services who have been diagnosed with PTSD and TBI, and who also reported co-occurring insomnia. Inclusion criteria for de-identified subjects included that the participant was a US military veteran, aged 20-70, who is a proficient English speaker diagnosed with PTSD and mild-to-moderate TBI, and who also reported co-occurring insomnia. Exclusion criteria included those in acute crisis, those with severe psychopathology or severe brain injury, and those who were unable to access virtual technology. We collected data through the standardized, self-reporting Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire for each participant both pre- and post-training. We then used a paired t-test to analyze changes in the rate of improvement of each of the above components in the veterans undergoing training. These groups were assessed for their rates of improvement at two different time points (baseline and post-training). Significant results were assessed using a p-value = 0.05.Results: Our analysis of the results from the currently existing Resilience and Recovery Virtual Program identified that while successful in multiple areas of wellness, the comparison of pre- and post-training sleep shows less of an improvement in our population. Although we identified an improvement of mean scores of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), these results were largely not statistically significant. The results of this data analysis support our hypothesis that the currently existing Resilience and Recovery program, while improving overall veteran well-being in a variety of areas, is not sufficiently addressing sleep as a very important independent factor. As such, this research project assisted with the design and development of a novel Virtual Sleep Program (VSP) for veterans.Conclusion: Upon completion and implementation of the Virtual Sleep Program, we anticipate that veterans will experience an increase in self-reported overall well-being and quality of life, including decreases in stress, improved social relationships, improved sleep quality and/or quantity, and improved physical and emotional health. We hope this will help improve relationships and possibly stress levels in those surrounding the veterans, including adult family members, caregivers, physicians, and friends
Brand Activism's Effect on Political Polarization
No full textThis project explores the impact of brand activism on political polarization within the United States, examining how corporations' public stances on divisive social and political issues might contribute to societal divisions. Amid growing political polarization, evidenced by an increase in divisiveness in Congress and among the public, brands have increasingly engaged in activism, taking public positions on contentious issues such as gun control, LGBTQ+ rights, and racial justice. This study aims to determine whether such corporate behaviors reinforce existing societal divides or foster a more unified public discourse. Employing a survey methodology among a sample of university students, this research tests the hypothesis that brand activism exacerbates political identity polarization, potentially intensifying ideological extremities among consumers. The findings indicate that brand activism aligning with individuals' pre-existing beliefs has a significant effect on their political identities, thereby solidifying and potentially intensifying them. This suggests that brand activism could play a pivotal role in shaping political landscapes by reinforcing ideological divides, raising questions about the role of businesses in democratic societies and the long-term impacts of their activism on societal cohesion
A frontier of ambition and intrigue: The neutral ground agreement and the Louisiana-Texas borderland, 1803-1824
No full text“A Frontier of Ambition and Intrigue: The Neutral Ground Agreement and the Louisiana-Texas Borderland, 1803-1824” examines the Neutral Ground Agreement and the geopolitical struggle to define, observe, and enforce borderlines between Louisiana and Texas following the Louisiana Purchase. In November 1806, the Neutral Ground Agreement averted war between Spain and the United States by declaring the region between the Arroyo Hondo and Sabine River as neutral and outside the sovereign control of either Spain or the United States. My dissertation argues that the Neutral Ground was never truly neutral. Individuals on both sides of the borderland manipulated its existence to pursue their own interests and ambitions even when their schemes ran afoul of imperial designs. The ambitions, exchanges, and interactions between local populations in the Louisiana-Texas borderland amid this extended dispute demonstrate the limits of both state authority and notions of loyalty in the borderland as local populations sought to manifest their own desires in the borderland. Anglo Americans, French Creoles, Tejanos, enslaved people, Indigenous groups, and free blacks all sought to influence or manipulate the borderland tensions to their own desires or ambitions. This project demonstrates the limits of state authority in Early American borderlands and how local populations pushed imperial governments and militaries to engage with their own designs and desires.
“A Frontier of Ambition and Intrigue” employs a borderlands history methodology to uncover cross-border connections that tied people, horses, and markets together across the region. This project offers intriguing insights into the pivotal role of local borderland populations in shaping the contours of imperial authority during the Early American Republic. Readers interested in Early America, Colonial America, and North American Borderlands will find this scholarship insightful in its approach to borderland commercial markets and state authority. In contrast to narratives of imperial authority, this project complicates borderland narratives in Early America by demonstrating fluid notions of loyalty and identity that resulted in conflicting commercial interests which defined cross-border markets and often defied imperial interests. This project seeks to join other borderlands scholarship emphasizing the power of local peoples to chart their own histories in contested spaces either to the support or detriment of imperial authorities in Early America
Longitudinal trends in the Dockum Group: variations in the Late Triassic megamonsoon
No full textRecent work has identified the Late Triassic Dockum Group of West Texas and New Mexico as a fluvial system which records abundant supercritical flow in upper-flow-regime channels fed by megamonsoons. Lithofacies and fluvial architectural elements were recently characterized in this system, yet the scope of the field area for this study was geographically limited.
This field study extends the field area to a reach of 425 kilometers to assess how the fluvial system varies longitudinally. Using paleocurrent data and lithosomes—groupings of lithofacies and architectural elements—this study characterizes the trends in flow rates of Dockum Group channels from the headwaters to locations down dip. The cyclic nature of the Late Triassic megamonsoon climate pattern is noted through observations of alternating dying and strengthening of flow strength down dip
In Surrealism's wave: Drifting from the real in Dora Maar's photomontage
No full textBetween 1934–36 artist Dora Maar (1907–1997) closely engaged with the Surrealist movement through photography and photomontage. This thesis examines Maar’s photomontage in relation to the problems of reality, representation, and the marvelous that were at the center of Surrealist thought. I argue that instead of pitting reality and construction in opposition or in transposition Maar’s photomontage shifts between the real and unreal. My analysis focuses on five key works and elaborates how the artist’s handling of pictorial space and her use of Surrealist signs puts in motion a shifting sense of reality and unreality. This thesis ultimately turns to the recurring motif of the beach or shoreline and considers how the ocean’s edge, particularly its drift, is a conceptual model for Maar’s surrealism
Pre-service teachers' systems thinking about the nervous system
No full textIn an era of increasingly complex challenges, fostering holistic thinking among educators has never been more evident. This study explored the impact of a holistic approach to teaching the nervous system on pre-service teachers' (PSTs) understanding and reasoning abilities. The research investigated how PSTs’ preconceptions, understanding, and reasoning regarding the nervous system evolve after participating in a holistic unit. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, employing pre- and post-assessments, interviews, rubrics, lesson activities, and observations to gather data. Sixty-eight PSTs engaged in an eight-week unit on the nervous system. Results indicated significant improvements in PSTs’ understanding of the nervous system and systems thinking and enhancements in their reasoning levels. The study highlighted the effectiveness of explicitly teaching systems thinking characteristics in deeper understanding and more holistic teaching practices. The findings offered valuable insights for enhancing science education pedagogy, emphasizing the importance of incorporating systems thinking approaches in PSTs’ training programs
Testing The Effect of Novel Antioxidant Compounds on the Activation of the Antioxidant Gene Activator NRF2
No full textThe presence of Reactive Oxidative Species (ROS) in the brain have been linked to the etiology of Alzheimer's disease and neurodegeneration. In this project, novel antioxidant Indole derivative drugs were tested on BV-2 microglial cells using RT-qPCR to assess their ability to activate antioxidant gene expression. Nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a gene transcription factor that is activated by oxidative stress and binds to a sequence called the Antioxidant Response Element (ARE), a region upstream of the DNA promoter sequence. Nrf2 activates transcription of antioxidative genes. Based on theoretical docking studies, we hypothesize that the novel compounds will disrupt the interaction between Nrf2 and its inhibitor KEAP, releasing Nrf-2 and enabling it to translocate to the nucleus. The novel antioxidant drugs should either increase the transcription of Nrf2-activated genes or reduce overall levels of antioxidative stress within cells. We tested for antioxidant properties by measuring Hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) and Nrf2 mRNA levels in BV-2 cells in the presence of these compounds
DETERMINING IF GENETIC MARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH LIFE HISTORY DEVELOPMENT OF RAINBOW TROUT ARE SHARED ACROSS FRESHWATER SYSTEMS
No full textOncorhynchus mykiss, commonly known as rainbow trout, exhibit partial migratory behavior where some individuals in a population will opt to migrate, whereas others remain resident. Consequently, there are two ecotypes of O. mykiss: the non-migratory rainbow trout (also known as residents) and the migratory steelhead (also known as migrants). Previous evidence generated from our lab demonstrated that various loci in the rainbow trout genome segregate between resident rainbow trout and migrant steelhead trout in the Sashin creek system of Alaska. A unique feature of the Sashin system is that a series of waterfalls separate the lake and stream, thereby inhibiting gene flow between the migratory stream individuals and resident lake individuals. However, it is still unknown whether these same genetic markers also segregate between behaviors in other freshwater systems. Therefore, the goal of my research project is to use DMAS-qPCR to genotype known migrant and resident individuals from Little Sheep Creek, Oregon. This population is geographically separated from the Sashin Creek watershed and differs from Sashin in that both life histories can and do interbreed. This research found the single genetic marker GCOAD also significantly segregated according to life history; however, the alleles associated with resident versus migrant in the Sashin system have an opposite association in Little Sheep Creek. This finding underscores the complexity of the genetic factors influencing the expressed phenotype, supporting the idea that each population's genetic markers are mostly locally shared
Repurposing a Serotonin Receptor Antagonist as a Potential Novel Antibiotic
No full textWith the surge of multidrug resistant bacteria and increasing antibiotic resistance, there is a critical need for the development of new drug therapies. A new antimicrobial technique revolves around targeting virulence factors, which enable the bacterial pathogen to evade host immune defenses. Inhibitors that target pathogenicity hinder the capacity of the bacterium to cause an infection, thus allowing the host immune system to better clear the infection. In this study, we aim to inhibit the ClpXP protease, a highly conserved intracellular protease involved in the virulence in different bacterial pathogens. Previous studies have shown that loss of ClpX completely attenuates virulence in Bacillus anthracis, rendering the pathogen more susceptible to cell envelope targeting antibiotics such as penicillin, daptomycin and LL-37. Computational modeling was performed and ten commercially available inhibitors with predicted activity against the ClpXP protease were identified, with ritanserin showing the most promise. In this study we explore the antimicrobial effects of ritanserin, a previously identified serotonin 2A receptor antagonist that underwent clinical trials as a potential treatment for depression, schizophrenia, and substance dependence. We hypothesized that if ritanserin inhibits ClpXP formation in B. anthracis Sterne it should mimic the phenotype of the knockout clpX mutant, ?clpX. We found that ritanserin increased WT Bacillus anthracis susceptibility to the cell envelope targeting antibiotics penicillin and daptomycin. Future studies showed increased susceptibility to host defenses, such as antimicrobial peptides, including LL-37. This demonstrates that ritanserin could be potentially repurposed as an antibacterial drug with the potential to be used by itself or in combination with antibiotics
The Relationship Between Alcohol Misuse and Fracture Outcome in the Elderly
No full textResearch Question: Do elderly patients (> 60 years old) admitted to the hospital with fractures and chronic alcohol misuse demonstrate differing healing outcomes, in comparison to those with fractures and no chronic alcohol misuse? Specifically, do these patients differ in 1) healing fractures, 2) length of hospital stay, 3) length of ICU stay, and/or 4) mortality?Background and Significance: Alcohol is attributed to a variety of health issues and continues to prove to have adverse health effects. The causative relationship between alcohol and fracture is strong for both osteoporosis and fracture risk. However, there are few studies that have evaluated clinical outcomes of alcohol related injury or hospital-based outcome, such as length of stay. If different than non-alcohol related injuries, this alcohol-related injury pattern may allow healthcare workers better understanding for what to expect, how to intervene, and what outcomes may occur. Additionally, cessation intervention to address the treatment of osteoporosis and additional fractures may carry both personal and societal benefits.Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study and chart review was performed. Patients admitted to Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth with fractures of the axial skeleton and spine between January 2010 and December 2019 were identified for the study. Patients who presented with fractures and 1) laboratory test for ethanol level, and 2) those undergoing substance abuse screening using the SBIRT tool were then evaluated for outcomes including length of hospital stay, length of ICU stay, and mortality. The specific results of the Alc(+) group were then compared to the Alc(-) group.Results: The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in mean hospital length of stay (LOS), no statistically significant difference in mortality, and a statistically significant longer mean ICU LOS days Alc(+) compared to Alc(-). The mean ICU LOS was estimated to be 0.95 days longer (95% CI [0.20, 1.71 days]) for the Alc(+) group than the Alc(-) group.Conclusion: Geriatric patients screening positive for alcohol misuse had a longer ICU stay, increased risk for nosocomial infections, and other complications. This would be expected to increase individual and hospital costs, and use of resources. Ultimately, identifying these ¿at risk¿ patients could lead to early mitigating interventions on hospital admission and another good reason for physicians to address alcohol misuse and bone health. This program could be a model for other centers to also improve individual outcomes as well as have an impact in overall healthcare spending and resources