Stanford University Student Journals
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FLIng Through Voices: Racial Code-Switching & Belonging for First-Generation Students
Full text linkThe conversation on racial code-switching demonstrates how education has ingrained biases against different marginalized dialects, forcing students to adopt “professional” speaking practices. This leads me to ask how racial code-switching poses a barrier to a sense of belonging for first-generation college students. Existing work on racial code-switching primarily addresses educational pedagogy of racial code-switching and its negative impact on the self-perception of students of color. However, there is an unmet gap concerning the impacts of racial code-switching on first-generation students of color navigating new academic spaces. While first-generation students face unique challenges in belonging and adjusting to academic rigor, racial code-switching presents yet another adaptation that first-generation college students must face. In this paper, I argue that racial code-switching produces another barrier to a sense of belonging in higher education for first-generation students of color. First, I review literature on how racial code-switching practices are embedded into classrooms in order to demonstrate how students of color are forced to linguistically assimilate into white standards of English. Next, I look into presentations of racial code-switching within different minority communities and subsequent impacts on self-perception. Then, I review how first-generation college students at Stanford regard the ways they linguistically present themselves in academia. Finally, I conclude my research by proposing recommendations for professors to reframe the ways they regard different dialects and ensure equitable academic access for first-generation college students
Innovative Approaches to Treating Selective Mutism in Children
Full text linkSelective Mutism (SM) is a difficult disorder to treat. Despite an awareness of the need for new brief and multidimensional approaches (Jackson et al., 2005), few advancements have been made in the treatment of SM (Lorenzo et al., 2020). Newer treatments that have emerged are generally understudied, seldom applied, or used following unsuccessful attempts through traditional approaches (Bunnell et al., 2015). This paper will discuss three of these new treatments, that can be considered innovative as reflected in their unconventional approaches in comparison with traditional approaches, and in their successful outcomes.
A New Look at Socioeconomic Determinants of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Usage in Rural and Urban Counties
Full text linkOne recent innovation in the fight against the HIV epidemic is that of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a combination of tenofovir and emtricitabine that has been shown to reduce the risk of contracting HIV by 99% when taken daily. However, PrEP access is hindered across the United States due to numerous disparities. For example, looking at geography alone, only 12% of PrEP access sites nationwide are found in rural areas, compared to 88% in urban areas. Therefore, this study looks to address the rural-urban disparity by examining the socioeconomic determinants of PrEP usage in select rural areas in comparison to those in urban areas, providing crucial information for the expansion of PrEP access in rural communities. This was done through the collection of various socioeconomic data and PrEP prevalence data for rural and urban counties in Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, using databases from the American Community Survey and AidsVu. PrEP prevalence data was then correlated with various socioeconomic variables through the formation of separate linear regressions for urban and rural communities. Comparisons between these models suggest that PrEP usage is concentrated among younger populations in urban communities, as opposed to older populations within rural communities. In addition, the effects of education and racial composition seem to be pronounced in urban areas, while they do not significantly affect PrEP prevalence in rural areas. Such information may prove vital in the development of interventions designed to target populations within rural counties, increasing PrEP access and addressing PrEP disparities across the US
Perceived Parental Consumption of Political Misinformation and the Political Socialization of Black Youth: A Cross-Cultural Study
Full text linkMisinformation, precisely political misinformation, affects the viability of the United States democracy as it depends on having well-educated citizens (Halpern et al.,2019). For this research, political misinformation will be defined as information relating to politics, elections, the law, and federal/local government affairs that is inaccurate, exaggerated, propaganda, or fake. This study attempted to highlight how perceived parental consumption of political misinformation (PPPMC) affects the political socialization of Black youth, specifically African, African American, Afro-Latino and Afro-Caribbean youth. To assess this objective, a survey was administered using a variety of demographic questions along with Likert scale agreement questions. The responses were examined through JASP, a statistical analysis program
The Lack of Representation in Medical Research: How DEI is the Solution
Full text linkIncorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a founded necessity in modern scientific studies and is imperative to improving the health outcomes for people of all genders, ethnicities/races, sexual orientations, identities, etc. Some may see DEI as unnecessary to clinical trials and would rather allocate the time to pursuing the research rather than implement diversity into the patient sample. However, the results of the trial(s) are significantly skewed when neglecting to represent the whole population in the study. After researching three specific clinical trials, it is very likely that DEI is necessary for the further advancement of medicine
Multimodal Convolutional Neural Network Models Allow for the Accurate Classification and Grading of Preoperative Meningioma Brain Tumors: Artificial Intelligence and Neural Radiology: Artificial intelligence and neural radiology
No full textMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans are vital for diagnosing meningioma brain tumors. However, human error, image subtleties, cyst growth, and nuances in World Health Organization (WHO) grading significantly impede accuracy. Invasive biopsies remain the only definitive method for meningioma diagnosis. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), machine learning models used in image classification, offer a promising solution. By fine-tuning the pre-trained CNN EfficientNetB0 on various preoperative brain tumors and meningioma subtypes, safer image-based diagnosis can become more robust and accurate. In this study, one CNN model classified multimodal CT and MRI images, while the other performed grading. The first dataset included several tumor types (meningioma, glioma, pituitary, cysts, or none), and the second consisted of meningioma tumors assigned a WHO grade (one to three). The images, from accurately annotated and diverse open-source databases, were normalized, augmented, and skull-stripped. In the training and validation stages, class-average and Focal Tversky loss functions assessed and reduced incorrect outputs. After testing, both CNNs achieved accuracy and precision over 98% with recall and f1 scores over 95%. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) scores above 0.978 indicated strong class discrimination. Lastly, an included attention study demonstrated the model focusing primarily on the tumor mass, rather than on extraneous variables. These findings demonstrate how multimodal CNNs, particularly lightwork models like EfficientNetB0, can serve as more reliable and cost-effective alternatives to invasive biopsies and human evaluation. Their capability to handle complex meningioma cases suggests promising avenues for other tumor types and diagnostic modalities
The Effect of Climate Change on the Sex Outcome of Drosophila Melanogaster
Full text linkMany insects and amphibians use temperature-dependent sex determination, which is based on temperature to determine if the offspring is male or female. In the face of climate change, this method of sex determination can be threatening to populations, as the increasing temperature can cause there to be more of one sex. Drosophila melanogaster, or fruit flies, are a model organism that have been used for years to study how certain environments may impact a greater organism population. Research on the temperature’s effect on their size, viability, and genetics has been conducted, but not on how temperature may impact their sex outcome. This research project looked at how higher and lower temperatures affect the sex outcome of Drosophila melanogaster. This was done by housing groups of the fruit flies in three different incubation temperatures, one set at 13 C, another set at 25 C (the control), and another one set at 30 C. Once the adult fruit flies had eggs, they were separated, and once the eggs hatched, the number of males and females were counted. This was done for each generation. It was found that there was a higher number of females than males overall in each incubator. Additionally, the fruit flies in the 30 C incubator were the smallest, and fruit flies incubated at 13 C were the biggest. This shows that it is harder to produce males when the environment is not optimal, and that temperature variation has a major impact on the size of Drosophila melanogaster
The Use of Hallucinogens in Pharmacotherapy
No full textToday in the United States, one in twenty-five people are forced to live with bipolar disorder, depression, and other detrimental mental illnesses (Center for Disease Control, 2018). Many mental illnesses arise due to different types of trauma and early life experiences (Center for Disease Control, 2018). As discussed in the research paper “In Their Own Words: Resilience among Haitian Survivors of the 2010 Earthquake”, trauma refers to “either physical or psychological, life-threatening injury resulting from catastrophic personal, familial, or disaster experiences, from which the individual or community cannot escape, but to which the reaction is one of terror, helplessness, and a sense of being overwhelmed” (Rahill et al., 2016, p. 581). Unfortunately, many mental illnesses and disorders do not have sustainable pharmaceutical treatments. Many current medications have various proposed limitations, such as not being fully productive or having an array of negative side effects. However, new research has uncovered that hallucinogens such as LSD and psilocybin may be viable options. The National Library of Medicine refers to The Journal of Neuroscience, vocalizing that new research has shown evidence regarding the therapeutic properties of hallucinogens, specifically LSD and psilocybin (De Gregorio et al., 2021). On the contrary, professor Robin Lester Carhart-Harris at Imperial College London explains that psilocybin can drastically decrease brain blood flow and resumes in a second research paper testifying that LSD can lead to “decreased alpha power, predicting the magnitude of visual hallucinations; and decreased DMN integrity, PH-RSC RSFC, and delta and alpha power” (Carhart-Harris et al., 2016, p. 4856). Succinctly, an analysis of different scientific perspectives demonstrates that utilizing hallucinogens in pharmacotherapy may be a potential treatment for mental illnesses and disorders stemming from trauma
Nutrition and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Dietary Factors in the Expression of Typical Behaviors Associated with ADHD
Full text linkAttention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects millions of children in the United States, and while behavioral therapy and medication remain the primary treatments, growing research suggests that nutrition, specifically omega-3 fatty acids, may influence symptom expression. This paper explores how omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies contribute to common ADHD behaviors such as impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity. Drawing on historical dietary research, including the Feingold Diet, and modern studies on essential fatty acid (EFA) metabolism, the paper outlines biological mechanisms linking omega-3 levels to neurotransmitter function, inflammation, and executive functioning. Public health findings further indicate that children with ADHD show a higher prevalence of EFA deficiency, potentially due to reduced breastfeeding, allergies, or metabolic inefficiencies. While nutritional interventions show promise as a supplement to traditional therapy, ADHD remains a complex neurodevelopmental disorder requiring comprehensive, individualized treatment approaches. Additional research is needed to clarify the metabolic pathways involved and determine the therapeutic potential of targeted omega-3 supplementation
The Existence of Rift Valley Fever Virus in Nigeria: Past, Present, and Future
Full text linkOver 90 years ago, precisely in 1931, Rift Valley fever (RVF) was discovered in Kenya. However, the virus spread to African countries including Sudan, Somalia, South Africa, Madagascar, Egypt, and Tanzania. It also spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Rift Valley fever is an arthropod-borne viral zoonotic disease affecting various species of animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, camels, wild animals, and even humans. It is a highly infectious and contagious disease with quickly spread to other countries through the borders or international movements of animals. RVF is highly economical and of public health significance because it causes neonatal death and decreases milk production in animals, and it is associated with hemorrhagic fever, encephalitis, and ocular diseases in humans. Heavy and persistent rainfall, flooding, and availability of mosquito breeding sites such as lakes and water bodies around the animal herd influence the occurrence of RFV because mosquitoes especially Aedes and Culex serve as the primary vector of the disease. Humans become infected following contact with tissues, fluids, and infected animals. In animals, RVF is characterized by hemorrhagic fever, and abortion, while in humans it is associated with encephalitis, ocular diseases, and hemorrhagic fever. In this review article, we discussed the past and present seroprevalence study of Rift Valley in Nigeria then we forecast and suggested respective ways and methods to follow to prevent the future occurrence of the disease in Nigeria