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Bedside Manner Techniques During The Black Death and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFFrom 1346 to 1353, a bacteria now known as yersinia pestis caused millions of deaths all over the world, resulting in the time period to often be referred to as “The Black Death.” The Black Death called for the development of medical techniques and patient care, such as bedside manner. With the escalating death tolls and no known cause, medical professionals were left confused and in disarray as to what the best course of treatment was and how to protect themselves from illness. One might be under the impression that bedside manner techniques used today have no relation to the techniques used during pre-modern times. However, with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, one can see that these techniques have served as the foundation for modern medical treatment and patient care. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that bedside manner techniques have developed from pre-modern times and have supported patients who have become ill due to coronavirus. In an analysis of the techniques used during the Black Death and the COVID-19 pandemic, this study will identify parallels in the methods of communication with patients, courses of treatment, and methods of protection from disease.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1021/thumbnail.jp
Concealing Power and Domination Through American Ideology
Get PDFThe focus of this research is to define the term “American Ideology” as Americanism and outline its relationship to the economic system of capitalism. The main objective of this is to further support the thesis that American ideology protects capitalism’s control and domination within American political and social culture. The issue at hand is to detail why it is difficult for those who criticize and propose ideas that are not rooted in capitalism from speaking in the political and economic mainstream. Essentially why is it that these individuals are considered irrelevant or sometimes even “fringe”? To answer this question, I engage directly with the discourse of renowned critics of ideology and capitalism, for instance, those of Herbert Marcuse and Slavoj Žižek. My primary theses show that there is a specific relationship between ideology and a given system that explains why it is so difficult for those who populate the social world to criticize the said system. Additionally, I further develop in this research the concept that ideology acts as a sort of protection for the system to which it is attached: this phenomenon shielding capitalism should be identified as Americanism. Capitalism and Americanism have a distinct relationship such that the general public cannot differentiate between reality and ideological fantasy, thus allowing for the control of capitalism to continue without any seemingly relevant threat.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1025/thumbnail.jp
China’s Narrative Reframing Efforts Using Disinformation Campaigns During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFWith the introduction of COVID-19, disinformation relating to the pandemic has spread all over the world. From the origins and first cases detected and reported, to the treatment of COVID-19, disinformation has flooded the media and has hindered the general population\u27s understanding of what is happening. When focusing on pro-Chinese campaigns, there has been a noticeable pattern of China’s attempt to flip the narrative surrounding the pandemic. With the initial outbreak found to have been from China, disinformation campaigns have attempted to change the narrative from China being victims of the virus, to being the strong and powerful country that the world needs to rely on during this time. China’s first target was Italy, who was hit hard by the virus. China took advantage of Italy’s weakness and the European Union\u27s lack of support, to help amplify the new narrative that China has created. China provided information and supplies to Italy and other countries around the world, which tended to be defective, inaccurate or not up to general health and safety standards. China also pressured the E.U. to change an official report on the disinformation that China was spreading during the pandemic, causing a change in the wording of the E.U. claim of “global disinformation” to the removal of the claim entirely. China’s disinformation campaigns that attempted to reframe the narrative surrounding China’s role in the pandemic cause harm around the world, but the intent of China and the extent to which harm was caused has gone unnoticed.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1062/thumbnail.jp
Binghamton City School District’s Meal Programs and their Impact on Reducing Local Food Insecurity
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic recession resulted in a stark increase in the number of food insecure children nationally and in the Binghamton City School District locally. The lack of nutritious food can lead to poor physical and mental health in adolescents. To mitigate said health concerns, the Binghamton City School District implemented the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) to provide free meals to all students. In my research, I will evaluate the impact of the NSLP and SBP on decreasing the food insecurity rates in the Binghamton City School District amidst the COIVD-19 pandemic. Evaluations of the NSLP and SBP participation rates before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 will be conducted. The results suggest that the consistent use of the National free meal programs lowers the amount of food insecure children in Broome County. Families express that subsidized meals give them security in knowing their children will be properly nourished. This research indicates that widespread use of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program will minimize the national food insecurity rate.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1078/thumbnail.jp
Does Artificial Light at Night Influence Amphibian Development and Color Changing Abilities?
Get PDFArtificial Light at Night (ALAN) is a pervasive contaminant characterized by the presence of excessive manmade light at times not consistent with the natural day/night cycle. ALAN has several physiological and morphological effects on humans and wildlife, including altering amphibians’ development and skin pigmentation, both of which affect amphibians’ susceptibility to predators and their subsequent fitness. For instance, many amphibians can change their pigmentation to blend in with their surroundings (and hide from predators) through a process called background adaptation. While exposure to ALAN can make tadpoles darker, it is unclear how this pollutant affects background adaptation overall. To test this, I exposed three local species (wood frogs, spring peepers, and American toads) to varied light conditions and background colors for their first weeks of development. I measured tadpoles’ growth and background adaptation abilities by quantifying their skin pigmentation. I found that ALAN and background color both influence growth, although these effects vary by species. Next, I found that wood frog tadpoles were significantly darker when exposed to ALAN versus control light. In contrast, ALAN did not affect spring peeper pigmentation. Lastly, for American toads, I found that ALAN had an interactive effect with background color. In the ALAN treatment but not the control treatment, tadpoles reared in light backgrounds were significantly lighter compared to their surroundings than tadpoles reared in dark backgrounds. This suggests tadpoles’ ability to blend into their rearing background is affected by ALAN. Overall, this project demonstrates the need to further investigate ALAN and similar pollutants.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1087/thumbnail.jp
Examining Role of Impulsive Action in BXD Mice to Understand Heritability in Drug Addiction
Get PDFDrug addiction susceptibility results from many individual factors, one of which is genetic variation. Impulsivity, defined as rash or uncontrolled reward pursuit and consumption, is itself a genetically influenced trait that positively correlates with an individual’s likelihood of developing a substance use disorder. The BXD recombinant inbred mouse panel is a powerful tool that allows for assessments of genetic correlations between phenotypes and the heritability of such behaviors. Six strains of BXD mice have been selected based on low or high impulsive action in a previous reversal learning study. Male and female mice underwent reversal learning testing. Total trials to criteria (impulsive action), premature responding, trial initiation time, trial omissions, and reward retrieval time was recorded. That data showed a main effect of strain and impulsivity level for impulsive action, trial omissions, and reward retrieval time and heritability estimates were derived, while no effect of sex was observed. The different behavioral measures will have correlations conducted to understand heritable impulsive behavior in mice. This will contribute to future analysis of underlying neural influences on the behavior, including dopamine transmission within the orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, in these animals.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1090/thumbnail.jp
Nutrition and Stress: Finding a Link Between Eating Habits and General Stress & Anxiety
Get PDFMental and physical health are closely connected; diet and exercise regimens can affect mental health and stress levels. Research has found links between inflammation—caused by processed foods—causing increased rates of depression. Diets high in fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, can reduce rates of depression by supporting the gut microbiome and by providing essential micronutrients and antioxidants. For our research, the investigation showed links between dietary habits and stress. The online survey was administered through word of mouth, social media, and group chats. The survey gathered information pertaining to the demographics, diet and exercise habits, and mental wellness of 194 participants over the course of three weeks. The results were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. The Pearson coefficient was used to examine correlations between students\u27 dietary and lifestyle choices and overall mental well-being. Our results displayed that breakfast would improve mood because skipping breakfast leads to the brain producing excess cortisol. Based on our findings, there was a strong negative correlation between eating breakfast and negative emotions such as eating breakfast and feeling nervousness ( r = -0.186) (P\u3c0.01), eating breakfast and feeling restless (r = -0.210) (P\u3c0.01), and eating breakfast and feeling depressed ( r = -0.155) (P\u3c0.01) . To conclude, eating healthy foods regularly can positively affect brain function; students with healthy eating and exercise patterns have demonstrated reduced stress and anxiety.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1096/thumbnail.jp
Disinformation and Failed Bargaining
Get PDFIncomplete information shifted the narrative of the Cold War’s outcome in many ways. This paper employs the theoretical tools and methods of Disinformation Studies to critique a model of failed bargaining proposed by political scientists Frieden, Lake, and Schultz. According to these scholars, failed bargaining is when two states resort to war rather than negotiate. While this is a convincing model, I argue that the dissemination of intentionally false or misleading narratives plays a critical role in fueling support for various types of militarized conflict. Failed bargaining is shown to be a more convincing model of the failure of diplomacy when disinformation can be factored into the equation. A new version of this model of disinformation and bargaining was, thus, constructed in order to measure how this may alter the outcome of war. This model will undersee a variety of war scenarios to measure just how drastic the impact of disinformation is on failed bargaining. For instance, one could implement the Cold War, the Iran-Iraq conflict, and the American Revolution. Analyzing such propagated scenarios will provide quantitative results that could promote the building of the aforementioned model of disinformation. Results ultimately show that incomplete information completely shifts the outcome of bargaining and gives the country doing so the upper hand. The presence of disinformation, ultimately, shifts scenarios that could have been explored in a peaceful manner. Perhaps, a median of some sort could resort to this model to prevent these implications and generate complete communication between the two states involved.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1104/thumbnail.jp
Lost in Translation: How Mistranslations Can Become Disinformation
Get PDFThis project explores the relationship between mistranslations and information disorder, focusing on how disregarding nuances in language can produce starkly different narratives and lead to serious consequences. Different languages have different grammatical structures and a word in one language can have several meanings in another language, depending on context, such that translations of important messages demand thorough understanding of discrepancy between languages. This project focuses on several cases of inaccurate translations that benefit the parties of the translators, bringing about consequences that range from problematic to damning. On one end of the spectrum, Chinese social media circulated a mistranslation and misappropriation of Western media, giving a false sense of legitimacy to Chinese conspiracy theories that say that COVID-19 originated in the United States. On the other end of the spectrum, a mistranslation between Japanese Premier Kantaro Suzuki and allied leaders in 1945 resulted in a misunderstanding of the Premier’s sentiments, which led to the dropping of a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Many cases of mistranslation with damaging consequences produce a benefit to related parties, which could explain a potentially intentional mistranslation in order to produce a specific outcome. This project argues that stopping subjective translations requires understanding not only direct translations, but also understanding the small nuances and multiple meanings of words between different languages in order to more accurately capture the meaning of a statement in one language translated into another language. Thorough understanding of other languages also requires cross-cultural sensitivity and cultural context that affects viewpoints of the original message. Culture and language scholars could be instrumental in ensuring that important messages are not lost in translation.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1118/thumbnail.jp
The Use of Disinformation as a Political Weapon
Get PDFDisinformation is a powerful tool that has the ability to cause a lot of harm. It is especially harmful when it is used as a weapon by nations to inflict damage on other nations. Spreading disinformation is a way for governments to gain the trust of other countries, while simultaneously severing the trust between the targeted nation and other countries. During the time period of the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union were engaged in a battle of dominance which led to the spread of disinformation on both sides. One documented instance of disinformation from the United States was a study that was released by United States government workers concerning infant mortality rates and life expectancy in the Soviet Union. It was reported that the Soviet Union was experiencing high rates of infant mortality and low life expectancy. A review of this study was published in the New York Review that was heavily dramatized and sensationalized. A response to both the study and the review of the study was put out which found that the statistics in the study were exaggerated and taken out of context in order to delegitimize the Soviet Union. The use of disinformation as a political weapon by nations involved in conflict is something that happens often and can have costly effects. Studying this will lead to a better understanding of how the use of disinformation affects nations globally.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1121/thumbnail.jp